Maren Morris’ Humble Quest: In Rare Form EP is out now. It features rootsy, instrument-forward new versions of seven of the songs on Humble Quest, like “Tall Guys.”
Kane Brown has joined the lineup of previously announced headliners for next June’s 2023 Gulf Coast Jam. Morgan Wallen, Miranda Lambert and Hardy are also leading the bill.
Brothers Osborne and The War and Treaty have released their version of “It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It),” the first new song to come off the upcoming Stoned Cold CountryRolling Stones tribute album.
Artists including Def Leppard and The Beach Boys have teamed up with Vault Comics for a new graphic novel project called Headshell.
The endeavor aims to “present original stories inspired by artists’ careers and music, giving fans an all new way to connect with the artists and music they love.”
“Great musicians are storytellers,” the Headshell description reads. “But some stories need to be told on the page. Headshell works with iconic recording artists to create unique graphic novels that resonate with artists and audiences.”
Other artists taking part include Metallica, Fall Out Boy‘s Pete Wentz and rapper Redman.
Joni Mitchell’s re-emergence into public life continued Thursday when she attended the opening night of the Broadway musical adaptation of filmmaker Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film, Almost Famous.
Mitchell – who revealed it was her first-ever Broadway show – declared that the musical was “even better than the movie.”
Crowe, told Page Six on opening night that it was “bizarre” seeing a story that was inspired by his past as a young reporter for Rolling Stone now staged as a Broadway musical. He was also thrilled that Mitchell was there, and referenced the 1979 interview he did with the rock legend for Rolling Stone: “Joni Mitchell hadn’t done an interview in 10 years and chose me to be the young reporter that would do the interview, and it remains the best interview I’ve ever done,” he said.
Other rock luminaries in attendance on opening night included Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen, Rolling Stone founder Jan Wenner and legendary producer Clive Davis.
Mitchell, 78, had rarely performed in public since suffering a brain aneurysm in 2015, but she surprised everyone at this year’s Newport Folk Festival last July when she sang several songs, including her classics “Both Sides Now” and “The Circle Game” as guest of honor at the “Joni Jam,” organized by Brandi Carlile. That led to the October announcement that Joni would join Carlile for her first headlining concert in over two decades as part of Carlile’s Echoes through the Canyon concerts next year at Washington’s Gorge Amphitheatre on Friday, June 9, and Saturday, June 10.
(NEW YORK) — Tom Barrack, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump and his one-time inaugural committee chairman, was found not guilty on Friday of illegal foreign lobbying charges, a defeat for federal prosecutors in Brooklyn who accused the billionaire businessman of improperly acting as a foreign agent on behalf of the United Arab Emirates.
After a trial that stretched nearly two months and saw testimony from two former Trump administration officials, a jury of five men and seven women reached the verdict after deliberating over three days.
Barrack was acquitted on all charges, which included conspiracy, obstruction, and lying to the FBI.
“God bless America. The system works,” Barrack said outside the courthouse following his acquittal. “I am humbled. The system is amazing, the people are amazing, I have no hostility.”
Asked by ABC News about his criticism of Trump during the trial, in which he said that his support of the former president was ultimately “disastrous” for his work, Barrack replied, “I root for all of them — it’s the toughest job in the world to be president of the United States.”
“I’m just done with politics,” he said.
Matthew Grimes, Barrack’s aide at his real estate firm who was charged alongside Barrack, was also acquitted.
“The word is clichéd, but I just feel grateful,” Grimes said outside the courthouse.
The Justice Department accused Barrack, 75, of illegally lobbying the Trump campaign and the early days of the administration while acting as a foreign agent for the UAE from 2016 to 2018 and failing to register with Justice Department as required by law.
Prosecutors also accused Barrack of lying to federal investigators when they questioned him about his ties to the UAE in 2019.
The high-profile case offered a glimpse into the workings of Trump’s inner circle during the 2016 campaign and the early days of his administration, and featured a star-studded cast of witnesses. Two former Trump administration cabinet officials, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, testified during the trial.
Several former Trump administration and Trump campaign officials, including Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner, and Rick Gates, were also mentioned at various points.
Ryan Harris, a federal prosecutor, argued during closing statements that Barrack had attempted to “leverage his access” to Trump with his UAE contacts as part of an effort to enrich himself and his real-estate investment firm, which attracted large sums of money from the Emirati sovereign wealth fund around the time of Trump’s arrival in the White House.
In his closing arguments, Randall Jackson, a lawyer for Barrack, urged jurors to see through the government’s case, citing what he described as a “total lack of evidence.”
Barrack himself took the stand in his own defense for six days to defend himself against each of the charges against him. He spent hours explaining to the jury his longstanding business ties to UAE and how he sought to broker a relationship with the Trump campaign and the Middle East.
“I thought that was actually a great thing,” Barrack said of his efforts. “The idea of having somebody that had knowledge in both confused arenas that could create some web of understanding and tolerance is what I know we all needed.”
He laughed when asked by his attorney about the government’s allegation that he was working to “manipulate the public” and “spread UAE propaganda.”
“Not at all,” Barrack said.
Barrack also testified that he briefed then-candidate Trump on his interactions with United Arab Emirates officials as he tried to help Trump better understand Middle East issues.
“I talked to President Trump about it, and he said, ‘You do the right thing,'” Barrack testified.
HBO’s Emmy-winning sci-fi drama Westworld is riding off into the sunset. ABC Audio has confirmed the series, which stars Evan Rachel Wood, Tessa Thompson and Ed Harris, won’t return for a fifth season.
Its cast also boasted two-time Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins and three-time Breaking Bad Emmy winner Aaron Paul. West Side Story Oscar winner Ariana DeBose joined the cast for what turned out to be its final season.
An eight-episode fourth season of the series, about a futuristic world occupied by both real and synthetic humans, debuted in June.
Based on a 1973 Michael Crichton film of the same name, the series was nominated for 54 Emmy Awards and won nine.
In a statement, the cable network noted, “[Producers] Lisa [Joy] and Jonah [Nolan] have taken viewers on a mind-bending odyssey, raising the bar at every step. We are tremendously grateful to them, along with their immensely talented cast, producers and crew, and all of our partners at Kilter Films, Bad Robot and Warner Bros. Television. It’s been a thrill to join them on this journey.”
Alicia Keys has released her first holiday album, Santa Baby, exclusively streaming on Apple Music in spatial audio. You can also buy it on CD wherever they’re sold and preorder a vinyl version. She’s also released a video for one of the album’s four original tracks, “December Back 2 June.”
Jason Derulo has teamed up with Australian dance duo SHOUSE for “Never Let You Go,” a remix of SHOUSE’s song “Won’t Forget You.”
“Glimpse of Us” artist Joji has releasedSmithereens, his first new album since 2020. He’s also announced two headlining shows: one at New York’s Madison Square Garden on May 6 and one at L.A.’s The Kia Forum on May 13.
Mike Posner had Zedd and London-based producer/musician ellis remix and reimagine his latest single, “I’m Not Dead Yet.” “I’m Not Dead Yet (ellis edit)” also comes with a video that features Mike in all kinds of crazy makeup looks.
Australian singer/songwriter Dean Lewis, best known for his single Be Alright, is out with new album The Hardest Love, which features the single “How Do I Say Goodbye.”
Powfu, best known for his hit “Deathbed (Coffee for Your Head),” has released a pop-punk cover of Taylor Swift‘s hit “Mine,” from her Speak Now album. It’ll appear on his upcoming EP, surrounded by hounds and serpents. In a statement, Powfu says, “Growing up, I used to fall asleep listening to Taylor Swift, Maroon 5 and Yellowcard, so covering this song was nostalgic for me.” It was co-produced by Powfu’s dad, Dave Faber, of the band Faber Drive.
Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — The Powerball jackpot reached an estimated $1.6 billion on Friday, making it the largest jackpot ever, lottery officials said.
The record-setting jackpot has ballooned after 39 consecutive drawings yielded no grand prize winner, lottery officials said.
The next drawing is Saturday night, marking the 40th Powerball drawing since the jackpot was last won in Pennsylvania on Aug. 3. The cash value of Saturday’s jackpot is $782.4 million, according to the latest figures.
If a player’s ticket matches all six numbers drawn on Saturday night, it will be the largest jackpot won in U.S. lottery history — surpassing the previous world-record-setting $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot in 2016.
If no one wins Saturday’s jackpot, it will tie the game record for the number of drawings in a row without a grand prize winner, Powerball said.
Although there was no jackpot winner in the last drawing on Wednesday night, more than 7.2 million tickets won cash prizes totaling $74.9 million. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9, according to Powerball.
The jackpot grows based on game sales and interest. But the odds of winning the big prize stays the same — 1 in 292.2 million, Powerball said.
Jackpot winners can either take the money as an immediate cash lump sum or in 30 annual payments over 29 years. Both advertised prize options do not include federal and jurisdictional taxes, Powerball said.
Tickets cost $2 and are sold in 45 U.S. states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than half of all proceeds remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was purchased, according to Powerball.
Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. The drawings are also livestreamed online at Powerball.com.
Everclear has released a new song for the first time in seven years.
The politically charged track is called “Year of the Tiger,” and makes its intentions clear with lyrics including “We are where we are because of all the big lies” and “I had a dream I saw a tiger in a MAGA hat.” Its title also refers to the Chinese zodiac sign for 2022 and 1962, the year frontman Art Alexakis was born.
“After all of the events of the last almost 3 years with COVID, worldwide shutdowns, the political debacle of 2020 … emanating from in and outside of MAGA world, I felt I needed to write a song that not just explained my anger and frustration, but a song that served as a mission statement,” says Alexakis. “I feel like the tiger should be the new symbol of the new Democratic party. We will not back down, we will not forget, we hit back, we challenge lies, and we refuse to be intimidated by ignorance or loud voices.”
You can listen to “Year of the Tiger” now via digital outlets and watch its accompanying lyric video streaming now on YouTube.
“Year of the Tiger” follows Everclear’s 2015 album, Black Is the New Black. In 2019, Alexakis released his debut solo album, Sun Songs.
Earlier this year, Everclear reissued their 1993 debut album, World of Noise, and launched a 30th anniversary tour. Next week, they’ll kick off a United Kingdom tour with Soul Asylum.
Darius Rucker has announced plans for a new studio album and elaborated a little bit on the special meaning behind the music.
Called Carolyn’s Boy, the project puts a spotlight on the singer’s late mother, Carolyn. “At the end of the day, I’m really still just Carolyn’s boy,” Darius explains, debuting the cover art for his project — a black-and-white portrait of his mom.
Darius shared the news in an interview on TODAYand also explained why planning a tribute to his mother was so important to him.
“I wanted to name the record Carolyn’s Boy because Mom never got to see any of my success,” he says. “She died before any of this happened, so it’s just another homage to the greatest woman I’ve ever known.”
The singer has been a part of country music for a while — his 10-year anniversary as an Opry member is coming up — and a musical figure for even longer, as the frontman of rock outfit Hootie & the Blowfish. But Darius says that now is the right time to release this poignant tribute.
“Years ago, I wasn’t really sure what my place in country music was, and I was trying to find it. Now I have found it — I know — and I think it’s time to give that record.”
(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump is leaning toward announcing a third run for the White House, possibly as early as the week of Nov. 14, sources with direct knowledge of the matter told ABC News.
However, the sources said that the internal conversations about the timing, location and format of an announcement are extremely fluid.
Thursday night in Iowa, Trump, who has been teasing a 2024 run at rallies across the country for several months, got the closest he has come to confirming he will run.
Appearing at a campaign event for Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Sen. Chuck Grassley, Trump told a crowd of supporters, “In order to make our country successful, and safe and glorious, I will very, very, very probably do it again.”
“OK?” he said. “Very, very, very, probably. Get ready, that’s all I’m telling you. Very soon. Get ready.”
Some aides have suggested the former president believes that declaring his candidacy would shield him from the numerous investigations that currently involve him and his allies. Trump is facing several federal probes, including the Jan. 6 investigation, the investigation into documents recovered at Mar-a-Lago, and an investigation into his social media company, Truth Social.
His namesake family real estate business, The Trump Organization, is currently on trial in New York for tax evasion and fraud — charges that would not be affected if he’s reelected president.
