Music

In Flames is no longer taking part in the Metal Tour of the Year.

On Tuesday, the Swedish metallers announced that they’re dropping off the stacked bill, which also includes Megadeth, Lamb of God and Trivium, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were looking forward to playing for you all and this was an unbelievably hard choice to make,” a statement from the band reads. “Thank you for understanding and your support as we all get through this unprecedented time.”

“We have a lot of things in the works for 2022 — more on that shortly,” they add. “Stay safe and we’ll see you on the road again soon!”

In place of In Flames, Hatebreed has now joined the lineup.

The Metal Tour of the Year, which was previously scheduled to launch in 2020, will kick off August 20 in Austin.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

St. Vincent has announced a streaming concert special, set to premiere August 4.

The virtual show, titled Down and Out Downtown, will feature the live debuts of songs off St. Vincent’s new album, Daddy’s Home, as well as “new arrangements of hits and deep cuts.”

A trailer for the special includes snippets of Daddy’s Home songs, as well as renditions of older tunes including “Los Ageless” and “Cheerleader” reworked with St. Vincent’s new backing band. You can watch that streaming now on YouTube.

Down and Out Downtown will stream via the platform Moment House. For ticket info, visit MomentHouse.com/StVincent.

Daddy’s Home, the sixth St. Vincent album, was released in May. It includes the lead single “Pay Your Way in Pain.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

One day before the next court hearing on Britney Spears‘ conservatorship, the headline-making documentary about her has received two Emmy nominations.

Framing Britney Spears, produced by The New York Times for FX and Hulu, has been nominated for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program.

The doc, which first aired in February, focused on how the media, especially the tabloids and the paparazzi, framed Britney in a negative, often misogynistic light, while allowing the men in her orbit, like her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake, to emerge unscathed from the spotlight’s blinding glare. 

The documentary also examined the #FreeBritney movement and focused new attention on her conservatorship, which has been in place since 2008.  Britney is now trying to have her father Jamie Spears removed from his role as conservator of her estate, and has also asked for the conservatorship itself to be terminated.

Britney and those involved with the conservatorship, which the singer has deemed “abusive,” are expected to appear in court Wednesday for the next step in what appears to be shaping up to be lengthy process.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Shelley, the artist formerly known as DRAM, sat down with Complex to talk about his recent name change and his album, Shelley FKA DRAM.

Shelley is the artist’s government name. He says the change “was symbolic to the changes that I made in my musical direction, as well as my lifestyle in general.”

Shelley gained international success under the stage name Big Baby DRAM with hits like “Cha Cha,” “Broccoli” and more. He believes the name DRAM came with a “certain stigma” and limited his versatility as an artist.

“I felt like a wide range of styles and sounds were being overshadowed by the few records of mine that were extremely popular,” he explains. “As grateful as I am for the success of those records, I still thought many people judged the totality of my art based on those records alone.”

Shelley was also shocked by the positive responses he received over his recent album, Shelley FKA DRAM, which ranked at #3 on Complex’s “Best Albums of 2021 (So Far)” list. The 10-track blessing features appearances from R&B vocalists Summer Walker, Erykah Badu, H.E.R., and WATT.

“I’m both surprised and ecstatic from the overall responses from my fans as well as my peers,” Shelley tells Complex. “It seems as though this musical path that I’m on is exactly what my day ones have been waiting for from me.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Death Cab for Cutie frontman Benjamin Gibbard has united with electronic artist Tycho for a new song called “Only Love.”

“Ben’s voice was a very inspiring element to work with from a production standpoint, I felt it really meshed well with the kinds of sounds and instrumentation I gravitate towards,” Tycho says.

“‘Only Love’ started life as an instrumental, but something was missing,” he explains. “I sent a rough demo to Ben and he recorded some vocals over it. The first time I heard the rough vocals the whole song suddenly made sense and the arrangement flowed out of that.”

You can listen to “Only Love” now via digital outlets.

Notably, “Only Love” marks Gibbard’s first “major electronic collaboration” since The Postal Service.

Death Cab’s most recent album is 2018’s Thank You for Today. In the past year, they’ve released a covers EP, as well as a live album.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Killswitch Engage has announced a streaming concert taking place August 6.

The virtual show, which will be filmed at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts, will feature full album performances of KsE’s latest effort, 2019’s Atonement, as well as their 2000 self-titled debut. A press release promises that the concert will also feature “a few surprises along the way.”

“I hope everyone who watches enjoys this as much as we did making it,” says frontman Jesse Leach. “Aside from the music, the laughter and funny moments were an equal part of the experience. The whole package really feels like a Killswitch experience and we’re stoked for everyone to see and hear it.”

For ticket info, visit KillswitchEngage.com.

Meanwhile, Leach and Killswitch guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz are releasing a new album with their side project Times of Grace called Songs of Loss and Separation this Friday, July 16.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

After fans hounded her on social media, Cardi B shared photos from the princess-themed party she and Offset threw for Kulture’s third birthday last weekend.

“Ok, I’m [going to] post all Kulture birthday pic ….Give me a second. It’s like three thousand to choose [from],” Cardi tweeted Monday night.

The guest of honor showed up to her party in a horse-drawn carriage accompanied by her happy parents. “You know the entrance gotta be extra honey,” Cardi wrote on Instagram, sharing photos from Saturday’s party.

Cardi and Kulture wore matching pink dresses and made their grand entrance with Offset through a tunnel of balloons. The party had everything a girl could dream of in her own whimsical world: a Cinderella cake, a dance floor, colorful balloons, and a petting zoo. There were also performers dressed as Disney princesses Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, and Tiana.

Soon the party of three will become four, since Cardi and Offset are expecting their second child together. Cardi revealed her pregnancy during their performance with Migos at the 2021 BET Awards in June.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Cardi B (@iamcardib)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jimmie Allen’s first-ever children’s book, My Voice Is a Trumpet, is out now.

Illustrated by Cathy Ann Johnson, the book celebrates how every voice — from the roar of a lion to the buzz of a bee — has the power to enact change. That’s a message that’s especially important to Jimmie, both as a country musician and as a father.

“It’s very important to me that kids learn at a young age that they have a voice, and that it is powerful. It is up to us adults to teach them to use their voice to encourage and show love,” Jimmie explains. “Being a father of two kids, I try to encourage them to be themselves and love everyone around them. I’m hoping this book inspires at least one child and they always remember their voice is a trumpet.”

Jimmie is dad to 7-year-old Aadyn; he and his wife, Alexis, also share 1-year-old daughter Naomi. The couple will soon add a third child to the mix, as they’re expecting another baby — a girl — later this year.

In musical news, Jimmie’s current single, a duet with Brad Paisley, called “Freedom Is a Highway,” is rising at radio. He’ll join Brad on tour later this summer. 

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Pop Evil bassist Matt DiRito has left the band.

In an Instagram post, DiRito, who’s played with Pop Evil since 2007, writes that “time has come for me to part ways” with the Michigan rockers.

“The decision has been made that I will not be joining them on their upcoming tour, or any future tours,” he says. “Walking away from something I’ve helped build is not easy — but it is the best thing for the band, myself and our respective futures.”

As for why he’s leaving Pop Evil, DiRito is keeping that close the vest, writing, “The details surrounding my departure are only known by a few people, and respectfully it will remain that way.”

“I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your endless support and love,” he concludes. “I wish Pop Evil nothing but success in all of their future endeavors and I am thankful for the time that I was able to be part of it.”

Meanwhile, DiRito won’t be the only Pop Evil member missing from the band’s upcoming tour, which kicks off this week. Drummer Hayley Cramer, who’s based in the U.K., will be unable to make the beginning of the outing, as she’s still stuck across the pond due to travel issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. She hopes to rejoin the band on the road in August.

Pop Evil released their new album, Versatile, in May.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.