Music

Megadeth has announced a new touring bassist, and it’s a familiar face.

James LoMenzo, who previously played with the thrash legends from 2006 to 2010, will rejoin the band as their touring bassist for their upcoming Metal Tour of the Year, Rolling Stone reports.

LoMenzo takes the place of founding bassist David Ellefson, who was dismissed from Megadeth earlier this year after video of sexually explicit interactions between him and a woman leaked online.

It’s unclear whether LoMenzo will be Megadeth’s bassist going forward beyond the tour, or if he is the same bass player who was recruited to re-record the parts Ellefson had previously recorded for the upcoming new Megadeth album.

The Metal Tour of the Year, which was originally scheduled for 2020 before being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to kick off August 20 in Austin. The bill also features Lamb of God, Trivium and Hatebreed.

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Lauren Daigle, Harry Connick Jr., for KING & COUNTRY and American Idol winner-turned-country superstar Carrie Underwood will all vie for 2021 Dove Awards, which are handed out annually by the GMA, or Gospel Music Association.

Lauren and and for KING & COUNTRY are up for Artist of the Year, and both artists are also nominated in the category of Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year: Lauren, for her latest single “Hold On to Me,” and for KING & COUNTRY, for “Together,” their 2020 collaboration with Kirk Franklin and Tori Kelly. 

“Together” is also up for Song of the Year, and all in all, for KING & COUNTRY have six nominations.

Harry Connick Jr. and Carrie Underwood are both nominated for Bluegrass/Country/Roots Album of the Year: Harry for his 2021 release Alone with My Faith, and Carrie for her 2021 album My Savior.

The Dove Awards will air live from Nashville on TBN October 22 at 8 p.m. ET.

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Dolly Parton is adding “published novelist” to her long list of titles. In partnership with novelist James Patterson, she has written her first book, called Run, Rose, Run.

The title, which publisher Little, Brown and Company describes as a “thriller about a young singer/songwriter on the rise and on the run,” hits shelves on March 7, 2022. Dolly says she has also created an album of the same name, which features 12 songs inspired by the book, for simultaneous release. 

“I cannot be more excited about the release of my very first novel, Run, Rose, Run, with the great James Patterson,” Dolly tells People. “I also have a new album to go along with the book. All new songs were written based on the characters and situations in the book. I hope you enjoy the book and the songs as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it together!” 

The album will be released on Dolly’s own Butterfly Records, in conjunction with another, yet-to-be-announced, label, according to People. 

Even with a massive catalogue of different kinds of books to his name, James says that working with Dolly was special, not only because of her legendary country status but also because of the added musical element they included in the finished product. 

“The mind-blowing thing about this project is that reading the novel is enhanced by listening to the album and vice versa,” he notes. “It’s a really unique experience that I know readers (and listeners) will love.”

His collaboration with Dolly is, in fact, not James’ only Music City connection. The New York native received an M.A. in English from Vanderbilt University, which is located in Nashville.

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Gwen Stefani received a special bouquet, which she showed off on her Instagram stories with help from her husband, Blake Shelton.

In a video, Gwen asked Blake what he’s doing.  Blake, holding a small bouquet of flowers, replies, “Standing here like an idiot because you told me to go get some flowers to put in the vase for dinner and then I walk in and see this.”  Gwen then pans the camera to show an enormous bouquet of white roses sitting on the table.

We then see a shot of the card that came with the bouquet: It’s from Vera Wang, who designed both Gwen’s wedding dress and her shorter reception dress when she and Blake tied the knot last month.

It reads, “Dearest Gwen, what a pleasure to have shared in your happiness by choosing us to dress you, not once, but twice. As an enormous fan, on behalf of me and my team, again thank you. Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness!”

“Wow, Vera! Thank you so much for the gorgeous flowers, but the dress… like, it was literally a dream come true to be able to work with you and get married to Blake in your gown,” Gwen says in another video. 

We then see a shot of a box that reads, “My wedding gown,” in which the singer has evidently preserved the dress.

Next, Gwen posted photos comparing the wedding cake in the video for No Doubt’s song “Simple Kind of Life” with the cake from her wedding — they’re somewhat similar, actually.

Gwen ended her Instagram Stories post-fest with a shot of her TV, which was playing the scene in the movie Captain Marvel where Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson, kicks butt to the tune of No Doubt‘s “Just a Girl.”

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50 Cent is weighing in on the controversy surrounding the seemingly homophobic comments DaBaby made last month during a Miami music festival.

While chatting with E!’s Nightly Pop, the “In Da Club” rapper shared his take on the matter, expressing his belief that things have blown up due to DaBaby not having proper guidance. 

“He is a really talented, special artist and he just transitioned from being in that pool that everyone’s in as a rap artist,” 50 said. “Like, they didn’t notify him that he’s turning into a superstar.”

“There’s nobody that tells you, ‘Now you are being held to these standards,'” he elaborated. 

The Power star added that the “Ball If I Want To” artist “didn’t have a publicist,” which he believes is what caused his first apology attempt to make things “worse,” along with the delay in issuing it.  

Addressing why there was such an uproar over DaBaby’s comments, 50 said, “You know what it is? When a person makes a general statement — because he made a general [statement]. He was just on stage — he’s not directing that to any individual.”

“But what happens is, he’s still new and he’s being attacked by individuals,” 50 continued, referencing celebrities like Madonna, Questlove and Elton John, who have all spoken out against the 29-year-old rapper. “They are saying something about DaBaby. He never said anything about any of them personally.”

50 added, “He’s only two years into his career, there’s no artist development, there’s no strong A&R, and there’s definitely no media training.”

While some artists and critics call for DaBaby to be canceled, when asked if he’ll be able to bounce back, 50 confidently said, “Yeah, he will. As long as he keeps consistency with his music.”

 

 

 

 

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Earlier this week, Machine Gun Kelly posted a photo of himself sporting a shaggy, Kurt Cobain-esque hair style while announcing his new album, Born with Horns. Well, we hope you weren’t to attached to that look, because it’s already gone.

Thursday night, Kelly tweeted a new photo revealing his current hairdo — or, more accurately, lack thereof. The “Bloody Valentine” rocker shaved his entire head, apparently for the video for the upcoming Born with Horns single, “Papercuts.”

The picture also reveals a large triangle drawn on the top of his head, though it’s unclear if that’s a permanent tattoo or something more temporary.

We’ll presumably see more of Kelly’s new appearance when the “Papercuts” video premieres Wednesday night at 9 p.m. PT.

The shaved-head isn’t the only new aspect of the MGK look — he also got an arm tattoo that reads “Born with Horns,” as did Travis Barker, who’s executive producing the album.

i shaved my head for this @_ColeBennett_
“papercuts”
tomorrow 9pm 🎬 pic.twitter.com/YZCKG791B8

— blonde don (@machinegunkelly) August 11, 2021

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Billie Eilish and Foo Fighters are among the nominees for the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards.

The “bad guy” star racked up five nominations, including Best Cinematography for “Therefore I Am” and Best Direction and Video for Good for “Your Power.” Meanwhile, Dave Grohl and company received three nods: Best Rock, Best Choreography and Best Cinematography, all for “Shame Shame.”

Also competing for Best Rock are Evanescence‘s “Use My Voice,” The Killers‘ “My Own Soul’s Warning,” Kings of Leon‘s “The Bandit,” Lenny Kravitz‘s “Raise Vibration,” and John Mayer‘s “Last Train Home.”

The Best Alternative nominees are Bleachers‘ “Stop Making This Hurt,” Glass Animals‘ “Heat Waves,” Imagine Dragons‘ “Follow You,” Twenty One Pilots‘ “Shy Away,” Machine Gun Kelly and blackbear‘s “My Ex’s Best Friend,” and Willow and Travis Barker‘s “Transparent Soul.”

Other nominees include Glass Animals’ “Tangerine” and Coldplay‘s “Higher Power” for Best Visual Effects, and Lorde‘s “Solar Power” for Best Cinematography. Additionally, 24kGoldn and iann dior‘s alternative hit/mainstream smash “Mood” is nominated in two categories, including Song of the Year, and Goldn himself is up for Best New Artist.

Voting is open now via VMA.MTV.com. The ceremony will air live from New York City Sunday, September 12.

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