Search Results for: extreme

And you thought Andrew W.K. was scary. The organizers behind the Vans Warped Tour are tapping into the world of cinema by filming a “teenage slasher film” during the trek. “It’s about a disgruntled employee,” said Kevin Lyman, founder of the tour that mixes extreme sports and punk/ska music. “The guy gets fired the first day and he comes back and puts a curse on the Warped Tour. Then all these things happen.” The tentatively titled “Punk Rock Holocaust” will be shot by Backseat Conceptions, a division of Troma Films, makers of such B-movie classics as “The Toxic Avenger,” “Sgt.… Read more »

It was as if the tattooed hand of a punk rock god reached down and anointed Andrew W.K. The hard partying rocker was enthusiastically playing his anthem “I Get Wet” as the skies opened up and a torrential downpour put an early end to the eighth stop on this year’s Vans Warped Tour. He always sports a maniacal smirk and a dirty T-shirt, but even W.K., surrounded on the stage by a dozen head-banging fans, couldn’t help but laugh. Just one week into a grueling cross-country summer trek, the ninth edition of the punk and extreme-sports tour experienced both kinds… Read more »

The Used, from Orem, Utah, have become a musical phenomenon in short order since the release of their self-titled debut album last summer. The band’s honest and straightforward approach to their music and lives has captivated an audience worldwide. Now, more than a year into living on the road and performing their music with reckless abandon and extreme passion, The Used have decide to give a little back to their fans in appreciation of all that they have done for them. That gift is a heartfelt, behind the scenes telling of their story, as they say, “with nothing to hide”… Read more »

The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences has made changes in voting categories for next year’s 46th annual Grammy Awards, including the establishment of a best rap song Grammy. The best rap song award-the sixth in the rap field, which was established in 1988-mirrors the long-running awards for country and R&B songs. “The rap arena continues to be strong and growing,” NARAS president Neil Portnow says. “There are more releases, more artists, more airplay and sales, and more importantly, there’s more creativity in that area.” In addition, awards in the world music field have been doubled: Trophies will now… Read more »

Pearl Jam is walking the long road…away from their longtime label. The grunge-rock survivors have served notice that they’re exiting the Sony-owned Epic Records after fulfilling the terms of its contract. The Seattle quintet quietly announced the split in the Q&A section of its Sony-run Rumour Pit Website. Sandwiched between questions about where the band is playing concerts and whether it will ever play the controversial anti-White House song “Bu$hleaguer” (answer: “Ya never know…”) is the query: “Have Pearl Jam left their record company yet?” The answer is simply “yes.” Pearl Jam has been in the Epic fold since the… Read more »

With anticipation building to a feverish pitch in advance of the imminent release of the eagerly awaited Led Zeppelin live recordings, Atlantic Records has announced that “LED ZEPPELIN DVD,” a 2-DVD set, will be shipping quadruple-platinum in the U.S. alone, and “HOW THE WEST WAS WON,” a 3-CD set, will ship platinum. “The enormous pre-release response from retailers and fans alike to the announcement of these Zeppelin releases dramatically demonstrates the enduring power, timeless influence, and undiminished popularity of this truly phenomenal band,” said Atlantic Group Co-Chairman/CEO Val Azzoli. “To have been associated with Zeppelin for their entire career has… Read more »

EMusic today announced it has signed a distribution agreement with the Beggars Group, which will provide subscribers access to hundreds of titles from nine high-profile UK labels. Today’s agreement builds on EMusic’s extensive catalog of more than 250,000 MP3s from over 900 leading independent labels. EMusic allows its 70,000 members unlimited access to its catalog of high- quality MP3s for one low monthly price. Unlike other subscription services that offer only streaming and significant restrictions, EMusic uses the popular MP3 format and allows members the flexibility to easily burn their music to CDs and transfer it to portable MP3 audio… Read more »

The only person who gets to poke fun at Eminem is…himself? That’s the word from Weird Al Yankovic who, despite gaining permission from the rap superstar to parody his hit “Lose Yourself” in a tune called “Couch Potato,” couldn’t convince his Em-inence to let Yankovic do the same in a music video. One would think the hip-hopster would stand up and oblige a comedian who’s made a career out of satirizing the likes of Michael Jackson (“Eat It,” “I’m Fat,”), Madonna (“Like a Surgeon”), Nirvana (“Smells Like Nirvana”) and Coolio (“Amish Paradise”), but the answer was an unequivocal no. While… Read more »

Mullets, Chevelles, BMX bikes, muscle cars, cheesy mustaches. The science of guitar solos by White Lion and Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt. These are ’80s things bands like Blink-182 like to poke fun at. Damone’s Dave Pino, however, isn’t laughing with them. “That whole mullet thing, American Hi-Fi and Sum 41 can goof on that stuff – the Camaro-driving guy with the mustache. It’s funny and I get it, but it’s offensive to us,” said Pino, the musical mastermind behind Waltham, Massachusetts, rockers Damone. “In this town, we’re stuck in some ’80s suburb,” Pino explained of the working- class Boston ‘burb of… Read more »

Matchbox Twenty drummer Paul Doucette got a big break the day before the band launched its tour with Sugar Ray. The drummer broke his hand in a fit of anger during a dress rehearsal and has been playing in pain for two weeks. “It definitely makes me look like a complete idiot,” lamented Doucette. “It wasn’t the smartest thing I’ve ever done.” Doucette, who co-designs the band’s light shows, had been up for three nights ironing out kinks in the staging, but just 24 hours before their first show, an April 25 gig in New Orleans, the presentation was still… Read more »