News
August 2008 | Next »
Mary J. Blige Mary J. Blige: The Love Soul Tour
Mary J. Blige: The Love Soul Tour, Introducing Mary J. Blige’s Matriarch Records artist: Dave Young. Please mjblige.com/events for dates and locations!
Digg | 
Del.icio.us | 
Facebook | 
| 
Comments (0)
Shwayze Vote For Shwayze, Yahoo's Who's Next: User's Choice
Vote for Shwayze in Yahoo’s Who’s Next?: Users’ Choice. If they win, Yahoo brings Shwayze into their studio for an exclusive performance. The choice is in your hands! Click HERE to vote NOW! 
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Shwayze Shwayze Album Debuts At #10!!
Shwayze
sold almost 47,000 albums last week to debut at #10 on the Billboard Albums Chart! The new album also debuted at #2 on Billboard's Digital Albums Chart! Read all about it here.
Congratulations to Shwayze! Be sure to pick up a copy of their new album featuring "Corona and Lime" and "Buzzin" in the iTUNES Music Store or buy the CD online right here.
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Shwayze Buzzin Moves To "Sucka Free Sundays" On MTV2
Be sure to tune in to see the last 4 episodes of Buzzin now as part of "Sucka Free Sundays" on MTV2! New episodes will air through September 21st. Check out air dates below!
BUZZIN ON "SUCKA FREE SUNDAYS" ON MTV2
Buzzin' #105 premieres on Sunday, 8/31 @ 3:30p.
Buzzin' #106 premieres on Sunday, 9/7 @ 3p.
Buzzin' #107 premieres on Sunday, 9/14 @ 3p.
Buzzin' #108 premieres on Sunday, 9/21 @ 3p.
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Shwayze Tour With Metro Station This Fall
Shwayze will be heading out on tour this October and November with Metro Station, Tyga, And Cash Cash! Click here for a full list of dates and be sure to get your tickets today!
Shwayze at Warped Tour Fresno.Photo submitted to the Suretone Community. Click here to upload your own photos!
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Matt White GAP AND MUSICIAN MATT WHITE CALL ON CHICAGOANS TO VOICE WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO THEM THIS ELECTION YEAR WITH FREE CUSTOMIZABLE GAP “VOTE FOR ” T-SHIRTS
For images of Matt White's Chicago performance click HERE.
On Friday, August 22nd, at the Michigan Avenue Gap Chicagoans Can Fill in the Blank to Express their Opinions and Individuality While Enjoying an Acoustic Set by Matt White
CHICAGO, August 22, 2008 – With one of the most important elections for our nation on the horizon, Gap and singer/songwriter Matt White invite Chicagoans to voice their passions by customizing a free Gap “Vote For_ ” t-shirt on Friday, August 22. Whether it’s the White Sox or Cubs, Giordano’s or Uno’s, Tribune or Sun-Times – everyone is invited to fill in the blank at Gap on Michigan Ave. while enjoying an acoustic set by Matt White, one of Rolling Stone’s “10 Artists to Watch.”
The in-store event is part of Gap’s “Vote” initiative, which gives people a platform to express their ideas and opinions via the iconic Gap white t-shirt.
Earlier this month, Matt, who debuted at No. 4 on Billboard’s New Artist Chart and is in the middle of a late summer tour promoting his new single “Love” off his debut Geffen release Best Days, created his own t-shirt, “Vote for Love”, which he’ll wear throughout the tour. His t-shirt can also be seen in his upcoming video “Love,” which was recently filmed inside a New York City public bus and debuts this fall on video outlets.
“My friends at Gap have created this really simple shirt that lets you express what’s important to you,” said Matt White. “Music is how I express myself so I wrote “Vote for Love” on my shirt. I think it will be really interesting to see all the topics, opinions, words and expressions that the people of Chicago voice.”
While Chicago is the first stop on Matt’s tour in support of Gap’s “Vote” initiative, he’ll also be traveling across the U.S. – from Philadelphia to Orlando and Los Angles to San Francisco – encouraging people to use his tour bus as vehicle of self-expression by adding their thoughts to his “Vote for Love” message on the exterior of the bus.
About Gap Inc.
Gap Inc. is a leading international specialty retailer offering clothing, accessories and personal care products for men, women, children and babies under the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Piperlime brand names. Fiscal 2007 sales were $15.8 billion. Gap Inc. operates more than 3,100 stores in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Ireland and Japan. In addition, Gap Inc. is expanding its international presence with franchise agreements for Gap and Banana Republic in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. For more information, please visit gapinc.com.
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Girlicious IN THE LONGSTANDING TRADITION OF TV VARIETY SHOWS HONORING THE U.S. MILITARY, ABC AIRS “AMERICA UNITED: IN SUPPORT OF OUR TROOPS,” SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
IN THE LONGSTANDING TRADITION OF TV VARIETY SHOWS HONORING THE U.S. MILITARY, ABC AIRS “AMERICA UNITED: IN SUPPORT OF OUR TROOPS,” SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
For generations, top entertainers have performed both in the U.S. and overseas for our troops in times of war and peace. Now the tradition continues for a new generation of talent and viewers with the two-hour special, “America United: In Support of Our Troops,” airing SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
The star-studded lineup of performers and celebrities appearing includes Janet Jackson, Snoop Dogg, Pam Anderson, Toby Keith, Jessica Simpson, D.L. Hughley, ZZ Top, Clint Black, Kathy Griffin, Ne-Yo, Girls Next Door, Toby Keith, Ali Landry, comedian Carlos Mencia, NFL star Sean Merriman, country star Joe Nichols, Jordin Sparks, Sam Moore (Sam and Dave) and more, as they all take the stage around the country and at military bases worldwide.
Featuring popular music, celebrity cameos, tributes to troops and heart-warming human interest stories, “America United: In Support of Our Troops” is an opportunity for the nation to show its appreciation for the troops and military families. The special was produced and directed by an all-star team. Executive producer is Greg Sills ("Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards"); executive producer and music director is Rickey Minor (“American Idol,” “The Grammy Awards”); Bryan Edelstein is executive producer; Michael Dempsey (“MTV Video Music Awards”) is executive producer and director; Tisha Fein (“American Idol”) and Laurie Chapman are producers, and Chantal Sausedo is co-producer and executive in charge of talent.
A TV parental guideline will be posted closer to airdate.
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
B.B. King B.B. King's Celebrated 'One Kinf Favor' Available Now
BB King’s Celebrated ‘One Kind Favor’ Available Now
Rolling Stone says "This isn't just B.B. King's best album in years, it's one of the strongest studio sets of his career, standing alongside classics such as Singin' the Blues and Lucille. Where those early titles highlighted his youthful, wailing vocals and stinging guitar, this one plays to King's current strengths: the tear-stained vibrato of his mature voice, punctuated by raunchy licks."
Digital Deluxe Edition at Itunes and Amazon includes 3 bonus tracks from the One Kind Favor sessions
Preorder the new B.B. King album: One Kind Favor, from Amazon!
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Rise Against Los Angeles Tour Dates Ticket Info
Hey Rise Against Fans - if you are planning to go to all three shows at the Palladium in Hollywood on oct 31, nov 1 and nov 2 why not opt for the 3-day pass which not only has a lower face value on
each ticket but you pay only one service fee. Check it out!
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Rise Against Los Angeles Tour Dates Ticket Info
Hey Rise Against Fans - if you are planning to go to all three shows at the Palladium in Hollywood on oct 31, nov 1 and nov 2 why not opt for the 3-day pass which not only has a lower face value on
each ticket but you pay only one service fee. Check it out!
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Shwayze Check out Shwayze in YRB Magazine!
Check out Shwayze and Cisco showin' off their fashion skills in YRB Magazine!
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Shwayze Buzzin Premieres In UK and Australia
British Shwayze fans - Be sure to catch the MTV UK series premiere of Buzzin on September 18th!
The series will also premiere in Australia on Sept 9th on MTV!
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Girlicious Tune in to see Girlicious on ABC on September 7th
Girlicious’ performance at Camp Pendleton back in May will air as part of a 2-hour special!
Tune in to watch: "America United: In Support of Our Troops" which airs on September 7th at 9pm – 11pm on ABC.
Click HERE for more details.
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Matt White Attention Philadelphia Fans! Matt White To Perform on NBC's The 10!
Matt White will be performing an acoustic version of "Love" and being interviewed on Philadelphia NBC's The 10!
The show will air on Monday, August 25th at 11am & 2pm that day and stored on Comcast on-demand for a week.
For more information on The 10 and Matt White's performance click HERE.
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Rufus Wainwright Read Rufus' article in Die Zeit Magazine! (Part 1)
By Rufus Wainwright
This is the third time I've written this article. To begin this (hopefully!) final session I have just put on Das Rheingold, the first opera of Wagner’s Ring Cycle and by the way things seem to be going I'mjudging Valhalla should start crumbling at around 3am. To explain toyou the beginnings of this, MY epic cycle, once upon a time a kind and generous newspaper called Die Zeit sent me to Bayreuth to see Stefan Herheim’s controversial production of Parsifal in order to writesomething about it. And now, comfortably sitting in my bright livingroom in New York City a week later with a deadline tomorrow I'm facedwith a dilemma: two approaches have been unsuccessfully tried, bothdiametrically opposed in terms of culture and era. One is a straight uptry at an old fashion review (my mom likes this one) and the second ismore of a personalized blog (my hip and gorgeous boyfriend likes this one). The first attempt goes, and yes I'm trying to fill up space here,like this:
"The town of Bayreuth is famous for two theatres.Most people know about the Festspielhaus, a huge 19th century opera house built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria to present Wagner’s massive works, which over the years has been both the glory and bane of Germany's cultural existence. The other theater, located in the center of town, is much smaller and from a much more refined period, "a better time" as Evelyn Waugh once said, the 18th century. Let's begin with the big one. I held a pretty sacred view of the place when two years ago I first went there to see Christoph Schlingensief incredible production of Parsifal, but this year on returning to see the newproduction by Stefan Herheim I had developed a more critical stance towards the Festival. Due mainly to a book about Winifred Wagner byBrigitte Hamann (suggested reading by a prominent member of the Wagner family, kudos to them!) I had learned about the festival's extreme Nazipast and on driving up the "Green Hill" after visiting Villa Wahnfried,Wagner's old home which is now a museum, I was a little miffed that inthat "museum" there had not been one single picture of Adolph Hitler.The reason I bring all this up, aside from the fact that it shouldalways be pointed out in such a hallowed place, is that if I had seenany other production of any other Wagner opera, or ANY opera for that matter, there could not have been a more important and moving stageshow than the one I saw that evening by the great director Stefan Herheim."
I think this is pretty good! And perhaps if I was agreat newspaper critic, of which there are hardly any, I could havedriven it home. But as the piece continued it became inflated andpretentious and by the end was something only a mother could love, andI'm not talking about my mother (she actually re-wrote the end, which Iwill definitely be trying to put in somewhere to make things easier onmyself). Anyway, at this point you may be asking yourself "what thehell is he going on about?" Especially since I've totally given awaythe fact that I have a tight deadline to stuff with a lot of words, butlet me assure you, there is a method to this madness, and in my humbleopinion there is no other subject in the world more deserving of thescattered, unorthodox and free style examination that you are goingto get than that of the extreme art and personality of the greatRichard Wagner.
CLANG!!!!! In my sound system it seems Wotanhas just struck the rock with his spear, the Rainbow Bridge hasappeared and Das Rheingold is coming to a close. For good measure (andto fill space), here's the beginning of the next version I wrote afterreading my first try and hating it. Let us cross the Rainbow Bridge byway of "blog" into Valhalla:
"This is the second time I'vewritten this article. The first was an attempt to encapsulate my tripto Bayreuth in a succinct and critical fashion with explanations ofwhat I believed to be deep thoughts on the physical place, its dubioushistory and the thick rope that binds them. Speaking of ropes, and notonly in terms of hanging myself, I think I thought I was a Norn (a Wagnerian mother time creature who lives in the earth in Gotterdammerung) sifting through the various threads of German historyfrom the 19th century to today, revealing to my poor readers strikingsimilarities that can only be viewed through the passage of years,blind and moaning, cursing the fact that nothing ever changes. Well, onre-reading what I'd done, I was quite disappointed, well actually, Jornmy German boyfriend (thanks guys!!!) in true Berlin fashion wasn'treally that impressed. Basically I sounded like an American teenagerwriting about his trip to Europe back to mom in the Mid West whereeveryone is still really excited about NASCAR and having won World WarII. Don't get me wrong, it's still important to mention the fact thatin Villa Whanfried, Wagner’s old home which is now a museum dedicatedto the festival, there is not one single picture of Adolf Hitler, whoactually back in the day lived next door and tended to pop over quite abit. Still, speaking of pop, for a pop musician, even a rathersophisticated pop musician like myself, tackling the Third Reich'sconnection to Bayreuth is way out of my league and for this secondattempt I will focus more on my impressions, but don't worry, I tend toget very impressed."
I'm not sure if anything you've read sofar has anything to do with anything. At least it disseminates someinformation. But for classical form, let us turn to the Master himselffor inspiration, specifically Das Rheingold, and like the opera DasRheingold let’s consider everything you've read so far merely aprologue, and that at least I've created some kind of atmosphere. Or asJudy Garland once said: "I don't know if anyone's interested, BUT I AM!"
(read Part 2 to continue)
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Shwayze New Episode Of Buzzin TONIGHT!
Shwayze performing live at Wango Tango on this week's episode of Buzzin
Catch an all new episode of Buzzin on its new day and time TONIGHT at 7:30pm EST on MTV! The episode will air just before an all new FNMTV!
Catch a sneak peak from this weeks episode at buzzin.mtv.com or pick up episodes on ITUNES and watch on your iPOD or iPHONE!
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Rufus Wainwright Read Rufus' article in Die Zeit Magazine! (Part 2)
The
amazing opening string line of Die Walkure is blasting through my
speakers and like that opera's mandate, it's time to get down to
business. I first really got into Wagner after going to rehab, and the
opera I most became fixated on was Tannhauser. I strongly related to
the tale of the errant knight who had tasted the forbidden pleasures of
Venusberg and like him was trying desperately to live a good clean
life, despite, like him, an ego the size of Everest. I actually
envisioned my drug cravings in the form of nymphs and fauns dancing
around naked in an Arcadian paradise just under the sidewalk. That's
what is so fascinating about Wagner, unlike Puccini, Strauss, Mozart
and Verdi (who I must note is still my favorite, I will always be a
child of papa Verdi) Wagner’s characters are always mythological
archetypes who represent not so much people or Gods, but different
philosophies in motion. And on going to Bayreuth this time to see
Parsifal there were several philosophies I had in motion. One was my
love of the work, the other was my amazement/ disgust after reading the
Hermann book on Winifred Wagner, and thirdly was the fact that my
mother has cancer. This was my second trip to the festspielhaus, my
first had been to see the incredibly moving and abstract Parsifal by
Christoph Schlingensief and at that time my mother was in the hospital
undergoing exploratory surgery which later revealed a malignant lesion
on her liver. It was the hardest time of my life, especially since I
was working in Europe and she was in Canada, I felt horribly guilty
about not being with her and until those first miraculous strains of
the Parsifal overture began, nothing on earth could compare with the
depth of my sorrow. By the end of the opera I was completely riveted,
and would at this point like to thank Christoph for aiding me through
this difficult period with his beautiful work. At that time the story
of Parsifal, the other errant knight, or actually more specifically the
story of Kundry, the Mary Magdalene figure who is doomed to live for
500 years for laughing at Jesus on the cross and aches for death, was a
perfect legend to focus on when faced with serious illness: the message
I got was that in the end, death is but a beautiful release. Well, my
mother didn’t die and judging by her present state she's sticking
around for a while. (I have to note that at this point in the Ring
Cycle Brunhilde has appeared on the wings of the majestic valkyrie
theme, of course! Basically, Brunhilde is my mom). So, with this
experience under my belt, this time going to Bayreuth I was outwardly
prepared to write a gloomy article about finally bringing my mother
there as the end of a kind of quest where together we watched the opera
and broke down simultaneously as the final strains musically revealed
the cosmos. This didn't happen for three reasons. One was that Die Zeit
only gave me one ticket and I couldn't sit with her (kindly Stefan
Herheim the director gave us a couple of comps, so she sat with my
boyfriend in much better seats). The other was that Herheim’s
production had nothing to do with death but more with the recent
history of Germany and thirdly was that the dark horse whose ghost
still haunts the town of Bayreuth; Winifred Wagner was lurking in my
thoughts.
On sitting down this time to see Parsifal with high intensions of writing about the purifying power of Wagner’s music when faced with death, Winifred's voice was in the back of my head saying about the murder of four Israeli athletes during the Munich Olympics, and I quote: "we've often tried to imagine how Adolf would have dealt with the killers.... as it is, they did only half the job all eight of them should have been shot." I really had to change my line of approach.
The stereo beckons: the mischievous Brunhilde is being chastised by her father Wotan and will soon be put to sleep and made a mere mortal and in this story, my cycle, revue, blog, WHATEVER, a conversation about Stefan Herheim’s amazing production of Parsifal is warranted. And by the way, I'm never going to say anything bad about people's work in my reviews because I know how bad it feels to read it.
The production essentially solved my dilemma. As mentioned above SOMEWHERE, we had visited Villa Wahnfried earlier that day and instead of medieval Spain where the opera is supposed to take place, the whole piece was set on the grounds of the Wagner family estate, and was packed with references both to the family and Germany as a whole. The whole experience was frightfully eerie. All of the issues I had been struggling with after reading the Winifred Wagner biography were being grappled with on stage. For example, the third act was the bombed out mansion and the destroyed areas of the set were the very same spots our tour guide had shown us many moments before by pointing out the different stone work after reconstruction. The large circular fountain I had admired earlier suddenly became first a Knight's round table and then amusingly an Ester Williams (yes! I've always wanted to mention her in something) swimming pool for Kundry's sexy ladies in waiting. The prompter's box could have possibly been Wagner's tomb but that I think would have been a bit too literal (the Master prompting the singers what to do from the grave!). But for me most importantly, due to my aforementioned state of mind, huge Nazi flags descended during the famous spear catching moment and momentarily, just long enough to really sear the retina, stayed there and then suddenly tumbled to the ground while an audible gasp was heard and felt by the entire audience.
(please read Part 3 to continue)
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Shwayze Shwayze in the September Issue of People Magazine!
Check out Shwayze in the Sept 1st issue of People Magazine! The guys answer some questions you've been dying to hear the answers to. Get your copy when it hits newstands!
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Weezer 08/21/08 Troubleshooting Troublemaker: No Trouble
...The Troublemaker video was shot today, and its sure to be one for the history books. Or at least the Guinness Book! Rather than go over the rather nutty details, the results of which you are soon to be watching anyway, lettuce just say that a TON of dedicated weezer fans came down to help out and they were awesome sports, working hard all day in a hot parking lot.
The video producers had expressed worry about the sheer number of fans being involved, expecting difficulty keeping things organized and people being cooperative. Of course we here in Weezerland know by now to expect greatness from weezer fans and we assured the production team not to worry. And sure enough, the fans were punctual, focused and hardworking, and everything ran like clockwork!
The band was really impressed with the dedication and hard work the fans showed. The word from the band included such direct quotes as "Thank god we have such great fans" and "Our fans are working harder on this video than we are!"
There was just one major mishap during the shoot, and yours truly was caught up in the mess! What happened was we had what we thought was an insider tip on how to access the roof of the Forum. Sensing a great opportunity to get some aerial footage of the video shoot far below, we followed the secret instructions and traversed the nearly empty corridors of the Forum till we got to the upper stands. Which is where the plan fell apart. A key door that was not supposed to be locked was locked, and worse, we had been spotted by none other than Janet Jackson's security and production team. It seems Janet and co. were rehearsing for their upcoming show down on the floor of the arena, and we werent quite stealthy enough to slip by their line of defenses! Worse yet, two of us had really nice video cameras on us, and so naturally we were taken for people trying to spy on Janet behind the scenes!
Things were not looking good. We explained (with a trumped up air of officialness) we were with the video shoot outside and were merely looking for a way to film from the roof, which only resulted in questions ranging from "what video shoot outside?" to "film what from the roof?" It was then that Dan the Man(ager) (who had gotten us into the mess) played his ace: he knew Janet's tour manager! We explained that he knew we were here and everything was cool. Of course it didnt help when the man finally came up to see what was going on, he said with a smile "Oh hi Dan... What are you doing here?" (insert forlorn 3 note trombone sound here...)
Well, after a bit more confusion everything was more or less kosher after that, and they even offered to escort us to the roof, but we unfortunately then learned that there was a rule about needing safety harnesses that we did not have access to. So the plan was finally kiboshed, after all.
Meanwhile down on the parking lot, the band was running thru the main "rocking out" scene, one of the last scenes to be shot in a very long and surreal day. By 7:30 PM, the sun was fading and the director yelled out "Thats a Wrap!"
THANK YOU a million times over to the great fans who were awesome all day. There wouldnt have been a video without you! Stay tuned for the video and some special supplemental treats coming your way!
...Weezer tribute band alert (reminder)
Multiple bands!
Weezer tribute / Benefit For Mountain People's Co-Op & Market
AUG. 27 * 9PM * $5 * 18 and up @ 123 PLEASANT ST., MORGANTOWN, WV
featuring: It's Birds, The Demon Beat, Purepleaser, Russian Tombstones, The Friendship Room, and Sarkeezer, "all paying tribute to one of the greatest bands in history".
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Rise Against Pre-Order Appeal To Reason on Interpunk/Smartpunk
Pre-purchase APPEAL TO REASON at either INTERPUNK or SMARTPUNK and you will recieve avery limited edition “Re-Education (Through Labor)” 7-inch Single with a non-album track B-side entitled "Minor Threat"
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
The Cure 4:13 DREAM
THE NEW ALBUM IS CALLED 4:13 DREAM
AND IT WILL BE RELEASED ON OCTOBER 13TH... WE THINK!
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Shwayze LA & OC In-Store Performances And Signings
Submitted by MiMi to the Suretone Community
If you live in the L.A. or O.C. areas, come out to your local Shwayze in-store signing and performance:
FRIDAY - 8/22 - HARD ROCK CAFE UNIVERSAL CITYWALK @ 9 PM - UNIVERSAL CITY, CA
SATURDAY - 8/23 - VIRGIN MEGASTORE @ THE BLOCK @ 3 PM - ORANGE, CA
GET THERE EARLY TO MAKE SURE YOU GET TO MEET THEM!!!!!!
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Rufus Wainwright Read Rufus' article in Die Zeit Magazine! (Part 3)
No uptight Bavarian dare boo after that ending of Act Two, and in terms
of looking for some kind of purification ritual to face facts, it
really hit the spot. All the nasty thorns in such a beautiful artistic
bed of roses that is Bayreuth were not quite being removed but were
definitely being pointed out. Of course it was no answer to my queries,
but definitely a large blaring question mark and as everyone knows, you
can't have the former without the later. And here's the kicker: by the
end, not only was I sitting with my mom and boyfriend due to the
miraculous appearance of an empty seat right in front of them, but the
three of us witnessed in my opinion one of the great theatrical
experiences of all time. The stage, which was no longer Wahnfried but a
replica of the German Parliament dramatically became a huge rotating
mirror in the shape of the earth (and practically the size of it!), and
to the exquisite last strains of the opera movingly revealed to us, yes
US! The audience basked in light from a single white dove at the top of
the theater. I know it sounds really corny, but hell, it really worked.
OK, at this point in the Ring Cycle I'm somewhere near the end of
Siegfried and I don't know what the hell is going on. I'm going to
start Gotterdammerung and hopefully I won't have lost my eyesight by
writing this article. You guys, The Ring is like (insert electric shock
here) 16 hours long. And wait a second.... oh my God! Here come the
fucking Norns!
Around the first time I first mentioned the
fucking Norns I also mentioned a delicate little 18th century theater
we saw that day before the opera. The Markgrafliches Theater, located
in the center of town, is the last remaining painted baroque wooden
theater left in Germany. It is hauntingly beautiful. That day our guide
had given an adequate and enthusiastic tour of Wagner’s home, but once
inside this little gem you could immediately tell where her passions
and expertise lay. Her eyes immediately lit up as she began to explain
its meaning: It was built by the aristocracy to give the court a type
of Arcadia, a paradise on earth far from the everyday world were no
windows or clocks existed bothering one with a sense of time and the
privileged could just lounge about not thinking a bit of the outside
world and its harsh realities. Though the inside is wooden the outside
is stone, as if to represent a shell like protection of one's fantasies
and both the stage and the audience face the King and Queen, thus
making THEM the focal point and thanking them for creating such a
glorious and elite form of escapism. This concept of what a theater
once represented really struck me after seeing Herheim’s production of
Parsifal. My mother, Jorn and I were staying in the fantastic Pflaums
Posthotel Pegnitz Hotel where every room was a freaky testament to west
Germany's finest hour, the '80s. Be it weird angular sculptures
clashing with airbrushed posters of naked women with bad hair, or day
glow shag carpet mixed with absurd countryside wooden rocking chairs,
this place makes the New York Chelsea Hotel look minimalist. The night
before the opera we had the most delicious 4 course meal there
(ironically called the Gotterdammerung dinner, not gonna finish the
Ring Cycle folks, thank God!) For the whopping cost of about 500
Euros, yikes!!! I get paid in American dollars. And the next day was
spent in a villa, then at the opera and finally driving home in a
rented black Mercedes Benz. How things have changed. Before the theater
was a place to escape from the real world and bury your worries in make
believe and luxury, now we try to bury ourselves in make believe and
luxury and go to the theater to understand the real world. I don't know
if this is a good or bad thing, but at least in our time, unlike that
of Winifred Wagner’s, one of those elements is trying to tell the
truth.
All right, here's what my mother wrote:
Meanwhile,
over on the other side of town, built in brick, that building material
which through man's cleverness lies somewhere between stone and wood,
i.e., between the schloss and the chaumiere, between the prince and the
peasant...Wagnerian opera was in full swing and, judging by the
production I saw of Parsifal that night and the burgers who were
present, the aristocracy is indeed over and the "common man" is very
much with us, to be interpreted and reinterpreted however one sees fit:
long live Wagner's Bayreuth.
RUFI'S ORIGINAL CHOCOLATE COVERED PARSIFAL...
I think the last phrase is a reference to Easter.
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Shwayze Shwayze Announces Tour With Tyga
Shwayze
will be heading out on tour this fall with Tyga! Complete list of dates are below. You can buy tickets online to select shows right here.
* = w/Tyga opening
8/20 - Six Flags - Jackson, NJ
8/21 - LA Galaxy Event - Los Angeles, CA
9/6 - ASR Event at Belo - San Diego, CA
9/12 - Kandy Kruise - Los Angeles, CA
9/13 - Kandy Kruise - Los Angeles, CA
9/14 - Kandy Kruise - Los Angeles, CA
9/15 - Majestic Ventura Theater - Ventura, CA*
9/16 - Blush - Las Vegas, NV*
9/17 - The Grove - Anaheim, CA*
9/18 - Venue of Scottsdale - Scottsdale, AZ*
9/19 - Rialto Theatre - Tucson, AZ*
9/21 - Bluebird Theater- Denver, CO*
9/22 - Buffalo County Fairgrounds - Kearney NE*
9/23 - Cain's Ballroom - Tulsa, OK*
9/24 - Graham Central Station - St. Angelo, TX*
9/25 - Cine El Rey Theatre - McAllen, TX*
9/26 - SMU Southern Methodist University (DAY SHOW) - Dallas, TX*
9/26 - Ghost Bar - Dallas, TX*
9/27 - Riches - Houston, TX*
9/28 - Opening for Sean Kingston - Morro Bay, CA*
9/28 - Native Lounge (official after party) - Morro Bay, CA*
9/29 - Vicci - Austin, TX*
10/1 - Soul Kitchen - Mobile, AL
10/2 - Treemount Music Hall - Charlotte, NC
10/3 - Commonwealth University - Richmond, VA*
10/4 - Duke University - Duram, NC*
10/6 - Norva - Norfolk, VA*
10/7 - Crazy Donkey - Farmingdale, NY*
10/9 - The Stone Pony - Asbury Park, NJ*
10/10 - The Fountains - Delmar, MD*
10/11 - Santa Fe Cafe - College Park, MD*
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Shwayze Buzzin Moves To Fridays
Buzzin
- The MTV series all about Shwayze is moving to FRIDAYS at 7:30pm! Catch an all new episode this Friday Aug. 22nd! View a sneak peak of this week's action in the video clip below.
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Shwayze Shwayze Features Across The Web
Photo submitted by xbbyvicki to the Suretone Community
Click here to add your own photos and videos!
Shwayze
is getting a whole lotta love across the web! Check out a few great Shwayze features online below:
"Emerging Artist" on WindowsMedia.com [VIEW FEATURE]
AOL Music Homepage [VIEW FEATURE]
Imeem [VIEW FEATURE]
UMG YouTube Channel [VIEW FEATURE]
Alloy.com Interview [READ INTERVIEW]
Apple Quicktime Homepage [VIEW FEATURE]
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Shwayze Watch AOL's The DL Show: The Steaming Truth With Shwayze
Check out the hillarious Shwayze video from AOL's The DL Show : The Steaming Truth with Shwayze! Watch the video in the media section by clicking HERE
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Weezer 08/19/08 Impending Video Shoot! Troublemaker Instructions!
...People, the upcoming Troublemaker video shoot will be one for the history books, with all kinds of records to be broken and a huge amount of fan participation to make it all possible. We've gotten a huge response so far (heres the email address to write to try to get in: weezervideo@gmail.com) and things are looking very promising!
One of the many activities thats going on at the shoot is a Hootenanny, with hundreds of people playing "Troublemaker" with Weezer. So with that in mind, Brian got on camera to show those who are bearing instruments how to play the song! Check it out!
Digg | Del.icio.us | Facebook | | Comments (0)
Shwayze Show Us Your Shwayze Album!
Did you buy Shwayze's new album today? Submit a photo of yourself holding your new album to the Suretone Community and enter to win a super SUPER limited edition Shwayze 12" Vinyl!!!
The rules are simple:
1. Upload your photo to the "Show Us Your Shwayze Album" Category (click here to upload)
2. Have your friends and family vote for your photo.
3. The photo with the most votes wins!
Contest ends Sept 1st.
Click here to upload your photo and look at other submissions!
Ike's super stoked on his limited edition Shwayze vinyl. You could win a copy too!