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Neal Schon says he didn’t think Journey’s new song sounded like the band; discusses upcoming album’s release

August 12, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Journey’s Jonathan Cain, Neal Schon & Arnel Pineda; Courtesy of Journey

In June, Journey released a new single called “The Way We Used to Be” that will part of the band’s forthcoming studio album, which will be the group’s first collection of new, original songs since 2011’s Eclipse.

Journey guitarist Neal Schon tells ABC Audio that “The Way We Used to Be” began as a musical idea he came up with using a keyboard loop, to which he then added guitar, bass and string sounds before sending it to the band’s longtime keyboardist, Jonathan Cain, for him to fill out with lyrics and melodies.

Schon admits that when he first sent the tune to Cain, he didn’t think it sounded like a Journey song.

“I thought it was more like…a Bad English song or something for John Waite or Rolling Stones with a little harder edge,” Neal explains. “And I’m glad that 90 percent of the people that have heard it love it. Some others are just going, ‘Wow, that doesn’t sound like Journey.’ And I go, ‘Well, it wasn’t meant to be’…but it ended up on our album.”

Speaking about the band’s studio effort, Schon says, “There’s so much great material on this album that we’ve…produced and I’ve been working on for well over a year now with everybody.”

Neal tells ABC Audio that it was “a blessing” for him to get to record a lot of his parts live in the studio with Journey’s new drummer, Narada Michael Walden, who also is producing the album, while the other band members generally laid down there parts remotely.

As for when the new album might be released, Schon reports, “It could come out at the end of this year, or, if it doesn’t, I believe that it will come out sometime after the first [of January].”

Marlon Wayans explains how he gave a little ‘Respect’ to Aretha Franklin’s first husband Ted White

August 11, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Quantrell D. Colbert © 2021 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc.

Marlon Wayans says he wanted to give Aretha Franklin‘s first husband and manager Ted White a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T when he channeled him in the new biographical drama, Respect. Unfortunately for the actor, that wasn’t an easy task.

“It was funny because I couldn’t really get anything out of anybody about Ted,” Wayans tells ABC Audio. “They said he was a really nice dresser. They said he was stroppy. They said he was charming, but…that there was a bad guy in there.”

Wayans says before he decided to take his own “creative license” to portray the accomplished songwriter, he first tried to “reach out to Ted” to get his perspective — “but Ted didn’t want to talk.”

“So, I…based [Ted] on a minute-and-a-half interview I saw with him and Aretha,” Wayans says. “And from there, I started thinking about the psychology of a guy like Ted, because as much of a devil [that] he was, there was something angelic about him. And so I focused in on not him being all good or all bad, but sometimes he couldn’t keep his bad under control.”

To that end, Wayans says he formed a back story for White that helped explain his harsh behavior.

“And I focused on him maybe having… mommy issues and a lack of appreciation for women,” he shares. “And…even pimps and guys like that, they’re not bad people. They’re hurt people.”

Wayans continues, “Damaged people damage people. And so I wanted to protect that little nugget of innocence in him, because I think in order to make a great bad guy — you’ve got to love him and you got to hate them.”

Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson as the Queen of Soul, hits theaters Friday.

All Good Things’ “For the Glory” hits number one on ‘Billboard’ Mainstream Rock chart

August 11, 2021 by WDNY Radio

All Good Things‘ single “For the Glory” is certainly living up to its name.

The band’s breakout track, which features Hollywood Undead‘s Johnny 3 Tears and Charlie Scene, has hit number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.

“For the Glory” gives All Good Things their first-ever number-one single. It’s also the highest either Hollywood Undead member has charted on the Mainstream Rock Airplay ranking.

Interestingly, All Good Things is the fourth act to earn their first Mainstream Rock chart-topper in 2021. This year has also seen Mammoth WVH, Ayron Jones and, surprisingly, Rise Against conquer the ranking for the first time with “Distance,” “Mercy” and “Nowhere Generation,” respectively.

“For the Glory” will appear on All Good Things’ upcoming album A Hope in Hell, due out August 20. The record also includes the single “The Comeback,” featuring Craig Mabbitt of Escape the Fate.

Watch Bleachers duet with St. Vincent in live “What’d I Do with All This Faith?” video

August 11, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Bleachers has premiered a live video for “What’d I Do with All This Faith?”, a track off the Jack Antonoff-led band’s new album, Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night.

The clip finds Antonoff and company performing atop the roof of Electric Lady Studios in New York City, with a special appearance by St. Vincent providing guest vocals. You can watch it now streaming on YouTube.

Bleachers has also shared a Electric Lady rooftop performance video for another Saturday Night song, “Big Life.”

Electric Lady, it seems, has become Antonoff’s favorite performance venue of late. He previously joined Lorde there for rooftop renditions of her new singles “Solar Power” and “Stoned at the Nail Salon.”

Bleachers released Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night in July. The album also features the single “Stop Making This Hurt,” as well as collaborations with Lana Del Rey and Bruce Springsteen.

Meanwhile, Antonoff has also announced that he’s “working with the promoters and venues” to install a COVID-19 vaccine or negative test requirement for the upcoming Bleachers tour.

“We’re not messing around,” Antonoff says. “Every show will be as safe as possible without any weirdo bulls***.”

Watch teaser-trailer to ‘A Journal for Jordan’; Tessa Thompson & Ruth Negga’s ‘Passing’ gets official release date

August 11, 2021 by WDNY Radio

The first-look teaser for Denzel Washington’s romantic drama, A Journal for Jordan, has been released.

Directed by Washington and starring Michael B. Jordan, the film is based on Dana Canedy’s New York Times best-selling memoir of the same name. It’s inspired by Canedy’s love affair with First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, who was killed in 2006 in Iraq when his son, Jordan, was just seven months old. The story centers on the journal King left behind for his son, filled with important life lessons. As previously reported, A Journal for Jordan will play in limited release on December 10 in New York and LA and then go to wide theatrical release on December 22.

In other news, Netflix has set a November 10 release date for Rebecca Hall‘s directorial debut, Passing. Based on Nella Larsen‘s 1929 novella of the same name, the film follows two mixed-race women who reunite in their adulthood and discover that one of them is now passing for a white woman. As previously reported, Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga will play the two childhood friends.

Finally, a trailer for Issa Rae‘s Sweet Life: Los Angeles has been released. Described as a mix between MTV’s The Hills and BET’s Baldwin Hills, the new series follows a group of longtime friends from South LA who are “finally seeing the fruits of their labor.” Sweet Life: Los Angeles premieres on Thursday, August 19, with its first three episodes.

Billy Joel pays tribute to late record exec who helped steer his career: “I will miss him”

August 11, 2021 by WDNY Radio

L-Walter Yetnikoff, R- Billy Joel; Bobby Bank/WireImage

Legendary record executive Walter Yetnikoff, who died on Sunday, would have been 88 on Wednesday, August 11. As the head of CBS Records from 1975 to 1990, Yetnikoff guided the careers of Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand and Billy Joel, who posted a tribute to the late music-industry bigwig on his website Wednesday.

Billy recorded for Columbia Records, which at the time was owned by CBS. Billy writes, “Walter Yetnikoff was the man who changed everything at Columbia Records…Walter was a street fighter — a man who didn’t shy away from confrontation with other power players when it came to protecting his artist’s interests.”

Billy continues, “I will always be eternally grateful to him for ensuring that my song copyrights and publishing rights were returned to me — intact. I loved him as a dear friend and a mentor, in a business where real friendships don’t exist.”

The Piano Man adds, “I owe much of my good fortune to Walter’s stewardship at the Columbia label. I will miss him and the strong life force that he was.”

In other news, Billy returned to the stage for his first post-pandemic concert at Boston’s Fenway Park last week, and is currently set to perform at Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium this Saturday.

Beyond “Take On Me”: ‘A-ha: The Movie’ is coming

August 11, 2021 by WDNY Radio

In the U.S., Norwegian pop group A-ha is best known for their groundbreaking 1985 video and hit song “Take On Me,” but apparently, there’s more to the story — so much more that an entire documentary on the group is on its way.

Variety reports that A-ha: The Movie has just closed a deal for U.S. distribution, following its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. According to Variety, the documentary examines the “creative clashes, ambitions and stormy relationships” of A-Ha’s three founding members.

“The band really deserves it; they need to be discovered by everybody who thinks they only had one hit,” director Thomas Robsahm tells Variety.

In the U.S., “Take On Me” reached number two, and then A-ha had only one additional top 20 hit: “The Sun Always Shines on TV.” However, in the U.K., they continued to chart throughout the ’80s and ’90s, and even scored a top 10 in 2006, while in their home country of Norway, they’ve had nine number-one hits. Worldwide, they’ve sold more than 50 million records.

It’s also worth noting that A-ha were tapped to record the title song for the 1987 James Bond film The Living Daylights, which starred Timothy Dalton as 007. While the tune didn’t chart in the U.S., it was a top-five hit in the U.K.

Watch Billie Eilish mash up two songs from ‘Happier Than Ever’ in new short film

August 11, 2021 by WDNY Radio

While we wait for Billie Eilish‘s upcoming Disney+ special Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, you can watch a very brief cinematic experience from the singer, courtesy of Apple.

Billie and Apple have collaborated on a short film designed to capture the “immersive experience” of listening to Apple Music’s new technology, Spatial Audio. Powered by Dolby Atmos, Spatial Audio can now be heard by all Apple Music subscribers.

To show off the technology, the film shows Billie sitting in front of a lighted vanity mirror, singing her song “Getting Older” a capella. Then, we see that Billie’s in a room filled with vanity mirrors, all reflecting off themselves, as she starts to sing another track from Happier Than Ever, “GOLDWING.” At that point, the music sounds like it’s coming from everywhere.

Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, which will feature animated sequences combined with Billie and her brother FINNEAS performing at the Hollywood Bowl, hits Disney+ on September 3.

Cardi B enters that chat about celebrities not showering: “It’s giving itchy”

August 11, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Like many others, Cardi B doesn’t understand the outpouring of celebrities who have come clean about their not so frequent bathing habits.

Taking to Twitter Tuesday evening, the 28-year-old “WAP” rapper wrote, “Wassup with people saying they don’t shower? It’s giving itchy.”

Cardi’s tweet comes after celebrities like Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Jake Gyllenhaal have expressed that they don’t bathe themselves daily. Last month, while a guest on Dax Shepard‘s Armchair Expert podcast, Kunis, 37, admitted, “I don’t wash my body with soap every day,” before clarifying that she does hit the hot spots like underarms, chest, and private parts.

Kutcher, 43, added, “I wash my armpits and my crotch daily, and nothing else ever. I got a bar of Lever 2000 that delivers every time.”

Meanwhile, Gyllenhaal, 40, told Vanity Fair earlier this month, “More and more I find bathing to be less necessary, at times.”

“I do believe, because Elvis Costello is wonderful, that good manners and bad breath get you nowhere. So I do that,” Gyllenhaal continued. “But I do also think that there’s a whole world of not bathing that is also really helpful for skin maintenance, and we naturally clean ourselves.”

While it may seem that Cardi’s outnumbered when it comes to her thoughts regarding daily hygiene, she does have Dwayne Johnson on her side.

After a fan questioned where the retired WWE wrestler, 49, stood on the topic, he responded, “I’m the opposite of a ‘not washing themselves’ celeb.” He then described his daily routine, which consists of bathing three times a day, with the last time consisting of “Face wash, body wash, exfoliate and I sing (off key) in the shower.”

“Cleared it for ya”: Luke Combs covers a kindergarten teacher’s Amazon classroom wish list

August 11, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Luke Combs lent a hand to a fellow North Carolinian recently, purchasing an Amazon wish list full of classroom supplies for kindergarten teacher Kelly Kirk as part of the #clearthelist social media initiative.

Kelly tagged Luke in a Twitter post, sharing the link to her wish list and asking him to support a fellow graduate of Appalachian State University.

“Cleared it for ya,” Luke responded. “Good luck to your students and GO APPS!”

The wish list included supplies such as building blocks, plastic animal figures, coloring and drawing supplies and storage containers. The #clearthelist movement is a push for educators to receive financial support for the school supplies that they need to teach, but which don’t fall within the school district’s budget.

Last month, Luke found another way to give back to his fan base: He paid for the funerals of three men who died of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning at Michigan’s Faster Horses Festival. Luke was one of the festival’s headliners.

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