It seems the singer has set out on a new musical endeavor and, just so there won’t be any surprises, has decided to share her inspirational sources with everyone. This is what Christina Aguilera said about her upcoming release: “I had a really hard time being light before. I’d get a little weird about it being too cliched. My first record was very cliched pop – what everyone else wanted. ‘Stripped’ was inspired by a lot of pain and ‘Back to Basics’ still had some sort of relation to my past. My new one is just about the future – my son in my life, motivating me to want to play and have fun. Things that maybe I’ve been afraid to do in the past, to allow myself to go to a place of ‘less singing.’ I’m more vulnerable and stronger at the same time.” Witness musical evolution in the making here… or maybe it’s just Christina Aguilera sugar-coating just another pop album. Time will tell…
It seems the singer has become a bit bored with her own music and wants to “change” something. With that in mind, Madonna is all set and ready to go into making rap/rock songs for her next album. This is what she said about her upcoming materials: “It’s my production, turned into song structure – halfway between rap and electronic and whatever else I listen to.” Madonna singing rap… that’s probably going to turn some heads, but not in the direction she might hope. Oh well, she’s probably in that point of her career when, instead of making the smart decision and just walking away in the blaze of glory, she’s just going to keep the torch lit until the smoke begins to stink. Let the decline begin!
OneRepublic recently performed an exclusive show at The Palms in Las Vegas for Walmart Soundcheck. The band rocked songs from their new album Waking Up, including their current single, “All The Right Moves.” The Colorado quintet also sat down for an intimate interview where they weigh in on critics, Coldplay and the story behind their sophomore release. Check out a preview of the footage and come back to Soundcheck on December 15th to see the full performance.
On November 2 at 11 p.m. ET, Fuse, the national music network, will televise the worldwide premiere of Nirvana Live at Reading, the band’s legendary, never-before-released 1992 Reading concert. The show, marking the first time that Nirvana fans will experience the epochal August 30, 1992 headlining appearance at UK’s Reading Festival, will debut as an hour long broadcast the night before the limited edition 90 minute CD+DVD Deluxe Edition is by Geffen/UMe.
Featuring 25 songs including “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “All Apologies” and “Come As You Are,” Nirvana’s performance at Reading ranked No. 1 in Kerrang Magazine’s “100 Gigs That Shook The World” chart and was voted as “Nirvana’s No. 1 Greatest Moment” by fans in a recent NME poll.
“Fuse is excited to provide Nirvana fans with the first opportunity to witness this historic music event since the concert 17 years ago,” said David Weier, vice president, programming, Fuse. “Not only are we airing a highly anticipated, never-before-seen concert in more than 65 million homes, we are providing Nirvana’s loyal fan base with companion programming for a comprehensive and unique viewing experience.”
Leading up to the premiere of Nirvana Live at Reading, Fuse will air “Loaded: Nirvana,” a half-hour of Nirvana’s greatest music videos at 10 p.m. ET, followed by “Videos That Rocked the World: Smells Like Teen Spirit,” a celebration of the legendary music video which was a breakthrough for music, entertainment, culture and society.
While the show’s centerpiece was a performance of nearly the entire Nevermind tracklist, also noteworthy were early performances of three as yet unrecorded songs which wouldn’t be released until 2 years later on In Utero: “All Apologies,” “Dumb,” and in its first ever public performance, “Tourettes.” The career-spanning setlist also reached back to the band’s 1989 Sub Pop debut album, Bleach, for “Blew,” “About A Girl,” “School,” “Negative Creep” and first single “Love Buzz,” and even further back to the mid-’80s for “Spank Thru.” Other songs from the Reading set would appear in studio form on the Incesticide compilation later in the year: “Aneurysm,” “Been A Son” and “Sliver.” Additionally, the band played a pair of beloved covers by two bands that helped shape the formative Nirvana sound– “The Money Will Roll Right In” by Fang and “D-7″ by The Wipers.
Tune in to The Ellen DeGeneres Show on October 20th to catch a performance from OneRepublic. The band will play their current single “All The Right Moves” which appears on their forthcoming album Waking Up due out on November 17th.
OneRepublic recently premiered the Wayne Isham (Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Metallica) directed video for the track which can be seen here.
Today, and for the next 3 weeks, AOL’s Noisecreep.com will be releasing an exclusive and/or unheard audio clip from the amazing FMQB Metallica/Alice in Chains interview, “Inside Alice In Chains: Black Gives Way To Blue.” This week’s clip features Metallica talking to Alice in Chains about their collaboration with Elton John on the song “Black Gives Way To Blue.” “It’s a really intense song, and a really open-hearted song to Layne and the experience that we went through,” Cantrell says to Hetfield and Ulrich about the title track. “Facing up to all of that stuff, and owning all the good, and owning all the bad, and moving forward together. It was a lot of big steps…things were pretty black for us. It’s pretty literal to that, and things are starting to get a little lighter.” Keep checking back in the coming weeks for parts 2 and 3 of this classic interview.
Head over to Tokio Hotel’s Myspace for an exclusive listen of their album Humanoid. The first single, “Automatic” is a metallic anthem with layered, buzzing guitars, stomping percussion, and a falsetto chorus made to be belted out by a stadium full of people while “World Behind My Wall” redefines the power ballad with depth, introspection, musical confidence and an irresistible sing-along chorus. The band tracked songs in Hamburg, Miami, and L.A. “Bill drove us all crazy, constantly coming in with things, even though the old songs weren’t finished yet,” says Tom, who’s fond of frequently ribbing his brother. “Apart from that, we just didn’t limit ourselves, and we used new instruments.”
The album does not hit stores until tomorrow, but the band is streaming all 12 tracks from the standard version until midnight. Like what you hear? Preorder the sci-fi themed release on iTunes now.
Introducing Orianthi, the guitar phenomenon who is featured prominently in the upcoming Michael Jackson concert documentary, This Is It. Already a renowned musician, Orianthi has been playing guitar since the age of eleven and was discovered by legend Carlos Santana. After playing with artists like Carrie Underwood, ZZ Top, and Prince, she received a MySpace message from Michael Jackson’s musical director asking her to audition for his comeback tour. Following a test run with the King of Pop himself, she was selected as his lead guitarist for his O2 arena dates in London – a crowning acheivement for the 24 year old from Adelaide, Australia.
Now Orianthi is preparing to release her solo debut album, Believe, on October 27th. In addition to her talent at guitar, Orianthi has a gorgeous voice and even sang at Michael Jackson’s Staples Center memorial service. Even before starting rehearsals for his tour though, she was hard at work writing and recording the album with her band. Believe is full of anthemic rock tracks with a sound reminiscent of Paramore or Evanescence, but entirely Orianthi thanks to her signature shreds and thunderous hooks. Her first single, “According to You” is a catchy tale of an ungrateful boyfriend, featuring a killer guitar solo.
To hear the story in her own words, watch Orianthi in this segment from Australia’s Today show. Visit Orianthi.com for updates on this rising star, and be sure to check her out in This Is It out on October 28th.
Orianthi Panagaris Interview On Today Show:
To celebrate the release of their eighth studio album, Crash Love, AFI took to the stage at the world famous Roxy on Sunset thanks to local Los Angeles radio station KROQ. In front of an intimate crowd of hundred’s, rather than thousands that typically fill AFI shows, the band played a thrashing 14 song set filled with classics of the past, and a handful of Crash Love gems that are soon to be just that. Highlights of the night were too many to capsulize, but front man Davey Havok’s front flip into the waiting crowd on “Kill Caustic” and the stunning rendition of The Cure’s classic “Just Like Heaven” marked just a few of the moments that lit up the night. Reminiscent of 1995, AFI welcomed Nick 13 (Tiger Army) and Geoff Kresge (ex AFI/Tiger Army) to the stage to sing “Nyquil,” a track from the band’s first album, Answer That and Stay Fashionable. Electric performances of AFI’s radio singles “Miss Murder” and Crash Love’s “Medicate” put a cap on a night that will not soon be forgotten by the fan’s lucky enough to be present that night.
Fans of AFI who could not be at the show now have the chance to watch a handful of videos from the epic evening on KROQ.com. To find out when and where you can see AFI live, visit www.AFireInside.net/events. Crash Love is in-stores now and available everywhere good music is sold.
Pop-rockers Honor Society debuted at #18 on the Billboard Top 200 this week, moving over 22,000 units of their debut album, Fashionably Late. The band kicked off their second headlining tour on Monday, September 21 in Minneapolis, MN and will continue a run of nearly 40 dates with shows across the United States and Canada including an appearance on The Today Show on Friday, September 25.
The release of Fashionably Late caps off a busy summer for Honor Society as they joined the Jonas Brothers on their World Tour 2009 performing to nearly 1 million fans throughout North America. Honor Society simultaneously headlined their own club tour called The Full Moon Crazy Tour where they brought their high-energy live shows to sold out venues including the Blender Theater in New York City and over 1,500 fans at Club Nokia in Los Angeles.
See below for what the press is saying about Honor Society and Fashionably Late and visit HonorSocietyMusic.com for more info and a full list of tour dates.
Rolling Stone
“Over You” (3 stars) — delivers “shiny heartbreak that splits the difference between *NSYNC and Maroon 5 – all riffing synths… and tunefulness.”
Entertainment Weekly
Honor Society are “crafty pop rock dudes” with songs that “shimmer with freeze-dried funk licks…”
People Magazine
“…fans will likely swoon over …” whose “strongest tracks include the power ballads ‘Where Are You Now’ and ‘Goodnight My Love’ both showcasing Bruno’s emotive tenor. ‘My Own Way’ is an infectious pop-rocker.”
Dallas Morning News
Honor Society are “purveyors of that frenetic catchy-crunchy pop sound of the day…”
Sneak a peek into the life of Tokio Hotel recording their new album Humanoid. Bill shows off his vocal recording room and discusses his extremely loud recording technique. “Most people use regular ‘headphone volume,’ but I can’t stand it. I need to feel like I’m onstage and I’m standing beside the other guys,” says the front man. The high-tech vocal mixer used on the tracks is what brought the band to Los Angeles to record. The clip also shows guitarist Tom Kaulitz playing the piano – a skill that most fans didn’t know he had. Visit MTV’s Buzzworthy blog for the rest of the story, and look out for the release of Humanoid on October 6th.
U2 kicked off the North American leg of their 360° Tour on September 13th, and cameras have been rolling during the shows and behind the scenes. Visit the official U2 YouTube channel to see video clips of songs from the concert, including “Your Blue Room” and “Vertigo” from the Chicago shows, a radio interview in Toronto, and an advance screening of an exclusive U2.com chat with the Edge.
Can’t get enough live U2? Download the new Blackberry app that lets you get inside the new album No Line On The Horizon. The app features song previews, news, tour updates, exclusive images of the band in the recording studio and on the road, and more! Find out the specifics on the Blackberry website.
No Line On The Horizon is U2’s twelfth studio album and is available now, in stores or through iTunes.
Tori Amos is going to release a holiday album and it’s coming at us very soon. The singer’s ‘Midwinter Graces’ is scheduled for a November 10th release and the album will feature some classic carols as well as original seasonally themed songs. There are a total of 12 tracks of the album. The track list is as follows – ‘What Child, Nowell’, ‘Star of Wonder’, ‘A Silent Night with You’, ‘Candle: Coventry Carol’, ‘Holy, Ivy and Rose’, ‘Harps of Gold’, ‘Snow Angel’, ‘Jeanette, Isabella’, ‘Pink and Glitter’, ‘Emmanuel’, ‘Winter’s Carol’ and ‘Our New Year’. That sounds lovely. Though I’m not completely sure how she was able to make a Christmas song with the title ‘Pink and Glitter’.
ALICE IN CHAINS RELEASE BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE SHORT FILM
Alice in Chains have just released a short film which features the band speaking on the tragedy of former singer Layne Staley’s death to the triumphant return of the band with new singer William Duvall. Follow the band as they recount their first performance without Layne in the wake of the Tsunami tragedy, their introduction to William, and the creative processes that led to the birth of the new album: all whilst getting their faces painted KISS style. Black Gives Way To Blue drops everywhere September 29th.
Check out a behind-the-scenes look at Tokio Hotel’s video shoot for “Automatic” in the South African desert. Tom discusses the process of recording the album and the band’s new sound, and Bill shares how eager their fans are for the Humanoid release. Watch the clip to learn more about the sci-fi themed video.
Tokio Hotel’s video shoot for “Automatic” http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=63209704
Tokio Hotel also just announced the track listing for Humanoid which is due out on October 6th. The forthcoming release will be available in a standard version which is the key to an exclusive area of the band’s official site. Buyers can access karaoke videos of three new tracks, a behind the scenes picture gallery, and a 3D photo from the “Automatic” video shoot. The deluxe edition includes the twelve songs from the standard version on two discs with four bonus tracks. The album is available for preorder now, and it will be available everywhere on October 6th.
Humanoid Track Listing:
Standard:
1. Noise
2. Darkside of the Sun
3. Automatic
4. World Behind My Wall
5. Humanoid
6. Forever Now
7. Pain of Love
8. Dogs Unleashed
9. Human Connect to Human
10. Hey You
11. Love & Death
12. Zoom Into Me
Deluxe: Includes all of the above on 2 discs, plus:
The singer has supposedly been having trouble concentrating on getting his new album done. Tyrese Gibson, a singer who his close to Chris Brown had the following to say about what the rapper has been going through: “Although he appears to be really strong through all of this, it’s really taking a toll on his spirit. People like me and Diddy are just trying to show him love and keep his spirits up while he’s going through all of the heat, and there are a lot people doing the same for Rihanna. I’m not trying to justify it because wrong is wrong, but unfortunately, us as entertainers, we have to grow up on stage with a lot of people looking at us.” Chris Brown must be exaggerating. Who wouldn’t be able to record a new album after maiming their girlfriend like a wild bear and being part of a scandal that can very well shatter any of their hopes for the future? And besides, it’s not like Chris Brown has to command an entire symphonic orchestra for his latest work.
16 Frames’ new album, Where It Ends, is available today! The Los Angeles based band teamed up with producer Matt Serletic (Matchbox 20, Santana) for their major label debut. Tracks from Where It Ends have been featured on MTV’s The Hills and recently appeared in the promos for ABC’s Private Practice.
Steve, Josh and Dylan from the band sat down to talk about their favorite songs on the album and how everyone needs to learn all the words to sing along on their upcoming tour.
