Tarja Week: Sing for Me and Minor Heaven

antiMusic reports: Tarja Turunen made her mark on the world as the frontwoman of Nightwish. Now she strikes out on her own with her solo debut 'My Winter Storm'. The album soared to the top spot in her native Finland and went gold in one day! To celebrate the upcoming US release of the album we asked Tarja to pick her favorite tracks from the disc and tell us a little about them. Today she tells us about "Sing for Me" and "Minor Heaven".

Sing for me: I received the song when the band was nearly done with the recordings of the album in Ireland. I heard it and immediately loved it. It fits perfectly to the complete sound and idea of the album with its orchestral and choir arrangements, spooky mood and gorgeous melodies. This was one of the few songs that I didn't change at all, which is quite amazing considering that I received it so late.

Minor Heaven: I have been asked already what means Minor Heaven. I don't think this
question has an answer. MH is what you want it to be. I fell in love with the melody and I imagined the song as one of the beautiful lieds that I have been performing in my classical concerts. I asked my dear friend Izumi to play piano to reinforce that idea of mine. The song evolves into a bigger sound with orchestra and guitars and I do like the combination of them very much.

The CD hits US stores on Feb 26th but you can preview tracks and learn more - right here!

Eminem Hospitalized

Gigwise reports: Eminem was rushed into hospital in Detroit over the Christmas break and was treated for a 'serious heart condition' and 'severe pneumonia', a report claims.

The controversial rapper's weight is believed to have ballooned to 200lbs (14 and a half stones) in recent months, which has not helped his condition.

TMZ claims that Em – real name Marshall Mathers – has since been discharged from hospital and is now at home recuperating.
- more on this story

Cyrus Admits Fake Hannah Montana

Contact Music reports: Teenage singer/actress MILEY CYRUS has confessed to using a body double during concert performances so she has time to make costume changes. The star was caught out by eagle-eyed fans who spotted a lookalike onstage during a recent show on the sold-out Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana Best Of Both Worlds tour.

But the 15-year-old's representative insists a double is a necessity of the performance, telling OK! magazine, "To help speed the transition from Hannah to Miley, there is a production element during the performance of We Got The Party incorporating a body double for Miley.

"After Hannah has completed the featured verse on the duet with the Jonas Brothers, a body double appears approximately one to two minutes prior to the end of the song in order to allow Miley to remove the Hannah wig and costume and transform into Miley for her solo set. - more on this story

Less Than Jake Go Indie

CMJ reports: Less Than Jake have revealed exclusively to CMJ.com that they will be launching their own label, Sleep It Off, to re-release their impressive back catalog and a new album this summer.

Starting March 18, the Gainesville, Florida band will reissue Goodbye Blue And White, Pezcore, Losers, Kinds And Things We Don't Understand and a DVD of Peoples History Of Less Than Jake.

Since their formation in 1992, the five-piece has had their share of ups and downs with record labels, but according to drummer and lyricist Vinnie Fiorello, going out on their own was an "empowering" next move.
- more on this story

Warmachine Vs Megadeth

Metal Underground reports: Toronto's WARMACHINE recently finished first - with 21% of the vote - in the Who Will Support MEGADETH In Europe? poll, conducted via TheLiveLine.com.

However, Warmachine is not opening up for Megadeth across Europe in February and March, EVILE is.

Warmachine vocalist/guitarist Joe DiTaranto has issued the following statement: "I have to address a matter that I am very unhappy about. Dave Mustaine has stated that 'Warmachine do not have the means to do the tour.' This is completely untrue! We had more than enough means to do the tour (ie. tour support, work visas, passports, crew, etc.). Dave nor his management have not even bothered to contact us at all during this whole thing. So he/they would not be aware of that." - more on this story

Rolling Stones Film Coming in April

Gigwise reports: Director Martin Scorsese's much anticipated film about the Rolling Stones, Shine A Light, is to open in cinemas on April 4th.

The film, which was shot over two days at the Beacon Theatre in New York in 2006, provides a live look at the band through Scorsese's eyes.

It also includes backstage and rare archived footage, as well as new interviews with the band. - more on this story

Finch Recording New Music

Punknews.org reports: On-again, off-again act Finch is taking their recent reunion a step further by recording some new material.

The band wrote on Gazillionaire: So, we had a band meeting on Friday night and we decided that we're going to try and record our new song to put up on our site and myspace as soon as we can. This will be our first truly indie release even if its just one song… whatever still exciting to me.

"We're so DIY now a days it rules. We're doing this next tour with out any of our trusty friends, so its just the 5 of us in a van like most bands do."
- more on this story

Def Leppard, Styx and REO Speedwagon Tour

SleazeRoxx.com reports: The first (North American) leg of Def Leppard's 2008 world tour has been announced. Starting on March 27 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC, the band will play 19 shows in the States and Canada on this leg, supported by STYX and REO SPEEDWAGON.

Please note that the dates announced do not make up the full 2008 tour. The band are still working on dates for other parts of the world, and these will be announced as soon as they are fully confirmed.

The first presales will take place between WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9 at 10.00AM (local venue time) and will end 24 hours later, on THURSDAY, JANUARY 10 at 10.00AM. During this period, Fan Club members can log in to the Def Leppard Fan Club site and get their own unique codes, which will give them access to the 24-hour presales on ILoveAllAccess.com and Ticketmaster.com. If you are not a member of the Def Leppard Fan Club yet, you can also buy a Fan Club bundle on Ticketmaster.com, which consists of a Fan Club subscription and concert tickets.

March 27 - Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
March 29 - Hard Rock, Hollywood, FL
March 30 - Germain Arena, Estero, FL
April 1 - Bi-Lo Center, Greenville, SC
April 3 - Sovereign Arena, Reading, PA
- more on this story including all the dates and more presale info

UK to Lift CD Rip Ban?

BBC reports: Copying music from a CD to a home computer could be made legal under new proposals from the UK government.

Millions of people already "rip" discs to their computers and move the files to MP3 players, although the process is technically against copyright law.

Intellectual property minister Lord Triesman said the law should be changed so it "keeps up with the times". Music industry bodies gave a cautious welcome to the proposals, which are up for public consultation until 8 April.
- more on this story

Gigantour Canadian Dates

BW&BK reports: The first dates for Gigantour 2008 - featuring MEGADETH, IN FLAMES, CHILDREN OF BODOM, JOB FOR A COWBOY and HIGH ON FIRE - have been revealed and are as follows:

April
28 - Quebec City - Pavillon de la Jeunesse
29 - Montréal, QC - Bell Centre
30 - Toronto, ON - Arrow Hall - more on this story

Nada Surf Tour

Filter reports: Nada Surf have announced a US tour in support of their upcoming album Lucky, released February 5th on Barsuk.

The tour will see the boys heading from Tempe all the way to Philadelphia, including a stop at New York's Terminal 5 where they'll be sharing the stage with the recently reformed Superdrag.

Along for the ride will be The Little Ones and labelmates What Made Milwaukee Famous. - more on this story

DVD about the band that spawned Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and more

PR reports: Sex, Drugs, and Rock N Roll with a side dish of lawsuits and in-band turmoil, Busting Circuits and Ringing Ears chronicles Tad's rise and eventual disintegration. The DVD hits stores on February 19, 2008 and will contain archival footage spanning the band's entire career, from the club days to the arenas. The documentary also utilizes insightful interviews from some of Seattle's most respected musicians including Krist Novoselic (Nirvana), Chad Channing (Nirvana), Kim Thayil (Soundgarden), Mark Arm (Mudhoney), Mark Felchtone (Zeke), and many others.

The audience will be taken on a musical journey from the highest of the highs, to the bands all time lows. It's truly a frustrating story of the band's repeated bad luck juxtaposed with a close-up look at their influential musical approach. As Charles Cross (author/writer) states in the movie, this is a story of, "What could have been as opposed to what was".

"TAD took the idea of playing LIVE very seriously; it was a life or death matter. This DVD not only stands as testimony to that claim, but it's also a cinematic document of the world's HEAVIEST band EVER (as Bruce Pavitt so incisively puts it) bodily stretching that assertion beyond any previously known limitations. Better than a tattoo, it's an open scar that roars, a broken alarm bell ringing from the lost event horizon of a long-dead star, one we could never see--that is, until this DVD clipped it back onto the light box of the silver screen, where it can be deciphered and viewed anew. This documentary telescopes the musical pathology of TAD down into the image of an electrocardiograph recording the minor-mode melody of a final infarct, a demented soundtrack that is neither tame nor de-clawed. It was never meant to be. Dare to feel it, and, like me, risk bleeding internally." - 9 Reasons Why Tad rule

Spring 2008 MySpace Music Tour

PR reports: MySpace, the world's most popular social network, today announced the Spring 2008 MySpace Music Tour, featuring the Grammy-nominated French electronic duo JUSTICE with support from Diplo, DJ Mehdi, Chromeo, Busy P and Fancy on select dates.

The second in a series of MySpace produced and branded concert events slated for each fall and spring, the Spring 2008 MySpace Music Tour, produced by Live Nation, the world's largest live music company, will kick off March 3rd in Austin, TX, and finish on March 31st in Los Angeles, CA. Tickets will go on sale to the general public January 9 – 12 at the , local ticket outlets and venue box offices.

"MySpace members can connect with and discover an endless amount of bands and music on the site, and the MySpace Music Tour concert series gives us the opportunity to showcase some of the very best in today's music culture, doing what they do best, for fans across the country," said Tom Anderson, president and co-founder of MySpace. "Justice has a phenomenal thing going on, and I can't wait to see them on this tour!" - Music Tour MySpace profile

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