It’s Official: The Raconteurs Releasing Album Next Week

Looks like the rumors making their way around the Internet earlier today were true: The Raconteurs have confirmed they will release their second album next Tuesday, March 25th. The record, titled Consolers of the Lonely, will contain fourteen new tracks and be available in three formats: vinyl, CD and digital (with fans also having the option to buy a 320kb version of Consolers from the band’s official site). “We wanted to get this record to fans, the press, radio, etc., all at the EXACT SAME TIME so that no one has an upper hand on anyone else regarding its availability, reception or perception,” the band said in a statement. [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-03-18 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Rock Reality Show Recap: Crappy Groups Galore Grace the Premiere of “The Next Great American Band”

The producers of American Idol think they can find The Next Great American Band on TV (and no, they’re not talking about the next great Grand Funk Railroad). We think we can find some pleasure in this pursuit with our Rock Reality Show Recaps. Here’s our first report: Two Great American Reality Hours in Three Sentences: The producers of American Idol scoured the nation for sixty bands, drove them to a stage in “the heart of the desert” and, unfortunately, did not do the world a great service by leaving them all there. We met our judges who already fit the Idol mold perfectly: the prickly veteran (Aussie Idol judge Ian “Dicko” Dickson), the overly nice diplomat (Sheila E., doing a perfect Paula) and someone to break their ties (Goo Goo Doll John Rzeznick). Twelve bands were chosen, but just one will emerge victorious … and dozens of others will have already sacrificed their dignity for a few extra MySpace hits. Best Next Great American Bands Bands: Of the twelve finalists chosen, most of them are glorified local bands who somehow convinced three judges and a team of producers they have potential: lame Maroon 5 clones (the Hatch), way-sloppy girl punks (Rocket), something with a lot of eyeliner and leaping (Dot Dot Dot), and a twelve-piece big band that doesn’t realize the swing-revival revival is still like fifteen years off (Denver and the Mile High Orchestra). Only two bands are truly worth putting a sawbuck in the office pool: Philly heavy-soul crew Franklin Bridge who have an air-tight mix of funk, rock and chops; and Nashville’s Sixwire, whose Sawyer-Brown-meets-Big-And-Rich-style blend of country, rock and fast-rap will probably go the Daughtry route and sell bazillions no matter if they win or not. (Advantage: They were signed to Warner Bros. in 2002 and are now the veteran also-rans competing in a contest of amateurs and future also-rans) Saddest Great American Moment: The entire episode worked on the premise t

Published: 2007-10-22 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock Reality Show Recaps

Mick Jagger Says Stones Will Keep Rocking, Radiohead Still in Talks With Former Label, Zeppelin Ticket Passwords Hit eBay

“I’m sure the Rolling Stones will do more things and more records and more tours. We’ve got no plans to stop any of that really,” Mick Jagger said when answering fan-submitted questions for BBC News. Many assumed the band would stop touring after the recent completion of their two-year Guinness-record-setting Bigger Bang outing. Radiohead’s former label EMI confirms it’s still in talks with the band, who will independently release In Rainbows next week. An EMI rep told Music Week, “Radiohead have always looked to experiment with new ways of working and we continue to discuss with them future plans.” The band’s guitarist, Jonny Greenwood, apologized to fans experiencing difficulties with the online pre-order system for the album: “It’s getting busy in there — busier than they expected.” Boy-band mogul Lou Pearlman’s former assistant reveals he “would absolutely say [Pearlman] was a sexual predator. All the talent knew what Lou’s game was,” in the new issue of Vanity Fair. Pearlman was most recently indicted on five counts of fraud earlier this summer. Eve’s next album has been bumped back again — to next year. Hear I Am will be the MC’s first LP since 2002’s Eve-olution. Led Zeppelin fans locked out of the ticket lottery to November 26th’s reunion show can still get tickets — if they’re willing to pay big bucks. Tickets have already appeared on re-selling sites, and passwords are popping up for sale on eBay.

Published: 2007-10-03 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Morning News Roundup

Arcade Fire To Tour With LCD Soundsystem, Amy Winehouse To Sing Next Bond Theme? And More

Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem will be touring together this fall in what has to be the ultimate dream bill of the contemporary hipster. A few dates have already been announced — including the requisite no-band-is-big-until-they’ve-played-here stop at Red Rocks in Denver on September 17th. Stay tuned for more date announcements as they come in. Will Amy Winehouse put her spin on the next Bond theme song? The film composer for the next Bond flick - out sometime next year - hopes so. “Amy Winehouse had the best record of last year,” David Arnold said. “I haven’t asked her yet, but I think she’d be good, although Bond songs can be a bit of a war zone.” Wilco has tacked on another 11 shows to their list of summer tour dates. Beginning August 14 in Duluth, MN, the band will tour through Canada, the northwest and down into California. Keyboardist and songwriter Richard Bell, who played with Janis Joplin and The Band, and worked as a studio musician alongside the likes of Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt, has died. After a long battle with multiple myeloma the musician finally succumbed on June 15th in a Toronto hospital. He was 61. Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne have sold their famous house in Beverly Hills to Christina Aguilera. “I don’t want to stay in that house any more,” Ozzy " target="blank">reportedly said. “The house holds bad memories for me because it reminds me of the terrible time Sharon got cancer and of times when me and the kids were doped out of our minds.” Fair enough. Photo:Winter/Getty

Published: 2007-06-20 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Morning News Roundup

Hawthorne Heights Prep for Bamboozle Without Casey Calvert, Talk New LP

Hawthorne Heights’ performance at next weekend’s Bamboozle Left festival will be their first show since the untimely passing of guitarist/screamer Casey Calvert last November, and the band still isn’t sure how it will go down. “There is one song that we’re playing especially for Casey. It’s a new song,” says drummer Eron Bucciarelli. “Once we’re out there, we’ll announce it and let people know what it is. It’s going to be on our next album, but the song is still a work in progress and we’re changing it day by day.” The band — Bucciarelli, frontman JT Woodruff, guitarist Micah Carli and bassist Matt Ridenour — have been sorting through material from 2004’s The Silence in Black and White and 2006’s If Only You Were Lonely to see what will work best for next Sunday’s show in Irvine, California. “We have to relearn these songs and figure out how we’re going to play them with just the four of us,” explains Bucciarelli. Calvert, who accidentally overdosed from a mixture of prescribed anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medication and a painkiller for a root canal, was an integral part of Hawthorne Heights. “We played around with the idea of sampling his screaming parts from our records and just playing this through the PA, but we decided that that wasn’t really real and that it would be better to just let the fans scream along to those parts if they want,” Bucciarelli says. Hawthorne Heights have learned several hard lessons in the past year. Prior to Calvert’s death, the band filed a lawsuit against Victory Records for breach of contract and has also had to defend the counterclaims. Last March, a judge ruled in Hawthorne’s Heights’ favor, saying that the label does not hold exclusive rights to the band’s recordings, but the matter is far from over. “We want to be able to release a record however we want. We had sort of been misguided a little bit at the beginning of that whole process. I think if we knew then what we know now, we may not

Published: 2008-03-27 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Rewind: The Week in Rock Daily

Rolling Stone went in the studio to get the exclusive scoop on the next Coldplay album, plus a first listen to Mariah Carey’s E=MC² and http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/02/25/in-the-studio-the-black-keys/" target="blank">the early word on the Black Keys’ Danger Mouse-produced new work. Dave Clark Five singer Mike Smith passed away, as did Band of Gypsys drummer Buddy Miles. Panic at the Disco’s fans demanded to know the group’s favorite Beatles and shower songs. The band answered these questions in more in our Ask a Rock Star video feature. Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood teamed up in New York and broke out Hendrix covers, Blind Faith songs and more. Rock Daily pondered whether Perez Hilton could ever become the next Clive Davis. [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-02-29 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Rock Reality Show Recap: Rocket and the Muggs Get Pink Slips on Billy Joel Week of “The Next Great American Band”

The producers of American Idol think they can find The Next Great American Band on TV (and no, they’re not talking about the next great Grand Funk Railroad). We think we can find some pleasure in this pursuit with our Rock Reality Show Recaps. Here’s our fourth report: Two Great American Reality Hours in Three Sentences: Occasionally tuneless Detroit garage-rockers the Muggs and always-tuneless gal-punx Rocket, two bands Dicko claimed were a victim of “death by lead singer,” were sent home. After last week’s catty diatribe by the Hatch (”I’d like to say that America has spoken … I think about 300 people in Nebraska have spoken”) neither band were allowed to say goodbye beyond a silent blown kiss and an uncomfortable fidget. The remaining eight bands (including all the country groups — shocking news about a show where Americans choose the results) covered Billy Joel. The complete lack of rap groups on the series makes our yearning for the inevitable hip-hop “We Didn’t Start the Fire” cover even more tangible. Best Great American Band: While RS fave Franklin Bridge did a hard-rockin’ “Big Shot” that mirrored their winning twenty-ingredients-in-one-pot style (”Kickstart My Heart” whammy bar noise, slow soul, a little funk-metal, a reggae lilt, some dramatic “spirit finger” hand motions), they sadly took the judges’ advice from last week and dialed back their pyrotechnic drumming. The best band was actually the Clark Brothers, whose gorgeous, minimal and subdued version of “She’s Got a Way” was the only emotionally gripping cover of anything performed on the show to date. Dicko praised them for their conviction, the audience waved their arms like idiots. Worst Great American Band: Bluegrass BBQ-ers Cliff Wagner And The Old #7 complained that Billy Joel isn’t really suited to their style of music, and did a twangy cover of “Yo

Published: 2007-11-13 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock Reality Show Recaps

Lunchtime Poll: Who Should Sing With The Mary Chain Next?

This whole Jesus and Mary Chain reuniting thing is going even better than expected. Not only is the band reportedly not sucking live at all, but they’ve recruited both Giant Drag’s potty-mouthed punk rock Lolita Annie Hardy and aspiring crooner Scarlett Johansson to sing “Just Like Honey” with them. (Hardy joined the band during a pre-Coachella warmup gig, while Johansson performed with the Reid brothers at Coachella). You are with the Reid brothers tonight. They’re making up their list of prospective indie credible princesses with whom they’d like to next sing. As usual they can’t agree. You step in as the rock collaboration moderator. Who goes on the list and what song do they perform with the band? (We’re voting for Feist or Becky Stark from Lavender Diamond.)

Published: 2007-04-30 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Lunchtime Poll

Green Day Cut Secret New Album

Fans waiting for a new Green Day record are about to get one. Sort of: The Bay Area punks have just revealed that the rowdy garage-rock band called Foxboro Hot Tubs — who posted six tunes online in December — is in fact the rock superstars working under a pseudonym. And just as two of the new tracks are gaining traction on rock radio, Green Day have announced that the Foxboro Hot Tubs’ full-length album, Stop Drop and Roll, will be out “any day.” Billie Joe Armstrong and Co. say they consider the FHT album, recorded with perennial Green Day sidemen Jason White and Jason Freese, to be “the next Green Day record.” “We record live to an eight-track reel-to-reel machine,” they say in an e-mail to Rolling Stone. “We write songs as we go, on the fly, fast and spontaneous.” From the design of the Foxboro Hot Tubs’ Website — which includes Sixties clips of girls dancing the Swim and the Jerk — to the style of music, Green Day are riffing on the aesthetic of classic garage bands like the Animals and the Kinks on this project. Specifically, their inspirations were “red wine and the Troggs,” they say. The upbeat FHT tunes are presumably very different from the material the trio have been working on for the follow-up to their ambitious megahit, American Idiot, which sources expect out this year. “I want to dig into who I am and what I’m feeling at this moment — which is middle-aged,” Armstrong told Rolling Stone late last year. “We’ve been doing this for almost twenty years.” The project gives Green Day a chance to blow off steam before forging ahead with their next official album. “This is them having fun,” says a source close to the band. And it’s not the first time they’ve used a pseudonym: In 2003, while working on American Idiot, Green Day released a spiky New Wave LP as the Network. Of course, fans did

Published: 2008-04-17 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

News Ticker: Counting Crows, Fall Out Boy, Elton John, ABBA

Counting Crows will go on a mini-tour of Apple stores to promote next week’s release of Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings. The tour kicks off March 27th at New York’s SoHo location, continues at to Los Angeles on April 3rd and San Francisco on April 6th before ending in Chicago on April 9th. Fall Out Boy will become the first band ever to perform on all seven continents after their March 25th show at a scientific colony in Antarctica. Elton John will give his first solo concert in eight years at Radio City Music Hall on April 9th. The gig, called “Elton and Hillary: One Night Only” will benefit Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. The death of ABBA drummer Ola Brunkert was ruled an accident that occurred when Brunkert fatally cut his neck after smashing his head on a glass door in his dining room. [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-03-18 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Morning News Roundup

Interview Panic at the Disco at RollingStone.com!

If you could ask Panic at the Disco one thing, what would it be? Want to know what their favorite coffee shop is in Las Vegas? Curious about a particular lyric? Figure it out and let us know, because we’ll be talking to the spunky theatrical punk band next week, and we want questions from you. Send us a YouTube video of yourself asking a question to the band, and the best of the lot will run in a special video Q&A with Panic at the Disco next week. Put that webcam to good use by February 21st at 9 AM EST. To submit your video question, you can either: Join our YouTube group here and upload your video to the group, or Upload your video to a video-hosting site (YouTube, MySpace Videos, Vimeo, etc.) and email the URL of your uploaded video to: askarockstar@gmail.com. Please: NO ATTACHMENTS! We will not accept video files. RollingStone.com reserves the right to edit videos for length and/or clarity. And there’s no use in asking what songs inspired their band name, either – no questions you can answer by looking at their Wikipedia entry! Related Stories: High School Musical Panic In the Mosh Pit Panic! at the Disco Dance [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-02-14 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Ask a Rock Star, Rock Daily

Rolling Stones “Shine a Light” on Universal, Tenure With EMI Likely Over

The Rolling Stones have signed a one-album deal with Universal Music Group for the release of their next album, the live soundtrack to Martin Scorsese’s concert film Shine a Light. The Universal deal likely spells the end of the Stones’ sixteen-year partnership with EMI, as the band’s record contract with that label expires next month. If they do sign a long-term deal with another label, the Stones would join Paul McCartney and Radiohead as the latest big-name artist to exit EMI in the wake of their tumultuous takeover by private equity firm Terra Firma. Earlier this week, EMI head Guy Hands announced that the label would allow for the corporating sponsoring of bands, as well as cut 1,500-2,000 jobs in order to free up $400 million. Still-contracted EMI artists like Robbie Williams, the Verve and Coldplay hinted at withholding new albums until EMI proved they were capable of appropriately promoting and distributing those releases. Scorsese filmed Shine A Light during two Stones gigs at New York City’s relatively intimate Beacon Theatre in 2006. Among the special guests who joined the band on stage were Jack White and Christina Aguilera. The film will debut at the Berlin Film Festival next month before hitting American cinemas on April 4th. Related Stories: EMI Chairman Confirms Cutbacks, Says Bands May Be Sponsored Like Football Teams Rolling Stones Doc Set to Drop Trailer for Scorsese’s Rolling Stones Documentary [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2008-01-17 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Rolling Stones, The Industry

Beck’s “Odelay” Goes Deluxe, Lily Allen and Jamie Lynn Spears Announce Pregnancies, The Band and Burt Bacharach Score Lifetime Achievement Grammys and More

On January 29th, Beck will release a double-disc deluxe version of his 1996 album Odelay that includes sixteen B-sides and compilation tracks that haven’t seen U.S. release before, as well as two never-before-released songs from the album’s original sessions produced by the Dust Brothers: “Inferno” and “Gold Chains.” The second disc also includes remixes by Aphex Twin, Mario Caldato Jr. and U.N.K.L.E., plus “Burro,” a Spanish-language rendition of “Jackass” recorded with a mariachi band. Lily Allen and her boyfriend, Chemical Brothers’ Ed Simons, have confirmed they are expecting their first child. Allen’s rep told Us Weekly, “As the pregnancy is at such an early stage, the couple will be making no further comment, but they are obviously thrilled by the news,” and added that Allen’s follow-up to this year’s Alright, Still, “will be released as planned next year.” ‘Tis the season for pregnancy announcements: Sixteen-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney’s little sis and star of Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101, is reportedly expecting her first child with boyfriend Casey Aldridge. In a statement, Nickelodeon said, “We respect Jamie Lynn’s decision to take responsibility in this sensitive and personal situation.” After the news became public, the Christian publisher planning to release a parenting-themed title penned by mom Lynne Spears next year said the book is “delayed indefinitely … delayed, not canceled.” But at least one person doesn’t think the baby news is true: Britney told paparazzi, “My sister’s not pregnant!” while out shopping last night. Metallica are adding more international festival dates to their early summer itinerary, fueling speculation that the follow-up to 2003’s St. Anger will be released around then. The band has scheduled dates in Poland and the Netherlands at th

Published: 2007-12-19 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Morning News Roundup

Pink Floyd to Challenge Led Zeppelin to “More Significant Reunion” Battle?

The battle of the rock reunions might be on. While Led Zeppelin figures out what their next move is following their triumphant performance at London’s O2 Arena, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason has opened the door to future Floyd shows. Literally. Mason told XFM that 2005’s Live 8 event “showed that the door can be opened” for future Floyd reunions. It took an event as large as Live 8 (and Hell freezing over) for Pink Floyd to reunite for the first time in twenty-one years back in 2005, and it’ll likely take an event of equal or greater magnitude to get the band together a second time. “If there was a suitable reason or things change a bit in the next year or two and everybody suddenly thinks, ‘Well, actually, I really would like to do that’ then I think it’ll happen,” Mason explained, but “the only thing that would generate it would be something the equivalent of Live 8.” As for the band’s aborted reunion at last year’s Syd Barrett tribute, Mason, who moonlights as a rock fantasy-camp counselor, blames bad timing, and not ill will, for that failed get-together. “Roger [Waters] was on at Earls Court the next day and so he’d arranged to go on early [at the tribute gig] and Dave [Gilmour] couldn’t get there ’til late … so everything conspired against us but it wasn’t a case of ‘We’re not going to play together,’” Mason explained. So will a reunited Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin exist in the same universe? When pigs fly, maybe. Related Stories: Pink Floyd Reunites (Almost) Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Smiths: The Vegas Odds on the Next Big Reunion Video: The Simpsons Bring Pink Floyd to Life [Photo: Getty]

Published: 2007-12-19 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Wilco to Play Their “Complete” Catalog Over Five Nights, Quiet Riot Singer’s Death Ruled Overdose, More

Wilco will “attempt the complete Wilco” during a five-night stint in their Chicago hometown, frontman Jeff Tweedy told Billboard. “We’ll try to clear out the dusty corners of the catalog that we haven’t attended to in a while,” he added. The band will play the Riviera Theatre February 15-16 and 18-20 before heading out on a short spring tour in the Northeast and Southern states. The death of Quiet Riot singer Kevin Dubrow has been ruled an accidental cocaine overdose by Nevada’s Clark County Coroner based on toxicology results that arrived yesterday. Dubrow was found dead in his Las Vegas home last month. The Mars Volta will hit the road in January to promote their fourth album, The Bedlam in Goliath, out January 29th. Marilyn Manson has also announced additional dates on his Eat Me, Drink Me tour for early next year. Dates for both bands after the jump. A new study by RZO accountants Bill Zysblat and Joe Rascoff has concluded that U.S. musicians will benefit from overseas touring thanks to the weakening value of the dollar. The firm, which has calculated tour finances for huge acts from the Rolling Stones to the Police, estimates “a ticket two years ago that was EUR100 got the band $100. Today that same ticket gets the band $147,” Zysblat says. He also predicts that while U.S. bands may start spending more time overseas, this could mean less time on U.S. soil by foreign acts. Just in time for the holiday season, R. Kelly is releasing a deluxe package version of his Trapped in the Closet DVD today which features all twenty-four installments of the exaggerated drama. Among the extra features are running commentary from Kelly, a DVD trivia game and live performances of several chapters. And there’s more: Kelly, who’s currently on tour and awaiting another hearing next week in his child-porn trial, is also launching trappedintheclosetmerchandise.com to sell shirts with the faces of Closet’s chara

Published: 2007-12-12 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Morning News Roundup, On Tour

Zeppelin Watch: Ian Astbury says The Cult Will Open for Led Zep in Cincinnati Next Year

During a gig at a small Cincinnati club last Saturday, Cult singer Ian Astbury let slip that the Cult will be opening for Led Zeppelin during the band’s still-unannounced 2008 reunion tour. “We’ll be back next year,” Astbury assured the Cincy faithful. “Because we’re opening for a band you may have heard of… the name starts with an ‘L’ and has a ‘Z’ in it.” Before you could say “Liz Phair” or “Limp Bizkit,” Astbury was nodding to confirm that the band in question was Led Zeppelin. Neither representatives for Led Zeppelin nor for The Cult had any comment, and thus far, Zeppelin has neither confirmed nor denied a full-blown reunion tour. Jimmy Page hopes for a full jaunt, while Robert Plant remains pessimistic of the reunion lasting any longer than the band’s one-night-only show on December 10th at London’s O2 Arena. Here’s what we think happened: The Cult were probably told that, if the Zep show goes well and they do decide to tour, The Cult would be offered an opening slot on the tour. Astbury likely took this to mean that the Cult had just scored the best opening gig in rockdom, and proudly proclaimed this at the Cinci show — even though Zeppelin themselves have not finalized any tour plans. Whether Astbury’s announcement endangers any prospective tour, or the Cult’s opening slot, remains to be seen. But the chances of a full Zeppelin tour are a lot better than they were last week.

Published: 2007-11-22 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Led Zeppelin Reunion