CRASH KINGS INTV!

Sometimes in life you need a bit of luck and sometimes you just need to be at the right place at the right time. While waiting tables out in LA, Berkley School of Music alum, Tony Beliveau had come encountered famed music producer and singer Linda Perry, she asked if he was in a band and the rest was history. The truth was, Tony was just a musician kicking around LA until this encounter, he called his brother and they rounded up a friend and formed Crash Kings. Since this encounter Tony has been on high demand in the music industry, being hand picked by Chris Cornell to appear on Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and Crash Kings have gone out to sell out shows across the country and get much more attention while they are out on the road. I had the opportunity to speak to Tony about the band's formation, being an unconventional rock and roll band (it is just bass, piano and drums), recording, touring and he shares some great wisdom and insight into the music industry. Take a listen to Tony in one of my favorite interviews.

Paul Weller on Kimmel

The Modfather - Paul Weller returned to US TV this week as he is on the road supporting his latest (and very great record) Wake Up The Nation. Take a look as Weller performs the title track as well as the great song "No Tears to Cry."

Quick News

As the film season comes to hit's home stretch this fall, we are seeing more and more rock musicians composing film scores, the latest is Kasabian front man Serg Pizzorno composing the upcoming Keira Knightley, Colin Farrell film, London Boulevard. The film opens in the UK this Christmas and should arrive to the US sometime early next year.

REM has given some details about their forthcoming album, Collapse into Now, features vocal collaborations from Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Patti Smith and Peaches. Collapse into Now is the band's 15th studio effort and arrives in March.

Sony music is set to release Michael Jackson's first posthumous release, Michael. The album arrives in stores next month, just in time for Christmas ($urprise, $urprise).

Could this be the end for My Chemical Romance? Front man Gerard Way spoke to the UK's Sunday Times last week and says "This record could be our last big adventure - that's why we had to make it again, that's why we spent the money, that's why we're going to spend more on how it looks than we ever have." Their latest (and possible last) venture Danger Days arrives later this month.

CONFIRMED! ROLLING STONES TO TOUR IN 2011! Guitarist Keith Richards, who is out promoting his autobiography, Life, tells BBC6 Music that "Everybody's ready to go out there again. Who said it should stop, and who said when? That's what we wanna find out. We'll know when it comes to an end, with a crashing halt."

After months of mystery, the members of Oasis (sans Noel) next project, Beady Eye is giving some info. With a brand new website launch on Friday, Beady Eye is set to release their first single on November 22 and made this accompanying video with some snippets of tracks. This is one of 2011 most curious and anticipated releases!

Kid Cudi & Guests on Fallon!

Jimmy Fallon may have had his greatest episode EVER last week when Director Danny Boyle, Zach Galifinakis and Kid Cudi dropped by to guest on the show. Danny and Zach seemed to get into some hilarious antics together and stuck around to watch Cudi perform and he brought along some guests....Take a look as Kid Cudi collaborates with St. Vincent, CAGE and The Roots!

Live Review - Roger Waters "The Wall" @ Izod Center

The Wall was made, crafted and released before I was even born but its impact has clearly lasted through the generations. The iconic Pink Floyd record celebrates its 30th birthday this year and its principal writer and creator, Roger Waters has been taking it on the road since September. The tour, which made its second trip to the New York area, came to New Jersey’s Izod Center for two nights. The Izod Center holds a special place to Waters as it was the venue he selected to perform dress rehearsals in weeks before the tour began.
The original Wall tour was brought to audiences for a limited time in 1980, in support of the record. The original tour was only performed in LA, Long Island, London and Berlin was looked at as somewhat of a disaster. Critics and fans would criticize (and rightfully so) that they could not see the band and would not be the experience they were hoping for. The show, which had Pink Floyd play behind the iconic white wall which graces the cover of the album, would slowly dismantle through the show until the end where it would collapse in full on stage and into the audience. Back then audiences were graced with massive puppets of the iconic characters that appear in the album art and accompanying film as well as projections of post World War II and Cold War struggle around the globe.
For Waters, to celebrate the album’s 30th anniversary and iconic status, he has taken it on the road and revamped the show with modern technology and has transformed the arena concert-going experience into a massive Broadway-like theater.
This was less a concert of seeing a legendary artist but rather seeing a legendary creation updated to modern times. Waters, who has always been known for over-the-top productions and performances, has outdone himself this time around. Waters takes the stage as if he is a thespian actor rather than a rock God, yet he is not center stage, what is in focus is what is around him. Opening with “In the Flesh,” the audience was taken to a new world right away with half the wall assembled on stage and a pyrotechnic flaunt that would have the people behind Macy’s fourth of July firework display envious. With live model planes crashing into the wall and erupting in flames, the audience knew this was something they could not predict. Waters, whose father died during World War II, honors soldiers from that war and other right up to present day. Displaying images from the past and present, from vintage news reel clips to today’s political pundits would flash simultaneously on screen as the music, which was spot on, played beautifully in synch with what was happening across the wall.
The show, which like the album is broken up into two parts. Part one was disc one of the vinyl version and incorporated the wall being built, the images across the wall, seeing the band and the gigantic puppets from that first Wall tour were even revamped. After a twenty minute intermission, Waters would return to the stage, but instead of being behind the wall, he was performing in front of it and using the wall as a massive screen to project the animated images that Floyd fan’s witnessed in the film version of the record. With his backing band making cameo’s through part two, it would come full circle at the end which had Waters dressed in militant dictator garb and the infamous Pink Floyd pig flying around the audience, would bring the wall crashing down.
With heightened emotions and theatrics, nothing could take from what The Wall is about. At its core, The Wall is a story of loneliness, society, fear of governments and isolation. The themes echo through even to this day and even if you had never heard the album before, being in attendance you watch a story unfold. The Wall may have been created and born in 1980 but it was brought to life 30 years later.

Images courtesy Columbia Records / Sony Music / Roger Waters

Rising Artist - The Vaccines

Something must be in the water in the UK right now that before you even have an EP, let alone a record out and just release a song or two via the net and it catches on, people will embrace you. For London's The Vaccines that is pretty much what has happened. Just last month they released the tracks "Wrecking Bar," and "Blow it Up" and the band spread like wildfire. They have been featured in NME as a Radar Artist, the same column that has done wonders for acts like La Roux, Joy Formidable, Gallows and Chapel Club. The Vaccines play a clean cut, fun and catchy style of surf rock, think Surfer Blood meets Male Bonding. While the ride the wave of the new surf rock explosion, these four London lads are in for something big.

Download a FREE track HERE:

Quick News

Dark electro-rockers White Lies are set to return in January with their sophomore album, Ritual. The band tells NME magazine that the record is "about religion."

Devo were forced to cancel a slew of gigs including a headlining appearance at this weekends Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, TX due to guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh slicing his hand and tendon on a shard of glass last week. Mothersbaugh underwent emergency surgery and is expected to make a full recovery but needs time off for his hand to heal.

Damon Albarn never ceases to amaze me. As if Blur, Gorillaz and The Good, The Bad and The Queen were not enough, Albarn is teaming up with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and Good, The Bad and The Queen and Fela drummer Tony Allen for an unnamed project. The band is supposedly 3/4 of the way finished with their debut, Albarn tells Stuff.co.nz.

Meanwhile, Albarn has also confirmed he is working on the next Gorillaz record, the follow up to this years brilliant, Plastic Beach. "I guess it's my love letter to America," he said of the project. He tells Stuff.co.nz that "I used to be baffled by this place, and I guess I still am in some ways. America confused me enormously. But right now, with all that's going on, this is a good place to be and this has been a great tour." No word as to when this will be released, but it already sounds great.

Rhino records are set to release a full on Joy Division vinyl box set entitled +/- next month. The box set's track listing was picked by music aficionado and author Jon Savage (England's Dream, The England's Dreaming Tapes). +/- arrives December 6 in the UK and the following day in the US.

The Decemberists have announced the track listing and title of their latest record. The album, The King is Dead arrives January 11 in the UK and the following day in the US. Here is the track listing
'Don't Carry It All'
'Calamity Song'
'Rise To Me'
'Rox In The Box'
'January Hymn'
'Down By The Water'
'All Arise!'
'June Hymn'
'This Is Why We Fight'
'Dear Avery'

Underrated Classic - Paul McCartney "Flaming Pie"

Paul McCartney does not need to ride any wave of success, after all the man was a Beatle. Yet after the massive popularity and reinvested interest in The Beatles after the brilliant Anthology series, Macca decided to go back to the studio with legendary Beatles producer George Martin. In May of 1997, he gave the world Flaming Pie, not only one of the best records of the year, one of the best of the decade but also one of the best solo records Paul ever recorded. Flaming Pie is a return to the catchy pop-rock that made Paul an icon. Yet, the record would arrive at a bittersweet time, released a year before the love of his life, his wife and musical muse, Linda passed away after complications with Breast Cancer. It would be the last time he and Linda worked together and would be a treasured record in his collection. Flaming Pie was an album inspired by John Lennon and the stories John would tell, for instance the title comes from a dream that John had on how he came up with the name, The Beatles. Paul told the story to VH1 in a 1997 interview, the story is "A man came in on a flaming pie and you will be Beatles, with an A!" The success of Flaming Pie took Paul all the way to Grammy's in being nominated for Album of the Year but losing to Bob Dylan for his modern masterpiece, Time Out of Mind. Flaming Pie is the record that had Paul return to form, a form we love and know him best for.

K'Naan on Kimmel

K'Naan lit up Jimmy Kimmel Live last week with a performance of "Fatima." Take a look!

Movie of the Month - Cassandra's Dream

It has come to the point in Colin Farrell's career where everything he has done from In Bruges on, it has been nothing short of spectacular. He is picking the right roles and working with the right people and not getting wrapped up in the Hollywood system. Cassandra's Dream is one of those great films and great performances he has given us. It has also come to the point in Woody Allen's career that he has done everything he has needed to do, but to take on a Hitchcock-esque tale such as this, it brings out some powerful performances and suspense. Cassandra's Dream is the story of two brothers, played by Farrell and Ewan McGregor (in one of his best roles) are in desperate need of some money to live better lives in London, that they ask their rich uncle, played by Tom Wilkinson, for a loan. He asks in return for them for the two brothers to murder a business rival of his. With the chaos and intensity that comes from the idea of having to kill someone, can the two brothers do? What will happen if they are caught? In an all or nothing deal, the way the story unfolds and how the performances explode, it makes you question why this 2008 film from one of cinema's greatest living legends went under the radar.