music

Sting Hangs Out on Billionaire's Superyacht in Sydney

Gracefully aging pop star Sting was just spotted having fun with bikini-clad babes aboard a superyacht belonging to a billionaire pal in Sydney, Australia. The yacht in question, Z Sydney, is a $50 million Overmarine Mangusta 165, the world's largest open yacht, owned by media mogul James Packer. In December, Packer entertained Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal on the yacht, while his old friend Tom Cruise regularly enjoys a trip on the vessel during his annual trips Down Under. The sleek craft can hit a top speed of 33 knots with its twin MTU 16V 4000 M93 engines producing 4,556 hp.

The interior of the yacht, first shown at the Salon Nautique in Cannes, features five staterooms and is finished in a luxurious, elegant combination of neutral fabrics and dark woodwork. The 165's interior includes an expansive main salon with cocktail tables, a long bar, and a surfeit of seating. Two pop-up, back-to-back flat-screen televisions face the main salon and the adjacent dining room. The craft's aft deck covers a garage that contains tenders and toys and opens hydraulically at the push of a button. The bikini-clad babes are extra.

Gallery: Overmarine Mangusta 165

Tags: Australia, billionaire, music, open yacht, pop star, rock star, Sting, superyacht, Sydney, The Police, Tom Cruise, yacht

Gucci i-Gucci Grammy Awards Special Edition Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Gucci i-Gucci Grammy Awards Special Edition Watch

The probably over-priced i-Gucci "cool" digital watch from Gucci gets a special edition model for the Grammy music awards. Your celebration of "well if they were voted as best they must be good" night can continue with two versions of the i-Gucci that originally came out a few years ago. The round dialed digital watches with LCD screens have fun dial layouts and offers you various types of useful information. For more on functionality - check with Gucci (I just don't want to leave out functions if I list them all).

Tags: awards, grammy, grammys, gucci, i-gucci, music, watch

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The $85,000 Custom Diamond & Alligator Guitar

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

The $85,000 Custom Diamond & Alligator Guitar

Rock Royalty, a new Nashville-based luxury design house that manufactures one-of-a-kind, custom guitars, is offering the ultimate in rock star decadence: an $85,000 custom alligator skin, diamond and sterling silver Fender Telecaster. The eye-popping instrument comes wrapped in exquisite natural black alligator skin from Louisiana, and features black diamond and sterling silver volume knobs, a selector switch set with rubies, and six handmade diamond tuning keys set in sterling silver. They also have a custom Gibson Les Paul for $125,000, set with almost 50 carats of black and white diamonds if that's too cheap. The company promises never to duplicate a design so that each piece remains totally unique. The Telecaster and Les Paul are two of nine original designs created for the brand's debut; other models come wrapped in stingray skin and various other exotic finishes. The only question is whether to play them or hang them over the fireplace.

[via JustLuxe]

Gallery: Rock Royalty Custom Guitars

Tags: alligator, alligator+guitar, alligatorguitar, custom, diamond, guitars, music, Nashville, Rock Royalty, sterling silver

Louis Vuitton Celebrates Keith Richards' Lush Life

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping, Books, Luxury Shopping

Louis Vuitton is celebrating legendary rocker Keith Richards' "personal journey" with the sale of his hotly-anticipated new memoir LIFE. Described as "the definitive rock autobiography," the book will be available on the Louis Vuitton website and at key stores across North America, including Fifth Avenue (NYC), Rodeo Drive (L.A.), Bal Harbour (Miami), Union Square (San Francisco), and City Center (Las Vegas). The relationship between Richards and Vuitton began in 2008 when the Rolling Stone stalwart was featured in an ad for the brand (above) photographed by Annie Leibovitz, which pictured him posing with a custom Vuitton guitar case. LIFE (published by Little, Brown) covers Richards' early days listening obsessively to Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records, his meteoric rise to fame with The Rolling Stones, and the rockstar lifestyle that made him an icon of elegant debauchery along with bandmate Mick Jagger.

Gallery: Keith Richards LIFE

Tags: ad campaigns, Annie Leibovitz, autobiography, Keith Richards, Louis Vuitton, luggage, luxury goods, Mick Jagger, music, rock and roll, rock star

Custom Louis Vuitton Stereo Speakers

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Gadgets

Michigan-based Leon Speakers, makers of bespoke high-fidelity home theater speaker systems, have come out with the ultimate in audio haute couture: a pair of custom-made Louis Vuitton speakers. The company produced the one-off creations using Vuitton's famed monogram canvas for a fashionable audiophile. Leon can custom make all components to meet a client's whims and match the decor of a room or a favorite collection, using including exclusive wood finishes, metal and leather. The company has made speakers to match a customer's collection of classic cars and others to go with a collection of modern art. The speakers are designed to sound as good as they look with top-end acoustic engineering.

[via BornRich]

Tags: audio, bespoke, Leon Speakers, Louis Vuitton, music, speakers

BOQARI Q1 Couture Earbuds

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

BOQARI is a unique brand aiming to redefine modern day adventure by providing gear that makes living out your dreams possible. My favorite item from their 2010 collection is the new Q1 couture earphones. Available in four different colors they feature industrial chic styling and an all-metal housing handcrafted for optimum acoustics. Technical specs include a finely tuned resonance chamber, wide spectrum titanium drivers, rare earth cobalt magnets, finely spun copper coil and air flow via a laser-cut base port. The outside is finished with a colored satin layer that shows through to the shimmery platinum thanks to a pretty pattern of meticulously cut grooves and facets.

I was able to try a pair of BOQARI Q1 out and found them to be just as attractive in person as they look in the photos, plus they were fun to handle, fit great, and delivered really awesome sound. They also come in a handy, convenient, and tight little zippered carrying case complete with every size earbud tips you can imagine for a perfect fit. $99

Gallery: BOQARI Q1 Couture Earbuds

Source

Tags: boqari, earbuds, music, review, reviews

Vegas Deal Will Make Madonna a Billionaire

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Madonna is poised to become a billionaire thanks to an offer of a five-year performing residency in Las Vegas. The deal, valued at $1 billion, is being brokered by Las Vegas officials looking to give the beleaguered town a boost and restore its tourist traffic, the London Sun reports, and would likely involve appearances at more than one glitzy casino. The arrangement is similar to ones that Celine Dion, Elton John and Cher have had in the past though much more lucrative. Madonna, who is already the fourth highest earning female entertainer in the world, would join Oprah on the very short list of celebrity female billionaires if she decides to sign on the dotted line. The megabucks payment would totally eclipse her previous earnings; in 2007, she signed a ten-year contract worth a measly $125 million with promoter Live Nation.

Tags: billionaire, casino, celebrity, Celine Dion, entertainment, Las Vegas, Madonna, music, Oprah

The Beatles' Piano and Jackie O's Jewels at Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Auctions, Celebrity Shopping

A Challen upright piano from London's famed Abbey Road studios used by The Beatles to record some of their best-known tracks and items of Jackie Kennedy Onassis's jewelry are among the starring attractions at Bonhams' Pioneers of Popular Culture sale on August 15th at the UK's inaugural Goodwood Vintage Festival celebrating five decades of British Cool. The piano, which features on several Beatles songs including Paperback Writer and Tomorrow Never Knows was located in Studio Three at Abbey Road until it the 1980s, and it was also used by Pink Floyd on a number of recordings including the Wish You Were Here and Dark Side of the Moon albums.The pre-sale estimate for the piano is £100,000–£150,000. Among the items of Jackie's jewelry on offer is a three-strand simulated pearl necklace which she wore during the early 1960s, estimated at £25,000–£35,000.

Tags: Bonhams, celebrity, Goodwood Vintage Festival, Jackie Kennedy, jewelry, London, music, pearls, piano, Pink Floyd, pop culture, The Beatles, UK

The Classicist: The Summer of Style Icon & Jazz Great Miles Davis

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books, Men's Style, The Classicist

Here at Luxist we write a lot about fashion and style, mainly in the form of luxury goods, but it's also interesting to look at the inspiration and influence behind what some people only see as pricey items in a luxe boutique. Some style influencers are well known and at times over-used; Steve McQueen and John F. Kennedy are two examples that spring to mind. Less well known but equally as influential among the tastemakers who decide what we buy as musicians – see Ralph Lauren's homage to Davis' take on Ivy League style here – is the late jazz great Miles Davis, who's finally getting his due with a new museum exhibition and accompanying book this summer.

Now through August 29, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is staging the first major North American multimedia retrospective dedicated to Miles. Entitled We Want Miles: Miles Davis vs. Jazz, the exhibition (designed and organized with help from the Cité de la Musique in Paris with the support of Davis' estate) combines image and sound to offer visitors a sensory experience inspired by Davis himself, who once said, "A painting is music you can see, and music is a painting you can hear." If you can't make it to the museum in person – or even if you can – Skira Rizzoli's book version (above) is well worth buying. The most comprehensive and lavishly illustrated volume on the jazz great to date, it chronicles Davis' life and his relationship to jazz and musicians surrounding him, on the heels of the 50th anniversary of his acclaimed album Kind of Blue and 40th anniversary of Bitches Brew.

Gallery: We Want Miles Davis

Tags: books, coffee table books, exhibit, fashion, jazz, luxury goods, Montreal, museum, music, Ralph Lauren, style

Continue reading “The Classicist: The Summer of Style Icon & Jazz Great Miles Davis”

Jay-Z Launches Roc Nation Aviator Headphones

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Celebrity Design

Jay-Z Launches Roc Nation Aviator Headphones

Jay-Z and his empire have branched out into headphones, appropriately. Available exclusively on Skullcandy, the Roc Nation Aviator is made with aluminum, stainless steel and polycarbonate and comes in white, black, and brown. The headphones feature a foldable design, an "optics-inspired" polycarbonate speaker housing, a pair of 40mm full-range mylar drivers with neodymium magnets, and a tangle-free nylon cable with an in-line mic and controls. $149.95 pre-sale only, to begin shipping on July 17.

[Via Engadget]

Tags: headphones, jay z, Jay-Z, music, Roc Nation, Skullcandy

John Lennon Lyrics Up For Auction

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

The John Lennon-penned lyrics to "A Day in the Life" are being auctioned by Sotheby's New York on June 18. "A Day in the Life" was the last song on The Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – in countries where it wasn't stripped from the album – and the first credited with making The Beatles true artists. Being a Beatles production, the lyrics and song also came with enough controversy to match its accolades.

These same lyrics have been auctioned before, and although bidding a few years ago in a Bonham's offering was said to reach $2 million, this time Sotheby's places estimates at anywhere from $500,000 to $700,000.

[Source: Art Daily]

Source

Tags: a day in the life, john lennon, music, paul mccartney, sothebys, the beatles

Review: McIntosh Laboratory MXA60

by Dan Roth (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

Back when shirts were velour and popular music's dominant beat was four-on-the-floor, just like your Super Beetle, high-end stereo systems were both the size and price of that beloved Volkswagen. If you wanted the highest quality sound, you went for a McIntosh Laboratory system, which would likely still be functioning flawlessly. For sixty years, McIntosh has been breaking new ground and serving up fine fidelity. The brand's name and iconic style is recognizable even by non-audiophlies.

When sonics are all that matter, it's hard to fault a rack filled with amplification, line stages, and sources. Most people, however, choose to sacrifice that last little sonic nudge in exchange for fewer obstacles to vacuum around. Small systems, even from audiophile brands, are fraught with compromise. They tend to sound as small as they are, but the tradeoff is that the unit comfortably fits on a shelf and can do everything the pile of iron in the big cabinet does, often with better ergonomics and a single remote control.

As it celebrates its 60th anniversary, McIntosh continues challenging itself, this time turning its attention to a shelf-sized audio system worthy of the classic glass front panel. When the press release about the MXA60 landed in our inbox, we were both intrigued and skeptical. Confident of its efforts, McIntosh arranged for us to go visit the MXA60 at the Natural Sound showroom in Framingham, Massachusetts. Natural Sound's Ken Zelin let us tie him up for a good portion of his day at the well-respected establishment, and gamely indulged our geeking-out.

Gallery: McIntosh MXA60

Source

Tags: audio, entertainment, hi fi, high fidelity, home stereo, home theather, mcintosh, mcintosh amplifier, mcintosh laboratory, mcintosh mxa60, music

Continue reading “Review: McIntosh Laboratory MXA60”

Basketball Inspired NBA Mix Master DJ Headphones

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Sports

If you love both music and basketball then you'll probably want to get your hands on a pair of these NBA Mix Master DJ Headphones, which are coming out close on the heels of Dr Dre's Red Sox Beats. Created by Mix Master Mike and claiming to be the 'greatest professional DJ headphones ever' there are 6 designs representing the Celtics, Lakers, Cavaliers, Heat, Knicks, and Bulls (see them each below) each in a numbered limited edition of only 100 each -- so no two are identical. The headphones have many features including supreme sound, cue control, a fold-able design for easy portability, and several patent-pending technologies to make them truly cutting edge. Get yours online via skullcandy.com or in select Apple stores (each design available only in its represented city) for $299.

Via ChipChick

Gallery: NBA Mix Master DJ Headphones

Tags: basketball, headphones, music, NBA

Sleek Audio's SA7 Earphones Go Where Your Ears - and Body - Can't

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

Sleek Audio has just released its SA7 earbuds, which use all kinds of military grade materials, specs, and jargon to deliver your rather lo-fi iPod tunes to your auditory canal: carbon fiber composite weave, milled aluminum core, titanium plate connector and screws, variable equalization system, and dual ultra-wide band balanced sonic cannons. That's right, sonic cannons.

The two drivers inside are cushioned by silicone, and the structure can withstand 14,000 times the force of gravity. Needless to say, 14,000 Gs is well beyond the point at which you would be unrecognizably dead. But technology doesn't limit itself to puny human boundaries. The pertinent specs: adjustable bass and treble ports, wireless functionality, and the ability to transmit another octave to golden-eared listeners. If your ears are worthy, you'll find them for $400 at Sleek Audio.

Source

Tags: audiophile, earbuds, earphones, music, sleek audio, Sleek Audio SA7, stereo

A Taste of Jazz at the Time Warner Center

by Amy Cortese (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Events

Last June, a bunch of the nation's mayors got together and declared April 9, 2010 Jazz Day. April is already Jazz Appreciation Month (you knew that, right?), but the mayors designated a special day to encourage jazz related activities and programming.

Apparently, the folks at New York's Time Warner Center got the memo. On the first ever Jazz Day this Friday, the center's renowned chefs will come together to serve up a feast inspired by Bebop, swing and New Orleans jazz, and the cities that made them famous.

Called A Taste of Jazz, the evening will feature dishes from some of the hardest to get tables in town: Masa Takayama's (Masa) Jazzy Duck – marinated duck with foie gras inside of a mooshu skin, and Missy Robbins' (A Voce) Citrus Cured Sardines and Fennel, an homage to her hometown of Chicago. Michael Lomonaco (Porter House Steak) will cook up a NY strip steak and NY cheesecake, while Landmarc chef Marc Murphy explores his French roots with New Orleans-style shrimp gumbo. Thomas Keller's Bouchon bakery will contribute sourdough Parker House rolls filled with single origin chocolate custard.

That's just a taste of A Taste. There will also be slow smoked ribs with molasses bourbon BBQ sauce; 3 cheese mac & cheese, collard green quiche with lardon and micro kale, and more -- not to mention Bourbon-mint Iced Tea Bebops.

What about the jazz you ask? Leave that to the capable hands of Walter Blanding, saxophonist for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, who will be leading a septet in jazz standards.

Blanding will also discuss his selections and perhaps tell a jazz tale or two. He might, for example, tell the story behind "A Train," the famous composition by Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington, which was inspired by the directions given to Strayhorn for his first meeting with Ellington.

Here are the deets for all you cats:

Time Warner Center
10 Columbus Circle, 2nd floor
Friday, April 9
6:30 - 9:00 pm
Tickets are available for $85 at www.circleoftaste.com
Directions: Take a taxi to 59th Street, Columbus Circle. Or better yet, Take the A train.

Tags: a taste of jazz, bouchon, jazz, jazz day, jazz events, jazz month, lincoln center, Masa, Michael Lomonaco, music, new york city jazz, thomas keller, walter blanding

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