music
#MetallicaMondays Concert Series Ends with Metallica’s 2017 Mexico City Show: Watch
It’s been quite a treat for Metallica fans, but all good things must come to an end. The metal legends are ending their #MetallicaMondays streaming concert series with a Mexico City show from 2017. Metallica launched the free weekly series at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to provide “live” entertainment to their fans as the concert industry shut down. After five months of digging into the archives for full concerts ranging from 1983 through 2019, the Mexico City show will close out the series. The band announced the news on Monday morning (August 24th) via Twitter, stating, “#MetallicaMondays reaches the end of the line. Tune in tonight for Live in Mexico City, the 23rd & final installment of the series, shot in front of a fired-up crowd in 2017. Tune in at 5 PM PDT o...
Chris Cornell’s Estate Denounces Unauthorized Biopic
Chris Cornell lived one hell of a life as the frontperson of Soundgarden, and someday his story will be told with all the detail, depth, and accuracy it deserves. Unfortunately, it won’t be the upcoming biopic Black Days that does so. Allegedly the movie is “about the last days in the life of grunge music icon Chris Cornell,” but the rocker’s estate has formally denounced the film, issuing a statement to Pitchfork that says the biopic is “not sanctioned or approved by the estate.” A casting call for Black Days on Backstage reveals that production on the film is already underway, with shooting kicking off in Los Angeles next month. Road Rage Films LLC and Amerifilms LLC, which apparently are run by actor and musician Johnny Holiday, are listed as the companies helming the project. As Pitchf...
Cardi B Announces Waterproof Line of “WAP” Merch
When she isn’t interviewing the Democratic nominee for President or making FOX anchors flip out, Cardi B stays busy by giving fans new songs that will get stuck in their head for months. The latest example of such is “WAP”, her viral collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion that promotes female sexuality in the most over-the-top way. Now, Cardi has released an exclusive line of waterproof “WAP” merch to keep that brand going strong,. Cardi B has unveiled a new webstore exclusively for “WAP”-themed items called the “Wapstore”. It features a wide array of raincoats, crop tops, sweatpants, umbrellas, sports bras, and biker shorts, each emblazoned with the text “WAP” and, in some cases, the single artwork featuring the rap duo’s hair intertwined. Prices start at $25. Though some stuffy critics a...
Chloe x Halle, Jack Harlow, Machine Gun Kelly, And More Are Your VMA Pre-Show Performers
The 2020 VMAs are only six days away, and the party’s already begun. That’s because Chloe x Halle, Jack Harlow, Lewis Capaldi, Tate McRae, and Machine Gun Kelly featuring Travis Barker and Blackbear will be your pre-show performers when the fun kicks off on Sunday, August 30 at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT. And that’s not all: MTV’s Nessa Diab and Jamila Mustafa will host the 90-minute pre-show event, featuring performances, celebrity interviews, and coast-to-coast coverage of your faves, courtesy of special correspondents Kevan Kenney and Travis Mills. This year’s show will also honor Everyday Heroes: Frontline Medical Workers, highlighting the best performances given in 2020 by doctors, nurses, and other responders and workers on the front lines. Nominees include: Dr. El...
Heavy Culture: Musicians on Protests, Power, and the Pandemic
Clockwise from Upper Left: Skin, Rasheed Thomas, William DuVall, Cammie Gilbert, Elias Soriano, Militia Vox, AJ Channer, Prika Amaral Heavy Culture is a monthly column from journalist Liz Ramanand, focusing on artists of different cultural backgrounds in heavy music as they offer their perspectives on race, society, and more as it intersects with and affects their music. The latest installment of this column features multiple rock and metal musicians recounting their early experiences of racism. The year 2020 will go down as one of the most difficult and memorable in the history of the world. As a global pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the physical and economic health of countries across the world, protests for justice and equality have led to notable progress in the battle again...
TikTok Sues Trump Administration Over Attempted US Ban
TikTok vs. Donald Trump TikTok is suing the Trump administration for trying to ban the app’s American operations. In a statement, the popular video sharing platform said that Trump’s recent executive order violates its right to due process and offers no evidence that the app presents a national security threat. “We do not take suing the government lightly, however we feel we have no choice but to take action to protect our rights, and the rights of our community and employees,” TikTok contends. Trump’s executive order halts transactions between the Beijing-based ByteDance and TikTok’s US-based users and employees, essentially killing the app in America, where it boasts an estimated 80 million users. Trump’s purported reason for issuing the August 6th order was that the app presented possib...
Anthrax’s Scott Ian: I’m Probably “Not Going Back to Work” Until 2022
Anthrax’s Scott Ian, photo by Antonio Marino Jr. Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian is as workmanlike as they come. He’s been touring relentlessly with Anthrax for 30-plus years, always has multiple projects going, and has generally been one of heavy metal’s great ambassadors. Now, in the midst of a pandemic, the metal legend feels he truly won’t be “back to work” until 2022. Ian compared his current situation to when he was 17 and figuring out if he can make a full-time career out of playing metal. An Anthrax album was originally planned for release in late 2020, but it’s been pushed back as the band continues to work on new material in a socially distant manner. Drummer Charlie Benante previously stated that there’s “about six, seven songs — and it’s really good,” but that “the first thin...
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...
The Chicks Perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Democratic National Convention: Watch
This year’s Democratic National Convention turned into a star-studded virtual event thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, unintentionally helping it draw more viewers than the 2016 DNC. The four-night ceremony saw everyone from Billie Eilish to John Legend perform, with The Chicks stepping onstage to kick off the final night’s festivities on Thursday evening. The trio of Natalie Maines, Martie Erwin Maguire, and Emily Strayer appeared remotely to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner”. The Chicks have long been politically outspoken musicians. Ever since their hey-day when they denounced President George W. Bush for invading Iraq and kicking of a never-ending war, the country trio have tried to use their platform for good — even going so far as to retire their Dixie Chicks moniker earl...
R.I.P. Justin Townes Earle, Singer-Songwriter Dies at 38
Singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle has died at the age of 38. “It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin,” read a statement posted to the musician’s social media. “So many of you have relied on his music and lyrics over the years and we hope that his music will continue to guide you on your journeys.” A cause of death was not immediately made available. Justin Townes Earle was the son of country legend Steve Earle, who named him after his own musical mentor, Townes van Zandt. The father and son had a complicated relationship; Steve left Justin’s mother when he was only two years old. After Steve got sober, however, Justin returned to live with his father and became immersed in Nashville’s music scene. As a teenager, Jus...
Ms. Lauryn Hill Performs Six Songs for Louis Vuitton’s Menswear Show: Watch
Ms. Lauryn Hill Ms. Lauryn Hill has given limited performances during the pandemic, but her latest is a big one. Louis Vuitton called on the hip-hop icon to provide the musical accompaniment for their spring-summer 2021 menswear show in Shanghai, which took place earlier this month. The whole six-song performance was captured on video for an accompanying video presentation, which has now come online for all to behold. The black-and-white video finds Hill delivering half-a-dozen tracks, including her contribution to the Queen & Slim soundtrack, “Guarding the Gates”. With her band in full force around her, she also sings “Everything Is Everything”, “Lost Ones”, “Ex-Factor”, “Black Rage”, and the classic “Doo Wop (That Thing)”. Most of the July 31st shoot took place at New Jersey’s MLH St...
JAY-Z and Pharrell Team for New Single “Entrepreneur”: Stream
JAY-Z and Pharrell Williams are two of the most successful business men in all of music, so it’s fitting that their new collaboration be called “Entrepreneur”. Coming as part of a new cover package for TIME, the track finds the two artists advocating for an equality revolution across all levels of the American Dream. “The intention for a song was all about how tough it is to be an entrepreneur in our country to begin with,” Pharrell told TIME. “Especially as someone of color, there’s a lot of systemic disadvantages and purposeful blockages. How can you get a fire started, or even the hope of an ember to start a fire, when you’re starting at disadvantages with regards to health care, education, and representation?” In the song itself, Pharrell raps, “Gravity on the black man/ With everythin...
