Paul McCartney’s Tribute to Late Wife Linda Destroyed by Tree Disease

Following the passing of Paul McCartney‘s first wife and fellow Wings band member Linda in 1998, Sir Paul had hundreds of larch trees planted to pay homage to her life and legacy near a spot coined Linda’s Wood.

While the foliage has stayed alive and healthy for years, unfortunately, many of the memorial trees have now caught a deadly tree disease and are being cut down to stop the spread of a sickness, reports U.K. newspaper the Telegraph. 

According to the Telegraph, the trees are being floored to prevent the takeover of a tree disease called “sudden oak death,” which is quickly spreading among a variety of species of trees and infecting the larch and other foliage in the vicinity. “Some of them were diseased and it was decided that the larch would be chopped down as a preventative measure,” explained Joe Duckworth of the League Against Cruel Sports, a charity supported by McCartney.

Linda’s Wood edges the 100-acre nature sanctuary St. John’s Wood, which the two purchased in Somerset in 1990.

Check out a video of McCartney offering his thoughts on the historic Gibson Les Paul, here.

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Music Stars Pay Tribute to Rolling Stones

An all-star cast of music stars, past and present, will tip their caps to the musical legacy of The Rolling Stones in concert at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. The show takes place on Tuesday, March 13, according to Ultimate Classic Rock.

Jackson Browne, Steve Earle, Taj Mahal, Ronnie Spector, members of TV on the Radio, Marianne Faithful, the Mountain Goats, Ian Hunter and many others will recreate every single track on the Stones’ hits compilation Hot Rocks: 1964-1971.

 It’s mostly a mystery as to which artists will play which songs. A few have tipped their hands: Rosanne Cash hinted that she will sing “Gimme Shelter” with John Sebastian and Earle told Billboard that he’s playing “Mother’s Little Helper,” because it’s the first song he learned on guitar.

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Beatles Tribute Album Available from Former Dream Theater Member

Mike Portnoy, until recently the drummer with Dream Theater, has a new album available and it’s a Beatles tribute affair.

One More Night in New York City is Portnoy’s first CD since leaving Dream Theater and features his Beatles tribute band, Yellow Matter Custard – guitarist Paul Gilbert, guitarist/keyboard player Neal Morse and bass player Kasim Sulton – recorded live.

The live set was recorded this past February at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City.

One More Night in New York City tracklist:

CD One:
1. “Intro”
2. “Back in the USSR”
3. “I Got A Feeling”
4. “And Your Bird Can Sing”
5. “Day Tripper”
6. “Getting Better”
7. “Taxman”
8.” It Won’t Be Long”
9. “You Really Got a Hold on Me”
10. “Lady Madonna”
11. “We Can Work it out”
12. “I’m a Loser”
13. ”I Don’t Want to Spoil The Party”
14. “Penny Lane”
15. “The Fool on the Hill”
16. “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”
17. “Things We Said Today”
18. “If I Needed Someone”
19. “It’s Only Love”
20. “Request Time/Too Many People”

CD Two:
1. “She’s a Woman”
2. “The Word”
3. “Any Time At All”
4. “Paperback Writer”
5. “Don’t Let Me Down”
6. “I’m So Tired”
7. “Savoy Truffle”
8. “Glass Onion”
9. “Yer Blues”
10. “Helter Skelter”
11. “Flying”
12. “Because”
13. “You Never Give Me Your Money”
14. “Sun King”
15. “Mean Mr. Mustard”
16. “Her Majesty”
17. “Polythene Pam”
18. “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window”
19. “Golden Slumbers”
20. “Carry that Weight”
21. “The End”

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Slash, Slayer, Anthrax and Korn Pay Tribute to Metallica

One of the most important bands of the metal era is Metallica. The Bay Area rockers have sold in excess of 100 million albums worldwide since their 1983 debut, Kill ’Em All. Recently, ArtistDirect.com asked some of rock’s biggest artists when they first discovered Metallica and what the band means to them. Here are some highlights:

Slash: “I first discovered Metallica when they came out with their first EP. Metallica has always been one of my favorite heavy metal bands. I think that they are one of the most versatile metal bands that came out in the ’80s. They are also one of the most creative. I think that James Hetfield is one of the greatest heavy metal guitarists to ever walk this earth.”

Kerry King (Slayer): “I imagine it was at The Woodstock in Orange County, when Dave Mustaine was in the band. I instantly became a fan. I couldn’t believe Mustaine was ripping these incredible leads way back then and not even looking at his fingers. I’m still [expletive] looking at my fingers. [Laughs] There were no records then; it was just seeing them. I think Metallica might’ve just been on the Metal Massacre compilation or something.”

Scott Ian (Anthrax): “I was actually at Johnny Z’s record store, Rock ‘n’ Roll Heaven, in New Jersey. He played me the No Life ’Til Leather demo, so that was the first time I had ever heard any Metallica. It was pretty mind-blowing to hear for the first time. One of the coolest feelings about hearing it was just knowing there was another band out there on the West Coast that had the same mindset. Certainly, we didn’t sound alike at the time. Just the fact that they were playing their own music and had their own thing going on was how we felt about what we were doing as Anthrax in New York.”

Jonathan Davis (Korn): “I first heard them on either Master of Puppets or Ride the Lightning. I was at my buddy’s house, and this guy came over and said, ‘You’ve got to hear this [expletive]!’ I was 14 years old or something; I can’t even remember how old I was. [Laughs] This dude put Metallica on, and I was like, ‘Wow, what the hell is that?’ They’re one of my favorite bands. I look up to them. They’ve been doing it for so long. That’s truly the band I look up to – them and Ozzy Osbourne. We’ve also toured with Metallica a bunch; it’s [expletive] awesome!”

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The Stooges Promise "Uplifting" Ron Asheton Tribute Show

The Stooges forthcoming tribute show for the late Ron Asheton, set for Tuesday (April 19) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, will be anything but a melancholy affair, promises Asheton’s brother, Scott Asheton. “It’s not going to be a somber event,” Asheton said, in an interview with AnnArbor.com. “It’s going to be an uplifting event.”

In addition to Asheton on drums, the Stooges lineup will feature frontman Iggy Pop, guitarist James Williamson, bassist Mike Watt, and sax player Steve Mackay. Deniz Tek, from Radio Birdman, will play Ron Asheton’s guitar parts on some songs. Henry Rollins will serve as M.C.

Scott Asheton says he continues to feel a keen sense of loss in the wake of his brother’s death, which occurred two years ago. “There are certain things you share close with your brother, and now and then I’ll think of something and I’ll think ‘I’ve got to tell Ronnie this,’ then I go, ‘Oh [expletive],’” he said. “You get really close and you can talk about things you can’t talk about with other people. I miss that very much, besides the music.”

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Wilco and Elvis Costello Pay Tribute to Neil Young

Last year’s MusiCares concert featuring all-star covers of Neil Young’s songs will be released on DVD and Blu-ray by Shout! Factory on May 31. MusiCares honored Young with the title of Person of the Year last year, feting his career with a tribute performance by artists like Elton John, Wilco, Elvis Costello, Neko Case, Norah Jones, Dave Matthews, and Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Prior to going on sale, the concert will air on MTV’s Palladia channel during Memorial Day weekend.

All DVD proceeds will go to benefit MusiCares, which provides a place for musicians to turn to in times of need.

The full DVD tracklist for A MusiCares Tribute to Neil Young:

1. Keith Urban, John Fogerty and Booker T. Jones: “Rockin’ in the Free World”
2. Lady Antebellum: “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”
3. Dave Matthews: “The Needle and the Damage Done”
4. Norah Jones: “Tell Me Why”
5. Dierks Bentley and Booker T. Jones: “Cinnamon Girl”
6. Josh Groban: “Harvest Moon”
7. Ben Harper: “Ohio”
8. Jackson Browne: “Don’t Let it Bring You Down”
9. Wilco: “Broken Arrow”
10. Jason Mraz and Shawn Colvin: “Lotta Love”
11. Elvis Costello: “(When You’re On) The Losing End”
12. James Taylor: “Heart of Gold”
13. John Mellencamp and T-Bone Burnett: “Down By the River”
14. Crosby, Stills & Nash: “Human Highway”
15. Elton John, Leon Russell, Neko Case and Sheryl Crow: “Helpless”
16. Ozomatli: “Mr. Soul”*
17. Everest: “Revolution Blues”*

*Indicates bonus performances

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