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Nirvana Member Quits Music! |
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To a vast audience of Nirvana fans, Krist Novoselic was part of a moment in music history that spawned an empire of flannel-wearing, longhaired, apathetic grunge rock bands. But almost a decade after his immense success with Nirvana, the bassist feels that he's rather lost touch with the music industry and calls it quits. “I can't deal. I can't read the magazines, listen to the radio or watch music television without feeling like I've just come in from outer space,” Novoselic told MTV. In the wake of the two projects he has worked on since Nirvana (Sweet 75, Eyes Adrift) the bassist departs from the music industry, leaving his accomplishments in music to be written off as something of the past.
“My lot in life is that every band I've ever been in just falls apart,” explains Novoselic of his divorce from the industry that made him, alongside Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl, rock icons. For Novoselic, it wasn't so much becoming a rock icon but rather a typecast musician and songwriter that led to two minimally successful projects (heavy with the tension of musical difference) and disinterest from industry executives.
After the breakup of Nirvana in 1994, Novoselic decided to focus his efforts on Seattle-based politics, keeping music as a hobby on the side in which to dabble every now and again. He was financially secure enough to not have to worry about fame and success, but shortly after his stint in politics, he returned to rock music and took musical chances with a new band, Sweet 75. The band released its debut record in 1995 and briefly toured, but received little attention or praise. Musical differences eventually dissolved the band in the late '90s and in early 2000, Novoselic formed Eyes Adrift, an acoustic, country rock combo that had even less pay off than his previous efforts. Collaborators of Eyes Adrift included Meat Puppets guitarist Curt Kirkwood and Sublime drummer Bud Gaugh. Though much time and effort from all three collaborators went into the production of Eyes Adrift, it seemed to audiences and industry executives that Novoselic just wasn't rocking like he did in Nirvana.
“Nirvana stuff only goes so far for myself,” Novoselic explained in an MTV interview. “I was in the band and I made the music, but life goes on, and people change and they get older.” People certainly do change, and after Cobain's suicide and the breakup of Nirvana, it was drummer-turned-frontman Dave Grohl's turn to shine with his new band Foo Fighters. Novoselic's efforts were inevitably dwarfed in comparison with Cobain's and Grohl's mastery of songwriting and performance. It was clear that he did not have as strong a command for writing catchy rock numbers as his former bandmates, a view that Novoselic might have avoided had he joined another rock project rather than going solo and against the mainstream.
Perhaps it was the audience so touched and influenced by Nirvana that refused to grow older with him, thus rejecting his band Sweet 75, and the even less successful Eyes Adrift. Expecting Novoselic to be the rock performer he once was with Nirvana (who can forget when he gave himself a concussion live on MTV by throwing his bass in the air and catching it with his head), audiences and executives alike rejected his project Eyes Adrift which focused mainly on meandering and drawn-out acoustic arrangements that simply did not kick out the jams.
“I just don't get it, and I probably never did,” Novoselic confesses as he bids the music industry a fond adieux. Whether he sells millions of Nirvana records worldwide or produces records that fans aren't even ready to hear, one thing's for sure: the mark Krist Novoselic made on audiences, the music industry and music history will last a long, long time. Teenage angst has paid off well, and as the once bassist moves on and grows a little older, maybe it's time for us all to grow a little bit older (and wiser), too.
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Coldplay go away - but they'll be back |
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COLDPLAY frontman CHRIS MARTIN has told NME.COM the band are disappearing for a while because "we've got to reinvent the wheel".
The band completed a gruelling 18-month world tour at the V Festival earlier last month (August16/17), and are now going to get straight to work on the follow-up to 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head' away from the public eye.
Martin said: "We’ve got to reinvent the wheel, basically. I think we have to hide away and get out of people’s faces and cook things up again. We’re not going to take any time off, we’re just going to be working, working, working, like the mole in 'Wind In The Willows'! V Festival is going to be the death of soft rock."
Guitarist Jonny Buckland added: "I agree with Chris. It is the end of an era for the band. We've taken our songs as far as they can go and it's time for something different. I don't know where what we're going to do. It's hard when you've been touring for 16 months. Don't get me wrong - I love touring, but I just want to stay in a place for longer than a couple of days."
Of the new songs the band has been playing - 'World Turned Upside Down' and ‘Poor Me’, Martin said: "One of them's shit, one of them's good. We're going to dump the shit one but keep the good one."
Before they get their time off, the band will make a trip to South America for a handful of gigs in Brazil and Mexico, and Martin will do some charity work for Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair campaign.
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S Club Tina's stalker jailed |
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A 40 year-old man who stalked Tina from S Club for months, bombarding her with a string of threatening e-mails and letters, has been jailed for six months.
The court heard how Steven Hindley spent thousands of pounds on gifts for Tina but his harmless messages soon turned bizarre and sinister.
He sent one e-mail, telling the star he was going to hack her to death.
His defence claimed he was a lonely man who suffered from a form of autism which meant he simply couldn't understand that what he was doing was wrong.
But the son of a doctor was sent to prison for harassing the star and also for possessing and making indecent images of children.
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Floetry at Lady of Soul |
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The duo behind the hit single "Say Yes" scored the most honors at the 2003 Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. The British-born, Philly-based neo-soul group nabbed trophies for Best Single for the song, Best Album for a group for Floetic and Best New Group.
After winning their awards, Floetry's Natalie Stewart and Marsha Ambrosius told Launch Radio Network they were thrilled with their win.
"[We] feel great," said Stewart. "We wanted to win," added Ambrosius.
Joining the newbie twosome for soulful glory was fellow newcomer Heather Headley and seasoned rapper Missy Elliot.
Headly, an up-and-coming R&B sensation previously best known for her work in Broadway's The Lion King and Aida, took Best New Solo Artist for her hit "He Is," as well as a Best Solo Album nod for her debut album This Is Who I Am. Elliott added some hip-hop flava to the mix, scoring props for Best Song and Best Video for her catchy hit "Work It."
Elliott didn't make it to the show due to work duties, but Headley was their to collect her hardware and serving as one of the show's cohosts, along along with former E! Talk Soup host Aisha Tyler, funny guy Arsenio Hall and hunky actor-singer Tyrese.
And Headley seemed a bit surprised by her victory. "I don't call it work," she said upon accepting an award. "I get up in the morning, I shower, and I sing. It's how I talk to God--I communicate with him in music. So for somebody to give an award to me for doing that, I'm like, okay, you know. But I'm very very honored."
The top trophy, the Aretha Franklin Award for Entertainer of the Year, was handed out to Erykah Badu. The songbird also took home the award for Best Solo Single for "Love of my Life."
Badu's selection this year was decidedly less controversial than the 2002 props. Last year, fans worked themselves into a tizzy over the choice of 22-year-old Ashanti as the Entertainer of the Year (many thought she was too young and unproven) on the strength of just one album.
With the award, Badu joins an elite roster of past winners that includes Mariah Carey, TLC and Toni Braxton.
Other top ladies of soul included Dorinda Clark-Cole for Best Gospel Album and actress Vivica A. Fox, who was tapped as the 2003 Lena Horne Award winner for career achievement.
The ninth annual Lady of Soul Awards, created specifically to honor the accomplishments of female recording artists, was held Saturday at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
Winners were selected by a panel of radio programmers, active recording artists and key retail personnel, according to Soul Train officials.
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Legendary Benson fan of Robbie |
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Robbie Williams can clock up a superstar name to his fan base. Legendary guitarist George Benson admits he is right into what Robbie does.
"I have not heard a lot of the rock genre but I will tell you what knocked me out. I was in Holland and went to a Robbie Williams concert" George tells Undercover News. "There were 50,000 people there. That was an eye-opener and he put on a great show. There were some learning experiences there about the new mentality, where people are today and the simplicity of it. Robbie is a master of it. I really enjoyed myself at that concert".
George Benson, who this year clocks up his 40th anniversary since the release of his first album, is probably the last person you would expect to find at a Robbie Williams concert. "One of my fans who had been at one of my concerts a few days before said they had tickets to one of his concerts" he says. "I had heard his name but didn't know what he did. I don't live in England or in Europe. I knew he had signed a contract for $80m. Well somebody loves him. Somebody loves him and there is a reason why. People don't pay that kind of attention to someone who doesn't have great talent. I was happy she took me to the concert and we ended up seeing a great show. It was really fantastic"
Benson has sold millions of records by himself over his 40 year career. The first major seller was the low priority jazz release 'Breezin' in 1977. "That record has now sold over 10 million worldwide" George says proudly.
He has just had a Top 3 album in the UK with 'The Greatest Hits Of All' featuring his best known songs like 'Give Me The Night', 'On Broadway' and 'The Greatest Love Of All'. The album will be released in Australia by Warner Music in September.
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Another Minogue hits the US |
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Dannii Minogue has targeted the USA for her next conquest and will be concentrating her promotional efforts in the region over coming months to hopefully grab a slice of the market her sister Kylie has already broken into.
Dannii will be in the USA for a 9 day promotional tour in September. On September 24 she will perform at the Billboard Dance Summit in New York.
She recently spent 10 days in Canada on promotion and then spent a day at a photoshoot for her 2004 calendar. Her next single 'Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling' (played by Star Radio since early August) will be released in France in September with new art work and she is scheduled to perform at the Kids Disney Awards in the UK later next month.
Dannii's album 'Neon Nights' will be released in the USA by London / Sire.
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Destiny's Child are destined to remain a trio after all |
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Despite manager Mathew Knowles' suggestion in June that his other daughter, Solange, was joining the group, Beyoncé said recently it's not happening.
"The Solange rumor is definitely a rumor," Beyoncé said. "She's not going to be a member of Destiny's Child."
"She's a Solo Star," Kelly Rowland added, name-dropping the younger Knowles' debut album.
Destiny's Child, however, are still planning to reconvene in a studio early next year.
"We were talking today about what we're going to do when we get back together — the sound, the look — which is really exciting," Beyoncé said recently before a performance in Jamaica with the group. "We've all grown so much ... it's going to be incredible. Hopefully we'll own next summer."
In the meantime, Beyoncé is planning a solo tour, although her idea is to not hit the road alone.
"Every R&B singer out there, all the divas taking over this summer — Monica, Mary J. [Blige] — I want us all to get together," Beyoncé said. No plans, however, have been finalized.
Beyoncé has also released her new single, "Baby Boy," a collaboration with dancehall star Sean Paul.
With Beyoncé promoting Dangerously in Love and Michelle Williams working on her second solo album, Rowland has been able to further her film career past the hit "Freddy Vs. Jason." For her next foray, she will star in "Seat Filler" with co-writer Duane Martin ("Scream 2," "Any Given Sunday")
"Mel B from the Spice Girls actually plays my best friend," Rowland revealed. "Next week we shoot some of the most personal scenes, so I'm excited."
After "Freddy Vs. Jason," Rowland is comfortable acting; it's her first solo tour — in the U.K. in September — that has her nervous. "Before I step foot on the stage by myself, I get emotional and I want to cry," she said. "I don't like performing by myself. Luckily, I have a lot of dancers."
When Rowland does embark on the outing, she can count on having a few friends cheering her on.
"If one of us gets an opportunity, we all support it," Beyoncé said of the various Destiny's Child solo projects. "Society does not want to accept women supporting each other, but hopefully we can change that and show it can be genuine."
As for Solange, instead of joining Destiny's Child, she's recording her second record and recently finished her first film, "Johnson Family Vacation" with Cedric the Entertainer, Vanessa Williams and Bow Wow.
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