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It appears that new Rammstein music is dropping this week.
On Tuesday, the “Du Hast” outfit posted a cryptic teaser alongside the hashtag #ZEITkommt, which, according to Google Translate, means “Time is coming” in German. The band also shared a link to a video premiere happening at the group’s official YouTube channel this Thursday, March 10, at 11 a.m. ET.
Rammstein revealed last year that they’d recorded a new album to follow 2019’s untitled effort. This past fall, drummer Christoph Schneider premiered a new track exclusively for astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who was then the commander of the International Space Station.
This summer, Rammstein will finally launch their North American stadium tour, which had been originally scheduled for 2020 before being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(WASHINGTON) — Top U.S. intelligence agency officials on Tuesday offered a sobering assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s objectives in Ukraine, and how the invasion could affect the safety and security of the United States.
“The [Intelligence Community], as you know, provided warning of President Putin’s plans, but this is a case where I think all of us wish we had been wrong,” Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the House Intelligence Committee at its annual hearing on worldwide threats.
Russia’s failure to rapidly seize Kiev and overwhelm Ukrainian forces has deprived Moscow of the quick military victory they probably had originally expected would prevent the United States and NATO from being able to provide meaningful military aid to Ukraine.”
Adding that the U.S. is seeing an “ill-constructed plan, morale issues and considerable logistical issues” among Russian troops, Haines said it is “unclear” whether Russia will pursue a plan to capture all of Ukraine, but that it’s already loosening its rules of engagement.
“Russian forces are at the very least operating with reckless disregard for the safety of noncombatants, as Russian units launch artillery and airstrikes into urban areas as they have done in cities across Ukraine and near critical infrastructures such as the nuclear plant, and the IC is engaged across the interagency to document and hold Russia and Russian actors accountable for their actions,” she said.
“We assess Putin feels aggrieved. The West has not given proper deference and perceives this as a war he cannot afford to lose,” Haines said.
CIA Director William Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to Moscow who has studied Putin for years, concurred that the Russian president is “angry and frustrated” by the situation in Ukraine, and will likely step up his efforts.
“He’s likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties,” Burns testified. “He has no sustainable political endgame in the face of what is going to continue to be fierce resistance from Ukrainians.”
“Putin has commented privately and publicly over the years that he doesn’t believe Ukraine’s a real country,” Burns continued. “He’s dead wrong about that — real countries fight back. And that’s what the Ukrainians have done quite heroically over the last 12 days.”
“I think he’s been unsettled by the Western reaction and allied resolve particularly some of the decisions the German government has taken. I think he’s been unsettled by the performance of his own military,” he said. “The big countries don’t get to swallow up small countries just because they can.”
He called Putin’s actions in the past two weeks “premeditated and savage.”
Asked about Putin’s mental state, Burns did not answer directly, but did say Putin’s views on Ukraine have “hardened over the years.”
“I think he’s far more insulated from other points of view and people who would challenge or question his views in but in my opinion that doesn’t make him crazy, but it makes them extremely difficult to deal with because of the hardening of his views over time and a narrowing of his inner circle,” he said.
National Security Agency Director Gen. Paukl Nakasone said the U.S. had gamed out scenarios for a Russian cyberattack.
“We have to get better , we have to harden our infrastructure and have ability to be resilient,” he said.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Universal Music Group
In the latest from Kanye West’s album DONDA, the rapper on Tuesday released the music video for his single “Hurricane,” with Lil Baby and The Weeknd.
The four-minute video features what seems to be an army-like group dressed in all black and uses computer generated imagery throughout — Ye’s face is never shown.
“Hurricane” was released globally last September but was originally previewed in a tweet back in 2018, intended for release on Ye’s ultimately unreleased YANDHI album. Genius did the legwork to put those pieces together.
Other notable DONDA tracks Ye has released music videos for include, “24,” “Come to Life” and “Heaven and Hell,” which has a similar all-black concept to “Hurricane.”
Kanye also recently dropped a disturbing visual for “Eazy,” a single off of his upcoming 11th studio album and DONDA sequel, DONDA 2. Ye previewed the album at a star-studded listening party called the “Donda Experience Performance” in Miami last month.
As recently reported by Billboard, DONDA 2 is ineligible for Billboard chart ranking due to its release on Ye’s own branded “Stem Player,” which costs $200.
“Hurricane” is up for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 2022 Grammy Awards next month. Additionally, DONDA is up for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album.
Newcomer Breland has teamed up with country superstar Thomas Rhett on a new song, “Praise the Lord.”
Hours after releasing the track, the pair performed it live on the ACM Awards on Monday night. The hand-clapping, foot-stomping track taps into Breland’s gospel roots; he was raised by parents who were preachers in New Jersey. The lyrics name-check crispy chicken, Chevrolet trucks and Nelly‘s hit album Country Grammar, along with many other things worth praising.
“Praise the Lord for southern women, Hemi engines, crispy chicken/ Praise the Lord for east Atlanta, Country Grammar, and my nana/ Praise the Lord that I got everything I want and need and more/ I might turn up on Saturday, but first thing Sunday morn /I praise the Lord,” the twosome sing over an exuberant melody.
“PRAISE THE LORD x @thomasrhettakins out now!!! I’ve been playing this song on the road for a year,” Breland says on Instagram, while encouraging fans to drop a prayer emoji “if you’re rocking with it!” Thomas, meanewhile, excitedly writes, “Let’s goooo!”
Breland will drop his debut album, Cross Country, this summer.
The Batman star Zoë Kravitz has taken to Instagram to throw cold water on a story that made headlines, in which she seemed to say that she was turned down for the role of Catwoman in 2012’s The Dark Knight Returns because she was considered too “urban.”
That’s how the story appeared in The Guardian, with the actress quoted as saying, “I don’t know if it came directly from [director] Chris Nolan. I think it was probably a casting director of some kind, or a casting director’s assistant.”
On her Instagram Story, however, the 33-year-old actress now claims it never happened.
“I was NOT told I was too urban to play Catwoman,” Kravitz said plainly, adding, “It would have made NO sense for me to even be considered for that role at that time.”
The part was landed by Anne Hathaway.
“I wanted to AUDITION for a small part in the film,” Zoë corrected, “and was told (I do not know who said this…) that they were not going ‘urban’ on the part. This is something I heard a lot 10 years ago — it was a very different time.”
She added, “I did not mention this to point any fingers or make anyone seem racist, namely Chris Nolan, the film’s producers or anyone on the casting team, because I truly do not believe anyone meant any harm.”
Kravitz concluded, “I was simply giving an example of what it was like to be a woman of color in this industry at that time. Again this was many years ago when words like that were thrown around very casually and although I’m very glad that we are attempting to evolve — let’s all calm down — as well as fact check before we write things that are untrue.”
ABC Audio; FilmMagic/FilmMagic for Life is Beautiful Music & Art Festival
Stevie Nicks and Green Day are set to headline the 2022 Sea.Hear.Now festival, taking place September 17-18 is Asbury Park, New Jersey. The Fleetwood Mac singer will top the bill on the event’s first day, while the veteran pop-punk group will close out the fest on the 18th.
The bill also includes Gary Clark Jr., Cage the Elephant, My Morning Jacket, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Skip Marley and Courtney Barnett, among others.
In addition to the music, Sea.Hear.Now festival-goers can also enjoy two-day surfing contest.
Tickets go on sale this Wednesday, March 9, at 10 a.m. ET. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit SeaHearNowFestival.com.
Nicks is confirmed to perform at four other U.S. festivals this year — on May 7 at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival; on June 19 at Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee; in early September at the JAS Aspen Snowmass event in Snowmass, Colorado; and at the Sound on Sound festival, which is scheduled for September 24 and 25 in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Green Day, meanwhile, has three other U.S. festival appearances lined up this year — on March 19 at the Innings Festival in Tampa, Florida; April 29 at the Shaky Knees Music Festival in Atlanta; and September 24 at the Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Delaware.
Luke Bryan is thrilled with how his Las Vegas show turned out.
The singer launched his first Vegas residency in February with nine shows at Resorts World, and he says it’s among the best performances he’s done in his two-decade career.
“It was great! I couldn’t be happier with how it all went. The show felt like it was one of the best shows I’ve been able to put on and perform,” the country superstar raved to Entertainment Tonight.
During the extravagant set, Luke delivered some of his biggest hits, including “Country Girl (Shake It for Me),” “Crash My Party” and “Waves.” The hitmaker plans to go bigger and better with his next round of Vegas shows, kicking off in June.
“I always want to build on the Vegas show. Even if we have repeat people that come out multiple times, I always want them to be able to see different things,” Luke said. “But the Vegas show will morph and become even something I’m more comfortable with.”
Between Vegas dates, Luke will headline the Raised Up Right Tour that runs from June through October.
(WASHINGTON) — The leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, has been charged with conspiracy related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, as part of the FBI’s ongoing investigation into the attack.
According to an indictment unsealed in federal court on Tuesday, Tarrio — though he wasn’t present at the Capitol on Jan. 6 — was instrumental in planning the riot.
Tarrio was arrested and released two days before the attack on separate charges stemming from an incident in November 2020, and was ordered to stay out of Washington, D.C., during the time frame surrounding the riot.
“The indictment alleges that Tarrio nonetheless continued to direct and encourage the Proud Boys prior to and during the events of Jan. 6, 2021,” said a statement from the Justice Department, “and that he claimed credit for what had happened on social media and in an encrypted chat room during and after the attack.”
Tarrio was indicted Tuesday on one count of each conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and obstruction of an official proceeding, as well as two counts each of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and destruction of government property.
He was arrested in South Florida following the indictment.
In an interview last month with a local news station in Miami, Tarrio said he doesn’t agree with or condone what happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“We went to Washington, D.C., with the intent of sitting there and supporting President Trump and then drink beer after, and obviously, I wasn’t there and I can’t tell you what was in their heads, but I think the mob mentality just took over,” he told WTVJ.
Tarrio has not yet spoken to ABC News regarding Tuesday’s indictment.
The indictment of Tarrio “shows the complex nature of the ongoing investigation,” Javed Ali, former senior counterterrorism director at the National Security Council, told ABC News.
“Despite the fact Tarrio was not physically present at the Capitol that day, the charge suggests that he played a role in organizing and communicating with other Proud Boys associates who committed crimes and have likewise been charged and arrested,” said Ali.
“In combination with the seditious conspiracy charges filed against Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and several of his associates for their role on January 6th earlier this year, these legal strategies may put additional pressure on anti-government groups and deter any potential future violent plots,” he said.
Bush won’t be letting too many days go by before recording a new album.
In an interview with Australia’s May the Rock Be with You, frontman Gavin Rossdale reveals that the “Glycerine” rockers plan to have their next record finished in the coming months.
“I’ve just written 18 songs,” Rossdale says. “We start on Monday with a producer, rearrange — hopefully not too much — the stuff I’ve done. We choose the songs we’re gonna do. We either might use what I’ve started, the tracks, or we might just try nixing them and doing it fresh. Each song will dictate that.”
He adds, “It should be done by the summer, be done by May.”
Bush’s most recent album is 2020’s The Kingdom, which features the single “Flowers on a Grave.”
Meanwhile, Bush just this week announced a U.S. tour alongside Alice in Chains and Breaking Benjamin, which launches in August.
On Tuesday, Amazon announced the launch of a new live radio app, Amp, which will become home to shows by artists like Pusha T, Tinashe, Travis Barker, Nicki Minaj and more.
Alongside original radio shows from today’s biggest celebrities, app users will be able to DJ their own live radio show, using catalogs of tens of millions of licensed songs from Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and a long list of independent music companies, such as Beggars Group, Believe, CD Baby and PIAS, according to Amazon’s statement.
“Radio has always been about music and culture,” Amp VP John Ciancutti said. “But imagine if you were inventing the medium for the first time today. You’d combine what people love about radio — spontaneous talk, new music discovery, diverse personalities, and broad programming — with all that’s made possible by today’s technology. You’d make it so anybody with a phone, a voice, and a love for music could make their own show. And that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
Amp will allow users to set up a show and go live, play hits or deep cuts, talk sports, riff on pop culture, and curate playlists, all for free.
The app is available for download starting Tuesday. An Amazon account is needed to join and use the app. Find out more at OnAmp.com.
