music blog
Makin’ Tracks: Michael Ray Delivers a Classic Story Song With the Swampy ‘Holy Water’
When the video for Michael Ray’s “Holy Water” debuts March 16, some of the footage will take viewers to the Cassia Baptist Church — a little white house of worship in Eustis, Fla., that the singer attended three times a week during his youth. The preacher’s goal on many a Sunday is to define the line between right and wrong, though in practice, it’s not always so easy. That gray area in between is fertile ground for drama, and that’s a big reason that Ray recorded “Holy Water” in the first place. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “That’s what I love about the story,” he says. “It’s like a movie in your ears.” A short movie, though: The typical film lasts around two hours, while the action in “Holy Water” takes place in a scant three-and-a-half minutes, exploring a man of the cloth...
Kelly Clarkson Gets ‘Nostalgic’ With New Performance of an Old Song: Watch
Kellyoke is typically a place for Kelly Clarkson to pay tribute to other artists, but in the Tuesday (March 15) installment of The Kelly Clarkson Show‘s live music cover series, she dusted off one of her own songs. Throwing her audience back to 2015, the three-time Grammy winner took the stage with her band Y’all for a sentimental performance of her fittingly titled seven-year-old track “Nostalgic.” Though Clarkson usually adapts hit songs from all generations to fit her signature power vocals, singing an original track meant opportunities for belted riffs and sustained high notes were already built in — opportunities she took with a graceful power only Kelly Clarkson could deliver. Explore See latest videos, charts and news And though this was a rare instance of the “Stronger” s...
‘Phoenix Rising’ Doc Offers Harrowing Look at Evan Rachel Wood Abuse Allegations Against Marilyn Manson
[Trigger warning: this article contains descriptions of domestic violence, as well as sexual and physical abuse.] Sometimes the film you set out to make is not the one you end up with. That’s the case with director Amy Berg’s intense two-part HBO documentary Phoenix Rising. The veteran filmmaker originally set out to document actress Evan Rachel Wood’s successful drive to lengthen the statute of limitations for domestic violence felonies in California from three to five years. As Wood was fighting for the Phoenix Act — which was signed into law in 2019 — Berg realized that any potential film would have to delve into Wood’s allegations against her former fiancé/boyfriend, shock rocker Marilyn Manson (born Brian Warner). That story makes up much of the first part (“Don’t Fall”) of the nearly...
Migos, Jack Harlow and More To Headline 2022 Life Is Beautiful Festival
Las Vegas’ three-day music festival Life Is Beautiful has revealed its 2022 lineup, with headliners including Jack Harlow, Migos, Lorde, Gorillaz, Kygo, Arctic Monkeys, Calvin Harris, Cage the Elephant and Beach House. Elsewhere at the festival, which is scheduled to take place from September 16 to September 18, Isaiah Rashad, Young Nudy, Coi Leray, Rico Nasty, Big Boi, JPEGMafia, Charli XCX, Gryffin, Alison Wonderland, Oliver Tree, Big Boi, Alessia Cara and several others are slated to perform, with more acts expected to be added. This year’s festival will mark the second iteration of Life Is Beautiful since the onset of COVID-19, following the event’s triumphant return last year. “We believe in the power and connection that comes with live experiences and we’re thrill...
Tiësto and Ava Max Launch Global Search for the Best Remix of “The Motto”
Music producers, let’s get down to business. Tiësto and Ava Max are opening up “The Motto” to remix treatment, and awarding one artist a career-launching grand prize. Part of “The Motto Global Remix Challenge,” the stakes are astronomical as the contest’s top honor includes an official remix release on Atlantic Records. On top of that, the combined forces of Loopcloud, LabelRadar, Spinnin’ Records, and Musical Freedom have assembled to give away $10,000 in production gear and access to software tools such as Arturia plugins, Beatport LINK, Loopcloud Pro, and Reason. Three runners-up will receive promotion on their remixes from Beatport while also taking home “The Next Beat” controller, a DJ performance tool developed in partn...
Programmer Creates One-of-a-Kind Daft Punk “Word Clock”
It’s incredible to think about how one of the most impactful electronic songs in history, “Harder Better Faster Stronger,” only has 18 unique words. It was a discovery made by Daft Punk fan Ben Combee, who says the realization of the song’s catchy simplicity inspired him to create a one-of-a-kind piece built around the legendary robots’ generational dance anthem. Combee created an art display similar to a word clock, a device capable of playing back the song’s audio while lighting up the appropriate lyrics with perfect timing. Combee explained that all the lyrics were able to be fit in a 12×7 combination matrix after duplicate lyrics were excluded. Then, he programmed a series of cue points tagged to specific timestamps in the track s...
Insomniac Strikes Partnership With Unity to Cultivate Next Generation of Metaverse Concerts
The next evolution of Insomniac Events is on the horizon. The parent company of EDC has inked a new partnership with innovative software developer Unity, a leader in the creation of real-time 3D experiences. The partnership will yield Insomniac’s next wave of offerings in virtual concerts. The prolific events company is renowned for its large-scale electronic dance music festivals, but has recently begun dabbling in an expansion of their model for an increasingly digital audience. Insomniac famously became the first events brand to host a major music festival on the Roblox platform with 2021’s “World Party” event for EDC Las Vegas. The 2021 edition of EDC Las Vegas, one of the largest electronic dance music festivals in the world. Brian Rapopor...
Calvin Harris, Kygo to Headline Life Is Beautiful 2022: See the Full Lineup
As if Las Vegas couldn’t already coax you into its wallet-emptying web of entertainment, Life Is Beautiful is locked in for 2022. The organizers of the music festival, which takes place in the heart of downtown Vegas, have now announced a huge lineup ahead of its 2022 edition. They’ve always done a wonderful job of curating talent from the world of electronic music, but they’ve outdone themselves this year. Barnstorming dance music superstars Calvin Harris and Kygo will headline Life Is Beautiful 2022, joining Arctic Monkeys, Lorde, Gorillaz, Jack Harlow, Migos, Cage The Elephant and Beach House. The undercard is also something to marvel at, featuring Alison Wonderland, Dabin, Gryffin, SG Lewis, Said The Sky and R3hab, among many others. Check out the full lineup in ...
Latto Unveils ‘777’ Album Release Date and Cover Art
Latto took to social media on Monday to reveal the official artwork and release date for her long-awaited sophomore album, 777. “777 the album,” she wrote on Instagram under the official artwork, which sees the artist pinned against a crystal-like bullseye surrounded by knives and daggers. “March 25.” Additionally, Latto took to Twitter to provide some context to the record. “I put a lot of thought into my artwork I hope u guys love it and understand where I’m at mentally,” she wrote. “The music will give just as much as the visuals! I PROMISE U THAT!” The record will arrive just over 18 months after the release of her debut album Queen Of Da Souf, which helped propel the Atlanta rapper into the spotlight alongside her placement on the 2020 XXL Freshman Class list. Since the...
RUSH Guitarist ALEX LIFESON’s Iconic Guitars To Be Auctioned
Julien’s Auctions, the world-record-breaking auction house to the stars, will honor one of the most influential music icons and guitar heroes of the progressive rock metal genre with “Property From The Archives Of Alex Lifeson”, a centerpiece of their premiere music auction event, “Music Icons”, taking place Friday, May 20, Saturday, May 21, with the RUSH legend’s auction as the grand finale on Sunday, May 22 live at Hard Rock Cafe in New York and online at juliensauctions.com. More than 100 lots featuring signature guitars, instruments, wardrobe, gear and memorabilia owned and used by Lifeson, the legendary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame guitarist and co-founder of RUSH, one of the best-selling progressive rock groups of all time, who have sold more than 40...
KORN’s JONATHAN DAVIS Says He Is Suffering From ‘Long COVID’: ‘I’m Still Fatigued Like Crazy’
KORN singer Jonathan Davis says that he is “still fatigued like crazy” by his battle with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Last August, it was announced that Davis tested positive for COVID-19. As a result of his infection, the band postponed six dates and canceled two on its summer 2021 U.S. tour. A month later, KORN guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer also contracted COVID-19 and was temporarily replaced by J.R. Bareis, who is also in the band LOVE AND DEATH with KORN guitarist Brian “Head” Welch. In October, KORN drummer Ray Luzier became the third member of the band to get infected, forcing him to miss three shows on KORN‘s U.S. tour. Filling in for him was FEVER 333‘s Aric Improta. Davis discussed his COVID-19 experienc...
MESHUGGAH’s TOMAS HAAKE Opens Up About His Battle With Eczema: ‘It’s A Bummer’
This past December, MESHUGGAH announced that it was postponing its previously announced U.S. tour, originally planned for early 2022, to September/October 2022. At the time, the Swedish extreme tech-metal pioneers said that they needed “to prioritize the physical health of one of the band members who is currently undergoing medical treatment related to a skin condition on his hands, hindering him from rehearsals and from all in all playing his instrument.” In a new interview with Rolling Stone, MESHUGGAH drummer Tomas Haake opened up about his ailment, saying: “I have this eczema inside my hands. I’ve got to tape up all my fingers and put on gloves just to mess around on the kit, even. That means I haven’t really touched the drums since we recorded the album, ...
