Pop Talk from Creators Syndicate

Eddie Vedder Finds New Musical Pearls With Ukulele Songs for 06/27/2011

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

In music, as in life, knowledge and experience can be valuable tools for growth. But for Eddie Vedder, knowing next to nothing about Hawaii's most famous stringed instrument proved invaluable when he made his endearing new solo album, "Ukulele Songs."

"There's a lot about this instrument — and music in general — that I've tried to remain naive about. Just becau ...

Updated: Mon Jun 27, 2011

Isn't That Special? Dana Carvey Returns for 06/20/2011

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Dana Carvey has created so many classic comedy routines over the years that it's difficult for fans to agree exactly which one is the most, well, special.

Is it his perpetually prissy Church Lady or his Grumpy Old Man, two of the most enduring characters from Carvey's star-making six-year tenure on TV's "Saturday Night Live" in the late 1980s and early '90s? (To see the Church ...

Updated: Mon Jun 20, 2011

Life on Mars (Bruno, That is) for 06/13/2011

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Few experiences can fuel success like complete and utter failure. Grammy Award-winning pop sensation Bruno Mars learned this from a bitter, yet ultimately fruitful, personal experience that helped propel him from obscurity to fame.

Mars was only 18 when he signed a $100,000 recording deal in 2004 with Motown. The budding singer-songwriter was elated to earn a contract with the fabled rec ...

Updated: Mon Jun 13, 2011

One Outfit is Enough For Grace Potter for 06/06/2011

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Grace Potter doesn't shy away from looking her best when she's on stage with her band, The Nocturnals, or in her new music video with country-pop star Kenny Chesney, "You and Tequila." But this Vermont-bred organist, guitarist and hard-rocking vocal dynamo is determined to make an impact with her formidable musical gifts, not her wardrobe.

The importance of doing so was reinfor ...

Updated: Mon Jun 06, 2011

Mike Watt's New Solo Album Examines His Life as a Middle-Aged Punk-Rocker for 05/23/2011

Mon, 23 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The worlds of punk-rock, opera, Renaissance painting and cutting-edge jazz happily merge with bicycling and kayaking in the heady music of Mike Watt.

A major creative force since rising to prominence in the 1980s with the San Pedro, Calif., punk power-trio The Minutemen, the maverick bassist, singer and artistic instigator is 53-going-on-18. On April 30, he completed a 51-date national c ...

Updated: Mon May 23, 2011

At Almost 70, Bob Dylan Doesn't Look Back for 05/16/2011

Mon, 16 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Bob Dylan, who sounded wise and world-weary at 21, remains forever young — at least in some key respects — even as he turns approaches his 70th birthday on May 24. Or as famed film director Martin Scorsese recently told AARP The Magazine: "Bob is ageless because he keeps turning new corners, beating down new paths, redefining himself and his art as he goes."

Indeed, ...

Updated: Mon May 16, 2011

Rock Pioneer Chuck Berry Rolls on at 84 for 05/09/2011

Mon, 09 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Chuck Berry has made some of the greatest records in the history of rock 'n' roll, although he did not — for the record — create rock 'n' roll alone.

That heady feat, which irrevocably changed music and pop culture, was a cooperative effort. It was shared by Little Richard, Bo Diddley and such equally pivotal (if comparatively overlooked) African-American artists as Louis Jor ...

Updated: Mon May 09, 2011

James Blunt: From Troubadour to Stage-Diver for 05/02/2011

Mon, 02 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

James Blunt, an electric-guitar-wielding rocker?

The wispy English troubadour, whose name is synonymous with his 2005 ballad of spurned love, "You're Beautiful," a stage-diving front man? Seriously?

"I'm absolutely serious," said Blunt, who is now embarked on his latest North American concert tour.

"I've broken my right little finger from doing it. ...

Updated: Mon May 02, 2011

B.B. King's Blues Power Still Surging for 04/25/2011

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

For the past five decades, savvy music fans around the world have hailed the iconic B.B. King as one of the greatest blues artists ever. But to get a true measure of this 14-time Grammy Award-winner, who is now embarked on his latest world concert tour, we asked some of his fellow musicians to weigh in.

"He treats me like an equal, but I don't see it that way," Eric Clapton sai ...

Updated: Mon Apr 25, 2011

At 91, Ravi Shankar Seeks New Vistas for 04/18/2011

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

At 91, Ravi Shankar is clearly — and very happily — not the retiring kind.

"I know this much now: There is so much more to know and I'm gradually learning more," said the legendary Indian musician and composer, who has lived with his family in Encinitas, Calif. since 1992.

Shankar has been an internationally celebrated icon in the arts for more than half of h ...

Updated: Mon Apr 18, 2011

Former High School Baseball Star Turned Country Star Likes to Give Fans a Good Time with His Hits for 04/11/2011

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

When Jason Aldean invokes "Sweet Home Alabama," he's not talking about — or singing — the 1974 Southern-rock classic by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

"Alabama is my favorite band of all time," said Aldean, 34, who is fast becoming a favorite of many country-music fans.

"That's one band I always hoped to get a chance to work with and tour with. Unfortunately, ...

Updated: Mon Apr 11, 2011

Going Gaga Over Gaga for 04/04/2011

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Has the title of Lady Gaga's recent Grammy Award-winning album, "The Fame Monster," turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy for her?

Is Gaga's superstardom, and the pressures and expectations that come with it, starting to devour her sky-high career? Or is Gaga, the biggest pop-music sensation of the past two years not named Justin Bieber, poised for a new triumph with "Bor ...

Updated: Mon Apr 04, 2011

Deering Banjos: A Company with Pluck for 03/28/2011

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Deering Banjos was barely four years old when Bruce Springsteen recorded "From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)" in 1979. But that song's title perfectly captures the slow, yet steady, growth of this plucky San Diego company.

Deering is now the largest manufacturer of American-made banjos in the world, surpassing Gibson nearly a decade ago. Its expertly crafted instrument ...

Updated: Mon Mar 28, 2011

Blink's Mark Hoppus Fuses Talents on TV for 03/21/2011

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

NEW YORK — As a member of the pop-punk band blink-182, Mark Hoppus has become rich and famous beyond his wildest dreams.

Why, then, did he agree to begin co-hosting a new weekly music TV series for Fuse last fall, a third of the way through making blink's first new studio album since 2003? And why is he again commuting from Los Angeles, where blink is still at work, to Fuse's mid-M ...

Updated: Mon Mar 21, 2011

Corea, Burton Formed a Prolific Partnership for 03/14/2011

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Between them, pianist Chick Corea and vibraphonist Gary Burton have 18 Grammy Awards, two of them for albums they performed on together.

Yet, while these vibrant jazz legends fondly remember the circumstances that led to their first duo album, 1972's landmark "Crystal Silence," they agree that their first collaboration was fleeting — and much less fruitful.

The yea ...

Updated: Mon Mar 14, 2011

Eric Clapton's New Classics for 03/07/2011

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800

New is old and old is new for Eric Clapton, who is now embarked on a North American tour. At 65, this tireless rock legend is seeking new artistic vistas. As evidenced by his latest album, 2010's "Clapton," he is gaining fresh inspiration by embracing vintage jazz and blues songs that predate his birth.

Moreover, he is doing so with so much warmth and reverence that it's clear ...

Updated: Mon Mar 07, 2011

The Evolution of Linkin Park for 02/28/2011

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Tampering with a winning formula can often be commercial suicide, especially in the intensely competitive world of pop music. But when Linkin Park recorded its latest album, 2010's "A Thousand Suns," the members of this top Los Angeles rap-rock band did more than just consider deviating from their winning musical approach of the past — they all but abandoned it.

Never min ...

Updated: Mon Feb 28, 2011

Anthony Davis at 60: Jazz, Opera and Beyond for 02/21/2011

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

For the past several decades, University of California at San Diego music professor Anthony Davis has consistently broken new ground as one of the nation's foremost jazz-and-beyond pianists and as a composer of cutting-edge operas, symphonies and choral and chamber works.

What is less known is that Davis, who celebrated his 60th birthday on Feb. 20 with an all-star concert in San Diego, ...

Updated: Mon Feb 21, 2011

Surprise Wins and Losses at Grammy Awards for 02/14/2011

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

LOS ANGELES — If the 53rd annual Grammy Awards is an indication of the future, it may not be too long before the music world's most prestigious annual awards fete dispenses with awards altogether to devote its entire three-and-a-half hours to live musical performances.

The ratio Sunday night was 16 uneven performances to 10 awards, with more than a few of the award segments seeming ...

Updated: Mon Feb 14, 2011

Grammy's New Look: Shift to Youthful Performers, New Technologies Transforming Music Awards for 02/10/2011

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Youth will be well served at Sunday's 53rd annual Grammy Awards, musically and technologically, including today's Grammy Social Media Rock Stars Summit, which features singer Adam Lambert and will stream live at 2 p.m. at grammy.com/live and on YouTube.

The bevy of young nominees set to perform on Sunday's national telecast, which airs on CBS, includes Justin Bieber, 16, Rihanna, 22, Lad ...

Updated: Thu Feb 10, 2011