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Neon Trees Are Back

Neon Trees
Jason Tate

Neon Trees have announced on Facebook that they’re back:

It seems strange to say this but:

We’re back.

It’s been 3 years since our last album, and after years of being a band together, touring the world and living the dreams of our youth, we took an important break.. one that’s refreshed all of us and refocused what our band is and what we want to do next.

We are pleased to announce that next week you’ll all be getting the first taste of new music from this next era of Neon Trees.

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On Friday Bandcamp Will Donate Proceeds to Transgender Law Center

Bandcamp
Jason Tate

Bandcamp:

Bandcamp is a platform for artistic expression, and all manner of variance in experience and identity, including gender and sexuality, is welcome here. We support our LGBT+ users and staff, and we stand against any person or group that would see them further marginalized. This includes the current U.S. administration, and its recent capricious declaration that transgender troops will no longer be able to serve in the military. That this announcement was motivated in part to help fund the border wall exposes it as part of the administration’s cynical, discriminatory agenda.

In response, we will be donating 100% of our share of every sale on Friday, August 4th (from midnight to midnight Pacific Time) to the Transgender Law Center, a nonprofit organization that works tirelessly to change law, policy, and culture for the more equitable. TLC does critical policy advocacy and litigation on multiple fronts, fights for healthcare for trans veterans, defends incarcerated trans people from abuse in prisons and detention centers, supports trans immigrants, and helps trans youth tell their stories and build communities.

MTV to Bring Back TRL

MTV
Jason Tate

MTV will be bringing back TRL while they attempt to stay relevant:

Then in October, MTV will unveil the revival of “TRL.” The original iteration — which featured a countdown of music videos, a studio audience and frequent appearances from star musicians — was, in a way, a throwback itself, an updated version of “American Bandstand.”

The newer version of “TRL” will initially run an hour a day, and Mr. McCarthy said that might grow to two to three hours a day as the show developed. (There will also be unique daily content for Instagram, Snapchat and other social media channels.)

I remember watching TRL when I was younger. I watched it because there was a chance Blink-182, New Found Glory, or Sum 41 would make it onto the countdown and I’d get to see thirty seconds of their video. One of the main reasons I started AbsolutePunk.net was so that I could catalog music videos for bands I loved in a place where everyone could find them easily. Thankfully, YouTube ended up doing all that way better than I could have ever dreamed.

What TRL did well was become a destination for any artist starting their album cycle. If you wanted a shot at breaking out, you had to appear on the show and do an interview/video debut/live performance. This worked great when MTV was one of the only gatekeepers for the music industry. New album information for a select group of artists could break on TRL. Now, with access to more video (and news) content for bands than I could ever consume in a lifetime on the internet, I wonder what the hook will be for TRL that makes it worth watching. As someone that barely watches any live TV, I’m skeptical about the demand for these kinds of shows. Finding the small communities, video channels, and/or podcasts that are tailored to your specific listening habits just seems more interesting to me.

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Tyler Hedstrom Passes Away

Jason Tate

Tyler Hedstrom, the drummer for Anarbor, has passed away. He was 17. A Gofundme has been set up for the family:

On behalf of Anarbor and The Hedstrom Family, we regret to inform you that Tyler, our drummer, friend, and colleague took his life this week at his home in Arizona. We are devastated. Tyler was very happy and jovial beforehand, and was becoming a very successful musician. This shows us that life can indeed be fragile, even if you don’t see it.

Tesla Unveil the Model 3 Sedan

Tesla
Jason Tate

Tesla have unveiled the first of their new Model 3 sedans:

In a ceremony at Tesla’s factory complex near San Francisco, the company’s chief executive, Elon Musk, delivered the initial Model 3s off the assembly line to 30 employees chosen to be the model’s first owners.

It was a pivotal moment in Tesla’s evolution from a manufacturer of luxury electric vehicles into a producer of mass-market cars.

The company has yet to specify when it will begin selling the Model 3, priced at $35,000, to the half-million prospective buyers who have reserved cars with $1,000 deposits.

Ars Technica has a deeper look:

The $35,000 electric vehicle’s interior is more spartan than the Model S or Model X. Air ducts are hidden and there’s no instrument cluster directly in front of the driver. All the information you need about the car is found on a single, horizontal screen mounted in the center of the dashboard. The side mirrors and steering column are adjusted with two marble-sized trackballs where your thumbs might rest on the steering wheel.

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