Band to Get Very, Very High with Gig Today

The Farm (not these guys from the 90s, a Nashville band) have a special gig today abour a Southwest Airlines 737.  As part of the airline's Live at 35 (as in 35,000 ft.) concert series--and in association with Taylor Guitars--the Farm will seranade travellers between Phoenix and San Diego.

The band joins a list of series performers that has included Hedley, Youngblood Hawke and ZZ Ward. Everything will appear on Southwest's blog when everyone is back on the ground.

Co-Writer of "Layla" Still Stuck in Jail

I wonder how many people remember Jim Gordon, the guy who co-wrote "Layla" with Derek and the Dominos?

About a decade after that song became such a rock staple, Gordon was convicted and jailed for killing his mother. He's been locked up ever since.  And he'll stay in jail until at least 2018.  From Rolling Stone:

Rock drummer Jim Gordon, who killed his mother in June 1983 after claiming her voice had tormented him for years, was denied parole until at least 2018 at a hearing this April. A California board panel deemed the musician "a danger to society if released from prison," citing his resistance to court-ordered medication and counseling, according to a hearing transcript obtained by Rolling Stone.

Thirty years after Gordon confessed to stabbing his 71-year-old mother to death at her North Hollywood home, he continues to shows symptoms of schizophrenia and is "medically and psychologically noncompliant," Los Angeles County deputy district attorney Alexis de la Garza told the three-member panel. "This is one of the saddest cases that we have in prison. We have an individual who is seriously psychologically incapacitated, and he is a danger when he is not taking his medication."

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A Q&A with Daft Punk Producer Nile Rogers

This was sent out in Q Magazine's weekly newsletter today:

Books, documentaries, French robots, not to mention so many hits eventually there will be a chart just devoted just to his work, Nile Rodgers is a force in modern pop culture. When not contributing to Daft Punk albums or telling his remarkable story in his 2011 autobiography Le Freak: An Upside Down Story Of Family, Disco And Destiny, Rodgers can be found on the road performing the songs he wrote for the likes of Madonna, INXS, Duran Duran, Bryan Ferry and, of course, his own band Chic. With a packed summer of dates including a headline slot at Bristol's Love Saves The Day on 26 May ahead, Q spoke to Rodgers In a rare quiet moment at his New York studio.

How the devil are you?
"I'm great, really wonderful."

You're playing loads of shows this summer...
"As we've done for the last two years straight! A quick history on that is I was blind-sided with cancer a couple of years ago and after my operation I said to myself: The main thing I'm going to give myself as part of my therapy is I'm going to do a lot of work and I'm not going to stop! I read somewhere that somebody said if you have a reason to get up the next day it will prolong your life [laughs] So I said: That's it, I'm going to have a reason to get up the next day, and put together this absurd schedule. What's been great is I haven't let anyone down yet over the last two years. Every gig, every speaking engagement, every book signing, every deadline, I've made everyone one."

It sounds like it working for you?
"It's great. I feel like a million dollars. I've written ten songs in the last couple of weeks, played a party last night, doing a musical benefit for the rainforest in a couple of days. It's a crazy, crazy schedule."

People might know you better for your studio work, as a producer and a songwriter, but how much do you enjoy the live side of things?
"I love it! As a composer and person who makes records, there's an enjoyment that you get out of that like anything else, but when you get to perform the music for people... in my case that was my original goal: I just wanted to play music, I just wanted be a minstrel and play stuff. The fact I never have to play a record I didn't write or produce for the rest of my life, that's amazing to me. I could have a five hour show and that could still be true. It's incredible." [laughs]

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Chixdiggit! Returns

Canada's Chixdiggit has been doing their pop-punk thing for 20 years.  Now they have a deal with Fat Wreck Chords for the release of Double Diggits, which features remastered versions of Born on the First of July and From Scene to Shining Scene along with some ultra-rare bonus tracks.

Further details here.

Canadian Musician Magazine Launches Online Radio Program

Canadian Musician magazine, a staple of newsstands for decades, announced the debut of Canadian Musician Radio, a weekly program that will be broadcast through the magazine's website every Wednesday at 8pm.  From the press release:

Each program will be roughly half an hour in length and feature weekly news updates, informative how-to discussions with industry insiders and experts, profile interviews with great Canadian acts, and lively discussion on issues pertinent to musicians and music industry professionals. CM Radio will also keep listeners up-to-date on events, artistic and career opportunities, and industry trends. Everything related to music, from songwriting to marketing and promotion, will be discussed with experts and experienced pros.

The first episode on Wednesday, May 15 features interviews with CM publisher Jim Norris, sharing tips from his popular Self Promotion 101 seminars, and P.E.I.-based indie pop outfit Paper Lions. Listeners who follow the Canadian Musician Radio channel will receive automatic updates when there is a new episode.