Colin Meloy of the Decemberists reported via Twitter recently that Peter played alongside the Portland-based band at one of their recent recording sessions: “First official day of #6 practice; made Peter Buck play my fake-REM riffs and he didn’t seem perturbed. Nor litigious.” Read more about the
Click on the video below to watch Mike playing “Sing Their Souls Back Home,” a Billy Bragg song which Mike covered for The Voice Project. The Voice Project is a song-driven movement inspired by the women of Uganda who are using their voices and songs as
Happy birthday to R.E.M. who started out thirty years ago to the day on April 5th, 1980. To commemorate the milestone, we’ve posted a photo essay including shots by a few of the essential photographers who have chronicled R.E.M.’s past in pictures. Also be sure to
The festivities surrounding the 30th anniversary of R.E.M.’s first performance conclude tonight with the final screening of the “R.E.M. @ 30: A Video Retrospective” at Cine at 7:30 p.m. The 90ish-minute collection includes clips of rare footage, interviews, performances, and other videos since the band’s beginnings up through more recent
“Shark Patrol,” the weekly Monday night DJ series curated by longtime Cambridge-based music critic Tom Kielty at the Independent in Union Square, Somerville, Massachusetts, will devote the entire evening to R.E.M. from 10PM to 1 AM on April 5th. Kielty will play official releases from throughout the band’s career
As we reported earlier this week, Athens is abuzz with activity this weekend in anticipation of R.E.M.’s 30th anniversary which takes place on Monday, April 5th. Music, film, and a music history tour are on tap. Also, be sure to have a look at two great
In a move they have considered since their earliest days, R.E.M. today announced from their Headquarters in Athens, GA, that they have finally decided to change their name to, simply, REM.
“This has been a long time in the making,” noted singer Michael Stipe, “and I am glad we finally made
WUOG 90.5 FM, the student run station at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA, will celebrate R.E.M.’s 30th anniversary by playing R.E.M. songs for 5 STRAIGHT HOURS on Monday, April 5th, 2010, from noon until 5 p.m. EST.
WUOG, 90.5 FM.
According to WUOG’s Jordan Stepp and Local Music
Bertis’ interview with Gordon Lamb of Flagpole, the Athens weekly magazine, is now available online. Read an excerpt below and visit flagpole.com for the entire interview:
A Look Back at R.E.M.’s 30-Year Career
by Gordon Lamb
Between 1997 and 2001, I was a temporary employee of R.E.M.’s home office. During that
Flagpole reports on this weekend’s 30th anniversary celebration at the Melting Point. Read an excerpt below and visit flagpole.com for the entire article…
A “Thank You”
The R.E.M. 30 Celebration
Once upon a time in Athens, there was a party held in a nearly collapsed old church on Oconee Street.
April 5th marks the 30th Anniversary of R.E.M.’s legendary first performance as a band at the deconsecrated St. Mary’s Episcopal church building on Oconee Street in Athens. To celebrate this historic occasion thirty years later, Athens has a number of events planned for this weekend, including a film retrospective,
The March 2010 issue of Georgia Magazine has an in-depth article on the Athens music scene. Read an excerpt from the article, Talk About the Passion, below and click on the link to read the full article:
Here’s the short version: the Athens music scene began April 5, 1980, when
Ken Stringfellow sent a batch of photos from the Alex Chilton tribute show at Antone’s Saturday night during SXSW in Austin. All photos are by Michelle Auer.
Mike was one of a number of performers on hand to pay tribute to Alex Chilton at Antone’s in Austin on Saturday night. Chilton passed away late last week from a heart attack at age 59. The show also featured Curt Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets, M.
We wish to honor the President and current administration and the members of congress who grasped the importance of this historic bill
–Michael Stipe
For more on the historic legislation, read:
James Fallows in the Atlantic Monthly
Paul Krugman in the NY Times