Archive: 2005

Scottish rock act Franz Ferdinand leads the field with five nominations for the Brit Awards, which will celebrate their 25th anniversary this year. Muse was close behind with four nominations, while American acts Maroon 5 and Scissor Sisters garnered three each.

Franz Ferdinand’s nominations include best British group, best British album for its self-titled Domino/Epic debut, best British rock act, best British live act and best British breakthrough act.

The group will compete in the best British album category with Keane’s “Hopes and Fears” (Polydor), Snow Patrol’s “Final Straw” (Polydor), Muse’s “Absolution” (Mushroom) and Kasabian’s self-titled RCA debut.

Scissor Sisters’ self-titled Universal debut and Maroon 5’s “Songs About Jane” (J) share nominations in the best international album category with U2’s “How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” (Universal Island), the Killers’ “Hot Fuss” (Lizard King) and OutKast’s “Speakerboxx/The Love Below” (Arista).

In the best British single category, nominees include Will Young’s “Your Game,” Shapeshifters’ “Lola’s Theme,” LMC vs. U2’s “Take Me to the Clouds Above,” Jamelia’s “Thank You” and Band Aid 20’s recent charity remake of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

Franz Ferdinand, U2 and Scissor Sisters will perform at the ceremony, to be held Feb. 9 at London’s Earl’s Court.

For a full list of the 2005 Brit Awards nominees visit billboard.com.

Eric Clapton is set to headline a tsunami relief concert at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on January 22nd. British singer-songwriter Badly Drawn Boy and Wales’ own Manic Street Preachers will also perform, with additional acts to be announced.
All proceeds from the Cardiff show will go to victims of the December 26th tsunami which devastated South Asia, leaving approximately 150,000 dead and a decade’s worth of rebuilding in its wake. About two-thirds of the venue’s seats (45,000) have already sold, and organizers anticipate raising about $1.8 million.

Meanwhile, Sharon Osbourne and American Idol judge Simon Cowell are preparing a charity remake of Clapton’s Grammy-winning “Tears in Heaven.” Among those confirmed for the celebrity recording thus far are Gwen Stefani, Rod Stewart, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Ozzy Osbourne and Elton John. Clapton originally penned the hit song in memory of his four-year-old son Conor, who died in a 1991 accident.

Source rollingstone.com.

Photos by Mike Wren of the Benevento/Russo Duo feat. Mike Gordon and special guest Page McConnell, at the Higher Ground in South Burlington, VT 12.30.04

Bad Credit, Reeve Oliver, Dresden Dolls, and Blues Explosion ring in the New Year at San Diego

The music industry reversed a four-year decline as album sales rose slightly in 2004 while overall music sales spiked thanks to a huge increase in digital track sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The music industry was buoyed by chart-toppers from acts such as Usher, whose “Confessions” sold 7.9 million copies to rank as the year’s best-selling album. The best seller of 2003, 50 Cent’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” sold 6.5 million copies.

Last year’s album sales increased 1.6 percent, versus 2003’s decline of 3.6 percent. Some 666.7 million albums were sold in 2004, compared to 656.2 million in 2003.

Overall music sales

Rock act the Mars Volta will release its sophomore album, “Frances the Mute,” March 1 via Strummer/Universal. Expanding on the progressive epics of the former At The Drive-In members’ 2003 debut, “Deloused in the Comatorium,” the new set features 77 minutes of music spread across five tracks, three of which contain multiple subsections.

First single “The Widow” is an anthemic, mid-tempo rocker accented by an acoustic guitar intro and organ flourishes. “Frances the Mute” was produced by group member Omar Rodriguez and mixed by Rich Costey, who provided the same service on “De-loused in the Comatorium.”

The Mars Volta will begin a five-week international tour Feb. 5-6 at the Sonic Mania festival in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. The event will also boast sets by Good Charlotte, Velvet Revolver, Marilyn Manson, Kings Of Leon and Sparta, the other band formed by ex-members of At The Drive-In.

Here is the track list for “Frances the Mute”:

“Cygnus…Vismund Cygnus”
A. “Sarcophagi”
B. “Umbilical Syllables”
C. “Facilis Descenus Averni”
D. “Con Safo”

“The Widow”
“L’ Via L’ Viaquez”

“Miranda That Ghost Just Isn’t Holy Anymore”
A. “Vade Mecum”
B. “Pour Another Icepick”
C. “Pisacis (Phra-Men-Ma)”
D. “Con Safo”

“Cassandra Gemini”
A. “Tarantism”
B. “Plant a Nail in the Navel Stream”
C. “Faminepulse”
D. “Multiple Spouse Wounds”
E. “Sarcophagi”

Source billboard.com.

Markus Sandlund, a cellist with the Stockholm Strings and Horns who performed on Brian Wilson’s “Smile” album, has been reported missing, according to a statement from Wilson’s publicity firm.

Sandlund was vacationing with his girlfriend, Sofi, at Phuket, Thailand. Sofi was swept away by the flood but was later rescued. She is now back in Sweden. She has not seen Sandlund since the tsunami hit.

Wilson, who described himself as “devastated” by the news, has sent an agent to look for Sandlund. The cellist had not been located as of Tuesday. Sandlund and Sofi had been staying at the Orchid Beach Resort at Khao Lak.

Wilson and his colleagues ask anyone who has any information on the whereabouts of Sandlund to contact Wilson’s Web site, brianwilson.com.

Source: cnn

Who would have thought just a couple years ago that three bands by the names of Sleater- Kinney, Wilco and The Flaming Lips would be headlining a place called Madison Square Garden on New Years Eve.

Moving ahead with a March tradition, The Allman Brothers Band will return to New York City

A user of Apple’s iTunes music service is suing the firm saying it is unfair he can only use an iPod to play songs. He says Apple is breaking anti-competition laws in refusing to let other music players work with the site.

Apple, which opened its online store in 2003 after launching the iPod in 2001, uses technology to ensure each song bought only plays on the iPod.

Californian Thomas Slattery filed the suit in the US District Court in San Jose and is seeking damages.

“Apple has unlawfully bundled, tied, and/or leveraged its monopoly in the market for the sale of legal online digital music recordings to thwart competition in the separate market for portable hard drive digital music players, and vice-versa,” the lawsuit said.

Mr Slattery called himself an iTunes customer who “was also forced to purchase an Apple iPod” if he wanted to take his music with him to listen to.

A spokesman for Apple declined to comment.

Source: BBC

If a picture speaks a thousand words, then Robert Massie’s work could recite War and Peace. So once again we asked him to take us behind the lens, and share his own personal favorite photos of the year.

When Motley Crue’s Vince Neil wished bandmate Tommy Lee a happy New Year live on NBC, he couldn’t resist inserting a profanity — and now the FCC is involved.

The Federal Communications Commission has received complaints about the New Year’s Eve “Tonight” show and is beginning a preliminary probe, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. But it’s likely little will come of it.

Motley Crue was performing shortly after midnight when Neil turned to Lee and said, “Happy —-ing New Year, Tommy!”

It was an off-the-cuff remark and not done intentionally to test broadcast rules, said a spokeswoman for the band who asked not to be identified. Neither Motley Crue nor NBC had any other comment Tuesday.

Networks have been more cautious about material they air after singer Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl performance last year.

Source: cnn

Google closed on Monday at $202.71, the first time the company closed above $200 during its brief history as a publicly traded firm. (The stock was back below $200 on Tuesday morning.)

Google is among a select list of companies whose stocks cost at least $100 and investing message boards are rife with chatter that the company could split its stock.

After all, Google rival Yahoo! (Research) has split five times since its IPO in 1997. Amazon.com (Research) split its stock three times in the late 1990s. And eBay (Research) has split its stock three times since it went public in 1998.

Google would not comment on the speculation. But analysts say investors shouldn’t hold their breath for a stock split announcement.

Source: CNN

Willie Nelson will headline a Texas benefit concert to help the relief effort for victims of the tsunamis in southern Asia and eastern Africa. “I started at the top,” says musician Michael Hall of his first call to build a lineup, “and when Willie said, ‘Count me in,’ I knew we were off and running.”

The Tsunami Relief Austin to South Asia concert will be held Sunday (Jan 9) at the Austin Music Hall. Patty Griffin, Spoon, Joe Ely, Alejandro Escovedo, Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis and the Geezinslaws also are among those scheduled to perform.

All the acts are donating their talents. Proceeds of ticket sales for the concert at the 3,000-capacity venue will go to the American Red Cross, UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders .

“This came together unbelievably quick,” Hall said. “The scope of the tragedy has really affected everyone I’ve talked to. People really want to pitch in.”

Source billboard.com.

Led Zeppelin, Jerry Lee Lewis and the late Janis Joplin are among those slated to be honored with the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys on February 13th at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.

The other recipients are jazz pianist Jelly Roll Morton, country pioneers the Carter Family, soul hitmakers the Staples Singers, country star Eddy Arnold, jazz drummer Art Blakey, composer Morton Gould and blues pianist Joe Willie “Pinetop” Perkins.

Songwriter extraordinaire Hoagy Carmichael, Soul Train creator Don Cornelius, Blue Note Records founder Alfred Lion and recording artist and radio personality Dr. Billy Taylor will receive the Trustees Award, presented to important figures in music who contribute in a non-performing capacity. Producer Phil Ramone (Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel) will be honored with a technical Grammy.

“The Lifetime Achievement, Trustees and Technical Grammy Awards recognize music people who have made a lasting contribution to culture around the world,” Recording Academy president Neil Portnow said in a statement. “These profoundly inspiring figures are being honored as legendary performers and archetypal musicians, cultural ambassadors and technical visionaries. Their outstanding accomplishments and passion for their craft have created a timeless legacy that has positively affected multiple generations, and will continue to influence generations to come.”

Source rollingstone.com.

The owner of the studio where hip-hop megastar Eminem recorded the multimillion-selling CD, “The Slim Shady LP,” was found shot to death Tuesday inside the facility, police said.

Investigators had not determined a motive in the slaying of Amjed A. (A.J.) Abdallah, said Detective Lt. Norman Raymond.

A business associate of Abdallah found the 36-year-old native of Jordan on the floor of Studio 8, Raymond said. He said police recovered three bullet casings from a .357-caliber revolver and determined that Abdallah had been shot twice.

Abdallah had likely been dead at least two days, Raymond said.

“There’s a possibility of robbery,” Raymond said. “People who use the studio told us to look for some fairly pricey equipment and it was missing.”

Abdallah lived in a two-bedroom apartment over the two-story building on Eight Mile Road, which divides Ferndale and Detroit and inspired the title of Eminem’s semi-autobiographical 2002 movie, “8 Mile.”

Abdallah had not reported any threats or problems at Studio 8, and interviews with several people did not indicate that Abdallah had enemies, Raymond said.

“Everybody says he was a prince of a guy,” the detective said. “He did record for rappers, gangster rap and hip-hop, but we haven’t found anyone who had any particular problem with him yet.”

Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, recorded “The Slim Shady LP” at Studio 8 in 1997, and the album set the rapper on a path to superstardom. The CD has sold nearly 5 million copies since it was released in 1999.

Grubb & Ellis, real estate firm, listed the building December 15 on the eBay online auction site, asking $215,000.

David Giltner, senior vice president at Grubb & Ellis, told The Detroit News last month that Abdallah decided to sell the studio because he was spending more time in New York.

Source CNN.com.

Younder Mountain String Band is hopping on a hot caravan to tide acoustic music fans over during those cold post-holiday months.

The Cabin Fever Tour kicks off January 29th in Tulsa, Okla., and swings through the South in February and beyond, joined on selected dates by the Del McCoury Band.

So far, five shows with both bands are confirmed. YMSB and the International Bluegrass Music Association Entertainer of the Year will alternate headlining slots on the dates they share.

Bluegrass fans who caught both groups at last year’s installment of the annual String Summit know they’re in for a night of pickin’ and grinnin’ like no other.

The Del McCoury Band will keep rollin’ on with a solid schedule through June and additional dates stretching into October.

Yonder Mountain String Band is booked for much of June, including a four-day slot at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado. The group recently released its first two-disc live package, Mountain Tracks Vol. 3, featuring cuts from the band’s 2003 Kinfolk Celebration.

Source pollstar.com.

Photos by Robert Massie of Karl Denson

Paul Westerberg is taking his band, The Painkillers, up and down the West Coast in February, playing songs young and old.
Cited often as one of the precursors to the grunge movement (along with fellow Minneapolis native Bob Mould), Westerberg has had a successful career since his old band, The Replacements, broke up many moons ago.
Some old fans of The ‘Mats might think things have changed for Paul when it comes to his live shows. Wrong. He still marches out fan faves like “I Will Dare” and “Waitress In The Sky,” and, as was The Replacements’ wont, still tears through covers like The Partridge Family’s “I Think I Love You.”
Meanwhile, those who have followed Westerberg’s solo career will be equally satisfied with the songs on their man’s set list.
Things kick off February 17 at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom. Paul is in Seattle the next night, then Portland right after that. Next up is San Francisco February 21, then a two-night stay in Los Angeles. After a quick visit to Tempe, Ariz., Paul Westerberg & The Painkillers say goodbye to sunny California at Anaheim’s House of Blues February 26.

Source: pollstar

It’s set to be a Super Furry world in 2005, as idiosyncratic Welsh pop mavens Super Furry Animals have three album projects in the works. The band is working on its seventh full-length and front man Gruff Rhys’ first solo effort is due March 8, but XL Recordings/Beggars Group has a career spanning compilation due before either of those projects comes to light

Set for a Jan. 25 U.S. release, “Songbook: The Singles Volume One” is the first Super Furry singles collection. The set covers a lot of ground, from fan favorite “Blerwytirhwng” — off the group’s improbably titled 1995 debut EP “Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyndrobwllantysilio-gogogochynygofod
(In Space)” — to “Slow Life” and “Golden Retriever,” from SFA’s 2003 album “Phantom Power.”

Other choice selections among the album’s 21 tracks include “Northern Lites,” “Something for the Weekend,” “Hermann Loves Pauline,” “Play It Cool,” “If You Don’t Want Me to Destroy You” and “The International Language of Screaming.”

The set includes cuts from each of the band’s full-lengths as well as lauded non-album singles “The Man Don’t Give a F***” and “Ice Hockey Hair.”

A companion “Songbook” DVD will feature all of the band’s videos and a 40-minute documentary featuring footage of the band on tour in the United States.

Here is the “Songbook: The Singles Volume One” track list:

“Something for the Weekend”
“It’s Not the End of the World”
“Northern Lites”
“Juxtapozed With U”
“Slow Life”
“Fire in My Heart”
“The Man Don’t Give a F***”
“Herman Loves Pauline”
“Play It Cool”
“Ice Hockey Hair”
“Do or Die”
“Rings Around the World”
“God! Show Me Magic”
“Ysbeidiau Heulog”
“Demons”
“Golden Retriever”
“The International Language of Screaming”
“Hello Sunshine”
“Hometown Unicorn”
“If You Don’t Want Me to Destroy You”
“Blerwytirhwng”

Source billboard.com.