Zappagram #14
Rage Against The Machine returns at just the right time, Ringo turns 82, and Steely Dan covers Joni Mitchell (yes, really)
Hey friends,
This week I’ve got some great music for you on the weekly playlist, along with a ton of music news. The “off-topic” news section is also full to the point of overflowing this week, so let’s jump right in…
“When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest.”
―Henry David Thoreau
RECENT ESSAYS
The latest essays by Chris Zappa
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America the Inexcusable
You can't make it great again if it never really was
HEAVY ROTATION
New weekly playlists highlighting great music
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WEEKLY PLAYLIST #14
Alex Crispin • Houndmouth • Ghost Woman • Papercuts • Vetiver • Rayland Baxter • Neko Case • Richard Swift • Dawes • Wilco
MASTER PLAYLIST (ALL WEEKS)
MUSIC NEWS
The latest happenings in the world of music
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Rage Against The Machine are back with explosive reunion tour launch
At their Wisconsin tour kickoff, Rage proved that they don’t need new songs to speak to this exact moment in American history. [via RollingStone]
The Weeknd postpones Toronto show over telecom network outage
His tour kickoff in Toronto was postponed as the result of a nationwide outage of Canada’s main telecommunications company. [via Pitchfork]
Carlos Santana postpones 6 concerts after collapsing onstage
Out of an “abundance of caution for the artist’s health,” Carlos Santana’s management company announced that the 74-year-old guitar legend will postpone his next six concerts. [via Billboard]
The Killers are planning to release a new album early next year
It’s been 11 months since the release of their seventh LP and already The Killers are working on new material which they hope to start releasing later this year. [via NME]
Dead & Company share pro-abortion rights messages onscreen at concert
Supportive messages and photos of reproductive rights protestors flashed onscreen while the band played “Throwing Stones.” [via Pitchfork]
Bob Dylan re-recorded “Blowin’ in the Wind” last year and it just sold at auction for $1.8 million
”This is actually scarce. It’s the best singer, the best song, great musicians, the sound is killer,” said producer T Bone Burnett about the record. “I’ll say this: I’ve never done anything better, to be sure.” [via RollingStone]
Liam Gallagher criticizes brother Noel over disabled music fan comments: “We’re not all cunts!”
Liam apologized “on behalf of his family” after his brother Noel was criticized over comments he made about disabled festival-goers. All these years later, these two are still at each other’s throats. [via NME]
Dead Kennedys announce Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables 40th anniversary reissue
The new remixed LP comes packaged with essays featuring quotes from Billie Joe Armstong, Dave Grohl, and more. [via Pitchfork]
NEW RELEASES
Dig on these recently dropped albums
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Delicate Steve
After Hours [listen]
Journey
Freedom [listen]
Kissed by an Animal
I Don't Have To Explain Myself To You [listen]
Metric
Formentera [listen]
Neil Young
Toast [listen]
Papercuts
Past Life Regression [listen]
UPCOMING RELEASES
These albums are coming soon
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JULY 15
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead: XI: Bleed Here Now • Arp: New Pleasures • Interpol: The Other Side of Make-Believe • Jeff Beck & Johnny Depp: 18 • The Ballroom Thieves: Clouds
JULY 22
Jack White: Entering Heaven Alive • She & Him: Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson • The Heavy Heavy: Life and Life Only EP
JULY 29
Amanda Shires: Take It Like a Man • Chat Pile: God’s Country • King Princess: Hold On Baby • Maggie Rogers: Surrender • Of Montreal: Freewave Lucifer F<ck F^ck F>ck
VIDEO SPOTLIGHT
See it to believe it
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Stranger Things Composers Break Down the Show's Music
This video is a few years old, but still fascinating. Watch as the composers of the hit Netflix show Stranger Things, Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, break down the music of the show. Kyle and Michael talk about how they were approached by the Duffer Brothers to score the show, the biggest influences on their music, and the differences between the music of Stranger Things season one and two. [via YouTube]
ON THIS DATE
Musical happenings of historical significance
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JULY 5
Birthdays: Robbie Robertson (1943) • Huey Lewis (1950) • Marc Cohn (1959) • Keith Richards was arrested by the Arkansas highway patrol on charges of reckless driving and possessing an offensive weapon, a seven-inch hunting knife. (1975)
JULY 6
John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time. (1957) • American jazz trumpeter, singer and bandleader, Louis Armstrong, died. (1971)
JULY 7
Birthday: Ringo Starr (1940) • Led Zeppelin played their last-ever concert with drummer John Bonham. (1980) • Prince started a five-week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “When Doves Cry.” (1984) • Syd Barrett died. (2006)
JULY 8
Birthday: Beck (1970) • Prince was forced offstage by police halfway through his set at the First Avenue nightclub during a late-night gig in his home town of Minneapolis. The club was only allowed to stay open until 3am but Prince took to the stage at 2:45am. (2007)
JULY 9
Birthdays: Bon Scott (1946) • Mitch Mitchell (1947) • Courtney Love (1964) • Jack White (1975) • The Grateful Dead gave their last concert with leader Jerry Garcia at Chicago's Soldier Field. Jerry would die of a heart attack a month later while in drug rehab. (1995)
JULY 10
Birthdays: Ronnie James Dio (1942) • Arlo Guthrie (1947) • Producer and record company executive John Hammond died. He brought Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Leonard Cohen, and Bruce Springsteen to Columbia Records. (1987)
JULY 11
Birthdays: Peter Murphy (1957) • Suzanne Vega (1959) • Producer and drummer Tommy Ramone (Thomas Erdelyi), from the influential punk rock band the Ramones died aged 65. (2014)
OFF TOPIC
May or may not be music-related
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Inside a Superfan's Secret Friendship With Eddie Van Halen
Over the last five years of his life, the rock icon had a clandestine correspondence with a former music journalist, spilling gossip, gripes, hopes, fears — and revealing himself like never before. [via RollingStone]
Tony Sirico, Star of ‘The Sopranos,’ Dead at 79
The actor’s portrayal of Paulie Walnuts—a no-nonsense mobster with distinctive silver wingtips and a wry sense of humor—made him a beloved figure to fans of the groundbreaking TV series. [via Variety]
R.I.P. James Caan, Oscar-nominated Actor of The Godfather, Thief, and Elf
One of Hollywood’s most iconic and beloved stars, James Caan has died at the age of 82. [via AV Club]
Watch Taylor Hawkins’ Son Play Drums for Cover of “My Hero”
Over the 4th of July holiday weekend, Shane Hawkins—son of the late, great Taylor Hawkins, longtime Foo Fighters drummer—took a seat behind the kit at a Laguna Beach block party to perform the Foos’ 1997 hit. [via Consequence]
Hear Steely Dan’s Rare Cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Carey”
A Steely Dan cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Carey” has been unearthed, and it’s the kind of soft rock summer treat you’d expect. [via YouTube]
Warren Ellis on His Odd-Couple Relationship With Nick Cave
The Bad Seeds multi-instrumentalist reflects on how he and Cave grew over lockdown, a process documented in the film This Much I Know to Be True, which begins streaming this week. [via RollingStone]
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Inquiring minds want to know
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What’s your fondest musical memory from your childhood? Maybe it was the first band you fell in love with, or the first concert you attended, or a music video you loved and watched a million times. Leave a comment and let me know!
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Love, peace, and harmony.
CZ 🤘🏻