andPOP » Band

Film Exposes Kings of Leon

andPOP Staff — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:58:43 +0000

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After cancelling the remainder of their tour, Kings of Leon have a new film which shines new light into the band.

“They are just tired from touring, they just don’t stop. Everyone needs a break from each other once in a while, and they just need a little time off,” Stephen C. Mitchell, who signed the then-unknown musicians several years ago, told FOX411. “They’re just having a little rest now and they’ll be fine. I’m looking forward to seeing them play again soon. They are still young; they have a whole other chapter ahead of them.”

Mitchell created a film called Talihina Sky: The Story of the Kings of Leon. The film exposes life behind the scenes, and the interesting dynamic of the group.

And in regards to their turbulent relationship?

“They are brothers too so they’re relationship is a little different to other bands, brothers can pretty much say whatever they want to each other,” Mitchell explained.

Gwen Stefani Says Solo Career Is Over, Focuses On ‘No Doubt’ Album

Christian Allaire — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:26:24 +0000

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Gwen Stefani says her solo career is over, reports Entertainment Weekly.

After two successful solo albums, 2004′s ‘L.A.M.B’ and 2006′s ‘The Sweet Escape,’ Stefani says she is done being a solo singer.

“That was a moment in time,” Stefani says. “It went on a little longer than we all thought it would, because it was inspired and you have to go with wherever you’re at in that time in your life … [But] everything works out how it should.”

Stefani now claims that she is focusing all her time on a new ‘No Doubt’ album, which fans are eagerly anticipating. It’s been nearly 10 years since the band released an album, and two years since they reunited for a summer tour.

The band is responsible for such hits as ‘It’s My Life,’ ‘Hella Good,’ and ‘Hey Baby.’

With nine kids onboard between the band and a totally changed music scene, I’m sure we can expect a totally different sound from the band. I’m very, very excited for this reunion, they’ve been a favourite of mine for as long as I can remember.

An Interview With LA-eX’s Antonella Barba, Former ‘American Idol’ Contestant

Christian Allaire — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 12:33:56 +0000

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Antonella Barba has had the most interesting post ‘American Idol’ career I’ve ever heard of.

Ever since making it to the Top 24 in ‘Idol’s’ sixth season, where she made it as the 16th contestant, Barba has done everything from going back to school to dabbling in politics and rapping.

“When I did ‘American Idol,’ I took a semester off my junior year. All I had left was my senior year and I was so close to being done… so [after 'Idol'] I just crammed that semester into summer classes and I ended up still being able to graduate with all of my class,” says Barba during a phone interview.

After graduating, the New Jersey native then began working in politics. Yes, politics. My respect level for her rises again.

While she did continue to perform and work on music after her ‘Idol’ days, Barba spent about a year encouraging youth to vote in the 2008 elections.

“I was working a job with ElectionMall, which is a non-partisan company that have people run for office. I was working as their spokesperson and managing their PR and travelling around the country to conventions and events and stuff… and then I moved back to New Jersey and continued working on my music.”

She then moved to Los Angeles, a dream of hers for as long as she can remember.

Now, Barba is part of electro-dance group ‘LA-eX,’ which is made up of herself and former ‘Crazy Town’ group members Kraig Tyler and Bret Mazur. The result? A badass electronic group with a femme fatale lead.

“I think the opportunity I’m given now is so much more unique and it’s not something you would have ever expected to come from Idol,” says Barba. “It really is such a unique opportunity, and it’s so cool to explore something new and have a chance to do that without being locked in.”

Being locked in is definitely no issue here. The group’s first single, ‘We Give No Fuks,’ is a dance-rap-electro club tune, which boasts lyrics such as “Say what what, turn ya vocals up up, we don’t give a fuk what, tell that bitch to shut up.”

Let’s see her sing that on ‘Idol.’

As fluffy and naive the song seems, though, it is a fresh change from the manufactured robots that usually come out of ‘Idol.’ Not to mention it’s catchy as hell.

I ask her where she got her knack for rapping. She definitely seems natural at it, but it’s unexpected.

“Rapping doesn’t necessarily take signing ability, but it does take rhythmic ability. You have to have a flow, and it’s something I didn’t realize I already knew how to do,” says Barba. “There’s more of a musical aspect to it that I never realized before. ”

Barba has spark, and her lyrics show that she doesn’t care what people think of her. She’s no stranger to controversy either, especially on her ‘Idol’ days, where racy pictures were leaked of her during the competition. I won’t discuss the pictures, because I have respect for her, but let’s just say there’s a fountain involved.

The public was outraged, producers seemed uneasy as to keep her or kick her off the show, but she remained. She persevered. She eventually was voted off, which many believe was a secret ploy by the producers to rid themselves of controversy. I say, their lost.

She looks back on the experience and wishes people would realize that she isn’t perfect.

“I think what’s hard for people to realize is that, ‘American Idol’ especially, it plugs you out of regular old life,” says Barba. “People have to understand that you’re coming from regular life, you’re a real person. You’ve made your own mistakes, and you’ve learned your own lessons.”

I personally commend her for not being cookie-cutter. What easily could have been a lacklustre career after 15 minutes of television fame, Barba has managed to turn into a new leaf and go into a whole other direction.

So how did the band meet?

“It’s actually a pretty crazy story,” says Barba. “We got introduced through a mutual friend in New Jersey, actually. It was before I even moved to LA… I had broken my wrist a year ago snowboarding, and the orthopedic doctor that treated me, you know, he was just my doctor, invited me to be the singer for the battle of the bands that they were doing… It just so happened that one of the other doctors in the band then hooked me up with Kraig.”

Racy pictures and broken wrists, who knew they would all lead to better things?

Barba insists she still watches ‘Idol’ religiously, though, even gathering with past contestants for viewing parties. I ask what she thinks about the judges this season. Are they tougher than what you had to deal with?

“Absolutely not! They’re so easy! Are you kidding me?” says Barba. “For Steven Tyler, of all people, to replace Simon … oh it’s just so unfair! The first song I did in the Top 24 was ‘I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing.’”

Barba’s future plans include recording and touring with the new group. LA-eX starts touring this summer, and will finish recording and writing their album on the road.

Check out their single, ‘We Give No Fuks,’ below.

Tim Robbins To Release Album In July

Christian Allaire — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:35:50 +0000

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Tim Robbins will be releasing an album this July, reports Billboard.

The actor will be releasing his first album as ‘Tim Robbins and the Rogues Gallery Band.’ The album will be released on July 19.

Robbins worked with 429 Records on the effort, and the band also plans to tour North America beginning July 8.

They will begin their tour at the Winnipeg Folk Festival and work their way across Canada, eventually hitting up Los Angeles and New York before finishing at the Edmonton Folk Festival.

Little did I know, the oscar-winer has been a musician for decades. Robbins has apparently created music for his film ‘Bob Roberts’, and has contributed to the soundtracks of ‘Dead Man Walking,’ ‘Human Nature’ and ‘Catch a Fire.’

He also plays guitar and is a songwriter, which is no surprise that he wrote the nine songs on the album. I didn’t know he was so musically inclined, but I can’t wait to hear what his voice and music sounds like!

’30 Seconds To Mars’ Can’t Confirm Nor Deny That They Are Splitting

Christian Allaire — Fri, 20 May 2011 17:48:37 +0000

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Last week, MTV Canada reported that ’30 Seconds To Mars’ were set to break up after the conclusion of their current 2011 tour. The band is still not denying this news.

The rock band was taping their ‘MTV Unplugged’ episode, which is set to air in July, when MTV asked them point-blank about the breakup rumors.

“We can neither confirm nor deny these allegations,” guitarist Tomo Milicevic said, laughing. OK – is that a good sign, or a bad sign?

The band has spent the past year promoting their ‘This is War’ album, which has put aside their long-term plans of shooting a video for the album’s next single, ‘Night of the Hunter.’

“I would love to make another video. I think if I made another video, it would kill me, because I’ve been making videos for the past 18 to 20 months,” frontman Jared Leto said with a sigh. “When did we start ‘Kings and Queens’? October? I may have to go check myself in for some time away if I do another video.”

It’s a little sketchy that the band is not denying that they are breaking up. Maybe Leto will return to acting and focus his attention on that? Or maybe they are just taking a break, then reuniting soon. I expect a statement sometime soon in the future.

The Maine Proves There Is An Elevator To The Top

andPOP Staff — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:25:47 +0000

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They say there isn’t a shortcut to the top, but The Maine has proven otherwise. In three short years, this once Arizona high school band has risen to the top. How did they do it? They have talent, some awesome songs, and a little help from the Internet. Further proof that this Internet thing may actually be good for the music business.

‘American Idol’ Band Leader Upset He Was Snubbed – Now He’s Heading Over to Jay Leno

andPOP Staff — Thu, 27 May 2010 19:00:25 +0000

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Former “American Idol” band leader Rickey Minor was upset he was basically “snubbed” on the season finale of the Fox show.

Minor has been the band leader for the past 6 years and is leaving “American Idol” to lead Jay Leno’s band on “The Tonight Show.”

Minor was upset after nobody recognized or acknowledged him during last night’s episode, reports TMZ. After taping, Rickey apparently started yelling at producers, explaining how insulted he was.

Initially he refused to attend the after party, however Randy Jackson was able to convince him to come. However there was obvious tension in the air.

Fanfarlo Interview – This Twitter Thing Maybe The Next Big Thing

andPOP Staff — Sun, 09 May 2010 17:56:19 +0000

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Isn’t Twitter amazing? An English band like Fanfarlo can be playing a show in let’s say Baltimore. They send out a Tweet that they need Tylenol and boom – fans are delivering them medication to the show! But why do fans love their music? Because their fuse sounds is unique and its not just fans who love them – critics are too.

Interview: Dead Letter Chorus’ Cameron Potts on Everything from Snow to Baseball

Sara Harowitz — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:55:33 +0000

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The average Canadian wears one coat at a time in winter. Granted it’s probably the warmest coat ever known to mankind, but it’s still just one.

But to get Cameron Potts, one-fifth of the Sydney, Australia’s band Dead Letter Chorus, through the season, he needed three.

“It’s been a shock for sure,” Potts told andPOP of the Canadian cold. “I’m a bit of a wimp … I think I brought three jackets and at one stage I was wearing all three.”

Dead Letter Chorus, made up of Potts and four others, is on a cross-Canada tour in support of their debut album, The August Magnificent. It was the band’s first time seeing snow fall from the sky.

“It was pretty overwhelming,” he said. “We were just sitting having breakfast, and all of a sudden it started snowing!”

Dead Letter Chorus is made up of unique sound and equally unique dynamic. Mixing country, alternative, folk and pop, their music is often described in Australia as “new folk.”

Another feature that sets this band apart is the fact that they have two lead singers: Potts and Gabrielle Huber (who is also Potts’ girlfriend of over five years). Add Michael Faber on guitar, Lee Carey on percussion, and Tristan “T-Bone” Thorne on bass, and you’ve got a sound both powerful and serene, unique and relatable.

“It’s really good for us because it breaks up the set. It doesn’t ever feel like we’re doing too much of the one thing,” Potts said of sharing the lead singer duties with Huber. “We write songs with each other in mind with what they could be doing in the song.

“We write songs for each other lyrically as well. It’s kind of good in that way. It helps us be a bit versatile.”

The August Magnificent, which was just released in Canada a few weeks ago, has been out in Australia since 2008. Touring Canada gave the band a chance to re-connect with the songs that were going slightly stale.

“They feel good again,” Potts said of the songs. “Probably six months ago we’d been playing them for 18 months and we’d done so many shows in Australia that we were ready to do something new. We weren’t too sure how we were going to go coming back and playing some of the same songs but they’ve been great.”

And fans can look forward to more Dead Letter Chorus music very soon. Currently working with Canadian producer Les Cooper, the band already has about 17 songs to choose from for their sophomore album. And getting new music out, both here and back home, is a major priority for them once this tour wraps up.

“We’re going to go home and record,” said Potts. “We’re definitely going to release a single mid-year.”

Still, the band is enjoying being immersed in Canadian culture for the time being. And while they prefer sinking into the swing of a city instead of doing the tourist aspect of travelling, Potts admits they would have loved to go to a baseball game if time had permitted.

“We wanted to go to the Rogers Centre to see a baseball game indoors because that would have been hilarious,” he said, a look of childish wonder and curiosity in his eyes. “That blows my mind: baseball indoors!”

Editors – They Are Indie

@jordans_life — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:38:44 +0000

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One of the biggest British bands is crossing the pond to North America. Jordan speaks with Editors about breaking into a new market and what indie music is all about.

Fall Out Boy Breaks Up

Blake Dillon — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:37:48 +0000

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After months of speculation, Pete Wentz has confirmed that his band, Fall Out Boy, is no longer together.

The pop bassist stated on his blog that “Fall Out Boy is on break … but I can’t predict that I’d ever play in Fall Out Boy again.”

If that’s not enough, then just hear what frontman Patrick Stump had to say.

“I am not in Fall Out Boy right now,” he told Spin.com.

Wentz suggested that the breakup will be permanent, for he stated that “a hiatus is forever until you get lonely or old – and I don’t plan on either,” via his Twitter account.

But, at the same time, they didn’t rule anything out.

“There is the possibility that FOB will play again with or without me,” said Wentz.

And, “one way or another, the band will always be around,” added Stump.

Wow.

Sugar, they’re going down swinging.

Holy Fuck Interview on Side B – No More Speeding Tickets

Dan Busheikin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:26:42 +0000

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Holy Fuck is Holy Fuck, and there isn’t much else to say. They are incredibly original, extremely fun, and a great live act. I recently chatted with the band before their soundcheck – they were opening up for the now infamous Phoenix here in Toronto. Expect a new record from these folks in the near future, but for now check out this interview. [Music video created by Mirrorshade.]

Say Anything Finding Their Spot in the Rock Scene

Stephen Baldwin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:46:33 +0000

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On the verge of kicking off a U.S. nationwide tour to promote the upcoming release of Say Anything’s new album, frontman Max Bemis has so far successfully avoided the evils of success.

But there’s plenty more time to come.

The L.A. band’s new self titled album will be their third official release, and it aspires to surpass the startling success of the first two.

“The whole transformation of everything in my life was the inspiration for the album, which centered mostly around the marriage to my wife,” Bemis tells andPOP. “Our music is basically the story of my life in chronological order.”

The biggest shift of ideals on the new album is that its focus is self-empowerment rather than self-loathing. His previous albums had a major focus on frustration with the opposite sex, but his April 4th, 2009, marriage altered his perspective on life and music.

Bemis is critical of the tendency indie bands have of conveying self loathing to their fans.

“Too often you see bands lean too far to one side. They’re either some cookie-cutter bullshit or they’re sulking with anger and resentment toward the cookie-cutter bullshit. There is a space in between, and that’s where we need to be,” he says.

In between is where Say Anything seems to thrive.

It’s impossible to lump their music into a solitary category. Call it post-punk, punk-pop, pop-rock; just don’t try to call it one thing. As Bemis wrote on the Say Anything web site: “Akin to Botch forcing themselves on The Beatles and fathering a strange Larry David-esque midget, who is abandoned due to his freakish nature and adopted by Billy Joe Armstrong.”

So what the hell does that mean? “Yeah, it was a pretty ridiculous statement,” he says now. ”Well my first tape was a Beatles tape, so I’m heavily influenced by them and plenty of other classic rock. As for the whole Larry David thing, I really don’t take myself seriously. Comedy and irony are a big part of the album. Being able to analyze myself for a living and then project it on other people, that’s funny to me.”

This may be a strange way to articulate Say Anything’s sound, but it’s the most accurately specific definition you’ll find. It’s this style that gains them recognition in many different music scenes; scenes like the thriving indie rock landscape in Toronto.

Say Anything will make their tour’s only “international” stop at The Phoenix in Toronto on October 28th. When I mention Toronto, Bemis’s voice rises an octave. “I love it in Toronto, I really do. We came up here for one of the first shows we headlined. It was crazy; probably the biggest show we’ve ever played. There was a triple encore. I think that’s the only time that ever happened. My brother goes to school at McGill, so there’s a big Canada connection.”

The group is even going to be touring with Canadian indie group Moneen, a band that Bemis is a big fan of. “They may even be headlining too. Those guys are getting big.”

It appears, though, that the Say Anything founder has his sights set on higher ground. While Bemis speaks about his love for smaller venues and an attachment for the underground scene, he admits that the band is on the outskirts of the industry’s mainstream, and may even be a part of it.

“Of course we’d like to become as big as Green Day and all of those guys,” he says. “I honestly can’t say that I won’t change; I’m not sure what to expect [if that were to happen]. The biggest issue for me is that I share such a personal connection with all of my fans. When a fan comes up to me and tells me how much they love my music, I make an effort to appreciate that. My fear is that the bigger we get, the more emotionally draining it will be.”

If you’re a fan of Say Anything, and you trust them, and you trust Max Bemis, then you have nothing to worry about. Even with the fame that they have accumulated up to this point, the musician has remained dedicated solely to his musical passion.

“I hold myself very responsible for any power I have over my music and my fans, so I try to honour that power by working harder.”

It’s easy for indie enthusiasts to classify their signing to a major label like J Records as a sell-out move, but Max Bemis sees it as an enhancement of resources to bring better music to a bigger fan base. Without a major label, you may have never heard of Say Anything.

Catch Band of Skulls In Concert And On The New Moon Soundtrack

Ilan Mester — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:30:52 +0000

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If you haven’t heard of “Band of Skulls,” you will very soon. These UK rockers had the first ever global iTunes “Single of the Week” back in April for their debut song “I Know What I am,” and they just keep taking the rock world by storm.

The trio were voted Best Live Band at Toronto’s NXNE festival in June and are fresh off Lollapalooza. Twi-hards may already know “Band of Skulls” has been confirmed to be included alongside Radiohead and Muse in the upcoming “New Moon” Soundtrack, out in November.

The alternative rockers will be touring across Canada throughout September in support of their debut album “Baby Darling Doll Face Honey,” currently available in Canada. Canadian tour stops include Vancouver (Sept. 3), Calgary (Sept. 4), Edmonton (Sept. 5), Ottawa (Sept. 7), Montreal (Sept. 9) and Toronto (Sept. 11).

In the meantime, check out the video for the uber catchy “I Know What I Am.”

http://www.mtv.ca/music/video_content.jhtml?id=1619417

Amos The Transparent Work For More Than Lemons

Emma Renda — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:56:18 +0000

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Note: See the bottom of this article for a free download from Amos The Transparent, plus their new video!

Most bands don’t go from recording their debut in a bona fide studio to tracking the next release in their drummer’s mother’s basement. Or at least not of their own will. But that’s exactly the unlikely order of things Amos the Transparent have chosen, and it’s turning out to lead them along a favourable path.

After hefty studio bills the first time around and struggling under time restraints, the band decided to go easy on themselves for the next record. They split time between lead singer and mastermind Jonathan Chandler’s home and the basement of Chris Wilson’s mother while she was away in Florida, and rather than setting a deadline, they got together sporadically over what ended up being a nine-month period.

And so was born their sophomore EP, My, What Big Teeth You Have.

Chandler credits the laissez-faire approach to a better product, an album worthy to come on the heels of their acclaimed debut, Everything I’ve Forgotten to Forget. And one that has qualified the band for a Verge Artist of the Year nomination against nearly every heavyweight Canadian act out there. (Think: Feist, Tegan and Sara, The Tragically Hip, etc.)

“Honestly, I don’t expect to rank that well. All of our peers are in that list too,” Chandler said. “It’s an honour to be nominated and considered in the same category but we’re not really going to hope for too much. That’s kind of the people we are. It’s a cool nomination but we’re not gonna spend the money before we have it.”

When Chandler says “the people we are”, he means a laid-back group of musicians with full-time jobs and families and lives on the side. Though he insists they treat Amos with as much responsibility as their other jobs, its clear the band is sort of a side project to life.

Based in Ottawa, Amos was born of Chandler’s solo writings outside of his former band, The Architects, and their fan base is a smattering of followers of each member’s prior projects. Chandler credits Wilson for urging him to pursue the solo endeavour, but the music Chandler had in mind necessitated a full band. Hence he recruited Mark Hyne (guitar, synth) and James Nicol (bass), as well as Dan Hay (guitar) and Kate Cooke (percussion, vocals) for this album.

For 2007′s Everything I’ve Forgotten to Forget, Chandler and Wilson helmed the captain’s seat alongside studio engineer Jason Fee (“pretty much the unseen seventh member of the band”, according to Chandler). The album is a lush blend of post-punk angst and folk undertones, and immediately earned praise as a hidden Canadian gem. Having Amy Millan of Stars sing a duet, “After All That, It’s Come to This” probably didn’t hurt either.

“I think it was at Bluesfest two years ago . . . whenever we go to shows, we always try to get backstage I guess,” explains Mark Hyne of their run-in with Millan. “Somehow we were all hammered and Chris wanders off back stage, and then he’s able to get the rest of the band backstage. We drank a bunch of Malajube’s beer, one thing led to another and we got John singing directly to Amy Millan asking her if she wanted to record on the record and it worked out.”

Chandler took a different, more sober approach to piecing together Teeth. Aside from the fluctuating attendance and intermittent recording sessions coming after work, before dinner and on weekends, Chandler said the entire band was more involved in the songwriting aspect.

“The writing process now is becoming a lot more of a six-person collaborative,” said Chandler. “It’s less of me arranging entire songs, like “”I hear this, I want you to play this.”" I have an idea of what I want to hear, but I won’t demo or voice it. I’ll wait and see what the rest of the band wants to offer.”

Having a broader input from all the members led to the selection of “Lemons (aka BigPondLittleFish)” for the first single. It’s a soft, twangy number that allows Chandler’s husky voice to float atop the music carrying his simple poetry to the forefront.

Chandler let another brain in on the action for “Lemons”, production company Digital Henchman who approached the band to put together the music video for the single which premiered on andPOP this week.

“The video was pretty awesome . . . we hadn’t even seen it until the night before the [release] show,” said Hyne. “We were all pretty awestruck. It’s all cartoony, it’s neat to see the animators’ renditions of the band in cartoon form. Dan looks like a character from He-Man. I look pretty much exactly the same . . .”

Teeth won’t be released in full online until Oct. 13, but the band have already been selling hard copies of the album at shows for months. They even put their guitar tabs on their website so fans can learn to play Amos like Amos, and it was also a thrifty way of getting their music out there without giving away downloads.

“It’s really cool to get fans’ perspectives, whether they are good or not, it’s really cool someone would take time to sit there and learn our songs,” said Chandler. “It’s probably one of the biggest compliments you could ever get. I remember growing up learning guitar . . . I would never be like, “Hey, Joe Perry from Aerosmith, I learned how to play your solo.” We want to make it really accesible. Don’t try to learn it, don’t waste your time.”

Hyne laughed that sometimes even the band has to refer to the tabs to get through rehearsal. Because when it comes to balancing a family and a full-time job alongside the formative years of a music career, even the most dextrous musicians need a hand sometimes.

“When I have to take off for a week and a half from work [to go on tour], I get scared. Am I going to have a job when I get back? Am I going to be able to pay my mortgage?” said Hyne. “Pretty much as soon as you get in the van driving down the 401, you forget about everything else.”

CLICK THE DOWNLOAD BUTTON FOR A FREE TRACK FROM AMOS THE TRANSPARENT

Amos The Transparent Video – Lemons – Exclusively On andPOP

Robert Ostfield — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:40:36 +0000

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Fully animated video for Amos The Transparent’s newest single Lemons (aka Big Fish Little Pond) by uber cool animation studio Digital Henchman. Vote for them in the XM Verge Music Awards! http://www.thevergeonline.com/vma/

Holler Wild Rose on Side B – You Can’t Help But Love Them

Dan Busheikin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:33:53 +0000

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Holler Wild Rose’s “Our Little Hymnal” is a mainstay of my stereo rotation right now. The band crafts incredibly expansive songs, packed with ambient guitars and delicate melody. There’s a lot of love in this band, and it really comes through in the music. I met up with two of the members during NxNE to speak about their band. If you like what you hear, check out www.myspace.com/hollerwildrose.

The Script To Open For Paul McCartney

Ilan Mester — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:06:13 +0000

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Ireland’s The Script were one of UK’s biggest breakout bands last year and now they’re on their way to becoming the next big thing in the U.S. The Irish trio consists of Danny O’Donoghue (keys and vocals), Mark Sheehan (guitar), and Glen Power (drums).

In case you haven’t heard their single “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved,” that’s burning up charts, The Script boasts a new brand of Celtic Soul with a blend of hip hop lyrical flow, rock dynamics, pop melodies and R&B production.

Their self-titled album was released in the U.S. on March 17, after debuting in the UK, selling more copies of their first album than any other debut group.

Before heading on a headlilining American tour with Parachute on July 30, the band will be opening up for Sir Paul McCartney as the first artist to ever perform at Citifield in New York.

To check out their music, visit: www.TheScriptMusic.com

Jared Leto and Band Not Splitting Up

Irene Ogrodnik — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:37:10 +0000

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Regardless of the fact that Virgin Records America is suing Jared Leto’s band “30 Seconds to Mars,” the eyeliner wearing rocker says his band has no intention of breaking up, reports E! News.

“We are incredibly happy, healthy and very much together here, in Los Angeles, recording our new record,” the 36-year-old Leto says in a forum posting on 30 STM’s Website. “Besides this ridiculously overblown lawsuit…we are having one of the most inspiring, wonderful and exciting times that we’ve experienced to date.”

Virgin Records is suing the band for $30 million for failing to deliver on a five-album contract. The lawsuit claims that Leto is obligated to make more albums beyond their 2002 self-titled debut and 2005 follow-up “A Beautiful Lie.”

“So, as you may have heard we are being sued by our former record company for the ridiculously oversized, totally unrealistic and pretty silly (but slightly clever) sum of $30,000,000. Insane? Yea that’s what we said too,” says Leto.

A rep for Virgin Records was not available for comment.

Strata Video ‘Stay Young’ Released

andPOP Staff — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:59:18 +0000

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California band Strata have released their new video, “Stay Young.”

While the lyrics urge listeners to keep their youthful innocence in a scary world, the video tells the story of a world collapsing due to global warming. Featuring some great special effects, the video can be seen here.

The song is off the band’s second album with Wind-up Records, “Strata Presents The End Of The World.” The album was written during two hard years for the band, mainly while lead singer Eric Victorino dealt with his mother’s cancer diagnosis. Victorino wrote on the band web site that the inspiration for the album was the mood of America, saying that it is like “living in what mostly feels like the end of times.”

Victorino continued to say that though the album deals with a lot of difficult emotions, it also focuses on hope. “Our collective mood is like quicksand and whenever we feel ourselves starting to sink, we rely on any little bits of hope we can find to keep us going. For most of us the only thing left that brings us hope is love. There’s nothing wrong with an honest love song… Has the whole world outgrown love? When did this happen? I don’t care, we write songs about real love because we believe in it, just as much as we believed in tolerance, violence, apathy, loss, corruption and all those terrible things. Each song on the album tells a different story and describes another part of our lives. From love to loss and everything in between. We live in a country at war with the world. This terror culture permeates everything in our lives. It’s not something we can avoid writing about anymore.”

Strata are currently on tour in the U.S.