Pulse Music

Shawn Mendes opened up to Billboard Monday (March 14th) about the "low point" that got him to embrace his spirituality a few years ago.

The singer explained that he began meditating in order to deal with the chaos of stardom and then did a deep dive on the Bhatki movement in Hinduism.

Mendes said, "I think everybody has a moment where they just decide it's time to kind of do something different, Now spirituality is "a part of my life that is much bigger than I actually even let on."

For the past year, Mendes says he has spent every Thursday meditating and discussing scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita with Jay Shetty, the author of Think Like a Monk.

Coming on May 20th is The Police: Around The World - Restored & Expanded on DVD/CD, Blu-ray/CD, and DVD/LP -- pressed on silver vinyl. The legendary live travelogue was originally available on VHS and laserdisc, with the film now seeing release on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time, with restored picture and remastered audio, as well as complete performances of four bonus songs featured in the documentary.

The Police: Around The World - Restored & Expanded includes never-before-released live audio on CD and LP. Boasting songs from their first two albums recorded in Japan, Hong Kong, and England.

As guitarist Andy Summers wrote in the collections' liner notes, "Like Napoleon, we wanted the world. Out of the messy and fervent atmosphere in London at that time we conceived the idea to go all around the world and film the whole adventure. As far as we knew no rock band, at least, had ever done that. We had just about enough popularity to get booked around the globe. Plans were made."

Andy Summers told us that he regrets that the Police were never able to regroup during the 1980's to record a follow-up to their 1983 album Synchronicity: "Clearly we had the potential to go on and make more records. Y'know, Sting had made his decision to go off and do his own thing. I mean, really what should have happened after we broke up in '84, yeah, maybe we should come back together in '86 make another album. We should just give them some air (and) time off and let the expectation build up. It didn't work out that way. But yeah, by '88 and '89 I think we could have been in some real interesting stuff."

Daryl Hall has just added a new West Coast leg to his solo tour with old friend Todd Rundgren. The newly added shows in May will hit Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver -- before heading East for a pair of gigs in Tulsa and Austin.

Hall recalled to us how "Sara Smile" became Hall & Oates' breakthrough hit in 1976 going all the way to Number Four -- thanks in large part to R&B stations picking up on the track: "It was like wildfire and it spread that way and then we finally made it, for the first time, we made it on to the pop charts, onto AM radio and I remember the first time I heard it on AM radio, and I said, ‘I can't believe this is a hit because it doesn't sound like anything else that's on the radio on this format.' I was taken aback to tell you the truth. (Laughs) I didn't understand why we were becoming popular because we were so different. But, I understood the black thing very easily, because that's where we came from. We sort of came in to pop radio through the back door."

UPDATED: Daryl Hall with Todd Rundgren tour dates (subject to change):

April 1 - Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theatre
April 3 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
April 5 - Atlanta, GA - Atlanta Symphony Hall
April 7 - Northfield, OH - MGM Northfield Park
April 9 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met Philadelphia
April 11 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre
April 14 - New York, NY - Carnegie Hall
April 16 - National Harbor, MD - The Theatre at MGM National Harbor
May 12 - Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
May 14 - San Francisco, CA- Golden Gate Theatre
May 16 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
May 18 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
May 20 - Tulsa, OK - Tulsa Theater
May 22 - Austin, TX - ACL Live at the Moody Theater

Lizzo is speaking out against Texas governor Greg Abbott's decision to treat gender-affirmative childcare as child abuse. According to Rolling Stone, during a keynote conversation at SXSW this past weekend, Lizzo said, "I'm proud to rep Houston but I'm not proud to rep Texan politics right now. There are very regressive laws being passed. They're taking away the right for young children to have a chance to live authentically as themselves. It's a violation of human rights. Trans rights are human rights."

She also weighed in on the restrictive abortion law, saying, "We got a lotta other things we need to be handling instead of y'all being in people's homes and telling them what to do with their bodies and being all up in their uteruses. The abortion ban is atrocious as well. Mind your business. Stay out of my body."

Dolly Parton has withdrawn her name from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ballot.

While inductees aren't scheduled to be announced until spring, Dolly didn't feel that she was worthy and made the announcement online. She told fans that she was extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated but didn't feel that she had earned that right.

She wrote: "I do hope the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will understand and be willing to consider me again — if I'm ever worthy. This has, however, inspired me to put out a hopefully great rock 'n' roll album at some point in the future, which I have always wanted to do."

The Country Music Hall of Fame member was one of 17 nominees for the Class of 2022, alongside artists like Beck, Pat Benatar, Eminem, and Judas Priest.

Happy Birthday to the Beach Boys' Mike Love, who turns 81 today (March 15th)!!! Love, who formed the group in 1961 with his first cousins Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, and with friends David Marks and Al Jardine, went on to co-write most of the group's major hits with Brian Wilson. Love holds the license to tour under the band's name, enlisting none of the other three living co-founders, choosing instead to use a side band -- along with longtime member Bruce Johnston, for his live dates.

Both Love and Johnston have dipped their toes in the country waters and are featured on LoCash's new single, "Beach Boys," which is available now on all streaming platforms and digital retailers.

In July 2019, Mike Love released his third solo album in as many years, titled 12 Sides Of Summer. The set is a concept album -- featuring songs focused all on the summer season. Highlights include covers of the Ramones' "Rockaway Beach," the Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun," Stan Getz & João Gilberto's "The Girl From Ipanema," the Rivieras' "California Sun," Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" -- along with such Beach Boys remakes as "Keepin' The Summer Alive," "Surfin' Safari," "Surfin'," and "It's O.K." featuring Hanson.

In 2016, Mike Love's memoir, Good Vibrations: My Life As A Beach Boy, was published which told his side of the Beach Boys' long and storied saga.

Mike Love has always been a divisive figure in the Beach Boys' world due to his frequent lawsuits against bandmates and family members. He faced the brunt of ill will from fans and the group following the Beach Boys' 50th anniversary reunion, which resulted in a sold-out international tour and first original Top Three album in 47 years. Instead, after 75 shows, Love, who controls the license to tour under the group's moniker, opted out of carrying on with the group's actual members -- Brian Wilson, Jardine, and Marks -- preferring instead to tour in primarily secondary and third-tier markets with interchangeable hired hands.

Love, who has often stated that his upbeat lyrics served as a direct contrast to Wilson's intricate harmonies and chord structures, wrote the majority of the lyrics to Beach Boys' classics such as "Fun, Fun, Fun," "I Get Around," "California Girls," "Good Vibrations," "Darlin'," "Do It Again," "Help Me, Rhonda" -- along with their 1988 Number One comeback hit "Kokomo."

Mike Love told us that when looking back on the group's golden era -- one song stands out as the stars perfectly aligning in terms of creativity and commerce: "Well, I think 'Good Vibrations' was probably the height of our creativity in the '60s. It was not only successful -- really successful -- but it was very unique. (It was) probably the least derivative of our hit singles. Meaning, y'know, everything is based on something that came before -- that's what I mean by derivative. But with 'Good Vibrations,' it was so darn different, so unique sounding. And yet it was successful as well. And I admit to liking things that are both successful and creative (laughs)."

According to many sources, Love openly disdained Wilson's more progressive mid-'60 work, including 1966's Pet Sounds and its long unreleased 1967 follow-up, Smile. Love was reportedly unhappy with Wilson's constant search for new sounds and breaking away from their light and positive teen-based formula.

Noted Beach Boys author Jon Stebbins remains one of the few working journalists able to cover the band's legacy without the need to denigrate Mike Love's sometimes more commercial leanings in an effort to boost Brian Wilson's already acclaimed accomplishments: "What I get tired of is people saying, 'Well, Mike wouldn't have been anything if it hadn't have been for Brian. The only reason that we talk about this still is because of Brian. Because he gave it something that's so unique, and so deep, and works on such a spiritual level that it's timeless and we still talk about it.' However; we might never have had that to enjoy if it hadn't been for a Mike Love."

Over the years, Love has devoted much of his time -- as well as his money -- to various ecological and spiritual causes, most notably the teachings of Transcendental Meditation, which he studied along with the Beatles in 1968, under the tutelage of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India.

He says that even now the Maharishi's teachings still hold great significance for him: "You know that I'm a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation -- TM. When the Maharishi first came out teaching TM he said, 'For the forest to be green, every tree must be green.' Real simple things. And if there's going to be world peace, that means the individuals need to feel peaceful from within."

As the '70s progressed, with his cousins each dealing with their various personal and substance abuse issues, Love and Jardine steered the group back into safer waters, focusing on a live act heavily reliant on the band's '60s "sun-n-fun" hits. In the early '90s, Love won a $5 million lawsuit against Brian Wilson, claiming that his name was left off most of the songs he co-wrote with Wilson in the 1960's.

Bandmate Bruce Johnston says that fans who have pegged Love as a villain over the years don't understand what a positive influence he really was for the band: "They're always angry at Mike Love, y'know (and think) all the Wilsons are gods and they're angry at Mike Love. Mike wrote some amazing lyrics that probably paved the way on many levels -- including having enough money to finance Pet Sounds and all kinds of other projects."

Although, there's no denying that he's been well compensated for his years on the road and in the studio, Mike Love has been working extremely hard since he was barely out of his teens. We asked Love if he ever considered what his life would've been like if the allure of the greasepaint and concert stage hadn't snagged him when he was 20: "'Probably wouldn't have sat next to Marlon Brando on a plane ride from Paris to London had we not played the UNICEF show in Paris in December of '67 where we met Maharishi, and a couple of months later, I'm in India with the Beatles and Donovan. So, there's a lot of life experiences that I never would've had without the Beach Boys and the Beach Boys' career. So I never looked at it as if I missed anything."

The Beach Boys -- featuring Mike Love & Bruce Johnston -- will next perform on March 18th in Chandler, Arizona at the Chandler Chamber Ostrich Festival in Tumbleweed Park.

An Audience with Adele is coming to NBC.

The two-hour show, which originally aired on the U.K.'s ITV in November, gives viewers an intimate look at the Grammy winner's first hometown concert in five years.

In between hits like "Hello" and "Someone Like You," the singer takes questions from the star-studded audience, including Idris Elba, Emma Thompson and Hannah Waddington. The concert at the London Palladium also features an emotional moment when Adele is surprised by her former teacher.

An Audience with Adele debuts March 20th at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC, and will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.

Kanye West took to Instagram to speak on his co-parenting issues with ex-wife Kim Kardashian, slamming her once again for allowing their daughter North to use TikTok. He shared a screenshot from North's recent TikTok to Machine Gun Kelly and Willow Smith's "Emo Girl."

He said, "I told y'all before about this tik tok stuff Now my 8 year old on here singing she fell in love with an emo girl. Leftist don't want fathers to have no say in our childrens lives I don't want my kids at godless Sierra Canyon school I got a voice and I'm not having this."

He also threatened comedian D.L. Hughley, who recently accused Ye of "stalking" his estranged wife. Ye said, "I'm a real person who wants the best for my children And DL Hughley is a pawn. Yeah I know a king not supposed to address a pawn but I address everything and find addresses DL So don't speak on me or my children I can afford to hurt u."

D.L. fired back, saying, "Hmmm! Ain't it weird that #Kanye supposedly has all these goons who will kill for him, but not one of them will get his prescriptions filled? Here's a thought while you're on your way to kill me in Calabasas, how about somebody drop by CVS and pick up his Xanax! Lol #TeamDl... Ain't no way in hell I'd ever be scared of a dude who wears #IKnowWhatDidLastSummerBoots!!! #TeamDl." He added,"#Kanye!! It's just too bad that you acting like a nut won't stop #Pete from bustin one!!"

KANYE POSTS VIDEOS ABOUT HIS CO-PARENTING ISSUES

Kanye later posted a video on Instagram, going into more detail about his co-parenting issues with Kim, saying, "I am a father, I know y'all don't respect fathers and the idea of family and the media tries to promote something… I said I am not allowing my daughter to be used by TikTok, to be used by Disney. I have a say so."

He also revealed that he flew his kids out to Miami to see his DONDA 2 performance, but he was informed by Kim that North would not be on the plane. He explained, "This is the kind of stuff that's just like the Chicago birthday party."

He also revealed that he rescheduled yesterday's (March 13th) Sunday Service to accommodate his kids, but he was informed that North had a sleepover and will be missing out on the event. He said, "I moved the Sunday Service up to 10 a.m. so that I can go to Saint's soccer game at 12:30, moved the entire thing."

KANYE SAYS PETE DAVIDSON TEXTED HIM ABOUT SLEEPING WITH HIS WIFE

Meanwhile, in another video Kanye claimed that Kim's boyfriend Pete Davidson texted him, bragging about sleeping with Kim. Ye said, "At this point, it's going too far. The boyfriend texts me, antagonizing me, bragging about being in bed with my wife. He texts me, talking about bragging about how he's in bed with my wife. And it's like, well, who's watching my children?"

He continued, "Kim gets Black people out of prison, you know who puts them in prison? The person that the boyfriend has a tattoo of." Ye was referring to Davidson's tattoo of Hillary Clinton.

Screenshots of the alleged exchange between Davidson and Ye were posted by Davidson's friend Dave Sirus. In the text, Pete said, "Yo it's Skete. Can you please take a second and calm down. It's 8am and it don't gotta be like this. Kim is literally the best mother I've ever met."

He continued, "What she does for those kids is amazing and you are so f*cking lucky that she's your kids mom. I've decided I'm not gonna let you treat us this way anymore and I'm done being quiet. Grow the f*ck up."

Ye asked Davidson where he was and Davidson responded that he was "in bed with your wife" and shared a selfie.

KEITH RICHARDS ROCKS NYC FOR CHARITY

Keith Richards reunited with his solo band the X-Pensive Winos on Thursday night (March 10th) at Manhattan's Beacon Theatre to play a three-song set at the "Love Rocks" charity concert. Richards was backed by longtime right-hand man -- and now the Rolling Stones' drummer -- Steve Jordan, keyboardist Ivan Neville, guitarist Waddy Wachtel, and bassist Will Lee subbing for an absent Charley Drayton who now tours with Bob Dylan.

Richards and the band performed three songs -- "999" -- the opening neumber to Richards' and the Winos' 1992 Main Offender album, which will be reissued on March 18th, and such Stones standards as Let It Bleed's "You Got The Silver" and Some Girls' "Before They Make Me Run."

Not too long ago, Keith Richards told us the success of the Rolling Stones' 2008 Shine A Light concert film had as much to do with the vibe of New York's Beacon Theatre as it did Martin Scorsese's direction and the band's live performance: "The Beacon Theatre is special for some reason anyway. Y'know, it wraps your arms -- especially if you can get to play there for more than one night. The room sort of wraps its arms around you, and every night gets warmer. So it's a great feeling room. And also, hey, this band (laughs) didn't start off in stadiums."

MICK & KEITH WORKING ON NEW SONGS

During a chat with CBS Sunday Morning, Keith Richards revealed that work on the Rolling Stones' first original studio album in 17 years continues -- including some new tracks laid down with him, Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts' replacement, drummer Steve Jordan: "It'll be interesting to to find out the dynamics now that Steve's in the band as we're metamorphosing into something else, still. I was working with Mick last week and we came up with some eight or nine new pieces of material, which is (laughs) overwhelming by our standards. Other times, it's like a desert (laughs)."

KESHA DENIED USE OF ANTI-SLAPP LAW IN DR. LUKE DEFAMATION CASE: A New York Court ruled Thursday that Kesha cannot make Dr. Luke pay her legal fees if her defamation claim against him fails. According to the court, "there is insufficient evidence supporting the conclusion that the legislature intended its 2020 amendments to the anti-strategic lawsuit against public participation (anti-SLAPP) law… to apply retroactively to pending claims such as the defamation claims asserted by plaintiffs in this action." In a statement to Rolling Stone, Kesha's lawyers said: "Today's opinion is manifestly erroneous and contrary to the conclusion reached by approximately 20 other courts. We will promptly seek Court of Appeals review."

KATY PERRY CELEBRATES COPYRIGHT CASE VICTORY: Katy Perry celebrated her victory in court while on stage in Las Vegas Friday (March 11th) night. A video posted to Twitter shows Perry shouting "So just be sure… before you take me to court, 'cause I'm a Scorpio, b—-!" on stage at her Play Las Vegas residency. On Thursday (March 10th), a federal appeals court refused to reinstate a $2.8 million copyright infringement verdict against Perry over her 2013 single "Dark Horse." Rapper Marcus Gray won a lawsuit against the "Firework" singer in 2014, claiming she ripped off his song, "Joyful Noise," but the verdict was overturned by a judge in 2020.

Paul McCartney has added a second Oakland, California date to his "Got Back" tour itinerary. The new show at the Oakland Arena falls on Sunday, May 8th -- Mother's Day -- with the general on-sale beginning this Friday, March 18th at 10 a.m. local time. For more info, log on to: https://www.paulmccartneygotback.com/

2022 marks 20th anniversary of "Macca's" current touring band first hitting the road with the former-Beatle. Fans are quick to point out that that's seven-years longer than his partnership with John Lennon, and about five times as long as the most durable lineup of Wings. McCartney's current band consists of guitarist Rusty Anderson, 33-year-veteran, keyboardist Paul "Wix" Wickens, guitarist/bassist Brian Ray, and drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr.

Paul McCartney shed light on how the current band fell into place during his spring 2001 recording sessions in L.A.: "I was going to do the Driving Rain album, I was talking to the producer, I said, 'I better get some people -- or you better get some people.' (Laughs) Y'know, we're gonna work with musicians. So I said, 'Y'know what, you know guys out in L.A.' I said, 'Why don't you make a couple of suggestions' -- so he did, and they sounded great. Abe (Laboriel Jr.) on drums and Rusty (Anderson) on guitar. So, anyway, I worked with those two guys during the Driving Rain album, and loved working with them."

UPDATED: Paul McCartney tour dates (subject to change):

April 28 - Spokane, WA - Spokane Arena
May 2, 3 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
May 6 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Arena
May 8 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Arena
May 13 - Los Angeles, CA - SoFi Stadium
May 17 - Fort Worth, TX - Dickies Arena
May 21 - Winston Salem, NC - Truist Field
May 25 - Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock Live
May 28 - Orlando, FL - Camping World Stadium
May 31 - Knoxville, TN - Thompson Boling Arena
June 4 - Syracuse, NY - Carrier Dome
June 7, 8 - Boston, MA - Fenway Park
June 12 - Baltimore, MD - Oriole Park
June 16 - East Rutherford, NJ - Met Life Stadium
June 25 - Pilton, England - Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm

Kygo's remix of Coldplay's current single with Selena Gomez, "Let Somebody Go," was released Friday (March 11th).

The producer said of the collaboration, "Coldplay's music has had a huge influence on me as an artist and person. I did an unofficial remix of Midnight back in 2014 that I uploaded on SoundCloud and always wanted to properly collaborate with the band. I really love how this remix turned out and it's great to team up with Selena Gomez again."

Kygo previously collaborated with Gomez on 2017's worldwide smash, "It Ain't Me."

• Hall & Oates' Daryl Hall revealed he was asked to replace David Lee Roth in Van Halen. While chatting with New York's Q104.3, Hall recalled the invitation: "I knew those guys (in Van Halen) really well; we actually shared some people -- crew and things like that. And Eddie (Van Halen) came to a show with (his then-wife) Valerie (Bertinelli) -- this goes back, y'know -- and David had just left the band. And Eddie said, 'Do you wanna join Van Halen, man?' He was half joking, but I think he was serious -- I really do believe he was serious. And I took it seriously. I went, 'Meh, I think not. I think I've got my own s*** going on.'"
  • Hall went on to reveal that the opening keyboard lick to Van Halen's "Jump" was inspired by Hall & Oates' "Kiss Is On My List": "That's what (Eddie) always told me. He said that inspired 'Jump.'" (Blabbermouth)
    
    
• To show their solidarity with the people of Ukraine, Pink Floyd have pulled all their post-1987 music off Russia and Belarus streaming sites. The band released a statement, which reads, "To stand with the world in strongly condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the works of Pink Floyd, from 1987 onwards, and all of David Gilmour's solo recordings are being removed from all digital music providers in Russia and Belarus from today." (Loudersound)
  
  

• Rush has just released a newly produced animated video for the band's legendary 1981 track, "YYZ." The new clip serves as a teaser to the band's Moving Pictures expanded reissue, which is set to drop on April 15th. In addition to the 2015 remaster, the package will also include a previously unreleased Toronto concert from March 25th, 1981.

Reports say that Marilyn Manson has threatened "retaliatory legal action" against former assistant Ashley Walters if she took part in Evan Rachel Wood's documentary Phoenix Rising. Wood premiered the documentary at Sundance Film Festival back in January, which details her allegations against Manson. This month, TMZ revealed Manson is suing both Wood and her partner, Illma Gore, for fraud, conspiracy and defamation.

According to Loudwire via Rolling Stone, an amended lawsuit filed March 11th stated that Walters was allegedly threatened with similar legal proceedings if she was involved documentary.

Walters originally filed a lawsuit against Manson for sexual assault, battery and harassment in May 2021. A member of Manson's team told NME that he "vehemently denied any accusations of assault."

Manson's lawyers tried to have the case thrown out due to the statute of limitations, but the judge declined to rule on the motion until a later date.

According to the amended lawsuit, Walters stated she repressed the memories of the abuse she claimed to endure by Manson. She added she only confronted the alleged event after a g therapy sessions in Fall 2020.

Phoenix Rising premiers March 15th and 16th on HBO.

Robert Plant has just announced a eleven-date UK mini-tour for next month with his latest solo band, Saving Grace. The Led Zeppelin frontman and the new group began gigging in the UK early in 2019 and opened a few shows for Fairport Convention. In addition to Plant, Saving Grace features vocalist Suzy Dian, drummer Oli Jefferson, along with guitarists Tony Kelsey and Matt Worley.

Plant credits his earliest teen influences for setting the tone as to what type of singer he would grow into: "I was born into a rock-blues-folk scene and I, as a kid, in bands when I was, like 15 or whatever it was -- I was just apin' everybody. And I thoughy Route One was just to kick ass, y'know? And then basically it did me a lot of good doing that."

Robert Plant will be out on the road with Alison Krauss throughout June and July when they hit North America and Europe in support of their 2021 Top Three second album, Raising The Roof.

JUST ANNOUNCED: Saving Grace With Robert Plant & Suzi Dian UK tour dates (subject to change):

April 8 - Bexhill, England - De La Warr Pavilion
April 10 - Folkestone, England - Leas Cliff Hall
April 11 - London, England - Hackney Empire
April 14 - Hull, England - City Hall
April 15 - Scunthorpe, England - Baths Hall
April 16 - York, England - Grand Opera House
April 20 - Rhyl, Wales - Pavilion
April 22 - Liverpool, England - Eventim Olympia
April 25 - Middlesbrough, England - Town Hall
April 26 - Halifax, England - Victoria Theatre
April 27 - Stockport, England - The Plaza

Elton John and Stevie Wonder have just dropped the official video for their duet, "Finish Line," from Elton's latest album, The Lockdown Sessions. The video, which features new and archival footage of people of all creeds, races, and denominations celebrating the big moments in life, also includes vintage shots of Elton and Wonder from back in the 1970's.

Stevie Wonder spoke about the track to Billboard and admitted it caught his ear immediately: "I heard the song and I liked the song and wanted to, y'know, add some things to it. I thought I could do a little some'in, some'in. We got together with (producer) Andrew (Watt) and we were able to make it happen. I did my part at his house and we just had fun."

Elton John went on to describe the process of the collaboration: "We wanted Stevie initially just to play harmonica and then it just grew. He wasn't gonna sing on it. I think he thought he'd done enough. I really wanted him to sing on it, because for me, it was like, an old, special soul song. And in the end, I twisted his arm, and he did sing on it. And, to be honest with you, I think it's one of the greatest things I've ever recorded, because to be in the same studio with him, to hear how he sounds on the record. . . And I just think, 'I'm singing with Stevie Wonder. And I'm playing with Stevie Wonder -- and I really like it."

IN OTHER ELTON NEWS

On Record Store Day -- April 23rd -- Elton John will release a limited-edition lavender vinyl edition of The Complete Them Bell Sessions. Elton's 1977 foray into Philly soul contained the Top 10 smash "Mama Can't Buy You" and was issued as an EP back in 1979, with the full LP version of the sessions being released an CD a decade later.

Elton John performs tonight (March 11th) at Dallas' American Airlines Center.

A fake track list of The Weeknd's latest album was posted online and he is setting the record straight. He posted on Twitter that he loved every single artist listed but called the post "beyond fake."

The original rumor started with a realistic looking hand written note with names like Ariana Grande, Ty Dolla $ign, and Kali Uchis assigned to specific songs. His new album, Dawn FM does feature a lot of big names such as Quincy Jones, Jim Carrey, and Lil Wayne.

The Twitter account of Buzzing Pop seems to have made the original fake post and at last check, still had not taken it down.

TL;DR:

• A fake track list of The Weeknd's latest album was posted
• He called it "beyond fake."

Billie Eilish and Finneas say the most fun writing they've ever had, was for the new animated feature, Turning Red. When they were approached to be a part of the movie, they "leapt" at the opportunity.

Disney and Pixar posted a short video this week of the siblings talking about the music. They described the 3 songs as… one is a love ballad, one is a confidence builder, and the other is a hit for the boyband in the movie. In fact, Finneas even voices a role as one of band members.

The movie is about a 13 year old girl who transforms into a giant red panda when she can't control her emotions.

Turning Red starts streaming on Disney+ today (March 11).

TL;DR:

• Billie Eilish and Finneas have 3 songs in Turning Red.
• It starts streaming on Disney+ today (March 11).

There's a new BTS collectible on the way.

It's a 7 inch statue-type piece, that looks kind of like a trophy. It's filled with color and emblems that represent Seoul, South Korea.

On the front, is the BTS logo, and above that are pink Hibiscus flowers that pay homage to their homeland.

The limited-edition piece retails for $55.

TL;DR:

The families who lost loved ones during Travis Scott's Astroworld festival believe the rapper's latest initiative "Project Heal" is just a PR stunt. Scott announced the launch of a community initiative earlier this week that would pledge $5 million dollars to free mental health care, better security for concerts, etc.

According to The Jasmine Brand, lawyers representing the families claim Travis violated gag order conditons by attempting to sway public opinion.

The grandfather of Astroworld's youngest victim, Ezra Blount who was just 9 years old when he was laid to rest, said that he believes the gesture is just a PR stunt presented by Travis to "make himself look good."

He explained, "It's a PR stunt. He's pretty much trying to sway the jurors before they're even assembled. He's trying to make himself look good, but it doesn't look that way to someone with our eyes. What we're seeing is that he's done wrong, and now he's trying to be the good guy and trying to give his own verdict on safety."

Texas attorney Bob Hillard who is representing 708 victims in the combined massive lawsuit against Live Nation and Travis Scott, said in a recent interview that Travis is in violation of the gag order in place surrounding the ongoing $10+ billion dollar lawsuit. He explained, "However well-intentioned Mr. Scott's belated largesse may or may not be, there seems no reason to issue a press release or announce the specific part of the initiative as it relates to putting money into concert safety and making sure fans are safe at shows, other than to improperly attempt and sway potential jurors with the message, 'Look at me, I'm a good guy.'"

The gag order was put in place by a court judge in order to ensure the suit would be "tried in the courtroom and not on social media or with press releases or other statements to the media."

According to a new report, Cardi B has "backed away" from her debut lead role in the upcoming movie "Assisted Living." According to Deadline, the rapper exited the Paramount Pictures production just one week before production was set to begin. Word is that the film's cast and crew were only just informed of the news.

Cardi was set to play Amber, a small-time crook who finds herself in over her head when a heist goes wrong. On the run from the cops and her former crew, she struggles to find a hiding spot. She ends up disguises herself as an elderly lady and goes undercover at her grandma's senior citizens nursing home.

Thenbi Banks was tapped to direct the film, which has a $30 million budget.

A source said Cardi exited the show because she is "overextended." Sources added that the hope is that the film will be back on track later this year.

An unauthorized Billy Joel biopic is currently in pre-production and will focus on his early days, according to Variety. The film, titled Piano Man, is being developed via Michael Jai White's Jaigantic Studios, with Adam Ripp set to write and direct the film. Ripp is the son of Joel's early manager Artie Ripp, whom he spent years trying to extricate himself from professionally. Jaigantic Studios has aquired the "life rights" of another early Joel manager Irwin Mazur and will base the story around that.

According to the report, "The biopic will follow Joel's early years -- from being discovered by Irwin Mazur, who managed the band the Hassles that Joel joined as a teenager, to his breakout performance in 1972 that captured the attention of Clive Davis."

Billy Joel is not involved in the project in any way, and according to a representative, "no rights in music, name/likeness or life story will be granted" to the project.

Adam Ripp said in an announcement, "Billy Joel has been a part of my life since my father signed him to his record label when I was 4 years old; his music is ingrained in my DNA and it's been a dream of mine as a filmmaker to explore and celebrate the untold story of how Billy Joel became the Piano Man."

Irwin Mazur added: "What a dream come true! These are the real-life events I witnessed first-hand that shaped Billy from a keyboard player in the local Long Island band, the Hassles, into the iconic musician, singer-songwriter, and entertainer who thrills audiences around the world, today."

Back in 1976, Billy Joel spoke frankly about his life as a working songwriter and musician: "I always have a good time. I've been a musician since I was four. I've been a professional musician since I was 14. I'm lucky, I always knew what I wanted to do, I made a living on it and I always have a good time. But, I think people might have an opinion of me from 'Piano Man' that I'm this sensitive, suffering, songwriter-type -- and I'm not. This is my gig, this is what I do for a living."

After signing away his publishing in his early-20's and losing tens of million of dollars after trusting the wrong people to manage his finances, Billy Joel admits he learned the hard way that rock n' roll is hardly a simple and happy place behind the scenes: "It can be a pretty nasty business -- this is not the Boy Scouts, this is the music business. You've got all these people that are called ‘managers,' there's ‘production companies,' ‘talent scouts,' what have you, and most artists are babes in the woods when it comes to business -- we don't know. Speaking for me, I wasn't thinking about making a lot of money. I just wanted to be able to make a living -- but I want to be able to make music. So, I just signed a lot of papers -- and I did it again and again and again, too." (:25 OC: . . . and again too

Gene Simmons equated bands continuing to play Russia with artists who accepted gigs in apartheid-era South Africa. TMZ caught up with the Kiss co-founder who made it clear, in light of what's happening across the globe, Russia is not the place to be performing: "The problem is, if a Western band plays Russia it gives credence. . . a political win for Putin's outright lies. I would recommend nobody goes there. Just shut it down. Stop drinking Russian vodka. Just stop it."

Simmons went on to explain that honoring gigs in Russia -- or accepting new bookings there -- will only do damage in the long run: "They're gonna get a lot of pushback from their own fans. I mean, we were faced with the similar problem in Botswana in the days of apartheid. We were offered millions of dollars and we said, 'No, we can't go there because if a Western band goes there, you're saying it's okay for apartheid and, of course, all the racism and the lack of justice.' So, we said no. There were some bands that went and, y'know, they paid the price; their fans turned on them."

Kiss will kick off an eight-date South American run on April 20th in Santiago, Chile's Movistar Arena.

Ann Wilson of Heart has just rolled out 13 new solo shows for this spring and summer. Wilson, who'll once again be backed by her band the Amazing Dawgs, has just dropped a new cover of the Eurythmics' 1986 hit, "Missionary Man," which will be featured on Wilson's upcoming solo set, Fierce Bliss, which is set for release on April 29th.

Guitarworld.com posted Wilson talking about the new album, explaining, "I had originally intended to go in, record a few songs and see what I had, but it just took on this life. (Then) at Sound Stage in Nashville, Kenny Wayne Shepherd came in and played on a couple songs. He was a whole other influence coming in. He just played his butt off, and with the gospel singers and everything else coming together, the whole project just started to grow."

Ann Wilson told us that she's confident that fans are open to see her forge new creative paths beyond Heart's legendary work: "I think that artists are just people, and once you go over the same old ground enough times, you just wanna stray off on a tributary a little bit. Hopefully it's something that really does represent you, so that people will recognize you enough to give you a chance (laughs). I think it's really important for artists to lead the way and to, at least, give people a chance to hear something new. We're not just going over the same ground endlessly (laughs). It's gotta be new."

UPDATED: Ann Wilson of Heart & The Amazing Dawgs tour dates (subject to change):

May 4 - San Francisco, CA - Great American
May 5 - Napa, CA - The Uptown Theatre
May 7 - Pala, CA - Pala Casino
May 9, 10 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
May 13 - Los Cabos, Mexico - Hard Rock
May 16 - Quebec City, QC - Centre Videotron
June 11 - Peachtree City, GA - Fred Amphitheater
June 13, 14 - Nashville, TN - Basement East
June 16 - Tampa, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa
June 17 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - The Parker
June 24 - Joliet, IL - ATI Field at Joliet Memorial Stadium
July 30 - Floyd, VA - Floydfest