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Peel Sessions From Nirvana, David Bowie, Siouxsie and the Banshees Organized Online
Disc jockey John Peel was a music institution for almost four decades, highlighting influential bands and underground sounds on his BBC Radio 1 program. The shows featured over 4,000 in-studio sessions from over 2,000 artists — captured from 1967 up through his death in 2004. A good chunk of those recordings are floating around YouTube, but it’s exhausting trying to wade through them all. Now, thanks to blogger David Strickland, that process just got a whole lot easier. Over at his “Formally Known as the Bollocks” blog, Strickland is rounding up an exhaustive, alphabetized list of the Peel sessions available online — at least 1,000 so far. Highlights include two Nirvana performances (1990 and 1991), David Bowie’s 1972 recording with the Spiders from Mars, five sets from Siouxsie and the Ba...
Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo Covers Nirvana’s ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ on Piano
Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo is a self-proclaimed Nirvana super-fan, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that he covered one of that band’s signature tracks, “Heart-Shaped Box,” during quarantine. The performance, which originated from a Zoom session hosted for fans, finds the songwriter stripping back the heavy In Utero rocker to a quiet solo piano ballad. Decked out in a tank top and seated next to a massive plant, he plucks out the chords and nails the track’s verse-to-chorus dynamic shift — even replicating the guitar solo melody. Cuomo has gushed about his Nirvana obsession in the past, telling Rolling Stone in 2014, “In some ways, I feel like I was Nirvana’s biggest fan in the Nineties. I’m sure there are a zillion people who would make that claim, but I was just so passionately in lo...
The Beths Second-Guess the Future on New Single “I’m Not Getting Excited”: Stream
This summer, The Beths will return with a sophomore album called Jump Rope Gazers. After previewing the release with last month’s “Dying to Believe”, the New Zealand indie pop outfit is unboxing a new single in “I’m Not Getting Excited”. While musically a jumpy, driving number, its subject matter is about denying oneself the freedom to enjoy excitement and success — all because of constant second-guessing. In a statement, lead singer Elizabeth Stokes explained this case of imposter syndrome, “People always ask ‘are you excited!?’ and it’s a fair question, because exciting things do happen to us sometimes. Support slots, overseas tours, music releases. Stuff we’ve dreamed about for years. So the correct answer is always ‘yes.’ But the truth is that deep down there’s a tiny Liz saying, ‘don’...
Hamilton Movie Being Released 15 Months Early on Disney+
Disney is fast-tracking the release of a film version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning musical, Hamilton, starring the original cast. Originally, the film was set to hit theaters in October 2021, but with millions of Americans currently stuck at home in quarantine, the studio is now altering those plans. Not only will Hamilton be released 15 months early — July 3rd, 2020, to be exact — but it’ll be streaming exclusively on Disney+. “In light of the extraordinary challenges facing our world, this story about leadership, tenacity, hope, love and the power of people to unite against the forces of adversity is both relevant and impactful,” Disney chairman Bob Iger said in a statement. “We are thrilled to bring this phenomenon to Disney+ on the eve of Independence Day, and we hav...
Hundreds of Hard-to-Find Peel Sessions Cataloged on YouTube
John Peel’s BBC 1 radio show was iconic at the time it aired. In hindsight, it’s only grown all the more legendary. The legendary broadcaster recorded over 4,000 sessions with over 2,000 artists, which is, objectively speaking, a lot. To help make sorting through the Peel Sessions archive easier, angel-in-disguise and blogger Dave Strickson has uploaded and alphabetized hundreds of available recordings from the show to stream online (via BrooklynVegan). Most of the original studio sessions from Peel’s radio show were released as Peel Session EPs by his label, Strange Fruit Records, but many of those are unavailable to stream online. Thankfully, listeners occasionally upload those almost-lost-to-time recordings to YouTube. That’s where Strickson comes in. To help make the process of di...
Jordana Makes Sleek Pop on New Single “I’ll Take It Boring”: Stream
Bedroom pop artist Jordana is back with a brand new single called “I’ll Take It Boring”, and it’s pretty much another guaranteed hit from the 19-year-old wunderkind. A few months ago, Jordana signed to Grand Jury Music and re-released her debut album, Classical Notions of Happiness, through the label. If you haven’t heard it, check it out ASAP. It’s a collection of folk-tinged pop songs that’s as witty as it is personable, landing Jordana alongside fellow young singer-songwriters like Sidney Gish and Caroline Rose. Thanks to “I’ll Take It Boring”, fans don’t have to wait to hear what she was working on as a follow-up. “’I’ll Take It Boring’ is a song about my experience at a Halloween party which I regretted attending,” Jordana said in a press release when asked about the track’s origins. ...
Q&A: Incubus Talk New EP, Conspiracy Theories and This Year’s Darwin Awards
“Have you guys gone down the rabbit hole on any of these conspiracy theories?” His trademark long hair tied up in a bun, Incubus lead singer Brandon Boyd poses a question to the rest of his bandmates on our Zoom call. The rest of the guys — guitarist Mike Einziger, drummer Jose Pasillas, bassist Ben Kenney, and DJ Chris Kilmore — murmur some variation of “yes” or “no.” Pasillas shakes his head, laughing, “I don’t got time for that shit.” “There’s incredible mental gymnastics happening,” Boyd muses at length. “From a psychological perspective, there is some rationale for people pulling disparate elements into one place to come to some form of like a theory, and the fact that we have no centralized response and we don’t know who we’re supposed to trust, and everything’s just so up in the air...
Live’s Ed Kowalczyk Talks Band Reunion and Planning a New Album in Quarantine
Since reuniting in 2016, Live hasn’t stopped touring. They had to be stopped. And from a logistical standpoint, quarantine couldn’t have happened at a better time for the group. While Live never quite had the iconic power of tourmates like Counting Crows and Bush, the passion of their performances (and inescapable hits like “I Alone”) has helped them steal the show on numerous occasions. Those loyal to classic alternative radio are widely familiar with 1994’s Throwing Copper, the record that landed a number of singles and topped the charts in 1995, but the band’s catalog runs deeper with more mature songs — particularly on 1997’s abrasive Secret Samadhi and 1999’s more melodic The Distance to Here. In 2018, they didn’t overthink things and surprised everyone with the Local 717 EP...
The Black Keys Cancel Summer Tour
A few weeks after canceling their Canadian tour, the Black Keys have pulled the plug on their summer U.S. tour. Considering that the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging and only a couple of states have allowed live music to resume, it seems like a sensible decision. Add to that that Live Nation is only gradually opening up small venues, playing a summer tour at an amphitheater in front of tens of thousands of people would be negligent. “We are very disappointed to let you know the U.S. Let’s Rock Summer tour is no longer happening. We were looking forward to seeing you all out there, but the health and safety of our fans and crew has to take priority. We hope to see you all soon. Please stay safe!” the band said in a statement. The...
Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind’s Quarantine Playlist
With everyone sequestered and self-quarantining due to the coronavirus, we’ve asked our favorite artists to come up with playlists that keep you entertained. This edition is by Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind: On the plus side of sheltering in place, you really don’t need to fuss over your playlist. I mean, there’s no one around to impress! Playlists are usually more performances than preferences. Heaven forbid someone might impugn your choice. Probably like me, when we get real with it, your true playlist is a mess — without consistent standards or taste. It’s just shit you like, a lifeline to get you through. Also if you’re like me, this reset means some things don’t fit anymore, like singing in cursive or autotune. Other things, though, suddenly sound great, like piano house and lo-f...
‘Rise Up New York!’ Telethon: The 10 Best Moments
“We care about our neighbors, and that’s why we want to help.” New York native and acting legend Robert De Niro kicked off Robin Hood and iHeartMedia’s Rise Up New York! telethon on Monday (May 11) with that simple reasoning about why the benefit show was happening. Since the coronavirus began spreading across the nation earlier this year, New York City has been the hardest hit, becoming the epicenter of the pandemic with more than 26,000 deaths to date and too many jobs lost. The telethon, hosted by Tina Fey from 30 Rockefeller Plaza, featured numerous famous faces with New York ties, from musicians to Broadway stars to chefs and beyond. Each offered messages of hope and urged viewers to donate to help the people of New York get back on their feet after the devasta...
‘The Voice’ Contestant Joanna Serenko Spreads the Love With Uplifting ‘Lean on Me’ Performance
Joanna Serenko has had a tough journey on The Voice, most recently escaping elimination last week as the instant-save contestant. Now, in the semifinals and on Team Blake, the 19-year-old stepped up to plate with a performance of the late Bill Withers‘ classic, “Lean on Me.” Like last week, to follow precautions amid the coronavirus pandemic, Serenko performed the tune at home. The scenery fit perfectly with the loving, supportive tone of the song, as the singer was surrounded by lush woodlands and bohemian furniture. After former coach Nick Jonas told Serenko that he “totally believes in the artist that [she] is,” Blake Shelton couldn’t help but dig the knife of losing such a talented contestant a little deeper. “Nick I hate to be such a stic...
