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ZZ Top to release new album, ‘Raw,’ in July, dedicated “in righteous memory” of late bassist Dusty Hill

March 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

ZZ Top has will release a new album called Raw on July 22 that was recorded in conjunction with the famed blues-rock trio’s 2019 documentary, That Little Ol’ Band from Texas.

That film included a segment where ZZ Top’s classic lineup — singer/guitarist Billy Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard — played an intimate set of songs from their back catalog at historic Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, Texas, and that “raw” performance served as the basis for the album.

The 12-track collection boasts versions of such classic ZZ Top hits as “Legs,” “Tush,” “La Grange” and “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” and other gems like “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide” and “Tube Snake Boogie,” as well as renditions of “Brown Sugar” and “Certified Blues,” two tunes from the band’s 1971 debut, ZZ Top’s First Album.

Raw, which was produced by Gibbons, is dedicated “in righteous memory” of Hill, who died in July 2021 at age 72. The record will be available as a 180-gram vinyl LP, on CD and via digital formats.

In liner notes for Raw, Gibbons and Beard write jointly about the album, “[I]t was, in a very real way, a return to our roots. Just us and the music, no audience of thousands, no concession stands, no parking lot social hour, no phalanx of tour buses. Just us and the music.”

They add, “‘The Dust’ may have left the building but he’s still very much with us.”

In other news, ZZ Top will launch a new U.S. trek on May 27 in San Diego. Dubbed the Raw Whisky Tour, the outing is mapped out through a July 23 concert in Watertown, New York. Tickets for most dates go on sale on March 11.

Here’s full Raw track list:

Side 1
“Brown Sugar”
“Just Got Paid”
“Heard It on the X”
“La Grange”
“Tush”
“Thunderbird”

Side 2
“I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide”
“Gimme All Your Lovin'”
“Blue Jean Blues”
“Certified Blues”
“Tube Snake Boogie”

The Prodigy announces first tour since death of Keith Flint

March 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The Prodigy will be returning to the road this summer for their first tour since the death of vocalist Keith Flint in 2019.

The U.K. outing launches in July, will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of the group’s 1997 multi-platinum album The Fat of the Land, which spawned the single “Firestarter.”

“We can’t wait to get back onstage and play our tunes for the people again,” remaining members Liam Howlett and Maxim say in a statement. “The 25th anniversary of Fat of the Land felt like the right time for us to step up. We’ll be droppin’ tunes from all our albums and maybe some s*** [you] haven’t heard before.”

The pair adds, “This one’s for Flinty.”

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit TheProdigy.com.

The Prodigy played their last show in February 2019, about a month before Flint’s death. In August 2019, the band announced they were working on new music.

Benedict Cumberbatch responds to Sam Elliott’s flaming of ‘The Power of the Dog’

March 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NOTE LANGUAGE) As reported last week, Western movie veteran Sam Elliott isn’t a fan of Jane Campion‘s 12-time Oscar-nominated The Power of the Dog. In fact, he called it a “piece of sh**.”

Elliott was speaking with on Marc Maron‘s WTF Podcast when he voiced his dislike for the movie, commenting the ranch hands were made out to be Chippendale’s dancers. He also appeared to resent the movie’s “allusions to homosexuality.”

“It just f**king rubbed me the wrong way, pal,” the veteran actor said of the film.

One of the movie’s nominated leads, Benedict Cumberbatch, plays Phil Burbank, a character who was a gruff cowboy on the surface, but clearly had repressed his homosexuality. In an interview that was part of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts series Film Sessions, Cumberbatch didn’t name Elliott, but called it an “odd reaction,” adding, “I’m trying very hard not to say anything about [it].”

The actor explained, “These people still exist in our world. Whether it’s on our doorstep or…someone we meet in a bar or pub or on the sports field, there is aggression and anger and frustration and an inability to control or know who you are in that moment that causes damage to that person and, as we know, damage to those around them.”

He added, “There’s no harm in looking at a character to get to the root causes of that. This is a very specific case of repression, but also due to an intolerance for that true identity that Phil is that he can’t fully be.”

Cumberbatch noted, “The more we look under the hood of toxic masculinity and try to discover the root causes of it, the bigger chances we have of dealing with it when it arises with our children.”

Sam Smith and Normani slapped with lawsuit over “Dancing with a Stranger”

March 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Sam Smith is the latest artist to be hit with a major lawsuit over alleged idea theft. He and his “Dancing With a Stranger” collaborator, Normani, have been accused of plagiarizing their 2019 hit.

Billboard reports that songwriters Jordan Vincent, Christopher Miranda and Rosco Banlaoi filed suit against Sam and Normani on Friday, claiming the duo stole their 2015 song, “Dancing with Strangers.”

“The hook/chorus in both songs — the most significant part and artistic aspect of these works — contains the lyrics ‘dancing with a stranger’ being sung over a nearly identical melody and musical composition,” the lawsuit states. “In both songs, the title, hook, chorus, lyrics, and musical composition are all the same — and are repeated throughout the song giving both songs their identities.”

The 2015 song had allegedly been shopped to other labels before it was ultimately released on SoundCloud a year later, then debuted on Spotify and YouTube in 2017. The songwriters claim it was “immediately obvious” that Sam and Normani swiped their song upon hearing it in 2019.

“It is beyond any real doubt that Smith, Normani, and the other defendants copied Plaintiff’s work,” the suit declares. “The protected expression in both the Infringing Song and Plaintiff’s preexisting work is nearly identical and is strikingly similar.”

The trio also claim Sam and Normani stole elements of their music video for their own, saying it bears “extraordinary similarities” to their earlier work.

Vincent, Miranda and Banlaoi are seeking unspecified monetary damages as well as “declarations of authorship and ownership,” among other demands. They have requested a jury trial.

NHL reveals new Stanley Cup logo design

March 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

NHL

(NEW YORK) — For the first time in 13 years, the NHL has redesigned its Stanley Cup logo as it looks ahead to the “next era.”

The new branding was unveiled on Monday and took more than two years to create.

“We’re ready for the next era,” Greg Mueller, NHL senior design director, creative services, said in a statement. “Not a new era, the next one.”

Mueller worked on the new logo system along with Paul Conway, group VP, NHL creative, and NHL senior digital designer Louis Gentile.

And while the logo is new, it pays homage to the league’s history.

The font used on the word “Playoffs,” Windsor Sands, was inspired by the Windsor Hotel in Montreal, where the NHL was founded back in 1917. The Victoria SC Serif font used on the words “Stanley Cup,” meanwhile, was inspired by the engravings found on the bowl and collar of the Stanley Cup.

The new logo also features etchings on the championship trophy.

“We had a wealth of resources to pull inspiration from,” Conway said in a statement. “The etchings add another level of photorealism to the look and feel of the illustration.”

Fans can check out a new microsite launched by the NHL that details all the changes made to the logo.

Hundreds of migrants arrive on boat in Florida Keys

March 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — At least 356 Haitian migrants traveled by boat on a dangerous trek to the coast of the Ocean Reef community in Key Largo, Florida, on March 6, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

CBP took custody of 158 people who swam to the shore from the vessel, according to Alan Regalado, the public affairs specialist for CBP in Florida. The 198 people who stayed on the boat were stopped and transferred to U.S. Coast Guard boats.

“It’s [a] really, really dangerous [trek], especially because of the conditions — I mean, over 300 people in one vessel? I mean, they’re just not equipped for that trip,” Regalado told ABC News.

He added, “Not only that, but the smuggling organizations and everything that migrants have to go through in the process — it’s just not a safe thing to do.”

CBP, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other local and state agencies responded to the incoming vessel.

“Multiple agencies responded quickly & worked closely to protect a lot of lives today,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jason Neiman, with Coast Guard District Seven, in a tweet.

According to CBP, the processing of such migrants who made it onto U.S. soil after their voyage depends on their claims and background.

However, those 158 migrants may be subject to Title 42, which is a clause of the 1944 Public Health Services law that allows the government to expel migrants without giving them a chance to apply for asylum during a public health emergency.

Many Haitian refugees have left their countries due to the devastating impacts of natural disasters and political instability that have also resulted in economic struggles for the country.

Phoebe Bridgers announces US headlining tour

March 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Phoebe Bridgers has announced a U.S. headlining tour.

The long-winding trek launches April 13 in Phoenix, and will run all the way through late August. Tickets will go on sale this Thursday, March 10, at noon local time through Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan platform. Registration is open now through Tuesday, March 8, at noon ET.

Bridgers will be touring in continued support of her 2020 album, Punisher, which features the Grammy-nominated single “Kyoto.”

Along with the headlining dates, Bridgers will play a number of festivals this year, including Coachella, Forecastle and This Ain’t No Picnic.

How ‘King Richard’ star Aunjanue Ellis wants to honor her late mother with her Oscars dress

March 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Aunjanue Ellis has a special request for whoever designs the dress she wears at her first-ever Academy Awards ceremony.

The King Richard actress, who’s nominated for best supporting actress, told Good Morning America Monday she wants to honor her late mother on Oscars night.

“Whoever I’m wearing, I’m just insisting that my mother’s name be somewhere on the dress,” Ellis, 53, said. “She left me a couple years ago and I want her with me that night in some sort of way.”

While Ellis is planning to honor her own mother, she might be winning an Oscar thanks to playing Oracene Price, the mother of Venus and Serena Williams, in King Richard.

The film, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, is all about Richard Williams, the tennis stars’ father. Will Smith plays Richard in the movie, with Saniyya Sidney as Venus and Demi Singleton as Serena.

King Richard is nominated for six Academy Awards, including best picture, best actor for Smith, best supporting actress for Ellis, best original screenplay, best film editing and best original song for “Be Alive,” by Beyoncé.

Ellis also told GMA the person she most wants to meet at the Oscars is Beyoncé — who, like Ellis, is also nominated for her first-ever Oscar this year.

“Putting it out to the universe,” Ellis said of wanting to run into the Grammy winner at the star-studded event. “Hear me, universe. It’s all I want.”

The 94th Academy Awards will air live Sunday, March 27, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Can Brothers Osborne knock Dan + Shay out of a three-year ACM Duo of the Year winning streak?

March 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Brothers Osborne reclaimed their status as Vocal Duo of the Year at the CMAs last November, beating out Dan + Shay — a group who’d previously won the award two years in a row.

But can the brother duo repeat their success at the 2022 ACM Awards? Dan + Shay have had a tight grip on the ACMs Duo of the Year title ever since the Brothers last won in 2018.

“I hope so!” TJ Osborne says cheerfully. “We haven’t yet been back, coming back on an ACM. But that’s the plan.”

The brothers and band mates joke that they’re visualizing a win ahead of the big night — so much so that they left a little extra room for a trophy in their luggage. “I packed a little light this time, left a little room in my suitcase,” TJ adds.

But the competition between the duos is all in good fun. In fact, TJ’s joking about his extra trophy space, too.

“That’s also a total lie!” He clarifies, admitting that he might even have overpacked for his trip to Vegas. “I was, like, jamming that thing together.”

The 2022 ACM Awards are streaming tonight on Amazon Prime Video beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Dolly Parton will co-host the event with Gabby Barrett and Jimmie Allen, live from the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Britney Spears demands “justice” for her alleged abusers: “They all got away with it!!!”

March 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

If you ever find yourself thinking, “Boy, Britney Spears goes on a lot of exotic vacations,” well, she’s here’s to tell you that she deserves to after suffering years of abuse from her conservators.

She writes on Instagram, “After 13 years damn straight I should go [on vacation] !!! I was treated less than, demoralized and embarrassed … nobody should ever be treated the way I was.” Britney then goes on to detail what her life was like during what she claims was a four-month period during her conservatorship.

“In a world where it’s okay to lock your daughter up and make her work 7 days a week…8:00 am to 6:00 pm…no days off… No private baths … seen naked when changing … drugged … can’t even speak or talk,” she writes.

Britney then says she had to go to bed at 9 p.m. every night and give “like 8 gallons of blood weekly,” and concludes, “this happened to me for 4 months after I worked for my dad and my family for 13 f***king years.”

The singer then says she was “nothing more than a puppet to my family,” and that her treatment was “accepted and approved by the people I loved the most.” She then notes, “The reason I bring this up is because ending the conservatorship is a huge deal but come on … THAT’S IT ??? They all got away with it !!!”

She ends her post noting that “you would be upset too” if you were “in shock for four months.”

“I’m not done … I want justice and won’t stop until something is done to those who harmed me … and YES I was harmed !!!!” Britney rages. “This is a message to all who have been threatened for their life … You are NOT ALONE !!!!”

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