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Daily Music News Report for 06/11/2016


Troy Ave Indicted By Grand Jury For T.I. Concert Shooting

(Radio.com) A grand jury has voted to charge rapper Troy Ave, born Roland Collins, for a shooting at a T.I. concert at New York club Irving Plaza that left one dead and three injured.

An indictment containing the charges will be filed within two weeks, according to the prosecutor Christine Keenan, reported New York Times. Last month, Collins was captured on surveillance cameras firing a gun in a shooting that left his own bodyguard dead.

Troy Ave still maintains his innocence and just released a mixtape addressing the situation, claiming that he took a gun from a man who tried to 'assassinate" him and turned 'the tables 'round like a G." Read more here.

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Drake's 'Views' Album Surpasses 1 Billion Streams

Drake's latest album "Views" has surpassed over 1 billion streams in the U.S. since its release on April 29th. This gives the rap star his second over 1 billion streamed album.

The album has also held the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top 200 for five consecutive weeks. He's the "first male to lead both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Top 200 concurrently for more than three weeks in over a decade."

Drake will be hitting the road this summer to promote the album with a North American tour. The Summer Sixteen Tour will also feature Future and is set to kick off on July 20th in Austin, Tx. See the dates here.

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Axl Rose Talks Relationship With AC/DC's Angus Young

(Radio.com) Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose gave a rare interview this week at the China Exchange in London when he hit town to perform as the lead singer for AC/DC. He discussed his relationship with Angus Young and a possible memoir.

Regarding his relationship with Young, Rose said, "It's great. I can't really explain it. I feel something' I feel protective, [like] I do not want to let this guy down, more than almost anybody I've ever met. And I don't know why.

"And he's very responsive to me. And they said they hadn't seen him this happy, they hadn't seen him moving around [as much before]. So that's kind of a neat thing between musicians."

When asked about the possibility of a memoir, Rose said, "I think so--possibly, yes. But it's tough, because I have to figure out how to word things in a way that doesn't just look like I'm being negative to everyone else or calling them a liar."

He continued: "Slash and I hadn't talked in 19 years, and when we did talk, I was, like, 'You wrote a lot of stuff [in your book] that didn't even happen. It's not real.'" Read more and watch the full interview here.

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Prince 'Tribute' Comic Book Released

(Radio.com) Prince has been deified in film, television, photos and countless recordings and now he has been immortalized in comic book form as well. Tribute: Prince came out on the late singer's birthday, June 7, which was declared 'Prince Day' by Minnesota governor Mark Dayton, reported by Rolling Stone.

Published by Storm Entertainment, the comic was written by Michael L. Frizell and features illustrations by Ernesto Lovera and Vincenzo Sansone. The 24-page comic book "chronicles his meteoric rise to dominance in the pop/funk music scene."

'I first became aware of Prince's music when I was in high school thanks to '1999,' 'Little Red Corvette' and other [songs]," Frizell said in a statement. "I remember listening to his stuff almost religiously when the soundtrack to Purple Rain hit. His sound and lyrics defined the era for me in ways that Michael Jackson didn't and, quite frankly, couldn't." Read more here.

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Needtobreathe Release 'Happiness' Video

Needtobreathe have released a music video for their new single "Happiness." the song is the lead track from their forthcoming "H A R D L O V E." which is set to be released on July 15th.

Frontman Bear Rinehart had the following to say about the track and video, "Happiness was a lot of fun to make...who doesn't want to run around the streets of LA in the dead of night? It's also the first video we've ever gotten to show off our athletic skills. You're welcome America. #Rio2016"

The video was directed by Noble Jones (Taylor Swift, OneRepublic, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban) and shot overnight in the streets of Downtown Los Angeles. Watch the video here.

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Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers' Greatest Hits Going Vinyl

(UM) Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Greatest Hits collection is set to be released on vinyl for the first time in North America on July 29 as a double LP on 180-Gram Black Vinyl. The album is the biggest selling in the band's illustrious catalog, with sales surpassing twelve million copies since its 1993 release.

The album, which has sold over surpassing twelve million copies since its 1993 release, contains eighteen classic tracks including "American Girl," "Refugee," "Learning To Fly," "Don't Come Around Here No More" and many others.

The collection also features the singles from Tom Petty's solo album Full Moon Fever including "Free Fallin," "I Won't Back Down" and "Runnin' Down A Dream." Rounding out the track listing are "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and a cover of Thunderclap Newman's "Something In The Air" which were first made available on this hits collection. See the tracklisting here.

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Aerosmith In The Studio For 'Rocks' 40th Anniversary

(ITS) A new episode of the syndicated radio show In The Studio: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands celebrate the 40th anniversary of Aerosmith's Rocks album. The show sent over the following details:

By the end of 1975 Aerosmith had sold three million copies of their breakthrough third album Toys In The Attic. Against all conventional wisdom their manager had convinced their record company to re-release a song from Aerosmith's very first album called "Dream On" for the third time, even though it had failed twice before. This time "Dream On" goes to # 6 on the Billboard chart a full five years after it had been released. It was under this head of steam that Aerosmith's next album Rocks was written and recorded for release in May 1976.

Aerosmith Rocks was not so much a simple album title as it was a definitive declaration of intent. Joe Perry reflects on the legacy of Aerosmith, America's premiere hard rock band, with InTheStudio host Redbeard.

"The greatest strength of the band is our ability to play live. This (Rocks album) is basically a live record... It's what you would have heard if you were standing in the middle of the room when we recorded. - Joe Perry

It was during this mid-'70s "make it and spend it" period of sex, drugs and rock and roll that Perry and lead singer Steven Tyler earned the notorious nickname "The Toxic Twins", choices which soon proved to be very costly for all the members of Aerosmith. Guitarist Brad Whitford can never forget.

"When I saw the movie about Syd Vicious and when I saw the movie Spinal Tap, everybody sat in theaters laughing... And I watch those movies and said, 'Part of that is my life, FOR REAL! '... I live with painful memories. I refuse to forget. A knot in my stomach and dreadful fear for someone... Some really bad times this band went through with drugs and alcohol, which almost took this band and a whole lot of other things away." - Brad Whitford. Stream the episode here.

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Butch Walker Announce Album And Tour, Streams New Single

Butch Walker returns with a new album and tour. He will release his new studio album, entitled "Stay Gold", on August 26th and he has revealed a stream of the first single "East Coast Girl".

The new song is streaming here and Walker will be launching a North American tour in support of the album on August 17th in Orlando, FL. The trek will feature support from The Wind and The Wave and Suzanne Santo.

Walker had the following to say about the follow up to his 2015 Ryan Adams' produced "Afraid Of Ghosts" album, "After coming out of the AOG album cycle and tour where, at the risk of sounding ridiculous, I spent a lot of time on stage bawling my eyes out, I felt a very calm sense of peace. Like I'd done what I needed to do to get it outta my system.

"Every song that came after that was almost a nostalgic, celebratory...for lack of a better word - 'jam.' And the songs just kept coming to me, which was good because that's not always the case!" See the tour dates and album tracklist here.

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Jackyl Streaming New Song 'Rally," Announce Album Release

Jackyl are streaming their new track "Rally". The song is the first track released from the group's forthcoming album 'ROWYCO,' which will be released on August 5th.

Frontman Jesse James had this to say about the new album, "It's a Jackyl record at its core, but there are some tracks, lyrically, that I went a little deeper on a personal level with some things I had going on at the time.

"It is the thickest sounding production that we have ever recorded. It's just a huge slice of rock. 'ROWYCO' is a very diverse album and every track has its purpose." Stream the song here.

The band is currently on a North American tour which runs until July 30th in New Albany, IN The Backyard. They have additional dates that sees them playing live through November. See the tour dates and the album tracklisting here.

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Bayside Release 'Pretty Vacant' Video

Bayside have released a music video for their new track "Pretty Vacant". The song comes from the group's seventh studio album "Vacancy," which will be released on August 19th.

Frontman Anthony Raneri had the following to say about the new song and video, "The song 'Pretty Vacant' perfectly sums up the lyrical theme of the record and we really wanted to video to do the same.

"We wanted the video to tell the story of someone having the life that they thought they knew disappear. She struggles to gain control of or at least slow down the process of losing her identity but fate is literally dragging her pasts out the door and making it disappear into thin air and there is nothing that she can do about it. "

Raneri adds, "When I was writing this record I felt like a transient and I think writing Vacancy really helped me work through an experience that I had never prepared for, let alone planned on." The Justin Giritlian and Nathan Sam directed video can be streamed here.

The band will be hitting the road this summer for a North American tour in support of the new album. The trek will feature special guests The Menzingers and Sorority Noise. See the tour dates here.

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The Avett Brothers Streaming New Song 'Satan Pulls The String'

The Avett Brothers have released an online stream of their new single "Satan Pulls The String". The Rick Rubin produced song comes from their new their fortcoming album "True Sadness," which is set to be released on June 24th.

Seth Avett had the following to say about the track "'Satan Pulls the Strings' started as a quiet and calm depression-era banjo song, and somehow in the studio it blossomed into a genre that I don't even have a name for...the frenzied yet mechanical energy of it is a first for the band."

Rick Rubin adds: I'm happy to make records to reflect what's done live. But to widen the palette of what's possible might lead to different kinds of songwriting in the future, and just keep the creative process exciting for the band. Check out the song here.

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MSTRKRFT Streaming New Song 'Priceless'

(MSO) MSTRKRFT have released an online stream of their new track "Priceless." The song comes form their group's forthcoming third studio album "Operator," which will be released on July 22nd.

"Priceless" features Sonny Kay of The VSS. Says MSTRKRFT 's Al-P of his contribution to the track, "Our desire to make a techno record with a punk aesthetic guided our choices for vocal contributions.

"Some of our initial ideas on who we wanted on the record started to seem like too grandiose a gesture after being away for so long, so we started thinking about records we listened to from our past.

"From a time when were playing in and recording bands that were absolutely punk. The VSS record 'Nervous Circuits' was something that was constantly referenced, and the vocal stylings and production heavily admired."

He adds, "When we asked Sonny Kay to write something he was very enthusiastic, which excited us, and somehow validated our idea of asking punk rockers to be involved in the album. Sonny ended up delivering a masterful composition of word play with an intense performance that was used almost untouched in its entirety." Stream the song here.

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Post Malone's Jimmy Kimmel Live Network TV Debut Goes Online

(UM) Post Malone made his network television debut on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel LIVE on Wednesday night and video of the performance has been posted online.

Malone performed his new single "Go Flex" on the Outdoor Stage in front of a packed audience. We were sent the following details: Flanked by flaming barrels and a full band, Post strummed out the rustling chords on his acoustic guitar while belting the song's anthemic hook.

Check out his critically acclaimed mixtape August 26 now and be on the lookout for news regarding more music very soon. Watch the Kimmel performance here.

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Grace VanderWaal Reveals Video Of Her Singing At Three-Years-Old

(Radio.com) Twelve-year-old Grace VanderWaal wowed fans with her performance on America's Got Talent. Turns out, she has been singing for quite some time. In a new video posted to her Facebook page, we see a three-year-old Grace catching the performance bug.

"This is a video of Grace when she was 3 years old," reads the caption. "She got this microphone for her third birthday and never put it down. She was constantly wanting to perform little concerts for us.

"It was completely adorable, little did we know how formative those moments were for her. Our family would like to thank everyone for all of the kind and supportive words. This is a very overwhelming time for us but we are just taking it moment by moment." Check out the video here.

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Fitz and the Tantrums Talks New Self-Titled Album

(Radio.com) Fitz and the Tantrums have returned with their third album. The self-titled album marks as much of a departure from 2013's More Than Just a Dream as that album was from their debut LP, 2010's Pickin' Up the Pieces. Singer Michael "Fitz" Fitzpatrick tells Radio.com that that's by design.

"The evolution from record one to record two and now--our third, self-titled record--it has been all about an evolution and taking chances."

They started with a Motown-influenced mod sound on their debut, but were more influenced by '80s new wave on the follow up. This time, they seem to be listening to contemporary hit radio. But the stylistic changes made some band members a bit nervous: "There were people from our own camp that, from record one to record two, were like, 'Wow! It's really different sounding, this is a little scary.' And people were definitely cautious about it."

"But luckily I had other musician friends, and they really gave me the courage to keep going. They said, 'Listen: screw everybody else. Do what you believe in. If you're excited by it, your fans will follow.' And that's been our guiding principal and our mantra."

What "musician friend" gave that advice? "One specifically was my good friend from Airbourne Toxic Event, Mikel Jollett. We live right near each other, we were both making records, he was working on his third, I was working on my second record, and that sophomore record is always so stressful. Many a band have failed on their sophomore record. And I was so paranoid to fail on the second record, that I didn't stop until we had the best batch of songs. And he was really the main guy who said, 'Just trust what you're doing.'"

But the success of More Than Just a Dream let the group know that their fans were willing to follow stick with them, even when they changed their sound. "Having all that success on the last record really empowered us to say, 'You know what? These chances [we're] taking, they're the right risks to take.' I've always wanted to make a truly cross-genre record, that mashes all these different styles, in a way that feels organic and real. So on this latest record, it is just one more evolution. At the end of the day, it's still Noelle and I singing the songs, there's always the saxophone." Read more here.

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Prince BET Awards Tribute To Include Sheila E, the Roots, D'Angelo

(Radio.com) A Prince tribute featuring Sheila E., the Roots, D'Angelo and Janelle Monae will take place at the 2016 BET Awards, which will take place June 26 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

The news comes two weeks after a similar tribute was staged at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards by Madonna and Stevie Wonder. That performance received a lukewarm response from BET and others on social media.

Following Madonna's collaboration with Wonder, BET promptly shared a teaser for their Prince tribute with a tweet that read, "Yeah, we saw that. Don't worry. We Got You." Read more here.

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Ringo Starr Working On New Music

(Radio.com) For over twenty-five years, Ringo has failed to produce an album with his All-Starr band. He managed to round up the members of his latest tour lineup for one track on his 2015 release, Postcards From Paradise, but the former Beatle has yet to sit down with the band and create a full album together.

"I have tried over 25 years now with the All-Starrs to get in a room and write songs and make a record, and it never worked," Starr tells Billboard. 'We know it can work, but everybody has other stuff to do as well.

"Todd [Rundgren], I think he's had two days off 'cause he's on tour himself. Lukather's out there with [Toto]. Greg [Rolie] did the Santana getting back together stuff. I think if we were going to get into this like that, then I think we'd have to forego a lot of the outside issues that we have."

That hasn't stopped Ringo from making new music with some of his All-Starr members, though. The drummer is currently working on eight new songs, two of which were co-written with his current All-Starr Band guitarist, Steve Lukather. Read more here.

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The Killers Live Interpol Cover Goes Online

(Radio.com) Early in their career, The Killers faced comparisons to Interpol. During a show at a casino in Ontario, Canada last week (June 2), the band embraced its alt-pop peers by covering "Obstacle 1" from Interpol's 2002 debut Turn on the Bright Lights.

"There were a couple bands that really sort of lit a fire under us when we were first starting and one of those bands was Interpol," frontman Brandon Flowers told the crowd. "This was one of the songs that was on our [minds] when we were making our first record."

During the show, the band debuted a new (yet untitled) song that mainly featured frontman Brandon Flowers at a piano, according to The Killers News fan site. Watch the Interpol cover here.

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Wilco's Nels Cline Announces New Album 'Lovers'

Wilco's Nels Cline makes his Blue Note debut with the Aug. 5 release of Lovers, an expansive double-album that the guitarist had dreamed of making for over 25 years.

Inspired by the likes of Bill Evans, Jim Hall, Gil Evans, Johnny Mandel, Henry Mancini and others, Cline finally realized his ambitious "mood music" project with an ensemble of 23 stellar musicians conducted and arranged by Michael Leonhart. Lovers was produced by David Breskin and recorded and mixed by Ron Saint Germain.

"I have been dreaming about, planning, and re-working my rather obsessive idea of this record for well over twenty-five years, and it was always going to be called Lovers," says Cline. "It is meant to be as personal in its sound and in its song selection as it is universal in its endeavor to assay or map the parameters of 'mood' as it once pertained, and currently pertains, to the peculiar and powerful connection between sound/song and intimacy/romance. In this, I hope Lovers offers something of an update of the 'mood music' idea and ideal, while celebrating and challenging our iconic notion of romance."

The material on Lovers is wide-ranging; the album's 18 tracks include Cline's striking originals as well as Great American Songbook standards and songs by Sonic Youth, Arto Lindsay, Jimmy Giuffre and others. Cline will premiere Lovers live at the Newport Jazz Festival on Sunday, July 31, with additional performances at UCLA and SFJAZZ next year. See the tracklisting here.

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Roots Picnic Expands To New Location

(Radio.com) The Roots will be expanding their Roots Picnic concert to New York. The two-day event in October features an impressive array of names from hip-hop, R&B and more.

The Roots will headline on both October 1 and 2, but they bring with them several special guests. On October 1, D'Angelo and John Mayer will join them for their set, while on October 2 they are dedicating their performance to New York. The set, titled "Love Letter to NYC," will feature Wu-Tang Clan, David Byrne and Nile Rodgers.

Other performers include Kevin Gates, X Ambassadors, Trombone Shorty, Echosmith and Swizz Beatz with more names to be announced as the festival gets closer. Read more here.

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Justin Bieber Re-Follows Selena Gomez On Instagram

(Radio.com) Last Sunday, Justin Bieber re-followed his ex Selena Gomez on Instagram, sending the Belieber community into a tizzy. Was he attempting to win her back, or making a symbolic gesture that he's finally over it? What do u mean, Justin?

Some were cynical about the development. "It's so obvious Justin and Selena use their relationship for promo it became embarrassing- . (@fIawlesspalvin) June 06, 2016"

Others hoped it was a "just friends" situation. "Can Justin and Selena hang out again they're the cutest I love them as friends relaxing and not caring about the public- angie (@purposeselenur) June 06, 2016" Read more here.

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Weird Al Takes On Political Correctness

(Radio.com) From Bill Maher to Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock to John Cleese, comedians today are speaking out against what they see as a climate of suffocating political correctness. As comedian Jim Norton recently wrote, America "is addicted to the rush of being offended."

"Weird Al" Yankovic is one of the funniest, and least offensive, comedians working today (and he just joined Comedy Central's Comedy Bang Bang as the bandleader; watch new episodes Friday nights at 11:30 ET). All of the artists that he parodies seem to love getting the "Weird Al" treatment. But what's his take on this issue?

"That's a tough question. It's sort of a hot button topic, especially in comedy circles. It's hard for me to answer that. I'm a big believer in free speech; I think you should be allowed to say anything you want."

"From a personal viewpoint," he continues, "There's definitely lines that I would not cross. I don't go into politics at all, just because I learned pretty quickly that that alienates half of your fan base. Even if it's an innocuous political joke, people will get really mad.

So I do feel there are some times where people get a little bit more [air quotes] 'offended.'" Echoing the aforementioned Jim Norton quote, he says, "Especially in our online culture, people get addicted to being offended. They look for things to be offended by. And some things probably are very offensive, and some things would probably be better left unsaid. But I would say there's maybe a little bit more of that currently in our culture than I personally like." Read more here.

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The Head and the Heart Announce New Album, Stream First Single

(Radio.com) The Head and the Heart have announced their third studio album Signs of Light (due out on September 9th), and released a stream of their new single, "All We Ever Knew."

After over four years on the road together, The Head and the Heart took a significant hiatus once they wrapped up their final shows in 2014. The band's members all headed in different directions and threw themselves into new creative projects. That meant when it was time to come together again and record new music, they'd each grown separately in significant ways.

"It almost felt like we were a new band, trying things we hadn't tried," bassist Chris Zasche said in a press release. "We were ready and excited to be back together."

Their growth becomes evident on the new single "All We Ever Knew." The up-tempo song with a singalong chorus starts off by nodding to the style that made The Head and the Heart so popular, but eventually departs for newer territory.

Besides gearing up for their album's release, The Head and the Heart will be appearing on the first two episodes of Cameron Crowe's new television show Roadies. Check out the tracklist and listen to "All We Ever Knew" here.

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Dierks Bentley Received A Lot Of Female Input For 'Black' Album

(Radio.com) Dierks Bentley's brand new Black album takes a different approach to relationships to many contemporary country albums. These days, a lot of songs deal with either the very beginning of a relationship, or the end of one. Black, however, deals with a long lasting relationship, inspired by Dierks' marriage to his wife, Cassidy Black (they've been together for more than ten years, and it's her maiden name that inspired the album's title).

To that end, he decided to have a lot of female input on the album, in the form of duet partners and co-songwriters. As he tells Radio.com, "There's a song with Maren Morris, and I got Elle King to sing on a song called 'Different For Girls,' which really became a full duet. And then I realized I wrote a song with Jessi Alexander that I loved, called 'Light It Up.' I wrote a song about Mardi Gras ('Mardi Gras') with Natalie Hemby, and a song called 'Can't Be Replaced' with Hillary Lindsey. They're all great singers. It just so happens that all three of them are some of the best singers in Nashville, signed or not signed. The record is about relationships, so it's nice to have the other half of the relationship there to add to the conversation and make it more of a dialogue."

Elle King was a breakout singer last year in the pop world, thanks mainly to her hit "Exes and Ohs," but when Bentley cut his duet with Morris, her single "My Church" wasn't yet the smash it would become.

"I think 'My Church' was out, it was just kind of getting started [on the charts]. The way she's on the album is: the song is written by Ryan Hurd and Heather Morgan and a guy named Matt Dragstrem. There was a female voice on the demo, and I loved that voice. And I said, 'I'd love to get that girl, whoever it is, on the record.' Turns out, it was Maren Morris."

"We got Maren in," he continues. "I was just lucky. Maren Morris is now a rising star in country music. I love her voice; we kind of twist the song around a little bit so she could sing more and make it a full duet. I think it turned out great, it's a really cool song." Read more here.

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Howard Jones Announces Two Network Television Appearances

(HGM) Howard Jones has announced that he will grace the stages of two of NBC's top-rated shows, Today and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, June 16th.

Jones will perform on Rockefeller Plaza as part of the "Citi Concert Series on TODAY" in the morning and will sit in with The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon's amazing house band, The Roots, at night.

"TODAY" airs at 7:00AM, ET/6:00AM, CT while "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" airs at 11:35PM, ET/PT/10:35PM, CT, both on NBC.

Howard Jones and his full high-tech band are currently touring the United States as special guests for the extensive Last Summer On Earth tour with Barenaked Ladies and OMD. See the tour dates here.

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Mahaut Teams With Dave Stewart For Album, Releases Summertime Video

(MSO) Dave Stewart has teamed with French artist Mahaut for her debut album Pardon My French, set for release this Fall. The album's first single and music video "Summertime" was released earlier this week.

Stewart and Mahaut met through her father--famed photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino--on a video shoot in France last year. Shortly after that meeting, Mahaut headed to California and met up with Stewart to see his headquarters. While there, the two, in Mahaut's words, "decided to sit in the studio and start making music just for fun, I think neither of us expected anything more at that point. Dave picked up a guitar and recorded a bluesy riff on top of a programmed beat. The word 'summertime' was his idea, not that the production sounded anything summery. And that was exactly his point. I went back to my place in Laurel Canyon to record some vocals, sent it back to him the next day and 'Summertime' was born."

Seeing the results of that initial collaboration, the two decided to embark on making a whole album and a few months later it was completed. "I've always been more comfortable experimenting and recording vocals on my own," MAHAUT adds. "Dave instantly got that and was the first to say 'that's how we should make the whole album.' And we did--none of my vocals on the album were recorded in a studio."

The provocative "Summertime" video was shot at Abraham Lincoln High School in Los Angeles. American photographer and director Olivia Bee gave the clip a dreamy and poetic aesthetic, while Oth'than Burnside (Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Chris Brown, Ciara) choreographed the video.

"For the video we wanted to do something energetic and fun," MAHAUT says. "Wet cheerleaders dancing to a 'summertime' song under pouring rain seemed like a fun plan. Maybe both of our European backgrounds and mindsets explains why bringing some of our French and English rainy weather onto a bunch of happy California cheerleaders sounded appealing." Watch the video here.

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Courtney Barnett Covers The Lemonheads' 'Paid To Smile'

(Radio.com) It is no secret that Courtney Barnett is a huge fan of the Lemonheads. The singer has previously covered "Being Around" and has referred to "Paid To Smile," as "a perfect pop song."

In a recent session with CBC Radio 2's The Strombo Show, the singer covers the Lemonheads' "Paid To Smile." Sitting in the studio alone with an acoustic guitar, she strums the chords and makes the song her own with a stripped down, garage rock feel.

While the Lemonheads' original is clearly more produced, Barnett's version laser focuses on the lyrics which as a result shows the emotion within the song. Check out Courtney's version, and the original, here.

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Eisley Recording New Will Yip Produced Album

(EVR) Eisley have announced that they are back in the studio, recording their fifth full-length album with producer Will Yip (Circa Survive, Balance & Composure, Lauryn Hill).

"One of the things I told Will when we had our first phone call to discuss this album was 'I have no goal for this record except to make something that I'm proud of and love with all my heart.' I sincerely believe that is what we're doing," shares vocalist/guitarist Sherri DuPree-Bemis.

"Besides being a musical genius, Will is a longtime Eisley fan and really knows our back catalogue and is genuinely excited about working with us. And it's equally as exciting for us to be working with him as we are huge fans of him and his work. I think that dynamic really inspires us all when we're working in the studio. Making a record can be super intense, so it's really beneficial to the project when every person involved is inspired. We are all SO thrilled to be here right now - you can feel it and hear it in the songs."

"We've been through a lot together as a family, as a band and individually. But somehow, throughout all of the changes we've been through, including some members no longer touring or writing on the new album, we never lost site of why Eisley started in the first place. It has always been about our love for music, our love for each other, being able to share our gifts, being vulnerable and loving people through our music," notes DuPree-Bemis.

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Skate Rockers Arctic Announce New Album

(Action) California skate rockers Arctic have announced that they will release their self-titled debut album on June 24th via Outer Battery Records (Dinosaur Jr., Windhand). We were sent the following details:

Recorded at San Diego's Audio Design with producer Jordan Andreen (Earthless, JOY), the record delivers five towering tracks of the band's "full frontal axe assault".

Not only do Arctic shred fretboards, they are masters at the art of "shredding", literally! The band features guitarist / pro skater Justin "Figgy" Figueroa (also of Harsh Toke), bassist / pro skater Don "The Nuge" Nguyen and drummer / pro skater Frex. Since the band's formation in 2011, Arctic has shared the stage with friends such as High On Fire, Earthless, The Shrine, Ruby The Hatchet and many more.

Artwork and design for Arctic was created by legendary metal illustrator and painter Arik Roper (Sleep, Sunn O))), Earth), adding an indomitable aura to Arctic's voluminous vibe. The LP, available in the electric colors "ice blue" and "Arctic white", is available for pre-order now, at this location. See the tracklisting

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Born Of Osiris Added To Dirt Fest Lineup

(High Road) Born Of Osiris and For The Fallen Dreams lead the new additions to their year's Dirt Fest which will be taking place in Downtown Pontiac Michigan on Saturday, August 13.

Other recent additions include Sea Of Treachery, I Set My Friends On Fire, and The Alpha Complex (featuring ex-Motograter vocalist Michael Woodruff).

"I'm thrilled to have my friends in Born Of Osiris and For The Fallen Dreams join our event. This will be the first time FTFD has played in their home state of Michigan in over two years and their first time back to Dirt Fest since 2006. With Chad (Ruhlig) back fronting the band the timing couldn't be better" says Dalton.

Dirt Fest has a history of giving Michigan bands the spotlight. In 2012 a newly reunited Chiodos performed their first electrifying show back with original vocalist Craig Owens. Dalton's Dirt Fest has also helped launch the careers of bands such as Battlecross, Wilson, and See You Next Tuesday into national recognition.

"Our priority has always been Michigan bands and this year is no exception" Dalton explains. "In addition to Walls Of Jericho, Wilson, Saint Ridley, and of course For The Fallen Dreams, dozens of up and coming Michigan bands like It Lies Within and Heartsick will have a chance to perform alongside the big guys. You never know who the next break out artist will be."

Dirt Fest, now in its 19th year will also host performances from Killswitch Engage, Asking Alexandria, Hatebreed, Attila, Bury Your Dead, & many more.

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Moose Blood Release 'Knuckles' Video

(TeamRock Radio) Moose Blood have released a video for their track Knuckles. The song features on the UK outfit's upcoming album entitled Blush, which is out on August 5 via Hopeless Records. They previously revealed the track Honey.

The band said in a statement: "We're so happy to finally reveal the details of our new record Blush. We're so thankful for how amazing the past year went for us and we can't wait to get things moving again."

Moose Blood have a number of live dates scheduled over the coming months, including a set at the UK's Buterfest event. See the dates and watch the new video here.

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Video Of Teenage Drake Doing Improv Comedy Goes Online

(Radio.com) One of Drake's best qualities is his sense of humor. He shows it off with lyrics that make us chuckle and music videos that induce a laugh. In recent years, he's shown his funny bone by appearing on Saturday Night Live and crushing it.

We may have found where Drake sharpened his quick wit. An old clip of the Toronto star performing improv has surfaced on the internet and it's hilarious.

The clip finds a young Drake delivering jokes at The Rivoli in Toronto. Drake's jokes land with great timing and he gets a gang of laughs in return. As the clip ends, Drake showed off his other skill; he sang a song to close the show.

Check out the video here.

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Chance the Rapper Gets Fixed Up By Beyonce And Jay Z

(Radio.com) Chance the Rapper may be 23 years old, but that doesn't mean he can't use a little help from his "elders" now and then.Beyonce and her husband Jay Z put their combined style and parenting knowledge to use by trying to "fix up" Chance.

The Chicago rapper posted a photo to Twitter on Wednesday (June 8) showing Beyonce and Jay holding onto the bill of his baseball cap. He's sporting one of his own merchandise pieces, the "Chance 3 Snapback," to promote his recently released mixtape Coloring Book.

"My auntie Yonce and Unc tryna fix me up. Pickin on me," Chance wrote with sad and crying emojis to follow. It looks like it's all love in this family. Even for Auntie and Unc's nephew. See the post here.

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Justin Bieber Bonds With His Mother Over Pedicures

(Radio.com) Justin Bieber was out and about in LA earlier this week and made time to book a pedicure with his mom. He and rapper buddy Khalil sat in big chairs getting their toes done while his mom, Pattie Mallette, cheesed for the camera.

It's a positive development in a relationship that's had its share of ups and downs as Justin navigates post-adolescence under the bright lights. Last year, the pop star explained how years of debauchery took a toll on his relationship with his mother, which he described as "pretty nonexisting."

"I was distant because I was ashamed," he told Billboard. "I never wanted my mom to be disappointed in me and I knew she was. We spent some time not talking, so it takes time to rebuild that trust. She's living in Hawaii now, so it's hard, but getting better. She's an amazing woman and I love her."

One year earlier, Pattie told U.K. tabloid The Sun, "I think so many people go into the entertainment industry with amazing Christian roots and they go in with the right morals and they get influenced somehow' I ask that people keep me and Justin in their minds. I pray for him every day' If Justin's struggling, don't kick him when he's down or condemn him-pray for him." See the post here.

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