State Champ Radio Rock
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The Smashing Pumpkins announced earlier this month that they were looking for a new guitarist after longtime third strummer Jeff Schroeder announced his departure after more than 16 years with the group. But, after putting out open call on Jan. 5 for a fresh face, according to a post from the Billy Corgan-led band on Tuesday night (Jan. 16) they’e been inundated with way more applicants than anyone could have anticipated.
“The band has received over 10,000 submissions for the position of additional guitarist,” read a tweet featuring a photo of three original members Corgan, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and guitarist James Iha. The pile of audition tapes are so voluminous, in fact, that the post noted that there are currently “8 people working full-time to review each and every one.”
The Pumpkins were formed in Chicago in 1988 by Corgan and Iha, who were later joined by bassist D’arcy Wretzky and jazz drummer Jimmy Chamberlin — who replaced their original drummer, a drum machine. After rising to global fame and releasing a series of iconic indie rock albums such as Siamese Dream and the multi-platinum, two-disc Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, the band fired Chamberlin in 1996 due to the drummer’s arrest on drug charges — and then re-hired him in 1999 — before splitting with Wretzky that same year. The original group broke up in 2000, at which point Corgan said he would not perform the band’s songs again.
The Pumpkins came back together in 2007 with Corgan and Chamberlin serving as the only remaining original members, joined by guitarist Schroeder, though Chamberlin would take leave again just two years later. Corgan continued to release new music with a rotating cast of players, with Chamberlin and Iha returning to the fold in 2018, though Wretzky did not sign on to the nearly complete reunion.
On Jan. 5, the band announced it needed a new guitarist to replace Schroeder, writing, “The Smashing Pumpkins are in search of an additional guitarist. The application process is open to anyone who might be interested. Applicants may submit a resume and related material to SPGuitar@redlightmanagement.com.” Schroeder’s last show with the group was a run through Siamese Dream to celebrate the album’s 30th anniversary on Sept. 17, 2023 at Corgan’s Madame’s ZuZu’s Teahouse in Highland Park, IL.
In a note to fans at the time of his departure, Schroeder said, “It’s easy to say now that when I joined The Smashing Pumpkins in 2007 I had no idea what I was getting into. The opportunity seemed to have come out of nowhere. I was at UCLA working on my doctorate in comparative literature when a close friend messaged me and said The Smashing Pumpkins were looking for a guitar player. Being a huge fan of the band, the audition was something I threw myself into. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.”
He added, “The amount of incredible memories created over the last 16 years with the band are almost too numerous to quantify. Although it was a very difficult decision to make, I’ve decided to leave the band to make some space to explore a slightly different path. I want to thank Billy, Jimmy, James, and Jack for being both wonderful bandmates and even better friends. I will absolutely miss sharing the stage with you. I wish the band all the success in the future. I will be watching and listening.”
The Pumpkins are currently slated to hit the road for their The World is a Vampire European summer tour on June 7 in Birmingham, U.K. on a run that will feature support from Weezer, Interpol and Tom Morello. They will then move on to a support role on Green Day’s summer Saviors Tour, which will criss-cross North America with Rancid and the Linda Lindas.
See the Pumpkins post below.
Two worlds collide this Friday (Jan. 19) when Noah Kahan and Sam Fender drop the collaborative single, “Homesick.”
Fender will lend vocals to a fresh version of the song, which appears on Kahan’s third studio album, Stick Season, and shared the news on his socials. “See you then x,” he writes.
With the new cut of “Homesick,” Kahan will be keen to keep a good thing going. The Vermont singer and songwriter has reigned over the Official U.K. Singles Chart for the past two weeks with his folky number “Stick Season,” and is on track for a third.
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“Homesick” is the fifth official single lifted from Stick Season, following its title track, U.K. top 40 hits “Northern Attitude” (No. 16) and “Dial Drunk” (No. 32), plus “Call Your Mom” (No. 83).
In the United States, Stick Season peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and six of his singles have made impressions on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Stick Season,” peaking at No. 14. Kahan will support the album with another major tour of north America, his We’ll All Be Here Together trek, kicking off late March 2024.
Kahan is coming off a particularly busy year in 2023 during which he launched The Busyhead Project, which supports and funds mental health organizations that provide care to underserved communities; released a deluxe edition of Stick Season (We’ll All be Here Forever), which pushed the album into the U.S. top 10 for the first time; earned his first No. 1 on a Billboard airplay chart with “Dial Drunk,” following a fresh mix with Post Malone; and joined forces with Ranger Station on a Stick Season candle.
Hailing from North Shields, Fender got his career underway with the blessing of Britain’s tastemakers, as he won the Critics’ Choice Award at the 2019 BRIT Awards. Both of his full-length studio albums have gone to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, 2019’s Hypersonic Missiles and 2021’s Seventeen Going Under.
Nashville-based Big Loud, home to artists including Morgan Wallen and HARDY, has revealed a joint venture with Nashville-based indie modern rock label Severance Records.
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Former Elektra Entertainment co-president Mike Easterlin, along with former Atlantic Records GM/senior vp of A&R Steve “Stevo” Robertson, serve as co-presidents of Severance Records. The new label launches with flagship signing Dexter and The Moonrocks, who are booked by WME’s Mike Krug, and managed by Lion’s Claw Entertainment’s Chris Schoemann, and Joe Greenwald (Marketing & Promotion).
“Stevo and I could not be more excited to be joining the Big Loud family,” Easterlin said in a statement. “(Big Loud Partners) Seth (England), Joey (Moi), Craig (Wiseman), and (Big Loud Rock / Big Loud Management Partner + President) Greg (Thompson) have been so supportive from the first time we met about building this partnership together. Watching the company that Big Loud has become in the country space only drives Stevo and I to want to make Severance Records the same kind of force in the alternative space. Our goal is to be rooted in Nashville, but global in vision.”
Prior to his work as co-president of Elektra, Easterlin had worked as president and GM at two of the company’s labels – Fueled By Ramen and Roadrunner Records. His career also includes roles at Virgin Records and Island Def Jam. Along the way, he’s worked with artists including Smashing Pumpkins, Lenny Kravitz, Nickelback, Panic! At The Disco, Paramore and Bailey Zimmerman.
During his 25-year tenure at Atlantic Records, Robertson signed Shinedown, Paramore, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Knox and A Day to Remember, and helped develop artists including GAYLE, Collective Soul, Seven Mary Three, Matchbox 20 and more.
“I’m a fan of so much of the music Mike and Stevo have discovered and promoted throughout their careers,” Big Loud Partner / Producer / President of A&R Joey Moi said in a statement. “Working with them on building and establishing some incredible new rock and alternative acts is something we’re all really looking forward to.”
“Mike and Stevo have championed some of the most exciting, culture-driving music of the last two decades, so when the opportunity to work with them in this capacity came up, it was an instant ‘yes,’” Big Loud partner and CEO Seth England said in a statement. “We’re grateful to partner with them and build a legacy together with Severance.”
“When Mike (Easterlin) and I laid the groundwork for Severance Records, we were driven by a genuine love for rock music and an instinct to follow its evolving path,” Robertson said in a statement. “In an industry that seemed to have momentarily turned away from rock, we felt a strong undercurrent – a shift back towards the authentic sounds of guitars and raw attitude. Dexter and The Moonrocks struck a chord with us immediately. While being influenced by greats like Nirvana and Kings Of Leon, they’re a bridge to the future of rock, blending influences from rock legends and contemporaries like Rainbow Kitten Surprise and Colter Wall. Their sound is the DNA of Severance Records – rediscovering and redefining rock with a fresh perspective, especially with a nod to Southern roots.
“We’re shaping a unique culture. Our focus is alternative – alt-rock, alt-pop, alt-country, and indie rock. We’re drawn to authentic, unconventional sounds. Dexter and The Moonrocks are at the forefront of that. As our first signing, they represent the distinct sound of Severance Records.”
Bush will celebrate their 30th anniversary this summer with a 32-date North American tour slated to kick off on July 26 at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater in Bend, OR. Bush – Loaded: The Greatest Hits Tour will find the Gavin Rossdale-fronted rockers criss-crossing the continent with special guests Alice in Chains guitarist and solo artist Jerry Cantrell and Candlebox, as well as additional guests to be announced soon.
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The tour is slated to include stops in Denver, Indianapolis, Chicago, Nashville, Cincinnati, Toronto, Boston, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Houston, Dallas, Las Vegas and San Diego before winding down on Sept. 15 with a show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
Loaded The Greatest Hits 1994-2023 — Bush’s first-ever hits collection — pulls together the band’s seven No. 1 singles, the new track “Nowhere to Go but Everywhere” and a studio cover of the Beatles’ “Come Together.” Among the beloved hits on the collection are: “Everything Zen,” “Little Things,” “Comedown,” “Glycerine,” “Machinehead,” “Swallowed” and “Greedy Fly.”
An artist presale will begin at noon ET on Tuesday (Jan. 16), with VIP packages available, followed by a general onsale on Friday (Jan. 19) beginning at 10 a.m. local time; for information on tickets click here. A limited number of tickets will be available in participating markets with prices as low as $19.94 (before taxes and fees) as a tribute to the release of the band’s 1994 debut, Sixteen Stone.
Check out the dates for Bush’s Loaded tour below.
July 26 — Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater
July 27 — Airway Heights, WA @ BECU Live at Northern Quest
July 29 — Great Falls, MT @ Pacific Steel & Recycling Arena – Montana State Fair
July 31 — West Valley City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
August 1 — Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
August 3 — La Crosse, WI @ Copeland Park
August 4 — Indianapolis, IN @ Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park
August 6 — Cedar Rapids, IA @ McGrath Amphitheatre
August 7 — Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
August 9 — Nashville, TN @ Nashville Municipal Auditorium
August 10 — Maryland Heights, MO @ Saint Louis Music Park
August 13 — Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavilion
August 14 — Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
August 16 — Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre
August 17 — Lewiston, NY @ Artpark Outdoor Amphitheater
August 19 — Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
August 21 — Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
August 23 — Atlantic City, NJ @ Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena
August 24 — Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion
August 26 — Charlotte, NC @ Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre
August 27 — Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater
August 29 — Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place
August 30 — Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live
Sept. 1 — Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
Sept. 4 — San Antonio, TX @ Freeman Coliseum
Sept. 5 — Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
Sept. 7 — Durant, OK @ Choctaw Casino
Sept. 8 — Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
Sept. 11 — Las Vegas, NV @ Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood
Sept. 13 — San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU
Sept. 14 — Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Sept. 15 — Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
Welcome to paradise! Green Day is set to headline EA Sports’ Super Bowl party The Madden Bowl, Billboard can exclusively report. The event will take place Feb. 9 at the House of Blues in Las Vegas. Also set to perform are rapper Big Boi with special guest Killer Mike, and Breland. “Prepare your ears because […]
The 2024 Governors Ball music festival announced this summer’s lineup on Tuesday morning (Jan. 16), revealing that Post Malone, SZA and the Killers will headline the event slated to take place at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens from June 7-9.
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In addition to the headliners, Gov Ball will welcome dozens of other pop, rock, Latin and hip-hop stars, including: Peso Pluma, Rauw Alejandro and Farruko, 21 Savage, Dominic Fike, Carly Rae Jepsen, Mean Girls star Reneé Rapp, Labrinth, Sabrina Carpenter and Don Toliver, as well as debut GB performances from Victoria Monét, Sexyy Red, TV Girl, Goth Babe, Alex G, Jessie Murph, Teezo Touchdown, Tyla and Kevin Abstract.
“I’m thrilled to welcome everyone back to Flushing Meadows Corona Park for this year’s Governors Ball, featuring headliners SZA, Post Malone and The Killers,” Queens Borough president Donovan Richards Jr. said in a statement announcing the lineup for the 14th edition of the event. “We’re deeply grateful for the economic activity the festival will generate for Queens, and we’re even more grateful that the festival is partnering with some of our local nonprofits, including Chhaya, Elmhurst/Corona Recovery Collective and the Alliance for Flushing Meadows Corona Park, to work with our local food vendors and other community groups doing important empowerment work.”
Other acts slated to perform: Yung Gravy, Blondshell, Doechii, Hippo Campus, d4vd, BAkar, Skizzy Mars, Cannons, Chappell Roan, Stephen Sanchez, Beach Fossils, Saint Levant, Geese, G Flip and Husbands
This summer’s Ball will feature more than 60 bands on three stages setting up at Corona Park for the second year. You can sign up now for the SMS presale, which will happen on Thursday (Jan. 18) from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET, which organizers says is the only way to get tickets at the lowest price; ticket prices will go up on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET when the public onsale begins.
This year’s Ball will include two new ticket tiers, 2-day bundles and Ultimate tickets, with the former allowing fans to customize their festival experience by picking any two days of their choosing at any ticket time and the latter ultra-premium pass including access to a shared Ultimate guest cabana with all-day snacks, dinner buffet, all-inclusive bar, dedicated restroom and prime views of the main stage and front-of-stage viewing at all the stages, festival concierge, complimentary beer and seltzer and golf cart transportation between stages. Click here for more ticketing information.
Check out the full festival poster below.
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Kelly Clarkson honored Monday’s (Jan. 15) nation MLK Day holiday with the perfect Kellyoke tribute. The singer took the stage to perform an amped-up version of U2‘s 1984 anthem “Pride (In the Name of Love),” the iconic anthem by the Irish rockers that features lines paying tribute to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. […]
The Eagles are saying a lot of farewells on their Long Goodbye Final Tour — not just to life on the road, but also to the countless friends they’ve lost along the way.
So when they hit the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., for four nights over the past two weekends (kicking off Jan. 5 and 6 and wrapping up this past Friday and Saturday), they might have been feeling especially nostalgic, considering their band formed right here in Los Angeles and they first played the venue 49 years ago, back in 1975. They also reopened the Forum as a concert space in 2014, playing the first six shows in the newly renovated arena.
“It’s good to be back here at the Forum,” Don Henley said. “We consider the Forum to be our home field. … They’ve improved the place a lot since then. Remember all those ugly yellow and orange seats?” he said with a laugh, recalling the slightly different color scheme when the Lakers played at the Forum before moving to Staples Center in 1999.
Throughout their 21-song set, the Eagles sprinkled in tributes to peers they’ve lost, including bandmates Glenn Frey and Randy Meisner. Of course, Frey died back in 2016, and his son Deacon Frey, now 31, has been filling in for his late dad (alongside Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill) in the band since their Classic West performance at Dodger Stadium in 2017. Founding member Meisner — who left the band after 1976’s Hotel California album — died this past summer, so this is the band’s first tour since.
“We’re going to dedicate this to the memory of Mr. Randy Meisner,” Henley said to introduce “Take It to the Limit,” which was the band’s only single to feature the bassist on lead vocals and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976 and spent 23 weeks on the chart — their longest-charting hit on the tally. “Sing it with him,” Henley implored, as Gill took over on Meisner’s sky-high vocals.
Frey tributes were sprinkled throughout the night — basically any time Deacon and Gill took the lead on his signature songs — and after the mellow “Peaceful Easy Feeling” wrapped up, Glenn’s picture appeared on the big screen.
One unexpected tribute came when Henley told the crowd, “I think we’re going to take a little trip up to the mid-’80s right now. And we’re going to dedicate this next song to the memory of our dear friend, Mr. Jimmy Buffett.” The intro led in to Henley’s 1984 solo smash “The Boys of Summer” — a perfect fit to remember the late “Margaritaville” singer, who died in September and was the eternal boy of summer.
Steely Dan served as the opening act, doing a robust 12-song set and remembering some friends of their own, with lead singer Donald Fagen making sure to shout out his band co-founder Walter Becker, who died in 2017.
The Long Goodbye Final Tour picks back up Tuesday at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, Calif., and wraps up March 16 at Charlotte, N.C.’s Spectrum Center.
Eagles’ Long Goodbye Final Tour setlist for Friday, Jan. 12:
Seven Bridges RoadTake It EasyOne of These NightsLyin’ EyesBest of My LoveNew Kid in TownWitchy WomanPeaceful Easy FeelingTequila SunriseIn the CityI Can’t Tell You WhyTake It to the LimitLife’s Been GoodAlready GoneThe Boys of SummerFunk #49Life in the Fast LaneHotel California
Encore:Rocky Mountain WayDesperadoHeartache Tonight
Green Day has a plethora of hits to their name, but for many fans, “American Idiot” towers above the rest. That single — a protest song of the George W. Bush administration that eventually inspired a Tony-winning Broadway musical — has become a key example of contemporary politically conscious tracks, and many expected a similar song from the Grammy-winning band following the election of former President Donald Trump in 2016.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, bassist Mike Dirnt explains why the band chose to hold off on addressing Trump in their music.
“‘The American Dream Is Killing Me’ [from the band’s forthcoming Saviors album] was written by Billie [Joe Armstrong] almost four years ago. But we all knew it was just low-hanging fruit. We’re not a parody of who we are, and songs like that need time to be fleshed out,” Dirnt said. “If that means just sitting back and letting life happen, so be it. And it was one of the last things we recorded.”
The band’s new record, Saviors, arrives Jan. 19, and “The American Dream Is Killing Me” served as the set’s lead single. The song has since peaked atop Rock Airplay and at No. 22 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. Dirnst notes that the track’s title was initially a line Billie was kicking around “a while back ago,” but the band agreed that it was “just not the right time” for that particular sentiment.
“I think it’s a wider statement than Trump. It’s more important than him,” Dirnst asserts. “It speaks to the fact that Billie’s dad was a Teamster truck driver, and his mom was a waitress, and somehow they could afford to raise five kids and buy a home, and that just doesn’t work for everybody anymore. We are back-asswards right now.”
Saviors marks Green Day’s 14th studio album. The rockers have released three additional singles from the record, including “Dilemma,” “One Eyed Bastard” and “Look Ma, No Brains!” The band is set to embark on a North American stadium tour in support of the record — in addition to the 30th anniversary of Dookie and the 20th anniversary of American Idiot — with support acts such as The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid and The Linda Lindas.
Recently, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong trolled Trump during the band’s performance at Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest (Dec. 31). He altered the original “I’m not part of a redneck agenda” lyric in “American Idiot,” to “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda.”
Green Day has earned 11 top 10 entries on the Billboard 200, including the chart-toppers American Idiot (three weeks), 21st Century Breakdown (one week) and Revolution Radio (one week). On the Billboard Hot 100, the beloved band has notched nine career entries, including the top 10 hits “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (No. 2) and “Wake Me Up When September Ends” (No. 6).
Shinedown extends its record for the most No. 1s in the history of Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart as “A Symptom of Being Human” rises to the top of the Jan. 20-dated survey.
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The song becomes the band’s 19th No. 1 on the chart. The four-piece first reigned in November 2005 with “Save Me,” and had last led with “Daylight” in August 2022.
With 19 Mainstream Rock Airplay rulers, Shinedown extends its lead over Three Days Grace, which boasts 17. The chart began in 1981.
Most No. 1s, Mainstream Rock Airplay:
19, Shinedown
17, Three Days Grace
14, Five Finger Death Punch
13, Foo Fighters
13, Metallica
13, Van Halen
12, Disturbed
12, Godsmack
10, Tom Petty (solo and with the Heartbreakers)
10, Volbeat
Concurrently, “A Symptom of Being Human” holds at No. 16 on Alternative Airplay, after reaching No. 15 two weeks earlier. It’s Shinedown’s first top 20 hit on the chart since “Bully” peaked at No. 12 in 2012.
On the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, “A Symptom of Being Human” ranks at No. 5 after rising to No. 4 two weeks ago, with 4.6 million audience impressions, up 3%, Jan. 5-11, according to Luminate.
The song also crossed over to adult top 40 radio, having logged a No. 15 peak on the Adult Pop Airplay chart last August.
On the most recently published, Jan. 13-dated Hot Rock & Alternative Songs tally — which incorporates streams, airplay and sales data — “A Symptom of Being Human” placed at its No. 29 high. In addition to its airplay, the song earned 1.1 million official U.S. streams and sold 1,000 downloads Dec. 29-Jan. 4.
“A Symptom of Being Human” is the fourth single from Planet Zero, Shinedown’s seventh studio album. The set debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart in July 2022 and has earned 248,000 equivalent album units to date.
All Billboard charts dated Jan. 20 will update on Billboard.com on Wednesday, Jan. 17, a day later than usual due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday Jan. 15.
