You know when Oscars season hits and suddenly it’s the only thing anyone can talk about? That’s how we feel about the first Gibson Brands Alternative Press Music Awards – Fueled by Monster Energy Drink. With less than two weeks left until the awards show makes its July 21st debut, at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we’ve all been picking our favorites and placing our bets—which is exactly what this show is all about.
BURBANK, CA–May 3, 2007 — Following on the heels of a triumphant appearance at this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival, Jack’s Mannequin, the side project of Something Corporate singer-keyboardist Andrew McMahon, will make the rounds of this summer’s major music festivals, including The Bamboozle in East Rutherford, NJ, on May 6th, Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI, on June 28th, and Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL, on August 3rd. McMahon formed Jack’s Mannequin with guitarist Bobby Anderson, bassist Jonathan Sullivan, and drummer Jay McMillan in Orange County, CA, in 2004. In June 2005, the day the band finished mastering the last… Read more »
The sophomore slump. Second-year blues. The “difficult” second album. None of these phrases are in Alex Turner’s vocabulary. As frontman for the Arctic Monkeys, one of Britain’s most successful and important bands of the decade, Turner is unfazed by the pitfalls of following up a zeitgeist-shaping debut. “Was it a difficult album to record? No,” Turner says from Milan, in the midst of a promotional tour, “because ever since we finished the first album (in September 2005), we’ve been writing songs for this one. So it wasn’t like a rush at the last minute.” Nonetheless, things have changed in Monkeyworld.… Read more »
Los Angeles – In a dismal year for the touring industry, with ticket prices soaring and seats going unsold, music fans in North America partied like it was 1989 as Prince and Madonna topped the concert box office. According to freshly tabulated estimates provided by concert trade publication Pollstar, Prince sold $87.4 million in tickets in 2004, while Madonna earned $79.5 million. Prince also worked a bit harder for his payday, playing 96 shows, compared with 39 for Madonna. Canadian pop singer Celine Dion actually topped Madonna by about $900,000, but her haul came exclusively from 154 dates performed at… Read more »
London – Pop singer Peter Gabriel has been honored with the Music Industry Trusts’ Award. Those paying tribute to Gabriel, who began his career with Genesis before becoming a successful solo artist, included U2’s Bono, R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe and film director Martin Scorsese. Gabriel, 54, received his award Monday in a ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. It was presented by Richard Branson, who signed Gabriel to his then-label Virgin Records in the 1970s. The honorary award is given each year to an artist who has made an outstanding contribution to the British music industry. Previous recipients include Elton John… Read more »
Avril Lavigne looked at home onstage during her Opening Act performance before Thursday’s MTV Video Music Awards, but she need not get too comfortable. The Best New Artist in a Video winner will not actually tour until next year. “My album just came out, so it’s been promotions, going to other countries,” Lavigne explained backstage at the ceremony. “I won’t be on a tour bus until after Christmas. I’m like, ‘Come on, hurry up!’ I know I’m going to love it. I’ll get to sleep in the same bed every night. And it will just be fun being with my… Read more »
Lilting Irish group The Corrs, Australian chanteuse Kylie Minogue and U.S. band Wheatus are to play at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party in London this year, transforming the UK awards into an international pop festival. U.S. reggae star Shaggy and Ireland’s Westlife will also feature at the pop extravaganza at the London Arena on December 9, along with homegrown Atomic Kitten and Spice Girl Emma Bunton, teenage magazine Smash Hits said in a statement. Also playing will be dance act S Club 7, Ash and Samantha Mumba. The annual ceremony will screen live on TV channel T4. Award categories… Read more »
The recent announcement of an upcoming PJ Harvey tour resulted in immediate sold out shows in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., San Francisco and Chicago. An additional date in New York (September 5 at the Hammerstein) has been added as well, as the New York September 4 show is also selling quickly. Furthermore, Harvey has added a date in Denver, CO. PJ Harvey returns to the U.S. following European festival dates and an arena tour with U2. The acclaimed artist will perform in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Denver and Los Angeles in support of her current… Read more »
Following European festival dates and an arena tour with U2, acclaimed artist PJ Harvey returns to the U.S. for an intimate headline tour in September. Harvey will perform in Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and other cities in support of her current release, Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea. Harvey will also make a guest performance on The Tonight Show on September 19th. Stories has received tremendous critical praise in the U.S. and internationally since its release last October. In addition to numerous press accolades (the release was on the Top 10 lists of premiere… Read more »
Pop veterans Steely Dan had a surprising run Wednesday night at the 43rd annual Grammy Awards, taking home three awards for “Two Against Nature” and the single “Cousin Dupree.” Steely Dan’s first album of new material in two decades earned album of the year trophy, besting Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP” and albums by Paul Simon, Radiohead and Beck. Released by the Warner-distributed Giant, it also earned prizes for pop vocal album and for best engineered album. U2, whose “Beautiful Day” single was released at the very end of the eligibility period of Oct. 1999 to Sept. 30, 2000, walked… Read more »
