Festival news

Music fans in California must be pretty excited about the list of participants for this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival at Indio, Calif, April 30-May 1.

Just check out the following list of performers:
Coldplay
Nine Inch Nails
Gang of Four
Bauhaus
Weezer
Keane
Secret Machines
New Order
The Prodigy
DJ Peretz (Perry Farrell)
and a lot more...

I know I'd go...

Bonnaroo
Those of us on the East Coast are more likely to head over to Manchester, Tenn., for Bonnaroo on June 10-12.

Former Phish fellows Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon will perform with their solo acts, and more acts are to be announced soon.

Here's a partial list of some of the performers announced so far:
Widespread Panic
The Allman Brothers Band
Gov't Mule
Sound Tribe Sector 9
Alison Krauss + Union Station
The Bela Fleck Acoustic Trio
Secret Machines
Jack Johnson
Ozomatli
Joss Stone
Dave Matthews Band

The unfortunate part - tickets start at $146 (before the taxes and other charges). But that includes a camping site.

Hmmm.... I may have to look into that...

A big day tomorrow

At the moment, I'm currently taking a break from doing research on Warren Haynes. I've got a phone interview with him set up for tomorrow afternoon, and want to be prepared.

My questions for the guitar player, of course, will cover his playing with David Allan Coe, Gov't Mule, the Allman Brothers, Phil Lesh and Friends and the Grateful Dead, but I also want to look into his North Carolina life - how he went from the mountains of Asheville to playing with some of these legendary bands.


Let the circus begin!
Aside from my interview with Warren tomorrow, it's a big day because the circus that is the Micheal Jackson trial is set to begin.

Jackson has come out to say he'll be acquitted and the media is against him, etc.

His problem is that he lives in his own little world, called "Neverland." As in, "they'll "never" catch me." "I'll "never" admit I'm doing something wrong." "I'll "never" stop inviting kids into my bed."

As much as the charges and story are disgusting, it's also that sad. Jackson used to be the most sought after performer in the world. He had legions of fans collapsing at the very sight of him.

Sadly, the thrill is gone. Jackson still tries to put on a show for those who show up outside his trial, but we're no longer entertained. We simply sit and stare in shock that this is all happening.

A reasonable person, would still entertain the kids and open his amusement park to them, but would draw the line at the threshold of his bedroom. That's were Jackson crossed the line.

So, what happens next? Jury selection begins tomorrow for a trial that will go on until the summer or fall (at least).

We'll watch. We'll wait. We'll know that even if Jackson truly is innocent, his time has come and gone. There is little reputation left to be saved. The sad story continues tomorrow.

A new 2?

It was announced in a story over at cnn.com that MTV will be relaunching MTV2 next weekend.

The story says, "MTV2, a network showing mostly videos since 1996, will launch a new format at midnight on February 7. The new MTV2 is composed of music videos, new shows, graphics and random clips 'that have been scoured from the Internet, old B-movies and the public service dustbin.' "

I had already read something about this over at Steve-O's Web site - Season 3 of Wildboyz will premiere on MTV2 this February.

There will be a preview of the network during the Super Bowl halftime show, and the network will relaunch at midnight on the 7th.

Hopefully this isn't the beginning of another MTV - the non-music television station. I've written about the problems at MTV in a previous entry on this blog, so I won't vent my frustrations again.

Let's just hope that MTV2 continues playing music. If not, they need an MTV3 for it, I guess.

Concert calendar added

As you can see, on the right side of the page ------------------->
I have added a concert calendar.

The idea behind this calendar, aside from letting N.C. residents know about some concerts coming up, is to let you know which shows I'm planning on covering for the Can.

I might not make it to some of these, and of course, others may be spur-of-the-moment. But at least it gives you an idea of where I might be headed.

I'm simply listing the main act, day and location. You'll have to read through the blog to find out more details about where (if you don't already know).

Stay tuned, it could change at any time.

Big show announced

Readers of GoTriad and GoTriad.com found out today that country star Kenny Chesney will be playing a tsunami benefit concert Saturday night at Ziggy's in Winston-Salem.

The show was just announced today - in print, online and on radio.

Here's a look behind the scenes:

We were told about the show on a confidential/embargoed basis a couple of weeks ago, so that we could prepare any appropriate newspaper space to announce it.

We were asked not to let the information out until today, Thursday. The plan was/is to have the show announced Thursday, tickets go on sale Friday and the show is on Saturday.

Supposedly, Chesney is only doing about six of these shows around the country, and picked Ziggy's as one of those spots.

Why didn't we let people know ahead of time? It's just because they said it's embargoed? Yes, it is.

A good part of the newspaper business is about trust. Not only do readers have to trust that what they find in the paper is true, but we also want sources and the community to trust us to hold information, and print it correctly.

In this case, it was - I trust you to not tell this information, in exchange for me giving you advance notice about it.

We tried our best to get an interview with Chesney, but he's not doing interviews to promote these shows.

So... that's a little look behind the scenes of a rare breaking news concert announcement.

In 99 cases out of 100, this doesn't happen. The newspaper finds out and announces shows as soon as we hear them (when the information is not embargoed).

In the case of Chesney, this is a big-name concert playing a small venue for a small price. At $10 a ticket, and a limit of 2, the show is sure to sell out in high demand.

Anyone interested in the show can go to Ziggy's Web site at www.ziggyrock.com.

A new home

There's big news about the can...

I've waited to say anything on here for a while, but it's official - the Musical Garbage Can is moving.

Not too long ago, I wrote a column in my newspaper's entertainment section about the start of the can, and why I created it.

Thanks to the attention my newspaper's getting about blogs and a bold, new newspaper direction, I pitched the idea of my blog to our entertainment site's handlers.

Needless to say, they loved the idea. And the best news of all, is they don't want me to change a thing.

Some time next week (that's the latest word), this blog will be located at gotriad.com.

Don't worry, when the time comes, I'll put a link from here.

I hope anyone who has been reading my blog will follow me to the new location.

It's still going to be called the Musical Garbage Can, and it's going to have the same commentaries and information.

The only thing changing is the location and the look.

Until then, I'll be here every day. Som come on back tomorrow and see what's new.

The Oscars and Ozzy

Congratulations go to Jamie Foxx and the movie Ray for their Oscar nominations. As stated yesterday, I saw the movie and was very impressed.

The Osbournes
Last night was the second week of the new season of The Osbournes. As previously reported here at the Can, this is the last season for the show.

While it's lost some of its laughs, The Osbournes remains entertaining. More depressing than the show's end is the fact Nick Lachey will have his own reality show to document the making of his next solo album. Oh....boy....I can....hardly.....wait..... Actually, yes, I can wait forever to never see this show.

Pearl Jam records
Billboard.com has a story up about Pearl Jam beginning to work on their next album. Why can't we have a reality show about that?!? It'd be a heck of a lot more interesting than Mr. Jessica Simpson.

MOVIE REVIEW: Ray

I admit that I was long overdue to see the new movie, "Ray," starring Jamie Foxx, but I finally went yesterday and caught it at the local $2 theatre.

In short, I'll say I was as impressed as I thought I would be. It's no surprise that Foxx won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Ray Charles, and I wouldn't be shocked if he won the Oscar, too.

Foxx has Charles' movements and mannerisms down pat. Many times during the movie, I had to remind myself that it wasn't Ray Charles himself (mostly during the performance scenes). Of course, there were also times when I didn't need to look twice before thinking, "That's Jamie Foxx."

The movie focuses on Charles' life in the 50s and 60s, with flashbacks of his childhood. It deals with his heroin addiction and his womanizing, but it also gives a look at the man behind the music.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the movie, to me, was that it was straightforward - it didn't try to portray Ray Charles as anything more than a man that loved his music. He wasn't a saint. He wasn't an untouchable superstar. He was simply a talented musician who loved what he did.

The final forty years of Ray's life are skimmed over in the blink of an eye, but I didn't mind. It was the period of his life that is in the movie, that was the most interesting to me. It makes me want to read more about him, and listen to more of his music.

If you haven't seen "Ray" already, I recommend you check it out. It's an incredibly intriguing two-and-a-half hours.

More on lip-synching

I don't want to be a dead horse here, or a talentless pop star for that matter, but I feel like I need to comment on the whole Ashlee Simpson lip synching outrage.

It's not about Ashlee

This whole thing started with Simpson's appearance on Saturday Night Live, when her "backing track" played the wrong song, and she was stuck on stage doing a ridiculous Irish gig.

Instead of just saying, "We cued the wrong song." It was first blamed on the drummer, then acid reflux, then the alignment of the planets in relation to Clay Aiken's hair... or something like that.

My hope, at least, is that this isn't about Ashlee Simpson and the fact she can't sing. My hope is that this is about music fans getting fed up with the garbage that's out there these days.

People don't want to pay $75 for a concert ticket only to have the person lip-synch. We want LIVE music. We want to get our money's worth. If we wanted to see the person lip synch and dance around, we'd watch a collection of their music videos.

I also hope that this is a backlash to overpriced CDs and undertalented stars. The music consumer is being force-fed garbage in the form of little discs.

Where's the talent?
How many of today's acts have longevity? Not many...

Even these horrible boy bands like N-Stink and the Backstreet Bums fall apart. When they were on top of the charts, fans would say, "They're not going anywhere." But like the Spice Girls and the New Kids before them, they've disappeared.

You can mass-produce music all you want, but it's the talent that lasts.

Now, give us what we want.

What? No J-Lo?

A tribute to Selena

A musical tribute is being planned to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the death of Selena in Houston on April 7.

If you don't know the story, Selena was killed by the president of her fan club, and a movie was made of her life starring Jennifer Lopez.

The list of performers for the tribute include: Gloria Estefan, Thalia, Pepe Aguilar, Carlos Vives, Alicia Villarreal, Aleks Syntek, Lucero, Ana Gabriel, Banda El Recodo, Intocable and Kumbia Kings, the group co-founded by A.B. Quintanilla, Selena's brother and former bandleader. This, according to a story over at Billboard.com.

What? No J-Lo!? haha I think it's pretty funny that the "singer"/actress isn't performing there.

UPDATE
I got an email from Ryan of CYN (formerly Cynder today). It appears the guys are working on setting up a possible tour and trying to find a label.

I plan on talking with him early next week for a story for the paper and should have more information then.

Teaming up...

I was reading Rolling Stone magazine recently, about the reunion of Cream and the newly formed union of Queen with Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers.

I'm happy about the Cream reunion - though they only have plans to do four shows in England.

The Queen reunion, I'm not so sure about - can anyone really fill Freddie Mercury's shoes? Though the good news is that Paul Rodgers says he is not trying to replace Mercury.

Still, there's something odd to me about those types of reunions. When a band such as Velvet Revolver forms, it's a new band. It's a touchy subject.

Obviously, bands like AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers have gone on after a band members death with much success. But I think it's because they are moving forward and creating new music.

The Doors' recent reunion with Ian Astbury in the lead role, seems to much of a publicity stunt and like a forced reunion. Just as Dave Grohl and Krist Noviselic didn't replace Kurt Cobain, some people just can't be replaced.

To me, it kind of cheapens the "aura" of days gone by.


Super Bowl singers
Aside from Paul McCartney performing at the Super Bowl half time show, it was announced that pre-game performers will include Gretchen Wilson performing with the Charlie Daniels Band and the Black Eyed Peas teaming up with Earth, Wind & Fire.
It should be pretty interesting.

She doesn't play guitar, either

This photo makes no sense to me.

I'm sorry to make Ashlee Simpson the brunt of all attacks recently, but it's really nothing personal. She's simply become the symbol of a talentless group of pop "stars."

So, as we all know, she's had horrible luck singing lately. Now, comes this picture of her with a guitar? It's like the one that was on the cover of Rolling Stone a while back with Christina Aguilera.

I know that guitars symbolize music, but don't put these people with guitars, if they don't play guitar. It makes no sense.

I don't want to see Britney Spears behind a drum kit or Lindsay Lohan behind a piano.

This false advertising and promotion is getting ridiculous.

America's Favorite Karaoke Contest

Before I get to the main topic of the day, I thought I'd mention the following:

Simpson update
The latest rumor on Ashlee Simpson's horrible halftime performance is that it was her first time singing without a backing track. In fact, some people have decided that she's so awful, that she needs to be removed from the business and have started a petition to do that.

It's sad - not that Simpson is taking the brunt of this backlash, but it's sad that people aren't doing the same about Britney Spears and other talentless "singers." There doesn't need to be a petition, the easier solution is to not buy their albums or pay for their concerts.


The Karaoke Contest returns

Tonight, America's Favorite Karaoke Contest returns to the airwaves. That's right, American Idol is back. I'll admit, I don't think I watched more than two minutes of the first season.

I watched some parts of the second season, and watched a good bit of the third season. While I thoroughly enjoy the horrible singers they show in the beginning of the season, I get tired of the weekly competitions.

It's all too cookie-cutter for me. If you've got a pretty face and a pretty good voice, you could be the next karaoke star! And then it becomes a popularity contest, judged by the public.

Sure, the singers have great voices, but where is the rest of the talent? How about the ability to write your own lyrics? They should be rewarding the talent and not just a voice. If the show were truly about talent, a lot of those in the finals last year, wouldn't have been there.

The main thing I don't like about the show is that it takes away from all of those "starving artists" out there. A spoiled singer comes out from their comfortable home in suburbia, takes the silver spoon out of their mouth and sings, and people idolize them.

Meanwhile, there are hundreds of bands out there, starving, and living out of their van just trying to get 50 people to show up to one of their concerts.

Maybe that's why Fantasia had her success. People were able to relate to her struggle of being a single parent.

Anyway...there are some rules changes this year.

- Out of the 24 finalist spots, half of them will go to men. This will prevent the estrogen festival that took place last year.

- Celebrity critics this year include Brandy, LL Cool J, Gene Simmons and Kenny Loggins. Gene Simmons? Well, I guess it makes sense when you think about how he's usually "only in it for the money."

- The age limit was raised from 24 to 28. This seems like a good idea, but they always complain that the older people can't hold an audience. Remember George from last year - they told him he looked too old.

- The show is going to be three days a week - men compete on one show, women the next, results on the third day. Oh, it's all just another attempt to do more cheezy Ford and Coke commercials.

No post tomorrow, as I have to go up to D.C. for the day.
See ya on Thursday!

Tied to the whippin' post

I had my phone interview with Gregg Allman this afternoon.

I chatted with the Southern rock legend for about 20-25 minutes, and all things went well. Of course, the story doesn't come out for a couple of weeks, so I won't spoil it yet.

But what you won't read in an ordinary newspaper story is that Gregg was in good spirits, and laughed a number of times. He speaks in a slow Southern drawl with a voice that's got a bit of a growl to it.

In general, I was happy with the way it went. It's always a bit nerve-racking for me when I talk to artists that I have listened to for years.

In most cases, I truly enjoy the opportunities I have to speak with musicians, but a few have had me very nervous:

George Thorogood - The first concert I ever went to was of Thorogood, so when I got to talk with him about 15 years later, it was as if I had come full circle.

Gene Simmons - Come on, it's Gene Simmons! I had no idea what to expect, but he was incredibly nice and a pretty good interview.

Alice Cooper - The idea that Alice talks about himself in the third person was pretty strange, but this wound up being one of the best interviews I've ever done. It was scheduled for 15 minutes, but I actually talked to him for 45. He also thanked me for a "great interview." Definitely a highlight for me.

Bo Diddley - A legend that was nice enough to give me about 15 minutes.

George Carlin - I've always had problems interviewing comics - they're always completely different than their on stage "character." (Except for Andrew "Dice" Clay). Margaret Cho was that way too. I guess I expect comics to give fun interviews, but they're always very serious and to the point, and usually don't joke much at all.

Kravitz visits Triad

Lenny Kravitz played a four-song acoustic performance for a small crowd in Greensboro, N.C., on Friday as a benefit for tsunami victims.

Fifty people filled The Process recording studio - some of whom paid as much as $1,000 to see the rocker perform.

He played "Let Love Rule," "Believe," "Can't Get you Off My Mind," and "Lady."

I wasn't there, but there's a story about the performance and how you can purchase pictures from the concert at news-record.com.

I think it's impressive that Kravitz appeared for a benefit like that, but I think it's also a little sad that he could only perform four songs, and for only 50 people.

I'm sure more than 50 people would have paid at least $50 for a full concert - and he could have donated all of that money to the relief effort.

In my opinion, it's a great idea that fell a little short on execution. Sell the first few rows for lots of money and sell the rest for $100. Allow a couple hundred people to fill in a small auditorium or larger room. Or maybe give all of the ticket sales from a concert to the relief effort.

That is, if this was truly a benefit show, and not just a publicity stunt. Then again, it's good that some money was raised and will be put to good use.

Where's Zack?

For Christmas this year, I received the Rage Against the Machine "Live at the Olympic Grand Auditorium" DVD and CD.

As I listened to the CD in the car the other day, I wondered, "Where's Zack?" We know that the other members of the band have formed Audioslave with former Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell, but I hadn't heard about Rage singer Zack de la Rocha in years.

A few years back I heard he was going to release a solo album. A friend of mine who works for Details magazine told me he heard some of the music and liked it, but there's been no word in the public media for quite some time.

Earlier today, I searched around the net, and came upon a Web site dedicated to Zack, zdlr.net. The news on there says Zack's solo album will be out some time this year.

You can also find a couple of tracks of Zack's around the net.

The first, "March of Death," was released shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, and features DJ Shadow. To me, it was just another generic rap song - nothing exciting, and lacking the energy of RATM.

The second track, "We Want it All," was made for the Fahrenheit 9/11 Compilation CD of music "inspired by the movie," etc. The songs better than "March," but the music lacks the intensity of RATM.

I think the problem Zack is going to have, if he releases a CD of any kind of rock music, is that it won't have Tom Morello's guitar work which was signature to the Rage sound. A rap album will stray from that criticism, but can it appease the Rage fans?

I guess we'll just have to wait for the album to be released.

Making a choice

vs.

I received a concert update from The Cat's Cradle over in Carrboro, N.C., yesterday, and it brought up an interesting situation:

What do you do when two bands you'd love to see in concert are both playing on the same night?

On March 1, at The Cat's Cradle, The Secret Machines are playing. For those of you who have been reading this blog, you'll know I ranked their album as one of the best of last year.

That same day at Disco Rodeo in Raleigh, Social Distortion is playing.

I've been thinking about these shows for the past 24 hours.

Currently, I'm leaning toward The Secret Machines for two main reasons - it's cheaper, and it's closer.

I've loved Social Distortion for years, but I'm banking on the fact that the band has had more longevity and will be back around soon.

The Secret Machines could get bigger and cost more in the near future, so I'd like to see them in a smaller club atmosphere.

Who knows, in a couple of hours, I could change my mind. Either way, I'll post a review of the show right here inside the Can.

Who is Dakota?

Readers of the newspaper or others who find their way to my blog may ask themselves some of the following questions -

"Why is his name Dakota?"
So here's a brief bio:
Dakota is my dog, actually. I've had him for the past 10-and-a-half years, and raised him up from when he was four days old.
About 10 years ago, when I first started getting online, I used the screenname or handle of "Dakota." It's been that way ever since.

"How long have you been a music writer?"
I've always been a music fan, but my writing career started in college in the mid-90s. I was the entertainment editor for The Auburn Plainsman at Auburn University for a year and a half. Since then, I've done a variety of writing for a handful of newspapers. For the past five years, I've been here in central North Carolina.

"What music do you like?"
This one's not so easy to answer. A wide variety of music can be found on my "wall of CDs." From Tori Amos to Frank Zappa, from the Grateful Dead to Marilyn Manson, from Beethoven to Ministry, from Alice in Chains to Public Enemy, from the Beastie Boys to Tupac. I could go on for hours... I'm not a big fan of opera. I'm not a big fan of country. However, no matter what I listen to, I try to give an unbiased, fair opinion. I'm not crazy about generic rock or stuff that's generally considered noise.

"Those you can't play music, write about it."
Maybe that's a true statement. However, I have played guitar since I was in eighth grade, and I'm now 30 years old. I'm not Hendrix, by any means. I'm more of the frustrated type - I understand the difficulties of playing, as well as writing your own music.

What's your opinion of cover bands?
I don't like them. If you have the talent to play, play your own stuff. I hate that cover bands can play just about any club in town, but local originals are never given the time of day. There are exceptions to the rule -
Project/Object, a Frank Zappa cover band, has incredibly talented musicians that play intricate compositions that not just anyone can play.
George Thorogood - he's got some originals, but the majority are old covers. He plays great rock and blues though.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments area, and I'll be happy to answer.
Enjoy the day.

Quick notes

Simpson blames monitors
Ashlee Simpson is "shaking off" the boos from her recent live performance during halftime of the NCAA Championship football game. She blames the lack of ear or floor monitors for singing out of key. I think it's more likely lack of talent. You can't go from lip-synching to being completely off key and expect people to believe all these excuses.
She also thinks it was more Oklahoma fans booing because she supports USC. Sure, Ashlee....whatever makes you sleep at night.

Allman delayed
I was supposed to interview the one and only Gregg Allman yesterday, but for unknown reasons that interview was postponed until next Monday. After 20 minutes of no call from him, the publicist found him, and simply said we'd need to reschedule.

Lopez on tour?
Jennifer Lopez is trying to schedule her first-ever tour. Hard to believe that she's never done a tour before, but I guess she's too busy putting out bad perfume and "acting."

Bjork's new project
From mtv.com: Hoping to raise money for UNICEF, Björk has decided to break out a whole bunch of remixes of her song "Army of Me," off of 1995's Post album. According to a post on her Web site, "The mixes have ranged [from] high-energy to death-metal ... These versions of the song have been gathering dust in the corner of a hard drive or not-so-seedy office." Björk is also putting out a call for even more versions of "Army of Me," asking fans to send her their mixes. Her favorites will join some older versions on the two-disc Army of Me charity album, scheduled to hit stores at the end of February.
A two-disc set of one song? That would almost be as bad as putting a song called "Two Princes" on every one of your albums - this means you, Spin Doctors.

Ozzfest Finale

Well, last night, the local North Carolina band Cynder was out-voted and lost the Battle for Ozzfest to A Dozen Furies.

Of course, I was disappointed. Obviously, I was rooting for the local band to win, but there's more to it than that. As a music fan, I thought Cynder was the better band.

To me, A Dozen Furies was some generic metal with a splash of the 80s thrown in. Their riffs reminded me of old Iron Maiden, and their synchronized "guitar move - head bang - guitar move - head bang" looked ridiculously silly.

I think it was easier for A Dozen Furies to build support working out of Dallas, instead of the suburbs of North Carolina. However, Cynder should take pride in how far they got.

I'm sure the exposure on the show will lead to go things for Cynder. When I spoke with the band a few days before the finale, they had already been offered opening spots on a variety of tours around the country.

So, they don't get to play Ozzfest - this year. With their talent and drive, they could easily wind up there in the future, or on something bigger.

New albums and news

Kings of Leon
One of my favorite albums from two years ago was the debut from Kings of Leon - a nice Southern rocker and something "different" from the usual sound.
I'm glad to hear that a new Kings album, "Aha Shake Heartbreak" will be coming out on Feb. 22.

311
According to a story over at MTV.com, 311 is working on a new album that will explore their funk/reggae hybrid style. They're also skipping their annual March 11 party to continue work on the album. They hope to have it out before summer.

Garbage
Garbage plans on releasing their first album in three years on April 12. "Bleed Like Me" will be available on April 12.

Queens of the Stone Age
Speaking of Shirley Manson - she's making a guest appearance on the new Queens of the Stone Age album, "Lullabies to Paralyze" which is due on March 22. Of course, there's also a bunch of others guesting on the album - more on this at a future date.

Oasis
Apparently, the fellas in Oasis haven't killed each other or themselves, and have put together a new album. With so much infighting and debauchery, I'm surprised these guys get anything done. The untitled album is due on May 16.

Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails have announced that their next album is finished and will be called, "With Teeth." No word on a release date, but singer Trent Reznor says it will be more lyrically based than their previous album, 1999's "The Fragile."

TONIGHT:
Check out Battle for Ozzfest tonight at 10:30 on MTV to find out who wins. Vote (for Cynder, hahaha) at mtv.com if you still can.

Happy Birthday to the King

Yesterday was Elvis' birthday - well, he would have been 70, if he were still alive.
Of course, there are people who believe that he is still alive and living as a hot dog vendor in ST. Petersburg, Fla., but that's another story...
Personally, I was just surprised that his daughter Lisa Marie sold a bunch of the rights to Elvis not too long ago. Then again, as some local radio DJs pointed out, once you have a velvet Elvis painting, how much lower can it really go?

Real World
MTV has renewed its contract for the Real World through 2010. This will ensure that music is kept of the air on the "music" television network for another five years.

In the news...

Just some quick news briefs that I found in the newspaper and online:

Poisoned by country
My newspaper this morning had a brief item about Bret Micheals of Poison fame wanting to switch over to country music. I was surprised by this, but after looking around online, it seems as though it's nothing new. So don't be surprised if he releases a country album some time in the near future. I guess "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" could fit in that category, huh?

Bye to The Osbournes
"The Osbournes" TV show returns to MTV on Monday, Jan. 17, to kick off their final season. There's reported to be a final 10 episodes that will chronicle Ozzy's bout with insomnia, daughter Kelly's drug rehab, her budding new commercial TV career, and a family vacation to Hawaii. Supposedly the show will end on March 21 for good.
I'll say that I've enjoyed watching this show for the past few years, but will also admit that it has lost some of its charm, so I think it's a good idea to end it. They probably could have stopped after two seasons, and done without that awful Christmas Special.
It's not that I enjoyed laughing at Ozzy or his family's goofiness, it's just that it was nice to see a huge star take out the trash and show he has a normal life. Then again, Ozzy was never like the other "stars" out there, was he?

Ramone in stone
Late Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone will be immortalized by a bronze statue at an L.A. cemetery. The Johnny Ramone monument, created by artist Wayne Toth, shows Ramone playing his Mosrite guitar and it features the words, "If a man can judge success by how many great friends he has, then I have been very successful -- Johnny Ramone." A nice tribute to a legendary punk rocker.

The Rev. on CNN?
I'm glad the Rev. Horton Heat is finally getting some national recognition. I love this guy's brand of rockabilly, and it's nice to see that there's a big story about him on CNN.com. I interviewed Jim Heath not too long ago, and he was another one of the many pleasant people I've had the privelege to speak with.
My favorite Horton Heat moment came at a concert at Ziggy's in Winston-Salem a few years back. As the band played, some drunk guy started spraying the band with beer. Heath stopped the music, and got on the mike. "Didn't you go to college? The first thing they teach you there is 'Don't waste beer!'"

Enjoy the weekend.

What has happened to MTV?

If you want to read my story about Cynder, go here.

Music Television?

I remember when I was growing up - when MTV first started, and all over the television would be ads with various musicians saying, "I want my MTV."

I doubt you'd see that these days. It's not the same as it used to be.

A check of the day's programming offers: MTV Cribs, The Real World, Pimp My Ride, etc.
No videos in site. The only time you may see videos is if you happen past TRL.

TRL may show you about one minute of a new video, ranked in a top 10 order.

My question: How can people vote on their favorite video, if they never show any?

It's the same garbage on a different day on that show. They pimp the latest pop "hit" and that's all viewers get to see.

Maybe some people have MTV2, but not enough. And even that show is soon to change - the next season of Wildboyz with Steve-O and Chris Pontius is set to debut on the "deuce" early this year.

While MTV2 currently shows a variety of videos, it looks like that will soon end.

MTV continues to force cookie cutter pop music down the throats of viewers while ignoring those with talent.

Case in point - Ashlee Simpson. If she didn't have an MTV show, no one would even give her the time of day. She'd be another Aaron Carter - the sibling of some big pop star who is trying to cash in on the family "suck"-cess.

Of course, there is a solution to this problem, and it's called don't watch. I remember when people would look forward to the MTV Music Awards, and how videos were a topic of discussion.

Now, you rarely hear about a video, and the Music Awards have almost become a complete joke.

Some new channels are popping up however. One called Fuse is available on the standard cable package and only plays videos and interviews. It's like MTV used to be, and should be.

Are there even any MTV VJs anymore? I would think not, because in order to be a "video jockey" you'd have to play videos.

Even MTV Cribs has taken to interviewing sports stars instead of musicians.

It's just another one of the problems on a long list of what's wrong with music today.

Call her ridiculous, instead...

This Daily News cover speaks for itself....




Have you seen this "news"?:
Jennifer Lopez is so sick of her "J.Lo" stage name, she nearly titled her upcoming album "Call me Jennifer."
The singer - who ultimately settled on "Rebirth" as the moniker for her new disc - is desperate to ditch her J.Lo tag so she can propel the true Jennifer into the spotlight, and bury the reputation attached to her alter-ego.
She says, "I'm not J.Lo, she's not a real person. She was just a bit of fun that got really crazy. I've never been anyone but Jennifer.
"I was going to call the album Call Me Jennifer because that would be my way of saying goodbye to the whole J.Lo thing. But Rebirth is perfect because it means so much more."

I have a newsflash for Ms. Lopez (or Mrs. Anthony), if you didn't like the name, why did you insist on it for so long?
If you don't like it, don't name your perfume, JLo Glow.
Don't name your clothing line, JLo.
I think you dated P. Diddy/Puffy/Puff Daddy too long and got confused about your name.
Then you broke up with B-Aff and married M-Ant and you know what - no one cares!


Tomorrow: What has happened to MTV?

Booooooooo!

So at the halftime show during last night's College Football National Championship game, Ashlee Simpson "sang" her latest single.
Did you see this one?
When she was done she received a round of boos. That's right, they booed her through the commercial break, too.
Now, as much as I want to feel bad for her - it's gotta be embarrassing, and crush your feelings - this should only serve as a lesson to her and others.
People want to hear talent, not some cookie-cutter, manufactured garbage.
Hopefully, people will get back to the real music and ignore this horrible toxic waste.

Here's what AP reported:
NEW YORK (AP) — Ashlee Simpson's Orange Bowl halftime performance was a lemon, according to the 72,000-plus Miami crowd.
The 20-year-old singer received a discernible chorus of boos following a performance of her song "LaLa.""
You make me wanna scream," she sang before the audience jeered.
Simpson was among a trio of halftime performers Tuesday night in a game thats aw Southern California overwhelm Oklahoma 55-19. The camera cut away from her face as the booing began.


Cynder update
I found out during my interview with Ryan from Cynder last night that media outlets, outside of my own newspaper, aren't doing anything to cover the band - local media, that is.
News stations here that showed Fantasia's American Idol quest every 7-10 seconds haven't put one second of Cynder on the air.
To me, it's ridiculous. As Ryan said last night, "If we don't win this, it's because no one around here even knows about us and the show."
I'm glad I'm doing what I can to help the band out - and other local acts, when I hear about them.
Remember to vote at mtv.com.

So little time...

I've been out at a meeting all day today - sorry for the lack of updates.

Last night, our North Carolina boys Cynder made it to the final two in the Battle for Ozzfest.
It would be great - even if you don't watch the show - to go online to mtv.com and vote for them.
I'm actually heading out to watch them practice and do an interview here in a couple of hours.

More tomorrow....

The Battle goes on...

It's getting down to the wire on the Battle for Ozzfest on MTV.
If you haven't seen the show, check it out while you still can - Monday night's at 10:30 EST.
A number of bands are competing for a spot on the main stage of this year's Ozzfest tour.
Of course, I've got to pull for the local North Carolina band, Cynder.
They've also (as of 12/31/04) changed their name to CYN - which stands for Curse Your Name.

With the new season of The Osbournes starting on Jan. 17, it looks like the Battle will be over on Jan. 10.
CYN is now one of three bands left - tonight they'll compete on the main stage.

Tomorrow, Jan. 4, I'll head on over to Asheboro to Ryan's house to check out the band's practice and have a chat with the guys about the show.

Other news

According to good ole Billboard online, Sheryl Crow has plans to release two albums this year.
One is planned to be a pop record and the other an artist record - which means that radio will love the pop record while fans will love the artist record and get tired of hearing the pop one.

Happy New Year

It's a New Year, which means time for New Year's Resolutions.
I hope every music fan makes a promise to listen to less garbage.
I hope every musician makes a promise to make better music.

Music for Relief
Linkin Park has teamed up with the American Red Cross to form Music for Relief in response to the recent devastation in Southeast Asia.
The band kicked it off with a donation of $100,000.
I'm sure everyone's thoughts and prayers are with those who were directly affected by the events.

Until tomorrow...