Search Results for: christmas

People tend to look at you funny when you jump into the pool with your iPod strapped to your arm and a pair of waterproof headphones stuck in your ears. Having access to music and podcasts while knocking through a few laps at the gym cuts down on the monotony of this type of exercise — but it’s probably not for self-conscious folks who mind getting a few double takes. Mixing electronics with water is generally discouraged, after all. Yes, Apple’s digital-music revolution has extended to the swimming pool, thanks to devices like this waterproof contraption, called an OtterBox, I’ve… Read more »

The Spice Girls are still oceans apart when it comes to getting together. First, it was Live 8 in 2005, and this time it’s the July 1 tribute to Princess Diana that the ’90s-era British pop stars will not be performing at, sticking a fork in yet another rumor that Scary, Sporty, Baby, Ginger and Posh are ready to take the stage again. “Despite media speculation at this time, there is no confirmation of a Spice reunion,” Victoria Beckham’s rep, Cheryl Maisel, told E! News. “Victoria is moving to L.A., Emma is due to have a baby and Mel B… Read more »

The untimely death in 1996 of 33-year-old pop/jazz singer Eva Cassidy struck a deep chord with Chuck Brown. Washington, D.C.’s godfather of go-go had teamed with Cassidy on the 1995 release “The Other Side.” “After we lost her, I didn’t want to do anymore studio work,” Brown said. But cajoling from songwriter/producer Chucky Thompson and business manager Tom Goldfogle changed Brown’s tune. “We’re About the Business” (due April 24 from Raw Venture) is the musician’s first set of primarily original material since Cassidy’s death. That’s not all. Rapper Eve samples his No. 31 1974 R&B hit “Blow Your Whistle” on… Read more »

Panic! At The Disco have been discussing their second album. The band is currently recording the follow-up to 2006’s A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out in Nevada’s Mount Charleston studios. Guitarist Ryan Ross said the album would have a theme running through it. He added: “We all get together and created this–I guess you could call it a concept–that we all wrote and we were all involved with and pretty interested in.” “It’s kind of a love story. It’s a timeless age of romantic, poetic fantasies.” The band is working with Rob Mathes, who worked with the band on the… Read more »

You’d think the guys in Panic! at the Disco would have a whole buncha goals in mind for the follow-up to their platinum debut, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. But, no – they have just one. “Actually, our whole goal for this CD is to create a close relationship with Dr. Dre. You know, getting some sort of business plan worked out,” bassist Jon Walker laughed. “I mean, the guy’s a genius.” Of course he’s joking (we think), because there’s clearly more on the line for them this time around. Which is probably why, earlier this month, they announced… Read more »

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame swung open its doors Monday night to the latest batch of acts ticketed for music immortality, with the Georgia alt-rock icons and the dysfunctional Pasadena party band leading the way. They were joined by ’70s punk pioneer Patti Smith, ’60s girl group the Ronettes and the first hip-hop act to crash the party, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The 22nd annual induction ceremony–which per tradition was held at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel–felt like an I Love the ’80 special, thanks to its two biggest inductees. R.E.M. received a warm introduction… Read more »

“We have been wrestling with the issues around interoperability for some years and have concluded that it is not so much a technology problem as a business problem,” wrote the consortium to Jobs. No kidding? And all along the world at large thought downloading DRM-free MP3 files presented huge technical issues. Seriously though, late last year Apple itself gave a few of us media folk a glimpse of why record companies fear the computer turned consumer electronics company. At the Apple Australia Christmas party in Sydney, a young band treated us all to a couple of songs. They were pretty… Read more »

London pop rockers Hard-Fi are hard at work on their second studio album, which they describe as ‘sounding great’. The four-piece took some time off after the runaway success of their debut “Stars Of CCTV”, which hit No. 1 in the UK and went someway to establishing the band stateside, but reconvened last week. The new album is rumoured for release this winter. “We’re all back in the studio now after the Christmas holiday all a little bit fatter and unhealthier, Kai still hungover and Steve still wearing the jumper his Nan knitted him,” writes guitarist Ross Philips. “But a… Read more »

Music company EMI Group PLC, home of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Coldplay, said it is merging its Capitol and Virgin labels in the United States to form the Capitol Music Group. The move continues a reorganization at EMI, which earlier this month announced the departure of two top executives and warned investors that full-year sales will be far below expectations. Jason Flom will lead Capitol Music Group as chairman and chief executive, EMI said in a statement Thursday. Flom joined EMI as chief executive of Virgin Records America in November 2005. “The music business shows exciting growth potential,… Read more »

A new energy drink doesn’t promise to give you the juice to play guitar like Jimi Hendrix, but it does hope to give you a “Liquid Experience.” Beverage Concepts says its nonalcoholic “Liquid Experience” drinks, named for Hendrix’s breakthrough album, “Are You Experienced?” will debut in April. The concept is irking some Hendrix fans, many of whom still consider him the greatest guitarist of all time. “To see his image and the beautiful feelings it has created during my lifetime cheapened by base advertising … is very disappointing to me,” said bassist Michael Balzary, better known as Flea of the… Read more »