Sharp Notes October 14 2000

Benjamin Orr, co-founder of The Cars, died last week of pancreatic cancer in his Atlanta home. Orr, the vocalist on the Boston-based Cars hits like “Drive,” “Let’s Go,” and “Candy-O,” relocated to Atlanta a few years ago. He had recently been playing with a new group, Big People, which included Jeff Carlisi (formerly of .38 Special), Derek St. Holmes (Ted Nugent) and Rob Wilson. Orr was 53.?

Elektra-fied. The Brand New Immortals’ David Ryan Harris, fresh from his band’s headlining slot on the Locals Only stage at Big Day Out, mentioned during his solo opening slot at the recent Wallflowers show that his soul/metal band has been signed to Elektra. They follow in the footsteps of the Marvelous 3 and, er, Guadalcanal Diary. He promised to use part of the advance to buy an electronic tuner, as he spent a good part of the set plunking away. Ask him about it Oct. 20, when he plays Eddie’s Attic.?

Indian summer. The Indigo Girls, along with Indigenous, Bonnie Raitt and Joan Baez, will participate in the Honor the Earth Tour 2000. The tour, which began in 1993, raises money for American Indian groups to help call attention to issues such as the slaughter of buffalo and concerns about nuclear waste storage. This year’s month-long trek kicked off Sept. 30 in Billings, Mont. The duo will also headline a free “solar powered” show in Centennial Park on Oct. 28.