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Alice in Chains offered up a cheeky tribute to the late Burt Reynolds during their show on Saturday night in Dallas by projecting a naked image of the iconic actor superimposed onto the cover of their classic 1992 album Dirt and changing the title to Burt. Reynolds passed away this past Thursday (September 6th) at the age of 82 after suffering a heart attack. The actor starred in such films as Smokey and the Bandit, Deliverance, The Cannonball Run, Boogie Nights and dozens more. The image was shared on Instagram by Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez, who wrote, “We put this up in the video screens pre show tonite. Rest In Peace Burt.” The original Dirt cover has a woman half buried in a desert, and it was believed by many that she was Layne Staley’s girlfriend Demri Parrott. However, the photographer, Rocky Schenck, told Revolver magazine in a feature on the album cover that it was model Mariah O’Brien. Alice in Chains’ current North American tour runs through October 28 in Hollywood, Florida, followed by a handful of South American gigs. Peep their full itinerary here, and pick up tickets tickets here. Alice in Chains' Top 5 Videos Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” Annotated Video Tour Update: Florence + The Machine Announces North American Tour & New Album, 'High As Hope' Tour Update: Nine Inch Nails Presents: Cold and Black and Infinite Tour Tour Update: Cold War Kids Explains The Birth of Their Live Album, 'Audience' Source

Experimental songwriter Tom Krell is prepping to release a new album under his How to Dress Well moniker. It’s titled The Anteroom and due to drop October 19th through Domino. The Anteroom follows his 2016 LP, Care, and Land Of The Overflowing Urn, a two-track single put out this past June. The 13-track effort sees Krell wrestling with change — in addition to adjusting to life in a new city (Los Angeles), he also struggled with the aftermath of the 2016 US election. He elaborated further in a statement: “I wrote the record after moving to Los Angeles, which is a crazy and maybe dreadful place, right after the 2016 election, with hell and death gaining ground all around us on every corner of the globe. The Anteroom is testament to a two year period in which I felt myself slipping out of the world and into a cosmic loneliness in which I would eventually be dissolved. In order to give myself a way back, I began to try to understand my station as some kind of anteroom – a space between – a chamber that separates the known and the unknown, stable life from total disintegration.” Teetering on treacherous precipices, living in an uncanny new place, Krell found his way back around to the sound and inspiration of his early work, and to his grandest statement yet – the culmination of a 10-year journey, and the dawn of a daring new one.” Co-produced by Joel Ford (Ford & Lopatin, Oneohtrix Point Never) and Krell himself, the forthcoming full-length is being teased today with a single called “Nonkilling 6 | Hunger”. It opens with a stanza from poet Li Young-Lee. Check it out below via its official music video, which was written and directed by Krell and visual artist Justin Daashuur Hopkins. (Note: The clip might not be suitable for those with photosensitive epilepsy.) The Anteroom Artwork: The Anteroom Tracklist: 01. Humans Disguised as Animals | Nonkilling 1 02. Body Fat 03. False Skull 7 04. Nonkilling 3 | The Anteroom | False Skull 1 05. Vacant Boat 06. Nonkilling 13 | Ceiling for the Sky 07. A Memory, The Spinning of a Body | Nonkilling 2 08. Nonkilling 6 | Hunger 09. July 13 No Hope No Pain 10. Love Means Taking Action 11. Brutal (feat. Ocean Vuong) | False Skull 5 12. False Skull 12 13. Nothing As we previously noted, Krell is scheduled to tour North America and Europe this fall. You can find his full itinerary here. Source

As we eyeball the final stretch, it’s never easy to tell whether the year in music is speeding up or slowing down. In Tinsel Town, we all know the Oscar hopefuls will be coming soon to a theater near us as summer fades and fall settles in. Music’s different, though. Forget a barrage of holiday releases. If your favorite artist doesn’t drop an album by November, you’re likely not getting what you want for Christmas. That doesn’t mean there can’t be some late-in-the-game surprises, but let’s focus on what we know — or at least have been led to believe. Below are 25 promised albums from artists young and old, up-and-comers and bar-setters, some of whom are capable of not only shaping our thoughts on the year in music but maybe even on 2018 in general. Just check out the slate below, and you’ll see what we mean. And if you blew all of your hard-earned record money chasing sounds of the summer, better start raking leaves and shoveling snow in a hurry. You no doubt still have some wax to add to your stacks before 2019 hits. –Matt Melis Editorial Director __________________________________________________________ Aphex Twin – Collapse EP Release date: September 14 Aphex Twin is both charismatic and invisible at the same time, boasting a rabid fanbase and the ability to create a mythic quality around everything he makes. The DJ’s new release is set to be more of his trademark experimental techno, a fresh look at his enigmatic talent through a modern lens. It may be weird, but hey, all genius is weird. It’s the method to his madness that makes Aphex Twin a legend. –Clara Scott __________________________________________________________ Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983 Release date: September 21 Two years after his death, Prince’s prolific vault of unreleased material has already become mythic. Now, the Prince Estate has partnered with Warner Bros. to share a home recording of the iconic singer performing with just his piano in 1983. Piano and a Microphone 1983 is a nine-track glimpse into Prince’s talent right before he achieved international stardom and a look we’re fortunate to get. –Clara Scott __________________________________________________________ Cat Power – Wanderer Release date: October 5 It’s been over six years since Sun, Chan Marshall’s most recent album, where she expanded her sound into new territories with broad textures and electronics. A bold experiment that was one of the best of her career, it led to a prolonged period of quiet. If the guitar in her hand on the cover of Wanderer doesn’t signal a return to the introspective folk that defined her early work, then “Woman”, the lead single where she duets with Lana Del Rey, certainly does, and we couldn’t be more excited. –David Sackllah __________________________________________________________ Swearin’ – Fall into the Sun Release date: October 5 There wasn’t supposed to be a third Swearin’ record. After the breakup of Allison Crutchfield and Kyle Gilbride led to the breakup of their band, and then Allison went on to make her tremendous solo debut, Tourist in This Town, the story seemed over for the promising Philly band. Luckily, that wasn’t the case, as the group reformed and sounds better than ever on their Merge debut, a tight, focused album of energetic indie rock. –David Sackllah __________________________________________________________ Steve Perry — Traces Release date: October 5 If you’ve listened to the radio in the last 40 years, there is no doubt that you’ve heard Steve Perry’s voice. The former Journey frontman has not released anything in almost 25 years, but come this October his new album, Traces, will be available for listeners young and old to discover his talent. Now older and wiser, Perry’s record is an anthemic memoir of love and loss and will be nothing short of welcome after the long absence of his incomparable skill. –Clara Scott _________________________________________________________ Source

Earlier this summer, Paramore played “Misery Business”, alongside Stranger Things’ cast member Gaten Matarazzo, a performance that, it turns out, marks what’s likely one of the last times the pop-punk outfit will ever play their breakthrough single. See, frontwoman Hayley Williams wrote the song when she was roughly the same age as Matarazzo, and it contains lyrics that she, now an adult, no longer finds appropriate. As noted by AltPress, Williams made the announcement at the band’s first-ever Art + Friends Festival this past weekend, telling the crowd that they would be playing the song “for the last time for a really long time.” This is a choice we made because we feel like we should.We feel like it’s time to move away from it for a little while,” Williams explains on stage. She added, “We wrote a song that now, as a 29-year-old woman, I don’t know that I’d use the same language. Calling someone a whore isn’t very cool.” “Once a whore, you’re nothing more/I’m sorry that’ll never change.” she sings on the track, and it’s easy to see why listeners would bristle at what can be perceived as slut-shaming sentiments. Williams has addressed the blowback to the lyrics numerous times; in a 2015 blog post for example, she emphasized that “those words were written when I was 17,” saying they were “quite literally a page in my diary about a singular moment I experienced as a high schooler.” See some fan-shot footage of the announcement below: At the Paramore concert in Nashville and they just announced that they won’t be performing Misery Business again for a long time after this show. Omg. pic.twitter.com/wARvoYGz76 — Tyler Matl (@TylerMatl) September 8, 2018 Luckily, Paramore have plenty of other songs to fill their sets. Last year’s After Laughter, after all, was one of 2017’s best albums. Source

On January 26th, 1979, just six weeks after forming, Bauhaus entered the studio for the first time. Those sessions at Wellingborough, England’s Beck Studios birthed the track “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”, a song that would go on to become a cornerstone of gothic rock. To celebrate the pioneering group’s 40th anniversary, Leaving Records and Stones Throw Records will release a fresh remaster of those early recordings dubbed, The Bela Session. Due out November 23rd, The Bela Session marks the first official vinyl reissue of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” in over 30 years, as well as the first time the studio version has been available on streaming services. Three of the four other accompanying tracks have never before been released in any format. Mandy Parnell (Björk, Brian Eno) remastered the audio from the original analogue tape at Black Saloon Studios. As a first listen to the new remaster, the nine-and-a-half minute “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” can be streamed below. Pre-orders for The Bela Session are available from Bandcamp and Stones Throw, and come with an insta-grat download of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”. A press release notes that a special red vinyl version of The Bela Session will be exclusively available through Vinyl Me, Please’s member store. Meanwhile, Beggars Arkive have plans to reissue Bauhaus’ entire catalog on colored vinyl later this year, so stay tuned for those details. The Bela Session Artwork: The Bela Session Tracklist: 01. Bela Lugosi’s Dead 02. Some Faces * 03. Bite My Hip * 04. Harry 05. Boys (Original) * * = Previously unreleased In further celebration of Bauhaus’ 40th anniversary, Peter Murphy and David J are reuniting for “The Ruby Celebration Tour”. Find their updated itinerary below. Ruby Celebration Tour Dates: 10/18 – Wellington, NZ@ San Fran 10/19 – Christchurch, @ NZ@ Foundry 10/20 – Auckland, AU @ Powerstation 10/22 – Adelaide, AU @ Governor Hindmarsh 10/25 – Brisbane, AU @ The Zoo 10/26 – Melbourne, AU @ Max Watts 10/27 – Sydney, AU @ The Factory 10/28 – Perth, AU @ The Capitol Theatre 11/06 – St Petersburg, RS @ Aurora Hall 11/07 – Moscow, RS @ Glavclub 11/09 – Belgrade, RS @ Dom Omladine Beograda 11/10 – Frankfurt, DE @ Das Bett 11/12 – Zurich, CH @ Mascotte 11/14 – Paris, FR @ Bataclan 11/18 – Madrid, ES @ La Riviera 11/19 – Barcelona, ES @ Razzmataz 11/21 – Rome, IT @ Orion Live Club 11/22 – Milan, IT @ Fabrique 11/23 – Munich, DE @ Ampere 11/24 – Bochum, DE @ Christuskirche 11/26 – Wroclaw, PL @ A2 11/27 – Berlin, DE @ Columbia Theater 11/28 – Hamburg, DE @ Knust 12/02 – Northampton, UK @ Roadmender 12/04 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz 12/05 – Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 12/06 – Northampton, UK @ Roadmender 12/08 – Leeds, UK @ Leeds Beckett SU 12/09 – London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish Town 12/11 – Copenhagen, DK @ Store Vega 12/12 – Stockholm, SW @ Nalen 12/14 – Athens, GR @ Gazi Music Hall 12/15 – Thessaloniki, GR @ Principal Club Theater Source

Listen and subscribe via iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | YouTube | RSS Cinjun Tate of Remy Zero joins Kyle Meredith to discuss the 20-year anniversary of Villa Elaine, working with Benmont Tench of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, soundtracking both Garden State and Smallville, and discovering he had cancer the same day he found out he was going to be a father. He also touches on the writing processes behind hits “Prophecy” and “Fair”, the usefulness of embarrassment when selecting songs for a record, and why we shouldn’t rule out hopes for new music. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Each episode, Meredith digs deep into an artist’s work to find out how the music is made and where their journey is going, from legendary artists like Robert Plant, Paul McCartney, U2 and Bryan Ferry, to the newer class of The National, St. Vincent, Arctic Monkeys, Haim, and Father John Misty. Check back Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for new episodes. Rate the series now via iTunes. Follow on Facebook | Podchaser | Twitter Source

Kurt Vile returned with a new single last month called “Loading Zones”. Now, the indie singer-songwriter has revealed details of his forthcoming solo album: Bottle It In officially arrives October 12th through Matador Records. Bottle It In is the proper follow-up to 2015’s impressive b’lieve i’m goin down…, and also follows Lotta Sea Lice, his 2017 collaborative LP with Courtney Barnett. The new album was recorded all over the US in between Vile’s busy schedule. “I’ve been bouncing around a lot and recording all over,” he recounted in a statement. “My family would meet me in the middle of America, and we’d go on a road trip somewhere. I would record in between all that stuff.” A few songs, including today’s new track “Bassackwards”, were recorded with engineer/producer Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes, The War on Drugs) at Los Angeles’ The Beer Hole. Some also came together in Portland and Brooklyn, but a majority of the album was recorded at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut with the help of Peter Katis (Interpol, The National). Along with various recording locales, Bottle It In boasts a handful of guest collaborators, such as Kim Gordon and Cass McCombs. Additional contributions were provided by Warpaint’s Stella Mozgawa and Mary Lattimore. As mentioned, Vile has broken off a second single in “Bassackwards”, an epic, nearly ten-minute cut said to be “the album’s beating heart and Vile’s most compelling evocation of how he sees the world.” Take a listen below. Pre-orders for Bottle It In can be found here. See below for the album artwork and tracklist. Bottle It In Artwork: Bottle It In Tracklist: 01. Loading Zones 02. Hysteria 03. Yeah Bones 04. Bassackwards 05. One Trick Ponies 06. Rolling With the Flow 07. Check Baby 08. Bottle It In 09. Mutinies 10. Come Again 11. Cold Was the Wind 12. Skinny Mini 13. (Bottle Back) Additionally, Vile has scheduled a new run of 2019 North American and Australian tour dates. These follow a previously announced North American stint for November and December of this year. Kurt Vile 2018-2019 Tour Dates: 11/13 – Glasgow, UK @ SWG # 11/14 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street # 11/15 – Belfast, UK @ The Limelight # 11/24 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues * 11/28 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel * 11/30 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club * 12/03 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse * 12/05 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Jones Assembly * 12/06 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater * 12/07 – Dallas, TX @ Canton Hall * 12/09 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory * 12/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern * 12/12 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre * * 12/14 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom * 12/15 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * 12/16 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom * 12/19 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue * 12/20 – Madison, WI @ Sylvee * 12/21 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall * 12/22 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre * 12/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met % 02/14 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground + 02/15 – Montreal, QC @ Mtelus + 02/16 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall + 02/19 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre + 02/20 – Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre + 02/21 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue + 02/22 – Louisville, KY @ Headliner + 02/23 – Bloomington, IL @ Castle Theatre + 02/24 – St. Louis, MO @ Pageant + 02/26 – Omaha, NE @ The Slowdown + 02/27 – Kansas City, MO @ Truman + 02/28 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre + 03/01 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot + 03/02 – Phoenix, AZ @ TBD 03/03 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues + 03/05 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre + 03/06 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf + 03/08 – New Braunfels, TX @ Gruene Hall + 03/09 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall + 03/10 – New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre + 03/12 – Orlando, FL @ The Beacham + 03/13 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live + 03/15 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn + 03/16 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium + 03/17 – Richmond, VA @ The National + 04/15 – Sydney, AU @ Enmore & 04/16 – Wallongong, AU @ Unibar & 04/17 – Canberra, AU @ ANU & 04/18 – Byron Bay, AU @ Byron Bay Bluesfest 04/20 – Byron Bay, AU @ Byron Bay Bluesfest 04/22 – Melbourne, AU @ The Forum & 04/27 – Adelaide, AU @ The Gov & 04/28 – Perth, AU @ Rosemount Carpark & ^ = w/ Meg Baird (solo) # = w/ Meg Baird & Mary Lattimore * = w/ Jessica Pratt % = w/ The Feelies + = w/ The Sadies & = w/ RVG Source

Reignwolf (née Jordan Cook) took the festival circuit by storm a few years ago, causing an irresistible, unavoidable racket with his inventive one-man band. Now officially a three-piece featuring drummer Joseph Braley and bassist Stacey James Kardash, the rock project is back with new music and a new tour. “Wanna Don’t Wanna” debuted on Sirius XMU last week, and it’s now come online for your streaming pleasure. Clocking in at just two-and-a-half minutes, the scorching track sports a playful intro that descends into a storm of distortion that threatens to drown Cook’s whiskey-scented shout. Hear it below. Reignwolf will also be hitting the road beginning next week, with stops at Riot Fest and ACL along the way. There are an abundance of Canadian dates on the docket, including one in Cook’s hometown of Saskatoon. See the dates, and a tour poster, below. Reignwolf 2018 Tour Dates: 09/13 – Detroit, MI @ The Shelter 09/14 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar 09/15 – Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest 09/17 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement 09/18 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West 09/20 – Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi 09/21 – Covington, KY @ Madison Live 09/22 – Louisville, KY @ Bourbon & Beyond Festival 09/24 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall 09/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry at the Fillmore 09/26 – Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall 09/27 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza 09/29 – Montreal, QC @ L’Astral 09/30 – Toronto, ON @ Mod Club 10/01 – Buffalo, NY @ Iron Works 10/03 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop 10/05 – St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird 10/06 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club 10/07 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room Lounge 10/09 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues 10/10 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues 10/12 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits 10/12 – Austin, TX @ Antone’s 10/14 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater 11/01 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy Theatre 11/04 – Portland, OR @ Dante’s 11/05 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox 11/06 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom 11/07 – Victoria, BC @ Distrikt 11/09 – Calgary, AB @ Commonwealth Bar & Stage 11/10 – Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room 11/12 – Saskatoon, SK @ O’Brians Event Centre 11/14 – Regina, SK @ The Exchange 11/15 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Pyramid Cabaret Source

The English electronic duo Maribou State have had their latest meddled with in the best possible way, with US DJ Maceo Plex getting his dirty tech hands all up in the laid back track Nervous Ticks. The warm and soothing original is a rich piece of electronica, featuring the versatile vocals of Holly Walker, however the Maceo Plex remix is anything but. With snares galore and a bunch of fast, erratic drums the breakbeat is easily recognisable in the rework. Maceo Plex touched on the process of remixing the track in a recent interview. “When I got sent the parts I instantly could hear the vocal over a cool breaks track. Soon as I laid it over the breakbeat it pretty much wrote itself” he said. This remix of the track was released along with a bunch of others, ahead of Maribou States forthcoming album ‘Kingdoms in Colour’. Listen below and let us know if you like the rework. [Via Mixmag] Source

The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, BOCSAR admitted yesterday that they got it very wrong. So much so that last year 13,350 recorded drug uses/possessions never actually happened. So much so that the ‘drug crisis’ we continually hear about from the politicians, is based off completely cooked data. Data that policy decisions such as sniffer-dogs (that cost a staggering amount) and other festival crack-downs are often built around. Basically here’s what’s happened: – Since 2010, positive drug detection’s by the police were assumed by BOCSAR to have not been recorded into their database. – BOCSAR added these offences to the database, not knowing the police had done the same. – This effectively double-counted the drug offence data in some incidences. BOCSAR’s chairman came clean yesterday admitting that this big boo-boo had been going on since 2010, inflating drug stats to much worst than they actually were. “When we saw they [NSW Police] were doing searches and they were proving positive [drug detection] we just assumed they hadn’t recorded that positive result, so we added it in ourselves. That was a mistake because they were adding it in,” Dr Weatherburn said. Weatherburn defends the error by saying that regardless of the double count the stats still show drugs trends increasing, but either way the whole thing is pretty suss and many aren’t happy, such as Western Sydney University Associate Professor of Criminology Dr Michael Salter. “What role have these inflated statistics had on informing drug policing and law enforcement?” Dr Salter said. “[This] dramatic overestimation of drug detection may have led to a perception of a drug crisis. “We have seen quite aggressive use of drug detection dogs, and policing at music festivals but to what extent have those tactics been launched to false data?” While the BOCSAR twitter has been quiet as of late, the error was made known via a little erratum post at the bottom of the BOCSAR website. Something very understated considering on average 10,000 supposed recorded possessions over 7 years is a whopping 70,000 incorrectly added numbers. What does this say about the reliability of the government-funded BOCSAR? Let us know what you think of the whole cock-up. Via SMH Source

Well, George Zimmerman won’t be buying tickets to see The Carters anytime soon. Everyone’s least favorite acquitted murderer is back in the headlines again, this time for reportedly going after Beyoncé and Jay-Z in a series of texts obtained by The Blast. Reportedly, Zimmerman was contacted by private investigator Dennis Warren, who reached out to him as part of research for Jay-Z’s co-produced documentary series, Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story. Needless to say, Zimmerman didn’t take things lightly. According to Warren, Zimmerman sent over hundreds of harassing messages and voicemails, calling Beyoncé a “broke whore” and insisting she and her husband Jay-Z would “find themselves inside a 13 foot gator.” The threats are to appear in the documentary’s forthcoming series finale. This isn’t the first time Zimmerman has gone after Jay; it’s not even the first time he’s used the gator bit. Last December, he made a similar assertion, after claiming the documentary’s production crew harassed his family, tweeting: “I know how to handle people who fuck with me, I have since February 2012.” What a schmuck. Source

What’s that saying? Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater? Or maybe this ‘70s metaphor is more appropriate. Either way, it’s the dilemma I’ve been wrestling with since finishing the first four episodes of The Deuce Season 2. The Deuce, which tracks co-stars James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal as they find their way in the budding sex industry of the 1970s, continues to be smart, provocative, and worthwhile television. Maybe more powerfully than any show on air, it shows the futility so many women face when their ambitions get stalled by Harvey Weinstein-esque gatekeepers. Season 2 certainly has feminist underpinnings. As the camera closes in on Abby’s (Margarita Levieva) nightstand at the end of Episode 1, we learn that Vinnie’s (Franco) girl is tiptoeing into second-wave feminism with a worn copy of Sisterhood Is Powerful. Surely, if the cops can’t clean up The Deuce, the infamous street the show is based on, the women can. #TimesUp, right? So about that. If you’re not caught up, Franco secured his own place in the #MeToo moment back in January, when a handful of women on Twitter accused him of sexual harassment, ranging from encouraging female acting students to take on nude scenes in class, even when it made them clearly uncomfortable, to forcing a woman to engage in oral sex. A petition went up requesting HBO drop Franco from Season 2 of The Deuce. They did not. It must be said that there is one major difference between a Franco, and a, say, Kevin Spacey, who was unceremoniously booted off House of Cards last November. Co-creator and executive producer David Simon told The Hollywood Reporter, “Personally, I can only speak knowledgeably to The Deuce. I’ve checked with all my fellow producers and other personnel. We have no complainant or complaint or any awareness of any incident of concern involving Mr. Franco.” The show, to its credit, also hired an “intimacy coordinator” this season to ensure the women (and men) involved in the show’s sex scenes feel comfortable on set. I honestly do believe the staff’s heart is in the right place here. But I think there’s something to what comedian Sarah Silverman said re: her longtime friend Louis C.K. when he tried (and failed) to make a comeback earlier this month: “My heart goes out to him, [but] then I have to stop and say, ‘You know what? I think I’m too close to this to be objective.’ Sometimes when you know someone, you don’t always know more, you know less.” I know giving the benefit of the doubt isn’t exactly in fashion, but, hey, maybe the powers that be behind The Deuce are too close to the situation. I’m sure Franco is a perfectly affable guy in person. But the shame of keeping him on is while this series’ second season is dynamite, from performance to tone to fricken costume design, that message feels more than a bit watered down by the fact that James Franco is exactly who the show’s second season professes to be critiquing: a gatekeeper using his power to sexually harass women. Maggie Gyllenhaal in The Deuce (HBO) The women who called out Franco after the Golden Globes were acting students and mentees, who presumably saw working under the acclaimed actor as not just a means of learning projection and blocking, but as an “in” to that ever-elusive inner circle of actors who can make it without washing dishes on the side. His role as gatekeeper is on a smaller scale but clearly reminscent of the role Harvey Weinstein played to young actresses who were unsure of whether or not to come to his room. You could refuse to film a scene for Franco after he “removed the plastic guards covering several other actresses’ vaginas” during an orgy scene, as actress Sarah Tither-Kaplan told the LA Times, but what if he’s literally the only person remotely involved in the industry you have a working relationship with? Do you choose self-respect or your dream? The irony is Season 2 is all about the power dynamics that often involve women in the workplace breaking free of the chains on their wrists only to stand up and realize their ankles are still bound. And, goddammit, the series portrays this struggle so well. Take Gyllenhaal’s character, Eileen. After spending Season 1 trying to figure out a way to break into the budding porn industry, Season 2 finds her pretty comfortable on set as Harvey’s (David Krumholtz) assistant, but feeling stymied creatively. If Harvey’s not willing to produce her idea for Red Riding Hood Gone Wild, she’ll find outside funding. I’ll let you guess what the price of getting a studio producer to listen to your pitch is. But Gyllenhaal masterfully puts on a face that expresses the simultaneous victory and defeat as she kneels down on her knees. A simpler program would just take a few shortcuts and have the women give proud declarations of their independence as they walk out of producers’ offices and off of directors’ couches. But as Eileen explains to her now-prepubescent son who has to decide between dating a girl his BFF likes or salvaging his youthful friendship: Sometimes you have to decide what’s more important. This is reality, folks. If Harvey Weinstein could destroy Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino’s careers, of course the choices Eileen has to make to climb from PA to director in her own right — 20 years later — are impossible ones. The Deuce (HBO) The truth is Franco’s presence doesn’t necessarily destroy this scene or even the season’s watchability outright. Maybe this is because Franco’s (main) character, Vinnie Martino, stays on the margins of the actual “sex stuff.” He runs a bar. He runs a club. He technically bankrolls his brother-in-law’s sleazy parlor, but he wants nothing to do with it. The only sex we see him getting into is with his longtime consensual partner, Abby. If he was a pimp, his presence would be intolerable. The argument could be made, however, that the series could have dropped Franco without losing much of the plot’s integrity. Honestly, watching Vinnie sign off on a new venture here and write a check there is about as interesting as watching someone else play Sim City. The pathos of the show clearly falls with the female cast: Gyllenhaal as Eileen; Margarita Leveiva as Abby; Emily Meade as Lori, whose budding acting career is quickly getting hamstrung by her continued allegiance to her pimp; Dominique Fishback as Darlene, who is our conduit into the particular setbacks faced by women of color in the industry; and Jamie Neumann as Ashley/Dorothy, who returns as a success story — a woman who quit the trade and now is fighting to provide others with the aid they need to do the same. When you throw in the fact that season 1 ends with Candy/Eileen more or less directing her own scene of a movie, it feels like we had the potential for a Claire Underwood moment. I guess it’s a universal theme this season: Who needs Frank(ie), anyway? The closest Franco, a perfectly capable actor, gets to showing emotion as Vinnie is when he has to ask mob boss Rudy Pipilo (Michael Rispoli) if Paul (Chris Coy) can open a gay bar, entirely unbound from any mob ties. Frankly, Franco’s scenes are the B plot; we could have done without them. Abby could have ran the bar this year. But if we again give the writers the benefit of the doubt, my guess is that Vinnie’s arc with the mob will find this aw-shucks-good-natured-hard-working-guy mixed up in some Godfather-esque shit. I may feel differently about being able to separate the baby from the bathwater, when we’re asked to empathize with the bathwater as things go downhill, which I expect they will. Let’s just hope the payoff of that inevitable Italian mobster showdown is worth the potential sacrifice of blurring an otherwise stunning first half of the season with some Franco-flavored bathwater. Maybe it’s another thing better known with some distance. Source

Despite their constant craving for validation on their social media channels, it appears the NSW Police Force just can’t seem to do anything right these last few months. Firstly, they kicked up a shit storm when they announced they would be denying festival punters into the event if they were picked up by a drug dog, regardless of whether they were actually carrying or not. Then, it was found that they had messed up the reporting of roadside drug testing because get this, the officers had to meet quotas and were falsely reporting numbers. Now, in what might just be their biggest fuck up yet, it has been discovered that drug data supporting sniffer dogs at festivals has been incorrectly reported for the last seven years. What a fucking joke. The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) uses this data to find crime trends and eventually this decides where Police funds are allocated, however, they recently discovered that due to a data reporting error that some of the data was being reported twice. So basically for the last 7 years, we’ve been fighting a meaningless war on drugs and pouring bucketloads of money into something that might not have even needed to be considered. “The real concern is this would have skewed the allocation of police resources into yet more resourcing on the failing war on drugs,” said Greens MP, David Shoebridge. He also mentioned that almost 13,000 of the recorded incidents did not actually happen. It’s an absolutely massive fuck up that really shows the quality of policing in Australia, we’ll have to wait and see whether this has any tangible effects on music festival policing. Source

Listen and subscribe via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Radio Public | Stitcher | RSS This episode of State of the Empire widens our lens to the rest of Lucasfilm and examines how the innovative production company shaped the world of film as we know it, even through now-forgotten features. 1983, same year The Star Wars Saga ended, a very different kind of Lucasfilm hit select theaters. Twice Upon a Time, directed by John Korty and Charles Swenson, is an animated feature the likes of which you’ve never seen before. Using a unique rear-lit animation style called “lumage” and myriad mixed media techniques, the fractured fairytale stumbles its way through its narrative while sticking the landing on startling and uncanny visuals. Twice Upon a Time might be off-the-beaten-path, but it casts a long shadow. Join Cap, Doug, and Matt for a journey to “a place so far out, you’ll never, never land” and discover how this Lucas-backed project served as an incubator for talents behind A Nightmare Before Christmas, Pixar, a young David Fincher, the music of Bruce Hornsby, and some Michael McDonald-produced Yacht Rock. And hey, if you’re looking for our trademark Star Wars speculation, never fear – we’ve got a hot take on who Keri Russell is playing in Episode IX that’ll really Teek-le your fancy. Support State of the Empire! — State of the Empire Socials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Star Wars Spoilers — Rate & review us on Apple Podcasts — Rate & review us on Podchaser | How to use Podchaser Links: — Twice Upon a Time: Trailer | Film — “Twice Upon a Time” by Maureen McDonald — “Heartbreak Town” by Bruce Hornsby — Cap’s exploration of Toys with Barry Levinson — The Right Stuff: Trailer | Film — Yacht Rock (the web series) | Beyond Yacht Rock (the podcast) — Yacht or Nyacht Source

This year’s Emmy Awards don’t take place until Monday, September 17th, but the Creative Arts Emmys were handed out this past weekend at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Among the big winners were Saturday Night Live with a whopping seven wins, Atlanta with three wins, Rick and Morty winning Outstanding Animated Program for “Pickle Rick”, and the late Anthony Bourdain going six for six with his posthumous nominations. One particularly noteworthy win for Bourdain was in writing. Parts Unknown executive producer Lydia Tenaglia accepted the award on his behalf, saying: “Tony was nominated for this Emmy many times, but it had always eluded him. So it is with tremendous bittersweetness that I accept it on his behalf. He’s off on a journey to parts unknown. We wish we could be there to shoot that journey with him. I think he would have written the hell out of that episode.” In addition to writing, Parts Unknown won for best informational series or special, picture editing for a non-fiction program, sound editing for a non-fiction program, sound mixing for a non-fiction program, and best short-form non-fiction or reality. Parts Unknown will return to close out the series with its final episodes later this year. More recently, there was controversy when the network pulled every episode featuring Bourdain’s girlfriend Asia Argento following sexual allegations surrounding the star. For a complete list of this year’s Emmy nominations, click here. Need help predicting? Source

The late Mac Miller’s first charting single came in 2011 with “Donald Trump”. Taken from Miller’s mixtape Best Day Ever and sampling Sufjan Stevens’ “Vesuvius”, the track reached No. 75 on the Billboard 200 singles chart and achieved platinum status, with its corresponding video receiving well over 20 million views upon its release. Despite being complimentary of the future president (“Take over the world when I’m on my Donald Trump shit/ Look at all this money, ain’t that some shit?”), the success of “Donald Trump” nonetheless angered the real Donald Trump, who believed he deserved royalties. In light of Miller’s passing, Asawin Suebsaeng, the White House correspondent for The Daily Beast, has dug up Trump’s old tweets about Miller and his song. They’re really something. Jesus, Trump really did tweet a lot about the late Mac Miller, didn’t he https://t.co/EYzhVuMWGw pic.twitter.com/xwkQwylBTX — Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24) September 9, 2018 “I’m now going to teach you a big boy lesson about lawsuits and finance,” Trump said in one tweet, before falling back on one of his favorite insults by calling Miller an “ungrateful dog.” He also mocked Miller’s hair, and told Miller to “kiss my ass.” Little @MacMiller, I’m now going to teach you a big boy lesson about lawsuits and finance. You ungrateful dog! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2013 Little @MacMiller—I have more hair than you do and there’s a slight age difference. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2013 .@MacMiller has over 79M hits on YouTube & just hit platinum with his Donald Trump song—screw you Mac! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 22, 2013 See ungrateful Little @MacMiller’s statement to me a year ago— http://t.co/GdRzptrB – he was kissing my ass! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2013 It was just announced that @MacMiller’s song “DonaldTrump” went platinum—tell Mac Miller to kiss my ass! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 6, 2013 Even Trump’s golf caddie-turned-social media czar, Dan Scavino, got in on the action. Where would @MacMiller be today, if he didn't use @realDonaldTrump's name in his song? No question a royalty fee of some sort is owed! — Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) August 15, 2013 Years later, as “Donald Trump” approached 100 million total streams, Trump changed his attitude and called it a “great song.” Miller also had a change of heart about Trump, as during an appearance on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore in 2016, he described him “an egomaniacal, attention-thirsty, psychopathic, power-hungry, delusional waste of skin and bones.” Revisit Miller’s song “Donald Trump”: Source

The hugely successful commercial producer David Guetta has resurfaced under an intriguing new alias to drop a twelve track bonanza mixtape of filthy house bangers. Coining the name Jack Back, the new project titled Jack Back Mixtape (DJ Mix) is basically David getting back to his roots where it all started, as a DJ in the underground club scene in Paris. David revealed the change of direction in a recent interview, also mentioning that his new album ‘7’ due out on Friday (under original name David Guetta) will also have some house flavours mixed throughout. “I originally started in underground house music, playing all the raves and underground clubs in Paris. I wanted to make music just for fun, with absolutely no commercial approach to it. I want to make every type of music that I like, I’m doing it for the love of music.” he said. You can stream the Jack Back mixtape here or check out the stream below. Let us know if you’re about Jack Back more so than David Guetta. Source

John Legend has achieved EGOT status, and he’s the youngest person ever to do so. Update: As Variety points out, Legend is also the first black man to win an EGOT. At tonight’s Creative Emmy Awards, Legend won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for his role as a producer on Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert TV special. With the award, Legend became just the 13th person ever to earn an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony), and he did so before the age of 40. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, who won alongside Legend in the same category, also became EGOT winners with the award. Throughout his career, Legend has won 10 Grammys Awards. In 2015, he earned his first Oscar for Best Original Song for “Glory”, which was featured in the movie Selma. In 2017, he won a Tony for Best Revival of a Play for his role as a co-producer of Jitney. Legend is also nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance in Jesus Christ Superstar. The winner will be announced during the Primetime Emmy Awards on September 17th. Legend’s wife, Chrissy Teigen, celebrated her husband’s victory on Twitter: EGOT GOATS pic.twitter.com/WDFKGRop6n — christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) September 10, 2018 Source

Gerd Janson is the latest German born DJ who has captured the hearts of Australian dance music lovers, largely owing to his unique perspective on the house and disco genres plus spiffy get up. Having cut his teeth in German cities such as Mannheim, Darmstadt and Frankfurt, Janson provides a breath of fresh air into an otherwise cluttered musical stratosphere. His exquisite taste in disco cuts, as well as his notably dapper fashion sense, are the envy of DJ’s around the world. The Running Back label boss has captured our attention in recent times with some epic live performances as well as hot remixes that are worth getting excited about… in short here are 5 moments that made us love Gerd Janson. Gerd Janson Boiler Room x Sugar Mountain 2018 DJ Set How does the saying go, ‘save the best til’ last?’…well how about we save the best til’ first? This Boiler Room set, recorded at Melbourne’s Sugar Mountain Festival in 2018 is by far and away one of the grooviest, vibe inducing disco sets of the year. Featuring heart melters such as KiNK’s, ‘Perth’ and Krystal Klear’s, ‘Neutron Dance’, this set goes from strength to strength the more it is revisited and look at how much the crowd dig it! KiNK B2B Gerd Janson – Live at The Peacock Society 2018 Having perused Janson’s Boiler Room set, you’d be forgiven for thinking the German DJ is defined solely by house and disco. However, at France’s, The Peacock Society in 2018, Janson went B2B with KiNK for an infamous live set that blended elements of harder, industrial techno with more melodic house moments. Gerd Janson – Live at Pitch Music & Arts Festival 2017 When we speak of memorable festival sets in Australia, Janson’s performance at Pitch Music & Arts Festival 2017 immediately springs to mind. From the moment this recording starts, you get the sense that Janson is a man on a mission. Driving house, percussive disco and most of all…purpose. You can easily tell Janson’s aim is to blow the socks off all those who occupied the dance-floor on that day. Most notably, this set is capped off with a special Ashley Beedle remix of The Streets, ‘Weak Become Heroes’, which no doubt sent the festival into meltdown. Special Request – Brainstorm (Gerd Janson & Shan House Mix) Remixing tracks, particularly those from producers such as Paul Woolford (aka Special Request) is no mean feat, but Gerd Janson seems to nail this. The German has taken a dark, broken beat track and given it a percussive, house twist. Keinemusik (Rampa, Adam Port, &ME) – Lover feat. Jennifer Touch (Gerd Janson Remix) Janson’s stellar remix for the Keinemusik crew of Rampa, Adam Port and &ME is an ode to the 80’s and a reminder of his roots as an up-and-coming DJ. This remix has a dreamy, nostalgic edge that becomes infectious the more it is consumed. Honourable mentions; Westworld – The Slam (Gerd Janson Edit) Mount Kimbie – Four Years and One Day (Gerd Janson Remix) Jamiroquai – Summer Girl (Gerd Janson Remix) Catch the enigmatic DJ at Novel’s newest event, Smalltown at B3 with DJ Koze, Charlotte De Witte and Gerd Janson hosted at the Etihad Stadium carpark in Melbourne’s CBD on September 27th, 2018. Grab your tickets here. Words by Josh Pavlou Source

Feeling lovely Lovelytheband is an American indie pop band that has made it’s name known amongst the crowd for their feel-good sounding music, even when the lyrics are not always so cheerful. Back in 2016, the guys formed their collective in Los Angeles, and became the trio that would make this year’s Billboard Hot 100 list. Lovelytheband is composed of vocalist Mitchy Collins, guitarist Jordan Greenwald, and drummer Sam Price. Together, the three make-up an eccentric and entertaining group. In 2017, the band released their debut single “Broken”, which had a viral effect on Spotify, racking up over 3 million streams. The single charted on several Billboard charts and was able to find a place on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and a few other charts until it reached the 2018 Billboard Hot 100 charts. Lovelytheband released their first EP Everything I Could Never Say back in September 2017. They recently released their single “These Are My Friends” in May 2018 and in August 2018, they released their first album Finding It Hard to Smile. Lovelytheband has an incredible storytelling power when it comes to their music. With this corse rock vibe tied to a sweet Cali beach band sound, they come together as this power group with music that’s a bit addictive. Mitchy’s voice is just the right amount of angst to make you want to rock along with the lyrics and the melodies of the compositions are free-ing and dreamy that you just drift with the sounds all together. Their performance at the Billboard Hot 100 Festival this year was just as exhilarating as I watched the crowd from the photo pit throw their hands in the air, sing along, and move with the guys as they entertained from the stage. Check out their music below: Let me preface this with the guys were hilarious, and I had a really good time chatting with them as really their care-free attitude was really refreshing. “It was pretty amazing”, admits Mitchy in response to my asking what it was like finding out that they had made the Billboard Hot 100 list? We talked a lot about some of the new tracks they had been releasing and how the reaction from the fans have been extremely positive for almost every record, and they are more than ecstatic about that. The guys mentioned that their sound had changed a lot from when they first started this journey. “I think it’s changed, I think it’s solidified and evolved into who we are. I think we’ve become “Lovelytheband”, Mitchy explains to me, smiling as he says their name as if a proud dad. Knowing they love performing live, I need to know if there were any favorite memories from tours or other experiences. Jordan recalls their performance at Hangout Festival as a really good memory. “That was our first festival, didn’t know what to expect, it was on the beach…and today was fun too!” I asked the three to give me their rationale as to why it made more sense for them to be a band rather than solo acts. All three laugh and then Sam chimes in to say “You never get lonely. I think the best part of being a band is that, us three we know that if one of us is feeling a little off, we know we have someone to pick us up”. Lately, the guys have been doing a lot of live performances these days and because of that I had to ask what their favorite tour food would have to be, and Mitchy immediately had an answer that was in agreement with the other two as well and that was “hot wings”. I then proceeded to follow up that question with what they couldn’t live without, but before I could even finish my sentence, Mitchy responds “wings”, Sam says “our phones”, and Jordan goes on to explain his need for toothbrush and tooth paste, “I [also] love mini mouthwash if I need a little extra hygiene”. Then somehow this conversation transformed into a discussion of how the guys only need wings and hygiene and then to a rant on hot sauce flavored toothpaste… don’t ask me! Like I said, super chill dudes, and super comical. I asked them for what their ideal summer day would consist of and the storytellers begin to paint the picture for me. Mitchy started with “It’s June 28th, just off of the summer, it’s not too hot yet, a little June gloom” he then continues to make a miss congeniality reference describing “the perfect date”. Then Jordan jumps in with enthusiasm (and Sam and Mitchy nod in agreement the whole time), “YOU READY? HERE IT IS: You wake up, you hit the beach early, get on a boat, have a nice refreshing cocktail, we get back and have a cookout with our friends and family, maybe meet yourself a nice lady, it’s summer time, anything is possible, then we pull out our wiffle bat and wiffle ball and play some wiffle ball with our boys and then there’s dogs on the sand, end it off with a nice shower, and end it off with a nice dinner”. Now, as you can probably see from the pictures, the guys really have a strong sense of style, I had to ask what go-to looks for them are like. Sam begins to explain how on an off tour day, they would be wearing basketball shorts and a t-shirt or sweatshirts and sweatpants, but on a festival day, there would be floral button downs, party shirts, party shorts, and party shoes. “It’s all about the extra”, Mitch proclaims. “Maybe some glitter if we have time”. So what do these fun, loving guys want their fans to feel when they hear their music? “Something inside themselves. Hopefully, they find a little bit about themselves in the music” Mitchy says thoughtfully. Lovelytheband is also excited to be on tour and they’re “excited for you to see Lovelytheband at it’s finest”. They’re #OnTheVerge of an amazing tour and we’re excited to see them! Be sure to grab your tickets on their site, and be sure to follow Lovelytheband on social media to keep up with the guys! Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Site The post Floral Pop-Rock Trio Lovelytheband: Billboard Hot 100 Festival Interview No. 3 appeared first on Verge Campus. Source

The fourth installment of Marrakesh’s flagship electronic music event Oasis Festival will return to the city next month with a stacked lineup of talent that would make any dance fan’s head spin. Nestled in the shadow of the breathtaking Atlas Mountains, the boutique festival will take place September 14 – 16 and feature performances from acts including Avalon Emerson, Ben Klock, Carl Cox, DJ Koze, Hot Since 82, Honey Dijon, Jessy Lanza, Mount Kimbie, Sasha, Peggy Gou, and The Black Madonna, as well as the recent additions of South African doyen Black Coffee and versatile creative Virgil Abloh. While the lineup is bursting with top-drawer talent, Stoney Roads has selected our top ten acts not to miss at Oasis Festival. 1. DJ Koze Enigmatic German wizard DJ Koze promises to share his wistful world of dreamy, cinematic productions with the crowd, hopefully including cuts from his latest full-length LP Knock Knock. 2. Stephan Bodzin (live) Global techno heavyweight Stephan Bodzin is famed for his magnetic, authentic take on underground music in which he careens through melodic soundscapes and high-impact drives. 3. Derrick Carter b2b The Black Madonna Fellow Chicago house music stalwarts will perform an exclusive back-to-back set that’s sure to showcase both of their far-flung musical catalogues and revered spinning chops. 4. Larry Heard aka Mr. Fingers (live) Deep house pioneer Larry Heard will be serving up a live performance of his Mr. Fingers project, under which he just recently released his first album in nearly 25 years titled Cerebral Hemisphere. 5. Avalon Emerson Revered for her colorful sets and emotive productions, the American artist is a creative force to be reckoned with. 6. Damian Lazarus The exotic Moroccan landscape is the perfect backdrop for desert house shaman to share his otherworldly grooves. 7. Honey Dijon Chicago underground music hero Honey Dijon is slated to show off her shrewd mixing skills and versatile musical styles to the Oasis dance floor denizens. 8. Maribou State (DJ set) It’s nearly impossible to attend an indie-electronic set these days without hearing English duo Maribou State’s summer hit “Turnmills,” and the pair is primed to bring their signature soulful, instrumentally-driven sounds to the festival. 9. Octo Octa Rhythmic wonder Octo Octa is known for skyrocketing fans through dimensions with her improvisational sets, and her productions consistently boast a shimmering flair. 10. Romare (DJ set) Saving the best for last, British sound-bender Romare is sure to deftly mix genre-crossing samples into instrumental reverie. [Cover Image via Mixmag] Source

The following review is part of our coverage of the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. Watching the 2018 edition of Halloween often feels like reading a decent fan fiction. This isn’t necessarily a criticism. Fanfic is a valid vital part of any fandom, and there’s plenty of it out there that rivals the best canon offerings from many franchises. It’s simply the best way to explain its relationship to the original: This is a film clearly made by people with an intense knowledge of — and fondness for — the source material. It also interacts with that source material in some new and creative ways, experimenting and pushing the work to places that you don’t normally see in official franchise offerings. Unfortunately, it stops short of being one of those fan works that holds its own against the original. It’s decent. It has its moments. It’s enjoyable enough as supplementary material. It’s arguably better than some of the other attempts to capitalize on the success of the original 1978 John Carpenter classic. It’s just not quite a good film in of itself. Although Halloween is very much a classic genre film and not at all what you’d consider overambitious, it is possible that its problems are the result of too many conflicting and imperfectly realized ambitions. In between the film’s efforts to inject a touch of comedy into the original’s predominantly straight-faced tone (it would be a waste to let the collective comic powers of director/screenwriter David Gordon Green and co-writer Danny McBride go completely unused), and its attempts to find a balance between being faithful to the original and bringing something new and timely to the table, the film stands up to its oversized expectations about as well as a human skull withstands the blunt force trauma of Michael Myers’ boots. Four decades after the events of Halloween — this particular version of the Halloween universe eschews the other sequels — serial killer Michael Myers still looms heavily in the imaginations of a new generation of investigative journalists. But also deep in the psyche of his lone survivor, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis, brilliantly reprising her role). The film begins with the former, a pair of mildly irritating podcasters, visiting Michael at his maximum security institution right before he’s about to be transferred, and failing to bait him with his iconic mask. They then take off to interview Laurie, who now lives in a highly weaponized compound, haunted and half estranged from her daughter (Judy Greer) and granddaughter (Andi Matichak), and determined to defend (or avenge) herself when Michael returns. Which she knows he will. Listen and subscribe via iTunes | Google Play | Radio Public | Stitcher | RSS There are plenty of interesting themes and concepts that are evoked as the three generations of Strode women and their supporting cast are put into place for Halloween’s inevitable killing spree: What would it mean to survive something as heinous as what Laurie faced in the first film? How would that trauma influence a character’s post-credits life? What makes a boogeyman? What is the nature of evil? And are we truly looking for answers or simply indulging in salacious voyeurism when we mainline true crime stories? But none of these are further explored in any meaningful way, slipping away as elusively as a final girl escaping the villain. Once the bodies start dropping, all of the film’s other elements get dropped, too. The gory back end of Halloween has its moments. Some of the murder setups are clever and perversely amusing and some of the eviscerated remains left behind have a macabre je ne sais quois to them. The comic relief, although it mostly feels terribly out of place, is genuinely funny and, mercifully, not as full-blown winkingly ironic as Scream-style horror humor. But the pacing of these scenes feels rushed or confused, robbing audiences of those slow-burning moments of anticipation that will always be scarier than any actual incision could ever be on its own. Which leaves the trail of creatively mangled bodies leading to Laurie’s not-really-secured-as-well-as-it-should-be-given-how-long-she’s-been-prepping-for-this-day door feeling somewhat hollow and underwhelming. The final showdown between Michael, and the three Strode women fares better, especially when the proceedings subvert a few classic horror tropes in surprisingly satisfying fashion. But after four decades of preparation on Laurie’s part — and four decades of anticipation and approximately 90 minutes of viewing on ours — even those last conclusive (or are they?) blows fall short of what they could be. Which could be the point. Violence and vengeance are destructive forces that are rarely satisfying in real life. But if that’s the case, there’s nothing in the establishing scenes that has earned a payoff like that. Halloween deserves credit for its efforts to balance old and new, for taking us back to Haddonfield in a way that isn’t purely for cheap nostalgia, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that there’s something more that it could have been achieved. It’s an interesting experiment, and possibly a positive step toward marrying long-term franchises and pop culture touchstones with new creative visions. But, just like fan fiction, it’s nothing that anyone who isn’t already invested in the stories that inspired it is going to be able to appreciate. Trailer: Source

Cake, the ’90s hitmakers whose deep cuts are far better than anything you’ve heard on the radio, haven’t released a proper album since 2011’s Showroom of Compassion. They’ve been playing some new songs live—here’s one called “Sinking Ship”—but as we wait for those to pop up beyond YouTube, the band has emerged with a cover of Roger Miller’s “Reincarnation”, their first new studio cut in seven years. (In Photos: Cake and Ben Folds at Queens’ Forest Hills Stadium) The cover was recorded as part King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller, a compilation that also features covers by Kacey Musgraves, Ringo Starr, and…John Goodman? It’s both a faithful cover of the honky tonk legend’s original—initially released on 1965’s The Return of Roger Miller—and a lovely example of Cake’s warm, laconic sound, which has remained remarkably consistent across the band’s long career. (Ranking: Every Alternative Rock No. 1 Hit from Worst to Best) Hear it below. Last month, Cake embarked on a short tour with Ben Folds to the delight of ’90s kids everywhere. Source

Porter Robinson’s trance-like alter ego Virtual Self announced a North American tour and will be dropping by in SoCal for an unforgettable evening at the notorious Nos Events Center in San Bernardino. Not only is he bringing his new sound to blow everyone away, he’ll be bringing his perfectly constructed visuals named “Utopia System” and is ready to send you into another dimension.As Virtual Self and Porter Robinson are the same person, don’t expect to hear any songs from Porter. He is determined to keep these projects as separate and distinct as possible, and he will do just that. His vibes are surely to bring you way back to the very first days of EDM and make you remember what raving is all about. Virtual Self will bring two sides to him. One is the Pathselector which is filled with techno and trance styles while the Angel side will bring a more hardcore jungly sound to the table. Get tickets here and check out the full tour below. The post Virtual Self Takes Over Nos Events Center in San Bernardino appeared first on EDM Maniac. Source

Nothing but the truth with VÉRITÉ by Neelu Mohaghegh (All photos taken are original work by Neelu; Saturday, August 18th, 2018) I had the chance to interview the talented left-of-center/pop queen and singer/songwriter VÉRITÉ at the Billboard Hot 100 Festival this summer, and my heart was full. In real life, meet Kelsey Regina Byrne. From Brooklyn, New York City,VÉRITÉ has made quite the upward trajectory in her career, with her first single “Strange Enough” releasing back in 2014 that reached number one on Hype Machine, to then become #1 Most Viral Twitter Artist, to now be an artist with an incredible track record of projects, touring, performances, and collaborations. She released her EP Echo in 2014 and her second EP Sentiment in 2015. The songstress’s music is something magical. With a melancholy elegance to every word and note she vocalizes, there’s this connection between the listener and the sound that makes the music catchy and beautiful to the ear. Her records are contagious in a familiar way–every story is relatable if you take a listen to the heart-breaking lyrics in her tracks. The ballads that she delivers are these blends of various genres: pop, rock, electronic, indie, and more, which offers her audience new ways of experiencing the emotions exuded in her music. Her voice has an incredible range and affinity to match any song and that has helped her collaborate with some amazing artists in her career. Check out her music below: On the day of the festival, VÉRITÉ was the epitome of ~cool~. We sat down in the media lounge and she seemed totally at ease; in fact, she really didn’t look like someone who had just performed in the sweltering heat. She was wearing this epic all black outfit with a sheer top and these amazing shiny, black sunglasses that covered her purple eyeshadow. We jumped into my questions and I asked her if she had ever been to Billboard Hot 100 before, even as just a fan. She tells me how it had always been a festival she wanted to go to but she never did get a chance to go, so being here now as a performer was super exciting and unreal. VÉRITÉ explained to me how she began in music and how it brought her to this place. “I’ve been doing music forever, so I think it was really a natural progression, from making it a hobby to making it a career.” Her father was a rock musician, so she was introduced to that realm at a very young age. “I played in his latin rock band when I was 15”, she recalls to me, laughing at how much fun it was. Even when she was younger, she used to perform at local venues, played piano, and was in a few of her own bands including an all-girls punk cover band in middle-school. “But I think having music growing up, I didn’t listen to as much music, I was constantly just playing and then writing…” It wasn’t until the age of 16 when she took her own songwriting to the next level and after graduating from SUNY Purchase with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Composition, she began to find her sound for what would be VÉRITÉ. I asked her which was her favorite band name, of the bands she was a part of, to which she chuckled shamefully and then said, “not my favorite, but it existed, my first band “No Smoking” — so angsty”. We both laughed and thought how fitting that name was for a middle-school band. VÉRITÉ has written so many songs and has had so many put out there. She is constantly working on new projects so picking a favorite song she has written is a tough task. However, fans should be excited because she has two new works that she is very happy with and excited to share including a performance playing with a 20 piece orchestra! “I’m [also] doing a song called “Gesture” on my 3rd EP and I love that song so much, so I think it’s hard to choose a favorite because it’s like choosing a favorite child”. (Update: she did the performance with the orchestra on August 28th with much success!) I continued to ask her what her favorite thing about being an artist to which she said almost immediately answered that she loves touring and performing for people. “I love the grind of tour”. She smiles just thinking about it. However, with all the good, there is bad, and for VÉRITÉ, the hardest aspect of being an artist is “keeping a level head of like expectations. For me, it’s like recognizing, everything is ok, you’re going to live…” She reminisces about times when she took things too seriously and pushed herself down, but then how she would remind herself that good people surround her and that she is pursuing her dream career, so everything is just fine. It’s a matter of grounding yourself every so often when you get lost in the rush of this industry. I asked her what color she would give herself if that was a color to describe herself. She thoughtfully pondered and then said “Emerald Green”. I then asked what was one thing she couldn’t live without and admitted, “I definitely can’t live without water, and I think people, the people that are in my life. Like everything is bullshit, but my family and friends are important”. I really liked that answer. Her ideal summer day would also be structured like so: “Wake up at 9 am, take a walk, get breakfast, go see friends and family, hang out, get dinner…. it would be all meandering and not planned”. She’s mostly looking forward to her upcoming headlining tour this fall! So fans, buy your tickets quickly! In the past, VÉRITÉ opened for such artists as Tove Lo and BØRNS, and appeared at other major festivals including Lollapalooza and Firefly, So, with all that has happened, I was curious to know if VÉRITÉ feels that she has changed and evolved her sound since when she first started this career. “Absolutely, I think it’s an evolution. I think in the beginning I wasn’t really confident and I think now I hear what I want and now it’s just about how I push myself to do more …” She even confessed to me how she would love to push her comfort zones in music to work in other areas and genres. Currently, if she could collaborate with anyone, she would love it to be “Childish Gambino — I’d love to collaborate with people in different worlds (to try out new genres)… I just want to leave the pop “. In the past, she has worked with artists like Matt Maeson, Allie X, Ella Vos, Icona Pop, Mija, Pell, R3HAB, Phantoms, and more. VÉRITÉ is a star, and there’s no denying that this left-of-center star has found a way to stay pertinent in the everyday lifestyles of audiences and will continue to do so with her music. Though she seems calm, cool, and collected, she still tells me that she’s #OnTheVerge of “getting my shit together”. I am excited to see what’s in store for this compositional queen in the near future! Be sure to follow VÉRITÉ on social media to keep up with what she’s doing next! Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Site The post Left-Of-Center Queen VÉRITÉ: Billboard Hot 100 Music Festival Interview No. 2 appeared first on Verge Campus. Source