Quick ‘n’ Dirty Music News: 03.07.08

Posted by Mitch Michaels on 03.07.2008

Festival Fever, Scott Weiland & the Battle for the Last Grunge Band, NIN embraces downloading as Wal*Mart rearranges chairs on a sinking ship, American Idol Vs. Viagra, Gnarls Barkley literally drives fans crazy, plus chart news and album previews for Snoop Dogg, Now and others, and Mandy Moore is our Piece Of The Week!

Spring is drawing near my friends, and what better way to ring out the winter weather than to sit on your ass reading my music column? I'm Mitch Michaels, and this is the Quick ‘n' Dirty News.

Allow me a moment to speak to my readers who continue to pursue their education. At what point did "Spring Break" mean "Please, Mr. Professor, pile on as much work for me to do as you possibly can seeing as how I get three hours off from listening to you run your mouth." It's no wonder that Asian kid at Virginia Tech went nuts.


Too soon?

Still, I just wouldn't feel right leaving you guys high and dry, so whatever you're procrastinating on while reading this weekly extravaganza (homework, chores, getting that big presentation ready, putting another bag of lye on that shallow grave), I hope you enjoy another edition of 411 fun time.

It's quick. It's dirty. It's news.



STAND BY…FOR NEWS!

All news items are from 411 Music's newswire:

Festivals, Festivals, Festivals

With spring just around the corner, the summer festival season has begun its full preparation. 411 reported on three new line-ups announced this week alone, with the brand new Outside Lands festival (Tom Petty, Radiohead, Jack Johnson), the second annual Rocklahoma event (80's hair metal revival) and Japan's Summer Sonic (Coldplay, Sex Pistols, The Verve). Also recently announced was Boston's River Rave, which is set to feature the reunited Stone Temple Pilots and Filter. Remember when summer festivals were special?

Aside from Rocklahoma, the festivals for 2008 suffer from the same problem that made 2007's such a bore. There's little variety (seriously, last summer, what fest wasn't headlined by The Police) and, once you get there, you're so overloaded with advertising…and hell, overloaded with music. Some of these shows feature FIVE stages. FIVE FUCKING STAGES. There's no way you can keep up. Sure, they stagger the shows, but there's always overlap, and by the very nature of scheduling, big bands always play at the same time. And the big bands you do see give you a shortened set to make room for the dozens of other up and coming (re: fuckers you've never heard of) acts. So while you're dropping a few hundred bucks for tickets, what are you REALLY getting? Besides a heat stroke, NO seats for 12 hours and a belly full of overpriced concession food.

I've done the big festival thing on multiple occasions and it's never that great. The last one I went to, Virgin in Baltimore last year, found me greeted by several people already being carted out due to the heat. And it was only NOON.

If you wanna do something memorable, show up at a regular show hours earlier and do some tailgating.

Interstate Love Drug Song

Problems stemming from a November car accident continue to dog Scott Weiland. The Stone Temple Pilots frontman checked into rehab last month, forcing the cancellation of several shows by his other band, Velvet Revolver. Scott managed to stay the 28 days and checked out this week. It's not been said what Weiland was being treated for, but he has a history of both drug and alcohol abuse. On Wednesday, Scott pleaded not guilty to DUI charges which he was issued following refusing a breathalyzer test.

You know who the real winner in this situation is? Eddie Vedder. Think about it. Historically, there are only four or five bands that matter in the grunge movement. You had Nirvana, who broke up when Kurt Cobain decided to eat a shotgun shell. You have Alice In Chains, who effectively ended the day Layne Staley rode his last speedball (and no, I'm not interested in their reunion sans Staley). Then there's Soundgarden, who couldn't stand each other long enough to finish their last concert together. And the fuckers were in Hawaii!

So that leaves Pearl Jam as the last grunge band standing after STP fizzled out a few years ago. With Weiland STILL unable to get his shit together, I don't think Ed has much to worry about this reunion being long term. Long live Pearl Jam and their continuing mediocre career. Seriously, that self-titled set was awfully forgettable.

Oh wait, I forgot about those ultra grungy Black Crowes, who are still standing tall, despite the fact that not even the people who get paid to listen to their albums are listening to them these days. Yes, the war between Maxim and the Robinsons continue, and CNN hilariously reported on the issue this week. Check out the brief clip below:

CNN displays their knowledge of the Black Crowes.

Yes, that's right. CNN just lumped the blues-rock Black Crowes, who famously covered "Hard To Handle", with Nirvana and the Seattle Sound. Remember this next time you're reading those "mainstream" reviews.

Does this make you CRAAAAZY?

Hey, you! Watch this video of Gnarls Barkley's "Run".


Oh, I guess I should've warned you: this video could cause a seizure.

But don't worry, only if you're British.

Billboard was told by Gnarls Barkley's Dangermouse this week that the clip had been pulled by MTV in the UK after failing to pass the Harding Test, a British check that prevents content from airing on the nation's teles that could cause epileptic fits, tongue swallowing and your eyes generally rolling into the back of your head Undertaker-style.

The United States could give a fuck less about epilectic seizures and all that other shit, though, as "Run" made its premier on MTV last night. These colors don't run, nor do they suffer from neurological disorders.

As for the song…eh. It's no "Crazy". Of course, neither was the rest of St. Elsewhere, which suffered from buyforonlyonesong-itis. If the rest of Odd Couple is as funky as "Run", it could still be the better album.

Trent Reznor Gives A Nine Inch Middle Finger To The Music Biz

Seeing as how Radiohead managed to not go under releasing their latest album via the internet (quite the opposite, as the physical release of In Rainbows sold quite well), Nine Inch Nails has decided to follow the now worn path and release their latest effort in much the same manner. Fans can grab the all new record on NIN's website for the low-low price of $5. Wow, Trent Reznor is such a visionary. He really cares about the fans…wait a minute now.

NIN is actually putting out Ghosts I-IV, a compilation of 30-odd instrumental tracks that, let's face it, would have very little shelf-life elsewhere. Reznor has once again proven his skills in viral marketing, though, as he's officially uploaded the first nine tracks of Ghosts onto the major torrent sites, as well as made them available on the Nine Inch Nails site for nothing. If one were cynical, they may argue that this simply makes it harder for downloads to find the *FULL* pirated copies of Ghosts, having to wade through truncated torrents of the nine legal tracks.

And if one were VERY cynical, they may say that this move simply keeps Reznor and his band commercially viable as they shop around for a new label deal. But c'mon…Trent's all about the music, right?

Whatever the motivation, the scheme seems to have worked, as traffic to nin.com was shut down after only 30 minutes of overwhelming the site. I was gonna offer a direct link to the free songs here, but even at press time, I'm having trouble logging in.

Once again, I believe that these types of release stunts are viable for band's who have ALREADY MADE THEIR NAMES on the backs of record labels. A young band though? Who's got time to wade through a million MySpace profiles to find the next big thing?

And in further digital revolution news, Wal-Mart has responded to the recent report of increased legal downloads and decreased CD buying by moving to slash prices on their albums. Prices for CDs will soon be set at $10 (new releases), $12 (hits/current titles), $9 (top catalog), $7 (midline catalog) and $5 (budget catalog). If you've bought CDs at a Wal*Mart lately, you'll realize that, while this plan wasn't formal, it's been pretty much the case for possibly years. The big shift will probably be the shift in catalog CDs, which have stayed set at around $11.88 until now.

And once again, let it be known that people who actually care what music SOUNDS LIKE will always be suspicious of legal, low bitrate donwloads. I'll even go as far as to say, temporarily, this price war to stimulate CD sales is good for audiophiles everywhere. Cause what's next, albums on Blu-Ray? Who's got that kind of cash just for Tim McGraw's newest hit?

American Idol Ramblings

With "American Idol" nearing its Final 12, the goings on with Ryan Seacrest and the rest of those fruits on Fox is filling up the news. We got word this week that former A.I. Heavyweight Champion and a guy who is Sorry For 2004 and pretty much every year after, Ruben Studdard will be offering the loser music, as his cover of "Celebrate Me Home" will play each time someone new is voted off the show.

How much for this Kenny Loggins record?

I'll give you six bucks.

Nuh uh, he signed it himself.

OK, I'll give you five.

Judge Simon Cowell has also been rumored to have been offered $2 million to appear in a promotional campaign for Viagra.


You can write your own joke and post it on the comments at the bottom.

And finally, one of the finalists, David Hernandez, is gay. Well, aren't they all? The big news is that, until he began his stint on Idol, David had been working at a mostly gay strip club. Once the AP broke the news, it became a huge hot topic, and the morning after the "males" sang this week, CNN and other outlets were SHOCKED that A.I. responded to the scandal by completely ignoring it. Apparently, they haven't been watching this show very long, as Idol has NEVER faced any negative publicity headlong. Hell, finalists in the past have just discreetly disappeared. And the ones who blew up too late in the game were just allowed to continue as if nothing had happened. Remember Antonella Barba?


Who could forget?

Anyway, if Ryan Seacrest is STILL in the closet, I figure that the A.I. producers can handle a mediocre finalist who used to do a little swordfighting and thinks Clay Aiken is yummy.


NEW RELEASES FOR MARCH 11, 2008

WHAT EVERYONE WILL BUY:

Now 27 - This one was a tough call, as the Now CDs are never guaranteed #1's. However, the comp's only big competition this week is Rick Ross's big sophomore effort Trilla. While Ross himself had a surprise hit a couple years ago, the delays on Trilla and the fact that it's yet to break a big single (people are too busy grooving to Webbie) will probably hurt its sales a bit. The bigger contender is Snoop Dogg, who puts out his adventurous Ego Trippin' this week as well. Still, with hits by Rihanna, Kanye, Britney and the rest of the usual suspects, Now 27 is stacked to be a big seller.

WHAT WILL BE NUMBER ONE:

Janet Jackson scored her first #1 in seven years this week with Discipline, an easily anticipated chart topper given that no way Jack Johnson could hang around forever. Erykah Badu also sold big (bigger than I thought) and saw her first release in five years drop at #2. I missed the only other big debut this week (which saw the Once and Juno soundtracks, as well as Miley Cyrus, ride Oscars hgype to a sales surge) was by rapper Webbie, who has a current Top 10 hit single. Woops.

Janet Jackson shouldn't get too comfy at the top spot though. After selling a rather disappointing 180k, Jackson is ripe to make way for another Jackson, Alan, whose Good Times should prove to be a smash success. Flogging Molly could see their highest album charting yet this week, given the low sales in the current Top 10. The Black Crowes should also resurface in the Top 10 (take THAT Maxim), and hell, even Jackson Browne may see a little love. I've never liked that guy.

WHAT YOU SHOULD BUY:

There's always something worth buying in the New Release section. Here are my picks:

Snoop Dogg - Ego Trippin' - I hated "Sensual Seduction" the first time I heard it, but damn if it hasn't gotten stuck in my head. Ego Trippin' is being touted as Snoop's "rock" album, and it's about time Geffen did something with Tha Doggfather. Hey, the guy's also gonna be at Wrestlemania 24.

Shawn Mullins - Honeydew - While he's operated under the radar for much of the last decade, I have never heard a Shawn Mullins song I didn't like. His "Beautiful Wreck" was an amazing single from his last album, and if country radio would catch on to this guy, he'd get a definite second wind.

The Presidents Of The United States Of America - These Are Good Times People - P.U.S.A.'s first album remains a favorite of mind, and there was more to this band than 3-strings and a long moniker. But whatever happened to the project with Sir Mix-A-Lot.

Now! That's What I Call Music 80's - Tears for Fears, Wham!, The Police, Bob Seger? Just fucking buy it. I give you permission not to feel ashamed.

WHAT'S HOT ON THE DIAL?

Billboard has about a million charts, so each week I'm gonna round up the #1s from each format. That way, no matter WHAT station you flip to when not using your presets, you'll be aware of what you might hear. Newly crowned #1s are in bold:

CHART	SINGLE	WEEKS
POP
HOT 100	Usher feat. Young Jeezy – "Love In This Club"	3
HOT 100 AIRPLAY	Chris Brown – "With You"	13
POP 100	Flo Rida feat. T-Pain – "Low"	18
POP 100 AIRPLAY	Flo Rida feat. T-Pain – "Low"	18
HOT SINGLES SALES	The White Stripes – "Conquest"	4
BUBBLING UNDER HOT 100 SINGLES	Ryan Leslie – "Diamond Girl"	4
DIGITAL
HOT DIGITAL SONGS	Usher feat. Young Jeezy – "Love In This Club"	1
HOT DIGITAL TRACKS	Usher feat. Young Jeezy – "Love In This Club"	1
HOT RINGTONES	Grupo Montez de Durango – "Adios Amor Te Vas"	50
R&B/HIP HOP
HOT R&B/HIP HOP SONGS	Keyshia Cole – "I Remember"	18
HOT R&B/HIP HOP AIRPLAY	Keyshia Cole – "I Remember"	18
HOT ADULT R&B AIRPLAY	Keyshia Cole – "I Remember"TD>17
HOT RAP TRACKS	Flo Rida feat. T-Pain – "Low"	24
RHYTHMIC TOP 40	Chris Brown – "With You"	N/A
HOT R&B/HIP HOP SINGLES SALES	Temar Underwood – "Inside Out"	51
COUNTRY
HOT COUNTRY SONGS	Carrie Underwood – "All American Girl"	14
ROCK
HOT MODERN ROCK TRACKS	Foo Fighters – "Long Road To Ruin"	19
HOT MAINSTREAM ROCK TRACKS	Puddle Of Mudd – "Psycho"	22
ADULT CONTEMPORARY
HOT ADULT TOP 40 TRACKS	Sara Bareilles – "Love Song"	28
HOT ADULT CONTEMPORARY TRACKS	Colbie Caillat – "Bubbly"	31
CHRISTIAN
HOT CHRISTIAN SONGS	Matthew West – "You Are Everything"	21
HOT CHRISTIAN ADULT CONTEMPORARY	Matthew West – "You Are Everything"	21
DANCE
HOT DANCE CLUB PLAY	Bob Sinclar & Steve Edwards – "Together"	9
HOT DANCE AIRPLAY	Ida Corr – "Let Me Think About It"	18
HOT DANCE SINGLES SALES	Goldfrapp – "A&E"	3
INTERNATIONAL
HOT LATIN SONGS	Juanes – "Gotas De Agua Dulce"	9
EUROPEAN HOT 100 SINGLES	Timbaland feat. OneRepublic – "Apologize"	19
EURO DIGITAL SONGS	Duffy – "Mercy"	3
CANADIAN HOT 100	Flo Rida feat. T-Pain – "Low"	16
RECURRENTS
HOT 100 RECURRENT AIRPLAY	Pink – "Who Knew"	3
HOT SINGLES RECURRENTS	Three Days Grace – "Never Too Late"	11
HOT R&B/HIP HOP RECURRENT AIRPLAY	Robin Thicke – "Lost Without U"	15
HOT R&B/HIP HOP RECURRENTS	Robin Thicke – "Lost Without U"	15
HOT COUNTRY RECURRENTS	Brad Paisley – "Letter To Me"	1
HOT ADULT CONTEMPORARY RECURRENTS	John Mayer – "Waiting On The World To Change"	18

MUSICAL PIECE OF THE WEEK

This week Mandy Moore performed some of her own songs on stage at an Australian fundraiser. It was the first time Mandy, who is better known as an actress, had sang in a while on stage, though she released a new CD, Wild Hope, just last year. Don't worry Mandy, music will always have a place for you. In honor of the girl we Wanna Be With and give plenty of Coverage, a chick whose sweet as Candy and has our Senses Working Overtime, Mandy Moore is our Quick ‘n' Dirty Piece Of The Week!















THE END

Hope you all had fun. Be sure to drop me a line on what you liked, didn't, etc.

Keep your ears to the ground.