Category: News

The Empire State Building will mix an old tradition with a new happening Friday as the iconic New York City landmark will host a private concert for the first time in history. The building will be lit bright pink in an effort to raise awareness for breast cancer as Grammy-winning singer Martina McBride performs.

The singer wraps up her album release week for Eleven, her 11th studio album, with a pink carpet event at the legendary landmark. Her latest single, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” is a powerful tale about a woman undergoing breast cancer.

“The first time I heard ‘I’m Gonna Love You Through It’ I got chills from my head to my toes. I’ve heard from so many people that this song has touched their lives,” the country artist said.

For my complete writeup, visit CBS. I’ll be covering the show tonight, so be sure to follow me on Twitter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxIt70j_SPk

Related Links:
• Q&A with Martina McBride
• Martina McBride and Former Miss America Speak Out on Domestic Violence
• CMA 2009: Six Artists to Watch
• CMA Music Festival Recap

Earlier today, The Black Keys released details on their seventh album, El Camino. Due to drop on December 6,  the band also added more dates to their European and UK tour.

If Europe is too far to travel, you’re in luck as tonight they’ll be streaming their show in New York on T-Mobile’s Facebook page.  At 11 p.m./EST head on over to Facebook and watch the show. I’ll be there so for complete updates, follow me on Twitter.

Watch the video below for “Tighten Up,” the song that won them “Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal” at the 2011 Grammy Awards.

Thousands are expected to attend this weekend’s Restoration Rocks Concert in Brooklyn, an event which will boast performances by the Brooklyn Philharmonic featuring Mos Def, Idle Warship, Pharoahe Monch and additional local talent.

The annual event will take place on Fulton Street between Marcy and Brooklyn Avenues in Bedford Stuyvesant.

The concert is the kick-off celebration of Bed-Stuy Alive’s week-long festival which promotes the culture, commerce and community of Bed-Stuy, explained Tracey Capers, Executive Vice President of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.

“We realized there is so much indigenous, amazing talent in the community and we wanted to promote local artists from the neighborhood,” Capers continued. “Every year, the concert has grown and evolved and what we always try to do is have a combination of main stage artists as well as emerging talent in the community to perform. The goal is that all the artists have a tie to Bed-Stuy or Brooklyn.”

Read the rest of this article on CBS.

Earlier today, The Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon announced on Twitter that the band signed to Mercury Records and will be releasing a new album in 2012. The band confirmed the news on their Web site:

“We’re pleased to announce that we have just signed with Mercury Records (that’s Mercury/Island-Def Jam Records for North America and Mercury Records UK for the rest of the world). We have had a great run with the folks at Side One Dummy Records, they have been really terrific to work with, and they will always be our dear friends. We in the band felt that this was the best time to make a move to support our goals as a band, and we’ve met some really earnest and dedicated folks at Mercury US and UK. We’re hard at work writing songs now for what we feel is going to be the best record we’ve ever made! Thanks to everyone for your support and we look forward to seeing you in 2012!

Thanks!

The Gaslight Anthem”

Rolling Stone premiered The Gaslight Anthem’s cover of Pearl Jam’s “State of Love and Trust” this week. Listen to it here.

“We chose ‘State’ because it’s the song we felt that could’ve been a Gaslight song had we had the gift of that song come to us. It’s a great song about staying faithful,” Fallon explained to Rolling Stone.

Stay tuned for the band’s iTunes session, due out December 13th.

Related Links:
• Band of the Week: Gaslight Anthem
• Gaslight Anthem at Radio City: A Review
• The Gaslight Anthem Celebrates New Record Across State Lines
• You Sing, I Write’s Top 5 Concerts of 2009

After three months of renovations, a cozy East Village venue known for intimate musical performances will reopen Tuesday for a week of diverse shows.

A New York staple since 1998, the venue serves more than 100,000 audience members annually.

The recent reconstruction allows a more enjoyable experience with added seating and better sight lines to accommodate each patron, explained Shanta Thake and Kevin Abbott, Director and Managing Director of Joe’s Pub.

“We really listened [to the customers] and made sure that the sight lines were perfect for every single seat in the house. We moved the majority of the service outside of the room now so you don’t hear the noise from the drink making. It was difficult to see menus, so we addressed that,” Abbott said.

For my complete article, visit CBS.com.

On Thursday evening the Intrepid will transform to a concert venue on the water as 2,000 New Yorkers are expected to attend the inaugural “Party On the Intrepid.” Not your typical performance setting, a stage will be set up on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier surrounded by now-stationary fighter jets.

“Our team had the idea that it would be amazing to do a culturally relevant music event on the deck of the Intrepid,” said Jessica Resler, co-owner of The Participation Agency.

A never before seen opportunity to view music on the top of the Intrepid, Resler says concertgoers will be “flanked by 30 fighter jets on either side of you. It’s definitely going to be a show people are not going to forget for a long time.”

“Party On the Intrepid” is located at The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum at Pier 86, W. 46th St. and 12th Ave. Doors open at 6 p.m., show is at 7 p.m.

For the complete story, visit CBS.com.

The entertainment world was represented in full force at Monday night’s Metropolitan Opera season opener at Lincoln Center.

Before Anna Netrebko took the stage for her performance in Anna Bolena, model Tyra Banks, musician Maxwell, and actresses Christine Baranski, Archie Panjabi and Leelee Sobieski walked the red carpet.

While the stars attended the event, opera fans without a celebrity name could watch the performance on multiple screens in Times Square, where 2,000 seats were available for the free screening.

Maxwell explained his appreciation for the art form.

“It’s the ultimate experience. For me, the opera is the very first idea of seeing a show. It takes so much technique and discipline to do what these people do. To really get to experience that and get my A-game together is what this is about for me,” he said.

For my complete article, visit CBS.