The Smiths pictures from Rolling Stone

Morrissey Turned Down Mega-Bucks Smiths Reunion Offer Over Johnny Marr

Morrissey has once again broken the hearts of millions of already-damaged Smiths fans by refusing to reunite the band. The Mozzer’s publicist has confirmed that the crooner declined a $75 million offer to tour as the Smiths in 2008 and/or 2009 even though the only requirement was that Johnny Marr also be a part of the reunion. What does this new information tell us? That the theory surmising that Morrissey’s legal battles with former Smith Mike Joyce were behind his resistance to reuniting the band is flawed. Apparently Morrissey isn’t up for any kind of Smiths reunion … yet. In the meantime, Marr is still an integral part of Modest Mouse, and Joyce is counting the Smiths back pay and royalties he collected in 1996 and releasing an album with his latest band, Vinny Peculiar, in October.

Published: 2007-08-24 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Smiths Fans Ride Bikes To Save Manchester Landmark

Manchester’s loyal Smiths fans are coming to the rescue of the Salford Lad’s Club, which is featured on the cover of the Smith’s 1986 opus The Queen is Dead. The club is currently undergoing an expensive renovation, which has been threatened by a band of (neither sweet nor tender) hooligans who made off with expensive roofing materials. When word spread that the renovation might not proceed as a result, local fans decided to organize a bike tour of iconic Smiths-related Manchester area spots in order to raise awareness of the club’s plight and inspire people to contribute money for replacement materials. The bike ride is scheduled for September 30, pending police approval.

Published: 2007-08-07 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Group Hopes to Make The Smiths’ “How Soon Is Now?” Number One

Photo: Huan/Michael Ochs Archive/GettyFacebook helped Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” upset The X Factor as the U.K.’s Christmas Number One. Now, another group on the social network has launched asking fans to purchase the Smiths’ hit “How Soon Is Now?” between January 28th and February 6th to make the single Number One on the British charts to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the band’s Meat is Murder, TwentyFourBit reports. While the “Rage Against The X Factor” group that

Published: 2010-01-11 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Hype Monitor: Junius, Dam-Funk, Laura Veirs

Photo by George Dubose The Band: Junius The Buzz: Breathtaking Boston metal band pulls off a perfect hybrid of Neurosis and the Smiths, striking a stunning balance of brutality and beauty. Their latest album, The Martyrdrom of a Catastrophist, is a concept record about catastrophe theorist Immanuel Velikovsky, exploring his insistence on a chaotic universe. Its songs are spellbinding and heartbreaking, gripping from the first note to the last. A hard rock dream come true. Listen If: You dress i

Published: 2009-12-17 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Breaking, Hype Monitor

The Cribs and Johnny Marr on the Smith’s New Role, Bad ’90s Music

For three albums, the Cribs — twin brothers Gary and Ryan Jarman and their younger bro Ross — kept things familial on their way to becoming a buzz band in their native England. But for their fourth album Ignore the Ignorant, the U.K. indie trio welcomed a big non-Jarman name as a formal member, recruiting the Smiths — and more recently, Modest Mouse — guitarist Johnny Marr. In this exclusive Rolling Stone interview, Gary Jarman and Marr discuss the genesis of this new union (”We just got togethe

Published: 2009-11-30 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Videos

Breaking: Dawes

Who: These folk-rock rookies started their career as the buzzy post-punk band Simon Dawes, co-fronted by ­Malibu native Taylor Goldsmith. But when the band’s other songwriter bowed out, the remaining members — Goldsmith, his brother Griffin (drums) and bassist Wylie Gelber — shortened the name and traded their Smiths rec­ords for plaid shirts and pedal steel. Sounds Like: True to its Cali roots, the group’s new debut, North Hills, is full of twangy folk rock à la Gram Parsons and Neil Young. “Ta

Published: 2009-11-11 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Breaking

Neil Finn Recruits Wilco, Radiohead Members For 7 Worlds Collide’s “The Sun Came Out”

Photo:Denholm/Getty Eight years after the first 7 Worlds Collide project, Crowded House’s Neil Finn is bringing back his all-star band — which includes the Smiths’ Johnny Marr, Radiohead’s Phil Selway and Ed O’Brien and new additions Wilco — for a new double-disc collection called The Sun Came Out, due out September 29th. Proceeds from the album will benefit Oxfam. The album was recorded over a three-week stretch in New Zealand around Christmas 2008 with KT Tunstall, who interrupted her honeymoo

Published: 2009-07-29 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

See Art Brut Unplug “Emily Kane,” “The Passenger,” More At Rolling Stone

British rockers Art Brut, fronted by the hilarious Eddie Argos, stopped by Rolling Stone recently to share some acoustic versions of songs off their new album Art Brut Vs. Satan. Above is Argos’s ode to a woman named “Emily Kane,” a tale of unrequited love complete with a nod to the Smiths’ classic “There Is a Light and It Never Goes Out.” For their third album, the band recruited the Pixies’ Frank Black to serve as producer, putting the emphasis on catchy post-punk and not sleek production—Argo

Published: 2009-07-23 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

First Listen: TV on the Radio’s Art-Rock Symphony “Dear Science”

Last week, Rolling Stone nabbed a first listen to TV on the Radio’s excellent Dear Science, due out September 23rd. Produced by the group’s multi-instrumentalist Dave Sitek, the album finds the Brooklyn group fine-tuning what they did best on 2006’s Return to Cookie Mountain: tweaking and looping and distorting a grand arsenal of aggressive percussion, new wave synths, epic guitar noise and various kitchen-sink devices, then layering them all into a big, beautiful art-rock symphony. But of all the instruments on the new record, the most compelling one is Tunde Adebimpe’s voice. On the blazing anthem “Dancing Shoes,” which sounds like TV on the Radio’s answer to R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine),” the rhythm of his words pound like a beating drum: “I’ve seen my palate blown to monochrome, hollow heart clicks hollow tone.” Album opener “Halfway Home” begins with a guitar riff that recalls Cookie single “Wolf Like Me,” but as a Smiths-like melody kicks in, Adebimpe delivers the lyrics with the dreamy, sing-song quality of a nursery rhyme. Of course, the guy can also just belt out some powerful singing when he needs to — especially on the funky R&B track “Cryin’,” where his falsetto rivals Prince’s. Thematically, Dear Science addresses similar themes to Cookie Mountain — namely, that these might feel like End Times, but love can get you through them. And the bands’ Brooklyn friends help drive that message home: members of the Afro-funk group Antibalas lend some golden horn rave-ups to “Red Dress” and Katrina Ford of the Celebration delivers lovely harmonies on the epic, orchestral closer “Lovers Day.” Over marching-band drums, sleigh bells, hand claps and distorted horn loops, her voice dovetails nicely with Adebimpe’s as they sing, “Swear to God we’ll get so high we’ll melt our faces off.” And the sentiment is right-on: this creative tour-de-force could be an epic drug album, too.

Published: 2008-07-29 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Starbucks Announces James Taylor CD/DVD Release, Tom Waits Judges Songwriting Contest, The Shins Add Tour Dates

Starbucks’ Hear Music label continues its trend of signing music royalty with plans to release James Taylor’s live CD/DVD One Man Band this holiday season. The set will feature Taylor’s recent greatest-hits-filled concerts from the Colonial Theatre in the Berkshires, as well as the stories that inspired the songs. Phil Collins (evidently not the Phil Collins) spent the last three years compiling footage of Smiths fans from Colombia, Indonesia and Turkey singing karaoke to cuts from Morrissey and gang’s 1987 album The World Won’t Listen. The fruits of the flmmakers’ labors will debut this fall at the Dallas Museum of Art’s tribute to the Smiths. Also on display: Letters a teenage Morrissey wrote to music magazines. Tom Waits, Frank Black, the Cure’s Robert Smith and the Strokes’ Julian Casablancas are among the talented wordsmiths that will judge this year’s International Songwriting Competition. Universal’s DRM-free MP3s are more like DRM-lite MP3s: The songs will still be watermarked to see who’s sharing the files on peer-to-peer networks. The Shins have announced additional autumn U.S. tour dates that’ll keep them on the road through the end of October. Full dates after the jump. 10/5 - Berkeley, CA (Greek Theatre) 10/6 - Santa Barbara, CA (Santa Barbara Bowl) 10/7 - Los Angeles, CA (Greek Theatre) 10/9 - Mesa, AZ (Mesa Amphitheater) 10/10 - Albuquerque, NM (University of New Mexico’s Popejoy Hall) 10/17 - Atlanta, GA (Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center) 10/18 - Charleston, SC (The Plex) 10/19 - Raleigh, NC (Progress Energy Center) 10/20 - Norfolk, VA (The NorVa) 10/22 - Columbia, MD (Merriweather Post Pavilion) 10/23 - New York, NY (Terminal Five) 10/24 - New York, NY (Terminal Five) 10/27 - Las Vegas, NV (Vegoose Festival) 10/28 - Las Vegas, NV (The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel) Photo: Cardy/Gett

Published: 2007-08-14 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Afternoon News Roundup

Postscript: Tony Wilson (1950-2007)

Say what you like about Tony Wilson, he was no sentimentalist. “Do I have any problem with any of Happy Mondays dying on me?” he said to The Face in 1989, at the height of Madchester-mania. “I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with any of these guys dying on me! Listen, Ian Curtis dying on me was the greatest thing that’s happened to my life. Death sells!” The U.K.’s most outrageous music impresario died today of a heart attack, at the age of 57, after a battle with kidney cancer. He founded Factory Records, making legends out of Manchester bands like Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays and A Certain Ratio. His club, the Hacienda, was one of the crucibles of rave culture. His gloriously self-aggrandizing life story became 24 Hour Party People, one of the best rock movies ever made, with Steve Coogan playing Wilson; in the climactic scene, Wilson sees God, who says, “Tony, you did a good job. It’s a pity you didn’t sign the Smiths, but you were right about Mick Hucknall.” Just a few months ago, Wilson showed up onstage at the Coachella Festival, introducing the Mondays, and got bigger cheers than the band did. He’ll always be remembered as a wild character who also doubled as a musical visionary. Here’s a clip of his surprise Coachella appearance from April, with the expats in the crowd yelling “Foookin’ Tony Wilson!” in delight. This man did not walk away in silence. Photo: Davey/Photo

Published: 2007-08-11 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

The Decemberists Spread Midsummer Night’s Dreams in Central Park

Colin Meloy, singer-guitarist and songwriting captain of The Decemberists, is a master of improbable juxtaposition: arcane, detailed fictions of star-crossed passion and avenging bloodshed dressed up in indie-rock jangle, la-de-da choruses and vintage prog-rock bombast. It should all be too much of too many good things, sinking under the weight of Meloy’s literate ambitions and heavy love of The Smiths. But the most striking thing about the Decemberists’ wonderful July 16th show at Summerstage, under a thin, white crescent moon in New York’s Central Park, was the easy, natural buoyance with which Meloy and the band – bassist Nate Query, drummer John Moen and mini-orchestras Jenny Conlee (keyboards, etc.) and Chris Funk (a small world of stringed instruments) – told his stories. There was plenty of Ray Davies to go along with the Morrissey and John Cheever in the bleak, sexual surrender and Victorian-dancehall bounce of “Billy Liar,” from 2003’s Her Majesty. And Meloy clearly relished his guitar-hero moment in the Chaucer-Raymond Chandler cocktail “The Perfect Crime #2″ from The Crane Wife, strutting to the front of the stage to wig out in electric fuzz while the band rolled behind him like Steely Dan in getaway gear. Hewing to a tight curfew, the usually talkative Meloy – who looked like a New Wave professor on holiday, in sneakers and a seersucker suit – kept the chatter to a remarkable minimum in order to play maximum music. He couldn’t help playing the literary-theme card, opening with a hat trick of songs about the season: “July, July!” (from 2002’s Castaways and Cutouts), “Billy Liar” (basically summer vacation gone all wrong) and the gentle drowning, in love and water, of The Crane Wife’s “Summersong.” The encore was almost half as long as the actual set, going all the way back to “Oceanside,” on the Decemberists’ 2001 EP debut, 5 Songs, and

Published: 2007-07-18 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Live Shows

News Ticker: Morrissey, The Pretenders, Van Morrison and “Mamma Mia!”

Photo: Getty Morrissey signed with Lost Highway to release his next album Years of Refusal Stateside. Refusal is due out February 17th, with a single “Black Cloud” out February 2nd. The former Smiths singer will also tour the U.S. The Pretenders will release an iTunes Originals set of their reimagined hits on December 23rd. The band will also unwrap a digital holiday EP, featuring Chrissie Hynde take on songs like “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” and “Blue Christmas.” Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks live from the Hollywood Bowl will be released in early ‘09 on the rocker’s own label, Listen to the Lions Records, which will be distributed by EMI. While CDs struggle, DVDs are seemingly doing pretty well: The ABBA-infused Mamma Mia! film sold 2.25 million copies in the U.S. its first week. In the U.K., the DVD sold 3.2 million to break Titanic’s decade-old first week record.

Published: 2008-12-18 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Morning News Roundup

The Story of Nirvana’s “In Utero”: Download The 33 1/3 Audiobook

Nevermind broke Nirvana, but the band (and many critics, including Rolling Stone’s) preferred its follow-up, In Utero. RS contributor Gillian G. Gaar, who served as project consultant on the Nirvana box set With the Lights Out, spoke with Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, engineer Steve Albini and many more Nirvana insiders while writing her 33 1/3 book on the album — and now you can download the full audiobook for the the first time right here. It’s part of Audible.com’s productions of the 33 1/3 book series about classic, critically acclaimed albums (the collection also includes Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited, the Smiths‘ Meat Is Murder and more). Click here to download the free In Utero audiobook for use on your iPod or other player — available in audio for the first time from RollingStone.com thanks to the good folks at Audible.com. Related Stories: • “Cobain Unseen”: Rare Photos, Artwork and Journal Entries • Cover Story: The Last Days of Kurt Cobain • 50 Moments That Changed Rock: Nirvana’s Punk Revolution in 1991

Published: 2008-11-25 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Radiohead Break Out Covers of Smiths, New Order During Webcast

Even though Radiohead slam-dunked their version of Björk’s “Unravel” during last night’s Webcast, it’s become apparent that the band has not got covers completely out of their system. We’re one hour into tonight’s live telecast, and have already enjoyed two covers: The Smiths’ “The Headmaster Ritual” and, for your viewing pleasure above, New Order’s “Ceremony.” The band also mixed in live versions of their own “Reckoner” (the debut performance of its current incarnation) and “Faust Arp,” which was previously recorded and performed in a field with singer Thom Yorke and guitarist Jonny Greenwood. Between performances, the bandmembers have taken turns DJing (who knew drummer Phil Selway loved him some Iron & Wine?) and broadcasting Stanley Donwood animation as well as hilarious skits, like the Se7en-themed music video for “15 Step.” To join in, head over to www.radiohead.tv.

Published: 2007-11-10 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Videos, Radiohead's "In Rainbows"

Oasis & Ryan Adams Preview Upcoming Albums in Vancouver

Photograph by Jackie Butler for RollingStone.Com The once scarily prolific Ryan Adams hasn’t put an album out in a while, but that didn’t stop him and his band the Cardinals from hitting the road with Oasis or from presenting a stirring set in Vancouver’s huge GM Place. Adams stuck mostly to songs from 2005’s Cold Roses and points forward, including a handful of new tunes that resulted in lengthy jams with his air-tight band. Liam Gallagher watched “Everybody Knows” and “Off Broadway” from the side of the stage and Adams mentioned that coming up after him was “one of the best bands in the world.” The best? Fellow Mancunians the Smiths, he said. “They must put something in the water there,” he said, before exiting on “Easy Plateau.” • Photo Gallery: Oasis Live at the WaMu Theater in Seattle Oasis took the stage with their trademark swagger, blurring the line between cockiness and contempt. The band dropped in a healthy dose of Definitely Maybe in between the more recent (but less infectious) singles like “Songbird” and “Lyla.” When the hit list arrived (with the buzzsaw that is “Morning Glory”), Noel taunted the audience with, “That was what you wanted, right?” For the remainder, they balanced old sing-alongs with new tracks from the upcoming Dig Out Your Soul, which were hungrily absorbed if not totally accepted. After spitting “Wonderwall,” Noel cautioned the next was their last (he lied; they returned with “Champagne Supernova” and “I Am the Walrus”). When the crowd booed Oasis’ departure, Liam snarled, “Don’t you fucking boo” as he exited with the same swagger. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals Set List: “Peaceful Valley” “(New Song)” “(New Song)” “Mockingbird” “Bartering Line” “Off Broadway” “Cold Roses” “Shakedown on 9th Street” “Cobwebs” “Everybody Knows” “Easy Plateau” Oasis Set List: “Rock & Roll Star” “Lyla” “The Shock Of The Lightning” “Cigarettes & Alcohol” “The Meaning Of Soul” “To Be Where Theres Life” “The Masterplan” “Songbird” “Slide Away” “Morning Glory”

Published: 2008-08-28 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, On Tour, More News