By:  Alex Templar - MSTv Correspondent
18/02/2013

His former royal highness of all-things purple, Prince, has unveiled a new track titled 'Boyfriend.'  But, since he's charging his fans $0.88 to listen to it, you might not have heard it.  At least, not yet.

The singer/pop icon has been posting new music on his personal 3rdeyegirl website since last year.

The new release of "Boyfriend" follows on the footsteps of his single "Screwdriver," which was released on February 11.  Plus, another song titled 'Breakfast Can Wait' also came out earlier this month.

The website Twitter account linked a teaser video introducing three musicians before showing the cryptic message ' Live Out Loud, Coming In February, 2013'.

Last week, in his typical fashion, Prince upset his fans by charging them to see the new video for 'Screwdriver'.  But, this isn't that unusual for the eccentric performer.  

Prince is well know for having a fair portion of all his music and videos, removed from video hosting sites like Youtube and Vevo.  With a reasoning that he considered viewing of his artistic works, being readily available, on these sites as a form of piracy, Prince, has turned to charging fans to view most of his new content.

Though some musicians charge to download their songs and music videos, Prince is unique in that pay-per-download is the only way to see the 'Screwdriver' video or hear the song. 

Speculation based on the release of some new music, plus acknowledgement that he is auditioning a new drummer has sparked rumors that he's working out details for a new tour this year. 

With his last tour being the "Welcome 2," running from 2010 and throughout 2011, a new tour for 2013 would be welcome.  However, so far no dates or plans have been scheduled.

Meanwhile, Prince made a surprise appearance at this year's Grammy Awards on Sunday (February 10), appearing to hand the award for Record of the Year to Gotye.

Reprinted from: Keith Spera, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

Stephen Rehage has allegedly sold the festival he launched in City Park back in 1999. The festival, formally known as the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, was reportedly purchased by media mogul Robert F. X. Sillerman’s reborn SFX Entertainment.

Reached Thursday afternoon, Rehage declined to comment on any aspect of the Billboard article. He would neither confirm nor deny that Voodoo has been, or will be, sold.

Sillerman remade the American concert industry by buying up independent, regional concert promoters and consolidating them under his SFX Entertainment umbrella. In 2000, he sold SFX to Clear Channel Communications for a reported $4.4 billion; Clear Channel’s concert division morphed in Live Nation, which merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to form Live Nation Entertainment.

According to various media reports, Sillerman is pursuing a similar strategy as he did in the 1990s, but focusing on electronic dance music, or EDM. The New York Times reported last summer that his first acquisition was the Louisiana-based Disco Donnie Presents, founded by Donnie Estopinal. Estopinal cut his teeth promoting raves at the State Palace Theater and other New Orleans venues in the 1990s, and has gone on to promote EDM events throughout the country.

With Voodoo, Sillerman would add a second Louisiana property to his portfolio. The Voodoo Fest, which featured Metallica, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, and Jack White as its 2012 headliners, also includes an EDM stage. Skrillex, among the country’s most popular EDM deejays, appeared at the 2012 Voodoo.

Speaking of his recent acquisitions, Sillerman told Billboard, "They're not specifically EDM, but they're great festivals. Voodoo has been operated on as a sole practitioner on relatively small level, and we think it has upside not just in New Orleans but elsewhere. It's a fabulous name, amongst other things, so we think we'll be able to help Steve [Rehage], the owner and operator, take that to other markets."

Sillerman told the New York Times that his intention was to continue to allow the founders of the festivals he acquires to run those events as they see fit.

Rehage, a New Orleans native and special events producer, launched Voodoo in 1999. The festival has been staged at various locations inside the park every fall except 2005 when, two months after Hurricane Katrina devastated City Park, a scaled-down Voodoo was moved to Riverview Park between the Mississippi River and the Audubon Zoo.

The 2013 Voodoo, scheduled for Nov. 1-3, is slated to be the first in City Park’s newly completed permanent festival grounds on the park’s eastern side just south of Interstate 610. No artists for 2013 have been revealed yet, but the deadline for purchasing early-bird ticket packages is Thursday, Feb. 14. Tickets are available through the festival's web site.

Reprinted partially from:
By: John Wirt - Music writer: The Advocate

The vast number of musical activities in New Orleans revolving around the Super Bowl this weekend includes the CMT Crossroads concert by Journey and Rascal Flatts.

Journey, the classic rock band responsible for such enduring anthems as “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Anyway You Want It” and “Open Arms,” and Rascal Flatts, the big-selling country trio that’s obviously been influenced by classic rock, join forces Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Sugar Mill.

CMT’s Crossroads series specializes in pairing country acts with rock, pop and rhythm-and-blues acts. Collaborations have included Carrie Underwood and Steven Tyler, Bon Jovi and Sugarland, and Def Leppard with Taylor Swift.

Journey and Rascal Flatts previously appeared together at the 2012 CMT Awards. The two groups closed the show with a joint rendition of “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

“That was unusual for a rock band,” Journey charter member and bassist Ross Valory said last week. “But it was just a great experience and well received. We made some good friends with the boys in Rascal Flatts.”

Besides their Crossroads show with Rascal Flatts, being in New Orleans during Super Bowl weekend, in the midst of Carnival season, makes Journey’s visit all the more exciting, Valory said.

As long ago as 1978, the year Journey released “Lights,” its first hit featuring singer Steve Perry, the group believed its music could cross over into country. The band’s manager, Walter “Herbie” Herbert, even approached the powers-that-were in country music with the idea.

Journey was ahead of its time, at least in country music. But in the decades since, country music has gone electric, rock, pop, even hip-hop. 

“Ten years later, or less, country music had absorbed all styles,” Valory said. “When was the last time you didn’t hear an electric guitar solo in a country song?”

In the pop world, Journey went on to record a run of powerhouse hits, including “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’,” “Who’s Crying Now” and “Any Way You Want It.”

Journey’s hits of the 1970s and ’80s remained popular through succeeding decades. The inclusion of “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” in HBO’s The Sopranos’ 2007 finale and a 2009 episode of FOX’s music-filled Glee brought the song even more attention.

“That’s the blessing, that the music is still popular,” Valory said. “It’s become part of everyone’s lives. ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ ’ is an anthem for graduations, weddings, professional sports teams. You hear it everywhere, because it’s got a simple, universal message that is applicable to so many different things.”

“But Arnel not only makes that music his own, he brings the Journey signature to songs that we’ve recorded more recently with him. But for the bulk of our set, we give the audience what we call the dirty dozen: At least a dozen hit songs that we know they want to hear us play.”

On a side note, Valory used his Super Bowl week in New Orleans to promote his animated shirt line, Mouthman. He and other members of Journey, NFL stars and more sports celebrities gathered on Jan. 31 at Razzoo Bar & Patio on Bourbon Street for the Mouthman launch party.

Printed with animal images, such as a shark, raptor, frog and T-Rex, the shirts appear to be moving creatures when the wearers move their arms and elbows.

The Super Bowl is the largest sports event in the nation with all eyes fixed on the game come Sunday. But New Orleans is making the time leading up to the main even well worth it with a four-day festival of live music and food at Woldenberg Park on the Mississippi River.

The irresistible, Jazzfest-worthy lineup gives visitors another reason to stay and enjoy the city, Mardi Gras being a given, and fall in love with N.O and locals another reason to be glad we live here.