New Kids On The Block

So, enough about CMJ. Enough about all these new bands with their new music and their new haircuts. What about some nostalgia, what about the stuff we grew up with, what about old music!?

Well, fret no more ... the Toadies are here. With the success of their 1994 debut Rubberneck, the quartet jumped from the semi-obscurity of Fort Worth, Texas, to the top of grunge’s junior class. If you don’t know the hits “Tyler” or “Away,” you’ll definitely know the creepy proto-punk anthem “Possum Kingdom.” After the Toadies toured the hell out of the record with Bush, the Butthole Surfers, and other long-disappeared kings of the alterna-rock nation, Interscope Records permanently shelved the band’s 1997 follow-up, Feeler.  read more »

CONCERTS

In case you were wondering what this year's official summer jam might be, wonder no more: A few days ago, People unveiled a taste of New Kids On the Block's comeback single, "Summertime," and as the title suggests, it is indeed all about the summertime, or, perhaps more accurately, meeting hot chicks in the summertime. Some of our favorite lines include, "I played it cool / The weather was hot / You had the beauty and the beach on lock" and "You wasn't lookin' for a man / When you saw me in the sand / But you fell for a boy from the city," and (here's the best one) "I was like, 'Hey girl, can i getch' yo' number?'" NKOTB plays the Meadowlands' Izod Arena on Sept. 23. (Pre-sale is on now, public sale starts Monday.) [On Sale: Monday, May 12]

The Smoking Popes never hit it much bigger than having one great song ("Need You Around") on the soundtrack to Clueless. But as far as '90s power pop bands go, it doesn't get much better. They play The Blender Theater at Gramercy on July 5. [On Sale: Friday, May 9 at noon]  read more »

In December, Barbara Corcoran told The Observer that if she wasn't invited to the Gods and Goddesses-themed holiday party, she would probably crash it.

We're actually not sure if Babs ever made it, but from the sound of this "event report," Corcoran CEO Pam Liebman was definitely in control of the festivities.

"Liebman then commanded everyone to “have the best time ever,” at which point New Kids on the Block’s “Hangin’ Tough” blared through the room. An intentional goof, the music stopped as soon as Liebman declared that the song did not belong at the party, and she needed the emperor to bring out a new DJ. Soon the emperor emerged (another actor), followed by a troupe of dancers, as the DJ switched the soundtrack to Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.” Then dancers dressed in Roman garb performed onstage, and the guards handed out red feather fans to the Corcoran employees."

Yes, this is where all those broker commissions wind up at the end of the year. (BizBash via Gawker)  read more »

-Michael Calderone