Your Rock Music News Source &Timely Rock Music, Concert, Album and Touring News !
Welcome to MusicNewsNet.com (MNN), thanks for your visit. We're sure you'll enjoy your time here and the music news we offer. We welcome your comments and feedback, and music tips!MNN is passionate about all types of music and report on new releases, music dvd releases, music industry news, concert & touring news and general rock/pop stuff. We cover all genres - new, indie, alt, classic rock from both indie & major labels. Subscribe to our feed, so you don't miss anything on MNN, click here and follow us on Twitter @ Twitter.com/MalMNN .
Music News- On April 12, Yep Roc Records will be releasing Eli “Paperboy” Reed’s 99 Cent Dreams, the self-penned, twelve-song follow-up to his “inspired, raw and powerful” (NPR) 2016 release My Way Home. Recorded in Memphis at the iconic Sam Phillips Recording studio with acclaimed young producer Matt Ross-Spang (Margo Price, Jason Isbell) and background vocals from legendary Memphis vocal group The Masqueraders, 99 Cent Dreams goes deeper than any previous Eli release, while maintaining a freewheeling ease that also makes it the most rewarding listen in his catalog. As he deploys his pulse-pounding, rafter-raising voice and keen observational sense to reflect on new fatherhood, and his first decade cutting records, the Brooklyn singer delivers an uplifting, exuberant, and horn-drenched testament to life’s winding road.
Photo Credit: Roberto Chamorro
And, Eli teamed with one of his heroes Big Daddy Kane last year for an alternate version of the title track and an accompanying instant-classic video. Check it out below-
Music News - After five years of self imposed yet unintended "hibernation", Indie icon Ben Kweller, will return with some of the strongest music of his career. He didn't go away just because-he was fifteen minutes away from death. "We almost died," Kweller says. "Me, Lizzy, our two boys ... dead. We wouldn't be here if Liz hadn't woken us up that night."
Kweller is referring to an ill-fated trip to the mountains of New Mexico, back in 2013. The family went on what was meant to be a winter wonderland vacation and instead suffered acute carbon monoxide poisoning.
"We were in this sweet little cabin and in the middle of the night, Lizzy woke up and said, 'Ben, get up! Something's wrong-I feel horrible,'" Kweller says. "I immediately jumped out of bed and collapsed to the ground. We instinctively crawled to the front door and opened it. Fresh air rushed in the cabin. I called 911. We grabbed the boys out of bed, trying to shake them awake, and managed to get everyone outside in the snow. The boys were crying and falling in and out of consciousness-it was like something out of a horror film," Kweller says. "When the ambulances arrived, they tested our blood and said our CO levels were so high, we were 15 minutes away from not waking up. Fifteen minutes! We spent the next day in the hospital on pure oxygen and days after that feeling lethargic and mush-brained. When we got back home, I was an incapacitated zombie. I told my team to cancel everything. I was done."
As the months rolled on, Kweller began to battle depression as a result of the poisoning. There was a period where the "Sundress" singer didn't think he'd ever see the stage again. "I just didn't care-I didn't want to play music anymore," Kweller says. "I didn't want to leave my family's side, and for the first time in my life I was scared. When you almost die, everything changes, and all the unimportant sh*t disappears. Luckily, I kept writing songs and they got me through some really dark places. Eventually I had 50 ready to go but I was still reluctant to start the machine back up again. A close friend of mine called me up and said, 'Just come over and let's record something together. Even if it's just a demo, maybe it'll make you feel better.'"
That close friend was producer and songwriter, Dwight A. Baker (Misseo, Brandi Carlile). One thing led to another and the two ended up co-producing an entire album. The album is called, Circuit Boredom, and lucky for us, it will be released! The first single, "Heart Attack Kid", drops on February 8th, 2019 with a music video co-directed by Superorganism's Robert Stange. The BK touring machine is also gearing back up with a mixture of headlining shows and shared dates with indie-darlings, Houndmouth, this February.
With a regretful sigh, Kweller shares "There were so many times over the past five years that a fan would come up to me and say, 'Dude, where have you been?' "rather than going into detail, I'd shrug it off and say, 'man, I needed a break, but I'll come back one day.' Inside, I wasn't sure, though."
A major turning point that convinced Kweller to put music back into the world, was the loss of his friend Anton Yelchin. The two had a close bond and even shared the silver screen in Rudderless, a music-based drama directed by William H. Macy. "I'm still in awe of Anton's creative output and all that he achieved in such a short period of time," Kweller says. "One of my best friends, gone in the blink of an eye-it woke me up. I knew I had to overcome my own trauma and do what I was born to do. Plus, Anton would've thought it rude if I didn't share these songs."
All of this comes as a relief to BK fans, whom, for over 15 years, have sung along to his anthems and cried to his ballads. They know his gift for jumping through genres while remaining heartfelt and authentic. They also know that nostalgia and optimism were his trademarks long before his run-in with mortality. Now, with the forthcoming release of Circuit Boredom , we are reminded that a light really is at the end of the tunnel, we just have to listen for it. We're glad BK's back.
Ben Kweller 2019 Tour Itinerary (# w/ Houndmouth)-
Music News- The Mountain Goats have announced an extensive run of nearly forty headlining 2019 tour dates. Kicking off April 25 at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC, and extending through September, the tour finds the band ; songwriter and guitarist John Darnielle, bassist Peter Hughes, drummer Jon Wurster, and multi-instrumentalist Matt Douglas, playing some of its biggest venues to date and multiple nights in select cities. The Mountain Goats will also release new music in 2019 with more news to be revealed soon.
Says Darnielle: “Good people of the Mountain Goatsmassive, we are pleased to report that we have sojourned for a season in the cave upon the hillside where the ancient crystals tremble; and have returned from thence with much news, of which you will all be soon made aware.
The first bit of this news is that we are going to tour like wild hounds.
The road beckons! See you there!”
The tour announcement follows a busy 2018 for The Mountain Goats, in which they toured extensively, co-produced several episodes (and a live event) of the acclaimed podcast I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats, wrote a song for WWE professional wrestler Sasha Banks (at her request), and surprise-released the Hex of Infinite Binding EP, earning immediate praise from NPR and Pitchfork who noted the “vivid characters, both real and fictionalized, [employed] as conduits for complicated ideas” within its songs.
Music News- This April, Mott The Hoople ’74 will tour the USA for the first time in 45 years. After their brief, 6 show UK "Tax the Heat" tour, the core ‘74 members Ian Hunter, Ariel Bender and Morgan Fisher, celebrates the 45th anniversary of their famous 1974 USA tour, as well as the original release of The Hoople and Live, the final albums of the classic Mott The Hoople era. The eight-date run of theatre performances begins April 1 and concludes at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on April 10. Tickets will be on sale this Friday, January 25.
Mott The Hoople ’74 is Ian Hunter (vocals and guitar), Ariel Bender (guitar) and Morgan Fisher (keyboards) joined by James Mastro (guitar, saxophone, mandolin), Steve Holley (drums, backing vocals), Mark Bosch (guitar), Paul Page (bass) and Dennis Dibrizzi (keyboards, backing vocals).
In 1974, the last time Mott The Hoople performed in the U.S., they played theatres and arenas across the country in support of The Hoople, an album that features Mott classics like “The Golden Age of Rock n’ Roll” and “Roll Away The Stone,” both Top 20 hits in the UK. The groundbreaking band, with Top 15 UK singles “All the Way From Memphis” and “Honaloochie Boogie” and whose big US hit was the Bowie-penned “All the Young Dudes,” became the first rock group to play on Broadway in NYC, with a sold-out week at Uris Theatre. They recorded a set at the Uris, too, which yielded their Live album. At the height of their popularity, they brought along their protégés, Queen, to make their U.S. debut. This was also the year that front man Ian Hunter published ‘Diary of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star,’ his 1974 tour memoir that Q Magazine has called, “the greatest music book ever written.”
In this pivotal year, Mott The Hoople established themselves as one of rock’s most beloved bands. Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen both credit them and the ’74 tour for helping inspire Queen’s theatrical stage show. A young Aerosmith earned national exposure when they opened a handful of shows on the ’74 tour as well. The Clash, Cheap Trick, Kiss, Def Leppard, Primal Scream and more have championed Mott’s genre-bending transformation of rock. Writing for Creem Magazine, Lester Bangs called another of the group’s albums, 1973’s Mott, “an unqualified rock ‘n’ roll masterpiece,” and Rolling Stone around this time called them “the most productive band of the last three years, with only the Rolling Stones...in the same category.”
Mott The Hoople recently reunited in Summer 2018 to headline the Ramblin’ Man Fair in the U.K. In its five-star review of their set, Classic Rock magazine cited “Sweet Jane,” “Honaloochie Boogie” and their epic encore of “Saturday Gigs” as monumental moments: “Mott the Hoople are simply brilliant. Their energy, passion and obvious skills are a joy to behold…a band at the top of their game.”
Mott The Hoople ’74 U.S. Tour Itinerary- tickets on sale at these links Friday, January 25
Music News - British music icon and one of this year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Bryan Ferry has announced the North America leg of his 2019 World Tour with the addition of 18 new shows in the USA and Canada! He'l be performing songs from Avalon, solo & Roxy Music hits.
Bryan Ferry Avalon 2019 Tour Itinerary- 2/14–Cape Town, South Africa–Grand Arena 2/16–Pretoria, South Africa–Time Square Arena 2/21–Perth, Australia –Kings Park & Botanic Garden 2/23–Yarra Valley, Australia–Rochford Wines 2/26–Melbourne, Australia–Margaret Court Arena 3/1–Sydney, Australia–ICC Sydney Theatre 3/3–Mount Cotton, Australia –Sirromet Wines 3/5–Wellington, New Zealand –TSB Arena 3/7–Auckland, New Zealand–Spark Arena 3/11–Osaka, Japan–Namba Hatch 3/13–Tokyo, Japan–Bunkamura Orchard Hall 5/20–Groningen, Netherlands–De Oosterpoort 5/22–Eindhoven, Netherlands–Muziekgebouw Frits Phillips 5/24–Amsterdam, Netherlands–Royal Theatre Carre 5/26–Frankfurt, Germany–Alte Oper 5/28–Essen, Germany–Theater Und Philharmonie Essen 5/30–Hamburg, Germany–Elbphilharmonie 6/1–Berlin, Germany–Tempodrom 6/3–Wroclaw, Poland–Narodowe Forum Muzyki 6/5–Prague, Czech Republic–Forum Karlin 6/7–Vienna, Austria–Stadthalle 6/9–Linz, Austria–Brucknerhaus 6/11–Munich, Germany–Circus Krone 6/13–Lucerne, Switzerland–KKL 6/15 –Brussels, Belgium–Palais des Beaux-Arts 6/–London, United Kingdom–Royal Albert Hall 6/20–Vejle, Denmark–Byparken Vejle 7/30–Toronto, Ontario–Sony Centre
8/1–Chicago, IL–Chicago Theatre 8/3–Detroit, MI–Fox Theatre 8/5–Boston, MA–Boston Opera House 8/7–Port Chester, NY–Capitol Theater 8/9–New York City, NY–United Palace Theater 8/11–Philadelphia, PA–The Met 8/13–Washington, DC–The Anthem 8/15–Atlanta, GA–Tabernacle 8/17–Nashville, TN–Ryman Auditorium 8/21–Dallas, TX–Majestic Theatre 8/23–Austin, TX–ACL Live at the Moody Theater 8/25–Denver, CO–Paramount Theatre 8/27–San Diego, CA–Copley Symphony Hall 8/29–Los Angeles, CA–Greek Theatre 8/31–Oakland, CA–Fox Theatre 9/3–Seattle, WA–Moore Theatre 9/5–Vancouver, British Columbia–Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Music News- 1980s rockers Huey Lewis And The News have announced that they're their first new album in 18 years this spring thanks to a new deal BMG.
Details about the band's first new record of original material since 2001's "Plan B" have yet to be announced but frontman and band namesake Huey Lewis commented on their new deal.
He recently said, "We're very excited about our new album, and honestly feel that it's among our best work - we cannot wait to get it out to fans! We're equally excited to be with BMG, whose reputation as a 'music-first' label precedes them admirably."
BMG's John Loeffler, EVP, Marketing & Repertoire, New York, added, "In the time we've grown closer with Huey and the band it became clear that this is a perfect match. We're thrilled to welcome Huey Lewis and the News and proud to call BMG their new label home. We look forward giving the band more opportunities to take advantage of all we have to offer and working alongside them to develop some new creative endeavors."
The news caught us at MNN by surprise, as it comes after the April 2018 news that Lewis was forced to cancell all performances because he had lost most of his hearing. In a May 7, 2018, interview with NBC’s The Today Show, Lewis said: “I can’t hear music. I can do everything but what I love to do the most.”
In his original disclosure on April 13, Lewis wrote to fans: “Although I can still hear a little, one on one, and on the phone, I can’t hear music well enough to sing. The lower frequencies distort violently making it impossible to find pitch. I’ve been to the House Ear Institute, the Stanford Ear Institute, and the Mayo Clinic, hoping to find an answer. The doctors believe I have Meniere’s disease and have agreed that I can’t perform until I improve.”
Music News- Just after their 2018 GRAMMY Award-winning Bluegrass Album of the Year Laws of Gravity, The Infamous Stringdusters announce their newest record Rise Sun, due April 5 via Tape Time Records (listen to title tune, below). In a break from past tradition, the band conceived the album’s track listing before recording commenced, creating a compelling narrative that flows across the album’s thirteen new, original songs.
Photo credit: Aaron Farrington
The GRAMMY Award-winning quintet — Andy Falco [guitar], Chris Pandolfi [banjo], Andy Hall [dobro], Jeremy Garrett [fiddle], and Travis Book [double bass] — wrote or co-wrote all thirteen songs on Rise Sun, enlisting the help of maverick producer Billy Hume, whose credits range from bluegrass to hip hop, and contributing co-writers Sarah Siskind (Alison Krauss), Kim Richey (Brooks & Dunn, Trisha Yearwood), and others.
“Rise Sun was sparked by the feeling of wanting something better for the world—more love, more awareness, and more compassion,” says Hall. “It’s a message of taking care of each other, our planet, and ourselves.”
Introduced by the high energy, banjo-powered title-track, and culminating with a heartfelt send-off with the track “Truth and Love,” the record sails into uncharted territory — moored by the group's expressive patchwork of rock, jazz, funk, country, old-time, and more.
"The world is polarized. Everything is so extreme, and partisan politics have become a culture war,” says Falco. "This is a reminder of what’s truly important in life—seek the truth, find your love, look up high, and aim above. Our music gives us an opportunity to bring some light in a world that can be dark sometimes.”
Encapsulating 13 years, eight studio projects, and nearly 1,000 shows, The Infamous Stringdusters have shared the stage with artists like Ryan Adams and Phil Lesh, and headlined historic stages such as the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Roman Auditorium. Engendering a sense of impassioned fandom, the band has attracted a faithful audience that continues to grow. They’ll return to Red Rocks Amphitheatre this spring, sharing the bill with Phil Lesh and make many festival appearances as part of a 40+ date tour that kicked off at the famed Troubadour in West Hollywood Wednesday night (full list of dates below).
Music News- Acclaimed Texas singer-songwriter Matthew Logan Vasquez has announced the release of his excellent new album. The Delta Spirit frontman's third solo LP, LIGHT'N UP arrives via Dine Alone Records on Friday, February 22.
LIGHT'N UP is preceded by the hard driving first single, "Trailer Park," along with its b-side "Poor Kids." "Trailer Park" premiered today alongside an official companion video directed by Michael Parks Randa (Deer Tick, Rick Ross, mewithoutYou) and streaming now at Vasquez's official YouTube channel. Both songs are available now at all DSPs.
Music News- Citizen Cope has revealed his new song "The River," a track that Billboard has called "personal and poignant." "The River" comes from Citizen Cope's new album 'Heroin & Helicopters' (out 3/1, via Rainwater Recordings/Thirty Tigers), his first in over 7 years. Listen to "The River" below-
“The River” is both an ode to hip-hop and the protest songs of Neil Young. With heavy drums and acoustic guitar at the forefront, Clarence Greenwood's lyrics take on the devalued life of humankind and the tyrannical devices used by the ruling few to divide people in all class systems through racial, cultural, economical, and religious lines.
The new track is the second taste from Cope’s upcoming ‘Heroin And Helicopters’ which sees him tackle themes of religion, political manipulation, hollowness in the entertainment world, and spiritual enlightenment, as he contends with his own role in those societal institutions. Hear Clarence talk more about the inspiration behind the album title in a recent appearance on the TuneIn podcast here: https://bit.ly/2SNyJ4a
Citizen Cope will tour extensively in support of the new record, making stops at The Beacon Theatre in New York City, The Novo in Los Angeles, and more. Full tour routing below.
CITIZEN COPE 2019 TOUR ITINERARY-
Fri 3/1 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall *
Sat 3/2 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre *
Sun 3/3 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club *
Tue 3/5 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte *
Wed 3/6 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel *
Fri 3/8 – Greenville, NC – State Theatre Greenville *
Sat 3/9 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre Raleigh *
Sun 3/10 – Atlanta, GA – The Buckhead Theatre *
Tue 3/12 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant *
Wed 3/13 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman *
Fri 3/15 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre *
Sat 3/16 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot *
Mon 3/18 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory Boise *
Tue 3/19 – Missoula, MT – The Wilma *
Wed 3/20 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory Spokane *
Fri 3/22 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre %
Sat 3/23 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox %
Sun 3/24 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox %
Mon 3/25 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom %
Wed 3/27 – San Francisco, CA – August Hall
Thu 3/28 – Los Angeles, CA – The Novo
Fri 3/29 – Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl
Sat 3/30 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park
Mon 4/1 – Phoenix, AZ – The Marquee
Thu 4/4 – Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory
Fri 4/5 – Houston, TX – House Of Blues
Sat 4/6 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
Sun 4/7 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at the Moody Theater
Tue 4/9 – New Orleans, LA – House Of Blues New Orleans
Thu 4/11 – Nashville, TN – Cannery Ballroom
Fri 4/12 – Chicago, IL – House Of Blues Chicago
Sat 4/13 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit
Mon 4/15 – Pittsburgh, PA – Byham Theater
Wed 4/17 – Washington, DC – Lincoln Theatre Washington
Thu 4/18 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall
Fri 4/19 – Portland, ME – State Theatre Portland
Sat 4/20 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre
Fri 5/24 – Monterey, CA – California Roots Music & Arts Festival
Music News - Since forming in 2013, New York City’s Future Punx have earned a reputation as one of the city’s most explosively exciting bands. Synergizing the most infectious sounds of post-punk, new wave and mutant disco, the quartet coined a new genre with the title of their 2015 debut LP This Is Post-Wave. While drawing on the timeless influences of DEVO, Talking Heads, and Orange Juice, the sensory overload experience of their live performances ushered in a new musical dawn. Combining mesmerizing visuals with propulsive electronic beats, scorching instrumentation, and never repeating set lists, they imagine a utopia where ravers, punks, and hippies can all peacefully co-exist.
Three years after their last release, Future Punx return with The World Is A Mess EP, recorded with Andrew Chugg (Pop. 1280, Pill, Crinkles) and set for release via Modern Sky USA with a special edition through their own imprint, Dull Tools. Starkly juxtaposed with the sci-fi fantasies of their earlier output, these songs are grounded firmly in the present political moment. While they still believe in the uniting power of getting down on the dance floor or ripping out a Robert Fripp style guitar solo, their lyrics now focus on acknowledging and battling white supremacy (“Society Implies”) or toxic masculinity (“F Boys”), before closing with a perfectly fitting cover of X’s “The World’s A Mess, It’s In My Kiss.” “These songs were written in response to the state of the world and our current political reality,” explains singer/bassist Chris Pickering. “It’s very current events oriented whereas everything we’ve done before was futurist sci-fi. Shit got so real and fucked up in the last couple of years that we can’t even imagine a utopian future any more.”
Music News- Rock guitarist (Genesis) Steve Hackett has released a video for his new single Beasts In Our Time.
You can view it below as well as hear the tune on his upcoming studio album At The Edge Of Light, which releases next Friday (January 25) on CD, 2LP/CD, on digital platforms, as well as on Mediabook CD/DVD, which will contain 5.1 surround sound mix and a behind-the-scenes documentary.
Hackett said recently: “Beasts In Our Time is the main thrust of this album, exposing fear, greed and intolerance. The eagle in the video symbolizes the hatred and violence which nationalism breeds… and the clown, deceptive, destructive forces which masquerade as fun and innocuous." “We live in dangerous times where we stand on the edge of an abyss, but there is still the hope that the light of compassion can still win through.”
Music News- Keyboard veteran Andrew Colyer has secured possibly one of the most difficult gigs today – covering keyboard parts made legendary by Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, Jordan Rudess and Tony Banks! Andrew will be performing with 3.2 featuring Robert Berry this coming spring! If anyone is qualified for the position, it's Andrew who has performed and collaborated with the likes of Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson), Jon Anderson (YES), The Tubes, Sound of Contact featuring Simon Collins, Ryche Chlanda (Fireballet, Renaissance), Max Flyer (CBS Records), Clark Terry, Louis Bellson among others....not to mention his own band, Prog-award-nominated Circuline!
Keith Emerson left a legacy of music. From his beginnings with The Nice in the 1960's, to worldwide fame with Emerson Lake & Palmer in the 1970's, to his reinvention in the 1980's with the #9 Billboard hit “Talkin' Bout” in the band “3” with Robert Berry and Carl Palmer, Emerson's name is one almost everyone has heard of.
In 2015, Emerson reunited with Berry, to resume work on the second “3” album, titled “3.2”, to be released on the Frontiers label. In 2016, Emerson tragically took his own life, leaving behind a half-finished record, Robert Berry with the loss of his long-time personal and musical friend, an unfulfilled contract, and a world grieving.
By the spring of 2018, Berry had worked out the details with the Emerson estate and Frontiers to complete and release the record. The first single, “Somebody's Watching” (released May 22nd), sent the album debut to #3 on the Amazon hard rock charts, and generated 7,000 YouTube views in the first 36 hours, and over 12,000 views in the first week. A musical phoenix had indeed risen.
The album, “3.2 - The Rules Have Changed”, was released on August 10th, 2018, and hit #1 on Amazon, selling out on the first day, and placed on two Billboard charts. The two YouTube videos from the album currently have over 64,000 cumulative views. The new album has met with unanimous positive international acclaim from over 100 magazine articles, blog and website reviews, and FM and internet radio stations.
Now it's time for a tour. The band - “3.2 featuring Robert Berry” will not only cover Berry's work with Keith Emerson, but also Berry's years on the Magna Carta label, producing tribute albums to ELP, YES, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, and Rush. Who will Robert Berry get to cover not only Keith Emerson, but also all the keyboard players from these legendary bands? The world is watching and wondering. Keyboardist/vocalist Andrew Colyer (Circuline, Cell15, Awaken, Prog Rock Orchestra) got the call.
Berry tells the story of how Colyer got the gig: “When I met Andrew in December 2011, he was trying to reignite a career in music, after being out of the game for over 20 years. After one of our December People 'Classic Rock Christmas Party' shows, I introduced him to Dave Medd, and that's how he got the job as the backup for The Tubes in 2012. By 2013 he was playing ELP's “Tarkus” in progressive rock tribute band Downing Grey. In 2014 he performed on the Moody Blues cruise and the YES Cruise to the Edge with the Prog Rock Orchestra. He also formed his own band, Circuline, which has released two studio albums, a live CD/DVD/Blu-ray, and has toured and performed at international festivals. Plus he's my wife's brother's best friend!”
Berry says, ”All family joking aside, Andrew is a great player and the right guy for the job. He's a super nice guy, a hard worker, and with his immersion in the music business for these past 7 years, he's also been a big help in the business and marketing department.”
Music News- Back in October of 2018, Paul Weller performed two extraordinary concerts at London’s prestigious Royal Festival Hall with an orchestra. The second of these shows was recorded and filmed and will be released as a live album and DVD package on March 8th via Parlophone/Warner Bros. Records
Other Aspects, Live At The Royal Festival Hall features an eclectic 25 track career spanning collection. As well as classics from Weller’s rich back catalog, the bulk of the critically acclaimed performance features 11 songs from his internationally acclaimed True Meanings, which was released last September to rapturous praise.
The track-listing also includes several tracks from Weller’s days in The Jam, including a radical re-working of “Private Hell” from their 1979 LP Setting Sons and a brilliantly realized version of “Boy About Town” from 1980’s Sound Affects . The Style Council gets a welcomed look with “Have You Ever Had It Blue” (Absolute Beginners – 1986) and “A Man Of Great Promise” ( Our Favorite Shop – 1985). Other solo fan favorites such as “You Do Something To Me” (Stanley Road – 1995) and “Long Long Road” (A Kind Revolution – 2017) fit seamlessly into the set. As well as the full concert, the DVD also features a behind-the-scenes mini-documentary with rehearsal footage and interviews.
The Royal Festival Hall shows highlighted meticulous arrangements and superb sound, with Weller’s voice sounding richer than ever. Along with his usual touring band, the show featured the London Metropolitan Orchestra and, on the sublime “Books” ( True Meanings – 2017), Weller was joined on-stage by British singer-songwriter Lucy Rose and three incredible musicians: Sheema Mukherjee, Kamalbir Nandra and Tofail Ahmed playing Sitar, Tanpura and Indian Violin.
Music News- Multi-platinum singer songwriter Hozier has announced his much-anticipated new album Wasteland, Baby!, set for release on March 1 via Rubyworks/Island.
The album also follows Hozier’s recent Nina Cried Power EP. The EP, which features multi-Grammy award winning artist and performer Mavis Staples and instrumentation by renowned Grammy Life Time Achievement Award recipient Booker T. Jones, has been streamed over 26 million times since its release in September 2018.
The title track of the EP also opens Wasteland, Baby! and has already proved incredibly successful for Hozier. President Barack Obama included the song in his favorite songs of 2018 playlist and the track was the subject of the Song Exploder podcast’s first episode of 2019. And, now we have a new song from the soulful Irish singer called "Almost (Sweet Music)", listen below-
Speaking about the release of Wasteland, Baby! Hozier said recently: “I’m thrilled to announce my new album Wasteland, Baby! The album has been over a year in the making and it’s a pleasure to finally turn out my pockets and share the work. I want to sincerely thank fans and listeners for their continued support in between the records. See you out on the road soon.”
Current single Movement is another key track on Wasteland, Baby! In only two months the track has been streamed over 20.8 million times and has fast become a firm fan favorite at Hozier’s live shows.
Following the success of his most recent UK tour, Hozier is set to announce the European leg of the upcoming global Wasteland, Baby! tour with dates scheduled throughout the rest of 2019. Pre-order the new album Wasteland, Baby! Full tour dates and cities will be announced in February via https://store.hozier.com
Hozier first rose to prominence following the release of his globally successful, triple platinum single Take Me To Church. The track was nominated for ‘Song Of The Year’ at the 2015 Grammy Awards, won ‘Song Of The Year’ at the 2015 Ivor Novello Awards, won ‘Song Of The Year’ at the 2015 BBC Music Awards and won ‘Top Rock Song’ at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards, where Hozier also won ‘Top Rock Artist’. Take Me To Church has sold 2.23 million copies in the UK to date. Hozier also saw great success with Someone New, which went gold and Cherry Wine and From Eden both being certified silver.
Wasteland, Baby! is the follow up to Hozier’s critically acclaimed self–titled debut album, which has now amassed over 2.1 billion streams on Spotify alone, while his total, global Spotify Playlist reach currently sits at over 71 million. The album has sold over 850 thousand copies in the UK, going platinum in the process, while the record has sold 4 million copies worldwide. Hozier received a nomination for ‘Best International Male’ at the 2015 Brit Awards.
Wasteland, Baby! is released on March 1 on Rubyworks/Island.
Full Wasteland, Baby! tracklisting- 1 - Nina Cried Power (featuring Mavis Staples) 2 - Almost (Sweet Music) 3 - Movement 4 - No Plan 5 - Nobody 6 - To Noise Making (Sing) 7 - As It Was 8 - Shrike 9 - Talk Refined 10 - Be 11 - Dinner & Diatribes 12 - Would That I 13 - Sunlight 14 - Wasteland, Baby!
Comments for MNN