CMU
Daily - on the inside Wednesday
2nd February
In
today's CMU Daily:
- Jacko update
- Manics Mark Richey disappearance anniversary
- Grand Central celebrate a decade
- ATP update
- Baaba Maal talk
- Green Day add extra UK date
- Live Review: Maximo Park At London Metro Club
- DJ Mag pilot download platform
- Doherty does his bit for tsunami aid
- Razorlight postpone UK gigs
- Slow market may delay Warner flotation
- Universal go ahead with video charge plans
- Woolies takeover likely
- Marley celebrations begin in Ethiopia
- Marley exhibition at North London gallery
- Album Review: Various - Northern Jazz Southern Soul
- Usher and Ciara dominate Soul Train nominations
- NME Award nomination update
- C-Murder latest rapper to release album from jail
- Apple step up efforts in South Korea
- New Kelly Osbourne
- New Jamiroquai
- Robbie no longer scared by cartoons
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JACKO
UPDATE
Now that I come to think about it, I'm really disappointed with
the Americans. Here was a great TV opportunity - Jury Idol -
the show where a panel of legal experts and music pundits shortlist
a jury to judge on the Michael Jackson trial, with the final
vote thrown out to the public. Who is ever elected foreman gets
to record a Jacko cover for Simon Cowell. It would have been
TV gold.
Anyway,
in the parallel world where Jury Idol exists, we're on a commercial
break. The Jacko trial has now been adjourned until next Monday
after officials whittled down the 750 potential jurors they
interviewed to just 250. The 12 finalists and eight runners
up - I mean the 12 jurors and eight reserves - will be selected
next week.
Remains
to be seen if the hundreds of fans and thousand odd journalists
who arrived in the Californian town of Santa Maria on Monday
to monitor the trial stick around until the next installment
even though very little is expected to happen in the meantime.
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MANICS MARK RICHEY DISAPPEARANCE ANNIVERSARY
It's ten years since the disappearance of Manic Street Preacher
Richey Edwards, and the band have been marking the occasion
privately with their former bandmate's family. The band's Nicky
Wire told NME: "We'll talk to each other and remember something
funny or sad. It's a personal thing between us and his mum,
dad and sister".
Edwards,
of course, disappeared back in 1995 aged 27, his car was discovered
near the River Severn. Given that he was prone to depression,
most think he probably committed suicide, although his family
still refuse to have him declared dead and the band still pay
his share of their royalties into a special bank account.
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GRAND
CENTRAL CELEBRATE A DECADE
On a happier note, it is also ten years since Mr Mark Rae established
his record label, Grand Central, initially funded by flogging
records out the back of a car. 36 albums later, with 17 artists
currently on their roster, and still proudly Manchester based,
Grand Central will celebrate their tenth birthday with two parties
next month - one up North, one down South.
The
London party takes place at Cargo on 19 Mar. Mark Rae himself
will, be delivering a three hour set with support from QNC,
DJ Boca 45, and Veba. Runs from 8pm to 3am, tickets are £10
(£6 b4 9pm).
The
Manchester party will be even bigger, taking place at The Ritz
on 20 Mar. Marc Rae will once again be on the decks with Veba
and Pete Simpson plus live sets from QNC, Jon Kennedy Band,
Riton, Fingathing and extra DJ sets from Boca 45 and The Nudge.
Should be stormin.
Press
info on both from Aowyn at Grand Central - aowyn@grandcentralrecords.com
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ATP UPDATE
The festival season kicks off even earlier than normal this
year because the first edition of All Tomorrow's Parties takes
place from 25 - 27 Feb. This is the one curated by Slint, who
will also reform for the event. Line up as it currently stands
includes: The Melvins, Deerhoof, Bad Wizard, White Magic, Mogwai,
Matmos, Love As Laughter, Need New Body, Miighty Flashlight,
Faun Fables, Spoon, Mum, Brightblack, Born Heller, Mark Kozelek
(Red House Painters), Neil Hamburger, King Kong, The Naysayer,
Endless, Boogie, Pearls and Brass, Rednails, Sean Garrison and
Earlyman. As always it takes place at the Camber Sands holiday
park and the £120 weekend pass includes a chalet and access
to all of the park's facilities.
The
second outing of ATP UK this year will take place from 22 -
24 Apr, and actor, musician, filmmaker and artist Vincent Gallo
has been confirmed as curator. On his choice of curator ATP
man Barry Hogan told CMU: ìVincent's musical taste is
evident in places on 'When', which to me is a very underrated
album. I knew Gallo would be able to deliver a line up that
would reflect his record collection and take ATP to new directions
that will keep the festival as fresh as ever." Already
on the bill for that ATP are Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Olivia
Tremor Control, James Chance and The Contortions, Prefuse 73,
Buck 65, Lydia Lunch, Jayne County, The Magik Markers, Afri
Rampo, Women and Children and The Tints.
Press
tickets are available for £60, though that doesn't include
accommodation so you might as well buy a full ticket.
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BAABA MAAL TALK
CMU favourite Baaba Maal will be delivering a special lecture
at the British Museum next week, giving his take on contemporary
African society and the key issues impacting the continent's
young population.
He
will draw on his experience working as Youth Emissary for the
United Nations' Development Programme, about which he says:
"It strengthens my determination to work harder to contribute
more to improving the living conditions of disadvantaged people
of the African continent, especially young people, whose future
is seriously threatened by illiteracy, poverty and HIV/AIDS.
When I am talking about Africa, it is about how Africa will
grow into the new millennium. This is why I really wanted to
make music, so people can listen more to the music and the messages
I am talking about."
The
talk will take place on 10 Feb at 7pm. Tickets are £5
(£3 conc) - press info from cassie@palmpictures.co.uk
On
a musical note, Baaba Maal will be back in London for a special
performance at the Royal Festival Hall on 1 Apr. Tickets are
on sale now.
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GREEN DAY ADD EXTRA UK DATE
Green Day have added an extra date to their up coming UK tour.
Having sold out their 18 Jun date at the Milton Keynes Bowl
they will now play a second night at the venue on 19 Jun.
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LIVE REVIEW: Maximo Park at London Metro Club on 25 Jan
Nothing to do with Maximo Gomez Park in Havana, nor Maximo Park
in St Peterburg, Florida, no Ö think closer to home. Well,
Newcastle anyway. Geordie-land is home to a vibrant and prosperous
rock scene at the minute, what with these boys, the Futureheads
(oops, they're from Sunderland, better lay low for a while)
and up 'n' coming lads This Ain't Vegas. The Park aren't going
to be the most revolutionary band of 2005 - and singer Paul
Smith looks like he just stepped from his day job in the city
onto tonight's stage - but they put on a good show, providing
a kind of art-rock with a more lo-fi twist. All the sing-a-longs
were, well, sung along - not least debut single 'The Coast Is
Always Changing', 'Night I Lost My Head' and the forthcoming
45, 'Apply Some Pressure', while the band's jerky movements
and abrasive, angular guitars fully satisfy our aural senses.
As a general rule the North East of England doesn't sound as
attractive as Cuba or Florida, but as far as I can see Newcastle's
Maximo Park is best. YN
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DJ
MAG PILOT DOWNLOAD PLATFORM
New download website of the day goes to DJ Mag. Yep, the authoritative
dance title has launched its own download platform - DJDownload
(of course) - which will be supplying downloads from 150 of
dance music's choicest labels. It's in beta stage at the moment
but is pretty much working - you can check it at http://www.djdownload.com.
The full site should launch proper sometime later this month.
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DOHERTY
DOES HIS BIT FOR TSUNAMI AID
Well, now that the tabloids seem to have really got it in for
poor old Pete Doherty (that's what a famous girlfriend does
to you) we feel we ought to reinvent ourselves as the defender
of Doherty. So here goes. Doherty and his band Babyshambles
did their bit for the tsunami-aid appeal on Monday night by
putting an a storming set at a benefit gig at London's Garage
venue.
With
new drummer Adam Ficek seemingly at ease, the band wowed the
crowd with a 30 minute set that included Libertines track 'What
Katie Did'. According to the NME, Pete was on fire with a performance
featuring plenty of ìcrowd surfing, stagediving and beer".
The only drama of the night was the task of keeping the hungry
crowd from crushing their idol - proving that Doherty is still
the consummate performerÖ well, he is when he remembers
to show up.
Babyshambles
topped a bill which included sets from both Ed Harcourt and
The Rakes. The charity show had been put together by, among
others, Samantha Morton, Pearl Lowe, Supergrass drummer Danny
Goffey and actor Rhys Ifans. Talking about the event Goffey
told NME: "We've been trying arrange this show for the
last two weeks. The original gigs fell through at the Astoria
but Sam Morton has been amazing in setting this up and I'm really
pleased that we've finally got these bands together tonight
to do this because we've raised about two grand."
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RAZORLIGHT POSTPONE UK GIGS
Well, when we said that the fact Razorlight frontman Johnny
Borrell was suffering from laryngitis shouldn't effect the band's
UK tour, we were wrong. The band's management yesterday confirmed
that, with doctors still advising Borrell to rest his voice,
they will have to postpone this month's scheduled Manchester,
Glasgow and London dates. A spokeswoman told reporters yesterday:
"While Johnny is frustrated by his enforced silence he
is determined to recover his vocal chords as fast as he can.
The band are keen to reschedule the sold-out shows with as little
delay as possible".
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SLOW MARKET MAY DELAY WARNER FLOTATION
CMU's contacts in the financial world tell us that any flotation
of the Warner Music Group in the US might be put back because
the music market has been slow so far this year. While the cost
cutting that followed the Bronfman purchase of Warner Music
meant the company performed well financially in 2004, to maintain
that growth the group needs to start shifting serious amounts
of records this year and, despite considerable successes in
its Warner Brothers and Reprise divisions last year, the group
is not currently selling enough. That will make the group less
attractive to potential investors, making a quick flotation
(which, it is rumoured, Bronfman's financial backers would prefer)
less viable. So much so, some city types are pondering over
what other alternatives Bronfmann et al might have in moving
forward with Warner without floating. None of them, however,
were particularly forthcoming on what those other options might
be (a merger with EMI perhaps?).
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UNIVERSAL GO AHEAD WITH VIDEO CHARGE PLANS
Following that report in yesterday's CMU Daily that the
Universal Music Group was planning to rejig the way it supplies
music videos to on-demand-video platforms like Launch and AOL,
the New York Post yesterday reported that the major has indeed
undertaken such a rejig, adding that CEO Doug Morris had already
notified executives at the services likely to be effected. Basically
Universal are insisting that media platforms pay for streaming
music videos in the same way the pay for streaming audio -
ie on a fee per stream basis. Given that the other majors are
pretty damn likely to follow, this will bugger up the video
on demand service offered by the likes of Yahoo, whose Launch
platform currently offers video on demand at no cost to the
consumer. How those media platforms will respond to the new
measure remains to be seen - though the Post reports
that MSN have already signed up to the new policy, which probably
means the others will have to follow.
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WOOLIES TAKEOVER LIKELY
Up for some retail takeover news? Of course you are. A bidding
war is likely to begin anytime now for Woolworths who are, don't
forget, one of the biggest forces in music retail in the UK
given the dominance of their own stores, their MVC chain and
the fact that their EUK division supplies Tesco and WH Smith.
Private equity types Apax Partners have announced that they
are interested in buying the firm, which has led to gossip that
a number of other key players, including one or more of the
supermarkets, might make rival bids, which would be fun. The
consensus is any private equity buyer would look to break the
group up and sell them off as separate businesses.
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MARLEY CELEBRATIONS BEING IN ETHIOPIA
Thousands of Rastafarians and music fans are gathering in Ethiopia
where a month of events to mark what would have been Bob Marley's
60th birthday began yesterday. It is the first time Marley birthday
celebrations have taken place outside of Jamaica - Ethiopia
was chosen because Rastafarians like Marley regarded the late
Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie as their spiritual leader.
The
celebrations, being staged under the banner Africa Unite, began
last night with a concert by the late singer's 80 year
old mother Cedella Marley Booker. Over the next month events
will include concerts, a film festival, seminars and a gala
fundraiser. A concert in Addis Ababa on 6 Feb, what would have
been Marley's actual birthday, will feature three of
Marley's children as well as Quincy Jones, Baaba Maal, Youssou
N'Dour and Angelique Kidjo.
At
the opening of the celebrations Netsanet Asfaw, Ethiopia's minister
of state for information, said her country were pleased to be
hosting the events, telling reporters: "Bob Marley put
Ethiopia on a pedestal and it is in his honour that this festival
is going to take place here".
As
previously reported, there were reports last month that Marley's
family intended for the legendary singer to be reburied in Ethiopia
- he is currently buried in Jamaica. Although his widow
Rita Marley distanced herself from those reports at the time,
especially after certain Jamaican groups objected to the proposal,
she admitted this week: "It was a dream of Bob Marley and
it is a dream of the family to bury him in Ethiopia. As we believe
in what is to be, must be, it will happen in due course".
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MARLEY EXHIBITION AT NORTH LONDON GALLERY
Staying with Marley, but a bit closer to home (well, closer
to my home anyway), the Proud Gallery in Camden will launch
a new exhibition on Friday featuring pictures of the legendary
singer taken by three photographers all of whom knew him well
- Dan Asher, Kate Simon and Jeff Cathrow. It's the first
time such a wide collection of pictures of Marley have been
exhibited in one place, and should be well worth a look in.
The exhibition runs from 4 Feb to 8 Apr - press info
from Ideas Generation.
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ALBUM REVIEW: Various - Northern Jazz Southern Soul (Slip'n'Slide)
The usually high standards of Slip'n'Slide slip a little here
- though they don't completely slide -
it's just that this new compo of soul, jazz and funk
tracks is just 'average'. It starts off good -
opening with the awesome Lonnie Liston Smiths 'Expansions',
but as you move on Linus Loves' 'Skagg' feels a bit dated,
Byron Stingily's 'Bitter' is sickly, Blaze's 'One World'
is a bit too over zealous and Black Beat Niks 'Parardise' is
just dull. There are good moments too mind - Restless Soul's
remix of Blaze and Amira's 'I think of you' works well and Incognito's
'Listen to the Music' is very Jackson-esque in a positive way
- but given the high standard set by past SNS releases
you do feel a little let down by the total product. Fingers
crossed, the next of the label's many compos will be
back on form. PV
Release date: 14 Feb
Press contact: Slip'n'Slide IH [all]
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USHER AND CIARA DOMINATE SOUL TRAIN NOMINATIONS
Yet another round of award nominations went to Usher yesterday
as organisers of the US Soul Train Awards announced their shortlist
for this year's event. He is nominated in four categories
- 'Confessions' is nominated for Best R&B/Soul
Album (Male), 'Confessions Part II' is up for Best
R&B/Soul Single (Male), while his single 'Yeah!'
is nominated for Best R&B/Soul / Rap Dance Cut and for the
Michael Jackson Award For Best R&B/Soul Or Rap Music Video.
Equaling
Usher in number of nominations is relative newcomer Ciara. In
addition to a nomination for Best New Artist, her debut album
'Goodies' is up for Best R&B/Soul Album (Female),
while its title track is nominated for Best R&B/Soul Single
(Female) and Best R&B/Soul Or Rap Dance Cut.
The
full nominations list runs thus:
Best
R&B/soul single, female: Beyonce - Naughty Girl, Ciara featuring
Petey Pablo - Goodies, Alicia Keys - If I Ain't Got You, Jill
Scott - Golden
Best
R&B/soul single, male: Anthony Hamilton - Charlene,
Mario - Let Me Love You, Prince - Call My Name, Usher - Confessions
Part II
Best
R&B/soul album, female: Brandy - Afrodisiac, Ciara
- Goodies, Alicia Keys - The Diary of Alicia Keys, Jill
Scott - Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds, Vol. 2
Best R&B/soul album, male: R. Kelly - Happy People/U Saved
Me, Musiq - Soulstar, Prince - Musicology, Usher - Confessions
Best
R&B/soul album, group, band or duo: 112 - Hot & Wet,
Boyz II Men - Throwback, Destiny's Child - Destiny Fulfilled,
New Edition - One Love
Best
R&B/soul or rap new artist: Ciara featuring Petey Pablo
- Goodies, Fantasia - I Believe, J-Kwon - Tipsy, John Legend
- Used To Love U
The
Michael Jackson Award for best R&B/soul or rap music video:
Jay-Z - 99 Problems, Kanye West - Jesus Walks, OutKast -
Roses, Usher featuring Ludacris and Lil' Jon - Yeah!
Best
R&B/soul or rap dance cut: Ciara featuring Petey Pablo -
Goodies, LL Cool J - Headsprung, Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell
and Uncle Charlie Watson - Drop It Like It's Hot, Usher featuring
Ludacris and Lil' Jon - Yeah!
Best
gospel album: Karen Clark-Sheard - The Heavens are Telling,
Israel and New Breed - Live From Another Level, J Moss - The
J Moss Project, Kierra Kiki Sheard - I Owe You
The
Soul Train Awards will be held on 28 Feb at the Paramount Studios
in LA with a US TV broadcast to be screened a few days later.
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NME AWARD NOMINATION UPDATE
Talking of awards, a slight amendment to the nominations for
Best Video at this year's NME Awards, which we published
yesterday. The initial list for that category originally posted
on NME.com wasn't quite right, and given that that is
where we ruthlessly stole it from (well, it's quite a
reliable source when it comes to the NME awards) we also got
it wrong, which is good news for Franz Ferdinand whose nomination
was missed off the list. So, here is the real shortlist for
Best Video at this year's NME Awards:
Beastie Boys - Triple Trouble
Eminem - Mosh
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
Green Day - American Idiot
The Streets - Fit But You Know It
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C-MURDER
LATEST RAPPER TO RELEASE ALBUM FROM JAIL
You have to give credit to the hip hop community, they never
let silly little things like prison sentences affect their output.
Rapper C-Murder, currently in jail after being convicted of
second-degree murder, will release a new album next month via
Koch. On the new 15 track long player C-Murder told reporters
(presumably through some kind of reinforced window): "I'm
kickin' it back to the streets. It's about the trials and tribulations
of my life. People will be able to relate to it."
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APPLE
STEP UP EFFORTS IN SOUTH KOREA
Not happy with dominating the digital music arena in the US
and Europe, Apple are getting more competitive in South Korea
where MP3 players made by native electronics firm Samsung are
more popular. Apple will cut the cost of its 20GB iPod there
from $406 to $353 - making it the best priced player
of its size available in Korea.
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NEW KELLY OSBOURNE
Kelly Osbourne will release her first new album for Sanctuary
in Jun. It's a ten song set produced by Linda Perry and
featuring a number of songs co-written by Kelly. According to
Billboard the album will be led by the single 'One Word',
described as a "haunting pop ballad", with other tracks
on the album dealing with fun topics like date rape ('Don't
Touch Me'), teenage restlessness ('Suburbia')
and society's ills ('Entropy').
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NEW JAMIROQUAI
Jamiroquai are planning a world tour to accompany their sixth
album, which is due out on Sony in ìlate Spring".
That new album, according to the band's website, is "almost
complete - the final touches are being put to the last few tracks".
As for the tour they say: "We're still in the planning
stage of a world tour that will hopefully begin in the Summer.
We're also hoping to play at some Summer festivals as well but
nothing has been confirmed yet."
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ROBBIE
NO LONGER SCARED BY CARTOONS
Robbie Williams has revealed that as a child cartoons like Scooby
Doo, The Magic Roundabout and Mr Benn used to scare him, but
that in more recent years he has started to enjoy animation,
which is just as well given that he supplies the voice of Dougal
in the new animated film version of The Magic Roadabout.
Robbie
told Radio 1: "Scooby Doo, The Magic Roundabout, Bagpuss
and Mr Benn used to scare me for some reason - I used to hide
behind the sofa when anything came on that was animated. But
I've started to get into watching animation."
Robbie
denied that the voice work on the Magic Roundabout was part
of any move into acting: "There's been a lot of talk of
me doing films, which I have no interest in whatsoever. But
animation is different. To be asked for your voice to be used
as a character in a film such as this is very exciting for me,
because it'll be there forever."