News
Mars Volta to release new studio effort in August
Posten on: 2006-06-30 16:22:01
Mars Volta have returned with a fresh dose of epic rock'n'roll on its third studio album, "Amputechture." The eight-track set is due Aug. 22 via Universal and opens with the seven-minute "Vicarious Atonement," the closest the group has ever come to a ballad.The album then moves back to familiar expansive musical territory on the nearly 17-minute "Tetragrammaton," and also features two other tracks that clock in past the 11-minute mark, "Meccamputechture" and "Day of the Baphomets." The disc itself runs more than 76 minutes in length.In addition to contributions from Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, "Amputechture" also features Paul Hinojos' first studio work with the Mars Volta since joining as a touring musician in 2005. Hinojos previously played with Mars Volta principals Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez in At The Drive-In."Amputechture" is the follow-up to 2005's "Frances the Mute," which debuted at a career-best No. 4 on The Billboard 200 and has sold nearly 465,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.The Mars Volta will support the Red Hot Chili Peppers on its upcoming North American tour, which opens Aug. 11 in Portland, Ore.
Posted in: News | The Mars Volta | 0 Comments
Under The Iron Sea doing well in the U.S.
Posten on: 2006-06-29 21:12:03
Keane's second album 'Under The Iron Sea' has reached Number Four on the US Billboard chart on its first week of release. The band also remain at Number One in the UK and much of Europe.Pianist and songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley said: "It's incredible news. We're so proud of this record, and it's unbelievably exciting to see it making such a huge impact over here in the States." He added: "When we were kids we used to read about The Beatles coming over here, to the land that invented rock'n'roll, and we used to dream of having a hit record in America."On June 23, Keane's UK tour sold out within an hour of being announced.
Posted in: News | Keane | 0 Comments
A new album in 2007
Posten on: 2006-06-23 17:01:10
Aerosmith is in the thick of work on its new studio album, which should be out in spring 2007 via Columbia. The process had not been hindered by vocalist Steven Tyler's recent throat surgery, according to guitarist Joe Perry. "He's sounding better than ever," Perry says. "Even just listening to him talk, his voice has this timbre that I haven't heard for years."In addition to considering material from outside songwriters, Aerosmith is looking to its archives for inspiration."There's some stuff we left off certain records that we've been scratching our heads over why that happened," Perry says. "There's also bits and pieces of things we haven't got to, and some stuff from [the 2004 blues album] 'Honkin' on Bobo' that never got finished. We want to bring some of the elements of the experimenting we've done on the albums over the last few years and mash that in with that 'Honkin' on Bobo'-kind of energy.""It's kind of like the old story of the 100-year-old hammer handed down for three generations," Perry says by way of describing the method to Aerosmith's madness in the studio. "The handle has been changed three times, and the head changed four. For us, we're the same old hammer, but updated a few times.""Some songs are still two riffs and a chorus but they're classic Aerosmith: a guitar riff and the vocals and the slammin' rhythm section," he enthuses. "Some of the material could have been written last week or 10 or 20 years ago. It's funny how some of it sounds like that to me. Some of it has bell-bottoms and big hair but it's surprising how well it fits today's playlists."Perry says he can't wait to hit the road with Motley Crue on the the Route of All Evil tour, which begins Sept. 14 in Holmdel, N.J. "In some ways Motley Crue is like a baby band to me," he says. "You still think of them as kids. But they have gone through all the things bands go through, come back and they have a whole batch of fans who saw them at the first rock show they ever went to. When you turn on classic rock radio now, you have Motley Crue, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin and the Stones."In addition, Perry promises Aerosmith will be dusting off a song or two from its back catalog, similar to "Seasons of Wither" and "Draw the Line," which have come back from the dead on recent tours."Other songs will get that day in the sun, because they never did," he says. "Maybe other songs crowded them out. In the late '80s and early '90s, we had those singles to play and there wasn't as much interest from the fans in those songs. But there are fans that are now discovering some of those early records."
Posted in: News | Aerosmith | 0 Comments
Bennefit Concert
Posten on: 2006-06-20 17:43:19
Pearl Jam has scheduled a July 20 benefit at Portland, Ore.'s 2,800-capacity Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. All proceeds will benefit the Northwest Chapter of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), with whom Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready has worked closely since the 2002 disclosure of his battle with Crohn's Disease. Comedian David Cross and other acts to be announced will also perform at the event. The show will precede a July 22-23 stand at the Gorge just outside Pearl Jam's Seattle homebase, which will also serve as the last dates of the band's North American tour. A European run kicks off Aug. 23 in Dublin.In related news, Cross and fellow comedians Todd Berry and Jon Benjamin will serve as judges for the music/comedy competition "Iron Composer," to be held June 30 at the Showbox in Seattle as part of the fundraiser A Drink for the Kids."Saturday Night Live" comedian Fred Armisen will square off against the Shins' Martin Crandall and Dave Hernandez to compose a song in 45 minutes based on an interview with an audience member. All the while, they must stay focused while being heckled by the audience and drinking five mandatory shots of vodka.A Drink for the Kids raises funds for Seattle's Vera Project, a non-profit community center geared toward music and arts performance for young people.
Posted in: News | Pearl Jam | 0 Comments
MySpace awards AFI
Posten on: 2006-06-13 04:35:08
Toward the end of the Strokes' ultra-solid set at Saturday's BFD show, singer Julian Casablancas made a gracious observation, especially for a guy who's not exactly known for being humble.'I'm so glad we're playing before AFI,' he said, of the Bay Area headliners, going on next at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. He pondered it for a second. 'Playing after AFI -- I don't recommend that.'Even big-time rockers from New York City got it. This was supposed to be AFI's night. Headlining one of the summer biggest shows, in front of the hometown crowd, was an epic no-brainer.Even on a bill that included the Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, H.I.M, Echo & the Bunnymen, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and others, this was going to be one of the biggest shows in the punk-metalers' career. It was like a movie, about to triumphantly come alive on the Mountain View stage.But nothing is that easy, especially when it comes to such seemingly easy set-ups. AFI indeed came out like a bullet train, befitting their reputation as one of the best live bands on the planet. The band was tight and singer Davey Havok threw himself about, screamed his throat raw, and worked 20 times harder than any other main stage singer to interact with the crowd.If AFI wouldn't put on a great show, it wouldn't be for lack of effort. Which may have been the problem. Most of the crowd responded favorably -- it's hard not to get caught up in what AFI does. But it was difficult not to notice 10 percent to 20 percent of the lower bowl of seats emptied by the last third of AFI's set.AFI was like a roaring, charging predator weeding out the herd. It was obvious, watching middle-aged people with younger kids and others flee the sonic assault. AFI was loud and intense, which doesn't play well for some after grooving to the milder strains of bands like the Strokes and Franz Ferdinand. AFI was ready for BFD. It just wasn't clear if all of BFD was ready for AFI.No matter -- there's no shame in a rock band breaking a few unprepared eardrums, even if they tried easing them into it by playing big 'Sing the Sorrow' single 'Girl's Not Grey,' early on. Actually, it was kind of fun watching some guys, looking like they'd come straight from their frat house, fleeing from Havok's first scream on 'Kill Caustic.' Which is too bad, as they left right before new song 'Miss Murder.' Hearing something from the radio might've kept them there to see the rest of the show.Just short of an hour, the set was typically raw and earthshaking. It's reminiscent of a harder-charging Tool when they take songs way down and so high, it may require earplugs. On songs like 'Ever and a Day,' Havok continuously got his goth James Brown going, twirling, hitting the floor, and coming back again.Crowd favorite The Strokes didn't need to try so hard. No longer tripping around with a cooler full of beer, like their last sloppy BFD appearance, they were typically solid. Second song 'Juicebox' had the crowd up and bouncing through 'The End Has No End,' a rocking 'Reptillian' and on down through a rousing 'Someday.' It's an old point, but watching guitarists Al Hammond, Jr. and Nick Valensi play off one another is a real pleasure. As usually, most of the band except Hammond could move more on stage, but the cool-guy thing is a staple of the Strokes' persona. The songs do the real work in keeping things moving.Franz Ferdinand got better as its 40-minute set went on. They're upbeat, they're stylish, and they're good-looking. They're also confident, with enough experience to know how to pack the end of their set with the best songs.Watching the first 15 minutes would've led one to believe FF's shelf life is expiring. Things changed once they kicked into the early-Beatles sounding 'Walk Away.' From there they fairly rolled through the set, with the very Scottish-sounding new song 'L. Wells,' 'The Dark of the Matinee,' and upbeat single 'Take Me Out.' 'Michael' was about as punk rock as FF could get, which went right into the early 80s Brit-wave song 'Outsiders.' They finished up nicely, prompting the crowd to scream through the fast-anthem chorus of 'This Fire.'Finland's H.I.M. was a bit disappointing for those putting too much stock in their bone-crunching catchiness (of which the music world needs more). A bit disjointed at times, they nevertheless showed more power and abandon musically then anyone else on the main stage not named AFI. Plus there was just something endearing about singer Ville Harmanni Valo grinning madly while smoking through the whole set. Things came together nicely for single 'Rip Out The Wings Of A Butterfly,' and a terribly fun cover of Chris Isaak's 'Wicked Game.'Echo & The Bunnymen occupied the traditional old guys revival spot at this year's BFD. Usually this is a chance for a band from Live 105's 1980s glory days to come back and show the whippersnappers how it's down. Previously it worked really well with bands like New Order and the Violent Femmes. Not so much this year. Echo & the Bunnymen reminded those old enough how wonderfully catchy they could be, but hardly breathed on stage. They generally lacked passion and at times seemed like they didn't really care they had a chance to play before 20,000 people in 2006. Hopefully they stuck around to watch the rest of the show, and perhaps let a bit of AFI's enthusiasm rub off.
Posted in: News | Afi | 0 Comments
Add Bookmarks
Del.icio.us ·
Digg It ·
Furl ·
YahooMyWeb ·
Blinklist