Coronavirus hitting the music industry hard
When word came down Fountains of Wayne co-founder Adam Schlesinger had died from COVID-19 complications, it hit home for many that — like the rest of the world — the music industry is hardly immune to the current pandemic. The award-winning songwriter was just 52, though, making the news even more jarring.
Along with frontman and guitarist Chris Collingwood, bass player and multi-instrumentalist Schlesinger founded Fountains of Wayne in 1995 and had their biggest hit with the Grammy-nominated “Stacy’s Mom” in 2003. The two shared lyric writing throughout the band’s history, which for all intents and purposes ended in
2013 following the touring cycle for their fifth studio effort, ‘Sky Full of Holes,’ due to the tumult surrounding its recording. Schlesinger also founded the indie rock band Ivy and was a member of the supergroup Tinted Windows along with James Iha of The Smashing Pumpkins and Hanson’s Taylor Hanson.
Success was found elsewhere for Schlesinger in writing for television, Broadway and film, composing the title track to ‘That Thing You Do!,’ the 1996 directorial debut of Tom Hanks. The song was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe. He went on to receive multiple Emmy nods and wins, and his ties to the acting world were extended as his younger cousin, Jon Bernthal, found success starring in ‘The Walking Dead’ and ‘The Punisher.’
Schlesinger isn’t the first musician of note to become infected and die from coronavirus — nor will he be the last.
Country star Joe Diffie died last Sunday at the age of 61 from complications of the disease. His honkytonk career kicked off in 1990 with the hits “Home” and “If You Want Me To,” and he saw a string of chart toppers throughout the decade like “Bigger Than the Beatles,” “Third Rock from the Sun” and “Pickup Man.”
Also succumbing to coronavirus Sunday was Alan Merrill, the
69-year-old co-writer and singer of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” for his band The Arrows in 1975. Less than a decade later, Joan Jett would have her highest charting single covering the song when it landed at No. 3 in 1982. Twenty years later, Britney Spears covered it for her widely panned
2002 film debut ‘Crossroads.’ Trumpeter Wallace Roney, the sole protégé of jazz legend Miles Davis, died Tuesday at the age of 59. The Philadelphia native was instrumental in bringing jazz back into fashion beginning in the late-80s, often incorporating other genres into his compositions like hip-hop and Afro-Caribbean music.
John Prine, the 73-year-old country folk singer/songwriter, was revealed by his family to be battling coronavirus, having been hospitalized a week ago. Fans of the two-time Grammy Award winner breathed a short-lived sigh of relief when his wife Fiona tweeted he was in stable condition. She quickly clarified in a follow-up post.
“I need to clarify what I mean by ‘John is stable,’” Fiona wrote. “That is not the same as improving. There is no cure for COVID-19. He needs our prayers and love — as do the thousands of others who are critically ill. Stay at home. Wash your hands. We love you.”
Elsewhere in the music world, frontman for Testament, Chuck Billy and Exodus and Slayer guitarist Gary Holt have both tested positive for COVID-19. Also believed to be battling the virus is Death Angel drummer Will Carroll, who has been hospitalized since the middle of March. All three of the thrash bands were together on tour throughout Europe for five weeks beginning in February, right when numbers there were starting to spike.
Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan disclosed he too had tested positive earlier in the month, as did singer/songwriter Jackson Browne. Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien said he is doing better after dealing with the symptoms from the disease, having self-isolated.
VINYL OF THE WEEK
Keep an eye on this spot as each week we’ll be looking at new or soon-to-be-released vinyl from a variety of artists. It might be a re-pressing of a landmark recording, special edition or new collection from a legendary artist. This week, it’s the most recent work by one of the all-time greatest singer/ songwriters.
Joni Mitchell: ‘SHINE’ Following her retirement from making new records announcement in 2002, it looked as if the only fresh material the world would be hearing from Joni Mitchell was going to be retrospective collections. Her stance changed with the advent of the Iraq War and political turmoil surrounding it, resulting in ‘Shine,’ the 19th studio album from the Canadian singer/songwriter and first assemblage of original material in nearly a decade.
The 10 tracks on the album echoed Mitchell’s pensive mood, conjuring up reflective lyrics and beautiful, often-minimalist, pianodriven melodies that paint a somber yet hopeful picture. Highlights include the Grammy Award winning instrumental opener “One Week
Last Summer,” the epic “Night of the Iguana,” loosely based on John Huston’s 1964 film, the title track, featuring an appearance by longtime friend James Taylor on guitar and a revisiting of Mitchell’s 1970 hit “Big Yellow Taxi,” which felt weirdly prophetic decades years after its debut.
Reception to the LP was positive, proving Mitchell’s enduring prowess as a musical force. It was certified Gold by the RIAA, selling nearly 60,000 copies worldwide in its first week, and debuted at number 14 on the Billboard Top 200, marking Mitchell’s highest US chart position since her 1976 LP, ‘Hejira.’ Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI, ‘Shine’ now makes its debut in the vinyl format with its release this Friday, April 3.
The cover art on ‘Shine’ is inspired by the 2007 ballet, “Dancing Joni: The Fiddle and the Drum,” a collaborative effort between Mitchell and choreographer Jean Grande-Maitre of the Alberta Ballet. The performance was set to 13 of the singer-songwriter’s most provocative songs and lit by a backdrop of Mitchell’s artwork — specifically a series of photos she took of her malfunctioning flatscreen television set, with several of the images included in a triptych book on war, torture and revolution, and later featured in art shows in Los Angeles and New York.
‘Shine’ is available now online and in stores from all respectable retailers who carry vinyl.