Given the radical image changes that Panic! At The Disco has undergone in the past year, it’s hard not to read the lyrics to its new album’s opening song as a pre-emptive strike against critics. “Oh, how it’s been so long/we’re so sorry we’ve been gone/we were busy writing songs/for you,” bassist Jon Walker sings, by way of apology for the two-and-a-half-year lag between 2005’s “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” and the new “Pretty. Odd.,” due March 25 via Fueled by Ramen/Atlantic. Then, he launches into lines meant to comfort fans who have no doubt noticed that their favorite… Read more »
With the decade fast approaching it’s musical climax, 2006 proved to be a big winner for an industry hit by piracy. The live music scene proved to be the biggest release for most acts, with top grossing tours for some of the world’s biggest bands, and an explosion in music festivals across the globe. Firstly, let’s recap on albums were still waiting on from last year; OutKast’s first studio album since 2004’s “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” (which was one of the year’s biggest releases) is rumoured now for the spring, and Guns N’ Roses failed to deliver on their promise of… Read more »
Los Angeles – Before they made the jump to Atlantic Records in 2004, the members of Death Cab for Cutie thought long and hard about leaving Seattle’s Barsuk Records. But after six years of deliberation, and the ultimate satisfaction the band took in its decision, manager Jordan Kurland grants that there has been a twinge of remorse. “I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that after I saw Bright Eyes debut in the top 10, I didn’t think, ‘Ah, we should have done that…’ But we’re having a great time.” Indeed, the band Bright Eyes bolted to No. 10 on… Read more »
Hoboken, N.J. – The brooding kid hailed as rock’s next musical genius slouches next to the bar at a tiny, smoky club. No one notices. Not even this crowd of indie music fans recognizes Conor Oberst, the 24-year-old sensation behind Bright Eyes who’s been pegged as this generation’s Bob Dylan, putting words and melody behind those tormented emotions the rest of us struggle to describe. He pops up on stage to join his friends, Yo La Tengo, for their encore. Then he slides back into the crowd, just another skinny guy in jeans and a black hoodie. But the days… Read more »
After Bruce Springsteen announced plans to participate in the anti-Bush concert tour, Vote for Change, a New York candidate for U.S. Senate has countered with a “Boycott the Boss” television spot. Conservative Party candidate Marilyn O’Grady appears in a 30-second televison commercial, urging her supporters to show their solidarity to Bush by not buying Springsteen’s music. “He thinks making millions with a song-and-dance routine allows him to tell you how to vote,” O’Grady says in the spot. “Here’s my vote: Boycott the Boss. If you don’t buy his politics, don’t buy his music.” (The spot makes no mention of O’Grady’s… Read more »
Lead guitarist Johnny Quaid and keyboardist Danny Cash have quit My Morning Jacket after four years in the band. Both departures were amicable and both Quaid and Cash cited a desire to step back from the rigorous work schedule that the Louisville, Kentucky, troupe took on in support of its third album and major-label debut, 2003’s It Still Moves. Quaid and Cash were on board for MMJ’s debut, 1999’s Tennessee Fire, and its other independent release, 2001’s At Dawn. With buzz from press and other musicians over their high-energy live shows and unique brand of reverb-drenched rock & roll, the… Read more »
After finishing their opening slot on the Green Day/Blink-182 Pop Disaster tour, Jimmy Eat World will embark on another trek, this time with their own name atop the marquee. The Mesa, Arizona, quartet will launch a headlining tour July 16 in Columbus, Ohio, according to their publicist. Eleven dates follow, and then it’s off to Europe for a few weeks of shows and festivals that culminate in the U.K. Reading and Leeds festivals on August 24 and 25. The Promise Ring, on the heels of the release of their fifth album, Wood/Water; Desaparecidos, the side project of Bright Eyes mastermind… Read more »
“One-man band”: when you hear that phrase you probably picture a dude on a street corner with a pair of cymbals between his knees, a drum on his back, some kazoos in his mouth and a guitar case full of quarters. Think again. While naming a band after yourself is fine and good for guys like Dave Matthews and Jon Spencer, some band names are actually just cryptic pseudonyms for a single, mad studio genius. The past year has seen an explosion of do-it-yourself-ers, including ex-Eels bassist Tommy Walter with his band Abandoned Pools, stone alone emo-ter Chris Carrabba of… Read more »
Today is a massive day for The Dangerous Summer. Not only are they kicking off their international summer tour on June 21, they just released their seventh record, Gravity, via Rude Records. Plus, the band shared a nostalgia-inducing official video for the LP track, “Where Did All The Time Go?” Get ready for a delightful trip down memory lane with the legendary rockers. The new visuals include home videos of early The Dangerous Summer basement shows and van rides. They also showcase the band’s offstage hangs, music magazine interviews, and even their recent Slam Dunk Festival slot. Eagle-eyed watchers may… Read more »
As he wraps up his current tour, Knox is showcasing his brand-new single, “Change Your Mind,” via Atlantic Records. Excitingly, some lucky concert attendees got to hear the song live well ahead of its official release. The brilliantly bright breakup song is sonically euphoric. Over claps and guitar strums, Knox sings, “I could change the way that I talk/Patch up the holes in my walls/Fix all the ways that I fell short/I could quit the drink and the smoke/Start lifting heavier stones/But what’s the point anymore?/’Cause nothing’s gonna change the fact that you walked out that door/So I’m losing my… Read more »
