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Book?
Oct 9, 2007 2:04:16 GMT -5
Post by jambeatnik on Oct 9, 2007 2:04:16 GMT -5
I've read some rumors about a biography in the making about Shannon. Can anyone provide some credence from a legit source and verify this for me please? Thank you
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Book?
Oct 9, 2007 6:53:52 GMT -5
Post by *Sonya* on Oct 9, 2007 6:53:52 GMT -5
The only book that we know officially has been written is a biography of Blind Melon by Greg Prato. We don't know when it will be released. Haven't heard anything official about a biography about Shannon specifically.
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Book?
Oct 9, 2007 19:15:44 GMT -5
Post by tripticket on Oct 9, 2007 19:15:44 GMT -5
not sure if there was a thread specifically for the book Sonya mentioned. I know i've read about it somewhere in the forum before. I've found this written about the band by Greg Prato music.yahoo.com/ar-269606-bio--Blind-Melon"Whereas most up and coming alternative bands of the early '90s borrowed from the leaders of the pack (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails, etc.), Blind Melon was an exception to the rule -- their roots lay in classic rock (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin). And while a promising career lay ahead of them, tragedy would ultimately end the band abruptly. The group came together in 1989 in Los Angeles, although all their respective members had migrated there from other U.S. locales (singer Shannon Hoon from Indiana; guitarist Christopher Thorn from Pennsylvania; and guitarist Rogers Stevens, bassist Brad Smith, and drummer Glen Graham all hailed from Mississippi). The complete opposite of all the glossed up glam metal that was permeating the Sunset Strip at the time, the quintet used a refreshing back-to-basics approach, both musically and visually (giving off a heavy retro vibe early on). The band considered several names -- Brown Cow, Mud Bird, Naked Pilgrims, and Head Train -- before agreeing on Blind Melon, a phrase that Smith's father would use to describe a couple of hippie neighbors from back home in Mississippi. With their lineup and name solidified, Capitol Records became interested solely on the strength of a four-song demo, titled The Goodfoot Workshop. Although the band only had a limited repertoire of songs at the time, they managed to convince Capitol that they had a healthy backlog of compositions, and were signed in 1991. The band set out shortly thereafter to work on an EP, produced by longtime Neil Young producer David Briggs and titled The Sippin' Time Sessions. But when the end results came out surprisingly slick and doctored, the project was shelved. Hoon, in the meantime, became re-acquainted with an old friend of his sister's from back home in Indiana, Guns N' Roses' frontman Axl Rose, who invited Hoon to sing backup on several tracks for Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion set. Hoon lent his vocal talents to several tracks, the best-known being the ballad "Don't Cry," even appearing along with G N' R in the song's epic video. Doubled with a high-profile appearance on MTV's 120 Minutes Tour in the spring of 1992 (along with Live, Big Audio Dynamite, and Public Image Limited), a buzz began to emerge regarding Blind Melon. The only problem was, they still didn't have an album in the racks. The band had gone back into the studio earlier in the year with Temple of the Dog/Pearl Jam producer Rick Parashar, and although the sessions were completed by springtime, their self-titled debut didn't see the light of day until September 1992, by which time their springtime industry buzz had long since dissipated. For the remainder of the year and the early part of 1993, the quintet toured U.S. clubs nonstop (as well as landing arena opening slots for their pals Guns N' Roses). Although several videos/singles came and went without much MTV/radio fanfare, the Samuel Bayer-directed clip for their upbeat ditty "No Rain" (in which Blind Melon's album cover that included an old picture of Graham's sister dressed in a bumble bee-like outfit, came to life) became a smash and catapulted the single and the album to the top of the charts (Blind Melon would eventually go platinum four times over). Blind Melon spent the remainder of 1993 on the road opening for Neil Young and Lenny Kravitz, before embarking on their own headlining tour of theaters in 1994 (during which time they were nominated for a pair of Grammy awards, for Best New Artist and Best Rock Performance). But it was during this time that drug use spiraled out of control for Hoon, and the band was forced to pull the plug on the remainder of the tour as Hoon sought treatment. Blind Melon managed to play a few more shows later in the year -- handing in a memorable appearance at Woodstock '94, and opening up for the Rolling Stones on select dates in September. Recording sessions began in the fall of 1994 for their sophomore effort in New Orleans, with renowned producer Andy Wallace behind the boards. The sessions were productive but not without some turbulence -- Hoon was still indulging in substances, leading to an arrest for drunkenly fighting with an off-duty policeman (Hoon would later admit that he had no memory of most of the recording sessions). Once the album was completed in the spring of 1995, Hoon checked himself into another rehab facility at the insistence of his bandmates, which pushed the release date of the album, titled Soup, to late summer. A month before the album appeared in August, Hoon's girlfriend gave birth to the couple's first child, which Hoon said in interviews had given him a new lease on life and a reason to straighten out once and for all. The dark and challenging Soup was a true diamond in the rough, but when it was finally released, the album was savagely bashed by fickle critics everywhere, which in turn led to a cool reception by the record-buying public (peaking at number 28 on the Billboard album charts). Concerned but anxious to get back on tour, the band hit the road once again. Drug counselors at the facility that Hoon had been admitted to warned the band's management that Hoon wasn't ready for the temptations of the road just yet. But Hoon convinced everyone that he was and a drug counselor/caretaker was hired to accompany him. After a month and a half of dates, the counselor was sent packing and Hoon returned back to his dangerous ways. Just a few days later, on October 21, Hoon was found dead on Blind Melon's tour bus from an apparent drug overdose, at the age of 28. Blind Melon took an extended break to try and pick up the pieces and decide what they would do next. During the interim, the bandmembers finished off some rough tracks Hoon had completed his vocal parts for, resulting in the release of Nico in November of 1996 (the album was named after Hoon's infant daughter, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to Musicians Assistants Program (MAP), an organization that helps artists recover from drug and alcohol addiction). In conjunction with the album's release came the home video Letters From a Porcupine, which chronicled Blind Melon's history via interviews and live performances (the video was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1998 for Best Long Form Music Video). Blind Melon decided to carry on under a different name and with a new singer -- placing ads in music papers and auditioning several prospective frontmen. But it didn't click, and after an attempt at having Smith double as the lead signer in addition to his bass playing duties, the band ultimately decided to go their separate ways. Stevens formed the New York-based band Extra Virgin with singer Rene Lopez (one of the vocalists who had recently tried out for Blind Melon), who issued the album Twelve Stories High in 1999, while Smith and Thorn formed Unified Theory with singer Chris Shinn -- signing with Universal and issuing a self-titled release in 2000. In addition, Thorn has produced other artists (Amy Correia, Zen Mafia, Gus, Jonny Kaplan) and played guitar on Live's 1999 release The Distance to Here. 2001 saw the release of Smith's solo debut (under the alias Abandon Jalopy), titled Mercy, an album he began writing and recording shortly after Hoon's death (several tracks are about his late bandmate). Later the same year, Blind Melon was featured on an episode of VH1's popular Behind the Music series, and Letters From a Porcupine was reissued as a DVD. The Classic Masters retrospective appeared in 2002, but 2005's Best of Blind Melon was more in-depth, offering previously unreleased live material, songs culled from soundtracks, and a bonus DVD of music videos and more live material. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide" Written by Greg Prato
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Book?
Oct 9, 2007 19:21:38 GMT -5
Post by tripticket on Oct 9, 2007 19:21:38 GMT -5
more from Greg Prato on the band... www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000979164"July 14, 2005, 11:10 AM ET Greg Prato, N.Y. Rock act Blind Melon will be the subject of a "Best of" CD and a live DVD this fall via Capitol/EMI Music Catalog Marketing, and will also issue a previously unreleased concert recording to digital download services. The projects will be available Sept. 27, less than a month shy of the 10-year-anniversary of Blind Melon vocalist Shannon Hoon's death from a drug overdose. The 19-track "Tones of Home: The Best of Blind Melon" will also be available in a limited-edition with a DVD featuring six music videos and a live performance of the group's biggest hit, "No Rain." According to guitarist Rogers Stevens, its release was inspired by higher-than-expected sales for the 2002 compilation "Classic Masters." "That exceeded [the label's] expectations of what they thought it was going to do," he tells Billboard.com. "They sold through [the pressing] -- it's not that widely available anymore, so they're going to re-do it and make it better." After the 1996 documentary "Letters From a Porcupine" earned a Grammy for best long form music video, Blind Melon's surviving members were anxious to release a follow-up. But the group found it difficult to secure live performances that met their quality standards. "There's so much out there, in terms of what's being passed around by fans," explains bassist Brad Smith. "If we're going to put our name on it and get behind a release, it has to sound really good -- the playing has to be really good. It's live, [so] it's unpredictable. We fished through a lot of stuff that was just like everybody playing different songs basically [laughs]." Ultimately, the group settled on a Sept. 27, 1995, show at the Metro in Chicago, from which a smattering of tracks can be previewed on "Porcupine." The DVD will be bolstered with three acoustic songs from a performance on MuchMusic. A Los Angeles show recorded at the Hollywood Palace three weeks after the Metro gig, and just two weeks before Hoon died, will be the digital-only release. The material was mixed by Smith and Blind Melon guitarist Christopher Thorn at their Los Angeles studio, Wishbone. "This is the only one that's been broken up onto 24-track tape," Smith says, "[so it's of] really good quality." Of late, Smith and Thorn have immersed themselves in producing and songwriting. "Anna Nalick -- we found her and produced demos, and once she got signed, she came back and we did the record ['Wreck of the Day' on Columbia] in our studio," Smith says. The pair also recorded demos with the group American Minor, helping it get signed to Jive, and produced its self-titled debut for the label, due Aug. 16. Meanwhile, Stevens is playing in the group the Tender Trio, which features former Spacehog member Royston Langdon. The act is in the midst of a North American tour that hits Los Angeles tomorrow (July 15). "We'll hopefully make a record this year," he says.
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Book?
Oct 9, 2007 19:25:17 GMT -5
Post by tripticket on Oct 9, 2007 19:25:17 GMT -5
a review of Soup, by Greg Prato..... www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,213709,00.html "Soup - album reviews Most '90s rock bands who enjoyed massive breakthrough success with their debut album seemed to follow it up with an effort similarly styled to its predecessor, hence guaranteeing repeat success. This proved not to be the case with Blind Melon. It appeared as though the band rejected the jovial spirit of No Rain and focused on much darker material for their follow-up, Soup. While it did not match the commercial success of the debut, Soup proved to be a challenging, gripping record that is just as strong and perhaps even more rewarding. Shannon Hoon was in the throes of drug addiction (which would prove fatal only two months after the album's release), and his experience at a drug detox is clearly detailed in the Zep-groover, "2x4." Hoon's lyrics often examine his growing sense of mortality, as evidenced in "The Duke," "St. Andrew's Fall," and "Car Seat," while "New Life" shows Hoon hoping that the birth of his baby daughter will put his life back on track. The country-tinged "Skinned" is written from the standpoint of notorious killer, Ed Gein, the anthemic rocker, "Galaxie," appears to deal with a troubled relationship, and "Vernie" is a tribute to his grandmother. Some of the tracks prove hopeful ("Walk"), while others are steeped in despair ("Toes Across the Floor," "Wilt"). Soup deserved to be another big hit, but due to MTV and radio's abrupt abandonment of the band, harsh reviews from close-minded critics, and worst of all, Hoon's untimely death mid-tour, all hopes of the album receiving the attention it deserved were extinguished. Soup is one of the most underrated and overlooked great rock albums of the '90s. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide"
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Book?
Oct 9, 2007 19:28:26 GMT -5
Post by tripticket on Oct 9, 2007 19:28:26 GMT -5
Check this review of Nico that Greg Prato did...: www.muchmusic.net/blind_melon_nico_8335"When Blind Melon lead singer Shannon Hoon died in October of 1995, the band had only two albums to its credit. There turned out to be quite a few leftovers and demos laying around, so the surviving bandmembers decided to pay tribute to Hoon, almost exactly one year after his death, with the rarities compilation Nico (titled after Hoon's young daughter). The 13-track collection showed that many of these songs were as strong as the ones that had appeared on their prior albums, while a portion of the proceeds from album sales were donated to the Musicians Assistants Program (MAP). Two outtakes from the Soup sessions ("Swallowed" and "Pull") prove to be standouts, as does a selection from their very first demo (the beautiful acoustic "Soul One") and one of their best all-time tracks, "Soup" (which strangely did not appear on the album of the same name). You'll also find a pair of cover tunes (Steppenwolf's "The Pusher" and John Lennon's "John Sinclair"), a few acoustic Hoon-solo compositions ("All That I Need," "Life Ain't So Shitty"), an intriguing demo idea ("Hell"), and a musical answering machine message ("Letters From a Porcupine"). A fine collection of leftovers, which unfortunately marks the official end to one of the most promising new bands of the '90s. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide." now little did Greg or any of us know that Nico WOULDN"T be the end.......YAHOO!! #rock#
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Book?
Oct 9, 2007 19:31:01 GMT -5
Post by tripticket on Oct 9, 2007 19:31:01 GMT -5
oki, and here is Greg Prato's review on their Debut album... www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,53916,00.html "blind melon - album reviews Managing to be equally mellow and introspective as well as rough and rocking, Blind Melon's 1992 self-titled debut remains one of the most pure sounding rock albums of recent "time," completely devoid of '90s production tricks. While the group was never the toast of the critics, their self-titled '92 debut has held up incredibly well over "time," resembling a true rock classic. For reasons unknown, the late Shannon Hoon was, unfairly, usually the brunt of reviewer's criticisms, yet his angelic voice and talent for penning lyrics that examined the ups and downs of everyday life were an integral part of Blind Melon's sound, as well as the band's supreme jamming interplay. The most renowned song remains the uplifting hit "No Rain," but the whole album is superb -- the homesick rocker "Tones of Home," the desperate "I Wonder," the epic album closer, "Time," and the gentle acoustic strum of "Change," which included lyrics that turned out to be sadly prophetic for Hoon. Other highlights are a song inspired by the homeless ("Paper Scratcher"), "Sleepyhouse," which describes the feeling of isolation the band felt recording the debut in a secluded residence, and the retro (yet refreshing) sounds of "Soak the Sin" and "Dear Ol' Dad." Although the album started out slow sales-wise, constant touring and the success of "No Rain" one year after the debut's initial release proved to be Blind Melon's breakthrough success, eventually almost topping the charts and going multi-platinum. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide"
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Book?
Oct 9, 2007 19:34:05 GMT -5
Post by tripticket on Oct 9, 2007 19:34:05 GMT -5
no, i KNOW i've read this one before...but didn't realize it was from the guy who is do'n Blind Melon's book. just think, we could possible have a rarities deal come'n our way ??!!!!!!!!!!! www.rollingstone.com/artists/blindmelon/articles/story/5937232/blind_melons_last_slices"Blind Melon's Last Slices Rarities compilation and live album on horizon Posted Feb 20, 2004 12:00 AM Many Blind Melon fans figured that the last of the band's music was released in the form of Nico, an outtakes collection issued a year after singer Shannon Hoon's 1995 drug-related death. However, former guitarist Christopher Thorn recently stumbled across some lost gems while going through the Capitol Records vaults, and he's planning another rarities set. "I got turned onto stuff that I just completely forgot about," he says. "Shannon playing by himself -- acoustic versions of 'Galaxie' and 'Vernie' -- really cool songs that I'd never heard before acoustic." As well as unheard versions of previously released songs, Thorn found several previously unissued full-band songs, including "Frosting a Cake" and "Ever Had the Feeling." "It's a really dark song," Thorn says of the latter. "It's about killing yourself. It's sung in -- which only Shannon could do -- this tongue-in-cheek voice. I think maybe it scared people. I don't know, maybe it's something that we still don't release." While Thorn would like to get the other surviving Blind Melon members involved in the song-selection process and maybe even add a missing part or two if needed, he's not looking to stray too far from the songs' current state. "There's just nothing like hearing songs stripped down," he says. "You really get a sense of the band and the songs, and you really hear Shannon's voice. It's going to be raw. For me now, it's kinda charming -- I hear it and I can smell the room from hearing the recordings." Thorn would also like to assemble an accompanying live disc. "I was given a box of A-DATs," he says. "For a while, we were recording every live show -- right around the time that 'No Rain' hit, when we were playing bigger places. I'd like to have the stuff get out. I don't feel good about it just being in a box somewhere." GREG PRATO (February 20, 2004)"
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Book?
Oct 9, 2007 19:39:13 GMT -5
Post by tripticket on Oct 9, 2007 19:39:13 GMT -5
I just LOVE this one! www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=60713"Greg Prato of Billboard.com reports that it's been exactly 11 years since the death of singer Shannon Hoon effectively put an end to BLIND MELON. But now, the group's surviving members — guitarists Christopher Thorn and Rogers Stevens, bassist Brad Smith and drummer Glen Graham — are back together again under the BLIND MELON banner, with a new singer, 25-year-old Amarillo, Texas, native Travis Warren. Warren met Smith and Thorn through a mutual friend and was initially interested in having the pair help produce his own music. Then, a joke email from Smith to Stevens got the ball rolling towards getting back together last summer. "Brad wrote a fake press release and sent it to me — it was saying how we were back together and how Travis had brought us together," Stevens says. "It was the first I'd heard of it. I called Brad and I was like, 'What do you mean? You got the band back together without me?'" Soon after, Warren and the four Melons congregated in the studio. "We decided to get into a room and play — we thought it would be fun," Stevens says. "I was really skeptical in the beginning about doing anything, and none of us are into doing any kind of 'nostalgia trip.' We started playing, and I knew within the first half of a song that [Warren] was nailing it. It was something about the way he did it that it immediately disarmed my skepticism."
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Book?
Oct 9, 2007 19:44:04 GMT -5
Post by tripticket on Oct 9, 2007 19:44:04 GMT -5
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Vince
Porcupine
Posts: 778
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Book?
Oct 10, 2007 3:29:58 GMT -5
Post by Vince on Oct 10, 2007 3:29:58 GMT -5
I had recent news from Greg Prato: He is in the process of getting everyone he interviewed to sign an 'interview release' which is taking longer than he expected.
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Book?
Oct 10, 2007 6:50:45 GMT -5
Post by *Sonya* on Oct 10, 2007 6:50:45 GMT -5
Trip and Charles, thanks for the info! Charles, after he gets the releases signed is it set to be published?
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Book?
Oct 19, 2007 17:07:54 GMT -5
Post by tripticket on Oct 19, 2007 17:07:54 GMT -5
your welcome sonya. say, maybe everyone wants to read what he they've said? i dunno..seems to me i'd be eager to sign something like that. i guess it would depend on what relations u had w/ the band
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