Search Results for: rise records

Listeners tuning in to Chicago alternative rock station WKQX (Q101) on August 9 heard a catchy, guitar-driven track called “The Great Divide,” followed by an announcement that the song was produced by a “mystery artist.” It quickly became the most-requested song on the station and was put into power rotation by the programming department. After three weeks of speculation, a DJ finally revealed the secret: The band behind the alt-rock hit was none other than Hanson, a trio of brothers best known for their pop-rock song “MMMBop,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in 1997. Q101 program… Read more »

In case you haven’t heard, the formerly unsinkable airship of cash known as the music industry is currently crashing down from the heavens in a ball of flames, hurtling toward the Earth at supersonic speeds. In fact, at this point it’s only a matter of time before it smashes into terra firma with the impact of 10,000 atomic bombs, blowing a hole clear through North America, causing the seas to boil and sending clouds of black soot skyward, blotting out the sun and eventually ending life as we know it.At least that’s how the members of Stars see it. “It’s… Read more »

During her Tuesday night performance in Orlando, Florida, Beyoncé took a rather epic header down a flight of stairs – a tumble, of course, captured on camera by several fans in attendance.To her credit, not only did B press on with the show, she later joked about the fall, telling the audience that it “hurt so bad” and imploring, “Don’t put [the footage] on YouTube.” Of course, those in the audience did the exact opposite, and by the following morning, several different clips of her spill were among the “Most Watched” and “Most Discussed” on the site. Given Beyoncé’s plea,… Read more »

Last month, when the Dillinger Escape Plan revealed that founding drummer Chris Pennie had left the highly technical mathcore outfit to join progressive rockers Coheed and Cambria, no one wanted to believe it. The surprise move baffled the band’s allegiant fans almost as much as it confused the Dillinger dudes, who started to wonder if Pennie had been fostering some strange, secret obsession with unicorns and minotaurs.”We found out about him playing with Coheed on the Internet,” explained guitarist Ben Weinman. “[Frontman] Greg [Puciato] forwarded me a link to an announcement, and I’m like, ‘What?!?’ At that point, though, he… Read more »

Faced with a protracted sales slump, record labels are now tapping into the tween scene, after Walt Disney Co. has become the unlikely hitmaker of the year with chart toppers like “Hannah Montana” and “High School Musical.” “A lot of entertainment companies are trying to figure out how to replicate Disney’s formula and crack the tween code since it’s one of the market’s few sweet spots,” said entertainment lawyer Fred Goldring. After mostly ignoring tweens, kids aged 6 to 12, music labels from Sony BMG Music to Warner Music Group and EMI Group Plc are now signing or distributing tween… Read more »

There wasn’t a Thursday fan alive who wasn’t floored by last month’s announcement that the New Jersey emo innovators will be working with Victory Records on a retrospective CD/DVD package that, as a press release noted, will “tell Thursday’s 10-year-career story from the beginning to the present.” After all, Thursday’s 2002 split from Victory – which issued the band’s landmark 2001 LP, Full Collapse – was the very definition of cantankerous. Mud was flung from both sides when the band joined Island Records, and lawyers were eventually called in to clean up the mess.At the time of the band’s break… Read more »

Would one expect anything less than a double album from the Cure on the occasion of its 13th studio release? “Rather than cut it down, at the stage we’re at with the band, I’m making this record because I want to enjoy the process and be proud of the finished result,” frontman Robert Smith told Billboard of the as-yet-untitled effort, due in October via Suretone/Geffen. “It isn’t a commercial concern for me.” “What will probably happen is that a double album will come out like a limited edition, mixed by me,” he said. “A single-disc version, which I assume will… Read more »

DETROIT–Despite the recent appearance of “All My Life,” his first new pop song in 14 years, Billy Joel says he doesn’t foresee a re-opening of the creative floodgates that led to 33 Top 40 hits. “I’m not ruling out the possibility of writing songs again,” Joel tells Billboard.com. “I suppose if I had the motivation to write a song, I’m not gonna stop myself from doing it. I just haven’t felt the compulsion to write songs in pop form. I guess these days I just think of myself as a composer.” Joel — whose last album of original material, “River… Read more »

INDIO, California – Perhaps it was a sign that the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Arcade Fire and Hot Chip were sharing the same bill. Whatever the case, Saturday was certainly one of the most scorching Coachella afternoons ever, with temperatures into the100s for hours on end. That meant the tented stages provided plenty of shadowy solace, while pre-sunset outdoor acts were playing to their diehards and suffering while doing it. (Let’s just say there were multiple hipster rockers quoting Lil Jon’s infamous sweat-dripping lyrics.) Still, Peter Bjorn and John and the Decemberists wore their suits and the Sahara tent was… Read more »

There are actors who sing and singers who act, but throughout pop history few entertainers have successfully balanced those twin careers. Neither could Hilary Duff, though not due to lack of effort. While her career as a pop diva skyrocketed – she released two platinum albums and a best-selling greatest-hits disc in just three years – the former Disney child star found her acting career stalling. Despite her considerable star wattage, Hollywood had difficulty seeing Duff beyond her past sugary sweet roles and good girl persona (no rehab or pantyless partying here). “It always shocks me the lack of openness,… Read more »