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deadmau5 and Wolfgang Gartner Announce First Collaboration in Eight Years, “Channel 43”
Coming soon to the airwaves is “Channel 43,” the first new collaboration from deadmau5 and Wolfgang Gartner in almost a decade. Immediately made clear to fans from its title, the new song is a sequel to their 2012 hit “Channel 42,” which appeared on deadmau5’s > album title goes here <. A short teaser video was shared on the mau5trap Twitter account, announcing the new song to the world. While you can only hear 15 seconds of music, considering each of their resumes and history working together, it’s easy to see that the duo is onto something special once again. Also revealed in the tweet is the fact that Gartner will be joining the mau5 at his Insomniac-hosted drive-in show in San Bernardino, California on January 3rd. Tickets ...
US Congress Set to Pass $15 Billion Save Our Stages Act for Independent Music Venues
As of Sunday, Congress has thankfully reached a deal on a $900 billion stimulus bill that will provide urgent aid to those most affected by the pandemic. The hard-hit music industry has been included in the measure via a designated $15 billion package called the Save Our Stages Act. The bill is expected to officially pass in Congress early this week. Through the provision, independent music venues and movie theaters—along with similar cultural institutions—will become eligible for grants through the Small Business Administration, with awards of up to $10 million earmarked for six months of payroll, rent and other necessary costs. Venues that have lost more than 90% of their annual revenue will be able to apply in the first two weeks before the process opens up to those who have lost at lea...
Alok Launches New Philanthropic Foundation, Instituto Alok
Dance music powerhouse Alok has started his own philanthropic endeavor, which will focus on supporting the vulnerable populations within his home country of Brazil. Instituto Alok came to fruition following a period of soul-searching that struck the superstar talent. Alok suggested he was in a depressed slump, but ultimately found a renewed sense of purpose in his ability to create opportunities for others through his music. “The idea of the Alok Institute is something very important to me, because it really is an idea that gives my life meaning,” Alok said. “I have already had some intense periods of depression for feeling emptiness, until I realized that the search for a purpose in life is essential.” Instituto Alok will focus on three foundational pillars: ...
Tulum’s 17-Day Zamna Festival Postponed Following Spike in COVID-19 Cases
Tulum’s marathon 17-day festival event Zamna, which was scheduled to kick off on December 31st, has been postponed following public concerns over the spread of COVID-19. Zamna Festival was feared to be a superspreader event in the making. Tulum has recently become a hub for music festivals playing it fast and loose amid ongoing pandemic restrictions, and has drawn visitors from the United States and throughout Latin America. Art With Me, a recent festival in Tulum, saw attendees dancing in crowds, and virtually no mask-wearing. The event was tied to a spike in cases, leading many to fear that Zamna would precipitate the same. Following backlash, Zamna’s organizers have postponed their next event until April, 2021. In a statement shared via the fest’s website and Fac...
King Crimson’s Robert Fripp and Wife Toyah Perform Eccentric Covers of Nirvana, Alice Cooper, GN’R, and Sex Pistols: Watch
King Crimson’s Robert Fripp and his singer wife, Toyah Willcox, have stayed busy in recent weeks with eccentric interpretations of classic heavy songs by Nirvana, Alice Cooper, Guns N’ Roses, and Sex Pistols. They’re the latest additions to the couple’s “Sunday Lunch” pandemic performance series. You may remember the couple’s utterly bizarre Halloween rendition of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”, which saw Fripp playing the song on guitar while Willcox sang and danced in what appeared to be a prison cell. Although the new covers aren’t quite as unconventional as the Sabbath performance, they still showcase the idiosyncratic talents of each artist. Fripp tends to handle most of the music, while Willcox sings and supplies interpretative dances, including a one-person mosh for Nirvana’s “Smells Li...
Playboi Carti Will Release New Album Whole Lotta Red on Christmas
Yes, it’s actually happening. Playboi Carti will finally release his long-awaited sophomore album Whole Lotta Red on Christmas Day. The Atlanta rapper has been teasing the follow-up to his visionary 2018 record Die Lit for over two years, revealing its title back in August 2018 and detailing it throughout 2019. Back in April of this year, he dropped its lead single “@ MEH”, which led many people to believe that the album would arrive before the summer. It didn’t, but Carti said that album was “turned in” to his label on November 23rd, and last week some eagle-eyed fans spotted promotional graffiti that seemed to indicate that Whole Lotta Red would finally be seeing the light of day on Christmas. In typical cryptic Carti fashion, the rapper has eschewed a tracklist ...
Talking Heads to Receive 2021 Lifetime Achievement Grammy
A month after revealing the nominees for the 2021 Grammy Awards (and completely shutting out The Weeknd), the Recording Academy has revealed the recipients of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Awards. Perhaps a sign of the Academy’s continued attempt to clean up its image with a diversity push, the 2021 Lifetime Achievement honorees include icons from a range of genres. Talking Heads, Selena, and Salt-N-Pepa will all receive the Special Merit gramophones, as will Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, opera singer Marilyn Horne, and late jazz great Lionel Hampton. The Talking Heads’ accolade is particularly noteworthy, as the legendary alt-rock group never received a Grammy during their existence. Their lone nomination came in 1984 for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group for “Burning...
Mads Mikkelsen Is Intoxicating In Another Round: Review
The Pitch: Mads Mikkelsen goes all-in for alcohol consumption in Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round (Druk), arguably the most generous film about drinking in recent memory. Sure, it’s a far-flung premise: Four academic buds decide to take a sip of Norwegian psychiatrist Finn Skårderud’s real-life hypothesis that human beings are born with a blood alcohol level that is 0.05 percent too low. In the US, a .08 is considered too drunk to drive. But .02, or a variable amount of alcohol based on individual physiology, can lead to lost focus and skill, he postulates. Skårderud’s big idea? When you’re a bit tipsy, you’re also on top. That’s to say you’re looser, more spontaneous, even inspired. Obviously he’s never binged, ignores addiction, and has likely never admitted to an excruciating hangover....
LAST IN LINE Releases Music Video For Acoustic Version Of ‘Landslide’
LAST IN LINE has released an official music video for the acoustic version of its song “Landslide”. The original track was featured on the band’s sophomore album, “II”, which was released in February 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl. As with 2016’s “Heavy Crown”, the disc was produced by DOKKEN and FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson. LAST IN LINE said: “This is an acoustic version of our ‘Landslide’ single, that was released only in Japan. We decided to create a video as a tribute to memories of touring, to all the grounded artists, crews and venue staff and not in the least for our special fans and friends that we think of at this holiday season – this video is dedicated to you! “Hoping that you all stay well at this tim...
Watch Lyric Video For CHRIS CORNELL’s Version Of JOHN LENNON’s ‘Watching The Wheels’
Earlier this month, Vicky Cornell and her children, Toni and Christopher, on behalf of The Chris Cornell Estate in conjunction with UMe, released “No One Sings Like You Anymore”, Chris Cornell‘s handpicked collection of 10 cover songs, which he personally selected and sequenced to celebrate artists and songs that inspired him. Recorded by Chris in 2016, the album, which is his last fully completed studio album, features his renditions of John Lennon‘s “Watching The Wheels”, GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY‘s “Sad Sad City”, Harry Nilsson‘s “Jump Into The Fire”, Carl Hall‘s “You Don’t Know Nothing About Love”, ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA‘s “Showdown”, Terry Reid‘s “To Be Treated R...
DEVIN TOWNSEND Says His Next Album ‘The Puzzle’ Is ‘Abstract, Complex, Ambient Nonsense’
Canadian singer, songwriter and producer Devin Townsend spoke to Guitar Interactive about his upcoming album, “The Puzzle”, which he recently completed for an early 2021 release. Regarding how the coronavirus crisis has affected the musical and lyrical direction of the LP, Devin said (see video below): “By being as honest with yourself as possible, what’s gonna come out of you is gonna be a reflection of your current reality. The current reality we’ve had this year is a fucking gong show. It’s abstract, unpredictable, fearful, chaotic nonsense. And so that’s what I made.” He continued: “‘The Puzzle’ is abstract, stream-of-conscious, super-complicated, complex, ambient nonsense. And it has a movie and a graphic novel. If it w...
METALLICA’s LARS ULRICH Names Classic Albums He Has Been Listening To While In Quarantine
METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich is featured in Rolling Stone‘s “So, How Was Your 2020?”, a series in which the magazine’s favorite entertainers answer its questionnaire about the music, culture and memorable moments that shaped their year. Asked which old-favorite album he returned to for comfort this year, Lars said: “ALICE IN CHAINS‘ ‘Dirt’. It’s so inspiring. I think it’s crazy just how transparent and courageous the lyrics are, and it’s a cohesive piece of work. It still sounds as raw, transparent, honest, and courageous to my ears as ever before. I think in the earlier days I was just listening to the music and the riffs and now, hearing the vocals, lyrics, and themes, what an incredible record. It just still sounds so ti...
