Search Results for: when we were young

Maybe it’s a sign of ‘NSYNC’s maturity, the reason they appear to have risen to the top of the teen pop class. Whatever the answer, having both Hugh Hefner (arm-in-arm with six Playboy playmates) and the 15-year-old Olsen twins (Mary-Kate and Ashley, of “Full House” fame) at their album release party Monday night at least proves that their demographic has widened. Those were just a few of the celebrities joining the boys from Orlando, Florida, at the club Moomba on the eve of Celebrity’s arrival in stores, amid almost unreal expectations (not to mention whispers of vulnerability). Industry insiders predict… Read more »

The once fertile scene of Lollapalooza, Lilith Fair, the HORDE and Furthur has dried up in recent years, leaving the U.S. summer tour circuit a less festive place for traveling rock music festivals. So pop auteur Moby, in the wake of the success of his latest album, “Play,” has decided to do something about that. “I’ve spent a long time playing European festivals and was impressed by how eclectic and open they were,” explains Moby, whose Area: One tour opened Wednesday in Atlanta. “There was a period in the States where we had a few really interesting festivals…. When those… Read more »

For the first time in almost four years, one of Australia’s most successful rock bands, INXS, is playing a few shows in North America. But the crowd at their recent Los Angeles stop consisted of about 70 Rhino Records employees and a few reporters, just two of the band’s six members were on stage, and the bespectacled singer looked nothing like Michael Hutchence, the group’s charismatic vocalist. Hutchence committed suicide in November 1997, and his bandmates are having a hard time deciding whether to carry on. In the meantime, they have released a two-CD anthology, “Shine Like It Does,” via… Read more »

“Come back to me,” the tiny figure onstage pleaded, her arms outstretched. Janet, they never left. At least that’s how it sounded as her attempt at that 1989 weeper was drowned out by two full minutes of a standing ovation – and that was three songs into the set. Pop Lolitas-of-the-week may come and go, but this Jackson, it seems, is forever, if Saturday night’s All for You tour kickoff was any indication. Following a sparsely attended set from opening R&B quartet 112 and a good 40 minutes of pre-recorded Motown hits, the arena lights went down and the screaming… Read more »

Christina Aguilera has settled her lawsuit with Warlock Records, paving the way for the release of Just Be Free, a compilation of demos she recorded when she was fourteen. The suit, filed by the pop star in May, maintained that the demos were made to shop the singer to record labels and not intended for commercial distribution. Aguilera believed that the demos are of lesser quality than the content she currently produces and therefore did not want the material released and marketed to her fans. While the singer may have settled the suit – the terms of which are confidential… Read more »

Pudgy and shy, 13-year-old Matt Shafer had an outlet in rap but few to really share it with – until a chance day he saw Bob Ritchie work the deejay’s turntable. “Wickie-wickie-wickie,” was how the skinny, smug 16-year-old Ritchie scratched records during a deejay contest, his baseball cap’s visor flipped up and a rapper’s clock dangling from his neck. The showman did his thing backward, even upside down. “Everything about him was cool – the way he dressed, the way he talked. I admired him, looked up to him. He was kind of like an older brother to me,” Shafer… Read more »

Atlantic Records has announced the forthcoming release of the new studio album from Tori Amos. Entitled “STRANGE LITTLE GIRLS,” this assemblage of songs is due in stores on September 18th. All the songs on the album were written by men, but are performed by Tori from the perspectives of a diverse cast of female characters. Songs composed by such artists as Neil Young, the Stranglers, Eminem, Depeche Mode, Slayer, Lou Reed, Lennon/McCartney, and others are taken apart and put back together darkly, gently, and in an uncompromising fashion. In crafting the new album, Tori wanted to talk about men –… Read more »

It was heavy metal heaven Saturday at the sun-baked Blockbuster Bowl as an estimated 50,000-plus headbangers took in this year’s 12-hour-long edition of OzzFest, featuring a strong roster of young rock outfits and headlined by the granddaddy of metal bands, Black Sabbath. The main stage, the largest of three, got rolling mid-afternoon with Taproot, Mudvayne and former Ozzy Ozbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde offering varied styles of heavy rock under a blinding sun that pushed temperatures to around 100 degrees. Occupying the middle of the day was Crazy Town, whose members sent numerous shout-outs to the other bands on the bill;… Read more »

Influential guitarist Chet Atkins, who helped modernize country music in the 1960s, paving the way for the massive commercial force that it is today, died in Nashville Saturday. He was 77. In 1973 and in 1997, Atkins had fought both colon cancer and brain cancer, surviving a number of surgeries. Atkins, enjoyed a multi-faceted career: as a sought-after session musician for the likes of Elvis Presley and the Everly Brothers; as a prolific recording artist in his own right; and as a veteran Nashville talent scout. His discoveries included Charley Pride and Waylon Jennings. Atkins was one of the most… Read more »

Madonna still rocks and rules the world of pop – her sold-out Drowned World tour has set fans alight and sparked rave reviews. On the first date of the global tour two weeks ago the “Material Mom” had a capacity crowd at Barcelona’s Palau Sant Jordi at her spike-heeled feet – and she delivered. From behind the cavorting bodies of dancers, the queen of pop glided onto the stage – hailed by critics as one of her most sophisticated yet. Flying through the air on trapeze wire, riding a mechanical bull and donning a punk-inspired kilt in honor of her… Read more »