Category: Pop (Page 175 of 216)

The Grammys

February 12, 2007 /

I’m not even going to pretend that I watched the whole thing; it’s not an elitist thing, but the reality is that I don’t really tend to listen to a lot of albums that end up being nominated for Grammys, which means that I mostly watch to see older artists popping up. That’s why the highlights of what I saw were threefold:

1. The Police doing a quite acceptable job on “Roxanne.” C’mon, baby, let the world tour stop in Hampton Roads!
2. Smokey Robinson knocking “The Tracks of My Tears” out of the park. Dude’ll be 66 years old next week, but you couldn’t prove it by looking at him OR listening to him.
3. Lionel Richie singing “Hello” and making me feel like I was a teenager again.

Yeah, that’s pretty much all I can say I full-on loved…but something I legitimately disliked was the fact that when Tony Bennett won his award for Best Pop Collaboration (with Stevie Wonder), he thanked Target for being the best sponsor he’s ever had…and you could hear people booing him! Are you kidding me? The guy’s 80 years old, he’s a legend, and thanks to the sponsorship of Target, he got major publicity for his album of duets AND a prime-time special to celebrate his 80th birthday. So what if he thanked them?

Artists, External Music, News, Pop, Rock, Songs

Road Warriors

February 9, 2007 /

Road Warriors

Welcome to a new weekly column where you can track some of your favorite artists’ tour announcements, as well as artists you want to avoid like the plague…..

It appears all the rumors are true. The Police will reunite for a 30th Anniversary Tour, and their performance at the Grammy Awards on Sunday will be their first gig since their 2003 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Speaking of reuniting, Van Halen has brought back original lead vocalist David Lee Roth for a 40-date North American tour this summer. Roth will join Eddie and Alex Van Halen, as well as new bassist Wolfgang Van Halen (Eddie’s son), marking Roth’s first shows with the band since 1984. “I am very excited to get back to the core of what made Van Halen,” beamed Eddie.

There is a huge buzz here in the States about British songstress Amy Winehouse, who will be performing here to coincide with the US street date of her new album. Confirmed dates are in New York, Los Angeles and at the South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas. And no, admission is not free if you buy this sekf-proclaimed lush a drink or five.

3/13 Bowery Ballroom, NY (and 3/13 performance on Letterman)
3/15 – 3/17 – South by Southwest, Austin TX
She is confirmed to play the Universal Republic Showcase on 3/15 and the Island UK BBQ on 3/16. Other performances may come up, but not confirmed yet.
3/19:Los Angeles, CA Roxy
3/20: Los Angeles, CA Spaceland

Ozzfest will be Freefest this summer. This is no joke – Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne have decided that the 12th annual metal band festival, which kicks off 25 dates with a show in San Bernardino on July 7, will be free as their way of giving back to the fans. “Ozzy’s been touring for over 30 years, he’s done well by his audience and now it’s time to give something back,” Sharon said at a press conference.

The Mooney Suzuki has just announced tour dates that kick off on February 15 in New York City. Nine of the March dates will be with the Strokes’ Albert Hammond, Jr.

2/14 Washington, DC, 9:30 Club
2/15 New York, NY, Rebel
2/16 Albany, NY, Valentines
2/19 Philadelphia, PA, North Star Bar
2/21 Asbury Park, NJ, The Saint
2/22 Cambridge, MA, TT the Bears
2/23 Providence, RI, Century Lounge
3/2 Seattle, WA, Crocodile Cafe *
3/3 Portland, OR, Roseland Grill *
3/5 Solana Beach, CA, The Belly Up *
3/6 Los Angeles, CA, El Rey Theatre *
3/10 Denver, CO, Marquis Theatre *
3/13 Dallas, TX, Gypsy Tea Room *
3/14 Houston, TX, Meridian *
3/17 Atlanta, GA, Roxy Theatre *
3/18 Nashville, TN, Exit/In *
(* – supporting Albert Hammond, Jr.)

Is it just me, or does the whole concept of a Honda Civic Tour featuring Fall Out Boy smack of emo smugness? Naturally, this is big business and a lengthy tour that stretches from April into June. Other bands on the tour include +44, Cobra Starship, The Academy Is…, and rapper Paul Wall. Rumors are unconfirmed that special headsets will be given to fans entering each venue so that they can decipher Fall Out Boy’s lyrics.

4/18- Charlotte, NC
4/19- Atlanta, GA
4/20-Tampa, FL
4/21- West Palm Beach, FL
4/23- Houston, TX
4/24- Dallas, TX
4/25- San Antonio, TX
4/27- Phoenix, AZ
4/28- Las Vegas, NV
4/29- San Diego, CA
5/1- Sacramento, CA
5/2- Los Angeles, CA
5/3- Anaheim, CA
5/4- Concord, CA
5/6- Vancouver, BC
5/7- Tacoma, WA
5/8- Portland, WA
5/10- Salt Lake City, UT
5/11- Denver, CO
5/12- Kansas City, MO
5/13- Council Bluffs, IA
5/15- Moline, IL
5/16- Minneapolis, MN
5/17- Milwaukee, WI
5/18- St. Louis, MO
5/20- Cleveland, OH
5/21- Cincinnati, OH
5/22- Pittsburgh, PA
5/23- Virginia Beach, VA
5/25- Montreal, QC
5/26- Toronto, ON
5/27- Detroit, MI
5/28- Buffalo, NY
5/30- Saratoga, NY
5/31- Boston, MA
6/1- Philadelphia, PA
6/2- Hartford, CT
6/4- Columbia, MD
6/5- Wantaugh, NY
6/6- Holmdel, NJ
6/8- Indianapolis, IN
6/10- Chicago, IL
6/11- Chicago, IL

Los Angeles-based four-piece band Minibar are touring in support of their new album, Desert Rain, supporting Columbia recording artist Pete Yorn.

2/6 Boise, ID The Big Easy
2/8 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
2/9 Portland, OR Roseland Ballroom
2/10 Seattle, WA Showbox
2/12 Sacramento, CA Empire
2/13 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
2/15 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
2/16 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
2/17 Anaheim, CA House of Blues
2/19 San Diego, CA House of Blues
2/20 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theater
2/22 Park City, UT Suede
2/23 Denver, CO Ogden Theater
2/24 Lincoln, NE Rococo Theater
2/26 Lawrence, KS Granada
2/27 St. Louis, MO Pageant Theater
2/28 Indianapolis, IN Music Mill
3/2 Minneapolis, MN First Ave
3/3 Chicago, IL Riviera
3/4 Madison, WI Barrymore Theater
3/6 Covington, KY Madison Theater
3/7 Columbus, OH The LC Pavillion
3/9 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
3/10 Grand Rapids, MI Intersection
3/11 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theater
3/13 Albany, NY The Egg
3/16 New York, NY The Roseland Ballroom
3/17 Philadelphia, PA The Electric Factory
3/19 Boston, MA Avalon
3/20 Washington, D.C. 9:30 Club
3/24 Atlanta, GA Earthlink Live
3/25 Charlotte, NC Amos’ Southend
3/27 Raleigh, NC Lincoln Theater
3/ 29 Nashville, TN City Hall
3/30 Birmingham, AL WorkPlay Theater
3/31 New Orleans, LA House of Blues

Blue October is rescheduling some US and UK tour dates, citing “reasons beyond our control.” Could those reasons be that people are catching on to the fact that they suck?

Octone Records’ hard rock darlings Flyleaf are supporting Three Days Grace on a tour that kicked off this week. Then in March, Flyleaf will celebrate the gold status of their self-titled debut with a headlining tour that begins March 25 in Memphis.

Flyleaf with 3 Days Grace
2/07 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater (Headline date)
2/08 Tuscon, AZ @ The Rock (Headline Show)
2/09 Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
2/10 Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre (Headline Show)
2/12 Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
2/13 Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues
2/15 Chico, CA @ Senator Theatre
2/16 Reno, NV @ The New Oasis
2/17 Boise, ID @ Big Easy Concert House
2/18 Spokane, WA @ The Big Easy Concert Hall

Flyleaf Headline Tour Dates

3/25 Mmephis, TN Newby’s
3/27 Houston, TX Warehouse Live Studio
3/28 Beaumont, TX Antones
3/30 San Antonio, TX White Rabbit
4/01 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
4/02 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
4/04 Columbia, SC Headliners Live
4/05 Jacksonville, NC Hooligans
4/06 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall
4/10 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Smalls Theatre
4/11 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
4/14 Cincinnati, OH Bogart’s
4/15 Chicago, IL House of Blues
4/17 Madison, WI Barrymore Theatre
4/19 Omaha, NE The Rock
4/20 Minneapolis, MN Trocaderos
4/23 Sauget, IL Pop’s
4/25 Knoxville, TN Blue Cats
4/30 Port St. Lucie, FL Mojo Room

VH1 Classic is presenting the Shaw/Blades tour, which follows the release of the band’s new album, Influence, on March 6. Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades have paid their musical dues as members of Styx, Night Ranger and Damn Yankees.

3/16 Dewey Beach, DE The Rusty Rudder
3/17 Atlantic City, NJ House of Blues
3/18 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of the Living Arts
3/21 New York, NY B.B. King’s Blues Club
3/22 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
3/23 Allentown, PA Crocodile Rock
3/24 Buffalo, NY Tralf Theatre
3/26 Alexandria, VA The Birchmere
3/29 Annapolis, MD Rams Head Tavern
3/30 Pittsburgh, PA Rex Theatre
3/31 Columbus, OH PromoWest Pavilion
4/1 Akron, OH Tangiers
4/4 Indianapolis, IN Music Mill
4/5 Chicago, IL Joe’s
4/6 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater
4/7 West Des Moines, IA Val Air Ballroom
4/11 San Jacinto, CA AC’s Lounge
4/12 West Hollywood, CA Key Club
4/13 San Juan Capistrano, CA Coach House
4/14 Agoura Hills, CA Canyon Club

Country music legend George Strait began a month-long tour in Phoenix last week. Strait has been nominated for two 2007 CMT Music Awards in the categories of Video of the Year and Male Video of the Year for “The Seashores of Old Mexico.”

2/2 Phoenix, AZ America West Arena
2/3 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
2/15 Hoffman Estates, IL Sears Center Arena
2/16 Pittsburgh, PA Mellon Arena
2/17 Columbustionwide Arena
2/22 Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse
2/23 Knoxville, TN Thompson Boling Arena
2/24 N. Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum
3/2 Kansas City, MO George Strait Kemper Arena
3/3 Denver, CO Pepsi Arena
3/9 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
3/10 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena

Scottish rockers the View are gearing up for their first US headlining tour next month, including stops at South By Southwest and an appearance on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.”

03/03 New York, NY – Luna Lounge
03/05 Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
03/07 Chicago, IL – Schuba’s Tavern
03/09 Seattle, WA – Crocodile Café
03/11 San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
03/13 Hollywood, CA – Troubadour
03/15 Austin, TX – SXSW-details TBA
03/16 Austin, TX – SXSW-details TBA
03/17 Austin, TX – SXSW-details TBA
03/20 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
03/22 Cambridge, MA – T.T. The Bears

The Good, the Bad & the Queen, the newest creation of Blur/Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn, has just announced North American tour dates beginning March 11 in Toronto.

3/11 – Toronto, ON Kool Haus
3/12 – New York, NY Webster Hall
3/14 – Washington, DC – 930 Club
3/16 – Austin, TX – Stubbs (South by Southwest)
3/18 – New Orleans, LA – Republic

Alternative, Concerts, Country, Pop, Rock

Akron Watson Unfairly Booted from American Idol

February 8, 2007 /

Contestant Akron Watson dazzled “American Idol” judges and all of America this past Tuesday with renditions of Sam Cooke’s “Change is Gonna Come” and Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On.” This was the guy who auditioned with his cousin, but obviously had all the singing genes in the family.

But just reported on People.com is the fact that the producers called Watson back in November and told him he was no longer welcome to the Hollywood round. Worse, they gave him no reason.

Apparently Watson has a marijuana possession blemish from 2003, but claims he divulged this to the Idol producers before auditioning.

This seems extremely unfair, because not only did Watson disclose his past in full as required, but he had rightfully earned his golden ticket to Hollywood only to have it stripped away. So the dude made a mistake a few years ago……give him a break! Watson is also asking for a break, as he has set up a MySpace page for fan support. If you saw this guy perform, you know he’s worthy of going really far. So help the cause.

For you Idol producers, a big thumbs down to you. First, you waste an hour of my time last night…now this.

American Idol, Pop, Rock

American Idol Just Stole An Hour From My Life

February 8, 2007 /

Leave it to Fox. Just when they were being nice enough to cut the audition episodes of “American Idol” from two hours to one, they decided to throw a filler at us. Last season, there were seven episodes of audition rounds, and on the eighth, Hollywood week. This time, the eighth was a recap of some of the best and worst contestants, with a few new ones we haven’t seen yet peppered in.

Hey Fox, did you just see me open my mouth for a BIG FREAKING YAWN?

Anyway, since they aired it, I’m gonna write about it. First, there were a few entrants who made it to Hollywood that we hadn’t seen yet, most notably Tami, who looked like a rocker chick from the sixties.
Tami sang the Allman Brothers’ “Whipping Post,” and was both talented and really different. Other standouts who made it through were Gina Glockson, who basically professed her love for Simon (these girls aren’t stupid…just butter up the old man); and Lakisha Jones, who sang Aretha Franklin’s “Think.” This chick might make the finals, she was that good.

They also showed how various contestants tried to dress different to impress the judges, and that usually backfired. The first chick they showed, Christa, dressed, as Simon put it “like the inside of a dust bin.”

There were these three girls who dressed as waitresses on roller skates…I’m not sure if this is how they really earn their living or if they just rented the outfits….but the bummer of it was that only two of them made it to Hollywood. Ebony was the best, followed by Ashley, followed by Heather. I’m really not sure what the judges saw in Ashley, but they voted her through.

Other moments from last night were Brandon, who did a singing meets beat-box thing that was really good, but not good enough to advance him; Wes, a “composer” who had a huge gap in his teeth and did this stomping thing when he sang, most likely to cover up the fact that he couldn’t sing; and this dude Alexander, who professed his love for Paula. Simon added that if Paula had a mustache, the two could have been separated at birth.

Are you bored yet? Becuase I sure was last night.

Next week is Hollywood week….let the catfighting, the drama, and the real competition begin. And someone please pour Paula Abdul another drink…I mean, I wanna get my money’s worth!
See you next week….

American Idol, Pop, Rock

American Idol: A Big State Yields Lots of Bad Singers

February 7, 2007 /

Last night was the final stop on the “American Idol” audition tour–in San Antonio, Texas. Mercifully, we have reached the end of the portion of this season where they weed out the really bad singers and show us a few good ones that get to advance to Hollywood.

Some of the highlights of last night’s auditions included Bailey Brown, a 16-year-old cute blonde chick (is it just me or is America producing chicks like this who can actually sing at an alarming rate?). Bailey sang Faith Hill pretty flawlessly. Then there were the cousins, Akron and William. William went first and was awful, singing “Amazing Grace” like an off-key Fat Albert. But Akron fared much better, and even though Simon said his performance was boring, he sang good enough to advance.

18-year-old Ashley didn’t make it through the first time, because she sang really well but was one of those singers who puts more effort into technique and facial expression than actual vocals and melody. For a change, Randy and Paula said no, and Simon actually liked her. So what did they do? They gave her a second chance. This time, her facial expressions were even more pronounced. The judges agreed that Ashley has some bad habits, but they also agreed to let her fix those habits in Hollywood.

Finally, there was Jimmy McNeal, who closed out the show with “Cupid” and Randy called him a “little Ruben,” referring to Season 2’s enormous champ. This guy was really good and he had a charisma that could take him far.

Then, of course, we had the duds….

First, there was Bryan, who sang Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” and pretty much yelled the whole song. Look, Bryan, you can fool a drunk Paula Abdul some of the time….

Jasmine Holland was a terrible singer and the judges were kind of snickering as she sang. She said this was “rude,” and really, it kind of was. But then it got comical when she said to Randy Jackson: “Who are YOU anyway? What have you ever done besides this show?”

Sandie sang “Black Velvet” from the back of her throat like she had Cher stuck in there. Simon said it was almost like a language he couldn’t recognize, and that was pretty accurate.

Finally there was Jake Tudor, who Simon said should be singing in a dark bedroom somewhere. Jake accepted the judges’ comments, then proceeded to bleepity bleep them all on the way out. A fitting end to the horror that made up a lot of this season’s primary auditions.

But wait, there’s more. Just when you thought the show was ready to move on to Hollywood, they gave us a glimpse of tonight’s show. They are going to show us all the bad auditions from the seven cities that they haven’t yet shown us. Ugg. Hey Fox, what did I do to deserve this? I’ll do anything…even go buy your sponsors’ stupid products. Okay, okay, if it’s only for one more night.

See you all tomorrow. And after that, it’s welcome to Hollywood BAY-BEE.

American Idol, Pop, Rock

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