Search Results for: rise records

You say you want a revolution? Well, you know – we all want to change the world. Except for Chris Colus. He’s the drummer for a reggae-roots-rock band, freshly signed to a major record label, and he’s trying to explain that band’s name, which is O.A.R. – Of A Revolution. “There’s no political motive,” the 25-year-old Rockville, MD native insists. “This is the music we’ve wanted to play, the music we wanted to hear – that’s a revolution for ourselves and our fans.” The “Of A Revolution” name actually comes from “The Wanderer,” a short story singer-guitarist Marc Roberge wrote… Read more »

On Jan. 6, San Francisco’s Moscone convention center pulses with all the energy of a rock concert. A crowd sprinkled with hip-hop teenagers, digerati, and aging hippies streams in to hear the annual state-of-the-Mac keynote from Apple Computer Inc. Chief Executive Steven P. Jobs. Every facet of the event bears the fingerprints of the obsessive Jobs – right down to the music that fills the air. This year, it’s the King himself, Elvis Presley. Later, Jobs rolls the tape of Apple’s famous “1984” ad that ran on Super Bowl Sunday that year – and hasn’t been broadcast since. Only this… Read more »

Janet Jackson knows sexy – from her topless Rolling Stone cover to videos like the Herb Ritts-directed “Love Will Never Do (Without You)” – but producer Dallas Austin promises her new album is “easily the most sexy thing she’s done.” “Guys won’t know what to do with themselves after this,” he said, laughing at the prospect. “It’s one of the best records she’s made.” Austin said he’s produced five songs with Janet already, having worked with her over the last few months at his DARP Studios in Atlanta. Janet’s still-untitled album is due March 30, according to a spokesperson for… Read more »

Though U.S. album sales were down last year for the third year in a row – the longest stretch in 20 years – Nielsen SoundScan numbers still contain some bright spots for 2003. For the full year, album sales declined 3.6% to 667.9 million units from the 693.1 scanned in 2002. But when looking at the fourth quarter, album sales rose 4.7% from the October-December period in 2002. That has caused some executives to proclaim that the industry has hit bottom. Indeed, at mid-year, sales were down 8.6%. That gap was closed by the fourth-quarter surge. What’s more, 2004 is… Read more »

Platinum rockers Simple Plan are ringing in the new year by celebrating the rise of their debut album No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls ascent into the Billboard Top 40. The band’s album officially charted at #35 this week on the Billboard Top 200, marking the band’s highest charting position of their entire career. Since the release of their album in March 2002, Simple Plan is considered by many to be one of the biggest artist development stories in recent history. No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls first entered the Billboard Top 200 57 weeks ago and has continued to move up… Read more »

Sad-song troubadour Elliott Smith was thought to have died by his own hand two months ago. Now, those investigating the presumed suicide of the 34-year-old folk-rocker aren’t so sure. A statement issued this week by the Los Angeles County coroner has clouded the case, saying officials have been unable to determine whether Smith was the one who initiated the two “penetrating stab wounds” in his chest. Therefore, an official cause of death has not yet been filed. “Despite a comprehensive and ongoing inquiry into the death by the LAPD detectives and coroner investigators together with a thorough examination by the… Read more »

Online music piracy isn’t likely to vanish soon, but the rise of paid online services and the growing popularity of portable digital music players portends greater demand for digital music next year and better fortunes for the embattled recording industry, music executives said Monday. Taking a mostly positive outlook on an industry racked by a three-year slide in CD sales, executives for recording companies and Internet music retailers told hundreds at the Music 2.0 conference in Universal City that online music sales should take off in 2004. “What we see is an explosion of interest in this space. It’s a… Read more »

She can score whatever interview she wants. She can send a book to the top of the best-seller list. She can even inspire the Backstreet Boys to reunite. Thanks to Oprah Winfrey, the Backstreet Boys have decided the timing is right to finally hit the recording studio for the follow-up to 2000’sBlack & Blue. “We’re all excited,” Kevin Richardson said soon after the group taped an upcoming episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” last month. “All of us hadn’t been together in the same room in like six months, so it was wild. It was good to be back together… Read more »

JC Chasez, who headlined countless arena tours with ‘NSYNC, has scheduled something much more modest for his first solo outing. Beginning December 3 at Spreckels in San Diego, Chasez will play a string of club shows to premiere material from his solo debut,Schizophrenic. “I’m going to grass-roots this thing,” the singer said. “To me, I’m at the beginning again and I don’t want to take [everything] for granted and say I’m too big for that. I actually want to earn my way up.” JC’s itinerary currently includes five shows, although more may be added. “There’s just something about [club] shows,”… Read more »

Tapping a hunger for positive messages in difficult times, Christian artists are appealing to a growing number of people outside of their traditional audience. The trend is reflected in an important barometer, mainstream radio, which closely follows the tastes of its listeners. “The events of the last couple of years have made people more open to spiritual things and trying to find answers,” says Stacie Orrico, a Christian artist who has made inroads on the pop charts. “After, people were just flocking to churches, which was amazing to watch,” she says. Orrico, MercyMe, Natalie Grant, Relient K and even the… Read more »