music
Song of the Week: Stevie Nicks Lends Her Voice to the Fight on “Show Them the Way”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify New Sounds playlist. There are no shortage of voices being raised across America today. It’s a sign of the times. Politicians, activists, artists, and everyday people look around and sense that something is terribly wrong — and, more troubling yet, that it’s only going to get worse without an immediate change in course. Presidential candidate Joe Biden, as you’ve probably heard him tell it, came out of political retirement to run for office after he saw neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups marching and stirring up violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. We’ve seen children-turned-activists like Emma Gonzalez and Greta Thunberg sound the warning alarm ...
Pearl Jam Unleash New Song “Get It Back”: Stream
Pearl Jam’s new song “Get It Back” is now available on digital streaming services. Take a listen below. The song was originally released last week as part of Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy Vol. 2. Proceeds from the Bandcamp exclusive compilation benefited the Voting Rights Lab, a nonpartisan organization that brings state advocacy, policy, and legislative expertise to the fight for voting rights. The driving rocker was penned by Matt Cameron, and marks Pearl Jam’s first new music since releasing their album Gigaton earlier this year. In related news, Pearl Jam will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their live debut by streaming a recording of their 2016 concert in Philadelphia. Notably, the setlist featured a full performance of PJ’s debut album, Ten. [embedded...
Alex Van Halen to His Late Brother Eddie: “See You on the Other Side”
Alex and Eddie Van Halen, via Warner Bros. Records Alex Van Halen has acknowledged the passing of his bandmate and brother, Eddie Van Halen, with a brief statement to media outlets. The drummer also shared a charming photo of the two of them as children. In keeping with the short tributes that have already been posted by Eddie’s other Van Halen bandmates, Alex simply wrote, “Hey Ed. Love you. See you on the other side. Your brother, Al.” The heartwarming photo depicts Alex standing up in overalls while a toddler-aged Eddie sits on a rocking horse and plays a toy drum. Thus far, there has not been an official band statement regarding Eddie’s death, but Alex’s message follows social media tributes from recent and former Van Halen members David Lee Roth, Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Gary Che...
Jeff Bridges on How His New Line of Eco-Friendly Guitars Abide by the Environment
When you’re buying a coffee table for your home or building a shed in the backyard, do you ever stop to think about where that wood came from? What about when you buy a guitar? Well, at Breedlove Guitars in Bend, Oregon, they are doing more than just creating environmentally friendly instruments; they are facilitating a new way of thinking. According to Breedlove, “owner Tom Bedell has traveled to each forest in Suriname, the Republic of Congo, and the Swiss Alps to verify individual harvest, chain of custody, and sound ecological practices.” Though what this company does is outside the norm, all it takes are the actions of one to create a chain reaction and potentially spark a huge wave of change. No one understands this concept more than Jeff Bridges. We all know the prolific actor for h...
Sex Pistols’ Johnny Rotten Says He’s Voting for Trump in 2020 Election
John Lydon, a.k.a. Johnny Rotten, photo by Amanda Koellner In case his T-shirt didn’t give it away, former Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten, a.k.a. John Lydon, will support Donald Trump in the upcoming US presidential election. In a wide-ranging interview with The Observer, Lydon said he’d “be daft as a brush not to” support Trump, adding, “He’s the only sensible choice now that [Joe] Biden is up – he’s incapable of being the man at the helm.” He cited Trump’s handling as the economy, and said he also sympathizes with Trump over being labeled as a racist. “I’ve been accused of the very same thing, so I’m offended for anybody who’s called that.” (In 2008, Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke accused Lydon of an “unprovoked racist attack” that resulted in Okereke suffering severe fac...
Pearl Jam to Celebrate 30th Anniversary of First Concert with Archival Performance of Ten
October 22nd, 1990 marks the 30th anniversary of Pearl Jam’s first-ever concert. To commemorate the occasion, the band will unlock another legendary performance from their vault and stream it live online for the first time. A full recording of Pearl Jam’s April 29th, 2016 concert in Philadelphia, newly mixed in stereo and 5.1 digital surround sound and featuring full-color HD footage, will be available to stream on Nugs.tv from October 22nd to 25th. The 32-song, three-hour performance opened with a full performance of PJ’s debut album, Ten, and also touted rare performances of “Breakerfall” and “Who You Are”. The two-song encore was packed with a number of covers, including Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb”, Neil Young’s “Throw Your Hatred Down”, Dead Boys’ “Sonic Reducer”, and The Who’s “Ba...
Tobias Forge: New Ghost Album Coming “This Winter”
Ghost will release their new album this winter, according to frontman Tobias Forge. The singer previously said he wanted to wait until after the U.S. presidential election before releasing the follow-up to 2018’s Prequelle. Forge told Swedish publication VK that Ghost will release the new album “this winter,” with the band’s touring plans pushed to fall 2021. The release plans fall in line with statements that Forge made last year, when he predicted an early 2021 release for the group’s fifth LP. If you wanted Forge’s take on the pandemic — and how it fits into his lyrics — the enigmatic singer said there won’t be any “doomsday” or “quarantine-confirming” records from Ghost anytime soon. However, he might reluctantly consider playing reduced capacity shows in smaller venues if the pandemic...
Jack White Comes to the Rescue as Last-Minute SNL Musical Guest
Saturday Night Live has found a last-minute replacement to fill in as musical guest for this weekend’s episode: Jack White will take the stage at Studio 8H for his first live performance in nearly a year. White is replacing country singer Morgan Wallen, whose appearance was canceled after he violated COVID-19 safety protocols. As SNL head Lorne Michaels explained, due to the last minute nature of the booking, “It has to be somebody who is ready to go,” and Jack answered the call. Comedian Bill Burr will host the episode. It’ll mark White’s fourth appearance on SNL and third as a solo artist. He most recently served as musical guest in 2018 in support of his most recent solo album, Boarding House Reach. Earlier this week, The White Stripes announced their first-ever greatest-hits compilatio...
Yola Shares “Hold On” Featuring Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell: Stream
A Grammy-nominated Americana artist on her own, Yola is also an honorary member of The Highwomen. Not only did she perform with the supergroup during their live debut at last year’s Newport Folk Festival, she contributes backing vocals to several tracks on their self-titled album. It turns out there were some extra recordings captured during the sessions for The Highwomen, and today Yola has shared one of those songs, “Hold On”, as a benefit single. Recorded at RCA’s iconic Studio A with producer Dave Cobb, “Hold On” features some contributions from Yola’s fellow Highwomen. Brandi Carlile and Natalie Hemby provide backing vocals, while Sheryl Crow takes to the piano and Jason Isbell plays guitar. You could look at this as a Highwomen song written by Yola, but it’s most definitely her story...
Jack White Reworks “Ball and Biscuit”, Plays Eddie Van Halen Guitar on SNL: Watch
Not all heroes wear capes; some rock out on guitar. After this weekend’s original musical guest, country singer Morgan Wallen, violated COVID-19 safety protocol, Saturday Night Live found itself in need of a last-minute replacement. Jack White answered the call. Accompanied by drummer Daru Jones and bassist Dominic John Davis, White ripped through some of his greatest hits with a few unexpected twists. For his first performance of the evening, White played a bit of his Beyoncé collaboration, “Don’t Hurt Yourself”, before transitioning into “Ball and Biscuit”. The Elephant track was reworked to feature lyrics from “Jesus is Coming Soon”, a traditional gospel song about the 1918 Spanish Flu that was famously performed by Blind Willie Johnson. The lyrics are just as relevant to...
CupcakKe Drops Off New Single “Elephant”: Stream
Last year, CupcakKe announced her intention to quit the music industry. The Chicago MC has clearly scrapped those plans, however, as she’s spent 2020 releasing a new single every couple of months. Following this past spring’s “Discounts” and “Lemon Pepper”, she’s back today with “Elephant”. On this new cut, CupcakKe calls out all her various critics — from those that say she needs to jump on more collaborations to the folks who have a problem with the way she handles press. “They like, ‘cupcakKe you gotta do more, why the fuck you don’t do features?’” she raps, before putting these complainers in their place: “Want a verse? Gotta pay me/ Ain’t shit free, no JT.” (The latter line is a reference to the formerly jailed JT from City Girls.) Elsewhere, she seems visibly bothered that fell...
R.I.P. Pierre Kezdy, Naked Raygun Bassist Dead at 58
Naked Raygun bassist Pierre Kezdy has died at the age of 58 following a battle with cancer. According to the Chicago Sun Times, Kezdy passed away early Friday (Oct. 9th) at a hospice in Glenview, Illinois. A legend of the Chicago punk rock scene, Kezdy had served as Naked Raygun’s bassist since 1985. He’s also credited with writing some of the band’s seminal songs, including “Home” and “Vanilla Blue”. Years later, Naked Raygun’s impact is still widely felt. Everyone from Foo Fighters to Fall Out Boy to Alkaline Trio has cited the band’s music as a major influence on their own. In addition to Naked Raygun, Kezdy was a founding member of the short-lived, but influential punk band Strike Under. He also played in Pegboy and Arsenal. In 2011, Kezdy suffered a stroke that briefly rendered h...
