Spotlight: The Brother Kite

Katie Hasty

The Brother Kite's first two albums, available through micro-indie Clairecords, are enough to prove the group's ability to catch a pop hook and run with it. Washy guitars, gorgeous voice layering and a penchant for soaring, Beach Boys-ian crescendos dominate 2006's "Waiting for the Time to Be Right," while a subtler vocal style is the theme of 2004's "thebrotherkite." The Brother Kite's modern indie-pop has plenty of timeless elements that would appeal to a broader audience than its small Northeast following.

In other words, it's time this Providence, R.I., fivesome has a team.

"We just need more opportunities to tour," guitarist Mark Howard says. The group has played stages with such acts as French Kicks, Frightened Rabbit and the Danielson Famile. "We also realize what an asset it is to have had a label that was OK with us doing our own thing without any timelines."

The group—rounded out by principal songwriter Pat Boutwell, guitarist Jon Downs, bassist Andrea Downs and drummer Matt Rozzero—is in the midst of recording and producing its next full-length in its own studio, with hopes to release it through a fitting label deal this fall.

Courtesy of Billboard.com

Jonas Bros. with a big splash on their debut

Katie Hasty, N.Y.

As expected, the Jonas Brothers score their first No. 1 album on The Billboard 200 this week with "A Little Bit Longer." The Hollywood effort bows with 525,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, the third biggest sales frame this year behind Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" (1,006,000) and Coldplay's "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" (721,000).

The trio also scores the rare feat of having two albums simultaneously in the upper-most echelon of the chart, as their self-titled sophomore set rises 11-10 with 31,000 (-4%) in its 54th chart week. It's the first time a group has scored two concurrent top 10 albums since 'N Sync on the chart dated Jan. 2, 1999, with "Home for Christmas" at No. 10 and "'N Sync" at No. 2.

Full story can be read here.

Courtesy of Billboard.com

Gym Class Heros and Roots doing it together this fall

Katie Hasty, N.Y.

In one of the more eclectic bills of the fall, Gym Class Heroes and the Roots will co-headline a tour beginning Oct. 2 in Baltimore, with support from U.K. up-and-comer Estelle.

Gym Class Heroes and the Roots will alternate headlining duties on the trek, which runs through Nov. 1 in Albany, N.Y. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Aug. 12) for Gym Class Heroes' fan club members, and this weekend for the general public.

Gym Class Heroes has been out this summer with the Vans Warped Tour in advance of the Sept. 9 release of its Decaydence/Fueled By Ramen album "The Quilt."

As previously reported, the set boasts contributions from a number of big names, including the-Dream, Cool & Dre, Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, Busta Rhymes, Estelle and Daryl Hall.

First single "Cookie Jar" has sold 21,000 copies in four weeks of digital release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The hard-touring Roots are on tour internationally through the end of the Month but will then take a break until the fall run with Gym Class Heroes. Estelle will be making another U.S. push for her Homeschool/Atlantic debut, "Shine," which has sold more than 83,000 copies.

Here are Gym Class Heroes/the Roots' tour dates:

Oct. 3: Baltimore (Rams Head Live!)
Oct. 4: Norfolk, Va. (The Norva)
Oct. 5: North Myrtle Beach, S.C. (House of Blues)
Oct. 6: Atlanta (The Tabernacle)
Oct. 7: Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (House of Blues)
Oct. 8: Miami (The Fillmore at Jackie Gleason)
Oct. 10: Houston (Meridian, w/ Estelle only)
Oct. 11: Dallas (The Palladium Ballroom)
Oct. 12: Austin, Texas (The Backyard)
Oct. 14: Phoenix (The Marquee)
Oct. 19: Las Vegas (House of Blues)
Oct. 21: Denver (The Fillmore Auditorium)
Oct. 23: Milwaukee (Eagles Ballroom)
Oct. 24: Chicago (Congress Theatre)
Oct. 25: Detroit (The Fillmore Detroit)
Oct. 26: Toronto (Sound Academy)
Oct. 28: New York (Roseland Ballroom)
Oct. 30: Worcester, Mass. (The Palladium Downstairs)
Oct. 31: Asbury Park, N.J. (Asbury Park Convention Hall)
Nov. 1: Albany, N.Y. (Washington Avenue Armory)

Courtesy of Billboard.com

Kanye West and NIN smash the end of Lollapalooza

Katie Hasty, Chicago

Kanye West and Nine Inch Nails closed Lollapalooza 2008 in grand fashion Sunday (Aug. 3) in Chicago's Grant Park, with the former regaling his hometown crowd with hit after hit and the latter band offering a tour-de-force of intense industrial rock.

All three days of Lollapalooza sold out this year, a first in the event's four-year-history as a one-off event in Chicago.

Read the rest of the story here.

Courtesy of Billboard.com