The Killers pictures with tag: rock news

News Ticker: Britney Spears, Ticketmaster, Michael Jackson and NME Awards

Britney Spears is reportedly getting ready to film a video for “Hot as Ice,” the third clip from Blackout. Spears will amp up the time she’s been rehearsing, and is “really getting serious about making a comeback.” In a response to recent Live Nation moves that will expand its reach beyond concert promotion, Ticketmaster and Cablevision (the owner of Madison Square Garden Entertainment) are reportedly planning a joint acquisition of 49 percent of AEG Live (the second-biggest concert promoter, which owns London’s O2 Arena and L.A.’s Staples Center). Public documents show Michael Jackson has failed to pay $153,910 on the mortgage for a Los Angeles home owned by his family, in addition to the debt he’s accumulated on Neverland Ranch. The Arctic Monkeys picked up three NME awards at last night’s ceremony, including Best British band. Though she had four nominations, Amy Winehouse only won Worst Dressed, and the Killers were named Best International Band for the second time. [Photo: Getty]

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

Killers’ Joy Divison Cover Hits the Web, M.I.A. Helps Jailed Aussie Kids Rhyme, Jadakiss Free From Gun and Drug Charges

From the Ian Curtis biopic Control, check out the Killers’ take on Joy Division’s “Shadowplay.” The cover, which will also appear on the Killers’ upcoming B-sides collection Sawdust, finds the Las Vegas band putting a glossy sheen on the moody 1979 classic, like it was being filtered through a Depeche Mode machine. Who knew Joy Division could sound so sunny? Following the first trial showdown of the music industry vs. an illegal music downloader, the RIAA promises that many more of its kind will take place, regardless of whether or not Jammie Thomas, a woman in court for downloading 1,702 songs from Kazaa, is found guilty. “We’re in the long haul in terms of establishing that music has value,” said RIAA president Cary Sherman. M.I.A. has teamed up with an Australian all-girls juvenile detention center to record a new song. Through the Heaps Decent program, which helps indigenous and underprivileged youths break into the music industry, M.I.A. spent two days recording the track utilizing the center’s doors and other noises to establish the beat. The finished product will soon be previewed on the Heaps Decent MySpace page before the full track goes on iTunes, with all profits going back into the program. Prosecutors in Westchester County, New York, have dropped year-old weapon and drug charges against Jadakiss over a lack of DNA matches on a handgun found in a car Jadakiss was driving when he was pulled over and cops found the car reeked of marijuana in October 2006. Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Neilsen is planning on opening a hotel/restaurant in the band’s home base of Rockford, Illinois. “Rick’s,” as the building will be called, will also include a museum that will house Neilsen’s large guitar collection, which includes axes previously owned by Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley and Jack White.

Published: 2007-10-05 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Afternoon News Roundup

Paramore and Jimmy Eat World Roll Out Their Road Show in San Antonio

For more exclusive photos from this show, click here. Consider the “internal issues” officially dealt with. Though Paramore cancelled a handful of European dates amidst rumors of breakup and pregnancy, it appears as though the group has worked through the normal everyday problems that afflict a young band learning to grind it out on the road. It couldn’t have come at a better time, too, as Paramore were refreshed and vibrant as they kicked off a U.S. tour opening for Jimmy Eat World, the emo elders who gave the young upstarts a reason to emote in the first place. Last night at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas — night one of a twenty-gig run — Paramore proved their Grammy nomination for Best New Artist wasn’t a fluke, as they buzzsawed through their big, hooky catalog of songs, particularly blowing up on “Born for This,” “crushcrushcrush” and “For a Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic.” A third axeman bolstered the guitar assaults unleashed during regular headbanging sessions. To their cameraphone-waving fans, the big payoff was closer “Misery Business,” the song with its own T-shirt. Shutterbugs gave way to crowd surfers for Jimmy Eat World’s set. It opened with the killer left-right combo of “Big Casino” (off their 2007 album Chase This Light) followed by the old-school jam “Sweetness.” Paramore’s raw energy was obviously rubbing off on the road veterans from Arizona. Despite singer Jim Adkins’ somewhat bitter complaints about their tour geography (”We could have started this tour on the West Coast. We could have started this tour on the East Coast. But no….”), the band’s bright, shiny anthems gave the amped-up crowd a Texas-sized evening of glorious emo catharsis. Check out more photos from the show here. [Photo: Brian Birzer of RollingStone.com]

Published: 2008-04-02 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Live Shows

Kelly Clarkson’s Rough Patch Continues, 50 Cent Goes Soft On New Album? Metallica Added To Live Earth London

It’s been a rough few weeks for Kelly Clarkson, and it just got a whole lot rougher. First, she fired her manager. Then, she canceled her summer tour because of poor ticket sales. Now, Clarkson’s new album My December has leaked more than a week before hitting shelves. The tracklist for 50 Cent’s Curtis reveals a kindler, gentler Fiddy. Now, he’s a man who’s not afraid to show his sensitive side while rapping on tracks titled “Officer Down,” “187,” and “Fully Loaded Clip.” Metallica is the latest band to befriend the environment as they will play the London leg of the Live Earth concert. While we’re slightly amused by this video of Hillary Clinton spoofing the Sopranos ending, the shocking revelation that she’s chosen Celine Dion’s “You and I” as her campaign song is almost as terrifying as a George Bush third term. Beleaguered boy band mastermind Lou Pearlman is complaining about the “less than favorable” conditions of the Guam detention center he’s currently being held in. Sorry Lou, but that’s what you get for subjecting us to “Bye, Bye, Bye.” Updating a previous item, the wrath of Britney Spears has the strength to bring down billboards. The Killers, Muse, and Panic! At the Disco are set to headline San Diego’s Street Scene Festival. Photo: Getty

Published: 2007-06-19 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Afternoon News Roundup

Five Bands to Watch From SXSW 2008

You’ve seen the awesome photos, checked out our live footage and interviews with folks including My Morning Jacket, N.E.R.D. and Sara Bareilles, and read our daily reports on acts like R.E.M. and Thurston Moore — now get a look at the five up-and-coming artists Rolling Stone spotted down in Austin at this year’s SXSW fest: • Equal parts “dance” and “punks,” Does It Offend You, Yeah? obliterated the crowd with hard beats, glitchy synths, vocoder-enhanced vocals and a few wailing guitar riffs. • Cleveland MC Kid Cudi showed up during rapper Wale’s gig at Stubb’s on Saturday and just about stole the show with a killer Southern-flavored freestyle and a lot of stage presence; more proof that the Midwest is hip-hop’s most happening spot right now. • Los Campesinos!, seven kids from Wales, U.K., combine the insta-party vibe of the Go! Team with Broken Social Scene’s triumphant, ecstatic choruses. • We stumbled on Southend, U.K. outfit These New Puritans playing outdoors on a broiling hot Friday afternoon, and were stopped cold by their funky New Wave freakout — not to mention lead singer Jack Barnett’s steel shirt. Why should Gwar get all the armor? • Manchester, U.K. foursome The Whip are ready-made for dance parties, evoking Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem and — on their best number, “Trash” — a bit of Stone Roses. [Photo: Rahav Segev]

Published: 2008-03-17 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, SXSW

Critic’s Picks: David Fricke’s Favorite Albums That Didn’t Make the RS Top 50

1. Patti Smith Twelve (Columbia) A consummate covers artist from the beginning, Patti Smith emotionally and musically reexamines classic songs by fellow electric poets — including Jimi Hendrix’s “Are You Experienced?” George Harrison’s “Within You Without You” and Kurt Cobain’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” — with sublime, inspirational results. 2. The Len Price 3 Rentacrowd (Wicked Cool) The second album by this British trio — none of the guys are named Len or Price — packs the hooks, twang and pow of Kink Kontroversy and The Who Sings My Generation into a volley of quick, fast and mod — as in truly modern — bullets. The title song is especially sweet, raging revenge against U.K. hype-of-the-month bands who have the looks and hair — just like the LP3 — but none of the power-chord and incandescent-chorus goods you get here. 3. Wooden Shjips Wooden Shjips (Holy Mountain) The debut album by the best new psychedelic band in America — it’s from San Francisco, of course — combines and updates the transportive force of the Velvet Underground’s no-blues drone, Can’s unrelenting pulse and the holy garage-rock fire of the Thirteenth Floor Elevators into a compact, wrapped-in- reverb trip of vintage transcendence and forward thrust. 4. Tinariwen Aman Iman (Water Is Life) (World Village) This is an album of true rebel songs by the Rolling Stones of the Sahara desert, an extraordinary band of Tuareg tribesmen from northern Mali whose nomad stories and spidery, electric riffing are plugged into the blues’ original crossroads. 5. Kaiser Chiefs Yours Truly, Angry Mob (Universal Motown) Their 2005 debut, Employment, had one killer song, “I Predict a Riot,” and big potential. This overlooked follow-up was the riot: street-fighting British pop with smart, sardonic writing and chorales — like the title chant in “Ruby” and the punch line in “I Can Do It Without You” (”

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

“Rock Band” Reveals Full Song List: Pixies, NIN, Killers, Metallica, Rush, Clash, Who and More

We’ve spent some time here at Rock Daily gushing about the all-around wonder of Harmonix’s latest music-based video game Rock Band (a.k.a. Guitar Hero for fake drummers, bassists and singers who actually have three other friends to “play music” with). In keeping with its near-perfect gameplay, the folks behind the title have finally revealed its near-perfect playlist. Besides the inclusion of Guitar Hero favorites like Kiss (”Detroit Rock City”), Deep Purple (”Highway Star”) and Nirvana (”In Bloom”), Rock Band also serves up tracks by Radiohead, Iron Maiden, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and more for a total of forty-five tunes. For the vocalists, songs like Faith No More’s “Epic” and Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” will probably be the most challenging, and drumming along to the New Pornographers‘ “Electric Version” won’t prove so easy. The game is slated for release on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on November 20th, and there are a few more surprises in the form of thirteen additional songs that you can unlock as you rock. Check after the jump for the entire game tracklist. From the press release: Rock Band Set List: In addition to the 45 tracks listed below, Rock Band will also feature 13 songs ranging from a variety of established bands to up-and-coming independent artists that can be unlocked as you play through the game. 1960s Rolling Stones “Gimme Shelter” 1970s Aerosmith “Train Kept a Rollin’”* The Who “Won’t Get Fooled Again” Boston “Foreplay/Long Time” Mountain “Mississippi Queen”* The Police “Next to You” David Bowie “Suffragette City” Black Sabbath “Paranoid”* Blue Oyster Cult “Don’t Fear the Reaper” The Ramones “Blitzkrieg Bop” Deep Purple “Highway Star” KISS “Detroit Rock City” Molly Hatchet “Flirtin’ With Disaster” The Outlaws “Green Grass &#

Published: 2007-10-30 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Stone Alone: Mick Jagger On Some Favorite Cuts From His New Solo Hits Album

For most of his forty-five-year career, Mick Jagger has had one songwriting partner: Keith Richards. But outside of the Rolling Stones, he has teamed up with Jeff Beck, David Bowie, Peter Tosh and Bono; gotten production help from Rick Rubin and John Lennon; and scored a movie, Alfie, with Dave Stewart. A new collection, The Very Best of Mick Jagger, gathers Jagger’s favorites, including killer solo cuts (”Don’t Tear Me Up”), unreleased gems (”Too Many Cooks”) and even a track from a shelved 1992 blues album he cut with an L.A. club band. Click through our gallery to read what Jagger had to say about some key tracks and listen to them, too.

Published: 2007-09-21 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Throat Attacks: Enemy of Rock

Today, Rock Daily received news that throat attacks have felled both Morrissey (an infection possibly aggravated by the frigid temperatures inside David Letterman’s studio) and the Used (frontman Bert McCracken has a vocal cord node), resulting in cancelled tour dates. A similar ailment forced Brandon Flowers to cut a Killers show short in Colorado last month, but as of now nobody’s sued him for it — Rolling Stones fan Rosalie Druyan accused the band of fraud when Mick Jagger’s pipes required a break last fall. Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler underwent surgery for an unspecified throat ailment in March 2006, and everyone from Ted Leo and Kelly Clarkson to Usher and Axl Rose has suffered the effects of ill-timed laryngitis. But Spin Doctors frontman Chris Barron’s 1999 throat predicament may be the worst in rock history: He battled a rare vocal cord paralysis that left him nearly unable to speak. Are throat attacks becoming the new “exhaustion”?

Published: 2007-06-27 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Video: Live at the John Varvatos’ CBGB Opening Party

The symbolism of a luxury retailer inhabiting the space recently vacated by CBGB (birthplace of punk and all that) is a little unsettling. But John Varvatos is fashion’s most rock-obsessed designer, and the opening party for the new space turned into the biggest all-star jam outside of a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony. In just the first half of the show Ronnie Spector, Ian Hunter and Joan Jett all tore through their biggest hits with the killer Loser’s Lounge house band. The second half was even better: MC5 frontman Wayne Kramer kicked out the jams with Slash, Jerry Cantrell and Tom Morello — and then Perry Farrell appeared (they nailed “Mountain Song,” totally the greatest Jane’s Addiction tune ever) as did Sen Dog of Cypress Hill, who’s still explaining about how he just doesn’t give a damn. The Hold Steady closed the party around three — six or so hours of open bar after the doors opened. Click above for video of all the highlights. [Video: Pete Maiden]

Published: 2008-04-18 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Videos

Pearl Jam, Amy Winehouse, Ben Harper: Behind the Scenes at Lollapalooza With the Smoking Section

The Smoking Section has to give it up for Eddie Vedder, who swept through Chicago and made our Lollapalooza worth living. We arrived on Thursday, and instead of selling our Pearl Jam ticket to one of the desperate fans outside of the Vic Theater (one offer: $5,000 in cash), we caught a bizarrely original gig by the band — no big hits. The gig started with Eddie and his acoustic guitar and a dope song about the Chicago Cubs. “Someday we’ll go all the way!” he screamed, and so did the crowd. The next afternoon, about a half-hour before the start of the Mets v. Cubs game at Wrigley, Eddie threw about fifteen solid pitches in the Cubbies bullpen, before delivering a fastball strike for the game’s first pitch. Lollapalooza was insanely hot. In the middle of Grant Park, where Lolla went down for the third straight year, is the massive fountain in the opening credits of “Married… With Children” — but you can’t jump in. And there was a bit of a weird vibe along with the sweat. Though Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney told us that Lolla “is one of the few festivals where you can hop in a cab and be on your way to a neighborhood bar”, there was very little communal spirit. It was no Bonnaroo, where people are forced to suffer the trials and tribulations of living in the shit with one another for three days straight. Corporate sponsorship was everywhere, with scary old people dotting the air-conditioned tents (fetching up to $75,000 a piece) that perched about a hundred yards away from the two main stages (which are a twenty minute walk away from each other). Still, there was a lot to love. On Friday, while Pete and Ashlee Wentz (née Simpson) held hands in the backstage bar, we caught dope sets from Blonde Redhead, LCD Soundsystem and afrobeat heir Femi Kuti and his sick band, Positive Force. The Daft Punk set was killer, but more fans were drawn to Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals show on the oth

Published: 2007-08-07 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Live Shows, Festivals, Lollapalooza, Smoking Section

Coldplay Gifts Fans With Pretenders Cover, Thom Yorke to Release Remixes, Jay-Z’s “Gangster” Meets the Real “Godfather” and More

With only twelve days to go ’til Christmas, Coldplay has posted an early present on their Web site for their fans: “2000 Miles,” the band’s cover of the Pretenders song. “We love Christmas songs, but every time we try and write one it’s awful,” Chris Martin writes. Maybe Martin could learn a thing or two from the Killers. Thom Yorke will revisit his solo career early next year as he releases three 12′’ singles featuring nine remixes of tracks from his debut album The Eraser. Among the remixers are the Field, Burial, Four Tet and Modeselektor. The seventh annual Ponderosa Stomp is branching out to include conference panels next year. The American music fest will take place April 29th and 30th in New Orleans and feature performances by Ronnie Spector, Roky Erickson and more. To celebrate getting picked up for another season on HBO, or because they’re just overflowing with humor, mock rockers Flight of the Conchords will release a full-length album in April 2008. From Broadway to the Mafia way: After Jay-Z’s American Gangster received the show-tune treatment, now DJ Skee has mashed-up Jigga’s new album with the score from The Godfather.

Published: 2007-12-14 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Afternoon News Roundup

Bono and the Edge Play Surprise Charity Gig, Quiet Riot Singer Found Dead, Rivers Cuomo Posts New Song

U2’s Bono and the Edge performed a surprise set in London on Friday to benefit Mencap, a learning-disability charity. With only 200 people in the audience, the duo played a twenty-minute acoustic set that included the hits “Stay,” “Desire,” “Angel of Harlem” and “Wave of Sorrow,” which features on the band’s Joshua Tree reissue. Snow Patrol, Keane and other “surprise guests” will perform for the charity’s Little Noise sessions this week. A proposed 2008 Jackson Five reunion tour “will involve” Michael Jackson, according to older brother Jermaine, who told BBC6 Music, “He has to be, he is a Jackson. He was at the meetings. Michael will be involved.” The Jackson bros. are currently recording new material as they finalize tour plans. Rivers Cuomo has posted “Blast Off!,” from his upcoming Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo, on his personal MySpace page. Cuomo previously told Rolling Stone that the song was a track off Weezer’s never-released space opera Songs From the Black Hole. Kevin DuBrow, lead singer of Quiet Riot, was found dead in his Las Vegas home on Sunday. He was fifty-two years old, and the cause of death is currently unknown. Following the revelation that Jam Master Jay’s killer had a neck tattoo, it is now believed that the Run-DMC DJ may have actually known his murderer. According to JMJ’s friend Tony Rincon, Jay was armed the night of his murder, but likely didn’t immediately defend himself because he knew the shooter. [Photo: Yui Mok/AP Photos]

Published: 2007-11-27 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Afternoon News Roundup

Hear Rolling Stone’s Favorite New Tracks including The Killers, Jordin Sparks, and Freeway

The Killers, “Where the White Boys Dance” The eerie highlight of this rarities comp could have come from some great lost post-punk band. [Listen]-[Review] Jordin Sparks, “Tattoo” The producers of Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable” roll the same hook out again for the American Idol winner, and it’s still good! [Listen]-[Review] Phish, “Mike’s Song” Psychedelic jam (of course) from 1996 Vegas show works up a dense groove that brings to mind Bitches Brew – without the horns. [Review] Sebastian Bach, “Back in the Saddle” Bach gets buddy Axl Rose in the studio for this bolt of early-G n’ R-style fun. Hey, put him in charge of Chinese Democracy! [Listen]-[Review] Freeway, “When They Remember” Over flutes and soul-diva coos, Philly rapper delivers nimble, anguished sermon on his own struggles. [Listen]-[Review]

Published: 2007-11-20 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Key Tracks

A Mostly Reunited Van Halen Hit Madison Square Garden

There were plenty of reasons to be skeptical walking into last night’s Van Halen concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden. In no particular order: founding bassist Michael Anthony has been kicked to the curb in favor of Eddie Van Halen’s sixteen-year-old son Wolfgang, David Lee Roth’s vocals have sounded more than a bit shaky in recent years and Ed has done little in these past few years except go to rehab and write scores for porn flicks. Yet when the curtain dropped and the band burst into a note-perfect “You Really Got Me” it became clear this was somehow going to work. It was hard to know where to look first when the show began: a shockingly well-preserved Ed ripping into his guitar, Dave frantically waving a red flag and grinning like a killer clown or Wolfgang, standing confidently on the side of the stage, playing a set consisting entirely of songs written at least seven years before he was born. Ultimately Dave — who reveled in every moment onstage — won out. His voice didn’t sound like it was still 1984, but his vocals were significantly stronger than we’d expected. His signature karate kicks weren’t as high as they used to be and he flubbed his share of lyrics (you’d think he’d at least remember “Pretty Woman”), but his boundless enthusiasm made up for everything. From 1985 until 2004 Van Halen fans had to wade through endless Sammy Hagar (or, worse, Gary Cherone) songs to get to a handful of Roth-era classics — and even when they came, some other guy was singing them. It was barely tolerable, but it was the only Van Halen we had. On this tour, the events from 1985 to the present have been erased. What remains are what Dave has called “favorites that you’ve been hearing tearing out of the back of a pick-up at the Burger King drive-thru for how many summertimes.” The only problem was that the arena sound system sounded like it was composed of 10,000 pick-up trucks taken from the Burger King drive-thru. Maybe it was just where we

Published: 2007-11-15 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Live Shows, Van Halen Tour

50 Cent Livid Over “Kill” Censorship, Radiohead Ink Non-U.S. Distribution Deal, Britney Spears Cuts Off Interview to Shower

50 Cent is peeved that his “I Still Kill” is being renamed “I Still Will” for TV airings. “I don’t think they have a problem with the group the Killers being called the Killers,” the rapper says. “I don’t think anyone’s protesting that Guns N’ Roses is called Guns N’ Roses. I just think that their perception of me is dark, so they’re going to ask for those things to be changed, you know what I mean?” This makes for a fun game. Velvet Dissolver. The Hex Crystals. Etc. Timbaland is already at work on the sequel to this year’s Shock Value. The producer announced on Anaheim’s KIIS 102.7 that he’s already recorded tracks with Akon, Linkin Park and Gwen Stefani. Displaying Timbaland-esque prolificacy, Ronnie Wood is already planning a second volume to his eponymous autobiography. Wood is also in talks to sell the movie rights — something Police guitarist (and photographer) Andy Summers has just done. Finally, as predicted, Radiohead and XL Recordings have come to a deal to release the band’s already-available In Rainbows on CD. The deal is only good for distribution outside of North America, where ATO is currently the frontrunner. No release date for the physical CD has been announced. By refusing to promote her album, Britney Spears is doing a remarkable job of promoting her album. On today’s Ryan Seacrest radio show, Spears abruptly ended an interview so she could shower. When questioned on the standing of her child custody battle, and whether she can once again see her kids unsupervised, Spears answered simply “My lawyers know about all that.” Blackout, on shelves now.

Published: 2007-11-01 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Afternoon News Roundup