Music – Page 694 – 105.7 WDNY

Moody Blues’ bassist and vocalist John Lodge dies at age 82

October 10, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Rock & Roll Hall of Famer John Lodge, bassist and vocalist of the progressive rock band Moody Blues, has passed away at the age of 82.

His death was announced on the Moody Blues’ Facebook page, which posted a statement from his family. They revealed that he died “suddenly and unexpectedly,” noting he “peacefully slipped away surrounded by his loved-ones and the sounds of The Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly.”

“He was never happier than being on stage – he was ‘Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band,'” the statement read, referencing the Moody Blues’ 1973 hit, which Lodge wrote.

Born John Charles Lodge on July 20, 1943, Lodge joined Moody Blues in 1966 after original bassist Clint Warwick left the band. In addition to singing and playing bass, Lodge wrote many of their songs, including “Isn’t Life Strange,” “Sitting at the Wheel” and “Talking Out of Turn.”

In addition to his work with Moody Blues, Lodge released the album Blue Jays with his Moody Blues bandmate Justin Hayward in 1975, which was a top-five hit in the U.K. He also released two solo albums, with his most recent release, the EP Love Conquers All, dropping in February.

Lodge and the Moody Blues launched their last tour in 2017, but Lodge continued to tour on his own celebrating the music of Moody Blues. His most recent shows were dedicated to the band’s sophomore album, Days of Future Passed, which is considered by some to be the first real example of the progressive rock genre. It contained the classic hit “Nights in White Satin,” which was initially released in 1967 but peaked at #2 in the U.S. when it was reissued in 1972.

Moody Blues were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

Taylor Momsen revisits ‘Where Are You Christmas?’ for upcoming Pretty Reckless holiday EP

October 10, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Taylor Momsen is revisiting her past career for a new Pretty Reckless holiday EP.

The band has released a rendition of the song “Where Are You Christmas?”, which Momsen first sang as a child actress in the 2000 movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

The new recording starts off with Momsen’s original, youthful vocals before transitioning into her grittier, current singing style as The Pretty Reckless’ hard-rocking riffs kick in.

“Revisiting ‘Where Are You Christmas’ 25 years later feels like coming home to a part of myself I hadn’t seen in a long time,” Momsen says. “I was just a child when I first sang it, and I never could’ve imagined the way the song, and the film, would stay with people for so long and unknowingly shape my career path as an adult.”

“Recording it now, with all the life I’ve lived in between, I hear it through a different lens… but the heart of it is the same,” she continues. “It’s about wonder, hope, and holding on to the magic – something I think we all need more than ever.”

The aforementioned is EP, dubbed Taylor Momsen’s Pretty Reckless Christmas, is due out Oct. 31 digitally and Nov. 14 on physical formats.

The Pretty Reckless previously teased the release in a series of videos featuring footage from Momsen’s past acting roles, which also include the TV show Gossip Girl and Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams. Momsen famously retired from acting to focus completely on The Pretty Reckless.

The most recent Pretty Reckless album is 2021’s Death by Rock and Roll. The band just released a new, non-holiday song, “For I Am Death,” in August.

At hometown NYC show, Sombr brings out Sam Smith for surprise duet

October 10, 2025 by WDNY Radio

It was a full-circle moment for Sombr Thursday night in New York City.

At the hometown concert at The Rooftop at Pier 17, Sombr brought out a special guest: Sam Smith, who’s currently doing a residency in Brooklyn, NY. The two duetted on Sam’s hit “Not the Only One,” but there was a specific reason for that.

Before they started singing, Sombr showed Sam a video of himself at age 14, singing “Not the Only One” as part of his audition for LaGuardia High School, a famous performing arts school in New York. “All I wanted to do was be like you,” Sombr told Sam.

“I love you so much,” Sam responded. “I love you!” Sombr replied. “Anyways, we’re gonna sing that f****** song!”

Sombr posted the performance to his Instagram Story, captioning it, “New York night one. Thank you so much. I love you. And I love @samsmith.”

Sombr plays the same venue again on Friday night.

By the way, Sombr, born Shane Boose, did get into LaGuardia, which is also known as the Fame school, but dropped out to pursue his music career after releasing his song “Caroline” in 2022.

Priscilla Block brings her ‘deeper side’ to ‘Things You Didn’t See’

October 10, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Country fans already know and love Priscilla Block for her outgoing personality, her expressive fashion sense and her Platinum hits, “Just About Over You” and “You, Me & Whiskey” with Justin Moore.

But Priscilla is pulling the curtain back and showing an even more vulnerable side on her sophomore album.

“Things You Didn’t See made perfect sense to title the album,” she explains. “I feel like there’s so much of my life that I show on the internet and I’m very open, but there’s so many parts of my life that people haven’t seen, and I felt like this was my chance to share my story and share a deeper side that people might not know yet.”

The 14-track album is out now, as Priscilla prepares to kick off the Things You Didn’t See Tour Oct. 23 in Fort Meyers, Florida.

Tickets are on sale now for her tour and for her first time headlining Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium on March 4, 2026.

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.

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