In 1978, toward the end of Ozzy Osbourne‘s original stint as Black Sabbath’s main madman, the group posed for a promo photo. In it, the singer wore a T-shirt with a funky, homemade logo for something called “Blizzard of Oz.” “When I was in Black Sabbath, I wanted to do …
Read More »L7's Donita Sparks Enlists Lucha VaVoom Dancers for 'Fast and Frightening' Video
A day before L7 reissues Smell the Magic for the 30th anniversary, Donita Sparks dropped a video of “Fast and Frightening.” Featuring newly recorded vocals, the clip shows the singer-guitarist tearing through the Smell the Magic track, backed by the dancers of Lucha VaVoom. Wearing masks in Los Angeles, they …
Read More »Melanie C Recruits Nadia Rose for New Single 'Fearless'
Melanie C goes for a long ride with U.K. rapper Nadia Rose in the video for the empowering new song “Fearless.” The Spice Girl member’s self-titled eighth album will be released on October 2nd. On the track, Melanie C looks to uplift someone she cares about: “I wish that you …
Read More »Breonna Taylor's Family, Louisville Settle Wrongful Death Suit for $12 Million, Policing Reforms
The City of Louisville, Kentucky will pay the family of Breonna Taylor $12 million and institute a new set of policing reforms to settle a wrongful death lawsuit. The settlement was confirmed and detailed at a press conference Tuesday, September 15th, with Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, Taylor’s family and their …
Read More »Bonnie Raitt on Toots Hibbert: 'He Was a Fireball'
In 2004, Bonnie Raitt teamed up with Toots Hibbert for a joyous cover of his reggae classic “True Love is Hard to Find.” It was a huge moment for Raitt, who had been a major fan of Toots & the Maytals since she heard him on the soundtrack to The …
Read More »How Far Will Donald Trump Go to Win?
Last October, standing on the front porch of a small two-story house that had seen better days, I witnessed one of the more unsettling conversations of my adult life. I had embedded with a team of community organizers in Alamance County, North Carolina, an hour’s drive west of Raleigh. This …
Read More »Elizabeth Cook Is as Country as Cornbread. On Her New Album, She Becomes a Rock Star
There’s a steel guitar solo on Elizabeth Cook‘s new album Aftermath that sounds like no steel guitar you’ve heard before. Snaking and shimmering rather than twangy and weepy, the solo on “Perfect Girls of Pop,” played through a flanger pedal, is more Giorgio Moroder than George Jones. It’s only 30 …
Read More »Luke Combs Heads to the Roller Rink in 'Lovin' On You' Video
A young Luke Combs heads to the roller-skating rink on a mission to win the affection of a friend in the video for his hit “Lovin’ On You,” from his second album What You See Is What You Get. Combs recently previewed the location when he performed the song on …
Read More »Black Concert Promoters Want to Talk About Live Music's Exclusion Problem
A group of over a dozen black concert promoters in the U.S. is working to address longstanding inequality in their industry — which members say has made it a challenge for them to stay competitive in an increasingly consolidated live music marketplace. The new organization, called The Black Promoters Collective …
Read More »Neil Young Announces 1970 Carnegie Hall Concert as First 'Official Bootleg'
Neil Young has selected a concert he played at New York’s Carnegie Hall on December 4th, 1970 as the inaugural release from his upcoming Official Bootleg series. It’s a solo acoustic gig that happened just three months after the release of After the Gold Rush that has never before been …
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