Spalding Among 102 Artists Signing Gibson Guitar for Planned Parenthood Fundraiser

Esperanza Spalding is signing her support for Planned Parenthood…

Los Angeles’ Old Style Guitar Shop has partnered with the nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally to raise money for Planned Parenthood.

Esperanza Spalding

Old Style Guitar Shop’s owner Reuben Cox has donated a Gibson CJ-165 acoustic guitar with 102 artist signatures, including that of the 32-year-old part-Latina jazz bassist and singer, who beat out Justin Bieber for Best New Artist at the Grammys.

Other artists signing the guitar include Foo FightersLady GagaJohn LegendKaty PerryMac DeMarcoSiaTom Petty and Ryan Adams.

Additionally, Cox is partnering with the organization for “7-inches for Planned Parenthood,” an upcoming series of 7-inch vinyl records curated to support reproductive health care and basic health services like STD testing and treatment, birth control and cancer screenings.

All proceeds from the vinyl collection will go to Planned Parenthood.

The guitar is part of a raffle, which can be entered by donating $10 to Planned Parenthood. The winner will also receive a bound book of the signees’ photos.

de la Huerta to Star in Dramatic Comedy “Puppy Love”

Paz de la Huerta is a lucky dog

The 32-year-old Spanish American actress will star opposite Hopper Penn in Puppy Love, a dramatic comedy written and to be directed by Michael Maxxis, a music video and commercials director making his feature film debut.

Paz de la Huerta

The film is based on Maxxis’ actual cousin and follows a year in the life of Morgan Fairchild (Penn), who marches to the distant sound of his own offbeat drum and meets and falls in love with Carla (de la Huerta), who is homeless. The relationship grows and develops into something kind, endearing and beautiful even in their otherwise odd circumstances.

Singer Elle King, rapper Mickey Avalon and Wayne Newton will also appear in the film, with Nirvana and Foo Fighters record producer Butch Vig producing the soundtrack.

Michael Madsen, Donald Cerrone, Rosanna Arquette and Colleen Camp are also on board.

Principal photography is set to begin next week in Edmonton.

de la Huerta’s credits include notable roles in the films The Cider House Rules, A Walk to Remember and Enter the Void, and a memorable role on HBO’s drama series Boardwalk Empire.

La Santa Cecilia Added to This Year’s BottleRock Napa Valley Lineup

La Santa Cecilia is ready to (bottle) rock Napa Valley…

The Mexican-American band, a Grammy winner in 2014 for its album Treinta Días, is set to perform at this year’s BottleRock Napa Valley music festival.

La Santa Cecilia

La Santa Cecilia, named after the patron saint of musicians Saint Cecilia, joins a lineup that includes headliners Foo Fighters, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Maroon 5 .

The three-day music, wine, food, and craft brew festival, which is held over Memorial Day weekend (May 26 through May 28), will take place at the Napa Valley Expo in the heart of wine country.

In all, more than 80 other artists will perform over the BottleRock weekend, including Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Modest Mouse, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, The Roots, Silversun Pickups, Band of Horses, Fitz & The Tantrums, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Gavin DeGraw and Andra Day.

Passes for the festival will go on sale at 10:00 am PST on January 4 at BottleRockNapaValley.com and eventbrite.com.

Check out the full lineup here.

Trujillo and His Metallica Bandmates Named Record Store Day Ambassadors

Robert Trujillo is going on the record

The 51-year-old bassist and his fellow Metallica band mates will serve as the official 2016 ambassadors for this year’s Record Store Day, which is set for April 16, the same day a multitude of vinyl exclusives are set to descend on independent record stores across America.

Metallica

The metal legends broke the news in an eight-minute video featuring all four members recounting their lifelong vinyl love.

But that’s not all. Metallica will have a special record store day release. The same day, the band will release a new live album called Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, Metallica!  featuring nine tracks recorded at a 2003 gig at Paris’ Bataclan, the same venue victimized by the November 2015 Paris attacks. All proceeds from the LP will go towards the Fondation de France‘s Give For France charity.

Metallica has a long history of involvement with Record Store Day. In 2008, the band hung out with fans at Rasputin Records in Mountain View, Calif., to help promote the event’s inaugural year. And last year, the reissue of Metallica’s 1982 demo cassette, No Life Til Leather, was crowned Record Store Day’s top seller.

“Independent record stores are part of Metallica’s DNA,” drummer Lars Ulrich said in an official statement. “They have been pivotal in shaping each one of us into the music fanatics we’ve all become. We could not be any prouder to be Record Store Day Ambassadors for 2016 and are looking forward to screaming from every rooftop the next few months about everything independent record store and beyond.”

Last year’s ambassador was Foo Fighter‘s Dave Grohl, preceded by Chuck D. in 2014 and Jack White in 2013.

Earlier this month, Metallica detailed plans to reissue its first two albums, 1983’s Kill ‘Em All and 1984’s Ride the Lightning. Both of these vault-opening box sets were scheduled to be released April 15, which now, conveniently, arrives just a day ahead of Record Store Day.

All this comes while Metallica is working on its so-far-untitled 10th studio album.

Here’s the track listing for Metallica’s forthcoming live album, Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, Metallica! – Live at Le Bataclan. Paris, France – June 11th, 2003.

  1. “The Four Horsemen”
  2. “Leper Messiah”
  3. “No Remorse”
  4. “Fade to Black”
  5. “Frantic”
  6. “Ride the Lightning”
  7. “Blackened”
  8. “Seek and Destroy”
  9. “Damage, Inc.”

Full Trailer Released for the Rodriguez-Starrer “CBGB”

Freddy Rodriguez is celebrating a piece of music history on film…

The 38-year-old Puerto Rican actor stars as Idaho in the historical drama CBGB, the true story of the New York City rock club that spawned such acts as the Ramones, the Talking Heads and Blondie.

Freddy Rodriguez

Starring Alan Rickman as the club’s colorful founder Hilly Kristal, the film – which saw the release of it’s full trailer this week – features a large ensemble that includes Donal Logue, Ashley Greene, Johnny Galecki and Bradley Whitford.

The film crams in more than 60 songs and a dozen on-camera performances including Malin Ackerman as Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry, Rupert Grint and Justin Bartha as the Dead BoysCheetah Chrome and Stiv Bators and Foo FightersTaylor Hawkins as Iggy Pop.

“These kids have something to say,” Kristal tells a TV news crew. “We really should listen.”

Directed by Randall Miller, CBGB opens this fall.

Rodriguez to Star in the Punk-Rock Indie Film “CBGB”

Freddy Rodriguez will soon be helping shine a spotlight on New York City’s punk-rock scene.

The 37-year-old Puerto Rican actor has joined the growing cast of CBGB, a film that will take a look at the Big Apple’s venerable nightclub of the same name.

Freddy Rodriguez

The former Six Feet Under and Ugly Betty star will appear as Idaho, an addict who hung around Hily Kristal’s infamous New York City club in the 1970s.

Rodriguez—who will be starring in the upcoming John Stockwell-directed drama Code Name Geronimo, which centers on the hunt for Osama bin Laden—is scheduled to start work on CBGB next week.

Randall Miller is writing and directing the indie film about the club that saw the birth of American punk rock with bands like The Ramones, Blondie, Television and the Dead Boys on its tiny stage.

Sons of Anarchy’s Ryan Hurst has also joined the cast as a biker named Mad Mountain who is a regular at the club and provides Hily Kristal with some much need help when the CBGB owner. Alan Rickman will play CBGB proprietor Kristal.

Malin Akerman is set to play Blondie’s lead singer Debbie Harry. Twilight Saga’s Ashley Greene will play Kristal’s daughter. The Hangover’s Justin Bartha will play Stiv Bators, lead singer of the Dead Boys. The Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki is playing band manager Terry Ork. Foo Fighters’ drummer Taylor Hawkins is playing Iggy Pop. And Harry Potter’s Rupert Grint will play Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome.

The film is shooting in Savannah, Ga., before moving to NYC.

Mars to Perform at Grammy Awards Show

The 54th annual Grammy Awards may be exactly one month away… But Bruno Mars is already making plans for the big show.

The 26-year-old half-Puerto Rican singer/songwriter—who scored six nominations for the 2012 Grammys, including nods in the three top categories—has been officially announced as a performer.

Bruno Mars

No word on what song Mars will perform, but his hit single “Grenade” is nominated for record of the year honors.

In addition to Mars, the first list of performers named includes Taylor Swift, Foo Fighters, Nicki Minaj, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson.

More performers and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks leading up to next month’s ceremony.

The Grammy Awards, which will take place in Los Angeles, will air live onat 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, February 12.

Gomez Going Global!

She’s already conquered America… And Selena Gomez is now one step closer to becoming a genuine international star.

MTV has tapped the 19-year-old Mexican-American singer/actress as the “hostess with the mostest” at this year’s MTV Europe Awards, the cable network’s global celebration of the year’s best music.

“I’m so excited to be the host of the 2011 MTV EMAs–it’s a dream come true,” professes Gomez. “This is such a huge event that always recognizes the biggest stars in music from across the globe, so it’s a real honor to be MC at this year’s show.”

As the official mistress of ceremonies, Gomez will oversee all of the evening’s onstage exploits, performances, winners and important moments. She’ll also Tweet live during the show, as well as offer unique commentary on mtvema.com.

Among this year’s EMA Nominees, Lady Gaga leads the pack with six nods, with part-Latino Bruno Mars and Katy Perry close behind with four nominations. Adele, Justin Bieber and Thirty Seconds to Mars are each up for three awards.

Other EMA nominees include Latina superstar Jennifer Lopez, Foo Fighters, LMFAO, Jessie J, Beyonce and Coldplay

The 18th annual MTV Europe Awards will take place at Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Ireland on November 6.