Amy Winehouse Booed Off Stage in Serbia, Cancels Part of European Tour

I spent three years in L.A. going to concerts, nearly every weekend, and the only performer I can recall on stage this drunk was Darby Crash of The Germs. He could sing, no matter how wasted, but he died from a drug overdose in 1980, just a couple days after the last time I saw the band play. I've never seen Amy Winehouse, but this is just sad. It's all sad, the drugs, the lost promise, the death. At the Independent UK, "They know that she's no good... Amy Winehouse booed off stage in Serbia," and Los Angeles Times, "Amy Winehouse cancels part of European tour":

That's When We Fall in Line...

The Go-Go's are touring. My wife and I tried to get tickets for their Pechanga show (August 20th), but it sold out fast. The band played on the Dancing With the Stars finale, although this is an earlier clip:

50 Best L.A. Bands

Following-up on my reports on Skylar Grey and Dave Alvin, the Los Angeles Times Magazine also featured the 50 best band out of Los Angeles. They're listed in no particular order, so folks can quibble with the organization at the link.

I'll post more songs later, but been diggin' some Crosby, Stills and Nash of late, so here you go, a classic:

Dave Alvin at L.A. Times Magazine

See "Troubadour of Troubled Times":

Over the course of roughly three decades, Alvin has compiled one of the great, if underappreciated, California songbooks, cataloging the people and places most overlook or choose to ignore.

His is not the confectionary California of endless summers and Hollywood glitter or the kooky capital of New Age seekers and sunbaked hedonists. Alvin sings of life on the margins and between the cracks, of farm workers and illegal immigrants, of meth heads and lost souls and places like Bellflower, Fontana, the High Sierra and the 605 Freeway.

He sings in a throaty rumble of love and loss and ghosts of things past. California natives, Alvin believes, suffer an odd kind of nostalgia that comes when talk of old times refers not to generations ago but a period only a few years back. “By the time you’re 20, you’re 40 in the sense of waking up in the morning and thinking, Let’s go see the orange groves. But they’re not there anymore,” he says. “They’re just gone.”

lvin, a fourth-generation Californian, born and raised in Downey, wrote one of his best songs, “Dry River,” about the cement channel running through his hometown. He recalls the time he bicycled to an orange grove near his home, only to find a field of stumps. The trees had been chopped down overnight to make way for apartments and commercial development.

Alvin, 55, has never been an overtly political singer, in the sense of writing protest songs or lending his name to a cause. But he is an acute observer of politics—especially California politics—and with the Golden State in seemingly perpetual crisis, with high unemployment, meat-cleaver budget cuts and a government paralyzed by partisanship, he suggests the state, as we know it, may be headed the way of those orange groves. Listen closely, and you might hear it in a song.

RTWT.

I grew up in the City of Orange, and walked to school through orange groves. You miss them when they're gone. There's still a few left, actually, but few and far between. This is Orange County, for crying out loud.

BONUS: Check Dave Alvin's website.

Oh, Pretty Baby...

I know this is a romantic song, but when it comes on the radio it reminds me of my whole family. Love your loved ones. My wife and children are miracles to me. I can't take my eyes off of them. They're too good to be true ...

Skylar Grey at L.A. Times Magazine

"Hooked":

Her name doesn’t ring a bell when mentioned, though you certainly know the voice. There was Skylar Grey, front and center amid the smoke and shadows at February’s 53rd annual Grammy Awards, singing the hooks she wrote for Eminem, Dr. Dre and Rihanna during a haunting performance of “Love the Way You Lie” and “I Need a Doctor.”

Now the 25-year-old is making her move on the spotlight. Previously known as the girl who pens the lyrics or adds the inimitable vocal track (think Diddy-Dirty Money’s “Coming Home,” Lupe Fiasco’s “Words I Never Said” and T.I.’s “Castle Walls” featuring Christina Aguilera), she wants to be more than hip-hop’s go-to girl.

RTWT.

And check the photos at the Skylar Grey News fansite.

Coldplay: 'Every Teardrop is a Waterfall'

The new single.

And the band's endorsing the movement of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel? That's lame. See Uncoverage, "Rock Group “ColdPlay” Endorses Jihad Against Israel."

Rihanna 'Man Down' Controversy

A couple of months back, my oldest son was playing Rihanna's "Man Down" 24/7, and I asked him if she had a video. She didn't. But she does now, and it's quite a sensation. See Los Angeles Times, "Rihanna, BET defend 'Man Down' video":

Rihanna had a simple response Thursday for advocacy groups condemning her latest video: She's not anyone's parent.

The singer found herself in the center of controversy this week after the premiere of her latest video, "Man Down," on BET's "106 & Park" — a video she promised in a Twitter message would have a "very strong underlying message 4 girls like me."

It's that message — which shows her killing a man who has assaulted her — that has drawn the ire of three advocacy groups that work, in part, to combat violent imagery in media.

The Parents Television Council, Industry Ears and the Enough Is Enough Campaign joined to condemn the video and urge Viacom, BET's parent company, to pull it.

BET said Thursday that it had no intention of doing so.

In a statement, Paul Porter, co-founder of Industry Ears and a former music programmer for BET, described "Man Down" as "an inexcusable, shock-only, shoot-and-kill theme song. In my 30 years of viewing BET, I have never witnessed such a cold, calculated execution of murder in prime time. Viacom's standards and practices department has reached another new low."

"If Chris Brown shot a woman in his new video and BET premiered it, the world would stop," Porter said, referring to the singer who pleaded guilty to assault in the 2009 beating of Rihanna, his then girlfriend. "Rihanna should not get a pass, and BET should know better."

The "Man Down" video, which has also been shown on Vevo, the YouTube music site, begins with the singer shooting a man as a crowd of bystanders flee. He is shown dead in a pool of blood. It then flashes back to the previous day, as the singer hangs out with friends, goes clubbing and on the way home is accosted in a dark alley by the same guy. It is implied that he sexually assaults her.

Representatives for Rihanna could not be reached for comment Thursday, but the singer took to Twitter to address the fallout.

Also at Baltimore Sun, "Rihanna's 'Man Down' Controversy Heats Up."

And check Rihanna on Twitter.

Added: At ABC News, "Rihanna Defends 'Man Down'; BET Stands by Video."

Linked at Zilla of the Resistance, "Parents: It's YOUR Job, Not Rihanna's To Be A Role Model For Your Kids!"

Plus, more at Pop Crush, "RIHANNA SPEAKS OUT ON ‘MAN DOWN’ CONTROVERSY."

Barry Manilow New Album Release

The new album is 15 Minutes.

Manilow's a featured performer at Paris Las Vegas. My wife's been dying to see him. She's trying to get a vacation schedule approved and we'll take another trip out there. Recall that we stayed at the MGM last time. I really recommend it. An awesome hotel.

Anyway, Manilow's interviewed at Vanity Fair, "Barry Manilow Only Ever Played One Bathhouse with Bette Midler."

Winding Down, 'Top 100 Rock Albums of All Time' — The Beatles, 'White Album', at No. 35

Well, it's been years since I posted this, but definitely a favorite. I wonder of old ace commenter Kreiz is still reading along?

See The Sound L.A., "No. 35: Beatles | White Album (Side 1)."

I'm traveling to Temecula for barbecue with old friends. I should be online late this afternoon for blogging ...

Meanwhile, grab a beer and log on to The Sound L.A. for some classic album rock. It's kickin'.

A roundup of the countdown is here: "'Top 100 Rock Albums of All Time' — Lynyrd Skynyrd, 'Pronounced', at No. 42."

'Top 100 Rock Albums of All Time' — Lynyrd Skynyrd, 'Pronounced', at No. 42

Listened again to The Sound L.A. while out to the skatepark with my son. I caught "No. 42: Lynyrd Skynyrd | Pronounced (Side 2)," but check the homepage for updates. The station is just rockin' the vinyl!

The live clip's long, so fast forward to 5:00 and the boys start jammin' the guitars. And that Confederate battle flag is one hella touch, and for a BBC performance in 1975! British heads exploding?!!

PREVIOUSLY: "The Sound L.A., 'Top 100 Rock Albums of All Time' — J.T.'s 'Sweet Baby James' at No. 83," and "More From 'The Top 100 Albums of All Time' — David Bowie 'Ziggy Stardust' at No. 79."

More From 'The Top 100 Albums of All Time' — David Bowie 'Ziggy Stardust' at No. 79

"Star."

Heard it yesterday while out to the skatepark, "No. 79: David Bowie | Ziggy Stardust (Side 2)":

PREVIOUSLY: "The Sound L.A., 'Top 100 Rock Albums of All Time' — J.T.'s 'Sweet Baby James' at No. 83'."

The Sound L.A., 'Top 100 Rock Albums of All Time' — J.T.'s 'Sweet Baby James' at No. 83

For the holiday weekend, at The Sound L.A.: "The Top 100 Rock Albums of All Time." Pretty interesting. David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" came in a No. 88.

I was out for a bit and heard "No. 83: James Taylor | Sweet Baby James (Side 1)," including, "Oh, Susannah":

As this post goes live, "No. 81: Elton John | Madman Across the Water (Side 1)", is on the turntable. It's happening all weekend and you can listen from your laptop.

(And this reminds me of my good friend Tony from Down Under, who posts his weekly Sunday Night Music entries over at P.A. Pundits International. Enjoy the music, Tony!)

If You Believe That Anyone Like Me Within a Song...

Flashback to 1981.

The Psychedelic Furs, "Into You Like A Train":

Lady Gaga's Next Chapter

At New York Times, "Lady Gaga Has a New Album, 'Born This Way'."

And from the comments at Althouse:

Gaga: progressively more tiresome.

I'd say more like a cross between Madonna and the Spice Girls with some Marilyn Manson thrown in for good measure.

I posted on Gaga's "Judas" previously, and ace commenter Dennis was also unimpressed.

Newt Gingrich Dancing Queen!

Hey, feel the beat from the tambourine.

Newt's hoping "anybody could be that guy" for the nomination, and idiot Alex Pareene's jonesin' for it.

'Rolling in the Deep' Tops U.S. Singles Chart

Perhaps I should lighten it up a bit. Enjoy Adele, "Rolling in the Deep":

There's a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch, and it's bringing me out the dark
Finally I can see you crystal clear
Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your sheet bare
See how I'll leave with every piece of you
Don't underestimate the things that I will do

There's a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch
And it's bringing me out the dark

The scars of your love remind me of us
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
The scars of your love, they leave me breathless
I can't help feeling
We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
You had my heart inside of your hand
(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
And you played it to the beat
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep) ...

RELATED: "Adele replaces Katy Perry atop U.S. singles chart," and "Adele wows Washington, D.C. with an unpolished but Streisand-ian performance."

BONUS: "Who Sings ‘Rolling in the Deep’ Best?

AND THANKS: To Pundit & Pundette for the sidebar link yesterday.

I Got No Friends 'Cause They Read the Papers...

Alice Cooper, "No More Mr. Nice Guy":

From yesterday morning's drive time, at The Sound LA.

Killer set, especially while getting slammed in some serious traffic:

9:37am You're My Best Friend by Queen

09:30am Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot

09:21am Mainstreet by Bob Seger

09:18am No More Mr. Nice Guy by Alice Cooper

09:15am Lady Madonna by Beatles (remastered)

09:12am Blue Morning Blue Day by Foreigner

09:05am Suite Judy Blue Eyes by Crosby, Stills, And Nash

09:00am One of These Nights by Eagles

08:51am Cold Shot by Stevie Ray Vaughan

8:46 - Empty Spaces / Young Lust by Pink Floyd

8:42 - Sunshine of Your Love by Cream

8:39 - Rock The Casbah by Clash

8:35 - Saturday In The Park by Chicago

8:26 - I Still Haven't Found... by U2

8:20 - Ready For Love by Bad Company

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