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29 Mar 2023

Megan Thee Stallion Is a Golden Goddess at THR & Jimmy Choo’s Power Stylists Dinner

Megan Thee Stallion joined the iconic Law Roach at The Hollywood Reporter and Jimmy Choo’s Power Stylists dinner on Tuesday night (March 28), celebrating the beloved stylist making the publication’s list of the 25 best celebrity stylists.

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As expected, the “Hot Girl Summer” rapper didn’t disappoint with her Roach-curated look, a gold vintage 1997 Paco Rabanne that was originally worn by Yasmeen Ghauri. The stylist revealed at the event that the outfit was remade “months and months and months ago” by the house’s Julien Dossena. 

Meg added her flair to the look with her natural, voluminous curls as well as a sleek cat-eye makeup look and long, golden nails.

Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion attends The Hollywood Reporter And Jimmy Choo Power Stylists Dinner at The Terrace at Sunset Tower on March 28, 2023 in West Hollywood, Calif.

Donato Sardella/The Hollywood Reporter via GI

“What can I say about Law?” Meg told THR of her fashionable peer. “He’s the best. Like, I’m so upset that he’s going away right now because I need him. The world needs him. But he’s amazing, and we appreciate him so much. We don’t have a business relationship. It’s more like family. I’m still going to bother him, and he’s not going to stop being my family. He’s just not going to be in my closet.”

The event comes just a week after Roach announced his retirement from personal styling, explaining on Instagram that the decision came because “the politics, the lies and false narratives” finally got him. “You win,” he shared. “I’m out.”

29 Mar 2023

Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova Added to Russia’s Most Wanted List

Russian authorities have put a member of the Pussy Riot punk group on a most wanted list for criminal suspects as the Kremlin works to stifle political dissent.

Russian news outlet Mediazona discovered an entry for Nadya Tolokonnikova in the Russian Interior Ministry’s database of wanted individuals on Wednesday (March 29). The entry, also reviewed by The Associated Press, said Tolokonnikova faces criminal charges, but it didn’t specify what the charges are.

Tolokonnikova became widely known for taking part in a 2012 Pussy Riot protest inside Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral. She spent nearly two years in prison.

Earlier this month Russia’s top human rights lawyer, Pavel Chikov, said a criminal case had been launched against Tolokonnikova on the charge of offending religious believers’ feelings, which became a criminal offense in Russia after the 2012 Pussy Riot protest.

Tolokonnikova has left Russia. In 2021, the Russian government designated her as a “foreign agent,” a label that brings additional government scrutiny and carries pejorative connotations that can discredit the recipients.

Russian authorities have applied the designation to independent media outlets and opposition activists.

It was announced last week that Pussy Riot will receive the 2023 Woody Guthrie Prize, with Tolokonnikova telling Billboard after the announcement: “It feels fitting to be awarded in the spirit of Woody, I think he would love Pussy Riot’s anti-fascist message.”

29 Mar 2023

2 Chainz, Juicy J & Free Nationals Headline National Cannabis Festival 2023 In D.C.

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National Cannabis Festival 2023

The annual National Cannabis Festival makes its return to the Nation’s Capital next month, bringing together fans to enjoy stellar music and connect with advocates fighting for access to cannabis. Headling this year’s NCF will be 2 Chainz, Juicy J, and the Free Nationals along with other musical guests and speakers taking to the stage.

The National Cannabis Festival, co-founded by Caroline Phillips in 2015, is about much more than the consumption of cannabis and the music festival. For the seventh NCF, the entire week leading up to the festival will bring together business leaders in the cannabis space, patients, advocates, elected officials, and many more. The NCF will host a number of workshops and related activities all week long, and the festival will feature a collection of national and homegrown acts.

Local favorites and Go-Go legends Backyard Band, funk and soul band Everyday Everybody, cumbia band Cumbia Heights, DC-based production duo Foots and Cole, reggae band Nkula, and DJ Farrah Flosscett will join the aforementioned headliners onstage.

New this year, the NCF is launching 420 Food Week, patterning with area restaurants with specialized items to celebrate the event. More information on 420 Food Week and the entire National Cannabis Festival offerings will be featured below.

420 WEEK

● 420 Week begins the week leading up to the festival from April 15 – April 21. The week will include workshops, demonstrations, unique experiences, music, performing arts, comedy, and more, at venues across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The week also debuts 420 Food Week, a new addition to festival festivities, where visitors and Washingtonians alike can enjoy special menus and special offers from participating restaurants including Jerk At Nite, Little Miner Taco, H Street Country Club, and El Sol serving the best salty and sweet munchies across the DMV. On the day of the festival, the Munchies Zone is where guests will find some of these food vendors and more during the day’s happenings.

● The National Cannabis Policy Summit’s Congressional Forum on Thursday, April 20, assembles cannabis advocates, patients, business leaders, and policy experts for an afternoon of keynote addresses and discussions featuring Members of Congress in the Capitol Visitors Center’s Auditorium. Topics of discussion include expungement, banking, social equity, and paths to federal legalization. Join us for an afternoon of conversation and questions with elected officials addressing the most pressing questions around cannabis policy reform.

EDUCATION

In addition to the concert, the festival features six education pavilions covering topics, including: Wellness, Policy, Culture, Culinary, Grower’s World, and new this year, the Psychedelics education track. The pavilions invite attendees to participate in discussions on the medicinal benefits of cannabis, learn about legislative updates from state and federal advocates, hear from farming, tech, and culture influencers, re-focus their minds with yoga sessions, and more.

LOUNGES

● LGBTQIA+ Lounge, hosted by The Washington Blade, is a place for advocates and community members to gather, network, and share experiences.

● Seniors Lounge (for NCF’s “golden buds”) and the Veterans Pavilion hosted by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and Balanced Veterans, return to serve as retreats for our special guests from the hustle and bustle of festivities.

Learn more about the National Cannabis Festival and additional programming by clicking here.



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Photo: NCF

29 Mar 2023

Katy Perry ‘Made a Promise’ to Orlando Bloom to Stay Sober for 3 Months: ‘I Want to Quit’

Katy Perry‘s weekends are looking a little different now from the ones she sings about in “Last Friday Night” (“We danced on tabletops, and we took too many shots…”).

While attending a curated cocktail event in New York City Monday night (March 27), the pop star declined to drink anything spiked and revealed that she’s currently attempting a three-month sobriety pact with fiancé Orlando Bloom. “I’ve been sober for five weeks today…,” she said at the event, according to People.

“I’ve been doing a pact with my partner and I want to quit,” she added, jokingly pretending to cry.

And when fellow American Idol judge Luke Bryan, who was also in attendance along with Lionel Richie, asked the “Firework” singer if she was going to break her promise to Bloom, she said: “No, girl! I can’t cave. I made a promise. Three months.”

Luckily, Perry didn’t have to abstain from the party completely. The bar was reportedly stocked with her own line of non-alcoholic apéritifs, De Soi. “I definitely can’t drink like I was in my 20s,” she said in an interview when she launched the company last year. “On a weekday, having a couple [of alcoholic drinks] will take me out of the presence game for the next day or two.”

“So I like to have a bit of self-control on the weekdays and then have dinners with friends and stuff on weekends or when I’m not working, et cetera,” continued Perry, who shares a two-year-old daughter with Bloom. “But really it’s about balance.”

29 Mar 2023

‘Busting Myths, Freeing Unicorns’ to Expand Inclusivity for Women in Music (Guest Column)

As a kid, I dreamed of being a unicorn. Now that I am one, I recognize I’m just one of the herd. When I gaze at festival lineups, skirt cables backstage, log onto Zoom meetings with labels or give the post-COVID elbow bump before settling down for an in-person, women are still scarce. We make up a fraction of the music industry, both in presence and recognition. However, we are here and always have been. 

The world of jazz is a microcosm within the industry, but it mirrors the greater whole. While the majority of celebrated titans are men, the smattering of women in the pantheon are often finely coiffed, smiling behind mics and backed by an entirely male band. However, people need to take a closer look. For example,  Louis Armstrong wouldn’t be an international icon without wife Lillian ‘Lil’ Hardin Armstrong. She was a celebrated pianist, composer/arranger, bandleader and singer in her own right long before taking Louis under her wing. Yet, few know her name. 

There are countless other women in front of and behind the scenes who remain obscured, despite the valuable contributions they’ve made to the music and business. How do we bring the overlooked to center stage and expand the spotlight? Enter Grammy- and Tony Award-winning singer-songwriter-actress Dee Dee Bridgewater and The Woodshed Network. 

Bridgewater launched this artists residency in 2019 with me as co-artistic director and program curator. We‘re steadily building community, providing support and educating cohorts of women in jazz. The annual 10-day program (Feb. 27-March 10 this year) is bolstered by a who’s who of women executives, creatives and legends including Sheila E., Lizz Wright, Regina Carter, Maria Schneider and more. Alumnae are busy topping charts (Lakecia Benjamin’s “Phoenix”), releasing albums (Candice Hoyes’ “Nite Bjuti”) and winning Grammys for arrangements and compositions (Marta Sanchez’s “Unchanged” on Terri Lyne Carrington’s New Standards. Vol. 1). 

However, this is just one piece of a very large puzzle. Before you can hold space, you have to create it. The most enduring line from the 1989 movie Field of Dreams can be applied to jazz and the industry more broadly: “If you build it, (s)he will come.” Across the world, various programs are creating spaces for women in all sectors of the industry … and women are joining in droves.

Here are a few tangible examples of those fields plus several accompanying myths that spring to mind. So let’s get down to busting those myths, shall we?

Myth 1: There are no women sound engineers.

Women may make up only 2.1% of engineers, but they’re flipping all the right switches and turning award-winning knobs. Examples: Woodshed mentors Jett Galindoand Grammy winner Jaclyn “Jackie Boom” Sanchez. This dynamic duo has been with the program since its launch, breaking down process, equipment and production in all formats from recording to release. Organizations like Women in Vinyl, SoundGirls and Women’s Audio Mission are also training, supporting and getting gigs for women in sound recording, mixing and mastering.

Myth 2: No women run labels or produce music.  

Betty Carter launched BetCar Records in 1970. Dee Dee Bridgewater launched DDB Records in 2006. Jazzmeia Horn launched Empress Legacy Records in 2020. Lizz Wright launched Blues & Greens Records in 2022. All produce and release projects on their own labels with distributors.  Some 15% of women in the industry overall run labels, while even fewer produce their own material at 2.6%. Throw in songwriting and they figure into that 12.5%. These are just four examples among countless others.

Myth 3: People don’t care about jazz. 

Tell that to the Nice Jazz Festival (founded in 1948, France), Monterey Jazz Festival (f. 1957, USA), Festival International de Jazz de Montreal  (f. 1959, Canada), Montreux (f. 1967) and New Orleans & Jazz Heritage Festival (f. 1970). They’re all going strong. Globally, jazz is one of the most sought-after genres. Ella Fitzgerald said it best: “Music is the universal language.” Yet, when you turn up to one of these festivals, only 14% of the headliners are women.

Considering that women comprise over 49% of the world’s population, influence more than 80% of purchases and are set to hold 66% of consumer wealth in the coming years, this is not a demographic to ignore.

Something is amiss.

So how do we fix it?

1. Start at the beginning organizationally and include women. 

When Woodshed took the Keychange pledge (the global campaign committed to gender equality in the music industry), we realized that we’d already surpassed the goal line. Women make up 90% of our team and 100% of our mentees, mentors and speakers. We have precisely zero problems finding leaders in every category and facet of the music industry who are women. There is so much pent-up desire to mentor and pay it forward that we have a year’s-long list of women who have approached Woodshed to participate on both sides of the table.

2. Make larger tables and bring folding chairs.

When organizations make it central to their mission to include women, not for tokenism, but in acknowledgment of their contributions, experience and expertise, they’re stronger for it. Echo chambers may be good for vocal effects, but they’re terrible for healthy businesses and communities.  A quick internet search yields pages of results for women in various fields of the music industry. Let your fingers do the walking and hire more women in all positions. It’s not a capitulation, it’s a sound investment in your organization’s future.

3. Free the unicorns.

Once individuals and organizations take stock of their own houses, they can look outward to the community. The ripple effect is positive in all aspects. By creating, maintaining and ensuring the health of spaces inclusive of and specifically for women, The Woodshed Network is investing in the future. A thriving jazz community fosters dynamic exchanges of ideas and, in its highest form, democracy. Women belong on the bandstand, behind the scenes, and in C-suites. We’re providing support, resources, visibility … and space. What will you do? It’s time to crossfade into the thundering hooves of unicorns.

Tulani Bridgewater-Kowalski is the founder and president of Bridgewater Artists Management and co-artistic director and program curator of The Woodshed Network.

Sources: USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s “Inclusion in the Recording Studio?” by Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Dr. Katherine Pieper, Hannah Clark, Ariana Case & Marc Choueiti, Jan. 2020. Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship’s “Women in the U.S. Music Industry: Obstacles and Opportunities” by Becky Prior, Erin Barra, Sharon Kramer, Ph.D. “Music Festivals’ Glaring Woman Problem” by Alanna Vagianos, Huffington Post. “Tracking the Gender Balance of This Year’s Music Festival Lineups” by Rob Mitchum and Diego Garcia-Olano, Pitchfork. Keychange PRS Foundation’s “Keychange Manifesto: Recommendations for a gender-balanced music industry”; designed by Ian Robson and Infographics by Jon Stanbrook. 

29 Mar 2023

Danny Brown Announces Plans to Check Into Rehab: ‘Alcohol Is Something I Need to Be Done With’

Danny Brown revealed he is planning to check into rehab, following an incident on the Tuesday (March 28) episode of The Danny Brown Show, in which he stated that his Quaranta album has been ready for over two years, but his label Warp Records has yet to release it.

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During the show, Brown additionally asked his fans to tweet #FreeDanny and #FreeQuaranta at Warp Records and his manager, Dart Parker, to speed up the record’s release. Following the episode, however, Brown tweeted that he had been “drunk and talking s–t,” and as a result he would be checking himself into a rehab treatment facility.

“Aye chill out with all the #FreeDanny sh-t,” he tweeted on Tuesday. “I was drunk and talking s–t and that’s why my dumb a– is checking into treatment tomorrow got nothing but love for Dart and Warp so chill out the album is mastered.” A fan then reiterated that the rapper was the one who asked fans to “harass” Parker, to which he replied, “That’s why alcohol is something I need to be done with cause it makes me hurt the people that care the most.” Billboard reached out to Brown’s reps for additional comment.

Brown’s Twitter announcement was not the first time he expressed a desire to go to a rehab facility. During his SXSW performance on March 17, the rapper took the stage at Dr. Marten’s annual showcase and revealed that was “going to get help.”

“At the end of the day, I’m 42 years old, sitting around smoking blunts all day, and getting drunk is getting old. Y’all have y’all fun but s–t could get dark,” Brown said on stage, according to Vibe. “I’m going to get help. Honestly, my dumba– supposed to been gone, but I’m broke so I gotta do shows to take my a– in, so shoutout to Dr. Martens. Ima go do my lil time, but I will say this, I made so many songs about doing drugs … sometimes I feel bad about that s–t … if I f—ed your life up, I’m sorry.”

See Brown’s tweets below.

29 Mar 2023

Brian Cox Reveals He’s a ‘Closet Spice Girls Fan’ in ‘Carpool Karaoke’ With Alan Cumming

Zig-a-zig ahh! Brian Cox and Alan Cumming hopped in the car for an upcoming episode of Carpool Karaoke: The Series and served up their best Spice Girls singalong.

In a preview clip from the episode, the Succession actor admits in a whisper that there’s one project he’s “really quite envious” of in his pal’s storied filmography: 1997’s Spice World. (Cumming memorably played Piers Cuthbertson-Smyth in the girl group’s campy trip across London on the big screen.) “Are you a Spice Girls fan?” the host of The Traitors asks upon Cox’s surprising admission, to which he readily admits, “I’m a closet Spice Girls fan.”

Cue the pair breaking into the fivesome’s 1996 breakout single “Wannabe,” though the latter might not have every word of the tongue-twisting opening memorized. “If you wanna be my lover/ You’ve gotta get with my friends/ Make it last forever/ Friendship never ends/ If you wanna be my lover/ You have got to give/ Takin’ is too easy/ But that’s the way it is,” they sing, though as soon as the song ends, Cox hilariously lets out, “I’m so glad that’s over, that was the one thing I was fearing of this whole f—ing thing. I know f–k-all about the Spice Girls.”

Elsewhere, the veteran actor reflects on his role as Logan Roy, saying, “I’ve been at it now for 60 years. Suddenly to have this extraordinary success telling people to f–k off, and actually, yeah, I love it.”

Cumming and Cox’s episode of Carpool Karaoke: The Series premieres Friday (March 31) on Apple TV+. Watch Billboard‘s first look at their Spice Girls moment below.

29 Mar 2023

Questlove To Direct Disney’s Re-Imagined ‘Aristocats’

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Questlove - 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones - Arrivals

Source: Leon Bennett / Getty

Disney is engaging the services of the award-winning musician and producer Questlove as a director for their upcoming film.

According to reports, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has been picked by Walt Disney Studios to be the director for the live-action hybrid reimagining of their animated classic from 1970, The Aristocats. Questlove will also oversee the musical score of the film and serve as an executive producer through his Two One Five production company. His bandmate and co-founder of The Roots, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter will also be a producer of the film along with Shawn Gee and Zarah Zohlman.

The Aristocats follows a family of Parisian felines who learn that they’re about to inherit the fortune of their owner, a retired operatic diva. Her butler, who gets wind of the bequeathment, plots to get rid of the cats so he can get the fortune. The movie then follows the cats as they are befriended by an alley cat who works to help them get home. It would go on to be one of Disney’s more lucrative films at the time, earning $191 million at the box office.

This project will be the first feature film that Questlove will direct. The six-time Grammy Award-winner began his foray into film as a producer and director of the 2021 documentary Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). The film, which unearthed the backstory of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It would go on a tear winning awards culminating in it winning the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2022. The win placed Questlove in rarified air as one of a few Black directors to win an Oscar–all of them in the documentary field.

The news comes as fans are eagerly anticipating Disney’s latest edition of their series reimagining their classic animated features with The Little Mermaid, featuring singer & actress Halle Bailey in the iconic role of Ariel and Melissa McCarthy portraying the villain, Ursula. Will Gluck and his production company, Olive Bridge, will also produce on the film in addition to writing the script along with Keith Bunin. 

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Photo: Leon Bennett / Getty

29 Mar 2023

Lana Del Rey, Jimin, Luke Combs: Who Will Land Next Week’s Biggest Album Debut?

The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week (for the upcoming charts dated April 8), new albums from a wide variety of big names could make for the most debut-crowded top 10 on the Billboard 200 yet in 2023.  

Lana Del Rey, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (Polydor/Interscope): Last year’s Blue Bannisters was Lana Del Rey’s first major label album to miss the Billboard 200 top five, but she seems set to return there with the new Ocean Blvd. The album has received some of the strongest reviews of Del Rey’s career, while seven-minute advance single “A&W” is her first song to reach the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs top 10 since her Weeknd-featuring “Lust for Life” in 2017.  

Also helping Ocean Blvd’s numbers: well over a dozen physical variants, including five different-colored options on both vinyl and cassette, and four CD deluxe box sets exclusive to her webstore. (Plus, a special shoutout on the year’s hottest pop tour never hurts.) All of that could create a tunnel from Ocean Blvd to the top of the charts, but it will have to contend with Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time in its fourth week; that album has still been earning over 200,000 equivalent album units a week, and Del Rey has yet to post a single-week number higher than 182,000 (for Ultraviolence in 2014).  

Jimin, Face (BigHit/Geffen): Another major contender this week, and the latest BTS alum poised for a major Billboard 200 impact — following J-Hope’s No. 17-debuting Jack in the Box last July and RM’s No. 3-peaking Indigo in December — is Jimin, who should be set for a big debut for his debut album Face. The set has already generated one Hot 100 hit in this week’s No. 30-debuting “Set Me Free Pt. 2,” and could score an even bigger one next week with the entrance of the best-selling “Like Crazy.” Though its six-track length may hurt its streaming totals, Face has the advantage of a simultaneous digital and physical release — where Jack in the Box and Indigo both debuted as digital-only releases — with five different collectible CD variants available (each containing a standard set of items plus randomized photo cards and postcards).  

Luke Combs, Gettin’ Old (Columbia/River House): Coming just nine months after last year’s No. 2-peaking Growin’ Up, sibling set Gettin’ Old may return country superstar Luke Combs to the Billboard 200’s top five. Lead single “Love You Anyway” debuted in the Hot 100’s top 15 in February — with advance cuts “Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old” and “Joe” also reaching the chart — and its studio version of Combs’ live-staple cover of Tracy Chapman’s late ‘80s alt-folk classic “Fast Car” should follow them onto the chart next week. The set is available in CD, cassette and record, with colored-vinyl exclusives for Amazon and Walmart.  

In the Mix

Depeche Mode, Memento Mori (Columbia/Mute): Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Depeche Mode look to extend their streak of eight consecutive top 10 studio albums on the Billboard 200 with this month’s Memento Mori, their first album since the May death of founding member Andy Fletcher. The album, supported by the group’s first world tour in a half decade, was met with critical acclaim, and spawned their first top 15 hit on the Alternative Airplay chart since 2009 with lead single “Ghosts Again.”  

Fall Out Boy, So Much for Stardust (Fueled by Ramen/DCD2): Fall Out Boy’s first album since 2018’s Billboard 200-topping Mania features more of a return to the emo heroes’ guitar-driven sound, albeit with more of a disco influence in tracks like third single “Hold Me Like a Grudge.” Lead cut “Love From the Other Side” became the group’s first-ever top five hit on the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart when it reached No. 2 earlier this month.  

Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon (Harvest/Capitol): One of the biggest albums in rock history, Pink Floyd’s 1973 prog rock opus Dark Side of the Moon spends its 976th week on the Billboard 200 this week, ranking at No. 172. It should rank a lot higher next week following its 50th anniversary reissue, with a CD and vinyl box set that includes a newly remastered version of the classic album, a 76-page music book, surround sound and Dolby Atmos mixes, and a standalone LP of the group’s 1974 performance of the album at Wembley Arena.  

29 Mar 2023

Rancid’s Tim Armstrong Reunites With Operation Ivy Bandmate in Bad Optix

Operation Ivy fans rejoice! The legendary late 1980s Berkeley, California ska punk band featuring Rancid singer/guitarist Tim Armstrong and singer Jesse Michaels is partially reunited on the debut single from Armstrong and Michaels’ new band, Bad Optix.

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Their easy skanking first track, “Raid,” dropped on Wednesday (March 29) and it features the former bandmates trading off vocals on a track about looking for distraction in a time of anxiety and confusion. “Rethrone a crown with their hands made of stone / New crew got oil in our bones / Good things perish on the road to the castle,” Armstrong sings in his signature dead-set vocal style over a bubbling ska arrangement.

“RAID/ Hit them where they live, where they kill, where they bury/ RAID/ We won’t step in line for the party secretary,” the group gang up on the anti-authoritarian song’s urgent chorus. The band featuring Circle Jerks/The Bronx drummer Joey Castillo and Trash Talk bassist Spencer Pollard share a writing and production credit on the song, which will kick off the new Hellcat Single Club.

The Club will roll out a series of releases by a number of as-yet-unnamed bands curated by Armstrong and the Hellcat squad.

“’Raid’ is about every person’s spiritual autonomy from the powers that be, regardless of who they are or what their particular struggle is,” Michaels said in a statement about the rockstady song. “Like many of the tracks we have worked on, I heard the music and wrote the lyrics very quickly, almost on the spot. This was only the second song we did but it felt hot immediately and just flowed so we thought it would be a good way to introduce the new band to the world.”

According to the statement, the group formed in March 2021 and Michaels said despite the more than three-decade gap between the 1989 dissolution of the short-lived Op Ivy and the formation of Optix, his creative connection with Armstrong has only gotten stronger. The band was birthed when Michaels and Armstrong reconnected to hang out and Armstrong played his old friend some tracks he’d been working on.

“As soon as we started writing together, we found that we had the same collaborative energy that we had in the past, so it was natural and fun just to keep going,” Michaels said of the immediate lyrical/vocal inspiration he felt. “It came back, just like that. Like when we were kids,” Armstrong added. “There is a special chemistry between us and I don’t take it for granted.”

Armstrong and Michaels performed together for only the second time in 33 years last February to play the Op Ivy song “Sound System” at the Musack Charity Concert in Los Angeles.

Armstrong nodded to his long association with Michaels in an Instagram post, writing that they’ve been friends since they were teens in the early 1980s. “We formed Operation Ivy in 1987 and 2 years later we broke up. Jesse and I both continued down our own musical journeys through the years,” he said. “I always felt a little sadness that Jesse and I stoped making music together. But we never lost touch. And then it happened. A few years ago we started writing songs again! A couple of the songs ended up on Grade 2’s record. Jesse and I just stared writing again a lot. It came back. Just like that. Like when we we were kids. There is a special chemistry between us and I don’t take it for granted.”

Armstrong also had high praise for Castillo, who he called “one of the best drummers in the world and a dear friend,” and Pollard, who he met a few years ago when Castillo brought Trash Talk to record at Armstrong’s studio. “The rhythm section of Joey and Spencer is as good as it gets and their respected styled has added another element to the song writing,” he wrote.

In an Instagram Story, Michaels elaborated on the inspiration for Bad Optix and what’s to come, writing, “It’s funny how life happens because I had been sort of thinking about anything and everything besides doing music at that time but that’s the way it always works. Anyway, we kept writing songs over the last year and we have more to share, which we will do over the coming months.” He also teased some live shows (“eventually”), but said for now they’re just taking things slowly and having fun.

While “Raid” has a vibe that fits with both men’s musical lane, Michaels promised that they’ve also written “a lot of punk stuff and some stuff that is hard to even categorize. Really excited about this project and hope you guys dig it,” he wrote.

Listen to “Raid” and see Armstrong’s post below.