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Bernie Leadon says making new album ‘Too Late To Be Cool’ was ‘the joy of a lifetime’

October 10, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Former Eagles guitarist Bernie Leadon is out with Too Late To Be Cool, his first solo album in 20 years, and he tells ABC Audio making it was almost like creating a debut record.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer says when artists are starting out they “have their whole life to write that first album,” noting the sophomore albums are harder because musicians are often too busy touring to write new material.

“But you had your whole life to write your first album,” he says. “So this feels a little bit like that because I’ve had another half a lifetime to create this body of songs.”

Leadon worked on the album with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame producer Glyn Johns, who he previously worked with during his time with the Eagles. He says they decided to record the album live to analog tape with live musicians playing together in the studio because that’s “how we all learned” to make records.

Leadon says making the album “was just the joy of a lifetime” and he’s proud of the final product.

“I don’t think I can write any better. I don’t think I could sing any better. I don’t think we could play any better,” he says. “We can’t do this any better than we did. So I’m happy.”

And Leadon hopes fans will be happy as well, and that the album will inspire them to go out there and do what they love.

“Do not stop enjoying the thing that you chose for your life’s work because you loved it,” he says when asked what he wants fans to take away from the album. “Don’t forget why you loved it in the beginning, and keep looking for freshness and ways to make it fresh again for yourself.”

Nine Inch Nails soundtrack ‘elevated’ ‘Tron: Ares,’ says director

October 10, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Rev up your Light Cycle and prepare to return to the Grid: Tron: Ares has arrived. With the movie comes a soundtrack created by Nine Inch Nails, marking the first new music from the “Closer” outfit in five years.

While bandmates Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have long composed film and TV scores together, earning them Oscars for their work on The Social Network and Soul, the Tron: Ares soundtrack is specifically billed as a Nine Inch Nails project.

“Obviously music is such a big part of the franchise,” Tron: Ares director Joachim Rønning tells ABC-owned station WPVI. “Obviously that was at the top of our list, like, ‘Who should make the music?'”

The last Tron movie, 2010’s Tron: Legacy, featured a soundtrack by Daft Punk.

“When [Nine Inch Nails] signed on it was such a relief, honestly, as a filmmaker,” Rønning laughs.

Nine Inch Nails came onboard the film during the shooting process, and Rønning spent time “listening to old Nine Inch Nails and really getting into them and honoring that” while bringing the world of Tron: Ares to life.

“Working with … Atticus and Trent, Nine Inch Nails, throughout the process, I think they elevated it and they brought so much,” Rønning says.

Tron: Ares is in theaters now. It stars Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto.

This grandma and grandpa rock: Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo on their ‘good-feeling’ debut children’s book

October 10, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Pat Benatar and her husband and musical partner Neil Giraldo have written their first children’s book, My Grandma and Grandpa Rock!, which Pat tells ABC Audio was inspired by their eldest granddaughter Stevie Williams‘ questions about their unusual jobs.

“She was asking us, like, ‘Do you think so-and-so’s grandma sings on stage, and what does she sing?’ … and then she said, ‘Does so-and-so’s grandpa play guitar or drums or something?'” Pat recalls.

“She’s asking all about, do they have tattoos [like us] and what kind do they have? And I said, ‘No … this is just what Papa and I do for a living, but grandparents have lots of other jobs’ … so we started this whole discussion.”

The book depicts diverse grandparents of all nationalities, from all walks of life, and also features illustrations of Pat, Neil and their three grandchildren, Stevie, Lola and Cash Williams. Neil says that led to some complaints about equal time.

“Before it was done, Lola would say, ‘How come Stevie’s in more pictures than me?'” he laughs, calling the complaints “really cute and really funny.” So, he explains, “We had to make sure that Stevie was in seven pages and Lolita was in seven pages, and Cashish, who can’t talk yet, he had to be in seven pages as well.”

And when the book was done, Pat says, “[Stevie] read it to us because she’s just a terrific reader … She really liked it.”

Neil says he and Pat wrote the “good feeling” book the same way they write songs, adding, “It was fun and it was easy.” And, he notes, people tell him they really enjoy “the inclusiveness of it.”

The experience was “so much fun,” says Pat, that they’re writing three more children’s books.

“As soon as they … read the last line, which is, ‘Their most important job is loving you,’ literally everyone goes, ‘Awww,'” says Pat. “I mean, those are the kinds of things that egg you on to do more.”

Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ sends fans to stream Charli XCX, Jonas Brothers & George Michael songs

October 10, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Taylor Swift‘s The Life of a Showgirl isn’t just racking up streams for Taylor — it’s also giving boosts to some other artists as well.

According to Billboard, Charli XCX’s song “Everything Is Romantic” has jumped 622% in streaming activity over the past four weeks. That’s partly due to the fact that the song is featured in the trailer for the new film Wuthering Heights, but it’s also due to the Taylor effect.

The title of Taylor’s new song “Actually Romantic” is thought to be inspired by the title of Charli’s song, and it’s also believed to be a response to Charli’s song “Sympathy Is a Knife,” which saw a 480% increase in streams since the release of Showgirl. Plus, Charli’s album BRAT, which includes those two songs, experienced a 60% increase in total streams after Showgirl was released.

Meanwhile, Billboard reports that the Jonas Brothers‘ song “Cool” got a 223% bump in streaming thanks to the fact that some people feel the melody is very similar to that of the title track of Taylor’s album. And a song called “1+1 = Enamorados” by Luis Miguel got a similar bump — 224% — because some feel it sounds like the melody of Taylor’s song “Opalite.”

Finally, Taylor’s song “Father Figure,” which contains an interpolation of George Michael’s #1 hit of the same name, has sent fans back to check out the original: It earned an 83% increase in streams after the release of Taylor’s album.

‘To Whom It May Concern,’ Lady London documents making debut album in new Tubi series

October 10, 2025 by WDNY Radio

After years of releasing viral freestyles and EPs, Lady London is taking fans on the journey of creating her debut album in a new show titled Always, Lady London. It’s a three-episode docuseries that she promises is nothing like a stereotypical reality show.

“I know when people hear a reality show, they think something else, but I mean, it’s completely documentary based and not so stigmatized as the typical reality [show],” Lady tells ABC Audio. She later added, “I probably would never indulge in the typical format of what that looks like. But having creative control over my narrative here was important.”

With her title as executive producer, she “worked very closely with the producers, directors, and showrunners” and was able to focus on the goal: giving fans a deeper look into the album-making process.

“I don’t think many consumers understand exactly how much goes into an album, and so I just wanted to kind of bring my fans into the creative process and the logistics process as well,” she explains. She adds that she hopes fans walk away knowing “the sacrifice that artists make daily in order for things to kind of go where they need it to go.”

Lady also hopes her show gives insight into who she truly is.

“I hope that [fans] feel like they know me a little bit more [after watching Always, Lady London],” she says, noting the show required a level of vulnerability fans may not be used to seeing from her.

“It was very challenging to have people invasively in my home in the morning, and navigating the day with me when I’m somebody who’s, like, super private and very recluse — [it] was a lot to take in,” she says. “It definitely stretched me and it made me get a newfound respect for those that do have cameras in their face.”

Always, Lady London premieres Friday on Tubi; her debut album, To Whom It May Concern, arrives in early 2026.

T-Pain expands Wiscansin brand with animated series

October 9, 2025 by WDNY Radio

T-Pain onstage at iHeart Jingle Ball 2024 (Disney/Christopher Willard)

T-Pain‘s iconic “Wiscansin” lyric has come a long way since he used it in his 2008 song “Can’t Believe It.” In partnership with marketing and talent agency Viral Nation and content creation studio Wind Sun Sky, the singer has announced a new animated series set in a fictional universe named after the made-up word.

“I’ve never been more excited to enter the animation arena with my new original series featuring all there is to love about Wiscansin!” T-Pain said in a press release. “Collaborating with Viral Nation and Wind Sun Sky for the project was an easy decision as they are truly at the forefront of creators, digital entertainment, animation and interactive IP development. It’s a privilege to be in the room with the best names in the business, working together to extend this amazing universe and community to old and new fans.”

The series marks the latest expansion of T-Pain’s Wiscansin brand, which started when he mispronounced “Wisconsin” to rhyme with “mansion” in the song “Can’t Believe It.” The brand also includes his clothing and merch line, a music festival and a website.

311 announces 2026 311 Day Las Vegas concerts

October 9, 2025 by WDNY Radio

311 is headed back to Las Vegas to celebrate the band’s annual holiday, 311 Day.

The “Down” rockers will headline Sin City’s Dolby Live at Park MGM on March 7 and March 8. The shows will feature completely different sets with no repeats, as well as a “special one time only collaboration” with the famed Blue Man Group.

Presales begin Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. PT, and tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. PT. For all ticket info, visit 311Day.com.

The 311 Day Vegas festivities will also include a 311 museum, described as a “retrospective experience featuring artifacts, artwork, stage gear, and past poster creative from across the band’s history.”

Neil Young says he’s pulling his music from Amazon

October 9, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Neil Young says he’s ready to pull his music off Amazon.

The rocker blasted Jeff Bezos’ company in a post on his Neil Young Archives site, writing, “Bezos supports this government,” then, after posting the Amazon logo, he added “it does not support you or me.”

“The time is here. FORGET AMAZON,” he added, “Soon my music will not be there.”

Young then encouraged his fans to buy local and support their local community.

“Don’t go back to the big corporation who have sold out America,” he wrote. “We all have to give up something to save America from the Corporate Control Age it is entering. They need you to buy from them. Don’t.”

“They shut down our government your income your safety your family’s health security,” he continued. “Take America Back together, stop buying from the big corporations support local business. Do the right thing. Show who you are.”

This isn’t the first time Young has pulled his music from a streaming service. Young demanded his music be pulled from Spotify back in January 2022, accusing the service of “spreading fake information” about the COVID-19 vaccine on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. He returned his music to the service in March 2024

Drake’s defamation case against record label UMG dismissed by federal judge

October 9, 2025 by WDNY Radio

A federal judge in New York has dismissed Drake’s defamation case against his record label, Universal Music Group, stemming from a rap battle with Kendrick Lamar.

Judge Jeannette Vargas determined the allegedly defamatory statements at issue in the lawsuit are “nonactionable opinion” and dismissed Drake’s lawsuit against UMG.

“‘Not Like Us’ is replete with profanity, trash-talking, threats of violence, and figurative and hyperbolic language, all of which are indicia of opinion,” Vargas said.”A rap diss track would not create more of an expectation in the average listener that the lyrics state sober facts instead of opinion than the statements at issue in those cases.”

Drake alleged UMG intentionally published and promoted Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” while knowing the song’s insinuations that he has sexual relations with minors were false and defamatory.

The judge noted the case “arises from perhaps the most infamous rap battle in the genre’s history,” a vitriolic war of words between Drake and Kendrick Lamar in 2024.

Over the course of 16 days, the two artists released eight diss tracks with increasingly heated rhetoric, loaded accusations and violent imagery.

“Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar, “dealt the metaphorical killing blow,” Vargas said. The song contains lyrics explicitly accusing Drake of being a pedophile, set to a catchy beat and propulsive bass line but Vargas concluded a listener would not take the song to be factual.

“Although the accusation that Plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that ‘Not Like Us’ imparts verifiable facts about Plaintiff,” Vargas said.

Nashville notes: Cody’s cover, Riley’s rodeo and more

October 9, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Prior to his current vocal issues, Cody Johnson teamed up with Michael Martin Murphey to record a new version of Murphey’s classic song “Wildfire,” which Murphey recorded 50 years ago for Blue Sky – Night Thunder. “Ever since I was a little kid I’ve been a Michel Martin Murphey fan,” Cody said in a statement. “He’s always been a standup individual, a great ambassador for the cowboy and a man of God. So, to be able to record ‘Wildfire’ with him was a dream come true.”

Rodeo World, which takes place in December at Resorts World Las Vegas and coincides with the 67th National Finals Rodeo, will feature performances from LOCASH and Riley Green. LOCASH performs Dec. 5 at the property’s Zouk nightclub, while Riley will perform at the Resorts World Theatre on Dec. 12 and 23.

At the annual Wags & Walks Nashville benefit concert on Tuesday, Tucker Wetmore and Chris Lane were among the performers, while Dan + Shay‘s Dan Smyers and his wife were two of the presenters. The organization reports it has rescued over 6,000 dogs from Nashville shelters over the past six years and placed them in forever homes.

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