Ryan Book

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  • Breaking Benjamin Talks "Failure," Leeches and Covering Weezer with Music Times [EXCLUSIVE]

    Music Times had the chance to chat with rockers Breaking Benjamin about its new lineup and new album Dark Before Dawn (available June 23) at the Rock On The Range festival this weekend. We tried not to Saturate (see what we did there?) the conversation with questions aimed specifically at frontman Benjamin Burnley but things swing that way anyhow. He and his bandmates discussed current single "Failure," leeches, covering Weezer and Ed Wood movies.

  • Rock on The Range 2015 Day 1 Review & Recap

    The first day of Rock on The Range, perhaps the largest pure rock festival in the United States, kicked off in dramatic fashion on Friday night with headlinng performances from Slipknot, Marilyn Manson, Slash and more. This is the first in a series of recaps from correspondent Ryan Book.

  • 5 NFL Stars Gone Country: Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman and More

    Peyton Manning's Children's Hospital fundraiser took a fun turn last weekend when the Denver Broncos quarterback took the stage with headliner Dierks Bentley to perform a cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues." Manning's musical dynamism was about as weak as you might expect, but as it was strictly for-the-kids, we'd be jerks to mock him for it. He wasn't the first NFL player to take a crack at country music however...in fact, players such as Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman have done the deed in a more professional setting. Here are five country releases from acts that got their start on the gridiron.

  • Harry Shearer's Best Simpsons Songs, As Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders and More

    Harry Shearer announced today that after more than 25 years of voicing beloved characters on 'The Simpsons'—including Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, Kent Brockman, and bus driver Otto—he would be leaving the show. The greatest animated show of all time—and what some may consider the greatest television show, period—has never been afraid to delve into musical numbers, so Music Times dug up six of the best songs performed by Shearer's characters across the program's run, including plays on Disney songs and Guns N' Roses classics.

  • Blanca Experiments in First Pop Album Away from Group 1 Crew; Lecrae and Tedashii Appear

    Society always celebrates the records that top the Billboard 200 album chart. Back of The Billboards is a Music Times weekly segment that looks at the opposite end: the new record that finished closest to the back of the Billboard 200 for the previous week. We hope to give a fighting chance to the bands you haven't heard of. This week we look at the self-titled solo debut of former Group 1 Crew member Blanca Callahan.

  • FOX Debuts 'Scream Queens' Trailer with Ariana Grande, Lea Michele, More

    Fox has released the first trailer for 'Scream Queens,' a forthcoming dark comedy starring Emma Roberts, Lea Michele, Ariana Grande, Abigail Breslin and Nick Jonas, among others. It's a murder mystery from Ryan Murphy, who has made a name through both 'Glee' and 'American Horror Story.'

  • Peyton Manning Covers Johnny Cash's 'Folsom Prison Blues' with Dierks Bentley

    Peyton Manning may be the best quarterback in NFL history (we're not here to argue about sports statistics, so save your playoff performance arguments for ESPN.com), but he sure ain't the best vocalist in NFL history. He wasn't quite up to Terry Bradshaw-levels of performance while performing Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" with Dierks Bentley over the weekend.

  • 'Pitch Perfect 2' Soundtrack Revealed: Beyonce, Miley Cyrus and More

    'Pitch Perfect 2' has finally revealed the soundtrack for the forthcoming sequel, due in theaters on May 30, and boy is there a lot of music crammed into it. Although the iTunes playlist doesn't reflect too many familiar-sounding tracks, Pop Sugar has broken down the soundtrack and dug out more than 35 tracks buried within the film's many mashups. Expect contributions from Pitbull, Miley Cyrus and of course, Cisqo, to appear within.

  • Mumford & Sons Drops, Tech N9ne Sets Personal Record on Albums Chart

    This week Warner Music became the first major label to report higher earnings from streaming than digital downloads, but album sales seem to be doing alright for Mumford & Sons, which tops the sales chart by selling 249,000 copies of 'Wilder Mind' this week. That's a sizable number but more than a 50 percent drop off from the band's previous album, 'Babel,' which debuted with 600,000 copies sold (the biggest rock debut of the decade thus far, in the band's defense).

  • Remembering Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys with No. 1 Hits: 'Spanish Two Step,' 'Sugar Moon' and More

    Few modern country music fans remember the genre of country-western, and few are still familiar with the work of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. Wills, the "King of Western Swing," died 40 years ago on May 13, and Music Times is hoping to maintain his legacy by listing his six no. 1 singles from the US Country Charts for your consideration, including the 'New Spanish Two Step,' 'Sugar Moon' and more.

  • Ranking PMRC's 'Filthy 15': Madonna, Prince and More Get Dirty

    Tipper Gore and a group of other (socially) conservative and influential women gathered 30 years ago to organize the PMRC (or Parents Music Research Center) after listening to the travesty that was Prince's "Darling Nikki." That organization has become the face of the censorship movement in the United States, ruining good album artwork and antagonizing Eminem, Marilyn Manson, Frank Zappa and others for three decades now. When it formed, the group issued a list titled the "Filthy 15," listing tracks that it considered especially repulsive. Music Times is ranking those first 15 songs in terms of potential for wrecking lives.

  • Mumford & Sons Top Billboard 200, 'Fifty Shades' Gets Mother's Day Boost

    Mumford & Sons remains a rock band to beat on the Billboard 200, gathering its second no. 1 record with Wilder Mind. Although the band's original alternative fan base has raised an eyebrow at the use of electric guitars on the new set, sales still came out to 249,000-trailing only Drake and Kendrick Lamar for biggest debut of 2015 thus far. Although nothing to frown at, it's still a relatively low sales figure for Mumford, which sold 600,000 copies of Babel when that album dropped during 2012.
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