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After an insane intergalactic Rick-roll, Insomniac has released the set times and map and Countdown NYE 2018. Headliners will be ringing in the new year with some of the biggest names in dance music across four incredible stages. The Mothership will be under the main tent at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, California. Tiesto, Dillon Francis, Zedd and more will be taking over this stage. For those looking to get a little dirtier, the Area 51 stage will host RL Grime, Alison Wonderland, and k?d among others. Want to go even dirtier and grimier, well Bassrush is hosting the next stage, the Nebula, and headbangers can ring in the new year with Zomboy, Snails, and Herobust. For those looking for house and tech grooves, the Twilight Zone will feature the likes of Shiba San, Justin Martin, and CamelPhat. Tickets are still available, download the app and check out the Rick-roll (and real set times) from deep space. This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Insomniac Releases Map and Set Times for Countdown NYE 2018 Source

We’ve heard of “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle”, but “Nirvana Will Have Their Revenge on Marc Jacobs“!? Apparently so. According to TMZ, the band is suing the designer for using its iconic smiley face on an incredibly lame shirt, which is part of Jacobs’ equally lame Bootleg Redux Grunge collection. Sigh, what a world. As you can see below, the design lifts not only the smiley face — replacing the crossed-out eyes with a cheeky “M” and J” — but also the band’s Onyx font which they used to write the words “HEAVEN.” The smile was reportedly first drawn by the late Kurt Cobain and first appeared on one of their flyers for their Nevermind release party in 1991. It’s been trademarked by the band since 1992. Marc Jacobs has yet to comment on the lawsuit. Source

Fans who loved Aquaman won’t have to wait too long to see Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry again. In fact, they’ll only have to shuffle around for a month and some change as the deep sea superhero will make an unexpected appearance in the upcoming film, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. In anticipation, the film’s Instagram shared a charming promotional video, which finds Momoa screaming like an ol’ blockhead as his Lego equivalent uses the original Aquaman comic book as a surf board. It’s wild, it’s zany, but what do you expect? Momoa joins Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) as the second actor from the DC Comics’ Extended Universe to cross over into the animated LEGO Movie franchise. As previously reported, the sequel to 2014’s blockbuster hit The LEGO Movie brings back Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Charlie Day, Alison Brie, and Nick Offerman, along with newcomers Tiffany Haddish, Stephanie Beatriz and Maya Rudolph. Co-directed by Trisha Gum (Robot Chicken) and Mike Mitchell (Shrek Forever After, Trolls) from a script by the first film’s directors Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, The LEGO Movie 2 will touch on gender roles and dynamics. Here’s the film’s official synopsis: “The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part reunites the heroes of Bricksburg in an all new action-packed adventure to save their beloved city. It’s been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are facing a huge new threat: LEGO DUPLO® invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than they can rebuild. The battle to defeat them and restore harmony to the LEGO universe will take Emmet, Lucy, Batman and their friends to faraway, unexplored worlds, including a strange galaxy where everything is a musical. It will test their courage, creativity and Master Building skills, and reveal just how special they really are.” The LEGO Movie 2 hits theaters February 8th. Watch the latest trailer below. Source

Viva Lady Gaga! On Friday night, the blockbuster popstar kicked off her two-year Las Vegas residency at the MGM Park Theater, where she introduced fans to her new pop odyssey spectacle, Enigma. As promised, the show delivered an “experience unlike any other,” revisiting all of her hits through an epic 20-song setlist with all kinds of new bells and whistles. Never one to shy away from a spectacle, Gaga went all out for Sin City. She introduced brand new wardrobes, ranging from glittery mirror-ware to DayGlo cyberpunk (designed by her sister), that are all a part of a new storyline. Ahem, a storyline that includes digitally-rendered characters and one gigantic, fire-breathing robot, which she mounts while performing “Sheiße off of Born This Way. One surprise towards the back half of the hits, however, was an unexpected cover of David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails’ scathing industrial hit “I’m Afraid of Americans”, which she sang from within a Saturn-esque keyboard console. The cover appears shortly after “Government Hooker”, another cut off of 2011’s Born This Way, which similarly has some political connotations. Gaga ended her show with the first public performance of “Shallow” from A Star is Born. Like her character from Bradley Cooper’s critical darling, she performed the piece on the piano, wearing casual attire. “For a really long time, I felt so misunderstood — [critics] thought the way I dress, the way I talk, my attire, was shallow,” she said. “But this shit is deep as fuck.” Not surprisingly, Gaga wasn’t the only star in the room. According to Yahoo!, pop star Katy Perry, Foo Fighters and recent BBQ master Dave Grohl, Adam Lambert, and Hawkeye himself Jeremy Renner were all in attendance. They won’t be the last, either. Next month, the Golden Globe nominee will debut another show on January 20th as part of her residency. Titled Jazz and Piano, the show will be a more tame affair, offering “stripped-down versions of her hits as well as music from the Great American Songbook.” You can grab tickets to the upcoming shows here. Below, you can watch fan-shot footage from Friday night and consult the setlist shortly after. Lady Gaga Enigma Setlist: Just Dance Poker Face LoveGame Dance In The Dark Beautiful, Dirty, Rich The Fame Telephone Applause Paparazzi Aura Sheiße Judas Government Hooker I’m Afraid of Americans (David Bowie Cover) The Edge Of Glory Alejandro Million Reasons You And I Bad Romance Born This Way Shallow (Live Debut) Source

Perhaps the most uplifting Martin Garrix track to date, “Dreamer” featuring Mike Young, has inspired another handful of remixes out now. Dreamer (Remixes Vol. 2) includes new productions from Brooks, Infuze and a SLVR “Booshi” edition. Previously, Nicky Romero, SLVR, and EAUXMAR dropped remixes on Vol. 1. Brooks guides the soulful production into a sweet, sweet festival anthem built for the main stage. Infuze composes a remix with dreamlike energy, complete with vocal chops and danceable plucks. Lastly, SLVR’s Booshi remix takes the future house route, never skipping a beat. The original from Martin Garrix may just be one of the most important of his entire career. It’s all about believing in your dreams and resisting the urge to give up. Now, with these three new remixes, there are three new ways to hold on to that dream. Listen here and keep on believing! Martin Garrix & Mike Yung – Dreamer (Remixes Vol. 2)  This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Martin Garrix & Mike Young’s Uplifting Collab Gets Another Remix Pack [LISTEN] Source

Following the crackdown on nightlife across his country, What So Not just threw a run of free shows for fans in Australia. During the series of events he’s calling the “Perfect Storm,” the worldwide DJ/producer experienced some of the most lively and intimate shows of his career. Of course, this all went down in his homeland which makes the entire experience even more special. “AUSTRALIA, I have a proposition for you,” he previously shared on social media. “Lockouts sent our night culture broke, so, I would like to do a free show for somebody this weekend. Pref in Sydney, but TBH these issues have affected the whole country so I’m open to driving/flying where ever looks exciting.” In a new trailer for “Perfect Storm,” What So Not sets the scene for these fan-thrown events. He actually hit up 7 house parties in a single night — and this is the result. Stay tuned for more. What So Not – Perfect Storm Trailer Photo via Rukes.com This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: What So Not Hits Up 7 House Parties In 1 Night & This Is The Result [TRAILER] Source

Since the legendary Carl Cox shouted her out as dance music’s most underrated DJ in 2009, Nicole Moudaber has busted her butt year in and year out to build a techno empire. In 2018, Moudaber has been making big moves as a DJ, producer, radio show host, and label boss; I can’t wait to see what comes from the techno legend in 2019. In addition to being an undoubted legend of techno, Moudaber also recently launched Eleven, a campaign she’s pioneered in hopes to end the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), a brutal religious and cultural practice in which a young girl’s genitalia are ritually cut, removed or partially sewn shut. Moudaber named the charity campaign based on the statistic of how many girls are undergoing the procedure worldwide on a minute to minute basis: “Every minute, somewhere in the world, 11 girls undergo female genital mutilation.” That adds up to nearly 6 million girls each year. In a recent interview with DJ Mag, Moudaber describes how she became passionate on the topic of FGM: “The first time I heard about it and saw some documentaries about it was when I was at university here in England. I was here in my apartment and I had CNN on. And suddenly I hear this screaming of this child. I ran to see what was going on and it was, in fact, a documentary talking about FGM and actually showing what was going on. It affected me so much that honestly, I felt the pain, and I started to cry. I thought it was really unjust to have this going on in the world. And ever since that point, I got obsessed and I wanted to do something about it. It really freaked me out.” All of the money raised by Moudaber’s Eleven charity is contributed go to women’s rights organization Magool. The organization was founded by Somali-British psychotherapist, activist and Guardian columnist Leyla Hussein. You can purchase ELEVEN Charity Bracelet (pictured above) on Moudaber’s shop page and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Magool. Donations are also taken on Moudaber’s GoFundMe page with the hopes of raising 10,000 pounds ($12,708). For anyone in LA looking to see the techno goddess in action, Moudaber will be playing in LA club Avalon tonight. Tickets can be found here. This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Artist Spotlight: Nicole Moudaber Fights to End Female Genital Mutilation Source

KSHMR dropped his latest sample pack on Splice, Sounds of KSHMR Vol 3, earlier this year with over 4000 new samples. The pack highlighted four different core topics: World Instruments, Drums, FX and Song starters. Going through all the samples is a tedious and lengthy process, but producers are sure to find something invaluable buried within. Unfortunately for video game composer Mick Gordon, what he found he considered to be frightfully similar to his own work on the DOOM video game soundtrack. Gordon lists his work on Wolfenstein, DOOM, Prey, Killer Instinct (S1 & S2), Need for Speed & Routine on his Twitter bio, so you could say his work is prolific. In the video he posted to Twitter, playing the Splice samples side by side with clips from tracks on the DOOM soundtrack, it’s clear there are some similarities, some more than others. Hey @splice – your “Sounds of @KSHMRmusic Vol. 3” sample pack includes several samples directly ripped from my Soundtrack to @doom.#plagarism #sampled #iguessyoujustpushplayafterall pic.twitter.com/DBkmPMz9WM — Mick Gordon (@Mick_Gordon) December 28, 2018 Thank you for reporting this. We take these issues seriously, and we’re investigating. Can you DM the best email to reach you for follow up? — Splice (@splice) December 28, 2018 A representative for Splice issued the following statement to Your EDM, “We take allegations of copyright infringement seriously and require that all contributors to Splice Sounds submit original works. When we learned of Mick’s report, we removed the content in question as a precaution. We’re glad to hear that KSHMR has reached out to Mick directly.” KSHMR has also now uploaded his own statement in a short video to Twitter. Here's a message to everyone about the Industrial Grime sounds — mostly, sorry to @Mick_Gordon pic.twitter.com/LC9zNOwYIa — KSHМR (@KSHMRmusic) December 28, 2018 Photo via Rukes.com This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: DOOM Video Game Composer Accuses KSHMR Of Ripping Samples For Latest Splice Pack Source

Back in August, Eric Clapton revealed he was working on an EDM-inspired version of “Jingle Bells” to be released — and it would be dedicated to the late Avicii. Flash-forward to now and ’tis the season for holiday music. Clapton’s full-length album Happy Xmas has arrived along with his take on “Jingle Bells” and it’s an interesting track to say the least. There are clear builds and releases that resemble EDM structure, but with the rockstar’s signature guitar and other instrumentals, it sounds more fit for a jam band. According to Billboard, the track was originally titled “Jingle Bells (In Memory Of Avicii).” It seems he dropped part of the title to go the more traditional route. Either way, Clapton is showing his appreciation for the genre and it’s awesome to hear. Listen below and let us know what you think! Eric Clapton – “Jingle Bells” Photo via Rukes.com This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Eric Clapton Releases ‘Happy Xmas’ Album with EDM-Inspired Track Dedicated to Avicii Source

Former president Barack Obama has shared his annual list of favorite tracks for the year, which includes The Carters, Cardi B, J. Cole and many more. “As 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing a favorite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists,” he writes in a post. “It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books, movies, and music that I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved.” As Obama explains, his list of talent runs deep. While some are household names, others you may not have heard before — but all deserve a good listen, watch, or read. We’ve included the full list of Obama’s Favorite Songs of 2018 below. Check out his full post here, which details his favorite books and movies from the year. Obama’s Favorite Songs of 2018 Apes••t by The Carters Bad Bad News by Leon Bridges Could’ve Been by H.E.R. (feat. Bryson Tiller) Disco Yes by Tom Misch (feat. Poppy Ajudha) Ekombe by Jupiter & Okwess Every Time I Hear That Song by Brandi Carlile Girl Goin’ Nowhere by Ashley McBryde Historia De Un Amor by Tonina (feat. Javier Limón and Tali Rubinstein) I Like It by Cardi B (feat. Bad Bunny and J Balvin) Kevin’s Heart by J. Cole King For A Day by Anderson East Love Lies by Khalid & Normani Make Me Feel by Janelle Monáe Mary Don’t You Weep (Piano & A Microphone 1983 Version) by Prince My Own Thing by Chance the Rapper (feat. Joey Purp) Need a Little Time by Courtney Barnett Nina Cried Power by Hozier (feat. Mavis Staples) Nterini by Fatoumata Diawara One Trick Ponies by Kurt Vile Turnin’ Me Up by BJ the Chicago Kid Wait by the River by Lord Huron Wow Freestyle by Jay Rock (feat. Kendrick Lamar) And in honor of one of the great jazz singers of all time, who died this year, a classic album: The Great American Songbook by Nancy Wilson See how Obama’s 2018 list compares to his 2017 list here. APES**T – THE CARTERS This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Barack Obama Shares His Favorite Songs of 2018 Source

After returning from his legendary electronic music cruise FRIENDSHIP, that sold out in a record 2 days this year, DESTRUCTO is ready to embark on his “Let’s Be Friends Again” tour beginning January 11th. Destructo DESTRUCTO is always on the forefront of the hottest sounds in electronic music. Through his own studio production he offers us tracks like his recent release with Busta Rhymes’ “F**king S**t Up” and by hosting stellar events like All My Friends and FRIENDSHIP he invites the freshest of talent. Shaq & DESTRUCTO from 12/1 Los Angeles Show @ Avalon Photo Credit: Rukes When he goes out on tour it’s no different. For his past tours he shared the stage with rising talents Rezz, Fisher, Sita Abellan, CRAY, Anna Lunoe and many more. This time on his “Let’s Be Friends Again” tour DESTRUCTO shines light on Redlight, Bruno Furlan, Flava D, Golf Clap, Anabel Englund, Sirus Hood, J. Worra, Noizu and Dom Dolla. Enjoy a discography from the artists joining DESTRUCTO’S “Let’s Be Friends Again” tour. The beloved Dirtybird producer, Sirus Hood will bring the latest sounds in tech and deep house from Paris. Also, Los Angeles bred J. Worra, who was abroad FRIENDSHIP and you may recognize her from Lightning In A Bottle or Dirtybird Campout, spins only the finest in house and techno. Redlight out of London has landed himself on Gary’s radar with undeniable singles like best “Zum Zum” and “Get Out Of My Head.” Then the new talent, Noizu who has the support from major labels like OWSLA and Confessions offers pristine house music. To represent the techno and house scene of São Paulo, Brazil will be Bruno Furlan, giving this tour more international flair. Also, joining the tour will be London favorite and XOYO club resident Flava D with her eclectic sounds spanning from house to bass and garage. Then of course, after having a standout set at All My Friends this last summer, house duo from Detroit, Golf Clap will make their appearance along the “Let’s Be Friends Again” tour. This past year they have remixed Louis The Child, Zhu & Tame Impala and more. In the support slot for the San Francisco show, Richard’s invites the LA singer-songwriter Anabel Englund, who best known for collaborative works with Hot Natured and MK. Finally, we have Australian chart-topper, Dom Dolla spinning dance and house music for the Austin stop. Heralded Diplo not too long ago on DESTRUCTO: The music scene here has exploded. The DJ scene, the electronic scene, is going in overdrive and one of the key figures of this is this one guys right here, LA native, Gary Richards aka Destructo… He’s had a long and illustrious career. From working with Rick Rubin to being on ULTRA, OWSLA, remix the likes of Giorgio Moroder, YG and even MAJOR LAZER. He’s also one of my good friends, so we’re gonna step up right now with Destructo… We hope this discography has opened your eyes to some incredible talent and inspires you. Make sure to snag your pass to catch the “Let’s Be Friends Again” tour. Keep up with any updates through the social media handles linked below. Follow DESTRUCTO: facebook | twitter | instagram | website The post DESTRUCTO Invites Inspiring Talent Along “Let’s Be Friends Again” Tour [Discography] appeared first on EDM | Electronic Music | EDM Music | EDM Festivals | EDM Events. Source

GRiZmas brings a funky holiday spirit to Detroit that only GRiZ can inspire. Grant “GRiZ” Kwiecinski returned to his hometown of Detroit for the fifth annual GRiZmas, a two-night run at Detroit’s Masonic Temple. One night of the GRiZ live band and one night of GRiZ, by tradition has been the culmination of the 12-Days of GRiZmas event. More than ever, the celebration showcased his vast repertoire and blasted us through the past, present, and future of everything GRiZ. 12 Days of GRiZmas Over December 4 – 15, the producer and his team took to Detroit to host gatherings, workshops, charity drives, and DJ sets. This year included the flagship caroling, yoga, and roller-disco events, and pop up holiday store to score limited GRiZmas merch. New additions to the festivities included an Assemble U discussion on mental health in the social media century and the first inaugural GRiZmas local mic night in partnership with the Detroit Institute for Music Education. Plus, a special GRiZmas coffee blend in collaboration with Detroit’s Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company. Yum. The Night Before GRiZmas was surely a blast from the past as GRiZ delivered an entire Mad Liberation set at Deluxx Fluxx. Yeah, the venue was small and crowded and the sound system was a little iffy, but that’s exactly what a GRiZ set was like back in those days. Nostalgia filled the air as GRiZ and Muzzy Bearr tackled an entire era into one regular-sized set filled with mad liberating music. GRiZ immediately followed it up with a Disco House Party at The Magic Stick and the vibes were unbeatable. Of course, GRiZmas has always been about giving back. All of the money raised went toward increasing access to music education in Detroit’s public schools. Year after year, GRiZmas has cultivated a community amongst GRiZ fans from the heart of Detroit and across the country with a purpose — to take care of each other above all else. All of this holiday action led up to two nights of GRiZ that fans, new and old, could appreciate as he took us through GRiZmas past, present, and future. The Ghost of GRiZmas Past Set in GRiZ’s hometown of Detroit, GRiZmas by design has given a special nod to his earliest works and rise to the spotlight. Saturday night’s GRiZ set featured an absolute tear through of classics from End of the World Party, Mad Liberation, and Rebel Era including “Grizzlor,” “Rock n Roll,” “The Future is Now,” “DTW to DIA,” and “Crime in the City.” These were the glimpses of the past that we did not expect to hear, but it was an absolute treat when we did. The inclusion of staple songs like “Smash the Funk” and “Gettin Live” — integral parts of older sets, but now often times elusive — reminded us of the evolution of GRiZ sets and music. Even some of the new material we heard on Saturday night seemed to pay homage to GRiZ’s roots and older sounds. For instance, a song containing an edited sample of Nas’ “Hip Hop is Dead” proclaiming “Glitch Hop just died,” juxtaposed by some of the glitchiest GRiZ we’ve heard in awhile, had us grinning ear to ear. The live band also included one of our favorite nods to the past, “Chasin Galaxies,” which we’ve come to adore. With all these throwbacks, we couldn’t help but reflect on GRiZ’s journey thus far. The Ghost of GRiZmas Present In addition to the reflection of early – 2010 work, we were reminded of the GRiZ sound we’ve come to love over the last three years, which brought us into the present. 2015’s Say It Loud was a huge shift in sound and astronomically perpetuated by 2016’s Good Will Prevail. Each body of work, including Chasing the Golden Hour parts that preceded each of them, brought another level of instrumental and vocal fusion to the table. These songs made for perfect adaptations by the GRiZ live band, a more recent project featuring GRiZ and over 13 other pieces that make entirely live renditions of pivotal tracks. After opening with a funky holiday song, the GRiZ live band proved to be the weekend’s outlet for much of GRiZ’s more current work. Songs like “PS GFY,” “Can’t Hold me Down,” “Wicked,” and “Get Down” were brilliantly performed live and celebrated throughout the crowd. The live band received a production boost as well, with illuminated platforms and lights that highlighted stage choreography. Each piece of the band could be narrowed in on visually at respective times. For example, the trade off between saxophone solo, vocal verses, and the entire live band when Prob Cause came out for “Smoke That” and “My Friends and I.” With the addition of the live version of “It Gets Better,” one of GRiZ’s latest songs, Friday night’s live band highlighted the duality of electronic and instrumental sound that has exponentially grown in GRiZ’s music. Back for an encore, Bootsy Collins performed a new GRiZ collaboration “Bustin’,” providing one of Friday’s biggest looks into the future. When speaking with GRiZ back in October, we learned about the process for translating his tunes into a full live production and how much focus he and his band have been been dedicating to this project. Full interview here. The Ghost of GRiZmas Future Last GRiZmas, we felt there was a bright future ahead for GRiZ and his music. Little did we know, it’s even brighter than we anticipated. Much of the unreleased material from last year has seemingly been sidelined to make way for this year’s new, unreleased music — showing us the lightning fast speed at which GRiZ is operating at. GRiZ assured us that he has been keeping hella busy despite his social media absence and this GRiZmas proved that notion. Friday night’s live band performance offered plenty of glimpses into the horizon music-wise, but the kick-off of Saturday night’s GRiZ set was the greatest eye-opener. GRiZ opened center stage with all lights on him — just him, with a microphone in hand laying down the lyrics to an unreleased song. After coming out swinging with a handful of previously unheard songs, GRiZ performed another one of his most recent releases, “Can’t Get Enough,” which marks his first main entry into the vocal aspect of his artistry. It was made clear from Saturday night’s opening sequence that this will continue to be a focus in the future. In the barrage of new music we heard on Saturday night, it’s tough to say what’s complete and what’s still on GRiZ’s cutting room floor. GRiZ has always kept the most gritty and grimey parts of his repertoire unreleased and only hearable at shows. While we expect this trend to continue, we’re also hopeful that some of bangers we heard in the first half will find a way to our speakers soon. There were also new takes on old songs, like the classic GRiZmatik collab “Digital Liberation is Mad Freedom,” as well as part two of “My Friends and I.” To end the night, GRiZ was joined by Matisyahu to perform a brand new collab that sounded too good to go unreleased for much longer. This year, GRiZmas was a special sneak peak into the future of GRiZ — new music, new adaptations for the live band, and bigger and better shows. GRiZ seems to be moving in many directions at once, but each direction is pointing forward and moving at 110% speed. GRiZmas V made us excited for the future like never before! GRiZmas V reflected on where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re heading. Through his music, GRiZ took us on a journey through our time as individuals and together as a community. Through tradition, this community has been born. Through this community, a brighter future awaits. To relive this year’s festivities, check out the GRiZmas recap video below. For anyone who missed out or can’t get enough, check out GRiZ’s upcoming tour dates. Merry belated GRiZmas to everyone! Hope to see you next year! MORE: GRiZ Drops 2 New Singles & Catches Us Up On His Life & Music GRiZMAS 2018 Recap Photos courtesy of Red Light Management This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: GRiZ Takes Us Through the Past, Present & Future at GRiZmas V Source

When Ultra Music Festival dropped its phase 1 artist announcement just over a week ago, we were ecstatic. Plenty of debut Ultra performances and well-deserved main stage debuts graced the lineup, but one other part caught our eye: “exclusive” under certain names. Speculation over the meaning of the word started a wildfire in forums and comment sections, but Ultra has finally offered an official explanation for it. This year, you will notice many of the headlining artists marked as “EXCLUSIVE.” Unlike previous years, these artists will NOT have other performances during Miami Music Week. Instead, Ultra Music Festival will be the only place in Miami to see these unique performances. Surely this is a move to get more fans to travel to the festival’s new location on Virginia Key. Before, attendees had the option more often than not to catch artists performing at various locations during MMW in South Beach. With MMW and Bayfront Park in such close proximity, it was never an issue. But with Virginia Key’s relatively remote location, at least in comparison to Bayfront Park, there’s more of a need to get people interested in making the trek. Ultra Music Festival 2019 goes down March 29-31 in Virginia Key in Miami. Photo via aLIVE Coverage for Ultra This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Ultra Explains The “Exclusive” Tag On Some Artists On Its 2019 Lineup Source

Download | Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS The latest Kyle Meredith With… kicks off New Year’s Eve weekend with a triple-dose of turn-back-the-clock rock interviews. Sarah Bettens of K’s Choice talks about the band’s 25th anniversary live album, working on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and their brand-new, television tie-in record, Love = Music. Jill Sobule shares how Nostalgia Kills ties in with the stage show, #fuckseventhgrade, and revisits the time her nemesis said no artist can write anything good after 40. And finally, Tracey Thorn explains the inspiration behind the tracks on Record, recalls her past experiences working with both Warpaint and Corinne Bailey Rae, and weighs in on whether we’ll see another Everything But the Girl reunion. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Each episode, Meredith digs deep into an artist’s work to find out how the music is made and where their journey is going, from legendary artists like Robert Plant, Paul McCartney, U2 and Bryan Ferry, to the newer class of The National, St. Vincent, Arctic Monkeys, Haim, and Father John Misty. Check back Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for new episodes. Rate the series now via iTunes. Follow on Facebook | Podchaser | Twitter K’s Choice: Jill Sobule: Tracey Thorn: Source

The Pitch: In this special choose-your-own-adventure Black Mirror set in 1984, young programmer Stefan (Fionn Whitehead) struggles to design an adventure game patterned after an ambitious sci-fi book called Bandersnatch, written by a controversial writer who met a grisly fate. However, as Stefan’s choices (and that of the viewer/player) grow ever more complicated and dangerous, his understanding of the world becomes increasingly unhinged. And that’s all that can really be said without giving away the game. Would You Like to Play a Game?: Charlie Brooker’s anthology series has always explored the deep, cynical heart at the center of our technological world – including the ways in which we monetize and gamify our most animalistic impulses to own, possess, and control. Whether it’s the cutthroat social media rankings of “Nosedive” or the toxic fandom of “USS Callister”, Black Mirror has cornered the market on all-too-bleak visions of what demons the digital world might unleash within us. Along comes Bandersnatch, the first adult-oriented rollout of Netflix’s furtive dip into the world of interactive programming, and Brooker et al. have mined this new format for all the metatextual gold it contains. If you remember the old interactive movies and FMV games of the ‘90s, the workings of Bandersnatch will be pretty familiar to you. Occasionally, Stefan will be faced with two choices, represented by a dialogue tree that pops up on the bottom of the screen; pick one, and Stefan will follow suit. The choices seem arbitrary at first – what cereal the main character eats, what cassette tape he listens to on his way to work – but soon give way to more substantial, controversial choices, several of which have life-or-death stakes. Independent of how the format plays out in the story, it’s a fascinating new way to experience streaming media, if only by dint of its demands on your attention span. Bandersnatch is active media, not passive; you can’t put it on in the background while you fold laundry like most other Black Mirror episodes. In fact, you can’t stream it through most TVs or Chromecasts; you’re glued to your phone, tablet, or computer screen. In a number of ways, Bandersnatch forces you to engage, pay attention to details, avoid distractions – the kind of thing Black Mirror has been warning us to do with our technological world since its inception. As a microcosm for the show’s ethos, the interactive nature of Bandersnatch is quite engrossing. Are You Still There?: Of course, Brooker (who wrote this episode) is never one to shy away from the metatextual, and Bandersnatch is the most brazen wink at the viewer that Black Mirror has attempted to date. As the film/game proceeds, and you try path after path to get to any of Bandersnatch’s five endings through what are rumored to be thousands of different pathways, Stefan’s understanding of the reality he’s in grows more and more. Think of it like Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow – endlessly trying the same path over and over again to reach the right outcome, recognizing the Sisyphean journey he’s being taken on. The longer you move through Bandersnatch, the more Stefan might realize he’s being controlled, and by whom. He may even try to resist your commands, or obey them in a zombie-like fashion, with little say in the matter. In addition to the trial and error, you’ll have a little help in the form of Will Poulter’s spacey game designer Colin, who may know a little bit more about the mechanics of the world Stefan lives in than he first lets on. It’s here that Brooker once again prods the lizard brains of his viewers, offering them the chance to troll Stefan at every turn, forcing him at vital points to make more and more extreme choices until he dies, or ends up in prison, or whatever else have you. Black Mirror makes its audience complicit in the dirty deeds onscreen all the time, but never this directly: one frequently finds themselves hovering over a particularly grisly option, knowing how Stefan will react, but irrepressibly tempted to see what will happen. In this way, this special Black Mirror movie becomes a surprising reflection on the limited choices we seem to have in our lives, and the guilt we feel for not taking the road less traveled. As with some of Black Mirror’s best episodes, the technology isn’t an obstacle, but the vehicle by which broader questions about humanity’s relationship to technology are raised. For instance, our ability to empathize with the characters we see in media is tested in ways both large and small – whether you decide to make Stefan yell at his dad, or engage in a bloody, over-the-top brawl with his therapist (Alice Lowe). The game-ier Stefan’s story becomes, and the more he becomes aware of it, the deeper Black Mirror’s rabbit hole goes. The Verdict: While its interactive nature is more of a curio than anything else, Bandersnatch remains an intriguing experiment for a show in which our relationship with technology is baked into the premise. Bandersnatch is kind of like Memento – if you were to string it all together into one single, chronological narrative, the end result wouldn’t be nearly as interesting. However, as with a lot of media, the style is the substance: an interactive movie as a means to interrogate the way the viewer engages with the characters and story they see onscreen. When we move Pac-Man, does he think he’s moving himself? When he dies, does he mind? When he respawns, is he the same guy? What happens when Pac-Man finally looks back and sees you controlling him? When’s It Playing?: Bandersnatch is ready to branch off onto a million dialogue trees on Netflix now. Trailer: Source

Dirtybird Campout East just announced it will not return in 2019. “We’re sorry to announce that after many months of research and countless avenues explored we will not be able to execute the best possible East Coast Campout in 2019,” Dirtybird Campout reveals in a statement. “We know that February’s 2018 East Coast event was not perfect, and we want to be absolutely sure that when we come back, the quality of our production is not compromised.” The inaugural year of the festival experienced a bumpy start in 2018. Dirtybird Campout East was forced to close its gates for hours while organizers dealt with noise violations from the previous warmup night. The first official day continued on without music, but day 2 and 3 went off without a hitch. While this is sad news for Dirtybird fans, it’s reassuring to know that festival organizers are committed to bringing back Campout East for 2020. Dirtybird Campout West will still go on as planned in the Fall. Dirtybird Campout Photo by Tristan Leto This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Dirtybird Campout East Will Not Return In 2019, Makes Plans for 2020 Source

“Every year it’s a priority … to make sure there is a good representation and balance within the lineup.” While C3 Presents promoter Amy Corbin, lead talent buyer for Austin City Limits Music Festival, may have expressed humility in our recent interview regarding the booking efforts behind the 17th annual edition of the Austin scene’s crown jewel, we at Consequence of Sound have nothing to lose by totally shedding our composure all over again when we think back to the staggering magnitude of ACL’s 2018 lineup, topped both weekends by none other than Sir Paul McCartney. That double dip was quite a historic coup for the festival. “We have had Paul McCartney on our wish list for many years, and the stars finally aligned,” Corbin said. “When he confirmed both weekends, it gave us a road map for booking the rest of the lineup.” Given that ticket prices for a regular McCartney tour stop would typically exceed the fest’s three-day cost, the 130-plus-band experience was a steal in which every other act could be considered a bonus. Depending on who you ask, the same might be said of Metallica (“certainly the hardest rock band we have had headline the festival,” Corbin confirmed). Their inclusion was also an unquestionably historic exploit as the thrash titans had also never played back-to-back fest weekends. Metallica, Paul McCartney, Travis Scott, photos by Amy Price To boot, Corbin’s team scored a diverse slate of additional superstar headliners, each of them touting one of the year’s top-rated tours (Arctic Monkeys, Odesza, and Childish Gambino, replaced last-minute by Travis Scott after suffering a foot injury the weekend prior in Dallas), plus top-tier acts permeating virtually every hour of the day (David Byrne, Janelle Monáe, St. Vincent, Khalid, Justice, The National, and CHVRCHES, to name a few), rounding out a lineup more monumental than anything we’d seen from ACL in years. Even though some have argued that 2017’s installment felt a bit like an identity crisis with talented, but overbooked headliners (The Killers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Chance the Rapper) and several repeats (the xx, Ryan Adams, Solange, Spoon), calling 2018 a “comeback” would ring fallacious. It would imply that ACL’s popularity has waned, but even in weaker years, passes generally sold out — maybe not during the blind pre-sales as they once did, but almost always eventually — and by adapting to trends (such as including heavy-hitter hip-hop headliners, which initiated with Kanye West’s 2011 dazzler), the festival has maintained its world-class reputation. St. Vincent, Austin City Limits 2018, photo by Amy Price While Corbin asserted that rosters over the years “always stick to the roots of the festival and the great city of Austin,” many purists would argue that relenting to popular hip-hop — and increasingly in recent times, big-name EDM — marks an extreme shift away from ACL’s country, folk, and rock legacy. Before McCartney, the latter category’s last real rep was Neil Young & Crazy Horse in 2012, so if anything, this year’s inclusion of far more rock, soul, folk, and country (2018’s tiny fonts in particular were loaded with these) signaled a return to ACL’s traditional form, surely a significant point of satisfaction for the loyal old-schoolers and scores of families that pour in from the surrounding neighborhoods within walking distance. McCartney was undoubtedly a draw for those types, many of whom were likely in attendance for some of ACL’s legendary legacy sets (Tom Petty in 2006, Bob Dylan in 2007, and Stevie Wonder in 2011). But beyond nurturing nostalgia and the aforementioned unparalleled price point, McCartney’s presence was also meaningful because it exposed tens of thousands of younger festivalgoers to one of the most influential songwriter-performers in history. Even at age 76, playing much the same set list (save a for a few occasional swap-outs/updates) and telling the same stories most nights, McCartney once again proved he’s a master of making his audience members feel like their show marks the first and only time these moments will occur. “There are special moments every year that you can’t replicate,” Corbin explained, “and that moment happened this year while everyone in Zilker Park sang along to McCartney performing ‘Hey Jude’, and he smiled out to the crowd and said, ‘It sounds like the whole world’s singing.’ It was incredibly moving and a once-in-a-lifetime moment that thousands of people shared together. That’s what Austin City Limits Music Festival is all about.” If that wasn’t the moment for everyone, other equally historical circumstances throughout the fest’s two weekends culminated in other instances of profound catharsis. Austin’s largely progressive bubble culture (we call it “a blue dot in a sea of red” for good reasons) proliferates a penchant for channeling calls for political and social justice, and that sense of overwhelming empathy extends throughout ACL’s populace. Political Fans, Austin City Limits 2018, photo by Amy Price For instance, last year’s festival was unexpectedly bolstered by a unified outpouring of love and the concurrent spirit of defiant optimism following the double-whammy of Tom Petty’s death and the terrifying and sickening mass-shooting during Las Vegas’s Route 91 Harvest country music fest, which occurred only hours apart. Tributes and messages encouraging attendees to embrace their shared humanity via live music abounded, perhaps the most notable and direct among them from rapper Ice Cube during his Weekend One performance: “I’m so happy to be here showing the world that we aren’t scared of that bullshit in Las Vegas,” he said. “I’m glad y’all came … because it’s nothing but love here.” This year, such sentiments once again boiled down to uncanny timing. Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court during Weekend Two, in the midst of one of the most female-loaded rosters in recent ACL history, incited the boiling over: Brandi Carlile and St. Vincent both made sharp-witted, scathing (if subtle, in the latter’s case) statements on stage, and Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry coined the “Moment of Fuck” (where everyone screams the obscenity in lieu of a moment of silence), which frankly ought to become a national tradition. Just ask anybody who was there how good it felt to grieve together at full, angry-as-hell volume. Janelle Monáe, Austin City Limits 2018, photo by Amy Price Even before any of that came to light, Consequence of Sound‘s Artist of the Year Janelle Monáe had already begun leading the charge toward justice during her Weekend One set. At every turn, she pulled double duty by honoring Prince (who contributed music and production to her latest full-length, Dirty Computer) while simultaneously gearing her production/message toward championing the marginalized, from the LGBTQ community to the general weird-is-cool-and-normal attitude, which, perhaps not coincidentally, Austin is known for. The Electric Lady drew a crowd just as massive, far more diverse, and twice as spirited (not to mention bowled over with emotion) as several larger billings throughout the weekend. She had a shorter slot, but played longer and exhibited more merit than most to take up the reins as a modern hero of sonically bold, future-fusion music. She gave Sunday the oomph it needed to finalize the notion that this ACL fest would be one for the books. A feeling of defiant celebration also carried over into Weekend Two’s many rock and roll moments, ready-made by this year’s return-to-roots roster. “This is our time, Mike,” I witnessed Brandi Carlile say to Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready (her surprise special guest) backstage just before her dissent-laden set. The renowned axeman joined toward the show’s end to help cover “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” (itself a symbol of protest via Joan Baez in an uncannily parallel era of sociopolitical unrest), and his solo punctuation of “The Star-Spangled Banner” (in true Jimi Hendrix/Woodstock ‘69 style) to cap it off said everything without a single word uttered. McCready’s presence, though brief (and extended slightly through a guest spot with Seattle protégé band Thunderpussy the following afternoon), illustrated yet another nod to ACL’s rock and roll legacy. All the while, ACL forged ahead this year by spotlighting the rising stars of pop, indie, and hip-hop (Khalid, BROCKHAMPTON, Blood Orange, Tinashe, Bishop Briggs, Japanese Breakfast, Amen Dunes … the list runs deep into the tiny fonts), essentially forming a fest that was as much concerned with building a bridge that links to the future as it was with merely tapping back into its roots. With all these elements in place, the 2018 Austin City Limits Music festival reclaimed high-ranking relevancy on the international stage with the feel of an invested music community reserved for good people sharing wholesome humanity through the collective experience of great live music. It would have seemed weird if it wasn’t so wonderful. Source

The crowded California festival scene gets another contender in 2019, and it’s coming from an unlikely source. Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has announced The Kind Music Festival, an all-ages “pop-up” that embraces the state’s updated cannabis regulations. Taking place on February 23rd, the event will be held at the Tyson Ranch Resort, a 420-acre (nice) entertainment complex currently in development in Desert Hot Springs, California. The complex will also offer luxury glamping and include a cannabis research and design facility upon completion. As such, The Kind Music Festival will have “the distinction of being the first-ever all-ages music festival that embraces California’s updated cannabis regulations and offering alcoholic consumption to those 21+,” according to a press release. “However, in accordance with the 2019 laws, there will be no sales of cannabis products at the festival.” The festival will additionally feature food trucks, inflatable rides, obstacle courses, mazes, and a “Chillville” with 100 specialty bean bags. The full artists lineup will be unveiled Wednesday, January 2nd, with tickets going on sale the following day (Jan. 3rd). Source

The times are a-changin’, and apparently, so are Bob Dylan’s Christmas lights. For the last decade, Vice journalist (and neighbor to Dylan) Merrill Markoe has documented the folk singer’s annual Christmas light arrangements, which largely consisted of a single string of lights along his hedge. In previous years, Markoe has analyzed the lights just as music critics would any of Dylan’s enigmatic tracks, seeing everything from a graph of American unemployment rates to portents of the Mayan apocalypse, and so on. Dylan’s 2009 Christmas lights. Photo: Vice (Read: Ranking: Every Bob Dylan Album From Worst to Best) This year would be different, however, given the breadth and severity of the wildfires that ravaged Malibu, where both Dylan and Markoe live. While Dylan’s home was spared, his hedge wasn’t, meaning a possible end to the cryptic messages Markoe received in the lights every year. But hark! As the article notes, Dylan replaced the lights with a brightly colored inflatable manger scene, visible through the now-deforested cyclone fence. Bob Dylan’s inflatable Christmas manger. Photo: Vice While the manger scene was taken down (without explanation) the next day, the following evening, Dylan’s blessed lights returned – and along with them, more delicious speculation on why Dylan arranged the lights in that way. Bob Dylan’s 2018 Christmas lights. Photo: Vice Bob Dylan’s 2018 Christmas lights, with commentary. Photo: Vice While Markoe’s work is either unhinged or beautifully tongue-in-cheek avant-garde ribbing of modern music criticism, we’re glad things are getting back to normal for he and Dylan — in their own ways, of course. You can read the entirety of Markoe’s close subtextual reading of Dylan’s 2018 Christmas display over at Vice. Dylan’s latest album came in 2016 with Fallen Angels. For a deeper dive into Dylan’s most influential works, the debut season of the CPN podcast The Opus (hosted by our own Paula Meija) does a comprehensive interrogation into his 1975 classic Blood on the Tracks. Listen to the entire season on Spotify below. Source

At the end of 2017, San Holo dropped an instrumental trip hop EP called The Trip. It was different from his usual work, meant as a sort of bookend to a stellar year and as a treat for fans. This year, San has done it again; although, this time, the circumstances are just a tad different. Rather than create something from scratch, San Holo has remastered and re-released via bitbird some of the music he created when he first started to produce under the name Casilofi. “Casilofi is the first electronic project I ever started in terms of producing my own music,” says San. “It really started when I first got my laptop. A new world opened for me when I realized I could record things myself and layer things. I didn’t have to rely on a band, I could just take everything into my own hands. It was just 100% my own creativity that went into it, that really appealed to me.” All the songs from the Casilofi project are described as being made with “no studios, all laptops, and home recordings” – an environment every bedroom producer should be able to recognize. The new EP, Create, Create, Create, is a look back at San’s true beginnings and where he came from as an artist. For major fans, it’s likely that this peek into his past will give them a greater appreciation of San’s present. Though, even for the rest of us, Create x3 is still just a wonderful collection of ambient and soft music. Listen below.  This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: San Holo Drops Dreamy Debut EP As His First-Ever Artist Project, Casilofi Source

Back when Metallica were auditioning bassists to replace Jason Newsted, Megadeth were in the process of disbanding. Hence, the timing would have been right for David Ellefson to try out for the coveted Metallica gig. Newsted parted ways with Metallica in January 2001, and while the band enlisted producer Bob Rock to play bass tracks for what would be their 2003 album, St. Anger, they were also holding auditions for the open bass position. Robert Trujillo landed the job in February 2003 after beating out the likes of Eric Avery (Jane’s Addiction), Jeordie White (Marilyn Manson), Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity, Down), and others, who had also auditioned, as famously captured in the documentary Some Kind of Monster. While Ellefson never made it to the audition stage, he says in a new interview with The Metal Voice that he was definitely considered for the gig. “They didn’t call me,” revealed Ellefson. “I know that there was a conversation about considering me. I know Lars [Ulrich] and Dave [Mustaine] had chatted, ’cause [Metallica] were putting their short list together. And, to be honest with you… I mean, look, Metallica are great, and I’m a fan of theirs and friends with them, and I would be there to be of service with them in whatever way, but they, I think, made their decision right around the time when Megadeth had disbanded in 2002.” Of course, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine had been a member of Metallica in their early days, and the relationship he’s had with Metallica over the years has been contentious, to say the least. In fact, Mustaine once told CBS (as reported by Blabbermouth) that Ellefson’s name came up as a possible replacement for the late Cliff Burton back in the ’80s, as well. “When Cliff died, there was a moment where Dave’s name had come up and I was a little concerned,” said Mustaine. “I didn’t want to lose my bassist and I certainly didn’t want to have another reason to be upset.” Megadeth would resume band activities in 2004, but Ellefson wouldn’t rejoin the band until 2010. The thrash metal veterans are currently working on their 16th album for a 2019 release, with Ellefson telling The Metal Voice in the same interview, “As we talk about this next record we said [our last album] Dystopia is the benchmark — it seems to be what fans like to hear: a combination of melodies, amazing playing and the thrash stuff — a kind of a greatest hits of everything Megadeth has ever done. All this can be heard on Dystopia. Too early to say what it will sound like, but Dystopia is a benchmark for us.” Listen to the full interview with The Metal Voice below. Source

The new Black Mirror movie Bandersnatch is officially available to stream on Netflix now. However, it’s more than just another selection to add to your holiday queue; the film, which was nearly two years in the making, represents Netflix’s first-ever, choose-your-own-adventure release. Set in 1984, the film follows a programmer named Stefan (Dunkirk’s Fionn Whitehead) as he attempts to turn a childhood adventure novel called Bandersnatch into a choose-your-own-adventure computer game of the same name. He works for a progressive technology company headed by veteran gamer Colin Ritman (The Revenant’s Will Poulter), and like the actual author of the Bandersnatch novel, Stefan nearly spirals into madness while making each and every choice in the process of creating the game. Bandersnatch’s meta film plot is ultimately what led Black Mirror creators Charlie Booker and Annabel Jones to finally move forward with Netflix’s pitched idea for a choose-your-own-adventure format. The thrilling premise, coupled with Netflix’s all-new Branch Manager script-writing tool allows for viewers to assist Stefan in his mission, according to The Hollywood Reporter. (Film Review: Black Mirror: Baldersnatch Offers an Effective Tale of Technological Puppet Mastery) Branch Manager was developed specifically for the film and provides five possible endings. The fastest path to the end of the film, or adventure, runs about 40 minutes, although the average viewing time is 90 minutes. But there’s plenty more to dig through than just those five endings, as even the most minute choice by Stefan and the viewer — such as, “what cereal to eat?” — alters the way the story progresses. In total, there are more than a trillion unique paths possible for Stefan. “There are lots of potential paths that Stefan’s journey could take and it’s up to you for when you feel sated,” Jones told The Hollywood Reporter. “Going down various branches opens up other potentials, so you may not reach certain things depending on the decisions you make. It’s not a simple branching narrative with lots of binary choices — they are all changing your state and what’s open to you.” The idea for such a format actually dates back more than two years. In an interview with Variety, the Black Mirror creators said they had considered the storytelling concept while developing “Playtest”, their season three, 2016 episode about video games. Specifically they toyed with what they called a “nightmare mode”, which would play an alternate ending once viewers had reached the conclusion of the episode. Revisit the Bandersnatch trailer below, then head over to Netflix to watch the full thing. Source

Apparently, Chris Brown has been up to some monkey business — and the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office isn’t having any of it. According to The Associated Press, the 29-year-old singer was charged on Thursday with two misdemeanor counts relating to the possession of a capuchin monkey without a permit. The charges stem from a January Instagram post from Brown to his 44 million followers, where you can see his three-year-old daughter, Royalty, snuggling with their pet monkey Fiji. Shortly afterward, California Fish and Wildlife agents took the monkey away, as Brown did not have a permit for the animal. Now he has been formally charged for said possession, and he is set for a February 6th arraignment. If found guilty, Brown could face up to six months in jail. For his part, Brown contends the monkey was not his. According to TMZ, he told authorities that one of his relatives owned the monkey and that the video was shot in Las Vegas. However, as the monkey was taken into custody in Los Angeles, authorities believe Brown was, in fact, the owner. Of course, this is not Chris Brown’s first run-in with the law — in addition to his infamous domestic abuse incident with then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009, Brown was detained back in July for felony battery after a concert in West Palm Beach. In May, a women’s advocacy group called for Spotify to remove Chris Brown and other artists accused of sexual misconduct and domestic abuse from their platform; currently, his music is still available there. Source

If reported walk outs don’t have you convinced, perhaps this does: even Netflix passed on Holmes & Watson. Yes, according to Deadline and a tweet from The Wrap’s Alonso Duralde, the streaming giant, who put the stamp on Bright, The Cloverfield Paradox, and this month’s Bird Box, said no to the Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly vehicle. Reportedly, Sony tried to offload the movie following terrible reactions from test screenings, and clearly Netflix took one look around and balked at the offer. Good on them, seeing how the film currently has a CinemaScore rating of D+. That’s even higher than what our own Film Editor Dominick Suzanne Mayer gave it. He writes in his D- review that there’s “not one big laugh in 89 minutes” and that it’s “the kind of sloppy production that’s almost easier to pity than hate.” Of course, it’s not all bad news for the two bumbling detectives. The film happened to scrounge up 10 million bucks in the first two days of its release, so at least we’re not talking about a Marwen situation here. Ah, poor Robert Zemeckis. Still, it’s a crime that anyone wasted this reunion between Ferrell and Reilly. Fans of Adam McKay’s Step Brothers have waited to see these two reunite again for over a decade, and given their chemistry, it’s a mystery how it ended up this bad. Rather elementary, indeed. Source

Volbeat achieved a major milestone in 2017, when they became the first Danish band to headline and sell out their famed hometown venue, Denmark’s Telia Parken. In doing so, the group set the record for the biggest show by a domestic artist in Denmark to date, with more than 48,250 people headbanging along. To celebrate the special gig, Volbeat recently unleashed a new live album and concert film, Let’s Boogie! Live From Telia Parken, via Republic Records. The release captures the landmark show, including performances with special guests such as Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, Danko Jones, Napalm Death’s Barney Greenway, and boxer Mikkel Kessler. While guitarist Rob Caggiano is the lone American in the Danish outfit, he still marveled at the significance of the Telia Parken gig, and he recently caught up with Heavy Consequence to discuss the live release, as well as the state of heavy music and Volbeat’s next studio album. Read the full interview below. On why Volbeat wanted to commemorate the Telia Parken performance with a live album and concert film We knew it would be a very special night and a big deal, so we were ready for that. We worked hard to make sure everything was captured the right way. It was a celebration — that’s really what that show was all about. We wanted to capture that for a lifetime. On what he most remembers about the Telia Parken performance Just thinking back on that night, it was an amazing night, and the energy and adrenaline buildup before the show was intense. It was actually a bit nerve-wracking for all of us, especially [my bandmates], because it’s a hometown show for them. Between all the family and friends, it was crazy! It was a phenomenal night. We’ve played a ton of big shows — all of us have — but that was a really special show, especially for Denmark. That’s why we really wanted to capture it. And I think just the fact it came out so well is also a reason why we wanted to release it. On jamming with Metallica’s Lars Ulrich at the show I think I can speak for everyone in saying that was definitely a major highlight of the set for all of us. Metallica is and always will be a huge influence on all of us, musically, so that was killer. It was so cool to get up on the stage with him. It was surreal, actually, just being onstage and jamming with him. On how Volbeat brought Lars Ulrich on for the Telia Parken show I think we just asked him if he wanted to be a part of it! We were on tour with Metallica in the States last year, and it was around that time when we asked him. It doesn’t hurt that we have the same management, too. (Laughs) I’ve actually played with him before, when I was with Anthrax on the Big 4 tour, and at the end of thenight, usually everybody got up on the stage and played a song together, and that was great,. But it was really cool to do that again with Volbeat. On the importance of the live show, in general, to Volbeat That’s why we do this. We love playing live. We love touring. We love playing in front of people. That exchange of energy when you’re onstage as a performer and musician, for me, I’ll never get tired of it. I’ll never get sick of it. It’s what I live for. The live show for Volbeat is a huge thing. It’s very important, and at the same time, we’re the type of band that we do what we do no matter how many people are there. You’ve going to get a great Volbeat show, whether there are 50,000 or 50 people there. But very rarely these days are there just a few people there! (Laughs) On his favorite Volbeat song to play live They’re all a ton of fun to play. For us, usually the newer songs are the most fun, because they’re fresh. Especially coming off of working on a record in the studio and with the excitement of a brand-new album getting released, everybody is excited to play the new material. I think all the songs are a lot of fun, though. Actually, for the last song of the set, we usually do “Still Counting,” and a lot of times, we have kids come up on the stage during that song, and that’s a ton of fun. That’s usually the favorite part of the show. On the progress of Volbeat’s upcoming studio album We’re in the middle of it right now. Right now, I’m kind of stressed, because I only have only one more day before I have to fly back to States, so I’m trying to get as much recorded as possible. We’re picking it back up in January and will be doing the last bits at that time. We’re pretty far along, actually. We’re way more than halfway done. On how Volbeat’s next album will differ from what they have done in the past It’s definitely not going to be the same vibe as the last album or the previous album before that. The band is progressing and evolving, and I think the music is following along. Right now, it definitely feels like a rock record. Obviously, there are still all of those influences that the band has always had, but I think the songwriting is evolving and the structures are different. It might be a little premature and too early to say, but that’s what it feels like to me right now. On the current state of hard rock and metal music It’s absolutely alive and well. It’s probably more alive and well than it’s ever been. But, things go in cycles, and the bottom line is that the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll is rebellion, and the world is so screwed up right now that I don’t think heavy metal or rock ‘n’ roll or whatever you want to call it is ever going to go away. There are always going to be people expressing that. Whether or not something is fashionable is a whole different thing. Who knows? I feel like a lot of people today get caught up in Spotify charts and playlists, but at end of the day, rock bands are still doing a huge business. On Volbeat’s 2019 plans We’re releasing a record, although there is no release date yet. But, the plan is to release the album and tour as much as possible and go to as many places as possible. That what we love to do. On his holiday and New Year’s Eve plans I always spend Christmas with my mom and dad, which is usually pretty low key, but cool. As for New Year’s Eve, I have no idea. That‘s my most hated holiday! (Laughs) Usually, when I make a plan for New Year’s Eve, it’s terrible, so I find that when I don’t make a plan and fly by seat of my pants, it’s a way better night, and I have more fun. Our thanks to Volbeat’s Rob Caggiano for taking the time to speak with us. Pick up Volbeat’s live release, Let’s Boogie! Live From Telia Parken, in various formats at this location. Source