Search Results for: Avril Lavigne

After a night of partying, the only thing worse than a hangover is a pounding case of regret to keep it company. Unfortunately Sum 41 singer Deryck Whibley has woken up to the insufferable couple more times than he’d care to recall. While a headache and peaked feeling usually vanish with some aspirin and rest, embarrassment lasts a lot longer. And it’s that “what the hell was I thinking?” feeling that inspired Sum 41’s next single, “Over My Head (Better Off Dead).” “It’s [about] regretting something you said, usually the night before,” Whibley said. “Like, a lot of times, I… Read more »

The only person who gets to poke fun at Eminem is…himself? That’s the word from Weird Al Yankovic who, despite gaining permission from the rap superstar to parody his hit “Lose Yourself” in a tune called “Couch Potato,” couldn’t convince his Em-inence to let Yankovic do the same in a music video. One would think the hip-hopster would stand up and oblige a comedian who’s made a career out of satirizing the likes of Michael Jackson (“Eat It,” “I’m Fat,”), Madonna (“Like a Surgeon”), Nirvana (“Smells Like Nirvana”) and Coolio (“Amish Paradise”), but the answer was an unequivocal no. While… Read more »

Talented kids living in the middle of nowhere Canada get bored, learn some instruments and write some songs. Throw in several accomplished producers (Linda Perry, Phillip Stier and The Matrix) overseeing some of the latest in North American pop, and thus is born Lillix – a quartet of teenage and young twentysomethings who sing about angst and life with eternal girl-powered optimism. “Falling Uphill” is a solid but not groundbreaking debut, and one that will please the teen set – even those looking for some edgier bubblegum. A blend of tight harmonies (the track “Quicksand” is a great example) and… Read more »

Mullets, Chevelles, BMX bikes, muscle cars, cheesy mustaches. The science of guitar solos by White Lion and Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt. These are ’80s things bands like Blink-182 like to poke fun at. Damone’s Dave Pino, however, isn’t laughing with them. “That whole mullet thing, American Hi-Fi and Sum 41 can goof on that stuff – the Camaro-driving guy with the mustache. It’s funny and I get it, but it’s offensive to us,” said Pino, the musical mastermind behind Waltham, Massachusetts, rockers Damone. “In this town, we’re stuck in some ’80s suburb,” Pino explained of the working- class Boston ‘burb of… Read more »

Proving that no one does Metallica better than Metallica, acts such as Sum 41, Limp Bizkit, Korn and Avril Lavigne gamely covered songs by the hard rock group at MTV’s annual tribute concert on Saturday while fans impatiently awaited a set by the honorees themselves. Playing in public for the first time with new bassist Rob Trujillo, Metallica ran through a fast and furious medley of songs, including “Creeping Death” and “Sanitarium,” before unveiling the speed-metal song “Frantic” from their upcoming album, “St. Anger.” Still a little rusty from a long layoff, Metallica performed “Frantic” twice after deciding that the… Read more »

The members of Metallica are the heroes of the day at San Quentin State Prison, one of the most infamous prisons in the United States. The hard rock quartet, preparing to release its new album “St. Anger” on June 10, is shooting a video for the title track at the prison on Wednesday, and will perform an hourlong concert the following day, the group said on its Web site (http://www.metclub.com). The video will be directed by the Malloy Brothers, who previously worked with 311 and Foo Fighters. The 150-year-old prison, just north of Metallica’s San Francisco home town, was the… Read more »

Nothing spices up a cheeky pop-punk act like a naughty double entendre. Avril Lavigne’s “Things I’ll Never Say” wouldn’t be quite as euphoric without the line, “I wanna blow you… away.” And who could forget Blink-182’s sort-of-dirty album title Take Off Your Pants and Jacket? English may not be Simple Plan’s first language (French is their native tongue), but they’ve got a firm grasp on how to use it to craft bathroom humor. Their debut album is called No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls, and on their latest hit, “Addicted,” the group snuck a swear word past the censors before… Read more »

The White Stripes’ much-heralded new album “Elephant” (XL Recordings) stampeded the U.K. chart on Sunday, going straight to No. 1, while “Make Luv” by Room 5 featuring Oliver Cheatham (Positiva) retained its place at the top of the singles chart. The singles survey also saw a new entry at No. 4 for Liverpool trio Atomic Kitten’s latest hit, “Love Doesn’t Have To Hurt” (Innocent/Virgin), and a No. 7 debut for Avril Lavigne’s “I’m With You” (Arista). The only other top-20 debuts were Mario’s “Just a Friend” (J) at No. 18 and “Satisfaction” by Eve (Ruff Ryders) at No. 20. Last… Read more »

Bertelsmann said Monday it is seeking bids by the end of the week for its academic and professional publishing business, which the German media company intends to sell for about 1 billion euros ($1.06 billion) to cut debt. Bertelsmann expects “at least half a dozen” bids for its BertelsmannSpringer unit, spokesman Oliver Herrgesell said. Berlin-based BertelsmannSpringer has 5,200 employees in 16 countries and publishes books, periodicals, databases as well as CD-ROMs in scientific and medical fields. Guetersloh-based Bertelsmann AG’s other divisions include music group BMG, whose labels have artists such as Avril Lavigne, Dave Mathews and Pink, Random House book… Read more »

Zomba Music Group, home to teen-pop powerhouse Jive Records, will be saying “bye, bye, bye” to as many as 350 employees out of its 1,800-strong global staff over the next nine months as part of its long-awaited integration into parent company Bertelsmann Music Group. The layoffs, which will be spread out evenly over the course of the year, are part of a larger effort to bring Zomba’s stable of imprints – including Jive, Verity, Silvertone and Volcano – into the major-label group’s worldwide infrastructure. From a brand standpoint, Zomba will remain very much independent from BMG, with major imprints and… Read more »