Joni Mitchell: Celebs Rumors

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music The torrent of criticism around Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner’s controversial remarks regarding Black and female musicians continued on Tuesday as both the pioneering rock group Living Colour and the Black Music Action Coalition weighed in with statements. Wenner posted an apology for his remarks on Saturday, shortly after the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced that he had been ejected from its board of directors. The members of Living Colour — Will Calhoun, Corey Glover, Vernon Reid and Doug Wimbish — wrote: “We, the members of Living Colour, would like to address Jann Wenner’s recent apology for controversial statements made in support of his new book.

There seems to be an outbreak of public figures saying and doing stupid things. Every time I turn around, it seems, famous folks are engaging in awful behavior or apologizing for something of the like. The world will little note nor long remember an embarrassing incident in a Denver theater involving U.S.

Rolling Stone and co-founder of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, has said female and black artists aren’t “intellectual enough” to be interviewed for his new book, The Masters.Within the book, Wenner asks questions of seven “philosophers of rock”, notably all white men – Bono, Bob Dylan, the late Jerry Garcia, Mick Jagger, the late John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, and Pete Townshend.In the introduction of the book, Wenner writes that women and artists of colour were not in his zeitgeist. He faced questions about this in an interview with David Marchese of The New York Times, and argued it wasn’t a “deliberate selection”.“It was kind of intuitive over the years; it just fell together that way. The people had to meet a couple criteria, but it was just kind of my personal interest and love of them.

The co-founder of Rolling Stone is facing some major blowback.

Joni Mitchell has announced the third volume of her ongoing archival project. ‘The Asylum Years’ will come out in October.The new archival series was announced in 2020, and its first edition, ‘Joni Mitchell Archives Vol.

Bob Dylan has issued a statement paying tribute to late musician Robbie Robertson.Dylan said in a statement posted onto social media yesterday (August 12): “This is shocking news. Robbie was a lifelong friend. His passing leaves a vacancy in the world.Robertson, who besides performing as part of Dylan’s backing band in the latter half of the 1960s, was a guitarist and singer-songwriter for The Band, died earlier this week at the age of 80.Statement from Bob Dylan on the passing of Robbie Robertson:“This is shocking news.

Joni Mitchell has released a live album of her 2022 comeback gig at the Newport Folk Festival – listen to it in full below.Last July, Mitchell performed a surprise set at the legendary music festival – which she last appeared at in 1969 – delivering a 13-song “JONI JAM” set that featured Brandi Carlile on the tracks ‘Carey’, ‘A Case Of You’ and ‘Big Yellow Taxi’.The new live album, titled ‘At Newport: Featuring the Joni Jam’, is out now, on the same weekend that the Newport Folk Festival returns.During the show, she played a host of classics from across her career, including a version of ‘A Case Of You’ with Brandi Carlile and Marcus Mumford.Listen to the full album on Apple Music below.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Joni Mitchell FOMO: it’s a real thing. Or it was a year ago, when she made a surprise appearance at the Newport Folk Festival, and again this summer, when Mitchell booked an appearance as part of a Brandi Carlile mini-festival in Washington state, which was advertised and had tickets sold in advance but instantly sold out.

Madonna took off into the stratosphere with “Lucky Star” and other hits from her self-titled debut album — released 40 years ago on July 27, 1983 — the then-24-year-old hopeful had received some clairvoyant reinforcement regarding her future as the Queen of Pop.“She had actually gone to a psychic, and she told me, ‘Just watch what’s gonna happen,’” Paul Pesco — who played guitar on both “Lucky Star” and “Burning Up”  — told The Post.“She told me this in rehearsals one day, and it was like the equivalent of Bette Davis saying, ‘Fasten your seatbelts …’ I mean, she kind of knew it.”That would give prophetic meaning to “I Know It” — one of five songs that a young Madonna Louise Ciccone of Michigan wrote by herself for an eight-track classic that would get generations of future dance-pop divas into the groove. Possessing neither the gospel grandeur of an Aretha Franklin or the folky feels of a Joni Mitchell, Madonna — who was set to commemorate the 40th anniversary of her debut with her “Celebration” tour launching on July 15 until the Material Girl, 64, was sidelined by a serious bacterial infection two weeks ago — made her own path, as the mother of a pop reinvention.After the so-called death of disco as the ’70s twirled to an end, Madonna reclaimed the dance floor in a whole new way.“We really felt that if we were to combine disco and R&B and new wave, we would have something really cool,” said Michael Rosenblatt, Madonna’s original A&R man at Sire Records.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Live music was back, in 2022, but in 2023 it’s really back-back. Taylor Swift is soon to have history’s first billion-dollar-grossing tour, and in an era when music can sometimes feel shunted off to the side in pop-culture conversations, the “Eras Tour” feels bigger than any movie or TV show.

Todd Gilchrist editor Nestled into a cozy corner of a shopping center high in the Hollywood hills, Herb Alpert’s jazz club Vibrato Grill was the site of a coronation Sunday for not one but three musical luminaries. The Jazz Foundation of America honored 10-time Grammy-winning composer and pianist Dave Grusin, saxophonist Charles Lloyd and trailblazing music executive Clarence Avant at a benefit to raise proceeds for jazz, blues and R&B musicians facing financial hardship due to unemployment, illness or old age. Though host Quincy Jones was unable to attend due to unspecified health issues of his own, he and the JFA assembled a program of speakers and performers for an evening of celebration and song that the phrase “star-studded” barely does adequate justice.

Fleet Foxes have officially released their two live covers of Joni Mitchell‘s ‘Hejira’ and The Strokes‘ ‘Under Control’.The band covered both of the songs during their live shows. They performed ‘Hejira’ earlier this year in Los Angeles, while ‘Under Control’ was performed last summer in New York with singer-songwriter Uwade as a special guest.“Last summer we were honored to have the incredible vocalist and songwriter Uwade Akhere open for us on tour,” Pecknold said in a press release discussing the cover of ‘Under Control’.A post shared by Fleet Foxes (@fleetfoxes)“One thing we all bonded over backstage was a shared love of the Strokes—hearing Uwa’s voice echoing down the halls as she sang ‘The End Has No End’ or ‘Reptilia’ was always a highlight of the day.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic No one could deny that there were star-driven aspects to this past weekend of shows at one of America’s most beloved outdoor venues, the Gorge, all of them headlined or organized by Brandi Carlile. That was apparent soon enough for anyone driving out of Seattle-Takoma Airport to make the three-hour drive to the remote amphitheater in the middle of Washington state, as the freeways were dotted with cars with “Brandi or Bust!” (or messages about the “Bramily”) emblazoned on their rear windshields. And Carlile wasn’t the biggest star appearing over the three nights. No one lords over a cult of personality right now, actively or passively, quite like Joni Mitchell. Not so very long ago, Mitchell was more or less seen as one boomer icon among many, yet she has somehow just in the past few years graduated — with no campaigning on her part, but with valuable microbursts of assistance from Carlile — to being arguably the most revered North American singer-songwriter of any generation. Bob Dylan can only be looking on a little jealously at how his old friend and rival has kind of quietly been pushed ahead of him in the line, even as she did not much more than stay out of sight and work to recover from a debilitating aneurysm.

Joni Mitchell had a big moment back on stage.

Joni Mitchell has been one of the most honored musicians of this century. She’s picked up honors from the Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, and an honorary degree from the Berklee College of Music.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Joni Mitchell wrote rather presciently about “The Circle Game” 57 years ago, but anyone who’s experienced a little life knows that circles don’t always — or even very often — come back around to allowing people to enjoy some of the most triumphant nights of their lives when they’re reaching the end of their 70s. Yet with a little bit of an assist from Brandi Carlile, aka the Great Enabler, and her wide circle of friends, that’s what was able to happen Saturday night at the Gorge in Washington state, in a nearly three-hour “Joni Jam” echoed a similar but much shorter event that happened last year at the Newport Folk Festival. This more elaborate follow-up — billed as Mitchell’s first ticketed concert in 20 years — was partly a tribute concert and consummate love-fest. But mostly it was a testament to the singer-songwriter’s own willpower in fighting her way back to full performance mode after a debilitating physical setback that went unmentioned but was not far out of mind. However much Mitchell was in “basking” mode, it was understood that this triumph represented a circle that she really had had to close herself.

Joni Mitchell played her first full headline show in over 20 years last night (June 10) – see footage, the full setlist and more below.Last July, Mitchell performed a surprise set at the legendary Newport Folk Festival – which she last appeared at in 1969 – delivering a 13-song “JONI JAM” set that featured Brandi Carlile on the tracks ‘Carey’, ‘A Case Of You’ and ‘Big Yellow Taxi’.Soon after that, Carlile announced that Mitchell would play a special ‘Joni Jam’ performance at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington state. It was her first headline performance in 23 years.At the show, like the Newport performance, Mitchell played with Carlile and a group of collaborators including Marcus Mumford, delivering a 24-song set of tracks from across her career and a few covers.Opening with ‘Big Yellow Taxi’, she then played favourites from her iconic LP ‘Blue’ including ‘A Case Of You’, ‘Carey’, as well as a cover of George Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’ and more.As the LA Times reports, Carlile guided Mitchell through the performance, reading out signs from the audience at one point.

Joni Mitchell is releasing a live album of her comeback live performance at Newport Folk Festival last summer – watch her perform ‘A Case Of You’ with Brandi Carlile and Marcus Mumford below.Last July, Mitchell performed a surprise set at the legendary music festival – which she last appeared at in 1969 – delivering a 13-song “JONI JAM” set that featured Carlile on the tracks ‘Carey’, ‘A Case Of You’ and ‘Big Yellow Taxi’.The new live album, titled ‘At Newport: Featuring the Joni Jam’, will be released on July 28, and the performance of ‘A Case Of You’ has now been shared online.It comes ahead of a special ‘Joni Jam’ performance tonight (June 10) at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington state. It will be her first headline performance in 23 years.Watch the performance of ‘A Case Of You’ from Newport below.Mitchell opened up about her endeavours to re-learn the guitar in a recent interview with CBS Mornings.

For the sixth single from his debut studio album, pianist and soundscape composer Rob Grant enlists star-powered aid from his daughter, Lana Del Rey, and super-producer Jack Antonoff. Lost at Sea drops tomorrow (June 9) on Decca Records, and its final pre-release cut, “Hollywood Bowl,” is out today.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Allison Russell had one of the most acclaimed records of 2021 with her solo debut, “Outside Child,” in spite of — or because of — the fact that reviews described just how tough much of the subject material was. But she’s taking a break from “harrowing” with her second release, “The Returner,” which has just been announced as coming out Sept. 8. With its increased twin focus on grooves and celebration, it might not be inaccurate to call the album a party, albeit with the understanding that the celebration is a hard-fought party. “I thought about returning, and what that means to me,” Russell tells Variety, offering a preview of what to expect from the end-of-summer release. “And I thought about survivors’ joy, and how we don’t talk about that enough.”

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The FOMO of having missed Joni Mitchell’s appearance at the Newport Folk Festival last summer no longer needs to be so strong. Most of that comeback set, which as augmented by an all-star cast, is being released as a live album in July, “At Newport,” produced by Mitchell and Brandi Carlile. The album will be released by Rhino on July 28, four days after the one-year anniversary of the surprise show at the Rhode Island Festival. The guest stars who shared lead vocals and instrumentals with Carlile during the “Joni Jam” will all be represented — including Carlile, Marcus Mumford, Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith, Lucius, Celisse and Wynonna Judd. Other players included Phil and Tim Hanseroth, Allison Russell and Blake Mills.

Chris Morris Music ReporterSinger-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian folk music laureate who crossed over to major pop fame in the U.S. during the ‘70s, died Monday evening at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. He was 84 years old. Lightfoot’s death was confirmed by his longtime agent, Victoria Lord.Lightfoot rose to prominence in the mid-‘60s, penning such folk standards as “Early Morning Rain” (a major hit for the Canadian folk duo Ian and Sylvia Tyson), “For Loving Me” and “Ribbon of Darkness,” as well as the ambitious “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” a sort of Northern equivalent to Mickey Newbury’s “American Trilogy.”While he was acclaimed at home and served as an inspiration for such younger Canada-bred performers as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, success in America eluded him until he signed with Warner Bros.’ Reprise imprint (which released Young and Mitchell’s breakthrough recordings).

There’s something new about Mandy Moore! The actress unveiled a major hair change. 

North San Fernando Valley, Laurel Canyon winds through the Hollywood Hills, and spills out at Sunset Blvd. These were the proving grounds where rock married folk – literally in some instances – and was home to everyone from Frank Zappa to Joni Mitchell.Cantor Lam was firmly rooted in the burgeoning explosion of music that marked the ’60s. And as they say, “If you remember the ’60s, you weren’t there.” Cantor Lam not only remembers that era, he was fueled by the artistry that echoes and is still worshipped today.“My best friend in high schools father was David Frisina, longtime virtuoso violinist and concertmaster for the Los Angeles Philharmonic,” Cantor Lam said.

It’s a Miracle! Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding have risen to Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart.

Joni Mitchell was honored in Washington D.C., presented with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, and celebrated by her peers and famous fans, including Cyndi Lauper, James Taylor, Marcus Mumford and Brandi Carlile. Walking the red carpet with a cane, the Canadian singer-songwriter said that the honor was "very exciting." After an evening of performances in her honor, Mitchell, 79, took the stage and paid homage to the Gershwin Prize's namesake, George Gershwin, performing "Summertime" from "Porgy and Bess." Performers Graham Nash, Ledisi, Herbie Hancock, as well as Lauper, Taylor, Mumford and Carlile later joined Mitchell on stage to perform her hit song "Circle Game," bringing the crowd to their feet.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The vibe surrounding Joni Mitchell being bestowed with the Gershwin Prize in Washington, D.C. earlier this month — as seen in a new PBS special — couldn’t have been more harmonious, from all accounts. And that’s a good thing, because under less loving circumstances, there could have been a turf war over who would get to sing “Both Sides Now,” the song that was Mitchell’s first hit in 1967 and might still stand as her signature song, if someone had to pick one with a gun to their head. The victor, in this quiet, bloodless battle: the inimitable Annie Lennox, who performed at the tribute to Mitchell just months after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Eurythmics.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic When an all-star cast of musicians came together to rehearse their salute to Joni Mitchell for a Washington, D.C. tribute concert in February, in honor of her being the latest annual recipient of the Gershwin Prize for songwriting, executive producer Ken Ehrlich had an early epiphany about where Marcus Mumford’s cover of “Carey” should go. “During the rehearsal, it was obvious to me: that was the opening number.” As you watch the remainder of “Joni Mitchell: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song,” though — as it premieres on PBS tonight, and is available thereafter for streaming on PBS.org and the PBS app — you won’t see Mumford disappearing from the stage for very many extended periods. Mumford has been part of the parties at Mitchell’s home the last couple of years, and participated in the “Joni jam” at the Newport Folk Festival last summer, so he is well familiar with her and her catalog at this point. And so, as Ehrlich explains it, “When I reached out to him, it probably wasn’t a half hour before he got back to me and said, ‘Of course I’d love to do this.’ And then he quickly followed with: ‘Can I play with the band?’ And he became the resident percussionist, which I didn’t have.

Beninese artist and songwriter Angélique Kidjo, Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and Island Records founder Chris Blackwell have been announced as the recipients of this year’s Polar Music Prize.They will be presented with their prizes and 600,000 Swedish Kroner at a ceremony in Stockholm on 23 May, which will be livestreamed on YouTube if you fancy watching it.Bigging up this year’s winners, the prize’s MD Marie Ledin says: “Angélique Kidjo is an inspirational artist, she constantly explores and challenges and is one of the greatest singer-songwriters in international music. We are THRILLED to be recognising her talent and shining a light on her important work with the Batonga Foundation”.“Arvo Pärt is one of the most incredible composers the world has ever seen, and his beautiful music has touched audiences around the globe”, she adds.

Kelly Clarkson is loving the new coaches on season 23 of — but she definitely has a favorite!The talk show host has returned to her usual seat on the coaches' panel this season, though she's got a new neighbor in first-time coach Chance the Rapper. The pair has already bonded over their love for Joni Mitchell, and on Tuesday, Chance had Kelly nearly falling out of her chair with laughter.While his fellow coaches had nothing but praise for the Team Niall pairing of Laura Littleton and Ross Clayton — who took the stage with a rocking performance of the Steve Nicks-Tom Petty duet «Stop Draggin' My Heart Around» — Chance said that while the «performance was awesome,» he admittedly had never heard the song before.«Honestly, I don't even think I've ever even been around while that song was playing,» he added with a laugh.

Chaka Khan's 70th birthday was a meeting of musical greats!In a video captured by an attendee, Khan was seen signing alongside fellow music icon, Stevie Wonder, as she rang in the big 7-0 Thursday at the Vortex recording studio in Hollywood.Per  the duo belted out Khan's hit, «Tell Me Something Good,» before joining forces for a few of Wonder's tracks, including «Signed, Sealed, Delivered,» and of course, his famous rendition of «Happy Birthday,» which had the packed party singing along.The couple hundred guests included a few other famous faces as well, with Khan's longtime friend and collaborator, Joni Mitchell, and comedian, Mike Epps, coming out to honor the songstress. Tiffany Haddish, who was also in attendance, showed off her musical chops — and a few dance moves too — with her take on Tina Turner's «Proud Mary.» According to the outlet, the party continued late into the night, with guests celebrating Khan's milestone birthday well past 1:00 a.m. ET spoke to the 10-time GRAMMY winner last month, where she reflected on her career and shared the biggest life lessons she's learned ahead of turning 70.«I've got five generations in any given audience,» Khan, who last summer dropped "Woman Like Me," her latest single, said, «Five generations of people, and I think that's significant.»With so much under her belt, Khan offered her perspective to those who want to follow in her footsteps.«I keep telling these kids, they want to know what should they do if they have a calling or a dream,» she said. «The thing is, if you have a calling or a dream, you're either going to realize it or you're going to crash and burn; kill yourself or kill somebody else or something, you know? You're gonna have to do it, it has to be done.

There’s a Joni Mitchell movie on the way.

Almost Famous director Cameron Crowe is reportedly working on his next film, which will focus on Joni Mitchell.Per a report from Above The Line, Crowe has spent the last two years developing the film with Mitchell herself. Sources close to the director claim the film will not be a standard biopic or a documentary, and will instead be more akin to an autobiography, given Crowe’s longstanding relationship with Mitchell.The film – which has yet to receive a title, release date or cast – will be Crowe’s first project since the 2016 comedy series Roadies.Joni Mitchell has since seemingly confirmed Above The Line‘s report by sharing an article from Empire about the film onto her website.

Chance the Rapper, but don't get it twisted — he's here for all genres!On Monday's episode of the Blind Auditions continued as JB Somers took the stage with an impressive performance of Joni Mitchell's «A Case of You.» Kelly Clarkson, nearly tearing up, turned her chair for JB almost immediately, while Chance -- singing along to the lyrics — waited until the singer soared through the song's falsetto lines.«It did take me a little while to turn around,» Chance admitted. «Mainly because I'm really particular about hearing people cover Joni Mitchell.

Joni Mitchell toured was all the way back in 2000.Over 20 years later, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer returned to live music for a handful of performances in 2022 and 2023.However, her biggest show is yet to come.On June 10, Mitchell will headline one night of Brandi Carlile’s ‘Echoes Through The Canyons’ concerts at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA.She’ll be joined by Carlile and her band The Joni Jam on the special evening.Who is the “Joni Jam?”Well, last time it consisted of Carlile, Wynnona Judd, Marcus Mumford, Lucius and more.Want to know who will be playing with her at the Gorge Amphitheater?We do too.As of now, all we know is the best way to find out who’s performing with Mitchell this year is live.And if you need tickets to this unique event, you’re in luck.They’re still available.At the time of publication, the lowest price we could find on tickets for the one-off was on Vivid Seats for $205 before fees.If you’re also a huge Brandi Carlile fan, you may want to make this a two-day trip.Carlile is set to headline on June 9 with yet to be announced special guests.Two-day passes start at $328 before fees.All prices are subject to fluctuation.Last summer, Mitchell surprised audiences when she took the stage at the Newport Folk Festival at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI, USA.Over the course of her set, Mitchell played 13 songs and was joined by a number of stars.For a closer look, you can check out the songs she performed below, courtesy of Set List FM.01.) “Carey” (with Brandi Carlile)02.) “Come in From the Cold” (with Taylor Goldsmith)03.) “Help Me” (with Celisse Henderson)04.) “A Case of You” (with Marcus Mumford and Brandi Carlile)05.) “Big Yellow Taxi” (with Brandi Carlile)06.) “Just Like This Train”

Wunderhorse have announced additional UK and Ireland dates for 2023 – find all the details below and buy tickets here.Jacob Slater and co. will open at SWX in Bristol on October 25, with stops in Manchester, Dublin, Glasgow and Birmingham, before closing out at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town on November 1.O2’s pre-sale is happening from today (March 8) until Friday, March 10 8am GMT, while general sale goes live Friday 9am GMT – you can purchase your tickets here.The new dates follow Wunderhorse’s previously announced UK and Ireland tour which is due to kick off March 26 in Southampton, with further shows scheduled for Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds, Brighton, London, Dublin and more.A post shared by WUNDERHORSE (@wunderhorse_)Wunderhorse will also perform five North American shows across May and June, starting in Philadelphia on May 27, followed by Boston, Toronto, Chicago and New York.The tour follows the release of debut album ‘Cub’, which NME said in a four-star review “repositions Slater as a rock’n’roll troubadour drawing from the likes of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell (the music he always listened to, Slater says) and desperately grappling back control of his narrative”.“It makes for an album that’s filled with fantastic revelations, namely the realisation that you have agency over your decisions and the path you choose to go down.”Last year Wunderhorse hit the road with Fontaines D.C., which they described as a “hell of a year” in an Instagram post.