Search Results for: Dead American

The Rolling Stones and Radiohead got theirs from song titles, U2 and the B-52’s from military aircrafts and Lynyrd Skynyrd from their old gym teacher. And the stories behind new millennium band names are no less random: Yellowcard According to these So-Cal pop-punkers, “yellowcard” is a take on the ever-popular Frat house idiom, “party foul,” proving drunks can be simultaneously obnoxious and witty. Perhaps Ewan McKegger was already in use. Coldplay Chris Martin and his mates, originally called Starfish, were friends with a band called Coldplay. When that band gave up the name, Starfish asked if they could use it.… Read more »

Ray Charles, the Grammy-winning crooner who blended gospel and blues in such crowd-pleasers as “What’d I Say” and ballads like “Georgia on My Mind,” died Thursday, a spokesman said. He was 73. Charles died at his Beverly Hills home surrounded by family and friends, said spokesman Jerry Digney. Charles’ last public appearance was alongside Clint Eastwood on April 30, when the city of Los Angeles designated the singer’s studios, built 40 years ago in central Los Angeles, as a historic landmark. Blind by age 7 and an orphan at 15, Charles spent his life shattering any notion of musical boundaries… Read more »

Beyoncé Knowles, multiplatinum sweetheart of the music award show circuit this year, was exhausted. She’d just appeared on the Vibe Awards and breathlessly arrived across town just in time to change clothes and take bows at the VH1 Awards. “Too many,” she said as she leaned against a wall backstage. Bad planning by VH1 and Vibe? Not really, there were four award shows that week including the American Music Awards and they were bound to butt heads somewhere. With television networks relentlessly reaching for younger viewers, an unprecedented 26 music award shows are now on cable and network TV. “There’s… Read more »

Eminem might pose a threat to fledgling rappers, glittery pop stars and trash-talkin’ hand puppets, but he’s no threat to the president, the Secret Service determined after looking into some of his recently publicized lyrics. Lines from the song “We As Americans” caught the Secret Service’s attention last week: “I don’t rap for dead presidents/ I’d rather see the president dead”. It’s routine for the Secret Service to investigate anything that might be considered a threat against the president. But after further inquiry, the Secret Service felt there was nothing more to uncover, Secret Service spokesperson John Gill told the… Read more »

With the new Barenaked Ladies album, Everything To Everyone, dropping into record shops continent-wide today, ChartAttack thought this would be a good time to check in with the band. After all, unless your name is Michael Jackson (and it’s not, is it?), a new album release means a new North American tour. And news of a new tour is particularly exciting, given the BNL are justifiably known as one of this nation’s most awesomest of live acts. Strangely enough, frontman Steve Page says the band’s rep for fine performance can sometimes be a bad thing. “It’s funny, but I think… Read more »

The race for governor in California is beginning to look like an episode of “Hollywood Squares.” After weeks of “will he or won’t he?” speculation, “Terminator” star Arnold Schwarzenegger announced on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” on Wednesday that he is running for the state’s top office. The 56-year-old former bodybuilder and action movie star said he made his decision because politicians in his home state are “fiddling, fumbling and failing.” The burly pop icon said he aims to bring “California back to what it once was” following what he said was the failure of Democratic Gov. Gray Davis’… Read more »

Dashboard Confessional has left its support slot on Beck’s North American tour, effective immediately. The Chris Carrabba-led group played its final gig on the trek Saturday outside Denver. The move is being chalked up to “circumstances beyond our control” on Dashboard’s official Web site (http://www.dashboardconfessional.com), although sources indicate the band may have left the tour for financial reasons. Fellow support act the Black Keys will remain on the trek through its June 27 conclusion in Irvine, Calif., and will play a longer set in Dashboard’s absence. The move comes amid reports that the tour is not performing nearly as well… Read more »

Can you take Scott Stapp “Higher”? No, say some disgruntled Creed fans, so they’re taking him to court. On Monday, a quartet of Creed faithful filed suit against the rock group, demanding their money back from a concert at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, outside Chicago on December 29. The concertgoers claim the performance was marked by a whole lot of booze and drugs but little rock ‘n’ roll. According to court documents, frontman Stapp “was so intoxicated and/or medicated that he was unable to sing the lyrics of a single Creed song.” The four plaintiffs, Philip and Linda Berenz… Read more »

Rhino Records will launch Rhino Vinyl – “an imprint dedicated to making classic recordings available again in the format of their original release” – on April 22 with three reissued Grateful Dead titles. Like all the label’s planned releases, “Grateful Dead: Live/Dead,” “Workingman’s Dead,” and “American Beauty” will be newly mastered and pressed on 180-gram vinyl, with packaging that reflects the original releases. Rhino Vinyl will be sold through traditional and online retailers (distributed via Alternative Distribution Alliance), as well as directly via the Rhino Web site (http://www.rhino.com). A total of 10 albums will be issued on vinyl in 2003,… Read more »

Relatives of two victims of the deadly Rhode Island nightclub fire sued the club owners and the rock band Great White among others on Tuesday in likely the first wrongful death suit related to the blaze, the plaintiffs’ lawyer said. The lawsuit was filed in Providence Superior Court in Rhode Island on behalf of the families of Donald Roderiques and Tina Ayer. Their lawyer, Brian Cunha, said he expected to file more suits on behalf of four other families later this week. He said he would ask the jury for at least $1 million per victim. The Feb. 20 fire… Read more »