- Rare Document Breaks Record for Highest Amount Achieved Through LiveAuctioneers by a Non-US Auction House -
New York, NY – December 4, 2008 – www.liveauctioneers.com, the leading online resource for high end art, antiques and collectibles, announced today the online sale of the Beatles’ first contract for $211,597, the highest amount ever achieved through LiveAuctioneers by a non-US based auction house. The historic document which cemented the Fab Four’s partnership with manager Brian Epstein in 1962 was featured as part of a live and online auction conducted on November 27 by the Fame Bureau in London.
LiveAuctioneers’ CEO, Julian R. Ellison, said he was “ecstatic to see that people have the confidence to purchase items online at this price level. Because this was the very first contract signed by the Beatles and Brian Epstein, it is especially significant to the history of pop music. There’s no overestimating its importance.”
The Fame Bureau described the contract as an important document in both music and British history.
All four members of the Beatles signed the initial contract on Jan. 24, 1962. The Fame Bureau’s auction catalog noted that, according to Epstein’s memoirs, the Beatles’ first manager refrained from signing the management contract to give the lads the ability to walk away from the agreement if he did not fulfill his promise of landing them major recording contract. By Oct. 1 that year, Epstein, believing he had thus far fulfilled his role as manager, had added his name to the contract. He had signed the Beatles to a recording contract with EMI, and their first single, Love Me Do, was about to be released.
The five-year contract called for Epstein to receive 25 percent of the gross earnings of the band. The document detailed Epstein’s obligations, including undertaking all advertising and publicity for the musicians and advising them on matters concerning clothes, makeup and presentation and construction of their acts.
Included on the document are the signatures of George Harrison’s and Paul McCartney’s fathers, as those younger Beatles were under the age of 21. The contract contains two signatures by John Lennon, who, inadvertently signed in the wrong place. Realizing his mistake, he struck through the first signature and signed again in the correct position.
This contract was later updated by a supplementary agreement, also signed by all parties on Jan. 22, 1963, which was included with the lot. All signatures on both the management contract and the supplementary agreement were accompanied by a red wax seal and the signatures of attending witnesses.
Ellison remarked that there has been no downturn in the bidding volume through LiveAutioneers since the recent woes in world financial markets. “It has held very strong,” he said. “As a general trend, people are turning more and more to the Internet for all types of buying. We’ve noticed a marked bidding increases in sales conducted by auction houses internationally, as well.”
Founded in November 2002 and recently named to Inc. Magazine’s 2008 list of the 5000 fastest-growing privately held companies, Manhattan-based www.liveauctioneers.com provides real-time Internet bidding capability to more than 730 auction houses in a dozen countries. LiveAuctioneers.com has opened up once-exclusive sales to the cyber community worldwide through online publication of auction catalogs, and Internet bidding. Similar to telephone bidding, buyers at remote locations can conveniently participate in auctions in real time from their computers as the auction is being conducted. There is no cost to register and no obligation to bid; anyone can watch the action online, in real time. For further information, log on to www.liveauctioneers.com.
Tuesday August 12, 2008 Source:Blabbermouth Location: Japan
Japan’s DIR EN GREY will embark on a North American headlining tour in November/December. Support on the trek will come from THE HUMAN ABSTRACT.
The dates are as follows:
Nov. 05 - Revolution - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Nov. 07 - The Club @ Firestone - Orlando, FL
Nov. 08 - Center Stage - Atlanta, GA
Nov. 10 - Rams Head Live - Baltimore, MD
Nov. 11 - The Theatre of Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
Nov. 12 - Wilbur Theatre - Boston, MA
Nov. 14 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY
Nov. 15 - Le Medley - Montreal, QC
Nov. 16 - Kool Haus - Toronto, ON
Nov. 18 - Clutch Cargo’s - Pontiac, MI
Nov. 19 - House of Blues - Chicago, IL
Nov. 20 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN
Nov. 22 - The Eagles Club - Milwaukee, WI
Nov. 23 - Pop’s - Sauget, IL
Nov. 25 - House of Blues - Houston, TX
Nov. 26 - Palladium Ballroom - Dallas, TX
Nov. 28 - Marquee Theatre - Tempe, AZ
Nov. 29 - The Wiltern LG - Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 30 - Warfield Theatre - San Francisco, CA
Dec. 02 - Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR
Dec. 03 - The Showbox - Seattle, WA
Dec. 05 - Gothic Theatre - Englewood, CO
DIR EN GREY will release its new album, “Uroboros”, on November 12. The album will be released in three editions; a standard edition, a limited edition and a deluxe edition. The standard edition will be released as a single-disc CD album, while the limited edition will include a bonus disc. The deluxe edition, a significantly more expensive release, will include two CDs, one DVD and two LPs, and will be available for pre-ordering only until August 17.
“The album will be stuffed with themes of ‘guilt and reincarnation’ as well as ‘the past, present and future of DIR EN GREY,’” guitarist Kaoru explained back in May. “This will be heavier and darker than previous albums, with a sort of oriental and religious mood and connotations. We’re experimenting with different sounds — we’d like to introduce a multitude of different instruments on this album.”
Monday August 11, 2008 Source:Blabbermouth Location: Australia
Legendary ‘70s/‘80s rock producer Tom Werman (MÖTLEY CRÜE, TWISTED SISTER, CHEAP TRICK, TED NUGENT) has come out of a retirement from the music industry of sorts to produce the new album from the acclaimed ‘80s Australian act GEISHA. Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Chris Doheny and guitarist Joe Matera began recording sessions last month in a Melbourne, Australia studio for what will become GEISHA’s first studio LP to be recorded since 1989. The album will be the band’s fourth official studio release to date.
Werman came onboard after hearing some of the band’s impressive new demos.
Says Werman, “I was particularly delighted to contribute to the production of ‘Birthday’, since I could hear all the appealing elements of the song right in the demo and was reminded of how I used to approach the tunes that exhibited so much potential as single cuts.”
Comments Joe Matera: “Tom is actually producing this track [‘Birthday’] via the Internet. We are sending files back and forth, conducting conference calls etc with Tom who is overseeing the whole production from his Stonover Farm base in the U.S. As far as I know, and to my knowledge, GEISHA is setting a precedent in this new record production modus operandi.”
Tom adds, “This may be the first record ever cooperatively produced online, as the internet continues to facilitate interesting new approaches to both making and distributing music.”
The new recording will be the first to feature guitarist Matera, who joined GEISHA late last year.
The new single, “Birthday” will be issued prior to the album’s release.
Werman was involved in a war of words earlier in the year with MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx over Sixx’s recently published memoir, “The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star”, which Tom called “totally deluded” and “stunningly inaccurate.” Werman leveled his criticisms in a letter to the New York Times, taking issue with Sixx’s claims that the bassist did all the work in the studio on the CRÜE albums “Theatre of Pain”, “Shout at the Devil” and “Girls, Girls, Girls” while Werman chatted on the phone.
According to a bulletin issued by OZZY OSBOURNE’s MySpace page, the Prince of Darkness will follow up his appearances at the Monsters of Rock show in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on Saturday, July 26 and Ozzfest 2008 in Dallas, TX on Saturday, August 9 by returning to the studio to record a new album.
OZZY OSBOURNE’s latest CD, “Black Rain”, was certified gold on December 14, 2007 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States.
“Black Rain” was reissued on November 20 as a “Special Limited-Edition Tour Package” featuring a bonus CD of live tracks and B-sides. The bonus CD includes the following cuts:
01. I Don’t Wanna Stop (live)
02. Not Going Away (live)
03. Here For You (live)
04. Nightmare
05. Can’t Save You
06. Love To Hate
“Black Rain” debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard album chart, with first-week sales of 152,000 copies.
Ozzy and his family will return to television in a new reality variety show this fall. The Fox program has the working title of “The Osbournes: Loud And Dangerous” and will feature Ozzy Osbourne, his wife Sharon, and their kids Jack and Kelly.
Fox has reportedly ordered six episodes of the series and each episode will run for an hour. “The Osbournes: Loud And Dangerous” will feature musical performances, comedy sketches, and game-show competitions. The show is being produced by FremantleMedia North America, who also produce “American Idol” for Fox.
MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars’ Swiss girlfriend, 24-year-old former Miss Zürich contestant Seraina Schönenberger, has spoken to Blick magazine about her relationship with the man she calls her “soulmate.”
Schönenberger met Mars, 57, at a June 2007 MÖTLEY CRÜE concert in Switzerland and the couple has been virtually inseparable ever since.
“It was love at first sight,” she told Blick before adding, “You never know, maybe someday we will actually get married.”
Schönenberger appears in MÖTLEY CRÜE’s new video for the song “Saints of Los Angeles” (see below) and has been traveling with the band on their current “Crüe Fest” summer tour.
“I am totally in love,” she said about the guitarist who suffers from the degenerative bone disease ankylosing spondylitis. “[He is] the man of my life. . . We are the perfect couple.”
Mars filed a lawsuit against former girlfriend Robbie Mantooth (Photo#1, Photo#2) in Los Angeles Superior Court in November 2006, alleging that she breached the terms of a settlement of a palimony suit between the former couple. The Calabasas resident is asking for unspecified punitive damages and attorneys’ fees.
Mars was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) when he was 19 and he told Blender magazine in a recent interview that the disease has left him unable to move his head.
“If I could go places I would, but I’m stuck,” he said. “This stuff I have won’t allow me to move my head, so I can’t drive. It’s quite an inconvenience.”
In the same interview, Mars revealed that his condition is shrinking him.
“This AS crap has shrunk me down really small,” he said. “I used to be almost five-foot-nine, and I’m just a little over five-three now. It stinks… I’m just squashed.”
Seraina is featured in the new video by Motely Crue, The Saints Of Los Angeles
Kevin Crush of Edmonton Alberta, Canada’s Edmonton Sun reports: Gene Simmons doesn’t know it yet, but his legendary rock band had a major role in helping to solve the mysterious discovery of a man’s remains in Vegreville.
And now friends and relatives of Robin Douglas Goodwin, who would have turned 47 in February, want to thank the tongue-wagging KISS frontman.
It all started last Nov. 3, when the body of an unknown man was discovered in a wooded area near Vegreville.
Eleven days later, RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) released several photos in an attempt to identify the man.
The pictures showed a denim jacket with several badges — including several for KISS.
“Once I saw the jacket I knew that was my friend’s jacket,” said Ken Peterson, who grew up with Goodwin in rural Saskatchewan.
“There (are) not too many people who have that amount of badges all on one denim jacket.”
Monday May 19, 2008 Source:Summerfest Location: Milwaukee, WI
Summerfest officials today announce yet another lineup of headliners slated for Summerfest 2008. Check out the Zippo Rock Stage with Miller Lite and 94.1 WJJO for a great mix of rock music from a variety of artists.
As always, the stage lineup will deliver a unique combination of rock genres, including hard rock, alternative, 70’s and 80’s. The stage will feature the following headlining performers:
June 26 6pm Nonpoint, 11pm Drowning Pool
June 27 8pm bloodsimple, 10pm Sevendust
June 28 6:30pm Carrie Rodriguez, 8pm Old 97’s, 10pm Willy Porter
June 29 6:30pm The Parlor Mob, 8pm Egypt Central, 10pm Theory of a Deadman
June 30 10pm TBA
July 1 6:30pm 12 Stones, 10pm Skillet
July 2 8pm Saving Abel, 10pm Finger Eleven
July 3 8pm Ingrid Michaelson, 10pm Gomez
July 4 6:30pm Black Tide, 10pm Five Finger Death Punch
July 5 8pm Black Stone Cherry, 10pm Jackyl
July 6 9pm Mickey Hart
The headliner for June 30 will be announced in the near future. All performers and show times are subject to change.
Summerfest 2008 will take place June 26 – July 6 from noon until midnight daily. The World’s Largest Music Festival and Milwaukee’s cornerstone summer celebration continues to attract the music industry’s hottest stars, along with emerging talent and local favorites. The 23,000 capacity Marcus Amphitheater, 10 permanent grounds stage areas, 45 diverse food & beverage vendors and four unique marketplaces are set against the beautiful Lake Michigan and downtown backdrops, creating a festival experience like no other. Patrons can also enjoy Miller Lite, the Official Beer of Summerfest. For more details on The World’s Largest Music Festival visit Summerfest.com.
