ATN's Music News of the World: Jerry Garcia

HYPE! TO OPEN NEXT MONTHAddicted To Noise Washington, DC correspondent Chris Nelson reports: Get ready for the definitive film on the Seattle music scene. Hype, Doug Pray's stunning documentary about the scene, will open simultaneously in Seattle and New York next month. The film will show in other markets throughout the U.S. through January. Sub Pop released the accompanying soundtrack, featuring both the bands that made Seattle famous as well as other lesser known but influential groups, earlier this month.Hype was filmed over the course of three years beginning in 1992, and charts not only the rise of the Northwest music scene but also how the scene influenced popular culture. The documentary contains no narration, instead telling its story through concert footage (including the first ever performance of "Smells Like Teen Spirit") and interviews with musicians including Eddie Vedder, label owners like the Sub Pop dudes, photographer Charles Peterson and others.The Hype album is not exactly a soundtrack. Not all of the artists on the album are included in the film, nor is every band in the documentary on the record. Hype's 22 tracks begin and end with contributions from Seattle mainstays the Fastbacks, and also include songs by Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Mark Lanegan, and Mudhoney. Mixed in with these bigger names are tracks by smaller bands such as the Wipers, the U-Men, Dead Moon, and the Gits. On November 5, Sub Pop will release the compilation as a limited edition singles box set.JERRY GARCIA KEEPS ON PLAYINGOK. Garcia isn't really still playing. However you're gonna have the opportunity to hear a lot of "new" Jerry Garcia music. From Aug. 1990 through July 1995, Garcia and the extraordinary mandolin player David Grisman met up at Grisman's Dawg Studios for at least 40 recording sessions. Most of what they did was play classic blues, jazz, folk, pop, country and bluegrass tunes. But they also wrote some new material. In recent months Grisman has been working on the first Garcia/Grisman album since Garcia's August 1995 death. The first new album from the sessions will be titled Shady Grove and will include only traditional folk songs and ballads that inspired both men when they were younger and just learning the musical ropes. Songs in addition to the title track: "Stealin', " "The Sweet Sunny South," (featuring both Garcia and Grisman on 5-string banjos), "Off to Sea Once > More," "The Handsome Cabin Boy" and "Fair Ellender."AUTOMATIC BABY TAKE TWOPreviously, we reported on the upcoming release of a live collaboration between members of U2 and R.E.M. on the song "One," which will appear in the U.K. on a charity album for the organization Childline. Our source had told us that the track was taken from a benefit for Atlanta station WHFF.It turns out that the song, credited to Automatic Baby, was actually recorded in Washington, D.C. at the MTV Inaugural Ball for President Clinton on January 20, 1993. It made its original appearance on the Just Passin' Thru CD, which was released this year by D.C.'s modern rock powerhouse WHFS.DODGER RADINSKY PLAYS IN PUNK BAND.Addicted To Noise Washington correspondent Chris Nelson reports: Plenty of folks have to take on a second job to make ends meet while they pursue their real passions. Far fewer get to fulfill childhood fantasies with both jobs. Count Scott Radinsky among those few. In fact, Scott is likely the only person in the country who will fill out the occupation line on next year's tax forms with both "Punk Rock Singer" and "Major League Baseball Player."Radinsky formed his group Pulley about twelve months ago, after logging several years with the punk band Scared Straight, which later changed its name to Ten Foot Pole. On January 17 of this year, he was signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers. A relief pitcher, Radinsky made his major league debut in 1990 with the Chicago White Sox. In 1992 he claimed a 2.02 ERA with Chicago, but he missed the entire '94 season while combating Hodgkin's Disease.These days, Radinsky is back in the line-up for both the Dodgers and Pulley's label, Epitaph. Scott and Epitaph have both chosen to downplay his major league connections in promoting Pulley's debut, Esteem Driven Engine, which landed in stores this month. They would rather that the band scored its runs based on its musical merits and its roster, a virtual All-Star team of SoCal punk. Pulley's other four members have played with Radinsky in Scared Straight and Ten Foot Pole as well as in Strung Out, Face To Face, No Use For A Name, and several other bands.Later this month, Pulley will set out on a West Coast tour in support of Esteem Driven Engine. Expect the band to finish its current round of touring and recording by February. That's when Radinsky's due back for spring training.ELASTICA'S JUSTINE FRISCHMANN TO PERFORM WITH MEMBERS OF WIRE.Addicted To Noise staff writer Gil Kaufman reports: So, what's a little plagiarism between friends? Now that the nasty lawsuit over Elastica's appropriation of Wire's "Three Girl Rhumba" for their hit "Connection" has been settled for an undisclosed sum, comes news that Elastica's singer, Justine Frischmann, will be playing in an "experimental supergroup" with two of her fave musicians. The odd pairing is all thanks to Band of Susans' Susan Stenger, who thought it would be just peachy to pair Frischmann with Wire's Bruce Gilbert and Robert Gray (and Gallon Drunk's Terry Edwards and electronic spacemen Sonic Boom, Scanner and Panasonic) to jam together in an "experimental" group called The Brood, a name that pays homage to a movie from oddball director David Cronenberg. Apparently, Stenger, who a source told us auditioned and didn't get the recently-filled Elastica bass-player slot, became friendly with Frischmann in the process and when this idea came up, didn't hesitate to call her, all awkwardness aside. The group, who according to an NME story, plan to play compositions by several American avant-garde composers like John Cage, Christian Wolff and Phil Niblock, will debut on the stage of the American Independents Festival in the UK on November 6. Speaking to the NME, Stenger said, "I really wanted to get Justine involved and I'm really happy to bring her and Bruce and Robert together. They're really looking forward to playing on the same bill as her. These compositions are part of our popular culture, they are not museum pieces and they should be performed on electronic instruments by people who are really involved in popular culture now and not just have them as token weird pieces on string quartet programs. It's not a high-art concept, it's what comes naturally to us. We've all got a common ancestor, which is this music." Stenger went on to say that she hopes The Brood will be an on-going project because both Stereolab's Tim Gane and Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo wanted to join in on the fun, but were unable to due to scheduling conflicts.JOEY RAMONE PRODUCING RONNIE SPECTORAddicted To Noise staff writer Gil Kaufman reports: Joey Ramone is in the midst of rehearsals with his longtime friend and idol Ronnie Spector ("Be My Baby," "Walking In the Sand"), recording four covers that the duo hope will help land Spector a record deal. The songs they're currently working out are two Ramones covers ("She Talks to Rainbows," "Bye Bye Baby"), a Johnny Thunders tune ("You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory") and a Brian Wilson song ("Don't Worry Baby"). Ramone said the unusual pair got together when Spector called him out of the blue and since he's a "big fan, she's one of my favorite singers," Ramone jokingly said he'd be glad to come out of retirement to record some tracks with her.Another band Ramone is working on some cover tunes with is the punk supergroup, 22 Jacks, which contains members of Wax, the Adolescents, and No Use For a Name. Ramone caught the band at this year's CMJ Marathon and thought they would be the perfect backing band for a track he'd been asked to do for a Cheap Trick tribute album. "I saw them and thought they were fucking amazing and so I asked (former Wax member) Joe (Sib) to get the band to record 'I'll Be With You Tonight,' an obscure track from Dream Police for this record. I love Cheap Trick." We know. If you remember, we told you a few months ago about the duet Joey did with Trickster Robin Zander on "Surrender" at Lollapalooza this summer. Ramone also just finished laying down backing vocals on "I Am Seeing UFO's," a track on Dee Dee Ramone's still-label-less solo album, Bad Horoscope. The mini-Ramones reunion features Dee Dee on guitar and vocals, his new wife, Barbara, on bass, and Marky Ramone on drums. Lastly, Ramone said he just laid down an intro and sang some choruses on a cover of "Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio?" by the British band, Space Maid, who are signed to the same French label as bassist CJ Ramone's band, Los Guisanos.As for the Ramones, Joey says they're not yet in his past (there's still a video/live album package coming out this Christmas chronicling their final show), since, as far as he's concerned they're "eternal." But, as the months pass, he says he feels both good and strange, "strange because I've been doing it for 23 years" and good, well, because now he can do all kinds of other things.OFF-THE-(ATN) WIRE: Lead singer Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, who was recently released from a live-in drug rehab clinic in Pasadena, will be accompanied by several drug counselors on their upcoming tour and, according to the band's manager, Steve Stewart, every attempt will be made to create a safe atmosphere for the currently halfway-house-dwelling singer...A camera has been set up to transmit images from the recording studio where U2 continue to work on their next album. Thus far, when we've checked in, we haven't seen any of the band members. Still, if watching metal rust is your idea of fun, head over to: www.island.co.uk/cat/cat_uvw/u2studio.html...With the release of Phish's Billy Breathes, the group has hit the road for a late fall/winter tour...