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Asking Alexandria is “really, really excited” for first US headlining tour in four years

May 12, 2022 by WDNY Radio

This week, Asking Alexandria will launch their first U.S. headlining tour in four years.

“We’ve not done any headline shows or tours in the States since the [2017’s] self-titled album came out,” guitarist Ben Bruce tells ABC Audio. “We did a co-headliner with Black Veil Brides, and that’s the last time…We’ve been supporting since then.”

Asking Alexandria did have a stateside tour planned to support their 2020 album Like a House on Fire, but, like pretty much every other band that year, they had to cancel that trek due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’ve been sat waiting to do a headline tour for a few years now,” Bruce says. “So we’re excited, we’re really, really excited.”

Now that the tour has finally arrived, Asking Alexandria will be supporting both Like a House on Fire and its 2021 follow-up, See What’s on the Inside, which features the singles “Alone Again” and the whistle-heavy “Never Gonna Learn.”

Asked how the whistling on “Never Gonna Learn” will be replicated onstage, Bruce says the band will be using a track instead of a live, in-person whistler, though it’s not for a lack of trying.

“We learned this the hard way,” Bruce admits. “When you’re playing live and you go to whistle down a mic, all the crowd can hear is the air from your mouth going down through the PA.”

The guitarist continues, “So, [we thought], ‘Ah, it doesn’t really work.’ Unless you got one of those big sponges like Axl Rose had on the end of his microphone, which, unfortunately I don’t think are in fashion anymore. So we’re letting the tracks to the whistling for us.”

Asking Alexandria’s tour, which will be co-headlined by Nothing More, kicks off Friday in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Rolling Stones’ 1972 double album ‘Exile on Main St.’ was released 50 years ago today

May 12, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release of The Rolling Stones‘ classic 12th U.S. studio album, the double-disc Exile on Main St.

The 18-track collection found the British rock legends diving deep into their American roots-music influences, including the blues, country, gospel and, of course, early rock ‘n’ roll.

Exile on Main St. was the second in a streak of eight consecutive Stones studio albums that reached #1 on the Billboard 200, spending four weeks atop the chart in June and July of ’72. The record yielded two hit singles, “Tumbling Dice” and the Keith Richards-sung “Happy,” which peaked, respectively, at #7 and #22 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Other standout tracks on the album included “Rocks Off,” “Sweet Virginia,” “Loving Cup,” “All Down the Line” and “Shine a Light.”

Many tracks on Exile on Main St. were recorded in the U.K. between 1969 and 1971, at London’s Olympic Studios and Mick Jagger‘s Stargroves country house, but much of the album came together after The Rolling Stones relocated to France in 1971 as British tax exiles. While the band members were in France, the bulk of the recording was done a makeshift studio set up at a villa called Nellcôte that Richards rented near the city of Nice.

While at Nellcôte, Richards reportedly struggled with heroin addiction, causing the sessions to drag on for months. Overdubs, vocals and other additions were recorded later in Los Angeles’ Sunset Sound at sessions overseen by Jagger.

Exile on Main St. was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2012, and was ranked at #14 on Rolling Stone‘s 2020 list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”

Here’s the album’s full track list:

LP 1

Side A
“Rocks Off”
“Rip This Joint”
“Shake Your Hips”
“Casino Boogie”
“Tumbling Dice”

Side B
“Sweet Virginia”
“Torn and Frayed”
“Sweet Black Angel
“Loving Cup”

LP 2

Side A
“Happy”
“Turd on the Run”
“Ventilator Blues”
“I Just Want to See His Face”
“Let It Loose”

Side B
“All Down the Line”
“Stop Breaking Down”
“Shine a Light”
“Soul Survivor”

Helen Mirren explains whacky legal argument at the center ‘The Duke’

May 12, 2022 by WDNY Radio

In the new film The Duke, Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent star as Dorothy and Kempton Bunton, a real-life husband and wife involved in a famous art theft in London in the 1960s.

Mirren tells ABC Audio that the movie “wasn’t just a comedy…it had this tragic side to it as well where you genuinely are investigating the effects of grief on a marriage and on personalities along with a comedic caper.”

Mirren says the couple deals with grief in two very different ways.

“You would think that the wife would be the one who wants to constantly engage with the grief, and the husband would be the one who’d want to just try and put it in the past,” she explains. “In fact, in this film, it’s the other way round.”

Mirren says she was particularly fascinated with Bunton’s argument in court that he “wasn’t stealing” Francisco Goya‘s famous portrait of the Duke of Wellington, “just borrowing it for a while.”

Mirren goes on to explain Bunton claim that he “was always going to give it back” and “wasn’t going to sell it or anything like that. So, you know, it was actually a very clever argument.”

In the film, when Dorothy gets stressed, she cleans, and the Oscar-winning actress says she can relate, admitting, “there’s something very satisfying about making your bath sparkle, your basin and the taps, you know, the faucets, as you say, in America.”

“I have to say, I had a very close relationship with my Dyson vacuum cleaner during COVID. I posted on it, you know, it had become my best friend, I absolutely loved it. And laundry…I genuinely love doing laundry.”

The Duke opens nationwide this week.

Dallas police investigating shooting of 3 Korean women at hair salon

May 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(DALLAS) — Three women in Dallas were shot Wednesday afternoon after a suspect opened fire at a hair salon located in the city’s Koreatown, a historically Asian district.

The women suffered nonfatal injuries and were transported to a local hospital, according to police.

Police told ABC News the shooting took place on the 2200 block of Royal Lane, the address of Hair World Salon.

The shooting victims were all Korean women — the salon owner, an employee and a customer, police confirmed to WFAA, the ABC affiliate in Dallas.

Police said they learned from a witness report that an unknown Black male parked what appeared to be “a dark color minivan-type vehicle” on Royal Lane and then walked across the parking lot into the establishment and allegedly opened fire.

“The suspect then fired multiple rounds inside the business, wounded all three victims,” police said. The suspect then drove away.

The suspect has not been identified yet, according to police, who also said the investigation is ongoing and the motive remains unknown.

A spokesperson for the FBI field office in Dallas told ABC News on Wednesday evening that the FBI is in touch with the Dallas Police Department and is monitoring the incident.

“Dallas Police Department is the lead investigating agency for this incident, but we are in communication with them and coordinating closely,” the spokesperson said. “If, in the course of the local investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal violation, the FBI is prepared to investigate.”

While it is unclear if the shooting was targeted, the incident comes amid a spate of attacks targeting Asian Americans across the nation.

Most recently, a Chinese food delivery worker was shot in the chest in New York City last week while riding his scooter in the Forest Hills neighborhood in Queens. The motive is unclear and the investigation is ongoing in the case, according to the NYPD.

San Jose City Council unanimously votes to ban ghost guns in the city

May 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(SAN JOSE, Calif.) — The San Jose City Council voted unanimously to approve an ordinance that would ban so-called ghost guns in the city.

The ordinance prohibits the possession, manufacturing, sale, assembly, transfer, receiving and distribution of firearms, as well as related components, that are not imprinted with a federal or state-authorized serial number.

Privately manufactured firearms, also referred to as ghost guns, are untraceable firearms that are often assembled by unlicensed individuals, the ordinance explains. They’re typically sold through unregulated sellers, without background checks, waiting periods, sales records retention, age restrictions or other restrictions.

San Jose follows other California cities that have banned ghost guns, including San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles.

The ordinance is part of the mayor’s move to reduce gun harm and shift the financial burdens from taxpayers and victims to gun owners, the office of San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said in a statement.

“In cities like San José and LA, a quarter of the illegal guns seized by the police are ‘ghost guns’ lacking any serial number or other identifying mark, enabling criminal gangs to deploy them without accountability,” Liccardo said in the statement.

Residents in possession of unserialized ghost gun components will have 120 days to comply with the ordinance before the rule is enforced, the statement says.

In California alone, ghost guns accounted for 25 to 50% of firearms recovered at crime scenes over an 18-month period during 2020 and 2021, according to the County of Santa Clara Crime Lab.

The number of ghost guns seized by San Jose police during criminal investigations in the last five years has increased “dramatically” from nine in 2017 to 221 in 2021, the ordinance states.

The ordinance will go into effect after June 16.

San Jose passed a groundbreaking rule in January that required gun owners to purchase liability insurance and pay an annual “gun harm reduction” fee. San Jose was the first city in the U.S. to pass such a law. It goes into effect in August.

President Joe Biden announced a new ghost gun measure last month, in an effort to crack down on what law enforcement has been calling a growing problem. Biden also called on Congress to pass universal background checks.

“We applaud the recent steps the Biden Administration has taken to stem the rising tide of ghost guns by banning their distribution. An ocean of ghost guns remain in our cities, however, requiring local communities to act to ban the possession of these untraceable guns and their component parts,” Liccardo said in the statement.

Michigan school board rejects state attorney general’s 2nd offer to investigate shooting

May 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(OXFORD, Mich.) — Oxford Community Schools rejected a second offer from the Michigan attorney general’s office to investigate a school shooting in November. The school board said it will launch a third party investigation after the civil cases against the district have been litigated.

The school board said it has been fully cooperating with the Oakland County prosecutor’s investigation and will continue to do so.

Ethan Crumbley, a former student at Oxford High School, is accused of shooting and killing four other students at the school on Nov. 30. He has pleaded not guilty and is set to stand trial in September.

His parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, are also facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter for allegedly failing to recognize warning signs about their son in the months before he fatally shot his classmates. Two judges have declined to reduce their bail.

The Crumbleys have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A lawsuit alleges that the district failed to heed warning signs before the shooting, which the district has denied. The board said reports and analyses will be made public throughout the litigation process.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel criticized the board’s rejection of her office’s offer.

“I am deeply disappointed by the school board’s repeated rejection of my offers to perform an independent and thorough review of the systems and procedures in the days leading up to and on November 30, 2021,” Nessel said in a statement Wednesday.

She said her department would only be able to perform an exhaustive and thorough review with the cooperation of the school board and district.

“Absent that partnership, I am restricted to the publicly available information we have all read and reviewed,” Nessel said.

The school board said it will wait to launch the third-party investigation and said it will be engaging experts as part of the litigation process to thoroughly review the tragedy and the events leading up to it.

“The ongoing criminal cases have understandably delayed the release of information that could be essential to our extensive review. Oxford Community Schools is also responding to numerous lawsuits at the state and federal levels which will require attention and time from our legal team, our staff and the Board,” the school board said in a statement Tuesday.

The board added, “Once the litigation process is completed and all information has risen to the surface, a team of experts will conduct a third-party review.”

The board also said it is working on a three-year recovery plan which is currently under development by the superintendent and district administration. Upon completion, the plan will be reviewed by a third-party before being implemented at the start of the 2022-2023 school year.

Third-party group Secure Education Consultants have also completed an independent review into all district safety practices and procedures, the board said.

Nessel claimed the board’s rejection stands in the way of transparency.

“The rejection sends a message that the board is more focused on limiting liability than responding to the loud outcry from the Oxford community to deliver greater peace of mind to the students, parents and educators that lived through this traumatic event,” she said.

Rick Astley: “I’ve never been cool, and that’s OK”

May 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Along with New Kids on the Block, En Vogue and Salt-N-Pepa, Rick Astley is one of the stars involved in the just-launched Mixtape Tour, and the “Never Gonna Give You Up” singer says he has no problem being on a bill that’s all about ’80s and ’90s nostalgia.

“I kind of feel all I have to do is show up and do what I’m supposed to,” he tells USA Today, adding, “Nostalgia is not an ugly thing to me. It’s having beautiful emotions about music you grew up listening to.”

Rick’s debut album, Whenever You Need Somebody, is getting the re-release treatment on May 20, and he says seeing the audience’s reaction when he sings the hits from that album — not just “Never Gonna Give You Up,” but also “Together Forever” and “It Would Take a Strong, Strong Man” — means a lot to him.

“If I’m singing in front of an audience, I’m seeing what they remember [about the songs],” he explains. “If I can see someone turn to their husband or wife and give a hug, that’s really special and amazing.”

Rick’s enjoyed a fairly high profile in recent years — not just because of the “Rickrolling” phenomenon, but also because he’s become an unlikely star on TikTok. Plus, “Never Gonna Give You Up” was used to great effect in the touching season-two funeral scene of the Emmy-winning comedy Ted Lasso.

“I was really moved by what they did with the song,” Rick says of that scene.

He adds, “To have a younger audience get into my songs, you have to see that as kind of a bonus…I’m allowed to be involved in the world of music today. I would have loved to be cool, but I’ve never been cool, and that’s O.K.”

Ex-Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman releasing box set featuring 1970s live recordings this week

May 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

A four-CD box set gathering together recordings from various solo concerts that longtime Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman played during the mid-1970s will be released this Friday, May 13.

The Myths and Legends of Rick Wakeman features Wakeman showcasing songs from his first three solo concept albums — 1972’s The Six Wives of Henry VIII, 1974’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth and 1975’s The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Disc one features performances from shows that Rick played in North America in 1974, disc two was recorded at a 1975 concert at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom, disc three captures a 1976 concert at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, and the final disc features a 1976 performance from the Farnham, U.K., venue The Maltings.

“It’s really lovely to see some of the music I’m most proud of, released in a new way and presented so well,” Wakeman says about the box set. “I’m still wondering though if I am more of a myth than a legend!!!”

The collection includes a 16-page booklet offering liner notes and archival photos. You can order the box set and check out its track list at CleoRecs.com.

Meanwhile, in a new update on his official website, Wakeman reports that he’s busy writing new material for his next album, which he’s planning to have finished by mid-June.

The 72-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer also reveals that he’s been “struggling with osteoarthritis and diabetes,” noting that he’s “slowly getting them under control.”

In addition, he reports that he has a new book coming out around Christmas time titled Ramblings of a Grumpy Old Rock Star, and is working on an official biography that he plans to complete “sometime next year.”

Disney+ passes 137 million subscriber mark

May 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

While Netflix’s hemorrhaging 200,000 subscribers in the first three months of the year had some in the industry thinking streaming might have some headwinds ahead, now comes news that Disney+ beat Wall Street expectations.

According to an earnings call for ABC News’ parent company, Disney, it was revealed that Disney+ now has nearly 138 million subscribers, adding nearly 8 million in the first three months of 2022 alone. Wall Street anticipated its subscriber growth to be in the neighborhood of 5 million.

All told, Disney+ numbers bumped up 33% from last year.

Buoyed by hits like Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight, and Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian, and the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi, the streaming service isn’t slowing down, says CEO Bob Chapek. He predicts some 230 million to 260 million subscribers by the end of 2024.

Disney-partnered property Hulu attracted 45.6 million subscribers; Disney-owned ESPN+ now has 22.3 million subscribers, it was also revealed. Both streaming services saw increases over last year.

Andy Grammer explains why he’s embraced being known as music’s “positive guy”

May 11, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Andy Grammer says he knows the secret of connecting with others, and it has something to do with being known as “the positive guy” in music.

Speaking with Billboard‘s Behind the Setlist podcast, the “Saved My Life” singer explained why he’s embraced the moniker, even though it’s “cheesy.” Said Andy, “We all need optimism.”

“We all need a reason to jump out of bed,” he continued. “We all need to go into our soul. It’s just that it comes with so much cynicism that unless you’re doing it at such a high level and so aggressively, it doesn’t get in. But if you do get in, you’ll have fans for life that’ll show up every single time you come through.”

Andy first burst onto the music scene with his 2010 hit “Keep Your Head Up,” which he wrote in the memory of his mother, Kathy Grammer, who died of breast cancer the year prior.

Andy noted that his songs tend to look on the bright side of things, and understood that fans have come to expect that of him.

“I feel so blessed that [with] this art form it’s expected that you play your repertoire,” Andy explained. “It’s just like not the case with other art forms. If you’re an actor, you do your thing and then you gotta go do another thing. And when you show up to your next set, I imagine you’re almost have to let go of all that because people don’t want to see that guy anymore. You got to get into this new role.”

Whereas in music, Andy says, “they’d be p***ed if I don’t play the best stuff that I’ve had over the last 10 years.”

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