Search Results for: carr

Ashton Kutcher was the big winner at Saturday’s taping of the Teen Choice Awards, but even his five surfboard trophies couldn’t steal the spotlight from the plethora of unusual appearances at the show. There was Kobe Bryant, accepting the Choice Male Athlete award for the fourth time just four days before his first hearing on sexual assault charges. “I’m going through some dark clouds right now,” he said, thanking his wife and fans for support. There was 5 Cent, and no, that’s not a typo. It was Verne “Mini-Me” Troyer performing his own version of “In Da Club,” adding lines… Read more »

Anyone who pegs Dashboard Confessional frontman Chris Carrabba as a sad pompadoured sack based on heartbreakers like “Again I Go Unnoticed” and “Screaming Infidelities” should get ready to change their perception of him. His new album, A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar, portrays the man tagged by many as a poster boy for emo in a mood that contradicts his conventionally accepted disposition. “I’m actually excited about the fact that it’s a happier record,” Carrabba said. “If it dispels those conceptions that I’m like, ultra mopey, that would be great because anybody who’s met me can tell you… Read more »

Napster may be long dead, but the name and the “kitty” logo of the pioneer online music-swapping program could return to cyberspace before the year is out. Santa Clara-based Roxio Inc., which owns the rights to the Napster name, plans to shelve its current online music service, pressplay, and roll out Napster 2.0 by Christmas, Chris Gorog, Roxio’s chairman and chief executive, told The Associated Press. Gorog was scheduled to announce details of the venture Monday at the Jupiter Plug.IN Conference & Expo in New York. Software maker Roxio acquired pressplay, a joint venture of Universal Music Group and Sony… Read more »

Pop legend Michael Jackson on Monday slammed a new bill that seeks prison time for file-swappers, arguing that music fans are the ones who drive the success of the music industry. “I am speechless about the idea of putting music fans in jail for downloading music. It is wrong to illegally download, but the answer cannot be jail,” Jackson said in response to legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday by John Conyers (D.-Mich.) and Howard Berman (D.-Calif.) that would make illegal file swapping a felony. The Authors, Consumer and Computer Owners Protection and Security Act of 2003… Read more »

The Deftones aren’t doing much to dispel public opinion that they’re the metallic equivalent of an emo band. They’ve been asked about their love of droopy singers like Morrissey a million times throughout their 15-year career, to the point where it’s a virtual no-no to talk about emotions. Still, as singer Chino Moreno and keyboard/samplist Frank Delgado discuss the band’s self-titled fourth album, they can’t help but mention how feelings were an integral part of its production. “I didn’t really feel much of anything this time around… or so I thought,” says Moreno about the album. “The mood I’ve been… Read more »

Long an artist’s sanctuary, the commercial recording studio is becoming a virtual fortress, guarding against the potentially devastating consequences of theft. The thieves’ targets are the rough mixes, outtakes, alternative takes and finished masters that traditionally have been loosely handled, even by the artists themselves. Leaks of this material are nothing new, but the advent of unauthorized file sharing on the Internet has greatly increased the consequences of this phenomenon. Recent albums by Eminem, 50 Cent, Korn and Radiohead were all available online prior to release, because unauthorized copies were leaked to unknown parties. In such cases, marketing strategies are… Read more »

Folks who have checked into this year’s Summer Sanitarium have noted how all the opening bands are singing praises to Metallica. Limp Bizkit even cover “(Welcome Home) Sanitarium” and flash the words “Metallica is the sh-” onscreen during their set. Such over-the-top idol worship might seem a bit forced, but the headliners insist it’s not. And the admiration goes both ways. “The highlight for me is just the vibe between the bands,” drummer Lars Ulrich said during the Philadelphia stop of the tour right after spending 30 minutes hanging out with Linkin Park. “Sometimes when you play these big places… Read more »

Brotherly pop trio Hanson, who unwittingly ignited a teen pop craze when they stormed the charts six years ago with the catchy anthem “MMMBop,” are stripping down this summer. Isaac, Taylor and Zach Hanson have recorded their first album in three years, “Underneath,” and will lay the groundwork for its release early next year by launching an acoustic tour next month. They also will sell an acoustic record at the shows. Casual fans who still carry an image in their minds of three cherubic, pubescent youngsters are in for a surprise. All are strapping young men, and middle brother, Taylor,… Read more »

Still steaming over what he considers a false arrest, Fabolous plans to sue the city of New York for $5 million, according to a notice filed by his lawyer. The rapper, whose real name is John Jackson, was arrested March 24 on criminal weapons possession charges following a performance at Webster Hall. After the show, police stopped the van the rapper was traveling in and found a loaded 9 mm handgun. Fabolous and four other people in the van were arrested on weapons charges, including bodyguard Rodger Renrick of Brooklyn. Renrick claimed the gun was his own and provided proof… Read more »

Alternative rock outfit Dashboard Confessional has unveiled plans for a fall tour, beginning Aug. 30 in Pittsburgh and wrapping Oct. 7 in St. Paul, Minn. The Chris Carrabba-led band will be touring in support of its upcoming Vagrant album, “A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar,” due Aug. 12. The first single, “Hands Down,” is now available for paid download from Apple’s iTunes Music Store. The new disc was produced by Gil Norton (the Pixies, Foo Fighters) and includes such songs as “Carry This Picture for Luck,” “Rapid Hope Loss,” “Ghost of a Good Thing,” “Several Ways To Die… Read more »