music
Harry Styles Reschedules Tour with Jenny Lewis for 2021
Like everyone in the music industry, Harry Styles was forced to postpone all of his 2020 concert dates due to the coronavirus pandemic. As the world begins to rollout its reopening phases, the pop star has announced his rescheduled tour plans for 2021. Featuring special guest Jenny Lewis, the North American leg of the former One Directioner’s “Love on Tour” trek launches August 14th, 2021 in Tacoma, Washington. Running all the way through October, stops include Vancouver, San Diego, Detroit, Philadelphia, Nashville, Raleigh, and Cleveland. There are also multiple shows set for Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, New York, and Atlanta. It all comes in support of his latest album, Fine Line. Styles has also pushed back his “Harryween Fancy Dress Party” shows with Orville Peck and Madison Cun...
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Coachella Postponed Until 2021 [Updated]
Coachella was one of the first large-scale gatherings impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Initially, organizers had postponed the two-weekend music festival from April to October with the hope that live music would be back up and running by the fall. Now, though, Billboard reports that Goldenvoice, the production company behind Coachella, has ditched plans for an October event and is instead looking ahead to spring 2021. But even that may be wishful thinking. Update: Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser has signed an order canceling the October 2020 stagings of Coachella and its sister festival, Stagecoach, according to KESQ. “I am concerned as indications grow that COVID-19 could worsen in the fall,” Kaiser said in a statement. “In addition, events like Coachel...
The Grammys Have Dropped ‘Urban’ From All But One Category
Last week, Republic Records — the home of Drake, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and dozens more — announced it would no longer use the term “urban” to describe “departments, employee titles and music genres” in an effort to “not adhere to the outdated structures of the past.” The radio-format term had long been used in the music industry as a synonym for traditionally Black musical genres such as hip-hop, R&B, and more dating back to the 1970s, pioneered by DJ Frankie Crocker. The company said in a memo (per Variety), “As with a lot of our history, the original connotation of the term urban was not deemed negative.” But over time, the term “developed into a generalization of Black people in many sectors of the music industry, includin...
Taylor Swift Makes A Powerful Anti-Racist Statement, Urges Fans To Vote
Taylor Swift has found her political voice, and she is using it to take a hard-line stance against racial injustice. On Tuesday (June 9), the singer took to Twitter to make a passionate statement demanding far-reaching structural change within American politics, while simultaneously voicing her support for the Black Lives Matter movement. “Racial injustice has been ingrained deeply into local and state governments, and changes MUST be made there,” she wrote, urging followers to cast their votes for candidates who are dedicated to combatting harmful legislature. “In order for policies to change, we need to elect people who will fight against police brutality and racism of any kind.” Swift went on to share a link to a Medium article written by Bara...
Metallica Concert to Kick Off New “OffStage With DWP” Streaming Series
Festival promoter Danny Wimmer Presents has been hit hard this year, forced to cancel the majority of its popular rock festivals due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the company is taking its business online, launching a new streaming series that will kick off with a full Metallica concert. Over the past couple of months, Danny Wimmer Presents has canceled the spring U.S. rock fests Welcome to Rockville, Epicenter, and Sonic Temple, as well as the fall fests Louder Than Life, Boubon & Beyond, and Hometown Rising. As of now, the only festival still on DWP’s schedule for 2020 is Aftershock, set for October in Sacramento, California. The new series, dubbed “Offstage with DWP”, combines footage from the promoter’s past festivals, with newly recorded acoustic performances and interviews. Meta...
R.I.P. Robert Northern, Jazz Artist Also Known as Brother Ah, Dead at 86
Accomplished jazz artist Robert Northern, also known as Brother Ah, has died at the age of 86. He passed away on May 31st in Washington, DC after battling a respiratory illness, as reported by the New York Times. Northern was born in 1934 in Kinston, North Carolina, but was raised primarily in the South Bronx area of New York City. The first few decades of his lengthy music career saw the French horn master serve as a session musician for jazz legends such as John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Gil Evans, Quincy Jones, and McCoy Tyner. He notably appeared on records like Monk’s The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall from 1959 and Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini released in 1964. Around this same era, Northern played as part of Sun Ra’s cosmic, ever-e...
BTS Donated $1 Million To Black Lives Matter — Then Fans Topped It
Last week, South Korean superstars BTS declared their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, releasing a statement specifying that they “stand against racial discrimination” and “condemn violence.” Now, the seven Bangtan boys — Jin, Jimin, RM, Jungkook, J-Hope, Suga, and V — are putting their money where their tweets are. Last week, BTS and their label, Big Hit Entertainment, quietly donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter, Variety reported on Saturday (June 6). The move came as demonstrations around the globe continue, protesting systemic racism and police brutality against the Black community in the United States, particularly, in the wake of the murders of unarmed Black citizens George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and many ot...
Watch Camila Cabello, Khalid, Noah Cyrus, And More Sing For The Class Of 2020
Over the weekend, YouTube threw a big livestreamed celebration to honor the graduating class of 2020 — the ones who don’t have the distinction of an in-person graduation ceremony thanks to COVID-19 and its associated risks with mass gatherings. Lizzo played flute. Beyoncé and Michelle Obama gave inspirational speeches, as did BTS. Dear Class of 2020 was, in fact, a nice event. Early on in the program, Bono addressed the graduates with a message about the ongoing anti-racial violence protests that have backdropped the country since the police killing of George Floyd on May 25. “For many Black Americans, Lady Liberty’s torch is far from a beacon of hope. It’s often a flashlight in the face,” he said, introducing his band U2’s song “Beautiful Day.R...
R.I.P. Bonnie Pointer, Founding Member of The Pointer Sisters Dies at 69
Bonnie Pointer, of the Grammy Award-winning vocal group The Pointer Sisters, has died at the age of 69. In a statement to TMZ, Anita Pointer confirmed her sister’s passing. “It is with great sadness that I have to announce to the fans of The Pointer Sisters that my sister, Bonnie died this morning. Our family is devastated, on behalf of my siblings and I and the entire Pointer family, we ask for your prayers at this time.” The Pointer Sisters’ origins date back to 1969 when Bonnie and sister June began performing in night clubs under the name Pointers, a Pair. They soon rebranded themselves as The Pointer Sisters and expanded from a duo to a quartet with the addition of their other sisters Anita and Ruth. Following a short stint with Atlanta Records, the group found their stride after sign...
Village People Ask Trump to Stop Playing “Macho Man” and “Y.M.C.A.” at Rallies
The Village People have asked Donald Trump to stop using their music at rallies, particularly legendary gay anthems “Y.M.C.A.” and “Macho Man”, following his public threats to shoot protestors and looters. Earlier this week, the band’s longtime leader, Victor Willis, released a statement saying the President’s recent comments have pushed him to his breaking point, reports Stereogum. “If Trump orders the U.S. military to fire on his own citizens (on U.S. soil), Americans will rise up in such numbers outside of the White House that he might be forced out of office prior to the election. Don’t do it Mr. President!” Willis wrote on his personal Facebook. “And I ask that you no longer use any of my music at your rallies especially “Y.M.C.A.” and “Macho Man.” Sorry, but I can no longer look the ...
Inter Arma Unveil Cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “March of the Pigs”: Stream
Inter Arma recently announced a covers EP titled Garbers Days Revisited, and now they’ve unveiled the second single from the forthcoming release: a metallic version of the Nine Inch Nails classic “March of the Pigs”. In a press release, Inter Arma acknowledged that it could be construed that the timing of the single is tied to the current unrest across the nation, where protests have broken out following the death of George Floyd in police custody. In fact, the band actually quietly released the song last week, but didn’t announce it until today. “We released our cover of Nine Inch Nails’ ‘March of the Pigs’ this past Tuesday, but felt it would have been inappropriate to latch onto the outrage we’re all experiencing to promote a cover album, even if by happenstance,” stated the band. ...
#MetallicaMondays: Watch Metallica’s Rain-Soaked 2019 Manchester Show
Metallica’s weekly streaming series #MetallicaMondays continues with the band’s full June 2019 concert at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England. The show was played in the pouring rain, as the band and fans braved the weather for 18 songs, including five from “The Black Album” and four from their latest LP, Hardwired … To Self-Destruct. As they did throughout the tour, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Rob Trujillo paid tribute to a local act, this time performing a portion of The Stone Roses’ “I Wanna Be Adored”. Like all bands, Metallica are currently off the road due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they may start work on a follow-up to Hardwired … To Self-Destruct. During a recent online video chat, drummer Lars Ulrich said that if the concert industry ends up being shut down for six...
