Has Weird Al Released His Final Album?

When discussing "Mandatory Fun," Al explained to King, "It's probably the last album for me, from now on I am going to be releasing singles...I think that's the way for me to be timely."

During the interview, Al explained how he chooses the right song to parody, hinted at his upcoming plans for Broadway. "It's kind of on a whim. I look for songs who have a unique musical or lyrical hook, something that really jumps out at you when you hear it on the radio and it really boils down to whether or not I can come up with a clever enough idea for it," he said.

When Larry asks if Al ever saw himself leaving the musical world Al responded: "I've gotten some offers to do some writing for some possible Broadway musicals. There's different things I can do with my kind of sensibility and do the same type of comedy but branch out."

Stream the interview here.

Why Beatles Fans Love Mono

Well, a mono recording has all of the sound mixed in a single channel and was intended to be listened to on a sound system with one speaker - such as a turntable with a built-in speaker. Until the late '60s, most rock and pop albums were mixed for mono, since most young people didn't have access to stereo systems.

Stereo recordings use two, or sometimes more, independent audio channels to create the impression of sound heard from various directions. In stereo, vocals and guitars may be mixed in the right speaker while the rest of the instruments are mixed in the left.

At a recent listening session at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, Apple Records played select tracks from the mono vinyl for Radio.com and other members of the press. The LPs were played on a turntable that was part of a McIntosh stereo system, which attendees were told runs about $85,000, "so you'll probably never hear it sound quite this good again."

"Warmth" is a term that is often used in the analog vs. digital debate, and it is an apt description of why it may be better to hear the Beatles in mono rather than stereo.

Listening to these songs in mono, on vinyl and yes, on a stereo that few can afford in a room that few people will visit, there is a warmth that is lacking even in comparison to the recent 2009 mono CD remasters. The distortion at the beginning of "I Feel Fine" sounds more dangerous, while "Money (That's What I Want)" feels more urgent and in-your-face. There is even an added strain in John Lennon's voice that was nowhere near as apparent on CD.

Great arguments have been made in recent years over why vinyl sounds better than CD, but what is the argument for listening to mono instead of stereo? When it comes to The Beatles, it's actually pretty simple.

"When the early Beatles albums were recorded in 1963 through 1967, mono was by far the dominant format in the UK. Beatles producer George Martin recorded these albums with mono in mind from the start," Bruce Spizer, a noted Beatles expert who has written eight books on the band, told Radio.com. "The stereo mixes were an afterthought, with the Beatles rarely present for the stereo mixing sessions. For these reasons, the early mono albums represent the Beatles music as the Beatles and George Martin intended it be heard."

Spizer even said, "[Martin] viewed stereo as a gimmick for Hi-Fi freaks, something that needed to be done to satisfy the bean counters at EMI."

George Martin certainly wasn't interested in making a quick buck if that meant the production would suffer, as Abbey Road's head mastering engineer, Sean Magee, who worked on the mono vinyl project, explained: "There's a great story about when they brought the second speakers into Abbey Road studios, George was like, 'What are you doing that for?' 'Well, we're going to have everything in stereo, so the music will come out of two speakers.' 'What the hell do you want to do that for?'" A lot more.

Avenged Sevenfold Singer Helps Fan Propose During Concert

Fan Beau Barkley roped in the A7X frontman to help him pop the question to partner Micah Manzanarez onstage during the band's recent show as part of the Mayhem Festival at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, USA.

Barkley works behind the scenes of the Mayhem tour and says he wanted to make the proposal special by way of apology for all the time he spends on the road away from Micah.

On Facebook, he says: ""This was a gift from my tour family and myself for all the lonely times I have put her through."

Watch video here.

Jack White Covers Lorde's Royals

White took on the tune during a show on Monday night (July 21) in Wisconsin, where fan Ali Balestrieri posted a clip of the cover song on Instagram.

White's take on Lorde follows recent stabs at such songs as Jay Z's "99 Problems" (which has a complicated history with rapper/actor Ice-T), Kanye West's "Black Skinhead" and a version of Metallica's "Enter Sandman."

Check it out here.

Eric Clapton Premieres Cover of J.J. Cale's 'I'll Be There'

Due July 29, "Eric Clapton & Friends: The Breeze, An Appreciation of JJ Cale", features a collection of 16 Cale tunes revisited by Clapton, Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Derek Trucks and Don White.

"I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)" originally appeared on Cale's third album, 1974's "Okie." Cale passed away from a heart attack in La Jolla, California on July 26, 2013 at the age of 74

Check out the song here.

Ackroyd and Rush Duet

It was 80-year-old Rush's debut appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. After the lively and light-hearted performance Ackroyd pointed at Rush and said simply: "The real thing!"

The actor and musician later told Fallon: "James Brown is gone, Little Richard's not going to tour no more and B.B. King is slowing down. Bobby Rush is the last one left of that generation. Did you see him move?"

Ackroyd appears in upcoming James Brown biopic Get On Up, featuring Chadwick Boseman in the title role. Check out the duet performance here.

Skid Row and Trauma Members Talking Metal

The first interview is with Snake and features discussion on the new
Skid Row EP "Rise Of The Damnation Army - United World Rebellion:
Chapter Two" which is due out August 5 via Megaforce Records, memories
of touring with Aerosmith in 1990 and the Subhuman Race album.

The interview with Donny Hillier features discussion of the upcoming new Trauma album, the 2013 reissue of the Scratch and Scream album, Kurt Fry, Mike Varney, Metallica and numerous memories of former Trauma member Cliff Burton. This is a must listen for fans of Cliff Burton.

Listen to the episode here.

Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner Stars In Bastille Video

With "Oblivion," the members of Bastille have done the smartest thing they could possible to do rouse up press: they cast a television star as the stand-in for the band.

And not just any television star: they've cast Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark on Game of Thrones. Turner takes center stage at a demolition derby and where one would expect to hear the national anthem, she begins lip synching the song to Bastille singer Dan Smith's voice.

It's an interesting change of pace in the very cinematic video career, thus far, of Bastille. Generally the band seems to prefer their music videos with more of a narrative, set up as mini-features but this one is a very different kind of filmmaking. It's a series of images and ideas, in the theoretical style of Terrence Malick, but with a lot more edits. It uses the atmosphere of a place to capture some idea, with the idea itself remaining unspoken. There is no denouement. The viewer is left to assume that this vignette continues to play, even after the cameras have left.

Watch the video here.

KISS Release Behind The Scenes Video Of Gene's Fire Breathing

Simmons' tech Michael Berger can be seen assisting the bassist before and after the fire act, which takes place during the group's 1974 classic, "Firehouse."

The band's latest greatest hits package, "KISS 40", recently debuted at No. 30 on the US Billboard 200. The 40-track collection presents one song from every major album release by the group, live selections and "Reputation", an unreleased demo from 1977.

Watch the video here.

Conor Oberst Releases New Video and Performing On Letterman

"You Are Your Mother's Child" comes from Oberst's new solo album " Upside Down Mountain" The video for the track was filmed on New York's Fire Island and directed by Greg Marinaccio. Watch it here.

Oberst is currently on tour, being backed by Dawes, and will be performing on Letterman on July 28th and the next day he is scheduled to perform at New York City's Central Park SummerStage.

He will be kicking off the fall leg of the tour September 14th in Salt Lake City, UT at Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre and the trek features a special show with folk legend John Prine at the Greek Theater on October 5th. more on this story

The Xcerts Release Shaking In The Wind Video

Their third album is in the works and will be available later this year via Raygun Records. Frontman MacLeod says: "We've actually been playing this song live for quite a while now so we're excited to finally release it. Originally this song had a real 60s vibe to and it was really jangly.

"Over time it got progressively heavier, I then entered a world of fuzz and the song was truly born. Musically It's very simple and very fun. Lyrically the song is about helplessness and how I was solely to blame for finding myself in a regretful position with another person.

"In previous songs I have always found a scapegoat when singing about something I'm to blame for but I've grown up a bit and this time round I'm throwing my hands in the air and admitting my faults."

Watch the video here.

Se Delan Release Chasing Changes Video

Se Delan is a duo that is the brainchild of Crippled Black Phoenix mainman Justin Greaves, alongside Swedish vocalist Belinda Kordic of Killing Mood fame.

The Fall is described as distinct from Greaves' previous work, featuring "uplifting soundscapes complemented by spacious moments of heaviness." Prog called it "an ambient feast of ideas."

Watch the video here.

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