Music

Hootie & The Blowfish loved their destination concert vacation so much that they’re going for round two!

The Darius Rucker-fronted band unveiled plans for its second annual Hootiefest: The Big Splash, which is set to take place in Mexico. The festival kicks off January 25 and runs through January 28 at Moon Palace Cancún.  

The four-day event will include three headlining performances from Hootie on the beach. So far this year they’re inviting Gin Blossoms, Collective Soul, Everclear and Edwin McCain to be part of the fun. Additional headliners, pool party performances and support artists will be unveiled at a later time.

“Enjoying music together on the beach in Mexico was a great way to kick off 2022,” Darius said in a statement. “I’m not sure who had more fun — us or the fans! We love that this event brought together some of our best friends in concert, too, so we knew we had to make this a new annual tradition.”

Fans will be able to enjoy pool parties every day and night, spa treatments and oceanfront concerts.

In addition to music, fans will also be able to go on exclusive excursions to “explore Mexico’s natural beauty and rich ancient culture.” Opportunities include diving in underground cenotes, visiting Chichen Itza and the nearby Isla Mujeres and sailing on luxury catamarans.  

Tickets for the destination concert event go on sale on Tuesday, August 23, at 1 p.m. ET, with a special presale event set to go live a day earlier on the official Hootiefest website.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Wombats have announced a new EP titled Is This What It Feels Like to Feel Like This?

The six-song collection will be released November 18. You can listen to the title track now via digital outlets.

Is This What It Feels Like follows The Wombats’ album Fix Yourself, Not the World, which dropped in January. The record includes the single “If You Ever Leave, I’m Coming with You.”

Here’s the Is This What It Feels Like to Feel Like This? track list:

“I Think My Mind Has Made Its Mind Up”
“Dressed to Kill”
“Demon”
“Is This What It Feels Like to Feel Like This?”
“Same Old Damage”
“Good Idea at the Time”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Today, August 16, marks the 45th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley, known the world over as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Presley was just 42 years old when he passed away at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, from heart failure. It’s widely believed that prescription drug abuse was a factor in the singer’s death.

Presley, of course, was the first rock ‘n’ roll superstar, whose charisma, energetic music, and good looks helped make him one of the most influential and recognizable cultural icons of the 20th century. His passion for and promotion of artists like Little Richard and Fats Domino helped open the door to the commercial acceptance of black rock ‘n’ roll artists by white audiences. Elvis’ musical talents extended beyond rock to pop balladry, gospel and country.

Elvis remains among the most successful individual music artists ever, with more than 230 million certified units sold worldwide. He scored 10 chart-topping albums on the Billboard 200 and 18 #1 singles on the Hot 100. Various successful posthumous Presley albums, including compilations and rarities collections, continue to be released.

After Presley’s death, Graceland became a huge tourist attraction. Several years ago, the property was expanded to include an entertainment complex with museums, eateries, a hotel and a music venue.

In observance of the anniversary of Presley’s passing, Graceland annually hosts the multiple-day Elvis Week celebration, which this year kicked off Tuesday, August 9, and runs through Wednesday, August 17. Today’s scheduled events include the “Elvis Presley in Concert” show, taking place at the Graceland Soundstage venue. The show will feature film footage of Elvis performing his classic songs with live accompaniment from a group that includes members of his TCB Band, plus a guest appearance by Presley’s ex-wife, Priscilla.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Tom DeLonge will be an executive producer on Breaking Bear, an upcoming adult animated series set to air on the streaming service Tubi.

According to a press release, the show is aiming for a The Sopranos-meets-The Yogi Bear Show vibe. It follows a family of bears that becomes drug dealers “in order to raise money and save their home after gas companies start fracking next to their cave.” Or, as DeLonge puts it, “Just a ridiculous show about animals doing drugs.”

Stay tuned for the Breaking Bear premiere date.

Meanwhile, DeLonge will make his directorial film debut with the movie Monsters of California, which also features original music written and performed by the former Blink-182 member. DeLonge’s most recent music release is the 2021 Angels & Airwaves album Lifeforms.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Walker Hayes has a new song coming next week that’s inspired by his dog. The hit singer took to Twitter to share that he’s releasing a new song, “That Dog’ll Hunt,” next Friday. It’s about his childhood dog, named Skeeter, who holds a special place in his heart.

“Y’all this is Skeeter. The best dog I ever had,” Walker shares alongside a photo of himself as a teenager, holding the floppy-eared pup in his hands. “We will be singing about him together 8/26.” 

The new track arrives in the midst of Walker’s current single, “Y’all Life,” climbing up the country charts. His previous single, “AA,” became a top five hit earlier this year. 

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Shinedown once again owns the record for the most #1 singles on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.

Brent Smith and company return to the top spot on the ranking this week with “Daylight,” the current single off their new album, Planet Zero. That gives Shinedown a total of 18 #1 Mainstream Rock singles, the most in the 41-year history of the chart.

Shinedown first set the record for the most #1 Mainstream Rock hits in 2020 with 16, breaking the high-water mark previously set by Three Days Grace. The two bands have since been been battling for the record, with Three Days Grace just tying Shinedown with 17 #1s last month.

“Daylight” is the second Planet Zero track to hit #1 on Mainstream Rock Airplay, following the title track. Shinedown’s U.S. tour in support of Planet Zero resumes August 25 in Asheville, North Carolina.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

As previously reported, singer/songwriter Elizabeth Chan, who exclusively records Christmas music and has been called “The Queen of Christmas” since 2014, has filed an opposition to Mariah Carey‘s attempts to trademark that phrase. Now, another artist who’s been called “The Queen of Christmas” over the years has announced her displeasure with Mariah’s actions.

Singer Darlene Love, a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer known for her timeless holiday hit “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” wrote on Facebook Monday, “Is it true that Mariah Carey trade marked ‘Queen of Christmas?’ What does that mean that I can’t use that title?” 

She continued, “David Letterman officially declared me the Queen of Christmas 29 years ago, a year before [Mariah] released ‘All I want For Christmas Is You’ and at 81 years of age I’m NOT changing anything. I’ve been in the business for 52 years, have earned it and can still hit those notes!  If Mariah has a problem call David or my lawyer!!”

Letterman famously had Love on his talk shows every year to sing “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” from 1986 to 2014.

As Chan told ABC Audio, she’s not looking to own the trademark for herself — she just doesn’t want it to be owned by any one person. “Having been called the Queen of Christmas is an honor. It’s not a possession,” she notes. “And Christmas is meant to be shared. It’s not meant to be outrightly owned or monopolized by a single person.”

In fact, last December Mariah said in an interview that she “doesn’t consider herself” to be The Queen of Christmas, adding, “To me, Mary [Mother of Jesus] is the Queen of Christmas.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Depeche Mode appears to be turning back to music as the now-duo continues to grieve the death of member Andy Fletcher.

The “Enjoy the Silence” outfit has posted a photo on Instagram of surviving members Dave Gahan and Martin Gore together in a recording studio.

“Finding stability in what we know and love, and focusing on what gives life meaning and purpose,” the caption reads.

Fletcher, a founding member of Depeche Mode, played on all of the band’s albums, from 1981’s Speak & Spell to 2017’s Spirit. He died in May of an aortic dissection at 60 years old.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

If you ever dreamed of singing with Kelly Clarkson, your chance is finally here!

The Grammy winner revealed Tuesday on the Kelly Clarkson Show she’s about to travel the nation in search of some new duet partners. The Kellyoke Search essentially combines her famous “Kellyoke” segment with a singing competition.

“This summer we’re taking the Kelly Clarkson Show on the road to find some of the greatest voices across America,” she announced.  Her tour bus will be hitting up New York, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles to find the lucky winner.

If you can’t make it to those tryout dates, there is also a chance to win by entering on TikTok: share a video of your tryout and use #KellyokeSearch in the description.

“Come sing a virtual duet with me to one of my songs,” she invited fans. “Maybe you’ve heard it.”

The song? Kelly revealed wants to perform “Since U Been Gone.” In addition to finding her future duet partners, the singer said she will “feature some of our favorite performances” on her talk show.

More details, including dates and times of the physical auditions, are available on the Kellyoke Search’s official website.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Organizers for Rolling Loud New York have managed to add another performer to the star-studded lineup. On Monday, they announced that Playboi Carti will perform at the festival, set to go down next month.

“PLEASE WELCOME, PLAYBOI CARTI!” they wrote next to an updated photo of the flyer. 

Rolling Loud New York will take place September 23-25 at Citi Field in Queens and will include performances from headliners Nicki Minaj, A$AP Rocky and Future, as well as a slew of other artists. With a lineup of over 100 stars, why add Playboi Carti?

Well, organizers say they’ve “believed in Carti ever since 2015” — the year he dropped Soundcloud singles “Broke Boi” and “Fetti” featuring Da$h and Maxo Kream.

“Carti’s redefining what it means to be a hip-hop artist, so it’s only right for him to play a big part in our latest festival in hip-hop’s hometown,” they told TMZ. “We can’t wait to see what this future headliner has planned for the New York crowd.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.