Search Results for: lit

It’s a long way from the stage of Madison Square Garden to an HIV clinic in South Africa, or from the thunderous roar of an adoring audience to the buttoned-down halls of the U.S. Senate. For most people, perhaps, but not for Bono. Rock and politics have been strange bedfellows for decades, from folkie Pete Seeger’s civil rights work in the ’60s to Frank Zappa’s censorship battles in the ’80s and Rage Against the Machine’s anti-sweatshop agitation in the ’90s. But whether it’s peace in Ireland or restructuring third-world debt, few rock stars have been able to devote as much… Read more »

Veteran rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers has parted ways with its bass player of 20 years, citing his “ongoing personal problems.” Howie Epstein, who got into trouble with the law last year, will be replaced on tour by Ron Blair, the original member he subbed for in 1982, the band said in a statement on Thursday. The group’s management firm declined to comment any further on the personnel shift, the first since drummer Stan Lynch left in 1994 after a blowout with bandleader Petty. The band, which formed in 1975, is best known for such hits as “American… Read more »

Lit has unknowingly got some firefighters in New Jersey in hot water after the band visited their firehouse and performed for the firefighters earlier this month. Fire District officials in Woodbridge, New Jersey are investigating claims that Iselin Fire District 11 was the host of a party featuring Lit, who toured the firehouse, tried on helmets and coats, and then performed an all-request show for the firefighters. Scenes from the party appeared on the Lit website. The band and firefighters bonded at a local restaurant and returned to the firehouse with the band on May 3. “We’re about to embark… Read more »

Cake will headline this summer’s Unlimited Sunshine Tour, featuring the Flaming Lips, De La Soul, Modest Mouse and the Hackensaw Boys. “When I make mix tapes it’s a Frank Sinatra song followed by an AC/DC song followed by a Flaming Lips song,” says Cake singer-guitarist John McCrea of the diverse bill he and his band put together. “It’s not just rock band, rock band, rock band. I really think a lot of listeners listen to a wide variety of music, and those people unfortunately don’t have radio stations to listen to. In a way, we’re taking our own frustrations and… Read more »

Pop-punk group Lit will take a brief detour from its headlining tour to reunite with Kid Rock for three arena shows this coming weekend, beginning Thursday (May 9) at Philadelphia’s First Union Spectrum. The Orange County band, touring in support of its latest album, Atomic, will also appear as Rock’s opening act at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Friday (May 10) and Fairfax, Virginia’s Patriot Center the following night (May 11). Lit has served as Rock’s support act for several shows in recent months, so the group knows what to expect. As to how to approach it, bassist Kevin… Read more »

Pink is sick of business managers, lawyers and talking to radio disc jockeys, and you definitely won’t find her singing about chocolate. The themes of her current album, “M!ssundaztood,” find Pink fighting against bad relationships in her strident, sorely independent ways. “To me, it was all about freedom,” she told the Las Vegas Review-Journal of her music. “Life is not always flowers and chocolates, and I figured people could relate to that.” She’s happy, she says, although she’s sick of the politics of music. Pink, 22, broke onto radio and MTV in 2000 with the hit “There You Go.” In… Read more »

P. Diddy may be giving the Osbournes some competition. The rapper, producer and owner of Bad Boy records tells Access Hollywood that he is close to inking a deal with MTV for his own reality show. The series would deal with how he runs his business. P. Diddy is promising that the censor will have his hands full with show, as he is quote sure it will have “a lot of bleeps… because it will be raw and uncensored.” “The Osbournes” is turning out to be MTV’s biggest series success in its 21-year history as it follows the life of… Read more »

XM Satellite Radio today unveiled its state-of-the-art digital sound technology, featuring customized CT-aacPlus audio encoding with Neural Audio optimization, which provides superior sound quality remarkably close to Compact Disc. “XM Satellite Radio, Fortune Magazine’s 2001 ‘Product of the Year,’ succeeds because of its superior digital sound technology, unparalleled signal coverage, proven chipset technology and outstanding programming,” said XM Executive Vice President Steve Gavenas at a news briefing today in New York. “The technologies that define XM Satellite Radio sound quality have been auditioned and endorsed by leading audio experts from around the world.” CT-aacPlus Audio Compression The superior XM sound… Read more »

XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. announced today that it has priced a public offering of 13,387,000 shares of its Class A Common Stock at a per share price of $11.50. The offering, expected to close next week, raises gross proceeds of $154.0 million. The proceeds will be used primarily for marketing expenses, systems, and other general corporate purposes, and are expected to fund company operations into the latter half of the first quarter of 2003. All of the securities were offered by the company. The company also granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 2,008,050 shares… Read more »

Seems a girl can’t have a good cry anymore without rumors running wild. While Britney Spears may have plenty to be upset about, her recent sob session with actress friend Tara Reid wasn’t due to breaking up with boyfriend and ‘NSYNC singer Justin Timberlake, because the split didn’t happen – despite widespread reports from the BBC, the New York Post and various British tabloids. Spears emphatically denied the reports to MTV Italy on Monday (March 11), saying, “No, that’s not true. Me and Justin did not split up.” The breakup rumors appear to have spread rapidly in Europe based on… Read more »