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Hope? Cope? No, no, ROPE.

Manchester Orchestra
Jason Tate

Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra talked with Mens Health about his exercise routine on tour:

The bike was effective, but it wasn’t sustainable. Hull says the daily rides began to feel “less doable” as he bored of the monotony. Rather than quit, he took this as an opportunity to try something new: jumping rope. This was the perfect fitness tool for a touring musician, since it could fit in a small bag and be used anywhere—but it required a higher bar to entry than a stationary bike. “I said some of the most outrageous stuff out loud to myself that I’ve ever said failing for months at jump rope,” Hull admits.

Lauren Mayberry Talks Solo Work

Chvrches
Jason Tate

Lauren Mayberry talked with NPR about her solo journey:

Me and the managers and the label were like, “What song do we put out?” I definitely wanted to make it clear that I’m not just going to be trying to rip off the band all the time, but also it’s not all going to be downbeat sobbing piano ballads.

I love the band, I’m grateful for the band, I’m never going to cut that grass — that grass is meant to be over there. And I think that’s partly why I was like, something that’s so different is a good palate cleanser. It kind of, like, scorches the earth. So people can be like, “Just so you know, don’t expect that.” But then there’s definitely more bangers

Apple Acquires Classical Music Label

Jason Tate

Techcrunch:

More than 80% of the music we listen to today is delivered over streaming, according to figures from last year. But when you look at classical music, it’s been a stubborn hold-out, accounting for just a tiny fraction of that, with just 0.8% of streams (and that’s in the stream-friendly market of the U.S.). Apple’s bet is that this percentage will grow, though, and it wants a piece of that action.

Robert von Bahr, founder of BIS:

We thought long and hard on how to maintain and build upon our prestigious history and looked for a partner who would further our mission, as well as an increased global platform to bring classical music to new audiences all over the world. Apple, with its own storied history of innovation and love of music, is the ideal home to usher in the next era of classical and has shown true commitment towards building a future in which classical music and technology work in harmony. It is my vision and my sincerest dream that we are all a part of this future.

Rolling Stone Detail Allegations Against Anti-Flag’s Lead Singer

Rolling Stone
Jason Tate

Rolling Stone has run a new article where 13 women speak out against Anti-Flag’s Justin Sane:

Sarhadi’s claim, however, is echoed by an additional 12 women who spoke to Rolling Stone about their alleged encounters with Geever, going back to the 1990s and as recently as 2020. These allegations include predatory behavior, sexual assault, and statutory rape, including sexual relations with a 12-year-old when Geever was a teenager. (Geever did not reply to multiple requests for comment after Rolling Stone sent him a detailed list of allegations for this article.)

Zach Bryan Earns First No. 1 Album

Zach Bryan
Jason Tate

Zach Bryan has the number one album in the country:

The 16-song country-rock effort, his fourth full-length studio album, launches with 200,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 31, according to Luminate — the largest week for any rock album in four years. It’s also the first rock effort to hit No. 1 in more than a year. The set’s opening frame is largely powered by streaming activity — and the album boasts the biggest streaming week ever for a rock album.

‘Taylor Swift: Eras Tour’ Film Earns Record-Breaking $26 Million in Presales

Taylor Swift
Jason Tate

Variety:

Her “Eras Tour” concert film, which opens theatrically on Oct. 13, has already earned a massive $26 million in presale tickets at AMC Theatres. It set a single-day ticket sale record for AMC, besting the benchmark previously held by “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ($16.9 million) less than three hours after tickets went on sale, according to the cinema chain.

This figure is only for presales at AMC, meaning the actual number of tickets sold is much higher. AMC is the world’s biggest theater chain and the film’s official distrubutor, but the “Eras Tour” concert film is also playing at rival circuits like Regal and Cinemark, as well as independent locations. 

Separately, the ticketing service Fandango reported that “The Eras Tour” has broken its record for biggest first-day ticket sales for 2023. Without giving specific numbers, Fandango says pre-sales rank among blockbusters like “Avengers: Endgame,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home” at similar points in their sale cycles.

The Killers Scrapped New Album Halfway Through

The Killers
Jason Tate

Brandon Flowers of The Killers talked with The UK Times:

“This is the crisis I’m in,” he says, sighing. “The Killers are my identity and our songs fill the seats, but I’m more fulfilled making music likePressure Machine. I found a side of myself writing it that was strong. This was the guy I’d been looking for! I’m as proud of Hot Fuss as you can be for something you did when you were 20, but I’m not 20. So I’m thinking about the next phase of my life.”

MxPx Break Down New Album

MxPx
Jason Tate

MxPx talked about their new album with Alternative Press:

The songs were chosen based on what fit together. There are some great songs that we didn’t end up putting on the record or recording. But we try to get to having a theme, having something people can parse into themes without actually saying it out loud because then you really make your whole thing about that. And really it’s about whatever people want it to be. The songs will find people in their lives in different places. So I don’t know if we really overthink it to that degree or if I’m just thinking about it now. Like with the artwork, Find a Way Home, all of that. We could tell a deeper story, and I think we will, but just put some images out there. Is he in space, or is he on Earth? Honestly, it could be both. You just don’t know exactly. Sure, it’s in space or a spaceship or something. But maybe he’s going back to Earth, [or] maybe he’s coming from Earth. 

Ben Gibbard Profiled in the NY Times

The Postal Service
Jason Tate

The New York Times sits down with Ben Gibbard to talk about Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service:

I felt very self-conscious. I was already dealing with the weight of expectations on “Transatlanticism.” My ability to write both of those albums concurrently was predicated by a year-ish long break Death Cab took from touring. We had almost broken up, and we had a meeting where we decided to take some time away. During that break, there wasn’t nearly the same sense of expectation to the songs I was writing. Yes, there were fans of Death Cab who I’m sure were anticipating a new record, but in 2001 and 2002, the band still felt very small. But by the time that “Give Up” was out and had gone gold, and we’re touring “Transatlanticism” with Pearl Jam — we literally signed with Atlantic Records backstage at a Pearl Jam show — I was feeling a ton of pressure from my main gig.

Eventually Jimmy and I had a conversation where we were like, “Hey, this isn’t happening, is it?” He was the perfect partner. Jimmy is the most easygoing dude in the world. If I had made “Give Up”with someone who was a little more success-oriented, or career-oriented, it would’ve gone very poorly.

Hayley Williams Is Seeing Red

Hayley Williams
Jason Tate

Los Angeles Magazine talked with Hayley Williams:

“It feels like a crazy victory lap and she’s not even close to the end of her career,” Williams says of the stadium trek. “It’s just so historic to be a part of it. Both [Taylor and I] started really young and we’ve grown up alongside our fan bases, and that makes both of our stories really unique in a way that we get to come together from two different sides of the industry. Paramore isn’t quite mainstream, but people know our band, and we’ve had a really lucky, long career thus far. For both of us to be feeling like we’re in our prime now in our early thirties, career-wise, that’s just so special, and we don’t take it for granted. I’m so grateful that all these years later, we’ve stayed connected.”

Williams’ favorite Swift era? “Speak Now — since it came out it’s been my favorite Taylor record ever,” she enthuses. “The fact that I got to be on Taylor’s version of a vault track [“Castles Crumbling”] was just like kismet. I really got to know her when she was writing that record and I was so enamored. … She is the epitome of a songwriter, you know, just someone that will stop in the middle of your conversation and say, I have to write this down, or I have to record this. I was so in love with how passionate and present she always was.”

Ian Watkins Stabbed in Prison

Legal
Jason Tate

Ian Watkins was stabbed multiple times in prison over the weekend:

Former Lostprophets singer and convicted pedophile Ian Watkins sustained multiple stab wounds after being held hostage by other inmates in the British prison where he is currently serving a 29-year sentence on sex offenses involving young children.

Following the incident, Watkins was hospitalized with injuries the Sky News reported were “not life-threatening.” According to their report, Watkins was taken hostage by three fellow prisoners Saturday morning, leading to a six-hour standoff with corrections officers during which Watkins was repeatedly stabbed and beaten by the inmates.

Geoff Rickly Book Excerpt

Thursday
Jason Tate

An excerpt from Geoff Rickly of Thursday’s book has been shared on The Ringer:

Huddling behind a parked car across the street from our apartment, I watch our front door, waiting for Liza to leave. She has a work event tonight. I’ve kept track of them in my calendar so I know which nights I’ll be able to use openly in the comfort of my own home. When she finally steps out, she looks incredible—armored in a lightweight, thigh-length, chain mail dress, shoulders draped in a chic, black trench coat, makeup sophisticated and smoky.

It burns, seeing her like that. I tell myself, Sometimes appearances are all we have. She probably feels worse than you do. Taking stock of myself—a man hiding behind an old Toyota Corolla with a garbage bag in his hands—I know it isn’t true. She doesn’t feel worse than I do. No one does.

Taylor Swift Breaks Record

Taylor Swift
Jason Tate

Taylor Swift has broken the record for most number one albums by a female artist:

Taylor Swift’s third re-recorded album, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated July 22), launching with the year’s biggest week for any album, and gives Swift her 12th No. 1, surpassing Barbra Streisand for the most No. 1 albums among women.

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) bows with 716,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending July 13, according to Luminate, of which 507,000 are in traditional album sales. Both figures represent the largest week for any album in 2023 and the best since Swift’s last studio album, Midnights, debuted with 1.58 million units, of which 1.14 million were in album sales, last year (week ending Oct. 27, 2022; as reflected on the Nov. 5-dated Billboard 200).

Fall Out Boy’s Update of Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ Hits the Hot 100

Fall Out Boy
Jason Tate

Billboard:

Fall Out Boy reaches the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead act for the first time since 2016, as its update of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” debuts at No. 94 on the July 15-dated tally.

The reimagination bows with 4.7 million official U.S. streams, 767,000 radio audience impressions and 9,000 downloads in the June 30-July 6 tracking period, according to Luminate.