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Sitar Hero Ravi Shankar Dead at 92
 Sitar Hero 
 Ravi Shankar 
 Dead at 92 
OBITUARY
Dec 12, 2012 2:47 AM CST

Sitar Hero Ravi Shankar Dead at 92

'60s icon brought Indian music to the West

(Newser) - The Indian sitar maestro George Harrison called the "father of world music" has died in California at the age of 92, Reuters reports. Ravi Shankar was already famous in his homeland when he introduced the Beatles to the sitar, bridging the gap between Eastern and Western music and achieving...

Translators: Psy Didn't Really Say 'Kill Those Yankees'

Bad translation fuels controversy

(Newser) - If you've had trouble enjoying " Gangnam Style " ever since hearing that Psy once urged people to kill Americans , well, we've got some good news. It looks like the lyrics to "Dear American"—which was a cover from a band called NEXT—may have been...

6 Artists Tie for Most Grammy Nods

Nominees announced during live CBS special

(Newser) - The Grammy Awards celebrated the diversity of music as six different artists tied for lead nominee: Kanye West, Jay-Z, Frank Ocean, Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, Mumford & Sons, and fun. Auerbach received five nominations as a member of the Keys and also is up for producer of the...

Inside the Weird Journey of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah'

Cohen's own version isn't the definitive one

(Newser) - Unlike most songs that reside in the sort of unofficial Cover Song Hall of Fame, Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" was released to not much fanfare at all in the Born in the USA glory days of 1984. In fact, it was on the only Cohen album his record company...

Yes, Orchestra Conductors Make a Difference

Infrared lights on a baton help prove it: Study

(Newser) - Skeptics might think orchestra conductors are superfluous as they stand front and center waving their batons, but a new study suggests otherwise. In fact, the University of Maryland research concludes that the more forceful a conductor is, the better the music, reports NPR . Researchers put infrared lights on a conductor'...

10 Stars Who've Gotten Revenge ... via Song

Obviously, Taylor Swift is on this list

(Newser) - Taylor Swift's new album, of course, contains quite a few references to ex-boyfriends , including the breakup anthem, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." In her honor, Radar rounds up nine more celebrities who got revenge via music:
  • Nick Lachey wrote "What's Left of Me"
...

10 Artists Who Turned Down Hit Songs

Just think, Janet could have had 'How Will I Know'

(Newser) - Sometimes celebrities aren't so lucky—as evidenced by these 10 musical artists who rejected songs that later turned into hits by someone else. From Celebuzz :
  • Leona Lewis recorded "We Found Love" before Rihanna, but didn't want to commit. "Mine's better," she says, although she
...

Mice Learn Songs Like We Do

 Mice Learn 
 Songs Like 
 We Do 
study says
Oct 11, 2012 9:36 AM CDT

Mice Learn Songs Like We Do

Males match pitches with each other: study

(Newser) - That mouse terrorizing your kitchen could be the next Marvin Gaye. The creatures are capable of learning songs in a similar fashion to humans, a study finds—a rare capability among animals. Earlier research has established that male mice sing songs to woo females, at pitches that humans are incapable...

2013 Rock Hall Nominees a Crazy Diverse Bunch

From Rush to Donna Summer to Public Enemy

(Newser) - Rush, Deep Purple, Public Enemy, and NWA are among the group of first-time nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They join returnees Heart, Joan Jett, and the Blackhearts, Randy Newman, Donna Summer, and Kraftwerk among the 15 artists vying for entry. Even in the iPod age, the...

'Free Pussy Riot Fest' Flouts Officials' Warnings

Band's lawyers set for interrogation over earlier protests

(Newser) - St. Petersburg officials warned against it, but supporters of Pussy Riot held a fundraising concert in the band's honor anyway. Some 1,000 people attended the "Free Pussy Riot Fest" in Vladimir Putin's native city, even after firefighters said they'd shut down the hall over safety...

YouTube's Musical Dads Sign With Sony

'The Piano Guys' are five Mormon fathers

(Newser) - They're five Mormon dads from Utah. They love to do quirky, instrumental covers of pop songs and put them on YouTube. And Sony just signed them, reports USA Today . "This is kind of freaky—miraculous, really," says one of the members of The Piano Guys, who have...

Post-Surgery John Mayer: I Won't Talk for Months

And no singing for half a year: blog

(Newser) - We won't be hearing from John Mayer for awhile. In a post on his tumblr blog , the singer announced: "Silent for the next few months, no singing for probably six, but all signs point to this being the last step in getting to perform again." Mayer canceled...

Taliban Beheads 17 Over Afghan Music Event

Victims were celebrating with instruments, dancing

(Newser) - Taliban insurgents beheaded 17 men and women yesterday for participating in a music event in Afghanistan's Helmand province, officials report. The decapitations occurred after people gathered for a celebration, and were playing music and dancing, according to the chief of the Musa Qala government. They were apparently punished for...

Beck's Next Album: You Play the Songs, Not Him

Album will be released as sheet music only

(Newser) - If you want to hear Beck's new album, you better learn how to play a musical instrument. He'll be releasing Beck Hansen's Song Reader in December not as a CD, vinyl record, or digital files, but as … sheet music. "The Song Reader is an experiment...

Putin: Go Easy on Punk Band Pussy Riot

Defense hopes for 'softened' prosecution

(Newser) - As a court decides the fate of Russian punk trio Pussy Riot, Vladimir Putin is having his say—and he doesn't sound hugely concerned about the band's protest in Russia's top cathedral . Though there was "nothing good" about the protest, "I don't think that...

More Pianos Getting Sent to the Dump

Beloved instruments are being burned for firewood

(Newser) - Imagine the cacophony: More pianos are being thrown out these days in a mangle of legs, keys, and twisted wire, reports the New York Times . Why the unceremonious dumping? Well, their value is plummeting, electronic keyboards are more affordable, and music education is suffering from budget cuts. "Instead of...

Goodbye Snoop Dogg, Hello Snoop Lion

Snoop adopts new monicker for reggae album

(Newser) - Snoop Dogg is branching out into new musical styles and more intimidating animal pseudonyms. His Snoopness is about to release a reggae album, under the new monicker Snoop Lion, Rolling Stone reports. His first single, "La La La," is available now, and according to his website, "Snoop...

Law Prof: Jay-Z's Lyrical Legal Advice Is Wrong

Don't let '99 Problems' be your guide

(Newser) - Jay-Z's smash hit "99 Problems" may be fun to listen to, but don't get your legal advice from it. The rapper's perspective on the law is way off in parts, says a professor who authored a law review article analyzing the lyrics line by line. "...

&#39;Girl From Ipanema&#39; Turns 50
 'Girl From Ipanema' Turns 50 
Jul 1, 2012 8:08 AM CDT

'Girl From Ipanema' Turns 50

'Perfect' bossa nova song is 2nd-most recorded of all time

(Newser) - She may be tall and tan and lovely, but "The Girl From Ipanema" isn't so young anymore. Fifty years ago, though, the song came from out of nowhere, suddenly putting Brazil onto the pop culture map and turning bossa nova into a craze, reports the Wall Street Journal...

Scientists Turn Star Data Into Reggae

Reggae-rock group Echo Movement composes astral melody

(Newser) - What do stars in outer space sound like? Try listening to the 6-second melody (note: that's a .wav file) that will be used on a track due this fall by the reggae-rock group Echo Movement. The band wanted to create its own space jam, so it asked researchers at...

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