R.I.P. Hilly Kristal

(Billboard.com) Hilly Kristal, the founder of legendary New York punk club CBGB, died yesterday (Aug. 28) due to complications from lung cancer. He was 75.

Kristal founded the club in 1973 to showcase bluegrass and country acts, but it quickly became known as a breeding ground for experimental and punk music. Throughout the 1970s and '80s, the club served as a launching pad for Blondie, the Talking Heads, Television, Living Colour, Patti Smith and the Ramones, among many others.

Located in the then-crime ridden Bowery, the space achieved iconic status but began to falter in the 1990s. In 2006, the club was forced to close in the face of rising rents and gentrification in the neighborhood.

Before the closure, Kristal and many musicians fought valiantly to save it, throwing a number of benefit shows and even convincing New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to appear at a rally in a "Save CBGB's" t-shirt. Despite their efforts, the venue shut for good in October 2006. A retail store dedicated to selling club-related merchandise remains open on St. Marks Place in New York.

Kristal was born in Manhattan in 1932 but his family relocated to Hightstown, N.J., when he was an infant. Kristal studied music from a young age and eventually attended the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia. He then moved to New York, spending the '50s and '60s performing with a variety of music acts, and later became the manager of legendary jazz club the Village Vanguard. Kristal also spent a period of time in the Marines.

Kristal is survived by a daughter, a son and two grandchildren. A private memorial will be held first, with a public tribute to follow at a date to be announced.

Banyan Tonight at Waiting Room

We've been in a bit of a dry spell for concerts in Omaha over the last couple of weeks. It won't last, obviously, as there are plenty of cool things coming up. Tonight, there is a possibility of a great show in the form of Banyan.

Banyan is an improvisational, jazz/rock band founded by former Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins. The rest of the players are different depending on where they are performing. I saw them about 10 years ago in Los Angeles, and the band included Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, Mike Watt (Minutemen/fIREHOSE/Stooges), Money Mark (Beastie Boys), and Nels Cline (Wilco/Mike Watt band). Pretty impressive, right? Well, yes and no.

I just don't care much for "free jazz" or improv music. I can appreciate the talent involved in making it, but I just don't really enjoy listening to it. Tonight's line-up will not feature any of the above rockers (except for Perkins), but it will feature the bassist from the jam band, The Big Wu, and some guys I do not know.

I think I am going to go if for no other reason than to see Stephen Perkins in a small club. The guy is an amazing drummer, and Jane's Addiction was one of the best. Opening the show is local jam band, The Balance. The show is at The Waiting Room, 62nd & Maple.

Let's get this party started...with some mid-tempo rock and roll

Looks like Wilco will be making a stop at the Orpheum Theatre on October 11. Tickets will be on sale August 31. Some kind words that probably don't need to be said in the first place, but for some reason, these always need to be reiterated: many bands, especially Wilco, will occasionally ask for requests from the audience, but don't get your hopes up. In the case that you don't hear Tweedy ask for requests...don't yell them out. They're here. They usually play a good set. The music set is usually deliberately set out to create some sort of mood. He hasn't forgotten "California Stars" - so no matter how more and more brilliant the idea sounds as you continue to get more and more drunk at the concert...do not...under any circumstance, yell out "Play California Stars!" or "Do Heavy Metal Drummer!" Failure to abide by this rule will result not only in a potential ass-kicking from respectful fans, but worse - a wicked tongue lashing from Tweedy himself.

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RIP Tony Wilson (1950-2007)

Legendary music mogul and founder of Factory Records Tony Wilson died after a struggle with cancer. If for no other reason, Wilson should be remembered as the man who discovered Joy Division. I don't have much to contribute to his story at all. Read the wikipedia entry.

Van Halen Reunion Is Back on!

Van Halen will announce a 50-date American reunion tour with original singer David Lee Roth during a news conference in Hollywood next week, sources said.

The arena trek will begin in early October.

Roth, who split from the rock group in the mid-1980s in hopes of solo stardom, will reunite with co-founders Eddie Van Halen on guitar and brother Alex Van Halen on drums. Eddie's teenage son Wolfgang will sub for Michael Anthony on bass.

A proposed summer amphitheater tour by the group never got off the ground, with Eddie Van Halen entering a rehabilitation facility for undisclosed reasons in March.

In the months since, the guitarist has been seen publicly looking healthy and fit.

Van Halen last toured in 2004, with Roth's replacement, vocalist Sammy Hagar, grossing nearly $40 million, according to Billboard Boxscore.

Reuters/Billboard

Silversun Pickups Re-Cap

All things considered I was pretty impressed with the Silversun Pickups show last night at Slowdown. I wasn't "blown away" by the show or anything, but I was impressed with the band's enthusiasm and musicianship. The band seemed to be having a genuinely good time, and the audience was among the most enthusiastic I have seen in Omaha (a town notorious for mediocre crowd response). I missed all but the last song from openers, Sea Wolf. I heard they were good, though.

I was fortunate to get my little VIP spot in the balcony which is the only place to see a show at Slowdown as far as I'm concerned. The floor is for suckers. As usual, I took my crappy cell phone picture of the event, but if you want to see some great photos from last night, check out Omahype's photo page of the event here.

The Wait Is Over - Silversun Pickups TONIGHT!

I have been talking about them and playing them on my show for over a year. I picked their album, Carnavas, as the best album of 2006. Now, I will finally be seeing Silversun Pickups in concert. I have pretty high expectations for tonight's show at Slowdown because I have personally been hyping them so much. The show is sold out, so if you don't have a ticket you are SOL. Oh well, you should have gotten on that much sooner anyway.

As previously mentioned, this will be my third night out in a row. Neil Hamburger was great last night, but not as good as the first time I saw him. I think his whole routine is funnier when you have no idea what to expect. This time, I knew what I was getting.

I am so freakin' tired that I'm basically running on fumes at this point. I am interviewing Matt Sharp from The Rentals in about an hour, and I have barely prepared. This has been one helluva week. I guess I'll just have to hook up an IV of Red Bull and just plough through it.