Search Results for: hard-rock

Due to popular demand, international superstars Bon Jovi have added more dates to their current sold-out tour in support of their acclaimed CD Bounce (Island Records). This summer, the band returns from their European stadium tour to play arenas, ampitheatres and stadiums (in Philadelphia, Detroit and Boston), returning to many markets where they have already played to capacity-filled crowds. The additional tour dates begin in July and conclude with a hometown, multi-night stand at Giants Stadium in New Jersey on August 7th and 8th. (See below for a full listing of additional tour dates). Tickets for the additional dates will… Read more »

Sticking to nearly the same sound that got them booed during their debut performance as kids at a Palo Alto middle school, The Donnas have paved a nine-year path from obscurity to success. “We were just dorks in high school with weird clothes,” Head Donna and lead vocalist Brett Anderson deadpans between bites of breakfast at Mel’s Diner during a tour stop in San Francisco. Now, the female foursome’s powerful punk and tales of romantic angst are the stuff of hot-selling CDs and live performances on MTV. Anderson, bassist Maya Ford, whiz guitarist Allison Robertson and frenetic drummer Torry Castellano… Read more »

Bennett Zier has a fine idea for a new radio format. His eyes light up as he tells you about it. “We play Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Bobby Darin,” he says. “The great thing about it is what we call it. You ready?” He pauses. “Vegas Radio! Is that great or what?” Zier can imagine the whole scene – the deejays, the jingles, the ironic retro-swinger patter. It’s his music, the kind he plays in his car. He’s in love with this idea, and with his natural salesman’s charm, he’s making you love it, too. So why doesn’t… Read more »

Bad-boy rap artist Eminem has lobbed a four-letter word at Vice President Dick Cheney’s wife on his upcoming album, but the second lady is hardly running away to a secure, undisclosed location. The Detroit-based recording star, a favorite target of Lynne Cheney in her criticism of the recording industry, unleashes the offensive word against her on the “White America” track to his soon-to-be released LP, “The Eminem Show.” She fired back through her spokeswoman, again condemning his lyrics as a “glorification of violence” against women and homosexuals. Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, won three Grammys last… Read more »

Songstress Sheryl Crow is on track to be the highest debut performance when the latest pop album charts are released Wednesday, challenging reigning Universal Music labelmate Ashanti for the top spot. But Crow’s latest effort, “C’mon C’mon,” her first studio release since the platinum “Globe Sessions” four years ago, also leads a sizable roster of artists bowing this month that have had a rocky history with the rapidly consolidating major-label system. Crow herself was one of several artists to question her future with Universal Music after the label giant acquired her alma mater, A&M Records. While the star and her… Read more »

Columbia Records Group has named A&R veteran Tim Devine to head up its Santa Monica-based operations as West Coast general manager. Devine, who reports to Columbia chairman Don Ienner and president Will Botwin, also will hang on to his post as senior vice president of A&R at the Sony Music label – a position he has held since signing on at Columbia in 1996. The executive will continue signing and developing artists on the West Coast, but also now will act as a liaison to the region’s creative community, cultivating contacts in the music, film and TV worlds. Devine’s track… Read more »

Their video for “Deny,” starring Muhammad Ali ‘s daughter Laila Ali, is nearing release, and the hard-rockin’ song is going strong on radio, but Default are already planning their next single. Vocalist Dallas Smith would love to hear the propulsive “Sick & Tired” booming across the radio, but he’s aware that marketing two heavy songs back-to-back might not be the best career move, and he and his bandmates can’t agree on a softer track to push. So they’re leaving it up to their fans to vote on the Default Web site for the next single from Fallout (2001). ” ‘Live… Read more »

Linkin Park, the Southern California rap-rock band that earned a Grammy in the hard-rock category for “Crawling,” has a double threat behind the turntables. In addition to DJ duties, Joe Hahn takes an active role in the band’s videos. “We’re very excited to have someone in the band who has a direct influence on what comes out of the band visually,” bassist Phoenix told The Associated Press. Hahn co-directed the “In the End” video as well as the European release “Papercut,” and he had a hand in videos for “One Step Closer” and “Crawling.” All of those songs appear on… Read more »

No disses, no DJs and no drama – just rock. The Los Angeles band Puddle of Mudd, whose current single “Blurry” is a #1 modern rock hit, tore through an hour-long headlining set of blue-collar rock Thursday night at a sold-out Electric Factory. Puddle of Mudd – Wes Scantlin (vocals and guitar), Paul Phillips (guitar), Doug Ardito (bass) and Greg Upchurchperformed on a stage devoid of props or ornate backdrop. Frontman Scantlin wore everyguy clothes: jeans, T-shirt, windbreaker jacket and a reverse baseball cap. But what the band lacked in show-business dazzle they made up for in verve and intensity.… Read more »

When the Eels debuted in the mid-Nineties, being a tortured artist in the slippery world of alternative rock implied some level of ironic distance. God forbid that an alt-rocker directly admit to having feelings – at least not without a little wink-wink, nudge-nudge. Eels frontman E does his share of winking, but his real-life tragedies – within a two-year period, he lost his sister to suicide and his mother to cancer – have kept the singer and songwriter more honest than your average Nineties moper. In 1998, E dealt head-on with his personal loss on the Eels’ stunning album, Electro-Shock… Read more »