Great Music Blog

Revgenetics Resveratrol

2010-01-30T03:36:00.000-08:00

In the past three decades, there has been significant research in the potentiality of this amazing chemical component. In the last three years we have seen a substantial emergence of resvertrol supplements in the market. It has been proved in many researches that Resveratrol is the best naturally available antioxidant that helps to tackle aging.

Resveratrol extract supplements and pills have flooded the market. Revgenetics Resveratrol has been repeatedly proved to be the best in the market. Apart from Resveratrol being good for anti aging there are other benefits as well. Resveratrol is very good in protecting the central nervous system, by increasing the levels of heme oxygenase in the brain. It is very good in regulating hormones.

Revgenetics Resveratrol offering Revgenetics Discount, it is the best chance to incorporate Resveratrol in the life style. And save money with Revgenetics Coupon online.

The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time

2009-04-30T23:57:00.001-07:00

Quality Bathroom

2009-04-30T23:46:00.000-07:00

The bathroom is a place of necessity, body maintenance and beautification, and at times it is a refuge from the rest of the world and a source of relaxation. It is surprising how much time people actually spend in this small room. That is why it is important to make this room feel spacious, organized, and unique to your personality. What makes a good bathroom. How to choose the right bathroom suite from all the variety we have on the market? What is it necessary to consider when choosing a bathtub or bathroom accessories? Well chosen and successfully placed bathtub and accessories will make them comfortable and easy to use.

For most of the people the bathroom accessories are confined to only the faucets, shower heads and showers. A bathroom can be so much more than the utilitarian model many of us have in mind: colors, designs, faucet styles, bath tub designs (claw foot bath tubs, whirlpool tubs, and Jacuzzi tubs), modern showers (shower heads, shower faucets, sliding doors, and decorative glass for shower doors). Ideal Standard will give you a lot of choices. You can also search any unique style of taps from Bristan Taps.

Prodigy, Orbital, Pendulum As Headliners Global Gathering

2009-04-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

The dance weekender takes place in June

The Prodigy have been announced as headliners for this year’s Global Gathering.

The revitalised ravers share top billing with fellow comeback kids Orbital and drum 'n' bass heroes Pendulum at the dance weekender.

Global Gathering takes place at Long Marston Airfield, Stratford-Upon-Avon on July 24 and 25.

The line-up for Global Gathering is:

The Prodigy Orbital Pendulum Paul Van Dyk Armin Van Buuren Carl Cox Above And Beyond Eric Prydz David Guetta John Digweed Sasha Richie Hawtin Axwell Dubfire Erol Alkan Fedde Le Grand James Zabiela Steve Angello Sander Kleinenberg Tiga Markus Schulz Sander Van Doorn Nic Fanciulli Judge Jules ATB Plumb DJs Digitalsism Stanton Warriors Locodice Scratch Perverts DJ Yoda Josh Wink Andy C Mark Knight Lisa Lashes Danny Howells Magda Kissy Sellout The Shapeshifters Tidy Boys John Dahlback Chase And Status DJ Hype Utah Saints The Count And Sinden High Contrast Magnetik Man Andy Whitby Rusko Darren Styles And Breeze DJ Marky D Ramifrez Altern 8 Gasier Friction Sebastian Leger Menno De Jong Funkagenad Fabio And Grooverider Yousef Micky Slim Baby D Dave Spoon Hixxy And Unknown Noisia Benny Benassi Lisa Pin Up Paul Thomas Joel Mull Subfocus Anne Savage Caspa Ratpack Mary Anne Hobbs Kutski ATFC Tom Middleton DJ Sy and Gammer Hatcha & N Type Josh Gabriel Micky Finn Dougal Proteus Garth Emery & Ham Nicky Blackmarket Toddla T Chris Lake Hazard Guy J Slipmatt Rebekah Pete Jordan Jon Rundell Mark Eteson Kim Fai Re-Con & Squad E Mark H Robbie Long Darkfire Dub Stu Allen Garry K And Vapour

Email Marketing Alternative

2009-04-02T23:06:00.000-07:00

Have you been thinking of ways to augment your selling for your business? Articles, blog, ezines, etc. What about email, yes email marketing. Think just about it, if you have someones email address you may contact them directly.

The ability to target specific people is also greatly enhanced in email marketing. Any and all demographic information about the intended recipients can be put to use to ensure that your advertisements and marketing materials have the maximum possible impact. For example, separate ads can easily be sent out targeting males and females. Further, it is simple to break these groups down by age, interests, or even by the types of purchases they have made in the past. Using the correct email marketing software, such demographic breakdowns are relatively easy, and the only limit is the amount of information that you have available.

Marketing throughout email is substantial to improving Break Even Point (BEP) in today's recessionary times, which are forcing organizations to constrict budgets and restrict the spending on marketing. It is also a great way to expand your companies business and it doesn't hold to be a pricey nor headache to make it happen. One of the most important considerations in any business expenditure is the bottom line: How much does it cost? Email marketing services can be a very low-cost option for many reasons.

Download FREE New Music At The New NIN/JA 2009 Tour Site!

2009-03-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

The NIN/JA 2009 tour site is now live at ninja2009.com and features a FREE download with exclusive, previously-unreleased music from Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction, and Street Sweeper. You can also browse tour dates, photos, videos, and listen to streaming music. http://www.ninja2009.com

Additionally, starting today you'll have the option to remix two Jane's Addiction tracks and one Street Sweeper track on http://remix.nin.com

The NIN/JA 2009 tour with Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction, and Street Sweeper begins May 8th in West Palm Beach, FL, and continues through North America this summer. NIN will then continue on with a series of dates across Europe and Asia during July and August. Watch the NIN tour page for updated on-sale information: http://tour.nin.com

Tour Dates:

5.08.09 - w. palm beach, fl [cruzan amphitheatre]
5.09.09 - tampa, fl [ford amphitheatre]
5.10.09 - atlanta, ga [lakewood amphitheatre]
5.12.09 - austin, tx [frank erwin center]
5.14.09 - albuquerque, nm [journal pavilion]
5.15.09 - phoenix, az [cricket wireless pavilion]
5.16.09 - chula vista, ca [cricket wireless amphitheater]
5.18.09 - las vegas, nv [the pearl]
5.20.09 - irvine, ca [verizon wireless amphitheater]
5.22.09 - mountain view, ca [shoreline amphitheatre]
5.24.09 - george, wa [the gorge amphitheater] - sasquatch festival, nin and ja only
5.26.09 - englewood, co [fiddler’s green amphitheatre]
5.27.09 - kansas city, mo [starlight theatre]
5.29.09 - chicago, il [charter one pavilion] - nin only
5.30.09 - noblesville, in [verizon wireless music center]
5.31.09 - clarkston, mi [dte energy music theatre]
6.02.09 - toronto, on [molson amphitheatre]
6.03.09 - mansfield, ma [comcast center]
6.05.09 - camden, nj [susquehanna bank center]
6.06.09 - holmdel, nj [pnc bank arts center]
6.07.09 - wantagh, ny [nikon at jones beach music theater]
6.09.09 - columbia, md [merriweather post pavilion ]
6.10.09 - burgettstown, pa [post-gazette pavilion]
6.12.09 - charlotte, nc [verizon wireless amphitheatre]

The Smiths Definitely Not Reuniting

2009-03-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

Sources from band member say there's no chance of reunion

Sources close to both members of the band and Coachella have denied that there has been any new move to reunite the group for next year's festival.

A British newspaper had claimed The Smiths were considering burying the hatchet for next year's event.

Johnny Marr, guitarist says there is no foundations to recent stories that his old band The Smiths are to reform. He's committed to The Cribs and refuses to be drawn on Smiths reunion.

Morrissey has previously claimed he was offered a near Â£40 million for just him and Smiths guitarist Marr to reunite for the Californian event in 2006.

A new double-CD compilation spanning the band's career, 'The Sound Of The Smiths', is released on November 10.

Kelly Clarkson At No. 1 For Two Weeks

2009-03-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

Next week's Billboard 200 albums chart should find Kelly Clarkson's "All I Ever Wanted" (19/RCA) holding for a second week at No. 1, but with likely less than 100,000 units. The album debuted atop the tally this week with 255,000.

Clarkson leads the Nielsen SoundScan Building chart that was released on March 18, which reflected unweighted sales through the close of business on Tuesday, March 11. Billboard estimates the seven merchants who report to Nielsen SoundScan's Building chart -- Trans World Entertainment, Best Buy, iTunes, Starbucks, Borders, Target and Anderson Merchandisers -- comprise about 60% of all U.S. album sales.

Gorilla Zoe's new album "Don't Feed Da Animals" (Block/Bad Boy South/Atlantic) looks like it'll be the chart's highest debut, likely arriving in the top 10. Next in line should be Static-X's "Cult of Static" (Reprise/Warner Bros.), which is aiming for a top 20 debut.

The Decemberists' "The Hazards of Love" (Capitol) could start in the top 30 of the tally next week, following its early exclusive release through iTunes and on 180 gram vinyl in select indie stores. On March 24, the set becomes available in all standard physical and digital formats.

A reissue of the "Twilight" soundtrack (Summit/Chop Shop/Atlantic) -- timed to coincide with the DVD bow of the hit film on Saturday, March 21 -- could return the album to the top 10. The relaunched album includes five bonus tracks and a DVD with interviews and music videos.

Nielsen SoundScan's sales tracking week, as reflected in the official Billboard 200 chart, runs from Monday through Sunday of each week. The newest Billboard 200 chart, released today (March 18) -- where Clarkson's "Wanted" debuted at No. 1 with 255,000 -- reflected the week that ended on Sunday, March 15.

Direct TV Special Offers

2009-03-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

Direct TV is a company that is serving satellite television consumers in your area and around the world. But no place has more satellite customers then the United States. The service provided by Direct TV includes over 250 television channels, up to 80 XM radio channels, and even Internet access is available to Direct TV customers. With Direct TV Specials you are able to choose form different packages that are suitable for you and your family. The packages are very affordable, reliable, and versatile for your viewing and listening pleasure.

Direct TV can give you access to almost 800 audio and video channels including PBS, ESPN, HBO, The Discovery Channel, Disney Channel and also you favorite local channels. Depending on your subscription package, you can enjoy exclusive access to special events in sports, music and other show you like. Check out the many Direct TV Deals offered today.

Direct TV offers a stable signal even when the world around you is falling apart. Imagine your sitting in your living room watching your favorite movie when all of a sudden your picture goes completely. With Direct TV that’s not going to happen. Of course, Direct TV has not always been on top, but with subscriptions steadily increasing, Direct TV is now the number one leading Satellite company in the world. Today more then ever, people are choosing Direct Satellite Television.

Free MP3 from Casiokids

2009-03-03T14:50:00.000-08:00

Fot I Hose Axemax Remix

Casiokids’ ‘Fot I Hose’ was something of an anomaly. While the majority of the Norwegian’s output has done nothing but live up to their Scandanavian quirktronic Whitest Boy roots (with the likes of 'Verdens Storste Land' and 'Togens Hule' fitting them nicely into the Moshi Moshi manifesto, nestled alongside Architecture In Helsinki, Lo-Fi-Fnk and the rest), this one leaped out a massive club monster at every gig.

Casio buggery for the fluokids generation (which might explain the name), ‘Fot I Hose’ has the kind of electronic riff that fuses itself to your hippocampus and taps away at you like a randy woodpecker for hours on end. Expect it to be used on adverts from here to LA and far off in the Verizon soon – so enjoy it while you can.

This is a remix by toothless wonder Axemax (whoever that is) who fortunately barely fucked with it. The single is out on Moshi Moshi now.

Download Axemax's remix of Fot I Hose here

Lighting Fixtures For Your Home

2009-02-28T10:05:00.000-08:00

"Heaven is where the hearth is.” The warmth of your home is the place where you spend half of your life. Commonly observed, most home-owners overlook the importance of lighting systems. Merely installing some expensive lights is not enough. Lighting systems can make or break the ambience of your home.For the different areas of your home, you have a good set of home lighting options to choose from. Whether your goal aims at beautification, safety, efficiency or whatever medley of effects; you are sure to find the right light fixtures for your need.

When creatively thought of and implemented, new lighting fixtures is all it takes to recreate a whole new look and feel within and outside your home. To start planning on a project, it pays to know the basics of home lighting. By exploring the different types and knowing what they have to offer, you’ll be able to make the best choices and come up with the coolest of ideas.

Perhaps the most common of them all is the chandelier, which a multi-arm lighting fixture. It is usually ornate, and it holds numerous bulbs. Because of the number of bulbs its holds and its elaborate design, chandeliers are the most popular general lighting type. Chandeliers can be expensive, however, especially those made from special materials such as crystals. Another popular type of general lighting is the ceiling light fixtures.It may or may not have a gap between the ceiling and the fixture, and this design adds flair to the fixture. As general lighting fixtures go, this type is more decorative than most, although definitely not as elaborate as chandeliers.

Get Your Student Loans

2009-02-25T09:31:00.000-08:00

When you are in search of assistance that enables you to meet your expanses related to your education. Such loans arrange quick cash for any emergency cash need for the all the students who are in need. He can borrow the amount according to his need without any hassle and delay until you finish your study along with the affordable interest rates. The best part of its services is that it offer online services and everything in its process can be done via internet with ease of no paper work, no collateral and no long waits in queues. Student loans are configured to enables the needy people to meet their expanse not only the expenditure for education, but also help them in buying the books, to pay tuition fees, afford hostel expenditure and solve several other study related problems as well.

Since all of us know that education is essential to make a bright future. None can expect a good career in lack of higher education that is hard to afford in present times. Some students think to start part time jobs to carry on their education but it reduces their concentration on their education and they fail in digging up the exact results. Now the lenders have designed the Private student loans with no credit check that is an ideal way for students to fulfill their dream of education. In fact, the private student loans with no credit check has done miracle in lives of students and also enabled them to gain education with ease. With the help of these loans, the student can easily repay their college fees.

College loans or student loans as they are popularly known are a wonderful way to arrange finances for your college education. Most of the students take multiple loans in order to fund their education, day to day requirements, living, stationary, food and several other expenses but these loans later grow into huge liability and harangue you too much. For such students there is an easy way to pay off their number of loans via the means of college consolidation loans. This is one such option which combines all other loans together and helps them make easy payments to pay off the entire loan amount. The college loan consolidation is basically a service that allows the students to pay their college loans easily. It is also known as the student loan consolidation service. The service allows them to lower down the monthly debts repayment overriding their peace of mind. The service helps to bring down the total monthly payable amount payable by making the payment schedule somewhat longer for the loan. This loan plan is therefore patronized by almost all the students as it has indispensable benefits in comparison to an ordinary loan plan.

Grammy Award Winners' Sales Rise

2009-02-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

The 2009 Grammy Awards gave US album sales a significant boost in the week following the February 8 ceremony. Overall album sales increased more than 16 percent last week, with big winners Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, who took home the album of the year prize, benefiting the most. Sales of the Led Zeppelin frontman and country chanteuse's album 'Raising Sand' moved up from Number 69 on the US Billboard chart to Number Two.

Meanwhile, Coldplay, who performed at the Los Angeles ceremony and took home a handful of awards, moved from Number 31 to Number Eight on the chart, and Adele, who took home the best new artist trophy, climbed from Number 27 to Number 10 with her debut album '19'.

Meanwhile, sales of the 'Grammy Nominees 2009' compilation featuring Coldplay, Radiohead, MIA and Katy Perry increased 114 percent, selling 61,000 copies last week and moving up the chart to Number Nine. Wow, what a great soar!

International Cheap Flight

2009-02-19T11:54:00.000-08:00

Many people dream of traveling to a foreign country but the cost of international airfare is enough to scare most people off. If this is something you've always dreamed of doing but the prohibitive cost of airline tickets has kept you from doing so then its time to learn the secrets of finding cheap discount international flights and airline tickets. As is the case with so many different products and services in the 21st century, you definitely will want to include the Internet as one of your resources when you are in the process of seeking cheap flights. The prices people are paying on airfare today, taking inflation into account and everything, are generally going to be lower than they were several years ago, because the online travel agencies know that they're not just competing with the guy across town.

Everybody loves to travel, but getting right kind of plane tickets and traveling to foreign country by flights with low coast airlines is a dream for every common travelers. One of the best location for tertiary education, good location for immigration and migration, Australia has long been a top choice destination for people of all ages and races. The fact is that there are some marvelous websites that are up and running today that can assist you in finding a perfect selection of Australia flights, like Qantas or Jetstar. And related Australia accommodation options.

In the end, by taking the time to shop around for Australia flights and other types of Australia accommodation needs and options you not only will end up being able to book the trip or vacation of a lifetime, you will also be able to accomplish this goal without spending the proverbial arm and a leg. You will be able to plan and take the exact trip Down Under that you have always dreamed of and still have plenty of money left over after you have made all of the necessary reservations.

A Short Story of Hagstrom Guitars

2009-02-06T14:45:00.001-08:00

Hagstrom History

The Hagstrom company got its start in accordions and not guitars as some people may believe. Albin Hagstrom started from very modest beginnings, selling and renting out a few accordions around his town in Sweden.

His business soon exponentially grew into a massive distribution center, serving several different countries in Europe. This in turn led to Hagstrom manufacturing their own accordions and gaining a stronger foothold in the market.

Despite their rapid rise and great success however, accordions were not to be in the world of music for the last half a century. So Hagstrom had to turn their attention elsewhere.

Rock and roll music was starting to influence not just the United States but music and culture around the world. Hagstrom realized their opportunity and decided to get into the guitar market.

Similarly to their start with accordions, they did not just jump into manufacturing their own. To start with they were importing Gibson guitars. The Gibson guitars they imported however would soon turn into the basis for their first electric guitar designs just a short time later. By 1958 Hagstrom designed and released their first guitar, closely modeled off of the Gibson Les Paul 1957 electric guitar.

Hagstrom guitars were often referred to as glitter guitars due to their unique coating and finish. But Hagstrom guitars had much more noteworthy elements than just their appearance and style. One of these features is the trademark thin neck of the Hagstrom guitar.

The reason the necks were able to be built so thinly is due to the H bar inserted into the necks, as opposed to a rounder bar. These bars were stronger and sturdier, and allowed for thinner neck construction and even faster guitar playing. Of course, thinner necks are not just great for appearance either.

Having a thinner neck allows for an increased ease of use and increased speed of moving up and down the neck and reaching farther frets. And the H bar was so strong that the neck was guaranteed against twisting or warping.

In 1962 Hagstrom released their Kent line of guitars which were modeled more closely after the Fender Stratocaster. However, at first these guitars were not actually made by Hagstrom. Hagstrom wanted the Kent name in order to gain greater access into the U.S. market.

So they then used the Kent name in certain areas when the Hagstrom name didn’t carry any weight to U.S. consumers and distributors. Kent was just one of the numerous different names that Hagstrom guitars were sold under at one point or another.

Guitars and other musical instruments always enjoy a nice bump in sales and prestige when major artists opt to use them. This happened in the late 1960s when Elvis made a TV appearance using a Hagstrom guitar. To this day Hagstrom guitars are still popular, especially so in Europe, and are used by a variety of musicians in the recording industry.

Franz Ferdinand 'Tonight' Album Review

2009-02-06T14:29:00.000-08:00

I find it quite fascinating that such success should fall into the lap of a band who make it their career choice to offer up a reflection, albeit a convincing one, of the artistic output of Talking Heads. Bizarre and intermittently wonderful – Franz Ferdinand have made a peculiarly enthralling record, but a little like their influences' punk/funk oddities, how it works remains a mystery.

Gone is the oddly appealing gawky scratchiness of their debut... make way for bouncy synth bass! Not quite dance floor fodder, not quite edgy indie, Tonight is a weird record. It doesn’t quite fit the image – slightly nerdy looking Scottish blokes shouldn’t make music like this. But apparently they do.

The single, 'Ulysses’ is innately catchy and the distorted, crunchy riff that kicks 'Turn It On’ into touch is obvious, but brilliant. The down side? High impact gives way to repetition and after a few listens, the excitement wears thin. 'Live Alone’ doesn’t help either, a song which begs the question 'why?, sounds a bit too much like The Stranglers and irritates like an annoying itch you can’t reach, it ends up suggesting itself as the blueprint for a lot of the songs here and should have just been left alone.

Nevertheless, a very British album of songs about seedy nights in sweaty clubs, Tonight pretty neatly and subversively sums up the denial of a country on the edge without resorting to 'I predict a riot' cliché – quite right, knock that anarchistic ideology on the head and replace it with the vastly more accurate cynicism of 'I’m bored, c’mon, let’s get high'. The stupidly sad irony is that, even if it is social commentary, it’ll probably end up a slogan.

reviewed by Owen Gillham

Download: CSS Give Away New Chromeo Remix

2009-01-29T11:25:00.000-08:00

Get that Brazilians' interpretation of 'Fancy Footwork' now, It's Free to Download

CSS's remix of Chromeo's 'Fancy Footwork' is being given away as a free download.
The Brazilian band's version of the track can be downloaded now from Myspace.com/meetthekickers.

A user-generated video of the CSS remix of 'Fancy Footwork' has also been created, featuring plasticine models carrying Kickers shoes that then turn into monsters.

The video features a number of shots of festival-goers feet, after makers filmed revellers dancing while wearing Kickers at numerous music events, including and , last summer.

Discover Good Quality Planters

2009-01-23T11:40:00.000-08:00

Selection of Garden planters is most important. Quality material with nicely crafted garden planters must be selected as it did not require replacement at later point of time. Garden Planters with good wooden material like teak, cedar, Redwood, synthetic material like polymer and granite or marble is durable and elegant. Wooden and Granite Garden planers are natural and beautiful. They withstand tuff weather conditions and monsoon seasons. Garden Planters can be selected taking into account whether the container will survive mid-day sun, breezes and can hold moisture and should not dry out immediately. Terracotta Planters dry out very fast while wood and metal garden planters retain water unless there is provision for water drain. Fiberglass Planters are very light weight, mobile but not durable. There are many online garden stores where you can browser for as long as you like, in the comfort of your own home, for all your gardening supplies. These shops carry a variety of garden items besides your regular garden tools, there are garden accessories that are sure to brighten up your garden and have it looking extra special, here you can also find garden furniture, lawnmowers, fertilizers, bulbs, flower boxes, garden sheds, wheel barrows and garden carts, lawn blowers, hedge trimmers, and lots more.

Well maintained indoor plants brighten the office environment, improve worker’s morale and health, and make visitors feel more welcome. All that can be provided by an indoor plant hire company for about the price of a cup of coffee per week per large plant. Yet, some office managers still feel that they can save money by buying their own plants and asking an office worker to look after them. There are Outdoor Planters, Self-watering planters, Indoor Planters, Hanging Planters, Window Box Planters, Patio Planters, High End Planters, Soil Mixers, Tool Storage Sheds, Decorative Planters, Industrial Garden Hose, and if you are lucky you might be able to cash in on some of their specially priced items. When you visit these online Garden Stores you will be in a whole different world of gardening with so many products to choose from, you will probably come upon some items that you did not even know existed. If you change your décor you may want to change the planters to compliment the new décor. If you have bought the planters, you would then have to throw them out and buy new planters. Most indoor plant hire companies will change the style of planter for you or maybe change the color, often for little extra cost.

Garden Planters also indoor and outdoor herb gardening. Growing fresh herbs for day to day use in cooking is made possible by garden planters. When it comes to making your own garden art, there are so many different possibilities as to what you can do that it can almost be overwhelming. That is why I am going to focus on just one type of garden art in this article: planters. Check out these fun and unique ideas for your garden pots and planters: Bonsai Garden can be created by using garden planters. One of the best parts of having a garden is that you can build up a wonderful array of foliage and flowers to brighten it up all the year round. From a lush green lawn, to wonderful vibrant flowerbeds and planters, there is a lot you can do to transform an otherwise lifeless garden into a stunning swathe of scenery to look at and enjoy all year round. If you have an outdoor pergola or other structure that you want to liven up a bit, you might think that you are restricted to having a variety of pots scattered here and there, but don’t forget the power of hanging plants to soften up the whole thing as well.

Men’s Running Shoes

2009-01-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

Getting the right running shoes for your foot type is one of the most important steps you can take to prevent running injuries and run comfortably. You can choose from a wide variety of running shoes, including ones made for neutral runners or those with slightly flat feet or high-arched feet. Don't choose running shoes that have a lot of stability or motion control -- you don't need it. Here are some recommended running shoes for men who are neutral runners.

Men and women have many differences and shoes are just one of them. A woman’s shoe isn’t merely a smaller version of man’s shoe. The design is different to allow for differences in the shape of the foot and weight applied to the heel. Men’s running shoes are generally stiffer than women’s shoes. This allows for more support and motion control whereas women’s shoes tend to be a little more flexible. For a long time, running shoe manufacturers specialized mainly in the construction of men’s running shoes and basically build scaled down versions for women. Since men of the same height tend to weigh more than women, men’s running shoes are designed to be tougher and have more cushioning in the sole to absorb the pounding caused by the additional weight. You can various product via internet, and shop online!

I wear Adidas Clima Cool Running Shoe. This is another high quality men’s running shoe. It is constructed of breathable materials which are fast drying. The material provides for maximum ventilation from both sides and it has an antimicrobial lining which limits the bacterial growth and cuts down on odors. I also use Puma shoes, but Adidas is still my favorit.

Car Seats Buying Guide

2009-01-08T22:34:00.000-08:00

The many car collisions every year, which are consequential to demises and agonies of little children have called for making use of an additional car protection piece of equipment: baby car seats.

Baby car seats can prevent serious injury to your child in the event of an accident. It is the law that all children under the age of twelve should be seated in the back seat. This is especially true if you have airbags in the front.

No matter what type of seat you purchase, and there are many, consider how much you can spend. If expense is a concern a convertible travel system maybe in order. A rear-facing car seat can be used as a forward facing car seat until the appropriate age. There is a base that remains in the car. The infant/toddler car seat then can be attached to a stroller frame and later it can reattach to the base that’s in the car. Check out your options and consider what will be best as far as expenses are concerned. Do your research and determine what will be best for you and your child. Always, the first concern should be the safety of your baby from day one.

One of the great things about the Internet is that you can research virtually anything in the comfort of your own home and shop online. Sure, there’s a lot of trivial, useless stuff out there, but there’s also a lot of practical information we can use in our everyday lives. When it comes to researching something like a baby car seat, consumer protection organizations often have elaborate websites that are the perfect places to get what you need.

New U2 album inspired by 'Jack White and Led Zeppelin'

2009-01-08T12:50:00.000-08:00

U2's new album 'No Line on the Horizon' has been inspired by Led Zeppelin and Jack White, the band have claimed. The Edge told Rolling Stone that spending time with The White Stripes leader and Jimmy Page for recent documentary 'It Might Get Loud' influenced his style.

The guitarist explained: "I was just fascinated with seeing how Jimmy played those riffs so simply, and with Jack as well." U2 singer Bono added that the songs have also been inspired by world events, with closing album track 'Cedars Of Lebanon' seeing the singer in the role of a war correspondent.

"On this album, you can feel what is going on in the world at the window, scratching at the windowpane," he said.

U2's twelfth studio album, their first since 2004's 'How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb', is released on March 2.

The Stooges' Mike Watt Pays Tribute to Ron Asheton

2009-01-08T12:43:00.000-08:00

The Stooges' bass player Mike Watt has paid tribute to the band's guitarist Ron Asheton, whose death was announced on Tuesday (January 6). Although a post-mortem is yet to be carried out, Asheton is thought to have died of a heart attack. He was 60.

Watt joined The Stooges in 2003, playing on their reunion tours and subsequent album, 2007's 'The Weirdness'. Speaking to the LA Times, the bassist called his bandmate a "pioneer", praising his guitar technique.

"As a musician, he was a pioneer - very singular, very unique. To get to be onstage with him was incredible for me. We all looked up to Ronnie with that guitar sound," he said. "Man, it was a sound, but especially in those days in the early '70s. Most people at my high school, they didn't like that sound. They were like, 'You like them?' We took a lot of [flak] for liking them in a way."

Watt added that he was hopeful to create more music in honour of Asheton.

"I'm going to get more intense with my work, my music," he said. "That's what I was thinking when I paddled out today. I went in the kayak after somebody told me they found him. I'm in San Pedro Harbor and I'm always running or kayaking.

"This is going to push me with music ever more. It's a shame it takes something like this to do that, but I know all the playing with him has rubbed off on me big time. I loved being his bass player."

Camelback Displays

2009-01-08T12:32:00.000-08:00

Now more than ever, companies need to design compelling trade show displays to achieve top results. Most trade show displays, with the exception of some large panel systems and truss can be easily set-up by one person without any tools.

The good news is most of today's trade show displays are flexible enough to create endless configurations simply by rearranging panels and components. And most trade show displays such as table-top displays, banner stands, and the ever-popular popup displays set up quickly, easily, and without any tools.

When buying trade show displays off the web you want to choose a professional company with experience and good customer service. Most first time trade show booth buyers make the mistake of focusing more on price rather than service. A good exhibit display vendor will be able to tell you the pros and cons on a variety of display factors.

Banner stands are often an under utilized accessory. They usually cost just a few dollars, even when you include the printing costs. They add extra eye appeal and are great for grabbing the attention of a potential customers. The main goal is to bring customers into your selling environment and to do that you need to create a trade show exhibit that is both visually pleasing and enticing. From a design standpoint it is important to note that there are no hard and fast rules to designing custom trade show displays.

Will.I.Am Release New Obama Video

2008-11-06T23:50:00.000-08:00

The release of Will.I.Am's new video, 'It's A New Day', celebrating Barack Obama's victory, has been pushed back.

The Black Eyed Peas frontman's song will now debut on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' tomorrow (November 7). It was originally scheduled to air on dipdive.com yesterday, but his publicist told the Associated Press of the new plan, which will include other celebrities on hand for the video premiere.

"This was inspired by America," Will.I.Am said of the song. "It's about Obama winning, and really paying tribute to those people who are responsible for that happening, and that's the American people."

Will.I.Am has been an outspoken Obama supporter, and created the now-famous 'Yes We Can' video featuring several stars singing the words of the new president's landmark speech.

Carlsberg Part of The Game

2008-11-06T23:42:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite beers, Carlsberg, has launched a web tv channel about football. Football fanatics from all over the globe can view the five channels which show various football matches and moments.

Partofthegame.tv service will help you keep up with everything going on in Football field. With Carlsberg web-tv Part of the Game, you don't ever need to miss out on the great moments in the matches of the team.

Go check it out at www.partofthegame.tv

www.partofthegame.tv

Slipknot - All Hope Is Gone

2008-08-31T09:10:00.000-07:00

Fuck it all, fuck this world, fuck everything that you stand for” spat Slipknot in 1999 on ‘Surfacing’, helping them become an international phenomenon in the process. Nearly a decade on they’re one of the most recognisable bands on the planet through, the cynics say, a combination of shock marketing and exploiting the fuck-you-I-won’t-tidy-my-bedroom angst dollar, but beneath the masks lies an insatiable desire to innovate musically. ‘Iowa’ (2001) added cold, bold tinges of black and doom metal to the scorched-earth template of their debut; the brutality of ‘Vol 3 (The Subliminal Verses)’ was so garlanded with dark ambience and shards of melody it prompted even the sniffiest of detractors into grudging respect.Yet while their antics have, perversely, allowed Slipknot to quietly become one of the most interesting bands operating on such a commercial level (their two platinum and one double-platinum records sit on a rotting mantelpiece next to their Grammy), ‘All Hope Is Gone’ is a mis-step, albeit not a fatal one. The catchier elements of ‘Vol 3…’ felt brave while retaining their trademark filth, but the FM choruses of ‘Butcher’s Hook’ and ‘Wherein Lies Continue’ jar next to Mick Thomson and Jim Root’s gunshot guitars. And though ‘Gehenna’ is an attempt at unsettling atmospherica – try not to shiver when Corey Taylor growls “Let me watch you as you sleep” – ‘Snuff’ emotes so hard it recalls post-Bizkit mopers Staind.

Now, the good news. The excited violence of their debut is (in-part) back: ‘Vendetta’ is pure Pantera strut, ‘This Cold Black’ is a riot of hate driven by Joey Jordison’s blastbeats, leaving these two songs among the finest in their canon. Lead single ‘Psychosocial’ is the perfect marriage of light and shade, but the title track astounds most: gloriously sludgy and frantically light-fingered at the same time, it’s a relentless assault which confirms that, when their backs are against the wall, Slipknot can hew stunning riffs from the heaviest metal. But by letting their off-beat creativity fester, Slipknot have missed their chance to finally silence the doubters; confusing considering they conquered the world without a shred of compromise. No-one’s been scared of them since last century, but ‘Vol 3…’ shocked because it was so unexpected. They needed to up their innovating significantly but haven’t, leaving ‘All Hope Is Gone’ above-average. And for a band used to being loved or hated, the middle ground can’t be where they aimed for.

Ben Patashnik

The Police Take a Final Bow in New York City

2008-08-11T03:51:00.000-07:00

As the final notes of “Next To You” filled the Madison Square Garden air in New York tonight, Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers and Sting held hands and took one final bow as the Police. Someone dressed as an obese opera singer took the stage behind them, and the fat lady literally sang as the Looney Tunes music began playing. As Sting did a goofy dance, Porky Pig spoke: “Obley, obley, obley… That’s all folks.” Sting strode up to the mike as his bandmates began walking offstage. “Madison Square Garden!” he yelled. “Center of the city, center of the world! Goodnight!” Thus marked the end of the 150th and final gig of the Police’s 15-month reunion/farewell tour in which they played to 3.7 million people — and made nearly $386 million.

The night didn’t begin so smoothly. As opposed to the standard opener of “Message in a Bottle,” the band began with a dreadful cover of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love.” It was nice to pay homage to another famously embattled trio who also ended a series of recent reunion gigs at Madison Square Garden, but classic rock covers clearly aren’t their forte. Things picked up quickly when the New York City Police Marching Band took the stage and pounded away “Tusk”-style on “Message in a Bottle.” From here their massive catalog of hits started pouring out fast and furiously: “Walking on the Moon,” “Invisible Sun,” “Can’t Stand Losing You” and so on. Sting’s daughters danced near their father during “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.” Barely pausing between numbers, the band ran through the show oddly quickly. The whole thing was a hair under two hours.

Before playing the naughty schoolgirl anthem “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” Sting looked back at his pre-Policeman days. “Before I took this job I worked as a teacher at a convent in England,” he said. “I was the only man. I had a pension, a mortgage… What the fuck happened to me?” What happened was he met an American drummer named Stewart Copeland and started what became one of the most massive bands in history. They broke up at their stadium-packing peak in 1984 and Sting insisted for decades they’d never reform. Throughout the night Sting looked happy he changed his mind, or maybe he was just happy the whole thing was nearly over.

After the main set, a backstage camera showed an extremely bearded Sting laying back in a barber chair. Two blonde women began furiously shaving his beard with an electric razor, while men shined his shoes and gave him a manicure. When the hair was short enough they coated his face with shaving cream and used a disposable razor to finish the job (”C’mon, use a straight razor!” yelled a guy near me.) Midway through Stewart Copeland gave him a kiss on the lips. Do they really actually like each other, or is it all an act? It’s impossible to know for sure. “It’s been a huge honor to get back with my old friends,” Sting said earlier in the night. “The triumph of this tour is that we haven’t strangled each other — not to say it hasn’t crossed my mind.” Farewell tours are a longtime joke in rock & roll (the Who are about to launch their seventh post-”farewell tour” tour), but it seems likely this is really it for the Police. In many ways, they went out on top.

This article was taken from: Rollingstone.com

Oasis Release First Ever Official Remix

2008-08-11T03:38:00.000-07:00

Oasis are to release their first ever official remix with new single 'The Shock Of The Lightning'.

The track, out September 29, will feature a Chemical Brothers remix of 'Falling Down' – a track from forthcoming album 'Dig Out Your Soul' - as its B-side.

Although there have been several unofficial and bootleg remixes during Oasis' career, this is the first time the band officially allowed outside producers access to one of their songs.

The single will be available on CD, seven-inch vinyl and download formats. Fans who download the single from Oasis' official website, Oasisinet.com, will be able to download the promo video to 'The Shock Of The Lightning' as well.

The band have also confirmed that they will tour the UK this year. Keep checking NME.COM for details of the tour as they are announced.

'The Shock Of The Lightning' will get its global radio debut this Friday (August 15) at 8.15am (BST).

The album, 'Dig Out Your Soul', will be released on October 6.

This article was taken from: NME.COM

David Bowie - Live In Santa Monica 72

2008-08-04T03:24:00.000-07:00

Why this album was never officially released until now remains one of the great mysteries of major-label decision making. Long bootlegged, Live Santa Monica '72 captures the glam-rock pioneer during his Ziggy Stardust prime, on his first U.S. tour, recording what is unequivocally his best concert album. With no needless production tricks to separate the music from the live experience, everything, including the crowd, becomes part of this intimate show taped at the Santa Monica Civic Center.

Bowie is relaxed and chatty — he even introduces "Andy Warhol" with a goofy impersonation of the pop artist. His band, featuring the combustive guitar work of Mick Ronson and tight rhythm section of bassist Trevor Bolder and drummer Mick "Woody" Woodmansey, was his strongest lineup ever, and here they run though nearly all of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, fleshing out the loose storyline about an alien rock star with appropriate cuts from earlier LPs, such as Hunky Dory's "Life on Mars" and Space Oddity's title song.

Bowie also turns cover versions of the Velvet Underground's junkie anthem "Waiting for the Man" and Jacques Bruel's beautiful and harrowing "My Death" into fitting rock & roll hymns for Ziggy. It's a near-flawless document of a character Bowie would soon leave behind for good.

This article was taken from: Rollingstone.com

CSS -- Donkey Album

2008-07-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

CSS’ debut was a collection of postmodern private gags set to acrobatic electro bleeps and thuds. It was brilliant, a defining record of 2006, but a gnawing doubt remained; were they just a playful art-house prank or, worse, the greatest novelty act of all time? ‘Donkey’ proves not. This is an album of ambition and depth and, although it will not inspire the same love that first album did, it will inspire a lot more thought.

It is no surprise, however, that stylistically ‘Donkey’ is several leaps on from ‘Cansei De Ser Sexy’. They’re too savvy to assume the DIY electro was ever going to survive the post-new rave zeitgeist cull. As such, they’ve largely dropped the bleeps, mining instead the twin obsessions of ’90s alt.rock and ’80s pop. Everything from the Breeders guitars to the Cyndi Lauper enthusiasm is washed in a slick (but not distasteful) pop sheen, clearly marking this band’s ambitions to break into radio world and take their unitard funbus off the indie circuit for good. As such it’s a thicker work than the first; no less rewarding, but perhaps not quite as exciting. The benefit of the fresh production is shown in Lovefoxxx’s vocals. As sophisticated and idiosyncratic as the lyrics on their debut were, they were often missed, buried within the mix. This time around though, the ’Foxxx enunciates proudly, drawing attention to her words - an instant signifier of the band’s new, serious perception of themselves. She still deals in odd, stilted lyricism, but its tone has changed. Where once it legitimised the manic eroticism of their songs, it now adds to her newly heartfelt prose a sense of Dadaist humanity. “I’m gonna take your eyes/Use them as a seed/Grow a big tree on the balcony” she sings on ‘Believe Achieve’ – a love song whose lyrics are as touching as they are unpredictable.

After a tough year, including the departure of bassist Ira Trevisan, a bitter split with their manager (also Ira’s ex-boyfriend) and the most gruelling tour schedule on the planet, it’s easy to see why they’re not interested in Paris Hilton any more. ‘Donkey’ addresses their stress, but refuses to let itself get bogged down with righteousness. ‘Rat Is Dead (Rage)’ tells the story of absent Ira’s fury at her boyfriend with cute poetry and a bullish guitar sound previously unexplored by the band. ‘Left Behind’ gushes with long-haul homesick misery and sad hedonism: “I’m gonna jump on to the table and dance my ass off ’til I die/And then I’ll hopefully forget you” Lovefoxxx laments, belying its glorious, bubbling new wave backdrop.

However on ‘I Fly’, over a thick, crunching Pixies-style guitar bed, their joyous surrealism is mistranslated into a bitter story of metamorphosis as the band turn into an insect to torture a rival. It’s The Beatles’ ‘Piggies’ updated: an unpleasant tirade whose ‘fun’ imagery can’t distract from the nasty emotional gutter it springs from. Other weaker points are the pedestrian ‘Air Painter’ and ‘Reggae All Night’. Much better is opener ‘Jager Yoga’, the oldest song on this set, played live for over a year and a neat bridge between the albums. Just as brilliant are ‘Move’ and ‘How I Became Paranoid’. Bouncing straight from Madonna’s ‘Holiday’ era, both are as vivacious and thrilling as anything CSS have done before. So, yes, it’s a tougher collection than the first, lacking the merciless hilarity you’d expect. But it’s also a strong step forward and one that proves they won’t disappear in the changing breeze of fashion.

This article was taken from: NME.com

In the Studio: Tom Morello

2008-07-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

Fifteen months ago, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello officially debuted a new persona, the Nightwatchman, an acoustic-guitar-and-harmonica-wielding protest singer with a deep baritone. This fall, the Nightwatchman returns with The Fabled City, 11 songs of politically charged folk recorded in eight days with producer Brendan O’Brien.

Unlike on 2007’s stripped-down One Man Revolution, Morello and O’Brien created bigger, more eclectic arrangements for the new album — which also features vocal spots from Serj Tankian and country rocker Shooter Jennings. “It definitely rocks harder than the first one,” Morello says.

Writing the songs for The Fabled City was a cathartic experience for Morello, who channeled his grief about the recent deaths of his aunt and uncle into the lyrics. “This album is a search for hope through music,” Morello says. The song “Saint Isabelle,” which eulogizes his aunt, draws heavily from Celtic music. “Irish rebel music makes for great fighting songs,” he says.

Political-protest tunes remain the core of the Nightwatchman material. “Night Falls” documents a union uprising in the guitarist’s childhood home of Marseilles, Illinois, while “Midnight in the City of Destruction” is a first-person account of surviving Hurricane Katrina. “I lost my grandfather, two neighbors and my friend,” Morello sings. “I pray that God himself will come and drown the president if the levees break again.”

Morello — currently playing festivals with Rage — is psyched to bring some of that energy to his solo tour this fall. “I feel comfortable now playing not only the creepy, dark acoustic songs but also cranking it up on the electric,” he says. “That’ll definitely be part of the tour.”

This article was taken from: Rollingstone.com

[Photo: Getty]

Primal Scream, New Album "Beautiful Future"

2008-07-24T22:56:00.000-07:00

by Caspar Llewellyn Smith

It is a thin line that separates authentic rock'n'roll behaviour from pantomime imitation and it's a line that Primal Scream have tottered along for the better part of 25 years. And if you've decided to squeeze into a pair of leather strides meant for someone half your age, that walk is even harder. The potential for comedy - a banana skin moment - is all too apparent.

So it is especially curious, perhaps, that the latest edition of Q magazine finds Bobby Gillespie posing with Russell Brand (an image eerily reminiscent of that same comic posing with Keith Richards on the cover of OMM36), with the two locked in debate about their Dionysian credentials. Except Gillespie is painfully uncomfortable, answering the question 'What does rock'n'roll mean to you?' by demurring: 'I dunno. Whatever I say's gonna sound fucking ridiculous.'

'Fucking ridiculous' is an adjectival phrase that could well be attached to this ninth Scream studio album. Gillespie's lyrics have always invited scrutiny and the opening title track scarcely disappoints in this area: 'Take a ride in this city and tell me, what do you see?' he sings. 'Empty houses, burning cars, naked bodies hanging from the trees...' Those who write into Heat magazine saying that they've seen Bob walking his children (named Wolf and Lux) to the park in north London might need an education in the concept of poetic licence. Unless of course later lines - 'Are you heading for the gas chamber?.... Got a noose if you want to hang around...' - are meant for them.

Still, the track itself is a saccharine confection, the sound of Primal Scream going pop again. Few bands are so adept at blasting out high octane rock'n'roll and the band's canon is littered with classics from 'Rocks' (from the generally derided Give Out But Don't Give Up) onwards. The second track, 'Can't Go Back' (with the preposterous lyric 'I stuck a needle in my arm, I stuck it in my baby's heart, she looked so hot and sexy...'), falls within that tradition. Likewise the moody 'I Love to Hurt (You Love to Be Hurt)', with guest vocals from Lovefoxxx of CSS, which calls to mind previous darker psychedelic numbers. And few Primal Scream albums are complete without a ballad, in this instance a gorgeous cover of Fleetwood Mac's 'Over & Over' (no, me neither) featuring a duet with Linda Thompson.

So far, so much the case that it's only rock'n'roll, but I like it. But if the view that each Primal Scream album is modelled on a different Rolling Stones LP holds true, then Beautiful Future could be their Some Girls, the point at which a bunch of rockin' renegades (re-)discover something akin to disco. So allied to other stompers like 'Necro Hex Blues' and the plainly daft 'Zombie Man' are cuts such as the title track, 'Glory of Love' and 'Uptown'.

This last could be one of Primal Scream's greatest moments. Of course you feel as if you can see where the disparate elements come from: there's the attitude of Patti Smith's 'Piss Factory'; some of the E'd up vibe of Spacemen 3's 'Big City'; a bassline that Mani might well have borrowed from Neil Young's 'Dirty Old Man'; a nod to Althea and Donna in the title.

In its own way, it's derivative, and also a touch silly, inviting the image of Gillespie, Innes, Duffy and co cramming themselves into a Mini in the search for nocturnal kicks, when they should be in bed with a Horlicks. And yet and yet... its hedonistic groove carries everything before it, and reminds you that 'rock'n'roll' doesn't just signify a sound (and fury), it signifies an attitude towards risk taking.

Beautiful Future sees Primal Scream still daring to live the life. Funny? Only to some.

This article was taken from Guardian.co.uk

The Dark Knight Music Score Review

2008-07-22T03:25:00.000-07:00

In an age when it seems that every cinematic superhero’s flight is the equivalent of a couch trip, then director Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman is a Superman-sized serving of psychosis where no one can wear a cape with pride. With utter professionalism, Nolan paints every filmmaking department with a troubled scowl on its face- much like some manic-depressive joker who’s determined to suck the fun, though not the excitement from the room.

Sure darkness has always been part of The Batman’s intimidating power, though certainly not to the point of utter bleakness in the extraordinarily effective, if somewhat numbing DARK KNIGHT. And if no light can escape from its cowl of betrayal and screwed-up good intentions, then it’s only right that the music reflect Nolan’s unvarying tone of tragedy. Here it sounds as a gutshot of percussion, nerve-jangling tones and ominous heroics that more than do the job- even if you’re desperately hoping for just a little bit of sunshine to sing in the darkness that Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard have in their second Batman outing together.

The sound of these two composing titans couldn’t have been more different. Zimmer had virtually created “alt” scoring with the African funk of his Oscar-winning RAIN MAN, and even his more “traditional” scores like THE LAST SAMURAI and GLADIATOR still sounded off his rock roots with their genetic synthesis of symphonics and high-tech samples. Though Howard has also accomplished this, he’s far the more Luddite of the pair, with scores like PRINCE OF TIDES and KING KONG showing off an old-fashioned love of orchestral melody. When Nolan put them together on BATMAN BEGINS, their sound became one- a surging engine of rhythm and “bat flap” effects, all driven by a vengeful theme for Batman and a lushly romantic one for his impossible love of d.a. Rachel Dawes.

All of these are back in spades for THE DARK KNIGHT, with some particularly effective additions, especially the high-pitched evil effect that plays the Joker’s madness. This is the soundtrack equivalent of a long, hard metallic drag of a bronzed violin string down a chalkboard- music concrete that becomes villainy at its foulest and most insane. Power guitar, strings, piano chords and god knows what all become the high-pitched squeal of fear before the Joker’s knife slash. It’s easily the most terrifying sound a soundtrack super villain’s ever had, without real shape or melody.

If beatdown rhythm emanates from Zimmer’s batcave, then it’s in the noble Americana of Harvey Dent where Howard probably lurks. With a trumpet that practically spells out his tragic fate to become Two Face, Dent’s music has the kind of beautifully melodic, old school score that I wish had gotten more of a workout on the soundtrack. But then again, it’s doubtful if Nolan would have allowed that kind of musical individuality in his utterly bleak universe.

As The Joker so astutely cackles, “It’s all part of the plan.” For the kind of musical stand-out moments that make this summer’s other superhero scores like HANCOCK, HELLBOY II, IRON MAN and WANTED more “fun” listens aren’t going to happen here. This DARK KNIGHT is an intense experience, sequenced so that one theme and motif flow into the other like a bleak, ominous river that percussion heads will delight in bathing in. Those used to Danny Elfman and Elliot Goldenthal’s more eccentric takes on the character will have a more problematic dip.

That isn’t to say that Zimmer and Howard’s work here doesn’t achieve moments of pure geek-asm thrills, as Rachel and Harvey’s themes sing to the heavens with orchestral irony, or the Batman theme gets an amazing symphonic workouts in the Imax-viewing required action scenes. Eventually, every theme crosses paths in clever, and sometimes brilliant ways as the score building with dexterous, and inexorable momentum to the expected tragic payoff. All of this certainly makes this a more interesting, and cohesive listen than BATMAN BEGINS- and probably a better score at that.

At 73 minutes (with maybe even more music to come in the future), THE DARK KNIGHT soundtrack is more than generous helping of Hans and James’ wall of sound, one which fans will be nitpicking for years to come as to who did what. One can only hope that this super team will truly get to strut their stuff in a score with just a tad less angst. Heck, even the Joker would probably approve of letting them lose after a good scrubbing from this KNIGHT’s darkness.

This article was taken from: Filmmusicmag.com

Inside Barack Obama’s iPod

2008-07-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama is a Stevie Wonder geek. In the Democratic presidential candidate’s new interview with Rolling Stone editor-in-chief Jann S. Wenner, Obama waxed rhapsodic about his favorite artists, many of whom — Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Jay-Z — have shown him love with endorsements.

“If I had one musical hero, it would have to be Stevie Wonder,” says Obama, who grew up on Seventies R&B and rock staples including Earth, Wind and Fire, Elton John and the Rolling Stones. “When I was at that point where you start getting involved in music, Stevie had that run with Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Fulfillingness’ First Finale and Innervisions, and then Songs in the Key of Life. Those are as brilliant a set of five albums as we’ve ever seen.”

Wonder shares room on Obama’s iPod with “everything from Howlin’ Wolf to Yo-Yo Ma to Sheryl Crow,” he says. “And I have probably 30 Dylan songs on my iPod.” Though he’s partial to 1975’s Blood on the Tracks, “Maggie’s Farm” is “one of my favorites during the political season,” says Obama. “It speaks to me as I listen to some of the political rhetoric.”

While his musical tastes tend towards the old-school, Obama is in touch with today’s creative top dogs: He’s talked policy with Ludacris, referenced Jay-Z’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” (with a brushing motion in response to Hillary Clinton-hurled criticisms) in a campaign speech, and joined acts ranging from Usher to Will.i.am at rallies. “Every time I talk to Jay-Z, who is a brilliant talent and a good guy, I enjoy how he thinks,” says Obama, who believes that the recent political galvanization of America’s youth will soon be reflected in music. “He’s serious and he cares about his art,” he adds. “That’s somebody who is going to start branching out and can help shape attitudes in a real positive way.”

For the entire interview, check out the new issue of Rolling Stone.

This article was taken from: Rollingstone.com

Jimi Hendrix In Guitar Hero Game

2008-07-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

The ultimate guitar hero, Jimi Hendrix, is finally coming to the Guitar Hero game franchise, according to Janie Hendrix, who oversees his estate. The Hendrix estate, which had difficulty locating the original masters until now, has delivered multiple songs — including “Purple Haze,” “Foxy Lady” and “Little Wing” — to GH’s developers, although it’s not yet clear which tracks they will use. The next edition of the game, Guitar Hero: World Tour, hits stores October 27th.

The estate has also authorized an official Hendrix avatar for the game. “Guitar Hero really was on the ball and and they were biting at the bit to get this out this year, so, we just accommodated them,” Janie Hendrix tells Rolling Stone. “Jimi was a kid at heart — he definitely would have played these games.” A spokesperson for Red Octane/Activision had no comment. For more news on Guitar Hero and Rock Band, see the next issue of Rolling Stone.

This article was taken from: Rollingstone.com

Radiohead - The Best Of

2008-07-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

Well, if Radiohead bloodied the nose of the record industry with ‘In Rainbows’, this best-of release of their Parlophone back catalogue amounts to a pretty low-blow response, which should give The Man a second wind(fall). Thom Yorke has already called it “pointless”, saying, “if we’d been behind it, it might have been good”. The band will make money from it so they’re not being totally exploited, but you do have to wonder – given the units already shifted, who actually still requires an introduction to Radiohead?

Well, my mum, for one. A couple of aunties. Grannies who want to know what all the fuss is about, maybe. It will fly off the shelves at Tesco, which is a disturbing thought. This album – and it is their very best moments (a special edition with a second disc of other gems and rarities like ‘Talk Show Host’ makes things more comprehensive) – isn’t in chronological order, and it’s like stumbling through a suburban nightmare. The bedroom wail of ‘Creep’ echoes into the over-bleached kitchen of ‘No Surprises’, drifts into the garden isolation of ‘High And Dry’, falls into the dirty basement of ‘My Iron Lung’, escapes through a wardrobe into ‘There There’’s evil wood and finds ‘Lucky’’s lake. It’s quite an adventure, but you wouldn’t want Uncle Terry to go on it.

The hardcore faithful will sniff, but in the light of ‘In Rainbows’ this feels like a timely trace through the chaotic, demonic, socially displaced mind-zones that our greatest band have inhabited.

By Martin Robinson, taken from: NME.com

New Album from Weezer - review

2008-07-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

Despite Weezer having been an active concern for almost 20 years now, the bizarre behaviour of mainman Rivers Cuomo has long served to distract from the LA band’s perceived worth. From putting the group on hold in 1995 while he underwent surgery to lengthen his left leg, to selling his house and car to fund his new calling of serving food to HIV patients in 2003, it’s a fair claim that Cuomo is one of the most fascinating rock stars of our time. It’s just a shame that such extracurricular activities have long shrouded an even stronger pitch for him being one of our most astonishing songwriting talents too.

His band’s sixth long-player is their third to be self-titled and in a now-traditionally nod to the record’s sleeve colour, fans are calling this ‘The Red Album’ – just as they named 1994’s eponymous debut ‘The Blue Album’ and the band’s 2001 comeback after a five-year sabbatical ‘The Green Album’. Musically, it’s a record that does much to further the claim for Cuomo’s songwriting greatness. Opener ‘Troublemaker’ is akin to a less angsty update of ‘The Good Life’, a choice pick from the band’s 1996 career benchmark ‘Pinkerton’, while single ‘Pork And Beans’ is a gold-star brain burrower. ‘Everybody Get Dangerous’ not only sounds like Devo gatecrashing the high school prom, but introduces the nonsensical word “booya!” into the dictionary of pop. ‘Heart Songs’’ cutely penned words trace the evolution of Cuomo’s influences (Springsteen, obscure LA hair metal band Quiet Riot, Nirvana “and Slayer taught me how to shred…”). ‘The Greatest Man That Ever Lived’, meanwhile, is without question the most ambitious song Cuomo has ever penned, cramming a rapped intro, barber-shop harmonies and ornate music box twinkling into a six-minute geek-pop rewrite of ELO’s ‘Mr Blue Sky’. All of the above makes ‘The Red Album’ the equal of 2002’s really-rather-good ‘Maladroit’, and infinitely better than the really-rather-overblown ‘Make Believe’ three years later.

On that last outing, Cuomo penned a tune called ‘Pardon Me’, where he went to great lengths to apologise for dictating the songwriting direction of the band since its inception. Frankly, he shouldn’t have bothered; what stops ‘The Red Album’ being a great Weezer album, is – for the first time ever – Cuomo’s invitation to his bandmates to sing and write songs too. Bassist Scott Shriner sings lead on the grungey ‘Cold Dark World’ and leaves it sounding more Nickelback than Nirvana, while stalwart guitarist Brian Bell unearths and retouches the pedestrian, Beck-lite moment ‘Thought I Knew’ from his side-project The Relationship. You can only assume his intention in doing so was to highlight what an outstanding songwriter Cuomo is. ‘The Red Album’ is a record that will leave you drawing the same conclusion. We wouldn’t bet against Cuomo deciding to leave the band and – who knows? – breeding baby elephants in the Rwandan outback to mask such truth, mind…

By: James McMahon, taken from: NME.com

The Top 10 Greatest Albums of All Time

2008-07-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

Here's the list:

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles

2. Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys

3. Revolver, The Beatles

4. Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan

5. Rubber Soul, The Beatles

6. What's Going On, Marvin Gaye

7. Exile on Main Street, The Rolling Stones

8. London Calling, The Clash

9. Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan

10. The Beatles ("The White Album"), The Beatles

This top 10 greatest albums was according to Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums.

Coldplay - Viva La Vida Album Review

2008-07-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

If there were such a thing as "Marmite Music" then Coldplay would surely be its patron saint. While there is no doubt that at present Chris Martin and co. can lay serious claim to being the biggest rock band in the world, the number of people who fall quite unflatteringly into the "haters" category divides the equilibrium with alarming ease. Certainly where this band are concerned, there appears to be no middle ground, and as someone whose opinion has always veered on the negative having quite understood the logic, let alone ascending popularity of Coldplay, 'Viva La Vida (Or Death And All His Friends) would probably rank as one of the least awaited albums of this, or any other year for that matter.

Forget the middle class accusations, celebrity marriages or supposed good intentions of Chris Martin and his three accomplices. The musical ability of every member, whether it be Jonny Buckland's classically trained guitar playing that probably merits expertise status, or even drummer Will Champion's excursions on piano and guitar at various interludes throughout their careers. Even Chris Martin's lyrics, although sometimes questionable as far as over-sentimentality and worthy self-righteousness goes, have on occasions been the shining light that elevate Coldplay out of the ordinary; occasionally. You see, what really irks this writer and many more besides is what Coldplay ultimately represent; the banal, the safe, the middle-ground, the comfort zone - essentially, all of the things that shouldn't be brought into question as far as (supposedly) intelligent and groundbreaking music is concerned. I'm sure no one started reading this expecting a history lesson but make no mistake, Coldplay are a perfect example of a band who owe much of their success to being in the right place at the right time. While the music industry was trying to find another potential successor to its newly acquired 'OK Computer' generation, the rest of its empire was in dire straits. Britpop was over, Stateside reared nu metal reigned supreme and homegrown guitar music seemed dead from the waste down.

Not that we're putting all of Coldplay's success down to pure chance, of course. After all, you don't shift 50 million (and counting) albums in less than ten years through luck. However, the fact that Average Joe and his reality television show obsessed fianc' are just as likely to stick this on in the background as a group of financial advisers from HSBC speaks volumes in itself. Coldplay have managed to permeate the demographic divide like no one else has in the past two decades, probably since Pink Floyd in fact. By the same token, their fanbase is largely made up of people who arguably have little to no interest in music at all, so when Chris Martin pleads that this record is all about "finally being seen as cool", you start to wonder what exactly he is trying to achieve.

Despite 'Viva La Vida.''s predecessor 'X And Y' being the band's fastest and biggest seller to date, Martin has since denounced its existence, even to the point of refusing to play anything more than the odd song here and there at their shows. With this record, he's roped in Brian Eno and instead of decamping to some traditional studio base in the middle of Wales or wherever, has experimented quite drastically by his standards with the recording process here. Parts of this album have been recorded in churches, other parts live in one take, and compared to their previous works, both band and producer seem to have gone to extraordinary lengths to make most of 'Viva La Vida.' as radio unfriendly as possible.

In essence, what this means is that the uncharacteristic tones of reverb and feedback mould quite enthusiastically with effects-heavy pianos, and even Martin's vocal performance, which has predominantly been a weak link on their previous recordings (and still is live), gets lost in the mix on more than one occasion, adding to the adept mix of noise and confusion that envelopes a large proportion of this record.

Lose the vocals completely on '42' and you'd be forgiven for thinking it was some post-rock shoegazing revivalists such is the omnipresent whirr of delay pedal fuzziness, while 'Yes' is arguably Coldplay's most adventurous moment to date, totalling seven minutes that starts off all maudlin like a Noel Gallagher sung Oasis ballad before turning into a riff heavy behemoth such as Wings 'Live And Let Die' halfway through.

Of course 'Viva La Vida.' isn't all this good, and the likes of recent single 'Violet Hill' and monotone meander of 'Lovers In Japan/Reign Of Love' are predictable strums that echo Coldplay's past almost down to a comatose tee, while 'Viva La Vida' with its "When I ruled the world." refrain borders on pompous at best. Nevertheless, 'Viva La Vida.' is a damn sight more interesting than anyone could have expected, and even if it doesn't quite cut the mustard alongside real sonic adventurers like A Place To Bury Strangers, Her Name Is Calla or My Bloody Valentine, Martin et al deserve a modicum of praise for at least attempting to leave their comfort zone for the first time in.ever.

by: Dom Gourlay, taken from: Contactmusic.com

My Technorati

2008-07-17T05:11:00.000-07:00

Technorati Profile

Nine Inch Nails "The Slip" Album, Free to Download

2008-07-17T02:47:00.000-07:00

It's 100% free and legal to download!

As a thank to Nine Inch Nails fans for continued support, Nine Inch Nails is giving away the new nine inch nails album one hundred percent free, exclusively via nin.com.

the music is available in a variety of formats including high-quality MP3, FLAC or M4A lossless at CD quality and even higher-than-CD quality 24/96 WAVE. your link will include all options - all free. all downloads include a PDF with artwork and credits.

for those of you interested in physical products, fear not. Nine Inch Nails plan to make a version of this release available on CD and vinyl in july. details coming soon.

Just go to: http://dl.nin.com/theslip/signup and write your email address.

Biography of Iwan Fals

2008-07-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

Iwan Fals (born 3 September 1961 in Jakarta as Virgiawan Listanto) is an Indonesian singer and songwriter. He has released several dozen albums of mostly solo guitar-based material in a style said to be influenced by Bob Dylan. He is considered a popular singer in the country. He is known as a social observer and protest singer, although he has sung many songs about love and romance.

He is married (his wife's name is Rosanna) with three children : Galang Rambu Anarki, Annisa Cikal Rambu Basae and Rayya Rambu Robbani. His eldest son, Galang Rambu Anarki, died in April 1997 of asthma, with speculation of a morphine overdose [1]. Iwan Fals had previously written an eponymously titled song for him on his birth in 1982.

He starred in the 1985 movie, Damai Kami Sepanjang Hari, directed by Sophan Sophiaan, now a senior figure in the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle.

Taken from: wikipedia.org

History of Guitar Hero

2008-07-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

The controllers bundled with Guitar Hero releases (from left to right): Gibson SGs for Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II (PlayStation 2), Gibson X-Plorer for Guitar Hero II

(Xbox 360)

The original Guitar Hero was released on the PlayStation 2 in November 2005 and was developed by Harmonix. Harmonix had been previously known for developing music video games such as Frequency and Amplitude for the PlayStation 2, both of which were praised for enabling players to perform and create music using a DualShock controller as if it were a musical instrument.^[2]

Guitar Hero is unusual because it comes packaged with a guitar peripheral modeled after a black Gibson SG rather than using the console's standard controller. Playing the game with the guitar controller simulates playing an actual guitar, except it uses five colored "fret buttons" and a "strum bar" instead of frets and strings. The development of Guitar Hero was inspired by Konami's GuitarFreaks arcade game, which at the time, had not seen much exposure in the North American market; RedOctane, already planning on creating guitar-shaped controllers, approached Harmonix about creating a game to use them.^[3]^[4]^[5] The game was met with critical acclaim and received numerous awards for its innovative guitar peripheral and its soundtrack, which comprised 47 playable rock songs (most of which were cover versions of popular songs from artists and bands from the 1960s through modern rock). Guitar Hero has sold nearly 1.5 million copies to date.^[6]

The popularity of the series increased dramatically with the release of Guitar Hero II for the PlayStation 2 in 2006. Featuring improved multiplayer gameplay, an improved note-recognizing system, and 64 songs, it became the fifth best-selling video game of 2006.^[7] The PlayStation 2 version of the game was offered both separately and in a bundle with a cherry red Gibson SG guitar controller. Guitar Hero II was later released for the Xbox 360 in April 2007 with an exclusive Gibson X-Plorer guitar controller and an additional 10 songs, among other features. About 3 million units of Guitar Hero II have sold on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360.^[8]

The final game in the Guitar Hero series to be developed by Harmonix was Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s for the PlayStation 2, which was released in July 2007.^[9] The expansion reskinned the visuals from Guitar Hero II, and featured a shorter track list with no bonus songs, and was not as well received as the previous two games. Some reviewers considered Rocks the 80s as Harmonix' contractual obligation, given that, as described below, Harmonix would no longer be working on the Guitar Hero series.

Both RedOctane and Harmonix were experiencing changes in 2006. RedOctane was bought by Activision in June while it was announced in September that Harmonix would be purchased by MTV Networks. As a result of the two purchases, Harmonix would no longer develop future games in the Guitar Hero series. Instead, developing would go to Neversoft, a subsidiary of Activision known for developing the Tony Hawk's series of skateboarding games.^[10] Neversoft was chosen to helm the Guitar Hero series after Neversoft founder, Joel Jewett, admitted to the RedOctane founders, Kai and Charles Huang, that his development team for Tony Hawk's Project 8 went to work on weekends just to play Guitar Hero.^[11] In 2007, Harmonix and MTV Games released a new music title through rival publisher Electronic Arts, called Rock Band. It expanded upon the gameplay popularized by the Guitar Hero series by adding drum and microphone instruments, allowing players to simulate playing songs as bands.

Biography of Morrissey

2008-07-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

As the lead singer of the Smiths, arguably the most important indie band in Britain during the '80s, Morrissey's theatrical crooning and literate, poetic lyrics -- filled with romantic angst, social alienation, and cutting wit -- connected powerfully with a legion of similarly sensitive, disaffected youth. These fans turned The Smiths into stars in Britain, exerting tremendous pull over much of the country's guitar-based music for many years after their breakup, and even if the group remained underground cult artists in the States, they had a fanbase that slowly, steadily grew larger over the years. Indeed, a few years after The Smiths's breakup in 1987, Morrissey's American cult had grown to the point where he became more popular in the U.S. than in his homeland, where he neverthless was never far from the music press headlines. After a quiet period around the turn of the millennium, Morrissey launched a comeback in 2004 with You Are the Quarry, an album whose success proved that he remained one of the most beloved figures in alternative rock.

Stephen Patrick Morrissey was born May 22, 1959, in Manchester, England; not surprisingly a shy, awkward youth, he became obsessed with music and film as a teenager and devoted his writing talents to penning a New York Dolls fanzine (he was the president of their U.K. fan club), as well as a tribute to James Dean and numerous opinionated letters to the weekly music paper Melody Maker. During the explosion of punk in the late '70s, Morrissey unsuccessfully auditioned for Slaughter & the Dogs and sang for a brief period with a band called the Nosebleeds. He met guitarist Johnny Marr in 1982 and the two began writing songs together, forging one of the most productive partnerships British pop had seen in quite some time. The Smiths' 1983 debut single, "Hand in Glove," a love song filled with oblique references to homosexuality, made them an underground sensation in the U.K. and as Morrissey attracted more attention, he demonstrated a flair for manipulating the media. His interviews were filled with blunt, unpredictable opinions and intentionally outrageous statements and his notoriety wasn't hurt by his stage presence (he performed wearing a hearing aid with flowers sticking out of his back pockets) or his self-proclaimed celibacy in the wake of much speculation about his sexuality.

Possessed of a darkly cynical bent as a lyricist, he was often misinterpreted as advocating some of the more disturbing things he sang about, which only added to the furor surrounding the band. The Smiths' eponymous 1984 debut was a smash in the U.K. and in its wake, Morrissey began promoting his political views, heavily criticizing Margaret Thatcher, and advocating vegetarianism (hence the title of the follow-up LP, Meat Is Murder). The Queen Is Dead (1986) was acclaimed as a masterpiece, but friction between Morrissey and Marr was growing. Marr departed after 1987's Strangeways, Here We Come and Morrissey broke up the rest of the band to begin a solo career.

Feeling betrayed by Marr's defection, Morrissey channeled his frustration into creating new material with producer Stephen Street. His first two solo singles, "Suedehead" and the gorgeous "Everyday Is Like Sunday," were significant British hits in 1988 and his first album, Viva Hate (its title a reference to the Smiths' breakup), was commercially and critically well received. He released several more high-quality singles, including "The Last of the International Playboys" and "Interesting Drug," but spent an inordinate amount of time laboring on the follow-up album, issuing the stopgap compilation Bona Drag in 1990. In the meantime, the Madchester fad was sweeping British indie music and when the lackluster Kill Uncle was finally released in 1991, it only magnified the disappointment. U.K. reviewers took Morrissey to task, suggesting that the record marked the end of his glory days and that he would never be able to match the songs he'd written in tandem with Marr.

A misperceived flirtation with British nationalism (not helped by a couple of seemingly racial caricatures in recent songs) tarnished his image even more in the U.K. press during 1992, this coming amid even more frequent reports of feuds with his managers, business associates, and ex-bandmates. All the controversy overshadowed the fact that 1992's Mick Ronson-produced Your Arsenal was a smashing return to form; Morrissey used his new guitar tandem of Alain Whyte (who co-wrote much of the material) and Boz Boorer (formerly of rockabilly revivalists the Polecats) to full advantage in crafting a crunchy, glammed-up record. It easily ranked as the hardest-rocking of his career. Meanwhile, over in the U.S., tickets for his upcoming tour were selling like hotcakes and he managed to sell out L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl even faster than the Beatles had.

His confidence renewed by his American success (to the point where he permanently moved to Los Angeles), Morrissey delivered an equally strong follow-up in 1994's calmer Vauxhall and I, which even got him his first Top 50 singles chart entry in the U.S. with the MTV-supported "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get." A hit-and-miss compilation, The World of Morrissey, followed in 1995, after which he switched labels (from Sire to RCA) for the first time since the Smiths' debut album. Also issued in 1995 was the prog rock-informed Southpaw Grammar, which confounded many and perhaps prevented him from expanding his American audience past a now-sizable group of longtime listeners. In 1996, he moved to another new label, this time Island, and released Maladjusted the following year. It failed to sell well outside of his most fanatical followers and his relationship with Island ended in 1998.

In the years that followed, Morrissey remained a massively popular touring attraction on the strength of his singular identity, despite the fact that he had yet to land another record deal. Finally, he signed his Attack label to Sanctuary, and released his first studio album in seven years, 2004's You Are the Quarry. The concert recording Live at Earls Court followed one year later. His second full-length for Sanctuary, Ringleader of the Tormentors was produced by Tony Visconti (T. Rex, David Bowie) and released in spring 2006. Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Taken from: Starpulse.com

Creed Biography

2008-07-16T06:36:00.000-07:00

It's not easy to find a success story as genuine as Creed's in popular culture these days when considering all of the carefully scripted rises to glory and the falls that inevitably follow careers built on hype. If any band in recent years can claim to have ascended strictly on its own merits, it's Creed. This Florida-based band went from zero to sixty, (or, more accurately, from zero to selling more than twenty million albums) by virtue of a combination of finger-on-the-pulse songs and powerful live performances. Their debut album, My Own Prison, has sold over six million albums to date. Creed's sophomore effort, Human Clay, debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts and has gone on to sell more than 10 Million copies. The band's third release, Weathered, also debuted at #1, selling more copies in its first week than any other rock release in 2001, and tying the record for the longest run at the top following a #1 debut.

"With My Own Prison, I knew we had the talent to get a record deal and I knew we had songs good enough to get played on the radio, but I never had any expectations of reaching this many people," says Creed's frontman Scott Stapp.

Nonetheless, the band's success has been truly phenomenal. Creed was the first band in history to have four #1 Rock Radio singles from a debut album. On the strength of their singles, including the crushing title track and the more pensive "What's This Life For," Creed topped countless year-end charts and was recognized as the Rock Artist of the Year at Billboard's 1998 Music Awards. Their debut album was also the #1-selling Hard Music album of 1998 on SoundScan's Hard Music chart.

With the release of their second album, Human Clay, Creed upped the ante yet again. "Higher," the first single from their 10-times platinum sophomore release, broke the Active and Mainstream Rock airplay records for the most consecutive weeks at #1, holding the coveted spot for eighteen weeks. Furthermore, Creed was recognized once again as the Rock Artist of the Year at Billboard's 1999 and 2000 Music Awards. Human Clay 's first three singles ("Higher," "What If" and "With Arms Wide Open") again achieved #1 status, setting a record with a total of seven consecutive #1 Rock Radio singles.

"We're the type of band that functions really well under pressure and the only pressure that we recognize is our own. We definitely wanted to top ourselves [after the My Own Prison album]," says Stapp. "We wanted to make a really great record. The band's goal has always been to make records that are solid from start to finish; records that take you through an entire range of emotions." Guitarist / co-writer Mark Tremonti added, "We always kept in mind that we had to write for ourselves because as long as we are proud of it, our fans will be as well. We try not to set any other goals above and beyond that." While Stapp grants that the band's increased resources had some impact on the structure of Human Clay, it's clear that Creed's evolution is far more than just a matter of dollars and cents.

Once again, Creed has returned with an album of songs that collectively offer the listener a passionate journey of emotive energy. Tremonti and Stapp's collaborations stand among the select few that seem to effortlessly draw the listener in and truly move the spirit through the simple art of expression. The lead single, "My Sacrifice," opens with a signature Mark Tremonti guitar intro and then envelops the listener with the mood and power no other band today commands.

For Weathered, Creed once again turned to longtime friend and producer John Kurzweg to ensure that they captured the anthemic guitars, dramatic vocals and bold lyrics that have made the band's brawny-yet-intimate sound a radio staple for several years. The band also decided to invite Kirk Kelsey, their longtime live sound engineer, to co-produce the new material. Together with Kurzweg and Kelsey, Creed recorded the new album in a home studio just outside of Orlando. Drummer Scott Phillips commented, "We've done our previous two albums in home studios and have felt that this is our best creative environment where we can feel comfortable and creative as a band." Guitarist Mark Tremonti performed all of the bass guitar tracks on Weathered and a few special guests made passionate contributions to the album. On "Don't Stop Dancing," the band was joined by the Tallahassee Boys' Choir and Amie Stapp. Regarding his sister's appearance on the album, Stapp noted, "I had been looking for a female vocalist for awhile and it dawned on me that I didn't need to look any farther than home." On "Who's Got My Back?," vocalist Bo Taylor, an archivist at The Museum of the Cherokee Indian, makes a special appearance on the invitation of Creed. Taylor mentioned, "I really like Creed's music because they are asking questions that all human beings should ask as they look outside of themselves. Music touches people and Scott contacted me to celebrate where he originally came from and to reconnect with his ancestry. It speaks volumes about his character that he reached back and made this statement and it means a lot to me personally that he did this."

"I think my lyrics are very direct and understandable," says Stapp. "People can relate to that, so that's something I didn't want to move away from. At the same time, we're a little bit older and more mature now and we've been through a lot in the past few years, so we are looking to put things across in a way that reflected that." Co-writer Mark Tremonti added, "We wanted to take our sound and expand on it. I think Weathered is the most diverse, dynamic record we have written to date."

Creed's reputation for dynamic and passionate live performances has led to consistently sold-out shows. Over the past four years the band has played to more than four million fans worldwide. "We were out on tour for a long time and wherever we went, there were people telling me how much certain songs meant to them and how they felt so close to them," says Stapp. "That means more to me than any other kind of attention. It's important to feel as if you're doing something worthwhile and in this band, with Mark and Scott, I feel like I am." On a similar note, drummer Scott Phillips added, "Our success has been dictated by the fans. They are the most important thing in the band's life. The three of us feel blessed to have such a great following of people. It's amazing to me when I sit behind the kit during a show and see the passion and emotion displayed by the audience."

In January 2002, Creed embarked on a world tour that will bring them to over one million fans throughout the year. The year began with a trek across North American arenas in January, after which they touched down in Australia and New Zealand in July. The band will then return to the U.S. for a Summer / Fall stadium tour. When asked before the tour about his feelings on getting back on the road and in front of the band's fans, guitarist Mark Tremonti replied, "Personally, I can't wait to get back on tour. It is something I truly enjoy and can't live without. It has been too long since we played a full blown show." Scott Phillips mentioned, "It's been over a year since we've had a chance to perform in front of a crowd. Our experiences in previous years have been amazing and we can't wait to continue that feeling."

In 2000, Creed's presence on television and their impact on end-of-year award shows were undeniable. The band released their VH1 Behind The Music special, taped and released VH1's Storytellers with The Doors and garnered numerous awards. In November, Creed earned two awards at the Radio Music Awards and the fans bestowed four awards on the band at the My VH1 Awards. They also received the award for Rock Artist of the Year, for the third year in a row, at the Billboard Awards in December. The writing team of Mark Tremonti / Scott Stapp kicked off 2001 by winning a Grammy Award for the band's composition, "With Arms Wide Open," a deeply personal song that was inspired when Stapp learned he was going to become a father.

Stapp is also continually besieged with requests to help with a variety of fund-raisers and charities and helps whenever and wherever he can. He has started his own charity, the "With Arms Wide Open Foundation" in an attempt to help underprivileged children and to be able to give something back to the communities that have supported Creed.

Taken from: Creedfeed.com

Biography of Josh Groban

2008-07-16T06:34:00.000-07:00

Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, known for his mature and versatile lyrical baritone voice. His musical style ranges from classical to pop.

****

Country Los Angeles, California

Years active 1997 - Present

Genres Pop, Classical

Labels 143/Reprise

****

Early life

Josh Groban was born in Los Angeles, California, to a Jewish American father (a descendant of immigrants from Poland and Russia) and a Norwegian American mother. His father converted to Christianity upon marriage, and Groban was raised an Episcopalian. He has a younger brother, Christopher, who shares a birthday with him only four years later.[1].

Groban debuted as a singer in seventh grade but soon after put singing on hold for a few years. "I enjoyed the arts aspects, but my grades were slipping. I didn't feel that I was getting enough creative input. So I went to Bridges Academy to get my grades up to straight A's." While at Bridges Academy, Groban took normal classes from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM, and then afterwards attended theatre classes [2].

In 1997 and 1998, Groban attended the Interlochen Arts Camp, majoring in musical theater, which is also when he began taking voice lessons outside of school. "I started taking music lessons on the side. I was very much into musical theater. I had a pretty good baritone voice, so I began acting and singing in school productions".

In late 1998, the 17-year-old Groban was introduced by his vocal coach to Grammy-winning producer/arranger David Foster. Groban worked for Foster as a rehearsal singer on a series of high-profile events, including the 1999 Grammy Awards -- where, as a stand-in for Andrea Bocelli, he rehearsed Foster's "The Prayer" with Céline Dion -- and the January 1999 inauguration of Gray Davis as governor of California. Josh auditioned with "All I Ask Of You" from Phantom of the Opera for the latter, which occurred only one month previous to the Grammy Awards.

Josh attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts as a theater major and graduated in 1999. After graduation, he expected to attend Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.

Career

After only one year in the music department at Carnegie Mellon University, his choice school, Groban left when he was offered a recording contract at Warner Bros. Records through Foster's own 143 Records imprint. With regard to signing Groban, Foster said: "I love his natural ability in the pop and rock arena, but I love his sense of classics even more. He's a true musical force to be reckoned with" [3]. Therefore, under Foster's influence, Groban's first album focused more on the classics with songs such as "Gira Con Me" and "Alle Luce Del Sole," the first ones decided on by Foster and Groban.

Soon after being picked up by Foster, Groban went on to perform "There For Me" with Sarah Brightman on her 2000-2001 La Luna Tour, featured on her "La Luna" Concert DVD, and made his recording debut by singing "For Always" with Lara Fabian on the movie soundtrack to A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001). He also became involved in many benefit shows, including the following: "The Andre Agassi Grand Slam Event For Children", singing alongside Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Don Henley and Robin Williams; "Muhammad Ali's Fight Night Foundation" which honored Michael J. Fox and others; "The Family Celebration" (2001) which was co-hosted by President Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and David E. Kelley and his wife, Michelle Pfeiffer; and Michael Milken's CapCure event, which raises funds for cancer research.

In May 2001, Groban played the role of Malcolm Wyatt in the season finale of the television series Ally McBeal, performing "You're Still You." The series creator, David E. Kelley, was impressed at Groban's performance at The Family Celebration event, and, based on the audience reaction to Groban's singing, Kelley created a character for Josh in this finale. The character of Malcolm Wyatt was so popular, with 8,000 emails from fans [4], that Groban was asked to come back the next season to reprise his role and perform "To Where You Are."

On November 20, 2001, Groban's self-titled debut album Josh Groban was released and, over the next year, it went from gold to double-platinum.

On February 24, 2002, Groban performed "The Prayer" with Charlotte Church at the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, and by November, he had his own PBS special, Josh Groban In Concert (2002). The following month, he performed "To Where You Are" and "The Prayer" at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, and joined The Corrs, Ronan Keating, Sting, Lionel Richie and others for a holiday performance at the Vatican in Rome, Italy.

On November 11, 2003, his second album Closer was released. Josh himself said that he believed that this second album was a better reflection of him and that his audience would be able to get a better idea of him personally from listening to it. "What most people know about me, they know through my music. This time, I've tried to open that door as wide as possible. These songs are a giant step closer to who I really am and what my music is all about. Hence the title" [5].

Two months after Closer was released, it rose on the Billboard charts from number 11 to number one [6]. Both of Groban's albums were produced by David Foster, released under Foster's 143 Records and distributed by Warner Music. His cover of Brian Kennedy's "You Raise Me Up" became very popular on the adult contemporary charts.

Josh also performed in the soundtrack to Troy, composed by James Horner, featured in the song "Remember Me" with Tanja Tzarovska. He also performed in the soundtrack to Robert Zemeckis's 2004 animated film The Polar Express, featured in the song "Believe." The song is composed by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard.

During the summer of 2004, Josh once again returned to the birthplace of his artistic growth, Interlochen, where he gave a legendary performance to local residents of Michigan and the many, many campers, ranging from elementary school to high school age. He additionally signed many autographs, and spoke about his experiences as a young performer.

On November 30, 2004, his second live DVD, Live At The Greek, was released. It also ran as a Great Performances special on PBS. Also in 2004, Josh performed "Remember When It Rained," backed by a full orchestra, at the American Music Awards where he was up for Favorite Male Artist in the pop category. Josh and his recordings were nominated for more than a dozen awards in 2004, including the American Music Award, World Music Award, Academy Award, and a Grammy.

Other appearances include The Oprah Winfrey Show, Jay Leno, Larry King Live, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, 20/20, The Today Show, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Super Bowl XXXVIII, and the Rockefeller Tree Lighting [7].

During the first week of September 2006, Groban's latest single entitled "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)", was exclusively released to AOL's First Listen. It was taken from his third studio album Awake, which was officially released on November 7, 2006. [8]

Taken from: wikipedia.org

Biography of Sting

2008-07-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

Sting
born: 02-10-1951
birth place: Wallsend, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Gordon Sumner - nicknamed ‘Sting’ for the black and yellow striped sweater he would wear while performing - was born and raised in Newcastle. His mother was a classically trained pianist who’s teaching resulted in his being offered an advanced piano scholarship. He too trained as a teacher, but jazz and guitar were Sting's real loves, resulting in his ditching his career and moving to London to play professionally. American drummer Stewart Copeland caught his act and persuaded him to try rock. Joined by guitarist Andy Summers, the trio formed the Police in 1977.

Their rock-reggae sound broke through with 'Roxanne', a song about a prostitute later banned by the BBC, which assured its hit status. The single proved so successful that their record company, A&M, rushed to release their first album, 'Outlandos D'Amour'. In quick succession, the band's next albums, 'Regatta De Blanc', 'Zenyatta Mondatta', and 'Ghost in the Machine' were released, with at least one hit single emerging from each. The release, in 1983, of 'Synchronicity' and its monster single, 'Every Breath You Take', secured their place in pop history. After a triumphant world tour, Sting decided he had achieved all he could with the Police, and the band dissolved at the height of its popularity.

Sting's solo career has proven equally successful. His first album, the jazz-influenced 'Dream of the Blue Turtles', went platinum. 1991's 'Soul Cages', dealing with the loss of his parents (who both died of cancer within a few months of each other), and 1993's 'Ten Summoner's Tales', revealed a maturity in his song writing not previously seen, and both albums won Grammy Awards. 1996's 'Mercury Falling' continued in a meditative vein, as the forty-five-year-old artist ruminated on aging and his own mortality. A political activist, Sting has lent outspoken support to both Amnesty International, as well as helping to save Brazilian rainforests. His film career has showed mixed success, but his performances in such films as 'Brimstone and Treacle' and 'Quadrophenia' have been well received. He and his wife, Trudie Styler, live a relatively quiet life on their estate outside London, with their children and dogs.

Taken from: www.thebiographychannel.co.uk

John Lennon Biography

2008-07-16T06:25:00.000-07:00

The murder of John Lennon, who in so many ways represented the heart and soul not just of the Beatles but of all '60s rock'n'roll, was perhaps the most emotionally felt of all rock deaths.

Certainly there was an equal outpouring of emotion for Elvis Presley, and perhaps as much in some quarters for Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin. But John Lennon's death was more stunning than any of them.

He was just emerging from a long period of silence with a vigor as surprising as it was refreshing, and he seemed in command of his powers as never before, at a time when rock'n'roll and the world desperately needed his voice.

It was the time immediately following the first landslide election of Ronald Reagan, a discouraging prospect to so many who had embraced all that Lennon seemed to stand for and believe in. If the two events were unrelated, and clearly they were, they are indelibly linked on an emotional level. Not only had Ronald Reagan been elected president, with all his cold, brutal values coming to ascendance -- but the one rock star who seemed the warmest and most human (much of that merely public image, as it turned out) had been summarily slain a month later.

Asked about Lennon's death within days of its happening, Ronald Reagan cupped a hand to an ear and then shrugged and grinned, saying something affably inaudible toward the crowd of reporters. He obviously didn't care.

But don't get mixed up about John Lennon. His true genius, which he practiced all his life, was to make people love him. As a human being, he was seriously troubled, the result of a lifetime of festering pain. Separated from his parents as an infant (his father went off to sea and his mother on to good times, the next relationship, and eventually an early death), he was raised by his aunt, Mimi Smith, in a middle-class British setting.

He was a behavior problem all through school, but early on found something like salvation, or at least balm, in U.S. rock'n'roll, which he loved. He formed his first band at age sixteen. Paul McCartney attended a performance in 1957 and shortly afterward became a member. McCartney's musical skills impressed Lennon -- and Lennon's savvy impressed McCartney. Soon they had agreed that everything written by either would from that point on be credited to "Lennon-McCartney," a promise they kept for nearly fifteen years.

George Harrison eventually joined and, later, Pete Best, who was replaced on the brink of the group's breakthrough by Ringo Starr. Known variously as the Quarry Men, Johnny & the Moondogs, and the Silver Beatles, they finally settled on the name the Beatles, after the Crickets, whom they idolized, with Lennon misspelling it to make the pun on "beat group." In 1960, a four-month stint in Hamburg, Germany, playing some eight hours a night, helped them get their impressive performing act together and provided the physical endurance training they needed to survive Beatlemania when it hit. The last pieces to fall in place were a manager and a record deal, both of which had happened by mid-1962.

Lennon, who had been deeply involved with Cynthia Powell since 1957, married her in 1962 when she became pregnant with Julian. The Beatles' enormous success, which followed almost immediately, was overwhelming beyond belief. As mere mortals, we can only try to imagine what it was like to be a Beatle between 1964 and 1970. Lennon on touring: "Oh, it was a room and a car and a car and a room and a room and a car." Fast-forward to Lennon in a 1966 interview with British journalist Maureen Cleave: "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now." He was to pay dearly for those remarks, which raised a stink some six months later in the U.S. and earned him and the group lasting enmity from many.

The Beatles retired from the road shortly after that, at the end of 1966 -- in hindsight that was the beginning of the end. In November of 1966 Lennon met Yoko Ono at a gallery opening; almost immediately they hit it off, and she pursued him. But Lennon was not available yet. He was still married, and he was also busy making his contributions to the vastly celebrated Sgt. Pepper. In reality it was an album all too sorely wanting in concept and containing more filler than the two previous outings (Revolver and Rubber Soul) combined.

But still it has somehow insinuated itself as a lasting hippie totem and a permanent symbol of the times. Then the Beatles embarked on a very sad and a very silly time, with LSD adventures at home, TM adventures in India, the death of Brian Epstein, the dissolution of Lennon's marriage, and the formation of Apple. Meanwhile, as the moral center of the U.S. dissolved the Beatles had somehow become an integral part of it, every step of the way. No one knew quite how or why or what it all meant, but few denied it. The White Album seemed to capture the sense of 1968. Abbey Road seemed to capture the sense of 1969. Let It Be seemed to capture the sense of 1970. It didn't matter when any of them were really recorded. How did they do that?

And then, finally, the group broke up. Lennon, switching his psychic allegiance and expectations from McCartney to Yoko, was ultimately traumatized by it, as his public statements and behavior of the time made clear. But the overall impact of this difficult time on him nonetheless resulted in some of his most fascinating and enduring work: 1970's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and 1971's Imagine, both of them startling testaments to scathing self-disclosure. Somehow, when Lennon opened up and exposed all his running sores, everyone's first impulse was to respond with love. There was his true genius again, the evidence of which really became obvious after his death.

Those gut-wrenching albums set the tone for Lennon in the '70s, a decade that was not good to him despite the stories that claimed otherwise. He spent the first half fighting the U.S. Immigration Department for his green card, drinking heavily, and yawping non-stop for peace (for which we almost have to assume that Lennon, an unusually violent man in his personal life, was driven by his overwhelming need for the "of mind"- type even more than the end to armed conflict, despite his overt, conscious focus on war; he doubtless understood the interconnectedness therein at some level, or so we may hope). He spent the second half in seclusion after the birth of his son Sean.

Reports conflict on his activities then, some claiming that he baked approximately as many loaves of bread as Jesus distributed with the fishes in the miracle described in the Bible, others reporting a series of ugly psychotic episodes. The ("just gimme some") truth is no doubt somewhere in between, and we will likely never know it. Yoko, at any rate, was in charge of their financial affairs, and Lennon was mostly on sabbatical from life. Then a sudden creative fit in 1980 resulted in the material for Double Fantasy. The album came together extraordinarily quickly and was released in November.

Still in a creative frenzy, the couple were already at work on their next project when, coming home late from a session, Lennon was hailed by a fan to whom he'd given an autograph earlier that day, Mark David Chapman. Lennon turned and Chapman shot him five times with a .38 revolver. Lennon was rushed to the hospital but pronounced dead on arrival from a massive loss of blood. Chapman later claimed it was Lennon's remarks in 1966 on Jesus that drove him to his act, but more likely he was in search of fame. He found it.

The Profiles of Some Famous Guitarists

2008-07-16T06:22:00.001-07:00

by: Patrick Carpen
Most of us are quite enchanted by the magic of guitar. The mesmerizing tune and sweet tingling of the guitar strings have enamored many a man who has later moved on to become musical legends in their individual niche. There is a roster of famous and successful guitarists who have mastered this enigmatic art of music.

Amongst the many legendary stalwarts, Jimi Hendrix undoubtedly tops the list of profiles of famous guitarists. A genius in its truest sense, the legendary Hendrix was born in 1942. An American by birth, the maestro was a singer and lyricist, and is considered around the globe as one of the most influential and enigmatic personas in the ambit of rock music. One of the milestones in his career was his 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival which raised him to instant fame in the United States and was followed by many accolades.

Besides earning a huge name and fame for himself through his forte as a great singer and musician, the legendary maestro also improvised the art of rock music in his own signature way, and he incorporated a number of innovations and techniques into the older forms of rock and jazz music. Quite recently, Hendrix was inducted into the USA's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

The very meaning of rock music becomes insignificant without the mention of B. B. King, the master craftsman in the art of music. An ingenious guitarist and singer-cum-song writer in the American Blues, B.B. King was considered the Third Greatest Guitarist of All Time in the 2003 listing of Rolling Stone magazine.

The legendary musician started his journey in the world of music in 1946, and worked in the local R&B radio channel as a vocalist. However, soon after this he began recording under big names and became a prominent figure among the best musicians in the R&B music scene. Some of his greatest all time hits during this period include, "Whole Lotta Love," "Every Day I Have the Blues," "You Know I Love You," and "Please Accept My Love." Amidst his many achievements as a successful singer and composer, is included his most recent felicitation at the Three Deuces Building in Greenwood, Mississippi, for his maiden in radio broadcasting. Also, a grand memorial in the name of B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center is all set to be inaugurated on September 13, 2008, in Indianola, Mississippi.

Robert Johnson is another of the famous names in the world of guitar and its magic. Born on May 8, 1911, as Robert Leroy Johnson, the veteran guitarist was one of the brightest stars in the entire Delta Blues group. The period between 1936 and 1937 saw him in great guns when he claimed and proved his forte as a brilliant guitarist and lyricist, as well as an awesome singer. Often regarded as the "Grandfather of Rock-and-Roll," Robert Johnson is believed to have been a great influence in the world of rock music, inspiring many legends of the same genre, including Bob Dylan, The Allman Brothers Band, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Black Keys, and many others. Eric Clapton, another legend of the same kind, has called Johnson "the most important blues musician who ever lived."

Your Music Industry Future

2008-07-16T06:17:00.000-07:00

by: Ty Cohen

Are you considering a future in the music industry? Has the lure of the performing arts or music called to you and you are now trying to establish your place there? It can be overwhelming to say the least and without the proper aid or assistance you might find yourself confused, lost, and beginning to falter in your dream. Don't let go or give in, simply look for the help you need and let them help carry you on toward your dreams.

If you are just entering into the music industry and have no idea about who or what you should be contacting, your first move should be to arrange a meeting or interview with a music industry consultant. These people know the industry inside and out, and they are trained on how to manage it while aiding new up and coming actors, musicians, etc. By securing the help of one, you are insuring your place in music and you will be able to begin your move toward the top. By hiring them you are showing that you are willing to learn, and that you are serious about accomplishing your dreams.

Trying to handle the business aspect of the music industry can be demanding and wearing on your nerves. Hiring a music business consultant could save you both time and money, leaving you to focus on your career and your dreams. Your consultant will be ale to achieve order and practicality concerning the business end of your work and they are qualified to keep things running smoothly and in control. Don't place more stress on yourself than is necessary, let them carry the business.

Confused about what music you should perform? A music consultant can give you a fresh perspective on what is popular and what is not, as well as help you find your best performance material. No matter what you are doing, you will need music, be it singing, dancing, or acting and these people will help you find the best music there is.

As with any endeavor, music is no less difficult. There will be highs and lows, happy and sad moments but depending on your determination and your hard work, you may find yourself rising quickly to the top and achieving your goals and dreams. Keep them in your mind, and follow your dreams the practical way -- get help from people that know the industry.