Luke Combs says that he’s struggled with his weight his whole life, but he thinks about those struggles differently now that he’s a dad.
“Having a kid has messed up my head on this thing in the best way,” Luke says during a new interview on Zane Lowe’s Apple Music 1. “I want to be around … I’m fine right now, my cholesterol and my blood pressure is fine because I’m a younger guy, but by the time I’m 45, it’s not going to be because of the shape that I’m in.”
And while genetics are part of the reason for Luke’s weight struggles, he says that’s not the whole picture. “When I go play golf I can hit a good golf shot — I’ve done it a bunch of times — I can’t do it consistently,” he continues. “And my relationship with food has been the same thing. I know what to do and how to do it and why to do it and when to do it.”
Luke and his wife, Nicole, welcomed their first child — a baby boy named Tex Lawrence — on Father’s Day, June 19.
It’s Cole Swindell’s birthday today, and he’s celebrating with a new ‘90s-inspired single.
“She Had Me at Heads Carolina” is a fun and flirty dance-a-long track following a guy who walks into karaoke night at a bar and is immediately transfixed by the girl singing a ‘90s country classic into the mic.
The song’s lyrics and melody heavily reference “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” Jo Dee Messina’s country hit from 1996, and Cole says the throwback makes the song feel familiar, even to fans who haven’t heard his new single before.
“We’ve played it live a few times, and obviously, people think they know it when it gets to that chorus,” he explains. “I mean, they’re screaming this song, because it’s such a big hit from the ‘90s, but when it gets to that line about south Georgia, it kind of throws them off.”
That part of the chorus — where Cole sings “Heads Carolina, tails California / Maybe she’d fall for a boy from south Georgia” — is where his version’s lyrics depart from the original. Still, the melody continues to hearken back to Jo Dee’s song, and Cole says he’d like to incorporate the ‘90s hitmaker into more aspects of the new song.
“I hope somebody I get to sing it — whether I do something, I want her to be involved, because we wouldn’t have the song without the writers and without her making it what it is,” he says.
“She Had Me at Heads Carolina” comes off Cole’s newest album, Stereotype.
Fans who saw “Weird Al” Yankovic‘s show in Seattle this week took a trip back to the ’90s when The Presidents of the United States of America frontman Chris Ballew made a surprise appearance.
Ballew took the stage to join Yankovic for a rendition of the PUSA hit “Peaches.” In addition to hearing Al sing the immortal line “Peaches come from a can/They were put there by a man,” the crowd was also treated to the two artists jumping in unison for a song-ending high kick.
You can watch official footage of the performance streaming now on YouTube.
You may recall that Yankovic previously put his own spin on the PUSA song “Lump,” turning it into the Forrest Gump-referencing “Gump.” However, Al’s been taking a break from his parody songs on his ongoing Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent Ill-Advised Vanity tour, which features a set of almost entirely original material.
While Al is certainly a fan of “Peaches,” the same can’t be said for Larry David. You may recall that the song was included in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm last year, during which David’s character called it “idiotic.”
Ballew, however, was honored, writing in an Instagram post, “I am complete now that I have received Larry David’s scorn.”
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release the Alice Cooper group’s fifth studio album, School’s Out, which featured the hit title track — widely regarded as the shock rockers’ signature song.
School’s Out reached #2 on the Billboard 200, Alice Cooper’s second-highest-charting album on the tally after 1973 chart-topping Billion Dollar Babies. The album’s popularity was propelled by the song “School’s Out,” which was the sole single issued from the record.
“School’s Out,” which peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, was the highest-charting single of the Alice Cooper group’s career, although Cooper’s 1989 solo hit “Poison” also reached that spot on the Hot 100.
The album cover features a photo of wooden school desktop with the names or initials of Alice Cooper’s five members — Cooper, bassist Dennis Dunaway, drummer Neal Smith and guitarists Michael Bruce and Glen Buxton — carved into it. The original vinyl album’s packaging also featured the LP wrapped in a pair of paper panties.
The song “School’s Out” celebrates the joy that children and teens feel when the school year ends, while also expressing youthful rebellion against oppressive authority. The tune has appeared in several films over the years, including Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, Scream and Dazed and Confused.
In the new film Rise, streaming exclusively on Disney+, brothers and newcomers Uche and Ral Agada play Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo in the true story about the inspirational family that changed the world of professional basketball.
Uche knew the basics – that the Antetokounmpos immigrated from Nigeria to Greece and that Giannis eventually found success in the NBA draft – but there was still a lot he had to learn about the family.
“I knew that they had humble beginnings. I didn’t understand the extent of how hard it was, how difficult it was to survive,” Uche told ABC Audio.
Ral echoed his brother’s sentiment. “We went where they grew up and I saw that they lived in a one-bedroom apartment with four 6-foot-plus boys,” he said. “It just made me extremely grateful for what I have.”
There was much for them to be grateful for, especially the opportunity for the brothers to act alongside each other, telling a story about brotherhood and family.
“These guys, they all root for each other, they are happy for each other and all push each other. And I think it’s the same for Ral and I,” Uche said.
He added, “We both want to see each other improve and get better. I definitely think that’s something that we all have in common.”
Rise had its Greek premiere this week, which was held at the Sepolia Basketball Court in Athens. The Antetokounmpo family and the Agada brothers were all in attendance.
(WASHINGTON) — Donald Trump’s former White House counsel Pat Cipollone was subpoenaed Wednesday for a deposition by the House’s Jan. 6 committee.
“The Select Committee’s investigation has revealed evidence that Mr. Cipollone repeatedly raised legal and other concerns about President Trump’s activities on January 6th and in the days that preceded,” the committee’s chair and vice-chair, Mississippi Democrat Bennie Thompson and Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney, said in a statement.
Cipollone and former deputy White House counsel Pat Philbin met with committee investigators for an informal interview in April.
Cipollone had been considering some form of cooperation with the committee, under certain restrictions, ABC News previously reported.
The new subpoena comes one day after Cipollone was repeatedly mentioned during the testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson, who was a top aide to Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows before and during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
Hutchinson told the committee during a Tuesday hearing that on the morning of Jan. 6, Cipollone was adamant that Trump shouldn’t accompany his supporters to the Capitol after addressing them at the Ellipse near the White House earlier that day.
“We’re going to get charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement happen,” she recalled Cipollone telling her at the time.
A lawyer familiar with Cipollone’s deliberations told ABC News in response to the committee’s announcement: “Of course a subpoena was necessary before the former White House counsel could even consider transcribed testimony before the committee.”
“Now that a subpoena has been issued, it’ll be evaluated as to matters of privilege that might be appropriate,” the lawyer said.
The committee had written in a letter to Cipollone along with his subpoena that they “continued to obtain evidence about which you are uniquely positioned to testify; however, you have declined to cooperate with us further.”
Cipollone was one of the few aides who was with then-President Trump in the West Wing on Jan. 6. ABC News has reported that in the days following the attack on the Capitol, he advised Trump that Trump could potentially face civil liability in connection with his role encouraging supporters to march on the Capitol.
Sources have said there would be a number of circumstances that could serve to complicate any eventual appearance by Cipollone — including the issue of who questions him and for how long; whether there are any ongoing issues of privilege; and whether Trump would approve of his appearance.
Cipollone also made clear that his testimony would be restricted to the effort undertaken by former top Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark to use the powers of the DOJ to further Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential race, sources familiar with the deliberations have said.
Both Cipollone and Philbin, his deputy, were part of a Jan. 3, 2021, Oval Office meeting where Trump insisted on replacing then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen with Clark, a Trump loyalist who had vowed to use the Department of Justice to investigate the election.
Cipollone and Philbin made it clear to Trump that they would resign if Clark were installed, according to a Senate committee report released last year that detailed instances where Trump and his allies sought to use the DOJ to overturn the election.
Light the Torch has premiered the video for “Become the Martyr,” a track off the band’s latest album, You Will Be the Death of Me.
The clip finds Howard Jones and company delivering an intense performance while surrounded by burning TV sets.
“Not all relationships end with friends going separate ways,” Jones says of the “Become the Martyr” message. “Sometimes, peace can be found in taking all the blame.”
An official release date has been announced for The Byrds: 1964-1967, a deluxe photo book focusing on influential rock band The Byrds‘ early years that features contributions from the group’s three surviving original members — Roger McGuinn, David Crosby and Chris Hillman.
The 400-page book, which will be published on September 30, features over 500 images taken by such acclaimed photographers as Henry Diltz, Jim Marshall, Linda McCartney and Barry Feinstein, as well as photos from Columbia Records’ archives and the personal archives of the band’s original manager.
The Byrds: 1964-1967 includes commentary from McGuinn, Crosby and Hillman, who share their recollections about the group, which pioneered folk rock, psychedelic rock and country rock.
The project marks the first time that McGuinn, Crosby and Hillman have all worked together since recording a few new songs for The Byrds’ 1990 retrospective box set.
Four versions of the book are available: a standard version, a deluxe limited edition, a super deluxe limited edition and a super deluxe limited edition that comes with a fine-art print.
Copies of the deluxe edition are signed by McGuinn and Hillman, and the super deluxe limited editions are signed by all three surviving Byrds members. The book can be preordered now at ByrdsBook.com.
“I loved being in The Byrds,” says Hillman. “And as crazy as we all were at times, when we were on our game, we soared, we flew high and mighty. I think we all shared a private belief and a strong faith that this was going to work. And it worked so well.”
Adds McGuinn, “Being in The Byrds was a detour to my dream of being a folk singer. It was a very special detour, and one I will always hold close to my heart.”
Will Taylor Swift finally get her first Academy Award nod? Her new song “Carolina,” which is for the movie Where the Crawdads Sing, is garnering serious Oscar buzz. Billboardpoints out she wasn’t nominated for The Hunger Games‘ “Safe and Sound” or 50 Shades of Grey‘s “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever.” We don’t talk about Cats …
Ellie Goulding says she has new music coming out “next month” and, on Twitter, said she has “a little gift coming this week.” She has since changed her profile image to a yellow circle, which fans believe is a hint of what her next album will be called.
Ingrid Michaelson‘s musical based on The Notebook has revealed its cast. “We have made something so magical and so human. I can not wait for the world to see,” she raved on Instagram. The musical, which Ingrid composed the music for, premieres at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on September 6.
Speaking of musicals, Sara Bareilles is officially on Broadway for Into The Woods. The show’s Instagram celebrated its opening night, and Sara shared the post to her stories, writing, “Off to the woods we go…” The show runs for eight weeks only.
Shawn Mendes felt nostalgic on Wednesday and re-created the cover of his album Illuminate, which he released six years ago. “Back in time,” he captioned the post. Illuminate came out September 23, 2016.
Joe Jonas has launched his own line of fizzy sangria, called Ohza. Joe told Forbes, “It is the first canned ‘sparkling’ sangria on the market, so I’m looking forward to getting it out there.” He hopes to take on those spiked seltzers that are uber popular right now. The sangria is made from Joe’s own “secret recipe.”
A new jam band-theme edition of Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp that will give attendees the once-in-a-lifetime chance to jam with founding Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh is scheduled to take place October 27 to October 30 in New York City.
The Relix Rock Camp event will feature four days of jamming, mentoring sessions, master classes, Q&A events and more, culminating with campers getting to play a concert in front of family and friends at New York venue The Cutting Room.
In addition to getting to jam with Lesh at a private studio, attendees will interact and play with a variety of other talented artists. They include acclaimed jazz guitarist John Scofield, slide-guitar whiz Robert Randolph, one-time Ted Nugent singer/guitarist Derek St. Holmes, Little Feat/ex-Gregg Allman Band guitarist Scott Sharrard, Little Feat drummer Tony Leone and former Hot Tuna guitarist Michael Falzarano.
A variety of packages for the Relix Rock Camp are available, including one that offers campers a full-day session at a recording studio overseen by veteran producer Jesse Lauter.
For full details about Relix Rock Camp and to book a package, visit RockCamp.com.
