Search Results for: DIY

When Benji Madden asked to borrow an acoustic guitar from a friend, he got more than he bargained for. Not only did he wind up with the guitar in his possession, but an entire band to go with it. So goes the story of New York’s Lola Ray, the second band signed to D.C. Flag, the record label founded by Good Charlotte’s Benji and Joel Madden. When Benji phoned friend Peter Robinson for a spare guitar to play an impromptu acoustic show, Robinson’s friend John Balicanta came along for the ride and managed to hand Benji a demo tape. The… Read more »

On the heels of their nearly sold-out Roads Outside Columbus Tour, grassroots rockers O.A.R. are set to tour the United States once again. The band is partnering up with funk-metal rockers 311 and Something Corporate for the Unity Tour and planning to hit the road July 25 through August 11th- prior to jumping on the diverse Sprite Liquid Mix tour, featuring N.E.R.D, The Roots, Talib Kweli, and Robert Randolph and the Family Band beginning August 14th in Denver. O.A.R., considered one of the most successful DIY bands in recent history, will support their critically acclaimed new album In Between Now… Read more »

After a raucous summer tour, the pride of NYC hardcore’s scene, H2O, is back with a spankin’ new EP, “All We Want.” Set for release on October 29, 2002, this low-priced CD is sure to keep the band’s rabid fanbase satisfied until the release of their fifth full-length, tentatively scheduled for spring ‘03. “All We Want” is packaged in a special digipak and contains three new studio recordings, two live tracks and a video. True to the band’s DIY ethic, and harkening back to their earliest indie days, the EP’s recording session started August 25 and finished mixing a short… Read more »

Just because New Found Glory are getting love from the “TRL” crowd doesn’t mean they’re changing their ways or cleaning up their act. Sure, the band’s next video is for the song “Head on Collision,” one of the slower, more melodic tracks from their latest album, Sticks & Stones. But the clip, directed by the Malloys, will reveal a previously unseen twisted side of the group thanks to the help of schlock horror production company Troma Films, which provided the makeup and special effects for the video. “Me and our singer Jordan are really big fans of ‘The Toxic Avenger’… Read more »

After more than five years as host of Nickelodeon’s “Blue’s Clues,” Steve Burns is passing the leash to his successor and passing the mic to himself. Burns, who along with animated canine Blue has solved nearly 100 puzzles since the children’s show premiered in December 1996, is now facing a quandary that has baffled just about anyone who ever wanted to form a career around picking up a guitar: how to get signed. The 28-year-old Brooklyn, New York, resident has recorded 11 tunes, some of which are posted on www.steveswebpage.com, for an LP titled Songs for Dustmites. That was the… Read more »

Comic performer Wayne Brady will host the DIY awards show “My VH1 Music Awards ’01,” which will be televised live Dec. 2 on VH1. VH1 instituted the annual interactive kudocast last year. It allows viewers to suggest categories, pick finalists and vote for winners up to the last minute. Mick Jagger, Creed, Sting, Nelly Furtado, Lenny Kravitz, Destiny’s Child and No Doubt are among the acts scheduled to perform at the Shrine Auditorium event. Brady stars in his own skit-and-improv series, “The Wayne Brady Show,” on ABC and also is a cast member on ABC’s “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”

Ditching the usual motive to profit through stinging ticket costs and merch fees, one 2001 tour is ready to hit the road on Aug 23 in hopes of bringing the profits back to the people, making the benefits of attendance more than just musical. “One of the primary goals is to provide youth with both the knowledge and the resources to overcome the dilemmas they face today,” the official press release for the Plea For Peace-Take Action Tour states. Founded with a charitable purpose just as fierce as the rock performances it’s delivering, the outing seems to be riding on… Read more »

You might think that after parting ways with a major label, Jimmy Eat World would take the opportunity to further indulge in the thoughtful experimentation that marked 1999’s Clarity, their second and final release on Capitol. After all, no label means no more A&R guys frowning at songs like Clarity’s 16-minute-plus “Goodbye Sky Harbor,” with its drum-loop buildup and crescendo of overlapping, programmed vocals. But left to their own devices, Mesa, Arizona’s favorite sons made their most straight-up pop record to date – Bleed American, which hit stores Tuesday. “Things still got pretty gnarly in the studio as far as… Read more »