Archive for August, 2009

Blink-182 Cancel Saratoga Concert Due to DJ AM’s Death

August 31st, 2009
Photo: Hoffman/Getty Blink-182 will not perform their scheduled concert tonight at Saratoga, New York’s SPAC as the band mourns the death of their pal and collaborator, DJ AM. “Due to circumstances surrounding the unfortunate and untimely passing of our dear friend Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein, Blink-182 will not be playing tonight in Saratoga, NY at SPAC,” the band announced in a statement on their official Website. “Performances by Weezer, Taking Back Sunday and Chester French will ...

Oasis’ “Definitely Maybe” Turns 15 as Fans Mourn Gallaghers’ Split

August 31st, 2009
For a band with a strange, sordid and downright volatile history like Oasis, it’s only fitting that we’re mourning the exit of Noel Gallagher the same weekend we were celebrating the 15th anniversary of the band’s debut album Definitely Maybe. Hyped by some excited fans upon release as the second coming of the Beatles and packed with anthems like “Live Forever,” “Supersonic” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star,” Definitely Maybe was released on August 30th, 1994 ...

Christina Aguilera Talks Search for New Electro Sound on E! Special

August 31st, 2009
By now Christina Aguilera fans are well aware of the direction the vocal superpower is heading for her next album — as Rolling Stone recently reported, the singer has recruited a list of collaborators with electro-pop cred that includes M.I.A., Santigold, Sia, Goldfrapp, Le Tigre and Ladytron. Aguilera sheds a little light on when she caught the electro bug in her new Christina Aguilera: An E! Entertainment Special, which airs Wednesday, September 2nd at 9 p.m. ...

Police to Review 1969 Death of Rolling Stones’ Brian Jones

August 31st, 2009
Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Police will reportedly review their investigation into the 1969 death of the Rolling Stones’ guitarist Brian Jones after uncovering new evidence related to the case, the BBC reports. Jones was found dead in his swimming pool in East Sussex in 1969, just months after leaving the Rolling Stones at age 27. While the coroner originally ruled that Jones had drowned while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, it’s long been rumored ...

Watch R.E.M.’s “Drive” Live From Dublin’s Olympia Theatre

August 31st, 2009
R.E.M.’s double album Live at the Olympia isn’t due until October 27th, but Michael Stipe and Co. are giving fans an early taste with their second video shot during the Dublin “working rehearsals.” As Rolling Stone reported, French filmmakers Vincent and Jeremiah Moon captured the band’s 2007 shows at the Olympia Theatre, and their backstage and concert footage will be included in deluxe editions of Olympia. The latest video to hit the ‘Net is for ...

Eric Clapton to Team With Bruce Hornsby For “Jay Leno Show”

August 31st, 2009
Photo: Miller/Getty (Clapton), Hawthorne/Getty(Hornsby) Bruce Hornsby and his band the Noisemakers will be joined by Eric Clapton for a September 17th performance during the inaugural week of the new Jay Leno Show. Clapton will team with Hornsby for “Space is the Place” off Hornsby’s upcoming album Levitate; he previously contributed to a few songs off Hornsby’s last LP with the Noisemakers, 2004’s Halcyon Days. As Rock Daily previously reported, the September 14th premiere of Leno’s 10 ...

Neil Diamond Remembers Songwriter Ellie Greenwich

August 31st, 2009
Photo: Winter/Getty(Diamond), Michael Ochs Archive/Getty (Ellie) Last week songwriter Ellie Greenwich died after a heart attack at age 68. Rolling Stone spoke with her frequent collaborator Neil Diamond, who shared his memories of working with the woman he credits with keeping his career on track: “If I hadn’t met Ellie Greenwich I wouldn’t have had a career. I met her at a demo session. I had enough in my budget to hire a few background singers ...

Readers’ Rock List: Greatest Hits

August 31st, 2009
Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Last week after reporting on news of “Best Of” collections from Madonna and the Foo Fighters, we opted to honor Greatest Hits albums in our rock list. With Beatles fans forced to split their votes among three collections, Bob Marley & the Wailers’ essential Legend, one of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, captured the most votes, topping a list that features best-ofs from Creedence, the Stones, Neil Young and ...

Michael Jackson’s 51st Birthday Celebrated at Global Tributes

August 31st, 2009
Click image above for more.Photograph by Elizabeth Weinberg Saturday, August 29th, would have been Michael Jackson’s 51st birthday, and to mark the occasion, cities around the world celebrated the King of Pop with gatherings honoring Jackson’s musical legacy. One of the most noteworthy tributes took place in Mexico City, where a reported 12,397 — and countless more spectators — gathered to break the world record for the most people to partake in the famed “Thriller” dance ...

Echo and the Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch on Epic Songs, New LP

August 31st, 2009
Photo: Bedder/Getty On October 12th, Echo and the Bunnymen will release their 11th studio album, The Fountain, and as a recent Q&A with Rolling Stone demonstrates, irreverent frontman Ian McCulloch’s humor is aging as well as their landmark 1980 debut: It’s been nearly 30 years since the band’s debut Crocodiles — are you thinking about that milestone? It’s funny you should say that because to me, the new album sounds like a debut album. It’s thumping and ...