Zero 7 Pictures

Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist

Artist: Smashing Pumpkins Review: Zero: That is the exact number of doubts singer-guitarist-songwriter Billy Corgan has about this controversial resurrection of his old band. "I never felt so right and good. . . . You'll never need another sound," he crows in that bleating voice against the titanic fuzz of "Bring the Light." It is classic Corgan bravado, but the cumulative effect of his distortion-orchestra guitar and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin's pinpoint thunder is impressive and convincing, a return to the big pop-wise din of 19... Rating: 4 Stars

Published: 2007-07-19 Provider: Rolling Stone

Comment of the Week: Our Readers Siamese Dream About Smashing Pumpkins On “Behind the Music”

Photo: Kravitz/FilmMagic When VH1 revealed that Behind the Music was returning with episodes dedicated to Lil Wayne and Scott Weiland, we asked our readers what musicians they thought should get the BTM treatment. Jane’s Addiction, Ryan Adams, Radiohead, the Misfits and Jeff Buckley were all popular suggestions, but it was our old friend Anonymous who not only broke down every BTM narrative ever, but also recommended the best episode: “Behind the music has a formula: band starts from nothing and struggles. band hits it big. all the money brings drugs and women. band hits it BIGGER. drugs destroy members of the band, someone dies, someone leaves the band. Band continues on a rocky road. Band breaks up. Band reforms, with members missing and look toward the future, sober and ready to rock. sounds like… smashing pumpkins. smashing pumpkins. smashing pumpkins…” An episode dedicated to Billy Corgan and the many iterations of Smashing Pumpkins would definitely be Must-See TV. But we really want to catch Billy Corgan on MTV Cribs, just so we can finally see that closet full of “Zero” shirts he probably houses.

Published: 2009-03-20 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

New Eagles Song Hits MySpace; Watch Jack White as Elvis Presley; Nine Inch Nails to Release Remix Album

The Eagles are back in flight. It’s been 28 years since their last studio album, but now “How Long,” the first single from the band’s October-released, Wal-Mart-only album Long Road Out Of Eden, is streaming on MySpace. Click here to listen to the song. From the Hollywood comedy mafia that brought you Knocked Up and Superbad comes the trailer for the musical biopic spoof Walk Hard, starring John C. Reilly as a Johnny Cash/Brian Wilson hybrid, White Stripes’ Jack White as kung-fu Elvis, and Jewel in some capacity. Nine Inch Nails will release a Year Zero remix album, cleverly leet-titled Y34R Z3R0 R3M1X3D. The strange visa issues that Lily Allen somehow circumvented to attend the MTV Video Music Awards nomination show in Las Vegas will also force her to miss her appearance at the actual award show on September 9th. The Beastie Boys are following up their first ever concert in Brooklyn by adding shows in Detroit, Chicago, Toronto, and Montreal. Check out the dates after the jump. 9/20 Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre 9/21 Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre 9/22 Toronto, Ontario - Hummingbird Centre for Performing Arts (Instrumental show) 9/24 Detroit, MI - Fillmore 9/26 Chicago IL - Riviera Theatre (Instrumental show) 9/27 Chicago IL - Charter One Pavilion

Published: 2007-08-18 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Afternoon News Roundup

Hype Monitor: Future Islands, Howl, Real Estate

Photo: Allen CordellThe Band: Future Islands The Buzz: Baltimore continues to be ground zero for boundary-breaking musical enterprises. By all surface indications, Future Islands should be a synthpop band, but their songs are far too dinky, and vocalist Sam Herrings brawny, blustering voice and manic stage presence injects healthy doses of danger. For the last three years, they’ve set about the task of adding punishing heft to simple pop melodies, making blippy electropop sound oddly confrontati

Published: 2009-07-16 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Breaking

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Unveil Eye-Popping Cover for “It’s Blitz!” Single “Zero”

There it is: the eye-catching (apologies) cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ first single from It’s Blitz!, “Zero.” Does it make you feel squeamish? Kind of dirty? Yeah, that’s about right in the band’s wheelhouse. You can read all about the New York trio’s adventures on a Texas pecan orchard where they recorded most of the April 14th disc in the current issue of Rolling Stone, but we can tell you this: “Zero” is a synth-charged dance-floor album that Karen O says will definitely inspire spontaneous dancing. As the frontwoman told RS, It’s Blitz! is about “Less angst and more positivity, man!” It’s Blitz!, the follow-up to 2006’s Show Your Bones, was produced by Nick Launay (who you’ll recall from the band’s 2007 EP Is Is) and TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek. A few other TVOTR folks cameo on the album, too: Tunde Adebimpe sings, Kyp Malone contributes tambourine (it must be some pretty bangin’ tambourine) and Stuart Bogie adds saxophone to “Dragon Queen.” Other guests include cellist Jane Scarpantoni, famous for her work with 10,000 Maniacs, R.E.M., and a little-known guy from New Jersey named Bruce Springsteen. Track list, thanks to Spin is below. And get a load of the album’s egg-smashing cover art over at Pitchfork. 1. “Zero” (4:25/ Eric Biondo - trumpet, Stuart Bogie - saxophone) 2. “Heads Will Roll” (3:41) 3. “Soft Shock” (3:53) 4. “Skeletons” (5:02) 5. “Dull Life” (4:08) 6. “Shame and Fortune” (3:31) 7. “Runaway” (5:13 / Jane Scarpantoni - cello, Greg Kurstin - piano) 8. “Dragon Queen” (4:02 / Tunde Adebimpe - vocals, Stuart Bogie - saxophone, Kyp Malone - tambourine) 9. “Hysteric” (3:50 / Eric Biondo - trumpet, Stuart Bogie - saxophone) 10. “Little Shadow” (3:57/ Imaad Wasif - guitar)

Published: 2009-02-12 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

First Listen: Green Day Revive Dramatic Political Punk on “21st Century Breakdown”

Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown won’t land in stores until May, but Rolling Stone scored an early listen to six tracks this afternoon — and confirmed that the trio will kick off a massive world tour of indoor arenas in July. A full in-the-studio report by David Fricke will hit newsstands in our next issue, but here’s a sneak peek at what Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt have been cooking up with legendary producer Butch Vig at the same California studio they recorded the Grammy-winning American Idiot, Warning, Insomniac and Dookie. As previously reported, the 16-track album is broken into three acts — Heroes and Cons, Charlatans and Saints, and Horseshoes and Handgrenades — and Dirnt told AP magazine that the songs “speak to each other the way the songs on [Bruce Springsteen’s] Born to Run speak to each other. I don’t know if you’d call it a ‘concept album,’ but there’s a thread that connects everything.” The songs are defiant, but also defiantly hopeful, referencing the unsettled political climate as well as more personal and generational turmoils. Its blend of claustrophobia and freedom is well illustrated by the album’s cover art, which depicts a tight shot of a young couple kissing against a graffiti-covered wall. The title track quickly kicks into a familiar Green Day three-chord blast, but morphs into multiple movements like some of the more rock-opera-heavy numbers on American Idiot. “My generation is zero/I never made it as a working class hero,” Armstrong sings, making a reference to the John Lennon track the band covered in 2007. After a big drum breakdown, the song winds into a slower “Bohemian Rhapsody” moment. By contrast, “Know Your Enemy” is a straight-ahead rock song with a chanty “oh-way-oh-way” refrain. Opening powerfully like an AC/DC track, Cool drums furiously as Armstrong sings “Silence is the enemy so give me revolution.” “Before the Lobotomy” is one of a handful of Breakdown tracks where Armstrong breaks into an uncharacteri

Published: 2009-02-11 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Sly Stone and George Clinton Start Impromptu Funk Fest in Los Angeles

Photo: Shirley Halperin Sly Stone is famous for a lot of things, chief among them his reclusive nature and tendency to flake on the rare scheduled gig. Which made last night’s unannounced appearance at Silver Lake hot-spot the Little Temple Bar, his second public showing in Los Angeles in one week, all the more shocking. But being a family man, Sly apparently couldn’t pass up an opportunity to come out in support of his daughter, Novena, and her band, the appropriately named Baby Stone. Sly also brought along an old friend, fellow funk legend George Clinton. But as is typical in Sly world, things didn’t go quite as smoothly as planned. He arrived at the bar at the same time as the fire marshal, who came to investigate a water leak. Soon after, it looked like the place was going to be shut down, but Sly was adamant about going onstage. The bar’s management tried in vein to dissuade him from doing so, and it wasn’t long before the two funkateers launched into “I Want To Take You Higher,” kicking off with a rap by Clinton. Both were in great spirits, with Sly decked out in a purple velvet pimp suit, and the crowd responded in spades, singing along enthusiastically to every word. Sly kept the party going with “Stand,” then passed the baton to Clinton who jump-started a rousing rendition of “We Want The Funk.” And that was all they wrote. Three songs and out. At Saturday’s Clive Davis-hosted pre-Grammy party, Sly also arrived with zero warning and, once seated, was bombarded by starry-eyed admirers like Will.I.Am and Barry Manilow. We learned later that night that Sly had expressed interest in performing on the bill as well, but given that the annual soiree did not plan its usual all-star finale — instead, Whitney Houston made her much anticipated comeback — it was not to be. Still, all signs point to what could be a concerted comeback effort from Sly — for real this time.

Published: 2009-02-11 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Live Shows

Nine Inch Nails Bring Darkness and Light to Seattle for Tour Opener

After a headling slot at Pemberton on Friday night, Nine Inch Nails kicked off their North American tour with a 21st-century marriage of old-school showmanship and bleeding-edge technology on Saturday. With a crack four-piece band in tow — including NIN stage vets Robin Finck on guitar and Josh Freese on drums — an adrenalized, finely-coifed Trent Reznor tore through a two-hour set that leaned heavily on new material and included several choice classics. • Photos: Nine Inch Nails’ “Lights In the Sky” Tour Launches in Seattle As noted in the tour preview, at least half the show featured the band sandwiched between mesh LED curtains alternating evocative visuals, from falling rain to grainy static to an apocalyptic cityscape. The more obscured the band was by special effects, the more a detached, post-YouTube voyeurism haunted the performance. About an hour in, a solid backdrop descended at the front of the stage and the band — now a four-piece, minus keyboardist Alessandro Cortini — stepped in front of it. Standing at the lip of the stage, with Reznor on vibraphone and Justin Meldal-Johnsen on upright bass, they played a 20-minute, mostly acoustic interlude of songs from NIN’s recent Ghosts I-IV. It was a bold move, settling into a subdued, broken-down cabaret swing that was all atmosphere. Reznor swung the microphone like a weapon and ran the stage like an athlete. Twice during the set he pointed out the fact that this was the “first official night of the tour” — a tour, he said, that’s been ongoing for the last 15 years. He didn’t want it to stop, either: After closing with “Head Like a Hole,” the band returned for a half-hour encore. “Hurt” had the entire crowd singing and a few weeping; “In This Twilight,” from last year’s Year Zero ended the set in a downtrodden — but quintessential NIN — manner. Set List “999,999″ “1,000,000″ “Letting You” “Discipline” “March of the Pigs” “Head Down” “The Frail” “Closer” “Gave Up” “The Warning” “The Great Destroyer” “Ghosts

Published: 2008-07-28 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Live Shows, More News

Trent Reznor Encourages Illegal Downloading, Smashing Pumpkins Add Dates, Gwen Stefani Ushers in Return of “Pop Up Video”

Trent Reznor, still angry that his record label continues to price Year Zero CDs in Australia for roughly the same amount it costs Americans to buy actual CD players, told fans at a Sydney concert that he gives them his blessing to steal his music, either by means of five-finger discount or illegal downloading. Similarly, Reznor told fans in Beijing to just download the tracks rather than buying pirated albums. “My record label all around the world hates me,” Reznor said with great pride to concertgoers in Sydney. Perhaps in response to Reznor’s “steal my music” claim, Spiralfrog, the ad-supported free digital music service, will finally launch today after months of testing. The service will pay record companies a portion of the ad revenues in exchange for the free access to their libraries. The service is not available to Apple users, so Mac users abroad looking for Year Zero should Google the word “Soulseek.” VH1’s music-videos-plus-trivia show Pop Up Video will make its long awaited return … but only on cell phones. Pop Up Video To Go will debut exclusively on VH1’s mobile network with songs from Gwen Stefani and Fall Out Boy. Timbaland will have some help reviving Celine Dion’s post-Vegas career. Ben Moody and David Hodges, who both left the band Evanescence after the Grammy-winning success of their major label debut Fallen, will pen and produce the song “This Time” for the French-Canadian songstress. The Smashing Pumpkins have extended their reunion tour by four dates. Check the new shows after the jump. Smashing Pumpkins tour dates: October 23: Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre November 2: Austin, TX - The Backyard November 7: Athens, GA - Classic Center Theatre November 8: Greensboro, NC – War Memorial Auditorium

Published: 2007-09-18 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Afternoon News Roundup

My Chemical Romance slam the X Factor on new album

My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way says the band’s as-yet-untitled new album is a scathing attack on reality TV music shows like American idol and the UK’s X Factor. Speaking to Spinner.com, Way said the follow-up to 2006’s The Black Parade is a reaction to "the world at the moment." "There's a definite undercurrent of fame versus working class, people having stuff handed to them with zero talent versus working class kids that start a band," he said. "Rock 'n' roll is not red carpets and My

Published: 2009-12-02 Provider: Kerrang!

“Led Zeppelin Are Over,” Jimmy Page’s Manager Declares

Photo: Rodriguez/Getty The plan for Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham to tour and record an album with a singer other than Robert Plant is “completely over now,” Page’s manager Peter Mensch tells Music Radar (a spokesperson for Page’s management firm confirmed to Rolling Stone that the Plant-less reunion is off). In what could be considered a tirade, Mensch said, “Led Zeppelin are over! If you didn’t see them in 2007, you missed them. It’s done. I can’t be any clearer than that.” Robert Plant, who will continue working with Raising Sand partner Alison Krauss, previously told fans it would two years before he’d even consider touring again with Zep, so Mensch’s announcement that the band is “over” is distressing to those willing to be patient. Thankfully, however, it looks like Creed won’t be reuniting either as plans to draft Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy — or any singer for that matter — for Plant’s spot look dead as well. Mensch admits the band auditioned some new frontmen, but “no one worked out.” “That was it. The whole thing is completely over now,” Mensch added. “There are absolutely no plans for them to continue. Zero. Frankly, I wish everybody would stop talking about it.” We would stop talking about it, but just yesterday Mensch was making headlines after telling BBC6 radio that the band planned to reunite with a new singer. “They decided that if they could find a singer that they thought would fit their bill, whatever their bill was at this stage in their career, that they’d make a record and go on tour,” Mensch said. Still, Mensch might not exactly be in the loop, as he responded to Jimmy Page’s possible 2009 plans, “Fuck if I know. I’m waiting to hear.” Related Stories: • Led Zeppelin Return: Reunion Show Photos • Robert Plant Remains “Great Friends” With Jimmy Page, Still Plans To Do “Different Things” • Zeppelin Members Seek New Singer

Published: 2009-01-08 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Led Zeppelin Reunion

Exclusive: “Rock Band” Sequel Reveals 20 Free Song Downloads

The makers of Rock Band 2 have revealed the 20 songs gamers can download for free starting November 4th. Leading the pack of free tracks (available to anybody who owns Rock Band 2 on XBox 360, PlayStation 3 or Wii) are Dhani Harrison project Thenewno2, Underoath, the Cab, Semi-Precious Weapons and the Chevelles. “The Rock Band platform is an unparalleled destination for music discovery — offering a broad cross section of rock, from iconic rock artists to emerging bands,” said Paul DeGooyer, MTV’s Senior Vice President of Electronic Games & Music. “With the addition of the 20 new songs we’re announcing today, owners of Rock Band 2 will have the ability to experience music from over 100 artists — ranging from the acts they already know and love to up-and-coming bands we think they will like.” With the download aspect of Rock Band doing huge business, the folks can afford a few freebies. Follow the jump for the complete track list. 20 Free Rock Band 2 Downloads: The 88 - “Sons and Daughters” Authority Zero - “No Regrets” Between the Buried and Me - “Prequel To The Sequel” The Cab - “Bounce” The Chevelles - “Get It On” The Cocktail Slippers - “Give It To Me” Dealership - “Database Corrupted” Endeverafter - “I Wanna Be Your Man” The Ghost Hounds - “Ashes To Fire” Hollywood Undead - “Young” Kutless - “The Feeling” The Len Price 3 - “If I Ain’t Got You” Lesley Roy - “I’m Gone, I’m Going” Opiate for the Masses - “Burn You Down” Semi-Precious Weapons - “Magnetic Baby” Shaimus - “Like a Fool” Thenewno2 - “Crazy Tuesday” Tickle Me Pink - “The Time Is Wrong” Underoath - “Desperate Times, Desperate Measures” Related Stories: • Rock Band Offers Real Merchandise For Fake Bands • AC/DC Expand Tour, Announce Rock Band Package • Gadget Envy: Rock Band 2

Published: 2008-10-21 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News