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Music News: Watch the Ohio State Marching Band pay tribute to Queen

Ohio State Marching Band pay tribute to Queen.
Ohio State Marching Band pay tribute to Queen.Ohio State News on YouTube
  Play Now [7:49]

by Jay Gabler

September 05, 2018

Above, listen to an episode of The Current's daily Music News podcast. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts.


At halftime during the first Ohio State game of the season on Saturday, the school's marching band performed an epic tribute to Queen. Video of the medley caught the attention of Queen's Brian May, who tweeted, "This is truly amazing! What an incredible amount of work went into this performance." (Rolling Stone)

Dolly Parton named MusiCares Person of the Year

Dolly Parton has been named the MusiCares Person of the Year. That means she'll be the subject of a pre-Grammys tribute concert this coming February, as part of a gala that raises money to support people in the music industry experiencing health and/or financial struggles. Recent years' honorees have been Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Lionel Richie, and Bob Dylan. (Spin)

NYC subway pays tribute to Aretha

The New York City subway is paying tribute to the Queen of Soul with signs reading "Respect" at two Franklin Avenue stops. The decals went up on Friday, to coincide with Franklin's funeral. (Billboard)

BTS put K-pop back on top

Earlier this year, the group BTS took their album Love Yourself: Tear to number one on the Billboard 200, making it the first K-pop album to top the chart. Now, they've done it again with a related album. Love Yourself: Answer is the third part of a trilogy, featuring selections from the two previous albums as well as new tracks like the Nicki Minaj collaboration "Idol." (New York Times)

Tenacious D announce animated rock opera

Tenacious D, the comedy-rock band comprising Jack Black and Kyle Gass, have announced a new animated rock opera. Post-Apocalypto will be a six-part online series with every frame animated by Black; the first episode hits Sept. 28, with subsequent episodes dropping every following Friday. Then, on Nov. 2, they'll release an album of the same name.

In a characteristically modest statement, the band summarized the series. (Billboard)

True to the title, Post-Apocalypto finds Tenacious D thrust into a world of complete and utter destruction following the drop of an atomic bomb. Surviving the attack in classic cinematic fashion (a good old imperishable 1950's refrigerator), the duo quickly learns that new forms of evil have spawned from the blast. One thing becomes apparent — for humanity to prevail, Tenacious D must save the world. With unimaginable twists and turns, an insane visit to the White House, a time machine, a space adventure, and the help of some tried and true daddy issues, Post-Apocalypto is as hilarious as it is political, and as brilliant and multi-faceted as its incredible creators.

Who is Sheck Wes?

You may not recognize the name of Sheck Wes — unless you're among the multitude of SoundCloud rap fans. Or a follower of Shaquille O'Neal. Or a reader of the New York Times.

Sheck Wes is a 19-year-old rapper from Harlem, and after going viral on SoundCloud, his track "Mo Bamba" has entered Billboard's Hot 100. O'Neal, model Hailey Baldwin, and the hip-hop megastar Drake are among the celebrities who've given boosts to the track, a swaggering sing-song boast named after Orlando Magic center Mohamed Bamba.

As the Times notes, the track was recorded in one 20-minute take with no written lyrics. The beat was created by three producers who met online, and the one (16yrold) who created the vintage-synth hook doesn't even properly play piano. They liked what Sheck Wes did with it and asked to to create a more refined take, but he declined. Now the song is on major movie and video game soundtracks, and Sheck Wes has a deal with Interscope.


Songs sampled in podcast
Jahzzar: "Comedie" (CC BY 4.0)
BoxCat Games: "Against the Wall" (CC BY 3.0)
Aretha Franklin: "Respect"
BTS feat. Nicki Minaj: "Idol"
Tenacious D: Post-Apocalypto teaser video
Sheck Wes: "Mo Bamba"
Ohio State Marching Band: Queen tribute