Latest news with #Dawes
Forbes
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Benmont Tench Shines During Poignant ‘The Melancholy Season' Solo Set
Benmont Tench performs on stage at Garcia's. Thursday, May 15, 2025 in Chicago, IL Encountering Tom Petty in Gainesville, Florida for the first time at the age of just 11, Benmont Tench would become a crucial component in the sound of one of America's great songwriters, tickling the ivories on two Mudcrutch records, all 13 Heartbreakers studio albums and two of Petty's three solo projects, a run responsible for record sales exceeding 80 million globally over 45 years (one of the best selling catalogs ever). While his work as a session musician has found him appearing on songs by artists like Stevie Nicks, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash and the Rolling Stones since 1981, it would take until 2014 for his first proper solo album You Should Be So Lucky. Following it up more than a decade later, Tench released The Melancholy Season this past March, a collection of 12 tracks which finds him plying his remarkable craft alongside guests like Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), longtime collaborator Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek) and more, resuming a U.S. tour in support of the new album September 13, 2025 in Woodstock, New York. Performing solo on the piano last month at Garcia's, an intimate, sold out show in front of just 300 lucky fans at Chicago's warmest new venue, Tench ran through a stunning 19 song set which drew from both solo albums, the vaunted Petty canon and well-chosen covers from artists ranging anywhere from the Grateful Dead to Joy Division. Benmont Tench performs on stage at Garcia's. Thursday, May 15, 2025 in Chicago, IL Opening up with 'The One That Got Away,' Tench shifted to a more contemplative tone with 'Today I Took Your Picture Down,' maintaining that vibe as he slowed down Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart,' working up an uncharacteristically sparse take on the otherwise synth-driven post-punk number while placing the focus on the moving words at the heart of the haunting track. In the studio, Tench took on the lead vocal to the piano-driven 'Welcome to Hell' on the second Mudcrutch album, delivering it with a bit of a ragtime vibe on stage in Chicago. 'What the hell, a couple of covers,' said Tench with a smile. 'I like this guy. He was a good songwriter,' he continued dryly with a wink and a nod, setting up a solo take on Petty's 'Straight Into Darkness,' from 1982's Long After Dark. 'Good song, right?' quipped Tench at the deep cut's conclusion. 'The great American songwriters… This one's from St. Louis,' he explained, referencing Chuck Berry following his take on the Dead's 'China Doll.' 'It was recorded down the street,' Tench continued, referencing 1959 and '60 sessions which took place about three miles south at Chess Records for Berry's 'Bye Bye Johnny,' a sequel of sorts to 'Johnny B. Goode.' 'I wish that's how I played the piano,' he mused, shouting out the playing of Berry sidemen like Johnnie Johnson and Lafayette Leake. 'Damn.' Benmont Tench performs on stage at Garcia's. Thursday, May 15, 2025 in Chicago, IL Continuing with the covers, Bob Dylan's 'Blind Willie McTell' stood out as a highlight on stage at Garcia's, with Tench tearing through it unabated despite kicking over a bottle of water. Midway through the tour, Tench shook up the setlist, explaining the process behind 'Wobbles,' which grew from an instrumental in 2014 to a song with lyrics on the new album, steering deftly into 'You Should Be So Lucky.' Tench, 71, has battled cancer for nearly fifteen years. On stage in Chicago, he explained to fans that he recently had part of his tongue removed, persevering despite the vocal hurdles that process has brought. 'I said I'm tongue tied and I am. A funny thing happened on the way to Chicago,' Tench began. 'I've had this since 2011 and it really hadn't gotten in my way,' he continued. 'So, I go in and they take out my jaw. And they take out a little bit more of my tongue. And they rebuild half of my jaw. Damn. Bob's your uncle!' joked Tench despite the circumstances. 'Then they hit me with radiation - and they zapped the hell out of me. But I'm here! And sometimes it hurts. But I'm here,' said the pianist. 'So, that's what happened on the way to Chicago.' Benmont Tench performs on stage at Garcia's. Thursday, May 15, 2025 in Chicago, IL Growing chattier, and seemingly more comfortable as the show continued, Tench offered up a poignant message as the Garcia's set headed toward its final moments. 'This song is about not hating people - even if they're hateful,' he said, explaining the message behind 'I Will Not Follow You Down' from The Melancholy Season. 'Save your tears. You're gonna need them,' sang Tench during the new song's anthemic chorus, one of the evening's standout moments. Cruising toward close with The Velvet Underground's 'Rock & Roll,' Tench emerged from encore to put his spin on one of Petty's most cherished recorded moments. By slowing it down, Tench shined a spotlight directly on the narrative that drives 'American Girl,' putting forth a stirring, unexpectedly beautiful rendition of arguably Petty's most recognizable songwriting. 'I love this city - you all should know that by now,' said Benmont Tench on stage in Chicago. 'Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much.'
Pink Villa
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
A love once in the spotlight: Mandy Moore revisits her breakup with Andy Roddick
More than two decades have passed since Mandy Moore and Andy Roddick's high-profile romance made headlines, but the story still resonates. The singer and actress, now a mother of three, has shared new insight into the impact of their breakup — and how her feelings about Roddick have changed with time. What once felt like devastation has become gratitude, as both stars have moved on to fulfilling lives and families of their own. Here's what happened. Mandy and Andy: From red carpets to separate roads Mandy Moore and Andy Roddick's brief but highly publicized relationship began in the early 2000s, arguably a defining facet in both their young lives. The two rising stars—she a pop singer-turned-actress and he the reigning U.S. Open tennis champion—seemed like a perfect match at the time. But behind the glossy magazine covers and red carpet smiles, the reality was more complicated. Their romance began in 2003 after meeting on the set of How to Deal, and Moore, just 19 at the time, quickly fell hard. 'He completely just steals my heart,' she gushed in a CBS interview that summer. For a while, Moore was a constant presence in Roddick's world, cheering him on as he conquered tennis courts across the globe. Cracks beneath the fame As Roddick's career soared—claiming the No. 1 spot in men's tennis and winning the 2003 U.S. Open—the attention on their relationship grew more intense. According to Moore, paparazzi intrusion became overwhelming. 'Some guy chased us clear out of the restaurant,' she told Teen Vogue, recalling a night that forced them to hide out at home. By 2004, they had gone their separate ways. The emotional fallout hit Moore hard. 'He broke my heart,' she told Howard Stern in 2018. The pain, she explained, bled into her work and personal life. 'It's human nature, part of the human condition,' she said. 'You're on to the next! It's OK, wasn't meant to be.' No regrets, just respect Nearly two decades later, both have found peace and moved on. Moore married Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith and is now raising three children. Roddick, now husband to model Brooklyn Decker, also enjoys family life. In 2023, Moore publicly congratulated Roddick on the 20th anniversary of his U.S. Open win, calling him 'a formative part of my young adult life.' Roddick, in turn, told People, 'I think she's a 10-out-of-10 human. I couldn't have more respect for her.'
South Wales Argus
12-06-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
National Biography adds John Dawes and Michael Peckham
The Gwent pair are among 238 people added to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography after they died in 2021. Dawes is the only man to have led the British and Irish Lions to a series victory in New Zealand after being skipper on the 1971 tour. The Abercarn-born centre won 22 caps for Wales after his debut in 1964 and was captain for the Grand Slam triumph in 1971 before heading off to face the All Blacks. Dawes became national coach and won the Five Nations title four times, two of them Grand Slams, and won four triple crowns. He coached the Lions in New Zealand in 1977. He played for Newbridge and went on to become a London Welsh captain and coach. Panteg-born Peckham was the son of a railway locomotive fireman and won a scholarship from Monmouth Grammar School to Cambridge. That started a career as a distinguished oncologist whose multidisciplinary treatment programmes improved survival rates and led to the wider acceptance of holistic care models for cancer patients. A strong believer in the application of evidence-based medicine, he was the first NHS director of research and development. The Oxford DNB is a national record of people who have shaped British history. From June 2025, the dictionary includes biographies of more than 63,000 individuals, written by more than 14,000 contributors, and with more than 12,000 portrait images. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is included in the new edition with Queen Elizabeth II's entry to be published next year. Other prominent figures added include politicians Shirley Williams, Austin Mitchell and Sir David Amess, entrepreneurs Sir Clive Sinclair and Sir David Barclay, Nobel prize-winner Antony Hewish, actors Sir Antony Sher and Helen McCrory, footballers Jimmy Greaves and Ian St John, journalist Katharine Whitehorn, broadcaster Janice Long, anti-deportation activist Anwar Ditta and charity fundraiser Captain Sir Tom Moore.
West Australian
04-06-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Much-needed footrot vaccine ‘at least three years away'
A long-awaited custom footrot vaccine for sheep is likely to be at least three years away from hitting the market, according to one industry group gunning to get it back in farmers' hands. It has been nearly five years since Australian farmers have been able to access the Custom Footrot R-Pilus vaccine after its emergency management permit was cancelled by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority in 2020. Farmers had used the custom vaccine for several years as a replacement for Coopers' Footvax — a multi-serotype vaccine targeting 10 strains of footrot, which was banned by the APVMA in 2008. The ban left sheep producers struggling to eradicate footrot in sheep by foot paring/foot bathing, antibiotic treatment under specific conditions and the culling of flocks under a destocking regime. While Footvax returned to the market in 2020, industry argues limiting the number of serogroups results in a more targeted immune response. WoolProducers Australia general manager Adam Dawes said the organisation had been 'working tirelessly' since 2020 to explore ways to get the vaccine in use again and determined the 'only way' would be via full product registration. The organisation has been working with the University of Sydney, which owns the vaccine's intellectual property, and Animal Health Australia, to try and register it with the APVMA. The groups plan to release a report into their research in coming weeks, before doubling-down on efforts to register the vaccine and 'identify the necessary funding arrangements and timeframes'. 'We have consistently found during the past three years that footrot always features within the top three health and welfare issues for woolgrowers,' Mr Dawes said. 'The report will give us clarity around the requirements for registration, it will allow us to find the right partners to get the vaccine back to growers. 'We still have at least another three years ahead of us before we obtain full registration of the custom vaccine. 'We still need to find the funds to support the research and registration process, however it's reassuring to finally see some light at the end of the tunnel.' Footrot is a highly contagious disease that attacks the feet of sheep causing severe lameness and loss of body condition. It is prevalent in many countries around the world and, in Australia, the financial impact of the disease on the wool and livestock industry is estimated at $84 million a year.
Glasgow Times
08-05-2025
- Glasgow Times
Mother saw gunman shoot son near Damilola Taylor centre, court told
Jesse Lloyd-Smith, 20, was fatally injured close to the Damilola Taylor centre in Peckham, south-east London, the Old Bailey was told on Thursday. At around 4.50pm last July 10, a silver-coloured Ford S-Max car containing the alleged killers drove slowly towards the alleyway, jurors heard. Prosecutor James Dawes KC said: 'The S-Max passed the Damilola Taylor centre, turned the corner and stopped. 'One of the two men exited the S-Max. He was holding a gun, and he ran towards Jesse firing the gun as he went. There were at least five shots. 'Some of the shots hit Jesse knocking him to the ground. The gunman ran back to the car which drove away.' The victim's mother Ty Lloyd-Smith was in her flat only yards away and heard the noise of shots, the court was told. Mr Dawes said: 'She saw the shooter but what she could not see was her son because he was in the alleyway. She feared the worst and she shouted out Jesse's name.' She ran downstairs to find her son lying on the ground, shot in the head, jurors heard. His friend Jamie Burgess was frantically trying to help him and an ambulance was called. Mr Burgess allegedly told police a person called 'S' was involved. The trial is being heard at the Old Bailey (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA) The victim was taken to hospital for emergency surgery but he died the next day. A search of the scene with dogs, led to the recovery of four spent cartridges and two unfired bullets all from a 9mm automatic pistol, the court was told. The shooting was partly captured on CCTV footage although it was from some distance away, Mr Dawes said. The occupants of the S-Max car were 18-year-old Kywan JN Pierre and the alleged gunman, 19-year-old Gabriel Charles, both of whom fled the country after the shooting, the court was told. JN Pierre, from Selhurst, south London, and Charles, from Southwark, south London, are on trial accused of murder. Mr Dawes said a key issue for jurors would be whether the pair were in the car, as each had denied they were there. He said: 'It is the prosecution's case that the first two defendants acted together as part of a joint plan or agreement to shoot Jesse. 'It is the Crown's case that both occupants of the car intended that Jesse would be shot and consequently killed or at least caused really serious harm.' Charles and JN Pierre are also charged with conspiring to pervert the course of justice with Ben Nguyen, 20, of no fixed address, Enver Francis, 22, from Southwark, Abdoul Guene, 18, from Peckham, Kadjo Kadio, 20, from Dartford, and a 17-year-old youth, who cannot be identified. It is alleged the group had plotted to take away the Ford S-Max used in the fatal shooting and destroy it in a fire two days later. Kadio and Nguyen are accused of assisting an offender by making and receiving transfers of funds 'with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution' of Charles. Kadio is charged with a similar offence relating to JN Pierre. The defendants have denied all the charges against them as the trial continues.
