Author: Simon

Two-plus decades in the music industry as a program director, host, influencer, voice-over artist, and artist manager. Passionate about introducing music fans to talented artists. Avid sports card collector. Pizza lover. Microbrew connoisssoir.
Five Bands Not To Miss If You’re Heading To Bonnaroo 2021
6Apr By SimonNo Comments
Music

Five Bands Not To Miss If You’re Heading To Bonnaroo 2021

The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is celebrating 20 years on the farm after having to outright cancel last year's show due to the pandemic. They've come out of the gates in a big way this year with one of the deepest lineups in recent memory. The internet likes to complain about lineups for these types of shows. The reality is, you're not going to be able to recreate the magic of a Tom Petty headlining set in 2013. Or that time Phish came out of hiatus and played to a capacity crowd back in 2009. For the record that set happened at the same time as a rousing Public Enemy set (and I'm glad we split time between the two). Having always wanted to make the trip to Manchester Tennessee it took a group of friends celebrating a 30th birthday party to get me south of the Mason Dixon line...
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Incubus Frontman Brandon Boyd Set To Appear On American Idol Monday Night
8Apr By SimonNo Comments
Music

Incubus Frontman Brandon Boyd Set To Appear On American Idol Monday Night

We weren't expecting it but we're ready to give it a shot. Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd is set to appear on the Monday night edition of American Idol as part of the duet round. He posted a picture to his Instagram account on Sunday with the legendary Lionel Richie letting the fans know how excited he is to make the appearance. Boyd will sing with contestants Casey Bishop and Chayce Beckham as the judges look on. The show has been airing on ABC since 2018 after originally airing on Fox from 2002-2016. Stars like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Jennifer Hudson got their start on the popular singing competition. Judges this season include Richie along with Katy Perry and Luke Bryan but who could forget the originals? Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul paved the way but...
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Weezer Set For Live Stream Performance With Los Angeles Philharmonic
31Mar By SimonNo Comments
Music

Weezer Set For Live Stream Performance With Los Angeles Philharmonic

Weezer has always walked to the beat of their own drum. In this case, they'll be playing along with a full orchestra in addition to the core four members of the band on April 16 & 17. Tickets are on sale now for the live stream performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The plan is to cover their new album OK Human with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Youth Orchestra (along with some Weezer classics). Access to the show starts at just $20 and you have three different broadcasts to choose from depending on your time zone. This unique performance will only be streamed three times so don't expect to find clips on YouTube after the fact. https://twitter.com/Weezer/status/1375100869209960449 Weezer returned earlier this year with their 14th studio album Ok Human wi...
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Saturday Night Concert Attended By 5,000 Doubles As COVID-19 Experiment
29Mar By SimonNo Comments
Music

Saturday Night Concert Attended By 5,000 Doubles As COVID-19 Experiment

An estimated 5,000 music fans came together Saturday night for a rock and roll show. Normally this type of event is pretty common but in a world grappling with the effects of a pandemic, we haven't seen many large events like this over the past year. CBS News reports the concert took place with an intended goal of seeing if outbreaks at large gatherings could be prevented. The show took place in Barcelona at Palau Saint Jordi and featured the band Love of Lesbian. Attendees were instructed to take COVID tests earlier in the day and needed to prove a negative result to gain entry. Once inside the only regulation was that masks were to be worn as provided by those organizing the event. So now, over the next 10-14 days those who went to the concert will be monitored for any traces of ...
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Interview: Junket Come Together In The Face Of The Pandemic To Find Inspiration
28Mar By SimonNo Comments
Interviews

Interview: Junket Come Together In The Face Of The Pandemic To Find Inspiration

Fresh off the release of their new Dexter-inspired single 'Red Handed', Junket is breaking new ground. We had a chance to catch up with frontman Chris Wicher and got to the bottom of a few things. We were looking to see how the band has been holding up during the pandemic, got a deeper look at the story behind the song, and some advice for new bands just starting out. Wicher is joined by accomplished guitarist Mike Miller. The rock-solid rhythm section comprised of bassist Kyle Hallenbeck and drummer Chad Babcock. 'Red Handed' is the band's first new music in nearly a decade and it's been worth the wait. For updates follow Junket on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and be sure to stream 'Red Handed' on your favorite digital audio platform. Junket Interview Has the pandemic bro...
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Former SNL Cast Member Announced As Record Store Day Ambassador
27Mar By SimonNo Comments
Music

Former SNL Cast Member Announced As Record Store Day Ambassador

Popular actor, comedian, and musician Fred Armisen is a big music fan. He is set to advocate for Record Store Day this year after being named 2021 Ambassador. RSD started back in 2007 to help promote independent record shops. The day incentivizes music fans to come together by offering up lots of exclusive releases. Normally the event takes place over two dates, one in April and the other on Black Friday in November. However, in the face of the pandemic, there have been some changes. This year you can expect two dates to come to fruition on June 12 and July 17. Armisen is in good company as Pearl Jam, Run The Jewels and Brandi Carlile have filled the role in recent years. These are hugely important days for independent record shops so if you're going to shop retail for music, these...
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Beabadoobee Drops Pandemic Inspired Single, Announces New EP
25Mar By Simon1 Comment
Music

Beabadoobee Drops Pandemic Inspired Single, Announces New EP

What would you do with your last day before the pandemic if you knew what was coming next? That's the question indie darling Beabadoobee ponders on her new single 'Last Day on Earth'. Rolling Stone reports the track was produced and co-written by Matt Healy and George Daniel of The 1975 who had spent time on the road with her previously as their opening act. The very first song she wrote on guitar 'Coffee' in 2017 would go on to be a viral sensation a few years later on Tik Tok as a sample on Canadian hip-hop artist Powfu's 'deathbed'. She went on to put out a series of EP's which lead to the release of her debut full-length album in the fall of 2020, Fake It Flowers featuring 'Care'. In the spring of 2020 during an interview with Headliner, she spoke of her hopes of inspiring the n...
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