February 29, 2004
Lyle sent in this one: "On Sunday April 4th, Barfly in Glasgow (Scotland)
will be hosting a 'Tribute to Kurt Cobain' night with 3 grungy bands playing downstairs from
8pm - 12pm. Then rare videos, interviews, projections, music, etc. will be played upstairs.
Stigma (featured twice on the third NFC Compilation) are one of the bands playing. Tickets
are £5.00 & all money is going to charity. Check the Barfly site for more details."
I was recently granted permission to make the Fire Ants EP available for free download.
This band features former Nirvana drummer Chad Channing along with Brian and Kevin Wood.
It's a great band and now you can listen to the entire EP right here. Special thanks to
Ed Dekema. Go to the misc. section to find the download.
NME is the latest media to search for the biggest Nirvana fan:
"Are you a Nirvana obsessive? Have you got all the records, loads of posters, a
wardrobe full of Nirvana T-shirts and more memorabilia than you know what to do with?
Do you have a Kurt Cobain shrine? Or did he simply change your life? Whether you're a
long term Nirvana diehard who remembers them in their heyday or weren't even born when
Kurt committed suicide, if you answered 'yes' to any of the above questions, we want to
hear from you. Simply email us at via the link below telling us why you're the biggest
Nirvana fan you know, and you could appear in a future issue of NME." There's
no word on what exactly they need with this fan, but an upcoming issue to mark the 10th
anniversay of Kurt's passing would be a sure bet. Check this
page for a link to their e-mail form.
February 27, 2004
Filmmaker Steven James May is trying to get his documentary The
Nevermind Year aired on the Canadian CBC Atlantic for April 8th.
Read the following for info on how you can help make this happen:
"The reason for airing the program on this date
is to mark the 10th anniversary of the discovery of Kurt's lifeless
body. Clearly, this date presents itself as an appropriate time to
premiere the doc to Atlantic Canadians. Synopsis: 'Told from the
perspective of aging Nirvana fan, Steven James May, The Nevermind Year
explores May's own attempt to achieve what his teenage anti-hero Kurt
Cobain could not: live to see his 28th birthday'." Interested fans can
e-mail their support for the April 8th airing of the documentary on CBC
Atlantic to this address.
Steven will then be printing out the e-mails and submitting them to CBC
Atlantic on March 8th, 2004 (one month before the 10th anniversary).
February 25, 2004
Italian fansite www.kdcobain.it is organizing a tribute event on April, 8
at the Estragon (http://www.estragon.it) in Bologna, Italy. The show, starting
at 9.30 pm, will consist of viewings of Nirvana concerts and videos, plus a live
appearance by Italian band Acid Brains who will perform Nirvana covers. Free entrance.
Read more here (in Italian).
Here's some more details on the 'security concerns' which prevented Courtney
Love from showing up in court recently: "A man accusing her
of murder has been pestering her. A bench warrant was issued for the rock widow
after she failed to show up for a hearing regarding felony drug possession charges
on 11 February (04). And her attorney sparked curiosity when he cited 'security
concerns' and no further explanation as the reason for her absence. American TV
show CELEBRITY JUSTICE has now discovered Love wanted protection from a 'documentary
producer' who has shown up consistently at her court dates, accusing her of killing
her late husband KURT COBAIN, whose 1994 death was ruled as suicide. TV cameras have
caught the man shouting questions at Love outside a Los Angeles courthouse, while she
responded with a rude gesture and remarked, 'You suck so bad!' And in another incident,
the man was captured on film running right up to Love's car wielding a camera and shouting
at her through the vehicle's open window." Ah, a fascinating glimpse into the
world of tabloid. Story courtesy of Contactmusic.
Here's your chance to become a movie star: "Acclaimed Portland
filmmaker Gus Van Sant has sent out a local casting call for his next movie, 'Last Days.'
The film will be a fictional account of the final days of a suicidal rock star. Given Van
Sant's Northwest roots, it might seem natural to conclude that the story will be framed around
the life of former Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. However, Dawnn Pavonnis, office manager
of Pie Films, the Portland-based production company formed by Van Sant and producer Dany Wolf,
points out that 'a lot of rock stars have committed suicide.' Van Sant plans to begin shooting
the film in April in Portland. He is seeking men and women ages 16 to 25 for both principal and
extra roles. Publicity materials stress that no acting experience is necessary. 'We are interested
in real people,' a news release from Pie Films states. 'We want to meet all types of people with
interesting personalities and style.' The Feb. 29 casting call will be held at Portland Public
Schools' Child Services Center, 531 S.E. 14th Ave. Hours will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m."
Story courtesy of the Portland Tribune.
Gus Van Sant has previously directed movies such as 'Good Will Hunting', 'Finding Forrester', and 'Drugstore Cowboy'
February 21, 2004
Next Thursday, Krist Novoselic will be, well, tasting chocolate!
"Celebrity judges, including Seattle Mayor Greg
Nickels, former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and actor Tom Skerritt
taste and score chocolate confections from local restaurants, caterers,
bakers, chocolatiers and individuals. Proceeds benefit NARAL Pro-Choice
Washington. 6 p.m. Thursday, Safeco Field, Ellis Pavilion, 1250 First
Ave., Seattle, $35-$100. All tickets include free samples of dozens of
chocolate desserts." Call 206-624-1990 (in the US) for tickets
and further information. Story courtesy of The Seattle Times.
Q Magazine are currently compiling a list of the 100 Greatest Gigs
ever. "Oasis or Radiohead at Glastonbury? Nirvana
at Reading? Michael Jackson's Bad tour, Madonna's Drowned World extravaganza,
or U2's epic Zoo TV trek? The Beatles at Shea Stadium? Any date on Shed Seven's
recent farewell fling? Arguing about what exactly constitutes the greatest live
show in history could send us mad. Except we're not going to do it. You are.
That's right, we want you to help us compile the definitive list of the 100
Greatest Gigs ... Ever! For publication in a no doubt triumphant forthcoming
issue of Q." To vote for your favorite concert, go here for the voting form.
In October last year, Kerrang! magazine voted Nirvana's Reading Festival
concert as #1 on a list of '100 Gigs That Shook The World'.
John sent in this one: "About 4 years ago, I started doing
Nirvana tributes on April 5th (or thereabouts) at a local coffee shop/performance
art space in East Lansing, Michigan, across the street from the Michigan State
University campus. Last year was the first time I performed an entire show (75 min)
with a full band, and I am going to do it again this year. This year's show will include
songs like 'Curmudgeon', 'Verse Chorus Verse', 'Blandest' and 'Floyd The Barber', among others."
Date and time: Friday - April 9th 2004 at 9 PM
Location: Café Latte - 110 Charles St., East Lansing, MI 48823 (USA)
Tickets: $3 cover (includes free drink) at the door. All ages.
Nirvana's first single, Love Buzz, limited to just 1,000 copies is now
up for auction at eBay. This happens relatively often. However, this auction
is somewhat unique as the single is signed by four members of the band; Kurt
Cobain, Krist Novoselic, Chad Channing and Dave Grohl. Of course, Dave doesn't
play on the single as he joined the band in 1990. Here's some more details:
"This comes fully signed by the original members as well as
Dave Grohl. In total it is signed by Kurt Cobain (who also spelled his name KURDT
like it is on the back sleeve!), Krist Novoselic, Chad Channing and Dave Grohl.
To make this EVEN more rare, it is signed on the front cover AND on the disc middle
itself. It also has some random doodles about it which you can see in the pictures.
Krist has a cigar in his mouth, Kurt has a peace sign on his forehead, and Chad has
silver lip stick." The vinyl comes with COA's and seems to be legit. A rather
obscene reserve price of £2000 has been set for the auction (about $3700 USD), and
right now the current high bid is £1650. The auction ends on February 28 2004. You
can view it here.
Please note that the 2003 NFC X-Mas Present (a recording of Nirvana's first
concert) is no longer available for download. It was originally only going to
be available for a couple of weeks in December, but I kept it up for this long
due to the huge interest. Thanks to all the sources in the media that reported
the news about the concert being available here. I hope you all enjoyed the mp3s!
February 20, 2004
Today, Kurt Cobain would have turned 37. Rest in peace, Kurt!
February 13, 2004
Looks like Courtney finally found the way to the courtroom:
"Wearing a sleeveless outfit that paraded bruises and open sores on her forearm
and hand, a disheveled Courtney Love finally turned up yesterday [Feb 17] to answer
to drug charges in a Beverly Hills, Calif., court. While she wasn't exactly dressed
for success, the rock diva did manage to dodge a stint in jail. Superior Court Judge
Lisa Hart Cole threw out an arrest warrant issued last week when Love failed to show
up for a hearing. The judge ordered Love back to court on March 16 for a preliminary
hearing on charges of illegal possession of prescription drugs. The singer-actress has
pleaded not guilty to illegal possession of hydrocodone and OxyContin. Authorities said
they discovered the painkillers when Love was taken to a hospital in October after she
was arrested outside an ex-boyfriend's house, allegedly smashing windows, about 2 a.m."
Story courtesy of New York Daily News. Read article here.
Jim DeRogatis did an interesting interview with Courtney Love and even Frances
Bean recently. Read it here.
Courtesy of The Chicago Sun-Times website.
A couple of additional articles about Krist Novoselic dropping his plans on
running for office. Chartattack,
JAM!, NME,
Boston Globe
and E! Online.
Speaking of Krist, The Daily News did an interview with him following an event
in Longview, WA earlier this month. They mostly talk about politics but you can
read it here.
Dale sent in this one: "As part of an unprecedented series of concerts,
Nirvana's classic album Nevermind will be performed live at the Phoenix Concert Theatre
in Toronto, Ontario on Thursday, March 11, 2004. The performance will be part of the Modern
Classics Live concert series, a spinoff of the hugely popular Classic Albums Live series. The
album will be re-created note for note, cut for cut, live on stage before the audience by a
group of premiere, accomplished musicians assembled specifically for this performance.
A cello will even be played live during Something in the Way. This is not a cover band,
there are no imitators. This is about the music and the result is incredible. The buzz surrounding
these shows in Toronto is huge and the series has gotten rave reviews. The Toronto Sun calls
Classic Albums Live 'an amazing experience.' Macleans Magazine calls it 'a must for music lovers.'
Much More Music describes it as 'an amazing performance.' I would recommend this performance to
all of you. I've seen a couple of shows in the series (for other albums) and they're amazing.
Tickets for these shows seem to go pretty fast, so I wouldn't wait too late to get them. Tickets
are $12 advance and $15 at the door. You can get tickets at Ticketmaster (Canada) or you can get
them at The Phoenix. For more info about this go to classicalbumslive.com,
and modernclassicslive.com for specifics on the
Nevermind performance. Or, you can contact classicalbumslive@hotmail.com"
February 13, 2004
The latest on Krist Novoselic's political activities:
"Grunge-rock pioneer Krist Novoselic has decided against running for
lieutenant governor, saying he wants to stay involved in progressive politics
but 'the whole thing about running a campaign and being a public servant isn't
the way to do it.' Instead, one of the founding members of Nirvana will concentrate
on his work with Music for America, a group working to boost voter participation
among young people. He also will keep up his efforts for election reform."
Story courtesy of The Seattle Times. Read the complete article here.
Visit the official Music for America website here.
"Music for America is a partisan, political nonprofit getting 1 million
new voters to participate in the 2004 elections. The country is headed in the wrong
direction, our generation has the most at stake, and as long as we remain spectators,
nothing will change. Through live concerts and an interactive website, we are connecting
culture and politics, exposing political hypocrisies, and igniting a grassroots movement."
Thank God for organizations like these. Hopefully, their efforts will help increase the
number of voters - something that is crucial to any democracy. And especially with the
president sitting in the White House right now - every vote counts ... well, hopefully
this time all votes will actually be counted and used to determine the next US president.
Not surprisingly, Courtney Love keeps getting herself into trouble:
"A judge issued an arrest warrant for beleaguered rocker
Courtney Love after she failed to attend a court hearing in drug possession
charges. But Beverly Hills Judge Elden Fox stayed the order until Tuesday,
the date of Love's next hearing, meaning that the widow of legendary grunge
rocker Kurt Cobain will be arrested if she fails to make that court date.
The hearing was scheduled to determine if Love, 39, would plead guilty to the
charges and agree to go into a drug diversion program, said Jane Robison of
the Los Angeles District Attorney's office." Story courtesy of AAP.
Read more here.
Courtney called Howard Stern yesterday, explaining her reasons for not
appearing in court: " 'I didn't show up for court because
I didn't have a professional bodyguard,' Love told Stern on Thursday as the
shock jock pleaded with her to 'get your life together' and urged her to apologize
to the judge. Love rambled and cursed as she spoke about the criminal cases pending
against her but insisted she was 'sober as a judge.' The general manager for Stern's
home radio station, WXRK in New York, said he had to bleep Love 15 times, setting a
new record for a guest appearance on the show. 'My daughter is depressed beyond belief,'
she said. 'Because you know what? She likes me. It is kind of hard when your grandmother
goes after your money.' The recording artist insisted that the custody fight has less to
do with her own behavior than the family's attempts to gain control over her daughter's
inheritance. 'All that is at work here is human greed,' she said. 'I thought I knew evil
I didn't know anything. The greed is outrageous.' " Read more here.
More from Courtney's crazy world: "Just last Sunday, Courtney
lost her 11-year-old daughter with the late Kurt Cobain, Frances Bean, at the Staples
Center during the Grammys. They ultimately found each other." Read more about
the incident here.
Apparently MTV Europe are looking for 'Europe's biggest Nirvana fan' for a special
programme: "Do you know the name of Nirvana's original drummer?
What is Kurt singing about on 'Negative Creep'? And what the hell is Sub-Pop? MTV is
looking for Europe's biggest Nirvana fans to take part in a special video diary to
commemorate the 10th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death. So if you're between 18 and 24,
own a passport and really, really love Nirvana, tell us in as many or as few words as you
want, why you have to be in the show. Send your application to this e-mail
address together with your daytime contact number, address and date of birth."
Read more here.
Info courtesy of MTV. Thanks to Stephany for the link. Make sure to mention this website if you enter :)
The April 2004 issue of Fader Magazine has Kurt Cobain on the cover. There is a 2-page
article by Kurt St. Thomas inside. St. Thomas is coming out with a Nirvana book soon.
Thanks to Samuel for the info.
February 10, 2004
Dave Grohl's metal side-project Probot was released today and is
already generating rave reviews and magazine cover stories. The album
features songs with Max Cavalera of Soulfly, Lemmy of Mötörhead and King
Diamond of Mercyful Fate - just to name a few of the legendary musicians.
"Probot is upon us and it's far more than anyone could
have ever expected; an all-star performance record of monumental proportions.
The songs on the Probot album were mostly written by Grohl. He then sent out
these recordings to all of his favorite metal vocalists from a specific period
of time in underground metal ('83 to '90). Each song features its own throat
and Grohl also had help from a few other dudes, i.e. Kim Thayill (Soundgarden)."
Read a handful of reviews of the disc here.
You can buy the album online here.
Funnily, Courtney Love's first solo album was also released today. America's
Sweetheart is the follow-up to the 1998 album by Hole, Celebrity Skin
"America's Sweetheart is the most exhilarating album of her
career to date. It's pure and unadulterated, raw and relentless, smart, brassy,
candid and uncompromising." If you want to buy the album online, follow
this link.
The album is reviewed here.
The Seattle Times published a story about local radio station 107.7 The End
changing their format: "There would be a complete reinvention of
the station that had been the alternative mainstay here for more than a dozen years.
Less personality and yammering, and back to basics with the music that put this town
on the map in the early '90s. More Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Nirvana. Less
'third-generation Nirvana wannabes' and 'dumb rock' like Limp Bizkit." Looks
like 107.7 The End will confirm its status as the most Nirvana-Friendly radio station
in the world? Full story here.
Apparently, the radio station will have a show called Nightly Nirvana which is
to feature "live cuts, demos, album tracks and Nirvana rarities." Nice! Check out their
website for more info. Thanks to Uanah.
The Foo Fighters walked away with a Grammy at the 46th annual Grammy Awards this
past Sunday. They won the award for Best Rock Album with their latest
release, One by One. Metallica won Best Metal Performance for
last year's St. Anger (first single from the album of the same name),
while goth-rockers Evanescence picked up two awards: Best New Artist
and Best Hard Rock Performance (for their hit single Bring Me To Life)
Read more about the show here.
Also read this.
UCI Cinemas conducted a poll to determine the 'greatest rock anthems of all
time' to mark the release of the new Jack Black comedy, School of Rock.
Queen's legendary We Will Rock You tops the poll while Nirvana's
Smells Like Teen Spirit came in third on the list. View the Top 20
here,
courtesy of The Daily Record. Thanks to Uanah once again.
February 5, 2004
The Washington newspaper Chinook Observer recently did a lengthy interview
with Krist Novoselic, talking about music, politics and everything in between.
Of course, the subject of Nirvana also comes up: "Novoselic
said that there are still a lot more unreleased music and recordings that could
be made available, but it is very difficult at this point to do that. 'That's a
real process,' he said. 'There should be more stuff. There's been talk of a DVD
because, thing is, there's not a lot of money in compact discs. It's hard to bootleg
a DVD.' He related his late band to being like an 'international trade' at this point.
'A lot of it has to do with the labels. You have to deal with people in New York
and L.A., and then who owns it now? I think somebody in Brussels, Belgium or something.'"
Read the full story here,
courtesy of Damian Mulinix and The Chinook Observer. The same paper put up an article
about this website hosting a recording of Nirvana's first ever live concert. You can
read that here.
Thanks to Uanah.
February 3, 2004
Apparently Courtney Love is working on her own Journals book:
"The singer, who previously released the diary entries
of her late husband, Kurt Cobain, is currently looking for a publisher to take
on 'Love Diaries: My Life In Words And Pictures' - an emotional biography in scrapbook form. According to MTV News, Love's literary agent
added that although comparisons will be drawn between
the two books [this one and the Cobain Journals book], the 'Love Diaries' 'couldn't be more
unlike Kurt's'. The 250-page book will include diary entries, love letters and notes to Cobain, unpublished
lyrics, Polaroids and private photographs with Cobain and their daughter Frances Bean. Love will enter into
negotiations with publishers this week, promising that she can
deliver the book by the beginning of April. 'Love Diaries: My Life In Words And Pictures' is likely
to be released in Autumn 2004." Story
courtesy of NME. Also check out this lengthy
interview with Courtney Love, in which she reveals, among other things, that
"I don't use Cobain's money. It goes to my daughter. I make my own money. I have a thing about 'his'
money. I don't feel it's mine, I don't feel I earned it. It's for Frances." Interview also
courtesy of NME. Courtney Love's solo album America's Sweetheart will be released in the US
on February 10, 2004. You can listen to the entire disc here.
Rolling Stone put up an article about a 'hot new radio format', classic alternative.
It mostly plays early-nineties rock, including Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Read the full article
here. Thanks to Uanah.
February 2, 2004
"The former bassist from Nirvana, Krist Novoselic, will be present at
a free concert in Longview next Friday that aims to get young people registered to vote.
'I think Democracy is everybody's business,' said Novoselic, who grew up near Aberdeen and
lives on the Southwest Washington coast. 'It's such an exciting year, and there's so much
going on in our nation, in our world, and in our state.' The event, which will be held at the
former Boardroom skate park on Commerce Avenue is part of 'Music for America.' It's a series
of shows and voter registration drives that will be held across the country this spring and
summer. The goal is to get 1 million people between the ages of 18 and 35 registered to vote
by Oct. 14. U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Vancouver, also is expected to attend the Longview event,
which will be held the day before the Washington caucus. Novoselic, 38, said he started getting
involved with voter registration drives 10 years ago. He came to Longview for a similar concert
in 1998. He said he was disappointed in low voter turnout in the 2003 elections. Although registered
voters in Washington typically have a higher participation rate than the national average, fewer
than half of them voted less fall." Story
courtesy of The Daily News. The event takes place at 8.30 PM this Friday on 1433 Commerce Ave. in
Longview, WA. And, please, for the love of God - VOTE if you can! I don't live in the US but I
think it's a disgrace to the democratic system that the voter turnout was so low in the last US
Presidential elections. It's bad enough that Bush stole the election. VOTE!