Macy Gray, newly signed with 429 Records, is preparing for the release of her stunning new album “COVERED”—a collection of all new recordings of handpicked songs she’s chosen to reinterpret in her own inimitable fashion.  With a buzz kicked off by an announcement in Billboard and Rolling Stone, Macy is already confirmed to appear on prime media outlets including Conan, Late Show with David Letterman, Piers Morgan Tonight, Tavis Smiley, VH1 and more.

Produced by Hal Willner (Lou Reed, Metallica), Zoux and Macy Gray, “COVERED” tackles material largely drawn from indie rock songs from the last decade—interpretations her fans will be familiar with as she’s been performing them live over the years.

The album contains biting, dark signature tracks such as Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” or My Chemical Romance’s “Teenagers” which Gray subversively overhauls into something wholly her own.  Also included are short skits featuring J.B. Smoove, Nicole Scherzinger and a guest appearance by Idris Elba.

“COVERED” will be released worldwide on 429 Records March 26th with a special iTunes edition available which contains exclusive remixes of “Sail” and “Here Comes The Rain Again.” In addition, Macy is planning a worldwide tour and has just completed the first video from the project.  Helmed by famed director Robert DeVico (Pink, Lenny Kravitz, Missy Elliott), Macy’s first video from “COVERED” will be “Smoke Two Joints.”

The wildly colorful, party-inspired clip features Macy and her bandmates performing against a picturesque Hollywood Hills backdrop and will be available to media outlets this month.

Since her dazzling debut introduced this singular talent to the masses, Macy has forged an uncompromising musical path beholden to her own vision and garnering accolades at every juncture.  With “COVERED” Macy has turned the cover album concept on its ear choosing edgy contemporary choices and approaching them in an innovative and uncompromising way. Not surprising considering she’s spent her career defying expectations and stretching musical boundaries.

“COVERED” Track Listing:

For more information visit: www.429records.com

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/toddgeasland/

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Macy Gray, newly signed with 429 Records, is preparing for the release of her stunning new album “Covered”—a collection of all new recordings of handpicked songs she’s chosen to reinterpret in her own inimitable fashion.  Produced by Hal Willner (Lou Reed, Metallica), “Covered” tackles material largely drawn from indie rock songs from the last decade—interpretations her fans will be familiar with as she’s been performing them live over the years.

The album contains biting, dark signature tracks such as Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” or My Chemical Romance’s “Teenagers” which Gray subversively overhauls into something wholly her own.  Also included are short skits featuring J.B. Smoove, Nicole Scherzinger and a guest appearance by Idris Elba.

“Covered” will be released worldwide on 429 Records March 27th.In addition, Macy is planning a worldwide tour and has wrapped filming with director Lee Daniels (Precious) for his forthcoming film ‘The Paperboy” which also stars John Cusack, Zach Effron, Nicole Kidman and Matthew McConaughey. The film will debut at Cannes in May with confirmed worldwide distribution in October 2012.

Since her dazzling debut introduced this singular talent to the masses, Macy has forged an uncompromising musical path beholden to her own vision and garnering accolades at every juncture.  With “Covered” Macy has turned the cover album concept on its ear choosing edgy contemporary choices and approaching them in an innovative and uncompromising way. Not surprising considering she’s spent her career defying expectations and stretching musical boundaries.

Says Macy on being inspired by Nina Simone’s cover songs: “She didn’t worry about what people would think or how they would compare it to anybody else. I saw how she just took that song and every song she ever did and made them her own.  So I went in with the confidence that we could do whatever we wanted.”

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Metal fans are in for a treat as the Big 4 prepare to take the stage at the Yankee Stadium on the 14th September. The former quarreled bands have put aside their differences and plan to rock out to a seven-hour performance.

Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax have already reunited in California and the response was abysmal: “Obviously, this thing should play more places in America,” Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone Magazine. The legacy and perseverance of everyone involved have cleared any signs of a feud.

The Big 4 will celebrate their thirtieth anniversaries in 2011 and hope to bring the success of their European Tour to New York. Even though metal bands receive little to no media attention, the underground heavy metal movement is far greater than what anyone could have foreseen: hundreds are expected to attend the metal fest in New York City, with no sign of ever slowing down.

Anthrax’s upcoming studio album Worship Music, the first featuring Joey Belladonna since their nineties album, Persistence of Time, is expected to hit the shelves in the U.S. September 13th. The band plans on showcasing some of their new songs to an eager crowd on the 14th.

According to Rolling Stone, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian is hoping for a metal mayhem: “I think back to my heyday of going to concerts as a kid in New York from the years of like ’79 to ’83, and I remember going to see Judas Priest on either Screaming For Vengeance or one of those sold-out Madison Square Garden shows,” said Ian.

“There was an energy level at shows like that that was just out of control. I don’t mean this in a bad way, but I remember being in the Garden for Judas Priest in 1981 and actually feeling scared sometimes because it was just so intensely rowdy and nuts and people were just losing their mind.”

Scott Ian hopes that New Yorkers can gather all that buzz again. “I would love to feel that energy again at this Yankee Stadium Show, like the old-school New York energy that I used to feel at gigs back then,” he says. This show also has great meaning for drummer Charlie Benante, whose father was scouted to play professional baseball but was told he couldn’t do it.

In a recent Rolling Stone interview, Benante opens up about what this show really means to him: “My dad died when I was five so he never really got to see how far I’ve come in my career,” he says. “I just know if he knew that I’d be playing Yankee Stadium he would be fucking going nuts to find that his son did this and achieved this goal.

Here I am playing Yankee Stadium and I know in some way he’ll probably be there with me.”
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