Frederick Nathaniel “Toots” Hibbert, founder of the pioneering reggae group Toots & the Maytals, has died at the age of 77. Hibbert had been hospitalized in his native Kingston, Jamaica after contracting COVID-19. He passed away Friday, September 11th, surrounded by family, according to a statement. By incorporating elements of Jamaican ska and rocksteady alongside traditional gospel, soul, R&B, and rock & roll, Hibbert is widely credit as being one of the originators of the reggae genre. In fact, Toots & the Maytals’ 1968 single “Do the Reggay” was the first song to use the word “reggae” and would ultimately give the genre its name. In the early 1960s, Hibbert formed The Maytals alongside fellow vocalists Henry “Raleigh” Gordon and Nathaniel “Jerry” Mathias and i...
Some performances are as legendary as the story surrounding it, and Jimi Hendrix’s live show in Maui, Hawaii is one of them. The famous 1970 concert took place at the foot of the Haleakala volcano, filmed as part of the rock icon’s hilariously incoherent Rainbow Bridge movie. Now, a new documentary called Music, Money, Madness… Jimi Hendrix In Maui will take fans behind the scenes of that ill-fated film and the unusual circumstances leading up to Hendrix’s performance. An accompanying live album has also been announced. The idea for Rainbow Bridge came shortly after Hendrix’s momentous delivery of the “Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock the previous year. Seeking to capitalize on Hendrix’s rock stardom, his manager, Michael Jeffrey, planned out a semi-fictional movie that would captur...
Madonna is getting into the screenwriting groove with Diablo Cody. Last month, the two announced they were collaborating on a screenplay, but stopped short of divulging any specifics. Now, The Material Girl has confirmed that their collaborative project is in fact a biopic about her career and “the struggle as an artist trying to survive in a man’s world.” The screenwriting partners revealed the news in an hour-long Instagram Live video, as well as shared some of the major plot points that will be highlighted in the upcoming film. One of those involves Madonna’s early years spent in New York City. The pop star famously moved to the Big Apple in 1978 with $35 in her pocket, and quickly established herself as a dancer and burgeoning pop star. She also tapped into the city’s ballroom culture,...
The annual Cold Waves industrial music festival in Chicago won’t be taking place in-person this year due to the pandemic. However, a virtual lineup, dubbed “The Lost Weekend”, has been set for September 18th-20th, featuring streaming performances and appearances by Meat Beat Manifesto and current and former members of Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Front 242, Revolting Cocks, and more. The fest was set to occur the same weekend at the Metro in Chicago, with headliners Front 242, Stabbing Westward and My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, but had to be postponed due to the pandemic. It was been rescheduled for September 26th-28th, 2021, with a lineup yet to be revealed. The virtual fest will broadcast for free via Twitch, kicking off Friday, September 18th with a stream of the first-ever Cold Wave...
Phoebe Bridgers and Jeff Tweedy (photos by Ben Kaye), Daniel Johnston (photo by Amy Price), Beck (photo by Amanda Koellner) Daniel Johnston tragically passed away one year ago today. In remembrance of the lo-fi legend, a livestream tribute event headlined by Phoebe Bridgers, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, and Beck will be broadcast tonight. Titled “Honey I Sure Miss You”, after Johnston’s own 1991 song of the same name, the online music memorial will also feature performances from Waxahatchee, Kevin Morby, Devendra Banhart, and Maya Hawke, as well as The Lemon Twigs, Lucius, and Jesse Harris. Additionally, Johnston’s family is expected to show a previously unreleased home movie of the late songwriter. The tribute will stream on the website of New York’s famed Electric Lady Studios, as well as...
Yesterday, September 10th, Donald “Bone Spurs” Trump held a campaign rally in Freeland, Michigan. He de-planed to Creedence Clearwater Revival’s anti-war classic “Fortunate Son”, and if you’ve ever paid the tiniest bit of attention to the lyrics, you’ll agree with singer John Fogerty that it’s a “confounding” choice. The moment was recorded in a tweet by Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel, who called it “an entry for the “nobody listened to the lyrics” hall of fame.” The tweet quickly went viral, and today Fogerty issued his response. In a Facebook video called “Meaning behind Fortunate Son,” the legendary rocker broke things down so even a very stable genius could understand. “Recently, the President has been using my song ‘Fortunate Son for his campaign rallies,” the former C...
It can be tempting, as a writer, to compartmentalize, to define by a set of fixed words or parameters. Pinpoint the detail about your subject that most interests you — an unexpected gesture, a prime soundbite pulled from an interview — and flesh it out into a full story. But in the case of the New York-based artist Michael Love Michael, who last month self-released their debut album XO, it’s simply not possible, in part because they do so much. As the former culture editor at Paper magazine, the 32-year-old “Cancer-Leo cusp,” who grew up between Chicago and Gary, Indiana, crafted celebrated profiles of such disparate musicians as Paramore’s Hayley Williams and cyborg sensation Poppy, while also serving up weekly playlists packed with the best bops from Megan Thee Stallion, Yves Tumor,...
Earlier this summer, New York City collective MICHELLE returned with “Sunrise”, their first single since 2018. Today, the R&B-inspired group of mostly queer PoC are releasing an alternate version of that song featuring new contributions from British poet and bedroom pop artist Arlo Parks. This new collaboration doubles down on the feel-good warmth of the original track, breezy, sunbaked melodies and all. Its air of longing — specifically for someone who’s definitely not worth a second chance — also remains, but is further emphasized by Parks’ additional verse. Although just 20 years old, Parks has earned a reputation for brutally raw and honest songs — including perhaps one of the most devastating of the year — and she shows that same self awareness here, recognizing that she needs to ...
Conway the Machine has unleashed his new album From King to a GOD on Griselda Records. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. This is Conway’s third release of the year, following on his EP collaborations LULU (with The Alchemist) and No One Mourns the Wicked (with Big Ghost LTD). Those projects were short and hyper-focused. In contrast, From King to a GOD is an expansive effort, with the Machine picking grimy throwback beats from The Alchemist, Hit-Boy, Daringer, Erick Sermon, Beat Butcha, DJ Premier and more. The list of featured MCs is perhaps even more impressive, including Con’s brother Westside Gunn, his cousin Benny the Butcher, and hard-hitting rappers Method Man, Freddie Gibbs, DeJ Loaf, Lloyd Banks, Havoc, Flee Lord, Armani Caesar, and El Camino. Via&nbs...
About a year ago, Australian middle-part heartthrob Ruel told MTV News that for him, “songwriting is exaggerating to an extent.” On his latest, the technicolor, soulful “As Long As You Care,” his exaggeration is so seamless, you’d be forgiven for believing the 17-year-old is actually a time traveler. The neo-soul groove he rides propels everything upward, even as the sound cheekily looks backward. “As Long As You Care” has one amazing hook, coupled with sonic candy that makes his upcoming third EP, Bright Lights, Red Eyes (out October 23) one to watch. —Patrick Hosken You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, cha...