Chimbala’s “Rueda” is a slippery single. The cheerful melody evokes the golden oldie “Stand by Me,” preparing listeners for warm expressions of eternal affection. But that’s a feint — the Dominican singer uses this backdrop to say “good riddance” to an ex. Merging this combination with a galloping beat gave …
Read More »How Nashville's Play-for-Tips Musicians Are Adapting in the Age of Social Distancing
Joshua Hedley has played Robert’s Western World, the famous Nashville honky-tonk known for its old-school country music and fried bologna sandwiches, thousands of times since 2005, but until this past Tuesday night, he had never performed there to an empty dance floor. After bars and honky-tonks shut down in Nashville’s …
Read More »Former Prosecutor Sues Netflix, Ava DuVernay Over Central Park Five Miniseries
Former prosecutor Linda Fairstein took aim at Netflix and Ava DuVernay Wednesday when she filed a lawsuit against the streaming service, director and DuVerney’s co-writer Attica Locke claiming that their miniseries, When They See Us, defamed her. The four-part series, which premiered on Netflix in May of 2019, “portrays Ms. …
Read More »Deerhoof Drummer's Full-Album Voivod Cover Is a Fitting Tribute to an Overlooked Classic
Musicians are responding to the coronavirus pandemic in a variety of ways. Some are livestreaming shows from empty venues, some are playing for fans from the comfort of their homes, some are creating surprisingly poignant soundtracks for cat videos, and others — like Deerhoof drummer Greg Saunier — are passing …
Read More »Watch Lizzo Lead a Group Meditation to 'Promote Healing' on Instagram
Over the weekend Lizzo took to Instagram Live to encourage her fans to find some calm in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The singer led a meditation, complete with crystals and flute music, and later posted the entire video on her Instagram page for future guidance. The video, …
Read More »Billie Eilish Postpones Tour, Urges Fans to Take Coronavirus Seriously
Billie Eilish expressed her thoughts on the coronavirus pandemic on Monday, telling her Instagram followers, “Don’t panic, but don’t be stupid.” “It is a really big deal right now, and it is not a joke,” she said. “I know because a lot of us haven’t seen it with our eyes …
Read More »Women Shaping the Future: Uzo Aduba on Finding Validation in Hollywood
On March 4th, Rolling Stone hosted its second annual Women Shaping the Future event, celebrating, raising, and honoring the influential female voices in culture. The event was the first to take place at the new Edge venue in Hudson Yards, which overlooks New York City. To kick of the intimate …
Read More »How the New Oil Wars Could Upend Trump's Re-Election Bid
Whatever the true nature may be of the twisted relationship between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, this much is clear: As the world economy teeters, reeling from the dystopian implications of the coronavirus, Putin has decided this is a good time to stick a shiv deep into the …
Read More »Unable to Deport the Coronavirus, Trump Tries a Ban
When President Trump authorized his first travel ban only weeks after his inauguration, he was selective with its targets. The purported goal was to mitigate foreign terrorism, but even if such an action were to work, Trump excluded the nations that produced the 9/11 hijackers. Instead, he targeted seven predominantly …
Read More »WHO Labels COVID-19 a 'Pandemic'
The World Health Organization (WHO) reclassified the international coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a “pandemic” on Wednesday. “WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we’re deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and the alarming levels of inaction,” WHO chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated …
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