For those uninitiated, what is the typical episode of Mr. Ron’s Basement all about?

Since March of 2005, every Episode of Mister Ron’s Basement has featured a story from the Public Domain (that is, without copyright protection), usually of a humorous nature, and mainly by American authors.

While it is possible that some stories published after 1923 are in the Public Domain, the rules regarding those are complex, and involve searching for copyright registration renewal information. So basically, everything I read in the Basement is really old. That doesn’t mean they’re too old to enjoy, but it takes a good deal of research to dig these up in the first place.

Over the years of doing this program, I have discovered that we have a rich heritage of humor that is uniquely American, and has evolved over the last two centuries to forms of entertainment that we are all familiar with. American humor is exported around the planet in movies, television programs, comics, audio, and literature. For most of the last century, Films and Video Entertainment have always been among the biggest contributors to our gross national product.

In researching the Podcast, I have dug deeper and deeper into what made our ancestors laugh, and the primary purpose of Mister Ron’s Basement is to bring to light humorists who were once household names in the U.S., and are almost totally forgotten today. I get the stories from various sources that were unavailable not that many years ago. I search through 150 year old scanned newspaper and magazine archives. I find references to funny books in ads in the back of other books. Ebay helps a lot. I have standing searches for particular authors and magazines, and I love using Alibris and Abebooks to compare prices on old reading matter. It’s usually cheaper to buy a great hundred year old book than a new one.

Listeners to the podcast can download the latest episode every day, and get a fun story to listen to on their daily commute, or in the gym, or wherever they may find it convenient. Episodes range in length from as short as two minutes, or as long as an hour and a half. Generally, they fall between ten and twenty minutes.

Each new episode begins with a teaser, then it is bookended by a short sample of an old song, taken from 78 rpm records or wax cylinders. Through our convoluted copyright laws, there are some experts who consider all recorded music performances, as well as the underlying compositions, from the 1890s on to be under active copyright (this is debatable). I strongly believe that my musical sample clips are “Fair Use,” for an assortment of reasons. The titles and lyrics of the tunes usually make a parodic point about something in the story, and no song is played long enough for a listener to feel they have enough of it so as not to buy the music if they want it (and assuming it is available in any form).

I almost never repeat the same tune, in what is close to 1600 episodes now.

After the musical introduction, I explain something about the upcoming story, and perhaps give background information on the author.

Then I read the story, without musical accompaniment or sound effects. My style of reading is not what one hears in most audio books. No matter how funny a tale may be, it can get boring when read slowly. So I read fast — I perform different characters with different voices, and hopefully, this keeps the listener entertained throughout. Most listeners these days have no patience to hear a droning, monotonous voice. Occasionally, the stories do come off sounding a bit like borsht belt rat-a-tat monologues, and I know that isn’t to some people’s taste.

Sometimes I do emphasize the wrong words or muff a line and don’t catch it — hey, I’m doing this thing every day! But generally, these stories are supposed to make people laugh — any academic benefit from the historical nature of them is something I leave to academic types. Someone reading a “Mr. Bowser” story in a newspaper in back in 1886 didn’t think about historical significance — they just wanted something funny.

Naturally, with so many episodes available, and the fact that everything is from so long ago, it isn’t necessary to get the latest one. The Catalog and indexes are a good way to discover the older episodes. In fact, I am proud to say that Episode #7 (a Stephen Leacock story), recorded almost five years ago, is still our most downloaded one. Every October, scads of people download the one hour reading of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” (Episode #174) also recorded in 2005. There are other recordings of this available on the internet, but all of them are much longer to listen to, and mine is just as complete

Some people download the entire collection by going to iTunes, subscribing, and clicking on the “Get All” button, then I assume they listen to them randomly. It’s a bit hit or miss, but could work.

My podcasting week is organized in this manner:

On Saturdays, I feature what I call the “Saturday Night Special” — usually a single stand-alone story that I pick because I really like it. This is often where some of the funniest episodes can be found. Before that, I reserved Saturdays for tales of “Mr. Bowser” by M. Quad for about two years. He was a popular character featured every week in American newspapers for almost forty years. Before Mr. Bowser came to the Basement, I read “Modern Fables” by George Ade every weekend — Jean Shepard used to read those same stories on his radio show back in the 60s and 70s.

Sundays are reserved for stories by Stanley Huntley, one of the forgotten geniuses of American comedy, who had an extremely short career. His tales of Mr. and Mrs. Spoopendyke, presented in the early 1880s, were the predecessor to so many “battling couples” that became a mainstay of American television, radio, and comic strips. While I believe I have presented every Spoopendyke story ever written (about a hundred), there is a rich treasure trove of Huntley’s other humor that we present every week in our “Sunday Salad” episodes.

On Mondays, I read serialized book novelizations. I have presented lots of different novels, and these can be accessed through the Basement index. Currently I am reading Stephen Leacock’s “Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town,” which every Canadian High Schooler has read since it was published in 1912. I have been wanting to do this book since I started. It has rich characters, and even today, is excruciatingly funny.

Tuesdays through Fridays feature either stories from a single author, or are devoted to a single subject — say, humorous ghost stories around Halloween, or Christmas tales in December. Some authors are featured a lot more than others. This could be for a number of reasons. An author who died over a century ago is not going to give us any new stories. Some have few stories available. Others have produced what seems to be a never-ending supply. See the indexes to discover them.

And yes, there are some loser stories in there. Sometimes a story seems funny to me at first, but once recorded, it just doesn’t work. But that’s a matter of taste, and some people love some of the stories I can’t stand. So go figure.

What first motivated you to begin the show back in 2005?

At the time, a friend and I were going to start yet another Commercial Web Site for Macintosh Users. To publicize it we considered using the new medium of Podcasting. Knowing nothing about Podcasting, I decided to explore it by creating one just for fun. Looking for material to present, I figured that Public Domain stories were readily available and would cost me nothing for the rights. I picked a Stephen Leacock story for the first one, because I had been a Leacock fan ever since I read an interview with Groucho Marx, where he said that Leacock was a huge influence both him and Jack Benny.

After that, I just kept doing them, because I was having fun. Some of the earliest episodes are okay, but in experimenting with different recording techniques and formats, some of those first episodes are almost unlistenable.

Over the years, I have hoped to “monetize” the show, but so far, this hasn’t happened. If I didn’t love what I was doing, I would have given up years ago. Ideally, I would love a Public Broadcasting type of underwriter, but Public Broadcasters are having a tough time attracting those themselves these days. Still, I am ready and willing to appear on any talk show, from “Oprah” on down to present some of these stories.

You’ve released fifteen hundred episodes since then. How has the show evolved over the years?

Well, I am making new discoveries all the time. It is always a thrill to discover somebody I have never heard of who makes me laugh. One fairly recent example is American author W. L. Alden, who wrote for the New York Times for years, then moved to London to become an American Ambassador to Spain (yes, it is confusing), and kept publishing what seems to be hundreds of stories in British and American magazines and newspapers. The stories are so funny, I often have trouble recording them because I break out laughing. There’s an index of Alden stories and all of them are funny. I recommend Episode #927, “A Matrimonial Romance,” as a starter.

My recording techniques have improved — I am almost getting the hang of it now. For a long time I thought Rice Krispies would make an excellent sponsor because of all the snap, crackle, and popping in my recordings. But that doesn’t happen as often, unless I get carried away and lean in too close to the microphones.

The biggest format change came with Episode #1000 (“The Stanley Huntley Story” – a three hour long, three part episode), where I began inserting “teasers” from the story at the start of the show.

I also used to run into major technical problems with my previous hosting service, which would go down sometimes for months at a time. I felt at least partially responsible for it because I was getting ten to twenty thousand downloads a day, mostly from China, where a hundred and fifty million people are learning to speak English. The terabytes of bandwidth may have been too much for them. When they went out of business last summer, I switched my hosting to libsyn.com, who does an excellent job, and has very few technical problems.

It took me two months to transfer all my episodes over to libsyn, putting in the descriptions and back dating them. Unfortunately, my numbers are nowhere what they used to be, and I don’t think the folks in China are getting it any more. My old server redirects visitors to the new one, but from what I understand, the authorities over there do not take kindly to redirects, trying to block anti-censorship services such as the ones provided by Peacefire.

I also think my delivery has improved a lot. I am especially proud of the way I have been reading “Sunshine Sketches.”

The next step in the evolution of the Basement is a “guidebook” I am putting together. It really is difficult for listeners to find their way around the enormous library of stories, especially if they’ve never heard of most of these authors. So the guide will have capsule descriptions of each author, and suggested Episode downloads to get things going.

Additionally, I will be putting every single author on the Catalog page into a sort of “grand index.” All too many of the authors have just a few stories and it is really impossible to give them all individual indexes as I do with the more well-represented humorists.

These things will be unleashed to the public on March 29th, the Fifth Anniversary Episode of the show.

The nice folks at libsyn are offering to help me put together an iPhone/iPod Touch app for the Basement, but even they admit that 1500+ episodes would overload an app, so I have to work out a way to spotlight authors and subjects on a regular basis, and be able to get enough app buyers to make it worth my while to maintain it.

Very few daily podcasts have lasted this many years. What inspires you to keep it going?

I have fallen in love with Classic American Humor! I also am fascinated by the stories of the authors as well. There is nothing like the thrill of discovering funny stuff that I didn’t know existed. I hope my listeners get that thrill as well.

The stories you pull from are often a hundred years old or more, but many of them seem surprisingly applicable to the present. In general terms, what are the lessons to be learned from these stories?

I think John Kelly put it best in his piece on the Basement that he did for The Washington Post: “Human folly doesn’t change much from decade to decade.”

Learn more at misterron.libsyn.com

iPad at Macworld 2010

Although Apple’s new iPad tablet computer won’t ship until late March, fans can get the educated scoop on the upcoming product in about two weeks. Macworld 2010, the premier annual event in the Apple industry, has announced a “Special iPad Event” which will take place on February 13th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Jason Snell, editorial director of Macworld Magazine, will lead the preview session.

According to Paul Kent, vice president in charge of Macworld 2010, “Apple’s new iPad represents another watershed event for the tech marketplace and Macworld 2010 will be the first and best place where end users can learn how the product works and whether it’s a buy now or wait decision. Our special event will help demystify the just-announced iPad and give users an in-depth look into the future of this product and what it might mean to them on a personal and practical level.”

iProng Magazine spoke with Paul Kent about Macworld 2010 in an in-depth interview last month.

Registration for Macworld 2010 is now open.

Filed Under: Industry News
Tagged: conference, iPad, Macworld 2010, Macworld Expo, session, tablet

Owl City to help Haiti

January 28, 2010 by Bill Palmer · View Comments 

Owl City, the musical outfit fronted by Adam Young, has partnered with the Red Cross to help bring relief to Haiti’s earthquake victims. Fans can automatically donate ten dollars by texting “OWL” to 90999 on their cellphone. One hundred percent of donations will go directly to the Red Cross.

Owl City is currently touring the U.S. in support of breakout album Ocean Eyes and the hit single Fireflies.

For more info on Red Cross Relief Efforts in Haiti visit: RedCross.org

Filed Under: Industry News
Tagged: American Red Cross, donate, donation, Fireflies, Haiti, help, Ocean Eyes, Owl City

app review: Super Monkey Ball 2

January 28, 2010 by daynah · View Comments 

Last December, Sega launched Super Monkey Ball 2 for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It’s an amazing followup to the popular original game! If you’re a Super Monkey Ball fan, you’ll be happy to know that SMB 2 has some significant improvements over first version of the game. The graphics are highly impressive. The rolling monkeys are now truly in 3D. And the tilt-meter is much more accurate to the movement and position of the iPhone/iPod Touch, which makes controlling your monkey character much easier.

The concept of the game is very simple. Tilt your iPhone/iPod touch to guide your monkey to the goal. Collect bananas along the way and keep your monkey from falling off the edge of the track. The tracks are are challenging as before, but there’s much greater control with you and the accelerator. There are 115 tracks to play, so the game can keep you occupied for quite some time.

In the main game, you have a few modes to choose from — Single Player, Multiplayer, and Practice. In practice mode, a random track will be chosen for you to play. In Single Player mode, collect bananas and rack up points to unlock new tracks. Multiplayer mode is a fun way to play with your friends! Go head-to-head using a wifi connection. Players take turns selecting up to 5 tracks to compete in. Player with the most points wins.

While you are playing, you may also notice a small video icon on the lower left corner. This option allows you to record and save your gameplays. You can save up to 10 of these videos and can view them in the “View Replays” option. It’s a very cool feature, and I hope there’s a way to export the videos in the future.

There is also a mini game called “Monkey Bowling” where you can take turns rolling the monkeys to knock over pins. Multiplayer mode is also available, but only one iPhone/iPod Touch device is needed. Two other mini games — Monkey Golf and Monkey Target — will be available in the near future as a free update.

Overall, the controls are smooth and accurately reflects the player’s movement. Super Monkey Ball 2 is really fun and entertaining, and will keep you occupied for hours and hours. Take the monkeys — Aiai, Baby, Meemee, Gongon — out for a spin!

Learn more about Super Monkey Ball 2 for iPhone and iPod touch in the App Store

Filed Under: Reviews, iPod, iPhone and iTunes
Tagged: App Store, game, iPhone, iPod touch, iTunes, sequel, Super Monkey Ball 2

iPad 3G not shipping until April

January 27, 2010 by iProng · View Comments 

Those who expected Apple’s new iPad tablet to include 3G data network access, which allows users to access internet and email any time a cellphone signal is available as opposed to only when within range of a public or private wifi network, are likely having mixed feelings today. While the iPad will come with a 3G-enabled option, the device will cost an eye-popping $130 extra just to get it built in, on top of the expected monthly data charge.

And now comes the news, directly from Apple’s website, that the 3G-enabled version won’t be available until after the wifi-only version has already begun shipping. The apple.com/ipad web page simply states “Wi-Fi models shipping in late March. 3G models shipping in April.”

Filed Under: Industry News
Tagged: 3G, AT&T, cellular, data network, data plan, iPad, Steve Jobs, tablet, wireless

David Gray interview

January 27, 2010 by Bill Palmer · View Comments 

If you’re thinking that the man behind the earnest pop melodies has a demure personality to match, you’ve not got the whole picture. As passionate as he is excitable, David Gray seems almost incapable of saying anything other than exactly what’s on his mind. A decade after his career exploded with Babylon and White Ladder, he’s got his biggest hit single in years with Fugitive, a song which he told me is not connected to a certain deposed dictator in the way that some people seem to think it is – and while most musicians are currently under the impression that they need to use social networking sites to remain relevant, he explains why it’s simply not his cup of tea…

When you go to create an album like Draw The Line, do you have to go away and completely cut out everything and lock yourself away?

I think that’s what I do. I didn’t really listen to music. But the thing is, the album was made over quite a long period of time. But in the intense parts when we were working very hard and continuously on it, I really did sort of let go of everything. I don’t phone anybody up, I don’t do anything, my thoughts are just on what we’ve been doing during the day. At night you just want a bit of food and to turn off for a little while, or maybe not. Maybe I’ll sit and write based on what I’ve been doing the previous day. Depends on how fired up I am.

But yeah, I’m just in my own world. I’m very lucky because I can afford to be in that world for long periods of time, to have people around, other musicians, at the studio there, and just work flat-out. So yeah, it’s pretty all consuming. And I think the further I’ve pushed on into music, the more it takes, because you raise the bar all the time, you push further for something better. You find it, then you reflect on it, and you think “Did I really get there, or is this just another sort of failing better?” as Samuel Beckett put it. Fail, try again. You push yourself hard and you know in order to get that stuff of an equal potency to convince yourself, you’re gonna have to give it something big. So it’s just a very big commitment, and I’m happy to make it most of the time, but I think that just like everything in the universe, you sort of get out of kilter from time to time if all you do is throw all your energy into this particular sort of vortex and hope to catch a few things spinning out of it. You have to look out for yourself a little bit. There’s definitely not enough time in my life between the touring and the writing and making, I should probably give myself a break and have some fun, for Christ’s sake (laughs).

There are songs like Fugitive and Stella that are louder or busier, then there are the quieter songs like the title track. When you’re creating these songs, are you able to jump back and forth, or do you go through a stretch where it’s all busier stuff and then a stretch where it’s quieter songs?

Yeah. Stella, Fugitive, and another track that didn’t make it were all cut in a few days when we were highly energized and the pressure was off. We weren’t thinking of making an album, we were just having fun. This was right in the beginning of the process. And then other bits and pieces occur in different ways. So we do jump around. I think if you just do loud stuff, it gives you a headache, but that’s an aspect of what I do. I enjoy the parts where it’s almost pindrop silent, you’re recording so quiet that you’ve got to turn the gain structure up massively high because you’re hardly hitting your instruments. I love those bits the best. It’s like I only make noise in order that it’s wonderful when we don’t.

Speaking of Fugitive, you said something early on about how th song was inspired in part by something to do with Saddam Hussein, and a lot of people have said “Well it doesn’t sound like a political song.” What’s the real story there?

It’s funny how things, once they’re said, they just become something else. I think you can watch the news and see how a quarter-truth becomes categorical fact in about forty-eight hours. All I did was said that when I wrote the word “fugitive,” when I was saying that line for the first time, I had that image of that sort of grainy news footage of Saddam Hussein being pulled out of a muddy hole, because that’s basically what I was describing. But obviously the song’s not about him. Much as I admire his work (laughs), it’s not a ballad to Saddam.

When you wrote Full Steam, did you write that with Annie Lennox in mind, or did the idea of including her come to you after the song was written?

I just wrote it, and then realized I’d written a duet. And then it was “oh my God, who’s going to sing it,” because it was clear from my early efforts that it wasn’t going to sound right with just me, although I can sing the song on my own. But it’s not the same thing, it sounds so much more complete. We were scratching our heads for months about who it was going to be, sending people tracks and people couldn’t do it or didn’t want to do it. We sent a whole load of stuff out, and Annie was one of the suggestions. We sent her some stuff and she got straight back to us. Just one of those things you hand over to fate and see who’s gonna bite on the line.

Now she’s done it, I couldn’t imagine any of the other people doing it. She fit it absolutely perfectly. The wonderful effect, the sort of vibrancy of what she does, the energy she brings, her zest just propels you through the song.

You have a Twitter page and a Facebook page, but it looks like it’s just updated mainly by your people, posting links to stuff you’ve done, it’s not you yourself. A lot of artists think they kind of have to be on those sites.

It’s funny you should mention that, because people are always “You need to be more present on your website, you need to do this and you need to do that.” I’m like Jesus, all I do is fucking music, and turn up and play shows for people, sign a fucking autograph, you name it, I’m fucking there. You want me to share what I’m thinking now as well? There’s a madness to it, and I don’t know where it all leads.

I sincerely sometimes want to share things I’m thinking about, or things I’m enjoying, like a book or someone else’s record, or something. I think yeah, this is maybe the shit I should have on my personalized, perfume my website with these wonderful websites so people will know what I’m really like. But, you know, is that what it’s all about? It never bothered me. I don’t want to know what Bob Dylan’s really like. I don’t need to. I can just hear what he’s thinking when he makes his record.

It’s just like email, there’s a sort of corrosive fact to it that people just send off this shit to everybody and everyone gets CC’d, and someone takes a week off and they come back and there’s seven thousand emails. Well what the fuck is that about? It makes you want to shoot yourself. That’s the world we live in now, isn’t it? It’s overcommunicating not very much to each other. You could tell from this phone call much more what I’m like than if we exchanged a hundred emails. You’ll get a sense of the person. So I think ultimately communication has to be direct, and that’s what I do from the stage, or in other ways.

So much as I keep thinking I need to get involved in all this Twittering, I actually don’t think it’s a good idea. I think there’s too much shit out there. What are people gonna do with it?

You released Draw The Line late last year, you did a lot of promotion then, now you’re gearing up for another tour – did you manage to get any rest over the holidays?

Funnily enough, we had some shows on the east coast over New Years so there was a few days off for Christmas and then back out. I brought my family but it was like a working holiday. I wouldn’t describe it as rest. I’ve just come back. I had some work last week, I’ve got like ten days without any significant work, apart from a few interviews and bits and pieces. So this is the first proper break I’ve had. Literally, today, I’ve just started to feel human again, like I’m having thoughts, I think they’re called.

This year won’t be as crazy. I had like six months, June to the beginning of January, where it was just crazy. It does turn you into a bit of a husk of a person.

Learn more at DavidGray.com

Filed Under: Interviews, Musician interviews
Tagged: Annie Lennox, Babylon, David Gray, Draw The Line, Fugitive, Saddam Hussein, Stella

Apple unveils iPad

January 27, 2010 by Bill Palmer · View Comments 

Ready, set, imagine.

We no longer have to imagine whether Apple’s theoretical tablet device might be real, or what it might be called, or any of the specs or pricing. Ranging from $499 to $699 (or for some of us, $629 to $829, but we’ll get to that later), the iPad is largely what enthusiasts imagined it would be: a ten inch tall iPhone that doesn’t make phone calls but is fully App Store-compatible. For once, Apple’s pricing is significantly lower than what most of us were expecting. Every one of your existing iPhone or iPod touch apps will work on the iPad without modification, although it’ll initially mean using them in only a fraction of the screen (or scaling them up, which may not be pretty), until app developers modify their apps for higher resolution. While a virtual keyboard is the default, you can buy a physical keyboard as an add-on. A modified version of Apple’s iWork productivity suite can be added for $10 per app. And you can even buy the device with or without AT&T’s 3G cellular data network service. So, except for those in love with Verizon, everyone got what they wanted.

Here’s the question, though: do we know what we want from the iPad? All through Steve Jobs’ presentation, I heard all about all the things you can do with it – and wow is it ever groundbreaking. This device could in fact, once the hardware grows up in subsequent versions, begin to replace the personal computer as many people’s computing device of choice. But what I didn’t hear anywhere in there from Steve was why you would use the iPad, where you would use it, when you would use it.

The iPod didn’t need those questions answered in 2001 because it sought to replace the Walkman. The iPhone didn’t need an answer because most of us had already been using a cellphone. But the iPad? Initially at least, it doesn’t replace anything. Here’s a device that doesn’t fit in your pocket so it doesn’t replace your iPod, and yet it doesn’t (currently) have enough horsepower to replace your laptop in anything more than a sometimes scenario.

I’m fairly convinced that the success or failure of the iPad is going to come down to the collective imagination of its potential userbase. If many of you are already thinking of real world situations in which you could put it to good use, then the iPad’s prospects are bright. At the least, this product will find niches, especially with this price tag, but I don’t think that’s what Apple is aiming for here.

Perhaps the most controversial initial aspect is that the iPad doesn’t come with 3G functionality unless you pay $130 extra up front – I see it as a mere toy without 3G (in which you’d be hunting for wifi), but the good news is users can each decide for themselves. The 3G is prepaid, no contract, $30/month unlimited or $15/month capped.

Filed Under: iPod, iPhone and iTunes
Tagged: $499, Apple, apps, introduction, iPhone, iPod touch, iTablet, iWork, Steve Jobs, tablet

iProng Magazine issue #59: David Gray, Apple iPad and more

January 27, 2010 by Bill Palmer · View Comments 

As Steve Jobs pointed out this morning, we’re currently living at the intersection of art and technology – and this issue of iProng Magazine is a perfect example. One the one hand it’s got an interview with rock star David Gray, and on the other it’s got the lowdown on the newly unveiled Apple iPad, which among other things, is a groundbreaking new way to consume artistic content.

Then again, as a counterpoint, David’s cautionary take on technology like Twitter in our cover story interview provides an interesting contrast to the notion that more communication equals better communication – well, you’ll have to read it for yourself. He also talks about his new single Fugitive, which is his biggest hit song in years, as well as how he creates his songs in general.

In addition to the details and initial thoughts on the iPad, this issue also brings us reviews of four new apps that work with the iPhone, iPod touch, and ahem, the iPad – along with hands on reviews of several new iPod and iPhone accessories.

And because one music interview is never enough, this issue includes conversations with indie artists Lucy Schwartz (whose songs you’ve probably heard on TV and in movies) and Joséphine Ancelle (whose songs you’ve likely heard on podcasts).

We’ll be publishing more iPad-related coverage on our website all week, so keep your eyes glued to iProng.com for developing details.

Read this issue now • Subscribe

Filed Under: iProng Magazine
Tagged: accessories, Al Green, Apple, apps, David Gray, Dawn of the Dead, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Joséphine Ancelle, Lucy Schwartz, Red Alert

Snow Globe app debuts

January 27, 2010 by admin · View Comments 

Those iPhone and iPod touch users who’ve ever fantasized about turning their device into a snow globe have gotten their wish with the arrival of RoseGlobe in the App Store. The virtual globe can be decorated with the user’s own photos and is filled with dancing hearts in a nod to the app’s romantic theme. The app also offers the ability to take photographs in really time.

RoseGlobe 1.1 is available for 99 cents in the App Store. Learn more at RogueSheep.com.

Filed Under: Industry News
Tagged: App Store, iPhone, iPod touch, iTunes

Michael Bublé expands tour, SNL

January 26, 2010 by iProng · View Comments 

After selling out spring tour dates in several major U.S. cities, Canadian star Michael Bublé has added several new shows which will extend his tour into the summer and take him across the midwest and into the south. Bublé will also be appearing as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on NBC this weekend on the eve of the GRAMMY awards, for which the former winner is nominated.

Since its release in October, Bublé’s album Crazy Love has sold more than three million copies. It’s currently available in iTunes. Learn more at michaelbuble.com.

Filed Under: Industry News
Tagged:

Dave Matthews Band summer tour

January 26, 2010 by Bill Palmer · View Comments 

Dave Matthews Band, the top touring act of the previous decade, apparently have every intention of getting the early jump on the current decade as well. After performing at this weekend’s GRAMMY awards, in which the band is nominated twice for its 2009 release Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King, the group will hit the road in May for several dozen live U.S. tour dates which will stretch into mid September.

Opening acts for various legs of the tour will include the Zac Brown Band, Brett Dennen, and four dates with Gov’t Mule. Ben Harper will be on board for the band’s traditional Gorge at George dates in early September.

Fans who don’t want to wait that long can bide their time with the February 9th live-album release of Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds in Las Vegas, a show that was taped at Planet Hollywood in December.

Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King is available in iTunes. Advance fan club ticketing begins this Thursday on the band’s official site. Tickets go on sale to the general public on February 26th.

Filed Under: Industry News
Tagged: 2010 GRAMMYs, album of the year, best rock album, Big Whiskey, concert, Dave Matthews Band, DMB, LeRoi Moore, nominee, performances, Tim Reynolds, tour

Cypress Hill signs with Snoop

January 26, 2010 by Bill Palmer · View Comments 

Veteran hip hop outfit Cypress Hill has signed on with Snoop Dogg’s Priority Records, the first artist Snoop has signed since assuming his role as Creative Chairman of the label. The new Cypress Hill album Rise Up will be released on April 6th, and features a single of the same name featuring Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello.

According to Snoop Dogg, “Cypress Hill is undeniably one of the most important hip hop groups in music history, not only are they incredibly talented and the first Latino hip hop group to go platinum, they are also from the west coast-so this signing is the perfect marriage.”

Having released its debut album nearly two decades ago, Cypress Hill has sold more than eighteen million albums and hits including Insane In The Brain.

Cypress Hill’s catalog is available in iTunes. Learn more at CypressHill.com.

Filed Under: Industry News
Tagged: B-Real, Cypress Hill, DJ Muggs, Eric Bobo, hip hop, label, new album, new record, Priority Records, release, Rise Up rap, Sen Dog, Snoop Dogg, Tom Morello, west coast

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