Garth + Trisha to roll out ‘Friends in Low Places’ docuseries

February 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are taking fans on the journey of building Garth’s Nashville bar in a new docuseries, Friends in Low Places.

Premiering March 7 on Prime Video, the series will follow the country stars as they launch the four-story Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk on Music City’s Lower Broadway.

“This was so much more than I bargained for! With that said, what we have built is far more than just a business,” Garth shares in a statement. “This is by far, the craziest ride I have ever been on.”

“We started down this road fueled by passion, dedication, and a shared vision. I’m really proud of the team that has built the Friends Bar and Honky-Tonk,” adds Trisha. “We are excited to share the culmination of everyone’s efforts. It’s even bigger than we dreamed!”

Friends in Low Places is produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Casey Patterson Entertainment, with Garth, Casey Patterson and Carol Donovan serving as executive producers.

Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk opens its doors March 7.

Taylor Swift, Beyoncé concert movies responsible for AMC’s late-2023 revenue increase

February 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

AMC Entertainment released its quarterly earnings statement on February 28, and the good news was all because of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

The theater chain’s revenue grew by 11.5% in the fourth quarter, despite the fact that across the industry, box office receipts were down. In announcing the results, AMC Entertainment Chairman and CEO Adam Aron said, “Literally, all of that increase is … attributable to our having shown [Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour and Renaissance | A Film By Beyoncé] in our theatres in the U.S. and internationally.”

Aron went on to note that the two concert movies alone made up one-ninth of the amount the entire U.S. box office took in during the fourth quarter. He added, “This is a stunning result given that neither of these films were on anyone’s drawing board until mid-year.”

Noting that the two smash concert films were the first ones ever distributed by AMC in the company’s more than 100-year history, Aron concluded, “Our praise for Taylor Swift and Beyoncé Knowles Carter has no limit.”

“We offer our boundless thanks to these two world class artists for entrusting AMC to collaborate with them as to the theatrical exhibition of their two masterpiece creations.”

AMC announced in January that Taylor’s Eras Tour movie has officially become the highest-grossing film in box office history among concert films and documentary films. It will stream on Disney+ starting March 15.

Alex Van Halen’s upcoming book is a “love letter” to brother Eddie Van Halen

February 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Publisher Harper Collins recently revealed that Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen will be releasing a new book, Brothers, on October 22, and now a little more information about the book has been shared.

A description of the book has been posted to the Van Halen Store, detailing what fans should expect from the autobiography.

“In this intimate and open account—nothing like any rock-and-roll memoir you’ve ever read—Alex Van Halen shares his personal story of family, friendship, music, and brotherly love in a remarkable tribute to his beloved brother and bandmate,” reads the description, noting it’s “Alex Van Halen’s love letter to his younger brother, Edward (Maybe ‘Ed,’ but never ‘Eddie’), written while still mourning his untimely death.”

The book, which will include previously unseen photos from Alex’s private collection, delves into the brothers’ childhood and also includes “tales of musical politics, infighting, and plenty of bad-boy behavior.”

“But mostly, his is a story of brotherhood, music, and enduring love,” the description says. “There has never been an accurate account of them or the band, and Alex wants to set the record straight on Edward’s life and death.”

Eddie Van Halen passed away October 6, 2020, at 65. Alex has mostly stayed out of the public eye and hasn’t played music publicly since Eddie’s death.

On This Day, February 29, 1968: The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ wins Album of the Year

February 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

On This Day, February 29, 1968 …

The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band won Album of the Year at the 10th annual Grammy Awards. The record was the first-ever rock album to win in the coveted category.

Sgt. Pepper’s also won Grammys for Best Contemporary Album and Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical, while the album’s iconic cover took home the award for Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts.

Over the course of their career, The Beatles won seven Grammy Awards and received 23 nominations.

Released in May 1967, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band spent 15 weeks at #1 in the U.S. and 27 weeks on top in the U.K. It featured such classic Beatles tunes as the title track, “With a Little Help From My Friends,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “When I’m Sixty Four.”

Cage the Elephant details new album Neon Pill + tour; Matt Shultz speaks on 2023 arrest

February 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Cage the Elephant has announced a new album called Neon Pill.

The “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” outfit’s sixth studio effort — and their first since 2019’s Social Cues — is due out May 17. It includes the previously released title track, as well as a newly premiered tune titled “Out Loud,” which is available now via digital outlets.

Cage has also announced a U.S. tour in support of Neon Pill, running from June 20 in West Valley City, Utah, to September 18 in Denver. Young the Giant will also be on the bill for select dates.

Tickets go on sale Friday, March 8, at 10 a.m. local time. Presales begin Tuesday, March 5, at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit CagetheElephant.com.

Meanwhile, frontman Matt Shultz has spoken out about his 2023 arrest for the first time. As previously reported, Shultz was apprehended in New York City in January 2023 on gun charges, and ended up pleading guilty to two felony counts and one misdemeanor, which allowed him to avoid jail time. Following a year of no new arrests, Shultz can withdraw his plea to the felony charges.

In an Instagram post, Shultz says that the arrest “undoubtedly saved my life” and shares that he’d been “unknowingly fighting my way through an utter mental health crisis” over three years.

“I had slipped into psychosis due to an iatrogenic response to a medication I was prescribed,” Shultz writes.

Shultz credits treatment, the support of his bandmates and the “unwavering love” of his wife, Eva, for helping him “regain my grip on reality and fully recover.”

“Along the way, I learned a lot of hard lessons, and I thank God I was able to come out on the other side,” he says.

Cyndi Lauper sells majority share in her catalog to company behind ABBA avatar show ‘Voyage’

February 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival

Will we one day be able to watch a virtual Cyndi Lauper in concert? It could happen, since the Grammy-winning singer has now entered into a deal with the company behind ABBA‘s 3D avatar show, Voyage.

Cyndi has sold the majority share of her master recording revenue and publishing to the Swedish entertainment company Pophouse, which was co-founded and partly owned by ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus. In addition to being a founding investor in Voyage, Pophouse is the company behind KISS‘ plans to launch an avatar-based show.

In a video conversation with Ulvaeus that’s posted on the Pophouse website, Cyndi says, “When I saw the ABBA Voyage, I started to think about what could be done.” He replies, “It’s just the beginning!”

According to the company, as part of the deal Pophouse will “create new content and experiences to enrich Cyndi Lauper’s catalog” — including hits like “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “Time After Time” and “True Colors” — for “fans old and new.”

In an additional statement, Cyndi said, “I can’t wait to participate in this new stage in my musical evolution and I could not be more pleased to know my music will now be in Pophouse’s safe hands as they build upon my legacy in the years to come.”

Watch the trailer for the new Paul Simon documentary

February 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

The new two-part Paul Simon documentary In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon is set to premiere in March on MGM+, and music fans are now getting their first taste of what to expect.

The first trailer for the series has just been released, featuring archival footage of Simon over the years, including clips of him onstage and in the studio, as well as footage of him with his singing partner Art Garfunkel. There is also more recent footage of Simon in the studio recording his 2023 studio album Seven Psalms.

“I’ve never wanted to be anything other than a singer and a songwriter,” Simon says in the clip. He later adds, “What I’ve learned is when you find a thing that produces a feeling of peace or joy, try and hold on to it. It’s like bliss. That’s music for me.”

In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, directed by Oscar winner Alex Gibney, airs March 17 and March 24 at 9 p.m. on MGM+.

Billie Eilish, Radiohead & more donate items in support of daughter of Portugal. The Man members

February 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Billie Eilish and Radiohead are taking part in a charity auction in support of Frances Gourley, the 12-year-old daughter of Portugal. The Man members John Gourley and Zoe Manville.

Frances was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease called DHDDS, which currently has no cure. Proceeds from the auction, which is being hosted by the platform Charitybuzz, will benefit the organization Frances Changed My Life, which funds research toward curing DHDDS.

Among the items available to bid on is a signed bottle of Eilish’s perfume, and a Radiohead-autographed copy of the Kid A Mnesia compilation. Additionally, artists including Coldplay, Brittany Howard, Olivia Rodrigo, Grouplove and Tenacious D are offering various ticket packages, while Phoebe Bridgers is auctioning off handwritten lyrics to a song of your choice.

Portugal. The Man is also contributing various signed items and concert tickets.

For more info, visit Charitybuzz.com.

Michael Bublé recalls the moment when being the “King of Christmas” stopped bothering him

February 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Thanks to his bestselling holiday album, Christmas, Michael Bublé is now linked forever with the holiday. But at first, Michael admits, he was really ticked off about it — until a family tragedy gave him a new perspective.

Appearing on the podcast Our Way with Paul Anka and Skip Bronson, Michael says he experienced “complete clarity” after his son Noah, now 10, was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. “My life changed and I knew what mattered,” he says.

“At the time the Christmas record … just kept on going,” he recalls. “And people didn’t shut up about the Christmas record: ‘Christmas guy! Hey Christmas guy! The King of Christmas!’ And it really bothered me.” Michael recalls complaining to his wife, “I don’t like it that they call me that, you know, I got other things. … I’m killing it in 50 countries.”

But Michael says after his son’s diagnosis, “I thought, ‘Wow. I’m so worried — my ego, my fault self — is so worried that they’re, you know, talking to me about Christmas. What are you thinking about, Mike? What are you doing?'”

“You are connected to the most beautiful time … of the year where people are kinder and more empathetic and they’ve got joy in their hearts,” he says he remembers telling himself. “And they’re inviting you into their homes to celebrate this time with their families, these core memories … and you got a problem with this, a******?”

Noah, who’s doing well now, is one of the four children Michael shares with his wife, Luisana Lopilato. The others are Elias, 7, Vida, 5, and Cielo, 18 months.

Old Dominion started recording ‘Memory Lane’ on an island

February 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

The recording of Old Dominion‘s Memory Lane didn’t begin in a typical location like a recording studio or somewhere on Nashville’s Music Row. Instead, it all started on the sunny island of Key West, Florida.

“That’s where it started. That’s where we recorded the first four songs. You know, every time you make a new album, you don’t really know what you’re wading into,” the group’s Trevor Rosen tells ABC Audio.

“That was our first toe in the water when we went down there, and that’s where we recorded the [songs] ‘Memory Lane,’ ‘Ain’t Got a Worry,’ ‘Easier Said with Rum’ and ‘Hot Again’ — and that got the process going,” he recalls. “That’s the first snapshot in my mind.”

Old Dominion is currently #24 on the country charts with their Megan Moroney-assisted single, “Can’t Break Up Now.” It follows Memory Lane‘s title track, which hit #1 in July.

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