MTV Newsroom › New Music Update

Not-So-New Kids Talk Reason For Reunion, Fall Tour & The Jonas Brothers

Posted 5/19/08 1:04 pm EST by in live, MTV News, Music, New Music Update, Reunions

NKOTBReunion

There’s a moment at the beginning of the NKOTB’s reunion single “Summertime” where Joe McIntyre utters the words “Jones Beach, 1988.” Weird. That is almost exactly the time and place that I first met New Kids on the Block. They were one of the earliest interviews I ever did for MTV News, and there were plenty of interviews, news pieces, and even a half-hour show after that. But now, 15 years after they went their separate ways -- branching off into acting (Donnie), solo careers (Jordan, Joe, Danny), real estate (Jon), and families with “new kids” of their own (several of them) -- I think the last thing I ever expected was to be talking to them again, as a group.

But never say never. Saturday evening, in a backstage dressing room at New Jersey’s Izod Center, there they were, the New 30-Something Men on the Block, getting ready to take the stage as part of radio station Z-100’s annual teen scream extravaganza, Zootopia. We were all a good bit older than the last time I sat down with them, and it was a surreal moment -- but good surreal.

The New Kids on their upcoming tour, the reason for reuniting now, and latest teen phenom the Jonas Brothers, after the jump. Read More...

Tags , ,

Zach Condon Returns With New 'Funeral March' Tunes, Announces 'Beirut Is Forever!'

Posted 5/19/08 12:19 pm EST by in live, Music, New Music Update

Beirut

In early April, Zach Condon announced that the entire Beirut European tour was cancelled, writing on their website, “I promise we’ll be back, in some form.”

Many fans were left wondering if the band, in its current form as a 9- to 12-person orchestra, might be kaput. Our own John Norris posted pics on Newsroom of a wandering Zach playing with mariachis in Mexico. And finally, just last week, Zach gave an interview to Seattle’s “The Stranger” in which he set the record straight: the boy just needed some time off to write new music. “It's funny,” Zach said. “I wanted to make this record, and I realized there was no way I could actually do it if I was still doing these tours.”

So there’s new Beirut material on the way! Maybe by year’s end! An EP’s worth of material already complete…

…some of which was unveiled just last night during a last-minute show at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg that we were at. Read More...

Tags , ,

Tyson Says New All-American Rejects CD Will 'Give You Hell'

Posted 5/19/08 10:52 am EST by in Behind The Scenes, Interview, Movies, Music, New Music Update

tyson

This in from MTV News producer Matt Elias, out in LA:

We just recently shot with Tyson Ritter, aka lead singer of All-American Rejects. We were up in Runyon Canyon, and boy are my calves killing me! For those not in the know, Runyon Canyon is the spot for all of Hollywood's hardbodies to get their cardio on, which was the perfect contrast to the waify wisecracker. Seriously, the dude should be in contention for funniest frontman in rock, if such an award existed (you hear me VMAs?). He had our whole crew in stitches.

While he was there to dish on his upcoming role in "House Bunny," which you'll hear about closer to the Movie Awards -- including Tyson picking up dog doody (yup!) -- we were able to squeeze some music news out of him as well. He and the rest of the Rejects are still holed up in the studio, finishing their yet untitled album. But while the disc doesn’t yet have a name, one of his new favorite songs does: "I Hope It Gives You Hell." Here's what Tyson had to say about it:

"It probably won't come out first, but it will be the one that opens up the power kegs. The chorus is, 'Every time I see your face, I hope it gives you hell.' It's kind of a bitter song about people…It's mainly towards people back home that never thought it could happen. It's really full of rage and fun. It’s definitely going to be a beer-drinking, party song."

Tyson told us to look out for the new album in September.

Tags ,

Conor Oberst Talks Mexico, The Solo Life & Obama

Posted 5/16/08 1:10 pm EST by in Campaign '08, Interview, MTV News, Music, New Music Update

conor

Yesterday I got the chance to sit down with one of my favorite musicians on the planet, Conor Oberst.

The setting was a Mexican restaurant in the East Village, about halfway between his house and mine -- though admittedly it was a pretty obvious location choice. You see, earlier this year, Mexico was the place where the nomadic Oberst holed up with a bunch of pals to work on his first solo album in many years, a self-titled release due out August 5th. And yes, he sees a big difference between a solo record and a Bright Eyes record, something he explained in our nearly hour-long conversation.

Conor was in great spirits, and in addition to the new album -- which is more spare and stripped down than last year’s terrific Cassadaga -- we also talked about California (he likes it, I don’t), relationships (not his forte), his aversion to hospitals, and, of course, politics. O, as you might have heard, is a big supporter of O.

So check back with MTVNews.com in the coming weeks for all that -- plus a track-by-track rundown of the entire album...

Tags , , ,

The Game's Ready to Drop 'L.A.X.' -- And Vote For Obama

Posted 5/16/08 12:34 pm EST by in Interview, MTV News, Music, New Music Update

gameintv1

This in from Sway, who just sat down with the Game here at MTV HQ:

The Game is back and appears to be extremely focused. I enjoyed talking with him -- it wasn't really an interview, but more like two homies bringing each other up to date on life.

No matter what adversities the Game is facing in life (thoughts of suicide, beef, jail), he has always managed to create great music. Judging from the songs I've heard already and the song concepts and featured artists L.A.X. has to offer, it seems that he's on his way to another quality project.

Talking about the bigger picture, the Game also said that, in this day and era, it's impossible for anybody not to be political. So to answer your question: the man endorses Obama.

For more on the Game and the seriously anticipated L.A.X., check back with MTVNews.com.


gameintv2

Tags , , ,

Kidz in the Hall Try to Hock You Their 'Double-Beautiful' Album

Posted 5/13/08 6:16 pm EST by in Music, New Music Update


We hung out with Kidz in the Hall today at the famous J & R Music World downtown and talked about their new album. The In Crowd drops today, and the guys used the sales skills they learned playing used car salesmen in their video for "Driving Down the Block" to help move units.

Naledge and Double-O talked about how their academic background played a part in the conception of their album (the two met at UPenn). And, of course, they talked about their new tracks, whose lyrics range from politics to the art of hip-hop and the power of addiction. We'll be bringing you news on their collabos with Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes and Estelle in the days to come.

I've seen these guys go from being an mtvU Freshmen Five artist to doing "My Block: Chicago." Now they're on "TRL"! But these guys never forget their roots, whether they're talking early 90's hip-hop or reminiscing about meeting Barack Obama in their friend's living room back when he was running for State Senate in Illinois...

Tags , ,

Kanye Shares N.E.R.D. Remix, Proves Pharrell Can Still Bring It

Posted 5/12/08 12:12 pm EST by in Music, New Music Update

KanyeRemix

Kanye just posted this remix of the new N.E.R.D. track “Everyone Nose”on his blog. You remember that track? About “about all the girls standing in the line for the bathroom”? And we caught a supposedly cleaned-up Lindsay Lohan on the video set with someone dressed up like a giant nose, etc…? You can listen to the original track on Chad Hugo’s blog.

But while the first to hit the Interweb, with its kind of awkward horn-section biz, was met with a mixed reception, this remix is hot like a burning house...

Tags , , ,

T.I. Finally Has a Date -- And It’s Not in Court

Posted 5/7/08 5:23 pm EST by in Music, New Music Update

TINewAlbum

T.I.’s highly anticipated next album -- and his first since his plea bargain on federal weapon charges -- finally has a release date. Paper Trail, the follow-up to T.I. vs. T.I.P., drops August 12th. (The single, "No Matter What," has been out for about a week, in case you non-hip-hop heads don’t know.)

It’s a weird time in a rapper’s life when even his standard ol’ press release gets all gushy and confessional:

"I must be a man and stand up and accept responsibility," T.I. says. "I exercised extremely poor judgment, and for that, I must be willing to pay whatever price that comes before me."

T.I.’s also set to star in the upcoming flick "For Sale" (produced by his label Grand Hustle), and make an appearance on "Entourage." That’s right: "Entourage." Ten bucks says the plotline involves Turtle…

Tags , ,

The Official Word on Beck's New Album: We So Told You So

Posted 5/7/08 12:57 pm EST by in Music, New Music Update

BeckAlbum

We hate to say we told you so...but, well, we told you so (or rather, our sources told us so and we told you, but, you know...whatever).

On Monday, we got the exclusive scoop that Beck is planning on releasing a below-the-radar album sometime in the "next 4-6 weeks" -- one produced by Danger Mouse and featuring appearances from a handful of talent, including Cat Power. And while neither Beck's publicist nor his label would confirm the news, we felt confident in our sources and went with it anyway -- just like in "All the President's Men!"

The story got picked up by the likes of Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and Perez Hilton, but it wasn't until today that we got the official word -- or, rather, official press release -- that Mr. Hansen would, in fact, be releasing an album.

"Beck has recorded a new album, produced with Brain 'Danger Mouse' Burton, to be released this summer," the release read. "The as-yet-untitled album contains 10 new songs,...a tightly assembled group...that range in lyrical tone from introspection and social commentary to off-the-cuff wordplay and lighthearted humor...Musically, the album's ten tracks vacillate between economy and experimentation, hybrid and pop classicism."

Which is all a very longwinded way of saying "MTV Was Right." Now never doubt us again.

Tags , , ,

Tokio Hotel Fans Think They Are 'Sooooooooooo HOTT!!!!!!'

Posted 5/6/08 3:16 pm EST by in Music, New Music Update

TokioHotelFans

This is interesting. We here at MTV News thought we were kind of conducting a fun little experiment when we published an item on Tokio Hotel a couple weeks ago. We were sort of daring the rumored-to-be-rabid fan base to react. But in the words of “GG,” OMFG! Y’all are too much!

Here’s a mere sampling of the massive groundswell of comments we received just overnight when posting about the pint-sized German band’s visit to Times Square yesterday. And if you care this much, maybe we'll just roll out a video piece on the band. Don't tempt us... Read More...

Tags

12345678
SPONSORS
AD:
©2013 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. MTV and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.