Chris Cross, best known as the bassist in the English new wave band Ultravox, has died at 71 years old.
According to reports, Cross (born Chris Allen) died on March 25th, but the news was not made public until longtime bandmate Midge Ure shared a statement on Ultravox’s Instagram paying tribute to “the glue that held the band together.” No cause of death has been revealed.
“We worked together, we played together, made music and directed videos together. We were instant friends as well as Ultravox comrades,” Ure wrote. “Even after years apart we managed to pick up where we left off like the years in between never existed.”
He continued, “You were the glue that held the band together. You were the logic in the madness and the madness in our lives. It was great to know and grow with you. You are loved and missed old friend.”
Billy Currie,...
According to reports, Cross (born Chris Allen) died on March 25th, but the news was not made public until longtime bandmate Midge Ure shared a statement on Ultravox’s Instagram paying tribute to “the glue that held the band together.” No cause of death has been revealed.
“We worked together, we played together, made music and directed videos together. We were instant friends as well as Ultravox comrades,” Ure wrote. “Even after years apart we managed to pick up where we left off like the years in between never existed.”
He continued, “You were the glue that held the band together. You were the logic in the madness and the madness in our lives. It was great to know and grow with you. You are loved and missed old friend.”
Billy Currie,...
- 4/2/2024
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
“Fairytale of New York” is a drunken hymn for people with broken dreams and abandoned hopes. It is, therefore, a perfect contrast to some of the perkier perennial favourites we wheel out each Christmas.
The song begins with its narrator, an Irish immigrant, being thrown into a drunk tank to sleep off his Christmas Eve binge.
Hearing an old man sing the Irish ballad “The Rare Old Mountain Dew”, he begins to dream about his memories of the female character in the song, and so begins the story of two people who fell in love in America, only to see their plans of a bright future dashed.
Some of the best songs combine uplifting instrumentation with lyrics that are downright miserable, and such is the case for “Fairytale of New York”. It has none of the gooeyness of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” or Wham!
The song begins with its narrator, an Irish immigrant, being thrown into a drunk tank to sleep off his Christmas Eve binge.
Hearing an old man sing the Irish ballad “The Rare Old Mountain Dew”, he begins to dream about his memories of the female character in the song, and so begins the story of two people who fell in love in America, only to see their plans of a bright future dashed.
Some of the best songs combine uplifting instrumentation with lyrics that are downright miserable, and such is the case for “Fairytale of New York”. It has none of the gooeyness of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” or Wham!
- 12/16/2022
- by Roisin O'Connor
- The Independent - Music
“Fairytale of New York” is a drunken hymn for people with broken dreams and abandoned hopes. It is, therefore, a perfect contrast to some of the perkier perennial favourites we wheel out each Christmas.
The song begins with its narrator, an Irish immigrant, being thrown into a drunk tank to sleep off his Christmas Eve binge.
Hearing an old man sing the Irish ballad “The Rare Old Mountain Dew”, he begins to dream about his memories of the female character in the song, and so begins the story of two people who fell in love in America, only to see their plans of a bright future dashed.
Some of the best songs combine uplifting instrumentation with lyrics that are downright miserable, and such is the case for “Fairytale of New York”. It has none of the gooeyness of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” or Wham!
The song begins with its narrator, an Irish immigrant, being thrown into a drunk tank to sleep off his Christmas Eve binge.
Hearing an old man sing the Irish ballad “The Rare Old Mountain Dew”, he begins to dream about his memories of the female character in the song, and so begins the story of two people who fell in love in America, only to see their plans of a bright future dashed.
Some of the best songs combine uplifting instrumentation with lyrics that are downright miserable, and such is the case for “Fairytale of New York”. It has none of the gooeyness of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” or Wham!
- 12/16/2022
- by Roisin O'Connor
- The Independent - Music
Every year we hear the same Christmas songs again and again and again, the playlist seldom changing.
While the supermarkets might stick rigidly to Slade and Wizzard, and the high street coffee shops prefer the gingerbread-and-eggnog stylings of Michael Buble, Norah Jones or the Rat Pack, variation is minimal and certain tracks just will not go away.
You might wonder how much cash the writers of the more ubiquitous seasonal standards squirrel away every year and whether it’s really possible to live on the royalties.
In Nick Hornby’s novel About a Boy (1998), Will Freeman does precisely that, living an agreeably idle bachelor life on the proceeds of a festive single written by his late father.
The truth is, it’s hard to say for sure precisely how much The Pogues or Mariah Carey have coined from their work as the Performing Right Society (Prs) does not reveal the...
While the supermarkets might stick rigidly to Slade and Wizzard, and the high street coffee shops prefer the gingerbread-and-eggnog stylings of Michael Buble, Norah Jones or the Rat Pack, variation is minimal and certain tracks just will not go away.
You might wonder how much cash the writers of the more ubiquitous seasonal standards squirrel away every year and whether it’s really possible to live on the royalties.
In Nick Hornby’s novel About a Boy (1998), Will Freeman does precisely that, living an agreeably idle bachelor life on the proceeds of a festive single written by his late father.
The truth is, it’s hard to say for sure precisely how much The Pogues or Mariah Carey have coined from their work as the Performing Right Society (Prs) does not reveal the...
- 12/13/2022
- by Joe Sommerlad
- The Independent - Music
Writing the biography of the man best known for marrying traditional Irish music with British punk — a sound once described by concertina player Noel Hill of the band Planxty as a “terrible abortion” of Irish music — was never going to be easy. To further complicate the matter, Shane MacGowan’s hatred of interviews is almost as notorious as his long and sophisticated affair with drugs and alcohol. Such is punk.
When it comes to the story of MacGowan’s life, it has never been about “just the facts.” However, an attempt has now been made.
When it comes to the story of MacGowan’s life, it has never been about “just the facts.” However, an attempt has now been made.
- 11/15/2021
- by Caine O'Rear
- Rollingstone.com
Each year after the Grammys, you’ll often see pictures of artists holding a heavy stack of trophies, typically being the biggest winners of the year. But which albums have won the most Grammys? For the purposes of this overview, we’re including Best New Artist and Producer of the Year trophies in these counts if they occurred alongside those Grammy sweeps since those are in no small part a celebration of those corresponding albums.
The two biggest Grammy-winning albums ever are tied with nine trophies apiece. One of those is Santana’s “Supernatural” in 2000. Besides sweeping the general field with “Smooth” (Record and Song of the Year) plus Album of the Year, Santana’s strategy was to submit in as many categories as possible. As such, the album had entries in multiple pop and rock races. Their team even went as far as to arguably fraud an entry in...
The two biggest Grammy-winning albums ever are tied with nine trophies apiece. One of those is Santana’s “Supernatural” in 2000. Besides sweeping the general field with “Smooth” (Record and Song of the Year) plus Album of the Year, Santana’s strategy was to submit in as many categories as possible. As such, the album had entries in multiple pop and rock races. Their team even went as far as to arguably fraud an entry in...
- 10/10/2021
- by Jaime Rodriguez
- Gold Derby
The Music Documentary Recording In Progress is currently Available on iTunes, Amazon, and Other Platforms. For more information on how to see this outstanding doc, go to the film’s site Here
Recording In Progress is a documentary about the creative spaces that bring about the music we know and love. This feature length film tackles the issues facing not only recording studios in the digital streaming age, but also the music business as a whole. Are recording studios still necessary to record professional sounding music? Where do musicians find themselves capturing their art? How does the financial situation of musicians in addition to the entire music business factor in to use of studios. Has changing technology causes studios to reinvent their business model? All of this and more is explored in Recording In Progress with interviews from industry veterans like Steve Lillywhite, Steve Albini (engineer for Nirvana and The...
Recording In Progress is a documentary about the creative spaces that bring about the music we know and love. This feature length film tackles the issues facing not only recording studios in the digital streaming age, but also the music business as a whole. Are recording studios still necessary to record professional sounding music? Where do musicians find themselves capturing their art? How does the financial situation of musicians in addition to the entire music business factor in to use of studios. Has changing technology causes studios to reinvent their business model? All of this and more is explored in Recording In Progress with interviews from industry veterans like Steve Lillywhite, Steve Albini (engineer for Nirvana and The...
- 7/22/2020
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“I love Coldplay!” Ryley Walker yells in the middle of a crowded bar in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. “There, I said it.” It’s been a long journey to get to this point, but after years of disavowing his passion for bands like Coldplay, Switchfoot and DC Talk in order to pursue an identity as know-it-all indie rocker, the singer-songwriter has finally reconciled who he is today with the music he cherished growing up. “All I want to do right now is go back to the music I heard...
- 11/8/2018
- by Adam Rothbarth
- Rollingstone.com
Despite the release of new track, “Invisible,” during the Super Bowl, it looks like U2 won’t have an album out in 2014, after all. At least that’s the word from Billboard, which reveals that the band is going back into the studio with OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder and Paul Epworth, best known for his work with Adele. The band heavily campaigned for its Oscar-nominated song, “Ordinary Love” from “Mandela- Long Walk to Freedom,” and had previously noted that writing the song took them out of their studio groove for the album, their first since 2009’s “No Line On the Horizon.” (Trivia note: There were five years between “Line” and U2’s 2004 album “How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” the band’s longest stretch. However, if Billboard is right and we don’t see a new U2 until 2015, this will be the longest amount of time between sets for the...
- 3/7/2014
- Hitfix
New York -- Juanes may have gone unplugged -- but his current "Loud & Unplugged" tour is being praised as electrifying.
Over the weekend, the Colombian rock star took his Grammy-winning Live album, "Juanes: MTV Unplugged," to New York City’s historic Radio City Music Hall. During a media event before the concert, the singer spoke with HuffPost and other outlets about the pleasant surprises of this U.S. tour and his plans for after his final performance in Tampa, Fla. on June 30.
“The tour has been great, we’ve been to 20 cities, and personally I feel like I’m in the best moment of my life on stage,” Juanes told HuffPost after finishing his soundcheck and a "Meet and Greet" with dozens of fans. “Singing and playing guitar and just being on stage is something I treasure very much, a lot more than before.”
Named one of the “Coolest...
Over the weekend, the Colombian rock star took his Grammy-winning Live album, "Juanes: MTV Unplugged," to New York City’s historic Radio City Music Hall. During a media event before the concert, the singer spoke with HuffPost and other outlets about the pleasant surprises of this U.S. tour and his plans for after his final performance in Tampa, Fla. on June 30.
“The tour has been great, we’ve been to 20 cities, and personally I feel like I’m in the best moment of my life on stage,” Juanes told HuffPost after finishing his soundcheck and a "Meet and Greet" with dozens of fans. “Singing and playing guitar and just being on stage is something I treasure very much, a lot more than before.”
Named one of the “Coolest...
- 6/24/2013
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
New York -- He's obviously a professional singer, but The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers still thought it was a good idea to take voice lessons before hitting the studio to record the band's new album.
"It seemed like the right thing to do," he said in a recent interview. "I wanted to be better, get better and it's just helped me. ... (My voice teacher) knows what my ambitions are and he knows there's a certain style and something I've already got going on. We're just trying to fine-tune a few things."
The 31-year-old added that he's "not trying to be an opera singer or anything."
Dressed in a leather motorcycle jacket, with close-cropped hair, the rock singer embodies the stage presence of an old-time crooner along the lines of Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett. And while Flowers lists both icons as major influences, glam rocker David Bowie sits at the top of the heap.
"It seemed like the right thing to do," he said in a recent interview. "I wanted to be better, get better and it's just helped me. ... (My voice teacher) knows what my ambitions are and he knows there's a certain style and something I've already got going on. We're just trying to fine-tune a few things."
The 31-year-old added that he's "not trying to be an opera singer or anything."
Dressed in a leather motorcycle jacket, with close-cropped hair, the rock singer embodies the stage presence of an old-time crooner along the lines of Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett. And while Flowers lists both icons as major influences, glam rocker David Bowie sits at the top of the heap.
- 9/28/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Dave Matthews Band will score its sixth No. 1 album next week as “Away From The World” is a sure bet to come in at the top of the Billboard 200. The set, produced by Steve Lillywhite, is on track to sell up to 275,000 copies, according to Hits Daily Double. DMBis far from the only act making a Top 10 debut: As the fall rush begins, the top 5 spots will be occupied by new releases. Country co-ed quartet, Little Big Town, who scored its first No. 1 single with “Pontoon,” will top the country album chart and come in...
- 9/15/2012
- Hitfix
Los Angeles (AP) — Dave Matthews needed a break. His famously hardworking band took last year off and Matthews says he's planning to scale back future summer tours to spend more time with his wife and three children. Still, Matthews didn't want to give himself too much free time. The band reunited early this year with "Crash" and "Before These Crowded Streets" producer Steve Lillywhite, and originally planning to record studio versions of older tunes from live performances. Matthews decided instead to pen and record all new songs, with lyrics about love, lust, aging and activism laid over his three bandmates'...
- 9/12/2012
- by Ryan Pearson (AP)
- Hitfix
Dave Matthews Band’s latest “Away from the World” shouldn’t be judged alone by its single “Mercy,” a rock lite Good-Feeling Word Salad that clings hard to the teeth. It means well, a sentiment that could describe just a couple of songs off of this Steve Lillywhite-produced set, but bombs compared to one of its “Worldly” companions like “Gaucho,” another and more refined expression of the disappointment and dealings with the “World’s” inequity. It’s all about taming those flourishes, and it’s Lillywhite whose gift is to parse the excessive elements of an instrumentally gifted band. After more than 20 years, they ought...
- 9/12/2012
- Hitfix
The Killers will team up with legendary experimental German filmmaker Werner Herzog for a live concert webcast in September. Q&A: Steve Lillywhite's Full Slate: Albums by Dave Matthews Band, The Killers and 30 Seconds to Mars on Deck The show will be part of American Express' Unstaged series, which pairs bands and celebrated directors for concerts streamed live on YouTube and Vevo. Past collaborations have included Arcade Fire with Terry Gilliam, Usher with Hamish Hamilton, Duran Duran with David Lynch, John Legend and the Roots with Spike Lee, Jack White with Gary Oldman, and My Morning Jacket with Todd Haynes.
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- 8/31/2012
- by Colin Stutz
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dave Matthews Band’s new video was quite the team effort. According to the band, 14,334 people submitted photos or videos for “Mercy,” and an untold number of them made it into the final cut. The result is a patched-together product with a charmingly homemade look. Q&A: Steve Lillywhite's Full Slate: Albums by Dave Matthews Band, The Killers and 30 Seconds to Mars on Deck James Frost, known for working with Radiohead and Ok Go, directed the video, and he appears to have won the fan seal of approval. “To everyone who got in: Dave_ saw our faces,
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- 8/30/2012
- by Aaron Couch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Boyd Tinsley definitely has the music in him. Watch any Dave Matthews Band performance or music video, and you're likely to see him play the violin with electrifying energy.
The Dmb member is now bringing that same passion to his first big screen project, "Faces in the Mirror," an emotional movie set to music recorded before any film was shot that tells the story of a man returning home to attend his negligent father's funeral. Tinsley conceived the film, which premieres live on Aug. 30 at SnagFilms.com, and served as music producer, executive producer and performer, and he even makes a cameo appearance.
Tinsley somehow found time between his many roles with the film and touring with Dmb this summer to tell us about the making of his unconventional first film, seeing "magic" happen in the recording studio and Dmb's influences on his creative process.
You created the music for...
The Dmb member is now bringing that same passion to his first big screen project, "Faces in the Mirror," an emotional movie set to music recorded before any film was shot that tells the story of a man returning home to attend his negligent father's funeral. Tinsley conceived the film, which premieres live on Aug. 30 at SnagFilms.com, and served as music producer, executive producer and performer, and he even makes a cameo appearance.
Tinsley somehow found time between his many roles with the film and touring with Dmb this summer to tell us about the making of his unconventional first film, seeing "magic" happen in the recording studio and Dmb's influences on his creative process.
You created the music for...
- 8/28/2012
- by Laura Rosenfeld
- NextMovie
The Killers have unveiled the tracklisting for their new album Battle Born. The band's fourth studio record will be released on September 17 in the UK and September 18 in the Us. Battle Born will feature a total of 12 tracks, including new single 'Runaways'. A deluxe edition includes two new bonus tracks, plus a remix of the album's opening track 'Flesh And Bone'. "This album is going down a few different roads, and you really get a taste of what we like as a band and what we think our strengths are," frontman Brandon Flowers previously said. The Killers have worked with producers such as Steve Lillywhite (U2), Brendan O'Brien (Rage Against The Machine) and Stuart Price (Madonna) on the (more)...
- 8/17/2012
- by By Colin Daniels
- Digital Spy
The Killers have announced the release details for their new album. The band will officially unveil Battle Born as their fourth studio album on September 17. The Brandon Flowers-fronted act have teamed up with a number of producers for the collection, including Stuart Price (Madonna), Steve Lillywhite, Damian Taylor and Brendan O'Brien. 'Heart Of A Girl', 'Flesh And Bone' and 'Carry Me Home' have been confirmed to feature on the new album, along with lead single 'Runaways'. (more)...
- 7/10/2012
- by By Lewis Corner
- Digital Spy
The Killers are finally ready to drop the first single from their next album "Battle Born." "Runaways" will be arriving next week, on July 9. The band announced it -- and the single cover art -- today, just three-and-a-half weeks after they bowed the trailer to "Battle Born," due this some time this fall. As previously reported, the Las Vegas troupe recruited a number of high-power producers including Steve Lillywhite, Damian Taylor, Brendan O’Brien, and Stuart Price to produce the new set. The rock act's last album was 2008's "Day & Age." Check out the trailer below:...
- 7/3/2012
- by Katie Hasty
- Hitfix
Dave Matthews Band will release its eighth studio album, Away From the World, on Sept. 11, two days after its concert trek wraps. The band has already been playing several songs from the forthcoming record on its tour, including “Mercy,” which will be the first single. Photos: The Music Industry's Greatest Givers The RCA album, Dmb's first in three years, was produced by Steve Lillywhite, who worked on their first three multiplatinum studio albums: Under the Table and Dreaming (1994), Crash (1996) and Before These Crowded Streets (1998). In total, the veteran quartet -- singer-guitarist Dave Matthews, drummer Carter
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- 6/27/2012
- by Laura Burdine
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On Sept. 11, Dave Matthews Band will release “Away From the World,” its first studio album since 2009’s “Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King.” Steve Lillywhite, who produced Dmb’s first three albums, helmed the group’s seventh studio set. Fans who pre-order “World” will receive an additional five bonus tracks recorded live on the band’s summer tour. [More after the jump...] Dmb is previewing a number of the songs this summer, including first single, “Mercy.” He debuted the song in April on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" without his band so it's unclear how that version will mesh with the studio version featuring his...
- 6/27/2012
- Hitfix
The Killers' new album is titled "Battle Born," and every good battle needs an army. So the Las Vegas troupe recruited a number of high-power producers including Steve Lillywhite, Damian Taylor, Brendan O’Brien, and previous collaborator Stuart Price, who helped smack the sound on the band's 2008 hit "Human." "Battle Born," the Killers' fourth full-length will drop some time this fall, and is the follow-up to 2008's "Day & Age." Since that release, frontman Brandon Flowers went off to make a solo album, and judging from the trailer the band dropped today, the group is heading further still into synthy territory,...
- 6/7/2012
- Hitfix
Yesterday it was Muse and today it's the Killers … album trailers are officially the new thing!
The Killers revealed the trailer for their fall 2012 release Battle Born on their Vevo page today (June 7) and the sound is, well, very much like most other Killers albums. Things kick off with some ambient sounds that evolve into a heavy synth line, which itself builds to a crescendo before introducing some drums. Sounds about right.
Visually, the clip opens on a sunset before seguing to a campfire intercut with a montage of shots of the band and flashes to the album title being spelled out letter by letter.
NME reports that track titles confirmed for Battle Born include "Heart Of A Girl," "Flesh And Bone," "Carry Me Home" and "Runaways." The band is again working with producer Stuart Price, who previously worked with the band on their last effort, 2008's Day & Age, and...
The Killers revealed the trailer for their fall 2012 release Battle Born on their Vevo page today (June 7) and the sound is, well, very much like most other Killers albums. Things kick off with some ambient sounds that evolve into a heavy synth line, which itself builds to a crescendo before introducing some drums. Sounds about right.
Visually, the clip opens on a sunset before seguing to a campfire intercut with a montage of shots of the band and flashes to the album title being spelled out letter by letter.
NME reports that track titles confirmed for Battle Born include "Heart Of A Girl," "Flesh And Bone," "Carry Me Home" and "Runaways." The band is again working with producer Stuart Price, who previously worked with the band on their last effort, 2008's Day & Age, and...
- 6/7/2012
- by John Mitchell
- MTV Newsroom
President Barack Obama wasn't Jimmy Fallon's only guest to jam on Wednesday (April 25). Dave Matthews premiered his band's new song, "Mercy," on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" the same night.
Captain Kirk Douglas of The Roots accompanied Matthews during the performance. "Mercy" is the first track confirmed to be on the new Dave Matthews Band album due out later this year.
Producer Steve Lillywhite tweeted after the performance, saying it's "not just acoustic on the album" and "it is not quiet on the album!"
What do you think of the new song?...
Captain Kirk Douglas of The Roots accompanied Matthews during the performance. "Mercy" is the first track confirmed to be on the new Dave Matthews Band album due out later this year.
Producer Steve Lillywhite tweeted after the performance, saying it's "not just acoustic on the album" and "it is not quiet on the album!"
What do you think of the new song?...
- 4/26/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Rest easy, Jared Leto fans. The actor-turned-rocker's band Thirty Seconds To Mars have announced that they are currently working on their fourth studio album, the group's first since 2009’s hit "This Is War." The band members are hunkered down in an L.A. studio where Leto is once again producing alongside Steve Lillywhite (U2, The Killers). The album is untitled as of now. The album will be a “dramatic departure from the past”, according to Leto, who described it as “very orchestral, narrative, interactive and even more electronic than previous projects”. The album is just the beginning of an onslaught of new...
- 4/24/2012
- by Dave Lewis
- Hitfix
Singer Jared Leto has 50 songs to choose from for band's untitled next effort.
By Gil Kaufman
30 Seconds to Mars
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/ Getty Images
Last we heard from 30 Seconds to Mars, the band was battling rumors about a potential break while celebrating a record-setting December live show in New York.
But after a few months of radio silence, not only are 30Stm not taking time off, they're forging ahead with their fourth album. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, singer Jared Leto said the group's "excitedly working in the studio."
In fact, Leto said he's been quietly toiling away writing and recording "constantly" as he crafts the band's future. He's clearly been busy, as the singer revealed that he's written 50 songs and is finalizing a list of producers for the as-yet-untitled effort, including M83's Morgan Kibby.
"She came by and was playing some synths and doing some programming,...
By Gil Kaufman
30 Seconds to Mars
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/ Getty Images
Last we heard from 30 Seconds to Mars, the band was battling rumors about a potential break while celebrating a record-setting December live show in New York.
But after a few months of radio silence, not only are 30Stm not taking time off, they're forging ahead with their fourth album. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, singer Jared Leto said the group's "excitedly working in the studio."
In fact, Leto said he's been quietly toiling away writing and recording "constantly" as he crafts the band's future. He's clearly been busy, as the singer revealed that he's written 50 songs and is finalizing a list of producers for the as-yet-untitled effort, including M83's Morgan Kibby.
"She came by and was playing some synths and doing some programming,...
- 4/24/2012
- MTV Music News
The Killers have said they had to figure out how to be a band again after two years off. The Las Vegas group - who are currently recording their fourth studio album - had a break during which three members pursued different side-projects. Bass player Mark Stoermer told NME: ''We started doing it in pieces last May, but it's taken time to figure out what it means to be in a band again, because we took so much time off. ''It might be out before summer, but there's no guarantees.'' Stoermer revealed that they have been in the studio with Steve Lillywhite, who has worked (more)...
- 3/11/2012
- by By Leah Simpson
- Digital Spy
The King's Speech star Helena Bonham Carter met real-life royalty on Wednesday as she was honoured with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Cbe) medal at Buckingham Palace in London.
The actress played the late Queen Elizabeth in the 2010 movie and she was the guest of honour at her daughter Queen Elizabeth II's royal residence, where she was recognised for her services to drama.
Bonham Carter, who wore a striking Vivienne Westwood tartan dress, was given the award to recognise her career achievements.
Colin Firth, her co-star in The King's Speech, received the same honour last month.
Record producer Steve Lillywhite also received a Cbe medal on Wednesday, while novelist Maggie Gee was handed an Order of the British Empire (OBE).
The actress played the late Queen Elizabeth in the 2010 movie and she was the guest of honour at her daughter Queen Elizabeth II's royal residence, where she was recognised for her services to drama.
Bonham Carter, who wore a striking Vivienne Westwood tartan dress, was given the award to recognise her career achievements.
Colin Firth, her co-star in The King's Speech, received the same honour last month.
Record producer Steve Lillywhite also received a Cbe medal on Wednesday, while novelist Maggie Gee was handed an Order of the British Empire (OBE).
- 2/22/2012
- WENN
Dave Matthews Band have announced plans to go on tour. The band, who took a year off from touring in 2011, will return to the road this summer for a North American tour. The jaunt begins on May 18 in Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Woodlands, Texas and ends on September 9 with a show at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. Tickets will go on general sale on March 9, with a pre-sale for fans who are members of the Dmb Warehouse Fan Association starting tomorrow (February 16) at 10am Est. Dave Matthews Band also intend to release a new studio album - produced by Steve Lillywhite (more)...
- 2/16/2012
- by By Tara Fowler
- Digital Spy
After a year-long hiatus, Dave Matthews and his band are headed back on tour this summer.
Dave Matthews Band will kick off its 39-stop tour in Woodlands, Texas on May 18 and finish off in Mountainview, California on September 9.
The Grammy-winning band recently headed back to the studio with producer Steve Lillywhite, who worked with them on their first three albums, Under The Table And Dreaming, Crash, And Before These Crowded Streets. Dmb will likely blend old fan favorites like "Crash Into Me," "The Space Between," and "Where Are You Going" with some of their new material.
"Start getting excited!" bassist Stefan Lessard tweeted early this morning.
For a full list of tour dates, click over to davematthewsband.com.
Dave Matthews Band will kick off its 39-stop tour in Woodlands, Texas on May 18 and finish off in Mountainview, California on September 9.
The Grammy-winning band recently headed back to the studio with producer Steve Lillywhite, who worked with them on their first three albums, Under The Table And Dreaming, Crash, And Before These Crowded Streets. Dmb will likely blend old fan favorites like "Crash Into Me," "The Space Between," and "Where Are You Going" with some of their new material.
"Start getting excited!" bassist Stefan Lessard tweeted early this morning.
For a full list of tour dates, click over to davematthewsband.com.
- 2/15/2012
- by Leigh Weingus
- Huffington Post
After taking most of last summer off, Dave Matthews Band will return for its first full North American summer tour in two years. Plus, the group will have a new Steve Lillywhite-produced album out in 2012 as well. The 2012 tour starts May 18 at Cynthia Wood Mitchell Pavilion in Woodlands, Texas and end Sept. 9 at Mountain View, Calif.’s Shoreline Amphitheater. Among the opening acts on various dates are Brandi Carlile, The Avett Brothers, The Head and the Heart, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Fitz and the Tantrums. [More after the jump...] The new album, which the band...
- 2/15/2012
- Hitfix
From Tori Amos's dad chaperoning her at her first paid gig, to Don Letts DJing with only one deck, a host of stars recall the formative moments that kicked off their careers
The first time I was paid to play live Tori Amos
I'd been kicked out of the Peabody conservatory in Baltimore at the age of 11 and lost my scholarship because I wasn't Peabody stock any more. I had real issues that they weren't teaching contemporary composers. They said the Beatles would be gone and dead within 30 years, and no one would care. It was 1974, I was 11, and it was good to be right! My minister father was really distraught. He had these dreams of me being a concert pianist and then going into religious music. I just looked and him and said: "Dad, this music is just not moving me." He said: "Well, if you're going to go into that world,...
The first time I was paid to play live Tori Amos
I'd been kicked out of the Peabody conservatory in Baltimore at the age of 11 and lost my scholarship because I wasn't Peabody stock any more. I had real issues that they weren't teaching contemporary composers. They said the Beatles would be gone and dead within 30 years, and no one would care. It was 1974, I was 11, and it was good to be right! My minister father was really distraught. He had these dreams of me being a concert pianist and then going into religious music. I just looked and him and said: "Dad, this music is just not moving me." He said: "Well, if you're going to go into that world,...
- 1/13/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
Those honoured in arts include 'the finest living English poet', novelists, actors and the man behind the Big Brother format
The arts awards in the honours list have a distinctly literary feel, with the poet Geoffrey Hill, elected last year as Oxford's professor of poetry – a post uniquely voted for by the university's alumni, given a knighthood, the novelist Penelope Lively made a dame, and the novelist Rachel Billington and the writer Clive James awarded CBEs.
Hill, 79, who had an academic career, has been described as the finest living English poet. He previously said: "Difficult poetry is the most democratic because you are doing your audience the honour of supposing they are intelligent human beings. So much of the popular poetry of today treats people as if they were fools."
Should he and Peter Bazalgette, the independent TV producer credited with popularising the Big Brother reality show format, be knighted...
The arts awards in the honours list have a distinctly literary feel, with the poet Geoffrey Hill, elected last year as Oxford's professor of poetry – a post uniquely voted for by the university's alumni, given a knighthood, the novelist Penelope Lively made a dame, and the novelist Rachel Billington and the writer Clive James awarded CBEs.
Hill, 79, who had an academic career, has been described as the finest living English poet. He previously said: "Difficult poetry is the most democratic because you are doing your audience the honour of supposing they are intelligent human beings. So much of the popular poetry of today treats people as if they were fools."
Should he and Peter Bazalgette, the independent TV producer credited with popularising the Big Brother reality show format, be knighted...
- 12/31/2011
- by Stephen Bates
- The Guardian - Film News
The album artwork for Evanescence’s upcoming self-titled third LP release has been unveiled. The album will be released via Wind-Up Records on October 11th. “Evanescence” was recorded at Nashville’s Blackbird Studio with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver, Death Angel, Trivium). Evanescence singer Amy Lee began recording an album last year with producer Steve Lillywhite (Dave Matthews Band, U2) that leaned heavily in the direction of electronic and dance music, but her label reportedly rejected that project and made her start from scratch on a more traditional Evanescence offering. “I feel like, not that I’m trying to do what’s important for the music industry, I’m doing what I...
- 9/5/2011
- by nperez
- ShockYa
Let the Gallagher Bros. rivalry continue: Oasis’s Noel Gallagher will release “Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds” Nov. 8 on Sour Mash/Mercury Records. Gallagher’s solo debut follows the March release of “Different Gear, Still Speeding,” the first album from Beady Eye, a band composed of his brother Liam and three other members from Oasis. The set failed to resonate with U.S. listeners despite working a number of tracks to radio and peaking at No. 31 on the Billboard 200. “Different Gear” met with greater success in the U.K, where the Steve Lillywhite-produced set reached No. 3. The band, who played four sold-out...
- 7/6/2011
- Hitfix
Red Hot Organization / David Andrako Mia Doi Todd performs at a Red Hot Organization party for “Red Hot + Rio 2″
The producers behind the Red Hot Organization have some kind of clout in the music industry.
In their more than 21 years of music-making, John Carlin, Paul Heck and Béco Dranoff have worked with a catalog of artists that even the prolific labels can’t rival — U2, Annie Lennox, David Byrne, Nirvana, the Beastie Boys, the National, Bon Iver and Beck, among many others.
The producers behind the Red Hot Organization have some kind of clout in the music industry.
In their more than 21 years of music-making, John Carlin, Paul Heck and Béco Dranoff have worked with a catalog of artists that even the prolific labels can’t rival — U2, Annie Lennox, David Byrne, Nirvana, the Beastie Boys, the National, Bon Iver and Beck, among many others.
- 6/29/2011
- by Nick Andersen
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Frontwoman Amy Lee says band's first LP in five years will be 'more of a group project.'
By James Montgomery
Evanescence's Amy Lee
Photo: Chris Gordon/ Getty Images
Evanescence are set to return in October with their first album in more than five years, according to frontwoman/mastermind Amy Lee.
In a new interview with Billboard, Lee says that the follow-up to the band's multiplatinum The Open Door is nearly complete — they're putting the finishing touches on it in Nashville — and is scheduled to hit stores on October 4 through the band's longtime label, Wind-up Records.
And, as is the case with seemingly everything Evanescence, there was certainly no shortage of drama surrounding its creation ... including an 18-month hiatus Lee took from the group at the conclusion of the Door touring cycle.
"I just sort of took off and didn't know what I was going to do next and wasn't...
By James Montgomery
Evanescence's Amy Lee
Photo: Chris Gordon/ Getty Images
Evanescence are set to return in October with their first album in more than five years, according to frontwoman/mastermind Amy Lee.
In a new interview with Billboard, Lee says that the follow-up to the band's multiplatinum The Open Door is nearly complete — they're putting the finishing touches on it in Nashville — and is scheduled to hit stores on October 4 through the band's longtime label, Wind-up Records.
And, as is the case with seemingly everything Evanescence, there was certainly no shortage of drama surrounding its creation ... including an 18-month hiatus Lee took from the group at the conclusion of the Door touring cycle.
"I just sort of took off and didn't know what I was going to do next and wasn't...
- 6/21/2011
- MTV Music News
Br Roger Friedman
HollywoodNews.com: Well, well. “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” has actually improved. I saw it on Friday night, and there were no glitches or stops of any kind. The flying and all the special effects were absolutely thrilling. After about 100 performances, the aerialists actually seem comfortable and are having fun with the show.
Of course, past mistakes led to yesterday’s three fines from Osha amounting to $12,500 apiece. But those fines were for old business. “Spider Man” now looks like it never had a problem. And now it has an actual ending–a pretty cool one, in fact, that brings the audience to their feet. The ending is going to be a big deal because it’s what people remember about a show.
Let’s face it: “Spider Man” has a weak book. That is never going to change drastically, although there have been lots of tweaks,...
HollywoodNews.com: Well, well. “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” has actually improved. I saw it on Friday night, and there were no glitches or stops of any kind. The flying and all the special effects were absolutely thrilling. After about 100 performances, the aerialists actually seem comfortable and are having fun with the show.
Of course, past mistakes led to yesterday’s three fines from Osha amounting to $12,500 apiece. But those fines were for old business. “Spider Man” now looks like it never had a problem. And now it has an actual ending–a pretty cool one, in fact, that brings the audience to their feet. The ending is going to be a big deal because it’s what people remember about a show.
Let’s face it: “Spider Man” has a weak book. That is never going to change drastically, although there have been lots of tweaks,...
- 3/6/2011
- by Roger Friedman
- Hollywoodnews.com
After being savaged by the critics last week, the producers of the Spider-Man tuner are hoping to plug the holes in the plot with a rewrite by Roberto Aguirre-Sacas. The reviews that skewered "Turn Off the Dark," which is still in previews after almost three months, all made mention of the weakness of the book by director Julie Taymor and Glen Berger. Aguirre-Sacas has had success in a variety of venues, with 10 off-Broadway plays, three seasons of "Big Love," and a range of comic books, including several "Spider-Man" titles. He also revamped the book for the 1966 musical "It's a Bird ... It's a Plane ... It's Superman" for a well-received run last year in Dallas. Also new to the show is the British record producer Steve Lillywhite who has worked with novice Broadway composers Bono and The Edge and the rest of U2 on eight albums. Lillywhite won the 2005 Grammy Award...
- 2/17/2011
- Gold Derby
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has been hired to rewrite Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. The troubled Broadway musical is based off of the book written by Julie Taymor and Glen Berger.
Aguirre-Sacasa is a good choice since one of the biggest criticisms about the musical it is that the webslinger lacks and insiders voice. He definitely has a grasp on Spidey, having written a number of Spider-Man comics for Marvel. He recently wrote a book to the Charles Strouse/Lee Adams musical It's A Plane, It's Superman! which was a hit at the Dallas Theatre Center. He also writes on the HBO series Big Love.
The $65 million musical has recently received horrible reviews and been slammed with safety violations. It's production has been pushed back a fifth time to a March 15 opening night. Bono and The Edge recently brought in their record producer Steve Lillywhite. This hiring has been the the most...
Aguirre-Sacasa is a good choice since one of the biggest criticisms about the musical it is that the webslinger lacks and insiders voice. He definitely has a grasp on Spidey, having written a number of Spider-Man comics for Marvel. He recently wrote a book to the Charles Strouse/Lee Adams musical It's A Plane, It's Superman! which was a hit at the Dallas Theatre Center. He also writes on the HBO series Big Love.
The $65 million musical has recently received horrible reviews and been slammed with safety violations. It's production has been pushed back a fifth time to a March 15 opening night. Bono and The Edge recently brought in their record producer Steve Lillywhite. This hiring has been the the most...
- 2/17/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
The Julie Taymor show Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is the most expensive Broadway production of all time, and one of the most troubled. It has been delayed multiple times, beset by injuries and subsequent investigations and union issues, and met with a scathing critical response. And yet, because reason rarely triumphs over curiosity, tickets are selling like crazy. The official opening date has been pushed back to March 15, and now in the three weeks before that date producers have reportedly hired Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa to rewrite the book originally created by Julie Taymor and Glen Berger. He's also writing the American Psycho musical, but more important has written comics for Marvel, including a couple of Spider-Man stories. We don't know what changes he'll make, but given that reviews of Turn Off the Dark call it static, sketchy, ill-formed, incoherent, and tedious, there is some Herculean work to be done. One review called it "beyond repair,...
- 2/17/2011
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
I'm told that the producers of the troubled Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark have hired Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa to rewrite the book originally done by Julie Taymor and Glen Berger. Considering that one of the criticisms of the show is that it lacks an insider's voice about the webslinger, Aguirre-Sacasa is a strong choice. While his credits include most recently writing a new book to the Charles Strouse/Lee Adams musical It's A Plane, It's Superman! that was a hit at the Dallas Theatre Center, he has also written Spider-Man comics for Marvel. He also writes on the HBO series Big Love and Aguirre-Sacasa is repped by Wme. The $65 million production pushed back a fifth time to a March 15 opening night, but most critics weighed in this month with scathing reviews. Songwriters Bono and The Edge recently brought in their record producer Steve Lillywhite, and the production has been...
- 2/16/2011
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Beady Eye, photographed by Steve Gullick. Beady Eye were born on August 28, 2009, the night Oasis died. Backstage at Paris’s annual Rock en Seine festival, Noel and Liam Gallagher, bedeviling each other since childhood, entered into what would prove their final altercation (involving the smashing of Liam’s prize guitar and a hastily released statement from Noel explaining, “I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer”). Noel will eventually issue his solo debut, but it’s the younger Liam who is firing first. Britpop’s prettiest star (last year voted the Greatest Frontman of All Time by Q magazine, over James Brown, Mick Jagger, Freddie Mercury, and Bono) recently launched Pretty Green, his own fashion line (inspired by classic British Mod-gear of the early 60s) and on March 1 will release Different Gear, Still Speeding, by his new group Beady Eye (featuring former Oasis guitarist Gem Archer,...
- 2/7/2011
- Vanity Fair
After the dissolution of Oasis in 2009 due to irreconcilable differences between the Gallagher brothers, Liam Gallagher and two other Oasis bandmates formed Beady Eye. The band’s debut album Different Gear, Still Speeding was recorded at Rak Studios in London last fall with Grammy Award-winning producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, Dave Matthews Band, The Smiths). Beady Eye’s now permanent lineup consists of Gallagher, Gem Archer, Andy Bell and Chris Sharrock....
- 1/25/2011
- Pastemagazine.com
Show will remain in previews until March 15 as producers work out kinks.
By Gil Kaufman
"Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"
Photo: Marvel
Stop us if you've heard this one before. The star-crossed Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" has been handed yet another setback. The beleaguered $65 million show — which just celebrated its first bit of good news when it was revealed that it was the highest-grossing musical on Broadway for the first week of January — will stay in previews a bit longer due to ongoing technical issues.
The The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday (January 14) that the opening night of the show has been pushed back a fifth time and is now scheduled for March 15. Producers said they need time to work out the kinks in a new ending to the most expensive production to ever hit the Great White Way.
Director Julie Taymor and U2's Bono...
By Gil Kaufman
"Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"
Photo: Marvel
Stop us if you've heard this one before. The star-crossed Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" has been handed yet another setback. The beleaguered $65 million show — which just celebrated its first bit of good news when it was revealed that it was the highest-grossing musical on Broadway for the first week of January — will stay in previews a bit longer due to ongoing technical issues.
The The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday (January 14) that the opening night of the show has been pushed back a fifth time and is now scheduled for March 15. Producers said they need time to work out the kinks in a new ending to the most expensive production to ever hit the Great White Way.
Director Julie Taymor and U2's Bono...
- 1/14/2011
- MTV Music News
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark lead producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris announced last night that British record producer Steve Lillywhite came on-board to help fine-tune the musical numbers. According to Deadline, adjusting the musical performances and a new ending for the show meant pushing back the official opening of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark from Feb. 7 to March 15. The latest re-scheduling of the “official” opening night was just the latest chapter in a series of setbacks and high drama for the Broadway Spider-Man.
- 1/14/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark lead producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris announced last night that British record producer Steve Lillywhite came on-board to help fine-tune the musical numbers. According to Deadline, adjusting the musical performances and a new ending for the show meant pushing back the official opening of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark from Feb. 7 to March 15. The latest re-scheduling of the “official” opening night was just the latest chapter in a series of setbacks and high drama for the Broadway Spider-Man.
- 1/14/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Steve Lillywhite, the British record producer who has collaborated with U2 on eight albums, has been brought in by Bono and Julie Taymor to work with the performers on the music for the $65 million Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. I'm told that he's been a fixture this week at the Foxwoods Theatre, helping the cast with the songs penned by Bono and The Edge as they prepare for the February 7 opening night of the best musical that Glenn Beck has ever seen. In Lillywhite, the Spidey cast gets a producer who has working with everyone from Peter Gabriel to the Talking Heads, Dave Matthews Band, and the Rolling Stones. Lillywhite was also in the mix for a bit to replace Simon Cowell on American Idol.
- 1/13/2011
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Evanescence have revealed that they have recorded "killer" material for their upcoming album. The group, who are working on the follow-up to 2006's The Open Door with producer Steve Lillywhite, said they have experimented with an "electronic" sound on the LP, which he believes takes "really big risks". "There are new colours in the pattern," Kerrang! quotes him as saying. "There's a lot of cool new things going on, both electronically and futuristically. "I think [Amy Lee is] doing something that's (more)...
- 1/11/2011
- by By Robert Copsey
- Digital Spy
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