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Author Archives: Stephen Iervolino

Ciara named as host of 2019 American Music Awards; Kesha and Big Freedia to perform

November 14, 2019 – 1:01 pm

ABC/dick clark productionsdick clark productions and ABC announced Thursday morning that multi-platinum singer/songwriter Ciara will host the 2019 American Music Awards.

ABC also announced Kesha will be joined by Big Freedia for a performance during the show; it will mark Kesha's first return to the American Music Awards stage as a performer since 2013.

The pair join previously announced performers Billie Eilish, Camila Cabello, Selena Gomez, Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Thomas Rhett and Shania Twain. Taylor Swift will also perform in addition to taking to the podium to receive the 2019 AMA Artist of the Decade award.

The 2019 American Music Awards will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 24 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time on ABC.

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Kurt Cobain’s ‘MTV Unplugged’ Cardigan sells for record $334,000

October 28, 2019 – 10:00 am

Julien's Auctions The green cardigan that Kurt Cobain wore during Nirvana's landmark 1993 MTV Unplugged in New York taping fetched a record $334,000 at Julien's Auctions over the weekend.

The sweater described as a "blend of acrylic, mohair and Lycra" with a missing button, a "burn hole" and discoloration on or near its two pockets, set a new world record for the most expensive sweater ever sold at an auction.

It was previously auctioned on Julien's back in 2015, when it sold for $140,800.

The sweater was part of Julien's Icons & Idols: Rock 'n' Roll auction, which took place Saturday and Sunday. Other items included a custom Cobain 1993 Fender Mustang guitar, which sold for $340,000; Elvis Presley's 1974 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL Gold Coupe, which sold for $125,000; and one of the King's last motorcycles, a 1976 Harley Davidson XLH Sportster 1000 purchased before his death in 1977 that sold for $106,250; and handwritten lyrics to the Elton John song "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by lyricist Bernie Taupin in a custom The Wizard of Oz themed frame that sold for $75,000.

The auction took place in person at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City, and online at JuliensAuctions.com.

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Green Day scores with the NHL: “Fire, Ready, Aim” to be the opening theme song for ‘Wednesday Night Hockey’

September 30, 2019 – 5:10 pm

ABC/Randy Holmes Green Day has teamed up with the The National Hockey League for the 2019 season; the band's yet to be released song called "Fire, Ready, Aim" will serve as the opening theme for NBCSN's Wednesday Night Hockey.

The partnership will kick off ahead of the matchup between the New Jersey Devils and the Philadelphia Flyers game on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Fire, Ready, Aim” will be featured on NHL on NBC broadcasts throughout the 2019-20 season.

The track, from Green Day's forthcoming thirteenth studio album, Father Of All… won't be the only GD song hockey fans will hear this year: the partnership will mean songs from the new album "will be featured in highlights, commercials, on social media, and on the jumbotrons at games. Oh, and the partnership includes "performances, appearances and other collaborations."

NBC Sports has released a sneak peak of the open, which features Billie Joe Armstrong and the boys playing on a hockey rink, while NHL players whiz by.

Green Day said in a statement, "This NHL season is hereby known as LOUD season...where the toughest athletes to ever lace up a pair of skates meet the baddest rock band on the planet. So turn up the volume on your TV sets, fire, ready, aim and enjoy the ride."

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees will perform at the 2020 Honda NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis in primetime on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on NBC and affiliated networks.

Father of All... comes out February 7, 2020.

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Twenty One Pilots fans say The Chainsmokers are “ripping off” the Pilots’ Bandito tour

September 30, 2019 – 5:05 pm

Twenty One Pilots/ABC Image Group LAFans of Twenty One Pilots are stressed out over similiarities between their band's 2018 Bandito tour, and the staging of The Chainsmokers' new The World Way Joy outings.

"[T]wenty one pilots tickets got sold out? no worries! the chainsmokers are gonna put on a show exactly like the one you wanted," one Twitter user snarked.

NME reports that Bandito tour's staging was praised for being imaginative, with fire elements, moving catwalks, and other features -- that the World Way Joy shows also feature on stage.

"ok you cannot call THIS just a trend that a lot of bands/ artists are doing. this is a very distinct, UNIQUE, twenty one pilots thing and the chainsmokers are just... ripping it off..." another Pilots fan vented.

The Chainsmokers' reps have not responded for comment.

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Weezer, Panic! at the Disco join soundtrack for ‘Frozen 2’

September 30, 2019 – 3:32 pm

Walt Disney RecordsWeezer and Panic! At The Disco will soon be heard on the soundtrack to Frozen 2.

The soundtrack, which is available for pre-order, comes out on November 22 -- the movie's release date.

Both Panic!'s "Into the Unknown" and Weezer's "Lost in the Woods" are both listed as end credits tracks.

The soundtrack also features the other returning voice cast players, including Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, and Jonathan Groff -- as well as artists including Kacey Musgraves.

The animated sequel also features the voices of This Is Us Emmy-winner Sterling K. Brown, and Westworld Emmy nominee Evan Rachel Wood.

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Blink-182’s new album ‘Nine’ makes No. 3 debut on the ‘Billboard’ 200

September 30, 2019 – 3:08 pm

ABC/Paula Lobo

Blink-182 has done it again...The pop-punk band's latest effort, Nine, debuted in the Number 3 slot on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the eighth Top Ten bow for the band.

The trade notes the trio's new album sold 94,000 equivalent album units -- with 77,000 of that sum in album sales.

For those keeping score, Blink's first Top 10 debut was 1999's Enema of the State, followed by 2000's effort The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!); the No. 1 debut of 2001's Take Off Your Pants and Jacket; Blink's self-titled 2003 record; their 2005 Greatest Hits record; 2011's Neighborhoods, and their last album, 2016's California, which also debuted at No. 1.

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After ‘Blessings’ drops, Sublime with Rome debuts video for new track, “Blackout”

September 30, 2019 – 2:23 pm

Red MusicSublime with Rome has debuted a new video for its brand new track "Blackout," which can be heard on the band's just-dropped album, Blessings.

The video is intentionally lo-fi: it's shot against a green screen, onto which vocalist Rome Ramirez and the rest of the band, as well as various goofy backgrounds, are projected.

The video also flashes a number, (562) 264-9230, with the invitation "text us."

What doing so actually does remains to be seen, however.

"'Blackout' is one of my favorite songs off the album," Rome has said. "This album is fire, best music we ever made," he added.

Sublime with Rome will launch a U.S. tour in support of Blessings June 2 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

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The Raconteurs perform “Somedays (I Don’t Feel Like Trying)” on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’

July 26, 2019 – 12:45 pm

ABC/Nicole WilderThe Raconteurs played the Jimmy Kimmel Live! Concert Series presented by Mercedes-Benz on Thursday night, performing "Somedays (I Don't Feel Like Trying)." The track is off the band's chart-topping album Help Us Stranger. Jack White plays guitar on the song and backs up the vocals of co-frontman Brendan Benson.

"This is mostly a Brendan track; I added a few little things," White said of the cut on The Raconteurs' YouTube channel. "I mostly attacked this as a guitar player."

Help Us Stranger was also recorded at White's Third Man studio in Nashville and released on this Third Man Records label. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 last month with 88,000 equivalent album units.

The Raconteurs will continue their tour Friday night with a performance in Los Angeles' Greek Theatre.

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Weezer joins Jimmy Fallon and The Roots for a cover of “Take on Me” performed with classroom instruments

March 1, 2019 – 1:00 pm

ABC/Andrew LipovskyWeezer paid a visit to The Tonight Show Music Room on Thursday, where they joined host Jimmy Fallon and his house band The Roots for a cover of Ah-Ha's 1985 hit, "Take on Me," performed with classroom instruments.

In the recurring segment, Fallon and The Roots back music artists for a version of one of their popular songs, using instruments you would find in a classroom. This time, it was Weezer's Rivers Cuomo on banana shaker, Patrick Wilson on toy guitar, Brian Bell on toy piano and Scott Shriner on tambourine and kazoo, while Fallon played a tiny Casio keyboard, an orange shaker and wood block. The Roots backed them with a toy xylophone, melodica, ukulele, kazoos, apple shaker, bongos and a tambourine.

Past music room guests have included Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, Ed Sheeran and Adele.

Weezer taped the segment a couple of nights earlier, when they appeared on The Tonight Show as musical guests.

“Take On Me” is included on Weezer’s recent cover album, The Teal Album, which also features their hit version of Toto’s “Africa.”

Weezer's latest collection, The Black Album, comes out on Friday.

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Surprise! Weezer has everyone from Toto to TLC covered with new “The Teal Album”

January 24, 2019 – 1:50 pm

Crush Music/Atlantic RecordsWeezer fans are waking up to a surprise Thursday morning: The band has just released Weezer (The Teal Album), a collection of cover songs.

Of course, it features Weezer's hit cover of Toto's "Africa" but also "No Scrubs" by TLC, "Happy Together" by The Turtles, "Take on Me" from a-ha, Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by The Eurythmics, and more.

Appropriately, the cover of the album shows Rivers Cuomo and the boys rocking some pastel-colored outfits that would have looked right at home on the set of Miami Vice, recalling the era that gave us many of the tracks.

The band is still set to release a new album of original music, Weezer (The Black Album), on March 1, 2019.

Here's the track listing for Weezer (The Teal Album):

"Africa" (Toto)
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (Tears for Fears)
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" (The Eurythmics)
"Take On Me" (a-ha)
"Happy Together" (The Turtles)
"Paranoid" (Black Sabbath)
"Mr. Blue Sky" (Electric Light Orchestra)
"No Scrubs" (TLC)
"Billie Jean" (Michael Jackson)
"Stand By Me" (Ben E. King)

As previously reported, Weezer has announced a 2019 tour with Pixies, set to begin March 8 in Louisville, Kentucky. The two bands previously toured together this past summer.

However, Weezer won't be joined by the alt-rockers on some overseas dates, which have just been announced:

6/29 -- London, UK, O2 Academy Brixton
7/2 -- Hamburg, DE, Stadtpark
7/4 -- Utrecht, HL, Tivoli Vredenburg
7/7 -- Bologna, Italy, Sonic Park
7/8 -- Zurich, CH, Xtra

Visit Weezer.com for ticket info.

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