Little Red Velvette is the title of a Prince-inspired cookbook slated for release this spring. The bakers at Cat Food Cakes ("treats by Cat, not for cats") in London have compiled a collection of recipes for treats including Starfish & Coffee cake, Darling Stikki toffee puddings, Raspberry Beret tarts, and Most Beautiful Swirl in the World brownies. The cookbook is now available for pre-orders, with copies expected to ship from the U.K. next month. (Billboard)

Remembering Barbara Ann Alston

Singer Barbara Ann Alston has died of the flu at age 74. Alston was a co-founder of the Crystals, singing lead on the girl group's early singles produced by Phil Spector — among them "There's No Other (Like My Baby)," "Uptown," and the controversial "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)."

Alston also sang on later Crystals songs including "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me," but by that point, due to shyness, she'd passed the group's leading role to groupmate Dolores "LaLa" Brooks. Confusingly, Spector also used the Crystals' group name for recordings not featuring any of the actual Crystals. (Rolling Stone)

Neil Young vs. tech giants

"GOOGLE is YOUTUBE!" You might have already known that, but Neil Young wants to be sure you really understand it, and to let you know that...

...the Tech Giants have figured out a way to use all the great music of everyone from all time, without reporting an artist's number of plays or paying a f---ing cent to the musicians. Aren't they great companies!!! It makes you wonder where the next generation of artists will come from. How will they survive?

The comments are part of an essay titled "Google and Artists," posted on Young's Archives site. "'Don't Be Evil,'" writes Young. "That was GOOGLE's corporate motto as they directed users to pirate sites to get artists' creations and not pay!! Amazing tech breakthrough!! Meanwhile, they reap the bucks from ads people read while listening to music made by the artists."

Young goes on to emphasize how pleased he is with the high-resolution streams available on his Archives site. "The more you enjoy this music, the happier I am to share it with you." (Billboard)

Pink's daughter sells candy for a good cause

Lots of kids sell candy for fundraisers, and it helps if you can take the sweets to your parents' workplaces. It's no different if your mom is a rock star, as Pink’s daughter Willow demonstrated recently.

Carey Hart, Willow's dad and Pink's husband, shared an Instagram photo of the six-year-old backstage at one of her mom's tour rehearsals, selling candy with a young friend to raise money for hurricane relief in Haiti. "Good work ladies," wrote Hart, "doing your part." (Billboard)

After being called "the Coldplay of Minnesota craft breweries," Summit releases Coldplay-inspired brew

In a comment posted to City Pages earlier this winter, reader Sue Bush called Summit "the Coldplay of Minnesota craft breweries." She didn't mean it as a compliment, but the brewers at Summit seem to have taken the comment in good humor. They've now released a barrel-aged stout called Death and All His Friends — the name of a 2008 Coldplay song.

The taproom exclusive, which was available at the St. Paul brewery this past weekend, was described by Summit as such:

With a complex malt bill, hops from the UK, and our house ale yeast all contributing to Death and All His Friends, you might pick up on flavors and aromas of chocolate, leather, tobacco, and smoke, plus a dark roasty character and a nice, dry finish like the piano melody in a Coldplay song.

(City Pages)