Essential Sounds

Ethnic music describe the ways in which music expresses historical differences and constructs identities in a modern, urban society. It preserves culture, language, customs, social and family interaction from the past. Ethnic music assumes different forms that stretches across stylistic boundaries between folk, religious, and classical musics.

Ethnic music connects people to a selected component of its past but gives meaning to the present. Thus, ethnic music should be understood as changing and not static for through music, one can revisit his/her past. We can look at the ways in which ethnic musics have shaped people and continue to do so in transforming, but by no means eliminating, the ethnic origin shaped by generations.

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Yes, ladies and gents the purple one has the balls to cover such a depreciating song like Radiohead’s Creep.

Prince surprised the crowd at Coachella tonight with the Radiohead cover as well as singing his greatest hits out there in the Californian desert. We wonder how Thom Yorke and the band would feel that someone like Prince would do something like this.

Decked out in a white suit, he also covered the Beatles’ Come together� and ralied everyone to chant War No More. After all the politics is done, he goes straight into the old bin and cranks out 1999�, Little Red Corvette, Cream, Purple Rain�, and Let’s Go Crazy�.

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Amy Winehouse seems to be attracting quite a lot of bad media and karma for the last few weeks. She got invited by the London police to spend a night in their offices, soon to be ex-hubby is asking for millions in the divorce settlement, and now this: she’s pulling out of doing the theme for the new Bond movie; Quantum of Solace.

Mark Ronson, who produced much of Winehouse’s Grammy-winning Back to Black, said the soul diva is not ready to record any music.

Ronson said the two started work on the track for the upcoming Bond movie Quantum of Solace but it would take some miracle of science to finish it, he said in an interview with Sky News.

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A rumors going around that Axl Rose finally finished Chinese Democracy. Its been sixteen years in the making and a lot of things have changed since then.

Is Axl Rose still relevant to the 21^st century and its mp3 kids? Most of his fans back in the late 80s have moved on to become corporate employees and have no time for rock music or slackers with no money to buy a CD. The kids these days will have to be totally blown away with the album or they’ll just think its grandpas old shtick.

The record cost a lot so Axl had better deliver. According to reports, it cost Geffen an arm and two legs: $13 Million. Currently, they are hammering out money and rights issues with the singer.

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For British insomniacs, Coldplay may just be your ticket to La-la land.

In a survey carried out by Travelodge, the four-piece band is the top choice of most people who want to fall asleep to. The other choices were James Blunt, Snow Patrol, Take That, and Norah Jones. According to Travelodge representative, Leigh McCarron,

“The research shows that we are increasingly relying on slow, sleepy music and unchallenging books to take our minds off the pressures of modern living, to help us switch off and get to sleep at night.”

The study was polled across the UK with 2,248 participants.

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If you were kicked out of a band, how would you feel? Pretty much pissed, I guess. That’s how Weiland (now ex-singer for Velvet Revolver since the announcement yesterday) reacted.

I find it humorous that the so called four founding members of Velvet Revolver would decide to move on without me after I had already claimed the group dead in the water on March 20 in Glasgow, Weiland said.

He has decided to turn his back on this experience and instead focus on the future. Weiland will be touring again with his original band, the Stone Temple Pilots, saying I choose to look forward to the future and performing with a group of friends I have known my entire life.�

What’s the future for Velvet Revolver? Will they break up or get a new singer? Watch this blog for more news on that soon.

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The writing was on the wall. We reported a few days ago that Velvet Revolver seems to be the verge of imploding, here and here. Here’s the official announcement from the group and Sanctuary Artist Management.

Velvet Revolver founding members Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum and Dave Kushner announced today that they are parting ways with singer Scott Weiland. “This band is all about its fans and its music and Scott Weiland isn’t 100% committed to either,” said Slash. “Among other things, his increasingly erratic on-stage behavior and personal problems have forced us to move on.”

Short but bittersweet , eh? How will Weiland react? For sure we’ll be reporting that as soon as we get it.

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In response to reports regarding the Glasgow gig announcement that this will be Velvet Revolvers last days, drummer Matt Sorum commented on his blog that, “Had a little band turmoil on stage as you probably all could tell. Being in a band is a lot like being in a relationship. Sometimes you just don’t get along

Weiland obviously read it and went on to rant in his blog as well that, Sorum shouldn’t, …attempt to stand in a mans shoes when you haven’t walked his path. He even went on to state that Sorum himself had some skeletons lying in the closet,Now, shall I open that can of worms, Matthew? Release the Kraken? Serve Volley! You cancelled the Aussie tour in the fall because you went to rehab, but I won’t say why�

It seems that these guys want to drag their fight into the public arena with their blogs. Whatever happened to face-to-face fisticuffs? On a serious note, we hope that these two kiss and make up soon if they’re going to finish the tour at least.

Sorums post

Weilands post

1990年代の初頭、音楽業界はDinosaur Jr、Firehouse、Nirvanaなどオルタナティブ・ロックの商業的可能性と、バンドを求める活発な声で騒然となった。

Nirvanaがアルバム『Nevermind』で収めた驚くべき成功が、商業的なラジオ局の「オルタナティブ・ロックに対する開放」を告げると、特によりへヴィなオルタナティブ・バンドに門戸は開かれることになった。 また、Green DayやOffspringなどの多くのポップ・パンク・バンドまでもが「オルタナティブ」と捉えられた。アメリカのニューヨーク・タイムズ紙は1993年「オルタナティブ・ロックはもはや”オルタナティブ（訳注：代替品）”とは言えない」と告げた。

もはやロックンロールの未来は「ブルース・スプリングスティーン」には任せられない。 ニューヨーク「Ritz」のステージでは、故障した電気掃除機みたいなバンドがプレーしている。自動制御された、高輝度の網膜を突き刺すような白いライトの波が観客を照らしだす中、ステージ・ダイバー用の通路からミュージシャンたちが事もなげに出てくる。一方で、化石になりつつある、40年間生き続ける”生ける屍”「クラシック・ロック」の存在がある。かつては強烈なメインストリーム文化だったが、今や車のCMやオリンピック・イベントのBGMになり下がっている。それよりも、メジャー映画の登場人物が「Mudhoney」のT-シャツを見せびらかしているところを想像してみて欲しい。レコードコレクションの中からアルバムを引っぱり出し、「Alice in Chains」に耳を傾ける。シアトルの「グランジ・ロックの遺跡」に埋もれた愛を描いた、キャメロン・クロウ監督の映画『シングルス』(9月18日公開予定)の脚本のように。その後は「Red Hot Chilli Peppers」「Soundgarden」「Pearl Jam」など総勢7バンドが出演するロック・サーカス「ロラパルーザ」1992年のツアーも予定されている。