Music News: Brittany Howard and Jim James cover Backstreet Boys for Chipotle
by Staff
July 06, 2016
Yes, all those words are in that headline together. Brittany Howard (Alabama Shakes) and Jim James (My Morning Jacket) have joined forces to cover "I Want It That Way" by Backstreet Boys. The rendition soundtracks a short animated film from Chipotle, depicting two young entrepreneurs who build rival empires from competing lemonade stands. (Rolling Stone)
New CB vid
Jeff Tweedy and members of Sleater-Kinney are among the many musicians who make guest appearances in a new video for Courtney Barnett’s "Elevator Operator" — in which the star herself plays, well... (NPR)
Flaming Lips selling $125 whiskey
The Flaming Lips are the latest band to have their own branded spirit. In this case it's an Illinois whiskey: 5,000 bottles of "Brainville Rye" will sell for $124.99 each. "Whiskey," muses Wayne Coyne in a press release, "it's such a volatile drink. Upon pouring a drink It's like accepting that you may become a werewolf ... And really... Who doesn't want to become a werewolf ??? Ha..." (Pitchfork)
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Family feud over Cobain's ax
Courtney Love wants the guitar Kurt Cobain played on MTV Unplugged back from Isaiah Silva, the ex-husband of the grunge stars' daughter Frances Bean Cobain. "It's the last guitar he ever played," Love told TMZ.
New Tegan & Sara soundtrack song
Tegan & Sara have a new song on the soundtrack of The Intervention, a comedy/drama coming out Aug. 26. You can hear the new song in a trailer for the film; the score was written by the band's Sara Quin. (Billboard)
Good news, bad news for record industry
Album sales are now lower than they've been in at least 25 years, SoundScan data show — dropping 14% from the first half of 2015 to the same period in 2016. On the bright side: overall recording industry revenue is up 9%, due to a rapid surge in streaming revenue. (Pitchfork)
Barely Brothers gets NYT shout-out
A New York Times travel feature on St. Paul recommends a stop at Barely Brothers Records — and praises the city's "quality restaurants, good shopping and interesting activities — all at a discount."
New Ono vid
Actress Rose McGowan (Charmed) directed a new video for the Miike Snow remix of Yoko Ono’s song "Catman." The video "represents solidarity among women of all ages and the joys of movement," as Rolling Stone puts it.
Captain Picard explores the undiscovered country
Patrick Stewart has released a mock ad for an album of "cowboy classics," with a five-song "sampler" being sold to raise money for humanitarian aid. (Rolling Stone)
Alice in Chains guitarist offers toilet to blogger
Alice in Chains lead guitarist Jerry Cantrell is replacing his toilet — and he's offered his retired throne to the band's official blogger. "It turns out that there are a wide variety of toilets out there, and much to my surprise, there’s actually a massive price disparity between your average toilet and the really upscale models," writes the blogger, who goes by the name of the Baldy, "So Jerry is offering to give me a really nice toilet because he’s replacing it with a REALLY nice toilet." The Baldy has not yet decided whether to accept the guitarist's largess. (Consequence of Sound)
