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Music News: There's going to be a Huey Lewis musical, and you can probably guess its title

Huey Lewis on 'Good Morning America' in 2006.
Huey Lewis on 'Good Morning America' in 2006.Peter Kramer/Getty Images

by Jay Gabler

February 08, 2018

Get ready to go "Back in Time," because there's going to be a Huey Lewis jukebox musical. The "Hip to Be Square" hitmaker made the announcement in a short video featuring Jimmy Kimmel, who volunteered to play the Newsman himself until being informed that it's not actually going to be a show about Huey Lewis — it's going to be "an original story based on his music."

What's it going to be called? Need you ask? (Rolling Stone)

Remembering John Perry Barlow

There aren't a lot of people whose obituaries are headlined "lyricist and internet activist," but such is John Perry Barlow, who collaborated on several Grateful Dead songs, the best-known of which is probably "Cassidy." People who aren't Deadheads know him best as the co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an organization launched in 1990 "to champion free expression and privacy online," notes the Associated Press.

Johnny Cash's poems turned into songs

Poems written by Johnny Cash and posthumously collected in the book Forever Words have been set to music by a number of different singer-songwriters who will perform their own adaptations on a forthcoming album of the same title.

Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, the late Chris Cornell, and Minnesota's own Jayhawks are among the contributors — as are Cash's daughter Rosanne Cash and his stepdaughter Carlene Carter. The album comes out on April 6. (Pitchfork)

John Prine announces first album of new music in over 13 years

John Prine has announced his first album of original songs since 2005's Fair and Square. The new LP, The Tree of Forgiveness, is due out April 13. Brandi Carlile and Jason Isbell both guest on the album; and April will also see the launch of a tour featuring all-star openers including Margo Price and Valerie June. There are no Minnesota dates on the tour, but Prine just played Northrop last fall. (Rolling Stone)

Noel Gallagher doubles down on the scissors player

Despite being mocked by his brother Liam, Noel Gallagher is doubling down on having a member of his band who plays the scissors. Tuesday on The Tonight Show, Noel and his band the High Flying Birds played "It's a Beautiful Life," and...yep, there were the scissors. (Consequence of Sound)