.

Day in Pop Report for 06/28/2012


Lady Gaga Debuts New Song
(popmusiclife) Lady Gaga debuted a new song during a concert in Melbourne, Australia Wednesday night, the first of five dates in the city.

When introducing "Princess Die," Gaga was sure to spell the title "D-I-E" from the stage at the Rod Laver Arena.

"This song may or may not be on my next album," said Gaga. "I wrote it a little while ago and I've never, ever played it for anyone. This song is a little bit sad and it's in no way reflective of the rest of the music on the album." Watch video here to hear the new song

More on Lady Gaga - Lady Gaga Music - - Lady Gaga CDs, vinyl and rarities

R. Kelly Sidelined By Medical Problem
R. Kelly was forced to cancel a book release party on Wednesday, as well as some media appearance, for medical reasons.

His reps at 42 West put out these details: While on his way to New York [Wednesday] to celebrate the publication of his memoir "SoulaCoaster," R. Kelly was taken ill and had to return to Chicago for medical treatment.

Initial indications are that he is suffering from complications from surgery he had last year to treat an abscess on his vocal cords.

As a result, Kelly has had to cancel appearances on "The Jimmy Fallon Show" and NBC's "Today" as well as a book party that was being held in his honor. It is unclear how long Kelly may be sidelined.

More on R. Kelly - R. Kelly Music - - R. Kelly CDs, vinyl and rarities

Paris Hilton Caught In The Middle Of Paparazzi Fight
(TMZ) Rough night for Paris Hilton ... the heiress got banged up Tuesday night when she was caught in the middle of a paparazzi fight inside a Hollywood parking structure.

Hilton was leaving the new Bootsy Bellows nightclub on Sunset Blvd. with her old pal Brandon Davis and some other friends ... when a man in their group tried to pry a photog's camera out of his hands. An eyewitness tells us the photog tried to hit the dude with his camera.

During the struggle, Hilton -- wearing a tiny blue dress -- was knocked into a wall. She appeared to be OK ... and eventually left the parking structure.

Police were not called to the scene.

After the skirmish, the photog claims someone in Hilton's group took his camera and his jacket. He didn't say if he plans to follow up with police. more on this story

More on Paris Hilton - Paris Hilton Music - - Paris Hilton CDs, vinyl and rarities

Mumford & Sons Summer Tour Plans
Mumford & Sons will be kicking off their North American summer tour on August 1st in Hoboken, NJ.

The band will likely be performing new material from their forthcoming album, due out in the Fall, according to the announcement.

August will also see the band performing at their "Gentlemen of the Road" Stopovers, which quickly sold out after being announced. These one-day, outdoor events will take place in four carefully-selected and unique locations across America, including the Eastern Promenade in Portland, ME; downtown Bristol, VA/TN; Page Park in Dixon, IL; and the legendary Fairgrounds in Monterey, CA. more on this story

More on Mumford Sons - Mumford Sons Music - - Mumford Sons CDs, vinyl and rarities

Original Shiny Toy Guns Lineup Reunite For New Album
Shiny Toy Guns have reunited with their original singer Carah Faye Charnow and plan to release a new album this fall.

The group's new album, III, will be released October 23 and is the first new material by the original line-up in six years. We were sent these details:

III, the band's third album features Carah Faye Charnow, the original vocalist who, along with band mates Chad Petree (vocals/guitars), Jeremy Dawson (keyboards) and Mikey Martin (drums), propelled Shiny Toy Guns into the spotlight with their first hits "Le Disko" and "You Are The One" from their debut 2006 release We Are Pilots. Production on III, courtesy of Mirror Machines (the band's Petree and Dawson), is lush and dramatic, ranging from driving tracks like "Somewhere To Hide," "Mercy" and "The Sun" to sublime like "Wait For Me" and "Fading Listening." The album is mixed by the legendary Tony Maserati (Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Jason Mraz). more on this story

More on Shiny Toy Guns - Shiny Toy Guns Music - - Shiny Toy Guns CDs, vinyl and rarities

Andrew Bird Expands Fall Tour Plans
Andrew Bird has expanded his North American tour plans with the addition of dates in the Midwest and East Coast.

Bird will be touring n support of his latest album, Break It Yourself, which was was recorded at his barn in Western Illinois near the banks of the Mississippi River.

Paired with the album's deluxe CD package is the DVD Here's What Happened. The thirty-minute performance film was shot at Bird's barn during the recording of the album and captures the energy of the room in which the new release was conceived. more on this story

More on Andrew Bird - Andrew Bird Music - - Andrew Bird CDs, vinyl and rarities

Kottonmouth Kings Set For New Album And Tour
The Kottonmouth Kings have set an August 14th release date for their new album, Mile High.

For the effort The Kings were joined in the studio by Swollen Members, Jahred ((Hed)p.e.), Mickey Avalon, and Twiztid.

Mile High will also contain a deluxe bonus disc that contains all the original Kings together again with Saint Dog on record for the first time since they recorded 1998's Royal Highness. more on this story

More on Kottonmouth Kings - Kottonmouth Kings Music - - Kottonmouth Kings CDs, vinyl and rarities

40 Greatest R&B Songs of the '90s Premieres Tonight on Vh1
Tune in tonight at 9PM when Vh1 premieres their new special "40 Greatest R&B Songs of the '90s". The network sent over these details:

It's time to pull out your cassette and CD collection of 1990's chart-toppers including Boyz II Men, Mary J. Blige and Aaliyah. VH1 will countdown the R&B songs that changed pop culture forever. Celebrities, music journalists and the artists themselves will provide commentary as VH1 guides viewers through the golden decade of R&B. Talent scheduled to appear on the special include: Usher, Boyz II Men, SWV, Keith Sweat and many more.

Get ready for a trip down memory lane as VH1 breaks down what "rhythm and blues" is really all about. Viewers will finally understand what "No Diggity" really means, if it is really wrong to "Bump 'N Grind" and if chasing "Waterfalls" was really that bad of an idea. vh1.com

More on Mary J. Blige - Mary J. Blige Music - - Mary J. Blige CDs, vinyl and rarities

Murder By Death Set New Album Release
Bloodshot Records have set a September 25th release date for Murder By Death's new album, Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon. We were sent these details:

Murder By Death wrote Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon - their first album featuring contributions from Brackett (formerly of Okkervil River and Shearwater)- throughout most of 2011, testing and reworking the songs in Turla's basement-turned-practice-space. In January, they traveled to Dallas, TX to record with producer John Congleton (Explosions In The Sky, St. Vincent, Black Mountain) over three weeks.

Beginning July 12th, Murder By Death will head out on a North American headlining tour that continues through August 25th. The tour includes a July 17th show at Webster Hall in New York and an August 3rd show at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, as well as two-night stands at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco on August 4th and 5th and at the Bluebird Theater in Denver on August 16th and 18th. This summer also marks the 10th anniversary of the release of Like The Exorcist, But More Breakdancing, the band's first LP, and in celebration they will be playing rarely performed tracks from the album throughout the summer tour, in addition to previewing songs from Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon. more on this story

More on Murder By Death - Murder By Death Music - - Murder By Death CDs, vinyl and rarities

Berklee To Present Inspired By Ray: the Ray Charles Symposium
Berklee American Roots Music Program have announced details for their Inspired By Ray: the Ray Charles Symposium, which will take place on September 21-23.

The symposium will be an artistic and academic conference that will study Charles's singular genius and his contributions to American music. The event concludes September 23 on what would have been Charles's 82nd birthday.

On Saturday, September 22, a concert celebrating Charles's music will be held at the Berklee Performance Center featuring legendary crooner Johnny Mathis; jazz guitarist John Scofield; blind singer-songwriter Raul Mid�n; Grammy-winning composer and Charles's former music director Victor Vanacore; guitarist/songwriter Doug Wamble; Tracy Bonham and Margaret Glaspy with the Wayfaring Strangers; and other acts to be announced this summer. more on this story

More on Ray Charles - Ray Charles Music - - Ray Charles CDs, vinyl and rarities

Sharam To Release Night & Day Mixed Compilation In July
Yos***oshi Recordings have set a July 16th release date for Sharam's new mixed compilation, Night & Day. Here are the details:

Anyone who's attended a daytime DJ set recognizes that the party vibe when the sun is shining is completely different than what you experience late night in the club. Night & Day is split into two mixes that reflect Sharam's unique approach to DJing parties both during the day and at night. After an extensive search through hundreds of tracks, Sharam's ready to present his collection of the best-produced, cutting-edge music that works perfectly 24/7.

Night & Day features Sharam's brand new original production "Radio G" (out July 9 and featuring special "Night" and "Day" mixes) & FTDK mix of his head turning track "God Always," as well as exclusive edits, mashups and tracks/remixes from the likes of, Maceo Plex, Umek, Zeds Dead, Avicii, Shermanology, Nicole Moudaber, Dirty South, Armand Van Helden, Extrawelt, Monstar, Dirty Loud, Heren, Marco Bailey, Boris Dlugosh and more. more on this story

More on Sharam - Sharam Music - - Sharam CDs, vinyl and rarities

Mindless Behavior Taking Their No. 1 Girl Kayla Brianna On Tour
Mindless Behavior have tapped Kayla Brianna to provide support on the U.S. leg of their "#1 Girl" tour.

The tour is set to kick off on July 5th in Richmond, Va and will wrap up on August 18th in Oakland, Ca.

Interscope sent over these details Kayla Brianna: Kayla, daughter of former NBA star, Kenny Smith, has garnered a lot of buzz since her debut video aired during a Lakers & Heats basketball game earlier this year. more on this story

More on Mindless Behavior - Mindless Behavior Music - - Mindless Behavior CDs, vinyl and rarities

The Very Best Streaming New Song Featuring K'naan
The Very Best are streaming a new song from their forthcoming album, MTMTMK, which will be released on July 17th.

Fans don't have wait until then to get a taste of what is coming. The song "We OK" featuring K'naan and co-written by Bruno Mars is streaming here.

The Very Best is also set to tour the U.S. throughout August. The group's summer tour will include a series of Gentlemen of the Road Stopovers with Mumford & Sons, Dawes, JEFF The Brotherhood and others. more on this story

More on Very Best - Very Best Music - - Very Best CDs, vinyl and rarities

Jay Brannan Releases Rob Me Blind Video
Jay Brannan has released a new music video for the title track of his latest album, Rob Me Blind.

Jay tells Spinner.com, "I'm way too shy to ever approach anyone on the street, on the subway, in an elevator or even at a bar. So it was fun to make a video involving chemistry-at-first-sight, where the characters didn't just end up going home to check the 'missed connections' listings on Craigslist." Watch the video here.

Since the release of his sophomore full-length album Rob Me Blind, Jay has been touring the world, from the UK to Germany to Israel to Australia. His 28-date U.S. tour will begin on Wednesday, July 18th in Boston and wrap in his home city of New York on Saturday, August 25th. more on this story

More on Jay Brannan - Jay Brannan Music - - Jay Brannan CDs, vinyl and rarities

Old School Mobster Goes Hollywood With Family In New Reality Show
Looking for something to watch this summer? Logo have set a premiere date of Monday, July 23 at 10PM ET/PT for their new docu-reality series "In The Big House" which reunites an old-school Philly mobster with his all-too-modern family in West Hollywood. They sent over these details:

Think your family's "whack"? Meet the Verdis from Logo's new docu-reality series, "In the Big House." When Michel Verdi and her husband, Jay, moved from just outside Philly to West Hollywood, they thought they were leaving it all behind � until their entire family followed. Now, Michel and Jay share their home with Michel's mom, Dotsie and ex-con, former Mafioso dad, "Big Lou" who's been in and out of prison for 25 years.

Did we mention Michel's parents have been divorced for 25 years, can't stand each other and haven't lived together until now? Rounding out the clan is Michel's out-and-unapologetic gay brother, Louis, who is eager to make it on his own, but unable to leave the family nest as of yet. "In the Big House" documents a new type of modern family, as these over-the-top characters struggle to succeed with humor, heart and a whole lot of drama. Comprised of eight, half-hour episodes, "In the Big House" premieres on Monday, July 23 at 10PM ET/PT on Logo. more on this story

More on Logo

Ann Curry's Today Show Final Cut Rolling
(TMZ) In the case of Ann Curry and the "Today" show -- the writing is not only on the wall, it's in the editing room, because we've learned producers are already preparing Ann's farewell montage ... network sources tell TMZ.

Our sources -- and they are impeccable -- tell us they are determined to cut a deal with Ann by week's end. We're told the deal is not closed yet -- as we reported, Ann wants her contract paid off in full to the tune of $20 million. She also wants to leave the network. NBC offered her a measly $10 mil and a diminished role in the news department. We're told there has been "some movement," but the parties haven't struck a deal ... yet.

We're told NBC wants Savannah Guthrie -- Ann's replacement -- firmly in place before the Olympics so they can showcase her next to Matt Lauer.

One more thing ... There are reports "Today" news anchor, Natalie Morales, wants to leave the network because she's [angry] that she's now been passed over twice for the co-anchor job. We're told -- by people who absolutely know -- that story is "total baloney." We're told Natalie "loves her job and she's completely happy with what she's doing."

Maybe Natalie figured it out -- co-hosting "Today" is high risk. more on this story

More on Today Show

Charlie Sheen Responds To Hotel Party Report
(TMZ) Charlie Sheen tells TMZ ... he did NOT throw a room-destroying rager inside the Ritz-Carlton in NYC this weekend ... he didn't even drink alcohol -- calling the partying rumors total "malarkey."

Charlie called in to "TMZ Live" on Wednesday to dispel the rumors once and for all -- claiming they're "so silly, without any merit or any foundational anything that resembles reality."

Charlie says he had no time in his schedule for anything other than press appearances this weekend -- promoting his new show "Anger Management" -- and he DEFINITELY didn't have time for alcohol-fueled benders. Charlie says the alcohol on his hotel bill wasn't even for him.

As for the new report Charlie "flipped out" on his daughters and bailed on the premiere for Denise Richard's new movie -- Charlie says that's not true either.

According to Charlie, he bailed on the premiere because his daughters didn't want to walk the red carpet -- and the last thing Charlie wanted was to appear in photos alone with Denise, who divorced him in 2006.

Charlie said, a photo like that "sends the wrong message." more on this story

More on Charlie Sheen - Charlie Sheen DVDs and Blu-Rays

Singled Out: Alex Kelly's Orange Circle
Today Alex Kelly tells us about the title track of her debut solo album "Orange Circle". You might recognize Alex as the singer in Robby Takac (Goo Goo Dolls) sideband Amungus. Now you can hear her all on her own! Here is the story:

Orange Circle was one of the songs that Kelsey [Warren of pILLOW tHEORY fame] and I wrote while staying in this really quirky hotel in Chelsea NY. We wanted to make a song on the album that everyone could relate to, like a classic feel-good summertime song. I really enjoy dancing, so this song is right up my alley.

We would just play the rhythm track and jump on all the beds. Kelsey found inspiration from bands like ESG and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, while I was inspired by more of a B52's vibe. We had a blast!

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album and find out what happened at the quirky hotel right here!

More on Alex Kelly - Alex Kelly Music - - Alex Kelly CDs, vinyl and rarities



Click here to read today's full Day in Rock report

tell a friend about this article

know of a news item we should cover?

antiMUSIC News featured on RockNews.info and Yahoo News

.


...end