BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

With each passing year, the analysis intensifies with regard to how "rock" the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees are.

Let the debate begin over the potential class of 2008. The diverse list of nominees includes Madonna, John Mellencamp, The Beastie Boys, Donna Summer, The Dave Clark Five, The Ventures, Afrika Bambaataa, Leonard Cohen and Chic.

Mellencamp, the DC5 and The Ventures arguably are the most rock of the bunch, but they are anything but no-brainers for induction. For one thing, all three have been eligible for years, so there must be reasons why the voters have passed on them before.

It’s not hard to read between the lines. Mellencamp (above), despite several great albums and a boatload of hits, simply isn't held in the same regard by critics as his peers Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Bob Seger.

That's unfortunate and unfair, and the DC5 holds a similar place in the pantheon of 1960s British Invasion artists.

As far as great instrumental bands go, The Ventures are right up there with Booker T. and the MG's, but outside of that group, the Rock Hall hasn't exactly welcomed nonvocal acts with open arms (sidemen and early influence distinctions excluded).

All of the '08 nominees have reached the masses and influenced other artists, rockers included. That justifies them making the list, but being voted in -- well, that's the hardest part.

ONE GRITTY GAL

Coney Island High and The Continental have left Manhattan's rock club scene, but not Dirty Harry’s mind.

She recalls spending time at both venues during the 1990s checking out "loads of punk rock bands." Those experiences, plus reading "every book on Jim Morrison, Patti Smith and David Bowie that's out there," helped plant the seeds for the London-born, Los Angeles-based singer's own music career.

That career includes a guest stint on Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee's Tommyland: The Ride album, released in 2005. Through a mutual friend, Lee learned about Dirty Harry's The Trouble With Harry project, and he later arranged for her to visit California to sing on the song "Makin' Me Crazy."

Her latest effort is Songs from the Edge, which is available today (Sept. 25) both online and through A Wolf at Your Door Records. It features the catchy, sassy "Takes One to Know One," which can be heard on her MySpace page -- http://www.myspace.com/dirtyharryrocks.

"(It's a) visceral, honest trip through the abyss," she says of the album.

Dirty Harry has acoustic shows in Manhattan scheduled for Wednesday (Sept. 26) at D’Or, 204 W. 55th St., and Thursday (Sept. 27) at Snitch, 59 W. 21st St.

Visit www.dirtyharryrocks.com for more information.



SPRINGSTEEN SEMANTICS

Most bands rehearse in garages, basements, attics or studios, out of the public eye and usually with only the musicians in attendance.

Not Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The Boss and company prefer to do so in sizable venues -- and charge $100 per head.

That's a concert, not a rehearsal.

As someone who chooses his words ever so carefully on the rare occasion he's interviewed, Springsteen should know the definition of rehearsal.

So even though his two performances this week at Convention Hall in Asbury Park are open to the paying public, as well as his just-announced Friday appearance at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, they're deemed rehearsals by Team Springsteen.

Just because the proceeds are going to charity doesn't defend or justify the rehearsal tag. To a paying customer, a hundred bucks is a hundred bucks, no matter where the money is going.

Dubbing Springsteen's pre-tour performances as rehearsals is nothing new, and neither is Team Springsteen setting strict limits on media credentials and stating that such performances are not open for critical review.

There's a difference between a fan and a journalist, just like there's a difference between a rehearsal and a concert -- and a journalist worth his or her salt should not accept such conditions or the terminology being used to describe these Springsteen performances.

REDGORILLA GROWS

It's not affiliated in any way with South by Southwest, but the RedGorilla Music Fest certainly benefits from the traffic that SXSW brings to Austin, Texas.

For its 2008 edition, set for March 12-15, RedGorilla plans to present more artists playing in more venues -- 250-plus acts showcasing in various clubs along Austin's busy Sixth Street. And like previous years, RedGorilla '08 will be free and open to the general public.

Artists interested in showcasing can apply through Feb. 1. Visit www.redgorillamusic.com for more information.

RIMSHOTS

* With regard to a new Nickelback album, singer Chad Kroeger tells Billboard.com that "no one's in a hurry to do anything."
That's right, Chad -- you and the boys should just chill. The world isn't yearning for any new watered-down grunge right now.

** Lee Greenwood refused to take the stage last weekend for a show in Denver honoring veterans, police and firefighters; according to Greenwood’s manager, the concert organizer only came up with $14,000 of the "God Bless the USA" singer's $20,000 fee.
So much for the old saying "The show must go on." And how many days would it take for one of those being honored to earn the disputed $6,000, let alone the $20,000 in question?

KFOG KEEPS ON ROCKIN'

It all started Sept. 16, 1982, with "Rock This Town" by The Stray Cats.

Twenty-five years later, San Francisco-based KFOG is still rockin' -- and it's one of the best commercial FM rock stations in the country.

The industry refers to KFOG's eclectic format as Triple A, which stands for "adult album alternative." KFOG is a commercial station, though, so it rarely gets too indulgent or esoteric.

For example, morning host Dave Morey played songs today (Sept. 19) by the Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, Luscious Jackson, Peter Bjorn and John, Ten Years After, Split Enz and the Kooks.

In most other radio markets, those songs and artists would be scattered across two or even three different FM stations.

KFOG's specialty shows include the "10 @ 10" (10 songs from one year, at 10 a.m. PT and 10 p.m. PT weekdays), "Acoustic Sunrise" (7 a.m. to noon PT Sundays) and "Acoustic Sunset" (6 to 8 p.m. PT Sundays).

Some radio station slogans are ridiculous and untrue -- KFOG's "World Class Rock" is not.

Listen online by visiting www.kfog.com.

HE WAS ROCKIN' IN CRANFORD

Better late than never -- and he was much better than last September.

Chuck Berry, who hit the stage past his scheduled start time, fared much better Saturday (Sept. 15) in Cranford than he did a year ago in Bridgewater, running through a bunch of his hits during this year's Union County MusicFest at Nomahegan Park.

The still-lean Berry, 80, benefited greatly from the support of his regular backing band, which included daughter Ingrid on backing vocals and son Charles on guitar.

While performing "Sweet Little Sixteen," in which Berry names a number of U.S. locations, Berry included Cranford, much to the crowd's delight. But he wasn't the only performer to give a shout-out to the Garden State on Saturday afternoon.



During his band's set on the main stage, Smithereens singer (and Scotch Plains resident) Pat DiNizio (left) mentioned a handful of locales that are important to him and the group, including New Brunswick's Court Tavern and Scotch Plains' Scotchwood Diner.

Fountains of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger (below right), who grew up in Montclair, admitted that finding a rhyme for Cranford wasn't easy. Schlesinger and company tipped their proverbial caps to another Jersey town with a rendition of "Hackensack."

BERRY GOOD OR BERRY BAD?

Chuck Berry owes New Jersey.

Not money or a favor of some sort -- just a quality performance.

Last September, Berry headlined a show at Commerce Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, then 79, was off his game, struggling on most every song, botching his trademark chunky guitar solos and chugging rhythm parts.

Berry, now 80, has a chance to redeem himself when he performs Saturday at the Union County MusicFest in Cranford’s Nomahegan Park.

Also on the bill are The Smithereens, Fountains of Wayne, Apples in Stereo and Live, among others.

The action is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. Visit www.ucmusicfest.com for more information.

IN THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT

Speaking of The Smithereens, the Jersey-bred band will release Christmas With The Smithereens via Koch Records on Oct. 9.

As singer Pat DiNizio describes it, the album "channels the ghost of Christmas past, and in the process, also pays tribute to and reinvents some of our absolute all-time favorite rock 'n' roll Christmas records."

He adds, "I don't think it has been done quite this way before, and hopefully it's an album you wouldn't mind listening to the other 11 months of the year."

In addition to covers of songs made famous by Chuck Berry and The Ramones, among others, Christmas With The Smithereens also includes original material: guitarist Jim Babjak's "Waking Up on Christmas Morning" and drummer Dennis Diken's "Christmas (I Remember)."

THE BOSS REMEMBERS MAGOVERN

The leak is complete: MP3s of everything that will be on Magic, the new Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band studio album (due Oct. 2), are in circulation. ("Radio Nowhere" has since been officially released, and its video can be seen on Amazon.com.)

Among the standouts are "Livin' in the Future" and "Long Walk Home."

The best of the bunch, though, might be one that doesn't seem to be an official Magic track. According to Springsteen's official site, Magic is supposed to contain 11 songs, but there's another new Boss studio tune making the rounds.

It's called "Terry's Song," a sparse, country-ish ode (piano, acoustic guitar and harmonica) to late Springsteen confidant Frank "Terry" Magovern (above), who died July 30.

Here are some of the lyrics:

"Well, they built the Titanic to be one of a kind
but many ships have ruled the seas.
They built the Eiffel Tower to stand alone
they could build another if they please.

Taj Mahal, the pyramids of Egypt
are unique, I suppose.
When they built you, brother, they broke the mold."

Somewhere, Magovern is smiling.

ALL TALK, PROBABLY NO ACTION

Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier they're not.

Kanye West (left) and 50 Cent have been talking trash about each other lately as a way to hype their respective new albums, both due in stores Tuesday (Sept. 11).

That day, the rap rivals are scheduled to perform on BET's 106 & Park. The network has even roped in ESPN's Stuart Scott for the occasion, with the sports announcer expected to give their statistical breakdowns a la a heavyweight fight.

Speaking of stats: According to a recent Associated Press story, 50 Cent has gone as far to say that he would retire if his Curtis album doesn't outsell West's Graduation in their first week of availability.

There's no word on whether West would do the same should 50 Cent's disc top his. Nevertheless, here's a suggestion (more like a wish): If Kenny Chesney's Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates -- also due Tuesday -- outsells the West and 50 Cent discs, can both rappers please retire?



HONORING PAVAROTTI

The Metropolitan Opera will pay tribute to Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, who died today (Sept. 6) at age 71, via its Metropolitan Opera Radio channel on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Today through Sept. 13, the station will air some of Pavarotti's top Met performances, starting at 9 p.m. ET each day.

SIN CITY SHENANIGANS

Everybody knows that MTV doesn't air as many music videos as it did in the 1980s.

But that doesn't mean the MTV Video Music Awards is a thing of the past. The 2007 VMAs will air live from Las Vegas at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday (Sept. 9).

It promises to be different from past VMA shows. For one thing, it's supposed to air just once, so set your recording device of choice if you really want to see the action.

There's no mention of a host on MTV's Web site, but it seems that "living legend" Timbaland, also referred to by MTV as the "maestro" for the show, will in essence serve as host.

Scheduled performers include 50 Cent, Rihanna, Fall Out Boy and Nelly Furtado.

A source close to the network says Britney Spears plans to make an appearance, according to Tanner Stransky’s story in the Aug. 31 edition of Entertainment Weekly.

Should she show up, Spears can only hope that this Sin City adventure turns out better than her infamous visit to the Little White Wedding Chapel in early 2004.