Category: News

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Features News

Musicians Take Over Television

It’s been quite the week for avid music fans and television lovers. U2 has been a guest on The Late Show with David Letterman all week and they have managed to get every person in the room on their feet throughout their performances (watch below). I’ve been to a TV show taping before and it’s definitely not conducive to live musical performances, but Bono’s energy is so captivating.

Their latest album, No Line On the Horizon was released yesterday and has been receiving mixed reviews. However, like every U2 album, it’s the lyrics and fitting musical accompaniment that make the greatest impact. Currently, Amazon is having a special MP3 deal for the album where you can purchase it for $3.99. For fans trying to pinch their pennies, check it out here. And to reminisce about how far they have come, listen to snippets of all their albums over the years on their Web site here. Watch the performance from Monday night on Letterman below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfO2B_yj-4Q]

Meanwhile, country pop songstress Taylor Swift will have a major role on this Thursday’s episode of CSI. I keep seeing the previews and it looks very intriguing. The recent Rolling Stone cover girl has certainly had an impressive past year and by the looks of it, her popularity has only just begun. With her first headlining tour coming up this summer, you can bet this girl is here to stay.

Watch the preview of Thursday night’s CSI episode below.

http://www.cbs.com/e/mVw4AtQtu2jFkIJCVpn7RnBrtKGNp1MR/cbs/1/

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News Q&A

Joshua Radin Interview Featured on MarieClaire.com!

I’m so happy to report that my past interview with Joshua Radin was posted on MarieClaire.com yesterday! Feel free to read it here and leave comments!

The audio of the interview is also available here. You can listen to a stream of his first single off recent release, Simple Times “I’d Rather Be With You” here and if you like it, be sure to visit Radin on MySpace and catch a show when he’s in town!

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News

Chris Brown + Rihanna, What’s Your Take?

I try to stay away from celebrity gossip on my blog and focus solely on the music — the inspiration behind the artist, their passion, accomplishments, etc. but all everyone has been talking about lately are the allegations behind the pre-Grammy incident with Chris Brown and Rihanna.

What happened?

No one really knows exactly what took place, but everyone sure has an opinion on it. With the recent leak of Rihanna’s photo to the media, I’m curious to what your take on it is? Do you feel it’s good to be discussing the situation as a means of bringing light to the subject of domestic abuse? Or, should we simply be giving both parties their privacy and stop interviewing family members and making our own allegations? What does this mean for both of their careers?

I’d love to hear what you think on the situation and what this means to the music industry.

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News

So Long, Virgin Megastore

It’s official. Virgin Megastore in Times Square will be closing it’s doors in April. Tomorrow marks the beginning of their “biggest sale in music retail history.”

According to an article on hiphoppress.com, Simon Wright, CEO, Virgin Entertainment Group said, “This sale will give our loyal shoppers one last chance to browse the world’s largest music store. We’ll be offering discount prices on items that might be difficult to find in the days to come, and we hope our customers have a lot of fun shopping this final sale.”

Located in the hub of Times Square since 1996, Virgin Megastore is an American icon and tourist hot spot. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve been there. Whether it was catching a glimpse of a musician on my lunch break or trips to New York in high school for album signings and instore performances, Virgin Megastore is a place I’ll definitely miss.

The official Virgin Megastore Web site describes the Times Square location as:

“not only one of the Big Apple’s biggest attractions, it’s also the largest entertainment store in the world! Here you’ll find the largest music, games, video and DVD inventory in the world … plus 600 listening posts, 100 video viewing stations, live music, a one-and-a-half story music video screen and more. Often host to impromptu appearances from artists appearing on MTV’s Total Request Live (filmed directly across the street), the Megastore has enjoyed hosting the first-ever instore appearances of Michael Jackson and Nine Inch Nails in the last year, plus many other cool events with acts like Eminem, ‘NSync and more.”

If you’re in the Times Square area, stop by before another major music location becomes a part of history. I’ll be going myself tomorrow.

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News

Grammy’s Tonight!

Tonight is the most important night of the year for many musicians — the 51st Grammy Awards! Who do you think will walk away with the most awards? Here‘s a list of all the nominations.

One of the most anticipated award each year is Best New Artist, this year’s nominees include:

* Adele

* Duffy

* Jonas Brothers

* Lady Antebellum

* Jazmine Sullivan

Tough choice! Be sure to tune in tonight on CBS at 8 p.m. for the results as well as performances by U2, Radiohead, Coldplay, Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Katy Perry, John Mayer, B.B. King and many, many more! I’ll be updating the results throughout the show on Twitter, so be sure to follow me if you’re not yet!
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News

Third Eye Blind Interview Featured on Marie Claire!

Head over to MarieClaire.com to read part of my interview with Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind! I’d love to know what you think. If you haven’t yet, be sure to read (or listen) to the full transcription with Stephan here. You can also hear “Non-Dairy Creamer,” one of the songs off their upcoming release Ursa Major here.

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News

Preview New Bruce Springsteen Album!

Although it’s not due to hit stores until next Tuesday, you can preview all the tracks on Bruce Springsteen‘s upcoming album, Working On A Dream on his Web site. Click here to listen to the audio snippets. The much anticipated 2009 release will be the Jersey rocker’s 24th album. If you like what you hear, be sure to pick up a copy next week! Track listing for Working On A Dream below.


1. Outlaw Pete

2. My Lucky Day

3. Working on a Dream

4. Queen of the Supermarket

5. What Love Can Do

6. This Life

7. Good Eye

8. Tomorrow Never Knows

9. Life Itself

10. Kingdom of Days

11. Surprise, Surprise

12. The Last Carnival

Bonus track:

The Wrestler



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News

You Sing, I Write Featured As Top Reviews Source

A co-worker sent this Boxxet link to me, informing me that my blog is featured as one of their top 10 review sources! I’m not really sure how prominent this site is to begin with, but to be featured No. 7 on their “Top Reviews Sources” right before Rolling Stone is pretty incredible. Still kind of floored to be honest. They feature my review on Kanye West’s latest album, 808s & Heartbreak. If you haven’t read it yet, you can read it here. Thanks for all your support! It really means the world, and having people find my blog on sites like this is a hint that I’m headed in the right direction. As always, thanks so much for reading!

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News

Mariah Carey’s “The Ballads” Hits Stores Next Tuesday

Back in fifth grade Mariah Carey was my idol — long before she was having emotional meltdowns on “TRL” or marrying Nick Cannon (still having a hard time grasping that one, anyone else?). I remember bringing my portable tape player (yes, remember lugging those things around with big headphones and an assortment of cassette tapes in your backpack) to and from school on the bus. I always attempted to sing all those high notes — rather unsuccessfully — “Fantasy” and “Daydream” being my favorites back then in case you were wondering.

While I haven’t been following her career as avidly as my friend Deana, she still remains one of my favorite female vocalists. You can imagine my thrill then to find out that next Tuesday she will be releasing Mariah Carey: The Ballads, a collection of, well you guessed it — her most famous ballads. The album features 18 of Carey’s chart-topping hits, including nine No. 1 fan favorites like, “Hero,” “Vision Of Love,” “One Sweet Day (Mariah Carey & Boys II Men)” and “Dreamlover.”

I think I’ll pick up a copy for myself. Getting up and walking across the room to change the cassette tape over is exhausting!

Be sure to check Mariah’s Web site for more info and music!

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News

New Justin Timberlake Track!

Justin Timberlake can do no wrong. From his impeccable “SNL” skits to his growing movie roles, Timberlake is the full package. Check out his latest single, “If I” here featuring T.I. courtesy of Yo! Raps Magazine.

Having that Prince vibe, “If I” is sure to be playing in the clubs pretty soon, if it hasn’t already. Give it a listen and let me know what you think! The newest music since Timberlake’s well received sophomore solo effort, 2006’s FutureSex/LoveSounds, “If I” is sure to make the girls swoon with his smooth and sultry vocals as only JT can do.