music blog
Ex-BULLETBOYS Guitarist MICK SWEDA Opens Up About His Latest Departure: ‘I Have To Be Able To Trust The Guys In My Band’
Original BULLETBOYS guitarist Mick Sweda, who recently exited the band, along with drummer Jimmy D’Anda, discussed his departure from the group in a new interview with “This That & The Other With Troy Patrick Farrell”. Speaking about why the reunion of BULLETBOYS‘ original lineup didn’t last more than two years, Sweda said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “You go into these things with what I’d describe as hope but it’s kind of qualified hope. You know that there’s a shelf life, you know that there’s a ‘use by’ date, or at least ‘best use by’ date, and you just hope it doesn’t come too soon. And for me, frankly, it came too soon. I was really looking forward to the year and all the shows we h...
BON JOVI Announces April 2022 U.S. Tour
BON JOVI will embark on a short U.S. tour in April. The trek is scheduled to kick off on April 1 in Omaha, Nebraska and conclude on April 30 in Nashville, Tennessee. Says BON JOVI: “It’s official! We’ll be headed back out on this road this April for the #BonJovi2022Tour. Pre-sales begin January 11th and tickets will be available to the public beginning January 14th. For more information on tickets and VIP packages, head to bonjovi.com. See you soon!” Tour dates: April 01 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center April 03 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center April 05 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum April 08 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center April 09 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena April 11 – GreeNville, SC – Bon S...
Phylicia Fant Exits Columbia Records
Phylicia Fant has exited her post as executive vp, urban music at Columbia Records, sources with knowledge of her departure tell Billboard. There was no reason given for Fant’s exit, and there’s also no word yet as to where Fant, who declined to comment, may be headed. A Columbia spokesperson confirmed Fant’s departure. Today (Jan. 7) is her last day at the label. Fant joined Columbia in December 2018 when she and Shawn Holiday were appointed co-heads of urban music. Over the last two years, the label has scored successes with projects from Lil Nas X, The Kid LAROI, Polo G, Chloe x Halle, 24kGoldn, Leon Bridges and Lil Tjay. Columbia is also home to Beyoncé, Tyler, The Creator, Pharrell and Raphael Saadiq. Holiday, who teamed with The Azoff Company’s Irving and Jeffrey Azoff in February 20...
Bad Bunny Tops Year-End Latin Songs, Albums Charts as Latin Music Consumption Soars
Latin music consumption in the United States continued its outsized growth trajectory, with a 21.1% increase in total album consumption in 2021 — more than any other core music genre and behind only comedy — according to MRC Data’s newly released year-end report. All told, total album consumption of Latin music — which comprises traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA) — stood at 48.2 million, up from 39.8 million in 2020. It’s a robust showing that once again makes Latin the fifth most-consumed music genre in the U.S. behind country (72.2 million), pop (116.5 million), rock (178.7 million) and of course the behemoth that is R&B/hip-hop, which led with 247.5 million units earned in 2021. In terms of on-demand song streams, Latin’s sho...
Earl Sweatshirt Reveals Full Track List For ‘Sick!’ Album
Earl Sweatshirt revealed the full track list for his upcoming album Sick! (Jan. 14), which will feature guests Armand Hammer and Zelooperz of the Bruiser Brigade. He also gifted fans with the new Black Noi$e-produced track “Titanic” on Friday (Jan. 7), a bare-bones bouncer in which he spits, “Give it to you straight, no frills/ What I think might pay the bills/ Spit on the cam like Makaveli (F–k y’all)/ Came home in the 2011/ Pasadena John calling me relly.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news The latest track follows on the heels of the single “2010,” which dropped in November and “Tabula Rasa,” which featured rap duo Armand Hammer. Sick! is the long-awaited follow-up to 2018’s Some Rap Songs; he released the Feet of Clay EP a year later. In a statement, Earl explained the origins ...
Tiago PZK Signs Record Deal With Warner Music Latina
Tiago PZK, the soulful Argentine singer and rapper who at 20 years old has already placed three songs on the Billboard Global Excl U.S. chart, has signed a recording deal with Warner Music Latina, via a partnership with indie Grand Move Records. The artist, whose real name is Tiago Uriel Pacheco, uses the suffix PZK in honor of his freestyle crew in Argentina, but his music defies categorization, often shifting from R&B and even pop to rap. And instead of resorting to the sexually explicit lyrics that define so many reggaetón hits today, Tiago’s themes lean more toward love and loss and his own journey from the housing projects of Buenos Aires to nascent fame. His breakout single “Sola,” for example, talks about his childhood and his mother’s abuse at the hands of his father. Expl...
Sasami Releases New Song “Say It”: Listen
Sasami has shared a new song. “Say It” is the latest industrial-influenced single from Squeeze, her forthcoming sophomore album. Check it out below. “‘Say It’ is a rage anthem dance track about spinning out because someone isn’t communicating with you,” explained Sasami in a press release. “I feel like when I hear the song, I see a hot femme with a mystical flamethrower engulfed in emotional blue flames throwing elbows alone in an industrial dance club in outer space.” Squeeze is due out February 25 via Domino and follows Sasami’s self-titled debut from 2019. She previously shared “The Greatest” and “Skin a Rat” from the record. Last year, Sasami covered Daniel Johnston’s song “Sorry Entertainer.” She also shared an original song called “Mess” in 2020. Content This content can also be view...
CD Sales Have Increased for the First Time in 17 Years
CD sales have increased for the first time in 17 years, Billboard reports. The year-end statistics, courtesy of MRC Data, state that compact disc sales reached 40.59 million units last year, up 1.1% from 40.16 million units in 2020. The jump in CD sales is due to a few top-selling artists, namely Adele and Taylor Swift. Adele’s new hit album 30 was the top-selling CD in the United States, with a total of 898,000 units sold. Swift took the second and third slots with her recently re-recorded versions of Fearless (263,000 CDs sold) and Red (237,000). Read Billboard’s full report here. The top-10 CD sales list also includes Taylor Swift’s Evermore (213,000 units sold), BTS’ Map of the Soul: 7 (210,000) and Be (187,000), Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour (195,000), and others. 2021 marked ...
Burial Unveils ANTIDAWN EP: Stream
Burial has released his new EP ANTIDAWN via Hyperdub. Stream it below on Apple Music and Spotify. The five-song collection contains lengthy ambient tracks titled “Strange Neighbourhood,” “Shadow Paradise,” “New Love,” “Upstairs Flat,” and, of course, “Antidawn” — two of which clock in at over 10 minutes apiece. “ANTIDAWN reduces Burial’s music to just the vapours,” read a statement from the British musician’s record label ahead of the EP’s release. “The record explores an interzone between dislocated, patchwork songwriting and eerie, open-world game space ambience. In the resulting no man’s land, lyrics take precedence over song, lonely phrases colour the haze, a stark and fragmented structure makes time slow down.” Related Video Hyperdub went on to explain that Burial is “tell[ing] a stor...
The 355 Review: Predictable Twists Bog Down This Lady Spy Thriller
The Pitch: There is a certain sub-genre of films, largely action films, that belong to a very specific time and place — an idyllic lazy Saturday afternoon, that post-lunch or brunch drowsiness kicking in as you nestle into your couch at home, searching for something to watch that won’t require too much effort to engage with on your part. The kind of movie you might watch with your dad over the holidays, just because it’s on cable. What The 355 offers up is a perfect Saturday afternoon dad movie, but instead of starring Stallone or Eastwood or Bronson, it stars five women with six Oscar nominations and two wins between them. (And was written by the creator of NBC’s Smash!) Approached with those sorts of low expectations, the new action drama starring Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Penélo...
Former FOZZY Drummer FRANK FONTSERE Explains His Departure
Former FOZZY drummer Frank Fontsere has opened up about his departure from the band, saying he no longer wanted to spend time away from home. Fontsere‘s exit from FOZZY was officially announced this past Monday (January 3). The band also named his replacement, former THROUGH FIRE drummer Grant Brooks. Earlier today, Frank took to his Instagram to write: “Hello, As you may have already heard, I have decided to step down as the drummer for FOZZY. This was a very painful decision to make even though it was the correct one. Getting on stage with guys I love and making music I love is something I will miss terribly. I will also miss getting to meet and interact with all the wonderful people who came to see us over the years. FOZZY has the best fans in the world. “I want to tak...
IRON MAIDEN’s BRUCE DICKINSON Has ‘A Huge Collection Of Soaps From Hotels From All Over The World’
During an appearance on the latest episode of AXS TV‘s “At Home And Social With”, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson was asked by Katie Daryl if he he likes to use bar soap or liquid soap when he is showering. He responded: “I just take whatever is available. I actually have a huge collection of soaps from hotels from all over the world, and I’ve never had to buy shower gel or soap for the last 10 years. “My girlfriend, she’s absolutely mad. She goes and buys all this stuff,” he continued. “I’m, like, ‘Okay, well, that’s for you. We’ve got a year’s supply there. But me, I’ll take [whatever is available].’ ‘Hmm, I wonder what this one does.’ … And then you get the funny-shaped ones as...
