Michael Jackson recently spent a day on Maryland's Eastern Shore, where he reportedly looked at vacation properties. His spokesperson, Raymone Bain, told The Washington Post, "He's always admired the properties on the East Coast because they have a lot of land." She added that the 48-year-old singer is also looking at other areas along the East Coast and hasn't yet made a purchase.
The first new studio album in 15 years by pop/rock group Crowded House will be released on July 10. Time on Earth features the band's new drummer Matt Sherrod, who used to perform with Beck. Sherrod replaced Paul Hester, who committed suicide in 2004. In addition to Sherrod, the group's lineup includes original members Neil Finn and Nick Seymour and guitarist-keyboardist Mark Hart. Crowded House will kick off a North American concert tour in early August.
Taylor Hicks' autobiography Heart Full of Soul will be released on July 10. In the book, the 2005 American Idol winner tells stories about what inspired his love of music and the obstacles he faced on his path to success. Hicks will take several days off from his concert tour to do some book signings. The book tour starts July 17 in New York City and wraps up in Texas on July 27.
On July 10, Rhino Records will release a collection of previously unreleased demo tracks Stephen Stills recorded in 1968. Among the tracks on Just Roll Tape: April 26th, 1968 are his original demos of "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," "Wooden Ships" and "Change Partners." Stills says, "I was at a Judy Collins session in New York in 1968, and when she was finished, I peeled off a few hundreds for the engineer so I could make a tape of my new songs. Some you'll know; some you might not. The following fall we made the first CSN album, and the tape has been lost to the wind for almost 40 years. Somehow it's found its way back, and these songs now feel like great friends when they were really young."
Pop star Enrique Iglesias spent the 4th of July in Damascus, Syria, where he performed to some 10,000 music fans. His appearance marked the first in Syria by a Western pop singer in more than 30 years. The 32-year-old reportedly sang many of his hits, as well as songs from his new CD, Insomniac. Iglesias will be in Germany on July 7 to perform at the "Live Earth" concert in Hamburg.
NEW ALBUM RELEASES
New albums scheduled for release on July 10 include: "Zeitgeist" by Smashing Pumpkins, "The American Dream" by Mike Jones, "Insomniatic" by Aly & AJ, "The Party's Just Begun" by The Cheetah Girls, "New Maps of Hell" by Bad Religion, "The Else" by They Might Be Giants, "Chinese Boxes" by Kim Richey, "The Very Best of Tracy Lawrence" by Tracy Lawrence, "Feel" by Jesse Harris, and the original motion picture soundtracks to "Hairspray" (new John Travolta film) and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."
MUSICAL EVENTS/FESTIVALS/BENEFITS
On July 12, the 2007 Ozzfest begins in Seattle, Washington. The festival will travel to 24 U.S. cities through August 30. Joining founder Ozzy Osbourne for Main Stage shows are Lamb of God, Static X and Lordi. Second Stage performers include Hatebreed, Behemoth and Nick Oliveri, among others.
TOUR DATES AND INFORMATION
On July 8, the Dave Matthews Band will launch its U.S. summer tour in Bridgeview, Illinois. The 37-date outing runs through October 2. The group was among the Top 10 touring acts of 2006. Its 62 shows brought in $58 million. The Dave Matthews Band is working on a new album, which will be released later this year.
Rascal Flatts begins a 26-city U.S. tour on July 13 in Uncasville, Connecticut. The trek supports the Country trio's upcoming album Still Feels Good, which will be out on September 25. Country newcomer Jason Aldean will open the shows. Jason's second album, Relentless, recently debuted at Number One on the Country Albums chart.
