photos by Bao Nguyen

Kanye West took a bit of a jab at the festival's schedule, specifically the choice concertgoers had to make between his performance and one from Nine Inch Nails happening at the same time at the other end of the park (a dilemma faced by fans at Chicago's Lollapalooza a week earlier). "It's not a black-or-white thing, it's not a rap-or-rock-and-roll thing," he exclaimed. "It's a good-music thing. We jam about good things from the heart. How can you pick between me and Trent Reznor?" [MTV]

Continue reading "NIN @ the 2008 Baltimore Virgin Festival - pics"

NIN @ Lollapalooza (more by Zach Dilgard)

We regret to announce that due to illness, the Worcester show originally scheduled for Friday, August 8th at the DCU Center has been rescheduled for November 9th. The band is sincerely sorry for the last minute announcement, but unfortunately Trent's recurring throat ailment has left him unable to perform.

All tickets purchased for the August 8th concert will be honored on the new date. For those unable to attend the rescheduled date of November 9th, a refund will be available at original point of purchase.

Note from Trent:

Hey everyone -
Just want to personally say how sorry I am to have to do this. I never take postponing a show lightly and if there were any possible way I could pull this off I would. This is a very frustrating and maddening situation for me and I appreciate your understanding. I'll make it up to you.
Thanks
TR

NIN @ Lollapalooza 2008 (more by Zach Dilgard)

The Black Keys @ Lollapalooza 2008 (more by Zach Dilgard)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* FREE STUFF
* Neil Diamond in CT
* Panda Riot @ Rehab
* NIN & Deerhunter in CT
* The Police & B-52's @ MSG
* Lincoln Center, Out of Doors
* Tapes n Tapes @ Sound Fix Records
* The Duke Spirit @ the Apple Store
* Bloc Party & Longwave @ Webster Hall
* Jason Collett & Tift Merritt @ Bowery Ballroom
* Mates of State, Takka Takka & Telepathique @ Highline
* Trey Anastasio & Classic Tab @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Black Keys, Tapes n Tapes & Love as Laughter @ McCarren Pool

The Spinto Band cancelled tonight's Union Hall show and I noticed they added one at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Download a new song by Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval.

Deerhunter open for NIN in CT tonight. They also just announced a whole new tour.

Mates of State, Trey and The Duke Spirit are all bands playing shows tonight that are also playing All Points West which starts tomorrow. Here's a map of the grounds.

Read This Week In Metal.

What else?

photos by Zach Dilgard

8:22 p.m. Sunday: Nine Inch Nails comes onstage decked out like an urban S.W.A.T. team and proceeds to lay waste to the north end of Grant Park. Trent Reznor is scary-intense, sounding possessed on blistering versions of "Discipline" and "March of the Pigs," the aural equivalent of being run through an industrial sawmill. Despite the intensity of the music, the crowd [that probably contained many less 'bros'] doesn't respond with the mindless violence that interrupted Rage Against the Machine's performance on several occasions the night before. It could be that Rage directs its anger outward, whereas Reznor's music internalizes all of the pain and frustration ("I'm all alone," he yelps on the scalding "Terrible Lie"). (AD)

8:40 p.m.: Kanye West enters, and right away it's apparent that the hip-hop giant with the oversized sunglasses and an even bigger ego has retooled his set rather than rehashing the ambitious space opera he brought to the United Center a few months ago. This is more of a greatest hits set, with a cracking band. West brings his usual intensity, but this time there is an air of celebration. He was clearly thrilled with his performance on the same stage two years ago, when he shared the spotlight with fellow Chicago rappers Common, Lupe Fiasco and Twista. This time, there are no cameos, but West carries the show with no shortage of energy. "We put the city on the map," he crows. "I put the city on my back." With the city spread out before him on another just-right summer night, who could blame West for strutting his stuff? (GK)
[Chicago Tribune]

Continue reading "Nine Inch Nails @ Lollapalooza 2008, Chicago - pics & setlist"

Spiritualized are streaming their entire new album @ MySpace. "Songs in A&E" is out June 3rd. The "Mister Lonely" soundtrack is out now. Tickets for their show at Terminal 5 are on sale. More tour dates here. Are they playing Music Hall of Williamsburg too?

The Hold Steady have a new song called "Sequestered in Memphis" streaming at MySpace. Stay Positive is out on Vagrant on July 15th. Tour dates HERE.

Beck has a new song called "Chemtrails" streaming at MySpace. The track was produced by Danger Mouse.

Wolf Parade have a second new song for download at MySpace (it's called "Language City"). Their new album At Mount Zoomer is out on Sub Pop on June 17th. Tickets are still on sale for their show at Terminal 5. More tour dates HERE.

NIN have a whole new FREE album out (in case you forgot). Tickets for their NJ show are on sale. You can also catch them in CT with gambling and Deerhunter.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the upcoming NIN show at the Izod Center in NJ. All tour dates, openers, new FREE Album info, and more, HERE.

Last week Nine Inch Nails gave away a song. Today Nine Inch Nails are giving away a whole album called The Slip. Trent says....

as a thank you to our fans for your continued support, we are giving away the new nine inch nails album one hundred percent free, exclusively via nin.com.

the music is available in a variety of formats including high-quality MP3, FLAC or M4A lossless at CD quality and even higher-than-CD quality 24/96 WAVE. your link will include all options - all free. all downloads include a PDF with artwork and credits.

for those of you interested in physical products, fear not. we plan to make a version of this release available on CD and vinyl in july. details coming soon.

White Williams, Crystal Castles, Deerhunter, A Place to Bury Strangers and Does It Offend You, Yeah? are the bands that will be opening various upcoming NIN shows. NJ gets Does It Offend You, Yeah? which actually does kind of offend me given the choices. The NJ presale starts Wednesday. Regular sale begins Saturday. All dates with openers and presale info, below....

Continue reading "NIN release ANOTHER Free album ++ tour openers, PRESALE "

Get "Discipline" HERE.

(thx Hiro)

Lollapalooza 2008 headliners confirmed
Lollapalooza's Austin, Texas-based promoters C3 Presents are not scheduled to make their official announcement of the acts performing at this year's weekend-long music festival in Grant Park until Monday, but the Sun-Times has confirmed through industry sources all of the major artists.

Art-rock giants Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, the reunited Rage Against the Machine, Jack White's side project the Raconteurs and hometown heroes Wilco and Kanye West will headline the main stages on Aug. 1-3.

The Raconteurs, Wilco and West will each be making their second appearance at the reinvented destination festival. Other repeaters among the more than 100 acts on this year's bill are Gnarls Barkley, the Black Keys, Broken Social Scene, G. Love & Special Sauce, Blues Traveler and Mates of State.

Quite a few of the other acts -- including many of the most promising -- have earlier performed at Chicago's two independently produced music festivals, Pitchfork and Intonation. These include Bloc Party, Cat Power, Stephen Malkmus, Girl Talk, Kid Sister, Office, the Cool Kids, Battles, the Go! Team, Jamie Lidell and Grizzly Bear.

Advance three-day passes are now on sale for a limited time for $190 (after which the price increases to $205) at www.lollapalooza.com. [Chicago Sun Times] (thx Hiro)

Australia (cred)

Hiro writes in....

Now will NIN play 1st night or close out Lollapalooza??? I say this because Radiohead is supposed to play in Indianapolis on Aug 3rd (last night of Lolla) so I would assume Radiohead will be playing the first night of Lolla, leaving NIN to close out the festival....I guess we'll find out when Radiohead announces their 2nd Leg Dates next week....

Continue reading "NIN announce 'first wave' of 2008 Tour Dates"

just catching up a little.....

* Trent Reznor calls Radiohead Insincere
* Make Radiohead an animated video
* Make Trent Reznor a NIN video too
* Liars and Underworld opening some Radiohead shows
* Radiohead is playing another free show in London
* Radiohead are playing a San Francisco festival
* NIN & Jay-Z are playing a festival in British Columbia
* Radiohead and NIN are playing Lollapalooza
* Perez Hilton disses Radiohead and NIN playing Lollapalooza
* NIN released "Ghost I-IV", much the way Radiohead released "In Rainbows"

NIN revealed the first week sales figures for Ghost......

Continue reading "NIN vs. Radiohead - the latest news & gossip"

Continue reading "A video message from Trent Reznor - create Ghosts visuals"

Promoters won't make the lineup official for a few more weeks, but industry sources have confirmed that Radiohead has been booked as the centerpiece of the festival. The British quintet still raves about the experience they had in 2001 when they headlined a rare outdoor show at Hutchinson Field, on the South end of Grant Park. The band is expected to perform at the same location this year.

In addition, Nine Inch Nails will play its first Chicago show in several years, following the release of its 2007 album, "Year Zero," and the four-volume "Ghosts," made available a few days ago on the nin.com Web site. [Chicago Tribune]

Nine Inch Nails presents Ghosts I - IV, a brand new 36 track instrumental collection available right now. Almost two hours of new music composed and recorded over an intense ten week period last fall, Ghosts I - IV sprawls Nine Inch Nails across a variety of new terrain.

Trent Reznor explains, "I've been considering and wanting to make this kind of record for years, but by its very nature it wouldn't have made sense until this point. This collection of music is the result of working from a very visual perspective - dressing imagined locations and scenarios with sound and texture; a soundtrack for daydreams. I'm very pleased with the result and the ability to present it directly to you without interference. I hope you enjoy the first four volumes of Ghosts."

Continue reading "NIN: Ghosts I-IV - new instrumental album available NOW!"

And I'm not saying that Radiohead and Saul Williams are in the same breath in terms of popularity by any means, but it felt to me like that, partially inspired by Radiohead, we tried this and here's the results we got and I assume there's a bunch of other bands that are intrigued by the idea that may want to follow down that path. I'm not saying it was a failure or a success. I think it was both. But it wasn't 90 percent of the people that showed up paid us what we asked for. Nor did I ever think it would be. I'm not sure what I did expect.........................But at the same time there is a little bit of an element with Saul's record of a tree falling in the woods...It hurt my feelings to see it not show up on everybody's Best Album Of The Year lists, because I think not enough people knew it was out there. [Trent Reznor to CNET]

DOWNLOAD: Saul Williams - Sunday Bloody Sunday (MP3)

Trent Reznor published a letter on NIN.com with the results of giving people the choice to pay for Saul Williams' new record "The Inevitable Rise And Liberation of Niggy Tardust". He seems disappointed in the lack of people that paid for it, but he forgot four things (that I can think of).

1. He says to "Keep in mind not one cent was spent on marketing this record." I can't prove him wrong, but I can prove I received a few Saul Williams press releases in my inbox. One of them led me to the MP3 linked at the top of this post.
2. As Idolator also pointed out, his statement that "people knowing about this project must either be primarily Saul or NIN fans, as there was very little media coverage outside our direct influence", is totally wrong. Not only were press releases sent out (see #1), the release seemed to get a decent amount of post-In Rainbows press. (on the Internet at least)
3. He compares the number of people that downloaded it with the number of people that paid for it. Fine, but you could also theorize that most of the people that didn't pay, only downloaded it BECAUSE it was free - out of curiosity, or for whatever reason (probably the ones who are part of the NIN fanbase).
4. He also doesn't take into account at all, that maybe people just didn't like the album. Would album sales be as low if Pitchfork gave it a 9.9? Probably not.

Continue reading "Trent Reznor enlightens us, Niggy Tardust sales"

DOWNLOAD: NIN - The Hand That Feeds (DFA Mix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: NIN - A Warm Place (Instrumental) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: NIN - Closer (Instrumental) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: NIN - Eraser (Instrumental) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: NIN - Closer to God (remixed by Trent Reznor) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: NIN - The Hand That Bleeds (DeGrees mx) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: NIN - At The Heart Of It All (created by Aphex Twin) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: NIN - The Perfect Drug (NIN Remix) (MP3)

remix.NIN.com

DOWNLOAD: EL-P - EMG (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: EL-P - Smithereens (stop cryin) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Junk Science - Hey (feat. Scott Thorough) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mike Ladd - Trouble Shot (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hangar 18 - Feet to Feet (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hangar 18 - Baking Soda (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hangar 18 - Think Big (MP3)

WHAT: El-P free show at Studio B
WHEN: Thursday, December 6th
WHERE: Studio B - 259 Banker St. Brooklyn, NY
TIME: Doors at 9pm
Flying Lotus and Home Video will be opening, Chin Chin will play as El-P's backing band.

1. NIN Year Zero (Interscope)
2. Aesop Rock None Shall Pass (Definitive Jux)
3. Rob Sonic Sabotage Gigante (Definitive Jux)
4. QOTSA Era Vulgaris (Interscope)
5. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis The Proposition (Mute)
6. UGK Underground Kingz (Jive)
7. Camron Public Enemy Number 1 (Diplomat)
8. Gang Of Four Entertainment (remastered) (Rhino)
9. Deftones Saturday Night Wrist (Maverick)
10. Jay Z American Gangster (Island Def Jam, Roc-A-Fella)

Continue reading "El-P playing a free show & likes NIN, a Cage biopic, Del the Funky Homosapien & other Def Jux stuff"

Billboard: IT HAS BEEN NINE YEARS SINCE WE'VE SEEN A NEW KISS ALBUM. ANY PLANS TO GET BACK INTO THE STUDIO?

Gene Simmons: The record industry is in such a mess. I called for what it was when college kids first started download music for free -- that they were crooks. I told every record label I spoke with that they just lit the fuse to their own bomb that was going to explode from under them and put them on the street.

There is nothing in me that wants to go in there and do new music. How are you going to deliver it? How are you going to get paid for it if people can just get it for free? I will be putting out a Gene Simmons box set called "Monster" -- a collection of 150 unreleased songs. KISS will have another box set of unreleased music in the next year.

The record industry doesn't have a f---ing clue how to make money. It's only their fault for letting foxes get into the henhouse and then wondering why there's no eggs or chickens. Every little college kid, every freshly-scrubbed little kid's face should have been sued off the face of the earth. They should have taken their houses and cars and nipped it right there in the beginning. Those kids are putting 100,000 to a million people out of work. How can you pick on them? They've got freckles. That's a crook. He may as well be wearing a bandit's mask.

Doesn't affect me. But imagine being a new band with dreams of getting on stage and putting out your own record. Forget it.

BUT SOME ARTISTS LIKE RADIOHEAD AND TRENT REZNOR ARE TRYING TO FIND A NEW BUSINESS MODEL.

That doesn't count. You can't pick on one person as an exception. And that's not a business model that works. I open a store and say "Come on in and pay whatever you want." Are you on f---ing crack? Do you really believe that's a business model that works? [more]

Pay whatever you want for...
* Paste Magazine
* Saul Williams' Trent Reznor-produced album
* Radiohead's new album In Rainbows
* Jonah Matranga stuff (sort of)
* Jane Siberry's music
* other music
* coffee

I'm not a huge Nine Inch Nails fan, but I would never pass up the opportunity to see them live. Such was the case at this year's Oya Festival where they headlined the first day - Wednesday August 8, 2007 at 9:45 pm on the Enga stage. No complaints...

My only Norweigian celebrity sighting The only person I recognized during all four days of the festival (that wasn't playing), was the unmistakable (even in Norway) Hilma Nikolaisen of Serena Maneesh. In 2006 she and Serena Maneesh played the festival. This year she was just watching bands and hanging out. I saw her twice actually. Once during Jesus & Mary Chain, and once during Nine Inch Nails - who she had the honor of opening for just a few months earlier in Australia & Japan.

In related news, Trent Reznor is pitching a TV show based on the new Nine Inch Nails concept album Year Zero. More photos below....

Continue reading "NIN @ the 2007 Øya Festival in Oslo, Norway - pics"