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How John Mulaney Became SNL’s Go-To Host
John Mulaney was a writer on Saturday Night Live for four seasons. It was a respectable, successful stint, but hardly era-defining. Plenty of SNL scribes have dug in for longer, more influential, runs behind the scenes, and unlike, say, Adam McKay, Tina Fey, or Colin Jost, Mulaney never served as head writer. He was the rare writer who made a handful of on-camera showcase appearances, but his Weekend Update commentaries didn’t garner much attention at the time. Among fans, he was better-known for co-creating Update mainstay character Stefon with beloved cast member Bill Hader. So how is it, exactly, that Mulaney, who makes his living primarily as a stand-up comic, has become not just a go-to SNL host but a reliable highlight for four seasons running? Mulaney’s hosting of this week’s Hallow...
David Lee Roth Dedicates Previously Unreleased Song to Eddie Van Halen: Stream
David Lee Roth has unveiled a previously unreleased song called “Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bar and Grill” in dedication to his late bandmate Eddie Van Halen. The track was recorded several years ago with guitarist John 5 as part of a full album’s worth of material that was shelved. The song features John 5 on acoustic guitar as DLR reflects on his pre-fame days on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California. A still graphic accompanying the YouTube clip contains the words “Hey Ed, I’m gonna miss ya … See you on the other side.” Previously, Roth shared a photo of himself with Eddie Van Halen on Twitter, along with the caption, ‘What a long great trip it’s been.” Around six years ago, Roth and John 5 co-wrote and recorded an entire album, but it never saw the light of day. Last year, Roth pro...
Saves the Day Cover Misfits Songs “Some Kinda Hate” and “Where Eagles Dare”: Stream
Just in time for the spooky season, Saves the Day have covered two Misfits songs, “Some Kinda Hate” and “Where Eagles Dare”. These new renditions appear on a split EP they recorded with Senses Fail titled Through Being Ghoul, which is indeed a play on Saves the Day’s iconic Through Being Cool album from 1999. (The band’s press photo seen above is also a nostalgic throwback.) “Some Kinda Hate”, taken from the Misfits’ 1985 Legacy of Brutality compilation, and 1979’s “Where Eagles Dare” are both given new life here with full band instrumentation and modern production. If you’re wondering whether Saves the Day frontman Chris Conley could adequately capture Glenn Danzig’s signature vocal growls, fear not: he imbues the two tracks with a healthy mix of emo and punk weirdo. It’s an appropri...
Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Harry Styles Headline iHeartRadio’s Virtual Jingle Ball 2020 Lineup
Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish (photos by Ben Kaye); Harry Styles (photo by Tim Walker) The ongoing pandemic has forced music festivals to either take a furlough year or go virtual in 2020, and that includes iHeartRadio’s annual Jingle Ball. Presented by Capital One, this year’s concert will look unlike any of the multi-city touring concert’s past, but the newly announced lineup is no less packed. Topping the 2020 Jingle Ball bill are Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, and Harry Styles. Other expected performers include Sam Smith, Shawn Mendes, Doja Cat, Lewis Capaldi, and more. In addition to performing their own hits and holiday classics, the artists will be welcoming fans into their homes. Between sets, the event will see the acts giving “a special look at how they celebrate the holidays,” according ...
Tegan and Sara Share New Holiday Song “Make You Mine This Season”: Stream
Tegan and Sara have released their first song of 2020. Titled “Make You Mine This Season”, it’s a holiday tune that’s set to appear on the soundtrack for Clea DuVall’s new Hulu film Happiest Season. An upbeat but aching synthpop number, it hears the two Quin sisters pining after “the only girl I’ve got on my list.” “I chase the feeling, ’cause you’ve got me dreaming,” they sing. “I could make you mine, make you mine this season.” The track’s heartache falls in line with the premise of DuVall’s upcoming queer Christmas movie. Per the film’s synopsis, “a young woman plans to propose marriage to her girlfriend while attending her family’s annual holiday party. At the party, she realizes her girlfriend hasn’t come out to her conservative parents yet.” Editors’ Picks Stream “Make You Mine...
The Strokes Bring The New Abnormal to Saturday Night Live: Watch
The Strokes made their long overdue return to Saturday Night Live, serving as the musical guest for an episode hosted by comedian John Mulaney. It marked the band’s fourth time playing the late-night program, but their first appearance in nine years. Coming in support of their latest album, The New Abnormal, The Strokes performed “The Adults Are Talking” and “Bad Decisions” which interpolates Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself”. If you missed it, catch the replay below. The New Abnormal, The Strokes’ sixth album to date was released back in April. In his review of the album for Consequence of Sound, Tyler Clark called the Rick Rubin-produced LP “easily the freshest, most interesting album that The Strokes have released in more than a decade.” In other news, The Strokes frontman Julian Casab...
Listen to the Ultimate Day of the Dead Playlist: Angela Aguilar, Carlos Rivera & More
Day of the Dead, celebrated Nov. 1-2, is one of the oldest traditions in Mexico, when the community commemorates the deceased with offerings, altars and more. Often associated with sugar skulls, visits to the graveyards and colorful altars, it’s believed that people return from the dead to coexist with their loved ones and celebrate life after death on these dates. As tradition holds, altars are placed in family homes or at graveyards and are decorated with orange Cempasúchil flowers known as “las flores de los muertos.” A photo of the late loved one, their belongings, food (such as pan de muerto and buñuelos) and a cup of water that signifies purity are also placed on the altar. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be....
Bruce Springsteen Lends His Voice to Joe Biden’s ‘Hometown’ Campaign Ad: Watch
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has enlisted Bruce Springsteen to narrate a new campaign advertisement about the former vice president’s “hometown” of Scranton, Pennsylvania. “Scranton, Pennsylvania. Here, success isn’t handed down. It’s forged in sweat, grit and determination,” Springsteen says in the ad. “This is his hometown. In Scranton, good times aren’t promised. But here, and in towns across America, times are harder than they ought to be. Lives are on pause, dreams on hold, futures in doubt.” Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. track “My Hometown” also appears in the minute-long ad, which premiered Friday (Oct. 30) on YouTube and will air during Saturday night’s broadcast of the college football game between Penn State and Ohio State. You Dese...
INSIDIOUS DISEASE Feat. DIMMU BORGIR, Ex-MORGOTH Members: ‘Invisible War’ Music Video
The official music video for “Invisible War”, a new song from INSIDIOUS DISEASE — the old-school death metal project featuring Marc Grewe (vocals; formerly of MORGOTH) and Sven Atle Kopperud (a.k.a. Silenoz; guitar; also of DIMMU BORGIR) — can be seen below. The track is taken from INSIDIOUS DISEASE‘s long-awaited sophomore album, “After Death”, which came out on October 30 via Nuclear Blast Records. The band comments: “The video was shot in an old German World War 2 bunker near Berlin and captures the vibe of this song perfectly. It wasn’t easy to realize the filming under the current circumstances, but we are pleased with the result and the whole filming and production. We really hope you will enjoy this clip and the album… It’s been ...
MORDRED To Release First Full-Length Album In Over 25 Years, ‘The Dark Parade’, In The Spring
The acclaimed and influential crossover thrash band MORDRED has signed with M-Theory Audio. The group will release “The Dark Parade” — its first full-length record in over 25 years — in the spring of 2021. MORDRED was formed in 1984 as the burgeoning San Francisco Bay Area thrash scene was beginning its rise to global prominence. While mosh-inducing thrash formed the basic blueprint of their sound, MORDRED stood out as a unique presence thanks to their integration of funk-infused musicianship and hip-hop influences. The group was one of the first bands to explore those diversities in extremes, but as the dexterous bass performance of Art Liboon and innovative turntable work from band collaborator Aaron “DJ Pause” Vaughn provided a new spin on the thrash metal genre,...
Fan Creates SLIPKNOT Concert Experience In His Front Yard
According to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, a man in Easthampton, Massachusetts has used the coronavirus downtime to create a SLIPKNOT concert experience in the front yard of his home. Tim Young created his SLIPKNOT display by welding together the frames for nine mannequins out of steel pipes. So far, the 41-year-old plumber and father of four has put on six “shows,” featuring four to five songs from each of SLIPKNOT‘s earlier albums, followed by a performance of the band’s latest LP, “We Are Not Your Kind”, in its entirety. Each show is augmented by laser lights, smoke machines and strobe lights. “It’s filling a void for me” during the pandemic, he said. Young, who has seen SLIPKNOT band 11 times, starting at Ozzfest in 1999, said that h...
MATT SORUM Looks Back On His First Concert As Drummer Of GUNS N’ ROSES: ‘It Was Intense’
In a recent interview with RIVAL SONS‘ Michael Miley for the Gretsch YouTube channel, Matt Sorum reflected on his first performance as the drummer for GUNS N’ ROSES, which took place in January 1991 at the Rock In Rio festival in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. He said (see video below): “My whole career has been like flying by the seat of my pants. I’ve dealt with these guys that are very interesting characters, and you learn to love ’em, but at the time, you’re, like, ‘What the hell is going on out here?’ “Here I am rehearsing with GUNS N’ ROSES for our first show, where I’m gonna open with the band at Rock In Rio — my first introduction to the world. So I joined, and we started working on these [‘Use Your Illusion’] r...
