Today’s Music News: Ringo Starr and Lou Reed honored at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
by Staff
December 16, 2014
Ringo Starr and Lou Reed, already Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees as members of the Beatles and the Velvet Underground respectively, will be honored at the Hall of Fame as solo artists on April 18—along with inductees Green Day; Joan Jett and the Blackhearts; the Paul Butterfield Blues Band; Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble; the "5" Royales; and Bill Withers. "I guess I'll have to go buy a suit," said Withers. (Rolling Stone)
The title of Lily Allen's most recent album Sheezus was a play on Kanye West's 2013 album Yeezus, which itself of course was a play on the name of...well, Jesus. On Friday night at the O2 Academy Brixton venue in London, Allen opened her performance by performing the title track of Sheezus while emerging from a Nativity manger. The performance sparked criticism from commenters including Conservative MP Martin Vickers, who said, "This could be extremely offensive to many Christians." (NME)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUh4ae2PMNQ
Speaking of Kanye: according to the Daily Beast, movie footage leaked in the recent Sony Pictures hack includes West re-enacting the iconic Big keyboard dance with Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie.
Canadian industrial band Skinny Puppy say they've been contacted by a former Guantanamo guard who informed them that their music is being used as aural torture. In response, they've invoiced the U.S. government for $666,000. (Gawker)
In a tragic conclusion to a tense standoff, two hostages and their captor died yesterday after Australian police raided a Sydney cafe where a gunman had taken employees and customers prisoner. The situation put all of Sydney into a daylong lockdown; all programming at the Sydney Opera House, including a scheduled show by Damon Albarn, was canceled or postponed. Albarn will perform his show tonight, in addition to another performance he'd also been scheduled to play tonight at the venue. (Billboard)
Soon, you'll be able to buy a bond that will be repaid by pilgrims to the home of the King: a development authority plans to issue up to $125 million in bonds to finance improvements at Graceland. "A 450-room hotel and conference center, restaurants, a theater, and as much as seven acres (2.8 hectares) of retail and exhibit space are envisioned," reports Bloomberg. "The improvements will 'preserve the incomparable legacy of Elvis Presley, The Icon and The Man,' say documents detailing the plan."
Modest Mouse have premiered "Lampshades on Fire," the first single from their forthcoming album Strangers to Ourselves. (The Current)
After saluting the Beatles in association with the most recent Grammy Awards, this year the Grammys will present an all-star tribute to Stevie Wonder. The Feb. 10 concert, which will be entirely dedicated to Wonder's classic album Songs in the Key of Life, will be broadcast Feb. 16 on CBS. (Billboard)
No Shadow, a new 7" by Ryan Adams, is now available for pre-order and will ship on Jan. 13. It features two collaborations with Johnny Depp as well as "a little song I wrote about being stoned in the 7-11 parking lot." (Consequence of Sound)
Iggy Azalea announced a North American tour that will include a stop at Target Center on April 30. (Consequence of Sound)
Ronnie Wood joined boy band One Direction for a performance of their song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" on UK reality TV competition The X Factor. (NME)
