Collective Soul's New Album "Afterwords"
Collective Soul is still alive and kicking. One of the most popular rock bands of the 90s, they scored big hits with "Shine", "Heavy", "Run", "The World I Know", "Precious Declaration", and "December". They have recently released their new single, "Hollywood", which is now available for download on Itunes. They also revamped their website at www.collectivesoul.com where you can listen to the new single for free. The website is looking a lot more professional then their previous one and it is a lot easier to navigate.
They are currently on tour with Live and Counting Crows promoting their new single as well as their new album, "Afterwords", to be released this month on the 28th. At their shows they are giving out music download cards to the first 300 attendees for the opportunity to download "Hollywood" for free. I had a chance to hear Collective Soul in concert with Live this summer and they were outstanding. They played some of their new album and it sounded pretty good. I am a pretty big fan of "Hollywood" and hopefully it will get some play time on the radio this fall. As soon as more information on the rest of the album becomes available I will be sure to let you know.
Jimmy Eat World's New Album: Chase This Light
One of my favorite bands and a highly underrated one at that, Jimmy Eat World has set a release date for their new album. Chase This Light is set to hit stores October 16th 2007. The band finished up recording back in May and are currently out touring in Europe. For this tour they have said they are playing some of their more mellower songs. Getting a chance to hear "Polaris" or "23" live would be incredible. They are also playing some of their new songs too so this tour is really not something you want to miss out on.
I am really excited about this album, and so is the band. They have said that they are hoping that from now on their won't be so much time between released. If this new album is anything like their first three, it surely won't disappoint. The new album was produced by Butch Vig, famous for producing albums for Nirvana and the newly revived Smashing Pumpkins. I will have more updates on this album and the singles to be released in the near future. This fall should be a good one for new albums and I am really looking forward to it.
For more information on Jimmy Eat World be sure to visit their website and their myspace page.
Matchbox Twenty Is Back!
And after about a three month hiatus, I am back as well. I was watching some Music Choice today, much like any other day and I came across Matchbox Twenty's new single, "How Far We've Come". I had to look twice to realize that it was in fact Matchbox Twenty and that the release date was indeed 2007. This is great news for any alternative music fan that was not all together thrilled with Rob Thomas' solo career. Although it was fairly successful for Rob, it didn't carry the same flavor that the group as a whole brings.
Hopefully when they release their new album, Exile on Mainstream on October 2nd, they will revive some of that lost 90s music magic. I am really looking forward to it as well as the tour that will most likely follow the release. The new single isn't anything that blew me away but nonetheless a solid single and a break from some of the less than stellar songs out right now. There website, www.matchboxtwenty.com, has been updated to promote the new album but there is not much there besides a chance to listen to the new single as well as a countdown to the new album's release, which is currently at 57 days.
Well, that's going to my update for now. Thanks for listening.
SNL In The 90s: A Look At The Music
A great recap to a great decade. Saturday Night Live is a show that I really have enjoyed over the last decade or so. From Chris Farley to Chris Rock, this show was stacked with comedic geniuses. This television special had plenty of commentary from almost all the great cast members of the 1990s but it was lacking a little in the video clips. With such a long span to cover, it was hard to fit everything into a two hour special but I think that they did a good job. You really can't go wrong with Chris Farrley's Matt Foley skit or Will Farrell's Cowbell performance.
It was really fun to see all the old cast members come back to talk about the golden age of SNL that was the early 90s. The cool thing about it was that there were only a few missing from the commentary. The only one that I noticed that was missing was Adam Sandler. I, being such a avid 90s music fan, loved that fact that they included a bunch of past performances from so many good bands. The musical acts have always been an intricate part of Saturday Night Live, and it was nice to see them be included in the special.
I had to compile this list by memory because I didn't get a chance to tape it but I am pretty sure this is fairly accurate and almost complete. If you see any mistakes or additions that should be made, please feel free to leave a comment.
Musical Performances Featured on "SNL In The 90s":
Barenaked Ladies - "It's All Been Done"
Gin Blossoms - "Follow You Down"
Christina Aguliera - "What a Girl Wants"
Blues Traveler - "Hook"
Green Day - "When I Come Around"
R.E.M. - "Shiny Happy People"
Pearl Jam - "Not For You"
Dave Matthews Band - "So Much To Say"
Foo Fighters - "Learn to Fly"
Beck - "Sexx Laws"
Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Sheryl Crow - "If It Makes You Happy"
Garbage - "When I Grow Up"
Oasis - "Don't Go Away"
I was really happy to see the lesser known bands like Blues Traveler get some air time as well as the more popular acts like DMB, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., and Nirvana. My favorite part of the whole show was the decision to have Oasis' "Don't Go Away" be the last act shown. This is one of my favorite songs from Oasis and from the 90s in general. A fitting end to a great decade of music and comedy. Thanks for listening and hope you check out some of these classic songs.
Featured Song: Paint the Silence by South
This is the first of many featured song articles. I though I would start it off with one of my recent favorites. This song was brought to my attention by a friend of mine and it is so good that I can't stop listening to it. South is a British rock band that formed in 1998. They are not very popular in the US yet but they have been compared to bands like Oasis and The Verve. They got some press when this song was featured on the popular television show, The OC.
I haven't had a chance to listen to a lot of their music but this song is very good. "Paint the Silence" is a song that doesn't come around too often and leaves you wanting more. The lyrics speak of frustration and a longing for something better. You can hear a live version of the song along with a video here. If you prefer to just hear the studio version of the song, check it on imeem here. Feel free to let me know what you think of the song and if you want, make some recommendations for the next featured song article. Thanks for listening and enjoy!
New Switchfoot Single: Awakening
The summer is finally here. This time I would just like to bring to your attention Switchfoot's new single, Awakening. As you can see by reading my review of their album here, that I correctly predicted that this would be the next single and it is a good one at that. The new music video, which I will post at the end of this article, was released about a month ago but I have yet to hear it on the radio or see it on MTV. Hopefully it will get some airplay this summer. This video is great, one of my favorites from Switchfoot. As a avid guitar hero fan, I found this video to accurately portray the average Guitar Hero addict. The music video is hilarious and the song is great, not much more to say. Check it out.
Best Slow Songs Of The 90s - Top 10 Songs You Should Know Playlist
Another Monday and this time I thought I would once again go a little off topic from rock music and bring to you a great set of ten slow songs. I am pretty sure that all of these songs were released in the 90s and for me, they are all classic high school dance songs. My favorite from this list has to be Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby"; such a classic. It is almost spring time so I though this playlist would be appropriate for the upcoming season. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for listening.
Top 10 Songs You Should Know - Week 17 - March 19-25 2007
1. Mariah Carey - Always Be My Baby
2. Savage Garden - Truly Madly Deeply
3. Céline Dion - My Heart Will Go On
4. K-Ci & JoJo - All My Life
5. Westlife - Swear It Again
6. S Club 7 - Never Had A Dream Come True
7. Richard Marx - Right Here Waiting
8. INOJ - Time After Time
9. All-4-One - I Swear
10. Vanessa Williams - Save The Best For Last
Here's the link for the whole playlist: Best Slow Songs of the 90s
Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.
Music News: Third Eye Blind Announces Tenth Anniversary Show and New Tour Dates!
One of my favorite bands, Third Eye Blind, announced today that they will be playing their tenth anniversary show at the Filmore in San Francisco March 13 & 14. There will be a pre-sale for these tickets starting today, February 6th at 5pm pacific time. Please visit 3eb.com for more details. They also put up some other venues that they will be playing in April.
Here's the list:
Tuesday, April 17th, 2007 in Easton, Pennslyvania at Lafayette College in the Kirby Field House
Thursday, April 19th, 2007 in Providence, Rhode Island at Lupo's Heatbreak Hotel
Friday, April 20th, 2007 in Schenectady, New York at Union College in Memorial Fieldhouse
Saturday, April 21st, 2007 in Babson Park, Massachusetts at Babson College in PepsiCo Pavillion
Sunday, April 22nd, 2007 in Johnson City, New York at Magic City Hall
Tuesday, April 24th, 2007 in New York City, New York at Nokia Theatre
Wednesday, April 25th, 2007 in Poughkeepsie, New York at The Chance
Friday, April 27th, 2007 in Sayreville, New Jersey at Starland Ballroom
Sunday, April 29th, 2007 in Baltimore, Maryland at Rams Head Live!
All dates and locations are subject to change as with all concerts but check often at ticketmaster.com for more information.
Hopefully they are coming to a city near you soon. Can't wait!