Ireland’s U2 Join Michigan’s Madonna At Live Nation
Live Nation, who recently signed Madonna to a 10-year deal for touring, merchandising, and more, have just snagged U2 for a similar (but longer - 12 years) contract, in which the promoter will execute and promote U2’s tours as well as handle their broadcasts, streaming audio/video, website, and fan club. U2 signs with Live Nation on the heels of their Ticketmaster deal finally expiring; with U2 in a tour class of their own (their last tour took in around $400 million), it should be interesting to see what new power and range the band will gain via their new partnership. U2 are now expected to release an album in fall of 2008, with touring said to follow in 2009...
While frontman Eddie Vedder was focusing on his Into the Wild soundtrack work, Pearl Jam as a whole stayed under the radar last year, playing just a couple of live shows and pondering their next move. Now the band has announced that they’ll be embarking on a 10-date tour (for starters) and also beginning work on their next album. Tour dates for Pearl Jam will include stops in Virginia Beach (6/17), Washington DC (6/22), NYC (6/24 and 6/25), and Mansfield, MA (6/30). Elsewhere, PJ guitarist Stone Gossard is working on his second solo album, and Vedder will be performing some live shows on his own early this month, so keep an eye out for those, too...
Meanwhile, in New Jersey, punk-popsters The Living End are hard at work on their new set with producer John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth) at Water Music Studios in Hoboken, a facility that’s hosted earlier recordings by the likes of The Lemonheads and Ryan Adams. The band has also completed their 10-year record contract with EMI, and will release their as-yet-untitled new disc through Universal Music in July of this year...
And rapper Tone Loc - known for his retro rap tracks “Wild Thing” and “Funky Cold Medina” - is showing that he’s got a heart beneath all that, er, Loc-ness. A scam artist recently took over a thousand dollars in fees from a pair of Detroit clubs by posing as Tone Loc’s manager and “booking” Tone Loc for shows. When Loc heard about the fake manager and the ensuing situation, he offered to actually play live shows at the bars in question to help them recoup their loss. The shows took place last week, one each at Detroit’s Bumpers and the Red Dog Saloon...
MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:
Buzz band Vampire Weekend are prepping to celebrate National Record Store Day on April 19 with a special 7 record release of their track “A-Punk,” with a rough version of “Oxford Comma” on the B-side; the groovy new disc can be snagged via the band’s official website, www.vampireweekend.com...
MINI BUZZ:
Musician/rapper/actor Mos Def is playing rock n’ roll star Chuck Berry in the upcoming film Cadillac Records, which is currently filming in New Jersey; the movie will tell the story of legendary record label Chess Records, with Def’s co-stars including Adrien Brody (as Leonard Chess), Beyonce, and Cedric the Entertainer...
Chris Cornell - whose unique cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” was covered again on... you guessed it... American Idol last week, is currently working on his next solo album with producer Timbaland...
The Apple Store in SoHo (New York City) played host to none other than Counting Crows last week when the band showed up to play an informal set right in the store...
Brit Grammy-nominated modern soul singer James Hunter is set to release his new album, The Hard Way, on June 10, complete with a guest appearance from Allen Toussaint...
Portishead, whose third album, Third, is out later this month, have assured fans that it won’t take almost ten years for them to make album number four...
And Hallmark has teamed up with Universal Music to add to the former’s line of musical greeting cards; the new lineup of cards will include songs from Salt n’ Pepa and Smashmouth, among others, and will retail for $1.99...
ON CD: Josh Gracin’s We Weren’t Crazy... Leona Lewis’ Spirit... The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy’s Colin Meloy Sings Live!... James Otto’s Sunset Man... Spoon’s Don’t You Evah EP... and Tapes N’ Tapes’ Walk It Off... ON DVD: Toto’s Falling In Between Live... Riverdance: Live from Radio City Music Hall... Wynton Marsalis’ Congo Square... and Take That’s Beautiful World Live... 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
Live Nation, who recently signed Madonna to a 10-year deal for touring, merchandising, and more, have just snagged U2 for a similar (but longer - 12 years) contract, in which the promoter will execute and promote U2’s tours as well as handle their broadcasts, streaming audio/video, website, and fan club. U2 signs with Live Nation on the heels of their Ticketmaster deal finally expiring; with U2 in a tour class of their own (their last tour took in around $400 million), it should be interesting to see what new power and range the band will gain via their new partnership. U2 are now expected to release an album in fall of 2008, with touring said to follow in 2009...
While frontman Eddie Vedder was focusing on his Into the Wild soundtrack work, Pearl Jam as a whole stayed under the radar last year, playing just a couple of live shows and pondering their next move. Now the band has announced that they’ll be embarking on a 10-date tour (for starters) and also beginning work on their next album. Tour dates for Pearl Jam will include stops in Virginia Beach (6/17), Washington DC (6/22), NYC (6/24 and 6/25), and Mansfield, MA (6/30). Elsewhere, PJ guitarist Stone Gossard is working on his second solo album, and Vedder will be performing some live shows on his own early this month, so keep an eye out for those, too...
Meanwhile, in New Jersey, punk-popsters The Living End are hard at work on their new set with producer John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth) at Water Music Studios in Hoboken, a facility that’s hosted earlier recordings by the likes of The Lemonheads and Ryan Adams. The band has also completed their 10-year record contract with EMI, and will release their as-yet-untitled new disc through Universal Music in July of this year...
And rapper Tone Loc - known for his retro rap tracks “Wild Thing” and “Funky Cold Medina” - is showing that he’s got a heart beneath all that, er, Loc-ness. A scam artist recently took over a thousand dollars in fees from a pair of Detroit clubs by posing as Tone Loc’s manager and “booking” Tone Loc for shows. When Loc heard about the fake manager and the ensuing situation, he offered to actually play live shows at the bars in question to help them recoup their loss. The shows took place last week, one each at Detroit’s Bumpers and the Red Dog Saloon...
MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:
Buzz band Vampire Weekend are prepping to celebrate National Record Store Day on April 19 with a special 7 record release of their track “A-Punk,” with a rough version of “Oxford Comma” on the B-side; the groovy new disc can be snagged via the band’s official website, www.vampireweekend.com...
MINI BUZZ:
Musician/rapper/actor Mos Def is playing rock n’ roll star Chuck Berry in the upcoming film Cadillac Records, which is currently filming in New Jersey; the movie will tell the story of legendary record label Chess Records, with Def’s co-stars including Adrien Brody (as Leonard Chess), Beyonce, and Cedric the Entertainer...
Chris Cornell - whose unique cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” was covered again on... you guessed it... American Idol last week, is currently working on his next solo album with producer Timbaland...
The Apple Store in SoHo (New York City) played host to none other than Counting Crows last week when the band showed up to play an informal set right in the store...
Brit Grammy-nominated modern soul singer James Hunter is set to release his new album, The Hard Way, on June 10, complete with a guest appearance from Allen Toussaint...
Portishead, whose third album, Third, is out later this month, have assured fans that it won’t take almost ten years for them to make album number four...
And Hallmark has teamed up with Universal Music to add to the former’s line of musical greeting cards; the new lineup of cards will include songs from Salt n’ Pepa and Smashmouth, among others, and will retail for $1.99...
ON CD: Josh Gracin’s We Weren’t Crazy... Leona Lewis’ Spirit... The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy’s Colin Meloy Sings Live!... James Otto’s Sunset Man... Spoon’s Don’t You Evah EP... and Tapes N’ Tapes’ Walk It Off... ON DVD: Toto’s Falling In Between Live... Riverdance: Live from Radio City Music Hall... Wynton Marsalis’ Congo Square... and Take That’s Beautiful World Live... 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
