Billboard music awards: The nominees are in

Singer Lorde leads Billboard Music Award finalists. PHOTO: FILE

NEW YORK: 

American alternative rock group Imagine Dragons and New Zealand singer Lorde were named Billboard Music Award finalists in 12 categories each, followed by singer Justin Timberlake with 11 and pop star Katy Perry with 10, organisers said on Wednesday.

Rapper duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis was not far behind with nods in eight categories, and will vie with Imagine Dragons, Florida Georgia Line, One Direction and OneRepublic for the top duo/group prize.

R&B singer Jason Derulo announced the finalists in five of the 40 finalist categories – top artist, top male artist, top female artist, top R&B artist and top country artist – on ABC’s early news show Good Morning America.

The awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on ABCon May 18. Imagine Dragons, whose album Night Visions is up for top rock album, will be competing for its first Billboard Music Award, including the top artist prize. Other artists nominated in the category include Perry, Timberlake, pop star Miley Cyrus and singer Bruno Mars.

Lorde, whose hit single Royals and debut album Pure Heroine propelled her into the finals, will compete against Beyonce, Cyrus, Perry and Rihanna for top female artist. Timberlake, Mars, rapper Eminem, pop country singer Luke Bryan and rapper Drake will battle it out for the top male artist prize.

Billboard, a magazine that covers the music industry, said the finalists were based on fan interactions with music, including album and digital sales, touring, radio airplay, streaming and social interactions on websites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, VEVO, Spotify and other online sites for music. ABC is a unit of the Walt Disney Co.

Did you know?: Jogi by The Sketches bags nomination at New Mexico Music Awards

Jogi, a song by Pakistani sufi-rock band The Sketches has been nominated for Best Song in the World Beat category at the New Mexico Music Awards. The winner will be announced on May 31. Jogi is the first single from the forthcoming full-length album of The Sketches, the track was recorded in Pakistan and USA and features a guest appearance by Grammy Award winning harmonica player John Popper and is produced by Jono Manson.

The Sketches is the pioneer of sufi-folk rock music in Jamshoro, Sindh and consists of the band’s lead vocalist Saif Samejo and (former guitarist) Naeem Shah. Their motherland has always been a major inspiration and that is evidently portrayed in their work.

“It obviously feels great to be nominated in an international music festival, because in local award shows there is bias involved. Even if your nomination/victory is well-deserved, there will always be people criticising. We don’t have high expectations, but it feels great to sit in one corner of the world and create something and watch it being appreciated in another part of the world,” said Saif Samejo to The Express Tribune, sharing his sentiments towards the nomination.

It’s undoubtedly a great honour to be nominated with the world’s best musicians. We wish The Sketches the best of luck.

Chris Brown’s assault trial delayed to next week

R&B singer Chris Brown, who pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend Rihanna, appears in court for allegedly violating his probation. PHOTO: FILE

WASHINGTON: Singer Chris Brown’s assault trial was delayed on Friday, when a Washington, DC, judge put off a verdict for the R&B artist’s bodyguard whose trial on the same charge is scheduled to conclude first.

District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Patricia Wynn said she will need until Monday to consider the evidence and decide the verdict in the misdemeanor assault trial of bodyguard Christopher Hollosy, accused of assaulting a man who tried to photograph Brown.

“I’m not ready to return a verdict now,” Wynn said, after testimony concluded on Friday in the trial, which is being decided by a judge rather than a jury.

Hollosy is accused of punching in the face a man who angered Brown after trying to snap a photo of the singer outside a hotel on October 27, 2013. He is charged with misdemeanor assault.

Brown, who faces the same charge, is accused of hitting the same man seconds before Hollosy did.

Brown’s trial is scheduled to begin immediately after the judge’s verdict in the Hollosy trial. The decision to delay that verdict for three days pushes back Brown’s case.

Brown, 24, wore a dark suit as he was escorted into court by marshals on Friday but said nothing and was escorted back to a jail cell minutes later.

Parker Adams, 20, the man who tried to photograph Brown, said he suffered a broken nose and other injuries to his face.

Adams and two other witnesses, his girlfriend and a limousine driver, testified on Thursday that Brown punched Adams. Then, Hollosy stepped in and hit Adams with a second, harder punch that broke his nose, Adams said.

Hollosy’s attorney, Bernie Grimm, argued Adams pressed for criminal charges against Brown and Hollosy to collect money from them in a lawsuit. Adams claims a total of $3 million in compensatory and punitive damages from both men in a civil lawsuit pending in Washington, DC.

“Justice for him has dollar signs on it,” Grimm said.

Brown is expected to face the same witnesses and similar evidence in the assault charge pending against him.

If Brown is convicted, he faces a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. The conviction also could be a violation of his probation after a 2009 conviction in Los Angeles for assaulting his former girlfriend, the singer Rihanna. The probation violation could bring him an additional four years in prison. 

Beat that! Pakistani rap rises: a tale of two Talhas

While they were once members of the same group, both Talhas have now gone their separate ways. PHOTOS: FILE

LAHORE: 

For all those decrying the death of creativity in Pakistani music, the rise and rise of Pakistani rap is an eye-opener. While  Pakistani rap started with Fakhar-e-alam, once the comic Ahmad Ali Butt (White boy from L-town) was the only rapper of note in the Indus Music (IM) days. Most of the recent acclaim however, has been garnered by the witty Waderai Ka Beta fame Ali Gul Pir. The well-produced Adil Omer from Islamabad (BC Kholo), along with Osama Cum Laude (I’m Zoning), both of whom rap primarily in English, have also been making waves.

There is however, bubbling under these acknowledged rappers, a startling range of young rappers who are lyrically doing perhaps some of the most incisive and insightful work in Pakistan. Artists like Talhah Younus, Talha Anjum and the Young Stunners, Abid Shareef, Emmad Aziz, Young Desi and the brilliant Faris Shafi find their home on soundcloud.com and proffer free tracks of jaw dropping quality and wit.

In the first part of this two part series on the rise of rap in Pakistan; one delves into the history, growth, and separation of the two Talhas.

Talhah Yunus

Of the younger rappers, the two Talhas from Karachi are very promising and very young. Talhah Yunus broke away from the band Young Stunners, which also consisted of the equally compelling Talha Anjum. Maila Majnun and Burger-e-Karachi are the most well-known tracks they worked on together. However, Talhah Yunus, in his subsequent tracks, demonstrates that there is more genius to him.

Why So Quiet might be musically weak, but it is a groundbreaking and harrowing tribute to a dead mother. It demonstrates the emotional honesty which for all its melodrama, is unmatched by other Urdu songs. Given Talhah’s age, his flow and delivery is not as yet fully developed, but his rhymes and content are spectacular. On other tracks too, while production skills could be improved, the sheer diversity and creativity is stunning. The songs vary in vibe from novelty, to tracks with great depth (Thoughts; Fikar-e-Akhirat). Thoughts is brilliant in the rap parts though the rock bits featuring Intishaar are poor. Naam Tau Suna Hoga is a nasty song on the state of relationships on the streets of Karachi. International Bhikhari is novel, but lesser of a song as its anger is more unfocused. It hits out at Zardari, Amir Liaqut(Har Pakistani Chor Kai Moon pai aik daarhi hai), Eye to Eye, and many others).

Talha Anjum and the Young Stunners compare well with their old band mate. They have their hits, the aforementioned tracks Maila Majnun and Burger-e-Karachi, but lack the emotional nakedness of Talhah Yunus. They compensate by having a lot of earnestness. Main Hoon Pakistan is brilliant in its rap parts, terrible in the sung parts. The lyrics are awesome, 1 marra apna tou agay se 4 unke maaray 4 ke 8, 8 ke 16 musalmaan maaray saaray, tou kyun na ho mera khuda mujhse naraaz. (After one of ours died, four of theirs were taken, from four to eight, eight to 16, all the Muslims were killed, so why wouldn’t my Lord be angry with me?)

Talha Anjum

 Laam Sai Chaura is rude, brilliant and very specific. After it finishes kicking Karachi-ites around, it takes on Lahoris for good measure. Fire in the Hole is a brilliant anthem of youth empowerment and celebrates Karachi Paseena kam yahan pe khoon zyada behta hai, Par Karachi jaan hai meri dil mera ye kehta hai (Blood flows more than sweat here, but my heart says that Karachi is my life), while making minced meat out of politicians Tabdeeli ai, lekin thori se ganji hogai, qaum jaagi lekin humari qismat so gai. Jo hakumat ne qaum ke saath kiya wo zannaa hai, Bathroom mein likh diya meine Yahan kharaab karna mana hai, (Change came, but it was a little bald, the nation woke up, but our fate slept. What the government did with the nation was blasphemous. I wrote in the bathroom that it is not allowed to be made messy)

Dil Shakasta and Qasurwar are weak musically and lyrically and the latter needlessly drowns the vocals with effects. In trying his hand at various styles of content, Talha Anjum ends up with uneven results: some songs work, some do not.

Adding spice to the scene is the fact that there is a beef already brewing between the two rappers. Talha Anjum and Talha Younus seem to be taking potshots (Fire in the Hole: Talha Anjum ne tumhein rap karna sikhaya aur tu ne apne gaana mein mujhay he chiraaya) (Talha taught Anjum how to rap and you have teased me in your song) in rhyme at each other. These two may end up being the Biggie and 2Pac of Pakistan, hopefully without the violence, one hopes. Overall, both Talhas take on all comers: The two are not political in their raps, but politically aware with some killer lines. Mr. Zardari seems a frequent target (possibly because it is an easier rhyme than Nawaz?) and Even Imran Khan gets some hate.

Bands are alive, so is Pakistani music: Mustafa Zahid

Mustafa lent his vocals to a song in Shootout at Wadala last year, among other films. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY

LAHORE: 

The Pakistani music scene has undergone a sea change. With the emergence of music sensations through social media, ‘band’ culture in the country has been put on the back burner. Music bands such as Aaroh, Jal and EP, which were once hailed for their exhilarating music, have fizzled out.

Amid this unfavourable environment, one band has managed to stand tall — Roxen. The band’s lead vocalist Mustafa Zahid has been in high demand as a playback singer across the border, but he has managed to prevent the band from disintegrating.

Contrary to popular belief, Mustafa believes that bands are still a potent constituent of the music industry. “How can anyone say that bands have died? It’s like saying that music has died. You just have to be willing to adapt to the audience’s demands,” says Mustafa. The band produced music for films like Murder 3 and the frontman lent his vocals to songs in Aashiqui 2 and Shootout at Wadala.

Commended by Pakistani and Indian audiences alike, Roxen continues to play an important role in reviving the role of bands in the music industry. “There was a time when bands, [such as, EP, Noori and Fuzön) had surfaced and music by bands was trending, but one has to be willing to evolve with changing trends and understand the people who are listening to one. These bands need to realise what their market is,” Mustafa feels.

Debuting with music album Rozen-e-Deewar in 2006, the band has come a long way. Now, Roxen is looking towards the worldwide release of its album Bhoola Sumundar, which is scheduled for August, post Eid-ul Fitr. Mustafa shares that the eight-year-long hiatus between the releases of Roxen’s two albums is because the composition of the band has undergone a few changes. Guitarist and backing vocalist Shahan Khan, who joined the band in 2009, added a unique dimension to the band’s sound, complementing the guitar riffs of Haider Halim.

“We have maintained a blend of pop rock and ballads [in the album songs]. It’s very important that we produce this album as a commercial one. We were originally an underground band that made it to the mainstream because of our [first] album.”

Mustafa feels that Roxen essentially caters to two audiences: one that connects with the band due to its rock and roll genre; and the other that hears its music only because they have heard his Bollywood film music. “So, [through the album], the best thing to do is that we find something in between that would satisfy both the audiences.”

Shahan says that even with changes and commercial compulsions, the sound for the albums is characteristically Roxen. He says that the band members do not follow a disciplined [work] routine, but the camaraderie between them has continued to grow.

“I have only added a few [new] things to the album. The sound is in complete harmony with what Roxen is known for. People used to say that we were becoming a ‘Jal-type’ band, but we really have stuck to the basics,” says Shahan. The band has stood the test of time due to the fact that its members don’t experiment unnecessarily and simply continue to do what’s known to them. “We tour a lot. If an idea or sound inspires us, we work on it; I don’t think art can be planned,” he adds.

Here are some of our favourite Bollywood
songs by Roxen:

Song                                           Name of film                   Year of release

 Toh Phir Aao                   Awarapan                                2007

Tera Mera Rishta             Awarapan                                2007

Jo Tere Sang                     Blood Money                           2012

Hum Jee Lenge                 Murder 3                                  2013

Bhula Dena                           Aashiqui 2                             2013

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2014.

Led Zeppelin unveil unheard recordings

In this file picture taken on September 21, 2012 British rock band Led Zeppelin's (L-R) John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page pose at a press conference to announce the release of a video recording of their one-off 2007 concert in London. PHOTO: AFP

LONDON: Rock giants Led Zeppelin on Wednesday unveiled two previously unheard recordings ahead of the re-issue of the band’s first three albums in June.

The two tracks — an early version of their classic track “Whole Lotta Love”, and a 1970 cover of blues standard “Keys to the Highway” — are among dozens of tracks which will be officially released along with the re-issued albums.

Guitarist Jimmy Page, 70, chose the material after painstakingly searching through the tracks, which have been stored in the band’s archive for decades.

The band say the material will give fans a taste of their early studio sessions — the soon-to-be-released discs feature alternative versions of songs, works in progress and live performances.

Singer Robert Plant said: “It was a particularly prolific time, where we were learning about each other’s capabilities.”

He said when listening to the re-discovered tracks now, he was sometimes shocked by his younger self.

“My enthusiasm sometimes got in the way of finesse,” he said in a BBC interview. “I listen to it and I go ‘wow, why didn’t I shut up a bit?’.

“But it’s of the time and it’s of the enthusiasm and it’s of the development of quite an amazing quartet of players.”

“Keys to the Highway/Trouble in Mind”, which will appear on the Led Zeppelin III re-issue, was recorded in 1970 but never released.

The early version of “Whole Lotta Love” that will appear on the Led Zeppelin II compilation is significantly different from the final track.

The original is missing the first chorus and middle section and new vocals and a slide guitar appear on the finished version.

“You realise just how important all of those additional layers and the filigree work is,” Page said.

“There’s all manner of bells and whistles to make it the song ‘Whole Lotta Love’ as we all know it.”

Led Zeppelin broke up in 1980, but interest in the band remains intense.

The surviving members reunited seven years ago for a concert at London’s O2 but Plant said the chances of the band performing live again were “zero”.

Children's corpses in Korean ferry reveal desperate attempts to climb out

Students from Danwon high school pay tribute in Ansan, at a temporary group memorial altar for victims of capsized passenger ship Sewol. PHOTO: REUTERS

SEOUL: South Korean divers swam though dark, cold waters into a sunken ferry on Wednesday, feeling for children’s bodies with their hands in a maze of cabins, corridors and upturned decks as they searched for hundreds of missing.

The divers, with oxygen and communications lines trailing, can only see a few inches in front of them in the wreckage of the ship that started sinking a week ago after a sharp turn.

Most of the victims were high school children, who were told to stay where they were for their own safety and were trapped. Most of the bodies found in the last two days had broken fingers, presumably from the children frantically trying to climb the vertical floors or ceilings to escape in their last moments, the Donga Ilbo newspaper said.

“We are trained for hostile environments, but it’s hard to be brave when we meet bodies in dark water,” diver Hwang Dae-sik told Reuters, as the funerals of 25 students were held near the capital, Seoul.

Prosecutors investigating the disaster raided the home of Yoo Byung-un, the head of a family that owns the Chonghaejin Marine Co. Ltd, the company that operated the Sewol ferry.

They also raided his son’s home and the office of a church with which Yoo has been associated, said a prosecutor who did not want to be identified.

The finances of Chonghaejin and its complex share structure have come into the spotlight in recent days. Yoo was jailed for fraud for four years in the early 1990s. But it was not immediately clear how big a development this was. Korean police and prosecutors often make dramatic raids to show that progress is being made in a high-profile case.

Underwater, at the site of the sunken Sewol, divers are able to work for nearly an hour at a time as long as the oxygen lines do not snag on sharp corners of the ship’s internal structure. When they use cumbersome oxygen tanks on their backs instead, they can work for about 20 minutes before an alarm bell sounds.

The Sewol sank last Wednesday on a routine trip from the port of Incheon, near Seoul, to the southern island of Jeju.

Of the 476 passengers and crew on board, 339 were children and teachers on a high school outing.

Only 174 people have been rescued and the remainder are presumed to have drowned. The confirmed death toll on Wednesday was 146, many found at the back of the ship on the fourth deck.

Hwang said his team had retrieved 14 bodies so far.

“We have to touch everything with our hands. This is the most gruelling and heartbreaking job of my career,” he said.

Captain Lee Joon-seok, 69, and other crew members have been arrested on negligence charges.

Lee was also charged with undertaking an “excessive change of course without slowing down”.

Law requires captain to stay on board

Several crew members, including the captain, left the ferry as it was sinking, witnesses have said, after passengers were told to stay in their cabins.

President Park Geun-hye said on Monday that instruction was tantamount to an “act of murder”.

According to Article 10 of Seafarers’ Act, a captain has to remain on board until all passengers have disembarked.

A boy with a shaking voice gave the first distress call to the emergency services when the ferry listed. Most of those who survived made it out on deck and jumped into rescue boats, but many of the children did not leave their cabins, not questioning their elders as is customary in hierarchical Korean society.

They paid for their obedience with their lives.

Lee was not on the bridge when the ship turned. Navigation was in the hands of a 26-year old third mate who was in charge for the first time on that part of the journey, according to crew members.

The wife of one crew member under investigation who did not wish to be identified quoted her husband as saying: “I should have died out there.”

“He told me that he was taking some rest as he had finished his shift. He fell from his bed and struggled to open the room door to get out. He said he didn’t go to the steering house to meet up with rest of the crew. Rather he was found by coastguards and was rescued.

“My husband didn’t get along with other crewmen, but he told me that Captain Lee was someone comfortable and extremely calm. He said Captain Lee was like no other: he didn’t drink much, although he did smoke.”