Music News
Liturgy’s Hunter Hunt-Hendrix Comes Out Publicly as Transgender
Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, the leader of the acclaimed experimental black metal group Liturgy, has come out publicly as transgender, writing, “I am a woman.” In an Instagram post, Hunt-Hendrix discussed her previous hesitance in making a statement, remarking, “I could have done this before Liturgy started, but I didn’t, out of fear. I knew I was female and not male, emotionally and in my experience of my body. But I was afraid – of social rejection, romantic rejection, career rejection, rejection by my family, failure.” Hunt-Hendrix’s statement reads in full: “I am a woman. I’ve always been one. The love I have to give is a woman’s love, if only because it is mine. To varying degrees many already understand this, but I’d like to make a clear statement about my actual gender. I could have done th...
Run the Jewels Detail New Album RJT4 Featuring Zack de La Rocha & Josh Homme
After years of anticipation, Run the Jewels have officially announced their new album, Run the Jewels 4. The follow-up to 2016’s RTJ3, the 11-track effort is due out digitally on June 5th via Jewel Runners/BMG. Physical versions are expected later this year in September. The full-length includes an impressive roster of guests, including Greg Nice of Nice & Smooth and DJ Premier, who appeared on the early single “Ooh LA LA”. Rage Against the Machine’s Zack de La Rocha cameoed in that song’s video, but it turns out he also features on the LP alongside Pharrell Williams on a cut called “Ju$t”. Soul icon Mavis Staples and Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme join RTJ on “Pulling the Pin”, while 2 Chainz drops in for “Out of Sight”. The previously revealed “Yankee and the Bra...
Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt to Score Jonas Åkerlund’s New Netflix Miniseries Clark
Fellow Swedish artists Jonas Åkerlund and Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt are set to collaborate on a new Netflix miniseries called Clark. Åkerlund will direct while Åkerfeldt will provide the soundtrack for the six-part gangster story. Between Åkerlund and Åkerfeldt, there’s some serious metal pedigree. Åkerlund, a former drummer for Bathory, recently helmed the black metal biopic Lords of Chaos, and has directed numerous music videos for bands like Metallica, U2, and others. As for Åkerfeldt, his prolific songwriting output in the bands Opeth and Bloodbath is more than a worthy resume, with Clark being his first music score project. The miniseries is a six episode drama about Swedish criminal Clark Olofsson, who’s considered the country’s first celebrity “pop-gangster” and “has given ris...
Tekashi 6ix9ine’s $200,000 Donation Rejected by Child Hunger Charity
Looks like Snoop Dogg and Meek Mill aren’t the only ones who don’t want to hear from Tekashi 6ix9ine now that he’s out of prison. The rapper/glorified snitch recently made a $200,000 donation to the child hunger charity No Kid Hungry, only to see it rejected. 6ix9ine announced his donation on Instagram, writing in a since-deleted post, “During this pandemic I understand we have nurses and frontline Hero’s who risk there life daily to save others. But NEVER forget the children & families who depend on OUR PUBLIC schools for daily meals and nutritions to keep our future leaders growing to their best potential.” [sic]. The caption accompanied a still from the video for his comeback single “GOOBA”; that song and the merch released alongside it reportedly netted him $2 million in under a we...
Experts Recommend No Moshing or Crowdsurfing Once Concerts Return
The coronavirus pandemic has temporarily changed the future of live music. Drive-in concerts are now a thing, as are drive-in raves, because experts predict shows won’t return until 2021. With prominent figures like Live Nation now planning to resume concerts at “full scale” next year, organizers at nonprofit Event Safety Alliance have drafted a new guide to keep concertgoers and venue employees safe. Unfortunately, it includes a temporary ban on moshing and crowdsurfing (via Alternative Press). The Event Safety Alliance guide was created to help venues that plan to reopen eventually but want to do so safely. The suggestions within the document were written after staff members Steven Adelman and Jacob Worek spoke to over 400 promoters, caterers, Ticketmaster employees, and other worke...
Tkay Maidza Signs to 4AD, Drops New Banger “Shook”: Stream
Rising Australian rapper Tkay Maidza has inked a deal with legendary British indie label 4AD, currently home to artists like Grimes, The National, and Big Thief. It’s not a common destination for fledgling rappers, but Maidza, who recently collaborated with Baltimore experimentalist JPEGMAFIA, is no ordinary hip-hop artist. For proof of her refreshing approach to the genre, fans won’t have to look beyond her banging new single “Shook”. On the track, Maidza can be heard rapping with an elastic flow over a distinctly Missy Elliott-esque beat. The sonic parallel isn’t purely coincidental, either; “Shook” was actually produced by Dan Farber, who helmed the instrumental for Lizzo’s “Tempo” single featuring Elliott herself. Maidza’s cadence during the verse is also slightly reminiscent...
Prince and the Revolution Concert Film to Stream on YouTube This Weekend
Your weekend just got a lot more funky: Prince and the Revolution: Live, the famed 1985 concert film capturing Prince’s iconic “Purple Rain Tour”, will stream for free on YouTube this weekend. Recorded on March 30th, 1985 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York, the concert film features a thrilling 20-song performance by Prince and The Revolution. They played all nine songs from Purple Rain, including a 20-minute version of the title track to close the concert. The setlist also included five songs from 1999, as well as several rarities and B-Sides from both albums. Joining Prince on stage was The Revolution’s Wendy Melvoin (guitar), Lisa Coleman (keyboards), Dr. Fink (keyboards), Mark Brown (bass), Eric Leeds (saxophone), and Bobby Z. (drums)., along with Sheila E. and Mike Weaver. The ...
Trapt to Release “Probably One of the Top 5 Albums That Will Ever Exist for All of Time,” Says Trapt
Trapt singer Chris Taylor Brown has been making headlines lately for challenging other bands to fights, defending President Trump’s actions on the coronavirus pandemic, and touting his own group’s Pandora streaming numbers. But now he’s ready to let some new music do the talking … well, actually he’s already doing the talking before the music even comes out. The hard-rock band, best known for the 2002 hit “Headstrong”, has announced that its eighth album, Shadow Work, will arrive on June 19th. Furthermore, Trapt planned to release the singles “Make It Out Alive” and “Tell Me How You Really Feel” this Friday, May 15th, followed by another song, “Far Enough Away”, but decided to make them all available as instant grat tracks for those who pre-order the album starting today (May 12th). B...
Billy Joel Delivers Poignant “Miami 2017” Performance During Rise Up New York! Benefit Livestream: Watch
Last month, Bruce Springsteen led Jersey4Jersey, a livestreamed concert benefiting COVID-19 relief efforts in the state of New Jersey. On Monday, New York held its own virtual fundraising event, headlined by its own local hero in Billy Joel. Following appearances by New York celebrities (Spike Lee, Jennifer Lopez, Robert De Niro) and politicians (Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayer Bill De Blasio), the Piano Man himself closed out the virtual telethon. Joel aptly chose to pay tribute to the Big Apple, the war-weary epicenter of the pandemic, by playing a moving rendition of his 1976 single “Miami 2017”, also known as “Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway”. As Rise Up New York!’s main event of the evening, Joel’s performance was broadcast on big screens all across the shuttered city, including Times...
Bernie Sanders Has a Red Hot Chili Peppers Poster Hanging Up in His Office
One of the unexpected consequences of the global quarantine is the chance to get a peak inside the homes of celebrities, politicians, and other high-profile public figures. Livestreams and webinars don’t just provide entertainment, they also scratch a voyeuristic itch. For instance, if not for the quarantine, how else would we have learned that Bernie Sanders has a Red Hot Chili Peppers poster and a Prince bass drum head hanging up in his home office? The music memorabilia could be seen in the background as Senator Sanders posed questions during a virtual hearing about COVID-19 on Tuesday. To his left was a framed Red Hot Chili Peppers poster, and to his right hung a bass drum head from Prince’s backing band New Power Generation. It’s worth noting that Bernie previously recruited both...
Moog Announces New Subharmonicon Analog Synthesizer, Shares Musical Score by Suzanne Ciani
Moog has unveiled its new analog synthesizer, the Subharmonicon. The instrument finally arrives on the consumer market after a prototype version was teased during a workshop at Moogfest, the company’s curated music festival, in 2018. To commemorate the occasion, Moog shared a short film, Music as Living Matter, featuring a score by electronic music pioneer Suzanne Ciani, composed entirely with the Subharmonicon. The hype is well deserved. The early models used during Moogfest sold for thousands on the second hand market, leaving artists and hobbyists wondering when the instrument would see an official rollout, much like Moog’s Werkstaat. The latest evolution in Moog’s arsenal of semi-modular analog synths, the Subharmonicon offers a limitless creative portal worthy of the iconic brand. To ...
Lou Barlow Says Next Dinosaur Jr. Album Is Finished, Plays New Song: Watch
Late last year, bassist Lou Barlow revealed that Dinosaur Jr. were in the studio recording their next record. Now, relishing his role as the official Dino-leaker, Barlow has announced that the album is finished and mixed. What’s more, he’s premiered a new, currently untitled song. The news came from Barlow’s laundry room during a lockdown livestream performance on Monday. “We just finished mixing the Dinosaur Jr. record. Of course we did it remotely,” he said, adding that John Agnella had done the work alone in his North Carolina studio. “I have two songs that I contributed. I had three but I couldn’t finish the third one because of…” He gave a shrug that took in the general state of the world. “This. There’s been a lot of cancelled Dinosaur Jr. stuff, too, but we have a record so we have ...
