Welcome back, readers! This week marks the last post in my month-long Under Cover tribute to the late, great Michael Jackson. The last few posts have focused on interesting covers of classic songs as "Human Nature", "Beat It", and “Man In The Mirror“, but I feel it’s only right to finish up the series with a post completely dedicated to his gravity-defying dance moves. Whether it was his moonwalking ability, robotic movements, or that awe-inspiring “Smooth Criminal” lean, Michael always knew how to bust a groove. Not only did he achieve immortality for his unique choreography, he inspired legions of young performers to polish their love of song and dance in the vein of his genius. In case you haven’t been paying attention, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, andNe-yo are just a few prime examples of this generation’s best examples of incredible artists who owe their success to their gloved, musical hero.
Since they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, take a look at some videos that prove that Michael’s legacy was alive and well long before his tragic passing. Michael Jackson forever! –
Michael Jackson for Pepsi (early 1980’s)
Even MJ can’t get enough of himself and young fans who want to dance like their hero in this classic Pepsi commercial.
Another example of MJ’s impressive reach– it can make you forget your Tom Jones obsession. You don’t even have to be a singer-songwriter-dancer to want to dance like the King of Pop. Carlton upstages Will on an episode of “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” when the entire family attended Soul Train and brought the house down. Carlton Banks, Soul Brother #1!
*NSYNC with Michael Jackson at the VMA’s
I’m embarrassed to even feature this, but seeing MJ jumping on-stage during a standard *NSYNC performances is pretty awesome. While Justin Timberlake may make the ladies scream, MJ knows how to get male AND female fans hop out of their seats in excitement.
Chris Brown – live dance tribute (2008) Watch here! One of my favorite singer/dancers of this generation, Chris Brown is one of the most obvious examples of how flawlessly emulating a legendary performer is a sure-fire way to leave some stardust behind on your trail to music superstardom.
Britain’s Got Talent (2008)
MJ fever is just as hot on the other side of the pond. Leave it to BGT to find artists known for MJ dance tributes that are surprisingly tight and on-point.
Leave it to Ne-Yoto completely nail a tribute performance during what appears to have been an amazing concert worthy of MJ’s memory.
Soluchi – random YouTuber (2009)
Gotta love YouTube. It’s the only way to randomly stumble across dance tributes from the many, many MJ-obsessed fans in the world. Hmm, this guy isn’t half bad.
“Barack Obama” MJ tribute (2009)
Another reason to love YouTube — never before seen footage of President Obama paying homage to Michael during his lunch hour in-between peace talks with troubled nations. Aren’t you glad you voted Obama?!?
Justin Timberlake & Michael Jackson MAD TV Spoof
And finally, I leave you with a great parody of J-Timberlake sponging off of MJ for all his moves, vocal talents, and general success. This witty video alone proves that to be parodied (either MJ or Timberlake) is to have truly made it.
Weirdly, Sugar Ray, who is apparently still making music even if it’s not their own, covered Kid Cudi’s “Day ‘N’ Nite” for a RawSession. It’s strange. But Mark McGrath is still a babe. Enjoy.
Kid Cudi’s debut album, Man On The Moon: The End Of Day, hits stores September 15th.
For the longest time, I missed the boat on getting into The White Stripes until a year or so ago, but I came to rather love Jack White's first side project, The Raconteurs, from the get go. Their two albums demanded quite a bit of spins in my truck on late nights driving around town. Suffice to say when White announced this next project, The Dead Weather, I was rather curious and excited considering the lineup of this new band consisted of Alison Mosshart of The Kills, guitarist Dean Fertita from Queens of The Stone Age and Jack Lawrence, also of The Raconteurs.
With this new-found super group, expectations were high and the band does not disappoint. Vocal responsibilities fall on the shoulders of Mosshart who, as a part of The Kills, opened for The Raconteurs and filled in for White on a few dates last year when he was told to rest his voice.
After the conclusion of the tour and the spark of such chemistry, Mosshart and White got together with Lawrence and Fertita and booked some studio time to lay down a few demos. With the recording process being so fruitful, they decided to make it a full album and after three weeks in the studio with White behind the boards, Horehound was born. Mosshart's voice on this record is full of soul, sex and grit, perfectly complimenting the band’s sound which shifts from blues to 70's fuzz rock without a hitch. After this release, which will go down as one of my favorites from 2009, I can only hope that this project was not a one-time deal and that more from The Dead Weather is still to come.
Devon, England alt/prog rockers Muse will be playing nine dates in the U.S. as support for U2. They have also announced they will be playing the MTV Video Music Awards on September 13.
Their current single “United States Of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage)” is now available for download on their website. The Resistance, Muse’s forthcoming album, will drop in the UK on September 14 and on September 15 in the US.
Tour dates Sept 24 – Giants Stadium / East Rutherford, NJ Sept 25 – Giants Stadium / East Rutherford, NJ Sept 29 – FedEx Field / Landover, Md. Oct 01 – Scott Stadium / Charlottesville, Va. Oct 03 – Carter-Finley Stadium / Charlotte Oct 06 – Georgia Dome / Atlanta Oct 09 – Raymond James Stadium / Tampa Oct 12 – Dallas Cowboy New Stadium / Arlington, Tx. Oct 14 – Reliant Stadium / Houston
L.A. artists Dialtone wants to help you win a free cell phone, whether it be an iPhone, Blackberry Storm, or a 1980’s Brick Phone a la everyone’s favorite mischief maker, Zach Morris. Dialtone is also giving away the chance to download some free songs!
All you’ve gotta do is click the above link and provide your email address to download Dialtone’s music for free and you’re entered to win a phone. It’s that easy. No signing up for a zillion and one promotions to ‘win your free iPhone!’ like all those annoying Flash ads claim. Dialtone wouldn’t do that to you. They just want to provide you with some good tunes and keep you up to date on what they’ve got going on.
If you like what you’ve just downloaded for free, be sure to check out Dialtone’s just released album No Hang-Up’s- Special Edition on iTunes.
Dialtone is: Paul Orea – guitar/lead vocals Mike Orea – drums/vocals George Maiale – bass
Fresh off a triumphant evening set at Coney Island's Siren Festival, The Raveonettes have announced a full run of Fall tour dates in support of their forthcoming Vice Records LP. The Danish transplants will make stops in Chicago for Lollapoloza and Austin for this year's ACL Festival, before hitting the road from October 14th to 26th with Austin noir-lovers The Black Angels, and November 5th through the 15th with some as-yet-unnamed Special Guests.
Earlier this summer, Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo opened up the recording process of LP4 to their eager fans, releasing early demos via Twitter, and streaming recording sessions live from Delta Lab Recording Studio in Denmark, where the band had hunkered down with producer Thomas Troelsen.
As Wagner told AOL at Siren – and as anyone who watched the live recording sessions can attest – the new material is shaping up to be "the ultimate light album," or at least the most pop-focused release of the band's decade-long career. Now, with their time in the studio completed, Wagner and Foo have affixed a name and release date to their new song-cycle.
The Raveonette’s In & Out Of Control will be available via Vice Records on October 6th.
Tour Dates: Aug 09 – Lollapoloza / Chicago Oct 03 – Austin City Limits / Austin Oct 14 – Webster Hall / New York City * Oct 15 – Ottobar / Baltimore * Oct 16 – 9:30 Club / Washington DC * Oct 17 – TLA / Philadelphia * Oct 18 – Music Hall of Williamsburg / Brooklyn * Oct 20 – Paradise Rock Club / Boston * Oct 21 – Club Soda / Montreal * Oct 22 – Phoenix / Toronto * Oct 23 – Magic Stick / Detroit * Oct 26 – First Avenue / Minneapolis * Nov 05 – Venue / Vancouver Nov 06 – Neumo's / Seattle Nov 07 – Doug Fir / Portland Nov 09 – Bimbo's / San Francisco Nov 10 – Detroit Bar / Costa Mesa, Ca. Nov 12 – Belly Up / Solana Beach, Ca. Nov 13 – Henry Fonda Theatre / Los Angeles Nov 14 – Glasshouse / Pomona, Ca. Nov 15 – Beauty Bar / Las Vegas
Rock supergroup Chickenfoot, featuring Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar of Van Halen, guitar legend Joe Satriani, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer, Chad Smith recently created a new behind-the-scenes video for their single “Oh Yeah”. It’s almost awesome enough to make up for the backwards K in their logo.
It’s no surprise that Chickenfoot debuted at #4 on the Billboard charts and have sold over 300,000 copies in its first month out (the album was released June 5). The four men who comprise Chickenfoot already filled the pages of rock history with enough individual mind-blowing chapters to boggle the mind before Chickenfoot even began.
The members of Chickenfoot admit that the band came together almost by accident, a result of jams held at Hagar’s club, Cabo Wabo Cantina, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
“We were just having fun,” recalls Michael Anthony. “After Sammy and I left Van Halen, we’d get together with musicians, and certain people seemed to really gel. Chad came down and we got on well with him. Gradually, we started talking about doing something more serious, but we needed a guitarist. Somebody smokin’ – somebody who could take us to the Promised Land.”
Enter Satch, who hooked up with Hagar, Anthony and Smith and felt “an immediate connection unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.” To Satriani, who had almost abandoned his lifelong dream of being a part of a “big-time rock band,” here was his chance, and here were his band mates. “After just a few songs, it became stunningly obvious that we shared an overall musical agenda. The only question was could we make a great album?”
The band answered that question last fall when they hunkered down with the illustrious producer Andy Johns at George Lucas’ Skywalker Studios and knocked out a batch of songs that sets a new standard for rock music in the new millennium. From the thunderous, ominous opening strains of “Avenida Revolution” (detailing the bloody drug wars in Tijuana, in which Hagar makes his feelings come through his skin) to the album closer, the shimmering rock ballad “Future’s in the Past”, Chickenfootis a firebomb of a record, the likes of which we haven’t heard in ages.
Hear it for yourself by watching the behind the scenes video for “Oh Yeah”.
Tour Dates: Aug 02 - Citadel Hill (Canadian Forces Halifax Festival) / Halifax Aug 05 - Riverplex Amphitheatre / Pittsburgh (CANCELLED!) Aug 05 - The Sound Academy / Toronto Aug 07 - Chicago Theatre / Chicago Aug 08 - The Fillmore Detroit / Detroit Aug 10 - Myth / St. Paul Aug 11 - Uptown Theatre / Kansas City Aug 13 - Fifth-Third BallparkFestival / Comstock Park, Mi. Aug 15 - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame / Cleveland (free show!) Aug 17 - Beacon Theatre / New York City Aug 18 - Lyric Opera House / Baltimore Aug 20 - Mohegan Sun Arena / Uncasville, Ct. Aug 22 - House of Blues / Atlantic City Aug 23 - Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom / Hampton Beach, NH Aug 24 - Bank Of America Pavilion / Boston Aug 26 - Ntelos Pavilion / Portsmouth, Va. Aug 27 - The Uptown Amphitheatre at The Music Factory / Charlotte Aug 29 - House of Blues, Myrtle Beach / N. Myrtle Beach Aug 30 - The Tabernacle / Atlanta Sep 05 - Harveys Resort Hotel and Casino / Lake Tahoe Sep 11 - The Fillmore / Denver Sep 12 - Rock Jam Festival / Grand Junction, Co. Sep 14 - Brady Theater / Tulsa Sep 16 - Verizon Wireless Theater / Houston Sep 17 - Concrete Street Pavilion / Corpus Christi Sep 20 - Sunset Station / San Antonio Sep 21 - Nokia Theatre / Grand Prarie, Tx. Sep 23 - Dodge Theatre / Phoenix Sep 25 - Greek Theatre / Berkeley Sep 26 - Harrah’s Rincon Open Sky Theater /Valley Center, Ca. Sep 27 - Gibson Amphitheater / Universal City, Ca.
Devon, England alt/prog rockers Muse will be playing nine dates in the U.S. as support for U2. They have also announced they will be playing the MTV Video Music Awards on September 13.
