coldplay

Music News You Can Use: Summer Treats

Friday, June 5th, 2009
.!.

coldplay-to-give-away-free-cd-at-shows

“Coldplay” and “free” in a sentence, huh?… British band Coldplay have announced that they will be giving a free live album to fans who will be attending their “Viva La Vida” summer tour. The album LeftRightLeftRight will be a 9-track collection of recordings from different cities over time, and will also be available for download beginning May 15 (the start of their tour). “Playing live is what we love,” said Coldplay in a statement. “This album is a thank you to our fans – the people who give us a reason to do it and make it happen.”

What about “John Legend’ and “eco-friendly?”… John Legend is putting out a more believable offer by teaming up with REVERB, a nonprofit environmental organization, to make his “Evolver” tour as green as possible. According to Billboard, this includes “coordination with venues and local caterers to ensure and facilitate the use of green products and practices, along with neutralizing CO2 emissions from venue energy use, hotels, flights and touring vehicle.”  Last month, Legend topped Billboard’s Green 10 list for his increased efforts on behalf of various environmental causes. Go ‘head, Johnny!

De La Soul is “just doing it” … Rap trio De La Soul is teaming up with Apple and the NIKE+ campaign to produce a 45-minute track made for runners to jam to. “We’d worked with Nike before, designing kicks and playing some of their marathons,” says Kelvin Mercer, aka Posdnuos. “We were excited when they approached us because we’re the first actual band to do one of these tracks.” This is the first time the rappers have made new music in five years. De La Soul are planning tours of Australia, Europe, and the UK and will be working on a new full-length album this year.

Music News You Can Use: New Year, Same Ol’ Hype

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

Who’s performing at the Grammys? No surprise here… As if the ‘08 hype wasn’t enough for them, the headlining acts for this year’s Grammy Awards include the Jonas Brothers, Lil’ Wayne, Coldplay, and Kenny Chesney. The ceremony, which has been bitterly dissed in the past in Kanye-esque fashion, will be airing live from Los Angeles on CBS February 8th.

Speaking of which, West in the nude, anyone?… In an effort to pull another empty publicity stunt, Kanye wants to decrease his fan base by posing naked but only after working out for two months. West says in a Vibe interview that having less fans provides more “freedom,” and by revealing his all, he will be breaking “every rule and mentality of hip-hop, of black culture, of American culture.” Just like every (sampled) hit you’ve had, Kanye?

Your iTunes gift cards may be worth more, maybe… Apple Inc. has announced that most songs available on iTunes will go for 69 cents a track, 30 cents cheaper than years past. But the new price comes with more than one catch: songs that are deemed “popular” will be marked up for $1.29, while other songs will be bundled with exclusives and videos, resulted in a hiked price overall. Hmm, your mind games aren’t fooling us, Mr. Jobs (we still send you our best).

Something smells a little Phishy… After an accidental leakage through concert promoter Live Nation, popular jam band Phish have confirmed that they are reuniting for a summer tour, their first in five years. The tour starts June 4 at Wantagh, NY, and ends June 21 at East Troy, WI. Tickets go on sale to the public January 30 at 10 a.m. ET.

Music News You Can Use: Copycats and “Best of ‘08″ Lists

Thursday, December 11th, 2008

Coldplay Are Copycats? Gasp… Guitarist Joe Satriani said so last week and he is suing the quartet for allegedly plagiarizing off of his 2004 song “If I Could Fly.” The song in question, “Viva La Vida,” is the second single from their latest album and is nominated for a Grammy. Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin responded to the allegation and said the similarities are “entirely coincidental.” Hmm. You be the judge here.

Rolling Stone Posts “Best Of” Lists… Some of the obvious singles of the year include Lil’ Wayne’s “Lollipop” (gag), Weezer’s “Pork and Beans” (meh), and Santogold’s (now Santi) “LES Artistes” (yay). For albums, don’t be shocked to see the slew of comeback kids like Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy, Nine Inch Nails’ The Slip, and Metallica’s Death Magnetic.

Britney Is Whipped By PETA… The group of animal rights activists are slapping Britney Spears’ wrists for using animals who are “whipped, chained, and beaten” in her newest music video “Circus.” The trainers for the elephants, Greg and Kari Johnson, deny any wrongdoing, and even claim that they have a “love and infatuation” for their elephants. Umm, okay. I guess using eletronic prods is a special way of showing their love.

“Special Surprises” From Pearl Jam?… Four different editions of their 1991 debut albumTen are now available for pre-order at PearlJam.com. Each version will have a digitally remastered version of the original album, remixes by longtime producer Brenda O’Brien, and various unreleased tracks from that era. The “Legacy” edition will also feature a DVD of unreleased performances.

Music News You Can Use: Lil Wayne, Coldplay, meh, What’s New?

Thursday, December 4th, 2008

Weezy and Chris Martin’s Crew Lead The Nominations… For the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, that is. The nominees were announced through a live concert this year, with performances by John Mayer, Christina Aguilera, and the Foo Fighters. Lil Wayne picked up eight nods while Coldplay has seven. Other leaders in the pack are Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Ne-Yo, all who tied for six. The ceremony airs February 9 live on CBS.

Bonnaroo Has Announced Dates… The glorious Manchester, TN music and arts festival will be held June 11-14, 2009, and in attempt to absorb some of those recession woes, you can pay for your tickets in installments! The tickets, which range between $209.50 and $249.50 (depends on when you get ‘em), can be paid $50 for each installment. Lame incentive, but worth a try.

Serj Tankian and a Musical?… Yep, you read it right. The System of a Down frontman will be collaborating with writer and Spring Awakening lyricist Steve Sater for a new musical titled “Prometheus Bound,” which will be based on the Greek myth Prometheus. They also say it’s a “rock musical.” Hmm, seems fitting (I guess?).

Add Fleetwood Mac to the List of Comebacks… The rock band have announced their first tour in five years that will begin in March 1, 2009 in Pittsburgh. Tickets for the “Unleashed Tour” will be on sale December 15. Though there hasn’t been word on a new album yet, member Lindsey Buckingham says that they may return to the studio after the tour is over.

Notorious B.I.G. Makes a Comeback of His Own… Well, sort of. The soundtrack to his upcoming biopic “Notorious” has been revealed, showcasing a variety of expected artists like Jay-Z, Jadakiss, and Faith Evans, while also featuring others like Santogold, movie score composer Danny Elfman, and Biggie’s own son (with baby mama Faith Evans), CJ Wallace. The biopic and album are due in January 2009.

Music News You Can Use: I’m Thankful For…

Friday, November 28th, 2008

I’m thankful for a No Doubt reunion… The awesome ska-pop quartet released the good news via IM transcript on their Web site, as lead singer Gwen Stefani tells her bandmates to “pack up the babies” and “get a bunch of nannies” while on tour. Despite Stefani recently giving birth to her second child in August, the claim seems legit – they are headlining this year’s Bamboozle in New Jersey and have been working in the studio.

I’m thankful for iTunes gift cards… And it seems to show. Atlantic Records announced this week that their digital sales have surpassed physical sales of music (gasp, like we didn’t know this was going to happen). But despite the recent switcharoo, there are still doubts that the digital purchases will fully compensate for CDs. Maybe a digital music magazine sponsored by U2, Coldplay, and the Killers will help?

I’m thankful for more Obama news in music news… And you thought it was over? MTV plans to celebrate the Prez-Elect’s inauguration January 20, which will be taking place at the Ronald Reagan Center and International Trade Center. Though no names have been dropped, you can bet on “leading artists, celebrities, and government officials” to show up.

I’m thankful for good, free music… My favorite Bay Area Hip Hop duo Zion I has released a hot mixtape that features artists like Del the Funky Homosapien, Talib Kweli, the Grouch, and more. Mixes with MGMT and Muse are also included. Don’t sleep on this one, go get it!

I’m thankful to see they’re thankful…. Check here to see what you’re favorite artists and celebs are thankful for, and check here for a quick list of “thankful” songs.