Month: March 2011

Bobby Runk, Good Company

No question about it that Bobby Runk is in good company with the rest after hearing his debut album.   Runk handles lead vocals, keyboards & synth on the new record and this CD is produced by Steely Dan’s own Gary Katz.   Not to mention Bobby has a terrific backing band that helps Mr.…

BUCKETHEAD & BOOTSY COLLINS COLLAB VIDEO

The following video from Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Bootsy Collins and the legendary guitar virtuoso, Buckethead is “Minds Under Construction”. Your view of the world will change upon watching. [youtube Df7_skLvbsU nolink] www.bootsyalbum.com

Kiseleff, A Sound Seal

Kiseleff is a pop/rock group made up of Al Renwick and Scot Andy.   Renwick is the brains behind this operation known as ‘A Sound Seal’ thanks in big part to family inspiration.   Al Renwick writes about three of his own Scottish ancestors who immigrated to America back in 1838.   This information was…

A.Dd+ OFFER FREE ALBUM ON BANDCAMP

Following a string of single and video releases, Dallas, Texas duo A.Dd+ (pronounced A.D.D., with the plus sign silent), a group comprised of rappers Slim Gravy and Paris Pershun, is excited to finally release their debut album, When Pigs Fly. Beginning today, the album, which the Dallas Observer recently hailed as “Nothing short of a…

ELLEN DEGENERES SIGNS A NEW ARTIST TO HER RECORD LABEL

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres announces the newest artist on her record label eleveneleven, 12 year-old singer, Savannah Robinson on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” on Wednesday, March 30th.   Savannah made her first appearance on the show on February 18th and performed “And I am Telling You I’m Not Going.” Ellen was so impressed by…

SCAMS BREAK OUT WITH NEW SINGLE “YOUNGBLOOD”

Whether playing to expectant audiences in their adopted hometown of Leeds, or showcasing everywhere from Europe to the US, Scams are rapidly establishing a reputation as genuine purveyors of a unique sound and a dynamic and infectious live act.

GWEN STEFANI DONATES $1,000,000.00 TO JAPAN EARTHQUAKE-TSUNAMI CHILDREN

Gwen Stefani donated $1,000,000 today to Save the Children’s Japan Earthquake-Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund to help in the relief and recovery effort in Japan. “I’ve been inspired by Japan for many years and have a true love, appreciation and respect for the Japanese people and their culture. The disaster in Japan is beyond heartbreaking…

SKOPE WILL MISS STEVESHOT

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Steveshot. Steve Rothenberg aka Steveshot passed away Sunday March 27, 2011 after a long fight with cancer. Steveshot saw music as his escape from the pain & struggle he faced with this disease. Skope CEO Michael Friedman said, “Today we mourn a wonderful…

MTV RADIO’S MORNING FACTS FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 31ST, 2011

BRITNEY/ENRIQUE TOUR UPDATE On Tuesday, Enrique Iglesias announced that he wouldn’t be touring with Britney Spears, just hours after she said that the two would be heading all over the U-S together this summer.     According to Billboard.biz, it seems that money is playing a big factor in things, as sources have said that…

DOLLY PARTON TO RELEASE ‘BETTER DAY’

One of the most honored female country singers of all time returns this summer with a much-anticipated album of all-new studio material–BETTER DAY (Dolly Records)–and a world tour bringing her throughout America and then onto the U.K, Europe and Australia.   The excitement gets underway when the iconic singer, songwriter, musician, actress and philanthropist unveils…

LINEAR REGRESSION PREMIERES WITH AZTEXT

Featuring on our new Skope column, Linear Regression is The Aztext. This is where we dissect an artists sound, a producers style and give folks a bit more insight into where concepts come from and how lyrics are born. The Aztext are a Vermont residing duo, who have been doing their thing on the indie…

KYLE RAPPS NEW VIDEO “ME”

The month of March has been a busy one for Kyle Rapps. The hip-hop artist took a break from the 15 shows he has booked this month alone (!) to be the sole host and to perform songs from his debut EP, Re-Edutainment, at SXSW for Audible Treats’ annual showcase.

ALEX MARKOW INTERVIEWS DJ ANTHONY PISANO OF BRASS KNUCKLES

It’s 10 pm and the guys of Brass Knuckles are just sitting down to game plan their studio session.   DJ Anthony Pisano looks over their agenda of tracks to work on. “Now that I look at it, that is a mean list. They’re gonna be bangers” Producers Danny D’Brito and Tony Livadas along with…

Twin Tigers, Gray Waves

There is an atmospheric sweep to Gray Waves, the debut full length from Athens’ Twin Tigers which makes recent tours with The Antlers, Deerhunter, Les Savy Fav and A Place To Bury Strangers understandable. For a debut, Gray Waves, a potent mix of haunting chamber pop and goth-inspired groove is remarkably mature and self-assured. This…

SULLY ERNA ANNOUNCES NEW SOLO TOUR

Sully Erna, best known as the lead singer of Godsmack, will be hitting the road this May in support of his debut solo album Avalon.   The tour kicks off in Concord, NH on May 13TH. The show will feature Erna as part of an eight-piece ensemble band. “I’m very excited to bring Avalon to…

MTV RADIO’S MORNING FACTS FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30th, 2011

ENRIQUE PULLS OUT OF BRITNEY TOUR It was a rumor, then it was confirmed, and now, apparently it’s not happening.   This of course refers to the Britney Spears/Enrique Iglesias tour, which was announced on Tuesday morning, but according to Billboard.biz, has already been scrapped, as Enrique has supposedly “pulled out” of the trek.  …

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE ANNOUNCE UNDERPLAY TOUR

Atlantic recording group Death Cab for Cutie will celebrate the release of their eagerly awaited new album with very special performances at intimate venues in select cities across North America.   “CODES AND KEYS” will arrive in stores and at all DSPs on May 31st. The tour begins May 18th at Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theatre,…

KIEFER SUTHERLAND LAUNCHES “THE CONFESSION SONG COMPETITION”

Continuing its mission to discover the best new up-and-coming independent artists, preeminent online music discovery site OurStage.com recently teamed with Digital Broadcasting Group (DBG), producers of Kiefer Sutherland’s highly anticipated new online action-thriller series The Confession, to launch “The Confession Song Competition” earlier this month.   OurStage artists recently submitted their best original tracks at…

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE SET TO MAKE HISTORY

Long known for their ingenious and imaginative videos, Atlantic recording group Death Cab for Cutie are poised to make history with the companion clip for their hugely anticipated new single, “You Are A Tourist.”   Directed by award-winning filmmaker Tim Nackashi (TV On The Radio, OK Go, Elvis Costello, Radiohead), and conceptualized by frequent collaborator…

D. CHARLES SPEER & THE HELIX DEBUTS 2 MP3’S FROM NEW ALBUM

D. Charles Speer, also known as Dave Shuford of the No Neck Blues Band, is a dynamic player fluent in many styles, a fact willfully demonstrated in two dramatically different records hitting the shelves. Arghiledes, his latest solo effort, is an attempt at working within the Greek tradition of hasiklidika, hashish songs which spilled from…

ARE THE SWINGING IGGIES STOLI’S NEWS FAVORITE BAND?!

How many of you have heard of Lady Gaga? I would imagine 100% have. But how many of you have heard the new single by the Swinging Iggies “Lady Gaga?” Well do not worry because Stoli has got you covered. Bongo Boy Records is a relatively new label out of NYC that in my opinion…

Mike Ian, Puzzle Pieces

Over the years we’ve seen punk, rock & even alternative rock bands slowly erode into over-commercialized, corporate puppet shows. Talking to many music fans out there, the response is overwhelming. Give me something new, something fresh & fun. Give me band that dishes out good old fashioned Indie Rock with a no holes barred musical…

Doug Ratner, Eye To Eye

Much too often, fence-straddling, genre-bending albums come across as contrived works with a lack of direction and no noticeable motive in sight. It seems the purposeful incorporation of “this and that” creates more musical confusion than cohesion. That being said, the above does not apply to Doug Ratner’s latest studio release. And while the album’s…

SHERYL CROW PARTNERS WITH TOM’S OF MAINE FOR MAY TOUR

Sheryl Crow; rock star, activist, mother and now cook book author! Sheryl met personal chef Chuck White when she was battling breast cancer, which was a wakeup call for her to eat better.   Chuck taught Sheryl how to cook foods that are seasonal, locally grown and vitamin rich. Together they bring these healthy recipes…

SLAYER AND ROB ZOMBIE TO BRING HELL ON EARTH

Get ready for hell on earth, because for the first time since they tour together on Ozzfest 1999, Rob Zombie and Slayer are teaming up to hit the road, bringing a glorious purgatory to fans in 12 North American cities. The co-headline trek kicks off Wednesday, July 20 at the Sovereign Center in Reading, PA.…

DEXTER SCOTT NEW VIDEO “FALL AGAIN”

Here is the   new video below from Dexter Scott. He’s a NY based singer-songwriter who just released his second EP “222”. The video is for the track “Fall Again” produced by David Kaplan directed by Daniel Mecca and Adam Drosin. [vimeo 20481610 nolink]

HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD PREMIERE VIDEO

Today Hollywood Undead premieres the music video for “Been To Hell” on Vevo.   On April 5th, the band returns with their second album: American Tragedy. The album is the follow up to their controversial but massively successful gold debut, Swan Songs, which spent 53 consecutive weeks on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart. The…

MTV RADIO’S MORNING FACTS FOR MONDAY, MARCH 28th, 2011

GAGA RELEASES COUNTRY VERSION OF “BORN THIS WAY” Lady Gaga has released a country version of her hit single “Born This Way.”   According to NME.com, “The track strips the single of its electronics and disco beats and replaces them with slide guitar and mouth organ.”   It was produced by Gaga and Fernando Garibay,…

THE BUDOS BAND NEW VIDEO “BUDOS RISING”

Following a winter club tour (that lit up sold-out crowds from Los Angeles to Chapel Hill, NC), The Budos Band return back to the mid-west this April. The band promises to deliver the same brazen intensity each night, slaying audiences with its venomous psychedelic afro-rock.

SKOPE HOURCAST PIT BIKE GIVEAWAY

Hourcast is hitting the road with Volbeat and The Damned Things. To celebrate, the band will be giving away a custom Apollo 125cc Pit Bike valued at over $1000. The band’s album “Dystopia” is available everywhere now!

THE LIFE & TIMES OF POWER SINGER JAMIE LEE GAITA

At just 20 years old, singer & performer Jamie Lee Gaita has already tackled so much.   Born and raised in West Paterson, NJ, her musical background goes back seven years.   The amazing part is that nobody in her family has any real music experience, but she has incredible support from her family.  …

Daniel Masson, Frequencies

Picture yourself taking a trip around the globe as you listen to Daniel Masson’s new album ‘Frequencies’.   You will hear world-fusion and electronic music collide together to make up one hypnotic sound.   All 12 tracks on the new disc represent Masson’s travels to Bangladesh, Egypt, Syria, India and Thailand which gives it that…

METALLICA WARNS THEIR FANS TO BEWARE OF THE FRONT ROW

Metallica announced that all announcements made on their behalf via Writers Group Film Corp. and their subsidiary Front Row Networks, Inc. are false.   Writers Group issued a press release on March 22, 2011 announcing “the acquisition of several hours of unique Metallica 3D & 2D concert video footage for distribution.”   “Metallica owns and…

“FOO FIGHTERS BACK AND FORTH” DOCUMENTARY FILM PREMIERE

“Back and Forth” chronicles the 16 year history of the Foo Fighters: from the band’s very first songs created as cassette demos Dave Grohl recorded during his tenure as Nirvana’s drummer, through its ascent to their Grammy-winning, multi-platinum, arena and stadium headlining status as one of the biggest rock bands on the planet. [youtube zBArTIXhUcg…

The Unraveling, Everything is Normal

Over the years we’ve seen pop slowly evolve into what I like to call synth-pop or power pop. The music is rather synthetic, however clean, highly polished musical tidbits that are melody & catchy, with solid low end beats, & tasteful ear candy.   Lady Ga Ga, is by far the reigning queen. But this…

COMPLETE RE-DESIGN & RE-LAUNCH OF ASTRALWERKS.COM

Astralwerks Records is proud to announce the re-design and re-launch of Astralwerks.com today.   With its simple, clean, intuitive design, the website will give fans a reason to come back to the site time and time again to discover new music, participate in exciting contests, and access music news and videos from their favorite Astralwerks…

MTV RADIO’S MORNING FACTS FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 25th, 2011

LADY GAGA STILL NUMBER ONE WITH “BORN THIS WAY” Lady Gaga holds on to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for her sixth straight week with “Born This Way.”   Katy Perry’s “E.T.” featuring Kanye West climbs one spot to number two, Rihanna’s “S&M” climbs one notch to number three, Cee-Lo Green’s…