Spinner

Ladytron Pen Songs for Christina Aguilera's Next Album

Kenneth Partridge — 2009-11-07T12:00:00+00:00

When Christina Aguilera enlisted Ladytron to write songs for her upcoming fourth album, 'Light & Darkness,' she could have wielded her diva powers and told the British electro-pop group exactly what she was looking for. Thankfully, that's not what happened. "She just told us she wanted to enter our world," Ladytron multi-instrumentalist Reuben Wu tells Spinner. "She didn't want to give us any idea what she wanted the music to be. She wanted us to do our own thing."

Wu says Aguilera approached the group two years ago and that the surprisingly modest pop star wasn't shy about declaring herself a fan. "She said she was inspired by our music and we were one of her favorite bands," he says. Although Wu and his cohorts -- fellow keyboardist Daniel Hunt and vocalists Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo -- were initially required to remain hush-hush about the project, they couldn't keep their secret from everyone.

Joe Perry Says Steven Tyler Has Quit Aerosmith

Liz Colville — 2009-11-07T09:00:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Holy Hell

In an interview with the Las Vegas Sun, guitarist Joe Perry says that Steven Tyler has quit Aerosmith, supporting recent rumors that the band has been considering replacing its lead singer.

"Steven quit as far as I can tell," Perry told the Sun, speaking from his home in Boston following the band's recent return from a performance in Abu Dhabi. "I don't know anymore than you do about it. I got off the plane two nights ago. I saw online that Steven said that he was going to leave the band. I don't know for how long, indefinitely or whatever. Other than that, I don't know."

He added that Tyler does not return his phone calls.

Pavement to Play Sasquatch! Festival

Benjy Eisen — 2009-11-07T03:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News

Sasquatch! is, once again, returning to the Pacific Northwest for Memorial Day weekend. No surprise there. There aren't too many other details available yet but the little bit of news that we do have is, actually, huge: Pavement is on the lineup. Yes, that's right. After years of a rumored reunion at Coachella and after a few lucky New York fans thought that they'd get to witness the band's first licks back in Central Park next September, Sasquatch! has pulled off a bit of a coup.

Our money is that the rest of the lineup is going to be pretty killer as usual. And even if it wasn't, Sasquatch! would probably still be worth going to for the scenery alone -- it's held in the belly of Washington's Columbia River Gorge, at one of the most jaw-dropping places in the world where there's a stage, rigging and overpriced concessions: the Gorge.

Founding Smugglers Drummer Paul Preminger Dies

John D. Luerssen — 2009-11-06T18:39:00+00:00

Filed under: News, R.I.P.

Paul Preminger, former drummer for the notorious Vancouver-based garage punk band the Smugglers, died of an apparent heart attack on October 27. Preminger -- who co-founded the band in the late 1980's, but left to become a chef in 1992 -- played on the band's early singles, debut EP and compilation tracks.

Smugglers vocalist Grant Lawrence, who doubles as a CBC Radio 3 host, described the kitman in a news interview with Vancouver's Georgia Straight. "[Paul was] a guy that hit the drums hard, and who lived hard," Lawrence said. "He was a Joe Pesci, bulldog kind of a guy, but very smart, very funny and very kind. He was one of those guys who'd sit on the couch and answer every single question on Jeopardy!, and you'd be like, 'What the f---? How does this Bukowski-esque character know all this?'"

One Hundred Dollars Write Country Music About Cities

Jenny Charlesworth — 2009-11-06T18:30:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Exclusive, You Oughta Know, Canada

It's not everyday you come across a country song that follows the life of a slum owner on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, but then Toronto's One Hundred Dollars isn't your typical alt-country band.

Making the trek out west this week in honour of 'My Father's House' -- the Deranged Records installment in the outfit's ongoing 'Regional Seven-Inch Series,' a collection of vinyl singles thematically linked to the location of the label releasing each record -- One Hundred Dollars will get an up-close look at the city that stands as the backdrop to their latest sonic offering.

"It seemed like Vancouver was an apt place to position the story because of the whole Robert Pickton thing," says frontwoman and lyricist Simone Fornow, referring to the convicted serial killer and pig farmer believed to have murdered as many as 49 local women.

Matthew Good Blames Liquor Laws for Killing Vancouver Music Scene

Sam Sutherland — 2009-11-06T17:15:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Exclusive, Canada

Matthew Good is adding his name to a growing list of Vancouver musicians fed up with the stringent liquor laws preventing venues from keeping their doors open to new, independent musical talent.

In recent years, the west coast city's move to shut down smaller bars and clubs has choked Vancouver's punk and indie scene, with strict requirements relating to security and hours of operation making it increasingly hard for venues that don't cater to mainstream audiences to stay open.

"I was lucky enough to be pretty much the last performer at the Town Pump before it stopped being a live music venue," Good, who titled his just-released album 'Vancouver,' tells Spinner. "There was the Cruel Elephant, Gastown Music Hall, Smiling Buddha and now [they] have evaporated. There could be a bunch of guys jamming in a basement in Burnaby that could be the next Explosions in the Sky and who's going to give them a chance? Who's going to let them play?"

Pearl Aday Owes Her Marriage to Motley Crue

Benjy Eisen — 2009-11-06T16:00:00+00:00

Filed under: News, New Music, Exclusive

When your father is Meat Loaf and he takes you around the world as a back-up singer for his live band, well, you're automatically the coolest kid on the block. But after years of touring with dad, Pearl Aday still got star-struck when she auditioned for Motley Crue back in 2000. Afterward, Crue bassist Nikki Sixx told her that not only did she get the gig as their main back-up singer but that they were also putting her in charge of finding the second girl. "Man, my head was spinning," Aday tells Spinner. "I mean, this was bringing me back to my adolescence when I'd save up all my allowance to buy Metal Edge, Circus and RIP magazines, cut out all of the pictures of Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee and paste them all over my bedroom wall."

And while she met many a superstar from the time she was a baby just being daddy's girl no doubt, she credits Motley Crue with landing her a husband -- Scott Ian from Anthrax. "I met Scott on that tour in 2000," says Aday. "Thank you Nikki and thank you Motley Crue."

Lissy Trullie Is More Than Just a Former Model

Dan Reilly — 2009-11-06T15:00:00+00:00

Filed under: News, New Music, Exclusive

Most articles about up-and-coming music Lissy Trullie mention that not only is she talented, she's also a former model. While that statement is true, it's also led to plenty of misconceptions about the New York-based singer/guitarist. "People assume that I was just like a scenester and I decided to pick up a guitar," Trullie tells Spinner. "I've been playing music since I was a child and I've been in bands since I was a child."

Her brief career in the business started when she originally moved to New York. "I was in college and and I booked my first job and made some money," she says. "This woman was like 'I can take you to an agency and you can earn some money while you're in college.' For any college kid, I think that sounds awesome. Like 'Wait, I just have to stand here in a picture and I get money?' It was something I did for not that long. I wasn't by any means successful at all, so I'm always like 'wait, five or six years later people are still calling me a model?'"

Rufus Wainwright Happy With His Level of Fame

Steve Baltin — 2009-11-06T14:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News, New Music, Exclusive

Last month, Rufus Wainwright, who recently released the CD/DVD 'Live in Milwaukee,' took part in Gavin Friday's 50th birthday celebration at Carnegie Hall. It was quite the extravagant affair and Wainwright found himself on stage at times with Scarlett Johansson (with whom he dueted), Courtney Love, U2 and more. Wainwright confesses to Spinner that being around that level of fame can mess you up a bit. "One does get a little bit jacked up on the fame quotient," he says. " I found myself saying, 'Oh, I'm going to wipe the stage clean,' or 'Nobody's gonna notice me' or 'Why don't I sell more records?' You get in this weird, ornery mood."

But once the music started, that all faded away. "Then you get there and you start singing with the people and you start hanging with them as just human beings and all that s--- evaporates in a split second and the music really saves the day and pacifies the ego," he says.

Morrissey Named the Greatest Lyricist in British Pop History

John D. Luerssen — 2009-11-06T13:30:00+00:00

Filed under: News

Let the debate begin. Morrissey is the greatest lyricist in the history of British popular music, according to a new book by Scottish academic Dr. Gavin Hopps. In 'Morrissey: The Pageant of His Bleeding Heart,' Hopps compares the singer to literary giants like Philip Larkin and Oscar Wilde.

Moz, who gave us all such lyrical classics as 'Bengali in Platforms,' 'Barbarism Begins at Home,' 'Shoplifters of the World Unite and Take Over' and countless others with and without the Smiths, is heralded for his use of different writing techniques.

F---ed Up to Record All-Star 'Do They Know It's Christmas' Cover

Joshua Ostroff — 2009-11-06T13:00:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Canada

After pocketing the $20,000 Polaris Music Prize for best Canadian album in September, hardcore heroes F---ed Up announced they'd be using the money to record a charity single. Now singer Damian Abraham has announced it will be a cover of Band Aid's 1982 colonialist classic 'Do They Know It's Christmas.'

In an interview with New York magazine, Abraham revealed the all-star guest list, which includes Broken Social Scene, David Cross, Vampire Weekend, TV on the Radio, Bob Mould, No Age, Yo La Tengo and indie-loving rapper GZA. He's still waiting on word from M.I.A., Jarvis Cocker and Feist (who last night replaced an ill Kristin Chenoweth to perform in Toronto for upscale retailer Holt Renfrew's holiday window display unveiling, an event which also raised money for the United Way).

Elton John Ready to Resume Tour After Hospitalization

John D. Luerssen — 2009-11-06T12:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News

Elton John has recovered from the flu and E. coli bacterial infection that left him sidelined him last week. The Rocket Man was released from a London hospital early Thursday, according to his spokesman Gary Farrow.

Farrow said that John was home Friday and feeling better. Last month, the 62-year-old pop icon became seriously ill, forcing him to cancel the final dates of his Red Piano tour plus a series of US West Coast shows with Billy Joel.

Decemberists' Colin Meloy Working on Two Children's Books

John D. Luerssen — 2009-11-06T12:00:00+00:00

Filed under: News, Book Club

Though it's not going to get an advance like Bruce Springsteen's purported autobiography, Decemberists' frontman Colin Meloy is collaborating on a children's book with his wife, artist Carson Ellis. Ellis -- who has provided the artwork for all of the Decemberists music releases -- will illustrate the project, while Colin will provide the words for the upcoming effort, which they're calling 'The Unfortunate Demise of Whitley Rackham.'

In a blog post on Thursday, Meloy elaborated about the book, which was first promised in 2007 and is finally near completion. "[It] owes its existence to a (admittedly pretty nerdy) Halloween party that was thrown by a friend in, like, 2002," Meloy revealed. "Everyone was instructed to write a ghost story to read at the party. My humble contribution was this story about Whitley Rackham, a veteran of the Great War (2002 was a big year for WWI in my brain) and the ghosts (literally and figuratively) that followed him home."

Band of Skulls Unfazed by Meeting 'Twilight' Stars

Jolie Lash — 2009-11-06T11:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News, New Music, Exclusive

On Friday evening, British three-piece Band of Skulls will join members of the cast of 'New Moon' at Los Angeles' Hollywood & Highland Center for a promotional appearance related to the second big screen installment of the 'Twilight' series. The band, whose song 'Friends' appears on the 'New Moon' soundtrack, will play a short set, but don't expect co-singer and guitarist Russell Marsden to make a move to meet his fellow any of the film's stars.

"If it was a Hollywood legend, I'd maybe make an extra effort," the not-very-star struck Marsden tells Spinner. "I don't know, it's just like, it's good that they're going to be there. We'll just do our gig. I'm quite interested to see that band Sea Wolf. They're playing as well, so we might stick around and watch those guys."

Vote for Spinner!

Stephen Dowling — 2009-11-06T10:53:00+00:00

Filed under: News, UK

Spinner has been nominated in the Record of the Day Awards, an annual ceremony that sees British music industry types don their smartest pair of tasselled loafers, drink white wine and slap each other on the back.

We're up for the Best Digital Publication award, one which -- in the manner of all great democratic exercises -- is voted for by you.

We here at Spinner Towers are humbly asking for your support, and your votes. It may be only a few weeks until Christmas, but we've been working very hard and an early present would be gratefully received.

Thurston Moore and Rufus Wainwright Contribute Works to Art Show

Dan Reilly — 2009-11-06T10:37:00+00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News

The talents of Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright aren't just limited to music. Moore and Wainwright have contributed to "Cold Water," an exhibition featuring visual art created by performers from New York's "East Village, downtown, CBGB's" scene.

The event, curated by singer-songwriter Justin Bond and New Yorker theater critic Hilton Als, kicks off Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7PM at New York's La MaMa Galleria and runs through Nov. 22. In addition to Moore and Wainwright, the featured "performers-on-paper" include actress Tilda Swinton, Kate Bornstein, Theo Kogan, Caden Manson, Jemma Nelson, Lady Rizo, Chris Tanner, Leslie Thornton and Darryl Turner.

Kings of Leon Top Love Song Survey

John D. Luerssen — 2009-11-06T10:00:00+00:00

Filed under: News

Whether you think they're better suited to hipster or pop radio audiences, Kings of Leon can now officially claim to be for lovers. The Tennessee rockers beat out Marvin Gaye, Al Green and Eric Clapton in a love song competition sponsored by dating site eHarmony UK.

As part of its Perfect Mixtape Challenge, the site -- somewhat surprisingly -- identified KOL's hot-blooded 'Sex on Fire' as its users' favorite love song. Standard romantic fare like Gaye's 'Let's Get It On,' Green's 'Let's Stay Together,' Clapton's 'Wonderful Tonight' and 'Your Song' by Elton John rounded out the top five. Another surprise was Joy Division's swan song single, 'Love Will Tear Us Apart,' which also made the list at number 10.

Blur's Dave Rowntree Outlines Election Manifesto

Spinner Staff — 2009-11-06T06:52:00+00:00

Filed under: News, UK

With Blur's summer reunion now behind him, the band's drummer Dave Rowntree is preparing himself for what could be the biggest gig of his life.

Forget headlining Glastonbury or Hyde Park, Rowntree is now putting all his efforts into securing a seat in the House of Commons at the next UK general election. He'll be representing the Labour Party in the Cities of London and Westminster seat, traditionally a Conservative Party stronghold.

Despite this however, in an interview with BBC London, Rowntree insisted he doesn't consider himself to be a politician: "I am an activist, one of millions of activists up and down the country and I am campaigning in my neighbourhood for things to be better. I am one of the grunts really."

He went on to outline the main issues that he will base his campaign around. "The biggest issue in Westminster is housing. It is a particular concern of mine because it sits at the top of a pyramid of lots of other issues. If there is bad housing then you will also get drug problems, mental health problems, unemployment, crime and anti-social behaviour."

Arctic Monkeys Turn to Beyonce and Kylie for Arena Show Tips

Spinner Staff — 2009-11-06T06:25:00+00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News, UK

They might be seasoned festival headliners now but the Arctic Monkeys are a little short on arena show experience. Given that the band are about to embark on a major winter arena tour in the UK, lead singer Alex Turner has revealed that he's been out and about seeking inspiration from some unlikely sources.

He told the NME: "I'd never been to a gig in an arena. But recently, knowing we've got this tour coming up, I've been trying to dip my toe into that. So I've seen Britney Spears at The O2, I saw Kylie [Minogue] the other week, and we went to see Beyonce in Japan - to try and see how it pans out."

However, fans expecting the multiple costume changes and elaborate theatrics of Ms. Spears and Ms. Knowles may be a bit disappointed. "There's not gonna be circus performers or bass solos," Turner said. "Beyonce had an all-girl band and one of them was doing these daft bass solos. No, there's not gonna be any horn sections."

Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Play 'Fever To Tell' in Full for ATP

Spinner Staff — 2009-11-06T05:13:00+00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News, UK

New York trio the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are to celebrate their tenth birthday in style at the All Tomorrow's Parties tenth anniversary weekend in December.

Festival organisers have announced that the band will be performing their debut album 'Fever to Tell' in its entirety as the "first part" of their show at the event, the NME reported.

The band was previously announced as part of a line up featuring other past curators of the much-loved festival, including the Melvins, Explosions in the Sky and the Dirty Three.