 George Michael has a new album coming out this Tuesday, Twenty-Five, and for the first time in almost two decades, he will be coming to the US for a 20-city tour beginning June 17 in San Diego. For more information, please visit www.georgemichael.com. Pop/rock powerhouses Maroon 5 and Counting Crows will hit the road together this summer beginning July 25 and running through October 4. In addition to the two bands, Sara Bareilles and Augustana will split support duties. The Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis kicks off May 2, and some of the confirmed acts are Lou Reed, My Chemical Romance, Santana, Disturbed, Seether, Finger Eleven and Fergie. For more information, go to www.thebealestreetmusicfestival.com. Fall Out Boy was all set to make history by performing in Antarctica (more…) |
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Pop/rock band Augustana will release their new album, Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt, on April 29. And if you missed their performance at SXSW last week, fear not, because you can watch some of the show on www.crackle.com, or get there through the band’s MySpace page at www.myspace.com/augustana. The Samsung Sound Check series of free private concerts will kick off March 27 with Ne-Yo performing at House of Blues in New Orleans. Other acts in the series are Jimmy Eat World in Charlotte on March 30, Gym Class Heroes in Chicago on April 10, Paramore in Houston on April 29, and Sean Kingston in Las Vegas on May 14. A limited number of tickets will be available through radio promotions, street teams and online registration. In advance of their new album, Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings, Counting Crows will head out on tour (more…) Filed under: Rock and Pop and Alternative and Rap and Hip Hop and Country and Concerts Comments: None |
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London’s Hyde Park is the site for the big 90th birthday party bash for former South African president Nelson Mandela. Among the artists scheduled to perform are U2, Paul McCartney, and Queen. Wow, what a lineup and what a tribute to Mandela. Santana is planning a US tour beginning April 4 in Boston. For a full list of dates for the month-long tour, check out www.santana.com In support of their Red Carpet Massacre album, Duran Duran will hit the road in North America beginning April 29 in Vancouver and running through May 31 in New York City. For more information, fans can visit www.duranduran.com. The Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival seems to get bigger every year. The ninth annual event is scheduled to take place April 25-27 in Indio, California and some of the confirmed acts include Goldfrapp, Portishead, Jack Johnson, Death Cab For Cutie, Flogging Molly, Love and Rockets, Fatboy Slim, Tegan and Sara and Rilo Kiley. Soulful singer/songwriter Marc Broussard has added dates to his spring tour in Athens, Georgia and Shreveport, Louisiana. Here is the complete list of shows: Apr. 17 - 40 Watt Club - Athens, GA - For more info click here. For tickets click here. Support Act: Angie Aparo Apr. 18 - Artisphere - Greenville, SC - For more info click here. Apr. 22 - Blue Moon Saloon - Lafayette, LA - For more info click here. For tickets click here. Apr. 24 - House of Blues - Dallas, TX - For more info click here. For tickets click here. Support Act: k.s. rhoads Apr. 25 - Antone’s - Austin, TX - For more info click here. For tickets click here. Support Act: k.s. rhoads Apr. 26 - Warehouse Live - Houston, TX - For more info click here. For tickets click here. Support Act: k.s. rhoads Apr. 27 - The Warehouse - Shreveport, LA - For more info click here. For tickets click here. Support Act: k.s. rhoads May 24 & 25 - Blues, Brews, & BBQ Festival - Avon, CO - For more info click here. Aug. 29 - Strawberry Music Festival - Yosemite, CA - For more info click here. |
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Road Warriors 55 Coldplay’s fourth album is due out this summer, and the band’s first planned tour dates are expected to be for the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan on August 9 and 10, in Tokyo and Osaka, respectively. Other acts at the fest will include The Verve, Sex Pistols, Panic at the Disco and Alicia Keys. The B-52’s are hitting the road in support of their latest, Funplex for a short spring tour beginning April 23 in Boston. The album streets on March 25. Yaz has apparently re-united for the release of a B-sides and rarities set called In Your Room. The duo, which features Alison Moyet and Erasure’s Vince Clarke, plans on playing a few shows to support the release as well—US dates will be from July 7-17. For more information, check out www.myspace.com/yazooofficial. Dave Matthews Band is back in the studio (more…) |
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Paul Shaffer might play the part of the oft-befuddled but always fawning bandleader to perfection on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” but the guy’s a musical legend. He spent 1975 to 1980 as the musical director of “Saturday Night Live” band, did the same duty for The Blues Brothers, is regularly called upon to provide backing for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, and, of course, played Artie Fufkin in “This is Spinal Tap.” He’s also a songwriter (he co-wrote “It’s Raining Men,” you know) and, on rare occasions, he’s even stepped out and been a recording artist in his own right. In 1990, Shaffer released an all-star collaborative effort entitled Coast to Coast, where he attempted to take listeners on a cross-country musical expedition which blended different musical genres, often within a single song. The album’s first single was a little ditty called “When the Radio Is On,” and when Shaffer premiered the track on “Late Night with David Letterman,” I was watching in awe as the breathtaking harmonies washed over me. The first couple of minutes of this clip are strictly Shaffer introducing his crew for the song, so if you want to skip ahead to the 2:26 mark, I’ll save you the time by providing you with the roll call: Will Smith (then still known solely as The Fresh Prince), Daddy O (Stetsasonic), Jay Siegel (The Tokens), Johnny Maestro (The Crests, The Brooklyn Bridge), songwriter Ellie Greenwich, actress Carol Kane (filling in for Carole King, ho, ho), and the King of the New York Streets himself, Mr. Dion DiMucci. As Shaffer describes it, “It’s doo-wop, it’s hip-hop, it’s a nutty thing.” Me, I’m not saying the song’s perfection, mostly because Shaffer shouts his vocal contributions, but the overall enthusiasm is downright contagious…which, I suspect, is why I still have Coast to Coast in my record collection.
Filed under: Rock and Pop and Hip Hop and Songs and Artists and Videos and Less Talk, More Music Comments: None |
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Yes, we know that writing about music is like dancing about architecture (even if we’re not convinced that Elvis Costello said it first), but let’s be realistic: if you’re a music fan who likes to read, you can achieve a very special level of bliss when you get the opportunity to dive into a book about music. The Bullz-Eye staff knocked their heads together and came up with a list of 45 books that span several musical genres and include autobiographies and biographies, histories of record companies and music magazines, essay collections, and straight-up reference tomes. It’s not intended to be all-encompassing, nor would we presume to call it a definitive list of the best music books of all time. It’s simply a selection of some of our personal favorites, none of which would be out of place on a music fan’s bookshelf…and you can find it right here. We also got some of the authors in on the fun, as well as some of our favorite musicians, which resulted in enough responses from folks from Kyle Vincent to Henry Rollins to warrant Rock of Pages: Celebrity Edition. But we know: we’ve missed one (or more) of your favorites. We always miss one (or more) of your favorites. So call us out already and leave a comment. We can always use another addition to our Barnes & Noble shopping list… Filed under: Rock and Pop and Alternative and Rap and Hip Hop and Country and Jazz and Music Labels and Songs and News and Artists and Videos and External Music Comments: 4 Comments |
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The inaugural Outside Lands Festival will take place in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, with Jack Johnson and Tom Petty already confirmed, and Radiohead rumored to be performing too. Hanson will hit the road again for their The Walk Tour ’08. The guys will also be playing SXSW on March 15, a performance that will be broadcast live on Direct TV. The spring tour will be supported by Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers and “One Tree Hill’s” Kate Voegele. Coheed and Cambria are currently on tour supporting Linkin Park, and there are a few remaining dates that you can check them out (more…) |
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Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder will take off on a short West Coast solo acoustic tour, calling it the April Fools Tour, beginning April 2 in Vancouver. Before you go buy tickets, I’d make sure that April Fools doesn’t mean what I think it means. Here are the dates: 4/2 Vancouver The Centre “American Idol” Season 6 champ Jordin Sparks had a thrill a few weeks back when she sang the National Anthem at Super Bowl XLII before her dad’s former team, the Giants, beat New England in the game. The 18-year-old Sparks will now hit the road in support of her debut album with pop mega-star Alicia Keys. Here are the (more…) Filed under: Rock and Pop and Alternative and Electronica and Hip Hop and Country and Concerts and American Idol Comments: None |
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The 2008 Honda Civic Tour featuring Panic at the Disco has been selling out shows like crazy already, and with that a second set of dates has been added. The tour kicks off April 10, and for tickets and all confirmed shows, you can visit www.hondacivictour.com. Radiohead will return to the US in May, and then after a summer tour in the UK and Europe, they will be back for more shows. Here are the confirmed dates for the first leg: May 5 - Cruzan Amphitheatre - West Palm Beach, Florida In support of her new album, Pocket Full of Sunshine, British artist Natasha Bedingfield will hit the road for a US tour this spring. Check out www.natashabedingfieldusa.com for all the details. Stone Temple Pilots will reunite to play Rock on the Range in Columbus, Ohio, which takes place May 17 and 18. Other confirmed acts include Kid Rock, Disturbed, 3 Doors Down, Staind, Papa Roach, Flyleaf, Finger Eleven and more. It will be STP’s first show in over seven years. The Mars Volta have confirmed a Spring US tour in support of their latest, The Bedlam in Goliath, which debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200. Here are the dates (more…) |
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Last night we got down from 50 contestants to 24 on “American Idol.” That means, from here on out, America decides who stays and who goes. You gotta love how they plod along through the initial auditions and then blast through Hollywood week like they have somewhere else to be. But I’m not complaining. Anyway, the one-hour episode last night was all about having the remaining 50 go up an elevator and walk across a long, hardwood floor to sit in front of the three judges and meet their fate. You can see how excruciating it is on their faces and how the judges just have to mess with them and make them wait as long as possible to learn about their decision. And right from the start of the show, they let us know that not every decision was unanimous, and that Simon did not agree with all of the final calls. With that, here are some of the contestants that were sent packing (more…) Filed under: Rock and Pop and Alternative and Hip Hop and Country and American Idol Comments: 1 Comment |
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Hollywood Week began last night on “American Idol,” and they are definitely changing things up this season. For one, by tonight, if someone sucked on their initial Hollywood audition, they would be given a second chance a few days later. Secondly, we went from 164 contestants down to 50 after some brutal, immediate eliminations. Thirdly, no group performances. Fourthly, they could play an instrument while performing. And finally, we will have our 24 finalists by tonight. Geez, that was fast. Anyway, in making short work of Hollywood Week, we were asked to give Fox an extra hour of our day, as it was a 2-hour episode, and tonight we go back to one hour. I’m not complaining, only telling you that there is a lot to summarize in short space here. So I’ll do it by telling you who looked great, who looked mediocre and who sucked and went home. Here we go…. Absolute finalists: David Hernandez—I don’t remember this guy from the initial rounds, but he sang “Love the One You’re With,” with a really cool arrangement to boot. He was really, really good and I would definitely peg him as top 24 material. Amanda Obermeyer, the biker nurse, threw another twist (more…) Filed under: Rock and Pop and Alternative and Rap and Hip Hop and Country and Lyrics and American Idol Comments: None |
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In the last season of New York Mets’ home Shea Stadium, Billy Joel will be the last musical performer to play there, on July 16. Other acts over the years that have played the stadium include The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Police, Eric Clapton, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen. Jack Johnson recently released his new album, Sleep Through the Static, and while there are no confirmed US tour dates aside from Bonnaroo, Johnson will be touring in Australia, New Zealand and Europe. For more information, please visit www.jackjohnsonmusic.com Canadian songstress Feist will be touring North America again, with dates kicking off April 10 in Detroit and running through May 13 in Toronto. She will also be performing at the Grammys this Sunday. Finger Eleven’s rescheduled dates co-headlining with Chevelle have been announced. The band’s song “Paralyzer” has been a Top 5 hit (more…) Filed under: Rock and Pop and Alternative and Electronica and Hip Hop and Country and Concerts Comments: None |
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Last night’s “American Idol” was, thankfully, the last round of the initial auditions before we head to Hollywood. Seven cities in four weeks, and what they did last night was essentially filler–a few great auditions and a few nut jobs from each city that they saved for one episode. Whew. After about two or three of those first shows, I’m begging for them to speed things up and get to Hollywood. Thankfully, we’re there and things usually move quickly at this point. First, the freaks from last night… 26-year-old Luke was this really large dude in an even larger white T-shirt, and he sang George Michael’s “Faith” horribly out of tune. Simon said something about the “massive T-shirt” being too much, and he pretty much said what I was thinking. 21-year-old Tiffany McCampbell was a church choir singer who just shouted through her entire audition. Then there was Ashley, 19, along with twin brothers Chris and Corey. Ashley is this cute blond who was dating one brother and then now, the other..I’m still confused by the whole dynamic, and I’m even more confused at why the brothers still like each other. Anyway, they all auditioned. First the brothers, who did some rap (one the beatbox, the other the rapping) about why they were better than last season’s Brittanum twins. If it weren’t for the rapping dude forgetting the lyrics, it wasn’t all that bad, but not good enough for Hollywood. Then Ashley took her turn, after letting Paula and Simon hold her dog (what is she, Paris Hilton?)….Ashley thought she was talented, but as Simon correctly pointed out, it was “excruciating.” Simon added that Ashley is probably used to getting what she wants, and she even agreed. Next.. Jay Smoove, whose real name (more…) Filed under: Rock and Pop and Alternative and Rap and Hip Hop and Country and American Idol Comments: None |
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Last night’s “American Idol” was the Super Tuesday edition, meaning we were probably going to be interrupted by election poll results throughout the show. But not in Tennessee. We were interrupted more by tornado warnings that were very real and very destructive. The reason I’m telling you this is that it cut into “American Idol” a couple of times. I’m pretty sure that I only missed one result, but I could be wrong and may need you, dear readers, to help fill in the blanks. The auditions were held in Atlanta, hometown of host Ryan Seacrest…and we got to meet Ryan’s parents for the first time….whatever. On to the freaks… The first contestant of the night was Josh Jones, a 26-year-old who sang Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” and freaked the judges out by bugging his own eyes out with every note he hit. It was so bad that they made Josh turn around. The thing is, he had a great voice, but then the tornado warning came and I couldn’t tell if he got through. I want to say no, but if anyone knows for sure, please comment below. JP, who auditioned in Season 4 and said he was two people behind Carrie Underwood in line, really thought he was great. Unfortunately, no one else did. JP sang Rascal Flatts and it was nasally and horrible. There was then a medley of suck (more…) Filed under: Rock and Pop and Alternative and Hip Hop and Country and American Idol Comments: 1 Comment |
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Road Warriors 50 U2 is planning a potential residency at London’s O2 Arena, which they’re saying could be a longer run than Prince’s 21-date residency there. Stay tuned…. Speaking of London, the Hyde Park Calling Festival set for June 28 and 29, had added John Mayer and KT Tunstall to the bill, which already includes The Police, Eric Clapton, and Sheryl Crow. Gavin DeGraw’s new album is due April 15 and he will be touring in advance of the release along with Landon Pigg. The tour kicks off February 26 and runs through March 11 in Los Angeles. EELS will hit the road for a US tour in support of the new album, Meet the Eels: Essential Eels and Useless Trinkets, beginning March 28. Here are the confirmed dates (more…) |
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