New Track

What’s a nice Irish lass doing in a place like this? That’s what many in the crowd of 1,000 at the Boulder Theater might have wondered on October 21, 2008, when Gemma Hayes stepped to the microphone and said, “Hi. I’m Joe Jackson.” No offense to Jackson, the lanky, snow-white-haired, piano-playing, rock-steady, genre-bending chameleon from England, but Gentle Gem looks or acts nothing like the guy who was part of the New Wave movement in the late 1970s.
(More about Music Review: Gemma Hayes, Joe Jackson at the Boulder Theater, Boulder, October 21, 2008…)

Tickets for Chester French’s UK tour are available now. As was reported on NME.COM, the American outfit, who hit the headlines after guitarist Max Drummey married Peaches Geldof, will embark on their first jaunt of the UK. The band will play Nottingham Stealth on November 1, Wolverhampton Little Civic (2), Manchester Night And Day CafГ© (5) and Newcastle Digital (7). For more tickets and information, head over to NME.COM/tickets.
(More about Chester French tour this November - Tour News…)

Marc Broussard’s early albums established him as the heir to Texas white-soul icon Delbert McClinton. But Keep Coming Back shows the 26-year-old Louisiana singer coming into his own. His coarse baritone fires up the Seventies-style funk of “Power’s in the People,” the disco-fied anthem “Man for Life” and the warm, strings-drenched piano ballad “Evil Things.” He lapses into pedestrian pop-soul-disco on the ponderous “Another Night Alone,” but he makes up for it on “When It’s Good,” a brawny country-soul duet in which he plays Delaney to LeAnn Rimes’ sassy Bonnie.
(More about Marc Broussard - Keep Coming Back…)

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme paid homage to Simon & Garfunkel’s folk heritage, but its foundation underscored a move toward a pure pop sound. The album, however, is rooted in the 1960’s. The anti-war protest songs were the equal of anything that was being produced during this period yet Simon & Garfunkel would escape much of the criticism directed toward such artists as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Phil Ochs as their message was cloaked in a lush sound with perfect harmonies that were an easy listen.

(More about Music Review: Simon & Garfunkel - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme…)

Kanye West wasn’t kidding when he said his new album would feature the sound of the retro-rific 808 drum machine on every track. Over the weekend, a new song from the upcoming 808s & Heartbreak leaked: “Robocop,” the one ‘Ye collaborator Mike Dean said is supposed to get some added magic from Grammy-winning keyboard legend Herbie Hancock before the album drops November 25.

But West swears he wasn’t behind the song’s sneak peek. “I did not leak Robocop!!!” he wrote on his blog on Sunday.

(More about Kanye West Swears He Didn’t Leak ‘Robocop’…)

Audiences should prepare to be enthralled by Kathy Griffin, the humorous stand-up comedian and actress. The Emmy Award winning television personality will continue her 2008-09 tour starting Friday, November 6th at Phoenix, Arizona. The tour which stretches into February of the new year will see her perform every weekend with a small Christmas break after her show in Los Angeles.

Kathy Griffin, who is known for her show on Bravo and in NBC’s ‘Suddenly Susan’ for her supporting role, is a voice actress to boot.

(More about Kathy Griffin 2008/2009 Tour Continues…)

This week’s NME Music News is available to watch now on NME.COM - scroll down for the video. Today’s (September 19) round-up takes us through the week’s biggest stories, including news about Guns N Roses, The Long Blondes and Glasvegas. Also, hear about Eminem’s return and Paul McCartney’s lost head. Watch the video by clicking below.
(More about Watch Eminem, Guns N’ Roses in this week’s video music news…)

US magazine Rolling Stone were given a preview listen of Kanye West’s new album 808s & Heartbreak recently, and they’ve reported that it’s comprised entirely of �electronic’ music with not a single hip hop styled track in sight. “All vocals were sung and treated with the electro “auto-tune” effect,” wrote Rolling Stone of the album.
(More about International News: Kanye drops hip hop for electro on new album…)

The world of music has always provided fertile ground for funny nicknames. One of the best belonged to a favorite of mine — a guy who was one of the many jazz artists who thrived in both the big band era and the later modern jazz years. He was hard-partying and had a quirky sense of humor, but was always respected by his contemporaries. John Haley "Zoot" Sims was a talented saxophonist who for many years epitomized the cool, laid-back jazz musician, but he didn't start out that way.
(More about Retro Redux: Zoot And The Evolution Of Cool…)

Musician Gregg Gillis, who is better known as Girl Talk, kicked off his fall 2008 tour earlier this month, on 9th October in Philadelphia. Now the DJ and mash-up specialist is continuing his two month long tour which started off in Philadelphia on 9th October. The star is performing in thirty cities on the tour, and the shows will include a variety of electronic, indie-rock and hip-hop acts.
The DJ’s latest release, ‘Feed the Animals’ was launched in June and is his fourth studio set.

(More about Girl Talk Fall Tour 2008 Continues…)