We've been celebrating Bob Dylan's 71st birthday with a series of posts this week. As mercurial as Dylan has always been, there is one thing we do know: for as long as Dylan has been writing songs, he has been writing to, for and about New York City.
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Results tagged “Music”
Dylan Week: 14 Vintage NY Times Articles On Bob Dylan
Jimmy Fallon And Will Smith Perform '20s Rendition Of "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It"
Our favorite Jimmy Fallon bits over the last few years have all been musical ones—from Will Ferrell's recent "Tight Pants" song to Stephen Colbert singing "Friday," from Fallon's expert Neil Young impressions to Bruce Springsteen's wiggle-wiggle. Last night, he and Will Smith revealed that their grandfathers (Will "Sunnyside" Smith and James "Fatty Monroe" Fallon) had hosted a 1920's radio show together...and they performed "Parents Just Don't Understand," "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," and a song that amounted to a big plug for Men In Black III. Watch below, even though this still doesn't make up for the fact the film doesn't have a Will Smith theme song.
Watch The PBS 1988 Documentary On Sonic Youth In Its Entirety Now
The current state of everyone's favorite alt-noise band Sonic Youth may be vague at best—as guitarist Lee Renaldo told us, "We're all talking, but we're not really talking about the future of the band right now." But the prolific group has scoured the screaming fields of sonic love and produced so much over their 30+ year history, there's always some awesome nuggets to be dug up and enjoyed. To that end: did you know that PBS produced a documentary about Sonic Youth at the height of their powers in 1988?
Dylan Week: Take Our Bob Dylan NYC Walking Tour
We've been celebrating Bob Dylan's 71st birthday with a series of posts this week. As mercurial as Dylan has always been, there is one thing we do know: for as long as Dylan has been writing songs, he has been writing to, for and about New York City.
T.G.I. Friday's Accused Of Ripping Off LCD Soundsystem
Daft Punk is playing at T.G.I. Friday's every day it seems: Pitchfork pointed us to a recent commercial from the fast food chain, which contains a background song that sounds suspiciously similar to LCD Soundsystem's classic "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House." Does that mean Sarah's girlfriend is working the door there too? Watch the commercial, then listen to the original song below.
Dylan Week: Bob Dylan's Love Affair With New York City
"I was so much older then/I'm younger than that now." We'll be celebrating Bob Dylan's 71st birthday with a series of posts this week. As mercurial as Dylan has always been, there is one thing we do know: for as long as Dylan has been writing songs, he has been writing to, for and about New York City.
Dylan Week: The Top 10 Worst Bob Dylan Covers Ever
"I was so much older then/I'm younger than that now." We'll be celebrating Bob Dylan's 71st birthday with a series of posts this week. As mercurial as Dylan has always been, there is one thing we do know: for as long as Dylan has been writing songs, he has been writing to, for and about New York City. So far, we've listed our favorite Dylan covers, looked at the Freewheelin' album cover art, explored songs written about Robert Zimmerman and dived into our archives to see how Dylan has been depicted in comic books. Now, we'll look at the dark underbelly of Dylan fandom: terrible covers.
Dylan Week: Bob Dylan's Bizarre Comic Book Life
"I was so much older then/I'm younger than that now." We'll be celebrating Bob Dylan's 71st birthday with a series of posts this week. As mercurial as Dylan has always been, there is one thing we do know: for as long as Dylan has been writing songs, he has been writing to, for and about New York City. So far, we've listed our favorite Dylan covers, looked at the Freewheelin' album cover art, and explored songs written about Robert Zimmerman. Now from our archives: how Dylan was depicted in comic books.
Dylan Week: The 10 Best Songs About Bob Dylan
"I was so much older then/I'm younger than that now." We'll be celebrating Bob Dylan's 71st birthday with a series of posts this week. As mercurial as Dylan has always been, there is one thing we do know: for as long as Dylan has been writing songs, he has been writing to, for and about New York City. So far, we've listed our favorite Dylan covers and looked at the Freewheelin' album cover art. Now, we'll dive into songs written about Robert Zimmerman.
Dylan Week Begins: Our Top 12 Favorite Bob Dylan Covers
"I was so much older then/I'm younger than that now." We'll be celebrating Bob Dylan's 71st birthday with a series of posts this week. As mercurial as Dylan has always been, there is one thing we do know: for as long as Dylan has been writing songs, he has been writing to, for and about New York City. Today, we'll start by delving into our favorite Dylan covers.
Musicians Battle For Privilege Of Performing In The Subway Without Cops Hassling Them
Commuters and tourists gathered in Grand Central's Vanderbilt Hall yesterday to watch the MTA's 25th Annual Music Under New York (MUNY) auditions. With five minutes each to convince 33 judges of their musical aptitude, 70 hopefuls vied for a chance to be added to the roster of 350 musicians performing over 7,500 subterranean shows each week.
Stream Joey Ramone's New Album ...Ya Know? Now
Legendary Ramones singer Joey Ramone may have died in 2001, but he left behind a hoard of demos and incomplete songs—his brother Mickey Leigh took it upon himself to gather an all-star group of admirers and friends including Joan Jett, Little Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band, and members of Cheap Trick and The Dictators to help complete what will likely be Joey's final album, ...Ya Know? You can listen to the whole thing at Rolling Stone. Below, listen to first single "Rock 'N Roll Is The Answer."
Blintzkrieg Bop: A Ramones Food Truck Roams NYC
Just in time for the return of CBGB comes the return of one of the greatest CBGBs bands...in food truck form. Longtime Ramones drummer (and only living member of the band's longest-running lineup) Marky Ramone has started his own meatball truck, Marky Ramone’s Cruisin’ Kitchen. Too bad you won't be able to get Cretin Crepes there.
Last Night's Don Draper Beatles Moment Cost $250,000
Last night episode of Mad Men included a lengthy scene soundtracked by The Beatles Revolver-era psychedelic song "Tomorrow Never Knows." (The scene directly contrasts an earlier scene where an advertiser can't afford to use a real Beatles song in his commercial.) The entire song plays, bringing the viewer from Don Draper's arm chair all the way to the end of the credits. So how much did that cost Matthew Weiner & Co.? According to Forbes around $250,000 (about $150,000 more than a song by another band would normally cost).
Hear The History Of The Beastie Boys Through These Videos
Fans, friends, fellow musicians, and the entire internet has been paying tribute to Beastie Boy Adam "MCA" Yauch since he died of cancer at the age of 47 on Friday. We've spent much of the weekend mourning by keeping Beastie Boys videos and albums on a constant rotation (YouTube mixes really come in handy sometimes). But even all that doesn't give a complete picture of how funny and witty Yauch and the band could be—so below, check out a handful of interviews from throughout the Beastie Boys career, which reveal the bands lucid evolution.
Video: Bruce Springsteen Pays Tribute To Levon Helm With Beautiful Performance Of "The Weight"
Bruce BROOOOOOCE Springsteen played Newark's Prudential Center last night to end the first leg of his 2012 world tour, and he went out on a particularly high note: at the start of the encore, Springsteen took a sign from a fan asking for something to be played in tribute to the recently deceased Levon Helm. He ended up playing a beautiful, never-before-played off-the-cuff rendition of "The Weight" accompanied by the E-Street Band. Watch it below:
Leonard Cohen To Take His Waltz To MSG And Barclays Center
The man born with the gift of a golden voice is finally coming to town: Leonard Cohen announced new dates for his current Old Ideas 2012 tour, including two nights in NYC. Cohen will finish up the tour with a show on December 18th at Madison Square Garden, and on December 20th at the newly-opened Barclays Center. It's just like his song said it would be: first we take Manhattan, then we take Brooklyn.
Video: Watch Jack White's Entire "Unstaged" Live Concert Now
"You got a reaction didn't you?" Jack White sang in the White Stripes' acidic "Blue Orchid" half a decade ago. As ever, White got just that on Friday night as he played a 21-song set at Webster Hall as part of the American Express "Unstaged" series. While he was ostensibly supporting the release of his first solo album, the excellent Blunderbuss, the show was more like The Jack White Travelling Revue Extravaganza, with two bands (one all-female, one all-male) hitting songs from myriad projects throughout his entire career—including absolutely jaw-dropping performances of several White Stripes classics. Below, watch the entire show (as well as individual highlights) now (while it's still up)! For anyone who ever wondered what White Stripes songs would sound like with a "real" band, here's your answer.
Video: Watch The Ramones "End Of The Century" Documentary Now
If you're like us and you desperately need something to distract you from the Knicks getting whooped by the Heat, it may be time to throw on Rocket To Russia and blast "Cretin Hop." Or even better, below you can watch the excellent 2003 documentary on The Ramones, End Of The Century. Nothing is better than listening to those ridiculously pronounced, cigarette-stained Queens accents wax poetic about the late '70s.
Andrew Bird Opens Up About His Stellar New Album Break It Yourself
Andrew Bird's masterful new album Break It Yourself finds the singular multi-instrumentalist songwriter at the height of his powers, striking a nearly perfect balance between his sophisticated, layered compositions and the looser feel of his mesmerizing live shows. The album, which you can and should purchase here, was the first Bird recording with his full band. Cut in two sessions in his barn outside Chicago, it seems the more collaborative recording process contributed to the album's seamless organic flow.
Smiths Reunion "Report" Is Pure Rubbish, Here's Why
Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before: this morning, rumors ran wild after British website Music-News.com reported that legendary rock band The Smiths were in talks to reform for a major fall tour. Pitchfork (warily) picked it up, Twitter almost imploded, and millions of charming men and women found themselves on the brink of comas. But of course, The Smiths are not reuniting. As Morrissey once said, "I would rather eat my own testicles than re-form The Smiths, and that's saying something for a vegetarian."
Levon Helm, Drummer And Singer For The Band, Dies At 71
Levon Helm, the legendary drummer and singer of The Band, died today after a long battle with cancer. "We lost Levon at 1:30 today surrounded by friends and family and his musicians have visited him," said Larry Campbell, Helm's longtime guitarist and band leader. "As sad as this was, it was very peaceful." Helm, who died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, was 71.
Videos: Watch Radiohead And Pulp's Complete Coachella Sets!
The Coachella Music Festival has been going on all weekend in California—and many of the performances from the likes of The Shins, Black Keys, and Bon Iver have been streamed on YouTube. The two biggest highlights of the weekend so far have been the reunited Pulp and the triumphant festival return of Radiohead.
Kitty's Back: Bruce Springsteen To Play MetLife Stadium In September
Bruce BROOOOCE Springsteen has been gallivanting his way across this hard land with his merry E-Street Band, performing killer show upon killer show. Today, Springsteen announced more dates for their world tour, including three nights at MetLife Stadium in NJ. Which means there are now three more chances for The Boss to hide on the backstreets, to chug fans beers, and to tuck Chris Christie in for bedtime.
Dream Baby Dream: Chris Christie Asleep At Bruce Springsteen Show
Maybe he was exhausted from the trip to Israel, maybe he was just tired of all the fat jokes, but NJ Gov. Chris Christie was caught catching some zzz's at Bruce BROOOCE Springsteen's concert at MSG on Monday: “The governor was very active during the show,” a tipster told the Post. “Bruce started talking about ‘supporting food banks in New York and New Jersey,’ and ‘how people have been hit hard,’ and Christie was riveted. Then Bruce performed ‘Rocky Ground,’ and Christie visibly started fading.”
Video: Like A Friend, Pulp Brings Common People To Fallon
For a certain set of Britpop fans in New York this is a very big week. Why? Because, before heading to Coachella, no less than Pulp is playing at Radio City Music Hall, their first U.S. stage appearance since 1998! And to get you sorted for E's and Whizz, the whole gang performed on Jimmy Fallon last night. And then put a bonus song online! You want to live like common people? Click on.
Nicki Minaj's Times Square Performance Lasted Only 15 Minutes
Yesterday, a huge blue box was constructed in Times Square's Duffy Square for a special free musical performance—which turned out to be for Nicki Minaj, who was helping Nokia launch its new Lumia 900. Fans had been waiting hours before Minaj showed up at 7:30 p.m. and she performed for ... 15 minutes. Well, it was free! And it wasn't in the basement of Loehmann's.
Photos: Of Montreal Brings Sweaty Confetti Party To Webster Hall
"When we get together/it's always hot magic"—indie rock-turned-confetti funk band of Montreal delivered on that promise from their song "Wicked Wisdom" over two sweaty nights at Webster Hall this weekend. Considering the fact of Montreal has brought a horse onto the stage during previous NYC performances, they had a lot to live up to. But with balloons, confetti, puppets, big-breasted boxers, psychedelic lights, mutton chops and white-suited stage divers, the pumped up young crowd was ecstatic. Even if you had no idea what was going on, it was fun as hell. And whenever the show reared too far toward high school drama club, the band reminded you they write timeless pop songs like "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse."
Video: Bruce Springsteen Chugs Fan's Beer Like THE BOSS
There are so, so many reasons why Bruce BROOOOOCE Springsteen is the best: he anonymously busks, he's not ashamed to make jazzercise dance tapes, he crashes people's engagement photos, he's written 10 or 12 of the greatest rock 'n' roll songs of all time, he has a sense of humor about himself, and he still puts on the best live shows period. Now, you can add chugging a fan's beer in the middle of a song to that list:
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