Live4MusiC

These are strange days in the music industry. While the major labels are crumbling due to rampant downloading of pirated music, the Internet has also given bands the means to go their own way--to a growing extent, they are no longer dependent on an EMI or Warner Music to get their music to fans.

(week starting 31st May) 

Rock & Pop 

• Jack Johnson - To The Sea 
• Various Artists - Listen Up: Official2010 FIFA World Cup 
  
  Dance & Soul 
• Jessica Mauboy - Been Waiting 
  
  Classical & Jazz 
• Sergio Mendes - Bom Tempo Brasil Remixed 
  
  Asian Pop 
• Richie Ren 任贤齐 - Music Traveller 
• Bosco Wong 黃宗澤 - Bravo 
• OST - Spring Waltz (Piano Version) 
• OST - Spring Waltz 

The body of Slipknot's Paul Gray was found near a hypodermic needle and a bottle of pills, according to the hotel employee who found him. 

The bassist, who died in Des Moines, Iowa on Monday (May 24), was staying at the TownePlace Suiteswhen maintenance worker Mike Kellow found him. 

According to the 911 audio footage which TMZ obtained, Kellow tells the operator he suspects Gray died of a "drug overdose" and that there was a hypodermic needle and a bottle of pills in the room.

As previously reported, authorities reported that 'no signs of foul play or significant trauma' were found during the autopsy, with the cause of death expected to be revealed when toxicology results are returned in the next four to six weeks.

- NME

pwnerer: Do you agree with all these 'Top 100 guitarists of all time' lists? I mean they systematically exclude guitarists from the jazz and classical genre, only have a handful of blues and folk guitarists, while 95% of the list are guitarists from mainstream, generic rock bands. What are your thoughts on these lists? 

SLASH: I don’t really pay much attention to them. These lists are more popularity contests than anything. 


forsaknazrael: How has your experience with your solo album differed from your solo work in the past (Slash's Snakepit)?

SLASH: This was more a record that I made on my own from top to bottom without a band or a record company. This record was definitely the 1st time I could do whatever I wanted. 


CoreysMonster: What is your opinion of the direction the music industry is going nowadays, with record companies becoming less and less diverse in their chose of new bands signed, due to the fact that record sales have become less and less lucrative? 

SLASH: I think the industry as it is stands right now is killing the spirit of commercial music by diminishing the possibilities of musical diversity. We have to come up with a way for new acts to get a fair chance. 


Eddy~: What other playing styles and genres you like to venture into when you're just playing by yourself; ever play Jazz, Metal, Pop, and such? 

SLASH: Some Jazz/Blues, Latin, Metal & some other styles I don’t have a proper name for. 


Duffman123: What other artists would you have wanted to collaborate with on your new album?

SLASH: Steven Tyler, Dave Mustaine. 


wizards?: If you had the chance, would you go back to whenever you started and do it all over again at the risk of not becoming famous? 

SLASH: I don’t think I have a reason to go back & do it all over again, I wouldn’t change anything if I did.


TwistedLogic: How did you come up with that Appetite tone? It has a lot of early Zep in it for sure, but it makes me think of Lemmy for some reason. It is just dirty and nasty, and effectively conveys life in the seedy side of town, no offense. So, being gear heads here on UG, how did you do it? 

SLASH: My tone has always been the product of what I want to hear, ever since I got my 1st amp. I have a very defined sense of what I do & don’t like in a guitar’s sound. I just go for what sounds good to me as simply as possible. 


SomeoneYouKnew: If you could have mad skills on any other instrument in addition to guitar what instrument would you choose? 

SLASH: Violin or Saxophone. 


androidred0100: You're a pretty rocking guy, with a definite, tangible, and highly sculpted image and people obviously see you in a certain light. Do you ever do anything that people would consider "Un-Slash-like"? For example do you listen to world beat music, play the sitar in your spare time or are you a secret Dungeons and Dragons dork? Basically, is there anything that you do that you'll openly admit to that people just wouldn't believe to be true?

SLASH: I do have a very nice sitar that I got from India. I never play it though. LOL! I love Disneyland as much as my kids. I watch Spongebob. I love pinball & play it constantly. I TiVo dinosaur programs & hang out in natural history museums in the dinosaur exhibit in every city in every country I visit. 


androidred0100: I've read your book and it's pretty apparent that you've been through a lot in your life and most average joes would be content to be where you are now for the rest of their lives. And yet you continue moving forwards. What's next for you? What makes you get up in the morning and say "Man, I can't wait to get started!"? 

SLASH: I’m always trying to progress in what I do. I want to play all the time & hopefully get better at it. If I rest now that’s as far as I will have gotten. Plus, I love what I do more & more as time progresses.

- Ultimate- Guitar 

LOS ANGELES — Lee DeWyze, a paint store clerk who overcame his shyness to impress "American Idol" judges and viewers with his spirit and soulful voice, triumphed Wednesday over bluesy musician Crystal Bowersox in the contest's ninth season.

When asked by host Ryan Seacrest how he felt, an emotional DeWyze said, "I don't know. It's amazing, thank you, guys, so much ... I love you. Crystal, I love you."

The finalists had closely matched fan bases, with just a 2 percent voting gap between them coming into the finale, Seacrest said. DeWyze's victory was based on votes cast after Tuesday's performance show, which drew more judges' compliments for Bowersox, 24, of Toledo, Ohio, than for DeWyze, also 24, of Mount Prospect, Ill.

The total number of votes cast in the finale weren't announced by Seacrest. That's a departure from most years past: Last season, for example, the high-profile contest between Kris Allen and Adam Lambert drew 100 million phone and text message votes.

Fox didn't comment on the omission. But "Idol," although still TV's top-rated show, has seen audience erosion this season that could have affected the tally. The talented but low-key Bowersox and DeWyze might also have provoked less interest.

Backstage, Bowersox was downright Zen about the results.

"I knew Lee was going to win. People seemed surprised by that, but I just had a feeling. I couldn't be happier for him. He deserves every minute of this," she said, looking as calm and cheerful as she has throughout the season.

She viewed the outcome as "winner and non-winner," not winner and loser.

"Both of us are going to have very successful careers and we're going to be friends for a long time," she said of DeWyze.

Before the show, DeWyze was equally philosophical: "Whether I win, which will be amazing, or I came in second, this is a new beginning for me career-wise and in my life," he said.

The finale made the most of Simon Cowell's last appearance as a judge. A film package recounting highlights from the Cowell years was shown and comedian Dane Cook came on stage to sing "Simon Says," made up of the Brit's barbed comments, and to crack a few jokes.

"You have the honesty of Abe Lincoln and the charm of the guy who shot him," Cook told Cowell, who took the ribbing with a smile.

The walk down memory lane continued with ex-judge Paula Abdul, who often played Cowell's sparring partner during the seasons the shared.

"I've loved all the fun we've had together," Abdul told Cowell. "`American Idol's' not gonna be the same without you. But as only I can you, it will go on."

Cowell, in turn, shed his usual cool in an on-stage appearance.

"I didn't think I was going to be this emotional and I genuinely am. ... Everybody asks who's going to replace me, who going to be the next judge. The truth is," he told the audience, "you guys are the judge of this show and you've done an incredible job over the years."

The finale, as usual, was stuffed with humor, including the return of Larry "Pants on the Ground" Platt and William Hung, return appearances by former contestants and music stars.

Kris Allen, last year's winner, sang "The Truth," with Carrie Underwood, Michael McDonald, Christina Aguilera, Hall & Oates, Robin and Barry Gibb, Janet Jackson and Joe Cocker were among those whose performances were scattered throughout the two-hour show.

Bret Michaels, the ailing former Poison frontman and reality TV star, joined "Idol" finalist Casey James on one of the band's biggest hits, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."

David Cook, a past "Idol" winner, was unable to attend because of a charity commitment, Fox said.

Bowersox, with a distinctive, Janis Joplinesque-voice and whose status as a single mom and warmth earned her the nickname "Mama Sox," had basked in praise Tuesday.

"You took that song and you absolutely nailed it," Cowell said of Bowersox's rendition of "Black Velvet," a song he said he's normally "allergic" to because it gets murdered.

The assessments of DeWyze were respectful but more measured — with Ellen DeGeneres the exception.

"Lee, I couldn't be prouder if I birthed you myself," she told him after he sang Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer."

DioGuardi admired DeWyze as an "emotionally accessible" singer after he performed R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" as his second number, but Cowell urged him to try harder.

"When you come out for your last performance, I want a 10 out of 10, because you're capable of that," Cowell told him.

With U2's "Beautiful Day," Jackson welcomed hearing "the guy with the strong big rock voice" and DioGuardi said he had "one of the most commercial voices of the season" and deserved to be in the finale.

Cowell, who had pointed to DeWyze as the frontrunner before the finale performances, said that "American Idol" was designed for someone like DeWyze, who worked in a paint shop when he tried out for the show and needed a break.

DeWyze's first single will be "Beautiful Day," which he performed Tuesday.

Seacrest, who appeared to have an on-air testy relationship with Cowell this season, had only warm words for him Tuesday and Wednesday.

"We really are going to miss you. You are a dear friend and we wouldn't be here without you," Seacrest said.

Cowell isn't going far: He's going to produce and judge "The X Factor," a Fox version of his popular British talent contest.

- AP  

Going to a concert by your favorite band should be a great experience. An awesome one, even. But as always, it that crowd there are party poopers out to make the show a crap-fest for everyone out there. We're ticking off the 5 worst examples of douchebaggery at a show!

1. Inappropriate dressing

We're not talking Paris Hilton inappropriate, and that carries an entirely different risk, as a certain segment of the male concert-going populace would definitely be more than pleased at that inappropriate, but we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves. 

Example: Dude in leather jacket at Metallica show

Wow. Well, now that your urges towards cheap theatricality have been satisfied, what are you left with? More than likely, you're sweating your arse off while the 10000 other concert goers are jumping around you, creating a suffocating atmosphere that your jacket does not help at all. When heading for a concert or gig, especially if you know it's going to be packed, dress to see, not to be seen.

2. Dude holding his girlfriend in the middle of the mosh pit

Uh dude? Middle of a crowd of sweating, slam-dancing/2-stepping/generally going crazy crowd isn't your girl's idea of a romantic date, especially if she's hiding in your arms. And quit cock-staring everyone in a 2 foot radius of you and your precious cargo, cause the truth is these kids have just as much right to enjoy the show in their own way as you do. Deal with it. Get to the back of the arena where no one's moshing. Or get there earlier and be right in front. Better yet, go get a room.

3. Inappropriate moshing

Example: Circle pit at a Stereophonics show

Something just doesn't seem right, does it? Yet it still does happen, frightening the timid crowd that would typify the Stereophonics fan, who quite usually would not be used to rowdy scene types crashing the show with flailing limbs. Moshing can be awesome, but for some shows, it's not quite right.

4. Horny Dude trying take advantage of the situation

Uh-huh. Yeah, this one thing that's totally not cool at all that happens at concerts. Seriously, if this girl paid to see this concert, she deserves to watch it unmolested, something that doesn't get into the heads of these Cro-Magnons. Just because you can doesn't mean you should, and if it helps you keep your itchy fingers to yourself, imagine this girl has a 6-foot bruiser of a boyfriend whom your eyes are not registering at the moment.

5. Smokers in crowded venues

Come on. People are miserable enough as it is in the dingy, sweaty venue, and you really just have to light up? Thanks douche, you just made everyone within breathing radius of yourself's day much, much worse.

- JUNK 

 

He could be green, he could be blue, he could be violet too, but he doesn’t mind saying what’s on his mind. Here’s the totally *unexpurgated interview with Mika, the guy who gave us songs like Grace Kelly, Lollipop and We Are Golden.

(*OK, not really unexpurgated: All swear words have been replaced by the word “bunny”, otherwise sure kenah scolded!)

Hi Mika! Nice of you to take time out to talk to us! Hello! What time is it over there?

It’s about 7pm. What time is it where you are? It’s noon. So you’re almost done and I’ve got another seven hours to go. Who’ll be the shrink today, me or you?

You, if you want. I just want to know your thoughts about performing in Singapore for the first time. I’m happy to do it. I’ve never been as a tourist and I’ve never been there to perform. It’s been a long time that I’ve been asked to go, but this is the first time that we’ve been able to coincide our schedule in every way, so we’re really going for it. I’ve done Hong Kong a few times and I’ve done Japan – now we’re going on a tour of Japan – so it’s really good to finally get to Singapore.

What do you know about Singapore? Four friends! No, I actually studied the politics of Singapore for my A Levels. And it was actually in my exam paper. I had to talk about the housing development, school system, and the defining systems for town planning. It was really boring to talk about that aspect of Singapore. The development authority and their relations to the government and all that stuff.

Well, what can we expect from your show? Have you seen the show?

I’ve seen some of your clips online, but that’s about it. I’ve created a show that’s a kind of collective chaos. It’s different from what most artistes do, I think. I just did a tour where the setup was based on the Mexican Day Of The Dead festival. So it’s like a huge funeral, with the puppets and masks and a big killing scene. It’s kind of gory, but a comic-book gory.  There’s the contrast between sadness and joy but in the same way like a circus would. It’s a carnival for two hours and we curate this carnival and we get people to join us. Easily, 50 per cent of the energy comes from the audience. I don’t want to just sit at the piano and sing – I did that on my acoustic tour last year in opera houses and concert halls. This one is really my party and it’s more of a “how far can we go?” I think my fans – even if they’ve not been to my concerts – will expect that.

But don’t you think people will think it’s a little OTT? It’s never Las Vegas though. Its roots are in a very poor theatre, in terms of style not quality. I mean like an old fashioned circus. The participation of the audience is huge.

Is it difficult translating songs from The Boy Who Knew Too Much to that sort of stage setting? They sound better! No, really! My second record is very much darker and consequently less commercial than my first, like an antidote to the first. But although it’s not as sellable, but my live shows increase in size, double of that on my first album. 

That’s because I’ve created the cult of the show, I think. I’ve been doing this for five or six years, from the time I was performing to 10 people in a pub. My songs start at the piano, handmade little things in the living room, but they can adapt well to the stage. What gets bad is when a song is completely programmed – it either comes out sounding a like computer or it sounds unlike the record because of the computer.

I heard you make your own sets too? Every piece of set we make ourselves. I have a collective here in London, and like the last show we handcrafted a bunch of planets, about eight feet wide, and a bunch of students and my sisters painted everything in my living room. Everything is kind of tactile. But we actually reference Spinal Tap towards the end of the show. I don’t want to give away what it is, but it’s actually more for the critics of the show rather than the fans, it’s like a big middle finger up to them.

So why did you make your second album so far removed from Life In Cartoon Motion? To balance things, I think. To take myself further so that over the next two albums I can do whatever I want. If I made another Lollipop, then I’d be verging into children’s entertainment almost. But things go in cycles… the most important thing is that creatively, you move forward. You have to remember that I made The Boy Who Knew Too Much in my living room as an anti-pop record. It may sound pop now, but when I was sending it around in the beginning, believe me, no one thought it was pop music. They thought it was cabaret. But you have to be brave as an artiste, so that in 20 years’ time, we can have this conversation, instead of having it just the once.

Grace Kelly was such a big hit here. Are you concerned that it overshadows anything you’ve done since? I would if that was it. You may consider that it. In the UK, I’ve had six or seven hits, but that’s what happens when you have a career in different parts of the world, which is why you have to tour, to explain to people why you’re doing the things you do, you have to do interviews because you don’t you’re just thing that pops up once in a while, and people don’t understand because you’re too busy dealing with live shows. There are a lot of British artistes who tour the UK and then go in to make their next record after a few months. I don’t. I tour outside the UK more than in the UK itself. My tickets are bigger in America than in the UK. It’s a weird thing. But that’s why we go on the road and kill ourselves for a better part of the year each time.

How do you keep yourself motivated on such a long haul? Won’t you get bored halfway through? We always change the show. We have a very particular working method in that everybody helps out in the show. We don’t just setup our instruments, walk on, take the money and run. We have a different atmosphere, and if anything the energy goes up with each show, because we know we’re getting to a show that we’ll be happier with. The more we evolve it, the happier we are. It’s never the same show each night. I think that’s important. To keep it alive so that you stay positive with it. That’s the key, I think.

What’s the best and worst thing about being you? The best thing is freedom as an artist. Completely free. The worst thing is… um…

Talking to journalists? No, it’s not talking to journalists. You have to have a thick skin in order to keep opinions away from yourself. It’s very hard. On one hand you have to take opinions that mean something and can help you, that’s not just good stuff, but the bad too. But on the other hand, there are lots of opinions that are purely destructive, with no relevance to what you do. Like the idea that you can wear certain types of clothes and get ridiculed for it. That kind of gets to me. The stupid stuff. So you have to be really strong – if you want to keep doing music for the reasons you started off in the first place. That’s why you have to bubble yourself a bit.

So you don’t read your own reviews? I read reviews from time to time. But I’ve become quite good at knowing when a reviewer actually likes what I do and writes about it saying why he or she likes it and saying what can be better. As opposed to a reviewer who doesn’t like you and writes about you and not your show. You have to be savvy in judging what you’re reading. That protects you much more. Then if you do read something and they really like you but they want you to make it better, then you bunny off and make it better. That applies to loads of stuff.

How? Look, I made a consciously darker record. People now want me to make a more commercial album; they want me to make something that explodes a little bit more. Will I do that? Of course, I bunnying will. I’ll go away for two years and create something that is storming shove it out there. Because that’s what I’m like, but I think it’s important to steer yourself in a strong, confident way and be open about manipulating your own situation. You have to say, I’m not afraid to tell people I know where I am going.

You been at this for some time now… Not really, it’s only been four or five years, since the album came out. But in truth, I’ve been doing it since 11. That’s when I was kicked out of school and went and I studied music and then I got jobs. I feel like I’ve been doing it in the public eye for a few years, but in truth I’ve been doing it for much longer… in secret.

Could you see yourself still at it when you’re 64? In a very different version. I could write a song when I’m 60 but it’s not going to be same thing that I’m doing now. I think that I’m giving myself leeway to evolve in as many different ways as possible. People who say they don’t want to do this at 60, I say, why? Not me.

MIKA performs June 14 at the Max Pavilion, Singapore Expo.

- Christopher Toh (Poparazzi) 

 

Attention, toy instrument connoisseurs! Make room in your pretend studio for a new addition: the piano. Yes, Rock Band 3 is bringing the ivories to the video game world.

According to this teaser image from the Rock Band: Green Day demo on Xbox Live, a keyboard is coming to the upcoming game in addition to guitar, drums and three-part vocal harmonies.

It'll be interesting to see how close to a real keyboard the controller they give you is. Will it teach you the basics of playing the piano, sort of like how getting really good on Rock Band drums makes you 40% of a real drummer? Or will it be five colored buttons on a plastic piano? Time will tell! [Kotaku]

Slipknot's Paul Gray has died at the age of 38.

The bassist was found dead in his hotel room in Des Moins, Iowa, earlier today (May 24).

According to TMZ, Police have found no evidence of foul play at the scene, but there will be an investigation into his death.

Gray, who was one of the original members of Slipknot when they formed in 1995, was expecting his first child with his wife Brenna.

An autopsy is reported to be scheduled for tomorrow (May 25).

- NME 

Showy and showstopping. We know this guy ain't called 'Show' for nothing.

Taiwanese artiste extraordinaire Show Luo kick-started his highly-anticipated two-hour long gig in Singapore with a heart thumping dance performance of his title song 'Dance Without Limits' - a remake from his latest album Rashomon, amidst full fanfare of pyrotechnics and a stadium full of eager enraptured fans.

A diversion from the usual concert-going experience, 3D paper glasses - decorated with leopard prints (showy!), no less - were distributed by ushers upon entry, and worn throughout various video segments of the concert as Show presented an a doppelganger illusion of himself in the stadium on a specially made NTD 30 million customized big screen.

15 years in showbiz, two concert world tours, and his third pit stop in Asia, Show lived up to his stage persona of being 'Asia's Dancing King' and threw a sensational showstopping one-night only gig yesterday. Shrill screams and cries of adoration resounded throughout the stadium as the 30-year-old gyrated and impressed audiences with his nifty footwork, dance choreography and agile movements to upbeat tunes such as 'Best of the Bunch', and 'Head Over Heels'. (More photos & video below!)

Success didn't come easy for Show, and his road to stardom was undoubtedly a bumpy one filled with skepticism from both detractors and naysayers. The man himself knows it best and constantly paid tribute to his roots during the concert, filling it with anecdotes of thanks to his parents and legion of ardent fans from all over the world.

Well, for one, we think Show Luo should be having the last laugh now - with a successful showing and a history-making 3D concert in the bag. And of course, this won't be the last of it. How does his idea of a part-two concert in Singapore sound like to you?

Let's get this Show started! 
Catch exciting snippets from Show's concert here!

- XinMSN