News

If it weren’t for its surprise guests, the season 44 opener of SNL this past weekend probably would’ve been a total garbage fire thanks to Kanye West. The Chicago rapper not only appeared while donning a MAGA hat, but proceeded to close the episode with a pro-Trump rant so distasteful the TV show’s own cast felt compelled to exit the stage early. Naturally, Kanye felt the need to hear himself talk defend himself, specifically his choice of hat. “This represents good and America becoming whole again,” he wrote on Twitter. He then went on to advocate for the abolishment of the 13th amendment — a.k.a. the amendment that ended slavery. Kanye clarified in a subsequent tweet that he meant “amend” the 13th amendment, not completely abolish, but already the damage had been done. Lana Del Rey quickly hit back, commenting that Yeezy’s support for Trump is a “loss for the culture.” Even Captain America himself, Chris Evans, felt moved to suit up and defend the US, saying “There’s nothing more maddening than debating someone who doesn’t know history, doesn’t read books, and frames their myopia as virtue.” But, ya know who is on Kanye’s side? The secret weapon to combat all the Ye haters? Well, there’s Donald Trump, who praised Kanye’s gross MAGA hat. But there’s also — wait for it, wait for it, hold onto your butts — Frankie Muniz. Yeah, the former Malcolm in the Middle star is here to bravely sympathize and stand up for Yeezus and his nonsensical comments. In an interview with TMZ, Muniz praised Kanye for his outspokenness. “One thing that I can say about him that I think is a positive from it is the fact he’s speaking out for what he believes,” said the actor. “He’s very adamant about what he’s saying and I don’t know, I give him props for that.” Muniz supposedly harbors right-leaning views and had repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with Obama’s way of doing things in the White House. Does that mean that he, like Kanye, also “gives props” to Trump? Well, the POTUS has been “very adamant” about ripping families apart and banning Muslims from the country… so perhaps? Watch the full TMZ segment with Muniz. this represents good and America becoming whole again. We will no longer outsource to other countries. We build factories here in America and create jobs. We will provide jobs for all who are free from prisons as we abolish the 13th amendment. Message sent with love pic.twitter.com/a15WqI8zgu — ye (@kanyewest) September 30, 2018 Source

With their unique take on prog rock, Coheed and Cambria have created their own world through their music and comic books with a science fiction storyline called The Amory Wars. Since their 1995 formation, Coheed and Cambria — whose current lineup includes frontman Claudio Sanchez, guitarist Travis Stever, drummer Josh Eppard and bassist Zach Cooper — have garnered a dedicated fan base that would even go to war for them, metaphorically speaking that is. On their ninth studio album, Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures (due out Oct. 5 via Roadrunner Records), Coheed return to the Amory Wars concept with the first installment of the Vaxis series, which introduces new characters and a new cinematic story. Heavy Consequence caught up with Claudio Sanchez to chat about his band’s latest concept album, Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures. Read the full interview below: ON RETURNING TO THE BAND’S AMORY WARS CONCEPT I think most people are asking because the last record was a departure from it. I always knew we would (return to the concept). When I wrote the last record, it was the first time I had experienced becoming a dad and I thought it was important for me to tribute that new record without the idea of a concept. This time around, I felt like coming back to it. I left the Afterman story sort of open-ended. I don’t know if we’re necessarily concluding that story within the Amory Wars, but I always knew there would be a return. It’s sort of a new story, but as the stories come out with Vaxis, the later records II and III, we sort of unveil where this story truly fits within the timeline and how these characters are related to Coheed and Cambria’s arc. So, right now, it’s really kind of an introduction to a new set of characters within the mythos and after the continuation of the Good Apollo Two story, No World for Tomorrow, just the fact that it is a pentalogy and the idea resembles the symbol number five. ON CREATING 2015’S NON-CONCEPTUAL ALBUM THE COLOR BEFORE THE SUN I loved writing that record. But it was this experience of becoming a father that was really only going to happen once. Regardless if I have multiple children in the future, this is the first time I’m going to feel these emotions. So for me, it was important to try to create that in the record. There’s one song on that album where we kind of hinted to the fans that we’re not leaving (the concept). I so much appreciate the Amory Wars as much as our audience does that we created a song called “The Audience” on that album. But to come back into the Amory Wars, I think we needed to make that last album to step away from it to understand what story I wanted to tell. And I think it did us some justice. Had I done another concept record in place of The Color Before the Sun — I had an idea of what I wanted that story to be — but I don’t think it’s nearly as fulfilling as the one we’ve constructed now. Unheavenly Creatures is really just the first part. It introduces us to the new characters and rules of what feels like a new mythos. But as the other stories come out — II, III and IV — we start to really reveal where this takes place and the connection of these new characters to the characters that we’ve already come to love in the pre-existing Amory Wars: Coheed and Cambria, Sirus Amory. And you start to really understand what their relationship is between the Unheavenly Creatures Vaxis, and I think that’s where the reward is. This is really just the set up. It gets really intense as we get further along in the storyline of Vaxis. ON WRITING THE SONGS FOR THE NEW ALBUM I had no direction. I started writing the record after The Color Before the Sun. The first song I wrote was in February 2015, which was “The Pavilion.” And at that time, I didn’t really have the concept in my mind. It wasn’t until after I sort of reverse engineered that and gave that song the backstory to the characters. Really, I let the songs tell me what they wanted to be. Until I got to the point where I started to see what the concept was. I was just trying everything, but when I got to “Old Flames”, for example, that was the first song where I started to really visualize what the concept was. The visual I had was the cover of the album, the two of them embracing, creature and sister as the sub servers were rising up to meet their makeshift army and having to support them on their ascent out the “Dark Sentencer” the prison planet that they were inside of. I started writing that song on piano and I noticed my son started singing the melody after I played it maybe three times just working through it, so I thought it was speaking to him and I’m getting this tuneful visual of a climax of a movie or a book, I let that stuff tell me when the song was the song. It was never a sonic thing I was going for. I think you can tell when you see songs like “Love Protocol”, “Black Sunday”, “True Ugly”, “The Pavilion”. It kind of jumps around from these musical aesthetics, and I think that has a lot to do with letting the concept tell me when the song was right and where it sits within everything. ON THE ALBUM’S 78-MINUTE RUNTIME I wasn’t necessarily worried about that. I’ve never been worried about that, even back when Coheed was [recording] Second Stage or Good Apollo, it’s never really been something allowed to dictate my approach. I just want to channel things where they feel like they should fit. I think we’re lucky because we’ve built a loyal fan base that wants to invest in something like this, or invest in a long story or a long tale. That’s just the makeup of Coheed and Cambria. When you’re telling a conceptual story, there’s going to be some length to them. I guess it’s the ritual of it. I’m sure it’ll turn some people off, but that’s not who we’re going for. ON THE ACCOMPANYING SCI-FI NOVEL ILLUSTRATED BY CHASE STONE For Chase and the band, I created a synopsis of what the story was before [writing it] with my wife. For Chase, I gave him some reference material of some things that I liked aesthetically and then for each piece gave him a brief idea, almost how we do in comics, basically describe what the panel is, what the action is happening in there, what the focus is. not too dense of a description because I also want the artist to explore their strength, I don’t want to suffocate them with a bunch of language and make them feel chained to the wall. My wife and I picked about 28 discovery pieces that we thought would be good dots and then take the language to help connect. Finding these moments that we thought were appropriate to illustrate and help guide the reader through the story. ON WRITING THE ALBUM STORY WITH HIS WIFE CHONDRA I don’t know if I can write without her. It definitely frees me up you know when the band is recording in the studio and that’s where my focus has to be. I fully trust my wife. After we have our discussion of about what the stories are, we go back and forth a lot. We just have a really great chemistry. She injects a quality to the work that people connect to. She’s the best partner I could have in this collaboration. ON THE STATUS OF VAXIS – ACT II [Editor’s note: Spoiler alert ahead in this answer if you’re one of the handful of people in the world who haven’t seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens] At the moment I have all the parts what I like to call the ‘oh shit’ moments. For example, The Force Awakens, Han Solo dies. to me that’s like an ‘oh shit’ moment. I have all of those sort of mapped out, those are sort of my guides to get us out of it’s all about writing better to have those beats, I just have to write everything else that goes around it. I’m not exactly sure when those will come out. ON SIGNING WITH ROADRUNNER RECORDS The last label we were on, they were brand new, they were constructing their identity and we just felt a little out of place. Ultimately, I was really excited about this material, so we wanted an infrastructure behind us to help get as many people to listen to it. Sometimes when you’re on a label, not this one in particular, but in the past, it almost felt like some people think that the band doesn’t exist anymore. So, I just wanted to reach those people who don’t necessarily know that we’re still around. And I think that has a lot to do with after Sony, we started to self-release. We didn’t have the reach that we did before, so to some they may have felt that we went away. So, we just wanted to reach as many people as possible. ON THE EXCITEMENT OF RELEASING A NEW ALBUM I think for me the most exciting part is revealing song by song, just seeing the reaction of the audience and seeing whether they except it or deny it. I like that. I don’t know why. I mean it’s hard to take negative criticism, but for the most part this record feels very special and I think some of the reception it certainly feels that way. So, I just enjoy that part of it. Planning is difficult because for Coheed and Cambria, it’s just an odd band, even for people on the inside. No one ever knows what the right song is to be the flagship song, or what’s the single, all that stuff. It’s not an easy conversation, it never is. There’s never just the obvious thing. Everything needs to be taken into account. So that part sometimes can be a little frustrating. But I do like the revealing, just because regardless they’re all our children in terms of the music and it’s fun to see if they’re accepted or denied. Our thanks to Claudio Sanchez for taking the time to speak with Heavy Consequence. Pre-order Coheed & Cambria’s Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures at this location, and see the band’s upcoming tour dates here. Source

The F.B.I. is currently conducting its investigation into the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Should they wrap up interviews by Trump’s Friday deadline, the Senate could be voting on Kavanaugh’s confirmation by the end of the week. Before that happens, though, over 20 musicians, authors, actors, and producers will make their voices of dissent heard at a protest dubbed, “Bravery is Contagious.” Set to take place Thursday at 7:00 PM right outside of the Supreme Court, the protest comes in support of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, two of Kavanaugh’s alleged victims. R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Erykah Badu, Alicia Keys, Amanda Palmer, and Maxwell are all scheduled to appear at the event. Unfortunately, UB40 is not confirmed, which seems like a missed opportunity. Other notable figures including Arianna Huffington, Maggie Gyllenhaal, An Inconvenient Truth producer Laurie David, and Peter Sarsgaard are also set to take part. Party Majority PAC, the organizers behind the event, notes on its website that, “If there was ever a moment when the voice of the people can come together in concert to change the fate of our nation, this is it. Arm in arm, organized and ready, every child, woman, and man, must take to the streets to protest this nomination. The legitimacy of the nation’s highest court is at stake as is the future of our country.” Those who can’t attend are encouraged to participate in local protests and sign a pledge at the Bravery is Contagious website. Update: Per a member of the #CancelKavanaugh campaign, Bravery is Contagious is not a concert, as previously reported. Instead, the artists involved “are lending their names to the cause ONLY.” Source

Ever since Mike Flanagan announced he was adapting Doctor Sleep, Stephen King’s 2013 novel and sequel to The Shining, one of the lingering questions has been: Will it be a sequel to the book or Stanley Kubrick’s iconic 1980 film? Now, we have an answer. In an interview with Bloody Disgusting, Flanagan essentially confirms it’s both, saying: “There is no version of the world where I am trying not to acknowledge one of the greatest films ever made. There’s no upside in shying away from that reality. “At the same time, this is not The Shining,” he clarifies. “It’s its own story and in a very specific way. If you’ve read the book, you know exactly why it’s so different but it’s quite a tightrope that we’re walking I think. I’m having a great time doing it. I’m just going to get the movie out and then turn off the internet for two weeks and see how it all goes.” Over the last six months, this has been a hot debate on The Losers’ Club, our weekly Stephen King podcast. While this interview doesn’t exactly settle the bet between myself and fellow co-host Mel Kassel, who argues it’s going to be strictly a sequel to the book, it does confirm that Warner Bros. was in no way, shape, or form not going to take advantage of that sweet, sweet Kubrick IP. For context, Doctor Sleep follows a much older Danny Torrance, who’s now struggling as a recovering alcoholic, as he stumbles upon a magical young girl and a traveling circus of psychic vampires. Sound crazy enough for you? As previously reported, Ewan McGregor plays Torrance and tops a stellar cast that also includes Rebecca Ferguson, Zahn McClarnon, Kyliegh Curran, Carl Lumbly, Alex Essoe, and Bruce Greenwood. In the meantime, do subscribe to The Losers’ Club. Currently, they’re spending the next two months going through the 1,200 or so pages that span King’s 1986 horror masterpiece, It. Stream the first episode below. Source

Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election wasn’t pro-Trump so much as it was pro-chaos. Putin’s troll army keenly understands how culture war + internet = distraction, so their efforts took on many forms beyond the White House. One of them, it appears, was film criticism, as a new academic paper by researcher Morten Bay shows how the online response to Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi was perpetuated by Russian actors and bots. This doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, what with the complaints against the movie being immature to the point of parody. The movie’s backlash is centered mainly around its progressive politics and diverse cast, though many have also voiced rage regarding the arc of Luke Skywalker. Amidst this backlash were sad efforts to crowdfund a Last Jedi remake. It’s very stupid, and so hateful that it forced actress Kelly Marie Tran off of social media. Bay’s paper is called Weaponizing The Haters: The Last Jedi, and its abstract says it found “evidence of deliberate, organized political influence measures disguised as fan arguments.” It adds, “The likely objective of these measures is increasing media coverage of the fandom conflict, thereby adding to and further propagating a narrative of widespread discord and dysfunction in American society. Persuading voters of this narrative remains a strategic goal for the U.S. alt-right movement, as well as the Russian Federation.” Cool. Bay says the response is split into three different camps, with genuine fans upset about the product comprising a small fraction of the backlash. Truly, he says that “50.9% of those tweeting negatively [about the movie] was likely politically motivated or not even human.” Later, he identifies these critics as “Russian trolls.” Johnson shared the full paper on his Twitter account, stating that “what the top-line describes is consistent with my experience online.” A bit of Morten’s research came out awhile ago and made some headlines – here’s his full paper. Looking forward to reading it, but what the top-line describes is consistent with my experience online. https://t.co/MTRgmPxGgZ — Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) October 1, 2018 Source

Portugal is home to one of the best EDM scenes in Europe. With a number of amazing clubs and festivals there will be something for everyone in this exciting scene. It seems like there is new talent popping up every day. Any Portuguese DJ that wants to make a name for himself has to do the rounds in the Lisbon club scene. To experience the Portuguese electronic music scene you should definitely put Boom Festival on your bucket list. Start exploring more Portuguese DJs by enjoying our pick of the litter. Boom Festival 2018 by ÇAĞDAŞ ALAGÖZ Boom Festival photo credit Jakob Kolar Photography Boom Festival photo credit Jakob Kolar Photography 1. Roundhouse Kick Roundhouse Kick Igor Inacio and Adriana Lourinho combine to make Roundhouse Kick. This duo has made an underground name for themselves in the Portuguese house and techno circuit. They put on a powerful live show and are masters of their equipment. They have had many hits of more than ten years and continue to pump out hits. Their song ‘Acid Life’ is a melodic techno track with subtle yet intense drums.  It’s like a slow burn. It sneaks up on you. No aggressive drop needed for this track to get in. It feels abstract. Like something you don’t understand but you also somehow do. Now listen to their techno set at Friday Happiness 26. 2. DJ Overule DJ Overule Portuguese DJ and Producer DJ Overule is a staple of the Portuguese EDM scene. He has been a part of the scene for more than a decade. He has toured throughout Europe, Northern Africa, and the United States. His concerts and ability to read a crowd are amazing and he is well versed in many genres including Hip Hop, Rnb, Reggae / Dancehall, Trap / Twerk, Dubstep, Drum & Bass. DJ Overule has teamed up with Mello to make an absolute banger. Perfect for any club, party or workout playlist. DJ Overrule x Mello “Balik” Listen to Dj Overule x Mello’s “Balik”: Also, enjoy his music video for his mega-hit “Take It All” featuring Zak Downtown. 3. Kura Vote for KURA The Lisbon EDM scene wouldn’t be what it is today without Kura. He has made a truly impressive name for himself in a short amount of time. Getting his start by spinning at a skate shop he worked at he made the leap to a semi-international name. His fast-paced upbeat songs will get any club in the world dancing. His aggressive house style is showcased in the song “Tora” and “Favela” on Spinnin’ Records. “Tora” is paired with a one of a kind music video worth a watch and listen. The drums will shake a room and the infectious vocals will make even people that don’t speak Portuguese try to sing along. Listen to KURA’s “TORA”: Listen to KURA’s “Favela” (feat. MC K9): The post 3 Portuguese DJs to Welcome into your Household appeared first on EDM | Electronic Music | EDM Music | EDM Festivals | EDM Events. Source

Last week, Sharon Van Etten used a t-shirt to announce a new album would be hitting shelves soon. Now, the indie rock songwriter has divulged full details of the release: It’s called Remind Me Tomorrow and due out January 19th through Jagjaguwar. The forthcoming effort spans 10 tracks, with titles such as “I Told You Everything”, “No One’s Easy to Love”, Malibu”, “You Shadow”, and “Jupiter 4”. It marks Van Etten’s fifth LP overall and first in five years following 2014’s glowing Are We There. Remind Me Tomorrow was written in between Van Etten’s hectic schedule that included her work on the Netflix series The OA (her acting debut); her musical contributions to the Twin Peaks revival; going to school for psychology; and her score for Katherine Dieckmann’s Strange Weather film. Much of it was also penned while pregnant. While much of her past releases relied heavily on the guitar, Van Etten pushed to include more new instruments on the new album. A press statement points to new sounds of “piano keys that churn, deep drones, distinctive sharp drums. There are dark intense synths, a propulsive organ, a distorted harmonium.” Remind Me Tomorrow was recorded in various studios throughout Los Angeles and was produced by veteran John Congleton (Cloud Nothings, St. Vincent). Van Etten was also joined in the studio by longtime bandmate Heather Woods Broderick, as well as guests Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu), Zachary Dawes (The Last Shadow Puppets), composer and former Redd Kross drummer Brian Reitzell, Lars Horntveth, McKenzie Smith (Midlake), Joey Waronker (R.E.M., Atoms For Peace), Luke Reynolds (Guster), and Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint). As a first look at the new LP, Van Etten has shared the lead single, aptly titled “Comeback Kid”. Although originally written as a piano ballad, the track is a stomping, robust rocker. Take a listen below. Remind Me Tomorrow Artwork: Remind Me Tomorrow Tracklist: 01. I Told You Everything 02. No One’s Easy to Love 03. Memorial Day 04. Comeback Kid 05. Jupiter 4 06. Seventeen 07. Malibu 08. You Shadow 09. Hands 10. Stay Van Etten recently covered LCD Soundsystem’s “New York, I Love You…”, and also contributed to Marissa Nadler’s upcoming record. Late last year, Van Etten reissued her debut album, (it was) because i was in love. Source

One of the greatest performances to ever go down at Glastonbury is heading to your living room: Yes, David Bowie’s legendary, epic, and timeless 2000 headlining set is finally making its way on to every preferable format you could ever want. On November 30th, Parlophone Records, BBC Studios, and Glastonbury Festivals Ltd. will release the aptly titled, David Bowie Glastonbury 2000, on 2CD/DVD, 3LP, 2CD, and both standard and high resolution digital formats. The 21-song set is essentially a greatest hits tome of Bowie’s entire legacy, from “Starman” to “Ashes to Ashes” to “Absolute Beginners”, and only 30 minutes of the entire set has ever been broadcast … until now. In addition to the music, each set also comes with Bowie’s diary, which was originally written for Time Out to document his preparations for the show in his own very David Bowie ways. Here’s a fun excerpt: “As of 1990 I got through the rest of the 20th century without having to do a big hits show. Yes, yes, I know I did four or five hits on the later shows but I held out pretty well I thought…big, well known songs will litter the field at Glastonbury this year. Well, with a couple of quirks of course.” Also included is new artwork from Jonathan Barnbrook, who worked with Bowie on the sleeves for Heathen, The Next Day, and Blackstar, in addition to notes from the renowned author and Bowie fan Caitlin Moran, who also reviewed the show for The Times. Revisit his performance of “‘Heroes,'” below and consult the full tracklists for each medium shortly after. David Bowie Glastonbury 2000 Tracklist: 2CD Version: CD 1: 01. Introduction (Greensleeves) 02. Wild Is The Wind 03. China Girl 04. Changes 05. Stay 06. Life On Mars? 07. Absolute Beginners 08. Ashes To Ashes 09. Rebel Rebel 10. Little Wonder 11. Golden Years CD 2: 01. Fame 02. All The Young Dudes 03. The Man Who Sold The World 04. Station To Station 05. Starman 06. Hallo Spaceboy 07. Under Pressure 08. Ziggy Stardust 09. Heroes’, 10. Let’s Dance 11. I’m Afraid Of Americans DVD Version: Introduction (Greensleeves) Wild Is The Wind China Girl Changes Stay Life On Mars? Absolute Beginners Ashes To Ashes Rebel Rebel Little Wonder Golden Years Fame All The Young Dudes The Man Who Sold The World Station To Station Starman Hallo Spaceboy Under Pressure Ziggy Stardust ‘Heroes’, Let’s Dance I’m Afraid Of Americans 3-LP Version: Side 1: 01. Introduction (Greensleeves) 02. Wild Is The Wind 03. China Girl 04. Changes Side 2: 05. Stay 06. Life On Mars? 07. Absolute Beginners Side 3: 08. Ashes To Ashes 09. Rebel Rebel 10. Little Wonder 11. Golden Years Side 4: 12. Fame 13. All The Young Dudes 14. The Man Who Sold The World 15. Station To Station Side 5: 16. Starman 17. Hallo Spaceboy 18. Under Pressure 19. Ziggy Stardust Side 6: 20. ‘Heroes’ 21. Let’s Dance 22. I’m Afraid Of Americans Source

Paul Verhoeven’s Robocop sounds, on its surface, kind of silly, especially if you’re approaching it—like I did—through the lens of its cartoon or video game adaptations. Seeing Robocop for the first time was, for me, a watershed moment, a stomach-churning shock to my young, developing senses. The blood, the slime, the blood, the explosions, the blood, for Christ’s sake. Of course, Verhoeven wanted that kind of reaction. He’s famously discussed on how the film was meant to be satirical in its level of gore, and that the cuts forced by the MPAA more or less made the movie’s kills more disturbing by dampening the humor of the excessiveness. Yes, that means there’s a much, much more violent version of the movie out there. It’s been previously made available on a few physical releases, and now, for the first time, it’s been made available on a streaming platform. (Read: Top 25 Films of 1997) Subscribers of Amazon Prime can, right now, watch this version of the movie. As Paste points out, it’s not labeled NC-17 or X-rated or any such thing, but giddy Reddit threads can confirm that, yes, this is the notoriously unreleased version. If you missed it, Neil Blomkamp will do his best to erase the taste of that 2014 Robocop remake with Robocop Returns, a direct sequel to the original that was conceived by Verhoeven’s screenwriters, Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner. Fingers crossed it’ll be just as bloody. Source

Lindsey Buckingham’s desire to focus on his solo career let his untimely exit from Fleetwood Mac earlier this year. Now, as his former bandmates embark on a tour celebrating their 50th anniversary, Buckingham is gearing up for a solo jaunt of his own. In anticipation, the former Fleetwood Mac guitarist visited Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday night to play a pair of songs from his back catalog: “Trouble”, a single from his 1981 album Law and Order, “Soul Drifter” from 1992’s Out of the Cradle. Replay both performances below. The tour, which kicks off next week, coincides with the release of Buckingham’s new archival collection, Solo Anthology – The Best of Lindsey Buckingham, which is due out on November 23rd. Source

The Germany-based progressive metal collective known as The Ocean are gearing up to release Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic, their first studio album in more than five years, and they’ve teamed up with Heavy Consequence to offer you the exclusive premiere of the track “Devonian: Nascent”. What’s more, the song features guest vocals from Jonas Renkse of legendary Swedish metallers Katatonia. Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic, due November 2nd via Metal Blade Records, serves as the first of two volumes, with the second slated to be released in 2020. It marks the band’s first disc since 2013’s critically acclaimed Pelagial, and seventh album overall. “Devonian: Nascent” is an 11-minute opus, with The Ocean’s guitarist Robin Staps telling us of Renkse’s involvement, “We sent Jonas the track, and what we got back as a ‘demo’ was almost identical with what ended up as the final version on the record. Jonas has a perfect and intuitive understanding of our music, there was no need to explain anything. He came up with his own vocal parts and lyrics, and everything just fit perfectly from the start. Katatonia’s The Great Cold Distance was an important album for me and for The Ocean. It was one of the first albums where heavy, low-tuned guitars and clean vocals next to one another were actually working out for me, personally. It was an album that made me reconsider my opinion about clean vocals in metal, and that forged my own desire to look for a vocalist for The Ocean who could also deliver cleans.” Renkse himself chimed in, “Robin approached me for a guest spot already in 2005, and I really wanted to be part, but at that time we were in the studio ourselves recording The Great Cold Distance, so I felt I had too much on my mind. We have met after that and talked a little about doing something and now it finally happened. I was very intrigued by the song when I got the demo sent to me and I am very happy with the final result. ‘Devonian: Nascent’ became a mammoth track without ever losing its initial melancholy.” Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic is available for pre-order at this location, while dates for The Ocean’s upcoming tours of Europe and Australia are listed here. Source

On the heels of their inaugural festival, There’s No Leaving New York, The National visited The Tonight Show on Monday night to perform “Dark Side of the Gym”, one of the many standout tracks appearing on their latest album, Sleep Well Beast. In a nod to the song’s video, the band was accompanied by New York City Ballet resident choreographer Justin Peck and his partner, former Miami City Ballet principal dancer Patricia Delgado, who performed a high school dance-inspired routine. Watch the powerful performance below. At There’s No Leaving New York, The National covered a Cat Power song, paid tribute to Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison, and shared the stage with Phoebe Bridgers. Watch the highlights here, and see Ben Kaye’s photo gallery of the weekend here. Source

With more than 125 million albums sold over their near forty-year career, Metallica has cemented a legacy that’s hard to rival. Since 1981, they have been the purveyors of an unrelenting, aggressive sound unmatched by others – and for the next two weekends they are bringing it to the heart of Austin, Texas. Three years have passed since the legendary thrash metal band last played in Austin. The 2015 X-Games, hosted at the Circuit of the Americas, saw the band play through much of their extensive catalogue. Since their last visit to “The Live Music Capital of the World”, they have released their tenth full-length album, Hardwired… to Self-Destruct. The eagerly anticipated album release topped the Billboard 200 and marked an end to an eight-year-long hiatus between studio albums. As one of the headliners for this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival, the expectations are high. With a 3-day lineup spanning multiple musical genres and consisting of the world-renowned singer-songwriter Paul McCartney and modern day phenoms like Arctic Monkeys and Travis Scott, the heavy metal greats will see no shortage of enthusiasm and awe surrounding the crowds. One can expect an exceptional performance from all of the headlining acts, but the electrifying, high-octane performances Metallica has been known produce will likely outshine the rest. Currently in the middle of their North American WorldWired Tour, a stagnant performance is out of the question. Metallica will bring the dynamic energy and bravado found only in bands with decades of experience in outselling the competition and performing in front of sold-out crowds. Blisteringly fast riffs, wah-pedal-laced guitar solos, and unabated thrash metal drumming make up the majority of Metallica’s work and will consequently set them apart from the rest of the performers. If their past performances on the WorldWired Tour are any indication of what fans can expect to hear at ACL Music Festival, then a setlist that spans the entire length of their discography is the most reasonable assumption. Playing songs that range from their debut album, Kill ‘Em All, to their most recent release, Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, there’s going to be an anthem played for every era of Metallica. While the specifics of their set at ACL Music Festival are unknown, the sheer talent that enables them to bring an energy unlike any other will surely make its mark on concertgoers. The post Long-Awaited Arrival and High Expectations for Metallica at ACL appeared first on Verge Campus. Source

We’re pretty quick to jump on board the Daft Punk train but let’s be real, there’s definitely been tunes by the duo that while not terrible, aren’t something you need to remember. We did a lot of listening and had a lot of arguments to give you some of the most forgettable tracks of the Daft Punk discography. The tracks we picked tended to have their ideas and flavours done better by other songs in their repertoire, or been overshadowed by albums on a whole, but in saying that there’s definitely my stinkers in there. Check it out and tell us what you think! (While you read: Listen to Daft Punk’s BBC Radio 1) A couple of quick things before diving in: Firstly, honourable mentions to the whole of the Tron Legacy Soundtrack, like it wasn’t BAD per say, but we can’t remember ANY of it. Secondly, we avoided remixes and covers because I mean do you remember their Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out Remix? Yeah, exactly. Minus Disco Cubizm can you think of any remixes that really stuck in your head? Thirdly, intro tracks? Nope. That means no On/Off, WDPK 83.7 FM or anything under a minute! Finally, take this list with a grain of salt; it’s not the be all and end all and we dare you to find a song less memorable than these baddies. Within (Random Access Memories) The thing about Random Access Memories is that it was super hype when it first got released. It was the first in a while and as soon as you saw the track listing it was obvious it was going to be something different. Featuring a bunch of ridiculous collaborations, from Pharrell to Georgio Moroder but the majority of tracks haven’t had the longevity they’d probably wanted with their mix up in musical direction. Within was one of those tracks that failed to make any impact. Comparatively boring and with minimal character, there’s not much to say except that it’s not a Daft Punk we like and they should never do a piano ballad ever again. Beyond (Random Access Memories) Beyond is one of those tunes you actually might remember the start of, but if that’s the case you definitely didn’t remember the end of it. Transitioning from a heavy, orchestral intro into a downtempo almost RnB groove. The biggest issue here is that it doesn’t have an impact, it feels like they wanted to make a track along the styles of their hugely popular Something About Us and just missed the mark. This one takes you to Snoresville super quickly and look, I’ve already forgotten what I was trying to talk about. In addition, chuck The Game Of Love on the list of Something About Us wannabes that didn’t hit the mark as its not really worthy of its own spot. High Life (Discovery) This addition to the list saddens me the most. It’s a cracker of an understated filter house tune. One of those ones you could slot into a set as a filler and it wouldn’t add or detract from the crowd, it’d just keep them there. A very solid tune that does nothing to come to the forefront. For a small time this track had a bit of traction as people tried to figure out what tune had been sampled in it (Tavares – Get Down For Love) but since then it’s fallen prey to an album that had a bunch of tracks that did High Life better than High Life did itself. Television rules the nation (Human After All) When ranking albums, Human After All doesn’t usually take the cake as the top release from The Robots, but there were definitely some tracks that stuck with you and by gosh this was not one of them. As far as statement pieces come from the duo, this one definitely didn’t have its intended effect. It sounds like it wanted to be a Justice tune, think Genesis but it really just doesn’t get there. It’s so unmemorable in fact that the intro to this track caused more stir than the track itself. In their live sets it’s been slotted perfectly between Around The World and Crescendolls and it while it suits perfectly, both sonically and seemingly message-wise, (Television Rules The Nation being about brainwashing media, Crescendolls linking up to the part of Interstella 5555 where they’re using media to brainwash the people) it’s completely overshadowed by these absolute giants. Indo Silver Club (Homework) As can be said about a couple of tracks from Homework it was amazing and if it had been on any other album from an Artist that wasn’t Daft Punk it would’ve been huge. Were you aware that this was released as a single before the album itself? Neither, we forgot. The track itself is right up our alley, full of those classic electro sounds and delving deep into that bloghaus vibe we can’t help but throw our love behind. With all this taken into account, can you say you remember it? On an album full of absolutely huge tracks, this one just doesn’t get remembered and it’s only somewhat deserved. Fragments of Time (Random Access Memories) Look, I can safely say we’ve never heard this song before, meaning that if we had, it doesn’t register. When they linked up with Todd Edwards it was safe to assume we were going to get a garage tinged, bangin’ dance track, not this pop-rock mixture of mediocrity. Why is it on a Daft Punk album? Who thought this was a good idea? I’m glad I forgot it it and will probably never listen to it again. So that’s our list guys, is there something you don’t agree with? If so, we want to hear about it, but if there’s a track less memorable than these, you probably won’t remember to mention it 🤖10 Timeless French Touch Tracks 🤖Listen to Daft Punk’s BBC Radio 1 Source

Top Performances is a recurring feature in which we definitively handpick the very best performances from an iconic actor or actress. When the Farrelly Brothers released Kingpin in 1996, the trailer bragged about the appearance of its megastar: the “Big Bad Bill Murray.” Which was a fitting claim since Murray has always marched to the beat of his own drum. At Chicago’s Second City, the Wilmette, Illinois, native didn’t exactly play by the rules of improvisation, and his humor was defined by that tendency to bark spontaneously. On screen, he has a propensity to avoid script, and what you often hear is the free thoughts of Murray himself, re-purposed for whatever movie he’s stumbled into by occasion. Those years as a random party crasher with an 800 line? Certainly his reputation precedes him. Murray’s like a tornado of caustic, unexpected humor — the “Murricane,” as some used to call him — whose uncontrollable existence has somehow cultivated a filmography enviable of most actors. For the lucky handful of directors who have seized him, well, their work usually ends up so much better because of Murray’s erratic touch. As we celebrate Lost in Translation turning 15, we pored over Murray’s filmography and whittled it down to a dynamite list that’s big, that’s bad, and that’s essential of the unpredictable actor. Foolish maybe, but back off, man — the more the Murray-er. –Blake Goble Senior Staff Writer _________________________________________________________ 10. Bill Murray Zombieland (2009) A random pop-up from Bill Murray in a random film is always a conversation starter. From the meth cook in the abysmal Dumb and Dumber To to Agent 13 in the I-forgot-it-existed Get Smart, Murray puts his stamp on everything he touches no matter minor the role. Take Zombieland, in which Murray plays himself as he aimlessly walks around his dilapidated mansion, disguised as a zombie in order to trick the walking dead. In his brief appearance, he manages to get shot by mistake and wears a Ghostbusters costume. Director Ruben Fleischer must have been pinching himself. Choice Quote: Little Rock: “So do you have any regrets?” Bill Murray: “Garfield, maybe.” –Justin Gerber _________________________________________________________ 09. John Winger Stripes (1981) If you’ve ever done anything in life that required you to march alongside a corps in regiment form, you know Stripes even if you haven’t seen it. Even if the film is all over the place, it’s Murray’s ability to rally a ragtag band of misfits into full-fledged soldiers that’s lasted and for good reason. Winger’s the consumate Murray everyman, a screwup in civilian life who finds his calling when it’s time to do what he does best: hide his intelligence beneath several layers of slacker sarcasm. Choice Quote: “Oh, it’s not the speed really so much, I just wish I hadn’t drunk all that cough syrup this morning.” –Blake Goble _________________________________________________________ 08. Frank Cross Scrooged (1988) Nobody needs to adapt Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. We don’t need one now (sorry, Ice Cube), and we didn’t really need one back in 1988 when Richard Donner issued the black comedy Scrooged. Here’s why his film gets a pass, though: If you’re going to tell the story right, you need a real jerk to sell a pre-Christmas Scrooge, and few jerks are more enjoyable to watch than Bill Murray. As curmudgeon television executive Frank Cross, Murray carries every scene — with the exception of those featuring an irate Bobcat Goldthwait — as he barks and groans and screams and oozes with charming venom. It’s a feast for cynics. Choice Quote: “The Jews taught me this great word: Schmuck. I was a schmuck, and now I’m not a schmuck!” –Michael Roffman _________________________________________________________ 07. Carl Spackler Caddyshack (1980) Give Bill Murray a script or don’t give Bill Murray a script. He’s going to make it work, or at the very least make it as good as it’s ever going to be. Murray’s role as groundskeeper Carl Spackler in Caddyshack is a prime example of Murray just rolling with it. That entire night scene between him and Chevy Chase’s Ty Webb? Completely improvised when studio heads realized there needed to be a scene between the two of them. It’s as unforgettable as Carl’s accent, his frustrating encounters with a sneaky gopher, pretending to win the Masters, and, of course, the speech below. Choice Quote: “So, I tell them I’m a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. 12th son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald. Striking. So, I’m on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one — big hitter, the Lama — long, into a 10,000-foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? ‘Gunga galunga … gunga, gunga-lagunga.’ So we finish the 18th, and he’s gonna stiff me. And I say, ‘Hey, Lama! Hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know?’ And he says, ‘Oh, uh, there won’t be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness.’ So I got that goin’ for me, which is nice.” –Justin Gerber _________________________________________________________ 06. Ernie McCracken Kingpin (1996) We’ve already established that Murray plays a great jerk. Yet he can also turn a real mess of a human being into a brilliant, enthralling event, which he does to great effect in the Farrelly Brothers’ oft-ignored and cruelly underrated Kingpin. As the bloated and self-aggrandizing Ernie McCracken, Murray yanks the spotlight from a one-handed, balding Woody Harrelson, an Amish Randy Quaid, and the always stunning Vanessa Angel. It’s all about his wicked self-esteem and lack of self-awareness; the way he moves and shakes through each nefarious situation as if he’s doing everyone a favor. He’s evil, but he’s the best. Choice Quote: Everything about this scene… –Michael Roffman _________________________________________________________ Source

Kanye West has had a bit of a strange year. From pissing everyone off with his political views to seemingly winning them back with a series of well-produced albums, it’s fair to say he’s been a tad busy. As if things couldn’t get anymore cooked, Kanye West teamed up with Lil Pump, Teyana Taylor and Kid Cudi to perform some of his more recent songs. The performance with everyone’s favourite Harvard scholar Lil Pump was a particular delight, as Ye and Pump donned water beverage costumes and danced awkwardly as fuck for the rest of the song. @kanyewest @lilpump #ILoveIt in #SNL so pic.twitter.com/Nusx5uI1C3 — SOHH (@sohh) September 30, 2018 It almost feels like when a bunch of underprepared high school kids have to do a presentation and they just keep giggling amongst themselves while the audience sits there not having a bar of it. While the original performance has a certain cheekiness and swagger that makes it pretty bearable, this version is made somewhat harder to watch. Chuck the fact that Kanye seems to have gone full Donald Trump mode, and it’s certainly becoming hard to defend the man at this point. Source

Louis C.K. returned to the stage last month, less than a year after admitting to multiple incidents of sexual misconduct. His 15-minute set at New York City’s Comedy Cellar noticeably featured no mention of his transgressions whatsoever, but he did manage to throw in a tasteless rape joke. So edgy! Almost four weeks to the day, C.K. again swung by the Comedy Cellar to perform a surprise set late Sunday night. According to reports from Gothamist and Page Six, his standup routine again failed to include any reference to his history of inappropriate sexual behavior. “He didn’t address [the #MeToo allegations against him],” an attendee told Page Six. “He was a little arrogant … he made some comment like, ‘I’ve been off for a while, ‘cause everyone needs a break.'” (Read: How Louis C.K. and the Rest of Us Failed in His Comeback Attempt) Despite the backlash following C.K.’s comeback in August, his appearance last night was mostly well-received, per audio recordings obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. However, Gothamist noted that at least two people walked out during the set. Others in the crowd later took to Twitter with disapproving commentary. One said C.K.’s “new material is just as bad as the old,” while another remarked that C.K. must not have gotten the memo about the controversial Brett Kavanaugh hearings. Listen to the reception Louis C.K. received when he returned to New York's Comedy Cellar for another surprise set late Sunday night: pic.twitter.com/7uBw846xIX — Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 1, 2018 Louis CK did another surprise drop-in set last night in NYC. Guess he hasn't been watching the Kavanaugh hearings during his "time out" — Alli Breen (@allibreen) October 1, 2018 Since C.K.’s set last month, Comedy Cellar has instilled a new policy regarding its shows and surprise guests, lest a disgraced comedian like C.K stop by. “Essentially ‘swim at your own risk,'” said venue owner Noam Dworman. “We don’t know who may pop in that’s not on the lineup. If someone does come in that you don’t want to see, you are free to leave, no questions asked and check completely on the house.” In a New York Times article published in November 2017, five women accused C.K. of sexual misconduct. All five of his accusers worked with C.K. in some capacity, whether as aspiring comedians or on the sets of TV shows. They all made similar allegations against Louis C.K, detailing incidents in which he asked to masturbate in front of them — or physically did so without their consent. C.K. subsequently acknowledged that these allegations were true and apologized for his actions. As a result of C.K.’s admission, both HBO and FX ended their working relationships with the comedian. Additionally, the release of his movie, Love You, Daddy, was canceled. Source

In an era where entertainment streaming is bigger than ever before, there’s no doubt that platforms like Spotify have morphed the music industry into a whirlwind of instant gratification. If you’re an artist or label trying to get your music out there, it can often feel like you’re a needle in the haystack. Luckily there are several techniques you can use to bolster your online presence through Spotify. Submithub Email campaigns can often feel tedious and futile with everyone climbing over the top of one another in an attempt to get their music heard. However sites like Submithub allow artists to send their music to blogs, labels, YouTube channels and other social networking platforms to be reviewed for promotion. More importantly, it’s perhaps the fastest and easiest way to get your music onto popular Spotify playlists. Contrary to mass promotion, Submithub allows users to receive feedback on their work significantly quicker, and allows artists and labels to distribute content over a vast array of different online platforms. The cost per submission can be anywhere US $0 for a ‘standard submission’ to a blog and anywhere between $1USD to $3USD for a premium submission which essentially means you’re more likely to get a response if you drop the dollars. Worth every penny in our opinion. Just as a disclaimer, one of Submithub’s key features is that you can receive direct constructive criticism from the blogs themselves, so be prepared to take criticism before you go for it! Check out Submithub here: www.submithub.com IndieMono IndieMono are a playlisting company behind some of the most widely listened playlists on Spotify. With a vast collection of playlists spanning all genres of music, their output has become ubiquitous, shedding a spotlight on artists both established and underground. The good news about IndieMono is that they allow musicians to submit their own music to be added to playlists, whether you’re a young buck just starting out or a seasoned professional. Submitting music to IndieMono is pretty straightforward, just browse their playlists here, find one that best suits your style and click “Submit”. There is also an option to submit your music for feedback. A decent number of these playlists are free to submit to, so fill your boots! Learn how to build your fanbase Learn how to get radio play in Australia Source

Few bands have grown into their fame as patiently and with as much grace as The National. Each album represents careful strides towards something different, never changing so much to put off old fans and seemingly continuously expanding their reach. That made their New York festival, There’s No Leaving New York, over the weekend as much a celebration of their career as it was anything else. The band performed a pair of almost entirely unique sets; the only repeated songs were the crowd singalong rendition of “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks” and “About Today”, though even the latter changed when they dedicated it to Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison. That performance caused the crowd at Queen’s Forest Hills Stadium to be pin-drop quiet, a powerful feat for such a large venue (even if it wasn’t nearly full). Matt Berninger was in rare form, playing with photographers, quipping, and running into the crowd whenever he felt so empowered. Add the two nights together, and you have all the evidence you’ll ever need to confirm The National deserve their status as one of indie’s greatest bands. It didn’t hurt that they brought all their friends along to take the stage before them. The always stunning Phoebe Bridgers delivered a beautiful set of her own before performing “I Need My Girl” and “Sorrow” with the headliners, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit showed how country rock can rip as hard as anything, and U.S. Girls brought some funky vibes to their afternoon set. No one was shocked to see Future Islands put on an impassioned show, but their statements of unity and love were as impactful as Samuel T. Herring’s dance moves (“The good old days are ahead of us, not fucking behind us”). Consequence of Sound photographers Amanda Koellner and News Editor Ben Kaye were on site Saturday and Sunday (respectively) to capture all the best moments, including performances from Cat Power and Cigarettes After Sex. Check out their gallery below. Source

After his breakthrough turn in Edgar Wright’s wonderful Baby Driver, rising actor Ansel Elgort is likely faced with no shortage of upcoming projects. He’s got the highly anticipated adaptation of Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch on the docket, and he’s now secured a high-profile follow-up in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming West Side Story remake. It makes sense, we suppose, as Baby Driver was just one step away from being a full-blown musical. Elgort will star as Tony, the one-time gang member who falls in love with Maria, the sister of the leader of his old crew’s rival gang. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Spielberg and his team chose Elgort after a casting search that looked at thousands of actors and dancers, an approach that many thought would lead to Spielberg casting an unknown. (Read: Ranking Every Steven Spielberg Movie from Worst to Best) Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner, who wrote Spielberg’s Munich, penned the adaptation, which is slated to begin production in the summer of 2019. Spielberg is also at work on Indiana Jones 5 and an adaptation of DC Comics’ Blackhawk. Source

Apparently Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh also likes red red wine. While a student at Yale, Kavanaugh got into a bar fight with a patron he mistakenly believed to be UB40 singer Ali Campbell. The New York Times obtained a police report of the incident, which took place at a local Yale bar in 1985. Chad Ludington, one of Kavanaugh’s college friends, told the New York Times that the altercation occurred after attending a UB40 concert. Kavanaugh mistakenly believed one of the bar’s patrons was UB40 singer Ali Campbell; after the patron asked Kavanaugh and his friends to stop looking at him, Kavanaugh allegedly threw a beer at him. A brawl ensued between Kavanugh, his friends, and the Ali Campbell lookalike. Police questioned Kavanaugh and four other men, and Kavanaugh “did not want to say” whether he threw the beer. He was not arrested. That red red wine will get you every time. Source

Caleb Shomo is known for getting deeply personal in his music, and the frontman does just that on Beartooth’s just-released album, Disease. Shomo describes Disease as a kind of musical photo album, with each song depicting a different moment in his life. “The whole point for me with most of the songs and lyrics is trying to capture that moment in time and whatever emotion I was going through at that moment,” Shomo told Heavy Consequence. On the album, Shomo delves into his day-to-day struggles and anxieties, and the result is a very earnest and relatable musical diary. Disease is also one of Beartooth’s most musically diverse albums, branching out in new directions beyond the band’s metalcore sound. In the midst of Beartooth’s current North American tour, Shomo spoke with Heavy Consequence about Disease, his personal struggle with depression, why it’s important to him to open up in Beartooth’s songs, the loss of his good friend Kyle Pavone and more. Read the full interview below: On working with famed producer Nick Raskulinecz (Deftones, Korn, Foo Fighters) on Disease He’s amazing. Basically, I went to his place one day before going to Blackbird Studio (in Tennessee), and I brought a hard drive with sessions and song ideas. We chose what songs were good for the record and what songs to spend time on. We adjusted the songs and made these random ideas into a record, and he was great with that. He’s a smart dude when it comes to creating rock records. I think the biggest thing he did was just knowing in his mind how a song should play and flow and how an album should flow. It was impressive how much he trusted his gut, and for me, he made me believe in myself and the music I was making. A lot of times, I was out there trying to do co-writes and didn’t know what direction to take the music. He solidified the stuff that I had and was worth working on. As it turned out, the stuff that meant the most to me was the stuff that turned out the best. On opening up about depression and mental health issues in his music That’s always a very prevalent thing for me to talk about. The whole reason I talk about it on Beartooth records is because I’m trying to be honest. It’s important for me to get those parts of my head out, and it frees my mind up. I think, in turn, that helps translate better to people who want to hear an honest song. I’m not good at writing bullshit songs by just making something up and trying to be catchy to make a bunch of money. That’s never been my forte for Beartooth. I always try to be as honest as possible, and all that mental stuff comes out, and I think people can relate to that. On how important it is to get personal in Beartooth’s songs It’s very important. That’s the whole point of Beartooth for me. I have this outlet where I feel like I can say anything I want to and musically do anything I want. It’s gotten different as the band has gotten bigger, because at first, the songs weren’t supposed to be heard by anybody. It was more of a personal diary for me. But since then, it’s gotten bigger. I shut off from the world when I’m making albums and make the music that I want to create. On the broad range of music on Disease I think this is the most all-over-the-spectrum kind of album we’ve done, sonically. It’s definitely some of the heaviest stuff and lightest stuff we’ve written, and that makes the record really fun or me, because it makes it interesting instead of hearing the same song over and over again. On the song “Disease” being a snapshot of the album “Disease” is the one song that really encompasses most of what the album is about. The core of this album is about me trying to remember who I am and where I want to end up mentally as a person, and that means I have to deal with a lot of things. “Disease” is me trying to be really blunt and honest about feeling helpless. It’s about the struggle. I know that I’ve felt this way a really long time and have been ignoring it. I’m trying to go into it and confront it. On the hard-hitting track “Bad Listener” It was hard for a lot of people in my life to understand what I wanted to do with my life, as in being in a rock band and involved in music. No matter what other people said, I was like, “This is what I do.” This whole life as a musician is different to understand for most people. On his favorite song off Disease My favorite song changes a lot, but I think my favorite song right now is “Fire”. I think sonically, it has every little piece of sound you would could want. There’s heavy stuff and the softer side. I think it offers a little piece of everything and depicts how the record sounds. On Beartooth performing on the final Vans Warped Tour this past summer For me, it was a piece of my childhood. It’s always been an integral part of my life. Almost every summer of my adult life has been spent on the Warped Tour. I have all the respect for Kevin Lyman, and I’m sure he’s doing what he has to do. I loved everybody involved in that whole thing. On being good friends with We Came As Romans’ Kyle Pavone, and his thoughts on Pavone’s passing Kyle and I go way back. Some of my first shows I’ve ever played were with Kyle. I’ve known the guys in We Came As Romans for over 10 years. I don’t have many words. It’s truly devastating. He was a really good dude. He was one of the funniest and most kindhearted people I knew, and it’s a tough pill to swallow. On his love for touring and performing live I’ve been touring constantly for around 10 years, and for me, it’s part of my life. I couldn’t handle life without it. I love everything about it: going out with friends, getting to play music every day, just hanging out. It’s truly incredible. I’m grateful to be able to tour so much. Our thanks to Caleb Shomo for taking the time to speak with Heavy Consequence. Pick up Beartooth’s new album, Disease, at this location, and see the band’s upcoming tour dates here. Source

Since biopics are all the rage again, what with films revolving around the lives of Freddie Mercury and Elton John coming down the pipeline, it’s no surprise we’re getting one for the late and legendary comic George Carlin. According to Deadline, The Jackal Group has snapped up the rights to produce an official biopic on the stand-up comic, and it gets better. Moneyball screenwriter Stan Chervin has been tapped to tell his story. “We are honored to tell the story of one of the most important and influential comedians of all time,” writes The Jackal Group’s Chairman and CEO Gail Berman and President Joe Earley in a joint statement, “and to do so alongside those who knew him best. In addition to shaping comedy and culture for decades, and entertaining generations of audiences, Carlin’s battle to protect free speech continues to impact our daily lives and is as relevant as ever.” (Read: How George Carlin Made Us Grateful for a Life Worth Losing) Both Berman and Earley will produce alongside Carlin’s former manager and best friend of 35 years Jerry Hamza, in addition to his former agent Bruce Kaufman, adding some legitimate weight to the project. Here’s hoping they get to the dark latter chapters of his comedic career, particularly his incredible 2005 HBO special Life’s Worth Losing. Hamza added, “I’m very excited to be involved with a film based on George’s life. It was wasn’t until after George died, I realized he was a hero. As a performer, George would never ‘sell out,’ and never comprise his beliefs – I learned so much from him. I think the public will be very happy to learn about George’s life. He was truly the top of the ladder in his field.” As of now, it’s unclear whether the film will hit theaters, television, or streaming services. Odds are the latter, seeing how, as Carlin might have predicted, we live in an era where mindless blockbusters rule the theaters and people are dumd as fu–eh, we’ll leave it to the man himself… Source

In a damning report last month, CBC and the Toronto Star uncovered evidence that Ticketmaster has been secretly operating its own ticket scalping program. Not surprisingly, disgruntled customers are now looking to take the ticketing platform to court with a class action lawsuit, according to The Hollywood Reporter. For their joint investigative report, the Canadian news outlets each sent journalists posing as scalpers to the Ticket Summit industry conference held in Las Vegas back in July. It was there that they were allegedly approached by Ticketmaster and informed of the company’s seedy reselling scheme. The purported scam sees scalpers purchasing tickets from Ticketmaster, then reselling them at a higher price on Ticketmaster’s own secondary market platform TradeDesk. Under this scenario, Ticketmaster successfully inflates ticket prices and successfully profits not once, but twice — first on the fees of the initial ticket sale to scalpers, then on the fees captured during the pricier resale transactions made on TradeDesk. To make matters worse, not only is Ticketmaster — a subsidiary of Live Nation — actively bringing scalpers into its program, but the company is turning a blind eye to actions that explicitly violate the company’s own terms of service. The Toronto Star found that scalpers face little to no consequences when it comes to the ticket buying process, such as when they initially purchase beyond the stated ticket limit. “Have you ever wondered why Ticketmaster has been unable to rid itself of the scalpers who purchase mass quantities of concert or sports tickets from its website and then resell them for much more minutes later?” states the class action lawsuit, filed by lead plaintiff Allen Lee. “The answer: Ticketmaster hasn’t wanted to rid itself of scalpers because, as it turns out, they have been working with them.” “But now it has been caught secretly permitting, facilitating and actively encouraging the sale of tickets by scalpers on the secondary market using its TradeDesk platform — all for a second cut on those sales,” continued the complaint. Officially the suit against Ticketmaster and Live Nation is for unfair business practices and unjust enrichment. In a statement released following CBC and the Toronto Star’s report, Ticketmaster denied engaging in such practices and said it would be launching “an internal review of our professional reseller accounts and employee practices to ensure that our policies are being upheld by all stakeholders.” In 2016, Ticketmaster doled out millions of dollars of free tickets as part of a class action settlement over its excessive and misleading processing fees. Source

Kanye West had initially promised that his newest album, Yandhi, would see release this past Saturday. Clearly the world got its full of Ye this weekend given his ridiculous guest-heavy Saturday Night Live performance, his subsequent pro-Trump rant, and Band-Aid Gate, so maybe it’s a good thing the record never actually materialized. But if anyone out there is still waiting with bated breath for the LP, Kim Kardashian is here to let you know of the new release date. Mrs. Kardashian-West is apparently over being whined at about having purchased the wrong colored adhesive strip, because she tweeted out that Yandhi is now set for release on November 23rd, aka Black Friday. “TRUST ME it is worth the wait,” she wrote, followed by a litany of emoji. Nov 23 Black Friday YANDHI TRUST ME it is worth the wait — Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) October 1, 2018 During an appearance on TMZ Live on Monday, Kanye himself revealed why there’s been a delay — and it’s pretty much because he didn’t finish it. Apparently, someone on his management staff “suggested that the album was so good” that he should finish it in “what is known as Africa.” Kanye said he’s been “incorporating sounds that you’ve never heard before,” as well as fresh concepts that “people don’t talk about” — like body-shaming and slut-shaming, you know, topics that have been prominent in the cultural discourse for the last few years but apparently no one is talking about. The whole TMZ visit is worth a watch just to get a glimpse at how far Kanye seems to be going these days. He admitted in the interview that he’s off his medication, and it’s sadly apparent. Watch the clip below, followed by a full transcript, because it’s worth it. “I didn’t finish it. A free… a person from my management staff, from our management staff, had suggested because the album is so good. It’s my… You know, I started incorporating sounds that you’ve never heard before and pushing. And having concepts that people don’t talk about. We have concepts talking about body-shaming and women being looked down upon for how many people that they slept with. And, you know, it’s just a full Ye album. Those five albums that I dropped earlier were like superhero rehabilitation, and now the alien Ye is fully back in mode. Off of medication, working out, breathing as much fresh air as possible, thinking, doing, being himself [gestures to MAGA hat]. And when I say ‘being myself’ that doesn’t mean I’m being Donald Trump. It means I’m being me, and I’m punk. And I can wear whatever I want, ’cause I’m a god. And there’s nothing that I can wear — this T-shirt, this don’t make me. This is the way I look at this time on this planet, ya know? Other times, maybe had a robe on. Next time, maybe it’s a full electrical suit and we just have just our chakras here and everything else is mechanical, so we’re like running at like a thousand miles per milli-milli-milli-milli-whatever that is. So this is the type of energy that we’re putting into the album, so we’re going to Africa in two weeks to record. So that I can get — I felt this energy when I was in Chicago, I felt the roots. We have to go to what is known as Africa. I just need to go and find out what it’s really called and just grab the soil and be. And cook food, five meals a day so the metabolism stays up. And have my kids in the studio and have the mic in the open so you can hear nature while we’re recording. So we’re gonna bring out the album on what is known as Black Friday, which is November 23rd. I’m so happy about what’s happening. Just to give the people the full Ye, because a lot of people say there hasn’t been albums as good as Watch the Throne and Dark Fantasy and 808 since that time.” Keep in mind, that entire thing was in response to, “Why didn’t the album drop on Saturday?” Kanye began teasing Yandhi just days before its initial scheduled release date. The follow-up to his own solo LP ye and his Kid Cudi collaboration Kids See Ghosts, Yandhi is being presented as something of a Yeezus sequel thanks to its similar album art. In the days following the original announcement, Kanye teased a pair of tracks, including one with the lyrics, “I’m giving up my slave name/ Saint, you don’t really need a last name/ North, you don’t really need a last name.” Somehow we don’t think Chris Evans or Lana Del Rey will be forcing themselves out of their tryptophan comas to spin Yandhi on November 23rd. After Ye’s SNL rant and a tweet suggesting we abolish the 13th amendment, Evans and Del Rey both took Kanye to task. Evans remarked that “debating someone who doesn’t know history, doesn’t read books, and frames their myopia as virtue” is “maddening,” while Del Rey said Kanye’s support of Trump “is a loss for the culture.” Source