Hercules & Love Affair

Hercules & Love Affair
Self-Titled, DFA Records, 2008

Hercules & Love Affair is the brainchild project from New York based DJ Andy Butler and includes vocals from Antony Hegarty (frontman of Antony and the Johnsons), Nomi Ruiz, and Kim Ann Foxman.

If you are a fan of 80′s music, disco and electronic, this will be right down your alley.  I have had this disc in my rotation since it’s release and it gets better and better with each listen. The album has made the Top 40 Charts in several countries and Pitchfork has named their song “Blind” as the best song of 2008.

This is them performing “Hercules Theme” on the roof of a building in NYC.

church of misery – filth bitch boogie

heavy stuff out of tokyo. voted top 20 for the year by the great japanese music blog j-rawk.

Powerline A.D.’s Best of 2009

We posted our best of 2009 picks on the Powerline A.D. Website.

Go to www.powerlinead.com to check out the picks. There are also our biggest disappointments of 2009 listed there.

Ted Nugent Compares President Obama to Chairman Mao

In an interview with Royal Flush magazine, the Nuge went on one of his tiring political tirades again:

“I think that Barack Hussein Obama should be put in jail. It is clear that Barack Hussein Obama is a communist. (Former Chinese leader) Mao Tse Tung lives and his name is Barack Hussein Obama. This country should be ashamed. I wanna throw up.”

A drinking game can be started here. In the new year, every time Nugent says the phrase ‘Barack Hussein Obama,’ you have to take a shot (of the liquor of your choice, of course).

If only Nugent continued to play his guitar this furiously. He used to. Ever since Damn Yankees, things have gone downhill. It was wonderful when Nugent just went off on guitar instead of going off on politics. Maybe it was because the guitar seemed to be his only passion. Anyway, those times are long gone. Just like the great white buffalo.

Even Perez Hilton gave Nugent the treatment for his political comments — writing “HICK” across Nugent’s photo (above), and then posting it in a blog passage titled “Ted Nugent is an Effing Moron!”

I think Frank Zappa put it the best: Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar

‘The Writer From Heaven’ MUSIC NEWS by Carol AnneSzel

‘The Writer From Heaven’ MUSIC NEWS by Carol AnneSzel

Poison frontman and ‘Rock of Love’ star Bret Michaels is in the studio as pop sensation Miley Cyrus as she records her all time favorite song, ‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn’.

Cyrus has been a Poison fan for most of her life, and at only 17 years old, Miley tells People.com magazine that the band was the first concert she attended as a youngster in Nashville.

 Along with other producers, Bret Michaels has been in the studio with Miley to lend a hand in the recording of his song which was #1 on the Billboard charts in 1988.

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GRAMMY, AMA and five-time Dove Award-winning Group of the Year Casting Crowns is announcing plans to continue its highly-successful “Until The Whole World Hears” Tour in 41 more cities this spring. Kicking off on February 4, in Kansas City, Mo., the tour features a brand new lineup with special guests Kutless on dates in February and March, and Tenth Avenue North rounding out the tour’s final segment of shows in April and May. Indie rock band CALEB, featuring brothers Caleb and Will Chapman, will also join the tour roster.
CASTING CROWNS “UNTIL THE WHOLE WORLD HEARS” SPRING TOUR

FEBRUARY

2/4           Kansas City, MO             Sprint Center

2/5           Tulsa, OK                        Spirit Bank Events Center

2/6           Oklahoma City, OK          Crossroads Church

2/11         Bossier City, LA              CenturyTel Center Arena

2/12         Birmingham, AL               Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center

2/13         Tupelo, MS                      BancorpSouth Arena

2/18         Baltimore, MD                 1^st Mariner Arena

2/19         Rochester, NY                 Roberts Wesleyan College

2/20         Newark, NJ                     Prudential Center

2/21         Portland, ME                    Civic Center

2/23         Binghamton, NY              Broome County Arena

2/25         Plymouth, MI                   Northridge Church

2/26         Wyoming, MI                   GR First AOG Church

2/27         Pittsburgh, PA                  Mellon Arena

2/28         Hershey, PA                    Giant Center

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Dance pop sensation ERIKA JAYNE closes a successful 2009 by skyrocketing up the U.K. music charts with the recently reworked editions of her hit single “Give You Everything,” featuring remixes from Paul Harris, Mark Brown and Michael Woods. The “Give You Everything” remixes have shot to #2 on the Music Week Upfront Club Chart as well as #6 on the Music Week Commercial Pop Club Chart, marking the first time ERIKA has landed on the U.K. charts.  In addition, the single has landed on the #5 spot of Billboard’s 2009 year end Hot Dance Club Play Songs chart. 
This year has undoubtedly marked ERIKA’s biggest achievements to date. Beginning with the release of her debut album PRETTY MESS (out now on E1 Music) earlier this year, the Atlanta-born, Los Angeles transplant topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart with her #1 single “Give You Everything,” marking the third time ERIKA has dominated in this area; her singles “Roller Coaster” and “Stars,” also featured on Pretty Mess, have previously topped the Hot Dance Club Songs chart at #1.

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Montreal based Derelict have announced they have parted ways with bassist Louis-Phillipe Roy and replaced him with bassist Joey Sciacchitano.

Derelict’s new album “Unspoken Words” was released through Year of the Sun Records. The album was recorded in the metal mecca of Canada, Montreal, Quebec under the watchful eye of Cryptopsy guitarist Chris Donaldson (The Agonist, Cryptopsy). EXCLAIM Magazine proclaimed that the band “combines several realms of extreme music into a very tasty final result.” The group is currently streaming tracks from their debut online at www.myspace.com/derelictmetal

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 Award-winning composer JOHN SWIHART whose career is on a stellar trajectory since scoring “Napoleon Dynamite” five years ago scores “Youth in Revolt.” He has successfully traversed the musical landscape from performer with the Blue Man Group to scoring numerous films and TV series. Swihart’s signature “indie” musical style to Napolean Dynamite is still mimicked today by numerous composers. The film is distributed by The Weinstein Company and will be released January 8, 2010. Soundtrack available January 5 on Lakeshore Records.

Springsteen E-Street Band Legend CLARENCE CLEMONS Autobiography

‘Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales’ Lands in the NYTimes Bestseller’s List

  

“When the change was made uptown and the Big Man joined the band, from the coastline to the city all the little pretties raise their hands.”
-Bruce Springsteen “Tenth Avenue Freeze-out”

Released in October,  ‘The Big Man’ Clarence Clemons’ much anticipated book, Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales hit the Bestseller’s list right out of the box. A true gift to readers and fans alike, the book gives the world a probing look into the inner circle of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Bands royally rocking musical family.

Co-authored by Don Reo with the forward written by Bruce Springsteen, this cutting edge book enthralls readers with fact and fiction. In the forward Bruce writes, “This is not your average rock book. It is something creative, something unique, something new. It is the story of E-Street. It is the story of stories. It is the story of the Big Man.”
Throughout the book The Big Man opens up about his relationship with Bruce and reveals never been told before info. “I knew it when I first met him. Because he was what I was looking for and I was what he was looking for. When we met it felt real for me, it felt real for both of us,” Clemons proclaims.

“The tales of rock and roll history are brought to life by a legend himself, Clarence Clemons.” Former President Bill Clinton
Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales is a must have for anyone who loves Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and has been touched by the Big Man’s legendary musical prowess.

Visit the official Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales website:

 

www.TheBigMansBook.com

 

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This year, Warner Bros. Records teamed up with Beluga Heights and celebrates an instantly successful joint venture, with the launch of two groundbreaking artists who have both reached #1 on the Billboard charts within weeks and have taken on pop music by storm.  Miami native, 20 year old pop star, Jason Derulo quickly soared to #1 on Billboard Hot 100 last month with his debut hit single “Whatcha Say.” Following quickly behind, Island pop star Iyaz hailing from the Virgin Islands took the #1 spot on the Billboard top 40 charts just this week.

Both artists are becoming national pop sensations. Jason Derulo gears up to join Lady Gaga on the Monster Ball tour. Iyaz celebrates his pop radio success with a nationwide radio tour and is next up in the “Island/Pop” genre that Beluga Heights coined with the success of the label’s premiere artist Sean Kingston. 

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Ex-Megadeth Bassist, David Ellefson, Advises Bands to be “Unique” if They Truly Want to Succeed

Former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson (Above) tells an indie blogsite:

” … for those who really get ahead in the entertainment business, they have to have something unique for their audience.”

Well, Megadeth is certainly unique — and to any aspiring music biographer, they will be a fascinating subject. But Megadeth is unique without using parlor tricks or entertainment devices like, say, W.A.S.P.  Megadeth only used their music to gain recognition, and then later, success.

It’s too bad Ellefson isn’t still a member of Megadeth. He was almost as much of the face of Megadeth as Dave Mustaine. When interviewing Ellefson, he comes off as the polar opposite of Mustaine, too — level-headed, business-like, emotionally-stable. Mustaine can be intimidating right off the bat. Mustaine stares at you with a challenge in his eyes and a devilish smirk; whereas you can feel very comfortable speaking to Ellefson. Others may have experienced something different with Ellefson, but that was my experience when interviewing the two. And Megadeth needs someone like Ellefson right now to handle the media. This last year has been a deluge of very high-strung and damaging quotes from Dave Mustaine, as the sole media representative of Megadeth now. It hasn’t been good publicity for the band Megadeth at this stage of their history. Mustaine should have let the music (“Endgame”) do the talking. Megadeth’s music was always the secret to their success.

Motley Crue’s Vocalist Vince Neil Says Tattoos And Tequila is “Basically My Life”

Vince is in the studio recording his solo album “Tattoos and Tequila” with Slaughter members Dana Strum and Jeff Blando. The album has a release date set for April. It will also have a cover of CCR’s “Who’ll Stop The Rain?”

Such an odd choice should make for an interesting listen, bad or good.

In a recent interview, Vince says of the solo album’s title:

“That’s it. It has nothing to do with MÖTLEY CRÜE. Tattoos and tequila is basically my life.”

To be fair, I think the word strippers should have been in there, too. Oh well. Next solo album.

Animal Rights Group Claims AC/DC IS Noise Pollution

An Austrian animal rights group is trying to move the date of an AC/DC concert because the outside show is close to the nesting area of a bunch of rare birds called curlews (shown at right).

Try telling 80,000 ticketholders that they have to re-schedule their plans because of that. The whole scenario is for the birds.

Paul Weller Says That He Would Work With Both Liam And Noel Gallagher

Paul Weller has told NME.com that he would be happy to work with both Liam and Noel Gallagher despite the rift between the former Oasis bandmates. Weller said that he was fond of both brothers and did not want to pick sides. Weller stated:

“Creatively, I think the Oasis split is going to be good thing. There’s going to be some great things to come from both of them in the future. I’d definitely be up for collaborating with Liam and with Noel. I love them both equally, and think they’re both extremely talented in their own ways.”

Weller and Noel Gallagher co-wrote the song “Echoes Round The Sun,” which appeared on Weller’s last album, 22 Dreams.

Weller’s new album, Wake Up The Nation, will be released in the spring. He will be playing a residency at one of London’s most amazing venues, Royal Albert Hall, in April.

For more on this story, see the article from NME.com.

MUSE is First on HULU

In an agreement between HULU and Warner Music Group, MUSE will be the first musical act to have its own channel, which will bring “an artist-focused online video experience that features music videos, artist interviews, live concerts and rare behind the scenes footage,” according to CNN.

Right now there are only eight music videos and six videos of live performances for MUSE on HULU but its only the start.

You do have to watch a short commercials here and there but it’s worth it. In MUSE’s case, for instance, the live footage in Wembley 2007 is such good quality for streaming video it is almost surreal.

Go to www.hulu.com/muse to check it out.