Music News
Deftones Hosting Diamond Eyes 10th Anniversary Listening Party
Deftones are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their sixth album, Diamond Eyes, by hosting a listening party on YouTube. The event takes place Tuesday night (May 5th), and will allow fans to “virtually chill with the band” and listen to the entire album. Diamond Eyes actually turned 10 years old on Monday, having been released on May 4th, 2010. The album was a pivotal one for Deftones as it marked their first without late bassist Chi Cheng, who at the time was in a coma as the result of a car crash. The band had started another album, the never-released Eros, with Cheng, but ultimately decided to start fresh with Diamond Eyes and new bassist Sergio Vega. The listening session will take place tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT at Deftones’ YouTube channel. The band encourages fan...
Hundreds of Hours Worth of 1980s-Era MTV Programming Uploaded Online
We want our MTV now… and, in a way, it looks like we got it. After years of missing the channel’s glory days, one Internet Archive user has been steadily uploading VHS recordings of MTV’s early years in the ’80s and ’90s, reports BrooklynVegan. There’s hundreds of hours’ worth of footage online there and it’s all free to watch. The MTV collection is being uploaded chronologically under the apt title “’80s MTV VHS Recordings 1981 to 1989 Collection”. So far, most of the footage features everything you would have seen live on TV as it aired, including the network’s promos and now-outdated commercials. It begins with the dawn of MTV: the channel’s August 1st, 1981 debut where they introduced themselves by way of The Buggles’ legendary and topical hit “Video Killed the Radio Star” before movin...
Grimes Explains Why She and Elon Musk Named Their Baby X Æ A-12
Grimes and Elon Musk (photo via Getty Images), X Æ A-12 (photo via Twitter/@elonmusk) On Monday, Grimes and Elon Musk welcomed a new baby boy into the world. Upon sharing the news on Twitter, Musk told his followers that the baby is named “X Æ A-12”, which seems like a joke until you remember this is Grimes and Elon Musk’s baby. Now, Grimes has seemingly confirmed the name while providing some context for its meaning. According to Grimes, “X” refers to “the unknown variable” and “Æ “is “my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence).” If you guessed “A-12” refers to the Lockheed A-12 OXCART, the reconnaissance aircraft built for the CIA, you’d be right. “No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent,” Grimes explained. Additionally, the “A...
Mercyful Fate Have 6 or 7 New Songs “About to Be Ready” for First Release in Over 20 Years
Reunited metal legends Mercyful Fate are making progress on what would be their first new music release in more than 20 years. In a new interview, guitarist Hank Shermann revealed that the band has six or seven songs that are “about to be ready” for the long-awaited follow-up to 1999’s 9 album. Mercyful Fate’s initial reunion announcement last year teased new music in the vein of the band’s classic ’80s LPs Melissa and Don’t Break the Oath, in addition to a number of festival appearances. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many of those fests — including Psycho Las Vegas — have been canceled or postponed. But the band members have continued writing and working on music despite being in separate locations. “[Singer] King [Diamond] is living in Texas, in the States. I’m living here north ...
Trump Tours Mask Factory Without Mask as “Live or Let Die” Plays Over Loudspeaker
If you thought Vice President Mike Pence refusing to wear a mask at the Mayo Clinic was peak ridiculousness for this administration, you should’ve known better. Today, Donald Trump visited a Honeywell factory in Arizona that had been converted to manufacture N95 masks. Not only did the president not wear a mask, he toured the facility while Guns N’ Roses’ cover of “Live and Let Die” played on the sound system. Because let’s face it, considering how little this administration seems to understand or respect science, why would we expect them to pick up on irony? According to Washington Post reporter Zach Purser Brown, the music playing over the speakers appeared to be the same playlist from Trump’s rallies — except “Live and Let Die”, which was newly added. “The White House must have picked i...
Fontaines D.C. Announce New Album, Share “A Hero’s Death”: Stream
Fontaines D.C. will let loose their sophomore album, A Hero’s Death, on July 31st through Partisan Records. As a preview of the follow-up to 2019’s warmly received Dogrel, the post-punk outfit has today unveiled the album’s title track. The forthcoming collection spans a total of 11 songs, produced by Dogrel collaborator Dan Carey (black midi, Bat for Lashes) in his London studio. Whereas the Dublin group’s debut LP bristled with rambunctious and undeterred post-punk, A Hero’s Death is described as a more restrained affair, one that puts an emphasis on patient “spectral balladry.” To tap into this kind of energy during the songwriting process, Fontaines D.C. found inspiration in Leonard Cohen and The Beach Boys, as well as contemporaries like Beach House. The new album is sa...
Polo G Announces New Album THE GOAT
Chicago rap prodigy Polo G has announced his sophomore album, and it’s arriving in just a matter of days. Titled THE GOAT, it’s set to drop May 15th through Columbia Records. The upcoming effort arrives less than a year after his breakout debut, Die a Legend, which included highlights like “Pop Out” and “Finer Things”. Whereas that 2019 record saw the young hip-hop star mourn the deaths of close ones, THE GOAT is “a celebration of life and legacy,” per a statement. Its cover artwork, seen below, fittingly features the 21-year-old Polo and his son Tremani. A full tracklisting for the new album hasn’t been revealed, but it is expected to include the two previous singles “DND” and “Go Stupid”. There might also be a song that pays tribute to the late NBA star Kobe Bryant, according to Com...
Barack and Michelle Obama to Lead YouTube Virtual Graduation Ceremony Alongside BTS, Lady Gaga & More
YouTube has announced a video graduation ceremony for the class of 2020, as students currently won’t be able to celebrate in person due to the coronavirus pandemic. The virtual pomp-and-circumstance will feature commencement addresses by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as well as appearances by Lady Gaga, BTS, and more. The special, dubbed “Dear Class of 2020”, promises “festival-style lineup” with a variety of programming. There will be formal speeches, graduation day-themed discussions, and even musical performances — all while adhering to quarantine restrictions. Taking place on Saturday, July 6th, the ceremony will last multiple hours and stream live on the YouTube Originals channel and the Learn@Home website. In addition to the Obamas’ individual commencement speeches a...
Tony Iommi: It “Would Be Good” to Play More Black Sabbath Shows
Black Sabbath seemingly played their final shows ever in February 2017, but guitarist Tony Iommi now says he’s “not opposed to” playing more gigs with his legendary metal band. In a new interview with SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation”, Iommi expressed a bit of regret in ending Sabbath’s touring career. “It was great to be able to go out and do a final tour,” said the guitar icon. “To be honest, I felt a bit bad [about] it, because it was basically my choice, my fault, because touring, for me, at that extent wasn’t a good thing physically.” Iommi was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2012, but revealed he was in remission in 2016. He added, “To get in at four o’clock in the morning from doing a gig … you’re living a life like I used to when I was 20 … It was just difficult, and my doctor said to me ...
Marilyn Manson Wants to Team Up with Brandi Carlile for “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” Duet
Marilyn Manson is a big fan of Brandi Carlile, so much so that the Antichrist Superstar wants to duet with the alt-country singer on the Wizard of Oz classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. Carlile revealed the tidbit during a new interview with host Zane Lowe on his Apple Music program, remarking, “Marilyn Manson wants to record ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ with me. He’s been texting me about it.” When Lowe responded, “Do that!”, Carlile answered, “Okay, I will.” She also added, “[Manson] came to my Joni Mitchell Blue show. I did a show where I did all of Blue by Joni Mitchell at Disney Hall in LA. He came, and he cried so hard. He had all his makeup down his face, and turns out he’s the biggest Joni Mitchell fan on the face of the planet.” The original version of “Somewhere Over the R...
Gibson Offering Free Virtual Guitar Tune-Ups for Quarantined Musicians
With plenty of playing time now at their disposal, quarantined musicians may be wondering how they can best keep their instruments in tip-top shape. It turns out they won’t have to look beyond their computer screens: Gibson has announced it will provide free virtual guitar tune-ups. The complimentary offering is part of the company’s new fully interactive Gibson Virtual Guitar Tech Service. This program pairs up customers around the world with a member of Gibson’s team of professional techs. Available in English, Spanish, French, and German, these basic online tune-up tutorials can assist with Gibson, Epiphone, Kramer or Steinberger electric or acoustic guitar, ukulele, banjo, mandolin, or electric bass. In order to take advantage of Gibson’s new service, folks must first sign up for a fre...
Kurt Vile Covers John Prine’s “Sam Stone” During Love From Philly Livestream: Watch
Virtual music festival and fundraiser Love From Philly took place this past weekend and boasted headlining performances from local heroes Kurt Vile and former bandmates The War on Drugs. Broadcast from his own basement, Vile’s set featured his 2010 song “I Know I Got Religion” and 2015’s “I’m an Outlaw”. The main highlight, though, came towards the end when the guitar maestro paid tribute to the late John Prine by covering his classic “Sam Stone”. Vile and Prine actually performed the track together before during a concert in Philadelphia two years ago. Vile has also repeatedly praised the folk legend in interviews. Speaking to The Guardian in 2018, he described Prine as “one of the greatest living American songwriters: he’s a killer performer and storyteller, with all these lamenting...
