Drive-By Truckers drop surprise record this Friday; first song out today

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS ARE READY FOR THE NEW OK SECOND NEW ALBUM OF 2020 DUE JUST IN TIME FOR THE ELECTION “THE NEW OK” PREMIERES TODAY THE NEW OK ARRIVES DIGITALLY VIA ATO RECORDS ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 PHYSICAL RELEASE FOLLOWS ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18

Photo credit: Jason Thrasher

Drive-By Truckers have announced the release of their second album of 2020. The band’s new full-length second LP of 2020, THE NEW OK arrives via ATO Records at all DSPs and streaming services on Friday, October 2; CD and red vinyl arrive on Friday, December 18. THE NEW OK is preceded by today’s premiere of the powerful new title track, “The New Ok,” available for streaming and download now.

LISTEN TO “THE NEW OK”

Drive-By Truckers’ 13th studio album, THE NEW OK arrives mere months after the release of the band’s highly acclaimed THE UNRAVELING. Originally conceived as a quarantine EP collecting material recorded in Memphis during sessions for THE UNRAVELING -- including a fiery cover of The Ramones’ classic “The KKK Took My Baby Away” (vocals by bassist Matt Patton) -- the project quickly grew to include provocative new songs written and recorded over what Drive-By Truckers co-founder Patterson Hood calls “this endless summer of protests, riots, political shenanigans and pandemic horrors.” Tracks such as Hood’s “The New Ok” and “Watching The Orange Clouds” – inspired by the protests which followed George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police – were exchanged between Hood, co-founding singer/songwriter/guitarist Mike Cooley, bassist Patton, keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Jay Gonzalez, and drummer Brad Morgan and then mixed by longtime DBT producer David Barbe. The result, says Hood, is “a full album that hopefully balances out the darkness of our current situation with a hope for better days and nights ahead.” “To call these past few months trying would be a dramatic understatement,” Hood continues. “Our lives are intertwined with our work in ways that give us our best songs and performances. It is a life that has often rewarded us beyond our wildest dreams. Speaking for myself, I don’t have hobbies, I have this thing I do. To be sidelined with a brand new album and have to sit idly while so much that I love and hold dear falls apart before my very eyes has been intense, heartbreaking, anger provoking and very depressing. It has gone to the very heart of our livelihoods and threatened near everything that we have spent our lives trying to build. Here’s to the hope that we can make 2021 a better year than this one has been. In the meantime, here’s to THE NEW OK!” Released January 31, 2020, THE UNRAVELING marked Drive-By Truckers’ first new LP in more than three years – the longest ever gap between new DBT albums. The album – recorded September 2018 at the legendary Sam Phillips Recording Service in Memphis, TN by GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price) and David Barbe – made a top 5 debut on Billboard’s “Rock Albums” chart amidst a wave of critical acclaim from the likes of American Songwriter, which hailed it as the band’s “best yet…a perfect storm of anger, resentment, frustration and even glimmers of hope, wrapped in the sharp, terse musical invention we have come to expect from these veterans.” Rolling Stone declared THE UNRAVELING to be “another sturdy addition to the band’s almost peerless discography,” noting, “Unfiltered fury suits the Truckers well.” Songs like “Armageddon’s Back in Town” and “Slow Ride Argument” “describe what it’s like to feel like a fugitive in your own town, your own country,” wrote the Chicago Tribune‘s Greg Kot. “In the world painted by the Drive By Truckers, their narrators are all running from something: their family, the law, perhaps even themselves. It’s no way to live, but these songs give their struggle meaning.” Hood, DBT co-founder Mike Cooley, and guitarist/keyboardist Jay Gonzalez will all be performing solo shows on NoonChorus.com through the end of the year and beyond at 6p PT/9p ET. The performances will be available for 72 hours after each live broadcast. The scheduled dates are below:

September 30 – Patterson Hood October 7 – Mike Cooley October 14 – Patterson Hood October 21 – Mike Cooley October 24 – Jay Gonzalez October 28 – Patterson Hood November 7 – Jay Gonzalez November 11 – Mike Cooley November 18 – Patterson Hood November 25 – Thanksgiving Filter – DBT Variety Show (featuring all 5 members) Tickets available here: noonchorus.com/pattersondbt noonchorus.com/cooleydbt noonchorus.com/jay-gonzalez

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS THE NEW OK (ATO RECORDS) Digital Release Date: Friday, October 2 Physical Release Date: Friday, December 18

TRACKLIST: The New Ok Tough To Let Go The Unraveling The Perilous Night Sarah’s Flame Sea Island Lonely The Distance Watching The Orange Clouds The KKK Took My Baby Away CONNECT WITH DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS: DRIVEBYTRUCKERS.COM FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM TWITTER YOUTUBE ###

Michelle Zauner (Japanese Breakfast) announces memoir release date

MICHELLE ZAUNER

AKA JAPANESE BREAKFAST

ANNOUNCES MEMOIR RELEASE DATE 

CRYING IN H MART OUT APRIL 21, 2021 VIA KNOPF

Cover Art Credit: John Gal 

Michelle Zauner, aka Japanese Breakfast, will be releasing her anticipated upcoming memoir, Crying In H Mart, on April 21st, 2021 via Knopf. The book, available for pre-order now, is based on her viral 2018 The New Yorker essay.

Of Crying In H Mart, Zauner said: "My mother passed away almost six years ago and ever since, my life has felt folded in half, divided into a before and after her death, my identity and my family having been fractured in the wake of her loss. I've spent the past six years processing grief in the best way I knew how-through creative work. I wrote two albums worth of material in an attempt to encapsulate all of that heavy darkness, confusion and loneliness, and then I spent another three years writing pages and pages to try and capture my mother's brilliant character and spirit, what it was like to be raised by a Korean immigrant in a small west coast town with very little diversity, the intense shame I felt towards my mixed race identity and how my embrace of Korean food and culture helped me come to terms with that upbringing, allowed me to reconnect with her memory."

Last month, Zauner shared the debut EP of her quarantine project with Crying's Ryan Galloway, BUMPER, which The New York Times hailed as "unabashedly poppy," while Pitchfork said it "offers a brief respite from the times."

ABOUT CRYING IN H MART:

In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humor and heart, she tells of growing up one of the few Asian American kids at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother's particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother's tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. As she grew up, moving to the East Coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, and performing gigs with her fledgling band-and meeting the man who would become her husband-her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live. It was her mother's diagnosis of terminal cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her.

Vivacious and plainspoken, lyrical and honest, Zauner's voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is onstage. Rich with intimate anecdotes that will resonate widely, and complete with family photos, Crying in H Mart is a book to cherish, share, and reread.

Photo Credit: Barbora Mrazkova 

michellezauner.com | cryinginhmart.com

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Raissa debuts Mura Masa remix of "GO FAST BABY"

BREAKING ARTIST RAISSA UNVEILS MURA MASA REMIX OF

“GO FAST BABY”

HEROGIRL EP FORTHCOMING VIA MARK RONSON’S ZELIG RECORDS/COLUMBIA

photo credit: Callum Harrison

September 30, 2020—Today, multidisciplinary London-based artist Raissa unveils a remix of her track, “GO FAST BABY,” by acclaimed UK producer Mura Masa alongside a visualizer—watch it here. The original version of the track is from Raissa’s forthcoming debut EP HEROGIRL, out later this year via Mark Ronson’s Zelig Records/Columbia.

The original version of “GO FAST BABY,” the first offering from HEROGIRL, arrived alongside a video directed by UK-based duo bedroom (beabadoobee, The 1975).

The narrative arc of the HEROGIRL EP chronicles a hero’s journey, a classic story telling device wherein the protagonist crosses the threshold into another realm to learn a critical lesson that can then be applied to the normal world. Heavily influenced by Raissa’s fascination with sci-fi and fantasy aesthetics, the HEROGIRL EP positions Raissa as the hero of the story, but the EP’s embrace of child-like naivety, a complete lack of cynicism and finding strength in what you love—rather than focusing on what makes you miserable—extends far beyond the music to her audience.

“GO FAST BABY” follows a string of singles from earlier this year that arrived alongside self-made videos, “BULLYING BOYS,” “ANGEL ENERGY” and “VALENTINE.”

Born (an Aries sun, Pisces moon, Libra ascendant) in Spain to a Franco-Algerian father and a Spanish mother, Raissa is a 23-year-old singer, producer, and Mark Ronson protegée spent her childhood living in Beijing, Sydney, and Kuala Lumpur. Now based in London where she studied cultural criticism at Central Saint Martins, Raissa finds inspiration in all corners of the world, from the poetry of Leonard Cohen and films by Miyazaki and David Lynch to everyday conversations with friends and family.

NEIL YOUNG ANNOUNCES IMMERSIVE 'RETURN TO GREENDALE'

NEIL YOUNG ANNOUNCES IMMERSIVE RETURN TO GREENDALE    Deluxe Box Set Out November 6 Via Reprise Records Includes Album and Film of Unprecedented Eco-Minded Concert, and Making-Of Documentary

September 30, 2020 (Los Angeles, CA) — NEIL YOUNG is pleased to announce the release of Return To Greendale, a live album and concert film of the historic 2003 tour that brought his 25th studio album, Greendale, to life both musically and theatrically. Out November 6 via Reprise Records, the songs and performance remain topical as ever, powered by themes of environmentalism, corruption, and the destructive effects of capitalism. Featuring Young’s trusty partners Crazy Horse, the Toronto recording captures the epic experience of Young’s immersive, small-town rock opera. The multimedia exploit seamlessly blended Young’s powerful lyrics and Crazy Horse’s heavy blues thrash with musical theatre, as actors joined the band onstage to play out Greendale’s narrative as it unfolded. Like Greendale itself, the show eschews elaborate production in favor of a ragged and rough-hewn feel that does right by its source material.  Return to Greendale will be released in several formats. The limited-edition deluxe box set includes a Blu-ray of the full concert, two LPs and two CDs, and a DVD of Inside Greendale, a documentary capturing the making of the album. It will also be available separately on double vinyl, a two-CD set, and digitally on Neil Young Archives (NYA) and at all major DSPs. Inside Greendale features footage of Young and Crazy Horse in the studio, mixed with segments from 2003’s Greendale fictional film. Both Inside Greendale and the concert film are directed by Bernard Shakey and produced by L.A. Johnson (Human Highway, Rust Never Sleeps). Click here to pre-order Return To Greendale. The story of Greendale follows multiple generations of the Green family as they go about their lives in a fictional California town. Through the perspectives of multiple characters—Grandma, Grandpa, Edith, Earl, the doomed Jed, and eco-warrior Sun Green, among them—Young tells a poignant story about small-town America and the need for immediate action to save the environment. That need, of course, has only become more urgent. On Return to Greendale, the 10 songs from Young’s powerful original album are performed in sequence, with a cast of actors speaking the sung words, adding to the already blistering intensity of the performance.   Return to Greendale is the 16th installment in Young’s Performance Series. Previous installments have covered pivotal live moments from nearly every era of Young’s long-running career, including early acoustic performances and legendary, full-band barn-burners. Labeled “a revolution in fandom” by The Guardian, Neil Young Archives was the first totally immersive fan-experience website and remains the only portal for all things Neil Young. Return to Greendale track listing for audio and Blu-ray:   1.  Falling from Above 2.  Double E 3.  Devil’s Sidewalk 4.  Leave the Driving 5.  Carmichael 6.  Bandit 7.  Grandpa’s Interview 8.  Bringin’ Down Dinner 9.  Sun Green 10. Be the Rain     Official Site/NYA:  neilyoungarchives.com

Meg Myers announces companion EPs of new and rare material

MEG MYERS RETURNS WITH “ANY WAY YOU WANNA LOVE” ANTHEMIC SINGLE HERALDS TWO UNIQUE EPS COLLECTING NEW SONGS AND RARE B-SIDES PRE-ORDERS AVAILABLE NOW THANK U 4 TAKING ME 2 THE DISCO & I’D LIKE 2 GO HOME NOW AVAILABLE VIA SUMERIAN RECORDS ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Meg Myers has announced today’s premiere of her powerful new single. “Any Way You Wanna Love” is available now at all DSPs and streaming services; the track is joined by an official visualizer, streaming now at YouTube. LISTEN TO “ANY WAY YOU WANNA LOVE” “My song ‘Any Way You Wanna Love’ is about waking up to the divinity within each and every one of us and stepping into our power as sovereign beings,” Myers says. “No more making ourselves small by repeating patterns that have been passed down to us. It’s time to heal our ancestral lineage. I believe we are all connected through love and that we all have unique gifts and abilities and it’s important for us to learn how to get present and tune into what our bodies are trying to tell us and express this truth in our hearts in order to liberate ourselves and consciously evolve.” “Any Way You Wanna Love” heralds the upcoming arrival of two new EPs from the Los Angeles-based artist. Thank U 4 Taking Me To 2 The Disco and I'd Like 2 Go Home Now arrive on Friday, November 13. The EPs mark the first releases via Myers' new record deal with the Los Angeles-based Sumerian Records. Pre-orders are available now. “I've been a diehard Meg fan since her first EP, Daughter in the Choir," says Sumerian Records Founder/CEO Ash Avildsen. "She is truly a prolific rockstar that brings so much depth, storytelling and distinctive songwriting to modern alternative. I am honored to be part of this new era of music coming from Meg and know without a shadow of a doubt that her brightest, most powerful days are ahead." PRE-ORDER THANK U 4 TAKING ME 2 THE DISCO and I’D LIKE 2 GO HOME NOW "I’ve been going back and forth for a while now on whether or not I should release these two bodies of work,” Myers says. “There is a lot of pain and suffering in these songs, but also a lot of hope and healing, as I feel the majority of my music has always encompassed. If I was releasing a book, I would publish the entire book from beginning to end, otherwise how would the reader truly be able to appreciate and receive the wisdom in the magic that begins to unfold in Chapter 11 unless they have first digested the depth of the heartache that was experienced prior. Well, that is how I am viewing these EPs. As an important part of my beautiful crazy healing human experience journey that led me to my spiritual awakening and remembering why I came here in December of 2018. Since then I have begun unlocking my true divine soul purpose on this extraordinary planet and have written almost all of my 3rd album on my piano in my home in Pasadena, CA, which I will be releasing next year. But until then, here are some B-sides from my second album Take Me To The Disco, sprinkled with a couple newer songs such as my new single, 'Any Way You Wanna Love,' and a duet I collaborated on with my very talented lightworker starseed friend morgxn titled 'i hope you cry.'

MEG MYERS THANK U 4 TAKING ME 2 THE DISCO (Sumerian Records) Release date: November 13, 2020 Tracklist: 1. Any Way You Wanna Love 2. Grizzly 3. The Underground 4. Breaks My Back 5. i hope you cry (with morgxn) MEG MYERS I’D LIKE 2 GO HOME (Sumerian Records) Release date: November 13, 2020 Tracklist: 1. True Liars 2. End of the World 3. Hurt 4. Sweet Liar 5. Last Laugh

Thank U 4 Taking Me 2 The Disco and I’d Like 2 Go Home Now mark Myers’ first new releases since the blockbuster success of her chart-topping cover of Kate Bush’s 1985 classic, “Running Up That Hill." Originally performed in an NPR Tiny Desk Concert, the track made history earlier this year by ascending to #1 on Mediabase and Billboard’s “Alternative Songs” airplay chart 42 weeks after its official March 2019 release – the longest trip to the top in the chart’s three-decade history. What’s more, “Running Up That Hill” also reached #1 on Billboard’s “Rock Airplay” chart in its 29th week, tying for the third-longest climb to the peak position in that tally’s own 10-year history.  “Running Up That Hill” is joined by an equally remarkable animated video, created in partnership with the L.A.-based non-profit, Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA). In addition, Myers visited ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this year for a spectacular performance of the song. Myers recently launched an official Patreon page showcasing her music, writing, and visual art. Patreons receive access to a range of exclusives, including monthly livestreams, downloads, behind-the-scenes content, personalized messages, merch discounts, special gifts, and more. For complete details, please visit www.patreon.com/MegMyers.

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Gary Barlow, Michael Bublé and Sebastián Yatra Release 'Elita.' Gary Barlow Reveals Details On Forthcoming Album

GARY BARLOW, MICHAEL BUBLÉ AND SEBASTIÁN YATRA RELEASE ‘ELITA’ TODAY   GARY BARLOW REVEALS DETAILS ON FORTHCOMING STUDIO ALBUM, ‘MUSIC PLAYED BY HUMANS’ OUT FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27 – PRE-ORDER/SAVE   ‘MUSIC PLAYED BY HUMANS’ FEATURES SPECIAL GUEST COLLABORATIONS WITH JAMES CORDEN, AVISHAI COHEN, ALESHA DIXON, CHILLY GONZALES, BEVERLEY KNIGHT, IBRAHIM MAALOUF AND BARRY MANILOW LISTEN ‘ELITA’   PRE-ORDER/SAVE ‘MUSIC PLAYED BY HUMANS’   Three of the biggest and most loved voices in music, from the United Kingdom, Canada and Columbia, join today for a 'Elita,' a delightful and sultry pop-fusion gem from Gary Barlow, Michael Bublé and Sebastián Yatra.   'Elita’ is the first track from one of Britain’s most successful music stars Gary Barlow, whose forthcoming solo album ‘Music Played By Humans’ is due for release on Friday, 27th November, and features special guest collaborations from Barry Manilow, James Corden, Chilly Gonzales and many more.     Pre-order/save ‘Music Played By Humans’ HERE     ‘Elita is a song about witnessing the power of Women - “that’s really at the core of this track” said Gary. Brimming with energy, ‘Elita’ is a perfect mix of salsa infused pop that seamlessly blends the trio’s three different vocal styles together.   Thoughts of a collaboration began in November. “Originally it was just the two of us”, commented Gary, “but then Michael said he knew this amazing talent that would be perfect for the song. Within an hour we were all on the phone and when Sebastián sent the track back, we were just thrilled. He has this amazing charisma - it just sounded so authentic.”   “We had an opportunity’ said Michael. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a pop song which had three individuals, all coming together. I thought it was cool as it molded different cultures, and aspects of music and who we’ve all been inspired by and I thought it was a really perfect mix.  The song is exciting, it’s sexy - empowering”.   “I still can’t believe that I’m in a song with Gary Barlow and Michael Bublé” said Sebastián. “We’ve done this all remotely, but strangely it feels like we’re three lifelong friends. These guys are pure heart and talent. I can’t wait to keep learning from their advice, example and friendship in this whole process and future projects! We really hope that you guys love Elita as much as us!”   ‘Music Played By Humans’ is Gary’s first solo album since 2013’s double platinum-selling ‘Since I Saw You Last.’  The album is an ode to the sounds of Gary’s childhood, the orchestral and big band music which captured his imagination and eventually led to this album of original compositions. Recorded with a full 80-piece orchestra, ‘Music Played By Humans’ blends a multitude of eclectic sounds and styles to deliver one of the most exciting albums of the year.   The album leads with the Latin inspired single ‘Elita’ featuring Michael Bublé and Colombian star Sebastián Yatra and also features collaborations with stars from around the world including James Corden, Barry Manilow, Chilly Gonzales, Alesha Dixon, Beverley Knight, Ibrahim Maalouf and Avishai Cohen.   “My ambition when we started this album,” said Gary, “was to create something really bright, a celebration of music and the wonderful musicians we have in the UK and around the world. Some of it is recorded with an orchestra, some with quartets, a Latin band, and some of the tracks have jazz and big band sections - it really is music played by people, hence the title of the album - Music Played By Humans.”   Gary wanted to bring together a group of musicians and collaborators, some perhaps a surprise to his audience, in an album brimming with flavor, emotion and a big, beautiful sound.   “This is the first album I’ve made that’s really given me the opportunity to collaborate with this caliber of musicians on my songs, and they’re all so different in their own right.  ‘Elita’ began as a duet with Michael until he suggested bringing Sebastián onto the record and that gave the song a whole new dynamic. ‘The Kind Of Friend I Need’ with Corden was just fun to record from the beginning - it's a warm, good-humored, funny song that really celebrates British humor - in a northern way!”   On ‘Eleven’, Gary teams ups with French-Lebanese Jazz Trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf; Avishai Cohen, the acclaimed jazz musician who Gary is a longtime fan of, features on ‘Before We Get Too Old’; and the GRAMMY Award-winning pianist and all-round entertainer, Chilly Gonzales appears on ‘Oh What A Day’.British vocal powerhouse Beverley Knight lends her inimitable style to ‘Enough and Enough’ and on ‘What’s Leaving All About’ Alesha Dixon duets with Gary to muse the breakdown of a relationship.  Long-time friend and legendary performer, Barry Manilow plays the piano on the aptly titled ‘You Make The Sun Shine’, a gloriously upbeat number guaranteed to bring a smile to faces.   “Looking back, little did I realize how poignant this album would be in a time now that orchestras can’t sit in a room together. We finished our last session 2 weeks before lockdown and when I listen to the album now, it brings back some great memories. We have some of the best musicians in the world in London...and they’re on my recordings - I’m so lucky.”   ‘Music Played By Humans’ Gary Barlow’s new solo album, is out Friday, 27th November. Pre-order/save ‘Music Made By Humans’ HERE TRACK LIST 1. Who’s Driving This Thing 2. Incredible 3. Elita (ft Michael Bublé & Sebastían Yatra) 4. The Big Bass Drum 5. This Is My Time 6. Enough Is Enough (ft Beverley Knight) 7. Bad Libran 8. Eleven (ft Ibrahim Maalouf) 9. Before We Get Too Old (ft Avishai Cohen) 10. Supernatural 11. Oh What A Day (ft Chilly Gonzales) 12. What Leaving’s All About (ft Alesha Dixon) 13. The Kind Of Friend I Need (ft James Corden) 14. I Didn’t See That Coming DELUXE 15. Let’s Get Drunk 16. The Day The World Stopped Turning 17. You Make The Sun Shine (ft Barry Manilow) 18. Incredible (Live) 19. Incredible (Charleston Remix) OFFICIAL WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE   APPLE MUSIC | SPOTIFY