Music – Page 3323 – 105.7 WDNY

Robbie Robertson sells music catalog to new company Iconoclast, will serve as its creative adviser

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Robbie Robertson, the founding lead guitarist and main songwriter of The Band, joins the list of rock greats who have recently sold the rights to their music catalogs for big bucks.

Music Business Worldwide reports that Robertson’s music publishing, the rights to his name, image and likeness, and his recorded music interests to date have been acquired by the Los Angeles-based Iconoclast, a company launched by Olivier Chastan. Chastan is the former CEO of Eagles manager Irving Azoff‘s Iconic Artists Group.

Sources tell Variety that the deal had a $25 million price tag. According to Music Business Worldwide, the agreement doesn’t include the underlying publishing rights to The Band’s 1968 debut album, Music from Big Pink, which were owned by Bob Dylan, and passed to Universal when that company bought out Dylan’s catalog in 2020.

Among the classic songs Robertson composed for The Band are “The Weight,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and “Up on Cripple Creek.” Robbie also has had a significant career as a solo artist and as a film score composer.

Chastan tells Music Business Worldwide that as part of the agreement, Robertson has joined Iconoclast’s board and will serve as a creative adviser with the company.

Robbie says in a statement, “Olivier’s deep appreciation for art and creativity infused with his vision for the future of entertainment convinced me that Iconoclast was the right partner to entrust with the legacy of The Band and my catalog.”

Chastan, meanwhile, explains that he’s been a fan of Robertson since he first first heard Music from Big Pink when he was 13 years old, adding, “His sophisticated and cinematic songs changed my life and have never left my musical universe.”

Watch ABC’s ‘Soul of a Nation’ specials: ‘Screen Queens Rising’ and ‘X/onerated’

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Two specials from ABC’s Soul of a Nation are available to watch on Hulu now: Screen Queens Rising and X/onerated — The Murder of Malcolm X and 55 Years to Justice.

Screen Queens Rising focuses on the journey of Black actresses and how they’ve gone from powerless to power brokers in recent years. ABC News’ T.J. Holmes, who sat down with Halle Berry for the special, says he was surprised to hear that the Oscar-winning actress still struggles to earn respect from Hollywood.

“She calls herself a ‘heartbroken fighter,’ heartbroken that she is still the only [Black woman] to win Best Actress,” says Holmes. “She is having to fight every single day, not just for next generation, but also still for validation, for respect..and to hear her tell some of the stories in such a painful way was really kind of eye-opening. It’s a Halle Berry that I certainly had not seen before.”

Holmes says Berry may be a movie star, but her struggle is still relatable to all.

“You are going to hear stories in her voice and her pain that’s going to come through in that voice,” notes Holmes. “And you’re going to be able to relate to something in your own life, your own world, your own struggle, [and] go, ‘Wow! Halle Berry’s dealing with that crap, too?'”

X/onerated, profiles the two men who were falsely accused of Malcolm X‘s 1965 assassination — Muhammed Aziz and the late Khalil Islam — until they were finally exonerated in November of 2021.

ABC News’ Byron Pitts says of the profile, “One of the things that surprises me most about this particular story is this isn’t an example of sloppy police work. This is a story about FBI corruption.”

“The New York City Police Department higher-ups, the FBI…they knew who killed Malcolm X,” notes Pitts. “They knew that these two men were innocent, but yet they still allowed…these two innocent, good and decent men [to be] convicted and sent to prison.”

Navarro, Hawkins & Chaney release debut NHC EP, ‘Intakes & Outtakes’

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Dave Navarro, Taylor Hawkins and Chris Chaney have released their debut EP as NHC.

The four-track collection, titled Intakes & Outtakes, includes two new songs — “One and the Same” and “I Could Be Somebody Else” — as well as covers of Pink Floyd‘s “Fearless” and “Something About You” by English jazz-funk outfit Level 42.

“I’m really proud of this collection of songs as they really showcase the range that we like to explore collectively,” says Navarro. His Jane’s Addiction band mate Chaney adds, “This is a great batch of songs that covers an amalgamation of our combined styles and influences.”

Hawkins says, “We had tons of fun as usual creating these little gems.”

“If you can’t see the connection between what we do, what Pink Floyd does, and what Level 42 did well then you’re just not getting it,” the Foo Fighters drummer shares.

NHC made their debut last fall with the songs “Feed the Cruel” and “Better Move On.” They later followed those tracks with two more original tunes, “Devil That You Know” and “Lazy Eyes.”

Kane Brown adds another leg to his Blessed & Free Tour, with new openers Walker Hayes & RaeLynn

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Kane Brown’s not ready to call it quits on his Blessed & Free Tour quite yet. The run, which was originally scheduled to wrap this month, will return this spring for eight more shows.

Kicking off May 7 with a stop in Chattanooga, the tour will take Kane across a number of stadiums and arenas. Kane’s got a new batch of opening acts, too. Chase Rice is staying on from the last leg of the tour, but new supporting acts Walker Hayes and RaeLynn have signed on to join the Blessed & Free Tour.

During the first leg of the tour, Jordan Davis was direct support for Kane, and Restless Road also joined the trek.

To be the first to pick up tickets for the spring dates on the Blessed & Free Tour, head over to Kane’s website now to register for the pre-sale.

Olivia Rodrigo opens up about her music process: “I don’t actually think that I’m a great songwriter”

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Olivia Rodrigo wants to keep the momentum going after her debut album, SOUR, scored her seven Grammy nods.

Speaking with her the opening act of her SOUR Tour, Gracie Abrams, for Interview magazine, the 18-year-old artist laid out her plans for her upcoming body of work. “I’m trying to prioritize production more. I listen to music as if it’s spoken-word poetry. I’m a lyric-driven songwriter, so it’s been a learning process to focus on other things,” she dished. “Collaborating really broadens my horizons to other important things about music.”

Olivia declined to say if such collaborations include other artists, but did candidly reveal, “I don’t actually think that I’m a great songwriter.” The Grammy nominee clarified, “I’m just a really prolific songwriter, and I write so much that some of them just have to be good. Like statistically, some of them have to work.”

She also revealed that listening to Lorde’s debut, Pure Heroine, is “when I first remember wanting to be a songwriter.”

With the SOUR Tour, Olivia confessed that she’s feeling antsy about several things, but it doesn’t appear to be about performing in front of sold-out crowds.

“I’m very nervous. I’ve never done anything like this before,” she admitted, noting she is more concerned about where she’ll sleep. Olivia added she intends to only sleep on her tour bus and nowhere else because, “I am the most paranoid person in the whole world. I get freaked out about staying at hotels. I’m not a germaphobe, but anytime I get in a hotel I worry that I’m gonna get some weird disease or something.”

Added Olivia, “I have the weirdest paranoias.”

Listen to Dave Grohl drum on new Liam Gallagher song, “Everything’s Electric”

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Introducing: FoOasis.

Dave Grohl guests on a new Liam Gallagher solo track, “Everything’s Electric.” The Foo Fighters frontman also co-wrote the song, which is set to appear on the ex-Oasis vocalist’s upcoming album, C’mon You Know.

It’s probably no surprise that Grohl is Team Liam, since Foo drummer Taylor Hawkins previously labeled Noel Gallagher a “jerk” after the High Flying Birds leader suggested starting a petition to “get the Foo Fighters to split up.

You can download “Everything’s Electric” now via digital outlets. Liam is set to give the song its live debut at the 2022 Brit Awards, taking place February 8.

C’mon You Know, Liam’s third solo effort, arrives May 27.

In celebration of his first Super Bowl commercial, Charlie Puth opens up about his other firsts

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Charlie Puth plays a beatboxing fox in his first Super Bowl ad and, in a new interview, the “Light Switch” singer opened up about his other big firsts.

Speaking with Extra, Charlie reveals that his first concert was James Taylor and that he got his first job at 14 — as a piano teacher. He adds his first big purchase coincided with his 25th birthday, which was, “I got myself a really nice watch that I gave to my mom.”

Charlie also remembers the first moment he knew music was his true calling, revealing, “When ‘See You Again’ resonated with the world and it went beyond the movie [2015’s Furious 7] and people were relating to it, it basically reaffirmed to myself that I can make music for people.”

Speaking of his new single, Charlie says the idea came to him when looking at a light switch. “I thought to myself, ‘Why do people never use sound effects in music and call the sound effect the title of the song?’ When I thought about that, I heard the whole song in my head just come to life,” he says.

The single has since blown up on steaming platforms, amassing over 20 million Spotify streams in its first week. Charlie says the single is “growing faster than any song that I’ve ever put out, which is phenomenal.”

Coincidentally, he says the music video for “Light Switch,” which stars fitness personality Billy Blanks, is “the most viewed video I’ve ever put out in the first week!”

He also teased the Super Bowl Halftime Show, which features Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar. Adds Charlie, “I know some neat info that there’s some artists that they’re not telling you about that are going to be there!”

Sweet Sexagenarian: Axl Rose celebrates his 60th birthday Sunday

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Welcome to your 60s, Axl Rose!

The Guns N’ Roses frontman was born on February 6, 1962, 60 years ago this Sunday. He moved to Los Angeles in the early ’80s, and in 1985, Guns N’ Roses was formed with Rose on vocals, guitarists Slash and Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler, now referred to as the band’s classic lineup.

Two years later, GN’R released their debut album, Appetite for Destruction, which spawned hit singles in “Welcome to Jungle,” “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “Paradise City,” and went on to become one of the best-selling records of all time.

GN’R followed Appetite with 1988’s GN’R Lies, and then 1991’s Use Your Illusion I and II. By then, drummer Adler had been fired from the group because of his drug use, and the band had earned a bad reputation due to destructive behavior on the road. Stradlin soon left, too.

Guns would release one more album, a covers compilation called “The Spaghetti Incident?”, in 1993, before Slash and McKagan eventually departed the group in 1996 and 1997, respectively.

Rose, the only remaining original member, continued to work on new GN’R music for a new album called Chinese Democracy, which would become one of the most notorious records in history while sitting in development hell for a decade before finally being released in 2008.

As Rose kept touring GN’R without his old band mates, fans wondered whether a reunion was ever possible. Finally, in 2016, Slash and McKagan rejoined for the Not in This Lifetime tour, a reference to Rose’s previous comments regarding a reunion. The run became the third highest-grossing tour of all time.

In between, Rose fronted AC/DC in 2016 in place of Brian Johnson, who was sidelined due to hearing issues.

Halestorm announces ’Back from the Dead’ album; listen to new single, “The Steeple”

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Halestorm has announced a new album called Back from the Dead.

The record, which takes its title from Lzzy Hale and company’s 2021 single, will arrive May 6. It’s the follow-up to 2018’s Vicious, which spawned the singles “Uncomfortable” and “Do Not Disturb.”

“We started writing [Back from the Dead] about three months B.C. (Before COVID),” Hale says. “Once we went into lockdown and were unable to perform and tour, I fell into a dark place and something of an identity crisis.”

“This album is the story of me carving myself out of that abyss,” she continues. “It is a journey of navigating mental health, debauchery, survival, redemption, rediscovery, and still maintaining faith in humanity.”

Alongside the album news, Halestorm has released a second Back from the Dead track: “The Steeple,” which you can download now via digital outlets.

Here’s the Back from the Dead track list:

“Back from the Dead”
“Wicked Ways”
“Strange Girl”
“Brightside”
“The Steeple”
“Terrible Things”
“My Redemption”
“Bombshell”
“I Come First”
“Psycho Crazy”
“Raise Your Horns”

Dustin Lynch is in “party mode” with a 2022 headlining tour

February 4, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Dustin Lynch returns to the stage for a headlining tour next month, called his Party Mode Tour. He announced the details on Friday, also hinting that he’ll have some new songs to play by the time the trek kicks off.

“We’re starting summer early and throwing DOWN on the Party Mode Tour,” Dustin says. “Get ready for new songs, a new show and even more energy! I can’t wait to party with y’all!”

Before the tour starts on March 17, Dustin will release his fifth studio album, Blue in the Sky. That project arrives February 11. That album rollout started with a bang, as he earned a six-week number-one song with its lead single, “Thinking ‘Bout You,” which is a duet with MacKenzie Porter.

The same day the album comes out, tickets for the tour go on sale. Newcomer Sean Stemaly will be joining Dustin for the bulk of the shows. For dates and details, head over to the star’s website.

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