Music

Jimmie Allen and Mickey Guyton are among the many artists taking part in a new documentary chronicling country music through the perspective of Black artists. 

Directed by Joshua Kissi, For Love & Country will feature performances and interviews from the new generation of Black artists helping to shape country music as they share their personal stories. 

“There are certain barriers that are there. One way to always get past it is great music,” Jimmie remarks in the trailer.

“We deserve to be here. Our dreams are valid,” adds Mickey.

Breland, currently in the top five on country radio as a collaborator on Dierks Bentley‘s “Beers on Me” says, “I just knew that there was a lane that was open and if the lane is open for one, then it’s open for everybody.” 

Blanco Brown, hit songwriter Shy Carter, Brittney Spencer — who recently made her ACM Awards debut performing “These Boots Are Made For Walkin'” with Brothers Osborne — and Grammy nominees Allison Russell and Valerie June are among the other artists who appear in the doc.  

For Love & Country premieres on Amazon Music and Prime Video on April 7.

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Former President Barack Obama will headline and narrate Our Great National Parks, a documentary from Netflix celebrating the protected splendor of the country, which debuts April 13. 

In an eye-popping new trailer for the five-part series, Mr. Obama celebrates the “journey of the natural wonders of our shared birthright,” highlighting its curious creatures and their habitats, and how both they can help humanity as more than just eye candy for HD TVs.

“When humanity started to protect these wild places,” the former president says, “we did not realize how important they would become. They’re a haven for endangered species, and a hot bed for scientific research.”

Our Great National Parks isn’t the first time Obama showcased these protected, precious environments. When he was in office, he helped celebrate the 100th birthday of the National Park Service by starring in a virtual reality video set at Yosemite. The 11-minute-long, immersive film called Through the Ages celebrated both the agency and its efforts to preserve our national parks.

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Britney Spears spoke out against her father, Jamie Spears, in a new Instagram post that detailed some new allegations of abuse fueled by her 13-year conservatorship.  The post has since been deleted.

On Monday, the “Toxic” singer remarked, “I actually think my dad always played the kid as his role.” 

“I mean, the first day my dad became my conservator I will never forget!!!,’ Britney further stated. “He said ‘Sit down in that chair… We’re going to have a talk.’ He said ‘I’m Britney Spears and I call the shots from now on’ and ever since that day I felt a huge part of my womanhood stripped from me… I was never the same.”

Britney’s remarks echo the findings Ronan Farrow uncovered in his bombshell The New Yorker report from last summer about Britney’s conservatorship.  The reporter spoke with former family friend Jacqueline Butcher, who claimed Jamie Spears would scream, “I am Britney Spears!”  Butcher also claimed he would belittle and insult his daughter, such as calling her a “terrible mother.”

Britney added, “If I told you when you were 17 that 9 years from now your dad is going to take over your whole career if you do this record … What the hell do you think [I] would have said ????  Not NO BUT HELL NO !!!  Everything happens for a reason … I’m not so sure about that.”

The Grammy winner also included the lyrics of Meredith Brooks‘ 1997 hit “B****” when telling fans not to “forget” who she is.  

Britney’s conservatorship was terminated in November. Since then, she has made numerous allegations against family members, including her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears.

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The estate for the late MC Phife Dawg has unveiled the track list and the cover art for the rapper’s upcoming posthumous album, Forever.

The album will feature 13 songs, including the title track, which is being released on March 19. The single was recorded on that same day in 2016, marking the last song the Tribe Called Quest member ever recorded before his death.

The track list also features guest appearances by Busta Rhymes, Redman, Rapsody and more.

Forever officially drops on March 22, the sixth anniversary of Phife’s passing. In celebration, his estate will host a Q&A and album listening event at SOBs in New York City on Wednesday, March 23. Tickets are on sale now for the intimate event.

Phife Dawg passed away at age 45 on March 22, 2016, due to complications from diabetes.

Here is the album track list:

“Cheryl’s Big Son (Intro)”
“Only a Coward”
“Fallback” ft. Rapsody & Renée Neufville
“Nutshell Pt. 2” ft. Busta Rhymes & Redman
“Sorry” ft. V.Rich
“Dear Dilla (Reprise)” ft. Q-Tip
“Wow Factor” ft. Maseo of De La Soul
“Residual Curiosities” ft. Lyric Jones
“God Send” ft. Dwele
“Round Irving High School” ft. Cheryl Boyce-Taylor & Angela Winbush
“French Kiss Trois” ft. Redman & Illa J
“2 Live Forever” ft. Pos of De La Soul, Little Brother & Darien Brockington
“Forever”

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Judas Priest‘s Rob Halford, R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills and Creed‘s Scott Stapp are among the guest performers at Alice Cooper‘s upcoming benefit event CoopStock 2, scheduled for April 30 at Las Sendas Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona.

The event will feature a night and music and comedy. Other performers on the bill include No Doubt drummer Adrian Young, Collective Soul‘s Ed Roland and comedian Larry the Cable Guy. Alice himself will also perform, and so will musicians and dancers involved in his Solid Rock Teen Centers, the beneficiary of the event.

The Teen Centers provide free music, dance, arts and vocational training programs for young people aged 12 to 20. For more details and to buy tickets to CoopStock 2, visit AliceCooperSolidRock.com.

The fundraiser will takes place after Alice wraps up his upcoming spring North American tour. The new trek kicks off this Friday, March 18 in Mashantucket, Connecticut, and runs through April 24, wrapping at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.

Buckcherry will open all of Cooper’s shows from a March 19 gig in Hanover, Maryland, through an April 20 performance in Seattle, while founding KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will serve as the support act at the final three concerts of the tour: April 22 in Reno, Nevada; April 23 in Paso Robles, California; and the LA show.

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Wolf Alice‘s tour in support of their latest album Blue Weekend just got bigger.

The British band has added a fall leg to its North American tour, which gets underway September 25 in New York City and wraps October 17 in San Francisco.

The new leg starts just a few days after Wolf Alice plays the Firefly Festival in Dover, Delaware and ends a few days before they appear at the We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas.  Tickets for the new dates go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. local time.

The band’s spring tour of North America kicks off March 21 in Atlanta, GA; in June, they’ll open for Halsey at the Hollywood Bowl and for Bleachers at Colorado’s Red Rocks. They’re also joining Harry Styles on his European tour this summer.

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Carly Pearce is offering an intimate look into the story of 29: Written in Stone with a special show in Nashville. 

On April 6, Carly will take the stage at Marathon Music Works for Inside 29: Written in Stone Live From Music City, an intimate, one-night-only concert where she’ll perform songs off the critically acclaimed album and share the in-depth stories that shaped the songs. The show will be filmed and released later this year. 

“I have been lucky enough to connect with y’all in times of heartache and joy, especially with 29,” Carly expresses on Instagram, noting how the songs “lead me to a place of growth and happiness.” The hit singer also hints that there may be a few surprise guests at the show.

Presale tickets are available now and general admission is on sale Friday.  

Last week, Carly was named Female Artist of the Year at the ACM Awards where she and duet partner Ashley McBryde performed their top 20 hit featured on 29, “Never Wanted to Be That Girl.” 

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The trial continues for Ed Sheeran, who’s been accused by another singer for plagiarizing “Shape of You.” During the latest hearing, singer Sami Chokri took to the witness stand and claimed he was “robbed” by the Grammy winner.

BBC was present for Tuesday’s proceedings and reports Chokri stated, “I feel like I’ve been robbed by someone I respect, or respected.”  He claims Ed sampled his 2015 song “Oh Why” in his “Oh I, oh I” hook and called the similarities “strikingly similar.” 

Chokri said when he allegedly approached Sheeran and his team about the similarities in 2017, they belittled him.  “All I wanted to do was ask for an explanation. If I’d had one we wouldn’t have had to go through with this rubbish,” he stated.

The singer also said when he took to Facebook to vent on the two songs’ similarities, the Grammy winner’s friend, Jamal Edwards, commented with the looking eyes emoji and later deleted it.

Chokri revealed he sent his EP to Edwards and believes he “played a part in showing [my song] to Ed.”  

Jamal, who recently passed away, released a statement prior to his death that claimed, “Even if I was sent a copy, I did not share it with Ed.”  

Chokri countered, “Jamal would share music with Ed Sheeran” and added he does “respect” the late entrepreneur.  

Ed, along with “Shape of You” co-writers Johnny McDaid and Steve Mac, have denied copying “Oh Why.”  Ed said last week if he “had heard ‘Oh Why’ at the time and had referenced it, I would have taken steps to clear it… I want to treat other songwriters fairly.”

The case is ongoing.  Chokri is suing for “copyright infringement, damages and an account of profits in relation to the alleged infringement.”

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Dave Grohl has gotten to meet and work with most of his heroes over the years, but his interactions with the late David Bowie were among the most memorable.

Speaking to the Australian TV show 7.30, Grohl recalled the first time he ever saw Bowie in person: He was standing in the photo pit at a British festival where they were both performing, with Grohl, of course, lower down the bill.

“I stood in the photo pit and looked at him and it was like seeing an alien,” Grohl says. “You know, it was like seeing a UFO for the first time, like, ‘Oh, my God, it’s real’. That’s something I’ve never seen before.”

After Grohl ended up meeting Bowie and, later, recording a song with him, his admiration for the icon increased.

“Getting to meet him, all of that feeling coming down to Earth, realizing, ‘Oh, my God, what a gentleman!” says the Foo Fighters front man. “‘What a brilliant, sweet, kind, outrageously funny person.'”

“Watching him step in front of a microphone and begin to sing and you realize, ‘Wow, that voice – that’s real, that just comes out of his mouth, that iconic voice,’” Grohl notes. “The great thing about it is that it really humanizes everything. We’re like, ‘Wow, that’s a real person.’ It’s reassuring, but at the same time, you’re like, ‘That’s a hero. That’s not just another person. That’s David Bowie.’”

In the same interview, Grohl also recalls meeting Elton John and Paul McCartney, how he learned to play drums, and more.

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