music blog
Epigone – WILDERUN
RATING: 9/10 Some of us are still recovering from hearing the last WILDERUN album, 2019’s “Veil of Imagination”, for the first time. Not that the pursuit of the perfect progressive metal hybrid is any kind of sensible endeavor, but there was something extraordinarily rich and all-encompassing about the music on the band’s third full-length record. WILDERUN were, and definitely remain, something special. Satisfyingly, “Epigone” goes beyond simply reaffirming how ingenious and technically gifted these musicians are. Instead, via a somewhat hazy and convoluted conceptual thread that deigns to unpick the emotional maze of creativity itself, this is another grand leap into hitherto untouched musical and emotional depths. Admittedly, you probably need to be he...
THE OFFSPRING Guitarist Blasts ‘Insane’ TRUMP Supporters For Embracing Conspiracy Theories And Lies About U.S. Capitol Riot
THE OFFSPRING guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman has blasted as “insane” Donald Trump supporters who embrace wild conspiracy theories and outright lies about the assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. On Monday (January 3), CNN aired a segment in which reporter Donie O’Sullivan asked Trump supporters about the Capitol riot and discovered that many of them insisted the insurrection was caused by some combination of Democrats and the FBI, despite extensive video footage and other evidence showing otherwise. Earlier today, Noodles shared O’Sullivan‘s tweet which included the CNN video report, and he wrote in an accompanying message: “These people are insane, but there’s a huge, very sophisticated, media wing dedicated to stoking ...
MICHAEL SWEET Explains His ‘STRYPER Is Not A Christian Band’ Comment
Michael Sweet has once again claimed that STRYPER was never a “Christian” band despite the fact that the lyrics in a number of STRYPER songs explicitly point to Christ. During an appearance on the latest episode of the “Talk Is Jericho” podcast hosted by FOZZY frontman and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho, he explained (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I recently, in the past few yeas, said quite a few times, and it’s really caused a stir, that we’re not a Christian band. And people say, ‘What?’ But we’re Christians in a rock band. And there’s a difference. “I look at PETRA as a Christian band, I look at SWEET COMFORT, I look at REZ BAND as Christian bands, ’cause they were Christians in a rock band,”...
Lawsuit Filed by Baby on Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ Album Cover Gets Dismissed
The lawsuit filed by Spencer Elden, the baby featured on the cover of Nirvana’s Nevermind, has been dismissed by a judge after he failed to respond to the band’s motion to dismiss on December 30. According to reports, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic — the band’s surviving members — along with Kurt Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, filed the motion to dismiss the lawsuit on December 22, 2021 and alleged that Elden was previously proud of being known as the baby on the album art. They also pointed out that his lawsuit was filed after the federal statute of limitations had run out. “Elden has spent three decades profiting from his celebrity as the self-anointed ‘Nirvana Baby’,” the motion read. “He has reenacted the photograph in exchange for a fee, many times; he has had the album title ‘Nevermind’...
Rush Pinball Machines Officially Unveiled: Watch Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson Record Dialogue
Stern Pinball has unveiled its new Rush machines, including three cabinet variants. Last week, we reported that Stern’s first pinball machine of 2022 would be themed after the iconic progressive rock band. At the time, only a short teaser trailer was available featuring a list of songs and a CGI version of the Fly By Night owl. Now, Stern has given fans a first full glimpse at the Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition Rush cabinets as well as detailing gameplay and the revolutionary Insider Connected feature. Related Video The company set out to “reflect the energy, excitement, and experience of a live Rush concert” as players “travel with Rush through time.” The game will be guided by exclusive concert footage and custom dialogue from Rush members Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee, along with fellow...
Peter Dante Has Meltdown After Restaurant Refuses Him Entry for Failing to Wear Mask
Peter Dante, the veteran actor known for his roles in films like The Waterboy, was captured on camera berating a hostess after being denied entry into a Los Angeles restaurant for refusing to wear a face mask. The incident occurred at Quarters Korean BBQ in L.A.’s Koreatown on Monday. As shown in footage obtained by TMZ, Dante responded to the hostess by making several derogatory slurs, including “garbage” and “c*nt.” At one point, Dante also told the woman, who appeared to be of Asian descent, to “go back to where you…” before seemingly catching himself and telling the woman to instead, “go back to school.” After a manager told Dante she would not speak to him without a face covering, Dante told her “no” and walked away from the restaurant. Advertisement Related Video In September, Dante ...
Pooh Shiesty Pleads Guilty to Firearm Conspiracy After Allegedly Shooting Man in Ass
Pooh Shiesty was facing up to life in prison for allegedly shooting a man in the buttocks, but after reaching a deal with prosecutors, he has pleaded guilty to a single lesser charge of conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of violent and drug-trafficking crimes, Rolling Stone reports. The 22-year-old rapper, who was born Lontrell Williams, was indicted last year following a shooting. Prosecutors argued that Williams and his associates had met two men at the Landon Hotel in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida, with the intention of purchasing marijuana and high-end sneakers. Purportedly the deal went wrong, ending with Williams firing into one man’s rear, while his associate shot another man in the hip. They allegedly fled the scene but left behind a Louis Vuitton bag containing $40,912 i...
Betty White’s Hometown Declares January 17th “Betty White Day”
Betty White’s hometown of Oak Park, Illinois has declared that her birthday, January 17th, will now be known as “Betty White Day,” TMZ reports. The legendary television actress, best known for starring in the iconic sitcoms The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Golden Girls, passed away on December 31st, just shy of her 100th birthday. Vicki Scaman, president of the Village of Oak Park, told TMZ that while White moved to California at a young age, the Illinois city would celebrate the television icon on her birthday from here on out, citing her continued high praise of the village. Beyond a public memorial and proclamation reading, Oak Park businesses plan to celebrate “Betty White Day” with various discounts and “Betty White specials.” Hot dog joint Mickey’s Drive-In will offer White’s...
Golden Globes to Take Place Without Celebs, Press or Audience in Attendance
The 79th Golden Globe Awards, set for Sunday, will highlight the philanthropic efforts of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — which The Hollywood Reporter has previously written about — with winners announced intermittently throughout a 90-minute gathering at the Beverly Hilton, the HFPA revealed on Tuesday. There will be no red carpet and no celebrities, non-HFPA members of the press or audience members in attendance — a reflection of both the grave COVID situation and the fact that the HFPA is currently personae non gratae with many in Hollywood. It remains unclear if or how people not in the room will be able to watch the ceremony if they desire to do so — a live stream is a possibility, but there are presumably legal hurdles to broadcasting...
Omarion Reminds Fans He’s an ‘Artist, Not a Variant’
Omarion sent season’s greetings to his fans in a series of PSAs that reminded them he’s not to be confused with the latest Omicron variant of COVID-19. During Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest on Dec. 31, Omarion sat down and set the record straight. “I am an artist, not a variant,” he said to the camera sternly in the first clip that he posted to his personal TikTok page. “So please be aware if you just so happen to run into me on the street, you don’t have to isolate for five days nor do you have to have a negative test result in order to dance to my music. So please be safe, be healthy, happy new year!” Explore Explore Omarion See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Omarion echoed the CDC’s updated isolation guidelines, which advise tho...
Gal Gadot Admits Viral ‘Imagine’ Cover Was ‘In Poor Taste’
It’s been nearly two years since Gal Gadot received backlash for her star-studded cover of John Lennon‘s “Imagine” when COVID-19 first began to spread. The Wonder Woman star is now reflecting on the poorly received video, and has a different opinion on it. In a new interview for InStyle‘s February issue, Gadot discussed the criticism for the 2020 cover, which featured appearances by Amy Adams, Zoë Kravitz, Natalie Portman, Mark Ruffalo and a number of other celebrities. “The pandemic was in Europe and Israel before it came here [to the U.S.] in the same way,” she said. “I was seeing where everything was headed. But [the video] was premature. It wasn’t the right timing, and it wasn’t the right thing. It was in poor taste.” While the video was meant to provide comfort and a sense of unity as...
Jack Harlow Honored With His Own Day in Louisville Hometown
Jack Harlow is entering the new year with a new honor. On Monday, the Grammy-nominated artist revealed that Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer named Dec. 28 Jack Harlow Day in the rapper’s Kentucky hometown. Harlow shared the news by posting a photo of his honorary plaque on Instagram. With a fun reference to his 2020 Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit “Whats Poppin,” the plate reads, “For answering, once and for all, that what’s poppin’ is Louisville when it comes to talent that makes it bigger than big, but doesn’t forget the ‘home’ in hometown or homegrown. The rapper’s way with words and beats has earned him untold fans, chart-topping releases and an ability to give back in meaningful ways, and he does.” The honorary plaque concludes, “Our city is excited and proud to observe December 28, 2021, a...
