Young Latarian Milton runs a muck on the streets in classic Grand Theft Auto style.
Atco Records, an imprint of Rhino Entertainment, announces the May 13 release of JUST ME, the first new studio album from R&B legend Keith Sweat since his 2002 Rebirth set. The original “new jack” hitmaker, who celebrated 20 years as a chart artist at the end of 2007, produced and cowrote most of the material on his latest project which features guest artists Keyshia Cole, and Athena Cage (Keith’s duet partner on the million-selling 1996 hit “Nobody”).
The Harlem-born singer/songwriter and producer says he called his new album JUST ME “because I’m giving the people what they expect from me. You hear other artists out here who make the mistake of trying to be trendy. They really try to keep up. I know people want to hear Keith Sweat. I’m conscious of the people who have followed me the whole time, since day one. I remember that I have a fan base and I’m very careful to give the people what they expect from me.”
The first single from Keith Sweat’s JUST ME is the sexy jam “Suga Suga Suga,” featuring Paisley Bettis. Standout cuts include the hypnotic “Somebody,” which showcases Sweat singing falsetto for the first time; the future classic “Love You Better,” a truly memorable duet between Keith and hitmaker Keyshia Cole; and “Just Wanna Sex You,” a hit-the-spot cut that Keith says is on the album “to remind people of what I’ve done and what I’m about musically.”
To view some streams from the Listening Party, click here, here or here. Also, check out Just Me’s tracklist & Keith’s tour dates after the jump… (more…)
Rock singer, songwriter and guitarist Danielia Cotton draws inspiration from the 1970’s on her sophomore album ‘Rare Child,’ out May 20th on Adrenaline Records/ADA. “My album is a throwback to a time when music was less produced and a little bit more honest, accessible and real,” Cotton says.
The Philadelphia Daily News concurs, stating “Danielia’s music has the swagger of ‘Let It Bleed’ era Rolling Stones, her singing has the raw emotional power of Janis Joplin and her songwriting places her among the top new musical storytellers.”
Cotton’s natural gift– raw, searing vocal chops combined with a deep, buttery tone– draws from the two different rich traditions that she absorbed in her youth: she couldn’t get enough of the AC/DC, Zeppelin, and the Stones that her friends and neighbors were listening to but she was also her mother’s girl: the daughter of a jazz singer and member of the church gospel choir, grooving to Mavis Staples, Etta James, Billie and Ella.
Cotton’s rock and soul influences have drawn stellar reviews with raves about her “raw intensity” (Essence Magazine), her “soulful voice and searing telecaster” (Time Out NY) and for possessing “the sort of voice for which the phrase `force of nature’ was coined” (Austin American-Statesman). Relix magazine named Cotton one of the “5 Artists You Should Know” in 2007 and New York’s Amsterdam News proclaimed her “a powerful musician that cannot be ignored.”
For more information of Daniela Cotton, click here.
“Church Boy is who I am and where I come from. It’s my solid foundation that keeps me standing. God has blessed me with a talent and has given me so much. Yes, I make mistakes, we all do, just believe in him and stay focused.” - Chauncey Black
Listen to Chauncey’s new single Everyday Is Your Birthday, off his first Flipmode release Church Boy.
Ben Jelen will be touring with Pete Yorn this summer in support of his new album Ex-Sensitive. The release will be available in stores on July 17 th through Linda Perry’s Custard label. Ben will kick off his new CD and tour with a record release party at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC on July 16th and an in-store performance on July 17th at the Virgin Megastore in Union Square.
Los Angeles, CA — Ben Jelen will kick off his new CD and tour with a record release party headlining the Bowery Ballroom in NYC on July 16 th and in-store performance to follow on July 17th at the Virgin Megastore in Union Square. Jelen will then set out on tour with Pete Yorn on his East Coast tour starting in St. Louis on July 21st. See all confirmed tour dates below.
Ben Jelen’s sophomore CD ex-sensitive will be available in stores on July 17th through Linda Perry’s Custard label. Jelen is the first artist release for 2007 from Custard, home to multi-platinum selling “You’re Beautiful” singer James Blunt. Jelen recorded the tracks for the album with producer/label head Linda Perry whom also mixed the majority of the songs in addition to two mixes from famed producer Bill Bottrell (Shelby Lynne, Tom Petty, Rosanne Cash, Elton John).
Jelen, whose first album was released in 2004 ( Give It All Away, Maverick Records), sought Perry’s éclat as an artistic luminary to produce his second album. When first meeting with Ben at her studio, Linda found him as that ever-rarer gem in today’s music landscape: a unique artist who is best served when serving only to his art. “Lyrically and melodically, Ben’s perspective is creative, visual and beautifully stated,” says Perry. Production soon began to capture Ben’s vision with an organic, classic approach. Upon recognizing their achievement during the production, Perry made the decision to release the CD through her own Custard label.
Jelen’s latest CD speaks of his growth as an artist, songwriter and human being. “I feel like I have lived a bit more, I know who I am right now and I feel we captured that on the album,” he says. Jelen has long dedicated a significant portion of his time to working with organizations and charities (United Nations, Natural Resources Defense Council, Live For Darfur, Amnesty International, Rock The Vote, among others) that he feels are affecting change in a positive and meaningful way, a common theme throughout ex-sensitive. Jelen’s career has given him the opportunity to work closely with such organizations and as a result, Jelen has developed a strong ethos for using his voice not only to express himself, but also to speak out on behalf of others.
Against Me! have launched the third episode of their “Making of the Record” series on YouTube.com. In the new episode, the band takes you inside their rehearsal space where they put the finishing touches on the new songs before they hit the studio. Against Me! has also released a video for the Butch Vig remix for “White People For Peace.” Against Me! will release their new album, New Wave, on July 10th. If you pre-order album now at Interpunk.com or Smartpunk.com you will receive a limited edition 7″ of “Thrash Unreal.”
Rock/Ska group Reel Big Fish releases Monkeys For Nothin and the Chimps For Free on their label Rock Ridge Music on July 7th, 2007. They are also going on tour this summer with Less Than Jake, the dates are posted below. Listen to Party Down, or go to their Official Website for more information.
After more than 15 years of conveying negative vibes, warning listeners about the dangers of being in a band and lamenting their time in the music industry (case in point: the band’s radio hit, “Sell Out”), the members of Southern California ska-punk stalwarts Reel Big Fish want to let the world know of a big change: They’re finally happy.
Some of that happiness stems from being released from their former label’s contract. “We’re very happy to be off the major label because they didn’t understand us,” says front man Aaron Barrett. “They didn’t know what to call us, how to market us or who to market us to. They are used to pre-packaged pop and radio-ready rock and I think we were just too weird for them to comprehend. So eventually they just ended up doing nothing.”
Freed from such obligations, Reel Big Fish is finally releasing its first independent studio album since leaving its former label. The self-produced Monkeys For Nothin’ And The Chimps For Free finds the members of Reel Big Fish doing things their way. In fact, it features material done their way, from quite a long ways back.
“We decided we were going to do a B-sides and rarities thing, but we didn’t have anything to release, so we were going to re-record some things that we were going to call B-sides and rarities,” explains Barrett. “But then we realized that most of that stuff no one had ever heard, so it wasn’t really B-sides and rarities, it was just new songs. But those weren’t good enough, so we wrote some new songs that were actually new, and suddenly we’re making a new album.”
TOUR DATES (with Less Than Jake):
7/3 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
7/4 - Milwaukee, WI - Milwaukee Summerfest
7/5 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oake Music Theatre
7/6 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection
7/7 - Buffalo, NY - The Town Ballroom
7/8 - Quebec City, QU - Festival D’Ete-d’Youville Square
7/10 - Clifton Park, NY - Northern Lights
7/11 - Providence, RI - Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
7/12 - Hampton Beach, NH - Hampton Beach Casino
7/13 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
7/14 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
7/15 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Lot
7/17 - Allentown, PA - Crocodile Rock
7/18 - Boston, MA - Avalon Ballroom
7/19 - New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom
7/20 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva
7/21 - Richmond, VA - Toad’s Place Richmond
7/23 - Ft Lauderdale, FL - Revolution
7/24 - Saint Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing
7/25 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
7/27 - Houston, TX - Meridian
7/28 - Corpus Christi, TX - The Pavilion @ Concrete Street
7/29 - Dallas, TX - The Palladium Ballroom
7/31 - Anaheim, CA - The Grove of Anaheim
8/2 - Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theatre
8/3 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
8/4 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
8/5 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
8/6 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Great Salt Air
8/7 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
8/9 - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom
8/10 - St Louis, MO - The Pageant
8/11 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
8/12 - Sioux Falls, SD - Rankota Exhibit Hall
8/14 - Minneapolis, MN - The Myth
8/15 - Chicago, IL - Congress Theatre
8/16 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre
8/17 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogarts
8/18 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
8/19 - Rochester, NY - Water Street Music Hall
8/21 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Zoo
8/22 - Scranton, PA - Tink’s
Art in Manila is a new band with some familiar faces. Saddle Creek will be releasing their debut album Set The Woods On Fire on August 7th!
After Azure Ray disbanded in 2004, Orenda Fink, one half of the beloved Omaha-via-Athens duo, put her energies into a solo record. In 2005, she released Invisible Ones, an under-the-radar but critically-acclaimed debut album.
Through the Invisible Ones touring cycle, Orenda assembled several different touring bands with revolving members, along the way making profound musical and personal friendships with her bandmates. With a little astrological nudge and some serendipitous circumstances, Orenda decided to form a new band using the cream of the crop of her touring crew. The band they formed was called Art Belle. Fearing the wrath of paranoid radio listeners “West of the Rockies” (in addition to fearing litigation), the band shortly changed its name to Art in Manila, a nod to radio host Art Bell’s exodus to the Phillipines. Art in Manila is comprised of Orenda on guitar and vocals, Adrianne Verhoeven on keys and vocals, Dan McCarthy also on keys, Steve Bartolomei on guitar, Ryan Fox on bass guitar, and Corey Broman on drums. Band members play or have played in… Mayday, McCarthy Trenching, The Anniversary, The Good Life, Mal Madrigal, Bright Eyes, Little Brazil, Dance Me Pregnant, Neva Dinova, and plenty of other groups both recognizable and not.
When writing tracks for Set the Woods on Fire, Orenda’s writing process was informed by the possibilities and potential of working with a live band again. She could now write songs with each of the Art in Manila member’s strengths in mind. At times, Art in Manila travels the lush path set forth by her previous work, however, it is here subsumed with edge and backbone. The band flirts playfully with genre wanderlust without ever abandoning cohesion. Moody slow-burners follow four-to-the-floor rockers which butt up against serene ballads. And it all works. Orenda and company have deviated from their collective musical pasts without forsaking it… and have conjured a powerful debut record in the process.
Set the Woods on Fire, Art in Manila’s debut album, was recorded in Omaha, Nebraska, by Joel Petersen (The Faint, Broken Spindles) and mixed in Athens, Georgia, with longtime Orenda Fink collaborator Andy LeMaster (Now It’s Overhead).
Check out the title track from Set The Woods On Fire. Starting today you can pre-order the album from saddle-creek.com! If you order from them, they will ship it two weeks before street date!
20th Century Fox presents Live Free or Die Hard, out in theatres June 27th!!
It’s the beginning of the holiday, but New York City Detective McClane isn’t celebrating. He’s had yet another argument with his college-age daughter Lucy, and received a crushingly routine assignment to bring in a young hacker, Matt Farrell, for questioning by the FBI. But for McClane, the ordinary has a habit of exploding into the extraordinary – abruptly hurtling him into the wrong place at the wrong time.
With Farrell’s help, McClane slowly begins to understand the increasing chaos surrounding him. An attack is underway on the vulnerable United States infrastructure, shutting down the entire nation. The mysterious figure behind the scheme, Thomas Gabriel, stays several moves ahead of McClane as he implements his incredible plans, known to uber-geeks like Farrell as a “fire sale” (as in, everything must go!).
Check out a new Live Free or Die Hard game; Bare-Knuckle Brawl. This game can be played using a browser or a Nintendo Wiimote.
An attack on the vulnerable United States computer infrastructure begins to shut down the entire nation. The mysterious figure behind the shattering scheme has figured out every digital angle – but he never figured on an old-fashioned, “analog” fly-in-the-ointment: John McClane.
Focus Features has just announced that their upcoming David Cronenberg(”A History of Violence,” “Naked Lunch,” “The Dead Zone”) film EASTERN PROMISES, starring Viggo Motensen, will be released as a WIDE release and the film will be released in theaters everywhere on September 14.
The new thriller from director David Cronenberg reteams him with his “A History of Violence” leading man Viggo Mortensen. The film follows the mysterious and ruthless Nikolai (Mr. Mortensen), who is tied to one of London’s most notorious organized crime families. His carefully maintained existence is jarred when he crosses paths with Anna (Academy Award nominee Naomi Watts), an innocent midwife trying to right a wrong, who accidentally uncovers potential evidence against the family. Now Nikolai must put into motion a harrowing chain of murder, deceit, and retribution.
This isn’t the first Cronenberg directs Viggo Motensen. The man was behind A History of Violence that also featured the Lord of The Rings star. The screenplay was written by Steven Knight (”Dirty Pretty Things”) and co-stars blond beauty Naomi Watts, French crossover star Vincent Cassel and Armin Mueller-Stahl.
Check out this cool run down of the 101 things all sports fans must experience before they die. It resembles more of a everything there is to do if you find the Fountain of Youth type post though. Still has some great information in there.
1. Summer Olympics (every four years in a different city). With 10,000-plus athletes from 200 nations, this is the world’s biggest party (did I mention the 130,000 condoms they give to the athletes?). The host city is almost always worth the trip itself (well, maybe not Atlanta) but the 17 days of exhilarating sporting performances will provide memories that will last long after the $24 souvenir T-shirt has faded. Guaranteed, you will see something that makes you proud to be human and call yourself a citizen not of one specific country but a citizen of the world.
Men’s Speed Stick is trying out the Internet Video Game market with what they call fun and addictive video games. What’s better than a deodorant company providing your addiction which includes Wrestling and Women. I’ll tell you what is, offering you a job as a Video Game Tester, seriously.
You can check out more games at www.guymennen.com.
If Coke isn’t already present all throughout the world, it’s marking its birthplace with the re-opening of it’s Museum, with a new location and some new features.
The nearly $100 million museum, which opened May 24, is the latest attraction in the tourism and development boom of Georgia’s capital city, following the September birth of Zoo Atlanta’s new panda, the High Museum of Art’s unique exhibit of works from the Louvre and the late 2005 opening of the world’s largest aquarium, the Georgia Aquarium, next door to the new World of Coca-Cola. Also nearby are CNN’s headquarters and the Georgia Dome.
“It’s making a new epicenter for tourism in Atlanta,” said Jeff Swanagan, executive director of the aquarium. “Maybe we’re not yet Orlando or Las Vegas, but we’ve certainly moved things up several notches.”
“There is an incredible energy in Atlanta as part of the revitalization. It’s exciting to be a part of it.”
“When people think of Atlanta, they may think of civil rights or the Atlanta Braves, but the one thing everyone thinks of Atlanta is Coca-Cola.” We beg to differ.
Jerry Bruckheimer is teaming up with Walt Disney Pictures to bring the movie adaptation of Jordan Mechner’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
read more here.
Opinions are for suckers. Mark Twight has the facts and the pictures and videos to back it up. Find “The Captain” video.
It appears everyone has an opinion about “300” and how the actors and stunt crew achieved the level of fitness – and consequentially, appearance – for the movie. I have read that it was all CGI, make-up, steroids, etc. However, no one has come right out and said, “those guys worked really hard and had the self-discipline to control what they put into their mouths.” Which is what I suggest: have the self-discipline to control what comes out of your mouth, especially if you are ignorant about the topic being discussed.
Here are a few quotes pulled from the forum of a website, whose owner also purports to have an idea about what it took for the guys to do what they did. Not that his imagination is wrong, he just doesn’t know. Plenty of other quotes may be pulled from know-it-all fitness sites but these few offer the fodder needed for the rant that follows.
“Many of you will know from your own experiences (and common sense) that 8 weeks of training will not transform you from a normal guy into the actors in 300. Nor will 2 or 3 years without roids. Sorry, but thats just the way it is.”
“The actors in 300 are not normal guys, they all will have trained and juiced for years before this and have already been massively well developed.”
“Note, these guys didn’t get this athletically trimmed in a couple months. 6 months minimum with diet.”
“Anyone who thinks that these guys went from “normal” to what they were in the film in anything less than years is very naive, probably through no real fault of there own… Furthermore the vast majority if not all of them will have taken steroids”
“No amount of training, bodybuilding or otherwise, would allow you to develop a physique anywhere near as good as these guys without gear. Go to your local gym and see how many people come close.”
Yeah, go to your local gym and see what passes for work. Even the people engaged in bodybuilding efforts or performing (and I mean “performing” in the sense of acting) short, high intensity cross-training circuits aren’t doing anything meaningful. Watch how people eat while they are in the gym, rushing to swill the latest greatest 500-calorie recovery drink within a 20-minute post-training window after burning a whopping 300 calories on an elliptical machine. This will give you a clue about how they eat when no one is watching and you’ll know everything you need to know about why they can’t “come close” to having a memorable physique (often their stated goal).
Being more forgiving these days, I try not to criticize those who are doing their best with the limited knowledge they have, because they are trying, they are in the gym, they read what the so-called fitness intelligentsia put out, they are hopeful, and they are actually doing the work and not pretending it’s anything other than what it is.
The guy who earns my scorn is the ass who tries to disguise his drooping belly with a baggy t-shirt and pushes his chest out whenever a girl walks by because he has convinced himself he’s “not like the rest.” He’s the guy who offers free advice about training just because he’s one step ahead of the poor guy who has to listen. And the most annoying pricks are the ones who say, “I’ve tried to get that ripped (muscular, lean, fit, fast, whatever) and I can’t do it so it’s impossible that anyone else can do it without chemicals.” Those who aren’t the real thing always find an excuse for their failings when confronted by the real thing. Or they cast the accomplishments of anyone further up the food chain as having been achieved by cheating.
read more here.
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