California Mesmerizes Wolf Alice

Modern Rock

By Kristi Kates | Dec. 8, 2018

London indie-rock band Wolf Alice has been named the 2018 Mercury Music Prize winner for its second album effort, the critically and fan-acclaimed Visions of a Life. The band recorded the album throughout 2017, having transplanted themselves temporarily to Los Angeles, California, for the project. The city made a big impression on the bandmates, who spoke to the press about the astonishing fact that you can “go skiing and then to the ocean, or out into the desert and then into the city” all in the same day. The record picked up some of that diversity, rocking between pop, punk, and more twee tunes, all of which helped Alice snag that Mercury prize …

Nearly 18 years after Almost Famous, the coming-of-age story of a soon-to-be Rolling Stone writer, hit theaters, the film is being reconfigured into a stage musical, set upon the foundations of the original story by acclaimed hipster director Cameron Crowe. Tony-winning composer Tom Kitt is behind the musical’s music, while Crowe is co-writing the song lyrics for the musical’s tunes and penning a stage adaptation of the script. The original movie starred Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson, Patrick Fugit, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. No word yet on who will take the boards for the stage version …

South Carolina banjoist and songwriter Kristin Scott Benson has been awarded the 2018 Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, an honor Martin created after succeeding at his own banjo and bluegrass-music projects. (You might recognize his works with the Steep Canyon Rangers or his collaboration with singer-songwriter Edie Brickell.) Benson, who has released three solo albums of banjo music between 2002 and 2016, will receive $50,000 as part of her award honor …

Oasis has been offered a “giant stack of cash” to reunite to perform a big show at Dublin’s Slane Castle. Oasis actually performed at Slane before its split (alongside R.E.M.), but the brother bandmates are reportedly holding out. Oasis’ main songwriter, Noel Gallagher, told the press he’d only reform the band for 20 million pounds. Whether or not he was joking about the millions, Gallagher definitely plans to start off his 2019 working on his next solo album, so the Slane gig will have to wait on the back burner either way… 

LINK OF THE WEEK
Looking for a not-too-far getaway next spring? Check out the Shaky Knees Music Festival, taking place May 3–5 in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The 2019 event will feature live performances from Beck, Interpol, Cage the Elephant, Foals, Tame Impala, and many more. Get tickets and all the info at www.shakykneesfestival.com ...

THE BUZZ
The Motown Museum in Detroit has announced that its fundraising efforts have just hit $16.5 million, one-third of the $50-million goal it has in place for an extensive expansion of the museum property …

The Backstreet Boys are heading back to Detroit next year as part of their biggest tour in 20 years. The boy band will perform at Little Caesars Arena on Aug. 12 …

Mannheim Steamroller is heading back to the Motor City, too, but a lot earlier — catch it this Dec. 16 at the Fox Theater …

Traverse City’s “adopted musical son” Billy Strings will perform at Otus Supply in Detroit on Dec. 29 and 30 … and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.

Comments, questions, rants, raves, suggestions on this column? Send ’em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com.