Washington, DC  – The Washington Oxi Day Foundation announced today that the recipient of the 2013 Oxi Day Award will be John Githongo, a journalist who risked his life fighting corruption in Kenya.  International musician and human rights activist Bono, who selected for the Oxi Day Foundation Githongo for this award, will introduce him via video at the awards ceremony.  Githongo will be honored for the courage he showed — in the spirit of Oxi Day — to fight corruption and promote democratic values in Kenya.

Bono, who is helping spread the tremendous story of Greece’s David vs. Goliath courage in WWII and its crucial role saving the democracy we enjoy today, was named one of the 20 most politically effective celebrities of all time, according to a National Journal poll of DC insiders.  He was also awarded Nobel’s Man of Peace prize in 2008.



- Read  more at: http://www.oxidayfoundation.org/2013-oxi-day-recipient-announced/#sthash.KlvYmjIn.dpuf

http://www.oxidayfoundation.org

Released!-Human Rights Concert

¡RELEASED!” presents The Human Rights Concerts – the series of benefit concerts staged between 1986 and 1998 to raise awareness and funds for the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organisation Amnesty International. The first of these was “A Conspiracy Of Hope”, Amnesty’s 25th anniversary US concert tour in 1986. This was followed by “Human Rights Now!”, the historic 5-continent 20-concert world tour undertaken in 1988. The series continued with stand-alone concerts “An Embrace Of Hope” in Chile in 1990 and “The Struggle Continues…” in Paris in 1998. The list of musicians who contributed their services is extraordinary and includes some of the world’s foremost artists - drawn from several nations and representing a wide range of musical styles. The primary factor uniting them was their desire to donate their time and talents to place a spotlight on Amnesty’s vital work campaigning for people whose human rights are abused. Building on the achievements of Amnesty’s legendary “Secret Policeman’s Ball” benefit shows, albums and movies - these concerts brought awareness of the cause to an ever-wider public.  This new release is designed to continue that mission and raise further funds for Amnesty’s crucial work. 

Track List

U2 in New York: Photo Shoot for New Album?

U2 was seen yesterday in Manhattan , posing for a photoshoot at a rooftop of a building overlooking the West Village. Speculations that the pics are for the new album arose immediately.

The Edge at the Museum of Modern Art in New York

A List: The Edge, Helena Christensen and Michael Stipe attend the Marvista Entertainment & Lifetime with The Cinema Society screening of House of Versace at Museum of Modern Art in New York 

Helena has been busy promoting her 11-piece handbag collection for brand Kipling, a company known for offering customers suitcases and accessible bags.

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

'In The Locust Wind....' Rattle and Hum's 25th Anniversary

And the fever, getting higher...'  It arrived a quarter of a century ago and here's some of the ways  Rattle And Hum was a special record. For starters... it's got Desire. 

It's got The Memphis Horns on Love Rescue Me and Angel of Harlem. 

U2 - Angel Of Harlem por jpdc11


It was a double album (remember them?) with nine new songs, only 18 months after The Joshua Tree.

It came with its own film.



'If I had feet like that Lawrence, I wouldn't want them in the film.' 
'If I had a head like yours, I'd bleedin' bury it.' 

It's got the New Voices of Freedom. The church choir from Harlem found the gospel truth in I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, sent the band a tape and asked them to church. Next thing you know they were onstage at Madison Square Garden and pressed in vinyl on Rattle And Hum. Praise the Lord! 

'When you get to the bottom/ You go back to the top of the slide...' It channels the spirit of rock'n'roll from Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles to Bo Diddley and Elvis. 

It went into the past to find a way into the future - with thanks to Bob Dylan (Hammond Organ on Hawkmoon 269, backing vocals on When Love Comes To Town, co-writing lyrics Love Rescue Me). 'If I'm honest this was the end of a journey that Bob Dylan had sent us on.' explained Bono. 'In 1985, sitting backstage at his concert in Slane Castle, he said to me, 'You've got to look back. You've got to go back. You've got to understand the roots.'
'I think we wanted to ground all the electricity that was going through us and to understand the past better. And it really did help us. Listening to black music helped us get the groove ready for Achtung Baby. Listening to folk music helped me develop as a lyricist. But this was a work in progress; gauche and awkward as it might have been, I think it was a necessary part of our development.' 

Some of it was written in the bath. The band had been to see BB King, with Bono promising to write him a song. But when BB came calling for When Love Comes To Town, it wasn't quite ready. 'I wrote the lyrics in the bath in about ten minutes, while he was waiting downstairs,' said Bono. 'Got out of bath, dressed, went down and gave him the song. He said to me, 'You're kind of young to write such heavy lyrics.'

It's got All I Want is You. 'Van Dyke Parks came into the studio,' recalled Edge. 'Listened to what we'd done, went off and wrote this absolutely gorgesous and incredibly haunting arrangement which lasted two and a half minutes. It was a great way to end the album in that it has a traditional basis but it was a truly U2 song.' 


It's got 'a red guitar, 3 chords and the truth' from the day that All Along The Watchtower helped 'Save The Yuppies' in San Francisco. 

It was the end of an era and cleared the way for the band to 'go away and dream it all up again'. 'The best live rock album ever made' announced Time Magazine, getting slightly carried away. Other reviews were distinctly less fulsome but as Larry pointed out, the criticism '... did inspire us to go and chop down The Joshua Tree.' 






http://www.u2.com

More rumours: U2 Preparing First New Album Since 2009 for Spring 2014

Really? Will it be five years since U2 released a new album? That’s indeed the story. I can tell you that Bono, Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. are planning a new album for early spring 2014. And it will be the first since “No Line on the Horizon,” a so-so effort (sorry) compared to the group’s many thrilling and classic recordings.
“No Line” was released in 2009. Bono was on David Letterman last week and said that everyone basically had to be patient and wait for a great album. But I am told that the album is pretty much in place and that work has commenced on art, videos, and other related items. When U2 comes with a release now, it has to have all its ducks in order.
What was the group doing all this time? Well, they made zillions touring. And of course there was “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark.”
U2 will be welcomed back by the music industry with parades and fireworks.


Roger Friedman


http://www.showbiz411.com

'Beethoven With A Backbeat'

'Beethoven with a backbeat... the true disciple of Sir Duke... who raises our hopes when he raises his voice... the man with an understatement for a last name... and here he is...Stevie Wonder.'

In New York at the Global Citizen Festival, which featured Kings of Leon, Alicia Keys and John Meyer,  Bono was up on stage  to salute Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and then back onstage to welcome 'the master blaster'.

Jordan Hewson, Bono and Ali's eldest daughter, is an active member of Global Citizen. 

http://www.u2.com