This Week In Music News
Another week, another music news roundup.
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Another week, another music news roundup.
Hayley Kiyoko has been called “Lesbian Jesus.” The former Disney actress and current rising pop star’s success has gained much attention from the press, in part because of her identity. She’s a queer woman of color in an industry that lacks diversity. And, her new album, “Expectations,” is coming out on March 30th—you can’t miss it.
I want to see more college–aged people at jazz and blues shows, but I didn’t know I wanted that until I saw Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers perform at The World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. Listening to the music and feeling the energy the band was radiating from the stage, all I wanted to do was let loose and dance. However, because most of Abair’s audience is older, much of the crowd was at the bar, at the tables, and on the balcony. The dance floor was dead.
From Jay–Z to TDE, summer 2018 is shaping up to be a great season for hip–hop fans. Although tickets for many of the big name artists going on tour aren’t exactly cheap, many fans think it’s worth it to get to see their favorite artists perform live at least once. Here's what you have to look forward to:
Every once in a while, you need some music that puts you in a classic good mood—music you roll down your car windows for, music you can bump your head to while studying, music you can rock to with some friends. Specifically, you need some iconic rock music that dominated the 1970s and 1980s. Here's a playlist full of that:
Helena Deland is the kind of artist that makes you want to smile. Her ability to convey raw emotion through her heartbreaking lyrics is a talent only found in the truest of songwriters. Hailing from Montreal, Ontario, Helena has been making waves in music through her experimental use of synthesizers coupled with folk tunes. Currently on a US–tour, with a stop in Philly on April 4th, I got the chance to chat with the singer–songwriter about her shift in musical processes, new solo performances, and even got some details about potential collaborations she has in the works.
If I were to ask you to name an album that has been sampled multiple times by A Tribe Called Quest, The Notorious B.I.G., and Ghostface Killah, covered by John Legend and The Roots, and produced by the legendary Curtis Mayfield, your instinct might be to name musical titans such as the likes of James Brown or The Isley Brothers. The record in question, however, is The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend and is the only record that James “Baby Huey” Ramey ever released, albeit posthumously—one of the first records of its kind.
In a word, MGMT’s concert was a trip.
Mindi Abair, a two–time Grammy nominated saxophonist, came to the World Cafe Live Thursday March 22nd. She and her band The Boneshakers performed their 2017 album The EastWest Sessions, a diverse collection of songs with standout track Pretty Good for a Girl featuring Joe Bonamassa. Before forming Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers, Abair toured with artists such as Aerosmith, The Backstreet Boys, and the Ides of March. Besides being known for her skill on the sax, Abair is also known for her book “How to Play Madison Square Garden - A Guide to Stage Performance” and for her contributions to feminism. I got the chance to talk with Mindi before the show about her experiences and advice for both powerful women and aspiring artists.
When news first surfaced last May that Kanye West was working on new music on a mountain in Wyoming, one thing came to mind—the artist’s self–imposed Hawaiian exile in 2009 that led to the creation of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. During that time, West spent a bulk of his daily existence in the studio, churning out content that eventually became the critically acclaimed masterpiece widely considered to be his magnum opus. Are we about to see a repeat?
Being a musician today is a different beast. With record companies becoming less and less important, artists need to figure out a way to sell themselves to the public. The easiest route seems to be marketing yourself as the next big star, but some take the path less traveled. DummyFresh, formerly known as Penn’s own Andrew Ellis (C' 18), isn't trying to fit into a mold.
Winter Storm Toby certainly doesn’t feel like the official start of spring, that’s for sure. But as Fling approaches and as the number of T–shirt worthy days increases, it’s clear that however snowy this week has been, spring is on the way. What better way to embrace the (soon–to–be) warm weather than with an upbeat, carefree playlist? So while you may be layering yourself with just about every coat you own in preparation for the hike to DRL, put on this playlist and mentally prepare yourself to bask in the sun for the next few months.
In a society that often asks women to choose between motherhood and a promising professional life, pregnancy gave Ella Vos the strength to launch her music career. And a kickass one at that.
This week, a professional streamer who goes by the name of ‘Ninja’ broke the all–time streaming record on the video–game streaming platform Twitch. 628,000 people tuned in live to an evening of him playing the online shooter Fortnite, albeit with special guests Drake and Travis Scott (under the usernames “johnwick” and “cactus_jack92”).
Greetings, loved ones. Much has happened in the last week in the music world, and no, we're not talking about a breakthrough in the monotony of party playlists over Paddy's weekend. In the hoopla that is the pre–summer, pre–festival season, artists are on their A games as they release teasers and full–on albums alike in order to generate as much buzz as they can. And generate buzz they did! Street has you covered on the news you may have missed in the post–darty shuffle.
Music festivals can be expensive as fuck. Lucky for you, Street combed through this coming year’s slew of lineups to find the best bang for your buck.
Musical artists, in competition with both one another and the constant stream of new media that is being put out, are forced to constantly come up with new marketing techniques to promote their shows and albums. With so much content available so readily, a simple promo video or demo release doesn’t seem to captivate people’s attention anymore.
Being against house music is as easy as it is difficult. It is repetitive, frequently building off of a classic 128 bpm drum beat that bumps the prototypical “unts unts unts.” Its artists are young hipsters who ‘understand’ music at a level that ‘the rest’ just do not seem to understand. Hell, if you aren’t into house music, you probably are accused of not truly feeling music, that internal energy that builds up in the ravers of old German basement nightclubs, which ‘for–sure’ has no connection to the copious amounts of MDMA consumed. Or at least that is the stereotype.
To individuals newly acquainted with mainstream hip–hop, DJ Khaled’s presence can be somewhat confusing. He shows up at the beginnings of his songs, usually says his name and a slogan, and then lets the other artists take over. How does a man put out so many successful records with top artists while appearing to do so little himself? Well, “appearing” is the key word—Khaled does plenty, both with the music itself and in building his brand.
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