Search Results for: IN HER OWN WORDS

When Benji Madden asked to borrow an acoustic guitar from a friend, he got more than he bargained for. Not only did he wind up with the guitar in his possession, but an entire band to go with it. So goes the story of New York’s Lola Ray, the second band signed to D.C. Flag, the record label founded by Good Charlotte’s Benji and Joel Madden. When Benji phoned friend Peter Robinson for a spare guitar to play an impromptu acoustic show, Robinson’s friend John Balicanta came along for the ride and managed to hand Benji a demo tape. The… Read more »

Gwen Stefani’s getting a little help from a lot of friends on her upcoming solo record, but so far, her favorite pairing comes from one of her oldest friends of all – No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal. Stefani’s not lacking for people to work with – if anything, she’s got enough names for several solo albums to span several different genres, with the Neptunes, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, Outkast, the Matrix, Linda Perry, Tim Armstrong, Nellee Hooper, the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, Dallas Austin and Damon Elliott all among her known collaborators. The hodgepodge of songwriters and producers, though, was… 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 »

John Mellencamp has lashed out at PresidentGeorge W. Bush and America’s foreign policy. In an open letter he co-wrote with his wife Elaine, Mellencamp blasts the powers that be for demonizing as “anti-American and unpatriotic” anyone who questions the policies of the U.S. government and the war in Iraq. Mellencamp uses words and phrases like “systematically lied to,” “the political ‘hijacking’ of Iraq,” “this misadventure,” and “the globe’s leading bully. Arrogant and thoughtless” to describe the current situation, before writing, “Now, each day, as the dust settles and the truth slowly surfaces, more and more people come to the inevitable… Read more »

The pressures on a frontman are fierce. Besides remembering the words and singing in key, you have to look cool. Keep the guitar slung low. Get close to the mic and sneer. Don’t be afraid to windmill. But what if you’re a singer without an axe to wield? Good luck trying to make like Pete Townshend with a piano, but somehow Andrew McMahon pulls it off. “I think it’s the whole idea of not trying to look cool,” he offered as an explanation of why he appears just the opposite when leading his band, Something Corporate. “I don’t think that… Read more »

American rap-rock band Linkin Park has received the government’s permission to perform next month in Malaysia – but it won’t be allowed to scream, jump around or wear shorts onstage. The Ministry of Culture and Arts said Wednesday it has approved plans for the band to hold a concert on Oct. 15 at a 50,000-seat stadium in this conservative, predominantly Muslim Southeast Asian country. “The government believes the performance will provide an alternative type of entertainment in Malaysia,” the ministry said, while warning that the rock stars must abide by a strict code of “artist performance ethics.” “Male artists must… Read more »

In a landmark opinion, the United States Copyright Office has affirmed the right of musicians to perform original compositions copyrighted in their own names, and traditional music in the public domain, anywhere they want to, whether or not the venue has a license from ASCAP, BMI or SESAC. The opinion comes in response to an inquiry from Congressman John M. McHugh (R, NY) on behalf of Richard Hayes Phillips, a performing musician. Mr. Phillips had lost a job as the only musician at Schemmy’s Restaurant in Rhinebeck, New York, after the owners received a series of threatening letters from BMI,… Read more »

When there’s a major power outage like the one that occurred on Thursday (August 14) in Toronto, people are forced to go without a lot of amenities – there’s no air conditioning, no computer access, no television, no stove cooking, no refrigeration. And, if you’re a music fan, there’s no amplifiers, PA systems or electric guitars – in other words, no rock concerts. There were a number of concerts put on hold in New York and Detroit (including the much ballyhooed Stooges hometown reunion show) and there were also various postponements in Toronto. Most of the most high-profile casualties took… Read more »

On the one hand there’s Drew Barrymore. On the other there’s Tina Yothers. Both were child stars, both were in the position of having to stave off “has-been” status by the time they were teenagers. Barrymore, of course, has gone on to be an A-list celebrity, while Yothers is simply remembered for playing the kid sister on the ’80s sitcom “Family Ties.” That, and for being one of the unlucky celebrities to have made a “guest appearance” on “South Park.” Hanson, who became instant mega pop stars upon the release of their 1997 debut LP, Middle of Nowhere, but who… Read more »

At the most recent Bionic show in Toronto, I had the pleasure of chatting with guitarist Ian Blurton for a few minutes. Not only does Blurton wail with Bionic, but he’s also got producer credit on the upcoming Weakerthans album, Reconstruction Site. Now, I had enjoyed a few beverages at this point, and I’m not going to try to quote Mr. Blurton, but the general gist was that he was pretty pissed off because the Weakerthans record was leaked onto the Internet well before its release date on August 26. For those of you who went and downloaded the album… Read more »