Ozzfest free sez Ozzie

Feb. 14, 2007

Ozzy Osbourne’s got a new philosophy - and Ozzfest fans are going to be the ones to benefit. At a press conference last week in L.A., Ozzy and wife Sharon announced this year’s Ozzfest tour, and also announced that admission is going to be free. For reals, dude? Yes, you read that correctly.  With Ozzy putting out a new record and planning to tour throughout 2007, the Osbournes figured that there will be “plenty of time to make money,” so why not thank everyone who’s been so good to Ozzfest throughout the years?  Of course, you’ll still drop a few bucks on food, parking, and that awesome Ozzfest t-shirt, but to see dozens of bands and, of course, Ozzy himself live, it’ll be free of charge. “Well, it’s free to get in, but we’re charging you to get out,” Ozzy joked...
 
Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes is prepping to release his latest full-length album on April 10. He’s titled it Cassadaga, and he’s finally revealing the final track selection. Among the new tunes set to be on the album are “If the Brakeman Turns My Way,” “Middleman,” “No One Would Riot For Less,” “Coat Check Dream Song,” “Hot Knives,” and “Four Winds,” and among the Oberst collaborators on the album are
M. Ward, Sleater-Kinney’s Janet Weiss, and Gillian Welch.  Oberst will also kick off a U.S. tour later this month, which will be followed by a set of European dates...
 
If Europe’s a little too far for you to go for a good live show, you might try... well, New Jersey. That’ll be the site for this year’s Bamboozle Festival, which will take over the Meadowlands Sports Complex on May 5 and 6. Appearing at Bamboozle this year will be headliners My Chemical Romance, as well as Muse, New Found Glory, Saves the Day, Valencia, Plain White Ts, The Devil Wears Prada, and a special appearance by none other than Weird Al Yankovic. Two-day passes are already sold out, but you can still snag one-day tix at www.thebamboozle.com...
 The reunited Dinosaur Jr. have gone beyond fan expectations, completing a globe-spanning tour and actually recording an album of all-new songs.  Dubbed Beyond, the album will be the first to feature all three founding members of the band since 1988’s Bug.  Set to hit stores on May 1, the disc will include songs  “Crumble,” “Pick Me Up,” “I Got Lost,” and “Been There All the Time” (are we sensing a theme here?), and will be followed up by a live DVD.  In other Dinosaur Jr. news, Nike will release a skate shoe this month as designed by Dinosaur Jr.’s own
J. Mascis...
 
MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:  Beach Boy Brian Wilson will present a new musical suite next fall at London’s Royal Festival Hall, but you can find out more now at the musician’s official website,
www.brianwilson.com...
 
MINI BUZZ:
MTV2 will air a special edition of their Subterranean show on Sunday, February 25 at 1:00 a.m. - so tune in, late nighters, to see great highlights from the 2007 PLUG Indie Music Awards Show, including vids and interviews from the likes of Stephen Malkmus, Silversun Pickups, Deerhoof, and others...
Fall Out Boy battled through Midwestern snow to play a hometown show in Chicago last week, bringing along some contest-winning tourmates and delighting Chi-town fans, some of whom had waited over 10 hours in the brittle cold to see FOB...
Jam/Style Council modfather Paul Weller played both guitar and a white grand piano at his tour-wrapping show last Monday in Hollywood, where he played to a sold-out crowd...
Kings of Leon will release their third album, Because of the Times, on April 3;  check out a new single from the disc on the band’s MySpace (www.myspace.com/kingsofleon) starting this week...
The video for the 3rd single from five-time Grammy nominee Gnarls Barkley, “Smiley Faces,” hits MTV this week...
And Son Volt will release their new album a little earlier - March 6, to be exact - on Transmit Sound/Legacy Records; it’s titled The Search...
 
Releasing their discs this very week are these new releases...
ON CD:  Fall Out Boy’s Infinity On High... Godspeed You Black Emperor’s Lift Your Skinny Fists Like
Antennas To Heaven... Apples In Stereo’s New Magnetic Won-der... Sweatshop Union’s Sweatshop Union... Leahy’s Leahy...  and Sondre Lerche’s Phantom Punch... 
ON DVD:  Paul Weller: Hit Parade... Westlife’s Life at Wembley... Bob Dylan’s Don’t Look Back (1965 Tour Deluxe Edition)... and a new-on-DVD sequel to a musician’s classic, the latest update on whatever happened to Nigel, Derek, and David in The Return of Spinal Tap... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
 
Questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions on this column or your fave musicians?  Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com.