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Music News: Glass Animals drummer seriously injured in accident

Joe Seaward performs with Glass Animals at The Current in 2016.
Joe Seaward performs with Glass Animals at The Current in 2016.Leah Garaas | MPR

by Jay Gabler

July 13, 2018

Glass Animals have canceled a run of shows while drummer Joe Seaward recovers from a dangerous accident. Last week in Dublin, Seaward was biking when he was hit by a truck, resulting in a skull fracture and a broken leg.

According to frontman Dave Bayley, Seaward suffered a brain injury that has limited his speech, but Bayley writes on Instagram that he's "so optimistic" regarding the prospects of Seaward's recovery. "He still laughs at all my s--t jokes," writes Bayley, "and demands we wake him up so he can watch the World Cup while [we] feed him ice cream and grapes."

Two of the canceled shows were opening slots for Beck; Jenny Lewis has stepped in to play those shows. (Billboard)

John Legend could EGOT

Singer-songwriter John Legend, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyricist Tim Rice are each on the brink of an EGOT with Emmy nominations for their participation in NBC's live Easter musical Jesus Christ Superstar. All three already have Grammys, Oscars, and Tonys.

In other music-related Emmy news, Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) is up for Best Actor in a Comedy (Atlanta); while the critically-acclaimed third season of Twin Peaks, featuring appearances by musicians ranging from Eddie Vedder to Nine Inch Nails to the Cactus Blossoms, was completely shut out.

This year's Emmys will be presented on Sept. 17. (New York Times)

Exec leaves Billboard amidst controversy

John Amato has resigned as the head of the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group, in the wake of claims that he "suppressed articles in Billboard that were critical of Charlie Walk, a prominent record executive and longtime friend who had been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women and was subsequently fired by his label, the Republic Group," reports the New York Times. An internal investigation into those claims of story suppression is ongoing, but officially, no reason was given for Amato's resignation.

As the Times notes, the resignation comes as Billboard struggles, in the streaming era, to retain its longtime position as the music industry's go-to publication for news and chart rankings.

Chance says Kanye will produce his next album

Chance the Rapper says that his next album will be recorded in Illinois with another famous Chicago musician: Kanye West. "Working under him, working with him on his albums is crazy, but having him tell me that he wants to produce my album and come to Chicago is like...This month, we're working in Chicago," Chance said in an interview with (where else?) Windy City Live. (Billboard)

Ben Stiller's teenage band reissuing 1982 album

Capital Punishment are reissuing their 1982 album Roadkill. Haven't heard of Capital Punishment? Maybe you've heard of the post-punk band's drummer: Ben Stiller. The actor formed the band in 1979 with three of his high school classmates.

As Pitchfork notes, "In addition to Stiller, the band featured Kriss Roebling (whose ancestors built the Brooklyn Bridge back in the 19th century), Peter Zusi (a current professor of Slavic studies), and Peter Swann (who would go on to become a Supreme Court Justice for the state of Arizona)."