LegNews

Blurb from American Songwriter

Born into a family of esteemed songwriters, Billy Burnette – whose father and uncle were two thirds of influential ‘50s rockabilly group The Rock and Roll Trio – has written songs for everyone from Roy Orbison and Tammy Wynette to Alan Jackson and Faith Hill.

After years touring alongside Bob Dylan and John Fogerty, the Nashville-based guitarist, singer-songwriter and Fleetwood Mac member has released his first solo album in a decade, Rock & Roll With It. We talked to the International Rockabilly Hall of Fame inductee about producing his own record, Fleetwood Mac’s off-stage tiffs and how Bob Dylan kept him on his toes.

You come from a songwriting family. Did you always think you’d be in the business?

I was in it before I can even remember because it’s all I thought anybody did. I started performing when I was three-and-a-half years old and I cut my first record for a major label when I was seven.

How many solo albums have you put out?

I’ve lost count. I did my first about a week out of high school in Memphis when I was 18. I’ve been on just about every label in the business.

What was the impetus for the new album?

I haven’t done a studio album in about 10 years. I’ve been with John Fogerty for the last five years and before that with Dylan’s band. It had been a while and I just had to do a record. I’ve never done one that I produced and did everything myself.

So did you play all of the instruments?

No, I had Dave Roe, Kenny Vaughan, and Chad Cromwell on drums. We did all the tracks in three sessions. Then I took it home, worked on it, added guitars and additional background vocals. I did a lot of the guitars by myself at home.

Do you prefer the older, vintage style of recording or the new, digital style?

When we’re mixing and recording we use a lot of vintage equipment. We cut it on tape, moved it to Pro Tools, and then mixed it back. I have my process of doing it and believe tape has a richer quality.

Are you into country as much as you are rockabilly?

Country music has changed. I came to Nashville in ’72 and people like Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn cut the songs. They would hear a song, go in, cut it and it would be out the next week. Now it’s what I call “slow business” – they think about something for so long, they cut it, and then think about it again.

How did you get to be a part of Fleetwood Mac?

A month after I’d been nominated for ACM Best New Male vocalist [in 1985] I got the call to join. It was a big life change, and it was exciting – it was a great band and I was huge fan. They were a tight knit family and Lindsey [Buckingham] was a fan of mine from my rockabilly records. I’d sung on a couple of albums and they’d had me out on the road before I was part of the band.

Fleetwood Mac is famous for their inter-band drama. Did you witness any of that?

Oh yeah. I remember when a book came out exposing all of that. We were in Austria and they weren’t too happy that day. There’s drama in every band – overall we got along really good.

Was it more fun than being in Dylan or Fogerty’s band?

With Fogerty and Dylan I was a sideman, but of course … he’s Bob Dylan. I loved playing with his band and I’d been a fan of Fogerty since before high school. Fleetwood Mac was a pretty democratic way of working things out – we would have meetings about everything and we were equal members. With John and Bob, they made the decisions.

Did Dylan change his arrangements to suit your playing style?

No, but he changes stuff every set. We didn’t get the set list until about 20 minutes before we went on. You never know what’s going to happen with that deal – you’re always on your toes with Dylan.

Did you have to learn his whole catalog?

I did learn it all. The band laughed because I told them I learned the songs on the records and they said, “that’s been different for years!” I even had a minor case of carpal tunnel because I was in my room all of the time learning songs. We had our staples though – we did “All Along the Watchtower” pretty much every other night and “Highway 61”.

So the other band members just ignored the album recordings?

Well, the guys who are playing with him now have been with him for 10, 15 years. When I started working with him, he was playing guitar and I could follow him. Then he decided to play piano half of the set, but the guys were great helping me learn it. When you’re with somebody like Dylan, living and breathing it every day, it’s an incredible experience.

Talk about it on The LegBoard

RIP Original Mac Bassist Bob Brunning

Blurb from Gibson.com

Fleetwood Mac’s original bassist is dead. Music Week magazine in England reports that Bob Brunning passed away at his home in England last week. He was 68.

Brunning had joined Peter Green in 1967, to be later replaced by John McVie. Brunning then quit life as a full-time musician and became a headmaster at several schools in London.

Later, he played again with The Brunning-Sunflower Blues Band. He also wrote several books about the music business including, Blues – The British Connection and Fleetwood Mac: The First Thirty Years.

Talk about it on The LegBoard

Reviews Of "Songs From A Small Machine"!

Blogcritics
Blu-Ray.com
High Def Digent
Retroblog.net
Allmusic.com
HomeTheatreForum.com
MassLive.com
DVDVerdict.com
Music News Nashville
Blu-raydefinition.com
backstageaxxess.com
Media Mikes
away-team.com
audaud.com
Dallas News
Martin's View Blog
Something Else Reviews.com

Talk about it on The LegBoard

Tributes To Bob Weston

Blurb from Times Series

HEARTFELT tributes have been paid to ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Weston who has died aged 64.

Bob, who was a member of the band in the Seventies, was found dead at his home in Brent Cross on January, 3.

Musician and electronics engineer Steve Fairhead first met Bob in the early Nineties when they both lived in Brighton.

Speaking to the Times Series, Mr Fairhead said: “Bob came to live with my family for about nine months in 2007. My wife was a little bit worried because she didn’t know him terribly well, and she thought he might be this arrogant ex-rock star. But he charmed the socks off her and they winded up being firm friends. Bob was an absolute gentleman.

“I can’t get my head round the idea he’s gone – I keep expecting to bump into him or see him at the weekend.

“We shared a daft sense of humour and a sense of the absurd. He was gregarious and he was compassionate. He will definitely be missed – more than missed – my hearts broken.”

Photographer Fin Costello first met Bob when he was photographing Fleetwood Mac in London in the early Seventies.

He said: “He was seen as the wunderkind of the time and much talked about.

“He was one of the great underrated guitarists of his time and great company as well. Lots of Rock and Roll tales. He and I had travelled the same road for many years so the sessions were long and entertaining.”

Both Mr Fairhead and Mr Costello said they have received many emails mourning the loss of Bob.

Talk about it on The LegBoard

Farmiga To Play Christine in Beach Boys Film

Blurb from Hollywood Today Newsmagazine

Oscar® Nominee Vera Farmiga has signed on to play Christine McVie, the legendary singer/songwriter of Fleetwood Mac, in Randall Miller & Jody Savin’s < The Drummer . The film charts the last six years of Dennis Wilson’s life in which he created some of the finest music of his career. Wilson and McVie had a passionate and tumultuous relationship in which they served as each other’s inspiration, refuge, and incendiary.

Farmiga, who received critical acclaim as well as an Oscar@ nomination for her work in Up In The Air opposite George Clooney, starred in the 2011 thriller Source Code, and recently made her directorial debut with Higher Ground in which she also stars. A classically trained pianist, Farmiga will both sing and play the piano in the film.

Miller tells Hollywood Today, “Jody and I are thrilled to work with Vera. Her commitment to every nuance will illuminate the character and having Aaron and Vera on-screen singing together will be pure magic.”

“Aaron is totally committed to getting the music right for the film. He is putting in hours and hours a week in preparation for the roll of Dennis Wilson,” adds Savin.

The only Beach Boy who surfed, Dennis Wilson ironically drowned in 1983 in Marina Del Rey shortly after he finished and released Pacific Ocean Blue, his one and only solo album. The album was re-released in 2008 to five star reviews and was named the best re-release of the year by Rolling Stone.

The film goes before the cameras June 15, 2012 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of The Beach Boys and will be shot in Southern California and Savannah, Georgia.

Randall Miller is directing from a screenplay written by partner Jody Savin. Miller and Savin (the filmmaking duo behind the critically acclaimed Sundance hit, Bottle Shock) are producing the film with Brad Rosenberger under their Unclaimed Freight banner.

Rosenberger adds, “We’re thrilled that Vera brings her special musical talents to our film. She is a superb actor and we can’t wait to see and hear her as Christine McVie. ”Dennis Wilson’s children, Carl B. Wilson and Jennifer Wilson, are Co-Producers on the picture. Gerry DeKlerk and Irene Nelson of Rampart Films are Executive Producers along with Jim Guercio of Caribou Records. Also on board are Don Mandrik of Georgia Production Finance and Nick Gant of Meddin Studios.

W2 Media, the Los Angeles and Vancouver based film distribution; financing and international sales company, is co-financing the film and handling international sales. Julie Sultan, W2 Media’s President of International Sales & Distribution, was responsible for bringing the project to W2 and will be introducing it to buyers at the upcoming European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin.

Following The Drummer, Miller and Savin are scheduled to shoot CBGB, about Hilly Kristal, his legendary underground rock club and the birth of punk. And are currently in post on Savannah starring Jim Caviezel, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jaimie Alexander, Bradley Whitford, Sam Shepard and Hal Holbrook, directed by Annette Haywood-Carter.

Talk about it on The LegBoard

Stevie Fans Asked To Submit Video for Documentary

Blurb from RTT Newa

The producers behind a new Stevie Nicks documentary are reaching out to fans for the participation in the film. The doc will give a behind the scenes look at Stevie's most recent record, In Your Dreams.

In an open letter to fans, the production crew says that a few fan testimonials will put the finishing touches on the project:

"We here at Weapons of Mass Entertainment have realized we need another element to add into the movie, and that element is You!! We are looking for short video clips to add into the film from Stevie's fans themselves."

"On your webcams (or any other desired video recording medium), we would love if you would record yourselves telling Stevie what she and/or this record might mean to you. More than likely, she will see these, so feel free to speak as directly as you wish."

Talk about it on The LegBoard

Lindsey Cancels UK Tour

Blurb from Stereoboard.com

Lindsay Buckingham, producer, songwriter, singer and guitarist of Fleetwood Mac, has unfortunately postponed his upcoming December UK tour after his guitarist injured his back. All tickets will be honored at the soon to be announced rescheduled dates.

Lindsay was due to kick-off a seven-date UK tour on 8th December. The tour was confirmed to stop in Birmingham, Salford, Leeds, Edinburgh, Gateshead, Southampton and London but will soon be rescheduled to allow Lindsay's band member time to recover.

The tour comes in support of Lindsey’s sixth solo studio album ‘Seeds We Sow’ his first since 2008's 'Gift Of Screws'. The album follows the release of a new live concert DVD & Blu-ray, featuring tracks from the new album plus classic solo and Fleetwood Mac tracks from across Lindsey Buckingham’s career.

Lindsey Buckingham recorded 'Seeds We Sow' in his home studio in Los Angeles and played the majority of the instruments himself, as well as mixing and producing.

The following statement was issued over the weekend regarding the tour: "Lindsey Buckingham unfortunately needs to postpone his upcoming UK shows as his guitarist has severely injured his back and is not able to presently perform. All tickets will be honored at the soon to be announced rescheduled dates."

Lindsey Buckingham Postponed UK Tour Dates are as follows:

December 2011

Dec 8th - Birmingham Symphony Hall - POSTPONED
Dec 9th - Salford Lowry - POSTPONED
Dec 11th - O2 Academy Leeds - POSTPONED
Dec 12th - Edinburgh Usher Hall - POSTPONED
Dec 13th - Gateshead Sage - POSTPONED
Dec 18th - Southampton Guildhall - POSTPONED
Dec 19th - London Palladium - POSTPONED
Talk about it on The LegBoard

Stevie's Recording Tribute CD For Her Mom

Blurb from Contact Music

Singer Stevie Nicks is reportedly recording a new solo album as a tribute to her late mother.

Barbara Nicks died in Arizona at the age of 84, with her famous daughter by her side, on 28 December (11).

The Fleetwood Mac star later spoke out about the devastating loss, admitting, "She supported me and all of my dreams. She was the one that made it all possible."

And now the Landslide singer is set to remember her mum by composing a record in her honour, according to the National Enquirer.

A source says, "Stevie always finds something positive in the worst situations, and no one's surprised at her decision to write a tribute album to her mum.

"While sitting at Barbara's bedside, she recalled the tremendous influence her mother had on her life... Stevie has been writing constantly and wants to have the tribute album out by summer."

Talk about it on The LegBoard

Lindsey Talks 2012 Plans - or not?

Blurb from Ultimate Classic Rock

Lindsey Buckingham has been on a productive tear in recent years, releasing three solo albums since 2006 including this year’s highly regarded ‘Seeds We Sow.’ Prior to 2006, there was a noticeable drought of solo material from the veteran singer-songwriter, whose last solo album ‘Out Of The Cradle’ had been been released in 1992.

A good amount of Buckingham’s solo silence had to do with his renewed activity with Fleetwood Mac, but after finding a break in that action, he’s certainly been making good use of his Mac downtime and he tells Classic Rock magazine that he’s already looking towards what’s next.

“I love what I’ve been able to achieve and I’m already thinking of another solo album.” As his recent output suggests, Buckingham is a big fan of striking while the iron is hot and while the time is there. “You’ve got to make the most of what you have.”

Echoing what he told us in an earlier interview, fans shouldn’t hold their breath for any definite activity in the Fleetwood Mac camp in 2012. Buckingham says that there’s been no time to schedule anything and “I have no idea when we’ll be able to get together and start thinking about the next album or tour,” emphasizing that “it might be a little while yet.”

But the light glimmers slightly as Buckingham allows that “I’d be surprised if we didn’t at least talk in 2012, although where that will lead who can tell?”

‘Seeds We Sow’ features Buckingham’s take on ‘She Smiled Sweetly’ by the Rolling Stones and Lindsey says that his favorite Stones period was when Brian Jones was in the group. “He brought so many different musical ideas and instruments into the band.”

His choice of ‘She Smiled Sweetly’ represents “all I love about the Stones at this time.” Found on the Stones’ ‘Between The Buttons’ album, which was released in 1967, Buckingham took great delight in the material. “They were moving away from their R&B roots and exploring psychedelic possibilities. It made them so exciting and for me this is when the band were at their best.”

Talk about it on The LegBoard