new york city MUSIC

Boy bands are in again.  One Direction, The Wanted, The... Slants.  Yes, that's right, an all boy Asian-American band.  The name is striking, it might even make you crack a smile, but The Slants don't care.  They are all about breaking racial stereotypes. The U.S. Patent and Trademark office doesn't feel the same way.  The Slants have been denied access registering their name because the government believes the name to be offensive towards Asian- Americans. It's all about perspective though, The Slants see it in a completely different way.  They think that their band name empowers instead of mocks.  In an interview with Time Entertainment, founder Simon Tam says its a case of reverse racism.  "In my opinion, the concern is a little misguided.  We have people being offended on behalf of our community, yet they're denying us rights ."   Basically, what's the big deal?   Society has labeled and categorized different social groups...

It feels like Miley Cyrus is everywhere lately.  Twerking, showing off her body and breaking records. Whatever she's doing, it seems to be working.  People can't take their eyes off of her. With the help of social media, there were over 100 million views of her video 'Wrecking Ball' in just six days. The 20-year-old singer is constantly on Twitter making sure her following fans keep up.  The video is controversial as for the most part features a nude Cyrus swinging on a 'wrecking ball.'  Sources say the song is aimed towards former fiance Liam Hemsworth, the two publicly split this week.   The deluxe version of Bangerz features five different selections of cover art.  In recent racy fashion, one of those covers is of a nude Miley.  Fans are encouraged to vote for their favorite cover with the winner being the final deluxe version.  Voting starts at 3 p.m. today and the winning cover will be revealed on October 14th. By: Tori

Super-producer, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, and AMP3 PR client, Blazetrak , are teaming up to launch a global talent search. Auditions will be accepted throughout the month of August with all as piring producer/songwriters invited to submit their best track to “Darkchild” through the Blazetrak platform at www.blazetrak.com . The talent search will ultimately result in a signed publishing deal with Darkchild/RJ Productions LLC. On October 1st, 2010, one lucky winner will be announced LIVE on Ustream and will be offered the production/publishing deal. Darkchild has produced hits for Lady GaGa, Mary J Blige and Michael Jackson among many others. A little big about Blazetrak... Blazetrak provides direct access to a roster of celebrity professionals and industry experts in the areas of: music, fashion, tv/film, sports, business & lifestyle. Users are able to browse these professionals and the various opportunities they are offering, and can submit to their pro of choice (for a fee...

There’s been a lot of hoopla over the “racy” performance from American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert at the American Music Awards on Sunday night. For those who don’t know (or don’t care), Lambert kissed another man on stage, as well as pushed a man’s head into his crotch – which eventually led to his appearance on Thursday’s “Good Morning America” to be cancelled. However, CBS’s “The Early Show” was quick to pick him up for their show tomorrow instead. A few questions lies here: did ABC just start up a PR firestorm by canceling Adam Lambert? Did GMA execs just vocalize their double standards of society’s take on homosexuality? No one was flipping out about Britney and Madonna kissing at the VMAs a few years back, but the minute a guy does it, it’s blasphemous? And isn't it a bit hard for ABC to swallow the fact that a rival network was so quick to embrace Adam Lambert? According to a mediabistro article, only 1,500 people called the FCC out of the 15 million v...

American Idol runner up Adam Lambert is (to no surprise) on the cover of Rolling Stone this month. His obsessed fans have been waiting impatiently for today to arrive, when they can buy a ridiculous amount of copies of Lambert's Rolling Stone issue. So ok, we know how his fans reacted to what they've seen online..(they loved it!)...but, how did Lambert react to his first RS cover shot? Speaking with RS contributor Vanessa Grigoriadis Lambert said, "Right after the finale, I almost started talking about it to the reporters, but I thought, 'I'm going to wait for Rolling Stone, that will be cooler,'" Check out the video here of Adam seeing the cover for the first time. Rolling Stone sent him a Flip MinoHD so he could record the moment! Below is a behind the scenes video of Adam Lambert's Rolling Stone cover shoot. After recently signing deals with 19 Entertainment and RCA Recordings, Lambert is currently working on new music for his debut album r...

On Breakfast At Sulimay's, (a web video series) senior citizens review the latest and greatest indie music. The commentary is very funny, and it's always nice to hear new music ! Here are two of their latest review sessions: Dan Deacon's "Snookered" and The Doves' " Kingdom of Dust" Favorite quote: "I... I think I suffered from an overlong intro. I think this could be improved with judicious editing of the music." Common's "Universal Mind Control" and Bon Iver's "Blood Bank" Favorite quote: In response to Bon Iver: Bill: "It's a sad song." /Ann:"But it's sad" /Bill: "I like it...because I'm a sad person" The series is created by Woodshop Films . According to the official site, "Woodshop Films is an independently owned multimedia company housed in a working woodshop in Philadelphia, PA. Founded by artist Marc Brodzik, the company serves as a think tank for the cre...

We have been watching Regina Spektor for years develop into an undeniably influential musician. Regina's Begin to Hope and Soviet Kitsch has been on our Itunes and Blip.Fm playlist for years and it looks like its going to be on this Music PR firms Itunes and Pandora playlist for years to come. NYC / Lower East Side Neighborhood native Regina Spektor released her new single "Laughing With" on her myspace page. The reviews on the new song are as varied as her musical style however they are almost always positive. Its nice to see an artist who played the entire Ludlow St music/band circuit doing so well and selling hundreds of thousands of her cd. You can read more on this topic and other music news here at this Music Blog

Remember those music concerts in grammar school where you were given the solo performance and were horrified? I do...I'm still recovering. Katya Kazakova, schoolgirl in Moscow suffered from some serious stage-fright while singing a famous patriotic Russian wartime song in front of Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The performance took place yesterday in Moscow at a girl's boarding school for the children of Russia's military. Extremely nervous, Kazakova forgot the words to the wartime song but Putin was able to ease off his tough reputation and saved her from further embarassment. Putin immediately accompanied the schoolgirl in singing a duet of the World War II Russian Soviet victory song "The Dug Out". The Prime Minister bursted out singing: " "The fire is pulsing in a cramped stove/ The resin on the firewood is like a tear/And in a dugout an accordion is singing/About your smile and your eyes," Then, feeling a bit self-concious himsel...

I am so excited for the upcoming exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, Who Shot Rock. From Brooklyn Museum's Spring 2009 Press Release: "Who Shot Rock: Photographers of Rock and Roll October 30, 2009–January 31, 2010 (Morris A. and Meyer Schapiro Wing, 5th floor) Who Shot Rock: Photographers of Rock and Roll is the first major museum exhibition to put the photographers in the foreground, acknowledging their creative and collaborative role in the history of rock ’n’ roll. From its earliest days, rock ’n’ roll was captured in photographs that personalized, and frequently eroticized, the musicians, creating a visual identity for the genre. The photographers are handmaidens to the rock ’n’ roll revolution, and their images communicate the social and cultural transformations that took place from the 1950s to the present. The exhibition is in six sections: rare and revealing images taken behind the scenes; tender snapshots of young musicians at the beginnings of their careers; exhil...

Record Store Day will take place at record stores country-wide on April 18th, 2009. Limited editions/special releases by various record labels, bands, and music artists will be available for purchase. To add to the exciting news, there will also be live music and listening parties so bring your wallets and put on your dancing shoes! At various record stores in New York City, the limited edition music releases will be available for purchase at the stores exclusively (no online orders). Click here to view a list of participating stores in New York. The music releases that will be available can be seen here Record Store Day will offer limited edition releases from a variety of genres including rock, punk,folk, pop, and hip-hop from new artists and classics we all know and love. Looking for that Bob Dylan rare release or Radiohead EP? Head to Record Store Day on the 18th to get the missing piece of your ultimate music collection.

Rock and Music Legend Bruce Springsteen has replied to an allegation that he had an affair with a another married woman, People.com reports. On March 27 2009, divorce papers were filed by a New Jersey resident who claimed that his wife had "committed adultery with the one and only Bruce Springsteen, who resides in Rumson, NJ and Colts Neck, NJ at various times and places too numerous to mention." A Music PR representative for the singer responded that Springsteen stands by what he said following a separate but very similiar 2006 allegation of another infidelity - that his relationship with his wife Patricia Scialfa "remains just as strong as the day the 2 were married." Lets hope this rocker and trained musician isnt harassed by the press any more than he already has.