posted by Alex on May 26
Brandon Flowers, lead singer of the highly successful rock band The Killers, is currently working on his debut solo release entitled Flamingo. More details have come to light about what to expect from 28-year-old Flowers first foray into music as a solo artist. Flowers told the press that he’s working with producers Brendan O’Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam), Daniel Lanois (U2, Bob Dylan), and Stuart Price (The Killers, Madonna). Friend Jenny Lewis of Riley Kiley has also been working with Brandon on a few songs, and the two recorded “Hard Enough” together. Flowers has certainly lined up some talented people for this record, but it wasn’t the Las Vegas native’s dileberate intention to go solo. Following The Killers’ Day & Age world tour, the band decided to go on a “indefinite hiatus”. Flowers maintains that the band will get back together and would have preferred this album to have been with the rest of The Killers. There is no release date set for Flamingo, but fans are already pumped up to see the final product.
posted by Alex on Dec 15
When you get to see Kiss, you will be treated to a big show. After all, that’s what the main idea of the band is in the first place. Back when it was founded, the concept of a band was very different; it was often kind of button-down and normal. But they introduced big costumes, makeup and other aspects of the current rock-and-roll world that they hadn’t seen before. In case you didn’t know it, the band is back on tour and they’re bringing in some of the most interesting work they’ve done yet. I don’t think they’ve written any or many new songs, but they are still giving a big flashy show. Does he still breathe fire and throw up blood? You’ll have to see them to find out, but I will tell you they still have fireworks and other pyrotechnics, exciting lighting and great music!
posted by Alex on Nov 27
When Andy Murray became a tennis player, we knew that he was going to be amazing. He’d already proven it in a lot of ways, which is some of the most fun for us. We are in awe of his serving and volleying. But suddenly, it starts to look like he wants to start a new career: he produced a rap. I haven’t heard the rap yet, but there are a lot of people who have and they don’t like it. It’s become a bit of a joking matter for tennis watchers. He doesn’t have a very good voice and his instincts for the style just aren’t there. He’s never really tried it before, so maybe he could get better. So if you think about tennis and rap at the same time ever again, you will know!
posted by Alex on Oct 9
Though Radiohead is still in action and they’re still working on music, Thom Yorke is working on his solo career and experimenting with new projects with other musicians. His music is still as intelligent and tough from a musical standpoint as it ever has been. His latest foray in Los Angeles with a mixture of musicians from several different bands included a lot of dance music. It wasn’t, however, necessarily the kind of music that makes you want to get up and dance. It was almost a melancholy kind of piece that makes people not want to dance as much. But the critics are saying that it has real potential to be great music. They might get this group back together sometime next year. It is great and Yorke will really show his skill if they end up doing that!
posted by Alex on Sep 17
Peter, Paul, and Mary was a group that had a surprising amount of impact back in the 60s. They brought folk rock to the fore like few others could. They had a little more emphasis on the “folk” part of the name, as opposed to Clapton and so on. We loved them. Mary Travers, of that group, passed away this week at the age of 72. She had been ill for awhile, but it’s sad news anyway. They did impressive covers of a lot of the music back then too. Their compilations for children are also well-loved, even to this day. It’s a little bit odd to watch this generation of musicians as they pass away because they are actually so iconic for many of us. Travers will be missed.
posted by Alex on Aug 21
If you’re lacking for good alternative music, you might want to try getting Kings of Leon concert tickets and it might be the perfect thing for you. These guys, all from the same family, have such great musical style and their songs are just fun to listen to. While they have been more successful in Britain than they have in the US, they are still a lot of fun to listen to. In the UK they have had 9 Top 40 hits over the course of their ten years in the music world. Meanwhile, we can enjoy their music live during their current tour. They are apparently going to be performing in cities across the the country and North America for the next few months so make sure that you are there to see them!
posted by Alex on Aug 3
George Russell was one of the best jazz players in the world and was a pioneer of modal jazz. He passed away this weekend of Alzheimers Disease. He was never a famous musician in the public world, but he was one of the most influential in the jazz world. This musician has been well-known over the course of many years on the inside world of the music. Modal jazz was more simple than Bebop and allowed the musicians, like Miles Davis etc, to be more free and interesting in the way that they played. When we hear jazz now, you can often hear a lot of this modal style, though sometimes it gets combined with the regular kind of jazz too, in a great fusion. George Russell gave us some of the best jazz that we had ever heard and we certainly appreciate it.
posted by Alex on Jul 21
The annual festival in Germany, the Bayreuth Festival, is no longer in danger of having a strike! This Wagner Festival is one of the most respected and longest running festivals of any kind and it’s going to run this year yet again! It is more a long line of different operas by Wagner and is part of the lore of the Bayreuth area. The best performers in Europe show up there and perform some of the best music in classical history. It’s supposed to start on the 25th with “Tristan and Isolde”, one of the most highly rated operas in the world. We will have a great time seeing these performers in person, if you happen to be in that part of the world. It’s a great relief to see that the workers and the management have come to an agreement!
posted by Alex on Jun 12
It’s like a throwback to the 1980s. But when it’s the best music from those years, you can’t go very wrong! Journey tickets are on sale and you can see this band during their new “re-united” shows. It’s going to be a lot of fun and everyone will have a lot of fun seeing this band together again. Some of the members have changed and the others are a little older, but the music is better and better! Their music is some of the best in the world, with songs like “Don’t Stop Believin’”, “Who’s Cryin Now”, and “Open Arms”. And the attitude of all the other people who are at the concert have a lot of fun and are some of the nicest folks you’ll ever meet. Make sure to order your tickets so that you don’t miss this group!
posted by Alex on Jun 2
There are two DJs, the Martinez Brothers, who are starting a summer spot in New York and their first show earlier this week was one of the best ones that could have been expected. There have been a lot of strange things done in the last few years in the dance world, most notably the use of electronic and rave style music. But there is also the kind of dance music that uses pop songs rejiggered into a dance version. Whichever kind of music these guys use, it gives you a real experience. They have baby powder on the floor that will help reduce slipping and give people who have certain kinds of moves the kind of control that will let them dance just right! It’s a real kinesthetic experience according to these reviewers.
