» PRELUDE
The music community here on Substack is unlike any other to be found anywhere else online today.
That is entirely thanks to you: the dedicated music lovers who share their incredible knowledge and passion for music here on a daily basis. No matter what else is happening in our busy worlds, we make a point of coming together here throughout each day to share and appreciate the music that is woven into the very fabric of our lives.
I couldn’t be more proud or honored to be a part of this incredible community, and I want the conversations we have to extend beyond the weekly one-way communication of I-write-a-newsletter-and-you-read-it-and-maybe-comment-on-it.
That is why, today I am launching Zappagram chat here on Substack—a place where each member of this awesome music community is both welcomed and encouraged to participate in real-time discussions with other community members about anything and everything music-related. (Paid subscribers have the ability to start threads.)
I’ll be starting new threads each week to discuss the latest issue of Zappagram—from the weekly music news I cover to the latest songs on the playlist, the artist features, interviews, new releases, music history, and more.
If there’s breaking news, I’ll start a thread where we can discuss what’s going on.
I’m also considering a song-of-the-day thread where I post one song I really think you should hear and we discuss it.
I want nothing more than to talk about all of this with all of you, and I hope you’ll join me in the chat which is now officially open 24/7 to all Zappagram subscribers.
I simply ask that chats stay on the topic of music and that anyone who participates be completely respectful of one another. I want this to be an inclusive community where everyone is safe to be themselves and where everyone treats others with kindness.
Also, please realize that just because this is real-time chat, that does not mean that you have to actively be online and ready to go back and forth. You can hop in, check out what’s going on, participate in discussions, leave, then come back later to check in.
Come with your knowledge, your hot takes, and your best music recommendations. It’s flexible. It’s easy going. It’s cool like that.
You can access the chat through the Substack app on iOS or Android, or by going to zappagram.substack.com/chat in your browser.
I hope I’ll see you all there!
Ground control to reader: Take your protein pills. Put your helmet on. This newsletter ain’t gonna read itself.
» WEEKLY PLAYLIST
Zappagram #127 featuring: Cliffdiver, Golden Blue, KUZbeats, Flo Naegeli, Kolumbo, Leon Bridges, Nat Lefkoff, Angie McMahon, GoldFord, Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners, Fantastic Negrito, The Cure [Spotify | Apple Music]
(Shoutout to
for the Nat Lefkoff recommendation. Follow Mallie for more great music recs!)Zappagram playlist (3+ years of featured music): [Spotify | Apple Music]
» MUSIC NEWS
» Kris Kristofferson, who attained success as both a groundbreaking country music singer-songwriter and a Hollywood film and TV star, died Saturday at home in Maui, Hawaii. No cause of death was given, but he was described as passing away peacefully while surrounded by family. He was 88. Songwriting was merely one aspect to the Renaissance man, who was also a Golden Globe-winning actor, Golden Gloves boxer, Rhodes scholar, author, U.S. Army veteran, pilot, and onetime record-label janitor. But it was his penetrating lyricism that caused a seismic shift in the perception of country music by the late Sixties. Well-educated (with a military discipline) though he was, he quickly fell in with the freshman class of “outlaw” singer-songwriters that would buck the star system and influence generations to come. ❖
» Jeff Buckley’s former midotwn cottage in Memphis is now available to rent on AirBnB. Purchased for $143,800 in March by Goode Development, the somewhat dilapidated, roughly 900-square-foot house at 93 N. Rembert is being repaired and restored, for use as an Airbnb or for possible sale, with serious Buckley enthusiasts the most likely patrons. ❖
» This year marks the 40th anniversary of Prince’s classic film Purple Rain and its accompanying soundtrack album. To celebrate the occasion, members of his backing band The Revolution have listed the newly restored home from the movie on Airbnb. The Purple Rain house, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, will be open for 25 total one-night stays from October 26th to December 14th. Up to four guests will be allowed at a time, with each stay priced at just $7 per person in a nod to Prince’s favorite number. Try your luck with booking it here starting on October 2nd at 6:00 a.m. PT through October 6th at 11:59 p.m. PT. ❖
» Kurt Cobain’s kid just had a kid. Feel old yet? Me too. Frances Bean Cobain and Riley Hawk announced the arrival of their baby boy, Ronin Walker Cobain Hawk, born on Sept. 17. Cobain posted photos to her Instagram of their new little bundle of joy. Imagine growing up to learn that Kurt Cobain was your grandfather. No big deal. [←sarcasm] ❖
» Thousands of songs and music videos by hundreds of artists have vanished from YouTube after the video site failed to reach a new agreement with publishing rights organization SESAC. Artists like Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Bob Dylan, Nirvana, Mariah Carey, Green Day and hundreds more were impacted by the impasse created as SESAC’s deal with YouTube nears expiration. “We have held good faith negotiations with SESAC to renew our existing deal. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to reach an equitable agreement before its expiration,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement Saturday to The Hollywood Reporter. ❖
» Back in July, Josh Klinghoffer, the former guitarist of Red Hot Chili Peppers, was sued for wrongful death and negligence for allegedly running over and killing a pedestrian in Alhambra, California. The lawsuit was filed by the family of Israel Sanchez, the 47-year-old man who was struck by the musician’s car in the March 18 incident. Today, Klinghoffer was arraigned in Alhambra on a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence. Through his lawyer, Blair Bernholz Berk, the musician pleaded not guilty. According to the lawsuit, Klinghoffer was allegedly on his phone while driving an SUV and made a left turn while Sanchez walked across the street in a marked crosswalk. The impact caused blunt-force trauma to the head, and Sanchez died from his injuries hours later. ❖
» Guitar techs: they see everything. New details are emerging about what went down between Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro at the Jane’s Addiction show in Boston earlier this month, which ended abruptly when the singer threw a punch at the guitarist onstage, ending the tour and calling the band’s entire future into question. In a lengthy podcast conversation, the band’s longtime guitar and bass tech Dan Cleary says that Farrell took another swing at Navarro after all band members went backstage. Unlike the missed stage punch, this one landed on Navarro, according to Cleary, who adds that Jane’s Addiction is in all likelihood finished. ❖
» Radiohead’s pivotal, politically charged 2003 album, Hail to the Thief, will take a Shakespearean turn on stage next spring, when Thom Yorke adapts it for a new production of Hamlet. Titled Hamlet Hail to the Thief, the show will feature William Shakespeare’s text and the songs of Hail to the Thief, which have been reworked and orchestrated by Yorke for a cast of 20 musicians and actors. ❖
» After a series of cryptic teasers, the Cure have released “Alone,” the lead single from their first new album since 2008, Songs of a Lost World. The LP will be released Nov. 1 through Capitol Records. “Alone” is one of several songs debuted during the Robert Smith-led band’s 2022-23 tour, along with “Endsong,” “A Fragile Thing,” “Another Happy Birthday,” “And Nothing Is Forever” and “I Can Never Say Goodbye.” The full track list has yet to be announced, although on Oct. 1, the latter two cuts will be released in versions taped in France in 2022 on a 12-inch vinyl single. ❖
» Last month, Lana Del Rey made a couple of short, cryptic public comments about rumors that she was dating Jeremy Dufrene, a Louisiana airboat captain who takes tourists on gator tours of local swamps. Now, it appears that the two of them aren’t just dating—they got married. ❖
» Patti Smith will be honored with a tribute concert at New York City’s Carnegie Hall in May 2025. The latest installment of City Winery founder and CEO Michael Dorf’s “Music Of” benefit series, the event is slated to take place on March 26th, with all net proceeds going to music education for underserved youth. The artist lineup has yet to be announced, but VIP ticket packages are now available here. The general admission on-sale begins on October 22nd at the Carnegie Hall website. ❖
Right in the midst of their co-headlining tour with The War on Drugs, The National have announced Rome, a new live album set for release on December 13th. The album was recorded live, without any overdubs, during a June 3rd, 2024 show at Rome’s Cavea at Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone. It’s comprised of 21 tracks and will be released as both a digital and 2xLP vinyl set. ❖
» Rhino Records is celebrating Rocktober with a number of vinyl reissues, including albums by Ministry, Black Sabbath, the Ramones, and more. The Rocktober campaign focuses on Warner Music artists, with other reissues including LPs by Fleetwood Mac, Twisted Sister, Whitesnake, The Stooges, Devo, INXS, Type O Negative, Stone Temple Pilots, and several other acts. ❖
» U2 have rarely been shy about plucking gems from their vault for reissues or reimagining existing material, and that trend will continue in November with the release of How To Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb, a companion album of sorts to their 2004 smash How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. Due Nov. 22 digitally and Nov. 29 in exclusive vinyl formats for Record Store Day, the project unearths 10 unreleased songs from the period. ❖
» Bright Eyes are canceling their 2024 tour dates. The announcement comes after the band recently pulled out of Riot Fest and two other concerts. Bright Eyes have said that they’re canceling the shows because Conor Oberst “has developed a condition that is exacerbated by excessive singing, requiring both treatment and recuperation.” ❖
» On September 19, it was announced that Macklemore would headline the inaugural Neon City Festival in Las Vegas. Less than a week later, on September 24, the festival shared that “Macklemore will no longer be performing due to unforeseen circumstances.” In between the Neon City announcements, on September 21, Macklemore performed at a benefit festival in his Seattle hometown called Palestine Will Live Forever. During his performance, according to footage shared online, the rapper said, “Fuck America.” Macklemore has not commented publicly on his departure from the Neon City Festival. ❖
» Weezer have announced a concert film shot during their ongoing 2024 tour (get tickets here) celebrating the 30th anniversary of their self-titled debut, aka The Blue Album. Titled Weezer’s Voyage to the Blue Planet: The Concert Film, it was captured at Boston’s TD Garden on September 10th and will livestream at Moment.co on October 13th and 14th. ❖
» The late Mark Lanegan will be honored with a December 5th tribute show at London’s Roundhouse. The concert will feature Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan, Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, and Afghan Whigs’ Greg Dulli, among others. The show, dubbed “Mark Lanegan 60 – A Celebration,” will take place 10 days after what would have been the singer-songwriter’s 60th birthday (November 25th). The onetime Screaming Trees frontman died at the age of 57 on February 22nd, 2022. Among the other artists set to perform are Troy Van Leeuwen (Queens of the Stone Age), Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream), Alison Mosshart (The Kills, The Dead Weather), and multi-instrumentalist Duke Garwood. The production team Soulsavers will serve as the house band. ❖
» The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has revealed the lineup of performers and presenters set to take the stage during its 2024 induction ceremony on October 19th in Cleveland, Ohio. This year’s inductees including Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & the Gang, Ozzy Osbourne, and A Tribe Called Quest. The ceremony will take place at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, October 19th, and will stream live on Disney+. It will also be available on Hulu following its premiere, and will receive a special broadcast airing on ABC. The 2024 class also includes posthumous inductees including Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Norman Whitfield, and Big Mama Thornton. ❖
» B-SIDES
Queens of the Stone Age unveil rescheduled US tour dates for 2025
Neil Young announces 50th anniversary reissue of On the Beach
List of international cities Oasis will play on their 2025 reunion tour
Massive Attack will be joined by Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser on US tour
Chat Pile announce 2025 North American tour dates
Weird Al goes ‘Bigger And Weirder’ for extensive 2025 tour
Billy Joel announces 2025 stadium shows with Sting and Stevie Nicks
Franz Ferdinand announce 2025 tour dates
» Z-REX
⚠️ ATTENTION VINYL COLLECTORS! ⚠️
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» MUSIC SHOWCASE
ARTIST PROFILE
Golden Blue creates music that soundtracks your night-time drives and mountaintop moments. Johnny and Ashley Perez are longtime musicians (and married people) who released their debut album Museum—one of my favorite releases of the year—in October 2023. If you took the very best elements of 80s music and put a uniquely modern spin on it, that’s Golden Blue. Fans of M83, Tears for Fears, and Beach House will resonate with their music.
SINGLE PROFILE
German synth-pop band Alphaville released their hit song “Forever Young” as part of their debut album of the same name in September 1984. Forty years later, almost to the date, Golden Blue released their incredible cover of this 80s classic, guaranteed to transport you back in time while still feeling like it could have been written today.
LISTEN
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
RATING
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(5 out of 5)
» NEW RELEASES
Alan Sparhawk: White Roses, My God • Alice in Chains: Black Gives Way to Blue (Vinyl Reissue) • Billy Strings: Highway Prayers • The Fray: The Fray Is Back EP • Gavin DeGraw: Chariot 20 • Genesis: Invisible Touch (Vinyl Reissue) • Golden Blue: “Forever Young” (single) • Kate Bollinger: Songs From a Thousand Frames of Mind • Lou Reed: Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65 • October Drift: Blame the Young • Tropical Fuck Storm: Tropical Fuck Storm’s Inflatable Graveyard
» RELEASE RADAR
- OCT 4 -
Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Expanded Edition) • Better Than Ezra: Friction, Baby (Vinyl Reissue) • Coldplay: Moon Music • Don Henley: Building the Perfect Beast (40th Anniversary Edition) • Finneas: For Cryin’ Out Loud! • Hazlett: Goodbye to the Valley • Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit: Live From the Ryman Vol. 2 • Joni Mitchell: Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980) • Leon Bridges: Leon • Neil Young: Freedom (Vinyl Reissue) • Suede: Dog Man Star (30th Anniversary Edition)
- OCT 11 -
Chat Pile: Cool World • Dawes: Oh Brother • The Linda Lindas: No Obligation • The Offspring: Supercharged
- OCT 18 -
Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan: In Session (Reissue) • Barenaked Ladies: Barenaked for the Holidays (Vinyl Reissue) • Fantastic Negrito: Son of a Broken Man • Japandroids: Fate & Alcohol • Jerry Cantrell (of Alice in Chains): I Want Blood • Joy Oladokun: Observations From a Crowded Room • MC5: Heavy Lifting • Phantogram: Memory of a Day • Tim Heidecker: Slipping Away • Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Long After Dark (Deluxe Edition)
- OCT 25 -
Amyl and the Sniffers: Cartoon Darkness • Bootsy Collins: Album of the Year # 1 Funkateer • Bryan Ferry: Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023 • Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: Live at Fillmore East, 1969 (2024 Mix) • Green Day: American Idiot (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) • Laura Marling: Patterns in Repeat • Lone Justice: Viva Lone Justice • Pixies: The Night the Zombies Came • Soccer Mommy: Evergreen • Tears For Fears: Songs for a Nervous Planet (Live)
- NOV 1 -
The Cure: Songs of a Lost World • Elvis Costello: King of America & Other Realms • Illiterate Light: Arches • Ivy: Long Distance (Vinyl Reissue) • Weezer: Weezer 30 (Anniversary Super Deluxe) • Willie Nelson: Last Leaf on the Tree
» ON THIS DATE
- SEPT 30 -
Birthdays: Marc Bolan of T. Rex (1947) • Trey Anastasio (1964) • Robby Takac of Goo Goo Dolls (1964) • Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons (1986) •• A schoolboy from Philadelphia who skipped class to meet his musical hero handed his teacher an absence note signed by Bruce Springsteen. Fifth-grader Michael Fenerty met The Boss at a "meet-and-greet" in the Free Library of Philadelphia when Springsteen was in town signing copies of his new autobiography, Born to Run. (2016)
- OCT 1 -
Birthdays: Donny Hathaway (1945) • Martin Cooper of OMD (1958) • Dizzee Rascal (1985) •• Jimi Hendrix was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Seattle. (1970) • Radiohead's official website crashed after the band announced that their new album 'In Rainbows' would only be available to order via www.radiohead.com. Fans could pre-order the download at any price they choose or pay £40 for a "discbox", which included two CDs, two records, plus artwork and booklets. (2007)
- OCT 2 -
Birthdays: Don McLean (1945) • Richard Hell (1949) • Mike Rutherford of Genesis (1950) • Sting (1951) • Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes and Thunderbitch (1988) •• Tom Petty, found unconscious at his home in Los Angeles, not breathing and in cardiac arrest, he was taken to UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica where he died at 8:40pm. (2017)
- OCT 3 -
Birthdays: Eddie Cochran (1938) • Chubby Checker (1941) • Lindsey Buckingham (1949) • Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954) • Tommy Lee (1962) • Gwen Stefani (1969) • Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters (1978) •• Woody Guthrie died. (1967) • Sinead O’Connor ripped up a photograph of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live as a protest over sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church. (1992)
- OCT 4 -
Birthdays: Jim Fielder of Blood, Sweat & Tears (1947) • Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys (1959) • Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire (1977) •• Janis Joplin was found dead at the Landmark Hotel in Hollywood after an accidental heroin overdose. (1970) • Loretta Lynn died at the age of 90. (2022)
- OCT 5 -
Birthdays: Steve Miller (1943) • Brian Johnson of AC/DC (1947) • Bob Geldof (1951) • Harold Faltemeyer (1952) • Pete De Freitas of Echo & the Bunnymen (1961) •• Elton John released his seventh studio album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. (1973)
- OCT 6 -
Birthday: Garth Hudson of The Band (1937) •• Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon (1951) •• Ginger Baker of Cream died at the age of 80. (2019) • Eddie Van Halen died at the age of 65 and American singer-songwriter Johnny Nash died of natural causes age 80. He is best known for his 1972 hit 'I Can See Clearly Now'. (2020)
» CODA
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May your vinyl records remain unwarped, unlike your sense of humor. 🤘🏻
A labor of love as usual, Chris.
Thanks for the mention, Chris!!!