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Music News: Eaux Claires begins lineup announcement countdown

Will 2017 be the year Kanye West plays Eaux Claires? One fan, photographed at Eaux Claires in 2016, seems to hope so.
Will 2017 be the year Kanye West plays Eaux Claires? One fan, photographed at Eaux Claires in 2016, seems to hope so.Nate Ryan/MPR

by Jay Gabler

February 06, 2017

Who's going to play this year's Eaux Claires festival? We'll likely find out this coming Thursday at noon. The festival's website has commenced a countdown that ends at that time, along with a video featuring words from the festival's resident poet Michael Perry. This year's festival will take place in Eau Claire on June 16 and 17.

Gaga didn't jump, and here's why

Lady Gaga’s dramatic leap from the roof of NRG Stadium looked jaw-dropping on TV, but it turns out that there was some editing trickery involved: the segment atop the stadium, complete with leap, was pre-recorded. A spokesperson for Intel, which provided the dancing drones for the segment, says that the decision to pre-record the segment was due to uncertainty regarding weather conditions. (NME)

Today's political news

Music services including Spotify and Apple are among 97 companies that have filed a legal brief opposing the travel ban President Donald Trump has placed on travel from seven Muslim-majority countries. "Immigrants make many of the Nation's greatest discoveries, and create some of the country's most innovative and iconic companies," reads the brief in part. (Pitchfork)

Kanye West has deleted a series of tweets about his December meeting with Trump. The meeting sparked outrage among West's many anti-Trump fans. Some are seeing this as a "de-endorsement," but West hasn't elaborated on exactly why he deleted the tweets. TMZ cites sources who say Trump's early actions in office have displeased the hip-hop star. (Consequence of Sound)

Remembering David Axelrod

Composer and producer David Axelrod has died of undisclosed causes at age 83. Axelrod got his start as a session musician in the '60s, then launched a solo career in 1968. He enjoyed a close relationship with the hip-hop community, and was sampled by or collaborated with artists including DJ Shadow, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, and Madlib. (Rolling Stone)

Below, hear Axelrod's arrangement for a track by David McCallum, which became the basis for Dr. Dre's "The Next Episode" beat.

Kylie vs. Kylie

Australian pop star Kylie Minogue has prevailed over Kylie Jenner in a legal battle over whether the latter Kylie can trademark their shared first name. In a letter to the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office, Minogue argued that Jenner should not be able to trademark the name, since if anyone should have claim to owning "Kylie," it should be an "internationally-renowned performing artist, humanitarian and breast cancer activist" rather than a "secondary reality television personality." The trademark was not granted. (Noisey)

Drunk drivers threatened with Biebs

Perhaps taking a cue from the Canadian cops who threatened drunk drivers with a ride to jail listening to Nickelback, the Wyoming, Minn. police department promised that any drunk drivers on Super Bowl Sunday would get a ride to the police station with Justin Bieber’s T-Mobile ad playing the whole time. The tweet went viral, resulting in some confusion that forced the cops to clarify they were in the Upper Midwest, not the Rockies. The tactic seems to have worked: no drunk drivers were apprehended on Sunday. (Pioneer Press)