Category: General

Tabloid Gossip: Your News Briefing

I’m on vacation with my family, but I still have to keep up my training for #Mile22. #nodaysoff

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Mark Wahlberg just tried to un-stink the pile of dung into which he stepped. TMZ

Millie Bobby Brown loves the Kardashians. E! Online

Ewen McGregor’s ex-wife did not appreciate being thanked during his speech. Wonderwall

Woody Allen’s time might be up. Too Fab

Katie Couric responded to the Matt Lauer allegations. LA Times

Michelle Williams found love. Ok! Magazine

Ryan Lochte is married. MSNBC

Tonya Harding’s publicist quit. The Wrap

Britney Spears and her boyfriend are going strong. Pop Sugar

Rob Lowe and Bella Thorne are exchanging barbs. The Blemish

The Oasis brothers continue to battle. The Sun

Anne Heche and James Tupper split after 10 years together. RTVW

Brandi Glanville blames social media for her failed romance. Contact Music

 

 

Artist on the Rise: Dana Williams Releases “There You Go”

Today’s Artist on the Rise spotlight shines on singer/songwriter Dana Williams, who was previously featured on The Dishmaster for her collaboration with Leighton Meester on a Fleetwood Mac cover. Her new single, “There You Go,”is now available on all streaming platforms. Co-written by Harlan Silverman, the sweetly simple song perfectly highlights her beautiful voice. You might recognize Williams from her appearance in a 2014 apple commercial. Williams also had an original song in the in Oscar nominated film, ‘Whiplash, ‘ and she was featured in Interview Magazine, where you can learn more tid bits about her life, including that her dad was a guitarist for Michael Jackson.

Listen below.

The Huntress and Holder of Hands Release Stunning Video

The Huntress and Holder of Hands will be joining The Devil Makes Three on tour, and if you’ve ever seen MorganEve Swain live, this is something you do not want to miss. I was first exposed to her unforgettable stage presence when I saw her perform with Brown Bird alongside her extremely talented husband, the late David Lamb, who left us much too early due to the monster that is leukemia. I’ve listened to just about every Brown Bird song on repeat, and I closely followed their love story, which they often shared with fans. I am greatly pleased to learn that MorganEve is using music to express her grief rather than leaving the industry behind. She is now in The Huntress and Holder of Hands, a 5-musician band with cello, string bass, electric bass, voice and drums, with Swain primarily on five-string viola and guitar. Watch below to see their new video for “Creatures in Flight.” It is directed by Rich Ferri and choreographed by ali kenner brodsky & co.

Caitlyn Jenner Admits She Doesn’t Trust the Kardashians

It seems Caitlyn Jenner has pursued all of the physical attributes of becoming a woman, but none of the emotional ones, such as compassion, empathy, and kindness. When asked why she chose to omit her gender reassignment surgery from the advance copy of the book she provided to the Kardashians, Caitlyn insisted it was none of their business, and it was simply not an important issue.She furthered that she did not trust the family to keep it from the press. This revelation comes after Khloe Kardashian revealed to Howard Stern that Caitlyn Jenner was planning a television show about becoming a woman BEFORE she even told her family of her intention to transition. That news caused a rift between Caitlyn and Khloe, given Caitlyn’s clear intention to garner only positive press. The rift became further strained by another omission regarding Robert Kardashian, which Kim felt was unforgivable. Watch below. To quote Kris Jenner, “I thought Bruce Jenner was the most stubborn person I ever met. Then I met Caitlyn.”

Mariah Carey Redeems Herself During New Year’s Eve Performance

There is constant criticism from internet trolls about whether Mariah Carey can hit the same notes she once hit in her prime. Personally, I find this talk enraging. For starters, I could give a collective zero sh*ts about whether Carey can still sing like a piercing dolphin to prove her vocal prowess. And this type of talk leads to lip-syncing, which I despise. If an artist sounds less than stellar due to technical errors, sickness, cold temperatures, or simply vocal wear-and-tear, that’s okay. I want authenticity over anything else, and we should stop bullying our artists into feeling as if they need to deliver perfection at all times. In fact, the best I’ve ever seen Sheryl Crow was in the midst of an alarming cold. She was phenomenal — rasp and all.

I’ve been hard on Mariah Carey, not because of her voice, but because she’s lost the authenticity that made her famous. In her attempt to keep up with her younger cohorts, she’s been wearing ludicrous leotards, trying her hand at terrible choreography, and lip-syncing (allegedly). She has also engaged in cartoonish, reveal-nothing interviews which involve the excessive use of “Dahhh—lings” while dripping with diamonds. I’ve had enough. I’ve also had enough of her finger-pointing at everyone but herself. You are captain of your career. Own it.

Now for New Year’s Eve. To say she redeemed herself is an understatement. It was shockingly cold, and she flawlessly sang two of her hits. She also made mention of missing tea, which was both funny and genuine. The cold weather made her cover up, which was a blessing. There was also zero choreography – thank goodness.

Artist on the Rise: Valerie June

Photo by Tommy Kha

It’s a new year folks, and there are no words to describe 2018’s first pick for this week’s Artist on the Rise. It’s Valerie June, and her voice is so hauntingly beautiful it hurts my soul. To top it off, The Memphis-born singer-songwriter’s albums have incredible original material, with one track being better than the next. Her most recent record, “The Order of Time,” is no exception. June began her love of music singing  gospel at her church three times a week sans instruments. She recounts her unique vocals, saying “My parents couldn’t get over how weird I sounded—like an old man when I was just a toddler! But no one was gonna shut me up.” Years later, she found it important to learn an instrument. Of the process, June said, “I’d had so much fun in the dirty dives in Memphis or heading to Mississippi or Arkansas, it felt like something huge was missing when I couldn’t play shows, so I decided I needed to learn to play guitar because I’d never get gigs if I couldn’t accompany myself.” She now also plays the banjo and ukulele, and she later generated the funds for her first album via kickstarter, which led to convincing Black Keys front man Dan Auerbach to co-produce, simply by sending him samples.

On March 17, June will perform with one of my favorite bands of all time, The Wood Brothers. I’ve seen The Wood Brothers live, and there’s no better show on the planet. Head to Nashville to see these powerhouses come together for an incredible show. Find out about other performances HERE. Listen below, you’ll be hooked immediately.

Artist on the Rise: Lewis Capaldi

Lewis Capaldi

Here at The Dishmaster, I love to feature new artists. By “new,” I mean I recently learned of their music, whether I’m the last to know or not. I draw this distinction because this week’s feature is Lewis Capaldi, and his YouTube count suggests I’m late to the party. I discovered Lewis when I let last week’s feature, Freya Ridings, run endlessly until Capaldi’s videos began to play. Apparently YouTube is aware of my taste. His EP, Bruises, has satisfied my itch for a new release from Hozier, given that they share the same lane. The Scottish singer/songwriter wrote the single, “Fade,” with Grammy winner, Malay, and he was nominated for “Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award’ at the Scottish Music Awards. Listen below.

For my Los Angeles friends looking for tickets, he’ll be performing at Moroccan Lounge on April 1, 2018. For everyone else, click HERE to see if you’re lucky enough to see him visit your city.

Now Streaming: Eminem’s Revival — A Full Review

If you read the reviews, including a very detailed take-down in Variety and an effusive endorsement from Rolling Stone, you’d have zero idea what to believe about Eminem’s new album, Revival. And then there’s Paris Hilton, who called Eminem a “lyrical genius.” Apparently, she loved the album, which left me scratching my head as to whether that’s a good thing. After all, Paris Hilton is certainly NOT the arbiter of cool and her endorsement might represent something larger. Does this album speak to the hip hop community, or is it simply too mainstream? His choice of collaborators doesn’t help his case. Forgive me for not wanting to hear Ed Sheeren on an Eminem song.

Though I endlessly cover music on my blog, I’d fall short of calling myself a music critic. I’m certainly not going to offer a track-by-track breakdown. I’ll simply say it’s good. is it great? Probably not. It’s no secret that Eminem thrives with lyrics and falls short with production and beats. In casual conversation, someone close to me once compared Kanye’s rap ability to Eminem, which felt so out of touch it was laughable. Kanye would be the opposite. All production, minimal lyrics. Eminem is a poet, and music is a forum for him to express it. In the case of Revival, the chorus of each song is so annoying it should be left out. There’s no Dido juxtaposition that takes the song to the next level. Instead, it takes each song down a notch. Additionally, I don’t know who mixed this record, but the lyrics are way too low in comparison to the music. The music is actually getting in the way. It’s also worth noting that the “I Love Rock ‘N Roll” sample caused me physical pain.

I love Eminem. But sure — this could be better.

TV Tune Tuesday: Meet Musician Aron Wright

As we learned from yesterday’s post about Freya Ridings and an earlier interview I did with the very talented Aurora, television is often the perfect venue to highlight new artists. I’ll try to do this feature every week, and this week’s pick is Aron Wright, whom I discovered on Grey’s Anatomy. His soul-melting voice can also be heard on many other shows, including The Blacklist, The Vampire Diaries, and more. According to Wright, he records his music in a 100-year-old church he converted into a studio. His credits include co-writing the song “Hallelujah” by Panic! at the Disco and penning “Walk Out On Me,” which was performed by Courtney Love on the FOX television show, Empire. The multi-instrumentalist (trumpet, bass trombone, tuba and guitar) was born in Little Rock, AR, and raised in St. Louis, MO before eventually moving to South Africa. He now lives in Nashville. Listen below.

Freya Ridings’ Song Reaches TNT’s ‘Good Behavior’

Freya Ridings

Television shows often have a limited music budget, which means they are forced to get creative when picking tracks. And it’s thanks to that creativity that I was introduced to the very beautiful song, “Lost Without You” by Freya Ridings, which was featured on TNT’s Good Behavior. This will be the third release from the 23-year-old Londoner, whose self-released singles have amassed millions of streams. Of the song, Ridings has said that she wanted to capture a heart-breaking moment from a train station that changed her life. The track was mixed by Tom Elmhirst (Adele, David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Beck). Prior to “Lost Without You,” Ridings released “Blackout” and “Maps,” the latter of which is a cover of the popular Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs song. Listen to the stunning track below.