The White Stripes‘ idea of a joke

Aug. 1, 2007

Our pals Meg and Jack - otherwise known as The White Stripes, of course - have spent a good chunk of the past week bringing a couple of odd twists to the summer concert scene. First of all, the band treated a random busload of fans to an impromptu concert on a moving bus in Winnipeg; later, the band played a one-note pre-show “concert” in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, hitting a single note (no joke) – reportedly a C-sharp – before telling fans they’d see them at the actual (full-length) show later that night. The hundreds of fans who had assembled for the secret pre-show, instead of being annoyed at the too-short event, embraced the Stripes’ oddity and cheered loudly as the duo left the stage...

An old 1985 movie starring an early-in-her-career Madonna is being newly revitalized as a West End musical, now set to open this fall in London. Taking on Madonna’s film role is Emma Williams, while the Rosanna Arquette part is now being played by Kelly Price; the music is another story, as much of it is being contributed by none other than Blondie, who are offering the show usage of their songs “Heart of Glass,” “Atomic,” “Dreaming,” “The Tide Is High,” “One Way or Another,” plus a brand-new tune by Blondie’s Debbie Harry. Catch the new version of “Desperately Seeking Susan” beginning October 12 at London’s Novello Theater...

This year’s prestigious Mercury Music Prize has announced its 2007 nominees, and topping the list are last year’s winners The Arctic Monkeys, who are now up for the honor for their sophomore album, Favourite Worst Nightmare. Also up for the potential win are Dizzee Rascal, nominated for his album Maths + English, Klaxons’ Myths of the Near Future, Fionn Regan’s The End of History, Basquiat Strings’ Basquiat Strings with Seb Rochford, and Maps’ We Can Create - twelve nominees in all...

Speaking of Maps, the electronica act, otherwise known as UK producer James Chapman, is set to play its first live dates in America this autumn, beginning in Seattle in September. With the intent of promoting Maps’ debut disc (the same as is mentioned above,) Maps will perform with a five-piece band, and will make additional stops in L.A. (9/26), New York City (9/28), and Brooklyn (9/29); they’ll also perform live on KCRW’s famed Morning Becomes Eclectic show in Los Angeles on Sept. 26...

MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:
Ever want to give a little something back to the Smashing Pumpkins for all of that great music? Well, if you happen to have the right info, you might be able to do just that. SP frontman and guru Billy Corgan is on a search for the Siamese twins who were featured on the cover of the Pumpkins’ 1993 album, Siamese Dream – no particular reason was given for his quest, but if you know the girls or can otherwise help (or just want to follow the process), check in with the Pumpkins Media Militia at
www.smashingpumpkins.com/blog...

mini buzz: Former Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox has wrapped work on her first album in over 4 years, and she’s calling it Songs of Mass Destruction - the album will be in stores on October 2, and will include the song “Sing,” which features contributions from over 20 other female vocalists, including Fergie and Madonna...Las Vegas modern rockers The Killers are hitting the road again for more tour dates to promote their latest release, last year’s Sam’s Town - stops will include Columbus, OH (9/8), Toronto (9/9), Austin, TX (9/14), and El Paso, TX (9/17)... Fellow modern rockers Hot Hot Heat are prepping for a return this fall with their new album, Happiness LTD, which is due out on September 3 on Warner Bros. Records... Battles are a step ahead of Hot Hot Heat, having just released their debut disc, Mirrored, on Warp Records; they also just embarked on a tour, which will take them through Oslo, Norway (8/10), Dublin, Ireland (8/24), London (10/11), and Paris (10/16)... Bjork has tacked several additional dates onto her schedule, meaning she’ll be back in the U.S. for a mini tour, during which she’ll stop for performances in Toronto (8/8), Detroit (8/11), Atlanta, GA (8/17), and NYC (8/24)… And a newish French-Canadian festival has nabbed some big names for their second outing this year - the Second Annual Osheaga Festival will feature Bloc Party, Interpol, Smashing Pumpkins, and Damien Rice on September 8-9 in Montreal...

ON CD: Maps’ We Can Create… Caribou’s Melody Day... Play Radio Play!’s The Frequency EP... Ulrich Schnauss’ Quick-sand Memory... Duran Duran’s Big Thing... and Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash with musical contributions from Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, and Rosanne Cash, among others...
ON DVD: DJ Armin Van Buuren’s Armin Only: Ahoy 2007... The Temptations: One Night in London... Inside The Smiths... Hugh Grant & Drew Barrymore in the retro-’80s-meets-today comedy Music and Lyrics ... 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.