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Can vinyl records save the recording industry?
TORONTO – As music lovers approach a new decade in this still-young century, a recording technology once considered old and obsolete — vinyl — has been making a strong comeback.
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TORONTO – As music lovers approach a new decade in this still-young century, a recording technology once considered old and obsolete — vinyl — has been making a strong comeback.
Moments before the opening curtain of “American Idiot,” the musical theater debut of the punk band Green Day, a t-shirted house manager took the stage at Berkeley Repertory Theater for the tradition of reminding audience members to turn off their cellphones and unwrap their candies. This being a musical by Green Day, though, it wasn’t your typical curtain speech. “Are you ready to rock tonight?” shouted the house manager, John Gay. And sure enough, the crowd roared back, “Yeah!” Such is the rowdy mood surrounding “American Idiot,” a rock opera drawn largely from Green Day’s multiplatinum 2004 album of the… Read more »
Nicole Richie and Joel Madden have welcomed a baby boy, People.com reports. “In the middle of night, the very early hours of September 9, 2009 Sparrow James Midnight Madden was born to Nicole Richie and Joel Madden,” the couple wrote on Richie’s Web site. “He weighs 7lbs 14oz. Nicole, Joel, Harlow and Sparrow are all doing well. Thank you for all of your good wishes.” The newborn joins the couple’s 1 ½-year-old daughter, Harlow Winter Kate Madden. Though the proud parents, who announced in February they were expecting, have expanded their family, they say they have no immediate plans to… Read more »
In July 2007, R.E.M. booked five nights of shows at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre and dubbed the performances as a “working rehearsal” as they tested out new tunes in front of small crowds of die-hards. Many of the songs from the concerts ended up on R.E.M.’s 2008 album Accelerate, and now the highlights from the five shows will be featured on the upcoming double-disc set Live at the Olympia, due out Oct. 27. In addition to the 39 tracks from the show, a deluxe version of Olympia will feature concert and backstage footage from French director Vincent Moon. A sampling of… Read more »
Fueled By Ramen recording group Paramore has announced details of their hugely anticipated third album, Brand New Eyes, which will land in stores Sept. 28. Produced by Grammy Award-winner Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Kid Rock, My Chemical Romance) and co-produced by the band, Brand New Eyes is the long-awaited follow-up to 2007’s US platinum certified, and UK gold certified, second album Riot!, which has now sold over 2 million copies worldwide. The new 12-track collection is unquestionably Paramore’s brightest album to date, fit to burst with all the exuberant melodies, breathless hooks and irrepressible energy that has made the Nashville-based… Read more »
There was a time when most aspiring musicians had the same dream: to sign a deal with a major record label. Now, with the structure of the music business shifting radically, some industry iconoclasts are sidestepping the music giants and inventing new ways for artists to make and market their music – without ever signing a traditional recording contract. The latest effort comes from Brian Message, manager of the alternative band Radiohead, which gave away its last album, “In Rainbows,” on the Internet. His venture, called Polyphonic, which was announced this month, will look to invest a few hundred thousand… Read more »
Paris Hilton hated her 2006 movie “Pledge This!” and refused for months to make promotional appearances for it despite a contract requiring her to do so, lawyers for the film’s investors said as trial opened Thursday in an $8 million lawsuit against her. “During the six-month period, at no time would she take 10 minutes to do a phone interview,” said attorney Bryan West, who represents the investors. With Hilton nodding vigorously from her defense table seat, her attorney Michael Weinstein insisted she did numerous appearances for the movie but was unavailable to meet many requests by the film’s producers… Read more »
The Used is proud to announce that its fourth album, Artwork, will be released on Sept. 1. Produced by Matt Squire, Artwork is a raw collection of 11 songs that not so delicately teeter between aggressively discordant and charmingly hooky. The first single, “Blood On My Hands,” premiered June 30; it sold over 5,000 copies in the first day and shot to No. 9 on the iTunes Alternative Chart. “‘Blood on my Hands’ sums up everything about The Used,” guitarist Quinn Allmann said. The single is confined chaos, brutally thrashing one moment and proffering a pop-driven, sing-along chorus the next.… Read more »
Kanye West might not be able to tell you the complete background of one of his newer artists, Big Sean, but he can see his guy’s future. Sean may be the next mainstream hip-hop star coming out of Detroit. “He put out mixtapes… His story for me was I heard him rap, he killed it and he got signed,” West said. One cannot script Sean’s introduction to West any better. Sean took a page right out of fellow Detroit native Eminem’s handbook and lost himself in the moment. When he was alerted by a friend that West would be at… Read more »
Vans Warped Tour kicks off its 15th year of rocking up summer in Pomona, Calif. on June 26, and this year Fearless Records has four acts heading out for two months of punk rock mayhem. The Maine continues a killer year with a headlining slot on The Hurley Stage, while both A Skylit Drive and Breathe Carolina will play the entire tour on the SmartPunk Stage. Also joining them on select dates will be Every Avenue, which is set to take Warped by storm for a second year from July 24 – August 23. The Fearless tent will be… Read more »
