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Sarah Brightman Chases Dream of Recording a Song in Space -- INTERVIEW

Shauna Farnell — 2013-04-24T13:45:00 00:00

Shore Fire

Sarah Brightman is about to go where no professional musician has ever gone before. The iconic English soprano has, like so many other artists, been dreaming of blasting off into orgbit for most of her career, and in 2015, she'll take a journey to the International Space Station. And while she's prepping for the trip, which Brightman and private space tourism company Space Adventures officially announced last October, she found time to record her 11th studio record, Dreamchaser, released on April 16.

The eight-day space journey will involve Brightman and two passengers traveling in a Soyuz rocket. It will orbit the earth 16 times per day and if all goes well, Brightman will even attempt to record a song up there.

Tegan and Sara at the Beacon Theatre -- Photos

Shauna Farnell — 2013-02-20T18:20:00 00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News, Exclusive

Shauna Farnell

Last night, Tegan and Sara played the first of two shows at New York City's Beacon Theatre. Mixing classics with songs off their new hit record Heartthrob, the Quins more than made up for their recently postponed shows at the venue. Check out our gallery below for photos and a quick recap of the show.

Foals Explore the Apocalypse on 'Holy Fire' With Flood and Alan Moulder

Shauna Farnell — 2013-01-28T16:00:00 00:00

Filed under: News, New Music, Exclusive

Steve Gullick

Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis spent his youth immersed in the likes of Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails, so when he and his four bandmates had the opportunity to put their third album, Holy Fire, into the capable hands of Flood and Alan Moulder, it was pretty much a no-brainer.

This is coming from a band rather particular about the production of their records. Don't forget how, after Dave Sitek produced Foals' 2007 debut Antidotes, the band decided the sound was so unlike what they were after they ended up mixing it themselves. Moulder played a part in the mixing of 2009's follow-up, Total Life Forever, and Philippakis knew a connection was made.

Ziggy Marley Interview: How Reggae Lost Its Magic and the Miracles of Hemp

Shauna Farnell — 2012-12-18T12:30:00 00:00

Filed under: News, New Music, Exclusive

Douglas Mason, Getty Images

Ziggy Marley believes reggae will never be what it was in his father's day, but he's doing his best to keep the genre's spirit alive. He's also doing cartoon voices for his Marijuanaman comic, has his smiling mug on a line of food products and is releasing a live record from his latest extensive tour. And it's nothing if not wild and free.

"The Wild and Free Tour, where we were at musically at the last shows, I wanted to document it," Marley says of Ziggy Marley in Concert, which was recorded during the nearly year-long world tour for 2011's Wild and Free. "All the time touring we just keep getting better in my opinion. There is still room to get better but the music live, we're emphasizing a spirituality in the music, an improvisation and jamming -- feeling good with the music and that continual process. Musically, it's a good place."

Icona Pop: United by Heartbreak, Swedish Duo Aims to Conquer America

Shauna Farnell — 2012-12-04T14:20:00 00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News, New Music, Exclusive, RPM

Fredrik Etoall

Caroline Hjelt, half of Swedish electropop duo Icona Pop, insists there is something special about Sweden that accounts for the country's long track record of globally adored musicians.

"People always ask us if there is something in the water and the answer is 'yes,'" she says. "The water tastes like a lick from heaven. In Sweden we have this word that doesn't exist anywhere else in the world: Lagom. It means not too much but not too little -- kind of perfect, or, more in the middle. It's not a positive or a negative word. But I guess that Sweden is a very trend-sensitive country when it comes to a lot of art forms and we do a lot of things very lagom."

Tegan and Sara Pay Tribute to 'Tough' New Yorkers at Special Show, Donate to Hurricane Sandy Relief (PHOTOS)

Shauna Farnell — 2012-11-20T13:00:00 00:00

Shauna Farnell for AOL

At New York's Bowery Ballroom on Monday night, Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara reflected on how returning to New York City always reminds her of the band's first trip here and when Spin referred to their early albums as "folk-Wiccan nightmares."

"I don't know what they'd call us now," Tegan chimed in.

"Folk-Wiccan-dance nightmare?" offered Sara.

Ani DiFranco Plays One of Her Last Gigs Before Extended Break -- Live Review

Shauna Farnell — 2012-11-17T15:11:00 00:00

Filed under: News

Shauna Farnell

Covering up the beginning of her pregnant belly with her acoustic guitar, Ani DiFranco paused for a moment to acknowledge the incessant squeals and running commentary shouted from various disembodied voices at the sold out Brooklyn show on Friday night.

"I know. I'm gonna miss you, too," she said. "I'm fixin' to take a little break."

Her second child is due in April and Friday's show at Williamsburg Music Hall was her second to last for quite some time. Tonight's gig at Town Hall is the only one remaining on her pre-maternity leave tour.

Introducing bassist Todd Sickafoose and drummer Terrence Higgins on Friday, DiFranco said, "Let's play my favorite trivia game...which band member is pregnant?"

The Faint Return With Remastered 'Danse Macarbe,' Vinyl-Only EP

Shauna Farnell — 2012-11-09T16:30:00 00:00

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News, New Music, Exclusive

Bill Sitzmann

The Faint have a new 12-inch out but you'll have to catch them on tour to get it. The electro-rock five-piece that helped build Omaha's now-thriving indie scene were back in their hometown putting in eight-hour practice days preparing for their tour supporting the remastered edition of 2001's Danse Macabre, the record that pretty much put them on the map.

"Danse Macabre was kind of the record where most people heard of us first," frontman Todd Fink tells Spinner during a session break. "We've always played a lot of songs from that record live. We're putting in long days. We've been practicing noon to 8. We've had two solid years of not playing any live shows. We just do the same -- we make a record and go play it for a long time. It takes a long time to make the record, then to go around the world a couple times to play it, by the time we're done with the tour, it's time to make new music. It's usually something we're looking forward to. But last time we were like, 'Ah, we need a break.' So we just took time off until we were sitting around thinking, 'We want to do this, don't we?'"

William Fitzsimmons Finds New Angle for Melancholy After Adopting Bundle of Joy

Shauna Farnell — 2012-10-12T17:30:00 00:00

Filed under: News, Exclusive, Spinner Interview

Eric Brown

William Fitzsimmons, recognizable by his long, Father Time-style beard and heart-wrenching folk ballads (you may have caught an earful on "Grey's Anatomy," "Brothers and Sisters," "Army Wives," "Teen Wolf," "Life of Ryan," "One Tree Hill," and "Jersey Shore" to name a few), is in the midst of a new wave of inspired songwriting now that he and his wife are raising an adopted baby girl. But that's not to say his new tunes won't still be thick with melancholy.

"I would say it's absolutely changed me," the 34-year-old Pennsylvania-Illinois transplant says of fatherhood. "But when I look at the songs, I think there are some ghosts. I'd like to think I'm writing about what's going on right now. Some emotions are very broad. To me, it's pretty new. The people being written about before are not around anymore. But ghosts and demons, they stick to you."

Field Report Shake Bon Iver Comparisons as Popularity Rises

Shauna Farnell — 2012-10-11T15:00:00 00:00

Filed under: News, Exclusive, Spinner Interview

Big Hassle

A friendly Midwesterner, Chris Porterfield is a reluctant rock star. Having once been in the band DeYarmond Edison with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver -- Porterfield has his own talent for creating emotionally charged acoustic songs. Although his friend and former bandmate has undergone a fair share of international fame, Porterfield has finally -- after five years -- produced his own record with his new band Field Report and suddenly finds himself sleeping in a bed he doesn't realize he made for himself.

Currently on tour with Aimee Mann and having toured in the last few months with the Counting Crows and Emmylou Harris, Porterfield still feels strange when he returns home to Wisconsin and doesn't have to go to work.

Angel Haze Details Her 'Huge' Future, Debuts 'Werkin' Girls' Video

Shauna Farnell — 2012-10-11T11:15:00 00:00

Filed under: News, Exclusive, Spinner Interview

Adrienne Nicole

Angel Haze, the 21-year-old rapper from Michigan, has scarcely been in New York City for eight months and she's already talking about running the place. She recently inked a record deal with Universal Republic and is collaborating with some big names on her upcoming big label releases.

But it's not as if she just rolled into NYC and decided she wanted to make it as an artist. She began writing lyrics and poetry at 10 years old. Moving to NYC was just a necessary step in making it happen -- both in landing a vessel with which to impart her music and also to simply come out of her shell.

A Place to Bury Strangers Put Amps in Ovens, Take Music to Extremes on 'Worship'

Shauna Farnell — 2012-09-04T16:15:00 00:00

Filed under: News, New Music, Exclusive

Emily Berger

Noise and darkness are not just fun for A Place to Bury Strangers' frontman Oliver Ackermann. They provide him with a sort of therapy.

Ackermann doesn't outright say that songwriting from a sad, angry or lost mindset makes for better music, but he does admit that dark music can actually be cathartic in working through low moments. And in the case of APTBS -- whose sound is reminiscent of old Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine -- a bunch of pummeling noise and layers of distortion don't hurt either.

In creating the band's third full-length album, the June-released Worship, Ackermann's description of how each song was born is what you might call ... unusual. First of all, the man doesn't own any non-electric instruments. He does not quietly strum out the raw outline of his tunes. He likes to keep things edgy and a little dangerous. Just to make things exciting, he puts amplifiers in ovens.

Nick Cave Advocates Drug Legalization, Praises Shia LeBeouf & 'Lawless' Darlings

Shauna Farnell — 2012-08-28T15:45:00 00:00

Filed under: News, New Music, Exclusive, Movies

Kevork Djansezian

It hasn't really occurred to Nick Cave that his work on the upcoming potential blockbuster "Lawless" could have a bigger impact -- at least in America -- than anything else he's done to date. Or, if it has occurred to him, it doesn't matter much.

"I don't really care," says the Australian rocker, who wrote the screenplay for the John Hillcoat film as well as the score and soundtrack, collaborating once again with Bad Seed Warren Ellis. "I say that in the sense that, you do your thing, you do it as well as you possibly can. What happens to that project ... you simply let it go. You are so intensely involved in the work and the project but there is a point where suddenly you cut off. You give it away. It happens very much with records."

Bleached Interview: Punk Sisters Fight Security Guards, Plot Debut LP

Shauna Farnell — 2012-08-14T15:00:00 00:00

Filed under: News, New Music, Exclusive

Bleached

Nothing says sisterly love like your younger sibling attempting to strangle a security guard who assaulted you. Or reading her mind when you know exactly what kind of guitar riff she's after. Such is the relationship between Jennifer, 28 and Jessica Clavin, 26, of Los Angeles band Bleached.

When asked how working with her sister is different than working with other musicians, Jennifer says, "for one thing, with my sister, I know we're forever. If we get in a disagreement, I know it'll be fine. But you know, when you fight with a friend sometimes you're like, 'Is this the end of our friendship?'"