“Trio Cavatina to hit the stage in Fuller,” – Springfield Student Vol. 125 No. 18 February 24, 2011
February 24, 2011 Leave a comment
“Trio Cavatina to hit the stage in Fuller,” – Springfield Student Vol. 125 No. 18 February 24, 2011
Album review – Glasser “Ring” – Springfield Student Vol. 125 No. 18 February 24, 2011
February 24, 2011 Leave a comment
Album review – Glasser “Ring” – Springfield Student Vol. 125 No. 18 February 24, 2011
Smashing Pumpkins discover unlikely cover girl
February 20, 2011 Leave a comment
In perhaps one of the weirder coincidences to crop up in music news recently, the Smashing Pumpkins have announced that the band’s newest bassist and former Ludlow, Mass. native Nicole Fiorentino also appeared on the cover of the group’s 1993 album “Siamese Dream.”
Pumpkin’s leader Billy Corgan tweeted the news on Thursday saying that Fioentino waited until now to spill the beans because, “She thought maybe we wouldn’t let her be in the band.”
While coming as a surprise to many, this newest entry in album cover lore also raises the question of how thorough music acts are in securing information about the art they use on their record sleeves. Corgan himself actively tried to investigate the whereabouts of the girls featured on the cover of “Siamese Dream” back in 2007, but after coming up empty this recent announcement seems just a little too fortuitous. The Pumpkins are in the midst of releasing a new album after all (“Teargarden by Kaleidiscope”), and any connection that can be made to the band’s past work and ‘90s heyday would only help to push record sales.
See the video for the song “Cherub Rock” off the album “Siamese Dream” here:
Still, finding a link to your past inside your own band is better than what happened to Vampire Weeekend after the release of their second album “Contra.”
Obviously no one likes getting sued, but maybe in the future groups would do well to take care and actually write down the names of the people whose faces will forever be associated with their work. At the very least taking notes couldn’t hurt. But then again neither would Corgan making a call or two to James Iha and D’arcy Wretzky just for old times’ sake. C’mon Billy!
For more information on the Smashing Pumpkins and future tour dates please visit http://www.smashingpumpkins.com/.
They’re back…Beavis and Butthead prep return to MTV
February 18, 2011 Leave a comment
It’s official. Two of the rudest boys to ever grace music television are back in business.
A mere 14 years after the airing of their series finale, Beavis and Butthead are making their long-awaited return to the airwaves with a new season of their cartoon misadventures set to debut on MTV later this year.
According to a recent Rolling Stone article, MTV president Van Toffler was inspired to bring the dynamic duo back after catching a late night airing of a Lady Gaga video.
“I felt like there was a whole crop of new artists — and what the world sorely missed was the point of view that only Beavis and Butt-Head could bring,” he said.
However, this time around the teenage hellraisers from Highland aren’t just limiting their criticisms to the latest hits from the Billboard charts.
Van Toffler said, “They’ll watch ‘Jersey Shore,’ UFC matches and user-generated videos from YouTube, in addition to music videos.”
While otherwise remaining true to the content of the program’s original ‘90s run, the addition of this more reality-based material should only fan the flames (“Fire, fire, fire!”) of interest in new and old fans alike.
Who wouldn’t want to hear Butthead’s take on such faux-celebrities as Snooki and “the Situation”? Or how about the infamous Cornholio daring to rip fighters like Brock Lesnar and Georges St. Pierre a new one? The possibilities are endless, and with other shows like “The Soup” and “Tosh.O” already engaged in a similar format it is time for the originators of the genre to show everyone how it’s really done.
So put on your best Metallica t-shirt and scrape off your bat for another round of “Frog Baseball.” It’s time to party like it’s 1995.
See Beavis and Butthead rant as the boys tackle Pantera’s “This Love here:”
For more information on Beavis and Butthead and to read more news about their pending return please visit http://www.facebook.com/beavisandbutthead.
Album review – Sharon Van Etten “Epic” – Springfield Student Vol. 125 No. 17 February 17, 2011
February 17, 2011 Leave a comment
Album review – Sharon Van Etten “Epic” – Springfield Student Vol. 125 No. 17 February 17, 2011
Cure for the common Grammys
February 15, 2011 Leave a comment
There’s nothing like the Grammys to make one feel out of touch with popular music.
After spending a relaxing few days near the Cape, I arrived back home Sunday night just in time to catch the latter half of the music industry’s biggest awards show of the year. Promptly, I became ill.
Maybe the cause was Lady Gaga’s fashion sense. Maybe the cause was Jeff Beck, Tom Petty, Neil Young and Pearl Jam all simultaneously being snubbed in their respective bids to win Rock Album of the Year. Maybe it was Justin Bieber’s fault. The many reasons behind my Grammy-inspired sickness are not important. What is important is the cure.
When I could no longer stomach the glitz and glamour or Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony’s painful attempts at marital chit chat, I wandered upstairs to my office and began sifting through the piles of pending album releases littering my desk. Quickly, I knew I had found the answer. There, staring back at me with a multitude of colors and a motley collection of anime characters was the latest release by Anamanaguchi.
Though coming in at a mere three tracks, “Airbrushed” (out March 8 via Insound Records) is an accurate representation of everything that makes the band unique. As a “melodic eight-bit four piece from Brooklyn, N.Y.,” the group combines pop punk guitar and drums with the hacked sounds of an old school Nintendo Entertainment System to create “hyper-active, hyper-positive” jams. Several band members are even listed as playing the NES as an instrument along with old Game Boys. The result is a mix of nostalgia and joy.
While listening to the album’s title track, I was transported from the land of Rhianna to the land of “Adventure Island.” Instead of grooving to Dr. Dre I was pursuing Dr. Wily. Forget Christina Aquilera and company’s tribute to the Queen of Soul. The only diva on my mind was Zelda, and I anxiously began calculating just how many silver arrows it would take for me to get her back from Ganon.
Unfortunately, as soon as my trip down memory lane began it was over. Even with a re-mix thrown in “Airbrushed” lasts less than 11 minutes. However, the sugar rush provided gives ample reason to play the set over and over again until you are as wired as a Pokemon on meth. Don’t believe me? Check out the video of the band in action below. Now if you will excuse me. There’s a certain Mushroom Kingdom that needs saving.
See the band perform the song “Helix Nebula” from their album “Power Supply” here:
For more information on Anamanaguchi and future tour dates (including an East Coast stop in Baltimore, Md.) please visit www.anamanaguchi.com or http://www.facebook.com/pages/ANAMANAGUCHI/42044892361.
Album review – El Guincho “Pop Negro” – Springfield Student Vol. 125 No. 16 February 10, 2011
February 10, 2011 Leave a comment
Album review – El Guincho “Pop Negro” – Springfield Student Vol. 125 No. 16 February 10, 2011
“Pair of concerts bring relief from winter chill,” – Springfield Student Vol. 125 No. 16 February 10, 2011
February 10, 2011 Leave a comment
“Pair of concerts bring relief from winter chill,” – Springfield Student Vol. 125 No. 16 February 10, 2011
Michael Cimaomo 