Pop-rockers Honor Society debuted at #18 on the Billboard Top 200 this week, moving over 22,000 units of their debut album, Fashionably Late. The band kicked off their second headlining tour on Monday, September 21 in Minneapolis, MN and will continue a run of nearly 40 dates with shows across the United States and Canada including an appearance on The Today Show on Friday, September 25.
The release of Fashionably Late caps off a busy summer for Honor Society as they joined the Jonas Brothers on their World Tour 2009 performing to nearly 1 million fans throughout North America. Honor Society simultaneously headlined their own club tour called The Full Moon Crazy Tour where they brought their high-energy live shows to sold out venues including the Blender Theater in New York City and over 1,500 fans at Club Nokia in Los Angeles.
See below for what the press is saying about Honor Society and Fashionably Late and visit HonorSocietyMusic.com for more info and a full list of tour dates.
Rolling Stone
“Over You” (3 stars) — delivers “shiny heartbreak that splits the difference between *NSYNC and Maroon 5 – all riffing synths… and tunefulness.”
Entertainment Weekly
Honor Society are “crafty pop rock dudes” with songs that “shimmer with freeze-dried funk licks…”
People Magazine
“…fans will likely swoon over …” whose “strongest tracks include the power ballads ‘Where Are You Now’ and ‘Goodnight My Love’ both showcasing Bruno’s emotive tenor. ‘My Own Way’ is an infectious pop-rocker.”
Dallas Morning News
Honor Society are “purveyors of that frenetic catchy-crunchy pop sound of the day…”
This week, singer/songwriter P!nk ascends to the number one position on the U.S. singles chart with her smash hit, So What. The irresistible rocking single tops Billboards Hot 100 Singles, Hot Digital Songs and Hot Digital Tracks charts, and is the number one radio airplay gainer for four weeks in a row, making it one of the top 10 most played songs at CHR radio stations. The David Meyers directed video is currently in rotation on VH-1, Fuse, Music Choice, and is one of the top ten videos on MTV.
So What was co-written by P!nk and produced by collaborator Max Martin, who worked with her on Who Knew and U + Ur Hand.The New York Timesdescribes the first single from her forthcoming album, Funhouse,as guitar-charged and aggressively bouncy.
Tokio Hotel stormed the Billboard album charts with SCREAM, the band?s first U.S. full length to date. Landing at #5 and #6 on the Alternative Albums and Rock Albums charts respectively and in the top 40 of Billboards Top 200 it is safe to say ? Tokio Hotel have more than arrived.
In their next step in U.S. domination, Bill, Tom, Georg and Gustav, will find themselves in millions of living rooms as their ballad, ?Monsoon,? is released as downloadable content for Rock Band!
If Tokio Hotel have it their way, they?ll be back in the States this August rocking out live for fans old and new. Keep up-to-date on tour information and the latest news in the world of Tokio Hotel at www.tokiohotel-us.com!
3 Doors Down have just leaked some behind-the-scenes footage from the video shoot for their single, ?It?s Not My Time.? The clip features interviews with the Mississippi hard rockers and director Shaun Silva along with extra footage from the shoot. The single is currently the #1 song on the iTunes Rock charts. The band will embark on a co-headlining tour with Staind and Hinder which will kick off on July 9th in Maryland Heights, MO. Head over to 3ddfanclub.net for all the dates and pre-sale info.
3 Doors Down hits stores and online retailers on May 20th
This piece of news is already getting old but if it?s happening, I might as well write about it. According to the new Soundscan singles chart, Madonna knocks off Mariah Carey from the top spot this week. The Queen of Pop?s ?4 Minutes (To Save the World)? stays even with sales from last week but the curvaceous diva?s ?Touch My body? drops more than 40% in sales to come in at the number 4 spot. That doesn?t bode well for Mariah?s single or her album. Considering that it?s not even out yet and sales are already dropping, it may result in a flop. Maybe that full album leak has something to do with it.
Madonna?s single ?4 Minutes,? featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland is currently # 1 on iTunes! The first single off ofHard Candy,which is slated for release on 4/29beat out Leona Lewis and Mariah Carey for the top spot on the chart. Be sure to check out the exclusive video premiere on iTunes available now
“4 Minutes” featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland audio streams Windows Media128k Quicktime 128k
Buy ?4 Minutes? featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland on iTunes
Chris Cornell went on the record with Billboard.com that he really liked David Cook?s rendition of ?Billie Jean? on American Idol last week ? especially because he did it first. In his interview, the rocker admits that the Idol wannabe ?sang it great? but then adds that ?it was literally a note-for-note take on what I came up with.? And they say Cook is an original. While Chris was given credit for the innovative arrangement on the show, Idol?s imitation also pays Chris off as his cover of ?Billie Jean? has jumped to #12 on iTunes. And by the way, Doxology was finally given credit for their version of ?Eleanor Rigby? which Cook also sang.
She may have conquered the iTunes singles chart but I guess that?s the only positive thing that we can expect from Mariah Carey. The curvaceous singer?s new single ?Touch My Body? is not on the number 15 spot on the Billboard singles chart this week. The song has been on the chart for six weeks but has failed to even just break into the top 10 having only peaked at a high of the number 14 spot last week. But with her single being number 1 on iTunes, here?s to hoping that the digital downloads will help her even just for a little bit.
If music pre-sales was a high jump competition, Madonna would win without any contest. Just a few days ago, the Queen of Pop?s upcoming album ?Hard Candy? was at the number 18 spot on the Amazon best sellers list for CDs and it?s not even out until the end of April. Just yesterday, the album is already at number 2. It?s not quite the top, but she?s getting there. Mariah Carey managed to move up on the list as well. She?s at number 40 ? a far distance from Madonna but at least she?s already on the list. Her record will be out a full 2 weeks before Madonna?s and she wasn?t even on the top 100 of the list a couple of days ago.
American Idol Results on March 6, 2008 came out the following American Idol Top 12 name list.
Amanda Overmyer, Brooke White, Carly Hennessy, Chikezie Eze, David Cook, David Archuleta, David Hernandez, Jason Castro, Kristy Lee Cook, Michael Lee Johns, Ramielle Malubay, Syesha Mercado
Danny Noriega was eventually eliminated from top 16 together with Asia’h Epperson, Kady Malloy, Luke Menard
With her 50th birthday looming, Madonna is planning to re-release all of her single as downloads to celebrate. I am sure this will annoy her ex-label Warner who will want to cash in on the tunes before she leaves them.
But Madge is aiming high ? the plan is to beat the record of rock king Elvis in the UK number 1?s.
You have to salute her ? she is entering the ?wrinkly? stage of her career – marking the milestone with a huge gig in New York. And thanks to her beautician and whatever other secrets she has up her sleeve she will do it looking great too.
Idol fans, this is your time for sweet revenge. He may not have won the competition, but he won the hearts of album buyers this year. Billboard named Chris Daughtry the most popular album of 2007. They sold about 3.2 million copies.
Just half a million shy of that, in second place, is Akon’s album “Konvicted”, followed by the Hannah Montana soundtrack (2.5 million), Fergie’s “The Dutchess” (2.4 million), and Carrie Underwood’s “Some Hearts” (2.3 million).
Number one song of the year was “Irreplaceable” by Beyonce, with Rihanna coming in just behind with “Umbrella”. Top tour of the year was The Police’s reunion tour, bringing in $212 million at last estimate.
Alicia Keys hit the top of the charts this week with her new album ?As I Am?. The gorgeous and talented singer has hit Number one with her album in the Billboard 200 charts, after it sold over 700,000 copies in the US. Blimey girl that?s a lot of albums!
Keys has had 3 previous albums hit number one in the first week of their release; hinting that this little lady is not just a pretty face. She seems to have the ?key? to our hearts, or at least our ears, as fans sweep in to buy her music as fast as it can hit the shelves.
And what a perfect name for the album. We?ll definitely take you as you are Alicia?it seems to be working so far. Keep your ears peeled folks ? if you haven?t heard it yet, get buying it; before it?s sold out!
Singer Sean Kingston almost quit the music industry after his idols Timbaland and Pharrell rejected his early recordings. The 17-year-old – whose debut single Beautiful Girls was certified platinum in July 2007 – was finally given a break when Britney Spears’ reported ex-boyfriend J.R. Rotem agreed to sign him to his label Beluga Heights. He should not be bitter about this all because there is a time in everyone?s career where there is a struggle period and one should be humble enough to forgive and forget those who rejected you or else instant fame would never have made you learn the value of success and adulation. Now that he is successful, he can get a contract anywhere but he might have learnt in this stop span that whom to trust and whom not to even talk to. I wish Sean more success in his future projects and may he be successful at whatever he does.
A look at Evanescence on paper reveals a band that should be in its glory. Following a best new artist Grammy Award for 2003 debut studio album “Fallen,” a Billboard 200 No. 1 debut for 2006 follow-up “The Open Door” and the top 10 launch single “Call Me When You’re Sober,” the group toured the world for nearly a year. So what happened? Single follow-ups “Lithium” and “Sweet Sacrifice” never even charted in the States. The fourth single from “The Open Door,” piano-driven rock ballad “Good Enough,” is as intense and affecting as anything before it?and this time, Lee’s lyric steps from the dark side, reveling in the relief of positivity: “It’s been a long time coming, but I feel good enough.” It’s a make-or-break moment for a band that seemed to own the world one year ago.
Hip-hop sensation Soulja Boy is back at the top of the U.S. pop charts after displacing Kanye West a week after the Stronger hit maker toppled him. Soulja Boy’s Crank That (Soulja Boy) spent two weeks at number one earlier this month but fell to two last week as West scored a brief chart double by claiming top spots on the Billboard album and singles charts. I said it time and again and please allow me the liberty to once again push my point that I always love it when a no-namer comes and pulls the rug under the feet of a well established super well known singer who has been crowned as a best selling singer time over time. That?s what pumps me up, get the adrelin following and make you that there is a time when the young guns find the ammunition and the artillery to fire and displace a top notch singer or anyone in any field. I do not why I am connecting so much to his success but then that?s what dreams are made of, you think if he can then so can I!
Way to go man, bust up these big ass losers.
You could say that Kenny Chesney, with a top tour, hit after hit and another multiplatinum album, enjoyed an amazing last couple of years ? but you’d be wrong. Yes, he accomplished all that. But, enjoy it? That’s another matter.
2006 was another pinnacle in the seemingly unstoppable career of the country superstar, but it also may have been his most frustrating time as an artist ? and a person.
Chesney was still reeling from his very public breakup of his brief marriage to Academy Award-winner Renee Zellweger (and the tabloid frenzy that followed), and felt particularly uninspired, even when it came to what he loved most ? touring.
“I wasn’t mentally ready to go on the road, after all the media stuff that happened with the breakup with Renee, I just mentally wasn’t ready to go, so all last year, even though I had fun and the whole tour was amazing … mentally I just wasn’t 100 percent there,” he admits.
He was even reluctant to work on a follow-up to his multiplatinum 2005 album, “The Road and the Radio,” which featured such hits as “Beer in Mexico.”
“Last year at the CMA Awards … he said to me, `I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to get this record done; I don’t know what I want to say,’” Joe Galante, head of Sony Nashville, recalls Chesney saying.
Galante didn’t want to push his superstar to make a record he wasn’t ready to make. But he told him to take a crack at it, and see if something might give him inspiration.
Just as Galante suspected, the inspiration did come ? though not from the usual sources. Chesney, who has written or co-written tunes for all of his previous albums, found the most personal and profound songs for his new disc, “Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates,” from the pens of others. The album, on sale Tuesday, doesn’t contain one song written by Chesney. Even so, he considers it perhaps the one that reveals his true emotions more than any other, especially with songs like “Wife and Kids,” where he wistfully yearns for the perfect family life that now eludes him, and “Better as a Memory,” in which he lists his own shortcomings as a mate.
“This record opens me up a little bit more, and I’m letting that happen more and more, and that’s tough for a guy like me, who’s constantly got a wall up,” says the congenial Chesney, relaxing at a Manhattan studio a few hours before a concert at Madison Square Garden.
“There’s a piece of me in all of these songs, there’s a whole lot of me in the majority of them,” he continues. “`Better as a Memory,’ that’s probably one of the most brutally honest songs that I’ve ever recorded about me, and it’s a letter that I’ve probably written to a lot of girls before.”
As Galante puts it: “I think he let people into the issues that are facing him.”
Part of this newfound introspection, and willingness to put more of his emotions out for public dissection, came after Chesney began working with a country great who has endured plenty of triumphs and setbacks in the public eye ? legend Willie Nelson. Chesney is the producer on Nelson’s next record, due out next year.
“Every artist feeds off inspiration, and when I needed it the most, God gave me Willie Nelson,” Chesney says.
When Chesney began working on the album in late 2006, he hadn’t started working on his own record, and admits to feeling “pretty stressed out.”
The Beatles’ Strawberry Fields and Jeff Buckley’s cover of the Leonard Cohen classic Hallelujah feature in a poll to find the 10 greatest tracks.
Fifty songwriters, including Coldplay’s Chris Martin and John Legend, took part in the vote for Q Magazine.
“Hallelujah is as near perfect as you can get. It transcends your mood. I can listen to it anywhere,” said Legend.
The songwriters were asked to name their top three and from there the list was whittled down to the final top 10.
TOP 10 GREATEST TRACKS
Bitter Sweet Symphony – The Verve
Blowin’ In The Wind – Bob Dylan
Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen
God Only Knows – The Beach Boys
Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
Life On Mars – David Bowie
Perfect Day – Lou Reed
Strange Fruit – Billie Holiday
Strawberry Fields Forever – Beatles
Sympathy For The Devil – Rolling Stones
Source: Q Magazine
“You can play Strawberry Fields Forever on an acoustic guitar and it sounds beautiful,” said Serge Pizzorno, of Kasabian.
“But the Beatles took the song to its furthest point, and the results are mind-bending.”
Other classic tracks on the list include David Bowie’s Life on Mars, The Rolling Stones’ Sympathy For The Devil and Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run.
“It makes me feel like I’m being dragged away by this euphoric moment that could any moment tip into being corny, but doesn’t,” said Manic Street Preachers’ star James Dean Bradfield of the Springsteen hit.
Coldplay singer Martin picked The Verve’s Bitter Sweet Symphony.
“Bitter Sweet Symphony is as perfect a song as there is. And I say that as somebody who believes perfection is the enemy of imperfection,” said Martin.
Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ In The Wind, Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit, God Only Knows by The Beach Boys and Lou Reed classic Perfect Day complete the list.
