Cassie accuses Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs of sex trafficking, sexual assault in lawsuit

November 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

John Shearer/Getty Images for The Hollywood Reporter

Singer and actress Cassie has filed a lawsuit against ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs, accusing him of sex trafficking and sexual assault, according to court documents.

Cassie, born Casandra Ventura, alleges in the filing that she was trafficked, raped and viciously beaten by Combs during the course of their relationship.

“After years in silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story, and to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships,” Ventura said in a statement. “With the expiration of New York’s Adult Survivors Act fast approaching, it became clear that this was an opportunity to speak up about the trauma I have experienced and that I will be recovering from for the rest of my life.”

Combs’ attorney, Ben Brafman, issued a statement on his client’s behalf, saying the rapper “vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations.”

“For the past six months, Mr. Combs, has been subjected to Ms. Ventura’s persistent demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail,” Brafman’s statement said. “Despite withdrawing her initial threat, Ms. Ventura has now resorted to filing a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Combs’ reputation and seeking a payday.”

After signing her to his label, Bad Boy Records, she alleges that Combs “lured [her] into an ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle, and into a romantic relationship with him — her boss, one of the most powerful men in the entertainment industry, and a vicious, cruel, and controlling man nearly two decades her senior.”

Ventura’s lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, said in a statement, “No human should have to endure what Ms. Ventura has endured. Her ability and willingness to speak up against the abuse she suffered, and seeking to hold accountable her abuser and those who enabled the abuse, is a testament to her strength and resilience. We are honored to represent this brave victim in her pursuit of justice.”

Joe Satriani on playing Van Halen tunes: “It’s really frightening”

November 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Sammy Hagar just announced dates for The Best of All Worlds Tour, where he’ll joined by Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Joe Satriani to perform songs from the Van Halen catalog.

Satriani will be taking over the guitar parts made famous by the late Eddie Van Halen — and he realizes that’s no easy task.

“You can’t fill them. You can put them on, but you can’t fill them,” he tells Forbes about stepping into Eddie’s shoes. “But you’ve got to enjoy it. You have to respect the genius of the architecture of his guitar parts and how he built the songs and you’ve got to get in there and just enjoy what he was building cause he would weave in and out of his original composition every time he played it live and bring new amazing little nuggets to each little section.”

And while Satriani is certainly an accomplished guitar player in his own right, he notes, “It is really frightening because I don’t play like him and I’ve had to learn to anticipate all his quirky accents where he likes to push things and turn things upside down.”

“Just when you think they’re going to go left, they go right or up or down. So, it’s exciting,” he adds.

The Best of All Worlds Tour, featuring special guest Loverboy, kicks off July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Tickets go on sale Friday, November 17, at 10 a.m. A complete list of dates can be found at redrocker.com.

Watch Green Day on new episode of AXS TV’s ‘Power Hour’

November 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Green Day appears on the latest episode of AXS TV’s rock-themed news and interview show Power Hour, airing Thursday, November 16, at 11 p.m. ET.

The “American Idiot” outfit will join hosts Matt Pinfield, Caity Babs and Josh Bernstein to discuss the 30th anniversary of their breakout 1994 album, Dookie, as well as their early touring memories. The episode will also feature Glen Matlock of Sex Pistols and Lee Ving of Fear as guests.

Power Hour is currently in its second season and has featured guests including Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich, The Black Keys, Foo Fighters‘ Chris Shiflett, Guns N’ Roses‘ Duff McKagan and Wolfgang Van Halen. Future episodes will feature Creed, Mick Mars, Heart‘s Nancy Wilson and Bad Omens.

Green Day, meanwhile, just announced a new album, Saviors, due out January 19. It includes the lead single ”The American Dream Is Killing Me.”

Eric Clapton launching new guitar auction to benefit his Crossroads Centre

November 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Crossroads Guitar Festival

Eric Clapton hosted his star-studded Crossroads Guitar Festival back in September to raise money for his rehab facility, Crossroads Centre Antigua. Now he’s launching a new auction to raise even more.

Eric Clapton Crossroads 25th Anniversary Signature Auction, In Aid of Crossroads Centre Antigua, will take place December 8 at Heritage Auctions. It will feature guitars from not only Clapton, but superstars like Carlos Santana, Joe Bonamassa, Gary Clark Jr., Steve Vai, John Mayer and Sheryl Crow.

Clapton has contributed several guitars to the auction, including a 2019 Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster, which he played onstage at the 2019 Crossroads Festival in Dallas, and a metallic blue Stratocaster that he played at the 2023 festival in Los Angeles.

There are also three guitars signed by Clapton and over three dozen artists who played at this year’s fest, including the “Blackie” Stratocaster built to commemorate the 2007 festival in Chicago, featuring the Clapton-created sunshine logo for Crossroads Centre Antigua.

The auction also includes guitars donated by some of Clapton’s friends who didn’t appear at the festival, as well as several VIP experiences.

Those interested in bidding can get a preview of some highlights from the auction at Heritage’s New York City offices November 21-22 and 27-30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.

More info can be found at ha.com.

More like The Smashing Snowballs: Billy Corgan & company performing on ABC holiday specials

November 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Despite all their rage, The Smashing Pumpkins are taking the holiday stage.

Billy Corgan and company will perform during a pair of ABC holiday specials, The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration and Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade.

On The Wonderful World of Disney, the Pumpkins will put their spin on the classic holiday tune “Silver Bells.” They’ll play a song called “Evergreen” on Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade.

While The Smashing Pumpkins performing during TV holiday specials might be a bit unexpected — if anything, their name suggests they’d be more fitting for fall festivities — the band has been working on a Christmas album for some time.

The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration airs November 26 at 8 p.m. ET, while Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade premieres December 25 at 10 a.m. ET.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Starship’s Mickey Thomas celebrating the holiday with the release of ‘A Classic Christmas’

November 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Mickey Thomas, best known for being the singer for Jefferson Starship and its later iteration Starship, is the latest musician getting into the holiday spirit.

The singer is set to release A Classic Christmas on December 1, a digital double-sided single, featuring covers of the holiday classics “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”

“In general, I prefer Christmas songs that are pensive and reflective. I love the ones that transport me into a warm nostalgia—the ones that express deeply personal feelings as opposed to religious themes,” he says. “‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ is a perfect example. It’s somewhat melancholy yet hopeful at the same time.”

As for “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” Thomas describes it as “truly a celebration of all things Christmas. Parties, singing carols, sledding, roasting marshmallows, social gaiety, reminiscing about past Christmases.”

A Classic Christmas is available for preorder now.

Music Notes: Tate McRae, Taylor Swift and more

November 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Tate McRae has been added to the lineup of performers for the Billboard Music Awards, taking place online Sunday, November 19, at 8 p.m. ET. The singer, who also covers the latest issue of Billboard, will be performing her hit “greedy” from her sophomore album, THINK LATER, out December 8. She joins a lineup including Mariah Carey, David Guetta and Bebe Rexha.

False God? We know Taylor Swift‘s fans worship her, but Swifties in Brazil are taking things even further. They want to decorate Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue in honor of Taylor’s shows there. Their proposed plan is to project onto the statue an image of the “Junior Jewels” shirt Taylor wears in the “You Belong With Me” video. Taylor kicks off her Brazil Eras Tour shows on November 17.

Lizzo‘s been out of the spotlight lately amid the multiple lawsuits that have been filed against her, accusing her of allowing toxic workplace culture. The singer, who’s denied the accusations, took to Instagram on November 16 to let fans know what she’s been up to. “Hi. I’m working.. on music, myself, relationships with people and food, my anxiety, my body, my business, and my trust issues with the world,” she wrote. “Bbut they are deep now, deeper than they’ve ever been. Xoxo.”

Bono on U2’s next album: “We have to give them a reason to be interested in it”

November 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Bono has previously said that U2’s next album will be a rock record, and now he’s giving fans some insight into what he means by that.

“I announced it, without discussion, as ‘an unreasonable guitar record,’” he tells Mojo. “And Edge called me up and goes, ‘How unreasonable?’ And I said, ‘As unreasonable as you’re ready to take it.’”

But when fans will actually hear that record is still up in the air. Not only is U2 busy with their Las Vegas residency, U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere, they are also waiting for drummer Larry Mullen Jr. to recover from surgery.

“Starting work on new songs is somewhat tied to Larry’s situation,” bassist Adam Clayton says. “Could he commit to an album project? I don’t know.”

But when they do finally get that album out, Bono wants to make sure it’s something special.

“I don’t think the world is waiting on the next U2 album,” he says. “I think we have to give them a reason to be interested in it.”

Bono adds, “I just want to write great tunes, because that’s where U2 started – with big choruses, clear ideas. And let’s go back there, but do it with some petrol and some matches.”

Janelle Monáe named Spirit of Soul honoree at the 2023 BET Soul Train Awards

November 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Janelle Monáe has been announced as the recipient of the Spirit of Soul Award for the 2023 BET Soul Train Awards.

It’s a first-of-its-kind honor, as the award show renamed its prestigious Lady of Soul category to represent inclusion and diversity.

Monáe, honored for their work and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community, mental health awareness and achievements in music, will accept the special award at this year’s show, which tapes in Los Angeles and airs Sunday, November 26, at 8 p.m.

In celebration of the announcement, on November 17 BET Soul will dedicate an hour of programming to a collection of Monáe’s music videos.

Previously released Soul Train Awards news includes Keke Palmer being tapped as the host and the announcement that Muni Long, SWV, Coco Jones and more will take the stage to perform.

The Immediate Family announces new album, ‘Skin in the Game’

November 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

The Immediate Family will be releasing a new studio album next year. The group, made up of renowned session musicians Danny Kortchmar, Waddy Wachtel, Steve Postell, Russ Kunkel and Leland Sklar, will release Skin in the Game on February 16.

The album features 13 original songs and one cover: the album’s first single “The Toughest Girl in Town,” which was originally released in October 2022. The album’s title track is set for release in January.

“This band has such power. It’s almost like an embarrassment of riches,” Wachtel shares, with Sklar adding, “The Immediate Family’s unrivaled musical chemistry comes from years of playing together. We all know each other backward and forward and can play to each other’s strengths in ways that other groups can’t always get to.”

The new album announcement comes just as a new documentary about the musicians is due for release. Immediate Family, directed by Denny Tedesco, will open in theaters for special one-night screenings on December 12, and will be available everywhere on December 15.

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