“How do I explain Neil Young? Great question! I explain Neil Young as, I would kill to see his acoustic shows.” – Bob Mould
1-minute tip for artists: Create your own supergroup.
You get to play Master of the Universe. Go create something awesome.
Alfonso Rubeiro aka Carlton’s advertisement for his breakdancing kit “Breakin’ and Poppin’, 1985
Before appearing at Carlton on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Alfonso Rubeiro played Alfonso Spears on the sitcom Silver Spoons. Even before THAT, he began his career at age 8, first gaining recognition in 1983 when he played a leading role in the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid. He received positive reviews for his performance and was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award. Ribeiro appeared as a dancer in a Pepsi commercial that featured Michael Jackson in 1984.
In 1985, Ribeiro appeared as himself in a commercial on MTV, advertising a dance instruction book he authored called Alfonso’s Breakin’ & Poppin’ Book. He’s the ad.
Video: Disneyland’s Forgotten Sci-Fi Rock Band
For one glorious summer, an experimental, sci-fi band rocked Disneyland’s space stage. With a bass-playing Wookie and an acrobatic frog, the band’s existence is nearly unbelievable, and the story behind its creation is just as incredible. This is Defunctland’s first feature film, Live From the Space Stage: A HALYX Story.
Paul Rudd Shares an NSFW Will Ferrell Story From ‘Anchorman 2’
On ‘10 Questions With Kyle Brandt,’ Paul Rudd shares his favorite ‘Anchorman’ scene, and tells the story of a Will Ferrell take that made him and Steve Carell break on set while shooting ‘Anchorman 2.’
Boom! Boom! ‘John Lee Hooker Live at Montreux 1983 & 1990’ Released November 6
On November 6th, The John Lee Hooker Estate and Universal Music will release John Lee Hooker Live at Montreux 1983 & 1990 as a 2-LPset, digital video & digital audio.
Four-time Grammy Award winner and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, John Lee Hooker will forever be hailed as a legend of the blues genre. His storied career continues its impact on modern music even today–with fans spanning generations and transcending borders. Hooker was responsible for moulding the blues into a sound that was entirely his own, dispensing with 12-bar blues in favour of an intensely deep, funky groove.
Located in Switzerland, the Montreux Jazz Festival is one of the world’s biggest and longest-running jazz festivals. Live at Montreux witnesses John Lee Hooker deliver two blistering performances filmed at the festival in 1983 and 1990. He was joined by The Coast to Coast Blues Band, covering an impressive set of hits from across his storied career including ‘Boom Boom’, ‘Crawlin’ King Snake’ and his very first single ‘Boogie Chillen’’- the latter expanded to an epic 13-person Jam on the 1983 set, featuring guitarist Luther Allison, harmonica legend Sugar Blue, and a horn section. For his triumphant return to Montreux in 1990, Hooker added an additional guitar and sax to the line-up, as well as female vocalist Vala Cupp.“The Hook” infuses his set with songs from his 1989 Grammy winning album, The Healer, including the hypnotic title track.
John Lee Hooker’s first single, ‘Boogie Chillen’’ rose to#1 on the R&B chart in 1949, selling over a million copies. Hooker was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980and the Rock and Roll Hall of Famein1991.In 2008, “Boogie Chillen’’ was added to the National Recording Registry by the Library Of Congress as a song that is” culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform(s) or reflect(s) life in the United States.” ‘Boogie Chillen’’ and ‘Boom Boom’ were both inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame and both songs are also included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of The 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.
John Lee Hooker Live at Montreux 1983 & 1990 [2LP] TrackListing:
Live at Montreux 1983 – LP1
Side One
- It Serves Me Right To Suffer
- I Didn’t Know
- Hi-Heel Sneakers
- If You Take Care Of Me, I’ll Take Care Of You
- Boom Boom
Side Two
- Worried Life Blues
- I’m Jealous
- Crawlin’ King Snake
- Boogie Chillen’
Live at Montreux 1990 – LP2
Side Three
- John Lee Hooker Introduction
- Mabel
- I’m In The Mood
- Crawlin’ King Snake
- BabyLee
Side Four
- It Serves Me Right To Suffer
- Boom Boom
- The Healer
- Boogie Chillen’
Billie Eilish Announces Global Livestream Concert ‘Where Do We Go? The Livestream,’ To Air On October 24
Five-time GRAMMY Award winning artist Billie Eilish announces details for her first ever global livestream concert. WHERE DO WE GO? THE LIVESTREAM, will be hosted on Billie’s website and powered by the Maestro interactive streaming platform. The one-of-a-kind experience concert, with interactive production by lili Studios, will be LIVE from Billie’s native Los Angeles on Saturday, October 24 at 6PM EST. Following the live performance, all ticket holders will also have access for 24 hours to replay the show on-demand.
From now through October 12 at 12AM EST, early ticket buyers will gain exclusive access to Billie Eilish merchandise at a special discounted price. Additional exclusive Billie Eilish merchandise will also be revealed and available from now until show day for all ticket holders. Proceeds from select items will go towards Crew Nation, a charitable fund created to help support the countless crew members affected by events and concert cancelations in 2020. To find out more about ways to get involved, donate, buy merchandise or apply for relief, head to: livenation.com/crewnation.
As part of the livestream’s experience, fans will also receive a Postmates code for free delivery in the U.S. to complement WHERE DO WE GO? THE LIVESTREAM with a delivery from their favorite local restaurant. Codes valid until Sunday, October 25 at 11:59 EST.
OutKast’s ‘Stankonia’ Gets 20th Anniversary Edition With Remix Bundles
This Is Certified, Legacy Recordings’ division for the celebration of Sony Music’s Hip Hop and R&B catalog, is commemorating the 20th anniversary of Stankonia, OutKast’s game-changing Hip Hop masterpiece, with a month-long October campaign leading up to the release of the album’s newly certified RIAA platinum hit singles–“B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad),” “Ms. Jackson” (3x platinum) and “So Fresh, So Clean”–in new bundles on all DSPs on Friday, October 30. Each song comes bundled with instrumental, A cappella and remixed versions in state-of-the-art 16 Bit sound.
Each of Stankonia’s singles will be available for the first time in its own digital bundle, all-new to DSPs. The “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)” bundle features three previously unreleased remixes: Cutmaster Swiff Remix, Zack de la Rocha (Rage Against The Machine) Remix and Beat Bullies Remix.
Stankonia, the album, will be available digitally in 24 Bit and 360 Reality Audio on October 30. The newly-expanded version presents the original album in its entirety plus six bonus tracks: the Mr. Drunk Remix of “Ms. Jackson,” the Stankonia Remix of “So Fresh, So Clean” (featuring Snoop Dogg & Sleepy Brown), and the Zack de la Rocha Remix of “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)” (previously unreleased) in addition to OutKast’s A cappella renditions of those three songs.
Vinyl Me, Please, the “best damn record club out there,” in association with SME/Certified/Legacy, will release a collectible 20th Anniversary 2LP edition of Stankonia pressed on 12″ black and white galaxy vinyl. Stankonia will be available to VMP members as the club’s “Record of the Month” for October 2020 and includes an exclusive art print.
The seven cuts in the “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)” bundle include the Radio Edit, Radio Mix, Instrumental, Cutmaster Swiff Remix (previously unreleased), Zack de la Rocha (Rage Against The Machine) Remix (previously unreleased), Beat Bullies Remix (previously unreleased) and A cappella versions.
The “Ms. Jackson” bundle features the Radio Mix, Instrumental, Mr. Drunk Remix and A cappella versions of the song in addition to “Sole Sunday” (featuring Goodie Mob) (Radio Mix), “Sole Sunday” (featuring Goodie Mob) (Dirty Mix), “Sole Sunday” (Instrumental) and “Sole Sunday” (A cappella).
The “So Fresh, So Clean” ten-cut bundle includes the Radio Mix and Fatboy Slim Mix as well as “So Fresh, So Clean” (featuring Snoop Dogg & Sleepy Brown) (Stankonia Radio Remix), “So Fresh, So Clean” (Stankonia Remix) (featuring Snoop Dogg & Sleepy Brown), “So Fresh, So Clean” (featuring Snoop Dogg & Sleepy Brown) (Stankonia Remix – Instrumental), “So Fresh, So Clean” (featuring Snoop Dogg & Sleepy Brown) (Stankonia Remix – A cappella), Raptile’s Cryptotech Remix, Instrumental, and A cappella versions.
Featuring tracks recorded 1999-2000 in Atlanta’s Stankonia Recording and A&M Studios in Los Angeles, OutKast’s Stankonia was originally released through LaFace/Arista Records on Halloween 2000. For the group’s fourth studio album, their first in the 21st century/new millennium, American Hip Hop duo OutKast–André 3000 and Big Boi–expanded their musical and performance aesthetics to incorporate elements of funk, electronica, psychedelia, gospel, rock and rave culture into a new integrated sound rooted in the Deep South while reaching into the future. One of those rare records that defines its era while projecting a vision ahead of its time, Stankonia is nothing less than a sonic state-of-mind, a portal into another world, a new way of being. “Stankonia,” said André 3000, “is this place I imagined where you can open yourself up and be free to express anything.”
The boundless freedom André 3000 and Big Boi deployed on Stankonia manifested a wide range of lyrical content–songs addressed sexuality, politics, Black culture, parenthood and personal reflection–while the music was both grounded and out-of-this-world, a singular combination of the carnal, the ethereal and the spiritual, wrapped in wit, compassion and soul. Stankonia raised the bar and rewrote the rules for 21st popular music. Widely regarded as one of the greatest albums in Hip Hop history, Stankonia sold more than 530,000 copies the week of its release and debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200. The album generated three hit singles, with “Ms. Jackson” becoming the first OutKast single to peak at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Stankonia won Best Rap Album at the 2002 Grammy Awards while “Ms. Jackson” took home the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Most recently, Stankonia came in at #64 on Rolling Stone’s new edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
The videos for “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad),” “Ms. Jackson” and “So Fresh, So Clean” will be upgraded to high-resolution HD while each of the singles has been certified RIAA platinum, with “Ms. Jackson” reaching 3x platinum territory as of October 8.
Bono, Johnny Marr, Damon Albarn, Liam Gallagher and More To Join Official Joy Division / New Order Podcast
The tale of Joy Division and New Order is being told like never before in ‘Transmissions: The Definitive Story’; the new podcast series capturing vivid moments and retelling the epic chronicles of the group from Joy Division’s inception onwards.
Beginning October 29, the eight part series features exclusive interviews with the band, Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, Gillian Gilbert and Peter Hook, plus contributions from iconic guests and narrated by Maxine Peake.
The first series of eight episodes, or ‘Transmissions’, will cover the journey from Joy Division up until 1983’s Blue Monday. The Manchester group wrote a monumental chapter of music history and were integral to British culture over the past 40+ years, influencing some of the greatest musicians alive today.
The series features a hard to beat lineup of guests, each sharing their own account of a band that helped shape them, including Anna Calvi, Bobby Gillespie, Bono, Colin Greenwood, Damon Albarn, Hot Chip, Honey Dijon, Johnny Greenwood, Johnny Marr, Karen O, Krystal Klear, Liam Gallagher, Perry Farrell, Pet Shop Boys, Ben Kelly, Hewan Clarke, Lindsay Reade, Peter Saville, Shaun Ryder, Stereolab, Virgil Abloh, Veronica Vasicka and Thurston Moore.
Offering a glimpse into the series, Bernard Sumner says “Nothing would’ve stopped us – nothing did stop us, did it? Ian’s death didn’t stop us, Martin’s death didn’t stop us, getting all the equipment stolen didn’t stop us… There was nothing to go back to. There was no plan B.”
“To be in one band with such a distinct identity is pretty bloody lucky but then to get into two bands was amazing!,” says Peter Hook.
The new series was produced by Cup & Nuzzle, the team behind Robert Plant’s hugely successful podcast ‘Digging Deep’, released earlier this year.
‘Transmissions The Definitive Story podcast is available to listen on 22nd October via Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube, Amazon Music, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts.
New Order’s first new music in 5 years was ecstatically received last month, as they shared single, ‘Be a Rebel’. With a message to celebrate ourselves and appreciate what we have, even in hard times, ‘Be A Rebel’ is an uplifting, dreamy cut of New Order synth pop. Available now digitally, the 12” inch, CD and digital bundle featuring new remixes will be out on 13 November.
New Order also just released the definitive collection of their 1983 studio album Power, Corruption & Lies via Warner Music. The box set is accompanied by individual releases of the four 12” vinyl singles from 1983/1984 that didn’t appear on the original album, beginning with the best-selling 12” of all time, ‘Blue Monday’, followed by ‘Confusion’, ‘Thieves Like Us’ and ‘Murder’.
MasterClass Announces St. Vincent to Teach Creativity and Songwriting
MasterClass, the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world’s best across a wide range of subjects, today announced that multiple Grammy Award–winning guitarist, singer, songwriter and director, Annie Clark, known professionally as St. Vincent, will teach a class on creativity and songwriting. Taking members behind the curtain of her public persona, Clark gives an intimate look into her artistic development, from how to effectively generate ideas to how to pursue a project to completion. Clark’s class is now available exclusively on MasterClass, where subscribers get unlimited access to all 90+ instructors with an annual membership.
Annie Clark debuted her musical persona, St. Vincent, in 2007 with her debut album, Marry Me. Having previously performed with the symphonic pop band The Polyphonic Spree and Grammy and Academy Award – nominated artist Sufjan Stevens, Clark’s first foray into solo songwriting would lay the foundation for what would become a series of modern music’s most distinctive and exciting artistic identities. Fusing elements of indie, rock, electronic and jazz, subsequent St. Vincent albums Actor and Strange Mercy expanded on a sound that defied genre and convention, marrying esoteric guitar heroics with deeply personal and poetic songwriting. In 2014, the eponymous St. Vincent made her the first solo female artist in 20 years to win the Grammy for Best Alternative Album; three years later, she took home two more Grammys for Best Recording Package and Best Rock Song for the title track of her 2017 album, MASSEDUCTION.
“All you need are ears and ideas and you can make anything happen,” said Annie Clark. “In my MasterClass, I will share with you performance tips, songwriting tips, studio tips and give an inside look into my creative process so you can use your own creativity to move the needle in a more empathetic direction for the world.”
Clark’s MasterClass will give members an intimate look into her artistic development, diving into her end-to-end creative process and detailing the evolution that led to finding her voice as St. Vincent. Beginners and non-musicians will enjoy the demystification of popular music as Clark takes members into the studio and gives an inside look at how the songs they love came to be. From breaking down the songwriting process from inception to execution and examining the personal journeys associated with being an artist, Clark highlights the importance of the individual in the creative process. For more advanced songwriters, producers and performers, she provides tips on how to turn creative ideas into finished products, from building a basic home studio to honing their guitar skills and tips for delivering a live performance. Clark gives a never-before-heard breakdown of the song “Savior” that she started creating at 16 years old and evolved over time. She also opens up about embracing fear and shame, sharing personal stories and insights. Members will come away feeling inspired to be more empathetic and curious artists and ready to create interesting work that is unique to themselves.