International Music News - SHOUTcast Blog

Gramps Morgan may be coming off a supremely busy year, but he's showing no signs of slowing down. Not long after his album 'Two Sides of My Heart Vol. 1' won Album of the Year honors at this year's EME Awards in Jamaica, Morgan is reportedly back in the studio, hard at work on a new album, tentatively titled '2 Sides of My Heart Vol. 2.' The album, which the Jamaica Observer describes as having a distinctly "Country and R&B" sound, isn't due out until later this year, but judging by the all-star lineup that Morgan has assembled for the CD, it'll definitely be intriguing. According to the Observer, Gramps has enlisted both Ziggy Marley and Musiq (Soulchild) to collaborate on a few tracks, as well as Willie Lat and Shannon Sanders, who will help produce the album.

Gramps' solo album isn't the only thing on his plate, though. He's also working with his siblings on a new Morgan Heritage album, as well as collaborating with his father, Denroy Morgan, on a soon to be released autobiography. Apparently, he's also cooking up a film project of some sort, as he revealed to the Observer. Said Morgan, "Right now I am multi-tasking on various projects which is something I am completely at home with. I am working on a special project for Disney and looking forward to doing some stuff on the big screen which will be coming soon."

While much of the U.S. spent Sunday evening glued to the Oscars, in France, most of the TV viewing population was caught up with the 25th edition of the Victoires de la Musique, France's version of the Grammys. With French legend Charles Aznavour presiding over the Parisian ceremony, the best in contemporary French music were all honored for their work throughout the past year, while one legendary American was honored for a lifetime of groundbreaking creativity.

As MusicActu reports, Benjamin Biolay was the big winner on the men's side, taking home honors for male artist of the year, as well as album of the year for his appropriately titled 'La Superbe.' Meanwhile, Olivia Ruiz stole the show for the women, winning both female artist of the year and video of the year awards. The honoree of the night, though, was unquestionably Stevie Wonder, who was on hand to receive a lifetime achievement award, known as the 'Victoire d'honneur.' Wonder also performed a medley of some of his best known hits onstage, proving once more that however legendary his career may be, it's far from over.

When most people think of summer music festivals, they usually think of flowers, jam bands, and crowded campsites. Other people, though, think metal. And while a quality metal music festival can be hard to come by during a summer chock-full of pop and indie events, one of the most renowned events for die-hard metal fans is the Stockholm Rock Out Festival. The event never fails to bring out the most enticing names in metal history, and 2010 is certainly no different. Performers at this year's Stockholm Rock Out Festival include Great White, KIX, Slaughter, and Vains of Jenna, to name just a few. The event's scheduled for April 30 and May 1, and if you're interested in tickets, check out their website. For a full lineup, hit the jump.

Reggae Month may have drawn to a close as soon as we turned our calendars to March, but according to the AP, the international recognition of reggae music has only just begun. Plans are reportedly underway to unveil a brand new music museum next year in Jamaica, in an effort to further memorialize the island's rich artistic culture, and, most notably, the reggae genre born there. Officially titled the Jamaica Music Museum, the museum will be located in Kingston, and will apparently feature a number of rare artifacts, including archived Bob Marley recordings, as well as a cassette tape featuring Peter Tosh jamming with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of Rolling Stones fame.

The curator of the museum, in fact, is none other than Herbie Miller, who was once Tosh's manager. While the space already boasts a pretty impressive collection, curators and musical historians are still reeling from the huge loss that Jamaican music took two years ago, when a massive collection of original 1970s recordings were lost from the former Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation. Many of the recordings featured original Tosh and Marley recordings, but they have still not been recovered.

The Jamaica Music Museum is currently asking for donations to help fund the museum, which will be run by the government via the culturally oriented Institute of Jamaica. Miller, however, did not specify a date for the museum's official opening.

Stereo Total, the German-French electro duo, haven't released an album in the U.S. since 2007, but according to Prefix, they have a fresh new international release making its way down the pipeline. Titled 'Baby Ouh!', the album will be their first wide release since the acclaimed 'Paris Berlin' CD, and should make its international debut on May 4. The duo, consisting of former Les Lolitas lead singer Francoise Cactus and keyboardist Bregel, are perhaps best known for their hit song 'I Love You Ono.' Check it out after the jump.

What began as just another UK summer music festival back in 1980, has now become one of the most hotly anticipated annual events in all of contemporary rock and metal. Originally known as 'Monsters of Rock,' the festival first became a real destination for big name bands in 1981, when AC/DC graced the stage. At this year's Download Festival 2010, the same group that helped kick start the Donington, UK festival will return, along with countless big names from today and yesterday. Aerosmith, Rage Against the Machine, Stone Temple Pilots and Them Crooked Vultures are only a few of the acts slated to appear at this year's festivities, which will be held between June 11th and 13th in its traditional Donington Park location. If you're interested in purchasing tickets and campsite passes, you can buy them online here. For the full, up to date lineup of artists scheduled to perform at Download Festival 2010, hit the jump.

With all the hype that's built up over the impending release of Disney's 'Tron Legacy,' and especially over the score that Daft Punk's putting together for the film, the Internet has been flooded with false rumors and fake mp3s. It's become so easy to fall prey to these rumors (trust us), that almost any Daft Punk-related news that comes across the wire is automatically taken with a heaping teaspoon of salt. Today, though, comes some pretty trustworthy news about the new movie, and its accompanying score. No, it's not a leaked mp3, but it is a new trailer for the film, which offers an all-too brief glimpse of what kind of soundscapes Daft Punk has put together. Check it out for yourself after the break (via Prefix).