Spin

Broken Social Scene fans got quite a surprise last night (Oct. 16) during the Canadian group’s You Forgot It in People 20th anniversary tour finale at Webster Hall in New York, when actresses Meryl Streep and Tracey Ullman turned up to sing on the track “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl.”

Ullman had been invited to the concert by Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew after the pair bumped into each other in the city, and Streep apparently just tagged along with her. Drew saluted Ullman for “pushing boundaries. Doing so much shit for all those years. Helping out people,” and it was Ullman who coerced Streep to enter from side stage and join in on the fun about three minutes into “Anthems.” Their appearance came during the penultimate song of the show, which featured 11 of the 13 tracks from the classic You Forgot It in People.

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Although it wasn’t quite as big of a surprise as last night’s special guests, Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr previously joined Broken Social Scene on “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl” at a 2017 concert in Manchester, England.

The band’s final show of the year is set for Dec. 17 in its Toronto hometown, and a source tells SPIN more touring is expected in 2023.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

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The members of King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard show off their fanciest footwork in the video for their new song “Hate Dancin’,” the lead single from their third album of this month, Changes, which arrives Oct. 28.

Filmed, edited and directed by John Angus Stewart in 2020 at the band’s Australian headquarters, the clip is the first taste of Changes, the genial, methodically composed, soul- and jazz-tinged follow-up to two consecutive jam-based albums, Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava and Laminated Denim. As he dips into the occasional falsetto, frontman Stu Mackenzie vacillates between retreating from the proverbial dance floor to eventually embracing its delights: “Just jokin’ / I love it / I was just kidding / I love it.”

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Each of the seven songs on Changes are built around the same chord progression, a concept fairly common in jazz but unusual in the world of rock’n’roll. This block of music dates as far back as 2017 and represents the longest King Gizzard has ever worked on a project before actually releasing it.

“When Stu started to fiddle with these ideas, he was still trying to wrap his head around them, let alone us,” group member Joey Walker tells SPIN. “We booked some studio time to record the songs, which were potentially going to be the fifth of the five-album year in 2017, but it just wasn’t quite there for various reasons — maybe our technical ability or ability to know when to stop or when it was done. I just don’t think we were quite ready. They were put on the back-burner for a long time, until naturally Stu picked them up again. During the pandemic, we filled out the album a bit more and did some recording. This year, we finished it out on the road with some overdubs when we were in Europe. It’s an interesting one, because every time I think about playing it, literally my brain hurts. Just to re-enter those songs, going in cold, it’s really hard. Not being as confident at that level of theory, you really have to be all in.”

“It’s almost the opposite of what we’ve been doing with Ice, Death…” group member Lucas Harwood adds. “With that, each song is one key, and it’s heavily improvised. I’ve been loving playing those songs live, because you get into this zone where you don’t actually have to think that much. You can just kind of feel it and vibe off of each other. With these Changes songs, you have to concentrate really hard (laughs).”

Asked if this melodic constraint could have resulted in music that was, say, thrash-y or folk-y, Walker answers with a chuckle, “definitely not.” Says Harwood, “It definitely goes different places, but to me, it sounds like pop with jazz theory. None of these songs are really fast either, except for maybe ‘Gondhi,’ and I find that easier, because you have more time to think about the next note (laughs). It’s really cool that this record is being released next to Ice, Death… and Laminated Denim, because it’s almost the antithesis. It’s really structured and constructed. I think the fans are really going to like that as a contrast to these other really jammy records, which are great in their own right and very fun to play live.”

Beyond today’s new video, Gizzard is also teasing a separate short film, Sleeping Monster, with more information coming Wednesday (Oct. 19). The group will play its biggest North American headlining show to date on Friday at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens, N.Y. and will wrap this leg of touring with the third of three “marathon three-hour sets” on Nov. 2 at Red Rocks outside Denver. All three are available for delayed streaming through Nugs.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

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Saturday Night Live is really working the double-duty hosts/musical guests this season.  Megan Thee Stallion just appeared as both last night (Oct. 15) and the show announced that Jack Harlow will be the next in line to host and perform on its Oct. 29 episode.

It will be the first time Harlow hosts the late-night sketch show. Last year, he made his first appearance as the musical guest on the Maya Rudolph-hosted episode. Harlow has been cutting his hosting chops as of late, recently appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in which they split duties at the desk. In the episode, which aired on Oct. 6, Harlow helped Fallon with his monologue and interviewed guest Dwayne Wade. Ironically, Harlow followed Megan Thee Stallion in that role too.

More from Spin:

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In addition to Megan Thee Stallion, Kendrick Lamar and Willow have served as musical guests on SNL. This is the sketch comedy show’s 48th season.

Harlow’s latest album, Come Home The Kids Miss You, was released in May. In 2020, Harlow released his debut album, That’s What They All Say. Harlow was the subject of our January 2021 cover story, which you can read here.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

The post Nicki Minaj, LL Cool J and Jack Harlow Will Emcee 2022 VMAs appeared first on SPIN.

Earlier this week, Megan Thee Stallion teased a “Hot Girl SNL” was coming as she geared up to play both host and musical guest for Saturday Night Live. The rapper delivered on that promise last night with a 90-minute performance that showed she can command a stage as much for her comedic side as her music.

Megan Thee Stallion began her duties with the host monologue, in which she tried out a British accent (in a bid to get cast on Bridgerton) and talked about the demands of earning her college degree in health administration from Texas Southern University last year while continuing her rap career. The rapper joked one of her new nicknames is now “Megan the Bitch That Needs Some Sleep,” and promoted her mental health resource website badbitcheshavebaddaystoo.com (yes, it’s real).

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• Megan Thee Stallion Is Releasing a New Album Tonight

Other skits featured Thee Stallion appearing on a talk show called “Girl Talk” to seek help for her cheating boyfriend and there was a segment called “Deer,” in which the rapper introduces her parents to her new home in the remote woods when a deer tries to attack her father (played by Thompson).

The chart-topping hitmaker also unleashed two memorable performances during the musical breaks. First up was a show-stopping rendition of one of her latest tracks “Anxiety” (from her new album Traumazine) with the rapper and a backup squad mocking a beauty pageant. It was followed by a mashup of “NDA” and “Plan B,” also from Traumazine. She was backed by a full band.

Her SNL spot came after TMZ reported that her home in Los Angeles was burglarized by two men who broke into her home on Thursday, while she was in New York City for rehearsals. The thieves went through a back door and stole “hundreds of thousands” worth of jewelry, electronics, cash, and other goods from her bedroom. She tweeted on Friday that she was relieved everyone was safe, adding, “material things can be replaced.” No arrests have been made.

Check out highlights from Megan Thee Stallion on Saturday Night Live below.

Material things can be replaced but I’m glad everyone is safe

— TINA SNOW (@theestallion) October 14, 2022

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

The post Megan Thee Stallion Is Releasing a New Album Tonight appeared first on SPIN.

A new documentary titled Let There Be Drums!, out on Oct. 28, features the last filmed interview from late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. A trailer was just released yesterday in which there’s a clip of Hawkins saying that the “second I sat on the drums, it was like a bolt of lightning went through my body and I’ll never forget that day.”

The film, from Greenwich Entertainment, was directed by Justin Kreutzmann, son of Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, and features a who’s who of legendary beat makers. In addition to the elder Kreutzmann and fellow Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart, participants include Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ringo Starr, Stewart Copeland of the Police, Jane’s Addiction’s Stephen Perkins, ex-Guns N Roses drummer Matt Sorum, No Doubt’s Adrian Young, Tre Cool of Green Day and Primus’ Jay Lane, among others.

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The documentary aims to be an “examination into the essential role drumming plays in great bands and how music passes from generation to generation,” using a combined 70 years of examples.

In addition to interviews, producers have gathered a collection of rare footage, including Keith Moon in outtakes from The Kids Are Alright, the Who’s documentary from 1979 as well as late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham on the roles of fatherhood amid being a musician (his son Jason now sits in for him on the kit for various occasions with the surviving members of the band). There are also snapshots of the talents before they made it big, like Ringo Starr posing with his drum kit as a teenager and No Doubt’s Young doing a basement show before that band went on to be a Top 40 hitmaker.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

The post Violet Grohl, Joan Jett Kick Off L.A. Taylor Hawkins Tribute appeared first on SPIN.

In case you somehow missed the memo: Blink-182 is back. The group brought back Tom DeLonge for the reunion of its classic lineup, including a forthcoming new album and worldwide tour through 2024. Though fans are elated, as seen in the surge of social media posts this past week, one person who has been quiet until now was Matt Skiba. The guitarist (also behind pop-punk act Alkaline Trio) had filled in for DeLonge for the past seven years after he decided to pursue his outside interests (UFOs) and other projects (Angels & Airwaves).

On Friday, DeLonge shared an open letter to Skiba in which he expressed his gratitude for “keep[ing] the band alive and thriving in my absence,” and also admitted, “to be honest, the band would not even be here today if it were not for your ability to jump in and save the day.”

More from Spin:

• Blink-182 Comes on Strong With New Single ‘Edging’
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• Blink-182, Green Day to Headline When We Were Young 2023

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Official Tom DeLonge (@tomdelonge)

Though Skiba didn’t interact with DeLonge’s post, he shared a statement shortly thereafter that offered a full-cap hearty congratulations to the trio (also including former bandmates Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker) on the reunion. Skiba’s post, in part, read, “I am truly grateful for my time with blink and I am truly happy you guys are a band and a family again.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Skiba, Matthew T. (@matttskiba)

Also on Friday, Blink-182 released its first song with DeLonge in over a decade. “Edging” sticks to their tried-and-true formula for pop-punk bangers. They will embark on a reunion tour beginning in Mexico in March before heading to the States in early May, including a headline appearance at the When We Were Young festival.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

The post Blink-182, Green Day to Headline When We Were Young 2023 appeared first on SPIN.

A few months ago, Arcade Fire’s Win Butler was accused of sexual misconduct by four people. The band has continued with its fall tour, which is hitting North America now. Today, Beck withdrew from his opening slot on Arcade Fire’s tour after opening the European leg of the tour.

Attendees to the show were informed over email of Beck’s departure and a rep for the artist confirmed his exit. However, there was no comment about why he was leaving the tour. He was slated to play an acoustic set in his opening slot.

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Haitian band Boukman Eksperyans will take Beck’s slot. The band opened for Arcade Fire on its European tour as well.

The tour will begin in Washington, D.C. later this month.

Feist opened the first shows of that leg before dropping off, saying that it was “incredibly difficult for me and I can only imagine how much more difficult it’s been for the people who came forward. More than anything I wish healing to those involved.”

Butler has denied the misconduct accusations, telling Pitchfork (which originally reported the story) at the time that the sexual encounters were consentual.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

The post Bloom Vol. 28: More Than One appeared first on SPIN.

R.E.M. is a hard act to follow, which explains why drummer Bill Berry has never been in another full-time band since his 1997 departure — until now. Berry has teamed with Five Eight’s Mike Mantione in The Bad Ends, whose debut album, The Power and the Glory, will be released Jan. 20 on New West Records.

The Bad Ends are rounded out by bassist Dave Domizi, keyboardist Geoff Melkonian and guitarist/mandolinist Christian Lopez. The project was initially a means to work on songs for a potential Mantione solo album, but a run-in with Berry in their shared home base of Athens, Ga., led to a series of jam sessions and a pivot to a group project.

More from Spin:

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“In very early 2017, a chance pedestrian encounter in downtown Athens found me face to face with one Mike Mantione,” Berry recalls. “At that point it had been over two decades since I’d involved myself with the record-making process and here was a man Peter Buck recently described as ‘the unsung hero of Athens rock and roll’ offering an opportunity to play in the game again. It was energizing to once again play with top-notch musicians. This record is unique for me in that it was the only one with which I was involved, that was written, rehearsed, recorded, produced and mastered in Athens.”

The first single from The Power and the Glory is “All Your Friends Are Dying,” the Lance Bangs-directed video for which was filmed at Berry’s home and features cameos from local heroes such as R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Pylon’s Vanessa Briscoe Hay. The Glands’ Frank McDonald and producer/Sugar bassist David Barbe.

“The song and the video are a celebration of Athens,” Mantione says. “The song is also a tribute to Big Star and The Glands. I’m really singing it to a friend who missed this special performance of the Big Star Third album and I’m warning my friend not to miss stuff because life doesn’t last very long. The cameos were just the most fun. I got to drive around Athens with so many awesome friends. We were supposed to look glum, but once they got into the van with me, laughter would erupt. Athens had an incredible, beloved local vegetarian restaurant called The Grit which closed a day before we shot the last of the cameos. We do a drive-by of The Grit as sort of a farewell nod.”

The Bad Ends will play their first live show Nov. 27 at Nuci’s Space in Athens. The venue is “located in the shadow of” St. Mary’s Steeple, the last remnant of the 1871-era church where R.E.M. played its first show on April 5, 1980.

“I was so grateful to be able to record this album with my friends,” Mantione says. “I’m a bit of a fanboy of Bill’s and pretty much so is everyone else in the band. One of the crazy things is to be in a room with Bill, watch him work, and hear stories about the albums that defined everything I know and love about music. I will never forget how excited I was on the first day of recording.”

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

The post Peter Buck and Kim Thayil Joined the Black Crowes to Cover R.E.M. and Velvet Underground appeared first on SPIN.

R.E.M. is a hard act to follow, which explains why drummer Bill Berry has never been in another full-time band since his 1997 departure — until now. Berry has teamed with Five Eight’s Mike Mantione in The Bad Ends, whose debut album, The Power and the Glory, will be released Jan. 20 on New West Records.

The Bad Ends are rounded out by bassist Dave Domizi, keyboardist Geoff Melkonian and guitarist/mandolinist Christian Lopez. The project was initially a means to work on songs for a potential Mantione solo album, but a run-in with Berry in their shared home base of Athens, Ga., led to a series of jam sessions and a pivot to a group project.

More from Spin:

• Hector Tellez Jr.: The Cuban Shaking Up America’s Rock Scene
• Every R.E.M. Album, Ranked
• Peter Buck and Kim Thayil Joined the Black Crowes to Cover R.E.M. and Velvet Underground

“In very early 2017, a chance pedestrian encounter in downtown Athens found me face to face with one Mike Mantione,” Berry recalls. “At that point it had been over two decades since I’d involved myself with the record-making process and here was a man Peter Buck recently described as ‘the unsung hero of Athens rock and roll’ offering an opportunity to play in the game again. It was energizing to once again play with top-notch musicians. This record is unique for me in that it was the only one with which I was involved, that was written, rehearsed, recorded, produced and mastered in Athens.”

The first single from The Power and the Glory is “All Your Friends Are Dying,” the Lance Bangs-directed video for which was filmed at Berry’s home and features cameos from local heroes such as R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Pylon’s Vanessa Briscoe Hay. The Glands’ Frank McDonald and producer/Sugar bassist David Barbe.

“The song and the video are a celebration of Athens,” Mantione says. “The song is also a tribute to Big Star and The Glands. I’m really singing it to a friend who missed this special performance of the Big Star Third album and I’m warning my friend not to miss stuff because life doesn’t last very long. The cameos were just the most fun. I got to drive around Athens with so many awesome friends. We were supposed to look glum, but once they got into the van with me, laughter would erupt. Athens had an incredible, beloved local vegetarian restaurant called The Grit which closed a day before we shot the last of the cameos. We do a drive-by of The Grit as sort of a farewell nod.”

The Bad Ends will play their first live show Nov. 27 at Nuci’s Space in Athens. The venue is “located in the shadow of” St. Mary’s Steeple, the last remnant of the 1871-era church where R.E.M. played its first show on April 5, 1980.

“I was so grateful to be able to record this album with my friends,” Mantione says. “I’m a bit of a fanboy of Bill’s and pretty much so is everyone else in the band. One of the crazy things is to be in a room with Bill, watch him work, and hear stories about the albums that defined everything I know and love about music. I will never forget how excited I was on the first day of recording.”

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

The post Peter Buck and Kim Thayil Joined the Black Crowes to Cover R.E.M. and Velvet Underground appeared first on SPIN.