Music News Net

ANNIE LENNOX Signs With Universal Music, Holiday Album Announced

MUSIC NEWS - Internationally renowned recording artist, songwriter, activist and musician Annie Lennox has announced she's signed a new recording deal with Universal Music Group (UMG), for a long-term worldwide recording agreement.

The first release under the deal from Ms Lennox will be her new "A Christmas Cornucopia" album on November 22  through Decca Records in the USA (on Island Records in the UK).  The album features Ms. Lennox's personal interpretations of some of her favorite Christmas carols as well as an original composition entitled, "Universal Child."

STRAIGHT NO CHASER Goes Pop, "With a Twist"

MUSIC NEWS - Straight No Chaser has revealed details of its much-anticipated new album.  "WITH A TWIST", arriving in stores and at online retailers on April 13, 2010 (via ATCO/Atlantic Records).

"WITH A TWIST" has the acclaimed a cappella group bringing its amazing vocal sound and musical approach to a wide range of pop & rock favorites (see tracklisting below).  The album features delightfully different renditions of modern classics like Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under The Bridge," Coldplay's "Fix You," Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over," and Oasis' "Wonderwall."  What's more, "WITH A  TWIST" is highlighted by a rendition of Barry Manilow's "One Voice," featuring guest vocals from Manilow himself.

To promote the new release, "WITH A TWIST," SNC will host a live web chat on Monday, March 8 at 8pm (EST) on sncmusic.com .  They'll perform selections from the new album as well.   The group then embarks on a new USA tour kicking off with a sold out two-night stand at Boulder, CO's Boulder Theater on April 5 & 6 and trek accross the nation through mid-May (see itinerary below).  The tour dates went on sale in mid-December and immediately sold out in several cities including Boulder, CO; Collingswood, NJ; and York, Pittsburgh, and Stroudsburg, PA. In response to the amazing demand, venue sizes were increased and additional shows were added in over a dozen cities.

DAVY KNOWLES and Back Door Slam, Streaming Live from Philly New Years Eve

MUSIC NEWS -  Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam will be performing live today (12/31/09) at noon in Philadelphia, PA to rock out 2009, and you can listen live courtesy of local Philly radio WXPN, World Cafe Live and NPR.

Blues rocker Knowles was born and raised in the UK on the Isle of Man.  As a lad he was inspired by the blues thanks to his dad'ss record collection, which taught him about perfromers like Eric Clapton and Peter Green. In 2001, he and school friends fromed Back Door Slam, and spent recent years performing at festivals and touring consistently, often with groups like Gov't Mule and The Who, while developing a following and a stellar reputation.

Swell Season's Glen Hansard, Bono and Friends Take to the Streets in Dublin

MUSIC NEWS -On this recent Chrismas Eve, December 24, Glen Hansard of the Swell Season was joined by fellow Irishmen Bono, Damien Rice and Mundy for a busking session on Dublin's famed Grafton Street.  The impromptu performance raised money for Simon Community, an organization which serves Ireland's homeless population.

The one hour set included Dylan's 'Knocking On Heaven's Door', Ben E. King's 'Stand By Me' and Mic Christopher's 'Heyday,' among others.  Take a look, below.

JAMES TAYLOR and DROPKICK MURPHYS to Perform New Years Day at NHL Winter Classic in Boston

MUSIC NEWS- James Taylor and the Celtic/rock/punkers, Dropkick Murphys will perform at the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Boston's Fenway Park on New Year's Day.  Boston native Taylor will sing the National Anthem on the field just before the face-off of the outdoor match between the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Quincy, MA based Dropkick Murphys will perform prior to the historic outdoor matchup on Friday, January 1, 2010. NBC will provide live broadcast coverage of the game and the performance in the USA and CBC and RDS will televise the event live in Canada.  The Murphys will open the historic outdoor game at Fenway Park with a performance of their signature tune, "I'm Shipping Up To Boston."  Later in the month, the band heads to Europe for concert dates following up with USA shows.

More info @  nhl.com and dropkickmurphys.com.

Update 1/3/10- Photos of the DKM from the event (courtesy Boston Red Sox)

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE Beats X-Factor's Joe and Simon Cowell

MUSIC NEWS - RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE has released the following statement after their upset victory in the historic people’s campaign to beat Simon Cowell for Britain’s No. 1 Christmas single to raise money and awareness for homelessness:  

“Rage Against the Machine is honored to have been drafted by this historic grassroots campaign to make our song ‘Killing in the Name’ the No. 1 song on the UK Christmas Week pop chart. This is a huge victory by and for fans of real music and we extend our heartfelt thanks to every fan and freedom fighter who helped make our anthem of defiance and rebellion the Anarchy Christmas Miracle of 2009.

“As promised we will play a free concert in the UK in celebration of this incredible upset victory over the heavily favored X-Factor single. We are also pleased that so much money has been raised for homeless charity Shelter and are happy to donate as well to aid this important cause. While there are many lessons that can be drawn from this historic upset, the main one is this: that ordinary people, banding together in solidarity, can change ANYTHING, be it the pop charts or the world.”

CD Box Sets Aren't Always Bargain Priced

MUSIC NEWS- Not that long ago, CD Box Sets were normally expensive music items, but in recent years, the list price for most collections are down to bargain priced, no doubt a result of the recession, struggling CD sales and the casual way the term "box set" is now used.   For most music fans, the low prices are great news when looking to purchase their favorites, but it's interesting to note that there are still some box sets available that will require serious coin, or at least a high limit credit card.   See our list below of some of the more expensive box sets for 2009.  They run the full range of genres, from classical to rock and include interesting mixes of products; from books and DVDs to original artwork and even x-rated goods (blame it on Rammstein) !

Yo-Yo Ma: 30 Years Outside the Box
Price: $789.98

The complete set includes 90 CDs (every original album Yo-Yo Ma has recorded to date), two bonus discs featuring the first release of John Williams’ Suite from Memoirs of a Geisha for Cello and Orchestra, entirely re-mastered with DSD technology, a 312-page hard-bound book, a beautifully designed velvet-lined box, numbered limited-edition with letter of authenticity, a rare archival of photos, essays, full track lists, original liner notes, and more.

 

 

The Pixies : Minotaur Box Set
Price: $753.98
This box set features all five of the band’s studio albums — Come On Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa, Doolittle, Bossanova and Trompe le Monde — on 24K gold-plated discs and 180-gram vinyl. It also includes a 96-page fine art book and a 52-page photo book, a bookmark signed by all the members of the Pixies, two double-sided posters and a Giclee print of some of Oliver’s art. Topping it all off is a DVD and Blu-ray with all five Pixies albums on 5.1 Surround Sound Mix, an unreleased 1992 concert from London’s Brixton Academy and all of the band’s music videos.
   

 

 

 

 

[Amazon]

STRAIGHT NO CHASER Continues Spreading Holiday Cheer, Announces Spring 2010 Dates

MUSIC NEWS - The a cappella phenom, Straight No Chaser continues to spread holiday cheer this season. The 10-man a cappella group, originally formed by college buddies at Indiana University more over a decade ago, continues to climb the charts with their new holiday collection, CHRISTMAS CHEERS, (out via ATCO/ Atlantic) as well as their 2008 debut, HOLIDAY SPIRITS. As Straight No Chaser continues their nearly sold-out Fall/Winter tour, they announced plans to return for a just announced Spring 2010 tour (itinerary below).

Don't forget to watch for them on the Christmas Day edition of NBC’s The Today Show, performing holiday favorites throughout the broadcast and watch for broadcasts of their PBS special, Live In New York: Holiday Edition.  It's proven a massive success, and was quickly picked up by stations across the country and is airing throughout the USA on many stations'December Pledge Drive (check local listings at sncmusic.com). The concert was filmed this past August at New York City’s famed Angel Orensanz Foundation.

NYC's 5th Annual Holiday Cheer for 'FUV Concert

MUSIC NEWS - Rosanne Cash, The Low Anthem and Mike Doughty will headline the Tuesday, December 8th HOLIDAY CHEER show (at 8:00pm) being held at The Concert Hall at the New York Society for Ethical Culture (2 West 64th Street at Central Park West). The concert benefits New York City public radio station WFUV (90.7 FM, wfuv.org) and tickets are $45 and $75 and available through Ticketmaster at 800.745.3000.  VIP tickets are also available at $250-$500, which include passes to the pre-concert cocktail party.

Rosanne Cash has been making music for over thirty years, blending from country, folk, rock and blues to write songs about mortality, love and loss.  On her latest CD, The List, Cash interprets songs from a list of 100 essential country songs her father, Johnny Cash, gave her when she was 18.
 
A trio consisting of folk musician Ben Knox Miller, jazz bassist Jeff Prystowsky and classical composer Jocie Adams comprise The Low Anthem, who recently released their third CD, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, to rave reviews.
 

Christmas Carolling Time With Julian Koster

MUSIC NEWS - It's holiday caroling time again!  Julian Koster and his Singing Saw will come to your house to bring songs, stories, and good cheer to you and your friends; all you have to do is invite them!

To promote the spirit of the holidays and The Singing Saw at Christmastime, Julian, his dog Rudolph and his Singing Saw friend Badger set out on a caroling tour last fall. Julian says, “Caroling last year was one of the most special experiences I’ve ever known…following a path that wound through so many houses (over 100!), in so many neighborhoods in each town (and so many towns!), and being welcomed so kindly and so warmly into all of those homes. I’m so glad that we’re all still here, and that the Universe has arranged for this all to happen again. I can hardly wait.”

"GIFT WRAPPED: 20 SONGS THAT KEEP ON GIVING" OUT DIGITALLY DECEMBER 1, EXCLUSIVELY ON iTunes

MUSIC NEWS - The elves at Warner Bros. Records have announced this plans to release a digital only holiday album and have decided to call it- Gift Wrapped: 20 Songs That Keep On Giving, It'll be out exclusively through iTunes on December 1 and the holiday gang tell MNN that It’s the first comprehensive holiday album release of its kind from the WB label.

 

Gift Wrapped will feature a range of holiday tunes, both Christmas and Hanukkah songs,  including classic standards and unique originals — nine of which were previously unavailable — from artists that cover a variety of genres, so yes, there's something for everyone! The artists include Michael Bublé, R.E.M., My Chemical Romance, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Randy Travis, Regina Spektor, Dwight Yoakam and The Flaming Lips, plus several promising newcomers: Foxy Shazam, Meaghan Smith and Nikki & Rich (who contributed an original song).

 

STRAIGHT NO CHASER Back with "Christmas Cheers" and Tour

MUSIC NEWS- With a cappella more popular than ever, look at the success of GLEE on tv and Ben Fold's University A Cappella album, "CHRISTMAS CHEERS,” the eagerly anticipated new album from Straight No Chaser, has arrived at stores and at digital shoppes today (via ATCO/Atlantic Records).  The collection features a selection of holiday-themed classics, reworked in the acclaimed a cappella group’s inventive and original style. The compilation is led by the brand-new single ‘The Christmas Can-Can’ and also features a studio version of the YouTube hit ‘The 12 Days of Christmas.’

Straight No Chaser is currently heralding the album’s release with a major USA tour (see  itinerary below) with dates through a December 23 tour finale in Raleigh, NC.  

Spend the Holidays with Tori Amos - New MIDWINTER GRACES Album

  MUSIC NEWS -  Tori Amos has announced the release her first seasonal / holiday album, Midwinter Graces, on November 10 (via Universal Republic). MG follows up Tori’s critically (and fan) acclaimed studio album, the top selling,  Abnormally Attracted to Sin, and you'll find Tori reworking and expanding on classic carols as well as developing some of her very own seasonal tracks.

Midwinter Graces is an album that has been in the making for the past 40 years. Raised in the Baltimore. MD area under the watchful eye of her Methodist minister father, Tori grew up playing holiday carols at Sunday services and Christmas Day celebrations in her father’s church. These were the songs that gave a young Tori her first taste of music, and now almost 40 years later Tori gets her own chance to reimagine classics like “What Child, Nowell” and “Star of Wonder.” Tori will also add her own bittersweet bliss to the season with originally tracks like “Pink and Glitter” and “Our New Year.” 

STING Announces Release of "If on a Winter's Night..."

    MUSIC NEWS - Sting has announced plans to release his new album this fall, and it's dedicated to his favorite season, winter, according to the news on his site.   "If On A Winter's Night ..." is said to feature a collection of songs, carols and lullabies, along with two original tunes (Lullaby for an Anxious Child and The Hounds of Winter, which originally appeared on his 1996 release Mercury Falling).  Sting and guest musicians will interpret traditional British music, including a Newcastle ballad, an English "begging" song and a 14th century carol.  The album will be released on October 27, 2009 in the USA.  On the album, Sting is joined by friend and long time colleague, guitarist Dominic Miller and others. More at Sting.com.  

The new album, due for an October 26, 2009 release, can be ordered below thru MNN.

UPDATE 10/25/09 - Listen to this special track, Burning Babe, here