John Lennon's passion for music, art, politics and film--with a New York City focus--will be the subject of a new feature exhibit opening next month at The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC.

"John Lennon: The New York City Years," opening May 12, has been designed to capture Lennon's life during an era that was full of political and social activism. The show will feature numerous Lennon artifacts--including items representing his inimitable fashion statements--as well as iconic photographs, legendary instruments, original handwritten lyrics and artwork, according to a press release.

Several items representing Lennon's lengthy fight against deportation--which was instigated by the Nixon administration's belief that his anti-war campaign presented a threat to its power--will be on display during the exhibition. Among those items will be the British rock star's green card and never-before-seen letters in support of his American visa written by well-known personalities including Joan Baez, Dick Clark and John Lindsay, the mayor of NYC from 1966 to 1973.

Visitors to the exhibit also will be the first to see Lennon's actual "New York City" t-shirt, as well as the Telecaster guitar he used when he played at the historic Elton John concert at Madison Square Garden in 1974. Also debuting will be an original self-portrait of Lennon with his fist in the air, in the guise of NYC's Statue of Liberty.

Created for the NYC Annex by Yoko Ono, "John Lennon: The New York City Year" is curated by Jim Henke, Vice President of Exhibitions and Curatorial Affairs for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. A portion of the proceeds from the exhibition will be donated to Spirit Foundations, a charitable organization Lennon and Ono created to further their philanthropic initiatives.

The NYC Annex will extend its hours throughout the special exhibit's stay as a way to mark the true spirit of Lennon, New York City and rock 'n' roll, which organizers point out are synonymous with pulsating nightlife. The Annex will remain open until 10 p.m. during the week and until midnight on the weekends.

Source livedaily

VELVET REVOLVER are still on the hunt for a new singer to replace Scott Weiland.

Bassist Duff McKagan confirmed that the band need a new frontman after Weiland left last year.

The former Guns N' Roses guitarist said: "We don't have a singer. We've written all the material but we're still looking for one. We're waiting for the right guy to come in but for sure we don't have him yet.

"We've worked with a couple of guys, but they've got to be 100% behind us because for all we do, we've got to go to war together."

He added: "There's been a couple of guys, man, I thought were perfect, but we'll find the right guy. They've got to be great, not just good."

Last year McKagan denied rumours that Royston Langdon would replace Weiland, while Lenny Kravitz also rejected reports that he had joined the band.

Source music-news

RED HOT Chili Peppers have denied rumours that they are splitting up.

The rockers announced a year-long hiatus last year, and have now decided to extend it by a further six months.

But they insisted they weren't splitting up, just taking a much-needed break.

Speaking to Q magazine, drummer Chad Smith said: "We're not playing right now, but we played a lot before. It was time to take a little break and live your life."

Smith is currently recording with new 'supergroup' Chickenfoot, made up of Joe Satriani and Van Halen's Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony.

The four-piece, who release their self-titled LP on June 8, will perform at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on June 25 and at a number of summer festivals.

Meanwhile, Chili Peppers bassist Flea has signed up to study music at a California university.

.Source music-news

Noel Gallagher's Tales From The Middle Of Nowhere blog does, surprisingly often, offer an insight into political affairs of an international concern. Oasis, you see, are holed-up on the South American leg of a world tour, smack bang in the middle of the swine flu outbreak…

"It's all got a bit mad over here," writes Gallagher. "This swine flu malarky is freaking people out. Landed at Crack'arse [Caracas, Venezuela] airport yesterday [27 April]."

"All the ground staff are wearing those little white face masks! ALL OF THEM. It was like something out of another Stephen King novel. I suddenly feel quite naked without one."

"Then if that wasn't bad enough my mam called me at that very moment and tells me to be 'careful' or I WILL die of pig flu. I swear at that point I did a massive sneeze and the entire airport fell silent and started to stare!! I WANT A MASK!!!"

Welcome home

Oasis' South American jaunt continues throughout May, before returning to the UK for a three-day homecoming residency at Manchester's Heaton Park in June. Let's hope they're flu free…

Source musicradar

After splitting up five years ago, Scott Stapp and the boys of Creed have decided to get back together. Stapp told RollingStone.com that in addition to reuniting, the band will also release a new album and begin a tour later this summer.

"I wouldn't call it a reunion," the lead singer said. "It's a renewing and a rebirth. I missed my boys and wanted to create music with them again. We're all thrilled to have a second chance to make a first impression."

The band initially made steps toward getting back together after Stapp reached out to guitarist Mark Tremonti in December. "I was nervous but also excited, because I knew Mark would bring nothing but positivity," Stapp said. "We exchanged family pictures and within 20 minutes, we were jamming on acoustic guitars and talking about new songs."

Soon after, the duo met up with drummer Scott Phillips and bassist Brian Marshall, who left the band in 2000. "At that meeting we were collectively saying, 'Hey, man, I'm sorry if I hurt you or my choices did anything to cause you any pain. I have nothing but love and forgiveness for you, and I hope you can forgive me,' " Stapp explained. "It's all part of the process of reflection and not looking back at the six months out of 10 years that were trying."

Creed will begin their reunion tour in August in Pittsburgh and the trek will continue through October. Stapp said that he and Tremonti have several demos ready to go for the new album but are looking for the right producer to make it work. The band would ideally like to release the album shortly after their tour.

"We want to put ourselves around the best and have them bring out the best in us and challenge us as artists," he said. "This band is my first love and a first love that's stood the test of time."

Source MTV

Singer-songwriter Vern Gosdin, who achieved mainstream country success in the '80s with hits such as "Set 'Em Up Joe" and "Chiseled in Stone," died late Tuesday (April 28) at a Nashville hospital at age 74. Gosdin, who was often referred to as "the Voice," reportedly suffered a stroke several weeks ago.

Born in Woodland, Ala., he had already achieved success with his brother, Rex, as the Gosdin Brothers before launching his solo career. As a teenager, his family hosted The Gosdin Family Gospel Show on a radio station in Birmingham, Ala. Vern and Rex Gosdin moved to the Los Angeles area in 1961 and began performing in a bluegrass group, the Golden State Boys. The band evolved into another bluegrass group, the Hillmen, featuring Chris Hillman, who later became a founding member of the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Desert Rose Band. With the demise of the Hillmen, the Gosdin Brothers scored one country hit, "Hangin' On," which peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard chart in 1967. Rex Gosdin died in 1983.

In the early '70s, Vern Gosdin moved to Atlanta, where he ran a retail store, but he continued to perform in area clubs. Emmylou Harris, who knew him from their days in California, teamed with Gosdin to record a demo single featuring two songs -- a remake of "Hangin' On" and a new one, "Yesterday's Gone." The demo resulted in Gosdin's contract with Elektra Records. "Yesterday's Gone" became his first single for the label and reached No. 9 on the country chart in 1977.

During the late '70s and early '80s, Gosdin charted other Top 10 singles for the Elektra, Ovation and AMI labels before scoring his first No. 1 hit in 1984 with "I Can Tell by the Way You Dance (You're Gonna Love Me Tonight)," written by Sandy Pinkard and Rob Strandlund. After moving to Columbia Records in the late '80s, he quickly scored a series of Top 10 singles with songs he co-wrote, including "Do You Believe Me Now," "Chiseled in Stone," "Who You Gonna Blame It On This Time" and "That Just About Does It." His recordings of two other original songs from that era -- "Set' Em Up Joe" and "I'm Still Crazy" reached No. 1. Gosdin's last Top 10 singles were released in 1990 -- "Right in the Wrong Direction" and "Is It Raining at Your House."

In 1989, Gosdin and one of his longtime songwriting collaborators, Max D. Barnes, shared a CMA Award for song of the year for "Chiseled in Stone." George Strait enjoyed a Top 10 hit in 1997 with "Today My World Slipped Away," a song Gosdin co-wrote with Mark Wright. It had been a Top 10 single for Gosdin in 1982.

Source CMT