Zappagram #16
Radiohead's future is up in the air, Red Hot Chili Peppers to release another album in 2022, and I hope Eddie's voice gets Vedder
Hey friends,
It’s hotter than hell outside, so it’s a great week for some cool new music.
Fortunately, it was a busy week in the world of music and I’ve got plenty of coverage below. Let’s jump right in!
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Inquiring minds want to know
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If you could see any band or artist, living or dead, in concert who would it be and why? Let me know in a private reply to this email or leave a comment and share with the rest of the class.
“Music is my religion.”
―Jimi Hendrix
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
How To Automatically Skip Music You Don't Like
A helpful tip for Mac users
HEAVY ROTATION
New weekly playlists highlighting great music
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WEEKLY PLAYLIST #16
The Heavy Heavy • Noah Kahan • Jack White • Camp Cope • Local Natives • The Tallest Man On Earth • Ben Harper • Taylor Rae • Strand Of Oaks • Elliott Smith
MASTER PLAYLIST (ALL WEEKS)
MUSIC NEWS
The latest happenings in the world of music
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Pearl Jam cancels shows due to Eddie Vedder’s vocal issues
The singer’s throat was damaged by “heat, dust, and smoke” during Paris show last weekend. [via Spin]
Pat Benatar says she won’t be singing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” on tour amid mass gun violence
"Fans are having a heart attack and I’m like, I’m sorry, in deference to the victims of the families of these mass shootings, I’m not singing it. If you want to hear the song, go home and listen to it.” [via Billboard]
Ed O’Brien talks Radiohead’s future plans, indicates that they “might happen…might not”
“There’s no Radiohead at the moment." [via NME]
Tom Morello accidentally tackled by security guard at Rage Against the Machine show
The guard was intercepting a fan who’d rushed the stage when he crashed into the guitarist during the band’s Toronto concert. [via Pitchfork]
U2 will play grand opening of world’s largest sphere
The band is set to be the first act to perform—part of a multi-show residency—at the MSG Sphere at the Venetian in Las Vegas when the new $1.8 billion arena opens next year. [via Stereogum]
St. Vincent, James Taylor, and Joe Walsh mark first-ever The Late Show With Stephen Colbert musical residencies
The new foray for the late-night classic kicks off July 25. [via AVClub]
Red Hot Chili Peppers announce new double album
Frontman Anthony Kiedis shared news of the band's second album of 2022 titled “Return of the Dream Canteen.” [via Billboard]
Julian Lennon changes his name to…Julian Lennon
The son of the late John Lennon and Cynthia Powell confirmed that he legally changed his name from “John Charles Julian Lennon” to “Julian Charles John Lennon.” [via HollywoodLife]
There's a Harry Styles college class and it's a sign of the times
Texas State University’s Honors College is offering a course about the pop star for its Spring 2023 semester. [via Bustle]
Marcus Mumford plots North American tour in support of solo debut
The singer-songwriter will tour the U.S. and Canada later this fall after releasing his new self-titled LP. [via RollingStone]
NEW RELEASES
Listen to these recently dropped albums
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Ben Harper: Bloodline Maintenance [listen]
Jack White: Entering Heaven Alive [listen]
ODESZA: The Last Goodbye [listen]
She & Him: Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson [listen]
The Heavy Heavy: Life and Life Only EP [listen]
The Kooks: 10 Tracks to Echo in the Dark [listen]
UPCOMING RELEASES
These albums are coming soon
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JULY 29
Amanda Shires: Take It Like a Man • Andrew Tuttle: Fleeting Adventure • Chat Pile: God’s Country • King Princess: Hold On Baby • Maggie Rogers: Surrender • Of Montreal: Freewave Lucifer F<ck F^ck F>ck
AUGUST 5
Glass Animals: Dreamland: Real Life Edition • Heavy Gus (feat. members of The Lumineers and Blind Pilot): Notions • Neil Young + Promise Of The Real: Noise & Flowers • Pussy Riot: Matriarchy Now
AUGUST 12
Alicia Keys: KEYS II • Danny Elfman: Bigger. Messier. • Erasure: Day-Glo (Based on a True Story) • Goo Goo Dolls: Chaos In Bloom • Hollywood Undead: Hotel Kalifornia
VIDEO SPOTLIGHT
See it to believe it
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Running Up That Hill in the style of Master of Puppets
Thanks to Stranger Things season four, the resurgent popularity of both Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” and Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” has no doubt left you a little burned out on both of these great songs. But you’ve never heard either song blended like this. [via YouTube]
ON THIS DATE
Musical happenings of historical significance
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JULY 25
Birthday: Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth (1958) • The Woodstock ‘99 Festival ended with riots resulting in 120 people being arrested. Three people died during the 3-day festival and many were hospitalized after drinking polluted water. (1999)
JULY 26
Birthdays: Mick Jagger (1943) • Roger Taylor of Queen (1949) • Grateful Dead keyboardist Brent Mydland died aged 38. (1990) • JJ Cale, aged 74, died of a heart attack. (2013) • Joey Jordison of Slipknot died, aged 46. (2021)
JULY 27
Birthdays: Juliana Hatfield (1967) • Pete Yorn (1974) • Fans of rock & roll were warned that tuning into music on the car radio could cost you more money. Researchers from the Esso gas company said the rhythm of rock & roll could cause the driver to be foot heavy on the pedal, making them waste fuel. (1958)
JULY 28
Birthday: Richard Wright of Pink Floyd (1943) • Thousands of public phone booths in Moscow were vandalized after thieves stole parts of the phones to convert their acoustic guitars to electric. A feature in a Russian youth magazine gave details on how to do this. (1969) • Dusty Hill of ZZ Top died, aged 72. (2021)
JULY 29
Birthdays: Geddy Lee and Patti Scialfa (1953) • Danger Mouse (1977) • Cream made their live debut at the Twisted Wheel, Manchester, England. (1966) • Cass Elliot died, aged 32. (1974)
JULY 30
Birthdays: Buddy Guy (1936) • Jimmy Cliff (1944) • Kate Bush (1958) • Seth Avett of The Avett Brothers (1980) • Jack White’s mission to play the first record in space was accomplished. “A Glorious Dawn” by composer John Boswell, mixed with audio of Carl Sagan describing the universe, was played almost 18 miles above Earth on a "space-proof" turntable. The record played for 80 minutes until the balloon carrying the contraption burst and sent the turntable hurdling back towards earth where it landed in Marsing, Idaho. (2016)
JULY 31
Birthdays: Bill Berry of R.E.M. (1958) • Fatboy Slim (1963) • The Beatles recorded “Hey Jude.” (1968) • Morrissey claimed he was sexually assaulted by a security officer at San Francisco International Airport. Security camera footage confirmed that nothing out of the ordinary occurred. (2015)
OFF TOPIC
May or may not be music-related
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Neil Young not ready to play live: “I don’t think it is safe in the pandemic”
Neil Young has not performed live since the pre-pandemic days of 2019, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be returning to the stage any time soon. [via NYA]
Chris Cornell celebrated by wife and daughter on SiriusXM special show
The rock icon was celebrated by his family on what would have been the late singer’s 58th birthday. [via AmericanSongwriter]
Minneapolis’ venue cancels Dave Chappelle show after backlash
On Monday, famed Minneapolis venue First Avenue announced a surprise show from Dave Chappelle, who came under fire last year for remarks that many deemed transphobic. Now, after receiving backlash on social media, First Avenue has canceled the sold-out set. [via Stereogum]
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Love, peace, and harmony.
CZ 🤘🏻
Zappagram #16
How is it that Thurston Moore is only 2 years younger than me? I LOVE Jack White's latest and plan to write about it soon. Looking forward to listening to Amanda Shires' latest!
"I hope Eddie's voice gets Vedder." Ha!