Music News - 2008-03-23

Chris Rock Isn't Laughing

2008-03-23 22:00:16.036525
Click href="http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/chrisrock/articles/story/19400269/video_gallery_chris_rock" target="blank">here to watch Chris Rock's greatest film and stand-up moments.

Here in the Time of Rock, wherein Christopher Julius Rock III rules again as he has ruled before, but only more so — international sweep! colossal forums! better transportation! — promptness counts for much. "There's no such thing as early," Rock himself will tell you, just as his late heroic father often impressed upon him under threat of belt strap. "There's on time and late. I'm always on time." Unsurprisingly, then, he has made it a point to be on time for his Time, which is a very good thing for a dire populace that suddenly seeks racial clarity with historic fervor (no mortal, of course, sifts matters of class and skin divide with sharper acuity than Rock, who is black but sometimes employs the term "a fine mocha" because he is just that precise.) Moreover, he concedes that seizing this seismic American...

Video Gallery: Chris Rock

2008-03-23 22:00:17.741638
Click href="http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/19551925" target="blank">here for an excerpt of the Chris Rock cover story.

Though Chris Rock had minor success on Saturday Night Live and with the HBO special Big Ass Jokes, his true breakout came in 1996 with the premiere of Bring the Pain. The stand-up special (and subsequent album Roll With the New) introduced the world to a number of instant-classic Rock bits, including "Niggas vs. Black People." The controversial routine is everything that's great about Rock: it's honest, insightful, vulgar and above all hilarious.

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Why Can't Adam Duritz Get Any Respect?

2008-03-23 21:00:14.827945
For half a second, Adam Duritz is airborne — and then he comes down hard. It's early February, during the second song of a rare Counting Crows small-club show in New York, and a moment ago, Duritz was teetering on a monitor speaker at the edge of the stage. Now, he tumbles backward, dreadlocks flailing, and his head collides with a piano. It looks painful. But Duritz springs back up, not missing a note — though his voice seems to quaver even more than usual as he sings, "Have you seen me lately?"

Then he climbs up onto that same speaker, again and again, like a man who has everything to prove. And maybe he does. Duritz is all too aware that some people hate him. They say his voice is whiny. They say his dreads are fake (which they are). And they don't like his band, either. "For some reason, everyone decided we were a piece of shit," he says a few days after the concert, describing a low point a couple of years back. "So the only thing to do was to go out there and show we weren't."

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"Fashion and Music Collide During BK Fashion Weekend" Brooklyn's own Sadiiya Rock to Perform

2008-03-23 08:00:11.404659
"Fashion and Music Collide During BK Fashion Weekend" Brooklyn's own Sadiiya Rock to Perform Sadiiya Rock set to close out Brooklyn Fashion Weekend's Fifth Season New York, NY March 23, 2008 -- Brooklyn Fashion Week is back again for its fifth season to

$15m lawsuit over Beatles tapes

2008-03-23 18:00:13.14231
Miami - Lawyers for the Beatles have filed a lawsuit to prevent the distribution of never-released recordings purportedly made during Ringo Starr's first performance with the group. The dispute between Apple Corps Ltd, the London-based group formed by

B.B. King buys club in Miss. hometown (AP)

2008-03-23 19:00:14.753289

Sun Mar 23, 3:30 PM ET

INDIANOLA, Miss. - B.B. King is the new owner of a juke joint in his Mississippi Delta hometown. Mary Shepard has owned Club Ebony in Indianola for the past three decades. King and other artists have played there throughout the years.

A Mississippi Delta Blues Trail Marker outside Club Ebony says Count Basie, Ray Charles, James Brown, Ike Turner are among the musicians who have played there since 1945.

Shepard says she sold the club to the bluesman because she wants to relax and spend time with her family.

Indianola is about halfway between Jackson and Memphis.

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Beatles sue to block 1962 tapes release

2008-03-23 23:00:11.416583
MIAMI - Lawyers for the Beatles sued Friday to prevent the distribution of unreleased recordings purportedly made during Ringo Starr's first performance with the group in 1962. The dispute between Apple Corps Ltd., the London company formed by the

Beatles sue to block 1962 tapes' release

2008-03-23 01:00:12.661243
Lawyers for the Beatles sued Friday to prevent the distribution of unreleased recordings purportedly made during Ringo Starr's first performance with the group in 1962. The dispute between Apple Corps Ltd., the London company formed by the Beatles that

Britney Spears' TV wardrobe up for sale

2008-03-23 05:00:25.142458
It seems almost everybody wants a piece of Britney Spears, and at least six pieces are officially for sale. Spears' wardrobe from her guest-starring stint on CBS' 'How I Met Your Mother' will be sold at an online auction to benefit the Natural Resources

Daytime Line-Up Returns To Xfm

2008-03-23 22:00:13.356899
sees the return of daytime presenters to your favourite radio station so get ready, check your pants and strap yourself yourself in for the rollercoaster that is Xfm's Daytime Schedule. So what's new? From 6am until 9am Alex Zane and his Merry Men will

Former ABBA Drummer Dies, Accidently

2008-03-23 06:00:10.815398
Ola Brunkert, the former drummer for Swedish pop sensation ABBA was found dead last week in his home in the Spanish Island of Mallorca. A neighbor nearby spotted Brunkert's body surrounded by a pool of blood in the garden area last Sunday. According to

Fueled By Ramen Co-Founder Launches Label

2008-03-23 00:00:13.903996
Vinnie Fiorello isn't Fueled By Ramen anymore, but he's sticking close to his grocery themed roots. The Less Than Jake co-founder/drummer and former head of Fueled By Ramen has started a new independent label named Paper And Plastick, which will focus

Heather Mills hoping to star in George Harrison film

2008-03-23 15:00:14.14471
London, Mar 23 : Heather Mills has now set her sights on Hollywood ? and is hoping to star in Martin Scorsese?s documentary on late Beatle George Harrison. (Heather Mills Photos) The 40-year-old former model said she is one of the last people to

Hip-Hop Rumors: Suge Knight's Reality Show Disses G-Unit&Snoop! Al Sharpton Owns Fox News Host!

2008-03-23 18:00:13.143903
GUYS, HERE IS YOUR BUNNY: HAVE A GOOD HOLIDAY...OR A GOOD SUNDAY. EASTER, WE LOVE YOU! They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!-illseedWHO: illseedWHAT: RumorsWHERE: AllHipHop.com, MySpace.com/TheIllseedHOW: Send

Illnesses cause 2 more debuts at Met (AP)

2008-03-23 19:00:14.019237

By RONALD BLUM, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 23 minutes ago

NEW YORK - At this rate, the surgeon general could issue a warning that singing at the Metropolitan Opera can be hazardous to one's health.

Illnesses have knocked out stars at dizzying speed, with six singers making unscheduled debuts in leading roles over 13 days.

Three tenors appeared as Tristan, one of whom stopped the show when a set malfunction sent him tumbling into the prompter's box. A soprano took over Isolde in mid-performance, and two other sopranos were thrust into Verdi operas on short notice.

Some singers spend years waiting a chance to sing on the Met's stage, working their way up at regional theaters with the hope they can become the next Luciano Pavarotti or Birgit Nilsson. Various viruses have catapulted those waiting in the wings into the spotlight, usually with not even a single stage rehearsal.

Angela Meade, a 30-year-old soprano still in vocal school, hadn't sung a single professional performance before her debut Friday night as Elvira in Verdi's "Ernani."

A little more than 16 hours later, tenor Robert Dean Smith sang Tristan in a performance simulcast to theaters worldwide. He jetted in from Berlin on Thursday, had a few piano rehearsals Friday and planned to head back to Europe on Sunday. Even Met General Manager Peter Gelb joked that the revival of Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" was "cursed."

The string of substitute Tristans may end. Ben Heppner, who had been set to star alongside Deborah Voigt in this highly anticipated revival, planned to fly to New York on Sunday night and intends to sing Tuesday and Friday, according to his manager, Bill Guerri. Heppner missed the first four performances because of a blood-borne infection that abscessed in his pelvic region.

Both weekend debuts were warmly received. There's a distinguished list of singers who made unscheduled Met debuts because of illnesses, including by Placido Domingo, Astrid Varnay, Roberta Peters, Cornell MacNeil, Renee Fleming and Salvatore Licitra.

A winner of the 2007 Met National Council Auditions, Meade replaced Sondra Radvanovsky (viral infection) in "Ernani," which before this revival had not been performed at the Met since 1985.

"I was a little nervous the first 15 minutes," Meade said.

No wonder. She enters for the first time to sing her cavatina "Ernani! Ernani, involami," filled with coloratura trills.

Meade, a student at Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts, showed a vibrant voice with nice color and an assured technique. She sang like an old pro from start to finish, combining for moving duets with Marcello Giordani (Ernani) — she happens to share the same voice teacher as Giordani, Bill Schuman.

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Israeli singer embraces Britney, Apple for success (Reuters)

2008-03-23 14:00:13.785273

By Christine Kearney Sun Mar 23, 9:45 AM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Folksy French-Israeli singer Yael Naim found commercial success after her song "New Soul" played in Apple's MacBook Air laptop ads, pushing the song to No. 7 on U.S. music chart Billboard's Hot 100.

She already had gained fame for what some saw as a comic choice to cover pop singer Britney Spear's "Toxic," singing a soulful, poignant version of the commercial hit while playing piano.

But Naim, 29, whose self-titled new album was just released in the United States two months earlier than originally planned following the success of the Apple ad, says she's not worried...

Kid from Brooklyn gets NY Phil debut (AP)

2008-03-23 18:00:12.741166

58 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Give that uncommon man a fanfare.

With guest conductor Riccardo Muti ill, Michael Christie gets his big chance to lead the New York Philharmonic.

But he doesn't have far to travel. Christie is music director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic.

"I'm not sure if we have to put him up in a hotel or not," joked Eric Latzky, the New York Philharmonic's spokesman.

Latzky said Sunday that Muti had to cancel because of flu.

"His doctors advised him not to travel," Latzky said.

Music director in Brooklyn since 2005, Christie, 33, holds similar positions with the Phoenix Symphony and the Colorado Summer Music Festival.

He makes his debut with New York's bigger Philharmonic on Thursday night, leading a performance of Elgar's Violin Concerto with soloist Pinchas Zukerman and Copland's Third Symphony. The program is repeated on Friday and Saturday night.

The symphony's last movement begins with the theme of the booming brass "Fanfare for the Common Man."

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On the Net:

http://www.nyphil.org

http://www.brooklynphilharmonic.org/

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Mambo pioneer Israel "Cachao" Lopez dies (Reuters)

2008-03-23 00:00:13.013505

2 hours, 52 minutes ago

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - Cuban-born bassist, band leader and mambo pioneer Israel "Cachao" Lopez died on Saturday in Miami, media reports said. He was 89.

Lopez, who immigrated to the United States from Cuba in 1962, is credited with introducing the mambo musical genre to generations of adoring fans. He died on Saturday after complications from kidney failure, the Miami Herald reported in its online edition.

Known for years by a singular name, Cachao, Lopez was a Grammy Award-winning artist whose work was chronicled in a 1993 documentary by Cuban-American actor Andy Garcia.

Lopez, a classically trained bassist, continued to perform...

McCartney flies to bedside of 'Fifth Beatle' as he fights for life

2008-03-23 03:00:13.14577
Sir Paul McCartney has flown to New York to be at the bedside of the man known as 'the Fifth Beatle' who was last night fighting for his life in hospital. For more than 40 years, Neil Aspinall controlled the vast empire of the Fab Four. A quiet,

Monastery of sound goes universal (Reuters)

2008-03-23 22:00:14.556687

By Andrew Hough 2 hours, 8 minutes ago

LONDON (Reuters) - A group of Gregorian chanting monks are on the cusp of international fame, after being signed by one of the world's biggest music labels.

The Abbey of the Holy Cross monks, whose heavenly notes are enjoyed by Pope Benedict, have signed with London-based Universal Records, the company told Reuters on Monday.

The record giant, home to international artists including Amy Winehouse, Bryan Adams and Eminem, will produce the Austrian-based choir's album, which is due for worldwide distribution later this year, it said.

The company discovered the choir, from the world's second...

Petty's Mudcrutch to play live

2008-03-23 21:00:13.895589
Tom Petty's original rock band, Mudcrutch, will mark its comeback with a series of California shows, ending with a four-night run at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. The Free Fallin' rocker formed the group in his native Gainesville, Florida with pals Tom

Q&A: Guster's Gardner puts eco-message into practice (Reuters)

2008-03-23 03:00:13.574002

By Mitchell Peters Sat Mar 22, 7:51 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Adam Gardner has come a long way since nicknaming his band's tour bus "the Earth Eater." Last October, the Guster guitarist/vocalist, who also co-founded environmental nonprofit organization Reverb, traveled from his home in Portland, Maine, to Capitol Hill to testify in front of Congress about the benefits of biofuel to the music industry.

"I've never been more nervous in my life," Gardner recalls. But after wiping the sweat from his brow, he successfully relayed his Earth-friendly message to curious politicians in Washington, D.C. "I basically said, 'We'd love for Reverb to be out of business, as far as coordinating biodiesel for tours,"'...

Q&A: Rocker Tankian spreads the word on social justice (Reuters)

2008-03-23 00:00:13.436332

By Cortney Harding Sat Mar 22, 9:05 PM ET

NEW YORK (Billboard) - A few days before the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War, rock musician Serj Tankian is sitting in an Austin hotel room and ruminating on the costs of the endless battle. But Tankian isn't talking about dead soldiers or civilians; he's talking about the cost to the Middle East's environment, an issue that few people have raised.

"The topsoil there has been destroyed," he says, "and who knows what kind of damage all those bombs have caused to the ecosystems in the Middle East?"

Many bands these days are claiming the "green" label, but...

Remix Hotel Miami 2008 March-27 - March-30 Miami, FL

2008-03-23 15:00:14.143164
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SOHH Exclusive: Day26 Preps Debut, "We are a triple threat and we coming through."

2008-03-23 08:00:11.401463
Diddy's male R&B group, Day 26, is preparing to drop their debut album on Tuesday (March 25th). In this SOHH exclusive, we talk to the Bad Boys about the video for their first single, 'Got Me Going', the group name and how they're coming to take over the

Singer's husband found dead in flat

2008-03-23 21:00:13.897282
Chart-topping singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae's husband has been found dead from a suspected drugs overdose. Police discovered the body of Scottish-born Jason Rae, 31, a saxophonist with funk band the Haggis Horns, at a flat in the Hyde Park area of

Tejano singer Navaira hurt in bus crash (AP)

2008-03-23 16:00:14.247114

By CHRIS DUNCAN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 32 minutes ago

HOUSTON - Grammy-winning Tejano singer Emilio Navaira was critically injured Sunday when his band's bus crashed on a highway in the metro area, city and hospital officials said.

Navaira and his band Rio had performed at a Houston nightclub on Saturday night. At about 5 a.m. Sunday, the band's bus slammed into traffic barrels on Interstate 610 northbound in Bellaire, a well-to-do enclave within the city west of downtown Houston, Bellaire police Sgt. Daniel Kerr said.

Navaira was one of eight passengers on the bus who were injured, said Houston Assistant Fire Chief Omero Longoria. Navaira was listed in critical condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he was being treated in the intensive care unit, said hospital administrator Lisa Lagrone.

The bus was the only vehicle involved, Kerr said. Initial news reports, based on video from traffic cameras at the scene, had said three vehicles were involved.

Navaira, 45, and Rio have released more than a dozen albums, including "Acuerdate" that won the 2003 Grammy for best Tejano album.

According to the band's Web site, Navaira was born in San Antonio and earned a music scholarship from Texas State. In 1989, he formed the band with brother Raul, who was among those who suffered minor injuries, two Houston television stations reported.

Five people were taken to Ben Taub Hospital, where their conditions were not immediately known, Longoria said. A hospital spokeswoman would not give out any information, citing health privacy laws.

Two others were treated at Memorial Hermann and released, Lagrone said.

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On the Net:

Emilio Navaira and Rio: http://www.emilioyrio.net

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