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28 Aug 2023

Hozier Is Most Excited About These Three Things Ahead of His U.S. Tour

This fall, Irish singer-songwriter Hozier is hitting the road for a full U.S. tour — his first outing post-pandemic. Following a handful of warmup dates at smaller venues stateside and overseas, his Unreal Unearth tour (in support of his long-awaited third album, of the same name, released Aug. 18) will bring him and his new backing band to iconic venues from coast to coast for some of his biggest shows to date.

As he sees it, “I’m just excited to share the work live with a fan base that has been with me now for 10 years.” Here’s what else he’s looking forward to on this upcoming trek.

Expanding His Show (And Setlist)

“We’ve been bringing this killer nine-piece band to these tiny rooms. It’s a band that really needs to be on bigger stages. It has been tough in these club shows where there’s curfews in these cities, [so I’m excited] to be able to expand the setlist and actually offer a wider representation of the discography, and have a bit more time to play with the ebb and flow of the set.”

Celebrating His Heritage

“This is the first time that I’ll be singing songs in the Irish language or singing parts of songs that are in Irish Gaelic. So I’m really excited to [play] Madison Square Garden or Hollywood Bowl, and sing in Gaeilge [the Irish language]… and watch as, hopefully, concertgoers and fans learn those lines and maybe even sing it with me.”

Fawning Over His Opening Act

“I’ve always been a huge fan of Madison Cunningham — how astoundingly skillful she is on her instrument, and inventive. I think she represents one of the most talented creative forces of our generation. I’m honored she’s on these shows and that I get to hear her music every night and watch her do her thing.”

This story originally appeared in the Aug. 26, 2023, issue of Billboard.

28 Aug 2023

Brandon Flowers Tossed The Killers’ New Album: ‘I Don’t Think You’ll See Us Making This Type of Music Anymore’

The Killers have been filling arenas for nearly two decades with their signature soaring rock anthems about strivers, dead-enders and dreamers searching for the heart of the American spirit. But if singer Brandon Flowers is to be believed, those days are over.

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In an interview with England’s The Times, the 42-year-old frontman said despite just dropping the Depeche Mode-like yearning synth rock single “Your Side of Town,” from now on the band is looking forward and leaving their patented sound in the past.

“Halfway through recording I realized, ‘I can’t do this,’” Flowers told the paper about the song that was meant to appear on the band’s upcoming as-yet-untitled eighth studio album. “This isn’t the kind of record… I think this will be the… I don’t think you’ll see us making this type of music any more.”

Described as being nervous while discussing the creative break with the past — “Your Side of Town” has whiffs of the band’s new wave-inspired smash 2004 debut, Hot Fuss — Flowers admitted that he’s had a change of heart since the Killers released 2021’s concept record Pressure Machine. The latter was a collection of very personal Nebraska-era Springsteen-style Americana story songs inspired by the singer’s childhood in Nephi, Utah.

“This is the crisis I’m in,” Flowers said of the crossroads he finds himself at. “The Killers are my identity and our songs fill the seats, but I’m more fulfilled making music like Pressure Machine. I found a side of myself writing it that was strong. This was the guy I’d been looking for! I’m as proud of Hot Fuss as you can be for something you did when you were 20, but I’m not 20. So I’m thinking about the next phase of my life.”

Flowers said he’s simply a “different person” now and that “it’ll be difficult to go back,” suggesting that he’d like to make more emotional music that could play well in smaller rooms. “It is a conflict. It is just, well, at what point do I make that change?” he said. “Who in the band wants to do that too? No matter what, there will always be people who look at me and just think of Somebody Told Me. And I get that. But I’m interested in evolving.”

The interview also touched on a recent incident in Georgia, in which Flowers brought up a Russian fan and caused a bit of an international incident when he asked fans if it was okay and got roundly booed by the citizens of the nation that was partially invaded by Russia in 2008.

“I had to calm an impossible situation. We want our concerts to be communal and I had no idea words I was taught my entire life to represent a unity of the human family could be taken as being pro-Russian occupation,” he said of the attempt at reaching across the divide with a speech about brotherhood that fell flat. “We’re sad how this played out.”

27 Aug 2023

Killswitch Engage’s Tour Bus Collides With Elk in Sweden: ‘Take Nothing for Granted’

Killswitch Engage‘s tour bus collided with an elk as the rock band was driving to an appearance at In Flames’ Dalhalla Brinner festival in Rättvik, Sweden, on Friday (Aug. 25).

Frontman Jesse Leach took to Instagram shortly after the terrifying experience to share a video of the large vehicle’s shattered windshield and pen a deep reflection about the incident.

“You never know what tomorrow holds take nothing for granted,” Leach began his post. “This is the scene I woke up to yesterday morning around 6am. Thankfully no one was seriously injured.”

The vocalist goes on to say that the group’s driver “sustained some torn ligaments and was shaken up for sure but he is ok,” and that the elk sadly didn’t survive the collision.

Leach continued, “I don’t carry fear with me when I travel as it would do me no good. However seeing this definitely put some fear in me, not so much for my safety but thought of losing some one I love (or someone being injured seriously). It washed over me as we pulled away in a passenger bus. I felt the tears fall on my face as I thought about the ‘what could’ve been.’”

The frontman also reflected on other touring bands that have gone through similar incidents while on the road.

“I think of my friends out here who do this and the hardworking crews who are out here away from family and loved ones. Sleeping in a vehicle on highways of the world,” Leach wrote. “The cost can be high when living this life. The moments of beauty and triumph can be suddenly interrupted by suffering and loss.”

The singer concluded his heartfelt message by encouraging fans to keep in mind the difficult conditions that musicians and their crew members go through while on tour.

“We live a different life and it isn’t always easy. Rock n Roll can take its toll and often times it comes to collect when you least expect it,” he wrote. “Just so grateful it wasn’t worse than it could’ve been.
Don’t take life for granted you never know what tomorrow holds for you.”

See Leach’s full post about the incident on Instagram below.

26 Aug 2023

Vampyre Cosmetics Cuts Ties With Alice Cooper After He Called Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Kids a ‘Fad’

Alice Cooper‘s new makeup products, released in collaboration with Vampyre Cosmetics, have been dropped from the cosmetics brand’s website in light of the rock singer’s recent anti-trans comments.

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In an interview published by Stereogum earlier this week, Cooper shared his opinions about best-practice medical care for transgender youth, saying that he was “afraid that it’s also a fad.” Using common anti-trans talking points to elaborate, he said he feels children are not mature enough to make decisions about their gender identity.

“I find it wrong when you’ve got a 6-year-old kid who has no idea. He just wants to play, and you’re confusing him telling him, ‘Yeah, you’re a boy, but you could be a girl if you want to be,’” he said. “I mean, if you identify as a tree … I’m going, ‘Come on! What are we in, a Kurt Vonnegut novel?’ It’s so absurd, that it’s gone now to the point of absurdity,” Cooper said. R esearch shows that gender-affirming care significantly reduces rates of depression and suicide among transgender youth.

He also shared anti-trans rhetoric about access to public bathrooms, claiming that allowing transgender people to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity would lead to violent crimes. “A guy can walk into a woman’s bathroom at any time and just say, ‘I just feel like I’m a woman today’ and have the time of his life in there,” Cooper said. “He’s just taking advantage of that situation … Somebody’s going to get raped.”

In a statement posted on social media on Friday (Aug. 25), Vampyre Cosmetics wrote, “In light of recent statements by Alice Cooper we will no longer be doing a makeup collaboration. We stand with all members of the LGBTQIA+ community and believe everyone should have access to healthcare. All pre-order sales will be refunded.”

Vampyre Cosmetics x Alice Cooper Makeup Collection products have been completely removed from the company’s website.

The collection, which had launched its presale on Aug. 14 and was announced on Cooper’s official website, was said to “exude Alice’s style” with guitar- and amp-shaped makeup palettes and microphone-styled lipsticks. It also featured “a new version of Alice Cooper’s iconic Whiplash mascara, a unisex product originally created to ‘Liberate Your Eyes.’”

Vampyre Cosmetics is described as a “women owned, disabled owned and LGBT+ owned” company on the “About Us” page on its website. “Our products are vegan, cruelty free and talc free. They are also super long lasting as they were specifically formulated for stage and screen.”

25 Aug 2023

Bernie Marsden, Beloved Whitesnake Guitarist, Dead at 72

Bernie Marsden, the original guitarist for Whitesnake and co-writer behind some of the band’s biggest hits, died on Thursday (Aug. 24). He was 72 years old.

Marsden’s family shared the news via a statement posted to the rocker’s Instagram page, along with a photo of Marsden smiling at the camera. “On behalf of his family, it is with deep sadness we announce the death of Bernie Marsden. Bernie died peacefully on Thursday evening with his wife, Fran, and daughters, Charlotte and Olivia, by his side. Bernie never lost his passion for music, writing and recording new songs until the end,” reads the post, which you can see here.

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The star performed with Whitesnake from 1978 to 1982, and was part of the original band lineup that included frontman David Cloverdale, bassist Neil Murray, guitarist Mick Moody and drummer Dave Dowie. As part of the group, Marsden co-wrote the band’s biggest hit “Here I Go Again,” which he re-recorded with his bandmates in 1987. The track topped the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart in October 1987 and spent 28 total weeks on the tally. He also co-wrote “Fool for Your Loving,” which hit No. 37 on the Hot 100 in 1989.

During his four-year stint in Whitesnake, Marsden contributed to the band’s first five albums, 1978’s Trouble, 1979’s Lovehunter, 1980’s Ready an’ Willing, 1981’s Come an’ Get It and 1982’s Saints & Sinners. Beyond Whitesnake, Marsden performed with a number of other bands including the Moody Marsden Band and Alaska.

He also released a number of solo albums, with his most recent project, Trios, released in August 2022.

25 Aug 2023

Green Day Is Selling ‘Nimrod’ Shirts With Donald Trump’s Mugshot

Green Day is mocking Donald Trump’s mugshot for a good cause.

The former president was booked at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta on Thursday (Aug. 24) on felony charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and while it’s his fourth indictment this year, the booking marked the first time Trump’s mug shot was taken.

Green Day has now taken the historic photo and put it on merch. The band took to Instagram on Friday (Aug. 25) to share a photo of a black t-shirt that features their Nimrod. album art with the original portraits replaced by the mugshot. “Good Riddance,” they fittingly captioned the photo, in reference to one of the album’s biggest hits.

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Proceeds from the shirt, which is priced at $35 and available for 72 hours, will go towards Greater Good Music, which is currently helping bring food to the victims of the Maui wildfires.

See Green Day’s post here.

Fulton County authorities took mug shots of all 19 people charged in the case, which besides Trump, included his lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell as well as his former chief of staff Mark Meadows. Trump left the jail on a $200,000 bond.

Nimrod., which was released in 1997, peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart following its release and spent an impressive 70 total weeks on the chart.

25 Aug 2023

Ben Gibbard Is Pulling Double Duty on the Fall’s Hottest Indie Rock Tour

Late last year, Ben Gibbard was staring down a pair of significant milestones: Death Cab for Cutie’s breakthrough album, Transatlanticism, would be turning 20 in 2023, as would Give Up, the lone full-length that Gibbard and electronic artist Jimmy Tamborello released as The Postal Service. Death Cab’s management suggested separate 20th-anniversary tours, but Gibbard envisioned a two-for-one nostalgia jamboree.

“I was like, ‘People are going to lose their minds if this is one tour,’ ” he recalls. “And I think the initial response and ticket counts were certainly a vindication of my approach.”

Indeed, the Give Up/Transatlanticism joint tour will bring both indie touchstones to arena and theater crowds beginning Sept. 5, with stops at New York’s Madison Square Garden and two hometown gigs at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena among 31 scheduled dates (up from 17 when the tour was announced in December). Gibbard will naturally pull double duty — performing Transatlanticism front-to-back with Death Cab and all of Give Up with Tamborello and Jenny Lewis, who provided backing vocals on six album tracks.

For Gibbard, the tour will revisit the most pivotal year of his career. Death Cab, which formed in 1997, famously came close to breaking up in late 2001 after touring and recording at a breakneck pace. The subsequent downtime gave a then-25-year-old Gibbard the space to craft the foundation of Transatlanticism, as well as work with Tamborello on an indie-pop side project by mailing CD-Rs to each other (hence the name The Postal Service).

“All of a sudden, I found myself with a lot of time to meander creatively,” recalls Gibbard, now 47. “I felt very confident, and maybe a little bit cocky. I could musically wander and explore the space, and it was very fruitful for me.”

Give Up turned into a blog-adored cult classic, while Transatlanticism took Death Cab “from indie-rock popular” to “popular popular,” as Gibbard puts it. Although Give Up peaked at No. 45 on the Billboard 200 and Transatlanticism at No. 97, they’ve earned 1.8 million and 1.1 million equivalent album units, respectively, according to Luminate.

Looking back, Gibbard is grateful that his breakthrough with both albums occurred a half-decade into his career. “We had [already] gone through some very difficult times together, and come out the other end,” he explains. “I can’t say with any certainty that if things were like they are now — a band puts out a three-song EP and is selling out shows and has people putting cameras in their faces — there’s no way we would have survived that.”

While Death Cab was just on the road in support of its 10th album, 2022’s Asphalt Meadows, the upcoming tour will mark The Postal Service’s first concerts in a decade, since Give Up turned 10. For Gibbard, these Postal Service shows will be slightly different — unlike in 2013, Give Up will be played in order, without B-sides or covers — but performing again with Tamborello and Lewis will be just as fulfilling.

“These are two of my best friends, that I get to spend extended time with on this trip,” says Gibbard. “We get to celebrate this record that we made, that became this kind of lauded moment in indie rock — but also, it’s a celebration of our friendship.”

A version of this story will appear in the Aug. 26, 2023, issue of Billboard.

25 Aug 2023

Jonas Brothers Reimagine Switchfoot’s ‘The Beautiful Letdown’: Stream It Now

The Jonas Brothers definitely didn’t let Switchfoot down. As part of a special anniversary edition of the latter band’s breakthrough 2003 album The Beautiful Letdown, Joe, Nick and Kevin Jonas have released their version of the influential record’s title track.

Produced by John Fields, “The Beautiful Letdown (Jonas Brothers’ Version)” dropped Friday (Aug. 25), featuring the three brothers replicating Switchfoot’s original slow-burning alt-rock recording. Complete with whirling strings and call-and-response vocals, the track marks the third cover contributed by a guest artist to be released off Switchfoot’s upcoming 25-track celebration album, The Beautiful Letdown (Our Version) [Deluxe Edition].

“We grew up listening to their album The Beautiful Letdown, and ‘Meant to Live’ was a huge influence for us,” said Joe in a statement on behalf of his brothers. “‘Twenty Four’ was the first song that me and Kevin ever played together. This album has incredible significance for us on an emotional level but also sonically it was a big part of our sound.”

“The guys in the band have always been so supportive of us,” the DNCE frontman added. “Thank you for inspiring us and we are so happy to be part of this project singing one of our favorite songs ‘The Beautiful Letdown.’”

The Jonas Brothers cover follows reimagined recordings of Beautiful Letdown songs from Jon Bellion, who put his spin on “Meant to Live,” and Ingrid Andress, who recorded her take on “On Fire” for the project. Those three covers will appear alongside upcoming contributions from One Republic’s Ryan Tedder, Dayglow, Twenty One Pilots’ Tyler Joseph and more on The Beautiful Letdown (Our Version) [Deluxe Edition], which will follow Switchfoot’s May 2023 re-release The Beautiful Letdown (Our Version).

The original The Beautiful Letdown album came out in 2003, marking Switchfoot’s very first entry on the Billboard 200. More than a year after its release, it peaked at No. 16 on the chart.

“The first time we met the Jonas Brothers was on our tour bus somewhere in the middle of the country,” said Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman. “This was at least a decade ago and I had never heard of them before. (Apparently I live under a rock!) They seemed like wonderful, talented young men … From the beginning, I’ve been impressed by their musicality and talent.”

Stream the JoBros’ cover of Switchfoot’s “The Beautiful Letdown” below:

23 Aug 2023

Alice Cooper Calls Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Kids a ‘Fad,’ Condemns ‘the Whole Woke Thing’

While he may be best known as one of the gender-bending faces of the shock rock movement, Alice Cooper revealed that he’s not in favor of real gender-affirming care.

In a new interview with Stereogum, the 75-year-old rock star shared his opinions about best-practice medical care for transgender youth, saying that he was “afraid that it’s also a fad.” Using common anti-trans talking points to elaborate, the star said that he felt children were not mature enough to make major decisions about their gender identity.

Cooper then took aim at “the whole woke thing” at large, claiming that society has taken progressive language too far. “Who’s making the rules?” he asked. “It’s getting to the point now where it’s laughable. If anybody was trying to make a point on this thing, they turned it into a huge comedy. I don’t know one person that agrees with the woke thing.”

The “School’s Out” singer even shared anti-trans rhetoric about access to public bathrooms, claiming that allowing transgender people to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity would lead to violent crimes. “A guy can walk into a woman’s bathroom at any time and just say, ‘I just feel like I’m a woman today’ and have the time of his life in there,” Cooper said. “He’s just taking advantage of that situation … Somebody’s going to get raped.”

Despite Cooper’s claims, research shows that gender-affirming care significantly reduces rates of depression and suicidality among transgender youth. Meanwhile, medical professionals providing gender-affirming care point out that minors are not able to make these life-altering decisions by themselves, and that the Endocrine Society and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health do not recommend gender-affirming surgery for anyone under the age of 18.

“Prior to any gender-affirming medical or surgical intervention, all minors must have an intake with a knowledgeable mental health provider internal to our system,” Dr. Joshua D. Safer told Billboard last year. “Once deemed ready for a medical/surgical intervention, the processes we have for adults are then brought into play.”

The “No More Mr. Nice Guy” singer is far from the first rocker to share anti-trans sentiments over the last year. In May, Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley called gender-affirming care “a sad and dangerous fad,” making similar claims to Cooper about children “playing” with gender rather than understanding their identity. Twisted Sister lead singer Dee Snider backed up Stanley’s comments, saying “there was a time where I ‘felt pretty’ too. Glad my parents didn’t jump to any rash conclusions.” Both rockers have since walked back their comments.

22 Aug 2023

Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Bad Idea Right?’ Debuts Atop Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart

Olivia Rodrigo launches at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart for a second time, as “Bad Idea Right?” debuts atop the Aug. 26-dated survey.

The singer-songwriter first led with “Brutal,” which reigned in its debut week in June 2021.

“Bad Idea Right?” concurrently bows as Rodrigo’s second No. 1, again after “Brutal,” on Hot Alternative Songs. Both charts reflect streaming, sales and all-format radio audience impressions, sharing the same methodology as the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.

In the tracking week ending Aug. 17, “Bad Idea Right?,” released Aug. 11, earned 19.7 million official U.S. streams and 5.3 million radio audience impressions and sold 4,000 downloads, according to Luminate.

The streaming count is also good for the track’s No. 1 debut, Rodrigo’s second, on Alternative Streaming Songs. “Brutal” likewise led that list, for two weeks. On Alternative Digital Song Sales, “Bad Idea Right?” enters at No. 2.

Concurrently, “Bad Idea Right?” starts at No. 10 on the Hot 100, marking Rodrigo’s sixth top 10. Three have reached No. 1: “Drivers License” (for eight weeks) and “Good 4 U” (one week) in 2021 and “Vampire” (one) this July.

On the all-genre Streaming Songs tally, “Bad Idea Right?” opens at No. 3 as the top premiere of the week. On Digital Song Sales, it starts at No. 18. The song also debuts at No. 36 on Pop Airplay.

“Bad Idea Right?” is the second song released from Guts, Rodrigo’s sophomore LP, following “Vampire.” It’s due Sept. 8.

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Expanding His Show (And Setlist)

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