Search Results for: The Aces

It’s 4 a.m. on the last night of the South by Southwest music conference, and Jim James is belting out Rod Stewart’s “You’re in My Heart.” A few hours earlier, the My Morning Jacket frontman dazzled an intimate crowd at an Austin church with a mostly solo acoustic set, and the full band’s three other performances during the week were some of the most acclaimed of the industry event. But of all the places James could be right now, it’s a cozy terrace suite at Austin’s famed Driskill Hotel, surrounded by a few close friends, a bucket of Miller Lites… Read more »

Who said you can never go home again? For Dublin-born singer-guitarist Dave King of Irish-American punk rockers Flogging Molly, all it took was a little help from his eventual wife and bandmate, violinist Bridget Regan. “When I heard Bridget playing the fiddle it brought out a lot of feelings in me,” King said through a bright and friendly Irish brogue during a recent phone interview with “I wanted to take that feeling and go back home – not physically of course. It just seemed to all fall together for me.” A lilting mix of traditional Celtic sounds – fiddle, banjo,… Read more »

You’ll usually find R.E.M. playing arenas and esteemed concert halls. But this week, the rock hall of famers were among the acts trying to catch a break and artists looking to build their audience at the sprawling South by Southwest music festival. The multiplatinum rockers played Stubbs BBQ shortly after midnight Wednesday before an energetic crowd of a couple thousand, marking the first time they’ve played the annual extravaganza in their nearly three-decade career. But it’s hardly a downgrade: Playing a showcase at SXSW has often been a way for a veteran act to make a big splash with a… Read more »

The following message was sent to Starting Line fans via email Wednesday evening: From all the east coast to west coast states I want to feel the warmth from the buzz that I create But I’m really not too sure If it’s ever gonna happen But I know that I’m not too concerned Imagine getting your first job when you were 15 years old and doing that exact same job for the rest of your life. Even if it’s the dream job that most people would kill for, eventually you need to stop for a minute and see what else… Read more »

XM Satellite Radio is partnering with Apple to make XM’s programming available on iPods, according to CEO Nate Davis, who revealed their cooperation while discussing the company’s fourth-quarter results last week. Although Davis said he “wouldn’t call it a strategic relationship,” XM began podcasting content in December, and two XM podcasts are already listed in iTunes’ top 10 podcasts. XM is now working with Apple to make XM content accessible via iTunes. This new distribution plan is part of a broader push to promote XM and recruit subscribers via online channels, at the expense of broadcast and physical retail, which… Read more »

Hot teen pop trio the Jonas Brothers have vowed to stay virgins until they wed. The three brothers, Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas, have revealed they’ve sworn a vow of purity. Joe, 18, says, “(We’ve made) promises to ourselves and to God that we’ll stay pure till marriage.” The trio all wear purity rings to remind them of their pledge. Nick, 15, who previously dated Miley Cyrus, tells Details magazine, “I got mine made at Disney World. It’s pretty awesome.” Ten thousand screaming superfans demonstrated Wednesday night at Target Center that, after a few months as openers on the “Hannah… Read more »

In a slow week for new releases, mellow crooner Jack Johnson remained No. 1 on the U.S. pop album charts Wednesday, while newly minted Grammy winners Amy Winehouse and Herbie Hancock surged into the top five. Johnson’s “Sleep Through the Static” sold 179,545 copies in the week ended February 17, according to Nielsen SoundScan, enough to lead the field for a second week. Canadian rock band Simple Plan’s self-titled album started at No. 14 with 39,000 copies — 100,000 copies short of the No. 3 debut for its previous release, 2004’s “Still Not Getting Any…” Overall sales were down 11.6… Read more »

Given the radical image changes that Panic! At The Disco has undergone in the past year, it’s hard not to read the lyrics to its new album’s opening song as a pre-emptive strike against critics. “Oh, how it’s been so long/we’re so sorry we’ve been gone/we were busy writing songs/for you,” bassist Jon Walker sings, by way of apology for the two-and-a-half-year lag between 2005’s “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” and the new “Pretty. Odd.,” due March 25 via Fueled by Ramen/Atlantic. Then, he launches into lines meant to comfort fans who have no doubt noticed that their favorite… Read more »

Don’t hold your breath waiting for the next Spice Girls reunion. Geri Halliwell, a.k.a. Ginger Spice, said a second outing “probably won’t happen ever again.” The quintet’s Return of the Spice Girls World Tour wraps February 26 in Toronto. “This is the last time you will ever get to see this Girl Power, the five Spices on the stage as one,” said Halliwell, who left the group in May 1998 but was a chief proponent of the current reunion. That said, Halliwell told Billboard.com that she would not entirely shut the door on a bit more Spice if fans really,… Read more »

Feist’s musical palette contains many emotional colors, but there’s something to be said for joy. More than anything, a playful spirit explains why this was the Canadian singer-songwriter’s breakout year – that, and a well-timed iPod commercial. She’s up for four Grammy Awards at the Feb. 10 ceremony, including best new artist. One of Feist’s videos shows her flying through the air and literally being pulled back to Earth by someone suspicious of her fun. Another depicts her dancing through fireworks in what one onlooker at the production told her “looks like what falling in love feels like.” Her clip… Read more »