Music

Garth Brooks is headed for Wyoming on Friday night, where he’ll play the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo. It’s the 125th anniversary of the 10-day event, and this year’s festivities are dedicated to the late country star and rodeo champ Chris LeDoux.

As he gears up for his sold-out set, Garth says he can’t help but think back on all the memories he made at the rodeo with Chris, who died in 2005 at the age of 56. In fact, one year, Garth was nervous he might have to miss the rodeo because his wife was about to go into labor with the couple’s daughter. Just in case he had to drop out, Chris came to town to play understudy, Garth remembers.

“1996 we’re playing Cheyenne Frontier Days…worried that our youngest daughter, Allie, is going to be born while we’re there and I’d have to fly out and miss the show,” recounts Garth. “So Chris LeDoux brings him and his band up there just in case. We get the word about 2pm in the afternoon [that] everything’s great, so we go ahead and play the show…with Chris LeDoux.”

This weekend, Garth will honor Chris by being a part of the official unveiling ceremony of a bronze statue dedicated to the rodeo legend. He’s also playing his Friday night show with country singer Ned LeDoux, who’s Chris’ son. 

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Prepare yourself for new Porno for Pyros music.

The group, one of  Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell‘s many side projects, has begun working on fresh material, according to a social media post from guitarist Peter DiStefano.

“Working on new Porno For Pyros songs with [drummer Stephen Perkins] in his front yard to send to [Farrell],” the post reads.

Perkins, of course, also plays with Farrell in Jane’s.

Porno for Pyros hasn’t released an album since 1996’s Good God’s Urge. The band reunited for their first live performance since 2009 during the 2020 Lollapalooza livestream.

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This week’s new music roundup includes new collaborations by Kiana Ledé, Kehlani, Drake, Gunna and more. 

Kehlani goes back and forth contemplating the consequences of cheating in a relationship on Kiana Ledé’s R&B jam, “Ur Best Friend.” Both women find themselves singing about infidelity and returning to their male partners after stepping out with each other. 

“And he’s almost perfect, and that’s why it hurts / And he calls me family that’s what makes it worse/ ohhhh its wrong but I make you feel right/ You textin’ my phone while right beside him/ Wish it was anyone besides him,” Kehlani sings.

Kehlani also goes back and forth on “Beautiful Lies,” from Yung Bleu’s debut project, Moon Boy, which is out now. This time, the two vocalists discuss their relationship, which revolves around mistakes, apologies, and little white lies. 

Moon Boy also features appearances from John Legend, H.E.R., Moneybagg Yo, Kodak Black, Davido, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and more. 

Meanwhile, rising Toronto rapper Smiley links up with Drake and Grammy-nominated producer Tay Keith on his new single, “Over the Top,” while Gunna and Polo G maintain their unique rapping styles and natural chemistry on “Waves,” the latest single off NBA player Kawhi Leonard’s compilation album, Culture Jam. 

And lastly, Tinashe has officially dropped the release date for her new album, 333, accompanied by her new single, “I Can See the Future.” 333 arrives Aug. 6 and will include Tinashe’s singles, “Bouncin‘” and the Buddy-assisted track, “Pasadena.”

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One of Alessia Cara‘s two new songs is called “Shapeshifter,” and in the new video for the track, she takes the song’s title to heart, portraying five different characters.

Alessia portrays a wealthy woman whose husband is cheating on her, as well as the husband, the private detective she hires to find out the truth, and the two women suspected of being the husband’s mistress: the housekeeper and the gardener.

While we don’t find out the characters’ names in the clip, Alessia has named them all, and has been introducing them on her social media for the last week.  For example, the husband and wife are named Theodore and Inga Pomodoro, while the private investigator’s name is Melba D’Angelo.

In a twist ending, Melba finds Theodoro making out with someone she thinks is the gardener. But when that person turns around, it’s actually, er…a sheep. A surprised Melba stumbles backward and falls into the pool — and surprise! We cut to Alessia herself emerging from the ocean in a red dress, in a scene from her previous video, “Sweet Dream.”

In other words…it was all a dream.  And the hint was the sheep: Alessia’s co-star in the “Sweet Dream” video is a real sheep named Lola.

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Jason Aldean and fellow country superstar Carrie Underwood mix high-drama harmonies and powerhouse vocals on their new duet, “If I Didn’t Love You.”

The new song officially arrived Friday, after Jason started teasing it — and his big mystery duet partner — earlier in the week. According to Billboard, Jason says that Carrie’s vocal contributions made the song even better than he’d imagined it could be.

“She did her thing like only Carrie can,” he explains. “And I don’t know how, but she made the song sound even better than what we’d expected. It’s a really special song to start this album.”

“If I Didn’t Love You” is the first single off Jason’s upcoming tenth album. “We were pretty close to finishing up this album, but this song came in and we knew we had to record it. I went ahead and put my vocals down while we asked Carrie in the meantime,” he details.

“Luckily, she loved the song,” Jason adds, “and it was kind of like a rocket from there.”

It’s not Jason’s first time finding musical magic with a turbo-charged male-female duet. His 2010 collaboration with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” was a massive hit. Then, in 2018, he and Miranda Lambert topped the country charts with their “Drowns the Whiskey.” 

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The short-lived but beloved performance series From the Basement has found a new home on The Coda Collection.

Amazon Prime Video’s new, music-focused subscription streaming channel will air archival episodes from the program, beginning with Radiohead‘s 2011 appearance on the show.

Additionally, The Coda Collection has premiered a new, exclusive interview with From the Basement curator, frequent Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich.

Other installments to be added at a future date include sets by Red Hot Chili Peppers, The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, Iggy & the Stooges and Gnarls Barkley.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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All Good Things has announced a new album called A Hope in Hell.

The record, which will include the band’s hit single, “For the Glory,” featuring Hollywood Undead‘s Johnny 3 Tears and Charlie Scene, is due out August 20.

Along with the album news, All Good Things has also shared another track from A Hope in Hell, “The Comeback,” which features Craig Mabbitt of Escape the Fate. You can download that now via digital outlets.

“For the Glory,” meanwhile, currently sits in the top five on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.

All Good Things will hit the road in August while opening for P.O.D.‘s 20th anniversary Satellite tour.

Here’s the A Hope in Hell track list:

“Kingdom”
“Hold On”
“For the Glory” feat. Johnny 3 Tears and Charlie Scene
“Sirens”
“Do It Now” feat. Hyro the Hero
“Push Me Down”
“Machines”
“Undefeated”
“Lights Out”
“The Comeback” feat. Craig Mabbitt
“Four Letter Words”
“End of the World”
“A Hope in Hell”

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Ava Max has released a surreal new video for her latest single, “EveryTime I Cry.”

In the clip, Ava wake up in a desolate landscape, battered and bruised, but then the sheer power of her tears creates an ocean.  We also see her perched in a tree above a waterfall in a lush landscape, and standing on lily pads in a pond, wearing a variety of over-the-top looks.

According to a press release, the clip depicts Ava using her “vulnerability” — represented by her tears — “to become a fairy who saves the planet.”

“This video demonstrates power within vulnerability,” said Ava. “I wanted to tell a story that has the viewer watch me turn weakness into strength.”

Released last month, “EveryTime I Cry” was Ava’s first new music of 2021, but she told fans that it’s not from a new album, but rather is a “continuation” of her 2020 debut album, Heaven & Hell.

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A Tuesday fire at a New Orleans mansion belonging to Beyoncé and Jay-Z is now under investigation as “simple arson.”

An eyewitness tells ABC affiliate WGNO that “a man was seen running from the home and that the fire.”

The New Orleans Fire Department didn’t reveal the extent of damage, but reported that 22 firefighters battled the blaze for more than an hour.

Neighbors said the home has been vacant for years and has become run down, though Beyoncé and Jay-Z have a “great gardener who takes care of the boxwoods.”

The three-story property was built in 1926 and was initially a church, WGNO reports.

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