Tupac Shakur, Pearl Jam, Yes to be Inducted Into Rock Hall

The late rapper Tupac Shakur and Seattle-based rockers Pearl Jam lead a class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees that also include folkie Joan Baez and 1970s favorites Journey, Yes and Electric Light Orchestra.

The rock hall also said Tuesday it would give a special award to Nile Rodgers, whose disco-era band Chic failed again to make the cut after its 11th time nominated.

The hall’s 32nd annual induction ceremony takes place on April 7 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. HBO will show highlights at a later date, with SiriusXM doing a radio broadcast.

Shakur, Baez, Pearl Jam and ELO were all elected in their first year as nominees. (AP)

Nirvana, Kiss, Peter Gabriel Headed to Rock Hall

Nirvana, Kiss and Peter Gabriel will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year.

The Rock Hall announced Tuesday that Hall and Oates, Linda Ronstadt and Cat Stevens will also be inducted April 10 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Among the first-time nominees are Hall and Oates, Gabriel, Ronstadt and Nirvana, nominated in its first year of eligibility. Repeat nominees Kiss and Stevens make the cut after being absent from the list for several years.

The Rolling Stones managers, Andrew Loog Oldham and Brian Epstein, will earn the Ahmet Ertegun award, a non-performing honor.

Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band will earn the award for musical excellence.

The 29th annual induction ceremony will be open to the public. Tickets go on sale next month.

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Online: http://www.rockhall.com (AP)

Rush, Public Enemy Among Rock Hall of Fame Nominations

Rush, Deep Purple, Public Enemy and N.W.A. are among the group of first-time nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

They join returnees Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Randy Newman, Donna Summer and Kraftwerk among the 15 artists vying for entry.

Even in the iPod age, the list of nominees up for induction in 2013 is as eclectic as they come, ranging from progressive rock to electronica, disco, and funk and the blues.

A group of 600 artists, music historians and members of the industry will choose 2013’s inductees. They will be honored April 18 in Los Angeles.

Chic, Albert King, The Marvelettes, The Meters, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Procol Harum round out the list of nominees.

And – for the first time, you can help decide who’ll be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Fans can cast ballots on various websites, including rockhall.com. They have until December 5 to vote. The top five picked by the public will make up a “fans’ ballot” that will be included with the other ballots cast by more than 600 artists, historians and members of the music industry.

Heart, Deep Purple, Rush, Donna Summer, Randy Newman, Public Enemy and N.W.A. are some of the nominees they can choose from. The induction ceremony will be held next April and will air on HBO sometime after that.

http://rockhall.com  (AP)

Run-DMC Announces Reunion at Fun Fun Fest

They haven’t performed together in over a decade, but the surviving members of Run-DMC are set to reunite this fall at the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas.

Joseph Simmons, now known as Rev. Run, and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels retired the group after their DJ, Jam Master Jay, was killed in 2002. But it was announced Tuesday that the band will be among the performers for the Nov. 2-4 event. Festival organizers say they plan to donate some of the proceeds to the JMJ Foundation for Music, which works to give youth access to the arts.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group is best known for hits like “Walk This Way,” “It’s Like That” and “My Adidas.” (AP)

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Online: http://funfunfunfest.com/

Axl Rose Declines Induction Into Rock Hall

There’ll be no Guns N’ Roses reunion at this weekend’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony. Axl Rose says he won’t attend and is declining his induction into the hall.

The seminal band is to be inducted in Cleveland on Saturday. There was some hope that the original unit would reunite. It disbanded in acrimony in the 1990s.

But in a letter to the hall released Wednesday, Rose said he won’t be at the ceremony. “I respectfully decline my induction as a member of Guns N’ Roses to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.”

Referring to the band’s falling out in 1996, Rose, 50, says having the group inducted would be “somewhat of a complicated or awkward situation.”
He adds, “I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia … this decision is personal. I certainly don’t intend to disappoint anyone, especially the fans, with this decision.”

Calling out former band mate Steven Adler for spreading “reunion lies,” Rose says the only two original members he’d ever consider sharing a stage with again are Izzy Stradlin and Duff McKagan.

Of the original rockers, famous for hits like “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City,” Rose says simply, “Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn’t owe you your own personal happy ending, especially at another’s – or in this case, several others’ – expense.”

The hall didn’t immediately return requests for comment. (AP)

Rose’s open letter is printed in its entirety below.

To: The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Guns N’ Roses Fans and Whom It May Concern,

When the nominations for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame were first announced I had mixed emotions but, in an effort to be positive, wanting to make the most of things for the fans and with their enthusiasm, I was honored, excited and hoped that somehow this would be a good thing. Of course I realized as things stood, if Guns N’ Roses were to be inducted it’d be somewhat of a complicated or awkward situation.

Since then we’ve listened to fans, talked with members of the board of the Hall Of Fame, communicated with and read various public comments and jabs from former members of Guns N’ Roses, had discussions with the president of the Hall Of Fame, read various press (some legit, some contrived) and read other artists’ comments weighing in publicly on Guns and the Hall with their thoughts.

Under the circumstances I feel we’ve been polite, courteous, and open to an amicable solution in our efforts to work something out. Taking into consideration the history of Guns N’ Roses, those who plan to attend along with those the Hall for reasons of their own, have chosen to include in “our” induction (that for the record are decisions I don’t agree with, support or feel the Hall has any right to make), and how (albeit no easy task) those involved with the Hall have handled things… no offense meant to anyone but the Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony doesn’t appear to be somewhere I’m actually wanted or respected.

For the record, I would not begrudge anyone from Guns their accomplishments or recognition for such. Neither I or anyone in my camp has made any requests or demands of the Hall Of Fame. It’s their show not mine.

That said, I won’t be attending The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction 2012 Ceremony and I respectfully decline my induction as a member of Guns N’ Roses to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of “Guns N’ Roses”.

This decision is personal. This letter is to help clarify things from my and my camp’s perspective. Neither is meant to offend, attack or condemn. Though unfortunately I’m sure there will be those who take offense (God knows how long I’ll have to contend with the fallout), I certainly don’t intend to disappoint anyone, especially the fans, with this decision. Since the announcement of the nomination we’ve actively sought out a solution to what, with all things considered, appears to be a no win, at least for me, “damned if I do, damned if I don’t” scenario all the way around.

In regard to a reunion of any kind of either the Appetite or Illusion lineups, I’ve publicly made myself more than clear. Nothing’s changed.

The only reason, at this point, under the circumstances, in my opinion whether under the guise of “for the fans” or whatever justification of the moment, for anyone to continue to ask, suggest or demand a reunion are misguided attempts to distract from our efforts with our current lineup of myself, Dizzy Reed, Tommy Stinson, Frank Ferrer, Richard Fortus, Chris Pitman, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and DJ Ashba.

Izzy came out with us a few times back in ’06 and I invited him to join us at our LA Forum show last year. Steven was at our show at the Hard Rock, later in ’06 in Las Vegas, where I invited him to our after-party and was rewarded with his subsequent interviews filled with reunion lies. Lesson learned. Duff joined us in 2010 and again in ’11 along with his band, Loaded, opening in Seattle and Vancouver. For me, with the exception of Izzy or Duff joining us on stage if they were so inclined somewhere in the future for a song or two, that’s enough.

There’s a seemingly endless amount of revisionism and fantasies out there for the sake of self-promotion and business opportunities masking the actual realities. Until every single one of those generating from or originating with the earlier lineups has been brought out in the light, there isn’t room to consider a conversation let alone a reunion.

Maybe if it were you it’d be different. Maybe you’d do it for this reason or that. Peace, whatever. I love our band now. We’re there for each other when the going get’s rough. We love our fans and work to give them every ounce of energy and heart we can.

So let sleeping dogs lie or lying dogs sleep or whatever. Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn’t owe you your own personal happy ending especially at another’s, or in this case several others’, expense.

But hey if ya gotta then maybe we can get the “no show, grandstanding, publicity stunt, disrespectful, he doesn’t care about the fans” crap out of the way as quickly as we can and let’s move on. No one’s taking the ball and going home. Don’t get it twisted. For more than a decade and a half we’ve endured the double standards, the greed of this industry and the ever present seemingly limitless supply of wannabes and unscrupulous, irresponsible media types. Not to imply anything in this particular circumstance, but from my perspective in regard to both the Hall and a reunion, the ball’s never been in our court.

In closing, regardless of this decision and as hard to believe or as ironic as it may seem, I’d like to sincerely thank the board for their nomination and their votes for Guns’ induction. More importantly I’d like to thank the fans for being there over the years, making any success we’ve had possible and for enjoying and supporting Guns N’ Roses music.

I wish the Hall a great show, congratulations to all the other artists being inducted and to our fans we look forward to seeing you on tour!!

Sincerely,

Axl Rose

P.S. RIP Armand, Long Live ABC III

Green Day to Induct Guns N’ Roses Into Rock Hall

Green Day will welcome fellow hard rockers Guns N’ Roses into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Rock Hall spokesman Todd Mesek says Green Day members Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool will induct Guns N’ Roses at Saturday’s ceremony at Cleveland’s Public Hall.

Mesek says it’s not yet known if the original Guns N’ Roses lineup will reunite and perform. Mesek say he believes frontman Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and other band members plan to attend. The group split in 1996.

Guns N’ Roses stormed onto the music scene in the mid-1980s, awakening an industry then dominated by pop and dance music.

This year’s Hall of Fame class includes the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, Donovan, Laura Nyro and The Small Faces/The Faces.  (AP)

Ronnie Wood: Rolling Stones to Go into Studio Soon

Ronnie Wood says the Rolling Stones will get together later this month to “throw some ideas around in the studio.”

The guitarist for the rock band made the comments Monday in an interview following a press conference for his art exhibition, “Faces, Time and Places.”

Wood says and he and the band plan to “just get the feel again,” adding that their 50th reunion is like training for something big.

Says Wood: “It’s like working out for the Olympics or something. You’ve got to go into training. So we’re going to go into training.”

Wood’s exhibit features his own paintings, including pieces that feature the Stones. Wood will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday as a member of The Faces. (AP)

The Who to Perform at Next Year’s Super Bowl

The Who will perform at halftime of the Super Bowl this season.

The NFL announced during Thursday’s game between the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys that the longtime rock band known for classic hits such as “Pinball Wizard” and “Baba O’Riley” will play Feb. 7 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami.

Driven by singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend, the band’s two remaining original members, The Who gained fame in the mid-1960s and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

Recent halftime acts at the Super Bowl have included Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Prince and the Rolling Stones.

The Super Bowl halftime show is sponsored by Bridgestone.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)