Quick Hits: Soundgarden, Michael Jackson, VH1 Storytellers, Three Days Grace, Big Sean, Flyleaf, Meek Mill, Grammys, Queens Of The Stone Age, Peter Buck, Rock Allegiance, Jerry Garcia
August 21, 2012
In a new YouTube video, Soundgarden announced that their reunion album will be titled King Animal. The clip also includes a piece of music from a new song titled "Worse Dreams." You can see the clip below. King Animal will be released this fall. Rolling Stone reported this month that the record would be out November 13.
Pepsi will continue its year-long celebration of the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's Bad album on August 29 with a concert at New York City's Gotham Hall, featuring Ne-Yo, Melanie Fiona, Swizz Beatz and DJ Cassidy. The event will mark the conclusion of Pepsi and Billboard's 2012 Summer Beats Concert Series. Meanwhile, Bad is being re-released on September 18 with additional tracks, a DVD and other bonus material.
In addition to Taylor Swift, P!nk and Alicia Keys also will appear on VH1's Storytellers in November. The ladies' specials will air three nights in a row. Swift is up first on November 11, followed by Keys' episode on November 12 and P!nk's on November 13. All three have new albums coming out later this year.
Three Days Grace is planning a special run of intimate club shows to coincide with the release of their new album, Transit of Venus, on October 2. The 14 club dates will kick off in Dallas on October 8 and wrap up in Nashville on October 28.
Big Sean will drop a new mixtape on September 5 dubbed Detroit. "We been working hard, everyday for the past 8 months... And I can honestly say that me, my label, my team are more than excited how my new album sounds," Sean wrote on Twitter. "It's everything I want it to be n more. A true representation of what I stand for, what I believe in, how I live, great story telling, n great production. I took my time with it and it made all the difference." Sean also is planning to release his sophomore album before the end of the year, and he'll be featured on Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music compilation, Cruel Summer.
Today, Flyleaf releases their first new single in three years, "New Horizons." The song is available on iTunes and it's the title track from the band’s forthcoming third album. Full details about the album and the release date will be announced shortly. "'New Horizons' expresses a feeling of looking toward the unknown future with hope," commented bass player Pat Seals about the new track.
Rapper Meek Mill has pushed back the release of his Dreams & Nightmares from August 28 to October 30 in order to focus on touring. He kicked off the start to his 17-city headlining tour at Las Vegas' House of Blues last week and there are dates booked through August 27 in New York.
The Recording Academy is moving its annual Grammy Nominations Live concert and TV special from Los Angeles to Nashville. The show will air on December 5 from Bridgestone Arena. "There's probably no city more renowned as a music center in America and probably the world than Nashville," stated Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "We have had a great experience with the city of Nashville as an organization."
Queens Of The Stone Age are apparently back at work on their sixth studio album. Writing on their official Facebook page, the band simply updated their status with the word "Recording," garnering thousands of "likes" within minutes. Meanwhile, a judge has settled the lawsuit between QOTSA frontman Josh Homme and his former bandmates in Kyuss over their use of the moniker "Kyuss Lives." Judge S. James Otero of the United States District Court Central District ruled that the band can use that name only for "concerts and live performances," but "The Court will issue a preliminary injunction prohibiting Defendants from using the Kyuss Lives Mark in conjunction with any studio album, live album, or other audio recording."
More details have come to light on R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck's solo record. Longtime collaborator Scott McCaughey told the Seattle Weekly that the album is just called Peter Buck and will feature guest appearances from ex-R.E.M. bandmate Mike Mills, Corin Tucker, Lenny Kaye of Patti Smith's band, as well as McCaughey himself. Buck, McCaughey and drummer Bill Rieflin will perform some of the new songs together next month in Seattle under the alias Richard M. Nixon. Buck's album is expected out as a vinyl-only release on Portland-based Mississippi Records as soon as next month.
Set times have been announced for September's Rock Allegiance festival in Hershey, PA. Stone Temple Pilots, Three Days Grace, Seether, Buckcherry and Daughtry are among the many bands on the bill for the all-day show set for Saturday, September 1. All the details can be found at rockallegiance.com/lineup.html.
Fantasy Records will release Keystone Companions/The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings, on September 25, capturing the collaborations between Jerry Garcia and keyboardist Merl Saunders. The album was recorded live on July 10 and 11, 1973 at the Keystone club in Berkeley, CA. The four-disc set includes seven previously unreleased tracks, a special booklet featuring vintage photos; liner notes by Grateful Dead expert David Gans; and a poster, coaster, button, and "scratchbook" (replicating the design of the original album’s promotional matchbooks).