andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Jay Malinowski bought his first guitar at a vintage store for $20. He was 13 years old and had to hide it from his parents because he wasn’t allowed to have one.

“I have a way of picking things up and throwing them away immediately,” the lead singer of Bedouin Soundclash told andPOP. “Maybe [my parents] were testing me.”

Still, he knew the guitar was different. He credits his love for the instrument to an old Bob Dylan tape that his mom gave him. And lucky for 28-year-old Malinowski, the guitar suits him well.

Since the release of their first album in 2004, Canada’s own Bedouin Soundclash has been met with success. And now they have one more thing to add to their resume: their own record label, Pirates Blend. The name, Malinowski said, comes from pirate radio and its idea of people “finding their own music by whatever means possible.”

He said their goal is to sign a wide variety of artists, particularly international musicians who wouldn’t otherwise be heard in Canada.

And Malinowski has special reason to be excited about the label, because it’s about to release his first solo album, Bright Lights and Bruises, on Feb. 16.

“It’s just such a new thing for me right now,” Malinowski said of working as a solo artist. “The whole recording process was quite different.”

“I’ve caught myself using the word ‘we’ a lot,” he added with a laugh. “But there’s no one but me.”

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Madonna will be flying to Rio, the hometown of boyfriend Jesus Luz next weekend for the Samba Parade and Valentine’s Day, reports Perez Hilton.

She is the guest of Governor Sergio Cabral, and will watch the parade from his private box.

Nick Jonas, the youngest of the Jonas Brothers, gave impromptu mini-concerts Wednesday at Santa Monica Pier, Disneyland and a flower shop called Mark’s Garden in Los Angeles’s Sherman Oaks, reports E! News.

“All of the fans received roses,” said a representative for Jonas. “One of the songs on Nick’s CD is called ‘Rose Garden,’ so he wanted a great flower shop as one of his stops. Nick is very grateful for his fans and wanted to do something special to give back to them for their love and support.”

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Basia Bulat’s first record, “Oh My Darling”, grabbed the attention of listeners and critics worldwide. Now in the spotlight as one of Canada’s strongest singer-songwriters, Basia has released an amazing second LP, entitled “Heart of My Own”. I had the pleasure of chatting with Ms. Bulat about her latest release and what The Simpsons has to do with it. (Check out http://tinyurl.com/ckw2dn if you are a Simpsons rookie!)

Dashboard Confessional and New Found Glory, two of indie music’s heavyweights, have come together to release a short 4-song EP titled, The Swiss Army Bromance.

The bands have taken an interesting twist with the new release by playing each other’s songs.

The track listing is as follows:

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Jessica Simpson and Ashlee Simpson Wentz’s father, Joe Simpson, is creating a comedy for Nickelodeon based on his experiences raising his two famous daughters, reports E! News. The show, a collaboration with Tommy Lynch, is reportedly based on the family’s pre-fame life in Texas.

BET’s “SOS Save Ourselves: Help for Haiti” telethon was studded with stars, talent and a positive message Friday night. MTV news reports that Queen Latifah, Diddy and Pharrell spearheaded the event that was held at the American Airlines arena in Miami, and encouraged viewers to donate to the cause of Haiti.

The night opened with Wyclef Jean and Mavado’s performance of “Hold On”. Clef, who brought Haitian MCs to perform alongside him, told the audience he wanted to teach them “Creole 101”. The Haitian born rapper transitioned into a mini-set that began with “Sweetest Girl”, with Akon making an appearance. After doing “I’mma Zoe” with Haitian singer Black Dada the performance ended with everyone waving Haitian flags.

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Carrie Underwood is no stranger to performing since rising to fame after winning the fourth season of American Idol, but the Super Bowl can make even the most famous nervous.

According to People.com Carrie Underwood is performing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Sunday night’s game, and is quite nervous to do so.

“I am going to be extremely nervous,” the 26-year-old country singer told CMT Insider. “If I look like I am about to get sick on the field, I may at any moment during the song.”

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Nelly Furtado will have a supporting role in Michael McGowan’s musical film Score: A Hockey Musical, reports CBC. Furtado, from Victoria, B.C., will play a zealous fan.

Olivia Newton-John will also star in the movie, which begins filming this week in Toronto. Canadian singer Hawksley Workman will also make an appearance.

“Nelly is an incredible entertainer and, after speaking with her, I realized that she fully relished embracing her inner hockey fanatic,” McGowan said.

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MTV News reports that Lil Wayne expressed how honored and touched he was to be taking over Bob Dylan’s part on the remake of “We are the World.” He was soft-spoken and polite to reporters during the recording session, but one of the world’s biggest rap stars had one big – and gutsy – thing to say.

“I think it’s amazing what’s been done for Haiti,” Wayne said in a tent outside of the Him Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood. Right before walking away, he adds, “but I also think it’s amazing what hasn’t been done for New Orleans. Thank you!”

Wayne, who grew up in New Orleans and now resides in Miami, smiled, turned and left the crowd without taking any further questions.

He spoke of the impact that Haiti has had on him, “I have a few Haitian friends so it impacted me seriously because some of them lost some of their kids and I had to help out with those situations.”

The comment reminded writers of the notorious comment made by Kanye West: “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” during the 2005 all-star benefit for victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

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