“Protect the Land” is an anthem-like ballad that leans towards power metal with the addition of SOD’ characteristic minor chord dissonance. It includes politically charged lyrics that discuss the war that’s currently going on between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The band has always been interested in current events and their lyrics often reflect that.
“The big gun tells you what your life is worth
What do we deserve before we end the Earth?
If they will try to push you far away
Would you stay and take a stand?
Would you stay with gun in hand?”
Singer Serg Tankian croons with pronounced backing vocals by Daron Malakian.
The song comes with a video that shows various images of the fighting in Armenia along with footage of Armenian citizens and the band members.
Bassist Shavo Odadjian explains in a statement, “I wanted to show the unification of our people around the world for one common cause, illustrating the power in numbers. So we brought together people from all ages and professions who believe in and are fighting for that same cause.”
The second release, “Genocidal Humanoidz” is more frenetic, with an energy characteristic of “Chop Suey” and other early favorites. Lyrics are as follows,
“Terrorists we're fighting and we're never gonna stop
The prostitutes who prosecute have failed us from the start
Beating the devil
We never run from the devil
We never summoned the devil
We never hide from the devil”
Drummer John Dolmayan talked about how the band got together to record the songs. “I texted ’No matter how we feel about each other, no matter what issues linger from the past, we need to put them aside because this is bigger than System Of A Down and bigger than all of us… we need to do something to support our people’.”
Singer Serj Tankian adds a political view. “The aggression and injustice being perpetrated against the Armenian people in Artsakh and Armenia by Azerbaijan and Turkey is a human rights violation and a war crime.
“All of us in System realize this is an existential battle for our people, so this is very personal for us. What we need right now is for the world to put politics aside and support Armenia by sanctioning Turkey and Azerbaijan and recognizing Artsakh”.
The band accompanied the songs’ release with a lengthy statement detailing the conflict taking place between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The war broke out in September after Azerbaijan attacked Armenia with the support of Turkey. The band said in their statement that regimes are “committing genocidal acts with impunity” in a time when elections, civil unrest and the coronavirus pandemic distract the rest of the world.
Looking forward, the band has tour dates booked for 2021. There is no word on whether there will be a full album to accompany the new tracks.
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Researchers based their findings on a test event with 1200 attendees present. The study was conducted in a well ventilated space. Participants were ordered to wear masks and stay a good distance apart from each other in their seats.
The study was conducted in Leipzeg. Volunteers were tested for the virus prior to the study and given temperature checks at the door. Each participant was given a hand disinfectant laced with florescent dye and a digital location tracker.
Various social distancing scenarios were simulated during the 10 hour study. Attendees visited the bathrooms and simulated buying food and drink from the venue.
Participants were not distanced in one scenario, partially distanced in a second scenario and strictly distanced in a third.
Results showed that the chances of getting the coronavirus at such an event were ‘low to very low’.
“There is no argument for not having such a concert,” said Dr. Michael Gekle, part of the team at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg who conducted the study. “The risk of getting infected is very low.”
The study was posted online and announced at a news conference on Thursday but has not yet been peer reviewed.
The test event was the first of its kind to closely examine how the virus might be transmitted at concert venues. The global entertainment industry has been paying careful attention to the results in the hopes that this might be a positive step towards reopening venues.
However, the results of the study are being met with skepticism as experts are saying more research is needed before anything conclusive can be arrived at. Dr. Gabriel Scally, president of epidemiology and public health at the Royal Society of Medicine said the findings were ‘useful’ but it may be difficult to replicate the situations that might take place at real life events.
Event organizers are accepting the news with cautious optimism. Emily Eavis, co-organizer of the Glastonbury Festival says, “Obviously if masks are going to work for larger gigs then that’s big progress. We are hoping for more news by the end of the year.”
Researchers in other countries will also be conducting research in the hopes that nightlife might soon return to normal.
Marta Pallares, a spokeswoman for Primavera Sound, an annual festival in Spain released the following statement. “We are monitoring closely and with huge interest all the similar initiatives in Europe”.
Primavera Sound organizers are conducting a study to test whether rapid coronavirus testing will be an effective screening measure for live music events.
It is hopeful that all these tests and studies lead to the much-needed return of live music and the reopening of the music industry.
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The three churches he burned down were St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre, Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas. The crimes were committed between March 26 and April 4, 2019.
In addition to being a heavy metal musician in the black metal band Vodka Vultures, Matthews was also the son of a local sheriff’s deputy. The law was tipped off when the musician decided to post photographs and video on Facebook after burning the first two churches.
After being investigated, officials traced three gas cans found at one of the burned churches to a local Walmart. After reviewing credit card receipts and surveillance video, they were able to further link Matthews to the crime.
The churches were razed to the ground but, because the arson took place at night, nobody was inured.
The judge cleared Matthews of hate crimes but found him guilty of three counts of arson of religious buildings and one count of using fire to commit a federal felony.
Matthews pled guilty to the crimes and wanted congregants of the church to know he had since found faith in the lord.
Prior to the trial, defense attorneys called in clinical psychologist and professor at Louisiana State University, Mary Lou Kelley, to evaluable Matthew’s mental state before he testified. He was found to be suffering from untreated depression, social anxiety, arrested social development and avoidant behaviors stemming from a fear of social rejection. It was also found that the defendant had a history or drug and alcohol use and got drunk before setting the fires.
"His mother continuously told him to pray and it'll get better. ... He was angry at God because his prayers weren't heard. I think if he had gotten the mental health services he needed he would not be here today," Kelly stated.
The Louisiana musician was inspired to commit the crimes by a slew of church burnings that took place in Norway in the 1990’s. In 1992 Norwegian teenager and member of a black circle cult, Kristian “Varg” Vikernes began recording music under the name Burzum and was moving forward to start recordings with his band Mayhem.
In a promotional stunt, Vikernes began setting fire to historic wooden stave churches. He called his next EP Aske (Norwegian for ashes) and put a photograph of the charred church on the album cover. Each copy of the album came with a free cigarette lighter.
In response, many teens followed suit and several Norwegian churches were burned.
Following the Louisiana arson fires, churches and religious groups throughout the state and country set up a GoFundMe to help rebuild the churches. With donations totaling more than $2 million, it is looking like there is hope in sight.
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The book includes 350 rare photos of Barrett and Pink Floyd onstage and in rehearsal as well as some candid shots of the singer at home. It features his surviving artwork and love letters, notes and postcards he had written throughout his life. The new edition also has some never seen before artwork not released in the previous edition.
Members of Pink Floyd and Barrett’s family participated in the book’s creation and compilation.
The book, written by Russell Beecher and Will Shutes, is separated into five sections: “Photographs: Pink Floyd”, “Photographs: Solo”, “Letters”, “Art” and an introduction.
The introduction has pictures of Barrett with some of his paintings as well as a childhood photos from around 1949 or 1950. It explains how the authors compiled the book’s content through interviewing Barrett’s siblings and combing through family photos.
Captions of the photos were written by Pink Floyd band mates like Roger Waters and people that have known him and saw him perform.
Barrett co-founded Pink Floyd in 1965. However, by 1968, his erratic behavior caused the band to decide to move on without him. His personality changes may have been due to his increasing use of LSD although those who knew him suspected he was also suffering with schizophrenia.
Since forming the band, Pink Floyd recruited David Gilmore to help out on guitar. Gilmore took on a greater role in the band after Barrett’s departure. However, even after Barrett split, his bandmates continued to play a role in his professional life. Gilmour and Waters co-produced Barrett’s solo debut “Madcap Laughs” while Gilmour and Richard Wright (also a Pink Floyd member) co-produced his second and final LP “Barrett”.
Musically, Barrett was known for his free form guitar playing and his use of dissonance, echo, distortion, feedback and studio effects.
Barrett was active in the music industry for less than 10 years. He withdrew completely in 1972 and retired from public life. He guarded his privacy carefully while dedicating his time to painting and gardening.
Pink Floyd continued to keep Barrett in their hearts. They wrote the song “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” for him. The Wall” was also said to be loosely based on Barrett’s character.
In 1988, record label EMI put out on album of unreleased Pink Floyd tracks and outtakes called “Opel” with Barrett’s approval. The album compiled tracks Barrett made with the band between 1968 and 1970.
Barrett died of pancreatic cancer in 2006. He will always be known as a mysterious and troubled figure who shaped the world of classic rock.
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The track is aggressive with a droning onslaught of guitar accompanied by tribal drums with some electronic elements thrown in. It also features a funky breakdown. As the song blasts on, Zombie chant/sings the lyrics:
“King Freak drinking blood in the arena
King Freak taste the vectors of disease
King Freak destroy you while you’re on your knees”
The release of the song is accompanied by a video that features footage of the band playing the song as well as vintage horror show clips. Zombie’s band is dressed up in ghoulish costumes. The video has a sepia toned old school vibe which is exactly what you’d expect of the rock star turned horror film maker turned rock star.
While you may have to wait a few months for the full album, you can buy the seven inch today. He is releasing the track on vinyl along with the B side “The Serenity of Witches”. The full album is available for preorder.
Lunar Injection will be Zombie’s first new album since “The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser” which came out in 2016. The new record was produced by Zuess who also produced Electric Warlock.
Since his last release, Zombie has been busy focusing on his film career. He released “31” in 2016. In 2019, he released “3 from Hell”, the final installment of his Firefly trilogy.
Those who have previewed the new album say you can look forward to high energy tunes like “The Eternal Struggles of the Howling Man” and “Get Loose” as well as groove oriented thumpers like “Shadow of the Cemetery Man” and “Shake Your Ass – Smoke Your Grass”.
Zombie had several live performance dates he was scheduled to play in 2020 but they have all been canceled due to the pandemic. His web site does not list any new dates for 2021, but with a new album out soon, they are sure to be coming.
Rob Zombie started playing music in New York clubs in 1985 with his band White Zombie. Since then he has developed into a solo artist, shock rock icon and horror filmmaker. He is a seven time Grammy nominee and he has sold fifteen million albums worldwide. He stands out as one of the only artists to reach high levels of success in both film and music. Eight of his films had a worldwide gross of over $150 million.
It’s great to see that Zombie is still going strong. We look forward to hearing more off the new album.
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Unlike American Idol and the many others of its kind, this show will feature aspiring artists doing original music only. The judging panel will include a refreshing cast of characters such as shock rock icon Alice Cooper, Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, Bush’s Gavin Rossdale, Animals as Leaders guitarist Tobin Abasi and singer songwriter Bishop Briggs. Sleeping with Sirens frontman Kellin Quinn and Sirius XM’s Caity Babs will be taking over hosting duties and interviews with contestants will be done by former MTV correspondent Matt Pinfield.
“I can’t wait for No Cover,” says Alice Cooper. “To me, a band really isn’t a band unless they are writing their own material, and if you know anything about me you know that I have a very high standard for not only the songs but also the performance. I’m looking for the band who has it all - the one who can not only write it and play it, but perform it and make me BELIEVE it.”
“I’m beyond excited to join my friends, peers and fellow rockers as a judge for Hit Parader’s music competition TV show No Cover. I hope that my passion and experience will help to inspire and encourage these young bands to carve out their own path in this world,” adds Lzzy Hale.
The show was launched by Hit Parader and created by Sumerian Records’ Ash Avildsen and Golden Gods producer Josh Bernstein. It will be filmed at West Hollywood’s legendary venue, the Troubadour. This will make for some much needed revenue for the venue which has been in danger of going out of business due the pandemic.
Other scenes will be filmed at the famous Sunset Marquis Hotel, also located in West Hollywood.
Winners of the show will win a massive prize pack that includes a six figure recording contract with Sumerian Records, a booking contract with UTA, management from the Shelter Music Group, high profile festival slots via Danny Wimmer Presents, studio time at Nightbird Recording Studios (which is located inside the Sunset Marquis Hotel), new gear from Gibson, licensing opportunities and more.
Unsigned bands and solo artists from all over the world are encouraged to enter for a chance to perform live on the show by filling out an application. Entries are open to the general public. Hopeful contestants must pay a fee to be considered. They must submit original songs, photos and videos for the show’s producers to choose from. They will be judged on originality, presence and songwriting skills.
There is no word as of yet as to when the show will be premiering and on what platforms. Keep your eyes and ears open for more details.
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“Zappa” is directed by Alex Winter (of Bill & Ted). It is a long in the works film and the first documentary on bizarre singer songwriter Frank Zappa to be met with the approval and cooperation of the Zappa estate. It features tons of never seen before home movies, interviews and live footage. It explores Zappa’s personal and professional life including his political stances, his battles with the PMRC and his attempts to run for president.
The movie includes appearances by Zappa’s widow Gail as well as musical collaborators and friends Mike Keneally, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Bunk Gardner, David Harrington, Scott Thunes, Ruth Underwood, Ray White and more.
“Alex Winter has created an amazing documentary,” said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles. “Zappa is an incredibly nuanced and compelling look at the visionary iconoclast and the environment that formed him.”
Winter, a former child actor who helmed the recent docu Showbiz Kids added, “This is the most ambitious project I’ve ever worked on, with a couple years of archival preservation in addition to several years to make the film itself. This isn’t your typical music doc but rather a multi-faceted narrative that aims to bring this complex artist to life. Magnolia, with its long and distinguished history of platforming great cinema, is the perfect home for Zappa.”
Winter also gets production credit for the film alongside Glen Zipper, Ahmet Zappa, John Frizzell, Devorah DeVries and Jade Allen. Robert Halmi and Jim Reeve of Great Point Media are named as executive producers.
Ahmet Zappa, Frank’s son, had this to say about his role in the film. “I'm thrilled Magnolia is bringing the ZAPPA movie to the world. This emotional journey began with my mother’s belief in Alex Winter and he’s made an extraordinary film. I’m so grateful to the fans who contributed to the Kickstarter campaign. Their support was invaluable as is our partnership with UMG. I feel in my heart Frank and Gail would be so proud of the documentary and I can’t wait for everyone to see it!”
Zappa was a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer. He was known for his musical virtuosity and his satire of American culture. During his 30 year plus career, he composed over sixty albums of music that integrated elements of jazz, rock, pop, fusion and classical.
He may have summed up his image best in a voiceover in the documentary where he says “We were loud, we were coarse, and we were strange.”
Zappa died of prostate cancer in 1993, just days before his 53rd birthday. After his death, he was hailed as a genius and won several posthumous honors and awards. He was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. He won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. He ranked as number 36 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock in 2000. In 2004, Rolling Stone listed him as number 71 on their “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” and as number 22 on their “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” in 2011.
Zappa will release on November 27 and will be viewable in theaters and on demand.
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The video shows Black at home singing the song in the studio dressed as various Rocky Horror characters. The musicians playing on the track are also featured laying down the various tracks from their own studio. Guest star celebrities come in to sing the lines,
“It’s just a jump to the left
And then a step to the right
You put your hands on your hips
And bring your needs in tight”.
The all star cast includes recognizable faces like Elizabeth Warren, Karen O., Susan Sarandon, Eric Andre, Phoebe Bridgers, Reggie Watts, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sarah Silverman, John Waters, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ezra Miller, Ilana Glazer, John Heilemann, George Takei, Michael Pena, Peaches and King Princess.
The video also has vintage clips from the movie along with the animated word “Vote” inserted.
In addition to the video being up for viewing on various media platforms, fans can also preorder a copy of the vinyl version of the song with all proceeds of sales going to Rock the Vote.
And that’s not the only way the Rocky Horror show will be incorporated into the political campaign. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin will be hosting a Rocky Horror Show Livestream on October 31 at 9 PM CST. The event will feature an all star lineup including original cast members Tim Curry, Barry Bostwick and Nell Campbell. Also set to appear are Connie Britton, Wilmer Valderrama, Lance Bass, Rosario Dawson, Jason George, Seth Green, Jason Alexander and David Arquette.
There will also be performances by the Dresden Dolls, Miss Peppermint, Eiza Gonzalez, Josh Gad, Ben Barnes, Jenna Ushkowitz, Rachel Bloom, Karen Olivo, Marissa Jaret, Winokur, Madison Uphoff, Kalen Chase and Rumer Willis. Donations will be collected toward funding the Biden Harris campaign.
“Rocky Horror has been changing lives for decades, and now, with this reunion on Halloween Night to supercharge Wisconsin Democrats in the final stretch, it’s going to change the world again,” Ben Wikler, party chair for the Wisconsin Democratic party said of the event. “In the final sprint of this election, we don’t need a time warp. "
The event will be a rare appearance for Tim Curry who hasn’t been out in public much since he suffered a stroke in 2012. He has since been seen only a few times, once at a premier of The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s do the Time Warp Again in West Hollywood and again at the GalaxyCon Raleigh in North Carolina in 2019.
The Halloween event will be part of a growing list of Wisconsin Democratic Party hosted virtual movies and TV reunions. Others have included the casts of West Wing, Princess Bride, Veep and Superbad.
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Dando explains his motivation behind the memoir stating, “My life is a muddy river. I thought I should add more dirt.”
Gallery Books entices readers with the following summary “From starting out in Boston’s hardcore punk scene in the Eighties to becoming a Nineties icon as the Lemonheads lead singer, Dando is the embodiment of the golden age of alternative rock & roll-bacchanalian tours with the Lemonheads, two gold records, and all several lifetime’s worth of drugs, sex, and parties, Dando’s memoir will set the record straight on everything the media got wrong and include never-before-told stories from the tumultuous band history to what it was like to be famous in the Nineties before the internet turned everything toxic.”
The memoir’s editor, Alison Callahan went on to say, “I’ve long been a fan of Evan’s music. His shockingly honest memoir is a look inside the funhouse of his mind and a much welcome capsule of Nineties nostalgia.”
Dando, who now leads a semi-clean lifestyle in Martha’s Vineyard, further elaborates promising the book will reveal what really happened when he partied with Keith Richards and slept with Johnny Depp’s girlfriend. It will also cover his stint roadie-ing for New Age singer Enya and how he got fired for insulting her and a Glastonbury performance that went wrong due to drug use and a supermodel.
In between the sensational news, it will also follow the Lemonheads career that includes a series of well known 90’s LP’s including “It’s a Shame About Ray”, “Come on Feel the Lemonheads” and “Car Button Cloth”. After being the center of attention, Dando withdrew from the spotlight and the Lemonheads only released a pair of cover albums, entitled “Varshons”, over the last 11 years.
In other Lemonheads news, the band has also announced the rerelease of their major label debut album “Lovey”. It will be coming out as a deluxe reissue to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its 1990 release.
Lovey followed a string of punk releases on Taang! Records and was the Lemonheads’ first LP to be put out on Atlantic Records. It marks the band’s shift towards alternative rock and was the last recording to feature bassist turned filmmaker Jesse Peretz. It was a prelude to the Lemonheads’ 1992 LP, It’s a Shame About Ray which would be a breakthrough for the band.
The reissue will also include live recordings from the band’s 1991 Australian tour as well as two LP/CD deluxe books with expanded liner notes and unseen photos.
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Fans can preorder that album here. The album will also include Cyrus’s covers of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” and the Cranberries “Zombie”.
Cyrus announced the official album release date on midnight of October 23 in a handwritten note that was posted on Instagram. In the note, she explains the reason for the album’s long gestation period stating, "I began this album over 2 years ago. Thought I had it all figured out. Not just the record - its songs/sounds but my whole fucking life. No one checks an ego like life itself.
"Just when I thought the body of work was finished it was all erased. Including most of the music's relevance. Because everything had changed,” she went on to write.
Miley also unveiled the album’s cover art which was shot by iconic rock photographer Mick Rock.
If Midnight Sky is any indication of the musical direction Cyrus will be going in with Plastic Hearts, she may be following more of a rock n’ roll path. Although the song is heavily synthesized, sounding a bit like classic disco, there is a distinct Fleetwood Mac influence.
Her move towards rock music is further evidenced by the covers she is doing on her album as well as her recent announcement that she is also working on a Metallica cover album.
It may have started when she stunned crowds during her performance “Zombie” at the Whisky A Go Go last year. Then she appeared singing two songs on the Chris Cornell tribute show, a performance that left even Lars Ulrich ‘stunned’. Many fans followed up commenting “She was born to be a rock star.”
Now, upon her decision to make a Metallica cover album she says "I can say yes to anything. It would take something really f--king crazy for me to say no. Wayne really opened that door for me, because I was on the 'Bangerz' tour at that time, where I was traveling the world," she added. (Wayne refers to Wayne Coyne, songwriter for the band Flaming Lips. The two performed together at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards.)
"Your levels of fulfillment and depression are so drastic, because you've got that two hours where you're fully captivated and reaching your fullest potential, and then when you come down from it, it's so hard. Having him and having that psychedelic music changed everything for me."
Cyrus also sites one of her biggest influences as over the top punk rock front man Iggy Pop.
Whether or not Cyrus emerges as the unlikely hero who saves rock n’ roll is yet to be seen. In the mean time, mark your calendars for the drop of Plastic Hearts.
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The cause of death is unknown. True Panther founder Dean Bein only reported that White’s heart had stopped. He died in his family’s Santa Cruz home on Sunday October 18. No additional details were given.
Girls front man and songwriter Christopher Owens took to Twitter to pay tribute to White with the following statement. “I hope you feel nothing but peace now my brother. I love you and thank you for believing in me, and for what you brought to the table. Always and forever, and I’ll always be proud of you… I’ll always remember you protecting Liza, Patrick, myself, and Beta from the jerks.”
Owens went on to credit White as a talented musician and producer and thanked him for helping with the launch and success of the True Panther label. “True Panther wouldn’t exist without you,” he said. “My life would be fundamentally different without you… Ten years on and I’m trying to catch the memories bursting out like drinking out of a fire hose. So many of them imbued with an air of mischief and chaos, of trying to figure out this weird new life on the fly. You made it difficult to be your friend quite often, but also easy to come back. I can’t count all of the conversations I’ve had with people that recount with a kind of shellshocked realness the feeling of being sucked into this Girls world, or your world — a bad kids army, feeling like it’s the only place to be, but you probably shouldn’t stay long.”
White was born and raised in Santa Cruz, CA. He grew up playing in punk bands and aspired to become a recording engineer and producer. Eventually he dropped out of college and moved to San Francisco. It was there that he met Owen and the two formed Girls in 2007.
In a few years Girls gained popularity and had a buzz around the country. Their first single, “Lust for Life” was a fun, jangly indie pop hit that was well complemented by Owens’ lyrics that sent a message of peace and love in times of madness and excess. Their first LP, “Album”, dropped in 2009 and was applauded by fans and critics alike. They followed up by releasing the EP Broken Dreams Club in 2010 which shared similar success.
In 2011, the band released their second LP, “Father, Son, Holy Ghost”. The album saw a new direction for Girls whose sound had expanded from its simple indie rock roots to encompass elements of prog rock, hard rock and soul.
The following year, Owens announced he was ending Girls. White later said in interviews that the news didn’t exactly shock him. He said that his relationship with Owens had changed in such a way that an end seemed inevitable.
After Girls broke up, White remained in the music business working as a collaborator and producer. He worked with Cass McCombs and Glitz and the Spectrals. He also worked in the studio with DIIV although those sessions have not yet been released. He also played on and produced Tobias Jesso Jr.’s 2015 album Goon.
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Lewis’ death was announced by publicist Bari Lieberman who posted the following statement, “It is with deep sadness and sorrow to report that Tony Lewis singer of the ‘80s rock band the Outfield suddenly and unexpectedly passed away yesterday.
“Tony’s music touched people around the globe for decades. (His) legacy will live on forever through his beautiful family and his legendary music,” the statement went on to say.
Lewis was born Dec. 21, 1957 in a working class neighborhood in London. He co-founded the Outfield with drummer Alan Jackman and singer/guitarist John Spinks in 1984. A year later the band became wildly successful with their release of the album “Play Deep” which featured their biggest hit single “Your Love”. The album sold 3 million copies and reached the top 10 on the United States Billboard 200 charts.
“Your Love” was written by Lewis and Spinks. Spinks had the original concept for the song but Lewis helped him develop it in a songwriting session. Reportedly the song was completed in just 20 minutes.
Those 20 minutes would pay off in spades as “Your Love” went on to become one of the most recognizable anthems of the 80’s. It was sampled more than 1,000 times by artists including Katy Perry, Bruno Mars and B.o.B. It averages 2 million streams on Pandora weekly and 1 million views on YouTube and Spotify.
Although “Your Love” was the Outfield’s biggest hit, they released other songs since then that saw their share of success. Some notable ones included “Sing You’ve Been Gone”, (not to be confused with the Rainbow song of the same name), “Voices of Babylon” and “No Surrender”.
Ironically, the band enjoyed more commercial success in America then they did in their homeland of England. They gained a lot of popularity due to the release of “Your Love” but success began waning in the early 90’s and drummer Alan Jackman left the band.
They briefly disbanded following Jackman’s parting but reunited as a two piece in 1998 releasing two live albums and the studio album “Any Time Now”. In 2011 they rejoined forces with Alan Jackman and released their final album “Replay”. They remained active until John Spinks died of cancer in 2014 at the age of 60.
On March of 2018, Lewis went on to release a solo album called “Out of the Darkness” which came out on Madison Records.
In addition to enjoying a successful career, Lewis also led a rich family life. He is survived by his wife Carol, his two daughters and his three grandchildren.
]]>The two filed for divorce back in September claiming there were no prospects for reconciliation. Although there was no official word given on why they divorced, rumor had it that Offset may have been cheating on Kardi.
Some also referred to the relationship as abusive. However Cardi denied those rumors saying “I’m not getting (expletive) abused. If we work things out, if we sit down and work things out and I tell a n— what I don’t like, what I want to change. When he tells me what he wants me to change, what he wants me to stop doing, we can do that. Why y’all trying to make everything abuse, abuse, abuse. Why? Chill?”
Now that the rapper has reported she is getting back with Offset, she is getting a lot of backlash from fans, so much so that she was forced to delete her Twitter account. She also took to Instagram Live to respond to the negative comments.
"Trying to control my life is not constructive criticism," the 28-year-old said. "That s— is crazy and weird. A whole bunch of 15-year-olds trying to tell me how to live my life, like I'm motherf—ing Ariana Grande or something. Like I came from Disney or something."
"So what y'all want me to do? Y'all want me to date a new n—a," she continued. "Y'all need to understand I'm not your regular average bitch. A regular average bitch can go f—k around with a n—a. She don't like a n—a, [then] bye. I'm not that. I'm f—ing Cardi B."
"Y'all is driving me nuts. That's what's going on," she added.
She went on to explain that her daughter was always asking for her father, another reason that prompted her to rekindle the flame.
Cardi B has touched on the issue on an invasive fan base before but in a much more humorous fashion. Now, with deleting her Twitter account and addressing fans on Instagram, things are getting real.
In other Cardi B news, the rapper continues to enjoy the success of her recent release WAP. The song, which features Megan Thee Stallion, is in its third week at the top of the Billboard Global 200 with 76.3 million global streams and 11, 000 global streams sold this past week alone.
WAP stands for Wet Ass Pussy. It has received critical acclaim for its sex positive message although some commentators criticized its explicit nature. It debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 giving Cardi B her fourth number one single in the U.S.
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“We have absolutely nothing to do with the Trump benefit today in Newport Beach. Zero,” Wilson and Jardine told the press, “We didn’t even know about it and were very surprised to read about it in the Los Angeles Times.”
News that the current version of the Beach Boys would be the main attraction of the event was announced on Sunday morning. It will be taking place in Orange County and tickets will range from $2800 to $150,000 for co-chair status. The version of the Beach Boys will be the licensed touring edition, a group that has been known to support Trump in the past.
The last time the surviving members of the Beach Boys performed together was for a 50th anniversary tour in 2012. After that, Love continued touring under the Beach Boys name as he holds the license for concert purposes. Wilson and Jardine have also been staying active performing Beach Boys material under Wilson’s name.
This isn’t the first time the members of the band have had political issues come between them. In February, Wilson and Jardine signed on to a Change.org petition urging a boycott on the touring Beach Boys after Love booked a headlining slot at the Safari Club International Convention in Reno, NV, an event that featured hunting enthusiast Donald Trump Jr. as the keynote speaker.
“This organization supports trophy hunting, which both Al and I are emphatically opposed to,” Wilson said in a statement at the time. “There’s nothing we can do personally to stop the show, so please join us in signing the petition.”
Love has supported the President publicly in the past and once posed for a thumbs-up picture with Trump in front of the Washington Monument.
“I don’t have anything negative to say about the president of the USA,” Love said in a 2017 interview. “We did attend the inauguration. [His version of the Beach Boys headlined one of Trump’s inaugural balls.] That was a moving experience. I understand there are so many factions and fractious things going on – the chips will fall where they may. But Donald Trump has never been anything but kind to us. We have known him for many a year. We’ve performed at some of his venues at fundraisers and so on.”
In other Beach Boys news, Love has been doing drive-in style concerts featuring actor John Stamos as a special guest. The group has been playing with Bruce Johnson in the current lineup. Johnson joined the Beach Boys in 1965 and is the only other veteran of the group playing with Love in the touring edition.
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In addition to appearing in the documentary, the song will also be featured on Blige’s 14th studio album which will come out sometime in November. It will be her first release on Republic Records. She calls the album “a testimony, a call to be strong and an anthem for a movement”. She went on to say it is “about life, struggle but mostly triumph.”
Writing credits for ‘See What You’ve Done’ are shared by Blige, DJ Camper and Nova Wav. Camper also produced the song which is on track to be a 2021 Academy Awards Best Original Song contender.
Musically, the song features Blige’s smooth and powerful pipes in the forefront. They are complimented by alternate dramatic piano sections and bass heavy backgrounds with a tribal beat. Lyrics of the song are as follows.
'Cause it ain't over, 'til it's over
It ain't over 'til it's done
'Til these shackles are broken
It ain't over
'Cause some wounds never heal, do you see what you've done?
Blige wrote the song for the Belly of the Best documentary which is directed by Erika Cohn and calls attention to the issue of enforced and illegal sterilization of Black and Latinx women at Central California Women’s Facility. It will premier on November 23 at 10 PM EST on PBS.
The release of the new song is not the only thing keeping Blige busy during the pandemic. She also landed a leading role in the spin-off to 50 Cent’s hit drama series Power, Power Book II: Ghost. Blige’s role will be that of a ruthless queenpin.
Both Blige and 50 Cent are excited about the collaboration. 50 Cent shared his excitement on Twitter saying, “I had to bring something big to Power, I went and got the best @therealmaryjblige to star in Power Book II “the show must go on.”
Blige is also looking forward to the reissue of her breakthrough sophomore album “My Life”. The album, which came out in 1994 celebrated its 25th anniversary last year and helped her secure the title as the Queen of Hip Hop Soul.
She is paying homage to the artistic endeavor by rereleasing it on November 20 in three formats: a 2 CD set, a standard weight black double vinyl set and a triple vinyl edition in translucent blue with a lenticular cover. It will also be available in digital formats.
The 3 LP edition will include bonus tracks featuring LL Cool J and Smif N’ Wessun as well as commentary from Blige.
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"Facts: I put out the CWBA. Both parties contacted me," he tweeted on Wednesday (Oct. 14). "Dems said we’ll address the CWBA after the election. Trump campaign made some adjustments to their plan after talking to us about the CWBA."
The CWBA is the Contract for Black America, a document Ice Cube called on politicians to sign back in July which laid out 13 areas for improvement regarding police reform, prison reform, bank lending and more.
According to reps, the rapper offered to meet with both Biden and Trump to discuss the “agenda for black Americans” in regard to the CWBA which “strikes at the heart of racism and presents a blueprint to achieve racial economic justice”.
“The problems facing America are too deep and wide to simply reform one area or another,” the contract reads. “Long-lasting solutions demand a comprehensive thorough ‘rethink’ of America so that each new approach in each area supports the success of the others. This Contract with Black America will provide conceptual approaches in several areas.”
Ice Cube also posted a video on Twitter on August 22 asking both parties, “What’s in it for us? What’s in it for the black community besides the same old thing we’ve been getting from these parties,” Ice Cube asked. “I didn’t hear anybody mention a Contract With Black America, and I don’t know why because it’s one of the most comprehensive reform documents that have come out in a long time that can really address the problem.”
The president’s administration absorbed some of the CWBA into the Platinum Plan, a plan that aims to increase access to capital in black communities by almost $500 billion by created 500,000 black owned businesses and 3 million new jobs for the black community. It also aims for strengthen immigration, improve healthcare and provide access to better education and training opportunities.
Fans were definitely depressed to hear about Ice Cube’s decision to work with Trump. “My hip hop HERO @icecube is working with the Darkside,” one fan tweeted. “I haven’t felt this low since Kobe passed. HEARTBREAKING. Cube, I’m not sure you understand how much we value your voice. And when we see you ”jumping the shark”, it kills us. Especially in 2020. “
Cube responded saying, “Every side is a Darkside for us here in America. They’re all the same until something changes for us. They all lie and they all cheat but we can’t afford not to negotiate with whoever is in power or our condition in this country will never change. Our justice is bipartisan.”
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Just as notable is the fact that the music was released on his own label under Republic Records making it the first Stevie Wonder release not to come out on Motown Records since 1962.
Wonder talked about the new music from his Southern California home via Zoom. He explained that the track “Where is Our Love Song” is one he began working on in 1968 when he was just 18 years old. He recently unearthed it and added new lyrics. The song is a bluesy, laid back ballad with a slightly jazzy feel. Gary Clark is featured on guitar. Proceeds from the song’s sale will benefit Feeding America.
The second track “Can’t Put it in the Hands of Fate” has a modern feel and a rap vibe. The distinct conga beat gives the track a tribal feel. Busta Rhymes and Rapsody come in for rap guest spots. Wonder’s bluesy vocals give the song its charm. The singer’s five children also appear on the track guesting on backing vocals.
Wonder explains how this song, which has been several months in the making, came to be, “When I first wrote it, it was about a relationship. And then I was thinking about where we are in the world and I was thinking … this craziness is unacceptable. We’re not going for it anymore. Change is right now. We can’t put it in hands of fate….. We can’t put voting in the hands of fate.”
The songs will be coming out on So What the Fuss Records, Wonder’s label, and will be distributed by Universal’s Republic Records. It is likely that the two tracks will be a part of an upcoming star studded EP which Wonder is still working on.
Wonder is also considering including them on an LP he has been working on for some time called, “Through the Eyes of Wonder”. He is also talking about eventually going back to Motown to release a gospel album he is working on called “Gospel Inspired by Lula” named after his mother.
During his interview, Wonder also spoke about the state of the world. “A group of people planned to kidnap and possibly murder the governor of a state,” he said, referring to the recent plot against Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer. “How did we get here? So-called Christians, how do you do that?… It’s emotional for me.”
“I want the world to get better,” he added. “I want us to get beyond this place. I want us all to go to the funeral of hate. That’s what I want.”
Wonder also addressed his health issues saying he was “blessed with a new kidney.” He confirms that he feels great. He closed the interview by playing an few bars of “Superstition” on the keyboard that was by his side.
It’s great to see Wonder still making music after all these years. Check out the new tracks to lift your spirits during these uncertain times.
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The footage in the video follows the band on their tour of Europe supporting the release of their fourth album. There is plenty of live footage of the band playing for packed rooms. You can practically smell the sweat when they rip through favorites like “Warning”, “Brat”, “Walking Contradiction”, “Geek Stink Breath” and others.
There are also many punk rock moments such as the time the band decided to drink champagne and eat caviar when one of the shows they were scheduled to play didn’t work out. There are also plenty of scenes of them goofing off on the bus and backstage.
In addition to releasing the video, the band will also be celebrating Insomniac’s anniversary by putting out a double LP reissue on translucent orange vinyl with bonus live tracks from a 1996 show in Prague. However, due to COVID production delays, the vinyl, which can be preordered, will not ship until 20021.
The band is also releasing some classic merch from the Insomniac tour including a 500 piece limited edition Insomniac archival giclee print from Winston Smith who designed the album cover. Sale of the merch will begin on October 12 at 3 PM on the punkrockart.com web site and proceeds from the sale will benefit the Alameda County Community Food Bank.
The band released the following statement about their decision to put out the documentary which can be viewed on YouTube by anyone who wants to see it.
"We wanted to do something special, so here is the biggest glimpse ever into the Insomniac era tours from 1995-96. Never before seen footage from Europe 95 tour and Live concert in Prague shot on 16mm film in Europe 1996 with the fateful last shows on tour before returning home to go back into the studio for Nimrod album sessions."
In other Green Day news, the band has been on hiatus due to the pandemic. Their “Hella Mega” tour, that featured supporting acts Weezer and Fall Out Bay has been rescheduled to 2021.
In the meantime, singer Billy Joe Armstrong has been keeping fans entertained with an online series he calls “No Fun Mondays”. Every week he releases a new cover song that he performs live at home. Favorites include “Manic Monday” by The Bangles, “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory” by Johnny Thunders and “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tommy James and The Shondells.
Armstrong is also reportedly writing lots of Green Day music while he’s stuck home with the pandemic. Back in April, it was reported that he already written six new songs for the band.
We all will have to wait patiently for this to blow over before we can hear the new music or see the band live, In the meantime, check out the documentary for your Green Day fix.
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Besides being well known hit makers, the members of the band are also social activists and champions of the indigenous people. With October 12 being Indigenous People’s Day, they decided it would be the perfect time to release the song which features personal influence Weird Al Yankovic and fellow Portland artist The Last Artful.
Portugal the Man lead singer John Gourley explains the reason why he chose to include Weird Al in the song. “I grew up listening to The Beatles, David Bowie, Motown, and “Weird Al” Yankovic, They are my pillars for music and now Al is featuring on one of our songs. Al is America to me. He is for everyone, he has the most diverse fanbase, the guy is in his fifth decade of hit records.”
Yankovic also gave his input saying, “I’ve jammed with them at Bonnaroo, I’ve produced remixes for two of their songs, and now I’m doing vocals on ‘Who’s Gonna Stop Me.’ Portugal. The Man are not only my friends, but they’re one of my favorite bands in the world, and I’m thrilled to be featured on their new single.”
Those expecting Weird Al to appear in the video as his usual, jovial self will be in for a surprise. “Who’s Gonna Stop Me” marks his first non-comedic and featured credit. In the video, he is shown in one scene where he creeps around a room and attempts to jump a fence while transforming into an animated wolf. This is in line with the lyrics that repeat,
“Sneaking out jumpin over backyard fences
Sneaking out jumpin over backyard fences
We’re all just lookin’ for freedom
I got an appetite for livin’ but the man gonna eat me alive”
Another scene shows Yankovic writhing on the floor in frustration.
The video, which was directed by Aaron Brown and Josue Rivas also features indigenous artists and leaders around the world expressing their culture as well as their frustrations. Another notable guest is Acosia Red Elk, world champion jingle dancer of the Umatilla people of Oregon.
Rivas describes his experience working on the video saying “Working on this video was all about the process for me, being able to collaborate and make something with Portugal The Man, Weird Al and our Indigenous relatives was healing. We are in a moment in need of weaving, collaboration, and building bridges. We are all future ancestors and when make things together, we are powerful. Tlazocamat.”
Portugal the Man released a statement explaining that the imagery in the video “represents the trickster and the maker of new worlds. The trickster is an archetype that can be found in nearly all indigenous and ancient cultures; the trickster not only is playful and a comedian but through their playfulness, they connect people.”
The song has a tribal beat that starts off subtle and becomes uplifting at the end. Check it out for yourself at the following Youtube link.
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Two versions of the track have been released, one featuring Nick’s voice and a piano. The song has a sparse, jazz like feel with a talk-sing style that erratically plays against the chords. It very clearly showcases lyrics that talk about a dream Nicks had where she was playing a benefit in the Hamptons for the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Kennedys. She asks the leaders for guidance for the future.
At the end of the song, Nicks meets a shadow that represents her mother who worked at a prisoner war base outside of Phoenix. The figure tells her, “Don’t forget what we are fighting for”. These are words that Nicks’ mother repeated to her throughout her life and they are also repeated throughout the song.
Other lyrics are as follows:
Someone said, ‘Sing us a song, there’s a piano
And handed me a drink
The room was full of hope
A song would set them free”
For the second version of the song, Nicks is accompanied by a full band including Dave Grohl on drums and Dave Stewart on guitar. The song is upbeat and has an adult contemporary vibe. Both tracks were produced by Greg Kurstin.
In an interview Nicks gave to Rolling Stone, she revealed that she wrote the song in 2008 when she was in St. Charles, Ill editing a concert film. While there, she watched several historical documentaries about the political figures in the song. These films gave her inspiration.
“I watched it all,” Nicks explained. “Then, what happened was, one night I went to bed and I had this dream. I dream a lot, but I almost never remember the dreams. I’ll wake up and I’ll go, ‘I remember a train with some people smiling and waving at me that went by really fast,’ and that’s it. This dream was so really real that there was a little bit of me, for a minute, when I sat up was like, ‘Did that just really happen?’ So I wrote it down just in prose. I didn’t write it down in a seven verse poem. I wrote down what had happened.”
According to Nicks, she was considering putting “Show Them the Way” on her 2011 album, “In Your Dreams”, but she decided it didn’t go with the other songs on the album. She put it out now because she feels like it’s a good time to have it out in the world. “I think the world is calling for it right now,” the singer explains.
In other Nicks news, a 24 Karat Gold concert film will screen at select cinemas and drive-ins for two nights only later this month. Be sure to check out the film and the song to keep up with all things Stevie.
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The band was first accused of plagiarism back in 2014 when the band Spirit claimed that the opening riff of the Zeppelin song was stolen from their song “Taurus”.
In 2016, the court ruled in Led Zeppelin’s favor, but the case was reopened in 2018. The court once again ruled in the band’s favor but the plaintiffs attmepted to revive it once again. The Supreme Court responded refusing to hear the case ending it once and for all.
Stairway to Heaven is one of the most popular songs in rock n’ roll history. With millions of dollars at stake, the lawsuit was one of the music industry’s most closely watched disputes. The song has racked up 3.4 million pounds in royalties with 2.6 million pounds of that money generated since the case was opened.
Journalist Michael Skidmore originally took legal action in 2014 on behalf of late Spirit frontman Randy Wolf. Lawyers for Wolf’s estate claimed Zeppelin singer Robert Plant became familiar with the song when he heard it at a Spirit gig that he attended at a club in Birmingham in 1970, a year before Stairway to Heaven was released.
During the original trial, Spirit bassist Mark Andes testified that he met Plant at the show and hung out with him afterwards. Plant says he has no memory of the night because he and his wife were involved in a car crash on the way home. Apparently the car left both of them with head injuries after the windscreen of the Jaguar they were riding in smashed into the singer’s face.
Guitarist Jimmy Page says he never heard the song until people started posting it online to point out comparisons in 2010. “I knew I had never heard that before,” the guitarist claims. “It was totally alien to me.”
The jury rejected Page and Plant’s arguments. However, what swayed the case was the testimony of musicologists who pointed out that the descending musical pattern has been commonly used in music for centuries. One example was cited in the song, “Chim Chere” from the1964 Disney musical classic “Mary Poppins”.
Ultimately, it was ruled that the songs were “not intrinsically similar”. However, the fact that the jury was not permitted to listen to the Spirit song during the case as well as other alleged errors led to an appeal.
The arguments were considered, but in March of 2018, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld the original verdict stating that the errors did not warrant a new trial.
It is unclear why the plaintiffs wanted to open the case yet again, but the Supreme Court rejected their requests and the issue is now officially closed.
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Although many knew he was suffering with cancer, his sudden decline was unexpected. Sources that were close to the guitarist are now revealing that he was in a great deal of pain and experienced a rapid decline during his final days.
News of his death was reported by his son Wolf who tweeted on Tuesday, "I can't believe I'm having to write this, but my father, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, has lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning.
"He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every moment I've shared with him on stage and off stage was a gift," Wolf continued. "My heart is broken and I don't think I'll ever fully recover from this loss."
According to insiders, Van Halen’s cancer had spread to all his organs. Although his throat cancer was common knowledge, few people knew the extent of the illness. Reportedly, the guitarist had to get one third of his tongue removed due to the cancer and it had also spread to his esophagus.
Van Halen died at a Santa Monica hospital with his son Wolf, his brother Alex and his wife Janie by his side. Due to the pandemic, his family was committed to making sure he was fully protected throughout his illness.
Although Van Halen was a smoker and partied hard throughout his life, it was his belief that he got lung cancer due to the metal picks he held in his mouth.
“I used metal picks -- they’re brass and copper -- which I always held in my mouth, in the exact place where I got the tongue cancer,” the rocker was quoted as saying. “Plus, I basically live in a recording studio that’s filled with electromagnetic energy. So that’s one theory. I mean, I was smoking and doing a lot of drugs and a lot of everything. But at the same time, my lungs are totally clear. This is just my own theory, but the doctors say it’s possible.”
Many fellow musicians and celebrities are coming forward to pay tribute to Van Halen. Most notable is his ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli. The “Hot in Cleveland actress is Wolf’s mother and she was married to the guitarist for 20 years. The two remained close after the divorce.
Bertinelli took to Instagram posting an early picture of herself, Van Halen and Wolf along with the quote,
"40 years ago my life changed forever when I met you. You gave me the one true light in my life, our son, Wolfgang. Through all your challenging treatments for lung cancer, you kept your gorgeous spirit and that impish grin. I'm so grateful Wolfie and I were able to hold you in your last moments. I will see you in our next life my love."
Although the guitarist became a legend in and of himself, he is best known as being a founding member of the hard rock band Van Halen. He started the group in 1974 with his brother Alex. Since then, the group has enjoyed success with countless hits and blockbuster albums.
Van Halen is among the top 20 best selling artists of all time and they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of fame in 2007. The guitarist placed at number 8 in Rolling Stones’ list of 100 greatest guitarists of all time. This truly is a blow to the world of rock n’ roll but his music will live on in our hearts for years to come.
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The conference will be headlined by Warner Music Group chief innovation officer Scott Cohen and Water and Music researcher-writer Cherie Hu. It will also feature speakers representing Tik Tok, BMG, Triller, Sonos, Super Hi-Fi, Songtrust and more.
A highlight of the conference will be two panels dealing with video platforms that have played a huge role in launching chart and streaming hits. The first panel, “Music in a Borderless World” will host a conversation with Tik Tok head of music operations Corey Sheridan. Sheridan will discuss the ins and outs of organic user generated content (UGC), and how to utilize insights for marketing and A&R as well as the opportunities made possible for artists by Tik Tok and other streaming platforms.
The second panel, “Social Video Explosion” A Case Study from Right Now”, will feature Triller CEO Mike Lu who will be talking to Pex CEO Rasty Turek regarding the rise of the upstart platform.
The pandemic and its effects on the music industry will also be a major source of discussion. The panel “Explore the Livestreaming Era” A Sneaker Hit of the Pandemic” will feature Stagelt CEO Stephen White.
Another pandemic related panel “New Model Concerts” will be hosted by Juan Torres of live event management platform Prism and Dayna Frank, board president of the National Independent Venue Association. Frank is leading the fight to save venues under the #SaveOurStages campaign.
The relationship of music and gaming will be explored in the “Gaming is Another Musical World Panel”. The discussion will feature Roblex global head of music Jon Vlassopulos and co-founder of Minecraft based event design company Genesis, Antonio Di Puorto
“Mixed Reality & Music” will also focus on music and gaming. The panel will be hosted by Jaroslav Beck, co-founder of VR music game Beat Saber, Tom Impallomeni, CEO of VR DJ experience Tribe XR and Marlon Fuentes, founder of technology consultancy Creativas.
There will also be panels devoted to fitness and music. “Let’s Get Digital: the Music Explosion in Fitness” will take a look at how smart fitness devices are increasing revenue opportunities in the industry. Panelists will include Lauren Pufpaf, COO of Feed.fm and Ryan Vance, chief content officer of digital strength studio Tonal.
“The Future of Listening Experience” will take a look at the role podcasting has played in the music world. The panel will feature a discussion between Sonos Radio general manager Ryan Taylor and Super Hi-Fi co-founder Zack Zalon.
The conference will also be bringing back the well-attended Music Tech Investor Panel in which startup CEO’s receive constructive feedback from a jury of experts. Winners will have the opportunity to spread the word about their startup on the Music Tectonics podcast and during and “Ask Me Anything” session on he Music Tectonics community app.
A slew of sponsors have been announced as well.
General admission for the conference is $59 while VIP admission is $300. You can find more information on the Music Tectonics official website.
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The all girl K-Pop group was formed by YG Entertainment. Since debuting in 2016, they have been the highest charting female Korean act on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at number 13 with their single “Ice Cream”. They also reached number 24 on the Billboard 200 charts with their song “Kill This Love”. They have had the most top 40 hits in the UK among all Korean artists and have broken numerous online records throughout their career.
Now that they are releasing their first album, fans and critics are anxious to see how it will be received.
The Album, which dropped on Friday, is being called a collection of high energy versatile bangers. The songs include a collaboration with Cardi B for the track “Bet You Wanna”. Selena Gomez joins the group for “Ice Cream”. Other standout hits include “Lovesick Girls” and “Love to Hate Me”.
Critics are saying the album has a fun vibe although some tracks fall flat. It has also been said that the LP could be more cohesive overall.
Another thing fans and critics have been keeping their eye on is how well The Album will do on streaming platforms. In the past, the band has done well in terms of selling music, but they have been slower to take off on Spotify and other digital platforms. However, this time around, it seems fans are accessing the LP any way they can.
When it comes to Spotify, the tracks took off as an instant success with four of the songs (half the track list) making it to the top 25 on the streaming platform on the day it was released. “Lovesick Girls” got the highest placement at number 3. “Bet You Wanna” got to number four. “Pretty Savage” soared to number 8 while “Ice Cream” made it to number 10.
Lower on the charts was “Crazy on You”, “Love to Hate Me” and “How You Like That” which appeared at 17, 18 and 19 respectively. The final song of the album, “You Never Know” made it to 25.
Besides the new album, YG Entertainment has other big plans for the girls. They are planning solo albums for each of the members. The band is also busy working on their reality show “24/365 with Blackpink” which launched on YouTube on June 13. The show documents their 2020 comeback and features the members sharing their lives through vlogs.
On Sept. 8. Netflix and Blackpink announced that an all-access documentary “Blackpink: Light Up the Sky will be premiering on Oct. 14. It will cover the four years since the band’s 2016 debut and include video footage from their training days, looks at their home life and behind the scenes footage and interviews with the members.
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For those who are unfamiliar with the story, let’s start at the beginning.
Bushell is a young drummer from the U. K. who has been growing her following by posting videos of herself playing drum covers on her YouTube channel. In August, she posted a cover of the famous Foo Fighters song “Everlong “and challenged Grohl to a drum battle.
Grohl accepted and the two battled to the Them Crooked Vultures song “Dead End Friends”. The drum off video ended up going viral. Them Crooked Vultures in a band Grohl formed in 2009 with Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin).
Grohl then took is one step further writing a ‘superhero’ theme song for Bushell. He introduced the video saying, “OK, Nandi! You got me. You win Round 1. But I’ve got something special for you, something you’ve never heard before. Something I’ve never heard before, because I’m about to write this off the top of my head for you.”
He then busted out with a song with lyrics that included, “She’s got the power/She got the soul/ Gonna save the world with her rock n’ roll”.
During the video, Grohl was accompanied by his daughters Violet, Harper and Ophelia, aka “The Grohlettes.” The drummer signed off saying “Every superhero needs a theme song,” Grohl wrote. “Here’s one for you! Mad props to The Grohlettes for the background vocals.”
Not one to be outdone, Bushell then took to her music channel returning the favor to write a song about Grohl. She performed the song in her video in which she appears in a purple cape and superhero outfit playing all the instruments at once; so yes, there are three Nandy’s on the screen, one playing bass, one playing guitar and one playing drums. She is also featured playing keyboards.
Bushell introduced the videos saying “I wrote a song for you to say THANK YOU! I made up and played all the instrument parts myself, just like you! It’s called ‘ROCK and GROHL, The EPIC Battle’!
“I hope you love my song, as much as I love your song for me! Whoever wins this round, it’s been an HONOUR to battle you. The Rock Gods of old are happy! Thank you Dave Grohl and [Foo Fighters].”
“CHECKMATE!” she said, before adding: “The rock Gods are smiling upon us.”
In other Grohl related news, the singer/drummer has been staying busy during the pandemic. He recently began sharing autobiographical stories on his new Instagram account, “Dave’s True Stories”. Back in April he did an all-star cover of the Foo Fighters song, “Times Like These” featuring Dua Lipa and Coldplay’s Chris Martin which was released for charity. He also appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel Show earlier this year.
The Foo Fighters currently have tour dates set up for 2021.
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Brian Johnson is the band’s singer. He joined the band in 1980 replacing original singer Bon Scott who died of a drug overdose. AC/DC went on to become one of the few bands to successfully weather a lead singer replacement.
In 2016, Johnson was forced to leave the band when his doctor advised he stop touring due to hearing loss. Although he was still available for recording sessions, the band moved on adding Axl Rose to the lineup.
Rose finished the Rock or Bust tour with AC/DC after Johnson left and was rumored to be continuing on as their singer. There is no word on why this didn’t work out or how Johnson will get around his hearing loss issues for the remainder of his music career.
Drummer Phil Rudd started playing with AC/DC in1975 and played with them until 1983. He picked up with the band again from 1994 and 2015. He was kicked out of the band in 2015 for drug possession and a murder threat as well as rude behavior towards AC/DC’s staff.
There is no word on how these issues became reconciled but Rudd has since been reported as being apologetic for his behavior and has expressed wishes to turn himself around.
Bassist Cliff Williams joined AC/DC in 1977. He played with the band until his retirement in 2016. We assume that AC/DC made an enticing enough offer to make him change his mind.
The new/old AC/DC lineup is rounded out by founding member and band mascot Angus Young as well as his nephew Stevie Young. Stevie joined the band in 2014. He replaced his uncle Malcolm Young (Angus’s brother) who retired from the band due to dementia.
The band has released a picture of the new lineup which was posted on their social media pages. The text on the picture announces the new lineup of the band along with a warning that says “Electric shock, do not open”.
AC/DC also claim that they have recorded a new album but its release has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The band’s close friend, Twisted Sister lead singer Dee Snider, confirmed that the album is completed with the following quote. “What will be achieved, the reuniting of the band that we know for one more album, is gonna be uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time. Because nothing goes on forever. But this is the ultimate ‘one more time.’”
The new album will be a follow up to “Rock or Bust” which came out in 2014.
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Although the story behind the legal battles that have plagued the band for so long are not completely clear, there were disputes going on between Bell and former members bassist Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera regarding the licensing rights and trademarks of the music, merchandise and live performances.
The parties worked out an agreement in which Bell would own the band’s rights and trademarks but would continue paying Wolbers and Herrera for using them. However, a few years after reaching that agreement, Bell filed for bankruptcy leaving the former members without the agreed upon income.
The case went back and forth and Bell was ordered to pay $214,307.24 to Herrera and Wolbers as well as $905.605 in legal fees. However, Bell continued fighting the case in court and the judge agreed that the new settlement was in violation of many of the stipulations of Bell’s bankruptcy discharge injunction. This would allow him to sue for damages in a case that took place last March. The outcome of that case is not public knowledge.
But the story did not end there. Once it was established that Bell owned the Fear Factory name, he moved forward with the creation and release of the band’s new album “Monolith” without the knowledge of guitarist Dino Cazares. This led to even more lawsuits, this time between Cazares and Bell, and as a result, the release of the album was postponed.
The upshot of it all is that Cazares won the lawsuit and the album will be moving forward, but now he needs to find a new lead singer.
In the meantime, Bell posted a lengthy statement regarding his decision to leave the band. He calls out a “dishonest representation and unfounded accusation of past and present band members,” and called the situation, “a toxic drama I choose not to be a part of.”
"It is after considerable, contemplative soul searching that I have come to the realization that I cannot align myself with someone whom I do not trust, nor respect,” Bell went on to say. “Therefore, I am announcing to my fans my departure from Fear Factory, to focus all my energy and attention toward the continuing success for Ascension of The Watchers, and all my future endeavors.”
Fear Factory formed in 1989 with Bell as the singer and he has remained in the band until now. The band released nine studio albums, the last one being 2015’s, “Genexus”. The new album, now called “Apochrypha” is due to release on Oct. 9 via Dissonance Records.
The show took place on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 8-11 PM EDT. Fans had a choice of watching from smart TV streaming services, the Farm Aid YouTube channel and AXS TV. It was also broadcast on Sirius XM.
All the performers performed at a venue of their choice. Carlile performed from a Pacific Northwest forest, Mellencamp did his set on a makeshift stage in front of an Airstream, Matthews choose to perform on the porch of a cabin and Young broadcast from a very active farm.
Young opened his acoustic set by saying, “Welcome to Farm Aid, everybody. It’s my pleasure to be here with you again this year and hopefully for many years into the future with Willie, John and Dave and all the farmers and all the wonderful people we met.
“We all love you and we support your work. We want your way of life to continue and to actually flourish again. No corporate farms, real farms.”
He then went on to perform a snippet of “Field of Opportunity”, “Homegrown”, “Harvest”, “Old Man” and “Everybody Knows this is Nowhere” to an audience of llamas, ducks and chickens.
Nelson was accompanied by his sons Lukas and Micah Nelson for his performance. His set including hits like “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die”, “Hands on the Wheel” and “On the Road Again”. When the singer sang the lyrics, “I can’t wait to get on the road again” it took on even more meaning due to the current pandemic situation.
Dave Matthews did a solo acoustic performance that broadcast from Virginia. His set included “Don’t Drink the Water”, “Rye Whiskey, Grey Street” and “Shadows on the Wall”. He introduced Rye Whiskey saying “Rye is a thing that people grow. And some of that rye gets turned in to whiskey. Funny enough I should say that because last night I might of possibly had a little too much of it.”
Previous to the event, Nelson was quoted as saying, “This pandemic and so many other challenges have revealed how essential family farmers and ranchers are to the future of our planet. Farm Aid 2020 is going to give the whole country a chance to learn about the important work of farmers and how they’re contributing to our well-being, beyond bringing us good food.”
The livestream ended with a montage of previous Farm Aid concert ending jams as well as a rendition of Nelson’s “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?”
Those who missed the event can still watch it on the Farm Aid YouTube channel. Donations can be made on the Farm Aid web site at any time.
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The first song, “Confessions of a Dopamine Addict” is moody and subtle with lyrics set against a dark electronic background. Lyrics are as follows, “Love is easy, whichever way you start/Take the diamonds, slice it through your hearts/And watch what color bleeds.”
“Wrath” has a similar feel but the music is more textured and upbeat. It has a somewhat Calypso feel. Here are some sample lyrics from the song. “If there’s heaven, there’s a place for us/There’s a teenage dream,”
The previously released “Colour of Love” is the most pop oriented of the three and pays tribute to the dark, new wave styles of the 80’s. Its opening lyrics are as follows, “If I had to paint a picture/ To show the world how true love can really be/I would use the brightest colors/ To paint a picture of harmony.”
The full album is scheduled to be released on November 27. Corgan describes it as a “dystopic folly. One soul against the world sort of stuff, set against a backdrop of shifting loyalties and sped-up time. To me it stands as both hopeful and dismissive of what is and isn't possible with faith," the singer explains.
Although it is difficult to tell what “In Ashes” will be about based on the previously released trailer, it seems to have a similar theme to the album. Corgan describes the series saying, “The original story is something I’ve written and although it’s (mostly) lighthearted, In Ashes does address many things we face each day, that is… if… we live in dystopia, or paradise, or both. The choice, some say, is yours; and could even be a quantum issue.”
In Ashes will feature songs off the “Cyr” album. The second series will serve as a music video for “Colour of Love”.
The album marks the band’s second release since ¾ of the original lineup reunited to record 2018’s “Shiny and Oh So Bright Vol. 1/LP: No Past. No Future No Sun.” Guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamberlain are back in the band. Long time guitarist Jeff Schroeder is also joining the line up. The only original member missing is bassist D’arcy Wretzky. It’s believed the Billy Corgan will be taking over bass duties.
“Cyr” is currently available for preorder on the Smashing Pumpkins web site. In the meantime, you can check out “In Ashes” to find what Corgan’s creative mind has cooked up for us this time.
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Now, as organizers look forward to 2021, they are considering their options.
While many event organizers are choosing to go fully virtual, this option is not as simple for SXSW whose roster typically includes guests freely hopping from venue to venue to catch bands after conferences are held. However, they are seeing some potential in a partially virtual format and have announced, “The Music Festival will be curated by programming staff with priority given to showcase presenters and artists scheduled for the 2020 event.” They went on to say that there would be a similar process for the Film Festival and conference panels.
However, organizers still aren’t giving up hope on an IRL (or In Real Life) Option. “SXSW is working with the City of Austin and public health authorities on plans for a physical event in 2021. We will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
The festival launched in 1987. Since then, 2020 has been the only year they were forced to cancel.
Other major festivals are taking varying approaches when it comes to how they are handling the pandemic situation. The music and arts festival Bonnaroo, for example, will be hosting a ‘Virtaul Roo-ality’ festival this weekend which will feature a series of streams including archived performances from previous years (the Beastie Boys’ full length 2009 set will be aired) as well as newly recorded performances like a Dog Dance Party which is oddly sponsored by Tito’s Vodka.
The Farm Aid Festival is also happening this weekend and it will be entirely virtual with performances from artists and co-founders, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Willie Nelson. Nelson was quoted as saying "This pandemic and so many other challenges have revealed how essential family farmers and ranchers are to the future of our planet. Farm Aid 2020 is going to give the whole country a chance to learn about the important work of farmers and how they're contributing to our well-being, beyond bringing us good food."
Meanwhile, many music artists are moving forward more confidently rescheduling tours for 2021 while there has been no confirmation of a vaccine or any sort of treatment plan to successfully squash COVID. Elton John, Avril Lavigne and The SWANS are among artists who have rescheduled dates for as early as January 2021.
It is hopeful that these artists will be able to carry through on their plans and maybe SXSW will also be able to see their IRL vision become a reality. We can only wait and see.
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