AP - A member of the pop group Girlicious has been charged in California with drug possession with the intent to sell after Glendale police allegedly found a dozen plastic bags of cocaine in her Gucci purse.
Ray Charles musical set for Broadway in November (AP)
AP - A musical celebrating Ray Charles is headed for Broadway this fall.
Star-studded lineup for Brooks & Dunn special (AP)
AP - Brooks & Dunn have landed a star-studded lineup for their "Last Rodeo" concert special to be filmed following the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas.
Michael Jackson's custom-made furniture for sale (AP)
AP - The 22 pieces of custom-made furniture Michael Jackson commissioned for his London home are going on the auction block.
Appeal filed in Phil Spector case (AP)
AP - Lawyers for legendary music producer Phil Spector have asked an appellate court to throw out his second-degree murder conviction on grounds of judicial error and prosecutorial misconduct.
'American Idol' pares down to 12 finalists (AP)
AP - Teen power won out on "American Idol" as Katie Stevens claimed a place in the top 12 while a more experienced singer got the ax.
British rookie Taio Cruz rules U.S. singles chart (Reuters)
Reuters - British newcomer Taio Cruz has broken a seven-year-old record by soaring to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart in the United States.
Former ABBA couple skipping hall of fame induction (Reuters)
Reuters - Don't hold your breath for a reunion performance by ABBA at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony next Monday.
Ga. man who posted 'Elton John must die' arrested (AP)
AP - A Georgia man who posted a video of himself on the Internet holding a sign that said "Elton John must die" has been arrested for making terroristic threats.
Live Friday: Bobby Long In Concert
English singer-songwriter Bobby Long has been writing keenly crafted pop songs since he was a teenager, and got his start performing at open-mic nights alongside future Twilight star Robert Pattinson. That connection paid off, as Long was chosen to perform a song with Pattinson for the film series? first soundtrack. Hear Long perform live in concert from WXPN in Philadelphia.
Alberta Cross On World Cafe
Alberta Cross makes driving, Americana-tinged blues-rock that belies its members' London roots. In this World Cafe session for WXPN, they play songs from their latest album, The Broken Side of Time.
Canadian Jazz: Big Noise From the Great White North
Last week the nominations for Canada's Juno Awards were announced. It reminded Felix Contreras: we don't pay enough attention to our jazz friends up north.
Top 20 Concert Tours (AP)
AP - The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week's ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.
Pink Floyd wins UK court battle with EMI label (Reuters)
Reuters - British rock band Pink Floyd won its court battle with EMI on Thursday with a ruling that prevents the record company from selling single downloads on the Internet from the group's concept albums.
LeE HARVeY OsMOND On Mountain Stage
Toronto alt-rocker Tom Wilson has enjoyed success as a solo artist, as well as with bands like Junkhouse and Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. But for his latest musical incarnation, he delves into a genre he calls "acid folk."
Lionel Loueke: Jazz Meets African Rhythms On 'Mwaliko'
The jazz guitarist draws on an extremely wide range of styles. From bebop to Brazilian rhythms to lyrical ballads to sounds from his native Benin, Loueke's latest album, Mwaliko, showcases the artist's inventive take on jazz.
Second Stage: Emily Rodgers
Emily Rodgers has one of those haunting, unforgettable voices that radiates with a surreal beauty. On her latest CD, Bright Day, the Pittsburgh-based singer-songwriter pairs her gently plucked guitar with spare, brushed rhythms and strange sonic textures, and soaks the whole mix in a heavy wash of reverb.
The Besnard Lakes: Filling The Room With Sound
"Albatross" finds Olga Goreas singing sweetly while accompanied by insular, shoegaze-tinged fuzz. Yet as the song cakes on layer upon layer of glorious harmonies, overblown guitars, swirling feedback and the propulsive thunder of drums, "Albatross" begins to buckle like a collapsing star.
Pete Doherty handed driving ban (Reuters)
Reuters - Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty was handed a 12-month driving ban and fined 500 pounds ($750) on Thursday after admitting he allowed his manager to use his car without insurance.
Pink Floyd wins battle with EMI over online sales (AP)
AP - In a victory for the concept album, Britain's High Court on Thursday ordered record company EMI Group Ltd. to stop selling downloads of Pink Floyd tracks individually rather than as part of the band's original records.
Elvis' clash with media on view at Newseum in DC (AP)
AP - A spark that helped ignite Elvis Presley's fame more than 50 years ago was lit by the newspaper editors and critics who hated him.
Pink Floyd Wins Suit; Hey, Man, Is 'Dark Side' Greatest Concept Album?
Pink Floyd have won a High Court battle to stop their record label EMI selling individual songs online.
Esperanza Spalding: Just Bass And Voice
Because of her rigorous touring schedule, Spalding decided to give her band the afternoon off and showed up at KPLU's studio all by herself, with just her bass and her voice. As you'll hear, that was enough.
Cruisin' At Lightspeed: Songs For Space Travel
Mankind has been dreaming about flying in space ever since we began looking up to the stars. Once flight and space travel became a reality, songs about flying to the heavens entered the mainstream musical world. In that spirit, here are some stellar (and interstellar) tracks by Billy Murray, The Byrds and David Bowie.
Nicholas Payton: Live At The Village Vanguard
He found his footing in jazz through its hard-swinging main stem. But after he'd proved his hard-bop mettle, he took a fork in the road toward electric experimentalism. Now, trumpeter Nicholas Payton seems comfortable pursuing a middle ground. Hear his band play live.
The Soft Pack On World Cafe
Tired of the new-wave explosion in their hometown of San Diego, The Soft Pack's Matt Lamkin and Matty McLoughlin got their start after deciding to revive old-school grunge. Later joined by Dave Lantzman and Brian Hill, the group found a knack for writing simple and catchy tunes that hint at the New York underground and subtle '60s California surf-rock.
Lady Antebellum returns to No. 1 on U.S. pop chart (Reuters)
Reuters - Country trio Lady Antebellum returned to the top of the U.S. pop album chart Wednesday, ending Sade's three-week reign.
OK Go Fights For Its Viral Video
Damian Kulash, singer-songwriter-guitarist with OK Go, talks about the group's split with its label as the result of a label policy that kept a popular video the band made from being embedded on YouTube. "This Too Shall Pass" is a viral video that took a month to make; it displays an elaborate two-story Rube Goldberg device timed to the song.
Midlake: In Tune With Nature
"If all that grows starts to fade, starts to falter / Oh, let me inside, let me inside not to wake," Midlake's Tim Smith sings in "Acts of Man," which surrounds his meditation on man and nature with dense harmonies and the rich sounds of a folk-pop orchestra.
Simon & Garfunkel begin Canada trek next month (Reuters)
Reuters - Canada, get ready: a few "Old Friends" are heading your way.
Rapper DMX arrested for violating probation (Reuters)
Reuters - Troubled rapper DMX was arrested in Arizona on Tuesday for violating his probation by regularly using illegal drugs during the last nine months, authorities said.
The Secrets Behind the Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main Street" Reissue
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards reevaluate their classic 1972 double album Get the full story on the never-before-heard tracks on the Rolling Stone's upcoming Exile on Main Street reissue in our new issue, on stands now. In the new issue of Rolling Stone, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards talk about plundering their vaults for the
Cliff Richard turns to jazz to mark 70th birthday (Reuters)
Reuters - Veteran British singer Cliff Richard will mark his 70th birthday with the release of an album of jazz and swing music, he announced on Tuesday.
Guns N' Roses plan "secret" shows in South America (Reuters)
Reuters - Guns N' Roses will play three private shows in Brazil and Argentina during the band's current tour of South America, the organizer said on Monday.
Producer Lillywhite seeking Cowell's "Idol" seat (Reuters)
Reuters - Steve Lillywhite wants to "help America find the next Elvis Presley." And that's why the Grammy Award-winning producer -- whose resume includes work with U2, the Dave Matthews Band, Jason Mraz, Morrissey, the Rolling Stones, Phish and scores of others -- wants to be "American Idol's" next Simon Cowell.
Spring Music Preview 2010
From MGMT to Erykah Badu, a first listen to 2010's hottest albums From Katy Perry and Stone Temple Pilots to MGMT and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, some of 2010's most anticipated albums are hitting stores this season. Big debuts from Court Yard Hounds and Drake are due, along with eagerly awaited releases by Christina Aguilera, Hole, the Hold Steady and Gaslight Anthem. Read up on 38 of the spring's discs, plus get your first listen to new tunes from Jakob Dylan, Willie Nelson and Peter Wolf, and watch exclusive performances and sneak peeks featuring fre...
Post-Paula Depression
The unthinkable has happened - by losing Paula's craziness, and with Simon heading for the door, "American Idol" feels like it has finally reached the end of its run How do you replace Paula Abdul? You don't. That's no knock on Ellen DeGeneres — it's just that absurd Hollywood creatures like Paula are rare and precious flukes of the universe, like the Loch Ness monster in sequined capri pants. Without Paula, American Idol loses its crazy factor, the suspenseful thrill that you're never more than a few minutes away from seeing a grade-A display of batshit antics on live TV. And what is American Idol without a dose of crazy? Sending Ellen in to...
Lil Wayne Goes to Jail
Up all night with hip-hop's unstoppable machine as he prepares to spend the next year behind bars This story was originally published in February 2010. Since then, Lil Wayne's sentencing has been postponed two times. For the latest on his developing case, click here. "I don't like to stop," says Lil Wayne. "I believe you stop when you die." The biggest rapper in the world stands 23 floors above Atlanta and five feet six in black Chuck Taylors, his wifebeater tee baring a torso as ink-covered as the pages of a doodler's notebook. It's 8:30 p.m., two days after Christmas, and he will be up...
The Yoga Cult
How a Korean guru has created a fanatical following on college campuses that is part Moonies, part New Age boot camp and pure profit Read a rebuttal to Rolling Stone's Dahn Yoga story by Joseph Alexander, the Vice President-Communications for Dahn Yoga & Health Centers — plus RS' response. If you looked at it from a certain perspective, the exercises Amy Shipley did in Dahn Yoga were perfectly normal. Take what she was doing right now. It was near midnight. Amy and seven other devotees of Dahn Yoga — nearly all in their 20s, clad in blue tracksuits and barely functioning on three hours of sleep — were...
Weezy Phone Home: Is Lil Wayne Hip-Hop's Alien or Simply the Greatest?
The writer of "Lil Wayne Goes to Jail" on the MC who loves Andy Warhol, the Boston Bruins and rethinking the game Read about Weezy's frantic final days of freedom in "Lil Wayne Goes to Jail" in our new issue, on newsstands now. Lil Wayne's World: the rapper's rise in photos. "I am not like you," raps Lil Wayne, "I am a Martian." The man has a point. A...
