When Snow Patrol played the first show of their current U.S. tour on December 1st at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom, they were joined by some very special guests: Alicia and Josh.
Known for their YouTube performances of the Snow Patrol hit “Set the Fire to the Third Bar,” the young brother and sister duo came out on stage to perform with the band to the delight of the sold out crowd. Show sponsors WRXP invited the kids to appear on Matt Pinfield and Leslie Framm’s morning show, where they gained even more fans.
You can download the mp3 of the song right now, exclusively at Amazon.com. The new CD Workin’ on a Dream hits stores January 27th, 2009, right before Bruce and the E Street Band’s appearance at the Super Bowl February 1st.
Many fans have said that they love the songs on Bruce’s albums since The Rising, but aren’t crazy about Brendan O’Brien’s “muddy” “am radio” production. What do you think? Comment and let us know.
Day & Age, The Killers new disc, bested Guns ‘N’ Roses long-awaited (now there’s an understatement) Chinese Democracy for the number one slot on the UK charts this week, shocking virtually everyone. This is the band’s third CD and their third to reach the top of the charts.
Outselling what was thought to be the most eagerly anticipated release in recent history probably isn’t enough for Killers’ frontman Brandon Flowers. He recently told AntiMusic that his band can be bigger than U2.
“They’re unbelievable but they’re getting old,” he said. “I feel like it’s time.”
In this Day & Age, it’s hard to get attention just for music, no matter how deserving those tunes might be. Flowers is getting as much press for what he’s wearing as what he’s singing lately. As Spin duly noted, he’s been spotted wearing a feathered jacket in the video for his band’s latest single “Human,” on Saturday Night Live, MTV Europe Video Music Awards, and many gigs as well.
On the heels of their confetti-laden performance at the American Music Awards, Coldplay gives fans another reason for celebration by donating an unreleased track to (RED)Wire, a new music service set to start on December 1st (World AIDS Day). All proceeds from music sold on (RED)Wire will be donated to charities helping Africa’s HIV-infected, and Coldplay is joined by R.E.M., Bob Dylan, and more in this magananimous effort.
In other Coldplay news, the band collaboarted with Jay-Z on a remixed version of their tune “Lost,” which is available now on Coldplay’s new EP Prospekt’s March. Fans in the UK will be able to catch Coldplay and Jay-Z together in concert next summer. Scheduled stadium shows include a September 19, 2009 gig at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Soul, Seal’s latest CD, is a collection of classics interpreted by the “Kiss From A Rose” singer with the help of producer David Foster.
“I’ve made a lot of records in my time, but I’ve never enjoyed the recording experience more than I have with Seal,” says Foster.
“I think he’s the only singer on the planet that could do this album, bringing something new and fresh to these classics, paying tremendous respect to their heritage, but, at the same time, owning them and making them uniquely ‘Seal’.”
For Seal, finally recording the classic soul songs he’s always loved is to have come full circle. “What I care about now is the same thing I cared about in the beginning of my career, which is songs,” he says.
Irish songstress Enya’s new album And Winter Came is a holiday treat for fans who took her up on her invitation to “Sail Away” twenty years ago and are still on her musical journey.
Enya’s lovely voice stirs much emotion in her listeners — too much emotion, according to several death row inmates. As reported by the Associated Press, The Supreme Court turned down an appeal from doomed convicts who protested victims showing juries d.i.y. video montages of victims’ lives. One homemade video they particularly objected to was made by the adoptive mother of 19 year old Sara Weir. Weir was raped and murdered by Douglas Kelly in 1993; a video montage of her life that featured a soundtrack of Enya’s tunes was shown to the jury after Kelly’s conviction but before his sentencing. Kelly claims that the jury was unduly influenced by the video and therefore his death row sentence is unfair.
Enya, to our knowledge, has not commented on the case. What do you have to say? Let us know.
Christina Aguilera has signed on for the final episode of MTV’s TRL (Total Finale Live) airing November 16th at 8:00PM. Justin Timberlake, Fall Out Boy, Kid Rock, Beyonce, Travis Barker, Taylor Swift and many more are also slated to appear, along with some blast from the past VJs including La La Vasquez and Jesse Camp(!).
New Mom Aguilera has come a long way both personally and professionally since she first appeared on TRL singing “Genie in a Bottle,” and she “Keeps Gettin’ Better” as her aptly named greatest hits CD suggests.
“It’s such a special time for me, being a new mom, releasing this [album] the first year of my son’s birth,” she explained to MTV. “I’m looking forward to the next 10 years, which is partly why I named the album, Keeps Gettin’ Better, ’cause it does.”
Despite having some controversy in her past (remember Xtina’s “Dirrty”?) she recently told People that she remains true to herself and has no plans to hide this from baby Max.
“It’s very important to me as a mother to not lose sight of who I was before becoming a mother. I want to share with my son, what I’m passionate about, what I was about before he was born.”
Keeps Gettin’ Better — A Decade of Hits is available now at Target.
Oh, and rumor has it Fred Durst is scheduled for the TRL Finale too — remember when the rumors were flying about those two and his appearance with Christina at the VMAs was one of the show’s most memorable moments:
Rascal Flatts closed the next-to-final leg of their “Bob That Head Tour” and debuted at number one with their Greatest Hits Volume 1 CD this month. The 2 disc set not only has the obvious smash singles but also a selection of Christmas songs for your gift giving pleasure.
In January of the new year, Rascal Flatts will finish the “Bob Your Head Tour” with help from opening act Jessica Simpson.
“I’m thrilled to be hitting the road with Rascal Flatts,” Simpson told Country Weekly Magazine. “I just can’t wait to be out there and share my music with fans all across the country.”
Rascal Flatts is known to share more than songs with their fans. The band told USA Weekend that they often take “Flatts Ride Treks” while on tour.
“We’ll zip in souped-up golf carts around the parking lots when the fans are tailgating and have some burgers and beers with them,” explained guitarist Joe Don Rooney. “It’s great to find out who they are and hear their stories.”
Flatts fans — have you ever hung with the band during a trek? Comment and let us know.
Carrie Underwood is far from silent on the charts, she’s enjoying her eighth straight number one with the unaptly named “Just a Dream.” The American Idol winner is keeping quiet about her personal life though, since her comments about her ex Tony Romo angered his current squeeze, Jessica Simpson.
In an interview appearing in Elle Magazine’s December Issue Underwood says, “I would never mean to say anything to hurt anybody or stir up anything, because I’m just not about drama…at all.”
Yet Underwood managed to stir up plenty of drama this election day when she claimed that she “loses all respect” for celebrities who publicly back politicians.
“It’s saying that the American public isn’t smart enough to make their own decisions,” she told TV Guide. “I would never want anybody to vote for anything or anybody just because I told them to.”
One thing Underwood isn’t telling is who she’s dating these days, although she will tell you who she’s not seeing: Olympic star Michael Phelps.
“I swear on everything, on my job, on my house, my dog…That’s how serious I am,” she tells Elle. “It’s all just a lie.”
Adele’s debut album 19 hit number one on iTunes, an outstanding achievement that the singer is more than a bit thrilled with, and rightfully so. Here’s what she had to say on her MySpace blog to her many fans:
“OH MY GODWOWTHANKYOU SO MUCH CHUFFED AND VERY STUNNEDI had so much fun on SNL, everyone was so nice!im back next month for Leno and Craig Ferguson - woop woopxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx…”
Her appearance on SNL definitely caused a stir, and her upcoming tv gigs and concert tour will bring even more attention to Adele’s soulful song stylings, which won over music luminaries like Jools Holland and Mark Ronson.
No matter what your age, 19 is an album you can relate to, via either your present or your past. “The whole album is about being between 18 and 19; about love,” Adele says. “It’s quite a sad album, [with songs about] being cheated on and not getting what you want”.
Fans of Adele will get everything they want and more at her shows this January.
