The Cranberries are juiced over new CD

Jan. 17, 2007

The Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan has been signed to Sanctuary Records, and will release her very first solo album this upcoming spring. O’Riordan, known for her distinctive voice and her work with The Cranberries, has dubbed her debut disc Are You Listening? and will see the set hit stores in May, with a lead single heading to radio in April. O’Riordan will also be kicking off a world tour in support of the new album in late spring of this year...
 
Actor Mike Myers - also known as Austin Powers, of course - has been chosen to play The Who drummer Keith Moon in an upcoming film adaptation of Moon’s life. Myers, who in addition to his beloved but wacky Austin Powers character, is also known for his voice work on the animated Shrek features, and his appearance as disco owner Steve Rubell in 54 was handpicked by Who frontman Roger Daltrey for the part. The film itself, titled See Me, Feel Me, is scheduled to hit theaters in 2009...
 
Switchfoot is set to hit the road in order to promote their new album, Oh! Gravity, and will remain touring North America throughout this February and March. They’ll kick off their tour on Valentine’s Day at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California, will wrap at the end of March in their hometown of San Diego, and might even pop up at some unexpected venues inbetween;  Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman recently wrote in his tour diary that the band has been trying to find coffeeshops or bars to play impromptu jams at after their former shows.  Other officially-scheduled dates include stops in Seattle (2/18), Toronto (2/28), Montreal (3/1), Philadelphia (3/10), Dallas (3/25), and Los Angeles (3/30)...
 
Canada’s The Arcade Fire are prepping for the release of their new album, Neon Bible, in March, and have pre-released a couple of the album’s tunes (namely, “Black Wave/Bad Intentions” and “Interventions”) on iTunes, in addition to scheduling a series of live dates for next month, dates that will include two five-night stands-one in Montreal and one in New York City. Additional dates can be checked out online at The Arcade Fire’s official site,
www.arcadefire.com...
 
MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK: California punkers AFI have recorded a live version of David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust” that fans can listen to on their website, www.afireinside.net...
 
MINI BUZZ:
In this, “Roxanne’s” 30th anniversary year, rumors are once again flying that The Police will be reuniting for some live shows in the U.S. and the UK - we’ll keep you updated...
Las Vegas modern rockers The Killers have been asked to write the theme for the next James Bond movie, which will be the 22nd appearance of Bond, and which has tentatively been titled Risico...
Bright Eyes/Conor Oberst will release a six-song EP titled Four Winds on March 6, with the title track serving as the disc’s
first single...
Brooklyn’s TV On The Radio will hop on the bus for a US tour beginning this March, including shows in Toronto (3/4), Indianapolis (3/8), Chicago (3/12 and 3/13), Seattle (3/25), Houston (4/6), and Washington DC (4/18 and 4/19)...
Suave rocker Bryan Ferry has been tapped to model menswear in a UK ad campaign for landmark British chain store Marks & Spencer...
And, speaking of Ferry, he’s also currently finalizing his album of Bob Dylan cover versions, which he’s titled Dylanesque and which will be out in March...
 
ON CD:  Canadian modern troubadour Ron Sexsmith’s Time Being…U2’s Window in the Skies Pts. 1 and 2... Johnny Cash’s Live from Austin, TX... Frank Sinatra’s Romance: Songs from the Heart... +44’s When Your Heart Stops Beating… and Diana Ross’ I Love You... 
ON DVD: Smokey Robinson’s The Defin-itive Performances 1963-1987... Elvis Costello’s Hot as a Pistol, Keen as a Blade... Good Charlotte’s Fast Future Generation...  and The U.S. vs. John Lennon... 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