en-us
"Wasn't there a big pop hit by a band called Fine Young Cannibals?" asks bassist Senon Williams. "What keeps us out of the pop charts is that we are playing challenging music, not the name of the band or title of our records. When you're playing psychedelic Cambodian pop mixed with jazz, African music and surf, then you're not exactly going to go Top 40."

This leg of the band's tour is a co-headliner with Syrian artist Omar Souleyman, forming an even more eclectic world music bill. Dengue Fever feel comfortable playing with indie rock, world folk or whatever, because, says Williams, it isn't musical style that matters, it's artistic commitment.

"It's definitely a labor of love what we've done," Williams says. "You've got to stick to what you love. Even pop music that I think is really good is done by someone with passion. Our passion just lies more in the bizarre."

Working out the Kinks

Among Dengue Fever's many fans is Kinks frontman Ray Davies, whom they met when they performed on British TV show "Later... with Jools Holland" a couple of years ago.

"We saw him after the show and chatted a little bit. A few months later he called us up asking us to be his backing band. Unfortunately, we had commitments."

Imagine playing "Waterloo Sunset" with its co-author.

"Oh, I love that song," exclaims Williams. "It was a shame, but he thought of us later and asked us to play at his Meltdown Festival. So it was OK."

Dengue Fever
with Omar Souleyman
June 3
The Paradise
967 Comm. Ave., Boston
$17-$19, 18+, 800-745-3000
www.livenation.com ]]> http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1143305--catch-the-dengue-fever Wed, 16 May 2012 17:27:08 -0400 LINDA LABAN, BOSTON http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1143305--catch-the-dengue-fever E! is reporting that sources close to J.Lo told reporter Mark Malkin that she is planning on leaving the world-famous singing competition because she is "too busy."

Lopez's schedule certainly is a packed one — between filming for "Idol," shooting movies like "What to Expect When You're Expecting," raising twins, going through a divorce with estranged husband Marc Anthony, and dating younger backup dancer Casper Smart, she's one busy lady.

While Fox has yet to confirm the rumor that J.Lo is leaving "Idol," show executives are very aware that she's been wishy washy about continuing.

After she admitted she might not have a third season of "America Idol" in her, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe hoped to win her over.

"I know how much she loves doing the show and how much she cares for the kids," he told TMZ. "We want her back. I want her back."

But if she does decide the leave the show, then we can really only focus on one thing: who will replace her? We've come up with a list of celebrity ladies we think would be suited for the role, given their current professional status and past involvement with these types of singing contests.

Mariah Carey. She's one of pop's biggest names, but her name isn't quite as big as it used to be. She hasn't had a surge of press since her unexpected (but still in tact) marriage to Nick Cannon. We think she's the perfect balance of sass and honesty, plus she's had a couple public meltdowns in the past, so we're betting on a few off-the-cuff remarks from her, especially during auditions. Her kids are old enough for day care now, so it's time for Mimi to get back to work.

Jessica Simpson. She is the perfect example of someone who is still a household name, but hasn't done a whole lot of work recently (much like J.Lo before she took the judge's chair). Now that Simpson has had her baby (finally!), she'll be looking to reclaim the limelight. She's already had experience in television with her show "Fashion Star." Was that just the beginning of Simpson's new career in reality TV? Plus, we picture her as the perfect "I'm too nice to say you suck" replacement of Paula Abdul.

Miley Cyrus. Yes, she is old enough to be a judge, actually. In fact, she came close to the position already on "Idol" rival show "The X-Factor," but Demi Lovato beat her out for the job. We were surprised to hear that Cyrus was even a contender, given her hugely active music career, and no apparent need for extra exposure, but she's proven that she'd consider a shift to television, at least temporarily.

Mandy Moore. While we've seen more of her on the big screen than the concert stage in recent years, let's not forget her fame began with a pop music career. She's another example of a once A-list celebrity who could use a good opportunity to stay relevant and "Idol" might just be it for her. We imagine she'd give off the same genuine vibe of wanting to coach people that former judge Kara DioGuardi seemed to radiate. The only question is whether Moore is just too... neutral.. for "Idol."

Carrie Underwood. She took a year off from music after marrying pro hockey player Mike Fisher, but now she's back on the scene. In recent interviews, though, she's talked about how she enjoys her low-key lifestyle with her husband. "Idol" may not be our idea of low-key, but it's probably a little less demanding than life on tour. She's a huge name in music so this would be a big get for Fox. And who can forget that she's arguably the most successful "Idol" graduate? Who better to judge other contestants than someone who has been through it herself?

]]> http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1143292--who-would-replace-jennifer-lopez-on-american-idol Wed, 16 May 2012 16:40:00 -0400 CASSANDRA GARRISON/METRO, NEW YORK http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1143292--who-would-replace-jennifer-lopez-on-american-idol
"We've never really listened to him," says Sambol. "Maybe it’s a Dylan thing. Both Tom and I trying a Bob job."

Sambol's demeanor in-person is one of quiet confidence and charm, but when it comes to playing live, he and his bandmates, which includes his brother Phil on bass, Greg Enlow on guitar and Mike La Franchi on drums, tear it up.

The latest Strange Boys album is called "Live Music," which is not to say it was recorded in concert, but that it rhymes with "give music," an appropriate code for the band and the exchange they have with their audience.

"If we're playing well and looking like we're having fun people usually loosen up and start to move around," says Sambol.

Crowds move around quite a bit at Strange Boys shows; certainly more than at a typical indie rock show. Sambol says of which cities are the dancingest, "Madrid dances, Paris moves, Fort Wayne Indiana gets way down." ]]> http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1143278--strange-boys-are-afoot-and-they-live-music Wed, 16 May 2012 14:52:51 -0400 PAT HEALY http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1143278--strange-boys-are-afoot-and-they-live-music
Known through the '90s as the singer for Screaming Trees, Lanegan has become one of the most prolific survivors to rise from the ashes of grunge. Besides his seven solo records, he's made cameos with Queens of the Stone Age, co-wrote songs with Greg Dulli and participated in unlikely collaborations with the Soulsavers and Isobel Campbell.

"They were something I really enjoyed,"?he says. "Hope-fully that will continue. It may not be the things I worked on before, but with God willing, something else will pop up."

Releasing "Blues Funeral" last month, Lanegan returns to his solo project. Eight years after the release of his previous album, his bottom-dwelling bellow sounds like he's back from the grave to tell tales of death with the delivery of a gospel song sung by a sinner. More electronic than ever, his ballads seem to turn a darker shade of blue -- bordering on black. But not to Lanegan.

"I don't know, man, I've been singing about the same stuff for 25 years now," he says.

'Funeral' party

While Lanegan's solo records have always been backed by a collection of friends, this one has a skinnier lineup.
   
"I made my previous record with Alain Johannes," he says. "And after that I knew I would make the next one with him also. Honestly, we really didn't need anyone but him and Jack Irons, but I had a few other people stop." Most notably Greg Dulli and Josh Homme. ]]> http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1142682--on-blues-funeral-mark-lanegan-is-as-dark-and-snarling-as-ever Wed, 09 May 2012 18:23:21 -0400 NOLAN GAWRON, BOSTON http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1142682--on-blues-funeral-mark-lanegan-is-as-dark-and-snarling-as-ever
Not only do those videos help her remember how the new songs she is working out in concert go, but they also help her retrieve songs that she forgets how to play.

"In Florida I had to go online and go to YouTube and figure out the chords," she says of a song from her 2009 album, "Far." "I've written so much stuff since then that I've pushed it out of my head."
And as far as the bootlegs of songs in progress go, she says if not for those phone videos, the songs "Patron Saint" and "Open" probably wouldn't have even made it onto her new album, "What We Saw from the Cheap Seats."

"I got lucky that it was up there, actually," she says.

It's hard to believe that the singer would forget the latter song, because its repetition of dramatic inhalation during the chorus seems so instantly memorable. But Spektor does a lot of memorable things to make listeners forget that for most of her album and her live performance it's just her voice and her piano. In the new song, "The Party" she purses her lips together to fake a trumpet part.

"When I wrote it, in my mind it was just a placeholder for a real trumpet," she says. "First of all, it's really fun to do; it's a fun feeling, like even walking around the house being a trumpet. If you bring things from their implied state to a real state, sometimes it becomes better and sometimes, I don't know ... you try to feel what's right for the song."

Spektor says "Cheap Seats" producer Mike Elizondo teased her that when she beat boxes she sounds like a drum machine from the 1980s.

"I do a lot of things, like certain little beats and sounds, because I'm a person with a piano and that's it," she says.

'Cheap Seats' manifesto

Spektor has been touring with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for the past few weeks, playing large venues that give the title of her upcoming album new meaning.

"I love Tom Petty so much that I didn't want to be the person that came and their audience didn't like," she says. "But everyone's been so amazing to me."

As for the "Cheap Seats" title, Spektor says it was in her head before she even knew what the album was going to sound like.

"I've been in all kind of seats," she says, "and everything has its beauty, and that's sort of the whole point of the world -- you always get something and you let go of something and each thing has its pluses and its minuses."
]]> http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1142677--regina-spektor-watches-herself-perform-online Wed, 09 May 2012 18:01:15 -0400 PAT HEALY, BOSTON http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1142677--regina-spektor-watches-herself-perform-online
But seriously, who needs music when you have people talking about music?

Especially when those people include the author John Irving, "This American Life" host Ira Glass, Regina Spektor, M. Ward, Mike Doughty and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

Plus, you'll get to find out once and for all, if Sting does it in the shower! This is a weird follow up to this story, but if you haven't read that yet, we suggest you just kick back and listen to this podcast.

Oh, and yes, we do have some music on the MMMPod this month.  You'll get to hear a song you will dig by Star Slinger and Marc Roberge from the band O.A.R. talking about how influential to his songwriting Jeff Buckley was.

So won't you start listening already? To stream it, just click on Jade from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, seated at the center of that collage there, or download this edition from iTunes by clicking here. ]]> http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1142650--ira-glass-john-irving-regina-spektor-and-more-on-latest-podcast Wed, 09 May 2012 15:51:59 -0400 PAT HEALY http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1142650--ira-glass-john-irving-regina-spektor-and-more-on-latest-podcast
"It was a little more all-togethery," he says. "We all sat around and worked on arrangements together."
Ebert may have just coined the phrase, "all-togethery" on-the-spot, but it's quite an accurate description. A few of the songs on "Here" don't even feature a lead vocal and are more like group sing-alongs.

"As we became a band, over the last three years, doing all these radio sessions, we would sing together in an acoustic environment, really hearing each other," says Ebert.

Like its predecessor, the album is full of fun, funky folk, but with more of a focus.

"I don't tend to put out stuff that has a major thematic through-line," says Ebert. "I tend to do what my detractor's would call unfocused albums."

The theme of "Here" seems to be a sort of reckoning with the evils of the world and finding goodness and spirituality within one's self, independent of any organized religion.

"I would say it's an immense amount of defiance in the face of what would otherwise create a dejected character," says Ebert. "Defiance in the will to perceive things as possible, and hopeful and to be able to dance through the murder and pain."

Detractors have also used terms like "hippies" and "cult" to describe the big band of Zeros. Ebert doesn't mind.

"A cult is a cult until it becomes popular and then it's a religion," he reasons. "We do have an ethos, I would say, so in that sense we share some ideas that we tend to agree on, but I don't think that's necessarily any different than a lot of groups of people."

Far from 'Home'

Because of such a long time touring between albums, Ebert and his crew have come up with so much new material that they have a second new album they hope to re-lease later this year. The style of the as-of-yet untitled album is a departure for the group that became famous for their whistle- along single, "Home."

"It's much more aggressive,"?says Ebert, "not angsty aggressive but sonically aggressive. ... There is some distortion, which we rarely dabble in. If ever there was an album that I was slightly nervous about delivering, I would say it would be this album. It's a little bit outside the realm that we've played in, but that's always fun to do for yourself. ... We feel quite comfortable putting out anything that we love, knowing that we have these people to share it with, and a growing number of people to share it with, too." ]]> http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1142399--edward-sharpe-and-the-magnetic-zeros-get-a-little-more-all-togethery Mon, 07 May 2012 18:20:47 -0400 PAT HEALY, BOSTON http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1142399--edward-sharpe-and-the-magnetic-zeros-get-a-little-more-all-togethery  
Best of the new music industry

 On the digital forefront, execs from online music publication Pitchfork and music video website VEVO weighed in on how their companies established a brand.

"Our goal was to build something to trust — to cut through the noise," said Pitchfork president Chris Kaskie on how the independent startup became a household name.

It was easier for VEVO, an ad-based online music video outlet, as their videos — primarily by artists on major labels — are distributed through hugely popular YouTube.

President of VEVO Rio Caraeff thinks that "video is the new A&R," or the new way of breaking acts — surely, OK Go and Justin Bieber would agree.
 
...Or worst?

 Directly after a panel touting the importance of linking bands and brands (see: Mountain Dew's in-house record label, the Doritos stage at SXSW), David Viecelli of major booking company Billions Corp. warned of the pitfalls of this system.

"Because brands now play a larger role in artist development, it's no longer just a means to an end," explained Viecelli.

Furthermore, successful artists from GZA of Wu Tang Clan to Portugal. the Man have continually relied on seemingly 'antique' promotional tools like street teaming... or simply hanging with fans after shows.

And, after all, no amount of social media marketing can make up for the simple bottom line.

"Making good music is what matters," concluded Kaskie.

 Other highlights:

 The results from Hack Day, a program where hackers had two days to develop an innovative idea that pushed the boundaries of music technology, featured "Kinect Bomba," a way to control electronic music through movements of the body... and "The Byrds and the Bee(Gee)s," a tool which determines which tunes may have been played the night you were conceived.
 
Music videos will be more interactive with fans, according to YouTube exec Elizabeth Moody.

 So long as labels can add value, they'll be around, according to Spotify exec Ken Parks.

But, they might be run by brands like Coca Cola and Converse rather than EMI and Universal, as emphasized in Rethink panels like "Building an Artist Brand."

"For our audience, we celebrate our core audience of creative people. We talk to artists every day," said Converse CMO Jeff Cottrill.
]]> http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1142360--rethink-wrap-up-the-new-music-industry-run-by-converse-and-coke Mon, 07 May 2012 13:33:40 -0400 Chris Leo Palermino http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1142360--rethink-wrap-up-the-new-music-industry-run-by-converse-and-coke
“When I saw other things done on him in the past and read other books, I never felt like I knew him as a person,” says the director. “The aim is to see him as a man, what was he like as a lover, as a friend.”

While he was alive, Bob Marley didn’t do that many on-camera interviews though, so MacDonald had to uncover other sources, which included Marley’s teacher, his half-sister and a childhood friend.
“The main challenge of the film was getting the people to talk,” says MacDonald. “About a third of them have never spoke before.”

MacDonald also provides an honest look at Marley’s family life — he had at least 13 children from eight different women — and daughter Cedella speaks frankly about how the communal living situation at the singer’s house deprived her of important time with her father.

“She felt that sense that he was always surrounded by the brethren,” says MacDonald. “It was a religious order, almost a military setup. He was called ‘Skipper,’ and he ran a very tight ship. He was strict with [his musicians], he made them rehearse a lot. [Many people have an] image of Rastas that they lazed around smoking ganja all day, but in fact he was this driven guy.”

MacDonald says his international experience helped reinforce his notion that it was time somebody re-examined the life of Bob Marley on film.

“When I was making ‘The Last King of Scotland’ — I made that in Uganda and I was amazed by how in the slums of Uganda, you’d come across huge lots of Rastas singing Bob’s music, playing Bob’s music, doing murals of his face, graffiti of his lyrics, I was just realizing how Bob still speaks to people. ... In Tibet, Indonesia, not just an audience which is college stoners or Western people who chill out and love the vibe of it. It’s also music that has a message that continues to appeal to people around the developing world. And that’s the key about understanding Bob; he’s the only Third World superstar. He didn’t come from North America or Europe, he came from abject poverty, he grew up in a shack in the hills of Jamaica sleeping on an earth floor. ... So you go to go to Indonesia, people have never heard of the Rolling Stones, but they’ve all heard of Bob Marley. In Nigeria, they’ve got streets and squares named after him.” ]]> http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1142299--new-bob-marley-documentary-examines-the-reggae-legend Sun, 06 May 2012 20:09:13 -0400 PAT HEALY, BOSTON http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1142299--new-bob-marley-documentary-examines-the-reggae-legend
Jason Pierce isn’t easy to track down, but at the last possible moment, Metro was able to talk to him about the recent release of his seventh album, “Sweet Heart Sweet Light.”

“I f—ing hate making records,” says Pierce, wryly. “I really do. And it just gets harder. Sometimes I think I just make a record to tour because I feel the need to get back on the road. There’s something exciting live when you’re pushing it and you’re within it, but you’re not trying to hold onto it.”
Pierce says when he started making “Sweet Heart,” he wanted it to sound like the Beatles.

“Then halfway through I realized I didn’t really like the Beatles,” he says. “Not that I don’t like the Beatles’ music, but I decided I wouldn’t like to make a record like that.”

He says he was looking to produce sounds that defied genre classification.

“I wanted to make something where you didn’t have to be hip to a certain style or music, you could just sit and listen to it like a collection of songs that really worked,” he says. “When I tried to put that down, it became very hard to make. Anyone trying to make pop music has nowhere to hide. You can’t hide in an abstract idea. It doesn’t really come with a disclaimer.”

Pierce no longer ‘Taking Drugs to Make Music to Take Drugs To’

While his previous record followed his near-death experience with double pneumonia, “Sweet Heart Sweet Light” was written during another health scare, one he doesn’t like to talk about. This record doesn’t dwell on drugs like previous ones do. An EP by his former band, Spacemen 3, is legendarily titled, “Taking Drugs to Make Music to Take Drugs To.” But Pierce’s latest was recorded under the influence of different substances: Ones prescribed by a doctor.

“It got in the way,” says Pierce. “The treatment was worse than the thing I was suffering from. I had to do the treatment, otherwise I was going to get worse. Really it was made under a whole set of conditions and what being on these drugs can do. I can’t really even listen to the record now because it reminds me of that time. And I’ve never really made a record like that before. I usually make records that make sense to me after.” ]]> http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1142268--jason-pierce-has-put-together-an-epic Sun, 06 May 2012 18:06:09 -0400 NOLAN GAWRON, METRO http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/1142268--jason-pierce-has-put-together-an-epic