There is a lot going on right now to satiate our hunger for more music, so why don’t you let MXDWN tell you what’s been going on?
Last weekend’s Pearl Jam Twenty Destination Weekend featured a superfluous amount of Pearl Jam hits from their past two decades of work, ripe with cameos and manic Twitter predictions, foreseeing a PJ join-up with Soundgarden front man Chris Cornell.
Rumors of Temple of the Dog reuniting surfaced via Twitter as early as the sound check and pre-show rehearsal, as fans tweeted that Cornell and the band was heard rehearsing classics such as “Reach Down,” and “Say Hello 2 Heaven.”
With cameos such as Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Glen Hansard, perhaps the fest’s most endearing and exciting performances amidst the Pearl Jam hits were the Temple of the Dog mini-sets, featuring Chris Cornell, and popping up right in the middle of each night’s show.
Two powerful forces have fused to bring us a more interactive way to buy tickets and share concert info. Ticketmaster, owned by LiveNation, has integrated Facebook into the ticket-buying experience. Last year Ticketmaster released interactive maps, allowing users to look at venues’ seating charts and see where friends and family were sitting.
After research proved that sharing ticket purchases online increased ticket sales, Ticketmaster and Facebook teamed up. The interactive maps can now be shared through Facebook, as users can share their concert location simply by logging into Facebook through the Ticketmaster interactive map page.
In the meantime, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) has launched a new website, axs.com, where the company will begin distributing their own tickets. In partner with Outbox Technology, AEG plans to reach their service out to over 100 concert venues by 2012.
PJ Harvey was awarded the British Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize Tuesday Night, making her the only recipient to have won the award twice, as she was awarded the Mercury in 2001 for Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. Ten years later, Harvey has proven that the Mercury Prize is still warm to her work. Although the Mercury Prize panel is infamous for choosing unknown albums over the years, fans felt Harvey’s second win for Let England Shake was a perfect decision on behalf of the panel.
What could possibly be the most bizarre collaboration you could conjure up? It’s hard to say, but Jack White recording a single with Insane Clown Posse ranks pretty high in terms of bizarreness. Set to release September 13th, White and the forceful Insane Clown Posse have created “Leck Mich Im Arse,” featuring a melody composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart circa 1782, hence the collaboration “two centuries in the making.” The single will be released on 7” vinyl through White’s label, Third Man Records, and digitally. With JEFF the Brotherhood contributing backing, the track is a peculiar mixture of genres, and thus far, the track has gotten mixed reviews from fans.
Last week Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips tweeted of an elusive 6-hour song the band was working on. As fans began to buzz about the crazy possibility, more information was released. Titled “Found a Star on the Ground,” the concept behind the band’s latest venture is a way to build proceeds.
That’s right – The Flaming Lips plan to build funds by charging $100 to fans. Anyone who donates (or pays, however you want to look at it) this fee will have their name included at an undetermined point in the song. All proceeds will benefit the Central Oklahoma Humane Society and the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Unplugging In Brief:
Ticketmaster Partners with Facebook; AEG Launches Axs – Now you can share your concert location with Facebook friends via Ticketmaster’s interactive maps; AEG starts new website, Axs.
PJ Harvey Awarded Mercury Music Prize – PJ Harvey awarded the Mercury for the second time, in honor of her latest album, Let England Shake.
Listen: Jack White and Insane Clown Posse Collaborate Over Mozart Melody – Jack White and Insane Clown Posse have created a track “two centuries in the making,” and it’s quite bizarre.
The Flaming Lips Release Details About Six-Hour Song – The Flaming Lips’ 6-hour song will raise money for an Oklahoma humane society and university.
* Lily Angelle, MXDWN
