Jon Chattman and John Cena at the Regency Hotel in NYC. Cena was in town to promote his new film “Legendary.” Chattman was in town to interview him. Interview coming soon on Huffington Post and the pop!
John Oates has gotten a lot of mileage off his impressive work with Daryl Hall and his facial hair fury back in the 1970s and 1980s, and rightfully so. But after all these years, it’s time to recognize the man as a songwriter in his own right. Aspen will next month.
Oates is performing and leading the charge as executive producer of “7908: The Aspen Songwriters Festival” from Sept. 16-19. Specifically, the festival will feature an array of diverse, acclaimed songwriters including Allen Toussaint, The Bird & The Bee, and Mike Rayburn, performing at the Wheeler Opera House and throughout Aspen. Oates has had a say in who plays since jumping on board earlier this year. Continued…
We all know the story of Jonathan Larson, who in 1988 wrote this play. He took Puccini’s “La Boheme” and transposed it to the alphabet city of New York City, and spotlighted the epidemic of AIDS. In 1996, “Rent” moved to Broadway, winning the Pulitzer Prize, the Obie Award, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, three Drama Desk Awards, and four tony Awards. Unfortunately, the author died unexpectedly of an aortic aneurysm the night of the show’s final preview. Many people have seen this show in its many incantations…from Off-Broadway to Broadway; to Hollywood; and now to Elmsford. Continued…
It could’ve made for some epic television — the kind of moment that lives forever in boob tube history, and that’s not a Christina Hendricks reference. People would’ve been talking about it for years, possibly even decades. But, Emmy voters blew it like they always do. I am, of course, referring to the missed opportunity of awarding Conan O’Brien an Emmy for Best Variety Series over Jon Stewart and The Daily Show. Continued…
Ever since they burst onto the alt-metal scene over a decade ago, Disturbed have delivered high-octane rock with heart thumping hooks and lyrics that are, well, quite depressing. Listen to the words to “Down with the Sickness” or their latest single “Another Way to Die,” and you won’t exactly want to watch an uplifting rom-com or smell the roses. But, that’s a generalization and even if it were 100 percent true, it hasn’t mattered much to the multi-plantinum selling band. The hard rockers’ fanbase remains loyal (they’ve sold over 11 million albums and are on a highly successful “Uproar” tour with Stone Sour ), and their records continue to sell like “Glee” merch at a tween-infested fashion mall.
On Tuesday, Aug. 31, the Chicago natives drop their new album Asylum, and it’s more of the same only different. As lead singer David Draiman explained, “Musically we have no intention of writing the same song again.” Get stupified below…
Asylum is an interesting title for your new album. Did anyone lose their mental faculties during the course of making this album?Continued…
“Please Forgive Me.” “This Year’s Love.” “Sail Away.” You know the deal by now. David Gray’s honest lyrics and smooth, crisp sound have melted hearts and mesmerized us for over a decade now. At an iTunes exclusive Live Session in the SoHo Apple Store on Aug. 16, the British electro-pop-rock-folk singer once again captivated a crowd of fans, but also seemed to be in a trance himself…in a good way obviously.
During a 45-minute solo set showcasing songs off his new stellar album “Foundling” (out today – Aug. 17), Gray clenched his eyes, and swiftly stamped his left foot (a tick, he explained) while playing piano or guitar in front of a crowd of 50 people or so (that’s not counting the walker-bys). The image of the singer literally in his own world, feeling his own music and words, made for a pretty nifty night, and provided some eye candy to go with the singer’s signature ear sweets.
Moments before performing, I spoke with the Englishman in New York (in a back office of Apple), and
asked him about putting the new album together, writing such deeply-meaningful tunes, and co-headlining a tour with fellow ballad and smooth jam maker Ray LaMontagne (their tour begins tonight in Boston, and hits New York and New Jersey later this week). Watch on, but I’ll say this: Gray agreed the pair’s audiences are very similar, but in a battle of beards, LaMontagne wins hands down.
Part One:
Part Two:
Stream of first single “A Moment Changes Everything”:
Foo Fighter Chris Shiflett melts faces for a living. And, how’s your day? As lead guitarist for epic rockers Foo Fighters, the guy could probably retire now and still take solace in knowing he rocked his and other generations for over a decade. But, that’s not going to happen now or probably ever. On the contrary, the Foos aren’t enough to contain Shiflett, who like one-man juggernaut Dave Grohl and drummer Taylor Hawkins before him, has created his own band — Chris Shiflett and the Dead Peasants — while on hiatus from that epic band. The album was released last month, and he’s been on the road touring since.
I spoke with Shiflett in NYC last weekend — moments before he took the stage for the final night of his brief but fruitful tour with the Peasants, and found him to be totally candid about the Foos, his new band, and everything in between. While his current band isn’t meant to replace the Fighters (he’ll hit the studio with the band very soon for a new album release next year), he said the new band has provided him with a forum to play the type of music he couldn’t normally do with the Grohl-fronted crew. Essentially, the Dead Peasants are All-American rockers with a Waylon Jennings-inspired country twang with deep, soulful lyrics and sound. Enough talking, watch the interview below taken from the inner depths of the New York staple — Mercury Lounge.
Jon Chattman and John Cena at the Regency Hotel in NYC. Cena was in town to promote his new film “Legendary.” Chattman was in town to interview him. Interview coming soon on Huffington Post and the pop! Share me ! Related posts:HP: John Oates Interview With sincere apologies to Simon & Garfunkel and to a... [...] Related posts:HP: John Oates Interview Wi […]
John Oates has gotten a lot of mileage off his impressive work with Daryl Hall and his facial hair fury back in the 1970s and 1980s, and rightfully so. But after all these years, it’s time to recognize the man as a songwriter in his own right. Aspen will next month. Oates is performing and [...] Related posts:A John Oates Christmas John Oates is performing a […]
Ever since they burst onto the alt-metal scene over a decade ago, Disturbed have delivered high-octane rock with heart thumping hooks and lyrics that are, well, quite depressing. Listen to the words to “Down with the Sickness” or their latest single “Another Way to Die,” and you won’t exactly want to watch an uplifting rom-com [...] Related posts:The Dark Ni […]
“Please Forgive Me.” “This Year’s Love.” “Sail Away.” You know the deal by now. David Gray’s honest lyrics and smooth, crisp sound have melted hearts and mesmerized us for over a decade now. At an iTunes exclusive Live Session in the SoHo Apple Store on Aug. 16, the British electro-pop-rock-folk singer once again captivated a [...] Related posts:David Ippoli […]
Foo Fighter Chris Shiflett melts faces for a living. And, how’s your day? As lead guitarist for epic rockers Foo Fighters, the guy could probably retire now and still take solace in knowing he rocked his and other generations for over a decade. But, that’s not going to happen now or probably ever. On the [...] Related posts:Country music star Phil Vassar tak […]
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