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10 Can’t-Miss Performances at Ultra Music Festival 2022
With seemingly endless options at hand, scheduling a day at Ultra Music Festival is no small task. Luckily, you can’t go wrong within one of dance music’s biggest arenas. We’re on the cusp of festival season reaching full swing, and electronic music artists are pulling out all the stops in order to make an early and impactful impression. To help kickstart your planning, we’re highlighting 10 artists who are sure to make a huge impact at Ultra 2022. Nitepunk It’s safe to say Nitepunk is one of bass music’s most refreshing faces. The producer’s unique brand of frenetic breakbeat and pummeling trap has made him a favorite among headbangers in the electronic scene. Nitepunk has been paying his dues in the studio, but 2021 was really the start of him pr...
Keith Richards Calls Out Eric Clapton’s Vaccine Skepticism: “Do as Doctor Says”
Over the past 18 months or so, Eric Clapton has become a spokesperson of the COVID conspiracist crowd. But regardless of your stance on vaccines, everyone wants the pandemic to go away, and Keith Richards has offered some sage advice for accomplishing that: Trust the experts. Speaking on Rolling Stone’s Music Now podcast, the Rolling Stones legend shared his take on vaccines and Clapton’s abhorrent skepticism: “I just want to get rid of this damn thing, and the only way I can see is everybody does as doctor says,” he said. “I love Eric dearly,” Richards added. “I’ve known him since forever and we’ve had ups and downs… This COVID thing, it’s split people up and it made people sometimes go awry for awhile, you know?” Advertisement Related Video Even before vaccines were readily availabl...
Princess Nokia Throws It Back with New Song “No Effort”: Stream
Princess Nokia has returned with “No Effort,” her first new single of 2022. Stream the track below. Over breezy production recalling the late ’90s and early 2000s hip-hop, the New York native crushes the competition (“These bitches is still basic like they shop on Fordham”) while prepping for a hot girl summer. Princess Nokia also reminds fans of her roots when she raps, “I’m the Diplomat girl with the Harlem Shake/ I’m on First Ave, gang, we at Hajji’s, babe.” To further acknowledge those roots, Princess Nokia recruited the StuntGuyz BMX crew for the accompanying music video, which was filmed at an East Harlem skatepark. Watch the rapper and her squad show off their dance moves in the Travis Libin-directed video below. Advertisement Related Video “No Effort” drops ahead of Princess Nokia’...
R.I.P. John Clayton, ESPN NFL Reporter Who Starred as Metalhead in Greatest SportsCenter Commercial Dies at 67
John Clayton, the longtime NFL reporter for ESPN, has died at age 67 after an undisclosed brief illness. While he was considered one of the best in the business among football fans, for many he will be remembered for his unforgettable starring in role in perhaps the greatest “This Is SportsCenter” commercial ever. After starting as a sportswriter in the covering the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks in the ’70s and ’80s, Clayton was hired by ESPN in 1995, where he remained with the network as one of its top NFL reporters until he was let go in 2017. According to ESPN, Clayton died Friday (March 18th) while surrounded by family in Washington state. Clayton, who was nicknamed “The Professor,” had a charmingly nerdy appearance, which made his turn in the aforementioned “This Is SportsC...
Watch QUEENSRŸCHE Perform In Los Angeles During North American Tour With JUDAS PRIEST
Fan-filmed video of QUEENSRŸCHE‘s March 15 concert at Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles, California can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube channel Live Rock Music By Scott Perry). The setlist was as follows: 01. Queen Of The Reich 02. Warning 03. En Force 04. NM 156 05. Empire 06. Walk In The Shadows 07. The Whisper 08. Operation: Mindcrime 09. The Needle Lies 10. Take Hold Of The Flame 11. Screaming In Digital 12. Eyes Of A Stranger QUEENSRŸCHE‘s North American tour as the support act for JUDAS PRIEST kicked off on March 4 at Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois and will conclude on April 13 at FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. QUEENSRŸCHE was originally set to support SCORPIONS on their rescheduled “Sin City Nights” Las Vegas resi...
Former W.A.S.P. Guitarist CHRIS HOLMES Is In Second Week Of Radiation Treatment For Throat And Neck Cancer
Former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes is in his second week of radiation therapy in his battle with cancer in throat and neck. On Friday (March 18), the 63-year-old musician’s wife and manager, Cathy-Sarah Holmes, who first shared the news of his diagnosis in a social media post last month, issued the following update on his condition: “Chris have nausea and lost the taste then it is complicated for him to eat but we found the best way for him to not lost too much weight mixing complement food and little portion of food he want to eat . We try everything who can work . “For those who have the same treatment in case it can help he take 3 times by day desmodium for protect his liver , drink almost 2 liters of water for clean his kidneys and take for now besides his treatme...
STRYPER, Ex-QUIET RIOT And RIOT Members Join Forces In CLEANBREAK
Former QUIET RIOT singer and “American Idol” finalist James Durbin has joined forces with STRYPER members Robert Sweet and Perry Richardson (bass; also ex-FIREHOUSE) and RIOT guitarist Mike Flyntz in a new project called CLEANBREAK. The band’s debut single and video will be released next month via Frontiers Music Srl. FAITHSEDGE singer/songwriter Giancarlo Floridia, who was involved in the songwriting process for CLEANBREAK, took to his Facebook on Wednesday (March 16) to write: “After months of not being able to say anything I’m proud to announce my songwriting debut for Frontiers records. These new songs will be on the CLEANBREAK debut album featuring ‘American Idol’ finalists James Durbin, STRYPER drummer Robert Sweet, FIREHOUSE/STRYPER bass player Pe...
Photos: Official RONNIE JAMES DIO Documentary ‘Dio: Dreamers Never Die’ Receives World Premiere At This Year’s SXSW Film Festival
“Dio: Dreamers Never Die”, the career-spanning documentary on the life and times of the legendary rock icon Ronnie James Dio, received its world premiere this past Thursday (March 17) at this year’s SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas. On Friday, several music personalities who were involved in the making of the film — Dio‘s wife and longtime manager Wendy Dio, BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler and former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach — took part in a panel, “Dreamers Never Die: The Enduring Power Of Metal” panel, hosted by SiriusXM‘s Eddie Trunk at Austin Convention Center. Photos from both days can be found below. More pictures of the “Dreamers Never Die: The Enduring Power Of Metal” panel are available at Shutterstock. “Dio:...
Aimee Mann Says Steely Dan Dropped Her From Tour, Donald Fagen Apologizes
Well, first of all, the idea that I would make any decision based on the gender of a performer is ridiculous. That’s something that would never even occur to me. There was a communication problem on our end. I was misinformed as to how firm the commitment was to any particular opening act. And, although I have the greatest respect for Aimee as a writer and performer, I thought it might not be the best matchup in terms of musical style. But I can’t pass the buck. I’ll take the blame for the screwup. I apologize for any distress this has caused Aimee and her fans.
Trae Tha Truth Teases Surprise Album, Talks Friendship With ‘Little Bro’ Gunna & Young Thug at SXSW
As a born-and-bred Texan, it’s no surprise that Trae Tha Truth is back in Austin for the 2022 edition of South by Southwest. Backstage at Gunna and Young Thug’s set Thursday night for Billboard x Samsung’s three-night SXSW concert series, Billboard News’ Tetris Kelly caught up with Trae to talk about his friendship with the two young rappers and what it’s like to be back at South By. “I’ve been here since the beginning days,” Trae says. “I’ve seen a lot of artists be created through South by Southwest.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news He also talked about his early interactions with Thug and with Gunna (“that’s little bro”) and how he’s been impacting his Houston hometown since receiving the Change Maker Award at the 2021 Billboard Music A...
Hardwell to Close Out Ultra Miami 2022 After Four-Year Hiatus
Four years after stepping away from the EDM scene that made him a global star, Hardwell will take the stage again in Miami next weekend at Ultra Music Festival, Billboard has learned. The Dutch DJ-producer will close out the three-day festival as the “special guest” in the final main stage slot at 9 p.m. on Sunday, March 27, say three people familiar with the matter. Explore Explore Hardwell See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Hardwell, whose real name is Robbert van de Corput, rose to fame amid the hands-in-the-air commercial explosion of dance music in the U.S. from 2012 to 2018, headlining major festivals like Ultra and TomorrowWorld and holding residencies at top-flight venues like Hakkasan in Las Vegas. He produced a slew of high-energy progressive ho...
Paul Simon Shopping Simon & Garfunkel Recorded Royalties
A year after Paul Simon sold his song catalog to Sony Music Publishing, the legendary artist is now shopping his master recording royalties from his Simon & Garfunkel recorded works, multiple sources tell Billboard. The master royalties include the five Simon & Garfunkel studio albums that the duo recorded for Columbia/Sony starting in 1964, including 1971 Grammy album of the year Bridge Over Troubled Water. The duo has sold more than 100 million records, according to Sony. “The Sound of Silence,” “Mrs. Robinson,” “America,” “Homeward Bound,” “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” and “The Boxer” are among the classic recordings on these albums. A source says Art Garfunkel is not selling his master recording royalties. Simon, one of the most revered singer-songwriters in mo...
