American Idol Spring Break Tour

Gina Glocksen from American Idol singing Alone. Filmed at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts in Dearborn, MI on 3/27/09 with Chikezie (also from Idol) singing back up.

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"I Create Music" Expo

Jeff Lynne, Heart's Ann & Nancy Wilson, Wyclef Jean, Chaka Khan, Ricky Skaggs and Others Confirmed for ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO

LOS ANGELES, CA and NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - March 23, 2009) - ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) is pleased to announce that some of the biggest names in music, both on the creative and business side, will convene at the 4th Annual ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO next month to share their knowledge and expertise on a broad range of topics of great importance to today's music creators. The three-day event will take place at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, April 23-25, 2009.

The ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO is the premier conference for songwriters, composers and producers. It covers all genres of music and includes panels, workshops, master classes, keynotes, One-on-One sessions, song critiquing, networking events, product displays, state-of-the-art technology demonstrations, performances, and more. All music creators, producers, publishers and executives -- regardless of their performing rights organization affiliation -- will benefit from this unique creative event, which is designed around personal interaction, education and networking.

Programming highlights include:

"I Create Music" Interview with Ann & Nancy Wilson on Thursday, April 23, focusing on their 35-year career as songwriters and leaders of the rock group Heart, the 30th anniversary of their classic multi-platinum album "Dog & Butterfly," and their 14th studio album which will be released next year. The Wilson sisters will be honored with ASCAP's Founders Award during the organization's Pop Music Awards ceremony, held the previous evening, in recognition of their pioneering contributions to music by inspiring and influencing their fellow music creators.

For more details, including a regularly updated list of panelists, go to www.ascap.com/expo.

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Happy Birthday Nancy Wilson!

Nancy Lamoureux Wilson (born March 16, 1954, San Francisco, California) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who, with her older sister Ann, became a part of the Seattle band Heart.

Nancy attended Pacific University in Oregon and Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle.She married Rolling Stone writer Cameron Crowe on 27 July 1986, and they have twin boys William James Crowe and Curtis Wilson Crowe, born 23 January 2000. While Ann is the lead singer on most of the Heart recordings, Nancy is the lead vocalist on "Treat Me Well", "These Dreams", "Stranded", "There's The Girl" and "Will You Be There (In The Morning)" and frequently performs background and harmony vocals. Nancy is the band's rhythm and lead guitarist. In 1999, Nancy Wilson released a solo live album "Live at McCabe's Guitar Shop."Nancy has played a role in composing music for most of Crowe's films including Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky and Elizabethtown. She also had cameos in Crowe's The Wild Life as Rick's wife (1984), and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, credited as beautiful girl in Corvette (1982).

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Ben Mink to Produce New Heart Album

Heart management has stated that Ben Mink will be producing the new Heart album. So far 4 new songs have been recorded, but the rest is being put on hold until the Human tour is over somewhere around October 9th. Ben Mink was also the producer on Ann Wilson's solo album Hope & Glory. This might lend some ideas as to what the new Heart album will sound like.

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Howard Leese Interview

Vintageguitar.com has posted an interview with former Heart guitarist Howard Leese.

Heart-less But Guitar Laden
by Wolf Marshall

Tell us about your early musical experiences. How did Heart form and progress with you?

Heart was a band in Seattle for a number of years and wound up migrating to Vancouver in the early '70s for better work opportunities. Meanwhile, Mike Flicker, my drummer and partner here in L.A., and I moved to Vancouver to have a chance to run and work at Mushroom Studios, a recording studio bought by investors. They said, "You can have it; just make us millions of dollars." (Laughs) I was 19 at the time. Prior to that, I'd been studying music at Los Angeles City College and getting into the local scene.

Photo: Rick Gould

Anyway, Heart was this local club band with a great girl singer doing Zeppelin stuff. We checked them out, liked them, and ended in the studio together. I produced the first Heart demo just because I happened to be there that day. Then we started making more records. The ninth record we did was "Dreamboat Annie." I was brought in to do some of the lead guitar stuff, some keyboard parts, and write the string charts and conduct the orchestra. It was typical arranging stuff I did; I had studied classical theory at LACC and had the background. I did that arranging and conducting on the first five Heart records. But I wasn't in the band at the time; I was just a studio guy.

When some of the tracks I played on, "Magic Man" and "Crazy On You," became the popular songs and the records began doing well, they asked me to join the band. At first I said no because I only had to work a couple of days a month; I was playing tennis all the time and those guys worked six nights a week in stinky, smoky clubs. It didn't sound like a promotion to me (laughs)!

When the band really began taking off and getting all the airplay, they offered again. I said, "Well, I guess I could do it for a year and come back to my studio gig." So, 22 years later, I'm still doing it (laughs)!Do you ever still play with them?

No, they're still around and doing things - I think they were out with Journey and Cheap Trick last summer - but I haven't been with them in years. But I'd play with them at the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame (Laughs)! I've been with Paul Rodgers for the last 10 years.

Read the interview in it's entirety here.

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Heart and Journey to Play Kentucky State Fair

According to Louisville.com Heart and Journey will be performing at the Kentucky State Fair on Friday, August 21 at the Freedom Hall. Ticket prices and sale dates TBA.

This date has yet to be confirmed by Heart management.

Heartlinker is also reporting 2 new tour dates, April 18/19 at the Potawatomi Casino Northern Lights Theatre in Milwaukee.

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Summer Tour Dates

An update on summer tour dates for Heart's Human '09 tour. Make plans now a lot of shows end up selling out! Find a complete list of tour dates at www.Heart-Music.com

March - August

March 27 - Biloxi, MS - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
March 28 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues
March 29 - Pompano Beach, FL - Pompano Beach Amphitheatre
May 14 - Rama, Ontario - Casino Rama Entertainment Centre
May 15 - Windsor, Ontario - The Colosseum at Caesar's Windsor
June 26 - Riverside, IA - Riverside Casino & Golf Resort
June 27 - Norfolk, NE - Divots Event Center
July 2 - Naperville, IL - Knoch Park
July 9 - San Diego, CA - Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay
July 10 - Costa Mesa, CA - Orange County Fairgrounds
July 11 - Kelseyville, CA - Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa Amphitheatre
August 27 - Houston, TX - Arena Theater
August 28 - Thackerville, OK - Winstar World Casino

August 29 - Norman, OK - Riverwind Casino

Photo by John Leyba.

Denver Post

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Denver Show Photos

View a slideshow of photos from Heart's
March 7 concert at the Paramount.

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Denver Post Review

Heart hot, Frozen in Time
By Ray Mark Rinaldi
The Denver Post

Their gig at Paramount Theatre Saturday played out just as it would have in 1976, 1986 or 1996. The audience was filled with the same people it was back in the day. The hits were delivered expertly, but most often as advertised on the recorded versions that fueled multi-platinum sales. There's no hint that sonic styles have changed around this group; they are as uninfluenced by new music as it is of them, and they played as if growling, guitar rock is all that matters.

There were the early hits in the 90-minute show such as "Crazy on You," and "Barracuda" and the later smashes like "Never" and "These Dreams." There were no new tunes of note to distract the ticket buyers, little banter to shake things up and few twists — except for a cover of The Who's "(Love) Reign O'er Me," which they nailed, Heart-style. Throughout the night Ann sounded great, as usual. She is easily the best female rock 'n' roll singer of her generation and holds on to most of it at 58.

Read the complete review here.
**This show was also sold out!**

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Bad Plus covers Barracuda

The jazz/prog rock band Bad Plus has a new album out called For All I Care which includes "a discombobulating stomp through Heart's Barracuda."

Alexander Varty from Straight.com says the cover "doesn't sound anything like the original, but as with the tune that established Ann and Nancy Wilson as bona fide rock goddesses, it's all about attitude."

Not sure if this type of music is really my cup of tea, give it a listen here!

Check out a sound sample.
Read the article here.

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