Bigelf Week: Rock & Roll Contract and Sunshine Suicide

antiMusic reports: A few years back the Euro release of Bigelf's 'Hex' received an Album of the Year honor from us. How could you not love a band that takes the best elements of Sabbath and mixes them with Pink Floyd? The fans in Europe did and put the CD in the Top 10. A U.S. label finally had the brains to put the CD out here so that Americans can hear what they've been missing. We were excited to ask Bigelf's Damon Fox and Ace Mark to pick their favorite five tracks and tell us a little about each one. Here they are with today's songs "Rock & Roll Contract" and "Sunshine Suicide":

"Rock & Roll Contract" - DAMON: The original title of this song was "Hitmen". It was completely up-tempo, nothing like the way it is on "Hex". It was a last minute addition to the record and the last thing we recorded. I like the lyrics in this song, after all the drama is over the phrase "It's just rock & roll" takes over as the theme. It's a little cliché, but true. ** ACE: Lennon, Pretty Things, Floyd. Looking back, I can honestly say Bigelf has really lived this song... and survived! There is a nice dialog in the coda part between the guitar and the piano.

Sunshine Suicide- ACE: Pop meets rock…they have a baby called Sunshine Suicide and end up backstage at a Deep Purple concert! Catchy, hooky, dark and lots and lots of vocal harmonies! ** DAMON: Ha, ha.... what can I say after that?

Words are great and all but Bigelf is really a band you have to hear for yourself. Even our arch nemesis-Courtney Love-loves them. So give yourself a big ol' rockin Christmas gift and check out the music for yourself - right here!

Pink Floyd Reunion Possible

Gigwise reports: Pink Floyd's drummer Nick Mason has hinted that the band could reform once again following their show at Live 8 in 2005.

Mason said that the band's appearance at the awareness raising event in Hyde Park two years ago "showed that the door can be opened".

"If there was a suitable reason or things change a bit in the next year or two and everybody suddenly thinks, 'Well, actually, I really would like to do that' then I think it'll happen," he said. "But until there's that sort of sea-change, the only thing that would generate it would be something the equivalent of Live 8."
- more on this story

R.Kelly Arrest Warrant

Jam! reports: Get this. Cops stopped R.Kelly from getting to court. Kelly was scheduled to appear in a Chicago court on Wednesday but Utah cops stopped him from making it when they forced his overworked bus driver to take 8 hours off. As a result, an arrest warrant is in the wings for Kelly unless he makes it to court on time Thursday.

Here is a little of what happened according to Jam!: The R&B superstar, in the middle of a 45-city tour, faces child pornography charges for allegedly videotaping sex acts with a young teenage girl. He has pleaded not guilty.

Cook County prosecutors asked Judge Vincent Gaughan to issue a warrant for Kelly's arrest, saying the court had been generous in allowing Kelly to embark on his tour. The judge entered the warrant but put it on hold until Thursday at 9 a.m., when he ordered Kelly to appear in court. - more on this story

Bands Sue Rolling Stone and Camel

Punknews.org reports: As the Camel Advertorial Controversy continues to escalate, Toronto-based hardcore act Fucked Up have teamed up with Xiu Xiu to launch a class action lawsuit on behalf of all the bands named in the ad.

According to this report from the Daily Swarm, The suit names R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (the parent company of Camel cigarettes) and Wenner Media (the publisher of Rolling Stone) and claims the companies misued the artists names, misused them for commercial advantage (right of publicity) and takes them to task for unfair business practices.

The suit goes on to accuse both the cigarette company and the magazine of engaging in "despicable conduct" that was "illegal under settled, unambiguous California statutory and common law." The lawsuit demands Rolling Stone publish an admission that the artists' names were used without consent in a spread equal in size to the original ad, as well as seeking actual and punitive financial damages. [which could be billions, - see full story for that and a copy of the suit.]

Radiohead Made Record Profit from CD Download

Gigwise reports: Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has revealed that the band's digital income from 'In Rainbows' has surpassed that of all their previous albums put together.

Speaking to Wired magazine, in an interview conducted by Talking Head's David Byrne, Yorke described the digital sales of 'In Rainbows' as "nuts."

"It's partly due to the fact that EMI wasn't giving us any money for digital sales. All the contracts signed in a certain era have none of that stuff," he added. - more on this story

Smashing Acoustic EP

antiMusic reports: Was a new EP what Jimmy was hinting at when he said The Smashing Pumpkins had something up their sleeve for New Year's? Most likely and the good news is it is new music! That's right Corgan and Co are releasing a brand spanking new four-song acoustic EP on iTunes January 2nd.

The EP, titled American Gothic, will be available for individual purchase on iTunes or as part of a deluxe iTunes version of the band's last album Zeitgeist, according to Filter.

Billboard has this from the man himself: "I had written a bunch of material during the residencies in Asheville and San Francisco [earlier this year], and fans kept asking us if we were gonna put any of that stuff out," Corgan says. "iTunes came to us wanting to do something together, so it just felt right." - more on this story

Lily Allen Having Baby With Chemical Brother

BBC reports: Pop star Lily Allen has announced she is expecting her first child with her boyfriend Ed Simons.

A spokesman for the pair said they were "obviously both thrilled by the news" but would be making no further comment.

Allen, 22, has been dating Simons, 37 - one half of electronic dance duo the Chemical Brothers - since September. [good thing they didn't rush it - - more on this story]

Groban Top CD of 2007

Contact Music reports: Singer JOSH GROBAN has scored a new record on the U.S. album charts by becoming the first artist to claim four consecutive weeks at number one with a Christmas album.

The operatic crooner tied Elvis Presley's three-week record last week (12Dec07) and now stands alone as the Billboard 200's Mr. Christmas.

His seasonal album, Noel, shifted an astonishing 669,000 copies last week, giving Groban an additional Christmas bonus - with a 2.77 million sales tally, the album has surpassed Daughtry's self-titled debut and the High School Musical 2 soundtrack to become America's top-selling album of 2007. - more on this story

Joy Division Film Coming to DVD

antiMusic reports: Joy Division fans on both sides of the pond will soon be able to enjoy the Ian Curtis biopick "Control" from the comfort of their own home. The film will be released on DVD February 11th in the UK according to Gigwise and March 25th in the US according to CD Universe.

Here is the standard blurb about the film. Based on the memoir TOUCHING FROM A DISTANCE by Deborah Curtis, Anton Corbijn's CONTROL is as near perfect a filmic telling of the story of Joy Division and Ian Curtis as any fan could hope for. It's also a beautifully rendered piece of cinema about the crippling effects of love and regret, and the salvation we seek in art.

Born out of England's post-Sex Pistols punk explosion, Joy Division played a dark, minimalist version of the nascent sound, and became cult heroes thanks in part to their brilliant yet disturbed frontman Ian Curtis (played by an eerily perfect Sam Riley).
- more on this story

System of a Foo

antiMusic reports: The Foo Fighters have a busy year ahead of them with dates scheduled until mid 2008 already. They have decided to ask a few friends along for the ride when the fun kicks off in the U.S. on Jan 16th. Joining them on various dates for North American leg of the tour will be System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian, Jimmy Eat World and Against Me!.

Serj Tankian announced the dates on his Myspace "Beginning on Feb. 11, we will be touring North America with the Foo Fighters, as well as doing some headlining dates. We will announce our headlining shows in the coming weeks." He list the run lasting until the March 5th date.

Jimmy Eat World will open the tour and the play through Jan 25th before they head to Europe. It looks like Against Me! signed up as support for the entire tour. - all the Foo dates including Down Unda

Beck Revisiting and Expanding Odelay

PR reports: Beck's major label debut, "Mellow Gold," introduced him to the world in 1994 but it was 1996's "Odelay" that became a bellwether for the alternative rock movement. Now, a dozen years after its original release, "Odelay" has been expanded into a two-CD Deluxe Edition with the addition of two never-before-released tracks from the original sessions, a soundtrack contribution, and 16 b-sides and compilation tracks never-before-released in the U.S.

"Odelay - Deluxe Edition" (Geffen/UMe), released January 29, 2008. Forging a sound from the roots of folk, blues, rock and hip hop with the sensibilities of D.I.Y., noise, experimental music and the possibilities of modern technology, "Odelay" stands (as discussed in the All-Music Guide) as "a dense, endlessly intriguing album overflowing with ideas...a fluid, creative, and startlingly original work." - all the track info, there is a lot more to read

Ozzy Won't Rock Cleveland But Madonna Will

antiMusic reports: Ozzy has cancelled his Cleveland concert while the Crock Hall decided to hold their rockers in tuxedos ceremony there. Yeah that rocks! Metal Underground has the scoop on Ozzy: "OSBOURNE has cancelled his Thursday (December 20th) concert at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland 'due to an unforeseen personal family matter,' according to a news release.

The show will not be rescheduled because of scheduling conflicts. Refunds are available at the point of purchase. 'Ozzy apologizes for the inconvenience' to his fans, the release said. ROB ZOMBIE, scheduled to appear with Osbourne at the Wolstein Center, will present his show Thursday at the House of Blues in Cleveland. " So sadly Ozzy won't be able to urinate on the Crock Hall. Maybe next time.

Speaking of Ozzy and Cleveland. The Crock and Roll Hall of Fame will host next year's induction ceremony in Cleveland. The past few years the rockin black tie affair has been held in New York City but someone decided that it might make sense to have it in the same town as the actual hall. Yes we accused the Crock Hall of doing something that makes sense. We won't make a habit of it. For now read more metal news from our friends at the - Metal Underground!

It's Not Over Writers Says Labels Make All The Money

antiMusic reports: Yesterday we shared some highlights of Mark Hensch's interview with Lamb of God, today we're going in a different directing and giving you a preview of an interview Mark conducted with Course of Nature lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Mark Wilkerson (who just happened to have been just nominated for a Grammy for a song he wrote for Daughtry. A little smash hit called "It's Not Over."). The interview will run next week when we get back from Christmas and they discuss everything from the band's battle with their former label Lava/Atlantic and management, to their new album Damaged(out on 1/22) as well as bit about Wilkerson's famous wife Melissa Joan Hart. So here is a little taste of what is to come with a bit of a bombshell about who really makes money from albums. It's not the band!

antiMusic: As a band who has stayed out of the limelight for a bit, how would you say things like iTunes, Myspace, and Google have changed the music industry, for better or worse?

Mark: When our first album came out, only Napster was out and it wasn't a HUGE deal. It was just starting to become a big deal. I guess everybody's up in arms about the internet but most bands don't make any money off the record sales anyways. The biggest hits are going to the record labels and so that's why they're upset about it. Bands are making their money off touring and merchandise and publishing. I don't really think that the internet is a big deal for us or for bands, but more the labels that are suffering from it. On the album, the band isn't making a penny! The label is making all the money. If you can get a record then, get it.

antiMusic: Your next album is called Damaged. What kind of themes or ideas will you be exploring on it?

Mark: I don't think there's a single overall theme to it. That is kinda what happens when you do it over the course of two or three years---the theme falls by the wayside. It then comes down to just writing good songs that people like, and not putting a theme to it. Everything on the album has a slight jaded theme to it. Nothing's too upbeat about it, which works as I guess its rock 'n roll. It is overall just a bunch of life experiences we've had over the last two or three years. - http://www.courseofnature.com/

Wait there is more!

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