Alternative Music
SASAMI on Guitar-Playing Caterpillars, Dancing Grunions, and Seals Named May Jascis
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS SASAMI sits down with Kyle Meredith for an interview about her adventures making the album Squeeze. Those adventures include becoming one with Earthly elements, shrinking herself to fit inside of an acoustic guitar to eventually cover System of a Down’s “Toxicity,” and inhabiting a river and capturing guitar playing caterpillars. Related Video The indie rock artist — who was Consequence’s February Artist of the Month — also tells of dancing golden grunions, romantic relationships with seals named May Jascis, and being addicted to licking paint. She tells us all of this from the comfort of the “Sedona of energy fields.”...
OPETH Drops Previously Unreleased Song ‘Width Of A Circle’, Announces ‘In Cauda Venenum (Extended Edition)’
Swedish progressive metallers OPETH will release “In Cauda Venenum (Extended Edition)” on May 13 via Atomic Fire Records. This release, available on digipak, contains the English and Swedish versions of OPETH‘s latest album, “In Cauda Venenum”, with new illustrations by internationally renowned Travis Smith in the booklet. In addition, there is also a third CD including three previously unreleased bonus tracks, both in English and Swedish: “The Mob” / “Pöbeln”, “Width Of A Circle” / “Cirkelns Riktning” and “Freedom & Tyranny” / “Frihet & Tyranni”. “In Cauda Venenum (Extended Edition)” is now available for pre-order. Also on May 13, the album’s strictly limited ...
New SKID ROW Singer Met His Bandmates For First Time In Person Four Days Before Playing Their First Show
New SKID ROW vocalist Erik Grönwall says that he met his bandmates in person for the first time four days before they played their first show together. The Grönwall-fronted version of SKID ROW made its live debut Saturday night (March 26) at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as the support act on the rescheduled dates for SCORPIONS‘ “Sin City Nights” residency. SKID ROW‘s nine-song set included its new single, “The Gang’s All Here”, which was made available on Friday, March 25. The song is the title track of the band’s upcoming album, which will arrive on October 14 via earMUSIC. On Sunday (March 27), Erik took to his social media to share a photo of the new SKID ROW lineup, and he included the follow...
PERRY FARRELL Pays Tribute To His ‘Best Friend’ TAYLOR HAWKINS: ‘One Of The Most Passionate Drummers I’ve Ever Seen’
Perry Farrell has shared a video tribute to his “best friend” Taylor Hawkins who died last Friday (March 25) at the age of 50. The JANE’S ADDICTION frontman and Lollapalooza founder recorded the message on Saturday and had it played at the Lollapalooza Brasil festival, where the FOO FIGHTERS were the scheduled headliners on Sunday. In the five-minute video, which can be seen below, Farrell states (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Taylor Hawkins died yesterday. He was my best friend — beloved in my home by my wife, my children, even my dogs. Whenever Taylor came over, we would make music in the den, [my dog] Cloud would always go and sit right by him. He was one of the most passionate drummers I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. When I think of him, I sum it up...
BILLIE EILISH On TAYLOR HAWKINS’s Death: ‘It Was Incredibly Heartbreaking’
Pop superstar Billie Eilish and her collaborator brother, Finneas O’Connell, discussed the passing of FOO FIGHTERS drummer Taylor Hawkins with Access Hollywood‘s Scott Evans and Zuri Hall on the red carpet of Sunday’s (March 27) 94th annual Oscars ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Finneas said: “Taylor was such a legendary player. We were admirers of his work years before we got to meet him. And we only met him a handful of times — I wish we got to spend more time with him — but he couldn’t have been a kinder, cooler, more generous person as well. And such a deeply inspiring person. We’re just heartbroken.” Billie added: “It was incredibly heartbreaking. It was right before we went on stage. And we got the news, and it really, rea...
Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Perform “Be Alive” at 2022 Oscars: Watch
Leave it to Beyoncé to bring the drama for her first public performance in two years. Queen Bey opened the 2022 Academy Awards with “Be Alive,” her contribution to the King Richard soundtrack. The track earned Bey an Oscar nomination this year for Best Original Song. Queen Bey dialed in to the broadcast from Compton, the old stomping grounds of Venus and Serena Williams. Beginning with an interpolation of Tupac’s “California Love,” and with her daughter Blue Ivy Carter dancing in the front, the pop titan established a level of quality that the rest of the Oscars might strain to match, and she did it all dressed in fluorescent tennis ball green. Check out the performance below, and stay up-to-date on the full winner’s list here. King Richard is a biopic that follo...
2022 Oscars: Encanto Cast Perform “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” with Megan Thee Stallion
Although “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” wasn’t up for an Oscar at tonight’s ceremony, the viral sensation has been the Encanto track that’s had everyone talking. During Sunday’s telecast, the cast of Disney’s smash animated hit were joined by Megan Thee Stallion, Luis Fonsi, and Becky G for the debut performance of the No. 1 hit. Fonsi revealed the plans for the star-studded musical number on the red carpet, teasing, “It’s gonna be a party. I mean, there’s really no other way to explain it. It’s gonna be a very colorful, uptempo Latino party. I’m honored, honored to be a part of this special version of the song that we all know, to be able to meet the cast, and to add a little different Oscar version with Meg Thee Stallion and Becky G.” Written by Hamilton mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda, ...
2022 Oscars: Billie Eilish and FINNEAS Perform “No Time to Die”
Now, here’s a performance to die for: Billie Eilish took the stage at the 2022 Academy Awards — alongside her brother and collaborator FINNEAS — to sing “No Time to Die,” her Oscar-winning James Bond theme. The performance followed a 60th anniversary tribute to Bond held earlier in the evening. FINNEAS accompanied his sister on piano, singing backup vocals as she commanded the stage in a dramatic black blouse and trousers. As she crooned the delicate melody, a laser light show cut through the air around here, and a full orchestra swelled to meet the moment. Watch Eilish’s performance below, and check out the full winner’s list here. From the film of the same name, “No Time to Die” went on to win Best Original Song this year (it’s also accumulated trophies at the Golden Globes, Cr...
Oscars 2022 Review: Well, That Was a Hot Mess
“There’s, like, a different vibe in here.” So remarked host Amy Schumer towards the end of the 94th annual Academy Awards, after an emotionally exhausting night that did deliver a lot of surprises. Perhaps not the kinds of surprises that anyone watching was hoping for, because as the show creeped past the three-and-a-half-hour mark, what was striking was how the Oscars managed to make the handing out of actual Oscars feel like an afterthought. In the minutes before the Oscars began this year, the vibes were not great due to the controversial choice to eliminate eight categories from the live broadcast (instead handing those awards out an hour before the official ceremony started, and then editing the winning acceptance speeches into the show later). In concept, an idea which might trim som...
2022 Oscars: Will Smith Slaps Chris Rock: “Keep My Wife’s Name Out of Your Fucking Mouth”
After presenter Chris Rock joked that Jada Pinkett Smith looked like “G.I. Jane 2,” with her shaved head, Will Smith stormed the stage and slapped Rock across the face. Before Rock presented the award for documentary feature, he began by roasting members of the audience. But his crack about Pinkett Smith was deeply personal, hitting on her well-documented struggles with the autoimmune disorder alopecia, which can cause hair loss. The joke prompted her husband Smith to rush Rock and strike him. The US broadcast quickly cut the sound, but international broadcasts captured the full interaction. Rock said, “Wow, Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me.” Smith returned to his seat, where he hollered, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!” Advertisement Related Video “Wow,...
BTS Share Their Favorite Musical Film Moments in Surprise Oscars Appearance: Watch
BTS (Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook) made a surprise appearance at the Academy Awards on Sunday (March 27th), sharing their favorite musical moments in film. The group spoke highly of Disney-Pixar classics, with Jimin and RM revering Coco as “a real masterpiece.” “I watched it three times, and I cried a lot,” RM said. “Disney movies stimulate emotions well,” Jin added. Advertisement Related Video As for J-Hope, the singer said he prefers Aladdin, prompting RM to shout out Will Smith for his portrayal of the Genie. Of course, this was before Smith’s own 2022 Oscars moment, which was a little less family friendly. Perhaps after the cast performance of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”, the K-pop group will add Best Animated Feature winner Encanto to their list of Disn...
Oscars 2022: Funniest Moments from Hosts Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer, and Regina Hall
The 2022 Academy Awards ceremony was the first in four years to have an official host, and the Academy tripled the funny by enlisting Amy Schumer, Regina Hall, and Wanda Sykes to share the gig. In their joint opening monologue after Beyoncé’s remote performance of “Be Alive” from King Richard, the comedians landed laughs about everything from the Best Picture nominees to the scandal-ridden Golden Globes. “I watched that movie three times, and I’m halfway through it,” Sykes deadpanned about 12-time nominee The Power of the Dog, before Schumer hilariously murdered that other awards show with, “Know what’s in the In Memoriam package this year? The Golden Globes.” Advertisement Related Video Sykes also couldn’t resist a barbed shout-out to Florida amid the state’s ongoing efforts to pass the d...
