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Anticipation for the Talking Heads’ arrival backstage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony last night was high; reporters hung around waiting until well past midnight. And when David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison and Chris Frantz finally showed, there was only the briefest of silences before the question came up: “How did it feel to play together and are there plans for a reunion?” “One thing at a time,” Harrison said, diplomatically. “It was great tonight.” The band addressed the issues that had kept them from performing together for eighteen years, claiming that reports of acrimony… Read more »

If Republicans, “Dukes of Hazzard” reruns and an abundance of heavy metal weren’t enough to convince you, No Doubt’s Rock Steady road show leaves little doubt that the 1980s are back. On the tour’s opening night, the Orange County ska-popsters mined flavors from across the retro-’80s spectrum, mixing driving hardcore and rasta riddims with slap-bass funk, new wave synth and pop queen balladry. With a punked-out rhythm section, two dread-stylie horn players, a guitarist straight out of a Duran Duran video and bare-bellied, necktie-wearing Gwen-just-wanna-have-fun-Stefani up front, they even looked the part. The drum set glowed under the Memorial Auditorium’s… Read more »

At the rate they’re going, B2K may soon have to do all their public appearances via satellite. The young pop/R&B quartet’s current tour with IMX had to be moved from clubs to theaters because of the crowds they were attracting, and on Monday an in-store appearance in Concord, California, was cut short when some fans didn’t want to wait their turn in line. B2K, who released their self-titled debut March 12, were signing autographs at the Sun Valley Mall Sam Goody store when some of the more than 1,000 fans waiting outside bumrushed to the front, according to a mall… Read more »

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame welcomed its first members from the new wave and punk eras on Monday night, inducting The Ramones and Talking Heads along with classic rockers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, soul and R&B icon Isaac Hayes, versatile vocalist Brenda Lee and singer/songwriter Gene Pitney. Legendary guitar sideman Chet Atkins was also inducted, as was Jim Stewart, founder of and driving force behind revolutionary soul music label Stax Records. The hall’s 17th annual induction ceremony got off to a rousing start with Hayes performing his Oscar-winning “Theme from ‘Shaft.”‘ Hayes, who saw eight of his… Read more »

After being arrested for drug possession, disorderly conduct and for making terrorist threats on Wednesday, former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach issued a statement on Saturday asking people not to jump to conclusions without knowing his side of the story. What that side of the story is remains unknown, as Bach, whose real name is Sebastian Bierk, didn’t address specifics of the incident, deciding instead to save that story for court. “There is a report in the press about an unfortunate incident that occurred three nights ago in a restaurant,” the statement reads, referring to a bar fight that caused… Read more »

South by Southwest, Austin’s annual music conference that usually showcases the best new artists coming down the pike, kicked off, oddly enough, with a plea to go back. The call came from Robbie Robertson. The onetime leader of the Band expressed mild alarm at the state of the music business during his keynote address Thursday morning. Go back, he suggested, to that first moment of musical discovery. “Music took us on a journey, and we’re still on that journey,” he told a packed ballroom at the Austin Convention Center, noting that his own first impressions came during childhood visits to… Read more »

P. Diddy has one. So does J.Lo. Could Britney Spears be the next pop star to come out with a clothing line? “I have thought about that,” Spears told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “That would probably be something I do when I take a little break; because I love clothes, I would really be able to put all my time and energy in to it.” Spears has gotten as much – if not more – attention for her clothes as her music. Teens have copied her sometimes revealing garb, to the chagrin of some parents, and her… Read more »

RCA Records president Jack Rovner has departed his post after just over a year on the job, as part of yet another strategy shift at the label’s BMG Entertainment parent, which includes the dissolution of BMG’s North America management structure. Following Rovner’s departure, current BMG North America president/CEO Bob Jamieson will abandon that position and take up a new one as chairman of the newly reconstituted RCA Music Group, sources close to the music giant said. With the new title, Jamieson will exert more direct control over RCA Records as well as jazz-and-classical unit the RCA Victor Group, country arm… Read more »

The British pop charts are warming up for a struggle between good and evil as American Satanic rocker Marilyn Manson releases an album on the same day as stammering, squeaky-clean ‘Pop Idol’ runner-up Gareth Gates. Drawing up the battlelines on Wednesday, Manson said his years of drug and alcohol abuse were just as much of a handicap as Gates’ stammer, and he deserved a Number One hit. Manson, who bases his act around devil worship, releases “Tainted Love” on Monday, the same day as former choir-boy Gates cover version of “Unchained Melody.” But in an interview with music magazine NME,… Read more »

Going into his ninth year in the entertainment business, pint-sized rap star Lil’ Bow Wow is branching out – more music, movies and even a clothing line. Heady stuff for someone who turned 15 on March 9. Since being discovered at age 6, the 5-foot protege of rapper-actor Snoop Dogg has set the stage for other young rappers. His teen-age fans have pushed his two albums, “Beware of Dog” and “Doggy Bag,” to platinum status. His story is old hat in hip-hop circles. In 1993 while on the Chronic Tour, Snoop pulled the boy – who was born Shad Moss… Read more »