Ryan Book, The Music Times

Latest from this author

  • Tech N9ne Annoucnes Tour Promoting New Album 'Special Effects'; Murs and Chris Webby Opening

    Tech N9ne will be releasing Special Effects during the first week of May, and although we haven't seen a tracklist yet, the Kansas City emcee has already booked a full list of tour dates. The rapper—joined by Murs, Chris Webby, King 810 (notable for being a metal band, not a hip-hop group), ZUSE and of course his buddy Krizz Kaliko—will cram nearly 50 dates into less than two months.

  • LaBelle's 'Lady Marmalade': 40 Years of Covers, from All Saints to Leona Lewis to Christina Aguilera, Pink and Lil Kim

    LaBelle and its one smash hit, "Lady Marmalade," went to no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 40 years ago, the last time that the group would reach that peak, and indeed, de facto frontwoman Patti LaBelle would only hit the spot once more, with "On My Own." The single gathered acclaim and notoriety (and continues to do so to this day), because of its racy French catcall: "Voulez-vous coucher aver moi (ce soir)?" or "Do you want to sleep with me (tonight)?" The track would only hold the no. 1 position for one week, but left enough of a lasting impact to land at no. 479 on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest songs of all time, and a score of covers, in its wake.

  • 'High Minded' and Low Bass: Tim Storms, Saint-Saëns and Enya Get Lower Than Hip-Hop and Dubstep Ever Could

    Bass gets a bad rap in music, usually seen as a destroyer of stereos or a noise complaint to the police waiting to happen. Two clever engineering students at George Mason University used the power of sub-bass to their advantage however, channeling its waves into an experimental rendition of fire extinguisher, using the low audio waves to put out fires. They weren't the first to incorporate sub-bass in a "high-minded" way. Hector Berlioz, Camille Saint-Saens and Enya are among our examples.

  • Freddie Mercury Movie: Sacha Baron Cohen WON'T Be Playing Queen Frontman, According to Brian May

    Queen guitarist Brian May revealed Sunday night to crestfallen film fans that Sacha Baron Cohen would not be playing frontman Freddie Mercury in a biopic after all, despite earlier reports that he had returned to the project. Multiple media outlets, including Music Times, were thrown for a loop when the band's manager, Jim Beach, reportedly reported the news. The longtime band member clarified that Beach's quote at the Artist & Management Awards in London was that Cohen would play "all four major roles," obviously a bit of jest that the original reporting outlet either failed to understand or ignored.

  • 7 Highest Priced Records on eBay Right Now: The Beatles, Elvis Presley and...Minor Threat?

    Jack White made headlines last week when he announced that he was the bidder who spent $300,000 for the acetate of Elvis Presley's original single, a 7" pressing from Sun Records featuring "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin," and that his label Third Man Records would be releasing copies of the recording for Record Store Day 2015. That inspired us to check out what the highest-priced albums on eBay were at the moment, and readers ate it up, so we've decided to try it again, looking at every LP priced at more than $1,000 on the online auction site at the moment, which included hot numbers from The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Minor Threat and more.

  • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Bracket Challenge Round 2: Vote Who Moves On...Nine Inch Nails, Green Day, N.W.A. and More

    Heavy hitters such as Nine Inch Nails, Green Day and N.W.A. have all moved on to the second round of Music Times' annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tournament. By combining the obsessive bracketology of March Madness with the annual naming of nominees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we allow you, the fans, to vote for nominees competitively, and therefore choose just one winner. Last year's champ was Peter Gabriel, who overtook KISS in the championship. Vote below and check back next week for the Final Four. Let's see who's left after the first round this year.

  • 'Liv and Maddie' Soundtrack Flies on Dove Cameron's Voice, if Not Disney's Understanding of Hip-Hop and EDM

    Society always celebrates the records that top the Billboard 200 album chart. Back of The Billboards is a Music Times weekly segment that looks at the opposite end: the new record that finished closest to the back of the Billboard 200 for the previous week. We hope to give a fighting chance to the bands you haven't heard of. This week we look at 'Liv and Maddie,' the soundtrack album for the Disney show of the same title, featuring the vocals of star Dove Cameron.

  • Duran Duran Taps Mark Ronson, Janelle Monae, Kiesza, Nile Rodgers and More for 2015 Release

    Duran Duran has confirmed its new album is completed, declaring that the yet untitled album will drop during September, if all goes according to schedule. The new set will come with loads of additional talent, including Janelle Monáe, Mark Ronson, Kiesza, former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, Mr. Hudson and Nile Rodgers—the Chic guitarist who helped Daft Punk to acclaim on Random Access Memories.

  • Ozzy Osbourne Cancels Mexican Ozzfiesta Due to Unspecified Surgery; Will Still Play Monsters of Rock Dates

    Ozzy Osbourne fans and early vacationers were disappointed to learn that the vocalist had cancelled his Ozzfiesta event at Riviera Maya in Mexico due to an unspecified surgery. Cool Breeze, promoters for the event, posted an announcement on the gig's site indicating that Osbourne would undergo the mystery treatment following his May 2 concert at the Monsters of Rock Festival in Buenos Aires and would require at least four weeks to recover, thus leading to the cancellation of the May 27 Ozzfiesta.
View More
Festivals
Popular Now
Real Time Analytics