Times New Viking Play Velvet Underground Covers, Avoids Creepy Mystery Injections
By Liz Louche on 12-08-2008
Hot tip! Short story! Times New Viking, everybody's new favorite cool band to reference, is playing an evening of covers of The Velvet Underground, everybody's old favorite band to reference. It goes down February 14, 2009 at Columbus, Ohio's Wexner Center for the Arts' Warhol exhibition. Columbus is Times New Viking's hometown, and the site of one hot indie rock Valentine's date for probably more than a few fans. That's the news. What a great story, huh? Interesting enough to be important, short enough to give me time to write it and still have time to eat before work. Everyone's a winner!
Here are a handful of Times New Viking dates to add that special je ne sais quoi to my word count
12.09.08 - Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone *
12.15.08 - Columbus, OH - The Summit
02.14.09 - Columbus, OH - Black Box on Mershon Stage (Wexner Center for the Arts)
*Holly Go-Lightly
Mario Speedwagon’s Under The Radar News Roundup: Buzznet Employees Get The Boot, Initial Noise Pop Deetz Announced, Grammy Nominations Announced (Like I Care?), New Record And Home For MSTRKRFT, and 4AD Release AIDS Benefit Comp
By Mario Speedwagon on 12-05-2008
- Everyone is getting fired. The latest cuts are from Buzznet, who, according to Valleywag, let go around 10 out of 89 employees. The Buzznet network includes Idolator, Stereogum, and Absolute Punk. MTV has also rumored to have quit that bitch John Norris. (Why does he look like that?) Check out our Viacom story below for more info.
- San Francisco music festival Noise Pop announced festival dates and their initial lineup. The fest will take place February 24, 2009 through March 1, 2009 and will be held in various venues around Frisco. The early band/artist confirmations include Anthony and the Johnsons, No Age, New Pornographers front dude A.C. Newman, Goblin Cock, and others. Check out more at Noise Pop’s official website.
- Uh, the Grammy nominations were announced. Metallica was nominated for “Best Recording Package.” WTF? That’s a category?
- Fucking finally: MSTRKRFT’s sophomore album will be released March 17, 2009 on Dim Mak/Downtown Records. Fist of God features Ghostface Killah, N.O.R.E., Lil’ Mo, and John Legend (barf).
- On February 17, 2009, 4AD will release Dark Was The Night, a 32-track double-disc/triple-vinyl/download that will benefit the Red Hot Organization, a charity dedicated to raising monies and awareness for HIV and AIDS. Artists included on the compilation include The Arcade Fire, Beach House, Bon Iver, Iron & Wine, My Morning Jacket, The National, Spoon, Suffy Stevens, Yo La Tengo, and many others.
And for those of you who thought 2008 wasn’t a great year for records, things are looking up for 2009! Later, ya’ll.
Viacom to Cut 850 Jobs Across All Departments, Including MTV; Rhapsody Office in New York Shut Down; Chairman Sumner Redstone Also Sells Midway Games for a Pittance to Relieve Crippling Debt, Should Expect Citizen Kane-esque Realization That His Life Has Been Empty and Meaningless Any Day Now
By Mike McHugh on 12-05-2008
Following a calamitous 37% drop in third quarter profits, media conglomerate Viacom, owner of MTV, BET and Paramount Pictures, has announced plans to eliminate 850 jobs, approximately 7% of its workforce, across all divisions and departments. Along with the layoffs, Viacom will also freeze some senior level pay raises for the coming year. (Yes, you read that correctly: 850 jobs gone, but only some high level executives won’t get a bonus next year. Ain’t croneyism grand?)
The exact number of cuts at MTV have yet to be announced, but already MTV and RealNetworks have slashed 25 jobs with the closing of music downloading service Rhapsody’s New York office and rumor has it that even John Norris has been axed. Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures has let go of 140 employees, and cable channel BET cut roughly 50.
Viacom expects to save $200-$250 million pretax as a result of the cuts and salary freezes. However, it will cost the company $400-$450 million in fourth quarter restructuring fees to rearrange Viacom into a working order that can weather the recession as best as possible. But considering how deep in debt chairman and general plague upon humanity Sumner Redstone is, I don’t think this restructuring has a great chance of success.
According to the AP, Redstone’s National Amusements, which owns controlling interests in CBS as well as Viacom, is $1.5 billion in the red. Along with the layoffs at Viacom, Redstone attempted to ease his company’s debt by selling 80.3 million shares of Midway Games, the makers of Mortal Kombat, to a private investor for 12¢ per share on the condition that the investor also take on $70 million of Redstone’s debt. The Midway deal will ultimately amount to an $800 million loss and will only cover about 5% of the debt.
So yeah, with business skills like that, it’s hard for me to believe this Viacom restructuring will work at all. Basically, Redstone is gonna have to muster up the courage and sell his beloved Viacom, but considering how Redstone’s stubbornness has managed to estrange him from his entire family as well as ruin his business, I don’t think that will happen anytime soon. He’ll realize the errors of his ways at some point, though. Say it with me now, “Rosebud.”
Dirty On Purpose Call It Quits And Announce Farewell New Year’s Eve Show
By Annapocalypse on 12-05-2008
You know how every music fan has a band that both they’re obsessed with and the average indie kid has never heard of? The kind of band that always finds its way onto every mix CD? Well, Dirty On Purpose was my secret obsession -- “was” being the operative word, as they are no longer. The New York quartet has decided to break up “after spending an unusual and unhealthy amount of time together over the years.” They're scheduled to play a farewell show at the Mercury Lounge in New York City on New Year’s Eve with A Place To Bury Strangers.
The saddest part about all of this? Dirty On Purpose’s headline on MySpace still reads: “Working on a new album…” Sniff, sniff. Perhaps we can still expect this album at some point in the future? Well, the band members are definitely continuing on with other musical projects, so that’s better than nothing at all.
Lil’ Wayne Tours With Elephant Six Member on Bass; This Probably Means Nothing to Lil’ Wayne
By Joe B. on 12-05-2008
Lil' Wayne, recent picker-upper of Grammy Nominations, has decided to take his show on the road once again. Big deal. However, through some bizarre series of coincidences that apparently involves playing with Gnarls Barkley at some point, Heather McIntosh of Elf Power and Circulatory System will be joining him on bass. Weird!
I sincerely hope Ms. McIntosh takes this opportunity to introduce Carter to her and her friends' psychedelic pop universe. Being the sponge of influences and information that he is, Wayne can only turn his E6 influence into more gold. Lil' Wayne travels to India. Lil' Wayne taps the Tall Dwarfs to open a run of shows. Lil' Wayne quits Pink Floyd. The possibilities are endless.
Upcoming dates on which Wayne will probably be too busy autotuning things in his dressing room to listen to any new music:
* T-Pain, Keyshia Cole
** T-Pain, Keyshia Cole, Gym Class Heroes, Keri Hilson
*** Keyshia Cole, Gym Class Heroes, Keri Hilson
