Search Results for: Andy Black

Mississippi blues label Fat Possum Records and its owner Matthew Johnson have sued former joint-venture partner Epitaph Records, alleging that Epitaph hatched “a malicious plot… to financially destroy Johnson and Fat Possum.” The suit, filed Tuesday in California Superior Court in L.A., charges Epitaph with breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, interference with contractual relations and a host of other abuses. According to the suit, Oxford, Miss.-based Fat Possum – home to R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough and other contemporary bluesmen – was being funded by L.A.-based Epitaph under the terms of a joint-venture agreement reached in July 1997.… Read more »

Hoobastank have a choice to make with their next single – not which song to pick, but which video. The group has made two clips for “Same Direction,” the follow-up to “The Reason.” The first is a sequel to that song’s clip, and in the second video, Hoobastank’s fictional former fifth member, “Ted,” runs the show. Ted, according to a treatment conceived by a fan who wrote it as part of a contest, was once the band’s triangle player, let go in the fifth grade for artistic differences. Ted, now 25, is still obsessed with Hoobastank, and he builds shoebox… Read more »

The Rolling Stones and Radiohead got theirs from song titles, U2 and the B-52’s from military aircrafts and Lynyrd Skynyrd from their old gym teacher. And the stories behind new millennium band names are no less random: Yellowcard According to these So-Cal pop-punkers, “yellowcard” is a take on the ever-popular Frat house idiom, “party foul,” proving drunks can be simultaneously obnoxious and witty. Perhaps Ewan McKegger was already in use. Coldplay Chris Martin and his mates, originally called Starfish, were friends with a band called Coldplay. When that band gave up the name, Starfish asked if they could use it.… Read more »

Ray Charles, the Grammy-winning crooner who blended gospel and blues in such crowd-pleasers as “What’d I Say” and ballads like “Georgia on My Mind,” died Thursday, a spokesman said. He was 73. Charles died at his Beverly Hills home surrounded by family and friends, said spokesman Jerry Digney. Charles’ last public appearance was alongside Clint Eastwood on April 30, when the city of Los Angeles designated the singer’s studios, built 40 years ago in central Los Angeles, as a historic landmark. Blind by age 7 and an orphan at 15, Charles spent his life shattering any notion of musical boundaries… Read more »

With a couple of modern rock radio staples behind them (such as the smash, “Bound For The Floor,” off of their second album, As Good As Dead) Local H is back with a 14-song assault entitled, Whatever Happened To PJ Soles?, set for release on April 6th. Featuring Scott Lucas on vocals/guitar, Brian St. Clair on drums, plenty of hooks and of course, an abundance of Lewis‚ acerbic wit and wry observations, Whatever Happened To PJ Soles?, finds the Chicago two-piece sounding better than ever. Tracks such as “California Songs,” “Dick Jones,” “Everyone Alive,” “PJ Soles,” (named after the forgotten… Read more »

Beyonce Knowles may be “Crazy in Love,” but she kept her cool Sunday at one of the more sober Grammy Awards shows in memory. She was the night’s big winner, taking home a record-tying five trophies to join recent Grammy queens Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys and Norah Jones with the most wins in a single year by a female performer. OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below won Album of the Year, giving the eccentric Atlanta funk/rap group three wins, including Best Urban Alternative Performance and Best Rap Album. British band Coldplay took home the prize for Record of the Year for “Clocks,”… Read more »

Ozzy Osbourne has been many things throughout his multi-platinum career: lead singer of Black Sabbath, successful solo star and a veteran touring artist. But as Ozzy marks the 35th anniversary of his career, there is no doubt that his starring part in MTV reality series “The Osbournes” ushered in a most unlikely role for him: that of mainstream pop-culture icon. Much has already been said about Ozzy and his family in the saturation media coverage that followed the success of “The Osbournes,” which documents the lives of Ozzy; his wife/manager, Sharon; and two of their children, Kelly and Jack (the… Read more »

Robert Palmer, the well-tailored British rock singer who created one of the first iconic music videos with the look-alike models of “Addicted to Love,” has died of a heart attack. He was 54. A two-time Grammy winner in the 1980s, the star behind the hit “Simply Irresistible” died of a heart attack Friday at a Paris hotel during a stopover after a promotional tour in Britain, manager Mick Cater said. Sporting designer suits and a thick mane of hair, Palmer shot to fame in the mid-’80s with two videos featuring a “backup band” of dark-haired women in black miniskirts strumming… Read more »

The city school board has voted to fire eight part-time school police officers, including four who were moonlighting as bodyguards for rapper Snoop Dogg when an unknown gunman shot at his convoy in April. After a four-hour closed session, the board voted 4-1 to fire reserve officers Leslie Gaulden, Randy Robinson and Kenny Archer, all of whom worked for the rapper. Officer and Snoop Dogg bodyguard Marcus Thompson, arrested on weapons charges after an incident at the BET Awards show in Hollywood, was fired last week. Board members declined to comment on the decision, but interim school police chief Wesley… Read more »

Need a reason to go on a road trip? How about Bumbershoot? No, we’re not talking gibberish – we’re referring to the infamous Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle, WA, which is taking place at the Seattle Center from August 29 to September 1 this year. From 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. each day, over 2,500 artists will be showcasing their various artistic and musical talents. The festival, which was originally dubbed “The Festival of ’71,” has been gaining momentum since its initial inception over three decades ago. Bumbershoot Festival-goers can enjoy poetry, comedy, acrobats, theatre, graphic art, film, painting, sculpture and… Read more »