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David Olney, 71, Revered Songwriter Dies During Performance

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Revered songwriter David Olney (born March 23, 1948) died Saturday, January 18, 2020, after suffering an apparent heart attack during a performance in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. He was 71.

A key member of Nashville’s music community since his move to Music City in 1973, the Lincoln, Rhode Island native was a compelling and enigmatic presence. He wrote sonnets and starred at the Nashville Shakespeare Festival, and his live concerts blended tenderness and ferocity, theatre and sincerity, agitation and embrace.

Country Music Hall of Fame member Emmylou Harris said “David Olney tells marvelous stories, with characters who cling to the hope of enduring love, all the while crossing the deep divide into that long, dark night of the soul.” Troubadour Steve Earle called Olney, “One of the best songwriters working in the world today,” and the late Townes Van Zandt once said, “Anytime anyone asks me who my favorite music writers are, I say Mozart, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Bob Dylan and Dave Olney.”

Olney’s songs have been recorded by Harris, Del McCoury, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Young, and many others. His lyrics are products of a remarkable inquisitiveness that allowed him to explore subjects that few songwriters would consider: He wrote of a Nashville train disaster, of baseball shortstop Phil Rizzuto, and of actor John Barrymore. He wrote about Jesus Christ from the narrative perspective of the donkey that carried him into Jerusalem, and about the Titanic from the perspective of the iceberg that sank the ship.

His friend and songwriting great Guy Clark said that Olney’s art “transcends craftsmanship. It’s inspired, for sure.”

Olney moved to Nashville after briefly studying English at the University of North Carolina. He quickly fell in with a group of like-minded songwriters that included Clark, Van Zandt, Rodney Crowell, and Richard Dobson. In the early 1980s, he formed The X-Rays, a jagged rock band that secured a contract with Rounder Records. In 1986, he embarked on a solo recording career that produced more than 20 albums and allowed him to travel the world making music.

He is survived by wife, Regine, daughter, Lillian, and son, Redding, and by a devastated music community. Memorial details are not yet available.

David Olney (Sept. 2019) – Photo by Scott Housley
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Video: The Terry Gross you don’t see on the radio

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Terry Gross, host of NPR’s Fresh Air, is famous for her interviews that probe into the lives, loves and work of notable people.

Depeche Mode’s Early Demo Recordings from 1980

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n March 1980, Vince Clarke, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher formed a band called Composition of Sound, with Clarke on vocals/guitar, Gore on keyboards and Fletcher on bass. Soon after the formation of Composition of Sound, Clarke heard Wirral band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), whose output inspired him to make electronic music. Along with OMD, other early influences included the Human League, Daniel Miller and Fad Gadget. Clarke and Fletcher switched to synthesisers, working odd jobs in order to buy the instruments, or borrowing them from friends. Dave Gahan joined the band in 1980 after Clarke heard him perform at a local Scout hut jam session, singing a rendition of David Bowie’s “Heroes”, and Depeche Mode was born. Gahan’s and Gore’s favourite artists included Sparks, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Cabaret Voltaire, Talking Heads and Iggy Pop. Gahan’s persona onstage was influenced by Dave Vanian, frontman of The Damned.

Lyrically, the other two songs are identical, though Dave sings “the ice machine, ice machine” twice during the end of “Ice Machine”, as he similarly does during early live shows until the end of the song. Andy Fletcher surprisingly plays bass during these tracks.

Seth Meyers Reveals Who He Thinks Are Underrated ‘SNL’ Cast Members

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Former “Saturday Night Live” head writer Seth Meyers thinks a few former cast members haven’t gotten their due.

Vanessa Hudgens on the time she hung out with Snoop Dogg

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Vanessa Hudgens, the former “High School Musical” icon stars in the new film “Bad Boys for Life” with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.

VIDEO: Learn How to Tie a Better Tie With Saul Goodman from Better Call Saul

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Don’t miss the premiere Sunday, February 23 at 10/9c.

VIDEO: SHAED Performs ‘Trampoline’ on The Late Late Show With James Corden

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Late Late Show music guest SHAED performs “Trampoline” for the Stage 56 audience.

https://youtu.be/e2_nwYFqF4M

Laura Dern On Baby Yoda: “I Don’t Mind Being The Taller One”

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Laura Dern, who stars in “Marriage Story” and “Little Women,” pulls back the curtain on her rumored relationship with Baby Yoda.

Discount Tire Partners With Multi-Platinum Artists, Walk Off The Earth, For 2020 “Let’s Get You Taken Care Of” Campaign

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Discount Tire, the world’s largest retailer of tires and wheels, expanded its latest brand campaign with a partnership and jingle featuring the critically acclaimed, multi-platinum pop band, Walk Off the Earth.

Discount Tire’s “Let’s Get You Taken Care Of” campaign, which debuted in 2019, launched its second ad series this week titled “Life’s Roads.” Spots feature the new “Let’s Get You Taken Care Of” jingle, performed by Walk Off the Earth (WOTE), and demonstrates how drivers can rely on Discount Tire help ensure their safety on the road while taking care of tire woes.

In addition, Discount Tire is sponsoring Walk Off the Earth’s 24-date U.S. tour, “HERE WE GO!,” and is offering fans a chance to win concert tickets in select cities. The three-month tour starts February 12 and will be a fun, interactive, one-of-a-kind experience for concertgoers.

“2020 is going to be a year to remember with new music, an entirely new tour and a way to connect with WOTElings all around the world,” said Walk Off the Earth. “We’re excited to partner with Discount Tire as they understand exactly what we’re trying to do: create genuine, human connections and constantly exceed expectations through our craft!”

For more information on how to enter to win tickets, visit here.

Discount Tire, based in Scottsdale, is the world’s largest independent retailer of tires and wheels. Founded in 1960 by Bruce Halle, they serve customers at more than 1,000 stores in 35 states. The company does business under the trade name Discount Tire in most of the U.S., America’s Tire in parts of California, and Discount Tire Direct in markets outside the reach of retail stores. Discount Tire is a primary sponsor of the No. 2 Ford Mustang driven by Brad Keselowski in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Discount Tire is also the official wheel and tire retailer of Monster Energy AMA Supercross.

Walk Off the Earth is a Juno Award winning, multi-platinum musical phenomenon currently taking the world by storm. Based just outside Toronto in Burlington, Ontario, their brilliant 5-people-playing-one-guitar interpretation of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” exploded on YouTube, garnering over 180 million views. Since then, the band has released a string of successful original songs including, “Red Hands” (#1 at AAA), “Fire In My Soul” & “Rule The World” (multi-platinum in Canada); sold out venues across the globe, from Red Rocks to Wembley, and collaborated with some of the biggest artists in the world (Keith Urban, Snoop Dogg, Nicky Romero, & Steve Aoki).

Harry Styles to Headline Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl LIV Party on Friday, Jan. 31 with Special DJ Performance by Mark Ronson

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Today, Pepsi announced chart-topping international superstar Harry Styles is set to headline the brand’s annual Super Bowl weekend party. Harry, who is about to embark on his international Love on Tour, will take the Pepsi Zero Sugar stage for what is sure to be an epic genre-bending performance of his multi-platinum debut Sign of the Times and new global hits including Adore You and Watermelon Sugar from his critically-acclaimed second solo album, Fine Line. Also performing a special DJ set that evening is Academy, Grammy and Golden Globe-winning artist and producer Mark Ronson. Ronson released his fifth studio album Late Night Feelings in 2019 to rave reviews.

This year’s event celebrates the new bold look of Pepsi Zero Sugar with a redesigned matte black can and black tab, on shelves now. Planet Pepsi Zero Sugar will showcase the unapologetic new look and attitude of the zero-sugar cola and is one of many events before, during and after Super Bowl LIV – including the “America Wins Zero” promotion. The event follows a legendary list of previous Pepsi Super Bowl parties featuring artists like Travis Scott, Bruno Mars, Pharrell and more.

Planet Pepsi Zero Sugar will be built at Meridian at Island Gardens on Watson Island, transforming the 65,000 square foot custom-built destination into a bold, alternate reality blanketed in neon lights, LED walls, mirrors with projection mapping and more. Celebrating Pepsi’s unique and unparalleled history in music and entertainment, Planet Pepsi Zero Sugar brings the exciting new look and feel of the Pepsi Zero Sugar matte black can to life in a way that only Pepsi can. Alongside Harry Style’s ethereal music style, the out-of-this world build out will transport fans to a transcendent audio-visual experience unlike anything else at Super Bowl LIV.

General admission tickets go on sale beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET today; this event is for ages 18+. Fans should follow Pepsi (@Pepsi) and HSHQ (@HSHQ) on social media for the latest updates around the Planet Pepsi Zero Sugar party at Meridian at Island Gardens.

Harry Styles has returned with his critically acclaimed second solo album Fine Line — his first piece of new music in two years. It’s a new chapter in the story he’s been building for the past ten years—a musical journey unlike any other. Styles’ Fine Line, released in December 2019 on Columbia Records, achieved an array of history-making records and topped the charts at #1 in over 20 countries. The album, which features the new single “Adore You,” debuted at #1 in the U.S. on the Billboard 200 with over 478,000 equivalent album units sold, making history as the biggest sales week for a solo U.K. male artist’s album since Nielsen Music began electronically tracking sales data in 1991, and was the 3rd highest debut for any artist in 2019. Harry is nominated for Best Male and Mastercard Album of the Year at the 2020 BRIT AWARDS. He will kick off his world tour Love on Tour in April 2020 in support of Fine Line. Styles became an overnight sensation with the band One Direction which conquered the world, touring and scoring hits at a frantic pace, while he began to evolve as a songwriter and performer. Styles went his own way in spring 2017 when he dropped his first solo single: the double-platinum piano epic “Sign of the Times,” which Rolling Stone named the Song of the Year. His self-titled debut album released in May 2017, entered the Billboard 200 at #1 and topped charts at #1 in over 55 countries. The timeless 10-track album confirmed Styles as an artist schooled in the classics, while still breaking new ground. He toured the album in 2017 and 2018 with 90 sold-out shows in over 20 countries. He made his acting debut in Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-nominated film “Dunkirk” in July 2017, becoming the first British artist with a #1 debut single, album and film in the same year.

Mark Ronson is an internationally renowned DJ and Academy-Award-winning, seven-time-Grammy-Award-winning and Golden Globe-winning artist and producer.

Ronson spent the first eight years of his life growing up in London, England before moving with his family to New York City. Already a keen student of music, and a huge fan of hip hop, he was 16 when he first began creating mixtapes and trying his hand at DJing. That early passion set him on a path to music production, recording and songwriting that has resulted in a career highlighted by work on a multi Grammy-winning album by Amy Winehouse, as well as his own Grammy-winning, global smash hit with Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk.” Along with releasing four successful albums under his own name, his resume includes production work for some of music’s biggest names, including Adele, Paul McCartney, Duran Duran and Lily Allen. More recently, he helmed Lady Gaga’s acclaimed fifth album, Joanne and Queens Of The Stone Age’s lauded Villains. In 2018 he released a string of singles with Diplo under the name Silk City, including the current world wide hit “Electricity” with Dua Lipa, which earned him a Grammy Award for “Best Dance Recording” in 2019.

He is a co-writer of the song “Shallow,” recorded by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper for the movie A Star Is Born, for which he earned an Academy Award for “Best Original Song,” a Golden Globe Award for “Best Song Written for a Motion Picture,” and 2 Grammy Awards.

Most recently Mark collaborated with Miley Cyrus, Camila Cabello, Lykke Li, YEBBA and more for his fifth studio album Late Night Feelings, which was released in June to rave reviews.

He is currently based in Los Angeles where he operates his record label, Zelig Records, home to fast rising star King Princess. To date, Ronson has 1 Academy Award, 7 Grammy Awards, 2 Brit Awards, 1 Golden Globe Award and 1 MTV VMA Award to his name.