Category: Rock (Page 138 of 241)

Road Warriors 57

March 20, 2008 / Mike Farley

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 Continue reading »

Alternative, Concerts, Country, Hip Hop, Pop, Rap, Rock

American Idol: Hard Head Doesn’t Advance

March 20, 2008 / Mike Farley

Last night’s “American Idol” results show proved one thing….that you shouldn’t always indulge yourself, thinking you are indulging your fans in the process. More on that in a bit.

First, they announced the mentors for this season….Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Neil Diamond…pretty diverse bunch, no? Then the remaining 11 did their second Beatles medley in as many weeks. It was watered down, bland, and none of them looked like they were having any fun whatsoever.

Okay, on to the results. Brooke White, safe. Carly Smithson, Bottom 3. What????? I know Simon thought it was a bad song choice (“Blackbird”), but come on…she wasn’t worse than 8 other contestants. David Archuleta, safe. Michael Johns, safe.

Then a break, then a video about shooting the latest Ford commercial. Okay, really, this show should and could be 30 minutes instead of 60.

David Cook, safe. Kristy Lee Cook, Bottom 3….well, duh. Jason Castro, safe. Ramiel Mallubay, safe.
That left Syesha, Chikezie and Amanda….Mrs. Mike said it was going to be Amanda and that she was going home.

Then Ryan Seacrest took some phone calls…..how’d you like to be one of the judges or contestants who have to answer some crazy fan’s question on national TV on the spot? I think I would start coughing uncontrollably so as to bow out.

Then Idol alum Kellie Pickler sang her new single, “Red High Heels.” The song was bland and boring, like most Country radio is, but Kellie looked great….and her boobs were not out in front this time for all to see. I have to say, I like her a whole lot more as an artist than Carrie Underwood.

Then after a 5-minute clip about the upcoming “Idol Gives Back” episode that featured former contestants Elliott Yamin and Fantasia (season 3 champ!), it was back to business.

Syesha Mercado, safe. Chikezie and Amanda….Chikezie, safe. Amanda, Bottom 3.

So the Bottom 3 was Carly Smithson, Kristy Lee Cook and Amanda Overmyer. Carly looked like she absolutely didn’t belong, and she was sent back to safety first. Then, so was Kristy AGAIN, as Amanda was eliminated. Mrs. Mike called it two weeks in a row.

Here is my thought…first of all, Amanda went first, and that’s never a good thing unless you are a contender to win it all. Then, she sang “Back in the USSR,” and she proved that the same type of song at the same tempo week after week is not smart, because it makes you one-dimensional. The judges kept warning her about that. Amanda, though, made some comment that she gets 90 seconds to entertain America each week and she wants them to have a glimpse into what her live concert would be all about. Yeah, about that Amanda…..you’ll get to try and start proving it as of today because you are no longer an “Idol” finalist.

Meanwhile, Kristy Lee Cook keeps pulling this MacGuyver act. She has not had a good performance since her rendition of “Amazing Grace” in the initial audition, but she is clearly getting votes based on her All-American good looks. Hey America, what is WRONG with you?

Oh well, that’s why they play the games. Speaking of which, it’s NCAA tournament time…so I won’t tell your boss that you are faking being sick to watch basketball all day. See you next week…

Alternative, American Idol, Country, Pop, Rock

American Idol: Too Much Beatles

March 19, 2008 / Mike Farley

Too much of a good thing can be too much of a good thing. Much the same way that your second doughnut does not taste nearly as good as the first one, two straight weeks of “American Idol” contestants singing Beatles songs was a bit, say, watered down? Or maybe they all just chose the wrong songs. However you slice it, last night was a bit disappointing. Let’s go to the recap….

THE GOOD

David Archuleta was very good last night, and back to form, but I was not nearly as impressed as Simon Cowell was. David sang “The Long and Winding Road” and it was about an 8 out of 10 on my Archuleta scale. Randy said David was back to his game but that it was a bit safe, Paula said David is identifiable, and Simon said that while last week David’s performance was a mess, this week he was “amazing.” Seriously, I was practically insulted by that…but still, this kid is really good.

David Cook was once again “amazing”…sorry, Simon. He sang “Day Tripper” and strapped on his guitar Continue reading »

Alternative, American Idol, Country, Pop, Rock

Less Talk, More Music: Manic Street Preachers on “Friday Night with Jonathan Ross”

March 18, 2008 / Will Harris

The Manic Street Preachers are kinda the alt-rock version of Status Quo, given that they’re an institution in the UK but barely cause Americans to raise an eyebrow, but as a dedicated reader of Q Magazine in the ’90s, I’ve followed them since the beginning of their career, back when Richie Edwards was carving slogans into his flesh and trying to be his generation’s Sid Vicious. As it turned out, he was a bit closer to being his generation’s Amelia Earhart, given that he vanished into thin and and is presumed dead, but that’s beside the point. The band’s music is arguably more powerful now than it was when Edwards was in the band, probably because they’re a decidedly less self-destructive unit without him in their ranks, but their debut album, 1992’s Generation Terrorists, nonetheless captured lightning in a bottle, combining the best bits of The Clash and Guns ‘N’ Roses and making them into one of the classic records of the decade. This performance of the epic “Motorcycle Emptiness” is actually from the ’00s, so it’s without Edwards, but a decade on, the song itself remains just as powerful.

Alternative, Artists, Less Talk, More Music, Rock, Songs, Videos

Seen Your Video: Saving Abel, “Addicted”

March 14, 2008 / David Medsker

It’s the oldest trick in the book: label is looking at releasing bone-headed debut single from new artist, worried that no one will take notice. So the label does the one thing that will guarantee some press coverage: they fill the video with naked girls. Call it the Buckcherry Effect, who did the same thing with their “Crazy Bitch” video and now have a platinum album hanging on their walls.

The press release calls Saving Abel southern rockers, though we’re willing to bet that Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers might have something to say about that. More accurately, they’re a rock band from the south (Corinth, MS, to be precise), but this ain’t southern rock. Rather, it’s by-the-numbers, Nickelback-ish slug-rock, with one of the most unintentionally hilarious choruses in recent memory:

I’m so addicted to, all the things you do
When you’re going down on me, in between the sheets
All the sounds you make, with every breath you take
It’s not like anything, when you’re loving me

Lest you think “Addicted” is just an overly suggestive love song, fear not; it turns out the singer kinda hates the girl he’s addicted to, and he apparently suppresses that anger because she gives good head. Two questions spring to mind: what does the girl get out of this relationship – other than the satisfaction of blowing said singer – and isn’t the lead singer worried that singing lyrics like this will cost him in the groupie department? Any girl he bangs has to be thinking, “Is his next song going to be about me?”

On second thought, I can see women getting off on that, being immortalized in song, however denigrating. But that’s a whole different topic.

And then there’s the controversial video (banned from MTV! Save the children!), which features a guy shooting video of two topless women getting friendly. Now, we are the last people to raise a fuss over naked women, but surely there is some angle, any angle, they could have taken besides the played out ‘straight girls pretend to be gay to turn a guy on’ bit. Even the girls on the pole/slutty groupie aspect of “Crazy Bitch” made more sense in context.

Oh, and if you have not yet seen enough clichés from this band, check out the album cover.

Yes, nothing says “stupid whore”—or “Valtrex” – quite like a back tat of a band’s logo. Ladies, if you’re considering doing this, for the love of God, stop. No man will ever touch you again.

Embedding for the video is disabled (it’s a Playboy.com exclusive), so to see the video, click here. All Saving Abel bashing aside, the clip is worth a look, preferably with the sound down. The video will run through March 18, at which point you will probably never hear from the likes of Saving Abel again. And yes, we understand the irony of promoting the clip in order to make an example of it, so don’t bother pointing that out.

External Music, Rock, Seen Your Video, Songs, Videos