Music

Eddie Vedder is just breathing a bit better after a conversation with an unlikely source convinced him to quit smoking.

As the Pearl Jam frontman revealed during an interview with the Fly on the Wall podcast with Dana Carvey and David Spade, said conversation took place during the COVID-19 pandemic while on the phone with former SNL cast member Martin Short.

Vedder said that he started smoking again during the pandemic after initially trying to quit, and told Short that when the comedian called to check in on him.

“I said, ‘Well, I’m frustrated with myself, I’m smoking again,'” Vedder recalled.

Short then asked if Vedder was smoking cigarettes or pot. When Vedder said cigarettes, Short replied, “Oh, are you still waiting for more literature on that?”

“And that was the last time I ever had a cigarette,” Vedder said.

He added, “Maybe not really, but it makes for a better story.”

Also during the podcast, Vedder reminisced about Pearl Jam’s 1994 SNL performance, during which the band had the rare opportunity to play three songs instead of the usual two.

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Primus frontman Les Claypool has written a new illustrated book called Frizzle Fry: Phantoms of Barrington Hall.

Named after Primus’ 1990 debut album, Frizzle Fry: Phantoms of Barrington Hall is described by publisher Z2 Comics as an “illustrated storybook for adults” that “expands Primus’ warped mythology and surreal humor, as it presents a tale allegedly based on the band’s unbelievable experiences during their early years playing shows in Berkeley and the East Bay.”

The description continues, “Fans may think they know Frizzle Fry from the song and the album of the same name, but this story explodes the band’s universe into a new form of psychedelic life on every page, capturing the off-kilter spirit Primus fans have come to expect, in a way that only Primus can.”

You can preorder your copy now via Z2Comics.com.

In the meantime, you can catch Primus on tour with two other Claypool projects, The Claypool Lennon Delirium and Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, kicking off in May.

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Joni Mitchell is getting the Lifetime Achievement Award at Canada’s 2026 Juno Awards, and the artists who will help celebrate her have just been announced.

Fellow Canadian singers Sarah McLachlan and Allison Russell will pay tribute to Mitchell with a performance at the award show, taking place March 29 at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

The 82-year-old Mitchell is being celebrated for her “outstanding artistic contributions and enduring impact on global music culture,” according to a press release.

Mitchell is already a four-time Juno Award winner. The Junos, handed out by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, are the Canadian equivalent to the Grammys.

The Lifetime Achievement Award adds to the many honors Mitchell has already received over the course of her career. In her native Canada, she was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1981 and received Canada’s highest honor, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime artistic achievement, in 1991. She was also named Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2002 and was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007.

In the U.S., Mitchell was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. She also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2021 and the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2023.

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Lainey Wilson’s been Down Under touring Australia and New Zealand, and she’s been having a great time. In an Instagram video, she lists all the cool things she’s gotten to do besides work, including holding koalas and meeting Bindi Irwin. She adds in the video, “We have gotten to do it all, while playing some of the best shows I have ever played in my entire life … Australia and New Zealand, y’all know how to act up!”

Brad Paisley has announced a benefit comedy show in April to raise money for his nonprofit The Store, a food pantry that operates like a supermarket, allowing people to select the groceries they want. Called Groceries with Dignity & Comedy Without with Brad Paisley & Friends, it’ll take place at Zanies in Nashville. Tickets go on sale Friday.

CMA vocal group of the year The Red Clay Strays will headline this year’s RiverBeat Music Festival, taking place May 1-3 in Memphis. The other two headliners for the event are Dave Matthews Band and rap icons Wu-Tang Clan. Tickets are on sale now.

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Mumford & Sons have premiered the video for “The Banjo Song,” a track off the band’s upcoming album, Prizefighter.

The clip doesn’t feature any banjos, and instead follows a group of people as they dance around a room. The dancers were cast by event organizer Streets of Soul from attendees of its club nights in England.

“These are the dancers that always brighten up our dancefloors, the ones that love to dance,” Streets of Soul says. “We brought them together with their different styles, energy and flair. We saw how quickly they all became one … their differences became their joy and their connection.”

You can watch the video for “The Banjo Song” on YouTube.

Prizefighter, the follow-up to 2025’s Rushmere, drops Friday. It also includes the Hozier collaboration “Rubber Band Man.”

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Gracie Abrams and her boyfriend, Paul Mescal, were in attendance at a London screening of Paul McCartney’s upcoming documentary, Man on the Run. The two snapped a photo with The Beatles legend on the red carpet. Mescal is set to play McCartney in Sam Mendes’ upcoming Beatles films, The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, which are currently in production and expected to hit theaters in April 2028.

Zara Larsson just wants a nice Wikipedia photo. In a TikTok video, the singer complained that someone keeps changing the photo to one she doesn’t like and vowed to keep changing it ack. “I will never stop changing that picture to a nice one,” she tells the camera. “I will never stop.”

Freya Skye has announced dates for her Stars Align tour in the U.S., Australia and Europe. The U.S. leg kicks off Sept. 19 in Santa Barbara, California, and runs through Oct. 14 in Hollywood, Florida. Freya’s debut EP, stardust, was released last week.

Hozier joined Sam Smith onstage for Sam’s residency at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco. The two performed Hozier’s hit “Take Me to Church.” “Thank you so much for coming out my friend,” Sam wrote on Instagram. “Honoured to sing that song with you. And to do it at the Castro!! What an honor.”

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The rollout for Baby Keem’s new album, Ca$ino, continues with the release of another “Booman” episode. “Booman III,” the third episode from the project’s accompanying documentary series, features the return of his first cousin once removed Kendrick Lamar, who talks about his initial reaction to Keem’s musical talent.

Kendrick said Keem “was the best” of “a thousand f****** cousins” and “a thousand friends that rap and do music” when he was just “14, 15 years old.”

“Booman III” is now available to watch on YouTube. Ca$ino is set to arrive on Friday.

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Another day, another brand deal for Dua Lipa.

The star is now the global brand ambassador for the luxury jewelry company Bulgari. She says in a statement, “It is incredibly special to work alongside an iconic brand like Bvlgari, and I’m thrilled to be part of a house that embodies confidence, creativity, and modern femininity. Their pieces always add the perfect finishing touch, transforming a look into a real moment.”​

Dua wore Bulgari on Valentine’s Day when she supported her fiancé, Callum Turner, on the red carpet at the premiere of his film Rosebush Pruning at the Berlinale Film Festival. She also wore the company’s designs in a promotional campaign for the Winter Olympics.

Bulgari is just the latest company to tap Dua Lipa for a promotional role. She has also either fronted campaigns for, served as an ambassador for or collaborated with YSL Beauty, Porsche, Versace, Chanel, Evian and Puma, among others.

Plus, Dua recently teamed with Augustinus Bader for her own line of skin care products, and became the co-founder and chief creative officer for Frame Fitness, which makes at-home Pilates reformers.

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Ava Max is reinventing herself.

In a letter to fans thanking them for their birthday wishes — she turned 32 on Monday — she writes that “the last three months have been some of the most inspiring of my life,” and shares that she’s had to “change a few things around and do what’s best for the music I want to make.”

Noting that she’s left her former record label and “started an exciting partnership to bring you this new era,” Ava writes, “I’ve found a new love and passion for [music] — similar to how I felt when I first started singing at 7 years old.”

Ava says she’s been in the studio for the past few months “quietly working on this new era,” and adds that her new music “has challenged me vocally and emotionally in a way like never before.”

The “Kings & Queens” singer signed off by writing, “To all my queens, we are unstoppable no matter the obstacles. Time to kill it.”

Ava’s most recent album, last year’s Don’t Click Play, failed to chart on the Billboard 200 and a subsequent tour was canceled. 

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