Friday, 27 June 2008
Rascal Flatts
Artist: Rascal Flatts
Genre(s):
Country
Discography:
Still Feels Good
Year: 2007
Tracks: 13
Best Of Ballads
Year: 2007
Tracks: 14
Me and My Gang
Year: 2006
Tracks: 13
Feels Like Today
Year: 2004
Tracks: 12
Melt
Year: 2002
Tracks: 11
Rascal Flatts
Year: 2000
Tracks: 11
Rascal Flatts, a country threesome known principally for its pleasing musical harmony, is comprised of Gary LeVox, Jay Demarcus, and Joe Don Rooney. Demarcus and LeVox, both from Columbus, OH, founded the group and later added Rooney, a Picher, OK, native. The blend like a shot known as Rascal Flatts came together when second cousins Demarcus and LeVox invited Rooney to sit down in as a reliever guitar player at a Printer's Alley gig in Nashville. Demarcus and Rooney were likewise playing in country star Chely Wright's ring at the time. The rest is history. After landing a record deal with Lyric Street Records, Rascal Flatts recorded an eclecticist mix of area, pop, R&B, and more, releasing it as the trio's debut self-titled album. "Prayin' for Daylight" became the group's first smash single. "This Everyday Love" soon followed, with nigh as many accolades. The band's second base record album, Evaporate, appeared in October 2002. With the success of offset single "These Days," Melt down sold a gazillion copies in octonary weeks. A live record album served as an amiable segue 'tween Melt and 2004's chart-topping Feels Like Today, while Me and My Gang arrived in April 2006.
Britney Spears Cleared Of Car Accident
Monday, 23 June 2008
Singer-songwriter still her own Mann with DIY model
But as Mann herself admits, her seventh solo album, due June 3 on her own SuperEgo Records, is one of her most "smiley" works to date.
And why shouldn't it be? The singer-songwriter has enjoyed more than two decades of success, much of it through her own toil as a pioneer of the now thriving do-it-yourself model of the music business. "Smilers" is the former 'Til Tuesday vocalist's fifth release on SuperEgo, which she founded with manager and longtime collaborator Michael Hausman in 1999 after negotiating a contract release from Geffen.
The themes on "Smilers" aren't all cheerful -- Mann masters wistfulness and dissatisfaction on songs like the synth-laced "Thirty One Today" -- but there's a musical playfulness throughout that culminates in closer "Ballantines," a piano-bar romp with trombones. The variety is a deliberate departure from 2005's "The Forgotten Arm," a musical "novella" about a relationship headed for trouble.
"I think because the last record was a concept album and had a narrative that went through the whole record, I was in the mood to do something completely different and make every song its own thing," Mann says. "So if it needed horns, great. If the next song was just acoustic guitar and sounds like Neil Young, great."
ONLINE FAN BASE
Hausman says that Mann's desire for this level of creative control was a major factor in her decision to leave the major-label system. "Her decision was based on creative reasons," Hausman says, "and I gave her the confidence that from a business standpoint, she could make a living."
Boosting this confidence was Mann's success with the 1999 "Magnolia" film soundtrack, as well as the pair's early grasp of how to leverage the then-nascent power of the Internet to reach fans.
Monday, 16 June 2008
‘Umbrella’ Watch 2008: Is NKOTB’s ‘Summertime’ the Song of the Summer?
Of course New Kids on the Block's comeback single "Summertime" probably won't be the song of the summer, but it's certainly in the race and it has a few things going for it: (1) It's called "Summertime," for God's sake, (2) the fact that there are still people willing to stand outside in the rain to see these guys indicates that there's a demand, inexplicable though that may be, (3) it's actually pretty catchy. Blame it on generational bias; there's a part of us that wants to believe that our late-eighties lab-created pop figments — and even their geriatric bid for a profitable afterlife — are still way more interesting than the Disney Channel holograms the kids are listening these days (admit it: Danny is way too funny-looking to have been a Jonas Brother). And the relative non-lameness of this track makes us feel kinda right, which we totally like. In your face, teenagers!
Sunday, 15 June 2008
Kaiser Chiefs headline first UK festival at Isle Of Wight
Although the band have been responsible for many memorable festival moments over the last three summers, the band confirmed to NME.COM that this was the first time they had topped a mainstage bill on their own turf.
"It's great to come on when it's dark," declared drummer Nick Hodgson, who sported a new moustache for the occasion. "This is the first time we've headlined a UK festival so it's special."
"It's not the mainland though," joked Whitey, "we'll make it to the mainland one day."
The guitarist added that after their hometown Elland Road show in Leeds last month, the band had been enjoying their summer dates so far.
"Elland Road was our gig, we had as many fingers in as many Elland Road pies as we could," he explained. "We really enjoyed that gig, but the pressure is off tonight, it's fun."
The show itself saw the band mix a series of crowd favourites with several new songs.
Kicking off with 'Everything Is Average Nowadays', Kaiser Chiefs triggered a giant sing-a-long for 'Ruby'.
However, with the likes of 'Never Miss A Beat' and 'You Want History', they also gave the Isle Of Wight crowd a sneak preview of their next record, which has seen the band collaborate with Mark Ronson.
"We're working on our next record! We're writing the future hits of tomorrow," declared frontman Ricky Wilson as he introduced the first, electro-tinged newcomer. "This is one of them!"
For the second new track 'You Want History' the band roped in their tour manager Mike Darling - introducing him as "tour manager of the year!" - to play tambourine for them.
With former singles including 'Modern Way', 'I Predict A Riot' - which Wilson led the crowd from half way up the lighting rig - and 'The Angry Mob' continuing the sing-a-long, the band briefly left the stage before wrapping up the first night of Isle Of Wight 2008 with the loudest crowd vocals of the night for 'Oh My God'.
"This is a great festival," Wilson told the crowd. "I'll be sure to recommend it to all my friends!"
Kaiser Chiefs played:
'Everything Is Average Nowadays'
'Everyday I Love You Less And Less'
'Thank You Very Much'
'Born To Be A Dancer'
'Ruby'
'Never Miss A Beat'
'Saturday Night'
'Modern Way'
'You Want History'
'Na Na Na Na Naa'
'Retirement'
'I Predict A Riot'
'Take My Temperature'
'The Angry Mob'
'Heat Dies Down'
'Oh My God'
Keep up with this weekend's (June 13-15) festival action as it happens on NME.COM. For news, pictures and blogs keep checking the NME.COM's Isle Of Wight Festival page and NME.COM's Download Festival page for live coverage from both sites.
Spears sparks pregnancy rumours
The photographs, which appear on People magazine's website, show Spears and her new boyfriend, paparazzo Adnan Ghalib looking through pregnancy tests at a shop.
The pictures were reportedly released by Ghalib's photo agency, FinalPixx.
The rumours come in the same week that Spears fled a courthouse without attending the most recent hearing over custody of her two young sons.
The boys are currently in the sole custody of their father Kevin Federline after a judge stripped Spears of her visitation rights following a custody dispute at her home.
The singer later had to be hospitalised for evaluation after she was deemed to be under the influence on an unknown substance.
Danilo Rea and Roberto Gatto
Artist: Danilo Rea and Roberto Gatto
Genre(s):
Jazz
Discography:
Live At Villa Celimontana (cd2)
Year: 2002
Tracks: 7
Live At Villa Celimontana (cd1)
Year: 2002
Tracks: 12
 
Jaco Pastorius and Brian Melvin
Artist: Jaco Pastorius and Brian Melvin
Genre(s):
Other
Discography:
Jazz Street
Year: 1986
Tracks: 7
 
Flash Point (2007) []
Cristian De La Fuente - De La Fuente Schedules Arm Surgery
LATEST: Actor CRISTIAN DE LA FUENTE has scheduled surgery on his shattered arm for next week - after America's DANCING WITH THE STARS finale.
The Chilean hunk tore a muscle in his bicep during a samba on the reality TV contest two weeks ago and has been forced to wear a brace on his arm for subsequent dance-offs.
De La Fuente will check himself into hospital next Friday (23May08), three days after he learns whether or not he's America's new dancing king.
He says, "The arm cannot improve unless I have surgery and I have surgery scheduled for next Friday."
He admits his injury is causing him and partner Cheryl Burke problems in rehearsals for the big finale: "We don't use (the arm), but sometimes, if we fall after a lift or something, and I put my weight on my arm, it really hurts. It's something that we really have to avoid."
See Also
Mantas
Artist: Mantas
Genre(s):
Other
Discography:
Zero Tolerance
Year: 2004
Tracks: 10
Winds Of Change (LP)
Year: 1988
Tracks: 9
Mantas was the isthmus formed by quondam Venom guitarist Jeff Dunn (aka Mantas, naturally) following his acrimonious release from the group, and their showy, synthesizer-driven surd rock and roll level-headed was indeed a far cry from the legendarily raw black alloy pioneers. Not that the latter in any agency translated into increased record gross sales, since the group's 1988 debut album -- competently named Winds of Change, and in reality recorded four-spot years sooner -- was released by the promotionally challenged Neat Records. Rather, both the album and 1989's more or less more aggressive Beguiler EP were total busts with one-time fans and prospective new ones alike, proving that you Mantas the band (which, by the way, was rounded out by Pete Harrison, second guitarist Al Barnes, keyboardist Keith Nichol, and a membranophone machine!!!) disintegrated ahead visual perception the nineties, just a modern batting order featuring sometime Atomkraft and Venom bassist/vocalist Tony Dolan was briefly convened to record 2004's Zero Tolerance LP.
R Kelly Defence Rests After Two Days