Search Results for: the wonder years

They used to be irreverent punks out for cheap thrills and even cheaper laughs, but now Blink-182 are a changed band. Their untitled new record is more experimental and multidimensional than 2001’s Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, adding a variety of styles (electronic rock; jangly, melancholy pop; reflective alt-rock) to their foundation of bouncy beats and kinetic guitars. It’s also more lyrically developed, trading tales of adolescent relationships for more serious dilemmas of adulthood. As singer/guitarist Tom DeLonge sang in the band’s 1997 breakthrough hit “Dammit,” “I guess this is growing up.” Growing up has a lot to do… Read more »

For years, both onstage and on “The Osbournes,” we’ve witnessed legendary metal singer Ozzy Osbourne shake, stammer, stutter and shuffle around with a walk that grew increasingly hunched over and motor functions that only seemed to be getting worse. Speculation ran rampant. Were these maladies related to years of drug abuse dating back to the Black Sabbath days? Parkinson’s Disease? Muscular Dystrophy? The answer is, in fact, none of the above. Thanks to a Boston neurological specialist, Ozzy now knows the cause of the “shakes” that have plagued him for decades and with the help of a new medication, he’s… 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 »

Incubus have set a February 10 release date for their fifth studio album, but one of the new songs is available now. A live version of “Pistola” is featured on Live at Lollapalooza 2003, the first in a new series of sanctioned bootleg CDs available only at www.incubusbootlegs.com. All profits from the bootlegs will go toward the band’s new Make Yourself Foundation, which will disperse funds each year to charities such as the Painted Turtle and Surfrider foundations. “It’s something all of us have been musing about for the last couple of years, because we’ve all been interested in different… Read more »

This news is either going to ease Prince and John Mellencamp’s possible midlife crises, or agitate them: They’re nominees for induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The late George Harrison and Jackson Browne are other first-timers on the ballot determining the hall’s class of 2004. Others looking to gain admittance to the Cleveland-based mecca after coming up short in previous voting, include: Punk pioneers the Sex Pistols; Ozzy Osbourne’s first family, Black Sabbath; “Freebird” purveyors Lynyrd Skynyrd; ZZ Top, the bearded rockers who were once MTV’s unlikeliest video stars; and poet/rocker Patti Smith. Nominees become eligible for… Read more »

Three years ago, Juanes was a relative unknown and wondering whether his decision to move to Los Angeles and start a solo career was a good idea. On Wednesday, the Colombian singer-songwriter was showered with five Latin Grammys, including album of the year for “Un Dia Normal” (A Normal Day) and record and song of the year for “Es Por Ti” (It’s For You). “I never thought that this was going to happen to me,” said Juanes, whose album “Un Dia Normal” spent a record 65 weeks on the Billboard Latin charts. “Three years ago I was lost completely in… Read more »

You know The Ataris’ current hit “Boys Of Summer?” Those SoCal punkers actually didn’t want you to hear that tune. Ever. Well, at least not their version of it. “That was something we DID NOT want released as a single,” grunts bassist/vocalist Mike Davenport about the Don Henley cover tune. “We didn’t even want it on our album, but the record label pushed for it and it proved to be a good idea. They respected our wishes to not release it as an actual single, but the radio stations decided to play it and it caught on. There’s nothing you… Read more »

More than a quarter-century after his death, Elvis Presley has something new to get his fans all shook up. A never-before-released song recorded by Presley nearly 40 years ago was recently unearthed and will be issued this fall by RCA Records as part of a new collection of favorites from the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, the label said on Friday. The announcement comes on the eve of the 26th anniversary of Presley’s death, on Aug. 16, 1977, at age 42. The song, “I’m a Roustabout,” originally was written for the 1964 Presley film “Roustabout,” co-starring Barbara Stanwyck, and was… Read more »

One reason A Perfect Circle resonate with such power is because the bandmembers are dedicated to their art – whether it’s catchy and commercial or sprawling and inaccessible to the mainstream. They immerse themselves in their songs, which are as much a part of themselves as a reflection of their personalities. And they present their vision in a striking and unconventional manner, singing from behind a screen, performing in near darkness and greeting the media with complete indifference. The band’s new album, The Thirteenth Step, due September 16, is textural, evocative and moody – metallic art-rock for the clinically depressed.… Read more »

The former music exec, who stepped down as head honcho at Sony Music in January, has teamed up with Universal Music Group to head up a modern-day version of a retro record label. The mastermind behind the careers of Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez will run Casablanca Records, a label founded by Neil Bogart that had its heyday in 1970s with acts like KISS, Donna Summer and the Village People. According to UMG execs, a five-year contract was inked Monday (reportedly to the tune of $50 million), and Mottola is ready to start producing for the New York-based… Read more »