World News Center

Country group builds its own "Little White Church" (Reuters)

July 31, 2010

Reuters - Wedding proposals at concerts are nothing new, but country act Little Big Town took things a step further on its recent tour, setting up a space for lucky fans to tie the knot at one of its shows.

Indie band One Ring Zero explores the universe (Reuters)

July 31, 2010

Reuters - Making an album about such seemingly simple concepts as food or ice cream trucks might seem like a fool's errand, but for Brooklyn indie duo One Ring Zero, those concepts have led to opportunities to perform at events including book award ceremonies and children's festivals.

Kings of Leon moves past "Pigeon-gate" (Reuters)

July 31, 2010

Reuters - Kings of Leon's Nathan Followill is confident that organizers of the upcoming Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco will keep stray pigeons as far away from the stage as possible. But, the drummer notes, "we're bringing a couple of muzzle loaders, just in case."

Freddie Gibbs prefers his rap "Str8," no chaser (Reuters)

July 31, 2010

Reuters - Freddie Gibbs has nothing against rap artists who embrace catchy hooks to land on pop radio, but that's not his style. He didn't need a hit single to draw attention to both of his 2009 mixtapes, and he's about to delve deeper into hardcore street rap on his new EP, "Str8 Killa."

Rapper Bun B remembers deceased friends "Right Now" (Reuters)

July 31, 2010

Reuters - Rappers have a propensity for christening themselves with royal titles to promote their standing in hip-hop (e.g., King of the South, Prince of Rap). But for Bun B, the less-regal handle Trill OG was the most fitting.

Musician Esperanza Spalding bends the genre rules (Reuters)

July 31, 2010

Reuters - Most people wouldn't associate the term "modern" with classical chamber music. But if anyone can pull off the pairing, it's bassist/vocalist/composerEsperanza Spalding.

Teen stars align for "Camp Rock 2" soundtrack (Reuters)

July 31, 2010

Reuters - Before Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers once again invade tween TVs with "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam," fans of the Disney franchise can sing along with the "Camp Rock 2" soundtrack, due August 10.

Top 20 Concert Tours (AP)

July 31, 2010

AP - The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week's ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.

German rage over festival deaths focuses on mayor (AP)

July 31, 2010

AP - The mayor of the German city where 21 people were crushed to death at a music festival last weekend is facing growing pressure to resign amid nationwide outrage over the tragedy.