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5 Surprising Facts About The Kinks’ ‘Something Else by The Kinks’

Released on September 15, 1967, Something Else by the Kinks twinkles like a late-summer twilight in a dusty English village. Their fifth studio album trades rock-star bravado for string flourishes, afternoon daydreams, and observational gems from Ray Davies’s ever-curious pen. Embracing baroque pop, music hall whimsy, and chamber balladry, it marks a turning point in the band’s sound—and the first full album produced by Ray himself. It’s not just another Kinks record. It’s a quiet revolution dressed in corduroy.

1. “Waterloo Sunset” Took a Decade to Happen in Ten Hours
Ray Davies carries the melody to “Waterloo Sunset” in his mind for years before letting it spill into tape. The final recording session stretches ten hours, with echo tricks and tape delay weaving magic into every guitar line. Ray imagines the scene from a hospital balcony, watching the Thames shimmer with memories. Terry and Julie never had it so cinematic.

2. “Death of a Clown” Was Born in a Daydream at Mum’s House
Dave Davies drifts off at a wild party and wakes up in a swirl of circus surrealism. Suddenly, he’s a clown—performing, spinning, fading. He rushes to his mum’s out-of-tune piano and taps out three notes that soon become “Death of a Clown.” Nicky Hopkins plays the intro by plucking piano strings like a harp. The result: a solo hit hiding in a full-band costume.

3. “David Watts” Is a Double-Layered Daydream in Blazer and Tie
“David Watts” skips to the rhythm of envy with a perfectly pressed schoolboy crush. Ray pens it after watching a concert promoter swoon over his brother Dave, adding a cheeky wink to the sharp uniform of pop. “He is so gay and fancy free,” Ray sings, balancing admiration, irony, and ambiguity like a pint on a pub piano.

4. Ray and Rasa Make Music Hall Magic
Rasa Davies, Ray’s wife at the time, lends her voice like a ghost in the machine—floating through choruses, swirling around harpsichords. Her harmonies light up “Two Sisters” and “Death of a Clown” like an unseen narrator. It’s not just a family affair—it’s chamber-pop alchemy in a velvet frame.

5. “No Return” Goes Bossa Nova Without a Passport
In the middle of English suburbia, Ray slips into a samba rhythm on “No Return.” It sways with soft bossa nova brushstrokes, like Astrud Gilberto on a foggy London morning. A nylon-stringed detour that feels like sipping espresso under a rainy awning, it’s a gentle reminder that even the Kinks can float down a Brazilian breeze.

Something Else shuffles, winks, and strums its way into rock history. Though it sold modestly in its day, the album grew into a beloved oddity, a cult cathedral for anyone seeking English wit with a side of sonic peculiarity. With Waterloo Sunset as its golden crown and Ray Davies behind the mixing desk, the album captures a band evolving from loud lads to literate legends—one village green at a time.

5 Surprising Facts About Sheryl Crow’s Self-Titled Album

Sheryl Crow’s self-titled second album lands on September 24, 1996, with a stomp, a shimmer, and a sharper edge. Trading the jam-session spirit of Tuesday Night Music Club for a self-produced, deeply personal statement, Crow writes with swagger and sings with the ease of someone who knows exactly where every chord should fall. Blending folk, rock, blues, and a little cosmic mischief, it becomes a defining record of the ’90s—and one of Crow’s boldest artistic declarations.

1. The UFO Gospel According to Sheryl
“Maybe Angels” opens the album like a flickering X-Files rerun on a Delta blues frequency. Sheryl spins lines about government secrets, heavenly choirs, and Kurt Cobain floating beside Lennon. It’s a conspiracy lullaby dressed in Wurlitzer and fuzz. Somewhere between Roswell and redemption, the groove soars.

2. Walmart vs. the Chorus
“Love Is a Good Thing” rolls in like a protest sign with a power chord. Sheryl calls out gun sales at discount stores with laser-precise lyrics—and Walmart hears it loud and clear. The retail giant pulls the album from shelves, which only makes it louder. Rock and roll, meet retail resistance.

3. Johnny Cash Finds “Redemption Day”
Buried deep in track ten is a folk-blues lament Crow wrote after visiting Bosnia on a USO trip. “Redemption Day” hums with moral gravity and gospel glow. Years later, Johnny Cash records it for his final album, turning it into a gravel-throated benediction. The song becomes a bridge across generations.

4. “A Change Would Do You Good,” Hat-Trick Edition
Sheryl, Jeff Trott, and Brian MacLeod write “A Change Would Do You Good” by literally pulling lyrics from a hat. Each verse becomes a coded message: one about a producer, one about Madonna, and one—finally—about Crow herself. Soul, sass, and Staple Singers energy keep it all spinning.

5. If It Makes You Fuzzy
“If It Makes You Happy” tries on a parade of sonic outfits—punk, country, funk—before landing on its now-iconic slow-burn rock strut. Crow lays down the vocals like a smoky truth bomb while guitars drip with just the right amount of chaos. It becomes an anthem for the cathartic and the chaotic alike.

With Sheryl Crow, the artist becomes the architect. The album swerves from swampy riffs to satellite beams, folk musings to full-throttle rebellion, and finds power in every pivot. Triple platinum sales, Grammy wins, and retrospective acclaim follow—but it all begins with one woman taking full control of her story. Twenty-nine years later, it still makes you happy, and it still makes you think.

5 Surprising Facts About Jefferson Airplane’s ‘Surrealistic Pillow’

Released on February 1, 1967, Surrealistic Pillow lands like a velvet meteor in the middle of America’s consciousness. Jefferson Airplane’s second studio album—and the first with Grace Slick and Spencer Dryden—ushers in a technicolor sound that defines the San Francisco scene. With its dreamy harmonies, fuzz-drenched guitars, and cosmic curiosity, the record becomes a cornerstone of psychedelic rock and a flagship for 1960s counterculture. Here are 5 mind-blowing facts about the classic album.

1. The “Spiritual Advisor” with a Guitar
Jerry Garcia floats through Surrealistic Pillow like a ghost in paisley—credited as “spiritual advisor,” he also twirls in and out of songs with spectral guitar work. He fine-tunes “Somebody to Love,” fingerpicks the ether on “Today,” and casts spells on “Comin’ Back to Me.” Legend places him at the center of the studio’s astral map, arranging harmonies like tarot cards. Garcia doesn’t just drop in—he levitates through.

2. A Title Plucked From the Psychedelic Ether
While lounging amid incense trails and Technicolor soundscapes, Garcia muses the music feels “as surrealistic as a pillow.” The phrase lingers in Marty Balin’s mind like a bell in a canyon. Soon, it drapes across the album like velvet over a lava lamp. It suggests softness with strange edges—equal parts Salvador Dalí and dorm-room daydream.

3. “White Rabbit” Marches to a Boléro Beat
Grace Slick composes “White Rabbit” at a red piano with missing keys, conjuring Alice and psychedelics in the same breath. Its slow-build intensity mirrors Ravel’s Boléro, a hypnotic rise into euphoric disorientation. Add a hint of Miles Davis’s Sketches of Spain and you’ve got a march not just through Wonderland, but through the looking glass of San Francisco’s Summer of Love.

4. The Cover Photo Came With Hieroglyphic Walls
Photographer Herb Greene shoots the album cover in his own dining room, where the wallpaper pulses with primitive symbols and half-drawn mythologies. The band lounges like Greco-Roman muses transported to Haight-Ashbury. RCA tints it pink instead of blue, and Marty Balin loves the accidental brilliance. It becomes an icon—psychedelia framed in wallpaper and whimsy.

5. A Song Penned on a Very Enlightening Evening
“Comin’ Back to Me” drifts into existence after Marty Balin shares a joint with Paul Butterfield and picks up a guitar while the rest of the band vanishes into the night. Only Casady, Garcia, and Grace Slick remain, and they record the song in a single take. It glows like candlelight on the edge of a trip—gentle, ghostly, and entirely suspended in time.

More than five decades later, Surrealistic Pillow still hums with mystery and imagination. From dorm rooms to desert festivals, its echoes ripple through indie ballads, acid-folk experiments, and cinematic dreamscapes. Inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2024, the album remains a sacred artifact—forever chasing white rabbits through the fog of history.

BBYKOBE Steps Into the Spotlight with Debut EP ‘She Luv BBYKOBE’ Featuring R&B-Rap Alchemy and Star-Studded Credits

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Writer, producer, and vocalist BBYKOBE releases his inventive debut EP, She Luv BBYKOBE, out now on Warner Records. The six-song project is an artful masterclass in cutting-edge rap and R&B, demonstrating the qualities that have made the Detroit hitmaker a go-to for Playboy Carti, Future, Travis Scott, Ty Dolla $ign, and The Weeknd, among others.

BBYKOBE’s long-awaited set follows another in a string of huge behind-the-scenes wins: He scored three placements on JACKBOYS 2 earlier this month, producing “PBT” featuring Scott, Tyla, and Vybz Kartel; co-producing “CHAMPAIN & VACAY” starring Scott and Don Toliver, and contributing vocals/adlibs to “OUTSIDE” alongside Scott and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. Before that, BBYKOBE worked on three songs on Carti’s MUSIC, including “Rather Lie” featuring The Weeknd, not to mention the pair’s earlier 2024 smash hit, “Timeless.”

Despite his remarkable successes, BBYKOBE arrives on She Luv BBYKOBE as a burgeoning new artist, pairing rich, vibe-heavy soundscapes with a wildly fluid vocal approach that, on a cut like recent single “FRIENDS,” can have him sounding like three or more people in less than two minutes. “DRUNK N RIGHTEOUS” is no exception. BBYKOBE coasts over a trippy mix of shimmering keys, creaky guitar, deep bass, and endless texture: “One more drink, I’m feeling right / You get drunk and you get righteous / I can’t argue when you like this.”

She Luv BBYKOBE was preceded by two other singles: the Midwest rap banger “RIP HUTCH” with Motor City vet G.T., and BBYKOBE’s hypnotic and melodic debut, “BBYGIRL.” He prefaced all of that with an increasingly explosive studio portfolio that includes cowriting the culture-shifting “Like That” by Future, Metro Boomin, and Kendrick Lamar, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 – not to mention working across groundbreaking albums like Scott’s UTOPIA (including the single “I KNOW ?”) and pitching in on songs and projects from artists like Ty Dolla $ign, Cash Cobain, Lil Wayne, and Roddy Ricch, to name a few.

Now, after crafting hits for others, BBYKOBE is rewriting the game for himself. 

Spencer Hatcher Drops Steamy New Country Single “When She Calls Me Cowboy,” Honoring Classic Love Songs with a Modern Touch

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Spencer Hatcher released a new, after-dark focus track, “When She Calls Me Cowboy,” available now across all digital retail and streaming partners. With a heartfelt, nostalgic feel rooted in classic country storytelling brushed with a modern polish, the steamy country tune centers around a term of endearment used behind closed doors.

“I’ve always loved a classic country song – like Conway Twitty’s ‘I’d Love to Lay You Down’ – that captures the tender, private moments between a man and his woman,” says Hatcher. “‘When She Calls Me Cowboy’ is in that tradition. It still has that tenderness, and a beat you can dance around your kitchen to, just like in the song.”

Penned by hit songwriters Marv Green (Lonestar’s BMI Song of the Year, “Amazed”), Bart Butler (Jon Pardi’s “Your Heart or Mine”) and Tim Nichols (Tim McGraw’s GRAMMY-winning No. 1 “Live Like You Were Dying”), “When She Calls Me Cowboy” explains how “cowboy” can mean so much more than other affectionate nicknames like “baby” and “darlin’.”

And when she calls me cowboy
Lets her hair fall down boy
Gets that look in her eye says I better hold on tight
It’s gonna be a good night
When she turns out the lights
That’s her way of sayin’ I need you right now boy
When she calls me cowboy

The sultry track, thick with pedal steel, was produced by Jason Sellers, Ilya Toshinskiy (Jelly Roll) and Mickey Jack Cones (Joe Nichols).

Daughtry Announces New EP ‘Shock to the System (Part Two)’ Out Sept. 12, Drops Powerful New Single “The Bottom”

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Following a landmark year that included back-to-back #1 singles at Active Rock with “ARTIFICIAL” and “PIECES,” and sold-out tours with Breaking Benjamin, Staind, and Disturbed, multi-platinum rock band Daughtry is keeping up the momentum with the announcement of their upcoming EP SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM (PART TWO), arriving September 12th via Big Machine Rock.

Following the April release of the haunting “THE DAY I DIE,” which set the tone for this next chapter, Daughtry delivers another bold preview today with the new single “THE BOTTOM,” available now on all platforms.

Built on a swaggering groove that cuts through a haze of distortion, “THE BOTTOM” finds Chris Daughtry flexing his vocal range with a hypnotic cadence as he confesses, “I was down in a hole until I clawed my way back from the bottom.”

The track captures the raw honesty and sonic intensity that define SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM (PART TWO) and gives fans a deeper glimpse into the EP’s emotional core.

Regarding the album, Daughtry states, “SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM is about facing the things we’ve ignored and confronting the wake-up calls that force us to go deeper and get honest. These songs unlocked something in me as a writer and a human being. PART TWO is the result of that journey.”

SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM (PART ONE) delivered major milestones for the band, scoring their first-ever #1 at Active Rock with “ARTIFICIAL,” followed by another #1 with “PIECES.” The project drew widespread praise from outlets such as Billboard and Spin, who highlighted the palpable heaviness and fearless creative evolution of this new era.

SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM (PART TWO) Track Listing:

  1. THE SEEDS
  2. DIVIDED
  3. THE DAY I DIE
  4. THE BOTTOM
  5. TERRIFIED
  6. RAZOR
  7. ANTIDOTE

Tour Dates:

07/26/25 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center ^
07/27/25 – Memphis, TN @ FedExForum ^
07/29/25 – Wichita, KS @ Intrust Bank Arena ^
07/30/25 – Catoosa, OK @ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa ^
08/01/25 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena ^
08/02/25 – Ridgedale, MO @ Thunder Ridge Nature Arena ^
08/04/25 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater ^
08/06/25 – Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre ^
08/07/25 – Palm Desert, CA @ Acrisure Arena at Greater Palm Springs ^
08/08/25 – Arcadia, WI @ Ashley for the Arts 2025 **
08/09/25 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre ^
08/10/25 – Oro Station, ON @ Boots and Hearts Festival 2025
08/13/25 – Ridgefield, WA @ Cascades Amphitheater ^
08/14/25 – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre ^
08/19/25 – Boise, ID @ Western Idaho Fair 2025
08/24/25 – Cincinnati, OH @ Heritage Bank Center ^
08/27/25 – Providence, RI @ Amica Mutual Pavillion ^
08/28/25 – Manchester, NH @ SNHU Arena ^
08/30/25 – Halifax, NS @ Halifax Citadel National Historic Site ^
10/01/25 – Virginia Beach, VA @ The Dome *
10/03/25 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Hard Rock Hotel Casino Atlantic City *
10/04/25 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony Summer Stage *
10/07/25 – Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway *
10/08/25 – Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater *
10/10/25 – Huber Heights, OH @ Rose Music Center at The Heights *
10/11/25 – Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill *
10/12/25 – Baltimore, MD @ Pier Six Pavilion *
10/15/25 – Indianapolis, IN @ Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park *
10/17/25 – Charlotte, NC @ Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre *
10/18/25 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater *
10/20/25 – Youngstown, OH @ Covelli Centre Arena *
10/22/25 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP *
10/24/25 – Franklin, TN @ FirstBank Amphitheater *
10/25/25 – Atlanta, GA @ Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park *
10/31/25 – Kansas City, MO @ The Midland Theatre *
11/01/25 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium *
11/05/25 – Chesterfield, MO @ The Factory at The District *
11/08/25 – Pittsburgh, PA @ UPMC Events Center *
11/09/25 – Pikeville, KY @ Appalachian Wireless Arena *
11/11/25 – Dallas, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory *
11/12/25 – Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall *
11/14/25 – Port Charlotte, FL @ Field of Dreamz Country Classic Music Festival *
11/15/25 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ FTL War Memorial Auditorium *
^ with Creed, Mammoth

  • with Seether
    ** with ZZ Top, Darius Rucker

Geoffrey Himes’ New Book ‘Willie Nelson: All the Albums’ Explores 70 Years of Music, Album by Album

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A comprehensive new book examining Willie Nelson’s extraordinary seven-decade recording career will be released October 7. WILLIE NELSON: ALL THE ALBUMS: THE STORIES BEHIND THE MUSIC by music journalist Geoffrey Himes offers the first album-by-album analysis of one of America’s most prolific recording artists, 152 solo and collaborative albums Nelson recorded between 1954 and 2025.

The book represents a departure from traditional celebrity biographies, focusing instead on Nelson’s musical evolution and artistic development. While the personal stories that have often defined Nelson’s public persona—his IRS troubles, Farm Aid activism, and advocacy for marijuana legalization—provide context, Himes keeps the primary focus on the recordings that have made Nelson a beloved and influential figure across multiple generations of music fans.

Himes traces Nelson’s entire career through the lens of each album, examining Nelson’s influences and early songwriting career, the circumstances surrounding each recording, studio musicians and personnel, and how each release fit into Nelson’s artistic evolution. The author set out to “write the definitive biography of his music,” that would “illuminate how the songs changed as Nelson moved through all his Phases and Stages. I want to explore how the recordings cast their spells upon us, the listeners, at each stop along the way.”

Nelson’s career has been marked by dramatic highs and lows, and Willie Nelson: All the Albums shines a light on both the failures and the triumphs. Throughout it all, Nelson has demonstrated a remarkable ability to transform personal pain into dignified, resilient music. His signature sound blends the honky-tonk traditions of Texas dance halls with the sophisticated rhythms and harmonies of jazz and blues, creating something uniquely his own.

The book weaves Nelson’s musical journey into a compelling narrative about the singer’s lifelong exploration of responding to divorce, death, and life’s other challenges with honest pain and resilient dignity. Each album profile includes a sidebar with sleeve art, recording and release dates, single releases, chart positions, and a grade. The text, combined with more than 200 images of Nelson on and offstage, creates a unique visual and textual journey into the musical core of this American treasure.

Geoffrey Himes wrote about music in the Washington Post on a weekly basis between 1977 and 2020. He has also written for Rolling Stone, Paste, The New York Times, Jazz Times, Nashville Scene, Oxford American, DownBeat, Smithsonian, Texas Music Magazine, and other outlets. His book on Emmylou Harris, In-Law Country, was published in 2024. He won ASCAP/Deems Taylor Awards for Music Feature Writing in 2003, 2005, 2014, and 2015.

TESLA’s Frank Hannon Releases Raw and Soulful Single “One More Time” as a Tribute to Dickey Betts

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You don’t expect one of the architects of arena rock to release a cell phone recording and call it his most honest work. But Frank Hannon, longtime TESLA guitarist and a decades-deep tone chaser, isn’t bluffing. His new single “One More Time,” the lead offering from the upcoming Reflections album, strips everything down to the bones—bottleneck slide, raw signal path, and the kind of melodic phrasing you only get from someone who’s lived through the fire.

There’s a looseness to “One More Time” that’s immediately inviting. It doesn’t feel like a “take”—it feels like a moment. Tracked with an Audigo mic straight into his phone, the sound is surprisingly lush, full of warmth, and free from the compression-ridden artifacts you might expect. You hear wood, air, and touch. That’s what makes the song so effective: Hannon’s not trying to impress, he’s just speaking the language.

The track rides a slow-blues shuffle, echoing the melodic sensibilities of his late father-in-law, Dickey Betts—whose influence is openly acknowledged and deeply felt. You can hear traces of Betts’ lyrical phrasing, especially in the way Hannon bends into notes like they’re old friends he’s greeting after a long absence. It’s less about speed or flash and more about breath and feel. That’s the Betts legacy—and Hannon honours it without mimicry.

The accompanying video shows Hannon with horses, at home, playing Betts’ old Gibson SG. It’s about as unvarnished as you can get, and that’s the point. This isn’t a product; it’s a document. A love letter to the guitar, to a mentor, and to a way of life that’s increasingly rare.

NYC Collective WHATMORE Drop New Single “chicken shop date” with Late-Night Video Set in Crown Heights

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New York City collective WHATMORE, comprised of Cisco SwankYoshi T.Jackson AugustSebastiano, and Elijah Judah, have shared their new single “chicken shop date,” the follow-up to their debut track “eastside w my dogs.” A full-team effort, the track features verses from every member alongside production by Elijah, showcasing the group’s blend of laid-back charm and tightly knit chemistry.

Directed by longtime collaborator Patrick Linehan, the accompanying music video captures the essence of New York as the hometown supergroup takes over a local chicken shop in Crown Heights during a late-night rendezvous. Trading verses inside the shop, the video cuts between each member weaving through the restaurant, while scenes of nocturnal locals looking on with curiosity highlight that no one understands the city that raised them quite like WHATMORE.

Alongside each release, WHATMORE has also shared video vignettes called ‘INTROS’ introducing different members of the group. Yoshi T’s INTRO—which dropped last Friday and has already surpassed one million plays—and Sebastiano’s INTRO, released with their debut track, offer a glimpse into the diverse upbringings of each member before they came together to pursue music.

WHATMORE first crossed paths at the renowned LaGuardia High School. Their shared passion for music sparked a bond that deepened through years of collaboration, with the group performing DIY shows across the city’s eclectic downtown and Brooklyn scenes.

Together, they’ve crafted a sound that defies easy classification, weaving elements of hip-hop, alt-R&B, and indie rock into a distinct musical tapestry. Cisco Swank’s rich musicality brings depth rooted in jazz, soul, and hip-hop, which is complemented by Yoshi T.’s gift for crafting unforgettable hooks and undeniable hip-hop flair. Jackson August contributes a unique visual and auditory coming-of-age sensibility, blending indie and alt-pop influences, while Sebastiano’s introspective lyricism adds layers of emotional resonance. Elijah Judah serves as the collective’s backbone, anchoring WHATMORE’s genre-blending sound with his production and engineering prowess.

Haunted Like Human Share Reflective New Single “Family Name” Ahead of Upcoming Album ‘American Mythology’

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Folk duo Haunted Like Human – Dale Chapman (they/them) and Cody Clark (he/him) – have released their second single, “Family Name.” “Family Name” is a winsome folk song about the pressure to conform to tradition.

It follows “Married In Savannah,” a bittersweet folk song about watching someone close to you change. 

Both will be available on their forthcoming album American Mythology, a shapely set of songs that borrow from universal lore in order to reveal intimate truths. Haunted Like Human write songs like novelists write their books, using careful detail and well-shaped characters to tell even the heaviest of stories.

American Mythology will be released independently on October 17th, 2025.

It’s been four years since the release of 2021’s Tall Tales & Fables, driven by the success of singles “Ohio” (featured on Spotify’s “Indie Bluegrass” playlist in October 2021) and “Run Devil Run,” which recently had a viral TikTok moment, catapulting the song to one million + streams.