GRAMMYs

Rolling Stones

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Keith Richards On Rolling Stones U.S. Tour: "Feels Like We're Coming Home"

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The self-proclaimed "Greatest Rock 'N' Roll Band in the World" is coming to the States and they are as excited about it as we are
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Nov 19, 2018 - 5:54 pm

The three-time GRAMMY-winning British classic-rock band the Rolling Stones are adding U.S. dates to their current No Filter Tour and they are just as excited as their fans to be playing American soil again.

"It's great to be playing back in America," Keith Richards said in a tweet. "Feels like we're coming home."

The U.S. leg will begin in Florida in April, pass through Texas and Arizona, then head to Pasadena, Calif. in May, followed by a few other cities, eventually ending in Chicago in June. The band's tour began in 2017 in Europe.

Mick Jagger joined in the exciting news with a video of him playing the guitar while singing, "I just found out today that we're going to the USA." The frontman continued to sing out some of the cities they'll be stopping by.

The Rolling Stones have not released a new album since their 2016 GRAMMY-winning blues cover album, Blue & Lonesome. The album won Best Traditional Blues Album at the 60th GRAMMY Awards. The band received The Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award at the 28th GRAMMY Awards in 1986. Seven of the legendary rock group's recordings have been inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame including, most recently in 2018, the classic "Paint It, Black," as well as "Honky Tonk Women" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."

Richards and Jagger have both implied that they are working on new music. Jagger released a video on Sept. 4 playing a harmonica with a caption that read, "Harmonica playing on new tunes!"

"We have some stuff down, which is very interesting," Richards told the Wall Street Journal, according to Consequence of Sound. "It's more difficult for us to write together the further apart we are, but it also has its benefits in that we come back to it from a different angle."

Pre-sale tickets can be purchased on Nov. 28. More details here.

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GRAMMYs

Meek Mill

Photo: Brian Stukes/Getty Images

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Jay-Z And Meek Mill's REFORM Donates Surgical Masks To Vulnerable Prison Population

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says correctional facilities are particularly vulnerable places for COVID-19 to spread
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Apr 6, 2020 - 6:01 pm

Jay-Z and Meek Mill's criminal justice reform organization REFORM has donated roughly 100,000 surgical masks to correctional facilities including in the states of New York, Tennessee and Mississippi.

The organization said it donated 50,000 masks to New York City's Rikers Island Correctional Facility, 40,000 masks to the Tennessee Department of Correction and 5,000 to Mississippi State Penitentiary. Spin reports that an additional 2,500 masks were sent to a Rikers medical facility. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says correctional facilities are particularly vulnerable places for COVID-19 to spread.  

"Incarcerated/detained persons live, work, eat, study, and recreate within congregate environments, heightening the potential for COVID-19 to spread once introduced," according to the CDC. Other vulnerabilities include the fact that incarcerated people, for the most part, can't leave and, depending on the size of the facility, space for someone to medically isolate could be limited.

"We need to protect vulnerable people behind bars & GET THEM OUT!" REFORM said in a tweet. The organization sees this as a threat to public health and said on its website that it is working with experts and advocates "to develop a set of common-sense recommendations that would make us all SAFER."

They also announced on Twitter that they helped the South Carolina Department of Corrections locate 36,000 masks for their population. 

Across the nation, COVID-19 cases have been popping up in correctional facilities, including North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee. 

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GRAMMYs

Neil Lasher

Photo by Maury Phillips/WireImage

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Neil Lasher, Music Industry Executive & Longtime MusiCares Supporter, Dies Of Coronavirus

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The veteran record label and music publishing exec helped establish MusiCares' Safe Harbor Rooms and was honored by the organization in 2012
Nate Hertweck
MusiCares
Apr 6, 2020 - 5:57 pm

Music industry executive Neil Lasher died on Sunday, April 5, from complications due to coronavirus. Lasher worked in many areas of the business and touched many lives and careers during his. He was 73 years old.

In addition to his triumphs in music business, Lasher, a longtime supporter of MusiCares, also become a certified alcoholism and substance abuse counselor. He consulted with MusiCares and helped establish their Safe Harbor Rooms, a sober space backstage at events, at the GRAMMY Awards since 1997.

"Neil's greatest legacy is how many people he helped through intervention," Carole King wrote in a tweet. "Rest in peace and the power of your accomplishments."

Lasher began his music career as a disc jockey and radio promotion executive before moving into the record label world and, ultimatlely, music publishing. He rose the ranks to VP of promotion, marketing and arstist relations for EMI Music Publishing, where he worked for 21 years.

In 2012, at the eighth annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert. Lasher was honored Lasher alongside Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have two rewarding careers — one in the music industry and one in the field of addiction recovery,” Lasher said at the time of the event. “I’ve made countless friends in both, and have wonderful memories spanning many years. And because I’ve seen the ravages of addiction take their toll on artists, crew members, myself, and others who work in the music business, I’ve been a supporter of the MusiCares MAP Fund from the very beginning.”

In recent years,  Lasher served as a consultant, working to support the likes of Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

“His passionate work as a music executive led him to his true purpose, helping others," Jon Platt, chairman-CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, said in a statement. "We are forever grateful for Neil and his legacy.”

Learn more about how you can donate to or apply for assistance via the Recording Academy's and MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Learn more about the financial, medical and personal emergencies services and resources offered by the Recording Academy and MusiCares. 

 

James Blake

James Blake

Photo: Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images

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Poll: From James Blake To Diplo, What Music Livestream Series Has Kept You Going Under Quarantine?

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James Blake, Ben Gibbard, Desert Hearts (Mikey Lion, Marbs & more), Drew and Ellie Holcomb, Mad Decent (Diplo, Dillion Francis & More), Michael Franti, SOFI TUKKER and even Levi's and CLIF have been serving up musical livestreams
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Apr 6, 2020 - 4:18 pm

With all of us spending a lot more time at home and many events being canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, tons of artists have turned to livestreams. We want to know, in our new poll below, what music livestream series has kept you going under quarantine?

Polls

What Music Livestream Series Has Kept You Going Under Quarantine?

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Have you been getting in the feels with Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard's daily afternoon (at 4:00 p.m. PST) "Live From Home" sets on YouTube or have electro-pop duo SOFI TUKKER's morning dance parties (at 10:00 a.m. PST) DJ sets on Facebook Live been giving you life? Or has Americana power couple Ellie and Drew Holcomb's fun "Kitchen Covers" on YouTube had you singing along as they sing U2, Kacey Musgraves, John Mayer and more?

Perhaps electro-soul crooner James Blake's weekly live piano sets on IGTV (he's done two so far on Mondays), where he sings new music, old faves and covered Billie Eilish, Radiohead and Roberta Flack, got you all up in your feels? Or maybe musician/activist Michael Franti's "Stay At Home Concert Tour," shared daily on his Instagram, has helped you stay inspired and positive. Have you been searching for ways to make your views count for a good cause? Then you are likely feeling CLIF Green Notes' "Playing From Home" IGTV series, which has donated to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund when fans tune in and brought sets from Julien Baker, Nahko Bear, Trevor Hall and Magic Giant.

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Could it be Levi's "5:01 Live" star-studded IGTV performance series that's really hyped you up, as they've brought live music and conversations from Snoop Dogg, Questlove, Burna Boy, Moses Sumney and more? (They've also donated money to the MusiCares Fund and other COVID-19 relief efforts.)

Do you miss the strobe-lit dance floor? If so, is it Desert Hearts Records' daily-ish "DHTv" live-DJ-sets-and-more schedule from Mikey Lion, Marbs, Porky and the rest of the gang (primarily on Twitch) that's gotten you dancing and laughing in your living room? Or is the packed lineup that Mad Decent has brought with their own "Mad Decent Live" Twitch series, featuring DJ sets from Diplo, Major Lazer, Dillion Francis, AlunaGeorge and other powerhouses on the dance label?

Don't forget to let us know where you stand on the best livestream debate in our above poll. Stay safe, stay inside, wash your hands and enjoy all the livestreams!

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GRAMMYs

Joel Little

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Behind The Board: Joel Little On Working With Lorde, How Vans Warped Tour Inspired Him & More

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The GRAMMY-winning producer/songwriter talks though his path of starting a band, a record label and a successful studio career
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Apr 6, 2020 - 2:44 pm

New Zealand-born producer/songwriter Joel Little's career took off when he co-wrote and produced Lorde's 2013 smash hit, "Royals." But as with any successful professional, the journey began long before the accolades rolled.

Behind The Board: Joel Little

A guitar player since age 13, Little's road to a career in music started with Vans Warped Tour in 1998, where everything changed. He started taking the idea of forming a band seriously after seeing that show, and went on to form pop/punk outfit Goodnight Nurse in Auckland in 2001.

On the side, he started a label with his Goodnight Nurse bandmate, Sam McCarthy, and found some early success working behind-the-scenes on music. He setup a recording studio, and one of the first artists who came in to work there was Lorde. Little earned a GRAMMY win for Song Of The Year and another nomination for Record Of The Year for his work on "Royals."

In the latest episode of Behind the Board, Little shows us around his current setup, and talks about what works for him as a producer/songwriter. To Little, it's not about his ego or imposing his influnce into the process.

"I shouldn't be trying to force myself on the song," he said. "I'm there to help [the artist] say what they want to say."

He aslo recounts the best advice he's ever recieved, talks about learning the ropes and setting up his studio without studying audio engineering in school and more above in the video above.

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