Search Results for: new york

Grammy-winning, multi-platinum, Aware/Columbia singer-songwriter John Mayer has had a great year. His sophomore, major-label effort, Heavier Things debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and as the year comes to a close, he readies his second single to radio, “Clarity.” “Clarity,” the new single from John’s platinum-certified Heavier Things album, will be released to radio in December. “Clarity” is the lead track off Heavier Things and holds a particularly special place for Mayer. John sums up what the song represents to him: “If you want to know who I am, all you have to do is listen to “Clarity.”… Read more »

Continuing to labor away in a Los Angeles studio, Avril Lavigne was reluctant to give too much away about the follow-up to 2002’s Let Go. She promised, however, that when she returns to the fray with her second album, she won’t be the wide-eyed newbie she was a year ago. “I’m a lot wiser now,” she said. “Now I know what the business is like – what you have to do and how to work it. As a writer, I’m growing and my guitar-playing is getting better. I know what it’s all about now, so I’m ready to go back… Read more »

Brotherly pop trio Hanson has formed its own label, 3CG Records, through which it will release its third album, “Underneath,” in early 2004. The band, which parted ways with Island Def Jam in May, has also extended its acoustic tour, which wraps Nov. 5 at New York’s Carnegie Hall. The group plans to eventually sign and develop other acts through 3CG, but for now the focus is on “Underneath.” A limited-edition acoustic EP bearing the 3CG stamp and featuring some of the group’s new songs is available at the band’s official Web site (http://www.hansonline.com) and at shows on its current… Read more »

Canadian rockers Hot Hot Heat will head home to Victoria, British Columbia, after a fall tour to work on the follow-up to 2002’s Make Up the Breakdown. “This is the end of this period of touring,” frontman Steve Bays says. “We want some new songs.” Shows on the band’s current tour, which kicked off last night in Las Vegas, will likely include at least one new one, “You’re Making Such a Mess.” “People get into it the first time they hear it,” Bays says. “It’s really bizarre sounding, so it draws people in right away.” Another new track, currently untitled,… Read more »

It looks like Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel are reuniting for a concert tour. The former duo has reserved dates at concert arenas across the country, said Gary Bongiovanni, editor of Pollstar, a concert industry trade publication. And they were scheduled to make a “very special announcement” at a New York nightclub on Tuesday, publicists said. There has been talk of a tour since Simon & Garfunkel performed together to open the Grammy Awards ceremony in February, and they’ve done the logistical groundwork, Bongiovanni said. “Everyone’s been expecting it,” he said. “It was still in the speculative stages, because you… Read more »

On Sunday (August 10) Simple Plan was among the bands that wrapped up this year’s Van’s Warped Tour with a performance in Asbury Park, New Jersey. On Tuesday (August 12), the band will be in New York City to introduce the world premiere of their video “Perfect” on MTV’s Total Request Live. The video was filmed in Los Angeles by director Liz Friedlander who has worked with Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branch, and Kelly Clarkson, among others. Simple Plan has earned an MTV Video Music Award nomination in the category of best new artist for the video “Addicted,” the band’s current… Read more »

Thrash metal bands from the early ’80s and beyond are the subject of a new documentary called Get Thrashed, which should be released before the end of the year. According to Rollingstone.com, Metallica, Godsmack, Disturbed, Anthrax, Slipknot, Kittie, Meshuggah are among the bands profiled by director Rick Ernst for the film which explores the early thrash metal scene and its subsequent impact. Get Thrashed features interviews, live performances and archival footage. “You had Metallica, Megadeth and Exodus in San Francisco, Slayer in L.A., Anthrax in New York,” says Ernst. “These bands took it to the next level in terms of… Read more »

Britney Spears will unveil at least two new songs when she rings in this year’s football season along with Mary J. Blige, Aretha Franklin and other performers. Prior to the September 4 game between the New York Jets and Washington Redskins, Spears will perform a concert for the NFL Kickoff Weekend in Washington, D.C., the NFL announced Monday. While Spears hasn’t figured out the breakdown of her set yet, she’s expected to sing three to four songs, including at least two new ones, her spokesperson said. Aretha Franklin will sing the national anthem. Last year Bon Jovi kicked off the… Read more »

Anyone who pegs Dashboard Confessional frontman Chris Carrabba as a sad pompadoured sack based on heartbreakers like “Again I Go Unnoticed” and “Screaming Infidelities” should get ready to change their perception of him. His new album, A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar, portrays the man tagged by many as a poster boy for emo in a mood that contradicts his conventionally accepted disposition. “I’m actually excited about the fact that it’s a happier record,” Carrabba said. “If it dispels those conceptions that I’m like, ultra mopey, that would be great because anybody who’s met me can tell you… Read more »

Napster may be long dead, but the name and the “kitty” logo of the pioneer online music-swapping program could return to cyberspace before the year is out. Santa Clara-based Roxio Inc., which owns the rights to the Napster name, plans to shelve its current online music service, pressplay, and roll out Napster 2.0 by Christmas, Chris Gorog, Roxio’s chairman and chief executive, told The Associated Press. Gorog was scheduled to announce details of the venture Monday at the Jupiter Plug.IN Conference & Expo in New York. Software maker Roxio acquired pressplay, a joint venture of Universal Music Group and Sony… Read more »