GHOSTFACE KILLAH CHECKS INTO REHAB ON DEC. 4
Guests include Method Man, Raekwon, U-God and Masta Killa, as well as Beanie Sigel, Styles P and more…
“When you get a new Ghostface Killah album, the only reasonable reaction is to get lost in it,” said the New York Times of Ghost’s last full studio album, ’06’s instant classic Fishscale. And with the December ’06 release of More Fish and Ghost’s near-constant touring in ’07, his legions of fans have been happily lost in “The World According to Pretty Toney”. Now, with a new Def Jam album, The Big Doe Rehab, set for release on Dec. 4, his current tour with Rakim, and a coffee-table book set for release on Jan. 8 through MTV Press, the devoted will be positively delirious.
Fishscale, Tony Stark’s return to vivid street tales and gripping narratives of the drug trade, was greeted with universal acclaim and topped crtitcs’ year-end lists unanimously: Rolling Stone (#5), Blender (#5) and Spin (#4) all anointed the return of the Wu’s greatest banger. The Big Doe Rehab finds Ghost and company still in razor-sharp form, weaving a rich, complex tapestry from tales of drugs, violence, paranoia, love, hate and humor over gritty, soulful beats. The lead single “We Celebrate”, featuring Kid Capri, is a party on wax, with Ghost proclaiming “Tony Starks just won an Oscar, y’all!” and Capri hyping up the crowd over Rare Earth‘s classic “I Just Want To Celebrate”. Elsewhere, Ghost’s partner in crime Raekwon shows up on two of the album’s standouts, “Yolanda’s House” and “Shakey Dog Starring Lolita”, an epilogue to the Shakey Dog story on Fishscale. On “White Linen Affair (Tony Awards)”, Starks and Theodore Unit associate Shawn Wiggs host through a hilarious, star-studded white linen and “Evian water” affair, complete with the requisite A-list—Janet & Jermaine, Kanye & Keyshia, etc. Ghost truly shines on the album’s quieter, darker, more introspective moments, “Walk Around” and “I’ll Die For You”.
Ghostface’s penchant for dropping random pearls of wisdom is notorious. And so MTV Press has collected a volume of “Toneisms” set for a Jan. 8 release. Co-written by MTV’s J. Brightly and inspired by the popular MTV skits of the same name, “The World According to Pretty Toney” is the modern hustler’s guide to life; Pretty Toney offers nuggets of wisdom on the key elements to becoming your own personal success story: Livin’, Hustlin’, Love, Nutrition, and the all-encompassing Toneology. Coupled with vibrant 4-color photos by Dave Hill that illustrate each pearl of wisdom, and a companion audio disc, these are indispensable life lessons that will teach hustler’s everywhere what to do and what not to do.
Ghostface has also taken those lessons on the road. Presented by Flow TV and Dodge, the HIP-HOP LIVE! Tour showcases the hip-hop’s top wordsmiths backed by an incredible 10-piece live band. Celebrating the progression and possibilities embraced by Hip-Hop culture, Ghost is joined by the legendary Rakim and underground sensation Brother Ali, bringing the show to life with new songs and infectious renditions of the classics you know and love—each energized by the amazing Rhythm Roots Allstars.
Remaining tour dates:
11/12 – Chicago @ House of Blues
11/13 – Bloomington, Ind. @ Bluebird Theater
11/15 – New Haven, Conn. @ Toad’s Place
11/16 – New York @ Nokia Theatre
11/17 – Baltimore @ Sonar
11/18 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
11/21 – Philadelphia @ Trocadero
GORILLAZ: D-SIDES U.S. RELEASE NOV. 20
Limited special edition to feature exclusive packaging, art, badges, stickers and patch
D-Sides, an assortment of B-sides from Gorillaz‘ multi-platinum second album Demon Days, early demos and previously unreleased tracks compiled together for the first time, has been confirmed for a Nov. 20 U.S. release on Virgin Records.
D-Sides highlights include “Hong Kong”, the lush and lovely track recorded by Gorillaz for Warchild and the surprise hit of last year’s Demon Days Live show (given an exclusive refit here with added strings), the dubbed-out collaboration with The Bees, “Bill Murray”, and the apocalyptic scum-pop of “We Are Happy Landfill”. “Stop the Dams” is another collaboration, this time with The Sugarcubes‘ Einar Orn, protesting against dam building in Iceland’s wilderness. Demos “People” (which later became Demon Days single “DARE”) and “Don’t Get Lost in Heaven” give a sneak peek into the band’s creative process, while the Mandarin version of “Dirty Harry” provides an insight into how Gorillaz might sound if they’d been born east of the Yangtze instead of deep in the wilds of Essex, and D-Sides‘ bonus CD of remixes includes reworkings by DFA, Junior Sanchez and Hot Chip.
A special edition of D-Sides will be available in a debossed glossy dual box, and will include two exclusive Jamie Hewlett prints, a collection of Gorillaz badges, stickers and a “Choose Pazuzu” patch. The tracklisting will be the same as the standard edition.
D-Sides follows the immensely popular G-Sides, a collection of B-sides and rarities from the band’s debut album, Gorillaz.
In addition to the the album release, other news from the Gorillaz camp includes Murdoc’s new foray into Facebook, on which fans can view photo albums of the virtual star, including childhood Murdoc pictures. Fans are encouraged to add the star as a friend here.
GUITAR CENTER TO CROWN DRUM-OFF GRAND CHAMPION ON JANUARY 5, 2008
Event to take place at the Music Box @ Fonda in Hollywood, featuring ?uestlove, Angels & Airwaves, more
Guitar Center is excited to announce the Drum-Off Grand Finals will take place on January 5, 2008 at the Music Box @ Fonda in Hollywood, Calif. Now in its 19th year, Drum-Off continues to bring together thousands of the nation’s top undiscovered drummers for the chance to compete for incredible prizes, national recognition and the bragging rights of being crowned Drum-Off Champion.
This incredible night, hosted by Stephen Perkins of Jane’s Addiction, will feature performances by the four Drum-Off finalists as well as Angels & Airwaves, “Go Get A Late Pass!!!” featuring ?uestlove of The Roots, Street Drum Corps with special guests Adrian Young of No Doubt, Brooks Wackerman of Bad Religion, Shannon Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars, John Sawicki of Stomp and Byron McMackin of Pennywise.
Drummers across the country began competing over three months ago at Guitar Center stores across the country. Beginning with preliminaries in over 213 Guitar Center stores, drummers then advanced on from store preliminaries to store finals. Winners of store finals then went on to compete at district finals at 24 Guitar Center stores nationwide for the chance to advance on to one of the four regional competitions held at Guitar Centers in New York City, Hollywood, Chicago, and Houston, with the winner of each of these regions advancing on to compete to be crowned the Drum-Off 2007 Champion.
This year’s winner will receive a prize package valued at more than $45,000 including a Toyota FJ Cruiser, $10,000 cash, a feature in a Guitar Center ad campaign, a $2,500 Levi’s shopping spree, a custom designed drum kit from DW, Pearl, Tama or Gretsch, a Roland TD20 electronic drum-set, a set of cymbals custom printed with the winner’s signature, a one year drum, cymbal, stick and head endorsement deal, and a write up in Modern Drummer magazine. Additionally, store, district and regional winners will have walked away with thousands of dollars in prizes from Drum-Off partners.
“Guitar Center could not be more excited by the artists who are coming out to support the competitors as they come one step closer to being crowned Drum-Off champion,” said Dustin Hinz, Manager, Event Marketing and Promotions for Guitar Center. “Drum-Off has become a staple in the drum community and in addition to providing emerging artists the support, encouragement and opportunity they need to succeed, Guitar Center’s mission is to promote the development of community amongst drummers, encourage musicianship and further their passion for music.”
Previous Drum-Off winners have gone on to enjoy successful music careers, record albums and tour the world with noteworthy artists. 2002 Drum-Off Champion, Cora Coleman, is currently performing with legendary recording artist Prince, playing on his most recent album 3121 and at Super Bowl XLI. Eric Moore II, Drum-Off 2003 Champion, has also achieved notoriety by performing with psychedelic funk band Sly and the Family Stone as well as singer Bobby Brown.
Prior to this year’s show Guitar Center is thrilled to have the opportunity to present the “Drum Legends Award” to two of music’s greatest drummers, Steve Smith and David Garibaldi. Named one of the top 25 drummers of all time by Modern Drummer in 2001, Smith occupied the drum chair for the rock band Journey from 1978-1985. He returned to the band in 1995 for their 1996 comeback album, Trial By Fire. An innovator in funk drumming, David Garibaldi is best known as the drummer for Oakland-based funk/soul band Tower of Power. He has also worked with many amazing artists including Natalie Cole, Jermaine Jackson and Patti Austin.
This year, Guitar Center will also be giving one lucky person the chance to win a VIP trip for two to the Drum-Off Grand Finals. Starting on Nov. 1, consumers enter to win online at GuitarCenter.com. In addition to the trip, the winner will receive a meet and greet with Angels and Airwaves, ?uestlove and Street Drum Corps, $500 spending cash, a Drum-Off Grand Finals poster signed by artist Shepard Fairey and more.
Tickets to the event are available here.
STEVE AOKI JOINS FORCES WITH THRIVE RECORDS, RELEASES DEBUT MIX ALBUM
Aoki and friends collaborate and contribute exclusive mix album, Pillowface & His Airplane Chronicles
Fanatic or foe, you cannot deny how instrumental Steve Aoki has been in helping define the emerging music and nightlife culture in the U.S. today. By blurring the lines that once separated hoards of scenesters from the urban or electro fans, and divided the V.I.P.s from the not-so V.I.P.s, what this man has created under the guise of a DJ/party enthusiast is a lifestyle and media empire for youth today.
Dim Mak, his L.A.-based record label has signed and released EPs and LPs for a fine feast of bands including Bloc Party, The Mystery Jets, The Klaxons, The Rakes, Scanners, The Deadly Syndrome, Icarus Lines, Oh No! Oh My!, The Kills, Sean Na Na, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Whitey, Pony Up and Foreign Born to name but a few, helping acts to develop a strong and steady fan base with the MySpace-hopping generation in America.
Weird Science is the name both Aoki and production partner Blake Miller from Moving Units work under; remixing tracks and reshaping them for the dance floor. Mixes you’ve likely heard would be those of the Teddybears, Peaches, The Rakes, Bloc Party, Young Love, Under the Influence of Giants and The Charlatans (UK). Some of the above you will hear on this compilation.
Dim Mak clothing is booming, with a merchandise line already making waves at key boutique stores and its ubiquitous Dino-print hoodie adorning fans and celebrities around the world… It’s clear that Steve is on to something big here in the industry. Most importantly, he “gets it”, hence why so many are eager to work and collaborate on his many projects.
A cornerstone to Aoki’s success has been the ability to bridge the A-list young celebrity world with the indie (don’t shoot, SMS!) hipster scene with effortless ease. For instance, his now legendary Tuesday night at Cinespace in Hollywood are covered religiously by partner in crime The Cobrasnake and have hosted debut performances from Bloc Party, Lady Sovereign, She Wants Revenge, Wolfmother, Kaiser Chiefs, Editors, Spank Rock, The Bravery, Uffie and more.
Punks, freaks, indie snobs, fashionistas and black Amex-carrying NY/Hollywood “royalty” have all found homes at Aoki’s events and major publications such as GQ, Vanity Fair, People, Complex, The LA Times, LA Weekly, BPM, Paper and Flaunt have already favorably reported on the scene and alcohol-fueled debauchery that often goes hand-in-hand when the above are involved.
And what of the music? In a nutshell, Pillowface & His Airplane Chronicles (available Jan. 22) is a mix album that captures the current wave of electro and Nu Rave sounds that in spirit and attitude have bridged the gap between punk and electro. It’s interesting to note that this emerging sound has not drawn its biggest fanfare from the traditional dance club audience; rather it’s a new wave of young, fashionable, indie-leaning music fans that are eating up these tunes. And if you’ve been to a night like Aoki’s Cinespace Tuesdays as of late, you know how energetic, exciting and debaucherous this scene is getting. The lack of punk attitude that has plagued electronic music over the last 15 years has now finally been injected, and it’s DJs like Steve Aoki who are leading the way.
Big players in this budding movement are represented on Pillowface…, from the heavily distorted disco of France’s recent heroes Justice, to the raved up Soulwax remix of The Klaxons, to the first-ever U.S. appearance of Does It Offend You, Yeah?‘s UK phenom (and appropriately titled), “We Are Rockstars”. Aoki contributes with the Weird Science remixes of Peaches and Bloc Party, and hidden gems from Goose and Yelle also make the cut. And just when you thought this was going to be just another mix CD, the vocals kick in. With help from his expensive Rolodex of creative types whom he counts as amigos, Aoki was able to assemble an impressive list of guest vocals which are layered expertly over the mix. Todd Fink from The Faint, Steve Bays from Hot Hot Heat, Mickey Avalon, Kid Sister and a host of other uber-hip mic fiends all lend a hand to Pillowface…, making this album a true family affair. Just who says what, over what tracks and when? You’ll have to hear it to be privy to this unique collaboration, folks.
Tracklisting:
01 – The Refused – “New Noise”
02 – Justice – “Waters of Nazareth” [Erol Alkan’s Durr Durrrrrr Re-Edit w/Pase Rock’s Guest Drop]
03 – Does It Offend You, Yeah? – “We Are Rockstars” [w/Spank Rock & Amanda Blank’s Guest Drop]
04 – Services – “Element of Danger” (MSTRKRFT Rmx w/Har Mar Superstar’s Guest Drop]
05 – Goose – “Bring It On” [w/Todd Fink’s Guest Drop]
06 – Larry Tee & Princess Superstar – “Licky” (Work It Out) [Herve Goes Low Rmx w/Santogold Guest Drop]
07 – Green Velvet – “Shake and Pop” [w/Kid Sister’s Guest Drop]
08 – The Klaxons – “Gravity’s Rainbow” [Soulwax Rmx]
09 – The Mystery Jets – “The Boy Who Ran Away” [Riton Re-Dub]
10 – Peaches – “Boys Wanna Be Her” [Weird Science Rmx]
11 – Datarock – “Fa-Fa-Fa” [w/Steve Bays’ Guest Drop]
12 – Yelle – “Je Veux Te Voir”
13 – Franz Ferdinand – “Do You Want To” [Erol Alkan’s Glam Racket Rmx]
14 – KIM – “Wet ‘N Wild” [w/Mickey Avalon’s Guest Drop]
15 – Justice – “D.A.N.C.E.” [MSTRKRFT Remix]
16 – Scanners – “Low Life” [L.A. Riots Rmx w/Uffie’s Guest Drop]
