Search Results for: prince

In the career path of a rock star, playing in a cover band typically comes near the beginning, somewhere between discovering your parents’ vinyl and winning a battle of the bands at the county fair. Lately, however, some rock stars have been forming ironically named cover bands after making it big. In fact, what used to be considered somewhat lame has suddenly become chic, with Dave Navarro’s Camp Freddy leading the way. “Everyone’s jumpin’ that train, man,” said Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, whose cover band Chevy Metal has been playing around Los Angeles for five years. So why the… Read more »

One sunny afternoon not long ago, Dick Copaken sat in a booth at Daniel, one of those hushed, exclusive restaurants on Manhattan’s Upper East Side where the waiters glide spectrally fro table to table. He was wearing a starched button-down shirt and a blue blazer. Every strand of his thinning hair was in place, and he spoke calmly and slowly, his large pink Charlie Brow head bobbing along evenly as he did. Copaken spent many years as a partner at the white-shoe Washington, D.C., firm Covington & Burling, and he has a lawyer’s gravitas. One of his bes friends calls… Read more »

In one of the most unusual summer-tour pairings in recent memory, the Ozzfest Web site announced Monday night that there will be one final act added to this year’s second-stage lineup: actress Jada Pinkett Smith’s rock group, Wicked Wisdom. The addition of the Christian-leaning rock-and-soul hybrid to a summer touring package that boasts ferocious metal merchants like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Shadows Fall, Mudvayne, In Flames and the Black Dahlia Murder is unexpected, to say the least. Wicked Wisdom is an Evanescense-esque act that Pinkett Smith, the band’s frontperson and the wife of actor/rapper Will Smith, has said is influenced… Read more »

New York – Radio’s playlist liberation movement hatched in late 2001 at a birthday party in Winnipeg, Manitoba. A radio was blasting when Howard Kroeger, director of operations and programing for CHUM Broadcasting’s Winnipeg stations, arrived at his friend’s 40th-birthday bash. It was a competitor’s classic rock station, and Kroeger used the occasion to conduct an informal focus group among the partygoers, most in their mid- to late 30s. Whenever Boston, the Cars, Meatloaf, Supertramp or some other ’70s staple came on, it got an overwhelming thumbs-up from the Molson-enhanced crowd. But there was a noticeable lack of enthusiasm when… Read more »

At Juno 2005, the theme was pretty obvious – out with the old, in with the new. Gone from the winner’s circle were artists such as Shania Twain, Alanis Morissette, Barenaked Ladies and K.D. Lang. Instead, Avril Lavigne was queen bee and K-OS was crown prince at this weekend’s Juno Awards in Winnipeg. Both artists walked home with three trophies, tops for the event. Lavigne, who was in Singapore touring and did not attend the show, won Artist Of The Year, Pop Album and Juno Fan Choice, which she accepted via satellite. Toronto rapper K-OS took home Single Of The… Read more »

For months now Canadian pop princess Avril Lavigne and Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley have been sidestepping rumours that they’re snuggling up and making some sweet Can-Rock love. Well, deny all you want kids, but when a guy decides to move to Los Angeles, which just, by coincidence, happens to be the home of a certain lady friend, it usually means the dude wants to do more than just jam. According to the Globe And Mail, Whibley recently sold his Toronto home to move to the land of the fake and famous, high-tailing it to La La Land. If the… Read more »

UNIVERSAL CITY, California – Chris Martin only forgot the words once. After taking more than a year off from performing, Coldplay returned to the stage over the weekend, headlining influential public radio station KCRW-FM’s annual A Sounds Eclectic Evening concert on Saturday at the Universal Amphitheatre and warming up the night before at the Troubadour in West Hollywood. And while Martin stumbled through the opening of “Politik” during the encore of the KCRW show, the singer more than made up for it by treating fans to five new tracks from X&Y, due June 7, and six old favorites. “When you… Read more »

Los Angeles – Early purchasers of Ozzy Osbourne’s March 22 boxed set, “Prince of Darkness,” will get a little bonus. The initial pressing of the set will include a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for this summer’s Ozzfest, valued at $40. To redeem, customers go to the ozzfest.com Web site and punch in the code on the coupon. The Epic four-disc set covers Osbourne’s solo years. It includes a disc of new recordings by Osbourne of his favorite tunes by other artists, including the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” and Eric Burdon ‘s “Good Times.” The set’s suggested list price is $49.98,… Read more »

Ray Charles’ Genius racked up plenty of company in the form of gramophone-shaped statuettes. The late soul legend won a total of eight awards at the 47th annual Grammy Awards Sunday night, including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Genius Loves Company and Record of the Year for “Here We Go Again” with Norah Jones. Jamie Foxx, who is considered a lock for the Best Actor Oscar later this month for his portrayal of Charles in biopic Ray, took the stage with Alicia Keys for a tribute to Charles. Later in the show, Bonnie Raitt and… Read more »

Partial list of winners at Sunday’s 47th Annual Grammy Awards: Engineered Album, Classical – “Higdon – City Scape Concerto for Orchestra,” Jack Renner, engineer – Robert Spano. Producer of the Year, Classical – David Frost. Classical Album – “Adams – On the Transmigration of Souls,” Lorin Maazel, conductor John Adams and Lawrence Rock, producers. Orchestral Performance – “Adams – On the Transmigration of Souls,” Lorin Maazel, conductor John Adams and Lawrence Rock, producers. Opera Recording – “Mozart – Le Nozze di Figaro,” Rene Jacobs, conductor Patrizia Ciofi, Veronique Gens, Simon Keenlyside, Angelika Kirchschlager and Lorenzo Regazzo Martin Sauer, producer –… Read more »