Today we talk about Solange providing access to rare books written by authors of color, Mariah Carey’s stance on if we can start celebrating Christmas, Facebook’s new name change, and the return of Red Bull SoundClash. Solange’s New Public Library for Rare Books We have heard of widespread classic books likeTo Kill a Mockingbirdor 1984. However, there are so many works out there that are hardly ever touched. Especially if they are considered rare books. Solange and her studio Saint Heron have opened up a community library that will allow people to check out rare books by Black and Brown… Read more »
It took a year for the Canadian public to pick up on Kingston, Ontario-based reggae/rock fusion band Bedouin Soundclash’s second album — but only a week for them to connect with its third. Summer 2005 radio hit “When the Night Feels My Song” introduced Canadian buyers to the band’s previous album, 2004’s “Sounding a Mosaic” (Stomp Records), which peaked at No. 36 on the Canadian Recording Industry Assn. chart. The new “Street Gospels” — which was released August 21 in North America — entered the Canadian charts August 26 at No. 2 on sales of slightly more than 8,000 copies,… Read more »
Few things are sadder than aging punk rockers attempting to cash in on their misspent youth, especially their desperate act of trying to recapture the glory days of fickle preadolescents with disposable incomes. Such is the lot of Good Charlotte and Simple Plan, purveyors of a Splenda version of pop-punk so lightweight that only Top 40 radio will touch it. Not that the bands resemble glossy pop stars, per se: GC’s members look like thugged-out suburbanites who overdosed at the tattoo parlor, and the Plansters are the mischievous skater kids hellbent on crashing keggers thrown by the football jocks. Good… Read more »
The Clash believes powerful messages are best delivered in a musical form. Bassist Paul Simonon says it worked to their advantage to have a heavy message with a catchy tune. “Once you get a great tune playing in a disco or pub, the idea of people going home saying, ‘Wow! That was a great tune. What was it about?’ is powerful,” he told AP Radio. Simonon says that kind of communication still works, as heard in classics like “London Calling” and “Rock the Casbah.” Guitarist Mick Jones says they’ve all taken great solace in music in times of hardship. Jones… Read more »
The annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony featured the spirit of 1970s British punk, some anti-war sentiments and probably the loudest noise ever heard at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. In what’s often the case at the glittery ceremony, the honor also brought together a long-estranged group, in this case the Police. The British trio played publicly Monday for the first time in 18 years, singing the reggae-tinged “Roxanne,” the obsessive hit, “Every Breath You Take” and “Message in a Bottle.” “I’d like to make it very clear that there is absolutely no ego in our band whatsoever,”… Read more »
The surviving members of legendary punk group The Clash will not perform when they are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this month, bass player Paul Simonon said Saturday. One of the most influential bands to emerge from the British punk movement of the 1970s, The Clash split up in the mid-1980s and never reformed. The band’s lead singer, Joe Strummer, died of a heart attack in December at age 50. Simonon scotched rumors that Bruce Springsteen – who sang the band’s “London Calling” in tribute to Strummer at the Grammy Awards last week – would… Read more »
In a year fraught with political turmoil, turbulence and insecurity, music fans turned to their favorite songs to take them away from many of their problems and help them come to terms with others that were impossible to escape. Whether it was Eminem rapping, “Lose yourself in the music,” or Bruce Springsteen singing, “Come on up for the rising/ Come on up, lay your hands in mine,” the messages of unity were universal. At the 45th annual Grammy Awards, held Sunday (February 23) at New York’s Madison Square Garden, apolitical hedonists and social activists alike rallied together to celebrate the… Read more »
An environmental group plans to grow a forest in honor of the late Clash singer-songwriter Joe Strummer’s efforts to counter global warming. Future Forests, a group Strummer helped found in the 1990s, asked fans to donate to help create the living memorial on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. “Joe said, ‘Bands must be contributing to global warming by their buses, equipment trucks and the diesel used to power the stages,’” the spokesman said on condition of anonymity. “‘Can you imagine how much carbon dioxide the pressing and the distribution of a CD creates? What shall we do about it?’”… Read more »
The funeral for punk-rock legend Joe Strummer was held Monday (December 30) in West London. The former leader of the Clash, born John Mellor, died at the age of 50 of a heart attack at his home on December 23 after taking his dog for a walk. It is believed that Strummer had a hereditary heart condition, according to the BBC. Strummer’s funeral was held in private at West London Crematorium. His widow, two daughters, and a step-daughter added the service. It’s believed that Strummer’s former Clash mates, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, and Topper Headon, also attended the funeral. The… Read more »
Joe Strummer, lead singer for seminal British punk band the Clash, has died at the age of 50. Strummer, who was the band’s guitarist, vocalist and songwriter alongside Mick Jones, died on Sunday at his farmhouse in Somerset, southwestern England. A statement released by his record label said Strummer “died peacefully at his home.” It added that his wife Lucy, two daughters and stepdaughter “request privacy at this harrowing time.” He had been touring with his most recent band The Mescaleros until last month, rounding off a tour in Liverpool. Hein van der Rey, managing director of Epitaph Records, which… Read more »
