Journal
- Tuesday, April 16, 2024
The Black Keys have secured the No. 1 Current Rock Album and No. 1 Current Alternative Album in US sales following the release of their new album, Ohio Players, last week. The album also is the highest debut of the week on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums Chart and Top Alternative Albums Chart, at No. 5 on both charts, and has reached No. 4 on Overall Current Album sales and No. 26 on the Billboard 200. Internationally, Ohio Players is the band’s sixth consecutive top 20 album in the UK, as well as top 20 in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Switzerland, among others.
Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist News, Reviews
- Friday, February 12, 2016
Louis Andriessen's six decades of music-making are being celebrated at the Barbican in London, broadcast on BBC Radio 3 … Timo Andres premieres new piece in NY … Jeremy Denk plays the Goldberg Variations in London … Kronos Quartet plays Riley and more in Montana … Brad Mehldau goes solo in Europe … Joshua Redman is in Budapest … Rokia Traoré celebrates release of her new album with in-store showcase in Paris … and more ...
Journal Topics: On Tour, Weekend EventsFriday, February 12, 2016
The Staves return to the US and to Eau Claire, WI, the town where they recorded their album If I Was, to perform at the second-annual Eaux Claires Festival. The festival, helmed by Justin Vernon, who produced the album, takes place August 12 and 13; tickets are on sale now. To celebrate the announcement, The Staves have unveiled a video for the album track "Horizons" set at last year's festival. Watch it here. "It was a truly humbling experience to be a part of something so pure, so human, so musical, and ultimately so inspiring," says the trio of the festival. "Bring on August!"
Journal Topics: Artist News, On Tour, VideoThursday, February 11, 2016
Lake Street Dive's new album, Side Pony, is out on Nonesuch Records next Friday, February 19. But you don't need to wait till then to hear it: the album is streaming in full till then at the band's website, lakestreetdive.com. Head to the site to hear the complete album now.
Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist News, WebThursday, February 11, 2016
Lianne La Havas was the musical guest on the Conan show last night on TBS, performing "Unstoppable," from her album Blood and her new EP, Blood Solo, out tomorrow. You can watch the performance here, plus a web-exclusive performance of "Grow." La Havas will be a presenter at the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony, where Blood is nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album, on Monday. Tickets for her tour supporting Leon Bridges this fall go on sale Friday.
Journal Topics: Artist News, Television, VideoWednesday, February 10, 2016
Congratulations to Rhiannon Giddens, who has been nominated for Folk Singer of the Year in the 2016 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. The nominees were announced on Mark Radcliffe's Radio 2 Folk Show earlier this evening. The awards show will take place at Royal Albert Hall in London on Wednesday, April 27. Giddens is up for the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album for her solo debut album, Tomorrow Is My Turn.
Journal Topics: Artist NewsWednesday, February 10, 2016
Natalie Merchant was a guest on WNYC's Leonard Lopate show today. She spoke with Lopate about her 35-year career in music, her social activism, and her new album, Paradise Is There: The New Tigerlily Recordings. Hear their conversation here. Merchant will join Rolling Stone's Anthony DeCurtis in a conversation at the 92nd Street Y in NYC tonight and heads out on tour in March.
Journal Topics: Artist News, RadioWednesday, February 10, 2016
Sam Amidon has been performing songs from his latest album, Lily-O, on the road, making stops across the US and Europe. One such stop was at the Pickathon festival in Happy Valley, Oregon, last summer, where he performed "Down the Line," from Lily-O, for Seattle public radio station KEXP's Pickathon Logging Road Series. You can watch the just-released performance here.
Journal Topics: Artist News, VideoWednesday, February 10, 2016
The ECHO Jazz 2016 Award nominations have been announced, including three for Joshua Redman projects: International Saxophone Instrumentalist of the Year for his work with James Farm on their latest album, City Folk and International Ensemble of the Year to both James Farm and The Bad Plus Joshua Redman and their self-titled debut album. Tigran Hamasyan has been nominated for International Piano Instrumentalist of the Year for his Nonesuch debut, Mockroot. The ECHO Jazz Awards ceremony will take place in Hamburg on May 26.
Journal Topics: Artist NewsTuesday, February 9, 2016
Steve Reich and Stephen Sondheim, as part of Lincoln Center's American Songbook series, took part in an evening of conversation, moderated by WNYC's John Schaefer, on January 31, 2015. This special occasion marked the first the time the two appeared together on stage. The evening, which also included performances of several of their seminal works by Paul Gemignani, George Lee Andrews, Kate Baldwin, Michael Cerveris, Ensemble Signal, Alexander Gemignani, and Derek Johnson, was filmed by Lincoln Center. Watch it here.
Journal Topics: Artist News, VideoMonday, February 8, 2016
Lianne La Havas will release Blood Solo, a collection of five tracks and an interlude from her Grammy-nominated album Blood plus a new song, "Fairytale," performed solo, on February 12. In celebration of the EP's release, La Havas performs two of the solo songs on Conan and The Late Late Show with James Corden in the coming week. Additionally, Leon Bridges has announced that La Havas will open for him during his autumn US tour. Tickets go on sale this Friday. "I'm so excited to go on the road with Leon because I am a fan," says La Havas. "It will also be a great chance to see many parts of the USA that I've not yet had the pleasure of visiting."
Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist News, On TourFriday, February 5, 2016
Kronos Quartet presents its second-annual hometown festival in San Francisco all weekend … Sam Amidon plays three shows in Belgium … Jeremy Denk performs Bach's Goldberg Variations in Europe … Rhiannon Giddens concludes UK tour with Transatlantic Sessions … Richard Goode performs Beethoven in Michigan … Lianne La Havas plays Brooklyn and Philadelphia … Chris Thile guest hosts A Prairie Home Companion … Rokia Traoré kicks off 2016 tour in London … and more ...
Journal Topics: On Tour, Weekend EventsThursday, February 4, 2016
Rokia Traoré's new album, Né So, is out February 12. But you don't need to wait till then to hear it: the album is streaming in full till then as an NPR First Listen. NPR's Anastasia Tsioulcas, who calls Traoré "fantastically gifted," notes that "the idea of refuge ... serves as a central catalyst to Traoré's gorgeous new album." She concludes: "Né So is a sonically beautiful project, for sure, and it's easy to get lost in the lilting rhythms and Traoré's smoky voice. But if you're simply sitting back with this album, you may have missed her point." Hear Né So in full here. Traoré kicks off a tour in London on Saturday, followed by stops throughout Europe in the weeks ahead. She heads to the US in late March for performances in NYC, DC, and Savannah.
Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist News, On Tour
