Monday, July 08, 2002
Coldplay unveils North American club tour
The English pop-band Coldplay hits U.S. clubs this summer to advance the late-August release of its sophomore album, “A Rush of Blood to the Head.”
The English pop-band Coldplay hits U.S. clubs this summer to advance the late-August release of its sophomore album, “A Rush of Blood to the Head.”
The tour kicks off Aug. 2 in Chicago with an MTV2 “$2 Bill Show,” which is scheduled to air live and then be repeated throughout the month on MTV and MTV2. A limited number of tickets to most shows are available to registered users at the band’s official website.
Coldplay---vocalist, pianist, guitarist Chris Martin; guitarist Jon Buckland; drummer Will Champion; and bassist Guy Berryman--plans to follow the club outing with a full North American tour in the fall.
“A Rush of Blood to the Head,” which surfaces on Aug. 27, was produced by the band and Ken Nelson, who also lent a hand during the recording of Coldplay’s debut “Parachutes.” The group recorded the album at George Martin’s AIR studios in London and Parr Street Studios in Liverpool.
“Parachutes" was released in 2000 and sold 1.3 million copies in the United States and 5 million worldwide. The album earned the 2002 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album.
Hospitalization interrupts Marilyn Manson’s recording session
Though he’s short on specifics, Marilyn Manson claims he was hospitalized last week after “going too far.”
Though he’s short on specifics, Marilyn Manson claims he was hospitalized last week after “going too far.”
“This week was strenuous and I landed myself in the hospital as a result of ‘going too far’ in the creation process,” Manson wrote in a diary entry posted on his official website. “I am fine now and glad to be back in the studio. We have just completed the last track for the album and it is my favorite so far.”
Manson and his band are working on a new album dubbed “The Golden Age of Innocence,” which is expected to hit stores this fall. Longtime Manson bassist Twiggy Ramirez left the band earlier this year, and has been replaced by KMFDM’s Tim Skold.
Manson also reveals in his diary entry that he has “started a series of life-size paintings of Elizabeth Short’s bizarre death. It has haunted me all my life.” Short, an aspiring young actress who became known as the Black Dahlia, was murdered in Massachusetts in 1924.
Paul Westerberg plots North American club trek
Ex-Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg--who has toured just twice in the last decade, most recently in 1996--is assembling a club tour that gets underway later this month in Los Angeles.
Ex-Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg--who has toured just twice in the last decade, most recently in 1996--is assembling a club tour that gets underway later this month in Los Angeles.
The first batch of confirmed dates focuses on the Midwest and the East Coast, and more shows are in the works. He is also scheduled to perform tonight (7/9) on NBC’s “Late Night With Conan O’Brien.”
To warm up for the tour, Westerberg played three sold-out solo shows at the Guthrie Theatre in his home base of Minneapolis from June 29-July 1. In a review in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, critic Chris Riemenschneider wrote that “for the faithful, [the shows] were revealing, fresh and rejuvenating--enough to suggest the singer’s third decade could become as interesting as his first.”
Westerberg is backing his fourth solo album, the two-disc “Stereo/Mono.” (Vagrant Records issued a limited-edition version of half of the 2-CD set, titled “Mono,” in March. Click here to read a review).
Earlier this year, Westerberg played a series of free, solo-acoustic, in-store shows. He canceled the final two appearances on that run due to exhaustion, according to a statement issued by his management at the time.
Beck plans acoustic tour as album-release date approaches
Beck paves the way for the release of his forthcoming album with a solo-acoustic tour that gets underway in August.
Beck paves the way for the release of his forthcoming album with a solo-acoustic tour that gets underway in August.
Beginning on July 12, pre-sale tickets for select shows will be available through Beck’s official website. More information about the advance tickets is available on the site.
The new, as-yet-untitled album was produced by Nigel Godrich, who worked with Beck on 1998’s “Mutations.” The new album features backing from Beck’s live band, including Smokey Hormel (guitar), Justin Meldal-Johnsen (bass) and multi-instrumentalist Roger Manning Jr.
Each week until the release of the CD, Beck’s official site will stream a new track from the album.
Beck--who’s album output was prolific early in his career--hasn’t released an album since 1999’s “Midnite Vultures.”
Travis calls off tour dates after drummer is injured
British rock band Travis has called off its remaining tour schedule due to an injury drummer Neil Primrose suffered in a swimming accident.
British rock band Travis has called off its remaining tour schedule due to an injury drummer Neil Primrose suffered in a swimming accident.
“Whilst relaxing in the pool, [Primrose] struck his head and was knocked unconscious,” the band’s management said in a prepared statement. “After realising his predicament, other band and crew members dragged Neil from the pool and gave him assistance. He was taken by ambulance to the local hospital in Belfort to receive treatment and to undergo tests.
“Early indications suggest that Neil has sustained a fracture on one of his vertebrae and is still in the hospital in France undergoing further tests.”
As a result, Travis has called off its scheduled appearances in Lucca, Italy (7/15), Rome (7/16), Brittany, France (7/19), and Dublin (7/21).
David Bowie, for whom Travis was scheduled to open, will perform as scheduled in Lucca.
Sunday, July 07, 2002
Metallica throws rescheduled party for fans
On Saturday night (7/6), Metallica treated a group of July 2001 contest winners to a belated prize that included dinner with the group and a private concert.
On Saturday night (7/6), Metallica treated a group of July 2001 contest winners to a belated prize that included dinner with the group and a private concert.
During the event--which had been postponed since last July--Metallica frontman James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist Kirk Hammett joined 10 grand-prize winners for a chauffeured tour of some notable San Francisco Bay Area landmarks from throughout the band’s career, including local club Tommy’s Joynt.
The band and grand-prize winners then dined together inside the group’s recording studio, while an additional 100 first-prize winners arrived via bus and were treated to an outdoor barbecue.
After dinner, the band members took turns guiding all of the winners on a tour of the studio. The party then moved into a large recording hall, where contest winners auditioned for a chance to play bass with the band. Two audition-winners performed one song apiece with the group and each was awarded an ESP bass guitar.
Longtime Metallica producer Bob Rock, who is working with the group on its next album, took over bass duties for the rest of the band’s live set, which included a new track titled “Dead Kennedy Rolls.” (The band has been without a permanent bass player since Jason Newsted left the group in January of 2001.)
The event was first scheduled to take place last July to mark the launch of the band’s official website, but was derailed when Hetfield entered a rehabilitation program that same month to undergo treatment for “alcoholism and other addictions,” according to a statement that the group issued at the time.
A full recap of the party, including pictures, can be found at the band’s official website.
Photo courtesy of Metallica.com
Live Review: Kenny Chesney in Clarkston, Mich.
CLARKSTON, Mich.—Country star Kenny Chesney brought along a pair of high-profile friends to offer a hand with the two hours’-worth of hits he played during Wednesday night’s (7/3) show at the Detroit-area DTE Energy Music Theatre.
CLARKSTON, Mich.—Country star Kenny Chesney brought along a pair of high-profile friends to offer a hand with the two hours’-worth of hits he played during Wednesday night’s (7/3) show at the Detroit-area DTE Energy Music Theatre.
After playing catch with him backstage before the concert, Chesney, late in his set, brought out 6-foot 5-inch Indianapolis Colts star Peyton Manning, who towered over the diminutive singer and served as an additional guitarist, strumming simple chords.
“He looks good in a [cowboy] hat, doesn’t he?” asked Chesney, who also wore a black cowboy hat.
Earilier in the evening, Chesney began his show with his songs “Young” and hit single “Don’t Happen Twice,” between which he collected roses from swooning female fans. One female fan held up a sign that read, “Forget the tractor. I think you’re sexy,” a twist on the title of Chesney’s song, “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.”
Young girls locked arms and swayed as Chesney performed a medley of ballads from his 2000 “Greatest Hits” collection, and the singer received rabid applause when, during “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems"--the title track from his latest album--the videoscreen backdrop flashed scenes of Chesney shirtless on a boat with his bandmates.
Chesney, whose set included a montage of cover songs by artists ranging from Kid Rock to AC/DC, wore a ZZ Top “Eliminator” tour jersey with the sleeves cut off, and dropped mentions of Detroit throughout his set. The crowd’s response was consistently frenetic, and fans allowed Chesney to lead them in several sing-alongs, including one during “Fall in Love.”
Chesney and his band were just as energetic as the crowd. The singer repeatedly punched the air and ran along the stage slapping hands with fans in the front rows.
During “Big Star,” a song from his new album, Chesney paid tribute to successful female musicians-singers including the Dixie Chicks, Loretta Lynn, Stevie Nicks, Gwen Stefani and Britney Spears.
After teasing the audience with frequent nods to Kid Rock, Chesney introduced the Detroit-area rap-rocker during an encore. They performed a medley of the Georgia Satellites’ “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” and Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever.”
Of Chesney’s three openers--Montgomery Gentry, Jamie O’Neal and Phil Vassar--Vassar was the most impressive. After running out on stage during Van Halen’s “Right Now,” Vassar stood atop his piano to lead the audience in a rendition of “Carlene,” whipping his arms in the air. He also served up a cover of Huey Lewis and the News’ “Workin’ for a Living,” which he concluded by sliding on the piano and spinning around on his stomach in a move he dubbed as the “pianocopter.”
Vassar also debuted new songs, including the title track from his forthcoming August release, “American Child.” The singer penned several of the new album’s tracks with Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas.
Phil Collins returns in November with ‘Testify’
Phil Collins will release “Testify,” his first all-new solo album in six years, on Nov. 12, according to Atlantic Records.
Phil Collins will release “Testify,” his first all-new solo album in six years, on Nov. 12, according to Atlantic Records.
“The songs for this album were written over the last two years,” Collins said in a press release. “Working with new toys and new tools, they pretty much wrote themselves, and only occasionally needed nudging along.
“There are some songs here that are amongst the best I have ever written,” he added. “I hope you agree.”
Collins’ new marriage in 1999 and his new fatherhood in 2001 inspired the album, according to his label. The singer-singwriter wrote 11 of the 12 tracks on the album himself, and co-wrote “Least You Can Do” with his longtime guitarist Daryl Stuermer.
Collins’ most-recent new music appeared on the 1999 soundtrack for the Disney animated feature film “Tarzan,” which featured his hit single “You’ll Be In My Heart.” In 2000, the track won an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Grammy . Collins also released “A Hot Night in Paris” in 1999, a live album that marked the debut recording by Collins’ big band.
Last month, Collins served as the “house drummer” for the Queen’s Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace, backing Ozzy Osbourne and Eric Clapton, among many others.
The full track listing for “Testify”:
Don’t Get Me Started
Come With Me (Close Your Eyes)
Testify
Wake Up Call
Swing Low and Sweet
It’s Too Late
This Love This Heart
Driving Me Crazy
Least You Can Do
Thru My Eyes
You Touch My Heart
Can’t Stop Loving You
Street Date July 9: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Counting Crows
Also: Dolly Parton, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Jason Lowenstein and more.
Also: Dolly Parton, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Jason Lowenstein and more.
_________________________
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “By the Way” (Warner Bros.)
The Peppers deliver the highly anticipated follow-up to 1999’s quadruple-platinum “Californication.” The video for the album’s hit-single title-track is streaming at the group’s official website. The site also features streaming audio of each of the album’s tracks, and details about the group’s slew of release-week appearances on MTV, MTV2 and VH1.
_________________________
Counting Crows - “Hard Candy” (Geffen)
Adam Duritz and band return with their first studio recording since 1999’s “This Desert Life.” The band worked with two producers: Ethan John (Ryan Adams, Rufus Wainwright) and Steve Lillywhite (U2, Talking Heads, Rolling Stones). Counting Crows plan to tour extensively behind the new album, including an opening stint on the Who’s summer tour.
__________________________
Dolly Parton - “Halos & Horns” (Sugarhill)
On “Halos & Horns,” Parton covers Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and Bread’s “If.” She also revisits “What a Heartache” and “Shattered Image,” two of her own classics. To support the album, Parton has planned her first tour in a decade.
_________________________
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - “Jackknife to a Swan” (Side One Dummy)
The Bosstones’ new album is streaming in its entirety at the band’s official website. The Boston-based act is currently on the road as part of the Vans Warped Tour. In addition to its Warped Tour engagements, the group will also make several release-week television appearances, details for which are posted at the band’s website.
_________________________
Jason Lowenstein - “At Sixes and Sevens” (Sub Pop)
Though bandmate Lou Barlow gets the lion’s share of the ink, Jason Lowenstein has written nearly half of the songs on Sebadoh’s recent albums. “At Sixes and Sevens” is truly a solo effort--Lowenstein sang, played guitar, bass and drums, and produced.
_________________________
Other new releases:
Verden Allen - “20 Year Holiday” (Griffin)
Aphrodite - “Aftershock” (V2)
Bobby Bare, Jr. - “Young Criminals’ Starvation League” (Bloodshot)
Bis - “Plastique Nouveau” (spinART)
Bonnie Bramlett - “I’m Still the Same” (Audium)
Cass - “Spundae Presents Cass” (Mute)
The Cherry Valence - “Riffin’” (Estrus)
Popa Chubby - “The Good, the Bad, and the Chubby” (Blind Pig)
Cousteau - “Sirena” (Phantom)
DJ Spooky - “Optometry” (Thirsty Ear)
Death by Chocolate - “Zap the World” (Jetset)
Joey DeFrancesco - “Ballads and Blues” (Concord Jazz)
E-40 - “Grit & Grind” (Jive)
Echocast - “Where the Future Ends” (XS)
Mary Gauthier - “Filth & Fire” (Signature)
Glassjaw - “Worship and Tribute” (Warner Bros.)
Ian Gomm - “Rock ‘N’ Roll Heart” (Gommsongs)
Grateful Dead - “Steppin’ Out with the Grateful Dead - England ‘72 [BOX SET]
Andy Griggs - “Freedom” (RCA)
Jan Hammer - “Miami Vice: Complete Collection” (One Way)
I Am the World Trade Center - “Tight Connection” (Kindercore)
Sharon Katz & the Peace Train - “Imbizo” (Appleseed)
Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials - “Heads Up!” (Alligator)
Lycia - “Tripping Back Into the Broken Days” (Projekt)
Magic Slim & the Teardrops - “Blue Magic” (Blind Pig)
Meat Katie - “Beyond the Darkness” (4 Foot 11)
Lynn Miles - “Unravel” (Okra-Tone)
Bill Miller - “Spirit Rain” (Paras Recordings)
Abra Moore - “No Fear” (J)
Onyx - “Bacdafucup Part II” (Kela/Koch)
Phillips, Grier & Flinner - “Looking Back” (Compass)
Pixies - “Pixies” (SpinArt)
The Prom - “Under the Same Stars” (Barsuk)
Quixotic - “Mortal Mirror” (Kill Rock Stars)
Kevin Russell’s Junker - “Buttermilk & Rifles” (Sugar Hill)
Six by Seven - “The Way I Feel Today” (Beggars Banquet)
Sixer - “Beautiful Trash” (BYO)
The Slip - “Angels Come on Time” (Rykodisc)
Gary Stroutsos - “Oru: The Natural Order” (Paras)
Styles - “A Gangster and a Gentleman” (Interscope)
Styx - “At the River’s Edge: Live in St. Louis” (Sanctuary/CMC Int’l)
Sun Palace - “Into Heaven” (Drake)
Superdrag - “Last Call for Vitriol” (Arena Rock)
Swan Dive - “June” (Compass)
Tabla Beat Science - “Live in San Francisco” (Palm Pictures)
Twinemen - “Twinemen” (Hi-N-Dry)
Butch Walker - “Left of Self-Centered” (Arista)
Bennie Wallace - “In Berlin” (Enja)
Waterboys - “Fisherman’s Blues Part Two” (Razor & Tie)
Kevin Welch - “Millionaire” (Dead Reckoning)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - “Yeah Yeah Yeahs [EP]” (Touch & Go)
Dhafer Youssef - “Electric Sufi” (Enja)
Incubus readies for a new round of tour dates
After wrapping up a grueling 50-city spring-summer outing, Southern California rockers Incubus are preparing to visit dozens of additional U.S. later this year.
After wrapping up a grueling 50-city spring-summer outing, Southern California rockers Incubus are preparing to visit dozens of additional U.S. later this year.
The band’s upcoming Morning View tour--named for the band’s platinum 2001 CD--runs from late August through November. About 40 dates were confirmed at press time, and more will be announced.
The Calabasas-based quintet recently wrapped up its headlining stint on the Civic Tour 2000, an extensive outing sponsored by the automaker Honda.
Incubus has released six albums over the last six years, breaking through with the multi-platinum 1999 release “Make Yourself,” an album that features the hit single “Drive.”
“Morning View” went platinum 10 weeks after its release, and the band’s recently released second DVD, “Morning View Sessions,” debuted at No. 1 on Soundscan’s DVD chart earlier this year.