Rolling Stone Talks With Laura Jane Grace

Rolling Stone talked with Laura Jane Grace about all the right-wing backlash to the new song “Your God.”

Grace says the song was well-received at the event, though, which was, essentially, a protest against the current state of America, which, under the Trump administration is apparently trying to erase trans people. “That song is the most relevant song I have right now to everything that’s going on,” Grace says, stressing that she ran the track by Sanders’ team first. “It’s a little profane, but out of all the songs I played, that was the one everyone connected with immediately. It’s a straight-up protest song. I don’t know what else that event was supposed to be other than a protest rally.”

Billie Joe Armstrong Buys Stake in Minor League Baseball Team

Jason Tate 1 week ago

Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong has purchased a stake in Oakland’s minor league baseball team:

The Green Day icon is joining the ownership group of the Oakland Ballers, the new (and as of this coming season) only professional baseball team in Northern California’s East Bay. Armstrong and legendary Oakland rapper Too $hort are climbing aboard the independent Pioneer League team ahead of the 2025 campaign, giving a celebrity boost to a club that in its first season already attracted plenty of grassroots interest.

Coheed and Cambria Talk with Kerrang

Jason Tate 1 week ago

Coheed and Cambria talked with Kerrang about their upcoming album:

“It’s a self-brand,” he explains as he prepares to brave the cold streets of London. “I think about all of the years being the guy who’s in the concept rock band. It’s a brand on myself, a painful one and a proud one. But the title is also for the character of Vaxis, who’s at a place in the story where the world is his and he can create it as he chooses. Part of me sees myself more in that character than ever. The end of the band, or the end of the concept of The Amory Wars is around the corner. Do we continue to stay inside the concept? Because I know how to do that, but part of me wonders what a new creative life looks like. That’s something that Vaxis has the choice to do, and will probably do when the next two records are done. I see a conclusion that, to me, feels perfect.”

Microsoft Shutting Down Skype

Jason Tate 1 week ago

The Verge:

Microsoft is shutting down Skype in May and replacing it with the free version of Microsoft Teams for consumers. Existing Skype users will be able to log in to the Microsoft Teams app and have their message history, group chats, and contacts all automatically available without having to create another account, or they can choose to export their data instead. Microsoft is also phasing out support for calling domestic or international numbers.

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The Future of the Internet Is Likely Smaller Communities

Jason Tate 2 weeks ago

The Verge:

Smaller, purpose-driven communities are the future. The desire for smaller, more intimate communities is undeniable. People are abandoning massive platforms in favor of tight-knit groups where trust and shared values flourish and content is at the core. The future of community building is in going back to the basics. Brands and platforms that can foster these personal, human-scale interactions are going to be the winners.

Seems like a good idea; someone should try it. Maybe we could call these things … forums?

Judge Tosses Part of a Lawsuit Against The 1975

Jason Tate 2 weeks ago

Associated Press:

Members of the British band The 1975 cannot be held personally liable for losses of a Malaysian music festival that was shut down by authorities after lead singer Matty Healy kissed a male bandmate on stage, a London judge ruled Monday.
The organizer of the Good Vibes Festival is seeking 1.9 million pounds ($2.4 million) in losses after Healy criticized the country’s anti-homosexuality laws and then kissed bassist Ross MacDonald at the Kuala Lumpur show in July 2023.

Home Grown Talk About Reuniting and Next Steps

Jason Tate 2 weeks ago

Home Grown recently talked with Dying Scene about reuniting and the future:

I don’t know what happened. I think it was like 2023, probably in the fall. Adam was poking around the idea and we were talking about it. It never came into fruition. Kind of like, we’ll talk next year because at the end of the year. You got a lot of stuff going on. We started getting offers from Something Corporate and asked us if we wanted to do a support tour with them. Then we just threw out a group text and asked if there was interest. We wanted to have a meeting first before we make anything official. We all met up and it was great. We literally didn’t talk about music or the band for like a good hour, hour and a half. Then we all started talking about what we all want for the band. We basically all met in the middle and here we are, reunited.

A Turntable and an iPad Home Dashboard

Jason Tate 3 weeks ago

I enjoyed this story from Niléane over at MacStories about combining a new found love of vinyl with technology:

Allow me to spoil the ending of this story for you: in the end, unboxing this turntable escalated into a legitimately awesome tech upgrade to our living room. It’s now equipped with a docked 11“ iPad Pro that acts as a shared dashboard for controlling our HomeKit devices, performing everyday tasks like consulting the weather and setting up timers, and of course, broadcasting our vinyls to any HomePod mini or Bluetooth device in the apartment. This setup is amazing, and it works perfectly; however, getting there was a tedious process that drastically reinforced my long-standing frustrations with Apple’s self-imposed software limitations.

The app that powers it, Quanta, is one I’ll have to check out.

Mark Hoppus Selling Banksy Painting

Jason Tate 3 weeks ago

Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 is selling his Banksy:

“We loved this painting since the moment we saw it,” said Hoppus, who bought the artwork with his wife, Skye Everly, in 2011. He said the painting – “unmistakably Banksy, but different” – has hung in the family’s homes in London and Los Angeles.
Hoppus said he would use the proceeds of the sale to buy work by upcoming artists. Some will go to the California Fire Foundation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Cedars Sinai Hematology Oncology Research.

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Green Day Developing New Film

Jason Tate 1 month ago

Green Day are developing a new roadtrip comedy film called New Years Rev.

Inspired by their early days touring in a sprinter van, New Years Rev stars three best friends (played by Mason Thames, Kylr Coffman, and Ryan Foust) who mistakenly believe they’re set to open for Green Day at a New Year’s Eve concert in Los Angeles. The film follows the trio as they pile into a van and hit the road to California, embarking on a journey that promises to be “rowdy, mischievous, and full of adventure.”

Quiksilver, Billabong and Volcom Stores Close

Jason Tate 1 month ago

AP:

Outdoor apparel seller Liberated Brands, which has operated stores for surfer and skater-inspired labels like Quiksilver, Billabong and Volcom, filed for bankruptcy this week — and plans to shutter its locations across the U.S.
Liberated filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware court on Sunday. In court documents, the California-based company said it would be winding down and liquidating its North American business after struggling with a series of macroeconomic shocks, supply chain troubles and falling profits due to “fast fashion” rivals.

And a generation of mall cruising pop-punk kids with bleached tips are hit right in the feels.

Spotify Reports First Full-Year Profit

Jason Tate 1 month ago

The Wall Street Journal:

Spotify Technology reported its first ever full year of profitability, fueled by record user growth and austerity measures after years of heavy spending on growth initiatives such as podcasts.
Its fourth-quarter earnings are a sign that the company has been able to wean itself off years of intense investment and transform from a music-streaming service with tough margins to a full-service audio company.
Shares in the company rose 10%, and are up about 29% on the year.
“It only took 18 years for us to get here, but we’re here,” Chief Executive Daniel Ek said in an interview.

Bandcamp Announces MusiCares Fundraiser

Jason Tate 1 month ago

Bandcamp:

On February 7th, from midnight to midnight PST, Bandcamp will donate 100% of its proceeds to MusiCares to aid those affected by the devastating Southern California wildfires. MusiCares provides critical support to the music community, offering mental health counseling, addiction recovery, health services, housing assistance, and more during times of crisis.

Ground Control to Myspace Tom

Jason Tate 1 month ago

Caitlin Dewey:

In fairness, no one really knows if Anderson would navigate our current social media environment with more or less grace than the current bozos.1 He left the game in 2009, when social media was still widely and unreservedly viewed as a force for social good. His scandals were of the comical and momentary sort; his politics — if he has them — have always seemed wan and vague.
But the fact that Anderson did retire from tech, and at the tender age of 38, testifies to a political philosophy and a set of values that feel almost radical today. People like Musk and Zuckerberg are hell-bent on amassing unprecedented, indecent stores of power and wealth. Anderson isn’t exactly curing cancer, by comparison … but he’s at least bucked the gospel of infinite extraction.

H/T: Nick Heer

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Her Dad and the 10,000 Records He Left Behind

Jason Tate 2 months ago

Wonderful story over at The Washington Post:

Since September, the 24-year-old Polish Canadian woman has held a daily “listening party” on her Instagram and TikTok pages, @soundwavesoffwax, to explore decades and genres of music that her father, Richard, loved — punk, disco, pop, jazz, techno, new wave and ’60s psych rock. The project has exploded online, resonating with more than 460,000 followers combined so far — and she still has nearly 10,000 records to go.
“I hope to listen to them all,” Jula told me on a blistering winter day from her home in Alberta. “This has been such a beautiful experience for me sonically and emotionally.” Jula spoke to The Washington Post on the condition that only her first name be used out of concern for her safety. Her last name has not been publicized.