Videos by American Songwriter
Are you ready for Kenny Chesney in 3D? In April, 2010, the “When the Sun Goes Down” singer will star in his own concert film, Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D. It will be directed by Joe Thomas, who’s also worked with Faith Hill, Bon Jovi, and Chris Isaak.
In an interview with The Tennessean, Miranda Lambert describes the inspiration behind her song, “Maintain The Pain,” from her latest album, Revolution, where she sings “I put a bullet in my radio.”
“There was a moment that I was listening to a radio station and it played the same song three times in an hour. I was like, ‘Do I really have to hear this song again?’ I didn’t shoot the radio, but I wanted to. And also, I thought that was a good first line. The first line of a song should catch your ear immediately, and make you think, ‘What is this going to be about?’”
Lambert is among those nominated for best female vocalist for tomorrow’s CMA Awards, which will air at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
From the heartland to Brooklyn: New York magazine has selected the 40 songs that best represent the elusive “Brooklyn Sound” that’s at the forefront of today’s hipster-rock revolution. The top track? Dirty Projector’s “Stillness Is The Move,” followed by Grizzly Bear’s “Two Weeks,” MGMT’s “Kids”, LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends” and TV On The Radio’s “Golden Age.” Check out the full list, with explanations as to why they’ve won “Best in Burough,” here.
Speaking of awards, songwriting duo Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich just took home the 2009 Fred Ebb Award, which recognizes under-the-radar songwriters, lyricists and composers in the world of theater. It comes with a $50,000 cash prize. The duo won for their children’s show “Dear Edwina,” currently showing at the DR2 Theater in Manhattan. The late Ebb wrote the lyrics to “Chicago,” “Cabaret,” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman.”
Ray Davies tells Billboard he’s been in the studio working on new material with Kinks members Mick Avory, Jim Rodford, and Ian Gibbon. “We’ve got four, five new songs,” says Davies,”and I’m just sort of getting them motivated and seeing what they’re playing like, because I haven’t played with the Kinks for eight or nine years.”
Today, Decca releases The Kinks Choral Collection, on which Davies reworks familiar songs and lesser-known-singles from the Kinks catalog with London’s Crouch End Festival Chorus, including “You Really Got Me” and “All Day and All of the Night.”
“It’s not a re-recording of the Kinks music; it’s a reinterpretation,” notes Davies. “I think it will be interesting for people who have the Kinks catalog…to actually sort of compare and hear the songs more fleshed out and put in this kind of style.”
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