music blog
Pepe Garza to Lead Estrella Media’s New Music Division
Estrella Media has promoted longtime radio programmer and television personality Pepe Garza to head of content development and A&R for the company’s newly established music division Estrella Media Music Entertainment (EMME). Garza will also serve as the executive producer of digital audio for the multi-platform media company. According to an official description of his new role, Garza will help lead the new division where he’ll “seek out new talent” to sign to the label and publishing arm and “help develop the next generation of Latin music stars.” Garza will also be responsible for curating new original digital audio series for Estrella’s free streaming platforms and podcasts. “Pepe has been a leading figure in the growth and support of Regional Mexican music and transformed the way f...
Harry Styles’ ‘As It Was’ Cruising to Another U.K. Chart Crown
It’ll take something special to stop Harry Styles from retaining the U.K. chart title with “As It Was” (via Columbia). Styles’ latest hit, the first single lifted from his forthcoming third studio album, Harry’s House, leads the midweek chart. If it holds firm when the positions are confirmed later this week, it’ll give the English pop star a fourth consecutive week in charge of the Official U.K. Singles Chart. Meanwhile, Cat Burns’ “Go” (RCA/Since 93) looks set for a new peak, climbing 5-3 on the Official Chart Update, while London rapper Potter Payper could bag his first U.K. Top 10 as “Gangsteritus” (0207) with Tiggs Da Author looks set to fly 40-10. A special 7” vinyl release of “The Lakes” tied into Record Store Day 2022 could give Taylor Swift another U.K. chart appearance. “The Lake...
JAY-Z’s Made In America Festival Announces 2022 Dates
The JAY-Z-curated Made In America music festival is set to return to Philadelphia this September for its 2022 edition. Although the official lineup is yet to be announced, fans can now purchase their early bird tickets for the Labor Day Weekend staple festival that is set to take place on September 3 and September 4 at Benjamin Franklin Parkway. “From the inaugural festival in 2012 to now, Made In America has had a home on Benjamin Franklin Parkway. We have seen some of music’s most iconic moments and built a community rooted in the Philadelphia community,” said Desiree Perez, CEO Roc Nation. “We’re thrilled to return for another year of music and culture, bringing the brightest and most powerful voices in music and advocacy to one stage.” The long-running festival is celebrating its 10th ...
Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers’ Projected To Debut at No. 1 With 350,000 Units Sold in First Week
First week projections for Kendrick Lamar‘s highly-anticipated album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers have been released — and the project isn’t even out yet. According to HITS Daily Double, the upcoming record is expected to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with a total of around 350,000 equivalent album units. Reports add that more than half of the 603,000 opening week units of DAMN. was comprised of sales, and “an equally intense level of consumption” can be expected for Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, “but overwhelmingly on the DSPs.” Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers marks K-Dot’s first full-length project since 2017’s DAMN. and will be his final album with Top Dawg Entertainment. A tracklist and its features are yet to be announced, however it has been confirmed that the album...
METALLICA’s KIRK HAMMETT: ‘I Don’t Think I’ve Peaked Creatively Or Musically’
In a new interview with Kerrang! magazine, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett spoke about the fact that he is currently involved in several projects outside his main band, including releasing his debut solo EP and publishing his first comic book, “Nights Of Lono”. He said: “I have to say I’ve been sober for seven and a half years now and my mind is in a different place, I’m better focused. I got my brain back, I’ve gotten my memory back so nowadays I’m in a better place. I record music and my focus is that much better. “When I got sober, I had so much more time,” he explained. “[Prior to that] I was spending almost every night in a nightclub or bar and then I’d spend almost every morning recovering from that. Day in, day out, ...
GENE SIMMONS And DAVID DRAIMAN React To ELON MUSK’s $44 Billion Purchase Of Twitter
Gene Simmons (KISS) and David Draiman (DISTURBED) are among the musicians who have reacted on social media to the news that Twitter‘s board has agreed to let Elon Musk buy the social media network for $44 billion. If the deal officially goes through, it will make Musk — the Tesla and SpaceX founder and the world’s richest man — the new owner of the social media site that hosts more than 200 million users. Musk, who has called himself a “free speech absolutist,” has said that Twitter could champion freedom as a private company. Opponents to the acquisition have theorized that Musk will allow users on the platform to spread misinformation and hate speech under the guise of protecting free speech. While many people are happy that Musk is taking control of another giant...
Watch: BULLETBOYS’ MARQ TORIEN Joins STEEL PANTHER For ‘Smooth Up In Ya’ Performance At Rainbow 50th-Anniversary Party
BULLETBOYS frontman Marq Torien joined STEEL PANTHER on stage yesterday (Sunday, April 24) at the Rainbow Bar & Grill 50th-anniversary part in West Hollywood, California to perform the BULLETBOYS classic “Smooth Up In Ya”. Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below. In April 1972, Mario Maglieri, along with Whisky co-founder Elmer Valentine, Lou Adler and others, started the Rainbow Bar & Grill with a party for Elton John. It has been a second home for actors and musicians, their fans, friends and entourages ever since. Celebrities including John Lennon, Elvis Presley, Keith Moon, John Belushi, Grace Slick, Ringo Starr, Neil Diamond, LED ZEPPELIN, Alice Cooper, GUNS N’ ROSES, VAN HALEN, MÖTLEY CRÜE and B-Real have all been sighted there, and the restaura...
DEEP PURPLE’s STEVE MORSE Is Working On Art Collection Crafted From Guitar Performance
DEEP PURPLE guitarist Steve Morse has been collaborating with Los Angeles art team SceneFour on the creation of fine artwork built from performance. A groundbreaking approach to making visuals on canvas, each piece in this collection showcases a new dimension to the instrument — a visual one. For more information, visit SteveMorseArt.com. SceneFour is primarily known as the team responsible for the “rhythm-on-canvas” medium, having released art collections over the last several years with a highly select group of drumming legends, including Bill Ward (BLACK SABBATH), Rick Allen (DEF LEPPARD) and Dave Lombardo (SLAYER). SceneFour, a Los Angeles design and branding firm, uses LED technology to transfer the musicians’ unique style onto a canvas. The art reportedly provides a...
Rage Against the Machine, Muse, and Jamiroquai to Headline Inaugural Andalucia Big Festival
The organizers of Mad Cool Festival have announced a new three-day event taking place this September. The Andalucia Big Festival goes down September 8th-10th at Sacaba Beach in Malaga, Spain, with Rage Against the Machine, MUSE, and Jamiroquai headlining the inaugural lineup. Other notable confirmed acts include Run the Jewels, Glass Animals, Paolo Nutini, Vetusta Morla, Lucy Dacus, Biffy Clyro, Years & Years, Stereophonics, Kurt Vile & The Violators, Kevin Morby, Aurora, Nova Twins, Yard Act, Gus Dapperton, and more. Tickets to Andalucia Big Festival go on sale Friday, April 29th at 12:00 p.m. CEST via the festival’s website. Advertisement Related Video That same September weekend, Mad Cool will also host a one-day offshoot festival in Madrid called Mad Cool Sunset. Taking place o...
Howard Stern Calls Out “Huge Narcissist” Johnny Depp for “Overacting” in Amber Heard Trial
Howard Stern has taken shots at Johnny Depp for the actor’s witness testimony in his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, calling Depp “a huge narcissist” and criticizing his “overacting.” While discussing the trial on Monday’s episode of The Howard Stern Show (via Mediaite), Stern claimed Depp wanted it televised because “that’s what narcissists do. They think they can talk their way out of anything.” He added, “I think Johnny Depp is a huge narcissist and what I mean by that is — he figured, ‘I’ll put this on TV and because I’m so persuasive and because I’m so smart, I’m such a wonderful guy.’” Advertisement Related Video “I’ll play you some clips from the Johnny Depp trial. If he isn’t acting — I mean, he’s so overacting,” Stern continued while critiquing Depp’s meth...
Donald Trump Says He Won’t Use Twitter Even if Elon Musk Unbans His Account
In what may be Donald Trump’s most popular action since appearing in Home Alone 2, the former President has pledged that he will not use Twitter, not even if the platform’s new owner Elon Musk unbans his account. As Trump explained to Fox News, the decision does not represent either changing interests or a newfound ability to shut the fuck up. No, after Trump’s permanent ban following the failed January 6th insurrection, the longtime Twitter addict did something rather committal while in the throws of his withdrawal, spending a small fortune on building his own social media platform. This new hangout changed almost nothing about Twitter’s design, except for using the Orwellian name TRUTH Social and instituting new rules preventing users from making fun of Trump. TRUTH Social laun...
Police Bodycam Footage Captures Alec Baldwin in Aftermath of Halyna Hutchins Shooting
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department has released police bodycam footage of the moments following the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust. On October 21st, during rehearsals at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico, a gun that had been inexplicably loaded with live ammunition went off. The film’s star and co-producer, Alec Baldwin, was holding the gun, though he has claimed that he did not pull the trigger. The bullet penetrated through Hutchins’ torso and buried in the shoulder of the film’s director, Joel Souza. Hutchins died after being airlifted to an Albuquerque hospital. Search warrants later revealed that the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, loaded the Colt .45 believing a real bullet was a dummy round. She then handed the weapon to first assista...
