Pages tagged “carole king”

Ever since Bono began his never-ending quest to save the world, rock star endorsements have become the chic accessory for advocacy groups looking to pass bills through Congress. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that most of our Congressional leaders aren't yet up to speed with the musical trends of 25 years ago, let alone all of the action that's shaking down today. As such, it helps to have a veteran artist that the (predominantly) old white guys on Capitol Hill will recognize.

So for all of those pork-barrel pols who want to flatten the Rocky Mountains to make way for an interstate super-mall, maybe the name "Carole King" will give some pause. Seriously... who could refuse to sign a bill to protect the Rockies with something as heartwarming as "You've Got A Friend" playing in the background? Besides Dick Cheney, of course. (We kid because we love ya, Dick!)

King is currently stumping on behalf of the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA), a little piece of bipartisan legislation that would designate as wilderness millions of acres of land in the Great American West. She will testify on behalf of the bill to a Congressional subcommittee on Oct. 18. Reading about NREPA on the Wild Rockies Action Fund's website, it seems like a no-brainer: this bill purports to preserve the environment, save tax-payers millions of dollars, and create thousands of new jobs. Sing that all to the tune of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and Congress should collectively swoon.

Not so fast, though: former Idaho senator Steve Symms, whose home state would have a whopping 9.5 million acres set aside as wilderness, once called passage of the bill "the end of Western civilization as we know it." Outside Magazine, meanwhile, admires the bill for its "sheer brassy political nerve," but called the potential approval of NREPA "the longest of longshots." That was in 1999, however. How much will King's presence (oh yeah, and eight years of advocacy lobbying) impact the proceedings? We'll find out in a couple of weeks.

Related links:
CaroleKing.com
More about NREPA
YouTube: Carole King's "Tapestry"

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.

Have you ever wanted to hang out in Joss Stone’s den, or in Bow Wow’s closet? Then be sure to watch the new season of MTV Cribs. But if you’re more interested in Carole King’s house, and particularly her living room, you don’t even need cable.

On October 23, Carole King will release Welcome To My Living Room, a live DVD that features 22 songs performed by King during her Living Room World Tour. The DVD features rehearsal footage, a making-of featurette, and footage of Songwriting 101, a nightly staple of King’s show, in which she and her bandmates composed and performed a brand new song onstage. King’s living room simulacrum is also the first eco-friendly DVD package, made of recycled fiber and printed with earth-friendly links. That’s way more commitment than the earth tones that you picked out for your living room.

Welcome To My Living Room tracklisting:

1. Song of Long Ago
2. Welcome to My Living Room
3. Beautiful
4. Where You Lead, I Will Follow
5. Say Goodbye Today
6. Now and Forever
7. Been to Canaan
8. Nobody Wants to be Lonely
9. Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me
10. Smackwater Jack
11. Medley (The Right Girl, Keep Your Hands Off My Baby, Every Breath I Take, I’m Into Something Good, Go Away Little Girl, Hey Girl, One Fine Day, Will You Love Me Tomorrow)
12. Loving You Forever
13. Up on the Roof
14. It's Too Late
15. (You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman
16. Hard Rock Café
17. Chains
18. Pleasant Valley Sunday
19. I Feel the Earth Move
20. So Far Away
21. You've Got a Friend
22. Locomotion

Related links:
CaroleKing.com
Carole King on MySpace
MTV Cribs official site

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.

Carole King has announced dates for her North American summer tour, which kicks off in Rama, Ontario on July 3 and arrives in the U.S. in Minneapolis on July 6.

The Living Room Tour will primarily feature performances at the piano by King, the songs spanning her entire career. King was first inspired to stage this tour while performing in private homes and small venues around the country for environmental and political events and fundraisers.

"I realized I could do the same thing in a large venue and make it feel like a living room," said King. "The idea of bringing the show back to basics really appealed to me."

The Living Room 2005 Tour will also include a homecoming for King, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. July 13, she will play Radio City Music Hall, her first performance in New York City in over 12 years.

Tour Dates:

7/3 - Rama, Ontario - Casino Rama Entertainment Center
7/4 - Rama, Ontario - Casino Rama Entertainment Center
7/6 - Minneapolis, Minn. - Orpheum Theatre
7/8 - Chicago, Ill. - Auditorium Theater
7/9 - Rochester, Mich. - Meadow Brook Music Theater
7/11 - Hyannis, Mass. - Cape Cod Melody Tent
7/13 - New York, N.Y. - Radio City Music Hall
7/14 - Cohasset, Mass. - South Shore Music Circus
7/16 - Vienna, Va. - Wolf Trap/The Filene Center
7/17 - Raleigh, N.C. - ALLTEL Pavilion at Walnut Creek
7/19 - Charlotte, N.C. - Verizon Wireless Amphiteatre
7/20 - Atlanta, Ga. - Chastain Park Amphitheatre
7/21 - Birmingham, Ala. - BJCC Theater
7/23 - Indianapolis, Ind. - Murat Theatre/Egyptian Room
7/24 - Memphis, Tenn. - Orpheum Theater
7/26 - New Orleans, La. - Saenger Theatre
7/28 - Austin, Texas - The Backyard
7/29 - Woodlands, Texas - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
7/30 - Oklahoma City, Okla. - Zoo Amphitheatre
7/5 - Phoenix, Ariz. - Celebrity Theater
7/6 - Temecula, Calif. - Theater at Pechanga Resort
7/7 - Temecula, Calif. - Theater at Pechanga Resort
7/10 - Las Vegas, Nev. - The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
7/12 - Santa Barbara, Calif. - Santa Barbara Bowl
7/13 - Saratoga, Calif. - Mountain Winery
7/14 - Santa Rosa, Calif. - Luther Burbank Ctr. for Arts