Search Results for: atlantic

R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck is a “southern gentleman” who has never been rude to anyone, the band’s lead singer Michael Stipe told a London court today (March 27). Stipe appeared as a character witness at the “air-rage” trial of Buck, who is accused of going on a drunken rampage aboard a trans-Atlantic British Airways flight last April. The R.E.M. singer said Buck was “like a big brother” and said the allegations against his friend of 23 years did not make sense. “He’s just not a person who is rude to anyone,” Stipe told Isleworth Crown Court in west London. “Something… Read more »

“We’re cranking up the big handle again and heading over yonder,” says INXS guitarist Tim Farriss about his band’s upcoming trek across America, the Aussie group’s first since 1997. “We’re really, really excited about it. It’s going to be a real interesting show.” Beginning May 30th in Anaheim, California, the twenty-four-date jaunt will mark the band’s first stateside gigs since the death of singer Michael Hutchence. Filling in on vocal duties for the time being is longtime friend of the band Jon Stevens, who over the last few years has taken the vocal reins at INXS shows Down Under. “Jon’s… Read more »

There’s not a whole lotta love lost between the surviving members of Led Zeppelin and their former label, Atlantic Records. Last week, vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones filed suit against the company, claiming they have only been paid one-quarter of the royalties owed to them for 42 of their most famous tracks, including “Whole Lotta Love” and “Stairway to Heaven,” the London Observer reported. Jones’ manager confirmed the suit, but couldn’t provide further details, and Page’s and Plant’s management refused to comment. On Tuesday a spokesperson for Atlantic said simply, “We’re in the process… Read more »

While they won’t have Linkin Park and Staind along for the ride this time, Stone Temple Pilots will return to the road next month for a 16-date tour. The band, which headlined the Family Values Tour last year, will make several festival appearances and will play more intimate headlining gigs dubbed “A Night With Stone Temple Pilots,” according to the group’s management. STP tentatively plan to spend the summer working on their sixth album, but got a head start earlier this month when they laid down a track in Los Angeles. A live version of the fatalistic love song “Wonderful”… Read more »

It’s been a heck of a year so far for Alicia Keys, who took home five Grammy Awards in February for her album Songs in A Minor, which has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide. And, with a multitude of appearances and a full summer tour on her schedule, her star should shine bright well through the year. Keys’ 35-date North American tour will begin in Milwaukee on July 2 at Summerfest and will run through August 30 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, at the American Music Festival. Keys will celebrate Independence Day in New Orleans at the Essence Festival;… Read more »

Singles feathered on MTV’s immensely popular “Total Request Live” (TRL) show will be available in compilation form March 26 via UTV Records’ “The Best of TRL Pop,” a single-disc set celebrating the stars whose videos have been the show’s staples. There are no exclusives or rarities here, just the show’s most popular singles in their original studio incarnations, from Smash Mouth’s ubiquitous “All Star” and Sisqo’s equally universal “Thong Song” to Enrique Iglesias’ No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 smash “Be With You” and Willa Ford’s “I Wanna Be Bad.” All the big boy bands are here too, including ‘N Sync,… Read more »

Australian rock trio Silverchair has set a July 9 North American release date for its Atlantic debut, “Diorama,” which will arrive in Australia in April via new independent label Eleven. “This is our third comeback,” jokes singer Daniel Johns, who was only 16 when Silverchair broke internationally in 1995. “I think we’re going to be like Kiss and just increase the amount of makeup as we go on.” In an unlikely pairing, Silverchair turned to Van Dyke Parks, best known for his collaborations with Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson, to provide arrangements for three tunes. “I showed demos to a… Read more »

If you missed her tour last fall or her HBO special or her recent big screen debut… well, then you must live in a cave. But even cave dwellers need to get out every now and then, so pop’s reigning queen, Britney Spears, has lined up a spring North American tour that kicks off May 24 in Las Vegas, according to her web site. Spears has so far mapped out two month’s worth of shows. The trek will comprise the second leg of the chart champ’s tour in support of her Britney CD. The outing comes on the heels of… Read more »

The Eagles, Billy Joel, No Doubt, the Dixie Chicks, Eddie Vedder and others are playing a series of benefit concerts the night before Wednesday’s Grammy Awards for a unique cause: each other. The four Los Angeles concerts Tuesday, to benefit the Recording Artists Coalition, represent a shot across the bow of the recording industry from the people whose work it markets. The artists are demanding new relations with record labels, including fairer contracts and more oversight of accounting practices. “It’s time that the artistic community grows up,” said singer Don Henley, who urged artists not to ignore the business of… Read more »

Universal South, the recently-formed joint venture between Tony Brown, Tim DuBois, and Universal Records, has appointed Bryan Switzer to SVP of Promotion. Based in Nashville, Switzer will develop and implement extensive radio promotional campaigns for such artists as Allison Moorer, Dean Miller, Bering Strait, and Holly Lamar. “We’re thrilled to have someone with Bryan’s experience, knowledge, and passion joining Universal South’s senior management team,” stated Brown. “He has a proven track record in working with and developing the careers of artists, and we are looking forward to his immediate contributions.” “When you combine Bryan’s extensive background in the record business… Read more »