Twenty years ago this fall, Radiohead shocked the world by renouncing rock & roll — or at least making its traditional sounds and aims secondary to those of the heady techno music that Thom Yorke and his bandmates were listening to more and more of as the 20th century crashed …
Read More »Billie Eilish, Barbra Streisand Items to Be Auctioned Off for Covid-19 Charity
Julien’s Auctions has announced an exclusive charity auction for MusiCares’ Covid-19 relief fund. The collection at auction on September 9th will include a wide range of items from notable musicians and celebrities, with proceeds going toward struggling artists and crew members in the music community. Auction highlights include an animal …
Read More »John Lennon's Killer Mark David Chapman Denied Parole for 11th Time
Mark David Chapman, the man who gunned down John Lennon outside of his Manhattan apartment in 1980, was denied parole for an 11th time, New York state corrections officers announced on Wednesday. After the Board of Parole interviewed the 65-year-old on August 19th, Chapman will spend at least another two …
Read More »Bright Eyes' First Album in Nine Years is a Tense Love Letter to L.A.
About 20 years ago, Conor Oberst, the singer-songwriter who fronts Bright Eyes, sheepishly warbled his way out of Omaha to become an emo heartthrob and a baroque-folk New Dylan. But Oberst was never one for sitting still artistically, and he ping-ponged throughout the aughts, from synth–rock to punk to rustic …
Read More »Ledisi Regains Her Independence on 'The Wild Card'
As soon as the singer Ledisi earned a major-label deal more than a decade ago, she started to get calls from pop music legends. They had pointed opinions about her career path and didn’t mince words. “Prince was one of the people who used to tell me to go independent; …
Read More »Taylor Swift Reveals Meaning Behind 'Cardigan' Video for Vevo's 'Footnotes'
Taylor Swift‘s new video “Cardigan” is the subject of the latest installment of Footnotes, a Vevo series that offers behind-the-scenes facts and insight into music videos. In this edition, we discover that the art on the wall in the video’s opening scene carries personal significance to Swift: Her grandfather’s portrait …
Read More »Hear Lzzy Hale's Cover of Dolly Parton's 'I Will Always Love You'
Halestorm revisit some of their past songs on the new EP Reimagined, out now. But the project isn’t a clichéd set of acoustic readings; instead, the hard-rock band stays true to the EP’s title and revamps the arrangements. Their 2009 debut single “I Get Off” taps into brooding funk, while …
Read More »Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, the Weeknd, Maluma, CNCO to Perform at 2020 VMAs
UPDATE (8/20/20): DaBaby and the Black Eyed Peas join the lineup for the 2020 VMAs, with the Black Eyed Peas set to perform their new single “Vida Loca.” *** UPDATE (8/18/20): MTV announced that Ariana Grande will be joining Lady Gaga at the 2020 VMAs, performing “Rain on Me” together …
Read More »See Juice WRLD and the Weeknd's Animated Video for 'Smile'
Late rapper Juice WRLD and the Weeknd appear as animated figures in their new video for “Smile.” The song, which was released last week, marks the first time the pair collaborated. Animated by KDC Visions, the visual captures the poignancy of the song’s sentiments, which yearn for a loved one …
Read More »20 Essential Grateful Dead Shows
Choosing and justifying a list of essential Grateful Dead shows — 20, 200, or even 2,000 — is treacherous work. Passionate challenge from fans, especially hardcore Deadheads and veteran tape traders, is guaranteed. Endless debate over set-list minutiae is inevitable. In fact, there is only one definitive list of the …
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