Saturday, January 25, 2003
Billy Joel hospitalized after car crash
Billy Joel was hospitalized for several hours following a single-car accident in New York’s Hamptons on Saturday (1/25) night, according to the Associated Press. There was no immediate information about the extent of his injuries.
Billy Joel was hospitalized for several hours following a single-car accident in New York’s Hamptons on Saturday (1/25) night, according to the Associated Press. There was no immediate information about the extent of his injuries.
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Avril Lavigne and Linkin Park snare awards
Avril Lavigne and Linkin Park were among the big winners at Friday’s (1/24) 2003 MTV Asia Awards, MTV reports.
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Jack Johnson readies new album
Singer-songwriter Jack Johnson will release his sophomore album, titled “On,” in March, RollingStone.com reports.
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Rolling Stone magazine gets ripped
In Salon.com gay conservative (such the enigma!) Andrew Sullivan rightly tears into Rolling Stone magazine for an article that claims 25% of newly HIV-infected gay men intentionally sought to contract the virus.
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N.Y. Times Magazine features Warren Zevon
The New York Times Magazine spotlights Warren Zevon, who is dying of lung cancer. “I have my moments when I’m not too thrilled about this whole deal,” he says. “But at the same time, the songs have never come like this, so I’d have to feel more gratitude than anything else. I’m probably in the intensest creative period of my life.”
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Ice Cube albums reissued this winter
Priority/Capitol Records will reissue the first four Ice Cube albums in the coming weeks. “Amerikkka’s Most Wanted” and “Death Certificate” will hit stores on Feb. 25, and “Lethal Injection” and “The Predator” will be released on March 11.
Thursday, January 23, 2003
Bruce Springsteen plans Boston benefit concert
Deep-pocketed Bruce Springsteen fans who missed his visit to Boston last October--or who just want to see him again--will get a shot at catching the Boss in an intimate setting in February.
Deep-pocketed Bruce Springsteen fans who missed his visit to Boston last October--or who just want to see him again--will get a shot at catching the Boss in an intimate setting in February.
Springsteen and his wife, Patti Scialfa, are booked to perform at the Boston-area’s Somerville Theatre on Feb. 20 for a show that will benefit DoubleTake Magazine, according to the venue’s official website. The Boston Globe reports that tickets are expected to cost $1,000 and $5,000.
DoubleTake Magazine--which is based in New York, but has a branch office in Somerville--has “suspended publication pending further funding,” according to a message posted at its website.
Springsteen and the E Street Band are in the midst of a lengthy tour that supports their Grammy-nominated, 2001 release, “The Rising.”
Wednesday, January 22, 2003
Pearl Jam plots North American tour
Pearl Jam has announced plans for a lengthy spring-summer tour of North America, yours truly reports at LiveDaily.
Pearl Jam has announced plans for a lengthy spring-summer tour of North America, yours truly reports at LiveDaily.
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Gibb brothers retire the Bee Gees name
Bee Gee Robin Gibb, in an interview with the U.K.’s GMTV, said that he and his brother Barry plan to continue to make music together, but that the Bee Gees name has been retired.
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String Cheese incident readies new album
The String Cheese Incident has begun recording their first studio album in more than two years, according to the group’s publicist. The jam band is collaborating on the project--tentatively scheduled for release this fall--with producer Youth (The Verve, Crowded House, Paul McCartney).
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R. Kelly nabbed on more child-porn charges
R. Kelly was arrested in Florida on Wednesday (1/22) on additional child porn charges, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
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The Jayhawks cancel tour
The Jayhawks have canceled their January/February tour because singer, songwriter and guitarist Gary Louris has been hospitalized with pericarditis, an infection of the heart, according to Lost Highway Records. While his condition can be life threatening, Louris is expected to make a full recovery and may be able to return home within a week. His doctors have advised him that under no circumstances can he travel or work for at least three weeks.
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RIAA-head Rosen to resign
Hilary Rosen, who has served as chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America since 1998, will leave her post at the end of the year. “I have young children and I want to devote more of my time to them,” she said in a statement. “This has been an extremely difficult decision but I know it is the right one for my family.”
Charts: Norah Jones spends second week at the top
It took Norah Jones’ “Come Away With Me” almost one year to work its way up to No. 1, but now that it’s there, it’s staying put.
It took Norah Jones’ “Come Away With Me” almost one year to work its way up to No. 1, but now that it’s there, it’s staying put.
“Come Away With Me” sold another 114,000 copies during its latest week out, according to industry sources, and will now spend its second-consecutive week at the top of the forthcoming Billboard 200 album chart.
Jones’ debut’s latest one-week total--about 6,000 copies more than the previous week--pushes its U.S.-sales total to just over 3 million. The album rose to No. 1 last week after racking up five Grammy nominations earlier this month--including Album of the Year.
Climbing one notch each are albums from Avril Lavigne and the Dixie Chicks. Sales of Lavigne’s “Let Go,” which climbs to No. 2, jumped from about 83,000 copies to about 105,000 copies; and the Dixie Chicks’ “Home,” up one place to No. 3, jumped from about 80,000 copies to about 87,000 copies.
The soundtrack from the critically acclaimed film-adaptation of the musical “Chicago” is the only newcomer to this week’s Top 10, and makes its debut at No. 4 thanks to sales of about 83,000 copies.
Jennifer Lopez’s “This Is Me ... Then” and the “8 Mile” soundtrack both lose ground this week, with “This Is Me ... Then” down three spots to No. 5, and “8 Mile” down a notch to No. 6.
The remainder of the Top 10 comprises gainers, with Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott’s “Under Construction,” Aaliyah’s “I Care 4 U,” Christina Aguilera’s “Stripped” and Ja Rule’s “Last Temptation” each up one spot to Nos. 7, 8, 9 and 10, respectively.
Debuts logging in further down the chart are few and far between, with Terri Clark’s “Pain to Kill” in at No. 27, and Benzino’s “Redemption” in at No. 65.
Between the latter pair of debuts, the Bee Gees’ “Their Greatest Hits--The Record” returns to the chart at No. 55 after selling about 17,000 copies in the wake of group-member Maurice Gibb’s recent death.
Monday, January 20, 2003
Metallica surprises Raiders fans with free show
Metallica played a surprise show in the parking lot of Oakland’s Network Associates Coliseum on Sunday (1/19), before the Raiders pummeled the New York Jets to gain a Super Bowl berth. Details (of the Metallica show, not the game, silly) are available at Metallica’s official website
Metallica played a surprise show in the parking lot of Oakland’s Network Associates Coliseum on Sunday (1/19), before the Raiders pummeled the New York Jets to gain a Super Bowl berth. Details (of the Metallica show, not the game, silly) are available at Metallica’s official website
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Big Day Out gets mellow
Neil Strauss reviews Australia’s Big Day Out festival for the New York Times, finding the scene a bit mellower than in the recent past. And that’s a good thing.
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RIAA wins another round
In another “the corporation is always right” ruling, a federal judge--siding with the Recording Industry Association of America--has ordered Verizon Communications to reveal the identity of a peer-to-peer music trader that the RIAA accuses of piracy, CNET reports. The decision could make it easier for the music industry to prosecute file traders.
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Fred Durst and Britney, revisitied
Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst further fans the flames of his alleged Britney Spears tryst on his band’s website. “i never meant to be in this situation,” he writes [apparently his shift key is broken]. “shit happens. whats [sic] the big deal? yeah she is a big POP [well, the shift key seems to work now...] star and her last relationship with another big POP star was a big deal, but damn y’all need to chill.”
Love is pain, Fred. Love is pain.
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Up close with Long Gone John
Dean Kuipers profiles Long Gone John, reclusive owner of indie label Sympathy for the Record Industry, in the Los Angeles Times.
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Hip-hop fest set for Atlanta
Atlanta will play host to the first Urban Hip-Hop Music Fest on April 12 and 13. The event ties in with the second annual Hip-Hop Summit, which is set for April 11 at Morehouse College.
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Blue Man Group rocks
(Former?) Intel pitchmen Blue Man Group have signed a multi-album deal with Lava Records. They release an album titled “The Complex"--featuring guest collaborations with Dan the Automator, Tracy Bonham, Esthero, Josh Haden, Dave Matthews and others--on April 22. It’s being billed as Blue Man Group’s first “rock” album.
Thursday, January 16, 2003
KISS continues its long goodbye
The never-ending farewell tour of KISS will continue this summer, and this time the vintage swindlers will hit the road with fellow well-aged rockers Aerosmith, MTV News reports. How can we say goodbye if they won’t go away?
The never-ending farewell tour of KISS will continue this summer, and this time the vintage swindlers will hit the road with fellow well-aged rockers Aerosmith, MTV News reports. How can we say goodbye if they won’t go away?
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Springsteen unveils Canadian dates
Backstreets.com reports that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are confirmed to play five-show Canadian run from April 11-19.
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Bobby Brown in jail
Bobby Brown will spend the next eight days in the pokey in connection with a 1996 drunken-driving charge, the Associated Press reports.
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Bonnie Raitt Super Bowl bound
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bonnie Raitt will be among the featured performers at the Super Bowl XXXVII pre-game show.
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Lisa Marie Presley exposes herself
Lisa Marie Presley’s debut album is due to hit stores on April 8. “This is me,” she says in a press release. “This record is me,” she says, getting slightly more specific. “Every song is me,” she adds, perhaps getting a bit redundant. “You’re going to see who I really am and not what the tabloids say or whatever anyone has to say about me.”
We can’t wait.
Wednesday, January 15, 2003
Autopsy: Intestinal problem killed Maurice Gibb
An autopsy on Bee Gee Maurice Gibb found that he died because his small intestine twisted, restricting the flow of blood to his bowel, the Associated Press reports.
An autopsy on Bee Gee Maurice Gibb found that he died because his small intestine twisted, restricting the flow of blood to his bowel, the Associated Press reports.
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Bob Dylan track debuts on AOL Music
A new Bob Dylan song titled “Cross the Green Mountain” will debut on AOL Music (AOL Keyword: First Listen) on Jan. 17. It will be available at Netscape Music (music.netscape.com) on Jan. 18. The song will be featured in the forthcoming Civil War film Gods and Generals.
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Dave Matthews, Tim Reynolds announce acoustic tour
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds will embark on an a spring acoustic tour, LiveDaily reports.
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Timberlake, Aguilera ‘Read To Achieve’
Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, B2K and LL Cool J will perform at a “Read To Achieve” charity event in association with the NBA All-Star game, Billboard reports. The hour-long event will be simulcast live on several networks, including TNT, Disney, Nickelodon, BET and Telemundo.
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Warped Tour lineup unveiled
This year’s edition of the Vans Warped Tour will feature Rancid, Pennywise, Less Than Jake, Face to Face, AFI, Simple Plan, The Used, Finch, The Ataris, Glassjaw, The Distillers and Taking Back Sunday, Rolling Stone reports.
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Noise Pop festival details
San Francisco’s Noise Pop festival, set to run from Feb. 25-March 2, will feature Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, The Donnas, Tortoise, Cat Power, Calexico, Hot Rod Circuit, Trans Am, Dead Moon, The Pattern, Folk Implosion, The Dirtbombs, Camper Van Beethoven and others.
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Catching up with Creeper Lagoon
The Sacramento News & Review‘s Jackson Griffith catches up with a majorly retooled Creeper Lagoon.
No Doubt joins lengthy roster of acts for Super Bowl XXXVII
No Doubt, Carlos Santana, Michelle Branch and Beyonce Knowles have all been added to the talent pool that will perform during the Super Bowl XXXVII pre-game and halftime shows.
No Doubt, Carlos Santana, Michelle Branch and Beyonce Knowles have all been added to the talent pool that will perform during the Super Bowl XXXVII pre-game and halftime shows.
Santana, Branch and Knowles will team up for a pre-game performance that will also feature 850 local dancers, according to organizers. Branch appears on Santana’s latest hit, “The Game of Love,” which was recently nominated for the Grammy award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
The pre-game lineup also includes Celine Dion, who will sing “God Bless America;” and the Dixie Chicks, who will sing the national anthem.
At halftime, No Doubt and Shania Twain are due to hit the stage, while New Jersey rockers Bon Jovi will perform during the “post-game celebration,” according to the NFL.
Super Bowl XXXVII takes place on January 26 at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium. The game--as well as all the pre-game, halftime and post-game performances--will be broadcast live on ABC-TV.
More details are available at the official Super Bowl XXXVII website.
Tuesday, January 14, 2003
Eminem, Bruce Springsteen up for Brit Awards
Eminem and Bruce Springsteen are among the nominees for Best International Male Solo Artist in the U.K.’s Brit Awards, Reuters reports.
Eminem and Bruce Springsteen are among the nominees for Best International Male Solo Artist in the U.K.’s Brit Awards, Reuters reports.
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Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera to co-headline tour?
Justin Timberlake and his former Mickey Mouse Club co-star Christina Aguilera plan to team for a summer tour, MTV News reports.
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Clay Walker at the Opry
Clay Walker will debut a new single titled “Everybody Needs Love” from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry stage on Saturday (1/18).
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Pogo with MTV
Kelefa Sanneh reports in the New York Times on MTV’s recent efforts hasten the development of punk rock bands.
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New Godsmack album on the way
A new Godsmack album titled “Faceless” is due in stores on April 8, Billboard.com reports.
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Ring-tone money a boon for publishers
Ring tones for cell phones are turning into a big business for publishers. London’s Informa Media Group found that copyright owners collected $71 million in royalties from ring-tone sales in 2002, an increase of nearly 58 percent over 2001.
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New Linkin Park album drops in March
“Meteora," Linkin Park’s follow-up to their wildly successful 2000 debut “Hybrid Theory,” will be released on March 25. The title of the first single will be “Somewhere I Belong.”
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Supreme Court upholds expanded copyright period
Bowing to Mickey Mouse, the Supreme Court, Inc. found that the legislature has wide authority to repeatedly delay the entry of certain copyrighted works into the public domain, CNET reports.
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Nominations out for Dove Awards
The Tennessean reports on the nominees for the 34th Annual Dove Awards.
Album Chart: Grammy nods push Norah Jones into top slot
Nearly one year after its release, Norah Jones’ “Come Away With Me” has finally reached the top of the Billboard 200 album chart.
Nearly one year after its release, Norah Jones’ “Come Away With Me” has finally reached the top of the Billboard 200 album chart.
Sales figures were down for all of the Top 10 albums, but “Come Away With Me” fared better than most, dropping only about 8,000 copies from its previous week’s total of about 116,000, according to industry sources. The album was likely buoyed by last week’s announcement that it is in contention for an Album of the Year Grammy, and that Jones is one of several artists who are nominated for five Grammy awards.
Jennifer Lopez’s “This Is Me ... Then” also suffered a relatively minimal amount of bleeding, with its one-week total dropping from about 95,000 copies to about 89,000 copies. That’s enough for the album to move up four places to No. 2.
Avril Lavigne’s “Let Go” and the Dixie Chicks’ “Home” stay put for the third-consecutive week at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively. Lavigne and the Dixie Chicks are also among this year’s Grammy nominees.
After spending the past two weeks at No. 1, the “8 Mile” soundtrack--featuring Eminem’s No. 1 hit, “Lose Yourself"--dips to No. 5 with sales of about 75,000 copies, down from about 119,000 copies.
Justin Timberlake’s “Justified” and Shania Twain’s “Up!” both gain ground, moving up one spot each to Nos. 6 and 7, respectively.
Also moving up is Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott’s “Under Construction;” the album, which features current No. 1 hit “Work It,” climbs from No. 11 to No. 8, up from No. 19 two weeks back.
Closing out the Top 10 are Aaliyah’s posthumous “I Care 4 U,” which spends its second-consecutive week at No. 9; and Christina Aguilera’s “Stripped,” which drops from five places to No. 10.