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The WHITE STRIPES Take on the Air Force Reserve Over Super Bowl Ad

MUSIC NEWS- Indie rockers, The White Stripes has issued a statement complaining about how one of their songs was used in a Sunday Super Bowl ad by the US Air Force Reserves, saying the branch of service misused a tune from the band's their third album White Blood Cells called,  Fell in Love With a Girl.

The band contend that the an instrumental track used in the ad was an unauthorized version of their song.  And to back up their charge, the band's posted on the website of its record label, Third Man Records the music video for the song and a link to the Air Force Reserve commercial in question, asking for fans and listeners to decide for themselves.

The White Stripes wrote on the Third Man Records site:

BAD LIEUTENANT Announce First Ever USA Concerts

MUSIC NEWS -  Bad Lieutenant, the group formed in 2007 by New Order's Bernard Sumner (guitar, vocals) and Phil Cunningham (guitar), along with Jake Evans (guitar, vocals), has announced that the UK group is coming to America to play four concerts including a special appearance at the Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival (4/17). Gigs in San Francisco (4/16), Chicago (4/19) and New York (4/21) are also now confirmed.

Tickets for the San Francisco, Chicago and NYC dates go on sale this week, (see itinerary below for details) and can be purchased at the respective venue's box office and at ticketmaster.com

These shows will mark Bad Lieutenant's U.S. concert debut and are to promote the band's first album, Never Cry Another Tear, which was released in October 2009 via Original Signal Recordings.

"As promised," said Bad Lieutenant's Bernard Sumner, "we are coming to the U.S. to play our re-scheduled dates in Chicago and New York with the addition of the Coachella Festival and a concert in San Francisco. We are really looking forward to playing our songs live for our fans in the U.S. It's been some quite time since I have played in America, and we are all very excited about the prospect."

THE SPECIALS, 1st North American Tour in 30 Years, Land in L.A.

MUSIC NEWS - Los Angeles’ Club Nokia has announced a Thursday, April 15 performance by THE SPECIALS. The legendary British ska band is playing the club on their upcoming North American tour, their first in nearly 30 years, after having reunited for a UK tour in 2009.  Tickets for the April 15 show go on sale Friday, February 12 at 10:00am.

AMERICAN BANG Wraps Up With Bob Rock

MUSIC NEWS -TN rockers, American Bang is comprised of a wildly talented gang of young rock ‘n rollers who’ve been playing together in assorted band variations lives. After many different combos and incarnations of local bands, the four members – Johnston, lead guitarist Ben Brown, bassist Kelby Ray, and drummer Neil Mason – came of age musically as students of rock ‘n roll in the heart of Music City, which has paid off in the group’s confident sense of song craft.

The Nashville rocker's self-titled, loud, sexy, and soulful major-label debut album is a memorable and melodic introduction to the rock group. The album, produced by the legendary Bob Rock, successfully captures the amazing grace and guts of their deep musical roots and Southern accent. From the pounding and gritty opening of “Whiskey Walk,” to the instantly anthemic “Wild & Young,” to the messy, Stonesy romance of “Hurts Like Hell,” it’s quite apparent that American Bang shoots right at the heart of great American rock ‘n roll.

STEPHEN BRUTON "Crazy Heart" Controversy Grows

MUSIC NEWS - The New York Times reported on Friday that the controversy over musician Stephen Bruton’s will and his involvement with T Bone Burnett in the Oscar-nominated movie “Crazy Heart” continues.  Several of Bruton's friends, along with his ex-wife Mary Keating Bruton, are claiming that Burnett, the soundtrack's producer, pressured Bruton to change his will and exclude ex-wife Mary (leaving the majority of his $1.2M estate to his brother) and in minimizing Bruton’s role in creating the film's music.

Bruton, a respected session and touring musician (he spent many years playing with Kris Kristofferson and Bonnie Raitt) and songwriter, divorced his wife, Mary, just two months before his death from cancer last year and left her $100 besides her share of the community property.   In her lawsuit, she alleges that Burnett influenced Mr Bruton’s decision-making while Bruton's health deteriorated, under medication and wrapping up the soundtrack recording after a move to L.A.

Some of Bruton’s friends also feel that Burnett has damaged Bruton’s legacy by saying in interviews that Bruton inspired the character of Bad Blake, played by Jeff Bridges in the Oscar-nominated role of the washed-up country musician.

More @ NYTimes.com

OASIS Name is Done, Says Liam Gallagher

MUSIC NEWS- Liam Gallagher has said that the band, formerly known as Oasis  will have a new name.
In an interview with the UK's XFM radio station, Liam said he didn't like the OASIS name anyway and that the band's new album, due out in July, will be out under something else.

Said Liam; "No, it's not Oasis, that was a shit name anyway," "I'm glad to see the back of it."  It won't be OASIS, but Gallagher refused to issue the new name, or give any clues.  He did say; "There's a name that we're digging at the moment, but we're going to get on with the music and see how it goes."

Any suggestions for Liam and company??? ...

DUNCAN SHEIK Signs on for "American Psycho" Musical

MUSIC NEWS - The LATimes is reporting that singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik has signed up to score the upcoming musical adaptation of "American Psycho".  The musical will be based on the 1991 Bret Easton Ellis novel that focuses on a 1980s Wall Street banker who spends his evenings as a deranged serial killer. Back in 200, the novel was turned into a film that starred Christian Bale.

Mr Sheik talked about his passion for the project in a statement about the novel, in which he said; "I came to feel that what some people (including myself) may have seen as an over-the-top literary folly of the early nineties was in fact a pretty timeless tale of alienation and solipsism."

Back in 1996 Shiek has quite the hit with "Barely Breathing" (listen here).  He later became an accomplished composer for stage productions and won a Tony Award in 2007 for his work as the composer of "Spring Awakening".  He's more recently worked on "Whisper House", now running in San Diego.

No word on when work on "American Psycho" will begin.

JEFF BECK Hits the Road for "Emotion & Commotion"

MUSIC NEWS - Rock guitar master Jeff Beck has announced additional dates on upcoming tour that include the USA and Canada with the legendary Brit rocker's adding two dozen dates over the spring and summer. 

The first leg of Beck's North American tour begins April 16 at Nob Hill Masonic Center in San Francisco, CA, and wraps up on May 1 at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans, LA.  Beck will then be on a break for a month before starting up again on June 3 in Boston, MA at the Bank of America Pavilion, then  ending June 23 at the PNC Pavilion in Cincinnati, OH.

UNCLE KRACKER Takes to the Road for "Happy Hour"

MUSIC NEWS -  Detroit based singer/songwriter Uncle Kracker has announced details of his upcoming US headline tour.  The “Happy Hour Tour” kicks off on March 11th with a home state show at The Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan.  Dates then continue through April (see itinerary below). The tour comes as Uncle Kracker’s current hit single, “Smile,” continues to explode across a variety of radio formats.

After he wraps up the first of leg of his “Happy Hour Tour,” Uncle Kracker will be among the stars performing on Kid Rock’s inaugural “Chillin’ The Most Cruise.”  Already sold-out, the four-day fun-fest – booked for April 29th to May 3rd will travel from Tampa, FL to Grand Cayman on board the Carnival Inspiration.  The cruise will feature round-the-clock concerts from choice artists and DJs, parties, activities, contests, and much more.  For details and Waiting List information, please visit kidrockcruise.com.

More on Uncle Kracker @  unclekracker.com

PAUL SIMON Nearly Caught Up in Identity Theft

MUSIC NEWS- Singer/songwriter PAUL SIMON was nearly the victim of identity fruad in NYC. This week, a man attempted to withdraw $4,300.00 from Simon's Citibank account.

The suspect, Rafael Ramos reportedly showed up at the bank branch with a forged credit card and driving license, and the real Simon's social security number.  Fortunately the teller quickly realised the six foot tall Ramos wasn't the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, and refused to give him the cash.   Ramos then made a run for it but was picked up by police a few minutes later and was charged with attempted larceny, according to the New York Post.

No word on how how Ramos was able to get Simon's social security and bank account numbers.

DAVID BYRNE and FATBOY SLIM's New "Here Lies Love" Out April 6

MUSIC NEWS - As previously noted,  David Byrne and Fatboy Slim have paired up for Here Lies Love, a 22 track song cycle about the life of former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos and her childhood servant, Estrella Cumpas.  The release now has a revised, but confirmed dates of April 6, out via Todomundo/Nonesuch Records, the album will includes a 100-page book detailing the project and a DVD. In addition to Byrne and Fatboy Slim, Here Lies Love also features performances by Santigold, Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine), Sia, Steve Earle, St. Vincent, Natalie Merchant, Tori Amos, Sharon Jones, Nicole Atkins and many others. In addition, The Public Theater in New York City is developing a theatrical version of Here Lies Love for a future production. 

Right now Byrne is offering a free download of “Please Don’t” (featuring Santigold) at herelieslove.net. In anticipation of the record’s release, herelieslove.net is premiering five additional streaming tracks from Here Lies Love each week along with each track’s corresponding chapter. The streaming tracks are “Here Lies Love,” “Dancing Together,” “Never So Big,” “Solano Avenue” and “Why Don’t You Love Me?”

MUSE "Under Review" DVD Gets March 23 Release Date

Music News- Today Muse announced the DVD release of "Under Review" (out March 23, 2010 via Sexy Intellectual and MVD Visual).  This film looks at Muse's full career, from the early days to it's current global success, and uses rare performance and interview footage of the group, contributions from their closest colleagues and from those who have witnessed and written about their journey.  It will also include seldom seen photos, news reports, scene shoots and a range of other features, creates the finest documentary to date on this extraordinary band, the music they make and the lives they lead.

PINK to Visit Oprah Winfrey This Friday

MUSIC NEWS - After her performance on Sunday at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards that had fans and critics buzzing, P!nk is booked for The Oprah Winfrey Show LIVE on this Friday, February 5th. P!nk will play a special acoustic version of her hit “I Don’t Believe You” and talk about her Grammy experience. 
 
P!nk’s amazing performance of “Glitter in the Air” from her multiplatinum selling album Funhouse defied the laws of gravity and impressed audiences across the world. After the show, the tune immediately shot into the iTunes Top Ten and has maintained its spot there since. P!nk is no stranger to aerial, having incorporated it into her record-breaking Funhouse Tour that had her flying high above the fans and executing complex trapeze routines – all while singing live. 
 
Watch P!nk’s Grammy “Glitter in the Air” performance here.

FALL OUT BOY Admit They've Fallen Out

MUSIC NEWS - FOB frontman Patrick Stump, currently working on his debut solo album, has confirmed that he is no longer working with the band and doesn't believe they will ever return from the hiatus they announced last November. 

He told Spin magazine recently; "I'm not in Fall Out Boy right now. But one way or another, the band will always be around. Steven Tyler isn't in Aerosmith anymore, but his gravestone will probably say something about Aerosmith. Whether we play again or not, I don't know. If we do, it will be for the right reasons. If we don't, it will also be for the right reasons."I'm really not worried about Fall Out Boy. I'm so psyched about where I'm at right now, recording this solo album."