Filed under: Concerts and Tours , News Ex- R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry reunited with former bandmates Peter Buck and Mike Mills at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Ga., on Monday night. The gig, which was headlined by Buck's side projects the Baseball Project and the Minus Five, marked Berry's first performance since he played with R.E.M. at the 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Berry joined members of both bands onstage for the show's encore and drummed on covers [...]
This is why I love tribute albums. Any time a bunch of my favorite artists lend their talents in an attempt to shed some light on a songwriter they feel worthy, I take notice. The singer/songwriter in this case is Mark Mulachy, former lead singer of 80's band Miracle Legion. I can honestly say that I had never heard of Mr. Mulachy or any of his songs before reading about this record a month or so ago, so it was a joy to get to hear all of these songs for the first time. There are outstanding covers in this [...]
Filed under: Video , Exclusive One of the most exhilarating parts of being in a band is performing new material in front of an audience for the first time. Alt-rock titans R.E.M. captured that nervous excitement for their latest release, 'R.E.M. Live at the Olympia.' The double-disc features the band running through the songs that would go on to become 2008's 'Accelerate' in front of friends, family and a handful of their biggest fans. The high contrast black-and-white adds a cinematic film quality in the following video as [...]
Little Thom Yorke has been a busy bee of late, what with him and his mates playing Reading and the announcement that he'll release two brand new solo singles tomorrow, one called 'FeelingPulledApartByHorses' and the other 'The Hollow Earth'. Exciting. He's also contributed a track to the new Twilight film (details of which are due to be announced very soon) and there's also this track, 'All For The Best'. This cover is part of a benefit CD for Mark Mulcahy, who is the frontman with cult American band Miracle Legion . The CD will help raise funds [...]
Greg Laswell - Your Ghost [Kristin Hersh & Michael Stipe]
We've got the new Holy Trinity/Tri-Force for you right here: Michael Stipe and Tom Hanks are combining forces to make a movie based on the "man who writes the songs." Yes, Mr. Barry Manilow. Cue the heavens opening up and golden haired angels pouring out. As Spinner.com (and Empire Magazine ) reports, both Stipe's and Hanks' production companies, Single Cell and Playtone respectively, have announced they'll come together to put out the film. The story follows a group of Manilow fans who make their way to Vegas and find their nights [...]
Filed under: News , Holy Hell , Movies First it was jukebox musicals like the Billy Joel -centric 'Movin' Out' and 'Jersey Boys,' featuring the music of Frankie Valli, taking over Broadway. Then the the all- ABBA 'Mamma Mia' made the leap to theaters and became an international blockbuster. Now, another pop-centric film is coming to theaters near you and, according to Britain's Empire Magazine , it will feature music by '70s crooning king Barry Manilow . If any Manilow haters are wondering who's [...]
Happy Thursday! This week is moving right along, and last night I spent 9/9/09 (at 9:09, actually) at this Target/Gossip Girl party where a lot of people were buying clothes and sipping cocktails. (I did neither.) The only celebrity I spotted was Michelle Trachtenberg -- but hey, any Buffy-related experience always makes for a good evening.
Greg Laswell is one of those San Diego/Los Angeles-types, with a few well-crafted orchestral albums under his belt (including 2008's How The Day Sounds EP ). For his latest endeavor, he's turned to reinventing some of what I consider to be modern classics. On the forthcoming Covers EP (Vanguard Records, October 6th) Laswell tackles Echo & The Bunnymen, Morphine, Mazzy Star, Kate Bush and one of my favorite songs from Throwing Muses' Kristin Hersh . From her debut solo album Hips and Makers (1994), the original haunting [...]
David Berkeley lends track to Mark Mulcahy Tribute album along with Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe Showcases Strange Light on Rooftop and Starts ATL Collective Singer-songwriter David Berkeley is honored to announce his contribution to the upcoming Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy , out September 29, 2009 on Shout! Factory. Buy Music: Mark Mulcahy on [...]
R.E.M. will release a brand-new double live album, entitled R.E.M. Live At The Olympia on October 27th, 2009 on Warner Brothers Records . The two-CD set, produced by Jacknife Lee , features 39 songs that capture the best moments from the band’s “working rehearsals” at Dublin’s fabled Olympia club during which singer Michael Stipe , guitarist Peter Buck , and bassist Mike Mills tested out new songs for R.E.M.’s 2008 studio album Accelerate . Live At [...]
New 39 song live set covers everything from Chronic Town to Accelerate
R.E.M. to release brand-new double live album, Live at the Olympia, on October 26th, 2009 Two-CD set features 39 songs from band's July 2007 five-night stand at Dublin's Olympia Theater Deluxe Edition Package will also feature live concert film shot by Vincent Moon R.E.M. will release a brand-new double live album, entitled R.E.M. Live At The Olympia on October 26th, 2009 on Warner Bros. Records. The two-CD [...]
Filed under: The Hit List Nobody made you go around wearing UFOs and sucking a pacifier after you got smart enough to drop those duds. But despite the pop star high life, musicians don't have the luxury to abandon ship. Fans don't care if a star is misunderstood, or past that particular phase. The audience pays, so the musician plays. Here's how some handled it. Beastie Boys , 'Fight for Your Right (to Party)' [...]
Last week I posted three cover songs by L.A. artists , and the wave continues: On his forthcoming "Covers" EP (due Oct. 6 on Vanguard), SoCal singer-songwriter Greg Laswell covers Kristin Hersh's "Your Ghost," the gorgeous spectre of a song that led off her "Hips and Makers" album some 15 long years ago. Now, I like Laswell and featured him in my Times column a couple years ago, but ... well, on the vast musical ocean of Buzz Bands, Ms. Hersh fairly walks on water. "Your Ghost" [...]
This isn't a new question, but it's one of my favorites:
Filed under: Potent Quotables "[I hate] pranks. You're not that funny and you're not 15." -- Michael Stipe R.E.M. 's frontman admits he's not good with gags, maintaining "I'm too earnest." We should have known; 'Shiny Happy People' was ironic, after all. Next Quote
Eravamo già contenti di non dover aspettare troppo a lungo il successore di “Accelerate”, saputo che i R.E.M. erano già al lavoro sul nuovo album . Da oggi però noi fan di Michael Stipe e compagni saremo ancora più felici alla notizia che sono in arrivo a brevissimo un EP digitale ed un intero Live Album! Il gruppo statunitense ha annunciato sul sito ufficiale che il 7 luglio su iTunes e gli altri maggiori shops online sarà disponibile un EP digitale, intitolato “Reckoning Songs From The Olympia” e contentente 4 tracce [...]
MUSIC NEWS - R.E.M. has revealed plans to release a live music digital EP, called Reckoning Songs From The Olympia, through all digital service providers on July 7th, 2009. The live EP will feature versions of four songs from the band's second album Reckoning recorded during R.E.M. 's "working rehearsals" at Dublin's Olympia Theatre in July 2007. The tracklist is " Harborcoat," "Letter Never Sent," "Second Guessing," and "Pretty Persuasion ." The EP is to give [...]
I'm not too familiar with Mark Mulcahy, the man behind bands like Miracle Legion and Polaris, as well as the music for The Adventures of Pete & Pete . However, the artists paying tribute to Mulcahy on a new album, Ciao My Shining Star , are impressive. Thom Yorke, The National, Michael Stipe, Dinosaur Jr., Frank Black, and more all contribute tracks to the record which comes out on September 29 via Shout! Factory. The track list is after the jump. Ciao My Shining Star Track Listing: [...]
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Johnny Depp aged 16
