Juno B-Sides: Almost Adopted Songs, a sequel to the chart-topping Juno soundtrack, will be released on April 8 as an iTunes exclusive before hitting other digital retailers in May. “None of these songs made the movie, but they are all essential members of the Junoverse,” says Juno director Jason Reitman, who will pay dearly for coining the term “Junoverse.” Dearly.
Three and a half hours until the Mets season opener featuring new hope-of-the-franchise Johan Santana! Download your “Meet The Mets” MP3s (the original and Yo La Tengo’s cover) now! [extrawack! More »
Why is Keith Richards having problems writing his autobiography? Because he got high. Why is Keith Richards eating cigarettes on stage? Because he got high. Why is Keith Richards laying on a beach, complaining that he’s read every book ever written, so someone better hurry up and make more? Because he got high, because he got high, because he got high. “I smoke my head off. I smoke weed all the damn time. There, you’ve got it,” Keef told The Sun in a new interview. “But that’s my benign weed. That’s all I take, that’s all I do. But I do smoke and I’ve got some really good hash.”
Crocs Inc.–the makers of the ugly, yet allegedly very comfortable rubber shoes that are most famously worn by Mario Batali–is trying to hip up its brand. What better way to do that than by sponsoring some music festivals? More »
Tone Loc isn’t just a man of his word–he’s a man of others’ words, too. After learning that two Michigan club owners were duped out of $1,400 by a scam artist claiming to be his booking agent, Tone has offered to play both engagements for his regular fee, which might–or might not–be a little more than that. “We are so thrilled,” Red Dog owner Patty McMillan told the Detroit Free Press, “anyone you talk to age 20 to 60 knows his songs.” Yeah, both of them! Sadly, it looks like Loc’s false prophet is not alone in his trade.
Since many people find it hard to tell the great from the godawful when it comes to 21st-century mainstream rock, welcome to “Corporate Rock Still Sells,” where Al Shipley (a.k.a. Idolator commenter GovernmentNames) examines what’s good, bad, and ugly in the world of Billboard‘s rock charts. This time around he discovers a trio of modern rock heroes releasing a hit single under everyone’s noses, finally hears a certain blog-buzz band thanks to their rock radio crossover, and tries to figure out what makes one brand of strident political mersh-punk different from another.
Over the last few weeks, Billboard‘s Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart has seen a new entry by one of modern rock’s biggest mainstays, but it took me a while to figure that out, since said superstars are operating incognito.
“WHICH hip-hop mogul needed to make an emergency stop on the Southern State Parkway last Sunday at 6:30 p.m.? After being caught in a long rubbernecking delay, the very recognizable music/fashion entrepreneur had his chauffeur pull over his Bentley – or was it a Rolls? More »
From time to time, we like to round up the all-important, all-summarizing last sentences of the biggest new-music reviews. Under consideration today is the latest album by R.E.M., Accelerate, which hits stores tomorrow:
Slash promises that Velvet Revolver will record a third album, with or (please please please) without Weiland. “We don’t know how or when but the core four guys will continue,” he was quoted as saying. It’s a heartwarming response to the bitchfits his estranged compatriot has been issuing to the world, as there’s no reason The Band Formerly Known As Guns N’ Roses should back a grating, obnoxious hack who can’t get his pipes around anything on Appetite For Destruction except “It’s So Easy,” making him more of a rock dodo than a rock dinosaur. But now that The Big Empty might be out of the picture, which grating, obnoxious hack (with more vocal range) should replace him?
Baseball! Hooray! Happy “First Full Slate Of Day Games After The First Game On North American Soil Which Is Being Officially Called ‘Opening Day’ To Stretch This Thing Out Branding-wise,” everybody! I’m going to have ESPN on all day, even the parts where it’s just people yapping! In honor of America’s Greatest Sport finally starting up again after a too-long hiatus–and this year marking the 100th anniversary of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”–I bring you five songs that aren’t as classic as the seventh-inning stretch anthem, but definitely fall into the category of “stadium staples.” You probably know all of these songs, but you may not know you know them, thanks to their airtime during baseball games clocking in at somewhere under the five-second mark.
