Rock
Neil Young Reveals Previously Unreleased 1982 Album Is ‘Coming to You Soon’
“It’s a beautiful records coming to you soon,” Young wrote in the announcement. Johnny’s Island — which is “being prepared for release” on Neil Young Archives — was recorded shortly after his 1982 album, Trans. A specific release date was not provided. A representative for Young tells Billboard that “due to demand from fans, we do have a very aggressive release schedule from Neil this year.” Further details about Johnny’s Island were not available. Earlier this month, Young also announced plans to release a new live album and concert film, Way Down in the Rust Bucket, on Feb. 26 through Reprise Records. The 19-track release documents a 1990 concert with Crazy Horse in Santa Cruz, Calif., and features performances from his al...
Dave Grohl Recalls Being ‘Beaten by Police and Rednecks’ at Anti-Reagan Concerts
Nowadays, when he and the Foo Fighters aren’t busy performing for Democratic presidents (the band played their hit “Times Like These” during the Biden-Harris inauguration special “Celebrating America” on Jan. 20) they’re preparing to release their latest album, Medicine at Midnight, in the midst of a global pandemic. Grohl revealed in the interview that the band was initially told releasing their 10th studio album while the coronavirus has much of the world shut down wasn’t the greatest idea. But an unexpected experience convinced him otherwise — his drum-off with 10-year-old Nandi Bushell. “When the videos went viral, I realized that the only purpose of the band is to bring joy. That’s it. Right?” Grohl shared. “The b...
Edgar Wright’s The Sparks Brothers Crams 50 Years of Art Pop Into Two Giddy Hours: Sundance 2021 Review
This review is part of our Sundance 2021 coverage. The Pitch: Sparks has been around for just shy of 50 years, and have influenced just about every major pop act since the 1970s –from New Order to Weird Al Yankovic. They’re one of the greatest bands of all time, but you probably haven’t heard of them. That is, of course, unless you’re Edgar Wright, pop culture vagabond and Sparks superfan, who brings his giddy, high-tilt cinematic energy to a two-and-a-half-hour chronicle of two California-born brothers who made it to the top of the pop charts, and have spent the last several decades reinventing themselves with every new album and experimentation. Along the way, he talks to artists and fans who’ve grown up with their work (Jason Schwartzman, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Fred Armisen), and i...
Hilton Valentine, Guitarist for The Animals, Dies at 77
No cause of death was provided. Valentine was born in 1943 in Northumberland, England, and joined The Animals, which was led by frontman Eric Burdon, in the early 1960s. Starting with The Animals in 1964, the group released numerous albums and had many rotating members over the years. Their hits include “The House of the Rising Sun” and “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.” The band’s final album was Ark in 1983. In 1994, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Later in Valentine’s career, he resided in California and worked on solo projects including the album All in Your Head and Skiffledog on Coburg Street. Survivors include Valentine’s wife, Germaine. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we re...
Lenny Kravitz Pens Tribute to Godmother Cicely Tyson, ‘A Black Queen Who Showed Us How Beautiful Black Is’
Among her many accomplishments, including being the recipient of three Emmy Awards, Tyson was the first African-American to win a lead actress Emmy, for her performance portraying a woman from the 1850s to the civil-rights era in the 1974 CBS telefilm The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. She notably received an Oscar nomination for her role in 1972’s Sounder, and she won a Tony award in 2013 for her work in The Trip to Bountiful. “The love between us was and is tremendous,” Kravitz said in his post. “As long as I have had consciousness, I’ve known Godmother. She and my mother were kindred spirits. Sisters. And after my mother passed, Godmother’s role in my life was amplified. I constantly felt her spirit over me. She always gave me unconditional suppor...
Freaks and Geeks’ 10 Greatest Needle Drops
Freaks & Geeks is now on Hulu. That’s great news for fans of the ’80s-set dramedy that launched the careers of James Franco, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, Seth Rogen, among others. Yet it’s also, in a way, a minor miracle for newcomers. While DVDs of the series remain in print, the show has been largely shelved from streaming circulation due to music clearances. These issues tend to affect variety shows that include music performances — like The Muppet Show or Saturday Night Live — but Freaks & Geeks runs into licensing challenges due to its heavy use of classic pop music. All too often, the series featured multiple hit songs from major artists like The Who or Van Halen. Rewatching the series now, it’s clear how effectively Paul Feig, Judd Apatow, and the rest of the team used thi...
Pino Palladino and Blake Mills Announce New Collaborative Album, Share “Just Wrong”: Stream
Acclaimed musicians Pino Palladino and Blake Mills have combined their talents on a new joint album. Notes with Attachments is due for release on March 12th via New Deal/Impulse! Records. The forthcoming LP was originally envisioned as a solo album from Palladino, a Grammy-winning songwriter, producer, and bassist best known for his work on D’Angelo’s Voodoo and Black Messiah albums, as well as projects with Nine Inch Nails, Adele, and Perfume Genius. However, Mills’ input eventually led to the realization that a full-fledged collaborative effort would bring out the best in them both. “It all evolved from me playing Blake a few ideas, getting a reaction from [him] and seeing if he’d be interested in working on [them],” Palladino explained in a statement. “As the project evol...
Jared Leto Almost Signed an Unknown Billie Eilish After She Rocked His Private Party
Leto was really sold on the pair’s talent when he invited them to play a tiny show at his house during a dinner party for 12 people, where they blew the A-list guests away. “I said, ‘Hey, will you guys come and play a couple of songs?’ and they were, like, ‘Yeah, sure,’ and they showed up with a Guitar Center p.a. and played the most heartbreakingly beautiful music with, like, you know, it shouldn’t have sounded that good, it was impossible that it sounded that good,” he said. “I remember Leo DiCaprio was there and a couple of other people and they were just, like, ‘How did you find these people and, like, who are they?’ Everyone was just jaws on the floor, 12 people max at my place in the hills. Yeah, just great people. I&#...
Guitar Center Unveils Rockin’ Eddie Van Halen Memorial Mural
A rocking memorial mural for late Van Halen guitar legend Eddie Van Halen has gone up outside the flagship Hollywood location of Guitar Center. The painting of EVH in mid screaming guitar solo on one of his signature Frankenstrats, mouth agape, is surrounded by his initials in giant VH font. “In honor of @eddievanhalen‘s birthday, we unveiled an incredible tribute by artist @therobertvargas today at GC Hollywood,” wrote the mega instrument retailer on Instagram on Tuesday (Jan. 26) about the 17-foot tall, 105-foot long painting. “This mural celebrates the passion and virtuosity of Eddie’s playing that has and will continue to inspire generations of musicians. Take a closer look in our stories!” Eddie’s son and former bandmate, Wolfg...
Janis Joplin’s Pearl Remains a Stunning Gem 50 Years Later: Classic Review
Consequence Podcast Network and Sony’s The Opus is back for Season 12, which examines the enduring legacy of Janis Joplin’s posthumous final album, Pearl. Also, after you read this article, scroll below to enter our exclusive Janis Joplin giveaway or score some original Opus swag. — Pearl never stood a chance at being just an album. That was assured when Janis Joplin was found dead in her hotel room of an accidental heroin overdose during the sessions that would lead to her second and final solo record. At that point, Pearl, which came out a little over three months later, could never simply be the latest measure of the brilliant blues singer as a recording artist. It became part of the myth of Janis Joplin — an idea that’s only grown bolder and more complex over the decades. To many fans,...
Foo Fighters to Launch Own SiriusXM Radio Station
In anticipation of new album Medicine at Midnight, Foo Fighters will be taking over the satellite radio airwaves. On February 3rd, the veteran rockers are partnering up with SiriusXM to launch Foo Fighters Radio, a limited-engagement channel chock-full of Foos-focused programming. One of the channel’s main events is the broadcast of an exclusive live performance from the band. Foo Fighters LIVE from the SiriusXM Garage is scheduled to air on February 5th at 5 p.m. ET, and is likely to include singles from their upcoming 10th studio record. The gig will be attended by a virtual audience (sign up details here) and hosted by SiriusXM’s own Kat Corbett. Additionally, the entire group — that’s Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear, and Rami Jaffee — will stream...
Livestreams & Virtual Concerts to Watch: Week of January 25
Jan. 27: Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatachee will be chatting about her album Saint Cloud as well as getting through the pandemic. RSVP here. Jan. 28: Billie Eilish, Foo Fighters, Muse and many more are participating in iHeartRadio’s ALTer EGO, with the Foo kicking things off at 9 p.m. ET, and Eilish wrapping up the evening at 10:20 p.m. ET. Princess Nokia is kicking off Brooklyn club Elsewhere’s new Twitch series, Elsewhere Sound Space, with a live performance and interview. The show begins at 7 p.m. ET. Jan. 29: Adam Lambert is celebrating his 29th birthday with a livestream show from L.A.’s The Roxy. He’ll be performing songs from his latest album, Velvet, and other favorites from his catalogue. He’ll be doing two shows that day, one at 3 p.m. ET, and th...
