Artist: Billy Joel

Photos and Video by G. Tom Odell Several months ago, I saw British singer Tom Odell's first US show .  I was blown away watching the 21 year old singer who at times channels Thom Yorke, Chris Martin and Tom Waits.  Needless to say, I was very excited to see Tom Odell on his second trip to New York where he performed at Bowery Ballroom on May 2, 2013.  The show opened with folk/rock singer Jeremy Messersmith who got the crowd in good mood with [...]

The Internet's constant rush of new music is great. But time and time again, audiences come back to the old stuff. As of last year, catalog sales outpace new music sales . People who lived in the era of whatever that "old stuff" is seek it out for nostalgia and young people who never lived in that music's era long for a time in music history they never lived in. But how does the constant rush of quality new music get winnowed down and become “old stuff” or canon? Converting the varied ages at New Orleans Jazz & [...]

Download: 07-leningrad.mp3

• Billy Joel - Leningrad

What is this even? Ok, so this super creepy 40-year-old woman was sending Billy Joel's daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, super creepy messages over Facebook. Like, really horrifying messages involving “pedophilia, sadistic-sexual behavior, violent physical assaults and murder.” She did this all under the fake name of "Rick Steenfield" It got so bad that Joel had to hire a bodyguard for his daughter, and also consult Paul McCartney for advice on hiring a private eye. The clearly insane lady, Sheryl Finley , was then found, by police, in the woods, naked. Upon being caught, she [...]

Here are my Top 5 Billy Joel songs that take names, after Tuesday's post that ran down the songs that do that other thing that comes before taking names. Rewind: Billy Joel: Still Kicking Ass (F... Continue reading "Billy Joel: Still Kicking Ass (Second Leg)" >

One Sunday morning a few weeks ago, my wife and I watched the Billy Joel concert documentary The Last Play at Shea. When my daughter stumbled into the den to ask about breakfast, we were soiling ... Continue reading "Billy Joel: Still Kicking Ass (First Leg)" >

Download: 07-surprises.mp3

• Billy Joel - Surprises

One of the musicians who stole the show at December's 12-12-12 benefit for Sandy victims was Billy Joel , who performed a powerhouse five-song set at the Garden backed by his current band of young hotshot musicians. While the "Piano Man" has a pair of festival appearances set for later this spring at the Stone Music Festival in Australia and at Jazz Fest in New Orleans, we haven't heard anything about the possibility of Joel returning to the road for a tour...until now. Joel spoke [...]

I'll never forgot the time I met Phil Ramone. It was on a Saturday night in 2001 at an after-party for Sarah Brightman following her concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Before my publicist friend introduced us, I never would have been able to pick Ramone out in a crowd, but I'd been familiar with his name since 1983 when I'd peruse Billboard's Hot 100 every week and see it listed as the producer of hit single after hit single from Billy Joel's An Innocent Man album. [...]

Filed under: News Don Emmert, Getty Images After a career spanning more than four decades, Billy Joel may retire from performing live in concert. The hitmaker told ABC News Radio that his upcoming shows in Sydney, Australia, and New Orleans, Louisiana, will be a "big test" for him.

Denny Seiwell had played with Zoot Sims and J.J. Johnson before joining Paul McCartney and Wings. His work on 19712s Ram, in fact, arrived even as he played dates with Billy Joel and James Brown, among others. Elsewhere, Seiwell worked with Art Garfunkel, Rick Danko of the Band, Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin and the Who. Still, it's his time with [...]

Filed under: News Don Emmert, Getty Images Billy Joel is giving back. The "Piano Man" singer is auctioning off a personalized Steinway & Sons baby grand piano to raise money for aspiring music students. He'll also autograph the keyboard's protective covering once the auction ends on April 2. The charity, Ten O'Clock Classics, is a non-profit organization which provides music lessons and instruments for school children.

A dream came true for Long Island college student Michael Pollack back in January when the Piano Man himself Billy Joel came to visit his school, Vanderbilt University, for a Q&A and performance session. Joel was taking questions for students in the crowd at the event and called upon Pollack. The 18-year-old freshman asked Billy if he could perform New York State of Mind with him which garnered gasps from the audience. Joel said yes and brought Pollack up on stage. The pair proceeded to kill [...]

You can find this song on the album, Turnstiles .

As a Valentine's Day gimme, it works, but this surprisingly hit-or-miss affair has already been released under a different name in 2010. Buyer beware ... Welcome to the tricky world of compilation repackaging, friends. What you have before you is She's Got a Way: Love Songs compiling the greatest bits of romance from everyone's favorite piano crooner of choice, Billy Joel. Now, casual observers may note how Joel already has a compilation of love songs out, 2010's lesser-known international compilation She's Always a Woman: Love Songs. So what, might you ask, is the difference? Well -- the names of [...]

Joe writes: Go to Wikipedia to read the amazing story of Shadow writing of Remember (Walking In The Sand) which was the breakthrough single for The Shangri-La's and is also my favourite single of theirs. I also learnt from Wikipedia that Billy Joel played piano on the demo.

Billy Joel was interviewed recently for a Q&A article in the February 14th issue of Rolling Stone. In the interview the singer discusses the 12-12-12 show, returning to the stage and getting hassled by Bruce Springsteen. You can click the image below to read the complete article.

Alicia Keys 2013 Super Bowl National Anthem Performance So much has been said about Beyonce's inaugural lip-syncing that Alicia Keys' prep work was all but ignored. But on Sunday, Keys made good on her earlier promises to deliver an all-new version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" when she sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl. Keys' rendition was powerful and moving - and she didn't have any problems singing the lyrics as they're written. That's more than can be said for Christina Aguilera, who infamously goofed when she performed the song at the 2011 Super Bowl. [...]

Sign up today to receive a free subscription to Something Else! Reviews, and you'll be entered into our February drawing for a copy of Billy Joel's new ballad compilation She's Got a Way - just in time for Valentine's Day. Subscribers receive a daily emailed digest of our latest music-focused content, including reviews, news items, features and exclusive interviews. Sign [...]

Did You Hear? :: It looks like One Direction 's Zayn Malik injured himself somehow. The Selena Gomez kiss crush was spotted with bandages on his right hand, Chris Brown -style. That's the prettiest mangled hand we've ever seen. [ E! ] :: By now, we all know about  Rick Ross 's narrow escape from serious injury and/or death via a drive-by shooting (on his birthday, no less). [...]