Steve Stoute Rips the Grammy Awards
Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110221/music_nm/us_grammys
Stoute believes the Grammy's are acting ancient (well, when your symbol is a phonograph)
Steven Stoute, a music producer who has produced such quality performers as Nas, recently ran a full-page New York Times advertisement declaring that the Grammy Awards are not in tune with popular music. I could not avoid the pun.
Stoute needed to get his opinion out to the world. He wrote, “Over the course of my 20-year history as an executive in the music business and as the owner of a firm that specializes in in-culture advertising, I have come to the conclusion that the Grammy Awards have clearly lost touch with contemporary popular culture.” Oh, he’s totally calling you out Grammy Awards.
He cited the Grammy voters who snubbed Eminem and Justin Bieber.
“We must acknowledge the massive cultural impact of Eminem and Kanye West and how their music is shaping, influencing and defining the voice of a generation,” Stoute wrote.
The Grammy’s awarded Arcade Fire with Album of the Year and Esperanza Spalding with Best New Artist. Justin Bieber was spotted with wads of cash in his pockets, disappointed, as he was driven home in his stretch limo with a jacuzzi in the trunk.
I agree, the Grammy Awards suck. But I completely disagree with Stoute. The Grammy Awards suck because they refuse to recognize good music. This year, the voters actually did an okay job for the first time in a few years. The Grammy Awards are a MUSIC awards show. They should award musicians who make good music. Justin Bieber is a teen idol whose music is immature, corny and about as mainstream as anything can get. He has no spine and has been molded into the star that others made him become. His is a musical Gumby. Yes, Bieber is insanely popular, but that does not mean he should be awarded for his popularity. The Harry Potter movies do exceptionally well at the box office, but you do not see them winning awards. They don’t because they are sub-par movies. Stoute, Bieber is doing just fine without golden phonographs. He will never have to work a day in his life. Just drop it.
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Arcade Fire Tours
Link: http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/02/arcade-fire-announce-world-tour-opening-acts.html\
While we are on the subject, Arcade Fire, coming off the high of their unexpected Grammy for Best Album of the Year, will be touring in both the United States and Europe this Spring. Here are the dates:
April
9 – Broomfield, Colo. @ 1st Bank Center ^
11 – Orem, Utah @ The UCCU Center ^
13 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Comerica Theatre ^
14 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel ^
16 – Indio, Calif. @ Coachella
18 – Santa Fe, N.M. @ Santa Fe Convention Center
20 – Kansas City, Mo. – Starlight Amphitheatre +
22 – Chicago, Ill. @ UIC Pavilion +
24 – Chicago, Ill. @ UIC Pavilion +
25 – Chicago, Ill. @ UIC Pavilion +
27 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ The Lawn at White River State Park *
28 – Memphis, Tenn. @ Orpheum Theatre
30 – Dallas, Texas @ Gexa Energy Pavilion #
May
3 – Austin, Texas @ The Backyard %
4 – The Woodlands, Texas @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion %
6 – New Orleans, La. @ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
June
9-12 – Manchester, Tenn. @ Bonnaroo Festival
17 – Scheesel, Germany @ Hurricane Festival
18 – Neuhausen, Germany @ Southside Festival
21 – Zagreb, Croatia @ T Mobile InMusic Festival
22 – Burgenland, Austria @ Festivalgelände Wiesen
26 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg @ Rock-A-Field Festival
30 – London, England @ Hyde Park
July
2 – Arras, France @ Main Square Festival
3 – Belfort, France @ Les Eurockeenes
5 – Milan, Italy @ Milano Jazzin’ Festival
7 – Novi Sad, Serbia @ Exit Festival
9 – Lucca, Italy @ Lucca Summer Festival
15 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Super Bock Super Rock Festival
17 – Bennicassim, Spain @ Benicassim Festival
30 – Moncton, New Brunswick @ Magnetic Hill @
August
31 – Manchester, England @ MEN Arena
September
1 – Edinburgh, Scotland @ Edinburgh Castle
– ^ = with Local Natives
– + = with the National
– # = with Okkevil River
– % = with Explosions in the Sky
– @ = with U2
Thank you Paste for such a radical chart. The bolded shows are the ones to make it out to because the opening acts are better than Arcade Fire (LOL)
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Hey Hey We’re Still the Monkees
Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/feb/21/the-monkees-60s-uk-tour
The Monkees have been spelling monkey wrong for 45 years and they will splatter billboards with this cutesy misnomer during their recently announced 45th anniversary tour.
The tour is the band’s first in 12 years and original members Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Davy Jones will smile through renditions of “I’m a Believer,” “Last Train to Clarksville” and other hits.
The tour will be a total of 10 dates kicking off on 12 May at the Liverpool Echo Arena.
Echo Arena, Liverpool – 12th May
Manchester Apollo – 14th
City Hall, Newcastle – 15th
Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow – 16th
Royal Albert Hall, London – 19th
City Hall, Sheffield – 20th
NIA Academy, Birmingham – 21st
Plymouth Pavillions – 23rd
CIA, Cardiff – 24th
Royal Centre, Nottingham – 25th
Hey, Hey!
The Music Court 
Just wanted to second your emotion regarding steve who gives a crap..Mr executive..I would argue that is people like him that have made such a mess of popular music..Trust me on this Mr executive big turd..You are not nearly as important as you think you are..and if it were not for the genius of the singer songwriter of yore…you would still be bussing the plates at Denny’s..Here are a couple of things that I think are indications that Rock has about given up the ghost ..and that great music is not written because the sludge of Hip Hop /Rap..has given the industry exactly what it deserves..NOTHING..Used to be also even when Elvis was first shaking his white ass to the joy of women ..It s almost a given..that you make sure you acknowledge the artist who came before you ..the ones you are using as your own statement ..And Presley always acknowledged the Black rythmn and Blues shouters as very influential..I haven’t heard very much at all coming from this Generation of “talents ” to give the respect to the giants from before..without that in their hearts..it is saying to me that Dave Matthews..Is a Renaissance Band ..That eminem..is todays Dylan…that todays hip bop Shysters..are at least giving to their generation a text book example of ..”How Come MY genius Recordngs Ain’t Selling”””..and yet.. Bob Seager can put together a tour..and will sell out every hall he serenades from…To bad stupid ain’t painful Matthew
Yeah. It’s a shame. Great rock n’ roll is just not around any longer. And, yes, popular music is just a poor excuse for music, most of it that is. That’s why I tend to ignore mainstream crap.