Music News Blog

INTERPOL have announced details of a North American tour.

The New Yorkers, currently on the road in Australia and New Zealand to promote second album ‘Antics’, kick off the jaunt in Mexico City on September 5, and will also play shows in the USA and Canada.

The dates are as follows:

Mexico City WTC (September 5/6)
Guadalajara Foro Alterno (7)
Dallas Nokia Center (9)
Kansas City Uptown Theatre (10)
Denver The Fillmore Auditorium (11)
Salt Lake City Kingsbury Hall (12)
Davis Freeborn Hall (14)
San Jose Civic Auditorium (15)
Phoenix Peoria Sports Complex (17)
Las Vegas The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel (19)
Los Angeles Greek Theatre (20)
Tulsa Cain's Ballroom (23)
Champaign Assembly Hall (24)
Ann Arbor Michigan Theater (25)
Cleveland Agora Theatre (26)
Toronto Kool Haus (27)
Montreal Metropolis (29)
Portland State Theatre (30)

After being sued by R&B superstar R. Kelly for kicking Kelly off the Best of Both Worlds tour, hip-hop megastar Jay-Z has announced that it's back on, but without R. Kelly, renaming it the Jay-Z and Friends tour.

Taking the stage with Jay-Z for Friday night's show at American Airlines Arena will be P. Diddy, Mary J. Blige and Ja Rule. Tickets for the Best of Both Worlds tour look like being honored.

Since R. Kelly and Jay-Z split, Jay-Z has continued with the Best of Both Worlds tour dates, with supporting artists as Usher, Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams and Busta Rhymes onstage.

GamblingGates.com reported: “R. Kelly's is suing rapper Jay-Z in a $75 million lawsuit after Jay-Z banned R. Kelly from the Best of Both Worlds tour”, in a news article R. Kelly sues Jay-Z in $75 million lawsuit.

Britpop's greatest sibling rivalry is coming to America.

Oasis announced it will come stateside to promote its latest, Don't Believe the Truth (2005, Epic) (read Aversion's review) with a short string of shows in September.

Oasis' tour dates are:

Sept. 8 - "Automotive Manufacturer" Place, Vancouver
Sept. 9 - Everett Event Center, Seattle
Sept. 11 - Shoreline Amphitheatre, San Francisco
Sept. 12 - Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles
Sept. 14 - "Beer" Amphitheater, San Diego
Sept. 15 - House of Blues, Las Vegas
Sept. 18 - "Automotive Manufacturer" Theater, Phoenix
Sept. 20 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver
Sept. 22 - "Vodka" Music Center, Dallas
Sept. 24 - Austin City Limits Festival, Austin
Sept. 25 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Houston
Sept. 27 - "Electronics Retailer" Amphitheater, Atlanta
Sept. 29 - Merriweather Post Pavilion, Baltimore
Sept. 20 - Blossom Music Center, Cleveland

Spam filters don't work too well, so a fed-up Russian took matters into his own hands: He murdered Russia's biggest spammer.

Vardan Kushnir, an internet marketer for the Center for American English, the New York English Centre and the Centre for Spoken English, was found dead in his Moscow apartment. He died after suffering repeated blows to the head.

Kushnir enjoyed Russia's lack of anti-spamming legislation to send millions of unsolicited emails advertising his institutes each day. Opponents previously struck back by posting his telephone numbers all over the 'net, listing them as free sex hotlines.

Moscow police are investigating approxamately seven million possible suspects.

Authorities have accused an East Rutherford woman of amassing more than $12,000 in free merchandise by claiming she was an assistant of celebrity Jessica Simpson.

Courtney Handel, 23, was arrested Friday and charged with theft by deception. By Sunday, she had been released from the Bergen County Jail after posting bail.

Police say Handel sent e-mails and faxes to companies in which she posed as Simpson assistant CaCee Cobb. Handel told the companies that Simpson, who is playing the movie version of Daisy Duke, had expressed interest in their product lines.

But Handel used her own address, and when police detectives arrived Friday, they found Handel's home full of merchandise.

"As we were standing outside, UPS pulled up with 12 more packages. We turned to each other and said, 'If only all our cases could be this easy,'" Detective Sgt. Jeff Yannaconi told the Daily News, New York, for Saturday newspapers.

Among the items Handel collected were PH Advantage cosmetics, Pagliei jewelry, Ted Rossi handbags, Peter Thomas Roth skin care and Fake Bake Tanning Products. Frye sent seven pairs of boots.

Police are arranging to return the products to the companies.

The first day of the revived Lollapalooza in Chicago's Grant Park came to close last night (July 23) with headlining performances from Weezer and reunited hip-hop collective Digable Planets. A spokesperson for the event said attendance topped off at about 33,000, although it had been reported the grounds could accommodate closer to 50,000. Other artists performing Saturday included the Pixies, Primus, the Bravery and Liz Phair.

Weather conditions for the event were slightly less than ideal. Temperatures in Chicago were in the mid-80s, and a brief storm rolled into the area at about 6 p.m., putting a damper on performances by Blonde Redhead and Billy Idol.

Jermaine Jackson told reporters Friday his brother's child molestation trial "tore him apart mentally" and left the star too exhausted to attend their father's 76th birthday bash in a Berlin hotel.

Hundreds of fans, many dressed as Michael Jackson, thronged the massive Estrel hotel in Berlin's working-class neighborhood of Neukoelln where the party was held. Michael said in a statement on his official Web site Thursday he would not attend.

"That's fine, he was very tired and he's resting," Jermaine said. "His case tore him apart mentally. He's very strong mentally, but he needs his rest right now."

Among the hundreds of Jackson fans attending the party were several who had flown from Germany to California to support him.

Alexander Greve, 25, who arrived for the party decked out in a single glove, black wig and sparkly silver jacket, said he spent six days standing outside the courthouse in Santa Maria, California.

"I even shook his hand. That was a really great feeling," Greve said, adding that it was obvious Jackson would be too tired to travel to Berlin.

But others, such as Kayhan Ayden, 28, held out hope their hero would still make an appearance.

"Maybe he'll surprise me and still show up," Ayden said.

Jermaine and Tarino were the only Jackson siblings to attend their father's party, after sisters Janet and LaToya also canceled plans to travel to Berlin.

The Jacksons are to be received by Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit on Friday at city hall, where they will sign Berlin's guest book.

Many Hip Hop artists claim to love the kids, today thousands of 3-17 year olds will gather at Wilson Mill Park in Adamsville, Georgia as part of Youthfest 2005. Youthfest 2005 is packed with activities. Participants can enjoy games, concerts, a health fair, as well as exercises to enhance self-esteem and youth leadership skills. Sessions will also take place concerning various areas of self-improvement, including drug awareness, teen pregnancy prevention, and fire education.

Multiple celebrities are expected to be in attendance. Atlanta City Councilman C.T. Martin will host the events.

The day’s biggest event may be the performance of 11 year old nNocent. The aspiring rapper will take center stage later in the day. The rapper often referred to as ‘Ludakid,’ recently received awards from the Ludacris Foundation for providing youth with inspiration and a positive message. He was also a guest performer at Russell Simmons’ Washington D.C. Hip Hop Summit this past June.

At a session during the International Assn. of Assembly Managers (IAAM) conference in Washington, D.C. earlier this week, panelists from several major booking agencies named tours possible for later this year and/or early next.

Without citing specific time frames, CAA's Rob Light named such arena-level winners as Eric Clapton, Mana, Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson, Martina McBride, Bon Jovi, AC/DC, Keith Urban, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mariah Carey, Ricky Martin, and an extension of the Foo Fighters/Weezer package.

Light also said that John Mellencamp, out this summer in amphitheaters with John Fogerty, would likely do some 40 dates indoors in secondary markets next year.

Adam Kornfeld of Artists Group International named upcoming arena-level tours by Def Lepard, early 2006 dates for Motley Crue, and potentially more road work by Linkin Park and Rod Stewart next year. For the performing arts centers, AGI is organizing tours by Michael Bolton, Richard Marx and Andrew Dice Clay.

Jim Linz of Paradise Artists named such retro packages as Survivor/Lou Gramm and John Kay & Steppenwolf with Blue Oyster Cult, along with the Queen + Paul Rodgers tour.

Reps from the William Morris Agency revealed news of upcoming tours from Bob Weir & Ratdog, Bill Cosby, Michael Crawford, Loggins & Messina, DIana Krall and Los Tigres del Norte.

THE KILLERS have spoken to NME.COM about being covered by ROBBIE WILLIAMS at LIVE 8.

The band only played one song – ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ at the London Hyde Park leg of the show (July 2), much to the disappointment of fans who wanted to hear more.

However, the Live 8 audience got a bit of extra Killers when Robbie Williams worked their “I’ve got soul but I’m not soldier” refrain into his set.

“I heard about that, but I didn’t get to hear it,” Flowers told NME.COM. “I’m glad he liked it. I didn’t know it was going to happen, I’ve never met him, but it was cool – it’s nice of him.”

Not that Flowers is short of celebrity admirers, being asked to join New Order at T In The Park on ‘Crystal’. “That was amazing,” he said. “I’d never even seen a full set of theirs before, so that was perfect for me.”

R&B crooner tops a hip-hop-heavy week

R. Kelly's seventh solo effort, TP.3 Reloaded, sold 139,000 copies in its second week to cling to the top spot on the nation's album chart. Hot on the embattled R&B star's heels is some young hip-hop talent: Houston rapper Slim Thug's ambitiously named Already Platinum moved 129,000 copies to take Number Two, and Wanted, from the all-grown-up Bow Wow (formerly Lil' Bow Wow), sold 119,000 to debut at Number Three.

Around a year after signing a deal with Atlantic records, singer/songwriter James Blunt has delivered on his potential - landing at No.1 on both the UK album and singles chart tonight.

'You're Beautiful', taken from his number one album 'Back To Bedlam', tops the singles chart this week ahead of 2Pac's 'Ghetto Gospel' ft. Elton John, which drops to two after four weeks.

Mariah Carey's 'We Belong Together' is at three, Elton John's 'Electricity' is at four and Charlotte Church's 'Crazy Chick' slips one to number five. Inaya Day's 'Nasty Girl' is the only other top ten new entry this week, at nine.

Kenyan Hip-hop was initially regarded as a passing fad. Hip-hop was eagerly dismissed by the media outlets and the general public during its shallow inception in the early ninety's. Hip-hop today has firmly gained its roots in Kenya, while fusing its traditional music and drawing major influence from America. This fusion has led to a new entity-the birth of Genge Music. Read on to view the trailers..

Filming the documentary in Kenya, Producer/Director Michael Wanguhu, enjoyed collaborative efforts from top-notch Kenyan producers, and reigning hip-hop acts past and present, seeking to expose a culture they have whole-heartedly embraced. The film is also punctuated with footage of engaging live concert events. HIP HOP COLONY richly ties key elements of hip hop, flexibility and talent which continue to increase its dominance around the World one colony at a time.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING… Like the classic early-'80s American films Wild Style and Style Wars , Hip Hop Colony is a historical document, capturing a fast-developing culture at a seminal moment in time. Erick K. Arnold – East Bay express

Hip Hop Colony is an educational well-paced gem which should be included in high school and college campus curriculums across the globe in an effort to dispel stereotypes about our kinship, Kenya, and about African Diaspora. Vanessa Morman – Houston Black Film Festival

This piece is Chock-a-block! GA – freelance writer

Kenya is not just about Lions, giraffes and fast running men,…it's also about Studios and Hip-Hop! Tedd Josiah - Music Producer

Up Coming festivals: Oakland International Film Festival - California Mill Valley International Film Festival - California US Virgin Islands Film Festival - Virgin Islands Leeds International Film Festival - UK African Diaspora Film Festival - New York

Let’s say you happen to stop by Hollywood's Amoeba Music next week to check out the new releases. On that off chance, let’s then say that you happen to pick up a copy of either A Million in Prizes: The Iggy Pop Anthology OR the DVD, Iggy Pop Live at the Avenue B.

Well you’re in luck!!! Hypothetically.

In actuality, the kind people at Amoeba are giving away a FREE pass to a very exclusive screening of the DVD with every purchase of one of these two items. Iggy Pop Live will be shown next Tuesday, July 19 at the Knitting Factory and the only way to get in is with one of these passes or by winning one through Amoeba.com or Indie 103.1.

Eclectic Canadian electronica/rock act Junior Boys is eyeing an early 2006 release for its second album via KIN/Domino. The set will be the follow-up to last year's acclaimed "Last Exit" and will be the first taste of new music from the group since its remix of Billie Holiday's "Yesterday" from the recent "Verve Remixed 3" album.

"There are some new attitudes about the new material," group member Jeremy Greenspan tells Billboard.com. "We're trying to strip things down a bit. I'm trying to shed any part of our sound that is too highly edited, as I think that approach will become dated quickly."

MANHATTAN BEACH, California — Will Smith has decided to get jiggy with it one more time, bringing fans another dance club anthem with a video concept that screams "Will 2K."

The former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air has picked "Party Starter" to be his next single, and he recently shot a video with director Paul Hunter in Manhattan Beach which features Will doing just that — gettin' the party started.

"I like the kind of international vibe of it," Smith said. "It's fun, it's interesting, and just the music and the party energy [of the song] seem to be what people most responded to when I've been out around the world performing and stuff."

The video for "Party Starter," according to the treatment, opens with Will sitting in an empty room in his house. As the track kicks in, a dazzling display of visual effects set in motion and Will literally begins to transform his vacant surroundings into an all-out dance-hall celebration.

"In the beginning I'm sitting in the house and then the walls start to fall away, the floor flips over and it turns into the first club," Smith said on the set of the video. "So I stand up there and I start performing in the first club. Then I stomp my foot, the floor cracks and crumbles away and it turns into a hardwood floor. Then the whole Cuban vibe builds around me."

And the Cuban vibe is only the beginning. The video continues to follow Will as he creates new surroundings, along the way turning the party into a cultural mash-up.

NEW YORK (AFP) - Michael Jackson's legal woes seem far from over, with a financial advisory group suing the pop icon for 48 million dollars for helping him secure a loan.

Prescient Acquisition Group Inc. filed its lawsuit in Manhattan federal court on Monday, charging Jackson with breach of contract and unjustly accepting Prescient's services without paying for them.

The suit came one month after Jackson was acquitted of all charges in his sensational child molestation trial.

ROLLING STONES’ guitarist KEITH RICHARDS is set to make his HOLLYWOOD debut.

Following some speculation, it appears Richards will star in a ’Pirates Of The Caribbean’ sequel.

"I can confirm, Keith Richards will appear in ’Pirates Of The Caribbean’ 2 or 3,” explained co-star Bill Nighy to Contactmusic.com. “I'm not sure which one, because they are being filmed back to back."

The Rolling Stone is expected to play the father of Johnny Depp’s character Captain Jack Sparrow who was largely based on Richards real life persona in the original film.

Luis Fonsi began his career as a classic Latin balladeer, a purveyor of romantic songs with lyrical lines adorned by singing strings.

On the eve of his fifth album, he boasts an updated sound.

"Paso a Paso," (Step by Step) due July 12 on Universal Music Latino, is pure Fonsi in its penchant for romance and its showcasing of his beautiful voice. But it is more contemporary in arrangements, edgier in feel and more organic, with guitars taking the place of strings. It is also the first album Fonsi co-produced in full.

Tribute album for Maurice, musical set to group's music in works

NEW YORK - When "How Deep Is Your Love" comes on the radio or plays over the loud speakers at a party, the Bee Gees song may remind some of their first kiss or first heartbreak. Others might remember seeing the group in concert, or the 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever." Robin Gibb thinks of his fraternal twin brother Maurice, who died suddenly in 2003, aged 53.

"It's different," Gibb says. "Losing someone that you love so much and never knowing when you are going to hear their voice. It's amazing and wonderful and hard."

It has been more than 40 years since Robin, Maurice and their older brother Barry formed the Bee Gees, renowned for their vocal harmonies. Gibb has taken it upon himself to turn grief into rejoicing with an extensive plan to keep Maurice's memory and the Bee Gees' music alive.

The Redwalls, a swaggering power-rock quartet from largely unswaggering Deerfield, Ill., produce a sound that's more suited to your average British pub than a Chicago burb. But the buzz around the band, whose median age is all of about 20, has been fizzy enough to create insistent critical noise about a Chicago alt-rock revival.

Bassist Justin Baren thinks that's just fine, but seems to be one of those guys who prefers to say buzz-free. "I hope it's true," he said midway through what's becoming an increasingly normal day of interviews and radio appearances in Brooklyn last week. "I really don't know what to make of it, but it's good to hear."

The 19-year-old Baren speaks like a guy bracing himself for a massively busy summer. His band's major-label debut, "De Nova", a fully engaging mix of garage stomp, scuzz guitar and the requisite harmonies that spring from a childhood spent absorbing Beatles and Faces records, arrived June 21 via Capitol. The disc will sound quickly familiar to fans of Brit rock, but the fired-up exuberance within should appeal to the lot as well.

CARL BARAT has broken his silence on his forthcoming solo work.

The former Libertine revealed that he expects to start debuting new material live soon, but has found the creative process slow going on his own.

“I always wrote songs on my own before we (The Libertines) started and mostly they were pretty dire, so that doesn’t really bode well for the future,” he warned XFM. “It’s so good to be writing on my own again, just to have the freedom really. Being in a partnership gives you the kick up the arse factor, and that’s what I’ve been overcoming recently. It’s been quite a slow process but I’ve started getting into that routine and got the confidence to do it as well.”

Barat added that fellow Libertine, drummer Gary Powell would feature in his new set-up, but he’s yet to confirm a bassist.

“The chemistry’s so important,” he explained. “It’s really hard. I just don’t have the heart to tell someone I don’t want them to be in the band either. I’ve been through about 40 bass players!”

The ex Libertines man also told the radio station he’d enjoyed seeing former bandmate Pete Doherty playing with Elton John at Live 8 (July 2).

“It was a funny thing, and he’s a funny boy,” said Barat. “But the whole of London felt like it was buzzing yesterday. On the South Bank there was this little festival. I caught a band called Funky Biscuit. People everywhere, it just felt like something was happening.”

04 Jul 2005 Anthrax live DVD for autumn

Anthrax are all set to release a live CD/DVD in late September, featuring the re-united line-up of Joey Belladonna (vocals), Dan Spitz/Scott Ian (guitar), Frank Bello (bass) and Charlie Benante (drums). As yet untitled, this will include recordings and footage from the band's gig at the Starland Ballroom in New Jersey on June 3.

"You're playin' it too white,'' Crusaders saxophonist Wilton Felder told Barry Finnerty when the gifted young guitarist joined the hit jazz-funk band in 1979. "Now play that groove by yourself.''

Finnerty laughs as he recalls his favorite Felder line: "You playin' it too wambly. I want it more wombly.'' A San Francisco boy who made his name in New York playing in the majors with musicians like the Brecker Brothers and Miles Davis, Finnerty became a superior rhythm player after five years with the stomping Crusaders.