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LES PAUL DEAD AT 94

2009-08-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

Les Paul, a legendary music icon died today at the age of 94. Les Paul is credited with revolutionizing music and, by virtue of his inventions, essenially invented Rock and Roll.

In addition to pioneering the electric guitar, Les Paul has been credited with the invention of multitrack recording.

Nekesa Mumbi Moody wrote a very detailed accounting of the life of Les Paul for the Associated Press.

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NEW YORK — Les Paul, the guitar virtuoso and inventor who revolutionized music and created rock 'n' roll as surely as Elvis Presley and the Beatles by developing the solid-body electric guitar and multitrack recording, died Thursday at age 94.

Known for his lightning-fast leads, Les Paul performed with some of early pop's biggest names and produced a slew of hits, many with wife Mary Ford. But it was his inventive streak that made him universally revered by guitar gods as their original ancestor and earned his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the most important forces in popular music.

Les Paul, who died in White Plains, N.Y., of complications from pneumonia, was a tireless tinkerer, whose quest for a particular sound led him to create the first solid-body electric guitar, a departure from the hollow-body guitars of the time. His invention paved the way for modern rock 'n' roll and became the standard instrument for legends like Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page.

Les Paul also developed technology that would become hallmarks of rock and pop recordings, from multitrack recording that allowed for layers and layers of "overdubs" to guitar reverb and other sound effects.

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"He was truly the cornerstone of popular music," said Henry Juskiewicz, chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar, which mass produced Les Paul's original invention. "He was futurist, and unlike some futurists who write about it and predict things, he was guy who actually did things."

Les Paul remained an active performer until his last months: He put out his very first rock album just four years ago, and up until recently played every week at a New York jazz club.

The news of his death prompted an outpouring of tributes from the music world.

"Les lived a very long life and he got to a lot of his goals, so I'm happy for him in that respect. ... At least he realized that he was legend in his own time while he was alive" said Richie Sambora, Bon Jovi's guitarist and a friend of Paul's, on Thursday. "He was revolutionary in the music business."

Said Kiss' Paul Stanley: "The name Les Paul is iconic and is known by aspiring and virtuoso guitar players worldwide. That guitar is the cornerstone of a lot of great music that has been made in the last 50 years."

A tinkerer and musician since childhood, he experimented with guitar amplification for years before coming up in 1941 with what he called "The Log," a 4-by-4 piece of wood strung with steel strings.

"I went into a nightclub and played it. Of course, everybody had me labeled as a nut." He later put the wooden wings onto the body to give it a traditional guitar shape.

The use of electric guitar gained popularity in the mid-to-late 1940s.

Leo Fender's Broadcaster was the first mass-produced solid body electric on the market in the late 1940s.

Gibson solicited Les Paul to create a prototype for a guitar, and began production on the Les Paul guitar in 1952. Townshend of the Who, Steve Howe of Yes, jazz great Al DiMeola and Led Zeppelin's Page all made the Gibson Les Paul their trademark six-string.

The Les Paul series has become one of the most widely used guitars in the music industry. In 2005, Christie's auction house sold a 1955 Gibson Les Paul for $45,600.

Les Paul was born Lester William Polfuss, in Waukesha, Wis., on June 9, 1915. Les Paul began his career as a musician, billing himself as Red Hot Red or Rhubarb Red. He toured with the popular Chicago band Rube Tronson and His Texas Cowboys and led the house band on WJJD radio in Chicago.

In the mid-1930s he joined Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians and soon moved to New York to form the Les Paul Trio, with Jim Atkins and bassist Ernie Newton.

Les Paul started out as an accompanist, working with key artists until he struck out on his own. His first records were released in 1944 on Decca Records. Later, with Ford, his wife from 1949 to 1962, he earned 36 gold records for hits including "Vaya Con Dios" and "How High the Moon," which both hit No. 1.

Les Paul had met Ford, then known as Colleen Summers, in the 1940s while working as a studio musician in Los Angeles. For seven years in the 1950s, Paul and Ford broadcast a TV show from their home in Mahwah, N.J. (Ford died in 1977, 15 years after they divorced).

Les Paul had made his first attempt at audio amplification at age 13. Unhappy with the amount of volume produced by his acoustic guitar, he tried placing a telephone ear piece under a string which was strung across a railroad tie. Although this worked to some extent, only two strings were amplified and the volume level was still too low.

By placing a phonograph needle in the guitar, all six strings were amplified, which proved to be much louder. Paul was playing a working prototype of the electric guitar in 1929.

His work on recording techniques began in the years after World War II, when Bing Crosby gave him a tape recorder. Drawing on his earlier experimentation with his homemade recording machine, Paul added an additional playback head to the recorder. The result was a delayed effect that became known as tape echo.

Tape echo gave the recording a more "live" feel and enabled the user to simulate different playing environments.

Les Paul's next "crazy idea" was to stack together eight mono tape machines and send their outputs to one piece of tape, stacking the recording heads on top of each other. The resulting machine served as the forerunner to today's multitrack recorders. Many of their songs used overdubbing techniques that Paul had helped develop.

"I could take my Mary and make her three, six, nine, 12, as many voices as I wished," he recalled. "This is quite an asset." The overdubbing technique was highly influential on later recording artists such as the Carpenters.

Les Paul's use of multitrack recording was unique: Before he did it, most recordings were made on a single tape. By recording each element separately, from the vocals to instrumentation on different tracks, they could be mixed and layered, adding to the richness in sound.

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"In the old days, if you only had one track, you put a microphone in the middle of the music and hope for the best," Juskiewicz said.

In 1954, Les Paul commissioned the first eight-track tape recorder, later known as "Sel-Sync," in which a recording head could simultaneously record a new track and play back previous ones.

In the late 1960s, Les Paul retired from music to concentrate on his inventions. His interest in country music was rekindled in the mid-'70s and he teamed up with Chet Atkins for two albums. The duo were awarded a Grammy for best country instrumental performance of 1976 for their "Chester and Lester" album.

In 2005, Les Paul released the Grammy-winning "Les Paul & Friends: American Made, World Played," his first album of new material since those 1970s recordings and his first official rock CD. Among those playing with him: Peter Frampton, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Richie Sambora.

"They're not only my friends, but they're great players," Paul told The Associated Press. "I never stop being amazed by all the different ways of playing the guitar and making it deliver a message."

Les Paul was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005.

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TRAVIS BARKER and BLINK 182 re-unite as Travis and SHANNA MOAKLER split up again

2009-04-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

After a series of on-again, off-again reports, Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler have split up again, his rep confirmed to MTV News on Wednesday (April 1).

The couple divorced in 2006, but reunited after Barker survived a plane crash last year. Unidentified sources told UsMagazine.com that the couple just couldn't make it work.

According to the magazine's sources, they decided to break up again "after a nasty fight broke out at his house last night and cops were called...[when] Shanna started freaking out and acting irrational."

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Although no charges were filed, the source adds that "Travis confronted Shanna about her having an affair with Gerard Butler while he was in the hospital recovering." Last October, the rumor mill sped up when it was reported that Moakler was seen with Butler at the Hollywood opening of Shin Korean BBQ.

The source added that Barker "just wants to focus on his music and his children right now. He is done with her drama. The babies are the most important thing right now." Another insider said, "Shanna cheated on him and then told everyone they were in love again while she was having an affair and he was recovering from the accident."

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Another friend of the former "Meet the Barkers" stars said, "It's over now and he just wants to move on."

Reps for both Barker and Moakler gave statements to US Magazine. "After surviving the plane crash, his driving force in life is the love he has for his kids. He is tired of all other drama and is ready to move on," his rep said. Moakler and Barker have two children together, Landon Asher and Alabama Luella. Moakler has a daughter with Oscar de la Hoya.

In a statement, Moakler's rep said, "They did break up but Shanna never cheated on Travis while he was in the hospital. Furthermore, Shanna is tired of playing out their personal relationship in the press."

Blink-182, the band with which Barker made his name, recently announced they are reuniting for an album and tour.

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For some uncensored Pictures of Shanna Moekler naked check out

SHANNA MOAKLER PLAYBOY PICTORIAL

SHANNA MOAKLER the MILF

SHANNA MOAKLER NAKED - The complete Playboy Pictorial

DAVE MATHEWS BAND CONCERT TOUR AND TICKET INFORMATION

2009-03-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

DAVE MATHEWS BAND TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for Dave Matthews Band's upcoming summer tour go on sale to the general public beginning today - and the band is keeping prices low, as usual. "Tickets for Dave Matthews Band's shows remain a great value," said Coran Capshaw, the group's manager and founder of Red Light Management. "Out of respect for its loyal fans, the band has always made every effort to keep tickets affordable."

Two-thirds of tickets for the shows will average $40 each while other ticket prices will range from $55 to a maximum of $75, depending on the venue. The band will launch this summer's tour on May 27th at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Center, NY. Then - on the eve of the release of Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King, the group's first studio album in four years - Dave Matthews Band will play two consecutive nights (May 29th & 30th) at Boston's historic Fenway Park. Tickets for most shows will go on sale to the general public on March 12th, 13th and 14th; Fenway Park tickets go on sale March 21st. Please check with your local venue or ticket retailer for details.

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On June 2nd, RCA Records will release Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King. Produced by Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance), the record is the follow-up to 2005's Stand Up, the fourth consecutive Dave Matthews Band studio album to enter The Billboard 200 at No. 1. The group, which will tour Europe from late June through early July, has sold a collective 35 million units (CD and DVD combined) and - with over 15 million tickets sold - has been named the top-drawing American band in the world by Billboard.

Dave Matthews Band is Carter Beauford (drums), Stefan Lessard (bass), Dave Matthews (vocals, guitar) and Boyd Tinsley (violin). Joining the group on tour will be Tim Reynolds on guitar, Rashawn Ross on trumpet and Jeff Coffin on saxophone, who are also featured on the new album.

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Dave Matthews Band confirms Fenway Park shows

Dave Matthews (BMS file photo by Rory Flynn)
It's finally official, the Dave Matthews Band will return to perform at Boston's historic Fenway Park. The shows will happen on Friday, May 29 and Saturday, May 30. Willie Nelson & Family will perform as the band’s support on both dates.

Tickets will be available to American Express cardholders Thursday, March 12 through Tuesday, March 17. The general public can purchase tickets beginning Saturday, March 21 at 10:00 a.m. though Live Nation. No tickets will be sold at Fenway Park. Reserved field and reserved grandstand seats are $75. VIP Packages, which will include a ticket, early entrance, access to an exclusive party area with a complimentary gourmet buffet and beverages, and a limited-edition, souvenir laminated pas, will be available for $250.

The Dave Matthews Band will be touring in support of their yet-to-be titled next studio album, slated for release on June 2 via RCA Records. Of course, the Dave Matthews Band headlined two nights at Boston's famed ballpark in 2006. The two shows were recorded and released as part of the band's official bootleg series on Live Trax: Volume 6. For our review of one of the shows, click here.

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Last year, Neil Diamond headlined Fenway for one show and three renditions of "Sweet Caroline." The Police, The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Buffett, and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have also performed at the park in recent years.

Here at BMS, we're holding out hope that DMB will add another opening slot for hometown favorites Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves, who will open for DMB on April 15 in New Jersey. You can catch the 2008 BMS Band of the Year at the Middle East Downstairs next Wednesday, March 11.

BUZZFEST TICKETS Creating a Buzz

2009-03-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

BuzzFest Tickets 2009 go on sale today. Houston’s 94.5 presents BuzzFest.

The Buzz offers from the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in the Woodlands, Texas a cross selection of great alternative and indie rock bands.

Buzzfest not only allows bands to get their big break but always draws in some of the top bands in the Alternative genre every year. Though Alternative has certainly changed since the first Buzzfest in 1995, no show has kept itself up to date with the newest breeds of music like Buzzfest. Genres ranging from Grunge to Nu-Metal and beyond have all been big parts of Buzzfest, but no brand of music has flourished on the stage of Buzzfest like the Post-Grunge style. Newly arrived styles like Indie Rock have recently made a big mark at Buzzfest.

The event is May 10. Acts include KoRn, Blue October, 311, Theory of a Deadman, Hoobastank, and the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.

BRITNEY SPEARS - 3 Ring CIRCUS to hit TORNOTO AGAIN

2009-03-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

After decades of marketing by the Ringling Brothers, it's hard to hear the word “circus” without flashing on the phrase, “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Britney Spears' current tour could change that, however.

Dubbed “The Circus Starring Britney Spears,” it's a three-ring extravaganza that comes with all the bells and whistles. In addition to the usual array of dancers, video displays and costume changes, Spears added clowns, acrobats and even a magic act to her road show. High-tech and high-concept, it is a state-of-the-art spectacle, from the show-opening video sequence (featuring gossip blogger Perez Hilton in Elizabeth I drag) to the show-closing combination of fireworks and confetti cannons.

Yet for all that dazzle, there was precious little sizzle onstage at Toronto's Air Canada Centre Wednesday. Even though Spears always hit her mark, managing the complex choreography and constant costume changes with military precision, there was no sense of passion in her performance, none of the fire normally associated with star power.

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Spears returns in first concert tour in 5 years
Unlike Madonna or Michael Jackson, who at their best always seem somehow larger than life, Spears came off as, well, merely famous. And while that added a certain sass to Piece of Me, with its “I'm Mrs. Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” refrain, it frankly wasn't enough to sustain a 90-minute extravaganza.

I hesitate to use the word “concert” here because, frankly, there wasn't a lot of music being performed during the show. Although Spears did have a small band tucked away on the west side of the centre ring, the bulk of what was heard came courtesy of pre-recorded tracks — and that included the vocals.

Apart from Every Time, which Spears sang while hanging from an oversized parasol, it was unclear how much of what came through the P.A. Wednesday was live Britney, and how much was tape. Certainly, she kept her lips moving. But there was nothing in her actions, in the way she moved or held her body, that seemed to convey the act of singing. Most of the time, she looked like a dancer acting out a recording.

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Given the physical demands of the choreography — Me Against the Music, for example, literally had Spears running from one end of the stage to the other — it almost seems churlish to expect that she keep up with her dancers and sing decently, too. And she did at least keep up the pretense of vocalizing, which was more than could be said for her opening act, the Pussycat Dolls. Apart from Nicole Scherzinger, the Dolls for the most part didn't even bother pretending to sing, correctly assuming that dancing and preening were more important than musical proficiency.

The Pussycat Dolls' emphasis on strutting their stuff does raise one interesting point about the show, which was its curious approach to female sexuality. Between the stripper chic of the Dolls act (which, yes, included the obligatory dash of pole dancing) and the relentless kink of Britney's (the dancers kept turning up in bondage gear, and Spears had not one but two outfits featuring breast tassels), it would be easy to condemn the show for gratuitously objectifying the female form — which seems a bit odd, given that the audience was roughly 80 per cent female.

But as much as the staging stressed sex, there wasn't any heat to the bump and grind. Instead, the display of sexual attitude came off as a sort of muscle flexing, a show of strength rather than a come-on.

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And in the end, that was perhaps the best thing about Spears' show. However scandalous her personal life may have been, she does manage to convey a generally positive message, something that keeps her Circus from descending to the level of empty spectacle. That may not be the greatest recommendation on earth, but it's still more than most pop tours deliver.

LIMP BIZKIT Frontmand FRED DURST talks about his affair with BRITNEY SPEARS

2009-03-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

In response to the nonstop clamour for Fred Durst news, the Limp Bizkit frontman broke his silence to talk about his reported relationship with Britney Spears. Phew! We thought we'd get have to go the rest of our lives without ever thinking about that pairing again.

Durst claims he and Spears got together at the 2003 American Music Awards and had a torrid but tumultuous affair, prompting Durst to describe her on his band's website as "a person that I [wouldn't] have thought could make me feel this way." However, Spears had the good sense to vehemently deny any romantic shenanigans at the time.

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"I think him for me, but not me for him," she told the British version of Glamour in 2003. "He's said some pretty amazing things about me. But, um, I think he leaped in too deep, too quick."

But even six years later, Durst is adamant that he was telling the truth about their coupling.

"It just became a fiasco of madness," the 38-year-old told MTV News yesterday. "[But] I always stay true to my heart and true to everything I did and my intentions, and I am in no way a liar."

In fact, Durst believes that their short-lived tryst and the resulting public feud was the real beginning to Spears' rollercoaster of troubles.

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"I look back on it as very interesting [in terms of] how things have been sort of unraveling for her since," he said. "[But] it is what it is. I can sleep at night knowing I made decisions that I wanted to make. [Still] I'm a supporter. I was then, I guess I am now. I just guess at the time it was taboo for a guy like me to be associated with a gal like her."

Whereas now, it is totally hip and cool to be associated with Fred "Break Stuff" Durst.

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JILL GIOIA UPCOMING CONCERT INFORMATION

2009-03-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

JILL GIOIA

Since performing the New York City Anthem at Madison Square Garden during the Big East College Basketball Championship Game Televised on ESPN, the popularity of ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA Contestant JILL GIOIA has sky rocketed.

If you liked JILL GIOIA'a performance at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, you can see her again on April 9t, 2009 for the New York KNICKS vs. Detroit game where JILL GIOIA will once again perform the NEW YORK CITY ANTHEM.

If you aren't into sports and you want to catch a full JILL GIOIA CONCERT, you can check her out for her Tribute to Janis Joplin, Heart, and the Women of ROCK on April 24th 2009 at 7:30 pm
The APRIL 24th JILL GIOIA CONCERT will be held at DIX HILLS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
FIVE TOWNS COLLEGE 305 N. Service Road Dix Hills, N.Y. 11746. For JILL GIOA TICKET INFORMATION call (631) 656-2148

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VAN MORRISON's 1968 Astral Weeks recordings are listed in over 200 publications the world over as one of the most important records in the history of music.

Born in Belfast, VAN MORRISON's father was an avid collector of American blues and jazz records. Morrison grew up listening to AMERICAN music like Leadbelly, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee, John Lee Hooker, Mahalia Jackson, and Lightnin’ Hopkins. He grew up surrounded by every kind of American musical influence. From the age of 13, he was adept at playing guitar, sax and harmonica and played with a series of local showbands along with Skiffle and Rock 'n' Roll groups, including Brian Rossi at the Plaza Ballroom. His early love of music, for the music, has certainly paid off.

VAN MORRISON's music continues to have that authentic American Blues, Jazz and melodic Folk sound that he loved and listened to in his childhood, long before those early showbands and well before his initial 1964/5 hit records with his band called THEM. It’s a little recognized yet open secret that VAN MORRISON was, in fact, the band THEM.

In June 1966, at the famed Whisky-A-Go-Go, The Doors were the opening act for Them. According to Ray Manzarek, in his book, “Light My Fire”, ‘Jim (Morrison) was transfixed by Van. He studied his every move. He put the eye on him and he absorbed … The last night … saw us all in a monster jam session … Jim Morrison and VAN MORRISON onstage at the same time! And singing ‘Gloria.”

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Backed by The Jim Daly Trio, VAN MORRISON began his solo career in Belfast supporting Alexis Korner. He toured Holland singing with Cuby and The Blizzards before going to New York in 1967, where he recorded an LP titled Blowin Your Mind with the producer Bert Berns, who had previously produced Them. Following Berns' death in 1968 Morrison recruited a group of jazz musicians to record the profound Astral Weeks, a timeless classic which brought together elements of true soul, improvised jazz and rhthym & blues - true Van Morrison signature sounds which run thoughout all of his music to date - both in subtle and not so subtle forms.

Initially living on a couch in Boston then moving on to California, VAN MORRISON produced a string of albums including Moondance, Tupelo Honey and St Dominic’s Preview while touring extensively with his band the Caledonia Soul Orchestra. His 1974 live set It’s Too Late To Stop Now marked the end of this prolific early phase as Van returned to explore his Ulster Scots roots. The ensuing album; the brillant Veedon Fleece (1974) featured a quieter, more pastoral sound and was to be his last release for three years to come.

VAN MORRISON returned to the public eye in 1977 with the aptly titled A Period Of Transition, an album co-produced by Mac 'Dr John' Rebennack. Following his re-location to London he released Wavelength (1978) and Into The Music (1979) by which time Morrison’s interest in spiritual matters was finding regular expression in his recordings.

The theme of spiritual quest came to prominence in the albums he made in the 1980's: Common One, Beautiful Vision, Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart, A Sense Of Wonder, No Guru No Method No Teacher and Poetic Champions Compose established Morrison’s status as an artist of unrivalled integrity and vision.

The refrain of ULSTER-SCOTS Celt is Van Morrison’s true signature sound, and the 1988 album Irish Heartbeat with The Cheiftains is a traditional example of this. In 1989 came the release of Avalon Sunset, which, at the time was his most commercially successful for those earlier years and concluded what had been a remarkably productive decade for Van Morrison.

As prolific as ever, Van varied his musical approach in the 1990s. Enlightenment (1990) and Hymns To The Silence (1991) continued down the road of spiritual proclaimation while 1993s Too Long In Exile leaned towards the blues, returning Van to the singles chart again with a re-working of Gloria, performed with his buddy and one of his all-time favourite bluesmen, John Lee Hooker.

After the acclaimed Days Like This (1995) came How Long Has This Been Going On (1995), an album of mostly jazz standards featuring his organist Georgie Fame.

Following the release of 1997s Healing Game came The Philosopher’s Stone (1998), an album containing 30 previously unreleased tracks recorded between 1971 and 1988, a mixture of new songs and interpretations of Morrison classics like Wonderful Remark and Bright Side Of The Road. In the same year (1998) Van won a Grammy for his collaboration with his favourite bluesman John Lee Hooker on Don't Look Back, which Morrison also produced.

Back On Top was released in March 1999 and was widely heralded as one of Morrison’s most accomplished and successful albums featured the Top 40 hit single Precious Time.

After a career spanning some four decades, it seemed appropriate that the year 2000 saw Van returning to his earliest musical influence, the one which drove the child from Belfast to get into the music, a musical full-circle, with The Skiffle Sessions - Live In Belfast. Re-uniting with the musical heroes of his youth, Van joined SKIFFLE KING Lonnie Donegan and Jazz trombone virtuoso and Skiffle string bass player, Chris Barber together on stage at Belfast’s Whitla Hall for a GRAND performance, and the energy and enthusiasm of both the performers and crowd was captured in full on this LIVE album, which met with huge critical acclaim.

In 2002, Van Morrison returned with his new album Down The Road. The album featured 13 brand new songs alongside a unique version of Georgia On My Mind and Evening Shadows, an Acker Bilk instrumental to which Van added his own lyrical magic.

In recognition of his unique position as one of the most important songwriters of the past century, Van Morrison was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame by the late great RAY CHARLES at an awards ceremony in New York City in June 2003.

Later in the same year (2003) he signed a worldwide deal with the legendary Blue Note Records. Morrison’s debut release at the jazz label was What’s Wrong With This Picture? This album draws upon the jazz & blues influences that he has explored consistently throughout his career. What’s Wrong with this Picture? received a Grammy Awards nomination for Van Morrison in the 'Best Contemporary Blues Album' category.

Magic Time, released on Van’s own Exile Music Recordings label in 2005, showcased some of his most powerful songs to date like Stranded, Magic Time, Celtic New Year and Gypsy In My Soul. It was followed by Pay The Devil, a seamless combination of three originals (including the title track) and 12 covers of classic country songs written by such masters as Hank Williams, Webb Pierce, Merle Kilgore, Rodney Crowell, Curly Williams and Leon Payne.

Two originals, Playhouse and This Has Got To Stop, were among five songs reprised on a limited edition DVD filmed at the legendary Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, and packaged with Pay The Devil. This was followed by a two-disc DVD showcase of his performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1974 and 1980. This was acclaimed by one reviewer as 'The chance to see a legend in his prime' and another as 'a truly rewarding experience from one of music’s most distinguished figures.'

Additionally, he was honored, in 2007, for his musical contribution to films. Presented by Al Pacino, this award highlights the depth and breadth of his compositions, as used by some of the most notable directors in the Motion Picture Industry today.

Throughout 2007 the legendary artist had a year that may be unprecedented for any living artist, having released three separate collections of his hits, with the latest, Still On Top entering the UK charts at #2 and selling platinum, proving the ongoing appetite for his unrivalled work.

2008 sees the release of Keep It Simple, Van Morrison’s 35th album. On KEEP IT SIMPLE, MORRISON wears all the “hats” as COMPOSER, ARRANGER, LYRICIST and proves himself once again an astute and accomplished PRODUCER, artfully choosing in this recording to keep all the vocals and instruments on this album in their organic form/ first takes. On Keep It Simple, Morrison honors all those varied influences - Ulster-Scots Celtic, Jazz, Folk, Blues, Country, Soul and Gospel - and an added surprise of a mighty Ukulele -most times melding them all together at once creating his unmistakable signature sound.

Amidst the ever-changing music business and complaints by artists and record companies alike that its ”hard to sell CD’s anymore”—if you have great music from the soul—it is not so hard—once again Van Morrison proves them wrong as he continues to sell large numbers of records every year. In a press release dated 2007 universal music president Doug Morris stated 'Van Morrison is a welcomed addition to Universal ...as his catalog is consistently selling around 500,000 hard copies a year” (this year was 1.8 million ). In 2007 VM signed with Universal Records and released the phenomenal hit record Still On Top- Universal press releases note that their corporations entire 3rd quarter sales figures relied on the powerhouse that is Van Morrison.

Despite Universal’s refusals to promote Still On Top or Keep It Simple records past their first week of release- both records sustained prominent places in the Billboard Top 50—on their own merit and power for quite some time. Van Morrsion is the only artist of note in 2008 so far to have 2 records (Still On Top and Keep It Simple) at the same time at the top of the Billboard charts.

As 2008 draws to a close Van Morrison proved once again to be a true iconoclast as he takes Astral Weeks live to the landmark venue Hollywood Bowl for its first ever cover to cover performance of a lifetime. Morrison is recording this show live for Listen To The Lion Records (his new label) and it will be released as "Astral Weeks Live At The Hollywood Bowl.”

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Jane's Addiction, the classic alternative band fronted by Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell, has reunited with its original lineup and will play the event for the first time since its inception. The group is set to embark on a co-headlining tour with Nine Inch Nails, a band that also played on the first Lollapalooza tour and headlined the Chicago fest in 2008. (Nine Inch Nails is playing a separate solo Chicago show this year.)

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The Beastie Boys, who were on the Lollapalooza tour in 1994, are preparing for the release of their follow-up to 2007's "The Mix Up" instrumental album. They are among the headliners of the Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee in June.

Depeche Mode is prepping the April 21 release of "Sound of the Universe" and heads out on a North American tour on July 24. The Lollapalooza show will be its only Midwest appearance.

Kings of Leon and Jane's Addiction will meet earlier in the season when they both headline the Sasquatch festival at the Gorge in Quincy, Wash., on May 23-25.

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Reports suggest the 50-year-old MICHAEL JACKSON could make tens of millions of dollars from the residency-style string of London CONCERTS, helping pay legal bills and debts racked up since the collapse of the abuse trial against him in 2005. Promoters AEG Live have not given details of what will be revealed at a 1600 GMT news conference at the O2, which hosted a comeback gig by legendary rockers Led Zeppelin in 2007, as well as a 21-night residency by Prince in 2007.

Reports have differed about how many concerts Jackson will perform -- a source close to the promoters told AFP last month he was in talks to perform up to 30 London shows this year. London's Evening Standard reported Wednesday that up to 50 concerts could be scheduled at the 20,000-seat O2 Arena in June and July, in a deal with AEG worth more than 100 million pounds (112 million euros, 141 million dollars). But hours before the ANNOUNCEMENT, posters appeared in London Underground stations trumpeting "MICHAEL JACKSON: This is It -- 10 shows, July '09, The O2 Arena," according to the BBC.

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If confirmed, the concerts would be a spectacular return for MICHAEL JACKSON, who dominated the pop world with hit albums like "Thriller" and "Bad" in the 1980s but has virtually vanished from public view since his trial. MICHAEL JACKSON is reportedly close to completing his first new album since 2001, and has collaborated with a younger generation of stars like rapper Kanye West. But MICHAEL JACKSON has been dogged by rumours of ill health and bookmakers William Hill are already offering 5-1 odds that, should the London concerts go ahead, he will not turn up on the first night. However, the Daily Mirror tabloid reported Thursday that MICHAEL JACKSON had passed 50 health tests set by insurers to prove he was fit enough to perform.

The 02 Arena is in the giant former Millennium Dome in southeast London. MICHAEL JACKSON last performed in Britain at the 2006 World Music Awards, where he sang a few lines of "We Are The World". MICHAEL JACKSON's last official tour was the 1996-7 History World Tour, although he has played one-off gigs since. The singer became a phenomenally successful star, first with the Jackson Five alongside his brothers and then as a solo artist. MICHAEL JACKSON fame led him to withdraw into a private world at his Neverland ranch in California and he underwent a physical transformation, his skin lightening and his face showing signs of plastic surgery. MICHAEL JACKSON has denied undergoing cosmetic surgery, although it is fairly evident.

MICHAEL JACKSON's career hit trouble in 1993 when a 13-year-old boy made sex abuse allegations against him and prosecutors and police launched an investigation. A year later, MICHAEL JACKSON reached an out-of-court settlement with the boy's family, paying out 23.3 million dollars and the criminal case was dramatically stopped. MICHAEL JACKSON says he now regrets the payment.

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TINTED WINDOWS has recorded its debut album at Stratosphere Sound Studios in New York, which Schlesinger and Iha co-own with Ivy's Andy Chase. A spring release is planned, on a label to be announced. In addition, TINTED WINDOWS plan to play SXSW on March 20th.

BLINK 182 TOGETHER - CONCERT DATES TO FOLLOW

2009-02-09T10:40:00.000-08:00

Blink 182 are back together, after announcing on Monday that they intended to end their hiatus which began back in 2005. As the band themselves said: “To put it simply, we’re back.”

The pop-punk trio released a direct, matter-of-fact statement through their record company, Interscope, one that acknowledged the many “questions about the current status of the band"--questions that had been persistent since 2005, but became especially pertinent after Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker sustained serious injuries in a plane crash that had killed four others.

But lest there be any doubt, the Poway, CA-based band, known for playing sardonic, bratty brand of punk with a hint of pop sensibility and songcraft, stated that they’re “really back.” In the statement, the band said that they were “picking up where we left off and then some...[we’re] in the studio writing and recording a new album.”

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Also announced were preparation for a world tour, and a somewhat cryptic note that hinted that past animosities were exactly that--past. The band asked for fans to “get ready” for “Summer 2009.”

No word yet on exact tour dates, or any album information aside from intended plans.

Related Links

For more on the PLANE CRASH THAT INJURED TRAVIS BARKER

FENDER WOLFGANG - "Indestructable" WOLFGANG FENDER

2009-02-04T08:37:00.000-08:00

EDDIE VAN HALEN RE-INVENTS GUITAR and creates the FENDER WOLFGANG
After years of wearing down metal frets and having pieces of his guitar rip off or malfunction during shows, Van Halen says he's built a guitar that even he can't destroy. On the FENDER WOLFGANG, frets are fashioned of stainless steel, and metal gadgets are custom-made by a company that specializes in medical tools. Sections of wood are left unpainted so the instrument can breathe and age -- "like a Stradivarius," the 54-year-old musician explains with a degree of pride.

Eddie Van Halen talks about his upcoming WEDDING (EDDIE VAN HALEN AND JANIE LISZEWSKI) and, of course the FENDER WOLFGANG
We recently caught up with Eddie at his 5150 Studio, high in the hills above Los Angeles. It's where the album "1984" was recorded, along with every subsequent Van Halen record. The studio sits on seven acres, just a stone's throw from the Tudor mansion he bought in 1980. He and his fiancee/publicist, Janie Liszewski, scoot around the property in golf carts. The red, white and black-striped motif of his signature Van Halen guitar is painted on the walkway. The following is an edited version of the interview.

CNN: You've been tearing guitars apart and redesigning them all your life, haven't you?

Eddie Van Halen: It kind of started when I went to a Radio Shack-type of store in Pasadena. They had a 12-string guitar hanging there, and I didn't want 12 -- I wanted six. And so I asked the guy, "Could I take six strings off and try it?" And the guy said, "No, not unless you buy it." So I borrowed the money from my parents, bought it, took six strings off and voila -- did what I wanted. The guitar -- it's on the first album cover. It's called Frankenstein.

I'm always tinkering with stuff. And basically, the new Wolfgang is a combination of all the years of tearing things apart, ruining things, creating things and coming up with things that I later found out I could patent.

CNN: How many guitars have you accidentally broken on stage?

Eddie Van Halen: On stage? (He shrugs.) During the last show, I actually tried to break a Wolfgang, and it wouldn't break. I picked it up and I couldn't break the damn thing. I threw it up in the air, and later put it out in the rain. I picked it up half an hour later, and it was still in tune. It pissed me off.

CNN: The Wolfgang sells for about $3,000. Are you worried about introducing a high-end guitar when the economy is taking such a hit?

Eddie Van Halen: I just don't think that way. I'm really not a businessman, so to speak. The only reason I do it is because people are always asking me where they can get what I use.

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CNN: Who are some of the musicians who have asked?

Eddie Van Halen: Everybody uses my stuff. They just don't like talking about it.

CNN: I'm told you can hear things that most people can't with the naked ear.

Eddie Van Halen: I have selective hearing. (Laughs)

CNN: I think a lot of men do!

Eddie Van Halen: Obviously, I've lost a little bit, at very high frequencies -- which is kind of like a woman screaming at ya.

CNN: "Ed, did you take the trash out?" "Can you wipe the dishes?" Are you hearing anything?

Eddie Van Halen: What was that? (Laughs) I don't know. I'm blessed with a good pair of ears. That's how I fooled my piano teacher. I'd watch his fingers and I'd listen to it, and I just kind of basically learned it by myself.

I can't read music. Instead, I'd do stuff inside the piano, do harmonics and all kinds of crazy things. They used to put me in these annual piano contests down at Long Beach City College, and two years in a row, I won first prize -- out of like 5,000 kids! The judges were like, "Very interesting interpretation!" I thought I was playing it right.

But everything is open to interpretation. Imagine if Beethoven had a tape recorder. Then you'd know exactly what he meant. Maybe he meant (singing the opening notes to the Fifth Symphony), "Da da da da" instead of "Boom boom boom boom!" Who knows.

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CHECK OUT THE DETAILS ON THE FENDER WOLFGANG

CNN: Did you ever take formal guitar lessons?

Eddie Van Halen: No. That's why I do all this crazy stuff. It's not taught.

CNN: Do you think you'd approach music differently if you had taken guitar lessons?

Eddie Van Halen: Probably. But you only have 12 notes. Do what you want with them.

CNN: What kind of music do you listen to when you're at home?

Eddie Van Halen: I don't listen to anything, really. Believe it or not, I'm so slammed with ideas, and the man upstairs overloads me with stuff, so I'm always doing my own thing.

CNN: How was it having Wolfie on the road with you on the last tour? He was 16 when he took over as Van Halen's bass player in 2007.

Eddie Van Halen: It was a dream! That kid is truly amazing. I did name him after the right guy. (Laughs)

CNN: He's still in high school. Did he have a tutor on the road?

Eddie Van Halen: Yeah, he had four hours of school and then a gig at night. He worked three times harder than any of us.

CNN: How was it touring with David Lee Roth after all these years?

Eddie Van Halen: It was great.

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The rapper turned actor, whose hit albums include "Year of the Dog ... Again" and "It's Dark and Hell is Hot," has been in legal trouble during the past year in Arizona, where he keeps a home near Phoenix.

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In May, he was arrested on drug and animal cruelty charges after sheriff's deputies raided his home. Authorities found dog carcasses and malnourished pit bulls.

He also was charged with assuming someone's identity and giving false information during a trip to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, in a suspected attempt to avoid paying the bill.

Simmons had pleaded guilty to the charges to settle three criminal cases against him and agreed not to own animals or possess firearms.

"After several run-ins with the law, Mr. Simmons is finally being held accountable for his actions. We will continue to prosecute aggressively all cases involving cruelty to animals," county attorney Andrew Thomas said in a statement.

Simmons' attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.

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Scorpions Virgin Killer Import Cover Causes Contraversy

2008-12-07T08:48:00.000-08:00

The Big news in the world of Rock today is the censoring of the Scorpions Classic Album Virgin Killer. I have to admit, when I first saw the album cover a number of years back I found it rather disturbing. Although I'm sure this move by the British ISP's is going to do nothing except boost the sales for the Scorpions Virgin Killer Album.

Here is the alternate cover version. The link above is for the Original cover of Scorpions Virgin Killer.

COLDPLAY Hammerstein Ballroom performance

2008-12-02T20:10:00.000-08:00

Check out the Live Gig ColdPlay performed at the Hammerstein Ballroom, this private Nissan Live Sets concert was filmed in front of 300 lucky Coldplay fans and is available here on HTBW. The exclusive performance features current and past hits as well as an intimate question and answer session with COLDPLAY.

Britney Spears concert tour 2009

2008-12-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

Tickets for Britney Spears 2009 Tour on Sale Beginning Saturday, December 6, 2008

Related searches:
britney spears concert tickets, britney spears, britney spears concert, britney spears concert schedule 2009, britney spears tour dates

BRITNEY SPEARS has announced that she will make her highly anticipated return to stage with THE CIRCUS STARRING BRITNEY SPEARS 2009 TOUR, her first arena tour in five years, produced by AEG Live. Following hot on the heels of the December 2nd, 2008 release of her long-awaited sixth studio album, Circus, Spears will begin rehearsing for her incredible tour production this January with famed director and Emmy-winning choreographer Wade Robson, before launching the 27-city North American trek on March 3, 2009 in New Orleans with special guests The Pussycat Dolls. Spears will also dazzle British fans at London's O2 Arena on June 3 & 4 of 2009. Tickets go on sale beginning Saturday, December 6. Fans should visit BritneySpears.com for tour and ticketing information.

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Spears gave fans a special taste of what's to come on her Circus Tour during a live performance today from the Big Apple Circus tent in Lincoln Center on ABC-TV's Good Morning America. On October 15, Spears' new single, "Womanizer," made a record-breaking jump to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and garnered first-week download sales of 286,000. This marked the biggest opening-week tally by a female artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital downloads in 2003. "Womanizer" is Spears' ninth #1 single on the Hot 100 since her 1999 debut ...Baby One More Time.
Spears' live comeback began on November 6, 2008 with a cameo appearance at the Dodger Stadium show of Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour. Midway through "Human Nature," Spears joined Madonna on stage. Previously, Spears re-entered the spotlight when she opened the MTV Video Music Awards on September 7th, her third appearance on the awards broadcast. Spears won Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and Video Of The Year for "Piece of Me." On November 6, 2008, Spears won both "Album of the Year" and "Act of 2008" at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008.
Britney Spears is one of the top-selling artists of the last decade, and to date she has sold in excess of 62 million albums worldwide. Her releases include: ...Baby One More Time (1999); Oops!... I Did It Again (2000); Britney (2001); In the Zone (2003) and Blackout (2007).
For tickets, VIP packages and detailed tour information, fans should visit www.britneyspears.com. Tour itinerary follows:

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"THE CIRCUS STARRING BRITNEY SPEARS" 2009 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
ITINERARY
MARCH, 2009
3 NEW ORLEANS, LA NEW ORLEANS ARENA
5 ATLANTA, GA PHILIPS ARENA
7 MIAMI, FL AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA
8 TAMPA, FL ST PETE TIMES FORUM
11 UNIONDALE, NY NASSAU COLISEUM
13 NEWARK, NJ PRUDENTIAL CENTER
16 BOSTON, MA TD BANKNORTH GARDEN
18 TORONTO, ONT. AIR CANADA CENTRE
20 MONTREAL, QUE. BELL CENTRE
24 WASHINGTON DC VERIZON CENTER
26 UNCASVILLE, CT MOHEGAN SUN
27 PITTSBURGH, PA MELLON ARENA
30 HOUSTON, TX TOYOTA CENTER
31 DALLAS, TX AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER
APRIL, 2009
2 KANSAS CITY, MO SPRINT CENTER
3 MINNEAPOLIS, MN TARGET CENTER
6 EDMONTON, ALB. REXALL PLACE
8 VANCOUVER, BC GM PLACE
9 TACOMA, WA TACOMADOME
11 SACRAMENTO, CA ARCO ARENA
12 SAN JOSE, CA HP PAVILION
14 SALT LAKE CITY, UT ENERGYSOLUTIONS ARENA
16 LOS ANGELES, CA STAPLES CENTER
19 ANAHEIM, CA HONDA CENTER
24 GLENDALE, AZ JOBING.COM ARENA
25 LAS VEGAS, NV MGM GRAND GARDEN
28 CHICAGO, IL ALLSTATE ARENA

For more Up to Date information on Britney Spears

Sasha Fierce - The New Beyonce

2008-10-24T10:27:00.000-07:00

Just like the Seinfeld episode where George wanted everyone to call him T-Bone, Beyonce Knowles would like to be known by a bold new name.

The R&B singer has christened herself Sasha Fierce for her new double album, I Am ... Sasha Fierce, due in US stores on November 18, and has released a lengthy justification for the comical moniker.

She insists Sasha Fierce is who she really is, and is more fun, sensual, aggressive, outspoken and glamorous.

Singers have in the past changed their name after enjoying great success, most famously of course is Prince, who became an unpronounceable symbol and Puff Daddy, who became P Diddy.

Guns and Roses Chinese Democracy Album Release and World Tour

2008-10-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

It's a historic day for Axl Rose: Guns N' Roses fans are finally getting their first official taste of Chinese Democracy. Chinesedemocracy.mp3

According to a report on Billboard.com, the title track from GN'R's oft-delayed, 17-years-in-the-making follow-up to 1991's Use Your Illusion albums, "Chinese Democracy," was made available for download to U.S. radio outlets first thing Wednesday morning (October 22), and already, stations like New York's Q104.3 are spinning the tune — which is almost five minutes long — and have posted it on their Web sites.

The track is a riff-heavy rocker that begins with eerie, soaring guitars and Rose's trademark squeal before launching into an infectious chorus. At first, Rose's voice sounds markedly deeper (think "Mr. Brownstone") than it does on some of GNR's most famous songs, but returns to its high-pitched greatness sporadically throughout the tune. The song ends with a quick explosion, which slowly trails off into silence.

While several of the album's tracks — including "Chinese Democracy" — have leaked online over the years, this marks the first official and authorized release of new music from Guns in more than nine years; the band's last single, 1999's "Oh My God," was featured on the soundtrack to Arnold Schwarzenegger's film "End of Days."

After years of missed deadlines, inexplicable delays and a handful of false starts, Chinese Democracy has finally been given a concrete release date of November 25. The album will be sold exclusively through Best Buy's retail locations and online through the chain's Web site. The disc will feature 14 tracks, including "Scraped," "Shackler's Revenge" (which appears on the new "Rock Band 2" video game), "Street of Dreams," "If the World" (which accompanies the closing credits of Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe's "Body of Lies") and "This I Love."

While Guns N' Roses have yet to reveal what touring plans — if any — they're planning around the record's release, rumors suggest the band might launch a U.S. tour early next year.

The imminent release of Chinese Democracy means the long wait for fans will soon be over. But it also means a free can of Dr Pepper for every U.S. citizen.

Last March, the beverage company announced it would give away free cans of the soft drink should Guns issue their LP before the close of 2008. Last week, a spokesperson for Dr Pepper told MTV News that, while additional details will be forthcoming, the company's plan to distribute free cans of its product will involve some sort of an online coupon system. "People will go on Dr Pepper's Web site and we will send them a coupon for a free one," the spokesperson confirmed. "It's going to be real easy."

Janet Jackson Tour Put on Hold after she was Hospitalized in Montreal

2008-09-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

Singer Janet Jackson was hospitalized Monday while on tour in Montreal, TMZ reports.

Jackson was taken to the emergency room with an unspecified ailment when she suddenly took ill during her sound check. She cancelled the gig shortly before it was supposed to have started.

The singer, who's on her Rock Witchu tour, also cancelled a show Friday in Detroit, citing "production constraints."

No word yet on how, or whether, her hospitalization will affect Jackson's performance scheduled for Oct. 11 at Mohegan Sun.

Nickleback releases Free Download of their new Song "Gotta be Somebody" Hear it here

2008-09-29T07:55:00.000-07:00

I guess everyone want to know about Nickelback and their asshole singer Chad Turton (AKA CHAD KROEGER.) So Chad made time away from his court appearances appealing his drunk driving chrage to make an album. Poor little baby got pissed and raced his Lambourghini down some residential back roads in Langley. Chad, ever have anyone you know KILLED BY A DRUNK DRIVER.

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ANyways, all that crap aside, here is the new single available on download. You can go to their site and give them all your private information and sign up for their junk mail sell your email address service, or simply get it Here Gotta Be Somebody.mp3

Nickelback announced the title of their new album, Dark Horse. They are also surprising fans with a free download, available only today for 24 hours. “Gotta Be Somebody” can be downloaded by clicking on this link Gotta Be Somebody.mp3 and saving the file to your hard drive. If you are worried about security, right click and save it to your harddrive, then scan it for viruses and spyware, no need to worry though, aside from being covered in Chad shit, it is clean. You can find those below. After the free download period is over for “Gotta Be Somebody”, the single will be available for purchase on itunes. Nickleback signed a 360 deal with Live Nation, in an effort to promote their music in a more modern way, as they want to keep moving with the times. They are still obligated to two albums with Roadrunner, but will soon begin fulfilling their Live Nation commitments, including a world tour in 2009. Dark Horse is co-produced by Nickelback and Mutt Lange. Find video and lyrics for “Gotta Be Somebody” below.

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Gotta Be Somebody.mp3

Nickelback “Gotta Be Somebody” Lyrics
This time I wonder what it fells like
To find the one in this life The one we all dream of
But dreams just tough enough
So I’ll be waiting for the real thing
I’ll know it by the feeling
The moment when we’re meeting
It’ll play out like a scene
Straight off the silver screen
So I’ll be holding my breath
Right up to the end
Until I move my way
I’ll find the one that
I’ll spend forever with
Cause nobody wants to be the last one there
Everyone wants to feel like someone cares
Someone to love with my life in their hands
There’s gotta be somebody for me like that
Cause nobody wants to do it on their own
Everyone wants to know they’re not alone
Somebody else that feels the same someway
There’s gotta be somebody for me out there
Tonight Out on the street Out in the moonlight
And dammit this feels too right
It’s just like déjàvu
Me standing here with you
So I’ll be holding my breath
Could this be the end?

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Isn’t that movie where I find the one that I spend forever with

Cause nobody wants to be the last one there
Everyone wants to feel like someone cares
Someone to love with my life in their hands
There’s gotta be somebody for me like that
Cause nobody wants to do it on their own
Everyone wants to know they’re not alone
Somebody else that feels the same someway
There’s gotta be somebody for me out there

Gotta Be Somebody.mp3

Canadian Icon Singer Songwriter GORDON LIGHTFOOT Back on the Road Doing what he loves

2008-09-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

Six years after an abdominal aneurysm nearly ended his life, Gordon Lightfoot is back on the good foot. The legendary Canadian singer-songwriter, 69, was interviewed last week at home in Toronto as he prepared to hit the road for a six-week tour.

INTERVIEW OF GORDON LIGHTFOOT

Q: What allure does performing still hold for you?

A: There are quite a few people I could name right now who are a bit older than me who are still doing it. It's the passion, I guess. It's the love of the work and the communication with the audience and the ongoing quest for the perfect intonation.

Q: "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is heard in a new Imax movie, "Mysteries of the Great Lakes." Why did you let the filmmakers use the song?

A: I did it at the request of two of the members of the ladies committee [representing families of crew members who died in the 1975 shipwreck].

We've always conferred whenever one of these things would come up.

I said, "I'll do it, but give $15,000 to the Northwestern Michigan [College] scholarship." [Lightfoot established a scholarship at the college's Great Lakes Maritime Academy in 1976, the same year "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" became a Top 5 hit.]

Q: Your last album, "Harmony," came out in 2004. Are you writing new material?

A: I don't get seriously involved in that. I've completed all of my recording obligations.

My last [album] for Warner Bros. was in 1998. . . . I decided a couple years later I might try for one more ["Harmony"], as an afterthought. I got it down to the point where I had some rough vocal-and-guitar tracks . . . and all of a sudden, I was down with an aneurysm and I was out for two years.
The main reason why I'm glad I came back is because I can sing again and I can play again and I can get out in front of a crowd again. For about a year or so there, I didn't think that was gonna happen. I figured I was done.

Q: On any given night, when you sing "If You Could Read My Mind," what goes through your mind?

A: I always think about my first wife, Brita, the Swedish lady that I was married to. We have two children, my two eldest children.

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I always think of her when I do that song, because it was written right around the time that our marriage came apart. So she's there. She's with me.

Q: If I went back and listened to every album you've made, how good a picture would I have of your life?

A: Well, I hope you never have to do that. But I'll tell you: Yes . . . it would be a very good life story, a story of my life -- that roller-coaster ride through life.

Radiohead, Jack Johnson headline Golden Gate Park Concert - (outside lands festival, golden gate park, outside lands, outside lands concert)

2008-08-22T21:40:00.001-07:00

This looks like one amazing festival happening in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

Sixty-four bands, six stages, 60,000 concert-goers expected each day — that’s the gist of the inaugural Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival set for this Friday through Sunday in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

Somehow Golden Gate Park — from the heyday of Hippie Hill to the totally free Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival — never really got in on the grand-scale festival business.

When Radiohead takes the stage at the inaugural Outside Lands Festival on Friday, Aug. 22, it’ll be the first time a band has played in a sanctioned performance after dark in the park.

“The headliners of the caliber of Radiohead and Tom Petty want to be able to play with their production and a large part of that production is lights,” said Allen Scott, vice president of Bay Area promoter Another Planet Entertainment. “To have a truly world-class festival you have to go into night.”

Three years in the making — the end result of dozens of meetings with city, park and neighborhood officials — the first “multi-day ticketed festival” ever held in the park is a joint venture between Another Planet and Bonnaroo promoter Superfly Presents, based in New Orleans.

Headliners Radiohead, Tom Petty and Jack Johnson top a 64-band lineup that lands all over the genre map: Beck, Wilco, Ben Harper and Primus give way to the international flavors of Café Tecuba and Manu Chao. Lyrics Born, Lupe Fiasco and The Mighty Underdogs put hip-hop on the bill. You want old-school? Steve Winwood keeps the ’60s and ’70s alive.

A quarter of the acts are local bands, with The Coup, Goapele, Sila & the Afrofunk Experience, Two Gallants, Sean Hayes all landing prized slots.

Instead of burgers and dogs, the gourmet spread taps local restaurants like Maverick, Eos and Gordo’s. The wine comes from 20 local wineries.

Jumping through hoops with park and city officials, promoters have worked out special deals with BART and Muni to provide plenty of rides to the festival.

“Radiohead was looking for opportunities like Outside Lands to play in a city proper and for them, public transportation was a very important element to where they were playing on tour this year,” said Scott.

But, getting back to the main draw — live outdoor music on parade all day (and night) — perhaps it was festival veteran Steve Winwood who summed it up best:

“I think the decline of the record industry in many ways is quite good for the health of music. Because I think it gives people other roots and other avenues to get their music across, such as festivals and live music.”

2008 Seattle Hempfest Line-up

2008-08-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SEATTLE HEMPFEST CLICK HERE

Share Parker Memorial Main Stage

Saturday - August 16, 2008

11:00 Tim Pate

11:45 Magic Black-Ferguson

11:50 Elvy Mussika

11:55 Sandee Burbank

12:00 Ricker, Seattle's #1 DJ

12:25 Paul Richmond

12:30 Charlie Commeree

12:35 Sarah Newton

12:40 Richard Cusick

12:45 Madeline Martinez

12:55 Ed Rosenthal

12:50 Dominic Corva

1:00 Jim Page

1:35 Kris Krane

1:40 Lee Newbury

1:45 David Guard

1:50 Alexis Baden-Meyer

2:00 Mos Generator

2:35 Philippe Lucas

2:40 Douglas Hiatt

2:45 Martin Martinez

2:50 Scotto Moore

2:55 Richard Cusick

3:00 Herbivores

3:35 Dominic Holden

3:40 Philippe Lucas

3:45 Mikki Norris

3:50 Chris Conrad

3:55 Mason Tvert

4:00 Keith Stroup

4:05 Allen St. Pierre

4:10 Rick Steves

4:15 Vivian McPeak

4:20 All Hail the Crown

4:55 Adam Eidinger

5:00 Mike Corral

5:05 Vains of Jenna

5:40 Roland A. Duby

5:45 Angel Raich

5:50 Gregory Carter

5:55 George Rohrbacher

6:00 The Galaxy Machine

6:35 Dr. David Bearman

6:40 Phil Smith

6:50 Doug McVay

6:55 Joanna McKee

7:00 Brothers of the Baladi

7:45 Closing Ceremonies

Sunday - August 17, 2008

11:00 Tim Pate

11:45 Dale Rogers

11:50 Ed Rosenthal

11:55 Reverend DeMaris Strohm--Hughes

12:00 Laptop Battle

12:35 Violet Victoria

12:40 Don Wirtshafter

12:45 Russ Belville

12:50 Sunil Aggarwal

12:55 Dr. Gregory Carter

1:00 Jen Ambrose

1:35 Ed Forchion

1:45 Lee Berger

1:50 Omar Figueroa

1:55 John Conroy

2:00 Kim Manning

2:35 Dr. Frank Lucido

2:40 Valerie Corral

2:45 David Nott

2:50 Scotto Moore

2:55 Dominic Holden

3:00 Dat Fiya

3:40 Jack Herer

3:45 Debby Goldsberry

3:50 Steve Levine

3:55 Alison Holcomb

4:00 Rob Kampia

4:05 Rick Steves

4:15 Vivian McPeak

4:20 Flowmotion

4:55 David Frankel

5:05 Hip Hop - Outtasite, Laura "Piece" Kelley Shyan Selah

5:45 Angela Goodhope

5:55 Ngaio Bealum

6:00 Hip HopTotal Devastation Choklate Salem

6:40 Reefer Madness

7:00 L.D.T. Mo Thugs (Layzie Bone, Thin C, Dre ghost)

7:45 Closing Ceremonies

Hemposium Music Stage

Saturday - August 16, 2008

11:00 Panel - Industrial Hemp: What it Can Do for America

Alexis Baden-Mayer
Adam Eidinger
David Frankel
Summer Star Haeske
Steve Levine
Don Wirtshafter

11:50 Panel - State of the State: Washington's Medical Marijuana Law

Sunil Aggarwal
Douglas Hiatt
Alison Holcomb
Dominic Holden
Dale Rogers
Dennis Moyers
Steve Sarich

12:40 Panel - Ask Your Doctor if Medical Marijuana is Right for You

Dr. Gregory Carter
Dr. David Bearman
Dr. Frank Lucido
Roger Roffman
Sunil Aggarwal

1:35 Panel - Patients out of Patience: How to Obtain your Medicine

Sunil Aggarwal
Valerie Corral
Philippe Lucas
Martin Martinez
Jeremy Miller
Sean Willy
Dale Rogers

2:25 Lazie Bone (L.D.T. Mo thugs)

2:40 Rick Steves

3:10 Hemp Fashion Show

4:00 Jim Page

5:00 Olivia de la Cruz

6:00 Tim Pate

7:00 Dirty Bird

Sunday - August 17, 2008

10:30 Panel - Cannabis and Spiritual Freedom

Sunil Aggarwal
Reverend Levon Lion
Doug McVay
Reverend DeMaris Strohm-Hughes

11:00 Panel - Looking Forward in Cannabis Reform

David Frankel
Alison Holcomb
Dominic Holden
Rob Kampia
Kris Krane
Mikki Norris
Allen St. Pierre

11:50 Panel - Pot Pride

Magic Black-Ferguson
Debby Goldsberry
Mikki Norris
Keith Stroup
Ed Forchion
Sarah Newton

12:40 Panel - Marijuana Mythbusters

Ngaio Bealum
Chris Conrad
Doug McVay
David Guard
Roger Roffman
Mason Tvert
Dominic Corva

1:35 Panel - Marijuana and the Media

Russ Belville
Dominic Holden
Scotto Moore
David Nott
Phil Smith
Mason Tvert

2:20 Panel - Industrial Hemp: What it Can Do for America

Adam Eidinger
David Frankel
Jack Herer
Steve Levine
Chris Conrad
George Rohrbacher

3:10 Hemp Fashion Show

4:00 The Misery Love Company

5:00 Jerin Faulkner

6:00 James Hilborne

7:00 Jill Cohn

Ralph and Judith Seeley Memorial Stage

Saturday - August 16, 2008

11:00 Tribal Voices

12:00 Thaddeus Spae

12:35 Jon Levesque

12:40 Reverend Levon Lion

12:50 Rachel Kurtz

2:55 Lee Berger

1:00 Michal Miller Band

1:35 Monte Levine

1:40 Magic Black-Ferguson

1:50 Russ Belville

1:55 Ed Forchion

2:00 Paula Maya

2:40 Steve Levine

2:45 Valerie Corral

2:50 Doug McVay

2:55 David Guard

3:00 Monte Ray & the Truth

3:35 Dr. Frank Lucido

3:40 Jack Herer

3:45 Debby Goldsberry

3:50 David Frankel

3:55 Angela Goodhope

4:00 Alison Holcomb

4:05 Jeffrey Steinborn

4:10 Rob Kampia

4:20 Billy and the Dusty 45's

4:55 David Nott

5:00 Kris Krane

5:05 Niyah

5:45 Madeline Martinez

5:50 Dale Rogers

5:55 Sarah Newton

6:00 Jahson Ites

6:35 Jeremy Miller

6:40 Dennis Moyers

6:45 Sean Willy

7:00 Martin N' Terri

Sunday - August 17, 2008

11:00 Tribal Voices

12:00 Daisy Chain

12:40 Ed Rosenthal

12:45 Charlie Commeree

12:50 Alexis Baden-Mayer

12:55 Roland A. Duby

1:00 Los Marijuanos

1:35 Keith Stroup

1:40 Joanna McKee

1:45 Angel Raich

1:50 Kris Millegan

1:55 Sandee Burbank

2:00 Handful of Luvin'

2:35 Elvy Mussika

2:45 Dominic Corva

2:50 Mason Tvert

2:55 John Conroy

3:00 Superficials

3:35 Lee Newbury

3:40 Mike Corral

3:45 Phil Smith

3:50 Douglas Hiatt

3:55 Martin Martinez

4:00 Allen St. Pierre

4:05 Dominic Holden

4:10 Chris Conrad

4:15 Mikki Norris

4:20 Sol Jibe

4:55 Don Wirtshafter

5:00 Violet Victoria

5:05 The Aaron English Band

5:40 Richard Cusick

5:45 George Rohrbacher

5:50 Omar Figueroa

6:00 Acorn Project

6:35 Sunil Aggarwal

6:40 Adam Eidinger

6:45 Dr. David Bearman

6:50 Paul Richmond

7:00 Puget Sound System

Peter McWilliams Memorial Stage

Saturday - August 16, 2008

12:00 Unhailoed

1:00 Mechanism

1:35 Roland A. Duby

1:40 Reverend DeMaris Strohm-Hughes

1:45 Omar Figueroa

1:50 Adam Eidinger

1:55 John Conroy

2:00 Equilibrium

2:35 Debby Goldsberry

2:45 Chris Conrad

2:50 Dominic Corva

2:55 Mikki Norris

3:00 Counterfist

3:35 Mike Corral

3:40 Phil Smith

3:45 George Rohrbacher

3:50 Angel Raich

4:00 Leo Starwind & the Raft

4:35 Richard Cusick

4:40 Jack Herer

4:45 Dave Frankel

4:45 Rob Kampia

4:50 Dominic Holden

4:55 Rob Kampia

5:00 Holophrase

5:35 Steve Levine

5:40 Russ Belleville

5:45 Sunil Aggarwal

5:50 Ed Forchion

6:00 Riverbend

6:35 Kris Millegan

6:45 Charlie Commeree

6:50 Don Wirtshafter

6:55 Violet Victoria

7:00 Enkrya

Sunday - August 17, 2008

12:00 Alligator Pears

1:00 Forced Elegance

1:35 Rachel Kurtz

1:40 Jon Levesque

1:50 Angela Goodhope

1:55 Jeffrey Steinborn

2:00 Deviate

2:35 Douglas Hiatt

2:40 Martin Martinez

2:45 Sean Willy

2:55 Monte Levine

3:00 The Outfit

3:35 Doug McVay

3:45 David Guard

3:50 Dr. Frank Lucido

3:55 Keith Stroup

4:00 Hunab Ku

4:35 Kris Krane

4:45 Magic Black-Ferguson

4:50 Dale Rogers

4:55 Valerie Corral

5:00 Xanther

5:35 Sandee Burbank

5:45 Jeremy Miller

5:50 Dennis Moyers

5:55 Lee Berger

6:00 Red XIII

6:40 Lee Newbury

6:45 Madeline Martinez

6:50 Alexis Baden-Mayer

7:00 Sex and Violins

DanceSafe Electronic Music Stage

Saturday - August 16, 2008

11:00 Skoi Sirius

12:15 Aksion

1:30 Rob Noble

2:45 Jeffrey Steinborn

2:50 Jimini Cricket

4:00 Truckasauras

5:15 Philippe Lucas

5:20 Kadeejah Streets

6:30 Nordic Soul

Sunday - August 17, 2008

11:00 DJ SoulKid

12:15 CTL ALT DLT

1:30 novaTRON

2:35 Kris Krane

2:40 Noisemaker

4:00 Michael Manahan

5:15 Alison Holcomb

5:20 Recess

6:30 Amanita

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SEATTLE HEMPFEST CLICK HERE

Shelby Lynne Interview and Pictures

2008-08-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

	It's 108 degrees Fahrenheit outside her home in Palm Springs, but over the phone Shelby Lynne is as cool as can be. Which is exactly what you'd expect, given the tenor of her recent recordings. After some initial fame as a mainstream country singer, Lynne reinvented herself with her 1999 album I Am Shelby Lynne. Her new sound was more soulful, had a harder edge, and was much, much deeper. It brought her reams of critical acclaim and a Grammy Award, although she never really did Britney numbers, saleswise. But she solidified her fan base with solid albums like Identity Crisis in 2003 and Suit Yourself in 2005. Lynne's records tend to be worlds unto themselves, but she really outdid herself on her latest LP, Just A Little Lovin', a tribute to the late British pop-soul singer Dusty Springfield. Covering songs by one of the most soulful singers in pop history is a daunting task, but Lynne succeeds by stripping the songs down and delivering them in a hushed, intimate manner, like she's playing a small jazz club in the wee small hours of the morning.
"If a song is worth a damn, you don't need to make it fancy," reasons Lynne, who will be appearing at the Burnaby Roots and Blues Festival Sunday at Deer Lake Park. "The song will do the work for you, you just need to be in service of the song, and that's what we did, you know. Just let the great melodies and the beautiful lyrics take us where we wanted to go. That's as simple as it is. A great song stands through many many years and many many artists and many many singin's and many different versions. If it can still stand up and you treat it right, it'll work for ya, yeah." Some of the covers are well known (I Only Want To Be With You, You Don't Have To Say You Love Me, The Look of Love), others are a little more obscure (Breakfast in Bed, Willie and Laura Mae Jones). But Lynne gets to the emotional core of each one, simultaneously paying tribute to Dusty and making the songs her own. One of the highlights is a spellbinding version of I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore, a tale of heartache and betrayal written by Randy Newman. The lyric is sung by a woman whose man may be having an affair -- at least that's what the neighbours are saying, which the woman can hear through her paper-thin apartment walls. Lynne's vocal is so forlorn, so lonely, it's simply heartbreaking. "That's the song that [I heard where] I fell in love with Dusty," she says. "I love the whole Dusty in Memphis record, I love Son Of a Preacher Man and all that stuff, you can't beat it. But Randy Newman in that frame of mind just blows me away." Many of the songs have great storylines. She is totally into another song that was recorded during the Dusty In Memphis sessions, Willie and Laura Mae Jones. It was written by swamp-soul cult hero Tony Joe White, who also wrote Polk Salad Annie and Rainy Night in Georgia. "Tony is one of the great storytellers we have, of all time," she says. "He can really paint a picture of the story he's telling. It's always nice to get a visual, you can really see the story play out as you sing it. And those are fun to sing. I like tellin' a story in a sung way, and he just writes those kind of amazing songs. He just happens to be a friend of mine. We've written a couple of songs together, and we really relate to each other." Oddly enough, the first version of Willie and Laura Mae Jones that Lynne heard was by Waylon Jennings -- Springfield's version sat in the vaults for a couple of decades before it was unearthed on a Rhino Records reissue of Dusty in Memphis. But Springfield's version was the definitive one. "She has such a kind of sultry way of tellin' a poignant story," says Lynne. "That's the great thing about Dusty, she could tell a story. A great interpreter can always make you believe what they're saying, and that's one of the things that sold me about Dusty's singin'. Her heart, her soul believed what she was singin'. That's what makes great singers." Your Ad Here Lynne turns 40 on Oct. 22, which means she was barely born when many of Springfield's hits were recorded. Growing up in in Frankville, Ala., she never really heard much Dusty -- her first exposure to You Don't Have To Say You Love Me was on a live Elvis Presley record. But when she finally discovered Dusty in 1997, she was hooked. Still, the idea to do an album of Springfield covers wasn't her own. It was a suggestion by Barry Manilow. "We've been friends for several years," she relates. "He lives here in the desert. We're musician friends, and he's a wonderful, wonderful man, I really admire him." She didn't act on the idea for a couple of years, but when she finally suggested it to Capitol Records, they were enthusiastic. She decided to record it at the fabled Capitol Records building in Hollywood, a mid-century modern masterpiece which resembles a stack of records. She recorded it live in the studio in five days with a quartet. It was all old school -- it was recorded to tape, not done digitally, and was produced by Phil Ramone, a music legend who did everything from Astrud and Joao Gilberto's The Girl From Impanema to Dionne Warwick's Do You Know The Way To San Jose and Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. "I like his style," she says. "He's really calm, he's the ultimate gentleman. He dug what I brought to a song, and I really needed someone to understand what I wanted to do with this record. I could hardly find some young sprite that would understand my way [of doing things]. First of all I have to do all analogue, I like to use tape. I need to have cats around who can still do that."
	Everything clicked in the studio, but one thing was amiss. Even though they were recording in the same building as her record company, no-one came down to check out the sessions. That's because Lynne was recording the very week Capitol Records was going under. "I kept wondering why nobody upstairs was coming downstairs to see what I was up to," she says. "It was because they were exploding. There was no secret, we knew for awhile that Capitol was kind of falling apart. I kind of already knew I was going to call Luke [Lewis at Lost Highway records] and say 'You're gonna dig this.' I didn't waste any time, I cut that record and sent it to him. Just took my chances with people gettin' mad [at Capitol]. "But I didn't give a damn at that point. I've been jerked around so many times. And I'm not whinin', and I'm not cryin'. Labels are just good for about a two-year warranty, and then you're screwed." Lost Highway did indeed love the album, and it came out on that label. It hit number 41 in the Billboard Top 200 album chart in the States, the highest chart position Lynne has ever achieved. A record done out of love and respect, with no thought of commercial appeal, wound up being one of her biggest commercial successes.

Musikfest

2008-08-01T08:46:00.001-07:00

City residents won't have to wait another 25 years for a Musikfest milestone.

Major changes are already in the works for the annual festival.

The headliners stage relocation in 2010 from Sand Island to a $53 million media and cultural center on former Bethlehem Steel Corp. land is expected to expand the festival's attendance, band-booking ability and South Side presence.

RiverPlace's relocation to a larger stage at what will be known as SteelStax will allow Musikfest to attract different artists, said Kim Plyler, spokeswoman for ArtsQuest, which runs the annual 10-day event that begins today -- its 25th anniversary.

Some musicians won't play at the 6,500-seat RiverPlace because they only play at larger venues, she said.

The new headliners stage at SteelStax will have 8,000 seats.

"The bigger the space and the more seats you have, the different types of artists you can bring in," Plyler said. "I wouldn't say bigger names but different names."

Musikfest experienced such a boost in 2000 when the headliners stage moved from a smaller stage in the Colonial Industrial Quarter to Sand Island, Plyler said.

The move to SteelStax will also add more South Side venues to Musikfest. Currently Zoellner Arts Center is the only festival stage south of the Lehigh River.

The headliners stage will be a second venue and ArtsQuest officials also plan to use another SteelStax site for Musikfest, Plyler said. Music Park, an outdoor music venue that will be built in remains of Steel's Iron Foundry Building, will be able to hold 2,500 people.

Whether more festival venues move to the South Side is undetermined, Plyler said.

"The community will decide that," she said.

The South Side would welcome a bigger part in Musikfest, said Roger Hudak, chairman of the mayor's South Side Task Force. Having more festival venues there would benefit neighborhood businesses, he said.

Also Musikfest is really at a maximum capacity at its Center City locations, Hudak said.

"It can't get any bigger there," he said.

Plyler agreed that the Center City venues can often be very packed.

"I think SteelStax will definitely expand the draw for the festival," she said.

Another future draw for Musikfest might be SteelStax's neighbor -- Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem that is scheduled to open in July 2009. ArtsQuest and city officials predict Musikfest and the casino will be mutually beneficial.

The casino is estimated to bring up to 5 million people to Bethlehem each year, Mayor John Callahan said. The major tourist draw will likely introduce more people to Musikfest, he said.

"And Musikfest will drive traffic to the casino," Callahan said.

Musikfest is a major tourist draw of its own, Plyler said.

"I think Musikfest will be an added benefit for the casino because we attract more than 1 million people each year," she said. "It would be nice if there could be some cross promotion to the casino's patrons to introduce them to Musikfest."

AC/DC Sets Out on World Tour

2008-07-31T05:51:00.000-07:00

	AC/DC is powering up for a new trip down the highway to hell. Marking their first world tour in nearly eight years, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will kick off their U.S. leg in October, per Billboard, following the release of their new studio album, which in a sell out move will be sold exclusively by Wal-Mart (The Kings of Censorship.)
Manager Rob Light told an industry conference that AC/DC will embark on an 18-month jaunt in support of the new release, which has been two-plus years in the making but doesn't yet have a street date or title. (The Aussie rockers have been toying with the name Black Ice, but nothing's official.) Your Ad Here The first single, "Runaway Train," is due to ship to radio stations next month. Light indicated a full itinerary should be announced soon. The colossal tour, traversing 17 countries, is destined to hit mostly arenas. To honour their Sellout Deal with the Retail Giant Walmart, Angus Young will bounce around the stage wearing the trademarked Blue Walmart Uniform with the Yellow Smiley Face. This will replace his trade marked school boy uniform. -------------------------- The Not-so-Great Rock and Roll Sell out AC/DC has just become the latest veteran act to sign an exclusive deal with the big box, per a Wall Street Journal report, joining the likes of Garth Brooks, the Eagles and Journey. The new album will be the Aussie rockers' first since 2000's Stiff Upper Lip, making this the band's longest break between studio releases. The powerhouse retailer proved to be a reliable partner for veteran acts in recent years. The Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden has sold 3 million copies since debuting as a Wal-Mart exclusive last November.
	Journey is expecting a top 10 bow for its new triple-disc Revelation, which debuted in Wal-Mart last Tuesday. While the Eagles and Journey signed their Wal-Mart deals as essentially independent acts, AC/DC's new album will be the Hall of Fame band's first as part of a long-term deal signed with Sony BMG in 2002. The deal also included reissuing remastered editions of the group's entire back catalog. While the retailers played a major role in marketing the previous exclusives, it's uncertain what role they'll play with a signed act like AC/DC. Last year, Wal-Mart announced it was cutting back its shelf space for music releases, despite being the country's largest seller of physical CDs. Record companies often compete for the shrinking shelf space by offering the retailer exclusive versions of new albums. Of course, their exclusive acts tend to get the best shelf placement of all. AC/DC recorded the new album in Vancouver with producer Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Audioslave) and longtime audio engineer Mike Fraser. The as-of-yet untitled album is expected in the fall.

Cheech and Chong Back on the Road together

2008-07-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

	Two of the most famous pot smokers of the 1970s, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, unveiled plans on Wednesday for their first comedy tour in more than 25 years following their acrimonious split. "Cheech & Chong: Light Up America ..." will hit 22 cities in the United States starting with Philadelphia on September 12 and ending in Denver, Colorado, on December 20. In between they will play Los Angeles, Miami, Washington, D.C. and other places. This is a moment that I've been looking forward to for many, many years because we have such a legacy and history together that we couldn't escape it, even if we tried," Chong told reporters at a news conference to announce the tour. Cheech and Chong were one of the most successful comedy teams of the 1970s with hit movies and chart-topping records based on their brand of marijuana-influenced humor.
"They were potheads who appealed to a youth generation steeped in personal freedom spawned by 1960s-era hippies. Marin said their humor about doing stupid things while being stoned on marijuana should still appeal to today's youth, as well as Cheech & Chong's older fans. "We've had the younger audience all along. Every time they get to that certain age, they go through that Cheech & Chong period of watching the movies, listening to the records. So, it's almost like a rite of passage," Marin said. The comedy duo said the tour will be theatrical and will rely on the sizable budget that Live Nation -- the company behind the tour -- can muster. When they toured early in their careers, the duo's props were a bag of used clothes, but the new tour will have large video screens to flash images on. As they discussed the tour, Cheech and Chong relied on some props in the form of synthetic marijuana plants to win some laughs, as Chong "watered" the plants with bottled water. Marin, 62, and Chong, 70, spoke about the tour to reporters at the Troubadour, a fixture on the Southern California club scene. Marin said as budding comedians, he and Chong waited in line outside the club for hours for the chance to perform. Cheech and Chong gained notoriety in nightclubs in the Los Angeles area in the 1970s and released their first album, "Cheech and Chong," in 1971. "Los Cochinos" in 1973 won the Grammy award that year for best comedy album. In 1978 their first movie, "Up in Smoke," proved to be a blockbuster, raking in more than $100 million at box offices. They performed together onstage for the last time in 1981, but continued to make movies and records.
	The pair split following the 1985 release of their album "Get Out of My Room." Chong said that their break-up -- which was well-publicized and bitter -- was caused by success. "What happens if you don't have big problems, like trying to make it -- when that's cured when you've made it -- then your little problems become your big problems," he said. "So you start fighting over stupid things." Marin carved out a career as a television actor in shows such as "Nash Bridges" and "Judging Amy." Chong also did a lot of TV work, including appearances on "That '70s Show." Chong has long advocated the legalization of marijuana, and in 2003 was arrested and later imprisoned for selling drug paraphernalia.

Mick Jagger can now join AARP

2008-07-26T08:53:00.000-07:00

Mick Jagger turns 65 today but the old rogue demonstrates that he is still capable of stirring it up with the birthday announcement that The Rolling Stones are switching labels from EMI to Universal.

Mick has always been as fascinated by business as by sex, drugs and rock and roll, and his acumen in this department has done as much to keep the Stones rolling as Keith’s mercurial riffs.

This is an astute move for the Stones, switching to the biggest and most successful major record company at a time when their old partners are undergoing massive internal restructuring. The Stones have more marquee than sales value these days, but I am sure Mick and co have negotiated a very favourable deal. Having given Universal (and boss Lucien Grange) the chance to demonstrate they are the biggest hitters in the musical park, you can be sure the new company will be working their tails off to recoup.

None of them are getting any younger (though Ronnie Wood is certainly acting like it) so this could be a last big deal for the Stones but it demonstrates that there is life in them yet.

Not such good news for Guy Hands, whose company has now lost the services of a Beatle, The Stones and Radiohead, three of EMI's biggest names. When Terra Firma first took over EMI there were unfounded fears they might be engaged in asset stripping, but while they put their efforts into rebuilding the company it is starting to look as if their assets are being stripped from them. To lose one superstar may be regarded as misfortune. To lose three in a row looks like carelessness.

With power shifting to the artists, it is actually becoming increasingly common for acts at the ends of their deals to look for new partners, using their established status to increase royalty rates and gain other commercial benefits (hence Madonna announcing that she will depart Warners at the completion of her deal to sign to Live Nation).

Unfortunately, the loss of so many marquee names in such a short space of time could create an impression that EMI is not trusted by artists. Given the voraciousness of Universal (who recently tried to tempt Oasis from SonyBMG with a multi million pound offer), I am sure the Stones' new partners are delighted to be putting one over their rivals. Officially, EMI wish the Stones well at their new home. Unofficially, the message is more likely to be: "Et tu, Mick?"

He may be pensionable, but it looks like Jagger's still handling himself like a street fighting man.

Breneaked Ladies - Steve Page Arrested on Drug Charges, while with two barenaked ladies

2008-07-16T06:29:00.000-07:00

The singer and guitarist for the band Barenaked Ladies has been arrested on drug charges in upstate New York.

Police say Steven Page was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance on Friday in the Syracuse area.

Authorities say the arrest occurred at about 2 a.m. after police noticed a suspicious car with its driver's side door left open. They say they found Page and two women in a nearby apartment, along with cocaine and marijuana.

Barenaked Ladies' manager Terry McBride confirmed the charge but declined to comment further. The singer, released after paying $10,000 bail, is due in court Thursday.

Page helped form the band in 1988. The group, know for hits such as "One Week" and "Pinch Me" recently released their debut kids CD "Snacktime."

Anthony Kiedis and Heather Christie call it splits

2008-07-12T08:22:00.001-07:00

Red Hot Chili Pepper's Frontman Anthony Kiedis and his girlfriend, former model Heather Christie, have broken up, sources say.

Kiedis and Christie were together for more than three years, and are the parents of a 9-month-old son, Everly Bear.

Sources told People.com the couple has split up and has being living apart since last month.

Kiedis is the frontman for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His representative declined to comment on the breakup report.

"Anthony is a great dad and I will love him forever for giving me the gift of life," Christie told People.com. "I really hope he finds what he's looking for."

Madonna and Britney Spears may tour together

2008-07-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

Madonna has apparently asked Britney Spears to join her on selected dates as part of her Sticky and Sweet tour, say reports, as Britney is eager to relaunch her music career.

It's claimed Madonna and Spears will meet in New York to record a video together that will then be broadcast on stage during the live shows, while some dates will even see Britney performing in person.

"They are recording a video together on Sunday that will provide the backdrop for part of Madonna's show," says a source to The Sun, "and they are talking about Britney taking the stage on a few of the dates too. It's hoped that Madonna can help Britney get back to her old self."

Both singers have worked together previously, both at the 2003 MTV Awards (the infamous kiss scene) and on Spears' single 'Me Against The Music'.

Slipknot getting new masks

2008-07-02T06:00:00.001-07:00

On July 1, Slipknot, the Grammy Award winning, multi-platinum nine man hard rock enigma, will unveil its new imagery in an exclusive partnership with AOL Music, the web’s most trafficked online music destination*. This highly anticipated debut kicks-starts the launch of Slipknot’s new album, All Hope Is Gone, which is set for release on Roadrunner Records on August 26th. Masks are an integral part of the band’s identity and to reflect this point, AOL Music’s Spinner.com will host a retrospective photo gallery of Slipknot masks throughout their career, spanning all three previous albums and including the most recent controversial “Purgatory Masks.” The Slipknot mask unveiling will be featured on the main page of Spinner.com worldwide for 24 hours.

Slipknot is a groundbreaking nine-piece machine born out of Des Moines, IA. The band has sold over 10 million albums worldwide. Their last studio album VOL. 3: (THE SUBLIMINAL VERSES) was released in May 2004, debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart, selling over 240,000 copies its first week and 1.5 million copies in the U.S. to date. The album broke new ground for the band and spawned the hit singles “Duality,” “Vermilion” and “Before I Forget.” In November 2005 the band released SLIPKNOT 9.0: LIVE, a gold-certified double live album. December 2006 saw the release of the DVD Voliminal: Inside the 9. Certified platinum, it is a vivid, brutally honest glimpse of the world inside the band.

Pearl Jam goes to Bed with Verizon

2008-06-11T11:38:00.000-07:00

Pearl Jam has struck a deal with Verizon Wireless' V Cast service to sell select tracks from the authorized live bootlegs that will be available in conjunction with the band's upcoming summer tour, which begins Wednesday (June 11) in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Under this extension of Pearl Jam's long-running live bootleg program, three tracks from each show (excluding Bonnaroo) will be available immediately afterward via V Cast and PearlJamConcerts.com -- one as a free mobile download and two others for purchase.

All V Cast tracks will be "dual downloads," meaning that once purchased, they are sent to both the mobile phone and the user's computer. They will feature Verizon's existing digital rights management (DRM) system and will also be sold as ringtones and ringbacks.

The Verizon deal also includes mobile tickets. Any fan downloading any type of Pearl Jam content from V Cast -- going back to the beginning of the year -- is eligible to win seats to an upcoming show. Tickets will be sent directly to the phones of winning fans, in the form of a barcode that can be scanned at the venue's entrance.

In addition, DRM-free digital tour bootlegs will be sold in FLAC format. A less expensive MP3 option will also be available, with all digital versions hitting PearlJam.com exclusively two weeks after each show.

In the past Pearl Jam has used a proprietary download tool to help fans manage acquisition of their bootlegs, but it isn't doing so this time, Pearl Jam fan club manager Tim Bierman told Billboard.com. "Customers will download through their individual browsers. Those needing help with larger files/slower connections will be advised to use a free download manager available on the Web," Bierman said.

The bootleg series, which began on CD in 2000 but went digital-only for Pearl Jam's 2006 tour, will once again have a physical component this summer. CDs will be manufactured on demand and will be mailed within three weeks of the show.

Alanis Morrisette Pregnant???

2008-05-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

OK, so this really isn't all that much about a concert in particular, however there is a rumour floating around this morning which say's Alanis Morrisette is Pregnant. Well as far as rumours go, this one is quite funny. It appears the Alanis Morrisette Pregnancy Rumour was started with an off the cuff remark during an interview in Rolling Stone Magazine. The article wasn't even about Alanis Morrisette being pregnant, it was about her life and career. Pregnancy was only mentioned once. So here ya go, the Rolling Stone Article on Alanis Morrisette

You oughta know that when we spoke, Alanis Morissette was at the Salt Lake City airport on her way from a gig at the Sundance Film Festival -- no, Robert Redford didn't turn up -- and heading to London. You oughta know that Morissette has just released her third studio album, Under Rug Swept. And, finally, you oughta know that the first single from that album -- the characteristically confessional and autobiographical "Hands Clean," in which the former Canadian teen-pop star assumes the role of Svengali telling his protegee to keep quiet about their affair -- is all over the airwaves, likely earning some new fans for the now-twenty-seven-year-old who sold a remarkable 28 million copies worldwide of 1995's Jagged Little Pill. In other words, folks, it's probably time to stop making so many annoying references to "You Oughta Know." Isn't that ironic? Actually, no.
Literally and figuratively speaking, how clean are your hands anyway?

Literally, damn clean. I have a thing about clean hands. And figuratively, my conceptual hands are getting cleaner every day.

Have people been coming to you with their best guesses as to who the song is about?

A couple of people have taken stabs, but just like with "You Oughta Know," they've never gotten a denial from me and they've never gotten an affirmation, either. That's not what it's about. This is not revenge. This is me telling my story.

Do you feel better getting it out of your system?

Definitely. The more transparent, the more authentic I can be, the more liberated I feel and the less fearful. That song is so deeply personal and so specific that it begs the question of exactly what people are responding to. Is it just a musical resonance? I guess a lot of people must be interpreting it in different ways.

On Under Rug Swept, you list "21 Things I Want in a Lover." Give me a few things that you definitely don't want in a potential boy toy.

OK. Someone who doesn't ask any questions. Someone who can't listen to save his life. Someone who has a negative attitude about life. Someone who doesn't like sex. Someone who complains. That is, like, immediately not going to happen for me.

You played God in Kevin Smith's movie "Dogma." At the height of "Jagged Little Pill" mania, did you ever believe you actually were God?

Well, I believe I am God. But I also believe everybody is God. So, yeah, I believe I'm a little piece of God all the time. But so are you.

Thanks for noticing. "Under Rug Swept" had a rather long gestation period. Would you describe making this album as having been a difficult birth?

Amazon.com Widgets

It wasn't the birth itself that was challenging for me. It was all the other hats that I had to wear. It was like I was pregnant and I was building a house and I was renegotiating contracts, and I was dealing with a bunch of different changes in all my interpersonal relationships and people who I was touring with. So the pregnancy itself was great, but it was challenging because of all the other things that were going on at the same time.

You know the headline that will emerge from this story: "Alanis Pregnant!" Recently, you were presented with the Global Tolerance Award from Friends of the United Nations. Is there anything you won't tolerate, young lady?

I don't like the word tolerate. I prefer acceptance, because tolerate implies that you have this deep-seated buried resentment about something or toward someone, and acceptance just means you're allowing the differences to just be what they are and you're agreeing to disagree. I have my boundaries and my limits in my personal life. I would never tolerate someone hitting me or touching me.

No touching at all?

Well, they can touch me, but they can't touch me in violent ways. The good kind of touching - that they can do any time they want.

As a recovering Canadian teen star yourself, give me your best advice for the world's future-recovering-teen-stars of today.

Oh, it doesn't matter what you're doing, it just matters what you're being, so don't worry about it.

So you do consider yourself in recovery, then?

I think I'm in recovery for everything. We all are for the rest of our lives.

You call the new album Under Rug Swept, but when's the last time you swept under a rug, or anywhere else, for that matter?

I aspire to not sweep anything under the rug, but I do it. I still do it. I'm still working on it, and I probably did it just this morning.

But fess up, you do have someone else come to clean the house every once in a while.

Well, my house is actually usually really, really superclean.

Like those immaculate hands of yours, huh?

Yes, I'm a cleanie beanie, but I also can be a hippie, so there's that both-ness again. Life is so about both-ness.

This could be a pretty loaded question with you, but how's your love life?

I'm single right now. I am very, very happy to be single. And it's better than ever.

OK, we've dealt with your sex life, let's get really personal: What's your reading material for this plane trip?

What do I have? I have these collected poems of all the greats. Then I have all my psychology books, as always. And I may be the only woman in the world who hasn't read The Poisonwood Bible, so I'm about to dive into that one.

Before you step on that plane and leave this country, is there anything else you care to declare about your new album?

Just that I'm so peaceful, and happy about expressing it and sharing it. During Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, there were so many people around me who had such expectations that it felt like I was trying to catch a tidal wave in a thimble, you know. And now it just feels like the expectations are so much lower. And that's when I'm happy, and guaranteed not to be disappointed.

JANET JACKSON TOUR for 2008

2008-05-19T18:14:00.001-07:00

JANET JACKSON has announced she will tour for the first time in seven years, kicking off the jaunt September 20 in Vancouver.

The singer announced the news today, and revealed that she didn’t tour her 2006 album ‘20 Y.O.’ after her record label asked her not to, despite the fact that she was already in preparation mode.

“I was supposed to go on tour with the last album," Jackson told the Associated Press. "We were actually in full-blown tour rehearsals at that point ... learning numbers, getting everything together, set designs, I had to kind of shut everything down and go into the studio."

The result was Jackson’s new album ‘Discipline’, which was released in February. She will now support her last two albums on the forthcoming ‘Rock Witchu’ tour, for which a handful of dates have been revealed.

Dates are scheduled for New York and Washington with the full tour itinerary expected to be announced shortly. Tickets will go on sale June 7.

Canadian Rockers, RUSH Touring North America

2008-05-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

What Blog about Concerts would be right without some mention of the Greatest Rock band in the World, RUSH. The Canadian Rockers are in the middle of their Snakes and Arrows tour. If you are lucky enough they will pass through your town. Here is a list of Concert Dates for RUSH.
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APR 2008
11th 13th 15th 17th 19th 20th 23rd 25th 26th 29th	San Juan, PR Ft Lauderdale, FL Orlando, FL Jacksonville, FL Houston, TX New Orleans, LA Austin, TX Dallas, TX Oklahoma City, OK Albuquerque, NM	Coliseo de Puerto Rico Bank Atlantic Center Amway Center Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena Woodlands Pavilion New Orleans Arena Frank Erwin Center The Music Center at Fair Park Ford Center Journal Pavilion
MAY 2008
1st 3rd 4th 6th 8th 10th 11th 20th 22nd 24th 25th 27th 29th 31st	Phoenix, AZ Reno, NV Concord, CA Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles, CA Las Vegas, NV Irvine, CA Moline, IL St Paul, MN Winnipeg, MB Regina, SK Edmonton AB Vancouver, BC Seattle, WA	Cricket Pavilion Reno Events Center Sleep Train Pavilion Nokia Theatre Nokia Theatre Mandalay Bay Events Center Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre iWireless Center Xcel Energy Center MTS Center Brandt Center Rexall Place GM Place The Gorge Amphitheatre
JUNE 2008
1st 3rd 5th 7th 9th 10th 12th 14th 15th 25th 27th 28th 30th	Portland, OR Boise, ID Denver, CO Kansas City, MO Chicago, IL Detroit, MI Montreal, QC Philadelphia, PA Boston, MA Indianapolis, IN Milwaukee, WI St Louis, MO Cincinnati, OH	Clark County Amphitheatre Idaho Center Red Rocks Starlight Theatre United Center Joe Louis Arena Bell Center Wachovia Center Tweeter Center Verizon Amphitheatre Summerfest Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Riverbend Music Center
JULY 2008
2nd 4th 5th 7th 9th 11th 12th 14th 17th 19th 20th 22nd	Pittsburgh, PA Atlantic City, NJ Saratoga, NY Uncasville, CT Toronto, ON Manchester, NH Holmdel, NJ Wantagh, NY Hershey, PA Washington, DC Charlotte, NC Atlanta, GA	Post Gazette Amphitheatre Marc Etess Arena SPAC Mohegan Sun The Molson Amphitheatre Verizon Arena PNC Bank Arts Center Jones Beach Hershey Stadium Nissan Pavilion Amphitheatre Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

Launch Day

2008-05-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Newest of HTBW's New Media Blogs. This Blog is dedicated to information on musicians, bands and their upcoming concerts. Concentrating on the topics that matter, Upcoming Concerts will filter through the crap providing readers and fans with the information they want and need now.

Unlike other "Entertainment" Blogs, Upcoming concerts will be staying away from the Evil Rumour Mill and focusing on the art, the entertainment, and the information.

For the first few days, the blog will look a little disorganized as we fine tune it to HTBW Standards. Stay Tuned for the best of the best in the Music Industry.

Rock On!!!

Upcoming Concerts

LES PAUL DEAD AT 94

TRAVIS BARKER and BLINK 182 re-unite as Travis and SHANNA MOAKLER split up again

For some uncensored Pictures of Shanna Moekler naked check outSHANNA MOAKLER PLAYBOY PICTORIALSHANNA MOAKLER the MILFSHANNA MOAKLER NAKED - The complete Playboy Pictorial

DAVE MATHEWS BAND CONCERT TOUR AND TICKET INFORMATION

DAVE MATHEWS BAND TICKET INFORMATION

Dave Matthews Band confirms Fenway Park shows

BUZZFEST TICKETS Creating a Buzz

BRITNEY SPEARS - 3 Ring CIRCUS to hit TORNOTO AGAIN

LIMP BIZKIT Frontmand FRED DURST talks about his affair with BRITNEY SPEARS

JILL GIOIA UPCOMING CONCERT INFORMATION

JILL GIOIA

BLINK 182 TOGETHER - CONCERT DATES TO FOLLOW

FENDER WOLFGANG - "Indestructable" WOLFGANG FENDER

Scorpions Virgin Killer Import Cover Causes Contraversy

COLDPLAY Hammerstein Ballroom performance

Britney Spears concert tour 2009

Sasha Fierce - The New Beyonce

Guns and Roses Chinese Democracy Album Release and World Tour

Janet Jackson Tour Put on Hold after she was Hospitalized in Montreal

Nickleback releases Free Download of their new Song "Gotta be Somebody" Hear it here

Canadian Icon Singer Songwriter GORDON LIGHTFOOT Back on the Road Doing what he loves

Radiohead, Jack Johnson headline Golden Gate Park Concert - (outside lands festival, golden gate park, outside lands, outside lands concert)

2008 Seattle Hempfest Line-up

Share Parker Memorial Main Stage

Saturday - August 16, 2008

Sunday - August 17, 2008

Hemposium Music Stage

Saturday - August 16, 2008

Sunday - August 17, 2008

Ralph and Judith Seeley Memorial Stage

Saturday - August 16, 2008

Sunday - August 17, 2008

Peter McWilliams Memorial Stage

Saturday - August 16, 2008

Sunday - August 17, 2008

DanceSafe Electronic Music Stage

Saturday - August 16, 2008

Sunday - August 17, 2008

Shelby Lynne Interview and Pictures

Musikfest

AC/DC Sets Out on World Tour

Cheech and Chong Back on the Road together

Mick Jagger can now join AARP

Breneaked Ladies - Steve Page Arrested on Drug Charges, while with two barenaked ladies

Anthony Kiedis and Heather Christie call it splits

Madonna and Britney Spears may tour together

Slipknot getting new masks

Pearl Jam goes to Bed with Verizon

Alanis Morrisette Pregnant???

JANET JACKSON TOUR for 2008

Canadian Rockers, RUSH Touring North America

Launch Day

For some uncensored Pictures of Shanna Moekler naked check out

SHANNA MOAKLER PLAYBOY PICTORIAL

SHANNA MOAKLER the MILF

SHANNA MOAKLER NAKED - The complete Playboy Pictorial