News Roundup: 3/22/2011

Pinetop Perkins, a blues pianist who won a Grammy last month for his Joined at the Hip album, has died at his home in Austin, Texas. He was 97. Perkins’ career included collaborations with Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, and BB King, the latter of whom called him “one of the last great Mississippi bluesmen” in a statement. [NME.com] R.I.P. also to British bassist Jet Harris, who performed with the Shadows during the first half-decade of the band’s career. Harris’ playing can be heard on the Shadows’ 1961 debut, which became the first instrumental LP to top the U.K. charts, as well as the band’s international smash “Apache.” After leaving the group in the early ’60s, he charted several more European hits as the duet partner of drummer Tony Meehan. [Pitchfork.com]

News Roundup: 3/21/2011

Wyclef Jean was shot in Haiti on Saturday night, sustaining an injury from a bullet that grazed his hand. In an interview with NME, Jean said, “I got out of the car and heard gunfire … The next day I noticed there was blood on my shirt and speakers. I have no idea who fired the rounds or whether they were shooting at me.” Jean was in the city of Delma for Haiti’s general election. The former Fugees member attempted to run in the election for the country’s president, but ended his campaign in September because he had not lived in Haiti during the run up to the election. [Billboard.com] South by Southwest is done for another year, but 2011’s festivities didn’t go off without a hitch. Death From Above 1979’s surprise show on Saturday night was halted by police when fans tore down a small fence behind the venue in which the duo was playing. On Friday, Screeching Weasel’s Ben Weasel attacked two women at the band’s show; according to the L.A. Times, he was upset over ice being thrown onstage (he later apologized for the outburst). OMD’s performance at Stubbs on Friday was marred when an unauthorized camera boom fell, resulting in audience injuries that sent four crowd members to the hospital. Due to incidents like these, the festival’s organizers will collaborate with the City of Austin to limit free events at SXSW 2012. [NME.com, MXDWN.com, TheDailySwarm.com]

News Roundup: 3/18/2011

Gettin’ down on Friday! Rebecca Black’s now-infamous “Friday” continues to enjoy success on the internet and the charts, having racked up more than 16 million Youtube views in the past two weeks. Since its release on iTunes earlier this week, the official single has climbed to number 31 on the digital retailer’s charts. And that’s not counting the sales it’s been getting today — Friday — which will likely bump it into the chart’s upper reaches. [www.Apple.com] Damon Albarn’s second musical theater production, “Doctor Dee,” will debut this summer at the Manchester International Festival. Based upon the life of 16th-century alchemist John Dee, the show will star the Blur frontman himself. [RollingStone.com]

News Roundup: 3/17/2011

R.I.P. acid jazz guitarist Melvin Sparks, who died of heart failure at his home in Mt. Vernon, NY. Sparks began as a soul-jazz guitarist in the ’60s and ’70s, playing with artists including Lou Donaldson. Those sounds inspired a new generation of players in the ’90s and 2000s, such as the Greyboy Allstars, Galactic and Derek Trucks. Sparks restarted his recording career with 1997’s I’m a Gittar Player; his last release was 2006’s Groove on Up. [Gibson.com] Jack White performed an impromptu show at SXSW as part of Third Man Records Rolling Record Store. White played Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away” and the White Stripes’ “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” to a crowd in a parking lot. He also introduced a new Third Man recording artist, Seasick Steve, who played a short set as well. [TheDailySwarm.com]

News Roundup: 3/16/2011

Rapper Nate Dogg died Tuesday from an undisclosed cause. He was 41. Born Nathaniel D. Hale, Nate Dogg is best known for his collaborations with rappers Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and Warren G., on whose single “Regulate” he appeared in 1994. The Long Beach native’s last solo album was 2003’s Nate Dogg. Although no cause of death were given, he had suffered several strokes in recent years. [L.A.Times.com] Pearl Jam are set to begin work on a new album in April. Bassist Jeff Ament says that once the guys begin work on the follow-up to 2009’s Backspacer, they will also announce more details for the Pearl Jam Twenty Festival, which will most likely take place over Labor Day. Also in the works is an Eddie Vedder solo album due out this year, an album from Ament’s project Tres Mts. (out this week), and drummer Matt Cameron’s new album with Soundgarden. [Billboard.com]

News Roundup: 3/15/2011

Tom Waits, Alice Cooper, Leon Russell, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, and Darlene Love were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last night. The 26th annual induction ceremony also saw its share of surprise guest artists, including Bruce Springsteen (who played guitar for Love), Bette Milder (Love’s duet partner on “He’s a Rebel”), and John Mayer (who supported Russell on “A Song for You”). [Billboard.com] Jon Bon Jovi is taking Steve Jobs down in a blaze of glory. During a recent interview with the Sunday Times Magazine, the singer claimed that the Apple CEO is “personally responsible for killing the music business.” Bon Jovi, whose band earned more money than any touring outfit last year, went on to explain that digital consumers are missing out on the experience of entering a store, buying a physical product, and spending time with the liner notes and cover art. [DigitalMusicNews.com]

News Roundup: 3/14/2011

R.I.P. legendary jazz drummer Joe Morello, who died on March 12 at his home in New Jersey at age 82. Best known for his work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Morello played with the group from the mid-’50s to the late-’60s, recording 60 of the over 120 albums he performed on with the quartet. He was also named best drummer by Downbeat Magazine for five consecutive years and played with Stan Kenton, Jimmy Raney, Glen Gray and Marian McPartland during his career. In later years, Morello became a teacher to drummers including Max Weinberg and Danny Gottlieb. [Spinner.com] R.I.P. also to original Hues Corporation member Bernard St. Clair Lee, who sang on their 1974 disco hit “Rock the Boat.” Lee died at his home in Lake Elsinore, CA last Tuesday from natural causes at age 66. Recently, Lee performed with vocalists Elaine Woodard and Bruce Glover in a reformed Hues Corporation. [LATimes.com]

News Roundup: 3/11/2011

The Beach Boys’ Smile, originally planned as the follow-up to Pet Sounds and ultimately abandoned due to Brian Wilson’s mental instability, will be released by Capitol later this year. Wilson and the surviving Beach Boys have backed the project, which will be co-produced by longtime Beach Boys engineer Mark Linett and archivist Alan Boyd. [Billboard.com] Months after the release of Keith Richards’ tell-all autobiography, former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor — who replaced Brian Jones and played with the band from 1969 to 1974 — has announced plans to write his own bio. Don’t expect another account of drug-fueled, sex-addled debauchery, however. “I don’t want to write the kind of book that will shock people, about the scandals, sex, drugs and rock and roll,” Taylor explained to Gibson.com, “because Keith’s done that with his book.” [Spinner.com]

News Roundup: 3/10/2011

Cheeky Monkeys! Suck it and See is the title of Arctic Monkeys’ upcoming album, which will be released June 6. The band recorded the 12-song set in Los Angeles with producer James Ford, and song titles like “Love is a Laserquest” and “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair” are in keeping with that insouciant album title. [WeAllWantSomeone.org] R.I.P. songwriter Jean Dinning, best known for the maudlin 1959 hit “Teen Angel.” Dinning — whose brother Mark sang the song, which told the story of a young girl who dies tragically — was 86 and survived by two sisters, four children, eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. [AOLNews.com]

News Roundup: 3/9/2011

Original Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr was found dead by police in a Utah home on Tuesday morning. He was 44. Starr, who had been jailed last month for drug possession in Salt Lake City, had battled drug addiction for many years and appeared on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in 2009. While on the show, Starr revealed that he had left Alice in Chains due to his increasing drug use. Alice in Chains’ lead singer Layne Staley died from an overdose of heroin and cocaine in 2002. [MTV.com] Space-rock ensemble Spiritualized have signed with the blues label Fat Possum. Although there is no release date yet for the follow-up to 2008’s Songs in A&E, Spiritualized are scheduled to play a concert on October 11 at London’s Royal Albert Hall — the site of the band’s classic 1997 live album. [Pitchfork.com]

News Roundup: 3/4/2011

A/V Roundup: A leather-clad Lykke Li performs on Last Night with Jimmy Fallon, director Sam Taylor Wood directs the music video for R.E.M.’s “ÜBerlin,” the Strokes go to the opera during the Warren Fu-directed “Under Cover of Darkness,” R.E.M.’s Collapse Into Now streams in its entirety at NPR.org, and Wild Flag premieres its new single “Glass Tambourine.” [Pitchfork.com, Stereogum.com, NPR.org] American Idol trimmed down its roster last night, axing 11 contestants to arrive at the show’s Top 13. Jennifer Lopez’s new video, “On the Floor,” was premiered during the episode’s final minutes. [Billboard.com]

News Roundup: 3/3/2011

The Flaming Lips, Cee-Lo Green, Cake, Wilco and Ke$ha are among the acts booked for Memphis, TN’s eclectic Beale Street Music Festival. Coinciding with the city’s Memphis in May celebration, the fest runs from April 29 to May 2 and will also feature sets by Gregg Allmann, Mumford & Sons, Lucinda Williams, Ludacris and Stone Temple Pilots. [ConsequenceofSound.net] Think pink: Nicki Minaj’s debut album Pink Friday has broken the record for most consecutive weeks in the Top 10 by a female rapper as it spent its 14th week in the upper echelon of the Billboard 200 albums chart. [GigWise.com]

News Roundup: 3/2/2011

Violinist Eugene Fodor, one of the most famous classical musicians of the ’70s, died on Saturday. Best known for winning the second prize at the 1974 International Tchaikovsky Violin Competition in Moscow, Fodor was a media sensation whose rugged good looks and technical proficiency on the violin made him one of the most recognizable classical musicians to the general public. However, beginning with a highly publicized drug arrest in 1989, Fodor’s success foundered and he struggled to keep his career afloat. After battling both drug and alcohol abuse, Fodor died of cirrhosis at his home in Arlington, Va. He was 60 years old. [NYTimes.com] Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy is set to release his ninth solo album on June 7. Fittingly titled Ninth, the album will be Murphy’s first since 2004’s Unshattered. Besides Ninth, there is still no word from Murphy on what, if anything, is going to happen to the tracks he purportedly worked on with recently-passed bassist Mick Karn for the duo’s planned new Dali’s Car album. [Billboard.com]

News Roundup: 2/23/2011

The Strokes are set to play a free show at this years’ SXSW in Austin, Texas. The just announced gig, which will feature the band playing songs from their new album, is scheduled for March 17 at Auditorium Shores Stage and is free to any fans who show up. A video of the show will be posted on the band’s website the next day. The Strokes’ forthcoming album Angles is set for release on March 22.

News Roundup: 2/22/2011

Adele has made chart history, becoming the first living artist since the Beatles to have two titles simultaneously in the top five of both the U.K. singles and album charts. The singer's new album 21 topped the album charts for a fourth week in a row, while her debut 19 rose to the number four position; on the singles chart, the album version of her single "Someone Like You" as well as the version she performed at the Brit Awards earlier in February combined to take the number one spot. The Beatles accomplished this feat in 1964 with the albums With the Beatles and Please Please Me and the singles "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You." [Billboard.com]

Though Radiohead's King of Limbs was just released on Friday, some fans say that the band has more new music on the way. According to these fans, the name of the album's final track "Separator" suggests that the song acts as a "separator" between King of Limbs and a companion piece of music. Another theory posits that since the album is numbered as "TKOL1" in orders, a "TKOL2" could be released soon. [NME.com]

News Roundup: 2/18/2011

In an interesting twist of fate, newly-appointed Smashing Pumpkins bassist Nicole Fiorentino has admitted to being one of the two girls on the cover of Siamese Dream. A former member of Spinnerette and Veruca Salt, the 31 year-old musician says she was initially reluctant to tell Billy Corgan the news, fearing that he wouldn’t let her join the group. [NME.com]
John Strauss, celebrated composer of the Car 54, Where Are You? theme music and the “Amadeus” soundtrack, passed away earlier this week after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. [Spinner.com]
The music video for “Hold It Against Me,” the first single from Britney Spears’ forthcoming Femme Fatale, premiered last night on MTV. In typical Britney fashion, the video includes plenty of costume changes, choreographed routines, and half-naked male dancers. The unexpected highlight, though, is a scene in which she shoots multicolored fluid out of her fingers, Spiderman-style, and proceeds to beat up a clone of herself. Hit her, baby, one more time. [Billboard.com]
Radiohead’s new album, The King of Limbs, has been released ahead of schedule and is currently available for download at thekingoflimbs.com. Watch the video for the album’s first single, “Lotus Flower,” here. [WSJ.com]
Justin Bieber’s week of multi-media craziness — which included the theatrical release of “Never Say Never,” an appearance on the Grammy’s, and a Glee episode partially dedicated to his music — came to a close last night with Bieber’s second (and final) appearance on CSI. Seeking revenge for the death of his brother, Bieber’s character makes a last stand against police and ultimately dies in a hail of gunfire. Watch the clip here. [Billboard.com]
The reunited Soundgarden will return to the studio later this year to record their first album since 1996’s Down on the Upside. In the meantime, fans will have to make do with Live on I-5, a live album featuring performances from the band’s 1996 West Coast tour. Live on I-5 will be released on March 22nd. [RollingStone.com]

News Roundup: 2/16/2011

A concert is in the works by a bevy of artists to perform ’70s cult rock icon Big Star’s infamously troubled final album Third/Sister Lovers. Included in the live show are such artists as Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub, Mitch Easter of Let’s Active, Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo, and others. The concert, which will feature the album’s entire tracklist as well as other Big Star and Chris Bell songs, is set to take place March 26th at Baruch College’s Mason Hall in New York City. [Jambase.com]
Blur guitarist Graham Coxon says it’s likely that the Brit-rock ensemble will record new music this year. Speaking to NME, Coxon says it might take as long as six years for the album to be released. As for his solo career, Coxon says he has two solo albums in the works, as well as a single with singer Paloma Faith and former Coral guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones. The trio recorded the single for Converse, and it’s set for release in April. [NME.com]

British post-punk revivalists Electrelane are reuniting for several summer concert appearances, including London’s Field Day on August 6th. The band previously went on hiatus after the release of their fourth album, 2007’s No Shouts No Calls. [Pitchfork.com]
In other reunion news, Kristin Hersh is recording a new Throwing Muses album. Hersh, who released her memoir Rat Girl in 2010, says the album will be made up of all new material, and will be released via fan support through CASH Music.org. [Mischiefandmayhembooks.com]
Fresh off her Grammy Awards performance, Lady Gaga has hit a milestone with her new single “Born This Way,” which entered the Billboard Hot 100 song chart as the 1,000th leading song in the chart’s 52-year history. The single is one of only 19 titles to ever enter the Hot 100 song chart at number one. [Billboard.com]
Reality TV star Paris Hilton is purportedly set to release a new album in the next few months. Hilton revealed the news to The Hollywood Reporter while attending Usher’s pre-Grammy party. She did not, however, reveal any of the producers or musicians she worked with on the album, which follows her 2006 debut Paris. [Billboard.com]

News Roundup: 2/15/2011

The lineup for Bonnaroo’s 10th annual festival was announced earlier this afternoon. Headliners include Arcade Fire, Eminem, and Bonnaroo mainstays Widespread Panic, while the rest of the lineup includes 2010’s crop of best new artists (Florence + the Machine, Mumford and Sons) 2011’s crop of up-and-comers (The Head and the Heart), enduring legends (Loretta Lynn, Buffalo Springfield), and more than 100 other groups. [Bonnaroo.com]
Lady Gaga, who took home three Grammy Awards on Sunday night, will tape a concert special for HBO this month. “Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden” will be filmed next week during Gaga’s two-night residency at the Manhattan venue. The concert will air on HBO on May 7th. [MTV.com]
In other Grammy news, this year’s show was watched by 26.66 million viewers, the largest audience in 11 years. It also had a positive boost on album sales, with everyone from Best New Artist winner Esperanza Spalding to Album of the Year champs Arcade Fire reporting spikes in their sales figures. [RollingStone.com]
Death Cab for Cutie will release Codes and Keys, their seventh full-length album, on May 31st. Speaking with Spin about the project, Gibbard explained, “It’s not a guitar-based record. We’ve been into vintage keyboards and playing with that palette.” [Spin.com]
In a recent interview with GQ, Billy Ray Cyrus waxes nostalgic on family life before The Hannah Montana Show, claiming that “the damn show destroyed my life” by adversely affecting his daughter, Miley Cyrus. [GQ.com]
Glee may dive into original songs this season. During a pre-Grammy Guild of Music Surpervisors ceremony on Saturday, the show’s music supervisor P.J. Bloom mentioned an upcoming episode devoted entirely to original music. [Billboard.com]

News Roundup: 2/14/2011

Sunday night’s 2011 Grammy Awards were full of surprises going way beyond Lady Gaga arriving to the show in an egg. The night’s biggest upset was either Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs winning Album of the Year over albums by Eminem, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Lady Antebellum, or Esperanza Spalding winning Best New Artist over Justin Bieber. The other Album of the Year nominees didn’t go home empty handed, however. Eminem’s Recovery won Best Rap Album, Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster won Best Pop/Vocal Album and Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now won Best Country album, while its title track won Song of the Year. La Roux’s self-titled debut won Best Electronic/Dance Album; Muse’s The Resistance won Best Rock Album; the Black Keys’ “Brothers” won Best Alternative Music Album and Usher’s Raymond V Raymond won Best Contemporary R&B Album. Standout performances during the show included Cee-Lo Green and Gwyneth Paltrow’s Muppet-assisted duet “F*ck You” and John Mayer, Norah Jones and Keith Urban’s cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” [Hitfix.com; Billboard.com; Popdust.com; Spinner.com; CoverMeSongs.com]
R.I.P. jazz pianist and composer George Shearing, who died of cardiac arrest Monday in New York at age 91. Shearing, who was blind since birth, began his career in his native England and moved to the U.S. after World War II, playing with large groups as well as his critically acclaimed quintet. The group’s hits included “September in the Rain” and the standard “Lullaby of Birdland,” which Shearing wrote. [WashingtonPost.com]
Radiohead’s new album has a name and a release date that is surprisingly soon. King of Limbs, the band’s eighth studio album, will be released via their official site. Unlike In Rainbows, which allowed listeners to pay what they wanted, King of Limbs will be available at one price for an MP3 download and a slightly higher one for lossless audio. A full-fledged version of the album including a compact disc, two 10″ vinyl records, a sleeve full of large and small pieces of artwork and a digital copy of the album, will be available in May. [Ultimate-Guitar.com]
Following the release of her war-themed album Let England Shake, PJ Harvey has been offered the opportunity to become a war correspondent for the Imperial War Museum. Harvey could be given the chance to travel to conflict zones where the British army is fighting. Harvey researched a range of wars for two and a half years before writing Let England Shake’s lyrics. [NME.com]
After scalpers bought many of the tickets to LCD Soundsystem’s final show at Madison Square Garden this April, the band added five more shows at Terminal 5 prior to that date to give fans the chance to see the band during their last hurrah. James Murphy addressed the situation in a post on the band’s website, writing in part ” i just want to give people who actually want to see us a chance to see us. for a reasonable ticket price. and i want to drop the price of the MSG tickets being sold by piece of shit scalpers.” [Stereogum.com]
A/V Roundup: Watch Grammy performances by Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger and Esperanza Spalding; download Yeasayer’s free Valentine’s Day EP; and check out the video for the Foo Fighters’ new single “White Limo.” [SomeKindofAwesome.com; Spinner.com; Popdust.com; ConsequenceofSound.com; RockitOutBlog.com]

News Roundup: 2/11/2011

Lady Gaga’s new single debuted this morning. “Born this Way,” the title track from her forthcoming sophomore album, is a tribute to the LGBTQ community, with positive lyrics (including some unique, demographic-themed rhymes, like pairing “chola descent” with “Orient”) that were leaked earlier this year by Gaga herself. Lady Gaga will perform this weekend at the Grammy Awards. [RollingStone.com]
Enrique Iglesias, Shakira, Camila, and bachata star Juan Luis Guerra are the top nominees for the 22nd annual Billboard Latin Music Awards. The ceremony, which will close out the three-day Billboard Latin Music Conference in Miami Beach, will air live on April 28th. Read the full list of nominations here. [Billboard.com]
Check out the cover art for Angles, the Strokes’ upcoming fourth album, whose New Wave color scheme and angle-filled design look like they were patterned after the ’80s arcade game Q-Bert. [TheStrokes.com via Pitchfork.com]
Justin Beiber’s big-screen documentary, “Never Say Never,” opens nationwide today. The film is currently receiving mixed reviews, with a 65% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Check out the AllMovie review here.[RottenTomatoes.com]
Miley Cyrus will host the March 5th episode of Saturday Night Live, although the young singer/actress won’t be pulling double-duty as the evening’s musical guest. [MTV.com]
Students at the Birmingham City University are now eligible to receive the Ozzy Osbourne Development Award, a newly-created honor aimed at those who excel in the university’s Music Industries degree. UB40 saxophone player Brian Travers, who also has a BCU award named in his honor, visited the school on Tuesday to present the first Ozzy award to 21-year-old Gina Hubbard. [Spinner.com]