RZA

RZA

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New Documentary To Celebrate 25 Years Of Wu-Tang Clan

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The legendary hip-hop group reminds us they are "for the children" with a new film out Friday
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Nov 7, 2018 - 6:25 pm

Hip-hop legends Wu-Tang Clan announced today, Nov. 7, they will be releasing a new documentary, For The Children: 25 Years of Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) this Friday, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their groundbreaking debut album, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).

The influential group has released several other documentaries over the years, yet, as Spin points out, this one "differentiates itself as a celebration of the group's legendary debut," released Nov. 9, 1993. The film's title is a reference to Wu-Tang's Ol' Dirty Bastard infamously taking the stage during Shawn Colvin's Song Of The Year win for "Sunny Came Home" at the 40th GRAMMY Awards to announce "Wu-Tang is for the children...Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is the best!" Wu-Tang Forever was nominated for Best Rap Album but lost to Diddy's No Way Out.

Wu-Tang Clan has not only launched the careers of many other rappers with their Killa Bees, but has also paved the way the for other rap collectives, including ASAP Mob, whose members include ASAP Ferg and ASAP Rocky. "If you don't plant seeds it won't be forever," says Ferg in the documentary's trailer.

As Spin reported last month, Hulu announced they would be launching a new show, "Wu-Tang: An American Saga" about the group's origin story, to be co-written and directed by the group's leader RZA. 

Update: For The Children: 25 Years of Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is now streaming on YouTube.

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Dave Grohl

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Dave Grohl Creates Rock Super-Group All By Himself In 'Play'

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The Foo Fighters frontman is nothing short of extraordinary in his new documentary which puts the art of making music on display
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Aug 10, 2018 - 11:56 am

GRAMMY-winner Dave Grohl takes on an impressive and inspiring project with his new documentary, Play, which includes expertly synced footage resulting in a band of Grohls performing an epic 23-minute rock opus.

The half-hour video takes us deep into the Foo Fighters frontman's passion for making music. Grohl explains, "You never feel satisfied, and you never feel like you’ve completely mastered the instrument you’re playing. It’s always going to be a puzzle; it’s always going to be a challenge. It’s a beautiful mystery."

Before diving into his inspiring one-man super-group performance, Grohl brings us to Join the Band, where youth are given a chance to begin the journey of learning an instrument. He shares his excitement about organizations like this that are bringing youth into the world of music making. "All around the world there are these rooms full of kids that are really trying to figure this [playing an instrument] out. I'm inspired watching that process," he says.

Shortly after the eight-minute mark, we watch seven Grohls stroll into the studio where they take us on a musical adventure through his passion. He played each instrument individually live in the same studio, and through the magic of editing, we are left in awe to witness a band of Grohls jamming together.

While the video and resulting song are pretty special to witness, this feat isn't all that new to Grohl. All of the instruments on the GRAMMY-nominated debut Foo Fighters album were played entirely by him and recorded in just one week. It was shortly after after recording that album that he then formed the band we now know and love as the Foo Fighters.

"Play" is available to stream and download now, and a limited edition vinyl LP is available for pre-order now on the Foo Fighter's site.

If Grohl has inspired you to grab your favorite instrument, check out his new website where you can download sheet music for "Play," find music education organizations like Join the Band near you, and even watch the single instrument tracks of the video.

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Queen + Adam Lambert

Adam Lambert + Queen

Photo: Craig Sjodin/Getty Images

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Queen + Adam Lambert 'The Show Must Go On' Documentary Coming In April

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The two-hour TV special will feature exclusive interviews and concert footage, plus a behind-the-scenes look at how the band teamed up with Lambert in 2012
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Feb 25, 2019 - 5:58 pm

On Feb. 25, less than 24 hours after their killer opening performance at the 2019 Oscars, Queen + Adam Lambert, as the revived glam-rock group calls itself, announced the release of a new documentary, The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story.

The two-hour special will air on ABC on April 29 and feature, according to the press release, "rare concert footage and exclusive, revealing portraits of the band members offstage." The film will tell the story of Queen's remaining founding members, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, bringing on Lambert on lead vocals to rebirth the group in 2012, following their first performance together on the "American Idol" stage in 2009, when Lambert was a contestant on the show.

In addition to offering fans the story directly from the group's members, the documentary will also feature insight from Lambert's family, former Idol judge Simon Cowell, Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins and Bohemian Rhapsody lead Rami Malek.

Malek portrayed the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the biopic that swept the Golden Globes and last night's Oscars, where Malek won for Actor In A Leading Role. Bohemian Rhapsody currently stands as the highest-grossing music biopic of all time.

Queen + Adam Lambert will embark on a previously announced North American arena tour this summer with 23 shows across the country.

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Chicano Batman

Chicano Batman

Photo: Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images

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Mike Tyson To Host Inaugural Kind Music Festival In The Coachella Valley Featuring Chicano Batman, Starcrawler & More

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The new music event will feature a handful of bright Los Angeles-based talent
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jan 3, 2019 - 2:11 pm

The Kind Music Festival has announced the lineup for their first-ever event set to take place in Desert Hot Springs, Calif. on Feb. 23.

Attendees will be able to soak up the diverse sounds and vibes of So Cal under the bright desert sun with a curated sampling of Los Angeles-based artists: GRAMMY winner Miguel, plus Chicano Batman, Starcrawler, Yonee and All My Friends Hate Me.

The organizers for what they are calling a "'pop-up' micro-festival"  include former heavyweight champion boxer Mike Tyson, who is offering the site of future home to Tyson Ranch Resort.

Tyson recently broke ground on the property last month, which a press release for the festival says will be a "420-acre entertainment complex, luxury glamping resort and cannabis research and design facility." The Blast reports that Tyson has been a longtime believer in the healing benefits of cannabis and "says taking care of men and women who have served in the armed forces is a top priority" on the ranch.

Organizers also say that the event will be the first music festival to celebrate California's new 2019 marijuana legislation.

"Kind Music Festival is a revolution—leading the way for a new generation of health and wellness focused cannabis consumers, 'The Kind Generation,'" says a KIND festival producer. "The word 'kind' is defined as 'a group of people or things having similar characteristics' as well as 'of a good or benevolent nature or disposition…Kind Music Festival challenges conventional thinking while being mainstream."

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A portion of ticket sales will benefit Standing United, a non-profit organization aimed at helping individuals recover from drug addiction and homelessness to "reintegrate into society and become upstanding citizens in their communities." Tyson himself, along with other Kind Festival employees, the press release reports, have struggled with addiction.

Tickets are available now at Kind Festival's website.

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Woodstock 1969

Woodstock 1969

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Two Woodstock 50th Anniversary Events Planned For Aug. 2019

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As the golden birthday of the historic music festival approaches, available rooms in Sullivan County for Aug. 15–18 are already in limited supply, even before the lineups or major details for either event have been announced
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jan 2, 2019 - 1:54 pm

Judging by the rapid rate hotels and Airbnbs are been being booked in Sullivan County, the site of the iconic ’69 Woodstock Music And Arts Fair, music fans from around the world are ready and excited to celebrate the historic fest's 50th birthday.

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Two music festivals will take place on the anniversary weekend, one unofficial at the Bethel Woods Center For The Arts, and an official 50th celebration at a to-be-announced venue, hosted by organizers of the original event. 

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If you want to take part in the magic of the Woodstock 50th anniversary events and stay in Sullivan County during the long weekend of Aug. 15–18, you should think about booking a room soon. The Times-Herald Record Of Middletown reports that hotels, Airbnbs and everything in between have been booking up quickly, even before official news of an anniversary event had been revealed last month.

The newspaper also shared that many places to stay near the Bethel Woods Center—the venue which now lives at the site of the original event—are already completely booked with already-lengthy waiting lists. One hotel, which is still under construction and set to open this summer, is already fully booked with a waitlist, and shared that their first guest inquiry came in two years ago.

"There's a lot of interest on the domestic front and the international front, whether you were there in 1969, or just want to be here today," said Sullivan County Visitors Association CEO Roberta Byron Lockwood.

In terms of how exactly you can relive Woodstock in Upstate New York this August, the two major events are the aforementioned Bethel Woods Music and Culture Festival, hosted by Live Nation, INVNT (a "global brands communication agency") and Bethel Woods Center. Meanwhile, Michael Lang, the co-creator of the original event, has just confirmed an Official Woodstock 50 Celebration. Further details and a location are yet to be revealed.

The organizers of the Bethel Woods Festival describe their three-day event as a "pan-generational music, culture, and community event" with "live performances from prominent and emerging artists spanning multiple genres and decades, and TED-style talks from leading futurists and retro-tech experts." Attendees will get to visit the venue's year-round Woodstock-centric museum which will feature special new 2019 exhibit called We Are Golden: Reflections On The 50th Anniversary Of The Woodstock Festival And Aspirations For An Aquarian Future.

"50 years ago, people gathered peacefully on our site inspired to change the world through music," said Darlene Fedun, Bethel Woods Center CEO. "As the stewards of this historic site, we remain committed to preserving this rich history and spirit, and to educating and inspiring new generations to contribute positively to the world through music, culture, and community."

Lang, who was one of the main promoters for Woodstock '69 and has been hinting at an official 50th anniversary event for some time, confirmed minimal details with the Poughkeepsie Journal, who on Dec. 19 wrote that Lang had "definite plans" for an anniversary concert not held at the original location.

On Dec. 30, Woodstock Ventures, which runs the official Woodstock website and works with Lang, shared a statement from the co-founder:

"While the original site in Bethel remains close to our hearts, it no longer has the capacity to hold a real Woodstock Festival. I'm delighted that Bethel Woods is doing events in the coming year to celebrate what we brought to life in 1969," wrote Lang.

However you choose to celebrate Woodstock's 50th anniversary, Sullivan County is ready to welcome you this summer with peace and love vibes, complete with 36 fiberglass dove statues painted by local artists in '60s-inspired colors.

Just make sure to book a place to stay sooner rather than later, unless you want to relive the memories of many would-have-been-Woodstock-goers stuck on Route 17B, aka Woodstock Way.

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