“American Idiot” Premieres This Week

Posted by Kat – April 18, 2010

If you’re like me, you’ve been a fan of Green Day for quite some time, and even if you weren’t a huge fan, you at least knew who they were. And when the album “American Idiot” came out in 2004, you knew it was a good one. You didn’t even have to really like their previous stuff to find something on the new album that really hit home. Whether it was the title song or “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” the album really seemed to strike at the core of just about anyone. And for Michael Mayer, what struck him was inspiration. It was clearly a rock opera just waiting to hit the stage, and after a few years of inspiration and collaboration, it premiered at the Berkeley Reperatory Theatre back in 2009. But this year, it finally really hit the big times, as it made its way to Broadway. It’s going to be opening this week on Broadway with almost all of the same cast from the original production, and the clamoring from Green Day fans is almost impossible to ignore.

The previews from last week have been jam-packed for this one-act musical that features almost no dialogue, instead using the music to tell the story of the main character, “Jesus of Suburbia”, who is named Johnny in the musical, as he and his friends try to escape their suburban life in favor of something else. One of the friends never even makes it through the starting gates, and yet another finds himself going to war. Johnny himself finds drugs and a girlfriend, and he crashes hard.

It’s a great story, and it’s clearly been thought through a great deal by both Mayer and Armstrong, the lead of the band itself. “American Idiot”, the album, and the follow up to it, “21st Century Breakdown,” are the albums used to create a rock opera unlike most others, and it’s definitely worth seeing.

Singer of Type O Negative Is Gone at 48

Posted by Kat – April 15, 2010

Man, talk about people that I hate to see leave the music world. Peter Steele, the lead vocalist and bassist of the heavy metal band Type O Negative, has passed away at age 58. Steele was the tall, burly and intense leader of the band who had formed them during the early 1990s, after having flitted from band to band before then. The band, known for their heavy, intense and somewhat haunting sound and their heavily neo-pagan lyrics with songs such as “Be My Druidess,” and the lyrics in “Everyone I Love Is Dead”, won’t be the same without Steele as the backing force.
Sadly, it was Kenny Hickey and Johnny Kelly’s major spokesperson who had to confirm the news to the media world that he had passed away. From what they know so far, it seems that heart failure was the cause, and he slipped away last night. As a major symbol and role model to metal bands out there, this was a big loss, and has rocked the music world. Mistress Juliya, a major hostess for Fuse, and their record label, SPV/Steamhammer Records, have both expressed condolences. It’s doubtful that that’s all the condolences we’ll see.
Steele passed on April 14th, but initially it was difficult to get confirmation of his death.  In 2005, a leaked promotional picture featuring a tombstone with Steele’s name and the dates 1962-2005’ printed on it as part of a publicity stunt to promote Type O Negative’s latest album lead fans to believe that Steele had died.    Both Steele and the band were known for having a macabe and morbid sense of humor, making it hard to verify if this was just another publicity stunt.
Unfortunately for all of us, this time it is no stunt.  We have all lost a great rocker.  May he rock forever with the Metal Gods.

One Brick In the Wall For The Tour

Posted by Kat – April 12, 2010

If you grew up with parents who loved Pink Floyd like I did, or you were a fan yourself but never got to see the epic album “The Wall” while they were originally doing their tour, you can at least get a little bit of the experience all over again, as Roger Waters has announced the official tour dates for his 2010 to 2011 “The Wall” tour. This tour of North America will consist of 36 separate dates and will begin on September 15th in Vancouver, wrapping up in Anaheim on December 13th of 2011. You’re talking a full 16 month-long tour of an album from 1979 that was only performed 31 separate times. Pink Floyd had their ’80 to ’81 tour that was limited in London, New York, Los Angeles, and West Germany, and then in 1990 Waters held an all-star concert to commemorate ten years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

This isn’t the first time Waters has been running through the old repertoire, as it were. In 2007 and 2008, he was playing all of “The Dark Side of the Moon” for his concert (and I hear that album syncs up remarkably well with The Wizard of Oz, too. That would be a concert!) and now will take on “The Wall.” Eventually, it’s going to Europe after North America, but there are no details just yet on how that will happen. As for the concert itself, fans won’t be disappointed. The show will be modern and using all the best tech, with a wall 35 feet high and 240 feet wide that will be constructed and then torn down through the performance. There are expected to be a great deal of props and special effects, too. At 2 PM Eastern Time today, you can expect the website to have been relaunched with information on ticket sales, but I’m sure they’re gonna go fast.

Just how quickly do I think they’ll be out of tickets? Well, look at the album itself. You’re talking an album that spent 15 weeks on top of the charts and was 23 times platinum, as well as winning a Grammy. Mix that with some of the most haunting music and catchy lyrics (“We don’t need no education”) and you’ve got the recipe for a cultural phenomenon.

Whitney’s Respiratory Infection Sparks the Paparazzi

Posted by Kat – April 10, 2010

It seems like a year can’t go by without there being some mention of Whitney Houston and substance abuse, and it looks like April is the month for this year. On Wednesday, after being released from a hospital in Paris due to a serious respiratory infection, the press was right there to find out if Houston had been abusing all over again. Her response to the paparazzi? The claims were “ridiculous” and in fact, she feels fantastic and is ready for her tour. She wants to continue travelling and performing, and she certainly doesn’t appreciate the claims, it seems.

To be fair, though, there was real concern for her health when Tuesday she was forced to be hospitalized by doctor’s. The press was eager to jump on the bandwagon that this might somehow be related to Houston’s previous abuse problems, but so far, she’s done a great job of coming back. When she came back last year with the album “I Look To You,” she had fought and conquered that addiction and after seven years of no studio work, she was out and out there with a vengeance.

But, whether or not she’s really stayed clean is the issue. She was given poor reviews during her tour while it was in Australia, as fans claimed she not only looked poorly, but sang off-key and seemed to be out of breath. Houston claims it’s allergies for this time of year, and she swears she doesn’t even read the tabloids or look at them, because she’s confident that she is truthfully clean and wants to be back in the spotlight. Let’s hope she’s telling the truth! If she isn’t, she might find herself in a worse position if she’s hospitalized again. Or, of course, she might just be having some bad international allergies.

Raymond v. Bieber?

Posted by Kat – April 7, 2010

While it took two years to really get the album out and to the public, Usher’s “Raymond v Raymond” album has hit the markets and has proven to be just as exciting and as wanted by the fans as we all hoped. The album, which features hits like “Lil Freak” and “OMG”, has officially bumped Justin Bieber’s album (oh, thank god and finally, that took long enough) to the number two slot. Now that Usher’s album is at the top of the list with a whopping 329,000 copies sold just in its first week available, it looks like Usher’s fate is secure for this particular album. Even though some critics state that some of his album is very typical, the sound is still fresh and shows an even more sexy player side of Usher than his last album. Granted, his recent divorce probably gave him plenty to  come up with for his more girl-crazy aspects of his album, but it has some punch and passion regardless.

To help promote his new album, Usher had been at American Idol last week, as well as the Ellen Degeneres show, where he performed “OMG” on both of the shows. Now, we’re all just waiting to see what the actual chart says to find out just how high “OMG” will debut. Unfortunately for anyone who would like to see Bieber drop further down the charts, his slip to second was buffered by all the Easter sales last week that probably made him an ideal present for parents to give to their kids. With luck, though, Raymond v Raymond will stay on the top of the charts for at least a little while, ensuring that Usher’s newest endeavor is secure. I dunno about you guys, but Lil Freak’s been stuck in my head for days, and it should be stuck in yours, too!

An Incredible Steampunk Machine

Posted by Kat – April 5, 2010

Who doesn’t love Steampunk? The unusual but exciting take of Victorian technology far past its actual development, such as analog computers and an intellectual development that surpassed the technology, has been a branch of science fiction that audiences have loved for quite some time. We should have known that bands would eventually start to be inspired by it. And one of those bands is “Sugarland,” a country duo that has already won Grammies in their career, and are currently in the studio finishing up what will be their fourth album, and they’ve so far given it the title of “The Incredible Machine.” The vocalist of the group, Jennifer Nettles, has been enthusiastically hopeful about the album and while there isn’t a release date just yet, they’ve got quite a plan for it. With around 10 tracks, all of which are newly written from in between their albums, Nettles has been speaking a great deal about the new changes and growth that will show in the album.

From the lyrics to the vocal work, Sugarland is really hoping to show growth and change from their last album, “Love on the Inside.” To do that, they have considered the steampunk movement as a way to facilitate their growth, and it’s going to be a major theme throughout all of their work on the album. From the song to the tour to album artwork, Sugarland’s foray into steampunk will be complete. Interestingly, the way that Nettles is describing the new vocals isn’t necessarily what I would call steampunk, though. Given that she’s describing herself as a mix of Blondie and Chrissie Hynde, it sounds like this will be a very interesting album that won’t quite be like anything we’ve heard out of Sugarland before. Whether or not that’s necessarily a GOOD thing remains to be seen.

Erykah Badu Gets No Easter Cheer For Her Video

Posted by Kat – April 4, 2010

Last time I had checked on the front of Erykah Badu’s controversial new music video shoot, where she was walking naked through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, TX, she wasn’t going to be charged. In fact, the Dallas police had stated that because no one actually called in a complaint at the time of the video shoot, they weren’t going to slap a charge on her. But, of course, leave it to someone to take things too far and to whine. A Texas woman has now filed a complaint of indecency with the Dallas police and they will be charging her with disorderly conduct. That means that in the mail, Badu’s about to get a citation for a $500 fine. Now, I have issue with this for more than one reason.

First of all, the video was shot completely in one take, and it involves her actually stripping down until she’s completely nude, where a gunshot then rings out and she crumples to the ground while what looks like blue blood then spills down onto the ground until it forms the word “groupthink.” So, you’re talking about maybe a minute of time where she is actually nude, and it was in one take. One minute, people. In my opinion, that’s guerilla theatre, and this should fall under artistic license. Regardless of if she warned the public of it, given that she didn’t and it was only her and a cameraman, she wasn’t walking around for hours on end with no clothes on shouting “Look at my boobies, children! Look at my boobies!” In fact, I’m more stuned that someone filed an indecency complaint against a woman who bared all in what is a very beautiful and non-sexual way, when it’s not like anyone files complaints against Usher for having a single where he drops the F-bomb throughout the entire chorus.

What does Badu have to say about this? She’s stunned, too. She says she’s been more naked in her lyrics and her words, and that’s where real vulnerability lies.

Linkin Park Goes 8-Bit? Well, Kinda.

Posted by Kat – April 1, 2010

One thing I do love about Linkin Park is that they are certainly in touch with what their audience loves. And sometimes, that means giving the nerds of the world a little love, and in this case, that means a fun little 8-Bit mobile game app that will soon be available for iPod Touches, iPhones and iPads everywhere called “Linkin Park’s 8-Bit Rebellion!” Having already seen a demo of the game,  I can tell you that it’s certainly not the greatest strategy game ever created for  gamers out there, but it’s a great concept because of what it will be doing. For those who get the game and beat it, they will unlock a new single by the band, “Blackbirds.” This is going to be groundbreaking, because this will be one of the first times that a major artist/band has decided to release an exclusive new track through a game application for mobile phones. It’s groundbreaking and exciting, and not just because the game is apparently going to be a lot of fun.

The new track, “Blackbirds,” is only going to be available through the game. The game is about you, the hero, trying to defeat an ‘evil HD empire’ called PixxelKorp, which has stolen all of Linkin Park’s music and it’s up to you, the hero, to get it back. Each of the different levels is based around one of the band members, and throughout the game you will be able to hear 8-bit versions of several hit songs. I can’t wait to hear the 8-bit versions of “In the End” and “Crawling.” It may make me fall in love with this band all over again.

One thing’s for sure. I’ll be one of those individuals getting the game as soon as I can, because it’s got a pretty awesome incentive.

Ricky Martin Is Out!

Posted by Kat – March 30, 2010

I’ll be honest. I could die of how not surprised I was of this news that Ricky Martin has officially come out and said “I am a fortunate homosexual man.” No offense, but if you’ve seen his dancing in “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” and given that you knew he was a boy-bander…. part of your brain MUST have gone – “He has to be. He can’t possibly NOT be!” Be that as it may, I may have had my suspicions but I wasn’t about to just stating it as fact. For one thing, as juicy as celebrity gossip is, I think there’s a point where you just don’t want to know or don’t need to know. And this was one of those times. Sure, I loved Ricky Martin’s music to a point (Although,  if I ever have to hear ‘She Bangs’ one more time, I will find William Hung and smite him), but I didn’t really need to know which way he swings.

To be fair, though, now that he has come out, I can’t help but say “Good for you!” Martin knew that his family and many of those closest to him were terrified that the cons would far outweigh the pros of him telling the public his sexual orientation. One of those concerns was for the well-being of his children, two twin boys who will grow up dealing with pressure from the press.  And part of that well-being was due to the fact that they would grow up with their father always being a point of public scrutiny, while they knew the truth.

Overall, Martin’s admission has changed little for the music world. In 2000, it was a perfectly reasonable thought to have that you thought he was gay. Now that it’s been confirmed, maybe now Martin can move on with his life. We all know the questions didn’t help his career.

Really, Evanescence? You’re Back?

Posted by Kat – March 28, 2010

So, what does a band do when their first album was a raging success, but their subsequent album didn’t do nearly as well? Disappear off the face of the earth for four years, that’s what! It turns out that Amy Lee of Evanescence has let it slip that she has been back in the recording studio with the band for the last three weeks and are working towards the release of a brand-new album. It’s planned to be out in the fall, but with no title just yet, there isn’t much else to know other than what Lee is telling everyone.

Evanescence’s debut album in 2003 entitled “Fallen” went platinum seven times, shooting the group to the top of the charts and establishing them as a household name. Amidst flack from fans of Lacuna Coil, which, in my opinion, was doing what Amy Lee tried to do for longer and has been doing it better for a while, Evanescence then followed with a second album, entitled “The Open Door.” That album, though, only went platinum twice and was creatively lacking and criticized in comparison to their first album.

So, when everyone else thought they were going to drop off the face of the earth into obscurity like so many bands that don’t quite match their first hits, it turns out the band has come together and is working towards an album that Amy Lee says fels like will be the “best album of [her] life.” Is it really that amazing? Who knows. Nothing has really come out in regards to the album, as it’s currently being recorded, but saying it’s the best album they’ll have yet is going to be a difficult, difficult statement to hold to. The sound is going to be different, but also very much the same band, and one of the new additions is that Amy Lee has since learned to play the harp, so that will be incorporated as well.

To be honest, I’m still dubious, at best, on the idea of this new album. The Open Door was almost generic in how much it sounded like a watered down, orchestral version of Fallen, and Fallen was played to death so many times that Bring Me to Life kind of makes me want to die.