Usher is set to receive an honorary degree at Berklee College of Music’s 2023 commencement ceremony. He’ll receive an honorary Doctor of Music degree at Boston University’s Agganis Arena, where he’ll address the graduating class. He’ll be honored alongside fellow recipients Roberta Flack and kora player Sona Jorbarteh for their contributions to music and philanthropy.
This year’s honorees join a class of past recipients, including Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan, Missy Elliott and John Legend.
Berklee College of Music’s commencement ceremony is on May 13 at 10 a.m. ET.
Vera Farmiga is once again proving her metal bona fides with a cover of Slipknot‘s “Duality.”
The actor, known for her roles in The Conjuring franchise and films including The Departed, put her spin on the 2000s nu metal classic during a recent concert supporting the Rock Academy music school.
Farmiga’s performance certainly stays true to the heavy spirit of the original, complete with a recreation of Shawn “Clown” Crahan‘s signature percussion. You can watch it now via her Instagram page.
You may recall that Farmiga coveredIron Maiden‘s “The Trooper” in support of Rock Academy last year. That performance, which was accompanied by Anthrax‘s Scott Ian on guitar, also honored Farmiga’s Ukrainian roots amid the early months of Russia’s invasion.
Fryderyk Gabowicz/picture alliance via Getty Images
All you people, can’t you see, can’t you see … that you’ve kept the Backstreet Boys going for 30 years?
The record-breaking boy band formed on April 20, 1993, when the last member to join, Brian Littrell, flew to Orlando to join his cousin Kevin Richardson, as well as Nick Carter, AJ McLean and Howie Dorough.Lou Pearlman, who put the group together, dubbed them Backstreet Boys after a popular Orlando teen hangout: Backstreet Market.
In 1994, they signed their first record deal and were on their way to becoming the bestselling boy band of all time, with more than 100 million records sold globally.
BSB is marking the momentous occasion by counting down the “top 30 moments in Backstreet history,” as voted on by their fans, at BSB30.com.
As for why Backstreet has endured, Howie thinks it’s a combination of timing, hard work and staying together, despite challenges like Kevin temporarily leaving the group or AJ going to rehab.
“We hit it at a time where I think the world was ready for a group like us,” Howie told ABC Audio. “We were just coming out of a grunge rock scene … people just needed some good, feel-good music.”
In addition, he noted, they cultivated a “lifelong fan base” through their “grassroots approach.”
“We went around the whole world. We put the time in … we carried the torch. And even when Kevin took a break … we kept on going,” he said. “Lots of people thought that we weren’t even together anymore, not knowing that we were still out there … still providing for our fans.”
“And I think that’s why our fans know that we do this, not only for the enjoyment of ourselves, but for the enjoyment of what we bring to our fans.”
R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe has contributed a track to a new Earth Day compilation, currently available on Bandcamp.
The EarthPercent x Earth Day ’23 Compilation Album features over 60 tunes that are either new, exclusive or previously unreleased. They can be downloaded individually or as a whole album from April 20 to May 6, with Stipe contributing the song “Give Me A Hand,” featuring folk singer Gaeylynn Lee.
Other artists on the compilation include Coldplay and H.E.R., CHVRCHES with The Cure‘s Robert Smith, Brian Eno and more.
A portion of the proceeds from each track sold will go to EarthPercent’s grant making program, which supports organizations working to tackle the climate emergency.
As previously reported, Mötley Crüe is back in the studio and once again working with Dr. Feelgood producer Bob Rock. Now bassist Nikki Sixx is giving fans an update on how things are going, and he certainly sounds pumped.
“Bob Rock is pushing us hard and bringing out the best in us,” Sixx shared in a post on Facebook. “Tommy (Lee) is playing his a** off. Jesus these drums sound huge.”
He adds, “Probably lay down my final bass tracks in the next few days. John (5) is so fast I’m sure he will get all the songs done in just a few days. But then again Bob Rock loves those huge walls of guitars so it could take a moment.”
As for songwriting, Sixx offers, “I’m sure you all know how important lyrics are to me,” revealing that he’s already completed writing one tune and hopes to finish another one soon.
Of course, fans of the Crüe are probably wondering when they’ll finally get to hear all this new stuff. Sixx says they’re “not sure,” explaining, “we haven’t thought that far down the line. Just letting the music guide us.”
Original Three Days Grace singer Adam Gontier reunited with his former band during their concert in Hunstville, Alabama, on Wednesday.
The “Just Like You” rockers shared a photo of the surprise collaboration on their Instagram, alongside the caption, “Soooo we did a thing.”
According to Setlist.fm, Gontier joined TDG for renditions of the songs “Never Too Late” and “Riot,” both of which appear on the group’s 2006 sophomore album, One-X.
Gontier co-founded Three Days Grace alongside bassist Brad Walst and drummer Neil Sanderson in the ’90s, and left the group band in 2013. In an Instagram post last year, Gontier revealed that he’d met up with Sanderson for the first time since his departure. He, Walst and current TDG singer Matt Walst also reunited last summer to be honored by their old high school.
Matt Walst, Brad’s brother, has fronted Three Days Grace since Gontier left. With Matt on vocals, TDG has released three albums, including 2022’s Explosions.
Three Days Grace is currently on tour supporting Explosions while opening for Shinedown.
Post Malone has set a new record for RIAA Diamond-certified singles: Thanks to three new certifications, he now has a total of eight, breaking the previous record set by Bruno Mars, who has six.
Diamond certification means a song has sold 10 million units. Posty’s songs that have reached that milestone are “White Iverson,” “Circles,” “Sunflower,” “Congratulations,” “I Fall Apart,” “Rockstar,” “Better Now” and “Psycho.”
Also of note, “Sunflower” holds the record for the highest Platinum-certified single of all time: It’s been certified 17-times Platinum.
To mark his achievement, on Friday Post will release The Diamond Collection, a compilation that includes all those singles, as well as his new track, “Chemical.” That’s the first release from his upcoming fifth album.
London’s Wembley Stadium hosted The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness in memory of the late Queen frontman, who died in November 1991.
Performers at the concert included Metallica, Def Leppard,Guns ‘N Roses, David Bowie, Roger Daltrey and Robert Plant.
The three remaining members of Queen, John Deacon, Brian May and Roger Taylor, also performed along with guest singers and guitarists, including Elton John, George Michael, Seal, Annie Lennox, Liza Minnelli and more. U2 also took part via satellite, beaming in a performance of “Until the End of the World,” which they dedicated to Mercury.
Memorable performances included Queen and Michael’s “Somebody to Love,” Queen, Bowie and Lennox on “Under Pressure,” Queen and GNR’s Axl Rose on “We Will Rock You” and Queen and Minnelli’s pairing on “We Are the Champions.”
Money raised from the concert went to establish the AIDS charity the Mercury Phoenix Trust.
beabadoobee has released a new version of her single “Glue Song” featuring Clairo.
“I’ve always been inspired by [Clairo’s] melodies and to finally have both our voices together on a track makes me real happy,” beabadoobee says. “This song’s special to me, a heartfelt love song and [I] think we related to the honesty in that.”
You can listen to the updated recording now via digital outlets.
The original “Glue Song” dropped on Valentine’s Day. It follows beabadoobee’s 2022 album, Beatopia.
beabadoobee is currently on tour playing headlining shows and opening for Taylor Swift.
Pink Floyd’s 50th anniversary celebration of The Dark Side of the Moon continues, and Thursday it was marked with a special event that coincided with a rare total solar eclipse.
Eight fans won a trip to a secluded beach at Ningaloo (Nyinggulu) Marine Park in Exmouth, Western Australia, where they listened to the album in full — timed so that the closing line, “but the sun is eclipsed by the moon …,” would play at the exact moment of the eclipse. Not only that, on the beach was constructed a giant black pyramid, similar to the cover of the classic album.
A clip of the experience can be seen on the band’s Instagram page. It was also livestreamed on the band’s website and was filmed for a short-form documentary on the sweepstakes winners, dubbed the Astronome Domine 8, coming at a later date.
Released on March 1, 1973, The Dark Side of the Moon was Pink Floyd’s eighth studio release and to this day is one of their most commercially successful releases ever.
