Hot Music Beat

London based band Rushmore have recently announced support dates for James Morrison. The events will take place in June and July and will also promote their debut single “River of Gold” on July 2nd. Rushmore appears on the stage as being different. They can be compared with Magic Numbers or Everly Brothers and their music has been described as classic for a modern age. Weather the band will be successful or not is yet to be seen but critics consider this group to have potential and they already have an impressive number of fans so far. Tour dates are as follow:

June:
Fri 22 – Pickering, Dalbury Forest
Sat 23 – Staffordshire, Cannock Chase Forest
Fri 29 – Edwinstowe, Sherwood Pines

July:
Sun 1 – Westonbirt Forest
Mon 2 – Cornwall, Eden Project
Wed 4 – Isle of Mann, Villa Marina
Wed 11 – Liverpool, Summer Pop
Fri 13 – London, Tower of London

The entire upcoming UK Boy George tour was cancelled. It should have begun on October 2 in Clyde’s Auditorium but fans will not care about this for sure. The official statement was:

“It is with regret that Boy George’s October live dates will be cancelled until further notice. This is due to various other “last minute” commitments which unfortunately now clash with the UK dates. George would like to personally apologize to his fans and hopes to see you again very soon. Thank you for you continued support.”

On the other hand his European DJ tour will go ahead without any changes. August 24 is the first date. Boy George will mix it at Turnmills in London. Ticket holders are expected at the point of their purchase for a complete refund.

The winner of the 2007 Shortlist Music Prize has been announced. Cat Power’s album (“The Greatest”) is the one chosen this year. The band defeated a high competition including Regina Spektor, Joanna Newsom, Hot Chip, Girl Talk, Tom Waits, Spank Rock, Bonnie Prince Billy, Band of Horses and Beirut.

Last year “The Greatest” debuted as No. 34 on The Billboard 200. It had the edge because of being recorded with many veteran session musicians and thanks to winning the Shortlist Music Prize the album is now featured in a special iTunes promotion. Previous winners have been very successful. Since 2001 the list has been honored by N.E.R.D, Sigur Ros, Damien Rice and TV On The Radio. We now need to wait and see what happens with Cat Power. Specialists loved it so we have to wait for the public’s reaction.

Success is a word that best characterizes Kenny Chesney’s career and it looks like he plans for things to remain the same. His next studio album will be called “Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates” and it will be released at a date that is still not known. Kenny is currently touring, working hard in the middle of his “Flip-Flop” series of events. Inside sources say that whenever he gets some time off he works on the album for the final touches. This means that the album is almost over and the new single has already been launched. “Never Wanted Nothing More” debuted the Hot Shot Debut at number 37 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. We need to keep an eye on Chesney. If he gets things done his popularity might even become the biggest of all country singers ever according to critics.

Isaac Slade, frontman for The Fray, says he hasn’t decided whether he wants to inherit a $15 million English mansion from Sir Benjamin Slade, a 60-year-old aristocrat who may be a distant relative.
Slade, who has no children, is looking for an heir for the 150-acre estate, Maunsel House, located 140 miles west of London. The 13th-century mansion boasts three lakes, a ballroom and hundreds of cattle.
The Denver-based rocker, who contacted his namesake, said he and his wife, Anna, had visited Slade and his wife at their estate.
“We had a wonderful couple of days with Ben and Kirsty, who were amazing hosts”, he said in a statement this week. “For now, we’re all just getting to know each other.”
The Fray also includes Joe King, Ben Wysocki and Dave Welsh. Epic Records released the band’s debut album, “How to Save a Life” in 2005.
Benjamin Slade launched a well-publicized search for heirs because the estate faced an uncertain future.
“All my relatives in England have their own large houses and had no interest in taking on another place”, he said.
He said many of his ancestors left England in the mid-17th century, some running plantations in North Carolina. An Arkansas-based society lists 5,000 Slades in the United States, he said.
Benjamin Slade said he had no firm links to the musician but planned further research to examine their lineage.
“We’re trying to check our family trees at the moment”, he said.

With all the uproar going on with Paris, someone else proved that it is possible for a celebrity to bow out of jail time when it comes to a traffic violation without causing a frenzy. Not in the US though.

George Michael has been sentenced to do 100 hours of community service within the next year and banned from driving for the next two years after the singer pleaded to a no contest to a charge of being unfit to drive. The singer also had to pay a fine of $4,622. He will not have to serve any time in lockup.

Actually, when you think about it, it’s just about right that he’s not getting jail time. George was charged of being unfit to drive while Paris violated her probation on an existing charge. It’s all about learning.

Poverty campaigner Bob Geldof has condemned leaders of the G8 nations for coming up with a deal on Africa which he says is a “farce”. At a joint press conference with fellow rock star and Live8 organiser, Bono, Mr Geldof said: “When richer nations so flagrantly view pledges as disposable, if they become too inconvenient, their ability to urge the leaders of the poorest countries to stick with difficult changes is much reduced. His comments underline the true facts of the developed nations. They just want rules that favor them and are least concerned about the state in which the people of these poor countries are living in. We should really respect celebrity people like Bob in their efforts as world is in need of people who really want to make a difference in the world. He praised Tony Blair, who he said had “gone down all guns blazing” in an effort to get the eight nations to deliver on previous aid commitments.

“Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple is one of the first songs a guitarists learns how to play. The popular riff brings back many memories to players around the world and this is why this track was chosen for a record breaking situation. More than 1,680 guitar players appeared and sung a rendition of “Smoke on the Water” at the same time.

The previous record was of 1,323 people playing the same song in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994. Everybody was ecstatic and there were even individuals that came from far away to take part in the event. Autumn McPHerson, a senior at the University of Kansas stated:

“It was cool to see little kids playing, people who had been playing for their whole lives, like older people, and then I’m sure there were people like me who just picked up the song a couple days before.”

Deep Purple still lives on and the 70s hit “Smoke on the Water” is still very common today together with other huge hits like “Child in Time”.

As if getting sponsors to Gwen Stefani’s tour to back out wasn’t enough, Akon has done did it again. In a move that made Gwen completely regret asking Akon to tour with her, the rapper is now under police investigation.

During his performance at the KFEST radio concert in NY, a kid threw something at Akon which apparently angered the singer. Akon then asked bodyguards to find the kid and bring him on stage. In front of thousands, Akon humiliated the boy and forcibly threw him into the audience. The police are now looking for the kid and to find out if it could be deemed a criminal offense.

Uh, he threw the kid off the stage after what could probably be a badly aimed shot. The kid could be injured. Why would it not be a criminal offense? I think Akon needs therapy.

John Pike, 22 year old drummer for rock band Ra Ra Riot, was found dead this weekend in Massachusetts. This followed his disappearance after a party on June 2 in Fairhaven. The waters of Buzzard’s Bay were his grave. Police found Pike’s body in a location just a mile away from where the party was held. The night before that Ra Ra Riot performed at the Living Room.

No official statement is available at the moment and the exact conditions of his death are yet to be known. The band did not state anything concerning their planned shows and there is a big possibility concerts will be canceled.

Some short time ago Enrique Iglesias stepped up and announced the official split with the lovely Anna Kournikova. Everybody was sad and nobody really understood what happened as the couple seemed as one the cutest and most loving paparazzi can follow. Now everything gets turned around by the same Latino lover singer. He said that:

“It is the first serious relationship I’ve had in my life.”

Enrique Iglesias fooled everybody. He was actually joking. The singer and the model are still together and this has to be one of the best pranks played by celebrities so far this year. Iglesias Jr. was joking and the fantasies of thousands of men were shattered in a second.

Kylie Minogue is definitely a great example of dedication and strength. She came back from breast cancer and is also scheduled to release a new album soon. Meanwhile a documentary that was filmed around her comeback is also to appear on television later this year. It will be called “White Diamond” and was shot by William Baker. Fans were told that this documentary will have a lot of inside footage, many interesting moments (both funny and tearful) and a whole lot more. Kylie Minogue said:

“A couple of my new tracks, including ‘I’m Hip’ and ‘You Are There,’ are featured on the soundtrack to the documentary, White Diamond, which was made in the lead up to and during the ‘Showgirl Homecoming’ tour. William Baker directed this two-hour film, in which there are many funny and many tearful moments. I have to admit I was a little nervous to work on such a revealing project and I did pull the plug several times, but due to Willie’s persistence it is now almost finished. It gives a great insight into the world of touring and the touring family.”

No official release dates have been provided for White Diamond or Kylie’s new album. Fans are anxious and so am I.

The sixth “American Idol”, Jordin Sparks, is preparing for her album recording days. Until that time she has a different problem. Everything is crazy around her and this seems to bug her a little. She said that:

“This is so intense. It’s crazy. I haven’t been home yet since I won. I was in L.A. and then New York, and now I’ll finally get to go home and spend some time with my friends. I hope.”

Well Jordin, maybe it is time to wake up! You wanted to be an Idol and now you are. Sparks even has a deadline set for her debut album. This means that it is already time to start thinking about who to work with when it comes to collaborations. Jording did say she wants to have a duet with Chris Brown or Mario. The real problem is that the deadline mentioned above is Thanksgiving so from now on she will have to work real hard, write and record like crazy. She wanted to be a star, now she is!

Singer Justin Timberlake has launched his own record label, Tennman Records. The 26 year music star and movie star, is aiming to add another glittering line to his resume—star maker. The pop singer will sign artists and release their music through a new record label he’s heading that’s a joint venture with Universal Music Group’s Interscope Geffen A&M label group. He will be the chairman and the CEO of his Los Angeles based Label. These Music star have great resources at their disposal and can create new stars over night. Justin is obviously a great star and his first two solo albums 2002’s “Justified” and last year’s “FutureSex/LoveSounds”—have sold more than 13 million copies combined. We wish Justin all the luck in his new endeavor and we just want good music that can show to the world that he has great music instincts as well