Music News Net

"Best of" Bruce Springsteen at WalMart ONLY !

     MUSIC NEWS - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have announced that a "Greatest Hits" CD release will be out January 2009 as a WalMart exclusive !   The package will be out on January 13, 2009 and will contain twleve tunes that focus on Springsteen's recordings with the E Street Band.  It passes over the non-E-Street albums, like 'Nebraska' and 'Lucky Town' (see full track list below) .  WalMart will release the "Best Of" hits set at a low price, they're taking pre-orders at $10 compared to its list price of $12.98.   The Boss and band are following the marketing path of AC / DC, which recently saw their new release, Black Ice hit the top of the charts as a WalMart exclusive.  Though the exclusive plan for Guns N Roses and their Chinese Democracy release has not worked out so well with a Best Buy exclusive.  

In other Boss news, Springsteen is also working on the release his new album 'Working on A Dream', due on January 27 in the USA.  He and band are also booked to headline the Super Bowl XLIII half-time show on February 1 in Tampa, Florida; enter to win Springsteen / Super Bowl tix .  Bruce has also been the focus of continued media reports, especially in the U.K., that he & band will headline the reknowned Glastonbury festival in June 2009, although there has been no official confirmation.

Vans Warped Tour '09 Unveils More Bands

     MUSIC NEWS - Despite the winter weather,  the organizers of the Vans Warped Tour version  '09 have announced the dates and acts for next summer's punk-rock extravaganza.   The Warped Tour's 15th anniversary run currently boasts a diverse, 52-act lineup that includes NOFX, Chiodos, Bad Religion, Flogging Molly, Less Than Jake, Big D & the Kids Table, The Devil Wears Prada, Saosin and The Ataris. The complete roster and itinerary is listed below.  "Of course, I always like to announce special guests along the way, but I think this is a great start!" Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman said in a posting at the event's website warpedtour.com .  The mulit-city run will kick off on June 26, 2009 in Pomona, CA, and visit 46 locations accross North America through late August. The actual venues have yet to be announced (other than New Jersey's at Monmouth Park racetrack), but dates and cities have been determined and are listed below.

The '09 Warped Tour will downsize from its past two main stages to one, but all the side stages will remain in action, according to Lyman. He explained that hosting only one main stage makes sense for a couple of reasons.  "Many of these bands have been around for a long time and have many songs to choose from so, this year, instead of limiting them to five or six songs, they will have 40 minutes to play all your favorite songs from the past and a couple new ones too," Lyman explained to fans.  He added, "I know times are tough so it was important to me to figure out how to keep the ticket price low this year--this way, we can accomplish that and still put on an awesome show!"

Spend Christmas Eve With LINKIN PARK

     MUSIC NEWS - LINKIN PARK will stream their new, Road to Revolution - Live at Milton Keynes via a Linkin Park media player at LinkinPark.com for 24 hours beginning 12:01 am starting this Wednesday, December 24, 2008.  Simultaneously, fans will be able to hold real-time discussions about the DVD in the Linkin Park room at Meebo.com, a rapidly growing social networking site, or purchase the double-disc CD/DVD version via the media player. The Meebo room will become a permanent part of the band’s Web site after the stream is taken down.

“Road to Revolution” documents the band’s June 29 show at the Milton Keynes National Bowl in the U.K. and features hidden tracks and never-before-seen photos. 

New U2 Album to be Available in Five Versions !

        Music News - U2's forthcoming March '09 release No LIne on the Horizon will be available in five different versions, with the topline carrying a $96 list price on Amazon. It is the band's first release since 2004's multi million-selling album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.   No Line On The Horizon,  we finally know, the much anticipated release is out on March 2, 2009 around the globe, but March 3 in North American (buy cd here) .  In additon to the standard CD and double vinyl packages, "Horizon" will be offered in three limited editions.  A digi-pack version, which has a $35.98 slp, has the CD in a cardboard folded sleeve with a 36 pg booklet, a fold-out poster and "a new film from Anton Corbijn featuring the music of U2," the latter of which is available as a download.  A magazine version, for $49.98 slp, has the CD encased in "a special 60-page soft cover magazine-style book".  It also includes the downloadable Corbijn film.  And finally,  the box set version comes  in a box with a 60-page hardcover book, a second poster and the Corbijn film on DVD.

The track list has not been announced though Q Magazine reports the album has songs named; "Magnificent," "Winter","Stand Up," "Breathe," "Every Breaking Wave" and "Crazy Tonight" (the latter being the contribution from the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am).

Of the new album, guitarist The Edge said recently, "It sounds like a U2 album but it doesn't sound like anything we've done before and it doesn't really sound like anything that's happening at the moment,"

Surprise: Slipknot Frontman Doesn't Like COLDPLAY

      MUSIC NEWS- Frontman Corey Taylor of Des Moines, IA based heavy metal band, Slipknot, launched into a foul-mouthed tirade about Coldplayand their frontman, Chris Martinand the band's latest LP during a recent TV interview.  COLDPLAY's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends received critical acclaim and huge sales when it was released earlier this year (08).  But Mr Taylor apparently is not a fan of the record, or singer Martin and made his thoughts known in a profanity-packed TV interview.  He told Zane Lowe on MTV, “That is one of the most self-celebratory pieces of sh** I’ve ever f**king heard in my entire f**king life. “Go suck a f**king ****. Are you watching Martin? Suck it. Go eat a bag of **it.   “I f**king hate that album. It’s music to wipe your as* to.” 

Good publicity move Taylor, and a nice display of an open, musical mind !

Enter to Win Springsteen Super Bowl Tickets !!!

     MUSIC NEWS - As you know, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band will be featured at the Halftime show at Super Bowl XLIII.   Bruce and Amazon. com have announced they're giving away a pair of tickets to the Super Bowl in Tampa, FL !   All you have to do is go to Amazon.com and enter to win. Winner will also get airfare, and two nights' hotel accommodations !!!  Enter at Bruce Springsteen Super Bowl Tix Contest by January 9, 2009.  Official rules here.  Good luck.   

If you missed the contest deadline, but will be in Tampa, check out the chance to get tickets to be part of the "on field" halftime audience at  superbowlcast.com.

And check out the Bruce NBC promo-

Steven's Untitled Rock Show (SURS) to End Run on FUSE

     MUSIC NEWS - Daily for the past few years, punk/emo/indie/alternative rock fans around the country have tuned in to FUSE TV for Steven's Untitled Rock Show where the host (and rock music fan) Steven Smith offered up news and stories on top bands and tours from the comfort of a lovely couch (and often on the road or at a gig.  Yet, in unexpected news, the end of SURS, at 701 episodes, is upon us.  The show won't been renewed for the 2009 season. (see post from the show's intern below).  Yes, another live rock tv show is coming to an end !

LADY GAGA on Today Show With Her Holiday Spirit !

    MUSIC NEWS- In the midst of a crazy tour schedule promoting her latest release, The Fame , Lady Gaga found time to stop by the Today Show this week and interview with Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb !  Listen to what she has to say about music, fame, and fashion!   Plus, watch as she teaches the ladies some of her hottest dance moves!  Her wild ode to yuletide merriment just arrived on iTunes!  Get your own copy of 'Christmas Tree' featuring Space Cowboyat the iTunes store !

 

ADELE Books '09 US Tour, Plans Follow Up Release (20 ?)

     MUSIC NEWS - Rising music star ADELE has earned four Grammy nominations, and would love to win one (despite the mis-quotes in the British press) and has a mostly sold-out winter tour. Now the British "heartbroken soul" singer has announced plans for a spring 09 tour of the US.  She's booked a March 9, 2009 opening at the House of Blues in San Diego, CA, and a May 5 endgig at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC.  So far, only 10 dates have been announced so far for the spring run, but highlights include a March 14 concert at Warehouse in Houston, TX, a March 17 performance at Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, GA, and a March 18 gig at The Mercy Lounge in Nashville, TN.  Her shows are in great demand, due to great tix sales, Adele's January 29 concert at The Fillmore in San Francisco and January 30 gig at the Avalon in Los Angeles were upgraded to the Warfield Theatre and the Wiltern, respectively, where both shows subsequently sold out.

Adele is touring to support her January 2008 debut, "19 ," which chronicles her life and relationships at the title age. The record initially made a mildly successful run of the charts during the summer before falling. But after Adele's mid-October performance on a "Saturday Night Live" episode featuring former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, "19"  moved back up the charts to nearly cracking the top ten !   In addition to her successful record debut and tour, Adele recently received Grammy  nominations for Best New Artist,  Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the single "Chasing Pavements." The up-and-coming singer thanked fans for their support on Adele's MySpace . "You've made 2008 the best year of my life," Adele wrote, continuing, "I really wasn't expecting such an amazing response to '19.' I've had a few downs but had a lot of highs, and you lot are responsible for the good ones!"

In other Adele news, a follow-up record is slated for 2009. She's has already selected several songs for the album, as well as a producer whom she hasn't yet announced, saying she would be  "embarrassed" if the collaboration fell through.

MASON PROPER's Visger, Free Digital EP

     MUSIC NEWS -  Mason Proper frontman Jon Visger is giving away a free digital EP called Trilobite Trash under his new solo alias, Bug Lung Baby.  Visger, who arranged and performed all the music on the four-song set, uses BLB to move further into experimental pop and electronic sounds.  Taking inspiration from hip-hop production, he's used looping, sampling, and chopping along with programmed beats on an MPC Pad to complement the live band elements.  The EP is available now through RCRD LBL here .  Why Bug Lung Baby you might ask?  Well, Jon explains: "I think when people see somebody's normal, boring name as the title of the musician, they instantly think acoustic guitar, vocals, stripped down kind of coffee house stuff.  My stuff doesn't sound anything like that.  Plus I have a bad relationship with my name for some reason.  Bug Lung Baby conjures up something much more tangible and interesting to me.  I would want to know what that sounded like." Give a listen...

THE ANSWER Break from AC/DC Tour to Headline in NYC

      MUSIC NEWS - The Answer,  rock quartet from Downpatrick in Northern Ireland have been playing to thousands each nite as the opening act for the North American leg of AC/DC's Black Ice World Tour. As soon as the band finish the American Leg of the Black Ice Tour in Nashville, TN on January 3, they'll travel up to NYC to play a headlining gig at the Mercury Lounge on Tuesday, February 3rd. This will be their only club gig in the USA before they depart for the European leg of the AC/DC tour.  It's your chance to see a full show by a group that was recently featured in Rolling Stone's "Hot Issue" and proclaimed them "Rock Gods In Training."

The band recently released Never Too Late a  2 disc/four song EP/dvd that gives a small taste of what's to come on their March 31, 2009 US debut EVERYDAY DEMONS (on The End Records).  The new album was recorded this past summer in LA with John Travis (Kid Rock, Static-X, Killing Heidi, etc.) producing.  You can pick up their, RISE (pictured above) release as a import.

MADONNA's New Single Fails to Connect

       MUSIC NEWS - Pop goddess, Madonna's newest single, Miles Away, a tune about her ex-husband Guy Ritchie, has fast become her worst-performing single.  From her current album Hard Candy, it peaked at #39 on the UK singles chart on November 30 then dropped to #68 the next week.  It's now gone completely from the charts.   It's the first Madonna single not to reach the top 20 ! The USA chart results aren't much better, it peaked at #99.  In Australia, where it's only available digitally, Miles Away is her lowest-performing single ever.  Madonna and Ritchie's breakup was announced in October, after months of speculation, with news of the divorce settlement out this week.  Why the poor results for this tune?, has the public tired of her constant tabloid news stories?  Let's us know your thoughts on Madonna ...

BRIAN ENO Signs on to Score Jackson's Next Film

        MUSIC NEWS - Brian Eno has signed on to write the score for the next film by director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy).  No, not his next Rings film (THE HOBBIT film, which btw has been delayed until a 2012 release), but instead, for The Lovely Bones, an adaptation of the Alice Sebold's novel. No elves, aliens or Tintin in it, but the film will have Rachel Weisz and Mark Wahlberg starring.   Eno gets an "Original music by ..." credit in the film, making it one of his rare outings as a film soundtrack composer.  He has appeared in many films, including Trainspotting  and Boarding Gate, but he has rarely composed any scores.  The last was in 2005 for The Jacket, starring Adrien Brody.   The film is to be released in December 2009, giving Eno a bit of time between his work with David Byrne, U2 and Coldplay.

Try on WINTER GLOVES New EP !!!

     MUSIC NEWS -  From the fertile music scene in Montreal comes the Winter Gloves, a band destined for success far beyond the native Canadian borders that first embraced them.  WG was named the “Best New Artist of 2008” by iTunes Canada, and now, the foursome are ready to descend upon the US with their keyboard-heavy, rhythmically-propulsive pop compositions.   The guys will first introduce themselves to the rest of the globe on February 10, 2009 with a three-song, digital-only Let Me Drive EP, which features early versions of several tracks from their forthcoming debut full-length, about a girl (Paper Bag Records, March 24, 2009) .   You can listen to two tracks here (see below).  The quartet, who dub themselves “glock-rock” due to their use of the oft-ignored glockenspiel, began as the solo project of Charles F. (lead singer/songwriter/wurlitzer).  Charles created the early Winter Gloves recordings that make up Let Me Drive EP in his own home using a single microphone.  The project soon evolved into a four-piece ensemble that also includes Pat Sayers (drums), Vincent Chalifour (synth), and Jean-Michel Pigeon (guitar/glockenspiel).  

Winter Gloves has also recorded a cover of LCD Soundsystem’s “Someone Great”, getting it down from an epic dance track into a compact two minutes that highlight the song’s most memorable bits. Get  Someone Great here for free and the EP's title track, Let Me Drive.

Folk Legends to Pay Tribute to Woody's Children Show & Host

     MUSIC NEWS - NYC area public radio station WFUV will host the Woody's Children: A 40th Anniversary Celebration and Concert on Wednesday, January 7,  2009 in NYC at the  Merkin Concert Hall.  Performers will include Pete Seeger, Tom Chapin, Christine Lavin, Doug Mishkin, Tom Paxton, Peter Yarrow and many other friends who will pay tribute to Bob Sherman's long-running radio show.  The concert will be dedicated to the late Odetta, who was a friend of both the program and the radio station.  Woody's Children: A 40th Anniversary Celebration and Concert will be recorded for a broadcast on Sunday, January 21 at 4:00 PM EST on WFUV 90.7 FM in NYC and fuv.org around the world.

"With all these wonderful performers from the show's early days coming together for this concert, I feel like Woody's Children is coming full circle," said the show's creator and host Bob Sherman.  "I'm thrilled, grateful and a little bit astonished that I'm as excited about doing the show as ever." 

"Woody's Children explores an important genre in American music and it's the kind of creative radio that listeners make weekly appointments to hear. We're happy it's made WFUV its home for the last nine years and hope it stays with us for many more," added WFUV General Manager Ralph Jennings.