George Michael has passed away. He was 53.
The star, who launched his career with Wham! in the 1980s and had huge success as a solo performer, “passed away peacefully” on Christmas Day in Goring, Oxfordshire, his publicist said.
Joe Coscarelli interviewed Jimmy Iovine and Larry Jackson of Apple Music for The New York Times:
We wanted to work with Frank Ocean. We had a deal—we were working with Frank Ocean, and he controlled where his music came out. Why would it be in our interest to be part of a fast one, a slow one or any one? We were getting the record no matter what. Whatever happened with him and Universal is really between him and Universal. It has nothing to do with us. Nothing.
Spoon will release a new album next year. The band briefly spoke with Entertainment Weekly for their 2017 music preview:
They’ve also teamed once more with Flaming Lips’ longtime producer Dave Fridmann. “I love working with Dave because he makes a point to f— things up,” says frontman Britt Daniel. As ever, Daniel & Co. have crafted multidimensional jams that showcase textured guitar riffs, warm keyboards, oddball studio effects, and Daniel’s sandpaper-rough croon. Twenty-three years in, he is creatively invigorated like never before. “I love this record,” Daniel says. “I feel like we are on to something—we’re covering some new ground.”
Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performed “Ordinary World” on Conan last night. A video of the performance can be found on Conan’s website.
Björk has penned an open letter on Facebook addressing the media and the sexism that female artists face.
women in music are allowed to be singer songwriters singing about their boyfriends . if they change the subject matter to atoms , galaxies , activism , nerdy math beat editing or anything else than being performers singing about their loved ones they get criticized : journalists feel there is just something missing … as if our only lingo is emo …
The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group has purchased SpinMedia’s Spin, Vibe, and Stereogum websites:
“In recent years, we set out to own the topic of music online, and the acquisition of these incredible music assets helps us do just that,” said Media Group co-president John Amato. “By making these storied brands part of our family, The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group will be able to fully capture the value of millennials and music, and continue to strengthen its leadership position in this critical arena.”
Best of luck capturing all that “millennial value.”
Against the Current recently completed a live session for Baeble Music.
St. Vincent talked with Guitar World about her new album:
“I’ve been able to step back and reflect and not just be in the tour, record, tour, record cycle that I’ve been in for about 10 years,” says Clark. “I think it’ll be the deepest, boldest work I’ve ever done. I feel the playing field is really open for creative people to do whatever you want, and that risk will be rewarded—especially now that we have such high stakes from a political and geo-political standpoint. The personal is political and therefore the political can’t help but influence the art. And only music that has something pretty real to say is gonna cut the mustard.”
Blink-182 sat down with Billboard to talk about their Grammy nomination and the upcoming deluxe edition of California:
It’s almost, it’s more than a whole other record, it’s a double album at this point and it’s more of an extension of what we did in the studio earlier. Some of the songs were songs that we did not put on the first album, but are great songs. And some are brand new that we just wrote last week, a lot of high-energy songs, punk rock, some more ballad-y songs, a little more electronic experimentation, it’s a good mix. It’s not a collection of throwaway songs, it’s like a whole other album.
And:
Yeah, there are like four songs that didn’t make the album that we’re putting on there. But then there are brand-new songs like “Wildfire” and “Parking Lot” and “Misery” that are all so f—ing strong, man. It’s amazing. We started writing maybe a week and a half ago and I think we have 14 songs. It’s a good problem to have. I’m really excited about this deluxe edition. It’s gonna be incredible.
Ok, I’m sold.
HAIM spoke with Entertainment Weekly about their upcoming album (which they are now aiming for a summer release):
Those perfectionist tendencies are to blame for the album’s shifting arrival date. Originally, the group had hoped to release the album this past fall, but they’re now looking at a summer release. “We write everything, we play everything, and we help produce everything,” Danielle says. “These things take time, and we refuse to put out anything we’re not 100 percent in love with.”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced its inductees for 2017. The list can be found below.
Read More “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Announce 2017 Inductees”
Brandon Flowers of The Killers has written an op-ed for The Las Vegas Review-Journal supporting Vegas valet parkers:
As crazy as it sounds, my childhood dream was to be a valet parker. For a hard-working Vegas kid too restless for a desk job, valet was it. It wasn’t just about parking cars, it was about being the first face you see when you arrive at the hotel — the hookup who knew the ins and outs of the town.
Tegan and Sara have launched a LGBTQ foundation for women and girls.
Through the Tegan and Sara Foundation, we can be proactive with our support rather than wait to react to discrimination as it occurs. We will support the work of other organizations who have been fighting for LGBTQ and women’s rights by raising funds and awareness for their initiatives. We will fight against the repressive legislation of the incoming Trump administration. We will fight against regressive homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic legislation. We will fight for economic, racial and gender justice. We started the Foundation to dismantle the systems of inequity that prevent LGBTQ girls and women from reaching their full potential. Together, we can make a difference.
You can donate here.
J. Cole has the number one album in the country this week.
J. Cole’s 4 Your Eyez Only bounds in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, granting the rapper his fourth chart-topper and notching the third-largest debut of 2016, according to Nielsen Music. The set earned 492,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Dec. 15.
Pinegrove has posted up their discography on Bandcamp as a pay-what-you-want price. The proceeds will all be donated to Planed Parenthood.
Read More “Pinegrove Donating Bandcamp Sales to Planned Parenthood”