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Home > Atlanta Music Scene > Archives > 2008 > February
February 2008
A “Rap-Up” On Hip-Hop and R&B
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
T.I. is an Atlanta rapper, actor, businessman, son, father, convicted felon (currently on house arrest and facing gun charges) and now, an author of sorts.
The Grammy winner has penned the foreword to Cameron and Devin Lazerine’s new “Rap-Up: The Ultimate Guide to Hip-Hop and R&B.”
And while, of course, the three or so pages don’t offer better insight into T.I.’s life than his five studio CDs —how could they? — it is interesting to read what influences his music (“People sometimes ask me what rappers I’m influenced by, and I’ve got to say I’m influenced by life more than anything else”); his first thoughts about the hip-hop classic “Reasonable Doubt” (Jay went over my head at first…It took me a minute. But I did salute it.”); and where hip-hop is now (“For me, the biggest problem in hip-hop today is oversaturation of the market. People have been burned by labels promising the latest hotness so often that they don’t trust them anymore.”)
Also, an intro from T.I. certainly lends heft to this “guide” from the founders and editors of Rap-Up - not necessarily the first magazine you think of as an “ultimate” source on these genres. But it isn’t all glossy pictures with little text either. In fact, it’s no pictures, and a critical take on what they deem must-own albums and singles, quizzes, quick bios and such.
Have you seen “Rap-Up” the book, or the magazine? What do you think of either? (You can visit the site HERE ) Even broader question: What magazine, web site or whatever have you found to be a good source for rap and R&B information?
New Van Halen date for Gwinnett
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Van Halen. Photo: Robert Yager.
Whatever the problem, it seems it wasn’t a big tour-breaking deal.
Van Halen has rescheduled the Gwinnett Arena date that was canceled last week. The show will go on March 19 and tickets are still available at the Live Nation site, the venue box office or Ticketmaster charge by phone at 404-249-6400. Tickets for the original date (Feb. 25) will be honored.
R.E.M.: On Video, in Austin
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
R.E.M.: Peter Buck, Michael Stipe and Mike Mills.
Have you ever wanted to create a music video? How about trying your hand at cobbling together the new R.E.M. clip for “Supernatural Superserious,” the first single from the band’s forthcoming album, “Accelerate.”
Parisian director and video blogger Vincent Moon has put together his own clip, but he’s also uploaded much of the raw footage to R.E.M.’s official site. You can go there, download the bits and pieces and create your own remix of the video. If that’s more work than you want to do, just go see what other folks have done with the footage at YouTube.
“Accelerate” is out April 1.
In other R.E.M. news, the band will be playing at the annual South by Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas, on March 12. National Public Radio plans to broadcast the show over the airwaves and on the Web. NPR will begin the broadcast at 8 p.m., bringing listeners around the country the night’s entire line-up from Stubb’s Bar-B-Q, including another pair of Georgia bands, Dead Confederate and Summerbirds in the Cellar.
I plan to be there, too, blogging from Austin on the comings and goings of many of our Georgia artists. Besides the Stubb’s show, another highlight is sure to be R.E.M.’s taping of a performance for the PBS live music show “Austin City Limits.”
At last count, there were well over 30 Georgia bands and musicians playing around Austin March 12-16. I won’t be able to see them all, but I’ll try to hit the highlights and let you know how they fare in front of all the fans and music industry types gathered for the annual musical summit.
New Sevendust In Stores April 1
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sevendust’s people have confirmed what was reported here a couple of weeks back: “American Idol” finalist Chris Daughtry will appear on the Atlanta metal ensemble’s upcoming CD, “Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow.”
Daughtry came to Atlanta’s Tree Sound Studios to record “The Past.” And Mark Tremonti and Miles Kennedy are also featured on the April 1 release, on the tracks “Hope” and “Sorrow,” respectively.
“There was a really relaxed vibe in the studio this time around,” Sevendust vocalist LaJon Witherspoon offered in a statement. “I think ‘Hope & Sorrow’ shows a different side of Sevendust. Heavy - but yet still growing in a direction that explores a lot of different things musically for us. I’m excited about the album.”
This is the first time Sevendust (in top picture) has collaborated with other artists since the album “Animosity.”
Are you curious about what Daughtry brings to the Sevendust formula? Excited about their seventh studio CD? (That’s the cover of the new album above, second picture). There’s also news that the band will be a part of the first annual Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival with Slipknot and Disturbed headlining, and fellow Atlanta metal act Mastodon on the bill. Sound like a line-up worth seeing?
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Chastain series-A announced
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Alison Krauss and Robert Plant . Photo: Pamela Springsteen.
It may not look like spring just yet, but the announcement of the first part of Live Nation’s Chastain Park Amphitheatre concert series might have you itching for the warmer weather.
Here’s the series-A line-up:
The Moody Blues — April 19
Santana, the Derek Trucks Band — April 25
Sheryl Crow (non-table set-up) — May 3
Duran Duran — May 17
James Taylor — May 24 (in series) / May 25 (not part of the series)
ZZ Top — June 7
True Colors with Cyndi Lauper, the B-52’s, Rosie O’Donnell, Tegan and Sara — June 16
Chicago, the Doobie Brothers — June 24
REO Speedwagon, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts — June 29
Donna Summer — July 1
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss with T-Bone Burnett (non-table set-up) — July 10
Earth Wind & Fire — July 14
Mark Knopfler — July 29
Tickets for the full series or any combination of two or more shows will be available online at www.chastainseries.com or charge by phone at 404-233-2227 beginning Sunday, March 2, at 10 a.m. And James Taylor fans should note that buying tickets for both of the singer-songwriter’s performances does not count as a mini-series package, because the May 25 date is not part of the series.
The first thing that may strike some folks about the bill is that there’s very little of recent vintage on the bill. Tegan and Sara and Derek Trucks are probably the only artists on the bill without fuzzy memories of the ’70s. For some concert-goers, that’s the point.
The partnership of Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant and Alison Krauss might just be the coolest thing on the bill. The pair’s 2007 album, “Raising Sand,” is a surprising charmer and appeared on many year-end best-of lists. Their live show should be a real treat.
Tell us your take on the line-up. Will you pony up for the whole series, or will you just pick and choose a few favorites?
Up Close With Alan Jackson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Newnan native Alan Jackson will discuss what it was like to grow up in Georgia, how he met his wife (and new author) Denise, and of course, promote his upcoming CD, “Good Time,” at 9 p.m. this Saturday on CMT’s “Invitation Only”.
The episode will also be heavy on music, with Jackson (pictured) and his band the Strayhorns playing everything from longtime country favorites like “Chattahoochee” and “Don’t Rock the Jukebox” to a new track from “Good Time” titled “Sissy’s Song.”
(Good thing Jackson will also be sharing the stories behind his music, as well.)
After 19 years in the business, and some 49 million albums sold, what do you still want to know about Jackson? What song do you hope to hear if you tune in this weekend? And will you be in line March 4 to pick up the most nominated artist in CMA history’s latest CD?
(For a little purchasing inspiration, see the video for his new single, “Small Town Southern Man” HERE
Jill Scott’s “Real Thing” Rivets
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s hard to figure out what good thing to point out first about the first of Jill Scott’s two-night, sold-out stand at the Fox Theatre.
There’s Scott’s exceptional band — eight musicians (including Atlanta drummer Lil John Roberts) and three background singers who easily segued from James Brown funk to Roy Ayers jazz to Scott’s own accomplished R&B.
There’s the well-paced set list and staging.
But of course, most importantly, there was Scott (pictured), center stage and resplendent in a a revealing-yet-tasteful black dress, leading a heavily-female audience through a two-hour set of tunes about loving themselves (“Golden”), loving their men (“He Loves Me”), lusting after them (“Crown Royal”) and if necessary, leaving them (“Whenever You’re Around”).
Scott hinted at such an exceptional performance a few months ago, when Bailey’s brought the three-time Grammy winner and her band for a private show at the Freight Depot. But “The Real Thing” tour was a longer, more cohesive presentation of all that Scott brings to the stage: a solid catalog, a stage presence few of her peers can match, and an incredible voice.
Did you go to Friday’s concert, or are you planning to attend tonight’s? How would you rate it?
Tom Petty to Atlanta in July
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Super Bowl was just the beginning of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ busy 2008. The band is also planning a massive North American tour that begins May 30 and continues through the end of August.
Among the shows announced is a date at Alpharetta’s new Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on July 9. Tickets for the show go on sale Friday, Feb. 29 at 10 a.m. Opening the show will be Rock and Roll of Famer Steve Winwood.
Tickets will be available through Ticketmaster (404-249-6400). For more info, check the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre site.
Van Halen postpones
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Reformed rock behemoth Van Halen, which recently played at Philips Arena, has postponed Monday’s date at Gwinnett Arena. The band’s show scheduled for the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va., has also been postponed. No word as to the reason behind the show delays, but we’ll post it here as soon as we know.
Promoter Live Nation says that tickets for the February 25 event will be honored for the rescheduled Gwinnett event, but ticket refunds will be available at the original point of purchase.
Ciara Wants You 2
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Boy, we’re just alerting you to all kinds of entertainment opportunities this week.
First, it was a heads-up about MTV2 looking for local rappers - by the way, you now have 8 days to upload videos and mp3 HERE or on the YouTube link HERE — and now there’s news that Atlanta’s Grammy-winning singer Ciara (right) is looking for back-up dancers in her hometown.
Auditions are at 11 a.m. tomorrow, Feb. 22, at Gotta Dance, 1778 Ellsworth Industrial Dr. 404-352-0420.
For more information, CLICK HERE
Don’t feel your moves are up to par? Well how about offering your Top 3 dancers in contemporary music. Where does Ciara rate?
MTV2 Wants You
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nine days remain for you undiscovered hip-hop talents out there to contend for some MTV2 attention.
The cable channel’s Monday Night Fight Klub is moving into its second season, and it seems only right that it would be looking for emcees in a city with acts on six out of the Top 10 singles on Billboard’s rap chart this week.
To enter the “60 Second Assassin” contest, for a chance to to compete at a Monday Night Fight Klub battle in New York City, upload videos and mp3s HERE.
Or you can go to the YouTube link HERE.
(The deadline is Feb. 29).
Don’t have those skills? Well, have you seen someone in the metro area you think merits such notice - say, at D.R.E.S. tha Beatnik’s weekly “World Famous Mic Club” at Apache Cafe? Did you happen to catch the first season of Monday Night Fight Klub, hosted by International P (a.k.a. Pablo Gonzalez, pictured above)? Your opinion?
(And if you’re curious about the show, CLICK HERE for the trailer, and a clip of a show taping).
Blige and Jay-Z coming our way
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mary J. Blige. Photo: Markus Klinko and Indrani
One of spring’s hottest tours finally has an Atlanta date.
A pair of musical titans, Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z, have paired up for the “Heart of the City” tour, and they’ve now added Philips Arena to the itinerary on April 8.
Tickets are $150.75, $89.75 and 49.75 and will go on sale Saturday, Feb. 23, at 10 a.m. at the Live Nation site, the Philips Arena box office and Ticketmaster (404-249-6400).
India Arie’s Grammy ‘Boycott’ -Explained
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A week after the music industry’s highest honor was handed out, there’s still a bit of Grammy news.
At the more recent NAACP Image Awards, also in Los Angeles, Atlanta’s R&B singer-songwriter India Arie (right) told the audience she purposefully skipped the 50th annual Grammy Awards even though she was up for, and lost, best R&B song (for “Beautiful Flower”).
After playing the excerpt from the telecast, V-103’s Frank and Wanda Morning show hinted that the two-time Grammy winner may still be upset that she went 0-for-7 nominations in 2002. We have since learned from Arie’s publicist that Arie feels the awards have become increasingly political. And while she has gone since her shut-out, this year “I was at home [in Atlanta] on the couch,” she told the Los Angeles Daily News. “Eating chocolates and laughing and crying and watching the TV and yelling. It was more authentic for me. I didn’t feel I had any reason to be there and I was right. Some things are so predictable that it just makes you mad.”
Arie’s “boycott,” as she called it, is yet another reason to talk about some of the choices the Grammys’ voting body makes.
For example, most recently, in Arie’s R&B category, do you think veteran Chaka Khan’s “Funk This” deserved a grammophone over Musiq Soulchild’s “Luvanmusiq”; Jill Scott’s “The Real Thing”; Tank’s “Sex, Love & Pain” or Ledisi’s “Lost & Found”?
Or move over to the major categories — Did Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” earn record AND song of the year? And on that topic, what do you think about one-time substance abuser Natalie Cole saying after the ceremony that Winehouse shouldn’t have gotten any Grammy recognition at all, that she should clean up her personal life before she gets professional accolades?
Casting Crowns’ Mark Hall leads Dove nominees
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Casting Crowns, with leading Dove Award nominee Mark Hall front and center. Photo: Sony BMG Entertainment.
McDonough’s Mark Hall of the band Casting Crowns led the field when the nominations for the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards were announced on Thursday. The songwriter and vocalist is up for six on his own — including song of the year and male vocalist of the year — and his band Casting Crowns is in the running for four — including group and artist of the year.
They aren’t the only nominees from Georgia, though. Recent Grammy nominees Karen Peck & New River of Dahlonega scored three nods and Duluth’s Aaron Shust is competing against Casting Crowns in the pop/contemporary album category. Atlanta’s Darlene McCoy is nominated for urban album, for her self-titled debut, and urban recorded song.
Atlanta rock quintet Family Force 5 gets recognized in the short form music video category and Columbus native Bebo Norman is among the nominees for Christmas album.
We reached Hall in Grand Rapids, Mich., where Casting Crowns will play tonight, and asked him if being a perennial nominee ever becomes old hat. “It never gets old, because it’s new music,” the hard-working youth minister from Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church says. “Can’t coast on what you did in the past. The thing I like about the Doves is that it’s your peers, those people that do what you do recognizing you, telling you, ‘hey, you’re doing a good job, keep it up.’ To me, that’s pretty cool.”
For a complete list of nominees, check out the Dove Awards site.
Celebrities’ favorite love songs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s Valentine’s Day, a day for giving cards, chocolate and flowers to those near and dear. Sure, a dozen roses would be nice, but how about something that won’t fade or wilt — a dozen special love songs. We asked 12 local celebrities to share their favorites.
“In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel and “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye.
Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush
Georgia country duo Sugarland
“Insatiable” by Prince. “Because that describes how I am in all aspects of my life: never satisfied. Always wanting more.”
Shawty Lo
Atlanta rapper whose single “Dey Know” is in the Top 10 of Billboard’s rap chart this week
“We’ve Only Just Begun” by the Carpenters. “Since I just got married (Jan. 4), of course I’m thinking it would have to be me and my wife’s song at the wedding.”
Christopher “Tricky” Stewart
Vinings’ Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter
“Tender Love” by the Force M.D.’s. “What’s crazy is somebody just played (it) recently. … (Produced by Jimmy) Jam and (Terry) Lewis. The masters. The greats.”
DJ Toomp
the Atlanta producer who just added the upcoming Mariah Carey ballad “Loving You Long Time” to his rap-heavy catalog
“My Funny Valentine” by Miles Davis. “It’s my favorite because Miles found a way to say ‘I love you’ without saying it verbally. And it is about a true love that isn’t based on looks.”
Lyfe Jennings
a recent Atlanta transplant who also croons about unconditional love in the R&B ballad “Must Be Nice”
” ‘I’ll Stand By You’ by the Pretenders. Good love songs are hard to come by. I like this song because it’s not overly sappy. … It’s more about, ‘I’ll be there for you no matter what,’ which is a nice thing to be told.”
Miranda Lambert
country singer-songwriter
Babyface’s “Every Time I Close My Eyes.” “The song came out right around the time my husband and I started dating — back in 1996! I think we’d pretty much decided we really liked each other and the song just seemed to fit us perfectly!”
Jovita Moore
WSB-TV news anchor
“Softly, As I Leave You” by Frank Sinatra. “Sensitive Frank can’t bear the thought of his lady seeing him leave, so he takes off before she wakes. Not the most upstanding move, but somehow romantic.”
Parker Gispert
of Athens rocks trio the Whigs
“Always on My Mind” by Willie Nelson. “Because it’s reflective of some of my past experiences, in that sometimes you don’t know how much someone or something means until you don’t have it anymore.”
Tyler Reeve
Atlanta singer-songwriter. His debut album, “Whiskey Down,” is out Feb. 22 and he’ll be performing that night at Peachtree Tavern in Buckhead.
“The Look of Love” by Burt Bacharach. “I just love the original Dusty Springfield/Burt Bacharach version of this song. Since its release, this tune has always been included in my music collection — from albums to CDs to my iPod. ‘The Look of Love’ is the ultimate ‘get-you-started’ love song!”
Earl Klugh
Buckhead’s Grammy-winning acoustic guitarist
“Adore” by Prince. “It is the essence of true, honest emotions. It’s so human.”
Melissa Young
Atlanta-based soul singer-songwriter. She’s celebrating the release of her debut album, “Just Up the Road,” with a show Thursday at Smith’s Olde Bar.
“One of my favorite love songs would have to be ‘It’s Amazing’ by Mindy Smith from the album ‘One Moment More.’ It’s the sweet moment of discovering love, and Mindy has the voice of an angel. … I just love it.”
Karen Fairchild
who grew up in and around Atlanta, of Little Big Town
Now that you’ve read what the celebrities think, what’s your favorite love song?
Rate Mariah Carey’s Latest Atlanta Creation
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The first release from Mariah Carey’s upcoming CD, “E=MC”, hits radio stations this week.
And like previous singles from the superstar - “We Belong Together,” for example - it is produced by hometown talent. Atlantans Christopher “Tricky” Stewart and The Dream - the team behind recent Grammy winner “Umbrella,” by Rihanna - crafted Carey’s “Touch My Body.” (Plus local songwriter-producers Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox and DJ Toomp contributed to the album, due in stores April 15, as well.)
Hear “Touch My Body” here. Then tell us what you think.
Radiohead Confirms Atlanta Show
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We have Radiohead.
The British quintet has confirmed dates and venues for the first half of its North American tour, and Atlanta’s Lakewood Amphitheatre is the third stop on the list on May 8. Tickets go on sale Saturday, Feb. 16 at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster (404-249-6400). Reserved seats are $55, lawn tickets $35.
There are only eight shows before the band heads back across the Atlantic Ocean for a summer tour of the U.K. and Europe. They plan to return to North America in the fall.
Here’s the complete list of confirmed dates:
May 5 - Cruzan Amphitheatre - West Palm Beach, Florida
May 6 - Ford Amphitheatre - Tampa
May 8 - Lakewood Amphitheatre - Atlanta
May 9 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Charlotte
May 11 - Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge - Bristow, Virginia
May 14 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - St Louis
May 17 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion - Houston
May 18 - Superpages.com Center - Dallas
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Rush to Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Eagles aren’t the only legendary ’70s act landing at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park this summer. It’s just been announced that Canadian trio Rush will headline the new Alpharetta venue in July.
These progressive metal pioneers bring the “Snakes & Arrows” world tour, named for their 2007 album, to the amphitheater on July 22. Tickets, which go on sale Saturday, Feb. 16 at 10 a.m., will be priced at $40 for general admission lawn seats and $75 and $89 for reserved pavilion seats. They’ll be available through Ticketmaster (404-249-6400).
For more info, go to the amphitheater’s site www.vzwamp.com or the official Rush site.
EW Toasts L.A. at Post-Grammy Party
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - How fitting that one of the last parties of the Grammy Awards weekend here would be an amalgamation, of sorts, of earlier events.
There were a number of high-profile music types at Entertainment Weekly’s salute to Antonio “L.A.” Reid, a former Atlantan, and current New York-based chairman of Island Def Jam Music Group. Among them: His Island/So So Def president, Atlanta’s Jermaine Dupri; Alicia Keys’ manager (Jeff Robinson) and reported boyfriend (Kerry Brothers); Ludacris’s manager and business partner Chaka Zulu, with their new Disturbing Tha Peace Steph Lova; multi-media gossip Perez Hilton; Atlanta attorney Donald Woodard; film power Jarrod Donoman and the Three Brown Girls’ Nicole Johnson.
There was a high quotient of product placement: Entertainment Weekly and ew.com on the pillows, as well as the candles; and free Ciroc vodka flowing, courtesy of its new endorser, Sean “Diddy” Combs (whose picture was on cards laid out around the bars. Another “touch” at the Berry Gordy/Jimmy Jam luncheon.)
The setting - the black-heavy STK Restaurant -was high in aesthetics; much like the Vanity Fair/Louis Vuitton brunch at Chateau Marmont, also in West Hollywood.
But the highlight of the swank gathering early on may have been the music. Like at Dupri’s party, DJ Cassidy was focusing on the feel-good music of the ’70s and ’80s, spinning such artists as Minnie Ripperton, Stephanie Mills and Teddy Pendergrass. A nice way to ease out out of the nonstop activities of Grammy 2008.
Going forward, Grammy-winner Terence Blanchard mentioned that he has been campaigning to bring the ceremony to new Orleans. For a long time, attorney Joel Katz has made the same efforts for Atlanta. Where do you think the music industry’s highest honor should be handed out next?
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The Album of the Year Surprise
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - Just in case you were wondering, Herbie Hancock was surprised as well that he beat out the night’s big winner, Amy Winehouse, and Kanye West for album of the year.
“It’s immeasurable how surprised I am,” he conceded backstage. “I didn’t even hear my name…and then I heard the word ‘River’. ”
“It’s a wonderful, amazing album by an amazing artist,” added Neil Portnow, presidenty of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which puts on the Grammys.
“Herbie Hancock’s a better musician than all of us put together,” added country’s Vince Gill.
High praise for an artist who later admitted he had not heard Gill’s “These Days,” also a contender for the album of the year.
As to what went into the big shocker of the night, Hancock said he simply “wanted to make a record with music that was pretty. That was the original idea…to make something that aspired to be beautiful.”
Do you think he succeeded? Have you heard “River”? Was it your pick for the best album of the year?
T-Pain Backstage
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - In a tall spray-painted top hat, with a lining in his suit to match, Atlanta rapper-singer-producer T-Pain made his way backstage at the Grammys ready to celebrate his first statue, for best rap song, Kanye West’s “Good Life”.
“I canceled my red-eye [back to Atlanta],” he said. “I thought I was going to go winless. But I’m celebrating tonight! It’s going down in [the Los Angeles hotel] The Grafton.”
He also talked about why he’s the current go-to man for hooks and choruses: “I’m the only person that’s not afraid to tell the truth.”
And on West’s performance of “Stronger” and “Dear Mama” : “I cried a little bit. I had shades on, so people couldn’t see it.”
Who do you think stood out performance-wise at the Grammys? Was it obvious the writer’s strike isn’t quite over yet? And what about T-Pain, the writer; is that what his appeal is, his ability to tell the truth?
Concert review: Roth-led Van Halen returns to Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
David Lee Roth is like the ultimate in American processed cheese food.
There doesn’t seem to be an authentic bone in his body. He’s 120% showman, with that stupid grin plastered on his face. Sometimes he opens his mouth in mock surprise, like he’s imitating Carol Channing. I’ve seen him solo, and it can be pretty painful to watch. But somehow placing him in the company of Eddie and Alex Van Halen Sunday night at Philips Arena made this cheese tolerable. And amazingly, Eddie and David seemed to get along after more than two decades of avoiding each other.
Was it sincere or merely an act? It was hard to tell. At one point, Roth even hugged Eddie from behind and Eddie didn’t even flinch.
Sadly, the fourth original Van Halen member, fun-lovin’ bassist Michael Anthony (a Sammy Hagar loyalist) was booted before the tour. In a case of pure nepotism, Eddie replaced Anthony with his 16-year-old son Wolfgang, who is clearly very talented but not quite up to snuff in terms of stage presence. Still, it’s good to see the Van Halen skills have passed onto the next generation.
The 26-song set list, which has remained unchanged since the tour began, didn’t include a single tune from the Sammy Hagar era. (Hagar sang a couple of Roth tunes during his last visit with Van Halen at Philips around 2004 but obviously, Roth wasn’t going to return the favor.) But folks who loved those first six albums weren’t disappointed as the group sprinkled big radio hits (“Runnin’ With the Devil” “Jamie’s Cryin’ ” “Panama”) with deeper cuts (“I’m the One,” “Little Guitars”) “Hot For Teacher” is still a stupendously delightful goof, even if Diamond Dave is 54 years old. And it’s hard not to smile while singing along to “Everybody Wants Some.”
Not surprisingly, the crowd was packed with beer-swillin’ frat boy types in their 30s, 40s and 50s. Those Philips Arena concessions folks stayed busy all night. They swayed and sang along to songs celebrating beautiful girls and dancing the night away. And not a power ballad in sight, thank goodness.
With Roth, what you see is what you get: a middle-aged man in tight leather pants prancing around for much of the show in embroidered jackets that were probably stolen from the Sgt. Pepper. He twirled the mike stand like an oversized baton and attempted a few leg kicks — but not too many. He does look better than most rockers his age. (See Mike Reno of Loverboy.) His vocals served the songs just fine most of the time even if the sound mix meant you couldn’t understand him half the time. (And if you know the lyrics already and are singing along, who cares?)
Eddie was better during his last visit to Atlanta. To make matters worse, during his extended guitar solo, the sound went out partway through, diluting what is often a highlight of any Van Halen concert. Even after he got his sound back, the mix was confoundingly bad during the final pre-encore song “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love.” The guitar was too loud and Roth’s vocals were swallowed up. The crowd seemed deflated at that point when they should have been frothing into a frenzy.
The encore was brief, with Roth waving a big red flag to “1984,” then jumping into the band’s biggest hit “Jump.”
Overall, it was a good concert, just not a great one. Sound problems badly marred the proceedings.
Disclosure: I’ve seen Van Hagar twice and David Lee Roth doing his solo bit at HiFi Buys Amphitheatre with Sammy Hagar. This is the first time I’ve gotten to see the David Lee Roth/Eddie Van Halen combo.
And folks in the comments section have noted: why was Eddie on a corded guitar? Was that just the beginning of the technical problems plaguing the band the entire night? Having read other reviews in other cities, this sound issue doesn’t appear to be a chronic problem so you have to wonder what was happening behind the scenes this time around.
Here’s the set list:
1- You Really Got Me
2- I’m The One
3- Runnin’ With the Devil
4- Romeo Delight (a bit of Who’s “Magic Bus” sprinkled in)
5- Somebody Get Me a Doctor
6- Beautiful Girls
7- Dance the Night Away
8- Atomic Punk
9- Everybody Wants Some
10- So This is Love?
11- Mean Street
12- Pretty Woman
13- Alex Van Halen drum solo
14- Unchained
15- I’ll Wait
16- And the Cradle Will Rock
17- Hot For Teacher
18- Little Dreamer
19- Little Guitars
20- Jamie’s Cryin’
21- Ice Cream Man
22- Panama
23- Eddie Van Halen’s extended guitar solo including Spanish Fly, Cathedral and Eruption
24- Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love
Encore:
25- 1984/Jump
Chaka Khan Talks Amy Winehouse
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - The four songs Chaka Khan’s “Disrespectful” (with Mary J. Blige) was up against for best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals, all featured Atlantans, but backstage the R&B legend only specifically discussed one artist - Amy Winehouse.
“Going through that chaos often leads to clarity,” said Khan, who won that category, as well as best R&B album. “She’s walking her walk.”
Khan, who’s battled her own substance abuse problems, acknowledged that as well. She called this 50th Grammy ceremony her best Grammy moment ever. “Today, I’m in present time - moreso than ever.”
As for more present-day R&B artists, “some of them I want to [tell] the post office is hiring, with really good benefits…I would like to educate some of them.”
Are you of Khan’s opinion, that Winehouse’s troubles will eventually be good for her? (“Rehab” - at the least, in song form - certainly has been.) Even better question: Do you think people would find her as interesting if she wasn’t such a tabloid magnet?
Morris Day on Remaining Cool
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - After ’80s funk band The Time’s first Grammy performance ever, the band fielded some wide-ranging questions:
On how lead singer (and Atlanta transplant) Morris Day remains so stylish and cool - “My elders. My grandfathers. And how do I remain so sexy? A good healthy sex life.”
On why someone who professes so cool would do a Toyota commercial - “They gave me a Toyota,” replied the Atlanta Toyota spokesman.
On teaching Rihanna how to dance like them: “She’s a quick learner,” Day said.
On the contemporary artist that seems most influenced by The Time: “Alicia Keys…because at the end of the day we’re musicians,” Jimmy Jam said.
On the possibility of all of them performing together again: “I thought it would happen in an intimate club the first time,” Jam remarked. “But we’ll take the Grammy stage.. and there’ll be more.”
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Nas talks N Word
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - Though he did not win the best rap performance by a duo or group Grammy for “Better Than I’ve Ever Been” (with Kanye West and KRS-ONE) in the pre-ceremony, the part-time Atlantan still made the rounds backstage, explaining the title of his April 22 CD, [The ‘N’ Word].
It was written across the T-shirt he wore, as well as the top his wife, recording artist Kelis, was wearing as she joined him.
The rapper born Nasir Jones said he hasn’t met with much resistance about the title. And to those who do have a problem: “They don’t really get where we’re coming from. They haven’t heard it yet.”
Nas hasn’t been one to back away from the provocative. His most recent CD, “Hip Hop Is Dead” is up for best rap album in the live telecast.
He added that he scrapped the reality show of he and his fiery bride. “It was boring”.
Would you have been interested in seeing how the two interact? What about his upcoming CD - curious as to how he justifies it?
Ne-Yo wins best contemporary R&B album
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - “Because of You” earned Atlanta R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo the best contemporary R&B album Grammy, and his first Grammy of his two-CD career.
Awarded at the pre-ceremony, presenter Robert Randolph remarked, “I know he’s not here (to accept) because he had a late party last night”.
He was up against fellow Atlantans Keyshia Cole’s “Just Like You” and Akon’s “Konvicted”; along with Fantasia’s “Fantasia” and Emily King’s “East Side Story”.
Would that have been your choice?
Georgia’s first Grammy winners of the evening
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - Rapper-singer-producer T-Pain (Faheem Najm) and longtime producer DJ Toomp (Aldrin Davis) won their first Grammys this evening - and the first Grammys for Georgia acts tonight - for best rap song, “Good Life,” by Kanye West featuring T-Pain.
They did not accept the statue at the pre-ceremony.
“I wrote the check, and I can’t get in?”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - It’s the business of champions, this partying on the west coast.
Patient, athletic, champions.
Curiously enough, even if it’s your own party.
Shortly after 1 a.m., Atlanta R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo’s all-black and tinted SUV pulled up alongside Hollywood’s Hollywood 86 for his Grammy’s-eve midnight brunch. A gaggle of well-dressed women with headphones on ran to the barricade just before the red carpet and each of them were repeating the same thing: “We have to get Ne-Yo in here. We have to get in Ne-Yo in here.”
1:22 a.m. PST. Ne-Yo still is not in. Instead, the somewhat diminuitive multi-Grammy nominee appeared swallowed up in the bigger, taller men around him. Security, perhaps. But security would not be pulled through the throngs by the arm onto the red carpet. Just Ne-Yo and a small trail of other well-dressed, headphone-less, women.
Minutes later his bigger manager makes his way to the same barricade and challenges the two security guards before they even suggest that he has to walk around to the back of the line: “Oh I can’t get into my own party?! Oh I can’t get in?!”
Of course, he does.
Part of the problem outside of what was billed as a low-key and intimate celebration of “The Carter Administration” - a nod to the recent head of Def Jam, hip-hop mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter - was that the very important people on the list’s entrance was the same entrance of the very important people celebrity-watchers know, and the media was lined up to shoot. And not once in almost two hours was that list observed to be checked.
That’s because of the larger problem: The fire marshall had arrived some 30 minutes after this brunch’s start time, and the door was basically shut. Even apparently, for a time, to Ne-Yo.
So folks like George Gore of “My Wife & Kids” and “New York Undercover” were waved to the back of the line. Movie and video director Bille Woodruff - same thing. That “Hitz” guy that used to be on BET - him too.
Currently-popular actor-comedian Nick Cannon actually bent over the barricade behind the photographers - causing many of them to do a 360 and shoot him - before he was finally acknowledged and allowed in.
R&B legend Stevie Wonder and his lone guest didn’t have to perform any Cannon-like acrobatics. Nor did Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls, or Marsha Ambrosius. But when Atlanta producer Polow Da Don and his burgeoning local talent Keri Hilson got to the barricade, they were held there as Missy Elliott and her guests were waved through.
Then two more all-black and tinted SUVs pull up alongside Hollywood 86 - Ne-Yo’s labelmate Rihanna in one, and teen R&B sensation Chris Brown in the other. Rihanna is, again, tugged in by her arm - with Brown right behind her. But instead of hitting the red carpet, Rihanna stands just beyond the barricade and makes sure her few guests get tugged in as well.
Brown had just left Atlanta rapper-singer’s T-Pain performance at the House of Blues; which, at least in the beginning, was an unfortunate exercise in hubris where the inescapable hitmaker of the moment made the poor decision of letting his Nappy Boy artists start off the show as he did things like change grills on stage. (Charge it, perhaps, to the near-empty bottle of cognac he walked into the venue with).
Meanwhile, back at Hollywood 86, a woman claiming to be from Microsoft - one of the sponsors of the party - had made her way to the front of the barricade; and was stopped. “I wrote the check, and I can’t get in?” she protested.
Immediately, at least, she did not.
Has there ever been a party - on either coast - that you’ve had to fight to get into? And is it ever worth it once you get inside?
Atlantans’ hit songs explained in L.A.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - Funny things happen on the way to hit records.
Gwen Stefani passed on an earlier incarnation of Fergie’s pop smash “Glamorous” - over and over again. But Atlanta producer Polow Da Don remained confident about its potential, and eventually won big as a part of Fergie’s multiplatinum solo debut.
Da Don got a similar response early on about “Runaway Love”. People liked the track, but no one would guarantee it would be a single. That is until Ludacris’s manager and business partner Chaka Zulu heard it- and before Ludacris recorded one line on it, declared “This is going to get us our Grammy”.
(The CD “Runaway Love” - with R&B’s Mary J. Blige - was featured on went on to win Grammy’s rap album of the year statue. And it was “Runaway” that they performed, with soul greats Earth, Wind and Fire, at that same ceremony).
Producer Rodney Jerkins didn’t have trouble selling people on the strength of Brandy and Monica’s single “The Girl Is Mine”. It was actually recording the song that was the exercise.
According to Jerkins, Brandy and Atlantan Monica - both teen R&B dynamos at the time - had to be separated on occasion. Also, it was originally supposed to be Brandy featuring Monica; and it ended up being billed Brandy AND Monica. “I even had to cut down ad-libs so that each one had the same number,” he said. (In the end though, that No. 1 tune won the singers their first and only Grammys thus far.
Those were some of the many stories shared at BMI’s second annual “How I Wrote That Song” panel, moderated by BMI’s Atlanta-based vice president of writer/publisher relations, Catherine Brewton, and the Los Angeles Times chief pop music critic, Ann Powers.
Grammy nominee Chris Daughtry, Grammy winner Ben Moody of Evanescence, R&B singer-songwriter Anthony Hamilton, rapper Fat Joe and three members of the rock band Hinder rounded out the packed panel discussion at Sunset Avenue’s Key Club.
Before the event started, Daughtry shared that he’s just completed recordings with two Atlanta acts - rockers Sevendust and contemporary Christian act Third Day. “I’ve got a lot of ties to Atlanta,” he said. “Not to mention it seems like I’ve played their eight times this year alone. [Laughs] I get their a lot. And I appreciate Atlanta’s support.”
Alright Atlantans, since you’ve been so helpful to Mr. Daughtry and the like, weigh in in this: Which of his songs would you guess has an interesting story behind them? For that matter, which of any of the panelists’ songs would you like to know the origin of? Did you know that his breakthrough single “Home” was actually written at his home, years before he would know the pangs he sings about of being on the road?
Poolside at the Vanity Fair/Louis Vuitton luncheon
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - You know you’re in L.A. when…
1) The stars actually deign to come out at a daylight hour- depending on how high-profile the occasion is. Apparently Vanity Fair’s annual Grammy weekend party - this year, with Louis Vuitton - qualified, as actress Taraji Henson, actor Larenz Tate, pop singer Nelly Furtado, BET and radio personality Big Tigger and Grammy-nominated R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo were all spotted around the pool at West Hollywood’s notorious hotel, Chateau Marmont.
And sitting underneath the prime, corner cabana was entertainment legend Quincy Jones. Next to him, Atlanta rapper-actor Ludacris (honored at Vanity Fair’s fete this time last year) and his new Disturbing Tha Peace artist, Steph Jones.
“I love to see Atlanta(ns) travel,” remarked Ludacris. “You can find us anywhere - poolside in L.A., on the pop charts, over in Africa, always with the southern hospitality baby!”
2) At the first entrance into the party - after your name has been checked off on the clipboard- you are given a handsome gold card with Vanity Fair and Louis Vuitton on it, only to hand it to a gentleman only steps away.
3) Stationed along the winding walkway towards the actual site of the party, there are several well-dressed and bulking men with those curling Secret Service cords in one ear.
4) Once you’ve finally arrived at the party itself, you notice there are as many high-heeled, half-naked women as there are men with wool jackets and ties and scarves wrapped around their neck. (Cough, cough - Ne-Yo). And it was a near scorcher around noon pacific coast time.
And 5) The loneliest person working is the woman behind the long table of breads and pastries. “Carbs just aren’t that popular here,” she remarked.
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Atlanta’s Jermaine Dupri Partying in L.A.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOS ANGELES - Let’s just start off talking about what everyone at Atlanta music mogul Jermaine Dupri’s pre-Grammy party Friday is probably STILL talking about.
It was a certain paparazzi-swarmed twosome at Hollywood’s Central Hollywood Lounge. And it was NOT Dupri and longtime girlfriend Janet Jackson. (Again, they’ve been together a long time now).
No, the surprise of the evening was Michael Strahan of this year’s Super Bowl-winning New York Giants showing up at the So So Def/Island Records event with Eddie Murphy’s ex-wife Nicole.
The former wife of the Oscar nominee hung back on the red carpet, silently, as a beaming Strahan addressed the compact throng of media. “I’m still celebrating, having a great time,” he said.
Meanwhile, inside Central Hollywood, Dupri and Jackson were still making their way into their roped-off section of the intimate club. Before their arrival, a Courvoisier brand was projected on one wall overhead, and a burning fireplace on another.
But when Dupri - a recent endorser of the cognac - entered hand-in-hand with his superstar girlfriend, the fireplace projection was replaced with a looping commercial for Boost Mobile, which he also endorses.
(WATCH IT HERE)
Ands just in case you weren’t aware of those business deals, there were pillows on the sofas with Boost Mobile printed on them to inform you. Waitresses were walking around handing out free shots of Courvoisier Exclusif - available to the general public this spring. And CV Exclusif Cosmos, Brown Sugars and Strawberry Lemonades were also complimentary at the bar.
DJ Felli Fel was just as savvy: When rapper Fat Joe walked in he jumped into “We’re Takin’ Over” by DJ Khaled, one of Joe’s artists. When ’90s R&B superstar Bobby Brown’s brother Tommy entered, Fel played Brown’s “My Prerogative”. And when Strahan and the ex-Mrs. Eddie Murphy joined actor Wendell Pierce (“The Wire,” “Life Support”) and Atlanta’s singer-songwriter Johnta Austin, movie and video director Bryan Barber and Chocolate Soul founder Will G what should the DJ have dropped on the turntables?
Perhaps Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights”.
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Honoring Berry Gordy and Jimmy Jam
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Los Angeles - Ahhhh, L.A. - the land of the red carpet lunches.
Actually, on the same day of this luncheon, the red carpet festivities were abruptly canceled because of “extraordinary circumstances.”
Extraordinary only begins to describe the gathering a group of music industry powers called Content held at Murano, on the infamous Melrose Drive.
You could start with the reasons for this “Chairman’s Luncheon,” as the occasion was billed: Gordy, the founder and chairman of the legendary Motown Records (home of Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Jackson 5, among others); and Jam, one half of a legendary production duo (his partner being Terry Lewis, who’ve created decades of hits for everyone from the S.O.S.Band to Janet Jackson) and chair of the Recording Academy’s Board of Trustees.
But then, among the 100 or so at this West Hollywood restaurant to honor the two were - a deep breath may be required here - multi-Grammy winner Mary J. Blige; Island Def Jam Music Group chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid; record and TV executive-turned manager to the stars, Benny Medina; pioneering Motown executive Suzanne DePasse; the chairman of the Universal Music Group, Doug Morris; the first music power to give Jam and Lewis a break as producers, Clarence Avant; and a contingent of Atlanta songwriters, producers and executives so large, no wonder Medina remarked “more hits are coming out of Atlanta than any place in this country.”
OK, the reason for that deep breath - Jermaine Dupri and his father Michael Mauldin; Bryan-Michael Cox; Sean Garrett; Johnta Austin; Sean Garrett; Christopher “Tricky” Stewart; J-Que; Tab Hale; DJ Toomp and his business partner Bernard Parks; Chaka Zulu and his business partner/brother Jeff Dixon; Christopher Hicks; Catherine Brewton; D.L. Warfield and Kenny Burns were all in attendance.
And over a three-course lunch of greens, a choice of chicken, salmon or risotto, and two desserts, a good two-plus hours were spent appreciating each other - and motivating.
Medina praised Blige: “If the music business has a heart, it’s you.”
Blige praised Reid: “We wouldn’t be able to make a record cross [over to mainstream audiences] without you.”
Gordy praised the entire room: “You only really feel successful when you’re family recognizes you. And you all are like my musical family.”
And Jam wrapped it all up with a simple charge: “Let’s make great music, and let’s make money for it!”
Since this was about paying tribute to Gordy and Jam for their contributions, a question: Which of their records helped build a legacy worth acknowledging in this fashion? Jam (and Lewis’s) early work with Jackson, like “Control” and “Rhythm Nation”? The song Medina insisted they close the luncheon with - Motown’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell? Name your favorite Motown and Jam and Lewis creations.
Kanye West at Gwinnett Arena May 4
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark your calendars: shining star Kanye West is going to hit the stage at Gwinnett Arena May 4 with Rihanna, NERD and Lupe Fiasco.
Tickets go on sale February 15 at 10 AM via Ticketmaster. This looks to be a quick sellout. Prices are forthcoming.
John Legend in flight, and in concert
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Aboard Delta Flight 9775 - There’s the in-flight entertainment travelers often prefer to sleep through at 7 in the morning, and then there’s this:
Five-time Grammy winner John Legend performed a Delta Air Lines first Thursday - a 30-minute concert some 35,000 feet above the ground between New York and Los Angeles.
The unusual show was one of many prizes some 40 people across the country, and their guests, won in a CBS sweepstakes. (CBS will air the Grammy Awards this Sunday. And Delta is the official airline of the ceremony).
Among the winners were Jimmy and Sherry Allred (middle picture) of Rome, Ga. . “For a long time I didn’t believe in things like the lottery, didn’t believe people could win something great like that,” said Mrs. Allred, a 35-year-old respiratory therapist. “But for me to just be online reading the news, and just submit one entry and win, I’ve changed.”
“I think we need to get some lottery tickets when we get back,” added her 41-year-old husband, a Floyd County canine officer.
For the couple, seeing the R&B singer-songwriter was fun, but they were hoping to spot country’s Rascal Flatts or Carrie Underwood at the Grammy rehearsal, the awards show itself, or the after-party - all of which they’d won access to.
For Legend - well, probably for everyone aboard Delta flight 9775 - it was also quite an experience.
“I rarely do shows this early,” he remarked from the front of the coach seats, where he played keyboards with a guitarist and two background singers.
“I never do shows at this altitude.”
The altitude, perhaps, played a roll in how crisp - or not - the sound was on the aircraft. For certain, the national media (CBS, MTV, The TV Guide Channel) seated in between the winners and Legend - or more specifically, their cameras - obstructed the winners’ view a bit.
Still, they snapped along as Legend sang “Save Room.” His introduction to “P.D.A.” amused. (“It’s about doing it in places where you might get caught - even an airplane bathroom,” he said standing next to an airplane bathroom). His Grammy winning ballad “Ordinary People” drew the most energetic response from the otherwise drowsy passengers. And smartly he began the set (at 9:14 a.m., mind you) with “Get Lifted”. (One of the lines: “So much I want to show you, I’ll take you high.”)
Afterwards, Legend entertained questions from his captive audience, including, who his role models are (Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Oprah Winfrey, stevie Wonder); what instruments he plays (“I might play the guitar, but I don’t know how yet”); and the last song he heard that stopped him dead in his tracks (it was in the new MacBook Air commercial, but he doesn’t know the name of the song, or the female singing it. “It’s great though!”)
Legend added that he is also two-thirds of the way into his third major label studio recording. And in addition to working with Pharrell and Will.i.am on the upcoming CD, he’s also spent some studio time in Atlanta with R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo; plus he’s gotten a verse from Andre “Dre” Benjamin of local rap duo OutKast.
“With every album I make different progress, I’m in a different mood,” he explained. “The last album was kind of romantic and moody, I would say. The first album was kind of a hip-hop classic soul thing. And this one’s kind of like a little bit of hip-hop, a little bit of pop, and then just like, it’s kind of eclectic.”
What would you like to hear next from Legend? More lounge-like tracks such as “Save Room”? Or more soulful offerings such as his debut single, “Used to Love U”?
Eagles Add Show No. 4
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Despite earlier protestations to the contrary, the Eagles will add a fourth show to an upcoming run at the new Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Encore Park in Alpharetta.
The pioneering country-rock act has tacked a May 20 date to the previously announced May 14, 16 and 17 shows. Tickets for the new date go on sale Monday, Feb. 11 at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster (404-249-6400).
So far, these shows are the only announced U.S. dates for the Eagles — Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit. It will also be the first rock show at the new 12,000-seat venue in North Fulton.
The tour comes on the heels of last fall’s “Long Road Out of Eden,” a No. 1 album and the band’s first new studio album since 1979’s “The Long Run.” The big demand for tickets shouldn’t be a surprise, considering that the Eagles’ greatest hits set is the biggest selling album of all time in the U.S. at more than 29 million.
“Classic Janet - With A Modern Twist”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NEW YORK - By now, the miniature cherry-topped chocolate cakes, fresh fruits and cheeses have probably been devoured.
Now, the only treats left are still dancing in about 300 or so guests’ heads.
Island Def Jam Music Group Chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid unveiled part-time Atlantan Janet Jackson’s upcoming CD “Discipline” tonight in New York. And if this one doesn’t win audiences back, they flat-out don’t want to return.
Reid had to know he had something special when he walked on the Stage 1 of New World Stages in Midtown. There was no long introduction. No hyperbolic speech spilling over with adjectives.
“Thank you all for coming,” he told a crowd of tastemakers who’d spent the past hour taking full advantage of the open bars, bite-sized grilled cheese sandwiches and burgers, beats from DJ Finesse and the bodies of the “Disciplinarians” walking around in black patent leather bustiers, black tights, thigh-high, high-heeled boots and whips. “Sit back and enjoy.”
And with that, a montage of Jackson’s two decades-plus of videos played, followed by most of “Discipline.”
It begins with “Feedback,” a fine enough return to the dancefloor for Jackson, that only gets better and stronger further into the disc. After the third track, the delightful drum-centric “Rollercoaster,” the first major applause spread across the room. After the slower, “Can’t Help It”-like “Can’t B Good” - even more applause. And then again after “The 1,” the one song played withe a featured artist, rapper-producer Missy Elliott.
Then the lights came up. The vintage-looking black and white montage stopped. And Reid walks Jackson on stage to a standing ovation. (Never mind that her boyfriend, Atlanta music mogul Jermaine Dupri, was standing nearby under an exit).
“Thank you very much you guys,” Jackson said in that signature whisper. Shortly after, Joe Levy of Blender asked her a few questions about the album- basic stuff like who she worked with (local notables such as Tricky Stewart and The Dream, Ne-Yo and, of course Dupri); where she got the song title “Rock With U” (“some guy that thinks he can dance and sing…my brother”); how she would describe “Discipline” (“classic Janet with a modern twist”); and two recurring themes of her more recent albums - love and sex (“I love love and I love sex”).
The last response, of course, eliciting wild applause as well.
Afterwards, comedian/actor Mike Epps offered his critique of what he heard of “Discipline” - in between bites of dessert: “I’d rate it great! Janet has some Charley WallBANGERS on this one.”
CLICK HERE to hear two new songs.
What do you think?
First Taste of New R.E.M. Album
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It sounds like R.E.M. has recaptured their spark.
Just take a listen to the first single from the band’s upcoming 14th album, “Accelerate.” The song, “Supernatural Superserious,” is streaming online at music site Pitchfork.
“Supernatural Superserious” is tight, punchy and catchy. Early reports suggested that the new album would be a return to a rockier sound and that’s just what you get on this first taste. Peter Buck’s guitar has some of the crunch of “Monster,” but without that album’s murky sludge. This is a crisp return to form for our Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. Have a listen and tell us what you think.
The Atlanta Music Scene in L.A., for the Grammys
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With 25-plus acts with Georgia connections up for Grammys this Sunday, of course the Atlanta Music Scene blog will be in Los Angeles as well.
Return here all weekend for coverage of local music mogul Jermaine Dupri’s annual “Welcome to Atlanta” party; local R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo’s midnight brunch on Grammy eve; what our artists have to say backstage at the ceremony after their wins; and other sights and sounds from that scene.
It all begins this evening, after the listening party Island Def Jam Music Group chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid is hosting for Janet Jackson’s upcoming CD, “Discipline”.
So again - check back, and weigh in.
Meanwhile, what are you most looking forward to seeing on the Grammys? Atlanta songwriter-producers Tricky Stewart and The Dream joining Rihanna on stage to pick up a grammophone for “Umbrella”? Jazz singer Freddy Cole getting his Grammy due? Or Christian music act Casting Crowns finally getting some on-air time?
Bonnaroo Reveals All
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s the big reveal for Bonnaroo 2008. The annual music festival, which takes place just up the road in Tennessee in June, has announced the majority of this year’s line-up. There’ll be more to come, but here’s the bulk of it. Tell us your take on this year’s model. Is it better than ever, or not worth the trip?
2008 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival Confirmed Artists:
Pearl Jam
Metallica
Jack Johnson
Kanye West
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Phil Lesh & Friends
My Morning Jacket
The Allman Brothers Band
The Raconteurs
Willie Nelson
Death Cab for Cutie
B.B. King
Sigur Ros
Levon Helm and the Ramble on the Road
Ben Folds
O.A.R.
The Bluegrass Allstars Feat. Luke Bulla, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Bryan Sutton
M.I.A.
Umphrey’s McGee
Iron & Wine
Yonder Mountain String Band
Swell Season
Talib Kweli
Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi’s Soul Stew Revival
Gogol Bordello
Broken Social Scene
Robert Randolph’s Revival
Rilo Kiley
Mastodon
Lupe Fiasco
Against Me!
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings
Pat Green
Ozomatli
Tegan & Sara
Solomon Burke
Drive-By Truckers
!!!
The Avett Brothers
Israel Vibration
Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet featuring Bela Fleck
Phil Lesh / Larry Campbell / Jackie Greene
Aimee Mann
Ladytron
The Fiery Furnaces
Orchestra Baobab
Ghostland Observatory
Jose Gonzalez
Dark Star Orchestra
Minus the Bear
Donavon Frankenreiter
Lez Zeppelin
State Radio
Battles
Jakob Dylan
Two Gallants
The Sword
Vampire Weekend
Little Feat
Nicole Atkins
The Felice Brothers
Mason Jennings
MGMT
The Lee Boys
Black Kids
Serena Ryder
Steel Train
Grupo Fantasma
Back Door Slam
Get Clued in on Bonnaroo
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Are they headed for Manchester in June? Photo: Pamela Springsteen.
The Bonnarumors are flying again, thanks in part to the organizers of the annual outdoor music festival.
This year’s Bonnaroo, taking place June 12-15 in Manchester, Tenn., will mark the fest’s seventh year, but we’re still waiting for the announcement of the line-up. Bonnaroo Radio, on the official Bonnaroo site, is dropping hints about some of the artists scheduled to play the fest.
Late in 2007, the blogosphere was a-buzz with hints of another Led Zeppelin appearance, following the band’s one-off December reunion show in London. That’s looking less likely, but an appearance by the band’s frontman is entirely possible. Robert Plant paired up with Alison Krauss for the critically hailed “Raising Sand” album last year, and the duo has some dates lined up already, including the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in May.
Thanks to music blog Stereogum and the folks on the Bonnaroo message board, here are some of the hints Bonnaroo Radio has dropped so far:
“There is more than one Manchester”
“Memphis isn’t Albany”
“Clouds taste this way”
“Some herrings are red, Jimmy”
“Hard substance, soft substance”
“Janis Joplin’s reserves will be preserved”
“It’s not sour, what is sowed in the earth”
“Three certain birds, add one”
“Look to the center of Europe to get the sound, but the band comes from all around.”
“What rhymes with orange?”
Any ideas? Check out Stereogum and the Bonnaroo message boards for the speculation so far, and take your best shot at solving these riddles.
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Alpharetta dates added after Eagles concert sales soar
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Eagles are flying high in Alpharetta.
Huge demand for tickets to see the classic rock band caused promoters to add two more shows at Alpharetta’s soon-to-open outdoor theater.
With tickets to the May 14 show at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Encore Park being quickly snapped up Friday, promoters added weekend shows on May 16 and 17.
According to a search Monday afternoon on www.ticketmaster.com, no tickets are available for any of the shows. Tickets have been selling for between $65 and $185 each.
Encore Park is a 12,000-seat open-air concert venue scheduled to open in May. The $35 million facility was commissioned by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to attract concertgoers outside the Perimeter.
General lawn seating and reserved seating are available.
Four-person group tables began being sold to season ticket holders last summer for upwards of $20,000 for the 40 different acts to appear this spring and summer.
More information is available at www.vzwamp.com.
“Rhythm Nation” 2008?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With the Super Bowl still fresh on many minds, it’s hard not to talk Ggggg…Janet Jackson.
Yep, we’re back on the part-time Atlantan as what is believed to be the cover of her Feb. 26 CD “Discipline” (above) has been made available.
Look like she’s going for an updated version of “Rhythm Nation” to you? Is it really feeling like there’s a Janet Jackson album only weeks away? Or do you think her two previous duds (“Damita Jo” and “”) - plus radio’s slow reception to first single “Feedback” - has simply weakened interest?
