Arch MUSIC NEWS for 1/31/13

Arch MUSIC NEWS is compiled by Jay Philpott -

Barbra Streisand is returning to the Oscar stage. The music legend has been tapped to perform what Oscar producers are describing as a “very special performance” during the 85th Academy Awards presentation on February 24th.  This year’s Oscar ceremony will also feature performances by Adele and Norah Jones. Funnyman Seth MacFarlane will host the awards on ABC-TV on Sunday, February 24th.

Stevie Nicks, Rick Springfield, and John Fogerty will once again be joining Dave Grohl and the rest of his Sound City Players for another performance. After making their concert debut earlier this month at the Sundance Film Festival, the supergroup is now set to take the stage at the Hollywood Palladium in honor of the theatrical premiere of Grohl’s documentary, “Sound City.” The film will hit big screens across the country as part of a special one-night-only event. A list of participating theaters is available at SoundCityMovie.com, where fans can also get information about venues that will be showing “Sound City” over the next few months. In St. Louis, “Sound City” will be screened at the Tivoli Theatre.

Paul McCartney is returning a favor. The former Beatle makes a guest appearance on Eric Clapton‘s new album, “Old Sock,” adding bass and vocals to the song “All of Me.” It follows Clapton’s turn on McCartney’s last album. Eric played guitar on the song “My Valentine” on “Kisses on the Bottom.” And Clapton’s “Old Sock” is a bit like McCartney’s “Kisses.” While Paul’s album features remakes of songs that influenced him as a kid, Eric’s 12-track set includes covers of some of his favorite songs — some that date back to his childhood. But McCartney isn’t Clapton’s only collaborator on the album. Steve Winwood, Chaka Khan, J.J. Cale, and Jim Keltner also contribute to the disc. Clapton’s “Old Sock” will be in stores March 12th.

The late Johnny Cash will live forever — as a Forever stamp. The country legend is being honored as part of the U.S. Postal Service’s new Music Icons series. The stamp features a black-and-white picture of Cash taken during the photo shoot for the 1963 album “Ring Of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash,” with Cash’s name in brown lettering at the bottom, in an image harkening back to the picture sleeves of old 45-rpm records. A street date for the Cash stamp hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s slated to arrive later this year. It’ll be the second release in the Music Icons series, following a stamp honoring Tejano music legend Lydia Mendoza.

Kesha is giving fans a taste of what it’s like to be a pop star.  She’ll be making a brand new documentary series called “My Crazy Beautiful Life.” Set to premiere on MTV in April, the series follows Kesha’s rise to stardom and the recording of her latest album “Warrior.”