Clash Legend Joe Strummer Honored with Festival

Joe Strummer, the founding member of U.K. punk icons The Clash who passed away in 2002, will be honored with a festival this summer.

The festival will be organized by the Strummerville charity and will take place around August 12, the day Strummer would have turned 60.

The organization is calling the festival the Strummer of Love and the lineup will feature artists and bands influenced by The Clash.

A Strummerville spokesman told Mojo magazine, “None of the bands have been booked yet and the search is still continuing for a suitable site. But when we were discussing how to celebrate Joe’s life, a music festival seems to be the most appropriate way.”

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Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry Honored by Queen

Brian Ferry has been honored by The Queen with a CBE in this year’s Queen's Birthday Honors List in recognition of his service to the British Music Industry.

Ferry told the BBC: “I would like to thank those who have given me the award, and all the musicians and others behind the scenes who have helped me throughout my career.”

Bryan Ferry will tour the United States for the first time in ten years this fall after completing a run of European festival dates promoting his latest album Olympia.

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Mike Portnoy Honored to be One of <em>Gibson.com</em>’s Top 10 Drummers

Earlier this week, Gibson.com listed the Top 10 Drummers of All Time to much excitement and debate. Today, ex-Dream Theater member and percussionist extraordinaire Mike Portnoy heard about the list and posted about it on his Facebook page.

“Aww shucks... it’s always an honor for me to be recognized (especially in such great company!) Thanks Gibson.com,” Portnoy posted, along with a link to the story.

A debate broke out on Portnoy’s Facebook page about what earns a drummer a spot in the Top 10. The man himself then weighed in on the discussion.

“Just a follow up thought on that Gibson.com Top 10 Drummers list: I honestly don’t think these polls mean the BEST drummers as much as IMPORTANT or INFLUENCIAL [sic],” he wrote. “So in that case, I do believe (reading some of your comments) guys like Lars Ulrich, Dave Grohl and Ringo Starr do rightly belong on lists like these...

“Regardless, it’s always an honor for me to be recognized in such great company...
Thanks everyone!”

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