March 28, 2024

Flight of the Pumpkins

Feb. 8, 2006
Flight of the Pumpkins
Rumors are flying all around regarding the Smashing Pumpkins, mostly because of Pumpkins  singer Billy Corgan’s recent proclamation that he wants to reform the band, which split up in 2000.  (Following the Pumpkins’ demise, Corgan formed the band Zwan, which had a short-lived, one-record career and then also broke up.) The most likely new rumor involves the Pumpkins embarking on a summer tour, info supported by the fact that Smashing Pumpkins have already reportedly booked a performance slot at the hot California music festival Coachella, at which they’ll appear live on April 30...
 
The rest of that aforementioned Coachella lineup has just been announced, too. The festival, which is held out in the desert inIndio, California each year, always boasts an eclectic range of modern rock bands and solo artists, this year being no exception.  The 2006 Coachella event will host sets from the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Sigur Ros, Bloc Party, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Danger Mouse, Devandra Banhart, Stellastarr, Paul Oakenfold, Scissor Sisters, Mogwai, Imogen Heap, and James Blunt...
 
Speaking of buzz UK singer-songwriter Blunt - already becoming well known for his sensitive, pretty melodies and high, textured vocals - well, he’s apparently something of a tough guy in disguise.  While in Cannes, France last week for the NRJ Radio Awards, Blunt - who’d earlier that day won the award for “Best Newcomer” at the event - was asleep in a hotel room when he was awakened by an intruder.  Blunt couldn’t locate the phone in the dark, so instead, he whacked the burglar with his heavy NRJ Awards statue, and the burglar fled.  Blunt is also nominated for five honors at the upcoming Brit Awards, and jokingly told the press that it would be good to win a Brit Award, because “...you never know when it may come in handy to use on a burglar”...  
 
And Norwegian duo Royksopp - otherwise known as Torbjork Brundtland and Svein Berge, are set to drop their first live disc, which they’ve titled Royksopp’s Night Out, a 40-minute set that was released in Europe last month, and will hit U.S. CD outlets on March 21.  The disc, which was recorded at a November 2005 concert in Oslo, Norway, includes songs from the entire range of Royksopp’s albums, including “Remind Me,” “What Else Is There,” and “Only This Moment,” among others - plus a previously unreleased Queens of the Stone Age cover...
 
MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:   The legendary 48th Annual Grammy Awards will hit television on February 8 (on CBS TV), and opening the show this year will be an unusual and potentially combustible pairing - namely Madonna with “virtual band” Gorillaz.  Other performers at this year’s event will include U2, Coldplay, Maroon 5, and Sugarland.  Check out all the official Grammy happenings at www.grammy.com ...
 
MINI BUZZ:
For those of you who like to be one step ahead of the Next Big Thing, keep an eye out for hot Sheffield, England indie-popsters the Arctic Monkeys - the rockin’ quartet’s Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not just became the fastest-selling debut album in UK chart history, and that same album will drop into U.S. stores on February 21...
Placebo are back with a new single that will hit radio in March - keep your ears out for “Because I Want You,” a track taken from their as-yet-untitled new album, due out on March 13...
Morrissey, whose new album, Ringleader of the Tormentors, is due out on April 4, will play his first North American show in two years at the upcoming SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas on March 16...
Singer-songwriter Rob Thomas is staying on the road, with shows scheduled in Australia through February, and then a return to the U.S.  and Canada in March and the beginning of April...
Going to be in Florida for spring break?  Then don’t miss the eighth Ultra Music Festival, set for March 25 in Miami, with live sets scheduled from the likes of Paul Oakenfold, The Killers, Hot Hot Heat, and The Prodigy...
Retro fans rejoice - innovative Australian band Split Enz, which spawned successful careers for both spinoff group Crowded House and Split Enz brothers Neil Finn and Tim Finn - are reuniting, 22 years after they broke up, to embark on an Australian arena tour, with possible U.S. dates to follow...
 
And make sure you check out this week’s great new releases...  ON CD:  The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for Tristan and Isolde...  Train’s For Me It’s You... Sergio Mendes’ Timeless, produced by will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas...  KT Tunstall’s Eye on the Telescope... Belle + Sebastian’s The Life Pursuit... and Anouk’s 4cd Box... ON DVD: Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan... The Tomorrow Show - Punk and New Wave... Animusic 2... and Gaelic Storm’s Live in Chicago... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
 
Questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions about this column or your fave musicians?  Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com!
 







Trending

Mysterious Michigan Reads

We can’t think of a better way to spend spring break than with a great book. Northern Express asked local bookseller... Read More >>

Heirloom Recipes With Heritage, History, and Nostalgia

Before we begin to stash our coats and put winter behind us, let us remember what years past have taught us…fake sp... Read More >>

A Floral Family Affair

In the quaint downtown of Elk Rapids sits Golden Hill Farms, a shop where the artistry of floristry meets the rustic charm... Read More >>

A Look at Originalism

O Tempora O Mores! Oh the times, oh the culture. This Latin phrase relates to both the 18th century and our current times.... Read More >>