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Jan 30 2012 04:22 PM ET

Jack White announces solo album, debuts new song 'Love Interruption': Hear it here

Categories: Buzzworthy, Caliente!, Downloads and Streams, Indie Rock, Jack White, Music, New Stuff, Rock, Things On The Internet, Things That Are Awesome, White Stripes

Image Credit: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

We’ve seen Jack White do a lot of things. First came the White Stripes, of course, and then the seemingly endless list of side projects and collaborations, some (the Raconteurs, Loretta Lynn, Wanda Jackson, the Dead Weather, John C. Reilly) better than others (okay, mostly just Insane Clown Posse). We’ve even seen the man take home an elephant head!

This spring, though, we’ll get see him do something new: go solo.

White announced today that he’ll be releasing his solo debut Blunderbuss on April 24 via Third Man Records, the label-record-store-recording-studio he runs out of Nashville.

“I’ve put off making records under my own name for a long time, but these songs feel like they could only be presented under my name,” White says of the record. “These songs were written from scratch, had nothing to do with anyone or anything else but my own expression, my own colors on my own canvas.”

And if his album’s very, very good lead single is any indication, Blunderbuss will be worth the wait. Check out the short, strummy “Love Interruption” below:

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Jan 30 2012 01:36 PM ET

Karmin unleashes new single 'Broken Hearted' in time for their 'Saturday Night Live' performance

by Grady Smith

Categories: Karmin, Pop, SNL

In less than two weeks, YouTubers-turned-major-label-recording artists Karmin will take the Saturday Night Live stage alongside host Zooey Deschanel.

The duo has already released its first single, “Crash Your Party,” which is currently climbing the pop charts, and while it’s unclear whether that song will be performed on SNL, Amy and Nick clearly have more than just Chris Brown covers ready for the show.

Epic has just released the audio of Karmin’s second official single, the sunny pop track “Broken Hearted,” which features another dose of Amy’s trademark rapping over a Dr. Luke-esque beat.

Nick’s voice, however, is nowhere to be heard on the song, in which a lover begs her man not to “leave [her] broken hearted tonight.” Give it a listen below: READ FULL STORY »

Jan 30 2012 01:19 PM ET

Best New Artist Grammy winners over the past 25 years: Did they live up to their title?

by Aly Semigran

Categories: Awards, Festivals & Events, Grammys, Music

Image Credit: Valerie Macon/Getty Images

The Band Perry, Bon Iver, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, or Skrillex will soon join a prestigious list of musical acts that includes the Beatles, Carly Simon, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and — skyrockets in flight! — the Starlight Vocal Band. What list is that? Why, the Grammy Awards’ Best New Artist winners.

The history of the Best New Artist is a complicated one. For every no-brainer (Mariah Carey, Amy Winehouse, Adele, pictured), there are some equally contestable choices (Paula Cole over Fiona Apple, A Taste of Honey over Elvis Costello) and plenty of controversy to spare. (Rule changes still didn’t help artists like Lady Gaga in time; the great Milli Vanilli debacle; Esperanza who?)

So has it proven to be beneficial for a musician or band to walk away with the Best New Artist Grammy, or is the award the kiss of death for a career, as has been rumored in years past? We’ll run down the Best New Artist winners from the past 25 years to see which recipients lived up to their title and what they’ve been up to since their win. The 54th annual Grammy Awards, which determine the fate of the Band Perry, Bon Iver, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, and Skrillex, airs live at 8 p.m. EST on CBS on Sunday, Feb. 12.

READ FULL STORY »

Jan 30 2012 12:36 PM ET

M.I.A. gears up for Super Bowl with a new(ish) single, 'Bad Girls'

by Ray Rahman

Categories: Buzzworthy, Current Listening, Downloads and Streams, Hip-Hop/Rap, Indie Rock, Ladies, M.I.A., Madonna, Music, New Stuff, Pop, Super Bowl, Things On The Internet

M.I.A. had a pretty chill 2011, but her 2012 is already starting to look sufficiently bonkers.

Not only is the artist formerly known as Maya slated to be joining Madonna and Nicki Minaj at this Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show, but she and her co-conspirators will also see their collaboration track ”Gimme All Your Luvin” premiere on American Idol this Thursday. That single, MDNA‘s first, will be properly released Friday.

But first, M.I.A. has her own single to debut. “Bad Girls” hits the streets tomorrow, but the song — reworked from her late-2010 mixtape Vicki Leekx — is streaming now. Plus, this Friday she’ll unveil the new single’s video, courtesy of the director behind her controversial “Born Free” video.

In other words: there’s going to be a lot of M.I.A. on your internets this week! Consider yourself warned.

READ FULL STORY »

Jan 30 2012 11:47 AM ET

Guns N' Roses announce club-tour dates

by Kyle Anderson

Categories: Guns N' Roses, Rock, Things That Are Loud, Things That Were Inevitable, Tours, Valentine's Day

Image Credit: Paul Warner/WireImage.com

The lasting images from the peak of Guns N’ Roses’ reign are all epic: The massive stadium crowds, the white leather suits, the entirety of the “November Rain” video.

It’s difficult to consider them as a club band, and yet just like all big bands before them, they had to start somewhere.

In an effort to remind the world that Axl & Co. used to be, uh, smaller, Guns N’ Roses announced that they will play a series of shows at small venues in February. The centerpiece of the run will be a stop at New York’s Webster Hall, which only holds about 1,200 people for rock shows and was the site of a notorious GNR show taped by MTV in 1988.

Back then, the club was called the Ritz, which is what it will be re-christened when Axl and his band of merry men take the stage on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

The rest of the run shakes out like this: Two other New York shows (Roseland Ballroom on Feb. 10 and Terminal 5 on Feb. 12), then shows at the House of Blues in Chicago (Feb. 19), the Fillmore in Silver Spring, Md. (Feb. 23), and the House of Blues in Atlantic City (February 24). Presale tickets go live on Tuesday, Jan. 31, for the New York shows, with the rest of the lot on sale this Wednesday, February 1.

Axl is hardly the first rock giant to book a back-to-the-start run in smaller venues:

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Jan 27 2012 05:02 PM ET

TV Jukebox: 'House,' 'Pretty Little Liars,' 'One Tree Hill,' and more music-on-TV moments

by Lanford Beard

Image Credit: ABC Family

Even though love songs account for about 90 percent of the market (a statistic I just made up as I listened to Adele and Snow Patrol on repeat), it’s been a while since we had a good line-up of serious heart flutterers here on TV Jukebox. From a rain-soaked reunion (Pretty Little Liars) to a synchronized swimming-themed proposal (Glee), it was a good week for all things gushy and gooey. Some were searching for love (Private Practice, Happy Endings), while others were letting it go (Gossip Girl, The Secret Circle).

Of course, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t room for a some rumbling (Teen Mom 2), reconciliation (House), revenge (Hell on Wheels), strip club shenanigans (One Tree Hill, CSI), and straight-up struttin’ (House of Lies). All of which is without mentioning the most disturbing use of ’80s soft rock to come down the pipeline is quite some time. Thanks for that, Criminal Minds! See our latest picks below. (Warning for those still catching up on DVR: SPOILERS ahead!) READ FULL STORY »

Jan 27 2012 09:00 AM ET

RuPaul: The Soundtrack of My Life

by Tanner Stransky

Categories: Attack of the '90s, Buzzworthy, Divas!, Ladies, Pop, What's on my iPod?

Image Credit: Mathu Andersen/LOGO

The First Lady of “ladies” and fierce hostess of the breakout reality hit RuPaul’s Drag Race — whose fourth season premieres Monday, Jan. 30, at 9 p.m. on Logo — shares the songs that shaped him, from Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park” to Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark.”

Song I first dragged to: Donna Summer, “MacArthur Park”
“I was lead singer of a band and lip-syncing to a song was not something that I did, I just wasn’t into it. But I went to this house party in Merrick, New York, and these rich kids asked if I would lip sync a song, so I did it. It was hilarious and it was a smash hit, and I actually used it as part of my repertoire when I did start lip-syncing in the late ’80s in New York.”

Song I’ll never drag to again: Starpoint, “Object of My Desire”
“It’s a great drag song, but its just that there are so many lyrics to it and so many ad libs that she does, it’s almost impossible to get them all and that’s a big consideration with lip-syncing a song. You want to hit every beat, every ad lib, every riff. I tried doing that song once, and I just couldn’t do it.”

Song that reminds me of my first romance: Bell & James, “Livin’ It Up (Friday Night)”
“It was the song that was always on the radio in the disco era, when I was going to this all-ages disco in San Diego. It reminds me of that time and this first real kiss that I had with this man who was much older than me. Actually, when he kissed me, my knees literally buckled. They buckled because I was swept away. Yeah, it was true: He swept me off my feet. When I hear that song today, I immediately think of that kiss.”

READ FULL STORY »

Jan 26 2012 05:30 PM ET

Did Disney inadvertently spark a possible Joy Division reunion?

by Ray Rahman

Categories: Cover Art, Indie Rock, Legal Troubles, Music, Music Biz, Reunions, Rock, Rock Stars Say the Darndest Things, Strange Bedfellows, Things On The Internet, Things That Make Us Go Hmm, Whoopsies!

Getting members from defunct bands to reassemble can be a tricky business, but Disney may have found “A Means to an End.”

It began when the company riffed off of Joy Division’s 1979 classic Unknown Pleasures for a new t-shirt, altering the black-and-white pattern from the album’s iconic cover art to resemble Mickey Mouse’s distinctly shaped head.

After garnering much attention online, the shirt was discontinued by Disney, and now the ones in circulation fetch hundreds of dollars on eBay.

But the fracas may also inspire a 3/4ths reunion for the beloved post-punk band.

READ FULL STORY »

Jan 26 2012 03:17 PM ET

Madonna's Super Bowl performance will feature LMFAO, says will.i.am

by Kyle Anderson

Categories: LMFAO, Madonna, Pop, Rock Stars Say the Darndest Things, Television, Things That Make Us Go Hmm

Image Credit: Meeno

There are only nine days left until the Super Bowl, which means the window for placing party sub orders and making dignity-sacrificing bets is swiftly closing. While the game itself will likely be relatively dull (people often forget that the last time these two teams met in the Super Bowl, it was pretty deadly for three quarters), but there is already plenty of news leaking out about the big-money commercials that will be airing and also about Madonna’s much-anticipated halftime show.

Little is known about the actual content of the show itself, though we do know that it will feature Madonna. There was a set list floating around the Internet a few weeks ago that suggested it would consist of both new tunes and classic tracks from throughout her career. (That list was never verified.) It is likely that she will be joined by both Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. for a run through their new collaboration. Another source has The Voice star Cee-Lo Green making an appearance during the show. And the whole thing will apparently be bringing both pom-poms and “the gay.”

If Green, M.I.A., and Minaj all join forces with Madonna, that will make the stage awfully crowded. But according to will.i.am, Madonna is also making room for “Sexy and I Know It” hitmakers LMFAO. READ FULL STORY »

Jan 26 2012 01:46 PM ET

50 Cent agrees to tweet nude pics of himself if the Giants lose the Super Bowl

by Ray Rahman

Categories: 50 Cent, Hip-Hop/Rap, Music, Rock Stars Say the Darndest Things, Snap Judgment, So Bad It's Good, Things Nobody Asked For, Things On The Internet, Things That Bum Us Out, Things That Make Us Uncomfortable, Things That Really Could Have Been Avoided, Twitter

If you don’t already have a team to root for in this year’s Super Bowl, and depending on how you feel about the guy who brought the world “Candy Shop,” you might want to pick up a Patriots jersey this week.

Why? Because 50 Cent’s crotch says so.

Following in the great football tradition of taking pictures of your junk to send out into the world, the “Outta Control” rapper recently raised the Super Sunday stakes by making an unusual bet: to tweet a picture of his private parts if the New York Giants lose.

The wiener wager was prompted by an overeager Twitter follower with the handle MyBestAssets, who tweeted at Fiddy:

“Lets bet. If the Giants lose the Superbowl, u must post ur [d---] on the twitter. If they win, I’ll post my boobs & face on here. Bet?”

After careful consideration, the rapper — whose penchant for Twitter flirtation is well documented – replied with the following:

“Ok”

OK! Don’t mess this one up, Tom Brady!

But Fiddy isn’t just putting his dignity on the line, either. He also told rapper and Cash Money CEO Bryan “Birdman” Williams that he would throw a cool million dollars behind Eli Manning’s team, having already scored a half million bucks betting on Big Blue in the playoffs.

More on EW.com:
50 Cent on Twitter: ‘I don’t think I’m gonna live much longer’
First chapters of 50 Cent’s novel, ‘Playground’ — EXCLUSIVE
Snoop Dogg launches Celebrity Charity Week on ‘The Price Is Right,’ knows the cost of bird seed: Watch it here

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