After seven years of performing, writing songs and recording, identical twins Evan and Jaron Lowenstein are finally enjoying the success of a major radio hit, “Crazy for this Girl,” on Sony/Columbia Records. Born and raised in Atlanta, the brothers were destined for sports careers – they traveled the country as semi-pro baseball players – until Evan decided to drop everything for music after hearing Elvis Costello’s “Allison.” He talked it over with Jaron, and the two decided to pursue writing music and becoming rock stars. But simultaneous actions weren’t a new thing for these twins. Together they thought up the… Read more »
The members of Train must have thought they were dreaming when bandmate Pat Monahan called them late last summer about a new track that had popped into his head. “We had made our record already, and we were all back home, and Pat called and said, ‘Man, you have to hear these lyrics I came up with,’” recalls drummer Scott Underwood. “I guess he woke up from a dream and had the song and the melody and a whole concept in his head. The next thing you know, we’re all listening to Pat’s demo tape of that song, and it… Read more »
R&B superstar group Destiny’s Child did more than just survive in the album rankings this week – it rode an unprecedented wave of buzz and anticipation straight to No. 1, knocking fellow diva Janet Jackson down to second place. The Columbia Records trio’s third album “Survivor” shifted more than 663,000 records in its opening week, according to SoundScan data issued on Wednesday. The album got a healthy shot in the arm from relentless promotion in the weeks leading up to its debut, including copious radio airplay for the album’s title cut and a flurry of MTV specials, culminating in a… Read more »
Seattle, Wash.-based Loudeye has announced a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Sony Music Entertainment for streamed sound samples. Loudeye provides services and infrastructure for the authorized delivery of digital content. Under the agreement, Sony Music has authorized Loudeye to offer streaming samples from Sony Music releases, as well as thumbnail images of front-cover album artwork, through online retail web sites. The agreement encompasses samples from Sony Music’s entire active U.S. catalog, including releases from Columbia Records Group, Epic Records Group, Legacy, and Sony Classical. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. “We see streaming music samples as an important means… Read more »
Tupac Shakur’s latest posthumous effort, Until the End of Time, has knocked Shaggy’s Hotshot out of the No. 1 spot on The Billboard 200 on its way to selling just over 425,000 copies in its first week. Until the End of Time, a two-disc set, is the rapper’s best posthumous showing thus far, as 2Pac + Outlawz’s Still I Rise made its way to No. 6 in January of 2000 and Greatest Hits, another two-CD set, hit No. 3 in 1999. Elsewhere in the top 10, Train’s second Columbia Records effort, Drops of Jupiter, landed at an impressive No. 6,… Read more »
Superstar R&B chanteuse Mariah Carey has signed on at Virgin Records, leaving her longtime home of Columbia Records. Carey is slated to release her first record on the EMI imprint the soundtrack for “All that Glitters,” her upcoming 20th Century Fox film in late summer. Columbia Records confirmed Monday that the multiplatinum-selling artist, who has been with Columbia for more than a decade, had left the flagship imprint of Sony Music. Carey has recorded six full-length records, plus an EP and a Christmas album, for Columbia. Her eponymous debut LP yielded four No. 1 singles, including “Someday” and “Vision of… Read more »
Say it isn’t so. I would like to say it isn’t so, but unfortunately it is. Seminal rock’n’soulmen The Afghan Whigs have officially called it quits, after 14 years and six great albums. According to a statement released by Columbia Records this week, singer/songwriter Greg Dulli, bassist John Curley, drummer Michael Horrigan, and guitarist Rick McCollum are “blaming geographical distance as a factor too great to overcome.” Dulli lives in Los Angeles, Curley and Horrigan live in Cincinnati, and McCollum lives in Minneapolis. “Dulli says that the geographical distance, which for so long kept the band fresh, began to work… Read more »
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have appeared at a lot of venues in their decades performing together – but this spring will see the Boss and his posse bringing their live show to a venue they’ve never visited before: television. Two of the classic rock act’s shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden last summer will be broadcast April 7 on HBO, the cable station announced today. This marks the first time that a concert by Springsteen and the E Street Band has been broadcast on the tube. The special was taped at the final two concerts –… Read more »
If you thought Beartooth‘s The Surface era was done, think again. The act just released The Surface (Deluxe Edition) via Red Bull Records. It features live tracks, unique mixes, and their new song, “ATTN.” with its own music video. Lead vocalist Caleb Shomo shares of the new track, “‘ATTN.’ is about the ultimate conclusion that I’ve come to after this whole album cycle and living with these songs for as long as I have now. I think self-love has led to a deeper understanding of my value as a person, to myself and to others. He continues, “I will always… Read more »
After sharing singles “Chow,” “Demolition Man,” and “Myopic,” Drug Church has arrived with “Slide 2 Me” via Pure Noise Records. All singles are set to appear on the band’s forthcoming record PRUDE, due out on October 4. “The goal is to put out good records that sound like we do–we’re not trying to do an OK Computer. But I do think that when you just do something well, you hit a point where people think they have a complete understanding of who you are,” vocalist Patrick Kindlon says. Of course, even though the record boasts classic sounds that kept the… Read more »
