Check out this amazing “Bohemian Rhapsody” cover by Canadian artist Marc Martel. Before you say, “wow, he should be in Queen!,” he’s actually the next best thing – he plays Freddie Mercury in the tribute show, The Ultimate Queen Celebration. He’s also the guy whose vocals were mixed in with the isolated tracks from studio recordings of Mercury himself for use in the film.
A map of the United States of America made up entirely from the titles of over 1,000 songs
The art print company Dorthy just launched this vintage styled map, taking you on a musical journey around the U.S. via the titles of songs that reference states, cities, rivers, mountains and landmarks.
Featuring classics like Autumn in New York (Billie Holiday), Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Georgia On My Mind (Ray Charles), California Girls (The Beach Boys), New York, New York (Frank Sinatra), LA Woman (The Doors), Bloodbuzz Ohio (The National), Birmingham Sunday (Joan Baez), Streets of Philadelphia (Bruce Springsteen), Fake Tales of San Francisco (Arctic Monkeys), Union City Blue (Blondie), Straight Outta Compton (N.W.A), Paisley Park (Prince), Graceland (Paul Simon), Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash), River Deep Mountain High (Ike and Tina Turner), Under the Bridge (Red Hot Chilli Peppers), Empire State of Mind (Jay-Z and Alicia Keys), Wichita Lineman (Glen Campbell) and Highway 61 Revisited (Bob Dylan).
Some of their favourite song choices are the ones which require you to think a little harder about connections, such as Space Oddity (David Bowie) which signposts Cape Canaveral, After the Gold Rush (Neil Young) which references Sutter’s Mill, and Homecoming (Kanye West) which is placed near the rapper’s home town of Chicago.
You can get it here before they’re gone, and happy trails!
The Members of Queen Talk About Their 1985 Live Aid Gig Backstage Before Going Onstage
“…No we’re not all wonderfully well behaved kids, are we? I guess but that’s that’s going to sort of actually be the nice part of it actually there’d be lots of friction and we’re all gonna try and outdo each other. We’ll just go out and play.”
And play they did.
Queen’s twenty-one minute performance at Live Aid on July 13, 1985, which began at 6:41 pm, was voted the greatest live performance in the history of rock, in a 2005 industry poll of more than 60 artists, journalists and music industry executives. Queen’s lead singer Freddie Mercury at times led the crowd in unison refrains, and his sustained note during the a cappella section came to be known as “The Note Heard Round the World”. The band’s six song set opened with a shortened version of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and closed with “We Are the Champions”.
But before all of this, they talked about what they want to accomplish, before doing a stage rehearsal.
…and here’s footage of their rehearsal…
…and finally, one hell of a set.
Nice Cave: If We Love, We Grieve. That’s The Deal. That’s The Pact.
In September, Nick Cave launched The Red Hand Files, a website where he answers questions from fans, and this week, there was a heartbreaking question from Cynthia in Shelburne Falls, Vermont, who recounts the recent deaths of her father, sister, and first love, explaining that they still communicate with her through dreams. She asks Cave whether his son Arthur, who died tragically in 2015, maintains a similar connection with him and his wife Susie. Read his full answer below, as he answers with honest grace and poise.
Dear Cynthia,
This is a very beautiful question and I am grateful that you have asked it. It seems to me, that if we love, we grieve. That’s the deal. That’s the pact. Grief and love are forever intertwined. Grief is the terrible reminder of the depths of our love and, like love, grief is non-negotiable. There is a vastness to grief that overwhelms our minuscule selves. We are tiny, trembling clusters of atoms subsumed within grief’s awesome presence. It occupies the core of our being and extends through our fingers to the limits of the universe. Within that whirling gyre all manner of madnesses exist; ghosts and spirits and dream visitations, and everything else that we, in our anguish, will into existence. These are precious gifts that are as valid and as real as we need them to be. They are the spirit guides that lead us out of the darkness.
I feel the presence of my son, all around, but he may not be there. I hear him talk to me, parent me, guide me, though he may not be there. He visits Susie in her sleep regularly, speaks to her, comforts her, but he may not be there. Dread grief trails bright phantoms in its wake. These spirits are ideas, essentially. They are our stunned imaginations reawakening after the calamity. Like ideas, these spirits speak of possibility. Follow your ideas, because on the other side of the idea is change and growth and redemption. Create your spirits. Call to them. Will them alive. Speak to them. It is their impossible and ghostly hands that draw us back to the world from which we were jettisoned; better now and unimaginably changed.
With love, Nick.
Batman Dracula Made by Andy Warhol (1964)
Batman Dracula is a 1964 black and white American film produced and directed by Andy Warhol, without the permission of DC Comics, publishers of comics about the character Batman. The film was screened only at Warhol’s art exhibits. A fan of the Batman comic series, Warhol made the movie as a “homage.” Batman Dracula is considered to be the first film featuring a blatantly campy Batman. It was filmed on the beaches of Long Island, and on the roofs of New York.
Minnesota Timberwolves Unveil Prince-Inspired Uniforms
As a nod to Minnesota icon Prince and the Minneapolis sound he pioneered, the Minnesota Timberwolves unveiled the team’s Prince-Inspired City Edition uniforms. In partnership with the Prince Estate, the team revealed the new look, which was created through a collaborative effort between the Timberwolves, Nike and the Prince Estate, at an event at Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Visit Timberwolves.com/30th to learn more about the design elements of the jerseys.
The new uniform will debut on Friday, November 16 when the Wolves face the Portland Trail Blazers at Target Center. City Edition merchandise will be available for purchase beginning Thursday, November 8 at 11:00 pm CT online at Timberwolvesteamstore.com. Fans can also purchase at the Timberwolves Team Store in the Target Center skyway starting at 6:00 am Friday, November 9 and inside Target Center at Sections 138 and 238. Fans can register for merch drop notifications at Timberwolves.com/purple.One lucky fan will win a Karl Anthony Towns autographed City Edition jersey.
Representatives of the Prince Estate and members of Prince’s family evidenced their pride in announcing the partnership with the Minnesota Timberwolves, which honors the inspiring life and iconic legacy of Prince Rogers Nelson. They stated:
“From a young age, Prince enjoyed basketball – as a player and a fan. From his days playing at Bryant Junior High and Central High in South Minneapolis, through countless pick-up games while on the road with bandmates around the world, he enjoyed the camaraderie and competition of the game. This partnership brings together the city of Minneapolis, and more broadly the state of Minnesota, in an exciting effort to uniquely honor Prince. We look forward to initiatives ahead – both on and off the court – that will extend from this campaign and echo throughout the Twin Cities and beyond. Thanks to the Timberwolves, Nike and the NBA.”
The City Edition jersey is a representation of an icon and a team; a jersey representation and a purple celebration for the ages. When Minnesota combines music, basketball, culture and a beloved legacy, it becomes something historic. The blend provides radiant energy, recalls classic memories, and creates a united fan excitement befitting of a Prince inspired experience.
Today’s announcement is about much more than a jersey unveil. It represents the launch of a platform that has been created after many hours of sustainable collaboration with the Prince Estate that will celebrate the legacy of the Minneapolis sound. Most elements of the Timberwolves experience will be impacted at moments throughout the season – including but not limited to game experience, digital content, digital platforms, events and promotions.
The Timberwolves will also recognize and donate to non-profit organizations that advance causes important to Prince and that are actively involved in continuing his legacy. There will be an on-court check presentation to these organizations at home games where the City Edition uniforms are worn.
The actual jersey design incorporates multiple references to the legacy of Prince. The left vent on the jersey bears a paisley leaf in tribute to Prince’s creative sanctuary – Paisley Park. The right shoulder pattern honors the iconic jacket Prince wore when performing “Purple Rain”. The “MPLS” on the left leg symbolizes the well-known Minneapolis Sound that Prince ushered in during the late 1970s. The Timberwolves partial logos on the right leg and on the belt buckle are in tonal purple – the regal color most closely associated with Prince. Tying it all together is the distinctive font, which is reminiscent of the 1980s Prince era.
City Edition merchandise will be available for purchase beginning Thursday, November 8 at 11:00 pm CT online at Timberwolvesteamstore.com. Fans can also purchase at the Timberwolves Team Store in the Target Center skyway starting at 6:00 am Friday, November 9 and inside Target Center at Sections 138 and 238. Fans can register for merch drop notifications at timberwolves.com/purple. One lucky fan will win a Karl Anthony Towns autographed City Edition jersey.
The team is scheduled to wear the City Edition uniforms eight times during the regular season. In addition to November 16, the Wolves will sport the uniforms for home games on January 11 vs. Dallas, February 13 vs. Houston, March 19 vs. Golden State and April 5 vs. Miami. The team will also wear the uniforms January 24 at Los Angeles Lakers, March 12 at Denver and March 14 at Utah.
The City Edition is the fifth of six jerseys the Wolves will wear this season, joining the white Association Edition, navy Icon Edition and green Statement Edition that were worn last season, and the black Classic Edition that was unveiled last August. The sixth and final uniform will be unveiled at a later date. Home teams pick which uniform they wear and visiting teams choose a contrasting uniform within their own assortment.
In the second year of a multi-year partnership with Fitbit, the City Edition uniform also includes the Fitbit jersey patch. Fitbit is the “Official Wearable” and “Official Sleep Tracker” of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Lynx and Iowa Wolves in a partnership that extends to the court, arena, front-office, Dance Team, and fans.
Muse Announce “Simulation Theory” World Tour
MUSE have announced their Simulation Theory World Tour. The tour kicks off February 22nd in Houston, Texas and will see the multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning rock icons headlining venues across the U.S., Canada, UK, and Europe (more to be announced later).
Fan who pre-order Simulation Theory via the band’s website by Friday, November 9th will have first access to tickets on Tuesday, November 13th at 10 am. local time. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, November 16th at noon local time. Citi card members can access a pre-sale for U.S. tickets from November 13th at 10 p.m. local time through the 15th at 10 p.m. local time via the Citi Private Pass program.
The Simulation Theory World Tour will feature an exciting new Enhanced Experience Package that allows access to an exclusive Mixed Reality Pre-Show Party, powered by Microsoft, with three original virtual reality games, inspired by tracks from Simulation Theory. Additional Enhanced Experience perks include a premium concert ticket, show specific poster, interactive photo experience with props and memorabilia from the band’s latest videos and more.
Muse’s upcoming album Simulation Theory will be released on November 9th. Their last studio album, Drones, was released in June 2015 and debuted at number one in 21 countries around the world including their first number one album in the United States. The album went on to win the Grammy Award, their second, for Best Rock Album in February 2016. Since forming in 1994, Muse have released seven studio albums, selling over 20 million albums worldwide.
Widely recognized as one of the best live bands in the world, Muse have won numerous music awards including two Grammy Awards, an American Music Award, five MTV Europe Music Awards, two Brit Awards, ten NME Awards and seven Q Awards, amongst others.
Muse 2019 Tour Dates
February 22 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
February 24 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
February 26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Arena
February 28 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena
March 2 – Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Bay Events Center
March 5 – San Diego, CA @ Valley View Casino Center
March 7 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
March 9 – Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
March 24 – Sunrise, FL @ BB&T Center
March 26 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
March 28 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
March 30 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
March 31 – Quebec City, QC @ Videotron Centre
April 2 – Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Arena
April 4 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
April 7 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
April 10 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
OZZY OSBOURNE Announces Additional Dates On North American “No More Tours 2”
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy-winning singer and songwriter OZZY OSBOURNE has announced additional North American tour dates for 2019. For these shows, OSBOURNE will be backed by his longtime collaborators Zakk Wylde (Guitar), Blasko (Bass), Tommy Clufetos (Drums) and Adam Wakeman (Keyboards), with Megadeth supporting for the entire North American run.
Tickets for the 2019 North American “NO MORE TOURS 2″shows go on sale to the general public starting Friday, November 9 at 10:00 AM local time at LiveNation.com and through the Live Nation app. Citi is the official presale credit card of the tour. As such, Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase presale tickets beginning Tuesday, November 6 at 10:00AM (local time)until Thursday, November 8 at 10:00 PM (local time) through Citi’s Private Pass program.
The “NO MORE TOURS 2” tour launched in May 2018 in Santiago, Chile for solo shows in three countries followed by a six-week European leg of headlining solo dates and festival performances. A North American tour followedkicking off August 30 in Allentown, PA, with the final four shows of that leg of the tour postponed for OZZY to recover from an infection. Those four shows–Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA, North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas–will now conclude the 2019 dates. Tickets for these rescheduled dates are on sale now at LiveNation.com. The trek will also include a newly announced June 11 stop at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Prior to his 2019 dates, OZZY will headline a special New Year’s Eve OZZFEST spectacular at the Forum in Los Angeles.
On his upcoming farewell world tour, produced by Live Nation, OSBOURNE will celebrate more than five decades as a performer (both as a solo artist and as lead singer of Black Sabbath which formed in 1968). This tour, expected to take OZZY around the world with dates into 2020, will mark the end of global touring for the legendary artist, though he will continue to perform select live shows in the future. Throughout his career, OZZY has sold more than 100 million records.
This will mark the first time Megadeth will join OSBOURNE for a full tour, although they have performed together previously at OZZFEST and other festivals around the world. Megadeth burst onto the scene thirty years ago, virtually inventing a genre with their debut album Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good! (recently recognized by VH1 as the Greatest Thrash Metal Debut Album of All Time) sold more than 38 million albums worldwide, earning numerous accolades including a 2017 GRAMMY Award for “Best Metal Performance” for the title track of their fifteenth studio album Dystopia, 11 additional GRAMMY® nominations, a SILVER CLIO for their Dystopia campaign and scored five consecutive platinum albums-including 1992’s two-million-selling Countdown to Extinction.
OZZY’s 2019 tour dates:
North America
DATE CITY VENUE
Wed, May 29 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
Fri, May 31 Sunrise, FL BB&T Center
Sun, June 2 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Tue, June 4 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
Thurs, June 6 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
Sat, June 8 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium
Tue, June 11 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Thu, June 13 Pittsburgh, PA KeyBank Pavilion
Sat, June 15 Bangor, ME Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
Tue, June 18 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
Thu, June 20 Hamilton, ON FirstOntario Centre
Sat, June 22 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
Wed, June 26 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Fri, June 28 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
Sun, June 30 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
Thu, July 4 Milwaukee, WI Summerfest
Sat, July 6 St. Paul MN Xcel Energy Center
Tue, July 9 Edmonton, AB Rogers Place
Thu, July 11 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
Sat, July 13 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
Tue, July 16 Portland, OR Moda Center
Thu, July 18 Sacramento, CA Golden 1 Center
Sat, July 20 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
Tue, July 23 San Diego, CA North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Thu, July 25 Phoenix, AZ Ak-Chin Pavilion
Sat, July 27 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
Mon, July 29 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
EUROPE, AUSTRALIA, JAPAN
Wed, January 30 Ireland, Dublin 3Arena
Fri, February 1 UK, Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Sun, February 3 UK, Manchester Manchester Arena
Tue, February 5 UK, Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
Thu, February 7 UK, Glasgow The SSE Hydro
Sat, February 9 UK, Birmingham Genting Arena
Mon, February 11 UK, London The O2, Arena
Wed, February 13 Germany, Munich Olympiahalle
Fri, February 15 Germany, Frankfurt Festhalle
Sun, February 17 Germany, Hamburg Barclaycard Arena
Tue, February 19 Germany, Berlin Mercedes-Benz Arena
Fri, February 22 Sweden, Stockholm Ericcson Globe
Sun, February 24 Finland, Helsinki Hartwall Arena
Wed, February 27 Switzerland, Zurich Hallenstadion
Fri, March 1 Italy, Bologna Unipol Arena
Sun, March 3 Spain, Barcelona Palau Sant Jordi
Sun, March 9 Sydney, Australia Download Festival
Mon, March 11 Melbourne, Australia Download Festival
Wed, March 13 Christchurch, NZ Horncastle Arena
Sat, March 16 Auckland, NZ Spark Arena
Thu, Mar 21 Tokyo, Japan Download Festival–Makuhari Messe
Video Comparison Of Queen’s 1985 ‘Live Aid’ Show With The Remake In ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
Hong Kong video editor This Game Is Easy edited the original video of Queen’s brilliant Live Aid performance with the new Bohemian Rhapsody movie’s version, and yet another reason why I love the internet. The editor writes, “I recently saw Bohemian Rhapsody in theaters and right as the Live Aid part started I was so surprised at how accurate it is to the original live performance. I wanted to compare it side by side but noticed it doesn’t work well as half the songs are cut and the songs are edited so I decided to make a comparison.”
According to Deadline, audiences remain in love with Bohemian Rhapsody, giving it an A CinemaScore, 88% overall positive, and four-and-half stars on Screen Engine/ComScore’s PostTrak, topped off with a super-definite recommend of 75%. Overall demos for Bohemian Rhapsody are 51% female, 49% male, with 77% over 25, 31% over 45, 52% under 35, with the single largest quad being 25-34 at 26%. Which means Queen just made a whole new batch of fans this weekend, including a large group who weren’t even alive when Live Aid happened in 1985.
Sub Pop Relaunches Vinyl Singles Club
Legendary Seattle record label Sub Pop are now taking subscriptions for the fourth – and, who knows, perhaps the best! – incarnation of the legendary Sub Pop Singles Club. Are you desperate to hear new and exciting music? Do you pine for exquisitely packaged, colored-vinyl artifacts? Do you break into a sweat at the thought of missing out on limited-edition tchotchkes to hold over your friends’ heads? Well, subscribe now and feed your need here.
Attentive oldsters may recall the first edition of the Singles Club, which coincided with the launch of Sub Pop as a (their words) semi-functioning record label, and featured Nirvana, Soundgarden, Sonic Youth, Fugazi, L7, and countless (ok, around 75, to be more precise) other era-defining artists from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Fans of a more youthful age may remember the second and third editions, which ran from 1998-2002 and 2008-2009, respectively, and together included hitmakers like Iron and Wine, Bright Eyes, The White Stripes, Death Cab for Cutie, Jesus and Mary Chain, The Get Up Kids, The Dutchess and the Duke, Om, Thee Oh Sees, and many more.
For the eminently reasonable postpaid (meaning shipping is included in the price; tax is not) price of $130 for the U.S., $170 for Canada, $185 for Mexico, and $195 for the rest of the world, you will receive twelve (12) 7” singles, shipped directly from Sub Pop HQ in Seattle to you, starting in April of 2019. These singles will feature exclusive tracks by artists from all over the map, both literally and figuratively, but tied together by the common thread of being great at what they do and inspiring to the label.
Subscribing is the only way to get the physical 7”s. They will not be available in stores. Each single will be available for streaming and digital purchase two weeks after that single ships. But by then you will not be able to go back in time, subscribe, and get that single. So sign up now if you want vinyl.