Rock
Mike Noga, Solo Artist and Former Drummer With The Drones, Dies at 42
Mike Noga, the Australian singer, songwriter and former drummer with celebrated alternative rock outfit The Drones, has died at the age of 42. The sad news was announced on social media by Noga’s sister, Ali. “We are absolutely devastated to inform you of the passing of our beloved brother, son, uncle and dearest friend Mike,” the message reads. “We know how much he and his music meant to so many of you and there’s nothing we can say to make this hurt any less. We miss you and love you so much, Mike.” We are absolutely devastated to inform you of the passing of our beloved brother, son, uncle and dearest friend Mike. We… Posted by Ali Noga on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 The cause of death has not been revealed. Taking his spot behind the kit for the Drones, Noga...
Smash Mouth Received Angry ‘Fan Mail’ After Their South Dakota Performance
Smash Mouth got bad press for their concert in South Dakota earlier this month. They also got hate mail. Despite the raging pandemic which has taken more than 170,000 lives across the U.S., and against conventional medical advice, Smash Mouth went and performed Aug. 9 at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally’s Buffalo Chip concert series. Images from the show traveled fast on social media, in particular footage of singer Steve Harwell who could be can be heard saying, “We’re all here together tonight. F–k that COVID s–t!” The message fell flat with some. Earlier this week, the California rockers uploaded a photo of an angry hand-written letter, framed by a Smash Mouth CD snapped into small pieces. “Recent fan mail,” the post reads. The “All Star” band and th...
Bob Marley Crowns Top Facebook Live Videos Chart Thanks to Ziggy Marley Tribute Set
Bob’s son performed a set on his father’s official Facebook page to help commemorate his 75th birthday year. A video of Ziggy Marley performing songs by his legendary father Bob on the latter’s Facebook page rules Billboard’s Top Facebook Live Videos chart for July 2020. The chart, the latest of which recaps July 2020 activity, is a monthly look at the widest-reaching and most-reacted-to videos posted by musicians on Facebook Live, as tracked by media analytics company Shareablee. Rankings are determined by a formula that blends reactions, comments, shares and first-seven-days views. Since removed from Bob Marley’s page, the hour-long upload, which was posted July 19, featured Ziggy Marley performing multiple songs, the latest in a series of tributes to Bob in 2020, during which he would h...
Matt Maeson Becomes First Male Soloist in 15 Years With Two Alternative Airplay No. 1s
“Hallucinogenics” jumps 4-1. Matt Maeson becomes the first solo man to score two career No. 1s on Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay chart in a decade and a half, as “Hallucinogenics” jumps 4-1 on the list dated Aug. 29. Maeson previously ruled the tally with “Cringe,” for four weeks last year; “Cringe” first led nearly a year to the day of “Hallucinogenics” rising to No. 1 (Aug. 24, 2019). Maeson is the first male soloist to rack up a pair of No. 1s on Alternative Airplay since Beck 15 years ago. After nabbing his first ruler, “Loser,” in February 1994, Beck earned his second with “E-Pro” in April 2005. He’s since scored a third No. 1, “Up All Night,” in December 2017. Just four other ...
The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde on Why Hate Is a Strong Word
Kyle Meredith With… Chrissie Hynde Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS The Pretenders‘ legendary singer-songwriter Chrissie Hynde gives Kyle Meredith a call to talk about the band’s new record, Hate For Sale. Hynde talks about writing with her touring guitarist James Walbourne, looking back to the ’50s and ’60s for their sound, and the return of original drummer Martin Chambers. She also goes on to speak about hate as a strong word, love as a drug addiction, and her Bob Dylan quarantine covers series. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Meredith digs deep into the arti...
iHeartRadio Music Awards Cancelled For 2020 — But Winners Will Still Be Announced
Eight months will have elapsed between the announcement of the nominees and the revelation of the winners. The 2020 iHeartRadio Music Awards, originally scheduled to take place March 29 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, with Usher hosting, were officially cancelled on Monday (Aug. 24). But fear not, awards fans: The winners will still be announced over the Labor Day weekend (Sept. 4-7) on 840 iHeartRadio stations nationwide and via iHeart’s social platforms. The chain will even include acceptance speeches from the winners. This year’s nominations were announced on Jan. 8, which means eight months will have elapsed between the announcement of the nominees and the revelation of the winners. Billie Eilish and Shawn Mendes were this year’s top nominees, with seven nods each. Taylo...
Hear a Dramatic Orchestral Version of a Nirvana Classic in ‘The Batman’ Trailer
There is definitely ‘Something in the Way.’ The dim, ominous first trailer for Matt Reeves’ the Caped Crusader re-re-boot, The Batman, features an unlikely star turn from a 1991 Nirvana classic. The preview of Robert Pattinson’s first trip under the cowl as the title character is in keeping with the bleak vibe of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, but beyond the brief glimpses of the Riddler (Paul Dano) and Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner James Gordon, the star that almost steals the show is a grinding, orchestral remix of “Something in the Way” from Nirvana’s breakthrough major label debut, Nevermind. The original version of the song, a delicate acoustic dirge though to be about the period where late singer Kurt Cobain lived under a bri...
Springsteen Drummer Max Weinberg Appointed to Delray Beach Planning and Zoning Board
Times are tough, and these days everybody’s looking for a second job. So even though Max Weinberg has a reliable gig drumming for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, he’s picked up a little extra work at the Delray Beach Planning and Zoning Board. As the Palm Beach Post reports, Weinberg has been appointed to a two-year term at the recommendation of city commissioner Juli Casale. “I was impressed with his knowledge and vision of real estate and development,” she said. “I love Springsteen. Who doesn’t? But this appointment was not made because of his music prowess.” In fact, Weinberg’s knowledge of real estate minutiae is the stuff of legend. He was the subject of a 2008 profile by the Wall Street Journal called “Born to Renovate”, which described him as a “real est...
Jack Sherman, Early Guitarist for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dies at 64
Jack Sherman, an early guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, has died, the band confirmed Friday (Aug. 21) on social media. He was 64. “We of the RHCP family would like to wish Jack Sherman smooth sailing into the worlds beyond, for he has passed,” the group wrote on Instagram. “Jack played on our debut album as well as our first tour of the USA. He was a unique dude and we thank him for all times good, bad and in between. Peace on the boogie platform.” The musician’s cause of death had not yet been revealed at press time. Sherman joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1983, replacing founding member Hillel Slovak, and played on the band’s self-titled debut album. Sherman toured with the group in 1984 and co-wrote songs on its second album, Freaky Styley. He parted ways with th...
Glass Animals Score First Top Rock Albums No. 1 With ‘Dreamland’
The set is also their first Billboard 200 top 10. Glass Animals nab their first No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Rock Albums chart, as Dreamland bows atop the list dated Aug. 22. Dreamland debuts with 60,000 equivalent album units earned in the tracking week ending Aug. 13, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. Of that sum, 43,000 units were via album sales. The England-based band previously reached a No. 2 high on the chart with Dreamland‘s predecessor, How to Be a Human Being, in September 2016. The new LP’s count of 17,000 streaming equivalent units is the best for a rock album since the chart dated Feb. 29, when Tame Impala‘s The Slow Rush opened with 30,000 of its overall 110,000 units from streaming. Dreamland also starts at No. 2 on Alternative Albums, equaling How to...
James Blunt Once Got Scurvy From Eating an All-Meat Diet
An attempt to spite the vegans went very, very wrong for James Blunt. Chatting with Jessie Ware on her Table Manners podcast, the singer revealed that he actually developed scurvy while eating an all-meat diet during his time at the University of Bristol in the 1990s. “On the sociology side of things there were 170 girls and only three boys, of which all the girls were vegetarian or vegans,” he explained. “So out of principle, I decided I’d become a carnivore and just lived on mince, some chicken, maybe with some mayonnaise.” “And it took me about six to eight weeks to get very unhealthy and see a doctor, who then said, ‘I think you’ve got the symptoms of scurvy,'” he continued. Scurvy, often associated with pirates who wouldn’t find nourishment out at se...
Machine Gun Kelly & Blackbear’s ‘My Ex’s Best Friend’ Scores No. 1 Rock Streaming Songs Debut
The song is the list’s first newly released leader since April. Machine Gun Kelly and Blackbear‘s “My Ex’s Best Friend” becomes the first new song in nearly four months to top Billboard‘s Rock Streaming Songs chart, debuting atop the Aug. 22-dated tally. The track, released Aug. 7, bows with 6.2 million U.S. streams in its first week, ending Aug. 13, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. “Friend” is the first first-time leader on Rock Streaming Songs since Twenty One Pilots‘ “Level of Concern” started atop the list dated April 25. Since then, the No. 1 spot was exchanged between “Level of Concern” and Journey‘s 1981 classic “Don’t Stop Believin'”; in that span, “Concern” ruled f...
