Blake Lewis Is A Jedi Master

So Blake Lewis, the beat-boxing American Idol runner up, finally has his new album ready to hit the stores. That's the good news. Lewis is a talented artist, and the first cut from the album "Break Anotha" chugs along nicely and shows off his considerable skills. The bad news is that this is the album cover.
Yikes.
Let me be even a bit more to the point: This is the one they approved.
It makes you wonder at how crappy the rejected ones were. It looks like some sort of throwback to a Star Wars movie poster. The good thing is you don't have to look at it, and if your iTunes tries to download it as cover art, you can easily replace it with a picture of your dog.

Listen to Blake Lewis, Break Anotha

What Happened To The Music?

"Michael Jackson gives rare interview, pronounced normal"

That's a real headline from Reuters. Here are a few snippets from the story:

Jackson, 49, appears on the front cover of the African-American magazine "Ebony" to mark the 25th anniversary of "Thriller" -- the world's best-selling studio album that also made him a superstar.
...
The cover photo of the magazine, whose December edition hits newsstands on November 12, is causing almost as much of a stir as the interview, which barely addresses the fallout of the trial. Jackson is pictured dressed all in white, with a glowing peaches-and-cream skin.

Harriette Cole, creative director of Ebony, spent a day and a half with Jackson during the photo shoot and interview and said, "he came across really as kind of normal."

"He's 49. He's a grown-up. If you learn from your challenges, then you become stronger. He certainly seemed like that," Cole told NBC's "Today" show this week. "Honestly ... he was normal."

So, what happened to the music? That's a double-edged question.
First, I'm asking why the big story is that Michael Jackson appears to be normal? His image has become far bigger than his talent at this point in his career (or whatever is left of it). Big whoop. Michael Jackson is normal, so ...ummm... we have to go out and buy his album?

Well, no.

That brings me to the other side of the double-edged question.
What happened to the music? If these two leaked tracks are any indication, Michael Jackson hasn't turned on a radio in years.

In the words of my good friend, and music critic par excellence, Lisa, "The first song with the Fugees, who aren't really even the Fugees anymore is like Gangstas go Broadway. Like the 'Thriller' dance off, but every one keeps flashing up jazz hands at each other.
"The second song sounds like Michael is trapped in 1988. He has lost the magic. He has lost the magic and most of the supporting cartilage in his nose."

Listen for yourself:
Gangsta No Friend

Xcape

What Would You Pay For Paste?

No, not the gooey adhesive made from water and flour that you used in grade school. That stuff is free... and delicious.
I'm talking about Paste, the music magazine that comes with a free CD of tunes with each issue. Like Radiohead, Paste is betting that if readers name their own price for a subscription, they will become long-time subscribers, and maybe even buy the stuff that advertisers promote in their pages (because that's what it's all about anyway). Until November 10 (I think), you can subscribe to Paste at whatever price you want. The only thing is, you have to pay something, even if it's a minimum $1.

And if you pay more than the $19.95 Paste typically offers for a one-year subscription, you will be thanked in print in a future issue of the magazine, on a page that can be torn out and framed. Then you can tell all your friends that you were in Paste, and you wouldn't be lying this time.

Here's the story:
The campaign came about from a casual conversation at the Paste offices discussing the recent Radiohead campaign and the Jim Collins book, Good to Great.
“We were curious to know what our customers thought we were worth. And what better way to find out, than to let them tell us?” explained Paste president and publisher Tim Regan-Porter. “While it’s certainly a bit unconventional, we also see it as a chance to get our product in the hands of people who could become lifelong fans. It’s been our experience that once people become familiar with Paste, they turn into loyal readers.”

Get yer Paste here.

Andy Summers, We're Ready For Your Closeup

Police guitarist Andy Summers is turning his autobiography "One Train Later" into a feature documentary, which will boast 25,000 photos from his collection as well as footage from the band's reunion tour.
I didn't even know Andy Summers had written an autobiography. (Note to self: get this book) This is good news for a couple reasons. First, in a trio in which two members' egos seemed to be in a continual battle to the death, Summers was the anchor. In the annals of guitardom, he is often overlooked by those who are more impressed by the speed/techno wizards. This is unfortunate because Summers is an amazing player. He is, as they say, "a guitarist's guitarist," playing what needs to be played when it needs to be played. The Police created an amazingly layered and complex sound for a trio, and much of the credit for that goes to Summers.
Second, Summers has played a bigger part in rock music history than many people realize, having performed with influential 70s bands like Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, and Eric Burdon and the New Animals, and he was in the running to replace Mick Taylor in the Rolling Stones (a job which, of course, ultimately went to Ron Wood). Summers was also part of the band that played on Mike Oldfield's creepy classic "Tubular Bells" (the theme from The Exorcist).
It should be interesting to see this history of his life and get an inside glimpse of one of the world's biggest bands, to see what went on offstage when the spotlight wasn't on Sting. Stewart Copeland's film Everyone Stares gave us a hint of that, but the home movie quality and shaky camera work made much of the film difficult to watch more than once. To be fair, they were Copeland's personal films and not intended for feature presentation. But the news that Summers will be releasing this film gives hope that this time they'll get it right.

Rock n' Roll Ghost Stories

Since Halloween is just around the corner, New Times has a story about some of the strange and spooky things that have happened to rockers over the years.
The story only has three examples, by James Valentine of Maroon 5, Steve Bays of Hot Hot Heat, and an Alice Cooper-Joe Perry twofer. The problem is that these aren't very scary ghost stories. Although I'm sure the artists are quite sincere in their beliefs, as you read the stories, other more logical explanations for the spookiness automatically come to mind. Alice Cooper no doubt believes that the noisy old house he and Perry stayed in--both fresh from rehab--had a ghost. But he doesn't seem to question why the house in which Amityville Horror was written (not the house in which the story allegedly took place) should itself be haunted. That's "haunting by association."
Come on rock stars, you must have better ghost stories than these.

Lance Bass Comes Out... Again

Lance Bass, proving that once is never enough when it can boost a sagging career, tells of how horrible it was to live in terror of being found out as a gay man when he was a member of 'NSYNC. Bass, who came out last year, gave us that insight in an interview promoting his new book, Out of Sync: A Memoir, released today.
Now, I really couldn't care less if Bass was straight, gay, or Martian, and if he's happy, I'm happy. But I found it funny that the article ended with this quote: "People have said for so long that you can't be successful in this industry and be out and gay," Bass said. I guess he's never watched Bravo.
It sounds like something Daffyd Thomas would say. As fans of Little Britain know, Daffyd is "the only gay in the village"--or at least he thinks he is. Here's a clip of Matt Lucas (Daffyd) and David Walliams talking about Daffyd, "the homosexualist." Lance should take a look.

Fire? What fire? Marie Osmond Fainted!

If you were watching ABC's Dancing With The Stars show last night, you saw Marie Osmond faint after her routine. That is, you saw it if you didn't blink at the wrong moment, because that's all it took. First she was standing there listening to the judges, then she went down (accompanied by some laughter from the audience who must have thought it was a gag). The host cut to a commercial. After the break it turned out she was fine, the show went on and everyone lived happily ever after.
But today, I'm in a Seattle hotel room trying to see what's happening with the wildfires in California (I have friends that live in the danger area) and I'm switching between CNN Headline News and Faux News. And what do I see? Marie Osmond fainting, over and over again. I've seen the story repeated no fewer than 18 times between the two channels since I got up this morning.
Now, obviously, the news networks are making the most of it because it was caught on tape (remember Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction?), but is it necessary to show it so many times? No disrespect to Marie Osmond--I hope hope she's OK and all that--but it really wasn't that big a deal. And with the fires, floods in New Orleans (again), tornadoes in Alabama, and the never-ending war, you'd think there would be other things to fill the hourly news cycle.
Still, the best teaser award for the story goes to CNN Headline News for this gem: "Marie Osmond took to the floor in more ways than one last night as she danced the Samba. We'll show you what happened to give everyone a scare after this break."

Is There A Future For Zeppelin?

Jimmy Page is playing it close to the vest in his remarks about the future of Led Zeppelin after the band's one-time performance next month at London's O2 arena. The performance is a benefit for a scholarship fund named for the late Ahmet Ertegun, who signed Led Zeppelin to Atlantic Records in 1968.
Although he and Robert Plant have individually said the concert will not be followed by a tour, he hasn't ruled out the possibility that something may come out of the reunion...something like new material perhaps?
When asked about that possibility, Page said, "Look, I'd be really surprised if there wasn't--you know, I mean I just know the way we are. We're musicians...as we're playing we'll probably be coming up with all manner of things."

The White Stripes Are Selling... Cameras?

Yesterday, The White Stripes' newsletter subscribers received a mysterious message: "The tricks of today are the truths of tomorrow.-Man Ray. X XV MMVII"
The quote is from the famous American surrealist painter and photographer.
The 'trick' was later revealed to be a teaser for a website promotion in which the duo are introducing designer label cameras. The two-tone (red and white of course) cameras are called the "Meg Diana+ Camera" and the "Jack Holga Camera," and come packaged with custom filters, changeable lenses, camera accessories, and more. The cameras themselves appear to be digital (one of the accessories looks like a flash memory card) but no other details have been revealed yet.
The cameras go on sale at noon on October 15, 2007 (X XV MMVII).
The first 333 buyers to purchase both camera sets also get a "mystery gift."

Return Of The Eagles

The Eagles are set to release their first studio album in 28(!) years at the end of this month.
Long Road Out Of Eden will be a double album of 20 tracks. While Hotel California and The Long Run leaned toward a harder sound, the sample clips available from Long Road Out Of Eden seem to be a return to the more laid back sound of earlier albums. One thing that does stand out is the group's harmony, always great, but on these tunes, somehow better. If you've ever seen the vocal warm up scene on the Eagles Farewell Tour I DVD, you'll know what I mean.
The tracks on Long Road Out Of Eden are not entirely new--no surprise when the album took some six years to produce. The first release from the album, "How Long," was released in August of this year, and several others ("No More Cloudy Days,""Fast Company," and "Do Something") showed up on special CD sold exclusively through Wal-Mart last year. Besides being available through the band's website, the album will again be exclusively sold by Wal-Mart and online at Musictoday.com. There's little doubt that the album will do well sales-wise because The Eagles still enjoy a huge following, but is there still a spot on the radio for this group that once dominated the airwaves?

What Radiohead Hath Wrought

It took just one band to get the ball rolling. Following Radiohead’s release of In Rainbows via direct download from the band’s website, other acts have announced similar intentions.
Trent Reznor, posting on the Nine Inch Nails website, says the band is now free of any recording contract with any label. “I have been under recording contracts for 18 years and have watched the business radically mutate from one thing to something inherently very different and it gives me great pleasure to be able to finally have a direct relationship with the audience as I see fit and appropriate. Look for some announcements in the near future regarding 2008. Exciting times, indeed.”
Oasis and Jamiroquai are also said to be considering following Radiohead by offering their new recordings on a “pay what you like” basis.
And Madonna is reported today to be leaving her long-time Warner Bros. Records label for a deal with the concert promotion firm Live Nation, which would digitally distribute three new studio albums.
Early reports are that Radiohead’s ploy was a huge success, with many fans opting to pre-order the full $80 discbox set besides downloading the digital tracks. Clearly fans will pay for music when they know that the artist—and not some overpaid suit at a record label—stands to benefit.
Sure, many people chose to pay nothing for the digital tracks as had been expected, but as I mentioned in an earlier post, there are other purposes for Radiohead’s plan than earning money. For one, when you download the digital music, you give your e-mail address and other details before you get the download link. This is priceless information to a marketer. In another sense, it also helps the band determine where its strongest support comes from.
It will be exciting to see how this whole thing plays out. The mainstream recording industry has little to do with music anymore and everything to do with profit. If more bands jump on board, the music industry as we know it could change dramatically. And it would be a welcome change.

Radiohead's Bold Experiment Starts Today

There's been a lot of buzz about Radiohead's new album In Rainbows which is officially released today, and is available for download from their website. The buzz, of course, is that the band has chosen not to sign with a label for this, their seventh studio release, but will initially distribute it digitally through the internets.
Moreover, they are offering different combinations of what you can order. For example, for $81 you can pre-order (for December shipping) a "discbox," which consists of the 18-song In Rainbows on both a CD and on two vinyl LPs. (If I still owned a turntable, this would be the way I'd go.) It also comes with an enhanced CD with digital photos and other images, as well as additional songs. And, to top it off, the discbox includes a hardcover book of lyrics, artwork and other liner notes.
But the kicker is that if you just want the music, you can get it. And you set the price you want to pay. When you go to checkout section of the download page, you see a blank space where you can set your own price. Next to it there's a question mark . Click on it and the next page says, "It's up to you." Click on the question mark on that page and another page pops up that says, "No really, it's up to you." Pay as much or as little as you like.
It's a bold experiment, and there will be many people in the industry keeping an eye on how it turns out. Will the discbox be a hit? Will fans choose the "nothing" payment option? Or will the songs just wind up being traded all over the intertubes? Would the RIAA be able to stop that, since the band isn't necessarily asking for payment?
And what about the idea itself? On the surface it looks like Radiohead is shooting itself in the foot--giving away the music they worked so hard to produce. But the reality is that bands earn relatively little money from selling CDs (unless they are multi-platinum chart toppers). The real money comes from touring as it always has. So from that perspective, this distribution scheme may let Radiohead's music be heard by many new fans who would come out to see the band live.

Rigors of The Road: The Cribs

Friday night, British indie trio The Cribs were playing at Birmingham Academy when singer Ryan Jarman decided it would be a good idea to crowd surf the mosh pit.
Bad move.
The overly enthusiastic crowd tossed him around like a rag doll. Security guards, not recognizing him and thinking he was just a fan as he was passed around, kept Jarman from returning to the stage. According to NME.com, he was finally hauled from the crowd unconscious by a security guard, with most of his clothes ripped off him by fans. He regained consciousness after being shaken by another security guard. Jarman was unconscious for around 20 seconds in total. Shirtless and wearing the remains of his jeans, Jarman completed his band's set by playing two acoustic songs before being assessed by paramedics.
The following day, bassist Gary Jarman was hospitalized after complaining of pains in his arms. Jarman was taken to a nearby hospital where the was diagnosed with blood poisoning. It is thought he got the poisoning from cutting himself accidentally on his bass strings during a recent gig.
The band will continue with its tour.
So, in honor of The Cribs' determination to carry on, despite some pretty stupid stunts, here is Baby Don't Sweat from their 2003 self titled album.

Hot Ticket

Miley Cyrus is about to embark on a 54-date concert tour. For those of you who live in a cave--or don't have children--she's the daughter of the guy who used to sing about the achey-breaky mullet, Billy Ray Cyrus, and she has her own show on the Disney Channel called Hannah Montana. On the show (yes, I've seen it) she plays high school student Miley Stewart while her father plays... her father. (Stay with me here.) He writes hit songs for Miley's alter ego, Hannah Montana, who Miley becomes by donning a blonde wig. Why? I'm not entirely sure, but apparently no one knows that the girl they sit behind in math class is a superstar recording artist. Her father disguises himself as well by pasting on a moustache. Clark Kent couldn't have found a better disguise, because no one seems to know it's the same guy.
Anyway, it's all pretty harmless fluff and my niece really likes it. But that's not the point of this post. Instead it's about tickets to the concerts, where Cyrus will appear both as herself and the Hannah Montana character.
Fans are so desperate for tickets that venues have sold out in as little as four minutes and scalpers are getting about five times the face value (which is between $50 and $70), creating a torrent of complaints from frustrated parents.
It has gotten so bad, according to one report, that the Kansas City Council is launching an investigation, suspecting scalpers of buying ticket blocks and reselling them. Well, duh. Hello Kansas. Of course that's what scalpers are doing, as they do for just about every show. But it seems that this time they've gotten especially greedy, preying on the 'tweens' for whom Cyrus/Stewart/Montana is the biggest show biz event they've ever witnessed in their young lives. And parents are desperate to please their little princesses and will do whatever it takes to score tickets.
One report said a ticket for the show in Charlotte, North Carolina, sold for $2,565.
For one ticket.
To a show featuring a fictional character.
I don't know what's worse--the fact that the scalper sold the ticket for that much or that the parent actually admitted they paid that price. That'd be something I'd want to keep on the quiet side.
Then there's this quote: "Hannah Montana has essentially exposed a lot of frustration the average, uninformed ticket buyer has," said Sean Pate, a spokesman for the San Francisco-based StubHub. "There is so much demand that ticket sellers are pricing on the high side. It's almost unreasonable."
I'm sorry, did you say almost unreasonable?
I guess we have different definitions of 'unreasonable.'

The Perfect Guitar Hero Song?

Sex Pistols have re-recorded their classic song "Anarchy in the U.K." for use in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock, due out this month. The band got together in the studio (minus original bassist Glen Matlock, or his replacement, the inconveniently dead Sid Vicious) for the first time since the 1970s. They even used the same analog sound desk they used back in the day, which was built for George Martin in the late 60s. It really is the perfect Guitar Hero song, because it was one of the tracks that inspired thousands of teenagers to pick up guitars and rock out in the late 70s. Why not just license the original master tape for the game? Umm, well, you see, they can't find it. That's right, the master tape of what became one of the seminal records of the burgeoning punk movement is missing, probably sitting in a box in someone's closet somewhere, collecting dust.

Adams Has (Another) Meltdown on Stage

(From AP) Ryan Adams pitched another fit for a Minneapolis audience, a few years after his last local meltdown.

Throughout a show Thursday night, the 32-year-old singer-guitarist complained about the sound monitors onstage at the State Theatre. At one point, he moved two monitors, his microphone and his guitar pedals.

After 70 minutes he'd had enough. Adams announced "the last song," played it and didn't return for an encore. Many fans stood and booed.

"I don't know what the story was," guitarist Neal Casal told the Star Tribune afterward. "I just play guitar."

In 2003, Adams gave a famously bad performance at First Avenue, a rambling two-hour show where he griped about the sound system, played several songs twice and lambasted local rock legend Paul Westerberg.

Spector To Be Retried?

The judge in the Phil Spector murder trial ended the suspense of whether the jury would find him guilty or not by declaring a mistrial yesterday. That raises the likelihood that there will be a second trial and this thing will drag on and on and on. I can't blame the jury for being unable to reach a decision. From what I've heard of testimony in the trial, and from what I've read about Spector (check out Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector by Mick Brown) the guy had some anger and control issues that could have contributed to the scenario in which Lana Clarkson died. On the other hand, the defense introduced quite a bit of evidence to suggest that Clarkson was suicidal. Which side is right? I don't know, and I don't think I'd want to be on a panel deciding Spector's fate. The jurors have said this case had nothing to do with celebrity and there's no reason to doubt that. Frankly, "celebrity" is an odd word to be using with Spector who has been out of the spotlight for so many years that he's a mere shadow of what he once was. Spector's fame is based on work that largely took place before some of the jurors were even born, so they have no personal stake in who he is. There are just two people who know what really happened that night, and the one that isn't dead is hiding beneath a silly wig.

Van Halen Ready For The Road

The almost original lineup of Van Halen is ready to hit the road for a tour after warming up last week in Los Angeles. This rehearsal video shows that Edward appears to be fit and healthy after his stint in rehab, and David Lee Roth is... well ... David Lee Roth as the band runs through "Everybody Wants Some." Wolfgang Van Halen is clearly capable of handling the bass lines formerly played by Michael Anthony, but as VH fans know, Anthony's real strength was as a backup vocalist hitting those high notes. It will be interesting to see how the group handles that. Also, will the set lists be limited to Roth-era songs or will they include later material (because I'm thinkin' Mr. Roth's vocals aren't remotely in the same league as Sammy Hagar's)? We'll know soon. Watch the video:

Some Dylan With Your Coffee Frappuccino

If you're a Starbucks customer, you're in luck.

News Release:

Starbucks plans to give away 50 million free digital songs to customers in all of its domestic coffee houses to promote a new wireless iTunes music service that's about to debut in select markets.

Here's the deal: Go to a Starbucks between Oct. 2 and Nov. 7 and get your morning Joe. You'll be handed a free "Song of the Day" card that can be redeemed at Apple's online iTunes Store.
Featured artists include Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Joss Stone, Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Annie Lennox and Band of Horses. The first song will be Bob Dylan's "Joker Man."
At the iTunes price of .99 for each song, that's quite a chunk of change for Starbucks to be shelling out (although I'm pretty sure they get major discounting on the deal). Still, this is a generous promotion that may actually help boost sales for these artists.
I don't drink the stuff myself, but if I did, I'd be ordering my Tazo Iced Chai Latte with a side of Joss Stone.

Oops, She Did It Again.

It would be too easy to say that Britney Spears' car crash is a metaphor for her flailing career, but what the heck, I'll say it anyway. Prosecutors charged her with misdemeanor counts of hit and run and driving without a valid license last Friday after her car hit another in a parking lot in August. If convicted, she could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for each count, according to a county spokesman. That seems to be a rather steep penalty for what really happened that day. Her car merely bumped the other, and little if any damage appears to have been done to either car. I can understand that it might be difficult to focus on the car ahead of you when you are surrounded by photographers snapping away and yelling your name. Still, driving without a valid license and leaving the scene are violations just about everywhere.
Here's the accident: