Author Archives: Tankboy

I loved London Booted so it’s no surprise I’m very excited about Parkspliced…a reimagined, remixed and mashed-up version of Blur’s Parklife.

Give to a charity and download while it’s hot.

Jim DeRogatis is the rock critic for the Chicago Sun-Times (arguably the best thing in that paper) as well as the drummer in the Agit-prop band Vortis. I can also personally attest that he?s a swell guy. That?s why I?m really excited about his new book that?s coming out, Kill Your Idols. He basically invited a bunch of rock writers he respected to come in and tear down the supposed great albums in the rock canon. He gives a great interview that really digs into what?s wrong with rock criticism today over at mediabistro.com. When asked if he avoided rock-crits like Rob Sheffield at Rolling Stone, or Kelefa Sanneh at the New York Times he had a great answer:

Yes, I have a real problem with critics who are in the club. There is definitely a lunchroom clique of hip critics. Now, mind you, we are talking about a world of geeks to begin with. There is no such thing as a cool critic. But within the geek existence of critics, there is the cheerleader jock crowd. They are the snotty elitists, they are the hipsters. And I ain’t one of them. I’ve never been one of them, and I wanted to unite the folks who are not one of them.

Read the full, great interview here.

I sweartagod, this guy has THE life:

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl logged time last week behind the drum kit with Nine Inch Nails at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, Calif. His contributions are expected to appear on the Trent Reznor-led act’s long-awaited new album, “Bleed Through,” due later this year via Interscope.

Eagle-eyed fans spotted Grohl on Nine Inch Nails’ in-studio Web cam, sitting behind a mixing console. His presence was also tipped off by members of rock act the Exies, who are recording their next album at the same studio.

“Last week, we had a great barbecue with Queens Of The Stone Age and this week we come in to see Dave Grohl playing drums for Nine Inch Nails,” the band wrote on its official Web site. “Is that a trip or what?!” (full story)

Okay, Dave on drums is super cool…but screw that. Let me into that Queens of the Stone Age BBQ!

So much for those major label whiners and their incessant griping:

The U.S. music industry finished the first half of 2004 with album sales of 305.7 million units, up 6.9% from the 285.9 million units scanned in the corresponding period last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan.(full story)

This is a great product, I like that it comes in a blister pack and does not need refrigeration. . That is why we pay attention to the quality of the medications.

How much you wanna bet they say that suing twelve year olds is what’s making their business do better?

Discuss.

How to dress Emo 2.0.

Really, just too precious.

Now don’t you feel bad about laughing about that whole lolly in the eye thing?

British pop star David Bowie underwent emergency heart surgery last month but is now out of hospital and convalescing at home with his family, his publicist said on Thursday.

Bowie, 57, had emergency angioplasty surgery for a blocked artery at a hospital in Germany after seeking treatment for a pinched nerve during a concert tour, publicist Mitch Schneider said in a statement. (from Reuters)

Fatboy Slim has a new album titled Palookaville hitting stores in October. It has oodles of guest appearances. Its track-lisiting is below:

1. Don’t Let The Man
2. Slash Dot Dash
3. Wonderful Night (featuring Lateef)
4. Long Way From Home (featuring Johnny Quality)
5. Put It Back Together (featuring Damon Albarn)
6. Masochistic Baby
7. Push And Shove (featuring Justin Robertson)
8. North West Three
9. The Journey (featuring Lateef)
10. Jingo
11. Song For Chesh
12. The Joker (featuring Bootsy Collins)

Its lead-off single is a remake of Steve Miller’s The Joker with Bootsy Collins supplying the vocals. I love Norman Cook but the man has obviously had one too many vodka orange juices. I’m predicting this will be a bit more rock and/or roll then previous discs and I also predict that’s not a good thing.

What happens when rock stars run out of creative juice? You form a super-cover-group and name it Camp Freddy? Really. Then you release an album, because cover bands aren’t just for fun anymore, oh no!

[T]he album will feature [Dave] Navarro, Matt Sorum from Velvet Revolver, Billy Morrison from the Cult, Chris Chaney from Jane’s Addiction and Donovan Leitch playing with a revolving cast of singers.

“We’ve recorded an album of tracks that are without vocals at this time and we have certain artists that we’d like to offer a guest spot to,” Navarro said. “Of course we want someone like Josh Todd from Buckcherry, he’s a great rock singer, but at the same time we’d want Macy Gray, we’d want Christina if she’d be down. We’d take Britney if she was down. We don’t really care. The idea is musicians getting together ’cause we love to play and we like to have fun. Style and genres and echelons go out the window.”

Among the diverse singers who have performed with the group are Robbie Williams, Moby, Kid Rock, Puddle of Mudd’s Wes Scantlin, Nikka Costa, Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach, actress Gina Gershon and Bush’s Gavin Rossdale.

Do you think they’re available for weddings?

Tankboy and MOBfest present:

Saturday June 19
at
The Note

Rockit Girl
American Cosmonaut
Textbook
King Radio
Plane

Doors 8pm
Show 9pm
$8 cover/free to MOBfest badges

Rockit Girl is Gina Crosley’s — ex of Veruca Salt — power-pop-rock-punk combo. American Cosmonaut dig early 90’s Brit-pop dancey rock like the Charlatans. Textbook is kind of like Superchunk meets Uncle Tupelo. King Radio is from Boston and lace their pop with strings and horns. Plane sound like early guitar-driven New Order. How can you go wrong?

The rock and/or roll pounds so strongly in my blood that sometimes my head hurts.

Oh wait, that may just be a hang-over…

Michael Jackson paid out approximately $25 million to settle a civil suit by a boy who accused him of molesting him in 1993.

Jeez-us kee-rist!

Courtney Love keeps smacking people and getting sued.

Ouch!

Prince is suing a guy who’s suing him for allegedly siccing the Prince Bodyguard Army? on the guy a while ago.

Does that even make sense. Is the above sentence properly punctuated? I have no idea. What I do know is that these are trying times, my friend. Trying times. Where’s Durst Watch when you need it?