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B-Sides Report for 08/23/2016


Demi Lovato Sued By Sleigh Bells For Alleged Song Theft

(Radio.com) Sleigh Bells have filed suit against pop star Demi Lovato. Last November the indie rockers accused Lovato of sampling their songs "Infinity Guitars" on her song "Stars," without proper credit or compensation.

Lovato's producers Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub responded, issuing a statement to Billboard, explaining, "We did not use any samples in Demi Lovato's song 'Stars.' Demi was also not involved with the production. She only wrote top line." The production, they said, had nothing to do with samples from Sleigh Bells' music or any band's for that matter.

Now, Sleigh Bells are taking legal action. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the band filed a complaint in California federal court which in part reads:

"A comparison of the two songs reveals that, at the very least, the combination of the hand claps and bass drum, structured as 3 quarter beats and a rest, with the bass drum providing a counter-rhythm to the hand claps, is at least substantially similar in both works. This infringing material repeats throughout the Defendants' song."

The complaint further claims that specific similarities "transcend the realm of coincidence." Check out both tracks here.

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Backstreet Boys And NSYNC Creator Lou Pearlman Dead At 62

(Radio.com) The man who assembled *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys has died at age 62 in federal prison. Despite his proteges' contributions to late 90s teen pop, Lou Pearlman was serially accused of defrauding talent of earnings, losing lawsuits or settling out-of-court with virtually every singer and group he managed. In his last act, Pearlman was investigated, charged, and sentenced to 25 years in prison for operating a $300 million Ponzi scheme.

Pearlman's other acts included Aaron Carter, O-Town, and LFO. Rolling Stone reports that molestation allegations swirled around him through more than a decade of managing young male talent. The businessman entered the music industry following failed aviation ventures, and was a cousin of Art Garfunkel. He aimed to create more successful groups following the model of New Kids on the Block.

In his ultimate undoing, the investment firm he founded was discovered to represent companies which only existed on paper. He fled to Bali to escape charges in 2007 but was found and returned to face trial in the United States. Despite Pearlman's checkered history, former music associates paid tribute to their complicated mentor on Twitter. See the tweets here.

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Drake Escalates Feud With Meek Mill At Washington DC Show

(Radio.com) The Drake versus Meek Mill feud has maintained a rolling boil for more than a year since Meek accused Drake of using a ghostwriter for hit song lyrics. During a Washington, DC, show last night, Drake doubled down on his Meek disdain with a sly lyric change.

When he performed "Back to Back," his definitive Meek diss track, Drake substituted the word "you" with "that p--," taking the feud to the next level. One fan who recorded the set turned the camera to himself in disbelief and said "Drake just called Meek Mill a p--!"

"Back to Back" is the track Meek remixed at the beginning of this year, and it's featured on Drake's Summer Sixteen tour. Watch a clip from the offending moment in our nation's capital here.

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Joni Mitchell Makes Rare Public Appearance Since Aneurysm

(Radio.com) In 2014, folk icon Joni Mitchell suffered a brain aneurysm and has seldom been pictured in public since. At the time, rumors swirled that the legend was comatose from the neurological event while dealing with Morgellons Disease, a mysterious condition that causes tactile hallucinations.

Over the weekend, Mitchell appeared at a Chick Corea concert at the Catalina Bar and Grill in Los Angeles, looking well and reassuring her diehard fans that she's on the mend.

Mitchell's website released a photo from the appearance, adding the following note, "We are thrilled to see Joni out and about again!" Read more here.

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Dolly Parton Releases Special Two-Disc Version Of New Album

(Webster) Country music legend Dolly Parton has released a special 2-CD version of her new album "Pure & Simple" exclusively at Walmart which features the new album on one disc and The Hits on a second disc.

Disc 1 entitled Pure & Simple includes the tracks Pure and Simple- Say Forever You'll Be Mine- Never Not Love You- Kiss It (And Make It All Better)- Can't Be That Wrong- Outside Your Door- Tomorrow Is Forever- I'm Sixteen- Head Over High Heels- Forever Love- Mama - bonus track- Lovin' You - bonus track

Disc 2 entitled The Hits includes the songs My Tennessee Mountain Home- Coat of Many Colors- How Great Thou Art- Jolene- Light of a Clear Blue Morning- Here You Come Again- Help!- Islands in the Stream- 9 to 5- I Will Always Love You.

Dolly will be promoting the new album with a performance tonight (Aug 23rd) on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," and she will also appear on the FNC's "Fox & Friends," and perform on the "TODAY" show on Wednesday morning. The new special edition of the "Pure & Simple" is available here.

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Frank Ocean Reflects On Making New Album 'Blonde'

(Radio.com) Frank Ocean sated his fans' hunger for new music on Friday (August 19) when he finally dropped the much-anticipated follow-up to his 2012 debut Channel Orange. In a pair of Tumblr posts, the singer discussed the making of the album and thanked fans for pushing him to finish the long-awaited project.

"I had the time of my life making all of this," Ocean wrote. "Thank you all. Especially those of you who never let me forget I had to finish. Which is basically every one of ya'll. Haha. Love you."

"Two years ago I found an image of a kid with her hands covering her face," Ocean wrote of the idea to title his album Blonde. "A seatbelt reached across her torso, riding up her neck and a mop of blonde hair stayed swept, for the moment, behind her ears. Her eyes seemed clear and calm but not blank, the road behind her seemed the same. I put myself in her seat then I played it all out in my head."

He added that he often found the editing process of the album "romantic," and said that he felt as if he was in the presence of a "$16m McLaren F1 armed with a disposable camera." Read more here.

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Meek Mill To Release 'Dreamchasers 4' Next Month

(Radio.com) Meek Mill has been ramping up the amount of new music he's teasing fans with, and now it looks like there's a reason. The rapper is getting set to release Dreamchasers 4.

While that news shouldn't take anybody by surprise, he finally revealed when listeners can expect his new album. Early Monday morning (August 22), Meek posted a photo on Instagram showing him performing at a club event, but it was his caption that contained the more interesting details, namely that Dreamchasers 4 will arrive in September.

He wrote, "THE TRAP WILL B FOREVER LIT�.. THEY MAD THAT COMMERCIAL TALK CANT EFFECT THE KID! 😎 MY HOOD WAS OUT LAST NIGHT! DC4 SEPT�����." Read more here.

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Empire Of The Sun Announce New Album 'Two Vines'

(Radio.com) Australian electronic music duo Empire of the Sun will be releasing new music on October 28. Their new album, titled Two Vines, will follow their 2013 sophomore album Ice on the Dune.

The group split the recording process between Los Angeles and Hawaii, and Emperor Luke Steele credits the latter's location with helping him create. "Going to Hawaii to record was the best idea," he said. "That was the catalyst for me. I'd spend the morning surfing, then roll in and make music into the night" (via Pitchfork).

Two Vines will include features from a range of classic rock and contemporary musicians. Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham, guitarist Wendy Melvoin--from Prince's band the Revolution--and pianist Henry Hey and bassist Tim Lefebvre, from David Bowie's Blackstar band, will all appear on the album. Read more here.

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The Fray Announce New Album and Tour

(Radio.com) The Fray will be releasing a compilation album that pairs their biggest hits with new music. Through the Years: The Best of The Fray will feature the band's 2005 singles "Over My Head (Cable Car)" and "How to Save A Life" along with other tracks presented in chronological order.

The final three songs on the album will be new music, though, and just in time because the band is set to go on tour this fall. The Fray will kick off their six-week tour in Seattle on October 15 and wrap everything up in Denver on November 26. Tickets go on sale this Friday, August 26.

The band's first new single "Singing Low" will arrive on September 9 before they hit the road, so fans will get to hear their new songs live. Through the Years: The Best of The Fray will drop November 9. Check out The Fray's tour dates here.

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Miranda Lambert Accepts Proposal From Young Fan

(Radio.com) Country star Miranda Lambert was surprised during her meet and greet over the weekend at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium when a young fan proposed to her.

The boy, Sebastian, knelt on one knee much to her shock and pulled out a ring. Later, Lambert knelt down for a photo with the ring on her hand and her arm around her tiny fan who was wearing a Lambert t-shirt and baseball hat.

"I said YES! But he has to wait 25 years. This sweet boy Sebastian is a little gentleman," she captioned a pair of photos she posted on social media. Later that night, Lambert rocked the stage during Kenny Chesney's Spread the Love Tour in New Jersey with classic rock covers, including Rick Derringer's 'Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" and Mountain's 'Mississippi Queen." She followed the latter with another of her most rocking moments, 'Mama's Broken Heart." Read more and see the photos here.

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Kanye West Pens Poem About McDonald's

(Radio.com) Kanye West shares his love for McDonald's with a strange new poem featured in Frank Ocean's magazine Boys Don't Cry. West's writing is included alongside poems by Ocean and pieces from Tyler, the Creator, James Blake and A$AP Rocky, among others.

The magazine dropped Saturday night (August 20)--a day after Ocean's new album, Blonde, was released--and finds West saluting the fine-smelling French fries at the fast food chain.

"McDonald's man / McDonald's man / The French fries had a plan / The French fries had a plan / The salad bar and the ketchup made a band / Cus the French Fries had a plan / The French fries had a plan / McDonald's man" he begins. Read the rest here.

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'Stranger Things' Star Millie Bobby Brown Shaved Her Head To Beyonce

(Radio.com) British actress Millie Bobby Brown plays Eleven in Netflix's popular series Stranger Things. And because of her character's secret powers and the experiments she underwent growing up, she had to sport a shaved head throughout the shoot.

Losing your long locks would phase any adult actress, let alone a 12-year-old girl who, at that age, exists in an entirely different bubble of peer pressure.

Brown had long, wavy locks when she entered the hair trailer and sat down to get her head shaved, but she shared video of that moment and made a bold statement about modern standards of beauty. "Here it is!! The video of me getting my hair shaved for #StrangerThings. Enjoy!" she wrote with a kissy face emoji and a blue heart. She also included the hashtag #buzzed.

Over the video, Brown played Beyonce's 2013 song, "Pretty Hurts," which details the struggle so many young girls and women face in a society that values them for their looks first and their other accomplishments second. "Mama said, you're a pretty girl/ What's in your head it doesn't matter/ Brush your hair, fix your teeth/ What you wear is all that matters," Beyonce sings in the opening verse.

Brown's move, even if it was for a role, represents a brave one, considering the pressures young girls place on each other to look a certain way. At the end of the video, she faces the camera and gives it an "Eleven" stare, proving she's one fierce little girl. See it here.

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Singled Out: Gold Clubb's West Coast Gurls

Gold Clubb's Nicky Francis tells us about their new single "West Coast Gurls". Here is the story:

The title says it all. I finished school in Charleston, SC and hightailed it for Los Angeles. Like everybody with big dreams and a head full of noise, the reality was so much different. I landed in Venice Beach and me and my boy had to scrape up some money, jobs, and an apartment with the quickness. I was mainly an oil painter at the time, and due to my economic situation I would sleep and paint in the same room. I didn't have a bed for two years. I delivered pizzas, surfed, and worked towards the art exhibitions I was having.

While living in LA I had a series of 4 month affairs with some truly beautiful women. California girls have some different air about them. I had a completely different approach to them then the girls back east. Nothing to lose I guess. Some of the lines kinda nod to that. But that was just it, they never lasted longer than 4 months. It was weird, like there was some sort of cosmic governer on my LA experience, not allowing me to move in with anyone or put down any substantial roots. Maybe because they always had to sleep on the floor with me. I did have my own bathroom though, but **sigh** It's never enough ;) The line "I never made it with the west coast gurls, give me the four months the f*** out my world" came from that. There was no intention of rancor or bitterness, I loved everyone I've loved when we were together, it's more like a wink to the head-shaking paths of life that develop unbeknownst to us at the time they are actually happening.

Anyway fast-forward a few years to NYC where Ive been drinking the kool-aid and asking for seconds. I love to imagine having a huge audience and speaking to them when Im writing, even though Im not very famous. It's like I was a Vegas entertainer in a previous life or some sh*t. Nicky Francis live at the Copa. There was something in Brandau's beat for this that captured that feeling of grandeur and seedy, dirty glitz- like I should be wearing a vintage suit. "Love me like I love you let me see the sea of hands" is a fantasy of that, kind of like Im imagining the crowd eating it up. Honestly I think I freestyled most of the lines while vibing to the track and then cut it up into proper hooks with Brandau. We do that a lot. Deep in my heart I'd love to return to LA one day when Im sitting on real paper and plant the perma-flag on a house in the canyon or something. SOON FAMILY!

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

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