Chris Willman-Senior: Last News

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Guitarist Wayne Swinny, a founding member of the rock band Saliva, died Wednesday at age 59 after suffering a brain hemorrhage the previous day in the midst of a tour by the group. Swinny was the only current member to have been with the nu-metal outfit since its first album in 1996. Over the intervening 27 years, Saliva had released 11 albums, been nominated for a hard rock Grammy, and reached No. 1 on Billboard’s alternative rock chart with the outfit’s biggest song, 2002’s “Always.” The band announced Swinny’s death hours after first going on social media Wednesday to reveal that the longtime lead guitarist had been in the ICU since being “discovered in medical distress” Tuesday morning.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic A cast of mostly Nashville-based stars, including Maren Morris, Paramore’s Hayley Williams, Yola, Sheryl Crow and Jason Isbell — plus one key out-of-towner, the Irishman Hozier — joined up with a host of Tennessee drag artists Monday night in Nashville to protest recent state legislation aimed at cross-dressing performers, trans youth and same-sex marriage. The four-hour “Love Rising” benefit, which filled Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena with fans and LGBTQ+ community members and their allies, was also livestreamed to an international audience via the Veeps platform. No one received more of a hero’s welcome than Morris, who recently went out on a limb by standing up for trans youth and their families in a headline-making online debate with fellow country star Jason Aldean’s wife, Brittany Aldean, while most mainstream stars held their tongues. It was quickly evident that Morris has not turned into any shrinking violet as a result of the backlash she experienced from country fans on the right in the dust-up with the Aldeans, appearing on stage with a touch of androgyny in a look that combined legginess with formal black-tie. Morris performed her crossover hit “The Middle” while drag queen Alexia Noelle Paris accompanied her in an interpretive dance.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic “Love Rising” is looking to combat the deeply risible. Nashville-based musicians are coming together in a big way — a Bridgestone Arena-sized way — tonight for the show of that name, a benefit concert to raise awareness and funds for the LGBTQ community and its allies in the face of Tennessee legislation that is seen as targeting the rights of gay and trans people generally and drag performers specifically. The generously star-packed show is also being livestreamed internationally via the Veeps platform, with $14.99 tickets available here for a show that begins at 7:30 Nashville time, aka 8:30 ET/5:30 PT. The wide-ranging bill of rock, country, pop, indie and Americana performers includes Paramore’s Hayley Williams, Sheryl Crow, Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne, Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, Yola, Brittany Howard, Hozier, Adeem the Artist, Julien Baker, Joy Oladokun, Jake Wesley Rogers and Mya Byrne, along with co-organizer Allison Russell. Late additions to the show since it was first announced include a greater contingent of non-binary and, yes, drag artists from Tennessee on top of the nationally known names.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic On the Eras Tour, Taylor Swift at one point plays a piano that appears to be covered in moss. But there are certain aspects of the show that are guaranteed not to gather that substance, judging from the second night of the tour, which, like the first, took place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. One of those is the costuming, with the pop superstar trying out some different dresses (or, in the case of “The Man,” black or grey suit-dresses) in different parts of the concert Saturday than she had at Friday night’s tour opener. But perhaps more notably, Night 2 was already allowing for two tour premieres among the setlist, where only one wild card slot had been expected. Near the end of the set, Swift took to the acoustic guitar to play a solo rendition of “This Is Me Trying,” from the “Folklore” album, following by a short trip over to the piano for a solo reading of “State of Grace,” from “Red.” (See video excerpts of those numbers, below.)

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic All the old Taylors came to the phone Friday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. For the purposes Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, these past personas are all very much alive, because what died didn’t stay dead, and… well, quoting lyrics will only get you so far in describing a show that may best first be characterized by its essential stats: 44 songs in 192 minutes.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Whenever country-rock pioneers of the late ‘60s and very early ‘70s come up — whether it’s the Byrds, Burritos, Poco, Michael Nesmith, et al. — the Rolling Stones tend to be left out of the conversation. Maybe that’s fine: It’s not as if there aren’t other reasons to bring them their (dead) flowers. Still, they were experimenting with hybrid genre elements as early as 1968’s “Beggars Banquet” LP. Those latent elements mostly stayed kind of latent: Even though Keith Richards — admirer of Merle Haggard, close pal of Gram Parsons — took it very seriously, Mick Jagger admitted, “I don’t know if I’m able to do it without being tongue-in-cheek.” But if the group could only move so close to country in the end, country was sure able to move closer to them over the years. Think of how many cues the loud and rowdy Southern rock movement took from the Stones before it started crossbreeding with country later in the century.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Miranda Lambert announced Wednesday that she is leaving Sony Music Nashville, the company she’s been with since the beginning of her almost two-decade recording career. She did not say where she might be landing after her departure — only that she “can’t wait” to see what comes next. “Since I was 19 years old, Sony has been my home in Nashville,” Lambert said in a social post. “Over the last 20 years together we have released albums that allowed me to share my story with the world, and we’ve reached heights I’d never even dreamed were possible. “I’m so thankful for our time together and everything they made possible for me,” Lambert continued, “yet I wouldn’t be true to myself if I wasn’t constantly looking for the next challenge and a new way to stretch my creativity. With that in mind, I’ve decided to say goodbye to my Sony family. I can’t wait to see what the next adventure holds.”

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The rapper Logic has been unabashed about his love for Frank Sinatra, even adopting the nom de plume “Young Sinatra” for some of his mixtape releases. But he’s been just as up-front with his adoration for the man many consider the real young Sinatra: Seth MacFarlane, who, besides irreverently having created several of the world’s most popular animated comedy series, has released seven reverent albums of standards culled from the Great American Songbook. Logic was finally able to bring his MacFarlane fandom to the ultimate fruition by enlisting the animation mogul to croon the soothing bridge of an otherwise typically hyperactive new hip-hop song, “Self-Medication.” Although not a single per se, it’s a track that’s gotten significant streaming boosts as Logic’s (and MacFarlane’s) fans have discovered it since the late February release of the rapper’s new album, “College Park.” It’s all of a piece for Logic that his first independent album, distributed to BMG, after a long run with Def Jam, is a nostalgic look back at his youth that includes a vocal cameo from an entertainment giant that he says helped get him through a troubled upbringing.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Everything old is new again, at some point — and at this late date, it’s a fierce debate over how strong Meg White’s drumming chops were during her 1997-2011 tenure in the White Stripes. The fierceness, though, has mostly been on the side of White’s defenders, who shamed the antagonist who’d called her drumming a “tragedy” into initially hiding his Twitter account, then coming back online to offer the mea-culpiest mea culpa of all time. The unlikeliness of this subject becoming a topic du jour 12 years after Meg White retired from music was compounded by the fact that it began as a tiff between conservative journalists who don’t even normally cover music. The gamut of those who eventually weighed in to defend her skills ranged from Questlove to another one of Jack White’s ex-wives, Karen Elson.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Elton John is just one “E” away from being an EGOT, and there was no mistaking that an event for Television Academy members at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre Monday night was not just about celebrating the success of Disney+’s livestreamed Dodger Stadium special from last November, but about reminding potential voters that the star lacks just one vowel in his crown. Following a screening of a condensed version of “Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium,” moderator Dave Karger, of TCM fame, asked, “Ben Winston, you have 12 Emmys; Elton has five Grammys, two Oscars, and a Tony. So combined, there’s an EGOT on this state. Would you be willing to share?” Replied Fulwell 73 Productions’ Winston, who produced the special, “We’re all members of the Television Academy, and I think that we take it with us tonight that all of us have a responsibility…” before his remarks got drowned out by appreciative applause.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic “Naatu Naatu” became the first song from a Tollywood film to win best original song at the Oscars, hoofing its way past superstars like Lady Gaga and Rihanna in India’s version of a Cinderella story. The win went to veteran composer M.M. Keeravani, who co-wrote all the songs for the film as well as its score, and lyricist Chandrabose. Their triumph followed a highly energized song-and-dance performance of “Naatu Naatu” that was, by acclamation, one of the highlights of this year’s telecast. Keeravani delighted the audience by giving much of his acceptance speech to the tune of a Carpenters classic.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Expectations were high for a performance of “Naatu Naatu” sending the Oscars telecast into hyperdrive, and the song-and-dance number did not disappoint the global audience tuned in to see how the “hook dance” steps from the Indian film “RRR” translated to the stage. Singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava recreated their vocals from the movie’s soundtrack, as a troupe of more than 20 dancers had their exuberant way with the choreography that became the year’s biggest movie-music meme.Here's the energetic performance of "Naatu Naatu" from #RRR at the #Oscars. https://t.co/ndiKiHeOT5 pic.twitter.com/Lf2nP826c4 Introduced by Deepika Padukone as “a total banger,” as well as “the first song ever from an Indian production to be nominated for an Oscar,” the performance energized the telecast by recreating the dance-till-you-drop narrative of the number as it appears in “RRR.”

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The upcoming Apple TV+ competition series “My Kind of Country,” executive-produced by Kacey Musgraves and Reese Witherspoon, is not just going to be a genre-specific knockoff of “American Idol” or “The Voice,” it’s clear from a first trailer released Friday. (Watch the new preview, below.) Fostering inclusiveness of every sort looks to be as high on the agenda as finding unknown talent, as is made apparent not just from the YouTube teaser but the previously known trio of celebrity talent scouts — Jimmie Allen, Mickey Guyton and Orville Peck — plus a just-released rundown of the dozen competing aspirants. “The people that i love in country music, they don’t look like me,” one contestant, Camille Parker, a Black woman from North Carolina, is seen as saying. “I’m ready to show people what they’ve been missing.”

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Most of Miley Cyrus’ albums have been pretty high-concept, in the musical styles they tried on for size. She didn’t come in like a wrecking ball so much as a pendulum. Successive records found her swinging back and forth — or sideways — from the pop-diva dominance she established with “Bangerz” to the one-woman back-to-roots movement of “Young Again,” on up to the rockin’ new-wave revivalism of 2021’s “Plastic Hearts.” (Somewhere in there came her Flaming Lips collab… or probably we all just collectively dreamed that one, right?) Through it all was the sense that Cyrus was always working hard — too hard, sometimes — to establish that a new shift in direction was the real her, the one that’d really find her “just being Miley,” as a seminal hit of hers once promised.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The death toll following a concert by the rapper Glorilla has risen to three. Police in Rochester, NY, reported that another critically injured woman died Wednesday night, three days after Sunday night’s deadly crowd stampede. The third fatality was Aisha Stephens, 35, of Syracuse, the Rochester Police Department’s Lt. Greg Bello told reporters. Her death followed that of two other women who were caught up in the crush, both of whom died Monday. Those victims were Rhondesia Belton, 33 of Buffalo, and Brandy Miller, 35, of Rochester. Seven other people had been hospitalized following the melee following GloRilla’s performance at Rochester’s Main Street Armory, but none of those injuries was said at the time to be life-threatening. Authorities have not provided an update on whether any of those concertgoers is still hospitalized.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Country music is about to get its fourth major annual awards show. NBCUniversal announced Thursday that a program honoring country’s most popular artists will be spun off from its “People’s Choice Awards,” with a two-hour telecast dubbed “People’s Choice Country Awards” set to debut in September on the NBC broadcast network and the Peacock streaming service. The host venue for the event will be Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House, which was used as a location by the Academy of Country Music Awards for a couple of years during the pandemic but has never been the principal ongoing location for any kudocasts in the past. The partnership is a result of the Opry’s parent company, Ryman Hospitality Properties, having struck a deal in April 2022 to sell a 30% stake in its entertainment operations to NBC Universal and the investment firm Atairos.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic U2’s Bono and the Edge and David Letterman joined forces again at the Wednesday night premiere of the Disney+ special “A Sort of Homecoming,” with the band members explaining that they needed the former late-night host to add some irreverence to the Morgan Neville-directed documentary, set to begin streaming March 17. Said Bono to the audience at downtown L.A.’s Orpheum Theatre, “The thing that Dave brought — I don’t know if you agree, Edge — is that he brought the comedy to the tragedy. And you know, there’s a reason why Willie Shakespeare wrote that form. And our music is just better with him around, I thought. Musically, it was better just by him being in the room, kind of taking the piss out of it.”

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Classical music lovers will no longer have to proceed past touts for the latest pop hits on their way to streaming their genre of choice, at least not on Apple Music. The service announced Thursday that it has created a separate app, Apple Music Classical, that will kick off March 28, offering access to more than five million tracks in lossless audio. A subscription to Apple Music will still be required for this new app, which will be available at the end of the month for iPhone models running iOS 15.4 or later. An Android version will be on the way at some point later. Existing Apple users will not pay anything additional for Apple Music Classical. The new service can be pre-ordered at Apple’s app store now and will automatically download upon the March 28 launch.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Nominations for the 2023 CMT Music Awards are led by country’s woman of the moment, Lainey Wilson, with four, followed by three apiece for Cody Johnson, newcomer Jelly Roll and the show’s recurring co-host, Kane Brown. For the second year in a row, the three-hour telecast will be getting its premiere network airing on CMT’s big sister network, CBS — along with a livestream on Paramount+ — and for the first time, it will be based out of Austin. The show goes out live from the Moody Center April 2 at 8 p.m. ET on the broadcast network and airs tape-delayed in the same time slot on the west coast. Several days after the broadcast and streaming premiere, the show will appear on its titular network, CMT, as an “extended cut” with 30 minutes of additional material, bringing the running time there to three and a half hours. That expanded edition bows on CMT April 6 at 8 ET/PT.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Tennessee’s aggressive legislative moves against drag performances have prompted a host of pro-LGBTQ artists from different genres to come together for a March 20 benefit concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, dubbed “Love Rising,” that will raise funds for the Tennessee Equality Project and several other local pride organizations. Among those taking part in the Bridgestone show are Maren Morris and Brothers Osborne, two artists that have spoken up about LGBTQ issues in the often quiet mainstream country world. Others on the bill from the rock, pop, Americana and alternative realms include Paramore’s Haylee Williams, Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, Allison Russell, Yola, Brittany Howard and Hozier. Julien Baker, Joy Oladokun, Jake Wesley Rogers, Mya Byrne and the Rainbow Coalition Band round out the packed lineup. Other special guests are expected to be added.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic A GloRilla concert in Rochester, NY, ended in tragedy when one person was killed and nine others were injured in a crush of people exiting the show. The fatality was reported to be a 33-year-old woman. Nine concertgoers were injured in the stampede, including two said to be in “critical, life-threatening condition.” “The injuries appear to be as a result of a large crowd pushing towards the exits following accounts of individuals hearing what they believed to be gunshots,” said Rochester police lieutenant Nicholas Adams. CNN and the Associated Press reported that when officers got to the scene, they found injured people inside the venue, but none with gunshot wounds.