Right On Music

Meet Benjamin Bronfman, a.k.a. Benjamin Brewer, a musician and the fiance of “Paper Planes” rapper MIA. See his biography, photos and video here.

Benjamin and MIA welcomed a baby boy on Wednesday, February 11, 2009. Just three days after MIA performed at the 51st Grammy Awards, she gave birth to a healthy son, whose name is yet to be released. She released a statement on MySpace, saying,

” HAPPY VALENTINES!

SUNDAY NITE I CAME HOME FROM THE GRAMMY’S STILL IN THE MOOD TO PARTY, I COUDA EASILY GONE OUT BUT I WENT HOME INSEAD , LUCKY I DID!! COZ MY EARLY STAGE LABOUR KICKED IN AROUND 2 AM .

MY BABY WAS BORN WEDNESDAY , HE IS HEALTHY , FINE , BEAUTIFUL AND THE MOST AMZING THING EVER ON THIS PLANET, OF COURSE IM HIS MUM!!!

ME AND BABY ARE PUTTING OUR TOUR DATES FOR 2010 TOGETHER AND MAKING MIX TAPES AND FIGURING OUT A WAY TO BREAK OUT OF THE HOSPITAL ! “

As a biography, Benjamin Bronfman is now known as Benjamin Brewer. Like his girlfriend, Bronfman is a musician. He used to perform with the alternative rock band The Exit, but the group is said to have disbanded, with their MySpace page declaring “serious hiatus”. He also founded the record label Green Owl Records. The music business runs in the family, with his father, Edgar Bronfman Jr., the chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group.

In May 2008, news hit of the engagement between MIA and Benjamin Brewer. A wedding date is still unknown. The new baby boy has been discussed as the symbol of “two worlds colliding” in a great way, combining west and east, first-world and third-world, industry music and grass roots sounds.

See more photos of Benjamin Brewer and MIA and a video below.

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Last night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the 51st Grammy Awards were announced in between awesome performances by many talented artists. One of the best performances was Radiohead, who brought down the house with the rendition of “15 Step”, a track off of their newest album, In Rainbows. Gwyneth Paltrow introduced the band, calling them “utterly brilliant”, and they were off.

In Rainbows was nominated for Album of the Year, but although it lost to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ “Raising Sand”, it is worth a listen if the “15 Step” performance is any indication. The band was also nominated for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group for their song “House of Cards”, which in the end, they did not win. Finally successful, Radiohead did bring home the award for Best Alternative Music Album.

The best part of the Radiohead “15 Step” Grammy performance was the involvement of the USC Marching Band. Perhaps because it harks back to Fleetwood Mac’s The Dance album, where Christine McVie shouts “USC Marching Band!” during “Tusk”, but it could just be how awesome the USC Marching Band is.

Radiohead’s In Rainbows first made news with its unique release. The band put the album up for download, and they told fans they could pay whatever they felt was appropriate for the tracks. The release actually turned out to be quite successful, with people tending to be more generous than the world once thought.

See more photos of Radiohead, the “15 Step” video, and the lyrics to the song below.

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Meet Roey Hershkovitz, the music coordinator on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and now-husband of Lisa Loeb. See his biography, photos and video here.

Roey Hershkovitz and Lisa Loeb just got married! The happy couple tied the knot yesterday, January 31, 2009. The ceremony took place at a New York City restaurant, Brasserie 8 1/2, with 275 family and friends present.

As a biography, Roey Hershkovitz is age 30. He grew up in New Jersey, and he graduated from Long Island University on the C.W. Post Campus.

Roey works as a producer and a television crew member. He has produced episodes of “The Office” and coordinated music on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”. He also provides the voice of the Radio Station Caller in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Roey and Lisa met two years ago during a business meeting. He was looking for someone to host a food television show he was putting together, and Lisa walked in to audition. The hosting gig didn’t work out, but the relationship did. Of the meeting, Roey says, “I had been charmed.” They were engaged in November 2008. Their song is Lionel Ritchie’s “All Night Long”.

See more photos of Lisa Loeb and a video below.

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The British pop sensation James Morrison has a new single featuring Nelly Furtado called “Broken Strings”. After debuting at number 73 in December, it has since broken into the top ten, and it’s getting lots of radio play.

With a successful album, called “Songs for You, Truths for Me”, James is looking to nab the award for Best Male Solo Artist at the Brit Awards, which will be announced live on February 18, 2009. Other nominees include Ian Brown, Paul Weller, Streets, and Will Young. Some online betting sites are instructing fans to put their money on Morrison.

Last night, James gave us a listen to his new “Broken Strings” single on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno. Coming up, James is set to play at Coachella this April, a huge gig considering he’ll be sharing the stage with (well playing almost the same stage within 24 hours of) Paul McCartney. Prior to that, he’ll be touring in the both the US and the UK.

See more photos of James Morrison, the “Broken Strings” video, and the lyrics to “Broken Strings” below.

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The New York Dolls have been rocking for the second time since 2004, having originally formed in 1971, and they are still putting out the hits. After almost 40 years since their first album, the band is set to release another. The new album is still untitled, but should be ready to hit stores in the next few months.

Two of the band’s original members, David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain (who says the group has “plenty of intellect and plenty of sex”), continue on for the rest, along with a few new guys. But they still have the same force they did in the seventies. The band has been described as follows,

The Dolls made Gary Glitter look presentable. Wearing disheveled wigs, smudged lipstick, stilted platforms, painfully tight lurex pants and crimpoline dresses they combined Iggy’s anarchy, Lou Reeds brutality and street sense and invoked the three minute pop song with the excitement it was originally conceived.

Now that sounds like a show I want to see. Having just finished up a fall tour, though, no more dates are scheduled at the moment. The boys are in Hawaii putting the finishing touches on their new album, and until it’s finished, we probably won’t see any shows.

See more photos of the New York Dolls and a video below.

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Thursday night in Tampa Bay, Florida, musicians, celebrities, football players and fans gathered at the Ford Amphitheater for the Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash. The concert is just one of many parties being held in Florida in the week leading up to the Super Bowl, but it’s the only that will be televised. Performers for the show include Rihanna, Fall Out Boy, and Life House. Last year we were treated to the sounds of Maroon 5 and Mary J. Blige.

The Pepsi Smash event was a one-hour special hosted by Jerry O’Connell. Though Fall Out Boy got the crowd going to start off the show, it was Rihanna who was the highlight. Dressed in all black and with boots inspired by a hockey goalie, she rocked the stage with her songs “Disturbia”, “Breakin’ Dishes”, “Rehab”, and “Shut Up and Drive”. The event was televised on VH1 on January 29, 2009, but you can count on it being re-televised over the next couple weeks.

Rihanna is making the rounds performing at the big events this year. She was recently added to the lineup for this years Grammy Awards, airing February 8, 2009. As for awards, she is nominated for three, including Best Dance Recording for her single “Disturbia”.

See more photos of Rihanna at Pepsi Smash and a video below.

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Every summer in California, the musical talents from yesterday, today and tomorrow gather to share their sound with the world for three days straight. Last year’s lineup included superstars Roger Waters and Jack Johnson, as well as then up-and-comers Vampire Weekend, MGMT, and Duffy. But this year’s lineup could be more exciting for some with Paul McCartney, Amy Winehouse, and The Cure. It will be even more interesting to see which opening bands become headliner material a few years from now.

It all goes down April 17 through April 19 in Indio, California. Three days of music, camping with your friends, and just relaxing – what a perfect way to welcome in the warm weather and be introduced to some new bands. A 3-day pass will run you $269, or you can purchase tickets day-by-day for $99.

While Paul McCartney is definitely the big name of the event, I’m most excited about for the new bands hitting the stage at Coachella. The Aiborne Toxic Event’s first album went on sale on January 4, 2009, with their first single, “Sometime Around Midnight” being called the Best Alternative Song of 2008. If you haven’t heard it, listen to it here – worth every second of it.

You can see all of the Coachella 2009 performers here.

See more photos of Coachella performers and a video from Coachella 2008 below.

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Scarlett Johansson just isn’t satisfied taking the movie world by storm, she has to take the music world, too. And what better way to combine these than to record a song for your own movie’s soundtrack? “He’s Just Not That Into You” releases in theaters on February 6, 2009, and guess who’s doing the music. Scarlett has recorded a cover of Jeff Buckley’s “Last Goodbye”, to be featured in the film.

Scarlett’s track on the “He’s Just Not That Into You” album isn’t her first foray into the recording industry. Last year she released a CD of Tom Waits covers, which if actually given an honest listen, was pretty good. Throughout, though, her voice was a little distorted and overpowered by the music; the overall sound made for a smooth album, but didn’t allow us to really hear her voice. In fact, some describe it as just another instrument lost among the rest, which when blended together make for a perfect sound. Unlike these previous efforts, it is said that the listener can really appreciate Scarlett’s vocals in her recording of “Last Goodbye”, as it’s accompanied only by “sparse piano”.

The soundtrack for “He’s Just Not That Into You” hits stores on February 3, 2009, three days before the movie’s release date. In addition to Johansson, it features songs from My Morning Jacket, Talking Heads, R.E.M., Wilco, and the Cure, among others.

See more photos of Scarlett Johansson and a video of Scarlett covering Tom Waits below.

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British songstress Lily Allen is known for her brutal honesty and catchy lyrics, which are typically based on actual events from her life. Her latest album, “It’s Not Me It’s You”, basically rips her ex-boyfriends apart, accusing one ex as follows,

You’re really mean, you’re supposed to care, that you never made me scream… When we got to bed it was no good.

After learning the harsh reality of what it means to be a bad ex-boyfriend, Lily says that all of her exes are now super nice. I guess they don’t want the whole world to know about their skills, or lack thereof, in the bedroom. Because you never know, they might just end up in song.

In the latest issue of Spin Magazine, in an interview which is accompanied by an awesome photo shoot, Allen reveals even more about her relationships and the recent trend she’s noticed.

“It’s funny because my boyfriends have gone up in terms of age and how much money they make. Lester was 20 and had no money, Seb was 30 and had a bit more, Ed was 40 and had a bit more and Jay is pushing 50. That means the next one’s probably gonna be 60. I like them old… and rich.”

Or maybe still just pushing 50 … Lily admits to having a bit of crush on President Obama, calling him “amazing, so gorgeous and really sexy.” Her personal ad might read like this,

“Slightly insecure and needy pop star seeks nice guy… Good sense of humour. Not a f**king retard. Rich.”

Lily is still looking for love and hopes one day to settle down and have a family. When that day comes, she plans to move out of the city to get away from it all.

See more photos of Lily Allen and a video below.

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