Search Results for: french

After five years of dormancy, Elektra Records will relaunch with a fresh roster of artists, Atlantic Records announced today in a statement. French dance duo Justice, Gnarls Barkley’s Cee-Lo Green and Little Boots are among the first musicians on the label, which was home to The Doors, The Eagles and Phish in the past. Mike Caren, who was executive vice president of A&R for Atlantic Records, and John Janick, the founder of Fueled By Ramen, will serve as co-presidents of the new venture. “Elektra Records will mark its 60th Anniversary in 2010, and it feels like the perfect time to… Read more »

LOS ANGELES – There was a mariachi band, flaming margaritas and lots of musicians on Monday night at the El Compadre Mexican restaurant as Blink-182 took over the joint for a fiesta in celebration of their upcoming summer tour. And while there were many festivities – the mariachi band belted out Blink tunes and the margaritas went late into the night – the party also served another function: breaking the ice. After all, when you’ve got a tour that’s positively packed with bands (not just Weezer and Fall Out Boy, but a rotating cast of opening acts like Panic at… Read more »

If it hadn’t been for drummer Travis Barker’s near-fatal airplane crash last year, Blink-182 might not be touring this summer. But after a five-year hiatus, the rock trio — Barker, Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge — will embark on a nearly 50-date North American arena and amphitheater tour, beginning July 24th at the Joint in Las Vegas and wrapping October 3rd at the Borgata Events Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The trek will feature support on various dates from Weezer, Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, All-American Rejects, Taking Back Sunday, Asher Roth and Chester French. “My goal… Read more »

PARIS — Alternative act MGMT has beef with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. “No time to think of consequences/Take only what you need from it,” sings American psychedelic indie rock band MGMT in its popular anthem “Kids.” This was exactly what French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP party did when it used the song without the band’s permission. Now the ruling UMP party, which faced the threat of a lawsuit, has agreed to pay a financial compensation to the band, MGMT’s French lawyer said on Tuesday. Asked if the settlement fee amounted to 30,000 euros ($39,050), a sum cited by France Info… Read more »

NEW YORK —  YouTube and Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company, said on Thursday they will launch a premium music video Web site as they bid to increase revenue from YouTube ‘s huge usage. The new site will be called Vevo and is expected to launch in coming months, the companies said. Plans for Vevo come in addition to the renewal and extension of YouTube’s rights deal to feature video content from Universal artists such as U2,  50 Cent and Kanye West Universal Music is owned by French media group Vivendi. Vevo will be a premium online music… Read more »

If you can stomach it, check out the sneak preview of Osbournes: Reloaded, the Osbourne family’s return to television, above. Instead of showing the fascinating inner-workings of rock’s most bizarre family like MTV’s The Osbournes, this time Ozzy, Sharon, Jack and Kelly are the hosts of their own variety show, a mix of pranks, comedy skits and musical performances with hopefully lots and lots of commercials in between. We don’t watch Howie Mandel’s prank show Howie Do It, but we imagine it’s probably similar to this Osbourne debacle. In one sketch, Ozzy Osbourne plays the role of manning the drive-thru… Read more »

Gotta hand it to Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz and company: The hardworking, blue-collar Midwestern pop-punkers-with-an-emo-attitude have gotten ever savvier and, dare I say, more mature with their songwriting and song-arranging. Consequently, “Folie a Deux,” (French for “madness shared by two”) may be one of the year’s most surprising albums. A tactfully produced (Neil Avron/Pharell Williams) affair that steers the Chicago-area band more toward the pop mainstream without sacrificing Fall Out Boy’s anthemic brashness, the band’s fifth album represents the zenith of its seven-year career. Some tracks — “I Don’t Care” with its “Spirit in the Sky” guitars and the zippy… Read more »

He’s photographed Princess Diana in diamonds, Madonna in lingerie and top model Gisele Bundchen in the buff. But celebrated French photographer Patrick Demarchelier says none of the hundreds of pop culture icons he’s immortalized in his more than 30 years behind the lens can compare with his dog, whom he calls “the perfect model.” An exhibition at Paris’ Petit Palais museum brings together more than 400 of Demarchelier’s renowned portraits, including, of course, a ravishing shot of Puffy the long-haired dachshund. Looking sprightly in his uniform of sneakers and a polo shirt, with his trademark shock of salt and pepper… Read more »

The first time Arcade Fire performed in Paris, Mathieu Saura stood outside the venue with his girlfriend, holding up a sign that read, “Please, we want to come to the show.” The band’s bassist, Richard Reed Perry, got them in, and ever since, Saura might as well have not left. Under the name Vincent Moon, he’s gone from a fan begging for tickets to an in-demand filmmaker who has revolutionized music video. His films are stripped down, intimate videotaped performances – shot in one take, often of an act simply strolling down a street or playing in a parking lot.… Read more »