Who Will Be the New Singer of Velvet Revolver?

So Jimmy Gnecco of Ours was rumored to be the new singer of Velvet Revolver, but apparently that is off now. Duff McKagan swears Velvet Revolver will have a new singer by the end of the year, but the last time I looked at the calendar it was November... and time is ticking.

I'm not sure what the deal is with Velvet Revolver. Either it's really hard for the guys in the band to replace Weiland, or Slash and Company have impossible expectations.

I keep thinking Velvet Revolver will get it together soon and release a new album. Can you imagine if the band really did pick a new singer and record something fast? Velvet Revolver could theoretically be available for the summer festival season. I'd love to see them. At least, I think. A new singer will essentially make the band brand new again. Let's hope the band makes the right choice when it comes to picking the guy/gal behind the mic.

Who do you think should sing for Velvet Revolver?

The Last Vegas, 'The Other Side' -- New Video

The Last Vegas has just released a new video for "The Other Side." The single is the band's first new work in three years. The song will be featured on a new album due sometime in 2012. I can't wait!

Labels Ditch CDs?

CD collectors, begin your long goodbye. Apparently major labels are banding together to ditch the CD format by the end of 2012.

Yep. It’s the end of an era. Nearly an end to music, too.

I’m one of the few people I know who still prefers a physical CD over an album download. I do buy lots of music on Amazon and iTunes, but I still get the physical CD if at all possible. I feel like having something tangible 1) proves what I spent my money on and 2) that the band is worthy of existence. Any musician can record a song and throw it online these days. It takes just a little bit more effort (but not much) to release a physical CD.

I know people say I’m old fashioned or even antiquated, but I loved going to music stores when I was kid. That was how I found new bands to like! I would wander the Kmart music section constantly, just looking for that next big “thing” in my life. I picked up bands because of cool album covers. I also grabbed CDs because they were playing on the record store’s sound system at the time. And sometimes I watched what other people were buying and then I would copy them (usually these people were wearing band T-shirts, etc.)

Since music stores – and music sections – basically don’t even exist anymore, I guess music is less important to our lives, right? Well, not less important to our lives, but to the general public. Anymore, music is nothing more than a throwaway commodity to be used in car commercials and to usher models down runways. Audiophiles are few and far between because everyone listens to compressed tunes through inner earphones. It’s sort of sad.

Remember back in the 80s when people would walk around with those giant boom boxes, blasting tunes? You heard new music that way too! And hey, I won’t bash all technology. I’m very grateful I can Google the lyrics to literally any song and find out the title/artist/album in about two seconds. But still, I’m sad. I spent all my money on CDs as a teenager and now kids just steal music. It really is true: when you work and spend your hard earned money on something, it’s a little more important to you.

I’m resentful that major labels are forcing this change on all of us – because, hello – not everyone uses an MP3 player (at least, not yet). I’ve got music strewn about everywhere. CDs, records, tapes and tons of MP3s on about 15 different electronic devices. I doubt I am unique in this situation. I suppose the phase-out of CD players will come at us fast. I guess this means I need to move all my CDs to my iTunes library. What a bloody hassle.  

Kip Winger Launches Campaign for Orchestral Work

When I interviewed Kip Winger a few months ago, he mentioned that he had plans for a new orchestral piece. Well, now he's putting that vision to work along with help from students from Oberlin Conservatory (in Ohio!). Like many artists, Kip is using Kickstarter to get his project funded. Check it out.

Nashville, TN – (November 3, 2011) – Kip Winger has kicked off a 45-day on-line fundraising drive to record an orchestral piece intended for ballet using Kickstarter, the crowd funding platform website.

The $33,000 donation goal will be used to pay the Conservatory orchestra, conductor, and engineer to rehearse and record Conversations With Nijinsky, Winger’s follow-up to his composition Ghosts for Christopher Wheeldon at the San Francisco Ballet. Taking place over a two-day period in January 2012, the rehearsals and recording will also be shot for a future documentary film.

The work was inspired by the life and diary of famed Russian ballet dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky. Winger says: “I conceived the piece as the accompaniment to the unseen dances of Nijinsky, whose career was cut short by schizophrenia.”

Scott Yoo, one of the most buzzed about figures working in classical music today, will conduct the student orchestra. “I’m extremely excited to work with Scott Yoo, he is one of the best musicians in the world,” said Winger.

Rewards for supporters include thanks on the project’s website, co-producer credit and the opportunity to visit Oberlin, meet the principals, and sit in on rehearsals and recording.

The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, located on the campus of Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, was founded in 1865 and is the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the United States. The Conservatory is the only professional music school to be honored by President Obama with the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given by the United States.

James Durbin 'Love Me Bad'

James Durbin has released a single from his forthcoming album Memories of a Beautiful Disaster. The single is called "Love Me Bad." It is "radio-ready commercial" but I like it - a lot. I can see this song being a hit for James. I wonder if we'll be seeing him at any summer festivals this year? Rock on the Range maybe? Hmm.

Memories of a Beautiful Disaster comes out November 21.

Journey Listening Party

Journey's Greatest Hits Volume Two is out now and my friends at AOL Music are hosting a listening party of the CD. 

 You can listen to the album - legally and free - here. And if you collect vinyl, well, the band will release a double 180-gram virgin vinyl edition of the original greatest hits as well.  

Journey will receive the “Legend of Live” award at the 2011 Billboard Touring Awards, which are presented by Showclix. Journey will receive the award on November 10 in New York City. The awards are part of the Billboard Touring Conference.  

New Releases in November!

November 2011 is shaping up to be an awesome month for new music! Today, Steel Panther will release Balls Out and I'll be downloading it from Amazon when I get home from work. On November 8, Asking Alexandria will release Stepped Up and Scratched, so that's another day-of-release purchase I'll be making for sure.

Then, during Thanksgiving week, Nickelback and James Durbin will release albums, too! For the heavier music lovers, Megadeth releases TH1RT3EN today. And on November 8, you can get The Lost Children from Disturbed. There are many reissues, retrospectives and box sets out from bands like Slipknot, U2, and Rush too. This November is shaping up to be about the best month for new music all year long.

What albums will you buy this month (besides Steel Panther)?