Jack White gave some lucky fans in Denver a special treat on Wednesday afternoon. A few hours before his sold-out concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, White and his band performed a "secret" show at a service station. White’s label Third Man Records took to its Twitter account to announce the spontaneous concert, tweeting, “Jack White. B show. B there. B square. Isdajo Automotive. 3411 W. Colfax Ave. Denver. 3:30 PM.”
According to the Denver Post, White played a four-song set that included the White Stripes songs “Black Math” and “Ball and Biscuit” from 2003’s Elephant.
A fan-filmed clip of the performance has been posted on YouTube.
Muse to Perform During London Olympics Closing Ceremony
Muse has confirmed that they’ll perform at the 2012 London Olympics' closing ceremony on Sunday, NME is reporting. Drummer Dom Howard says that the band will play “Survival” at the event, which is the official song of the London 2012 Olympics.
"I'm happy with [‘Survival’], Howard tells NME. "It's not something we just did for the Olympics. They sowed a seed by asking us to do some music but then five months went by. We showed them a few songs when they asked us about [playing the] closing ceremony and they loved it. It represented the enormous competition of what the Olympics is."
Later that night, the festivities will continue with performances by Blur, New Order and The Specials at the 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony Celebration Concert in London's Hyde Park.
Chili Peppers Drummer Says Extra Tracks from I’m With You Recording Sessions Are “For the Fans”
This week, fans of the Red Hot Chili Peppers will get their hands on two of 18 previously-unreleased songs on seven-inch vinyl from the recording sessions from their latest album, I’m With You. Drummer Chad Smith says he felt it was important for the band to release the extra tracks now, before they get forgotten about in their archives.
“Lots of times you record more music that goes on the record and then those songs never see the light of day and they’re in some archive somewhere collecting dust,” Smith tells ABC News Radio. “But we want people to hear these songs and so we’re gonna just put them out and it’s really for the fans.”
Smith added that the band decided not to release a double-album -- including the extra tracks from the I’m With You sessions -- because all the songs didn’t fit in with the overall theme of the album. “We just felt that those thirteen songs went together very well as a piece of art, a piece of music and sometimes you can overload people with too much musical information,” explains the drummer. “Our last record [Stadium Arcadium] was a double-record, it was 28 songs, and so we just wanted to be more concise this time around.”
The first release from the I'm With You sessions, set to hit stores on Friday, features new tracks "Strange Man" and "Long Progression." The second pair of songs for release will be “Magpies” and “Victorian Machinery” on September 11. The third installment, scheduled to hit stores on October 2, will feature "Never Is a Long Time" and "Love of Your Life." The rest of the tracks, which will be selected in the coming weeks, will be released in November, December and in early 2013.
In addition to being released on vinyl, digital versions of the new tracks will also be available at the usual online providers.
Beastie Boys’ Adam "MCA" Yauch’s Will Says His Image, Music Can't Be Used for Advertising
Late Beastie Boys rapper Adam "MCA" Yauch refuses to be a corporate shill in the afterlife.
According to DNAinfo.com, the rapper left instructions in his will, which was filed Tuesday in Manhattan Surrogate Court, that “his image, music and any art he created could not be used for advertising.”
Adam’s entire estate -- worth $6.4 million -- is now in a trust for his wife, Dechen Yauch, and their 13-year-old daughter, Losel. The will also stipulates that Dechen now has the rights to sell and manage Adam's artistic property.
In related news, the Beastie Boys have filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Monster Energy Corp., claiming it used the group's name and music in an online campaign earlier this year without permission, according to Variety.
The complaint states that Adam's name was also used by the Monster promos and further alleges that the company linked to an MP3 of a 23-minute medley of Beastie Boys music.
The Beastie Boys seek a preliminary and permanent injunction, plus statutory damages of 150 thousand dollars for each alleged infringement.
Adam died on May 4 after a three-year battle with salivary cancer.
Watch Metallica Perform “Cyanide” in Video Recap of Mexican Concert
Metallica is sharing more footage of their six-night residency in Mexico City. After recently posting a video of themselves performing “Ride the Lightning” from their July 28 concert, the guys have now unveiled a new clip from their August 1 concert at Sports Palace in Mexico City, Mexico.
The 13-minute video features a full performance of “Cyanide” from 2008’s Death Magnetic, and includes some footage of the band rehearsing “Of Wolf and Man” from 1991’s Metallica, a.k.a. the Black Album.
Hatebreed Slams CNN for “White Power" Music Label
Hatebreed is fuming after being lumped into a group of bands that author Lonnie Nasatir, director of the Anti-Defamation League's Upper Midwest Region, calls “white power" music.
In an article posted on CNN.com on Wednesday, Nasatir discusses the musical background of Sikh temple shooter Wade Michael Page, who recently killed six people in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. In addition to listing the white supremacist bands in which Page played, End Apathy and Definite Hate, Nasatir also provides a list of other bands that he said "defiantly express feelings of hate or violence,” a list that included Hatebreed.
The band quickly took to Twitter to respond to the accusation, tweeting, “Our music brings people of all races together all over the world. @CNN@cnnopinion &@chicagoADL need to get their facts straight.” In a series of tweets that followed, the band wrote that CNN slandered them and that they “demand a retraction & an apology.”
Thirty minutes later, Hatebreed’s name was removed from the article, along with a note at the bottom that read: "A previous version of this commentary incorrectly included the band Hatebreed in a list of white power bands. Hatebreed is a self-described 'hardcore metal' band. CNN regrets the error."
Guitarist Graham Coxon Says “There Aren’t Any More” New Blur Songs
Bad news for Blur fans: it appears that the band has no plans to record new music anytime soon. After releasing two new songs earlier this month -- “Under the Westway” and “The Puritan” -- guitarist Graham Coxon says that Blur doesn’t have any other new material to share.
“That’s it, really,” Coxon tells ShortList.com. “Sorry, but there just aren’t any more. I don’t think we like having things penciled in too much or feeling pressured into anything. We record when we want to see each other and try something. There’s no point in forcing it if it doesn’t feel good."
Coxon added that while the band’s future remains uncertain, they remain close friends. "Blur are like my extended family, we have ups and downs, much like brothers do, but it’s great that we have that connection and we’re always there for each other,” explains the guitarist. “Our relationship seems to be more relaxed these days. The less pressure we’re under to do anything, the better we are."
