Confederate statues in Charlottesville to be removed after yearslong legal battle

July 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.) — Two bronze Confederate statues at the center of yearslong debate in Charlottesville, Virginia, will be removed this weekend, officials announced.

The city will remove statues of Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson on Saturday.

The removal comes more than five years after the first effort to remove the Lee statue. A year later, the monument became a gathering point for white supremacists who decried the proposal at the “Unite the Right” rally in August 2017, which led to rioting and left one woman dead.

Only the statues themselves will be removed Saturday; the stone bases will be left in place temporarily and removed at a later date.

Designated public viewing areas for the removals will be set up in Market Street Park and Court Square Park, where the statues are located, officials said in a news release.

Preparations commenced Friday around Market Street Park with officials setting up protective fencing and posting notices in the area.

The removal comes following a resolution passed by the Charlottesville City Council on June 7, which authorized the city manager to remove the statues for placement in storage.

Lawsuits by the statues’ supporters were filed and halted the removals since the original city council vote in 2017 to remove them. However, in April the Virginia Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that contended state law protected the monuments.

The city council has the sole authority to determine the final disposition of the statues, officials said in the news release.

Both statues will be stored in a secure location on city property until a final decision on their fate is made.

The city has solicited museums, government branches and the military to see if they have interest in the statues. So far, the Charlottesville city manager has received 10 responses — six from out of state and four from in state and they’re all under review.

Biden signs executive order aimed at increasing competition in US economy

July 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden signed a wide-ranging executive order Friday afternoon aimed at minimizing the stranglehold of monopolies on certain industries and increasing competition among companies, which the White House believes will benefit consumers by driving down prices.

“For decades, corporate consolidation has been accelerating. In over 75% of U.S. industries, a smaller number of large companies now control more of the business than they did 20 years ago. This is true across health care, financial services, agriculture and more. That lack of competition drives up prices for consumers,” according to a White House fact sheet.

Targeting air travel, labor practices, meat processing and more, the executive order contains 72 initiatives overseen by a dozen different government agencies.

Here is some of what’s in the order:

It will allow owners of iPhones, appliances and other machinery to attempt to perform repairs on their devices themselves or seek out repairs at independent shops without voiding warranty protections.
It requires the FAA to mandate efficient airline refunds for lost bags and dysfunctional WiFi service.
It aims to lower the price of prescription drugs by urging state and local tribes to import cheaper drugs from Canada, a move long supported by Democrats, and former President Donald Trump.
Hearing aids, which can often run consumers thousands of dollars, would be able to be sold over the counter under the order.
The order will encourage the FTC to limit non-compete agreements that prevent workers from seeking out better-paying jobs and affect some 30 to 60 million Americans. It also encourages the FTC to ban unnecessary licensing requirements for jobs like accounting and hairdressing, which differ from state to state and prove burdensome, especially for military families who frequently move.

These items in particular, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday, are “fulfilling [Biden’s] campaign promise to promote competition in labor markets in order to raise wages and make it easier for workers to change jobs and to move between states.”

The changes won’t be immediately evident to Americans since the executive order merely kicks off longer rule-making and regulatory processes. Some of the executive actions are only recommendations, especially on those areas governed by the FTC and FCC, which are meant to be independent agencies not obligated to carry out White House directives.

Jack Antonoff & St. Vincent credited as co-writers on Olivia Rodrigo’s “deja vu”

July 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent are officially part of one of 2021’s biggest songs.

The Bleachers frontman and the “Los Ageless” rocker are now credited as co-writers on “deja vu,” one of several hit singles from this year’s breakout star, Olivia Rodrigo.

The “deja vu” credits, which can be viewed on Spotify, also list the one and only Taylor Swift, who collaborated with Antonoff and St. Vincent on her 2019 Lover song “Cruel Summer.” Speaking with Rolling Stone, Rodrigo mentioned “Cruel Summer” as an inspiration for the “deja vu” bridge.

Meanwhile, Rodrigo’s music is starting to cross over to the rock world. Her song “brutal,” the opening track off her debut album, SOUR, has started charting on Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay ranking.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

“Memory”: Kane Brown’s new blackbear duet is a sobering look at the downside of life lived fast

July 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Kane Brown and his latest out-of-genre collaborator, pop songwriter/producer blackbear, share a word of warning in their new song, “Memory.” The song’s lyrics address the anxiety of living and partying in overdrive, while worrying about when the repercussions will hit.

“I wanna live life fast, I don’t know how to slow down / I wanna get high, I don’t know how to come down / Help me now, I’m running on empty / And I don’t wanna be a memory,” the pair harmonize in the chorus.

Kane and blackbear swap lead vocals throughout the track, with Kane singing, “I know this can’t be healthy / So I’m lookin’ for a way out,” in the first verse.

Per Billboard, “Memory” is headed to pop radio this Friday. The two artists co-wrote the track along with Ernest Smith, Andrew Goldstein and Joe Kirkland. They also premiered the music video for their new song on YouTube Friday afternoon, signing onto the platform for a live chat with fans shortly beforehand.

“Memory” is the latest in a long string of non-country collaborations for Kane, who’s previously shared songs with the likes of Marshmello, Khalid and Swae Lee, Becky G and Camila Cabello.

Meanwhile, Kane is continuing to dominate the country world, too. His duet single with Chris Young, “Famous Friends,” is currently a top-five hit.

Hear “Say So,” Masked Wolf’s new song with a “deeper message”

July 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Following his breakthrough hit “Astronaut in the Ocean,” Australian rapper Masked Wolf is back with a new track called “Say So.” No, it’s not a cover of that Doja Cat hit — this song is about denying that you might need help.

“Everybody gotta say they ball/Even when their castle’s about to fall,” raps Wolf, born Harry Michael. “You been tryna act like it’s okay/But I can see you trapped in the hallway….problems don’t go away.”

“It’s always important for me to say something with my music, even if the deeper message is hidden inside of what sounds like a fun, upbeat song,” explains Wolf. “In ’Say So,’ I was writing about how, in times of trouble, we often try to act like we’re still okay, even when we really aren’t.”

“No matter how bad the situation is or how close we are to self-destructing, we think that, if we keep telling ourselves we’re O.K., then maybe we will be,” he adds. “We think, ‘If we say so, then we say so,’ but really, we need help.”

Meanwhile, “Astronaut in the Ocean,” which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, has racked up over a billion streams and 180 million video views. In recent months, Wolf has appeared on The Voice, The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Evanescence & Halestorm add show at LA’s new YouTube Theater to co-headlining tour

July 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Evanescence and Halestorm have added an extra stop to their upcoming co-headlining tour.

On November 10, the two bands will play the brand-new YouTube Theater, set to open in Los Angeles later this summer.

Tickets go on sale next Friday, July 16, at 10 a.m. local time. Visit Evanescence.com or HalestormRocks.com for all ticket info.

The joint tour is set to kick off just a few days before the newly added LA show on November 5 in Portland. It’ll run into mid-December.

Updated and expanded home video of Rolling Stones’ 2006 Rio de Janeiro concert released today

July 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

The recently reported remixed and re-edited version of the concert film capturing The Rolling Stones‘ historic 2006 show at Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach got its release today.

The Rolling Stones — A Bigger Bang: Live on Copacabana Beach is available as a DVD/two-CD set, an SD Blu-ray/two-CD package, a deluxe two-DVD/two-CD collection, a three-LP colored-vinyl set, and digitally.

The Copacabana Beach concert took place on February 18, 2006, in front of 1.5 million people, making it one of the biggest free shows ever. The event was part of The Stones’ tour in support of their 2005 studio album, A Bigger Bang.

The Rio performance featured select songs from A Bigger Bang and a cover of the R&B gem “The Night Time Is the Right Time,” along with a collection of Stones classics.

The updated concert video features four songs that didn’t appear on the original 2007 DVD The Biggest Bang, which included the Copacabana Beach concert: “Tumbling Dice,” “Oh No, Not You Again,” “This Place Is Empty” and “Sympathy for the Devil.”

The deluxe two-DVD/two-CD set includes footage from a 2005 Salt Lake City concert on the second DVD.

Coinciding with the release of A Bigger Bang: Live, a video of The Stones performing “Midnight Rambler” at the Copacabana Beach concert was posted today on the band’s official YouTube channel.

Here’s the track list for the Rio concert:

“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
“It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)”
“You Got Me Rocking”
“Tumbling Dice”
“Oh No, Not You Again”
“Wild Horses”
“Rain Fall Down”
“Midnight Rambler”
“Night Time Is the Right Time”
“This Place Is Empty”
“Happy”
“Miss You”
“Rough Justice”
“Get Off My Cloud”
“Honky Tonk Women”
“Sympathy for the Devil”
“Start Me Up”
“Brown Sugar”
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”

And here’s the track list for the Salt Lake City show (deluxe versions only):

“Start Me Up”
“You Got Me Rocking”
“She’s So Cold”
“Tumbling Dice”
“Rain Fall Down”
“It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)”
“Wild Horses”
“All Down the Line”
“Night Time Is the Right Time”
“Slipping Away”
“Infamy”
“Miss You”
“Rough Justice”
“Get Off of My Cloud”
“Honky Tonk Women”
“Sympathy for the Devil”
“Brown Sugar”
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”

HGTV star Christina Haack’s recipe for love apparently involves toad venom

July 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

HGTV star Christina Haack may not have kissed a frog to find a prince, but she came pretty close.

On Instagram, Haack discusses her new relationship with Joshua Hall, but her story about how she found love the same year her short-lived marriage to second husband Ant Anstead ended is turning some heads.

That’s where the amphibian comes in.

“I met Josh when I wasn’t in a state of fear or fight-or-flight,” Haack says, explaining, “I had taken time off social [media], hired a spiritual coach and smoked a Bufo toad (which basically reset my brain and kicked out years of anxiety in 15 mins).”

The venom of the Bufo toad, a substance scientifically known as substance 5-MeO-DMT, can produce psychedelic effects, but a recent European study noted that it also produced “sustained enhancement of satisfaction with life, and easing of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”

Haack doesn’t elaborate on the substance’s effects, but she’s apparently more comfortable in her skin, so she’s shaking off headlines about her new man.

“I didn’t ever want to see him stress over the media stalking him and his family,” she writes, adding that it’s “already begun to a uncomfortable degree.”

Haack adds of the media, “That’s partly why there is so many failed celeb relationships, they turn new relationships into a circus.”

She concludes, “[Y]es ‘another relationship’ and guess what. I’m 38 — I’ll do what I want.”

Haack, who formerly co-starred with first ex-husband Tarek El Moussa in Flip or Flop, currently stars in her own design show called Christina on the Coast.

Apparently, the home decor celeb is setting another trend: The question “How do you smoke a bufo toad?” currently is a leading search on Google, producing some 328,000 results.

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Robert Redford, George R.R. Martin producing Navajo murder thriller series ‘Dark Winds’ for AMC

July 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Screen legend Robert Redford and Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin have teamed up to bring the work of one of their favorite authors to the small screen, in the AMC drama Dark Winds.

Based on author Tony Hillerman‘s “Leaphorn and Chee” book series, the 1970s-set Dark Winds follows two Navajo police officers investigating a series of grisly murders. AMC notes, “the case forces them to challenge their own spiritual beliefs and come to terms with the trauma of their pasts.”

The show’s writers room is comprised of Native American writers, and its two leads, Westworld‘s Zahn McClarnon and The Red Road‘s Kiowa Gordon, who play the investigators, share Native American ancestry.

In a statement, Martin said, “Down here in the Southwest, Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee are as iconic as Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Philip Marlowe, and Travis McGee.” Martin adds he “could not agree fast enough” to help adapt Hillerman’s work.

Redford added, “I read my first Tony Hillerman novel in 1986 while filming in New Mexico and was immediately hooked,” calling the author, “a master storyteller.” The multiple Oscar winner added, “I am happy to partner with George…and AMC on this project, and am especially grateful for the collaboration with President Nez and The Navajo Nation.”

Season one of Dark Winds will include six episodes and is expected to premiere on AMC+ and AMC in 2022.

New Music Friday: IDK, J. Cole, Bas, Lil Tjay, Yung Bleu, Dave & Stormzy

July 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Visionary artist IDK has dropped his new album, USEE4YOURSELF, laced with verses from Slick Rick, Rico Nasty, and the late DMX, and production from Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes. The star-studded project also features Westside Gunn, Jay Electronica, SiR, T-Pain, Swae Lee, and R&B vocalists Sevyn Streeter and Lucky Daye.

IDK also shared a 43-minute visual of USEE4YOURSELF, in which he sits in the middle of a field while putting together a Nintendo Game Boy console.

J. Cole joins his Dreamville artist Bas on the new track “The Jackie,” which also features New York rapper Lil Tjay. The track includes a catchy chorus where Cole raps, “You see the drop-top [chick] stop playing with me / She say she wanna let the waves splash down on me.”

“The Jackie” visual features Cole, Bas, and a young lady riding around with the top down before meeting up with Lil Tjay in his Bronx hometown.

Meanwhile, rapper and singer Yung Bleu shared his latest single, “Way More Close (Stuck in a Box),” from his upcoming album, Moon Boy. Bleu reflects on his past relationships on the track, which features a stellar verse from Big Sean.

“But you know I was all for ya, you never needed me to go buy out / the Grove for ya / And snatchin’ my soul ’cause you got enough of your own for ya / Did everything, except grow with ya,” Big Sean raps.

Fans on social media are buzzing about Dave and the video for his new banger, “Clash,” featuring Stormzy. Both UK rappers flex about their expensive wrist game, luxury whips, and How to Get Away with Murder star Viola Davis.

Dave says “Clash” will be featured on his upcoming album, We’re All Alone in This Together, dropping July 23.

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