MusicNewsTidBits.com

Linkin Park will be releasing their own game app for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The game is called ‘Linkin Park 8-Bit Rebellion” and will be a full on action adventure experience. Check out the video here: 8Bit Rebellion

Jennifer Lopez will be putting out her 7th album titled ‘Love?’ on her new label Island Def Jam. Producers on her new album are The Neptunes, The Dream and Danja, Darkchild and others. The album will be out sometime in the summer.

Yep you heard that right. Starting on June 10th in West Palm Beach Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bret Michaels are heading out on a 17 date tour. Tickets went on sale yesterday at LiveNation so I hope you have a couple hundred bucks!! Bret went on to say;

“There is no doubt that Lynyrd Skynyrd is one of my all time favorite rock and roll bands. I have been friends with them a long time, so I am honored that Skynyrd has asked me to join them on their tour this summer. I will have a chance to play all the Poison greatest hits, plus all the new solo hits including “Nothing to Lose” (featuring Miley Cyrus), songs from “Rock of Love,” “Celebrity Apprentice” and the new solo CD “Custom Built. The Lynyrd Skynyrd / Bret Michaels tour will be a summer concert celebration of awesome music, amazing fans and most important a kick ass night of rock and roll. To sum it up Lynyrd Skynyrd / Bret Michaels is a nothing but a good time summer party that will rock your world.”

Jun 10 West Palm Beach, FL – Cruzan Amphitheatre
Jun 13 Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Jun 17 Birmingham, AL – Verizon Wireless Music Center
Jun 18 Raleigh, NC – Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion
Jun 19 Charlotte, NC – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Jun 20 Virginia Beach, VA – Virginia Beach Amphitheater
Jun 24 Detroit, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
Jun 25 Chicago, IL* – First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Jun 26 St. Louis, MO – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Jun 27 Indianapolis, IN – Verizon Wireless Music Center
Jul 01 Boston, MA – Comcast Center
Jul 02 Holmdel, NJ – P.N.C Bank Arts Centre
Jul 03 Buffalo, NY – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Jul 08 Cleveland – Blossom Music Center
Jul 09 Washington, DC – Jiffy Lube Live
Jul 10 Hartford, CT – Comcast Theatre
Jul 11 Pittsburgh, PA – First Niagara Pavilion

Damn, I couldn’t stop laughing about this one. Now these are reports from Spectors friend and not from the jail since a jail spokesman said “We have had no reports he was involved in an altercation.” Spector apparently mouthed off to a big guy and got hit….hard…losing some teeth, a bruised nose and a black eye. This was back in November so I don’t know why we are hearing about it now but hey, better late than never.

Any fans of Ratt? Eh, I can’t say I don’t like them. Well their drummer Bobby Blotzer is publishing his autobiography titled ‘Tales Of A Ratt – Things You Shouldn’t Know’. Its coming out on April 20th, which is also the same day Ratt is releasing their new album ‘Infestation’. If you’re interested in some more, you can check his site out here: Bobby Blotzer

Houston Rapper Scarface is releasing his first official mixtape called ‘Dopeman Music’ and will possibly be out in the spring. Scarface told MTV

“I always wanted to drop a mixtape on my own so I just said, ‘Let’s drop an independent mixtape.’ I feel that I should be as an adult and musician and pioneer – that’s what they call me – I feel that I need to move on to another stage with the way I deliver my music to the public. I got a lot of shit and I’m using about 3% of what I know about music. I’m not using it all…I am music. I can play that shit long enough for a real musician to catch it and feel me, where I’m going, and we make magic like that.”

Here’s a great track from him back in the day.

Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye recorded most of the vocal parts for their 1973 duets album in separate studios. A pregnant Ross was worried that Gaye’s marijuana smoking would damage the health of her unborn child

The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival has finally announced when their 2010 event will take place. From July 5th – 11th the event will feature panels, films, theater and independent performances all throughout the week. Executive Director West Jackson says:

“We have been fortunate enough to host the Festival along the beautiful Brooklyn coast line since our second year [2006]. When the word came down that our home, Empire Fulton Ferry State Park was being closed for renovation we began to work closely with Regina Meyer and the good people at The Brooklyn Bridge Development Corporation. I am excited that not only are we returning to the Tobacco Warehouse for our Main Day, July 10th but have also added Brooklyn Bridge Plaza and New Dock Street. This increased space will allow us to produce two separate stages as well as build a large marketplace for our vendors.”

More info to come.

On April 21st the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers will award Patti Smith with the ASCAP Founders Award at the 27th annual Pop Music Awards. The Founders Award is presented to songwriters and composers who have made pioneering contributions to music by inspiring and influencing their fellow music creators (as stated by ASCAP). Some of the past recipients have been Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan and others.

Wow, this kinda came out of nowhere. Unless I just haven’t followed Vince Neil. A couple days ago, Vince introduced everyone to his new airline fleet, Vince Neil Aviation. His first three are a Hawker 700, a Lear 35 and a Gulfstream. He provides the pilots and flight attendants for the private charter trips. I can’t imagine how much that is. Vince tells Sleaze Roxx:

“They are all now finished, all tricked out. We will base Vince Neil Aviation at McCarran Airport’s Signature Terminal. The Hawker will hold eight passengers and fly nonstop Las Vegas to New York. The Lear holds seven but will make one fuel stop en route to New York. All three are perfect for short, fast hops from Las Vegas to Phoenix, Aspen, California cities, Mexico and Canada. In fact, I took the Gulfstream down to South America for our last tour, and we stopped in Aruba for a few days’ vacation on the way home to Vegas.”

If music be the food of love; play on

~William Shakespeare~

Ill Nino recently signed with Victory Records and will hit the studio next month for a new album due sometime in the summer. Lead singer Chris Machado says “I’m honored to be a part of the Victory Records family. They are a great label with a historic roster and we couldn’t be happier. Having them on our side is amazing.”

Ozzy Osbourne’s new book “I am Ozzy” just came out and now there is word from Sharon Osbourne that she wants to work on a movie for Ozzy. There is even word that Johnny Depp could play Ozzy. Uh I don’t think that would work. I don’t know who would be best? Any thoughts?

On May 15th in Boston, Diana Ross will be heading out on a 17 city tour with a greatest hits show and a live string section. Here are the dates:

May 2010
15 – Boston, MA – Citi Performing Arts Center
16 – Mashantucket, CT – MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods
18 – Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Theatre
19 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
21 – Atlantic City, NJ – Caesars Atlantic City
25 – Bethesda, MD – Music Center at Strathmore
27 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
28 – Cleveland, OH – State Theatre
29 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
31 – Toronto, Ontario – Roy Thomson Hall

June 2010
2 – Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre
4 – Atlanta, GA – Chastain Park Amphitheatre
5 – Memphis, TN – Live at the Garden
6 – St. Louis, MO – Fox Theatre
9 – Los Angeles, CA – Nokia Theatre
11 – San Diego, CA – Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay
12 – Saratoga, CA – The Mountain Winery

Hey everyone, I have some exclusive information for you. I just received a press release on a new project that the great Bootsy Collins has started. Bootsy is beginning an online bass school for players around the planet to study under his direction. Here now, I present you the info you need and want.

Los Angeles, CA — It began with a simple message on Bootsy Collins’ twitter page to his more than 400,000 followers, which simply read “If You Build It, They Will Funk.” Fans had no idea he was referring to the upcoming debut of Bootsy’s Funk University, an online bass school for players around the planet to study under his direction.

Bootsy’s Funk University begins its first semester on July 1, 2010 with enrollment based on a first come, first serve basis. Currently, interested players are encouraged to sign-up for exclusive information at www.thefunkuniversity.com. Registration for enrollment is set to begin in April for the summer launch.

As Funk University’s Lead “Professor,” Bootsy will provide extensive lectures on funk, the bass, and his body of work with James Brown, George Clinton, Parliament Funkadelic, and solo projects. In addition, Collins has arranged an impressive ensemble of the music world’s finest players to provide an intense curriculum designed to promote and teach funk to intermediate and advanced players. The lectures, lessons, and exercises will be accessed through streaming video, with tablature downloads available. Bootsy’s bass school will also hold “office hours” where students are able to get their questions answered online. The entire staff will be reviewing and holding regular competitions throughout the year.

As for the upcoming launch of the Funk University, Bootsy states, “The best day of my life was when I graduated from P.U., the next best day of my life will be to see students graduate from F.U.” The launch of Bootsy’s bass school falls on a big year for Collins who is set to release a new album in the fall titled “Boot-Z-Class University” that features an all-star cast, along with the release of Bootsy’s Signature Bass by Warwick. As for the motivation of launching The Funk University at this point in his career, Collins remarks, “Funk don’t funk around for nobody, so get funked up while you can.”

Bootsy’s Funk University is produced by SceneFour–the notorious L.A. creativity house responsible for projects with Al Gore’s Current TV, MTV-U, Nine Inch Nails, The RZA, Marilyn Manson, The Pixies, and Beck.

For more information on the upcoming launch of Bootsy’s Funk University, please visit www.thefunkuniversity.com. For media inquiries, please contact Cory Danziger at SceneFour (213) 742-9862.