L.A. Times - Music News

When rock stars fake it

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

It's not about just the music. Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Janelle Monae and others never break character. But is it real or merely an elaborate act?

Lady Gaga wants you to know she is not a Method actor. The 23-year-old ingénue behind hits like "Poker Face" and "Paparazzi" does believe in cultivating what thespians call "theatrical truth." But while devotees use the exercises developed by the late Lee Strasberg and others to go deep into character and pull themselves out again, Gaga has made artifice her permanent home.

Paul Lewis gets to the heart of the matter

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The British pianist's main focus is Beethoven, but he also tackles other masters of the Austro-German classical repertoire.

Some pianists launch their career by challenging the work of the composers they play -- making a piece their own with a radical re-interpretation. The young Glenn Gould took J.S. Bach at an unheard-of speed, while Vladimir Horowitz found an unplumbed neurotic intensity in Robert Schumann.

Paul Lewis with the Los Angeles Philharmonic

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Paul Lewis with the Los Angeles Philharmonic What: "Bravo Beethoven!"

Michael Jackson: A requiem for a king

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 00:12:00 -0700

Family, friends and fans bid farewell to an icon.

In the end, they brought Michael Jackson to the one place where his life always made sense -- beneath a spotlight and in front of his adoring fans. The superstar, in a gleaming gold coffin, was celebrated in a Staples Center memorial service that was beamed around the world and, like the icon himself, strove mightily to be all things to all people.

Michael Jackson hailed during emotional memorial service

Tue, 7 Jul 2009 13:07:00 -0700

Celebrities praise the late singer's life, and his daughter, Paris Katherine Jackson, delivers a tearful statement to the Staples Center crowd: 'Daddy has been the best father you can imagine.'

Music legends, sports figures, and civil rights leaders paid tribute to Michael Jackson today during an emotional, song-filled service at Staples Center that was part polished entertainment, part revival meeting.

Remembering Michael Jackson: The service is a thriller

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

It's poignant. It's wrenching. But most of all, it's so very Michael.

In the days after his death, Michael Jackson's mother reportedly worried that if her son's funeral was too long delayed, his soul might wander the earth. In a more secular sense, that is exactly what has been happening. Remembering Jackson -- debating his legacy, listening to his music, trying to make sense of his life -- has become the world's favorite activity. The shape of Jackson's shadow grows only more complicated as these thoughts and memories accrue.

George Fullerton dies at 86; musician helped Leo Fender create his unique guitars

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Fullerton was charged with making the Telecaster and Stratocaster electric guitars practical for mass production.

George Fullerton, a longtime associate of Leo Fender who played a crucial role in the electric-guitar innovator's extraordinary success through his broad-based skills as a musician, artist and technician, has died. He was 86.

Internet radio sites and music industry reach agreement over royalties

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Deal with SoundExchange allows large webcasters such as Pandora to pay lower per-song royalties or 25% of their total revenue.

The music won't stop for Internet radio after a group of webcasters struck an agreement with SoundExchange, the organization that collects royalties for musicians and record companies, over payments for playing music online.

Internet radio sites, music industry reach agreement over royalties

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Deal with SoundExchange allows webcasters such as Pandora to pay lower per-song royalties or a percentage of their revenue.

The music won't stop for Internet radio after a group of webcasters struck an agreement with SoundExchange, the organization that collects royalties for musicians and record companies, over payments for playing music online.

Death Cab for Cutie at the Hollywood Bowl

Tue, 7 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Seattle group adapted its indie rock to the expansive Bowl, and the L.A. Philharmonic joined in on some of its songs, but still the performance sounded dull.

In "The New Year," the third song of Death Cab for Cutie 's Sunday night concert at the Hollywood Bowl, frontman Ben Gibbard did what he does better than many of his indie-rock peers, sketching a detailed scene of emotional tension with only a handful of lyrics.