ARCH MUSIC NEWS for 2/20/13

ARCH MUSIC NEWS is compiled by Jay Philpott -

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the Station nightclub fire that killed 100 people in West Warwick, Rhode Island. A decade later, the community is moving forward with plans to honor the victims with something permanent. The Station Fire Memorial Service hopes to break ground on a memorial park at the site of the tragedy later this year. They made the announcement this past Sunday as hundreds of the victims’ friends and family members, as well as many survivors, braved the cold weather and came together to mark the tenth anniversary of the incident. At the ceremony, former Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri called that night in 2003 the state’s worst tragedy. But he said in some senses, it was also the “finest hour” for first responders and hospital workers who helped save so many lives. All 100 of the victims’ names were also read aloud during the event, followed by 100 seconds of silence. Jack Russell — whose band Great White was onstage when their pyrotechnics ignited the blaze — also tried to honor the victims with a benefit concert earlier this month. “The Boston Globe” says Russell wanted the funds to go toward the planned memorial park, but the Station Fire Memorial Service asked him not to associate himself with the project. They issued a statement saying they “feel the upset caused by his involvement would outweigh the amount of funds raised.” Russell eventually decided to donate any money raised from the show to the son of Great White guitarist Ty Longley, who died in the fire. However, only about 30 people showed up to the Los Angeles-area gig, which raised an estimated 180-dollars.

Great White’s Jack Russell says there’s a reason why he still rarely speaks about The Station fire. While the rocker has been criticized for his silence — and specifically for not offering up any direct apology for the tragedy — he tells “The Boston Globe” that there’s nothing he can say that is ever “going to make anybody feel any better about it, and sometimes it might make them feel worse.” He adds that he “can’t imagine how people feel who lost like their wife, lost their son, lost their daughter, lost their husband or whatever” in the fire, and that he’ll never truly know “the depth of their pain.” Russell adds that he just always wanted to be a singer, and he hopes that he “put more into this world” than he “took out of it.”

Rush and Leonard Cohen are being recognized for their work in their homeland. They both have multiple nominations for this spring’s Juno Awards, which are the Canadian equivalent to the Grammys. Rush has a bid for Group of the Year, while their most recent studio effort, “Clockwork Angels” is in the running for Rock Album of the Year. Cohen has bids in three categories, including Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and the fan-voted Juno Fan Choice Award. Meanwhile, Rod Stewart’s first holiday album is also getting some Juno attention. The British rocker’s “Merry Christmas, Baby” is among the discs vying for International Album of the Year. Pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen is the top nominee heading into the event, with five chances to win. The 2013 Juno Awards will take place in Regina, Saskatchewan on April 21st.

Select nominees for the 2013 Juno Awards follow:

JUNO FAN CHOICE AWARD
Carly Rae Jepsen
Céline Dion
Drake
Hedley
Justin Bieber
Leonard Cohen
Marianas Trench
Metric
Michael Bublé
Nickelback

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Carly Rae Jepsen
Deadmau5
Johnny Reid
Justin Bieber
Leonard Cohen

GROUP OF THE YEAR
Billy Talent
Marianas Trench
Metric
Rush
The Sheepdogs

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Afie Jurvanen
Arkells
Hannah Georgas
Kathleen Edwards
Leonard Cohen

ROCK ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Big Wreck, “Albatross”
Billy Talent, “Dead Silence”
Rush, “Clockwork Angels”
The Sheepdogs, “The Sheepdogs”
The Tragically Hip, “Now For Plan A”

INTERNATIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Maroon 5, “Overexposed”
Mumford & Sons, “Babel”
One Direction, “Up All Night”
Rod Stewart, “Merry Christmas, Baby”
Taylor Swift, “Red”

MUSIC DVD OF THE YEAR
The Tragically Hip, “Bobcaygeon”
Ten Second Epic, “Better Off”
Pat Metheny, “The Orchestrion Project: Pat Metheny”
Joe Bonamassa, “Live From New York: Beacon Theatre”
Michael Kaeshammer, “KAESHAMMERLIVE!”

Paul McCartney is leading the lineup for this year’s Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. But he’s just one of many stars who’ve signed on for the four-day event, taking place in Manchester, Tennessee from June 13th through the 16th. Other headliners include Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mumford And Sons, while ZZ Top, Gov’t Mule, and Billy Idol are just a few of the other acts who’ll take the stage. Meanwhile, Petty and company are on board for another festival as well. The band has been added to the lineup of this year’s Firefly Music Festival. That event, which will also feature the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Avett Brothers, Alabama Shakes, and others, is set for Dover, Delaware from June 21st through the 23rd. And for those looking for a festival with a harder rock edge, KISS and Motley Crue have been tapped to headline the 2013 Rock Fest. Megadeth, Warrant, and Whitesnake are also on the bill for this event, which is slated for Cadott, Wisconsin from July 18th through the 21st.

Kelly Clarkson is taking on music legend Clive Davis in an open letter. The Grammy winner refutes some of the claims the revered music executive makes about her in his new memoir “The Sound Track of My Life.” In a scathing blog posted on Tuesday, Kelly told her side of the story. She said she was “honored” to work with Davis coming off of her win on the first season of “American Idol,” and “devastated” when he treated her disrespectfully during the recording of her 2007 album “My December.” Kelly said she was obligated to her fans to “clear up his memory lapses and misinformation.” She added that “growing up is awesome” because it means “you don’t have to cower to anyone – even Clive Davis.”

In the memoir, Davis claims Kelly burst into his office “hysterically sobbing” because he had insisted the hit “Since U Been Gone” be included on her album. According to Kelly, that was not the case at all. She did admit to getting emotional in the music legend’s office once, however, saying it was Davis who had insulted her songwriting and instructed her to just “shut up and sing.” Kelly says Davis objected to her song “Because of You” – a song she wrote about the absence of her father that was deeply personal to her. In the letter, Kelly mentions more than once how Davis’ memoir managed to leave out how well the album did commercially.

Beyonce is now also proving her star power on HBO. The singer’s intimate HBO documentary, “Life Is But A Dream,” drew one-point-eight million viewers to the network Saturday. It was the largest audience for the premiere of an HBO documentary in nearly ten years. The only other documentary to come close in recent years was Spike Lee’s 2006 miniseries “When the Levees Broke,” about the devastation in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Beyonce’s doc also delivered three times the ratings of the second season premiere of HBO’s critically acclaimed Sunday series “Girls.”