Victoria Beckham was left high and dry in the middle of Los Angeles last week, after her sportscar broke down.
Posh was out driving her Porsche Carrera in Culver City when the car broke down, leaving her marooned at the side of the road.
An aide came to Beckham’s help after she made an emergency call.
A tow-truck [...]
Socialite Kim Kadarshian has confirmed that her sister/reality TV star Khloe is dating Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom.
“They”re very, very happy. They”ve been together a few weeks, and are literally inseparable. Khloe thinks he’’s amazing and makes her laugh and smile constantly,” People quoted her as telling.
The ‘Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami’ star was [...]
Words by: Kayceman & Dennis Cook | Images by: Dave Vann
The second annual Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival brought unusually warm weather to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Reveling under the clear hot sun without a fogbank to be seen, the crowds slowly trickled in swelling to an estimated 30,000-plus for Pearl Jam‘s two hour headlining show. From Autolux, Akron/Family and The Dodos early to Zap Mama, Built To Spill, Silversun Pickups and The National mid-day all the way to Tea Leaf Green, Tom Jones, Q-Tip and Thievery Corporation later, there was music of all variety and with such incredible weather and manageable crowds the vibe was overwhelming positive.
Kayceman’s Top 3 From Friday
1. Pearl Jam – Almost two hours of unrelenting rock from acoustic slow burns to mid-tempo tension to all-out ball-busters, Pearl Jam is still one of the best rock bands on the road. Featuring only two songs from the forthcoming new album Backspacer, both “Got Some” and “The Fixer” came off well, but it was classics like “Alive,” “Animal,” “Better Man,” “Evenflow” and particularly psychedelic versions of “Corduroy” and “Black” that made the show. Beginning at sunset and playing into a gorgeous, warm night, even Eddie Vedder‘s end-of-tour-beaten voice couldn’t slow the band as they closed a stellar performance with two Neil Young covers, “Throw Your Hatred Down” (off 1995′s Mirrorball which Young recorded with Pearl Jam) and “Keep On Rockin’ In The Free World.”
2. Built To Spill – Although it should have been louder, Built To Spill’s swarming guitar madness made up for any volume deficiencies. Playing a hit-heavy set that included “The Plan,” “You Were Right,” “Car,” “Unconventional Wisdom,” “Carry The Zero” as well as one new track, “Hindsight,” from their album due in October, the band moved from spacey free-rock jams to punked-up aggression to patient restraint. There’s a reason BTS received more shout-outs than any band all day with both Eddie Vedder giving respect and Silversun Pickups frontman Brian Aubert gushing, “Built To Spill is one of the greatest bands ever!”
3. Silversun Pickups – After this set, it should now be clear to all why this L.A. indie quartet is playing major time slots at festivals like Lollapalooza, Coachella and Outside Lands. They freakin’ rock! Any volume issues from Built To Spill’s set had clearly been regulated and SSPU was big – HUGE actually – and loud like it needs to be. Less Smashing Pumpkins than a year or two ago, this band has grown into their sound. Overdrive guitars, feedback storms and some of the best scream-vocals around made songs like “Swoon,” “There’s No Secrets This Year” and “Kissing Families” fierce and cathartic.
Special Reunion Slot: A Tribe Called Quest – At Q-Tip‘s funner-than-hell hip-hop set (which was sadly dedicated to DJ AM who passed away Friday night) featuring a live band, fans got something super-duper special when Q brought out Phife Dawg, his partner from Tribe, for “Award Tour.” Upon the song’s conclusion Q was visibly giddy, beaming as he remarked, “Don’t know if y’all will ever see that again.”
Dennis Cook’s Top 3 From Friday
1. Tom Jones – Oh my Lord, Tom was glorious! There’s something enduringly entertaining about old school showmen like Jones, who continues to sing like Zeus himself while exuding a manly aura that makes one want to paw him, regardless of one’s sexual orientation. Backed by a crazy tight, super talented band, including a swinging, forceful horn section and on-point back-up singers, Jones showed no signs of slowing down, ranging through his giant catalog and showing off the way-better-than-expected new tunes and setting off waves of pure joy with generation crossing hits like “She’s A Lady,” “It’s Not Unusual” and his saucy cover of Prince’s “Kiss.” It was pure Golden Gate Park magic to see grandmas cutting loose with tattooed love boys and hardened bikers, everyone belting out the words with massive grins.
2. The National – After close to a decade this Brooklyn band is proving one for the long run and a real cumulative powerhouse on a festival stage. Not a dud note in their hour set, which dropped one beautifully crafted, emotionally delivered number after another. The jangle is strong in this band but it’s often layered over music that vibes with the poppier end of Radiohead, though The National’s dark side tends to be more lyrical than sonic. “Fake Empire,” which was used extensively during Obama’s White House run, including accompanying the video that ran just prior to his election night speech, was enormously well received by the hyper blue state audience. At one point, Aaron Dessner said, “I just killed a bug on my nose,” and then dedicated the next song to the fallen insect. Class act in every way.
3. Midnite – While a good portion of the crowd seemed either bored or perplexed by the St. Croix-based reggae institution, they nonetheless delivered as deep and heady-spiritual a display as their genre offers. Built around sustained, insistent rhythms and inspired textural shifts, there’s not a lot of peaks and valleys, and Bob Marley’s influence is almost nil, which, shooting straight, is what much of the buttermilk colored audience seemed to be craving. Too bad, because Midnite played an elemental, intense set that exemplified why they’ve built a large and ever-increasing worldwide fanbase.
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 West Indian Girl – featuring Guest Vocalist Miranda Lee Richards
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 Akron/Family
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 The Dodos
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 Built To Spill
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 Vau de Vire & Madd Vibe Orchestra
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 Midnite
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 The National
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 Incubus
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 Tom Jones
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 Pearl Jam
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 Pearl Jam
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 Pearl Jam
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Late Night at the Golden Gate Gramble at Mezzanine…
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Check back for lots more from Outside Lands…
JamBase | In The Park
Go See Live Music!
A former American Idol is bringing “The Battlefield” to Britney Spears’ Circus Tour.
Idol Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks will join previously announced opening act Kristinia DeBarge as Britney’s special guest on the second North American leg of the tour, according to an announcement on BritneySpears.com Friday.
“Britney’s show is incredible and for me to [...]
 |
The FYF Fest (formerly F Yeah Fest) is set to take place at the Los Angeles Historic State Park in downtown L.A. on September 5. With independent rock acts like Lightning Bolt, The Black Lips, No Age, Crystal Antlers and Wavves as well as Lucero, AA Bondy, Peanut Butter Wolf and many more, the FYF Fest looks to be one of the more interesting SoCal music events this year. Tickets are on sale for the low price of $20 and can be purchased at fyffest.com.
Now in its sixth year, 24-year-old festival organizer Sean Carlson has taken the festival he started when he was 18 from Echo Park to the Los Angles Historic State Park. In addition to being one of the premier independent music festivals in Los Angles, the event is also attached to an important and urgent awareness campaign. Due to the recent budget cuts by Gov. Schwarzenegger, many vital programs are beginning to lose their lifelines – one of which is the California State Park System, where the governor decided to cut $14.2 million in funding, bringing over 100 California State Parks to the brink of closing down. FYF hopes that this event will send a message to all of the California state lawmakers stating that these parks are vital components of our communities should not be cut.
The 2009 Lineup includes:
Lightning Bolt (first U.S. Festival performance)
Black Lips
Tim and Eric (comedy duo from Adult Swim)
F***ed Up
Lucero
Converge
Glass Candy
Wavves
Times New Viking
No Age
Crystal Antlers
Telepathe
Mika Miko
Cold Cave
The Thermals
Japanther
Ninjasonik
AA Bondy
Matt Skiba (of Alkaline Trio)
Carbonas
The Strange Boys
Har Mar Superstar
Peanut Butter Wolf
Kurt Vile
Eat Skull
Katie Stelmanis
Nobunny
Darker My Love
Avi Buffalo
Dios
Miley Cyrus is the proud owner of six new Teen Choice Awards — and a pair of glasses. The star, who has met controversy over her flamboyant pole dance at last night’s ceremony in L.A., took to her Twitter page on Monday to show off her spankin’ new red Loree Rodkin by Sama glasses.
“My new [...]
Little known fact: Thomas Pynchon, the paranoid poet of the information age, is L.A.’s greatest writer. His latest effort, Inherent Vice, is an homage to when he lived there in the ’60s and early ’70s. Help us map the new novel against Pynchon’s life in L.A. by contributing your own annotations.
Well…that was quick. Newly-single pop heartthrob Joe Jonas has reportedly moved on just a week after publicly crying over his failed romance with 10,000 BC actress Camilla Belle.
Bauer-Griffin
Joe was snapped having dinner with fellow Disney star Brenda Song, best known for her portrayal of London Tipton on The Suite Life of Zack And Cody and [...]
By: Chris Clark
It’s a little past due but we finally got around to the newest remix compilation from Sound Tribe Sector 9. As was the case with their previous studio LP, Artifact and the ensuing Artifact: Perspectives, the five-piece jamband-meets-live-electronica act returns with Peaceblaster‘s aptly titled Peaceblaster: The New Orleans Make It Right Remixes. Centered upon STS9′s resume of recent charity work, the colossal collection features 30 DJs, bands and producers placing their own touches, thumps, samples and stickiness into the STS9 story, with 100-percent of the proceeds going towards the much beloved city of New Orleans and its revival. From their humble Georgian roots to their newfound success, STS9 has always been about a culture of community, and the Make It Right Remixes capably showcases the group’s bountiful contributions to Rock Against Cancer, The Make It Right Foundation, Conscious Alliance and several others charitable foundations.
With an eclectically explosive cast of characters turning an album of jam rock meets pop electronics into certifiable bangers (with some passer-outers mixed in), Make It Right comes correct yet still manages to lack overall depth. You like glitch-hop? Try The Glitch Mob or longtime STS9 collaborator Prefuse 73‘s versions. How about that dirty get low? Try San Francisco’s Lazer Sword or Pretty Lights‘ contributions. If it’s hot outside you need that cool down, summer-at-the-pool remix vibes of Nosaj Thing, Welder or the smooth bass-driven soundscapes of Alex B. Highlights abound as STS9′s latest starts off with a flurry but fizzles towards the end.
Lazer Sword’s album-commencing remix of “Hidden Hand, Hidden Fist” is enough to make Make It Right, well, right. In three short minutes, LZ’s thick-thumper rendition drops it like it’s hot. SF’s turbo chargers do it right and surely this is why they were selected to open an album featuring several of the freshest beat makers around the ever-burgeoning jam kid turned electronic-maniac scene. Eskmo‘s remix of “Shock Doctrine” takes the new STS9 staple into decidedly darker, more Daft Punk-ish territory, igniting the sonic palate as Boulder-based Big Gigantic brings “Empires” deep into Dominic Lalli‘s creative bag of sensual seductions. The STS9 vs. Prefuse 73 “Megaloid” remix lacked anything exciting and was followed by the Calmer reworking of “First Rays of the New Soma Sunrise” that could’ve been dubbed “Snooze.”
Anchored by samples of Hunter Brown‘s distortion-laden guitar riff, The Glitch Mob’s ultra L.A. take on “Beyond Right Now” takes a decent rocktronic tune and turns it on its head with enough blaps and gadgetry to make all the club kids say uh. Remix albums are about reworking content and making it flow, and here we find a seamless transition into one of the album’s highlights, Welder’s “Shock Doctrine.” Starting off a meandering, melancholic mosaic, Welder quickly dives into a brief collage of driving funk with shades of the original’s midsection – one of the true great musical moments on Peaceblaster.
A portion of the way through Make It Right the feeling surfaces that this is the music STS9 would like to make. Bluetech makes a subtle appearance, offering his delicate style of body-swayers right before Alex B of the Pnuma Trio takes “Metameme,” one of the quality songs off Peaceblaster, and thrusts it into a hip hop head space. You know, that bob your head back and forth to the beat, moving as if you just can’t control it thing? This definitely one of the album’s defining moments.
After gliding, frankly bored, through the next four tracks, thinking, “Maybe I’ll turn this off (with a yawn or two),” Nosaj Thing takes his turn at “Empires,” offering his trademark melodious mood mix before Pretty Lights turned the lights out with “Beyond Right Now.” Something about that doo doo in your drawers bass he’s getting so acclimated to these days is enough to take any mediocre song and turn it into something more. Another S.F. artist, The Flying Skulls, bring Abstract Rude to the party, while Count Bass D‘s slick cut of “Late for Work” enjoys a big smile and hello, coupled with some high hat and a sliver of casting couch funk. It’s in the last half of Make It Right that my ears began to bore and I started to tire from the more-than-mellow monotony. At this point I was wondering, “Where’s the dub step?” Ah, there it is in Bass Science‘s remix of “The New Soma,” a far departure from the STS9 original, illuminated with a healthy dose of big bass and a few blaps, glitches and fuzziness. The Pnuma Trio closes out Make It Right with the smooth sounds of “Late for Work,” and I’m left feeling that I enjoyed this album much more than the original.
That’s the thing with remix albums, you may find something more in the band that’s remixed, or you may find that what they do is just try to be something else. This time I’m left feeling somewhere in between.
JamBase | Tweaked
Go See Live Music!
PHOENIX: FALL U.S.TOUR DATES
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE TO RE-AIR PERFORMANCE ON AUGUST 1
 Phoenix |
French rock quartet Phoenix will indulge music fans and critics alike with a highly anticipated fall U.S. tour after they sold out select dates across North America earlier this summer. The tour will take the band from the Monolith Festival at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver to NYC’s Central Park Summerstage to Austin City Limits, bringing to life the musical gems from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, out now on Loyaute/Glassnote Records. Metric will open for Phoenix at the Greek Theatre in L.A. on September 16 and Passion Pit supports at Central Park Summerstage in NYC on September 25 and 26. But a dose of Phoenix’s live brilliance will come sooner than September when Saturday Night Live re-airs the band’s appearance on August 1. Tune in to NBC at 11:35 p.m. EST/PST to see Phoenix perform irresistible singles “1901″ and “Lisztomania.”
America’s love affair with Phoenix has grown exponentially since the release of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, already being lauded as one of the year’s best albums. A seamless blend of unstoppable choruses, dynamic guitars, and whimsical pop sensibilities, it is an album that would make any music fan fall in love. Phoenix’s live performances infuse the songs with an energy that makes them soar while Thomas Mars‘ purely melodic voice brings an irreplaceable quality to the band’s soundscape.
Be sure to catch Phoenix this fall.
Praise for Phoenix:
“The new tunes were relentless in their drive, careering from tightly woven verses to horizon-scanning choruses, with a lot of sharp details in between.” – New York Times
“…more musically confident than ever… the 10 songs are sleek and cleanÂ…an exuberant rush of guitar pop.” (4 stars) – Rolling Stone
U.S. Tour Dates:
9/13 Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Monolith Festival
9/16 Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theater w/ Metric
9/17 San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
9/21 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
9/22 Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave
9/23 Chicago, IL @ Riviera
9/25 New York, NY @ Central Park Summerstage w/ Passion Pit
9/26 New York, NY @ Central Park Summerstage w/ Passion Pit
9/28 Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
9/30 Atlanta, GA @ Variety
10/1 New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina’s
10/2 Austin, TX @ Zilker Park – Austin City Limits
Complete Phoenix tour dates, including all international dates available here.
The Hollywood No is a key element of a code that, once deconstructed, at least allows the petitioner to take things less personally.
RAY LAMONTAGNE ANNOUNCES FALL TOUR SCHEDULE
Shows With Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, As Well As Solo Acoustic Performances
 Ray LaMontagne |
Ray LaMontagne announced his North American fall tour schedule today, starting with two dates with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on October 15 in North Bethesda, MD followed by an October 16 show at Meyeroff Symphony Hall. Following the orchestra shows, LaMontagne’s next dates will offer a polar opposite experience in which the Maine singer-songwriter will play stripped-down solo acoustic shows, starting November 1 at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre.
LaMontagne is also working with Tickets-for-Charity® to offer fans a unique opportunity to buy front row seats while supporting leading charities. A portion of each package purchased on www.TicketsforCharity.com will automatically benefit The National Children’s Cancer Society plus up to three partner charities of the fan’s choice. LaMontagne is proud to be collaborating with this charitable platform to provide fans with an easy way to access prime concert seats while supporting the causes they care about in the process.
This will not be the first time LaMontagne has played accompanied by an orchestra; he recently appeared in front of a sold-out crowd earlier in July at the Hollywood Bowl with the Bowl’s Orchestra.
The tour marks LaMontagne’s third tour in North America in support of his top 5 album Gossip In The Grain. Along the way he has also done a tour of the biggest shows on TV including Saturday Night Live, The Late Show With David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and most recently The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson. While in L.A. for the Hollywood Bowl, LaMontagne stopped by KCRW’s highly influential “Morning Becomes Eclectic” where he performed and chatted.
Tour Dates
09/03/09 Thu Gaiety Theatre Dublin, IR
09/04/09 Fri Gaiety Theatre Dublin, IR
09/05/09 Sat Gaiety Theatre Dublin, IR
09/06/09 Sun Royal Theatre Castlebar, IR
09/08/09 Tue Usher Hall Edinburgh, GB
09/09/09 Wed Newcastle City Hall Newcastle, GB
09/10/09 Thu Civic Hall Wolverhampton, GB
09/12/09 Sat Sheffield City Hall Sheffield, GB
09/13/09 Sun Manchester Bridgewater Hall Manchester, GB
09/14/09 Mon Portsmouth Guildhall Portsmouth, GB
09/16/09 Wed Royal Albert Hall London, GB
09/17/09 Thu Royal Albert Hall London, GB
09/18/09 Fri Melkweg Amsterdam, NL
09/19/09 Sat La Cigale Paris, FRA
10/15/09 Thu Strathmore North Bethesda, MD
10/16/09 Fri Meyerhoff Symphony Hall Baltimore, MD
11/01/09 Sun Fox Theatre Atlanta, GA
11/04/09 Wed Wang Center Boston, MA
11/07/09 Sat Tower Theater Upper Darby, PA
11/09/09 Mon Beacon Theatre New York, NY
11/12/09 Thu Auditorium Theatre Chicago, IL
11/13/09 Fri State Theatre Minneapolis, MN
11/15/09 Sun Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium San Francisco, CA
11/17/09 Tue Ellie Caulkins Opera House Denver, CO
11/20/09 Fri Orpheum Theatre Los Angeles, CA
For more on Ray LaMontagne check our exclusive feature/interview here.
INFphoto.com
Good Charlotte frontman Joel Madden is working on a book.
“I’m lightly working on one,” the 30-year-old rocker revealed in an interview with PEOPLE during the Hollywood Stars Celebrity Softball game at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.
“It would be about my life,” Joel explains. “It would be about, mostly, the big changes in my life: [...]
Brit actor Robert Pattinson and American actress Kristen Stewart are said to have an undeniable chemistry between them.
Pattinson, 23, and Stewart, 19, have worked together in the ‘Twilight’ sequel ‘New Moon’, and their co-star Ashley Greene, who joined the duo at Comic-Con in San Diego to promote the new film, says the two just sizzle.
“The [...]
Federal drug agents with the Drug Enforcement Agency and Los Angeles Police detectives raided the Houston office of Michael Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, Wednesday morning, law enforcement officials tell ABC News.
The bust is part of the ongoing investigation into the death of the late pop legend, who passed away in Los Angeles last month. The [...]
Wolfmother Tour With The Killers Before Releasing New Album
Cosmic Egg, On October 13
 Wolfmother |
The Australian rock outlaws that comprise Wolfmother are back together – minus two founding members – ready to release a new body of work and spend some time on the road. The band will preview new material on the road this summer, with a run of shows alongside The Killers. For the six shows in support of The Killers the Aussies will unveil new songs they’ve spent months recording in L.A.
Fans in L.A. can experience the whole album set to mind-blowing visuals on July 27 at the Laserium CyberTheater at the historic Vine Theater in Hollywood. Wolfmother also plays August 22 at KROQ’s Epicenter ’09 festival at the Fairplex at Pomona in California.
The Grammy-winning four-piece recently dropped teaser track “Back Round” on iTunes, MySpace.com/wolfmother and wolfmother.com. Wolfmother is also opening for AC/DC on its “Black Ice Tour,” beginning in February in 2010. The down-under tour sold out faster than any other tour in the Australia’s history.
Led by hirsute shredder Andrew Stockdale, the band cooked Cosmic Egg for three years, taking time to lock in a permanent lineup and build on the self-titled album that gave the world the insta-classic and much overplayed track “Woman.” Wolfmother recorded over the course of two months with heralded U.K. producer Alan Moulder (Smashing Pumpkins, The Killers, My Bloody Valentine). His sweeping and storied career as an iconic record-maker coupled with Wolfmother’s immortal song craft add up to nothing short of a truly enjoyable listen.
Wolfmother plans to headline a U.S. tour after the album’s release later this year.
Tour Dates:
08/22/09 Sat Pomona Fairplex Pomona, CA
08/31/09 Mon Merriweather Post Pavilion Columbia, MD
09/01/09 Tue Nikon at Jones Beach Theater Wantagh, NY
09/02/09 Wed PNC Bank Arts Center Holmdel, NJ
09/04/09 Fri TD BankNorth Garden Boston, MA
09/05/09 Sat Jacques Cartier Pier Montreal, QC
09/06/09 Sun Molson Amphitheatre Toronto, ON
09/17/09 Thu Tivoli Theatre Brisbane, AU
09/19/09 Sat Enmore Theatre Sydney, AU
09/23/09 Wed The Capitol Theatre Perth, AU
09/24/09 Thu HQ Complex Adelaide, AU
09/25/09 Fri The Palace Melbourne, AU
09/26/09 Sat The Pier Hotel Frankston, AU
10/31/09 Sat City Park New Orleans, LA
02/11/10 Thu Etihad Stadium Melbourne, AU
02/13/10 Sat Etihad Stadium Melbourne, AU
02/15/10 Mon Etihad Stadium Melbourne, AU
02/18/10 Thu ANZ Stadium Sydney, AU
02/20/10 Sat ANZ Stadium Sydney, AU
02/22/10 Mon ANZ Stadium Sydney, AU
02/25/10 Thu Queensland Sport & Athletics Centre Brisbane, AU
02/27/10 Sat Queensland Sport & Athletics Centre Brisbane, AU
03/02/10 Tue Adelaide Oval Adelaide, AU
03/06/10 Sat Subiaco Oval Perth, AU
03/08/10 Mon Subiaco Oval Perth, AU
ALO
GramJam: Jeff Miller, Eric McFadden, Bradly Bifulco, Steve Adams