|Empty_Chairs |Jonathan_Corley's_Blog|

(via musicweek)

“HMV has started the first phase of its store closure programme, closing nine stores on Sunday.

The company announced at the start of January that it was close to 40 HMV stores as well as 20 Waterstone’s outlets in the UK as it looked to cut costs in the wake of disappointing Christmas trading figures.

The first wave of closure took place yesterday (Sunday) and consists largely of smaller secondary outlets in locations where the company has larger stores. Shops in Birmingham, Brighton, Croydon, Ealing, Glasgow, Liverpool, Nottingham, Oldham and Plymouth all closed.

One more closure is expected before the end of the week, with the 40 closures to be completed by the end of the year…” (READ MORE)

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(via fastcompany)

(via /film)

“One of the great film composers has passed. It was revealed last night that BAFTA and Oscar-winning composer John Barry died Saturday of a sudden heart attack  in New York. He was 77.

“John Barry’s early involvement with the Bond series is complicated. He didn’t write the famous surf guitar-influenced ‘James Bond Theme’ (that was Monty Norman, or is credited to him, at least, and Mr. Norman is fiercely litigious when it comes to defending that honor) but he did come up with the brassy, swinging arrangement used in Dr. No, and which has become one of the most recognizable pieces of film music. John Barry went on to compose music for eleven more Bond films, and co-wrote the songs ‘Goldfinger’ and ‘Diamonds Are Forever,’ which with Shirley Bassey’s vocals became crossover pop hits…” (Read More)

via (people.com)

“Julia Williams says she’s broken-hearted but not surprised that her newly famous son, Ted Williams, the man with the golden voice, has left rehab in Texas after barely two weeks.

“‘I’m very sorry that he left, and I’m very upset,’ Williams, 90, tells PEOPLE. ‘Certainly I want him to go back. He needs help.’

“Julia says she heard from family that Ted went to California, perhaps to Hollywood, to record children’s books. She says she’s optimistic he’ll keep busy and not return to a life on the streets, but doesn’t think he can stay sober without professional help…” (Read More)

(via WashingtonCityPaper)

An album’s legacy can’t be measured in permanent ink alone, but more than a decade after its release, it’s clear that Emergency & I struck a special chord. Since the group disbanded in 2003, the record has accrued cult-like adoration—the kind of indie-kid love fest otherwise reserved for bands like Neutral Milk Hotel and Pixies. People remember where, when, and who they were with when they first turned it on. They climbed in vans and followed the band on tour, Grateful Dead-style. Fans didn’t just love it; they lived it.

And for some reason, now there are more of them than ever.

To commemorate the release of a remastered, double-LP version of Emergency & I, The Dismemberment Plan is getting back together for a string of concerts. After seven years of relative inactivity—they reunited for a pair of benefit shows in 2007—the band will play to capacity crowds in venues it might have struggled to fill in its peak years. In 2003, the Plan could pack one night at Chicago’s Metro. This time around, two shows there have already sold out. So have gigs at the Black Cat on Jan. 21 and the 9:30 Club on Jan. 22 and 23… (READ MORE)