SoundVent

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Intica - Interview At the Beach

Alternative pop artist, Intica, is interviewed at a beach in Santa Cruz, Ca where she currently lives and writes music. Her brand new album, NIGHTS LIKE THESE, is out now on iTunes and available to stream on Spotify.

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For better or worse, branding is one of the most important facets of a successful band. Commercially, bands are closer to Lululemon than they are to Bach, and creating killer merch becomes a deciding factor for success. Don’t fret your little head, it’s not a complete dystopian future in which music, itself, is irrelevant. In the strive for a logo, many bands fall short, as if playing the drums doesn’t translate completely into creative design management. These are the bands that got it right.   In looking at iconic band logos, some asterisks showed up (*** - those asterisks). Logos that contained only the band’s name were excluded. Not to say those logos aren’t excellent branding, or even artistic, I simply have to venture past creative fonts. Bands like AC/DC, The Beatles, and Metallica, have outstanding logos that can be considered as signature as any other, but at that point we’re really splitting hairs regarding which ones make the cut at all. As a man with a shaved head, I’m not one for hair splitting.   Finally, I want to outline some honorable mentions. The Earth Wind and Fire eagle, the Van Halen wings, Wu Tang Clan’s adaptive crest, and Michael Jackson’s toe-stand silhouette, all deserve a formal nod. Ruling out Ziggy Stardust was as painful as an uppercut to the groin (something I have experienced. Twice.) However, if we stray into album-unique logos, we would be opening up a box that melts our faces clean off. Not in a good way, like a Malmsteen concert. The bad way, like we just tied Harrison Ford and Karen Allen to a pole. It would be complete anarchy amongst Pink Floyd fans, and I’m fairly certain the baby from Nevermind would find me and... well... uppercut me.   Without further ado, sans this line, here are the finalists:    

  5 - Queen’s “Crest” There is so much going on in this logo, it shouldn’t work. This complex design, drawn by British frontman Freddie Mercury, features a similarity to the Royal Coat of Arms of the British Monarchy (also known as The Queen. Freddie was cute like that.) The crest, itself, features the zodiac symbols of the four band members. The zodiacs are around a ribbon letter “Q”, which may or may not represent the word Queen. There is a royal crown within the Q, above which there are some flames with a rising phoenix: not a zodiac symbol (If it were, it would be by far the coolest one. Since the Phoenix is not one, the lion remains the best one. That’s not this Leo’s opinion, that’s an objective fact.) Considering that Mercury drew the logo before the first album came out, it was a pretty solid commitment. This is the musician’s equivalent to going on a third date and getting matching tattoos. Sometimes, people just know when they’ve met the one, and Freddie certainly knew. Those four continued to play together for the entire reign of Queen up until Mercury’s unfortunate death in 1991, sporting the crest as the Band’s logo the entire time. It’s an iconic symbol of the band’s creative unity, as much as every harmonized vocal they sang together.  

  4 - Grateful Dead’s “Lightning Skull” Logo   The Lightning Skull is a logo that was spawned in the trenches of a working band, and extends to encompass the fans, themselves. The logo was created by Owsley “The Bear” Stanley, Grateful Dead’s sound engineer, to mark the Band’s equipment cases at festivals. Apparently, other musicians in the 60’s would occasionally find themselves in states of confusion for some reason. Ignoring the indisputable fact that a person named Owsley shouldn’t need a cool nickname like “The Bear”, a crew doodle that expands into one of the most well-known logos in music history is 100% pure, unadulterated, rock ‘n’ roll.   The lightning-cracked skull is also a personification of the fans, affectionately dubbed “deadheads”. The Dead were an early example of psychedelic music, and the skull embodied the idea of opening your mind to a new plane. This method of creativity was a significant hub for Deadheads, and a major paradigm in music culture. That’s because Owsley Stanley is also known for making the first major LSD lab. Well, non-government lab. In an era of social revolution and mental exploration, the Lightning Skull represented quite a bit more than the music equipment it originally labeled. If you were an individual partaking in certain substances of the 60’s, you likely found this design to represent quite a bit more.   Acid. The certain substance was acid.  

  3 - Iron Maiden’s “Eddie”   Iron Maiden’s custom font name is fairly well recognized amongst metal fans. However, the name isn’t what you’ll see front and center on all of their albums and merch. That spot belongs to Eddie, the band’s ambiguously undead mascot. Created by pyrotechnic Dave Beasley as paper mache masks worn by the band prior to their record deal, the first full form of Eddie was drawn by Derek Riggs for Iron Maiden’s debut album in 1980. Since then, Eddie has appeared on every album cover and shirt. He appears in a towering, physical form at shows, as well as multiple video games. In this day in age, Eddie is more real than many living musicians. You’ll see him in every era of time, several planes of existence, in space, bearing the flag of every country he’s visited, even dogfighting (not like Michael Vick. Dogfighting in planes. Eddie is a respectable guy.) He has represented many people and ideas, which may have been influenced partially by the removal of Riggs as the lone artist of Eddie in 1992, to open up submissions from multiple people.   As a logo, he’s done wonders for Iron Maiden, who has always utilized a low amount of commercial advertisement for their size. The artwork Eddie is featured in is stunning, and the band isn’t afraid to decorate everything they can with it. The band’s tour plane, piloted by frontman Bruce Dickinson (feel free to take a moment to digest that information), is dubbed “Ed Force One”, and features our fiendish friend. Eddie even appears on the label of the band’s beer. He’s the Tom Hanks of logos, where the end result is a devoted fan base with countless styles of Eddie shirts across the globe.  

2 - The Rolling Stones’ “Tongue” Logo Once upon a time, the traditional rock logo art style was not-so-traditional. Representing the harder side of the British Invasion, The Rolling Stones pioneered a great deal of what has defined rock ‘n’ roll. While any band that can go toe-to-toe with The Beatles in notoriety is unarguably huge, even people who have never heard a Rolling Stones song (heretics) still recognize The Stones’ logo.   Commissioned by Mick Jagger from an art student named John Pasche in 1970, the original intention for the logo was to make a simple design to be used as a small symbol for letterheads on notepads and programs. Spoiler alert: that didn’t go as planned. Pasche’s logo was perfect, and Mick Jagger was destined to spend the next 50 years posing with his tongue out. A giant print of the logo was put on the sleeve of the next album, and the logo would go on to adorn the fronts of, well, everything. You can find it on shirts, jackets, mugs, posters, coasters, toasters, human flesh, and any other printable surface. It’s an image that perfectly encompasses the spirit of rock music as a genre, and is possibly the most commercially marketable band logo completely void of a name. Although, that may be via technicality...  

  1 - The Artist Formerly Known as Prince’s “Love Symbol #2” This was almost excluded on the basis of being from an album, but let’s be honest with each other: you knew this was coming. Your parents knew this was coming. That guy that lives two doors down from you and is always awkward when you cross paths? He knew this was coming. That should be enough evidence to place Love Symbol #2 firmly in the #1 spot, but if you need more, the logo easily extends beyond the reach of any other. Prince was already a major star when his twelfth album was released, introducing this unpronounceable symbol. However, the logo went on to replace Prince’s identity, effectively making the album that spawned it the first self-titled album for a new artist.   In 1992, Lizz Fray designed a stylized “7” for the hit song on the untitled twelfth album. Upon seeing it, Prince wanted to include the combination of male and female symbols into it, and use it as the cover of the untitled album. He also decided to go ahead and name the album after the symbol, the pronunciation of which Prince explained was on “another level of existence.” If that’s not the most Prince-like explanation, I don’t know what is. In the same vein, only Prince would decide to give his label the middle finger by changing his name to said symbol. If somebody told you they were going to change their name to a character they couldn’t pronounce, the last thought in your mind would be: great marketing decision.   And it was, without question, a risky decision at the time. As we know in hindsight, it worked out pretty well for Prince. Like anyone forced to use Time Warner cable, Prince was fed up with Warner Bros. Their trickling release of his music as a marketing strategy forced Prince to lash out in a way that no one but Prince could pull off, forcing Warner Bros. to market him as this new icon. There was even an infamous floppy disc mass-produced with a font file containing only Love Symbol #2, so the media-dubbed “Artist Formerly Known as Prince” could be written about more conveniently. “The Artist” eventually changed his name back to Prince in 2000 after severing connections with Warner Bros. by means of what I can only assume was switching to Comcast (you can’t just rebrand yourself as “Spectrum” and expect us to forget what Time Warner Cable was. You’re not Prince, and people don’t forget.)   While everyone could finally call him “Prince”, again, the symbol continued to be his identity. His instruments and stages were shaped like the icon, which appeared on posters, albums, clothing, necklaces, and any other marketable object in his signature purple hue. That hue was officially named in his honor, you guessed it, Love Symbol #2. To clarify: the name of the color is the symbol, itself, not the words “Love Symbol #2”. You can see how valuable that floppy disk was through the 90’s. Read the full article

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Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic reveals who he’d like to form a supergroup with

He also says what Martin Shkreli showed about modern culture Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic has said that he wants to start a supergroup with Public Enemy‘s Chuck D and The Doors drummer John Densmore. Buy Nirvana merch Novoselic was speaking to The Young Turks recently when he discussed the idea. “John is great, I know John. He is one of my heroes,” he said, continuing: “Chuck D is great, Public Enemy. We should put a band together right there, because I’ll be on bass, we’ll have John on drums, and Chuck will rap.” “No, seriously,” he added. In the same interview, Novoselic shared his opinion on the Martin Shkreli saga, arguing: “In the end, in spite of himself, Shkreli proved that as a culture we don’t care about the details, we’re transfixed by spectacle, and that we don’t want to fix our problems.” “You really hate Martin? How about actually trying to accomplish real change,” Novoselic said. “Our healthcare system is ripping us off, but too many are enchanted or obsessed with Trump.”   Read Nirvana’s First NME Cover Feature From 1991 Back in December, the surviving members of Nirvana performed together live, with Krist Novoselic joining Dave Grohl and Pat Smear onstage with the Foo Fighters. They performed ‘Big Me’ together at a show in Eugene, Oregon.  Original from http://www.nme.com/ Read the full article

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The Weeknd teases new album and Marvel comic

The Weeknd has teased his new album and the release of a Marvel comic starring him. The musician, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, released his latest album ‘Starboy’ in 2016. In a three-star review, NME said: “Well, there’s no mega-smash-in-waiting like ‘Can’t Feel My Face’, but Tesfaye’s still capable of brilliant bluntness about intoxication and sex.” On his Instagram page, the star has been sharing audio-less video clips of him recording and in th studio, with the caption “mastering” on each. mastering A post shared by The Weeknd (@theweeknd) on Mar 22, 2018 at 9:22pm PDT Meanwhile, his own Marvel comic book is set to be released this summer and he has now shared more details about it. Issue one of The Weeknd Presents: Starboy will be released on June 13, and will feature Tesfaye as the hero of the piece. In the comic, which was written by Tesfaye, La Mar Taylor and Christos Gate, he will fight the “cannibalistic criminal mastermind Jack ‘The Chef’ Smiley” in a bid to save the fictional city of Alphatron from his evil grasp. A press release says the villain is “not content with brutally murdering his victims, also feasts upon their flesh.” Recently, The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar shared their contribution to the Black Panther soundtrack, in the form of the track ‘Pray For Me’. Tesfaye has also been confirmed to headline a number of US festivals, including Coachella, Panorama, and Lollapalooza. He will be joined by fellow headliners Jack White, Bruno Mars, and Arctic Monkeys at the latter. He will also top the bill at Lollapalooza Berlin in September.  Original from http://www.nme.com/ Read the full article

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Taylor Swift makes rare political statement to back March For Our Lives

The singer reveals she's made a donation towards the cause Taylor Swift has made a rare political statement, voicing her support for the March For Our Lives campaign. Swift’s reluctance to speak about politics has been well-documented. In 2012, she said: “I don’t talk about politics because it might influence other people.” However, after remaining neutral in the build-up to the 2016 US election, Swift has now spoken out against gun violence in America. March For Our Lives was launched in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting in Florida and will see people take to the streets in cities across America and globally on Saturday (March 24) to call for greater gun control laws. Sharing the March For Our Lives logo on Instagram, Swift wrote: “No one should have to go to school in fear of gun violence. Or to a nightclub. Or to a concert. Or to a movie theater. Or to their place of worship.” “I’ve made a donation to show my support for the students, for the March For Our Lives campaign, for everyone affected by these tragedies, and to support gun reform.” “I’m so moved by the Parkland High School students, faculty, by all families and friends of victims who have spoken out, trying to prevent this from happening again.” See her post beneath. No one should have to go to school in fear of gun violence. Or to a nightclub. Or to a concert. Or to a movie theater. Or to their place of worship. I’ve made a donation to show my support for the students, for the March For Our Lives campaign, for everyone affected by these tragedies, and to support gun reform. I’m so moved by the Parkland High School students, faculty, by all families and friends of victims who have spoken out, trying to prevent this from happening again. A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Mar 23, 2018 at 11:56am PDT Selena Gomez has also backed the campaign, writing in her own post: “Protect kids, not guns!” Protect kids, not guns! #MarchForOurLives A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on Mar 23, 2018 at 11:52am PDT Earlier this month, Swift was accused of “ripping off” a Spike Jonze-directed Kenzo advert with her new video for ‘Delicate’.   Swift’s clip was released on March 12, while Jonze’s Margaret Qualley-starring ad for the Kenzo World fragrance first aired in 2016. Users on social media pointed out alleged similarities between the two clips, with both Swift and Qualley appearing in a crowd of people, before making similar “silly” facial gestures and eventually bursting into dance routines.  Original from http://www.nme.com/ Read the full article

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Diplo says global pop has “a bleak future”

Diplo has remarked on the future of global pop, remarking that it has a “bleak future”. The uber-producer has made the comment in a new interview with The Guardian. Remarking that “in 2018, you can make as many missteps as possible,” he says: “Nobody remembers the bad music you made. Justin Bieber is a good example: people just remember that he made a great album in Purpose.” Elsewhere, he discusses the “bleak future” of global pop. “Every once in a while you have breakthroughs – Latin music’s having a moment,” he says. “But I can’t see it going further than that.” Diplo continues: “I never want to ride the wave of the trends. I want to start them or mess them up.”   Diplo and Mark Ronson will team up to headline Bestival this year, bringing their new Silk City project to the Dorset festival. The Rob da Bank-curated festival will return to Lulworth Estate for the second year running in 2018, with the festival promising to put on “the most colourful show on Earth” to mark its 15th anniversary. It had already been announced that the likes of London Grammar, MIA, Jorja Smith and Grace Jones will play Bestival this year, with Diplo and Ronson’s Silk City now joining them. The pair will headline the festival’s Friday night (August 3), what will be their European debut and a UK festival exclusive.  Original from http://www.nme.com/ Read the full article

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MNEK brilliantly responds to homophobic YouTube commenter

“Loving another man is not a demonic act” MNEK has responded to a homophobic YouTube commenter, stating “loving another man is not a demonic act.” The R&B star took to Instagram to call out a commenter on his ‘Tongue’ video, who stated that the clip was “so wrong” and saied “you can clearly see a demon is in control of this guy and is doing this gay thing so it can poison minds.” MNEK wrote: “First of all, i’d like to say a continued thank you to everyone who’s been supporting ‘Tongue’ still – it means the world.” first of all, i’d like to say a continued thank you to everyone who’s been supporting #TONGUE, still – it means the world. @bradleyandpablo and i took a risk and i’ve received such amazing messages from people old to young, black to white saying how much they’re enjoying my music. OBVIOUSLY, throughout what i’m doing, there will be people who don’t like it, don’t get it, or are just straight up uncomfortable with how gay it is 🏳️‍🌈. i’ve been working in this industry for a long time and have earned the right to now perform in a way that exhibits the true me. I’m aware it’s not something everyone is used to seeing but that’s exactly why I wanted to do it. loving another man is not a demonic act, especially not in a music video! If videos like mine can help a young kid come to terms with their truth, I’m doing more good in the world than a keyboard warrior – soooooo If you’re a homophobe and want to spray hate on comments etc etc. you should know that my moodboard rn is BLACK FAGGOT POP SUPERSTAR 💅🏾 so it’s about to get eeeeeven gayer – whether ya like it or NAHHTTT. get with the program or get out !😘 #BUYTONGUE lol A post shared by MNEK 👅 (@mnek) on Mar 21, 2018 at 12:32pm PDT He continued: “OBVIOUSLY, throughout what I’m doing, there will be people who don’t like it, don’t get it, or are just straight up uncomfortable with how gay it is. I’ve been working in this industry for a long time and have earned the right to now perform in a way that exhibits the true me. I’m aware it’s not something everyone is used to seeing but that’s exactly why I wanted to do it. loving another man is not a demonic act, especially not in a music video! “If videos like mine can help a young kid come to terms with their truth, I’m doing more good in the world than a keyboard warrior,” he continued, “Soooooo If you’re a homophobe and want to spray hate on comments etc etc. you should know that my moodboard rn is BLACK FAGGOT POP SUPERSTAR. so it’s about to get eeeeeven gayer – whether ya like it or NAHHTTT. get with the program or get out!” Original from http://www.nme.com/ Read the full article

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SBTRKT shares bold new remix of Chance The Rapper’s ‘All We Got’

SBTRKT has shared an amazing reworking of Chance The Rapper’s ‘Coloring Book’ cut ‘All We Got’. The masked producer admitted the track had been sat on his hard drive for “a year or so”. Uploading the track to Soundcloud, he revealed he “was shared the vocals by Chance and Pat his manager back in late 2016,” and is a “big fan of Chance and the original song so was fun to give it my own take.” Check out SBTRKT’s heavy reworking of the original track below. All We Got SBTRKT REMIX by SBTRKT thought id share this – as its been on my drive for a year or so – was shared the vocals by Chance & Pat his manager back in late 2016. big fan of Chance and the original song so was fun to give it my own take. Chance recently revealed he has been working on “amazing” new music with Donald Glover and Kanye West. The star released his latest album ‘Coloring Book’ in 2016. In a review, NME said: “Fizzingly fun, this third mixtape sees Chance finessing but certainly not hampering, his freewheeling nature.” At an event held at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art on March 5, Chance spoke about some of the projects he’s been rumoured to be working on of late. Asked about collaborating with Glover, he said: “We perpetuated that rumour for a long time without recording anything. We did link up in Atlanta and record some tracks and… they’re amazing.” The rapper was also quizzed about whether he had had any part in West’s new music, he replied, “Uhhh… I guess!” The pair have previously worked together before on Chance’s ‘All We Got’ and West’s ‘Ultralight Beam’. Original from http://www.nme.com/ Read the full article

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Panic! At The Disco announce new album and unveil single ‘Say Amen (Saturday Night)’

It's the band's first LP since 2016's 'Death of a Bachelor', and they'll also head out on a North American tour later in the summer Panic! At The Disco have officially announced their new album ‘Pray For The Wicked’ – listen to the album’s lead single, ‘Say Amen (Saturday Night)’, below. The Brendon Urie-led band will drop their sixth studio album on June 22, with the LP the group’s first since 2016’s ‘Death of a Bachelor’. Produced by Jake Sinclair, ‘Pray For The Wicked’ will comprise of 11 tracks – you can see the tracklist below. (Fuck A) Silver Lining Say Amen (Saturday Night) Hey Look Ma, I Made It High Hopes Roaring 20s Dancing’s Not A Crime One Of The Drunks The Overpass King Of The Clouds Old Fashioned Dying In LA In addition to the album announcement, Panic! have previewed the record by releasing the official – and rather violent – video for ‘Say Amen (Saturday Night)’ – which you can check out below. Speaking about the new album, Urie said: “After being away in New York for months doing Kinky Boots, I just wanted to hang out at home when I got back to LA. I was so revved up that I asked some friends to come over to my home studio to help me write about all the incredible things I’ve experienced the last couple of years. “‘Pray For The Wicked’ is my ‘thank you’ to our fans and the most fun I’ve ever had making album.” Panic! At The Disco have also announced a full North American tour in support of ‘Pray For The Wicked’, tickets for which go on general sale here on March 30 – see their live itinerary below. July 11 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center 13 – Indianapolis, IN @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse 14 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena 15 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena 17 – Chicago, IL @ United Center 18 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena 20 – Uniondale, NY @ NYCB Live: Nassau Coliseum 21 – Baltimore, MD @ Royal Farms Arena 22 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre 24 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden 25 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden 27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center 28 – Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena 29 – Duluth, GA @ Infinite Energy Center 31 – Sunrise, FL @ BB&T Center August 1 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena 3 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center 4 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center 5 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center 7 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center 8 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena 10 – Seattle, WA @ KeyArena 11 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena 12 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center 14 – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center 15 – Los Angeles, CA @ STAPLES Center 17 – Glendale, AZ @ Gila River Arena 18 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena Original from http://www.nme.com/ Read the full article

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This is what Albert Hammond Jr really thinks about ‘Meet Me In The Bathroom’

Lizzy Goodman's controversial tell-all book about the NYC rock scene came out last year. Albert Hammond Jr has opened up about what he thinks of the controversial tales in last year’s ‘Meet Me In The Bathroom’. ‘Meet Me In The Bathroom: Rebirth And Rock’n’Roll in New York City, 2001-2011‘ is a 600-page oral history of NYC’s golden indie rock scene, by one-time NME music journalist, Lizzy Goodman. The book details a drug-fueled friendship between The Strokes’ guitarist and Ryan Adams, who bonded over their shared use of heroin. In the book, Hammond Jr says that Adams was “definitely a bad influence” on him, saying: “I hadn’t really been doing it in baggie form until Ryan showed up”. The band also suggest that drugs were part of their downfall. This started a feud with Adams, who claims he never did drugs with them, and never offered Hammond Jr heroin, getting into a Twitter feud with Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas. Albert Hammond Jr has now spoken out about the book’s revelations, saying: “The media has fun creating their own stories.” “There’s no way any of that stuff can capture your life, you know,” he said, in an interview with Kyle Meredith. “As much as you can talk with the person, they have a story and you’re going to end up having three or four days of your life that’s going to seem like a period of 10 years.” Listen below. “I enjoyed talking to Lizzy,” he continues. “When I spoke to her about all the things I spoke to her about, they were just fun stories and I had read ‘Please Kill Me’ so I thought it’s so cool to tell fun stories back and forth. “The media has fun creating their own stories – if you look at it humourously it’s great. If you take it seriously, it’s bad. “People can get pretty serious, I feel like life is a little less serious. I think there are more serious things than whatever the book is, you know. “I don’t think you’d know anyone deeper because of it.” When is The Strokes’ next album coming?  When asked about The Strokes’ future, he said: “I always find that the media tears us apart, so I wait to be as a band when we speak, and when we’re not a band, I’m doing my stuff and I just speak about me. “It comes from a good place, trying to keep something without being damaged by other people, you know what I mean?” Albert Hammond Jr recently released his fourth solo album, ‘Francis Trouble‘, which deals with the death of his stillborn twin brother, Francis. So far he’s released ‘Muted Beatings‘, ‘Far Away Truths‘ and ‘Set To Attack‘ from the LP. Meanwhile, Ryan Adams has given fans an update on his next record, tweeting a video clip of a mixing desk, saying: ’11 songs tracked and vocals done’. Original from http://www.nme.com/ Read the full article

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Rihanna is the first female artist to surpass 2 billion streams on Apple Music

What now Taylor Swift?! Rihanna has become the first female artist to surpass 2 billion streams on Apple music. The streaming giant shared their list of the 20 most streamed women in music for International Women’s Day on Instagram on Thursday (March 8). Rihanna landed the top spot, closely followed by Taylor Swift (#2), Beyoncé (#3), and Adele (#5). See the Apple Music Instagram post below. Who runs the world? Here are the Top 20 Women in Streaming. #IWD2018 A post shared by Apple Music (@applemusic) on Mar 8, 2018 at 8:07am PST Rihanna also reacted to the news with an Instagram post of her own, writing, “when I found out that I was the first female artist to cross 2 billion worldwide streams on Apple Music! God is too lit!!!!” See her post below. when I found out that I was the first female artist to cross 2 billion worldwide streams on Apple Music! God is too lit!!!! A post shared by badgalriri (@badgalriri) on Mar 10, 2018 at 11:05am PST She was the second most streamed female artist on Spotify in 2017, after being beaten by Dua Lipa. The rest of the artists included Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift and Beyonce. Last month, Chris Rock revealed that Rihanna rejected his advances at a party in 2016. The comedian split from wife of 18 years, Malaak Compton-Rock, after repeatedly cheating on her, and was attempting to get back into dating following the divorce. He recalled the incident in his Netflix comedy special, ‘Chris Rock: Tamborine’, which debuted on Valentine’s Day. “After my divorce was final, I was at a party and I saw Rihanna,” he says, in the show. “I was like, ‘OK, let’s start this again. Let me say what’s up’, right?” And I’m like, ‘How you doing, Rihanna?’” “Rihanna looked at me like I was one of her aunts,” he continues. “She didn’t even register me as a dick-carrying member of society. Like, I would have had an easier time fucking Aretha Franklin.” Read the full article

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Billy Corgan teases two new Smashing Pumpkins EPs

Billy Corgan has revealed that Smashing Pumpkins are set to release two EPs, with new music coming in May. Corgan’s band recently reunited most of its original line-up, with guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin joining Corgan and long-term collaborator Jeff Schroeder. Original bassist D’Arcy Wretsky is not involved however, with a bitter feud unfolding between Wretsky and Corgan. Following reports that they had 26 songs to work with, Corgan has now taken to Instagram to tease two new four-track EPs. The eight tracks will be titled ‘Solara’, ‘Marchin’ On’, ‘Travels’, ‘Seek and You Shall Destroy’, ‘With Sympathy’, ‘Knights of Malta’, ‘Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)’ and ‘Alienation’. “Almost all the musical side is done with 2 days to go, leaving background vocals and last minute touches/flourishes/drang,” Corgan wrote in his update to fans. “The intended plan being to release the songs over two, four song E.P.’s, with a first song most likely due out in May.” Corgan also teased a “long-ranging interview” with The New York Times, which will “address many of the things we get asked about here”. SP update: So almost all the musical side is done with 2 days to go, leaving background vocals and last minute touches/flourishes/drang. For those who missed it, the 8 songs are as titled: Solara, Marchin' On, Travels, Seek and You Shall Destroy, With Sympathy, Knights of Malta, Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts), and Alienation. The intended plan being to release the songs over two, four song E.P.'s, with a first song most likely due out in May. Also, we just did a long-ranging interview for the New York Times, which given the questions asked will address many of the things we get asked about here on IG. So look out for that soon..Tra la…. @smashingpumpkins A post shared by WilliamPatrickCorgan (@williampcorgan) on Mar 8, 2018 at 11:38pm PST Ex-Smashing Pumpkins bassist D’Arcy Wretsky has said that Billy Corgan “can’t sing for shit”. Billy used to complain a lot to me and James, because he thought he was so ugly, and he thought we had such great lives,” Wretsky recently said. “He’d be like, ‘You two are better looking than 90% of the rest of the people on the planet! You have this, and you have that! My life is miserable! Blah blah blah!’ Over and over, and over again! He thinks he’s ugly, so he surrounds himself with beautiful people. He can’t sing for shit, and he knows it, so he makes sure that everybody else in the band is going to play perfectly to make up for it. It doesn’t matter if his singing is terrible, but if you play a fucking wrong note or anything, there is hell to pay. That’s some big time insecurity. Read the full article

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Vince Staples’s GoFundMe page was actually promo for new single ‘Get The Fuck Off My Dick’

Vince Staples’ GoFundMe page has been revealed to be promo for his new single, ‘Get The Fuck Off My Dick’. The rapper, who released his second album ‘Big Fish Theory’ to critical acclaim last year, launched the fundraising page yesterday (March 7). In a video on the site, Staples said: First and foremost, I hope you’re having a great day. I really do. Second, we’ve gotten a lot of complaints about our recent show performances, energy on stage, production choice. I think one person said it sounds like we’re rapping on robot video game beats. We’d like to apologize for that. We would like to give you an alternative,” he continued. “You can decide to donate to the cause of $2 million, which will allow me to shut the fuck up forever and you will never hear from me again. No songs, interviews, no anything.” He ended the message by saying: If not, you can choose to let me do what I want to do, when I want to do it. Get off of my dick or fund my lifestyle. Either way, we appreciate you. As Pitchfork reports, a holding page for a track by Staples called ‘Get The Fuck Off My Dick’ has now appeared on Spotify. The rapper also tweeted a picture of a condom, which is shown as the artwork on the streaming service, with the caption: I’ve seen distaste for my campaign from allover the world…. luckily we do accept most forms of currency…. in the meantime lll just leave this here. pic.twitter.com/ID4KXEua0I — Vince Staples (@vincestaples) March 8, 2018 On the page, Staples said, as well as quitting music, he would move to Palmdale, California, buy a Honda and a puppy, and pay for a “year supply of soups for the homies locked down”. At the time of writing, he has only raised $1,360 of the $2 million target. Fans have left messages of support for the artist in the comments section on the page, with one writing: Fuck those haters man, I love your music, old and new, and just saw you live and it was awesome!! Keep doing what you do man, you’re too talented! Staples released his debut album ‘Summertime ’06’ in 2015. As well as releasing its follow-up last year, he also featured on Gorillaz‘s latest, star-studded record ‘Humanz’. Read the full article

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Katy Perry announces support acts for UK and EU tour

Katy Perry has announced the Tove Styrke and Hailee Steinfeld are set to join her upcoming UK and European tour. The ‘Witness’ tour kicks off in May, with a series of European dates leading into a UK run, which wraps up in late June. Styrke, who appeared in NME‘s 100 essential new acts for 2018, came third on Swedish Idol in 2009. Since then, she’s been honing her craft to perfection and winning hearts across Europe – namely her pan-European hit ‘Say My Name’. Steinfeld, meanwhile, made her name as an Oscar-nominated actress, before launching a pop career in the wake of her appearance in the Pitch Perfect series. Katy Perry’s ‘Witness’ tour hits the following UK and European spots later this year. 23-May Germany Cologne LANXESS arena 24-May Belgium Antwerp Sportpaleis Antwerp 26-May Netherlands Amsterdam Ziggo Dome 29-May France Paris AccorHotels Arena 1-June Switzerland Zurich Hallenstadion 2-June Italy Bologna Unipol Arena 4-June Austria Vienna Wiener Stadthalle 6-June Germany Berlin Mercedes-Benz Arena 8-June Denmark Copenhagen Royal Arena 10-June Sweden Stockholm Ericsson Globe 14-June UK London The O2 18-June UK Birmingham Barclaycard Arena 19-June UK Sheffield Sheffield Arena 21-June UK Liverpool Echo Arena 22-June UK Manchester Manchester Arena 24-June UK Glasgow The SSE Hydro 25-June UK Newcastle Metro Radio Arena Perry recently said that she would rewrite her breakthrough hit ‘I Kissed A Girl’ if she could, admitting that the lyrics contain “a couple of stereotypes”.Perry released ‘I Kissed A Girl’ in 2008 and was criticised at the time by Gossip’s Beth Ditto, who argued that the song was offensive to gay culture. Addressing the song’s controversial lyrics, Perry recently told Glamour:  We’ve really changed, conversationally, in the past 10 years. We’ve come a long way. Bisexuality wasn’t as talked about back then, or any type of fluidity.   If I had to write that song again, I probably would make an edit on it,” she said. “Lyrically, it has a couple of stereotypes in it. Your mind changes so much in 10 years, and you grow so much. What’s true for you can evolve.     Read the full article

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Disgraced Fyre Festival organiser spent over $150,000 on a yacht for Blink-182

The promoter of Fyre Festival spent over $150,000 of his finances on a yacht for Blink-182, in accordance with newly obtained information. The failed festival hit headlines last year, after the primary version of the ‘luxury’ occasion quickly turned into a dystopian nightmare in May. Regardless of promising punters luxurious lodging and a line-up that included the likes of Major Lazer, the occasion rapidly descended into chaos when it took place. The company behind it was later compelled into chapter 11. Now, paperwork obtained by The Post present that promoter Billy McFarlane’s budgetary – regardless of failing to think about prices for bogs, the organizer spent $160,000 on a yacht for headliners Blink-182, who pulled out regardless. Different bills included $18,208 on towels, and $260,000 on carpet for ‘tent city’, which costed round $470,000. Regardless of these prices, the festival was left with out working water when patrons arrived on-site. “There was gross mismanagement and a general misunderstanding of how events like this unfold and that purchases weren’t being vetted,” said The Post‘s source, who referred to McFarland as a “millennial gone wild.” “At no point in time if you look at the big picture does it appear that there was ever a criminal element,” he added. “It was just the idea of a 20-something who unraveled.” McFarland is due in Manhattan federal court docket this week, where he has pled not guilty to making an attempt to defraud his investors. Ja Rule, who's an enterprise associate of McFarland’s, has not been charged with any offenses, however he has been named as a defendant in most of the civil lawsuits which have been introduced in opposition to McFarland, Fyre Festival and Fyre Media for the reason that ill-fated occasion. Read the full article

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Wu-Tang Clan to receive $2m from Martin Shkreli

Martin Shkreli has been ordered to give up his one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album as part of his fraud conviction. The so-called ‘Pharma Bro’ – once dubbed the “most hated man in America” – was convicted of fraud in August and remains in custody after having his bail revoked over threatening comments made about Hillary Clinton on social media. He will be sentenced on March 9 and could face up to 10 years in custody. Shkreli famously purchased the sole copy of Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘Once Upon A Time In Shaolin’ album back in 2015 and recently listed the item for sale on eBay. A judge has ruled that he must forfeit $7.36 million in assets, including the one-of-a-kind album, according to CNBC. Shkreli paid $2 million for the record through a private broker. In a list of assets that they hope to seize, the prosecution are also seeking a Picasso painting that Shkreli owns, his WWII Enigma machine and his interest in Turing Pharmaceuticals, the pharmaceutical company he founded. “We will vigorously oppose the government motion,” Shkreli’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said last year. “Our position is clear. None of the investors lost any money and Martin did not personally benefit from any of the counts of conviction. Accordingly, forfeiture of any assets is not an appropriate remedy.” It is unclear if Shkreli still owns his fabled Wu-Tang record after the eBay sale and there has been speculation that the album may not be an official Wu-Tang release at all. Meanwhile, Wu-Tang leader RZA recently said that he “will always respect” Shkreli for “making history” by purchasing the Wu-Tang Clan album. We can thank Martin for being a guy who put his word on something and did it,” RZA told NME. “I didn’t agree with the eBay thing, but when I read his paragraph on why he did it, I kind of respected and understood what he said. He wants the value of music to continue. Within eight days the bidding reached over a million dollars, and that means there are other people who put value on music and value on what we stand on… So even with all the negative things he’s done, for music there’s something positive there. Read the full article

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Ed Sheeran helps raise £50,000 for a terminally ill girl’s parents

The girl’s parents are facing a legal battle to get their daughter pain relief Ed Sheeran is helping the parents of a terminally ill girl raise £50,000 towards their legal battle to get their daughter pain relief. Melody, an 11 year old, met Sheeran in 2016 when he visited her at hospital.  Since then he has donated a signed guitar to her parents. Melody suffers from an incurable disease called Rett Syndrome, which affects brain development. The disease means Melody is unable to walk or talk, but now the parents have claimed the hospital will be withdrawing her pain relief. Last October, Melody’s parents Karina and Nigel Driscoll were told by staff at London’s King’s College Hospital that morphine and steroids could be damaging to Melody’s liver and they were hoping to wean their daughter off the medication. We got pictures of Melody with Ed Sheeran’s guitar we are auctioning so everyone can see why we are doing it. For this beautiful little girl right here. We are still waiting to hear from a few people regarding the way forward. Once we know the fine details ALL WILL BE REVEALED 💛 pic.twitter.com/cV6jh1rzSt — Melody In Mind (@KazzMarie) February 27, 2018 However, the parents have now launched a legal battle, which is said to be costing £50,000. Social services have also threatened to remove Melody from her parents’ custody if legal proceedings go ahead. The parents took to Twitter to share photos of Melody with the guitar Sheeran donated and have said they are “overwhelmed” with his support. Karina Driscoll said to The Mirror: “I’d rather Melody had one more year filled with happiness than five years of pain “It’s only now we realise how few rights we have as parents but we won’t give up.” I think a little lady is very happy indeed ☺💙 @edsheeran @StuartCamp pic.twitter.com/lmDPx6jqLH — Melody In Mind (@KazzMarie) May 2, 2017 She added: “It’s so lovely he’d think of us in this way. We are going to run a raffle so all of Ed’s fans have an equal chance of winning.” According to The Sun, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust couldn’t comment on Melody’s case but said, “all decisions taken are in our patients’ best interests”. Recently, it was reported that Ed Sheeran is building his own chapel in the garden of his Suffolk home after proposing to his long term girlfriend. The star was recently named the global best-selling artist of 2017, after his third album ‘÷’, released in March 2017, went multi-platinum in 36 different countries. Read the full article