Music

Prosecutors for the Central District of California charged three men — Stephen Walter, Ryan Reavis and Cameron James Pettit — with the distribution of drugs that they allege resulted in the death of Mac Miller. While the three men were previously hit with various charges upon their arrests, a rep …

New Zealand’s Drax Project are enjoying burgeoning global success thanks to a unique musical blend. All of the band’s members attended music school, where they studied jazz. You can hear that influence in their use of saxophone, subtle melodies and delicate vocal interplay, which can bring to mind vintage street …

The young Nigerian singer Lyta enlisted Davido to add a gritty guest verse to his feathery single “Monalisa.” “Monalisa” is just the third single from Lyta to appear on Spotify. The original, released in July, is a handsome contradiction, with fierce expressions of yearning — “You get my number I …

In the mid-Eighties, Ricky Skaggs married his brand of bluegrass — a modernized version that included drums, piano, and electric guitar — to the burgeoning music video medium. The result was one of country music’s all-time great videos, an irreverent clip that shined a light not only on Skaggs’ vibrant …

The Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival rebounded strong in 2019, following a tough 2018 when a large portion of the Franklin, Tennessee-based event was cancelled for heavy rainfall and flooding. Attendees coming out to Harlinsdale Farm September 21st and 22nd got dust and punishing heat instead, along with performances from …

By the second half of the 20th century, country music was big business. Radio, records, television and movies all played a part in its popularity, but its artists and its songs were still at the forefront, even as profits soared or slumped. The second half of Ken Burns’ Country Music …

It’s official: Gen Z stans the Nineties just as much as millennials do. Eighteen-year-old London musician Bea Kristi, who performs under beabadoobee, released her new single “I Wish I Was Stephen Malkmus” this week, and the song’s devotion to the alt-rock prophet goes beyond a name-check. “Sitting at home, crying …

In October, Jason Isbell will expand his now-annual Ryman Auditorium residency to a full week of shows, spread across nine days. On Wednesday, Isbell’s label Southeastern Records announced the full lineup of opening artists for the 2019 residency, most of whom have deep roots in the blues community. Singer-songwriter Amanda …

CMT’s annual Artists of the Year special returns October 16th with a live broadcast from Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center that will honor five country performers who have ruled in 2019. This year, those honorees include Carrie Underwood, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Kane Brown, and Thomas Rhett. The 90-minute live …

The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers posted a lengthy tribute to late Cars singer Ric Ocasek following his death over the weekend. Flowers shared the text of an email he wrote to Ocasek a few years ago via The Killers’ Twitter, noting, “Feeling grateful for Ric. Had the opportunity to send …