If there’s one thing that legendary Pretender’s front woman Chrissie Hynde swears by, it’s a good Fender Telecaster. Now’s your chance to enter to win this one of a kind autographed guitar from LP33.tv and the Pretenders. You can enter once a day, so the more you come back–the better your chances. The contest ends on May 13th.
In the meantime, here’s The Pretenders performing a classic:
Late last year, Concord Music Group announced it had entered into an exclusive arrangement with the Ray Charles Foundation to develop the artist’s post-1960 catalog, which contains his classic work for the ABC-Paramount and Tangerine labels. In addition to planning a series of CD reissues, Concord will make the catalog available digitally for the first time ever.
Ray Charles — Genius: The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection chronicles the high points in Charles’ catalog. As noted jazz writer Don Heckman writes in his liner notes, “The first feeling that comes to mind after even a short glance at the titles included here is a sense of wonder. The diversity of the material is impressive in its own right — blues, of course, transformed gospel songs, country tunes, an American Songbook standard, a Beatles classic and a climactic American anthem. But more than that, it’s what he does with all these variegated numbers. Good singers can do great interpretations. Great singers like Charles possess the material in a way that makes a song their own, while remaining true to the essence of each.”
Ten of the tracks on this collection made it to #1 on the R&B charts and three songs hit #1 on the pop chart. “That may sound like nothing more than numbers,” says Heckman, “but it represents an extraordinary string of successes in which Charles released a Top 10 R&B single in almost every year between 1954-67, and a Top 10 pop single almost every year between 1959-67.”
The album contains 21 of Charles’ biggest hits, each within its own unique history and meaning. “Hit the Road Jack,” penned by Percy Mayfield, a #1 pop hit and a 1961 Grammy winner for Charles, opens the collection. Also included are “What I’d Say (Part 1),” ranked #10 in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time; the classic “Busted”; “I Can’t Stop Loving You” from the album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, which reached #1 on R&B and pop charts; the Bobby Sharp composition “Unchain My Heart”; Charles’ signature rendition of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia on My Mind, another #1 pop hit; “I Got a Woman” which was Charles’ first #1 R&B hit and was later sampled by Kanye West; “You Are My Sunshine,” the Jimmie Davis standard that Charles brought to #1 R&B; a soulful edition of Hank Williams’ “Take These Chains From My Heart”; the offbeat “Hide Nor Hair”; Ashford & Simpson’s “Let’s Go Get Stoned,” a #1 R&B hit by Charles; “You Don’t Know Me,” earlier a hit for Jerry Vale, which charted #2 pop; “Hallelujah I Love Her So,” originally a gospel hymn; “Crying Time,” a Buck Owens song which Charles brought to #6 on the pop charts; the funky “I’m a Fool for You,” which charted #1 R&B; “One Mint Julep,” Charles’ version of The Clovers’ hit with a big band arrangement by Quincy Jones; “Here We Go Again,” sung as a duet with Betty Carter; “Yesterday,” the Lennon/McCartney classic, in which Charles, according to Heckman, “embraces the song’s deep inner heart”; and finally his 1972 signature recording of “America the Beautiful,” the perfect ending and relevant once again.
Genius: The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection will be packaged in a handsome embossed digipack and presented with a 24-page collectors’ book of rare photos and Heckman’s notes.
“Genius Loves Company was Ray Charles’ highest selling record ever,”
said Valerie Ervin, President of the Ray Charles Foundation. “In addition to the artistic quality of the music, the release was matched by Concord’s skill in finding new ways to market in the increasingly challenging environment.
Their incomparable ability to innovate will also be seen in the upcoming
releases.”
Concord will release several other Ray Charles reissues this year including Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music, Volumes 1 & 2, The Genius Hits the Road, A Message to the People and Genius + Soul = Jazz & More.
Ray Charles - Genius: The Ultimate Collection Video Streams:
“Georgia On My Mind”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q5hD9cRQ9k
“Hit The Road Jack”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Tiz6INF7I
Preferred Retail Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Genius-Ultimate-Ray-Charles-Collection/dp/B001QAZAPS/?tag=concordreco0c-20
Check out the new video for “Locked Within The Crystal Ball” from Secret Voyage, the new album by Blackmore’s Night – the duo of award-winning singer/songwriter Candice Night and legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore available now.
“Locked Within The Crystal Ball” Audio Stream:
http://www.blackmoresnight.com/audio_clips/locked.mp3
Secret Voyage Listening Party:
http://www.spv.de/blackmoresnight/90s
Secret Voyage Widget:
http://www.spv.de/blackmoresnight/widget
SPV Records is proud to announce the U.S.A. release of Secret Voyage by Blackmore’s Night, the award winning band fronted by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Candice Night with legendary lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Other members of the band include Bard David of Larchmont (keyboards/vocals), Earl Grey of Chimay (bass/rhythm guitar/vocals), Squire Malcolm of Lumley (percussionist), and Gypsy Rose (violin/vocals).
This kaleidoscopic musical journey through time and space incorporates traditional folk music from around the world. The album blends haunting ancient melodies with newly-written Night lyrics inspired by nature and fantasy, partially recorded on renaissance-period instruments, and arranged with a contemporary dramatic flair that features the brilliant acoustic and electric guitar stylings of Blackmore. This cd is sure to transport you to a simpler, more magical time, away from the stresses of modern day life.
“With Blackmore’s Night,” says Blackmore, “we have the creative freedom to play any style of music we want. We can play folk, rock, ballads, instrumentals, or tavern songs. I couldn’t do that in Deep Purple. Now I feel as if I’m not in a box anymore. ”
Inspired by their international performances, and assimilating the various melodies from the continents they’ve traversed, many of the 12 new tracks on Secret Voyage have been adapted from the folk traditions of numerous countries including France (“Gilded Cage”), Russia (“Toast To Tomorrow”), Germany (“Prince Waldeck’s Galliard”) and England (“Peasant’s Promise”). Add to that two stunning covers done distinctively in Blackmore’s Nights strongly identifiable style—the 1961 Elvis Presley hit “Can’t Help Falling In Love” and Rainbow’s “Rainbow Eyes”—and some entrancingly poignant originals.
In addition to creating the kind of haunting sonic soundscapes that captivate your mind like your fondest memories, Night and Blackmore also continue to work for the many causes they espouse. Together with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) they’ve helped plant 6,000 fruit trees in Borneo, donated time and money to help Siberian tigers, bats in Berlin, badgers in Great Britain and, at many of their concerts around the world, have established fund drives for “No Kill” animal shelters. When not touring they continue to sponsor shelter animals and even hold a private show at holiday time every year to raise funds for local animal charities. They have also banded together with C020L to help the environment by planting trees in Panama to reduce the toxins brought on by the bands touring.
Night stars as Princess Candice at the interactive theme park Magiquest, and Princess Amora at throughout U.S. and Japan. She has also been the reigning “Faerie Queen”, nominated by Faerie Magazine, at the Faerie Festivals throughout the USA and is much beloved by the children who travel miles to meet her in this role. Her film debut, House Of Eternity, is scheduled for release this fall.
Go here to buy:
http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Voyage-Blackmores-Night/dp/B001932LMW/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1217542784&sr=8-1
Official Site:
http://www.blackmoresnight.com
and on MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/blackmoresnight1
Candice Night Official Site:
http://www.candicenight.com
It’s true: Yngwie Malmsteen is about to launch a new album… first, let’s go back in time. One of my favorite Yngwie tracks (and solos), the master at his finest:
Same track, live (and more raw and deafening):
GUITAR LEGEND YNGWIE MALMSTEEN UNLEASHES FIRST NEW ALBUM IN THREE YEARS, ‘PERPETUAL FLAME,’ TO BE INDUCTED INTO ROCK WALK AND TOUR NORTH AMERICA FALL 2008
The global rock guitar community will undoubtedly mark October 14, 2008 on their calendars, as this is the exact date that Yngwie Malmsteen will be issuing his latest studio triumph, ‘Perpetual Flame.’ The album will be the first-ever Yngwie album to be released via Rising Force Records (distributed via Koch), while the album also marks the debut on an Yngwie album by ex-Judas Priest/Iced Earth frontman, Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens.
Twelve tracks of pure six string metallic bliss (which stretches to almost 70 minutes total), the album was produced and engineered by Yngwie himself, and mixed by Roy Z (who has previously worked with Judas Priest and Bruce Dickinson, among others). Joining Yngwie and Ripper on the album is keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Patrick Johansson (Yngwie contributed bass, additional keyboards, and vocals, as well), but on tour, Michael Troy will supply keyboards, and Bjorn Englen will be laying down the bass. A supporting tour of the U.S. and Canada is slated to run through all of October.
Single-handedly, Yngwie Malmsteen trailblazed the classical metal movement in the 1980’s. During a time when the majority of guitarists were merely copying Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie was one of the few rock guitarists to create his own instantly-identifiable playing style – which has been subsequently mimicked by countless other guitarists. Yngwie is responsible for issuing some of the metal’s all-time great guitar classics, especially such releases as 1984’s ‘Rising Force,’ 1985’s ‘Marching Out,’ 1992’s ‘Fire and Ice,’ and most recently, 2005’s ‘Unleash the Fury.’
In addition to the arrival of ‘Perpetual Flame’ in October, another career highlight is slated for that same month – Yngwie will be inducted into the Rock Walk on Monday, October 13th in Los Angeles.
Additionally a new Fender/Yngwie Malmsteen custom shop guitar will be unveiled on November 28th (with a limited run of 100 instruments) and there will be a slew of CD reissues of Yngwie classics to soon be announced.
And the accolades continue to pour in - ‘Roadie Crew Magazine’ organized a poll in which 330 respected rock guitarists were asked to vote for their favorite guitarist of all-time. Yngwie checked in at a lofty number 3, only behind fellow legends Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen. Without question, 2008 is shaping up to be the year of Yngwie.
COMPLETE TRACKLISTING FOR ‘PERPETUAL FLAME’:
1. Death Dealer
2. Damnation Game
3. Live to Fight (Another Day)
4. Red Devil
5. Four Horsemen (Of the Apocalypse)
6. Priest of the Unholy
7. Be Careful What You Wish For
8. Caprici Di Diablo
9. Lament
10. Magic City
11. Eleventh Hour
12. Heavy Heart
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN 2008 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:
SEPTEMBER 28, 2008 SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – CENTRO BELLAS ARTES
OCTOBER 4, 2008 SAN ANTONIO, TX – SCOUTBAR
OCTOBER 5, 2008 DALLAS, TX – GRANADA THEATER
OCTOBER 8, 2008 SAN DIEGO, CA – HOUSE OF BLUES
OCTOBER 9, 2008 ANAHEIM, CA – HOUSE OF BLUES
OCTOBER 10, 2008 LAS VEGAS, NV – HOUSE OF BLUES
OCTOBER 11, 2008 VENTURA, CA – MAJESTIC VENTURA THEATER
OCTOBER 12, 2008 LOS ANGELES, CA – AVALON
OCTOBER 17, 2008 ROYAL OAK, MI – ROYAL OAK THEATER
OCTOBER 19, 2008 CHICAGO, IL – HOUSE OF BLUES
OCTOBER 21, 2008 WILLIAMSVILLE, NY – CLUB INFINITY
OCTOBER 24, 2008 SAYREVILLE, NJ – STARLAND BALLROOM
OCTOBER 26, 2008 NEW YORK, NY – BLENDER THEATER
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT THE FOLLOWING SITES:
Official page: here.
Official record company page – will be launched soon: here.
Information – and video clip - about Yngwie’s signature guitar: here.
New York City’s much buzzed about songstress L.P. has just released the first single “Good With You” off of her soon to be named and highly anticipated record set to hit in early 2009 via SoBe Entertainment. L.P. was featured as Clear Channel’s Artist to Watch for their NEW! program in June and the single is quickly gaining traction in the AAA format.
“Good With You” / ”Cling To Me” video streams:
Armed with a voice that weaves seamlessly between being fierce and vulnerable, L.P. can captivate an audience with a single note, and turn a crowd of strangers into rabid fans with just one song. Nothing iterates this point better than the story of SXSW 2006 where her live performance inspired a label bidding war. This ultimately led to her being signed by LA Reid himself to Island Records. While L.P. says it’s “nice” that she inspired the competition, the singer ultimately walked away from the deal with her songs in hand, the material that will be included on her forthcoming album on SoBe Entertainment.
L.P. has invited comparisons to Janis Joplin, Joan Jett, Gwen Stefani and Chrissie Hynde and has worked with go-to rocker Linda Perry who is a self confessed fan. The Washington Post call’s L.P. “. . . a punky rocker with the pipes of a belter,” while Entertainment Weekly exclaims “NYC moptop songwriter L.P. has toured the country and back, but nothing much spins her wheels off their axles” and Cincinnati City Beat offers up this piece of advice, “Tell a friend: L.P. is going to be huge.”
L.P. YouTube Channel:
L.P. Official Site:
and MySpace page:
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Do you watch MTV and ever wonder what that song was you just heard? MTV plays roughly 1500 music cues in its programming each week, not including music videos or performances — and is now giving fans an easy, new way to discover all that music. Introducing Soundtrack.mtv.com — the industry’s first-ever interactive music guide for TV — showcasing everything about the music and artists being played on MTV at any given time. Not only that, Soundtrack.mtv.com also empowers communities of fans to rally behind their favorite indie bands to get them onto the biggest stage of all, MTV — introducing them to millions.
Here’s more News Facts:
* Soundtrack.mtv.com launches today and is integrated into nearly all of MTV’s programming, inviting viewers to discover a diverse line-up of music from both established and up-and-coming artists.
* Whether for the next 24hours or the last 24 days, Soundtrack.mtv.com can tell you the song, artist, and album of the music heard on MTV — plus provide a deep catalog of corresponding content including music videos, performances, personal blogs, photos and more.
* Soundtrack.mtv.com enables fans to champion their favorite music and allows bands/artists to galvanize support — creating a clear path for the best to make it in front of MTV’s music supervisors and onto TV.
Soundtrack.mtv.com specifics:
* A music discovery “wheel” informs fans of aired music by day, show and time and provides them with more information to discover selected artists. The wheel allows users to search for music currently playing on-air, upcoming in the next 24 hours, and previously played in past show programming dating back to Soundtrack’s launch (July 16, 2008).
* Emerging bands can raise their profile by creating customizable Soundtrack profile pages where they can stream music, videos, promote upcoming events and fire up their fans for support with tools such as a vote for me button called “Support By Sound.”
* A Soundtrack ranking system features “Top Artists” and “Top Songs” in the community and provides high-ranking emerging artists with direct access to MTV music supervisors, who will be listening to the online community, observing bands rankings and hand picking new artists to play on MTV on-air programming.
* The Soundtrack community will have the power to escalate the Soundtrack rank of their favorite band’s songs by listening or voting for them.
* Auto-generated playlists around buzz-worthy show moments will be featured on Soundtrack, such as love songs from classic Heidi and Spencer scenes and best party songs from “My Super Sweet 16″ episodes.
* Soundtrack will soon be fully integrated with MTV.com including the ability to buy songs on Rhapsody.
Quotes:
Attributed to Brian Graden, President of Entertainment, MTV Networks Music Group
* “Our audience is constantly telling us they want to know more about the artists and music they are hearing in our programming. That’s because TV is a great place to find music, and now, unlike anything else out there, Soundtrack.mtv.com offers a pure, unobstructed road to discovery.”
Attributed to Amy Doyle, SVP of Music & Talent, MTV
* “Music is threaded throughout everything we do — online, on the go, and on TV — unifying every possible screen to create the best music experience for our audience, the artists they love, and the music industry as a whole. With Soundtrack, we’re creating a new way to propel emerging and indie artists onto MTV, the world’s stage.”
Attributed to David Saslow, SVP Video Content, Production, & Programming, Atlantic Records
* “Our new act Carolina Liar had their music featured several times on ‘The Hills’ last season and the reaction was immediate. MTV has been a terrific partner in helping us break the band, and because of Soundtrack.mtv.com the viewers are able to discover who these bands are.”
Soundtrack ‘Hot 10′ Playlist
Music cues in MTV programming expose unknown and unsigned acts to the masses and music industry. Some of the songs that gained enormous popularity after being featured on an MTV show include:
* Olivia Broadfield — “Don’t Cry” (Real World): Went to #4 on in the electronic singles charts on iTunes and #5 on the albums charts and garnered 20,000 plays on Olivia’s MySpace page the day after her song aired on ‘The Real World’.
* Jason Reeves — “Photographs & Memories” (A Shot at Love II): As a result of the chyron in ‘A Shot of Love II with Tila Tequila’, track sales increased by 394% and the album sales increased by 179% the week the show aired. Reeves subsequently signed with Warner Bros Records.
* Carolina Liar — “I’m Not Over” (The Hills): After being featured in ‘The Hills’, digital sales of this song rose by 483% resulting in Carolina’s label to respond by saying “fans are digging the band and searching for more on the act�this is making a big difference”
For Academy Award nominated actor Danny Aiello’s second CD he was inspired by Atlantic City, Sinatras old stomping ground. It was the place where old blue eyes performed his final public
US concert while Danny Aiello watched from the audience. “My wife Sandy and I got a call from my agent inviting us down to
Atlantic City to see the show and meet Frank. I loved Sinatra and jumped at the chance not knowing what to expect. He was everything and more and the Copa Room, well, it was the perfect setting.”
Ten years later Aiello recorded his debut CD. Five days after the release, Danny Aiello made his Billboard Chart debut! His first album I Just Wanted To Hear The Words hit the Billboard Traditional Jazz Chart at #4, the highest new entry that week, just behind Harry Connick Jr., Winton Marsalis and Diana Krall.
And so it is fitting when a friend suggests in 2005 that he record one of those Atlantic City shows, preferably from The Sands so he and his band could preserve a little history for themselves, Aiello agrees, “Given Sinatra’s history on that stage and my memories of seeing him there, the Sands really captured the spirit of the resort’s history among the excitement of a new Atlantic City. For me, it made perfect sense.”
Check out the live streams for Pennies from Heaven and All Of Me.
I don’t even know how I landed on this… but if you want amazing guitar playing from the 1980s, with some bad singing and comedy, this one is for you.
Well… from 4:00 to 4:25 the guitar playing of Jason Becker and Marty Friedman (subsequently of Megadeth) is very impressive. But then the “singing” at 4:25 to 4:45 makes you want to stab a pencil in your ear.
And I think the following clip is also Jason Becker, though YouTube says it’s Malmsteen:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7329323.stm
MySpace in online music project
Networking site MySpace is to launch an online music service in partnership with three major music companies.
The new service MySpace Music is being launched with Universal Music, Sony BMG Music and Warner Music.
Users of the new service will be able to listen to music and watch music videos free of charge, while paying a fee to download music.
The website will also make money from advertising and selling merchandise like ring tones and concert tickets.
However, the exact terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The one major record firm excluded from the partnership was EMI.
The new music service is seen as a possible competitor to Apple iTunes Music Store, which has dominated the digital music market.
The music industry has been concerned about a lack of competition for iTunes in the digital music market.
Music firms see a new entrant in the music download market as a positive change.
“This gives a great new lease of life for the download market,” said Thomas Hesse, Sony BMG president of global digital business.
Page last updated at 17:19 GMT, Thursday, 3 April 2008 18:19 UK
HOLLYWOOD RECORDS TO RELEASE ATREYU’S
LEAD SAILS PAPER ANCHOR AS 2.0 BONUS-LADEN CDVU+ ON APRIL 22
DISC JAM-PACKED WITH SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDING TEN VIDEOS, THREE NEW SONGS, PHOTOGRAPHS AND DIGITAL BOOKLET
Atreyu fans will be celebrating Christmas in springtime with the April 22 release of LEAD SAILS PAPER ANCHOR 2.0 in the CDVU+ format. The CDVU+ replaces the traditional CD booklet/jewel case with eco-friendly packaging (100% recyclable, 35% post-consumer) while offering an unprecedented amount of content, which is accessed through a weblink that’s triggered when fans put the disc in their computers. Atreyu is the first hard rock band to release a disc in the CDVU+ format.
The CDVU+ version of LEAD SAILS PAPER ANCHOR 2.0 features the full album, including the new top 10 hit single “Falling Down,” a new track recorded exclusively for this release titled “The Squeeze,” and blistering covers of Faith No More’s “Epic” and The Descendents’ “Clean Sheets.” Also included are ten exclusive videos (three live performances, five individual band profile pieces and two behind-the-scenes life on the road clips and a guitar lesson from Atreyu six-stringer Dan Jacobs). The CDVU+ version also features a 50 page, fully printable, digital booklet that includes more than 50 exclusive photos and song lyrics.
The video clips offer Atreyu fans an intimate look at their favorite band, following lead vocalist Alex Varkatzas as he travels to Thailand to learn Brazilian ju-jitsu; drummer/vocalist Brandon Saller talks about the new toy company he’s launching; guitarist Dan Jacobs discusses his new Rokk clothing line; guitarist Travis Miguel reveals his strange ritual involving McDonald’s cheeseburgers and bassist Marc McKnight takes the camera to his favorite comic store to discuss his favorite books, films and graphic design work. In addition, there’s a plethora of electrifying live footage and eye-popping photos.
The band, who are currently co-headlining the Rockstar Taste of Chaos tour with Avenged Sevenfold (see dates below), recently shot a video for “Falling Down” with Sean Stiegemeier that’s loosely inspired by Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film, The Outsiders. “It’s a different video for Atreyu because it is very narrative-driven,” says Stiegemeier. “The song has a fun and upbeat tempo and we thought replicating the greasers of that time period would suit the band quite well.” Recalling the shoot, the director says, “The energy on the set was amazing. The band’s friends and their producer, John Feldmann, came down and acted in the video. We staged fight scenes in the middle of the night and everyone had fun pretending to beat each other in the mud”. The video will premiere on www.monsterenergy.com Wednesday, March 26.
Atreyu are also the subject of a special online “Falling Down” video game created by Jason Oda (creator of “Drop Kick The Faint”). About the game, Oda says, “The Atreyu game is a mix between old school arcade game play and modern polished graphics. The inspiration for the game partially comes from the arcade game for the band Journey.” Fans can go to www.atreyugame.com to play the game.
In other news, Atreyu will see their song “Honor” featured in Never Back Down, a soon-to-be-released mixed martial arts film, and sports manufacturer Easton recently paid homage to the band by making a limited-edition Easton Atreyu hockey stick.
Atreyu are touring in support of LEAD SAILS PAPER ANCHOR, which debuted at No. 8 on Billboard’s Top 200, making it both the highest debut and highest-charting album of the band s career. It follows 2006’s A Death-Grip On Yesterday, which entered the chart at No. 9. The album, which was produced by John Feldmann (The Used, Good Charlotte) and mixed by Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Slipknot, Linkin Park), drew rave reviews from media outlets around the world, including Metal Hammer, who declared it to be “a truly landmark album.” Kerrang! gave the record 4 K’s and Blender gave it 3 = stars and called it “metal that takes you to a magical bygone era.” Revolver awarded the album 4 stars and praised it for flowing “beautifully through the speakers” and for being “a coffin-tight collection of singles.” Since the album’s release, the band shared stages alongside Korn and Evanescence on the Family Values Tour and blazed a headlining run of their own.
Don’t miss Atreyu on the Rockstar Taste of Chaos tour.
PLAY
