NEWS
Life Of Agony Heals Wounds in ‘The Sound of Scars’ Documentary
Helmed by British director Leigh Brooks, The Sound of Scars captures the most intimate story of the Brooklyn-bred act, spanning its 30-plus-year career. Told through the individual and collective stories of Caputo; her cousin, guitarist Joey Z; and bassist Alan Robert, along with family and friends, in its most visceral scenes, the documentary opens wounds Life of Agony long needed to expose and ultimately heal. “This was an opportunity to actually have these conversations after all these years, and it’s a new plateau for us as a family to actually address some of these issues,” says Robert of the film and his own long-term battle with depression. “I was so bottled up during those years that the only way to express myself was through these songs. Even now, I have a happy life with my famil...
Jimmie Allen & Gabby Barrett Named ACM New Male & Female Artist of the Year
The other nominees for new male artist of the year were Travis Denning, Hardy, Cody Johnson and Parker McCollum. The other nominees for new female artist of the year, besides Guyton, were Ingrid Andress, Tenille Arts and Caylee Hammack. Both Allen and Barrett will perform on the three-hour ACM telecast on April 18. Allen’s booking brings to five the number of Black artists who will perform on the show — an ACM record. Guyton is set to perform, along with Kane Brown, whose Mixtape Vol. 1 is up for album of the year; Americana duo The War and Treaty; and gospel great CeCe Winans, who is expected to team with Carrie Underwood to perform “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” which they recorded for Underwood’s current gospel album, My Savior. Barrett’s “I H...
Previously-Unreleased Prince Album ‘Welcome 2 America’ Is on the Way: Hear Title Track
A takedown of corporate greed, digital distraction, the vapidness of contemporary music (compared to classic jazz, that is), celebrity culture and sex tapes, the spoken word piece is a call-back of sorts to the late rock/pop icon’s infamous 1990s battle with his label over ownership of his music, during which he painted the word “slave” on his cheek. “Land of the free/ Home of the slave,” the back-up singers croon. According to a release announcing the project, Prince went on a tour of the same name shortly after completing the album, playing residencies in several U.S. cities, topped by a 21-night stand at the Forum in Inglewood, California. A deluxe edition of the album will come on CD and black vinyl (and as a hi-res download), packaged with a never-before-...
‘High School Musical’ Trailer Shows What’s Next for Olivia Rodrigo & Joshua Bassett
Breakout stars Rodrigo and Bassett wrote brand-new solo songs for this season following the major successes of their real-life careers. Her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Drivers License” debut single recently became the first song to hit 1 billion global streams in 2021 after it spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and Billboard Global 200 chart and nine weeks on the Billboard Global Excluding U.S. chart. Bassett’s “Lie Lie Lie” earned him a spot in Billboard‘s Emerging Artists Spotlight in January. Billboard exclusively broke the news in February that HSMTMTS added Broadway vet Andrew Barth Feldman (Dear Evan Hansen, Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical) and television/film star ...
Ted Nugent Thinks There Was COVID-1 through -18, Wonders Why There Weren’t Shutdowns Then
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-08T15:04:27+00:00“>April 8, 2021 | 11:04am ET Legendary guitarist and gun-toting purveyor of extreme right-wing views Ted Nugent has a bone to pick with the COVID-19 shutdown. He wonders why we didn’t have shutdowns during COVID-1 through 18, mistakenly thinking that COVID-19 is the 19th iteration of the contagious disease. Lamenting the fact that he won’t be back on the road anytime soon, The Nuge took to Facebook Live (transcribed by Blabbermouth) to declare, “This year’s tour is canceled again. The production companies won’t let us tour again this year. Dirty bastard, lying, scam, smoke-and-mirrors COVID-19 freaks.” That’s when he mistakenly and hilariously used non-factual lo...
Japanese Breakfast Announces US Tour, Shares New Song “Posing In Bondage”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-08T15:10:56+00:00“>April 8, 2021 | 11:10am ET It’s a good day to be a Japanese Breakfast fan. The indie-pop artist has announced a US tour for this coming fall, and she’s shared a new song called “Posing In Bondage” from her upcoming album Jubilee. Following the record’s debut single “Be Sweet” , a funky new-wave pop song, “Posing In Bondage” resides on the darker end of the Japanese Breakfast spectrum. A rougher, shorter version of the song originally appeared on the band’s contribution to 2017’s Polyvinyl 4-Track Singles Series, Vol. 3, but Michelle Zauner has completely revamped it for the album with pulsating bass, spacey vocal textures, and absolutely gorgeous synth sw...
Prince’s Unreleased Album Welcome 2 America Gets Release Date, Title Track Revealed: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-08T15:26:26+00:00“>April 8, 2021 | 11:26am ET The Prince Estate has revealed that the late icon’s shelved 2010 album Welcome 2 America will be the next LP freed from Paisley Park’s vault. Arriving July 30th, Welcome 2 America features 11 Prince originals as well as a cover of Soul Asylum’s “Stand Up and B Strong”. The Purple One recorded the LP with the 2011-era New Power Generation, featuring bassist Tal Wilkenfeld; drummer Chris Coleman; keyboardist/co-producer Morris Hayes; and singers Shelby J, Liv Warfield, and Elisa Fiorillo. Jason Agel served as engineer for the sessions at Paisley Park Studios. The songs have never officially been released save for one-off radio...
Alice in Chains’ William DuVall Releasing Album from His 1980s Punk Band Neon Christ
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-08T15:27:39+00:00“>April 8, 2021 | 11:27am ET Alice in Chains singer William DuVall is releasing an archival album by his 1980s hardcore punk band Neon Christ. The compilation, titled 1984, will be out on Record Store Day (June 12th) via Southern Lord and DVL Recordings. A teenage DuVall played guitar in the blistering Atlanta quartet, which was rounded out by drummer Jimmy Demer, bassist Danny Lankford, and vocalist Randy DuTeau. The band would launch DuVall’s impressive career, with the guitarist later joining California punks Bl’ast after Neon Christ’s breakup in 1986. Neon Christ’s brand of aggressive hardcore featured elements of heavy metal guitar from DuVall, leading to th...
Prince’s Estate Unearths Previously Unreleased 2010 Welcome 2 America LP
Since Prince’s 2016 death, his estate has released a bunch of previously unreleased material from his legendary vault. Now, another one is on the way. The previously unreleased 2010 album, Welcome 2 America, which is termed “a powerful creative statement that documents Prince’s concerns, hopes, and visions for a shifting society, presciently foreshadowing an era of political division, disinformation, and a renewed fight for racial justice,” in its press materials, will be released on July 30. With its announcement came the release of the title track, a song which concludes that America is the “Land of the free / home of the slave.” Listen to it below. [embedded content] The deluxe edition of Welcome 2 America includes the complete studio vault album on both CD and black viny...
YG & K-Swiss To Collaborate For New Compton Country Club Campaign
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: K-Swiss / K-Swiss A few months ago YG announced that he was dropping his own sneaker line, 4Hunnid. but now that Compton rapper is linking up with K-Swiss to drop a collaboration for the block. Source: K-Swiss / K-Swiss The collaboration kickoff with a relaunch of the brand’s Classic LX model which is featured in the Compton Country Club campaign and pays homage to K-Swiss’s heritage in the tennis field. We’re not sure if YG’s much of a tennis player but at least we know that fellow Compton representatives Serena and Venus Williams are, so there’s a connection? “K-Swiss is part of the LA culture,” said YG in a statement. “If you grew up in the city and were born in the 80’s and 90’s, you know about K-Swiss. It’s a staple of the culture.” K-Swiss Pre...
Regina King & Viola Davis Showcase Jaw Dropping Beauty In ‘Entertainment Weekly’ Oscars Issue
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Jeff Kravitz / Getty Regina King and Viola Davis are known for bringing talent and beauty on screen, but it appears the two leading ladies decided to take some of that Black Girl Magic and leave it on their latest covers with Entertainment Weekly. The special issue, which is centered around the upcoming Oscars features both Regina King and Viola Davis on separate covers donning stunning fashions and looking flawless, but it’s not all eye candy. During their respective interviews, both Davis and King reflected on their biggest Oscar moments before sharing their individual highs and lows throughout their careers. While reflecting on her massive success with her hit film, One Night in Miami, Regina King shared how she missed not being able to reach out ...
Patagonia Is Donating $1 Million To Fight Georgia’s Voter Suppression Law
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Robert Alexander / Getty Outdoor apparel company Patagonia is donating $1 million to various voting rights groups as a direct response to Georgia’s restrictive voting law. They are just one of many “woke” corporations that have spoken out against legislation that gives undeniable Jim Crow vibes. According to a lengthy press release on Monday, the clothing company condemned Republican Governor Brian Kemp for signing legislation that directly responds to the 2020 Presidental election that caused a landslide loss for Donald Trump’s run for a second term. Actions speak louder than words. We’re donating $1 million to groups working to defend our democracy and your right to vote. Join us in taking 3 important actions: https://t.co/mo61VCidwf — Patag...
