Search Results for: super american

If the Hives are the first offensive in a Swedish rock invasion, then In Flames were the early reconnaissance team, quietly spreading their supercharged melodic death metal in whatever North American clubs would take them. Reroute to Remain, In Flames’ fifth album, is their latest missive, an album that’s heavy and pummeling yet accessible enough to potentially crack the limiting ceiling of the extreme underground. And if that happens, in a way, they’ll have Slipknot to thank for it. “We met Slipknot in Italy a couple of years ago,” vocalist Anders Friden relayed from a Detroit dressing room. “We just… Read more »

Bruce Springsteen kept a firm grip on the top spot on the album charts for the second straight week, despite a 55% slide in sales. “Rising” (Columbia), Springsteen’s first disc of new material since 1995, sold just under 239,000 units, according to numbers released Wednesday by Nielsen SoundScan. The Jersey-born rock legend recently launched a U.S. tour to support the release, backed for the first time in a decade by the E Street Band. The Boss was followed in the rankings by a trio of Universal Music Group hip-hop stars. Nelly rebounded one spot to second with “Nellyville” (Universal), selling… Read more »

After dismaying some fans by performing with pop princess Britney Spears last year, veteran rock band Aerosmith is hitting the road this week with some more appropriate musical stars in tow. The Boston-based combo, famed for a 30-year string of hits including “Dream On” and “Love in an Elevator,” will begin a three-month tour on Tuesday in New Jersey. Its support acts include rap trio Run-D.M.C., whose 1986 cover version of “Walk This Way” reinvigorated Aerosmith’s career, and Kid Rock, who inducted the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year. Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry said… Read more »

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, timber cutters, miners, construction workers and truck drivers face the highest risk of injury on the job. Perhaps the Labor Department would add “musical performer” to that list if it bothered to assign someone to study the goings-on at say, Ozzfest or the Anger Management Tour – or even Britney Spears’ Dream Within a Dream Tour – to take note of the amount of blood spilled and number of fingers/arms/knees/backs injured onstage. While many imagine that a music superstar’s day on the job involves such trappings as free-flowing Cristal, gold grills, hovering hotties… Read more »

The competition is heating up on Fox’s hit talent search series “American Idol,” and that’s just between the judges. Acid-tongued Simon Cowell and fellow judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson traded barbs in a news conference Monday that included the show’s eight young finalists. After a group performance of “California Dreamin’” for the Television Critics Association by the would-be singing stars, most of the entertainment was provided by the judges. When a reporter asked Abdul whether the series could jump-start her own recording career, Cowell put his hands together as if in prayer and silently shook his head no –… Read more »

Since 1997, Rush drummer Neil Peart has been tight-lipped about the tragic deaths of his 19-year-old daughter Selena and wife Jackie, both of whom passed away within a 10-month period. Now he’s pouring out his heart about the pain and hopelessness he endured and the road he took to recovery in his new book, “Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road,” which is being published by Canada’s ECW Press. The book features new prose, text from journal entries and letters to friends, providing a personal and emotional day-by-day account of the 14 dark months that followed his wife’s death, and… Read more »

Rock ‘n’ roll has turned music fans into rebels. Not only are they pirating tunes on the Internet rather than paying upwards of $20 for a compact disc, they are also increasingly reluctant to fork out for costly concert tickets. A survey of the North American concert industry by trade publication Pollstar showed the top 50 acts sold a combined 10.6 million tickets in the first half of the year, down about three percent from the year-ago period (10.9 million tickets) and off 18 percent from 2000 (12.9 million tickets). The average ticket price for those top 50 tours rose… Read more »

Stunned fans of The Who’s John Entwistle left flowers and consoled each other outside a casino concert hall where the bass player who helped make the band one of the biggest in rock history had been expected to perform Friday. Entwistle was found dead Thursday in his Hard Rock Hotel room of an apparent heart attack. He was 57. “The Ox has left the building – we’ve lost another great friend,” bandmates Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey wrote on Townshend’s Web site. The Who’s celebrated drummer, Keith Moon, died in 1978. Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman described Entwistle as… Read more »

Michael Jackson addressed his rumored dispute with Sony Music for the first time Wednesday when he aligned himself with a new artist-rights initiative and released a statement condemning the music industry and his label. At a New York press conference Jackson was named the first member of a coalition formed by the Rev. Al Sharpton and attorney Johnnie Cochran to investigate whether record companies are financially exploiting artists. “Record companies have to start treating their artists with respect, honor, and financial justice,” Jackson said in a statement. “Therefore, I am proud to join this coalition which represents all artists.” The… Read more »

England is gripped by a heady patriotic fervor these days – between the England team’s highly anticipated appearances in the 2002 World Cup and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, you can barely move without seeing a flag or banner. Yet the Brits still seem to have a little fervor left over for their American cousins, especially when those Americans happen to be the Red Hot Chili Peppers. When the Chilis took the stage for a “secret” club gig at the Garage in London on Friday (May 31), the primarily invite-only crowd erupted with an enthusiasm normally reserved for a winning goal… Read more »