After Kanye West’s stunt at the VMA’s last weekend, many people have called the artist all kinds of crazy names. We’ve just learned Bill O’Reilly referred to the rapper as the “Ultimate Pinhead” on his Fox News show, The O’Reilly Factor. The controversial host also feels West “is one troubled guy.” Check out…
SARA BAREILLES AT WORK ON SOPHOMORE EFFORT
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Sara Bareilles has started working on her sophomore album, the highly anticipated follow-up to her hit debut Little Voice. According to Billboard.com, the “Love Song” singer is recording in Brooklyn, New York, and working with Questlove from The Roots among others. No word yet on when the album is due out.
JAY-Z DEFENDS KANYE
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According to BBC News, Jay-Z feels the media is hyping up the Kanye West and Taylor Swift incident. The mogul agreed his stage-crashing was “inappropriate at the time,” however West is “just a super-passionate person.” Hov then defended ‘Ye’s actions by stating “he didn’t kill anybody. No one was harmed.”
Sprockets, Medicated Empty
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I have to be honest that when I saw the band title, Sprockets, I first thought of that hilarious bit Mike Myers used to do on SNL. But just as SNL isn’t as funny today, Sprockets is also proving to be no laughing matter with their new record, Medicated Empty. All jokes aside,…
EVA CASSIDY’S “SONGBIRD” RE-ENTERS U.K. CHARTS ON STRENGTH OF PERFORMANCE BY “X-FACTOR” CONTESTANT
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Buoyed by the recent audition performance of Eva Cassidy’s arrangement of “Songbird” by Shanna Goodhead on Britain’s “The X Factor,” the version of the song by the late Eva Cassidy has re-entered the U.K. Top 50 Singles Chart. Additionally, the SONGBIRD CD by Cassidy on Blix Street Records, originally released in 1998, has re-entered…
ALICE IN CHAINS RELEASE BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE SHORT FILM
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Alice in Chains have just released a short film which features the band speaking on the tragedy of former singer Layne Staley’s death to the triumphant return of the band with new singer William Duvall. Follow the band as they recount their first performance without Layne in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina tragedy, their…
MIRACLE CONDITION ANNOUNCE DEBUT ALBUM
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Miracle Condition will release their self titled debut on Tizona Records November 24 2009. Formed in 2006 by Mark Shippy (Shorty, US Maple), Pat Samson (US Maple) and Matt Carson the group has carved out it’s own genre of powerful, cinematic soundscapes reminiscent of the early 90’s shoegaze movement. Miracle Condition proves to be…
LITTLE GIRLS OFFER ARTERY COVER “HEINZ”
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Toronto-based group Little Girls (Josh McIntyre and co.) are preparing for an extensive North American tour performing with Japandroids, Monotonix, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Wavves and Nurses among others.
‘THE ROD STEWART SESSIONS 1971 – 1998’ LISTENING PARTY
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Warner Bros. began reissuing Rod Stewart’s Warner Bros. catalog a year ago with remastered and expanded versions of some of the artist’s best studio work.
VIOLENT SOHO PREPARE FOR TOUR WITH BUILT TO SPILL
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Violent Soho has just announced upcoming tour dates with iconic indie band Built to Spill. The Australian punk/grunge rockers will join Built to Spill and Disco Doom on 11 East coast tour dates, beginning October 8th in Ithaca, NY. Look for Violent Soho?s US debut album in early 2010, but until then check out…
LIL WAYNE AND MADONNA RELEASE “REVOLVER”
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Rap-Up.com has gotten its hand on Madonna’s new song with Lil Wayne called “Revolver.” The track was released a few months ago; however it wasn’t finalized or mastered. The cut will appear on Madge’s upcoming third greatest hits album Celebration which drops on September 29th. SKOPE IT HERE!
GIRLS ALOUD OPEN FOR COLDPLAY
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It seems like an unlikely combination, but British girl group Girls Aloud is set to open for Coldplay this weekend in London. The pop group tells the BBC that Coldplay “like what they do” and therefore asked them to open the show at Wembley Stadium. Jay-Z and White Lies are also set to play…
RUBEN STUDDARD TOURS TO FIGHT SICKLE CELL
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Ruben Studdard has teamed up with a nationwide program called Be Sickle Smart, which looks to create awareness and educate people about sickle cell. The American Idol winner has recorded a song titled “I’m A Fighter” and will perform on the Empowerment Days tour where concert-goers can receive an iron-overload education presentation and free…
LANDON PIGG HEADING OUT WITH A FINE FRENZY
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A Fine Frenzy is headed out on tour, and she is going to be joined by Landon Pigg. The singer-songwriter is going to be promoting his sophomore album The Boy Who Never, which is set to hit stores on September 29th. For more info on Landon joining the tour, or The Boy Who…
BO BICE EXPECTING A BOY
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We knew that Bo Bice’s wife Caroline is expecting a child, and now we know it’s going to be a boy! This will be the third son for the couple, as he will join Caleb James and Aiden Michael, who are 13-months and four respectively. Bice’s rep joked that “the rock triad will…
ABERCROMBIE & FITCH SUES BEYONCE
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Billboard.com reports Abercrombie & Fitch Co. is looking to sue Beyonce Knowles, claiming her upcoming fragrance infringes on their existing trademark. The retailer claims a fragrance under the singer’s “Sasha Fierce” label “poses a likelihood of confusion” with Abercrombie’s Fierce brand. Reps from Beyonce’s camp have yet to respond to the lawsuit. Head…
AVIRL LAVIGNE IS GETTING DIVORCED?
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It may not come as a surprise to some, but it appears that Avril Lavigne and husband Derrick Whibley are headed for divorce. The claim is made in the new issue of US Weekly, where a source told that magazine that, “she dumped him and told him she was leaving him. She wants to…
MADONNA’S BROTHER STARTS SOME TROUBLE
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Madonna’s estranged brother is speaking about his sister yet again. According to E! Online, Christopher Ciccone poked fun at Madge’s style of dress, as well as her much younger boyfriend Jesus Luz. Ciccone said how the singer is dressing recently, “proves the point that you can judge a person by the company they…
LADY GAGA GETS HER FOURTH TOP 20 HIT
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Lady Gaga has just gotten her fourth top 20 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. According to Billboard, her song “Papparazzi” jumped from the 26th spot to the 18th. Her previous three top 20 songs are “Just Dance,” “Poker Face” and “Love Game.”
David Gray, Draw the Line
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Unless you’re an musical icon like Bob Dylan or an indie darling like Conor Oberst, being pegged as a singer-songwriter can be quite an albatross–particularly for one who writes mostly pop songs. David Gray probably knows this better than most because the critics haven’t always been kind to him despite his selling millions of albums…
THE BLACK SEEDS ALBUM AND US TOUR
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The Black Seeds have their roots in the coastal capital city of Wellington, New Zealand, a small, tight-knit creative community that in recent years has produced such things as The Lord Of The Rings films and the comedy duo Flight Of The Conchords. The 8-piece group push out dirty dancehall and a deep throbbing dub…
Vangough, Manikin Parade
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With a name like Vangough, you’re assuming top-notch precision & artistry at its finest. Now, you and I know that one should never assume because it can make an ass out of you and me. But, in this instance the saying can stand as correct as this four-piece-band from Oklahoma is bringing high…
ALICE IN CHAINS RELEASE BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE SAMPLER
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Alice in Chains are preparing to release Black Gives Way To Blue on September 29th, and are now giving fans a sneak peek at each track from the album here. Black Gives Way To Blue has been praised by Revolver for its “dense tapestry of heavy guitars and soaring melodies” and Reuters wrote “the heavy…
CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED GRAFFITI ART DOCUMENTARY BOMB IT LAUNCHES ON BABELGUM
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Independent web and mobile video content platform Babelgum (http://www.babelgum.com) will offer director Jon Reiss’ film documentary about the history of the international graffiti scene, BOMB IT, free-to-view online exclusively on Babelgum’s site (http://www.babelgum.com/bombit). The full-length documentary, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and has screened at over 20 other festivals including Full Frame Doc…
SLIP-N-SLIDE RECORDS AND EMI LABEL SERVICES EXPAND DISTRIBUTION AND MARKETING PARTNERSHIP
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After achieving great success with Hip-Hop superstar Trina’s last album, “Still Da Baddest,” which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s R&B/Rap charts in April 2008, Slip-N-Slide Records and EMI Label Services have expanded their exclusive distribution partnership in North America to include new albums and music from R&B luminaries Jagged Edge, and Hip-Hop notables Trina and…
TOKYO POLICE CLUB SIGN U.S. DEAL WITH MOM+POP
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Tokyo Police Club, the Newmarket Ontario quartet hailed by Rolling Stone as “poised to become the biggest Canadian export since Molson,” have signed an exclusive U.S. recording deal with mom+pop. The band is currently recording its second full length album, with an expected release projected for early 2010.
LADY GAGA IS CRAZY FOR GARY GO / AUDIO
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Yesterday afternoon Lady Gaga tweeted: “Marc jacobs/vmagazince perfomance inspired by my favorite new artist this year: check out his version of ‘just dance’: ladies+gents: gary-go”
MUSIC UP CLOSE WITH JANIE – SEPTEMBER 2009
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After our initial open house, where you saw the contents of our little virtual music club here at Music Up Close, we will be highlighting different rooms each month, but always ending with our cocktail meet-and-greet at the SonicBids Lounge. For September, Club Ladies brings a look a Teisha Helgerson, the frontwoman for the band…
PITBULL GETS REMIXED!
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Pitbull has recruited Nicole Scherzinger from The Pussycat Dolls to jump on the official remix to his hit song “Hotel Room.” Rap-Up.com reports the singer is also giving another shot at a solo project. Check out the new song today: SKOPE IT HERE!
U2 FOR (RED) BENEFIT CONCERT IN NYC
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According to Billboard, U2 are set to play a (RED) Campaign benefit concert on October 4th in New York’s Carnegie Hall. Scarlett Johansson, Rufus Wainwright and others are also set to perform. The concert is part of the (RED) Nights concert series, which aims to help the fight against AIDS in Africa.
REMASTERED BEATLES SUCCESSFUL SALES
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The Beatles’ remastered back catalog was released last week and their fans bought the albums in droves. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the iconic group sold 626-thousand units last week. The best seller was 1969’s Abbey Road, which moved 89-thousand copies, enough to make it the third most popular album in the U-S that…
SATRIANI’S CASE AGAINST COLDPLAY DISMISSED
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In December, Joe Satriani sued Coldplay, alleging their track “Viva La Vida” contained “substantial, original portions” of his 2004 tune “If I Could Fly.” Well this week, the copyright infringement case was dismissed. While details of the case are sealed, legal sources told Billboard a financial settlement was most likely reached. Either…
“I HATE KANYE WEST” T-SHIRTS!
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Just when you thought the Kanye West versus Taylor Swift discussion was over, someone has decided to make a t-shirt that reads: “I Hated Kanye West Before Hating Kanye Was Cool.” According to Wooha.com, the exclusive tee is available for a limited time only for just nine dollars. Visit TeeFury.com to get yours today. SKOPE…
ALICIA KEYS SURFACES WITH NEW SINGLE
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After writing Whitney Houston’s “Million Dollar Bill” and singing on Jay-Z’s “Empire State Of Mind,” Alicia Keys has found time to record new material of her own. The songstress has released a new single called “Doesn’t Mean Anything,” which is said to be off her upcoming fourth studio album.
JAY-Z TOPS BILLBOARD ALBUM CHART
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Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3 debuts at number one on the Billboard album chart, selling over 476-thousand units, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It marks Jay’s 11th number one album and pushes him ahead of Elvis Presley as the solo act with the most number one albums in the 50-plus-year history of the Billboard album chart.…
INTRODUCING THE LIVE NATION CLUB PASSPORT
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For a limited time only, concert fans can buy The Live Nation Club Passport for $49.99, All-In and No Fees, and see every show at Live Nation clubs in their city for the rest of the year, subject to availability. If you’re a Live Nation Club Passport holder, and the show’s not sold-out, you’re…
AAR TOOK OVER NYC THIS WEEK / VIDEOS
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The All-American Rejects got busy in New York City this week starting off with a special performance of their hit single “Gives You Hell.”
A ROCKET TO THE MOON OFFER “MR. RIGHT” AUDIO
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“ON YOUR SIDE” follows last year’s acclaimed Fueled By Ramen debut, “GREETINGS FROM…” The EP was highlighted by the singles “If Only They Knew” and “Dakota,” the latter of which ARTTM performed live on MTV’s TRL as part of a feature on America’s best unsigned bands.
AMY SERRATA BREAKS OUT WITH “ROOTED” AND “LOVE ANOTHER” / MP3
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Singer + Songwriter, Amy Serrata creates music intended to heal and bring people together. Amy’s interest in singing arose at an early age listening to the sounds of Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong to name a few.
SKOPE EXCLUSIVES: ETM “Gimme Money”
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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! ETM “Gimme Money”: SKOPE IT HERE!
