N.W.A. Biopic Casting Call Sparks Controversy

SAG OR NON UNION CASTING NOTICE FOR FEMALES-ALL ETHNICITIES- from the late 80′s. Shoots on "Straight Outta Compton". Shoot date TBD. We are pulling photos for the director of featured extras. VERY IMPORTANT - You MUST live in the Los Angeles area (Orange County is fine too) to work on this show. DO NOT SUBMIT if you live out of the area. Nobody is going to be flying into LA to do extra work on this show - and don't tell me you are willing to fly in.

SAG OR NON UNION FEMALES - PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR SPECIFIC BREAKDOWN. DO NOT EMAIL IN FOR MORE THAN ONE CATEGORY:

A GIRLS: These are the hottest of the hottest. Models. MUST have real hair - no extensions, very classy looking, great bodies. You can be black, white, asian, hispanic, mid eastern, or mixed race too. Age 18-30. Please email a current color photo, your name, Union status, height/weight, age, city in which you live and phone number to: [email protected] subject line should read: A GIRLS

B GIRLS: These are fine girls, long natural hair, really nice bodies. Small waists, nice hips. You should be light-skinned. Beyonce is a prototype here. Age 18-30. Please email a current color photo, your name, Union status, height/weight, age, city in which you live and phone number to: [email protected] subject line should read: B GIRLS

C GIRLS: These are African American girls, medium to light skinned with a weave. Age 18-30. Please email a current color photo, your name, Union status, height/weight, age, city in which you live and phone number to: [email protected] subject line should read: C GIRLS

Find out about the D Girls here.

One of Johnny Winter's Final Interviews Goes Online

Johnny Winter has no qualms about discussing the hard stuff - his decades struggling with drug addiction, the physical toll heroin and, mostly, methadone took on him, and how he regained his sense of purpose with the arrival of his co-guitarist, producer, manger and good friend Paul Nelson nearly a decade ago. But he'd rather talk about the music, or let the music do the talking.

His brand new album Step Back says plenty about the 70-year-old legend who spun heads at Woodstock and jammed with the likes of Mike Bloomfield and Jimi Hendrix during his late 1960s ascent. The disc returns the Texas native to his true-blues roots, revisiting some of his favorite songs. Elmore James's "Can't Hold Out," Magic Sam's "Don't Want No Woman," Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor," Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown's "Okie Dokie Stomp" and Son House's "Death Letter" - the latter is Winter's second recorded resonator guitar performance since 1969's Johnny Winter album - are all on the set list. And Winter's joined by an all star cast of friends including Billy Gibbons, Eric Clapton, Ben Harper, Joe Bonamassa, Leslie West and Joe Perry.

The album's true co-star, however, is the 1963 Gibson Firebird he's owned since the early 1970s - a battered road-warrior's broadsword that's returned to his side in recent years as his primary instrument, still as ferocious as the day he bought it at a musical festival nearly 45 years ago.

The guitar slinger is also the subject of a new on-and-off-the-road documentary called Johnny Winter: Down & Dirty that premiered at this year's South By Southwest Film Festival and is making its way to theaters and DVD. The film captures Winter on stage, in his Winnebago rolling headquarters, at home, undergoing physical therapy and talking about his storied past while aiming toward the future.

Read the interview and watch the documentary teaser here.

Metallica Release Live Sonisphere Footage

"Fuel" was the opening track and third single from Metallica's 7th album, "Reload." The project debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 on its way to selling more than 4 million copies in the States alone.

The band recently wrapped up their "By Request" European tour and will perform at Heavy Montreal on August 9. Watch the Sonisphere UK footage here.

Halestorm Expand Tour Plans

Many of the upcoming dates will see the hard rockers opening for country performer Eric Church, while other stops will have Halestorm doing headlining shows.

Lzzy rocks her Gibson Lzzy Hale Signature Explorer on the road, but her first Gibson ever was a white Les Paul Custom. "It was in 2000 and later I received a 1999 Tobacco Burst," she told Gibson.com.

"I got it from my parents for Christmas and it was because I always wanted the Les Paul. I was around 17 and since then I've been obsessed with the White Les Paul. Later I got a Firebird V, an Explorer, a couple of Les Paul Customs and a Melody Maker."

Trivium Release Through Blood And Dirt And Bone Video

Vengeance Falls was completed before they parted ways with drummer Nick Augusto and promoted his tech Mat Madiro to replace him. Guitarist Corey Beaulieu recently explained:

"He's drumming for us for the foreseeable future, for the rest of the album cycle, which goes up till December. Then we're just going see where we're at. We're not going to make any quick decisions." Watch it here.

Moby Releases Hour-Long EDM Mix

Simply titled "July 2014 (Electro)," the new mix kicks off with a snippet of Moby's own "Natural Blues" before charging through a selection of high energy tracks from DJ Snake, Charlie Darker, Congorock and more over the course of the set.

Moby recently teamed with Miley Cyrus and the Flaming Lips to produce the surreal and NSFW short film, Blonde SuperFreak Steals the Magic Brain.

"Originally, (Wayne Coyne) wanted to build a harness so I hung upside down while they poured water past my face. We tried it for a second and it ended up being just me getting water-boarded," Moby told Spin about making the short film. "Everything about it was the worst idea you can imagine. I would've been held two feet up over a concrete floor, so if I'd fallen my head would have cracked open and I would've died. But all in the interest of making psychedelic art with Wayne and Miley Cyrus."

Check out the mix here.

Florida Georgia Line Songwriters Explain New Single 'Dirt'

"You hear a song like that, you've got to cut it," Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard told Billboard. "For us, it was definitely a no-brainer. We were just happy to be able to hear it and be able to cut it, and we think it's gonna be a big one."

Written by Rodney Clawson and Chris Tompkins, the song is currently No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. "This is one of those songs that says, 'Hey, we've got a lot of love and respect for more traditional country as well,' Like George Strait, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson and all those guys that we also grew up listening to," Hubbard continued.

When first writing the song, Tompkins explained that he had a rough concept for it when he initially sat down. "My family and I recently moved into a new home, and to say the least, there's been some shovels and dirt piles hanging around," he said.

Tompkins had the first few lines before Clawson came in and added his take on the "Dirt" theme. "I just kind of threw out the '10 percent-down, white-picket-fence house' line," Clawson said. "That kind of sealed the deal on the song, kind of nailed it home. We kind of got a girl in there a little bit, but then we want to marry this girl, we want to build her a house and raise a family and all that." What abut the casket analogy?

Jimmy Page's Pre-Led Zeppelin Session Work

Page's earliest sessions-starting in 1963--were mostly with artists who have since been relegated to obscurity. Brian Howard and the Silhouettes ("The Worrying Kind"), Tony Meehan and Jet Harris ("Diamonds," which actually topped the U.K. charts), and Carter-Lewis and the Southerners ("Your Momma's Out of Town") are among the first recordings on which he appeared. It was during this time that Page's reputation as a versatile player took hold. "He was a fast player, he knew his rock 'n' roll, and he added to that," said John Carter, of the Southerners. "He was also quiet and a bit of an intellectual."

Page biographer George Case asserts that 1964 was Page's most productive year as a session player. Though many of the recordings he played on are mostly forgotten, songs like "Tobacco Road" (The Nashville Teens) and "I Just Can't Go to Sleep" (The Sneekers) feature memorable riffs that foreshadow Page's work in Led Zeppelin. A hit single that year titled "Leave My Kitten Alone," by one-hit-wonders The First Gear, saw Page deliver one of the first-ever solos on his newly purchased "Black Beauty" Les Paul.

Other sessions from 1964 saw Page apply his skills to monumental hits, both in England and in America. The first was Tom Jones's "It's Not Unusual," which featured Page on steady, straight-up rhythm guitar. The Tom Jones session was followed by appearances on several songs that have since become classic-rock staples.

As the year wore down, Talmy summoned Page into the studio again to "strengthen up" the riffs for The Who's "I Can't Explain." Page also devised a scorching lead on the song's B-side, "Bald-Headed Woman." Other noteworthy contributions that year include an appearance on Marianne Faithfull's "As Tears Go By," and showing Keith Richards the solo that Richards employed on the Rolling Stones' "Heart of Stone." Indeed the version that appears on the Stones outtakes album, Metamorphosis, features Page on guitar.
Page kicked off 1965 by partnering with lounge-pop artist Burt Bacharach, helping the American songwriter record instrumental versions of classics like "Walk on By" and "Always Something There to Remind Me." British blues greats The Yardbirds then tried to recruit Page to replace Eric Clapton, who had left the band. Page declined, suggesting instead the group hire his friend Jeff Beck. Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham then brought Page on board as guitar player, writer, and in-house producer for his upstart record label, Immediate Records. Under Oldham's direction, Page worked with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (which then featured Clapton), future Velvet Underground singer Nico (for whom Page and Oldham wrote songs, hoping to turn her into the next Marianne Faithfull), and R&B singer Chris Farlowe. Page also recorded a single of his own, "She Just Satisfies," on which he sang lead vocals. During the first half of 1966 Page also recorded with Petula Clark, Lulu, Herman's Hermits, and David Jones, a brash upstart who would soon change his name to David Bowie.

First as the band's bass player, then as co-lead guitarist with Jeff Beck, and finally as the group's sole guitarist, Page was a member of The Yardbirds from mid 1966 through much of 1968. This part of the Page history constitutes a lengthy story unto itself. Since it doesn't involve session work, we'll leave that chapter for another time.

Page resumed his session work in 1968, joining Joe Cocker in the studio for the British singer's cover of The Beatles' "With a Little Help from my Friends." Page went on to play on five songs on Cocker's debut album. The most momentous session of this era, however, occurred when Page joined Donovan for Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man." In an attempt to emulate Pete Townshend, Donovan recorded the song playing power chords on his acoustic guitar. Page listened to the track, plugged in his guitar, and delivered what Donovan called "rock's first power-chord solo." Controversy has always surrounded Page's presence on "Hurdy Gurdy Man," with some asserting it was Alan Parker-not Page-who played guitar. In an interview with Uncut, Donovan himself clarified the issue.

"Originally I wanted to give 'Hurdy Gurdy Man' to Hendrix," he explained, "but he couldn't come in. So [producer] Mickie Most suggested Jimmy. [Musical director] John Cameron told him, 'All you've got to do is listen to Donovan's guitar. Although it's acoustic, the way he's hitting it is the way the power-chords would go.' So I guess Page listened. Jimmy added power and pagan rock. To this day, everyone wants that sound."

The "Hurdy Gurdy Man" session was significant for another reason as well. On hand to serve as arranger was John Paul Jones, and years later, drummer John Bonham recalled being present for the recording as well. In addition, future Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant's office door adjoined that of Mickie Most, the session's producer. In summary, every key person in one of rock and roll's most legendary bands-except one-was directly or indirectly involved with the session. The rest, as they say, is history. More.

Tsangarides Would Have Loved To Produce AC/DC's Back in Black

He says: I would love to have done Back In Black. My friend Mutt Lange did it and he's awesome, he's amazing. I love AC/DC. But then, I would love to work with Aerosmith as they were back in the day and Pink Floyd."

I was fortunate to be at a recording studio when I first started my work in the 70s, where we had the likes of Black Sabbath in one, Jethro Tull in another, Yes in another - it just became normal.

"The first week I was there making tea, saying 'here you are, Mr Rockstar' but they just became people like we all are - no one's any different from anybody else."

Stream the full interview here.

Classixx Branching Out On Sophomore Album

The album's single "All You're Waiting For" (featuring former LCD Soundsystem member Nancy Wang on vocals) mined '80s dance-pop for analog synths and sing-song melodies reminiscent of first album-era Madonna partying with Talking Heads spin-off band, Tom Tom Club.

Classixx also boast an extensive remix history, putting their own indelible stamp on tracks by a wide range of artists, including Lana Del Rey ("Blue Velvet"), Phoenix ("Lizstomania"), Major Lazer ("Cash Flow") and Madonna herself ("Lucky Star").

"When we started the Classixx thing, we were like, look at Basement Jaxx," explained David during a recent Radio.com interview on the importance of collaboration. "They get to work with the best vocalists, and they're not confined to one vocalist. That's sort of where we're at. We enjoy working with super-talented people."

"We like to let people bring their talent to the whole thing," chimed Blake. "A lot of the people on our record co-wrote the songs with us�we tried to get as many people that we like and respect involved, and then it almost feels like more personal, because part of it is our relationships with those people."

While the duo recently finished a U.S. tour with Cut Copy, their attention will soon turn towards the band's second studio album, which should find Classixx expanding the group's already panoramic horizons.

"We don't consciously think about that," Blake said when asked what fans can expect from the band's second album. "Like, 'we're gonna make another album, this thing has to be a techno record' or something like that. I think we're just going to make more music, and whatever that is, it will probably be the next record."

Watch Classixx elaborate on remixes, potential "world vibes" on upcoming recordings and reveal their first music purchases in the video interview here.

Lemaitre Mix Indie and Pop, Plus Scientific Theories

The duo, Ulrik Denizou Lund and Ketil Jansen, have now relocated to Los Angeles and are still working on a full-length album, but on July 22 they'll drop Singularity, the latest in a series of EPs they've been releasing since they first formed in 2010.

The EP includes guest spots from Chuck Inglish of the Cool Kids on "All I Need" and LOLO on "Wait," while the track "High Tide," has already garnered a good deal of attention.

You should be warned before listening though, that "High Tide" is not a love song. Lemaitre strive to write songs that will get played at parties, but they steer clear of typical subject matter.

"We try not to write songs about love, and we definitely are not writing songs about partying, because that's lame to make a song about partying that you play at a party," says Lund.

So in Lemaitre's music there's no love, no partying and, it turns out, no samples. This became the rule after the guys realized how expensive clearances would be. Instead, the duo now make their own samples.

"It's really creatively fun to be like, 'We want that kind of sound,'" Lund says. "And try to emulate that sound making, like, just a four-bar loop trying to sound like a '70s recording. And then just f-k with it."

Lund and Jansen took their band name from the Georges Lema�tre, a Belgian priest and physics professor best known as the man who first proposed the theory of the expanding universe, aka the Big Bang theory. And their music also delves into the great unknown.

Find out about that and more here.

Glass Hammer Focus On Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Babb tells Prog Sphere: "I wanted to encourage people to do their own research in order learn more about narcissists, psychopaths and their victims. Practically everyone comes into contact with these monsters at one time or another. It's important to learn how to spot the disorder, and to protect yourself and your family from it.

"Imagine a world where millions of people are walking around, living among us, blending in - but without consciences. They can pretend, but they have no empathy. That is the world we live in! Scary, huh?"

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