Archive for the 'Rock' Category
Regina Spektor took the Saturday Night Live stage over the long weekend to perform two numbers from this year’s excellent Far backed by a drummer, cellist and violinist: the quirky, upbeat “The Calculation” and the wistful, building “Eet.” (Check out “Eet” above and “The Calculation” after the jump.)
More demure than Lady Gaga’s theatrics on last week’s episode and U2’s explosive set on the season opener, Spektor’s vocals sounded stellar against the often unfriendly acoustics of studio 8H. She channeled retro-’40s fashion with red lipstick and her hair in ringlets, and sported a polka-dot dress for her second number. The Russian-born singer-songwriter — who was introduced by host Drew Barrymore — seemed totally absorbed in her craft, only breaking from her piano to offer a shy “Thank you” at the end of her performance. Next week, Shakira unleashes her “She Wolf” on the SNL stage.
Earlier this month, a leaked Jay-Z track called “Crispy Benjamins” featured a sample of “Chemo Limo” off Spektor’s 2004 disc Soviet Kitsch. The track is rumored to be released later this year as a part of an unconfirmed Jay-Z greatest hits collection. Spektor is also confirmed to be contributing songs to an upcoming musical called Beauty, which is based on the Sleeping Beauty story and slated for a debut during the 2010-2011 theater season.
In the meantime, Spektor is keeping busy on the road — she kicked off her fall tour last night in Massachusetts, and returns to New York tomorrow to play the city’s famed Radio City Music Hall before heading out west and then overseas through the end of the year.
Usher’s back at it again!
His latest song “Papers” was released on October 5th and is already getting much airplay. The song expresses his emotions towards his divorce with “soon-to-be-ex-wife” Tameka Foster-Raymond, although producer Sean Garrett states otherwise.
Sean Garrett stated to MTV News that the lyrics for this song were written before Usher filed for divorce and the song was not based on any real life situations.
Usher is currently going through the process of divorce with Tameka Foster-Raymond.
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Rapper Nas wrote an open letter to Chicago youth shortly after the incident, this is a small piece:
Dear Young Warriors fighting the wrong war! I know that feeling, that frustration with life and needing to take it out on someone, any one.
“We chose the dumbest things to go the hardest for. I remember seeing deaths over 8 ball jackets, Fila sneakers, and name plate chains. Deaths over “he say, she say”!!!!! “I’m from this block or I’m from that block”, or “my moms n pops is f*cked up now the whole world gotta pay”!!!
I remember feeling like I was the hardest “n*gga” breathing. And I couldn’t wait to prove it. But let’s think. What are we really proving?? And proving what to who??
When we see each other why do we see hatred? Why were we born in a storm, born soldiers, WARRIORS….and instead of building each other up we are at war with each other.. May the soul of this young person find peace with the almighty. I’m with you young warriors. You’re me and I’m you. But trust me! you are fighting the wrong war.”
After writing the letter, Nas took it upon himself to make the rounds in the media, stopping by BET and CNN to talk about his letter and what he wants to see done in the inner city. But instead of putting a primary focus on solutions, CNN chose to rehash the “are rap lyrics responsible for all of this?” argument to lead off their interview with Nas.
Where are all the rappers who used to be in gangs (or have claimed to have been in one)? Their voices should have already been heard on this topic as soon as the news broke. Snoop Dogg? The Game, Young Jeezy, Jim Jones, Lil Wayne, Mack 10 etc… I could go on and on.
Artists from Chicago in particular should have spoken out, Common, Kanye West, Twista, Lupe Fiasco, R. Kelly, once again… I could go on and on. These people in particular could have very well been raised in the neighborhoods in which this happened.
Wednesday was “Born To Run” night at Giants Stadium, with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band playing the entire landmark album, in order.
But with other album-themed nights planned — “Darkness On the Edge Of Town” on Friday, “Born In the U.S.A.” on Saturday and Oct. 9, and “Born To Run” again on Thursday — keep in mind that the album segment ended up being less than a third of this show.
Springsteen played 29 songs, staying onstage for more than three hours and ten minutes. “Born To Run” has eight songs, and takes less than an hour to play. Even without “Born To Run,” this concert would have been longer than most rock headliners’ sets.
“Born To Run” was one of the many special things about this show, which kicked off the last concert series ever at Giants Stadium.
“Join us tonight to shut the old lady down … we’ve had a lot of great nights here … let’s make this another one,” Springteen said after taking the stage.
He opened with a song written for the occasion: “Wrecking Ball.” It’s a rousing anthem about longevity, and resilience.
“Through the mud and the beer and the blood and the cheers/I’ve seen champions come and go,” Springsteen sang, before paying tribute to the venue itself: “My home is here in the Meadowlands/Where mosquitoes grow big as airplanes/Here where the blood is spilled and the arena is filled/And Giants play the game.”
The defiant chorus was directly inspired by the stadium’s upcoming demolition: “You take your best shot/Let me see what you’ve got/Bring on your wrecking ball.”
The song set the tone for the evening perfectly. At times, Springsteen gazed into the heart of darkness (“Seeds,” “Johnny 99,” “Hard Times”), but he also performed some of the brightest, catchiest pop songs he has ever recorded (“Hungry Heart,” “Waitin’ On a Sunny Day”) with manic energy and crowd-pleasing stunts. During “Hungry Heart,” for instance, he ran around the arena floor, making a circle around the huge “pit” area in front of the stage, singing and pressing flesh the whole way.
Other highlights included oldies “Growin’ Up” and “E Street Shuffle” (both requested via fan signs), the show-closing “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” and “Into the Fire” with an powerful addition: an intro of eerie wailing by Springsteen.
The “Born To Run” songs — arguably the richest and most majestic of Springsteen’s career — were a treat to hear in their original order. “Thunder Road,” coming first, served as an invitation. The romantic vision of the frenzied “Night” complimented the romantic vision of the slower but more emotionally cathartic “Backstreets.” The atmospheric, gritty story-song “Meeting Across the River” set up the gritty closing epic “Jungleland.”
Late in the evening, Springsteen added a spoken-word segment to “Growin’ Up,” talking about “the weirdest dream I ever had.”
There were a lot of relatives at his house, he said, and a cake. “This is the part you won’t believe,” he said. “There were 60 (expletive) candles on it.”
It was easy to forget at every other point in this show, but Springsteen turned 60 on Sept. 23.
It was a wet, wild and muddy second day of the eighth annual Austin City Limits Music Festival, with the first drizzles coming about half an hour after the gates opened at 11 a.m. Saturday and growing stronger and more irritating throughout the day. But the sellout crowd of 65,000, many of whom had endured record-breaking heat in previous ACL Fests, initially seemed more invigorated than annoyed by the rain.
When the first downpour came at 2 p.m., just as !!!, a band whose name looks almost like raindrops, took the Livestrong stage, the poncho-wearing crowd cheered the wet stuff.
By late afternoon, however, as the air got chillier and the deluge remained relentless, the thought of a hot shower was no doubt as appealing to many as the anticipation of a hot band.
“I thought I could tough this out,” said a drenched Melanie Young, 37, about half an hour into a downpour. “I didn’t think this would be more miserable than the heat, but it’s impossible to have fun when everybody is this cold and huddled over.”
Not that there wasn’t fun in the Zilker swamp. Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights got a rare ACL encore on the BMI stage Saturday with their psychedelic redneck boogie. Dallas native Tyler, a tireless entertainer always covered in sweat by show’s end, told the crowd, “It’s not often that the audience is as wet as I am.”
Benefiting from the rain were the acts scheduled for the covered Wildflower Center stage, with reggae veteran Eek-a-Mouse drawing a packed house.
Making a splash this year at the festival known for indie rock, singer-songwriters and roots music were soul and hip-hop, with rapper Mos Def getting a huge crowd response Saturday. On Friday night, neo-soul performer John Legend said, “I know you don’t get a lot of R&B acts here, but I feel very much at home tonight.” Another first-day highlight was Raphael Saadiq, formerly of funksters Tony! Toni! Toné!, who underlined ACL’s meld of rock and soul by covering “Search and Destroy” by Iggy and the Stooges.
This was the year that big bass was as prevalent as guitar solos, with the DJ they call Bassnectar pumping such massive bottom-end that he probably knocked squirrels out of trees three blocks away.
During Thievery Corporation’s set Friday, Brazilian singer Karina Zeviani referred to Austin as “an island of tolerance and peace.” But a war of words and stares continued between fans who brought chairs and those who chose to wander and were often prevented from getting closer to the stage by parked chairs.
“I wish they would push the chair lines back,” said Jana Loeb, 26, who said she was blocked from getting close to Phoenix on Friday. “They form these walls right on the line, and you can’t break through even though there’s space. In a big crowd like Phoenix, they’re keeping everybody from seeing who they want to.”
But 44-year-old Rob McCann, who arrived at 11 a.m., spoke up for his right to set three chairs up on a teal blanket at the Dell stage. “It’s just a long time” to stand, he said. “You can’t ask people to do that all day, and we paid the same ticket price as everyone else.”
However, when the rain stopped for a while about 6 p.m., the seated and standing crowds were united in their appreciation. Many took the time to go home and change into dry clothes for a night of headliners including Dave Matthews Band and Austin’s ACL Fest faves Ghostland Observatory. Others simply went home. After the rain began anew about 7 p.m., there was a mass exodus.
Tonight’s headliner, Pearl Jam, has been in town for the entire fest, taping an episode of the Austin City Limits TV show Saturday with a star-studded audience that included Meg Ryan, Laura Dern and Lance Armstrong. Singer Eddie Vedder also made a vocal cameo with Kings of Leon on Friday night.
A perfect day Friday was not without its hitches, at least for some Barton Springs Road vendors who were issued citations for not having temporary use permits. Kimberley Weaver’s antique and Western clothing stand was shut down at 11 a.m., but it was back in business after five hours at the city permits office and a $50 fee.
Meanwhile, the rain did not delay many scheduled performances Saturday evening. It also didn’t seem to hurt the secondary ticket market, one scalper said after refusing to take less than $150 for an $80 one-day ticket. “If they’ve come all the way down here, some folks from all over the country, they want to get in no matter if it’s raining or not,” he said.
Showers and thunderstorms are expected to ease after 1 p.m. today.
John Lennon told the story many times of how Julian had come home one day from school with a drawing of a girl. Who’s that? asked his dad.
That’s Lucy in the sky with diamonds, said Julian. In recent years Lucy Vodden had contracted Lupus, a disease in which the immune system attacks body tissue.
Julian Lennon had reached out to Lucy Vodden again. But at the age of 46 this week, Lucy passed away. Immortalized though in music and — oddly — in the name given to a 3-million-year-old skeleton kept in a glass case in Ethiopia.
Not the type of outing most would suspect, Macy Gray was booted from the Dancing With The Stars competition. Apparently, watching her dance was as painful as listening to her sing…ouch!
Pearl Jam is on course to nab its first No. 1 album on the U.S. pop chart in 13 years next week.
Industry prognosticators suggest the band’s new “Backspacer,” released on Sunday, could shift anywhere between 175,000 to 200,000 copies by week’s end. That sales figure should easily place it ahead of the competition when the Billboard 200 chart for the period ended September 27 is published on Wednesday.
The new album — Pearl Jam’s first not with a major label — is sold exclusively in the United States through Target, iTunes, Pearl Jam’s Web site and independent retailers.
The group’s last studio release, 2006’s self-titled set, bowed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 279,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan. The band last graced the No. 1 slot way back in 1996, when “No Code” became its third chart-topper.
Since “No Code,” the group has notched three No. 2 albums (“Yield,” “Binaural” and “Pearl Jam”) and a No. 5 set with “Riot Act” in 2002.
Other albums looking to enter high on the Billboard 200 chart next week include Three Days Grace’s “Life Stars Now,” Five Finger Death Punch’s “War is the Answer,” David Gray’s “Draw the Line” and Mika’s “The Boy Who Knew Too Much.” The current champ is Jay-Z’s “The Blueprint 3,” which sold 298,000 copies during the week ended September 20.
The music world is in mourning after it was announced by hip hop artist Busta Rhymes that his personal DJ, Roc Raida, is dead aged 37.
Raida, an avid mixed martial arts devotee, had injured his back while training at a gym, and had received back surgery twice in the time since to correct the injury.
He was recovering from the surgery when complications saw his health take a turn for the worst, and he died Saturday Sept. 19. at 2:05 p.m.
Born Anthony Williams, Raid won the 1995 DMC World DJ Championship, earning a spot in the DMC Hall of Fame four years later. The turntable spinner worked with some of the biggest names in music, including Ghostface Killah, Jungle Brothers, Busta Rhymes, Big L and Linkin Park.
He had released six solo albums and seven more with his group, the X-Ecutioners.
Williams had trained in mixed martial arts for several years. He was recovering at an “inpatient physical therapy facility” at the time of his death, according to a statement from his family.
“Family and friends will miss him dearly. Please give the family their privacy,” the statement continued.
Busta Rhymes said on his Twitter stream, “I never met a more humble man in the industry…So unbelievably talented and most importantly such beautiful spirit…I LOVE U MY BROTHER…” before talking about how “We r loosing all of these great people this year as a result of God calling his army because something is about 2 go down!!”
“To me, he was the best DJ on the planet–nobody can tell me different,” his friend Lord Finesse told StreetHop.com. “Until they do what Roc Raida has done, from body tricks to beat juggling to speed scratching. I mean, everything … he made that shit look easy.”
A post on Williams’ MySpace page had previously warned fans that “rumors and chatter are not accurate.” His family called the death “unexpected.”
Williams is survived by his wife and three daughters.
MTV Networks International has unveiled the nominations for the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) and the first three confirmed performers at the Berlin ceremony – Green Day, Leona Lewis and Tokio Hotel.
The EMAs take place at the O2 World, Berlin on Nov. 5 at 9pm CET and will be broadcast live by MTV in more than 40 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Kings of Leon and Lady GaGa top the list of nominees with five each. Green Day has snagged three nominations – best live act, best group and best rock.
Leona Lewis has been nominated in the best female category, while German rock act Tokio Hotel is up for best group.
“The MTV Europe Music Awards prides itself on consistently delivering exceptional live performances by some of the biggest and most exciting musical acts in the world – and this year will be no exception,” said Bruce Gillmer, co-executive producer and SVP, Talent & Music, MTV Networks International, in a statement. “In addition, the awards’ nominations honour the musical achievements of a truly broad range of artists from superstars such as Beyonce and U2 to newer acts Daniel Merriweather and Pixie Lott.”
The 2009 EMAs will comprise 13 categories and 23 regional awards. Eleven categories will be selected by MTV viewers – voting opened on www.mtvema.com today (Sept. 21).
The awards are sponsored by Sony Ericsson and Dell with a further sponsor to be announced shortly.
Let’s face it, the world and his/her dog has an opinion on the Kanye West & Taylor Swift debacle.
Turns out, Mr. Z wants everyone to give his ’Run This Town’ playmate a break.
The ’Blueprint III’ dude told the BBC: “He’s just a super-passionate person, and of course it was rude because it was Taylor Swift’s moment, but that’s the way he really felt. He’s been that passionate from his first record.
“He used to jump on tables … I was trying to make the first Blueprint, he’s jumping on tables, rapping, and I’m like: ‘Yo, not now.’ That was just him. He’s always been that passionate.”
The ’99 Problems’ rapper had a word with his protege, nevertheless.
He revealed: “I told him I think it was rude, that he has to watch his passion. At the end of the day, we’re going to celebrate him for his passion more than vilify him, because his passion, which caused him to make ’Graduation’ and all these great records, is the same thing that causes him to step out of line sometimes…That passion right there, that wasn’t fake or staged — it was how he really felt, and it was just inappropriate.”
Now Jay-Z reckons Kanye West should get right back on the showbiz horse and show the world what he’s good at.
He added: “It’s an awards show, really, and I think it’s a bit blown out (of proportion). He’s on the cover of every paper, he didn’t kill anybody. Nobody got harmed. I don’t think he should lay low, I think he should go on tour and have a brilliant career.”
The Lads from Liverpool have finally taken their first step into the digital domain via MTV and Electronic Arts’ latest music video game: The Beatles: Rock Band. The game rocks, and it’s being released tomorrow.
It’s the culmination of three years of planning and development, which included the laborious task of breaking apart songs recorded over 40 years ago in single-track format to create discrete guitar, bass, drums and vocal tracks, as well as multiple meetings with the band’s surviving members and family to ensure an authentic look and feel.
The result is a strikingly sincere interactive recreation of the world’s most recognizable pop band, from their trend-setting styles to plastic replicas of their instruments, including Paul McCartney’s Hofner violin bass and George Harrison’s Gretsch Duo Jet guitar (alas, no sitar for the group’s Indian-influenced pieces).
The story mode leads players through the band’s career, beginning with the mop tops performing songs like I Saw Her Standing There and Do You Want to Know a Secret at Liverpool’s legendary Cavern Club before moving on to the band’s Ed Sullivan Show appearance, Shea Stadium in New York and Budokan gig in Japan.
The second half of the game features the Fab Four boasting mustaches and more individual hairstyles as they record albums in London’s Abbey Road Studios, which transforms into psychedelic dreamscapes inspired by the band’s films and album art during songs such as Yellow Submarine and Come Together. Think shimmering underwater landscapes and kaleidoscopic flowers.
Unlocked along the way are dozens of rare photos and recordings that provide insight into the band as it matured, including a 1963 holiday greeting recorded for the band’s fan club and candid footage of them travelling by helicopter to their Shea Stadium show.
But while authentic digital depictions and band trivia is appreciated, the real reason fans will flock to game shops in the throes of a modern form of Beatlemania is the chance to play the group’s timeless music.
Happily, that music sounds great (despite the digital tinkering) and is a blast to play. Plucking the opening melody of Octopus’s Garden made me feel part of the band, and it was fun to see just how long I could keep up with John Lennon’s larynx-searing vocals on Twist and Shout (a trivia tidbit tells us that even Lennon was only able to make it through the song once during the original recording session).
The songs are generally easier compared to those found in previous Rock Band games, but that’s likely for the best, given that players are also expected to take part in the Beatles’ signature three-part harmonies. Trying to sing backup vocals – which differ in pitch and timing from the lead vocals – while simultaneously playing guitar or drums is tricky, to say the least.
The bad news? The disc contains only 45 songs, about half the number found in Rock Band 2. What’s more, the story mode can be finished in a single leisurely evening. This may come as a shock to players who are still working their way through the epic career modes of other games in the franchise, which spanned over 100 hours. Scores more Beatles tracks are slated for release through the online Rock Band store, but at the costly price of over $2 each or about $20 an album.
Perhaps there was a good reason why the Beatles waited so long to jump on the digital bandwagon: They were waiting for the biggest possible payoff.
Lead guitarist and songwriter Noel Gallagher has quit Oasis, according to a statement he posted Friday night on the band’s website.
The announcement came shortly after the last-minute cancellation of the group’s scheduled performance Friday at the Rock En Seine festival in Paris.
“It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight,” Gallagher wrote. “People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.”
Noel’s brother and Oasis lead singer/guitarist Liam Gallagher founded the band in 1991 with Paul Arthurs, Paul McGuigan and Tony McCaroll. Noel joined shortly thereafter and took over as Oasis’ lead songwriter. The Gallagher brothers are the longest-standing members of the band; the rest of the current lineup includes guitarist/keyboardist Colin Archer, bassist Andy Bell and drummer Chris Sharrock.
The British band had performances scheduled Saturday at the Rock Am See Festival in Konstanz, Germany, and Sunday at the I-Day Festival in Milan, Italy, both of which are canceled, according to Gallagher’s statement.
“Apologies to all the people who bought tickets for the shows in Paris, Konstanz and Milan,” he wrote. No further news on the band’s future has been announced.
Oasis’ most recent album, “Dig Out Your Soul,” peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 in October.
DJ AM, the stage name of disc jockey Adam Goldstein whose music could be heard on albums by Madonna and Will Smith, was found dead in his New York apartment at age 36 Friday, according to media reports.
John Sweeney, a spokesman for the New York police, told Reuters officers found a man dead at 5:23 p.m. Friday but he could not immediately confirm the man was Goldstein.
The address where Sweeney said the man was found matches that of Goldstein’s apartment.
Celebrity news website TMZ.com said Goldstein, who socialized with Hollywood celebrities and in 2008 survived a plane crash with Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker, was found with prescription pill bottles near his body after he had not been heard from for days.
As a DJ, Goldstein’s work appeared on albums by Madonna, Will Smith, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Papa Roach. He performed at clubs in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and elsewhere.
With the band Crazy Town, Goldstein had the 2001 hit song ”Butterfly” but the group broke up two years later.
He partnered with Barker of punk band Blink 182 last year to create a live DJ and drum performance and the duo played occasionally at clubs and other concert venues.
In September 2008, Goldstein and Barker were in a private plane that crashed while trying to take off from an airport in South Carolina. The two pilots and two passengers were killed.
Goldstein and Barker suffered serious burns and were hospitalized in critical condition.
Goldstein posted his last known public remarks on the social networking website Twitter Tuesday when he wrote: ”New york, new york. Big city of dreams, but everything in new york aint always what it seems.”
The words were lyrics from a song by Grandmaster Flash, a pioneer of hip-hop music.
Goldstein dated reality TV star Nicole Richie, to whom he was at one point engaged, and later went out with singer and actress Mandy Moore.
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A Credit Valley Hospital nurse will help Nick Jonas – of Jonas Brothers fame – launch his juvenile diabetes educational program this Sunday in Toronto.
Jonas, who has type 1 diabetes, has partnered with pharmaceutical company Bayer Diabetes Care to launch Simple Wins, a web-based program to help young people with the disease manage it by incorporating small lifestyle changes.
On Sunday, just hours before he’s to perform in concert at Rogers Centre with his brothers, the famous teen musician will stop by the CN Tower to launch the program in Canada and encourage others with diabetes to stay upbeat.
Ricky Martin defines being a father as one of the most spiritual moments of his life. The pop singer welcomed twins, Matteo and Valentino, who were delivered via surrogacy, in August last year.
The Grammy Award winner shared photos of himself with his 1-year-old twin sons enjoying their day at a beach in Miami. “I’m so happy. Everything they do, from smiling to crying, feels like a blessing. Being a father feels amazing. This has been the most spiritual moment in my life,” he told the press.
The She Bangs hit maker insists that he loves being a full-time nanny as he does not want to miss even a single moment of parenthood. “I don’t have a nanny. I’m doing this on my own because I don’t want to miss a moment,” he said.
