Click here for a list of relief organizations.
May
15
Libertarian Bob Barr, the one-time crackpot Clinton impeachment ringleader who has taken on a veneer of seriousness amid the civil liberties abuses and unholy spending of the Bush years, is launching what could be a serious third party bid for the presidency.
Serious, not as in viable, but serious in that he could choose to do some damage to John McCain.
My gut tells me thought that Barr has got enough of the loyal GOP soldier in him… despite his bid for the hearts and minds of Libertarians… that he’s likely to take the Pat Buchanan path — focusing his campaign in solid Obama states — rather than attempt to Naderize McCain in, say, Virginia, or Colorado.
May
15
Anyone who still thinks a unity Obama/Clinton ticket is a) a good idea or b) the remotest possibility hasn’t been paying attention.
May
15
40 months.
That’s how long George W. Bush has gone without majority approval — a record, according to ABC/Washington Post polling.
A whopping 82 percent of the country now feels America is on the Wrong Track.
May
15
Who: Melbourne, Australia’s Cut Copy, an indie electro-pop trio who, after touring Down Under with Daft Punk, just released your new favorite summer album In Ghost Colours.
Sounds Like: Gary Numan on Prozac and ecstasy. The band adds sunny hooks and synth waves to sonic collages reminiscent of their countrymen the Avalanches. In Ghost Colours also has an eye towards the dance floor, thanks to the DFA’s Tim Goldworthy, who produced the album. “Tim encouraged us to try using weird instruments we wouldn’t have tried otherwise, and we had access to all the DFA guitar pedals, so it was a real opportunity to experiment,” says frontman and multi-instrumentalist Dan Whitford.
Vital Stats:
May
15
• Dylan, Raconteurs, Roots Top New Fest
• “Thriller” Added to Congressional Registry
• News Ticker: Dolly Parton, Lollapalooza
Top stories from the last three days:
• Ticket Prices Could Hurt Concert Business
• Jason Castro Talks Stress of “Idol”
• Breaking Artist: Cut Copy
• Charts: Neil Diamond Hits Number One
• Video: Tokio Hotel Talk Fans, Makeup
• Video Premiere: Manu Chao’s “Politik Kills”
• Video: Rock Pioneer Wanda Jackson
• Foo Fighters Promise “Catering Jihad” on Rider
• Moldy Peaches Rework Song for Atlantis Ad
• Madonna Planning School in Malawi
• The New Issue: The Eagles
• Ozzy, Metallica Top One Day Ozzfest
• Video: Jason Mraz Interview & Performance
• New Music Report: Death Cab for Cutie
• Video: Duffy Reveals Secrets of “Rockferry”
• Hear Scarlett Johansson Album & Read Review
• “True Norwegian Black Metal” Preview
• New Mötley Crüe, Weezer Release Dates
• In the Studio: Beck
• Photos: The Cure Open Tour in Virginia
• Bennington Talks New Band, Linkin Park
• Summer Movie Preview ‘08
Scroll down for full news stories, commentary and much more in Rock Daily.
May
15
Michael Jackson’s 1982 classic Thriller was among this year’s class of twenty-five recordings added by the Library of Congress to the National Recording Registry. Not that we needed Congress to tell us how important Thriller is, but the distinction means that Thriller is “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” to the history of American music. Other recordings making the Congressional cut was Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman,” Joni Mitchell’s For the Roses, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ “Tracks of My Tears” and Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters. Audio recordings of speeches by Harry Truman and Ronald Reagan were also included in the eclectic mix. Every year, the Library of Congress adds twenty-five recordings to the Registry, compiled by the preservation board and suggestions from the public.
May
15
- Dolly Parton is “outraged” that jock Howard Stern manipulated her voice to make it seem like the singer said racist and vulgar remarks. “They have done some sort of trickery to make this horrible thing,” Parton said. You can listen to the Stern segment here.
- Iron & Wine, DeVotchKa, Saul Williams and the reunited Toadies have all been added to the Lollapalooza bill.
- Check out the very-NSFW new track from Raekwon, “Necro,” featuring Ghostface Killah. The song is the first from the much anticipated Only Built 4 Cuban Linx sequel.
- Based on first day sales, Death Cab For Cutie’s Narrow Stairs is on course to top the Billboard Top 200 next week. Check out Rolling Stone’s New Music Report on the album here.
May
15
Add another multi-day music event to your summer schedule, as Bob Dylan, the Raconteurs, the Roots, Gnarls Barkley and Spoon will headline the inaugural New American Music Festival on August 8 & 9 at SouthSide Works in Pittsburgh, PA. The festival is sponsored by American Eagle Outfitters and curated by Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Rounding out the lineup will be fifteen bands from various colleges across the country who will compete in a competition, with the winner receiving recording time in a Los Angeles studio. Tickets go on sale Friday and cost a mere $25 for students. Follow the jump for the full lineup.
The New American Music Festival
Bob Dylan and His Band
The Raconteurs
Gnarls Barkley
The Roots
Spoon
The Black Keys
Black Mountain
The Duke Spirit
NASA
Tiny Masters of Today
College Bands
Bears (Kent State University)
Flying Machines (The New School)
Gospel Gossip (Carleton College)
Magic Bullets (University of California Berkley)
Math the Band (University of Massachusetts Dartmouth)
My Dear Disco (University of Michigan)
Nothing Unexpected (Robert Morris University)
The Black Fortys (University of Southern Illinois)
The Company Kang (Whitman College)
The Delicious (Indiana University)
The Depreciation Guild (New York University)
The Elizabethan Report (Brigham Young University)
The French Horn Rebellion (Northwestern University)
The Royal Bangs (University of Tennessee)
The Steps (University of Texas Austin)
May
15
This week’s RollingStone.com Breaking Artist is Melbourne, Australia’s Cut Copy, an indie electropop trio who have parlayed their synthy dance pop bliss into a successful tour with Daft Punk and the excellent new album In Ghost Colours. Click below for more on Cut Copy, including video of a live performance of their single “Hearts on Fire.”