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It was quite possibly Taylor Swift’s most intimate and organic interview—and it all happened on a sports podcast. Swift was the guest Aug. 13 on “New Heights,” hosted by Jason Kelce and his brother, Travis, who is, of course, Swift’s boyfriend. Attracting 13 million YouTube views within a day and another 400 million views from social media clips, the episode marked a milestone for video podcasting and showed the platform has transcended its conventional space. It was a power move from one of America’s most powerful celebrity couples. The rarely interviewed Swift broke major news about herself—from her upcoming album,...

From Stylophones to pool balls, the world of music is full of weird and strange instruments. Here are just a few.Weird instruments? Why bother? Indeed, Lou Reed once wrote “you can’t beat two guitars, bass, and drums,” in the liner notes of his 1989 album, New York. Sorry, Lou, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes it takes a weird instrument to push a record into greatness – and Reed ought to know, since The Velvet Underground was probably the first rock band with a viola player. Obviously “strange” or “weird” is a relative term. The viola, by itself,...

Tom tells Noise11.com, “I had an ulcer. I had had it since high school and let’s just say the rock and rock lifestyle, especially the formative years in the early 70s when we started taking off, let’s just say we didn’t take care of ourselves very well. The ulcer didn’t like that. I ended up paying the price for that. I ended up having to go to a hospital. I came close to dying. It was quite an experience. I never had the problem again. I got it fixed. It healed and I have never had another hick-up with that...

The mad backlash against U2 confirms pop music is under the spell of Islamo-fascism.Bono’s getting flak again. What’s he done now? Foisted another U2 album on iPhone users? Donned his expensive shades for yet another gurning selfie with some president or pope? Nope, it’s far worse than that – he criticised Hamas....Under the title ‘On Gaza’, all four band members offered their thoughts. It’s mostly typical Boomer fare on the horribleness of war. But then there’s the Hamas slamming. It is a testament to the choking conformism of our Israelophobic moment that it feels balls-out radical to see a rock...

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allied military and the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe Come on in, we're open Need a place just to hang out? This is it. We serve coffee, tea, conversation and music. Gather around the Canteen cooler and strike up a conversation. Our AWESOME military, our AWESOME allies, and their families are welcomed and honored here. No worries in the FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe. Grab a chair, put your feet up, grab a drink,...

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (WSMV) - The Brentwood Police Department said they are wanting to speak with potential victims and anyone with information on the allegations against a former Christian band’s lead singer. An independent Christian news organization, The Roys Report, reported on June 4 that former Newsboys lead singer Michael Tait allegedly groomed and sexually assaulted multiple people. The news organisation reported that his alleged “predatory pattern” as well as substance and alcohol abuse dates back as early as 2004. Days after the report came out, Tait took to social media admitting to using and abusing both cocaine and alcohol. He...

In a clip of the “New Heights” show posted Wednesday morning, Swift made light of the one-way bad blood between herself and face-painting, jersey-wearing haters. “As we all know, you guys have a lot of male sports fans that listen to your podcast,” she said. “And we all know that if there’s one thing that male sports fans want to see in their spaces and on their screens, it’s more of me.” Her appearance on the football-centric podcast was hyped by a screaming Jason Kelce, calling Swift “the most requested guest in the history of shows!” Swift, of course, has...

No one does Easter eggs quite like Taylor Swift. The singer's back catalogue is peppered with subtle(ish) nods to her lovers and friends - past and present - much to the delight of sleuthing fans

Her 1963 debut, ‘Portrait of Sheila,’ remains a staple of the genreSheila Jordan, a celebrated jazz vocalist and staple of the Blue Note roster, has died at the age of 96. The news was shared by Sheila’s daughter Tracey on August 11. She wrote on Instagram: “Dear Jazz Family & Friends, My dearest mum Sheila Jordan passed away peacefully this afternoon, Monday, August 11 at 3:50 pm. Her friend Joan Belgrave was playing her a bebop tune called ‘Bill for Bennie,’ by her late husband Marcus Belgrave…my mom fell asleep listening to the music she loved and helped define.”...

Kiss have been selected to receive the Kennedy Center Honors, and will be presented the award by President Donald Trump, who will host the ceremony on Dec. 8. "We'll be honoring one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Kiss," Trump said while announcing this year's class of honorees - which also includes George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Crawford and Gloria Gaynor. The Kennedy Center honors are designed to reward individuals who have made significant contributions to American culture through the performing arts. After unveiling a photo of Kiss at the announcement ceremony, the President praised all four original...

A former member of the legendary singing group the Platters has been missing for four days after getting a subway in Brooklyn, according to cops and her family, who warn that she has dementia and could be confused. Sandra Hall, 80, went missing around 4 p.m. Friday after boarding a subway at Atlantic Avenue near the Barclays Center and Atlantic Terminal Mall, according to the NYPD and her family. “Sandra is more than just our mother; she is a warm, vibrant woman who once brought joy to audiences as part of the Platters,” said her daughter, Star DaSilva. “We just...

Whether it’s a Freudian slip or rubbish radio quality, here are the most misheard lyrics that have been mangled by the general public.We’re all unreliable narrators, that’s why when asked to recall what you did last Tuesday, or the lyrics to Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s ‘Blinded By The Light,” the result is a jumbled mess of false memories and misunderstood lyrics like these: “Blinded by the light, wrapped up like a douche when you’re rollin’ in the night.” While Bruce Springsteen, AKA The Boss, first recorded the song, it wasn’t until Mann covered it that “Blinded By The Light” revved...

Daryl Hall and John Oates have resolved their dispute over Oates’ plan to sell his half of their joint venture to Primary Wave Music. Court documents filed Aug. 11 reveal the legal back-and-forth between the duo has now been privately resolved, without any additional information on their deal. The pair started litigation in 2023 when Hall launched arbitration seeking to block Oates from selling his stake in Whole Oats Enterprises — this includes the band’s name and likeness rights as well as royalties — to Primary Wave. Primary Wave has become a music-catalog marketing powerhouse over the past 15 years,...

A horrific murder unfolded earlier this month in Virginia that has sent shock waves across the country music community. As WTVR reported on Friday, 62-year-old teacher Holly Hatcher was savagely killed back on August 3 in Rockingham County after a stranger broke into her and her husband’s home. 65-year-old Michael Hatcher, the husband, was wounded during the attack but managed to kill the perp in an act of self-defense. Police identified the deceased killer as 41-year-old Kevin Moses Walker of Pikeville, Maryland. Police said that on August 1, Walker rented a campsite at Endless Caverns in New Market, Virginia, at...

Fifty years ago, on August 9, 1975, Dmitri Shostakovich, the celebrated Russian composer and pianist, passed away in Moscow. A figure of immense complexity, he “managed to navigate a difficult situation with great prudence and political astuteness.” Born on September 25, 1906, in Saint Petersburg, Shostakovich came from a family of Polish Roman Catholic origin. His grandfather, Bolesław Szostakowicz, was exiled to Siberia, where he eventually settled. Dmitri Boleslavovich Shostakovich, the composer’s father, later relocated to Saint Petersburg, where the young Dmitri grew up and received his education. After six years at the conservatory in Saint Petersburg, Shostakovich graduated at...

Chubby Checker will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Nov. 8, but the singer has made clear he won't be in attendance. And interestingly, the Rock Hall is on board with that. At Checker's July 27 concert in Des Plaines, Illinois, the organization presented him with his induction trophy early. Additionally, Checker then explained from the stage in an interview that he purposely had his manager book him a concert for the evening of Nov. 8. "I told my manager, 'Make sure when we go to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the...

“Shadows of the Night” endured a difficult route to becoming a global hit single in 1982 – and Pat Benatar, who made it happen, endured her own challenges along the way. The song was written by D.L. Byron specifically for the 1980 movie Times Square, but producers of the teenage runaway story felt it didn’t have hit potential, and rejected it. Subsequent versions were released in 1981 by German-based singer Helen Shneider and vocalist and actress Rachel Sweet, with modest results. As Benatar worked on her fourth album Get Nervous, she and drummer Myron Grombacher decided to reshape “Shadows of...

The group followed ‘Surfin’ Safari’ with the first song Brian Wilson ever wrote.The Beach Boys caught a wave and rode it into the US Top 10 for the first time in May 1963, when “Surfin’ U.S.A.” reached No.3. After an earlier Top 20 single with “Surfin’ Safari,” Brian Wilson’s adaptation of Chuck Berry’s melody really established the group as nationwide names. But the choice of follow-up single was going to be crucial. By August, following some singles co-written with Mike Love, it was time for Brian to get his initial credit as a solo writer, and for the first time...

The singer invited the band to perform ‘Buddy Holly’ and ‘Say It Ain’t So.’Olivia Rodrigo surprised the Lollapalooza crowd during her headlining set by inviting rock and roll giants Weezer on stage to perform a few classic tracks. Toward the end of her performance, she invited the band to join her on-stage, noting that Weezer was the first band she ever saw live. “You always remember your first concert. It’s a very, very special moment,” Rodrigo said. “I remember my first concert. It was a very memorable night. I watched this incredible band and I am so over the...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ Your Guess Is As Good As Ours! PACIFIC OCEAN (June 7, 2023) Comedian and contortionist Jonathan Burns performs for U.S. Navy Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during a visit sponsored by Navy Entertainment. Nimitz is in U.S. 7th Fleet conducting routine operations. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Hannah Kantner) Canteen Mission StatementShowing support...