While booking a trip for my parents the other day, I came across a great deal offered by British Airways that I thought I’d share here with my readers. They’re currently running a promotion called the “World Sale” to help remind travelers their world-class service is not only for routes in and out of the U.K. but also for the rest of Europe, India, Africa and the Middle East. Along with their great fares, British Airways offer “upgrades” that you won’t find anywhere else including: more than 200 on-demand entertainment options, complimentary food and cocktails on ALL flights, ergonomically designed seating and of course their world-renowned customer service. You can save even more by combining hotel reservations and car rentals when you book your flight.

Currently, flights from JFK to London are only $659, round-trip. Flights to Madrid are only $755, round-trip. I booked a flight to Rome for my folks for just $749 each, round-trip. They had a fabulous vacation in Italy a couple years ago and they’re ready to go back and explore the country some more. It’s not too late to book your own vacation. Head on over to the British Airways website before November 19th to take advantage of the special sale.

And speaking of British Airways, they put together a special website for frequent flyers of New York and London, highlighting the best of both cities called MetroTwin. It’s a handy resource that helps you find a great restaurant, attraction or place to shop. The best thing about MetroTwin is the interactivity. Add your own two-cents on various hot-spots, vote for your favorite places and even submit your own photos to the site. It’s definitely a must-see for New Yorkers and Londoners alike.

While browsing through the online destination guide that’s also available on the British Airways site, I was reminded a trip I took in my youth that I’d love to re-live again with my wife and kids. It’s a trip to Prague in the Czech Republic. I loved the incredible architecture, the intriguing castles, the food and of course their culture. Hopefully I can save up enough to take my whole family there in the near future.

and I’m NOT alone in this situation. there are others in the same boat. check out some of the comments left in various discussion forums about this company –

from webhostingtalk –
pkingtom: I have been a client of SolidInternet for exactly 7 years back since they were Myacen. I was able to deal with the fact that their customer service was less than desirable. It was a little better as Myacen but SolidInternet seemed to adopt the philosophy that customer service was less needed.
I was never able to access their forums because it would not allow me to register. For months ever since they changed their site I have not been able to access my account page. So they started to automatic bill me. I did not make a big deal of it because for the most part my site was staying up.
NOW, there is a BIG problem. My site has been down since early Monday evening. TWO of their servers (server 4 and server 8 ) were down in red on their server status page when I checked up until Tuesday night. Since then, they have removed their support page (and server status page) and replaced it with a page that says “Back Soon.” They have also removed their live chat which didn’t work once you entered it anyway.

Ribenagirl:I have two accounts with SolidInternet, on different servers. I have had numerous issues with Server 4, so when it went down I decided to move.
So as their Kangaroo server was still going, I prepared to move by finding a new host. This server is now dead.
Quickest way to stop your customers leaving – unplug the servers.
dnlofcourse: What has happened has been completely outrageous. I had two accounts since quite some many years. I was in generally satisfied with them although occasional problems were never serious enough to push through the laziness of changing host and also face the uncertainty of how the new host would perform.
This year things started become dramatic. Around July (I think) Server6 was down for about 30 hours. Support tickets were unanswered, live support was not there, phone was not answered. The server finally went up but the explanation given was completely false since times and facts did not match with the log I had kept. The company was trying to cheat and I knew it.
Server4 then (with my other account) was the one to go down about a month ago. It had a two day downtime in September (again with no answer of any kind) which was enough for me to urgently switch host for that account. I fortunately had backups of everything. I never know how long the downtime lasted (at least two days) because after that I left from server4.
Then, I knew I had to also move my account from server6 sooner or later but this account was of many gigs and didn’t have the time. I was taking backups often, though. Then server6 crashes too for a whole day a few days later. I realize that the company is very fast going down and I urgently moved this account as well to a different company. Of course there was no reply to any tickets all this time.
Once I did this, I happened to see someone on livesupport after a very long time. I think it was someone called “Jeff”. I connected to live support, asked what the problems were about. I received lame answers that made me smile.
Finally, I decided to ask a last question to them. I had already decided to move and taken most of my data from them but I somehow wanted an honest reply to my answer. My question was this.
“Listen, I have decided to leave from you anyway and gotten accounts to other hosts already. I would appreciate an honest reply to this. Is this company having financial difficulties or going down? There have been some issues that can’t be explained otherwise”.
And the answer I got was:
“Not at all, on the contrary. The company is in a phase of growth with new servers and packages and everything is running great!”
WHAT A LAME WAY TO END A MULTI-YEAR BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP. SHAME ON THEM.

and from the whirlpool.net.au forums:
OllieUK: Just thought I would let everyone know that I never got my issues resolved by SolidInternet or LiveRegistry!
It was impossible to contact SolidInternet to cancel my account, and to this day I have not been able to contact LiveRegistry regarding domain transfers. I strongly recommend getting your domains out of there. Best way is to do it directly through eNom and inform them of LiveRegistry’s lack of service.
Last week my credit card was charged automatically by LiveRegistry for the renewal of a domain which is no longer on my account! I didn’t authorise this transaction and I can’t contact anyone at LiveRegistry to rectify this so I’m forced to pursue this with my credit card company.
I can’t find where my credit card details are stored in the control panel so I can’t remove them. I’ve been through every section of the site!! I have just had a warning that another domain of mine will auto renew in a few days time – one which I no longer need. I’ve disabled auto renew but doesn’t seem to have any effect. No doubt I will get charged for that too! Thankfully I’ll be having the transaction blocked.
Not providing a service is one thing, but carrying out unauthorised transaction on my credit card is another. You bet I’ll be taking this further.
As before, Robert has the opportunity to contact me and rectify this but I have little faith he will after his attitude last time. Such a disappointment after 5 years of good service.
gbh: what a bloody nightmare. I can’t get a response from them. I lodged my first helpdesk ticket 5 days ago and have been lodging daily since then…
nothing, zero response at all. so now my dns is unable to be redirected and is pointing the the wrong place. I also tried to contact them via the contact form, looks like the captcha is broken as it won’t let you submit the enquiry.
I thought I’d give solidinternet a call, I’ve been in a hold nightmare scenario for the last 35 minutes.
I’d don’t have the domain passwords on me, if I could get them I’d immediately transfer. Am I totally screwed here?
i-think22: I’m another refugee from server4. Annoyingly my annual fee was taken out about a day before the server went offline.
As people have mentioned, calling is useless. I’ve left a message in their voice mail, but they certainly haven’t replied. I tried sending a fax, but their fax number went to another answering service. Emails and tickets seem useless, the server status page is now showing a 404. If there was an announcement on their page (which is also showing a 404) it might not be so bad. Their previous announcement was on the 23rd of September and I’m curious as to whether anyone has seen activity from them since that date.
If it wasn’t for the fact that they just took a year’s worth of hosting money I would have just figured they shut up shop. Unfortunately it’s going to be hard to convince them to bring back their servers so we can all flee with our data intact.
At this point I don’t think it could even save what is left of their tattered reputation.
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Even though I’m off their servers, I’m still concerned because my account with them is “still active” according to their records. What I don’t want is for them to charge my credit card for another year when I have no intention of being hosted with them. we’ll see at the end of the year…

After listening to Bill Champlin’s latest album No Place Left to Fall, I think I now understand why he left Chicago. Champlin sounds so free and alive on this record. Chicago had become creatively stagnant, releasing only two albums worth of new material in the last twenty years. I’m sure the steady income from touring was nice and all but playing the same set year after year probably took its toll on Champlin. The new album is full of energy and ideas and it’s an absolute joy to listen to. It’s Champlin at his finest, running the full gamut of styles from laidback funk/R&B (Total Control, Tugging at your Sleeve) to acoustic pop (Look Away), gospel (Looking for You) to Chicago-esque ballads (Never Been Afraid, All Along).

The musicianship here is top notch with Champlin on keyboards & Hammond B-3, Bruce Gaitsch on guitar, Billy Ward on drums and George Hawkins Jr. on bass. The standout track for me is “No Place Left to Fall”. It’s tastefully restrained with Champlin and band holding back and keeping things at its bare minimum during the whole track. I love that tension that is built during the song and really serves the track well. It takes a truly mature musician to know not to “play out” on every song.

other favorites include: “Total Control”, “The Truth”, “Looking for You” and “All Along”.

retroGrade: A
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Bill Champlin – No Place Left to Fall
released in the U.S.: August 2009
record label: Dreammakers
official website: BillChamplin.net

TRACKLIST:
1 Total Control (Champlin, Graydon) 05:19
2 Tuggin’ on Your Sleeve (Caruso, Champlin, Champlin) 05:53
3 The Truth (Champlin, Gaitsch) 04:16
4 No Place Left to Fall (Caruso, Champlin, Champlin) 04:10
5 Lover Like That (Champlin) 05:39
6 Lookin’ for You (Champlin, Matkosky) 04:24
7 Never Been Afraid (Carlsson, Champlin) 04:56
8 Angelina (Champlin, Gaitsch, Hawkins) 06:16
9 Look Away (Warren) 06:34
10 I Want You to Stay (Burnett, Gaitsch) 04:51
11 Never Let Go (Carlsson, Champlin) 04:25
12 Stone Cold Hollywood (Champlin) 04:41
13 All Along (Champlin, Gaitsch, Hawkins) 06:41

listen to a sample of “Total Control” via Lala.com

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Catch Bill Champlin live in November :
Fri 11/06/09 San Juan Capistrano, CA The Coach House
Sat 11/07/09 San Diego, CA Anthology
Tue 11/10/09 Santa Cruz, CA Moe’s Alley
Wed 11/11/09 Mill Valley, CA Throckmorton Theatre
Thu 11/12/09 Tuolumne, CA Black Oak Casino
Sat 11/14/09 Santa Rosa, CA The Last Day Saloon
Sun 11/15/09 Newcastle, CA Constable Jack’s
Thu 11/19/09 Portland, OR Jimmy Maks
Fri 11/20/09 Langley, WA Mukilteo Coffee Roasters
Sat 11/21/09 Langley, WA Mukilteo Coffee Roasters
Sun 11/22/09 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
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It’s absolutely bizarre. support tickets go unanswered. no replies to emails. Their client support area on their company website doesn’t properly work either. what is the deal?? I couldn’t get a straight answer from these people. weird stuff. So it was definitely THE TIME to jump ship.

I did put in a request to cancel my account but I suspect my request will go unanswered as well.

When a band catches that mercurial wave of mainstream popularity, the modus operandi for most is to NOT rock the boat and keep riding the wave. And that basically sums up Paramore’s latest release, brand new eyes. The followup to their hit album Riot! is pretty much more of the same which will please most fans and will most likely continue to broaden their appeal. They’ve got that hook-laden pop/punk formula down pat.

Paramore sounds confident and comfortable in their role as a female-fronted Green Day clone. The one-two punch of album openers “Careful” and “Ignorance” feel like an overeager attempt at proving to their fans that they haven’t gone soft just yet. But things begin to click by the third track “Playing God” which features a great chorus with the memorable lines: Next time you point a finger I might have to bend it back or break it, break it off. Next time you point a finger I’ll point you to the mirror.

It’s a bit unfortunate that producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance) and the band chose to master this sucker “loud”. Granted the brick-walled, in-your-face sound is standard for this genre, but man, it’s brutal on the ears. Ear-fatigue is a given when listening to this album for an extended period of time. But even so, the band is poised to widen their already massive fanbase with radio-ready hits like “Where the Lines Overlap”, “Looking Up” and “All I Wanted” which features Hayley Williams channeling her inner-diva (think: Kelly Clarkson).

retroGrade: B+

Paramore – brand new eyes
released: September 2009
record label: Fueled by Ramen
produced by: Rob Cavallo

TrackList:
1 Careful (Farro, Williams) 03:50
2 Ignorance (Farro, Williams) 03:38
3 Playing God (Farro, Williams, York) 03:02
4 Brick by Boring Brick (Farro, Williams) 04:13
5 Turn It Off (Farro, Williams) 04:19
6 The Only Exception (Farro, Williams) 04:27
7 Feeling Sorry (Farro, Williams, York) 03:05
8 Looking Up (Farro, Williams) 03:29
9 Where the Lines Overlap (Farro, Williams) 03:18
10 Misguided Ghosts (Farro, Williams, York) 03:01
11 All I Wanted (Williams, York) 03:45

watch Paramore at the mtvU Ulalume Festival performing “Brick By Boring Brick”:


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Paramore:
Hayley Williams: vocals
Taylor York : guitar
Zac Farro: drums
Josh Farro: guitar
Jeremy Davis: bass

current tour dates:
Tue 11/03/09 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
Wed 11/04/09 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theater
Fri 11/06/09 Saint Paul, MN The Roy Wilkins Auditorium
Sun 11/08/09 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
Tue 11/10/09 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
Wed 11/11/09 Hollywood, CA Hollywood Palladium
Sun 11/29/09 Helsinki, Finland Helsinki Ice Arena
Mon 11/30/09 Stockholm, Sweden Arenan
Tue 12/01/09 Copenhagen, Denmark VEGA House Of Music
Thu 12/03/09 Hamburg, Germany Gruenspan
Fri 12/04/09 Berlin, Germany Huxleys Neue Welt
Sun 12/06/09 Cologne, Germany Palladium
Mon 12/07/09 Paris, France Casino de Paris
Tue 12/08/09 Tilburg, Netherlands 013
Thu 12/10/09 Glasgow, United Kingdom S.E.C.C.
Fri 12/11/09 Birmingham, United Kingdom The NIA
Sat 12/12/09 Dublin, Ireland The O2 Dublin
Mon 12/14/09 Cardiff, United Kingdom Cardiff International Arena
Wed 12/16/09 Manchester, United Kingdom Manchester Evening News Arena
Thu 12/17/09 Brighton, United Kingdom The Brighton Centre
Fri 12/18/09 London, United Kingdom Wembley Arena

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please note the sound quality will vary here due to these being “bootlegs” obviously.

GTR – Away (No One is to Blame) from the unreleased NeroTrend album (1987). This features Max Bacon on lead vocals and Steve Howe on guitar. Steve Hackett left the group at this point and Robert Berry was his replacement.

Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello – So Like Candy demo from the Flowers In the Dirt Sessions boot (1988). This is a great version that features both McCartney and Costello singing lead.

Todd Rundgren – Slut from the Vancouver August 25, 2006 boot. a great audience recording. It’s a rough and loose rendition with Tony Levin on bass and Jerry Marotta on drums.

Lindsey Buckingham – Go Insane from the Coach House December 10, 1992 boot. an awesome solo performance of his early eighties hit. definitely an improvement over the original recording which sounds a bit dated now due to the heavy use of the Fairlight sampler.

Susanna Hoffs – Darling One from her unreleased columbia album (1994). This is from the album that Columbia Records rejected. Hoffs ended up re-recording this song (along with some others) for her 1996 album “Susanna Hoffs”. This particular version is more upbeat than the officially released one.

Yes – Cinema/City of Love from the June 19, 1994 Canandaigua, NY boot. There are a ton of boots from this tour since the band did a simulcast of each show via “ConcertSonics”. Even though the “Talk” album isn’t one of my favorites, I thought some of the performances on this tour were pretty strong. I definitely miss Trevor Rabin, though. It’s definitely way overdue for Rabin to get back on stage!!

Journey – Send Her My Love from the Detroit Raised On Radio simulcast in 1986. It’s not the greatest sounding live recording but the “Raised on Radio” tour is fascinating to me for a multitude of reasons – one of which is the presence of Randy Jackson (of American Idol) on bass for this tour. listening to these old live recordings of Journey make me miss Steve “the voice” Perry even more!

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Happy Friday, everyone!

At least this will give Joss Whedon the go ahead to close out the series and tie up all the loose ends. Of course, I’m assuming FOX will still be showing the rest of the episodes this season…

unsolicited career advice for Joss: please stay far away from the FOX network in the future!!

The Ausiello Files: Fox to bench DollHouse during sweeps
This isn’t a good sign: Sources confirm to me exclusively that Fox has decided to pull Dollhouse off the schedule during November sweeps. Joss Whedon’s ratings-challenged drama is expected to return in December and air back-to-back episodes on Friday night.

Bottom line: Barring a ratings miracle, Dollhouse will be shut down for good after it completes its current 13-episode order.
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New York Dolls guitarist Steve Conte has a new solo album coming out titled Steve Conte and the Crazy Truth. It’ll be released in the U.S. on October 20th and in the U.K. on November 30th though Varese Vintage Records.

I’m looking forward to hearing the new CD which features Conte on guitar & vocals, Lee “Leeko” Kostrinsky on bass and Phil Stewart on drums. New York Dolls frontman David Johansen makes an appearance on the album as well as other guests like Catherine Russell and Nikki Richards.

A CD release party is scheduled for November 11, 2009 at the Bowery Electric in New York City. And then Conte is off to the U.K. to tour with the New York Dolls.

If you’re in the U.K. be sure to catch the New York Dolls at one of the following gigs:
02Dec09 – Cambridge, The Junction
03Dec09 – Bristol, Anson Room
04Dec09 – London, HMV Forum
06Dec09 – Southampton, Talking Heads
08Dec09 – Warwickshire, Leamington Spa
09Dec09 – Liverpool, O2 Academy
10Dec09 – Edinburgh, HMV Picture House




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I’m impressed that they were able to sell enough of those DVDs especially when I personally couldn’t find the title at my local Super Walmart last week. (most WalMarts SHOULD have them in-stock by now.)

Anyway, Congrats to Arnel Pineda and Journey. It’s too bad they just finished up their 2009 tour. I’m sure they would have seen a huge surge in ticket sales for their live shows due to the “Oprah Effect“.

One thing to look forward to is the upcoming documentary on Pineda by filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz titled Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey. I’m not sure exactly when the film will be released but check out the two-part sneak peek up on youtube:

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