Basslines and Protest Signs is Brett Callwood’s column looking at the intersection of music and politics. This week’s topic is Rock Against Racism.
Smashing snooze? Stop it. It’s time to Rise Rock n’ Shine… Who: Maggie Schneider loves to steal our hearts with her sweet honest tunes. What: Remember when PlugInStereo released “Oh Darling”? “Pretend” is like that, only even cuter. Why: Maggie’s latest track is downright adorable and takes you back to your first date. (Plus did we mention how catchy it is?) FFO: idobi Radio “My newest single ‘Pretend’ is about falling in love with your best friend and all of the feelings that go along with that. It’s about not wanting to ruin the friendship but also longing to try something new… Read more »
Since GK first strutted onto the scene in 2004/2005 it has become a symbol, representing the look of pop-punk but also, unexpectedly, the sound of alt-rock. But last year, just short of a decade later, the journey derailed. Today, Glamour Kills is fighting its way back.
Against The Current have been on our UpRising radar for months now, but their schedule for an exclusive is just that overpacked. This only proves even more why they’re such a perfect pick for UpRising band.
As Rise: Ascension wraps up, you won’t be dying for A Skylit Drive to become a full time pop rock act, but the band accomplishes the job set before themselves with stunning ease.
Britney Spears previewed another new song this weekend, but instead of broadcasting it to a live audience, she debuted it to a Las Vegas crowd in a surprise – and steamy – performance. Spears took the stage at Rain, a nightclub within the Palms hotel-casino, at 1 a.m. Sunday morning. About 1,800 people were in attendance, but they weren’t expecting nor were they charged for a show from Spears – they were just there to dance. The DJ music stopped, Rain co-owner Scott DeGraff told MTV News, and people were bewildered as a group of five or six dancers took… Read more »
Making good on its promise to sue online pirates, the recording industry filed a round of lawsuits against computer users in federal courthouses Monday. More than 260 civil lawsuits were levied against people targeted by the cutthroat campaign, which the Recording Industry Association of America hopes will stamp out the rampant piracy believed to be causing a slump in record sales. The users’ identities were given to the RIAA by their Internet service providers, who were compelled to do so by the more than 1,500 subpoenas that have been filed since July. The first of what may amount to thousands… Read more »
A good 18 years have passed since Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band recorded their last studio record, Born in the U.S.A. Now, following a hugely successful 2000 concert reunion, the group is about to release a new studio disc called The Rising. In their attempt to bridge all those fallow years with a single release they also appear to be going for a contemporary sound, hiring producer Brendan O’Brien, who is best known for working with groups like Korn, Limp Bizkit, Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine. The Rising comes out July 30 and features 14 new… Read more »
To the left, a full moon illuminated a row of palm trees swaying in a mellow breeze as the Beta Band played their melodic pop. To the right, a red sun set over a gorgeous mountain range as Siouxsie and the Banshees wrapped up their first festival performance in more than seven years. Ahead, DJ Z-Trip captivated a titanic tent overflowing with dancers by marrying Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and Rage Against the Machine’s “Testify.” It was a stereophonic moment of musical bliss. It was Coachella in a nutshell. The third annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival took over… Read more »
Before the Grammy nominations were announced, pundits had already determined what the big story would be – a certain soulful female singer with a critically acclaimed debut would score multiple nominations, including record, song and album of the year. That scenario played out Friday – just not quite the way many expected. India.Arie, whose “Acoustic Soul,” received glowing reviews but achieved moderate commercial success, scored seven nominations, while the year’s most celebrated new artist, Alicia Keys, got six. Veteran Grammy winners U2 led all nominees with eight, including an album of the year nomination for “All That You Can’t Leave… Read more »
