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Pop Rock Nation

Author: George Bounacos

  • The Drummer vs. The Piano Man

    Drummer Liberty DeVitto has sued Billy Joel in a Manhattan court according to the New York Post.  The drummer also named Sony Music, but a quick tour of entertainmnent lawyers posting online under their names suggest that Sony will quickly be dropped from the matter.

    Did this man stiff his drummer? Liberty DeVitto is suing former pop star Billy Joel for royalties.
    Did this man stiff his drummer? Liberty DeVitto is suing former pop star Billy Joel for royalties.

    Meanwhile, the contentiousness between Joel’s drummer of 30 years and the artist’s fans is reaching a hyperbolic state.  DeVitto says that he was fired from Joel’s band in 2005 without even a telephone call.  Fans on both sides are defending DeVitto’s drumming or Joel’s music and seemingly drawing sides based on their affinity for either..

    DeVitto was part of the band that played on what is essentially the soundtrack of a 10 year period from the mid 1970s to the mid 19880s.   You may also know DeVitto’s daughter, Torrey, who recently appeared in a 16 episode arc on One Tree Place.  [She also went to the same small elementary school I attended in a secluded part of Suffolk County, but maybe she attended a little later…]

    Cases like this often flare up and are settled years later.   You won’t see Paula Abdul talking about the suit she went through when a backup singer claimed she also sang leads. Nor will you hear much about songwriter claims very often unless it’s the delicious Joe Satriani and Coldplay allegations.   

    Watchers are asking why DeVitto, who claims no contact with Billy Joel, waited years before filing.    There may indeed have been unaswered letters or unreturned calls, and answers won’t be forthcoming until this case has its day in court.

  • Paula Abdul Drug Addiction – The Scoop At LHJ

    Paula Abdul at charity event in 2005
    Paula Abdul at charity event in 2005

    We can stop dissin’ on the former Laker girl who showed Janet some moves and then became a caricature often portrayed as a blowsy has-been while judging American Idol.

    Paula Abdul finally admitted she was addicted to pain medication, telling Ladies Home Journal of all publications, that a series of accidents were the cause of her originally seeking treatment.  Abdul, who reeled off six #1 hits in the 1980s, married actor Emilio Estevez and appeared on the path to long-term stardom.  But a series of accidents — not just a car accident, but even a light plane crash –  and lawsuits regarding her music and performances left her taking a combination of alternative medicines, painkillers and muscle relaxants.

    With a new release and the potential for a shakeup among Idol judges in next year’s 9th season, jaded music nerds justifiably may question the timing of Abdul’s revelations, but all should support her step forward.

    American Idol is due to cut a contestant tonight, setting up a battle of the final three.  SonicClash’s Double G covered Abdul’s latest music release here earlier this week.   Abdul has appeared more lucid in appearances this season and has not committed a faux pas equivalent to previous years when she once commented on a contestant who had not yet performed the song.

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  • More to Music Players Than iPods

    LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 06: Attorney Mark Ger...
    Good rule. If you're in court, don't bring a music player and don't ask the judge to listen to Jordin Sparks. Image by Getty Images via Daylife

    One of the coolest sites catering to all music fans doesn’t have downloads.

    There are no pictures of Beyonce flashing leg, Justin flashing a grin or Janet flashing, well, having a wardrobe malfunction.

    Really useful site, Musicplayer.me covers the convergence of music and the Internet, which has nothing to do with browsers sometimes. If you didn’t know that, you will after reading one of the reviewers take apart a Twitter application or Firefox plugin synchronizing last.fm.

    The site’s management gets the tech vibe, which is nice, but really gets the music vibe too. “It’s not our policy to discourage their [the site’s reviewing team] sometimes acerbic or snarky opinions towards particular products or companies.”

    How cool is that?  That attitude is the same one Money Mike, Double G, David Middleton and the other Sonic Clash writers bring when they jump into a track, or take apart the music news or charts or just keep banging on Chris Brown for being a big dummy who deserves some county lockup time.  And if that’s too snarky for you, remember who chose the photos for the front of the site, including Ms. Rihanna in all her umbrella glory.  (AP reported today that she is looking to get back the jewelry she was wearing as they drove to the Grammys that night.    All $1.4 million worth.  Yowch!)

    Even an old dog like me learned how I could listen to Disturbia when I’m at the office and it’s still not on my iPod.  Do you know what a Tumblelog is?   Me neither until I read the site’s review on how to listen to a new music stream with a concept like Disturbia at the start  and turn a mix tape experience into an art form like nothing Pandora ever considered.

    Musicplayer.me is definitely worth a drive by.  There is far more to mobile music than iTunes and Rhapsody, but they’ll tell you all about that.

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