The alternative music act Devo, best known for its 1980 hit “Whip It,” is pioneering a new method to help win fan approval. It is asking them what they want to hear.
Singer and co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh told Reuters Television that the U.S. band’s first album for 20 years — “Something for Everybody” — was shaped through an online campaign which asked fans for their opinions.
“We thought people understood us enough to make observations which could be really important,” he said.
The resulting disc bears a promotional sticker that reads “88 percent focus group approved.”
Fans helped whittle a selection of 16 songs down to 12 which appear on the album, selected the new color for the band’s trademark flower pot hats (blue rather than red) and even issued decisive advice on the cover art.
“The focus group liked the picture of the woman eating a piece of candy in the shape of a Devo hat,” Mothersbaugh said The campaign was devised by U.S. advertising agency Mother.
“People nowadays really don’t like surprises,” Mother creative director Bill Moulton told Reuters. “They look at surprise as something negative, as something scary.”
Forrester Research media analyst Mark Mulligan said the band’s approach made sense in an era where fewer fans were buying music.
“The relationship between fans and artists is much closer than it was before and will continue to become closer, and that’s simply because the role of record labels cannot be relied upon as a guarantee of success anymore,” Mulligan said.
Devo frontman Mothersbaugh said the band’s focus group strategy is also meant as a statement in itself.
“We were doing it both for real and also kind of a little bit as a joke, poking fun at pop culture.”
Until next time keep rockin’
The 0800 Jukebox crew.
Share
Two years after his first visit, Jack Johnson will once again be at the TSB Bowl of Brooklands with a new album under his belt, and a back catalogue of hits spanning his multi-platinum selling albums “Brushfire Fairytales”, “On and On”, “In Between Dreams” and “Sleep Through The Static”.
Performing such classics as “Inaudible Melodies”, “Sitting Waiting Wishing”, “Flake”, “Taylor”, and “Times Like These”, alongside his latest hit “You And Your Heart” Jack brings in tow his ever faithful travelling companions, and will be touring once again with long time band members Adam Topol (drums), Merlo Podlewski (bass) and Zach Gill (keys).
After selling an astonishing 18 million records worldwide, Jack Johnson, is set to release his fifth studio album – the aptly titled “To The Sea” – produced by Robert Carranza, and Jack Johnson, which also features guest appearances from long time collaborator and friend G. Love, and Paula Fuga. The first taster from the record comes in the shape of single and first track on the album “You And Your Heart” – a beautiful, melodic slice of acoustic bliss, that is indicative of – and perfectly introduces – “To The Sea”, to Jack’s ever faithful, and ever growing audience.
As with his last world tour in 2008, and in a continuing effort to acknowledge and support the important work that non-profit groups are doing in communities across the planet, Jack Johnson’s 2010 world tour is reaching out to groups who are activating positive change in the realms of water quality, community and school gardens, land preservation, environmental education and more. Jack Johnson has again engaged a number of these organisations to be present at his Australian shows to raise awareness of their objectives.
100 per cent of Jack Johnson’s 2008 tour profits were used to establish the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation, an endowment founded by Jack and Kim Johnson to support environmental, art and music education now and into the future. This initiative is building upon his philanthropic efforts, and Jack Johnson will once again donate 100 per cent of his 2010 world tour profits to support the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation and will offer direct and matching donations to All At Once partner non-profits.
http://www.newplymouthnz.com/VisitingNewPlymouth/MajorEvents/JackJohnsonConcert.htm
Until next time keep rockin’
The 0800 Jukebox crew.
Share
As hard as it is to believe Shihad have been strutting their stuff for near on twenty one years now. Never ones to waste an opportunity to party, the boys will be playing two intimate shows but only in Sydney and Melbourne to celebrate.
To ensure that these gigs are extra special Jon Toogood and co will play two of the band’s most iconic albums – Killjoy and The General Electric – back to back, giving us all an excuse to re-discover the joy of wearing cargo shorts at night.
Ten premium tickets will also be available to each show, allowing the ticket holder to meet the band and take home an exclusive limited edition screen printed and individually signed poster.
With their eighth studio album due for release this September, there may just be another twenty-one years to come from Shihad.
Dust off the Vans and celebrate Shihad turning twenty-one at the following gis:
Friday 13th August playing KILLJOY – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
Saturday 14th August playing THE GENERAL ELECTRIC – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
Friday 20th August playing KILLJOY – The Annandale Hotel, Sydney
Saturday 21st August playing THE GENERAL ELECTRIC – The Annandale Hotel, Sydney
http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/local/23757/Shihad-turn-twenty-one.htm
Until next time keep rockin’
The 0800 Jukebox crew.
Share
Tiki Taane’s song Always On My Mind was a hit locally – and it could become an international hit too thanks to its inclusion on console karaoke game Sing Star.
“They just sent me an email – I had a read through and said, ‘Yeah, I’m keen as,” Taane said about his 2008 hit, which climbed to the top of the charts in New Zealand and sold more than 30,000 copies. The track, from his solo debut album Past, Present, Future, will be available on Sing Star for the next 10 years – as well as being converted into different languages for versions of the game in foreign countries.
“I don’t play PlayStation or Xbox or any of that stuff, although I did play Sing Star once at a mate’s house party,” he said. “I mean I love playing video games, but it makes me scared ‘cos I’d spend days and days on it but I’ve got a business to run and I’ve got a record to make, and man if I started playing video games it’d be all over.”
When asked if he got tired of being asked to play Always On My Mind he said: “No way man”.
“That one song has made everything I have ever worked for over the past 18 years happen. I have been working really hard for that one song and all of a sudden it’s blown up.
“So I’ll play it any time anyone wants to hear it. It’s affected other people too, it’s touched others so I can’t hate that song – it has given me such an amazing life and everything’s really cool”.
Taane said his life had changed a lot since he toured as the front man of dub act Salmonella Dub.
He refers to himself as a businessman who owns his own music, art, record label and publishing rights. He now has control and doesn’t have to conform to a major label. “I’m this tattooed Maori boy who’s a bit rough around the edges and I walk into this corporate world and I’m walking away on top. There are people who don’t see the full picture.
“You know I should be getting high fives and pats on the back for that because I’m representing the underground the underdogs who are slaving away and struggling and have been slaving away for years. And finally I get to peek up and play ball with the big guys.”So these people who say I’m selling out, I find it ridiculous because they don’t know the history of myself, I’ve worked really hard for this”.
Until next time keep rockin’
The 0800 Jukebox crew.
Share
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/3683087/Waititi-releases-new-remixed-Poi-E-video
Filmmaker Taika Waititi says he’s pleased with the response to his remade version of the Poi E video as he seeks to put the song back on top of the charts by Christmas.
“It’s great to see a NZ classic get another chance in the charts”.
The popular Patea Maori Club song, originally recorded in 1983, has shot back to prominence after featuring in Waititi’s smash-hit film Boy. Written by linguist Ngoi Pewhairangi and Dalvanius Prime, the song dominated the New Zealand music charts for 22 weeks, including four weeks at number one in 1984.
It briefly re-entered the charts last year following a Vodafone promotion and is the only Kiwi song to chart over three decades. Poi E was an accidental hit in its time. After failing to garner interest from record labels or commercial radio, an appearance on the television show Eye Witness saw its popularity soar. The new version combines scenes from the original with scenes from Boy.
“It’s nothing amazing, I cut it together in a day … It’s hard to do something too different with limited material but I think it captures the soul of the film and it’s pretty fun to watch.”
Waititi tweeted on Saturday night that he was putting the finishing touches on the new version.
He had earlier written: “I do declare! After 26 years the song Poi E (from Boy) is now back in the NZ top 40! Let’s try and get it to #1 by Christmas!”
His bid has drawn widespread publicity, with a Facebook group drawing well over 2000 fans and a Twitter account both dedicated to the bid.
A re-enactment of the Poi E dance in Wellington’s Manners Mall is being organised by GSL Network, the company that made the website for Boy. The time and date for the mass-dance has not yet been released. Poi E appeared to run out of puff this week after it dropped to 22nd place on the Official New Zealand music chart, released today. It had previously peaked at number 19. Dalvanius Prime’s family had earlier said they welcomed the song’s new found success and hoped to set up a trust in his name to help promote Maori music.
Until next time keep rockin’
The 0800 Jukebox crew.
Share
A second Metallica concert was announced today and both events take place at Auckland’s Vector Arena, on October 13 and 14.
A media release from de Launay Enterprises exclaims: “Due to an overwhelming demand during the current pre-sale period, second shows have been added to Metallica’s long awaited World Magnetic Tour of New Zealand and Australia!”
All Kiwi Metallica fans will have to travel to Auckland if they want to see the band play in New Zealand this year.
The concerts are promised to last more than two hours each and will feature material drawn from throughout Metallica’s career, on a custom built stage and with their full world tour production.
Tickets go on general sale Thursday May 13 with pre-sales said to be running now.
Until next time keep rockin’
The 0800 Jukebox crew.
Share
http://www.3news.co.nz/Metallica-announce-second-Auckland-show/tabid/418/articleID/154984/Default.aspx
Playing this invisible instrument is not easy. But here in New Plymouth, we have a champion. Ben Greaney, 24, has won the air guitar national championship twice, the second time last weekend beating nine others.
Usually competitors have to qualify for the nationals by winning a regional final, but New Plymouth didn’t have a competition this year. It was cancelled for some reason.
“So I managed to get a wild card straight to the final because of my past accomplishments.”
There was no big cheque for the winner. Playing the air guitar has not been a lucrative career for him, he says. And, unlike in 2006, he didn’t win tickets to the worlds in Finland in August.
The rules changed. The prize was flights to and accommodation in Canberra to compete in the Australian air guitar championships. The winner of that wins air tickets and accommodation for the worlds.
2010 New Zealand (NZ) Champ: ‘Ben Greaney’ aka ‘The HellmuTT Experience’.
Age: 24 / eternal. Occupation: unemployed / free spirit. Preferred playing hand: Right.
Free Round song: ‘Power To Love’ by ‘Jimi Hendrix’.
Air Guitar Style: face melting watchamacallit
Musical influences: Psycodelic rock blues
Rock quote: ‘Even though you can’t experience and enjoy the pleasure of being hellmuTT, you can still enjoy the pleasure of the hellmuTT experience.’
There might be two Ben Greaneys. There is the quiet Greaney, who is shy when it comes to talking about himself. He works doing “heaps of different things” at an aluminium place in Bell Block and wears jeans and a T-shirt with Guinness written across the front. He has a bit of rocker look going on, with shoulder-length unruly blond curls and bit of facial hair.
And then there is the other Ben Greaney, the one who rocks to Jimi Hendrix and Angus Young wearing bright yellow and black tie-dyed tights, big furry boots and a colourful shirt.
The one who calls himself The Helmutt Experience.
He is not entirely sure, so he reckons, about how the name came into being. It had something to do with having a few drinks and wearing a beer box on his head.
Knowing how to play an actual guitar, helps in playing the air guitar, he says. It helps him play in time to the music.
Some people ask him why doesn’t he play the real guitar.
“They say, You don’t have any skills compared to someone or other who plays the guitar.”
But, he says, he has a whole different skill set.
Greaney has come full circle in his air guitar career, having gone back to what he was doing originally. And he did a riff off last weekend, which he had never done before.
A riff off is where the competition ends in a tie and the finalists go on stage together and play to music they haven’t heard before.
http://www.airguitaraustralia.com/AAGC.htm
http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/features/3672783/Airhead
Until next time keep rockin’
The 0800 Jukebox crew.
Share
Trent Reznor has unveiled initial details of a new band outside of Nine Inch Nails, “How To Destroy Angels”
Nine Inch Nails gave up playing live following a show in Los Angeles last September, and now frontman Reznor has revealed that he has formed a new group called How To Destroy Angels. But the rocker assured fans, “NIN is not dead and I am about to work on some material that I believe will be quite different than previous NIN very soon.”
Reznor is joined by his wife Mariqueen Maandig for the project.
The pair have posted up videos featuring snippets of new music at Howtodestroyangels.com. They are expected to release material this summer – having posted up the message “Self-titled six-track EP out this summer. Exact date TBA”.
Until next time keep rockin’
The 0800 Jukebox crew.
Share
G-TARanaki is back and the biggest news this year is that Slash, considered to be one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time will headline G-TARanaki International Music Week 2010. 11th-15th August 2010
The former lead guitarist of Guns N’ Roses, who also formed supergroup Velvet Revolver, has performed with the likes of Michael Jackson, AC/DC and more recently collaborated with Fergie, Iggy Pop, Ozzy Osbourne and Chris Cornell for his newly released self-titled solo album. Slash will perform in concert on Saturday (14 August 2010) night at TSB Stadium and also in the Saturday night Midnight Session at Puke Ariki, New Plymouth. G-TARanaki will be the only opportunity for fans to see Slash this year in New Zealand.
Tickets will be on sale at Ticketmaster – from Monday 31 May 2010.
Until next time keep rockin’
The 0800 Jukebox crew.
Share