Search Results for: dream state

You say you want a revolution? Well, you know – we all want to change the world. Except for Chris Colus. He’s the drummer for a reggae-roots-rock band, freshly signed to a major record label, and he’s trying to explain that band’s name, which is O.A.R. – Of A Revolution. “There’s no political motive,” the 25-year-old Rockville, MD native insists. “This is the music we’ve wanted to play, the music we wanted to hear – that’s a revolution for ourselves and our fans.” The “Of A Revolution” name actually comes from “The Wanderer,” a short story singer-guitarist Marc Roberge wrote… Read more »

U2 frontman Bono was honored for his humanitarian work on Saturday (January 17) by the widow of the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Coretta Scott King saluted Bono at the 2004 King Center Salute To Greatness awards in Atlanta, for his work on behalf of the AIDS epidemic in Africa and for Third World debt relief. At the event, Bono became emotional as he discussed the impact Dr. King had on him growing up in Ireland during that country’s civil war, according to the Associated Press. He said, “We despaired for the lack of vision of the kind… Read more »

Sad-song troubadour Elliott Smith was thought to have died by his own hand two months ago. Now, those investigating the presumed suicide of the 34-year-old folk-rocker aren’t so sure. A statement issued this week by the Los Angeles County coroner has clouded the case, saying officials have been unable to determine whether Smith was the one who initiated the two “penetrating stab wounds” in his chest. Therefore, an official cause of death has not yet been filed. “Despite a comprehensive and ongoing inquiry into the death by the LAPD detectives and coroner investigators together with a thorough examination by the… Read more »

When the member of a band leaves the group, it’s almost comparable to a divorce. But what happens when the musician’s replacement is immediate? Would that be comparable to an affair? Well, this would seem to be the case forAlien Ant Farm whose guitarist Terry Corso quit due to “irreconcilable differences.” According to a statement on the band’s website, the band members planned the departure carefully so that no dates on their current U.S. tour with 311 would have to be missed. The band has almost immediately introduced a substitute guitarist, Victor Camacho, who played his first show with the… Read more »

He was once dubbed “the unhappiest man in the land.” His most renowned song was called “Miss Misery.” Nevertheless, Elliott Smithsounded disappointed that he was often asked, “Why are you so sad?” The singer-songwriter, whose fragile Beatles-tinged melodies elevated to him mythic status on the indie scene and brought him unlikely Oscar-nominated success, died Tuesday of an apparent suicide at his apartment in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles, officials said. He was 34. Smith’s publicist confirmed the death to reporters. His official Website (www.elliottsmith.com) went black Wednesday morning; only the words “goodbye elliott” were in the title bar.… Read more »

All-American Rejects are itching for new tunes. The Oklahoma rockers’ self-titled debut was released by Dreamworks in January, but it’s really almost a year-and-a-half old, having been first released last fall by indie Doghouse Records. “We’ve got some new stuff going on,” says guitarist Nick Wheeler. “We’re totally stoked on doing a new album.” More than half of the new album is already in demo form or in the head of frontman Tyson Ritter. “He comes up with the melody and the basic chord structure, and then I’ll come in and do the music-theory, geeky shit to it,” Wheeler says.… Read more »

Hanson, who parted ways with Island Def Jam in May, announced on Wednesday the formation of their own 3CG Records label, which will issue their new album, Underneath, in the spring. Underneath will contain several songs that Zac, Isaac and Taylor Hanson have already issued on their Underneath Acoustic EP, currently on sale via their Web site. The fresh-faced trio’s first single will be “Penny and Me,” produced by Don Henley associate Danny Kortchmar. Michelle Branch and Matthew Sweet also appear on Underneath, whose title track was co-written by Sweet. “In general, records these days tend to be overproduced,” guitarist… Read more »

Sony Corp. plans to launch a music download service in the spring, vice chairman Howard Stringer said Thursday at a gathering of electronics dealers in Paris. Stringer briefly mentioned the initiative during a presentation with Kunitake Ando, president and group chief operating officer of Sony Corp. “We believe in maximizing the opportunities for people to enjoy music by making networks much friendlier places to visit and easier to obtain music from – in a legal manner,” said Stringer, who also is chairman and CEO of Sony Corp. of America. Few details were disclosed at the Sony Dream World exhibition, but… Read more »

The Jagermeister Fall Music Tour is coming, and heavy metal icons, Slayer, will lead the assault! Produced and promoted by Clear Channel Entertainment, the tour will let loose on October 8th in Minneapolis, MN and finish up in Los Angeles on November 29th. Slayer’s recent release of their live DVD, War at the Warfield (American Recordings/UME), debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts in its first week. Their highly anticipated box set, Soundtrack to the Apocalypse (American Recordings/UME), due out on November 18, 2003, commemorates Slayer’s 20th anniversary as the undisputed thrash/punk/metal kings and will include classic Slayer tracks taken… Read more »

Kevin Richardson hopes others won’t have to follow his path to superstardom. Richardson left his native Kentucky as a teenager for a job at Walt Disney World before auditioning for an Orlando, Fla.-based group that would eventually become the Backstreet Boys. Now Richardson, 31, and childhood friend and songwriter Keith McGuffey have opened a music academy in downtown Louisville. Called The Music Workshop, its a catchall for performers, songwriters and producers seeking a career in music. “When me and Keith were growing up in central Kentucky there wasn’t any real outlet for us. If we wanted to get information about… Read more »