Search Results for: america

Though some artists have been known to exaggerate a broken heart for the sake of art, the All-American Rejects have no need for such artistic license. For them, the truth is often sadder than fiction. “There’s rarely a happy ending in any of my songs,” singer/bassist Tyson Ritter said. “As far as the guy getting the girl in the end, it’s all fictitious. It’s all made up in my mind, I guess; all wishful thinking.” Such weighty fare fills the self-titled full-length debut by Ritter, 18, and multi-instrumentalist Nick Wheeler, 20. Two kids from Stillwater, Oklahoma, shouldn’t know so much… Read more »

Rapper/disc jockey Angie Martinez discovered she wasn’t tough enough to be an “American Idol” judge. Martinez, who was to join original judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul (news) and Randy Jackson for the Fox talent-search show’s second season, quit after the first few auditions. It became “too uncomfortable for me to tell someone else to give up on their dream, especially when I realized that many of them have supported my musical career,” Martinez said in a statement. Fox will stick with a trio of judges and not fill Martinez’s slot, a spokeswoman said Wednesday. The first edition of “American Idol,”… Read more »

Justin Guarini may be known all over the world as “Mr. Runner Up” from hit TV show “American Idol,” but RCA Records is betting the floppy-haired singer will be a winner on the record sales charts. RCA, a unit of Bertelsmann AG, on Wednesday said it will release the solo recordings of Guarini, 23, following the label’s success with the release of a single by the show’s champion, Kelly Clarkson. The bubbly 20-year-old’s rendition of “A Moment Like This,” the song Clarkson performed on the final episode of the show, has topped the charts in recent weeks. RCA said Guarini… Read more »

Veteran U.K. rock outfit Primal Scream has set a Nov. 26 North American release date for its domestic Epic debut, “Evil Heat.” The album, which features contributions from Robert Plant, Kate Moss, My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields, and the Jesus And Mary Chain’s Jim Reid, was released in August in the group’s homeland. The North American release of “Evil Heat” will be accompanied by a DVD featuring 45 minutes of bonus material. The video clips for “Miss Lucifer” and “Autobahn 66” are included, alongside videos of four songs performed live at August’s V2002 festival: “Rocks,” “Moving on Up,” “Swastika Eyes,”… Read more »

Nick Carter is making his acting debut this week in a role as equally “dreamy” as his status in the Backstreet Boys. The singer will play the frontman of Jay & the Americans on NBC’s new “American Dreams,” a drama centering on the legendary music show “American Bandstand” in the late 1960s. Carter will sing Jay & the Americans’ two biggest hits, “Come a Little Bit Closer” and “She Cried,” according to an NBC spokesperson. He’s filming the episode, which will air November 3, in Los Angles this week. The October 6 show will feature Michelle Branch as Lesley Gore,… Read more »

The All-American Rejects are a Stillwater, Oklahoma based band whose incomparable sound fuses modern power pop music with drum loops, rock guitar and infectious melodies and harmonies. The duo that is known as The All-American Rejects is Tyson Ritter (vocals, bass) and Nick Wheeler (guitars, drums, keyboards, & programming). The band released their first independent album in the spring of 2000 securing spins on Oklahoma radio creating a massive local fan base. The songs compiling the album attracted opportunities for the duo such as mass local radio and press exposure, licensing on MTV’s Undressed, and opening bill for The Flaming… Read more »

The girls still screamed every time former bar mitzvah singer Justin Guarini flashed his pearly whites, but it was soulful girl-next-door Kelly Clarkson who took home the title of “American Idol” Wednesday night. Coming off her bravura performance on Tuesday, the 20-year-old Burleson, Texas, cocktail waitress brought down the house moments after being crowned the champion of the talent contest. “I can’t believe it’s happening to me,” Clarkson sang, as fireworks rained down behind her during a performance of her soon-to-be-released first single, “A Moment Like This.” A choked-up Clarkson blew a line during her command performance (one of her… Read more »

Swedish punk export The Hives, who have stormed the British singles chart this year, are spreading their infectious thrashy sound to the United States, their label, Burningheart Records, said Friday. Along with retro-punk contemporaries The Strokes and the White Stripes, the Swedish rebels have swept onto the British alternative scene this spring with their apoplectic stage show and shiny white dancing shoes. “An offer came from Warner Brothers and Sire, which we’ve accepted,” Mudda of Burningheart told Reuters. “It’s a distribution, promotion and marketing agreement and they’ll start touring the States in May.” The Hives emerged from the small industrial… Read more »

Hitting the stage for the first time in 3 years, genre-defying, multi-platinum artist Lenny Kravitz has announced dates for the US leg of his LENNY LIVE world tour in support of his 6th studio album, LENNY. The tour, promoted by Clear Channel Entertainment will kick off in the US on July 12th in Virginia Beach and hit 33 major cities nationwide through September. Jointly presented by MTV and VH-1, P!nk and Abandoned Pools will open the show. A special theatre appearance at NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom on May 3rd will kick off Lenny’s world tour. Universally-renowned as one of America’s premiere… Read more »

Former Beatle Paul McCartney, reflecting on Hollywood’s patriotic mood after the September 11 hijack attacks, said on Monday it was important that Americans won this year’s Oscars. McCartney, who along with compatriot Sting lost out to Randy Newman in the best original song category, said: “This year – with what happened in America – I think maybe it was kind of important that a lot of Americans had to win.” “And you know I don’t blame them – I wouldn’t take that away from them,” he told Sky News after the show where he had made his Oscar debut performing… Read more »