Search Results for: GOLD

With little more than one day’s advance public notice, Prince brought his under-the-radar Hit ‘n’ Run tour to Hollywood on Friday. He may not be the commercial presence he once was, but the man (the legend) is still quite capable of tearing the roof off any joint, even the sterile Palladium – as he amply demonstrated over the course of a nearly 30-song set. “You’re about to have the best time of your life,” his Purple Badness boasted before the evening’s opening number, 1980’s disco-y “Uptown,” and then he and the latest incarnation of his NPG band delivered on that… Read more »

Sting effortlessly trots through a cowboy-style Western ditty, swoons a blues number interrupted by French rap and still knows how to strip down to pure form the songs of the group that made him a legend. On tour to promote his album “Brand New Day,” the former Police frontman uses that distinct, throaty voice to sow together his eclectic musical endeavors. “Fill Her Up” from his latest record, a song which is about as close as the poised Englishman comes to singing in a country twang, glides almost seamlessly into “Fields of Gold,” one of his most melodic solo ballads.… Read more »

Clive Davis, widely recognized as the record industry’s most innovative and influential executive, will receive the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement from UCLA on May 4. Two-time Golden Globe winner Katherine Helmond will present the award. The only non-performer to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Davis was the founder and guiding force behind the powerhouse label Arista Records for more than 25 years, launching the careers of Billy Joel, Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston and Dido, among others. Recently, Davis reunited with Santana to produce Supernatural, the Grammy-sweeping album, which has sold… Read more »

A federal appeals court in Manhattan heard oral arguments yesterday in a case that questions the constitutionality of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA was passed by Congress in 1998 when a number of entertainment companies and trade organizations pressured lawmakers to make unauthorized electronic distribution of digital copyrighted materials illegal. The DMCA legislation has given rise to a move by the RIAA to require radio stations streaming on the Internet to pay both performance and publishing royalty fees. If it is upheld in the online world, it’s also possible that the practice will be extended to on-air broadcasts,… Read more »

Green Day dominated the California Music Awards Saturday night (April 28) at the Henry J. Kaiser Arena in Oakland by earning so-called “Bammies” in all eight categories in which the group was nominated; including artist of the year, outstanding group, and outstanding album for Warning. Bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tre Cool both bested all comers in their individual instrument categories, while frontman Billie Joe Armstrong earned outstanding male vocalist honors and songwriting props over Neil Young, Aimee Mann, and others. The group also grabbed the award for outstanding punk/ska album for Warning. Other winners at the 24th annual celebration… Read more »

In what promises to be one of the most exciting concert events of the summer season 200l, singer/songwriter Paul Simon and his 11-piece band will kick-off a 28-city tour of the United States Saturday, June 9th, at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Seattle, Washington. Simon will be joined on the tour by one of rock’s most deeply revered figures, the legendary Brian Wilson, co-founder of The Beach Boys. Wilson will be accompanied by his 10-piece band, which includes the four-member group, The Wondermints. The Paul Simon Summer 200l tour comes hot on the heels of Simon’s Grammy Nomination for Album of… Read more »

When the members of U2 walked off the stage on their 1997-1998 “PopMart” tour, the final image was a heart framed by the outsized “golden” arch – a juxtaposition that perfectly encapsulated that tour’s muddy concept, as the group had strained to find a balance between earnest emotion and smirking irony. On their current “Elevation” tour, the band wears their hearts on their sleeves or, to be more precise, on the heart-shaped runway that surrounds them and a portion of crowd, reaching halfway into the arena. Allowing much of the audience close contact with the band, the stage, along with… Read more »

With the Hollywood-Washington war expected to be reignited today, Motion Picture Assn. of America prexy-CEO Jack Valenti on Monday warned lawmakers in no uncertain terms to back off. “May God save the First Amendment,” Valenti said during a keynote speech before the National Assn. of Broadcasters, which is meeting here for its annual confab. Valenti, like his counterparts in the music biz, was gearing up for the release this morning of a Federal Trade Commission report that will chart how well the entertainment biz has done in stopping the marketing of violent or suggestive fare to kids. The FTC reportedly… Read more »

Signs of success are everywhere for up-and-coming pop-punkers New Found Glory – from the single “Hit or Miss” gaining radio spins and the increasing number of concertgoers who sing along to it, to the growing size of the venues where the group perform and the increasingly comfortable mode of transportation that takes them there. One clue, however, is reserved for only the worthiest targets of admiration. “We had our first crier at a Sam Goody in-store,” guitarist Chad Gilbert admitted. Apparently some young lady was so taken with being in the presence of Gilbert, singer Jordan Pundik, guitarist Steve Klein,… Read more »

In an unprecedented, multi-album, multi-million dollar agreement with Virgin Music Group, Mariah Carey has become the richest (on paper) musician ever. In a world where some dot-com millionaires aren’t old enough to drive, and Texas-sized purses are awarded to athletes like Alex Rodriguez, the record industry was bound to follow suit with a record-breaking [pun intended] contract. Today, they did. In an unprecedented, multi-album, multi-million dollar agreement with Virgin Music Group, Mariah Carey has become the richest (on paper) musician ever. The terms of the deal were not officially disclosed, but New York Daily News reports that Virgin Records will… Read more »