Ryan Book, The Music Times

31-60 (out of 2793)

Latest from this author

  • The Brutality of The Bard: 2Pac, Dethklok and More Celebrate 'Talk Like Shakespeare Day'

    Happy "Talk Like Shakespeare Day" to all of our favorite readers and theatre geeks. We at Music Times tend to write more about Broadway musicals, or the occasional opera based on one of William Shakespeare's works, versus the stage plays themselves (you know...we write about music). There's no denying that the legendary playwright has had an impact on music with his words...in the most brutal way possible. For all of his poetry, the Bard turned out enough gritty one-liners that would have made Robocop a Best Picture nominee without removing any of the bloodshed. Take heed as 2Pac, Iced Earth and more demonstrate how "talk like Shakespeare" means "talk like a badass."

  • Social Media's Biggest Stars: Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Lana Del Rey and Others Who Broke It Big

    Shawn Mendes in on top of the world (and the Billboard 200 and Album Sales Chart) as his debut LP, Handwritten, sold more than 100,000 copies and confirmed his status as a star. He's the first performer to use the video-sharing service Vine to find fortune, but he's far from the first performer to use social media to grab a record deal. Here are five other recognizable performers who got big on the internet...some of whom who have gotten so big that you may have forgotten they started out by sharing music on YouTube and MySpace, from Lana Del Rey to Justin Bieber.

  • U2 Fans Got a Surprise Tool Record When Buying 'Songs of Innocence' Vinyl; Elaborate Promo Stunt?

    There's simply no way to get U2's 'Songs of Innocence' without a bit of trouble: The band drew the ire of iTunes users everywhere when listeners found the album forced upon them via the Apple program during September. Now the group has gotten around to releasing a vinyl version of the controversial release and some buyers are finding something else entirely: pressings of Tool's debut EP 'Opiate' instead of the more streamlined 'Songs of Innocence.' Did the alt-metal band pull off the greatest promotional stunt ever, trumping even U2 itself?

  • Neil Young, Jerry Garcia, Ozzy Osbourne and Other Sing to Mother Earth on Her Birthday

    METoday is Earth Day and another big day is approaching as well—Mother's Day on May 10 (don't forget to call mom guys) so Music Times decided to bring both together and look up the music acts that have paid tribute to the most important mother of them all: Mother Earth. We've got performances from Grateful Dead affiliates, Neil Young and Ozzy Osbourne.

  • Bryan Price: Lil Jon, Eminem, Dr. Dre and 5 Other Rappers Try to Outcurse Cincinnati Reds Manager

    Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price was having a bad week and he let the world know it by dropping the f-bomb 77 times during an epic rant on Monday afternoon. The rant was around 5:30 long, which comes out to about 14 f*cks a minute. Compare that with 50 Cent's early track "F*ck You," which comes in at about 14.25 f*cks a minute. Here's how Price's rant compares to the most profane hip-hop songs of all time, from Eminem to Dr. Dre and Lil Jon.

  • 'Handwritten' and Shawn Mendes Youngest Performer Since Justin Bieber to Top Billboard 200

    We may be witnessing the emergence of the next big young superstar as Shawn Mendes topped the Billboard 200 this week with his debut LP Handwritten. He becomes the youngest performer to top the chart since 2010, when Justin Bieber also did it at the age of 16 (albeit six months younger than Mendes). What makes Mendes' accomplishment more impressive is that he did so without a single on the Billboard charts, drawing almost entirely from hype built as a Vine star (and as an opener for Taylor Swift on tour). He moved 119,000 copies of his debut.

  • Coachella Tweets Drop 83 Percent During Weekend Two (Because of Nicki Minaj and DMX?)

    Coachella's second weekend featured a massive drop off in social media mentions, despite being an easy sell-out, like the first weekend. Billboard reports that while 3.5 million tweets mentioned Coachella directly during the event's first rendition the previous weekend (with Nicki Minaj and AC/DC driving traffic), only 600,000 mentions went out over the past weekend. What's the story?

  • Jack White Makes 'Six-Figure' Donation to National Blues Museum for Interactive Exhibit

    Jack White caught flack when hacked e-mails revealed his distaste for the Black Keys allegedly ripping him off...so at least he's generous in acknowledging the musical acts from which he pieced to gather his signature style. The guitarist made a healthy contribution to the National Blues Museum, which is scheduled to open in St. Louis later this year. The organization told media that the dollar figure was in the "six figure" range.

  • Florence + The Machine Cutting Second Coachella Appearance to 30 Minutes after Foot Injury

    Florence + The Machine's ability to perform may have taken a tougher hit than most predicted as a result of the songstress breaking her foot at last weekend's rendition of the Coachella Music Festival. Official posts on the Coachella website indicate that the vocalist's performance tonight as part of the event's second weekend will be a mere half-hour, just half the time of last week's scheduled hour.

  • Jay Z and Roc-A-Fella Records Win Lawsuit Stemming from 'Life and Times of S. Carter' Tapes

    Jay Z and Roc-A-Fella Records have come out on top regarding a lawsuit filed last year, where onetime engineer Chauncey Mahan alleged that he deserved part-ownership of 41 songs he helped produce. The most publicity the lawsuit received was when the rapper's side claimed Mahan had attempted to illegally sell the emcee his own recordings, while the engineer questioned Jay Z's use of an LAPD sting operation to recover the goods. Methods aside, Hov came out on top.

  • Wiz Khalifa's 'See You Again' and More: 5 No. 1 Soundtracks and The Singles That Powered Them

    This week's Billboard 200 featured the soundtrack to Furious 7 reaching no. 1 after four weeks on the charts. What's propelled the album to higher and higher sales every week? For one thing, the release of the film. More importantly however is the new metrics behind the Billboard 200, which now counts song streams and downloads toward "equivalent album sales." When an album has one song that really hits home with the population, that in turn helps the album that features it to move higher on the Billboard 200 charts. For Furious 7, that song is "See You Again," a track by Wiz Khalifa paying homage to deceased actor Paul Walker.

  • Cassandra Wilson Reinterprets Billie Holiday Nicely on 'Coming Forth By Day'

    Society always celebrates the records that top the Billboard 200 album chart. Back of The Billboards is a Music Times weekly segment that looks at the opposite end: the new record that finished closest to the back of the Billboard 200 for the previous week. We hope to give a fighting chance to the bands you haven't heard of. This week we look at Cassandra Wilson and her tribute to the discography of Billie Holiday, 'Coming Forth By Day.'

  • Corey Taylor ranks Slipknot Albums: Check How 'Slipknot,' 'The Gray Chapter' and 'Iowa' Placed

    Asking a band to choose between its albums, as Loudwire accurately describes, is like asking members to choose between their children. That said, Corey Taylor of Slipknot came through when asked by Noisey to rank his primary band's records. It's also a tough question from a PR-position, because a group has to weigh what critics say against trying to promote its newest work. That said, you might be surprised where albums such as 'Slipknot' and '.5: The Gray Chapter' ended up in his rankings.

  • Ethan Kath Releases Crystal Castles Song 'Frail' Despite Alice Glass Leaving Band [LISTEN]

    Ethan Kath has released a new track under the moniker of "Crystal Castles," confirming that although Alice Glass has left the duo, the band will live on. The track is titled "Frail" and features female vocals, although Pitchfork has clarified that, despite sounding somewhat like the former frontwoman, it's not Glass. The vocalist has not been identified as of yet, so we can only hypothesize what Kath and Castles plans on doing for future music and on the road.

  • Suge Knight Hospitalized Again as Judge Rules He Must Undergo Murder Trial

    Suge Knight has once again been hospitalized following a hearing tied to his alleged hit-and-run, and possible murder, of Terry Carter. No reason was given for the transportation of Knight from the Los Angeles Superior Court to a nearby hospital, but it's become a recurring issue in the continuation of the ordeal. This marks the fifth time Knight has been taken from the courthouse via ambulance.

  • Los Angeles Votes to Self-Operate The Greek Theatre, Denying Nederlander and Live Nation

    The city of Los Angeles and the debate over who should operate the iconic Greek Theatre took a surprise shift in direction after the Department of Recreation and Parks voted three-to-one for the city to self-manage the venue. Throughout the two years the attention has been focused on two competitors: Nederlander/AEG Live, the company who was contracted through 2015 to handle operations, and Live Nation, a newcomer.
View More
Festivals
Popular Now
Real Time Analytics