Year: 2022

Spencer Krug is most known for his role in Wolf Parade, who in 2017 released their first album in seven years: Cry Cry Cry. But Krug is a man of many projects, including Sunset Rubdown, who are about to make their return after inactivity for 13 years and join all the many bands who have been miraculously reuniting as of late.

Sunset Rubdown’s last album was 2009’s Dragonslayer, and then they broke up later that year. A press release reads that Krug woke up one morning after a dream of a Sunset Rubdown reunion and proceeded to email his former bandmates. Now they’ll be touring next year, kicking it off in March in Montreal, Quebec at La Sala Rossa and then finishing at the end of April in Los Angeles, California at the Lodge Room. Hopefully this also means that new music might be on the way.

Check out the full tour dates below.

03/24/2023 – Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa
03/25/2023 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
03/26/2023 – Ottawa, ON @ Club SAW
03/27/2023 – Portland, ME @ Space
03/28/2023 – Somerville, MA @ Crystal Ballroom
03/30/2023 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
03/31/2023 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA
04/01/2023 – Washington, DC @ DC9
04/19/2023 – Victoria, BC @ Lucky Bar
04/20/2023 – Vancouver, BC @ The Fox Cabaret
04/21/2023 – Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s
04/22/2023 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
04/24/2023 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
04/25/2023 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room

Kanye West (who has legally changed his name to Ye) has been making headlines—again—not only for his bizarre public behavior, but for blatantly antisemitic remarks he made in recent interviews.

There’s no question that Ye’s comments praising Hitler and Nazis and denying that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust are hurtful and dangerous. There’s no question that bad actors are using Ye’s antisemitic comments to push their white nationalist agenda. The question is whether Ye fans would allow their admiration of his musical talents—or whatever else they like about him—to overshadow the fact that he is now regularly spewing pro-Nazi rhetoric to millions of people.

In at least one corner of the internet, fans are responding in what may be the most effective and meaningful way possible—by countering Ye’s commentary with a deluge of Holocaust education and remembrance.

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Reddit’s r/kanye subreddit is a page dedicated to discussing all things Ye, and it currently has more than 700,000 members. After Ye’s interviews on Tim Pool’s podcast and Alex Jones’ Infowars this past week, in which he spoke of loving Hitler and Nazis while complaining of being wronged by Jews, members began flooding the forum with posts about people who fought the Nazis in World War II, information about the victims of the Holocaust and remembrances of those who were murdered in the genocide.

It was a heartening response to Ye’s horrific views, and especially powerful coming from people who consider (or considered) themselves huge fans of the artist.

One example is this post of a photo showing emaciated prisoners of Buchenwald concentration camp with a quote from Ye’s Infowars appearance, in which he said, “I don’t like the word ‘evil’ next to Nazis.”

Another poster shared a photo of three survivors of Auschwitz, the largest Nazi death camp, showing the tattoos of their prison camp numbers on their forearms.

Another shared a photo of the “Book of Names” at Auschwitz-Birkenau, where the names of those murdered in the Holocaust are written.

Dozens of posts shared in the subreddit include photos of Jewish children who had their childhoods destroyed, people who suffered in concentration camps, heroes of the Holocaust who helped saved lives and more. Judging from the posts and comments, there appears to be widespread agreement on the subreddit that Ye’s antisemitism must be condemned in the strongest terms and that people need to know that his statements about the Holocaust are wrong.

“This is officially a Holocaust awareness sub,” wrote one poster who shared an infographic about how many young people are woefully uninformed about that piece of human history.

The transformation of the subreddit is a testament to the power of social media. Though misinformation spreads fast and social media can easily become a cesspool of toxicity, when people use it for good it can be a place where reasonable, righteous voices rise to the top.

It’s certainly sad and frustrating for folks who have felt a connection with Ye’s music to witness him spiraling further and further into bigoted madness. Feeling the need to speak out against someone who has been a positive force in your life isn’t a comfortable spot to be in. But there are views that are unconscionable and messages that simply cannot be tolerated, and Ye’s remarks egregiously cross both of those lines.

Fandom doesn’t mean fanaticism and no reasonable person can possibly defend the antisemitism Ye is pushing. (Heck, some of the most unreasonable people aren’t even trying to defend it.) Whatever his mental health situation may be, attacking Jews and supporting Nazis is wrong and harmful and needs to be named as such.

Simply calling it out isn’t enough, though, when falsehoods flow freely. Sharing accurate education about the Holocaust so that people can gain a deeper understanding of the scale and systemization of the world’s largest genocide is one way to not just call out antisemitism but to battle it with truth. The Holocaust carried out by Hitler and the Nazis is a historical reality no one should remain ignorant of and no one should get a pass for denying, no matter how famous or once beloved they may be.

People love staring at celestial oddities: meteor showers, lunar eclipses, solar eclipses (which you shouldn’t look at). This Wednesday and Thursday, there’s another big event happening in the sky. Not only will there be what’s called a lunar occultation, when the moon appears to block another object for us humans, but a perfect storm of astronomical events will make it even more special.

As per Space.com, on Wednesday, Dec. 7, Mars will appear to move behind Earth’s moon for a full hour. What’s more, Mars will be at opposition, meaning it will be seen directly opposite to the sun. But that’s not all: On November 30, Mars was in perigee, meaning it was at its closest point to Earth. The lunar occultation will happen about a week after that event, which means the Red Planet is still close and bright.

If that wasn’t enough, Wednesday will be the last full moon of 2022. Ergo, lucky observers will be able to see a bright Mars next to a full Cold Moon, making for some very pretty pictures (though you’ll probably need a telescope or binoculars).

How does one watch this? Well, there’s a couple ways. For those who want to behold it with their very own eyes, it will be visible to most of North America, with the exception of the southeastern United States, the northeast coast, and most of Alaska. For those who can see it, Mars will disappear behind the moon around 9:31 pm EST and reappear an hour later.

For those unlucky to live in areas where the lunar occultation is not visible can still see it, in a sense. Both the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles and the McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas at Austin have set up livestreams, which will begin around 9pm EST.

The lunar occultation of Mars isn’t that infrequent; it happens every 26 months. Still, two years and change is a long time not to see something this gorgeous.

Shaquille O’Neal trying to race Kenny Smith to the big board on the TNT set during halftime of NBA games is nothing new. Sometimes, something silly happens during their race, like the time the set was all decorated for the holiday season and Smith decided to shove the big man, which led to him flying into a Christmas tree. It was very funny, because “Shaq gets shoved into a Christmas tree” is a very funny collection of words.

Fast forward to Tuesday night and Smith did it again. The fellas were discussing the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers when Smith spun around to go to the board. Shaq decided to race him, so The Jet laid him out and sent him so far into the tree that his feet were barely sticking out.

The single ornament rolling slowly while Shaq’s huge feet are sticking out and just kinda wiggling around is my favorite part. He was so far in there that Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley had to come over and pull him out, while Shaq was cracking up as he repeatedly said “this means war, Kenny.” It’s hard to know what, exactly, Shaq has up his sleeve, but I am very excited to find out.

Samia‘s sophomore album Honey is set to arrive next month, offering a follow-up to her crashing debut The Baby. So far she’s unveiled the emotional lead single “Kill Her Freak Out,” which saw the singer-songwriter dive headfirst into her chaotic impulses without filter. Now, she’s back with “Pink Balloon” and “Sea Lions.”

“‘Pink Balloon’ is trying to make amends by looking at it from a bird’s eye after everything got too complicated,” she explained in a statement. “‘Sea Lions’ is not zoomed out – stewing in it, too angry to work it out or let it go, finding old voicemails and trying to decide where it went wrong on a loop until you have to run it off, running until you were never angry in the first place.”

Both songs are delicate but cut with precision like a carefully-wielded blade. She opens “Pink Balloon” with the striking lines, “Your mom keeps threatening suicide on holidays / Your sister’s in LA making dinner with fresh produce.” “Sea Lions” doesn’t fail to grab the listener’s attention either, especially when she sings, “You said when I come on the radio it makes you wanna die / Well if I shut up can I come inside?”

Listen to “Pink Balloon” above and “Sea Lions” below.

Honey arrives 1/27/23 via Grand Jury. Pre-order it here.

Midway through the first quarter, Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis exited Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers and headed to the locker room. He will not return, due to flu-like symptoms.

While Davis wasn’t ruled out with a physical injury, per se, he left the game and headed to the locker room immediately after battling with Kevin Love for a rebound. Love was called for a loose ball foul and Davis didn’t return to the floor after the game break. He seemed to land somewhat awkwardly, but it would appear that interaction is not the source of his absence.

Averaging a career-high 28.6 points (65.6 percent true shooting), 12.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals, Davis is enjoying a resurgent season following a pair of injury riddled campaigns. The 29-year-old has been especially dominant over his past nine games, tallying 35.3 points, 15.6 rebounds and 2.9 blocks. His play has helped vault Los Angeles back into the playoff picture at 10-12, including a 7-2 record throughout this particular stretch. He’s been the Lakers’ best player this season and they’ll desperately need him to return to maintain their momentum.

For now, though, defeating the 15-9 Cavaliers and extending their winning streak to four games will come without the former Kentucky Wildcat’s services. Hopefully, he recovers quickly from this ailment.

Donald Trump has a lot of headaches lately, but the latest almost certainly makes him miss the days when people were appalled at his choice of dinner guests or that he wanted the Constitution “terminated.” On Tuesday, a grand jury found two separate Trump Organization companies guilty on all 17 counts of fraud and other crimes of which it had been accused. When news broke, many expected him to angrily throw around some more ketchup. Perhaps he did, but he also put out a statement in which he made a predictable move: He blamed it all on someone else.

That person was Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s former chief financial advisor. Prosecutors had argued that Weisselberg had received fringe benefits over the course of 15 years, all in an attempt to evade paying taxes. He wound up playing ball with authorities, which no doubt enraged Trump, as unceasing loyalty, even in the face of financial and legal ruin, is all he asks of his minions. And so when Trump needed to yet again point a finger away from himself, it landed on Weisselberg.

“Disappointed with the verdict in Manhattan, but will appeal,” Trump wrote in a press release entitled “MANHATTAN WITCH HUNT!” “After looking at millions of pages of documents, over many years, much to the detriment of record setting murder and other forms of violent crime that are taking place in New York City, the Government was able to get an employee to ‘plea’ in order for a very reduced sentence.”

Trump went on:

This case was about Allen Weisselberg committing tax fraud on his personal tax returns, etc., with he and every witness repeatedly testifying that President Trump and the Trump Family knew nothing about his actions, which he admits were done solely for his own benefit, and with no benefit to the two companies.

Why would Corporations, which knew nothing about Weisselberg’s personal tax returns, be prosecuted for that person’s conduct? There was RELIANCE by us on a then highly respected and expensive accounting firm, and law firm, to do this work. The accounting firm also did his personal returns, which we are not even allowed to legally view.

He then dragged the city of his birth, over which he once lorded as a master of real estate and flamboyance — and which has now all but expelled him. “New York City is a hard place to be ‘Trump,’ as businesses and people flee our once Great City!” he wrote. (People aren’t fleeing New York City, despite flailing rightwing attempts to paint it as a Sodom and Gomorrah.)

Trump himself was not indicted in the trial, and he won’t be serving time for it anytime soon. Still, he is very much not in the clear.

(Via Mediaite)

Sparklehorse was a Richmond, Virginia-based band whose brand of indie rock never failed to haunt, what with its idiosyncratic textures and compelling melodies. It was the project of Mark Linkous, who tragically died of suicide in 2010. Today, Sparklehorse’s former label Anti- Records put out “It Will Never Stop,” a never-before-heard track from the late musician.

“It Will Never Stop” was shared thanks to Linkous’s brother Matt, who released a statement: “Great care has been taken to archive and preserve Mark’s music. We are very thankful for Mark and the beauty he brought to this world.” At only a minute and a half, the song captures the special eccentricity of Sparklehorse, soaked in fuzzy reverb with a shockingly buoyant rhythm beneath such sad words. “Oh please don’t go away,” he sings, “Captain blowed me astray / Oh please don’t vaporize into the sun my love.”

After Linkous’s death, his brother started to oversee his estate and archive his recordings, which is where “It Will Never Stop” hails. The year 2019 also saw a posthumous release from Linkous when producer Danger Mouse and rapper MF Doom unveiled “Ninjarous.” Brian Burton, the person behind Danger Mouse, unveiled it on his label, 30th Century Records, in memory of Linkous.

Listen to “It Will Never Stop” above.

Jayson Tatum is enjoying a fantastic start to the 2022-23 NBA season. The 24-year-old forward is averaging 30.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while posting 62.4 percent true shooting, and Tatum is the centerpiece of a Boston Celtics team that sits atop the standings with a 20-5 record. In fact, Tatum is garnering legitimate MVP buzz, and turning his heads with an apparent jump in overall effectiveness.

With that in mind, Charles Barkley began discussing some of the top players in the league on Tuesday’s edition of Inside the NBA. He tried to praise Tatum, but he couldn’t quite find Tatum’s name in real time, apparently mixing him up with a former standout pass rusher for the Miami Dolphins.

Obviously, this is a slip of the tongue more than anything and even Barkley, who has been infamous for the “Who he play for?” segment, knows Tatum’s work. The vigor used by the rest of the panel in correcting him was quite funny, and this exchange also came just hours after MLB insider Jon Heyman referred to Yankees star Aaron Judge as “Arson Judge” on Twitter to the great amusement of all.

This won’t be the last time Barkley makes a mess of a name on TNT’s set, but it was certainly amusing. He was right about Tatum’s recent play, though, which is probably more important.

Few sequels have been as belated as Avatar: The Way of Water. James Cameron’s first trip to Pandora hit theaters 13 years ago, and even though it remains the highest grossing movie ever (not adjusted for inflation), there was worry that audiences would have lost interest in the franchise or that Cameron had lost his mojo. Well, it’s already tracking for a huge opening weekend. And now the first critic reactions are in, and they’re (mostly) glowing.

First up is IndieWire’s David Ehrlich, who wasn’t that surprised to be blown away by the first of probably many Avatar sequels. He tweeted, “imagine being dumb enough to bet against James Cameron. or teen alien Sigourney Weaver. or giant whales subtitled in papyrus.” He added tha tit was “light years better than the first & easily one of the best theatrical experiences in ages.” He even suggested it would save movie theaters: “streaming found dead in a ditch.”

“Yeah never bet against James Cameron,” tweeted Uproxx’s own Mike Ryan. “Trying to spare hyperbole, but I’ve never seen anything like this from a technical, visual standpoint. It’s overwhelming. Maybe too overwhelming. Sometimes I’d miss plot points because I’m staring at a Pandora fish.”

The Atlantic’s David Sims declared that Avatar 2 “absolutely owns bones. I was slapping my seat, hooting, screaming for the Na’vi to take out every last one of those dang sky people.”

“James Cameron once again shows filmmakers how it’s done. I’ve said it a thousand times. Never doubt him,” wrote Josh Horowitz of the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER is how you do epic blockbuster-ing. Emotional, visceral, and as big as movies get.”

“As an Avatar stan, I had high hopes for #AvatarTheWayofWater and for me it totall, y delivers,” wrote Kara Warner, of People, who added that “it’s a little long, but worth it for the gorgeous visuals, wonderful new characters.”

Drew Taylor of The Wrap bragged that he’d seen it twice already and that he was “overwhelmed by both its technical mastery and unexpectedly intimate emotional scope. Yes the world is expanded and sequels teased but the characters are most important. Cameron is in top form, especially in final act. Good to have him back.”

One of Cameron’s fellow filmmakers even tweeted his reaction. “A staggering achievement,” wrote Guillermo del Toro, who also has his own movie — the animated, outside-the-box take on Pinocchio — out this month. He said Way of Water is “chokefull of majestic Vistas and emotions at an epic, epic scale. A master at thepeak [sic] of his powers…”

So far the critical reactions have been glowing, but there are some more measured takes. Critic Scott Mantz praised the “most incredible VFX I have ever seen,” but admitted that the “ story itself is weaker than the first and feels drawn out at 3 hours & 10 minutes.” Still, he found it “always great to look at & the last hour is amazing.”

Christine Newland of the British newspaper i had a more mixed reaction, calling it a “film to be admired more than loved,” saying it had “some remarkable spectacle, some throwback to Titanic set pieces, some really lovely visual flourishes.” Alas, she says it’s “also interminably, ploddingly overlong, and more impressive than truly absorbing.”

Avatar: The Way of Water hits theaters on December 16.