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Three-time Emmy winner James Gandolfini has died in Italy at the age of 51 of a possible heart attack. According to HBO, he was on vacation at the time. The "Sopranos" actor appeared recently in "Zero Dark Thirty" and "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone." He had been working on Fox Searchlight's "Animal Rescue," now in post-production, HBO show "Criminal Justice" as well as CBS show "Taxi 22." - [Variety]

Continue reading "James Gandolfini, RIP" at brooklynvegan

Ah, Kidz Bop. The long-running compilation series takes the biggest hit songs and transforms them into kid-friendly ditties. Unfortunately, after suffering through a Bop-ified version of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop”, Rock it Out! Blog host Sami Jarroush has arrived at the conclusion that these collections are the scourge of modern music. So, if you’re of a similar disposition, he wants to know what what songs have the folks at Kidz Bop irrevocably ruined. Was there a tune you had hopes to pass on to a child in your life, only to find it to be less pleasing than vuvuzelas mixed with a car alarm? Leave your comments down below.

Also on today’s episode, Sami recaps more headlines, including where you can watch Metallica play Kill ‘Em All in its entirety, David Lynch directing the new Nine Inch Nails video, a new single from Arctic Monkeys, and Black Sabbath’s first No. 1 album.

Make sure to follow Rock it Out! Blog on Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to its YouTube channel.

Clearly not satiated by the glory of being a Playtex spokesman, party rocker Andrew W.K. is now attempting to set a world record. In conjunction with the O Music Awards, W.K. will go for the “longest drum session in a retail store”, pounding away behind the kit for 24 consecutive hours at Times Square

by Bill Pearis

Last year, San Diego duo TV Girl released the wildly clever and sample-heavy "mixtape" The Wild, The Innocent, The TV Shuffle free to the internet. Trung Ngo and Brad Petering have just followed that up with a new EP, Lonely Women, featuring five songs that mix hip hop beats with indiepop melodies and bitter/funny lyrics. A spoonful of sugar, they say. No snarky activity book with this one, and no easily-identifiable samples either. But their melodic abilities are still in full effect. You can stream the whole thing below.

TV Girl have a couple live dates coming up, but none on the East Coast. We need to get them out here. Tour schedule and EP stream are below.

Continue reading "stream TV Girl's new EP, 'Loney Women'" at brooklynvegan

Who needs anger management when you can take your aggression out on a set of soda bottles…or a watermelon…or a trash can? And the list goes on. Directed by Brandon Dermer, Wavves’ new video for That’s On Me features a suit-wearing assailant whose hostility can’t be tamed. With a samurai sword in hand, a slicing-session is sure to ensue.

That’s On Me is off the band’s latest album, Afraid of Heights, and it’s appropriately riff-heavy and angry-sounding. Check out the video below and learn about alternative ways to de-stress.

The post Watch: Wavves’ Video For “That’s On Me” appeared first on CMJ.

With all its zigzagging synth elements and bustling percussion high in the mix,

by Fred Pessaro

Martin Sorrondeguy with Crudos at Chaos in Tejas 2013 (more by Fred Pessaro)

Martin Sorrondeguy delivered awesome sets as a member of Crudos at Chaos in Tejas last month and with Limp Wrist twice this weekend, but now he'll bring another passion to the forefront next week: photography. As discussed at BVA, Sorrendguy has released the amazing Get Shot!, a compilation of photography by the punk frontman shot at various shows in the past 20+ years. Many of these photos, and others, will be front and center at an exhibition on June 24 at Superchief Gallery. The free show -- one night only -- opens at 5PM and Sorrendguy will have prints, his book, and latest zine available for purchase. Flyer is below.

If you missed Limp Wrist over the weekend, you can watch video from Union Pool and LPR below.

Continue reading "Limp Wrist/Crudos singer Martin Sorrondeguy showing photos from his 'Get Shot!' book in NYC next week" at brooklynvegan

John Grant at LPR in April (more by PSquared Photography)

Folk-turned-synth-pop musician John Grant recently kicked off his North American tour, which is set to come to NYC soon for a show on July 1. That show was initially set to happen at Mercury Lounge but has been moved to the larger Bowery Ballroom. NYC art pop singer Empress Of has been added as an opener to the show too. Tickets for the Bowery Ballroom show are available, and all tickets purchased for Mercury Lounge will be honored.

Updated dates are listed, along with a video, below...

Continue reading "John Grant's Mercury Lounge show moved to Bowery Ballroom; Empress Of opening (updated dates)" at brooklynvegan

The hip-hop/R&B power couple re-team with Mike WiLL.

Ciara has enlisted beau Future and producer du jour Mike WiLL Made It for ‘Where You Go’; the three last worked together on the Ghost Town DJ-sampling smash

Willie Nelson at Wellmont Theatre in 2012 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Country music legend/activist Willie Nelson will be airing a special, Willie Nelson & Friends, that he taped at Jack White's Third Man Records on CMT next week (6/23) for their Crossraods series. Willie will be appearing with a number of guests on the show, including Neil Young, who joined him to perform "Long May You Run." Check out a video of Neil and Willie playing that song below (via Stereogum).

Willie Nelson also has a number of tour dates scheduled this year. He just played Montauk's Surf Lodge last week (6/9) and he'll be returning to the NYC-area for shows at Port Chester's Capitol Theatre on September 18 and 19. Tickets for night 1 and night 2 go on sale Friday (6/21) at noon.

All tour dates are listed, along with the CMT video, below...

Continue reading "Willie Nelson touring, played w/ Neil Young on CMT (watch)" at brooklynvegan

Danny Brown stopped by BBC Radio 1Xtra‘s Westwood last weekend to drop the official studio version of his newest single, “Kush Coma.” The weed-honoring track has been floating around the interwebz since March but now is getting its proper release with a guest spot from frequent collaborators A$AP Rocky and Zelooperz.

The previously released version sans Rocky was attention-grabbing enough, but this new studio recording is more of an upper than a downer with its cutting, fast-paced Skywlkr beat. The synth-loaded single comes off Brown’s upcoming album, Old, due out in August via Fools Gold. Put yourself in a “Kush Coma” below.

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