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Music News

Steven Spielberg Directed His First Music Video for Marcus Mumford’s ‘Cannibal’ [Spin] The Mumford & Sons frontman’s debut solo album is out on Sept. 16.

Here's why Joni Mitchell's performance at the Newport Folk Festival is so incredible [NPR] Joni Mitchell's surprise performance at the Newport Folk Festival on Sunday is already becoming the stuff of legend. The unsuspecting crowd roared as the singer-songwriter stepped onto the stage in her first public performance since suffering a debilitating brain aneurysm in 2015. "The last time Joni performed with guitar in hand in front of a paying audience was 8,660 days ago, on her 55th birthday."  the iconic singer, who is now 78, treated the audience with many of her most beloved songs, including "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Both Sides Now," as well as a cover of "Summertime."

Ticketmaster Defends Bruce Springsteen Ticket Prices That Reached $5,000 [Stereogum] “Dynamic pricing” is supposedly Ticketmaster’s way of squeezing out scalpers and sites like StubHub and SeatGeek. The idea is that Ticketmaster can charge a ton for tickets when they first go on sale, and if the tickets are still available a while later, the prices might drop.

Pulp Will Reunite for Shows in 2023 [Spin] Formed in 1978 when Cocker and original guitarist Peter Dalton were teenagers, the beloved U.K. band released seven albums during its initial classic era from 1983 to 2001. Pulp split in 2002 but reformed as a touring entity between 2011-2013. Some consider the band's 1995 release Different Class a masterpiece and Spin named the album one of the top 300 from the past 30 years.

Neil Young Still Not Ready To Play Concerts: “I Don’t Think It Is Safe In The Pandemic” [Stereogum]

It's official: The U.K. will host next year's Eurovision contest on behalf of Ukraine [NPR] A panel of public broadcasters and security experts concluded last month that it won't be feasible for Ukraine to host the famously elaborate TV event — which requires 12 months of preparation involving thousands of people, and has historically generated millions of dollars in tourism revenue — given the security issues posed by Russia's war.

New Leonard Cohen Tribute Album Will Feature Peter Gabriel, Iggy Pop, Mavis Staples, & More [Stereogum]

Music History
[Courtesy of calendar.songfacts.com ]

July 25
1983: American heavy metal band Metallica released their debut studio album Kill 'Em All. The release is regarded as a groundbreaking album for thrash metal because of its precise musicianship, which fuses new wave of British heavy metal riffs with hardcore punk tempos. 

July 26
2015: The first Black Lives Matter conference is held at Cleveland State University turns into a protest with activists chanting the chorus of Kendrick Lamar's "Alright".

July 27
1983: Madonna releases her first album. The release doesn't debut well and is met with unfavorable reviews. Rolling Stone calls her voice "irritating as hell".

July 28
1987: The Ice-T album Rhyme Pays becomes the first hip-hop album to get a warning label for explicit lyrics.

July 29
1978: The Grease soundtrack hits #1 in the U.S. with songs "You're the One That I Want" and "Summer Nights."

July 30
2003: When the SARS outbreak spread to Toronto, it scared a lot of people away (including me; I was supposed to attend a conference and chickened out). To get visitors back, the city put on an open-air concert featuring The Rolling Stones, The Guess Who, Rush, The Isley Brothers, The Flaming Lips and Justin Timberlake (who was jeered). Approximately 450,000 people attend.

July 31
1980: The Eagles break up after Glenn Fry and Don Felder go at it on stage. Here's a clip with the band retelling that fateful evening...

 

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