music

Stories 961 - 980 | << Prev   Next >>

Joy Division Rocks, But Enough Already
 Joy Division Rocks,
 But Enough Already 
opinion
Jun 19, 2008 8:01 PM CDT

Joy Division Rocks, But Enough Already

Documentary offers a textbook-style look at the band

(Newser) - Joy Division, writes Nik Mercer for Anthem, “is one of those bands that gains significance exponentially as the years pass.” As testament to their place in pop music consciousness, recent years have seen three films on the band: 24 Hour Party People, focusing on their label and scene;...

Janet Plans Her Own Talent Show for TV

She will seek out aspiring singers and dancers from obscure locales

(Newser) - Move over "American Idol:" Janet Jackson is headed for reality TV, reports Variety. The pop icon plans to mentor aspiring singers and dancers as she prepares for her world tour—participation in which could be the grand prize. Drawing contestants from YMCAs and church groups, the show’s...

Rock Rolls With Bluegrass
Rock Rolls
With Bluegrass
Jun 19, 2008 2:46 PM CDT

Rock Rolls With Bluegrass

Plant and Krauss make an unlikely duo but still make beautiful music on tour

(Newser) - He's a howling rock god; she's a fiddlin' bluegrass queen. It sounds like an odd pairing, but Robert Plant and Alison Krauss weave haunting harmonies on tour, reports Rolling Stone. The duo admits they struggled to find the right groove while performing Led Zep covers and R&B classics from...

Summer of Jonas Bros. Looms
 Summer of Jonas Bros. Looms  
Jun 17, 2008 10:30 AM CDT

Summer of Jonas Bros. Looms

Squeaky-clean trio set for Miley-sized media onslaught

(Newser) - Brace yourselves: Disney is prepping a summer media blitz for the squeaky-clean, tween-rockin' Jonas Brothers that'll put Hannah Montana to shame. The former Christian rock band made up of three real-life siblings is starring in two movies, releasing an album, and touring Europe and the US—before getting their own...

Pearl Jam Mixes Dylan, Politics at Bonnaroo

'This has to be the time,' Vedder tells thousands

(Newser) - Pearl Jam stormed Bonnaroo's massive stage last night for a 3-hour live show that mixed B-sides and Bob Dylan covers with a heapin' helping of politics, reports Rolling Stone. The performance in front of tens of thousands was rare for grunge's supergroup, reports the AP, which has largely avoided such...

I Was Never In It to Win It: 'Accidental' Idol
I Was Never In It to Win It: 'Accidental' Idol
OPINION
Jun 15, 2008 11:32 AM CDT

I Was Never In It to Win It: 'Accidental' Idol

Cook says he 'was never in it to win it'

(Newser) - David Cook almost didn't audition for American Idol—he was there to offer moral support to his younger brother. But goading from his family kicked off a whirlwind journey that took him from fledgling Midwest rocker to Billboard star. Cook tells Rolling Stone about his modest beginnings—and his early...

Bruni Sings of Drugs, '30 Lovers'
 Bruni Sings
 of Drugs, '30 Lovers' 
New release
Jun 11, 2008 1:54 PM CDT

Bruni Sings of Drugs, '30 Lovers'

"I am a child despite my 40 years and 30 lovers," she sings

(Newser) - French first lady Carla Bruni would like you to know she's "a child despite my 40 years and 30 lovers"—at least according to one of the more standout lines on her third album, due for release in July. As If Nothing had Happened is her first collection...

Retro Diddy Back to Puff Daddy
 Retro Diddy Back to Puff Daddy 
Jun 10, 2008 10:21 AM CDT

Retro Diddy Back to Puff Daddy

Rapper Combs hints at return to old stage name

(Newser) - Rapper Sean Combs—also variously known as Puffy, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and Diddy—appears to be going retro and reverting back to Puff Daddy, which he hasn’t used since 2001, E! Online reports. His rep says there’s no change in the works, but Combs suggested otherwise on...

Brits Fine Foul-Mouthed MTV Europe
Brits Fine Foul-Mouthed MTV Europe
Jun 6, 2008 8:13 AM CDT

Brits Fine Foul-Mouthed MTV Europe

Network pays $485K, promises to tone down language

(Newser) - A UK media watchdog has fined MTV Europe $484,500 for having a potty mouth, Variety reports. The network repeatedly uses “highly offensive language and material” in its videos and shows, often before 9pm, the family-viewing cutoff point. An MTV rep said the firm “takes this sanction and...

Musicians Plug Upgrades to Flat-Sounding Digital

'Unacceptable quality compromises' key move to improved downloads, CDs

(Newser) - Musicians dissatisfied with the sound of digital media are releasing albums as higher-quality downloads, on high-definition DVDs and even on vinyl, USA Today reports. Last year, Amazon and iTunes agreed to boost the quality of their MP3s, but some groups are using even better versions to eliminate what Neil Young...

Celeb Kids Raise Indie Bands' Profiles

Sarandon-Robbins, Byrne-Barkin offspring take the stage

(Newser) - The indie music scene abounds with newcomers, but few have the A-list relations the Ellis Unit does. The group includes the 18-year-old son of Gabriel Byrne and Ellen Barkin and Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner's 17-year-old son. Gus Wenner has jammed with Bob Dylan, and his connections have landed his...

Vinyl Back for Another Spin
 Vinyl Back for Another Spin 
Jun 2, 2008 12:25 PM CDT

Vinyl Back for Another Spin

Seemingly obsolete, format is seeing increasing—even 'unbelievable'—sales

(Newser) - It might seem unlikely in an age where the CD’s obituary has already been written, but vinyl records are making a comeback as younger fans fall for the big artwork and warm analog sounds, the Boston Globe reports. Music stores report big yearly sales increases, and big-box stores like...

Rolling Stone's Top Guitar Classics

The greatest riffs, from Bill Haley to Metallica

(Newser) - There are those tunes driven by the rhythm section, but nothing lights a fire in the blood quite like the power of the perfect guitar riff. Thus, Rolling Stone suggests its favorite guitar anthems, hitting all stops between BB King and King Crimson. The top five:
  1. Johnny B. Goode: Chuck
...

Kassin+2 Lets Sun Shine In
 Kassin+2 Lets Sun Shine In 
music review
May 26, 2008 6:52 AM CDT

Kassin+2 Lets Sun Shine In

Futurismo is the 'ideal sound to hit it poolside'

(Newser) - Kassin+2's Futurismo is a superb summer album, writes Chandler Levack in Spin. The trend-setting Brazilian trio mixes "samba, airy folk, and sheer mysticism" to wrap up their album trilogy in fine fashion. Notable tracks include "Pra Lembrar," which "floats on soft keys," and "Samba...

50 Top Pop Brainiacs
 50 Top Pop Brainiacs 
May 25, 2008 11:43 AM CDT

50 Top Pop Brainiacs

Lennon, Marley, Berry rock on

(Newser) - "Towering natural abilities" and "exceptional creative powers" infuse the most memorable music of generations, forged by Blender's top 50 pop-music geniuses. The top 10:
  1. Bob Dylan: Each of his brave self-reinventions is "an authentic American original."
  2. John Lennon: "His drive pushed the Beatles from a
...

Which David Is Our Idol ?
 Which David
 Is Our Idol? 
May 21, 2008 1:16 PM CDT

Which David Is Our Idol?

Voting on Cook's rock vs. Archuleta's ballads hours away from being revealed

(Newser) - We're only hours away from Fox crowning either balladeer (and Simon Cowell fave) David Archuleta, 17, or rocker David Cook, 25, as this season's American Idol. Cook seemed to win last night's live audience, the Kansas City Star reports.

Shakira Shakes Cash Loose for Charity
Shakira Shakes Cash Loose
for Charity
May 18, 2008 11:30 AM CDT

Shakira Shakes Cash Loose for Charity

Pair of star-studded shows take on Latin American poverty

(Newser) - Shakira, Ricky Martin, and dozens of other Spanish-speaking pop stars performed at simultaneous fundraising concerts in Mexico City and Buenos Aires yesterday, reports the LA Times. “It is doable, we can really eradicate poverty,” said the Colombian singer, whose shows benefited Alas, a charity that helps Latin America's...

Bird Lives! And He Does It in Fanatic Detail

NY radio jock keeps jazz boppin', stumps die-hard know-it-alls

(Newser) - A white guy from Queens may be our best link to a music rooted in black history. Phil Schapp grew up in a home full of jazz, and has hosted a radio show obsessed with the music's minutiae for decades, the New Yorker reports. He's liable to digress on Charlie...

How to Avoid R. Kelly Jury Duty

Twelve foolproof ways to not get picked

(Newser) - R. Kelly's jury is complete, and the arduous process of getting it filled contains a lesson: Should you ever be called upon to weigh in at a child pornography trial, the Chicago Tribune offers some proven ways—at least they worked in this case— to avoid getting trapped in the...

Scarlett's Waits Tribute: Unnecessary, But Not Bad

Johansson revisits legendary croaker's catalog

(Newser) - “Even the most sympathetic critics,” writes Tom Breihan for the Village Voice, have to grant that Anywhere I Lay My Head, Scarlett Johansson’s Tom Waits tribute album, “is a fundamentally ridiculous enterprise, almost stunning in its total lack of need to exist.” That said, Breihan...

Stories 961 - 980 | << Prev   Next >>