Search Results for: Refused

Linkin Park’s upcoming DVD offers an up close and personal look at the band’s live show, but not as personal as it could’ve been. At Monday’s premiere of “Live in Texas,” guitarist Brad Delson said the band inserted a surgical camera inside singer Chester Bennington, but “it was kind of an invasive process. The shots turned out to be weird, so none of those shots made the final cut,” he deadpanned. “Yeah, they weren’t action shots,” Bennington said, smiling. “He’s got a clean colon, we learned that much,” Delson added, finally breaking into laughter. Still, “Live in Texas” does have… Read more »

Lots of pop stars who are huge in Europe never succeed in the United States, but judging by Thursday’s MTV Europe Music Awards, Europeans can’t seem to get enough of American idols. Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé Knowles and Christina Aguilera were the big winners at this year’s racy, profanity-laden EMAs, held in Edinburgh, Scotland. Eight of the 12 awards were presented to U.S. residents. Timberlake won three trophies: Best Album for Justified, Best Pop and Best Male. The Neptunes, who produced much of Justified,presented him with the latter, and after they gave him the statue of an “M” on a spring,… Read more »

American rap-rock band Linkin Park has received the government’s permission to perform next month in Malaysia – but it won’t be allowed to scream, jump around or wear shorts onstage. The Ministry of Culture and Arts said Wednesday it has approved plans for the band to hold a concert on Oct. 15 at a 50,000-seat stadium in this conservative, predominantly Muslim Southeast Asian country. “The government believes the performance will provide an alternative type of entertainment in Malaysia,” the ministry said, while warning that the rock stars must abide by a strict code of “artist performance ethics.” “Male artists must… Read more »

What everyone always wants to know is: who’s the worst? Meaning: which really famous person out there is a berk whose lack of personality is in inverse proportion to their abundance of fame? And the answer is, of course, all of them. No, it’s not. It’s Jon Bon Jovi. The next question – who’s the best, of course – is more difficult. The interviewees I like are the ones that turn out to be more than you expected, whether that’s more intelligent, or honest, or bonkers, or fun, whatever. And there are plenty of those. Madonna (sharper), Björk (wilder), James… Read more »

Rain and mud were no match for a crowd of thousands who flocked to the National Mall Thursday for a free concert featuring Britney Spears, Aerosmith and Aretha Franklin. The concert was staged by the NFL to create excitement about the start of football season – a game between the Washington Redskins and New York Jets. Six blocks of the Mall were filled with a crowd estimated at 130,000, according to NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. The crowd was orderly and only two people were arrested, U.S. Park Police said. About 1,000 officers from the Park Police and 35 other… Read more »

One reason A Perfect Circle resonate with such power is because the bandmembers are dedicated to their art – whether it’s catchy and commercial or sprawling and inaccessible to the mainstream. They immerse themselves in their songs, which are as much a part of themselves as a reflection of their personalities. And they present their vision in a striking and unconventional manner, singing from behind a screen, performing in near darkness and greeting the media with complete indifference. The band’s new album, The Thirteenth Step, due September 16, is textural, evocative and moody – metallic art-rock for the clinically depressed.… Read more »

Earlier this week, reports of Metallica’s latest lawsuit surfaced, this one against a Canadian band for trademark infringement over the heavy metal band’s branded E, F chord progression. Lars Ulrich & Co., who have found themselves in court battling everything from lipstick and perfume to tires and Napster, were widely criticized for this latest legal nitpicking. “How pathetic,” chimed in one critic on the Encyclopedia Metallica Website, echoing a sentiment similar to those found on several message boards. Problem is, the lawsuit is a fake, concocted by an Internet prankster who happens to be the lead singer-songwriter of the Canadian… Read more »

Chad Kroeger sings about “a world full of killing and blood spilling” in the hit song “Hero,” and in that kind of world Nickelback’s melodic relationship songs don’t seem to have quite as much impact as they once did. Perhaps that’s why Kroeger boosted the musical heft and lyrical import for the band’s third record, The Long Road, due September 23. Sure, there are still enough love songs and light, lighter-raising moments to make the gals swoon. But even on the slower tunes, the guitars shudder with raw intensity, conveying Kroeger’s aim to shed the mainstream pop image he cultivated… Read more »

A former roadie for Blink-182 claims he’s the smart aleck who came up with the title Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, which the band used in 2001 for its fifth album. Larry Palm filed a lawsuit against the band on Thursday in Los Angeles Supreme Court for breach of oral and/or implied contract, promissory estoppel, fraud and unjust enrichment. According to the lawsuit, Palm claims that Mark Hoppus, Tom Delonge and Travis Barker asked him for a suggestion for a title. Palm says he suggested Take Off Your Pants and Jacket around January 2001, and entered into an oral… Read more »

Marilyn Manson has been left off the bill for the Rochester, New York date of this summer’s OzzFest tour, reports the Democrat And Chronicle newspaper. A spokesperson at the Six Flags Darien Lake in Rochester, Laura Spallone, told the publication, “Several people in the area expressed an uncomfortable feeling about having that artist in our area.” Tour promoters Clear Channel chose to not back Manson and preferred to stay out of the controversy surrounding the August 11 date at the Darien Center. The company said in a statement, “It’s Six Flags decision…” And it stressed that Manson is welcome to… Read more »