Fuse Talks With John Feldmann

Jason Tate

Fuse spoke with John Feldman about working with Blink-182 on their new album:

It gave me goosebumps on the spot. I thought, “This is it.” In my mind I knew I had the job. Then he started playing bass chords and I was like, “Fuck, I’m in love with this guy.” That was the first song we did together as a group. [Matt] Skiba came in, he’s the new guy, he liked that Mark liked it. He wrote the whole second verse. He came in and sang it in one pass, he’s that kind of guy. He crushed it in one take. At the end of the track Travis asked, “Why don’t you give me one minute of click and let me just play whatever the fuck I want?” which is how the ending of the song becomes this big crescendo of Travis Barker with these strings and Matt Skiba gang vocals.

For this week’s “Throwback Thursday,” I bring images captured of Circa Survive just a few years ago at the Ogden Theater in Denver, CO. I am probably one of the more atypical Anthony Green fans. I had never seen Circa perform live, and had never even listened to more than 15 seconds of their music before this night. And yet, Saosin’s Translating the Name was probably the most influential release for me in the early 2000’s. I know, I’m weird. However, getting to finally see Anthony perform was an experience. Anthony’s energy on stage is contagious. The moment he walks on stage you can just feel the aura he commands. I hope you enjoy this week’s gallery of some of my favorite images from that night.

Dave Gaslin

Drake’s ‘Views’ Streamed 250 Million Times

Drake
Jason Tate

Drake’s new album, Views, has been streamed over 250 million times and has so far sold 1.2 million copies (this includes the streaming album equivalents).

Over 200 million of Views’ streams have originated in the US, and the album has also sold more than 1 million digital copies through iTunes around the world. Its domestic sales totals aren’t clear yet, but Billboard forecasted over 850,000 digital album sales earlier this week. That’d be the highest total for a male artist since Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience was released over three years ago. When you add in its streaming figures and individual track sales, the album is on pace to move over 1 million equivalent album units in the US alone. (The international figure is closer to 1.2 million.)