A bulk of modern pop stars owes their success to sexy images. Producers have finally explored a simple way of enriching themselves through launching video featuring hot males or females, depending upon the target people, complemented with unusual love lyrics. What is the reason for the SOAD’s popularity then? Their front man can hardly boast handsome appearance.

On this New Year's Eve day, as I write this, a heavy snow is falling outside and they're playing a segment of Wagner's 'Parsifal' on the classical radio station... but I had a dream last night and I wanted to write this down. I clearly remember seeing Mr. Schneider, I think it was at a show but it wasn't typical because I don't remember specifics about it...

Here's what's first on this week's playlist: from 1984, Steve Roach's "Structures from Silence".

"Dark Side of the Moon A Cappella" is an all-vocal version of Pink Floyd's magnum opus "Dark Side of the Moon." No instruments were used in the recording of this unique version of the album. Eight singers and one "vocal percussionist" (similar to a beatboxer) recreate the original work in its entirety.

The Straight Edge or simply abbreviated the "sXe" of "sXe" is coined a subculture to represent a particular lifestyle. It advocates abstinence from tobacco, alcohol, and recreational drug use-especially psychoactive and stimulant drug use. Some straight edger’s also abstain from promiscuous sexual behavior and caffeine.

It is increasingly believed in case a band member embarks on a solo career, sooner or later the band is finished, no matter how large their success is. As a prove Beatles, Take That, Spice Girls and others.

I have to do this again, I can't remember what I said... Anyway, it was about how I want Rammstein to take advantage of the Internet, even though I know they did not grow up with the Internet (I didn't either)... but essentially the Internet is a communication tool, when it is used in the right way.

Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails released new album 'Ghost I-IV'. It is released under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license. You can download the first part of the album, 40-page booklet and add-ons from this page: http://ghosts.nin.com/main/order_options

I was looking for sites that welcome musicians wanting to make their music and services available, but was called a "spammer" within seconds ... so maybe this is not an artist-friendly site. We'll see.
I'll give it time before I recommend it (nor not) to other musicians.

Life and career have been a series of accidents for former Eurythmics frontman Dave Stewart, he tells Alan Warboys Life and career are a series of happy accidents for former Eurythmics frontman Dave Stewart Alan Warboys

South China Morning Post
Nov 09, 2008

The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 7, 2008 live from Paramount Pictures Studios. Nominations for a majority of the categories were announced on the MTV program FNMTV after being selected through viewer online voting at MTV.com. The remaining, professional categories were chosen by a panel of music industry professionals.

1. "Fly, Robin, Fly" by Silver Convention has only 6 unique words
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VFoo57BXvg

2. "Hava Nagila" is a traditional Jewish melody with only 10 words
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6RuURE9Y44

3. "Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometimes" performed by Beck has only has 20 unique words in it

Maybe it's just me (I hope it is) - but after watching the 'Live Aus Berlin' concert taping (from 1998) and then a section of the Voelkerball DVD (London), I noticed how much Till Lindemann has bulked up and I wonder if he might be on steroids. I hope he isn't, because steroids are dangerous and unhealthy; but maybe it's just me, because I know he quit smoking and so maybe his bulk-up is natural.

1. The Rolling Stones - "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1965)
A brutal, cheeky, swaggering rejection of everything that middle class society held dear -- "I'm just not SATISFIED with any of this crap" -- fueled by one of the greatest guitar riffs of all time and Charlie Watts' implacable on-the-beat drumming. Simply undeniable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGWfLiEoG98

Lior is one of Australia’s highest selling most compelling independent artists, pioneering his own unique style of Epic Folk.

Roskilde Festival
When: 3-6 July 2008
Where: Roskilde, Denmark

ALL POINTS WEST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL is set for August 8, 9 and 10, 2008. The three-day, multi-stage music and arts festival featuring a wide variety of artists including Radiohead and Jack Johnson will take place at Liberty State Park in New Jersey, a historic location offering panoramic views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Manhattan skyline.

June 17th became a release day for new album of Coldplay named "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends". It already has made bursting sales at the very first day and scores No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week (first time for the group).

Nice review of "Viva La Vida" album: http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=346591.

If an African American listens to music from Africa, everyone thinks that is good. If a Japanese-American is into a group from Japan (Dir En Grey, for example), people can accept that with no problem. Hispanic-Americans listen to Spanish/Portuguese music all the time, and it is barely noticed anymore.

Rammstein has been called a whole host of outrageous things; among the best things they've been called are 'Nazis', 'Satanists' and 'amateur flamethrowers'. None of these things are true. What they are are paid entertainers - it's really as simple as that. If people who get all upset by their material do not understand this simple point, then they shouldn't be paying attention.