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While not revealing any additional dates yet, Slayer announced Monday (August 27th) that they plan to extend their final world tour at least through the end of 2019. So far, the only 2019 date on the legendary thrash band’s schedule is a previously revealed headlining gig on June 23rd at Hellfest Open Air in France. But, according to a new press release, the band will be touring extensively in 2019. “We always knew this tour would take us into 2019,” said Slayer guitarist Kerry King in a press release, “and we’ve been blown away by the response we’ve been getting here in North America. We’ve heard about fans who have driven five, six hours, or flown in from other cities or countries to see us, so we want to assure our fans that we’ll be on the road through 2019 and will get to as many places around the world as possible to make it easier for everyone to come and see us one last time.” Slayer have already played two North American legs on their final tour, with the most recent wrapping up Sunday (August 26th) in San Jose, California. We caught the band’s concert at the Northwell Health Theater at Jones Beach in Long Island, New York, on July 29th, and the thrash veterans put on a tremendous show, with support from Lamb of God, Anthrax, Testament and Napalm Death. See our full review and photo gallery here. In 2019, Slayer plan to hit South America, Australia and Japan, and insist they will visit more regions, as well. As their press release states, “There will be more, plenty more. 2019 is twelve months long, and the world is a big place.” Singer-bassist Tom Araya added, “I just want to take the time out to say thank you to all our fans who have made this first part of this tour phenomenal. You really are loyal and dedicated fans and we appreciate that so much from you. We still have quite a few places to play, so next year, keep your eyes and ears open so you can catch us live one last and final time. Again, thank you!” As for the rest of 2018, as previously announced, Slayer will headline Force Fest in Mexico, and embark on a European leg, which runs from November 1st through December 8th. See their current itinerary here. Metallica’s Top 5 Songs Tool’s Top 5 Music Videos Behemoth's Top 5 Songs Alice in Chains' Top 5 Videos Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” Annotated Video Source

You’ve got to hand it to Reed Hastings. Over the last 20 years, he’s grown Netflix into one of the most powerful companies in entertainment, a multi-billion dollar business that has helped shape the way we consume TV and movies in the Internet era. 130 million users across 190 countries turn to the streaming giant to watch classic hit shows, original programming, and blockbuster films on demand. You’d also be forgiven for forgetting the whole thing started as a mail-order DVD rental service — but three million people certainly haven’t. While looking into the history of the company ahead of its 21st anniversary, Variety discovered that there are still three million US subscribers who still receive Netflix’s little red DVD envelopes (via AV Club). Or, more accurately, DVD.com’s envelopes, as the service was rebranded when Netflix separated DVD and streaming packages back in 2011. (Read: Can Matt Groening Strike Gold for a Third Time with Disenchantment?) Netflix is in no rush to try and convert those subscribers to streaming, either. The profit margins on DVD.com are substantial, with the company pulling in $53 million from those three million users last quarter. In fact, Netflix is still investing in the mail-order side of its business, launching a new DVD.com mobile app just last year. Amazingly, profit margins have actually increased from an average of $15.65 per user in the second quarter of 2016 to $17.66 just two years later. Of course, the move to streaming is inevitable, and DVD.com is bleeding about 190,000 subscribers a quarter. If that rate continues, no one will be finding those red envelopes in their mailboxes by 2022. Still, as users jump ship, operating costs come down ($77 million in 2016 to $54 in 2017), and per-user profits go up, so the service remains viable from Netflix’s view. If only Blockbuster could have figured out a similar business strategy. Source

The Lowdown: “D.I.Y.” is a term that a lot of artists pay lip service to, but few live out the philosophy quite like Tash Sultana. Flow State, the Aussie-born singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist’s hotly anticipated debut, is so completely self-made that calling it D.I.Y. somehow feels like an understatement, even if that’s exactly what it is. Every sound, be it skittering guitars, languid flutes, saxophones, strings, loops, or vocals, has the 23-year-old Sultana’s soulful fingerprints on it. The Good: Sultana’s prodigious work ethic is warrant of praise by itself, but it wouldn’t mean much if Flow State’s end results didn’t deliver. No worries there. Having steadily built up a grassroots fan base, we finally have a record that lives up to all the promise and hype. Sultana has crafted a soulful, eclectic, and moodily evocative debut effort that cross-pollinates styles as varied as reggae, R&B, calypso, and Joe Satriani-esque guitar heroism, making for something that’s both accessible and truly their own. Lyrically, the record also carries the weight of a scorned heart. “I don’t need your loving for my salvation”, they sing over the seductive pop of “Salvation”. It’s the kind of lyric that only further cements Sultana’s bone-bred independence. The Bad: Flow State’s abundance of sounds and styles is one of its best assets, but it also occasionally borders on cumbersome. Most of the 13 tracks tip the scales at four or five minutes, and by the time the 9:35 “Blackbird” rolls around, even listeners with a healthy appetite for Sultana’s lushly layered pop will likely have had their fill. That said, this is essentially the musical equivalent of telling your prospective boss that “sometimes you care too much” at a job interview. The Verdict: We recently released our list of 10 Pop Records for People Who Hate Pop Music, and we might have been remiss in excluding Flow State. Sultana’s ear for tasty hooks and melodies can’t be denied any more than her boundless musicianship, so those hell-bent on dismissing pop as middle-of-the-road mainstream schmaltz will have to look for proof of such elsewhere. This is great pop music with an edge, a record full of good vibes and bad attitude that somehow manages to work everything out splendidly. Essential Tracks: “Big Smoke”, Murder to the Mind”, and “Salvation” Source

One of Adelaide’s finest, Annabel Hartlett aka Godlands has come through with three minutes of absolute mayhem on the track Wild. Living up to it’s name, the song delivers the trademark drops that you know are coming but still rattle you to the bones. The track starts calm with some tropical jungle samples and tribal drums just to lull you into a false sense of security, before a distorted baseline speeds through and things quickly become industrial in the best way possible, some of Hartlett’s strongest work to date. Wild is Godlands’ third release of what has been a busy 2018, and coming off the back of a massive Splendour set the bass producer seems to be going from strength to strength. Let us know if you’re about Godlands‘ new one below. Words by Sam Armes Source

Lil Wayne threw his fourth annual Lil Weezyana Fest on Saturday at Champions Square in New Orleans. The one-day festival came in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Tha Carter III, but the event ended up taking on even bigger significance thanks to some surprise guests. During Wayne’s headlining performance, he welcomed out a man with whom he had been viciously feuding for years: Cash Money Records head Birdman. The long-running bad blood stemmed from the delayed release of Tha Carter V and involved multi-million dollar lawsuits, drive-by shootings, and the indefinite shelving of the record. The business side of the disagreement came to a close back in June when Lil Wayne won an eight-figure settlement that included the dissolution of his relationship with Cash Money. At Weezyana, it seems the personal beef between Weezy and his former mentor was also officially squashed when Birdman took the stage. (Read: In a Rap Beef, There’s No Such Thing as Crossing the Line) After performing “Number One Stunna” with his protégé, Birdman stopped the show to address the elephant in the room: “It feels amazing bruh to be home fucking with my son, I love that n*gga to death. I don’t know what y’all know but I know what the fuck I know and I know how I feel about what I know. I knew this day was gonna come, but I ain’t know when it was gonna come. But this n*gga right here? The best n*gga, the realest n*gga, the illest n*gga. And I wanted to apologize to my n*gga worldwide to let him know. That n*gga put his life in my hands, and I’m gonna keep it real with that n*gga. We’re gonna do this shit ’til the day we die.” The pair put a stamp on the moment by launching into the Big Tymers’ classic “Still Fly”. Check out footage below. Birdman just joined @liltunechi at #LilWeezyanaFest: https://t.co/yR2hbxGsdD #TIDALXWeezyana pic.twitter.com/MzNZmwi6SG — TIDAL (@TIDAL) August 26, 2018 To help close out the evening, Tunechi brought out another megastar guest in Nicki Minaj. “I want to show love for this man who gave me my career single-handedly,” the Queen rapper said. She then delivered a short performance that included “Barbie Dreams” and her verses from Tekashi 6ix9ine’s “FeFe” and YG’s “Big Bank”. She also asked the crowd if she should “give Lil Wayne some babies.” Check out clips of Minaj’s appearance below. We said this #LilWeezyanaFest would be special . @nickiminaj is live on https://t.co/yR2hbxGsdD #TIDALXWeezyana pic.twitter.com/sMyaPQJs4u — TIDAL (@TIDAL) August 26, 2018 Source

BROCKHAMPTON were supposed to release their new album, Puppy, back in June. However, those plans were derailed along with the hip-hop collective’s summer tour when sexual misconduct allegations emerged against the group’s Ameer Vann. Vann was booted from the troupe, and when they returned to the road in June, they announced another record, the best years of our lives, though it was unclear if this was simply a rebranding of Puppy. Now, however, the boyband has announced yet another album, Iridescence. Set for a September release, Iridescence will mark BROCKHAMPTON’s fourth studio LP. Band leader Kevin Abstract took to Twitter to clarify the confusion caused by all the various album announcements. “Not tryna lead anyone on or anything i just want us to keep making stuff we’re proud of and put it out when we’re ready,” he wrote. “I mean it from the bottom of my heart when i say thank you for your patience.” Later, Abstract tweeted, “I don’t know if i would have been able to write another record if we didn’t come to europe,” implying that Iridescence will indeed feature different tracks than those planned for the best years of our lives. (The announcement and comments came just after BROCKHAMPTON wrapped a European tour at the UK’s Leeds Festival.) That means that the recently shared tracks “Tonya”, “1999 WILDFIRE”, “1998 TRUMAN”, and “1997 DIANA” likely won’t appear on this new record. brand new music brand new feelings iridescence — kevin abstract (@kevinabstract) August 26, 2018 not tryna lead anyone on or anything i just want us to keep making stuff we’re proud of and put it out when we’re ready i mean it from the bottom of my heart when i say thank you for your patience. iridescence — kevin abstract (@kevinabstract) August 26, 2018 i don’t know if i would have been able to write another record if we didn’t come to europe – thanks for all the positive love man it was surreal this year has been one long ass dream. iridescence — kevin abstract (@kevinabstract) August 26, 2018 Abstract also shared what appears to be the Iridescence album artwork. pic.twitter.com/6UmWXDggQb — BROCKHAMPTON (@brckhmptn) August 26, 2018 pic.twitter.com/RqdI68t8Af — kevin abstract (@kevinabstract) August 27, 2018 JAY-Z and Beyonce Tour Reel Travis Scott's Top 5 Videos Food References in Drake’s Music Eminem’s Highest Charting Songs Migos’ Top Songs Source

HBO has shared a first look at the highly anticipated third season of their alternatively acclaimed and disappointing drama series, True Detective. The network has also revealed that the show will return to the airways in January 2019. From the first trailer, it seems showrunner Nic Pizzolatto has learned from the mistakes of the uneven second season and taken the prestige show back to what worked so well in the first run. That includes returning to an earthy rural setting — this time the Arkansas Ozarks — and threading the story together from various points in time. The preview shows Mahershala Ali as state police detective Wayne Hays as he investigates a mystery and wrestles with its consequences through three different time periods. The teaser doesn’t give much away in terms of plot (though kidnapped children seem to be involved), though it does set the sort of tense tone that made True Detective so gripping in the first place. Ali’s co-stars Carmen Ejogo, Stephen Dorff, and Scoot McNairy also appear briefly in the teaser, which you can check out below. Pizzolatoo wrote and directed the upcoming season alongside Jeremy Saulnier, Daniel Sackheim, and Deadwood mastermind David Milch Source

For punters in the current nanny state of Sydney, it may be hard to imagine a night on the town past the hours of 2 or 3am, that is unless you’re pouring your paycheck down the drain at the Cas. However, this is a common occurrence for clubbers in pretty much every other major city around the world that aren’t burdened by the horrendous lockout laws. It might even frustrate you to know that the town of Leipzig in Germany has just approved a law to abolish closing times completely. Literal nonstop kick-ons. The previous ‘Sperrstunde’ policy that meant all clubs had to close between 5 and 6am, (because what sort of loser goes home at 6am?) was removed by a unanimous vote from local council, much to the joy of local club owner Franziskus Thiem. “It’s a great and assuring sign from city officials that they appreciate the impact of club culture and club spaces in Leipzig and their influence on creating and nurturing a thriving and creative local community.” Check below as 700 locals celebrated the decision with a party in the streets. So who’s moving to Germany? [Via: RA] Words by Sam Armes Source

Despite dropping their latest album barely a month ago, Gorillaz front man, Damon Albarn, has alluded to a new release in a recent interview with Radio FM4. On top of that, the animated group’s mastermind has also said that a new release for his super group, The Good, The Bad & The Queen is on its way. In the interview Albarn says ‘I have another one as well, but I know I’m not gonna be allowed to even think about recording or putting it out this year. In October, after I play in America, I’ll be starting The Good, The Bad & The Queen again… it’s there. If I get the time, or if anyone wants it, it’s there.’ He then goes on to say that ‘In the ideal world, deep down the rabbit hole, I’d be able to just put them out every day…’ Who knows, after we’ve seen Disclosure’s latest daily release, project maybe he could release one a day! Check out the interview below and take what you will from it, how hyped are you for a new Gorillaz album? [Via: Dancing Astronaut] Source

In the todays edition of sneakers versus electronic music we have Adidas Originals entering the market. We’ve been gifted with a shoe that pays homage to acid house, a genre defined by that 303 synth sound that we love and hate at the same time.The shoe attempts to throw back to the classic smiley face imagery with a yellow and black colour way and a classic dad-shoe style. We’re not completely sold on this one, and saying it’s an acid house shoe almost feels like a bit of a gimmick. It does, however, resemble shoes of that 90s rave culture era, so maybe I just don’t like the shoes themselves! Check out a video on it below and see for yourself. What do you think, legitimate throwback to acid house, or a bit of a grab at the market? Source

A 26-year-old man rushed the stage at the end of Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s “OTRII” concert in Atlanta on Saturday night. Video shows the man, identified as Anthony Charles Thomas Maxwell, running up to the stage as Beyoncé and Jay-Z themselves were exiting. Fortunately, he was intercepted by a group of backing dancers and detained by venue security. According to TMZ, Maxwell briefly made contact with JAY-Z, but neither JAY-Z nor Beyoncé were injured. Maxwell was cited for disorderly conduct, but was not taken to jail. pic.twitter.com/dBH3uxDank — BEYONCÉ LEGION (@BeyLegion) August 26, 2018 JAY-Z and Beyonce Tour Reel Wiz Khalifa & Rae Sremmurd’s Dazed &; Blazed Hotline Tour The Come Up: Closed Sessions Childish Gambino’s Top 5 Songs Janelle Monae’s Top 5 Songs Nicki Minaj's Top 5 Verses Source

Third Eye Blind have returned with Thanks For Everything, a new seven-track EP which finds the band covering songs by an eclectic range of artists, from Santigold to Queens of the Stone Age to Bon Iver. “The idea with this EP was to amplify some of that music and art, and in doing so, catch inspiration for our next album,” the band explains. Thanks For Everything was released on Friday and can be streamed in full below. Included are covers of Bon Iver’s “Blood Bank”; Queens of the Stone Age’s “In the Fade”; and Tim Buckley’s “Song of the Siren”. Frontman Stephan Jenkins had this to say about each of the band’s covers: Happy Diving — “Ten”: “Happy Diving sounds like a 17 year-old skater with a cast on the wrist and hair in the eyes blithe fully flying blind and smiling into a half pipe. The band is carefree and careening, and luxuriating in effortless energy, and I wanted that feeling to inhabit me. ‘I absolutely want to shag the drummer,’ my friend said. ‘Are they doing guitarmony?’ I said. This is like bliss core Thin Lizzy. They broke up shortly after. It bothers me how so few people got to hear their music. Here’s our remedy. We tracked this somewhere in Europe with big smiles on our faces.” Santigold — “This Is Not Our Parade”: “Some songs let you see the whole landscape. Exotic, dark and cool. I heard a rave in that song that could burst out. This was one take with everyone in the same room in Memphis at a day off at the famous Ardent Studios.” Tim Buckley — “Song of the Siren”: “This has to go on any list of best song ever written. Elizabeth Fraser is also my favorite singer of all time and of course her version is definitive.” Chastity Belt — “Joke”: “We saw Chastity Belt at a club in Berlin. The drummer had a broken shoulder. No matter, she had a quiet style anyway. In the studio, I came to grips with what a great singer Julia Shapiro is. She’s Nico of the Northwest, plus she does that cool shit on the guitar.” Queens of the Stone Age — “In the Fade”: “It was pure joy to spend the afternoon fanning out on Queens of the Stone Age.” Bon Iver — “Blood Bank”: “When I listen to Justin Vernon, I feel like a better person. I feel pure and authentic and sure of my convictions. I’ve been captivated by ‘Blood Bank’ since I first heard it. I’m so in the landscape of the song, it’s as if I’m in a movie when I’m singing it. ‘Blood Bank’ would be a really good movie — definitely shot on 16mm film. We recorded it in Düsseldorf.” Thanks For Everything Artwork: Thanks For Everything Tracklist: 01. 10 (Happy Driving) 02. Fuck Forever (Babyshambles) 03. This Isn’t Our Parade (Santigold) 04. Song of the Siren (Tim Buckley) 05. Joke (Chastity Belt) 06. In the Fade (Queens of the Stone Age) 07. Blood Bank (Bon Iver) Source

Cardi B made her live comeback during Migos’ set at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday, the rapper’s first performance since the birth of her daughter Kulture in early July. Cardi joined her husband Offset and the rest of Migos for “MotorSport”. Watch fan-shot footage below. “I was so nervous and the stage was shakin,” Cardi B tweeted following her surprise appearance. .@iamcardib made a special appearance tonight at the Drake & Migos concert pic.twitter.com/NCbln2Q0ud — Cardi B Official Team (@CardiBTeam) August 26, 2018 Cardi B canceled her upcoming tour with Bruno Mars, saying, “Not only am I just not ready physically, I’m not ready to leave my baby behind.” Instead, she’s confirmed several standalone festival appearances in the coming months, including at San Antonio’s Mala Luna Music Festival and Long Beach’s Tropicalia Festival. Meanwhile, Migos are amidst a lengthy tour with Drake. Tour Update: Nicki Minaj & Future Announce Their NICKIHNDRXX Fall Tour Wiz Khalifa & Rae Sremmurd’s Dazed &; Blazed Hotline Tour The Come Up: Closed Sessions Childish Gambino’s Top 5 Songs Janelle Monae’s Top 5 Songs Nicki Minaj's Top 5 Verses Source

Sum 41 and Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda joined forces at Reading Festival on Saturday for a special tribute to late Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington. To close Sum 41’s own set, the band welcomed Shinoda to the stage for a cover of Linkin Park’s “Faint”. Shinoda played guitar and rapped his verses, while Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley sang Bennington’s vocals. Watch pro-shot footage of the performance below. Whibley previously participated in the tribute concert to Bennington held in Los Angeles late last year. Source

South Carolina’s own is a star-to-watch “Every day you profit you win” these are words to live by from your soon to be favorite rapper Casino Mel. Casino Mel just released his video “No One” via the Carolina’s hottest label, Five Star Empire. Mel is blessed with the rare ability to write timeless classics that often challenge the mind while soothing the soul, this ability is apparent on the self-reflective and openly honest new track “No One.” Casino Mel was born Jarmel Brown Lee in tiny Abbeville, South Carolina with a population of 5,237 this serves as proof that the biggest of talents can come from the smallest of places. Though he felt that he was destined to be just another urban statistic due to a series of unwise decisions made in his youth that led to him being incarcerated Mel knew that he was meant for something more. Influenced most by music icons Lil Wayne, T.I., and the late Tupac Shakur these artists represent the level of success sought by the Carolina’s new MC. Currently riding high off of the groundbreaking success of his already street classic mixtape aptly entitled “Casino My Religion 2” hosted by DJ MLK and the hood legend Bigga Rankin and setting the stage with his latest single the hood classic “Trap Ni**a” featuring Gucci Mane. Now with the release of the video for “No One” your best bet is to put it all on the Casino, Casino Mel that is. Watch “No One” above. The post Casino Mel Is a Star “No One” Knows Til Now : Watch appeared first on Verge Campus. Source

Origins is a recurring new music feature in which we give an artist the opportunity to take a deep dive into the inspirations that led to their latest song. Kaity Dunstan may have gotten her “big break” by appearing on Australia’s version of The Voice, but that’s far from where she got her start. Since she was 13 years old, she’s been playing bars around Melbourne with her sister. Intent on chasing the musical dream, she dropped out of school at 16, eventually finding her way to London. After a week-long trip in Bali smoking clove cigarettes, she adopted to moniker CLOVES. Three years and a whole lot of hard work later, she’s finally ready to release her debut full-length, One Big Nothing, on September 28th via Interscope. The process of finding the right sound for One Big Nothing was an exercise in determination, one that saw the now 22-year-old working with producers like Ariel Rechtshaid (Adele, HAIM), Ed Swinburne, Ian Barter, and Starsmith to nail down the best way to prevent her unique vocal strengths. The result is something like a barroom version of blue-eyed soul pop, as you can hear on her new single, “Hit Me Hard”. “Hit Me Hard” bops in on chugging bass lines that get elevated as resolute piano chords pound underneath. It all gets launched skyward on a rush of guitars as the chorus hits and CLOVES sings of a soured relationship she knows is no longer worth it. “Baby I need you/ To be someone but you’re not him,” she sings. “And baby I need you to be something, but you mean nothing to me.” Check it out below. For more on the relationship — and movies, singers, and YouTube videos — that inspired “Hit Me Hard”, CLOVES has broken down the track’s Origins. My EX-boyfriend: “Hit Me Hard” is written about the defining last moments in a relationship, when you know this time you’ve said some truths you can’t take back and you won’t overcome. We’d been emotionally closed off from each other for a while. I’d had a couple of drinks one night out with some friends and when I go home we started arguing immediately. That’s also the inspiration behind the lyric, “I’m an honest drunk/ We’ve got a lot to talk about.” I finally said to him hit me with something real, tell me what you’re really thinking because I can’t be a part of this act anymore. Fiona Apple: I love Fiona, I think she’s the coolest female lyricist ever, she just so brutally honest. I always try to bring as much of that brutal honesty into my songs as I can. “I hope you’re not at home/ I like it when you’re staying out/ I hope you’ve found a girl that you’re feeling guilty about.” It might be fucked up but sometimes when your relationship has so many obligations and commitments it keeps you feeling like you need to stay together. I guess in a way it’s like wishing for the easy way out, like deep down you’re wanting them to do something to hurt you so you have reason to leave. Sometimes it’s easier to hate someone than to accept that love failed because no one has control over the way people change and that’s scary. Groundhog Day: If I was going to choose a film that I could relate to the most with this song it would be Groundhog Day for the pure fact of the frustrating of monotony, and how you can feel like you’re repeating something over and over but getting nowhere closer to happiness. THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO: This YouTube video sums up the level of frustration in the relationship. Source

Fit For a King have made big waves in the metalcore scene since forming in 2007, and they’re now ready to unleash their fifth album, Dark Skies, which arrives September 14th. Leading up to the release, the band has teamed up with Heavy Consequence for the exclusive premiere of the scorching new track “Oblivion” (listen below). After a 20-second ambient intro, “Oblivion” brings the super heavy, as vocalist Ryan Kirby screams such weighty lines as, “For so long, I can barely breathe / The grip of the guilt and the scars of my sins live on / They’re choking me.” “To put it simply, ‘Oblivion’ is a story about a man’s search for forgiveness,” Kirby tells us. “The lyrics in this track were inspired by a fan (who wishes to remain anonymous), who had done some hurtful things to people he loved. He felt he was beyond forgiving, though he desired it deeply and wanted to make things right. The chorus, ‘Tell me I won’t be forgotten,’ is his cry to God to not abandon him, to give him peace. It’s one of the more emotional songs on the album.” Dark Skies is available for pre-order digitally at iTunes and physically at MerchNow, while the “Oblivion” single is available on Spotify (below). Fit For a King will support The Devil Wears Prada on the fellow metalcore band’s fall North American tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of the album With Roots Above and Branches Below. See the full list of dates below. Fit For a King 2018 Fall Tour Dates Supporting The Devil Wears Prada: 09/27 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon 09/28 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre 09/30 – Edmonton, AB @ Union Hall 10/01 – Calgary, AB @ The Gateway 10/03 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick Centre 10/04 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater 10/05 – Iowa City, IA @ Blue Moose Taphouse 10/06 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave II 10/07 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall 10/09 – Indianapolis, IN @ Old National Centre 10/10 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s 10/11 – Nashville, TN @ Exit Inn 10/12 – Springfield, MO @ The Riff Source

While working on Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, pop diva Cher was inspired to dig back into the catalogs of ABBA. She ended up doing much more than that, however, deciding to record her very own album of ABBA covers. “I’ve always liked ABBA and saw the original Mamma Mia musical on Broadway three times,” Cher explained in a statement. “After filming Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, I was reminded again of what great and timeless songs they wrote and started thinking ‘why not do an album of their music?’ The songs were harder to sing than I imagined but I’m so happy with how the music came out.” Aptly titled Dancing Queen, the cover LP is being teased today with her version of “SOS”. Cher’s take here is powerful and dramatic, and features more of that vocoder touch first teased on her cover of “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” from earlier this month. Take a listen below. Dancing Queen arrives in stores September 28th through Warner Bros. Records. Source

Geffen and UMe have announced a new deluxe reissue of John Lennon’s classic solo album, Imagine, set for an October 5th release. The 140-track Imagine — The Ultimate Collection is spread over four CDs and two Blu-ray discs, featuring rare outtakes, previously unheard demos, and isolated track elements. Together, the incredibly thorough musical history lesson gives a complete picture of Lennon’s creative process from demo to mastering. Yoko Ono Lennon herself oversaw the entire production, including the creative direction. “Yoko was very keen that these Ultimate Mixes should achieve three things – to be totally faithful and respectful to the originals, be generally sonically clearer overall and should increase the clarity of John’s vocals,” engineer Paul Hicks said in the collection’s accompanying 120-page book. “‘It’s about John’ she said. And she was right. His voice brings the biggest emotional impact to the album.” Disc one features the original Imagine remixed in stereo sound along with additional singles and extras. Outtakes from the record are included on disc two, which also contains four tracks known as Elements Mixes: string-only renditions of “Imagine” and “How?”, a vocals-only version of “Oh My Love”, and a instrumental take on “Jealous Guy”. Disc three, meanwhile, is filled with Raw Studio Mixes, helmed by engineer Rob Stevens. These tracks are the raw, live soundstage recordings Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band did at Ascot Sound Studios in Lennon and Yoko’s Tittenhurst home. Sans any production effects, the tracks are presented in 5.1 surround sound that “puts the listener in the center of Ascot Sound Studios with Lennon in front and the band playing all around and behind.” The fourth and final CD contains The Evolution Documentary. Engineered in mono by Sam Gannon, the audio documentary follows the journey of each individual Imagine track “from demo to master take via instructions, rehearsals, recordings, multitrack exploration, and studio chatter.” The first Blu-ray includes Hicks’ mix of the original album and its singles, as well as an updated Quadrasonic mix, the first time such a remix has been done in almost 50 years. Subtitled “In the Studio and Deeper Listening”, the second Blu-ray includes Imagine in surround sound and stereo, outtakes, and the Element Mixes. It also features a 29-minute tribute from DJ/longtime Lennon family friend Elliot Mintz that includes interviews with Lennon and Ono. In addition to the box set, the new mixes of Imagine will be made available as a two-CD deluxe edition, a single-CD remaster, a double-LP black vinyl, and a limited-edition double-LP clear vinyl. What’s more, Eagle Vision will release completely restored versions of the Imagine and Gimme Some Truth films from 1971 as well as remastered and remixed versions of their respective soundtracks. Finally, a new book called Imagine John Yoko by John Lennon and Yoko Ono will be published by Thames & Hudson/Grand Central Publishing on October 9th. The tome was compiled and curated by Ono and uses previously unpublished material to tell “the definitive inside story” of the making of Imagine. As a preview of the new box set, a never-before-heard demo of “Imagine” uncovered in 2016 has been shared. The take features just Lennon and his piano, and you can hear it below. Pre-orders for all the material — the box set, the Blu-rays, the book, etc — are going on via the official Imagine John and Yoko website. Take a look at the deluxe box set and its tracklist below. Imagine — The Ultimate Collection: Imagine — The Ultimate Collection Tracklist: CD1 – Imagine 01. Imagine 02. Crippled Inside 03. Jealous Guy 04. It’s So Hard 05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die 06. Gimme Some Truth 07. Oh My Love 08. How Do You Sleep? 09. How? 10. Oh Yoko! The Singles & Extras 11. Power To The People 12. Well… (Baby Please Don’t Go) 13. God Save Us 14. Do The Oz 15. God Save Oz 16. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) CD2 – The Ultimate Mixes Disc 2 01. Imagine (strings only) 02. Jealous Guy (piano, bass & drums) 03. Oh My Love (vocals only) 04. How? (strings only) Album out-takes 05. Imagine (demo) 06. Imagine (take 1) 07. Crippled Inside (take 3) 08. Crippled Inside (take 6 – alt guitar solo) 09. Jealous Guy (take 9) 10. It’s So Hard (take 6) 11. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (take 11) 12. Gimme Some Truth (take 4) 13. Oh My Love (take 6) 14. How Do You Sleep? (takes 1 & 2) 15. How? (take 31) 16. Oh Yoko! (Bahamas 1969) Singles out-takes 17. Power To The People (take 7) 18. God Save Us (demo) 19. Do The Oz (take 3) 20. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (alt mix) CD3 – Raw Studio Mixes 01. Imagine (take 10) 02. Crippled Inside (take 6) 03. Jealous Guy (take 29) 04. It’s So Hard (take 11) 05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (take 4 – extended) 06. Gimme Some Truth (take 4 – extended) 07. Oh My Love (take 20) 08. How Do You Sleep? (take 11 – extended) 09. How? (take 40) 10. Oh Yoko! (take 1 extended) Out-takes – Live 11. Imagine (take 1) 12. Jealous Guy (take 11) 13. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (take 21) 14. How Do You Sleep? (take 1) 15. How Do You Sleep? (takes 5 & 6) CD 4 – The Evolution Documentary 01. Imagine 02. Crippled Inside 03. Jealous Guy 04. It’s So Hard 05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die 06. Gimme Some Truth 07. Oh My Love 08. How Do You Sleep? 09. How? 10. Oh Yoko! Blu-ray Disc 1 – Imagine – The Ultimate Mixes 01. Imagine 02. Crippled Inside 03. Jealous Guy 04. It’s So Hard 05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die 06. Gimme Some Truth 07. Oh My Love 08. How Do You Sleep? 09. How? 10. Oh Yoko! Singles & Extras 01. Power To The People 02. Well… (Baby Please Don’t Go) 03. God Save Us (Bill Elliot vocal) 04. Do The Oz 05. God Save Oz (John Lennon vocal) 06. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) The Out-takes 01. Imagine (demo) 02. Imagine (take 1) 03. Crippled Inside (take 3) 04. Crippled Inside (take 6 alt guitar solo) 05. Jealous Guy (take 9) 06. It’s So Hard (take 6) 07. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (take 11) 08. Gimme Some Truth (take 4) 09. Oh My Love (take 6) 10. How Do You Sleep? (takes 1 & 2) 11. How? (take 31) 12. Oh Yoko! (Bahamas 1969) 13. Power To The People (take 7) 14. God Save Us (demo) 15. Do The Oz (take 3) 16. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (alt mix) The Quadrasonic Mixes 01. Imagine 02. Crippled Inside 03. Jealous Guy 04. It’s So Hard 05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die 06. Gimme Some Truth 07. Oh My Love 08. How Do You Sleep? 09. How? 10. Oh Yoko! Blu-ray Disc 2 – In The Studio and Deeper Listening 01. Imagine (take 10) 02. Crippled Inside (take 6) 03. Jealous Guy (take 29) 04. It’s So Hard (take 11) 05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (take 4 – extended) 06. Gimme Some Truth (take 4 – extended) 07. Oh My Love (take 20) 08. How Do You Sleep? (take 11 – extended) 09. How? (take 40) 10. Oh Yoko! (take 1 – extended) The Raw Studio Mixes – Out-takes – Live 01. Imagine (take 1) 02. Crippled Inside (take 2) 03. Crippled Inside (take 6 alt guitar solo) 04. Jealous Guy (take 11) 05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (take 21) 06. How Do You Sleep? (take 1) 07. How Do You Sleep? (takes 5 & 6) 08. How? (takes 7-10) 09. How? (take 40 alt vocal) 10. Oh Yoko! (take 1 tracking vocal) The Elements Mixes 01. Imagine (strings) 02. Crippled Inside (upright bass & drums) 03. Jealous Guy (piano, bass & drums) 04. It’s So Hard (strings) 05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (guitar, bass & drums) 06. Gimme Some Truth (electric piano & guitar) 07. Oh My Love (vocals) 08. How Do You Sleep? (strings) 09. How? (strings) 10. Oh Yoko! (acoustic) The Evolution Documentary 01. Imagine 02. Crippled Inside 03. Jealous Guy 04. It’s So Hard 05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die 06. Gimme Some Truth 07. Oh My Love 08. How Do You Sleep? 09. How? 10. Oh Yoko! 11. Power To The People 12. Well… (Baby Please Don’t Go) 13. God Save Us/God Save Oz 14. Do The Oz 15. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) 16. Tittenhurst Park Imagine John & Yoko – The Elliot Mintz Interviews Imagine / Gimme Some Truth DVD: Imagine 01. Imagine 02. Crippled Inside 03. Good Morning 04. Jealous Guy 05. Don’t Count The Waves 06. It’s So Hard 07. Mrs. Lennon 08. In Bag 09. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die 10. Mind Train 11. Whisper Piece 12. What’s That In The Sky? 13. Power To The People 14. Gimme Some Truth 15. Midsummer New York 16. Oh My Love 17. How Do You Sleep? 18. How? 19. Oh Yoko! 20. Beach / End Credits Gimme Some Truth 01. Imagine 02. Crippled Inside 03. Oh Yoko! 04. Jealous Guy 05. It’s So Hard 06. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die 07. Gimme Some Truth 08. Oh My Love 09. How Do You Sleep? 10. How? 11. Imagine DVD / Blu-Ray Extras 01. Jealous Guy (raw studio out-take) 02. How? (raw studio out-take) 03. Gimme Some Truth (raw studio out-take) 04. David Bailey photoshoot Source

Ed King, the former guitarist of Lynyrd Skynyrd credited for co-writing “Sweet Home Alabama”, has died at the age of 68. King was a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 to 1975 and again from 1987 to 1996. In addition to “Sweet Home Alabama”, he co-wrote Skynyrd classics including “Workin’ for MCA” and “Saturday Night Special”. Prior to joining Lynyrd Skynyrd, King was a founding member of the Los Angeles psych rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock, best known for their 1967 chart-topping single “Incense and Peppermints”. In 1972, King was hired by Lynyrd Skynyrd to replace Leon Wilkeson on bass. However, after Wilkeson rejoined the band a short time later, King switched to guitar. He appeared on the band’s first three albums, Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd, Second Helping, and Nuthin’ Fancy. King left Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1975 and was replaced by Steve Gaines, who was killed in a plane crash along with his sister Cassie Gaines and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant on October 20th, 1977. A decade later, King joined four other members of the pre-crash band in reuniting Lynyrd Skynyrd. He remained in the fold until 1996, when he was forced to depart due to congestive heart failure. In 2006, King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Source

Courtney Barnett is currently in the midst of a world tour in support of this year’s wonderful Tell Me How You Really Feel. Now, in advance of her upcoming North American dates with Waxahatchee, Barnett has released a video for single “Charity”. (Read: The Top 25 Albums of 2018… So Far) Directed by cinematographer Ashley Connor, the lived-in clip was shot to 16mm film and features Barnett palling around with her band in Toronto in between footage of a jovial live show. Watch it below. Previously, Barnett brought “Charity” to Kimmel, and offered up a live single to Spotify alongside a cover of Elyse Weinberg and Neil Young’s “Houses”. Source

The mixed bag that is Interpol’s Marauder may drop tomorrow, but the Brooklyn post-punk outfit has one final surprise in advance of its release: A brand new single, “If You Really Love Nothing”, and an accompanying music video featuring Kristen Stewart and Finn Wittrock. Directed by Hala Matar and shot in Los Angeles, the steamy clip finds a young man (Wittrock) drawn into an orbit of booze and debauchery by the force of nature that is Stewart’s temptress. “Hala is a young director I had the pleasure of meeting a few years ago, and I’ve been a big fan of her short film work since,” Banks said in a press release. “Her luscious use of colors and lighting, her insightful dialogue and playful direction, for me, are her hallmarks. There’s always humor, drama and atmosphere to spare in her work. I see all of these qualities in her video for ‘If You Really Loving Nothing’. And speaking on behalf of Interpol, we are so proud to have had the opportunity of this collaboration. Watch it below. Interpol just added new dates to its upcoming world tour. Previously, they shared a killer video for lead single “The Rover”, as well as pre-release single “Number 10”. You can grab tickets here. Source

This fall, a posthumous box set featuring unreleased Tom Petty material is set to hit store shelves. Aptly called An American Treasure, the 60-track collection pulls from throughout the rock icon’s extensive career, including those early Heartbreakers days to more recent studio sessions. In July, fans were given a peek at this massive box set with “Keep A Little Soul”, a previously unreleased recording dating back to the same 1982 Petty sessions that birthed the classic album Long After Dark. Now, another rarity from the vaults has been let loose for the very first time: an alternate “clubhouse” version of “You and Me”. (Read: Tom Petty Taught Me Everything I Need to Know About Love) The original iteration of “You and Me” appeared on Petty’s 2002 full-length, The Last DJ. Today’s newly released recording was made by Petty back in 2007. As a tribute to the music legend, its corresponding official music video is comprised of touching fan-submitted photos and video footage of Petty. Check it out below. Here’s the original for comparison: An American Treasure, which will be available in four different formats, is out September 28th through Reprise Records (the vinyl set arrives November 23rd). The project was curated and put together by Petty’s daughter, Adria; his widow, Dana; longtime Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench; and frequent engineering collaborator Ryan Ulate. Since its unveiling earlier this summer, “Keep A Little Soul” has broken into Billboard’s Top 10 Adult Alternative Songs chart, marking the first time in history an artist has posthumously charted so high. Petty tragically passed in October 2017 from an accidental prescription drug overdose. Source

In 2016, Hans Zimmer said that working on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice led to his decision to retire from scoring superhero movies. “It just did my brain in to have written Christian Bale as Batman, and suddenly it’s Ben Affleck,” the Oscar-winning composer said at the time. Perhaps he should have specified that he was done scoring Batman movies, because two short years later and Zimmer has signed on to Wonder Woman 1984. Rupert Gregson-Williams scored the original Wonder Woman for director Patty Jenkins, but it was Zimmer who gave the character her theme in BvS. Now, he’ll have the chance to write music for the entirety of Gal Gadot’s next outing as the DC Comics heroine. Personally, we can’t wait to see what he comes up with for the return of Chris Pine’s Captain Steve Trevor (who, spoiler, died in the first film but appears very much back in the sequel) and the first battle between Wonder Woman and Cheetah (Kristen Wiig). Actually, this isn’t even the first caped adventure Zimmer has signed onto since “unretiring” from superheroes. It was revealed back in January that he’d signed onto X-Men: Dark Phoenix, which was delayed until February 14th, 2019. Zimmer’s next project is Steve McQueen’s Widows, followed by a return to his Oscar-winning The Lion King score for Disney’s live-action remake. The Dark Knight Fan Theory Fan Theories: What If The Joker Was the Hero? Game of Thrones Live Experience Bohemian Rhapsody Movie Trailer Game of Thrones Tour Sizzle Reel Source

Great sitcoms are a lot like Thanksgiving leftovers. You know exactly what you’re getting, but they make you feel good. For some, they’re often white noise, a program to leave on while you do laundry, wash dishes, or make supper. For others, they’re an escape, a way to feel as if you’re not alone, all thanks to a few canned yucks and recurring bits. That’s why most popular sitcoms tend to rerun around the evening, when kids’ stomachs are grumbling as they finish homework, or late at night, when television’s the only one willing to stay up. All of this is to suggest that the greatest thing anyone could ever say about The Sitcom is that … well, it’s always been there and it always will be there. Regardless of what you want out of a television show, reliability will forever be paramount. But really, the greatest sitcoms are those you want to be there. These are the ones that aren’t so much about the story, but the characters, the places, the feelings, the moods. Maybe it’s a generational thing, but That ’70s Show has been one such escape for 20 years now, and it all started on August 23, 1998. Back then, audiences were first introduced to the Forman household, namely their iconic basement, where Hollywood welcomed fresh-faced youngsters Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Laura Prepon, and Wilmer Valderrama. It was magical, even then. But even now, you have to marvel at the efficiency and buoyancy of “That ’70s Pilot”. Written by Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner, and Mark “Yes, I Was a Dickhead to Judd Apatow” Brazill, the quick gasp of a premiere rolls by like a made-for-TV remake of Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, which is likely why the show managed to resonate with so many Generation Xers. Long before ’80s nostalgia took over, for what’s seemingly felt like an eternity, there was a love for shaggy carpets, Todd Rundgren vinyls, faded rock tees, hip-hugging bell bottoms, and shaggy hair. This pilot sold all of that, offering a choice entry point in lanky everyman Eric Forman (Grace), aka the ’90s own Richie Cunningham. That ’70s Show, FOX Like Linklater’s coming-of-age masterpiece, there’s a charming naturalism to the names and faces. Granted, it’s a far cry from what Apatow was doing over on ABC with the similarly set Freaks and Geeks, but That ’70s Show still managed to outpace its peers. Forman and the gang aren’t just a handful of archetypes, but genuine neighborhood brats — you know, the kind you saw hanging out, down the street, as Alex Chilton sang decades prior. They could be jerks, they could be rebels, they could be loners, they could be losers, they could be terrified … and this pilot suggests all of that in under 30 minutes. By the end, you never want to leave the basement. Much of that has to do with the show’s innocence. Like Happy Days before it, there’s a wash of rugged Americana at hand that’s not only of that era but spiritually timeless. Both the Formans and the Pinciottis aren’t well off. They’re average Joe Schmos, working men and women trying to provide for their nuclear families, who aren’t doing anything more than getting by day in and day out — and that applies to their goals. With Eric, you never get the sense that he wants to do anything more than love and care for his next-door girlfriend Donna Pinciotti (Prepon), whose only mission is to leave Point Pleasant, Wisconsin for the open-minded halls of a liberal arts college. For teenagers of the ’90s, who were starting to see their free time shift away from the corners and garages to online chat rooms and message boards, it was a strikingly familiar gateway to fading traditions. Think about it, when you scrape away the narrative quirks and tropes, the show boils down to a bunch of teens giving each other shit and trying to keep themselves from going crazy with boredom. As a teen, there’s nothing more relatable about that, and at least for the first few seasons, whatever tomfoolery they did get themselves into was always tangible. Even today, stealing beer, driving out of town, climbing water towers, and falling for neighborhood crushes remain backyard basics. That ’70s Show, Fox But it’s more than that. There’s a genuine heart to those early seasons, back when the cast was still young enough to sell the idea that they were teenagers slumming it in high school as opposed to, um, late twentysomethings slumming it at their folks before college. The show was also willing to “go there,” doubling down on the realities that seem to only exist on the fringes for most sitcoms. Be it Red Forman’s (Curtwood Smith) ensuing troubles with finding sturdy employment, or Kitty Forman’s (Debra Jo Rupp) chain smoking at the dinner table, or Hyde’s (Masterson) tough-as-nails squabbles at home, or even Jackie’s (Kunis) hush-hush societal woes involving her father. Behind every adventure are these lingering stakes, but being a sitcom, you know that everyone’s gonna be all right. Some might scoff at that predictability, but others might take solace. And why not? It’s an enviable escape. In life, we tend to search for comfort, the feeling that we’re going to be okay, and that we’ll be okay just being okay. That ’70s Show nailed that feeling with aplomb, feeling confident enough to slap on a cover of “In the Street” by Cheap Trick, who would eventually pay homage to their own hit “Surrender”, adding the ol “We’re all alright, we’re all alright,” at the end. Not surprisingly, that became the show’s slogan, its mantra, its raison d‘être, and it’s hard to dismiss that notion watching these episodes again — especially its pilot. By the time Eric gets a surprise kiss from Donna, and we’re sent off with the gang to the sounds of Rundgren’s “Hello, It’s Me” (one of the most iconic endings to any pilot, by the way), it’s like we’ve been wrapped up in one of the Forman’s Afghan blankets. You do feel alright. Truth be told, most of us will be alright, and despite the hiccups that come with our day-to-day, most of us will see another evening and another late night. We might not be surrounded by our own high school friends, we might not have a literal basement to go to, and, yeah, some of our greatest days may even be behind us, but there’s joy in simply feeling alright. Sometimes being with the gang is just enough. Source