R.I.P. Donna Summer
BREAKING: Disco queen Donna Summer has passed away at the age of 63. We remember moments from her life: http://bit.ly/Kiry8e
[ MTV News]
Tag Archives: music news
Tina Knowles: We’re Excited to Celebrate Beyonce’s First Mother’s Day!
Beyonce and Tina Knowles on February 6, 2012 in New York City.
Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
May 13 is set to be an extra special day for the Knowles family.
On January 7, Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z welcomed daughterBlue Ivy Carter–meaning Sunday will be the singer’s first time celebrating Mother’s Day as a mom herself.
At a charity event in NYC Wednesday, Blue Ivy’s grandma Tina Knowlesopened up to Us Weekly about the Knowles’ big weekend plans.
PHOTOS: How Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z fell in love
“[We’re] all going to be together,” Knowles gushed to Us. “We’re excited because it’s Beyonce’s first Mother’s Day.”
On their agenda?
“I’m hoping to cook! I want to cook,” the House of Dereon designer shared. “My traditional soul food and maybe gumbo. That’s my favorite dish!”
Knowles also spoke about her daughter’s breathtaking Met Gala appearance Monday night.
“She looked amazing,” Knowles told Us about the Grammy Winner’s lacy, Givenchy Haute Couture gown. “I think she looked absolutely amazing.”
During her quick walk on the Met Gala red carpet (the singer arrived after other A-listers had already headed inside), Beyonce, 30, stopped for a quick chat with Entertainment Tonight about her plans to give Blue a sibling or two.
“I definitely want to have more [kids],” the chanteuse revealed. “I don’t know how many. God knows. I don’t know yet.”
Added the star about her new life as a mom, “I feel like now I know the reason that I was born.”
Steven Tyler Makes First Ever Visit to the Playboy Mansion
Steven Tyler walked up the driveway to the entrance of the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles like it was a second home. Surrounded by a large entourage as he was led to the red carpet, Tyler stopped to bare a Cheshire Cat’s grin as he looked at the four lovely Playboy Bunnies waiting to pose for pictures with him. The rock star and the equally iconic home that has hosted thousands of parties seemed made for each other, but this was Tyler’s first visit ever to the Holmby Hills grounds.
How was that possible that in all the years of Aerosmith’s success, the frontman had never been to one of the famous Halloween parties or a Midsummer Night’s Dream? “I was too busy in someone’s bathroom getting high,” Tyler told Rolling Stone. “I was too busy on tour, I was too busy writing songs. We were just busy.”
While he had never been to the house that Hef built, Tyler has crossed paths with the famed Lothario, Hugh Hefner. And Tyler is a big fan. “I love people that are committed to their crimes of passion and he is the gentleman of all time,” Tyler told us. “He’s been on every man’s mind around the world at least a hundred times in their lifetime for what he did. So he signifies the joys of womanhood and not the degradation . . . and even women lovePlayboy.”
What finally brought Tyler to the mansion after more than 40 years in the spotlight was Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, a program that allows people to live out their rock & roll dreams and spend four intense days training with counselors to play with Tyler or other superstars, such as Kiss’ Gene Simmons, who will be the headliner at an upcoming event in Las Vegas from October 10th through 14th.
Tyler got involved with the camp last year through Mark Hudson, a counselor in the program who co-wrote Aerosmith’s “Livin’ On The Edge.” “We spoke last year, I was doing a book, and they asked me here and I said I would, and I spoke in front of the whole camp. It’s called just being a mentor, if not to incite a riot,” he says.
Tyler had a challenge for this week’s campers, who joined him on stage at the mansion last night. “I just dared them all to learn an Aerosmith song to see how good they can do it,” he says. “If they do it good, which I’m sure they will, I’m gonna pick the best group of them all, we’re gonna pick straws and the best one out of that gets to ride around in my car and hear the new Aerosmith album.”
When Tyler says, while speaking of the upcoming record, “I’m on fire, as you can tell,” he is not exaggerating. Despite being pulled away by several handlers, he doesn’t want to stop talking about the new music, which is now in the mixing stages. “It’s one of the best Aerosmith albums ever,” he says. “I’m one of the worst judges of my own music because I’m very harsh, highly critical. [But] we waited until we had at least four really good songs that were representative and we got 19.”
Jack’s Mannequin ‘Release Me’ Video Premiere
We are so honored and excited to share the premiere of Jack’s Mannequin’s new music video for the single, “Release Me”. We also have special message from Andrew McMahon about the song and what inspired the video. Andrew has always been one of our favorite guys to chat with, and we are digging the video. Check it out!
“For me the song “Release Me” is about that moment when you realize you’ve pushed or been pushed too hard. The video became a bit of a satire on the hamster wheel effect of releasing music under the influence of major corporations.”
[Buzznet]
Interview: Mike Shinoda Talks New Linkin Park Album And Ranks His Top 5 Rappers
Photo by James Minchin.
When the Cali-based “rock meets rap” outfit Linkin Park released their first album, Hybrid Theory, it beat out Britney Spears to become the best selling record of 2001. That level of success freaked them out. After releasing their second album, Meteora in 2003, they regrouped and re-emerged four years later with a completely new sound that caused an uproar amongst loyal stans.
The albums Minutes to Midnight and A Thousand Suns bore the sonic signature of legendary producer Rick Rubin. Rubin was also behind the boards for the band’s latest studio effort, Living Things, which is set to drop June 26th.
Last Friday Complex got a chance to hear a few tracks and chat with Linkin Park co-founder and resident MC, Mike Shinoda. He’s a smart dude with an interesting take on the band’s place in music history.
The new songs have a big, modern polished sound, but with that warm, fuzzy, hard-hitting Rick Rubin feel to them. Linkin Park has evolved from MTV frat-house faves into a class act and MC Mike Shinoda makes that clear in the rap-heavy joint “Until It Breaks” off Living Things. Over a bed of big healthy drums, he confidently spits, “I’m a Banksy / You’re a Brainwash / Get the picture like that?” Yes, we get the picture.
Interview by Jeff Sanico
Do you keep abreast of rap current affairs?
I think I do. These days everything moves really fast. There’s all kinds of sub-genres so it all depends on what you’re talking about. For instance, just this morning I heard about this track. It’s a Foster The People remix for “Blue Jeans” (by Lana Del Rey) that Azealia Banks raps on. She’s dope. The guy that mixed our record was doing her record right after ours and I was like, “Dude, can I sneak in?” I’m excited to hear Azealia Banks’s stuff.
What excites you about the new Linkin Park album?
It doesn’t lose any of the creativity of the newer stuff and it brings in the energy of the older stuff. It’s kind of a comprehensive sound. I feel like we’ve been able to take all the stuff we’ve learned on the way and put it all together in each song and still keep it fresh and forward-thinking.
Whenever we get in the studio we react really badly to anything feeling like it’s a throwback or a repeat of what we’ve done—as long as it feels like we’re taking a step forward it feels good. This record echoes a lot of different random things from what we’ve learned along the way. I think every artist’s “new album” is their favorite one.
We’ve been immersed in this one for a year. It’s like we are currently in the eye of the storm. All of my focus is on getting this record perfect and presenting it to the fans in the way that I think is the perfect way. It’ll never be perfect, but we just do our best to make it the best it can be. I’m thrilled about the record, I couldn’t be more excited about people hearing it.
Top 10 Music Festivals
No Glastonbury this year, but there are lots of other festivals to keep you rocking and rolling all summer
Headbangers unite - rock out to Metallica, The Prodigy and Black Sabbath at Download
Download (June 8-10)
Metallica roar into Download
More than 80,000 metalheads will descend on Donington Park in Leicestershire to mark Download Festival’s 10th anniversary. The highlight of the weekend will be Metallica, playing their iconic Black album in its entirety on the Saturday night. The boys from Black Sabbath have kissed and made up with Ozzy and they take to the main stage on Sunday night. Dance act The Prodigy headline the Friday night. Other bands to rock out to include Machinehead, Slash, Soundgarden and Megadeth
The deal: Day tickets from £82.50 camping tickets from £190
Rock Ness (June 8-12)
Loch in - Mumford & Sons at Loch Ness
The shores of Loch Ness provide the perfect setting for Ed Sheeran, Mumford & Sons and Noah & the Whale. Sassenachs who want to join the party should book the RockNess Express. Leaving from Euston on June 7 (back on the 11th) it arrives in Inverness (via Birmingham, Derby, York and Newcastle). The train will have music, food and drink for £225 including a VIP ticket to Rock Ness.
The deal: Day tickets from £64, camping from £159
Hop Farm (June 29-July 1)
His Bobness - Dylan plays Hop Farm
No sponsorship, no branding, no VIP areas. It’s all about the music at this Kent festival, something that Bob Dylan appreciates… this year he’ll be making his only UK festival appearance here. Also appearing are Bruce Forsyth and his big band, Joan Armatrading, Peter Gabriel, Patti Smith, The Stranglers and Billy Ocean. Free entry for kids under 12.
The deal: Day tickets from £55, weekend tickets £162
Womad (July 5-8)
Who Is Rita Ora?
Meet the girl who’s leading Roc Nation’s British invasion.
Rita Ora is on top of the world right now, but it’s been a long time coming. The 21-year-old Roc Nation artist has put in nearly three years working on her debut album, which is due out later this year.
Some may remember the sexy UK-based singer from her collabos with Craig David on “Awkward” and “Where’s Your Love,” others may be more familiar with her acoustic covers of Outkast’s “Hey Ya” and Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know.” But now she’s bringing original songs to the table. With tracks produced by The-Dream and her latest, ‘R.I.P.,’ written by Drake, Rita’s taking her career to a whole new level.
The video for her latest single “How We Do” dropped on Tuesday, nearly a month after she and Jay-Z walked into New York’s Z-100 FM and the powerhouse pop station added the song on the spot. She’ll be playing a showcase at SOB’s this Wednesday—a sure sign of big things ahead.
Complex caught up with Rita at the Shoreham Hotel bar the day after she performed at the Cartier Juste un Clou party—where she sang a rendition of “Say My Name” with Beyoncé and Jigga watching in the audience. Freshly tattooed and sipping a watermelon martini, Rita told us about growing up in West London, what she thinks of all the Rihanna comparisons, and explained that “drunk sex feeling” she sings about on “how we do.” So read on to learn all about Rita. This girl’s going places.
As told to Lauren Nostro (@LAURENcynthia)
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