Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:28:52 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Pop Music :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/pop-music istoll@nysun.com (Ira Stoll) webmaster@nysun.com en-us Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/music-producer-joan-hyler-in-car-wreck/84102/ Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Authorities say Hollywood producer and talent manager Joan Hyler was in critical condition after she was hit by a car Friday night on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Calif. Ms. Hyler, who has represented Bob Dylan and Madonna and is a former president of the nonprofit Women in Film, was hit as she was heading to a home in the area. In a posting on the Web site of UCLA Medical Center, her family says she sustained "severe and multiple injuries." A hospital spokesman says Ms. Hyler remained in... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/dave-matthews-bands-leroi-moore-dies/84281/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST LeRoi Moore, the versatile saxophonist whose signature staccato fused jazz and funk overtones onto the eclectic sound of the Dave Matthews Band, died Tuesday of complications from injuries he suffered in an all-terrain vehicle accident, the band said. He was 46. Moore died at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was admitted with complications that arose weeks after the June 30 wreck, according to a statement on the band's Web site. It did not specify what led to his death, and... BRET McCABE http://www.nysun.com/arts/jennifer-oconnor-sings-her-own-tune/84286/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Jennifer O'Connor has been compared with and held up against so many chanteuses of the 1990s — especially Liz Phair — that it's become a disservice to all parties involved. Surely it's possible for a woman to sing passionately and intimately about her life without having to be equated with another woman simply because of a lazy implication that female experiences are all the same. "I do find it limiting, and I get asked about this thing a lot or just compared to the same people over and over,"... STEVE DOLLAR http://www.nysun.com/arts/shannon-mcardle-speaks-for-herself/84106/ Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Some artists hide behind the scrim of creative license, contending that even the bloodiest confessions are merely the fabric of fictional conceit. Names are changed to protect the guilty. Catastrophic experiences are related by imaginary characters. And everything else is coincidental. Bob Dylan, in his 2004 memoir, implied that his 1974 classic, "Blood on the Tracks," widely assumed to be about his divorce, was in fact based on Chekhov. It took less than half a pint of Belgian wheat beer to... BRUCE BENNETT http://www.nysun.com/arts/laura-cantrell-courts-the-country-goddesses/84107/ Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST For an increasing number of contemporary musicians romancing the American country and Western idiom, self-expression goes hand in hand with an archival zeal. There is arguably no better local example of this than the Nashville-born, Queens-residing singer, songwriter, and lapsed radio DJ Laura Cantrell. Ms. Cantrell, whose new EP of cover renditions, "Trains and Boats and Planes," draws from such varied musical sources as Canadian folkie Gordon Lightfoot, British post-punks New Order, and... BRET McCABE http://www.nysun.com/arts/hesitant-steps-into-the-future-stereolab-and/84108/ Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Stereolab has made the musical equivalent of 1960s European art-house cinema for nearly 20 years now. Since forming in London in 1990, the group has melded lounge pop, 1970s-style German rock (better known as "Krautrock"), and electronic music with the sort of dense intellectualism that can be found in graduate student dissertations on political theory. It all makes for a plush cocktail that evokes French New Wave stars such as Alain Delon and Delphine Seyrig, wandering aimlessly around exotic... Bloomberg News http://www.nysun.com/arts/groundbreaking-record-exec-jerry-wexler-dies/84024/ Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Jerry Wexler, the feisty Atlantic Records executive who coined the term "rhythm and blues" and produced some of the standout recordings by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Wilson Pickett, has died. He was 91. Wexler, who suffered from congenital heart disease, died Saturday at his home in Sarasota, Fla. Along with Sam Phillips of Sun Records, Wexler helped define the role of the modern record producer. He oversaw Charles's rollicking classic "What'd I Say" in 1959 and recorded Bob Dylan's... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/allmans-sue-record-company-for-itunes-revenue/83721/ Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The Allman Brothers Band has sued a record company to demand a bigger cut of recordings sold through third parties such as Apple's iTunes music service. The Southern rock band filed its lawsuit against UMG Recordings Inc. in federal court in Manhattan on Monday, saying it was the victim of "digital exploitation." The band behind such hits as "Melissa" and "Ramblin' Man" demands at least $13 million and additional royalties from the sales of newly configured compact discs and digital downloads... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/beatles-management-contract-heads-to-auction/83719/ Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Brian Epstein's copy of his management contract with the Beatles, a pact that proved to be worth millions, is being offered for sale in London next month. The four-page document, signed October 1, 1962, by John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Richard Starkey — Ringo Starr's real name — carries an estimated price of $480,000. The Fame Bureau auction house said Tuesday it had scheduled the sale for September 4 at the Idea Generation Gallery. The contract, also signed by Harold... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/post-springsteen-will-play-super-bowl/83723/ Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST A newspaper is reporting that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will rock the next Super Bowl. The New York Post says the Boss and his band will be featured at Super Bowl XLIII on February 1 in Tampa, Fla. A spokeswoman for Mr. Springsteen, Marilyn Laverty, told the Associated Press that she won't comment on the report. An NFL spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Mr. Springsteen and the band just finished a yearlong tour behind their latest album, "Magic."... STEVE DOLLAR http://www.nysun.com/arts/the-melvins-wont-go-quietly/83640/ Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST As strong candidates for the ultimate in rock 'n' roll longevity, bands such as R.E.M., U2, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers have found ways to persevere into their third decades as working entities in part by being thoroughly embedded in pop culture's collective subconsciousness. Even an "underground" group such as Sonic Youth, which has never been a steady presence on the radio or television, can be seen as a precursor to a thriving generation of acts that exploded out of its model for moderate... STEVE DOLLAR http://www.nysun.com/arts/brotherman-the-soul-soundtrack-that-almost-wasnt/83641/ Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Sometimes a cliché isn't a cliché — it's stirringly profound, less for what is imparted than for the eloquence with which it is delivered. Even when a listener knows what to expect in theory from a piece of music, the merits of an offhanded artistry can be surprising. Such is the case of "Brotherman." This original soundtrack recording was destined for the background of a film with the same name, a would-be blaxploitation epic that was never made. Now, more than three decades later, the music... BRET McCABE http://www.nysun.com/arts/voices-of-authority/83642/ Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Johnny Whitney has a voice only a mother could love, though she is more likely to fear what has pushed her son to such extremes. Between 1997 and 2006, as one of two lead singers in the chaotic Seattle hard-core outfit the Blood Brothers, Mr. Whitney screamed and shrieked like a terrorized teenager forever trapped in a horror movie. It was an ideal sound for the Blood Brothers' corrosive worldview and discordant mayhem: Mr. Whitney seemed like a survivor witnessing the end times on the band's... STEVE DOLLAR http://www.nysun.com/arts/304-musicians-one-abiding-spirit/83162/ Tue, 5 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST If the experience of listening to music has become an increasingly insular occasion of individuals floating inside the private bubbles of their iPods, then there also exists a movement toward the other end of the spectrum: the concert as a mass public immersion in a tribal sonic ritual. And, no, not at Bonnaroo or Burning Man. Try the banks of the East River in Williamsburg or Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center, both of which will host unique events this weekend and next at which scores of... BRET McCABE http://www.nysun.com/arts/the-pros-cons-of-consistency/83170/ Tue, 5 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The difference between an artist staying the same and never changing is miniscule but worth noticing. Artists who stay the same can carve an entire career out of working through their organizing ideas (see: Sonic Youth), whereas artists who never change typically sound retro from the start (see: third-wave ska bands). New albums from Brooklyn's Oxford Collapse and Omaha's Conor Oberst offer two studies of this process in action. "Bits" (Sub Pop), Oxford Collapse's fourth album, which comes out... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/rare-beatles-tape-to-be-auctioned/82997/ Fri, 1 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST A British auction house said it will sell a tape recording of the Beatles chatting and breaking into giggles during an early recording session. Cameo Auctioneers said the reel-to-reel tape was recorded in 1964 and was recently found by a man clearing out his father's attic. On one part of the half-hour tape, John Lennon and Paul McCartney repeatedly collapse in laughter as they try to complete the ballad "I'll Follow the Sun." The tape also features versions of the songs "I Feel Fine" and... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/cheech-and-chong-reunite/82907/ Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Now that their feud is up in smoke, Cheech and Chong are high on plans to reunite for their first comedy tour in more than 25 years. Cheech Marin told AP Radio that he and Tommy Chong "looked at each other, going, 'If we're ever going to do something it has to be now, because you're not getting any younger and neither am I.'" They tossed around some ideas and figured a comedy tour would be "the most fun" and "the least hassle," the 62-year-old Mr. Marin said. Messrs. Marin and Chong, who broke... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/jacob-the-jeweler-sues-wyclef-jean/82908/ Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST The company founded by the New York businessman known to rappers as "Jacob the Jeweler" has sued Wyclef Jean, claiming he owes money for watches and jewelry he bought. Jacob & Co., Inc., said in Manhattan court papers filed Tuesday that the hip-hop musician bought several items between March 2002 and January 2006 for $765,100. The company says that Mr. Jean still owes $319,680, despite "repeated demands for payment." The company's founder, Jacob Arabo, was sentenced in June to 2- 1/2 years in... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/impresario-pearlman-to-testify-against-inmate/82909/ Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Florida prosecutors say imprisoned boy-band impresario Lou Pearlman may testify against a fellow jail inmate accused of gunning down an Orlando police officer. The Orlando Sentinel reported Wednesday that Pearlman provided key information after overhearing conversations with 19-year-old shooting suspect Davin Smith. The teenager and another man have pleaded not guilty in the October killing of police officer Alfred Gordon. Prosecutors say the information Pearlman provided is useful and he may... Staff Reporter of the Sun http://www.nysun.com/arts/dylan-to-open-his-vault-for-new-release/82831/ Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Bob Dylan is opening up his vaults for the first time in three years, according to a report by Reuters. The iconic folk singer's label announced Tuesday that in October it will issue a multidisc album consisting of late-era outtakes, previously unreleased recordings, and live tracks. "Tell Tale Signs," the eighth installment in Mr. Dylan's "Bootleg Series," focuses on albums from the last two decades, ranging from 1989's "Oh Mercy" to 2006's "Modern Times." Columbia Records will release "Tell... BRET McCABE http://www.nysun.com/arts/wolf-parade-bon-iver-head-for-the-city/82762/ Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Three of indie rock's most interesting, idiosyncratic, and celebrated songwriters visit New York this week in the form of Wisconsin's Bon Iver and Montreal's Wolf Parade. The two acts may sound nothing alike — Bon Iver's gentle folk is a world removed from Wolf Parade's charged energy — but they share an interest in traditional, almost old-fashioned songwriting, which helps them achieve the palpable emotional power found in their songs. Bon Iver, the solo outfit for singer-songwriter Justin... Staff Reporter of the Sun http://www.nysun.com/arts/tehran-to-host-western-pop-concert/82744/ Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Irish-born singer Chris de Burgh will perform in Tehran in late November alongside Iranian band Arian, Reuters reported today. The concert will mark the first time a Western singer has performed with an Iranian band in Iran since 1979. Western pop music is generally banned by Iranian authorities, and Iranian bands have to get their lyrics approved before broadcasting or performing. Iranians are sometimes exposed to Western music or unapproved songs through the black market, however, and Mr. de... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/50-cent-sues-taco-bell/82581/ Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST 50 Cent has sued Taco Bell, claiming the fast-food restaurant chain is using his name without permission in advertising that asks him to call himself 99 Cent. The rapper says in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that the Mexican-themed chain features him in a print ad asking him to change his name to 79 Cent, 89 Cent, or 99 Cent. His real name is Curtis Jackson. The rapper's court papers say the ad is part of Taco Bell's "Why Pay More?" campaign, which promotes items that cost less than a... Bloomberg News http://www.nysun.com/arts/adele-radiohead-lead-mercury-prize-short-list/82404/ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Albums by Adele and Radiohead are among the 12-strong short list for the U.K.'s 2008 Nationwide Mercury Prize, announced Tuesday. Soul singer Adele, now 20, was nominated for her debut "19," and the short list also includes 18-year-old Laura Marling, whose first CD is called "Alas I Cannot Swim." Led Zeppelin veteran Robert Plant, 59, is also nominated, for his album with Alison Krauss, "Raising Sand." "This turns out to be a remarkably rich year for British music," Simon Frith, chairman of the... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/folk-singer-artie-traum-dies-at-65/82314/ Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Artie Traum, a veteran folk songwriter and guitarist who came out of the famous Greenwich Village music scene of the '60s, is dead. He was 65. Jeff Heiman, Traum's manager, said he died Sunday at his home in Woodstock from cancer that spread to his liver. Traum produced and recorded with some of the biggest names in folk and rock, from Bela Fleck to the Band, according to his Web site. He is widely known for playing and recording with his brother, Happy Traum... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/courtney-love-sued-over-nirvana-catalog-sale/82442/ Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:34:41 EST LOS ANGELES — A business management and accounting firm sued Courtney Love for nearly $1 million today, claiming she failed to pay them a share of profits from the sale of Nirvana's publishing catalog. Ms. Love is the widow of Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain. The five-page lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court this afternoon claims she sold a portion of his share of Nirvana's publishing catalog for $19.5 million. Los Angeles-based London & Co. alleges Ms. Love broke an oral contract to share... STEVE DOLLAR http://www.nysun.com/arts/pitchfork-hosts-a-perma-rock-festival/82331/ Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST CHICAGO — As concepts go, the notion of pop acts going onstage to reprise their best-loved albums front to back isn't particularly new. To conclude its 1989 "Green" tour, R.E.M. threw in a surprise set at its Atlanta homecoming show, playing its debut album "Murmur" in original track order as a no-fuss bonus for its fans. These days, however, all quarters of the music industry are looking for ways to generate a marketable buzz as record sales plummet and recorded music becomes an ephemeral... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/dmx-arrested-again/82224/ Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Rapper DMX was arrested at a Phoenix mall Saturday on suspicion that he gave a gave a false name and Social Security number to a hospital to get out of paying for medical expenses. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said that when DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, went to Scottsdale's Mayo Clinic in April, he used the name "Troy Jones" and failed to pay a $7,500 bill. DMX's Scottsdale attorney, Cameron Morgan, declined to comment. Mr. Arpaio said his office began investigating the charge... Staff Reporter of the Sun http://www.nysun.com/arts/china-bans-bjork-other-entertainers/82120/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST China will not allow into the country any foreign entertainers whom it deems a threat to its own national sovereignty, defined as a likelihood to "whip up ethnic hatred," "violate religious policy or cultural norms," or "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition," Reuters reported Thursday. The decision was announced in response to a politically provocative act by the Icelandic singer Björk, who shouted, "Tibet, Tibet," to crowds at a concert in Shanghai. China has a history of... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/boy-band-svengali-ordered-to-pay-300m/82017/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Former boy-band promoter Lou Pearlman will have to repay victims of his decades-long investment fraud at least $300 million in restitution. A federal judge on Wednesday asked lawyers to draw up the order for his approval. It's unclear whether the creator of the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync will be able to raise those funds while behind bars. He's serving a 25-year sentence on federal fraud charges. Prosecutors also wanted U.S. District Judge G. Kendall Sharp to tack on interest, making the... Staff Reporter of the Sun http://www.nysun.com/arts/guns-n-roses-releases-song-through-video-game/81927/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST The first track to be made public from "Chinese Democracy," the much-delayed, much-maligned Guns N' Roses album, will be released through a video game, the BBC reported Tuesday. The song, "Shackler's Revenge," will appear as a selection in Rock Band 2, a game in which users play along to songs with hand-held controllers. The game is slated to be released in September by Harmonix, Electronic Arts, and MTV Games. The release date for the album itself, the follow-up to Guns N' Roses' "The... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/mellencamp-brings-farm-aid-to-northeast/81928/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Farm Aid, the long-running benefit concert, will be held this year in New England for the first time. John Mellencamp is scheduled to hold a news conference in Boston on Tuesday to announce that the show will be held September 20 at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Mass. The Boston Globe reports that Mr. Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and Dave Matthews will headline the concert, and more performers will be announced. Farm Aid executive director Carolyn Mugar says organizers have long... BRET MCCABE http://www.nysun.com/arts/not-your-average-adult-content/81867/ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST 'Adult" is sometimes used to signify questionable content: adult films, adult books, adult situations. It's the same for rock 'n' roll, only not because of prurience. Somehow, rock has retained its youthful exuberance well into its fifth decade, making the idea of "adult rock" a study in conflicting ideas. The friction between freewheeling rock and quasi-sensible adulthood is exactly what Brooklyn quintet the Hold Steady has explored over its four-year career, and never more so than on its new... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/beatles-producer-george-martin-honored/81762/ Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST George Martin, the classically trained producer who helmed the Beatles' recordings from their mop-top phase through their later musical masterworks, was honored Saturday night in Los Angeles. Mr. Martin, 82, received a career award from the Recording Academy's Grammy Foundation, which provides education programs for future music professionals and works to preserve musical history. Mr. Martin is the most successful record producer of all time, according to the academy, with more than 50... HELEN BROWN http://www.nysun.com/arts/brunis-new-album-is-simply-sultry/81554/ Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Carla Bruni's new album, "Comme si de rien n'etait" ( "As if nothing happened"), will be sold internationally as "Simply." On it, she sings of her love for her husband, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, and much more. A song-by-song review is below. "Ma Jeunesse" The Premiere Dame may have a colorful past, but her music has always been as classically chic and subtly sexy as her Christian Dior wardrobe. The supermodel-turned-chanteuse has been worried that her left-leaning fan base might... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/madonna-brings-virtual-britney-on-tour/81442/ Wed, 9 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Madonna has recruited Britney Spears for a virtual appearance on her upcoming tour. "There is footage being shot of Britney sometime this week in conjunction with Madonna's upcoming (Sticky & Sweet) tour," Madonna's publicist, Liz Rosenberg, said in an e-mail Tuesday to the Associated Press. "That is all the information I have available. The rest is 'a secret.'" Ms. Rosenberg denied reports that Ms. Spears, 26, is shooting a music video. Madonna guest starred in a music video for Ms. Spears's... BRET McCABE http://www.nysun.com/arts/beck-stumbles-into-an-uncertain-future/81388/ Tue, 8 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Beck Hansen and Danger Mouse should be a match made in pop heaven. Beck is a genre-busting singer-songwriter who creates his strongest work when bouncing ideas off of equally innovative producers. Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton), the mind behind Gnarls Barkley's darkly themed soul pop, is one such sound alchemist. Somehow, though, the pair's most recent collaboration, "Modern Guilt" (Interscope), Beck's 10th album and the final in his major-label contract with DGC Records, coaxes out everything... NICHOLAS WAPSHOTT http://www.nysun.com/arts/billy-joel-pulls-the-curtain-at-shea/81389/ Tue, 8 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST There is some suitable symmetry in Billy Joel giving the final musical performance at Shea Stadium. As a budding singer-songwriter in 1964, Mr. Joel looked out at the American music scene and despaired. The charts were full of soul hits, which left him cold. "I was a kid from Levittown, so how much soul did I have at that point?" he once said of his childhood. Then one evening in February 1964, like much of the rest of America, he watched on television as Ed Sullivan ushered the Beatles into... STEVE DOLLAR http://www.nysun.com/arts/closing-time-for-waitss-american-tour/81381/ Tue, 8 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST ATLANTA — A man who dredges his art up through a reservoir of phlegm, subterranean myth, vaudevillian shtick, fractured blues, and the fantastic testimony of a carnival barker, Tom Waits has long served as a kind of all-purpose synonym: He's a one-man signifier of vintage American weirdness, whose gruff veneer gives way to soulful depths of tear-wringing melancholy. Mr. Waits is also, at 58, far enough beyond the demands of a routine musical career that he doesn't have to do much besides hang... BRET McCABE http://www.nysun.com/arts/british-rocker-world-ambassador/81383/ Tue, 8 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST When Damon Albarn and the Honest Jon's Revue perform at the Lincoln Center Festival on Saturday, the stage will be filled with a veritable supergroup consisting of talent from all around the world. In addition to Mr. Albarn — best known for his 1990s Brit-pop band Blur, as well as the conceptual comic-book collaborative Gorillaz and, most recently, the ambitious rock outfit the Good, the Bad & the Queen — the Revue includes an impressive array of African and North American musicians, among them... BRET MCCABE http://www.nysun.com/arts/sowing-the-seeds-of-discontent/80991/ Tue, 1 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Dissatisfaction is strewn throughout the new albums by England's Dirty Pretty Things and California's Earlimart, both out today. How the two rock bands choose to express that restlessness — and why they're so riled — is radically different, and boils down to what makes one a promising failure and the other a disarmingly curious gem. "Romance at Short Notice," the sophomore release from Dirty Pretty Things, suffers when compared with the output of singer-songwriter Carl Barât's previous outfit... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/jones-beach-theater-commits-to-storm-tracking/80969/ Tue, 1 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Officials say a new computer system at Long Island's Jones Beach theater will help them do a better job of tracking approaching storms. The development follows a close call with a lightning strike during an R.E.M. concert at the outdoor theater three weeks ago. State parks regional director Ronald Foley says procedures there also are being evaluated. Mr. Foley says that when the lightning struck, the theater manager was on the verge of having an evacuation announcement made, and removing the... BRUCE BENNETT http://www.nysun.com/arts/times-new-viking-offers-a-living-breathing-museum/80797/ Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST Perhaps the greatest effect of the Internet on the music industry has been the role of Web communities such as MySpace and Facebook, as well as individual Web logs, in helping to spread the word about regional independent music scenes, emerging groups, and their gigs and recordings. It's a far more immediate tool, blanketing a thicker cross section of curious listeners, than the photocopied fanzines, college radio airplay, local record stores, real-time word of mouth, and record-label publicity... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/coldplay-sales-boost-industry-confidence/80673/ Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" will debut at no. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart with more than 720,000 copies sold in its first week, the second-best opening week of 2008, according to the trade magazine's Web site. Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" was the top album debut of the year after it sold a spectacular 1 million copies earlier this month. Two back-to-back blockbuster sales are a boost to the sluggish music industry, which has had little to celebrate with declining sales. "Viva La Vida"... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/mtv-moves-awards-to-la/80507/ Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST The MTV Video Music Awards are going Hollywood. After broadcasting from Las Vegas last year, the awards will air live from Paramount Studios in Los Angeles on September 7, MTV announced Monday. MTV said it plans for the first time to enlist its Web-savvy, youthful audience to help decide the nominees. The network intends to take over the movie studio's lot and present the awards show from soundstages, rooftops, and city streets. MTV and Paramount are corporate cousins within Viacom Inc. "With... STEVE DOLLAR http://www.nysun.com/arts/shes-a-little-bit-country-and-so-is-she/80518/ Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST Now more than ever, America needs the Watson Twins. The sisters from Louisville, Ky., were the secret, double-barreled weapon on singer Jenny Lewis's 2006 album "Rabbit Fur Coat," on which they helped the former child star break out as a countrified solo artist after years of indie-rock success with the Los Angeles quartet Rilo Kiley. And they did so often subliminally, like the fine details in the fancy embroidery on a Western-style shirt. The more deeply one listens to that record, the more... BRET MCCABE http://www.nysun.com/arts/from-the-garage-to-the-dance-floor/80519/ Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST The new albums from New York bands Love as Laughter and Hercules and Love Affair rekindle memories of beloved genres before niche-marketing and trend-setting Web logs got ahold of them. Brooklyn's Love as Laughter, the long-running pop-rock band led by Sam Jayne, continues its winning streak of catchy, guiltless indie-rock with "Holy" (Glacial Pace), though in this case the "indie" isn't merely a descriptive word for feckless guitar strums and fey vocals. Hercules and Love Affair, meanwhile... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/drugs-have-damaged-winehouses-lungs/80433/ Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST Singer Amy Winehouse has lung damage and an irregular heartbeat, her father said in an interview published Sunday. Ms. Winehouse has damaged her lungs by smoking crack cocaine and cigarettes. The Sunday Mirror quoted Mitch Winehouse as saying that his daughter has early-stage emphysema and an irregular heartbeat, and has been warned that she will have to wear an oxygen mask unless she stops smoking drugs. "The doctors have told her if she goes back to smoking drugs, it won't just ruin her... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/arts/j-lo-sings-at-elementary-graduation/80243/ Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST They may not know how famous she is, but the students at a Staten Island elementary school for autistic children sure like the way Jennifer Lopez moves. The Bronx-born singer and actress visited P.S. 37 Tuesday to perform her song "Let's Get Loud" for a group of eight 10- and 11-year-olds at their graduation ceremony. Teacher Kathy Amati says the children "really like her singing and dancing." Ms. Amati and a paraprofessional had shown the video for "Let's Get Loud" to the students. They loved... BRET McCABE http://www.nysun.com/arts/coldplay-whistling-toward-the-middle-of-the-road/80094/ Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST Coldplay's new single, "Viva la Vida," is already ubiquitous — at least, 30 seconds of it. That the song is patently inoffensive in its wallpaper-like omnipresence on radio and television is a new wrinkle for the band. With a gentle, string-propelled melody and Chris Martin's plangent voice — for once not creaking through a falsetto while singing an instantly catchy line, "I used to rule the world" — it feels completely innocuous whenever iTunes or iPod TV advertisements come on, or when the...