Category: Alternative (Page 141 of 155)

Screw that “New Cars” crap. Stick with the old model.

September 6, 2006 / Will Harris

According to USA Today’s Listen Up blog, Ric Ocasek has a new Cars project in the works. It’s a live CD/DVD called The Cars Unlocked, due Oct. 17, taken from his own collection and featuring more than 20 unreleased performances and plenty of behind-the-scenes footage. “I don’t know if I’d call it a documentary as much as a really well-done home movie,” Ocasek said of the package, which follows the band from 1979 to 1986.

By the way, Ocasek also indicated that he hasn’t completely written off doing any future work with the Cars…which answers the question, “How well did his 2005 album, Nexterday, do?”

Alternative, Artists, News, Pop, Rock

Suddenly, my collector’s items are worth NOTHING!

September 1, 2006 / Will Harris

While preparing to start work on a new album in October, piano man Ben Folds is going to keep some fans happy by releasing supersunnyspeedgraphic, the lp, a collection of rarities.

Other fans, however, are gonna get really pissed off, mostly because all of the songs on the set have been available either through limited-edition EPs sold through Folds’ site or on various soundtracks, thereby immediately lowering the value of those previously-collectable EPs. (Though it’s perhaps mild consolation, fans should be aware that the tracks have been remastered, reworked, and relocated since their original releases.)

Alternative, News, Pop, Rock

Lost Bands: Pleasure Thieves

August 30, 2006 / Will Harris

Another one of those bands that seems to ring a bell only with former record store employees who used to snake any and every promo disc that came in, the Pleasure Thieves released one album on Hollywood Records – Simple Escape – in 1992…and not much else. (Further research shows that they did a cover of the Who’s “Boris the Spider” for the soundtrack to Arachnophobia, but, honestly, probably even less people own that than do Simple Pleasure.)

Lead singer Sinjin-William Dolan…and, no, I don’t know what kind of name Sinjin-William is, either…sounds almost like Neil Diamond at times with his husky voice, and the music’s very synth-heavy; neither were attributes that would’ve led any band to success in the early ’90s.

The group vanished so far into oblivion that they have no website, no MySpace page, nothing…but in a bizarre post-script to the band’s career, the band’s song “Blue Flowers” – a highlight of the album – was discovered by a DJ in the Phillipines and became a hit there…in 2002!

If anyone has any idea if the band or Dolan went on to record anything else, please leave a posting.

Alternative, Lost Bands, Pop, Rock

Blue Flowers Pleasure Thieves Simple Escape Sinjin-William Dolan

All the ’80s music news that’s fit to print

August 17, 2006 / Will Harris

The fine folks at RememberTheEighties.com have sent out another newsletter. Here are a few news bites:

* DEPECHE MODE are to release a new single in October. The track ‘Martyr For Love’ was recorded as part of the sessions for the band’s recent ‘Playing The Angel’ album but was left off the album because it was ‘too upbeat’ for the rest of the album. The single is expected to precede yet another Depeche Mode best-of collection. (Yeah, because we really need another Depeche Mode best-of.)

* NIK KERSHAW’s forthcoming album will be called You’ve Got To Laugh. The twelve-track collection will be released independently by Kershaw and although no release date has been set it is hoped that the album will see the light of day in the next few months.

* SIMPLE MINDS’ ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ is to be immortalised in a forthcoming documentary of the same name focusing on film director John Hughes’ coming-of-age teen movies from the eighties – including “The Breakfast Club,” “Pretty in Pink,” “Ferris Buller’s Day Off,” “Weird Science” and “Sixteen Candles.” Simple Minds are to be filmed for the documentary which will also feature interviews with Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Kelly Le Brock (“Weird Science”), Mia Sara and Alan Ruck (“Ferris Buller’s Day Off”) along with more interviews still to be scheduled.

And, lastly, an announcement which may lead to a duel between The Chauffeur and yours truly:

DEPECHE MODE, THE SMITHS, JAPAN and ERASURE are among artists featured on a new interactive DVD music quiz from Q Magazine. ‘The Essential Music Quiz’ will be released on November 27th after being launched at the annual Q Awards on October 30th. The quiz features audio and video snippets from over a hundred bands across the history of music and also includes material from ART OF NOISE, BRONSKI BEAT, SIMPLY RED, DEAD OR ALIVE and ADAM AND THE ANTS among many others.

Alternative, Artists, News, Pop, Rock

CMJ 2006 announces first batch of acts

August 17, 2006 / Will Harris

The Knife * The Slits * Hot Chip * The Black Keys * Madlib * Ben Lee * Deerhoof * Blonde Redhead * The Boy Least Likely To * Blue Cheer * Joseph Arthur * Erase Errata * Green Milk from the Planet Orange * Cold War Kids * Silversun Pickups * Califone * White Whale * hellogoodbye * Anathallo * Dr. Dog * Professor Murder * Archie Bronson Outfit * Keren Ann * Jucifer * David Bazan * Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin * Oakley Hall * These Arms Are Snakes * Micah P. Hinson * Portastatic * Cloud Cult * Jason Forrest Band * Thunderbirds Are Now! * Strike Anywhere * Percee P * Mute Math * Suzanne Vega * Extra Golden * 120 Days * The Fever * Girl Talk *

I’m not totally and utterly underwhelmed by the number of big names – CMJ is all about breaking new artists, after all – but I did immediately raise my eyebrows at two of those listed: the Slits and Blue Cheer. Fans of ’70s punk and ’60s garage rock are twitching with glee…

The panelists this year, however, are the real cause for celebration, if only for their diversity. Names include Chris Stein (Blondie), Pat DiNizio (the Smithereens), Janeane Garofalo, George Clinton (Parliament Funkadelic), Roger O’Donnell (the Cure), Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big), and…wait for it…Don fucking DOKKEN, baby!

“Nigel Tufnel? Never heard of him.”

Get more details about this year’s festival here.

Alternative, Artists, Concerts, External Music, Rock