Tenacious D Detail First Album In Six Years

Posted 3/1/12 1:45 pm EST by in comedy, Music


Tenacious D

By Zachary Swickey

Many a moon has passed since the last Tenacious D album – six years to be exact – but all that is about to change now that the duo has revealed details behind their newest effort: Rize Of The Fenix.

The D, who consist of quirky actor Jack Black and comedian Kyle Gass, have surprised us all by announcing their third album will be dropping in a few months, on May 15 – their first since ‘06’s The Pick of Destiny, which was actually a soundtrack for a film of the same name.

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl will once again helm drums for the disc (he did the same for D’s two previous efforts). Grohl also notoriously played Satan himself in the group’s music video for “Tribute.”
The effort was produced by John Kimbrough, a long-time Tenacious D collaborator, at his home in Los Angeles. The album is expected to include 13 songs.

The only date Tenacious D has on their schedule is a summer appearance at the UK’s Download Festival, which is headlined by Metallica and the reunited Black Sabbath from June 8-10. However, more dates will surely crop up with the announcement of the D’s third release.

Check out the tracklisting for Rize Of The Fenix below. Read More...

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Target Stops Carrying Whitney Houston-Themed Greeting Card

Posted 3/1/12 12:30 pm EST by in whitney-houston


Whitney Houston

Retail giant Target is pulling a greeting card from its shelves that makes light of the very public troubles the late Whitney Houston faced prior to her death last month.

The card, which was available at Target prior to the singer's untimely and tragic death, reads, "Next time you think of dating the bad boy, consider Whitney Houston. That’s all I’m going to say."

The retailer began receiving complaints shortly after Houston's passing that the card was in poor taste and pulled it from shelves. In a statement, Target said, "It is never our intent to offend guests with the products we offer, and we take feedback from guests very seriously. The card was in our stores prior to Ms. Houston’s death. As soon as this was brought to our attention, we began the process of removing the card from all applicable stores."

Of course, the jokey greeting refers to Houston's relationship with Bobby Brown and the very public problems the relationship brought to her public image and personal well-being.

Do you think greeting card was in poor taste and should have never been stocked by Target in the first place? Let us know in the comments below.

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Filo & Peri Know What You Came Here For

Posted 3/1/12 11:45 am EST by in dance


By Adam Stewart (@AdamMTVNews)

It’s been a long strange trip for native New Yorkers Dominick Filopei and Bo Pericic – and a few years since the duo more commonly known as Filo & Peri implanted club staples like “Long Train Running” and “Anthem” into the sonic sound banks of dance music aficionados. Having pumped out flurry of tunes under Armin van Buuren’s Armada and Paul van Dyk’s Vandit records, the duo is a familiar name to those in the know. But throw in a few curve balls, a beastly music business and some admitted inexperience, the duo decided to step back, re-evaluate and more importantly recalibrate. Now, after two years, the reinvented duo is back on course with a new plan of attack, a killer new single and a mindset to live by – "The road to success is never a straight line.”

“When I look back at our near decade in this scene, I sometimes ask myself, were we victims of the politics of dancing? Or did we let the politics of dancing get the best of us? It's a hard question to answer,” Filopei told MTV News via email. “Over the last ten years, despite tons of twists and turns – we were two kids from the Bronx who managed to pull off some pretty lofty achievements. When I look back, the ride has been nothing short of amazing, crazy and testing. Stepping back for a minute has helped us see that much clearer. It helped us remember a time when making music was not about adhering to any one standard –it was about making the music that we felt best about. And that is exactly what we are taking forward. A leaner, meaner F&P—‘unfiltered beats direct from our heads to your ears’."

That mantra is really the mission statement that has put the Bronx beat bombers back on the map with their latest floor filler, “What You Came Here For,” which hit Beatport earlier this week.

“It personifies the new F&P simply!” says Pericic. “We had an idea, and we laid down some serious beats. It was exactly the way we wanted it [to be] and bam, the world now listens!” Read More...

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LMFAO Announce 'Sorry For Party Rocking' Tour

Posted 3/1/12 10:33 am EST by in LMFAO, Tour Dates


LMFAO want to bring the party to your town. The duo has announced plans for a tour with one very lengthy title: "Redfoo and Cherrytree Present: Sorry for Party Rocking Tour Featuring LMFAO and the Party Rock Crew and Special Guests."

RedFoo and Sky Blu will be joined by Far East Movement, the Quest Crew, Sidney Samson, Eva Simons and Natalia Kills. The 26-date tour will kick off on May 22 in Columbus, Ohio, before partying all around the country, including stops in Seattle, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Miami. The tour will wrap up on July 4 in Toronto.

The guys have had their eyes on a splashy headlining tour for some time now. Last year, they teased that in addition to continuing to release singles and videos off their album Sorry for Party Rocking, they also had some big-time tour plans, specifically for their female fans. "So you never can tell, but we are getting into the videos on this album and just doing fun stuff, keeping it going, performing, headlining tour and just continue to express and entertain at the same time and please the women."

Just last week, the guys released their music video for the album’s title track. The eye-popping clip features the fellas throwing the ultimate cartoon-like house party, with cameos from David Hasselhoff and the Quest Crew. It follows animal-print-clad Red and Sky as they anger neighbors, but amp up partygoers in a surreal world made up of cardboard cutouts and animations, perhaps a tease of what the tour will look like.

Check out the tour dates below. Read More...

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Santigold Not Attacking Lady Gaga In New Video, Not a Fan Of LMFAO

Posted 2/27/12 2:00 pm EST by in Music


Santigold

By Zachary Swickey

We’ve been clamoring for Santigold’s sophomore release, Master of My Make-Believe, for a while now, and thankfully with the date drawing nearer, Santi has been chatting it up and providing details about her upcoming effort.

While interviewing with Pitchfork, the singer revealed that she’s not impressed by the lack of artistry in modern pop music. Rumors have suggested that her new video for “Big Mouth” is an attack on the one and only Lady Gaga, but Santi dismissed this (sorta), saying, “I’m disappointed with the state of music right now, but it’s not really about anybody specific. I think there’s a lack of true art, and the fanfare is valued over actual substance. It’s like you don’t have to make good music to be f**king huge.”

While Santi passed on lambasting Gaga, she didn’t stop on criticizing the group LMFAO, saying, “I’m sorry, but LMFAO performed at the Super Bowl? Aren’t they a joke band? That type of s**t makes me cry. I’m like, ‘Really?’” But don't call Santi a total hater – she did mention love for Adele and Beyonce.

When asked about the theme of her album, Santigold responded, “Most of the songs are about being in control of your world. That was a really important message for me as an artist in this process, but also in the world right now. We’re in a weird place. There are so many riots and rebellions going on. It seems like a truth is coming out.”

So far, we’ve heard two stellar tracks off Make Believe – "Disparate Youth” and “Big Mouth” – with a spring release date being tentatively eyed.

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Kid Rock To Perform Charitable Concert With Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Posted 2/27/12 12:25 pm EST by in Kid-Rock


kid rock

By Zachary Swickey

There are plenty of things one typically associates with rocker Kid Rock and his music – booze, women and trucks to name a few – but symphony doesn’t usually come to mind. However, believe-it-or-not, Rock is planning a special evening for his Twisted Brown Trucker Band to be joined by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in his hometown.

On May 12, Rock and Twisted Brown Trucker will have one special performance with the symphony at the town’s 5,000 capacity Fox Theatre with proceeds going to the institution.

“As a musician, a cultural institution like that in Detroit is important, and I thought I could do it. I thought it would be something different to play with an orchestra and do something great,” Rock told Billboard about the unique engagement and also mentioned that he’s never attended a Detroit Symphony Orchestra performance before.

The concert is still in the “early stages” of development, but Rock hopes to use Rob Mathes, musical director of the annual Kennedy Center Honors, to handle the orchestral arrangements. Rock says any of his tunes are a possibility. “I hear a big symphonic opening to ‘Born Free,’ where I’m singing behind this big orchestration that builds up to the payoff of the song,” Rock stated.

“I want to do stuff that does fit and I want to do stuff that absolutely doesn’t fit and … just do stuff that’s different. It’s not going to be a show people have seen before at all, in any regard. All I can guarantee is it’ll be interesting,” Rock further elaborated.

If you want to grab your tickets for Rock's symphonic evening, prices are $100-$1,500, with special VIP amenities from $750. Rock has even mentioned adding another date if the first show sells out quickly.
The benefit is just one of the things on Rock’s burgeoning schedule, which includes the recent debut of his PBS "Live From the Artists Den" episode, his annual “Chillin' the Most Cruise” from April 26-30, and recording the follow-up to Born Free, which Rick Rubin will once again be “somewhat” involved in.

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Katy Perry To Guest Star On Fox's 'Raising Hope'

Posted 2/23/12 3:08 pm EST by in Katy Perry, Television


Katy Perry

By Elizabeth Lancaster

Katy Perry will grace the small screen once again with an upcoming guest appearance on Fox’s charming comedy "Raising Hope" on March 6.

In a show already filled with loveable and quirky comedy, we can only imagine that Katy’s guest role will up the ante. Claiming to be "Rikki," Sabrina’s (Shannon Woodward) best friend from a past life AND a prison guard, we hope the guest spot will provide many hilarious and informative flashbacks from Sabrina’s pre-Jimmy life.

Katy is no stranger to television, having appeared on "How I Met Your Mother" in 2011 and several other shows. Even in her stage performances and red carpet appearances, she generally tends to bring the theatrics, demanding attention and winning the crowd. We expect this performance to be no different. We are, however, excited to see the dynamic between Sabrina and Rikki since Sabrina often steals the show with her dry-but-adorable humor, which is exactly the edge we would imagine Katy Perry would give any character she plays.

At the end of the day, the more Katy the better – especially on an episode titled “Single White Female Role Model”! We have many questions: Did Rikki know Jimmy’s baby mama? Will Katy sport her blue hair?

Guess we will have to tune in and find out!

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New Gorillaz Track 'DoYaThing' Features Andre 3000 And James Murphy

Posted 2/23/12 1:23 pm EST by in Music


Gorillaz

By Zachary Swickey

While it will likely be at least a couple years before we have a new Gorillaz album, we thankfully have a new track from the group to tide us over in the meantime. “DoYaThing” is a one-off multi-artists collab that also features Outkast’s Andre 3000 and LCD Soundsystem mastermind James Murphy.

The song is the newest track featured in Converse Inc.’s “3 artists, 1 song” campaign (a previous [ridiculously catchy] campaign track, “All Summer,” included Kid Cudi, Best Coast, and Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend). The digital funk tune has been released as a free download on the Converse site, where you can also check out some new rad footwear designed by Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett.

“DoYaThing” is notably the first time Murphy has been on a mic since he disbanded LCD Soundsystem after a glorious farewell gig at Madison Square Garden last April. The track is also the first time we’ve heard from Andre 3000 in a while. (He is still apparently ignoring our cries for new Outkast material.)

Billboard spoke with Murphy about the track’s origination. “We didn’t exchange any ideas at all [beforehand]," the singer recalled. “Damon was basically saying, ‘Let’s just get in a room,’ which, even if it wasn’t Damon Albarn, is a pretty convincing argument really. To be honest, I was worried that I should prepare something, but went with it anyway."

A music video for the song is expected to be released later this month, while an uncensored, extended version of the track will reportedly appear on the Gorillaz website in the next few weeks.

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Aretha Franklin Denies She Was Disinvited From Whitney Houston's Funeral

Posted 2/23/12 11:04 am EST by in whitney-houston


Whitney Houston

Many were surprised when Aretha Franklin abruptly canceled her planned performance at Whitney Houston's funeral services last weekend, citing difficulty with leg spasms as the reason she could not attend.

The soul legend's absence led some to speculate that she had actually been disinvited from the services by Houston's mother, Cissy Houston, after making some comments on "Today" following Whitney's death that some have construed as a criticism of Cissy, according to Billboard.

"I think parents have to really talk to their children before they leave home ... (that they) leave home prepared, really. She left home with all the right things," Franklin told Al Roker last week.

Franklin, however, is now shooting down those claims in a statement to the Associated Press.

Cissy Houston and I have been longtime friends for almost 50 years. I have four invitations and parking passes that were sent to me for the funeral. Cissy does not need ridiculous speculation and neither do I – particularly at this time. Knowing Cissy as well as I do, I know Whitney left home right and properly. I was generalizing and it was a well-intended statement for any young adult coming into the music industry. I was not speaking of anyone specifically.

Franklin did pay tribute to her goddaughter hours after her funeral at concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall.

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