Music – Page 3251 – 105.7 WDNY

Weezer announces Broadway residency alongside release of new ’SZNZ: Summer’ EP

June 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Forget “Beverly Hills,” Broadway is where Weezer wants to be.

Rivers Cuomo and company have booked a five-date residency at New York City’s Broadway Theatre, taking place from September 13-18.

Each of the first four shows will be based on an installment of Weezer’s ongoing SZNZ project, a series of four, seasonally-themed EPs. The fifth and final show will then feature a set of songs from across all four SZNZ EPs, along with “Weezer fan favorites from the previous four nights,” a press release says.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 24 at 10 a.m. ET via the Broadway ticketing platform Telecharge.com.

The Broadway residency announcement coincides with Tuesday’s release of the second SZNZ EP, SZNZ: Summer, which, not coincidentally, arrives on the first day of summer. Weezer previewed the seven-track collection with a performance of the single “Records” on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! Monday night as part of their “seasonal residency” with the show.

You can listen to SZNZ: Summer now via digital outlets. SZNZ: Spring was released in March, while Autumn and Winter will drop on the first days of their respective seasons later this year.

Tina Knowles-Lawson says she’s “as excited as everyone else” for Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’

June 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

It’s not only the Beyhive who’s patiently awaiting new music from Beyoncé!

The superstar’s mom, Tina Knowles-Lawson, is also looking forward to rocking out to her daughter’s new album, Renaissance.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Knowles-Lawson, 68, raved about the project and teased what fans can expect come the album’s release on July 29.

“She put two years of love into this. Many, many nights [she spent] all night working,” she said of the rumored dance and country multipart album. “I can’t wait for the world to hear it.”

“I’m a fan too. I’m very, very excited,” Knowles-Lawson said. “I just posted recently that I really miss her singing, and I do. I’m as excited as everybody else. I can’t wait for you guys to hear it.”

Fans got a sample of what’s to come on the album when Beyoncé dropped the first single, “Break My Soul,” early Tuesday morning. News of the new song arrived a day prior on Monday when the Grammy-winning singer changed her Instagram and Twitter bios to reflect the single’s release date.

Renaissance will serve as Beyoncé’s seventh studio project and first solo album since Lemonade, six years ago in April 2016. Shortly after the news of the album broke last week, British Vogue shared photos of the star’s July cover issue, written by the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful.

Detailing his experience listening to the album ahead of its release, Enninful describes it as, “Music that makes you rise, that turns your mind to cultures and subcultures, to our people past and present, music that will unite so many on the dance floor, music that touches your soul.”

Dave Chappelle won’t attach his name to theater at high school alma mater amid ongoing controversy

June 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Monday would have been the night the theater building at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. was officially named in honor of one of the school’s most famous graduates: Dave Chappelle. However, the controversial comedian decided against it.

Instead, Chappelle announced it would be called the Theater for Artistic Expression, according to the Washington Post.

Chappelle, who has been at the center of a controversy over comments in his Netflix special, The Closer, perceived to be transphobic, went on to speak about how his work has been characterized and analyzed.

“I saw in the newspaper that a man who was dressed in women’s clothing threw a pie at the Mona Lisa and tried to deface it,” said Chappelle, comparing the incident to The Closer, which he claimed was unfairly portrayed in the press.

“You cannot report on an artist’s work and remove artistic nuance,” he insisted.

The comedian compared it to reporting the news that a large rabbit shot a man in the face, but failing to also report that the work being described was a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

“When you say I can’t say something, the more urgent is it for me to say it,” Chappelle continued. “It has nothing to do with what you are saying I can’t say. It has everything to do with my freedom of artistic expression.”

Chappelle also faced backlash from students at his former high school following his jokes about the transgender community.

Beyoncé releases new dance anthem “Break My Soul”

June 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

If there’s one thing Beyoncé knows how to do, it’s keep fans on their toes. After silently revealing that her new single “Break My Soul” would be released at midnight Tuesday, she surprised fans by dropping it hours early.

The upbeat dance track, which was released on Tidal first, begins with a sample from Big Freedia‘s “Explode” before Beyoncé lays down her vocals.

“Release ya anger/Release ya mind/Release ya job/Release the time/Release ya trade/Release ya stress/Release the love/Forget the rest,” Big Freedia’s vocals repeat at multiple times throughout the track.

The new song also features a modified sample of Robin S.‘ 1993 classic “Show Me Love.”

“Break My Soul” is the first track from Queen Bey’s forthcoming seventh studio album, Renaissance. News of the release comes after the Grammy-winning artist changed her Instagram and Twitter bios to read, “6. BREAK MY SOUL midnight ET.”

Renaissance, which is expected July 19, will be Beyonce’s first solo studio album since her 2016 award-winning project, Lemonade. It also follows the critically-acclaimed Homecoming, the live album of her 2018 Coachella headlining performance.

Jimmie Allen on why “fatherhood is a privilege”

June 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Jimmie Allen is reflecting on the deep impact fatherhood has had on his life.

The singer recently took part in the Dove Men+Care campaign Celebrate Black Dads. The singer posted a beautiful photo on Instagram holding his 7-year-old son, Aadyn, and 8-month-old daughter, Zara, in his arms as part of Dove’s campaign to “change how we see Black fatherhood.”

The message is personal for the hit country singer, as he is now a father of three children and was raised by a strong family unit that included his mother, late father, grandmother and six siblings in Delaware.

“Being a father is something I take seriously. Fatherhood is a privilege, but it’s also an obligation to instill values to the next generation. We laugh and we joke, but I try to teach them lessons, too,” Jimmie told Women’s Wear Daily. “Sometimes I find things that I was taught as a kid come rumbling back. But that’s good, it’s like loading a tool kit for them for the future.”

Among the valuable lessons he learned from his family that he’s passing on to his kids is to “work hard and be a good person.”

“I want to work with people with a positive message,” Jimmie adds of why he wanted to join Dove’s campaign. “What they’re doing is great because they’re changing the narrative on Black fathers and men’s hygiene at the same time.”

Jimmie and his wife, Alexis, are also parents to 2-year-old daughter Naomi.

“A fine piece of music”: CSN’s ‘Daylight Again’ album was released 40 years ago today

June 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Crosby, Stills & Nash‘s Daylight Again, the famed folk-rock trio’s third studio album.

Daylight Again featured two hit singles, “Wasted on the Way” and “Southern Cross,” which peaked at #9 and #18, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album reached #8 on the Billboard 200.

The project began as duo collaboration between Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, but David Crosby, who had been struggling with drug issues at the time, was eventually brought in to make it a full-fledged CSN album.

“David was going through…a difficult time in his life, but we made the best record that we could at the time, absolutely,” Nash tells ABC Audio. “And I think it’s a fine piece of music.”

In Crosby’s absence, various other singers were brought in to fill out the tracks, including Art Garfunkel and Eagles bassist Timothy B. Schmit.

Nash says a musician who made particularly important contributions to Daylight Again was keyboardist and backing singer Mike Finnigan, who died of cancer in 2021.

“Mike Finnigan was our organ player for many, many years, and he…was a fantastic musician,” Graham notes. “A lot of Daylight Again was done with Michael singing with me and Stephen, that we replaced with David’s voice when David came back to health.”

Meanwhile, Nash explains that “Wasted on the Way,” which was CSN’s second-highest-charting single ever, was written about his feeling that he and his band mates could’ve made much more music together than they did.

“I understand that CSN and CSNY did a lot of really fine music, and I’m very proud of it all,” he says, adding with a laugh, “but once you play me a great song, I want more.”

Here’s Daylight Again‘s full track list:

“Turn Your Back on Love”
“Wasted on the Way”
“Southern Cross”
“Into the Darkness”
“Delta”
“Since I Met You”
“Too Much Love to Hide”
“Song for Susan”
“You Are Alive”
“Might as Well Have a Good Time”
“Daylight Again/Find the Cost of Freedom”

The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde says band will no longer play “any sort of Greatest Hits set”

June 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

If you’re a Pretenders fan, here’s some potentially disappointing news: Frontwoman Chrissie Hynde says she no longer plans to play concerts that focus on her band’s best-known tunes.

In a Facebook message posted Friday, Hynde revealed she had some “good news,” writing, “I’m completely dumping any sort of Greatest Hits set for now on. I never wanted to go there in the first place but was trying to keep myself alive and pay the bills. And yes, I know that’s no reason to be in a rock band. (I was just too scared to go back to waitressing.) But those greatest hits/ballads days are now behind me.”

She added, “If anyone wants to come and see me in the future it’s going to be punk rock/no hits.”

Hynde also sung the praises of and shared a video clip of a hard-rocking new song by longtime Pretenders guitarist James Walbourne‘s current project, His Lordship‘s “All Cranked Up.”

The Pretenders currently have no tour dates scheduled, although Hynde has been announced as one of the performers at the Foo Fighters-headlined star-studded tribute concert to late Foos drummer Taylor Hawkins that will take place September 3 in London.

Also, Hynde announced in a Facebook post last month that The Pretenders had finished recording a new album.

Hynde explained that the project “started out as more of a Valve Bone Woe sort of thing” — referring to her jazz-influenced 2019 solo album — “but morphed into a rock thing.”

She added, “I guess I just can’t help it. I know I shouldn’t name drop, but in the words of Neil Young ‘she’ll be rocking till she drops.'”

Blood Sugar Spinach Magik: Flea wants to play Popeye in a movie

June 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

If you’re a director looking to make a new Popeye movie, look no further than Flea.

In a recent tweet, the Red Hot Chili Peppers suggested he’d be a good choice to play pipe-chewing, spinach-eating Sailor Man, should the opportunity ever arise.

“If a good director decides to make a Popeye movie, I’m your man,” Flea declared.

Should Flea be able to manifest a starring role in a new Popeye film — which, judging by other franchise reboots/sequels, would probably be called Dawn of Popeye or Popeye Returns or simply The Popeye — he’d be following in the footsteps of the late Robin Williams, who played the character in the 1980 live-action movie Popeye. The Robert Altman-directed feature received poor reviews, but has developed more of a following in recent years.

In the meantime, Flea is currently on tour with the Peppers in support of their new album, Unlimited Love. The global trek will come to the U.S. in July.

You can also catch Flea in the new Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Music notes: Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Jennifer Lopez, Lindsey Stirling and Camila Cabello

June 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Harry Styles’ “As It Was” notched its seventh week atop the Billboard Hot 100 after it sold 6,000 more copies and was streamed 22.4 million times over the past week. The track is still not the longest-running #1 of the year, though. The honor goes to Adele‘s “Easy on Me,” which held a 10-week run at the top.

Speaking of Harry, his former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan was at his London concert over the weekend. Billboard says Niall was caught bopping along to Harry singing 1D’s 2011 hit “What Makes You Beautiful.” Niall also sang along to “As It Was” and was photographed hugging Harry’s big sister, Gemma.

Jennifer Lopez referred to her child Emme using “they/them” pronouns when performing at the Dodgers Foundation’s Blue Diamond Gala. A fan captured the sweet speech, which ends with Emme joining Jennifer onstage to assist with a cover of Christina Perri‘s “A Thousand Years.”

Lindsey Stirling gave fans a teaser of her Tuesday night performance for Disney’s Harmonious. Lindsey shared a video of her practicing the violin and included a graphic showing the notes she was playing. Lindsey joked, “I’m not sure what took me longer… learning the violin part or making that note graphic.” The livestreamed fireworks event will air at 9 p.m. ET on Disney+.

We have a DVD release date for Camila Cabello‘s Cinderella! The movie arrives on digital and Blu-ray Tuesday, June 21. Previously, the film was only available on Amazon Prime Video.

Tory Lanez shares preview of new video “City Boy Summer”

June 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Tory Lanez is gearing up to drop a music video for his latest single “City Boy Summer,” and on Monday, he shared a sneak peek of the new visual.

In the short clip, the rapper is seen rocking a few things around his neck: many iced-out chains, and a living and breathing brown snake.

Like many other hip-hop artists, the rapper is letting it be known what he’s looking forward to this summer as he returns to his hardcore rap sound and delivers bars over a beat sampled by Eric B and Rakim‘s 1987 hit “Paid in Full.”

“Had to check me a ho comin’ down / Bail out money, I got my dawg off the ground / I might’vе sold brown but I sippin’ on Doja / Fly city n***a, I’m a m**********n’ soldier.”

Lanez released “City Boy Summer” last week, with the video expected any day now.

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