Month: January 2010

GIBSON GUITAR SPEAKS OUT ON PRICE FIXING SUIT

“Gibson Guitar Corp. is one of many manufacturers and organizations in the Musical Instrument Industry that has been named a party to approximately 30 lawsuits that claim they conspired to artificially increase and fix the prices of musical instruments.   These lawsuits stemmed from an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission that lasted several years…

BIZ TALK: THE BASICS OF LEGAL CONTRACTS

In the Music Business a “handshake” or verbal agreement is quite acceptable, not to mention it can even be used in the court of law. However when things don’t go according to plan, I’ve seen the golden handshake turn into bad situations in a hurry, especially when the things that don’t go as planned involve…

R&S RECORDS’ NEW ROCK IMPRINT PREPARES TO RELEASE THE PLEA

This year is going to prove to be an exciting year for music lovers worldwide when the instantly-addictive sound of an Irish quartet called The Plea releases.   The Ballyliffen, Ireland based band will be bringing their sound mixed with Northern Soul and rock, distilling its influences so deftly their songs sound both fresh and…

KAKI KING SIGNS WITH ROUNDER RECORDS

Rounder Records is pleased to announce the signing of singer & guitarist extraordinaire Kaki King.   Named a “Guitar God” by Rolling Stone, King has spent the past decade gathering critical acclaim and fan admiration.   King received a Golden Globe nomination for her contribution to the musical score of the 2007 film Into the…

SERJ TANKIAN ANNOUNCES NATIONWIDE SCREENINGS OF ‘ELECT THE DEAD SYMPHONY’

Reprise Records and Serj Tankian have teamed up with theatrical distributor Cinema Purgatorio to present a series of nationwide screenings of Tankian’s Elect the Dead Symphony – a very special orchestral interpretation of Tankian’s critically acclaimed solo debut Elect the Dead. The dynamic one-off performance was recorded and filmed in HD by six cameras at…

SKOPE EXCLUSIVES: LYFE JENNINGS “BUSY”

We at Skopemag.com get hundreds of exclusive tracks via various vendors on a daily basis. The goal for us is to share with our readers as many tracks that come in. Please note that some of these links expire so you got to get it while it’s hot! LYFE JENNINGS “BUSY”: SKOPE IT HERE!

MTV RADIO’S MORNING FACTS FOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27th, 2010

TAYLOR SWIFT AND HOPE FOR HAITI NOW TOP iTUNES CHART Taylor Swift dethrones Ke$ha on the iTunes chart as her single, “Today Was a Fairytale,” is the most-downloaded tune on the site.   Ke$ha’s huge hit, “Tik Tok,” comes in at number two, just ahead of Justin Bieber’s “Baby” featuring Ludacris, “Hey Soul Sister” from…

Jessie Murphy In The Woods, Eight Belles

Coming from the same anti-folk scene as Regina Spektor, Jessie Murphy in the Woods is made up of Jessie Murphy, Marcia Wood, and Amy Wood (All NYC public school music teachers) who play oodles of instruments ranging from   a melodica, pan pipes to an auto harp.   Their diverse musical talents (which are mind-blowing…

Tribella, Thirteen

Tribella is coming back strong after the release of their EP, My Guest List, two years ago.   This Austin, Texas-based trio is now offering you thirteen ways to experience their one-of-a-kind sound.   Their style stands out because there is so much being heard on this new album from 80s New Wave/Pop Rock to…

Listen Up: Hesta Prynn “Can We Go Wrong”

Hesta Prynn is putting the final touches on her solo album. Produced by Chuck Brody (Lykke Li, J.Lo, Ra Ra Riot and Wu Tang Clan) with help from Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara, and Eric Gardner (Gnarls Barkley) is providing drums. Formerly of the hip-hop group Northern State, Hesta’s new sound pits euphoric beats…

SKOPE EXCLUSIVES: Ke$ha ft. NatStar “TIK TOK” (Remix)

We at Skopemag.com get hundreds of exclusive tracks via various vendors on a daily basis. The goal for us is to share with our readers as many tracks that come in. Please note that some of these links expire so you got to get it while it’s hot! Ke$ha ft. NatStar “TIK TOK” (Remix): SKOPE…

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND ANNOUNCES EXTENSIVE SUMMER OUTING

Dave Matthews Band will launch an extensive North American summer tour with a two-night stand at The Comcast Theatre in Hartford, CT (May 28th and 29th). An online ticket request period begins this Thursday, January 28th, and continues through Monday, February 8th, at: http://www.warehouse.davematthewsband.com/. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on February…

SKOPE EXCLUSIVES: Bun B ” Hit That Lick Remix”

We at Skopemag.com get hundreds of exclusive tracks via various vendors on a daily basis. The goal for us is to share with our readers as many tracks that come in. Please note that some of these links expire so you got to get it while it’s hot! Bun B ” Hit That Lick Remix”:…

NEW LP FROM LITTLE BROTHER APRIL 2010

Favorites of fans and critics alike, Little Brother, the North Carolina duo of Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh, is proud to finally confirm the release of an album people have been waiting on for years. LeftBack, which will be the fourth album of Little Brother’s illustrious career, will be available April 20th via Hall Of…

DIGICEL AND SHAGGY COLLABORATE ON SONG TO RAISE FUNDS FOR HAITI

Digicel today announced details of its collaboration with international reggae artist, Shaggy, and renowned producer, Christopher Birch, to write and produce a song — Rise Again — to raise money for the Digicel Haiti Relief Fund. Rise Again is a Caribbean song, which was written and performed by Caribbean artists for the people of Haiti.…

DIRTBALL BECOMES A KOTTONMOUTH KING / VIDEO

The Kottonmouth Kings have revealed the next era in their ongoing legacy by announcing the addition of the group’s newest member, the Dirtball. This notorious party monster has been a label mate of Kings for years, releasing a series of cult classic albums under the Suburban Noize banner and doing countless tours alongside the group.…

DIPLO TO MIXES GUCCI MANE’S “COLD WAR” MIXTAPE SERIES

Legendary Philadelphia DJ Diplo has announced that he will remix Gucci Mane’s acclaimed Cold War mixtape series. The Grammy nominated producer and songwriter (M.I.A’s “Paper Planes,” 2008) signed on for the project to support the release of Gucci Mane’s The State Vs. Radric Davis in light of the rapper’s recent legal woes. The remix album…

STOLI HEADS TO WA STATE TO KICK OFF THE SIDEWAYS REIGN TOUR

This week we have a band coming out of Washngton state by the name of Sideways Reign. I caught wind of these guys after being told of their first nationwide tour that they are kicking off this week. Sideways Reign will be playing venues from San Francisco to NYC meeting up with old fans and…

THRIVE RECORDS SIGNS DEAL WITH ISLAND DEF JAM

Thrive Records, whose hit-driven Total series and ThriveMix series contributed to the company’s ranking as Billboard’s #1 U.S. independent dance label for the second year in a row in 2009, has signed an exclusive worldwide multi-year production and distribution (p&d) deal with Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJ), it was announced today by Steve Bartels,…

The Ted Painter Band, Keepin’ It Real

This review marks another first in my tenure at Skope Magazine in that this is the first time I have reviewed back-to-back country acts. Former U.S. Army infantryman turned country crooner Ted Painter has released Keepin’ It Real, a five-track EP of contemporary country-fried tunes that run the thematic gamut from kids coming of age…

DEVO TO PERFORM AT THE VANCOUVER 2010 WINTER GAMES

DEVO, one of post modern rock’s most visionary and influential bands, have been invited to perform live at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver on Feb 22, 2010.   This performance will conclude a Victory Ceremony and will be broadcast live on NBC Networks. It’s your duty as citizens of the earth to tune…

MTV RADIO’S MORNING FACTS FOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 26th, 2010

MTV’S HOPE FOR HAITI NOW DREW 83 MILLION VIEWERS MTV’s Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief, drew a cumulative audience of more than 83 million viewers and a gross average audience of more than 24 million viewers in the United States, according to Nielsen Media Research.   The telethon has now…

Feldiken, Small Songs About Us

Feldiken’s debut album, Small Songs About Us, is an album that EVERYONE can enjoy.   The record focuses on relationships, but more importantly Feldiken emphasizes the importance of connecting with people.   Small Songs About Us really does pertain to us then, as a whole.   We’re ALL in this thing together, so why not…

SURFER BLOOD KICKS OFF TOUR WITH FLORIDA HOME STATE SHOWS

Surfer Blood is kicking off their US tour next week by playing a string of Florida home state shows. Surfer Blood’s highly anticipated debut album Astro Coast is out now. Surfer Blood call West Palm Beach home and, while still in their early 20s, have penned an album worth of catchy, summery indie songs that…

ROD STEWART’S BLUE MOON RISES

If ONCE IN A BLUE MOON hasn’t exactly been the Holy Grail for the Rod Stewart faithful, it’s only because they didn’t know what they were missing — until now. Recorded in the summer of 1992 with producer Trevor Horn, this unique collection of covers captures Stewart at his interpretive best — his magnificent voice…

WATCH THE CHIEFTAINS/RY COODER IN A BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK

The Chieftains’ Paddy Moloney and Ry Cooder bring together the musical souls of two nations, Ireland and Mexico, in a mini documentary exploring the making-of their new album ‘San Patricio’ (March 9 / Hear Music/Concord Music Group). Watch the video now on Nat Geo Music at National Geographic.com: http://bit.ly/6rXCM2

AFI PREVIEW “BEAUTIFUL THIEVES” VIDEO

Iconic Bay Area rockers AFI have revealed a preview clip of the video for “Beautiful Thieves” on their website -www.AFireInside.net/beautifulthieves. The minute clip launched today after another successful twitter campaign which asked fans to donate a single tweet to reach the 1,000 tweet goal to reveal the short teaser. No strangers to innovative twitter promotions,…

ORENDA FINK OFFERS FREE ALBUM TO HELP HAITI

Saddle Creek recording artist Orenda Fink has made her album Invisible Ones available for download on her website now through the end of January in an effort to encourage relief effort donations for the current crisis in Haiti. In a very personal letter posted to her site that recounts her time in Haiti spent making…

ADELITAS WAY BOOKS ROCKLINE RADIO

Adelitas Way will be featured guests on the nationally syndicated radio show Rockline with host Bob Coburn on Monday January 25, 2010 at 8:30pm PT / 11:30pm ET. Fans are encouraged to speak with Adelitas Way by calling 1-800-344-ROCK (7625). The band will be on the second half of the show. For a station near…

WANT A PRIVATE PUDDLE OF MUDD CONCERT?

Puddle Of Mudd will be performing for an intimate private audience at 7 PM this upcoming Monday, 1/25 in New York City! Enter for your chance to win a pair of tickets to the event by sending an email to puddleofmuddtix@gmail.com with your name and phone number. Winners will be notified on Sunday 1/24 with…

FESTIVAL ORGANIZERS ANNOUNCE ROTHBURY POSTPONEMENT FOR 2010 EVENT

Today, festival organizers for the ROTHBURY music festival announced that they will not host a 2010 event. According to event producers Madison House Presents and AEG Live, a contributing factor in the decision is that, due to various artists’ recording and touring schedules, timing will not allow them to assemble the cutting edge roster that…