Oh Coco, you’re so “Creep”-y. Hours before our own Dan Snierson hit the Oregon trail to document the opening night of Conan O’Brien’s national comedy tour, everyone’s favorite late-night ginger busted his best impromptu Thom Yorke in a pre-show soundcheck.
Watch the TBS newbie take on “Creep,” with Conan-ically customized lyrics (Hugh Laurie and Helen Mirren, you’ve been served), after the jump:
A year ago, Wiz Khalifa was in the process of parting ways with Warner Bros. Records. Today the Pittsburgh rapper has one of the most devoted grassroots fan bases going. His latest independent project, a free mixtape titled Kush and Orange Juice, hit the Web about an hour ago. Khalifa’s supporters immediately pushed the hashtag #kushandorangejuice to the No. 1 spot on Twitter’s trending topics list, and “Kush and Orange Juice mixtape” swiftly broke the top 10 of Google’s hot search trends. (UPDATE: “Kush and Orange Juice download” is now No. 1 on that list.) Time for rap aficionados to start paying attention to this guy if they aren’t already.
So how is Kush and Orange Juice, anyway? Pretty solid! Wiz’s on-mic persona is all about having fun. When I saw him perform at a SXSW showcase last month, his permanent grin stood in sharp contrast to the somber ice grills sported by most of the other rappers on stage. As usual, then, he makes his life sound like one long party on this mixtape, recounting endless tales of pot smoke and pretty women. Not the deepest subject matter, but Khalifa’s easy charm, steady flow, and way with a sing-song hook make these tracks difficult to resist. He’s smart about turning his underdog status into a plus, too. “Know we belong on the top, but we ain’t tripping/’Cause we’ll get there in a minute,” he repeats on flute-laced standout “The Statement.” Is it any wonder so many fans want to come along with him?
Khalifa has posted several download links for Kush and Orange Juice to his Twitter account. Check one out and let us know if you’re among his growing legion of followers.
(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter @EWMusicMix.)
More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Wiz Khalifa: Deal or No Deal, his buzz is growing
Why is Sir Ian McKellen muttering about “sexual gladiators” on the new Scissor Sisters single?
Broadway star Laura Bell Bundy kicks off her ‘crazy’ country career: A Music Mix Q&A
Drake’s new “Over” video: Watch it
Justin Bieber’s performance on ‘SNL’: how did he do?
Maxwell’s new video for “Fistful of Tears,” the latest single from last year’s acclaimed BLACKsummers’night, is a simple thing. Just Maxwell singing his heart out in black and white on what looks like a late ’50s/early ’60s TV stage — very Sam Cooke on The Ed Sullivan Show.
And you know what? A song this elegant doesn’t need flashy visuals. Maxwell’s label probably could have upped his video budget a hundred-fold, and it wouldn’t have worked any better than this. Check out Maxwell’s “Fistful of Tears” video after the jump and let us know if you like it, too.
NBC has announced the lineup for the Today Show‘s 15th annual summer concert series, which Sting kicks off on May 14 with a 30-minute set from his upcoming tour with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. Katy Perry will close the season on Aug. 27. READ FULL STORY »
Don’t be surprised if the opening song on Roky Erickson’s new album True Love Cast Out All Evil sounds somewhat lo-fi. And certainly don’t complain to Will Sheff, singer with much acclaimed rockers Okkervil River, who produced the the 62-year-old singer’s first album in a decade and a half. The track, a haunting lament called “Devotional Number One,” is based on a recording made by Erickson four decades ago, while he was incarcerated at Rusk Maximum Security Prison for the Criminally Insane in East Texas.
Thankfully, while the origin of the song is a reminder that Erickson is one of rock’s more troubled and plain unlucky souls, the album itself—which officially comes out April 20, but which can currently be previewed at Relix.com —is testament to both his talents and his recovering mental health. The CD features nearly all new performances by the Okkervil River-backed singer of previously unreleased, Erickson-penned tracks. “Roky’s manager sent me 60 songs after we had played a show together at the Austin Music Awards,” says Sheff of the project’s genesis. “When I heard the songs, I just fell in love. I knew I had to do the record.”
Image Credit: Jon Furniss/WireImage.comRingo Starr is responding to the Vatican’s olive branch with a pointed wisecrack. To recap: In 1966, John Lennon sardonically remarked that the Beatles had become more popular than Jesus Christ Himself. Various religious authorities, including the Vatican, issued furious if ineffectual denunciations at the time. This week, the Vatican’s official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, announced that forgiveness has been granted at last. Evidently the Beatles’ “beautiful melodies,” which “live on like precious jewels,” outweigh the Fab Four’s “dissolute and uninhibited lives” in the Vatican’s eyes.
So what does Ringo think of all this? “Didn’t the Vatican say we were satanic?” the drummer replied pithily when asked by a CNN interviewer. “Possibly satanic, and they still forgive us. I think the Vatican — I think they’ve got more to talk about than the Beatles.” Zing!
Watch Ringo Starr’s full CNN interview (the Vatican question comes around the 5:40 mark) and let us know what you think of Ringo’s response.
(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter @EWMusicMix.)
More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Why is Sir Ian McKellen muttering about “sexual gladiators” on the new Scissor Sisters single?
Broadway star Laura Bell Bundy kicks off her ‘crazy’ country career: A Music Mix Q&A
Drake’s new “Over” video: Watch it
Justin Bieber’s performance on ‘SNL’: how did he do?
Actor Alessandro Nivola: His Music Mix playlist
Image Credit: Solarpix/PR PhotosThe world gets a little less festive, a little less fun, with each passing year that does not bring a new Scissor Sisters album. But don’t fret! The glam-pop troupe officially announced today that Night Work, their follow-up to 2006′s sterling Ta-Dah, will arrive June 29. Even better: For today only, brand-new track “Invisible Light” is streaming from Scissor Sisters’ official site.
“Invisible Light” is a throbbing disco jam that will thrill most Scissor Sisters fans. Jake Shears is in fine vocal form, splitting the difference between Dave Gahan and Barry Gibb. The best part of the song by far, though, is Sir Ian McKellen‘s spoken-word interlude. Trust me, you’ll want to stick around til the end of the stream to hear this. The band’s rep confirms that’s the noted English thespian narrating a decadent scene in which (if I caught all his words correctly) “painted whores, sexual gladiators, fiercely old party children all wake from their slumber to debut the bacchanal.” McKellen delivers these lines in basically the same tone as Gandalf used on the flame of Udûn down in Moria that time. It is awesome.
Check out “Invisible Light” at scissorsisters.com, then let us know if you’re looking forward to Night Work like I am. Full tracklist after the jump.
Bruno Mars is almost famous. You see, right now the Hawaii native is the guy next to the guy with the No. 2 record on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Mars is the smooth voice featured on B.o.B’s “Nothin’ On You.” Not only does he croon on the hook, but as one-third of the Smeezingtons (yeah, that’s their name), he produced the pop-rap track, too. He’s also on Travie McCoy’s recent single “Billionaire,” and he has his own EP, It’s Better If You Don’t Understand, on the way as well. Below, the 23-year-old talks about his recent success, how he snuck in a chorus about oral sex on Flo Rida’s 2009 smash “Right Round,” and why he’s annoyed with Rihanna.
The Smeezingtons are your production team. Who are the other two and where did that name come from?
It’s me, Phillip Lawrence, and Ari Levine. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. We used to always say in the studio, “Yo, this is going to be a smash!” And then it turned into, “This is a smeeze!” Then, “This is a Smeezington.” We were just like, “We should just base our whole situation upon this word. How great would it be if record labels were like, ‘We have to get The Smeezingtons involved?’”
What was first big hit you guys produced?
We wrote “Right Round” for Flo Rida. That was a sample, obviously, but we got our name in there and got some publishing. And it was a No. 1 record. That was our first taste of what could really happen with a hit we hundred-percented.
The chorus is about oral sex, right? READ FULL STORY »
Jay Leno’s long-time bandleader Kevin Eubanks announced today that he’s leaving The Tonight Show (or whatever it was called for a while there) after 18 years to “see what else is going on.” You know what that means: There is a valuable job opening in this recession! Jay Leno is saving the economy!
Who should fill Eubanks’ cheerful shoes? Job requirements include a comprehensive knowledge of pop music, excellent timing when signaling for rimshots, the ability to manage musicians (harder than you think), and a strong identification with “the real America.” Those not easily amused by middlebrow standup or the ritual humiliation of regular folks on street corners are encouraged not to apply.
There were rumors flying last week that Max Weinberg wants to ditch Conan for Leno; hopefully, today’s announcement that Coco’s been picked up by TBS will put those to rest. Assuming, then, that Weinberg’s not an option — if it were up to you, Mixers, to whom would you give this gig?
(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter @EWMusicMix.)
More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Broadway star Laura Bell Bundy kicks off her ‘crazy’ country career: A Music Mix Q&A
Drake’s new “Over” video: Watch it
Justin Bieber’s performance on ‘SNL’: how did he do?
Actor Alessandro Nivola: His Music Mix playlist
‘Green Day: Rock Band’: We’ve got a preview plus the exclusive 47-song track list!
I always thought the fabric of my life was a nice pore-smothering poly-blend, but for smiley songbirds Leona Lewis and Colbie Caillat, it is clearly cotton.
In new ads debuted this week, both wax rhapsodic over the touch, the feel, of Gossypium hirsutum. (Because you know what else is made of cotton? This stuff.)
How do they compare to last year’s trilling textile testimonials from actress/indie-pop kewpie Zooey Deschanel and country peach Miranda Lambert? Let’s look after the jump:
