Music

Greta Van Fleet frontman Josh Kiszka probably doesn’t mind that people are making fun of him on TikTok — because he’s laughing all the way to the bank.

The viral TikTok trend features users trying to mimic Kiszka’s odd physical and vocal mannerisms when he sang “You’re the One” on Saturday Night Live in 2019.  Specifically, during the third verse, as Kiszka sings,”See, where we’ve been/Won’t you hold my hand and stay a while?”, he raises his arm, nods for seemingly no reason, jerks his head to the side, and then turns his head dramatically. He makes the words somewhat unintelligible.

But again, Josh likely doesn’t mind the ribbing.  As Billboard reports, sales of the band’s catalog are up 122% overall, while streams of their song “You’re the One” are up a whopping 508%.  Sales-wise, that song has experienced a nearly 1,960-percent surge.  In fact, it’s just re-entered Billboard’s Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart a number two.

Other Greta Van Fleet songs that appear to be benefiting from the trend are “Highway Tune” and “Heat Above,” sales of which are up 410% and 62%, respectively.

After it was released in 2018, “You’re the One” went on to top Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in March 2019.

@mererknee

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♬ original sound – joshkiszkashair

@jordantylerbites

#duet with @joshkiszkashair he nailed it!

♬ original sound – joshkiszkashair

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Some day soon, you may be able to tour Kurt Cobain‘s childhood home in Aberdeen, Washington — that is, if the home’s current owners has anything to say about it.

Lee Bacon and his wife Danielle bought the house, where the late Nirvana frontman lived from 1968 to 1984,  in 2018 from the Cobain family.  Since then, Rolling Stone reports, they’ve been working to restore it to the way it looked in the ’70s and ’80s. It even has the Cobain family’s blessing: They’ve donated Kurt’s toddler bedroom set, as well as the mattress from his bedroom and their old dining room table and china hutch.

So far, the home has been officially approved for inclusion of Washington state’s Heritage Register of buildings that are culturally important.  While it’s not properly zoned to become an actual museum, Bacon says he wants to open it up in the coming months for private tours, and is trying to work out the logistics now. 

Rolling Stone adds that Bacon has also bought another building in downtown Aberdeen, where he plans to open an 8,000-square-foot “Tribute Lounge and Gallery Cafe” dedicated to Kurt.  He envisions it as a space that will “tell the story of the house” and Kurt’s childhood years via artifacts, memorabilia, photos and more.  Admission to that will be free, he says, and so will admission to the house, if he’s allowed to open it for tours.

Bacon also plans to install a plaque on the front of the house, telling Rolling Stone, “We have to write it for someone in the future, 20 years from now, who wants to learn about Kurt. We want it to be for someone who doesn’t know who he was or the contributions he made.”

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Dolly Parton is weighing in on Britney Spears‘ conservatorship battle.

The country legend was asked about the situation while on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live on Thursday night. While she didn’t get too specific on her feelings about the #FreeBritney movement, she did say she can relate to what Britney is going through.

“I try to not get involved in other people’s business,” Dolly said. “I think she’s a wonderful artist, and I think she’s a wonderful girl, and I only wish her the best.”

She added, “I understand all those crazy things. I went through a lot of that myself through a big lawsuit in my early days with Porter Wagoner, trying to get out on my own. So I understand where she’s coming from and how she feels. So I hope that it all turns out the way that it should.”

Back in the ’70s, Dolly announced an end to her partnership with Wagoner, a country singer who helped launch her career. He later sued her for $3 million, claiming breach of contract. They eventually settled out of court.

Dolly wrote her classic 1974 hit “I Will Always Love You” as a farewell to Wagoner.

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Ever wanted someone who was already in a relationship with your best friend? Well, Kiana Ledé and Kehlani share this particular experience in the video for “Ur Best Friend.”

Kehlani directed the video through her company, Honey Shot Productions, under her alias “Hyphy Williams.” The visual opens with Kehlani giving a birthday toast to her best friend, rapper Vic Mensa, who plays Ledé’s boyfriend. The happy couple then makes their way to the dance floor while Kehlani seductively watches from across the room.

The sexual tension continues to build throughout the party, as Ledé joins Kehlani outside on a bench while whispering in her ear and touching her knee. The “Ur Best Friend” video ends with Kehlani and Lede engaging in an intense make-out session as a drunk Mensa wakes up confused.

Fans on Twitter complimented Kehlani’s directing skills, while many commented on the sexual tension between her and Ledé in the video.

“I’m so proud of Kehlani on her journey as a director. Like my girl really did that!” one fan tweeted, while another wrote, “THE NECK GRABBING…THE KISSING…THE CHEMISTRY OMG KEHLANI AND KIANA STANS WE WON.”

Others praised Kehlani and other artists who have tapped into their creative “passions” outside of music.  

“I love seeing music artists dive into other passions they have; Kehlani as a music video director, Teyana Tayloras a creative director. These women are ARTISTS ALL AROUND,” one fan tweeted.

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Miranda Lambert’s beloved senior dog, Jessi, has crossed the rainbow bridge after 13 and a half years of companionship. 

The singer shared a tribute to her four-legged friend on social media this week, along with a slideshow of pictures of Jessi and the dog’s brother, Waylon, who died in the fall of 2020.

Miranda found the two pups on the side of the road in Oklahoma back in 2008, in the middle of a sleet storm. The singer explains that she and her mom — who were driving together when they encountered the siblings — were listening to Jessie Colter’s I’m Jessi Colter album at the time, which is how the two puppies got their names.  Colter, of course, was Waylon’s wife from 1969 until his death in 2002.

Up until canine Waylon’s death, Miranda continues, the two dogs had been inseparable their whole lives.

“…The truth is they belong together. They always have,” she writes. “I know she missed him terribly and we are so thankful to have had extra time. Today they are reunited at the rainbow bridge.”

Waylon and Jessi were two of the many dogs and other animals that call Miranda’s farm home. The singer and her mom also established their MuttNation Foundation in 2009 in support of shelter pets.

“I can’t put into words what a dog’s love does to your heart. But if you have one, you already know,” Miranda says in the conclusion of her tribute post. “…It’s so hard to let them go but the love is worth it.”

 

 

 

 

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When Foo Fighters performed in Cincinnati on Wednesday night, they took some time to pay tribute to ZZ Top bass player Dusty Hill, whose death at age 72 was announced a few hours before the band took the stage.

Drummer Taylor Hawkins wore a t-shirt reading “Dusty RIP” and, as a video that’s now been posted online shows, Hawkins also sang ZZ Top’s “Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers” during the band introduction part of the concert, after guitarist Chris Shiflett began playing the tune. Shiflett then kicked into the ZZ Top classic “La Grange,” although frontman Dave Grohl unsuccessfully struggled to remember the words.

“That’s all you’re gonna get,” he joked. “But that was for Dusty, everybody. Let’s give it up.”

Hill died in his sleep on Wednesday; a cause of death hasn’t been announced.  ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons has since said that the band plans to continue on.

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Ahead of his tour kickoff tonight, Jason Mraz has released the music video for his song “Be Where Your Feet Are.”

In the video, Jason sings the reggae-infused track on the beach, as people passing by start dropping their distracting phones and laptops into the sand. The chill clip ends with a rolling-skating party on the boardwalk.

“Be Where Your Feet Are” is one of three new songs that appear on the deluxe edition of Jason’s album Look for the Good, which came out July 16.

Jason’s Look for the Good Live! tour begins tonight at the Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin, Texas. Backed by a 12-piece reggae band, Jason will perform new songs as well as reimagined hits.

The 22-date trek wraps August 28 in Pittsburgh. On September 26, Jason will make a special appearance with the San Diego Symphony at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park in San Diego.

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Cradle of Filth will return October 22 with their 13 studio album, Existence Is Futile.

The follow-up to 2017’s Cryptoriana — The Seductiveness of Decay was recorded during lockdown in 2020 and, as the band notes, “pieced together in isolation, at Grindstone Studios in Suffolk.”  The band’s website describes the new music as “pitch-black, perverse and at times absurdly brutal, following a nihilistic concept both evocative and relentless.”

The album is available for pre-order now. The first taste of the new album is a single and video called “Crawling King Chaos,” which is out now.

“The album is about existentialism, existential dread and fear of the unknown,” frontman Dani Filth tells Metal Hammer. “The concept wasn’t created by the pandemic. We’d written it long before that began, but the pandemic is the tip of the cotton-bud as far as the way the world is headed, you know?”

“I guess the title, Existence Is Futile, does sound a little morbid,” he adds. “But again, it’s more about recognizing that truth and saying that everything is permitted because nothing really matters…We all know we’re going to die, so we might as well indulge life while we possess it.”

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Exactly 20 years ago this weekend, Blake Shelton released his debut album, Austin, a project that would kick-start his career in country music stardom. 

To celebrate, Blake has shared a new Amazon Original acoustic version of the album’s title track, which was also his debut single and first-ever number-one hit. 

“Man — 20 years may have passed, but sometimes I still feel like the kid from Oklahoma I was back then,” Blake tells People of the milestone.

“‘Austin’ is the first song we ever released from the album, and it is still a cornerstone of my live shows. I’m excited to share a new version of one of the most important songs of my career with an Amazon Original,” he continues, adding that he’s grateful the song’s message continues to resonate with fans, even its lyrics are a little outdated.

“I’m not sure how many people actually have an ‘answering machine’ anymore, but the song is still as powerful and special as the first time I ever sang it,” Blake adds. 

The 20th anniversary of his debut album’s release comes during an exciting moment in the singer’s personal life: Just under a month ago, he got married to his pop superstar girlfriend of five years, Gwen Stefani. 

Coming up, Blake will hit the road, resuming his Friends and Heroes Tour after over a year of pandemic-induced shutdowns. The 2021 dates kick off on August 18 in Omaha, Nebraska.

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