NEW YORK (AP) - French-Canadian pop star
Celine Dion will headline a five-hour concert in Montreal as artists' contributions to the relief efforts of the tragedies of Sept. 11 continue to pile in.
Dion came out of a three-year sabbatical from music to sing "God Bless America" at the America: A Tribute To Heroes last Friday (Sept. 21) and will now sing "L'Amour Existe Encore" ("Love Still Exists") at the Quebec-New York benefit at the Molson Centre in Montreal on Friday (Sept. 28). The show will also include performances by 200 Quebecois artists including members of Cirque du Soleil. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the American Red Cross.
A final, comprehensive list of participants in the Nile Rodgers-led re-make of Sister Sledge's 1979 hit "We Are Family" has finally surfaced. In addition to previously reported musicians Diana Ross, Run-DMC, Dionne Warwick, Taylor Dayne, Jackson Browne, Joan Osborne, Lou Reed, Sophie B. Hawkins, and the Pointer Sisters, also on hand in New York and Los Angeles were Afrika Bambaataa, Angelique Kidjo, Hootie and the Blowfish's Darius Rucker, Deborah Gibson, Faith Evans, B-52's Fred Schneider, Joey McIntyre, Lil' Bow Wow, Leif Garrett, Vitamin C, and Queen Latifah, over 125 others.
A revamped version of Charlie Daniels' hit "In America" has been shipped to radio this week. Taken from the band's forthcoming live effort The Live Album (Audium/Blue Note), the song is packaged with a dialogue from Daniels sharing his thoughts and feelings on the events of Sept. 11. A second version includes comments of President George W. Bush interspersed throughout the track. The tracks are not commercially available, however.
The Ventures |
Legendary instrumental rock group the Ventures (remember the theme to
Hawaii Five-O?) have turned to their vaults to help out relief efforts. A track recorded in 1991 but never released commercially, "Be Strong America" (featuring the
Liberty Chorus), has been released through Los Angeles rock station KFWB's
Web site. All proceeds and royalties from the sales of the song will be donated to the New York City
Police and Fire Fighters Relief Fund.
"It is obviously far removed from the customary Ventures' style but it was something that, because I love this country, I was inspired to do," said band co-founder and former U.S. Army veteran Don Wilson in a statement released Tuesday (Sept. 25).
Long-running New York Club Wetlands is shutting its doors for good, but not before it hosts a weekend blowout to benefit relief efforts. On Friday (Sept. 28), the club will host the Wetland Preserve Party in which the club will play live recordings of shows that have took place in the building over the past 12 years. Shows by Blues Traveler, Phish, Spin Doctors, Ben Harper, and George Clinton are among the featured gigs. Entrance is a "pay what you wish" donation.
On Saturday (Sept. 29), Wetlands will host The Final Powerjam. Details weren't yet available at press time, but the all-night jam session is sure to feature some big names. Both shows are first come, first serve with proceeds benefiting going to the families of New York City firefighters who died in the terrorist attacks.
