… Rowland Faints nstage In Nigeria – News Story | Music…

The News Review:

- … Rowland Faints nstage In Nigeria – News Story | Music…
- The Grotesque King
- Smashing Pumpkins Focus on ‘Today’ At pening-Night Gig

… Rowland Faints nstage In Nigeria – News Story | Music…
MTV.com – Jul 16, 2007
Web radio stations that said they were facing certain death if new royalty rates kicked in as scheduled on July 15 got a stay of execution last week: Royalty collector SoundExchange agreed to hold off on implementing the new rates while negotiations continue BusinessWeek. The stations which say the much higher rates will force them out of business have already gotten at least one major concession with SoundExchange agreeing to cap a new minimum royalty rate at $50000 per station per year. This is instead of the $500 per music stream that was originally proposed which would have charged them that amount for each stream created by each user… Canadian metal act 3 Inches of Blood have hit a snag just one date into this summer’s zzfest. “We are unfortunately one member short” the band said in a statement. “[Frontman] Jamie Hooper has been experiencing problems with his voice and thus his ability to sing. Under the recommendation of doctors Jamie has been advised not to perform until his voice has healed. As a result Jamie will not be appearing with us on zzfest.

The Grotesque King
Sofia Echo – Jul 16, 2007
The show started a little after 7pm with a short set by local industrial act Alien Industry whose bass player is none other than Dimitur “Funky” Kovachev one of the founders of Sofia Music Enterprises the organisers of the event. I read nothing but praise for them in internet forums after the show but I failed to be impressed. After a brief pause gothic metal band Type Negative from Brooklyn took over the stage marching under the sounds of the parody of Kazakhstan’s anthem from the recent film Borat. They carried on with We Hate Everyone yet another mockingly cynical number where vocalist Peter Steele insisted that “we don’t care what you think”. Drummer Johnny Kelly managed to excite the audience by pointing a video camera towards the crowd (by the way he was swinging it though I don’t think he was really shooting). Steele had a brief digression with Deep Purple’s legendary Smoke on the Water riff. And those were the memorable moments… The speakers were blasting well-known hits by Dio Rage Against the Machine Pantera Blur and Prodigy which got the fans jumping singing moshing and headbanging. From my high position in the grandstand I engaged in more sophisticated journalistic activities such as observing: the non-dwindling line for beer several metres down the stands from me (never less than 30 people); the growing crowd in front of the stage (the audience eventually reached nearly 10 000); the first victim of excitement a young woman carried to the nearby ambulances; the illicit spectators on the roof of one of the neighbouring buildings; and the aircraft taking off from Sofia Airport (I wonder what the concert looked like from several hundred metres above ground). k I admit I did let my hair down to enjoy the music playing. And while I occupied some of my time with generously re-applying black eyeliner a friend sneered behind me “You’re too far he’s not gonna see you. ” Well him seeing me was not really the point anyway. Eventually 10 minutes past 9pm to the sound of thousands of voices shouting “Manson Manson” two red lights shone behind the curtain billows of smoke shrouded the venue a piano and cello duet as if played from an old record trailed sorrowfully and the screen fell. Realising that this is a cliche I will still say it: the crowd erupted.

Smashing Pumpkins Focus on ‘Today’ At pening-Night Gig
Rolling Stone – Jul 16, 2007
I think you are blinded by all the exposure Billy gets. The music of the original line up was a collaboration. James and D’arcy were there since the beginning of the band you don’t think they had input? You don’t think they had a style? They didn’t have to stand out as technically brilliant performers just like Billy’s voice didn’t have to stand out as technically brilliant. It was the combination of their individual styles that was magic. Why do you think Billy wanted them back so badly? Why do you think it’s been different ever since one element or another has been missing? — For those of you saying it’s not pumpkins. It’s very unfortunate that the band could no longer get along… It’s about time you and the others get off the wagon you got on in the MCIS era. Cobain and his two bandmates had much help from Pearl Jam Alice in Chains Soundgarden and other bands and singers at the time to wipe out hair metal. Nirvanna wasn’t the first band to bring alternative to the mainstream either as so many erroneously now claim. REM and the Pixies did that before anyone outside of Seattle’s city limits ever heard of Kurt Cobain. So did The Smiths in the 1980s to a lesser degree. Nirvanna just were lucky to have a big MTV hit that’s all.