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Kelsea Ballerini shares her “autobiography that rhymes” with ‘Feel Your Way Through,’ her new poetry book

November 22, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Kelsea Ballerini stepped far outside of her comfort zone in order to create her newest project, a book of poetry called Feel Your Way Through. The volume addresses the singer’s coming-of-age story and explores family dynamics, sexuality, body image concerns, relationships and more.

“Poetry, to me, can seem really kind of heady,” Kelsea explains. “It’s really just an autobiography that rhymes. So I’m nervous and I’m terrified, and it’s certainly the deepest I’ve gone and also the most artful I’ve gone.”

The book might never have been written without the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdowns, which took Kelsea — and the rest of the touring industry — off the road for over a year. During that time, she says, she wasn’t able to process her emotions through songwriting the same way she always had in the past.

“I couldn’t write music about it, because music made me sad,” she admits. “Because that’s such a place of connection and community, and it wasn’t in 2020.”

But the time off the road sparked another source of inspiration for Kelsea. While she was writing, she says, she began to slow down and reflect on a way she never could have during a normal year.

“We’ve all had this excess time to think and to process and to be — you know, I really like being busy,” she goes on to say. “I like running at a high speed all the time. And so I hadn’t really thought about my life since I was 19. I’ve just been sprinting. And I had a lot to process.”

Feel Your Way Through arrived last week.

American Music Awards 2021: BTS wins big, Olivia Rodrigo snags New Artist of the Year

November 22, 2021 by WDNY Radio

The 2021 American Music Awards, hosted by Cardi B, held an evening full of some of the biggest names in music at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday night.

Silk Sonic — made up of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak — opened up the show draped in matching red velvet suits as they serenaded the crowd with their hit “Smoking Out the Window.”

The K-pop sensation BTS also took the stage with Coldplay and got the crowd rocking with their collaboration “My Universe.” Afterwards, the group — to no surprise — took home multiple AMAs including Artist of the Year, Best Pop Duo or Group, and Favorite Pop Song for “Butter,” which they performed to close out the show.

Olivia Rodrigo, who held the most nominations of the night, delivered a tender performance of her ballad “Traitor” barefoot and with her guitar in tow. She went home with the AMA for New Artist of the Year. When it came to Favorite Pop Album, though, Taylor Swift, who was not in attendance, snagged the honor and accepted via video message.

Italian band, Måneskin, made their debut performance with their trending hit “Beggin,” and left the crowd begging for more. Likewise, Givēon took the stage for the first time and sung his viral TikTok song “Heartbreak Anniversary.”

On the other hand, Jennifer Lopez isn’t new to the AMA stage but she did perform her new song, “On My Way,” from her upcoming movie Marry Me.

As a special treat, the AMAs briefly took a trip back to ’80s, with the Battle of Boston — a back and forth between natives New Kids On The Block and New Edition. Both groups took turns performing some of their biggest records, before it was revealed that they’re going on tour separately.

The Lindsey Stirling Christmas Program tour kicks off Friday — after the sweet potato casserole

November 22, 2021 by WDNY Radio

After the pandemic canceled it last year, Lindsey Stirling kicks off her new Christmas tour Friday in Memphis. The Lindsey Stirling Christmas Program, as it’s titled, is a throwback to school holiday pageants of the past.

“We wanted to kind of play the artwork and everything off as if it was like a high-school program,” she tells ABC Audio. “A lot of the little in-between moments of the show are going to play with some high-school type humor. I think the show is going to start with a speech from a ‘principal,’…a lot of the set design is, like, painted props… like, a very elaborate version of high school.”

And while many artists have been doing their tour VIP meet-and-greets virtually, Lindsey’s “Ugly Christmas Sweater Party” will be in person.

“We’re going to get really creative…I think we’re going to be on, like, either side of a Christmas tree, so it doesn’t look like an awkward six-feet-apart photo,” she laughs. “But it’s still fun…[and] it feels good to be able to have those moments with fans that we all missed.”

And, Lindsey notes that, thanks to her Christmas tours and her holiday album Warmer in the Winter, the number of those fans increases during the holidays.

“I feel like Christmas is a season that kind of opens me up every year to a new fan base,” she says. “Then it narrows a little bit through the rest of the year, and then they come back at Christmas…which is really cool.”

But first, Thanksgiving, where Lindsey’s looking forward to her favorite dish.

“The sweet potato casserole!” she laughs. “We skip the marshmallows, but [put]…extra…brown sugar crumblies on top. That’s the key ingredient: the brown sugar crumblies.”

American Music Awards 2021: Megan Thee Stallion wins big, despite pulling out of show

November 22, 2021 by WDNY Radio

The 2021 American Music Awards, hosted by Cardi B, held an evening full of some of the biggest names in music at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles Sunday night.

To get things started, Silk Sonic — made up of R&B duo Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak — opened up the show draped in matching red velvet suits as they serenaded the crowd with their hit “Smoking Out the Window.”

Megan Thee Stallion was set to perform with BTS but notified her fans the day before the show that she unfortunately wouldn’t make it “due to an unexpected personal matter.” Although she wasn’t at the awards ceremony, she still took home the awards for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album for her debut album Good News, Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist, and Favorite Trending Song for her catchy hit “Body.”

Doja Cat also had a good night in terms of wins, taking home three awards, though she didn’t get to accept any during the broadcast: Collaboration of the Year for “Kiss Me More ft. SZA,” Favorite Female R&B Artist and Favorite R&B Album for Planet Her.

And in addition to hosting, Cardi walked away with a trophy for Favorite Hip-Hop Song for “Up.”

Taking it back to ’80s, the AMAs introduced the Battle of Boston, a back and forth between Boston natives New Kids On The Block and New Edition. Both groups took turns performing some of their biggest records, before it was revealed that they’re going on tour separately.

Other notable acts included Tyler, the Creator, Chloe, and Givēon, who made his AMA performance debut singing his viral TikTok hit “Heartbreak Anniversary.”

Guitars owned by Eric Clapton, The Edge, David Gilmour fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars at NYC auction

November 22, 2021 by WDNY Radio

An acoustic guitar once owned and played on stage by Eric Clapton was the priciest collectible sold at a memorabilia sale hosted by Julien’s Auctions that took place November 19-20 at the Hard Rock Café in New York City.

The instrument, a 1968 Martin D-45 model that was played by Clapton at the debut live performance of his group Derek and the Dominos at London’s Lyceum Theatre in June 1970, fetched $625,000. The guitar was gifted by Clapton to singer/guitarist Dave Edmunds in 1976.

Another Clapton collectible, a partially handwritten working draft of the lyrics to Eric’s classic song “Layla” written on a Miami Beach, Florida, hotel’s stationery, was auctioned for $37,500.

Selling for the second-highest price at the auction was a 1976 Gibson Explorer electric guitar owned and stage-played by U2‘s The Edge, which brought in $437,500. Another guitar that belonged to The Edge, a blue Gibson Les Paul model, went for $96,000.

A cream-colored Fender Stratocaster Vintage ’57 reissue electric guitar that Pink Floyd‘s David Gilmour owned and played on stage with the band during the 1980s and ’90s sold for $200,000.

A Martin D-28 acoustic guitar that the late Elvis Presley played both on stage and off during the mid-to-late ’70s fetched $187,500.

An electric guitar belonging to another member of U2, frontman Bono, a green 2005 Gretsch Irish Falcon model, brought in $115,200. The instrument was signed in gold marker by Bono, who also drew gold flowers on it.

Also, an EVH Fender “Frankenstrat” guitar that the late Eddie Van Halen played on stage and that he and his brother, Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen, both signed, sold for $83,200.

Check out the auction’s full results at JuliensLive.com.

‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ star Simi Liu gets revenge on young critic: “I’m Shang-Chi b****!”

November 22, 2021 by WDNY Radio

First-time Saturday Night Live host Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘ Simi Liu used his monologue to tout being “the show’s “first Chinese host on ‘SNL’…to be the fourth Chinese host,” and get a sweet revenge on a precocious young Marvel fan.

“I actually had a job dressing up as Spider-Man for kids’ birthday parties,” Liu recalled. “I’ll never forget this one birthday boy. His name was Trevor, and…let’s just say he was a real Trevor — kicking my shins and screaming, ‘You’re not Spider-Man!'”

“It will break your spirit, he continued. “But it also lit a fire under me. And I don’t know where he is now, but Trevor, if you’re watching, I just want to say you were right. I’m not Spider-Man. I’m Shang-Chi, b****.”

The show’s cold open featured Celily Strong‘s Jeanine Pirro praising recently acquitted Kyle Rittenhouse for “doing the bravest thing any American can do: protecting an empty used-car lot in someone else’s town.”

Liu and SNL‘s Bowen Yang touted their various achievements such as “the first gay Asian cast member to mispronounce ‘boutique’” and “the first Asian man to deadpan on Splash Mountain.”

Elsewhere, Liu and cast member Ego Nwodim played contestants on “Republican or Not,” a game show hosted by Kenan Thompson that challenged them to to correctly guess the political leanings of various individuals based on deceptively simple statements.

A parody of Target holiday adds featuring depictions of Thanksgiving dinner guests, from “your niece’s annoying new boyfriend” to “the uncle who takes the [backyard football] game too seriously.”

Staten Island native Pete Davidson was joined by Wu-Tang Clan‘s Method Man, Big Wet and Mark Cohn for a parody of Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis, titled “Walking in Staten.”

American Music Awards 2021: The complete winners list

November 21, 2021 by WDNY Radio

BTS, Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat practically swept every category they were nominated in at the 2021 American Music Awards, hosted by Cardi B. The celebration took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday night.

The voting power of BTS’ fans — the ARMY — went unmatched after the K-pop act dominated their respective categories: artist of the year, favorite pop song and favorite pop duo or group.

Doja took home three awards: collaboration of the year for “Kiss Me More ft. SZA,” favorite female R&B artist and favorite R&B album for Planet Her.

Meg also had a great night, despite pulling out of the show last minute for an undisclosed matter. Her hotties secured her favorite trending song for “Body,” favorite female hip-hop artist and, for her debut Good News, favorite hip-hop album.

Taylor Swift, who also sat out this year’s award show, collected two trophies for favorite female pop artist and favorite pop album for evermore.

As for Olivia Rodrigo, who held the most nominations of the night, she excitedly accepted the trophy for new artist of the year.

Here’s the complete list of winners from this year’s ceremony:

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
BTS

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Olivia Rodrigo

COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR
Doja Cat ft. SZA, “Kiss Me More”

FAVORITE TRENDING SONG
Megan Thee Stallion, “Body”

FAVORITE MUSIC VIDEO
Lil Nas X, “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”

FAVORITE MALE POP ARTIST
Ed Sheeran

FAVORITE FEMALE POP ARTIST
Taylor Swift

FAVORITE POP DUO OR GROUP
BTS

FAVORITE POP ALBUM
Taylor Swift, evermore

FAVORITE POP SONG
BTS, “Butter”

FAVORITE MALE COUNTRY ARTIST
Luke Bryan

FAVORITE FEMALE COUNTRY ARTIST
Carrie Underwood

FAVORITE COUNTRY DUO OR GROUP
Dan + Shay

FAVORITE COUNTRY ALBUM
Gabby Barrett, Goldmine

FAVORITE COUNTRY SONG
Gabby Barrett, “The Good Ones”

FAVORITE MALE HIP-HOP ARTIST
Drake

FAVORITE FEMALE HIP-HOP ARTIST
Megan Thee Stallion

FAVORITE HIP-HOP ALBUM
Megan Thee Stallion, Good News

FAVORITE HIP-HOP SONG
Cardi B, “Up”

FAVORITE MALE R&B ARTIST
The Weeknd

FAVORITE FEMALE R&B ARTIST
Doja Cat

FAVORITE R&B ALBUM
Doja Cat, Planet Her

FAVORITE R&B SONG
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak), “Leave The Door Open”

FAVORITE MALE LATIN ARTIST
Bad Bunny

FAVORITE FEMALE LATIN ARTIST
Becky G

FAVORITE LATIN DUO OR GROUP
Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga

FAVORITE LATIN ALBUM
Bad Bunny, EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO

FAVORITE LATIN SONG
Kali Uchis, “telepatía”

FAVORITE ROCK ARTIST
Machine Gun Kelly

FAVORITE INSPIRATIONAL ARTIST
Carrie Underwood

FAVORITE GOSPEL ARTIST
Kanye West

FAVORITE DANCE/ELECTRONIC ARTIST
Marshmello

Dino, Desi and Billy member and longtime Beach Boys collaborator Billy Hinsche dead at 70

November 21, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Billy Hinsche, one-third of the 1960s boy band Dino, Desi and Billy and a longtime member of The Beach Boys‘ touring band, died Saturday at the age of 70.

Hinsche’s passing was announced in an online message by his childhood friend Lucie Arnaz, whose brother, Desi Arnaz Jr., and the late Dean Paul Martin — the respective sons of Desi Arnaz & Lucille Ball and Dean Martin — were the other two members of Dino, Desi and Billy.

“One of the finest humans, friends, storytellers and musicians, on the entire planet just went home to rest. Billy Hinsche has died,” Lucie wrote. “Giant cell carcinoma. Only diagnosed a couple weeks ago. It ravaged him like an out of control train.”

Lucie also revealed that Billy’s 95-year-old mother, Celia, died the same day within six hours of his passing.

Hinsche was born in the Philippines, and during his childhood he moved with his family to Beverly Hills, where he met Arnaz and Martin in school. Dino, Desi and Billy formed in 1964 and scored a pair of top-40 hits the following year with “I’m a Fool” and “Not the Lovin’ Kind,” which reached #17 and #25, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100.

The trio disbanded in 1969, and Hinsche, who played multiple instruments, went on to tour and record frequently with The Beach Boys from the 1970s through the 1990s.

Hinsche also worked on solo projects by The Beach Boys’ Carl, Brian and Dennis Wilson, and he toured in Brian’s backing band in 2007. He also served as musical director for Beach Boy Al Jardine‘s solo band.

In addition, Hinsche’s sister Annie was the late Carl Wilson’s first wife.

Beach Boys frontman Mike Love, Brian Wilson and Jardine all posted tributes to Hinsche on their social media pages.

The silver-and-black rocker! Sammy Hagar to perform at Las Vegas Raiders’ home game this afternoon

November 21, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Sammy Hagar is famously known as the Red Rocker, but he may be donning silver and black this afternoon, when he’ll be performing during the halftime show at the Las Vegas Raiders’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Sin City’s Allegiant Stadium.

Hagar will be joined by guitarist Vic Johnson, a member of Sammy’s backing groups The Circle and The Wabos, and the two musicians will be accompanied by the Raiders House Band.

Hagar’s set will include renditions of his former band Van Halen‘s “Right Now” and his 1982 solo song “There’s Only One Way to Rock.”

“It’s going to be a blast to come out…and rock the Raiders’ halftime show,” says Hagar in a statement. “I have a great deal of respect for [Raiders owner] Mark Davis and it’s incredible what he and the team have brought to Las Vegas, which is like a second home to me…I’ve done some cool things in my life, and this is up there.”

Sammy recently wrapped up a run of sold-out “Sammy Hagar and Friends” residency shows at the Las Vegas venue The Strat.

Hagar becomes the latest in a series of music stars who have performed at Raiders home games this season, joining Carlos Santana, electronic music artist DJ Marshmello and rappers Ludacris, Too $hort and Ice Cube.

The Raiders-Bengals game begins at 4:05 p.m. ET/1:05 p.m. PT.

Meanwhile, Hagar and The Circle will wrap up their 2021 tour schedule next month with the “A Toast to Texas” trek, a four-show outing taking place December 3 in Fort Worth, December 4 in San Antonio, December 6 in Austin and on December 8 in Houston.

Visit RedRocker.com for more details about Hagar’s itinerary.

Passenger’s gun accidentally discharges at airport, authorities say

November 21, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(ATLANTA) — A passenger accidentally discharged a gun at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Saturday, airport officials said, causing panic and sending travelers onto the tarmac on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.

The incident occurred around 1:30 pm local time at the security screening area, the airport said in an update on Twitter.

“There is not an active shooter,” the airport said. “There is no danger to passengers or employees.”

A passenger accidentally discharged the gun at the main checkpoint, TSA said in a statement to ABC News.

During a bag search, the X-ray identified a prohibited item, TSA said.

The transportation security officer “advised the passenger not to touch the property, and as he opened the compartment containing the prohibited item, the passenger lunged into the bag and grabbed a firearm, at which point it discharged,” TSA said. “The passenger then fled the area, running out of the airport exit.”

Three people sustained non-life-threatening injuries, likely during the airport evacuation, a TSA spokesperson said.

Atlanta Police Department was on site investigating the incident.

About two hours after the discharge, the airport was given an “all-clear” to resume normal operations, airport officials said.

The shooting caused chaos and confusion. Videos taken by travelers showed the panicked moments after the discharge, with people running out of the terminal. Other travelers could be seen huddled lying on the ground.

Travelers reported being stuck on the tarmac or in baggage claim after the incident, Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB reported.

TSA said its officers have detected more than 450 firearms at the Atlanta airport’s checkpoints so far this year.

“This incident underscores the importance of checking personal belongings for dangerous items before leaving for the airport,” TSA said in a statement. “Firearms, particularly loaded firearms, introduce an unnecessary risk at checkpoints, have no place in the passenger cabin of an airplane, and represent a very costly mistake for the passengers who attempt to board a flight with them.”

The incident occurred during what is shaping up to be the busiest travel weekend since the start of the pandemic due to Thanksgiving — at the busiest airport in the United States.

Transportation Security Administration officers screened 2,242,956 people at airport security checkpoints nationwide Friday — the “highest checkpoint volume since passenger volume tanked in early 2020 as a result of the pandemic,” TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said.

ABC News’ Victoria Arancio and Joshua Hoyos contributed to this report.

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