News

Benjamin Booker’s moody new single, “Slow Dance in a Gay Bar,” is out now, and it comes with a dream-like video of the musician driving a white van through the narrow streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter. It’s the latest of a string of loosies ahead of Booker’s third studio album, Lower, due Jan. 24.

“I am beginning to see the beauty all around me/What this life can be,” Booker sings over simmering guitar and delicate keys on “Slow Dance in a Gay Bar.” In a statement,...

Benjamin Booker is back with another new song, “Same Kind of Lonely,” from his forthcoming first album in seven years, Lower, out early next year.

“Same Kind of Lonely” is balanced deftly between the serene and the unsettling, with fuzz-bomb guitars rushing beneath the tender hush of Booker’s voice. Then the song’s bridge is abruptly interrupted by a burst of gunfire and screaming, which Booker recently told Rolling Stone, he sampled from video of a school shooting.

Booker said he included the audio because those random moments of horror “happen in our lives,...

Benjamin Booker’s years in Los Angeles, at the tail end of the 2010s, were filled with exploration and experimentation. The singer-songwriter lived for a while in Echo Park, but spent a lot of his time downtown. He’d grab his skateboard, coast down Glendale Boulevard, and spend the day taking pictures, visiting museums, or hanging out (he eventually just moved downtown).

There was a Kerry James Marshall retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2017 that he found “eye-opening” and “life-changing.” “Everything is done with purpose,” Booker recalls thinking.

Singer-songwriter Benjamin Booker is back with his first new music in seven years, “Lwa In the Trailer Park,” which will appear on his upcoming album, Lower.

“Lwa In the Trailer Park” signals a major shift artistic shift for Booker from the blues, punk, and Americana-inspired sounds of his first two albums to something more experimental and noisier (Booker co-produced the album with celebrated producer Kenny Segal). But Booker’s songcraft and knack for melody remain tight as ever, as he sings in hushed tones over blown-out drums and screaming guitars,...

Back when he was moving between Washington D.C. and New York City in the late Nineties and early 2000s, billy woods frequented a Black-owned record shop seeking El-p and Cannibal Ox on wax. “I kept coming in, and checking for it — my homie was really diligent about it,” he recalls now. “I got The Cold Vein. I think I got it on CD at the same time, and it was off to the races.” Soon, the success of The Cold Vein and Mf Doom’s Operation Doomsday inspired woods...

The most surprising thing to Melissa Carper about her newfound success might be all the emails she has to send. A month before the release of her new solo album, Carper was still getting used to the non-musical work required of her, now that the 50-year-old indie singer-songwriter has waded into the big-time music industry. Her latest album, Ramblin’ Soul, is her first to receive a nationwide release (via Thirty Tigers). Rolling Stone named it one of the year’s best country albums and it’s shot up the Americana radio charts,...

My Morning Jacket, Brittany Howard, Emily King and more appear on Silence Is Not an Option, an Ato Records compilation out now.

The tracklist includes My Morning Jacket’s “I’m Amazed,” Drive-By Truckers’ “What It Means,” “Goat Head” by Brittany Howard, Black Pumas’ “Colors” and more. You can hear Emily King’s “See Me” here.

“Can you hear me now/Can you see me now,” King sings across a sparse acoustic guitar. “If I cry out loud/Will you believe me now?”

“Feeling so moved by this powerful time,...

Mavis Staples gets funky with the new song “Anytime,” from her upcoming album We Get By. Produced by Ben Harper, the full project will be released May 10th.

“Give me a one way ticket, somewhere I’ve never been/I’m rock, paper, scissors and I’m bound to win,” sings Staples, her inimitable purr backed by a strutting bass-and-guitar groove. She adopts an optimistic outlook for the future, though not one that happens without some hard work and sacrifice. It’s an earthy, uplifting sound reminiscent of the Staple Singers...

The Strokes, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jenny Lewis, Tash Sultana, Incubus and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats will lead the 2019 Ohana Festival. The fourth annual fest will run from Friday, September 27th through Sunday, the 29th at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, California. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 8th at 10 a.m. local time.

The eclectic line-up also features Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers, Glen Hansard, Mudhoney, LP, Devendra Banhart, White Reaper, Benjamin Booker, Jacob Banks, Lukas Nelson & the Promise of the Real,...

Tony Bennett, Jackson Browne and Jim James are among the artists who have contributed to a new album, Songs for Swing Left, designed to raise awareness and promote voter turnout ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.

Guitarist and guitar shop owner Reuben Cox compiled the record in partnership with Swing Left, an organization that’s targeting competitive swing districts in an attempt to help Democrats retake the House of Representatives. Fans who download Songs for Swing Left, or any track off the record, will be put in touch with Swing Left...

My Morning Jacket’s Jim James will embark on a short North American tour this fall to encourage voter turnout in competitive swing districts.

“The Future Is Voting Tour” comprises six nonpartisan, multi-artist shows and kicks off October 7th with a gig at Emo’s in Austin, Texas. The trek will also stop at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa and the major college towns of Athens, Georgia and Urbana, Illinois.

Along with James, the tour will...

The independent label sector is the wellspring of creativity in the music industry and fights hard for its market share, but for all that, it’s never really been big on celebrating itself. The annual Libera Awards, launched seven years ago by the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) trade group, are a rare exception to that rule, and they’ve become a sort of cross between a low-key Grammys and a high-class party for the indie community — a place where you see people dressed up who you ordinarily never see dressed up except at a wedding or in a year when one of their label’s artists has a Grammy nomination. The event, presented by SoundExchange in partnership with BuzzAngle, was held Thursday night at the Best Buy Theater in New York’s Times Square, capped A2IM’s Indie Week conference and confab.

The crowd was treated...

Mavis Staples delivered a brash, bossy performance of "Take Us Back," the opening track from her new album, Livin' On a High Note, on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Monday.

The legendary soul singer cruised through the funky, mid-tempo cut (co-written with Benjamin Booker), an appreciation of the friends and family who push her to keep making music. By the end of the performance, Staples was embracing the full rasp of her voice as she powered through a final call-and-response of "Help me!" with her back-up singers.

Staples also...

He prefers to keep things low-key for the most part, but Jack White has decided to hit the road for a massive tour of the USA and Europe this summer.

In support of his forthcoming album Lazaretto (due in stores June 10th), the “Seven Nations Army” rocker will take Kelley Stoltz and Benjamin Booker out with as supporting acts.

Along the way, Jack will play Bonnaroo, Glastonbury and Governors Ball, giving fans all over the globe a first-hand taste of his new recipe.

Jack White’s Lazaretto Summer Tour Dates are:

4/19 Third Man Records - Nashville, Tn

5/29 Cain's Ballroom - Tulsa, Ok

5/30 Wild West - Lubbock, TX

5/31 - 6/1 Free Press Summer Festival - Houston, TX

6/2 Municipal Auditorium - Shreveport, La

6/3 Saenger Theatre - New Orleans, La

6/5 The Fillmore Charlotte - Charlotte, Nc

6/7 Governors Ball - New York, NY

6/12 - 6/15 Bonnaroo - Manchester, Tn

6/25 - 6/29 Glastonbury - Somerset, England

6/26 Royal Hospital Kilmainham - Dublin,...

In between hitting some of the major summer festivals, Jack White will play select cities in support of his new album, “Lazaretto,” which comes out June 10. Check out the complete dates below. White’s first show will coincide with Record Store Day on April 19, where he’ll perform at his Nashville-based Third Man Records. The singer will record the title track from “Lazaretto,” press it into a limited edition seven-inch and sell it at the store — all in one day. Below the dates, listen to “High Ball Stepper,” an instrumental track from the new album. Here are Jack White’s 2014 tour dates: 04/19 – Nashville, Tn @ Third Man Records 05/29 – Tulsa, Ok @ Cain’s Ballroom * 05/30 – Lubbock, TX @ Wild West * 05/31-06/01 – Houston, TX @ Free Press Summer Festival 06/02 – Shreveport, La @ Municipal Auditorium * 06/03 – New Orleans, La @ Saenger Theatre * 06/05 – Charlotte, Nc @ The Fillmore Charlotte * 06/07 – New York, NY @ Governors Ball Music Festival 06/12-15 – Manchester, Tn @ Bonaroo Music and Arts Festival 06/25-29 – Pilton,...

After weeks of speculation, Lollapalooza (Aug. 1-3) has revealed its 2014 lineup. As previously reported, Eminem, Kings of Leon, Skrillex and Arctic Monkeys have been confirmed as headliners, plus the Chicago-based festival has added OutKast and Calvin Harris to the list. Check out the complete lineup by day below. Among the headliners, all but OutKast have previously performed at Lollapalooza. Eminem headlined in 2011 and Kings of Leon in 2009. The 130-act lineup also includes Lorde, Foster The People, Nas, Childish Gambino, the Avett Brothers, Chance The Rapper, Lykke Li, Cut Copy and Spoon. Three-day passes to the festival, which went on sale Tuesday (March 25), have already sold out, but single-day tickets are available now. The festival is expected to once again reach capacity of 100,000 per day. Here’s the entire Lollapalooza 2014 lineup: Friday, Aug. 1 Eminem Arctic Monkeys Lorde Zedd Above & Beyond Broken Bells Interpol Lykke Li Phantogram Chvrches The Glitch Mob Portugal. The Man...

Summer concert season is fast approaching and the folks at Lollapalooza 2014 made a huge announcement this week.

The three-day festival (August 1st- 3rd) will feature headliners like Eminem, Outkast, Kings of Leon, Skrillex and Arctic Monkeys when things kick off at Chicago’s Grant Park.

Other big name acts on the bill include Foster the People, Lorde, The Avett Brothers, Zedd, Nas, Broken Bells and Delta Rae.

The 2014 Lollapalooza Festival lineup is:

Eminem

Outkast

Kings of Leon

Arctic Monkeys

Calvin Harris

Skrillex

Lorde

Foster the People

The Avett Brothers

Zedd

Krewella

Sebastian Ingrosso

Above & Beyond

Nas

Childish Gambino

Broken Bells

Spoon

Cage the Elephant

Interpol

The Head and the Heart

Young the Giant

Lykke Li

Chase & Status

Chance the Rapper

Phantogram

cut/copy

Flosstradamus

Chvrches

Fitz & the Tantrums

Chromeo

The Glitch Mob

Grouplove

Darkside

Portugal the Man

Gramatik

The 1975

Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike

Jenny Lewis

Rebelution

AFI

Manchester Orchestra

Glen Hansard

J.

Louisville, Kentucky’s flagship Forecastle Festival has announced its lineup, which includes Outkast, Beck and Jack White as headliners. Check out the full lineup below. In its 12th year, the three-day festival returns to Waterfront Park and runs July 18-20. The festival has also secured the sought-after Replacements reunion, which so far will only appear at Coachella and Shaky Knees. Ray Lamontagne, Band of Horses, Spoon, Against Me!, Local Natives, Gary Clark Jr. and Jenny Lewis are also on the lineup. Tickets go on sale Friday (March 7). Here’s the complete Forecastle 2014 lineup: Jack White Beck The Replacements Ray Lamontagne Band of Horses Spoon Nickel Creek Dwight Yoakam Twenty One Pilots Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings Local Natives Gary Clark Jr. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit Jenny Lewis Trampled By Turtles Lord Huron Tune-Yards Jj Grey & Mofro Action Bronson Slint Flume Against Me! Sun Kil Moon Sharon Van Etten The Black Lips St.