Search Results for: decade

Just out is Devil’s Night, the highly anticipated album from D12, the Detroit rap collective that features solo superstar Eminem, who executive produced the album. The group’s critics-at least those who aren’t attacking its songs about violence, sex, and drugs-are using Eminem’s involvement to discount the contributions of the group’s other five members. But MC Proof (Deshaun Holton), who co-founded the band a decade ago, tells LAUNCH that D12 sees nothing but advantages to Eminem’s stature. Some people look at us, like, ‘This is gonna be Eminem’s group. You’re gonna be in his shadow.’ They don’t realize how positive and… Read more »

Blues legend John Lee Hooker died of natural causes as he slept at his home in Los Altos, south of San Francisco. He was 80 years old. The veteran blues singer recorded more than 100 albums over a career that spanned nearly seven decades. Hooker often recorded under false names, including Texas Slim, John Lee Booker, John Lee Cocker, Delta John, Birmingham Sam, and the Boogie Man. He won a Grammy for a version of “I’m In the Mood,” and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. Having recorded his first hit, “Boogie Chillen,” in… Read more »

After spending more than three decades dealing with the business that is rock ‘n’ roll, Aerosmith co-founder Joe Perry dreams of a time when he can focus on nothing but playing his guitar. Dream on. With a new album and summer-long U.S. tour that kicked off earlier this month in Hartford, Conn., Perry and the Boston-based quintet has been busy – making videos, contributing to movie soundtracks, going to awards ceremonies, performing at sporting events and working with other artists. While it’s the kind of success most bands dream of, for Perry, it’s become another day at the office. “It… Read more »

MTV: Music Television and Maverick Recording Co. have announced a July 3rd release date for “MTV: 20 Years of Pop Music,” a 15-track collection featuring the greatest pop hits of the past two decades. This star-studded album of blockbuster singles accompanies the upcoming MTV special titled, “MTV20: Everybody Talk About… Pop Music!,” a one-hour event premiering July 14th at 12 noon ET/PT, celebrating seminal pop moments that occurred over the course of the network’s 20-years. This extraordinary and diverse compilation, features songs pulled from the last 20 years of MTV, from Madonna (“Borderline”) to Christina Aguilera (“Genie In A Bottle”);… Read more »

Depeche Mode, the influential British technopop band that has flourished for two decades, kicked off a five-month world tour in Quebec City Monday night, promoting its new songs in an effort to leave behind its 1980s hits and its years of rock ‘n’ roll excess. The two-hour show, which will tour 24 countries, focused on Depeche Mode’s new album “Exciter,” offering a smoother sound that returns to the band’s roots of pop music with romantic lyrics and electronic melodies. The show was meant to capture the imagination of a new generation of fans, not necessarily the die-hard 1980s supporters. Solid,… Read more »

Radio Free Virgin has unveiled its newest programming channel, “The Crossroads,” offering blues music and historical content surrounding the genre. The new offering brings the total number of genres to 20 that are carried over more than 40 channels, which are streamed through RFV’s proprietary streaming media player. More than 2 million people have downloaded the RFV player since the site launched in early 1999. “The Crossroads” features hundreds of recordings as well the history of the genre with detailed information, rare photographs, and audio and video from the archives of the University of Mississippi and private collections. World renown… Read more »

When The Spinal Tap performed Monday night at Carnegie Hall, it was as if the thirty-four-year-old British heavy metal band was playing for the first time in three days. With the three founding Spinal Tap members – David St. Hubbins, on guitar and vocals; Nigel Tufnel, on lead guitar; and Derek Smalls, on bass – Spinal Tap played “Carnegie ‘Fucking’ Hall” as if they were the same band they have always been. And yet with accompaniment by longtime keyboardist Caucasian Jeffrey Vaston, and with Skippy Skuffelton accepting the suicide mission of drums, Spinal Tap actually are still the same band… Read more »

MCY today announced the signing of legendary rocker Dave Mason to MCY’s subsidiary, Pyramid Music. Pyramid will create a digital production from a June 2001 Dave Mason Band North American tour performance, which will be released on CD and DVD, as well as distributed through television and secure digital distribution channels. MCY CEO Bernhard Fritsch said, “We’re proud to help Dave bring his compelling, timeless rock into the digital era. He revolutionized rock-n-roll with Traffic and has been a powerful influence ever since.” Pyramid President Alan Jacobi concurred, adding, “Dave always pushes the limits to give fans an extraordinary experience.… Read more »

After spending more than three decades dealing with the business that is rock ‘n’ roll, Aerosmith co-founder Joe Perry dreams of a time when he can focus on nothing but playing his guitar. Dream on. With the release of a new album and summer-long U.S. tour that starts Wednesday in Hartford, Perry and the Boston-based quintet have been dizzied by a flurry of videos, movie soundtracks, award ceremonies, sporting event appearances and collaborations with other artists. “It seems like Aerosmith has turned into a full-time job, which is kind of a drag because I got into this business so I… Read more »

Members of rock band Journey say they’ve got a lot in common with Las Vegas, where they headlined over the weekend. Neither is new and both have been evolving over the decades. “Vegas has evolved into a world-class place for entertainment,” said Journey’s new lead singer, Steve Augeri, who joined the band in 1998. Journey, which consists of three of its original members from the 1970s and a new drummer, is also setting off for “new frontiers,” Augeri added. Guitarist Neal Schon, an original member, referred to Las Vegas as New York City on steroids. “No one ever sleeps,” he… Read more »