Zappagram #19
Sadly, we lost some legends this past week, some rockstar marriages are ending, and Robert Plant is celebrating his 74th birthday
Hey friends,
Sadly, we lost some legends this past week, some rockstar marriages are ending, and Robert Plant is celebrating his 74th birthday.
It’s been a busy week and we’ve got lots to cover, so let’s dive in…
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Inquiring minds want to know
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What’s your all-time worst concert experience?
Reply to this email privately or leave a comment and share with everyone.
“When we listen to music we are not listening to the past, we are not listening to the future, we are listening to an expanded present.”
―Alan Watts
RECENT ESSAYS
The latest essays by Chris Zappa
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The Worst Album Titles of All Time
Volume one (of many)
Celebrating the Queen of Bass, Carol Kaye
The fascinating story of an unsung music legend
HEAVY ROTATION
New weekly playlists highlighting great music
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WEEKLY PLAYLIST #19
Illiterate Light & Devon Gilfillian • Typhoon • Stephen Sanchez & Em Beihold • The New Pornographers • Spectre Jones • The Tripwires • Tycho • Cannons • Warpaint • Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
MASTER PLAYLIST (ALL WEEKS)
MUSIC NEWS
The latest happenings in the world of music
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Michelle Branch Arrested for Domestic Assault; Splits With Patrick Carney
“The rug has been completely pulled from underneath me and now I must figure out how to move forward,” Branch says after accusing Black Keys drummer of infidelity. [via RollingStone]
Motown Legend Lamont Dozier Dies at 81
The Detroit hitmaker was behind countless foundational pop classics with Holland-Dozier-Holland, including 10 Supremes chart-toppers. [via Pitchfork]
Olivia Newton-John, Beloved ‘Grease’ Actress & Singer, Dies at 73
Newton-John had been open about her breast cancer journey since she was first diagnosed in 1992 at the age of 43. [via Billboard]
Spotify Is Testing New Feature to Sell Concert Tickets Directly to Fans
The streaming service previously linked to external sites like Ticketmaster, but now they’re looking to take a cut of the fees. [via Consequence]
The National Tease a New Song with Bon Iver
The National appear to be on the precipice of a new single release, as posters for a song titled “Weird Goodbyes” (featuring Bon Iver) have begun to circulate. [via NME]
Jenny Lewis Cancels 2022 Indoor Concerts Due to COVID-19
A handful of September shows have been called off “out of an abundance of caution due to the ongoing COVID situation.” [via Pitchfork]
Broken Bells Sets Release Date For First Album Since 2014
Broken Bells has set an Oct. 7 release date for its third album, Into the Blue, and released what’s being described as the project’s first official single, “Saturdays.” [via Spin]
Metallica’s James Hetfield Files for Divorce from Wife of 25 Years
Metallica frontman James Hetfield quietly filed for divorce from his wife, Francesca, earlier this year. The couple has been married for 25 years and share three children together. [via Consequence]
Wilco Announce Icelandic Residency
Wilco have shared a fourth preview for the forthcoming reissue of their seminal 2001 album ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’ – a “live in the studio” take of the song “Ashes Of American Flags” – alongside the news of their first-ever shows in Iceland. [via NME]
NEW RELEASES
Listen to these recently dropped albums
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Alicia Keys: KEYS II [listen]
Danny Elfman: Bigger. Messier. [listen]
Erasure: Day-Glo (Based on a True Story) [listen]
Goo Goo Dolls: Chaos In Bloom [listen]
UPCOMING RELEASES
These albums are coming soon
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AUGUST 19
Cass McCombs: Heartmind • Charlie Burg: Infinitely Tall • Hot Chip: Freakout/Release • Marketa Irglova: LILA • The Mountain Goats: Bleed Out • Panic! At The Disco: Viva Las Vengeance • Röyksopp: Profound Mysteries II • Silversun Pickups: Physical Thrills • Watkins Family Hour: Vol. II
AUGUST 26
Ezra Furman: All of Us Flames • Julia Jacklin: Pre Pleasure • Muse: Will of the People • Regina Spektor: 11:11 • Stella Donnelly: Flood • William Orbit: The Painter
SEPTEMBER 9
The Afghan Whigs: How Do You Burn? • Built to Spill: When the Wind Forgets Your Name • Charles Stepney: Step on Step • Jockstrap: I Love You Jennifer B • Oliver Sim: Hideous Bastard • Ozzy Osbourne: Patient Number 9 • Preoccupations: Arrangements • Santigold: Spirituals
VIDEO SPOTLIGHT
See it to believe it
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Warpaint: Live From The Basement
Watch Los Angeles-based band Warpaint perform a magical live set on the iconic From The Basement series. [via YouTube]
ON THIS DATE
Musical happenings of historical significance
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AUGUST 15
Birthdays: Jimmy Webb (1946) • Tom Johnston of The Doobie Brothers (1948) • Lennon and McCartney drove from Liverpool to Skegness, to ask Ringo Starr to join the Beatles. (1962) • Woodstock Festival was held on Max Yasgur's 600-acre farm in Bethel outside New York. (1969) • Paul Simon played a free concert in New York's Central Park before an audience of 750k people. (1991)
AUGUST 16
Birthdays: Scott Asheton of The Stooges (1949) • Madonna (1958) • Emily Robison of The Chicks (1972) • Vanessa Carlton (1980) • Elvis was found dead in the bathroom of his Graceland mansion in Memphis. (1977) • Paul Simon married Carrie Fisher. (1983) • Aretha Franklin died in Detroit at the age of 76. (2018)
AUGUST 17
Birthdays: Belinda Carlisle (1958) • Maria Mckee (1964) • Nirvana shot the video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” at GMT Studios in Culver City, California. (1991) • Jackson Browne sued John McCain for his unauthorized use of “Running on Empty.” (2008)
AUGUST 18
Birthdays: Greg Leisz (1949) • Marvin Isley (1953) • Régine Chassagne of Arcade Fire (1977) • Frances Bean Cobain (1992) • Two Missouri girls were killed and a third critically injured when a car being driven by an 18-year-old Memphis teen swerved into a crowd of over 2,000 mourners standing in front of Graceland at about 4am. The driver was charged with drunk driving, leaving the scene of an accident, and two counts of 2nd degree murder. (1977)
AUGUST 19
Birthdays: Ginger Baker of Cream (1939) • Johnny Nash (1940) • John Deacon of Queen (1951) • Saxophonist LeRoi Moore, a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band, died aged 46. (2008)
AUGUST 20
Birthdays: Isaac Hayes (1942) • Robert Plant (1948) • Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy (1949) • John Hiatt (1952) • Michael Shuman of Queens of the Stone Age (1985) • American keyboard player and bassist Larry Knechtel died at the age of 69 of an apparent heart attack. He is best known as a member of the Wrecking Crew who worked with such artists as Simon And Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, The Beach Boys, The Doors, Jerry Garcia, Elvis Presley, and as a member of the 1970s band Bread. (2009)
AUGUST 21
Birthdays: Count Basie (1904) • Joe Strummer (1952) • Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone had a four-hour brain surgery operation, after being found unconscious in a New York Street where he had been involved in a fight. (1983) • Don Everly, the surviving member of The Everly Brothers, died at the age of 84. (2021)
OFF TOPIC
May or may not be music-related
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Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis Launches Jigsaw Puzzle Subscription Service
J. Mascis announced Wednesday that he has co-founded a subscription puzzle service that jigsaws some of music’s most iconic album covers. [via RollingStone]
Watch Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Ween, & Primus Play “America, Fuck Yeah!” At South Park 25th Anniversary Concert
Ween and Primus played together and separately, and both Parker and Stone came out to play with them. [via Stereogum]
Weezer Cancel Broadway Residency Due to “Low Ticket Sales”
Say it ain’t so: Weezer won’t be coming to Broadway, after all. The five-night event has been canceled “due to low ticket sales and unbelievably high expenses.” [via Consequence]
When Wet Leg Met Wet Leg Superfan David Byrne
The ladies in Wet Leg are a shy pair, but today both members of the suddenly famous indie-rock duo are extra quiet. Why? They’re about to meet one of their heroes. [via Vulture]
Jeff Tweedy Explains Why People Singing Together Might Just Save Humanity
The Wilco frontman, Waxahatchee, Björk, and more will share new music and insights on creativity on the podcast series, Listening. [via RollingStone]
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Love, peace, and harmony.
CZ 🤘🏻
Worst of all time? Good question.; I've been to some really shitty shows. If I had to pick one, it would be Nitzer Ebb. They were opening for Depeche Mode at the Coliseum, and it just...sucked. I don't know if they were having an off night, equipment issues, or both, but it was a disaster. And I'd been really looking forward to seeing them, so the unmet expectations made it all worse.
After that, probably a local PDX band who's name I've forgotten. It was at Melody Ballroom in that era when everyone was trying just a bit too hard to be weird. As soon as the bassist came out in full armor, I knew it was over. And it was; they lasted about 3-4 songs before being booed off the stage.
The National + Bon Iver? Didn't even hear the song and I already want a full collab album!