• San Fermin Announce New Album 'Jackrabbit,' Share New Single "Parasite" [LISTEN]

    San Fermin, the brainchild of composer and songwriter Ellis Ludwig-Leone, released its self-titled debut album in September of 2013 after Ludwig-Leone spent two months locked up at the Banff Centre, a secluded retreat for composers, tucked away in the Canadian mountains. He later assembled a group of highly trained musicians to record and perform his work, and by the time the album came out, he had already finished work on the sequel. However, after experience life on the road and performing his music in a live setting, he decided to rewrite the record. The result is the upcoming album Jackrabbit, which is due out in the spring. Along with the announcement, the band premiered their lead single "Parasites."

  • Taylor Swift Among TIME Person of the Year 2014 Finalists for Stand Against Spotify

    What do Apple CEO Tim Cook, the protestors in Ferguson, Vladimir Putin and Taylor Swift have in common? While it may seem like "nothing" from the outside, the answer is they're all on the shortlist to become TIME magazine's Person of the Year for 2014. Yes, the "Blank Space" singer joins world leaders and controversial figures in the annual recognition's nominations.

  • Jay Electronica Responds to Ferguson and Eric Garner Decisions: 'Don't Tell Me About Black-on-Black Crime'

    In light of the recent grand jury decisions in Ferguson, Missouri, and Staten Island not to indict two white police officers for the killings of two black men, protests have erupted across the United States and sporadically around the world. The issue of police brutality and mistreatment of minorities vs. whites by law enforcement is at the forefront of the nation's conscious.While some commentators have steered the commentary toward black-on-black crime and the violence in poor urban neighborhoods, New Orleans native Jay Electronica wholeheartedly disagrees with this notion, saying among other things in a series of tweets that "We live in a criminal nation, founded by rapists, mass murderers and robbers. So don't tell me about 'black on black' crime."Read the expletive-laden series of tweets below, via "Pigeons and Planes."

  • Johnny Marr Cancels Remainder of U.S. Tour Dates Due to Family Illness

    Johnny Marr rarely misses shows — as evidenced earlier this year when he played a round of gigs with a broken hand — but one of his close family members has been stricken with an illness, so Marr regretfully informed fans that he would be canceling 10 forthcoming shows."I'm really disappointed to not be able to play the shows," he said in a Facebook post. "The touring has been so enjoyable for me and the band and the audiences have been great everywhere. If it was about just me being unwell I would've found a way to continue as I did when I broke my hand earlier in the year, but to not be there for one of my family is not right. Thank you to everyone for the kind messages. See you soon. Johnny. x"The page notes that tickets can be refunded at the point of purchase and Marr will work to reschedule.

  • Travel Troubles: 5 Seconds of Summer Isn't The Only Act with Passport Problems—Amy Winehouse, Yusuf Islam and Boy George Also Struggled

    Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer appeared to have lost its guitar player when it swing by the Jingle Ball in London over the weekend. The good news: The band didn't lose Michael Clifford. The bad news: He lost his passport and was unable to enter the country for the event. He's not the first musician who has had problems traveling abroad. In fact, the United States has caused many a headache for traveling performers.

  • Trey Songz Covers Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas' [LISTEN]

    It has been 20 years since Mariah Carey's iconic "All I Want for Christmas Is You" was released — can you believe it? — and the song still has not gotten old. It has been covered and remixed by everyone from Shania Twain to Michael Bublé to Lady Antebellum to the "Glee" cast. Now, R&B crooner Trey Songz is feeling festive and has decided to do an official cover for "All I Want for Christmas."Trey Songz keeps the original spirit of Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff's work, but adds his own upbeat feel to the track that will have fans snapping along to his catchy rework, via missinfo.tv. The cover is available for download on iTunes via Atlantic Recordings. He has been working primarily alongside his new partner in crime Chris Brown, but on this cover he flies solo to provide his fans with a jovial new Christmas cover for their holiday playlists.

  • Twerps Announce 2015 Album, Tour After Signing With Merge

    Twerps are about to close out 2014 with a flourish. A trio of December shows back home (Australia) will put an exclamation point on the dreamy jangle-rockers' most successful year to date; one that's included signing to Merge, dropping an EP (Underlay) and then a new single ("Back to You").

  • Rick Ross, Timbaland Beefing Over New Mosley Logo

    Rap beefs do not begin in the hood anymore — they begin on Instagram. That is where Timbaland recently posted the new logo for Mosley Music Group, his Sony imprint.Inconspicuous, yes? Rick Ross didn’t think so. Apparently the "MMG" insignia is too much like Ross’s Maybach Music Group.@Timbaland #WhereMagoo — Hood Billionaire (@rickyrozay) December 6, 2014Does Super Producer @Timbaland wanna be us? Lol where Magoo @MissyElliott @ElliottWilson @rickyrozay pic.twitter.com/YExENoPuJu — Maybach Music Group (@MaybachMusicGrp) December 6, 2014

  • Sam Smith Sings "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" Following Grammy Nominations [LISTEN]

    2014 has been a landmark year for Sam Smith, and as of last week, he is officially a six-time Grammy nominee. With the holiday's soon approaching, he chose to sing a stripped-down cover of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," which was made famous by Judy Garland in the 1994 musical Meet Me In St. Louis. Smith stays faithful to the original against sparse chords on a grand piano with his voice angelic as always. The song is now available on iTunes.

  • John Lennon: Remembering the 'Imagine' Singer with 10 Inspiring Quotes [PHOTOS]

    John Lennon had established himself as a superb solo artist by the time 1980 rolled around. The Beatles disbanded a full decade earlier, and Lennon had found a way to captivate listeners without his writing partner Paul McCartney. He released five LPs in the '70s, including his debut, "John Lennon/The Plastic Ono Band" and his masterpiece "Imagine." There was a five-year hole in his recording career from 1975-80, but in November 1980 Lennon came back with "Double Fantasy."It was the former Beatle's final album. Lennon was shot by Mark David Chapman 34 years ago today, Dec. 8. It is a loss that still perplexes fans and admirers to this day. Even the singer's killer has awakened from his delusional haze, telling the parole board in July, "I am sorry for being such an idiot and choosing the wrong way for glory."This year's anniversary is not a milestone. It is not a nice, rounded-off number like 30 or 35, both of which are far less important than 25 and 50. But while Lennon's death left a void in popular music, it also robbed the world of a truly beautiful mind that never hesitated to comment on the state of the world. He did not just say, "War is bad," he opted for the positive and tried to spark a movement from that: "Give peace a chance."So, yes, 34 means little. But it is difficult to look at 2014 and not think about what kind of wisdom Lennon could offer if he were still with us. What would he tell us about unrest stemming from the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases that we are missing? What insights could he offer on gay marriage rights? And do not forget the NFL. There is no shortage of moral problems and quandaries in today's social media society. Would Lennon even bother with Twitter?We will never know the specific answers to those questions. Thankfully, Lennon spoke his mind often during his 40-year stay on Earth, and those snippets of wisdom remain a guiding light for fans of peace, creativity and love.
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