One of the best things about Chicago, in addition to the endless hot dog joints, is that you can find so many entertaining and free ways to listen to music. There’s a ton of $0.00 block parties during the summer that ALWAYS have bands worth watching. Then, of course, there are the free concerts at Millennium Park, and let’s not forget Jazz Fest, Blues Fest, Downtown Sound, Music Without Borders, SummerDance, etc.

But Chicago is in a little financial crisis, just like everyplace in this great, empty-pocketed country of ours. And how does America usually solve its financial problems? By cutting arts and music. However, there is something you can do besides just heading to City Hall and yelling at the endless stream of business-suited government officials. Friends of Chicago Music have set up an online petition that you can sign, with a message to all those government fat cats. Please ensure that my (and, to a lesser extent, your) free-music summer will be entertaining and sign the petition.

Well, it looked like the ’90s were back and better than ever (depending on how you feel about the ’90s) during Cypress Hill’s Smoke Out Festival, where former Sublime bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh played with a new singer, Rome Ramirez, under their former moniker. Although they were "thrilled to reconnect with their fans around the world," the long arm of the law wasn’t feeling as mushy.

According to Los Angeles judge Howard Matz, the passing of former Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell means that the Sublime name can’t ever be resurrected, no matter how many original band members are still breathing. The Nowell family maintains: "Prior to his untimely passing, both Bud and Eric acknowledged that Brad Nowell was the sole owner of the name Sublime. It was Brad’s expressed intention that no one use the name Sublime in any group that did not include him, and Brad even registered the trademark ’Sublime’ under his own name." So much for sharing the love.

For now, Sublime’s two remaining members fully intend to "take the court’s advice and work on a business solution to this issue." Take your time, guys.

Top 6 "Famous Last Words" *

6. "Wonderful! Wonderful this death!" — William Etty, English painter (1787-1849)

5. (To a priest) "Hold your tongue! Your wretched chatter disgusts me!" — Chrétien Malesherbes, French politician (1721-1794)

4. "Die, my dear doctor? That’s the last thing I shall do." — Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount of Palmerston, English politician (1784-1865)

3. "The executioner is, I believe, very expert... and my neck is very slender." — Anne Boleyn, wife of Henry VIII (1504-1536)

2. "Why not, why not, why not. Yeah." — Timothy Leary, American counter-culture guru (1920-1996)

1. "The Rakes have always been very adamant and proud of the fact that we give 100% to every gig we’ve ever played. If we can’t give it everything then we won’t do it. That was the rule we set ourselves from day one. After much deliberation we have come to the shared conclusion that we can’t give it 100% anymore and regret to announce that The Rakes are calling it a day. We are sorry to let down all the people who were coming to see us on the U.K. & U.S. tours. Writing your own obituary is a surreal thing to do but we want to give particular thanks to our much-loved fans, all the great people we’ve worked with over the years, our management and loyal record label. We feel privileged to have had the opportunity to write music together and perform around the world. Genuinely, thanks for the good times.... That was one hell of a party! But now, we really must get some sleep." — The Rakes, British music group (2004-2009)

Alright. I’ll admit number 1 is a bit long-winded and out of place on this "famous" list but what it lacks in creativity and pizzazz it makes up for in timeliness and pertinence in this forum. As the above statement claims, British indie, arty, post-punk band The Rakes have split up, cancelling all outstanding, previously-announced tourdates. Although often overshadowed by their impeccably mod sense of dress, the London quartet was a firm favorite on the live circuit since its birth and was adept at capturing, celebrating, and escaping the realities of life in memorable singles like "Strasbourg," "22 Grand Job," and "Work, Work, Work (Pub, Club, Sleep)." The Rakes leave behind a three album legacy — Capture/Release, Ten New Messages, and Klang (all on V2).

* Why "Top 6"? Why not, why not, why not. Yeah.

From the San Francisco Gate (via The Daily Swarm):

Norton Buffalo, harmonica virtuoso, one-of-a-kind performer and consummate accompanist to the stars, died Friday night from cancer in Feather River Hospital, near his home in Paradise (Butte County). He was 58.

“He was the antithesis of East Coast cynical,” said Raitt, who spent Sunday morning watching Buffalo videos on YouTube. “He was always in funny mode without being too gooey about it. He’s been that guy all this time. In one guy, you got all the hope and optimism of the ‘70s.”

Mr. Buffalo played on the Grammy-winning Doobie Brothers album “Minute by Minute,” and the recent children’s music CD by Kenny Loggins. With Bette Midler, he played in the band and acted in the film “The Rose.” He collaborated on tours and a series of recordings for more than 20 years with blues guitarist Roy Rogers. One of their songs, “Ain’t No Bread in the Breadbox,” was a cornerstone in the ‘90s live repertoire of the Jerry Garcia Band.

 Norton Buffalo official website
 Norton Buffalo Wikipedia entry

Apparently this was a hoax! Apologies for any confusion.

From NPR:

 Chuck Biscuits Wikipedia entry

Kemado Records, the smallish indie record label based in NYC, is gearing up to open its very own record store in Brooklyn, called Co-Op 87. Kemado, along with its imprint Mexican Summer, decided to launch Co-Op 87 right smack in the middle of CMJ week, what with the entire music industry being in town to consume various alcoholic beverages and peep through the watering holes’ windows hoping to catch the "next big thing."

Kemado’s owners apparently have quite the thing for vinyl, and they figure, what could be better than to share their love with the entirety of Brooklyn? That said, Co-Op 87 is mostly comprised of indie and local band vinyl, along with a smattering of CDs and cassette tapes (a.k.a. the new vinyl — did you hear the ’90s are back?). Kemado has also fitted their new store with a hybrid analog-digital recording studio which they plan to rent out to local bands in need. So far, Kemado has utilized their new recording space by doing the local bands a solid and recording their daytime CMJ showcases. Not too shabby.

According to Andres Santo Domingo, one of Kemado’s founders, "The plan is to use the studio as often as possible and keep the store open maybe three days a week. It’s not going to be anything like a traditional record store."

Kemado is home to to some small but powerful indie rockers, including The Sword, Langhorne Slim, Cheeseburger, and Elefant. Check out a recent New York Times feature on the storefront here.

Craig Finn, front man of The Hold Steady, and Tom Ruprecht, longtime writer for Late Night With David Letterman, have acquired the rights to bestselling memoir Fargo Rock City, written by Chuck Klosterman, and plan to co-write and produce a feature film based on the book. Klosterman will also lend a hand in producing the film.

The book is about a bunch of nerdy teenage metal-heads from the podunk town of Fargo (located in the Devil’s asshole that is North Dakota) attempting to rise above their humble home town and its local residents, who are less than enthusiastic about either KISS or Guns N’ Roses. The movie is set to revolve around a group of soon-to-be high school graduates who try to get laid, become more than just geeks, and overall live a life perfectly fit to be represented in next year’s surefire “Quirky Coming-Of Age Hit Comedy.”

Finn, who has so far made his name writing Springsteen-influenced bar rock, explained his interest in the project to Risky Business blogspot:

Seventeen or eighteen is the perfect age for characters in a movie like this, because it’s at that age that you have drivers licenses and a certain amount of independence, but you’re still young enough that you can totally make terrible decisions. And you’re still young enough that you can have a two-hour argument over whether Motley Crue would beat Guns ‘N Roses in a fight.

Finn and Ruprecht have begun their first draft of the screenplay and are hoping to secure interest and financing once the script is done.

On Saturday, October 24, Morrissey was performing at the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon, England. During a rendition of “This Charming Man,” he collapsed on stage with breathing difficulties. A spokesperson for the Great Western Hospital that night said Morrissey’s condition was "stable," while The Guardian reported yesterday that Morrissey had been discharged from the hospital. Today, however, Morrissey’s official website announced that tonight’s show at the Bournemouth Academy has been canceled due to "medical advice."

Ticket holders for Bournemouth Academy and the abandoned Swindon Oasis concert are advised to hold on to their tickets and await news regarding potential new dates or refund. Customers will be notified where possible and full information posted with ticket outlets and venues.

Morrissey has already cancelled previous tourdates this year due to illness, so when he was initially taken off stage by two of his bandmates, the crowd reportedly started booing. Jillian Moody, an audience member speaking to the BBC, explained that the crowd didn’t realize how serious the situation was. “I didn’t think he looked particularly well, but then again, he’s sort of well known as a reclusive character, so I sort of thought that was just the way he was when he was on stage.”

The former Smiths star is tentatively due to visit The Netherlands, France, Belgium, Germany, and Ireland before moving on to the U.S. as part of his current tour. Look for his B-sides album Swords (TMT News) today in UK stores and November 3 in the US.

Yesterday, in a New York courtroom, Lil Wayne plead guilty to attempted possession of a firearm in the second degree after having previously plead not guilty to charges brought by the NYPD. Tipped by the familiar scent of cannabis sativa, the police searched and found a .40 calibre handgun on Wayne’s tour bus in July 2007. According to Allhiphop.com, Lil Wayne has opted to accept a plea bargain that carries a maximum sentence of one year in the slammer after DNA evidence found on the gun was decided to be admissible, despite Wayne’s lawyer calling the techniques to acquire said evidence “problematic.”

According to the Rolling Stone, Lil Wayne is also facing felony drug possession and handgun charges when police in Arizona searched and allegedly seized 105 grams of marijuana, 29 grams of cocaine, 41 grams of ecstasy, drug paraphernalia, and a handgun. Lil Wayne has yet to comment on the newest charges, only offering up a decidedly cool “What’s up?” to reporters waiting outside the courtroom.

Wayne is set to be sentenced in February, and because of the guilty plea, the status of Weezy’s forthcoming album Rebirth, originally scheduled for December 15, remains undecided and unclear.

From Pitchfork:

Arts Journal’s Post Classic blog reports that the experimental composer Maryanne Amacher has died, possibly after suffering a stroke. According to Post Classic, she was 66 years old.

Amacher was known for her installations, which caused listeners to question the nature of sound and the effects it has on the brain. She studied with Karlheinz Stockhausen and worked with the likes of John Cage and Alvin Curran. She was the first Rosekrans Artist in Residence at Mills College, and more recently she taught electronic music at Bard.

 Maryanne Amacher Wikipedia entry