​Bob Dylan has announced another installment of his so-called “Never Ending” tour.

The 76-year-old singer will hit the road in October and make his way from the west coast to Boston, where the tour concludes on November 16th.

Along for the trek for all but the first two dates will be Mavis Staples, civil rights activist and Dylan’s one-time girlfriend/frequent collaborator who famously rejected his marriage proposal in the early 60s.

Dylan’s latest release is Triplicate, a three disc collection of covers of classic American songs.

Staples recently announced the upcoming If All I Was Was Black, a collaborative album with Jeff Tweedy, due November 17th via Anti-Records.

Bob Dylan and Mavis Staples

10/13- Valley Center, CA @ Harrah’s Southern California Casino & Resort*
10/14- Las Vegas, NV @ The Chelsea*
10/17- Salt Lake City, UT @ George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Theater
10/18- Salt Lake City, UT @ George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Theater
10/21- Broomfield, CO @ 1stBank Center
10/23- Omaha, NE @ CenturyLink Center
10/24- Ames, IA @ Stephens Auditorium
10/25- Saint Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Arena
10/27- Chicago, IL @ Wintrust Arena
10/28- Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena
10/29- Bloomington, IN @ Indiana University Auditorium
11/01- Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
11/03- Akron, OH @ E.J. Thomas Hall
11/05- Columbus, OH @ Palace Theatre Columbus
11/06- Pittsburgh, PA @ Heinz Hall
11/08- Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
11/10- Richmond, VA @ Richmond Coliseum
11/11- Philadelphia, PA @ Tower Theatre
11/12- Philadelphia, PA @ Tower Theatre
11/14- Washington, D.C. @ The Anthem
11/16- Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena

* = no Mavis Staples

Written by Eugene

Texas acappella group Pentatonix have announced plans for a Christmas-themed tour in December via an Instragram video.

The tour will primarily focus on the east coast, but starts with three consecutive dates in Chicago (it also includes three-run stints in Boston and New York City) and will be in support of the quintet’s upcoming album, A Pentatonix Christmas Deluxe, a reissue of last year’s A Pentatonix Christmas, which will include 10 new songs.

A Pentatonix Christmas Deluxe is due October 20th through RCA Records.

Pentatonix are the recipients of three Grammy awards – winning Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella, in both 2015 and 2016 and Best Country Duo/Group Performance in 2017 (along with Dolly Parton) for the group’s arrangement of Parton’s “Jolene.”

Pentatonix on Tour

12/03- Chicago, IL @ The Chicago Theatre
12/04- Chicago, IL @ The Chicago Theatre
12/05- Chicago, IL @ The Chicago Theatre
12/07- Upper Darby, PA @ Tower Theatre
12/09- Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
12/12- Boston, MA @ Boch Center – Wang Theater
12/13- Boston, MA @ Boch Center – Wang Theater
12/14- Boston, MA @ Boch Center – Wang Theater
12/17- Washington, DC @ The Anthem
12/19- New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
12/20- New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
12/21- New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre​

Written by Eugene 

​A$AP Mob, the hip-hop collective featuring rappers A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, A$AP Twelvyy, A$AP Nast and A$AP Ant as well as producers A$AP Lou and A$AP Snacks, will set out on a North American tour this fall. Support will come from Playboi Carti and Key! on select dates.

​A$AP Mob recently announced their second album, Cozy Tapes Vol.2: Too Crazy, which will arrive August 25th via RCA Records. The group has shared a single, “RAF,” which features guest appearances from Payboi Carti, Frank Ocean, Lil Uzi Vert and Quavo.

The month of August will also see the release of A$AP Twelvyy’s debut album, 12, and A$AP Ferg’s mixtape, Still Striving. The trio of releases has been dubbed AWGEST by the group as a nod to A$AP Rocky’s agency, AWGE.

A$AP Mob on Tour:

9/23- Lowell, MA @ Tsongas Center
9/25- New York, NY @ City Parks Foundation Summer Stage Central Park
9/26- - Philadelphia, PA @ Skyline Stage at the Mann
9/27- Washington, DC @ Echostage
9/29- Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre
10/12- Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
10/14- Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway Theatre
10/16- Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
10/18- Dallas, TX @ Bomb Factory
10/19- Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
10/21- Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Amphitheatre
10/22- San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park
10/24- Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall
10/25- San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
10/27- Portland, OR @ Theater of the Clouds
10/28- Vancouver, BC @ PNE Forum
10/30- Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theater
11/01- Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
11/03- Broomfield, CO @ 1st Bank Center

Written by Eugene

Rap legend JAY-Z has announced a North American tour in support of his new album, 4:44.

The 31-date trek will hit arenas across the country. JAY-Z is also set to make headlining appearances at New York City’s The Meadows and Austin’s Austin City Limits festivals, as well as his own Budweiser Made in America festival, where he has enlisted J Cole, The Chainsmokers, Solange, Run the Jewels and more to perform.

4:44 has made headlines for going RIAA-certified Platinum in less than a week after its release. The album was initially only available to subscribers of the rapper’s streaming service, Tidal, and Sprint customers. Although it was made available as a free download to the latter group, Sprint did purchase these copies, allowing the album to reach its Platinum status. However, 4:44 did not chart on the Billboard Top 200, although this is probably due to Tidal not reporting its streaming figures to Nielson Music. 4:44 has since been released to iTunes and Apple Music and a physical release is forthcoming.

A Roc Nation representative recently confirmed to Pitchfork that JAY-Z now officially has added the hyphen back to his name (after dropping it for 2013’s Magna Carta…The Holy Grail) and will now be formatted in all caps.


JAY-Z 4:44 Tour Dates:

10/27 –Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
10/28- Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
11/01- Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center at Fresno State
11/03- Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Arena
11/05- Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center Arena
11/07- Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
11/08- Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
11/09- New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
11/11- Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
11/12- Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
11/14- Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
11/15- Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
11/16- Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
11/18- Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
11/19- Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
11/21- Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
11/22- Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
11/25- Boston, MA @ TD Garden
11/26- Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
11/27- Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
11/29- Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
12/02- Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
12/05- Chicago, IL @ United Center
12/06- Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena
12/09- Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place
12/11- Vancouver, BC @ Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
12/13- Seattle, WA @ KeyArena
12/14- Portland, OR @ Moda Center
12/16- Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
12/17- Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
12/19- San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena
12/21- Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum

Written by Eugene 

The Foo Fighters have announced a new album, Concrete and Gold, as well as a series of US tour dates in the fall.

The tour will run, playing arenas through mid-October to mid-December. Directly before the tour, they will host Cal Jam 17, a one-day festival also featuring Queens of the Stone Age, Royal Blood, Cage the Elephant, the Kills, Japandroids, and former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher. The festival name is a tribute to the original California Jam festival, which occurred in 1974.

Concrete and Gold will be released on September 15th through Roswell/RCA Records. The album was produced by Greg Kurstin, who has previously worked with Adele and Sia. Frontman Dave Grohl told Rolling Stone that “[Kurstin] is the guy we ask to be our producer because he’s never made a heavy rock record before and we’ve never worked with a pop producer.” So far, a single, “Run,” has been released and the band recently performed another new song, “Lah Dee Da,” at Iceland’s Secret Solstice Festival.

The Foo Fighter’s latest studio album was 2014’s Sonic Highways. The band also released an EP, Saint Cecilia, in 2015.

The Foo Fighters on Tour

10/14- Richmond, VA @ Richmond Coliseum
10/15- Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum
10/17- Columbia, SC @ Colonial Life Arena
10/18- Knoxville, TN @ Thompson-Boling Arena
10/20- Cincinnati, OH @ US Bank Arena
10/21- Lexington, KY @ Rupp Arena
10/23- Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
10/24- Memphis, TN @ FedEx Forum
10/26- Birmingham, AL @ Legacy Arena at the BJCC
11/07- Madison, WI @ Kohl Center
11/08- Champaign, Il @ State Farm Arena
11/10- Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Arena
11/11- Sioux Falls, SD @ Denny Sanford Premier Center
11/13- Wichita, KS @ INTRUST Bank Arena
11/15- Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
12/01- Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
12/02- Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
12/04- Spokane, WA @ Spokane Arena
12/05- Eugene, OR @ Matthew Knight Arena
12/07- Nampa, ID @ Ford Idaho Center
12/09- Billings, MT @ Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark
12/10- Casper, WY @ Casper Events Center
12/12- Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena

Written by Eugene 

​New Zealand pop star Lorde (real name: Ella Yelich-O’Connor) has announced the North American portion of her Melodrama World Tour via her Twitter account. See the dates below.

The singer will crisscross the country from the beginning of March to late April, hitting arenas in every major market. The tour will feature an opening act that has yet to be announced.

Melodrama, Lorde’s sophomore effort, was released on June 16th to near universal acclaim. The album was produced and written almost entirely by O’Connor and collaborator Jack Antonoff. The follow-up to 2013’s Pure Heroine was preceded by the jarring, key-shifting single “Green Light” and, more recently, “Perfect Places.”

O’Connor, who is only 20 years old, told USA Today that Melodrama is not a concept album, but does revolve around a loose narrative of a house party which she described as an “interesting metaphor for young adulthood.”


Lorde Melodrama Tour Dates

3/01- Milwaukee, WI @ BMO Harris Bradley Center
3/02- St. Louis, MO @ Chaifetz Arena
3/03- Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
3/05- Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
3/08- Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
3/10- Portland, OR @ Moda Center at the Rose Garden
3/12- Sacramento, CA @ Golden1 Center
3/13- Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
3/14 Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
3/16- Glendale, CA @ Gila River Arena
3/18- Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
3/19- Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
3/21- Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
3/23- St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
3/24- Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Arena
3/25- Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Arena
3/27- Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
3/28- Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
3/29- Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
3/31- Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
4/02- Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
4/03- Boston, MA @ TD Garden
4/04- Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
4/06- Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
4/07- Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
4/08- Washington, DC @ The Anthem
4/11- Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
4/12- Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
4/14- Duluth, GA @ Infinite Energy Center
4/15- Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena

Written by Eugene 

​Born and raised in Compton, California, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is a 29-year-old award winning rapper, and songwriter. Growing up, Lamar always loved to write poetry, and he later turned these pieces into song. As a teenager he referred to himself as K-Dot, and upon the release of his first mix tape, he was signed by Top Dawg Entertainment.  

With the help of local support Lamar’s reputation soared, and he began collaborating with big-name artists including The Game, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dog, and even Dr. Dre.

2011 brought the release of Lamar’s first independent studio album titled Section. 80. This album was a huge success, so Lamar worked relentlessly to produce more music for his fans. In 2012 Lamar released Good Kid m.A.A.d City, which ranked at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and later was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.  

It comes as no surprise that after all of the acclaimed success Lamar proceeded to release 2 more albums, including his most recent titled, Damn. With a total of 7 Grammy Awards, it’s safe to say that Lamar is a respected artist within the hip-hop/rap genre. He has a loyal following due to the nature of his truthful, and soulful lyrics; including bits of his past, and the harsh realities of growing up in a gang-infested neighborhood, all of Lamar’s lyrics are filled with passion, which is why his fans love him so much.
​
His summer ’17 tour called DAMN is in officially in full swing, and it features Travis Scott, and D.R.A.M as headliners. According to fans, this tour is one to rave about! 

I am sure we have all at some point heard one of Sia’s trendy new songs. It could have been on the radio, at a party, even walking through the store. Trying to think of who she is? "Chandelier" and "Cheap Thrills" are two of her popular songs. Still guessing? Sia is the new artist that is famous for wearing wigs so big they cover her face.

So why does Sia cover her face? Let’s back up and look inside to see who Sia is, was, and where she has been. Some artists have their unique style, as Sia has her wigs, but she was not always hiding behind her hair. 

Sia Kate Isobelle Furler, 41, grew up in South Australia.  As a young child, she loved to sing to Aretha Franklin, Sting and Stevie Wonder. Around the mid-1990’s, she started her career as a singer in a local Adelaid acid jazz band, Crisp. Around 1997, Crisp disbanded and Sia released her first album, Only See. This Trip Hop album didn’t succeed as well as she hoped it would. Sia continued to release music and change her genres slightly, in attempt to entice the mainstream audience. 

• Only See – 1997 – Trip Hop
• Healing is Difficult – 2001 - Trip Hop/Alternative Rock
• Colour the Small One – 2004 – Indie Pop/ downtempo

 
After her release in 2004 of Colour the Small One, she decided to move to New York City and tour the country, releasing her fourth and fifth studio releases. 

• Some People Have Real Problems – 2008 – Indie Pop
• We Are Born – 2010 – Indie pop/new wave/ Synthpop/ R&B

 
All of a sudden, we no longer saw any new music released from Sia. She took a hiatus from the music industry.

Once Sia finally resurfaced as the rebranded Pop singer, making her current level of fame after her hit song in 2011 with David Guetta, "Titanium". Sia was asked why she was hiding her face. In 2013, Sia wrote in Billboard about her decision. “If anyone besides famous people knew what it is was like to be a famous person, they would never want to be famous.”

Sia also explained to Chris Connelly on Nightline in 2014, “I don’t want to be critiqued about the way that I look on the internet. I’ve been writing pop songs for pop stars now for a couple of years and I’ve become friends with them and see what their life is like and that’s not something I want.”

She would always reply with a simple answer until 2016, when she had her Carpool Karaoke with James Corden and divulged deeper into her concealment. "I was a singer for 10 or 11 years to mediocre success. I was an alcoholic and a drug addict, and I sobered up and I decided I didn’t want to be an artist anymore because I was starting to get a little bit famous and it was destabilizing in some way," Sia revealed. "I thought, ‘What doesn’t exist in pop music at the moment?’ And it was mystery! I was like, 'There’s pictures on Instagram of everyone at the dentist.'" 

So as a result of her desire to not be recognized everywhere she went as a famous singer, Sia made the decision to conceal her face to do what she loves and remain mysterious. Sia’s latest CD, This is Acting, are all songs that she had written for other female pop artists, but were not included on their albums. Sia described songwriting for others as “play-acting”, hence the album title. Her playing dress up in bows and wigs plays in nicely with her “play-acting” theme too.

If you are curious about the faceless singer we have come to know, she doesn’t hide too far. You can always see her out attending different events, leaving her wigs at home. Although, you would never know it is her without the stylish bow. Now that we have seen through the wigs, take a beat, maybe pull up some of Sia’s old Indie Pop songs and take the journey through her transformation to the Woman behind the Wig.    

Written by Shelley