Paloma Faith explains why Nina Simone matters

Paloma Faith has collaborated with Music Matters to create a short animated film about why Music Matters and specifically Nina Simone. which you can watch at www.whymusicmatters.org/videos Music Matters aims to get people thinking about the enduring value of music and the ethical choices they make when consuming music as well as to educate people about these choices. For example if you want to consume music for free there are legitimate ways this can be done.

In the past year artists such as The Jam, Sigur Ros, Kate Bush and Nick Cave have worked with animators to produce short films about why Music Matters. This year Bernard Butler and Elbow have also become involved and you can watch all of the films here.

Paloma Faith is so passionate about the campaign and the film that she has written a message about it and why Music Matters to her which can be seen below.

Quick quips: George Michael, Morrissey, C.E. Hodges, Hilly Krystal, Megadeth

Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George MichaelGeorge Michael will be interviewed by British authorities on the current phone hacking schedule that caused the shutdown of the paper News of the World. Michael tweeted over the weekend that he had a past confrontation with certain people of interest in the scandal.


VH1 has declared 11-11-11 as National Metal Day and will lead up to it with a number of days of metal themed programming. On the actual day, they will premier the documentary series Metal Evolution at 10 PM.


Morrissey was recently attacked by a dog, sustaining hand and arm injuries. The attack occurred in England but he didn't have the injuries examined until after his performance in Malmo, Sweden. X-Rays showed a cracked bone at the end of his index finger on his right hand.
In other Morrissey news, the singer's upcoming show at the London Palladium sold out in five minutes.


Take It to the AltarThe Rev. C.E. Hodges, organist in Willie Mitchell's Hi Rhythm Section, is releasing his second album. God He's Able is a traditional gospel album and the followup to his 2006 debut Take It To the Alter.
''ve been blessed to play for some of the most prominent artists in the world. I've stood beside them as they entertained audiences of thousands here in the United States and across the seas,' said Hodges. ' know what it feels like to be at the top and because of my past drug abuse, I've been at the bottom. I lost everything but the Lord told me he'd give it all back to me if I lived my life for him. I did that and he kept his promise. Even in my 60's people are still requesting to hear me play. If there's anything I've learned, it's God's Able.'


The estate of Hilly Kristal has decided to sell the assets of the CBGB brand. There has been much infighting among family members since Kristal died in 2007; however, this decision will bring an end to the squabbling and allow the buyer to use the CBGB name in possibly franchising clubs, licensing the name and images, using the hundreds of hours of audio and video from the club's long history and other products.

Lenny Kravitz offers free download of new track

Four-time GRAMMY Award winning artist Lenny Kravitz is offering fans an exclusive free download of his new track 'Rock Star City Life' on his website from 4pm today (7 July).

The track will be available for 48 hours and is released ahead of his highly-anticipated ninth studio album Black and White America (Atlantic Records/Roadrunner Records).

The collection, set to debut on August 22, marks Kravitz's first release on the new label, following eight previous albums and over 35 million units sold. Lenny Kravitz has confirmed a European tour in October/November to coincide with the launch of Black and White America.

The tour titled Black and White Europe will feature brand new staging and production and include all of Lenny's biggest hits as well as showcase the new album. Fans who sign up on www.lennykravitz.com or follow him on Facebook or Twitter will be the first to receive the exclusive pre-sale information for the tour.

Marking his first release of new material in three years, Black and White America is a rich rock and funk-infused collection filled with Lenny's signature guitar riffs, compelling melodies and the undeniable anthemic lyricism that has been his trademark over the course of his 20-year career.

Recorded in the Bahamas and Paris, Lenny Kravitz's vocals and guitar playing are as distinct as ever on Black and White America, showcasing the intensity with which he records and performs. Kravitz, a multi-instrumentalist, produced, wrote and arranged the 16 tracks on the record.

Regarded as one of the preeminent rock musicians of our time, Lenny Kravitz has transcended genre, style, race and class into a 20-year musical career, one which revels in the rich influences of '60s and '70s soul, rock and funk. From 1999 to 2002, he won four consecutive Grammy Awards, setting a record for the most wins in the 'Best Male Rock Vocal Performance' category with his single 'Dig In' (previously winning for 'Again,' 'American Woman' and 'Fly Away').

Pete and the Pirates announce UK headline tour

After the release of their critically acclaimed second album, 'One Thousand Pictures', and following on from a sold out show at London's, Heaven, Pete and the Pirates will release one of the album's stand out tracks, 'Half Moon Street' as a digital download single on August 29th before embarking on a headline tour of the UK through September and October.

Live:
SEPTEMBER
10 Leeds, Kirkstall Abbey (supporting Kaiser Chiefs)
22 Manchester, Deaf Institute
23 Leeds, Cockpit
24 Liverpool, Mojo
25 Edinburgh, Cabaret Voltaire
26 Glasgow, Captains Rest
28 Birmingham, Hare and Hounds
29 Milton Keynes, Sno Bar
30 Sheffield, Leadmill
OCTOBER
01 Bristol, Cooler
03 Brighton, Komedia
04 London, Scala
07 Dublin, Academy
08 Belfast, Stiff Kitten

Motorcycles, blood, sex, guns and insanity. Not things you'd immediately associate with Reading's prime guitar pop exponents, but then neither are phasing synths, sizzling psychedelia and the general atmosphere of darkness and thunder. Yet, these are the potent thrills P&TP are mixing into their infectious pop stew on their second album, 'One Thousand Pictures', that captures the sound of a band seamlessly moving up through the weight divisions ' packing a greater punch, but losing none of the stream lined hooks and innate melodicism that defined their debut.
The album 'One Thousand Pictures' is out now.

Pete and the Pirates:
Thomas Sanders ' Vocals/Guitars
Pete Dog - Bass/Vocals/keyboards
David Thorpe - Guitar
Jonny Sanders - Drums
Pete Hefferan - Guitar/Vocals

Fenech-Soler follow Glastonbury with further festival dates

Having kicked-off the summer with a triumphant return to the stage at a completely packed out East Dance Tent at Glastonbury, Fenech-Soler's busy schedule continues with further festival dates including V, T in the Park, Bestival, Big Chill, Lovebox, Hop Farm and Blissfields. The quartet will follow these dates with a full UK tour which has been boosted by the addition of a second London show at Koko after the first scheduled date sold-out.

Having previously supported White Lies, Groove Armada and Kelis, Fenech-Soler will also play Ibiza and Mallorca Rocks shows as guests to Mark Ronson.

Inspired by artists as varied as Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, Queens of the Stone Age and N.E.R.D., Fenech-Soler have made huge strides forward since last September's release of their acclaimed self-titled debut album, which earned support from Radio 1 as well as Q and XFM award nominations for The Next Big Thing and Best British Debut Album of the Year respectively.

Fenech-Soler's debut album takes the band's radio-friendly nous to unexpected places. It includes three singles: 'Lies' is a tale of lust and paranoia that becomes a glittery explosion of foot-stomping melancholy, 'Demons' recently became the band's first full American release, while 'Stop And Stare' is their festival anthem ready and waiting, full of twitchy, urgent riffs, and hands-to-the-air vitality.

Mogwai to release new EP 'Earth Division' in September

Having thus far enjoyed a monumental year, with a sold out world tour and the release of the superb and critically acclaimed 7th studio album, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, Mogwai are ready to embark upon another chapter. The band are set to release their Earth Division EP, which carries 4- brand new tracks, highlighting a creative departure from the band's trademark cinematic mantra of pulverizing, scorched guitar riffage, into a more recontextualised domain of hazy electronic distortion, accompanied by spiky wafts of violins, violas, cellos and double bass and jagged keys.

Earth Division discretely demonstrates another side of Mogwai's stratospheric level of brilliance with its ever-rotating, hypnotic soundtracks that drift dreamy into force, while adsorbing into the paranormal.

Earth Division is a collaboration of barded guitar distortion and haunting piano, which might offer the listener something different, but it still carries the band's hallmarks.

Earth Division EP tracklisting//
1. Get To France.
2. Hound Of Winter.
3. Drunk And Crazy.
4. Does This Always Happen?

Earth Division will be released on CD, download and 12"

Mogwai are: Dominic Aitchison, Stuart Braithwaite, Martin Bulloch, Barry Burns and John Cummings.

Mogwai are headlining at this month's iTunes Festival, at the Roundhouse,London on 23rd July and they will also be appearing at the End Of The Road Festival on 3rd September, which sold out in record time.