music
John Prine “Picture Show” Livestream to Feature Sturgill Simpson, Kacey Musgraves, Bill Murray & More
The life and legacy of John Prine will be celebrated later this week with a star-studded livestream tribute concert. Presented by the folk legend’s own family, “Picture Show” promises appearances from Sturgill Simpson, Kacey Musgraves, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James, Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, Bonnie Raitt, and Brandi Carlile. Also included on the lineup are Eric Church, Sara Watkins, Kurt Vile, Vince Gill, Margo Price, Courtney Marie Andrews, Fiona Whelan Prine, Jack Prine, Tommy Prine, John Paul White, and The Secret Sisters. Additionally, Prine’s own longtime backing band — that’s Kenneth Blevins, David Jacques, Fats Kaplin, Jason Wilber — is participating. The virtual event will also be “attended” by actors and TV personalities such as Bill Mu...
Mudhoney’s Live Mud Album Receives First-Ever Digital Release: Stream
Mudhoney’s 2007 live album Live Mud has receives its first-ever digital release. Stream it below via Bandcamp. Producer Brett Ellason recorded the band’s December 10th, 2005 performance at Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City. In 2007, the concert was packaged as Live Mud for a limited vinyl release, and it’s been hard to come by ever since. This is the first time it’s been available in a digital edition. The 11-song set featured three previews of the 2006 album Under a Billion Suns, two tracks from 2002’s Since We’ve Become Translucent, and a powerhouse tour of early Mudhoney favorites, including breakout single “Suck You Dry” and beloved cuts from the band’s Sub Pop days like “Mudride”, “Touch Me, I’m Sick”, “No One Has”, “In & Out of Grace”, and a rollicki...
Song of the Week: Run the Jewels’ “walking in the snow” Proves Tragically Prophetic
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. After months of being cooped up inside and watching a so-called “invisible” enemy take the lives of thousands of our fellow Americans (and many more of our global brothers and sisters), the idea of returning to normalcy has been on many of our minds. Sadly, for some, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a deadly reminder that some things haven’t changed much. Poor communities, of course, are being hit hardest by the virus, challenging living conditions and less access to proper health care leading to a disproportionate number of deaths in many Black neighborhoods and other minority communities. And despite our country being devastated by...
Music, TV, and Film Production Can Resume in California on June 12th
After months of shutdowns crippled the entertainment industry, governor Gavin Newsom has announced guidelines to resume music, film, and television production in California. Via The Hollywood Reporter, work can begin again on June 12th, as the Golden State transitions into Stage 3 of its coronavirus recovery plan. Stage 3 allows for the re-opening of some “higher-risk workplaces.” Concerts won’t return until stage 4 (and even then, it might not be a typical concert experience) but most recording studios should be back after next Friday. Additionally, many of the film and television productions that paused during the pandemic seem likely to resume. However, the guidelines are purposefully vague, and several questions remain. In a statement, the California Department of Public Health sa...
Beyoncé, BTS Give Commencement Speeches for the Obamas’ “Dear Class of 2020”: Watch
On Sunday, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama hosted YouTube’s virtual graduation ceremony “Dear Class of 2020”. The five-hour, festival-style event combined classic commencement day themes with a diverse array of entertainment. As part of the festivities, both Beyoncé and BTS gave commencement speeches, which you can replay below. Beyoncé began her commencement speech by recognizing the global health crisis and racial pandemic that has simultaneously gripped America. “The killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others have left us all broken. It has left the entire country searching for answers,” Beyoncé commented. Even still, she commended the graduating class for using “your collective voice and letting the worlds know that Black lives matter.” S...
BTS Headline “Dear Class of 2020” Post-Graduation Party: Watch
To close out the Obamas’ “Dear Class of 2020” virtual graduation ceremony, BTS and Megan Thee Stallion headlined a post-graduation party. BTS kicked off their mini-set with a high-energy, choreographed version of “Boy With Luv”. They then sat on stools for a soothing version of “Spring Day”, before closing out their performance with “Mikrokosmos”. Earlier on in the event, BTS gave a poignant commencement speech during which he member of the K-pop shared their own memories from graduation day. [embedded content] Meagan Thee Stallion delivered a medley of hits, including “Big Ole Freak”, “Hot Girl Summer”, “Captain Hook”, “Cash Shit”, and “Savage (Remix)”. [embedded content] The five-hour, festival-style event also featured performances from Katy Perry and Malmua. Perry sang her new sin...
Grace Potter Performs “Eachother” with Jackson Browne, Marcus King, and Lucius on Colbert: Watch
Last month, Grace Potter released “Eachother”, featuring soaring vocals from Jackson Browne, Marcus King, and the gals of Lucius. On Friday, Potter re-assembled that superstar ensemble for a social-distance performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. “Eachother” is an uplifting ballad for the time of coronavirus, with imagery of empty streets, bare shelves, and neighbors who talk, “but we don’t get too close.” The first time that all the voices join together in bewitching harmony, it’s like a streak of sunlight bursting through the clouds. Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius blend their tones unselfishly, while Marcus King steals the show with his smoky, searing tenor. Jackson Browne, fully recovered from COVID-19, grounds the proceedings with his bluesy lower register. Grace Pot...
Pearl Jam Unearth Uncensored Version of “Jeremy” Video: Watch
In recognition of National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 5th, Pearl Jam unearthed the uncensored version of their 1992 video for “Jeremy”. To date, “Jeremy” remains one of Pearl Jam’s most chilling and affecting songs, based on the real-life suicide of high school student Jeremy Wade Delle, who shot himself in front of his classmates in January 1991. The accompanying video depicts the incident in graphic detail, though the edited version zoomed in on Jeremy’s face so that his gun could not be seen. The uncensored version includes the haunting final scene with Jeremy putting a gun in his mouth. “The increase in gun violence since the debut of ‘Jeremy’ is staggering,” Pearl Jam wrote in an accompanying social media post. “We have released the uncensored version of the video which w...
RZA Shares New Bruce Lee-Inspired Song “Be Like Water”: Stream
RZA has released “Be Like Water”, a new song dedicated to Bruce Lee soundtracking ESPN’s forthcoming “30 for 30” documentary on the iconic martial arts expert and actor. “Bruce Lee’s teachings extended beyond physical martial arts. He was full of philosophy and mindfulness,” RZA said of Lee’s legacy in a statement. “His quote ‘Be Water my friend’ is profound and multi-tiered in definition,” the founding member of Wu-Tang Clan continued. “It inspires the idea that in adapting to life situations, sometimes we have to flow smoothly as a stream, while other times we have to crash like a Tsunami.” On his new track, RZA can be heard instructing, “Be like water/ Water crosses over every border/ From the mud of the Yangtze River to the sand beaches of Florida.” He later praises Lee’s films, s...
When Ahmaud Arbery’s Lawyers Couldn’t Get to Court, JAY-Z Sent a Private Jet
Blerim Elmazi and S. Lee Merritt, via Instagram, and Jay-Z, photo by Amy Price On June 4th, two lawyers representing the family of Ahmaud Arbery — the 25-year-old black man who, last February, was murdered while jogging through his Georgia neighborhood– found themselves without transportation to a court hearing in Brunswick, GA. After unsuccessfully trying to purchase plane tickets or rent a car, Blerim Elmazi and S. Lee Merritt were rescued by rapper JAY-Z, who chartered a private jet to fly them to the courthouse on time. “[Merritt] and I spent hours trying to find flights or cars,” Elmazi wrote in an Instagram statement. “At 1 am we started losing hope till we got a call from Jay Z’s people at Roc Nation who chartered a flight for us to attend this hearing with the family of Ahmaud Arbe...
BTS Donate $1 Million to Black Lives Matter
BTS aren’t just talking the talk; they’re walking the walk. Days after issuing a public statement in support of Black Lives Matter, the influential K-pop group has now pledged $1 million to the organization. In a statement to Variety, Black Lives Matter confirmed the donation: “Black people all over the world are in pain at this moment from the trauma of centuries of oppression. We are moved by the generosity of BTS and allies all over the world who stand in solidarity in the fight for Black lives.” In a tweet written in Korean and English earlier this week, BTS expressed their solidarity for the movement. “We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together. #BlackLivesMatter.” Along with BTS’...
System of a Down’s John Dolmayan Blasts “Defund the Police” Movement as “Stupidest Thing I’ve Heard”
System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan has been very open about his political beliefs in the midst of protests across the country. Now, he’s blasting the “Defund the Police” movement as “probably the stupidest thing [he’s] heard.” Last week, Dolmayan made headlines when he called President Trump the “greatest friend to minorities” around the same time his bandmate Serj Tankian called for the protesters to “force the [Trump] regime to resign.” In a 13-minute Instagram video posted over the weekend, Dolmayan addressed the backlash he has received since that post, while also outlining his positions on a variety of socio-political issues. As far as the differences between him and his bandmates, particularly Tankian, Dolmayan said, “We have differing opinions in System of a Down. That shouldn’t...