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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...
Bitcoin is Part of Mainstream Finance, says deVere CEO
Sourced from Ethereum World News. Bitcoin’s historic halving event on Monday underscores that the “long-term future of cryptocurrencies is secure”, says the CEO and founder of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory organisations. The comments from deVere Group’s Nigel Green come as the world’s supply of Bitcoin was forever slashed. The highly anticipated halving event, occurring only every four years, means that less and less Bitcoin – which is limited to 21 million units – will now be mined. Monday’s was only the third ever halving. In 2012, the number of new Bitcoins issued every 10 minutes fell from 50 to 25. In 2016, it went down from 25 to 12.5. Now, in the 2020 halving, it will drop from 12.5 to 6.25. Nigel Green says that the “Bitcoin halving event has demonstrate...
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...
‘We Were a Disaster’: Jason Isbell Discusses the Making of Reunions
There will come a time, probably not too long from now, when someone will turn to Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s album Reunions, see that it was released in 2020 and come to the reasonable conclusion that it was a response to the breakdowns, devastation and (hopefully) eventual reawakening from a global pandemic. To that person, Isbell’s latest release, out on May 15 on his own Southeastern Records — after dropping exclusively at independent record stores a week earlier, an idea Isbell conceived to help keep those precious operations afloat — seems to be saying: “Where have you been?” Isbell (who, of course, wrote and recorded the album long before the world broke) acknowledges the prescience that comes through on so many songs from Reunions, but notes that he just pointed his pen at the ...
A Future Reimagined for Africa Post-Pandemic
Sourced from Redbubble and iStock. In a rare television broadcast Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, described the COVID-19 pandemic as “Germany’s biggest challenge since the Second World War”. It has indeed proved to be a crisis of global proportion with material implications for the economies and livelihoods of all. Governments across the globe have locked down cities, towns, villages and townships to curb the spread of the virus. Massive fiscal stimuli have been enacted to cushion the economic and humanitarian impact of the pandemic. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund have set aside a large quantum of emergency financial support for countries to tap into. African countries have implemented strong containment measures to avoid further spread of COVID-19. For countries in W...
Dance Music’s Top Livestream Events: May, 2020
Just because you’re stuck at home, that’s no reason to let those dance moves get dull. Our prescription? A deep feet-first dive into a dancefloor, of course! There’s no shortage of phenomenal livestreams to enjoy this month either. For a dance fan wading through the sea of options, it’s enough to feel like swimming in cement boots, but don’t fret—we can help. Put your feet up and peruse some of the best below. With this handy guide, we’ve hand-picked our favorites for your listening pleasure. It may be true that there’s less to do at home while we wait out the COVID-craze, but with heavy-hitters like Diplo, Dada Life, and VNSSA pumping out steady streams with new music, May is still absolutely packed with plenty to be hyped about. Credit: Courtesy of Wuki Global Dance Digi...
April’s New Releases Bring the Promise of Even More Music to Come [Playlist]
While we might still be stuck at home for a considerable amount of time because of COVID-19, DJs and producers haven’t let the pandemic stop them from bringing new music to fans. In fact, for some, it’s actually helped with freeing up more time to finish unreleased songs. In EDM.com‘s interview with Riot Ten about being in quarantine, he said that he has less on his mind, having not to think about traveling and touring. And although he wishes he could play his music live, he has a lot of unreleased songs that he can now focus on. Last month Riot Ten released “Save You,” a single from his upcoming EP that’s slated for June. He told us that fans are going to hear “some of the heaviest music” he’s ever produced. The same will mo...
WME Partner Richard Weitz’s Pandemic Parties Surpass $2 Million Raised With Star-Studded Nashville Edition
Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Michael McDonald and more performed before music execs and first responders. Six weeks ago with the coronavirus shutdown already in full effect, WME partner Richard Weitz celebrated his daughter Demi’s 17th birthday with a virtual party with guests including as LL Cool J. The event proved so popular, Weitz and his daughter knew they were on to something and turned their Zoom party, dubbed RWQuarantunes, into a nationwide invite-only weekly event with a charitable tie in for COVID-19 relief. Each subsequent edition has drawn more entertainment industry insiders and big name performers — including Josh Groban, John Mayer, Rick Springfield, Boy George, Michael Bolton and Fantasia — to what has become Friday night’s hottest ticket and the feel-good e...
Hex Cougar Drops Masterful Short Film “Under the Light of a Dying Moon”
Los Angeles-based Hex Cougar today announced the arrival of a cinematic counterpart to the Under the Light of a Dying Moon EP released back in January on Lowly. The album was debuted live at bicoastal sell-out shows in Los Angeles and New York City and has already amassed more than 3 million streams. To build on the momentum of the project and the sinister mystique of the Hex Cougar persona, the film assembles powerhouses of music event and film production, culminating in a nine and a half-minute short film complete with a gripping story. Credit: Tarun Raj Hex Cougar explained the thematic elements of the album and film in a press release issued for its release. “With the Under The Light Of A Dying Moon EP, I really wanted to create a unique and in-depth world for my music to li...
