First they lost their funding... then they lost their location ... then they lost their artists ... now, despite a last ditch effort to move the festival to Maryland's Merriweather Post Pavilion - the Woodstock 50 organizers have decided to pull the plug on the festival.

Co-founder Michael Lang said in a statement

We are saddened that a series of unforeseen setbacks has made it impossible to put on the Festival we imagined with the great line-up we had booked and the social engagement we were anticipating

The festival, originally scheduled to be held Aug 16-18 in Watkins Glen, NY, had a lineup that received mixed reactions - featuring The Killers, Jay Z, Dead & Co, Santana, The Lumineers, and more.  

In April - the organizers lost their principle financial partner  ... then ran into trouble with permits and a location ... 

Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD offered their venue as a site for the location - but many of the artists dropped off the bill when they were released from their contracts following the new venue being announced ... Woodstock 50 organizers say artists get to keep their fees, asking they donate 10% of it to charity ... 

Lang also has said: 

We thank the artists, fans and partners who stood by us even in the face of adversity

Merriweather organizers have come out saying they aren't closing the door on the idea of a multi-day festival, saying

hopefully, with plenty of time to prepare, Merriweather will become the site of a future festival that captures the original vibe

I guess  the real winner here is Smashing Pumpkins and Noel Gallagher - who's August 17th show at Merriweather can now go on without any interference.  

Dolly Parton's collaboration with Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow, Lucy Dacus, Jade Bird wasn’t the only big surprise at Newport Folk Festival. 

Hi-ho, #NewportFolkFest! Thanks for showing this frog some love and singing along with the sweet sound of “Rainbow Connection.” Someday we’ll find it. ???? pic.twitter.com/LIK6KpqrPS

— Kermit the Frog (@KermitTheFrog) July 29, 2019

Kermit the Frog made an appearance too - and mid way through his classic song “Rainbow Connection”  - Kermie invited My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James to join him on stage!  Check it out - 

Last week, Jack White joined Josh Homme on his Alligator Hour radio show - in a conversation that ranged from hipsters vs. hillbillies to click-bait journalism - and a whole lot more  ...

Well - it seems that the two hit it off - and White invited Homme on stage for a surprise appearance at The Raconteurs' LA show! 

The special encore performance of “Blue Veins” marked the the first on-stage collaboration between the two 

Let this serve up as a little primer for The Raconteurs show at The Anthem in DC on August 17 

The annual Newport Folk Festival is known for surprise guest appearances and one-off collaborations (remember last year when Mumford and Sons showed up and covered Radiohead?)

Well - this year's fest had a pretty epic headliner for Saturday night (7/27) 

The act, billed as  “????: THE COLLABORATION" , wound up being a collaborative set featuring many of the weekend’s female performers, including Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow, Lucy Dacus, Jade Bird, country super group The Highwomen, Linda Perry, Judy Collins, Yola… and Dolly Parton.  

Dolly performed “Jolene” and “9 to 5,” and duet with Brandi on “I Will Always Love You”  !!! 

See out pictures, video, and tweets from the performance (including a tweet from Dolly herself) below. 

I just love surprises! You should have seen the look on your faces ???? Thanks for having me @brandicarlile ???? #NewportFolkFestival
????: @listenyoungman pic.twitter.com/H4pPtrbKO5

— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) July 28, 2019

I just sang on stage with Dolly Parton and now I’m going to die. Updates soon

— Jade Bird (@JadeBirdMusic) July 28, 2019

 

 

 

 

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So happy!

A post shared by Nancy Morgan Stosik (@nmstosik) on Jul 27, 2019 at 5:12pm PDT

 

 

 

 

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Dolly is the surprise guest for Brandi’s all women artist set The Collaboration! @brandicarlile 9 to 5 Jolene I will always love you @thehighwomen @newportfolkfest

A post shared by Arden Concert Gild (@ardenconcerts) on Jul 27, 2019 at 5:11pm PDT

 

 

 

 

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Yes, that's Dolly. ? With the Highwomen and Linda Perry. #newportfolkfestival #roadtonewport #thehighwomen #whatsup #9to5

A post shared by Pam (@pam.alama) on Jul 27, 2019 at 5:06pm PDT

 

 

 

 

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Dolly Fuckin Parton #newportfolkfest #thehighwomen

A post shared by Dan Steimer (@dansteimer) on Jul 27, 2019 at 5:00pm PDT

DOLLY PARTON ?????????????????? #Newportfolk pic.twitter.com/cvtym9VBP7

— anonymous ???? rando (@bitmoreanon) July 27, 2019

After the news broke that the organizers of Woodstock 50 were moving the festival from New York to Maryland's Merriweather Post Pavilion - the internet went into a frenzy ... asking all kinds of questions - 

-How would they pull this together in 3 weeks?

-Would Howard County Maryland allow it?  

-Would moving the event 350 miles south would be a breach of the performance contract many artist signed

-What about the Smashing Pumpkins show at that was already booked at the venue on August 17? 

AND most importantly - 

Who was going to play? 

Seth Hurwitz, chairman of I.M.P. and operator of Merriweather Post Pavilion regarding Woodstock 50:  

"Woodstock 50 approached Merriweather about hosting their event here in Columbia, Md. The Woodstock folks are working on securing the artists now. If the bands come, we’ll produce the show. We’re looking forward to getting an update as soon as Woodstock 50 has one.” 

So basically - the ball was in the court of the festival organizers ... bring Merriweather a lineup - and IMP would do what they can to put the show on.  

Well ... it looks like the troubled festival has hit another speed bump - trying to get bands to agree to play a smaller venue, 350 miles from the original location ... and has now  formally released all artists scheduled to play from their contracts. 

John Fogerty and Jay-Z have already reportedly pulled out of the festival after organizer - Michael Lang - emailed talent agents with bands on the bill and informed them that they would not try to enforce performance contracts for the event. 

Soooo ... it looks like another speed bump for the troubled festival ... more as we hear it 

The great double-bill tour of Elvis Costello and Blondie hits The Anthem in DC tonight (7/26) - promising an evening full new wave (and on not so new wave) classic songs. 

That's right - while Elvis Costello and the Imposters have been treating crowds to classics like "Pump it Up,” “Clubland,” "Accidents Will Happen,” “Watching the Detectives,” “Less Than Zero,” “I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down,” “Every Day I Write the Book,” “Allison,” and “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding” 

And Blondie has been including "One Way or Another,” “Hanging on the Telephone,” “Call Me,” “Rapture,” Atomic,” “Dreaming” and one more odd selection - a short cover of Lil Nas X’s unstoppable #1, “Old Town Road.” ¯_(?)_/¯ 

Blondie covering ‘Old Town Road’ Boston, MA 7/23/2019

Here's a weird twist in the Woodstock 50 saga ... reports now claim that negotions are underway to move the festival to a new location ... Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. 

WJLA's reporter Brad Bell sent out a tweet that says negotiations between Howard County and festival organizers to bring the concert to Maryland.

Howard County officials confirm to @ABC7News negotiations are underway to finalize bringing the #Woodstock50 music festival to @MerriweatherPP in Columbia

— Brad Bell (@ABC7Brad) July 25, 2019

In a note to Greg Peck, one of the festival's organizers, Howard County executive Calvin Ball said:

“When we heard that there was an opportunity to save this festival and bring a piece of American history to our community this summer, we jumped at the chance.  Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia is a jewel of Howard County and one of the top music venues in the nation. It felt like such a natural fit to host a historic festival on our storied stage.”

The festival was is supposed to take place August 16 -18 .... Merriweather already has Smashing Pumpkins booked at the venue on 8/17 ... more as we hear it 

***Update 7/25/19 @ 648pm *** 

"Woodstock 50 approached Merriweather about hosting their event here in Columbia, Md.,” said Seth Hurwitz, chairman of I.M.P. and owner of the 9:30 Club and The Anthem and operator of Merriweather Post Pavilion. "The Woodstock folks are working on securing the artists now. If the bands come, we’ll produce the show. We’re looking forward to getting an update as soon as Woodstock 50 has one.” 

More as we get it 

30 years ago - the Beastie Boys claimed they had “more Adidas sneakers than a plumber’s got pliers / got more suits than Jacoby & Meyers” on the song “Shadrach” from their second album Paul’s Boutique.

And to commemorate the album's 30th anniversary, the Beasties are releassing a pair of custom Adidas sneakers -  The Adidas Skateboarding x Beastie Boys Americana: 

The kicks, which will be available at select skate shops (no list as of yet) and at the Beyond the Streets art exhibit in Brooklyn, feature a vegan canvas upper, gum sole, grey cotton jersey liner (to match the stripes), and The Beastie Boys’ logo, designed by Eric Haze, stamped on the tongue and liner 

 Fast Company reported  the shoes were unveiled at a private NYC event on July 21, which surviving Beastie Boys Mike D and Adam Horovitz both attended and had this to say about the new shoes:

Horovitz says the Adidas partnership felt right because they’ve actually been wearing them for decades. “Like, I love Coca-Cola, because it’s delicious,” says Horowitz. “And if it was just about McDonald’s fries, I’d be on board, because I use those products. Same with Adidas. I’ve used their Campus and shell toes, and Stan Smiths, and Rod Lavers . . . a lot of their products!”

When it came to designing their own pair, the two decided on vegan canvas in an off-white, accented with a light gray cotton jersey liner and matching three stripes. The Check Your Head-era, Eric Haze-designed Beastie Boys logo is stamped on the tongue and inside. “We just started talking with a couple of their design guys about different ideas for what we could do to the sneaker, and Mike and I were talking about the stripes, and what if they were cut out and you could see through the shoe,” says Horovitz. “Then we thought it’d be cool if it was like a sweatshirt on the inside, like a sweatshirt for your feet, and you could see the inside from the outside. That’s our twist.”

Oh, and don’t forget about the gum soles. “We’re suckers for the gum soles,” says Diamond.

As part of their commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing - NASA & the David Bowie estate have released a new visual for the iconic space themed pop song - released in 1969 as well - Space Oddity 

The visual features footage of the songwriter drifting through the darkness intermixed with footage of him performing at his fiftieth birthday party in 1997 ..

David Bowie - Space Oddity (2019 Mix) [Official Video]

50 years ago, on July 20th, 1969, Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin, both American, landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on the moon. 

Here's a list of what some of rock's top acts were doing when it happened:

via GIPHY

Ace Frehley: Says he watched it with his classmates in school. Unless he is referring to Sunday school, then he is living up to his nickname of "Spaceman" as July 20th was a Sunday in 1969.

Billy Gibbons: Was watching B.B. King perform in Houston, and the "King of the Blues" announced that Apollo 11 had landed.

Blind Faith: Were performing at the Baltimore Civic Center! 

Carlos Santana: It was his 22nd birthday and he was performing with his Santana band in San Francisco.

Deep Purple: Were performing in Birmingham, England.

Grateful Dead: Watched it at Jerry Garcia's house as he was the only one with a TV.

James Taylor and Van Morrison: Were on the bill at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island. The announcement that Apollo 11 had landed was made during Taylor's set.

Joe Cocker: Was performing at the Fillmore West in San Francisco.

Led Zeppelin: Were performing in Cleveland on a bill with the James Gang.

Mick Jagger: Was filming Ned Kelly in Australia.

Pink Floyd: Performed "Moonjam" for a BBC TV show on the Moon landing.

The Beatles: Watched a rough cut of their film that came to be known as Let it Be.

The Who: Were performing in Hastings, England.

Tommy Shaw: Was 14 and watched it with his family in Montgomery, Alabama.

Yes: Watched it in a pub in Cork, Ireland following their set.

Maverick : Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a flyby.

Tower : Negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full

Maverick:  OK - how about a trailer for Top Gun 2 - loaded with more plane action than you thought could fit into a 2 minute clip?

Tower : Affirmative Ghost Rider - let's see it! 

That's right, Tom Cruise dropped the trialer for the long awaited sequel to the 1986 film Top Gun at Comic Con this week ... and it looks like "Top Gun: Maverick," will feature lots of everyone's favorite danger-seeking naval aviator up to his old habits. 

As CNN points out - "The new film seems to embrace the original's fondness for shirtless beach outings, singing and motorcycle rides whist donning a bomber jacket and aviator glasses"  LOL 

Check out the trailer below ... and look for "Top Gun: Maverick" in theaters June 2020. 

Iggy Pop will release a new album entitled Free on September 6 via Loma Vista.  And based on the release of the first single - it appears we're getting an ambient jazz record from the punk-rock provocateur. 

The album is a follow up to 2016’s Post Pop Depression, which the 72-year-old previously hinted would be his final record.

Here’s Iggy on the new 10-track LP:

This is an album in which other artists speak for me, but I lend my voice…

By the end of the tours following Post Pop Depression, I felt sure that I had rid myself of the problem of chronic insecurity that had dogged my life and career for too long.

But I also felt drained. And I felt like I wanted to put on shades, turn my back, and walk away. I wanted to be free. I know that’s an illusion, and that freedom is only something you feel, but I have lived my life thus far in the belief that that feeling is all that is worth pursuing; all that you need – not happiness or love necessarily, but the feeling of being free.

So this album just kind of happened to me, and I let it happen.

You can stream the album's title track, Free, below...and keep scolling for the album art and the track listing

 Free Tracklist: 
01. Free
02. Loves Missing
03. Sonali
04. James Bond 
05. Dirty Sanchez
06. Glow In The Dark
07. Page
08. We Are The People
09. Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
10. The Dawn

Alabama Shakes front woman - Brittany Howard - has released a second track from her forthcoming debut solo effort Jaime, a soulful, effortless cut titled “Stay High” - Sept. 20 via ATO Records.

The song is gentle and stripped-back - easy acoustic strumming, lacking big chorus or blaring, thundering instrumentals ... that the Shakes were known for.

Check out the Terry Crews starring video below, in which Howard makes a few cameo appearances, marking the first time she has ever appeared in a music video - and snatch up those tickets to see Brittany Howard at the 930 Club on August 23rd and 24th.

Tickets for the 8/23 show are available HERE

Tickets for the 8/24 show are available HERE

Brittany Howard Tour Dates:

August 
17 – Asheville, N.C. @ Orange Peel
18 – Asheville, N.C. @ Orange Peel
19 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Ryman Auditorium
23 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
24 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club

September 
18 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ Riverside Theater
19 – St. Paul, Minn. @ Palace Theatre
20 – Chicago, Ill. @ Riviera Theatre
22 – Toronto, Ontario @ Rebel
24 – New York, N.Y. @ Beacon Theatre
25 – Boston Mass. @ House of Blues
27 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ The Fillmore

October 
05 – Austin, Texas @ ACL Festival
08 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Theatre at Ace Hotel
09 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Theatre at Ace Hotel
12 – Austin, Texas @ ACL Festival
13 – Atlanta, Ga. @ AfroPunk Festival

Jeff Tweedy and Wilco are back with a new song, “Love Is Everywhere (Beware),”  and it's the lead single from their newly announced 11th album, Ode to Joy. 

Tweedy expands on the track in a statement:

There MUST be more love than hate. Right?! I’m not always positive we can be so sure. In any case, I’m starting to feel like being confident in that equation isn’t always the best motivation for me to be my best self—it can kind of let me off the hook a little bit when I think I should be striving to contribute more love outside of my comfortable sphere of family and friends. So … I guess the song is sort of a warning to myself that YES, Love IS EVERYWHERE, but also BEWARE! I can’t let that feeling absolve me of my duty to create more.

Ode to Joy is due out Oct. 4 via dBpm Records and available for preorder here. Listen to “Love is Everywhere (Beware)” below, then keep scrolling to find the album’s details.

Wilco play a sold out show at The Anthem in DC on October 15, 2019 - but we might just have your chance to win tickets soon ... 

Ode to Joy Album Art:

Ode to Joy Tracklist: 
01. Bright Leaves
02. Before Us
03. One and a Half Stars
04. Quiet Amplifier
05. Everyone Hides
06. White Wooden Cross
07. Citizens
08. We Were Lucky
09. Love Is Everywhere (Beware)
10. Hold Me Anyway
11. An Empty Corner

Bob Dylan and Neil Young played a co-headlining show in Ireland  on Sunday night and the two legends surprised the audience by performing a duet of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”! 

Dylan and Young last performed together on stage 25 years ago, in 1994 at Roseland Ballroom in New York City.  

It was also the the first time Dyaln performed the cover live since1976, when he played it at a Houston Rolling Thunder Revue concert.

According to Neil Young’s official Instagram account, the performance was will be re-broadcast “on The Archives for 24 hours sometime this week.”

Check out video footage we have now below:

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LIVE STREAM KILKENNY REBROADCAST 07-14-19 Ireland While the NY + POTR stream worked for many, there were still issues with some browsers and ios devices. DANG NABBIT#@*?!! We promise to get to the bottom of it and sort it out! In the meantime we've decided to re-broadcast the Kilkenny show for you all on The Archives for 24 hours sometime this week. Stay tuned! Thanks for listening - NYA ( p.s. - it won't include this song... this is just a little snippet from a cell phone, peace )

A post shared by Neil Young Archives (@neilyoungarchives) on Jul 14, 2019 at 3:23pm PDT

Bob Dylan and Neil young on the same stage. Might never see it again!! Great gig pic.twitter.com/ktGgDgVAkf

— Eoghan Hickey (@eoghan_hickey) July 14, 2019

Frightened Rabbit decided to release Tiny Changes: A Celebration Of The Midnight Organ Fight as a joint 10-year anniversary commemoration of the band's sophomore album, 'The Midnight Organ Fight' and a tribute to lead singer Scott Hutchison’s legacy.  Hutchinson passed away in May of 2018

The album will feature cover versions of the band's songs by some amazing artists - including: Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard, The National’s Aaron Dessner, Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry, The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn, Sarah Silverman, Manchester Orchestra and more.  Keep scrolling to listen to Ben Gibbard's Keep Yourself Warm and Manchester Orchestra's My Backwards Walk. 

On the concept of a covers album:

“We came up with the idea of asking some pals to record their own interpretations of the songs on the album. It felt like a good way to celebrate everyone who had been a part of the last ten years of the band and we didn’t have to do any work ourselves! Every single person on Tiny Changes has been a part of our lives and Frightened Rabbit in a special way over the last ten years. We’ve shared studios, vans, bars, dressing rooms and probably even underwear with some of these people and that’s why this record is so special to us.” 

The band added,

“Scott was a vital part of bringing this album together and it’s something he was very excited about and worked hard to bring to life. He listened to and approved every track on there with us and he had already started preparing the artwork which you’ll see on there (if you buy it). This is a celebration of a record that connected thousands of people to Scott and connected thousands of people to each other and ten years on it is still managing to do it. Scott would probably have put in some joke here about when the album hits puberty and starts rebelling by smoking weed and getting things pierced. We’re not that funny so instead let’s just raise a glass, blow out the candles and make a wish.”

You can order the album here and preview 2 tracks below: 

Benjamin Gibbard - Keep Yourself Warm (from Tiny Changes) [Official Audio]

Manchester Orchestra - My Backwards Walk (from Tiny Changes) [Official Audio]

Jack White was in his hometown of Detroit for his 44th birthday - and surprised fans by playing a pop up show at the showspace for his Third Man Records. 

Jack was joined by fellow Raconteur Brendan Benson (in town ahead of their show in Detroit this Friday - kicking off the band's US tour), some family (including his mother), friends - and about 375 lucky fans! 

The 2 played a 45 minute, 12 song set - that included several songs from the Raconteurs' latest record Help Us Stranger, covers of Pink Floyd - Fearless, The White Stripes (!) - "As Ugly as I Seem" and "We're Going to Be Friends" (which was dedicated to a young fan named Stella).

 It was noted that the show took place 20 years to the day that White and Benson first performed together! 

The show was phone free - as is  the rest of the tour, including the August 17th date at The Anthem - but the label released these exclusive photos:

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Brendan Benson & Jack White @thirdmanrecordscasscorridor 07.09.19 Go to www.theraconteurs.com to download higher resolution and purchase photos as Digital Negative Prints processed by hand in Nashville at Third Man Photo Studio. Photos are converted into negatives and printed in black and white on silver gelatin paper using traditional photographic printing processes in the darkroom at Third Man Records headquarters. Photographs by @davidjamesswanson

A post shared by Third Man Records (@thirdmanrecords) on Jul 10, 2019 at 12:00pm PDT

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Brendan Benson & Jack White on the Third Man Records Cass Corridor stage! @thirdmanrecordscasscorridor

A post shared by Third Man Records (@thirdmanrecords) on Jul 9, 2019 at 8:12pm PDT

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Brendan Benson and Jack White, live in Detroit 9 July 2019 #jackwhite #jackwhiteposters jackwhitelive #jackwhite2019 #brendanbenson #thiscountsasjackwhiteright ?

A post shared by Jack White Tour posters (@jackwhitetourposters) on Jul 9, 2019 at 1:02am PDT

“Saw Lightning” is the first cut from Beck’s forthcoming 14th album, Hyperspace ... and the original single is an absolute electronic / slide guitar banger produced by VA native Pharrel Williams ... 

But this week - Beck - who is constantly pushing the boundaries of musical genres -dropped a 'reimagined' version of the song ... featuring less synth and more harmonica.. check out Beck wailing away in the Giovani Ribisi–directed video below 

Beck - Saw Lightning (Freestyle)

Big news this week from the Joseph camp ... 

Not only did they announce their new album “Good Luck, Kid” will be out September 13th on ATO Records (You can hear the new song, “Fighter” below … They also announced they will also be playing live again for the first time since 2018 … including a show at the 930 Club on October 2nd! (tickets on sales Thursday -7/11 - at 10a) 

You may or may not know - the band had been on a hiatus of sorts - and posted this message to Instagram on Monday:

 

By now you may have guessed... we have something for you tomorrow (today for some of you), July 9! You may also have noticed that we took a big break after our I’m Alone, No You’re Not record cycle. I needed it. And because I needed it, we all needed it. We needed a break. Time to sleep, to go out to drinks with friends, time to buy plants and water them, time to reset, to be with our close loved ones that we’d spent so much time away from, time to be away from each other and move to/live in three different states. The girls and I hadn’t really confronted the aches and pains of what this record cycle was internally by the time it ended. We were too close to it. The ice was too thin between the three of us. We didn’t want it to break. So, we took space. Lots of it. As conflict goes though, it didn’t take long for it to surface. ?

-?

It was the end of March 2018. We had played a show in Seattle at the Fremont Abbey, one of the places this all began, and had a hometown show the following day in Portland at Revolution Hall. As younger sisters sometimes do, I broke the seal by saying a careless, snide comment to Nat, and though I wish I could take back what I said, looking back it had to happen. ?

-?

To keep a long story short, lots of words were said...a minor car accident, someone hopping out of the car and running the last five blocks to our hotel, and the longest three hour drive of my life. I remember Nat clearly saying to me that day, “I can’t do this anymore. I won’t do this anymore. I will not be in this band if it’s going to keep being like this. I can’t.” ?

-?

It was that day I decided to fight. Fight for us and not against us as though I was a victim of our life. I was focused on a life a thousand miles away and my sisters were asking me to come back. From that experience we wrote a song you can hear in the next 24 hours called Fighter. It’s a song looking you in the eye and asking you to come alive and fight. It’s asking you to wake up and make a choice to have presence for what and who is in front of you.?

-?

Meegan

Joseph - Fighter (Official Audio)

“My name is Dr. Goodbody ... We’ll be reviewing the text from Moby Dick, so please turn now to... page 69.” 

A classic line from the 1984 Van Halen song - Hot For Teacher.

And on Interpreting The Masters: A Tribute To Van Halen - the upcoming Van Halen Tribute album by synth pop duo The Bird and the Bee - Dr. Goodbody will be portrayed by Mr. Hansen ... aka Beck .. 

The track - featuring synth-heavy, plinking keys in places of Eddie Van Halen's tapping guitar - is the second single the band has released from the tribute album- due out August 2nd. 

Here’s what Beck had to say about working with the duo:

The Bird and The Bee bring unforeseen angles to the Van Halen song book. Makes sense because, like Eddie Van Halen, Greg is a kind of musical wunderkind in his own right and Inara’s vocals bring a cool counterpart to Diamond Dave’s  pyrotechnics. Making a cameo on their version of “Hot For Teacher” felt like an extension of the kind of riffing and fooling around we do in the studio on a normal session.

The Bird and The Bee - Hot For Teacher

The B-52's are in the midst of celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the release of their self titled debut album with a massive tour (including a September 17th date at The Anthem with OMD and Berlin) 

So what better time to release a new a wild new animated video for their classic track - Rock Lobster! 

The video - animated by Laurent Mercier and Cedric Bernard of Callicore Studios - features a pod of lobsters try to fend off an invading horde of alien robots ...becuase of course it does ... and also a cameo by none other than a giant clam ! 

ROCK LOBSTER -CALLICORE PRODUCTION

There isn't a lot of video, let alone color video, of The Velvet Underground performing... (its not like everyone was running around with smart phones let alone camcorders) 

But someone has gone  through hundreds of reels of film (many of which were unmarked) at  the SMU Library archives and unearthed footage of the band playing the Dallas Peace Day, a Vietnam War protest that happened on October 15, 1969.

Below are two (lengthy - but queued up) videos from the protest that were uploaded -  which includes the band performing “I’m Waiting for the Man,” “Beginning to See the Light,” and “I’m Set Free,” and there’s an interview with Sterling Morrison as well.

Dallas Peace Moratorium - October 15, 1969

Peace Moratorium Dallas B-Roll w/The Velvet Underground - October 15, 1969 (silent)

When you're playing a show in the land of ice and snow - you might as well perform the song that was inspired by it ... right ?  Maybe? 

Robert Plant recently perfromed with his new band  - The Sensational Space Shifters - at the Secret Solstice Festival in Iceland - and decided to take a crack at performing Immigrant Song - a track Led Zeppelin released 49 years ago... this was also the first time Plant performed the song live in 23 years... 

The opening “ah-ahs” were a little lacking - but he recouped on the higher notes on the song’s bridge ... 

Plant wrote  the song back in 1970 with former bandmate - Jimmy Page - when the band toured Iceland in 1970... Plant thanked the country for its inspiration at the end of the show. “Thank you culture, way back, for the inspiration”

Robert Plant at Secret Solstice Festival Iceland - Immigrant Song

When you are playing one of the biggest festivals in the world for the first time - you might as well make a big splash - and that's exactly what Miley Cyrus did at the Glastonbury Festival. 

The singer’s 16-song set was packet with a wide range of covers and unexpected guests.

She started her set with Mark Ronson accompanying her on “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” ... that went into a brief cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Back in Black”

R.I.P. Amy ???? @MileyCyrus and @MarkRonson doing a cover of 'Back To Black' at Glastonbury. pic.twitter.com/97hU4nxIgt

— ill Will (@officialillwill) June 30, 2019

As she continued into her set - she incorporated portions Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” and Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” into her songs “Mother’s Daughter” and “Unholy” 

Most notably, however, Cyrus performed Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like a Hole" in full after the debut performance of "On A Roll" - her Black Mirror Nine Inch Nails remake of the track 

Is this the first time someone from Black Mirror has played @GlastoFest?

(@MileyCyrus came back on after to cover @nineinchnails' Head Like A Hole ????) pic.twitter.com/YeTGVx01iS

— BBC Radio 6 Music (@BBC6Music) July 1, 2019

Festival curators Wilco - may be the main attraction at The Solid Sound Festival - which took place over the weekend at MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA 

But the festival's MVP might have been Courtney Barnett - who performed three times on the festival's first day ... In addition to playing her scheduled set,  she did an impromptu intimate solo pop-up set earlier in the dat  and she joined Wilco on stage for their 'karaoke set'  later in the evening .... she was jokingly introduced by Jeff Tweedy as “Courtney from Melbourne,”  and proceeded to perform a  fantastic rendition of “Handshake Drugs” with the band. 

The karaoke set featured special guests joining Wilco on stage to sing/ perform with the band.  In addition to Barnett - several contest winners joined the band for songs like “Nothing’severgonnastandinmyway(again),”  “Heavy Metal Drummer,” and “Poor Places,” Yuka Honda joined the band for “We Aren’t the World (Safety Girl),” and Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy’s son sang on  Sammy Tweedy on “I’m Always in Love.”

Courtney Barnett with Wilco, Handshake Drugs, Solid Sound 2019

Karaoke with Wilco - Solid Sound 2019 - We Aren’t the World (Safety Girl)