Music

Spencer Elden, who was photographed as a baby for the cover of Nirvana‘s Nevermind, is suing the band for child pornography.

The suit, which was obtained and posted by Pitchfork, alleges Nirvana committed “commercial child sexual exploitation of [Elden] from while he was a minor to the present day” with the album artwork, which depicts the then-infant Elden swimming underwater naked while reaching for a dollar bill.

“Defendants knowingly produced, possessed, and advertised commercial child pornography depicting Spencer, and they knowingly received value in exchange for doing so,” the suit reads.

Defendants named in the suit include the late Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, who’s the executor of her husband’s estate, as well as drummer Dave Grohl, bassist Krist Novoselic and former member Chad Channing. Photographer Kirk Weddle, art director Robert Fisher and labels including Universal Music Group, Geffen Records, Warner Records and MCA Music are also named.

“Neither Spencer nor his legal guardians ever signed a release authorizing the use of any images of Spencer or of his likeness, and certainly not of commercial child pornography depicting him,” the suit reads. It also accuses Nirvana of specifically choosing to show Elden reaching for a dollar in an effort to depict him “like a sex worker.”

Nirvana nor any of its members have responded publicly to the suit as of Wednesday morning.

Nevermind was released September 24, 1991. It’s considered perhaps the most defining album of the ’90s grunge and alternative scene — if not the entire decade — and has been certified Diamond by the RIAA for over 10 million copies sold.

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Lorde‘s debut album Pure Heroine celebrates its eighth anniversary next month, and the singer admits to feeling pure nostalgia when thinking about her first studio effort.

Speaking to Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, the “Royals” singer expressed, “That album, to me, is just that mixture of toughness and cluelessness that you have at 15.”

“I felt totally invincible and also totally uninformed, or very specifically informed by my existence up to that point, being a kid on the North Shore,” said Lorde, now 24. “It’s so cozy to me when I think about it.”

The Grammy winner said she recently listened to Pure Heroine again and was brought straight back into her teenage mindset when flipping through the tracks.

“I was like, ‘Man, just the feeling of being out after dark as a kid, waiting at some bus stop or being in someone’s car, it was kind of exotic to be on your own and doing your own thing,'” she grinned. “I was tough at that age. It’s cool to think about baby [me.]”

Lorde, who released her new album Solar Power on Friday, demonstrated how much she’s grown as an artist since her 2013 debut.

“I definitely thought about wellness in many forms for this album,” she said, taking note of the single “Mood Ring” and the vibe it exudes. “This song is very much getting at the deep weirdness to it and the questionable elements of white women like me, trying to achieve a sense of spiritual oneness. Whether they’re burning sage or palo santo or having this crystal around.”

She continued, “I was really careful to say, ‘Look, I’m not a climate activist. I’m a pop star.’ I have this massive machine. I’m trying to symbolize my commitment to be better, environmentally.”

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Lizzo dropped her Cardi B-assisted single “Rumors” almost two weeks ago, but there’s one line that people seem to be stuck on. 

At one point in the track, Lizzo says, “No I ain’t [expletive] Drake yet.” While appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday, guest host Niall Horan asked the singer to “explain.”

“Okay. So the original line was ‘No I ain’t [expletive] Niall yet but…the label said it was a little bit provocative,” the Grammy winner joked. “So…I changed it to Drake, a safer bet.”

When asked if she’s heard from the Toronto rapper, Lizzo made reference to where she landed on the Billboard music charts, cheekily saying, “I think he’s heard the #4 song in the country.”

On a serious note, Lizzo quickly added, “I have heard from Drake, but that’s all I’m going to say on that.”

Whether that means the two hitmakers will be collaborating on music soon, or whether they’ll be taking their relationship to another level, fans will just have to wait and see.

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With the passing of The Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts on Tuesday, fans across the globe are looking back at the legacy of the legendary rock band. And you can count “Pretty Little Heart” hitmaker Parker McCollum among them.

The Texas native credits the Stones as a pivotal influence, particularly on his latest hit, “To Be Loved by You.”

“Exile on Main Street was my first introduction to the Stones,” Parker explains. “My brother got that record for me when I was, I think, nineteen. The summer I’d just graduated high school, I moved to Austin ten days after I graduated high school.”

“[He] and I were living together and we were in a big-time Rolling Stones phase,” Parker continues. “That whole record’s great.”

A track from the band’s 1994 record even found a regular pace in Parker’s set when he was starting out.

“The one song — it’s kind of off of a forgotten album, I think, or an overlooked album that they have. It’s called Voodoo Lounge. And there’s a song called ‘Blinded by Rainbows’ on there I used to cover all the time in my acoustic set way back in the day.”

Parker even believes you can hear the influence of Mick Jagger and company on his debut album, Gold Chain Cowboy. 

“Exile on Main Street was a record we — I think we broke it we played it so much,” he recalls. “And I feel like those songs on that record had a lot to do with kind of how my music’s shaping up today.”

Right now, Parker’s on Dierks Bentley‘s Beers on Me Tour, with Riley Green.

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311 is getting ready for the spooky season.

The “Down” rockers have announced a trio of concerts taking place in Colorado over Halloween weekend. The shows will be held October 29 in Boulder, October 30 in Denver, and October 31 in Estes Park.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, August 27, at 10 a.m. local time via 311.com. All three shows require proof of full COVID-19 vaccination to attend.

If you can’t make it in person, the Halloween night show will stream live via 311StreamSystem.com.

311’s current headlining tour continues Tuesday in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

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Kanye West‘s third and latest listening experience for his upcoming album Donda will be this Thursday in his hometown, Chicago, so for the hometown fans, he’s creating a replica of the house he lived in as a child for the stage.

The event, taking place at Soldier Field, will feature a version of house he grew up in on the Windy City’s South Shore, according to ABC Chicago affiliate, WLS-TV. On Tuesday, the station provided a live aerial view of the house inside the stadium. 

Last week, Yeezy posted a photo on Instagram that appears to be a shot of his old home.

Kanye’s two previous listening events were held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, on July 23 and August 5. Tickets for the Chicago event are available at Ticketmaster.com.

Named after his late mother, Donda West, Donda will be the 22-time Grammy winners’ 11th studio album, and his latest following 2019’s Jesus Is King.

Donda was originally scheduled to drop in July, then its release was moved back to August 6 before being delayed again. A new date has not been announced. The new release features Jay-Z, The Weeknd, The LOX, Jay Electronica, the late Pop Smoke and more, according to Pitchfork.

Kanye West’s Chicago “listening experience” Comes to Soldier Field Thursday, where crews are getting ready by constructing a house on the field. https://t.co/K26LR7Ynud

— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) August 24, 202

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Following Kendrick Lamar‘s recent announcement that his upcoming solo album will be his final release with Top Dawg Entertainment, we’ll hear new music from him and cousin Baby Keem Thursday at midnight.

Keem shared the cover art for the song on Instagram, an old family photo featuring him and Kendrick, and announced their “Family Ties” collabo.

The 20-year-old rapper worked as a producer on Lamar’s Grammy nominated Black Panther soundtrack. He’s also recorded with Travis Scott, who’s featured on his “Durag Activity” single from his upcoming debut studio album, The Melodic Blue.

Kendrick’s last solo release, DAMN in 2017, was RIAA-certified triple Platinum and won a Grammy for Best Rap Album. No word on when he will release his next solo music.

 

 

 

 

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Alice in Chains‘ Jerry Cantrell has teamed up with Gibson to create his own signature guitar.

The Wino Les Paul Custom is based on the grunge rocker’s own Les Paul, complete with a wine-red finish. Only 100 instruments were made, and each one was signed by Cantrell on the headstock.

“The Wino has always been one of my favorite guitars,” says Cantrell. “It’s a really good-looking guitar.”

Should you have $8,999 to spend, or if you like looking at guitars you’ll likely never own, you can check out Cantrell’s Wino Les Paul now via Gibson.com.

Cantrell, meanwhile, will be releasing a new solo album called Brighten on October 29. The record, Cantrell’s first solo outing in nearly 20 years, includes the lead single “Atone.”

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