BMI Urban Awards Kickstart MTV Weekend

LAS VEGAS (AP) - The MTV Video Music Awards aren't until Sunday, but hip-hop stars started accepting trophies Friday night.

Sean "Diddy" Combs, T.I., Three 6 Mafia and a slew of hip-hop producers gathered at the New York New York hotel for the BMI Urban Awards, which honor the songwriters and music makers behind the year's biggest hits.

The performing rights organization also paid tribute to Run-DMC's Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons for his contributions to popular music.

"I'm lucky to be in the game," the rap pioneer said, adding that he was "shocked" to learn he would be joining Al Green, Isaac Hayes and James Brown as the recipient of BMI's Icon Award.

Simmons and Run-DMC "had a permanent influence on generations of music-makers," said BMI chief executive Del Bryant, who compared Simmons to Mick Jagger, James Brown and Mohammed Ali.

"He is the man for all time," he said. "Run-DMC never crossed over. Popular music crossed over to them."

"The legacy we left behind was unity," Simmons said before the show, flanked by his family _ co-stars on his MTV reality show, "Run's House."

"Run-DMC was about 70 percent unity and 30 percent talent. What kept us together was our respect for each other."

Combs, a producer of Simmons' reality show, said the rapper changed his life.

"You gave birth to a whole culture, a whole generation," he said. "We bow down to you."

Simmons joined rappers Lil Jon and Lil Wayne to perform Run-DMC's 1986 breakthrough hit "Walk This Way."

The awards presentation, held in the hotel's Cirque du Soleil Zumanity theater, opened with a taste of the avant-garde circus. Scantily clad contortionist nymphs bent and balanced on the edge of a tub that looked like an oversized martini glass.

But the night was really about honoring the people behind the year's best-selling music. Producer Sean Garrett, who has worked with Britney Spears, Usher, Whitney Houston and Mary J. Blige, earned producer of the year and song of the year honors.

"I'm here to enjoy music and bring a great sense of love to it," he said on the red carpet before the show.

Other producers honored were Polow Da Don, Jazze Pha, Rodney Jerkins, will.i.am, Lil Jon and T-Pain, who was also recognized for his top-selling ringtone, "I'm N Luv (Wit a Stripper)."

Comedians Chris Rock and Chris Tucker were among the guests at the show. But several expected stars failed to arrive, including Rihanna, Snoop Dogg and producer of the year honorees Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.

Fergie Scores Third #1

Fergie has scored her third #1 single in the U.S from her solo debut THE DUTCHESS.

BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY hit the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart this week, making Fergie the first solo female artist to have three #1 singles from one album since Christina Aguilera did it in 1999/2000.

The Black Eyed Peas singer also joins Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake in having two #1 hits this year, with her second single GLAMOUROUS sitting at the top spot for two weeks back in March.

Queen stars to perform at Aids benefit

 Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen have signed on to perform at an Aids charity concert next June that marks former South African leader Nelson Mandela's 90th

birthday.

The concert will take place on June 8th in London and according to Contact Music it will help raise awareness of the former South African Prime Minister's 46664 HIV Aids campaign, which helps those affected by the virus.

Braxton denies cancer rumours

Soul singer Toni Braxton has hit back at U.S. tabloid reports she's battling breast
cancer.

The Unbreak My Heart singer has issued a statement dismissing rumours that surfaced in the National Enquirer last week and spread online.

Braxton writes, "There has been a rumor circulating that I have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

"After feeling something uncomfortable in my left breast, I went in for a screening. I was very fortunate that they did not find anything and I am in great health."

Braxton has chosen to take the high road on the hoax health crisis, hoping the shocking story will persuade women who have been holding off cancer checks to get serious about the disease.

She adds, "I encourage women to take their annual tests and suggested precautions to prevent this disease that continues to affect so many women."

Bob Marley ringtone court battle

The family of late reggae singer Bob Marley said on Thursday they will sue Universal Music Group and Verizon Wireless for using the iconic pop star's name, likeness and
image without permission.

Fifty Six Hope Road Music Ltd, which is owned by the Marley family, said in a news release that Universal Music had entered an agreement with Verizon Wireless that granted the U.S. mobile service provider the right to utilize Bob Marley's name, likeness and image to promote a new set of ringtones.

"The agreement was entered into without the permission of the Marley Family," said the statement from Fifty Six Hope Road Music Ltd. "UMG has not received any suit from the Marley Estate," Universal Music Group said on Thursday.

Britney comeback single

Britney Spears' comeback single debuted on American radio last night, according to
reports.

"Gimme More", said to bear striking similarities to a piece of work from her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake, was played on New York's Z100.

The song, which opens with the words "It's Britney, bitch", is available now to be streamed at the station's official website www.z100.com.

It has been produced by Timbaland collaborator Nate 'Danjahandz' Hills, and is expected to feature on the follow-up to 2003's "In The Zone".

Speaking about "Gimme More" earlier this week, a source explained: "People are going to love (the new single).

"It's like when Justin (Timberlake) came back (with 'FutureSex/ LoveSounds') - she's got a whole new sound. She's funky."

Kooks frontman says Noel 'is too rich to write'

Oasis star Noel Gallagher is too rich to write chart-topping songs, according to The
Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard.

Pritchard wants to compose as much material as he can, before his band become too successful - because he believes wealth sapped Gallagher's creativity.

He says, "He wrote all the songs before he got big. You can't write about having a s**t time when you're living in a mansion."

Vodafone Live Music Awards

This year’s Vodafone Live Music Awards will take place on 19th September at
London’s Brompton Hall.

Celebrating the best in live music, the Vodafone Live Music Awards will include performances from Kate Nash, The Manic Street Preachers, Calvin Harris, Athlete and The Enemy with further acts to be announced shortly.

The Vodafone Live Music Awards provide the finale to the Vodafone TBA series which sees international acts perform in intimate and unusual venues across the country. 2007 saw performances from Amy Winehouse at Circomedia, St Paul’s Church in Bristol, Maximo Park playing in Oxford Union’s Great Debating Hall, Mika impressing Manchester outdoors at the Great Northern Square, Kasabian returning to their roots in Leicester, Kanye West captivating crowds with his performance at Central Hall Westminster and the forthcoming Kaiser Chiefs gig in Blackpool.

Kylie comeback album almost complete

Kylie Minogue has confirmed her new album is almost complete, with a string of big
names understood to have contributed tracks to the final shortlist.

The Aussie pop rocket's first album since her well-publicised battle with cancer is due for release in November and is set to be preceded by a single called "2 Hearts".

According to reports in the British press this morning, there are now 40 tracks in the running to feature on the currently untitled record.

Tracks written by Scissor Sisters, Calvin Harris, Groove Armada and Madonna's producer Stuart Price are all being considered.

Meanwhile, "2 Hearts" has apparently been written by Kylie with underground electro-punk outfit Kish Mauve.

Speaking about the LP, she said: "We are now in the final stages of the album and are having to make some difficult but exciting decisions about which songs will stay and which ones will go.

"But I think you can safely say that '2 Hearts' will be staying. I started working on this album a year and a half ago and can't believe it is nearly finished."

Bob Marley ringtone court battle

The family of late reggae singer Bob Marley said on Thursday they will sue Universal Music Group and Verizon Wireless for using the iconic pop star's name, likeness and
image without permission.

Fifty Six Hope Road Music Ltd, which is owned by the Marley family, said in a news release that Universal Music had entered an agreement with Verizon Wireless that granted the U.S. mobile service provider the right to utilize Bob Marley's name, likeness and image to promote a new set of ringtones.

"The agreement was entered into without the permission of the Marley Family," said the statement from Fifty Six Hope Road Music Ltd. "UMG has not received any suit from the Marley Estate," Universal Music Group said on Thursday.

Snoop offers Amy safehouse

Rap superstar Snoop Dogg has offered troubled singer Amy Winehouse a refuge to
recover from her drug demons.

Snoop is a massive fan of the star - and credits Winehouse's sophomore album Back To Black with inspiring him to make a complete solo LP of his own.

He says, "I want her to know that if she needs a place to chill for a bit, my hood is her hood.

"When I'm listening to it (Back To Black), I'm learning who she is. It's like when you listen to James Brown, he did it by himself, and Curtis Mayfield, all by himself. So I'm going to do the whole record by myself."

Daft Punk release live CD

Daft Punk have set the release date for their new live album, Daft Punk Alive 2007. The effort will hit stores on November 2nd and commemorates the group's homecoming show from
this past June. A special edition is also set for release.

The concert was taped at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris on June 14th which marked the first time the duo had playing their home town in a decade. The standard version of the disc will contain over 25 tracks.

They will also be releasing a special edition version of the disc containing a second disc containing five additional tracks as well as a music video for the track "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger." The special edition will be released in a book format that will include 50 pages of photographs from the tour.

Stars to tour UK

a week of tour dates in early October to coincide with the release of their hotly-anticipated
new album, 'In Our Bedroom After the War', on City Slang records on 1st October.

As with many returning acts, Stars are keeping the shows intimate and playing to the faithful, beginning at the Barfly in Birmingham and culminating in a performance at the Scala in London, upcoming dates below:

Monday 1 October – BIRMINGHAM – Barfly
Tuesday 2 October – LEEDS – Brudenell
Wednesday 3 October – MANCHESTER – Night and Day
Thursday 4 October – GLASGOW – King Tuts
Friday 5 October – BELFAST – The Speakeasy
Saturday 6 October – DUBLIN – Temple Bar Music Centre
Monday 8 October – LONDON – Scala

Ash clash with Razorlight

Razorlight have wowed fans at the Reading festival, but according to rival band Ash, they
were no big deal.

Ash went head-to-head with Razorlight, by appearing on Reading's second stage at the same time.

Ash's frontman Tim Wheeler said: "We couldn't have played against a better band because I think they are terrible and so do many people."

Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows responded: "I don't know [Tim] so I don't know if what he said was out of character or not. I'm a big fan of Ash and I think a bit of healthy competition is good."

After their Friday night show in Reading, Razorlight headed north to Leeds for a gig at the Festival's sister site on Saturday.

Boss announces world tour

Bruce Springsteen has confirmed details of a lengthy tour of North America and Europe later
this year, with The E Street Band.

'The Boss' recently announced plans for the first new album with his regular backing band in five years.

The record will be accompanied by a three month jaunt, kicking off in Connecticut in October, before moving onto Europe and concluding at the O2 Arena in London.

Springsteen's comeback LP, "Magic", which follows last year's "Seger Sessions", is expected to be showcased on the tour.

The dares are as follows:

October 2007

02 Hartford, Civic Centre
05 Philadelphia, Wachovia Centre
09+10 East Rutherford, Continental Airlines Arena
14 Ottawa, Civic Centre
15 Toronto, Air Canada Centre
17+18 New York, Madison Square Garden
21 Chicago, United Centre
26 Oakland, Oracle Arena
28 Los Angeles, TBA

November

02 St Paul, Xcel Energy Centre
04 Cleveland, Quicken Loans Arena
05 Auburn Hills, Palace Of Auburn Hills
11 Washington, Verizon Arena
14 Pittsburgh, Mellon Arena
15 Albany, Times Union Centre
18 Boston, TD Banknorth Garden
25 Madrid, Palacio de Deportes
26 Bilbao, Exhibition Centre
28 Milan, Datchforum
30 Arnhem, Geldredome

December

02 Mannheim, Sap Arena
04 Oslo, Spektrum
08 Copenhagen, Forum
10 Stockholm, Globe
12 Antwerp, Sportspaleis
13 Cologne, Koln Arena
15 Belfast, Odyssey Arena
17 Paris. Palais Omnisports De Bercy
19 London, O2 Arena

"Magic" is released on October 1.

Courtney Love strips off

Rocker Courtney Love is set to shock fans after baring all in the latest issue of American
magazine Harper's Bazaar.

The former Hole frontwoman appears in a raunchy photograph draped over a sofa, but maintains her modesty with a raised leg and strategically placed necklace

Winehouse off to the Carribean

Troubled soul singer Amy Winehouse has jetted off to St Lucia with her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, to get away from the UK and rehabilitation centres. They quit the Essex rehab
centre and have chosen another route in their quest for peace of mind.

The tabloids yesterday were lapping up talk of their feuding in-laws and how Fielder-Civil’s parents were asking the public to boycott Winehouse’s records to help her and her husband conquer their demons.

The paps are probably booking their flights as we speak off to the Carribean.

Hard-Fi album launch gig

Hard-Fi will play an intimate show in London next Monday, to mark the release of their new
album "Once Upon A Time In The West".

The show at the BBC Studios in Maida Vale will be broadcast on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show and will also feature an interview with the band before a select group of fans.

A limited number of tickets to the concert, which will be aired between 7-9pm, can be won on Radio 1's official website.

The band have also confirmed plans to launch the follow-up to "Stars Of CCTV" with a midnight appearance at Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street in London.

Entry to the show will only be available with wristbands, which are limited to one per person and available at the store from 9.30am on September 1.

The gig will take place in the early hours of September 3, to coincide with the release of "Once Upon A Time In The West".

BT Digital Music Awards nominations

BT Total Broadband today announces nominations for the annual BT Digital Music Awards with consumers being encouraged to go online to vote at the official website
www.btdma.com.

There are 20 prestigious awards up for grabs this year with 12 voted for by the public. This year’s nominees include acts such as Klaxons, Manic Street Preachers, Calvin Harris, Natasha Bedingfield and The Chemical Brothers across categories including Best Rock/Indie, Pop, Urban and Electronic/DJ Artists, Best Radio Station, Best Music Store and Best Music Magazine.

Last year’s big winners, Muse are up for two nominations – Best Indie/Rock Artist and Artist of the Year. Hadouken!, Bloc Party and Rihanna are also up for two nominations as is Lil’ Chris – who performed at last year’s awards.

This year, the awards will be held at Camden’s Roundhouse on Tuesday 2nd October.

The awards will be televised on Channel 4 complete with a special 'behind the scenes’ programme presented by Alex Zane and supported by a series of 15-minute preview shows in the run up to the awards.

Last year’s awards were dominated by Muse and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke who both scooped two awards respectively. Other winners on the night included Lily Allen for 'Best Pop Artist’, McFly for 'Best Official Website’, NME.com for 'Best Music Magazine’, MySpace for 'Best Innovation’ and London Elektricity for Best Podcast.

In 2006 over half a million voters logged on to the official website and made their vote count in the UK’s only awards dedicated to digital music entertainment.

This BT Digital Music Awards 2007 are held in association with Packard Bell, Channel 4, BT Podshow, Yahoo Music! and HMV.

Bo Diddley suffers heart attack

Rock legend Bo Diddley suffered a heart attack last week following a medical check up at a Florida medical center. He is reported to be in stable condition in a cardiac care center at a
Florida hospital following surgery.

Diddley, 78, suffered a stroke in May and was undergoing a medical check up at the North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville this past Friday when he began feeling ill. He was taken to the emergency room where he suffered a heart attack.

Doctors performed surgery on the music legend, inserting a stent to improve cardiac blood flow. A spokesperson for the medical center said that he was moved from intensive car to cardiac care on Tuesday.

The tragic film that lures Joan Chen to our shores

HATRED flashes across the face of Shanghai nightclub singer Rose Hong as she contemplates the prospect her teenage daughter has engaged in a steamy affair with her lover.

Plagued by depression and consumed with anger, the stunning performer turns on the innocent child, as her younger son watches. While such a story may be swept under the carpet by most of us confronted with a troubled and harrowing childhood, Australian writer and director Tony Ayres's mission was to bring it to life in The Home Song Stories.

Initially set in the 1960s, the film, mostly shot in Melbourne, explores the tragic story of migrant single mother Rose, played by Chinese actress Joan Chen, her daughter May (Irene Chen) and son Tom (Joel Lok), as they struggle to survive in Australia.

Based on Ayres's own life, The Home Song Stories begins in China, with Hong meeting Bill (Steven Vidler), an Australian sailor, whom she marries and accompanies to Victoria in order to start a new life.

However the fairytale is short-lived and Hong and her two children move to Sydney, while Bill continues sailing around the globe.

Hong quickly finds comfort in the arms of younger lover Joe (Qi Yuwu), but again sees her happiness destroyed when the Chinese cook cracks under the strain of a relationship with a manic middle-aged woman with baggage. It is then that Joe turns his attention to May, and the pair form a close friendship that an insecure Hong misunderstands for romance, sending the mother and daughter into the depths of despair.

During a whirlwind Sydney promotional tour of the film, Chen reveals it was the complexity of portraying Rose Hong that appealed to her.

"She is complex and this bigger, larger-than-life drama queen and that's the fun of getting to play her," smiles the 46-year-old. "There are real issues she had to deal with and go through, and there are parts I could relate to.

"I have a manic side in me, it's just well-monitored. She is without a monitor.

We all have times we can go crazy and I just tapped into that."

And Chen, a mother of two, was also able to draw from the well of exhaustion and frustrations that come with being a parent.

"We are from two totally different worlds, but you can always understand," she says. "I think all mothers question themselves. That's natural in motherhood, I think, and there are moments you are exhausted, you just have had enough and you treat your children inconsistently sometimes. You get mad at them for no good reason, and then you love them, hug them and shower them with gifts for no good reason. I am not impulsive like (Rose), but I understood her."

The Twin Peaks actress, who is regarded as one of China's most successful stars, has been based in the US for 25 years, but still spends a few months each year in Shanghai, where she was born.

It has been a steady rise to the top for Chen, who landed her first major role as a deaf mute in the 1977 film Youth and became famous three years later for her performance in The Little Flower, the film earning her China's best actress award and making her a star.

Now her resume boasts more than 50 US and Chinese film credits.

Chen says she was instantly interested in The Home Song Stories, but she was wary about participating in such a dark film.

"I had some trouble," she admits.

"I knew I wanted to play her because she was so varied, so rich, but I did worry about her being so sympathetic.

"The first script I read, there was relief when she wasn't around any more.

The sun finally comes out and there is not that cloud hanging over everyone.

I thought, 'How can I play a character like that?' I tried to keep pushing Tony to find something a bit more redemptive for her."

The actress also feared Ayres was too close to the subject.

"When I met him he was obsessed. There was this obsession about his mother and to understand why, and why he wanted to write about his mother, I had to talk for a long time to him," Chen says.

"Are we supposed to hate her? Love her? We talked at length about this and, of course, to play the character, you want her to be sympathetic and she wasn't initially.

So I had to know from Tony what exactly drove him to write about his mother again, again and again. I think making the film was therapeutic for him in the end."

Ghost Whisperer provides happy medium

They have unfinished business with loved ones in this world, and some eventually find Melinda Gordon, played by Jennifer Love Hewitt, who can see and hear them, and can pass their messages on.

It's one of several shows, such as Medium, which present psychics and ghosts as a run-of-the-mill part of life.

It seems they succeed for a reason - because people believe them.

The show is inspired by celebrity US medium James Van Praagh (who is also the co-executive producer of the series) and Hewitt says they regularly get strange letters.

"I get invited to funerals a lot. People want James and I to go to funerals to just sit there and help them out, and that's a very odd thing," she says.

"I'm not really sure what I would do there for them. Sometimes it actually makes me really sad. I wish I had a gift beyond just being able to go on television and convince people for an hour every week.

"I wish that I could be just like James and actually go there and offer support and words and loving thoughts from the deceased and all of those things.

"And I just can't.. So there's part of it that's funny and part of it that kind of breaks my heart. Those people can be so lost and in such a grieving process that I wish I had the gift."

The show has been a moderate success in the US and has been popular here as well.

It can be a little repetitive, but is also emotionally touching, as most of us would like to believe that Hewitt's character's powers are possible, and indeed some do believe in psychics.

Hewitt says playing Melinda is a privilege. "I love everything about my character," she says.

"She's my hero. You can't have a better role model than Melinda Gordon, because she's just so non-judgmental.

"She's loving, she's incredibly empathetic and she never, ever, ever turns people away unless they're bad, scary guys.

"Other than that, she's there for everybody. She believes that she can do a thousand things in one day and still have time to get home for dinner with (husband) Jim, and be OK with that.

"I just think she's like a fairy, this little ball of fantastic light, just gorgeous. And I just love her. It's a real honour to get to play her every day.

"I hope that I can be half the person she is when I finish this show."

The obvious question is, does Hewitt believe in ghosts and all that stuff? Turns out that working on the show has, if anything, dulled an interest she dabbled in before joining the series.

"I had always gone to psychics because I think that's really fun, and I've always read my horoscope and things like that," she reveals.

"I think it's fun to do and to wonder if on, say, November 12th, some big thing is going to happen. And it normally never happens, but it's fun to live for a month thinking that it might.

"But, no, I'm not more into it now than I was before.

"In fact, now at the end of the day, I don't want to do that stuff because I get so much of it at work. I'm like, 'If somebody talks about a ghost right now, I'm out of here'," she laughs.

Co-star David Conrad, who plays her husband, Jim, is not so taken with the whole scene and says he too has received strange letters - such as one from a Kentucky gravedigger.

"This guy wrote, 'This is what it's like when people come to the funeral. When a kid dies, it's much sadder. This is how you dig a grave'," Conrad says.

"And then he wrote, 'You know, I really want to thank you guys. In a small way, maybe you bring a little peace to these people who I see all the time'.

"And I was just like, 'Us?'. You know, it's just a TV show."

Milly checks the boys out

LAST night brought us new studios, a new stage, new concept and a new lot of semi finalists. The judges seemed to look all too comfortable - getting ready to see what the singers were going to give us, although Dicko was a little on the nervous side of things - just getting back into the groove I guess.

It was also great to see our ever so gorgeous hosts back in full force - Andrew G and James Mathison - pumped for the new season and prepping us with some footage of the contestants back to their first audition.

First up was the heart throb - Matt Corby.
Choosing a great Stevie Wonder song - I Wish. I thought he put a hot spin on this song - yet, as Mark said the spark wasn’t there as much as they thought it would be. You could see he was slightly nervous - but once he got a bit more into the song - more of Matt came out! Loved his scarf too!

Next was Junior - singing - Dear Mr President by Pink. It was beautiful to hear a male version of this song. Being an r’n’b singer he had his originality going on but what was great to see that it wasn’t oversung at all. You could still focus on the great lyrics that are the main factor of what makes that song so great. By the way, how beautiful is his son?!

Then we had Carl - the resident crooner. What a bee-yutiful tone! His voice is bell like - a voice that really draws you in. There were parts of the song that weren’t as strong - but you could see that it was just the nerves. If there was any criticism it would be the song choice - because of the similarity in his tone to Buble - it would have been great to hear his voice on another type of melody.

Daniel Misfud - as soon as the song that he was singing - i thought yes! It was almost like he was born to do that song at some point. A great cruisy performance which I think will still get him through (I hope) but I think Mifsud has more to show at this point.

Husny was a breath of fresh air! Idol needs someone like him in the competition. Although I loved the song - the performance probably took it away from his singing a little. I think in the studio I would have seen it differently though - it would have been an great entertaining performance. I hope Australia embraces him.

Last one for the fellas - Jacob Butler. He had a strong composure right from the beginning which drew me into the start of his performance, but he then lost me halfway through. I don’t know what it was. The judges were correct in him needing to relax a bit though because hes a great performer and good at choosing the appropriate song which is a major need when you hit the finals.

Overall it was a great start to the semis. Although none of the performances really grabbed me - they all seemed pretty even in strength in each performance. I think that this lot will be based on the followings the singers have so far so it will be good to see who makes it through - All being fantastic contenders. My bets are on Matt, Daniel and Carl. Husny being a wildcard. Saying that though, it will still be sad to see any of them go.

So tomorrow night the gals are back - i expect to expect the unexpected. See you then!

Ben Harper shares the glory with his Innocent Criminals

Ben Harper is wearing a suit, a very fine piece of tailoring. The rocker, who is more often than not attired in a casual uniform you might call hippie surf, has even enticed his Innocent Criminals into this realm of sartorial elegance.

"Oh yes, this is going to be the look for the next tour," Harper says, enjoying a brief respite at his Los Angeles home with wife Laura Dern and their children, Ellery and Jaya, before heading out for another year on the road.

"We're not really requesting as such but we're letting people know we are dressing up a little and if they feel the same, they should dress up when they come to the show."

The clothes may not make the man, but they certainly suggest there has been a shake-up in the Harper camp.

In his words, "he's finally gotten out of his own way" on the latest album, Lifeline.

It is the first album where his band share the credit on the cover and for good reason; it is the first album that they have collaborated on from beginning to end. After eight months touring Europe last year to support the double opus Both Sides Of The Gun, Ben Harper was over soundchecks, that hour-long opportunity to fine tune a set and the venue's acoustics now verging on a waste of time.

"It was time for this band to take me somewhere I hadn't been," he explains. "As much as I have had the Innocent Criminals' name on past records, writing has always been an introspective and isolated process and I wasn't having anything of the alternative. This was the first time I had gotten out of the way and co-collaborated.

"Beyond any other incarnation of the band, these players were bringing too much to the songs night after night, which was sparking peripheral ideas."

Harper dedicated soundchecks for the next two months to writing new songs and demanded his bandmates - guitarist Michael Ward, percussionist Leon Mobley, bassist Juan Nelson, keyboardist Jason Yates and drummer Oliver Charles - come armed with ideas inspired by two words: acoustic soul.

Some were more up for the creative competition than others.

"The process where we took the time from soundcheck to create was a bit touchy for me," Mobley says.

"The process of reaching into your inner feelings to put into the music is sometimes a very personal effort; having the venue people setting up, getting ready, made it very hard to reveal so much."

Harper says to keep the pressure off, there was no talk of recording an album early in the soundcheck sessions.

"I didn't want to give this any definition beyond being creative, even after we had two songs which I believe were Say You Will and Having Wings.

"I did think of putting to gethera collection of songs and maybe calling it Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals Sound checks.

"After the fourth song, I was craving hearing them and thought we might be on to something more special. That's when I booked the studio."

To keep the fast and flowing nature of the songs' genesis, Harper booked a studio in Paris for a week. The City Of Lights has always welcomed him as warmly as Sydney, his fans remaining loyal and his popularity assured for life.

Their Parisian studio carried a certain romance with its antiquated and mercurial 16-track analog desk and Harper is adamant Lifeline would never have sounded as warmly intimate had it been recorded elsewhere.

"I think geography definitely had a major impact. There's a creative charge in the air there and I had always wanted to have that energy be a part of what I do and for me to be a part of it at the deepest level," he says.

But the self-imposed recording deadline - they could only squeeze seven days into their schedule - as well as the unfamiliar equipment and Harper's role as benevolent band dictator, added some creative tension.

"It was emotional in there. The creative juices were balancing the fatigue. (But) you just cannot argue with tired," Harper says.

"There was a guitar slammed on the floor; there were some moments of gathering everyone in a circle so we - probably me - could re-focus.

"That was a true test of us being a band, that we were able to do that as grown men rather than losing it."

Drummer Oliver Charles says you can hear the emotion in the sessions in Harper's voice and he's right; the frontman has never sounded this raw and in-the-moment.

"We were exhausted by the end of the run," Charles says.

"By the time we got there, we were zombies. The exhaustion was bringing a lot of emotion out of us. We were homesick and when you're away from home for so long, things just start to mess with your head a little bit.

"Whatever was going on with (Harper), it's in his voice."

Now Harper sounds energised, excited about his musical future.

Musically, Lifeline covers the gamut of that acoustic soul umbrella he gave his bandmates all those months ago, from the gospel of Say You Will to the bar blues of Needed You Tonight.

"After Diamonds On The Inside, it would have been easy to subscribe to a specific mould of music because of what it did around the world," he says.

"But then I chose to make a gospel record and then a double album and now I am just going with what I feel in the moment. It's good times right now."

Creativity is key as the juggernaut takes off

THE power of an alternative radio hit is never more evident than at a festival.

As indie electronic outfit Midnight Juggernauts struck the opening chords of Into The Galaxy at Splendour In The Grass, the tent erupted into a mass of pogo-ing, happy people.

The band's surname-free founders Andy and Vincent and drummer Daniel Stricker beamed back at the bouncing boys and girls.

"Looking out to see 8000 people jumping together; that's really good," Vincent understates.

It was the day after the release of their debut album, Dystopia, a sci-fi soundtrack which was primed by two independent chart-topping EPs and the single, 45 And Rising.

A week later and the band are back on the road and preparing to sign contracts to release Dystopia in Europe, where they have critical acclaim and a core fan base after several successful tours there.

Vincent, responsible for vocals and synths, says they headline shows for 1000 people in France.

"It's weird having this buzz; the power of MySpace, people talking about us in magazines. In the past it has been difficult for bands here to get exposure overseas and now if the right people get into your music on your MySpace page, they start playing it in the clubs and introducing you to their friends."

An album that defies commercial fashion as Dystopia does could only have been made independently and released on their own label, Siberia.

"We have always been a band who needs the creative control," Vincent says. "We're not interested in becoming rock stars who shift units for a label. When we made the album it was such a luxury to have fun in the studio,explore different paths."

Dystopia has a sci-fi lyrical theme but the Juggernauts wanted to veer slightly away from the indie dance sound which had made their name on Triple J and in the clubs. Tours with Wolfmother, The Presets and Cut Copy dispelled any questions about their band status, as opposed to being classed as "producers", as most original artists in the genre are labelled.

And performances at festivals from Homebake to V confirmed their power as a live act, able to rock out with the best of their peers.

"A lot of people discovered us through the dancier tunes like Shadows and 45 And Rising and they thought we were a dance act," Vincent explains.

"But that's not all we are about - a lot of our songs are a lot darker than that. I was worried people might be disappointed that we didn't want to do an album of dance floor fillers because we wanted to make something that was more traditionally based. Bringing in acoustic guitars surprised a few people."

What surprised the band was not only the universal critical acclaim which has greeted Dystopia but the myriad touring opportunities being thrown their way. Not too many Australian bands can claim to have played a gig in China as they did on their way home for Splendour.

"That was a huge laugh," Vincent says. "We were invited to play in Shanghai on the way back from Europe and ended up playing to about 400 people in this club called Glamour Bar who had no idea who we were but really got into it."

Chili night fails to warm up Reading crowd

A disjointed and unusually shallow performance greeted most of the Reading revellers last
night as the Chili Peppers were anything but red hot.

A series of technical hitches clouded the start whilst the rest of the set was filled with impromptu, directionless jamming sessions and almost no banter from front man Anthony Kiedis who did a good job alienating an expectant audience. At one point Kiedis lost his footing and fell embarrassingly whilst performing his trademark twirl.

In a set which dragged on for nearly two hours there were gaps of up to three minutes between most songs which were played with all the zest of an asthmatic ant carrying heavy shopping. Kiedis finally left the stage early clearly annoyed discarding his t-shirt with venom before exiting stage right leaving the band to bring the Saturday night slot at Reading festival to a whimpering close with another six minute pointless jam.

The earlier part of the day saw Brakes, The Shins, Bloc Party, Good Shoes and Biffy Clyro deliver energy driven performances whilst Angels and Airwaves were bottled off for continually insulting the crowd.

The festival braces itself for a climactic end as the Smashing Pumpkins bring a successful three days to a close.