Quick Hits: Voodoo Music Festival, Jennifer Lopez, Green Day, The Black Keys, Katy Perry, Jennifer Hudson, One Direction, Maxwell, Hollywood Walk Of Fame, Weezer, Blur, Matt & Kim, Biffy Clyro
June 25, 2012
Jack White
The 2012 Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans has announced its entire lineup. In addition to previously announced headliner Green Day, Jack White, Neil Young & Crazy Horse and Skrillex are also on board atop the lineup. Also announced are Silversun Pickups, Justice, The Avett Brothers, AWOLNATION and many many more. The Voodoo festival runs October 26-28.
Jennifer Lopez will release her first greatest hits collection, Dance Again...The Hits, on July 24 via Epic. The collection includes two new songs, "Goin' In" featuring Flo Rida and her latest hit single, "Dance Again" featuring Pitbull. A deluxe edition of Dance Again will include three bonus tracks and a DVD compiling 11 of Lopez's music videos.
Green Day will release "Oh Love," the first single from their upcoming album ˇUno!, on July 16. The track will impact radio and be available through digital retailers that day. ˇUno! is the first of the band's trio of releases over the coming months, landing on September 25. ˇDos! will be out November 13 with ˇTré! coming January 15.
The Black Keys have sued Home Depot and Pizza Hut parent company Yum! Brands Inc., claiming their music was used without permission in a pair of commercials. Bloomberg reports a very close approximation "Lonely Boy" appeared in a Home Depot ad with a "Gold On The Ceiling" sound-alike used for a Pizza Hut commercial.
Katy Perry will team with Pepsi and Billboard for a special live concert performance in Los Angeles on June 26, as part of the U.S. premiere of her 3-D film, Katy Perry: Part Of Me. Pepsi and Billboard will stream the concert, from a surprise location, and have given away over 300 tickets to L.A.-area fans of Perry via Twitter. Additionally, Perry is the latest artist to be "Certified" by VEVO, with a series of interviews with Katy and her fans now streaming on the music video website.
Jennifer Hudson will appear on the NBC series Smash during its second season this fall. According to the Los Angeles Times, Hudson will play "Veronica Moore, a Tony-winning stage actress who tangles with the players of Smash's fictional musical 'Bombshell,' about the life of Marilyn Monroe."
British boy band One Direction has filed a countersuit against another group with the same name. The other One Direction already filed a lawsuit, claiming the Brits had taken their name, but now the group of X Factor UK alums claim they had the name first, according to Rolling Stone.
R&B singer Maxwell has canceled his upcoming U.S. tour due to throat troubles. Maxwell was slated to play his entire catalog over a series of summer dates in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Newark, NJ. However, the singer is instead recovering from treatment for vocal swelling and hemorrhaging.
The Hollywood Walk Of Fame has announced its next batch of honorees, including Usher, Jennifer Hudson, The Backstreet Boys, Jane's Addiction and New Kids On The Block. Posthumous stars on the Walk will also be unveiled for Janis Joplin and Luther Vandross.
Weezer will headline the all-new Charm City Music Festival in Baltimore this September 15. Also on the bill are Flogging Molly, Stephen Marley, Eve 6, Southern Culture On The Skids and more. The festival is organized by CBS Radio-Baltimore and 24-7 Entertainment.
Blur will debut two brand new songs next week by performing on a rooftop somewhere in London. In a YouTube video, the group announced plans to reveal "The Puritan" and "Under The Westway," which were written for their upcoming concert in August to celebrate the end of the London Olympics. Both songs will be released digitally and on vinyl on August 7. The rooftop performance, set for July 2, will be broadcast online, with the location and information revealed on Twitter.
Indie pop duo Matt & Kim will release their next album, Lightning, this September via the FADER Label. Lead single "Let's Go" arrived at radio today and is also streaming at mattandkimmusic.com.
Welsh rockers Biffy Clyro have released a brief teaser video for their next studio album. According to the NME, their as-yet-untitled new record will be a double-album. You can see the teaser clip of the band rocking out here.