11.26.04 (RockAndMetal.com) With their debut album "A Drawing Of A Memory Of A Photograph Of You" due in early 2005, Los Angeles-based SPACE MTN are keeping busy. Having spent the Summer playing a series of club dates in California and working on the upcoming album, SPACE MTN are about to take to the screen with director Joaqiun Baca-Asay. Recently awarded the MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography, Baca-Asay shot a video with SPACE MTN in Los Angeles late last month. Using cutting-edge digital technology combined with live sound, Baca-Asay is creating a performance video for the band's first single, 'Hovercraft,' that will be featured on "A Drawing Of A Memory Of A Photograph Of You." Principal songwriter, bassist and vocalist Dina Waxman (The Lemonheads, Three, Yuichi, Emma Peel, Bedroom Walls) has crafted songs that give a voice to those who are struggling to understand how to relate to the world around them. With the help of several Los Angeles Rock contemporaries including drummer Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle, The Vandals), strings players Joe Zimmerman and Josh Segal (Brazzaville) and several others, SPACE MTN has created an album that is incredibly well produced without sounding slick, incredibly smart without being obtuse, and incredibly infectious without sounding too sweet. Waxman's vocals howl and whisper, while Chris Jacks' (Fly) guitar and keyboards weave around her contagious bass lines and burst forth during the band's powerful choruses. SPACE MTN are planning a West Coast tour sometime in December, with dates and venues yet to be decided.
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11.26.04 (RockAndMetal.com) NOCTURNAL RITES and Century Media have announced the celebration of the popular Power Metal band's 10-year existence with an upcoming double CD set entitled "Draw In Time: The Early Years Of Nocturnal Rites," which will contain the first two albums recorded by the band. NOCTURNAL RITES' debut, "In A time Of Blood And Fire," appeared in a limited production in1995 on a megaskirt record, while 2 years later the band's second opus, "Valley Of Mystery And Imagination," first appeared in Japan and was released one year later via Century Media. Both albums have not been available for some time now. NOCTURNAL RITES posted the following update on their website recently regarding the coming release of "Draw In Time: The Early Years Of Nocturnal Rites": "Hi all... Well, I guess we missed updating you on the fact that our two first albums will be out again in February of next year. The album will be really special. It has some old photos, new bonus material, and so on. Also, next year we celebrate our 10th anniversary as recording artists. Isn't that just weird? 10 fucking years... That has to mean we're getting old. Scary. However, we are planning next year right now and we hope to be able to do some really special shows and more. The new album is taking shape. We are still writing and will do so till we feel we have the strongest album in our career written. Lots of ideas are being thrown around and it's all just some heavy, melodic shit! It will be great, I am sure."
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11.24.04 (RockAndMetal.com) Twenty-five years after THE CURE began their global musical invasion with their debut disc, "Three Imaginary Boys," Rhino Records will give the album its first-ever U.S. domestic release on December 7th. A deluxe two-disc edition loaded with previously unreleased tracks, the release of "Three Imaginary Boys" marks the kickoff to Rhino Records' coming revitalization of THE CURE's lengthy catalog of past albums and singles. In the coming months, each title by the band will receive a sonic upgrade and be released as a deluxe double-disc set featuring the original album on one CD and numerous rarities on the other. In addition, each revitalized release by THE CURE will come with a 16-page booklet filled with photos and tour memorabilia from the personal archives of vocalist Robert Smith, as well as a track-by-track commentary and notes by U.K. music scribe Johnny Black. Cure fans have long clamored for "Three Imaginary Boys," an energetic 1979 U.K. debut which features songs incuding '10:15 Saturday Night,' 'Grinding Halt,' 'Fire In Cairo,' and a quirky rendition of Jimi Hendrix's 'Foxy Lady.' The band's debut U.S. album, "Boys Don't Cry," featured many of the songs on "Three Imaginary Boys," along with singles like 'Jumping Someone Else's Train' and 'Boys Don't Cry.' The Rhino reissue offers the original U.K. album with an added previously unreleased instrumental in 'The Weedy Burton,' as well as a 20-track bonus disc which includes the additional tracks from "Boys Don't Cry," previously unreleased studio and home demo versions, live renditions, and other curiosities. In total, the package includes... [full story]
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11.24.04 (RockAndMetal.com) Finnish Melodic Thrash titans CHILDREN OF BODOM will release their long awaited "Trashed, Lost & Strungout" EP on February 22nd via Century Media. The release features two new tracks (the title track and the song 'Knuckleduster'), two covers (Alice Cooper's 'Bed of Nails' and Andrew W.K.'s 'She Is Beautiful'), a video for the title track and a CD-ROM enhanced video of the band that takes the viewer on a tour of CHILDREN OF BODOM's hometown of Helsinki. Recorded once again by Anssi Kippo at Finnvox Studios, "Trashed, Lost & Strungout" is the first official recording to feature new CHILDREN OF BODOM guitarist Rope Latvala (ex-Stone). Two years ago, CHILDREN OF BODOM were merely an underground phenomenon, but with three major U.S. tours now under their belt, the band has become one of the genre's most acclaimed artists. Straight off the heels of their highly successful tour alongside FEAR FACTORY, LAMB OF GOD and THROWDOWN, CHILDREN OF BODOM bassist Henkka T. Blacksmith checked in with the following report; "Unfortunately, our third U.S. tour has just ended. It was a long one, but it was very well worth it. When I first heard the lineup, I was very excited about the package. It sounded so strong with Fear Factory and Lamb of God, and it turned out to be a very successful tour. Not only that was great, but also each band musically was just my taste. I enjoyed Throwdown's hardcore aggression, Fear Factory's very tight playing, and Lamb Of God's great show. I was watching in the crowd almost every night."
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11.23.04 (AP) With the bright lights of lower Manhattan shining on the stage, U2 played a surprise outdoor concert Monday in a waterfront park beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. Although the MTV-organized show hadn't been publicly announced or advertised, thousands lined up at the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park, a riverside park between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and across from the New York skyline. Most people said they heard about the show through word-of-mouth or postings on U2 fan web sites. The concert was for an MTV special called "mtvJAMMED: U2," set to air December 10th. Led by frontman Bono, U2 played songs from their new album, "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb." Although the album wasn't scheduled to be released until today, many fans had already downloaded the songs and sang along with the choruses. Deb Pruitt, 47, left her home in Culpeper, Va., at 4 a.m. to see the concert. She met her daughter, Melissa, who was flown in from Los Angeles after winning a U2 raffle. "It's totally worth it not to sleep at all and drive eight hours to be here," said Pruitt. "We're big fans." Before the concert, U2 spent the day playing on the back of a flatbed truck that wound through city streets as a film crew shot the band for a new video. When the waiting fans in Brooklyn saw the truck crossing the Manhattan Bridge with the band on board, they screamed and waved at the rockers. "It was an incredible show," Zain Deane, 30, said after the band's 45-minute set. "U2's the best. And there's nothing like the skyline at night."
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11.23.04 (RockAndMetal.com) Remaining fairly quiet since their last studio album, 2001's "Toxicity," SYSTEM OF A DOWN have been holed up since July with producer Rick Rubin, pumping out an extraordinary amount of material that has justified the release of a double-disc album early next year, entitled "Hypnotize/Mesmerize." The twist, however, is that each of the two full length discs will be released individually, six months apart, with "Hypnotize" slated for a March/April release and "Mesmerize" set to hit stores around August/September. SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist Daron Malakian says that while they never intended to do a double album, the recording sessions were so prolific, and the quality and cohesion of the tracks so good, that it was impossible to split the set up. "We didn't chase this idea, it chased us," Malakian comments. "When we started recording, we were focused on making every song the best it could be. Doing a two-album set never entered into our thought process. But when we looked at all the songs we had and arbitrarily tried to choose 'the best' 14 for one album, we realized we had two albums' worth of really great songs, and that they all connected with each other." As with past SYSTEM OF A DOWN releases, fans can expect the album to have strong political and social currents running through it. "There has been a great deal of upheaval ... for all of us over the past year or so," says vocalist Serj Tankian, "and that has brought forth a lot of emotional material. There's a good amount of social commentary in the new songs, as well as songs where we deal with love, reminiscing, relationships, politics and funny experiences."
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11.22.04 (AP) TERRY MELCHER, a record producer and songwriter who aided the careers of RY COODER, THE BYRDS and THE BEACH BOYS, has died at the age of 62. Melcher, the son of actress Doris Day, died Friday night at his Beverly Hills home after a long battle with melanoma. Melcher co-wrote the hit song 'Kokomo' for THE BEACH BOYS. The song was used in the movie "Cocktail," and was nominated for a Golden Globe award in 1988 for best original song. He also performed on that band's classic album, "Pet Sounds." In the early 1960s, Melcher began singing as a solo act, and later paired with future Beach Boy Bruce Johnston to form the group BRUCE & TERRY. The pair had several hits, then went on to form THE RIP CHORDS, who recorded the 1964 hit, 'Hey Little Cobra.' In the mid-1960s, Melcher joined Columbia Records as a producer. Working with THE BYRDS, he produced their top-selling version of Bob Dylan's 'Mr. Tambourine Man' and other hits, including 'Turn, Turn, Turn.' Melcher also produced hit songs for PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS and worked with THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS. In 1969, TERRY MELCHER's name became linked with the grisly Charles Manson murders. Melcher once rented the home where actress Sharon Tate and a group of her friends were murdered by Manson followers. Rumors circulated that Melcher, who knew Manson, was the real target because he had turned Manson down for a record contract. Los Angeles police discounted the rumors. Melcher had since moved to Malibu, and police established that Manson knew of his new address.

11.22.04 (RockAndMetal.com) Artemis Records has announced the signing of underground Experimental Metal band DOG FASHION DISCO to an exclusive worldwide contract. A new live album by the group, entitled "The City Is Alive Tonight...Live In Baltimore," is slated for release on January 25th via Artemis. Recorded at Fletcher's in Baltimore, MD on June 14th of this year, "The City Is Alive Tonight...Live In Baltimore" will contain a full-length live audio CD as well as a bonus 75-minute DVD of live concert footage by the band. Hailing from Baltimore, MD, DOG FASHION DISCO have created a buzz as of late, mainly through years of relentless touring with the likes of bands such as LAMB OF GOD, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, LACUNA COIL, SLAYER, P.O.D., and many more. After issuing a self-released album in 1999 entitled "The Embryo's In Bloom," DOG FASHION DISCO made their major label debut to critical acclaim on Spitfire Records with the album "Anarchists Of Good Taste" in 2001, which featured a guest appearance by SYSTEM OF A DOWN vocalist Serj Tankian. In 2003, their subsequent album, "Committed To A Bright Future" was also released via Spitfire. "The City Is Alive Tonight...Live In Baltimore" Track Listing: 1. Worm In A Dog's Heart • 2. Rapist Eyes • 3. Baby Satan • 4. Love Song For A Witch • 5. Vertigo Motel• 6. Toothless Dream • 7. Acid Memoirs • 8. 9 To 5 At The Morgue • 9. Pink Riots • 10. Valley Girl Ventriloquist • 11. G Eye Joe • 12. Leper Friend • 13. A Corpse Is A Corpse • 14. Breed • 15. Rat On A Sinking Ship • 16. Albino Rhino
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[Music News: 11.15.04 - 11.21.04]
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