andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

A group of musicians joined a campaign on Tuesday that asks the Obama administration to close down the terror suspect camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, reports MTV News.

The musicians are all angered after hearing that their songs are reportedly being blasted at ear-bleeding levels in an attempt to break uncooperative terror suspects. Artists including Nine Inch Nails, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Steve Earle, Billy Bragg, and Rosanne Cash have announced their support for the National Campaign to Close Guantanamo.

Part of the effort entails the National Security Archive in Washington, D.C. filing a Freedom of Information Act request. This is in an effort to uncover classified records that prove the use of loud music as a means of interrogation. A report by the Senate Armed Services Committee in November, 2008 makes reference to the use of loud music to unhinge terror suspects. One instance involved the case of a Mauritanian prisoner who was allegedly blasted with songs such as Drowning Pool’s “Bodies” to cause him stress because he believed that listening to music was forbidden. Drowning Pool has apparently so far not objected to the use of its music at Guantanamo Bay or other U.S. detention sites.

Some of the songs reportedly played at high volumes close to the prisoners at the camp are Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” Don McLean’s “American Pie,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.,” Nine Inch Nails’ “March of the Pigs,” Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” the Meow Mix cat food jingle, music from Sesame Street, the “I Love You” song from Barney, as well as songs by R.E.M., Pearl Jam, AC/DC, Britney Spears, Marilyn Manson, the Bee Gees, and more.

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Simply uttering Thom Yorke’s name in a news release is often enough to make music bloggers and listeners the world over froth a little with excitement. But this latest news from the prolific Radiohead frontman is enough to incite hysterics.

Yorke has announced a supergroup side-project with Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which seems to be enough talent and spunk as is. But where there’s smoke, there’s fire, so where there’s Yorke, there’s Radiohead’s long-time producer Nigel Godrich. And heck, why not throw in Beck and R.E.M.’s drummer Joey Waronker? After all.

The project is yet unnamed, but the group took the stage this weekend in what Yorke called a “public rehearsal” at Los Angeles’ Echoplex for a blistering set of showmanship to a very lucky exclusive audience. The set was packed with the entirety of Yorke’s first solo effort, 2006’s The Eraser, flourishing under the care of his new backing band, according to Pitchfork’s Ian Cohen (lucky bastard). Yorke played four new songs solo, “Open the Floodgates”, “Lotus Flower”, “Skirting on the Surface”, and “Judge, Jury, Executioner” and then brought the band back for a few hits off Radiohead’s Com Lag EP as well as their new song, “Super Collider”.

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R.E.M.’s Canadian fans can catch them in Vancouver and Toronto this spring, when the veteran band heads out on a cross-continent tour in support of their upcoming album, “Accelerate.”

The tour kicks off at Vancouver’s Deer Lake Park on May 23 and stops by Toronto’s Molson Amphitheatre on June 8.

Opening for the Athens, Georgia band are Modest Mouse and The National.

R.E.M. will be promoting the 11-track “Accelerate,” which is set to be released on April 1 and is the band’s 14th studio album. However, fans can check out a new video snippet every day at www.ninetynights.com.

A video for the lead single “Supernatural Superserious” was shot in New York City last week.

Those who can’t wait for R.E.M.’s May-June tour can also catch the band at the Langerado Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on March 8, and at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas on March 12.

Here are R.E.M.’s tour dates with Modest Mouse and The National:
5/23 – Vancouver – Deer Lake Park
5/29 – Los Angeles – Hollywood Bowl
5/31 – Berkeley – The Greek Theatre
6/3 – Denver – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
6/6 – Chicago – United Center
6/8 – Toronto – Molson Amphitheatre
6/10 – Raleigh – Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
6/11 – Washington, DC – Merriweather Post Pavilion
6/13 – Boston – Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
6/14 – Long Island – Jones Beach Theater
6/18 – Philadelphia – Mann Center for the Performing Arts
6/19 – New York City – TBA
6/21 – Atlanta – Lakewood Amphitheatre

R.E.M. are among the initial slate of bands confirmed to play this year’s South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.

The veteran act will be previewing their new album “Accelerate,” which is due for release on March 31.

According to their manager Bertis Downs, the album will feature an edgier side of R.E.M.: “It’s not like we’re going to pretend these are ballads. These are rockers.”

It will be the band’s first time performing in the Texan city in five years.

Other acts scheduled so far include Morning Jacket, Vampire Weekend, Daniel Lanois, Tech N9ne and My Brightest Diamond.

The music portion of this year’s South By Southwest festival will take place from March 12 to 16 in various venues across Austin, with Lou Reed as the keynote speaker.

In one of only a few such performances since he left the group in 1997, original R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry joined his former bandmates for a one-off concert celebrating their induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

E! Online reports that the ceremony on Saturday saw Berry, Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Michael Stipe take the stage for 3 songs in front of an intimate crowd of 1500.

“This is going to be loud,” announced Stipe before the band launched into their 1986 track “Begin the Begin.” They followed that up with “Losing My Religion” and “Man on the Moon.”

It was the fourth time Berry rejoined the band for a performance. He left the group after suffering a brain aneurysm on-stage during their 1995 Monster tour.

Last week, R.E.M. released “And I Feel Fine: The Best of the IRS Years, 1982-1987,” a set of two CDs and one DVD tracing the group’s beginnings.

REM is kickin? it old school with its 4 original band mates for the first time together since a concert in Raleigh, North Carolina, during the “In Time” tour in 2003.

Drummer Bill Berry came together with members Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills for an original line-up reuninon.

It is Berry?s first shedualed show in eight years. In 2003, he made a surprise guest appearance after turning up to watch the band.

The special occasion took place this Saturday at the wedding for one of their roadies, technician Dewitt Burton.

The wedding reception, held at Kingpins Bowl and Brew in Athen, Georgia, was all ears to seven of REM?s hits.

“It was awesome to look behind me and see Bill on drums,” bass player Mills said afterwards.

Lead singer Stipe toasted the bride and groom during the set and invited requests from the 300 guests.

The bride requested “Begin The Begin” from the 1986 album “Life’s Rich Pageant.”