New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert says that when he went in to record the new album with the band he brought some extra equipment – a trainer. Gilbert said in an interview with AP Radio that recording albums is an easy way to gain weight. Since there is often a lot of sitting around and waiting, he found that he would just play video games and eat, and eventually get out of shape. “When you record, not everyone’s working all the time,” Gilbert said. “One guy’s in there for eight hours while the rest of you are sitting until… Read more »
“You may know this song,” Evanescence singer Amy Lee uttered demurely nine songs into the group’s headlining set Tuesday night at the Congress Theatre. “It’s the song that got us here.” Understatement of the year. Without “Bring Me to Life,” the ubiquitous rap-rock confection featured on Fallen, the Little Rock, Arkansas, troupe would be far more concerned finding people who can pronounce “Evanescence” than finding wall space for their double-platinum album. Now, only five months after the release of Fallen, Evanescence are headlining the Nintendo Fusion Tour, a 20-date excursion that has the band performing after Cold, the group that’s… Read more »
A concerned parent’s call alerted Island Record staff to the online antics of Autopilot Off’s webmaster, Josh Stern. Apparently, Mr. Stern was observed on the band’s webcam having sex with a large, stuffed SpongeBob doll. Autopilot Off entered the studio last month to record their major record debut for Island Records with producer Greig Nori. To help bring their fans into the process, the band set up a webcam where visitors could watch the band members recording the new album, playing video games, or just lounging around. Last week, a parent came across Autopilot Off’s web site and observed the… Read more »
Universal Music, the music arm of Vivendi Universal and the world’s largest record company, will decide in coming weeks which of its Web music properties are worth keeping as the French media giant seeks to downsize, sources close to the company said on Thursday. Company representatives declined comment, but people familiar with the company said such a move was in line with Vivendi chairman and chief executive officer Jean-Rene Fourtou’s overall mandate to sell about $12 billion in company assets to reduce debt. “One of the things that will be happening in the next few weeks is that Universal Music… Read more »
In Jimmy Eat World’s video for “Sweetness,” the band remains essentially stationary as the world around it changes at a blurring pace. It’s an example of art imitating life, as the band’s self-titled latest album has brought about a change never before experienced in the Mesa, Arizona, quartet’s eight years together: mainstream success. “It’s loosely based on a general journey of what a band goes through as they start and as they progress,” drummer Zach Lind said of the clip. “There’s not really a story line to it. It’s more of a very cool, unique-looking video that will hopefully look… Read more »
What do Osama bin Laden, Britney Spears, Bert from “Sesame Street” and the heavy metal band Anthrax have in common? They were all among the top searches on Internet Web sites for the last week, proving yet again the Internet is nothing if not a mix of serious news alongside a funhouse of wacky pop culture mania, boy bands and hoaxes. Web searches for anthrax, the deadly bacteria that has been mailed to some government and news offices, led many confused surfers to the Web site of the heavy metal band of the same name. “The boys of ‘the good… Read more »
New research points to the possibility that Napster’s demise is actually exacerbating the spread of Internet piracy of copyrighted materials. According to research firm Webnoize, consumers transferred more than 1.5 billion digital media files during September using FastTrack, the back-end technology of Kazaa, MusicCity, and Grokster. In July, Webnoize forecast that FastTrack would reach 1 million users by the end of September, and it appears that they were correct. During September, roughly 1 million users were typically logged on to the network at any one time, compared to 580,000 simultaneous users in August. Webnoize estimates 1.51 billion files were downloaded… Read more »
Epic Records today announced the re-launch of EpicRecords.com. The label has forthcoming releases from multi-platinum artists Macy Gray, Incubus, Michael Jackson, and Ozzy Osbourne on tap this fall, and hopes that the revitalized site will aid in the online success of those artists. EpicRecords.com is already the online home to artists such as Ben Folds, Korn, Jennifer Lopez, Mandy Moore, Shakira, and 3LW. The site features eleven sections in all, including a wireless page where users can sign up to get breaking artist news sent directly to their cell phones. The site also features a section where users can play… Read more »
In an ever-shrinking world, artisans are often drawn to fusions that would have been unthinkable a generation or two ago – often, these boundary-breaking combinations work better on paper than in practice. Afro Celt Sound System, which has been at it for the better part of a decade, makes good on an unlikely melange of cross-cultural influences only hinted at by the band’s moniker. At this, their first Gotham show since 1999, the ensemble drifted between lilting bits of bucolic melody (generally anchored by the lovely uilleann piping of Emer Mayock) and unabashedly sensual rhythmic pulse (heightened by the contributions… Read more »
This week I have friend and fellow drummer Chase Vernon, when I first met him my old band did shows with his old band Super Whatevr, and we’ve been friends ever since. Since that band dissolved, he’s played for bands such as: Magic Whatever, Garzi, Royal & The Serpent, and now is currently playing drums for the band Games We Play.We talk about how he got his start, how he’s continued to get the next gig, and what it’s like being a hired drummer. We also share a rehearsal spot together, which I’m stoked about.
