Just as Green Day released their new album 21st Century Breakdown today, tickets to their upcoming world tour also went on-sale. Green Day Tour 2009 will be making stops in a plethora of cities across the globe, including a concert at Orlando’s Amway Arena at 8pm on Wednesday August 5th. To purchase tickets or for more information about Green Day Tour 2009, visit the band’s official Web Site @ http://greenday.com.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Green Day Tour Coming to Orlando
A Magnificent 21st Century Breakdown
Today, Green Day released their new album 21st Century Breakdown. All I can say about this album is, “WOW!” 21st Century Breakdown is an absolutely incredible follow-up to the band’s American Idiot, which many critics speculated simply couldn’t be topped. While I won’t crown the new album as superior to American Idiot, I will definitely say it matches in-terms of musicality and deepens the sound of Green Day beyond the typical punk-rock genre and definitely demonstrates tremendous growth in their musical style.
Along with the heavy guitar instrumentation expected for most rock bands, many of the songs also feature a strong piano accompaniment; strings can also be heard punctuated throughout some of the songs on the album. When non-traditional instruments are utilized, they serve more to strengthen the background music rather than serve as an over-indulgence or over-emphasized originality statement. From the first released single “Know Your Enemy” to “21st Century Breakdown,” every song on this album is masterfully crafted and almost perfectly executed.
There are many heavy-rock anthems and also some powerful ballads like “Last Night on Earth” and “Restless Heart Syndrome” which highlight the amazing musical range of the group. 21st Century Breakdown is the best album to be released thus far in 2009 and just might secure that award for the remainder of the year. 21st Century Breakdown is available now for digital download through iTunes and in retailers nationwide from Reprise Records. Below, the band discusses the production of 21st Century Breakdown:
Did You See Me Coming?
A very minimalist video for Pet Shop Boys’ new release “Did You See Me Coming?” from their new album Yes. Take a look:
Thursday, May 7, 2009
A Courageous “Face”
Connie Culp, the first woman ever to receive a full face transplant from a cadaver, gave her first press conference yesterday at the Cleveland Clinic. 5 years ago, a shotgun bullet blast a hole through Culp’s face. Lucky to even be alive and countless operations since, it is amazing to hear Connie speak about her ordeal and thank the nurses and physicians who assisted her. This women’s spirit really soars and she is to be commended for her courage and amazing resilience.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Roxette to Re-Team!
One of my all-time favorite rock bands of all-time are back on the scene! The Daily Roxette is reporting today that Marie Frederikkson will be joining her longtime singing partner Per Gessle at his Party Crasher concert on Wednesday in Amsterdam. Roxette had a slew of smash hit songs in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s including, “The Look,” “Dangerous,” “It Must Have Been Love,” and “Joyride.” While the group failed to maintain their popularity in the United States after 1995’s Crash! Boom! Bang!, they continued to record record-breaking albums released throughout Europe including Have A Nice Day! and their last full album release in 2001 Room Service.
Unfortunately, Roxette went on permanent hold when in 2002, Marie underwent major surgery for a malignant brain tumor and left the music industry to recover. In 2006, the band released a greatest hits CD with newly recorded singles, “One Wish” and “Reveal” but Marie was still too ill to devote herself fully to Roxette. But reports are indicating Marie has made a full recovery and is ready to bring Roxette back together! Hopefully after Wednesday, we’ll get more information about a new album and tour from this dyanmic duo! Below is a video for a live performance of 2006’s “One Wish.”
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Burnett a Steeler
UCF standout running back “Smokin'” Joe Burnett was drafted in the 5th round of the NFL draft on Sunday and will go from being a Knight to a Steeler. While at UCF, Burnett broke record after record and was the standout player on the 2008 squad after the departure of now Detroit Lion Kevin Smith. In addition to Burnett, Sha’reff Rashad reached an agreement with the New York Giants, Patrick Brown reached a deal with the Carolina Panthers and Jason Venson reached a deal with the Cleveland Browns. It’s great to see 4 more UCF Knights ascending from the NCAA into the NFL! GO KNIGHTS!!!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Goodbye, Bea
If you haven’t heard by now, America lost one of its beloved television legends over the weekend. Bea Arthur, a Tony-Award winning stage and Emmy-Award winning television actress who is perhaps best known for her roles on Maude and The Golden Girls, succumbed to cancer on Saturday morning in her home in Los Angeles at the age of 86. I have loved The Golden Girls since I was a kid and had the honor of meeting Betty White and Rue McClanahan when I was about 12 years old. They were filming a pilot for a gameshow (which was never picked-up by the networks) called 20 Questions! and my dad and I went to see its taping on a visit to Los Angeles. They were both graciously nice and even provided me a kiss on the cheek and their autographs. This morning The Today Show held an interview with Rue McClanahan and Betty White, the sole two remaining survivors from The Golden Girls. The pair showered Bea’s memory with kind and loving sentiments.
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Sunday, April 26, 2009
Know Your Enemy Video
Green Day has released the video for the first single “Know Your Enemy” from their forthcoming album 21st Century Breakdown. It’s a great video for a great song:
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Yes, Know Your Enemy
Some big releases today in music! First and foremost, Green Day has released their first single “Know Your Enemy” from their forthcoming album 21st Century Breakdown, which will release May 15th from Reprise Records. iTunes is offering an exclusive pre-sale on the album for $11.99, which will also get you “Know Your Enemy” as an immediate download. The new track is awesome and features an instrumentation which sounds like 21st Century Breakdown will pick-up right where the group’s last (2004) album American Idiot left off. Also today, Astralwerks released Pet Shop Boys’ new album Yes, featuring the smash hit “Love, Etc.” I opted to purchase 9 of the 11 songs from the album (I wasn’t a fan of “King of Rome” or “The Way It Used to Be”) and the songs are great! They are heavily-laden with pop-synth and are upbeat and fun. While the Pet Shop Boys are no Erasure, this album should hold us over until the dynamic duo releases their new album in 2010. Below, the Pet Shop Boys discuss the making of their new album
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
More “Poker Face”
Lady GaGa continues to travel the world celebrating the massive success of her debut album The Fame. She wowed audiences at Orlando’s House of Blues during her World Fame Ball just 2 weeks ago and made an appearance on the UK’s version of Late Night (Friday Night with Jonathan Ross) on Friday, where she performed her latest #1 song “Poker Face.” With a live band on-stage (and the same dancers [including the Latin hottie we all drooled over] at her show in Orlando), Lady GaGa put a little bit of a rock-spin on the single and impressed the European audience just as much as those in the United States: