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News, Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Saturday, June 25th, 2015

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Apparently people don’t get out much in LA -not one but two riots occurred as fans tried to get into a free Future concert. Future?? “Reports said some 700 fans lined up outside the club, which has a capacity of 500, with the hopes of nabbing a wristband for free admittance into the show. Scores of fans spilled out into the street and blocked traffic, prompting L.A. sheriff’s to shut down a portion of the Sunset Strip at around 3 p.m. They moved it to the House Of Blues, and that was also cancelled. Wait a second… DS2 Future???

News, Slideshow

Why Celebs Should Stop Apologizing

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But Taylor Swift has now apologized to Minaj, tweeting ‘I thought I was being called out. I missed the point, I misunderstood, then misspoke. I’m sorry, Nicki.’ Sorry for what? Wasn’t Minaj the attacker in the story?

News, Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Friday, July 24th, 2015

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He got fired for a private conversation made public by thieves. For God’s sake, “I am a racist up to a point” is the truest thing a white man has said about black America in decades. Get a goddam grip, innocent black women are getting jailed for failing to indicate they are changing lanes and ending up dead (musta done it herself, apparently -there is a lot of it going around) and you wonder if white America is ‘racist up to a point”? Let me ask you this: if Hulk Hogan thought it, and there was a machine that could read his mind, would he be fired as well? The guy isn’t running for President, he is a wrestler for God’s sake. If Hulk Hogan hates black people, it is nobodies business as long as he doesn’t make racist comments in public and he does nothing whatsoever about it.

News, Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Thursday, July 23rd, 2015

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Sandra Bland died in a jail cell and why? because of changing lanes without using her indicator. According to Reuters: “Bland was pulled over on July 10 near Prairie View, Texas, northwest of Houston, for failing to signal a lane change. After the incident escalated into an altercation between her and the trooper, Bland was taken into custody and charged with assaulting an officer. She was found hanging in her jail cell on July 13 with a plastic trash bag around her neck.” There is something so dulling about this, it is like “here we go again”.

News, Slideshow, The Big Huerta

Willy DeVille Helps The Big Huerta Walk That Girl Home

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I will add a personal note to this article. Willy played a big role when I was courting my future wife even though she never knew. When we first started dating, I had “Le Chat Bleu” in my cassette player. I would listen to this, sort of like a good luck charm: “This Must be the Night” “That World Outside” and especially “Just to Walk that Little Girl Home”

Movies, News, Slideshow

Judd Apatow’s “Trainwreck” Reviewed

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I have no idea what these guys thought they were doing with this, intermittently amusing, movie Amy has managed to become a big star and stop being a big star in the same breadth. Movies don’t have to be realistic but they have to keep true to their world: you can say everybody on earth has to wear weighted boots because gravity isn’t working but once you show somebody not wearing weighted boots, that’s when you become unbelievable

News, Slideshow

Youth Lagoon Has A New Song, Announces A New Album

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When it is there, it is an outburst of overwhelming feelings with a sort of Sufjan Stevens vibe – probably because of these trumpets – and the funny thing in all this? The last minute almost feels a poppy dance song. The tune is very Youth Lagoon but there are obvious changes and may be this brand new photo of his tells us a bit about this new sound?

News, Slideshow

These Days: Wednesday, July 22nd, 2015

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Let me see if I get it right: the fate of Western (actually all) civilization, rest on the bony shoulders of the Senior Senator from New York, Chuck Schumer. If Chuck votes for the Iran Nuclear deal, it goes through, if he doesn’t the undecided follow Schumer and Obama can’t override with a veto. Translation: this world gets more ridiculous by the second. Let me see if I get it right: the fate of Western (actually all) civilization, rest on the bony shoulders of the Senior Senator from New York, Chuck Schumer. If Chuck votes for the Iran Nuclear deal, it goes through, if he doesn’t the undecided follow Schumer and Obama can’t override with a veto. Translation: this world gets more ridiculous by the second

News, Slideshow

These Days: Tuesday, July 21st, 2015

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Josh Greenberg. the 28 year old part owner of music streaming service Grooveshark, which closed suddenly this years with lawsuits up the ying yang on its tail, died in his sleep yesterday. Everybody is completely baffled as to how he died. Condolesnces to his family, what a shame: at its height Grooveshawk had 40 Million visitors a day.

News, Slideshow

Never Seen Before Photos Of The First Nirvana Show Ever

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Mj Poukkula, daughter of Tony Poukkula has chosen this moment to make public a few never-seen-before pictures of a very early Nirvana show, probably the first Nirvana show ever, according to Alternative Nation. She tweeted these pictures (above) with the comment ‘Pictures of my dad and Kurt Cobain playing together back in the day’.

News, Slideshow

Popular Music And Built In Obsolescence

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I wonder, if like cars and fridges and laugh as a whole, today’s music isn’t built to disappear, if the most important thing about this volatile pop moment is that it can and will be left behind in an instant, it should be commended on not asking us for more.

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Kanye West’s New Video To Premiere At LACMA This Saturday

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‘Filmed in a single nine-minute take at the Chatham Dockyard in southeast England, the video follows Mr. West through an empty warehouse as he runs, crouches, dodges, raps, rants, sweats and pants, as if being pursued by the camera or the police or in pursuit himself, until he slumps against the wall to catch his breath.’

Music Festivals, News, Slideshow

Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon: ‘Fuck Lollapalooza, My Festival Is A Different Outlook’

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‘Yeah, man, fuck that. I mean, I really don’t ever want to cross the line into hating on stuff or judging other people. [But] fuck Lollapalooza. That isn’t rock and roll.
I’m not going to sit and pretend that we aren’t charging people money to get into our festival. But I don’t know, man. You can see it every year: Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo — the lineups are the fucking same. It’s about numbers, it’s about bottom lines, it’s about measuring groups and cultures of people and the numbers that they represent on a bottom-line agenda. All the lineups are becoming more and more the same, the same fucking headliners.’

News, Slideshow

Wavves’ Nathan Williams Shares A New Track And Fights With His Label

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‘you dont scare me. im not scared of getting dropped or sued by u so what do u have? ‪@wbr’, he continued and he also posted several times the cover art with: ‘they gonna try to sue me if i use the art i already had so heres my art what u gonna do with me now?? @wbr pic.twitter.com/ERNNCWRQtX’… ‘album is called ‘v’. fifth album. v. vv. vvv. a trilogy.’

News, Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Sunday, July 19th, 2015

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When Mary Rudzis was a wee babes in arm we covered the Warped tour religiously, and before she was born, when it was at Randall’s Island on a Saturday afternoon, I’d visit it myself every year. Now, the kid is too old and it is at PNC Banks Art Center -so, you know.Plus, Kosha Dilz is the real deal for sure, the trilingual rapper rocker is a goodie but… he hasn’t released a new album in two years.

News, Slideshow, Streaming

Streaming On Apple Play Made Simple

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The problem with Apple Play is it makes navigation a little too difficult. The service is a little counter-intuitive. But, the more I use it the easier I find it: just click “New”, use the search, double click “New to start the process again. Save to “My Music” if you want to download it and add to your music, when the merge works it will merge with your own downloaded songs.

News, Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Saturday, July 18th, 2015

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Between novels, I am quietly circling “Go Set A Watchman” -all I’m hearing is making me undecided whether I can stomach a racist Atticus Finch or why I would want to. Reading it must be like meeting a close friend from High School on Facebook and discovering he is now the chairman of the local chapter of the NRA.

News, Slideshow

Maroon 5 Banned From China Because Of A Tweet?

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Another proof that speculations may be well founded is what the Beijing edition of Time Out just reported: ‘We hear musings about Maroon 5 being prevented from performing by our political friends up above. Meeting the Dalai Lama is all an artist needs to get a big X on their visa application.’

News, Slideshow

Sinead O’ Connor Vs Kim Kardashian

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‘What is this c**t doing on the cover of Rolling Stone? Music has officially died. Who knew it would be Rolling Stone that murdered it? Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh can no longer be expected to take all the blame. Bob Dylan must be fucking horrified.

‪#‎BoycottRollingStone’

News, Slideshow

Wilco Just Released A Free Album ‘Star Wars’

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I have learnt about the album on Twitter but Jeff Tweedy announced it via Facebook and Instagram: ‘Why release an album this way and why make it free? Well, the biggest reason, and I’m not sure we even need any others, is that it felt like it would be fun. What’s more fun than a surprise?’

News, Slideshow

Taylor Swift At Metlife Stadium, Saturday, July 11th, 2015, Review

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Her Mom shared with me that she received a text from Richa explaining how Taylor said, “even though things are hard they will get better” and mentioned her Dad. It was a comforting moment for both. Of course, adults can see a light at the end of the tunnel but kids need more experience, growth to know things will improve and maybe they need to hear it from a super star to believe it.

News, Slideshow, Streaming

Neil Young To Remove His Music From All Streaming Services

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t’s not because of the money, although my share (like all the other artists) was dramatically reduced by bad deals made without my consent.
It’s about sound quality. I don’t need my music to be devalued by the worst quality in the history of broadcasting or any other form of distribution. I don’t feel right allowing this to be sold to my fans. It’s bad for my music.

News, Slideshow

Nick Cave: The Worst Thing You Can Imagine

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There are levels of hell and this must be nearly the worst,you can feel the pain from here: it rises like smoke from the ashes of life, it is the dreadful that has already happened: the worst thing, the largest worry, the nightmare you try to wake from. You hope the family can help each other through it.

News, Slideshow

Chuck D Wants You To Still Watch The Cosby Show

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‘We are living in a wild bizarre time. Character assassination very real Dr. Cosby & ConFed flag down in same week. Status is currency to masses’ ‘They’re taking his name & statues down but is every situation giving his money back to him since its dirty money? ‪#BillCosby’

News, Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Wednesday, July 19th, 2015

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The All Star Games sure starts late, I was looking for it at 825pm and it still hadn’t started. As Phil Mushnick noted when the Women’s Football Team won the World Cup, if you start the damn game early enough you will get huge ratings. Meanwhile back at the All STar Game, which the American League won 6 – 3, the Mets young pitcher Jason deGrom did something never done before, he struck out the side.

Elliott Smith, News, Slideshow

Elliott Smith’s Complicated Love Life

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It is well documented that he started a rehab treatment at the Neurotransmitter Restoration Center in August 2002, and according to what we know (Ben Nugent’s bio and Liam Gowing’s Spin article) moved in with Jennifer Chiba just after his treatment, fall 2002. By then, he and Valerie had split up. However, it looks like Chiba was in his life before the rehab episode, when he was still dating Valerie. This part may bother a few people who are used to a clean-cut story, he dated Valerie Deerin, then Jennifer Chiba, but the reality is much foggier than this!

News, Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Tuesday, July 14th, 2015

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Historic agreement reached today in the US and Iran today which lifts sanctions on Iran and in return halts Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons. The big question mark is the old “trust but verify” one, and the answer seems a little iffy as access at will to any site would not be necessarily given or could be delayed. I guess we will understand more about that later but it sure doesn’t sound ideal. Still, the world is a safer place today.

News, Slideshow

Dave Grohl Thinks His Broken Leg Is A Blessing In Disguise

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‘The shows we’ve been doing lately are our favorite shows that we’ve ever done. What seemed like a setback at the time has turned into this beautiful blessing in disguise, where this throne and these crutches and these audiences make us play longer and harder than we ever have. It’s this whole new energy in the show… I think the spontaneity of this situation we’re in right now just brings out a smile in everyone.’

News, Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Sunday, July 12th, 2015

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The 4 Knots Festival moved to the much larger larger Pier 84 this year and on a gorgeous afternoon with an astounding line-up art rock guitar bands, the larger area made it much easier to enjoy after overcrowding was a problem last year. A spectacular even, a ten minute walk from Time Square, it was a quintessential New York even. Standout? Stephen Malkmus was great and Twin Peaks were a revelation. Full review to follow.

Medium Cool, News, Slideshow

Medium Cool: Talk Show Guests Week Of July 13th, 2015

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Now is the summer of our discontent, where like reverse Yogi Bears talk show hosts waddle off and hibernate through the summer till who knows what, right? I guess I will go with OMI on Fallon because I wanna take a closer look at the “Cheerleader” star, maybe he will have something to tell me I don’t know about the weird world of reggae based one hit wonders.

News

Rivers Cuomo’s Shakespearean Nerd Nights Out

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‘I think only one of his plays — ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ — was an original story. He would read these history stories and combine different plots. And in the case of this play, that whole speech by Enobarbus about ‘the poop was beaten gold’ — that description of Cleopatra that’s so beautiful — he really lifted a lot of that from a different source. I’ve read the original. So it’s inspiring to know that even Shakespeare needed to rely on the work of people before him. That gives me license to do the same.’

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