World Music News

Depeche Mode Can't Tell Those Latin American Countries Apart

2009-10-15T11:13:00.001-07:00

After nearly thirty years on the road it's hard enough to know who you are, let alone where you are. And after all, isn't being a big time rock star all about people remembering you, not you remembering them.

Unfortunately, it seems the people of Latin America don't take well to hearing that their countries all look alike. Particularly when, if you are Chile, you've been at state of near-war with Peru, the country for whom you're being mistaken, on and off for a century.

But when Depeche Mode's front man closed his Peruvian concert the other night by shouting "Thank you, Chile!" (see video below) he was in fact following a venerable rock tradition of confusing Peru for some other Latin American country. According to New Music Express, Alanis Morissette closed a 2003 concert with "Thank you, Brazil!" But hey, at least they thanked them.

Now Peru is the one with the llamas...and Chile invented cocaine?

Garth Brooks says he will resume music career

2009-10-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

Garth Brooks, the best-selling solo musician in U.S. history, said on Thursday he was coming out of retirement and was expected to announce an extended concert run at the Wynn Las Vegas casino and hotel.

"I know this is a young industry, so I'm not sure I'll be welcomed back but, if the fans want me, I still want to pursue my music," Brooks told reporters at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.

A two-time Grammy winner and winner of 11 Country Music Association awards, Brooks' brand of rock-tinged country music topped the charts in the 1990s. He has sold 113 million albums, putting him second to the Beatles in all-time U.S. sales.

Brooks, 47, hired a private plane to transport reporters to an unnamed site where he will announce his immediate plans.

The destination was widely tipped on websites and in newspaper gossip columns to be Las Vegas and Steve Wynn's casino hotel. Brooks was expected to announce a four-month run of two to three shows a week.

Wynn Resorts Ltd said in a statement it would be announcing a new music schedule.

The hotel's Encore Theater has not had a permanent headliner since the death of comedian Danny Gans from a combination of prescription painkillers and a heart condition in May.

Brooks officially retired in 2001, saying he would devote himself to his three daughters at his home in Oswasso, Oklahoma, until his youngest turned 18. She is 13 now.

He said on Thursday that coming out of retirement offered him the freedom to do as he pleased but he did not expect much to change over the next five years. He divorced in 2001 and wed country star Trisha Yearwood.

In 2005, Brooks began performing occasionally, mostly at charity events.

(Writing by Andrew Stern; Editing by John O'Callaghan)

Bob Dylan 'croons' Christmas music, and the reviews are in

2009-10-15T11:11:00.002-07:00

With apologies to whoever crafts Michele Bachmann's speeches, but Minnesota's grandest contribution to the arts still is Bob Dylan, and now the troubadour from Hibbing has released his, um, Christmas album. "Christmas in the Heart" arrived Wednesday, and the critics are alternately bewildered and bemused. The blog Brand X quotes Mojo magazine saying, "That Dylan's voice is shot (albeit poignantly so) isn't as glaring when he sings 'If You Ever Go To Houston'; it's when he attempts 'Winter Wonderland.' And throughout Christmas In The Heart Dylan makes Tom Waits sound like Antony Hegarty. Moreover, the mixture of kitsch and reverence is surreal, referencing both his jokey Theme Time Radio Hour persona and the Born-Again Bob's true believer trip, reinforced by graphics that include the Three Wise Men as well as Bettie Page in a scanty Santa get-up."

The PiPress' Ross Raihala offers his take in a front-page review: "With all the subtlety of a neighbor's snowblower at 5 a.m., Minnesota's famed rock 'n' roll poet barrels through 15 yuletide favorites in a manner that's both terrifying and hilarious."

Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson top 2009 American Music Awards noms

2009-10-15T11:11:00.001-07:00

Country singer Taylor Swift and the late Michael Jackson lead the nominees for the 2009 American Music Awards, which were announced Tuesday.

Swift garnered six nominations, including artist of the year and favorite pop/rock female artist. Jackson is up for artist of the year and favorite pop/rock male artist. Swift and Jackson will compete against Kings of Leon, Lady Gaga and Eminem for artist of the year.

VIDEO: Taylor Swift talks about her rise to stardom

Eminem received a total of four nominations while Kings of Leon and Lady Gaga each received three nods. Beyoncé, T.I. and the Black Eyed Peas also took home three nominations apiece.

For the first time, fans will pick the four nominees for breakthrough artist from semifinalists Lady Gaga, Kings of Leon, Gloriana, Zac Brown Band, Keri Hilson, Jermiah, Drake and Kid Cudi.

Chris Brown top dog at 2008 American Music Awards

Multiple nominees the Black Eyed Peas, along with Alicia Keys, Jennifer Lopez and American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert, will perform at the Nov. 22 ceremony. -- Kate Stanhope

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Young cellist brings a rock vibe

2009-10-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

Cellist Joshua Roman's curly reddish locks bounce as he plays, dressed in a rumpled, untucked oxford shirt and gray pinstripe trousers whose hems flop over low-top Chucks.

Give the man a guitar, and the rock star pose would be complete. In fact, he has been called a "classical rock star."

Sitting backstage at the Singletary Center for the Arts recently after rehearsing Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme with the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, Roman, 25, mused about the term rock star.

"Well, they didn't bring my M&M's with no green ones," he jokes. "It depends on what I think that means. ... My impression was that it was more about the spirit of getting out there and making it all about the music. I hope that it's like that. That's what I want. So if that's rock star, that's awesome, because I think being a rock star would be great.

"But I don't dye my hair or show a bunch of tattoos. It's not often that I slide across the stage on my knees with Midge."

Midge is his cello, an 1899 model by Giulio Degani of Venice with intricate inlays on the back and the scroll that Roman shows off.

"I just feel like a cello should have a name," Roman says. He chose the moniker Midge over other contenders including Bella and Brunhilde.

Roman and Midge are not hard to find on the Internet.

One of his claims to fame — and there are several — is that he was the only soloist featured during the YouTube Symphony Orchestra last spring, introduced in a video segment by cello superstar Yo-Yo Ma.

"That was nuts because they didn't let me see the video beforehand," Roman says. "So I'm standing there at the edge of the stage when the video starts, watching with everyone else, and Yo-Yo is saying, 'He's blah-blah-blah and blah-blah-blah,' and I'm like, that's me, and they're all going to stare at me now while I play.

"It was all kind of like that. It was all super-big and super-overwhelming and awesome," he says of the symphony project in which musicians auditioned by uploading to YouTube videos of themselves playing. Winners were flown to New York for a concert April 15 at Carnegie Hall conducted by San Francisco Symphony Orchestra maestro Michael Tilson Thomas.

"It was this massive force of energy, with Google and YouTube putting everything they had behind classical music," Roman says.

Roman has a substantial YouTube presence, quite a bit of it self-generated. He has embarked on a project to play and post all 40 etudes from David Popper's The High School of Cello Playing: 40 Etudes. He films the pieces himself on his laptop. One of the postings is from Lexington.

Roman laughs and says he is not quite on his 40-week track, but notes that as a solo artist, the project isn't just a good way to help further the presence of classical music online. It is also a way to push himself to maintain a practice discipline as he hops around the world.

Maintaining his craft is important to Roman. He didn't reach his star status just through good looks and Internet savvy.

The Oklahoma City native started playing cello when he was 3, and at age 16 he was invited to study at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he received bachelor's and master's degrees by age 21. At 22, he won the principal cellist's chair with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, a post he held for two years until he decided that it was limiting his solo options.

"It was important in a lot of ways," Roman says of the Seattle job. "You have, every week, a new program in the Seattle Symphony. Every week you have another symphony, or something like that, and it's amazing to be plowing through that much music."

He says all that studying gave him invaluable insight into composers and music. The orchestra experience made him appreciate the jobs of the people often playing behind him, such as the Lexington Philharmonic, whose cellists he complimented after Tuesday's rehearsal.

Leaving Seattle meant leaving the security of a regular paycheck, but life hasn't slowed down for the cellist that Musical America magazine named its artist of the month for August.

There was another consequence of Roman's move: "I had to sell my guitar and amp."

The cellist also plays bass and drums, but he sold the bass because of limited space in his new home in New York, where he's now based.

So the classical rock star has no intention of being an actual rock star, but there's little doubt that

LEGO Rock Band dated for November

2009-10-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

Warner Bros. has confirmed reports that LEGO Rock Band will be released on 27th November in the UK.

The music game will be available on DS, PS2, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360.

Traveller's Tales, developer of LEGO Star Wars et al, has smeared the Rock Band licence with the usual charm and humour, although the tracklist is shorter than normal at 45 songs.

IS Sufi music For Young?

2009-10-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

Srinagar hosted a Kashmiri Sufi concert for the youth of the state who do not get a chance to listen to its live versions.

For the genre itself, that feels denied and shrunken without public platforms in this land of constant strife, it was a revival of sorts.

But, this was a special attempt to feed the medical experiment world over that has found certain strains of music like Sufi can cure stress disorders in zones of conflict.

"We had musicians like Saaz Nawaz and Qaalin Baaf. Patients who would come to them during the 80s were cured by their music. We want to revive that music," said professor Muzaffar, the music director.

Seventeen per cent Kashmiris have been found to suffer from conflict-related stress.

"We are trying to convey how we can heal people's hearts and minds with our music," said Qaifer Nizami, a Sufi singer.

What is the state of Southern music?

2009-10-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

Levine Museum of the New South hosts an afternoon reading and discussion with Mark Kemp, music journalist and author of “Dixie Lullaby: A Story of Music, Race and New Beginnings in a New South.” Published in 2004, the book explores the evolution of Southern music with a focus on rock from 1968 and 1992, and draws from Kemp's experiences in the industry and growing up in the South.

The event is free. Levine Museum of the New South, 200 E. Seventh St.

Kemp, a Grammy-nominated music journalist and former Observer entertainment editor, has served as music editor of Rolling Stone and vice president of music editorial for MTV Networks.

Akshay Kumar not happy with Indian music composers

2009-06-18T06:47:00.000-07:00

Akshay Kumar not happy with Indian music composers
Akshay Kumar has been telling producers of most of his films to include international bands apart from the Indian music directors to compose music for his films.

He had convinced producer Mukesh Talreja to get rap artiste Bohemia to compose music for Chandni Chowk to China. He also insisted on including Britain’s popular bhangra band RDB to compose music in two of his forthcoming films - De Dana Dan and Kambakkht Ishq. As a result, Indian music composers like Anu Malik (Kambakkht Ishq) and Pritam (De Dana Dan) are upset with Akshay.

A source said, “There is no denying that RDB and Bohemia give good music but it is unfair to the music directors of the films if any other group is asked to compose music at the eleventh hour. Anu and Pritam’s annoyance is justified. Even Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy were miffed when Bohemia composed music for Chandni Chowk to China, but they let it pass.”

Ratan Jain, producer of De Dana Dan, said, “Akshay can give several ideas but the director has to ultimately decide whether they have to be implemented or not. It’s a good thing that Akshay takes a keen interest in all his projects. He made us listen to the song by RDB but we still haven’t decided whether we will be including it in our film.”

Sajid Nadiadwala, producer of Kambakkht Ishq, admitted that Akshay got RDB to compose music for the film. “Akshay recommended RDB. They are his friends. They had also done the music in Singh is Kinng. We wanted a song with the word ‘Mangalam’ in Kambakkht Ishq. Anu helped us with the way the song starts after which RDB completed it.”

Mukesh Talreja, co-producer of Chandni Chowk to China, too confirmed that Bohemia composed a song in his film because of Akshay. “We were introduced to Bohemia by Akshay,” said Mukesh.

Surprisingly, Anu Malik, known to dislike sharing credits in any film, said, “I have no problem with RDB having done the music Kambakkht Ishq. It’s all about team work and I am happy with the end result.”

Cuban musical star to heat up city in fall

2009-06-18T06:46:00.000-07:00

AS the weather cools down in November, a Cuban musical star and his band will heat things up in Winnipeg.

Juan de Marcos and the Afro-Cuban All Stars will bring their sizzling show to the Pantages Playhouse Theatre on Nov. 1. Tickets go on sale Saturday for $39.50 at Ticketmaster and the Winnipeg Folk Festival Music Store.

Juan de Marcos Gonzalez is best known for his critical role in the Buena Vista Social Club. The All Stars is a multi-generational big band made up several musicians who appeared in the hit movie and subsequent concert tour. Band members range in age from 13 to 81 and specialize in Latin dance music, including mambo, cha cha, salsa and bolero.

Irfan Khan:Music, dances can be an assent for Indian cinema

2009-06-18T06:42:00.000-07:00

Irfan Khan:Music, dances can be an assent for Indian cinema
Actor Irfan Khan said that elements of song and dance, if used properly are an asset of Indian cinema, which Hollywood can emulate.

"Unlike Hollywood, our films are warmer in emotions with lot of music. They can be an asset if used properly," the actor, who has starred in several Hollywood films, told PTI.

Irfan said characters in Indian mainstream films are larger than life while in Hollywood movies, the makers try to make their characters more credible.

He agreed that Hollywood films have technical finesse which Bollywood will take a while to equal.

He said his upcoming film 'New York' was an issue based film which was a dramatised thriller made in a style which a layman can understand. "It is very close to how Hollywood movies are made," he said.

Speaking about his character Roshan, Irfan said one can draw parallel to the role he essayed in 'A Mighty Heart' starring Angelina Jolie.

"I play an American of Pakistani origin who has moderate views on religion," he said.

Irfan said he does not consider the film as being based on 9/11 but about the American foreign policy and what it did to the world.

"My character Roshan is part of the American establishment. He can see the extremists and the system and is trying to do his duty by dealing with the terror differently," he said.

James Murphy talk about new record

2009-06-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

James Murphy has posted a blog on LCD Soundsystem's MySpace talking a bit about the new album he's currently working on, which he likes more than his last (presumably 2007's 'Sound Of Silver').

In it he says: "Making a record is strange. Last time I made a record I had a pretty brutal and miserable experience. Then I made something that wasn't the record, went back to said record, and had a great experience. It all worked out. This time I'm having a pretty great experience. I like the record more, but have no idea if that means it's better or anything. It's just more fun. The shitty full-days of lying on the floor stuck in my own head about things has been pushed back into hours, or only one hour, here and there. I also get to swim in the morning, and do things like that. Which is good. Which makes the record better, I think. Because now when I'm not actually working on the record, I'm doing something I like and that occupies my mind, rather than sitting in a room with my head in my hands wondering if I still know how to make music."

He goes on to say a bit about the MTV Awards he attended, which makes for quite an interesting read. Click here for the full blog post.

Dizzee plans 'naughty but nice' LP

2009-06-03T13:03:00.002-07:00

Dizzee poses with Glamour's presenter of the year, Alexa Chung

Dizzee Rascal has revealed that his forthcoming album has a "naughty but nice" theme.

Tongue N Cheek, the rapper's fourth studio album, will be released this September.

Following that, the rapper will play a number of UK festivals and a headline tour in October.

Speaking to Newsbeat, he said: "Tongue N Cheek is me being a bit cheeky, the theme of it is naughty but nice. Just celebrating the good things in life."

Dizzee Rascal, wearing a Gucci suit at the Glamour magazine Women Of The Year Awards, also confirmed the next single will be a new track called Holiday.

As with previous number one Dance Wiv Me, the track will be produced by Calvin Harris.

The rapper, who will play the main stage at this year's Glastonbury festival in June, said: "It means a lot, I've been on the main stage before with Arctic Monkeys.

"I'm doing the main stage on my own now. Seeing 80,000 laid out in front of you, that's amazing."

Estelle lines up star producers

2009-06-03T13:03:00.001-07:00

Estelle won Glamour Magazine's special editor's award 2009

Estelle has revealed she's working with a number of producers on her new album.

Wyclef Jean, Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am and TV On The Radio's Dave Sitek have all begun work on the follow-up to 2008's Shine.

The singer wouldn't confirm whether rapper Kanye West would appear on the LP, as he did on number one single American Boy.

Estelle said: "I'm just recording this new album, I'm sick of singing American Boy, so I should do something new."

Estelle confirmed a number of big name producers have begun helping her work on new material.

"Swizz Beatz, Wyclef, I think we're going in with will.i.am next week again.

"A new guy called Dave Sitek from TV On The Radio - an amazing producer and brand new guy called Alex The Kid, he's from London as well. I'm putting the features together now so it's coming together.

"It's going great, big songs, big hooks. More of the same, but some freshness. Big producers, same thing."

A title and release date have yet to be confirmed for the album

The mad world of Marilyn Manson

2009-06-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

"Do you want a fight? Do you want a fight with me?"

I met Marilyn Manson less than two minutes ago.

I am supposed to be interviewing the dark prince of rock, the grotesque goth who, as legend has it, is vampire, zombie and demon rolled into one.

And it's already the strangest interview ever. I expected him to be a bit weird - but not like this.

I also expected the shock rocker to be highly articulate. From other interviews I've watched, I know he can be the intelligent voice of a troubled generation.

But today, it's clear that Marilyn Manson is just troubled.

He is in a dingy radio studio at the BBC's Maida Vale complex, where he has just finished a shambolic radio session. Our interview is four hours late.

Next door, a BBC Radio 3 choir is singing Karol Szymanowski's Stabat Mater. I just hope he doesn't stumble into their studio by mistake.

Inside, wearing a plain black hoodie and his usual morbid pallor, he's in high spirits, joking with his band and the studio crew.

As we start, it becomes clear that he can't or doesn't want to give coherent answers, except for those that end with comments about sex, violence or preferably both.

His preoccupation is such that I have heavily edited his comments to cut out large chunks that are lurid, graphic and frankly disturbing.

I'm doing the interview with a colleague, Adrian from BBC 6 Music. Manson starts by ripping the foam cover off the end of Adrian's microphone, before being asked about his fans.

That's what I do best, worst - me being Marilyn Manson, rock star, et cetera, that's what I do

"My fans? There's no fans because I was very hot in my room." Adrian tries again, to which Manson responds: "Ceiling fans or standalone?"

There is a glint in his eye. He's toying with us, but his comments are also unnervingly lewd and random.

He carries straight on. "Is that a cellphone?" he says looking at my recording device. It's clearly not a cellphone. "Can I call you?" He then makes the first offer of a fight, not delivered aggressively, but more as a polite, jovial invitation.

Adrian asks him about the Download festival, where Manson is playing this summer. "You said load. And down," Manson interrupts, as if they're the dirtiest words in the world.

I ask my first question, and try to change tack. Can he remember the first time that he performed musically? His weird different-sized eyeballs peer out from under his hood.

"The first time I performed musically I threw up."

When was that?

"Last night. But no, the first time, I had stage fright. I was afraid of the stages and frightening and The Frighteners, which was a bad movie with, what's his name, Michael J Fox.

"So I would say the last time I had… what was the question?"

Next, I try asking where he currently lives. The answer is rambling, peppered with rude words and references to sexual violence. He also starts making weird fluttery whistling noises half-way through.

Marilyn Manson is currently on a European tour

The answer finishes with: "Et cetera and so forth and so on and wow and [more fluttering] I like to speak in those kind of terms."

It's getting curiouser and curiouser. So I ask about the film he's supposedly working on, in which he is playing Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll.

"I'm playing him always in life," he replies. "I wrote a script about him because I read his diaries and it was about aphasia to the sky, the sky, left, right, and that's me.

"So I almost quit music because I didn't want to do any more so I want to put it all into film. Right now I'm in love with film. But filming myself. And I'm playing Marilyn Manson."

What stage is the film at? Have you shot any of it?

"No, I shot at someone. But that was a firearm and it was not exactly legal. But I was exonerated from the crime."

I hope and pray that he's joking and plough on. After Adrian asks him about one of his heroes, Iggy Pop, I ask why he didn't quit music but decided to release a new album.

"It was me realising that that's what I do best," he says. "That's not always good, but that's what I do best, worst. Me being Marilyn Manson, rock star, et cetera, that's what I do."

So is the film ever going to… I don't have time to finish my question.

"You want a fight? A film?" he interjects.

The film, I affirm.

"The film," he repeats, before things degenerate again.

Manson manages to answer a question about Motley Crue a bit more coherently, then, thankfully, the interview is brought to a close in less than 10 minutes.

At the time, it was in parts surreal, awkward and amusing. In hindsight, it seems a bit more disturbing. Not scary though. Just sad.

Marilyn Manson's new album The High End of Low is out now.

MTV Eminem stunt 'was rehearsed'

2009-06-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

Sacha Baron Cohen's stunt at the MTV Movie Awards, which saw him land on Eminem while baring his naked backside, was pre-arranged, a writer has said.

The rap star was seen storming out of the ceremony after Cohen's alter-ego Bruno landed on him in a skimpy outfit.

But Scott Aukerman, head writer for the awards, wrote on his blog the incident was staged and rehearsed in advance.

"They rehearsed it at dress and yes, it went as far as it did on the live show," he said.

Baron Cohen flew in to the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles on a wire before apparently colliding with an obstacle and spinning down to the audience.

Speculation had been rampant over whether the stunt was staged, there was no comment from Baron Cohen, Eminem or MTV.

"Yes, the Bruno/Eminem incident was staged. That's all anyone wants to talk about, so let's get it out of the way," Aukerman wrote.

The article was later removed from his blog.

Twilight win

In the posting, he also revealed the pitfalls of writing for an internationally-televised award show - and admitted that several sketches got cut.

"We tried several things, from topical jokes to sketches," he wrote.

"Anything that didn't involve pointing out a celebrity or saying a curse word fell completely flat during rehearsals. Subtlety just does not work during that show."

Aukerman also revealed that he and the other writers only received "a few hundred dollars" for their efforts.

At the ceremony, held at the Gibson Amphitheatre near Los Angeles, Vampire drama Twilight won five trophies, including best film, best actress from Kristen Stewart and best male breakthrough performance for Robert Pattinson.

Furtado to release Spanish album

2009-06-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

Singer songwriter Nelly Furtado is set to release her first album recorded entirely in Spanish, according to US music magazine Billboard.

The star has already been heard singing in Spanish on duets with Colombian rock star Juanes, and on her 2006 Latin American single, No Hay Igual.

The 30-year-old is best known in the UK for Timbaland-produced hits such as Promiscuous and Maneater.

She has also announced a Portuguese language album via her Myspace blog.

Furtado shot to fame in 2000 with her her hit single I'm Like a Bird.

The song won her a Grammy for best female pop vocal performance, while her multi-platinum debut album, Whoa Nelly!, was also Grammy-nominated.

However, the world music-influenced 2003 follow-up Folklore was less successful.

Last year, she secretly married her boyfriend, sound engineer Demacio Castellon.

Ozzy Osbourne sues Black Sabbath bandmate

2009-05-30T05:56:00.000-07:00

He says Tony Iommi wrongfully claimed band name
Ozzy Osbourne has filed a suit against his Black Sabbath bandmate, saying he illegally claimed the band name.

In the suit, which was filed at Manhattan federal court, Osbourne says that guitarist Tony Iommi illegally clamed sole ownership of the band’s name at the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Iommi is being sued for 50 per cent interest in the ‘Black Sabbath’ trademark and a portion of his profits from use of the name, according to a story in the New York Post.

The suit also says that Osbourne’s distinct vocal style is one of the main reasons the band became successful, saying they became less popular when he left the band in 1980.

West Wicklow rumbles to African music beat

2009-05-30T05:55:00.001-07:00

KILTEGAN HALL was thronged with over 250 people from all over West Wicklow, last Wednesday night, for a free celebration of African music and culture. The concert started with possibly the largest drumming circle ever seen in West Wicklow led by Rory Adams with both adults and children all taking part. Much needed refreshments including teas and snacks were kindly provided by Kiltegan Camogie Club.

After the Drumming Circle, five members of Oleku arrived promptly on stage and treated their hosts to West African rhythms and sounds from the keyboard, bass, drums, trumpet, percussion and saxophone. They received a rapturous response from the crowd who sang and danced along to the show.

The Hall was decorated with African inspired art from Kiltegan and Talbotstown National Schools. Drums, bowls and ceremonial pieces all the way from various parts of Africa itself were also on display donated generously for the occasion by Fr. Liam Blayney and other residents of St. Patrick's Missionary Society in Kiltegan. West Wicklow Arts Network, with funding support from Irish Aid, hosted the headline concert featuring Nigerian band Oleku and a series of drumming workshops in the Kiltegan/Rathdangan area to celebrate Africa Day. Sound Guru, Ciaran Fitzgerald, members of West Wicklow Arts Network and local FAS participants, all prepared for this special night, while outside.

David Fraser ensured that car parking ran smoothly. Gratitude was expressed to Fr. Joe Brophy for the use of the hall.

Catering for the band was expertly provided in Kiltegan by chef, Lucy Hayes, and the band were very appreciative of this example of local hospitality

he concert repeated the success of last year's concert and events in Donard.

The West Wicklow Arts Network is made up of members from the communities between Donard and Knockananna and welcomes interested individuals to attend its next meeting in the Baltinglass Inn (Timmons) on Monday, June 8 at 8.15 p.m.

Meet the man behind India's indie music scene

2009-05-30T05:54:00.001-07:00

When you think of a college drop-out who's into heavy metal music, you're likely to conjure up some unflattering images.

But then Mumbai-native Vijay Nair has always been one to defy stereotypes.

For the last seven years, the 25-year-old former commerce student has poured his heart and soul into India's underground music industry, along the way becoming one of the indie scene's best known band managers, festival directors, video producers and record label owners.

And now his hard work is paying off. Literally.

On May 14, Vijay was felicitated in the UK as the British Council's International Young Music Entrepreneur of the year, beating out eight of the world's best and brightest young music entrepreneurs with his highly innovative, sustainable business model, which centres around Only Much Louder and its subsidiaries, all of which Vijay helped to create.

Only Much Louder was the first artist management company for indie bands in India. From OML spawned first Counter Culture Records, a viable distribution option for underground acts with no major label support, and later Babblefish Productions, the video production arm of OML, which aims to give artists a visual identity through music videos, documentaries and podcasts.

Ogunboye Paul, Classical Music Composer, In African Idiom

2009-05-30T05:53:00.000-07:00

AT his age, he should have been flapping his hands in the air, hopping about the stage like a monkey, and barking out meaningless words for music as young people do these days in the name of Hip-Hop music. But instead, Ogunboye Paul Olabode has in his musical career, chosen a part more responsible, dignifying and projective of the rich African culture. That part is the composition of classical music in African idiom.

Listening to the piano rendition of his composition like Jesu Wa Ja Funmi (Jesus come and fight for me), Gbadura Funmi (Pray for me), Oluwa Mi (My Lord), Ose O (What a pity) and his popular Ekitisonic, performed by Geir Henning Braaten, an acclaimed Norwegian pianist during a musical concert organised by Royal Norwegean Embassy last February at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, one cannot but feel proud that Paul is a product of Nigeria.

Those are just a few of his works. He has over 20 compositions in his kitty. And apart from his gift in musical composition, this quiet, humble and amiable young man is fantastic on the piano, which of course, is his working instrument. He conducts orchestras and choirs but has lots of passion for transferring his musical knowledge to others through teaching.

At the very beginning, around 1997 when he left secondary school, intrigued by music and the piano, he started studying music all by himself. He sat down on the piano and practiced for a whopping 10 hours everyday! "With the little I learned then I started teaching others," he says.

The son of a drilling engineer, he was however brought up by Pastor and Reverend Mrs. J. A. Famodun of CAC Orisunmbare 1 around Idimu, Lagos. Between 1996 and 1997, he attended Shasha Community High School where he was the senior prefect. While he was in this school, he took part in various drama and musical activities.

In 1999, he met Emeka Nwokedi, conductor of the MUSON choir, who gave him some elementary piano lessons and encouraged him to go and study music. "But Marion Akpata, the director of MUSON School of Music, was my first committed piano teacher, while Edna Soyannwo taught me theory," Paul says.

In 2001, he gained admission to study music at Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Ijanikin Lagos. It was in this school that he wrote most of the pieces mentioned above. His work, Ose O was among the works that gave AOCOED victory in a competition organised by the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism to check cultism. He graduated in 2004.

In 2005, Paul went to teach music at the Federal Government College, Ijanikin and later came to MUSON for his Associate in Music on MTN scholarship. While studying at MUSON, he continued teaching. On the graduation day at MUSON (July 2008), he was awarded the Theophilius Ayo Bankole Composition Award worth N100, 000.

After his graduation, he was retained by MUSON School of music where he now teaches piano, theory of music, marks theory papers, conducts practical examinations and sits among the judges during MUSON school competitions. He is also a music consultant who has consulted for clients such as the Council Chamber of Commerce of ICAN and Soundcity 2008 Music Video Award.

Just as it had done for Bach, Handel and other great classical musicians, Paul's musical talent has endeared him to great personalities in the society including Feyijimi Awosika, CEO, Insight Communications; Mrs. Kay Ovia, CEO, Quantum Market; and Mrs. Onari Duke. "I have been greatly inspired by the support and encouragement from these outstanding personalities," says Paul.

Where is he headed to? "I would like to attain the level Akin Euba, Laz Ekwueme, and Ayo Bankole have attained in music. If Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and the rest are using literature to project African culture, I should be doing the same thing with music. I would also like to write for films and advertisements."

Talking about young people and music today, Paul says that youths have lots of talents, but regrets that what majority plays are computer music. "This will not help their musicianship. Youths also need to recognise that God plays a huge role in the success of every musician, and according to Dr. D.K. Olukoya, musicians should be among the richest people if they can follow the right path."

Metallica Filming Concerts For DVD

2009-05-30T05:51:00.000-07:00

Metallica will record four shows on their World Magnetic Tour for a DVD.

"We thought it would be cool to document a few shows that are unique and sure to be extra memorable for us, and hopefully for you too," Metallica posted on their website on Wednesday.

Metallica's three-night stand (June 4, 6 and 7) at Mexico City's Foro Sol and a July 7 show in Nimes, France at the Arenes De Nimes, an historic Roman amphitheatre, will be shot for the DVD.

"For any Metallica friends going to these shows, bring your war faces and don’t be scared of the cameras," the web message says.

Metallica's tour in support of last year's Death Magnetic will take them here:

June 4, 6-7 Mexico City, Mexico @ Foro Sol
June 14-15 Helsinki, Finland @ Hartwell Arena
June 17 Oslo, Norway @ Spektrum
June 19 Nickelsdorf, Austria @ Nova Rock Festival
June 20 Nijmegen, Netherlands @ Goffertspark (Sonisphere)
June 22 Milan, Italy @ Datch Forum
June 24 Rome, Italy @ Palalottomatica
July 4 Hockenheim, Germany @ HockenheimRing (Sonisphere)
July 5 Werchter, Belgium @ Rock Werchter
July 7 Nimes, France @ Festival De Nimes
July 9 Lisbon, Portugal @ Optimus Alive! 09
July 11 Barcelona, Spain @ The Forum (Sonisphere)
July 13-14 Madrid, Spain @ Palacio De Deportes De Comunidad Madrid
July 16 Zurich, Switzerland @ Hallenstadion
July 18 Hultsfred, Sweden @ Folkets Park (Sonisphere)
July 20, 22-23 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Copenhagen Forum
July 25 Pori, Finland @ Kirjurinluoto (Sonisphere)
July 27-28 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Copenhagen Forum
July 30 Oslo, Norway @ Spektrum
Aug. 1 Dublin, Ireland @ Marlay Park
Aug. 2 Stevenage, England @ Knebworth House (Sonisphere)
Sept. 14 Nashville, TN @ Sommet Center
Sept. 15 Cincinnati, OH @ US Bank Arena
Sept. 17 Indianapolis, IN @ Conseco Fieldhouse
Sept. 19-20 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
Sept. 28 San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
Sept. 29 Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
Oct. 1 Fort Lauderdale, FL @ BankAtlantic Center
Oct. 3 Tampa, FL @ St. Pete Times Forum
Oct. 4 Atlanta, GA @ Phillips Arena
Oct. 12 Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre
Oct. 13 Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
Oct. 15 Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
Oct. 17 Charlottesville, VA @ JPJ Arena
Oct. 18 Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Arena
Oct. 26-27 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
Oct. 29 Ottawa, ON @ Scotiabank Place
Oct. 31-Nov. 1 Quebec City, QC @ Colisee Pepsi
Nov. 9 Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena
Nov. 10 Buffalo, NY @ HSBC Arena
Nov. 12 Albany, NY @ Times Union Center
Nov. 14-15 New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Dec. 5 Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Bay
Dec. 7 Boise, ID @ Idaho Center
Dec. 8 Sacramento, CA @ ARCO Arena
Dec. 10 Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
Dec. 12 San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion at San Jose

Five Local Music Students To Perform In Europe

2009-05-30T05:49:00.000-07:00

Five lucky music students from Leyton and Creek Valley will get an opportunity of a lifetime as they prepare for Nebraska Ambassadors of Music “We’ve Got Rhythm” concert tour of Europe.

Kelsey Arrington, Jessica Ernest and Jake Nelson of Leyton and Seth Oliverius and Aaron Woodman of Creek Valley will head to Fremont June 6-8 for music camp to prepare for their concert overseas.

Students were nominated by a music teacher for their citizenship and musical talent.

Students auditioned for entrance into the Ambassador’s program on March 28.

The 2009 Ambassadors consist of 254 students statewide, 39 adults and 39 staff members.

Five of those students are from Leyton and Creek Valley, 14 from Scottsbluff, 6 from Mitchell, 3 from Bridgeport and one from Kimball.

Kelsey is the youngest student from the area to be nominated.

“I want to improve my trumpet playing and singing ability,” she said.

While she has traveled throughout the U.S., Kelsey said this is her first time overseas.

“I will be playing in the band and singing in the choir,” she said. “I am nervous about the flight.”

She said she has been to many other music camps prior.

Kelsey’s mother Pam Arrington said she will accompany the group.

She said 36 states participate in the Ambassador program and that half of those states take turn each year going to Europe to give concerts.

The group will be traveling to Great Britain, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy and Germany.

This program is administered by Voyageurs International, Ltd. in Wheat Ridge, Colo.

This is the first year that an orchestra and string ensemble will be performing with the group.

In previous year the tour has included two bands and one choir.

A Bon Voyage concert is scheduled at the Nell McPherson Theater at Fremont Senior High School before the students fly to Europe.

Jazz Legend Jeremy Monteiro

2009-05-30T05:47:00.000-07:00

S'pore's living jazz legend Jeremy Monteiro sets up music school
One of Singapore's living jazz legends, Jeremy Monteiro has spent more than half of his life in the music business.

But the 49-year-old pianist is not about to sit back and rest just yet as he’s about to set up a music school to groom future jazz talents in Singapore.

His latest project is a collaboration with a group of Singapore classical musicians, the Tang Quartet for the Singapore Arts Festival 2009.

He said: "Where playing is concerned, I've never stopped except once in the eighties I worked too hard when I was doing jingles and playing jazz at night that I collapsed from exhaustion and was in hospital for a few days and had to take a few weeks off because I just got too burnt out from working too hard.

“And then I've had tendonitis problems, I've got surgery twice on my elbow and wrist and also a bad tendonitis case about two years ago when I had to stop playing for two months. That's the only time I've stopped."

So what does the pianist do in his free time?

“I recently discovered the joys of cycling. I used to be an avid cyclist in my teens until my early twenties. I used to ride across Singapore sometimes from Jurong to Seletar Hills. And I left it in my early twenties and about three or four months ago, I started cycling again.”

Jeremy said before that there are only two kinds of music – good and bad music. But this perception of his has changed.

He added: "I don't believe that there's only good music and bad music anymore. I've reached a stage where there's just music I understand and music I don't understand.

“I do listen to some music by bands like Coldplay and actually a little bit of Beyonce. Not a big Kylie Minogue or Britney Spears fan though.

“Right now because I listen to so much music when I'm practising that when I get in my car, I hardly listen to music. I switch it off so I can have silence and I think silence is also a very important part for musicians because silence is the wellspring of creativity.”

Jeremy Monteiro has been conferred academic titles by the London College of Music and Singapore's LaSalle College of the Arts.

But that has not stopped him from thinking about grooming the next generation of jazz musicians in Singapore.

He said: "I've just registered the Monteiro Music School and basically to being certified by the London College of Music and to be a teaching and examinations centre.

“You can start from zero and learn jazz. You don't even have to learn classical music if you don't want to and then go all the way to grade 8 and do your diploma levels. My reason for it is because there's not enough feeder entities to feed good potential jazz musicians so I want to go to where the lack of training is. No one is addressing this. So I want to help these students who will then feed into SOTA, LaSalle and other tertiary institutions that have jazz programmes."

Jeremy said that he is only going to be 49 years old but people think he’s in his mid-50s because he’s been in the music business for a long time.

Phil Spector Gets 19 Years In Prison

2009-05-30T05:42:00.000-07:00

Legendary music producer Phil Spector has been sentenced to 19 years to life in prison after being found guilty of murdering an actress at his Los Angeles mansion six years ago.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler on Friday sentenced 69-year-old Spector to 15 years in prison for second-degree murder, plus another four years enhancement for personal use of a gun.

Spector, who created the famed "Wall of Sound" recording technique during the 1960s, was charged for the 2003 killing of Lana Clarkson, best known for her role in the 1985 cult film "The Barbarian Queen."

He is not eligible for parole until 2028, and if he is not freed then, then under California law his sentence will become a life term.

Clarkson's mother, Donna, fought back tears while reading a brief statement to reporters that did not directly address Spector or the murder.

"All our plans for the future together are destroyed. Now we can only visit her in the cemetery," she said, praising her late daughter's sense of humor, dedication to acting and generosity.

Clarkson, 40, was found slumped in a chair with a gunshot wound to the head in Spector's castle-like home on February 3, 2003, only hours after meeting the producer for the first time at the nightclub where she worked.

As Fidler read the verdict, Spector, wearing a dark pinstripe suit with a white shirt and a red silk tie, showed no reaction. His defense attorney Doron Weinberg, who repeatedly claimed his client was innocent, said he would appeal.

"My reaction is 'Oh my God!'" said Spector's 28-year-old wife, Rachelle. "My husband was tried in the court of public opinion, not in a court of law.

"My main purpose is to prove my husband's innocence and regain his honor," said the petite, dyed blonde. "This is a sad day for everybody -- not just for Lana Clarkson's family who lost a daughter, but I've also lost my husband and my best friend."

During Spector's retrial, defense lawyers said Clarkson, whose career had stalled at the time of her death, had killed herself.

Spector is regarded as one of the most influential figures in pop music history. In the early 1960s, he scored hits including "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Be My Baby, Baby" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin.'"

But during his two murder trials, prosecutors said Spector, who was famed for his work with The Beatles, Tina Turner, The Righteous Brothers, The Ronettes and The Ramones, had a more sinister side.

Deputy District Attorney Alan Jackson painted a picture of the music icon as a gun-crazed eccentric with a "history of violence" toward women who tried to leave him.

"Are you asking if I feel sorry for him? Not one whit," Jackson said after the verdict was reached last month.

"He's getting exactly what he deserves. It feels especially good that no other women are going to suffer at the hands of Phil Spector."

Five female acquaintances had testified that Spector threatened them at gunpoint in incidents dating back to the 1970s.

Spector's former chauffeur also gave damaging evidence, telling jurors that on the night of the shooting, his employer had emerged from a doorway clutching a pistol in a bloodied hand, saying: "I think I killed somebody."

Only weeks before Clarkson's killing, Spector gave a rare interview in which he described himself as "relatively insane."

Asked if Spector had ever been violent towards her, his wife Rachelle said "I don't want to comment."

Defense lawyers however argued there was no forensic evidence to convict Spector, pointing to the absence of gunshot residue on his hands and clothing.

In his sentencing recommendation however, prosecutor Jackson accused Spector of "pulling guns on women for decades" and gave a graphic description of how police believe Clarkson was killed.

"Spector had pulled a loaded gun from the bureau drawer and threatened Lana with it as she attempted to leave the residence," Jackson wrote.

"As Lana was seated in a chair by the back door with her purse slung on her right shoulder Spector produced the gun, the end result of which was Lana being shot through the mouth as she recoiled in fear."

Jonas Brothers I Wan'na Be Like You Music Video

2009-05-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

Oh, oobee doo, I wanna be like you. I wanna walk like you, talk like you, too ... Prev | Next. View Music from the 3D Concert Experience by Jonas Brothers

Jonas Brothers - Play My Music

2009-05-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

Play My Music by Jonas Brothers, Music Video and Lyrics Play My Music is the second single from Camp Rock, a Disney Channel Original Movie.

Green Day - Viva La Gloria

2009-05-29T13:45:00.002-07:00

amazing song i love how right at the first "Gloria, viva la Gloria" it goes from a "normal" ballad, to a rock "ballad". It almost seems like the first part

Akon - Beautiful

2009-05-29T13:45:00.001-07:00

Akon Beautiful lyrics . These Beautiful lyrics are performed by AkonWhen I see
you I run out of words to say I wouldn't leave you 'Cause you're that

Linkin Park-Pushing Me Away-With Lyrics

2009-05-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

Linkin Park Pushing Me Away lyrics in the Hybrid Theory Album. These Pushing Me Away lyrics are performed by Linkin ParkI?ve lied to you The same way.

Linkin Park - No More Sorrow

2009-05-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

Watch the video for Linkin Park – No More Sorrow from the album Minutes To Midnight. This song was made available as downloadable content for Guitar Hero 3.

Jonas Brothers singing the Indiana Jones theme song!

2009-05-29T07:20:00.001-07:00

SOS Jones brothers

2009-05-29T07:19:00.001-07:00

Dc Trip Music Video

2009-05-29T07:18:00.001-07:00

Akon - I wanna love you

2009-05-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

Los Papines Co-founder Ricardo Abreus Passes Away in Havana

2009-05-29T07:13:00.001-07:00

Cuban musician Ricardo Abreus, cofounder in 1959 of Los Papines, passed away last Tuesday from a stroke at age 75 in Havana. Ricardo began his career at a very early age and became popular with his group Papín y sus Rumberos performing at the Tropicana Cabaret and other venues. Following, he founded Los Papines with three of his brothers. The popular vocal and percussion quartet debuted at the Salon Parisién of the Hotel National in a production directed by Amaury Pérez.

They went on to develop a repertoire of Afro-Cuban songs, especially rumba, marked by a mastery of percussion, for which they gained international recognition. Los Papines have played on important stages in more than 50 countries and have recorded numerous CDs. They were recently the subject of a documentary by EGREM.

University of Calypso Brings Together Calypso Legend and Steelpan Virtuosity

2009-05-29T07:11:00.000-07:00

With the June 23, 2009 release of University of Calypso (HUCD3168) on Heads Up International, steelpan master Andy Narell joins forces with calypso legend Relator to explore the role of jazz in vintage calypso. Together, they perform 15 classic compositions by Lord Kitchener, Lord Melody, Mighty Terror, Roaring Lion, Spider, and Relator, supported by a group of world-class Latin-jazz cats who can swing the calypso and blow le jazz hot. It’s been over 50 years since a major calypsonian went into the studio with a bunch of jazz players. This CD is cause for serious celebration!

In many ways this project was inspired by Lord Kitchener’s forays into jazz in the 1950s. Kitchener (real name Aldwyn Roberts; now respectfully nicknamed Grandmaster) was arguably the greatest songwriter in the history of calypso. Born in Trinidad in 1922 (where he passed away in 2000) he was largely responsible for calypso’s evolution into a melodically and harmonically sophisticated music. He was a fabulous lyricist as well, and a great commentator and humorist on a wide array of subjects. He emigrated from Trinidad to London in 1948, where he discovered jazz—and wrote a very hip composition called "Bebop Calypso" praising Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. He stayed in London throughout the ‘50s, playing with jazz musicians and making numerous recordings that revolutionized calypso music.

Afrobeat in Mozambique & Portugal

2009-05-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

On the 15th of June, Cacique´97 will release their debut album - The first Afrobeat Band from Mozambique and Portugal. The Portuguese capital, Lisbon has always been a stage for the meeting of several cultures, mostly due to the past of the city as the capital of a colonial empire in Africa and Latin America.

Nowadays it is a huge pot of creativity which attracts artists from all over the world and it is a privileged space where musicians find each other, share ideas and mix rhythms. It is from this mixture that, in 2005, afro beat collective Cacique..97 was born. With musicians with Mozambican and Portuguese origins, this collective incorporates members from groups such as Cool Hipnoise, Philharmonic Weed and The Most Wanted, well known projects in the areas of funk, reggae and the Afro sound.

Abu Dhabi's World Music Series a Success

2009-05-29T07:08:00.000-07:00

The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage's (ADACH) World Music series concluded this year's program with a concert by an Azerbaijani musical legend yesterday. The series (Music of the world in Abu Dhabi), launched in October 2008, brought UAE citizens and residents a number of famous international musicians and singers for a period of eight months.

So far 16 thousand people have attended its 15 concerts, but ADACH is already preparing for its upcoming October 2009 music program, which will be announced soon.
"The organization of the festival is part of the belief of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage in the importance of hosting the most famous musical events, as part of its strategy to make Abu Dhabi as the capital of culture in all aspects and manifestations," said Abdullah Al Amiri, Director of the Department of Culture and Arts at ADACH.

Locos Por Juana Delivers Infectious Latin Beats at Taste of Durham

2009-05-29T07:07:00.001-07:00

Locos Por Juana, one of the hottest Latin alternative rock bands in the United States visited Durham (North Carolina) to perform at the Taste of Durham festival on Saturday, May 23rd. There has been a lot of talk about the multinational Miami-based band and they did not disappoint the multiethnic crowd in Durham. Locos Por Juana combines infectious energy rock with infectious Latin rhythms from the Caribbean and South America, as well as reggae, hip hop and American funk. In December of 2008, the band was nominated for "Best Latín Rock Or Alternative Album" for their album titled “ La Verdad”.

Dennis Noda, Internationally Known Asian

2009-05-29T07:04:00.002-07:00

Dennis Noda, one of the few Asian-American musicians who attained recognition from artists and audiences throughout the world, passed away on May 19.

Dennis, a funky, rockin’ bBassist and vocalist with a high visibility facto, was one of the few Asian-American musicians who has attained recognition from artists and audiences throughout the world. His impeccable sight-reading abilities, energetic stage presence, and rock solid groove, made him an in-demand studio and touring musician. He was a devout Christian who gave of his time freely. He was a kindred spirit, loved by all and will be sadly missed by his wife, children, family and his friends and

Brian Eno Artwork Illuminates Sydney Opera House

2009-05-29T07:04:00.001-07:00

The aim is to provoke "visual ecstasy" and "heightened calm," says music producer Brian Eno of his audiovisual artwork 77 Million Paintings, which is illuminating the Sydney Opera House’s sails as part of a sound and light festival in the city.

The inaugural Luminous festival, curated by Eno and running through June 14, was launched with the first display of 77 Million Paintings, which is being shown each night. The work, which has already been seen in the U.S. and Europe, uses "self-generating software" to manipulate 300 of Eno's drawings in a constantly evolving display of color, shape, and form. Sydney Opera House Chief Executive Richard Evans said, "We're not coloring in the opera house. We're actually kind of taking the art of the opera house and raising it to a different level."

Soul Assassins feat. Evidence & Sick Jacken- Classical video

2009-05-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

Neil Young's Archives almost worth the wait

2009-05-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

"It's already together. All you have to do is make sure it's in chronological order, pick the art that goes with it, pick the packaging (and) put it out."

That's how Neil Young summed up his Archives box to a biographer.

In 1991.

That was two years into the project.

What happened between then and now, only Neil knows for sure. All I know is that Archives has been a Holy Grail of rock 'n' roll for so long, it makes Chinese Democracy look like a rush job.

But finally, after countless blown deadlines, a few technological upgrades and ever-expanding horizons, Archives Vol 1: 1963-1972 -- now supposedly the first of four boxes chronicling the Canadian folk-rock icon's long and winding career -- is here.

For real. I've got it. I've heard it. I've watched it. And you know what? It was almost worth the wait.

Available Tuesday in three formats -- on 10 Blu-ray DVDs (about $315 online), 10 regular DVDs (about $265) or eight CDs (about $100) -- Archives Vol. 1 is almost worth the price, too.

Simply put, it's monumental in every sense of the word. It's technologically innovative. Historically definitive. Exhaustively (and exhaustingly) detailed. Artistically revealing -- and not just for fans.

Michael Jackson shows in jeopardy

2009-05-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Morrissey has pulled two further shows on his current UK tour, bringing the total number of cancellations to seven. Skip related content

The former Smiths frontman has been struck down by an undisclosed throat problem in recent weeks, throwing his live jaunt into disarray.

He was due to play London's Brixton Academy tonight and tomorrow night but they are both now off.

Promoters are hoping to reschedule the gigs but he is currently "on continued doctor's orders not to sing".

The news comes just days after Morrissey celebrated his 50th birthday, making a one-off return to the stage with a homecoming show in Manchester.

Three subsequent gigs were then cancelled, with the singer rescheduling a handful as part of his autumn tour, which kicks-off in Birmingham on October 23.

Morrissey Cancels Remaining Brixton Dates

2009-05-29T06:59:00.001-07:00

Morrissey has cancelled the remaining two nights at London's Brixton Academy due to his ongoing illness.

The Smiths legend had already cancelled last night's show, but now the dates tonight and tomorrow (May 29th and 30th) have also been axed.

A statement on Morrissey's website reads:

“Regrettably, the rest of Morrissey’s UK tour dates at the O2 Academy Brixton have been cancelled. Morrissey is on continued doctor’s orders not to sing. Ticket holders are advised to hang on to their tickets and await further information.

“Event Organizers would like to apologize to fans for the disappointment. Additional information will be issued as soon as possible.”

Morrissey has now cancelled a total of seven UK dates in due to his suspected throat problem.

Dr Dre Debuts 'Detox' On New Ad Campaign

2009-05-29T06:57:00.000-07:00

Fans waiting for a taste of Dr Dre's new album 'Detox' are set to be pleased, by an advert for Dr Pepper.

The long delayed record will get a super short debut when a new campaign featuring the rapper starts airing from June 1.

During the 'Trust Me, I'm A Doctor' clip a beat from the record, which is expected to be released in late 2009, gets played for several seconds.

In the ad, Dre says: "Scientific tests prove when you drink Dr. Pepper slow, the 23 flavors taste even better. For me, slow always produces a hit."

Michael Jackson To Postpone More London Shows?

2009-05-29T06:55:00.002-07:00

Michael Jackson could be about to postpone more of London residency according to reports in today's British tabloids.

The star has already delayed the start of the London gigs by five days on productions grounds.

But today's Sun newspaper, which has maintained Michael has cancer, claims the singer could postpone more shows in order to have radiotherapy.

It is thought Michael has the option to have full treatment, which could jeopardise the whole tour, or undergo a more mild form of treatment.

“Michael has a devil of a decision. The temptation is to go for the treatment which will allow him to perform,” a source said.

“The last thing he wants is to let down his fans. But it may well turn out that radiation therapy is still needed if the cancer is deep in his cells.

“That can have really nasty side effects and leave him unable to sing at all.”

Despite the newspaper's cancer claims, promoters have maintained that the 50-year-old star is in good health.

But he has regularly been spotted leaving a medical facility in recent weeks which specialises in cancer treatment.

Michael has not performed a full concert since he was cleared of child molestation charges in 2005.

Morrissey cancels the rest of his UK tour

2009-05-29T06:55:00.001-07:00

Morrissey has cancelled the remaining tour dates of his current UK tour because of illness.

The former Smiths singer's two shows at the London O2 Academy Brixton, which had been set to take place tonight (May 29) and tomorrow (30) have been pulled, it was announced today.

The news follows other cancellations across the UK, as Morrissey follows doctor's orders to recover from a throat illness.

A statement on behalf of the singer explained: "Morrissey is on continued doctor's orders not to sing."

In the statement fans were advised to hold on to tickets, and await details of possible rescheduled gigs.

Morrissey did manage to play a show in Manchester last week (May 24) on the day of his 50th birthday.

Kasabian: 'We're not a lad rock band'

2009-05-29T06:53:00.000-07:00

Kasabian's Tom Meighan and Sergio Pizzorno have told NME.COM that they can't understand why people label the band as 'lad rock'.

In an interview which you can read in full in this week's issue of NME, Pizzorno said that people are wrong to pigeonhole the band, despite their close association with frends and regular touring partners Oasis.

When asked if Kasabian's new album 'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum' is an attempt to shrug off the lad rock tag, Pizzorno replied: "We never were one."

He added: "If you put our records on and press play, there's no pub rock in that, man. It's really British rock'n'roll. It is what it is. It kind of makes me laugh when people say that - you ain't got no idea."

Speaking of the new album, Meighan claimed that it shows the band moving in a more ambitious direction than their previous work.

"I think the album shows how beautiful we are as a band," he explained. "How beautiful we've become. It was an ugly duckling, but now it's grown up. It's kind of flowered, blossomed. I think we've matured in every way."

Townsend to Kick Off 2-month Music Series

2009-05-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

The Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center in Townsend kicks off the fourth season of its summer concert series, Sunset Music, in a couple of weeks with a concert by Boston string band Hokum’s Heroes on Friday, June 12.

The series provides more than two months of live music from local, regional, and national acts at the Heritage Center’s outdoor amphitheater, which this year features new sound and lighting systems, an expanded stage, and a roof so concerts can be presented rain or shine.

The series continues with blues rockers Blue Mother Tupelo on June 19; Sparky and Rhonda Rucker on July 3; the John Myers Band on July 24; Wild Blue Yonder on July 31; Y’uns on Aug. 14; and champion flatpicking guitarist Steve Kaufman on Aug. 21.

All shows start at 7 p.m. Admission is $4 (Heritage Center members get in free). Three more concerts for the fall are to be announced soon.

Music May Temper Pain in Preemies

2009-05-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

Playing music seems to reduce pain and encourage feeding in premature infants, University of Alberta researchers report.
Music is being widely used in neonatal units across North America, but how beneficial it is to the infants remains unclear.
Lead researcher Dr. Manoj Kumar, an assistant clinical professor in the neonatal division of the pediatrics department at the university, said the study "found some evidence to suggest that music may have beneficial effects in terms of physiological parameters, behavioral states and pain reduction during painful medical procedures in the neonates."

"Music was also noted to improve oral feeding among the preterm infants who were having difficulty making transition to oral feeding," he said.

These benefits, if confirmed, have the potential to save health-care resources by using less pain medication and enabling an earlier transition to oral feeding and discharge from the hospital, he noted.

The report is published in the May 27 online edition of the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

For the study, Kumar's team analyzed data from nine trials, including six that looked at music played while infants underwent painful procedures such as circumcision or having a heel pricked to obtain blood samples. The others looked at music played for premature infants.

Measurements such as heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation and pain were used to evaluate the benefit of music.

In studies that involved circumcision, music was found to have benefits for the infants' heart rate, oxygen saturation and pain. Several studies that involved a heel prick also reported evidence that music could have a benefit in reducing pain and improve behavior. The music played ranged from classical to lullabies and nursery rhymes.

"Calmer infants, a stable condition in the child's physiologic functions such as heart rate and higher oxygen saturation, and lesser pain during the painful procedures such as circumcision and blood sampling via heal prick" were all reported, Kumar said.

"One study noted that the use of a pacifier-activated lullaby system in the preterm infants helped improve their oral feeding rates," he said. "These infants were previously documented to have difficulty in making the transition to oral feeding."

However, Dr. F. Sessions Cole, director of newborn medicine and head of the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Louis Children's Hospital, thinks the jury is still out on whether music in intensive care units works in reducing infant discomfort.

"This article provides a systematic analysis of available information concerning the possible usefulness of music for pain management among sick newborn infants who are undergoing procedures," Cole said, but he noted that "the authors indicate that the methodological problems with all of the reported studies preclude any conclusions about the efficacy of music therapy in the neonatal intensive care unit."

"I know many of us would like this music-based strategy to work to reduce use of pain medications and to improve outcomes of these fragile, high-risk infants," Cole said. "However, based on this article, evaluation of the use of music for pain relief among sick newborn infants is experimental at best and will require more carefully designed, methodologically rigorous strategies before any kind of conclusion about its usefulness can be made."

Dr. Charles R. Bauer, a professor of pediatrics, obstetrics-gynecology and psychology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, noted that research on the benefit of music for infants is sketchy at best.

"The use of music as a soothing intervention for infants is well known," Bauer said. "We know that a neonatal intensive care unit is an abnormal situation. The interventions that the babies undergo are always painful and always uncomfortable, so any attempt to try to soften that environment is a positive intervention."

As an effort to improve the infant's environment, music is worthwhile, Bauer said. "But from an academic standpoint, it is considered very soft science so it's not being used widely, and this article does not advance the cause," he said.

Bauer thinks that randomized trials are needed to really show whether music therapy in such situations is beneficial or not.

Bill Engvall to host Country Music Television awards

2009-05-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

Comedian Bill Engvall will host the Country Music Television awards next month.

The show will air live from the Sommet Center in Nashville, on June 16.

Performers include Trace Adkins, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and British rockers Def Leppard.

Engvall hosts the CMT series Country Fried Home Videos and is the star of the TBS sitcom The Bill Engvall Show.

Streams Music To Android-Based

2009-05-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

A new music application from European music service Spotify is attracting attention at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco. The app, for devices using Google's Android open-source mobile platform, allows a user to search, browse and stream music.

Spotify released a video at the conference and on YouTube that displays the app, which enables a user to wirelessly sync playlists on an Android device with a PC and listen to cached music offline.

'New Way to Enjoy Music'

The popular Spotify service is reportedly preparing to launch the service in the U.S., as well as into a variety of devices -- including connected game machines. On its Web site, it describes the service as "a new way to enjoy music," offering "no restrictions in terms of what you can listen to or when." The service offers legal and free access to a large music library, backed by advertising. Many of the songs can also be purchased by users in the U.K., France and Spain.

Sonal Gandhi, an analyst with industry research firm Forrester, said the music service "is surprisingly very successful in the U.K." One reason, she said, is that the proposition is simple for people to understand.

Third-party music applications for phones have been steadily emerging, Gandhi pointed out, of which Pandora's is the best known. Others include Imeem, Last.fm and Clear Channel. As they proliferate, she noted, more users are listening to music from their phones.

The availability of the Spotify application for Google's Android could affect Apple's reign as the leading music provider over the Internet. Meanwhile, the pace of Android adoption is picking up. Andy Rubin, Google's director of mobile platforms, told the I/O conference that 18-20 Android phones will be on the market this year, beyond the two currently available, both made by device maker HTC.

A Developer Challenge

And as more Android devices emerge, Google is adding to developer incentives with the second Android Developer Challenge, which was announced at the I/O conference.

The installed base is the biggest incentive for Android app developers, and it may soon get a big boost as the world's largest mobile device market, China, gets into the game. Earlier this week, Peter Chou, head of HTC, told The Wall Street Journal that his company will be working with China Mobile, the largest mobile-phone operator in the world, to offer a version of the HTC Magic smartphone in that country next month.

As the only major vendor that has so far released Android-based phones, the move by Taiwan-based HTC into China could have a substantial impact on the growth of the Google-backed open-source platform. And it could provide an unprecedented opportunity for a major mobile music service to take hold on a growing platform.

Slumdog makers in Mumbai

2009-05-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

The makers of Slumdog Millionaire have promised new homes to two of the film's young stars.
Despite their international success, Rubina Ali, nine, and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, ten, found themselves homeless after city authorities tore down parts of their Mumbai slum.

Rubina, who played the hero's love interest Latika, has been staying with relatives, while Azharuddin, who played the tearaway brother Salim, sheltered under tarpaulins and blankets.

Director Danny Boyle, who flew to India along with Christian Colson, said progress had been made in securing legal accommodation for the children through a trust fund set up by the filmmakers.

He added: "It's obviously a concern, it's a terrible concern and one of the reasons that we started the trust was to try to deal with emergencies like that.

"And we can say that the trust is making progress in making sure that they have got solid, legal accommodation to live in."

Rubina's father Rafiq Qureshi said: "It is these people's responsibility to get us houses, as the children have done so much hard work in the film."

Rihanna

2009-05-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

Rihanna is among the witnesses whom prosecutors plan to call during a hearing in Chris Brown's assault case, an attorney said Thursday.

Donald Etra, Rihanna's lawyer, told reporters that prosecutors have told him the Barbados-born singer will receive a subpoena to testify at a preliminary hearing June 22. The hearing will focus on whether there is enough evidence to continue the case against Brown.

Etra said Rihanna will comply with the order. It would mark her first appearance in court since felony assault and criminal threats charges were filed against Brown in March.

If she is called to testify, the 21-year-old singer would be subject to cross-examination by Brown's attorney, Mark Geragos.

Other potential witnesses have not been named, but will likely include police investigators.

Brown was arrested in February on suspicion of hitting and choking Rihanna in a rented car hours before the couple were scheduled to appear at the Grammys.

Etra wouldn't address their relationship now, but said Rihanna, whose real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, was following the case closely.

A judge on Thursday rejected a motion by Geragos to receive police and investigative records related to the case and the apparent leak of a photo of a beaten and bruised Rihanna.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg told Geragos the motion was premature and he could file it again after the preliminary hearing.

Brown wasn't in court Thursday, but he's required to attend the preliminary hearing. The 20-year-old R&B singer faces possible sentences that range from probation to nearly five years in prison if convicted.

Geragos argued that he should have access to the records to properly cross-examine police witnesses during the preliminary hearing. He also said intense public interest in the case should require the records' release.

Schnegg said Brown's fame wasn't an issue she was going to consider. She also called Geragos' motion "a fishing expedition."

She also said the records, which Geragos wants to use to search for police bias or misconduct, don't have anything to do with Brown's arrest. She said officers responded to a 911 call and the "Run It!" singer was arrested well before the photo of Rihanna's battered face was posted by celebrity gossip Web site TMZ.

Depeche Mode

2009-05-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

Depeche Mode say its lead singer Dave Gahan has had a malignant tumor removed from his bladder and the British electro-pop group will soon be ready to restart its interrupted tour.

A statement on the group's Web site Thursday said doctors discovered the tumor after Gahan was hospitalized with severe gastroenteritis in May.

The statement says the low-grade malignant tumor has been successfully removed, and doctors have ordered Gahan to rest until June 8. The group says it will restart its interrupted concert in Leipzig in Germany on that day.

Depeche Mode says concerts scheduled after that — including June 10 in Berlin and June 12 in Frankfurt — will take place as originally planned as possible.

Promoter: Singer innocent of Braxton scam

2009-05-27T06:54:00.000-07:00

Promoter: Singer innocent of Braxton scam
A concert promoter has testified that he alone tried to foist off a Las Vegas-based entertainer as six-time Grammy winner Toni Braxton at a show that has since been dubbed the "Phony Toni" concert.

Angel Ventura, 45, told a judge Tuesday that Braxton impersonator Trina Johnson-Finn was an unwitting participant of his scheme that tricked people in this tiny South American country into paying up to $53 a ticket for the Feb. 28 concert in Suriname's capital.

Disappointed fans had hoped to see Braxton, who is best known for the hit "Un-break My Heart" and appearances on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars."

"I never said to the prosecutor that Trina Johnson knew beforehand that she was part of a scam," he told Judge Robby Rodriguez on the first day of Johnson-Finn's trial on charges of defrauding fans.

But prosecutors contend Johnson-Finn, who has augmented her 20-year singing career by impersonating various stars as a "tribute artist," attempted to pass herself off as the real Braxton, and that Ventura's testimony does not clear her of involvement in the scam.

The concert was a debacle: Numerous people in the crowd of 3,000 began to jeer and pelt the stage with trash when the singer hit a sour note at the beginning of the second song. She was rushed off the stage to a loud chorus of boos.

Johnson-Finn, clad in a black blouse and skirt, sat calmly during Ventura's testimony.

Her Surinamese lawyer, Kathleen Brandon, told the judge the 41-year-old Nevada woman has been unjustly jailed for nearly three months awaiting her trial and called for her immediate release.

"Ventura told her to go all out as an impersonator and play a role in the whole thing. She thought that everyone knew that she was just an impersonator, but Ventura did not tell anyone in Suriname," Brandon said.

But the judge declined to release Johnson-Finn and adjourned the trial until June 2.

Supporters in Las Vegas have come to Johnson-Finn's defense, waging an Internet campaign on her behalf.

Clarkson is a Susan Boyle fan

2009-05-27T06:52:00.000-07:00

'Idol' winner Clarkson is a Susan Boyle fan
Kelly Clarkson, the winner of the debut season of "American Idol" in 2002, says she's a fan of surprise British singing star Susan Boyle, adding to a growing number of celebrity admirers that already include Oprah Winfrey and Demi Moore.

Boyle, the 47-year-old church volunteer with a powerful voice, overcame a dowdy image to become an Internet sensation after her performance on the talent show "Britain's Got Talent" was posted on YouTube.

"I think it's awesome. I'm bawling whenever I hear her sing," Clarkson told The Associated Press in Hong Kong, saying Boyle's rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables" sounded beautiful.

Clarkson was in Hong Kong promoting her new album, "All I Ever Wanted."

The 27-year-old singer said she still tries to catch "American Idol" when she can and defended the show against criticism that it has welcomed candidates with previous record deals or experience in other talent contests. "Idol" rules only require that contestants not be under a record or management contract when they audition.

"I personally think if someone has been affiliated with the industry, who cares? That just means they've been working hard and trying to get in the door," Clarkson said. "Regardless, you're going to be an amateur talent. It's not like you've had a huge record deal and toured the world. It's not like they're going to be some huge threat."

But she said the show' success has put more pressure on contestants.

During the taping of the first season, "No one knew what to expect. No one knew if it was going to be successful," Clarkson said. "But now people know the stakes."

George Strait

2009-05-27T06:51:00.001-07:00

George Strait named artist of decade in TV special
George Strait will be saluted as the Academy of Country Music's artist of the decade in an all-star concert that airs Wednesday night on CBS.

The show was taped last month in Las Vegas and features performances by Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Toby Keith, Brooks & Dunn, Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Jamie Foxx, Alan Jackson, Martina McBride and more.

Garth Brooks, named artist of the decade for the 1990s, presented Strait his award. Strait joins only four other artists who have received this distinction: Marty Robbins, Loretta Lynn, Alabama and Brooks.

Strait's career spans nearly 25 years and includes many classics, including "Amarillo By Morning," "The Chair" and "Give It Away."

___

Amanda Leigh

2009-05-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

Moore returns with folksy `Amanda Leigh'
Sure, Mandy Moore has grown up. She's 25, married to singer-songwriter Ryan Adams and pushing past the teen-pop territory of her younger days, as she did on 2007's decidedly adult "Wild Hope."

But while her new album, "Amanda Leigh," sparkles in places, it also shows where Moore needs to grow. The record's tunes about love and soul-searching, co-written by Moore and Mike Viola, leader of the Candy Butchers, with help from Inara George of the Bird and the Bee, range from country-tinged folk to straight-up alt-country to songs so steeped in harpsichord and harmony, they verge on musical theater.

The songs are recorded with crisp, precise instrumentation, but the lyrics tend to rhyme too much. "I could handle your tortured heart/ Even piece it together whenever you ripped it apart," she sings on "Love to Love Me Back."

"I Could Break Your Heart Any Day of the Week," the album's main single, is saccharine mixed with saltiness. The chorus of the up-tempo and cheesy blowoff to a guy is catchy, but silly.

At her best, Moore shows that her sweetly tinged voice can be both throaty and twangy. Songs such as "Bug" have a pleasant Joni Mitchell vibe, all clear-eyed '70s folk.

Annabel Alpers has put New Zealand on the tech-pop map

2009-05-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

Annabel Alpers has put New Zealand on the tech-pop map.

Recording as Bachelorette, her first album for the Drag City label is a pop treatise on technology's perpetual intrusion on society.

Titled "My Electric Family," the record takes aim at an increasingly computer-reliant population. Her method is the catch. As a student of computer-based composition, Bachelorette makes use of traditional instruments, but deploys mostly electronic sounds. Like Kraftwerk's "Computer World," she uses the very devices she's critiquing.

The hazy doo-wop of "The National Grid" explores the urban existence; backing vocals inch the rhythm along, giving the feeling of walking on a crowded sidewalk. The brass section by the Royal New Zealand Air Force Brass Band on "Dream Sequence" plays like a sound-off for more physical activity.

Disconsolate ballad "Where to Begin" poses the question, "Will this digital obsession ever end?" Again, Alpers' lyrics articulately punctuate the situation: "You stay in your room/ On the computer/ Observing strangers/ Ignoring those around you."

"Her Rotating Head" is synth-pop on par with other outer-echelon divas like Annie (Norway) and Robyn (Sweden), but instead of a bubble gum theme, Alpers subliminally rails against objectification by likening the female side of a romance to a robotic doll.

Using pop music as a vehicle for introspection, Bachelorette details the benefit and detriment of technological evolution, making one of the year's best records in the process.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: "Technology Boy," the album's centerpiece, veers out of the city and onto the scenic route, as processed harmonies flicker and float above warm, competing analog/digital tones.

Meg White and Jackson Smith wed in Nashville

2009-05-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

White Stripes drummer Meg White has married fiance Jackson Smith in Nashville.

The 34-year-old rock drummer's publicist said in a statement Tuesday that the ceremony was part of a double wedding Friday in the backyard of White's musical partner, Jack White.

Smith is the son of punk singer Patti Smith and the late guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith of the rock band MC5. The younger Smith is also a rock guitarist.

The other couple that wed Friday was Jack Lawrence and his girlfriend Jo McCaughey.

Jack Lawrence is the bass player in Jack White's other musical projects: the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather.

The wedding was attended by a small party of close friends and relatives.

The White Stripes got their start in Detroit. Though Meg and Jack White have claimed to be siblings, court records have suggested they were married for four years before divorcing in 2000.

Meg White and Jackson Smith live in Detroit.

Natalie Cole back at home after kidney transplant surgery

2009-05-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

Natalie Cole is recovering at home after a successful kidney transplant.

Her spokeswoman, Maureen O'Connor, says Cole was released on Sunday from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

O'Connor says Cole, who had the kidney transplant surgery on May 18, is "doing quite well under the circumstances."

The 59-year-old singer underwent the operation immediately after learning that a donor organ had become available.

The daughter of Nat King Cole had been receiving dialysis three times a week since September. But she still continued to perform in support of her latest album, the Grammy-winning "Still Unforgettable."

Cole postponed her summer tour, which was scheduled to begin June 5, so she can recover.

Kanye West turns author "Proud non-reader"

2009-05-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

Rapper Kanye West does not read books or respect them but nevertheless he has written one that he would like you to buy and read.

The Grammy Award winner, known for his No. 1 albums and outspoken statements on everything from racism in America to the banality of Twitter, is the co-author of "Thank You And You're Welcome."

His book is 52 pages -- some blank, others with just a few words -- and offers his optimistic philosophy on life. One two-page section reads, "Life is 5% what happens and 95% how you react!" Another page reads "I hate the word hate!"

"This is a collection of thoughts and theories," West, 31, said in an interview about his spiral-bound volume, which was written with J. Sakiya Sandifer.

West said he put his thoughts in a book because "I get paraphrased and misquoted all the time." He calls his wisdom "Kanye-isms."

"My favorite one is 'Get used to being used,'" he said.

"I feel like to misuse, overuse or abuse someone is negative. To use is necessary and if you can't be used, then you are useless."

So does he fancy himself a modern-day Confucius?

"I'm trying to end the confusion," he said, laughing and adding, "I'm gonna put that on the next album."

West's derision of books comes despite the fact that his late mother, Donda West, was a university English professor before she retired to manage his music career. She died in 2007 of complications following cosmetic surgery.

"Sometimes people write novels and they just be so wordy and so self-absorbed," West said. "I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book's autograph.

"I am a proud non-reader of books. I like to get information from doing stuff like actually talking to people and living real life," he said.

West, a college dropout, said being a non-reader was helpful when he wrote his book because it gave him "a childlike purity."

West dedicates the book to his late mother.

"My mom taught me to believe in my flyness and conquer my shyness," he said, defining "flyness" as confidence. "She raised me to be the voice to allow people to think for themselves, to find their own way."

Conductor Abbado returns to Italy's La Scala

2009-05-26T13:26:00.001-07:00

Claudio Abbado is returning to La Scala after more than 20 years, and the city is planting 90,000 trees in his honor.

Abbado is a native of the city, and was musical director at La Scala for 17 years.

His return is part of an effort by La Scala's general manager Stephane Lissner to bring great conductors to La Scala's podium. The effort even includes an invitation to Riccardo Muti, who stepped down as music director and principal conductor in 2005 in open conflict with musicians.

La Scala has not had a music director since, instead naming Daniel Barenboim its principal guest conductor.

Abbado will conduct Mahler's "Eighth Symphony" in two concerts in June 2010, plus a rehearsal open to youth, his first concerts with La Scala's orchestra since departing as musical director in 1985, Lissner announced Tuesday.

His last appearance at La Scala was with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1987.

Abbado, 75, requested that the trees be planted in his name for the benefit of Milan's residents as a living memorial to mark his return to his native city. He met with the mayor and other officials Monday to discuss what kind of trees would be planted and where, said La Scala spokesman Carlo Maria Cella.

"He mentioned Magnolias, trees that are hearty enough to survive in the city," Cella said.

Mayor Letizia Moratti told a news conference that the first trees would be planted in the coming months along a central shopping thoroughfare.

Lissner said Tuesday he had not yet heard back from Muti, to whom he wrote several months ago inviting to work on a project in 2013. Lissner joined La Scala in May 2005, after Muti's departure.

La Scala announced that its 2009-10 season will open with Bizet's "Carmen," by tradition on Dec. 7, conducted by Barenboim. Emma Dante will direct the production. German tenor Jonas Kaufmann will sing the role of Don Jose and Uruguayan baritone Erwin Schrott will perform Escamillo.

Also appearing at La Scala next season will be Daniele Gatti, who conducted this season's gala premiere, Zubin Mehta and tenor Placido Domingo, who will sing the lead in "Simon Boccanegra" next April. Domingo will mark the 40th anniversary of his first La Scala appearance on Dec. 9, singing the role of Siegmund in the first act of Wagner's "Die Walkuere" in a concert version conducted by Barenboim. The Spanish tenor debuted at La Scala in Verdi's "Ernani" in 1969.

SC judge OKs settlement over James Brown estate

2009-05-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

After years of hearings in a protracted battle over how to parcel out James Brown's wealth, a South Carolina judge approved a settlement Tuesday that gives nearly half of it to his charitable trust, about a quarter to his wife and young son, and the rest to Brown's adult children.

The settlement was a contrast to the instructions spelled out in Brown's will and trust after his death on Christmas Day 2006. Some of Brown's adult children contested the bequest, claiming their father's estate was mismanaged by trustees.

"I find that the settlement is just and reasonable and provides a just and reasonable result for the charitable beneficiaries," Judge Jack Early wrote. "From the perspective of the charitable beneficiaries, the risks of not approving the settlement agreement are substantial."

The exact value of Brown's assets has not been made public. However, during numerous court hearings since the Godfather of Soul's death, there have been claims of unpaid debts, inadequate accounting and misappropriated money.

Some of the soul singer's possessions were auctioned for $850,000, partly to pay debt. Attorneys have said the soul singer's accounts have little money in them. The future income — from movies, royalties and the sale of Brown's likeness — is what's really at stake, attorneys have said.

The settlement establishes that Tomi Rae Hynie Brown is the surviving spouse of the Godfather of Soul and her son is James Brown's child. James Brown II will not be required to take a DNA test.

"I am so relieved and happy that the court has approved this settlement," Brown's widow said in a statement to the AP. "I want to be able to work with the trustees and other Brown family members to promote James Brown's legacy. My son James and I are grateful to the judge and hope this nightmare is finally over."

More than three years, as thousands attended public memorial services, the legal rifts surrounding his estate formed. It even took a couple of months for Brown to be buried, his body at one point resting in a sealed gold casket inside his South Carolina home.

A will filed in Aiken County on Jan. 18, 2007, called for many of Brown's personal possessions — clothes, jewelry, boats and automobiles — to be divided among six of his adult children. But the legitimacy of the will and trust was quickly called into question.

Louis Levenson, an attorney for Brown's adult children, said he had not yet reviewed the judge's order.

The judge also wrote that Brown's relatives will create a museum or other memorial burial place for the late singer. Brown was interred March 10, 2007, at the Beech Island home of one of his daughters.

Glastonbury returns to roots

2009-05-26T06:59:00.001-07:00

Glastonbury, the world's largest green field arts and music festival has shied away from rap and chosen Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Blur as its headline acts this year, a return to its guitar-based roots.

Hip-hop superstar Jay-Z headlined the festival last year in an effort to attract a younger crowd but ticket sales dragged, and although the rapper was widely judged a success, some criticized the organizers for abandoning the festival's origins.

This year, old favorites dominate with Tom Jones, Status Quo and Madness playing the main stage and hip-hop artists Q-Tip, Roots Manuva and Black Eyed Peas relegated to the smaller areas, the official line-up showed.

"We know that there will be objections to whatever we do but if last year taught us anything, it was that we have to follow our gut instinct," festival organizer Emily Eavis told Britain's Guardian newspaper.

"Risks pay off, and featuring Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen in one weekend was a choice ... and we had to take it," the paper quoted her as saying.

One notable hip-hop exception on the main stage is British rapper Dizzee Rascal, who was topping the UK singles charts on Monday and has rocked British festivals this year.

YOUNGER CROWD

Other artists likely to appeal to a younger crowd include indie pop group The Wombats, Australia's Gabriella Cilmi, electro-pop musician Little Boots, and pop artist Lady Gaga.

Peter Doherty will play Glastonbury's second-largest stage, and there is speculation he will be joined by his former group, the Libertines, after he performed earlier this month with two of its members for the first time since the band split in 2004.

The Prodigy, best-known for their violent lyrics and hard beats, will be at Glastonbury performing "Invaders Must Die," their first album since 2004.

The festival is held on the farm of founder Michael Eavis, who started the event in 1970 when entrance cost one pound and included free milk. This year's almost 200,000 tickets went for 175 pounds each.

Not just about music, the June 24-28 festival also has performing arts, theater, dance, spiritual-healing and circus events.

Jay Bennett, ex-member of band Wilco

2009-05-26T06:57:00.001-07:00

Jay Bennett, a former member of the band Wilco, has died at age 45, according to his record label.

"We are profoundly saddened to report that our friend died in his sleep ... Jay was a beautiful human being who will be missed," read the posting Sunday on Undertow Music Collective's Web site.

Wilco lead singer Jeff Tweedy said in a statement Monday he was "deeply saddened" by Bennett's death.

Tweedy said Bennett made significant contributions to Wilco's songs and the band's evolution. He said Bennett would be remembered "as a truly unique and gifted human being."

Bennett died at his Urbana home early Sunday, friend and fellow musician Edward Burch told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup said an autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday.

Bennett worked as a sound engineer and played instruments for Wilco from 1994 to 2001.

Earlier this month, Bennett sued Tweedy, claiming he was owed royalties for songs during his seven years and five albums with the group.

In the breach-of-contract lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court, Bennett also claimed that he deserved money from the band's 2002 documentary, "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart." The film documents the making of Wilco's album "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot."

Danny Gokey plans to thank Milwaukee for support

2009-05-26T06:55:00.001-07:00

"American Idol" finalist Danny Gokey plans to thank his hometown of Milwaukee at an event that also will raise awareness and money for his charity.

The former church music director is not expected to sing at the free event Tuesday night for contractual reasons. But his church choir, including friend and former "American Idol" contestant Jamar Rogers, do plan to perform.

Gokey also will talk about Sophia's Heart Foundation, which he started in memory of his wife, who died last summer after surgery for a congenital heart defect. A fundraiser is being held earlier at Hilton Milwaukee City Center.

Gokey tours with the Top 10 "American Idol" finalists starting in July.

Jack White had concerns over new music project

2009-05-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

JACK WHITE has admitted he had second thoughts about going public with his new band because he thought he'd be slammed by critics.

The White Stripes frontman said he was concerned that when he debuted his new band, the Dead Weather, he would be criticised for having too many musical projects.

White frotns The Dead Weather with Alison Mosshart of indie two-piece The Kills, Queens Of The Stone Age guitarist Dean Fertita and bassist Jack Lawrence.

But he said he was worried about starting his third collaboration because he didn't want fans to assume he was only working with Mosshart to recreate the success of their respective rock duos.

Speaking to Uncut magazine, he said: "There was a self-consciousness, I think, but it was after the fact. When we started we didn't even know we were making a record or starting a band.

"But when you're finishing a project you remember, 'Oh that's right, we have to release this to the lions now.' And people are going to say, 'Oh right, they're both in two-piece guy/girl bands.' They're going to think we did it on purpose."

And the star said he only started the band because of the great chemistry among the members.

He added: "It was a happy accident. Everybody involved really inspired each other. If we're hanging out and it's really working, it's unfair for me to say, 'OK sorry. I have this other successful band. Sorry, too busy.' That would be a shame."

Kaiser Chiefs surprised at Green Day's good behaviour

2009-05-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

KAISER CHIEFS has revealed how Green Day taught them how to behave on tour.

The Leeds band said they hoped there would be wild rock n' roll parties when they toured with the punk band, but were quickly told that wasn't going to happen.

Drummer Nick Hodgson said: "They're very ordinary. We thought that Green Day would be real rock 'n' roll divas until we went on tour with them from Ireland to Scotland.

"The manager told us we had to get off the tour bus when we boarded the ferry and we said, 'I bet Green Day don't have to.'

"But when we got off the bus we saw that Green Day were the first off, sat in a cafe at 6am."

But Hodgson admits he does use his rock star status to his advantage on occasion.

He added: "Sometimes you get last orders after last orders and that kind of thing. And I seem to spend a lot of time on the phone to (utility company) British Gas.

"As soon as they find out I'm a Kaiser Chief, they suddenly become much more helpful."

Jackson blows £4 million on kids statues

2009-05-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson splashed out almost £4 million on statues of children.

The 'Thriller’ singer – who was cleared of child abuse allegations in 2005 – purchased the life-size bronze monuments of kids holding hands, dancing and playing on slides to display in his Neverland home.

Jackson is said to have made the purchases – which were revealed in court documents filed by his ex-lawyer Raymone Bain - while his huge debts piled up, using money from the £16 million he received for 'Personal expenses' after selling his half of the ATV Music Publishing company to Sony in 2006.

In the court documents, Bain, who is suing Jackson for £33 million, claimed: 'The magnitude of his spending is legendary as he has earned and dissipated several fortunes.

'Mr. Jackson’s pattern has been to spend to the brink of insolvency and then borrow against his assets to further feed his spending would give any other individual a moment of pause.

'Mr. Jackson exhibited and continues to exhibit impulsive and irresponsible spending habits without regard to the financial limits of his earnings.'

Most of the statues are now being auctioned in a bid to raise cash for the star. Last week, the 50-year-old star – who is said to be in millions of pounds worth of debt – postponed the first four concerts of his 50-night residency at London’s O2 arena.

Kate Moss planning to write a novel

2009-05-26T06:25:00.000-07:00

Kate Moss planning to write a novel

The supermodel – who is also set to pen her autobiography – is teaming up with her friend, former Sleeper singer-turned-novelist Louise Wener, when she ends her catwalk career.

The book is expected to be based on a young female model’s life as she rises from obscurity to dominate the fashion world.

A source told Britain’s The Sun newspaper: 'Kate has been considering how she will occupy her time when the modelling work dries up.

'Writing a novel is something she has considered before. With the help of a ghost writer like Louise, she is convinced she could come up with a commercially successful product that could be a great money-spinner.

'She knows the modelling world inside out and all the scandal behind the scenes.' This is not the first book-based project Kate has been considered. Earlier this year, it was claimed she was planning to launch her own cookbook after treating boyfriend Jamie Hince to a series of homemade meals.

A source said: "She's buzzing about the idea of being the first supermodel to release a cookbook. "Her friend Davinia Taylor has helping her and Kate is always on the phone to her pals for tips." It was recently revealed the 35-year-old British beauty will receive around £1 million when she releases her autobiography through Virgin Books.

Richard Branson, who owns a 10 per cent stake in the company said: "It's going to make an exciting read."

The tome is expected to reveal intimate details about Moss' drug abuse, her break-up from troubled rocker Pete Doherty and tackle the recent allegations that she cheated on current boyfriend Jamie with Eve Berlin from American band Living Things last year.

Brown in TV hunt for next Spice Girls

2009-05-25T11:30:00.001-07:00

Former Spice Girl Melanie Brown is to host a new TV talent show to find the next big girl band.
Bosses at US music channel VH1 are putting the show together and are lining up the Wannabe singer to help search for the stars of the future.

Brown, currently in Las Vegas starring in burlesque act Peepshow at the Planet Hollywood Resort, says, "It's going to be a real chance to find some edgy raw talents and watch it unfold as part of the show."

But Brown has ruled out a lucrative Spice Girls reunion: "It wasn't about money for us - it was about going out on top where we finished."

Britney Spears becomes bridesmaid

2009-05-25T11:25:00.001-07:00

Britney Spears was a bridesmaid for her cousin on Saturday (23.05.09).

The 'Womanizer' singer made a discreet appearance alongside her brother Bryan Spears at the wedding of Laura Lynne Covington, which was held at the First United Methodist Church in Amite, Louisiana.

A guest said: "When her brother walked her down the aisle, she looked stunningly calm and beautiful. She was very pretty, low-key. She was not the centre of everything, just pretty and calm and collected."

After the ceremony, Britney joined her sister Jamie Lynn – who was also a bridesmaid, and brought along her 11-month-old daughter Maddie – at the reception.

The source added to People magazine: "Britney sat at a table off to the side and visited with local people she knew.

"There was no fanfare. With all the star power Britney and her family command, it was still the bride's day."

Britney is currently taking a break after finishing the North American section of her 'Circus' tour.

Last week, she took her sons – three-year-old Sean Preston and Jayden James, two – to the Bahamas, where they stayed at the renowned Atlantis resort.

The 27-year-old singer has posted pictures of the break on her official website, showing her playing with her children in a swimming pool.

Katy Perry’s sister saved her from rehab

2009-05-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

Katy Perry’s sister saved her from rehab.

The 'Hot N Cold’ singer is always accompanied by elder sibling Angela, 26, and says her sister’s harsh stance has stopped her spiralling out of control.

She said: 'Angela is the one who kicks my a*s. The way she wakes me up is pretty horrible. She’ll stand over my face with a glass of cold water and count to three. If I’m not up by three, she’ll pour.

'You need 'no’ people around you, otherwise you’ll end up in rehab. My sister doesn’t care how many records I’ve sold or what I’ve done or what I have.'

Katy also claims her sister is responsible for her success as Angela got her interested in singing at a young age.

She added: 'I fell into singing at the age of nine because I was copying everything my sister did. She started having singing lessons and I was like, 'I want them too’. '

Jennifer Aniston saves old messages of love

2009-05-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Aniston saves messages from her old boyfriends.
The actress – who was previously married to Brad Pitt and has also dated singer John Mayer, model Paul Sculfor and actor Vince Vaughn – finds modern technology has changed dating styles and admits she pines for the old fashioned approach to romance.

She said: 'I am not an internet person and it’s so unreal to find an honest person online.

'I loved it when we used to have an answering machine – it was great to check your messages over and over again. By the way, I still have those tapes of messages. I like saving them.'

The 'Management’ star also insists honesty is the key to a good relationship.

When asked what it takes to make a relationship work, she replied: 'Be honest. We have to let guys know who we really are. And set your boundaries – tell it like it is. Men are not mind-readers you know.

Shaun Ryder blanks out Paul McCartney meeting

2009-05-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

Shaun Ryder doesn’t remember meeting Sir Paul McCartney.

The Happy Mondays frontman is a huge fan of The Beatles but can’t recall speaking to the legendary musician because he was high on drugs at the time.

He told Uncut magazine: 'He once compared us to The Beatles in their 'Magical Mystery Tour’ phase, which was a great compliment. Maybe he was just being polite.

'Apparently I met Paul a couple of times. I’ll be f**ked if I can remember anything about it. I only remember it because someone has shown me some photos. When you’ve spent as much time off your t*ts as I have, there are a lot of things you’re never going to remember.'

Despite his drug-taking past, Shaun insists he is now clean because he is tired of experimenting with substances.

The 46-year-old star explained: 'By the time you get to the age I am, you’ve been there, read the book, bought the T-shirt. At the end of the day, if I wasn’t bored with drugs I’d still be taking the things.

That goes for alcohol as well. Been there, done it.'

Status Quo booked for Glastonbury

2009-05-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

Status Quo, Tom Jones, Franz Ferdinand and Spinal Tap are among the diverse acts revealed in the final line-up for this year's Glastonbury Festival.

They will join previously announced headliners Blur, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young at the Somerset event.

Abba tribute band Bjorn Again, Dizzee Rascal, Lily Allen, Jarvis Cocker and Madness will also perform at the festival, which runs from 26-28 June.

All 137,500 tickets for the event in Worthy Farm, Pilton, have sold out.

They were put on sale last October in an attempt to stop the ticketing problems of previous years.

Lady GaGa, Ting Tings and Echo and the Bunnymen are also on the bill for the festival, which runs from 26-28 June.

Organisers will be hoping for better weather than the festival has experienced in recent years, with heavy rain and mudbaths coming to represent Glastonbury as much as the music.
More than 350 acts have been booked to perform over the weekend, ranging from dance DJs to eclectic world musicians.

Among other performers confirmed for the festival are The Prodigy, Glasvegas, Kasabian, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Doves and Will Young.

US hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas will be taking to the Jazz World stage, alongside The Streets, Jamie Cullum and Roots Manuva.

T.I. packs Atlanta arena before heading to prison

2009-05-25T00:54:00.000-07:00

T.I. packs Atlanta arena before heading to prison
The Grammy-winning rapper told the audience at a Sunday night concert in Atlanta's Philips Arena that he would stay optimistic while serving his sentence for a year and a day.

"I'm going to stand up tall, head up high," he said. "Thank you for all of your support."

Many in the packed crowd of about 16,000 people held up encouraging signs, like one reading "T.I. We Will Miss U!"

The 28-year-old rapper, whose real name is Clifford J. Harris Jr., must report by noon Tuesday to the Federal Correction Institution at Forrest City, Ark.

He was arrested after prosecutors said he tried to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers from undercover federal agents in 2007.

During the concert, T.I. said he hoped that everyone learned from his mistakes. He brought his five children on stage to stand next to him, often holding one of them while he performed "No Matter What" — a single off the almost double-platinum album "Paper Trail."

T.I., who won a Grammy for "Swagga Like Us," also performed all his hits from "What You Know" to "Bring 'Em Out" to his recent chart-topping singles "What Ever You Like" and "Live Your Life." Teenage rapper Soulja Boy also joined him on stage.

"What I need y'all to do is pray for me while I'm gone," he said. "I'll see y'all in 366 days."

Billy Joel drummer

2009-05-25T00:52:00.000-07:00

Billy Joel drummer files NY lawsuit over royalties
A former drummer for Billy Joel claims the Grammy Award-winning singer of hits including "Uptown Girl" and "Movin' Out" has stiffed him out of royalties for years.

Liberty DeVitto has filed a lawsuit in Manhattan's state Supreme Court demanding Joel pay him overdue royalties. The 58-year-old says he was Joel's drummer from 1975 to 2005 and helped the piano man craft some of his biggest albums.

DeVitto's lawyer says he doesn't know how much his client is owed. He says Joel's sales are subject to an audit.

DeVitto says he's working as a studio musician and teaching to support his family, including three children.

Joel has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. His spokeswoman hasn't returned a telephone message seeking comment.

Susan Boyle sings rousing 'Memory'

2009-05-25T00:49:00.000-07:00

Unlikely UK sensation Boyle sings rousing 'Memory'
Surprise singing sensation Susan Boyle made a new television appearance Sunday, showcasing once again her soaring voice — but refusing to compromise on the frumpy look that made her an Internet sensation.

The shy church volunteer gave a rousing, but occasionally nervous, performance on the "American Idol"-style show "Britain's Got Talent," with a version of the song "Memory" from the musical "Cats."

Members of the public voting in a telephone poll picked her as the best of eight performers who appeared Sunday, meaning she will sing again in the contest's final next Saturday.

Flashing a broad smile, Boyle danced in delight as results were announced and said had relished the chance to perform. "Fantastic, absolutely fantastic," she said. "What pressure? I've really enjoyed myself tonight."

Wearing a plum colored beaded dress — and a touch more makeup than during her last performance — but with the same unruly shock of hair, Boyle overcame early jitters to deliver a powerful vocal.

Producers said the 47-year-old's appearance was being posted on the Internet almost immediately, after about 60 million people watched her last performance via YouTube.

In her first performance last month, judges who'd raised eyebrows at Boyle's dowdy image were won over by her bold voice and surprisingly confident performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables." The sometimes awkward looking Scot won praise from celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey and Demi Moore, and even won a name check in her favorite cartoon "The Simpsons."

On Sunday, the show's judges and audience rose to their feet to applaud, but those posting comments to the Twitter Web site appeared divided. While some hailed her performance, others appeared underwhelmed.

Bookmaker William Hill has made her a runaway favorite to win on May 30.

Contestants are competing to perform at Britain's annual Royal Variety Show — attended by members of the royal family — and win a 100,000 pound ($159,000) prize.

The singer, who lives alone with her cat Pebbles in one of Scotland's poorest regions, said before Sunday's performance that she wouldn't transform her appearance. "I just want people to see me for who I am, and do my best at singing the song, that's what I am focusing on," she said.

Boyle, who says she's never been kissed, grew up the youngest of nine children in Blackburn, a community of 4,750 people 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Edinburgh, in Scotland, and a district blighted by unemployment and crime. She suffered learning difficulties as a child and was bullied by other children.

As an adult, she's struggled for work but had been a regular on her local karaoke circuit and performed in church choirs.

In an interview with The Associated Press at her home last month, she said the death of her mother had inspired her to enter the TV talent show.

"I wanted to show her I could do something with my life," Boyle said.

Pedaler's Jamboree combines biking, live music along Katy Trail

2009-05-23T23:03:00.001-07:00

Experienced and novice cyclists gathered at Flat Branch Park on Saturday morning to kick off the Pedaler’s Jamboree, a two-day bike ride along the Katy Trail with multiple live music events along the way.

Participants began their journey in Columbia and biked along the trail to Boonville. On Sunday, they could head home at their leisure. The route was an estimated 60 miles there and back, with an optional bonus loop of 15 miles to Cooper’s Landing on the Missouri River.
Mike Denehy, the series director for Off Track Events, established the Jamboree after having spent years biking the scenic Katy Trail.

“I’ve had great experiences on the trail, so I thought it would be a good idea to incorporate the live music element,” Denehy said. “I initially worked with the different venues and then we brought in the live acts."

Most of the venues were popular pit stops along the Katy Trail, including Katfish Katy’s, Les Bourgeois Winery, Rocheport General Store, The Katy Roundhouse and Lucy’s Bar & Grill. At each venue, participants enjoyed live music by Boone County favorites such as the Honky Tonk Blues Band, the 3rd Street String Band and Counterfeit Heroz.

The Jamboree was designed to accommodate both serious and casual cyclists; participants made up a mixed group that ranged from toddlers to senior citizens. Young parents, some with attached baby bicycle strollers, mingled with groups of friends and older couples.

Missy Brooks came with her friend Sara Harbour from Fulton to join in the festivities.

“We read about it in a pamphlet we picked up and thought it would be a good way to get into biking. It’s a great event for people just starting out,” Brooks said.

Other cyclists, such as Bryan Richardson, saw the event as a good way to get back into cycling.

"I came up from Iowa for this," Richardson said. "My buddy lives in Columbia so I just thought it would be fun to do this with him and his family.”

More than 400 participants preregistered for the event, which cost $30, but Denehy said he was confident they would have a few hundred more walk-ons.

The final destination was Boonville’s Kemper Park and a concert that was open to the public that featured the East Ash Street Band and the Wild Cat Daddies as well as the lively acoustic sounds of the headlining act, Big Smith. Other highlights included a bike show and entry to the Boonville Beer Garden.

Participants were given the option of camping out or spending the night at a nearby hotel before returning Sunday.

Former music minister faces more charges

2009-05-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

A former church music minister was charged today with additional sexual exploitation charges, five days after he was charged with taking indecent liberties with a student.
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Paul Lawrence Berrell, 29, who was a music minister at St. Eugene's Catholic Church, faces nine counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor after police searched his North Ridge Drive home. They found pictures of a minor engaged in sexual activity, according to the Asheville Police Department.

The charges stem from the investigation that followed Berrell's arrest Monday on one count of taking indecent liberties with a student.

A police report said the incident occurred April 21 at Berrell's home, just on the Woodfin side of the Woodfin-Asheville municipal line. The report says a “parent called (the department) to report indecent liberties with a child.”

A spokesman for the Diocese of Charlotte, of which St. Eugene is a part, said Berrell no longer works for the church.

Berrell is held at the Buncombe County Detention Center on a $90,000 bond.

Classical music Summer Entertainment Guide

2009-05-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

We may not be the Rockies, but we're making inroads.

While that mountain range is dotted with summer classical music festivals from Banff to Santa Fe, Minnesota music lovers have contented themselves with smaller gatherings. But the quality of the talent is growing by the year, making these events well worth a visit.

SKYLARK OPERA

June 13-21: The local company once known as North Star Opera has long specialized in light operetta, but this year's season (packed into a tuneful nine days) borrows a bit from the Minnesota Opera's modus operandi by presenting a "bel canto" opera from early 19th-century Italy. Gaetano Donizetti may be best known for the dark "Lucia di Lammermoor," but he also created a light romantic comedy called "Don Pasquale" that will be performed in English. As will Sigmund Romberg's operetta "The Desert Song," a tale of love and political intrigue set in 1920s Morocco. Visit SkylarkOpera.org for showtimes; E.M. Pearson Theatre, 312 N. Hamline Ave., St. Paul; $43-$25; 651-209-6689.

Signature Series at UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance reaches out to young musicians

2009-05-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

This time around, it’s all about connecting with the younger generation.

The 2009-10 Signature Series of concerts presented by the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance will feature performances by renowned musicians who were selected because of their dedication to teaching young musicians, said Dana Self, marketing director for the conservatory.

The concert series comprises five performances, which begin Oct. 10 with the Cypress String Quartet and end on April 24 with a performance by a 100-piece orchestra led by esteemed Mahler specialist Robert Olson.

Also performing will be vibraphonist Stefon Harris and his band, Imani Winds and tenor Vinson Cole.

All these guest artists will be on campus, working with conservatory students in master classes that are free and open to the public. They’ll also be out in the community.

“We’re placing our visiting artists in schools and with student musicians as part of their investment in Kansas City,” said Peter Witte, dean of the conservatory.

“Cypress will be working with the 300 members of the Youth Symphonies of Kansas City. Imani and Stefon Harris will be spending three days in public schools throughout the city. These artists exemplify the energy and imagination that will define performing careers in the 21st century.”

Kris Allen Still Thinks Adam Lambert .. Win 'American Idol'

2009-05-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

Kris Allen Still Thinks Adam Lambert Deserved To Win 'American Idol'

Kris Allen might have been a stranger to "American Idol" fans before the top 36 performance shows, but three months later, he was crowned the show's new champion.

How did he do it? We caught up with the 23-year-old newlywed from Conway, Arkansas, to talk about his under-the-radar journey, whether he'll be going country and what Kanye West said about his version of "Heartless."

Q: After you were announced as the winner, you said Adam Lambert deserved to win. Why did you say that?

A: I still feel that way. I feel like Adam deserved it just as much as I did. He was the most consistent person all year, he's one of the most gifted performers I've ever met, he's really just a great guy. We became great friends, and we told each other that day, "You deserve it," and he shot it back at me. I think it could have gone either way, and America could not have gotten it wrong.

Q: During Tuesday night's performance finale, the judges seemed to not really comment on your performances of the coronation song, "No Boundaries." Why do you think that was?

A: After that last song, I don't think me or Adam were happy with our performances at all. I think that they were not trying to judge us on that song, more than anything, and just judge us on the year, which was kind of nice. It felt great to be judged on what we've done throughout the year and not exactly what we'd done on that song.

Q: Do you have any plans to change up "No Boundaries" to make it fit your style a little more?

A: The track is out for sale right now, so there's not much we can do for it. The track actually sounds really good; I listened to it. But doing the live performances, I've kinda been doing them just acoustically, just on guitar and maybe piano. It fits me a little bit better. The song is good. They kind of have some stipulations on what they're supposed to do with these songs. They have to write the words a certain way. It's supposed to be this nice feeling. To have your first single not be something you were a part of writing, it's a little bit weird, but I can't complain.

Q: What kind of music do you see yourself putting out?

A: For me, I felt like I did exactly what I wanted to do on the show that I would want to do on a record. ... When I went on the show and did "Ain't No Sunshine," I felt like that's the kind of stuff I wanted to do, stuff that kind of has that feel, stuff that kind of moves people.

Q: After your duet with Keith Urban on Wednesday, are you thinking about going in a country direction with your debut?

A: I was actually afraid of that. For me, I don't feel like I would go that country way. That's not my type of music and that's not the feeling that I want in my album. But we had a great time together. He was a great guy, and I respect him so much as an artist and musician.

Q: How did you decide to rework Kanye West's "Heartless"?

A: We got to do whatever we wanted to do, as long as it got cleared. I was listening to the Kanye album, because I think it's great, and the song came across, and I was just like, "What if I did this song and made it my own?" And I was just like, "You know what? I'm not gonna ask anybody about it, I'm just gonna go for it and be bold and be risky." I did it, and I think it got a lot of good reviews. I was really excited that I got to do something like that, because I think it showed people what I could do.

Q: Did you hear anything about Kanye's response to your version?

A: I haven't heard from him, obviously. But I have heard some other people say that he blogged about it and put the video up of me on his blog. That really meant a lot.

Q: Was your wife angry after Simon said you should have hidden her away to garner more female fans?

A: Absolutely not. She had actually been saying that kind of stuff before. She was like, "I don't know if you need to mention me." She was trying to look out for me as well.

Q: Your top 36 performance was one of the first times we saw you on the show. Were you frustrated by your lack of exposure in the audition and Hollywood rounds?

A: I think there's a little bit of, "Wow, they're not showing me." But it was more shock than anything, because I felt like I had done my thing and a lot of other people had gotten shown. For me, that's kind of the way I live my life. I'm kinda laid-back and low-key, and every once in a while, I'll stick my head out. So that's kind of how I did the competition, and it seemed to work out, so I can't be mad at that.

Q: What is your goal as an artist?

A: For me, the only thing I really want to do is just be respected in the music industry and my music be respected. Whether that means selling albums or winning Grammys or just people liking your music, that's all I really wanna do.

Are you an "American Idol" expert? Take our ultimate "Idol" quiz to find out! Plus, get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

Susan Boyle Singing sensation gets new chance to shine

2009-05-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

Singing sensation Boyle gets new chance to shine
Britain's unlikely singing sensation Susan Boyle, the frumpy church volunteer who wowed the world with her angelic voice, was on Saturday voted into the next round of a TV talent show that propelled her to global fame.

The 47 year old, who lives alone with her cat Pebbles in one of Scotland's poorest regions, will now perform in a live show on Sunday, weeks after her surprising performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables" shocked judges and charmed tens of millions of people worldwide.

Boyle's performance last month on the "American Idol"-style show "Britain's Got Talent" has been viewed almost 60 million times on You Tube, and saw the shy Scot feted by celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey and Demi Moore.

The awkward looking Boyle, who says she's never been kissed, was greeted with giggles from a skeptical audience and eye rolls from the show's famously sardonic judge Simon Cowell when she appeared in April — but startled viewers with her soaring voice.

In an update on her Twitter Web site, Moore wrote that Boyle's voice had "made me teary!"

Cowell and his fellow judges said Saturday that Boyle is among 40 performers they've selected to advance in the competition.

Bookmaker William Hill makes Boyle a runaway favorite to win the final on May 30.

"She had a tremendous reaction because of the phenomenon that is YouTube — it's now all over the world and she's coping rather well," said the singer's brother, Gerry Boyle. "But I think some of the reality is now starting to sink in."

The youngest of nine children, Boyle grew up in Blackburn, a community of 4,750 people 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Edinburgh, in Scotland — a district blighted by unemployment and crime. Boyle had learning difficulties as a child and was bullied by other children.

As an adult, she's struggled for work but had been a regular on her local karaoke circuit and performed in church choirs.

In an interview with The Associated Press at her home last month, she said the death of her mother had inspired her to enter the TV talent show. "I wanted to show her I could do something with my life," Boyle said.

Since then, she's appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and had a makeover, to tame her frizzy gray-tinged hair.

"I think she is coping very well at the moment, she is just Susan. Just as calm as you like. Just carrying on as normal," said Jackie Russell, manager of Boyle's local pub The Happy Valley Hotel, in Blackburn.

Sara Lee, a spokeswoman for "Britain's Got Talent" said that Boyle's performance on Sunday will be available almost instantly on Internet, allowing her international fans a chance to watch the singer's latest appearance.

But she refused to say what song Boyle will perform in the broadcast, which will be screened live in Britain.

Clay Aiken and Adam Lambert

2009-05-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

Clay Aiken: Sorry for my 'colorful' critique, Adam
Clay Aiken says blood didn't truly pour forth from his ears when he heard runner-up Adam Lambert sing "Ring of Fire" — and hey, he's sorry for his "colorful choice of words."

The former Idol contestant writes in a blog on his Web site dated Friday that "I obviously meant it as a colorful statement to imply that I did not enjoy what I heard." He also says he didn't mean it as "a 'slam' on Adam as a person."

He had blasted Lambert's take on the classic Johnny Cash tune as "contrived," "awful" and "slightly frightening." Aiken says he hopes Lambert can forgive him — but adds Lambert probably doesn't care about what he said.

Aiken lost out to Ruben Studdard in 2003. He's since released several albums, appeared on Broadway and publicly confirmed he's gay

Venezuela music

2009-05-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

Venezuela music program flourishes as global model
Orchestras for children and teenagers inspired by Venezuela's trendsetting network of youth orchestras have been springing up from Sao Paulo to Scotland as international interest explodes, the program's founder said Friday.

The National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras of Venezuela, known here simply as "The System," has nurtured a hotbed of young talent since its 1975 launch while providing free instruments and instruction to children from the country's poorest barrios.

New orchestras modeled on the Venezuelan teaching system have been popping up increasingly in other countries across the Americas, including about 10 new orchestras in recent months, founder Jose Antonio Abreu said.

"They're being created practically every day," he said.

Abreu, a 70-year-old former congressman, started the program in hopes of one day providing all Venezuelan children access to quality music education. Since then, it has grown to include some 150 youth orchestras and 70 children's orchestras — and more than 250,000 students across the nation.

The program's star graduate, 28-year-old conductor Gustavo Dudamel, debuts in October as musical director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

The sensation that he and other young Venezuelan virtuosos have caused has captured the eye of some of classical music's biggest names. Next month, Dudamel will conduct his Simon Bolivar Youth Symphony Orchestra in separate concerts with violinist Itzhak Perlman and cellist Yo-Yo Ma in Caracas.

"The System has generated a true phenomenon in the world of soloists and conductors," Abreu told reporters. "There are world-class conductors and soloists who ask to come" to Venezuela to participate in the program, allowing Venezuelan children to soak up extra knowledge from their famous visitors, he said.

Berlin Philharmonic director Sir Simon Rattle plans to visit next year, he added.

The System, financed by the Venezuelan government for more than three decades, lets students learn largely by practice, and music theory is introduced along the way. Children as young as 3 begin with singing and xylophone playing. An instrument is chosen according to each one's inclination and ability, and provided free for the majority who couldn't afford one. Many of their teachers were trained through the same system.

The Venezuelan musicians have received collaboration proposals from as far away as South Africa, Namibia, Egypt and Kenya, and have seen their program replicated in Guatemala, Peru, Brazil, Haiti and the Dominican Republic in recent months, Abreu said.

Dudamel hopes to expand youth orchestras in Los Angeles, and Abreu said there has been interest in starting similar programs in Boston, Baltimore, Washington and Denver.

"The System is going to grow enormously in the United States," he said.

Black Eyed Peas

2009-05-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

"As individuals, we're misfits," says Fergie, the sultry female singer of the Black Eyed Peas. "Together, we're like one big misfit. People are always questioning who the hell we are."

It's the day after the group's May 6 performance, in futuristic garb, on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Chilling out in a small, sparsely furnished room at Center Staging in Burbank, California, she and fellow members of the multiracial group -- Will.i.am, Taboo and apl.de.ap -- resemble a live version of a United Colors of Benetton ad.

Fergie is dressed in black-and-white capri-length leggings set off by a hot pink shirt and a sharp pair of black ankle-strapped heels from her self-named shoe line. Sitting next to her on the sofa is apl.de.ap in a lemon V-neck T-shirt, white-framed shades and his signature Mohawk. Opting for blue-green glasses, Taboo sports a black leather vest, an eye-catching cross on a silver chain and several impressive arm tattoos.

With his close-cropped hair hidden under a red plaid cap, Will.i.am sits astride a black chair, wearing a striped shirt and gray jeans tucked into black combat boots. He's pondering the question Fergie just answered: Who are the Black Eyed Peas?

"When something is different, authentically unique, it's always going to be questioned," the Peas' mastermind says. "By default, people aren't going to understand us because there aren't that many like us."

'THE E.N.D.' IS NEAR

After the multiplatinum pop success of 2003's "Elephunk" and then 2005's "Monkey Business," the Black Eyed Peas stood accused by fans of selling out: blunting its cutting-edge, live-band hip-hop in favor of lightweight pop crossover fare. As the June 9 release date for their fifth studio album, "The E.N.D." (will.i.am music/Interscope), approaches, some of the same criticism has cropped up. But what's not in question is the exploding popularity of "Boom Boom Pow" -- the first No. 1 single for this band of creative misfits.

Rooted in club beats and the 808 old-school kick sound, the energetic track is a runaway top 40 hit, and has been No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks.

The concept for "The E.N.D.," an acronym for "The Energy Never Dies," doesn't stray far from the Peas' basic formula, Will.i.am says. "We've always had a smorgasbord of sounds including dance," he notes, pointing to songs like "Be Free" from "Behind the Front," "Weekends" (on "Bridging the Gap") and "My Humps" ("Monkey Business"). This time around, Will.i.am became inspired while in Australia filming his first major movie role, as the mutant John Wraith in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." During downtime away from the set, he soaked up the electro dance and house club vibes in Sydney.

"The youth in those clubs are pumping a whole different thing," Will.i.am says. "It felt like hip-hop 1989, 1990, 1992. But they're not rapping. It's all beats. I came back just buzzing."

With Taboo, apl.de.ap and several band members in tow, Will.i.am flew to London, where Fergie was working on her first major film role, in "Nine." Setting up shop at the same studio where they recorded "Monkey Business," the Peas began working on "The E.N.D."

'ARTISTIC FACTORY'

"There's always a sense of Andy Warhol whenever we make a Black Eyed Peas album," Fergie says. "It's an artistic factory with several rooms going at the same time. We don't just sit down. We jump from room to room, all of us adding ideas to the recipe. If you get burned out on one idea or your ears get tired, you walk to another room and step into a whole fresh creative zone for more ideas."

Enlisted to help draft beats were MSTRKRFT, David Guetta, Boys Noize, Keith Harris and Paper Boy. The result is a nonstop party album fusing rock, soul, hip-hop, reggae and dub with thumping beats, tempo twists and turns, and memorable hooks. Beyond "Boom Boom Pow," there's the upcoming second single, "I Gotta Feeling," which apl.de.ap describes as a "college anthem for people looking forward to escaping life's pressures by going out and having a ball."

Picking up on the same escape theme is "Out of My Head." Channeling R&B veteran Millie Jackson, a slurring Fergie opens with three little words, "I'm so tipsy" -- which she was while recording the song. "This song reminds me of the fun character of 'My Humps.' I told Will we have to get some wine if I'm going to do this correctly. I'm not going to front on this song. So we all got a little tipsy."

"Now Generation," another notable track in the 16-song set, is a nod to the young generation who helped move President Barack Obama into the White House -- galvanized, in part, by Will.i.am's viral "Yes We Can" video. Powered by a guitar and bass intro that morphs into fist-pumping rock 'n' roll, the song captures the emotion of being part of that generation. "This is the first time in history where we have a powerful new youth generation connected by technology, not by religion or government. So they want things now," Will.i.am says.

The "E.N.D." goal, he adds, is to make people move and escape. "If you had to pick one genre that's migrating at the highest frequency, it would be the dance world," Will.i.am says. "That's where music as a culture really lives. It's a genre making music for the sake of music."

He added that, with people downloading individual songs, "the concept of the album doesn't exist anymore. So this will be like a never-ending record; it will just keep going like the title says. It's still important to be successful in the remaining business we do have, but you also want to position yourself so you're not playing catch-up or riding someone else's bandwagon."

Come fall, the Grammy Award-winning group will start its first official worldwide arena tour in Asia and Japan. One of the stops along that route is a recently announced September 24 performance as part of Guinness' worldwide celebration of its 250th anniversary. Then it's off to Australia before returning to the United States for five shows on U2's stadium tour. After a break, the Peas will launch the North America leg of its tour, then visit the United Kingdom and Europe.

IN THE BEGINNING

The Black Eyed Peas got started when best friends Will.i.am ("the only black dude in a Mexican neighborhood") and apl.de.ap -- a non-English-speaking adoptee from the Philippines -- began break-dancing and freestyling together. In 1991 the teens signed to Eazy E's Ruthless Records as part of the band Atban Klann. But their vision of hip-hop and dance didn't mesh with that of the gangsta label. So the pair left and formed the Peas after meeting Chicano Taboo (whose "musical heroes were A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul") while battling at a local club.

After signing with Interscope, the trio released its critically acclaimed debut album, "Behind the Front," in 1998. Two years later came "Bridging the Gap" and the Macy Gray-assisted single "Request Line." Also featured on the album was the group's female singer Kim Hill, who left the group in 2000.

Three years later the Peas notched their first major breakthrough in 2003 with third album "Elephunk" and the anthem "Where Is the Love?" featuring Justin Timberlake. Providing backup accompaniment on the album was former Wild Orchid member Stacie "Fergie" Ferguson, who later became the fourth Black Eyed Pea. The foursome scored its biggest single at the time -- the No. 3 Hot 100 hit "Don't Phunk With My Heart" -- when fourth album "Monkey Business" was released in 2005.

Touring almost nonstop stateside and overseas between 2004 and 2007, the group spun off another hit ("My Humps") and picked up two Grammys for best rap performance by a duo or group ("Let's Get It Started" and "Don't Phunk With My Heart"). In between, Fergie released her 2006 multiplatinum solo debut, "The Dutchess," and got married. In addition to producing Fergie's debut, Will.i.am collaborated on projects by Sergio Mendes, Nelly Furtado and others as well as releasing his solo album. During that time, Taboo and apl.de.ap began recording their own solo albums, among other projects.

But now everyone is back in the pod and ready to keep going for as long as they can. Playfully ribbing Fergie about how long she'll be performing "Boom Boom Pow," Taboo hobbles around the room and jokes, "We'll be touring on the moon while she's singing, 'I'm so 2000 and 80 ... all my kids come on.'"

As the room erupts in laughter, Will.i.am has a final word for the naysayers: "What we've gone through to get here has been a great journey -- some unique-ass s--t. We haven't changed conceptually from what the Peas were and wanted to be: mass appeal, not segregation. And we've stayed true to that."

Kelly Rowland finds "Love" on dance floor

2009-05-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

Singer Kelly Rowland was in France last summer when she discovered DJ David Guetta, at one of his exhilarating techno shows in Cannes.

When she later met up with Guetta and asked him to play a new track for her, the French DJ unveiled a pop number built around a lush piano loop and throbbing percussion. The track, which would become the groundwork for "When Love Takes Over," moved Rowland to tears.

"I felt so much emotion from the track; something happened the first time I heard it, and it was just beautiful," Rowland says. The former Destiny's Child member took the track to London to write and record the song's vocals.

The finished product was unveiled at a show-stopping joint performance in March at Miami's Ultra Music Festival. Last month, "When Love Takes Over" was officially released as the first single from Guetta's upcoming album, "One Love," and bulleted at No. 2 on the Hot Dance Airplay chart.

Guetta and Rowland will perform the song at various points on Guetta's continent-crossing DJ tour during the summer.

A sugary, synth-laden ode to the excitement of the unknown, the single marks a sea change in style for both artists. After R&B powerhouse Destiny's Child disbanded in 2005, Rowland released her second solo album, "Ms. Kelly," on Columbia Records in 2007. The set offered accessible, uptempo R&B, but none of the tracks was as unabashedly club-oriented as "When Love Takes Over."

"I had spent nights dancing in the South of France from 12:45 a.m. to 8 in the morning," Rowland says, "but I had never thought about recording a dance track myself. Hearing David's song made me consider taking on this whole new style."

Guetta, meanwhile, is banking on the single to garner a stronger stateside following. The 41-year-old DJ has been a staple in French house music for more than a decade, but his fourth album, slated for a late August release, finds him dabbling with a techno/hip-hop hybrid he refers to as "electro-hop."

So far, splicing genres has helped raise Guetta's profile. He recently produced "I Gotta Feeling," the second single off the Black Eyed Peas' upcoming album "The E.N.D."

"The track with Kelly has made me experiment with a more American urban influence," Guetta says. "Musically, it's opened a new world for me. It's pure pop with a lot of detail, and Kelly had this Whitney Houston vibe and nailed it."

The success of "When Love Takes Over" comes at an intriguing time in Rowland's career. An amicable split with Columbia in March led the singer to explore other media, and she landed on Bravo's "The Fashion Show" as a co-host with style guru Isaac Mizrahi. The reality show premiered May 7.

Rowland also is readying a new charity called I Heart My Girlfriend, which will serve as an interactive support system for teenage girls. The program continues Rowland's long line of philanthropic work, including a bone marrow drive she spearheaded in March.

Although Rowland is still between labels and doesn't have concrete plans for another solo album, she hints that her next effort may return the favor for Guetta and focus more on the clubs. "This has definitely inspired me to put more of a dance sound on an album of my own," she says. "I want to try out that world without straying too far from my urban roots."

Linkin Park crosses "New Divide" for "Transformers"

2009-05-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

Hard at work on its fourth album, rock band Linkin Park has kept busy on a number of other fronts as well, among them its first movie soundtrack.

In addition to the group's contributions to the new "Transformers" film, some of its members have solo projects in the works. As for the new Linkin Park album, it likely will come out in 2010, according to co-frontman Mike Shinoda.

"It's moving," Shinoda told Billboard.com. "I feel like we've been writing a lot. I'd say we've got about half the music done, though I shouldn't say halfway, because who knows how long the next batch of songs will take."

Shinoda said he expects the album to reflect "an interesting transition" from the sound of 2007's "Minutes to Midnight," in part as a result of the band members' side projects. Singer Chester Bennington's upcoming solo album, "Dead By Sunrise" -- due out this fall -- "is much more of a rock album," Shinoda said, and it could take the band in new directions.

At the same time, Shinoda's rap side project, Fort Minor, is likely to influence the group's new material. He acknowledged that rap, which did not play a major role on "Minutes to Midnight," might be more prominent this time out. "I think I have some of the Fort Minor energy in me that wants to come out, so you'll probably hear more rapping on it," Shinoda said. "I don't know if it'll be a little or a lot, but I know I've been sitting down writing a lot of verses, so there's a better chance of those making it on the record."

"It's not going to be 'Hybrid Theory,'" Shinoda said of the work-in-progress. "It's not going to be 'Minutes to Midnight.' And if we do it right, it'll have a cutting-edge sound that defines itself as an individual record separate from anything else that's out there."

For now, however, Linkin Park has given its fans "New Divide," the theme song for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." As confirmed fans of the toy and cartoon franchise, the group "created a song that we felt fit the spirit of the movie and the characters and also obviously stayed true to the spirit of the band," Shinoda said. Film composer Hans Zimmer adapted "New Divide" into instrumental segments for the film score, and Linkin Park worked with Zimmer and Steve Jablonsky on other pieces for the movie.

"It was incredible," Shinoda said. "I've never tried to write music to visuals. It's a type of working that's new to us, and it's really fun."

Fall Out Boy Rock, Hand Out Octo-Drives On 'Today' Show

2009-05-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

The guys in Fall Out Boy have always been multitaskers of the highest order (especially that Wentz guy), but even they might have outdone themselves this time.

On Friday (May 22), while they performed a tight three-song set on the "Today" show, they were also scanning the crowd for fans in homemade T-shirts, because two of those Fall Out fanatics would be walking away with one of those limited-edition FOB/ Mark Hoppus "Octo-Drives" they've been handing out in various clandestine ways (including getting MTV News in on the action).
"We had people put their Twitter name [on a T-shirt] and give us the best reason for us to follow them on Twitter," Pete Wentz told "Today" host Matt Lauer in between performances. "And then we have a USB drive, and we're gonna pick two winners specifically from the show today. And who knows? They might get followed on Twitter."

That announcement drew squeals of joy from the crowd — most of whom were wearing Sharpie-marked white tees — and a rather puzzled look from Lauer. And then it was back to the performing: Fall Out Boy launched headlong into "What a Catch, Donnie," a subdued and pretty ballad that showcased frontman Patrick Stump's midrange and guitarist Joe Trohman's skillful picking.

That was about the only quiet moment of the entire performance, though. FOB also blasted through a pair of older hits — "Dance, Dance" and "Thnks fr th Mmrs" — which brimmed with energy: Wentz popping and locking (and pulling out some 360s) and drummer Andy Hurley mashing in chaotically measured beats. The crowd squealed with delight — and, per Wentz's Tweeted requests — they showered the "Today" show stage with their homemade T-shirts, so FOB could pick a pair of winners.

Warner Music Leads Rising Sales

2009-05-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

Warner Music Leads Rising Sales of Secured High-Yield Bonds
Warner Music Group Corp., the record label of Led Zeppelin and Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Apria Healthcare Group led borrowers this week selling $2.6 billion of high-yield, high-risk bonds secured by company assets, capping the biggest three-week period of issuance for the debt.

Warner Music sold $1.1 billion of notes, and Lake Forest, California-based Apria Healthcare issued $700 million of bonds, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Speculative-grade issuers have sold $9.8 billion of debt secured by the borrower’s assets in the last three weeks, the most ever, the data show.

Junk-rated companies are taking advantage of demand for bonds guaranteed by corporate assets to avoid defaulting on bank loans piled on during the credit boom, said Raymond Kennedy, portfolio manager at Los Angeles-based Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management, which oversees almost $30 million in high-yield assets. U.S. financial companies have written down $944 billion in assets since the financial crisis began, Bloomberg data show.

“What’s driving it is that companies have too much bank debt,” Kennedy, former portfolio manager of Pacific Investment Management Co.’s high-yield bond fund, said in a telephone interview. “History has taught us you’re supposed to take advantage of the high-yield market as fast as you can because you never know how long it’s going to be there.”

Yields over benchmark rates on speculative-grade debt narrowed 0.59 percentage point this week to 12.32 percentage points as of yesterday, the tightest in seven months, according to Merrill Lynch & Co.’s High Yield Master II index. Yields fell 0.44 percentage point to 14.55 percent.

Junk-Bond Sales

Junk-rated borrowers sold $5.7 billion of bonds this week, including unsecured debt, up 27 percent from $4.5 billion the week before, Bloomberg data show. High-yield, high-risk, or speculative-grade, debt is rated below Baa3 by Moody’s Investors Service and lower than BBB- by Standard & Poor’s.

New York-based Warner Music raised $1.1 billion of five- year, 9.5 percent debt that priced at a 756 basis point spread, Bloomberg data show. A basis point is 0.01 percentage point.

Proceeds of the senior secured notes will be used to pay off term loans under the company’s senior secured credit facility, the company said in a May 19 regulatory filing. The new notes are guaranteed by the assets backing the credit facility, according to the prospectus. Will Tanous, a Warner Music spokesman, declined to comment beyond the filing.

Lower quality companies are trying to refinance loans through bond sales before debt becomes due and to avoid defaulting on loan covenants, Kennedy said. “The only way they can do it is through secured debt,” he said.

Leveraged Loans

About $142 billion of junk-rated loans, bonds and revolving credit facilities will mature during the last three quarters of this year, and $163 billion of speculative-grade debt will be due in 2010, according to an S&P report.

As credit losses have climbed, issuance of so-called leveraged, or below investment grade, loans in the U.S. plummeted to $27 billion this year, from $141 billion for same period in 2008 and $446 billion in 2007, Bloomberg data show.

Unable to refinance through loans, companies are seeking liquidity and paying higher interest rates in the junk-bond market, said Kingman Penniman, president of high-yield research firm KDP Investment Advisors in Montpelier, Vermont.

“The leveraged loan market is still basically shut down,” Penniman said. “Companies are willing to pay up to get some of the revolver or bank paper paid down, which gives them some relief to operate.”

An “explosion” in leveraged loan issuance between 2005 and early 2008 resulted in high levels of speculative-grade debt maturing in 2011 through 2014 that may be difficult to refinance, S&P said in its report.

Investment Grade

“Although companies often pay down loans prior to maturity, current financial conditions may keep firms from expediting loan repayments,” the rating company said.

Apria Healthcare issued $700 million of 11.25 percent notes due 2014 that priced at a 993 basis point spread, Bloomberg data show. Proceeds of the senior secured debt will be used to repay part of a bridge facility used in its acquisition by private equity firm Blackstone Group LP, according to a KDP report. Michael Polgardy, Apria’s treasurer, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Investment-grade yields relative to benchmark rates narrowed 17 basis points this week to 425 basis points as of yesterday, the tightest in almost eight months, according to Merrill’s U.S. Corporate Master index. Yields fell 0.2 percentage point to 6.79 percent.

‘Wide Open’ Window

Verizon Wireless, seeking to repay financing from its acquisition of Alltel Corp., sold $2.75 billion of 3.75 percent debt that priced to yield 290 basis points more than similar- maturity Treasuries, and $1.25 billion of floating-rate notes yielding 260 basis points more than the three-month London interbank offered rate, Bloomberg data show.

The largest U.S. mobile-phone carrier’s offering took advantage of a “wide open” window in investment-grade credit markets to repay financing, said Gimme Credit analyst Dave Novosel in a telephone interview from Chicago. Investment-grade borrowers sold $32.7 billion of bonds this week, compared with $30.4 billion the week before, Bloomberg data show.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. is among borrowers seeking to sell corporate debt. Founder and Chief Executive Officer Sheldon Adelson said he’s considering a note sale following a rally which boosted the price of the company’s corporate bonds.

“The yield on our bonds has gone to less than half of what it was,” Adelson said in a May 12 interview. “When it gets down another three points, we may consider selling some bonds.”

Bruce Springsteen to close Giants Stadium

2009-05-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey – Bruce Springsteen will be closing Giants Stadium.

The rocker told fans at the nearby Izod Center on Thursday that he and his "wrecking crew," the E Street Band, will be the final musical act before the stadium is demolished after the 2009 football season.

Three shows are scheduled on Sept. 30, Oct. 2 and Oct. 3. Tickets will go on sale June 1.

Over the course of nearly three hours, Bruce and the boys performed a 20-song show and six encores Thursday. They'll return to the Izod Center on Saturday.

The New Jersey native has sold-out 44 concerts at the center and 16 at Giants Stadium, making him the area's top-selling artist.

Smokie Norful talks about his balancing act

2009-05-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

Smokie Norful arrived on the gospel scene in 2002 to the tune of "I Need You Now" and has gone on to win Dove, Stellar and Grammy awards for his soulful singing style and contemporary grooves. He's also been raising a family, is a church pastor and trying to balance his schedule.

The pressures and responsibilities of being a pastor and a recording artist pushed Norful to a crossroads just as he was working on his latest album, "Smokie Norful Live." Norful talked about his challenges and how he's been able to overcome them.

AP: How do you find time to write?

Norful: You can't find it — I can't find it, I have to make it. I have to create it. For this project I had to shut down. I just locked myself downstairs for a couple of weeks, I looked like a vagabond for real!

AP: How do you measure the effectiveness of your singing versus your preaching?

Norful: With the artistry I'm really dependent upon sales as a marker, e-mails, feedback. As a pastor it's more immediate because if I'm helping you and your son, and your son is on the brink of going to prison, and taking the wrong turn in life, and I see him turn around and I'm able to walk him through that process as a pastor, of course I get immediate gratification.

AP: Did you ever consider choosing between pastoring or recording?

Norful: Before I did this project I was in a very (similar) crossroads. ... I had a decision to make. Am I going to continue to do this?

AP: Were you nearly done with music?

Norful: Not with music because it's a passion. I would still do it but, as an artist, and in this way — full time and on the run, doing these interviews, being away from home and church and family — I was really there (considering leaving). I started telling my church: "Pastor's backing out of the industry." And everybody, my parents were like "... Really be prayerful about that because we know that since you were born you have been called for this." So eventually I came to a place where I said "OK, everybody's not crazy, maybe I really need to rethink this thing."

AP: What are some of the challenges to your integrity as a recording artist versus a pastor?

Norful: I became jaded. And I really had to break out of that cycle. Once I got exposed or reminded of what real ministry looks like, it made the facade of the industry just, almost repulsive to me.

AP: What do you mean by facade?

Norful: I mean from a consumer base the industry is just all glitz, all glamour, all TV, lights, camera, action, "Ooh! you got a publicist and a stylist, and you flying jets, and you fly first class.' That's a facade. The real deal is, there are some hurting people that need the music that we produce.

AP: So how did you break out of it?

Norful: I yielded to God and said yes. And you can't do ministry and not yourself be subject to your message. And that's a message of, "There is therefore now no condemnation." Not to this industry not to people. Don't give up — you're the hope, you can't give up.

'King of Swing' Benny Goodman would be 100

2009-05-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

For decades Benny Goodman and his clarinet popped up just about everywhere, and when they did, just about everyone knew it.

Goodman, who would have turned 100 on May 30, defined for most people the swing era that dominated popular American music for much of the 1930s and 1940s.

From Carnegie Hall and New York's exclusive clubs to his backing up Jack Teagarden in 1933 on "Texas Tea Party," he was as versatile and prolific as he was famous.

"Goodman had a style that can be identified before his name is announced," Ben Pollack, with whom Goodman first recorded in 1926, says in Nat Shapiro and Nat Hentoff's 1955 classic book "Hear Me Talkin' To Ya."

Goodman sat in on the last recording session of hard-drinking, hellroaring and superbly talented blues singer Bessie Smith in 1934. A few days later he was there for the recording debut of promising young blues singer Billie Holliday. He even recorded with classic composer Bela Bartok.

Whether he was the greatest of his era is subjective, but he helped bring jazz out of smoky dives and into "respectable" (white) young America, to high school and college audiences and the American mainstream.

Goodman, who died of a heart attack in 1986 at age 77, relished the title "King of Swing" given him by the new white audiences who were largely unaware that black musicians, such as Louis Armstrong, were playing swing as far back as 1925.

"That some special thing, that style, that fluency he had lasted all the way through his career," says Gunther Schuller, a composer, conductor, and music historian whose books include "The Swing Era."

The extent of Goodman's staggering output is a guess. One 1969 discography, "BG On The Record," runs to 600 pages and authors D. Russell Conner and Warren Hicks say they don't have all of it. He recorded under numerous aliases with dozens of groups. Some was never released and is in private hands.

Before he formed his own band in 1934, Goodman did well with endless radio shows and dance records that fed an insatiable demand for something new.

Goodman was born to a large impoverished immigrant family in Chicago in 1909 as jazz was beginning to move up from the South.

He began studies very young, had his union card at age 13 and by 1923 was playing with the big names on Great Lakes excursion boats.

Coronetist Jimmy McPartland recalled in "Hear Me Talkin' To Ya" that he once heard a teenage Goodman play several choruses of the difficult "Rose of the Rio Grande."

"I just sat there with my mouth open. Benny played the hell out of that clarinet. I almost died hearing him do it," McPartland says.

Goodman's success was helped along mightily by piano player and arranger Fletcher Henderson, who had worked for Armstrong.

He delivered it big-time on Aug. 21, 1935, at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles at the end of a tour that had gone poorly.

The crowd was uninspired, so the band switched to some of Henderson's more lively arrangements.

People went crazy, Goodman shot to instant fame and many jazz historians consider that evening the beginning of the swing era.

Schuller calls Goodman's playing flawless. Goodman expected no less, ever, from his sidemen and was not an easy man to work for. His turnover was high.

Vocalist Helen Ward quit citing his rudeness to her. Another, Helen Forrest, called him the rudest man she had ever met.

When Goodman returned with a band from a State Department-sponsored 1962 trip to the Soviet Union, someone asked saxophonist Zoot Simms what it was like playing in the Soviet Union.

"Everyday with Goodman is like playing in the Soviet Union," he answered.

Goodman launched careers and led the dissolution of the taboo against black and white musicians playing together. He hired some of the best black talent around, including Lionel Hampton and Teddy Wilson. They, Goodman and drummer Gene Krupa made up the wildly popular Goodman Quartet beginning in the 1930s.

When hotel owners or concert producers complained, they often were told, in effect, that when you hire Goodman you hire the whole band. Other bandleaders followed suit.

Some jazz writers say Artie Shaw may have been the better player. But in the public mind it is Goodman's name that remains welded to swing.

"He was so constant you could pick him out from almost everything, at least from 1935 when he had his own bands. You know, `That's Benny. Ain't nobody else,'" Schuller says.

Kix Brooks to honor fallen soldier on Memorial Day

2009-05-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Kix Brooks of the hit duo Brooks & Dunn has visited the dusty military bases in Iraq and Kuwait, seen the armored vehicles and the big transport planes and talked with the men and women in uniform.

None of it left as deep of an impression on him, though, as a letter he received from a friend of Cpl. Jessica Ellis, a medic with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky.

Brooks met Ellis while performing for the troops in Iraq last year. She asked him about being a country star; he asked her about being a medic.

They spoke five or 10 minutes, had their picture taken together and that was that — until the letter arrived.

"I opened the envelope and pulled out the picture (of the two of them together), and thought 'Oh, I remember that smile,' Brooks recalled.

But as he read, he went cold. The young woman from Bend, Ore., was killed when her vehicle struck an explosive device in May 2008. The blast wounded three other soldiers traveling with her.

"It made me sick in the stomach to think about a parent having to get this kind of news," said Brooks, the father of two children.

Suddenly, the war felt more real to him than it had before.

"When you're over in Iraq and especially when you're visiting with soldiers and you're doing shows, you get a little disconnect. You realize you're in a war zone, but when you're backstage and especially with these nurses and Jessica in particular who was just like any fun-loving 23-year-old girl and who looked like a college kid ... it didn't even seem real."

The letter explained how much Ellis loved country music and how much she enjoyed meeting him and asked if he would write to her family.

Of course, Brooks wanted to tell her parents how sorry he was and how proud they should be, but he hesitated.

"I had no idea how her parents felt about it. People react differently, so I didn't want to say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing not knowing their emotions."

He carried the letter in his briefcase awhile, uncertain what to do about it, until finally he decided to send them an e-mail.

"They responded, and after many e-mails I think I finally got a handle on where their emotions were," he said. "They were obviously very proud of their daughter."

Brooks didn't stop there. Last month, he taped a special Memorial Day extension of his weekly radio show, "American Country Countdown," at Fort Campbell, where he talked with Ellis' friends.

The program, "A Salute to America's Heroes," airs over the holiday weekend on about 125 stations as well as the Armed Forces Radio Network.

At the family's request, the show will honor all service men and women, not just Ellis.

"They felt like, in the spirit of Jessica's memory, she was so much of a team player that they didn't feel like it would be serving her memory to single her out," Brooks explained.