INTERVIEWS
How Aloe Blacc Is Utilizing NFTs to Keep Avicii’s Legacy Alive
In the cutting-edge world of NFTs there’s almost no greater compliment than to call a piece “timeless.” In their perennial pursuit of value and utility, NFT creators and collectors alike constantly question what combination of creative and immutable qualities have the ability to leave a lasting impact. Given the feverish mainstream interest in the space, most NFT (non-fungible token) projects have borne little meaning beneath their superficial qualities. However, every once in awhile, a project with the organic confluence of superior design, noble intention, and historical relevance comes along. The rise in popularity of digital collectibles immediately grabbed Aloe Blacc‘s attention, and soon the Grammy-nominated artist became consumed with an idea that had t...
Harry Kane tells Tottenham he wants to leave this summer
Harry Kane has reiterated his stance that he wants to leave Tottenham this summer. The 27-year-old has grown frustrated over the club’s inability to compete at the highest level, having seen his side fall out of contention to secure Champions League football for next season. Spurs have long been reluctant to entertain bids for their talisman but the England captain is hoping that they will soften their stance after his long service to the club. Daniel Levy will demand a huge fee for Kane – who prefers a move within the Premier League – as he is on a long-term deal until 2024. Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are potentially viable destinations, although it is still unclear as to whether a move will materialise. All three of the aforementioned Premier League giants have signif...
Mannequin Pussy on Perfect EP, Still Don’t Want Your Advice on Changing Their Name
After Patience released during the summer of 2019, Mannequin Pussy seemed poised to become the next big thing in punk. The Philadelphia band with a name that no one could forget saw their stock soar for the rest of the year after their first release on Epitaph Records, with sold-out shows across the country and billings on what were sure to be some of 2020’s biggest events, including Coachella. It was the bump that vocalist/guitarist Missy and the rest of the band needed to quit their day jobs and make their passion a full-time profession, and there was no sign of them slowing down. Of course, that was all before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and shut everything down, shortening Mannequin Pussy’s reign at the top of the modern punk scene to a brief seven-month stint. But rather than dwel...
The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney on Their New Album Delta Kream and Honoring Hill Country Blues
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-14T17:33:57+00:00“>May 14, 2021 | 1:33pm ET The Black Keys mark a return to their roots on their new album Delta Kream, which honors Mississippi Hill Country blues artists who inspired the duo — including John Lee Hooker, R. L. Burnside, and David “Junior” Kimbrough — through 11 stellar covers. The Ohio rockers recorded the album in 2019 at the end of their “Let’s Rock Tour” “in about 10 hours, over two afternoons,” according to drummer Patrick Carney. To create an even more authentic approach, the pair brought in esteemed musicians Kenny Brown, who played guitar for Burnside, and Eric Deaton, who played bass in Junior Kimbrough’s band. The resulting effort is an exciting fo...
Nigerian farmers raise alarm as insecurity threatens food availability
Some concerned parties in the agriculture sector have appealed to the federal government to intensify efforts in curbing banditry, kidnapping and terrorism, as these can threaten food security. The parties made the appeal in separate interviews with newsmen on Friday in Abuja. They noted that the recent increase in kidnapping and banditry had made a lot of farmers run from their farmlands in search of safe hideouts. The Executive Secretary, National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Paul Ikonne, said there was a need to urgently address the insecurity challenges in the country in order to overcome the challenge of food shortage. Ikonne noted that dialogue remained critical in addressing issues of insecurity and herders, adding that a peaceful dialogue between farmers and her...
Cheap Trick At Budokan: Corey Taylor, Linda Perry, Butch Walker and Producer Jack Douglas Discuss Iconic Album
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-13T19:45:35+00:00“>May 13, 2021 | 3:45pm ET It’s not very often that a legendary band’s discography is highlighted by a live release, but in the case of Cheap Trick, it just so happens that the live album in question is one of rock’s greatest recordings. Cheap Trick At Budokan put the band from Rockford, Illinois, on the international map and established them as a major force in the music industry. To celebrate At Budokan, Consequence gathered four esteemed musicians and producers via Zoom for a virtual round-table discussion on the album and Cheap Trick’s legacy. Along for the ride are Slipknot singer and solo artist Corey Taylor; songwriter, producer, and onetime 4 Non Blondes ...
Glimpse Into the Metaphysical World of Seven Lions’ Debut NFT Collection on Crypto.com [Exclusive]
The collision course of EDM and NFTs (non-fungible tokens) has been one of hyperactive harmony. An immeasurable number of electronic music artists have dropped a dizzying sequence of intricate digital artworks in recent months, selling them to collectors looking to cash in on the NFT craze. The latest major artist to push their chips into the blockchain-powered virtual art pot is Seven Lions. The melodic bass titan and founder of Ophelia Records—one of the dance music scene’s most venerated tastemakers—is primed to drop his debut NFT collection on Crypto.com/NFT. Crypto.com/NFT is a marketplace that allows NFT enthusiasts to discover exclusive digital collectibles and their non-fungible tokens. Crypto.com/NFT Developed by illustrator and graphic artist Evelyn Abermotio...
After 26 Years, Authority Zero Is Still ‘The Most Underrated Punk Rock Band’
Since originally making waves in the punk rock scene back in 2002 with “One More Minute” off of their debut, A Passage in Time, Authority Zero has been a model of consistency despite its rotating cast of members. Frontman Jason DeVore has worked with no fewer than 14 band members since the group’s mid-’90s inception, yet each of their seven full-lengths has remained true to the sound the Arizona rockers have always put forth, infusing bits of reggae and ska into their melodic and memorable punk tunes to create alternative radio-friendly singles like 2004’s “Revolution” and 2010’s “Get It Right.” Clearly, that consistency is appreciated by the band’s fans as well, as every one of those albums has landed within the top 50 of Billboard’s Heatseeker chart, with 2010’s Stories of Survival and 2...
Iceage’s Elias Bender Rønnenfelt on Crime, Poetry, Symbolism of New LP
In the late aughts of the Denmark music scene, nothing was really making worldwide waves. That is, until 2011, when post-punk outfit Iceage emerged from Copenhagen with their debut album, New Brigade: a loud, abrasive and slightly unsettling sound held together by Elias Bender Rønnenfelt’s echoing vocals. Controversies followed, staining the band’s image in their early days — and leading to accusations of sympathizing with far-right ideologies. In a recent Pitchfork interview, Rønnenfelt vehemently affirmed that the band is “most definitely not right wing,” adding, “We don’t have any sympathy or leanings to that side.” On top of that, Rønnenfelt belongs to the long tradition of interview frustration, devolvement, and general non-compliance — he was once dubbed “rock’s most ...
Artist of the Month McKinley Dixon on Time Travel, Cowboy Bebop, and the Death of a Childhood Friend
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-07T00:06:38+00:00“>May 6, 2021 | 8:06pm ET Artist of the Month is an accolade awarded to an up-and-coming artist whom we believe is set to break out. In May, we turn our attention to rising rapper McKinley Dixon as he caps off an ambitious trilogy of albums with For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her. Less than 30 seconds into our conversation, McKinley Dixon abruptly travelled through time. It happens frequently if you learn to see the world from a certain perspective, as Dixon has. The DMV rapper has a boundless cache of interesting ideas, and one of them — involving shifts in chronology — lands somewhere between a philosophical framework and a poetic theory of know...
Punk Pioneers in the Middle East
Yotam Ben Horin is feeling pretty pensive these days. He’s back in the U.S. to record an intimate solo record, and in a couple of weeks, his band Useless ID is releasing Most Useless Songs, a milestone best-of album on Fat Wreck Chords that spans the Israeli band’s 27-years in music. These 16 songs (including two new tracks) are important blocks for the foundation of a groundbreaking career that has convincingly established Useless ID as Israel’s most successful punk band and arguably the Middle Eastern country’s most internationally successful act ever. “I can’t believe we’ve come this far,” the vocalist and bassist tells SPIN, shaking his head via Zoom. “For a punk band in Israel, it was pretty challenging at times…saving up money to travel to tour and play shows.” He takes a moment to t...
“So Much Bigger Than Trance”: Jeffrey Sutorius on Mental Health and Post-Dash Berlin Future
There’s something to be said about memorable trance records. The records with the soaring melodies that lift your spirit to the heavens only to break your fall with each impassioned lyric. The records that gush your memory banks with rapture, reconnecting flashbacks with a blissful serotonin rush. Presiding over some of the most monumental trance tracks that evoke those feelings is Jeffrey Sutorius, the former frontman of Dash Berlin. Former Dash Berlin frontman Jeffrey Sutorius performing live. Jeffrey Sutorius (via Facebook) Performing as one of the most recognizable artists in the electronic music space, Sutorius was the public face of the Dash Berlin trio, a role he embraced as his bandmates, Sebastiaan Molijn and Eelke Kalberg, worked behind the scenes. However, following a tumu...
