Alicia Keys recording new Bond theme with Jack White
The James Bond franchise has been rebooted numerous times over it’s long history–long enough that the series of pulp novels by British spy and author Ian Fleming which inspired the series now bear little resemblance to the Bond living in the public imagination. When the series was recently modernized with Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig as the dapper, martini-sipping spy, it was with a much more realistic and gritty edge.
Change the atmosphere and the core of Bond, and you’re sure to change the theme song, as well. There have been plenty of takes on that as well over the years. The newest team to work on it will be Alicia Keys and Jack White, via his blues-rock band The Raconteurs. It’ll be the first duet in a Bond theme ever. But it’s certainly far from the first time pop stars put their own spin to it: Just look at Duran Duran’s version for A View to A Kill, or Paul McCartney’s work on Live and Let Die. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s cheesy, as with all franchises.
Fans of Alicia Keys will be pleased to know concert tickets are still available for her shows. Alicia Keys tickets can be bought at Stubhub.com.
Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood doing soundtrack work as well
Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood has attracted a lot of attention for his work putting music to film in the past few years. Claiming credit for the soundtracks of both the documentary film Bodysong and the P.T. Anderson-directed, Academy Award-winning period piece There Will Be Blood, the praise he’s earned has been equal to the sweeping scope of his music. There Will Be Blood in particular featured some great work, at times giving scenes the element of a horror film (which it is, to some degree). It was only by an odd technicality that Blood was eliminated from the Oscars category for soundtracks, because some of the music on the soundtrack has been released previous to the film coming out.
Now, it looks like Colin Greenwood might be showing up his brother. He’s signed up to compose a soundtrack for the film Woodpecker, accompanied by Lee and Tyler Sargent of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! Should be interesting to see how his works sounds compared to his sibling’s.
Of course, if you prefer the work of the Greenwoods day jobs, you can still get concert tickets to hear them live. Radiohead tickets are available at Stubhub.com.
The Piano Man Takes His Show on the Road!
Billy Joel, the iconic “piano man” is back on tour and he will be visiting cities like Tokyo, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland. Fans around the world will be offered a real treat to see Billy Joel live on stage and he will likely draw in crowds of thousands. Joel is planning a journey that will start this fall, specifically in November and it will continue on through the end of the year as he travels through the South Pacific.
Billy Joel is an American pianist and singer-songwriter and he released his first hit song, “Piano Man” in 1973. Joel enjoyed several Top 10 hits throughout the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s and is a six time Grammy Award winner. He was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. He is a well loved musician and has many fans that clamor to see him perform on stages around the world. Get your Billy Joel tickets from Stubhub.com.
Cut Copy remixing CSS
Two of the hottest bands in indie-rock right now include the Australian electronic and rock project Cut Copy and CSS, which falls into a similar category. Not surprisingly, the thought of one band remixing the other’s is exciting a lot of music fans on the Internet.
Both work with synths and electronic beats, and have been making the rounds on the festival circuits. Cut Copy is apparently going to remix one of the singles from CSS’ upcoming album, Move, which is due out Sept. 8. The remix will be of the title track, so you can keep an eye out for that in the next few weeks. There’ll definitely be a buzz about it floating around online.
Fortunately for Cut Copy fans, concert tickets to see the band are still available. If you haven’t seen them live yet, you need to know you’re missing out. Get Cut Copy tickets at Stubhub.com.
Duffy claims illegal downloading ultimately helps sales
The illegal downloading question isn’t one that will be answered soon. But artists on both sides of the Atlantic are certainly weighing in with their opinion.
British pop star Duffy is the latest, and she’s siding with the downloaders. The vast majority of music listeners who download illegally are teens who don’t have much money to spend on albums anyway. As they grow older and are finally generating income, they tend to drop more money on records.
This is a philosophy that other major musical artists have sometimes viewed as naive. Duffy herself admits there are pros and cons to illegal downloading, and it certainly isn’t as if she’s encouraging it, per se. But the end result, some artists think, is that downloaders spread word of mouth online, and those with the income to buy albums will do so.
Of course, what any musical artist would prefer is you buy concert tickets to their show. That usually guarantees they see more of the profit. If you’re a fan, you can get Duffy tickets at Stubhub.com.
U2 rereleases their first three albums!
At this point, U2 is safely considered a legendary rock band. When they burst out of the alt-rock category in the early ’80s, their fans had never heard anything like them. Much of their appeal was based in Bono’s soaring vocals, which lent an anthemic air to all their songs. So many years after first establishing themselves, the band is reissuing their first three albums–1980’s Boy, ’81’s October and ’83’s War.
These three records firmly established the sound that U2 became known for. Reviewed on the A.V. Club, all three score high marks, and even detractors of U2 should be willing to give them a listen and discover their unique appeal.
Better than picking up the album, of course, is hearing the band live. Fortunately, concert tickets are still available. U2 tickets can be bought or sold online at Stubhub.com.
Justin Timberlake takes the blame for the trucker hat craze
Those unfamiliar with the Hater usually take issue with her blog posts. The A.V. Club feature has run for quite a while, earning its fair share of detractors, as any column that presumes to “hate” on specific elements of pop culture will generate. Today’s target: Justin Timberlake, who in a recent interview with Fashion Rocks magazine, claims to have invented the ironic trucker hat.
And you thought the privilege belonged to Ashton Kutcher.
The Hater being who she is, points out that this is akin to claiming to be the first person ever to have herpes. To each his own on that fashion statement.
No matter how you feel about his fashion, JT’s music is still entertaining fans across the country, especially now with concert tickets on sale. Justin Timberlake tickets are available on Stubhub.com.
More Trouble For Winehouse?
Once again Amy Winehouse found herself set up in the hospital because of an adverse reaction to prescription medication. The famed troubled singer is scheduled to appear at the V Festival, Rock En Seine Festival and at Bestival, all of which take place in August and September. There are hopes that Ms. Winehouse will be fully recovered for her upcoming appearances. Winehouse has long been battling addictions with drugs and alcohol that often times affect her performance dates and studio recordings.
Winehouse is a popular figure in the world of music and she has garnered many fans from around the world. Many of her fans are concerned with her health and well-being and hope for a quick recovery for the singer. Winehouse is known for her song “Rehab” which helped her to a win at the Grammy Awards in 2007. Be sure to keep track of all of her activities and get your own pair of Amy Winehouse tickets from Stubhub.com.
All That Remains is to Get Tickets For Their Show
The popular metalcore band, All That Remains, originally from Springfield, Massachusetts is gearing up for a big tour this fall. They are of course most well known for their heavy and harsh style of music that has appealed to many young fans around the world. Their upcoming tour will start in the beginning of September and they are scheduled to hit cities like Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Saint Petersburg, Florida; Memphis, Tennessee; Odessa, Texas and Tuscon, Arizona, among many others.
All That Remains is known for several of their albums that include: Behind Silence and Solitude, This Darkened Heart, The Fall of Ideals, and upcoming is their much anticipated record called Overcome, which is due out this September. Some of their most well known singles include: “The Deepest Gray,” “This Darkened Heart,” “This Calling” and “Six.” Check out their style of music and get your own pair of All That Remains tickets to see them live in concert.
Two hour set from Nine Inch Nails pleases fans
Once again, it’s hard not to be impressed with Trent Reznor’s unique showmanship.
Having played the Pemberton Music Festival, the dark knight of industrial music kicked-off his official tour with a show in Seattle. The two-hour set featured a unique visual display to keep fans interested. As quoted in Rolling Stone:
“…at least half the show featured the band sandwiched between mesh LED curtains alternating evocative visuals, from falling rain to grainy static to an apocalyptic cityscape. The more obscured the band was by special effects, the more a detached, post-YouTube voyeurism haunted the performance.”
There’s more to the story, along with photos, here.
If you’re looking to get a piece of the action, you’ll need concert tickets. Nine Inch Nails tickets are available at Stubhub.com.