Search Results for: GEL

Pop star Bob Geldof, who inspired the 1985 Live Aid benefit concert, called for more help for the poor of Africa. “While some aid has still got through to the Third World,” Western governments have done little to change the overall situation, he said Monday, publicizing a report, called “Listen to Africa,” by the charity Christian Aid. “I don’t think anyone sets out to malign poor people but certainly that’s what we do through organizations such as the World Trade Organization, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund,” Geldof said. The trans-Atlantic Live Aid rock extravaganza on July 13,… Read more »

Neo-soul singer-songwriter D’Angelo, whose real name is Michael D’Angelo Archer, was pulled over for reckless driving in New York City on Tuesday (April 23), according to the New York Post. Archer, who was reportedly driving his BMW sports utility vehicle south on FDR Drive near 71st Street was stopped by police at around 6:30 p.m. Additionally, the artist was charged with driving with a suspended Virginia driver’s license. A spokesperson for Manhattan criminal courts revealed that he could not release information pertaining to any potential violations, but noted that driving with a suspended license is grounds for arrest. Spokespersons for… Read more »

With the passing of Layne Staley, those who knew him best remember him as deeply troubled yet immensely talented. Described as a caring person, he made great strides to elevate an underground genre to the mainstream. In the early ’90s, Alice in Chains, along with Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, were directly behind Nirvana on the grunge wave that began in Seattle and cascaded throughout the country. The singer’s Alice in Chains bandmates – guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Inez, drummer Sean Kinney and former bassist Mike Starr – their manager and Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell gathered Saturday, a day after police… Read more »

George Harrison, lead guitarist for the band that single handedly changed the face of rock forever, lost his battle with cancer Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 58. The Associated Press reports that Harrison passed away at 4:30 p.m. EST at a friend’s home. His wife, Olivia Harrison, and son Dhani were with him. The Beatles, unlike most bands of the early ’60s, both wrote and performed their songs, making them the first entirely self-contained music outfit. Even today, few superstar acts can take credit for penning all their hits, but from writing the lyrics and music to recording in… Read more »

Psychic spoon-bender Uri Geller says record company Sony Music removed religious words and symbols from a picture he drew for Michael Jackson’s new album. Geller, a former Israeli paratrooper famous for using mysterious mental powers to bend spoons, told Reuters that Sony Music had taken out the words “God,” “Jerusalem,” “USA” and “Angel 2000” and had replaced a Star of David with a pentagram. Jackson’s long-awaited album, “Invincible,” was released by Sony Monday and is his first album containing all-new material since “Dangerous” in 1991. “The sensitivity of not wanting any religious symbols in my drawing I found quite extraordinary… Read more »

The Grammy Awards, the top honors in the music industry, will take place in Los Angeles next year, the city’s mayor said Wednesday, even as organizers wonder how to announce the winners of the Latin Grammys, which were canceled following the Sept. 11 attacks. “In keeping with tradition, the City of Los Angeles is looking forward to hosting the Grammys for the fourth consecutive year,” Mayor Jim Hahn said in a statement. A source close to the event said the ceremony will take place Feb. 27 at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, site of the last two ceremonies.… Read more »

Max Siegel has been named to the role of president of Verity Records as well as vice president of Zomba Music Group, USA. Siegel will be charged with running the operations of Verity Records and will seek strategic opportunities for the rest of Zomba’s network of music companies. The announcement was made last week by Barry Weiss, president of Jive Records and Tom Carrabba, Jive’s senior vice president and general manager. Siegel will be based in Verity’s New York offices. “Max’s rich experience coupled with his entrepreneurial spirit makes him the perfect choice to help take Verity to the next… Read more »

Hundreds of rock music fans went on the rampage at a free concert in Hollywood on Monday night, trashing the stage and raining rocks and bottles on police, who replied with tear gas and rubber bullets, officials said. Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Jason Lee, describing the scene as “a small disturbance,” said about 10,000 people were at the event, which was a promotion for fast-rising local rock band System Of A Down. When several hundred fans were unable to gain access to a fenced parking lot enclosure where the concert was due to take place for 3,500 people, they… Read more »

Why do rock stars have to get old? That’s all I kept thinking Wednesday night (8/15), watching Dave Gahan try to twirl up a storm onstage as Depeche Mode brought the Exciter tour to the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Gahan is game, strutting around stage but sliding up his mic stand, he looks more like a middle-aged stripper, and Martin Gore’s all energy, moving to the music but that guitar looks way too big for his tiny frame. And Andy Fletcher … well, Andy Fletcher’s doing nothing, but it’s cool ’cause its Depeche Mode, right? The answer is a… Read more »

Having performed brief sets everywhere from the Super Bowl to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the past few months, Aerosmith finally kicked off their much-anticipated Just Push Play tour Wednesday night. The band seemed under-rehearsed at times – frontman Steven Tyler missed a cue and flubbed a few lines during “Cryin’ ” – but overall, the band hit a groove, and stuck in it. During the best parts of the show at the ctnow.com Meadows Music Center, they demonstrated why, at their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Kid Rock called them “America’s Greatest… Read more »