Search Results for: extreme

Bono has been confirmed to host the debut of the new, nationally syndicated Lost Highway Radio Show, which is scheduled to air in late August. The Lost Highway Radio Show will feature one artist per each hour-long program, recorded live in concert. The kickoff program will feature a special 90-minute concert from Lucinda Williams, recorded at New York’s Bowery Ballroom on May 27, 2003. The performance features songs from Lucinda’s Grammy-winning albums “Car Wheels On A Gravel Road” and “Essence,” as well as songs from her heavily praised new release “World Without Tears.” The Lost Highway Radio Show will give… Read more »

The debut of Apple’s iTunes online music store was widely hailed as a turning point in the mostly sorry relationship between the record industry and consumers who want to download songs. Now comes another noteworthy symbolic step: a digital download chart in Billboard. The official debut is in the July 19 issue, although the trade journal ran a “preview” chart in its July 12 edition. In both cases the No. 1 song was “Crazy in Love,” by Beyoncé with Jay-Z-which also happened to be the No. 1 song on the general Hot 100 chart both weeks. (Nielsen SoundScan compiles the… Read more »

Long an artist’s sanctuary, the commercial recording studio is becoming a virtual fortress, guarding against the potentially devastating consequences of theft. The thieves’ targets are the rough mixes, outtakes, alternative takes and finished masters that traditionally have been loosely handled, even by the artists themselves. Leaks of this material are nothing new, but the advent of unauthorized file sharing on the Internet has greatly increased the consequences of this phenomenon. Recent albums by Eminem, 50 Cent, Korn and Radiohead were all available online prior to release, because unauthorized copies were leaked to unknown parties. In such cases, marketing strategies are… Read more »

Brotherly pop trio Hanson, who unwittingly ignited a teen pop craze when they stormed the charts six years ago with the catchy anthem “MMMBop,” are stripping down this summer. Isaac, Taylor and Zach Hanson have recorded their first album in three years, “Underneath,” and will lay the groundwork for its release early next year by launching an acoustic tour next month. They also will sell an acoustic record at the shows. Casual fans who still carry an image in their minds of three cherubic, pubescent youngsters are in for a surprise. All are strapping young men, and middle brother, Taylor,… Read more »

Assembling a promotional campaign for a veteran band that has been out of the spotlight is a tough enough feat. But Capitol Records is facing the daunting task of reintroducing a group that hasn’t released a new album in 13 years. Luckily, the campaign behind pioneering alternative rock outfit Jane’s Addiction’s “Strays,” due July 22, has had a huge prerelease boost from first single “Just Because.” The song is No. 4 on Modern Rock Tracks after four weeks, returning Jane’s Addiction to the top of the format at which it scored five top 15 hits between 1988 and 1991. The… Read more »

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 »