Search Results for: columbia records

John Mellencamp has posted a new song from his forthcoming album online. “To Washington,” which is available at mellencamp.com, is a politically themed track that was inspired by Woody Guthrie and the Carter Family. In a statement, Mellencamp notes, “I think the song is relevant, irrespective of the ticking of a ‘war clock.’” The “To Washington” lyrics include: “Eight years of peace and prosperity/Scandal in the White House/And election is what we need/From coast-to-coast to Washington/So America voted on a president/No one kept count/On how the election went/From Florida to Washington/Goddamn, said one side/And the other said the same/Both looked… Read more »

Sony Music chairman and chief executive Tommy Mottola, who was responsible for building the careers of Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and other superstars, announced Thursday he was leaving the company to start his own music label. The departure ends Mottola’s 14-year tenure at Sony, though the new label is being created in partnership with Sony. Mottola joined the company back when it was CBS Records in 1987. Sony is letting him out of his contract two years early. “I have been thinking about taking up this new challenge for about a year, and really made the decision to go forward… Read more »

With many superstar acts up to their elbows in solo projects, movie roles, charity work or just on interminable hiatus, we decided to check in with some of them to determine when they might deliver their next albums. Barring gazing into a crystal ball, we did a bit of sleuthing to find out who is doing what, and when fans can expect another album (if at all). ‘NSYNC The scenario: Lance’s space mission trudges on, and Justin’s solo career looks poised to blast off. Joey’s working the Great White Way in “Rent,” Chris is trying his hand at TV work,… Read more »

Fans growing impatient for the release of the Ramones tribute album We’re a Happy Family now have a good reason to turn that frown upside down. The track list for the LP, which is currently being mastered, and a tentative street date of November 5 were announced via a posting on the Web site of Rob Zombie, who is serving as co-producer along with guitarist Johnny Ramone. Although Zombie himself vouched for the accuracy of the most specific details concerning the album since he first announced plans for it in November, a spokesperson for Columbia Records, the label which intends… Read more »

Crazy Town frontman Epic Mazur says it’s a “big relief” to be working with producer Howard Benson on its second album, Nothing Comes From Nowhere. Mazur shared production credits with Josh Abraham on the L.A. band’s 1999 Columbia Records debut, The Gift Of Game, and he said that this time around he’s into “doing whatever [Howard] says.” Mazur said, “We weren’t so concerned about somebody coming in and making the record sound cool, but somebody to come in and really interface with us on our songs and our melodies and arrangements. Because if we can take ’em so far on… 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 »

Crazy Town is currently at home in Los Angeles working on the follow-up to its smash 2000 Columbia Records debut album, The Gift Of Game, which featured the hit single, “Butterfly.” The group is in the writing stage, and plans to enter a North Hollywood, California studio in approximately six weeks. Crazy Town’s Shifty Shellshock said that things are coming along nicely. “We’re very excited. It’s coming along good. We’re doing it with a producer by the name of Howard Benson, he just did P.O.D. and he’s worked with a lot of great bands, and it should be done in… Read more »

Bow Wow and B2K have finalized the itinerary for their Scream 2 Tour, which will crisscross the country from the end of July to the end of September. The ambitious outing – currently boasting 35 dates – will also feature IMX and newcomer Jhene, a cousin of B2K’s Lil’ Fizz who will finish recording her debut album before the tour kicks off July 25 in Memphis, Tennessee, according to Columbia Records. Bow Wow is supporting Doggy Bag, released in December, and his latest single, “Take Ya Home,” though he will also be garnering attention with his star role in “Like… Read more »

Pete Yorn plans to release two albums next year – the follow-up to 2001’s acclaimed Musicforthemorningafter and a record he made before his major-label debut. While the former will feature the same introspective singer/songwriter roots rock showcased in singles like “For Nancy (‘Cos It Already Is)” and “Strange Condition,” the latter will reveal another side of Yorn, who is currently touring with Weezer. “At the time, I was really into Guided by Voices, so it’s lo-fi, really blown-out vocals and guitars,” Yorn said backstage at the Coachella Festival in Indio, California, this weekend. “A lot of reverb. I started every… Read more »

Alice in Chains’ Layne Staley was found dead in his Seattle home on Friday evening. The King County Medical Examiner positively identified Staley’s body on Saturday (April 20), following an autopsy. Exact time and cause of death are pending, as laboratory results could take several weeks, a spokesperson said. Staley was 34. Police responded to a call to check on a person’s well-being at Staley’s address in Seattle’s University District at 5:41 p.m. PT on Friday, according to the police report. Upon discovering the body, which is presumed to have been there for several days, officers called investigators from the… Read more »