.

B-Sides Report for 09/25/2015



Chris Brown Facing Ban Down Under Over Criminal Record

(Radio.com) Chris Brown could have his tour dates in Australia cut because of his previous conviction for assault. According to Billboard, an Australian government minister is looking to keep the embattled singer out of the country, pointing to his highly publicized conviction for assaulting Rihanna in 2009.

"People need to understand if you are going to commit domestic violence and then you want to travel around the world, there are going to be countries that say to you:

'You cannot come in because you are not of the character we expect in Australia,'" said minister for women, Michaelia Cash. "This is a government that is not afraid to say: 'no.'" Read more here.

More on Chris Brown - Chris Brown Music, DVDs, Books and more - Chris Brown T-shirts and Posters

Steven Tyler Does Duet Of Willie Nelson's Crazy On Nashville

(Radio.com) Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler made a guest appearance on the season 4 premiere of the ABC-TV series Nashville on Wednesday. Tyler performed a cover of the Willie Nelson song, "Crazy", with Hayden Panettiere, who plays Juliette Barnes on the show.

Recorded by several artists through the years, "Crazy" is most recognized as a US Top 10 hit for Patsy Cline in 1961. Last month, Tyler previewed his appearance when he tweeted a picture of him and Panettiere, writing "Hayden and I getting a little 'crazy' on set at Nashville. You won't want to miss this. #PatsyCline"

Tyler has been in Nashville since January working with songwriters on material for his debut solo album, which he recently said he's hoping to release by "February or so" of 2016, with plans to support it with a tour before heading out on an Aerosmith trek later in the year.

"I don't even know who I'm producing it with," says Tyler. "It's gonna be what it is. There's a couple of songs I've written and they're like rock, and I said, 'Oh, geez.' And I'm not gonna put a banjo on it just to make it country�I don't know what it's gonna be, but my heart leans [towards] the country feeling and the vibe."

"I think country music is the new rock 'n' roll," he adds. "I mean, you can listen to the lyrics, you can really get into it, just as you could get into 'Stairway to Heaven.'" Watch video of the duet performance from the show here.

More on Steven Tyler - Steven Tyler Music, DVDs, Books and more - Steven Tyler T-shirts and Posters

Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder Duet 'Ebony and Ivory' Remixed

(Radio.com) Paul McCartney's third solo album following the disbanding of Wings, Tug of War, will get the reissue treatment this October. Included on that album was the classic duet "Ebony and Ivory."

The reissue of the album will include an alternate version of the duet which McCartney performed with Stevie Wonder. The remixed version of "Ebony and Ivory" was released on Thursday which adds vocals and heightens the track's bass.

"Ebony and Ivory" hit the number 1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1982 and stayed there for seven weeks. The Tug of War reissue will be released October 2nd; listen to the remix here.

More on Paul McCartney - Paul McCartney Music, DVDs, Books and more - Paul McCartney T-shirts and Posters

Fetty Wap's New Self-Titled Album Streaming Online

(Radio.com) Fetty Wap's self-titled debut will be available for purchase officially on Friday (Sept. 25), but the album is already online for your streaming pleasure.

The New Jersey-based rapper gives an early listen to Fetty Wap the album, via NPR, for fans to dig into his infectious melodies and unforgettable slang. The 20-track album includes mega hits "My Way," "679," "Again," and "Trap Queen." But the rest of the album follows suit offering more of the same: Scratch-voice choruses that stick and music designed to turn up.

Fetty has been building anticipation with his steady string of hit singles. Recently he added a new video for "My Way" and dropped a new song "Jugg" to let fans know that there are more hits to be mined on his album.

Check out the album for yourself here.

More on Fetty Wap - Fetty Wap Music, DVDs, Books and more - Fetty Wap T-shirts and Posters

Pearl Jam Rock Late Night With Stephen Colbert

(Radio.com) Stephen Colbert's inner music fan has been having quite the time of it since becoming the new host of Late Night. From encouraging collaborations to the types of acts that appear on the show, Colbert and company have been making the news with video after video of fantastic performances. And today is no different.

Pearl Jam sat with Colbert before taking the stage to perform their song "Mind Your Manners" off Lightning Bolt. The crowd, part of which had been set up to stand on the stage for Pearl Jam's performance, immediately launched into chants of "One more song!" when the band wrapped up. Pearl Jam happily complied with "Rockin' in the Free World," Neil Young's classic.

The whole performance quickly left behind the sometimes static late night format and felt far more like watching a rock show. Feeding off the crowd's energy, Eddie Vedder surfed into the audience.

Not one to sit idly by, Colbert jumped up and started dancing with the band before joining Vedder at the mic for the chorus. "Whoo! Calm down. What an honor! You don't get to do that every day," Colbert said once Pearl Jam finished playing. Watch it here.

More on Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam Music, DVDs, Books and more - Pearl Jam T-shirts and Posters

The Dead Weather Release "Be Still" Video

(Radio.com) Rock supergroup the Dead Weather will soon release their third full-length album, Dodge & Burn, from Jack White's label Third Man Records. The album marks the group's first major project in five years.

On Thursday, they premiered the live performance music video for the track, "Be Still" (via Entertainment Weekly). Shot in black and white at Third Man Record's studio, the video is a polished performance in the art of rock and roll. The live billy goat in the background seems to approve.

Singer Alison Mosshart spoke with EW about the album. 'There's not a lot of thought put into the writing of the music," she said. 'It's really just a human, organic explosion." The explosions aren't hard to find, but if 'Be Still" deserves a badge, it's for leaving room for primal humanity to shine. Read more here.

More on The Dead Weather - The Dead Weather Music, DVDs, Books and more - The Dead Weather T-shirts and Posters

Sia Streaming New Song 'Alive'

(Radio.com) Sia has released her new single "Alive," from her forthcoming album This Is Acting. The anthemic track was originally intended for Adele, one can imagine the final product might have been very different.

"Alive" was written by Sia, Adele and Tobias Jesso, Jr. and was produced by Jesse Shatkin, who also co-wrote and co-produced Sia's Grammy nominated hit song "Chandelier."

"I was born in a thunderstorm," the track begins "I grew up overnight, I played alone, I'm playing on my own, I survived." Listen to a stream of the new track here.

More on Sia - Sia Music, DVDs, Books and more - Sia T-shirts and Posters

Sara Bareilles Announces New Album 'What's Inside: Songs From Waitress'

(Radio.com) Sara Bareilles has announced her new album What's Inside: Songs From Waitress which will be released November 6th. The first single will be available today (Sept 25) and is titled "She Used To Be Mine".

The album features songs from the forthcoming Broadway musical Waitress, for which Bareilles wrote both the music and lyrics. 'I fell more deeply in love with the writing of the musical 'Waitress' than I had ever imagined," said Bareilles in a prepared statement.

'It proved impossible for me to imagine handing over the songs to the show before selfishly finding a way to sing them myself. This is a deliciously self-indulgent project and I'm sorry, I'm not sorry. :)" Read more here.

More on Sara Bareilles - Sara Bareilles Music, DVDs, Books and more - Sara Bareilles T-shirts and Posters

Usher Marries His Manager In Private Ceremony

(Radio.com) Usher Raymond has a confession. The singer has gone and jumped the broom, wedding his manager, Grace Miguel, in a private ceremony, according to US Weekly.

The publication has confirmed that Usher married girlfriend/manager Grace Miguel earlier this month, apparently while paparazzi was otherwise distracted.

Raymond and Miguel nixed their plan to have a modest wedding of 100 guests guests in Atlanta, in favor of their decision to elope in private, according to US Weekly.

Miguel offered the public a look into their newlywed status when she posted an Instagram picture of the two, with Usher sporting his wedding ring. Read more here.

More on Usher - Usher Music, DVDs, Books and more - Usher T-shirts and Posters

Demi Lovato Recruits Robert Rodriguez To Direct 'Confident' Video

(Radio.com) Demi Lovato is currently filming the music video for the title track to her new album Confident with director Robert Rodriguez in Austin, TX. The video features actress Michelle Rodriguez and actor Jeff Fahey.

Lovato shared her excitement with the following tweet, "So honored to be working w these 2 badasses: the legendary director @Rodriguez & the legendary actress @MRodOfficial!"

"I was so impressed by Demi's fearless performance as a guest star on my TV series From Dusk Till Dawn that I jumped at the chance to direct her video," said Rodriguez in a prepared statement. 'I basically treated this like we were shooting a high octane action film, because she has the presence and star power to pull it off. She's incredible." Read more here.

More on Demi Lovato - Demi Lovato Music, DVDs, Books and more - Demi Lovato T-shirts and Posters

Nelly and Jeremih Release 'The Fix' Video

(Radio.com) St. Louis rapper Nelly has returned with a new song and video called "The Fix." The DJ Mustard-produced track features R&B singer Jeremih on the hook.

As with a lot of hip-hop/R&B collaborations as of late, a portion of the hook is lifted from a famous song, in this case Marvin Gaye's classic "Sexual Healing."

Nelly plays a love guru and a shy woman, played by his real life girlfriend Miss Jackson, comes to him for help bringing out her inner femme fatale. Nelly helps build her confidence by spitting sexy lyrics about all of the freaky things he'll do in bed. Jeremih plays the wing man who dances around in some shiny Margiela kicks. Watch it here.

More on Nelly - Nelly Music, DVDs, Books and more - Nelly T-shirts and Posters

Chris Cornell Performs New Single On Ellen DeGeneres Show

(hennemusic) Chris Cornell performed his single, "Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart," on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on September 21 and video of his performance has been posted online.

The tune is the lead single from the Soundgarden frontman's newly-released fourth solo album, "Higher Truth." Cornell recorded the album with producer Brendan O'Brien in Seattle.

A video for the track - directed by Jessie Hill - sees Cornell make his acting debut in a Wild West setting alongside cameos by Eric Roberts (Runaway Train, Heroes, The Expendables) and W. Earl Brown (Deadwood).

The singer launched a 6-week theater tour of North America in San Diego, CA on September 18. Watch video of the TV appearance here.

More on Chris Cornell - Chris Cornell Music, DVDs, Books and more - Chris Cornell T-shirts and Posters

50 Cent Responds To Alleged 'Empire' Diss

(Radio.com) The hit Fox drama Empire returned for season two Wednesday night (Sept. 23). The writers answered some real life criticism through lead character Cookie Lyon.

In a scene, Cookie calls rapper 50 Cent "Thirsty." As usual, 50 Cent couldn't let it go and responded with a brief video and a meme of his own. All of this started when 50 Cent, executive producer of Starz series Power, accused Empire of copying Power.

Taraji P. Henson, who plays Cookie, responded by telling the rapper/actor to have a seat because there was room for them both. After the brief media exchange, it looked as though the issue was resolved until Empire fired a shot in 50's direction.

In the video, 50 Cent says he can't believe Cookie would talk about him like that. He goes on to say he and Cookie go way back and he even slept with her. As for Cookie's claims that 50 Cent is thirsty, 50 Cent thinks that's just stupid.

Check out the meme here.

More on 50 Cent - 50 Cent Music, DVDs, Books and more - 50 Cent T-shirts and Posters

Kanye West Reveals Update On New Album 'Swish'

(Radio.com) Kanye West spoke with Vanity Fair about his growing role as a fashion designer, as well as his hectic schedule. It's not easy being a music mogul, designer, businessman, father, husband and possible 2016 presidential candidate.

In addition to sharing interesting tidbits about the length of time he's gone without a phone--three years--Kanye discussed plans for new music. During his latest fashion show, Kanye played a new track, "Fade," for the audience. The track is a collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign and Post Malone.

He told Vanity Fair, "We had a couple options and I just thought it sounded good against the people. For the 40 theaters across the globe, for the kids that all went to see it in theaters, I thought they'd be happy to hear some new music. I've been doing that [making a new album] too. That's like a sonic landscape, a two-year painting. That song I played has been a year and a half in the making and it may be still a year from being complete. But it was to let people get a glimpse at the painting." Read more here.

More on Kanye West - Kanye West Music, DVDs, Books and more - Kanye West T-shirts and Posters

Producer Jahlil Beats Reacts To Drake Vs. Meek Mill Feud

(Radio.com) The beef between Drake and Meek Mill kept rap fans talking for the whole summer. Things have pretty much died down between the two rap titans, but Meek Mill's friend and producer Jahlil Beats is finally weighing in on the matter. Jahlil Beats was a guest on the Brown and Scoop Podcast, where he talked about his reaction to Drake's "Back to Back" and why it wasn't as big of a deal as people made it out to be.

"It's not like everything people think it is. It's hip-hop Meek Mill's a competitive dude. Everything was so happy. This is entertainment," Jahlil said in regards to the beef. "You need villains. This is necessary. It's not over. I don't think it's over. I know Meek Mill. We made history. This was the first real beef in the social media age."

Jahlil further showed his support for the Philly rhymer by saying he wasn't too impressed by Drake's verses on "Back to Back." Jahlil stated, "I wasn't really impressed with 'Back to Back.' It was dope that he was actually rapping. I honestly didn't even expect Drake to say anything. I thought he would sweep it under the rug. The fact he dissed him twice, I said we're going to have some fun now."

You can hear the rest of Jahlil Beats thoughts on the Drake and Meek Mill situation here.

More on Drake - Drake Music, DVDs, Books and more - Drake T-shirts and Posters

Singled Out: The Pollies' Lost

The Pollies release their brand new album "Not Here" today (September 25th) and to celebrate we asked Jay Burgess to tell us the story behind the song "Lost". Here is the story:

I'm the type of writer who starts out with a progression and a melody. After a melody has been established, I usually start recording the song with lyrics off the top of my head. Usually, I can start making sense with the multiple takes of made up lyrics. "Lost" is one of those songs. It was sitting around with no lyrics that I liked or at least none that fit the feeling of the song. I did multiple recordings, at different times, to try and establish a subject. I was listening back, and in one of the takes I said, "I wish I was lost." For days, maybe even weeks, this one line (if you would call it that) stayed on my notepad, with other lyrical ideas, but in bold was, "I WISH I WAS LOST,"

Soon thereafter, a friend of mine started going through some marital issues. He was, and still is, one of my closest friends. His wife and my wife were just as close, cousins to be exact. He would call about every other day to talk about things that had transpired from the days before. I soon found myself going through the same exact problems. We had learned that our wives had been having affairs. Something he nor I had ever been through, nor thought about. We spent many nights discussing everything. Not just our marital problems, but other issues as well. We had found ourselves in the same uncomfortable positions. Couch surfing, legal mess, etc. When going through crazy times like this, it seems that your mind goes in a different direction. You're not your normal self at all. You hear things a different way. You view things a different way. You put anything and everything involved with you under a microscope, hoping to find the answer to your existing problem or problems. After one of our conversations, I went back to some of the demo's for "Lost." In the 3-4 demos were words that I had not heard before. It probably took me 15 minutes to finish the song that night. I changed the bold phrase in my notebook to make sense with the subject matter and recorded the last demo for "Lost."

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!

More on The Pollies - The Pollies Music, DVDs, Books and more - The Pollies T-shirts and Posters

Share this article

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it Share on Reddit email this article

Click here to read today's full Day in Rock report