Zappagram #28
Ringo has Covid for the second time (not good), AC/DC to release a children's book (hell yes), and Weird Al turns 63 (holy christ, we're all so old now...)
Hey friends,
I announced here a few weeks ago that I’m now working as a freelance graphic designer and I’m looking to connect with people, businesses, artists, bands, labels, management—basically anyone at all who may be in need of a logo, album artwork, gig poster, letterhead, package design, etc. You can see some early examples of my artwork on my website at chriszappa.com.
Please pass my name along to anyone and everyone you know, and you’ll have my eternal gratitude.
Alright, enough shameless plugging…
The mother of all music newsletters forges ahead in yet another issue packed with music news, new releases, and a killer weekly playlist. Let’s go…
“Authority is supposedly grounded in wisdom, but I could see from a very early age that authority was only a system of control. And it didn't have any inherent wisdom. I quickly realized that you either became a power or you were crushed.”
―Joe Strummer
HEAVY ROTATION
New weekly playlists highlighting great music
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WEEKLY PLAYLIST #28
The All Seeing I • Todd Rundgren • The 1975 • Local Natives • Weyes Blood • Wye Oak • Noah Kahan • Hozier • Iggy Pop • PJ Harvey
MASTER PLAYLIST (ALL WEEKS)
MUSIC NEWS
The latest happenings in the world of music
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Beck Drops Off Arcade Fire Tour Amid Win Butler Sexual Misconduct Allegations
He was scheduled to open 18 shows on the band's North American trek that begins later this month. [RollingStone]
Ringo Starr Cancels Remaining Tour Dates Amid Second Bout of COVID-19
It comes after the Beatle axed seven shows earlier this month, when he contracted the virus for the first time. [NME]
Wye Oak’s Cover Of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ Finally Hits Streaming Services
Eight years after recording a cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” for the AV Club’s Undercover series, Wye Oak has finally released the track on all digital streaming platforms. [Spin]
Regina Spektor Cancels 2022 Tour After Testing Positive for COVID-19
“I have gone from feeling bad, to worse, to terrible. I’ve lost my voice,” she said. [Pitchfork]
Dan Auerbach-Led The Arcs Prepping First Album in 8 Years, ‘Electrophonic Chronic’
The album's funky first single, "Keep on Dreamin'," is out now. [Billboard]
PJ Harvey and Tim Phillips Unveil Bad Sisters Original Series Soundtrack
PJ Harvey and composer Tim Phillips have shared the series soundtrack to Apple TV+’s Bad Sisters available to stream on all major platforms now. [Consequence]
R.E.M.’S Bill Berry is Back Behind the Kit in New Band
The Bad End’s debut album, ‘The Power and the Glory,’ arrives Jan. 20th. [Spin]
Green Day Ready ‘Nimrod’ Reissue With Unreleased Demos, 1997 Concert
The band mark the 25th anniversary of their 1997 album Nimrod — which featured the hits “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” and “Nice Guys Finish Last” — with a deluxe reissue complete with unreleased demos and a live recording from the era. [RollingStone]
Queen Release Unearthed Song Featuring Freddie Mercury
The band recorded “Face It Alone” during sessions for 1989’s The Miracle, which is being reissued on November 18. [Pitchfork]
Garbage’s Shirley Manson Says Average Musician “Living Hand to Mouth”
"The average musician can no longer survive let alone thrive under the current conditions." [Consequence]
OFF TOPIC
May or may not be music-related
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Actor Robbie Coltrane Has Died Aged 72
Robbie Coltrane, known for playing Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, has died at the age of 72. [NME]
Jury Orders Alex Jones to Pay Nearly $1 Billion for Sandy Hook Lies
I don’t normally feature such headlines in this music-focused newsletter, but I had to include this just so I could say: good—fuck this asshole. I hope he eats from and sleeps in dumpsters for the rest of his pathetic life. [Consequence]
We’re On a Highway to Spell: The AC/DC Kid’s Book Is Coming Soon
The Aussie rock legends are playing a different note, with a children's picture book. [Billboard]
Crazy Diamond: Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett Focus of Upcoming Documentary
Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd will chronicle the early years of the band, as well as the life of the elusive and madcap Barrett after he left the band during the recording of 1968’s A Saucerful of Secrets; Roger “Syd” Barrett died in 2006 at the age of 60. [RollingStone]
Hear Bruce Springsteen Cover Commodores Classic ‘Nightshift’
The Boss shared the video for his cover of the 1985 Commodores hit “Nightshift,” which will appear on his upcoming soul covers LP Only the Strong Survive,out November 11. [YouTube]
Caroline Polachek Shares New Aria Written for Kurt Cobain Opera
“Non Voglio Mai Vedere il Sole Tramontare” appears in Oliver Leith’s Last Days, an adaptation of Gus Van Sant’s 2005 film. [Pitchfork]
The Playlist, Netflix’s Fictionalized Show About Spotify, Is Out Now
The six-episode series dramatizes the story of the streamer’s rise. [Pitchfork]
NEW RELEASES
Listen to these recently dropped albums
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Brian Eno: FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE [listen]
Frank Zappa: Zappa ’75: Zagreb/Ljubljana [listen]
PJ Harvey & Tim Phillips: Bad Sisters (Original Series Soundtrack) [listen]
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Return of the Dream Canteen [listen]
Todd Rundgren: Space Force [listen]
The 1975: Being Funny in a Foreign Language [listen]
Various Artists: Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen [listen]
UPCOMING RELEASES
These albums are coming soon
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OCTOBER 21
a-ha: True North • Abby Sage: The Florist EP • Arctic Monkeys: The Car • Bibio: BIB10 • Frankie Cosmos: Inner World Peace • My Morning Jacket: MMJ LIVE VOL. 2: CHICAGO 2021 • Simple Minds: Direction of the Heart • Siouxsie and the Banshees: All Souls • Sloan: Steady • Taylor Swift: Midnights • Tegan and Sara: Crybaby • Young The Giant: American Bollywood
OCTOBER 28
The Beatles: Revolver (Special Edition) • The Damned: A Night of a Thousand Vampires • Dan Mangan: Being Somewhere • Dead Cross (feat. Mike Patton and Dave Lombardo): II • Garbage: Anthology • Guided By Voices: Scalping the Guru • INXS: Shabooh Shoobah (Deluxe Edition) • King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Changes • Trampled By Turtles: Alpenglow
NOVEMBER 4
Billy Joel: Live at Yankee Stadium • Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Age): Tropical Gothclub • Dermot Kennedy: Sonder • First Aid Kit: Palomino • Jason Collett (of Broken Social Scene): Head Full of Water • John Mellencamp: Scarecrow (Deluxe) • The Lone Bellow: Love Songs for Losers • Phoenix: Alpha Zulu • PJ Harvey: B-Sides, Demos and Rarities • The Police: Ghost In the Machine (Vinyl Reissue) • The Pretty Reckless: Other Worlds • Rayland Baxter: If I Were A Butterfly • Spoon: Lucifer on the Moon • Steely Dan: Can’t Buy A Thrill (Reissue) • William Fitzsimmons: Covers, Vol. 1
NOVEMBER 11
Bruce Springsteen: Only the Strong Survive • Fitz and The Tantrums: Let Yourself Free • Groove Armada: GA25 • Guns N’ Roses: Use Your Illusion I & II (Box Set) • Larkin Poe: Blood Harmony • Phantogram: Eyelid Movies (Expanded Edition) • Sharon Van Etten: We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong (Deluxe Edition) • Smut: How the Light Felt • Warhaus: Ha Ha Heartbreak
NOVEMBER 15
The Smashing Pumpkins: ATUM – Act 1
NOVEMBER 18
The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969 • Mandrake Handshake: The Triple Point of Water EP • Neil Young & Crazy Horse: World Record • Queen: The Miracle Collector’s Edition • Röyksopp: Profound Mysteries III • Vince Guaraldi: Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus (Deluxe Edition) • Weyes Blood: And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow • Willie Nelson: Live at Budokan
VIDEO SPOTLIGHT
See it to believe it
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Noah Kahan Performs Stick Season on Vermont Public TV (2022)
This is the new single from the Vermont musicians newly released album out this past week. The entire album is fantastic and I encourage everyone to check it out. [via YouTube]
ON THIS DATE
Musical happenings of historical significance
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OCTOBER 17
Birthdays: Barney Kessel (1923) • Jim Seals (1941) • Ziggy Marley (1968) • Four Tops singer Levi Stubbs died at his Detroit home, aged 72. (2008)
OCTOBER 18
Birthdays: Chuck Berry (1926) • Laura Nyro (1947) • An image of a naked John Lennon taken on the last day of his life, was named the top US magazine cover of the past 40 years. The Rolling Stone front cover, taken by Annie Leibovitz and showing Lennon curled around Yoko Ono, was picked by editors, artists and designers. (2005)
OCTOBER 19
Birthdays: Peter Tosh (1944) • Pat Simmons (1948) • Spencer Davis, one of the key figures of the 60s beat scene, died at the age of 81. (2020)
OCTOBER 20
Birthdays: Tom Petty (1950) • Snoop Dogg (1971) • Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines of Lynyrd Skynyrd were all killed along with manager Dean Kilpatrick when their rented plane ran out of fuel and crashed into a densely wooded thicket in the middle of a swamp in Gillsburg, Mississippi. The crash seriously injured the rest of the band and crew who were due to play at Louisiana University that evening. (1977)
OCTOBER 21
Birthdays: Manfred Mann (1940) • Steve Cropper (1941) • Elvin Bishop (1942) • Lux Interior of The Cramps (1946) • Brent Mydland (1952) • Steve Lukather and Julian Cope (1957) • Green Day singer Billie Joe was arrested and fined $141 after mooning at the audience during a gig in Milwaukee. (1995)
OCTOBER 22
Birthdays: Leslie West of Mountain (1945) • Stiv Bators of Dead Boys (1956) • Shelby Lynne (1968) • Elliott Smith died under somewhat mysterious circumstances at the age of 34. (2003)
OCTOBER 23
Birthdays: Dwight Yoakam (1956) • Weird Al Yankovic (1959) • Roberto Trujillo (1964) • Bob Dylan recorded 'The Times They Are A-Changin' at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City. (1963)
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Love, peace, and harmony…
CZ 🤘🏻
Heard that Wye Oak cover on WSUM this weekend. Wasn’t sure I was into it at first, but it’s not bad.
Thanks Chris, always great to hear a new PJ Harvey song (while endlessly waiting for a new album!)
(PS you've still not tried my music themed novel, it remains free to subscribe at https://challenge69.substack.com There's even a PJ themed chapter coming up soon, go on give it a try!)