Music

Is Matt Skiba still in Blink-182?

In replying to a comment on an Instagram post wondering that very thing, guitarist/vocalist Matt Skiba says, “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Regardless, I am very proud of and thankful for my time [with] [Blink-182],” Skiba adds. “We shall see…”

Skiba, who also fronts Alkaline Trio, first joined Blink in 2015 after the band parted ways with founding member Tom DeLonge. Along with Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker, he recorded two albums with Blink: 2016’s California and 2019’s Nine.

Both Blink’s Twitter and Instagram still list Skiba as a member.

Blink-182, as a whole, has been pretty quiet since releasing the single “Quarantine” in August 2020. Hoppus revealed in June 2021 that he’d been diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy before sharing that he was “cancer free” later that year in September.

Barker, meanwhile, has been busy with his many other projects, including working with Machine Gun Kelly. He was struck with his own health issues and hospitalized just last month with pancreatitis.

If Skiba is indeed out of Blink, that could leave the door open for DeLonge to rejoin. He and his former bandmates have been friendly publicly; DeLonge even appeared as a guest on Hoppus’ Apple Music show last summer.

As Skiba says, we shall see.

Skiba, meanwhile, is currently on tour with Alkaline Trio and Coheed and Cambria.

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Halsey is the proud owner of not one but two makeup lines after launching their new brand af94.

In a press release, the singer debuted the all-new, Walmart-exclusive beauty brand.

“After listening to feedback received from fans and friends, I wanted to create another self-expressive line that was lower-priced with a wide reach,” the Grammy nominee said in a statement, “which is why we are so excited to be launching this new collection with Walmart.”

Halsey continued, “I hope wearing this makeup, however that looks for you, inspires you to break beauty rules and color outside of the lines.”

“I’ll always remember being 15 years old and saving up to buy my first eyeliner. It was electric blue and a big purchase for me at the time, but the thrill of wearing such a bold color was worth every penny,” they added. “I created af94 so that anyone and everyone can chase that rush of standing out with bold makeup, but at an affordable price.”

Halsey came up with the af94 name by combining the first initials of their birth name, Ashley Frangipane, and the year they were born, 1994.

The new brand — which launches July 25 at Walmart — offers new products such as colorful eyeshadow crayons, lipsticks, remover wipes, cheek and lip tints and body stickers. All products are completely vegan and cruelty-free.

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Kane Brown is a Different Man on his new album. 

On Monday, Kane announced that his third studio album, Different Man, will be released on September 9. It features 17 tracks, including his current top five single, “Like I Love Country Music,” and #1 hit “One Mississippi” along with previously released tracks “Whiskey Sour” and “Leave You Alone.” 

Kane is also set to drop his new song “Grand” on Friday, which he recently teased on Instagram. 

The country superstar revealed the news by partnering with CMT to display his album cover on Paramount’s Times Square Billboard, becoming the first artist to do so. The cover art was selected by his fans via social media after Kane posted two options and asked them to pick their favorite. 

Different Man is the hitmaker’s first studio album since 2018’s Platinum-certified Experiment, which boasted three consecutive #1 singles, “Lose It,” “Good as You” and “Homesick.” 

Kane will head across the pond later this year on the Drunk or Dreaming Tour that extends into 2023. 

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Adam Lambert is heading back to Las Vegas for some spooky fun this October.

The singer will bring his concert production, called The Witch Hunt, to Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas for three shows: October 26, 28 and 29. Tickets go on sale this Friday, July 22 at 10 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster.com and WynnLasVegas.com.

The production is described as a “spectacularly spooky extravaganza complete” featuring “elaborate costumes.” In a statement, Adam says, “Halloween is my favorite time of the year and I am thrilled to celebrate it with a dark-sided trip into my repertoire. Join our coven and seek shelter from The Witch Hunt!”

Adam is currently touring Europe as part of his other gig as the lead singer of legendary British rockers Queen.

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Drake‘s team is denying internet rumors that he was arrested in Sweden.

Social media posts suggested that Drake and his bodyguards had been taken into custody by police at a Stockholm nightclub Thursday night for marijuana possession. His team told The Hollywood Reporter that the Toronto rapper was in his hotel in the city and was not arrested.

The Champagne Papi arrived at Sweden’s Arlanda airport Wednesday on his private Boeing 767 dubbed “Air Drake.” According to local media reports, Drake visited the trendy Ostermalm district of Stockholm and stopped at Ciccio’s restaurant.

After his reps denied he was arrested, the four-time Grammy winner posted a document Sunday on Instagram, which appeared to confirm he was detained in Sweden.

Titled “Information for Those Suspected of a Crime and Subsequently Detained,” the sheet detailed a detainee’s rights in the country underneath the word “Polisen,” which means “police” in Swedish. It outlined what happens once a person is detained, including being interrogated for “a maximum of six hours” or taken into custody.

As previously reported, on Wednesday, Drake announced that his October World Weekend music festival will take place July 28-29 and August 1 in Toronto with a lineup, including a Young Money reunion featuring Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj as well as appearances from Lil Baby and Chris Brown.

“OCTOBER WORLD WEEKEND I am currently working on bringing OVO FEST around the world in 2023 for the 10th Anniversary but of course we wanted to turn the city up for the summer,” the Canadian rapper wrote alongside an Instagram post of the event. Tickets are now on sale on Ticketmaster.

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Black Label Society frontman Zakk Wylde has confirmed he’s taking part in the reported Pantera tour.

Last week, Billboard reported that surviving members Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown would be reviving the “Walk” outfit for a tour in 2023, later adding that Wylde and Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante would be filling in for the late Abbott brothers, “Dimebag” Darrell and Vinnie Paul.

Speaking with the Danny Wimmer Presents YouTube channel, Wylde characterizes the tour as a Pantera “celebration,” comparing it to if Jimi Hendrix‘s bandmates Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell asked Eric Clapton to play the “Purple Haze” legend’s song with them on a Jimi Hendrix Celebration tour.

“You’re celebrating Vinnie and Dime’s greatness, and you’re celebrating all the mountains that Pantera conquered and crushed,” Wylde explains. “I think it’s a beautiful thing.”

“Obviously, it’s not Pantera,” he continues. “Pantera’s those four guys: it’s Phil, Rex, Dime and Vinnie. But it was just like when [Led] Zeppelin went out with [son of late drummer John Bonham] Jason Bonham it was phenomenal…it’s a great thing just to hear them play that music again.”

Neither Anselmo nor Brown has publicly commented on the reports, nor has any of the official Pantera channels. Benante, meanwhile, seemed to echo Wylde’s statements in a tweet defining the word “celebration” as “the action of marking one’s pleasure at an important event or occasion (concert) by engaging in enjoyable, typically social, activity.”

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Lady Gaga may be on her long-awaited world tour, but she admits she once thought she’d never be able to tour again.

The singer made the remarks ahead of her Chromatica Ball tour opening in Germany on Sunday. She took to Twitter to explain just how meaningful the moment was to her.

“There was a time I thought I’d never be on stage again. I was so sad I couldn’t even dream anything but a painful nightmare,” she expressed. “I’ve overcome my nightmare with love, support, trust, truth, bravery, talent and dedication. I am so grateful.”

Gaga later shared her excitement ahead of the opening show, saying on Instagram that she’s nervous to tour again after a multi-year pause. “I feel more clear today than I have in a long time and more pain-free than I have in ages,” she explained. “Being free of pain, on stage, is a real healing experience because I am able to dance and sing and enjoy the audience and enjoy the show.”

Lady Gaga has openly struggled with her mental health, telling fans of her battles with depression, anxiety and PTSD. The Grammy winner was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a painful disorder that causes muscle pain and affects one’s sleep and mood, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“To anyone that doesn’t believe in fibromyalgia: I dare you to spend five minutes in my body on a day when I’m in pain, and then try and say it again,” she told Variety in 2018 of her diagnosis.

The “Rain on Me” singer’s twice pandemic-delayed Chromatica Ball tour is on its European leg and will be coming to North America on August 6. The multi-date trek wraps September 17 in Miami, Florida. 

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Wolfgang Van Halen has commented on the rumored Van Halen tour that would pay tribute to his late father, the iconic Eddie Van Halen.

Reports of the tour first surfaced when former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted revealed that he was approached by VH drummer Alex Van Halen and guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani for a jam session that ultimately “fizzled.” Satriani then confirmed that he’d been speaking with Alex and VH vocalist David Lee Roth about a potential tribute while admitting the whole thing was “complicated.”

Now, in an interview with Rolling Stone, Wolf reaffirmed that there were talks of a tribute to Eddie, sharing, “There was an attempt at doing something.” He added, “It was not a tour” but rather a single tribute concert.

“I don’t like to speak negatively about people, but there are some people that make it very difficult to do anything when it comes to Van Halen,” Wolf said. “We made an attempt, and some people can be hard to work with, and made it not happen.”

When asked to clarify his involvement in the project, Wolf explained, “When it comes to Van Halen, and decision-making overall and what Van Halen does, it’s Al, and then I’m there and supportive.”

As for whether he gave his “blessing,” he said, “It didn’t even get to that point.”

“It was in such an early stage that it never even got off the ground,” Wolf added, explaining that by the time Newsted had made his comments, “It was already not happening.”

The interviewer then asked if a certain “singer with three initials” is to blame, and Wolf replied, “I would say, ‘Do your research on the history of Van Halen, and come to your conclusions.'”

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Billie Eilish is letting fans know that if they aren’t happy with the current state of political affairs and want things to change, they have to vote. That’s why she’s partnered with HeadCount.

HeadCount is a non-profit organization that works toward registering all eligible voters. Billie says in a statement of her new partnership, “I’m working with HeadCount to encourage everyone to show up at the polls and use their voice during these midterm elections.”

“With what is going on in our country we need to get out to the polls and vote for what we believe in,” she continued. “Not showing up is not an option.”

Fans who are eligible to vote have two new ways to check their registration status or sign up to vote: By visiting HeadCount.org/Billie or texting “BILLIE” to 57568. Doing so opens fans up to a cool contest, where a grand prize winner will score a VIP trip to see Billie in Australia and New Zealand in September.

The winner and a friend won’t have to lift a finger to get ready as airfare, hotel accommodations and tickets will be included in the grand prize package. They will also be hooked up with a signed merchandise package.

According to HeadCount, nearly half of all individuals aged between 18 and 24 years old are still not registered to vote. That accounts for eight million votes.

“Gen Z represents a significant demographic that could greatly affect laws and policies across the country,” HeadCount explains. The organization hopes that by teaming with the “bad guy” singer, more people will be inspired to let their voices be heard during November’s midterm elections.

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