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Watch Semi Precious Weapons "You Love You" Movie

New York glam rockers Semi Precious Weapons must be having the time of their lives. For the past months, they have been zigzagging the globe together with Lady Gaga who picked the filthy glamor rock stars as the opening act for her worldwide Monster Ball tour.

Semi Precious Weapons and Lady Gaga are anything but strangers to each other. In fact, they also shared the stage during Lady Gaga' rise to fame in obscure nightclubs in Manhattan's Lower East Side where Lady Gaga used to open for Semi Precious Weapons.

Lady Gaga's career has ignited since, while Semi Precious Weapons has continued to play shows and introduce a whole new generation of fans around the country to sizzling glam rock.

Semi Precious Weapons and Lady Gaga met again two years ago when I nominated them both for the MTV Logo ArjanWrites Brink of Fame Award. Semi Precious Weapons ended up taking the price, but Lady Gaga's nomination let to her very first television appearance during the live telecast of the show. (Watch the video of Arjan handing the award to Semi Precious Weapons right here.)

Justin, the enigmatic lead singer of Semi Precious Weapons, emailed me a note last night with a link to watch their "You Love You" movie on YouTube. The video features scenes from their global trek with Lady Gaga and clips from their debut album, the aptly-titled "You Love You." The video was shot and edited by the band's guitar player Stevy Pyne. Watch the video after the break.

Look out for Semi Precious Weapons debut record to finally land in stores next week. "You Love You" includes nine blazing trash-punk anthems that were handcrafted by the group with famed rock producer Jack Joseph Puig (The Rolling Stones, Beck, Green Day) together with executive producer Lady Gaga who adds her own outrageous, monstrous touch to the group's bare-knuckle, in your face sound.

Report from Lady Gaga CD Release Party

ArjanWrites reader Brian B. headed to NYC's Highline Ballroom earlier this week for Lady Gaga's official CD release party. The singer was performing together with a bunch of her pals including Semi-Precious Weapons, The Ones, Fritz Helder, The Daisy Spurs, Cazwell and Amanda Leopore. "I don't know much about Lady Gaga or any of the New York-based acts that opened for her, but the night proved to be fun, sexy, raucous and surprising," Brian writes me. Read on for this report.

The Ones:  Beastie Boys?  Keith Haring-inspired paint smocks?  Thoughts that came to mind.  But they were fun.

The Daisy Spurs + DJ Bill Coleman: I don't know what to think of this group, self-described as "gogocuntrypunkmashupelectrohouse" but I loved them.  So sexy.  Great mix of energy, music, and fun dancing.

Cazwell featuring Amanda Lepore: Several cocktails consumed, things are getting a little fuzzy.  The set featured two memorable moments. First, his hit song "I See Beyonce At Burger King," featuring an uncanny hair-teased look-alike, and a couple songs with the audacious Amanda Lepore.  It was the first time I've seen her perform and not just pout about a club.  She is a mainstay in this scene, and of course her clothes came off in the end.

Semi Precious Weapons: Loved these glam guys.  So much fun.  "Her Hair! Her Hair! Her Hair is on Fire!"  Though they have a big following already, they just earned another one in me.  They were my favorite surprise of the night.  Plus, I developed a big, fat crush on drummer Dan Crean.

Lady Gaga: Finally, Lady Gaga took the stage to a roaring and adoring crowd.  She performed five songs off her new CD including "Paparazzi," "Love Game," "Poker Face," "The Fame" and she closed with her hit, "Just Dance."  I have to say, she commanded the room.  In most concerts, my eyes tend to wander to the back-up dancers, but my eyes remained fixated on her.  Per your recent post, is Lady Gaga the next Kylie or Roisin? Doubt it. Butshe has a good run ahead of her and it will be fun to see her take off.

Semi-Precious Weapons Totally Loves You

Semi-Precious Weapons, the winners of the MTV Logo ArjanWrites Award, release their debut album "We Love You" today. It is a raw and rambunctious collection of infectious "kunty" punk pop that has fans in a frenzy. The album was produced by long-time Bowie collaborator, Tony Visconti. Not too shabby for a Brooklyn start-up.

"We Love You" will be available in three formats: single CD, single CD with necklace, and double jewel case with limited edition gun USB jewelry necklace (pictured below). The re-writable USB will include bonus content – two full length music videos, liner notes, photos, and wallpaper.

The inspiration for the USB package comes from SPW's crazy fun and uber-fabulous lead vocalist Justin Tranter’s hugely successful rock-inspired jewelry line, Fetty.  The line is available at Urban Outfitters, Fred Segal and Hot Topic; an exclusive high-end version is also sold at Barneys. 

"I started my jewelry line as band merchandise. It blew up and took on an amazing life of its own," explains Tranter. "Having a USB necklace that we made ourselves brings it full circle.  Kunty rock n’ roll jewelry that contains actual SPW rock n’ roll content. It’s like I made it up, it’s so fabulous, but it’s real!" (Click here to download "We Love You" on iTunes.)

Tune in Tonight! MTV Logo NewNowNext Awards

Tonight is the night!

Tonight, MTV Logo will be airing the annual NewNowNext Awards. If MTV Logo is missing from your cable package or if you live overseas, you can catch the entire show plus loads of bonus footage on NewNowNextAwards.com. All the action kicks off online at 8 p.m. ET with a pre-show program. The show starts at 9 p.m. ET.

Also, tonight the winner of the 2008 MTV Logo NewNowNext ArjanWrites.com Brink of Fame Song Award will finally be announced. Thousands and thousands of you have voted and a clear winner has emerged. Watch the show to find out from me personally who has won this award.

Just to refresh, these are artists are the nominees of the 2008 MTV Logo NewNowNext ArjanWrites.com Brink of Fame Song Award:

Chester French "She Loves Everybody"

Semi-Precious Weapons "Magnetic Baby

LadyGaga "Just Dance"

Hercules & Love Affair "Blind"

Heloise & Le Savoir Faire "Illusions"

Janelle Monae "Many Moons"

Thanks for voting folks. This was your award. Keeping it sweet & crunchy. Always.

A Few Little Bits About Justin Tranter

Justin Tranter is a rock god in the making.

The deliciously "kunty" frontman of New York glam-rock band Semi-Precious Weapons has been stirring up a sensation in clubs around the country and in the U.K. in anticipation of their debut LP "We Love You." The album will be out on Razor & Tie Records later this year.

I briefly ran into Justin and the band (at an escalator of all places) right before the taping of the MTV Logo NewNowNext Awards on Times Square last week. The group made a quick photo appearance before heading over to play a show at Irving Plaza.

If you're new to Semi-Precious Weapons, I pulled together a few little factoids about Semi-Precious Weapons and Justin Tranter to give you a bit more insight into this phenomenon on the rise.

Tranter likes to hang out at fancy hotel bars, because their managers often "get a little upset when men in full makeup dance around in 6-inch heels in front of all the nice people staying there for the week."

Three albums that had the most influence on Tranter are Patty Larkin's "Perishable Fruit," The Little Mermaid soundtrack and Patty Griffin's "Thousand Kisses""

The singer considers the the entire Mandy Moore catalog his guilty pleasure songs.

If he wasn't a performer, Tranter admits he would be "collecting cans and cashing them in at Key Food, because I actually did that for awhile and I was pretty into it."

Not only did Tranter release his very successful Fetty jewelry line , but he also entered into a partnership with Donna Karen to release his own brand of sneakers.

The first concert Tranter ever saw was a Paula Cole concert: "It was fucking stunning. She wore masks, growled, screamed, and sang her ass off. Actually it was kinda rock ’n roll."

Designing jewelry should come as no surprise as his mother is a designer of engagement rings. "She only does like ten to fifteen rings a year, but when they’re massive diamonds it ends up being a good time."

Head over to the Semi-Precious Weapons web site to stock up on Tranter merchandise, including "fucking gorgeous gloss" and a "genderless hoodie"

Great Britain's Princess Beatrice is a closeted Tranter fan and treated herself to $3000 Fetty ring at Barney's last week.

(Semi Precious Weapons is nominated for the MTV Logo ArjanWrites Brink Of Fame Award. Vote here.)