No Doubt on the way Back and On Tour

May 17, 2009

No Doubt On the Way Back and On Tour\
Kristi Kates 5/18/09
Gwen Stefani and her No Doubt bandmates have borrowed an Adam and the Ants tune and brought it into their more current new wave sound. “Stand and Deliver” is the track, and you might’ve already heard it on the internet, as it was recently inadvertantly released onto a couple of interent outlets. If you missed it, however, never fear - No Doubt is continuing work on their new album, which is anticipated for release some time later this year, and will also be trekking the U.S. on a reunion tour for which they’ve got dates scheduled through the beginning of August. If you do decide to buy tix for any of their live shows, you’ll also get the band’s full digital catalog as a free download. Now there’s no doubt that that’s a cool bonus...
Counting Crows long recording contract with Geffen Records has finally reached an end after more than over 15 years with the company, but don’t count the Crows out just yet. In a posting on the band’s website, frontman Adam Duritz says that the news is a new beginning for the band, who plan to take advantage of the internet’s “world of limitless possibility.” Duritz himself is currently on tour with The Who, and just wrapped filming on the comedy movie Freeloaders on which he’s a producer, while the band is heading to London in May for a session on the television series Live at Abbey Road, and they’ll follow that up with the recording of two songs for an unrelated band documentary...
Eclectic and talented Sigur Ros singer Jon Birgisson is working with artistic partner Alex Somers on a brand new CD that will be titled under the same name that the pair of friends exhibit artwork under, namely Riceboy Sleeps. The new Riceboy Sleeps eponymous album - not to be confused with the Riceboy Sleeps artwork - is set to hit stores stateside on July 20, and will include nine songs that were recorded by the pro duo in Iceland, among them “Indian Summer,” “Howl,” and “Sleeping Giant”...

And Switzerland’s 43rd annual famed Montreux Jazz Festival is offering up a whole lot more than just jazz - this year’s event is promoting what they’re calling a “360 degree musical panorama” that will include sets from the likes of B.B. King, Herbie Hancock, the Black Eyed Peas, Lauryn Hill, and Jeff Beck as well as a three-night tribute to Island Records founder Chris Blackwell and a disco night with Donna Summer...

MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:
YouTube and Universal Music Group have teamed up to kick off VEVO, a music site that will feature UMG music videos; the idea will be something along the lines of the popular Hulu TV network, except in music video form. Get a jump on the rest of the music fans, and sign up now for updates at www.vevo.com...

MINI BUZZ:
Recent Rock and Roll hall of Fame inductee Bobby Womack is being tapped by Brit band Gorillaz to contribute to one of their next set of songs...
Blink-182 are finally set to embark on their long-talked-about reunion tour, on which they’ll reportedly hit the road with none other than Weezer...
Carlos Dengler, bassist for NYC modern rockers Interpol, has completed work as filmmaker on the short film My Friends Told Me About You, which will premiere late this May; Dengler composed the score for the movie along with English clarinetist Ian Mitchell...
Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band, in addition to releasing their second album in May, are also releasing a 60-minute accompanying film, One of My Kind, which will be made available as a free stream or HD download online on sites including Merge Records and Causecast...
The Pet Shop Boys rejected a recent request by animal rights group Peta to rename themselves “The Rescue Shelter Boys” - Peta requested the name change because of the cruelty it alleges takes place in the pet store trade...
And the legendary Brian Eno will curate Sydney, Australia’s Luminous Music Fest, which will run May 29 through June 12 and will feature sets from Ladytron and Battles, among others...
Featuring their own set are this week’s new discs... ON CD: Bricolage’s Bricolage... Isis’ Wavering Radiant... The Dangerous Summer’s Reach for the Sun... Yusef Islam’s (formerly Cat Stevens) Roadslinger (To Warm You Through the Night)... 311’s Uplifter... and Iron and Wine’s Around the Well... ON DVD: former GoGo Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven on Earth... and Jeff Beck - Performing This Week: 2007 Live... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
Questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions on this column or your favorite musicians? Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com