Sex, Drugs, Rockband

g4tv.com - The online capabilities of the Nintendo Wii have taken a step forward today with the announcement that a fully functioning music store for Rock Band is available on the system.

Starting today there are 50 Rock Band tracks available for download in the Rock Band Music Store. There are 20 free Rock Band 2 DLC tracks and 30 additional songs for purchase already released as downloadable content for other console versions. Each purchasable track will be available for 200 Wii Points ($2).

Harmonix also plans to release all 500 currently available Rock Band tracks for the Wii, and will release new tracks on Nintendo’s system, as well as on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
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Harmonix and MTV Games announced today that the inimitable singer-songwriter and producer Lenny Kravitz will bring four of his greatest hits to the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content. The multi-talented Kravitz has sold more than 30 million albums and won four consecutive Grammy awards for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance 1999-2002, setting a record for most wins in a single category. Kravitz’ classic rock star style and one-of-a-kind, smooth sound that blends the best of soul, rock and funk have left many to classify him as one of the most regarded rock musicians of his time.

The Rock Band “Lenny Kravitz Pack 01” includes three tracks from his 1989 album Let Love Rule including the title track as well as “Freedom Train” and “Mr. Cab Driver.” The pack also includes the title track from his 1993 album Are You Gonna Go My Way, which has been deemed one of Kravitz’ most successful singles.

This week’s addition to the Rock Band Music Store also includes two singles from Harmonix bands including heavy metal band Megasus and the lyrical stylings of Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives. Megasus makes its first Rock Band appearance with the single, “Megasus,” and Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives delivers its second track to the Rock Band music library with its song “Entangled”. The band’s hit “I Get By” was featured on the original Rock Band soundtrack.
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kotaku.com: Someone’s accidentally posted most of Rock Band’s January DLC lineup on the game’s forums. Oops. The listings were quickly taken down but, like an elephant, the internet never forgets.

Seems we have at least three bands lined up for the month. As we reported last month, Roy Orbison is coming to the game, and the Big O’s coming with six songs including “You Got It” and “Pretty Woman”. He’s to be joined by four Lenny Kravitz songs, which is three too many since the first will be “Are You Gonna Go My Way”.

Rounding out the leaks are two Steve Miller Band songs, “The Joker” and “Space Cowboy” (yes, these are two different songs). These of course won’t be only songs released for the month, but it looks like Messrs Orbison and Kravitz will have a couple of weeks to themselves.

Here’s all the leaked tracks:
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This week’s lineup includes a 3-pack from the legendary California punk rock band The Offspring, which features “Gone Away,” “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy),” and “Self Esteem.” The 3-pack joins previously released Rock Band downloadable track “Hammerhead” to make for a total of four Offspring tracks available in the Rock Band library of downloadable content.

In addition to The Offspring 3-pack the following six tracks will also be added to the Rock Band library of downloadable content: Against Me!’s “Stop!,” Free’s “All Right Now,” George Thorogood and the Destroyers’ “Bad to the Bone,” Harvey Danger’s “Cream & Bastards Rise,” Screaming Tree’s “Nearly Lost you” and Static-X’s “Push It.”

Each Track will be available starting October 7, 2008, for the Xbox 360 and October 9, 2008, for PS3. Each track will be available for $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) or $5.49 (440 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for The Offspring 3-pack.

Release date:

Tuesday, October 7, 2008 (Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360)
Thursday, October 9, 2008 (PlayStationStore)
Tracks:

The Offspring “Gone Away”
The Offspring “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)”
The Offspring “Self Esteem”
Against Me! “Stop!”
Free “All Right Now”
George Thorogood and the Destroyers “Bad to the Bone”
Harvey Danger “Cream & Bastards Rise”
Screaming Trees “Nearly Lost you”
Static-X “Push It”
Price:

$5.49 (440 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for The Offspring 3-pack
$1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track
(All tracks are original master recordings)

This week’s DLC proceeds are going to charity and the obvious choice is the Child’s Play Charity, which is run by Penny Arcade. The Pax 2008 Collection will go for a buck a piece and include the following tracks:

Jonathan Coulton “Skullcrusher Mountain”
MC Frontalot “Livin’ on the Corner of Dude and Catastrophe”
Darkest of the Hillside Thickets “Shhh….”
The songs will be available for download on Tuesday 9/2 for the Xbox and Thursday 9/4 for the Playstation and can be purchased for 80 MSFT pts/240 for the pack or 99¢/ $2.99/pack.

About Child’s Play Charity:

What is Child’s Play Charity? Since 2003, over 100,000 gamers worldwide have banded together through Child’s Play, a community-based charity grown and nurtured from the game culture and industry. Over three million dollars in donations of toys, games, videos, books and cash for sick kids in children’s hospitals across North America and the world have been collected since its inception. When gamers give back, it makes a difference!

Making music on toy instruments is tough enough on its own, but that goes doubly so when players have nothing to strum along to. Rush fans have learned that the hard way this week, given that the promised full-album download of the prog-rock act’s 1981 record Moving Pictures did not make it onto the Xbox 360’s Rock Band store yesterday.

The good news is that Harmonix is aware of the issue. “Just so you know, we know that Rush’s Moving Pictures isn’t up yet,” said community manager Sean Baptiste on the developer’s official Web site. “There is a technical difficulty that is being worked out. I’ll alert you when it is all clear.” The bad news is that, as of press time, Harmonix had not established a time frame for when the DLC will be available.

Rush’s Moving Pictures is the latest full-album download to be added to the MTV Games-published rhythm title. The track pack, which includes such classic rock-radio staples as “Tom Sawyer” and “YYZ,” is expected to appear in the PlayStation 3 edition of the game tomorrow.

Harmonix and MTV Games have announced that this week’s DLC will bring the “Roadrunner 6 Pack,” featuring the following songs:

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* Airbourne - “Runnin’ Wild”
* DevilDriver - “Clouds Over California”
* Dream Theater - “Constant Motion”
* Killswitch Engage - “My Curse”
* Machine Head - “Aesthetics of Hate”
* Megadeth - “Sleepwalker”

For one month, the six pack will cost 480 MS Points ($5.99), with each track going for 80 MS Points ($0.99). After that, the pack price will be jacked up to 800 MS Points ($9.99), and the single tracks will be the “regular” 160 MS Points ($1.99).

New tracks from Staind, Scars on Broadway, The New No2 and Testament will make their debut in the Rock Band Music Store on July 29. Scars on Broadway features the talents of System of a Down members Daron Malakian (vocals/guitar) and John Dolmayan (drums), in addition to Franky Perez (guitar/backing vocals), Danny Shamoun (keyboards/percussion), and Dominic Cifarelli (bass). The group’s first single to Rock Band’s download catalog, “They Say,” from their self-titled debut will be available for $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points).

Another debut this week will be Staind’s “This Is It” – the first single from their forthcoming sixth studio album, The Illusion of Progress. “This is It” will be available for $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360). The New No2’s “Yomp,” the first single from their forthcoming debut You Are Here will be available. The New No2 are Dhani Harrison (the only son of legendary Beatle George Harrison) and Oli Hecks. “Yomp” will be available for $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360). Finally, Testament’s “Electric Crown,” from their 1992 studio album, The Ritual will round out this week’s releases. “Electric Clown” will be available for $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points).

Well, the time has come, and on release of Rock Band 2 this September, it looks like we will need to update the Wish List. Some heavy-hitters are finally making their debut to the show.

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