U2‘s Moment in the Sun

U2 is among the new acts nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame next year - the class of 2005 includes the boys from Ireland along
with The Pretenders, The O’Jays, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, and
Randy Newman.  Previous nominees (now eligible to try again) that are taking
another shot at Hall of Fame-dom include The Stooges, Patti Smith, and The
Sex Pistols.  But you’ve gotta wait a few months to find out who actually
snags the honors...
 
In other U2 news, the band’s 13th album is on the way (November 23, to be
exact) and the disc’s title has finally been released - now set to be called
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, the disc will offer up U2’s first new
material in four years and will drop “Vertigo” as the album’s first single.
Meanwhile, U2 guitarist The Edge has composed and recorded the theme song to
the new WB network’s animated series “The Batman,” an interesting echo of
when U2 contributed a song (“Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me”) to the
soundtrack for the movie “Batman Forever”...
 
Wilco are taking a shot at semi-autobiographical writing with a $30 book
that will contain unreleased rare photos, essays by the Wilco band members
themselves, and plenty of other extras.  Titlted The Wilco Book, fans are
sure to dig the personal nature of the project, but are likely to be even
more excited about the accompanying 12-track CD of leftover tracks from the
band’s recording sessions for their latest disc, A Ghost Is Born...
 
Duran Duran, still planning a fall tour, have just unveiled the tracklisting
for Astronaut, the band’s first album with all its original members since
1982.  Songs set for the disc include “Nice,” “Finest Hour,” “Chains,”
“Still Breathing,” “What Happens Tomorrow,” and “One of Those Days.”  The
disc may also be bundled with a one-hour DVD that is rumored to showcase the
band playing live at London’s Wembley Arena this past spring.  Several TV
appearances are already lined up in advance of the tour, including stops at
Good Morning America (October 12) and Last Call with Carson Daly (October
19), and the album itself is due out on October 12...
Jimmy Eats World are prepping for a slate of live appearances, too, to help
promote their upcoming album, Futures, which is due out on October 19. The
band will hit the UK trail on September 23 with two shows in England, and
will then return Stateside for additional shows in California, Arizona, and
Las Vegas.  They’ll also be popping up on Late Night with Conan O’Brien
(October 14) and Jimmy Kimmel Live (October 22).  Also on October 19 will
arrive the band’s DVD, Believe in What You Want, which features a set
recorded at Washington, DC’s 9:30 Club, plus an additional two-song
acoustic performance that was taped at DC’s Inner Ear Studios...
MINI BUZZ:
Speaking of Jimmy Kimmel, the comedian has been tapped a second time to host
the American Music Awards, coming up on November 14 in Los Angeles;  Kimmel
promised the press that his “duet” with Christina Aguilera will be “a
performance that will not be soon forgotten”...
A Ramones-related benefit concert for Cedars Sinai Cancer Research Center
will be held on October 8 in NYC with appearances from The Strokes and
Blondie...
CBS TV has cancelled its planned Madonna concert special due to Maddie and
the suits conflicting over whether or not the show would be commercial-free
(she wants it to be, they say nope)...
The next edition of the All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival is set for November
6 and 7 in Long Beach, California, with Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, and
The Shins all tentatively on the schedule...
Red Hot Chili Pepper John Frusciante is just about set to release the fourth
of the six albums he scheduled himself to release this year; Frusciante’s
Inside of Emptiness will hit stores on October 26...
No Doubt’s singer-gone-single Gwen Stefani has reportedly changed the title
of her upcoming solo album from What Are You Waiting For? to Love Angel
Music Baby, which, coincidentally, conveniently aligns with the name of her
clothing line, L.A.M.B....
 
And, hey, look what’s new this week...  ON CD:   Green Day’s American
Idiot...  Greg Brown’s In the Hills of California... Hanalei’s We’re All
Natural Disasters... The Animals’ Retro-spective... Scissor Sisters’ Scissor
Sisters... and Now That’s What I Call Music Volume 16... ON DVD:  Suzi
Quatro: Leather Forever... Prince’s Under the Cherry Moon... and Fleetwood
Mac’s Destiny Rules... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
 
Questions, comments, rants, raves about this column or your fave artist? 
Send ‘em to Kristi at expressmodernrock@hotmail.com!


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