Kristi Kates | Author
Dylan Returns to The Canyon
Aug. 10, 2019
Singer-songwriter Jakob Dylan, son of the legendary Bob Dylan and best known for his work as frontman of the ‘90s band The Wallflowers, is host of a new documentary film on the music scene of Laurel Canyon, California, in the ’60s. The film, <...
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Sigrid Misses Her Own Video Shoot
Aug. 3, 2019
Musicians often know how to improvise well — and sometimes, that particular skill or ability extends even beyond the music itself. When Norwegian pop singer-songwriter Sigrid wasn’t able to make it to her music video shoot with director Max Siedentopf<...
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Aug. 3, 2019 Blending the ’80s tones of Sade (“Soldier of Love”) with a more earthy-voiced Sia (“Chandelier”), Yuna’s unique R&B sound on this set finds her collaborating with a long list of peers, from Jay Park and Masego to Little Simz, as well as trying out s...
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July 27, 2019 Ed Sheeran’s latest album, No. 6 Collaborations Project, finds the English singer-songwriter bringing in a host of friends and musical colleagues for a 15-track set of team-ups with nearly two dozen musicians. The album was released last week and includes f...
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July 27, 2019 While most of the definitive music from HBO's Game of Thrones series has been of the instrumental/orchestral variety (most notably, the show’s main title theme by Ramin Djawadi), there are plenty of music celebrities among GoT’s massive fan base, so it’s a worth...
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July 20, 2019 Singer-guitarist Gary Clark Jr. has borrowed the likenesses of a shortlist of well-known cultural icons — including John Lennon, Nelson Mandela, Bruce Lee, James Brown, Bob Marley, ...
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July 20, 2019 The Raconteurs — White Stripes frontman Jack White, along with Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence, and Patrick Keeler — haven’t released any studio music in a decade, but it feels like the band never really left the scene, such is its skillful hold on current soundscapes. Mix...
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July 13, 2019 Up and coming Detroit band The War and Treaty are set to headline the upcoming 15th Porcupine Mountains Music Festival in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It’ll join fellow headliners Dustbowl Revival, as well as regional acts like The Cran...
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July 13, 2019 Madonna has brought in a shortlist of collaborators (Maluma, Swae Lee, Quavo) to help bring her focus back into dance music. Fans will especially appreciate “Batuka” and “Medellin,” as Madge — by turns a secret agent, dancer, head of state, and housekeeper, a...
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June 29, 2019 Wu-Tang Clan has been rolling steady lately — it just played Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, a landmark move that put hip-hop onto the historic venue’s stage for the very first time. The group is also commemorating the 25th anniversary of its breakout albu...
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June 29, 2019 Summer has arrived, and along with it, one of our favorite outdoor pastimes: hitting the unique local festivals that make a weekend Up North absolutely unforgettable. Whether you’re looking to honor an old tradition or start a new one with your crew, here some of the best only-Up-No...
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June 29, 2019 After a several-year break from touring and recording, An Horse is back with this set, which amplifies its guitar-based pop-rock into something far more complex than before. Corkscrewing around itself from song to song, each tune seems to lead into the others yet back onto itself, from th...
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June 29, 2019 The Lumineers is on the way back with its third album, appropriately titled III, and has been out and about promoting it with a variety of appearances, the latest being an outdoor mini-concert staged for the late night show Jimmy Kimmel Live. The...
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June 22, 2019 Dumping the last decade or so of Flying Lotus’ work into one album effort is no small feat, but Lotus does a great job of collecting the best together to craft this new set of tracks. His partners in audio crime are nothing to sneer at, either — openers “Heroes” an...
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June 22, 2019 Soulful R&B/dance diva Janet Jackson just launched her much-anticipated Metamorphosis residency at Las Vegas’ Park MGM Resort, but the shows have been so popular that her stay there has already been extended. Jackson will stick around the Park for three addition...
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June 15, 2019 Simple yet confident, the title tells you most of what you need to know about this collection of some of Sting’s most celebrated tracks, each of which have been reworked and remixed into different versions of themselves. It’d almost be a greatest hits set, but it’s a lit...
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June 15, 2019 Frankenmuth, Michigan, band turned national rock act Greta Van Fleet has added a stack of shows to the fall leg of its March of the Peaceful Army tour through North America. Attendees can expect tunes from their debut full-length album, Anthem of the Peaceful ArmyRead More >>
June 8, 2019 Over five decades in to his music career, whip-sharp singer and lyricist Lowe hasn’t lost a beat, as evidenced by this new EP, which also includes the musicianship of his backing band, Los Straitjackets. Three distinctive Lower songs — “Love Starvation,” “Tro...
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June 1, 2019 Has it really been eight months since Josh Groban’s latest album,Bridges,hit outlets? That time’s flown by even for Groban himself, although, for fans, it was a long wait for those new tunes. June 1, 2019 Playing a hot mix of traditional jazz, showy swing, and a hint of pop, The Hot Sardines recorded this impressive live collection of tracks in two sessions, one at Joe’s Pub in New York City, and the other at Koerner Hall in Toronto, Canada. But these aren’t laid-back lounge-y ...
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Yuna – Rogue – Verve
Sheeran is Back with a Stack of Friends
Various Artists – For the Throne – Columbia
Clark Gets Psychedelic
The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger
Summer Rockin’ in the Porkies
Madonna – Madame X – Interscope
Keeping Up with the Wu-Tang Clan
Small-town Summer Festival Guide
An Horse – Modern Air – Lame-O Records
Lumineers Take on Album Number Three
Flying Lotus – Flamagra – Warp
Miss Jackson’s Metamorphosis
Sting – My Songs – A&M
Greta Van Fleet Calls Up Its Army
Nick Lowe – Love Starvation – Yep Roc
Catching Up with Josh Groban
“I did have the Br...
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The Hot Sardines – Welcome Home, Bon Voyage – Eleven Records