The weekend in music

FRIDAY:Priestess (pictured), The Drink
- Tara Lee at The Pump Roadhouse.
- Mr. Something Something- Exchange, 9 p.m., Tickets, $12 at the door
- 40 Thieves and Eamon McGrath at O'Hanlons.
- The Regina Jazz Society Jazz Masters Series - The Music of Count Basie - directed by Carlo Petrovitch at the Regina Inn, 8:30 pm. $15 members/ $20 non-members/students half-price.
- Corb Lund at Convention Hall - Conexus Arts Centre. $34. All ages show.
- Mobadass at McNally's, 10 pm. $5.
- John Berry's Christmas Tour at Casino Regina Show Lounge.

SATURDAY:
- Tara Lee at The Pump Roadhouse.
- Mobadass at McNally's, 10 pm. $5.
- John Berry's Christmas Tour at Casino Regina Show Lounge.
- Brandy Moore at Chapters Book Store, 1pm. Free.
- Matrimony-N-Cheese: Billy Idol meets Michael Jackson mixed with the Flashdance and Top Gun soundtracks, blended with the movie "The Wedding Singer" and smothered in cheese!

Youth rules

So Kiss founder Gene Simmons was in Canada recently on a hunt for acts to sign to his label, and among the typically outrageous things he said were some smart things that made sense to me.

He was talking about what makes an artist great, and what it takes for a band to become a success. He said he wasn't a fan of shows like Canadian Idol and American Idol because they do little more than entertain a TV audience with a contest among singers rather than help find and encourage young artists who have a shot at having a long future in the music business.

He was quite correct to suggest that he would have crashed and burned if he had become an American Idol contestant when he was starting out in the '70s. He couldn't sing well at all, he said, and he and his band rose to fame and still enjoy success decades later because he and his bandmates had moxy, offered something different to the music landscape and worked hard at it. They also had an attitude and personalities that don't exactly get rewarded on the Idol shows.

He's right, isn't he? Most of the winners are clean cut, rosy-cheeked men and woman who the show's makers figure have a chance of appealing to the masses.

Simmons said the Rolling Stones's Mick Jagger wouldn't have done well on American Idol either -- what Jagger lacks in vocal talent he makes up for in stage presence and energy alone. That's why he's regarded as one of the best rock frontmen, ever, because of who he is rather than how well he can hold a note.

One of the reasons that gets me excited about a singer or a band is how they started. I'm impressed by a band that starts out in a garage, earns a modest living playing the music they love and then become popular after struggling and winning audiences on their own terms.

For instance, Regina's favourite sons Into Eternity travel the world quite regularly after years of struggle and hard work. I don't think people like David Cook or Ryan Malcolm know much about eating peanut butter sandwiches in the back of van on their way to a show Sudbury, Ont. where a crowd of 80 are waiting for them. My guess is that they wouldn't bother.

An Into Eternity CD has a value that no CD made by an Idol winner will ever have. Same goes for all rags-to-riches (or rags-to-rags-to-rags) bands.

I bring this up for a couple of reasons.

Some time ago, I was passing the time and looking up some old Iron Maiden videos on youtube, and I stumbled across these three brothers from Argentina who had posted their own version of Maiden's "Trooper." I liked it, a lot, because these really young dudes were taking this very seriously and having a blast.

The Gaucho brothers (pictured) are all really young, and the video was shot in a bedroom - you can see part of what appears to be a bunk bed. Their niece, holding a muted microphone and dressed in a flowing dark wig, presumably to look like a Maiden member, or one of her uncles, dances as her young uncles wail away on their instruments.

Here it is.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_4aGXTHo7w

If you search youtube, you'll find lots more -- the Gaucho brothers do versions of many songs, most of them old, great rock songs. I gather they became Internet darlings, and even appeared on Argentina's version of American Idol and their spirited performance seemed to impress.

In this clip, they're a little older and better at their instruments. And their parents go nuts out of view from the audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y4vKQytOU4&feature=related

I hadn't given much thought about the Gouchos until a couple of weeks back when I spotted this cell phone ad where subtitles allow the TV viewer to understand what they're singing about. It's a neat ad, and their niece returns to her rightful spot up front. Here it is - I'm sure you've seen it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfPSkyd-9UM

I hope that I am able someday to buy a Goucho Brothers CD, because I will. And I'll buy a few copies as gifts, and give them to friends and family who are fans of winners of TV contest shows.

Here's an Esquire article on the brothers...

http://www.esquire.com/the-side/gauchos022307

So why do I bother bringing all of this up? Well, Regina music fans are in for a treat tonight (Wednesday) when three really young local bands share the stage at The Exchange.

Purple Funk headlines a bill that includes fellow young rockers The Flaming Pendejos & Noah's Electric Arc. The show is from 8 to 11 p.m. and tickets are $8. Without doing a Google search, I can say with reasonable certainty that none of these bands or their members have done well on Canadian Idol, and are performing tonight because they like hanging out with their friends, love playing rock music and just want to have fun.

Here's a taste of what you'll expect - this is The Flaming Pendejos, who I think played on the Scarth Street Mall this summer. Like all bands on this list tonight, they play rock music -- no dancing, no choreography. In this clip, the young fellas pay tribute to Pink Floyd and perform an imperfect but neat version of "Wish You Were Here."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDmjLjIuEy4

My guess is that most of tonight's audience will be made up of giddy parents, but this show is perfect if you're like me, and interested in real musicians playing music for the simple pleasure of the art.

Cheers!

This week's CD releases

Akon - "Freedom"
Dimmu Borgir - The Invaluable Darkness"
The Fireman - "Electric Arguments"
Josh Groban - "A Collection"
Keri Hilson - "In a Perfect World"
Jadakiss - "Block Homicide"
The Kinks - "Picture Book"
R.E.M. - "Murmur" (Deluxe Edition)
Britney Spears - "Circus"
Twisted Sister - "Live at Astoria"
White Zombie - "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie 1985-1996"
Neil Young - "Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968"
Zac Brown Band - "The Foundation"
Zebrahead - "Phoeni

New tickets released for Carrie Underwood tonight

CARRIE UNDERWOOD

TONIGHT @ BRANDT CENTRE!


**** Great seats just released! ****

Best way to get your tickets is online at www.ticketmaster.ca
or you can charge-by-phone at 543-7800.

Nickelback to play Saskatoon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MONDAY, DECEMBER 1ST AFTER 7:30AM


ROCK 102, C95 AND THE SASKATOON STAR PHOENIX PRESENT

NICKELBACK
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

SEETHER

AND

SAVING ABEL



SATURDAY, APRIL 4TH, 2009

CREDIT UNION CENTRE - SASKATOON, SK

Doors: 6:00PM Show: 7:00PM



TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5TH @ 10AM





Tickets available at Ticketmaster outlets

Charge by Phone 306-938-7800



Tickets (incl. GST) $65.50, $49.50 & $39.50
(Plus FMF and Service charges)

**GENERAL ADMISSION FLOOR / RESERVED STANDS **





NICKELBACK ANNOUNCE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES



Unstoppable rock powerhouse Nickelback have announced dates for their upcoming North American tour in support of their new album Dark Horse, released on EMI Music Canada on November 18th. The Live Nation produced tour, which kicks off on February 25th in Nashville, TN, hits major arenas in over 30 cities across the continent. Seether and Saving Abel have signed on as support acts.



Nickelback tickets go on sale beginning December 5th at www.LiveNation.com. This is Nickelback’s first tour under their Live Nation Artist Nation deal which was announced earlier this year.



Nickelback are a phenomenally successful touring band whose tours have grossed in excess of $100 million thus far and have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Dark Horse is Nickelback’s first release since the immensely popular All The Right Reasons, released in 2005. In support of the album, the band has recently appeared on, MuchMusic, Entertainment Tonight Canada, eTalk, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The American Music Awards. Critics and fans alike are praising Dark Horse. The New York Times raved, "Nickelback… has been responsible for some of the heaviest pop hits of this decade and more notably, it has almost single handedly preserved the idea of the arena-rock ballad." Entertainment Weekly declared, “The only sure thing in the music business in 2008.”



The album, Dark Horse, debuted #1 on the Canadian charts and the first single, “Gotta Be Somebody,” is the #1 single in Canada. At press time, the track has an estimated North American audience of over 60 million.



Nickelback re-launched their official fan club website on November 13th where members can gain exclusive access to advance concert tickets, limited edition merchandise, candid photos, audio and video. The site offers members exclusives, including special contests for merchandise, tickets and meet and greets with the band. There’s also a new social platform enabling members to network and chat with other members via message boards, a live chat room, blogs and many other interactive features. Members will have access to pre-sale ticketing beginning November 25th. To become a member go to www.Nickelbackfanclub.com or CLICK HERE to join.



Nickelback VIP packages are also available at www.NickelbackFanClub.com which include a combination of VIP concert tickets, early entry into the venue, a personal photo opportunity with the band, an exclusive concert t-shirt, collectible tour poster (limited edition and numbered), and official commemorative VIP laminate and a set of official Nickelback guitar picks.



NICKELBACK TOUR DATES – 2009



DATE CITY VENUE ON-SALE

Wed/Feb-25 Nashville, TN Sommet Center Sat/Dec 13

Fri/Feb-27 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena Sat/Dec 13

Sat/Feb-28 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena Sat/Dec 13

Mon/Mar-02 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre Fri/Dec 5

Tue/Mar-03 Hamilton, ON Copps Coliseum Fri/Dec 5

Thu/Mar-05 Worcester, MA DSU Center Sat/Dec 13

Fri/Mar-06 East Rutherford, NJ IZOD Center Sat/Dec 13

Sun/Mar-08 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena Sat/Dec13

Mon/Mar-09 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center Sat/Dec 13

Wed/Mar-11 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena Sat/Dec 13

Thu/Mar-12 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena Sat/Dec 13

Sat/Mar-14 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center Sat/Dec 13

Sun/Mar-15 Moline, IL i Wireless Center Sat/Dec 13

Tue/Mar-17 Omaha, NE Qwest Center Sat/Dec 13

Wed/Mar-18 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena Sat/Dec 13

Wed/Apr-01 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place Fri/Dec 5

Thu/Apr-02 Calgary, AB Pengrowth Saddledome Fri/Dec 5

Sat/Apr-04 Saskatoon, SK Credit Union Centre Fri/Dec 5

Sun/Apr-05 Winnipeg, MB` MTS Centre Fri/Dec 5

Tue/Apr-07 Minneapolis, MN Target Center Sat/Dec 13

Wed/Apr-08 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center Sat/Dec 13

Fri/Apr-10 Tulsa, OK BOK Center Sat/Dec 6

Mon/Apr-13 Bossier City, LA CenturyTel Center Sat/Dec 13

Tue/Apr-14 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center Sat/Dec 6

Thu/Apr-16 Houston Toyota Center Sat/Dec 6

Fri/Apr-17 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena Sat/Dec 13

Sun/Apr-19 Little Rock, AR Alltel Arena Sat/Dec 13

Wed/Apr-22 Jacksonville, FL Veterans Memorial Arena Sat/Dec 13

Thu/Apr-23 Columbia, SC Colonial Life Arena Sat/Dec 13





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About Live Nation:


Live Nation's mission is to maximize the live concert experience for artists, fans and sponsors. Our core business is buying and producing artist rights and monetizing those rights via our global distribution pipe. Live Nation is the largest producer of live music concerts in the world, annually producing over 16,000 concerts for 1,500 artists in 57 countries. The company sells over 45 million concert tickets a year and expects to drive over 60 million unique visitors to livenation.com in 2008. Live Nation is transforming the concert business by expanding its concert platform into direct concert ticketing and building the industry's first artist-to-fan vertically integrated concert platform. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol "LYV." Additional Information about the company can be found at www.livenation.com/investors.





For show information, please contact

Geoff Robins

604-683-4233

GeoffRobins@livenation.com



For Media accreditation, please contact

Jessica Dunn,

604-683-4233,

Jessicadunn@livenation.com



For interview requests for Nickelback & Saving Abel, please contact

Ron Harwood – EMI Music Canada

780-418-4160

Ron.Harwood@emimusic.ca

Dawn Dwyer – EMI Music Canada

416-583-5019

dawn.dwyer@emimusic.ca



For interview requests for Seether, please contact:

Shawn Sommers – Warner Music Canada

204-783-2346

Shawn.Sommers@warnermusic.com