The Killers Run for Cover

Modern Rock

By Kristi Kates | Aug. 19, 2017

Las Vegas indie-rockers The Killers have just released a brand new track called “Run for Cover,” which is pretty much the opposite of what fans are going to do when they hear what the band’s up to next. Instead, they’ll run to the nearest music outlet to snag the band’s Jacknife Lee-produced new studio album, Wonderful Wonderful, which will drop on Sept. 22 and be accompanied by a big North American tour. The first leg of the trek will begin in Toronto on Jan. 5, with additional stops in Washington D.C. (Jan. 10), Detroit (Jan. 15), Chicago (Jan. 16), San Diego (Jan. 30), and Salt Lake City (Feb. 6).

Ready for Christmas in August? Or at least planning ahead for it? Then you’ll want to put singer-songwriter Sia’s upcoming new album on your list, as it’s going to be her first-ever Christmas-themed effort. The as-yet-untitled set will be a collection of original holiday songs written by Sia and her frequent collaborator Greg Kurstin, and it will be released later this year on Atlantic Records. The artist is also directing her first feature film; details of that project have not been announced. This all falls under Sia’s just-signed worldwide label deal with Atlantic …

Singer Kesha is heading out this fall on her first solo North American tour in more than four years, in support of her upcoming new studio album, Rainbow, out this week. (Snag a pair of tickets to one of her tour dates, and you’ll receive a free copy of Rainbow.) The tour kicks off in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sept. 26 and wraps up at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Palladium on Nov. 1. Stops along the way include performances at the Kaaboo Festival in Del Mar California (Sept. 15), the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas (Sept. 23), and additional standalone shows at The Fillmore in Detroit (Oct. 15), the Rebel in Toronto, Ontario (Oct. 16), and the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago (Oct. 18) …

The MTV Video Music Awards have announced both their 2017 host and a shortlist of nominees for this year’s ceremonies: Katy Perry will host and perform at the show, and she’s also one of the top nominees, boasting five nods. Also leading the pack are Kendrick Lamar, who leads with eight nominations; The Weeknd with five; Bruno Mars and DJ Khaled with four each, and Ed Sheeran and Alessia Cara with three each. A brand new award, the Best Fight Against the System Award, has been added to the honors to celebrate music videos that help “inspire viewers to stand up and fight injustice.” The MTV VMAs will be broadcast live from The Forum in Inglewood, California, on Sunday, Aug. 27, at 8pm EST … 

LINK OF THE WEEK
Another diverse lineup of national musicians is heading for this year’s Arts Beats and Eats in downtown Royal Oak, Michigan. The fest is celebrating its 20th anniversary Sept. 1–4 with performances from The B-52’s, Starship, 311, Dwight Yoakam, P-Funk, Candlebox, and more. Get a complete schedule and more information at the fest’s official site, artbeatseats.com …

THE BUZZ
Kendrick Lamar just rocked The Palace of Auburn Hills as part of his nationwide tour. While there, he brought unexpected guest J. Cole on stage to perform the track “A Tale of 2 Citiez” from Cole’s 2014 album …

Justin Bieber has canceled the remaining dates on his Purpose tour, with not much explanation from manager Scooter Braun other than a sincere apology; the cancellation includes all pending Michigan dates on the schedule …

Hip-hop collective A$AP Mob has announced a fall tour of North America that will include a stop at the Masonic Temple Theater in Detroit on Sept. 29 …

Silversun Pickups is heading out on tour, too, but it looks like the closest it’s going to get to Michigan is a one-night stop at Chicago’s Riviera Theater on Nov. 8 …

Kid Rock has been in the news lately, thanks to the rumor he’s going to run for a spot on the U.S. Senate. But considering he’s just announced a pair of single releases and a 2018 concert tour, many suspect the Senate talk is only to build up interest in his new tunes … 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.