Kanye Is So Sorry He's Taking Time Off

Reuters reports that "West has already apologized twice for hijacking the 19-year-old country starlet's moment in the spotlight at the high-profile awards show in New York. But he told Leno he has not yet been able to apologize to Swift in person." - Read the Reuters report for more

Patrick Swayze RIP

AP reports: Patrick Swayze, the hunky actor who danced his way into moviegoers' hearts with "Dirty Dancing" and then broke them with "Ghost," died Monday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.

"Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," his publicist, Annett Wolf, said in a statement Monday evening. Swayze died in Los Angeles, Wolf said, but she declined to give further details.

Fans of the actor were saddened to learn in March 2008 that Swayze was suffering from a particularly deadly form of cancer. He kept working despite the diagnosis, putting together a memoir with his wife and shooting "The Beast," an A&E drama series for which he had already made the pilot. - A lot more here

Official 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Recap

antiMusic reports: Here is MTV's official recap of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards (we edited out a couple of irrelevant things for space): MTV turned New York City inside out for the "2009 Video Music Awards" as the network celebrated a legend and brought together the biggest names in music, TV, film and sports. Live from Radio City Music Hall, VMA icon Madonna opened the show and introduced the emotional and heartfelt tribute to Michael Jackson. Janet Jackson was joined onstage by the most renowned choreographers in the world and Michael's tour dancers, all of whom were influenced by the "King of Pop," for a memorable and high energy performance. To honor her brother and his illustrious career, the dancers recreated some of his most memorable music videos including "Thriller," "Bad," "Smooth Criminal" and "Scream." The celebration received a standing ovation and set the tone for the most important evening in music and pop culture.

Young country-pop superstar Taylor Swift earned "Best Female Video" for "You Belong With Me" in one of the most competitive categories of the evening, causing Kanye West to storm the stage in protest of Beyoncé not winning. In a gracious act, Beyoncé later called Taylor back on stage to rightfully accept her award. Beyoncé did win an outstanding three moonmen including the coveted "Video of the Year" award for her viral video sensation "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)." Also landing three statues was Lady Gaga including "Best New Artist" for her hit single "Poker Face." Green Day made a triumphant return to the VMAs by claiming three awards including "Best Rock Video" for "21 Guns." Eminem walked away victorious in an extremely heated race for "Best Hip Hop Video" with "We Made You."

Adding to her collection of moonmen and accepting her award via satellite while on tour, Britney Spears won "Best Pop Video" for "Womanizer." After officially premiering at last year's show, T.I. and Rihanna won "Best Male Video" for their multi-platinum song "Live Your Life." - more on this story

Flight of the Conchords Offshoot The Black Seeds Coming To America

PR reports: The Lord of the Rings put New Zealand's beauty and creative spirit on the pop culture map. Flight of the Conchords revealed New Zealand's unique wit. Now reggae/funk sensations The Black Seeds—Conchord friends and former band mates—are ready to take listeners one step deeper into the Other Down Under, with infectious grooves, slamming brass, and booty shaking beats on the group's first North American release, Solid Ground (Easy Star Records; Released exclusively on iTunes September 15; everywhere else September 29, 2009), and on their debut U.S. tour with John Brown's Body this September.

Down-and-dirty dancehall and the deep throb of dub may sound like a Kiwi novelty but New Zealand's sparkling beaches and green, rolling hills proved the perfect place for transplanting Jamaican sounds. Reggae has been a passion for New Zealanders since the 1970s, marked by a pivotal Bob Marley concert in 1979 and the growing support and struggle for Maori cultural and political recognition in their native land of Aotearoa, the Maori name for New Zealand.

The Maoris' battle for their rights and their land was mirrored in classic reggae's socially conscious lyrics, and Rastafarianism resonated with young Maoris and European-heritage New Zealanders alike—New Zealand even boasts a Rastafarian MP, the Green Party's Nandor Tanczos. The music and lifestyle flourished in the laidback island vibe of Wellington, the country's small coastal metropolis with its village feel, vibrant arts scene, and penchant for jazz, dub, and hip hop. - more on this story

DM Stith Completes EP Trilogy and Announce Tour Plans

PR reports: Asthmatic Kitty artist DM Stith completes his trilogy of EP's with Thanksgiving Moon (November 3) and Braid of Voices (December 8). These recordings follow the first in the trilogy—BMB, released in July—and Stith's debut album Heavy Ghost, which received international critical acclaim upon its release in March.

This fall, Stith embarks on a U.S. tour, which includes performances alongside string quartet Osso and Sufjan Stevens' The BQE (please see below for confirmed dates).

The first EP in Stith's trilogy, BMB, features covers of The Ronettes and Randy Newman and remixes by Roberto Lange of Helado Negro and Savath & Savalas and Son Lux. With Thanksgiving Moon and Braid of Voices, Stith furthers this approach of combining near-to-heart covers with re-worked originals and remixes by friends. - more on this story

People's Choice Partners with NY Comedy Festival

PR reports: The New York Comedy Festival (NYCF) announced today a new partnership with the People's Choice Awards that will provide two unique opportunities for both comedians and fans to participate in this year's festival. For the first time ever, festival-goers will have the chance to vote on and present an official People's Choice Award during the "New York's Funniest Stand-Up" competition, an event that showcases the most talented newcomers and established comedians in New York. The winner of the competition will receive the prestigious crystal People's Choice Award and will be recognized during the 2010 People's Choice Award live broadcast on CBS.

Additionally, the People's Choice partnership offers aspiring comedians across the nation the opportunity to perform live as an opening act for one of the following NYCF's headlining comedians: Tracy Morgan, Artie Lange, Mike Epps, Bill Burr, Patton Oswalt or Mike Birbiglia. Performers can submit a three-minute comedy routine from Sept 21 through Oct 7 on www.peopleschoice.com. A NYCF panel will post the top three performers back on the site on Oct 9 for fans to vote for their favorite and ultimately decide which comedian to send to New York to perform during the New York Comedy Festival. The winner will be announced Oct 23. In addition to performing in New York during the Festival, the winner is invited to attend the 2010 People's Choice Awards in Los Angeles.

"This event marks the first time that a People's Choice Award will be presented in a stand-up comedy competition," said Fred Nelson, President, People's Choice. "We are thrilled to empower fans to voice their choice alongside the experts and to provide another shot for performers to showcase their comedic talents on stage." - more on this story

New Album and Tour for Rickie Lee Jones

PR reports: Rickie Lee Jones is set to release her forthcoming album Balm in Gilead on Fantasy Records, a division of the Concord Music Group, on November 3rd. Balm in Gilead is an extraordinary collection of emotionally powerful, texturally rich and endearing songs, many of which have been 'incubating' with Jones over the last several decades.

"This record is unique because most of it was written over the last 20 years," she says. "All the other records, I've written in a year or two or three after finishing the previous one. This one has threads from many, many years. Some were just written recently, most were finished recently but started a long time ago. 'Wild girl,' for example, which ended up being about my daughter, was started before Flying Cowboys, and it was waiting all these years to finish. For me, the album feels close to a debut, because the only time you ever have to spend all these years writing a song is your first record, right?"

Balm in Gilead's songs flow easily through its roots and soul fabric; it reflects the lifetime work of a woman, whose very name is a genre. She's joined on the record by Ben Harper, Jon Brion, Vic Chesnutt, Bill Frisell, Victoria Williams and Alison Krauss among other highly talented friends. - more on this story

Matthew Perryman Jones Fall Tour Plans

PR reports: Matthew Perryman Jones continues touring this fall in support of his latest release Swallow the Sea. In October, Jones will be opening for Ingrid Michaelson, with whom he also toured in 2008. Immediately following those dates Jones will open three nights for Shawn Colvin at New York's City Winery. November and December will see Jones on the Ten out of Tenn west coast Christmas tour. Today also marks the debut of the music video for "Save You" (the first single from Swallow the Sea) featuring Kyle XY actress Jaimie Alexander. Shot in LA, the video was directed by Becky Fluke.

Jones has seen incredible success with TV placements. Half the songs on Swallow the Sea have been used in television shows (One Tree Hill, Kyle XY, Bones, Royal Pains etc). Jones is continuing to record new material, including a duet with Katie Herzig, "Where the Road Meets the Sun" which was featured in Grey's Anatomy and "Out of Reach" which will be featured in the season premier of One Tree Hill on September 14th (8:00pm EST on CW.) In addition to new recordings, Jones recently co-wrote "Lifeline" which appears on Mat Kearney's latest record and was used in TV promos for Intervention and Army Wives.

Part of the growing population of artists who are retaining ownership of their own recordings and publishing, Jones' Swallow the Sea, record was released on his own MPJ Music through Thirty Tigers/RED. The release of his new recording, "Out of Reach" September 14th, will be handled by Tunecore. Jones plans to release a new album in mid-late 2010. - more on this story

First Taste of Houston County

PR reports: New Stroudavarious Records trio Houston County impacted radio today with their debut single, "I Can't Make It Rain". The song, written by the band along with Dallas Davidson and Ben Hayslip, is a poignant and skillfully crafted story detailing the emotional journey of a man recognizing a love affair's inevitable end. The single will be available on iTunes tomorrow (9/15).

Named for the southern Alabama county where band members Zach and brother Adam Hooper and John Mildrum reside, Houston County brings a decade of musical groundwork to bear on their collaboration. All gifted musicians who had honed their talents in other bands, the trio entered their new partnership with an honest desire to make the best music possible; egos checked at the door. Adam and John's musicianship perfectly complemented Zack's lyrical sensibility. Together, they harnessed the emotions surrounding a turning point in their lives, spinning uncertainty into hope and restless energy into an album's worth of well-crafted music.

John's studio in Dothan, Alabama was a six-hour drive from the brothers' north Georgia homes, but it was worth every mile. The collaborators immediately recognized something special in the music they were creating. - more on this story

Marie Digby Tops Amazon Chart

PR reports: Marie Digby's new album, Breathing Underwater, rocketed to the No. 1 spot on the Amazon.com MP3 Download Bestseller chart in its first day of release September 7. The album, which is exclusively available at Amazon MP3 until its wide release on September 15, was not only picked as an Amazon "Deal of the Day," but was chosen for the coveted "New and Notable" section.

Marié continues to generate buzz on a global scale, recently wrapping a successful tour of Southeast Asia and Japan promoting Breathing Underwater.

Best known for her acoustic cover of Rihanna's No. 1 hit "Umbrella" that gained popularity from MTV's The Hills in 2007, Japanese American singer/songwriter Marié Digby started off posting acoustic versions of popular songs on YouTube, along with several of her own original compositions. After the homemade videos of Marié singing hit YouTube, she immediately became a musical sensation attracting more than 61 million views and hitting the Billboard charts. Digby's new album Breathing Underwater boasts emotionally rich story-telling, rich-as-honey vocals and a pop sensibility laced with rhythmic, club-worthy hooks.
- Myspace link

Holmes Has A New Take on Bowie

PR reports: If you go to the movies or watch TV, you've heard the music of Roy Shakked, who answers to the nickname of Holmes. Heavily influenced by the standards (and that means The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Prince, ELO, Queen, and, OK, Harry Nilsson), it's not surprising that Hollywood has picked up on Roy's tunes, placing them in programs and features such as CSI Miami, Sex and The City, The OC, Nip/Tuck, and The Devil Wears Prada.

Before all of that, Shakked graduated as a piano performance major from Berklee College of Music in Boston and later delved into heavy sequencing using synths and plug-ins, becoming an accomplished electronica producer and remixing classic tracks by Sarah Vaughan, Jimmy McGriff, McCoy Tyner and Carmen McRae. Shakked later made the move back to piano and band arrangements to write the Holmes records.

The latest self-titled HOLMES album contains one of Shakked's signature lush arrangements – this time for his cover of the David Bowie classic, "Let's Dance", Additionally, Shakked has completed the latest video from the album, for the sober breakup song, "Not With You". The video documents a couple moving in together, breaking up and moving out – all in under three minutes. Half way through the clip, all of the couple's actions up to that point reverse, leaving Shakked all alone in his house at the clip's close. Shakked extends apologies to the plant that was killed over three days of still camera time-lapse capture. - Watch the video here

Pandit Jasraj Set For Rare US Concert Appearance

PR reports: World-renowned classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj is coming to San Francisco's Bay Area for a rare US concert appearance. Classical music lovers, the spiritually-minded and those interested in Indian culture won't want to miss this inspiring fundraiser concert, taking place on October 3, 2009 at the Chabot Performing Arts Center in Hayward, California.

Honored by two Presidents of India, among others, Jasraj is a national treasure in India. Possessing a soulful voice that traverses effortlessly over three and a half octaves, Pandit Jasraj's vocals culminate in an intense spiritual expression. At the same time, concert-goers will experience the rich cultural tradition of India's Mewati Gherana, the classical music style perfected by Jasraj.

Accompanying Jasraj are Smt Tripti Mukherjee - Hindustani classical vocalist, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri - acclaimed Tabla player, and Pandit Suman Ghosh - Hindustani classical vocalist. These four acclaimed artists will be performing together for the first time in the Bay Area. - more on this story

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