Music News Net

Hi! and welcome to MusicNewsNet.com (MNN).  Thanks for your visit and we hope you enjoy your time here and the music news we offer.  We welcome your comments and feedback, and music news tips!   MNN is passionate about all types of music and we report on new releases, music dvd releases, music industry news, concert & touring news and general rock/pop stuff, covering all genres - new, indie, alt, classic rock from both indie & major labels.  Subscribe to our feed, so you don't miss anything on MNN, click here and follow us on Twitter @ Twitter.com/MalMNN .

U2 Takes to a NYC Rooftop to Raise Awareness for Anti-Poverty Work

MUSIC NEWS- Rockers U2 have posted a clip from a recent acoustic performance of their iconic protest song Sunday Bloody Sunday online to raise awareness about the One Campaign's anti-poverty initiative.

The Irish band filmed the low-key footage ala The Beatles on a New York rooftop earlier this month, while recording new material.  During the short clip, frontman Bono breaks off to talk about the power of protest songs in his life, recalling the time he heard classic tunes from John Lennon and Bob Marley, which made him realize that the world was "more malleable than you think, that things could be changed... Things did not have to be as things were." 

Kim Deal Announces Her Departure from The Pixies

MUSIC NEWS - Though the Pixies haven’t performed together live since 2011, it appears that the group won’t be getting together anytime in the near future as word is out that Kim Deal is departing the indie darlings.

Despite a rumor that the group was working on a new album and is already set to release a career-spanning photo book sometime this year after a successful Kickstarter campaign, Kim Deal has left after twenty five years with the iconic band. They reunited in 2004 and have been playing live shows sporadicly since, including a tour in support of the 20th anniversary of Doolittle.  But, that's showbiz and the band released the following  statement on Kim Deal’s departure:

3OH!3 Releases OMENS on June 18

MUSIC NEWS- Boulder's 3OH!3 prep for the release of their brand new OMENS album on June 18 (out via Atlantic Records) with a release show on June 17 at the Roxy Theater in West Hollywood, CA and an in-store performance at Fingerprints Music in Long Beach, CA on Tuesday, 6/18.

The show is free with an RSVP to Fingerprints (562.433.4996). The guest list is only open with pre-order of OMENS from Fingerprints, but if there's still space on Monday, they'll open the guest list, first come, first served.  And, Fingerprints will give priority entry, and a free event poster to everyone that buys the album.

But we have it streaming, below!

Newport Folk Fest Announces West Coast "Way Over Yonder" Fest

MUSIC NEWS- The Newport Folk Festival, America’s original music festival, follows Route 66 all the way across the country this fall to Santa Monica, CA for the inaugural edition of WAY OVER YONDER. 

Tickets for this music event are on-sale now.  A limited amount of Early Bird tickets at a discount will be available subject to supply.  Appearing at Way Over Yonder:

Neko Case   Conor Oberst   Brett Dennen  First Aid Kit   Justin Townes Earle  The Felice Brothers Calexico  J onathan Wilson    Shovels & Rope   Thao & the Get Down Stay Down

A  slate of solo acoustic acts will also perform in the Carousel. Full line-up can be found at wayoveryonder.net.

Sasquatch! Music Festival to Expand to Two Weekends in 2014

MUSIC NEWS- After a highly regarded and successful 2013 music festival that sold out in a record 90 minutes, the Sasquatch! Music Festival is set to expand to a second holiday weekend in 2014. The festival will run May 23-25 (Memorial Day Weekend) and July 4-6 (Fourth of July Weekend) with two completely different lineups at The Gorge, the internationally acclaimed concert venue carved in the basalt cliffs high above the Columbia River Gorge in Quincy, WA.

Festival creator Adam Zacks founded Sasquatch! in 2002 with the aim of building an event that catered to the eclectic tastes of voracious music enthusiasts. Personally programming the lineups for each Sasquatch! Festival, Zacks handpicks a diverse array of performers with a tradition of presenting critically acclaimed emerging artists alongside established headliners.

New TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND Tune- Listen !

MUSIC NEWS- We just got a track from Tedeschi Trucks Band for your listening pleasure via Soundcloud. The track is "Part of Me" and is from the band's upcoming album MADE UP MIND album which will bein stores August 20!

Made Up Mind is Tedeschi Trucks Band's marks the third full-length release from the band, and is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2011's Grammy-winning debut Revelator and last year's scorching live collection, Everybody's Talkin'.

CIVIL WARS Announce New Album Release

MUSIC NEWS - The Civil Wars’ highly anticipated sophomore self-titled album will be released August 6 on Sensibility Music/Columbia Records. This is the follow up to the three-time Grammy Award-winning duo’s acclaimed debut, Barton Hollow, which is now certified RIAA Gold in the U.S. In advance of the release, the album’s first single, “The One That Got Away,” is now available to stream and purchase. See below for complete track listing.

The Civil Wars was recorded in Nashville between August 2012 and January 2013. Charlie Peacock was once again at the helm as producer for the album. Additionally, Rick Rubin produced the duo’s performance for the track “I Had Me a Girl” in August of 2011. Peacock later completed the track by producing the instrumentation and mix.

MUMFORD and SONS Postpone Gigs Due to Bandmate's Illness

MUSIC NEWS- MUMFORD & SONS have announced that they are postponing gig this week due to a medical problem by one of their band members, Ted Dwane. The group advised fans this morning with this statement about their bassist/vocalist-

To our fans -

Our friend and bandmate Ted has been feeling unwell for a few days, and yesterday he was taken to a hospital to receive emergency treatment. The scans revealed a blood clot on the surface of his brain that requires an operation. Ted is receiving excellent care and we are being assured that he will recover quickly from surgery.

PHOENIX Announces More USA Tour Dates

MUSIC NEWS - Though it's not even officially summer, we're getting fall concert news with the Parisian four-piece Phoenix announcing additional USA tour dates for this fall! The band will be touring to promote Bankrupt!, their critically acclaimed fifth studio album out now via Loyaute/Glassnote. Phoenix will be headlining Sunday night of Chicago’s Lollapalooza this summer and playing at some of the biggest venues across the country this fall.

Tickets for all new tour dates go on sale at 1 PM EDT this Friday, June 14^th

Live Nation Canada and Another Firm Charged in 2012 Fatal Toronto Stage Collapse

MUSIC NEWS- Event & concert promoter Live Nation Canada Inc., a staging company and an engineer have been charged in connection with a fatal stage collapse in Toronto, CN in the summer of 2012.  The collapse happened at Toronto's Downsview Park before a Radiohead concert. Scott Johnson, a 33-year-old drum technician, was killed in the collapse, three others were injured, and the sold-out concert was canceled.

The Ministry of Labor announced the charges Friday, just a few days prior to the one-year anniversary of the collapse, the Toronto Star reported.   Live Nation Canada Inc. and Live Nation Ontario Concerts GP Inc. were charged with violating the Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Act and charges were made against Live Nation Canada Inc. for failing to ensure the stage was designed and constructed to support all likely loads.

Remaining STONE TEMPLE PILOTS Members to Carry On Without Weiland

MUSIC NEWS- Who are the Stone Temple Pilots?  For one, the remaining members of Stone Temple Pilots say they are and they will not disband regardless of the legal actions by former singer/band menber Scott Weiland who asked a court to force them to break up.  The band members say it was their legal right to kick him out because of his "destructive behavior," their lawyer said this week.

"He's out of the band," Skip Miller, the attorney for the 1990s alternative rock band told the press, citing the quartet's 1996 legal partnership agreement that allows a majority of band members to vote out an existing member.  The agreement is said to also allowed the majority to retain the intellectual property rights to the band's name.  "The three of them voted (Weiland) out for a lot of reasons," Miller said. "They don't want to play with him anymore. He was showing up hours late and had crazy, destructive behavior."

Weiland, known for his growling vocals and dyed red hair, became a symbol of the early 1990s grunge era, was fired from the band back in February. The three remaining STP members sued him last month for using the band's name to promote his solo concerts.  Mr Weiland, 45, counter sued last week alleging that the group's three other members; Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz, secretly and wrongfully conspired to kick him out of the band.

The singer, who promoted a solo concert in Los Angeles last week featuring music from the group's 1992 album "Core" and 1994 album "Purple," has also asked the court for $5M in damages as well as a ruling to legally dissolving the partnership agreement.  "How do you expel a man from a band that he started, named, sang lead on every song, wrote the lyrics, and was the face of for 20 years, and then try to grab the name and goodwill for yourselves?" Weiland's lawsuit said.  "Knowing the value and goodwill associated with the Stone Temple Pilots name and that they would be unlikely to achieve any commercial success without it, the other members secretly met on numerous occasions ... to wrongfully expel Weiland from the band and seize for themselves the valuable Stone Temple Pilots
name and associated goodwill," the suit adds.  

The singer had no additional comment, his spokesperson said.  The remaining band members have performed live concerts recently as the Stone Temple Pilots with a new singer, Chester Bennington, who is also the frontman of Linkin Park. 

LOVERBOY Continues 2013 Touring, New Shows Announced

MUSIC NEWS- The Canadian rock and rollers Loverboy continue “Working for the Weekend" and all week long, for that matter, with a crowded summer concert tour schedule that follows up their nearly year-long, 60-date stint with Journey and Pat Benatar + Neil Giraldo, that had fans and critics alike “lovin every minute of it.”

The iconic rockers, with their trademarked red leather pants, bandanas, anthemic sound and high-energy live shows,  hit the road beginning June 8 for the Taste of Syracuse show, where they will once again open for Pat Benatar + Neil Giraldo, and won’t stop until November 16, back in their home country for a benefit concert in Edmonton.  The slate includes a headlining show at the PNE arena in Vancouver, BC on September 2.  A tour schedule is listed below, even though the band is still adding dates, so stay tuned to MNN.

BRIAN WILSON Returns to Capitol Music, New Album Being Recorded

MUSIC NEWS- All is well !  Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson has returned to Capitol Music Group where's he currently recording and self-producing his 11^th solo studio album at Hollywood’s Ocean Way Studios.  Mr Wilson has been joined in the studio by talented friends he personally invited to record with him, including guitar icon Jeff Beck.

Wilson has also asked his former Beach Boys bandmates Al Jardine and David Marks to join him in the studio, as well as session all-stars Don Was and Jim Keltner.  He has brought in Vinnie Colaiuta
and Tal Wilkenfeld, who for several years have toured and recorded as Jeff Beck’s rhythm section, and members of Wilson’s longtime touring band, including Jeffrey Foskett, Scott Bennett, Paul Mertens, Darian Sahanaja, and Probyn Gregory, have also participated in the sessions.   

MAYER HAWTHORNE Readies "Where Does This Door Go" for July Release

MUSIC NEWS- Mayer Hawthorne has come a long way since his 2008 debut, and currently, he says, "Life is really great." He's released two well-received full-length albums, had songs licensed for film and television, and toured the world with Bruno Mars, Erykah Badu, Janelle Monae, Passion Pit, John Mayer, Chromeo and the late Amy Winehouse.

His latest release, Where Does This Door Go, will be out on July 16th (via Universal)  and features a host of top-flight production work from Pharrell Williams, Greg Wells, Oak (of Oak & Pop) and John Hill.  Mayer grew up just outside of Detroit in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and remembers, as a child, driving with his father and tuning the car radio in to the region's rich musical tapestry. He has produced music and played instruments for much of his life; a hip-hop producer at the start of his career, and uses skills honed as a touring DJ to create his own original dance floor jams. Throughout the years he's cited R&B legends Isaac Hayes, Leroy Hutson and Barry White and inspiration, along with producers J Dilla and Mike Terry.