Earlier this year, Alt-J performed a show in London, during which they played their 2012 debut album An Awesome Wave in full to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Now, the band has announced a stream of the concert.
You’ll be able to watch the performance via the streaming platform Moment beginning October 19.
“We dusted off some songs we hadn’t played live for almost ten years, reunited with [ex-member] Gwil [Sainsbury] for two songs and generally celebrated the anniversary of the album the best way we could think of,” Alt-J says. “If you weren’t at the gig, we are happy to say the full set was filmed by Moment for your viewing pleasure. We hope you enjoy it.”
Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings; Atlantic Records/Rhino
September 29, 1992, was a veritable grunge-a-palooza.
Thirty years ago today, both Alice in Chains‘ Dirt and Stone Temple Pilots‘ Core were released.
Dirt followed Alice’s 1990 debut Facelift, which put the band, and the signature harmonized vocals of Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell on the map with the single “Man in the Box.” As AiC prepped their sophomore follow-up, the grunge scene had begun to take off, and the budding genre eventually became a household term as Nirvana‘s Nevermind hit #1 on the Billboard 200 in January 1992.
A few weeks before Dirt dropped, the new Cameron Crowe movie Singles premiered in theaters, which featured Alice in Chains performing the album’s lead single, “Would?” When Dirt did arrive, it debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200, which was then a career-high for AiC.
Dirt also featured the singles “Rooster,” “Them Bones,” “Down in a Hole” and “Angry Chair.” The album would go on to earn a Grammy nomination and is today certified five-times Platinum by the RIAA.
As the grunge explosion continued, the “Seattle sound” of Nirvana, Alice, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden was no longer constricted to just the Pacific Northwest. Down the coast, Stone Temple Pilots were building a following in Southern California, leading to the release of their debut album, Core.
In addition to being geographical outsiders, Scott Weiland and company weren’t exactly critical darlings and were often dismissed as Pearl Jam imitators. Nevertheless, STP connected with listeners, who eventually propelled Core to #3 on the Billboard 200.
Singles including “Plush” and “Creep” are now considered ’90s classics, while Core has been certified eight-times Platinum.
Both AiC and STP have released deluxe reissues of Dirt and Core in honor of their respective albums’ milestone anniversaries.
Meghan Trainor says her new album, Takin’ It Back,symbolizes a rebirth of her music career after her confidence was shattered by the pandemic.
The Grammy winner appeared on Smallzy’s Surgery to explain how going back to her doo-wop roots helped her out of her funk. She revealed she views her new album as an updated version of her debut album, revealing, “I call it Title 2.0.”
“I think COVID really broke my confidence in my career,” she confessed. When the pandemic shut the music industry down, she worried that had killed her momentum. Her main concerns were she’d never come back and fans would forget her. “That really messed up [my] mind,” she added.
What helped rebuild her confidence was when her old songs went viral on TikTok. Meghan also felt relief when she heard that new artists wanted to do “that Meghan Trainor sound” a.k.a. doo-wop. She recalled thinking to herself, “They still know who I am?”
The “No” singer says her new album will detail the insecurity she felt at the time and how she overcame it. “I forgot all the good I had ever done before,” she confessed. “And I had to remind myself.”
Takin’ It Back arrives October 21. Meghan revealed she’s about to release a new song off the album, titled, “Mama Wanna Mambo.”
Speaking of mama, Meghan admits she’s feeling some “mom guilt” for having to head Down Under to serve as a first-time judge on Australian Idol. The singer hates being away from her son, Riley, and confessed, “I wish I was with him.”
Thankfully, her family will soon move to Australia, where Meghan confirmed she and husband Daryl Sabara will try for baby number two. “I’m banking on twins at this point,” she declared.
Arctic Monkeys have premiered a new song called “Body Paint,” a track off their upcoming album, The Car.
You can listen to “Body Paint” now via digital outlets and watch its accompanying video streaming now on YouTube.
The Car, which also features the previously released single “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball,” will be released October 21. It’s the seventh studio Arctic Monkeys effort and the first since 2018’s Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.
Arctic Monkeys will be touring South America, Australia and the U.K. later this year and into 2023 in support of The Car. Alex Turner and company don’t currently have any U.S. dates on their schedule, but you can watch them perform “Body Paint” on Thursday’s episode of NBC’s The Tonight Show.
Maren Morris has long been a vocal supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, and in recent weeks, her support for trans youth has been particularly visible.
The singer made headlines following a fiery back-and-forth with Brittany Aldean, wife of superstar Jason Aldean, after Brittany posted an Instagram reel that thanked her parents for not “changing my gender” when she went through “my tomboy phase.”
Maren, along with singer Cassadee Pope, flagged the comments as transphobic, and things continued to get heated, culminating in Brittany’s appearance on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight. Show host Tucker Carlson described Maren as a “Lunatic country music person,” which she promptly made into a T-shirt, ultimately raising $500,000 for GLAAD and the Trans Lifeline.
Now, Maren is back with a second T-shirt design. This time, it’s a purple tee for #SpiritDay, an October 20 initiative to raise money for GLAAD’s push against youth bullying, that reads “You Have a Seat at This Table.” That could be a reference to a lyric in “Crowded Table,” a song released by Maren’s band, The Highwomen.
“At its core, country music is for everyone,” Maren explains in a new interview with GLAAD. “It’s not just for one type of person. It’s everyone’s stories. It’s storytelling. So yeah, I definitely feel like that became apparent over the last few weeks.”
One-hundred percent of the proceeds of Maren’s new shirt benefit GLAAD’s work supporting LGBTQ youth. Additionally, she’s partnering with Fandiem and Bandsintown for a sweepstakes supporting GLAAD; the winner will win a flyaway plus tickets to a stop on her Humble Quest tour and more. To learn more and donate to win, visit Fandiem.
If your love of metal expands beyond just the music, then perhaps you’d be interested in a James Hetfield cigar or an Ozzy Osbourne burger.
The Metallica frontman has launched his own signature stogie, according to Cigar Aficionado. The Blacked M81 was created in collaboration with cigar maker Jonathan Drew and distiller Rob Dietrich, who also works with Metallica on their Blackened Whiskey.
“The three of us connected and shared each other’s vision and story about where we’ve been, what we like to see and what is important to us now,” Hetfield says. “We all came up with what a Blackened M81 cigar would look and taste like.”
Cigar Aficionado will be offering Blackened M81s at the magazine’s upcoming Big Smoke Las Vegas event in November.
Meanwhile, the metal-themed burger joint Grill ‘Em All has announced a new sandwhich inspired by Ozzy. Fittingly for the Prince of Darkness, the burger is served on a black bun with “house made
chimichurri, garlic aioli, blue cheese, onion frizzle and field greens” topping a half-pound of meat.
You can try one for yourself this Saturday, October 1 at the Grill ‘Em All in Alhambra, California. While the real Ozzy won’t be in attendance, the 25-foot inflatable version of the Black Sabbath frontman, which previously made its debut over the summer at San Diego Comic-Con, will be on display.
BET announced Thursday the lineup for the 2022 Hip Hop Awards rap cyphers, naming some of the hottest artists on the rise.
Baby Tate, Big Boss Vette, Deetranada, Guapdad 4000, JaysonCash, Ray Vaughn, Reuben Vincent, Sa-Roc, Sauce Walka and Topaz Jones will take part in the on-air cyphers.
The show will also feature a digital-exclusive cypher featuring up-and-comers Armani Caesar, KenTheMan, Nana, Navelle Hice, OT The Real and Yung Pooda.
Prior to the all-important cyphers will be the Twitter awards pre-show hosted by Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast hosts Gillie Da Kid and Wallo.
Leading this year’s nominations with 14 is Drake, whose nods include Lyricist of the Year, Best Live Performer and Hip Hop album of the Year. Ye follows closely with 10 nods and Kendrick Lamar with 9.
Miami’s own rap princess, Trina, is this year’s recipient of the I Am Hip Hop Award.
“I am honored to receive and accept the 2022 I Am Hip Hop Award presented by BET,” Trina said via press release. “As a legend with over 20 years in the music industry, consistency and unity have contributed to my Rockstarr power as a femcee. I believe when one woman wins, whether it’s in front of the camera or behind the scenes, we all WIN. Let’s keep winning!”
The 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards, hosted by Fat Joe, airs Tuesday, October 4 at 9 p.m. ET on BET.
2022 still has a few more months to go, but Billy Joel’s already making plans for 2023.
The Piano Man has announced that he’s headlining London’s annual British Summer Time Hyde Park festival on Friday, July 7. The gig is billed as his “only European appearance of 2023.” He’ll be joining his pal Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band at the festival: They’re performing July 6 and July 8.
The rest of the this year’s festival lineup — which has in the past featured the likes of Adele, Elton John, The Eagles, Celine Dion, Lionel Richie, Barbra Streisand, Michael Bublé and Bruno Mars as headliners — will be announced at a later date.
Meanwhile, Billy’s concert film Live At Yankee Stadium — which documents his June 1990 show, the first rock concert ever held at the iconic venue — will be shown in theaters on October 5 and 9. You can get tickets at BillyJoel.film.
Comedian and host Loni Love chimed in on the B. Simone, DaniLeighWild ‘N Out conversation, adding her thoughts that removing Simone from an episode of the improv comedy show, per DaniLeigh’s request, was not the right call.
“Here again producers are at fault for this … they gave no loyalty for a regular cast member who shows up for them…,” Love wrote on Twitter. “if you are a regular on a show, guests either come on or not.. there are plenty others that would love to fill the spot…”
After reports surfaced this week that Simone, a recurring cast member on the show, did not participate in the episode where DaniLeigh was a guest, some fans on social media were not happy. Many speculated the request stemmed from relationship drama between the two women and the father of DaniLeigh’s daughter, rapper DaBaby.
On Wednesday’s episode of The Tamron Hall Show, Simone briefly addressed the rumor, confirming it to be true.
“I’m going to answer that very simply — it is true. But we’re going to have grace for that situation,” Simone said. “I don’t agree with it but I understand it especially, you know, she’s not that mature. So we’re just going to have grace for her and move forward.”
DaniLeigh took to social media to provide her perspective that the removal was a request and not a demand, adding it was an attempt to “protect her peace” and “protect her heart.”
In an interview with The Guardian, the Paramore bandmates “confirm rumors that they are dating.” The publication adds that the pair “decline[s] to comment further.”
Williams was previously married to New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert. They divorced in 2017.
News of Williams and York’s relationship adds to an already exciting time for the ParaFamily. Earlier this week, the “Hard Times” trio premiered their first new song in five years, “This Is Why,” and announced a new album of the same name, due out February 10, 2023.
Paramore is also launching a tour for the first time in four years this Sunday, October 2, in Bakersfield, California.
