music
Sinéad O’Connor to Enter One-Year Rehab Program for “Trauma and Addiction”
Sinéad O’Connor has announced she’s entering a one-year rehab program to address “trauma and addiction.” Over the last few years, O’Connor has been open about her struggles with mental health. In a 2017 interview with Dr. Phil, she spoke about being abused as a child and her subsequent suicide attempts. But 2020 has been an especially hard year for reasons both obvious and personal, and O’Connor has made the decision to seek help. She revealed her thinking in a Twitter thread on Tuesday, November 10th, writing, “Message for folks who have tickets for next year’s shows: those shows are being postponed until 2022 so that I may go into a one year trauma and addiction treatment program because I had a very traumatic six years and this year was the end of it but now recovery starts.” Without de...
Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, Sheryl Crow Set for Stand Up for Heroes Livestream
Jon Stewart (photo via CBS); Bruce Springsteen and Sheryl Crow (photos by Ben Kaye) For the past 14 years, New York City has hosted Stand Up for Heroes to honor US veterans and their families. It’s a beloved tradition, and despite the pandemic, this year’s event will take place as scheduled — albeit in the form of a livestream. Longtime event host Jon Stewart will return to emcee this year’s edition of Stand Up for Heroes. Throughout the night, he will be joined by a string of comedians and musicians, including Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Tiffany Haddish, Brad Paisley, Patti Scialfa, and Iliza Shlesinger. A handful of special guests will make appearances as well, such as Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex (!), Ray Romano, Jeannie Gaffigan, and more. Proceeds rais...
The Antlers Unveil New Single “It Is What It Is”: Stream
Last month, The Antlers returned with their first single in six years, “Wheels Roll Home”. Proving their comeback isn’t just a one-time affair, the indie rockers have shared another new song, “It Is What It Is”. While the preceding offering saw The Antlers overjoyed at the thought of reuniting with an old friend, today’s single is a more sobering listen. On it, frontman and lead songwriter Peter Silberman is forced to come to terms with an unexpected, and oftentimes less-than-ideal, reality. “‘It Is What It Is’ is a song about hindsight. It considers what might have changed had you handled things differently back then, and the reluctant acceptance that it’s too late for all that now,” he explained in a statement. “It’s the inevitability of changing seasons, transitions that feel like loss ...
Ticketmaster Will Require Fans to Verify COVID-19 Vaccination or Negative Test Prior to Attending Events
This week brought news that Pfizer is well on its way to developing an effective vaccine for coronavirus, which could be available to the general public by next spring or summer. At that point, live music and other entertainment industries involving mass gatherings will *finally* begin to ramp back up. Even so, Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation plan to be extra cautious by requiring attendees of its events to either prove they’ve been vaccinated or tested negative for COVID-19 prior to entry. According to Billboard, Ticketmaster is developing a verification system that uses smart phones to verify ticket-holders’ vaccination status or whether they’ve tested negative for the coronavirus within a 24 to 72 hour window. Under the current plan, ticket-holders will be asked to verif...
BTS Reveal Tracklist for New Album BE (Deluxe Edition)
Rise up, #BTSARMY! BTS have just unveiled the tracklist for their highly anticipated new album, BE (Deluxe Edition). The forthcoming full-length consists of eight songs, including titles like “Fly to My Room”, “Blue & Grey”, “Telepathy”, and “Dis-ease”. The explosive and record-breaking “Dynamite” serves as the LP’s closing track, while “Life Goes On”, said to be the K-pop outfit’s next single, opens the entire album. According to a previous statement, the new BTS record “imparts a message of healing to the world by declaring, ‘Even in the face of this new normality, our life goes on.’” BE (Deluxe Edition) is also significant as it marks the first time the septet was involved in the overall production, from the concept concept, to the composition, to the design, and more. Edi...
Phoebe Bridgers Announces New Copycat Killer EP
Phoebe Bridgers has announced a new EP called Copycat Killer. Featuring four fresh takes on tracks from Bridgers’ latest album, Punisher, the EP will be available on November 20th. Punisher landed in June with all the force of a lightning strike. A quiet, searching effort, it’s one of those rare records that even the most cautious of critics would feel comfortable labelling an instant classic. Now, Bridgers has re-worked four standout songs: “Kyoto”, “Savior Complex”, “Chinese Satellite”, and “Punisher”. To do so, she’s enlisted the help of Rob Moose, co-founder of yMusic and occasional member of Bon Iver. Moose’s stirring string arrangements have added razzle-dazzle to songs by everyone from Sufjan Stevens to Taylor Swift. On paper, this partnership sounds just about perfect. Co...
Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta on Weight of the False Self, Adjusting to the Pandemic, Podcasting, and More
Like many musicians, Jamey Jasta thought he had his 2020 plans set. He was gearing up to release a new album with Hatebreed in the spring, plus the band had two tours booked with the likes of After the Burial, Havok, Creeping Death, Parkway Drive, Knocked Loose, and Fit for a King. Then, COVID-19 hit. Right as the band was set to begin promoting their new album, the concert industry shut down, and the album’s release date was pushed back indefinitely. Now, Jasta and Hatebreed are set to unleash their eighth LP, Weight of the False Self, on November 27th via Nuclear Blast Records. The album is one of the veteran Connecticut metal outfit’s most aggressive to date, with heavy riffing and powerful themes of self-reflection, loss, and the state of the world. While the concert industry remains s...
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes Announce Interactive “By Request” Livestream Concert
UK rockers Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes have announced “Brixton By Request”, an interactive streaming performance. The virtual show will be streamed live in real-time from the O2 Brixton Academy this Friday (November 13th) at noon PT / 3:00 p.m. ET. Unlike a number of other recent streaming performances, “Brixton By Request” will actually take place live. As the name implies, fans will be able to help choose the setlist as the concert happens and interact with the band via onstage screens. While streaming events have become the norm during the pandemic, few have featured fan interaction, arguably the most important aspect of live music. With their high-energy shows, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes have proven themselves to be one of the most dynamic live acts to emerge in the pa...
Rico Nasty Unleashes New Song “OHFR?”, Produced by 100 gecs’ Dylan Brady: Stream
On Monday, Rico Nasty formally announced her debut album, Nightmare Vacation. Due out in just a few weeks, the project is being teased now with “OHFR?”, a new single that reunites the young rapper with Dylan Brady of 100 gecs. Over the summer, the two acts joined forces on Rico track “iPhone”, as well as on 100 gecs’ “ringtone” remix alongside Charli XCX and Kero Kero Bonito. Not unlike those previous offerings, “OHFR?” continues to see Rico and Brady finding their collaborative sweet spot all while disregarding genre barriers. Rico is as fearless and unapologetic as ever as she rap-growls, “I been movin’ how I want/ Fuck how you feel.” Brady’s booming production here is a departure from 100 gecs’ adrenaline-crazed hyper-pop, but fits right in with Rico’s calculated confidence. EditorsR...
Tim Heidecker’s New Song Skewers Rudy Giuliani’s Four Seasons Fiasco: Stream
On Saturday, November 7th, Donald Trump announced a press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia. Soon afterwards, his campaign offered the correction that, actually, Rudy Giuliani would be speaking to reporters from the parking lot of Four Seasons Total Landscaping, between a crematorium and Fantasy Island Adult Bookstore. Now, like a bard of old, Tim Heidecker has written a new ballad worthy of our current crop of leaders, and he’s titled it “Rudy at the 4 Seasons”. Heidecker shared the tune last night on Twitter. Like any good dramatist, he begins by sketching out the scene. “Standing out in front of a pile of manure,” he sings, “Spitting out lies that belong in the sewer.” His Giuliani imagines himself at a posh ballroom, eating crudités instead of supplying crudity. ...
Philip Anselmo’s En Minor Announce Livestream Concert from New Orleans
En Minor, photo by JehN.W.A. Pantera singer Philip Anselmo’s gothic Americana project En Minor have announced a livestream of an upcoming performance at the historic Orpheum Theater in New Orleans. The virtual show streams on November 25th at 6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET and will be available for on-demand viewing through November 29th. Shot on eight cameras, the event follows similar cinematic livestream performances by Mr. Bungle, Puscifer, and Corey Taylor. Anselmo and En Minor will take up residence in the legendary Orpheum in NOLA. Built in 1918, the theater is known for its unique Vaudevillian-era “vertical hall” design, originally built to provide perfect sight lines and acoustics for Vaudeville shows that didn’t have modern amplifiers or lighting. “To play a beautiful room like The Orpheu...
‘Modern Witches’ GFRIEND And The Magic Of Collaboration
By Tássia Assis Though witches have received a positive wash of public relations in recent years, with shows like Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and the rise of #WitchTok, the word itself — “witch” — has historically held negative connotations. It has often been used to attack women whose confidence and intellect defy the norms, from the Salem trials in the late 1600s to accusations hurled at progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez today. But for K-pop girl group GFRIEND, the magical being is less vindictive and more an empowered symbol of individualism, and in her, they have found a generative subject for their latest album, 回:Walpurgis Night, which dropped on Monday (November 9). Calling themselves “modern witches,” the singer Eunha defines the phrase as “a...
