Dan Auerbach’s Dr. John biopic not authorized by late musician’s estate

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The Dr. John Estate has issued a statement declaring that the upcoming Dan Auerbach-directed documentary about the late musician is unauthorized.

“The Official Estate of Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr., p/k/a Dr. John, clarifies that the Estate has not authorized the recently announced documentary on the life of Dr. John purportedly to be produced by Impact Artist Productions (and Management) and Radical Media,” a statement posted to the Estate’s website reads. “For clarity, Impact Artist Productions (and Management) does not manage or speak for the Estate, which has its own team with, as Mac would say, a gang and a half of legalizers.”

“The Estate thanks Mac’s fans for their support and assures that the Estate will ‘Walk on Guilded Splinters’ to deliver new music and an officially authorized documentary, to be announced In the Right Place at the right time,” the statement continues, referencing several of the New Orleans icon and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s songs.

Auerbach’s film, which will mark the Black Keys frontman’s directorial debut, was announced last week. In a statement, Auerbach said he was “thrilled” to tell Dr. John’s story with the currently untitled film.

“From his mysterious voodoo stage persona Dr. John, to his real, humble self Mac Rebennack — the street poet, the family man, the junkie, the Grammy award winner and all that’s in between, this documentary will introduce the world to him in a way they haven’t seen him before,” Auerbach said.

Dr. John died in 2019 at age 77. His penultimate studio album, 2012’s Locked Down, was produced by Auerbach.

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Lorde reveals professional insecurity inspired her new single, “Stoned at the Nail Salon”

Ophelia Mikkelson Jones

Lorde burst into the music scene with her mega-hit “Royals” when she was only 16.   Now, at 24, the New Zealand singer admits the new crop of teenage artists stepping into the limelight made her feel insecure.

In a new letter to fans, Lorde revealed what inspired her new single, “Stoned at the Nail Salon,” from her upcoming album Solar Power, due out August 20.

“I started writing this in the first six months after stopping touring for [Melodrama],” referring to her 2017 sophomore album. “I was so tired by the end, I’d been so busy for so long.”

Lorde recalled wanting to take a break after touring nonstop for two years, explaining how blissful it felt to “run a bath at 10am and eat a slice of cake in it.”  However, the Grammy winner admits the vacation didn’t last long.

“But eventually, of course, the insecurity that this was my life now, that I wasn’t a titan of industry, but someone who just… cooked and walked the dog and gardened crept in,” Lorde confessed.

She continued, “I was starting to fall out of step with the times culturally, I didn’t have my finger firmly on the pulse for the first time in my life, and I could feel the next round of precocious teenagers starting to come up, and I felt insecure that they were gonna eat my lunch, so to speak. Was I over the hill?!!”

“I know now that as hard as I try to run towards or away one of the sides of my life, they’re both very much who I am,” she said. “And writing this song was a real step toward embracing that.”

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Fans think Selena Gomez is shading Justin Bieber in her latest TikTok

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Global Citizen VAX LIVE

Did Selena Gomez shade ex Justin Bieber in her latest TikTok video?  That’s what fans believe after the “Lose You to Love Me” singer shared a video of her discussing red flags in a relationship.

Selena, who turns 29 today, shared a video of herself wearing an oversized cranberry-colored sweater while drinking Coca Cola out of a straw. However, it’s the words she mouths along to that has fans buzzing: She lip-syncs to TikToker Owen Unruh‘s judgemental message, “So, you’re telling me that you can read his astrological birth chart, but you can’t read the red flags?”

Selena pauses to take a knowing sip of her drink before mouthing, “Sis.”

The video has gone viral, amassing over three million likes since it was uploaded.

While Selena mogul hasn’t mentioned who, if anyone, the video may be directed at, some fans believe it’s a jab at former boyfriend Bieber, with commenters joking about Justin’s astrological sign — which is Pisces.

However, other fans note that Selena may just be having some fun on TikTok while sharing some solid dating advice with her 31 million followers.

@selenagomez

Sis

♬ original sound – Owen Unruh

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Let’s spend the fall together! The Rolling Stones announce 2021 US tour dates

Credit: J.Rose

After postponing the 2020 North American leg of their No Filter tour because of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Rolling Stones are ready to start things up again in the fall.

The 2021 edition of their trek will kick off September 26 in St. Louis and is plotted out through a November 20 concert in Austin, Texas.

The 13-date outing includes confirmed stops at most of the venues where The Rolling Stones were scheduled to play in 2020, as well as concerts in three new cities — an October 13 appearance at this year’s New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, an October 13 show in Los Angeles and a November 6 performance in Las Vegas.

The Stones originally had been scheduled to play the New Orleans Jazz Fest in 2019, but they canceled their performance because frontman Mick Jagger needed to undergo emergency heart surgery.

All tickets purchased for rescheduled 2020 concerts will be honored for the new dates. Tickets for the newly added shows will go on sale to the general public on Friday, July 30, at 10 a.m. local time. Some exclusive VIP packages will be available. Visit RollingStones.com for more details.

Meanwhile, the band unfortunately was unable to reschedule concerts in four cities they had been slated to visit in 2020: Vancouver, Canada; Louisville, Kentucky; Cleveland, Ohio; and Buffalo, New York.

People who purchased tickets for these shows will be contacted by Ticketmaster directly with more information. These ticketholders may be given the opportunity to purchase priority tickets for concerts taking place in nearby cities.

“I’m so excited to get back on the stage again and want to thank everyone for their patience,” Jagger says. “See you soon!”

Adds Keith Richards, “We’re back on the road! See you there!”

Here’s the full list of Stones tour dates:

9/26 — St. Louis, MO, The Dome at America’s Center
9/30 — Charlotte, NC, Bank of America Stadium
10/4 — Pittsburgh, PA, Heinz Field
10/9 — Nashville, TN, Nissan Stadium
10/13 — New Orleans, LA, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
10/17 — Los Angeles, CA, SoFi Stadium
10/24 — Minneapolis, MN, U.S. Bank Stadium
10/29 — Tampa, FL, Raymond James Stadium
11/2 — Dallas, TX, Cotton Bowl Stadium
11/6 — Las Vegas, NV, Allegiant Stadium
11/11 — Atlanta, GA, Mercedes-Benz Stadium
11/15 — Detroit, MI, Ford Field
11/20 — Austin, TX, Circuit of the Americas

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PnB Rock, Swae Lee, and Pink $weats to appear on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’

Atlantic Records

PnB Rock, Swae Lee, and Pink $weats are ready to hit the stage tonight on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The three artists will perform their banging new collaboration, “Forever Never,” from PnB’s upcoming album, To Be Honest. 

“Forever Never” follows the release of PnB’s April single, “Need Somebody.” Since landing his first solo on the Billboard Hot 100 with 2017’s “Selfish,” the melodic rapper placed several collaborations on the chart, including YFN Lucci‘s “Everyday We Lit,” Meek Mill‘s “Dangerous” with Jeremih, and Layton Greene‘s “Leave Em Alone” with Lil Baby and City Girls

PnB Rock and Pink Sweat$ are both natives of Philadelphia, yet Pink Sweat$ is known for his pristine falsetto. The R&B singer is still riding the wave of his debut project, PINK PLANET, which featured the fan-favorite “At My Worst” remix with Kehlani

Meanwhile, Rae Sremmurd‘s Swae Lee is gearing up to present his highly-anticipated solo album, HUMAN NATURE. The Mississippi-bred rapper has released a slew of singles in the last year, including “Someone Said,” “Reality Check,” and “Dance Like No One’s Watching.”

Catch PnB Rock, Swae Lee, and Pink $weats’ appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Thursday at 11:35 p.m EST on ABC, with guest host Anthony Anderson. 

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The Police’s Stewart Copeland releases collaborative album with Indian-music composer Ricky Kej, ‘Divine Tides’

Courtesy of Ricky Kej

Police drummer Stewart Copeland has teamed up with Grammy-winning Indian-music composer Ricky Kej to record an epic album titled Divine Tides that was released this week via all major streaming platforms.

According to a press statement, the nine-track album, which also includes contributions by a variety of musicians from across the globe, is a “tribute to the magnificence of our natural world and the resilience of our species,” and “features a diverse musical canvas of soundscapes, melodies, lush ambient textures and pulsating rhythms.”

Explaining how he got involved in the project, Copeland says, “One day during the Apocalypse I got a call from Ricky Kej about making an album. He had assembled an amazing collection of exotic musicians, or perhaps I should say deeply traditional musicians, in the exotic context of his inspired production style. The flow of ideas soon became a torrent of recording and music.”

He adds, “The spiritual ambience…infused my aggressions upon inanimate objects with loving passion. The timpani were ringing! The crotales were singing! Making this record has been a unique adventure in both music and divine awareness.”

Meanwhile, Kej, who won a 2015 Grammy in the Best New Age Album category for Winds of Samsara, says working with Copeland on Divine Tides “was one of the best, most fulfilling personal and musical experiences I could have ever asked for,” adding, “Stewart is not only a living legend but an extremely humble human being, filled with positive energy, that pushed us to deliver our very best.”

Copeland and Kej are planning to release music videos for eight of Divine Tides‘ nine tracks, two of which — “Himalayas” and “Art of Devotion” — have already premiered and can be viewed on YouTube.

Here’s the album’s full track list:

“Wonders of Life”
“Himalayas”
“Our Home”
“At of Devotion”
“Pastoral India”
“I Am Change”
“Prayer”
“Gandhi”
“Mother Earth”

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It just takes some time: Jimmy Eat World frontman reflects on 20 years of “The Middle”

Credit: Oliver Halfin

This Saturday, Jimmy Eat World‘s 2001 album Bleed American celebrates its 20th anniversary. The record spawned what would become the Arizona band’s signature song: “The Middle,” now a staple of the early 2000s pop-punk scene, and a favorite of the one-and-only Taylor Swift.

Reflecting on two decades of “The Middle,” frontman Jim Adkins tells ABC Audio that the song’s continued success and relevance feels “pretty nuts.”

“The fact that so long after that initially was released that people are still finding and connecting with it, I mean, it’s the biggest compliment ever, for a musician,” Adkins says. “It’s the highest compliment you can have. I just hope I’m doing right by appreciating it.”

The success of “The Middle” was especially surprising to Jimmy Eat World at that time, especially since it was such a no-hassle song to record.

“That song happened really quickly, without a lot of artistic suffering,” Adkins laughs. “It just seemed, like, ‘OK, yeah, what do we do here? Oh, we do this. Cool, that works. Great! Song’s done!’ Like, ‘It doesn’t need anymore. This is exactly what it should do. Here it is.'”

Twenty years later, Adkins says he’s still “always excited” to play “The Middle” in concert. In fact, the idea of getting sick of “The Middle” has never even crossed his mind.

“Let me break this down for you: Am I bummed out that something I wrote is connecting with thousands of people who are freaking out ’cause we’re playing it?” Adkins says.

“Tell me to stop if that ever happens,” he adds. “What are you doing with your life that you’re bummed out that so many people are freaking out over something you did? I don’t know. I love playing it.”

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Brian Wilson announces 2021 US tour; updates official website with Timeline featuring rare recordings

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

The Beach BoysBrian Wilson has unveiled dates for a 2021 U.S. solo tour that kicks off August 29 in Long Beach, California, and is followed by a run of October concerts in the Northeast and Midwest.

The fall dates start with an October 5 show in Huntington, New York, and are mapped out through an October 23 performance in Waukegan, Illinois. The tour has been dubbed “Greatest Hits Live!” and, as in recent years, Brian and his band will be joined by two fellow Beach Boys alums: Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin.

Pre-sale tickets for most shows are available now; visit BrianWilson.com for more details and the full list of dates.

In other news, Wilson recently relaunched his official website, which features a new Timeline that looks at different eras of his life and career. The various sections feature historical recaps, photos, images of memorabilia, audio commentary and rare recordings, including previously unheard demos, outtakes and live performances.

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Kings of Leon guitarist drops off upcoming tour due to birth of new baby

Credit: Matthew Followill

As the Kings of Leon family gets bigger, the band will be down one Followill on the live stage for a bit.

Guitarist Matthew Followill, cousin of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, just welcomed a new baby with his wife Johanna, and therefore will not join his band mates on their upcoming tour.

“During this special time, Matt has decided to be home with his family,” the Kings write in an Instagram post.

In Matt’s stead, the Followill brothers have recruited past and present touring KoL members Timothy Deaux and Chris Coleman.

“We look forward to welcoming [Matt] back soon,” the post reads. “And seeing all of you even sooner!”

Kings of Leon’s tour kicks off in August. They’ll be supporting their new album When You See Yourself, which was released in March.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Kings Of Leon (@kingsofleon)

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The Grateful Dead releasing 20-CD box set featuring seven early-’70s concerts in St. Louis

Dead.net/Rhino

A limited-edition 20-CD live Grateful Dead box set, featuring seven full previously unreleased concert performances that the band played in St. Louis in 1971, 1972 and 1973, will be issued on October 1.

Listen to the River: St. Louis ’71 ’72 ’73 includes audio of shows that took place December 9-10, 1971, and October 17-19, 1972, at the Fox Theatre, as well as October 29 and 30, 1973, performances at Kiel Auditorium.

The box set comes with an 84-page hardbound book that features several essays about the concerts, including one penned by The Dead’s tour manager during that time, Sam Cutler.

The shows featured the band playing 60 different songs, including covers of three tunes by St. Louis’ own Chuck Berry — “Run Rudolph Run,” “Johnny B. Goode” and “Around and Around.”

“The seven shows in this boxed set perfectly summarize 22 months of Grateful Dead music, performances, and growth,” says Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux, who also produced the collection.

Only 13,000 copies of the 20-CD box set, each individually numbered, will be available. You can pre-order copies now exclusively from Dead.net. High-res digital versions also are being sold at the website.

In advance of Listen to the River‘s arrival, a performance of “Sugaree” from the December 10, 1971, show has been made available digitally and via The Grateful Dead’s official YouTube channel.

Also on October 1, the December 10, 1971, concert will be released individually at traditional retail outlets as a three-CD set, a five-LP collection, and digitally. In addition, the October 18, 1972, performance will be issued as a limited-edition two-LP set titled Light into Ashes: Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO (10/18/72) that will be available exclusively at Dead.net.

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