March 10, 2014 Monday Edition. Find out what’s happening in the world of Rock & Roll, Alternative Rock, Hip Hop, EDM, and Top 40 music every Manic Monday on the MLE Blog! Have you heard any music news?
Before you read all the great music news from Scott Rossi, I just wanted to post an update about the latest, hottest, and most fun new work out called, Bokwa Fitness. It’s a mix of great top 40 and EDM dance music with high energy dance moves. Best of all, its super easy to learn. Sunday morning I was invited by my Zumba teacher, Marianne Giosa, to provide the sound for the mixed fitness event. I got to meet one of the creators and masters of Bokwa Fitness, Gabbi. If you like to dance you will LOVE this work out class!!! I can’t wait to do it again! Below check out all the other hot news updates in the world of music from Scott Rossi!
ROCK “N” ROLL NEWS: OASIS CELEBRATE 20TH ANNIVERSARY, PLUS NEW BIOPIC MOVIE ON THE LIFE OF JIMI HENDRIX.
1. Its been 20 years since the release of Definitely Maybe, and rock band Oasis have launched a new website full of news, press, photos and lots of never seen before audio and footage. The band also announced news they were planning to release a re-mastered version of their very first album, Definitely Maybe. The band will also release newly re-mastered versions of their landmark albums, “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory”, and “Be Here Now” this year as well.
2. Andre Benjamin of Outkast is Jimi Hendrix in new biopic. Its taken decades for filmmakers to bring Jimi Hendrix’s life to the big screen, and with JIMI: All is By My Side, John Ridley has finally succeeded where other directors have been stuck. “The Oscar-winning screenwriter of 12 Years a Slave brought the iconic rock star, who died in 1970 at the age of 27, back to life with the help of Outkast rapper, André Benjamin. The movie didn’t have the support of the Hendrix estate so it makes do without his music, but critics nevertheless applauded when the biopic debuted at last fall’s Toronto Film Festival. The movie makes its U.S. debut on March 12 at SXSW.”
“All Is By My Side tells the Hendrix’s in the year before he became a rock legend, when he was still a back-up guitarist named Jimmy James playing dingy New York clubs. A well-connected groupie named Linda Keith, however, sees in him something special. She brings him to 1966 London, where Jimmy transforms into Jimi. Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll ensue. The film culminates with Hendrix being invited to the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, the historic all-star concert that made him an icon.”
See an exclusive clip from the film below:
http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/03/05/jimi-hendrix-all-is-by-my-side-andre-benjamin/
TOP 40/POP NEWS: COLDPLAY BRINGS OUT NEW ALBUM.
Coldplay have officially awoken from their years of silence since their last album, Mylo Xyloto released in 2011. The British rock group plan to release their sixth album, Ghost Stories, May 19th. To hype the release of the record, the band is streaming its second track — the light typically romantic pop track “Magic.”
Other than their anthem release soundtrack cut “Atlas,” last fall which can be found on the soundtrack, The Hunger Games: Chasing Fire, the band have put out only one new song, “Midnight,” which was released, though the track list for Ghost Stories confirms it is the nine-song LP’s centerpiece.
“The track curiously showed off Coldplay’s chillier side and atypical sounds for the group, including flitting synth lines, minimal EDM buildup and effects obscuring frontman Chris Martin’s usually rich vocals.”
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/coldplay-work-magic-on-new-song-name-new-album-ghost-stories-20140303#ixzz2v6yHqQoX
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/coldplay-work-magic-on-new-song-name-new-album-ghost-stories-20140303
ALTERNATIVE NEWS: LORDE BEGINS NEW AMERICAN TOUR STARTING IN AUSTIN, TEXAS
Lorde stood alone on stage to start the opening night of her first full-fledged U.S. tour, with only a solitary microphone at center stage. It was at the sold-out Austin Music Hall, “the pop sensation slinked out front while funereal synth tones set the mood before the opening lines of “Glory and Gore.”
It was a a 70-minute show, and the move put every bit of focus on the 17-year-old New Zealander; “the singer writhing and occasionally convulsing in time with the punishing beats of her gothic pop songs, her startling voice buffeted by rounds of backup vocals to make every moment as impactful as possible.”
Thanks to the worldwide success of her hit single “Royals,” “Lorde has been described as a new breed of pop star with an edge and fully realized artistic vision that’s something like what’d result if PJ Harvey was cloned and re-engineered to appeal to the Stephenie Meyer/Twilight set.”
“The New Zealand singer’s youth was brought back to the fore throughout thanks to the lyrics of songs like “White Teeth Teens” and “Ribs” that deal with youthful rebellion and romantic confusion from a distinctly teenage perspective that has made her a hero to adolescent girls the world over, plenty of whom were in attendance with parents that Monday night.”
A glimpse of what that future might look like came roughly 20 minutes into the show as she introduced her cover of the Replacements’ “Swingin’ Party” as being a the kind of song she hoped and imagined herself being able to write one day.
Perhaps by the end of this tour, things could change. “In many moments throughout the short but strong set Lorde showed she has the power and the conviction to own the stage all by herself.”
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lorde-enchants-austin-on-opening-night-of-first-full-u-s-tour-20140304#ixzz2v6xaE7W3
EDM NEWS: PHARRELL WILLIAMS HAS NEW ALBUM COMING OUT, “G I R L”
By now most people have heard the new feel-good hit ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams. ‘Happy’ is a song that will be featured on Pharrell’s new album, G I R L. According to EDM Sauce, “the new album has that old school soulful sound while featuring more modern R&B elements, as well as some funk. G I R L also features various artists including Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake, Daft Punk, and Alicia Keys. Check it out!”
Read more: http://www.edmsauce.com/2014/03/06/pharrell-williams-full-album-g-r-l/#ixzz2vEypJIlO
HIP HOP NEWS: TIMBALAND TAPPED TO BE SONGWRITER AND MUSIC PRODUCER ON FOX’S HIP HOP SHOW, EMPIRE.
Timbaland is taking his beats to TV. The producer/rapper and friend of JT has been tapped to be the songwriter and music producer on “Empire,” a pilot from the writing/directing team behind “The Butler.”
The new Fox drama is set in the world of hip-hop that will include actors, Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, as they main stars, and they both appeared together in the rap drama “Hustle & Flow” in 2005. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the show is being written by “Butler” director Lee Daniels and that film’s writer, Danny Strong.
“The pilot will feature some original music mixed in with current songs as it tells the story of a family that runs a hip-hop empire. Daniels will help write the script with Strong in what will be Daniels’ TV directing debut. Strong cut his teeth in TV, writing the scripts for the HBO political movies “Recount” and “Game Change.””
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1723484/timbaland-next-project-empire.jhtml
Our last item for this week’s Manic Monday Music News…Noted March Birthdays this week in Music!!
March 9: Robert Sledge [US bassist, upright bass; Ben Folds Five/International Orange], Bow Wow (US rap artist), John Cale (multi-musician; Velvet Underground).
March 10: Carrie Underwood (US country singer), Robin Thicke (US singer), Timbaland (US rap artist), Jeff Ament [US bassist, Pearl Jam/Mother Love Bone], Rick Rubin (US record producer)
March 11: Joel Madden [US lead vocalist; Good Charlotte], Rami Jaffee [US pianist, organist; Wallflowers], Lisa Loeb [US singer-songwriter], Bobby McFerrin [US singer].
March 12: Pete Doherty [UK lead vocals, guitar; Libertines/Babyshambles], Graham Coxon [UK guitarist; Blur], Marlon Jackson [US singer, guitarist; Jacksons/Jackson 5], James Taylor [US singer/songwriter], Al Jarreau (US singer), Jack Kerouac (US novelist, poet; “The Beat Generation”/”Gone on the Road”).
March 13: Tom Chapin (Grammy Award-winning US singer-songwriter, entertainer, storyteller), Neil Sedaka [US singer, songwriter, pianist], Mike Stoller [US songwriter, composer; Stoller & Leiber], Sam ‘Lightnin’ Hopkins (US legendary blues guitarist).
March 14: Jordan Taylor Hanson [US singer, keyboard, bongos, piano; Hanson], Quincy Jones [composer, music producer].
March 15: Will.i.am/William Adams Jr [Jamacian rapper, producer; Black Eyed Peas], Mark Hoppus [US singer, bass guitar; Blink-182], Mark McGrath [US lead singer; Sugar Ray], Brett Michaels/Bret Michael Sychak [US lead singer, Poison], Terence Trent D’arby/Sananda Maitreya [US vocals, sax, keyboards, drums, guitar], Dee Snider [US lead singer; Twisted Sister], Ry Cooder (US slide, guitar, vocals, mandolin; Buena Vista/Rising Sons/Little Village), Sly Stone (US guitar, keyboard; Sly & The Family Stone), Mike Love (US singer, sax; The Beach Boys), Phil Lesh [US bassist; Grateful Dead].
Every Monday look forward to the “Manic Monday Music News”, run by yours truly, Scott Rossi! Music is the Universal language which brings the world together, something we can all agree on, so I will always try to find some cool weekly news for you to hear about, here on the Sounds by Shelly page. Thanks go out to Deejay Shelly, for this opportunity. Enjoy!
Let us know what you thought of our new 9th edition in the comments section below. Or, let us know if you’ve heard any music news we missed! Thanks! Scott Rossi, DeeJay Shelly!!!