Alternative Music
Brandi Carlile Performs “The Story” and “You and Me on the Rock” on SNL: Watch
Brandi Carlile served as the musical guest on this weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live co-hosted by Steve Martin and Martin Short. Carlile played the fan favorite hit “The Story,” and showcased her latest album, In These Silent Days, by performing “You and Me on the Rock” with backing vocals from Lucius. Watch the replay below. In These Silent Days is nominated for seven Grammy Awards in 2023, including Album of the Year and Best Americana Album, and “You and Me on the Rock” is up for Record of the Year. Advertisement Related Video Carlile has a busy year ahead, including a slot opening for P!NK on her 2023 Summer Carnival Tour. Carlile is also set to back Joni Mitchell for her first pubicly-announced concert in 20 years at the Gorge Amphitheatre in June, and she’s staging a Moth...
Phoebe Bridgers Plays Sally at Danny Elfman’s Nightmare Before Christmas Concert: Watch
Phoebe Bridgers traded her skeleton onesie for a patchwork dress when she sang the part of Sally in Danny Elfman’s live Nightmare Before Christmas concerts in London this weekend. Bridgers sang “Sally’s Song” and “Kidnap the Sandy Claws” at the concert, while Elfman reprised his role as Jack Skellington and Ken Page returned to portray Oogie Boogie. Greg Proops, Randy Crenshaw, Fletcher Sheridan, and violinist Sandy Cameron also performed at the show, while John Mauceri conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra. Watch clips of Bridgers’ performance below. Blending the ghastly quality of Halloween with the grandiosity of Christmas is kind of Bridgers’ whole thing, so it makes sense that she joined Elfman for his latest concert. Bridgers’ turn as Sally follows last year’s shows, where Billie ...
Van Belonging to Harry Styles’ Crew Hijacked in Brazil
A tour van belonging to Harry Styles’ crew was hijacked by gunmen in Brazil early Friday morning, local news outlet G1 reports. Three men stopped the van on highway BR-116 outside Curitiba, where Styles is still scheduled to perform December 10th. According to the show’s producer, the vehicle was carrying t-shirts and other merch that was to be sold to fans. New merch will be sent to the venue. Per NME, local police added that the attackers “subdued” the driver of the van, and there have been no official statements regarding potential injuries. It appears that neither Styles nor any of his band members were in the van. Advertisement Related Video Styles, who we just named our 2022 Artist of the Year, is still in the midst of his “Love on Tour 2022” in support of his recent album ...
New Clip for Super Mario Bros. Movie Offers Tantalizing Preview (Chris Pratt Notwithstanding): Watch
Thus far, the trailers for the animated Super Mario Bros. movie have avoided highlighting Chris Pratt’s Mario voice, but the first extended clip somewhat changes all that. In between a lot of huffing and puffing, we get to hear a bit more of the maligned actor’s portrayal of the heroic plumber as Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) leads him through an awe-inspiring tour of Mushroom Kingdom. “This guy’s brother is going to die imminently!” Toad exclaims while clearing a path. Soon enough, the duo hit an elevator platform. “Whoa! Okay, so these bricks are just floatin’ here?” Pratt exclaims in a faux New Yawk accent, his voice cracking in the process. Mario gets even more confused when Toad tells him to hop into a warp pipe. “It’s the only way to fly,” Toad explains. “Oh wow, love these pipes,” ...
Led Zeppelin to Stream “Celebration Day” Concert for Free on YouTube to Mark 15th Anniversary
Led Zeppelin’s 2007 “Celebration Day” concert stands as their last show ever, barring any future reunions. To mark the historic gig’s 15th anniversary, the legendary band is streaming the entire performance for free on YouTube on Saturday (December 10th). On December 10th, 2007, Zeppelin reunited to play the O2 Arena in London to celebrate music executive Ahmet Ertegun, who had passed away a year earlier. Original members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones were joined by drummer Jason Bonham, son of late Zeppelin member John Bonham. The show marked the band’s first performance since their 1995 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, and was considered a triumph, earning far more acclaim than previous one-off reunions in the ’80s and ’90s. Advertisement Related Video Among the cl...
Bam Margera Hospitalized and Placed on Ventilator
Bam Margera, the mercurial former star of the Jackass franchise, has been hospitalized and placed on a ventilator, TMZ reports. Margera was reportedly admitted to a hospital in San Diego earlier this week, where he subsequently tested positive for COVID-19. His condition includes a serious case of pneumonia, and his oxygen levels deteriorated to the point where he had to be placed on a ventilator. He remains in the Intensive Care Unit, but sources close to Margera believe he is stable. Earlier this year, Margera completed a one-year substance abuse program as part of a court-mandated rehab following his dismissal from Jackass Forever. Since then, he’s been in and out of different rehab programs, and his health has become the subject of conspiracy theories, whi...
Alanis Morissette Gets into Holiday Spirit with “Little Drummer Boy” Cover: Stream
Alanis Morissette fans may remember her 2019 performance of “Little Drummer Boy” during a “disguised” busking session on The Tonight Show. Now, she’s gotten back into the spirit with a recorded version of the holiday classic. Accompanied by twinkling bells, tambourines, and warm synths, Morissette begins her cover of “Little Drummer Boy” with restrained vocals, but brings more intensity once she starts singing about Mary in the third verse. Stream Alanis Morissette’s version of “Little Drummer Boy” below. Morissette isn’t the only artist to cover “Little Drummer Boy” this holiday season. Titus Andronicus recently put their own twist on the song by mixing it with Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.” Advertisement Related Video In July, Morissette finally launched the North American leg of her 25t...
Helen Slayton-Hughes, Ethel Beavers on Parks and Recreation, Dead at 92
Helen Slayton-Hughes, whose sly humor enlivened statehouse bureaucracy on Parks and Recreation, is dead at the age of 92. Her family confirmed her death in a Facebook post on December 8th. “Helen passed away last night,” the statement read. “Her pain has ended but her fierce spirit lives on. Thank you for the love and support of her and her work.” Born October 30th, 1930, Slayton-Hughes broke into Hollywood in the 1980 film Mafia on the Bounty when she was 50 years old. She became a sitcom staple with scene-stealing appearances in New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Arrested Development, Rutherford Falls, Fresh Off the Boat, That’s So Raven, and Parenthood, plus more dramatic parts on The West Wing and True Blood, and she also booked such movies ...
Justin Theroux and Woody Harrelson Are Keeping America’s Biggest Secret in Teaser for White House Plumbers: Watch
HBO has today unveiled the first teaser for White House Plumbers, the upcoming political drama miniseries starring Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux. It’s set to be sworn in to HBO March 2023. Based on the 2007 book Integrity: Good People, Bad Choices, and Life Lessons from the White House by Egil Krogh and Matthew Krogh, White House Plumbers tells the story of E. Howard Hunt (Harrelson) and G. Gordon Liddy (Theroux), the two masterminds behind the Watergate scandal who accidentally sabotaged Richard Nixon’s presidency despite their futile attempts to protect his reputation. The trailer opens as Hunt and Liddy have a meeting with Nixon’s counsel John Dean (Domhnall Gleeson), who gives the pair a seemingly simple assignment: “Your new mission is to make sure he wins thi...
Song of the Week: SZA Goes Grunge on “F2F”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, SZA turns up the volume for her standout S.O.S cut “F2F.” “SZA goes grunge” was not a sentence I was ever expecting to write, but when the mastermind singer-songwriter teased her new album S.O.S a couple weeks ago, she mentioned she’d be drawing upon “surf rock and grunge” alongside her usual contemplative R&B sound. With “F2F,” an unexpected highlight on an otherwise immaculate collection of songs, we see what she meant: “F2F” is a pop punk jam through and through, and it’s a satisfying comb...
Rap Song of the Week: YG and Lil Wayne Reunite on “Miss My Dawgs”
Rap Song of the Week breaks down all the hip-hop tracks you need to hear every Friday. Check out the full playlist here. This week, YG and Lil Wayne reunite on “Miss My Dawgs.” YG and Lil Wayne have been frequent collaborators over the past decade or so, first teaming up on the remix to YG’s breakout hit “My N****.” Earlier this week, YG acknowledged their close relationship by gifting his “favorite rapper” with a red 4Hunnid chain during the video shoot for their new collaboration, “Miss My Dawgs.” Featuring melancholy, piano-driven production by Gibbo and Ambezza, “Miss My Dawgs” serves as a tribute to YG’s late friend and rapper Slim 400, who was fatally shot one year ago today. The track’s title might be a nod toward Wayne’s 2004 track “I Miss My Dawgs,” too, as the rappers r...
Within Temptation Unveil New Single “The Fire Within”: Stream
Within Temptation have unveiled a standalone single, “The Fire Within,” which was written back in 2019 but never released until now. The single is available for streaming and download online, plus as a CD single, 7-inch single on colored vinyl and as a CD single + 7-inch bundle. Only 666 copies of each physical format have been printed. To order the single, go here. “When a band writes an album, it often happens that there are too many ideas to make it onto the final track list,” Within Temptation explained in a social media post. “However, those songs that fall through the cracks sometimes make a great B-side or even a single in this case. The song was written back in 2019, but never made its appearance on an album. The track now finds its way to you, as we’ve decided to release it as a s...
