Music News Net

MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA Back Out on the Road, Joins Honda Civic Tour, Announce UK Shows

MUSIC NEWS- In the same week they pick up two MTV VMAs for their "Simple Math" music video (for"Best Special Effects"and "Best Editing"), Atlanta, GA rockers, MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA heads back on the road for two fest shows, then join Blink 182 and My Chemical Romance on the Honda Civic Tour, and have just announced a UK headlining tour for the fall.

Their Simple Math video premiered on IFC.com earlier this year and was directed by the Daniels and is the title track from the band's acclaimed third album, Simple Math (out thisyear via Columbia Records/Favorite Gentlemen Recordings). Don't miss MTV's 2011 VMA award show on August 28th at 9pm EST.

Richard Thompson Awarded Order of the British Empire (OBE)

MUSIC NEWS - Richard Thompson was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) today for his s ingular and substantial contribution to music. The award was presented by Queen Elizabeth during the special investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Crowning an extraordinary week, Thompson will also be bestowed with an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Aberdeen on July 5, for his “exceptional and distinctive contribution to contemporary music, (which) places him among a very distinguished group of honorary graduates from the arts.”

(photo credit, Charles Green Photography)

 

Robert Plant and the Band of Joy Pick Up Three Americana Music Assoc Noms

MUSIC NEWS - Robert Plant and Band of Joy have been nominated for three Americana Music Association awards !!! They picked up noms for Duo/Group of the Year, Album of the Year and Artist of the Year.  Winners will be announced at the Americana Music Festival and Conference October 12 thru 15, 2011 in Nashville, TN.

And, Mr Plant and Band of Joy will be back in the USA soon to begin an eleven date North American tour that starts up in San Diego, CA, and ends at the Borgata Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, NJ. The shows on prior legs of the tour have been some of Plant's most inspired live performances in years. Nearly one year into playing together, the Band of Joy has surely found that rare sweet spot where composition and improvisation meld to create a firey and soulful brand of jubilant rock'n'roll.

TRENT REZNOR Picks Up His First Oscar !

MUSIC NEWS - NINE INCH NAILS' Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won the Oscar for their score to the film, The Social Network.  Reznor and Ross won in the Music (Original Score) category at last night's (February 27) Academy Awards ceremony in L.A.   Also nominated in the category was Hans Zimmer, for his score to Inception, that had the involvement of the Smiths' Johnny Marr.

As he accepted the award at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, Reznor said: "Wow. Is this really happening? When we finished, we were very proud of our work and happy to just be involved in this film, and to be standing up here in this company is humbling and flattering beyond words."

So Who is Grammy Winner Esperanza Spalding?

MUSIC NEWS - One of the most asked questions from last night's 53rd Grammy Awards has been- Who is Best New Esperanza Spalding?  Well, she's a bassist, singer and composer and is the first jazz musician to ever win the Best New Artist GRAMMY Award. She was nominated this year along with Justin Bieber, Drake, Florence & the Machine, and Mumford and Sons. Her inclusion in this mainstream category certainly signifies her considerable appeal to a broad audience.  

Spalding combines the imaginative flights of a serious improviser with the musical accessibility of a pop star and within two years of her solo debut has beguiled success at nearly unimaginable heights. Esperanza, her 2008 release, was on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart for 70+ weeks and was the most successful internationally selling debut that year.  

Photo Courtesy The Recording Academy(R)/WireImage.com

(c) 2011photo credit Steve Granitz

Neil Young to Receive Humanitarian Award at Junos

MUSIC NEWS - Iconic Canadian singer-songwriter folk/rock legend, Neil Young will receive the 2011 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award at the Juno Awards telecast from Toronto on March 27, it was announced. The award recognizes "a Canadian artist whose humanitarian contributions have positively enhanced the social fabric of Canada."

"We are thrilled to salute Neil Young's committed and compassionate legacy," said Melanie Berry, president/CEO of the Junos. "As a driving force behind one of music's most successful fundraising events, Farm Aid, and a key participant in Live 8 right here at home, his tenacity and spirit is highly regarded among his peers, and serves as an inspiration to all of us."

Annie Lennox, Richard Thompson, Trevor Horn, Others Honored by the Queen of England

MUSIC NEWS - Queen Elizabeth II has announced her semi-annual list of honors yesterday, naming musician/performer/producer Trevor Horn as a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) and Annie Lennox and Richard Thompson (pictured at right) as OBE's (Order of the British Empire).  

Trevor Horn receives his CBE for his service in the music industry. He originally formed the Buggles (Video Killed the Radio Star song fame) in 1978 and later produced (and often perform on) albums by Yes, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, ABC, the Pet Shop Boys, Rod Stewart, Seal, Robbie Williams and others.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2011 Nominees Revealed

MUSIC NEWS - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame isn’t due to reveal its list of 2011 Hall of Fame inductees until tomorrow, Wednesday, 12/15/10, but someone let the info slip out prematurely.  And, according to the New York Times; Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Dr. John and Darlene Love are the performers to be honored in March, noting that Bon Jovi, Donovan, Laura Nyro, Joe Tex and Chuck Willis failed to make the cut .

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will make it's "official" announcement tomorrow morning at 10:30 am EST with the swanky induction ceremony happening on March 14, 2011 at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC.

Said Tom Waits of the news of his induction; “I am still recovering from the news. I never really cared about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame…but now I am surprised to discover how much I DO care.”

More info @ RockHall.com and NYTimes.com.

Steven Tyler to Cover Beatles Tunes for Sir Paul McCartney

MUSIC NEWS - American Idol judge and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has been asked by Sir Paul McCartney to cover four Beatles tunes at a special performance in Washington, DC  today, December 5, 2010.   Tyler will perform songs from the band's 1969 album, Abbey Road, at the Kennedy Centre Honors.

McCartney will be receiving the award at the ceremony, along with singer/songwriter Merle Haggard, composer Jerry Herman and TV personality Oprah Winfrey.   "I got called up by Paul McCartney and he asked me to sing the last four songs of Abbey Road so I said 'Umm OK.' (I'm) doing it," he told radio station 95.9 WATD-FM.

The Gala will be broadcast on CBS-TV on December 28, 2010 at 9:00-11:00 pm, ET/PT.

Grammy Nominations Announced - EMINEM Leads with 10

MUSIC NEWS  - Nominations for the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced last night by The Recording Academy and contain quite an eclectic mix of the best in music over the past year, as determined by the voting members of The Academy ( list of top noms below).

The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on "GRAMMY Sunday," February 13, 2011, at STAPLES Center in L.A., CA and once again will be broadcast live on CBS from 8 'til 11:30 pm (ET/PT).

Eminem tops the nominations with 10; Bruno Mars garners seven; and Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum, and Lady Gaga each earn six nods.  Jeff Beck, B.o.B, David Frost, Philip Lawrence, and John Legend receive five each; and Alex Da Kid, the Black Keys, Drake, Cee Lo Green, Ari Levine, Katy Perry, Rihanna, the Roots, Dirk Sobotka, and Zac Brown each have four nominations.

2011 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominees Announced - Alice Cooper, Beastie Boys, J Geils, Tom Waits and More

MUSIC NEWS - Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Beastie Boys and Bon Jovi are on the list of fifteen performers nominated on Tuesday for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.   Donovan, Dr. John, Chic, J. Geils Band, LL Cool J, Darlene Love, Joe Tex, Laura Nyro, Donna Summer, Tom Waits and Chuck Willis complete the list of nominees for this year.

Now the fun begins, as ballots will issued to 500+ voters in the music industry, who will select the final inductees.  That elite group will be named this December, with the induction ceremony to be held on March 14, 2011 at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City.

DEVO To Receive MOOG INNOVATION AWARD, and Tour

MUSIC NEWS - As DEVO continue to spread to the truth about Devolution around the globe, the cry for “more” can no longer be denied. The people have spoken and DEVO has answered the call. More = more and more is good! 

 

Q:  So what has become of DEVO since the release of their new studio album SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY? Have they become Rockin’ Prophets? Highly enlightened Soothsayers? Marching merchants of quality goods of all varieties and services for the masses?  All of the above for sure, but...

the xx Takes Home 2010 UK Mercury Prize

 MUSIC NEWS- The electronic band the xx are the winners of Britain's 2010 Mercury Prize for their debut album, "the xx."   The trio, Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie Smith, recorded the album in the small garage of indie record label XL's studios.  The album has garnered critical acclaim, and strong chart results in the UK.

"We've had the most incredible year," xx frontman Sim said. "It feels like every day we wake up to something incredible. It hasn't sunken in to be honest." xx beat out 11nominees including rapper Dizzee Rascal and his platinum album, "Tongue N'Cheek," veteran performer Paul Weller and his tenth solo album, "Wake up the Nation", Corrine Bailey Rae's "The Sea" as well as newcomers Mumford & Sons and biffy clyro's Only Revolutions.

JOHN FOGERTY's Baseball Bat Shaped Guitar to Baseball Hall of Fame Museum

MUSIC NEWS- On July 25th, after the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, John Fogerty's legendary baseball bat-shaped guitar will be put on display and become part of the exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum. This will be the first time that the Museum will immortalize a musician as part of the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which by the way, has for more than a decade kicked off their annual festivities with the playing of the baseball'ss unofficial anthem, Fogerty's classic tune, "CENTERFIELD".

But the famed bat almost didn't make it to Cooperstown, NY.   Fogerty recently commented, "That guitar means a lot to me. It's symbolizes two of my great loves, baseball and the guitar. When 'Centerfield' came out, it was after a long break and was such an important album to me on many levels. The lessons of baseball - the hits, the misses, the triumphs, and the losses - were something that I could really relate to in my life. So I got this idea to make a baseball bat guitar and of course, it had to be a Louisville Slugger. Well, there's nothing else like it in the world, and I think 'Slugger' will be happy at the Baseball Hall of Fame. "

"Best New Artist" Grammy Award Rules Updated

MUSIC NEWS - To evolve and improve its Awards process, The Recording Academy announced changes to eligibility rules in the Best New Artist category, the Classical Field, and for Recording Academy-produced performances. The new rules go into effect immediately for the upcoming 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards on February 13, 2011, with the total number of GRAMMY categories remaining at 109.

New eligibility requirements for Best New Artist;

New artists have at least one chance to compete in the Best New Artist category, provided that the artist has not already won a GRAMMY. The current eligibility requirements state that the artist must have released, as a featured performing artist, at least one album but not more than three; and the artist must not have been entered for Best New Artist more than three times, including as a performing member of an established group. Any previous GRAMMY nomination for the artist as performer precludes eligibility in the Best New Artist category (including a nomination as an established performing member of a nominated group.)