Metallica announce The Orion Music + More Festival

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added: 8 Feb 2012 // by: newsdesk 

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Metallica's big announcement has been made, the creation of their own Orion Music + More Festival. The first festival will take place in Atlantic City, New Jersey on June 23 and 24.

The initial line-up with Metallica is Arctic Monkeys, Avenged Sevenfold, Modest Mouse, The Gaslight Anthem, Cage The Elephant, Fucked Up, Best Coast, Hot Snakes, Titus Andronicus, Gary Clark Jr., Lucero, Roky Erickson, The Black Angels, The Sword, Liturgy, and more to be announced in the coming weeks.

'We've had the idea of doing our own lifestyle festival with lots of diverse music and fun and games for years,' said Lars Ulrich. 'Finally this year all the practical ducks lined up in a row, and we are beyond psyched to bring Orion to our fans, friends and the curious. After the most incredible of weeks ever in December 2011 celebrating our 30th anniversary at the Fillmore in San Francisco, CA, bringing the spirit of that week, the looseness of that week, the possibilities of that week, the fan interactive elements of that week, and the (fill in your own blank here) of that week to a festival setting is so exciting we can hardly contain ourselves.'

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Quick quips: Merle Haggard, America, Glen Campbell, Peter Hook, Academy of Country Music, Miles Davis

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added: 27 Jan 2012 // by: VVN Music 

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Merle Haggard is once again out of the hospital and has traveled from Macon, GA to his home in Redding, CA to recuperate. Haggard had been hospitalized twice in the last week in Macon for treatment of pneumonia and a number of other ailments.
Merle will recuperate for a number of weeks before going back on the road in late-February.

America will receive the 2,459th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 6. Gary Beckley and Dewey Bunnell will be honored in front of the Musician's Institute surrounded by the likes of Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, Rush, Al Jolson and Hal David.

The great Glen Campbell will perform on this year's Grammy broadcast with Blake Shelton and the Band Perry. Glen is a Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient and is currently out on the road with his Goodbye Tour. He recently revealed that he is in the early stages of Alzheimers.
Sergio Mendes, who is up for an Academy Award for best song for Real in Rio from the animated film Rio, says that there will most likely be a sequel to the film. He said on Tuesday "I think the plan is for the movie to come three or four months before the World Cup. Fox has been talking about (it) and it looks like it's going to happen. We're going to have a meeting I think next week and Carlos [Saldanha, the director] is coming to town to tell us the story, and it looks like it's a go."

Peter Hook, formerly of Joy Division, doesn't seem too upset with the whole Disney/Unknown Pleasures T-Shirt controversy. He told Billboard, "It's a funny one. I suppose you would have to say it's a compliment coming from an organization like Disney. When you consider that Joy Division were only together for three years, it's certainly a fantastic compliment 34 years later to still be able to make a splash like this is. The fact that it's sold out is an even greater compliment. I tried to get one but it seems that they're all gone."

CBS, the Academy of Country Music and Dick Clark Productions have announced that they have agreed to a ten year deal that will keep the awards on CBS through 2021. CBS has carried the annual affair since 1998.

Finally, here is the official designs for the Edith Piaf and Miles Davis commemorative stamps we reported earlier this week.

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Kenny Chesney leads Academy of Country Music nominations

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added: 27 Jan 2012 // by: VVN Music 

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The Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards nominations were announced on Thursday morning via a digital press conference introduced by Reba McEntire and fearturing announcements by Lionel Richie, Beth Behrs (2 Broke Girls), Nancy O'Dell (Entertainment Tonight) and Michael Ausiello (TVLine.com).

Kenny Chesney lead the way with nine nominations including Entertainer of the Year which he has previously won four times. Jason Aldean was second with six followed by Lady Antebellum with five, Brad Paisley with four and Toby Keith, Taylor Swift (the current Entertainer of the Year), the Eli Young Band and the normally not very country Grace Potter with three.

As happened with the rival CMA Awards, nominations for veteran performers were few and far between in the major categories. Vince Gill and Amy Grant are up for Song of the Year for Threaten Me With Heaven (recorded by Gill) and Alabama is up for Vocal Event of the Year for Old Alabama which they recorded with Brad Paisley.

Where veterans do shine is behind the scenes as producers, engineers and, especially, instrumentalists. They have 23 nominations in those "off-camera" categories, just over 50% of all of the nods.

Two awards, Entertainer of the Year and New Artist of the Year are voted on by the public at the ACM Awards site (VoteACM.com). The first round of New Artist voting has already begun with the second round and Entertainer voting scheduled to start on March 19.

The awards will be aired on CBS on Sunday April 1 at 8 PM and will be hosted once again by Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton.

The nominees with veteran artists in bold:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
Taylor Swift

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
Chris Young

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Sara Evans
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

Love and Theft
Montgomery Gentry
Steel Magnolia
Sugarland
Thompson Square

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

The Band Perry
Eli Young Band
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown Band

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Chief ' Eric Church
Four The Record ' Miranda Lambert
Hemingway's Whiskey ' Kenny Chesney
My Kinda Party ' Jason Aldean
Own The Night ' Lady Antebellum

SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR

Crazy Girl ' Eli Young Band
Don't You Wanna Stay ' Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson
Red Solo Cup ' Toby Keith
Tomorrow ' Chris Young
You And Tequila ' Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter

SONG OF THE YEAR

Crazy Girl ' Eli Young Band - Composers: Lee Brice, Liz Rose
Home ' Dierks Bentley - Composers: Brett Beavers, Dierks Bentley, Dan Wilson
Just A Kiss ' Lady Antebellum - Composers: Dallas Davidson, Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott
Threaten Me With Heaven ' Vince Gill - Composers: Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Dillon O'Brian, Will Owsley
You And Tequila ' Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter - Composers: Matraca Berg, Deana Carter

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Homeboy ' Eric Church
Just A Kiss ' Lady Antebellum
Mean ' Taylor Swift
Red Solo Cup ' Toby Keith
Tattoos On This Town ' Jason Aldean

VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR

Country Boy ' Aaron Lewis Featuring George Jones & Charlie Daniels
Don't You Wanna Stay ' Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson
Old Alabama ' Brad Paisley Featuring Alabama
Remind Me ' Brad Paisley Duet With Carrie Underwood
You And Tequila ' Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

Rhett Akins
Dallas Davidson
Ben Hayslip
Luke Laird
David Lee Murphy

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

Mark Bright
Buddy Cannon
Nathan Chapman
Jay Joyce
Frank Liddell

AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

Jeff Balding
Derek Bason
John Kelton
Mills Logan
Justin Niebank

BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Mike Brignardello
Kevin "Swine" Grantt
Mark Hill
Michael Rhodes
Jimmy Lee Sloas

PERCUSSIONIST/DRUMMER OF THE YEAR

Matt Chamberlain
Chad Cromwell
Shannon Forrest
Chris McHugh
Greg Morrow

FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Glen Duncan
Stuart Duncan
Larry Franklin
Joe Spivey
Jonathan Yudkin

GUITARIST OF THE YEAR

J.T. Corenflos
Kenny Greenberg
Jay Joyce
Brent Mason
Adam Shoenfeld

PIANO/KEYBOARD PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Tony Harrell
John Hobbs
John Jarvis
Charlie Judge
Michael Rojas

SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT(S) PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Eric Darken
Aubrey Haynie
Ilya Toshinsky
John Willis
Jonathan Yudkin

STEEL GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Paul Franklin
Mike Johnson
Greg Leisz
Russ Pahl
Scotty Sanders

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Live music bill passes latest hurdle

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added: 22 Jan 2012 // by: newsdesk 

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MPs were presented The Live Music Bill - which is asking for smaller venues to be exempt from having to have an entertainment licence.

The controversial licences mean any venue, no matter how small, has to conform to a series of regulations, fill out loads of forms and pay a high fee to put on any form of live music.

Because of it, for many smaller bars, pubs and clubs the idea of putting on live music - and giving musicians somewhere to hone their skills - is currently out of the question.

It's taken almost three years of lobbying for the bill to get this far but despite it being on the agenda in Parliament if less than 100 MPs decided to show up for it it wouldn't have been debated.

But it did and was passed by the present politicians.

Next it will get a final consideration of amendments and if it gets through that hurdle can get royal assent and become law.

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Lady GaGa: I invented new music genre

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added: 18 Jan 2012 // by: newsdesk 

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Lady Gaga claims she invented her own music genre.

The Marry The Night singer explained that many of her tracks include elements from big rock songs mixed with her trademark electro pop sound.

Naming one of her biggest influences as rock band Def Leppard, the 25-year-old songstress specifically hired their producer Mutt Lance to work on her track You And I.

"With my music there's lots of really big Def Leppard-style melodies in the choruses but it's electronic dance music. I'd call it avant-garde techno rock. It is very hard and very edgy,' she told British newspaper The Sun.

"There are a lot of rock influences on the album but not that it is rock music. It is an exploration of electronic music and techno songs but I have created a genre of metal/dance/techno/rock/pop music with a lot of anthemic choruses, because that is actually the music I love."

The eccentric singer also declared her admiration for rocker Bruce Springsteen.

Gaga explained that she grew up listening to the Born In The USA singer.

"I'm obsessed with Bruce Springsteen. My father used to play his records for me all the time when I was a kid," she said.

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Florence Welch: Music is draining

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added: 17 Jan 2012 // by: newsdesk 

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Florence Welch feels 'drained' by her career at times.

The Florence + the Machine singer has continued to see her popularity soar since the release of her band's successful debut album Lungs in 2009.

The star loves her music career, but admits the pressure gets to her occasionally.

"You're doing these amazing things but there are sacrifices to be made for that and you work incredibly hard,' she explained. "It gets very draining but I'm doing my absolute dream job and I wouldn't want to do anything else.

"The highs and the lows come with the same package - touring and travelling and being away from home."

Florence has been nominated for British female solo artist and Mastercard British album of the year for Ceremonials ahead of the coveted BRIT Awards.

The star doesn't let award ceremonies faze her.

"It's very nice to be recognised. It's always really fun. They are terrifying to start with. If you see them as something fun and a celebration then that's OK, I think you shouldn't put yourself under too much pressure,' she told the BBC.

Florence continues to grow in confidence as her career flourishes. The 25-year-old's signature style is now firmly in the public sphere.

"You have to figure out what makes you feel right. That's what the last couple of years have been about, how I feel comfortable and how I feel as a performer,' she said.

'People can tell you what to do and what not to do, but until you start making your own mistakes, that's the only way."

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The Roof Gardens� live music nights return in 2012

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added: 17 Jan 2012 // by: newsdesk 

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The Roof Gardens' live music nights return in 2012 with a fabulous line up every Friday and Saturday

Following its huge success last year, The Roof Gardens in Kensington is kicking off the New Year with a fantastic line up of live music nights ' featuring an exciting new programme of artists every weekend until the end of March 2012.

The live music nights include both new and established talent, who will be performing exclusive sets every Friday and Saturday evening from 7pm at the award-winning venue. Friday evenings will see headlining acts and specially selected supporting acts, performing in the warmth of the picturesque marquee in the Tudor garden. During January, Saturday nights will see 'Jazz FM presents.Live at The Roof Gardens Kensington' supported by renowned radio station Jazz FM, featuring the very best in live Nu Jazz, Nu Groove, soul and funk.

The full music line-up for January 2012 is as follows:

Friday 13th January ' Live Fridays. Headliner: Alex Buchanan (with support acts Will Healy and John Galea)
Alex Buchanan is a singer-songwriter, actor and dancer from Manchester. At just 21 years old, Alex has already choreographed two music videos as well as working on his debut album. He is currently starring in Thriller Live at the Lyric Theatre (London).

Saturday 14th January ' Jazz FM Launch Night 2012. Headliner: Hannah Francis (with support acts)
London born Hannah Francis is a rare R&B and soul singer and lyricist. Singing from a very early age, she credits her love of James Brown, Diana Ross and The Marvelettes as her influences. A versatile musician, she has lent her vocals and writing skills to various projects with both unsigned and established artists.

Friday 20th January ' Live Fridays. Headliner: Abi Phillips (with support acts Sam Gray, Carrie Haber and Joyride)
Abi Phillips is a singer-songwriter from the West Midlands and currently plays the character of Liberty in the Channel 4 show 'Hollyoaks'.
Over the past year, no less than eight of Abi's original compositions have appeared in various major story lines in the show, including the first reality / soap tie which culminated in appearing at Channel 4s 'T4 on the Beach' alongside some of the biggest current names in Pop . At 18 years of age, Abi is already making waves as one of the country's best new young songwriters.

Saturday 21st January ' Jazz FM presents.Live at The Roof Gardens Kensington. Headliner: Marie Dahlstrom (with support acts)
Marie Dahlstrom is an up and coming artist from Denmark. She released her first EP 'Feelings' in November 2011, an intimate, self-composed release that captures her feelings through simple lyrics and strong melodies. Marie lives in east London where she is developing her sound of Scandinavian soul.

Friday 27th January ' Live Fridays. Headliner: Sarah Whatmore (with support acts Cash Taylor and Kelly Pepper)
Sarah Whatmore rose to fame in the first series of the TV show Pop Idol. When the show ended, Simon Fuller signed her to RCA Records, including a management deal with 19 Entertainment. Sarah's debut singles 'When I Lost You' and 'Automatic' both reached the Top 10 in the UK singles charts.

Saturday 28th January ' Jazz FM presents.Live at The Roof Gardens Kensington. Headliner: Giovanna (with support acts)
Giovanna is 21. From the age of five she's played classical piano, and has
developed into a songwriter, performer, vocalist, and producer. Big brother
Winston Marshall is the multi instrumentalist and vocalist in Mumford &
Sons, so she's seen at close hand how things can blow up. And it looks like 2012 could definitely be Giovanna's year with Rob Da Bank, Zane Lowe, Uncut magazine and Clash magazine having all said fantastic things about her already. Giovanna is signed to Mi7 Records and her EP 'Shaky Ground', is released in Spring 2012.

Tickets can be purchased on Ticketweb for £15 each and includes entry to the Club.

The Roof Gardens
6th Floor, The Roof Gardens, 99 Kensington High Street, W8 5SA

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Best British Debut Album of 2011 to be revealed as Xfm launches fifth New Music Award

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added: 17 Jan 2012 // by: newsdesk 

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Global Radio's Xfm launches the search for the Best British Debut Album of theYear with its fifth consecutive Xfm New Music Award ' voted for by the public and a stellar panel of judges.

From today, Xfm listeners will cast their votes for the award - online at www.xfm.co.uk/nma - from a selection of albums released in 2011. Amongst the contenders for the coveted accolade are 'Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, 'Different Gear Still Speeding' by Beady Eye, 'The Colour of the Trap' by Miles Kane, and 'What Did You Expect from the Vaccines' by The Vaccines. The ten albums that receive the most votes in the poll are then shortlisted with the overall winner selected by a panel of industry experts ' which this year includes Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol and Muse's Dom Howard.

This year's winner will be announced on the evening of Wednesday 8th February at the Xfm New Music Award Night at the HMV Ritz inManchester. The event will be hosted by Xfm's Mary Anne Hobbs and John Kennedy, with performances from All the Young, Dry the River, Spector, Ren Harvieu and Willy Moon ' five acts that Xfm believes will produce great debut albums in 2012.

Previous winners of the award are The Enemy with 'We'll Live and Die In These Towns' (2007), The xx with 'XX' (2009) and Glasvegas with 'Glasvegas' (2008).

The full judging panel for this year, chaired by Xfm's Deputy Programme Director/Head of Music Mike Walsh, includes:

Clint Boon (Xfm) David Mogendorff (MTV)
Craig Potter (Elbow) Dom Howard (Muse)
Danny Wallace (Xfm) Mary Anne Hobbs (Xfm)
Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol) Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order)
Gordon Smart (Xfm/The Sun) Tim Burgess (The Charlatans)
John Hirst (HMV) Tim Ingham (Music Week)
John Leckie (producer of Radiohead, Stone Tom Smith (Editors)
Roses, Muse, The Verve etc) John Kennedy (Xfm)

For more information and to vote, visit www.xfm.co.uk/nma

Voting closes at midday on Friday 27th January; the shortlist of the final 10 will be announced on Xfm on Monday 30th January and the ultimate winner subsequently on Wednesday 8th February.

Xfm broadcasts on 104.9 FM in London on 97.7 FM in Manchester, across the country on digital radio & TV and online at xfm.co.uk

According to the latest radio industry figures released by RAJAR *, Xfm celebrated continued growth with just under a million people now tuning in across the UK each week.

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The Scottish Alternative Music awards return

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added: 15 Jan 2012 // by: newsdesk 

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The Scottish Alternative Music awards are to return for a third year, drawing necessary attention to the Scottish bands and artists that mainstream music tend to ignore.

After the success of last year, with artists such as The La Fontaines and Three Blind Wolves performing, as well as appearances from winners Indian Red Lopez, and nominees Bwani Junction, this year sets to provide a platform as well as well deserved recognition for the hard working and talented members of the Scottish music industry.

Again this year will include live performances from some of the country's hottest new acts, as well as guest appearances from leading figures in the Scottish music scene.

SAMAs 2012 will run in association with retro clothing store Vintage Guru, which is located on 195 Byres Road in the West End of Glasgow. Roberto Cocozza (VG) states, 'Vintage Guru are pleased to be the Main Sponsor of SAMA 2012 following our tradition of supporting up
and coming music in Scotland'

'We feel SAMA is a unique opportunity for up and coming unsigned bands to be recognised for their hard
work over the year, always ignored by the more conventional music awards ceremonies'

SAMAs are given out on the following categories:

BEST ROCK / ALTERNATIVE sponsored by Ignite Records
BEST METAL sponsored by Departed Apparel
BEST ACOUSTIC sponsored by JamHut Studios
BEST ELECTRONIC sponsored by Bar Bloc
BEST LIVE ACT sponsored by Messer Schmitt
BEST NEWCOMER sponsored by Cathouse Rock Club
BEST HIP HOP sponsored by Young Scot

For more info click here.

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James Morrison releases new single �Slave To The Music� in February

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added: 14 Jan 2012 // by: newsdesk 

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James Morrison releases his new single 'Slave To The Music' on February 20.

The up tempo track is the third to be taken from his platinum selling album 'The Awakening'. The song originally came to James in a dream, where he envisaged Michael Jackson singing the main hook.

The Awakening was number one for two weeks when it was released last year. It also contains the singles 'I Won't Let You Go' and the stunning duet with Jessie J 'Up' ' which have sold over 300k copies.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

Saturday 28 Jan Belfast Ulster Hall
Sunday 29 Jan Dublin Olympia
Tuesday 31 Jan Manchester O2 Apollo
Wednesday 1 Feb Manchester O2 Apollo
Friday 3 Cambridge Corn Exchange
Saturday 4 Southampton Guildhall
Monday 6 Leicester De Montford Hall
Tuesday 7 Birmingham O2 Academy
Thursday 9 London Hammersmith Apollo
Friday 10 London Hammersmith Apollo
Sunday 12 Southend Cliff Pavilion
Monday 13 Bristol Colston Hall
Wednesday 15 Glasgow O2 Academy
Friday 17 Leeds O2 Academy
Saturday 18 Nottingham Royal Centre
Sunday 19 Newcastle O2 Academy

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