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Monday 15 July 2013

Selena Gomez Throws Epic Dance Party With Stars Dance Teasers

Gomez makes good on her promise of serving up dance music on her new album, out July 23.
Selena Gomez wasn't lying when she said that her new album, Stars Dance, was inspired by EDM king Skrillex. On Monday (July 15), the singer gave fans an early listen to the dance-song-heavy release, officially out on July 23

                               
While the teasers are short, they also paint a pretty sweet sonic picture of what fans have in store for them on the album, her follow-up to 2011's When the Sun Goes Down. Full of wobbly synths, loopy vocals, fist-pumping beats and crunchy breakdowns, the album takes cues from all walks of music including disco, techno and electronic music, exuding sexy confidence and sassy swagger.
 
 It definitely can be classified as "baby dubstep," which how Gomez has previously described it.
It's clear that Gomez just wants to party on the album. The first teaser, with its clappy beat, has her proclaiming, "Tell them it's my birthday/ When I party like that!" (Coincidentally, the album actually drops one day after her 21st birthday.)
 
When Gomez spoke to MTV News back in May about the album, she made it clear that dancing would be an overarching theme. She noted that she was definitely inspired by her work on the bikini-heavy, Harmony Korine-directed "Spring Breakers," which included a dubstep-heavy soundtrack provided by Skrillex.
 
"To be honest, most of the record actually speeds up once I release [the first single] 'Come & Get It'," she said. "The rest of the record, I've never taken this long to work on a record before. ... It was really fun for me to have more of a creative control and more of a say. I want it to be a mixture of everything I'm obsessed with. I love to dance and I love to make people dance."
 

Thursday 27 June 2013

Paparazzo sues Justin Bieber for alleged assault

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Justin Bieber has been sued by a paparazzo who claims the singer kicked and punched him last year at a Southern California shopping center.

A lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges the "Baby" crooner attacked Jose Osmin Hernandez Duran after Bieber and his then-girlfriend went to the movies at The Commons in Calabasas.

Bieber's representatives did not respond to a request for comment.

Duran claims Bieber started to leave the shopping center in his Mercedes, but got out of his car and sprinted toward him.

Duran says Bieber jumped into the air from 6 to 8 feet away to deliver a martial-arts-type kick to the photographer's gut before punching him in the face.

The suit seeks unspecified damages for "severe and extreme emotional distress" and negligence.



Source : http://music.yahoo.com/news/paparazzo-sues-justin-bieber-alleged-assault-023647768.html

Friday 21 June 2013

Smith Westerns Mellow Out Before Blasting Off

Kicking back with the Chicago indie trio before their summer tour

By Dan Hyman
June 20, 2013 3:20 PM ET
Cullen Omori has been stoned all day. A busy night lies ahead: The Smith Westerns singer is hoping to whip up a killer gumbo and then, if all goes according to plan, stock his newly minted "smoking room" with the early-Nineties action figures he's recently become obsessed with. Right now, though, he's ready to spark up again.

"Go easy – this stuff is pretty heavy," he warns, sliding a mini-glass bong snugly packed with choice buds across a table in the living room of his messy, college-style Chicago walk-up apartment. Omori's pet fish, Little Pig, looks on from his murky tank.

The 23-year-old frontman and his bandmates – brother Cameron Omori, 21, on bass, and longtime friend Max Kakacek, 22, on guitar – finished recording their third studio album, Soft Will, last October. Save for a pair of Coachella gigs in April, life for the three longhaired musicians has resembled one long, hazy weed nap since then. The daydream ends next month, when they head out on a nationwide tour behind the new album.

Summer Music Preview: The Season's Must-Hear Albums

Today, Cullen woke up, checked some trashy tabloid websites – The Daily Mail and Perez Hilton are two of his favorites – and messed around with a guitar that he recently outfitted with a marijuana-themed pick guard. Cameron overslept, the result of an up-'til-3:00 a.m. bender playing Candy Crush on his iPhone. Kakacek, the most put-together of the three (if only by process of elimination), had already met a friend for coffee and a chicken salad sandwich by mid-afternoon; he even found time to stop by the bank to withdraw some money for the early-Eighties Jeep Wrangler he wants to buy.

Playing in Smith Westerns is the only job these guys have ever known. Their Nuggets-inspired 2009 debut, recorded while all three were in high school, caught the attention of a handful of influential music blogs; their slightly glossier follow-up, 2011's Dye It Blonde, made them indie darlings.

After a year of touring behind Dye It Blonde, including high-profile opening gigs for Wilco and Arctic Monkeys, Smith Westerns returned home to Chicago in early 2012. Cullen moved into an apartment with Kakacek in the hipster-friendly Logan Square neighborhood; he later moved down the streeet to his current place, where he lives with his girlfriend. Cameron is still figuring out his plans, so he moved back in with his and Cullen's parents in the northern Chicago neighborhood of Sauganash.

"It was the first time since 2009 that we had this huge gap of time," Cullen recalls of their life after the Dye It Blonde tour. After an enjoyable stretch spent doing nothing, the trio got back to writing new songs; last summer, they headed out to Sonic Ranch Studios in El Paso, Texas, to record Soft Will with returning producer Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV On The Radio). Adds Cullen, "It was nice to get out and go to this weird, isolated place."

On most days, the trio holed up in the studio from mid-afternoon until the early morning hours. New drummer Julien Ehrlich, formerly of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, joined them for the sessions – the first time they'd recorded with a full band. Cameron recalls the sessions' loose, freewheeling vibe: "I feel like Dye It Blonde was the [album] where there was a little more pressure. This one was a lot more fun."

Soft Will suplements the band's Big-Star-style power-pop with more complex arrangements and lush orchestral melodies. Cullen says he looks to the Clash for inspiration on how to evolve. "You listen to their first record and it's almost unlistenable," he says. "Then you listen further down and it's like, 'Whoa – this is, like, straight-up, really, really poppy, catchy, well-crafted music. I like that."




Thursday 20 June 2013

After four decades, Black Sabbath tops U.S. album chart

By Piya Sinha-Roy
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran heavy-metal band Black Sabbath landed its first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday, more than four decades after the rockers debuted their first album in the United States.

"13," the 19th studio album from Black Sabbath, sold 155,000 copies in its first week, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan, knocking last week's No. 1 album by Queens of the Stone Age off the top spot on the weekly U.S. album chart.

Black Sabbath, an English rock band fronted by lead singer Ozzy Osbourne, released their debut self-titled album in North America in 1970, but were never able to notch the top spot on the Billboard 200 album chart in a career spanning 43 years.

"The news is absolutely amazing - we couldn't have imagined this would happen," guitarist and founding member Tony Iommi said in a statement. Osbourne added, "to finally have our first No. 1 album in the U.S. is another incredible milestone for Black Sabbath."

French electronic duo Daft Punk held steady for the second week at No. 2 with "Random Access Memories," which has sold 543,000 copies since its release on May 18.

Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" saw a surge in sales last week after the album was discounted for Father's Day, with 35,000 copies sold and climbing from No. 9 to No. 3.

Country band Florida Georgia Line also benefited from Father's Day promotion sale prices, as their album "Here's to the Good Times" climbing back into the top 10 at No. 5.

Black Sabbath was one of five new debut albums in the top ten this week.

Boy band Big Time Rush came in at No. 4 with "24/Seven," alternative-rockers Goo Goo Dolls landed at No. 8 with their latest record "Magnetic," and movie score maestro Hans Zimmer's soundtrack for Superman movie "Man of Steel" flew into No. 9.

Comedy trio The Lonely Island, fronted by former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Andy Samberg, rounded out the top 10 with their latest collection of parodies, "The Wack Album."

Overall album sales totaled 5.25 million for the week ending June 16, down 10 percent from the comparable sales week in 2012, according to Billboard.

Next week's chart is likely to see a high debut from rapper Kanye West, who released his latest record "Yeezus" this week and is currently at the top of the iTunes album chart.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Eric Kelsey and Jackie Frank)

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/four-decades-black-sabbath-tops-u-album-chart-192256344.html

Thursday 13 June 2013

Salzburg Festival lets Pereira go early to La Scala

VIENNA (Reuters) - The Salzburg Festival has agreed to let director Alexander Pereira go early after falling out over his new post as manager of Milan opera house La Scala.

Pereira, who upset Austria's cultural establishment by taking on the La Scala role before finishing his term at the Salzburg classical music festival, will now leave two years early at the end of September 2014.

He is due to start at La Scala in 2015.

"When I came to Salzburg, I could not have imagined that I would ever do anything other than Salzburg," Pereira told Austrian ORF radio in an interview aired on Wednesday. "I signed my contract without a second thought."

The annual summer festival in Mozart's birthplace became a fixture of the international classical music scene under Herbert von Karajan, who was its artistic director from 1956 until his death in 1989.

Markus Hinterhaeuser, a pianist and former interim director of the Salzburg Festival who will become available in 2017 after running the Vienna Festival for three years, is considered the favorite to succeed Pereira.

The Salzburg Festival's head of theatre, Sven-Eric Bechtolf, will run the festival until then.

Pereira said he would not try to poach Salzburg's sponsors, which include Nestle, Audi, Siemens and Rolex.

The Salzburg Festival's annual budget is 60 million euros ($80 million), which Pereira had overspent by 5 million, angering the city's mayor.

(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan, editing by Paul Casciato)

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/salzburg-festival-lets-pereira-early-la-scala-110027773.html

Tuesday 11 June 2013

Black Sabbath to release new album, embark on world tour

By Iain Blair
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Forty-three years ago Black Sabbath released its debut self-titled album, a collection of songs inspired by occult themes and powered by heavy-metal guitar riffs.

Now, three of the original band members - singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler - and drummer Brad Wilk, of Rage Against the Machine, are releasing a new album, "13," and planning to tour the world to promote it.

"I never thought we'd still be going strong in 2013," said Osbourne, whose well-publicized battles with drug and alcohol addiction and solo career led to friction with other members of Black Sabbath. "But it's great to be back together again."

"13," the original band's first studio album since 1978, is being released this week. A tour is scheduled to begin this summer in the United States followed by concerts in South America and Europe later in the year.

Osbourne said the band had tried to get back together in 2001 but nothing jelled.

This time the music flowed.

Osbourne said Iommi, who is being treated for lymphoma that was diagnosed a year ago, had great riffs and the band narrowed them down to ten tracks.

"I think working on this album helped Tony take his mind off his illness, but he never talks about it," Osbourne explained in an interview. "And no matter what we have to complain about, it's nothing compared to that."

After the band members agreed on the songs, they brought in record producer Rick Rubin to help shape the material.

Songs like "Damaged Soul," "End of the Beginning" and the first single "God Is Dead?" fit into the band's canon, but others, like the jazzy "Zeitgeist," might confound some fans.

"It was just a warm-up jam originally," said Butler, "but Rick thought it was great, so it ended up on the album."

Butler and Osbourne fight against the notion that Black Sabbath typifies the heavy-metal sound.

"I've never been able to get my head around the word 'heavy-metal,'" said Osbourne, adding that the 1970s were better for him than the 1980s. "And I kind of missed the '90s you know - I must have been in a cocaine haze, because I can't remember the '90s at all."

Osbourne said the best thing now is that the band members are alive and together and "it is a lot more fun being sober and enjoying your fellow workers."

Over the past decade Osbourne carved out a niche on television, appearing with his family in a reality TV show that ran from 2002 until 2005. They also starred in the 2011 documentary "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne."

Despite being together so long, Butler said the band is attracting younger fans.

"We've gotten older but the audience has stayed the same," he explained, "and then you get like a few people at the back that are our age and you see all the gray hair glinting."

For Osbourne touring now is better than it has ever been.

"It's all right until I have voice troubles and it takes me a couple of gigs to get over the fact that I've been the leader of my own band for 35 years or so and that I have to step back and be a band member. It's just getting used to it and it has worked out great in the end."

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Paul Simao)

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/black-sabbath-release-album-embark-world-tour-191235932.html

Monday 10 June 2013

'Kinky Boots' struts off with the most Tony Awards

By MARK KENNEDY, AP Drama Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — The feel-good musical "Kinky Boots," with songs by pop star and Broadway newcomer Cyndi Lauper, won six 2013 Tony Awards on Sunday, including best musical, best score and best leading man.
Find: Lauper steps up to stop bullying
Christopher Durang's comical "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" won the best play Tony. "Matilda the Musical" won four awards and three other shows — "Pippin," ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "The Nance" — shared three awards each.
Lauper, who wrote the hit "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," was part of an impressive group of women who took top honors. Diane Paulus and Pam MacKinnon both won for directing — a rare time women have won directing Tonys for both a musical and a play in the same year. (It also happened most recently at the 1998 Tonys.)
"Kinky Boots" also won for choreography and two technical awards, and Billy Porter won for leading man in a musical.
Photo Gallery: Check out what the stars wore to the Tony Awards
Porter beat "Kinky Boots" co-star Stark Sands and told him from the stage: "You are my rock, my sword, my shield. Your grace gives me presence. I share this award with you. I'm gonna keep it at my house! But I share it with you."
Durang, whose other works include the play "Beyond Therapy," was a Tony nominee for "A History of the American Film" and his "Miss Witherspoon" was a Pulitzer Prize nominee in 2006.
Paulus won her first Tony for directing the crackling, high-energy revival of the musical "Pippin," which also earned the best revival honor and helped Patina Miller earn a best leading actress trophy.
MacKinnon won for directing the play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," a year after earning her first nomination for helming "Clybourne Park." Her revival of Edward Albee's story of marital strife won the best play revival and earned Tracy Letts his first acting Tony, an upset beating of Tom Hanks.
"The greatest job on Earth. We are the ones who say it to their faces, and we have a unique responsibility," Letts said.
Photo Gallery: Memorable Tony Awards moments
Andrea Martin, 66, who won as featured actress in a musical, plays Pippin's grandmother and sings the music hall favorite "No Time at All," stuns audiences nightly by doing jaw-dropping stunts that would make someone a fraction of her age blanch.
The Tonys were broadcast live by CBS from Radio City Music Hall. Neil Patrick Harris was back for his fourth turn as emcee and leads a show featuring talented children and pulse-pounding musical numbers.
The big, opening number started with Harris simply holding a guitar in a pub like "Once" but quickly morphed into a flashy razzle-dazzle number that showcased performers from almost a dozen musicals — and even ex-boxer Mike Tyson dancing. Harris sang "It's bigger! Tonight it's bigger," jumped through a hoop, vanished from a box and promised a "truly legendary show" before glitter guns went off.
Courtney B. Vance won for best featured actor in a play for portraying a newspaper editor opposite Tom Hanks in "Lucky Guy." He dedicated his award to his mother.
Judith Light won her second featured actress in a play Tony in two years, cementing the former TV star of "One Life to Live" and "Who's the Boss?" as a Broadway star.
She followed up her win last year as a wise-cracking alcoholic aunt in "Other Desert Cities" with the role of a wry mother in "The Assembled Parties," in which she goes from about 53 to 73 over the play's two acts.
"I want to thank every woman that I am in this category nominated with: you have made this a celebration, not a competition," she said.
Gabriel Ebert of "Matilda the Musical" won as best featured actor in a musical. He thanked his four Matildas and his parents, stooping down to speak into the microphone.
Cicely Tyson, 88, won the best leading actress in a play honors for the revival of "The Trip to Bountiful," the show's only award on the night. It was the actress' first time back on Broadway in three decades.
"'Please wrap it up,' it says. Well, that's exactly what you did with me: You wrapped me up in your arms after 30 years," she said.
Lauper and Harvey Fierstein have given "Kinky Boots" — originally a 2005 film about a failing shoe factory that turns to making drag queen boots — a fun score and a touching book that celebrates diversity.
"I want to thank Harvey Fierstein for calling me up. I'm so glad I was done with the dishes and answered the phone," Lauper said.
The import "Matilda the Musical" is a witty, dark musical adaptation of the novel by Roald Dahl that is still running in London. Its leading woman is actually a man — Bertie Carver, who plays the evil headmistress Miss Trunchbull.
Others musicals hoping for awards include the acrobatic "Bring It On: The Musical," the hit-heavy "Motown the Musical" and "A Christmas Story, the Musical," adapted from the beloved holiday movie. Top musical revivals include an updated "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella" and a cracking revival of "Pippin" with a circus feel.
Some of the telecast highlights included the stunning kids on Broadway — the orphans in "Annie," the actor Raymond Luke Jr. as a pre-teen Michael Jackson in "Motown the Musical," and the dancing tots in "A Christmas Story, the Musical" — especially the young tap dancer wizard Luke Spring — plus the four young women in "Matilda."
Harris got his face licked by the dog playing Sandy in "Annie," made fun of Tyson and Shia LaBeouf, who left a revival of "Orphans" before the show opened and then tweeted about it, and joined with "Smash" star Megan Hilty, "Go On" star Laura Benanti and former "The Book of Mormon" star Andrew Rannells to skewer theater stars who seek fame on TV with a twisted version of "What I Did For Love" from "A Chorus Line."
Kenneth Posner, surprisingly, did not take home the award for best lighting design of a musical. Of the four shows in the category, Posner had been nominated for three — "Kinky Boots, "Pippin" and "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella." But he lost to his only competitor, Hugh Vanstone, who designed the lighting for "Matilda the Musical."
Presenters included Jesse Eisenberg, Jon Cryer, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anna Kendrick, Zachary Quinto, Sally Field, Audra McDonald, Alan Cumming and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
The Tony winners were picked by 868 Tony voters, including members of The Broadway League, American Theatre Wing, Actors' Equity, the Dramatists Guild, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society as well as critics from the New York Drama Critics Circle.
The awards telecast faced competition for attention on Sunday night from an episode of "Mad Men" on AMC and Game 2 of the NBA finals between San Antonio and Miami on ABC. Last year's telecast was seen by 6 million viewers, down significantly from 2011's 6.9 million.
The awards cap a somewhat grim financial season on Broadway in which the total box office take was flat and the number of ticket buyers slipped 6 percent. Both numbers were blamed in part on Superstorm Sandy, but high ticket prices and the lack of long term audience growth has many worried.
A total of 46 new shows opened during the season, which began last May and ended May 26: 15 musicals, 26 plays and five special events or concerts.

Thursday 6 June 2013

Sting returns to his childhood for new musical, album

By Constance Watson

LONDON (Reuters) - Sting has turned back to his childhood in the shadow of a struggling shipyard in northern England for a musical that will debut on Broadway next year and his first album of original material in 10 years.

The musical, "The Last Ship", is based on Sting's experiences of living near the Swan Hunter Shipyard in Wallsend, Newcastle, and watching the demise of Britain's shipbuilding industry in the 1980s.

A spokeswoman for Sting on Wednesday said the musical had also inspired the rock star to produce his first album of new material in nearly 10 years, also called "The Last Ship", that will be released on September 23.

"Guest artists on "The Last Ship" with roots in the northeast (of England) include Brian Johnson, Jimmy Nail, The Unthanks, The Wilson Brothers and Kathryn Tickell," the spokeswoman said in a statement.

"The Last Ship", released on Universal Music Group's Polydor Records, will feature 12 songs and be produced by Rob Mathes.

Sting, 61, has released 10 albums since going solo from the band the Police around 1984. This will be his first album of original material since "Sacred Love" in 2003.

As well as his music, Sting has acted in a list of films, including "Quadrophenia" and "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels", and appeared as himself in TV shows like "The Simpsons" but this is the first time he has taken a major role in producing a musical.

He spent nearly three years working on the story that is focused on relationships, family, and community, collaborating with Joe Mantello, the director of the hit musical "Wicked" and John Logan, co-writer of the latest James Bond film "Skyfall".

Sting, born Gordon Sumner, was raised in Wallsend.

The Swan Hunter Shipyard on the River Tyne was once one of the world's leading shipbuilding operations that came under national ownership in 1977 with its construction operations wound back in the 1990s.

(Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/sting-returns-childhood-musical-album-135939142.html

Wednesday 5 June 2013

MP3Sale……the prodigious mp3 music hub!!!

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MP3Sale has one of the best and most impressive catalogs to be found on music sites. The entire catalog is categorized into Artists, Genres, Soundtracks and Compilations in alphabetic (A-Z) order and all these groups are updated and new tracks are added almost daily. MP3Sale reports the music world as well – news, latest updates, new releases, status of the charts and so on. You’ll find the US Top 100, UK Top 75 and DE Top 50 albums being regularly tagged on MP3Sale.

The amazing sound quality of the tracks has carved MP3Sale a prominent niche in the online music industry. The files are encoded using the brilliant LAME encoder and the alt-preset standard switch and you’ll practically find no less thrilling performance than from a CD. The majority of the tracks are encoded in Mp3 192 KBs - 320 KBs although you’ll occasionally find tracks made at 128 KBs. The music tracks download at very impressive speed and with the nice, idiot-proof interface, it’s a bliss to browse and download music from the MP3Sale.

With all these excitement and pleasure, MP3Sale charges just $0.15 per track irrespective of its length; and upon the order of a full album, you get a 20% discount on the total price. Besides, its safety is ensured by its legal authorization under the purview of the Russian copyright organization FAIR (Federation for Collective Copyright Management of Works Used Interactively) to offer music regardless of artist and genre. The sine qua non thus…..once you get yourself in MP3Sale, you would surely find it an enticing site to be bookmarked for good.

Source : http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/music/mp3salea%80%A6a%80%A6the-prodigious-mp3-music-hub.html

Tuesday 4 June 2013

Kelly Rowland posts new Destiny’s Child members’ reunion song online

Kelly Rowland has unveiled a new track featuring members of Destiny’s Child.

The song, titled ‘You’ve Changed’, features on Rowland’s forthcoming new solo album ‘Talk A Good Game’ and is being credited to Kelly Rowland featuring Beyonc and Michelle Williams (essentially, the popular line-up of Destiny’s Child).

Rowland was recently announced as a judge on the US version of The X Factor. She will join Mexican singer and actress Paulina Rubio on the panel alongside Simon Cowell and pop singer Demi Lovato. Rowland ad Rubio replace Britney Spears and record producer Antonio ‘LA’ Reid. Cowell has rejigged the judging panel after each season ‘ previously firing singers Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger after disappointing ratings which last season fell from 12.5 million per episode in 2011 to an average of 9.7 million.

“It’s taken more than a decade but I’m delighted to finally be on a panel with three girls (I think!). Paulina and Kelly both have great taste and massive experience in the music industry and together with Demi, this is going to be a fun panel. It just feels like the time to do something different,” Simon Cowell said in a statement.

Kelly Rowland previously joined the judging panel on the UK X Factor in 2011. The show will enter its third season in the US this autumn, and auditions begin on Tuesday in Charleston, South Carolina, and run through July to find the upcoming season’s crop of aspiring artists for the $5 million prize.

Source : http://www.nme.in/kelly-rowland-posts-new-destinys-child-members-reunion-song-online/

Thursday 30 May 2013

Ringo Starr unveils unseen Beatles photos in e-book

(Reuters) - Former Beatle Ringo Starr is lifting the lid on a collection of previously unseen photographs of the Fab Four in their heyday from his personal collection, in a new photography book due out next month.

"Photograph," which will be released as an e-book on Apple's iBookstore on June 12, will coincide with a Grammy Museum exhibit on Starr, entitled "Ringo: Peace & Love," the book's publishers said on Wednesday.

A limited-edition hand-bound book signed by Starr will be available for purchase in December.

The book will include photographs from the musician's childhood in Liverpool, England, to his road to fame as part of the Fab Four, with Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison.

"These are shots that no one else could have," Starr, 72, said in a statement.

Highlights from the collection include behind-the-scenes candids of the Beatles in their daily lives and Starr's travel photography as the band toured the world.

Starr has also recorded videos featuring commentary to accompany the e-book.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/ringo-starr-totally-wants-book-photos-interact-004427630.html

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Darius Rucker Felt Compelled to Expose Racist Tweeter

Darius Rucker says he knew that the person behind the racist tweet sent to him earlier this week was baiting him, but he couldn't resist exposing them. Racism is something the singer says he's dealt with since his Hootie and the Blowfish days, and usually he just brushes it off. But this person took his vitriol to a new level.

"I read a couple of his tweets and was like, 'This guy's a real racist; he ain't kidding,'" Rucker told USA Today. "I was like, 'I have to expose this idiot.'"

The account '@pqkullman' was deleted, however it's recently been started up again by someone who says they're not the racist tweeter. The profile has bee re-registered to "promote good things and not hatred," a statement at the profile reads.

"We think we've come such a long way, and there's always somebody that wants to take a step back," Rucker says. The original tweet came on May 19. "Leave the country to the white folk," it read, to which Rucker responded, "I'll take my grand ole Opry membership and leave your racism. Wow."

Bigoted comments are "few and far between," the 47-year-old says. Another came six months ago. "Obviously, he was drunk, but he was vicious. The things he said made that tweet look like nothing. I heard that guy ended up getting kicked out of his fraternity and kicked out of his college because of the tweets."

"They're all cowards. They want to hide behind the keyboard and call their friends and say, 'Look what I said to Darius Rucker.'"

Rucker released his new album, 'True Believers,' on Tuesday. The project contains the No. 1 hit 'Wagon Wheel.' It's his third country album since debuting as a solo artist in 2008.

Source : http://www.theboot.com/2013/05/24/darius-rucker-racist-twitter/

Sunday 26 May 2013

Indie rockers Vampire Weekend top Billboard album chart

By Eric Kelsey

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Indie rock band Vampire Weekend on Wednesday grabbed the top spot on the weekly Billboard 200 album chart, besting new albums from country legend George Strait and pop singer Demi Lovato.

"Modern Vampires of the City" sold 134,000 copies in its first week, according to figures compiled by Nielsen SoundScan, and became the second album to debut at the top of the weekly Billboard 200 for the New York-based rockers.

It was also the first independently distributed album to debut at No. 1 on the chart since country singer Jason Aldean's "Night Train" in November last year.

Strait's "Love Is Everything," his 27th studio album, sold 120,000 units and entered the chart at No. 2 while Lovato's "Demi" album sold 110,000 units and landed at No. 3.

Last week's top album, "Golden" by country trio Lady Antebellum, fell to No. 5 this week while the soundtrack to the "The Great Gatsby" film dropped from No. 4 from No. 2.

On Billboard's Digital Songs chart, which measures digital single track download sales, rapper-producer duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's "Can't Hold Us" held steady at No. 1 with 231,000 downloads.

Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" featuring rapper T.I. and singer Pharrell Williams came in at No. 2 and Pink's "Just Give Me a Reason" featuring FUN. frontman Nate Ruess rounded out the top 3 on the Digital Songs chart.

Total album sales this year stands at 111.4 million, a 5 percent decline over the same period last year.

Digital song downloads have totaled 531.2 million so far in 2013, off 3 percent in the same period last year.

(Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Cynthia Osterman)

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/indie-rockers-vampire-weekend-top-billboard-album-chart-194822799.html

Friday 24 May 2013

Nervo 'Keep Changing' Their Mind On Debut Album

Liv and Mim tell MTV News of their high-profile team-ups and upcoming LP.
By Christina Garibaldi (@ChristinaMTV)

NEW YORK — They are responsible for some big hit singles in recent years, but now twin sisters, Liv and Mim, otherwise known as Nervo, are focusing on one thing: themselves.

The Australian DJs, who are CoverGirl brand correspondents, are gearing up for a very busy summer, which includes traveling the world, a Las Vegas residency and working on their much-anticipated debut album.

"We are working on so much. We are trying to finish our album, so we are constantly in the studio," Liv told MTV News at the CoverGirl's BeautyREMIX event in New York City. "We also have a bunch of residencies around the world."

Those residencies include one in Ibiza and another at Las Vegas hot spot Hakkasan at the MGM Grand where they will no doubt be spinning their new single, "Hold On," a track made to get people on their feet and into the clubs.

If you're expecting to see what else the sisters have in store for their new music, you may have to wait a few more months because the duo is a bit indecisive when it comes to their tracks.

Afrojack, Baauer, Steve Aoki: The Best Of EDM At Hangout Fest!


"Well, it's the never-ending album. We keep changing our mind," Liv said. "We feel like we have a bunch of material, and we'll write something else, and we are like, 'OK, this is where we want to take it.' So, I think there will come a time and be like, 'OK, these are the records, let's now finish them,' and hopefully we will have it done by the end of the year."

Nervo have collaborated with some of the biggest EDM and pop artists in the world, including David Guetta, Afrojack and Ke$ha, and while they are still working with some of those artists, they decided that when it came time to work on their own album, it was just going to be about them.

"On our album, we are doing a lot of it," Mim said. "But we are still working with people like David Guetta, Nicky Romero, Avicii, Afrojack we are working with all our DJ friends for their records and we are working on their projects and our projects as well."

Source : http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1708040/nervo-debut-album-title.jhtml

Wednesday 22 May 2013

Upbeat Music Experience By Having Pixies Tickets

Pixies are one of the notable rock alternative bands of America. The fan following of this band has never been huge, as the love for their live performances has hovered on their recorded albums.

Full On Shows Of Pixies

This band has never been privileged to get mainstream attention in the United States, but have earned great respect in England and other parts of Europe. Pixies have unique style of playing alternative rock, which has kept their fans, attached to their music, since 1980’s. In 1993 Pixies were broken, but they reunited in the year of 2004 and since then, they have been performing with full spirits, for their loyal fans. Pixies are very much dedicated towards their live concerts and this is the reason that after their reunion, they have been putting a lot of efforts in adorning their live concerts by their amazing performances and melodious singing.

The list of their upcoming live shows, goes on and on and on, just to make sure that their fans get to see a show after another. The live concerts of Pixies, which are being lined up in a row will surely give the fans, a lot of opportunities of watching this superlative alternative rock band, performing live in concerts. The months of November and December have been dedicated to the live concerts of Pixies, as these months are going to be rocking for the fans of this band. Each and every show is going to be an ultimate hit. Pixies will be performing live in a number of cities of America including Los Angeles, Washington DC, New York, Oklahoma and a number of other cities, as well. Pixies tickets are available for all the shows and if you want to see magnificent performances of this band, then you must select from Pixies tickets, which are listed in the following table.

A Better Way To Know About Pixies

The Pixies, is a renowned band of America, which have been playing alternative rock, sine the time of the inception of the band. This band was incepted in the year of 1986, in Boston, Massachusetts. This band has undergone from difficult times, as they have got a part in 1993, but reunited again in 2004. This band, which is consisted of four members including Black Francis, Joey Santiago, David Lovering and Kim Deal, has never been privileged with mainstream popularity, but now the band is struggling hard to run their band, on the road of success. Their prime time was not so illuminated, but still this band is considered to be one of the most influential bands. After their breakup, there were rumors spreading in the airs of their reunion, but Frank Black kept on dismissing such news and he began to use the songs of Pixies, in his own solo work, but in the spring of 2004 this band actually reunited and performed the first concert, after being united, on 13th April, 2004. This concert was held at The Fine Line Music Café, in Minnesota. The whole year of 2004 was dedicated to the tours to different countries including Japan, Brazil, Europe and US and throughout their tours, Pixies tickets were the hottest picks at that time.

Buy Pixies Tickets Online

If you do not want to miss an experience of live alternative rock music, then hurry up and buy Pixies tickets over internet.

Source : http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/upbeat-music-experience-by-having-pixies-tickets-1301683.html

Monday 20 May 2013

Beatles' guitar auctioned to the tune of $408,000

By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A custom-made electric guitar played by the late John Lennon and George Harrison of the Beatles sold at a New York auction on Saturday for $408,000, said officials with the company behind the event.

The semi-hollow-body guitar, manufactured by the VOX company, was sold to an unidentified U.S. buyer at the "Music Icons" event organized by Beverly Hills, California-based Julien's Auctions and held at the Hard Rock Cafe in Manhattan.

Julien's said previously it expected the guitar, which was the centerpiece of Saturday's sale, to fetch between $200,000 and $300,000.

Harrison played the instrument, distinguished by two symmetrical flared shoulders on the upper body, while practicing "I Am The Walrus," and Lennon used it in a video session for the song "Hello, Goodbye," according to a statement from Julien's Auctions.

Both songs were on the Beatles' 1967 album "Magical Mystery Tour."

The VOX guitar was a prototype instrument custom-built for Lennon in 1966, said Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien's. Lennon gave the VOX guitar as a gift in 1967 to Yanni "Magic Alex" Mardas, who was the electronics engineer for the band's Apple Records label, the auction house said.

The instrument, displayed in recent weeks at a museum in Ireland before the sale, was sold a few years ago by Christie's Auction House for a little over $100,000. Nolan said the latest buyer, who sent a representative to Saturday's auction to bid on his behalf, wished to remain anonymous.

Lennon was shot to death in New York in 1980 by a deranged fan, and Harrison died of lung cancer in Los Angeles in 2001. The surviving members of the Beatles are Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

(Reporting and writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Steve Gorman and Peter Cooney)

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/beatles-guitar-auctioned-tune-408-000-033318408.html

Wednesday 15 May 2013

Lady Antebellum trumps 'Gatsby' soundtrack for Billboard No.1

By Piya Sinha-Roy

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Country group Lady Antebellum scored its third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday, staving off competition from Jay-Z's soundtrack for "The Great Gatsby" film.

"Golden," the fourth studio album from the Nashville trio, sold more than 167,000 copies in its first week, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan, securing the top position on the weekly Billboard chart, which measures album sales across both digital and physical formats.

The album has Lady Antebellum embracing a stripped-down sound to showcase the group's vocal talents.

Rapper Jay-Z's contemporary soundtrack accompanying director Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" film sold 136,000 copies, landing at No. 2 this week.

The album has gained attention for its star-studded lineup and features original songs by artists including Beyonce, Lana Del Rey and Florence + The Machine.

The film based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic 1925 novel about the hedonistic Jazz Age of 1920s New York, debuted in U.S. theaters last week and made more than $51 million at the domestic box office.

At No. 3 this week was the latest installment of the long-running "Now That's What I Call Music!" franchise, with the latest "Now 46" featuring hits by Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift, selling 90,000 copies.

Other new entries in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 include country music group Pistol Annies, comprising Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley, at No. 5 with their latest, "Annie Up."

Veteran British rocker Rod Stewart's latest album, "Time," his first release of original songs in more than a decade, came in at No. 7.

Last week's No. 1 album, Kenny Chesney's "Life on a Rock," dropped to eighth place this week.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Eric Kelsey and Peter Cooney)

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/lady-antebellum-trumps-gatsby-soundtrack-billboard-no-1-181714306.html

Monday 13 May 2013

Chance The Rapper: There Was 'A Lot Of Acid Involved In Acid Rap'

'I mean, it wasn't too much — I'd say it was about 30 to 40 percent acid,' rapper tells MTV News.

If you're looking to take a "Chance" on a new rapper, look no further than 20-year-old phenom Chance the Rapper from the Southside of Chicago, whose latest mixtape, Acid Rap, boasts the musicality of a young Kanye West or 3 Stacks, with a style and flare all his own.

Chance the Rapper took his first crack at music during his freshman year of high school when he linked with a friend to form the group Instrumentality, performing at school events and open mics around the city. But by senior year — when he was suspended for 10 days and used that time to record his debut mixtape, 10 Day — he'd officially become a one-man act, under an alias derived from his full name, Chancelor Bennett.

Right off the bat he'll tell you that 2012's 10 Day was the breakout tape that gave everyone a chance to make their judgments on his talents as an MC, with Acid Rap being his channel to get as wild as he wanted.

"They're both conceptual tapes, but Acid Rap is a little bit more free-form, just a collection of songs. But there's still one cohesive thing about it, something that perpetuates through the tracks ... and that's the questions," he tells MTV News. "None of the songs are really declarative statements; a lot of them are just things that make you wonder ... a lot like LSD."

Throughout the trippy tape, you'll pick up on nostalgic samples of Slum Village, A Tribe Called Quest, Mary J. Blige, John Legend and even an ode to Kanye West's Freshmen Adjustment mixtape "Intro" on the two tracks "Good Ass Intro" and "Good Ass Outro." But Chance also admits that acid did contribute to the good vibes.

"[There] was a lot of acid involved in Acid Rap," he said, chuckling. "I mean, it wasn't too much — I'd say it was about 30 to 40 percent acid ... more so 30 percent acid." So naturally, we had to ask: Was it difficult to rap under that influence?

"No, it's not hard to rap on acid," he responded matter-of-factly. "But it wasn't the biggest component at all. It was something that I was really interested in for a long time during the making of the tape, but it's not necessarily a huge faction at all. It was more so just a booster, a bit of fuel. It's an allegory to acid, more so than just a tape about acid."

Chance's flow, by the way, is certainly a unique one, but again, that wasn't just the acid rapping. "It's definitely changed," he explained of the way he spits his bars. "I used to sound just like Kanye when I rapped because that was all I listened to. I went through my Kanye phase, went through my Eminem phase, my Lil Wayne phase, my Andre [3000] phase."

"I listened to a lot of different music, and when you listen to something, it's not really a choice of yours on whether the influence will come through — it's inevitable. But I have found my own sound and I'm still experimenting with it and it's never gonna sound the same. It doesn't sound the same from 10 Day and it definitely doesn't sound the same as the stuff I was doing when I was a freshman in high school."

Check back with MTV News next week to hear Chance the Rapper break down a couple of his favorite tracks from Acid Rap.

Source : http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1707187/chance-the-rapper-acid-rap-mixtape.jhtml

 

Wednesday 8 May 2013

Ed Sheeran: I'm no music big gun

Ed Sheeran is delaying the release of his upcoming album as he doesn't want to "compete with the big guns" at Christmas.

The British singer-songwriter is currently supporting country songstress Taylor Swift on her Red Tour.

Although the concert dates have provided him with lots of inspiration for his forthcoming record, Ed's refraining from releasing it this side of the December holidays.

'I've actually written more songs on tour in this short period of time than I ever have. My new album will be out next year. I would be releasing it this year, but since I finish the Red Tour so late in the year, it would mean a Christmas release, and I'm not competing with the big guns at Christmas!" he laughed in an interview with parade.com.

Ed loves working alongside friend and fellow performer Taylor. The redheaded star has explained the process behind the pair's latest single, Everything Has Changed.

'It was actually a very short process. She invited me to hang out with some of her friends and eat some pie, and we wrote that song while we were waiting for her friends, so it was a very random, off-the-cuff experience," he said.

Taylor is renowned for pulling pranks while she's on the road. Ed isn't brave enough to play the star at her own game though.

'I don't know if I'd get forgiven if I pranked her, so not yet!' he laughed.

Aside from working with Taylor, Ed revealed his dream collaboration. The 22-year-old star would love to work with Joni Mitchell.

'But I'd have to get her out of retirement first because she doesn't really sing with anyone," he said. "My favourite Joni Mitchell song is A Case of You. She's great.'

Ed also discussed his signature auburn hair in the interview. When asked what it feels like to be the UK's favourite redhead, the star remained modest.

'I think people still like Prince Harry!" he exclaimed. "There's nothing good or bad about being a redhead. I mean, I can't go out in the sun, so that isn't that fun!'

Source : http://www.music-news.com/shownews.asp?H=Ed-Sheeran:-Im-no-music-big-gun&nItemID=65690

Monday 6 May 2013

Northern Transmission Helps Us To Stay Updated With Its Various Music Interviews & News

Most of the people across the globe are suffering with hectic and traumatic every day life. They need to relax their minds with some good music. At present we can read many music interviews, reviews and new online. Doctors are also reporting that music has excessive powers to rectify the issues like anxiety, stress and plenty of more. However, most people are treating this music as an entertainment. The extreme alter in Internet know-how is giving a variety of music from the world best professional musicians. There are some well-known and well reputed sites that are providing this major label artist music through online.

Those who are not having much knowledge in web are listening these numbers through radio. You can listen to old songs in the radio. A number of the people have an interest to search for new music depending on their choice. Different genres of music like Indie-pop, Country, Jazz, Blue etc, are available in the Internet and it is one of the best platforms where new and independent musicians can put up their work and thus can reach to a vast audience by just uploading their songs in the Internet.

Northern Transmission is one such musical websites that provides various information related to different categories of music and the artists. It also provides various music podcasts in order to help the upcoming and independent musicians to upload their work in order to share it with a large number of people and thus they become known to the music lovers in the industry. In this musical site we can read various articles, interviews, reviews and news related to different musicians, singers and bands. Visiting this site we can stay updated regarding what is happening in the music industry.

Live performances by the musicians are an important part in their success story. Northern Transmission also provides its readers with various live music reviews through which we get to know about the music, song and performances of a particular singer or a band.
Recently, the site has put up a musical review on the Australian lo-fi noise rockers Twerps. The site cited, â€Å“The ‘80’s pop influenced Melbourne group is made up of guitarist/ vocalists Martin Frawley and Julia McFarlane, bassist Rick Milovanovic and drummer Patrick O’Neill. Despite their influences Twerps has more in common with the band’s contemporaries Real Estate or Kurt Vile than their other work has done.

Source : http://goarticles.com/article/Northern-Transmission-Helps-Us-To-Stay-Updated-With-Its-Various-Music-Interviews-News/5864505/

Saturday 4 May 2013

New Kids On The Block, Aerosmith To Perform For Boston Strong

Boston's biggest artists are set to perform a benefit for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. New Kids on the Block, Aerosmith, James Taylor and Dane Cook among others are heading to Beantown on May 30 for Boston Strong: An Evening of Support and Celebration.

While additional artist will be announced in the weeks to come, Jason Aldean, Boston, Jimmy Buffett, Extreme, Godsmack, The J. Geils Band, Carole King and Steven Wright are all confirmed to perform at the benefit. Proceeds will go to The One Fund Boston, whose founders, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, created to assist Bostonians "most affected by the tragic events that occurred in Boston on April 15," according to a press release.

NKOTB member Donnie Wahlberg said he hoped the event would entertain and inspire. "Like so many other proud Bostonians who have been extremely generous, we are honored to step up and do our part to help the victims and their families," Wahlberg said. "Hopefully this event will not only raise money, but spirits as well."

Other Boston natives who might be called upon — or volunteer — to perform include Frank Black, Bobby Brown, Aimee Mann, Al B. Sure, Rob Zombie and Amanda Palmer, the latter of whose poetry drew attention on the internet in the days after the April 15 bombings. Meanwhile, acts such as Neil Diamond and Kenny Chesney have already joined the fund-raising efforts: Chesney launched his own fund to benefit the Boston Medical Center, while Diamond announced that he will donate all of the royalties from his song "Sweet Caroline," which has been played at every Red Sox game in more than a decade.

More artists have weighed in with MTV News about the bombing in recent days. Snoop Lion to everyone to "wake up" when he appeared on "RapFix Live" last week to bring awareness to his anti-gun campaign. And rapper Slaine took down the media's juxtaposition of violence and hip-hop.

Source : http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706816/new-kids-on-the-block-aerosmith-boston-strong-benefit-concert.jhtml

Wednesday 1 May 2013

Beyonce, J.Lo to headline London charity concert for women

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Florence & The Machine are teaming up for a four-hour charity concert in London next month to benefit women's health and education projects around the world.

The "Sound of Change Live" concert on June 1 in London's Twickenham sports stadium could fund at least 120 projects supporting girls and women in more than 70 nations, if all the tickets are sold, organizers said on Wednesday.

Organized by the Chime for Change campaign, founded by Italy fashion house Gucci, every ticket buyer will be able to choose which project their ticket will fund in what organizers said was a world first for such a venture.

Beyonce, currently on a European tour, will play a 45-minute set. She will be joined in the venture by singer and dancer Lopez, R&B artist John Legend, British indie sensation Ellie Goulding and rapper Timbaland, with more performers still to be announced.

U.S. actors James Franco, Blake Lively and Jada Pinkett Smith will be among the presenters.

"Our goal is to have a great time together while we unite and strengthen the voices of girls and women around the world," Beyonce said in a statement.

Rock promoter Harvey Goldsmith, who helped put on the Live Aid and Live Earth charity concerts, will produce the concert which will also be broadcast internationally.

Ticket prices range from 55-95 British pounds each ($85-$150) and 52,000 tickets are on sale.

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/beyonce-j-lo-headline-london-charity-concert-women-230119709.html

Monday 29 April 2013

Singer Emeli Sande eyes U.S. market after setting UK chart record

By Rollo Ross

LONDON (Reuters) - Scottish singer-songwriter Emeli Sande scored a new chart record on Sunday with her debut album after a stellar year in Britain that has paved the way for her next challenge - the U.S. market.

Sande smashed a record held for nearly 50 years by The Beatles when her debut album, "Our Version of Events", hit its 63rd week in the top 10 of the UK album charts, according to the Official Charts Company.

The Beatles previously held the record for the debut album spending the most consecutive weeks in the top 10 with "Please Please Me" racking up 62 weeks in 1963 and 1964.

"It feels quite surreal to even have your name mentioned in the same sentence as The Beatles," Sande, 26, told Reuters television.

"For a record to stay there for so long it means that people have connected with it so that's how I'm enjoying celebrating this record."

The release of "Our Version Of Events" in February 2012 kicked off a year of successes for Sande who sang at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics and won best British female artist and best album at the BRIT Awards.

Sande also notched up three No. 1 singles in the UK with "Read All About It" with Professor Green, "Next to Me", and "Beneath Your Beautiful", a collaboration with Labrinth.

Now the former medical student has set herself a new challenge, tackling the U.S. market, where she has yet to make a name for herself.

Her single "Next To Me" is currently 46th in the Billboard Hot 100 chart and she is in the United States this month to promote her album.

"I'm really excited about taking music over to the States because it's a brand new challenge," she said.

"There's different formats over there so you have to understand the market, the people, you really have to take into account how massive the place is .. It's a brand new adventure and it's chapter two of this whole big thing."

Sande is the first to admit that the past year has been extraordinary but she is aware that she needs to keep building from her debut album that was Britain's best-seller last year.

"So many things I've dreamed of doing have happened last year which is amazing, but you always want to be better as a musician," she said.

"The biggest thing for me right now is creating a second record that I love."

So does the success mean that she has abandoned her plan to go back and finish her medicine degree that she shelved in its fourth year?

"Would I go back? I'd like to and every time I see programs on medicine I'm tempted to go back to it because I do miss it a lot and I miss science and learning but in the near future, no. I think I'd miss music too much," she said.

(Reporting by Rollo Ross, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/singer-emeli-sande-eyes-u-market-setting-uk-141120528.html

Thursday 25 April 2013

Jason Aldean and Wife Jessica: Finally Hit Breaking Point?

Back in October of 2012, country superstar Jason Aldean was caught in a sticky situation on camera--apparently making out with "American Idol" competitor Brittany Kerr, a gal who was not his wife and mother of his two young daughters.

Aldean handled the incident with uncommon tact, addressing his followers on social media immediately following the scandal with a straightforward message about how he "screwed up" as a result of having one too many to drink.

He appeared largely forgiven--by his fans as well as his spouse, who showed up with him on CBS This Morning to discuss the incident-- in a remarkably short period of time.

However, it seems the damage may have ran deeper than initially portrayed. Us Weekly is reporting exclusively that Aldean and wife Jessica Ussery are actually separating in the wake of the scandal.

A source for the outlet says that the pair, who have been together since high school and married since 2001, have been separated since January.

Us reports that a rep for Aldean confirms that the couple are not in a good spot at the moment: "I can confirm that Jason and his wife are having problems, but there is nothing more to share at this time," the rep says. "It's a private family matter, and we hope everyone will respect that he would like to keep it that way."

Aldean noted to Our Country in October that balancing family life and a rapidly rising career can be challenging. "My two daughters were born right in the middle of [my success]," he notes. "You have to figure out ways to make it work, and it's not always easy."

The Grammy-nominated star, 36, most recently won the Male Vocalist of the Year title at the 2013 Academy of Country Music Awards earlier in April. He is up for Top Male Artist, as well as two other awards, at next month's Billboard Music Awards.

Source : http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/our-country/jason-aldean-wife-jessica-finally-hit-breaking-point-031240832.html

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Will.i.am admits copyright infringement on track featuring Chris Brown

By Tony Maglio
TheWrap

 
Following accusations of theft, will.i.am admitted to using Arty and Mat Zo's track "Rebound" for his own song "Let's Go" featuring Chris Brown.

Bing: Shakira's ex launches new lawsuit

Arty slammed will.i.am via Twitter after hearing the jacked beat for the first time on YouTube. After a period of silence, the Black Eyed Peas member told KISS FM, "Arty is a dope producer so I wrote this song to 'Rebound' this last year." He said, "I got in touch with Arty and showed it to him, did a different version to it because I asked him [to] make it newer, because I don't just want to take your song and rap over it," he said. "But in a year's time, time's gone by [and] we preferred writing over and using the [original] 'Rebound.' Something happened and the clearance ... hopefully we resolved the issue."

It is unclear at this point whether the two artists have settled the dispute. Arty has clammed up since his original claim that the two labels never discussed the usage of his music -- while Chris Brown told the world that he doesn't care either way via his Twitter account.

Photos: 2013 Coachella Festival Highlights

Copyright infringement is nothing new in music, especially hip-hop. Back in 1990, Vanilla Ice (remember him?) sampled Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure" without their consent. The case against the bassline used in his hit "Ice, Ice Baby" was so egregious that it never even made it to court. Ice settled on his own for an undisclosed cash settlement.

Akon's 2007 smash "Don't Matter" used the melody from R. Kelly's hit, "Ignition," from 2002. "Don't Matter" reached the top of the singles chart in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. There are no documents showing a contract between the two artists, so either Kelly was compensated under the table, or he simply decided that it "don't matter."

Source Url : http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=803978

Sunday 21 April 2013

Oprah, Usher, Mayer honor Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees

By Piya Sinha-Roy
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A star-studded crowd gathered to celebrate the 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees on Thursday, as Oprah Winfrey and Usher gathered to pay homage to the likes of Donna Summer, Quincy Jones, Randy Newman and Rush.

Disco queen Summer, producer Jones and comedy-rock singer Newman were inducted along with Canadian progressive rock band Rush, blues guitarist Albert King, hip hop pioneers Public Enemy, rockers Heart and veteran producer Lou Adler.

Television personality and media mogul Winfrey, who said she was discovered by veteran R&B producer Jones when he cast her in "The Color Purple" in 1985, praised his decades-long career, during which he launched stars such as the late Michael Jackson.

"He defines the word legend, he is remarkable and everybody knows it," Winfrey said.

"I continue to be amazed at what goes on in his head ... he's of this time and so far ahead of this time," she added as she present Jones, 80, with his induction trophy.

"Queen of Disco" Summer, who died last May aged 68, was inducted by singer Kelly Rowland, who praised Summer's career for paving the way for female artists

"Her words remind us of exactly who we are," she said.

Summer's husband and daughters were on hand to accept her trophy and singer Jennifer Hudson got the crowd on their feet singing Summer's hits "Bad Girls" and "Last Dance".

Newman, 69, kicked off the night with "I Love LA", joined on stage by musicians Tom Petty, Jackson Browne and John Fogerty and later performed his songs "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" and "I'm Dead" with former Eagles member Don Henley.

Henley, who inducted Newman, criticized the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for its delay in including Newman, calling it "one of those inductions long overdue, in fact, shamefully overdue."

Newman was less critical, saying he was "glad" to be inducted while he was still alive.

"I always wanted to be respected by musicians ... it means a great deal to me that the people I respect are giving me respect," Newman said.

TRIBUTE TO THE BLUES

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter John Mayer paid homage to late pioneering American blues guitarist Albert King, who died in 1992 aged 69.

"The blues is in every undercurrent of the music that I play ... Albert is forever embedded in that music," Mayer said.

Seattle rockers Heart, fronted by sister duo Nancy and Ann Wilson, were inducted by Chris Cornell and performed their hits "Barracuda" and "Butterfly".

"Equality is coming right along. For us, music is the real church, it's a life calling, it's bigger than men and women put together, music makes us all equal and human," Nancy said.

Canadian progressive rockers Rush had the largest number of fans in the Nokia theater, receiving rousing standing ovations as they were inducted by Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins.

The night's longest speech went to Public Enemy's eccentric rapper Flavor Flav, who giggled and rambled as he talked about the influence of his group's music.

Public Enemy - comprising rappers Flavor Flav, Chuck D, Professor Griff and DJ Lord - were influential in bringing a political and social conscience to hip hop in the 1980s.

"We all come from the damn blues. Let's not get it twisted. We studied the forms of music in DJ culture ... we've always known and paid respect to where music comes from," Chuck D said.

The hip hop collective also sampled music from Summer, Jones and Rush as they performed their tracks "Bring The Noise", "911 is a Joke" and the seminal "Fight The Power".

To be eligible for induction in 2013, a candidate must have released their debut album or single at least 25 years earlier. The ceremony will be televised on HBO on May 18.

The eight inductees were chosen by some 500 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, which includes past inductees and for the first time, allowed fans to vote.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Elaine Lies and Pravin Char)


Source : http://news.yahoo.com/oprah-usher-mayer-honor-rock-roll-hall-fame-084745088.html;_ylt=AsYdNnKZ.74YEVBf1LR8gVgEHL8C;_ylu=X3oDMTRibjFnZHM2BG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBFbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50U0YgTXVzaWNTU0YEcGtnAzAwZWIwOTMzLTQ4ZmMtMzRjZC1hZWJmLWM4NzM5YWRhMmYxNARwb3MDMgRzZWMDdG9wX3N0b3J5BHZlcgMxMzY3ZjAzMC1hOGQ3LTExZTItYmQyZi03Mzc5MTZhMzRhYjE-;_ylg=X3oDMTIxNTFpNTNuBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANlbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50fG11c2ljBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3

Rocker Jack White's Nashville store offer "do-it-yourself" records

By Tim Ghianni

NASHVILLE (Reuters) - Rock musician Jack White celebrated Record Store Day on Saturday by giving customers a chance to record their own voices on vinyl on a vintage machine at his record shop near downtown Nashville.

White, who has embraced vinyl over digital both as an artist and as the head of Third Man Records in Nashville, treated customers to a Voice-O-Graph, a record booth from 1947.

"We'll have the record booth open and available for people to come in, sing a song and get a copy of it on record," Third Man Records executive Ben Blackwell said in an interview on Wednesday.

"It's a refurbished 1947 Voice-O-Graph record booth," Blackwell said. "As far as we can tell, it will be the only functioning record booth open to the public in the world."

Record Store Day, which is marked internationally on the third Saturday of each April, aims to encourage people to visit independent record stores.

In addition to the recording booth in the store's "Novelties Lounge," Third Man Records will be staging in-house performances by some of the music label's artists.

Blackwell said record booths were popular in the 1940s and 1950s and could be found in public places, like train stations, along with photo booths.

"They were used as a way to record an audio postcard and send it to someone you love or to go in and sing a little song so you can hear what your voice sounds like," he said.

The Voice-O-Graph is about the size of a telephone booth and fans will pay a fee to produce their own record.

"Just think of it as a blank vinyl record and when you are singing, it is making the grooves into the record," Blackwell said.

White's Third Man Records has been known for experimenting with vinyl, having in the last few months added a record lathe that enables live acts performing in the Blue Room, the company concert venue, to be recorded directly to discs.

Blackwell said the contemporary music fan has "never been faced with the technology to put their voice and their thoughts on a record" and take it home.

"Jack has been looking for a long time for one of these machines," Blackwell said. "After years and years and years he finally crossed paths with one. It was a no-brainer to get it up and running for our Novelties Lounge."

Blackwell said the booth will remain after Record Store Day, and he expects it to be a popular attraction to the store, which sells exclusively Third Man recordings - albums by various artists as well as by White and his three group configurations: The White Stripes, Dead Weather and The Raconteurs.

(Reporting by Tim Ghianni; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Vicki Allen

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/rocker-jack-whites-nashville-store-offer-yourself-records-144417718.html
 
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