:: PRELUDE
Welcome friends, old and new, to this week’s edition of Zappagram.
Upon my return to Substack last week, I was warmly welcomed back with open arms by so many kind and generous members of the Substack community, especially the members of the incredibly vibrant music community here. It meant more to me than I can say.
This had me thinking a lot about gratitude and about the power of music — specifically, music’s ability to bring people together. Perhaps the most obvious example of music uniting people is a concert — fans attend individually, but everyone sort of unintentionally ends up coming together as this unified collective in this shared experience.
There’s a meme floating around online that essentially says, “Think of all the people who are in your life because of music.”
I’ve been thinking about this and about each of you a lot. I feel a tremendous amount of gratitude to be counted among the tremendously talented music journalists writing here, and to have so many cool and passionate people subscribe to read my work every week. How incredible that we have the privilege of coming together here every day as a community to share our love for music with one another. It’s something to not be taken for granted.
All of this to say, thank you for having me. Thank you for being here. Thank you for sharing your love of music and, in doing so, sharing a part of yourselves.
We’ve got a lot of ground to cover this week, so let’s do this…
Ground control to reader: Take your protein pills. Put your helmet on.
This newsletter ain’t gonna read itself.
🎵 For a limited time, Apple Music is offering three free months to new subscribers. The promotion runs until September 23rd; sign up to claim it here. (I get nothing from this, btw. It’s just a good deal I wanted to pass on.) 🎵
:: WEEKLY MIXTAPE
Zappagram #124 featuring: Citrine, Leon Bridges, Sonja Midtune, Goldie Boutilier, Drew Elliott, Andy Shauf, Georga Gets By, Young Gun Silver Fox, Folk Bitch Trio, Mammal Hands [Spotify | Apple Music]
Zappagram Playlist (3+ years music) [Spotify | Apple Music]
:: MUSIC NEWS
» Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds announced a spring 2025 tour of North America. The concerts take place in April and May, and mark the first time since 2018 that the band has performed in the United States and Canada. Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood will feature on bass. ❖
» New Order announced a deluxe reissue of their 1986 album Brotherhood. Arriving November 22, Brotherhood (Definitive Edition) follows last year’s reissues of Substance and Low-Life, and marks the fourth installment of the band’s definitive boxsets. [RED ALERT:
] ❖» Linkin Park have announced their first new studio album since May 2017’s One More Light. The new album, From Zero, will come out on November 15. The band still features original members Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell, and Joe Hahn, and they’re now joined by new co-vocalist Emily Armstrong and new drummer Colin Brittain. ❖
» Ticketmaster’s controversial “dynamic pricing” model, which drastically raises ticket prices in line with demand, faces scrutiny from European regulators after complaints about astronomical Oasis ticket prices. ❖
» The FBI has arrested a musician for streaming fraud, claiming he collected $10M from hundreds of thousands of AI-generated songs. Law enforcement is charging 52-year-old Michael Smith of North Carolina with money laundering, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud; he faces up to 60 years in prison. ❖
» Green Day have been touring through the summer with Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, and the Linda Lindas on the Saviors Tour, celebrating 20 years of American Idiot and 30 years of Dookie. Tonight, the band performed in Detroit at Comerica Park and abruptly ran off the stage during “Longview” due to a “potential safety issue.” ❖
» The Weeknd will wrap the album trilogy that began with 2020’s After Hours and continued with 2022’s Dawn FM with Hurry Up Tomorrow, which the artist announced Sept. 4 on Instagram. As of yet, there’s no release date for the project. ❖
» Today in Minnesota, Weezer are kicking off their Voyage To The Blue Planet Tour in celebration of the 30th anniversary of their self-titled debut, aka the Blue Album. They’ve also chosen this date to announce a new Blue Album box set that comes enclosed in a sweater. ❖
» Legendary Queen guitarist Brian May has revealed that he suffered a stroke last week and lost the use of his left arm temporarily. May broke the news on social media Wednesday morning (September 4th), calling the scare a “little health hiccup” and reassuring fans that he can still play guitar. ❖
» Sergio Mendes, the Brazilian singer, composer, bandleader, and keyboardist who became an international sensation after moving to the United States in the 1960s, died, in Los Angeles, on September 5. According to a statement from the Mendes family, the musician’s “health had been challenged by the effects of long term COVID.” Mendes was 83 years old. ❖
:: B-SIDES
» The War on Drugs are releasing another live album on September 13. ❖
» The sexual assault lawsuit against Danny Elfman has been dismissed. ❖
» Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ Challengers score is coming to vinyl. ❖
» Lady Gaga plans to release her seventh album in February 2025. ❖
» Here’s how to watch Farm Aid 2024. ❖
:: Z-REX
If you love books and documentaries about music, I’ve got your favorite new podcast: Rock Talk Studio answers the question - is this rock 'n' roll book or documentary worth your time and money? Get an exclusive look into what's hitting the shelves and screens and get ready to rock your reading and viewing list! Direct links here to listen on your platform of choice. ❖
:: NEW RELEASES
Alanis Morissette: Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (Thank U Edition) • David Gilmour: Luck and Strange • Eva Cassidy: Walkin’ After Midnight • The Flaming Lips: The Soft Bulletin (25th Anniversary Vinyl Reissue) • The Heavy Heavy: One of a Kind • Max Richter: In a Landscape • Mercury Rev: Born Horses • MJ Lenderman: Manning Fireworks • Neil Young: Neil Young Archives Vol. III Takes
:: RELEASE RADAR
SEPT 13 - Chilly Gonzales: GONZO • Dale Crover (of Melvins): Glossolaliao • The Damned: AD 2022 – Live in Manchester • Floating Points: Cascade • Foxing: Foxing • London Grammar: The Greatest Love • M. Ward: For Beginners: The Best of M. Ward • Nada Surf: Moon Mirror • The Notorious B.I.G.: Ready To Die (30th Anniversary) • Snow Patrol: The Forest Is the Path
SEPT 20 - Bob Dylan & The Band: The 1974 Live Recordings • Bright Eyes: Five Dice, All Threes • Butthole Surfers: Locust Abortion Technician (Vinyl Reissue) • Fleetwood Mac: Mirage Tour ’82 (Live) • Galaxie 500: Uncollected Noise New York ’88-’90 • Gregg Allman Band: Uncle Sam’s • Hippo Campus: Flood • Jamie xx: In Waves • Jesse Malin: Silver Patron Saints • Joan as Police Woman: Lemons, Limes and Orchids • Julian Casblancas + The Voidz: Like All Before You• Phil Collins: Both Sides (All The Sides) Box Set • Sade: Love Deluxe (Vinyl Reissue) • Sarah Jarosz: Polaroid Lovers (Deluxe Edition) • Thurston Moore: Flow Critical Lucidity • Wilderado: Talker
SEPT 27 - AC/DC: Fly on the Wall (Vinyl Reissue) • 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) • 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
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)
:: ON THIS DATE
SEPT 9 - Birthdays: Otis Redding (1941) • Dave Stewart (1952) • Michael Bublé (1975) • Nirvana's Krist Novoselic knocked himself unconscious during the MTV Video Awards show after being hit in the head with his own guitar after tossing it in the air. (1992)
SEPT 10 - Birthdays: Cynthia Lennon (1939) • Jose Feliciano (1945) • Joe Perry of Aerosmith (1950) • Mikey Way of My Chemical Romance (1980) • Matthew Followill of Kings Of Leon (1984) • The New York Dolls split up. (1974)
SEPT 11 - Birthdays: Mickey Hart of Grateful Dead (1943) • Moby (1965) • Harry Connick Jr. (1967) • Richard Ashcroft of The Verve (1971) • David Bowie recorded a guest appearance on Bing Crosby's TV show duetting with Crosby on “Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy.” (1977) • Songwriter Daniel Johnston died of a suspected heart attack at his home. (2019) • Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals died age 77 after contracting COVID-19. (2020)
SEPT 12 - Birthdays: Barry White (1944) • Neil Peart (1952) • Ben Folds (1966) • Michael Paget of My Bloody Valentine (1978) • Johnny Cash died of respiratory failure aged 71. (2003)
SEPT 13 - Birthdays: Peter Cetera of Chicago (1944) • Don Was (1952) • Steven John Kilbey of The Church (1954) • Dave Mustaine of Megadeth (1965) • Stephen Perkins of Jane’s Addiction (1967) • Fiona Apple (1977) • Geffen Records threw a party to launch Nirvana's “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The band ended up being thrown out of their own party after starting a food fight. (1991) • Eddie Money died of cancer at age 70. (2019)
SEPT 14 - Birthdays: Steve Gaines of Lynyrd Skynyrd (1949) • Morten Harket of A-Ha (1959) • Mark Webber of Pulp (1970) • Nas (1972) • Amy Winehouse (1983) • Roy Orbison's house in Nashville burnt down, his two eldest sons both died in the blaze. Orbison was on tour in the UK at the time of the accident. (1968)
SEPT 15 - Birthdays: Michel Dorge of Crash Test Dummies (1960) • Paul Thomson of Franz Ferdinand (1972) • Johnny Ramone died in Los Angeles after a five-year battle with prostate cancer. (2004) • Pink Floyd keyboardist and founding member Richard Wright died aged 65 from cancer. (2008) • Apple released a tool to remove U2's new album from its customers' iTunes accounts six days after giving away the music for free. Some users had complained about the fact that their latest album Songs of Innocence had automatically been downloaded to their devices without their permission. (2014) • Ric Ocasek, lead singer with The Cars, was found dead in his New York City apartment, aged 75. (2019)
:: CODA
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May all your albums play without skips. 🤘🏻
To the surprise of absolutely no one, I'm really looking forward to checking out the Brotherhood box set and hearing the previously unreleased tracks!
I'm really disappointed that there isn't more new releases of new material for a lot of my favorite artists. I am extremely happy about the re-issues & anniversary editions that are coming out. Many for the first time on vinyl, which is awesome!
In other news, the loss of the great James Earl Jones is really tough! I know he lived a long life but his loss hits the Star Wars geek in me deeply! He can never be replaced!