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Michael Bublé previews tonight’s Christmas special and new limited-edition “Merry Berry Bublé” beverage

December 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Michael Bublé’s new holiday special Christmas in the City — produced by Saturday Night Live head honcho Lorne Michaels — airs tonight on NBC with special guests including Camila Cabello and Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham. It’s the first Christmas special in several years from Michael, and he explains why he stopped doing them for a while.

“Every time I would have a guest –whether it was Mariah Carey or Justin Bieber or Mary J. Blige, or Celine Dion or Barbra Streisand or Rod Stewart — I always had to call them. I was the one who had to do it,” he tells ABC Audio. “And it was like, ‘Y’know what? I don’t want to keep doing this’…it was tough.”

“But, y’know what? When Lorne Michaels calls, you don’t say no,” he admits. Michael says he and Lorne, a fellow Canadian, had the same vision for the special, which is marking the 10th anniversary of his hit album, Christmas.

“Both of us talked a lot about COVID and what the world has been through,” Michael notes. “And we felt, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of this record, it would be really fun to have a really family-friendly, funny celebration.”

Michael’s also celebrating the anniversary via his partnership with bubly sparkling water, which has created a “yummy” special limited-edition flavor called “Merry Berry Bublé.”

“I really hope that I can be part of the bubly family for many, many years to come,” Michael says, “and I really believe if that is to happen, we always need to make sure what we do is fresh and organic and really fun.”

You can win your own can by sharing something you did this year that was naughty or nice, and follow and tag @bublywater, using #merryberrysweepstakes.

Dave Grohl & Greg Kurstin wrap up ‘The Hanukkah Sessions’ with covers of The Clash & KISS

December 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin concluded their 2021 Hanukkah Sessions series over the weekend with covers of The Clash‘s “Train in Vain” for night seven and KISS‘ “Rock and Roll All Nite” for night eight.

The “Train in Vain” performance honors Clash guitarist Mick Jones‘ Jewish heritage, while the “Rock and Roll All Nite” rendition pays tribute to Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley‘s Jewish upbringing.

Both covers are streaming now on You Tube.

Grohl and Kurstin first launched The Hanukkah Sessions in 2020 with covers of eight different Jewish artists for each night of the holiday. In marking the end of the 2021 series, Grohl says, “Greg and I would like to thank all of the people that helped ramp up the Hanukkah Sessions this year.”

“It’s gonna be tough to beat! (But we will. Oh, we will…),” Grohl adds. “We hope that this year’s batch of hits has brought a little joy to you, as it surely did to us!”

Other 2021 Hanukkah Sessions covers included Lisa Loeb‘s “Stay (I Missed You),” the Ramones‘ “Blitzkrieg Bop,” Barry Manilow‘s “Copacabana,” Van Halen‘s “Jump,” Amy Winehouse‘s “Take the Box” and Billy Joel‘s “Big Shot.”

(Videos contains uncensored profanity.)

*NSYNC’s Joey Fatone called in “a lot of favors” to get ‘A Very Boy Band Holiday’ onto ABC tonight

December 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, it’s A Very Boy Band Holiday, featuring members of *NSYNC, O-Town, 98 Degrees, New Kids on the Block, New Edition, Boyz II Men and 98 Degrees. But as you can imagine, it wasn’t easy to wrangle all those guys into participating.

“There was a lot of favors. I ain’t going to lie!” laughs *NSYNC’s Joey Fatone, who helped put the special together after O-Town’s Erik Michael Estrada came up with the concept.

“There was a lot of, ‘Hey man, would you like to do this?'” Joey tells ABC Audio. “Some people, they were 100%. Some people took convincing — but I’m sure…when they see this — and maybe hopefully do it next year again — we’ll have more people and do different combinations, which should be fun.”

The “different combinations” are what the show’s all about, as various group members come together to perform holiday classics and their own Christmas songs. For instance, Joey, Erik and 98 Degrees teaming up to sing *NSYNC’s “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.”

A Very Boy Band Holiday is just the latest example of the boy-band cross pollination we’ve seen this past year, with Joey, Lance Bass and Chris Kirkpatrick collaborating with Backstreet Boys‘ AJ McLean and Nick Carter, Boyz II Men’s Wanya [wahn-YAY] Morris and 98 Degrees’ Jeff Timmons. So, will we see more of this in 2022?

“I hope so,” Joey says. “I mean, it’s fun, it’s different. Y’know, Boyz II Men, Backstreet, O-Town, 98 Degrees, they’ve worked with their guys…[for] well over 20 years, some of us 30 years. So to work with a different group of people, and sing your songs…and also sing other songs that you’re familiar with, that are not your songs — why not?”

Imagine Dragons to perform during 2021 Game Awards

December 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Imagine Dragons will be performing during the 2021 Game Awards, which celebrate the year’s best in video games.

It wasn’t announced what Dan Reynolds and company will be playing, but it seems likely we’ll hear a rendition of “Enemy,” a song ID recorded for the Netflix animated series Arcane, which was inspired by the League of Legends video game.

A tweet from the Game Awards also promises that Imagine Dragons will be joined by “very special surprise guests.”

The 2021 Game Awards will be held December 9 in Los Angeles. For more info, visit TheGameAwards.com.

Don’t miss @Imaginedragons and some very special surprise guests performing LIVE together at #TheGameAwards next Thursday night, December 9! Streaming live and free everywhere. pic.twitter.com/MUUuRWLiUu

— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) December 2, 2021

Elton John guitarist Davey Johnstone to release new solo album in January; check out lead single, “Melting Snow”

December 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Longtime Elton John guitarist Davey Johnstone will release his first solo album in nearly 50 years, Deeper than My Roots, on February 4.

The project was a true family affair, as Johnstone’s youngest son, Elliott, sings lead vocals on most of the album, his son Charlie recorded many of the basic tracks at his home in California and contributed keyboard and backing vocals, and his son Jesse played drums on some of the songs.

In addition, Davey collaborated with his oldest son, Tam, and Jesse to write, record and produce the two instrumental tracks that are featured on the album: “Black Scotland” and “Walt Dizney.”

Johnstone has premiered the lead single from Deeper than My Roots, the melancholy “Melting Snow,” which is sung by his son Elliott and features Davey’s longtime Elton John band mate Nigel Olsson on drums. The song is accompanied by a lyric video that debuted at the Spirit of Unicorn Music label’s official YouTube channel.

Former Paul McCartney and Wings drummer Denny Seiwell also lent his talents to three songs. The album includes a pair of bonus tracks, including a cover of The Beatles‘ “Here, There and Everywhere.”

Johnstone recorded Deeper than My Roots while Elton’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour was forced off the road because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The trek is scheduled to relaunch on January 19 in New Orleans.

Davey’s only other solo album, Smiling Face, was released in 1973. You can pre-order Deeper than My Roots on CD now at CherryRed.co.uk.

Here’s the album’s full track list:

“Go Easy on My Heart”
“One Look in Your Eyes”
“Meh Amour”
“Walt Dizney”
“Melting Snow”
“You Lied to Me”
“Deeper”
“Boxer in the Corner”
“Black Scotland”
“The Final Quarter”

Bonus Tracks
“Here, There and Everywhere”
“All the Time in the World”

Dave Grohl & Greg Kurstin celebrate night six of ‘The Hanukkah Sessions’ by covering Billy Joel

December 3, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin have released a cover of Billy Joel‘s “Big Shot” for night six of their Hanukkah Sessions series.

“While he claims a secular Long Island upbringing (and has songs full of Catholic and Italian imagery), Billy Joel remains one of the great Jews of musical scripture,” Grohl says of the Piano Man.

You can watch the “Big Shot” cover streaming now on YouTube. Is there a kazoo solo? You’d better believe it!

Grohl and Kurstin launched The Hanukkah Sessions in 2020 with covers of eight different Jewish artists for each night of the holiday. This year’s series has so far included Lisa Loeb‘s “Stay (I Missed You),” the Ramones‘ “Blitzkrieg Bop,” Barry Manilow‘s “Copacabana,” Van Halen‘s “Jump” and Amy Winehouse‘s “Take the Box.”

Dave Grohl & Greg Kurstin celebrate night six of ‘The Hanukkah Sessions’; HAIM covers Adam Sandler

December 3, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin have released a cover of Billy Joel‘s “Big Shot” for night six of their Hanukkah Sessions series.

You can watch the “Big Shot” cover streaming now on YouTube. Is there a kazoo solo? You’d better believe it!

In related news, HAIM has released a new version of Adam Sandler‘s classic “The Chanukah Song.” The sister trio updated the lyrics with shout-outs to a few more modern celebrities, including Eugene and Dan Levy, Doja Cat and Timothée Chalamet.

The HAIMukkah version also includes references to current events, such as “Don’t get Omicronukkah” and “RIP Stephen Sondheimukkah.”

Sandler we love you pic.twitter.com/QGBAwqOZld

— HAIM (@HAIMtheband) December 3, 2021

Kelsea Ballerini celebrates four years of marriage to Morgan Evans with a mini-poem

December 3, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Kelsea Ballerini and her singer-songwriter husband, Morgan Evans, marked four years of marriage on Thursday, and she celebrated by sharing a snapshot of the two of them together.

In the caption of her post, Kelsea shared her feelings for her husband in a few words: “You are etched into me / A heart carved on a tree / permanent,” she wrote.

It makes sense that the singer would want to share her feelings through rhyme: This year, she dove into the world of poetry, temporarily trading her guitar for pen and ink to release her new collection of poems, Feel Your Way Through. In the book, she explores themes of body image, relationships, personal growth, family dynamics and more.

Morgan shared the same snap on his Instagram, with an equally heartfelt — if not quite as poetic — caption.

“Happy Anniversary baaaaaabe!!! 4 years on this crazy, beautiful, winding road together…and I wouldn’t wanna be riding it with anybody else! I love you,” he wrote.

Fans who saw Kelsea and Morgan’s anniversary picture may have been surprised to see that the singer has made a big switch in her appearance, too, trading in her trademark blonde locks for a brunette look. In a previous post, she explained that her blonde hair is “hibernat[ing] for the winter,” calling her darker hairstyle “au naturale.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kelsea Ballerini (@kelseaballerini)

50th anniversary reissue of The Doors’ ‘L.A. Woman’ released today; “Riders on the Storm” video premieres

December 3, 2021 by WDNY Radio

The deluxe 50th anniversary reissue of The Doors‘ classic 1971 album, L.A. Woman, got its release today.

As previously reported, L.A. Woman: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition is available as a three-CD/one-LP set featuring a newly remastered version of the album on CD, two bonus CDs of unreleased studio outtakes, and the new stereo mix of the original album pressed on 180-gram vinyl.

To celebrate the reissue’s release, the first-ever official music video for the Doors hit “Riders on the Storm” has premiered at the band’s official YouTube channel.

The clip, directed by the award-winning team of Brendo Garcia and Adriano Gonfiantini, combines live-action footage with digital animation and follows a mysterious woman as she takes a surreal, psychedelic journey on a motorcycle through the California desert and into Los Angeles.

The video features a number of Easter eggs alluding to aspects of Doors history, including a woman tied crucifixion-style to a streetlight, a reference to the image that appears inside L.A. Woman‘s original gatefold sleeve; Barney’s Beanery, one of Jim Morrison‘s favorite LA-area bars; and the Alta Cienega Motel, where Morrison once lived.

Other classics songs featured on L.A. Woman include the hit “Love Her Madly,” the title track, and “The Changeling.”

Among the unreleased tracks is the original demo of “Riders on the Storm,” and covers of Junior Parker‘s “Mystery Train,” John Lee Hooker‘s “Crawling King Snake,” Big Joe Williams‘ “Baby Please Don’t Go,” and Lee Dorsey‘s “Get Out of My Life Woman.” Also among the bonus tracks are multiple consecutive takes of “The Changeling,” “Love Her Madly,” “Riders on the Storm” and “L.A. Woman.”

In related news, L.A. Woman has just been RIAA-certified triple-Platinum for album equivalent sales of three million copies in the U.S.

It’s the “Little Things”: ABBA officially releases their first Christmas single

December 3, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Next year will mark ABBA‘s 50th anniversary as a band. Just in time for that major milestone, the Swedish superstars have released their first, official Christmas song, “Little Things.”

The gentle tune centers on the joy parents feel waking up on Christmas morning and imagining what it’ll be like to watch their children open presents under the tree.

ABBA also delighted fans on Friday with the track’s official music video, which follows a group of school-age children putting on their own ABBA tribute concert using motion-capture technology and other innovations. The group says they wanted to honor the “next generation of geniuses” who will harness future technological advances to stage even greater shows.

“Little Things” is featured on ABBA’s new album, Voyage, which is their first in 40 years. The track is available to stream and purchase now. Proceeds from the single will benefit UNICEF’s Global Child Protection Fund.

The group released a joint statement Friday explaining why they wanted to turn the track into a charity single.

“We think it is impossible to eradicate poverty without the empowerment of women. That’s why we support UNICEF in protecting girls from sexual violence and empowering them through the Global Child Protection Fund,” Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad said. “We have done so for many years with our song ‘Chiquitita’ and now we have decided to give Unicef a Christmas gift in the form of a second song: ‘Little Things’ from our album Voyage.”

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