CMU Daily - on the inside 7 Aug 2003 |
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In today's CMU Daily:
Mottola scandal?
Massive attack Dandy Warhols collab
Britney broke my heart
Strokes producer starts band
Springsteen charity cd
Mordues premature Sky departure
Live Reveiw: Goddard
Darkness rock Kerrang! Awards nominations
BMI awards
Radio 1 rajars: stubborn Parfitt
Live Review: Velarsound
Alabama3 acoustic album
Bookoo movement support Alien Ant Farm
Third series of Mixmasters
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MOTTOLA SCANDAL?
Former Sony Music head Tommy Mottola has denied reports in the Wall Street Journal that he was rewarded 250k in stock options by a Silicon Valley health care company called HealthSouth in return for signing a band the company was championing.
The report claims Mottola received the options from the company after its Chairman Richard Scrushy asked for help promoting an upcoming girl band called 3rd Faze. Scrushy had helped to create the band who were touring on a HealthSouth-sponsored roadshow. The band signed to Sony though they never released any material. The stock transfer happened shortly after.
A spokesperson for Mottola insists that the ex-Sony boss had no idea about the options award until recently. Backing up that claim is the fact the stock was never sold, even though shares in HealthSouth peaked last summer at $10.90 and have been sliding ever since.
HealthSouth is now under investigation by the Justice Dept for accounting and tax fraud, with Scrushys lavish lifestyle and affinity for the music industry now a matter of public record.
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MASSIVE ATTACK DANDY WARHOLS COLLAB
Dandy Warhols frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor has confirmed the rumours that they have taken a break from recording their next album to work with Massive Attack. Taylor-Taylor says the collaboration should lead to a joint album.
"On and off we keep chiselling away at this sculpture we're sort of making. Now we've both released records so we're busy on tour a lot. We played together in Holland, so we were talking about what to do and we're thinking since we've just built a new studio we should have them come to Portland and we're thinking maybe next Fall.
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BRITNEY BROKE MY HEART
Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst has admitted that Britney Spears broke his heart.
Durst said: "I was pretty upset when me and Britney ended. Was my heart broken? Yes. Things were getting out of control and Justin was calling her and freaking out. He had never seen her with another guy before. I have run into him a couple of times since then but nothing was said about Britney. My whole time with Britney was really good for me. For two weeks we were hanging out all the time."
Limp Bizkit, who have just finished work on their as yet untitled new album, are playing a free gig at London's Finsbury Park on 6 Sep.
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STROKES PRODUCER STARTS BAND
Gordon Raphael, who has just finished producing the second Strokes album, has his sites set on another project: starting his own band. Raphael's new band, known as Crystal Radio, played their first gig at the Basement Club at Londons Buffalo Bar on 22 May.
Raphael said: "For the past 3 months I have been focused on doing something that I have successfully avoided for years and years: starting my own damn rock band. I placed ads which led me to discover Matt the drummer, Jason the guitar hero, Tim on bass and Pete the keyboardist of my dreams".
Crystal Radio are expected to release through Raphaels own Shoplifter Records.
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SPRINGSTEEN CHARITY CD
A two-CD tribute to Bruce Springsteen, Light of Day, is set to be released on Schoolhouse Records on 2 Sep in aid of the Parkinsons Disease Foundation and the Kristen Ann Carr Fund.
The album will include Springsteen covers by Elvis Costello, Pete Yorn, Graham Parker, Garland Jeffreys, Jason Ringenberg, Elliott Murphy, Dion, Nils Lofgren, Matthew Ryan, Billy Bragg, Gary Lucas Gods and Monsters, Willie Nile, Patty Griffin, Jesse Malin and Joe Ely, among others.
The Kristen Ann Carr Fund is named after the late daughter of Springsteen managements Barbara Carr and rock writer Dave Marsh. She passed away in January 1993 from a very rare tumor that strikes teenagers and young adults.
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MORDUES PREMATURE SKY DEPARTURE
Sky have refused to comment on why Lester Mordue, Sky's head of music channels, has left the company just six months having been headhunted from rival VH1 to launch Skys music ventures.
Sky's three music channels - Flaunt, Scuzz and The Amp - have only managed to draw 2% of their target 16 to 34-year-old audience, since their respective launches, while MTV have a 56% share, and Emap (Kiss, Kerrang) attracted a 39% share.
Sky Networks deputy director said little about Mordues departure, except: "We are grateful for all the work Lester has done in launching the channels and we wish him well in his future career."
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LIVE REVIW: Goddard Forth One Fringe at Smirnoff Underbelly at the Edinburgh Fringe
The crowd wanted funk and Goddard delivered. With endless reserves of energy, crowd interaction and seamless playing, Goddard kept the audience grooving for virtually the whole of the impressively long hour and forty-five minute set. The band, consisted of Bass, Guitar, Drums, Trumpet, Trombone with Jeremy Goddard on Keyboard and vocals hailed from all over the world, but they were slick in their togetherness. They relied on each other and the audience to keep the memento and funky vibe, with opportunities for each musician to show off a bit; a real highlight was the brass improvising stand off demonstrating just how funky these brass guys really were, and the audience loved it. Playing a good mix of originals and inspired covers such as Stevie Wonder's "Superstitious" and Prince's "Kiss" Jeremy kept the "groovy ladies" enraptured as he consistently oozed energy and funk from every pore and engaged in direct eye contact and banter with every audience member. This guy's confidence arose from a love of the music, never arrogance, proved by the fact he approached individual crowd members after the set to chat about how much he enjoyed playing. Go see some funk, Goddard will not disappoint.
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DARKNESS ROCK KERRANG! AWARDS NOMINATIONS
Kerrang! announced the nominations for their annual awards yesterday. The only news snippet were concerned with is that CMU favourites The Darkness got three nominations nominations (Best British Newcomer, Best Album and Best Live Act). Elsewhere, the nominations in full are:
Best British Newcomer: Funeral for a Friend; The Darkness; This Girl; Million Dead; Winnebago Deal
Best International Newcomer: Evanesence; Finch; The Mars Volta; Poison the Wall; The Used
Best Single: Good Charlotte - Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous; Foo Fighters - All My Life; Electric 6 - Gay Bar; Linkin Park - Faint; Evanesence - Bring me to Life
Best Video: Electric 6 - Gay Bar; Audioslave - Cochise; Murderdolls - White Wedding; Marilyn Manson - Mob Scene; Foo Fighters Low
Best Album: Deftones - Deftones; White Stripes - Elephant; Metallica - St Anger; The Darkness - Permission to Land; HIM - Love Metal
Best Live Act: The Darkness; Sum 41; Reel Big Fish; Iron Maiden; The Murderdolls
Best British Band: Feeder; InMe; Hell is for Heroes; Muse; Stereophonics
Best International Band: Metallica; Linkin Park; Good Charlotte; System of a Down; Red Hot Chili Peppers
Event of the Year: Download; Glastonbury; Reading/Leeds; V2003; T in the Park
The awards ceremony is set to take place on 21 Aug.
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BMI AWARDS
Murder Inc President Irv Gotti has been awarded his second Urban Songwriter of the Year trophy at the BMI Urban Awards in Miami. Elsewhere in Tuesdays awards event Song of the Year went to Nellys Hot in Herre, and EMI Music Publishing won its third straight Urban Publisher of the Year award. The Neptunes Pharrell Williams (co-writer of Hot in Herre) and Chad Hugo were named Urban Producers of the Year, and funk/soul legend Isaac Hayes was honoured as a BMI Icon.
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RADIO 1 RAJARS: STUBBORN PARFITT
Radio 1 controller Andy Parfitt has attempted to defend the station in the wake of its abysmal audience listening figures, refusing to alter his strategy for the station.
Parfitt admitted that he was disappointed with the latest Rajar figures, which put Radio 1's audience below the 10m radio 1s lowest ever audience - but says he is standing firm on the changes he is making to the station, adding that the it was inevitable that the station's share would fall due to increased competition from digital stations.
It was a strong defence as BBC insiders start to question how long Parfitt can hold on to his job if the station continues to lose listeners.
However he has reason to be optimistic - one thing the Rajars did reveal is that while overall figures are down, Parfitts recent changes have drawn in more of the stations desired audience: the 15-24 yrs bracket (22.1% to 22.8%). And it is that trend that Parfitts current strategy is aiming to continue.
Parfitt: "We're in trendy W1 but most of our listeners aren't. DJs need to remain connected to the audience."
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LIVE REVIEW: Velarsound at the Smirnoff Underbelly at the Edinburgh Fringe
With cool beats and soothing tunes, Velarsound performed a chilled-out and relaxed gig. Lucy Larner's silky voice was impressive, with echoes of Dido. MC Mark Nunn added an edge to the performance, his slick rhymes integrating well with the soft vocals. They took us through several of their own songs, including "Earth's Calling" and "Lover" and also performed a sleek version of Prince's "Girlfriend". A few sound problems and a slightly small crowd contributed to a sense of being in a youth-club, but some enthusiastic groupies kept the spirits up. Similar to Morcheeba, but with their own original twist, Velarsound are an up and coming band with promise and potential.
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ALABAMA3 ACOUSTIC ALBUM
Alabama 3 are set to release an acoustic album 'Last Train To Mashville'.
The tracklisting is:, Woke Up This Morning [the theme to the Sopranos], Too Sick To Pray, Year Zero, Mansion On The Hill, Speed of the Sound of Loneliness, u dont danse to tekno anymore, Bullet-proof, Let The Caged Bird Sing, Disneyland is Burning, Woody Guthrie, Peace in the Valley
Alabama3: Whats kept us buzzing and I think the same thing was there in Aint Goin To Goa is I think dance music, back in the day an all that, it was cracking underground warehouses and getting in trouble with the law and people going to prison for fuckin Es and there was a renegade attitude in that. All these fuckin glossy dance mags and star DJs and superclubs and girls in fluffy bras I mean, fair enough, people wanna do that but for us its about something else.
Press Contact: Michelle at One Little Indian Records
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BOOKOO MOVEMENT SUPPORT ALIEN ANT FARM
The cheeky punky popsters and XFM favourites The Bookoo Movement will be supporting Alien Ant Farm on 19 Aug at the Mean Fiddler.
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THIRD SERIES OF MIXMASTERS
Mixmasters, the music series that brings the clubbing experience to the small screen, returns to ITV1 in Sep - and leftfield dance producers Slam, Si Begg, DJ Spooky, Transparent Sound, along with independent labels Morr Music (Germany), Versatile Records (France) and Pork Recordings, are providing exclusive mixes.
The show, based on the concept of DJ / VJ (visual jockey) sets, is still the only show of its kind and features exclusive DJ mixes fused with visual mixes from leading VJs, visual artists and animators.
Addictive TV's executive producer Nick Clarke said: "Mixmasters is unique in bringing together many of the foremost VJs, visual crews and independent labels working in the club scene today and giving them a mainstream platform to air their creative talents. Independent labels are reasonably represented on radio but currently not on TV, Mixmasters goes some way to redressing this."
The new series of Mixmasters will begin screening in Sep.
Press Contact: Connective PR