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B Sides for 08/05/2014



Rock Hall Removes Icon's Remains As Beyonce Exhibits Opens
(Radio.com) If you do not know who DJ Alan Freed is, you are not alone, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was the place for an education. The DJ credited with coining the term "Rock 'n' Roll" had a prominent exhibit in the museum - that is, until today, when his remains were removed from the exhibit, CNN reports.

There is dispute between Freed's son, Lance, and Executive Director Greg Harris, with Freed claiming the Hall as being disrespectful to his father's legacy, while Harris claims the DJ will still play a prominent role in the museum - just not his ashes.

It is unclear whether this has to do with a new exhibit that opened just days ago, featuring outfits worn by Beyonce at various stages of her career, including the black leotards she wore in her 2008 "Single Ladies" video. More on this story.

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Opeth Akerfeldt Has Mind-Boggling One Direction Experience
(Prog) Prog's Features Ed Amit Sharma recently interviewed Opeth mastermind Mikael Akerfeldt for this month's cover story. The conversation started with Mikael's recent experience taking his daughter to watch One Direction - here's what the Opeth mainman had to say...

"Well, I was in the minority there, being an old dude for one! But it was two sold-out nights at the Friends Arena which holds 60,000 people or something. My oldest daughter likes One Direction, and I anticipated some type of show as they had some elaborate stage thing going on.

"But when the guys hit the stage it kinda felt like they'd just dragged five guys from the crowd up... if there were guys in the crowd, which there obviously wasn't! It was just people on stage that were able to sing in key, but other than that they didn't do much, they didn't do any syncopated dance moves, there wasn't much of a show. And since there were five guys, they'd sing every fifth line of a song and in between be just walking around.

"For me, it was mind-boggling, I just couldn't see the fascination, but kids think they're cute and that kind of stuff. For me, I did not understand the point of the songs.'" more.

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Hockey Goalie Set To Debut New Iron Maiden Mask
(hennemusic) Former NHL goalie Chris Mason has announced that he will debut a new Iron Maiden mask for the 2014/15 season with the Augsburg Panther of the German Elite League.

In Goal reports that Mason, with the help of artist Steve Nash at EyeCandyAir, has continued the trend of featuring Iron Maiden's mascot Eddie the Head prominently on his helmet after doing so in Winnipeg and Nashville.

As a nod to Mason's Canadian heritage, the left side has Eddie carrying a Canadian flag. This is actually a rendition done by artist Derek Riggs, and is the cover art for his new book, "Run For Cover."

On the opposite side, Eddie the Trooper carries the German flag, paying homage to the country in which Mason will see action this year. This depiction of Eddie first appeared on the single cover art for "The Trooper" from 1983's "Piece Of Mind" album.

Check out a photo of the mask here.

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Slash Had A Trip At First Sober Gig
(TeamRock Radio) Slash recalls playing his first ever sober gig was "a trip" but insists he got over the shock pretty quickly. The guitar hero famously lived the rock lifestyle to the extreme in his Guns N' Roses days and never played a gig without a drink in him until a tour with Velvet Revolver in 2006.

And while that experience was a nervy one, he has never looked back since and has remained sober. He tells BBC 6 Music: "When I was in rehab, there was a point when Velvet went out and did a real quick tour around California. And so I left rehab and went out and did this tour, and it was the first time I'd been on stage sober - ever.

"That was a trip and it was a little shaky, but you get past that pretty quickly. Because you're in the moment - you can't just sit there and go, 'Oh my God, I can't do this.' You have to do it. So I got over that pretty quickly." More on this story.

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Franz Ferdinand Release Stand On The Horizon Video
(Radio.com) The May/December relationship gets a fresh and deeply unromantic face, thanks to Franz Ferdinand's new video for "Stand on the Horizon." It opens on a vast, muddy plain. There is no sunshine, no civilization - just the sense of eternal twilight.

The action kicks in with a shot of Franz Ferdinand playing in a small club, clearly in some backwater burg located smack-dab in the middle of nowhere Europe. The boys wear gold lam� jackets and play, somewhat listlessly, as young men dance with their older partners in synchronized moves.

Director Karan Kandhari describes his aesthetic here as, "An awkward look at innocence and experience. An attempt to capture a sparkle in the melancholy and a warmth in the strangeness. I hope people find it both sad and funny / hopeful and human. We either achieved all of this, or totally failed and ended up with an alternative universe version of Franz Ferdinand."

In short, it's a case of opposites attracting. What's unclear is why everyone is so stone faced and if they are or are not re-enacting a bit of the movie Cocoon at the end. Watch the video here.

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Tom Petty Rocks Jimmy Kimmel
(hennemusic) Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers launched their new album, "Hypnotic Eye", last week with a live set on ABC-TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live, and video from the program is available.

For the broadcast, Petty and the band invited Jimmy and his entire studio audience to their rehearsal space at Sony Studios in Los Angeles for performances of new songs "American Dream Plan B", "Forgotten Man" and "U Get Me High."

The follow-up to 2010's "Mojo", Petty's first new studio album in four years is now available in CD, digital, high resolution Blu-ray audio and vinyl formats.

Watch the Kimmel performance here.

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Taylor Swift Visits Hospitalized Child With Cancer
(Radio.com) If you weren't already convinced that Taylor Swift was a super swell person, this video will almost certainly win you over. CBS Local Boston reports that this past Sunday (Aug. 3), Swift stopped by Boston Children's Hospital and took time to visit with 6-year-old Jordan Nickerson, who was recently diagnosed with leukemia. Nickerson also suffers from Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, and at only 18 months he underwent open heart surgery for a severe heart condition.

Despite his condition, the video shows Jordan to be a happy and energetic little guy who's thrilled by the visit. After a conversation about Spiderman (who apparently came for a visit the day before), Swift asked Jordan what song he'd like her to sing. He wanted a song that he could dance to, and so she wound up playing "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." As Swift sang, accompanied by just her acoustic guitar, Jordan bounced along to the beat and chimed in on the chorus.

A video of the visit was initially shared on Jordan's Facebook page, with another version posted on YouTube. The visit wasn't designed to be a big publicity stunt. As a hospital spokesperson told the Boston Globe, Swift simply wanted to stop by and hang out with some of the children. Which is something she has done before. This past March, for instance, she and her father stopped by Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, R.I., to visit with the kids and perform.

Watch the video here.

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Anathema Release Self-Titled Lyric Video
(Classic Rock) Anathema have launched a lyric video for their track Anathema, off latest album Distant Satellites. The band's 10th studio work was released in June to acclaim.

Classic Rock and Metal Hammer both scored it 8/10 while Prog called it "remarkable" and "divine." It's gained them a nomination in the Anthem category of this year's Progressive Music Awards - and only four days remain to vote.

Daniel Cavanagh recently said: "Distant Satellites is the culmination of everything we have been working on in our musical path. It contains almost every conceivable element of the heartbeat of Anathema music that it is possible to have."

A three-disc deluxe hardback edition is on sale now via Kscope Records. The band tour the UK in September. Grab the dates and watch the video here.

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Pxies Still Operating In The Same Good And Bad Way
(Classic Rock) Dave Lovering says the Pixies are still as dysfunctional as ever since bassist Kim Deal left the band. Deal quit the band last year, just as they were about to record their latest album Indie Cindy. She has since been replaced by former A Perfect Circle and Zwan member Paz Lenchantin, with whom Lovering, Black Francis and Joey Santiago are more than happy.
But even though Deal is no longer around to lock horns with Francis, drummer Lovering says the band still put up with a "lot of bullsh*t" internally.

He tells MusicRadar: "I think we're getting on fine in whatever circumstances, but we're still the same band, same sh*t goes down even when we're one less member. We're still dysfunctional - not as dysfunctional as people think.

"To us we're normal, this is the way we operate, this is the way we have been operating for a long time, but we're definitely the same, still operating in the same good and bad way. As they say, a little older and wiser. Wiser means you make everything a little more comfortable, regardless of what it is. Just make it easier on yourself. So we're putting up with a lot of bullsh*t." More on this story.

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Eddie Van Halen Releasing 'Unchained' Circles Guitar
Eddie Van Halen has announced the release of his EVH Stripe Series "Circles" guitar. The original guitar became famous after it was featured in Van Halen's 1981 "Unchained" music video.

Van Halen's camp sent over these details: The new EVH Stripe Series "Circles" guitar features otherworldly black-and-white "circles" graphic gloss finish.

The guitar has a sleek Strat�-like basswood body, rock-solid quartersawn maple neck with oiled finish, fast and smooth compound-radius maple fingerboard (12"-16") with rolled edges and 22 jumbo frets, a EVH direct-mount pickup with single black plastic control knob (master volume), EVH Floyd Rose� with D-Tuna� bridge and locking nut, and EVH tuners.

More details here.

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Farmer Uses Lorde's Royals To Attract Cows
(Radio.com) Cows - they're just like pop fans! At least, they may or may not have a similar taste in music, as evidenced by a new video posted this weekend to YouTube (via Fast Company).

In the clip, a Kansas farmer, who Fast Company notes goes by the name of Derek Klingenberg, plops down in the middle of a field, trombone in hand. From there, Klingenberg blares a popular tune on his horn - that of "Royals," the No. 1 smash of 2013 by Lorde.

As Klingenberg gets on with the tune, suddenly a few black cows appear over the horizon, heading in the direction of the excess-shaming song. Soon, he has a whole crowd hanging at his every whim.

Yes, cows apparently identify with "Royals." But perhaps only when it's played on trombone. Band geeks, your hour is upon us. This isn't Klingenberg's first foray into popular culture using his farm. He released a parody of Ylvis' "The Fox" last year, titled "What Does the Farmer Say?" It's about as glorious as you'd expect.

There is more. Watch the clip here.

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Nicki Minaj Discusses New Song and Album With Carson Daly
(Radio.com) It was single release day for Nicki Minaj, and to promote new single "Anaconda," she made the rounds yesterday (Aug. 4) - including 97.1 AMP, a CBS Radio station.

Minaj sat down with Carson Daly to discuss the new track - as well as new album The Pink Print, which she revealed is coming sometime in the "fourth quarter" of this year.

"I just have to say that I'm at such a different place as a human being," the rapper told AMP. "I know artists say that all the time but now I understand why. Nothing really surprises me anymore. I handle things more maturely. Just writing-wise I can put my thoughts together better I feel.

"So sonically I think the album sounds so amazing. And there are so many surprises on the album. I had Drake come by the studio the other day and he was like "Omg, you're talking about new stuff, I'm so proud of you." And that's what I'm most excited about. I'm speaking about new things on this album. I'm excited I'm not allowing anyone else to define what the album is going to be. I'm comfortable, its not going to be rushed, I'm taking my time. But overall the music just sounds really, really great. There's no substitute for that."

She also talked working with Beyonc�, whose "Flawless" remix, released last weekend, features Minaj. Read about that here.

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Singled Out: Zeta Wave's Strange Heartbeat
Today Zeta Wave (real name Aliya Hashemi) tells us about her new single "Strange Heartbeat" from her forthcoming debut EP "Over". The single is being released today and the EP comes out on October 14th. Here is the story:

I had just gotten out of a six month relationship that had went on for about 5 months too long because I was determined to make it work. You're often told that relationships are hard work. When the relationship had finally ended, I was writing a lot as a way of coping with how sad I was. As the months went on, things became much more clear, and I was able to reflect on how unhappy I had been. "Strange Heartbeat" came out in about one sitting with a friend and an acoustic guitar, and was a reflection on trying to convince yourself that something is better than it actually is. I started remembering how I had convinced myself that he was trying and it was going to get better: "you bought me a rose, I guess that counts for something." But then there were the countless let downs; "we were gonna spend the morning surfing, but then you got stoned with your friends and slept too long." And ultimately, your body will physically tell you in your gut or with a "strange heartbeat" when something is wrong, if you allow yourself to listen to it.

When it came time to produce the song and add drums, a friend had pointed me to Zach Nicita of NICITA and MSMR on Youtube. I loved his remixes and overall creativity and feel, so I reached out to him on Facebook and shared a rough recording of the song. He agreed to program drums for it in his spare time while I sat at home tinkering with different synth sounds that I liked. I was very drawn to the eerie sounding one that you hear in the intro to reflect the uneasiness that you feel when you're trying to convince yourself that something is right when it's wrong.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!

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