Sunday, August 18, 2002
Street Date August 20: Lee Ann Womack, Amber
Also: Black Crowes, Diamond Rio, The Ramones, Sleater-Kinney, Frank Black, Berlin and more.
Also: Black Crowes, Diamond Rio, The Ramones, Sleater-Kinney, Frank Black, Berlin and more.
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Lee Ann Womack - “Something Worth Leaving Behind” (MCA Nashville)
Womack’s follow-up to her critically acclaimed--and multi-platinum--2000 release, “I Hope You Dance,” features a hit title-track that is climbing the country-singles chart. The singer-songwriter’s official website features a complete tracklist and audio samples, as well as details about her August in-store tour.
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Amber - “Naked” (Tommy Boy)
Paving the way for Amber’s third album are the hit singles “Yes” and “The Need to be Naked.” Both tracks, along with five other cuts from “Naked,” are streaming at the singer’s official website. The site also features details about Amber’s promotional club tour behind “Naked.”
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Black Crowes - “Live” (V2)
Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson sorted through hours of material while hand-picking the 19 live cuts that make up this two-disc set, according to the band’s official website. The site features a complete tracklist. The new album will have to tide over fans while the Black Crowes’ members take an official break from each other to pursue other interests; frontman Chris Robinson soon will launch a tour and release his first solo effort.
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Sleater-Kinney - “One Beat” (Kill Rock Stars)
The critically acclaimed all-female punk-rock trio issues the follow-up to 2000’s “All Hands on the Bad One.” Limited editions of the CD and LP come with a bonus single, and the vinyl LP is packaged with a poster. The full album is streaming at the Kill Rock Stars website.
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Frank Black & The Catholics - “Black Letter Days” and “Devil’s Workshop” (SpinART)
The prolific ex-Pixies frontman issues two separate albums on the same day. According to the label, each album was recorded “live to two-track,” but are “fleshed out stylistically with much fuller arrangements” than previous releases from Black and the Catholics.
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Diamond Rio - “Completely” (Arista)
Country sextet Diamond Rio’s latest is the follow up to last year’s “One More Day.” The latter album’s title track became a country-radio staple in the wake of Sept. 11. The new album features the hit single “Beautiful Mess,” which is climbing Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
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Ramones - “End Of The Century,” “Pleasant Dreams,” “Subterranean Jungle,” “Too Tough To Die” (Rhino)
Following up on its June reissuing of the Ramones first four albums, Rhino offers up four more remastered and expanded collections. All four feature numerous bonus tracks not found on the original releases, as well as new liner notes that contain a Johnny Ramone-penned tribute to late bassist Dee Dee Ramone, who died earlier this year. Detailed information about the reissues is posted at Rhino’s official website.
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Berlin - “Voyeur” (iMusic/ArtistDirect)
The ‘80s band best known for its hits “The Metro,” “Take My Breath Away” and “No More Words” returns with its first studio album since 1986. Each of the album’s 11 tracks was written or co-written by lead-singer Terri Nunn, and ex-Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan was among her writing collaborators. The entire album is streaming on Berlin’s official website.
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Other new releases:
Ah*Nee*Mah - “Grand Circle” (Paras)
Armik - “Lost in Paradise” (Paras Group)
Eric Bachmann - “Short Careers: Music from Ball of Wax” (Merge)
Blindside - “Silence” (Elektra)
Bowling for Soup - “Drunk Enough to Dance” (Jive)
Capital D & the Molemen - “Writer’s Block (The Movie)” (All Natural)
Seana Carmody - “Struts and Shocks” (Kimchee)
Neko Case - “Blacklisted” (Bloodshot)
Eva Cassidy - “Imagine” (Blix Street)
Clipse - “Lord Willin’” (Arista)
Biffy Clyro - “Blackened Sky” (Beggars Banquet)
Julee Cruise - “The Art of Being a Girl” (Varese)
Dark Tranquility - “Damage Done” (Century Media)
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe - “The Bridge” (Relaxed)
Andy Dick & the Bitches of the Century - “Andy Dick & the Bitches of the Century” (Milan)
DJ Jazzy Jeff - “The Magnificent” (BBE/Rapster)
Explorers Club - “Raising the Mammoth” (Magna Carta)
Great Lakes - “The Distance Between” (Orange Twin)
Interpol - “Turn on the Bright Lights” (Matador)
Mike Johnson - “What Would You Do?” (Up)
June Panic - “Baby’s Breadth” (Secretly Canadian)
L.A. Guns - “Waking the Dead” (Spitfire)
Lady May - “May Day” (Arista)
Gordon Lightfoot - “Salute” (Rhino)
Gordon Lightfoot - “Shadows” (Rhino)
Lovers - “Starlit Sunken Ship” (Orange Twin)
Mana - “Revolucion De Amor” (WEA International)
Manishevitz - “Private Lines [EP]” (Jagjaguwar)
Angie Martinez - “Animal House” (Elektra)
Mecca Normal - “The Family Swan” (Kill Rock Stars)
The Mekons - “O.O.O.H.” (Quarterstick)
Mudhoney - “Since We’ve Become Translucent” (Sub Pop)
Murderdolls - “Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls” (Roadrunner)
Non - “Children of the Black Sun” (Mute)
John Oates - “Phunk Shui” (Beyond)
Permer - “Summerdays Attract the Pain” (Hidden Agenda)
Phantomsmasher - “Phantomsmasher” (Ipecac)
Grant-Lee Phillips - “Ladies’ Love Oracle” (Rounder)
Pulp - “We Love Life” (Sanctuary/Rough Trade)
Rivulets - “Thank You Reykjavik [EP]” (BlueSanct)
Steve Roach/Jeffrey Fayman - “Trance Spirits” (Projekt)
Thom Rotella - “A Day in the Life” (V2)
Schneider TM - “Zoomer” (Mute)
Seether - “Disclaimer” (Wind-Up)
Sleater-Kinney - “One Beat” (Kill Rock Stars)
Anthony Smith - “If That Ain’t Country” (Mercury Nashville)
Rose Smith - “Dawnraiding” (Paras)
Sonia Dada - “Barefoot Soul” (Razor & Tie)
Spoon - “Kill the Moonlight” (Merge)
The Standard - “August” (Touch & Go)
Andy Stochansky - “Five Star Motel” (RCA)
Sugar Shack - “Spinning Wheels” (Estrus)
Tegan & Sara - “If It Was You” (Sanctuary)
The Turbo A.C.’s - “Damnation Overdrive” (Blackout)
Victory at Sea - “The Good Night” (Kimchee)
Kelly Willis - “Easy” (Rykodisc)
Wolf Colonel - “Something/Everything!” (K)
Yonder Mountain String Band - “Mountain Tracks Volume 2” (Sci Fidelity)
Various artists - “Barrio Latino 3” (George V)
Various artists - “La Maison de L’Elephant” (Milan)
Various artists - “We Love New York” (RCA)
Soundtracks & Scores:
“Possession" (RCA)
“Simone" (Varèse Sarabande)
Creed’s tour set to roll through October
Creed--which has been on tour for much of the year to support its multi-platinum 2001 release, “Weathered"--has firmed up its itinerary into late October.
Creed--which has been on tour for much of the year to support its multi-platinum 2001 release, “Weathered"--has firmed up its itinerary into late October.
The group is auctioning off general-admission pit tickets for most stops on the tour; auction proceeds will benefit Stapp’s With Arms Wide Open Foundation. Additional shows will be added to the charity auction as tickets go on sale to the general public.
The first North American leg of the Florida-based rock band’s tour took place in January and February, and was followed by dates in Australia and New Zealand.
The tour had been scheduled to resume in late April, but those dates were pushed back to mid-July after Creed frontman Scott Stapp was injured in a car accident.
The video for Creed’s single “My Sacrifice” is nominated for an MTV Video Music Award in the Rock Video of the Year category. The awards ceremony takes place on Aug. 29.
“Weathered," Creed’s chart-topping third album, was released in November and sold about 887,000 copies during its first week out. The album spent its first eight weeks of release in the No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200 album chart, and in January was certified multi-platinum for shipping 5 million copies in the U.S.
Thursday, August 15, 2002
Live Review: Trick Pony in Clio, Mich.
CLIO, Mich.--During its Thursday (8/15) performance at Michigan’s Clio Area Amphitheatre, the country trio Trick Pony proved why it was worthy of the Academy of Country Music’s award for top new vocal group.
CLIO, Mich.--During its Thursday (8/15) performance at Michigan’s Clio Area Amphitheatre, the country trio Trick Pony proved why it was worthy of the Academy of Country Music’s award for top new vocal group.
Heidi Newfield showed strong vocal chops, tackling the vocally challenging “Pour Me” and “Party for One” without straying off key. Her rendition of Southern gospel-flavored “Every Other Memory” was, well, memorable.
The 90-minute performance was an expanded version of the set Trick Pony played on the Brooks and Dunn tour earlier this summer. Bassist Ira Dean ran on stage first to meet his trademark chrome upright bass (complete with headlights), followed by Newfield and guitarist Keith Burns. “Are you ready to get it on?” Newfield yelled, eliciting catcalls from the hefty crowd.
Dean was the showman of the group, earning standing ovations for swinging his green sparkling bass around his neck. During “Pour Me,” the concert’s opening song, he rode his bass like a horse. He and Burns crossed paths doing a Chuck Berry duck walk across the stage.
But a few of Dean’s tricks didn’t go over so well. When he encouraged the crowd to scream “Hell yeah,” there was nary a response.
Dean wore loud, black-velvet-like checkered pants, a blue-and-white striped button-down shirt with the sleeves cut off, a black tank top, John Lennon sunglasses and a black fedora. In contrast, his bandmates’ were clad conservatively: Burns’ opted for jeans and a T-shirt; Newfield’s wore low-riding brown pants and a white shirt with flowing sleeves.
Trick Pony debuted a handful of new songs, including “Love Be Still,” from its forthcoming album, due to hit stores in October. The album will be the follow-up to the group’s self-titled 2001 gold album.
“We were talking about how happy this year has been and what a great start it has been for the Trick Pony crew,” Newfield said at one point during the show. “Even though this year is almost half over, I think this year keeps on getting better and better.”
Newcomers Emerson Drive opened the show with a 45-minute set that wrapped up with the hit “I Should Be Sleeping.” With its energetic performance and the rabid response from the crowd, it’s clear their year will be getting better as well.
Jewel begins a round of solo-acoustic dates
Singer-songwriter Jewel, fresh from a series of live shows with her band, spends August and September playing a group of solo-acoustic shows in the western U.S.
Singer-songwriter Jewel, fresh from a series of live shows with her band, spends August and September playing a group of solo-acoustic shows in the western U.S.
According to Atlantic Records, Jewel will be playing guitar through the entire performance--something she hadn’t been able to do since April, when she was http://www.soundspike.com/story/185>thrown from a horse in Texas and broke her collarbone. She had been gradually increasing her guitar-playing time during her recent band concerts.
Despite her injuries, Jewel began her 2002 world tour with a series of Asian dates in late March and early April, followed by a tour of Europe.
Jewel is supporting her fourth album, “This Way,” which was released in November of 2001 and is certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Scooter Scudieri, an artist who performed during Soul City Cafe ArtBeat, opens the acoustic tour’s first seven dates, concluding his run in Salt Lake City. Soul City Cafe was developed by Jewel with her mother and manager, Lenedra Carroll, to showcase developing musical and spoken-word artists.
Bruce Springsteen maps European tour dates
Bruce Springsteen will play seven shows in seven European cities in October, between the first two segments of his North American tour.
Bruce Springsteen will play seven shows in seven European cities in October, between the first two segments of his North American tour.
Springsteen’s recent release, “The Rising,” reached No. 1 on several European charts, including the pan-European Music and Media album chart, as well as charts in the U.K., Germany, Italy, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, according to his publicist.
The album also hit No. 1 on album charts in the U.S. and in Canada.
Springsteen’s European tour dates follow. He recently launched his North American tour.
October
14 - Paris, France - Bercy
16 - Barcelona, Spain - Palau Sant Jordi Barcelona
18 - Bologna, Italy - Palamalaguti
20 - Berlin, Germany - Velledrone
22 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Ahoy
24 - Stockholm, Sweden - The Globe
27 - London, England - Wembley Arena
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
Rush reveals new round of dates
Rush wraps up the first leg of its tour behind “Vapor Trails” later this month, but the veteran power trio is set to head back out in early September for the outing’s second leg.
Rush wraps up the first leg of its tour behind “Vapor Trails” later this month, but the veteran power trio is set to head back out in early September for the outing’s second leg.
The two-months worth of new dates kick off in the Canadian group’s home country, and stretch into early November. Tickets for several shows hit the box office on Saturday (8/17). (On-sale details will appear in SoundSpike’s weekly ”Ticket Window” feature, which is updated on Thursday evening.)
Rush’s current tour supports its May 14 release, “Vapor Trails"--the group’s first collection of new material since 1996’s “Test for Echo"--and is the band’s first tour in five years. The group recently released to radio the new album’s second single, “Secret Touch.”
Detailed information about “Vapor Trails,” including audio samples, can be found at the album’s official website. The band’s official website, meanwhile, features streaming video of the current tour’s opening night.
Rush--Geddy Lee (bass-vocals), Alex Lifeson (guitar) and Neil Peart (drums)--has released 22 albums, all of which have been certified gold or better by the Recording Industry Association of America, and has sold over 35 million albums worldwide, according to a press release. The group’s best-selling album is 1981’s quadruple-platinum “Moving Pictures,” which features the band’s most well-known hit, “Tom Sawyer.”
Filter, “The Amalgamut” (Reprise)
Filter’s third album is a peaks-and-valleys ride through a dozen tracks that range from industrial rock to arena rock to rock ballads.
Filter’s third album is a peaks-and-valleys ride through a dozen tracks that range from industrial rock to arena rock to rock ballads.
Current radio single “Where Do We Go From Here” is a straight-ahead, mid-tempo track that pales next to album-openers “You Walk Away” and “American Cliché,” a duo of bombastic, industrial rockers that hark back to the group’s previous hits, “Hey Man, Nice Shot” (1995) and “Welcome to the Fold” (1999).
And while heavy fare serves as the group’s musical foundation, slower numbers such as “The Missing” and “God Damn Me” enhance the album rather than bog it down, thanks largely to founder Richard Patrick’s ability to sing at least as well as he screams.
Patrick’s pop prowess, meanwhile--which infuses most of the album’s tracks with an ample helping of hooks--is most evident on “The Only Way (Is the Wrong Way),” a track that is reminiscent of 1999’s “Take a Picture” and is destined for radio airplay courtesy of an instantly infectious chorus.
Gene plans September club jaunt, fall outing
The English pop group Gene is gearing up for its first U.S. tour since 1999.
The English pop group Gene is gearing up for its first U.S. tour since 1999.
The brief jaunt, featuring the Chicago band Matthew in the support slot, kicks off Sept. 12 in Chicago, and focuses on the Midwest and East Coast. Gene will return to the U.S. for more tour dates this fall.
The band is touring in support of its fifth U.S. album, “Libertine,” which it co-produced with Hugh Jones and Stephen Street. The record, which surfaced on Aug. 6, marks Gene’s first for record label iMUSIC/Artist Direct/BMG. The first single, “Let Me Move On,” is available as a free MP3-download at the group’s official website.
The website also features the Gene Rarities Forum, which is an e-mail service that delivers access to download and preview privately filmed concerts, demo recordings and live-concert recordings from the band’s archives.
Gene--vocalist-keyboardist Martin Rossiter, guitarist Steve Mason, bassist Kevin Miles and drummer Matt James--released its debut album, “Olympian,” in 1995.
Ticket Window: Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith
This week’s major new on-sales also include tickets for Bob Dylan, Cher, Creed, George Strait, Incubus and Rush.
This week’s major new on-sales also include tickets for Bob Dylan, Cher, Creed, George Strait, Incubus and Rush.
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Aerosmith
Read about the tour.
- Bonner Springs, Kan. (Sandstone Amphitheater), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
- Virginia Beach, Va. (Verizon Amphitheater), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
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Bob Dylan
Read about the tour.
- Lake Tahoe, Nev. (10/13), on sale 8/17, time TBA
- Phoenix (10/21, Veterans Memorial Coliseum), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
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Bruce Springsteen
Read about the tour.
- Milwaukee, Wis. (9/27, Bradley Center), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
- Columbus, Ohio (11/9, Schottenstein Center), on sale 8/17 at noon
- Lexington, Ky. (11/14, Rupp Arena), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
- Birmingham, Ala. (11/19, BJCC Arena), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
- Pittsburgh, Pa. (12/4, Mellon Arena), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
- Charlotte, N.C. (12/8, Coliseum), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
- Albany, N.Y. (12/13, Pepsi Arena), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
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Cher
Read about the tour.
- Grand Forks, N.D. (9/28, Alerus Center), on sale 8/17 at 9 a.m.
- Green Bay, Wis. (10/6), Resch Center), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
- Montreal (10/21, Molson Centre), on sale 8/17 at noon
- Nashville (11/13, Gaylord Center), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
- Dallas (11/22, American Airlines Center), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
- San Diego (12/1, Sports Arena), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
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Creed
Read about the tour.
- Sacramento, Calif. (10/9, Arco Arena), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
- Mountain View, Calif. (10/12, Shoreline Amphitheatre), on sale 8/17 at noon
- Salt Lake City (10/19, Delta Center), on sale 8/17 at 9 a.m.
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George Strait
Read about the tour.
- Cleveland (9/28, Gund Arena), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
- Seattle (10/21), KeyArena), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
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Incubus
Read about the tour.
- Duluth, Minn. (10/10, DECC Arena), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
- Madison, Wis. (10/14, Alliant Energy Center), on sale 8/16 at 4 p.m.
- West Palm Beach, Fla. (10/20, Mars Music Amphitheatre), on sale 8/16 at 5 p.m.
- Tampa, Fla. (10/22, Sun Dome), on sale 8/16 at 5 p.m.
- Woodlands, Texas (10/26, Woodlands Pavilion), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
- Phoenix (10/30, Cricket Pavilion), on sale 8/17 at noon
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Rush
Read about the tour.
- Tampa, Fla. (10/10, Ice Palace), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
- West Palm Beach, Fla. (10/11, Mars Music Amphitheater), on sale 8/17 at 10 a.m.
- Atlanta, Ga. (10/13, Philips Arena), on sale 8/17 at noon
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All ticket on-sale times and concert dates are subject to change without notice. Confirm with your local venue and/or ticket seller.
SoundSpike’s Ticket Window feature is updated each Thursday evening.
Tuesday, August 13, 2002
Drowning Pool frontman found dead
Dave Williams, singer for rock act Drowning Pool, was found dead on the band’s tour bus on Wednesday (8/14) afternoon. He was 30.
Dave Williams, singer for rock act Drowning Pool, was found dead on the band’s tour bus on Wednesday (8/14) afternoon. He was 30.
Williams was in Virginia, where Drowning Pool was scheduled to perform on the main stage during Thursday’s (8/15) Ozzfest show at Bristow’s Nissan Pavillion. The cause of the singer’s death has not yet been determined, according to a statement issued by the band’s label, Wind-Up Records.
Texas quartet Drowning Pool released its platinum-certified debut album, “Sinner,” in June of last year. The album features the group’s hit-single “Bodies.”