October 2007 Archives

By Lawrence Casiraya INQUIRER.net GREAT songs deserve equally great-looking videos, right? This self-produced vid by LA-based indie popsters The Mae Shi is proof you don't need tons of money to come up with a great video (listen up, Kanye West). Reminds me a lot of that treadmill vid by The Go! Team. The herky-jerky camera work does the trick, and a little color coordination (count them... two oranges, two reds, two greens and two blues, right?). And a fantastic song. Utterly fun and addictive.
Run to Your Grave from the mae shi on Vimeo.

A NOTED indie rock fan, Natalie Portman has apparently put together a compilation of good, indie music for a charity, according to Pitchfork, which revealed her playlist. Looks interesting. The list includes songs from the Shins (Did you know that she's a Shins fan?), Beirut (her new favorite band), and other names that would seem unfamiliar to most, especially if you're not into indie (read: undiscovered?) music. Her list also includes Norah Jones (hmm, she's indie?) If you love songs from the movie Garden State, then you'll probably love Portman's newly-minted compilation, which I believe is set to be released on Oct. 30 in iTunes.

By Nekesa Mumbi Moody Associated Press Britney Spears "Blackout" Jive Records JUST when it seemed safe to write off Britney Spears as a punchline only capable of entertaining people through tabloid escapades, she goes and gets all musically relevant on us. "Blackout," her first studio album in four years, is not only a very good album, it's her best work ever -- a triumph, with not a bad song to be found on the 12 tracks. Granted, a Spears rave should be put in its proper context -- it's not like we're talking Bob Dylan here. Spears is a lightweight singer who only flourishes when she has great songs and great producers to supplement her minimal vocal talent. But when she has that help, she's fierce. And she gets that boost on every single track on "Blackout," a sizzling, well-crafted, electro-pop dancefest that should return her to pop's elite. This is a shocker, given all the lowlights Spears has given us this year. From her embarrassing MTV Video Music Awards performance to her bizarre public antics to allegations that she's an irresponsible parent, Spears has been a walking disaster. It seems amazing that she even found her way to a recording studio, let alone did anything of value while in it. But Spears emerges on "Blackout" as the antithesis of her tabloid persona -- confident, sensual, and in control. "I got my eye on you," she coos on one of the album's best tracks, "Radar," a sexy techno groove that you can't help but bounce to -- a feeling that permeates all of "Blackout's" tracks. You won't find any saccharine ballads or fluffy pop on this disc -- it's all about generating heat on the dance floor (and if Spears has shown us anything in the last year, it's that she knows how to party). On the aptly titled "Freakshow," produced by Danja (who worked on Justin Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveSounds"), Spears gets voyeuristic with a tantalizing promise to get wild in the club. The hypnotic "Get Naked (I Got A Plan)," also produced by Danja, features Spears breathlessly asking, "What I gotta do to make you move my body" before demanding, "take it off, take it off, take it off." It's not all about grinding to the music, though. On rock-tinged "Piece of Me," produced by Bloodshy & Avant, she defiantly address her critics: "I'm Mrs. Bad Media Karma, another day another drama ... I'm Mrs. Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, I'm Mrs. 'Oh My God That Britney's Shameless.'" And on the slow-burn, Neptunes-produced "Why Should I Be Sad," the album's last track, she cops to heartbreak but refuses to let it get her down, a rare vulnerable moment. Listening to "Blackout" is not only an energetic release, it's also a relief: No, Spears hasn't completely lost it, and yes, her career has a flicker of fire left -- actually much, much more. But with all the damage Spears has done and continues to do to her public image, will anyone outside her core fan base (and who knows what that consists of these days) care anymore? This album is the first, great step in making that happen.

By Angela V. Ignacio Inquirer MANILA, Philippines--Just when you thought you’ve outgrown bubblegum pop along with pillow fights and pinup posters, along comes a boy band whose music reminds you how fun and carefree those times were -- so much so that it makes you want to skip cramming for finals week and get up close and personal with the boys instead. And that is exactly what this writer did recently with The Click Five, the power pop band responsible for such sunny hits as “Just The Girl,” “Catch Your Wave” and the current chart-buster “Jenny.” The Boston-based quintet dropped by Manila as part of their Asian invasion to promote their sophomore album, “Modern Minds and Pastimes,” along with new vocalist Kyle Patrick. Patrick replaced Eric Dill, who has left the band to pursue a solo career. Whirlwind The boys succinctly sum up the past couple of years in one word: “whirlwind.” From jamming at Imrie House (the apartment building that the guys lived in during their college days) to performing in front of -- and being chased by -- hordes of rabid teenybopper fans across the globe, these guys have come a long way in such a short span of time. The truth is, they’re still more than a little overwhelmed by it. “A lot of these things that we’ve experienced are things that we couldn’t really have dreamed of,” bassist Ethan Mentzer tells 2bU! in an exclusive interview at My Cinema in Greenbelt 3. “It’s kinda flattering to start something in Boston then have it be recognized on the other side of the world. That part’s pretty surreal,” drummer Joey Zehr marvels. Like all the other young foreign bands that graced our shores, they were dumbstruck at the reception they got, from the burly escorts to being mobbed at the hotel. “We’re, like, linking up arms and trying not to get eaten,” adds Zehr with a laugh. Then there’s the fact that all three of their Ayala Malls gigs plus their RX 93.1 live set were totally jampacked. “The fans were amazing,” Mentzer raves. “They were really loud and everybody was singing along… It was pretty cool to experience that.” Of course, we couldn’t resist asking the one question that’s on every starry-eyed teen’s mind: Who, exactly, is Jenny? “It’s symbolic,” answers keyboardist Ben Romans, who penned the song himself. “We’ve all been through that type of relationship -- things hot and cold, coming in and out of your life,” explains Patrick. “I don’t know if any of us have actually been with any Jennies, but Jenny was kind of like a symbol of that relationship, so it could be anyone’s.” Good, clean fun Sure, The Click Five boys may have gotten the mod look down pat with their spiffy suits and messy mop-tops, but they’re far from being lumped into the derogatory “boy-band” category where all the members supposedly do is sway their hips and look pretty (“We’re not that pretty,” Ethan says matter-of-factly, and we all laugh). They actually play their own instruments pretty darn well, having attended the über-prestigious Berklee College of Music before they got signed. The question is, do they sound as good as they look? The Click Five’s signature power pop brand is all about good, clean fun (not the Gym Class Heroes kind, sorry), something parents won’t be scared to have their kids listen to. If we absolutely have to go down the “Hmm, kinda sounds like…” trail, their music might remind you of Fountains of Wayne (remember “Stacy’s Mom”?), or maybe even Rooney with a splash of pure pop. Okay, maybe a tsunami. But, heck, who’s complaining? Either way, it’s like one head-bopping joyride to the beach, stuffed full of sunny harmonies and eardrum-friendly beats. But if you’re a die-hard fan of the first album, “Greetings from Imrie House,” don’t expect the new one to sound as prepubescent. Aside from having a new vocalist and a three-month production timetable for “Pastimes,” the band obviously dug deeper into their rock ‘n’ roll psyche for the latter than they did for “Imrie.” “We may have also been listening to stuff that was a little more experimental,” puts in guitarist Joe Guese. Aside from The Beatles, Tom Petty and The Cars, they’ve added modern rock bands such as Keane, Weezer and Death Cab for Cutie to their eclectic mix of muses. Influences Surprisingly, their all-original song repertoire does show off their decades-spanning influences, from the swingin’ “Headlight Disco” to the synth-slash-new-wave ditty “Addicted to Me” to the more familiar breezy ’90s rock, with Patrick’s emo-pop vocals adding the 21st-century element. A word of caution: If preteen angst-ridden “Jenny” had lovestruck girls vainly trying to change their birth certificates, the mournful single “Empty” will have them tearfully waving lighters in the air… That is, assuming they’re old enough to use one. Growth spurt Despite the apparent musical growth spurt the band has gone through, it doesn’t seem to be affecting their ever-increasing fan base. While Dill may have had effortlessly hit all the high notes, Patrick’s deeper vocals together with the band’s slightly edgier sound are enough to keep their fans from outgrowing them. They may still have a long way to go before joining the rock ‘n’ roll kings of old, but these power pop princes are perfectly happy “growing up” at their own pace, and their loyal subjects aren’t complaining one bit. “The thing about being successful at something is once you’ve been doing it for a while, you can only hope to be better at it. Like with our music, it’s for everyone,” Patrick says. If you’re itching for some fun, feel-good, totally expletive-free music, then The Click Five is just the band you’re looking for. Grab a copy of The Click Five’s newest album, “Modern Minds and Pastimes,” released under Warner Music Philippines. E-mail the author at aoshi_no_miko@atenista.net

By Gene Johnson Associated Press SEATTLE--The guitarist for indie pop rockers Death Cab for Cutie still expects to release his solo album in January even though federal border agents seized a computer hard drive containing the master tracks. A courier was headed to Seattle-based Barsuk Records from a studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, when US Border Patrol agents seized the hard drive Sept. 19, Chris Walla said Wednesday. "I don't know what red flag could possibly have gone up at the border," Walla said in a phone interview from Portland, Ore. "It's so baffling to me." Walla said he had been in British Columbia working on the album called "Field Manual." Barsuk needed the music to meet its production schedule, and a Hipposonic Studios employee volunteered to drive the mixed songs, on tape, and the original master tracks, on a computer hard drive. Guards at the Peace Arch border crossing in Blaine let the courier keep the tapes, but seized the hard drive for examination by computer forensics experts, according to Walla and Hipposonic president Rob Darch. Mike Milne, a spokesman for US Customs and Border Protection, said he did not immediately have any specifics about Walla's case, but said commercial items must be formally imported through the nearby Pacific Highway border point. Walla said he believed the confiscation was random, but Barsuk and some music publications hinted that the seizure of such a politically charged album may have been more than a coincidence. The album includes songs criticizing the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, the Iraq war and the firings of US attorneys by former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. "Interestingly, a strong political thread runs through the record's lyrics; Walla takes more than a few shots at US policy, both at home and abroad, and challenges at least one senator to find the exit door," said a statement on Barsuk's website. "For whatever reason, the drive has still not been returned." Milne brushed off any suggestion of political motivation for taking the hard drive. "These guys don't even know who Death Cab for Cutie is, let alone that he's doing political music," Milne said of the border guards. Walla had the seized files on a backup hard drive on Vancouver Island, which was copied and shipped to Seattle. The lost time prevented Walla from finishing the album on time, but it's still expected to be released Jan. 29, Rosenfeld said.

By Pocholo Concepcion Inquirer MANILA, Philippines--All the chatting and nibbling stopped as women rushed forward with their cameras and men craned their necks for a better view of the good-looking Josh Groban, guest of honor at the inauguration of MTV Philippines’ new office at the Silver City Mall in Pasig City. Groban, the 26-year-old American singing sensation whose expressive tenor and lyrical baritone has sold some 15 million records worldwide, is due to perform Wednesday night and Thursday night at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City. Wednesday night’s show is strictly invitational. Those watching Thursday’s performance should be shelling out as much as P5,000 to P20,000 apiece. MTV Philippines helped negotiate the Manila concerts. The Philippines is the only Asian country that Groban has visited thus far. At the inauguration party, the invited guests came dressed in suits and formal attire. Groban turned up casually garbed in a striped T-shirt, blue jeans, black denim jacket and low-cut Converse sneakers. He was also unshaven. The look seemed to reflect Groban’s desire to shatter any resistance that people, especially those unfamiliar to his music, may still harbor against it. Not classical Though he personally refuses categorization, the music Groban has recorded in five best-selling albums since 2001 has been described in various instances as classical, easy listening, gospel and operatic pop. Groban cares little about what critics call it. He has been quoted as saying: “I’ve never tried to make people believe that this was classical music ... it’s pop music. I have a huge respect for opera, which is why I’ve never done opera. There will be a specific time and place if and when I decide to tackle something from that genre. In the meantime, I’ve just been experimenting and trying things that work for my voice.” Wearing blinders In a quick exchange, Groban told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that his environment as a child helped spark his love for music. “Growing up in Los Angeles, I was very fortunate that musical acts came around and ... my parents were great. [They] made sure I was exposed to live music when I was younger.” He recalled watching a stage musical when I was nine: “[There] I was in the audience ... getting chills and thinking to myself, ‘If I could make people feel the way I feel right now with my voice one day, that’s everything that I’d want to do.’ From that age, I just felt I had music running through me and I had blinders on and that was all I wanted to do.” Collaborations Groban’s knack for collaborating with just about any artist he fancies continues in his latest album, “Awake” (Warner), which features the African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo and veteran jazz keyboardist Herbie Hancock. “I’ve learned a tremendous amount [and] I would love to continue to expand,” he said. “There’s a certain thing that I do very well. But working with [other] artists allows me to widen my sound and bring my fans on a whole new journey.” Beyond the CDs Asked what Filipinos can expect to hear at the PICC shows, Groban remarked: “The concert will allow me to bring forth a part of myself that I can’t get across on the CDs. It’s high energy, it’s a great celebration and, for me, a real retrospective of the last five years of my career.” In 1998, while studying musical theater in Michigan, Groban was introduced to Grammy-winning producer/arranger David Foster, who gave him jobs as rehearsal singer for several high-profile events. At the 1999 Grammy Awards, he was a stand-in for renowned Italian singer Andreas Bocelli and got to rehearse “The Prayer” with Celine Dion. More guest stints followed and, in one benefit show, Groban shared the stage with Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Don Henley and Robin Williams. But it was a pivotal appearance as guest character in the television series “Ally McBeal” -- in which he was made to sing -- that paved the way for his entry into the recording and concert scenes. Photo by Rudy Esperas

By Jeannette Andrade Inquirer MANILA, Philippines--It is not the type of music that sticks in your head. But it is a melody that the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) Philippines hopes will sensitize a society that has become insensitive to privation. In launching the song “Poverty Requiem” locally, GCAP Philippines aims to join the worldwide call on Wednesday -- the International Day of Hunger and Poverty Eradication or the Whiteband Day -- to eliminate destitution through positive action. “Doing away with poverty is not a matter of charity but self-advocacy, where people are encouraged to act and empowered to do something about their situation,” May-i Fabros, GCAP Philippines media campaigner, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net. Introducing “Poverty Requiem” to naturally music-loving Filipinos is a new tack, Fabros said, of bringing back awareness to those who have started to take poverty for granted “because they see it around them every day.” She stressed that the message was hard to deliver but through music, her group hoped to “spark” some feeling back. “People should be made aware that if poverty happens to one person, it could ultimately happen to you,” she said. Fabros added that the song would also help people already in the grip of poverty “to understand their rights so they would know what to do to live above it.” She said that her group wanted to focus on the right of a person to see a better life and live decently. “Poverty Requiem,” Fabros said, “will hopefully start a fire within people to help them find ways in uplifting their lives. It encourages turning desperation to power. Art and music can do that.” “We are producing generations and generations of persons who see poverty as an inescapable fact of life. I was born poor therefore, I will always remain poor and I cannot do anything about it. That’s the mind-set we want to change,” she said. Artistic performance “Poverty Requiem” is an artistic performance against poverty that combines visual art, music and movement. Divided into five parts, the piece is a journey of standing up and speaking out against poverty, of the suffering, the anger, the mourning, the humor and the hope. The five-part song started from the Netherlands and was composed by Sylvia Borren, GCAP general director. It is more of a community choral presentation where people from all walks of life are anticipated to participate. “Even those who cannot sing well are encouraged to join and even those who do not want to sing. They can just dance to the music,” she stressed. The core performers of “Poverty Requiem” come from four sectors -- the youth, males, professionals and a “scratch or inexperienced” group that would be organized from the community, two solo singers, percussionists, and dancers. Bono of the Philippines Fabros said that her organization could not have found a better ambassador in singer-composer Noel Cabangon, who has been in the forefront of the campaign for the eradication of poverty even before GCAP Philippines was formed in 2005. “He is basically, the Nelson Mandela or U2’s Bono of the Philippines, who is not just doing this for publicity but for true advocacy. He has been doing this for years through his songs,” she noted. Cabangon is the coordinator of “Poverty Requiem” here and has tapped Malou Matute, a professor at the University of the Philippines College of Music, to act as the conductor of the community choir. Getting message across “Even if we only have a hundred participants, we know that we can get the message across. We have to be a community to make change,” Fabros pointed out, adding that “Poverty Requiem” will form part of a chain of countries on Wednesday, from First World to Third World, who want to erase poverty. “The call is around us, worldwide, and it is only fitting that we express our outrage against poverty through music, a universal language that everyone can understand and feel,” Fabros said.

By Associated Press HONG KONG--Beyonce is coming to China. The American R&B star will perform in Shanghai on November 3 at the Grand Stage, according to an international tour schedule on her official website Monday. The news came after Beyonce scrapped a planned performance in Muslim-majority Malaysia amid speculation that she objected to a strict dress code banning sexy attire, replacing the stop in Kuala Lumpur with Jakarta. Indonesia is also Muslim but has less stringent rules governing how performers dress and behave. Chinese officials are also sensitive about the propriety of Western acts. They told the Rolling Stones not to sing some of their racier hits and canceled a performance by Beyonce's boyfriend, rapper Jay-Z, after deeming his lyrics "vulgar." But Shanghai has also played host to Christina Aguilera, who caused a stir with the accompanying sexual imagery and bad-girl attitude from her 2002 album "Stripped." Beyonce kicks off her world tour Wednesday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, followed by stops in Cluj, Romania, Istanbul, Mumbai, Bangkok, Jakarta, Shanghai and the southern Chinese gambling enclave Macau, where she will perform at the new Venetian casino resort.

MUSICIANS and music publishers had mixed feelings about Radiohead's experiment. The experiment involved allowing people to download and chose how they opt to pay the British band's new album In Rainbows.

Excerpt from an AFP story:

British rock group Radiohead have drawn a mixed reaction from fans and fellow musicians with an experiment letting listeners decide the price of their latest album, reports said Thursday.

Other artists are said to be studying the novel sales strategy -- labelled a publicity stunt by some -- of allowing fans to pay whatever they want for "In Rainbows," which which went on sale online on Wednesday.

The hit art-rockers, already authors of six albums, drew widespread publicity when they announced earlier this month that that fans could decide the price themselves, saying "It's up to you" on their website.

My take: Radiohead has found a way to create buzz. It's a huge risk but I do agree with one view that if people like something, they're willing to pay for it. But this experiment may not work for all. Radiohead has already created a following back in the days when we were still swapping cassette tape remixes.

Here's a similar take from Blog Critics contributor Jason Meltzer Patterson:

What I find the most interesting about the Radiohead business model is that it sort of keeps the music behind bars again. I mean, by releasing their new album via Web only, you can't hear what you're paying for in advance. Radiohead is banking that fans will want this record because they dug past Radiohead records. You have to pay for the download and hope you like it. The pay-what-you-want model begs the question, how much is the Radiohead brand worth to you?

Many artists have gone the other way. They either tour like crazy to make cash and build a name, use MySpace, or both. Look at the careers of Mickey Avalon, Lily Allen and Kate Nash. All of them made it big on MySpace, where listeners can sample the music freely.

One thing I learned throughout the years is that nothing is "free." Radiohead has hooked us all into thinking this experiment will change the music industry or even force it to its knees. But in the end, they'll be selling more music because the band has already whetted our appetite for their music.

By Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, California--The parent company of Britney Spears' record label filed a lawsuit Thursday against online gossip website PerezHilton.com after the blog leaked recordings from the pop star's new album. A statement from Zomba Recording, which owns Spears' Jive Records, said the website had illegally obtained and posted material from Spears' new album "Blackout," to be released later this month. The lawsuit accused the website's owner, Mario Lavandeira, of breach of copyright after 10 completed tracks and unfinished demos from Spears' comeback album appeared on the blog. "The unauthorized dissemination of recordings is a serious violation of copyright law," said a Zomba spokesperson. "In addition, posting demos and unfinished songs as if they were final versions is grossly unfair to the artist and misleading to the public." The lawsuit does not specify an amount of monetary damages being sought but asks that Zomba be awarded real and punitive damages as well as legal costs. On Wednesday, Jive Records announced it was bringing forward the release date of "Blackout" because of illegal leaks on the Internet. The album had been due to go on sale in mid-November but will now hit stores on October 30. "Due to these numerous unauthorized on-line leaks, the label is doing everything possible to prevent and avoid any further illegal distribution of songs including moving up the release date of the album to October 30th," a statement from Jive Records said.

By Lawrence Casiraya INQUIRER.net GADGET maker Oregon Scientific is literally scaling through great heights to promote its new waterproof camera. The Portland-based manufacturer will sponsor Everest Rocks, touted as the first-ever rock concert to take place in Mount Everest. The company has formed a partnership with the Love Hope Strength Foundation as the concert's official sponsor. A fourteen-day trek up Mount Everest by 40 of the world's top musicians and mountaineers, Everest Rocks will culminate with the first-ever rock concert to take place at Mount Everest's Base Camp. Footage of the concert, the trek and events leading up to it will be filmed exclusively using Oregon Scientific's ATC2K Waterproof Action Cam. Forty ATC2K cameras have been donated to the Love Hope Strength Foundation. The climb also aims to raise money for cancer research conducted by the foundation, co-founded by two-time cancer survivor and rock icon, Mike Peters of the British band The Alarm. Joining Peters on the 18, 000-foot climb are rock icons Slim Jim Phantom of the Stray Cats, Nick Harper, Squeeze's Glenn Tilbrook, and The Fixx's Cy Curnin and Jamie West-Oram. The entire Everest Rocks journey will be captured using the ATC2K for a documentary directed by Alex Coletti, producer and creator of MTV's "Unplugged." The taping will include the training, kickoff events, trek, base camp acoustic set and rock show in Kathmandu. Daily videos live recordings, photos and daily blog entries will be posted on www.lovehopestrength.org throughout the event running from October 13 to 29.

By Pocholo Concepcion Inquirer MANILA, Philippines--“I will never leave Orange and Lemons… They just wanted to kick me out. Absurd and outrageous. “The recent ballyhooed misunderstanding between me and my band mates, including [our management] No Seat Affair and [record label] Universal Records, has yet to reach a conclusion. I’m sorry if it took me a while to post anything official since I am still trying to assess the situation and settle our differences. Time is a very important element. I assure you that this is not a publicity gimmick.” These statements were posted by Orange and Lemons guitarist/co-songwriter Clem Castro in his blogspot three months ago, shortly before the band flew to the US for a concert series. Then, last week, Universal announced Orange and Lemons’ official breakup, based on a letter sent by the band’s management, which cited “individual and musical differences.” The trouble that had been brewing and which finally led to the split was said to have begun at the recording sessions for the band’s latest album, “Moonlane Gardens.” Sources privy to the infighting alleged that Clem had contested certain creative decisions. “Clem wanted to have his own say, kasi parati na lang si Mcoy (Fundales, lead vocalist/co-songwriter) ang parang nabibigyan ng attention,” the source said. “Even the choice of what promo single to release was a cause for arguments.” The perceived insecurity on Clem’s part was what led him, according to the source, to raise a fuss during a press con several months ago to promote the new album. The incident made it to the Internet, with chat groups wondering why Clem was being “kicked out.” When the group returned from the US concerts, their management and label tried to patch things up between Clem and the rest of the band. But the rift had worsened. The latest word is that Mcoy plans to either go solo or form a new group with his old band’s rhythm section, the brothers Ace and JM del Mundo. Mcoy also reportedly tried to audition as cast member of the new edition of the reality TV show “Pinoy Big Brother.” Clem is likewise bent on forming his own band. He allegedly warned his ex-band mates not to use the name Orange and Lemons -- because he had coined it. Formed in 2003 and heavily influenced by The Beatles and The Smiths, Orange and Lemons parlayed its melodic, pop-rock sound into a widely successful career with only two albums -- the indie release “Love in the Land of Rubber Shoes and Dirty Ice Cream” (Terno Recordings) and the major debut “Strike Whilst the Iron is Hot” (Universal). The band was named Best New Artist for 2004 at the NU Rock Awards. In 2005, its recording of “Pinoy Ako,” commissioned as the theme for ABS-CBN’s “Pinoy Big Brother,” became a huge hit in the country and among Filipinos abroad. Critics claimed it borrowed heavily from a British song, “Chandeliers,” by The Care. But no formal complaint was filed.

TOMORROW, Oct. 10, at 9: 30 p.m., New Media Arts Manila (NMAM) will hold its first project, a sound art conference at Club Dredd, second floor of Gweilos Eastwood. The event is open to the public for free, and NMAM's event partners include Globe, Sony Ericsson and Asus. Here's more info from our friend and fellow tech journalist Jing Garcia:

New Media Arts Manila (NMAM) was formed to curate, stage, and promote New Media Art -- art made with electronic, audiovisual, and information technologies. It includes sound art, video art, interactive electronics, algorithmic art, computer music, and whatever art forms new technologies may yet spawn. As NMAM's first project, ELECTROSTATIC SOUND CONFERENCE will showcase the full range of performative sound art pieces through the performances of the following artists: Malek Lopez, Berklee-trained virtuoso who is the principal composer for the band Drip, and half of the abrasive electronica duo Rubber Inc.;

Mu Arae Transmission, (aka Moon Fear Moon aka John Sobrepena), who composes haunting and eerie instances of IDM (Intelligent Dance Music); Blums Borres, 3D animator, performative video artist, and sound artist who dedicates himself to expanding the sonic territory of the electric guitar; Jing Garcia, tech editor of The Manila Times who founded the seminal sound art group Children of Cathode Ray in 1989 and composes industrial/ambient pieces as autoceremony; Tengal, frenetic composer, a tireless sound artist, the founder of S.A.B.A.W . sound art collective, and a one-man record label; Lirio Salvador, sculptor and luthier whose ornate, chrome-plated instruments are featured on television, displayed in galleries, and played by his group Elemento; Tad Ermitano, filmmaker and video artist who creates custom programs and hardware for his art installations. His work has appeared in Time magazine.

I understand from Jing that they're also raffling off a brand new Sony Ericsson Walkman phone :)

CHECK out this video of "The Police: The Early Years Live in Boston" where Boston Phoenix archivist David Bieber narrates the history of the Police's early shows.

By Agence France-Presse CHICAGO--In the first US trial to challenge the illegal downloading of music on the Internet, a single mother from Minnesota was ordered Thursday to pay more than $220, 000 for sharing 24 songs online. Jammie Thomas, 30, was the first among more than 26,000 people sued by the world's most powerful recording companies to refuse a settlement after being slapped with a lawsuit by the Recording Industry of America and six major music labels. She turned down an offer to pay a few thousand dollars in fines and instead took the case to court. Unlike some who insist on the right to share files over the Internet, Thomas says she was wrongfully targeted by SafeNet, a contractor employed by the recording industry to patrol the Internet for copyrighted material. Her lawyer said earlier this week that she had racked up some $60, 000 in legal fees because she refused to be bullied. And while Thomas insisted that she had never downloaded or uploaded music, her lawyer tried to convince jurors there was no way to prove who had uploaded songs on the Kazaa file sharing network. A jury took just five hours to decide that evidence provided by the music labels showed otherwise and found Thomas guilty of copyright infringement, court records showed. Thomas, an employee of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, an Indian tribe, was ordered to pay a $9, 250 fine for each of 24 shared songs cited in the case, including Godsmack's "Spiral," Destiny's Child's "Bills, Bills, Bills" and Sara McLachlan's "Building a Mystery." It could have been a lot worse. Had the record companies sued her for all 1, 702 songs found in the online folder the fine could have run in the millions. "This does send a message, I hope, that downloading and distributing our recordings is not OK," Richard Gabriel, the lead attorney for the music companies, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Gabriel said jurors had not explained how they had come up with a fine of $9, 250 per song out of sentencing guidelines which range from $750 to $150, 000. Thomas and her lawyer declined to comment as they exited the courthouse, the paper said.

By Joey Alarilla INQUIRER.net COMPLETE versions of the "leaked song" of Britney Spears that found its way to the Web over the weekend have been posted on YouTube. And if the lyrics are correct, the Philippines has earned a special mention, heh :) The new song, which is supposed to be titled "Piece of Me" (some reports say the title is "Pieces of Me" or "Everyone Wants a Piece of Me"), blasts the media. The song supposedly contains the following lyrics, according to this clip posted by etsgetloose.

I'm Miss American Dream (Editor's note: the articles have said it's "Mrs. American Dream") since I was 17 Don't matter if I step on the scene Or sneak away to the Phillipines (sic) They still got pictures of my derriere in the magazine You want a piece of me? You want a piece of me...

Anyway, you can listen to it yourself. Thanks to reader nat for the heads up. So Britney, do you really want to sneak away to the Philippines? :)

By Erwin Oliva INQUIRER.net OK, this will keep music labels thinking, "Why didn't we think of that?" Based on this story from Pitchfork, Radiohead is releasing its new album, "In Rainbows?," in three formats: a downloadable MP3 format that is DRM-free, a deluxe Discbox that could be pre-ordered, and a CD that is coming out sometime in 2008. You could already pre-order the download from their official site. What's really cool is that Radiohead is letting you decide how much you want to pay: "It's up to you." This means that if you're really a cheapskate :) you could actually get the album for free, apart from the transaction charge on your credit card. Pitchfork writes:

What Radiohead's doing here is actually pretty cool. Rather than preface their new album's release with the usual three months of press ballyhoo, only to have it leak at some random time before it comes out, they've kept it completely under wraps, then essentially gone and leaked it themselves. What's more, they've turned this into a moral question of sorts, by giving us the freedom to pay actual money for what amounts to an album leak. Only a band in Radiohead's position could pull a trick like this. Well played, gentlemen.

Now, say "OK Computer!"

CHECK out Episode 4 of the PhilMusic.com Podcast, hosted by Jim Ayson and Chette Soriano, which features none other than Lea Salonga.