Category: Pop (Page 174 of 216)

Road Warriors Take 2

February 16, 2007 / Mike Farley

Continuing to age gracefully, rocker Pat Benatar and husband/guitarist Neil Giraldo will be touring next month for the final leg of their Polyamnesia-Off the Rock Tour. In addition, the duo announced that they will tour the US again this summer beginning on July 2 at the Marin County Fair in San Rafael, California. Here are the current dates:

March 15: Torrington, CT @ Warner Theatre
March 16: Atlantic City, NJ @ House of Blues
March 17: Niagra Falls, NY @ Seneca Niagara Casino
March 19: Indiana, PA @ Indiana University
March 21: Morristown, NJ @ Community Theater
March 22/23: New York, NY @ BB Kings
March 24: Englewood, NJ @ Bergen PAC
March 26: Flint, MI @ The Whiting
March 27: Green Bay, WI @ Oneida Casino
March 28: Milwaukee, WI @ Potawatomi Casino
March 30: Tulsa, OK @ Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino
March 31: Thackerville, OK @ Winstar Casino

The Police have officially announced that they are indeed touring to commemorate the band’s 30-year anniversary. The tour will commence Mary 28 in Vancouver, BC and run through the US, UK, Europe, Mexico, Australia, South America and Japan. US stops include Boston’s Fenway Park and a headlining slot at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, Tennesee on June 16. Tickets are on sale now for some shows, with more to be made available on Tuesday.

Scottish band The View has been forced to cancel its US tour next month including a stop at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin. The band’s album, Hats Off To the Buskers, debuted at #1 in the UK recently and the US release is set for May 8, after which a rescheduled tour will take place.

Corinne Bailey Rae and John Legend will be touring together beginning April 3 in Irvine, California and wrapping up May 4 in Atlanta.

College rock heroes O.A.R. will hit the road again on March 1 in Syracuse and the tour will run through May 5 in Charlottesville. Not surprisingly, those are two college towns. For full dates, check out www.ofarevolution.com.

Metal band Iron Maiden will be the first-ever major (okay, calling this band major is somewhat of a stretch) rock or metal show in India on March 17, when they play on the grounds of a palace in Bangalore. No one has confirmed that tandoori chicken will be on the band’s rider.

The Rockstar Energy Drink Taste of Chaos tour kicked off yesterday in Seattle and will run through April 6. The lineup includes The Used, 30 Seconds to Mars, Senses Fail, Saosin, Chiodos, Aiden, Evaline and more. The tour, which is sort of the little brother of the Vans Warped Tour, is trying to give fans of this kiddie music more bang for their buck, according to director Kevin Lyman. “We have succeeded in giving a world audience an action packed lineup for an inexpensive price,” he said. Dates are below:

February 15: Seattle, WA Everett Events Center
February 17: San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
February 18: Reno, NV Lawlor Events Center
February 20: Fresno, CA Selland Arena
February 21: San Diego, CA San Diego Sports Arena
February 22: Los Angeles, CA Long Beach Sports Arena
February 23: Sacramento, CA Arco
February 25: Phoenix, AZ Glendale Arena
February 26: Salt Lake City, UT E Center (New Date)
February 27: Denver, CO Magness Arena
March 1: El Paso, TX County Coliseum
March 2: Dallas, TX Nokia
March 3: Corpus Christi, TX Concrete Street Amphitheatre
March 4: San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
March 5: Houston, TX Verizon Wireless
March 7: Pensacola, FL Pensacola Civic Center
March 8: Jacksonville, FL Morrocco Shrine Auditorium
March 9: Miami, FL Bank United Center at U of Miami
March 10: Orlando, FL Edge Concert Pavilion
March 11: Tampa, FL Sun Dome
March 13: Atlanta, GA Gwinett Arena
March 15: Champaign, IL Assembly Hall
March 16: Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
March 17: Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom (Rave)
March 18: Dayton, OH Hara Arena
March 20: Philadelphia, PA Tweeter Center
March 22: Boston, MA Tsongas
March 23: Long Island, NY Nassau Coliseum
March 24: Asbury Park, NJ Convention Hall
March 25: Portland, ME Cumberland County Civic Center
March 27: Montreal, QC Stade Uniprix
March 28: Ottawa, ON Corel Center
March 29: Kitchener, ON The Auditorium
March 30: Toronto, ON Arrow Hall
March 31: Detroit, MI Cobo Arena
April 3: Winnipeg, MB Convention Centre
April 4: Saskatoon, SK Credit Union Center
April 5: Edmonton, AB Shaw Conference Hall
April 6: Calgary, AB Stampede Corral

Grammy-award nominated rock band Skillet will be touring with Octone hard rock act Flyleaf beginning March 25 in Memphis. Dropping Daylight and Resident Hero are also supporting the tour. Dates are below…

March 25: Memphis, TN @ Newby’s
March 27: Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Studio
March 28: Beaumont, TX @ Antones
March 30: San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
April 1: New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
April 2: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
April 4: Columbia, SC @ Headliners Live
April 5: Jacksonville, NC @ Hooligans
April 6: Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
April 7: Richmond, VA @ The Canal Club
April 10: Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre
April 11: Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
April 14: Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
April15: Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
April 17: Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre
April 20: Minneapolis, MN @ Trocaderos
April 23: Sauget, IL @ Pop’s
April 24: Nashville, TN @ Ransburg Auditorium
April 25: Knoxville, TN @ Blue Cats

Described as “vituosic, heavy and experimental,” Wax on Radio will be the support band for The Ataris’ tour which kicks off next week in Philly. Here are the dates:

02/20 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of the Living Arts
02/21 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
02/23 – Albany, NY – Northern Lights
02/25 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
02/27 – Portland, ME – The Station
02/28 – Cambridge, MA – The Middle East
03/01 – Providence, RI – Living Room
03/02 – Hartford, CT – Webster Theater
03/03 – Washington, DC – Black Cat
03/04 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
03/06 – Pittsburgh, PA – Rex Theatre
03/07 – Buffalo, NY – The Icon
03/08 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
03/09 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
03/10 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
03/12 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
03/13 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre
03/14 – Minneapolis, MN – Trocaderos
03/15 – Papillion, NE – The Rock
03/16 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
03/17 – Salt Lake City, UT – In The Venue
03/18 – Boise, ID – Big Easy
03/21 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
03/22 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
03/23 – Sparks, NV – The New Oasis
03/25 – Santa Cruz, CA – Catalyst
03/26 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
03/27 – Orangevale, CA – The Boardwalk
03/28 – Los Angeles, CA – House of Blues
03/30 – Ventura, CA – Majestic Ventura Theatre
03/31 – Las Vegas, NV – Desert Breeze Skate Park
04/01 – Anaheim, CA – House Blues
04/02 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues

NYC-based rockers Foreign Islands will be hitting the road next month including several performances at the South By Southwest festival in Austin. Tour dates are as follows:

March 1 – Philadelphia, PA – North Star Bar (w/ The Young Knives)
March 2 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge (w/ The Young Knives)
March 3 – Brooklyn, NY – Luna Lounge (w/ The Young Knives)
March 4- Allston, MA – Great Scott (w/ The Young Knives)
March 5 – Washington, DC – Black Cat (w/ The Young Knives)
March 13 – Houston, TX – The Mink (w/ 120 Days & Shout Out Out Out)
March 14 – Austin, TX – SXSW
March 15 – Austin, TX – SXSW Fader Lounge Party
March 15 – Austin, TX – SXSW iheartcomix / Am Only Party
March 16 – Austin, TX – SXSW Vice Saves Texas Party
March 16 – Austin, TX – SXSW Ruta Maya w/ Goes Cube & Takka Takka
March 16 – Austin, TX – SXSW Purevolume Loft
March 17– Austin, TX – SXSW Boys & Girls Club w/ Shitdisco- Whiskey Bar
March 19 – Las Vegas, NV – Art Bar (w/ Shout Out Out Out)
March 20 – Hollywood, CA – Safari Sams (w/ Boys Noize)
March 21 – San Diego, CA – Beauty Bar
March 22 – West Hollywood, CA – The Viper Room
March 24 – San Francisco, CA – Brain Wash (w/ Goes Cube)
March 27 – Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge (w/ Goes Cube)
March 30 – Champaign, IL – The Iron Post (w/ Goes Cube)

Fujiya & Miyagi is not a Japanese duo, or something on a sushi menu. Rather, this is a British electronic trio, and they just released their debut on Deaf Dumb & Blind Records, Transparent Things, on February 6. The group will also be at SXSW, bookending their US dates with shows in Seattle on March 10 and New York’s Mercy Lounge on March 20. Dates are…

Mar 10 Seattle WA @ Chop Suey
Mar 11 Portland OR @ Doug Fir
Mar 13 San Franciscio CA @ Mint
Mar 14 Los Angeles CA @ Spaceland
Mar 15 Austin TX @ SXSW Clash magazine party at Karma Lounge, SXSW,
Mar 16 Austin TX @ SXSW – Emos- Windish Party/Pitchfork Party
March 17th Austin TX @ SXSW Day Stage Cafe @ 1:30pm
Mar 18 New York NY @ Mercury Lounge
Mar 19th New York, NY @ Barnard’s College, Columbia University.
Mar 20 New York NY @ Mercury Lounge

Al Gore has been spreading the word about global warming a little bit over the past few decades. Now he will have some help from pop icons who will be touring as part of the Live Earth Concerts in order to raise awareness about global warming. Some of the confirmed acts are Snoop Dogg, Pharrell, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Black Eyed Peas, Fall Out Boy, Akon, John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, John Mayer, Foo Fighters, Lenny Kravitz, Bon Jovi, Paolo Nutini, Melissa Etheridge, Damien Rice, Corinne Bailey Rae, Duran Duran, Snow Patrol, Enrique Iglesias, Maná, Keane, Korn, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Bloc Party, AFI and Sheryl Crow. Wow, talk about an all-star lineup, though they won’t all be in one place. The shows will take place on July 7 in seven different cities: London, Shanghai, Sydney, Johannesburg, and cities to be determined in the US, Brazil and Japan.

The Coachella Festival, in Indio, California has already sold out. The distant relative of Lollapalooza takes place April 27-29, and includes performances by Rage Against the Machine, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bjork and Interpol.

Scottish singer/songwriter and Atlantic recording artist Paolo Nutini has been selling out shows on his North American tour, enough so to move the shows to larger venues. The New York Times likens Nutini to “the edge of David Gray, the quavers of Jeff Buckley, and a streak of the blues.” So you can see right there what the fuss is all about. If you want to see for yourself, get your tickets fast to these dates:

March 3 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre *
March 6 Ferndale, MI Magic Bag
March 7 Toronto, ONT The Mod Club Theatre
March 8 Montreal, QUE La Tulipe
March 11 Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindley
March 14 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse *
March 15 Mobile, AL Soul Kitchen
March 17 Austin, TX Esquire SXSW07 Showcase – Stubbs’ BBQ
March 20 Tucson, AZ Club Congress
March 23 Los Angeles, CA Avalon *
March 24 San Francisco, CA Palace of Fine Arts Theatre *
March 27 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
March 28 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
March 29 Vancouver, BC Richards on Richards

Alternative, Concerts, Pop, Rock

American Idol: The Final 24

February 15, 2007 / Mike Farley

Last night “American Idol” swiftly made its way to the final 24 contestants, whose fate is now in the hands of our nation’s voters. But before that, every one of the 40 remaining semi-finalists had to perform solo with a real band and real backup singers in front of Randy, Paula and Simon. The song choices were limited, which meant we had to hear Bryan Adams’ “When You Love a Woman” about 25 times. Ugh. That song could seriously induce vomiting when heard that many times.

Then, each contestant had to march into a conference room where the judges let them know if they were staying or going. Of course, the judges had to mess with these poor folks by saying things like “we’re sorry to say……that you’re going to be seeing more of us!” I’m waiting for one of these kids to have a heart attack right there….you think that would put a stop to the nonsense? Hey judges: stop playing games, a yes or no would suit everyone just fine.

Some of the kids going home included Anna Kearns, who Simon had once referred to as a “giraffe;” Tammy, the old-school singer who reminded me of a hippie from the sixties; and Matthew Buckstein, the Jewish cowboy.

So now we have 24 finalists, who will begin performing in front of us all next Tuesday.

For you gambling types, I’m going to take a few shots at predicting the future here.

Among the 12 guys, watch for Brandon Rogers, the career backup singer from L.A. This dude has a stellar voice, and tons of charisma. Same with Chris Sligh, the chubby kid with the afro and glasses. He was part of that guy group who sang the Bee Gees the night before….and there is no denying his vocal talent. Plus, he’s hilarious. Other strong dudes are Phil Stacy, beat-box boy Blake, and Chris Richardson (who looks and dresses like Justin Timberlake). Look for an early exit from Sundance Head (I can’t get out of my head Simon’s comment that he looked like he’d been “boiled” after singing); Sanjaya, the Indian kid with the sister who got booted out a day earlier; and Paul Kim, the barefoot dude who claimed to wear the same underwear for each audition…..um, I’m wondering if ol’ Paul crapped his pants when he went in to learn his fate…I bet that would force him to find clean skivvies.

Among the girls, watch for Melinda Doolittle. She is another career backup singer who is finally getting a chance at the big spotlight, and she so deserves it. I mean, wow. She is this year’s Paris Bennett. Also watch for Stephanie, who looks like Fantasia Barrino but, and I know I’m stretching here, has a better voice than the third season champ. Finally, Lakisha, who claimed that she would be just as happy going home to her young daughter, will have to wait a while. And I’m saying a long while, because she can sing her ass off. Other chicks to watch for are Gina Glockson, Jordin Sparks, and Nicole Tranquillo. Look for early exits from Antonella (is it just me, or is everyone else sick of this chick?), Haley (who was cute but not a good enough singer), and Leslie Hunt.

So that’s it, America. The real fun begins now, and we’ll be here to cover it all. I bet that makes you happy, doesn’t it?

American Idol, Pop, Rock

Disgraced King of Pop to conquer American Idol?

February 14, 2007 / Deb Medsker

Rumors are buzzing that self-coronated King of Pop Michael Jackson is being courted for an upcoming American Idol theme night.

According to Reality TV magazine:

Several reports have been circulating that Michael Jackson has been having secret meetings with American Idol creator and 19 Entertainment founder Simon Fuller…If [that] isn’t enough to get the Michael Jackson on American Idol rumor mill churning, then how about the fact that American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe seemed to drop a clue about the possibility during a recent media conference call?

When answering a question about the tight reign that American Idol keeps on the finalists, Lythgoe said “We don’t want anything slipping out. If we’ve got major stars coming on that we want to do a big publicity thing with. ‘Hey, Michael Jackson is coming to American Idol this week,’ then I’ve got to leave that up to Fox publicity to put out there, not have it slip out with somebody telling their Mom that Michael Jackson is coming.”

Hmmm: Could be something; could be nothing…but the show’s producers have been hinting at a major “event” show in the works, and, freakish personal issues aside, Jackson remains one of few stars of sufficient caliber to make for true event television.

Besides, if you think about it, Michael Jackson and American Idol are a perfect match: Both are extremely interested in up-and-coming youngsters, and neither has any use for anyone over the age of thirty.

American Idol, Artists, Pop

American Idol: Hollywood Lightning

February 14, 2007 / Mike Farley

I’m not complaining, but the opening to “American Idol’s” Hollywood rounds was like an episode of speed-dating, speed reading, or, well, it was just plain fast. There were 172 contestants from the seven opening auditions, and by the end of last night they had narrowed the field down to 40. It wasn’t that the usual format was different, with solo auditions in front of the judges again, and the group round, but they just showed less of it. Hey, that’s fine by me.

The girls went first and this season there were twice as many chicks that made it to Hollywood as there were dudes.

Jory Steinberg was dressed EXACTLY like Paula, trying to earn points of some kind. But she didn’t quite sing that well. In fact, the first six they showed all got sent home. Then there was Colombian semi-bombshell Perla, who did her Shakira impression again. She was just okay, but Randy and Paula thought she had just enough personality to advance. Very young Baylie Brown, a blue-eyed blonde cutie, was awesome in the first Hollywood round, just as she was in her initial audition.

In all, the judges sent 56 of the 114 girls home. Then the guys went….Jarrod, the dude who won “Reagan Idol” on his Navy ship, didn’t quite cut it this time around. Then there was Matt Sato, who made a spectacle in his opening round audition, saying his parents didn’t approve of him auditioning. This dude called his mom in tears again when he made it through to the second Hollywood round. They simply showed way too much of this kid.

Then there were the groups. This is always entertaining because inevitably there is bickering when kids with large egos are forced to perform together.

Best friends Amanda and Antonella were paired with Baylie Brown. This was like mixing salsa and cookie dough. They appeared to respect each other, but you could tell the friends didn’t like Baylie and she didn’t like them. Ultimately, two of the girls forgot their lyrics badly, including Baylie. What a shame, because she had the voice to go far. Antonella advanced to the final 40 but her friend Amanda was sent home.

Same thing happened to the Indian brother and sister…the brother made it, she did not. They were shown hugging at the end. Also a shame…I thought she was great but didn’t quite have enough. The dude, though, he’s going to make it far.

Finally Matt Sato got sent home….I don’t think America could handle another phone call to his mom.

Perla’s inability to sing on key finally got her booted out, because the three other chicks in her group were awesome and it made Perla’s flaws stand out.

The guy’s group of Blake, Rudy, Chris (and I can’t remember the fourth guy…hey, when I say they blazed through this, they really did!) was incredible. They did the Bee Gees’ “How Deep is Your Love” and I’m telling you, these kids could go on tour tomorrow and become mega-stars. All four are going to go deep in this competition. It was by far the best group performance ever on the show, and I am not exaggerating.

Also watch for my boy Brandon Rogers…he made the final cut too and I am picking him as top 12 material, maybe top 5.

So I guess tonight they will get from 40 down to 24….the final 12 guys and 12 girls. Hey, again, this is okay by me. This is when the show really gets fun to watch. Yes America, admit it, this show is fun to watch. See you all tomorrow….

American Idol, Pop, Rock

Mix Disc Monday: When the postman don’t call on Valentine’s Day

February 12, 2007 / David Medsker

Quick show of hands: does anyone really like Valentine’s Day? For single people, it’s an unpleasant reminder that you’re single (and therefore, in the eyes of the good people at Hallmark Cards, a loser). For couples, it’s yet another obligation to go out and do something special for your sweetie, despite the fact that you’ve already done that at Christmas, your anniversary, Mother’s/Father’s Day, his or her birthday and, if you really go overboard, your date-iversary as well. Enough already.

While everyone at Bullz-Eye is either happily married or happily involved (except for our fearless leader, who is happily neither), we see both sides of this dilemma, and have assembled a mix disc for the lovers and another for the fighters. There’s plenty of joy and pain (but not sunshine and rain) to go around. Dig in.

Mix One: Ain’t Love Grand

Ah, love. Love rules. It’s a scientific fact that when you’re in love, the sun shines a little bit brighter, people are nicer, and your car gets better gas mileage. People in love, according to a song by the Feeling, get special treatment. They know of what they speak. And yet, so few truly great songs have been written about the subject. For every “We’ve Only Just Begun,” there are ten songs like “Everything I Do (I Do It for You).” Because of that, this is officially declared a Bryan Adams-free zone. Feel better already, don’t you?

“You’re the Best Thing,” The Style Council (My Ever Changing Moods)
Shameless homer pick, this one. My wife and I danced to this at our wedding.

“La La Love You,” The Pixies (Doolittle)
Because there aren’t enough love songs with monster drum tracks that have someone shouting “Shake your butt!” in the background.

“(They Long to Be) Close to You,” The Carpenters (Close to You)
Okay, so the bit about sprinkling moon dust is pretty silly. But this is one of the greatest melodies in the history of pop. Period.

“Here, There and Everywhere,” The Beatles (Revolver)
Picking one Beatles love song is like choosing to keep only three toes on each foot. My apologies to “Michelle,” “Something” and “And I Love Her,” among others.

To see the rest of Mix One, click here.

Mix Two: Love Bites

If love is supposedly the most wonderful thing in the world, then why the hell does it hurt so much? There’s an old saying that it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Try telling that to someone who has just loved and lost. From invincible to unlovable in seconds flat, nothing will make you feel as unworthy as a failed relationship, especially when it’s capped with a crushing one-liner like “I like everything about my life except my relationship with you.” My college girlfriend actually said that to me, no joke. And in return, I sang a number of these songs to her.

“House of Love,” Squeeze (Play)
I nearly put “Wicked and Cruel” in here instead – indeed, Play is pretty much one giant Dear Jane letter – but this song wins out for a laundry list of one-liners. “She was full of lies and boredom, it came as no surprise that she would cheat,” “I wasn’t Shakespeare, it’s simple / Did she expect me to kiss her feet,” and then the chorus hits: “We seemed the best of friends, life had just begun / But on the roof, a tile began to slip / The house of love caved in, and that was it.”

“I Believe She’s Lying,” Jon Brion (Meaningless)
Like Play, Meaningless has several candidates for this list, but I’m choosing “I Believe She’s Lying” for delivering the killer lyric with an even more killer drum track. “As soon as we’re committing, we’re admitting our mistake / So of course it’s only fitting, that the course we’re going to take is drawn / And whereupon, I’m slamming on the brakes.” You’ve all done it, and you can’t undo it. It’s the only way you learn.

“Say Anything,” Aimee Mann (Whatever)
It makes sense to put Brion and Mann back to back, since they used to date and he produced her first three solo records (plus she co-wrote the lyrics to “I Believe She’s Lying”). Was she talking about him when she said, “If you were everything you say, things would be different today / I would be happy to believe / But I’d have to be much more naive”?

“Good Luck,” Basement Jaxx w/ Lisa Kekaula (Kish Kash)
The flip side to “Ice Cream.” It’s angry, defiant, and there isn’t a woman alive who doesn’t love this song. “Good luck in your new bed / Enjoy your nightmares, honey, while you’re resting your head.” And hot DAMN, can Kekaula sing.

To see the rest of Mix Two, click here.

Alternative, Lists, Mix Disc Monday, Playlists, Pop, Rock, Songs