Earth, Wind & Fire drummer Fred White has died at 67. Verdine White, his brother and bandmate, shared the news on Instagram on Sunday, January 1. A cause of death has not been publicly revealed at the time of this writing. The band’s official Instagram account also confirmed the news.
Our family is saddened today
With the loss of an amazing and talented family member,
Our beloved brother Frederick Eugene ‘Freddie’ White.
He joins our brothers Maurice, Monte and Ronald in heaven and is now drumming with the angels! Child protégé, member of the EWF ORIGINAL 9, with gold records at the young age of 16 years old! He was brother number 4 in the family lineup.
But more than that at home and beyond he was the wonderful bro that was always entertaining and delightfully mischievous! And we could always count on him to make a seemingly bad situation more light hearted!
He will live in our hearts forever, rest in power beloved Freddie!! We thank you all for your love, blessings and support at this time. Soar high baby bro, we love you to the shining [stars] and back!”There was an outpouring of support in the comments section. Lenny Kravitz wrote, “Sending my love and deepest condolences to you and the family. I was blessed to have been in his presence and blessed to have been influenced by him. A true king. Rest in power.” Questlove, Jimmy Jam, Dule Hill, and Loni Love were among others sending their love.
Brothers Verdine and Maurice White, the latter of whom died in 2016, founded Earth, Wind & Fire in 1970. Fred joined the band in 1974 (as noted by Entertainment Weekly), after having proven his drumming chops outside of the family with the likes of Donny Hathaway. Before leaving the group in the ’80s, White contributed to enduring Earth, Wind & Fire hits “September” and “Shining Star.”
The group was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. In December 2019, Earth, Wind & Fire were recognized by the Kennedy Center Honors. Ahead of the ceremony, Verdine, Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson reflected on their iconic journey to that point with CBS Mornings. Watch the interview below.
K-pop’s chart-topping “monster rookies” NewJeans kicked off the year with their first comeback earlier today (January 2).
Releasing their already hyped-up and highly anticipated single-album OMG, the ADOR quintet drops the music video alongside the lead single of the same name. Compared to their pre-release single “Ditto” (released December 19, 2022) that takes inspiration from Jersey Club, “OMG” is more hip-hop and R&B focused with elements of trap mixed in.
The storyline is said to be connected with “Ditto” as you can see the members dressed in the same uniforms in later scenes of “OMG.” The new single delivers a message of being lovesick and the intense feelings that can cause delusional thoughts about falling in love. (Hence, the music video begins with all five members in a psych ward.) Throughout the music video, we see each member having their own storyline to which how they got to where they are now, but it is up to the viewer on how to interpret the whole visual, and also how it connects to “Ditto.” (See both comment sections for both music videos as Bunnies, their fans, create theories around NewJeans’ concept.)
Already getting praised left and right, and ranking high on Korean music charts, NewJeans’ new single-album release is predicted to be another chart-topper where both “Ditto” and “OMG” will go against each other for the No. 1 spot on weekly music shows. (This has happened with their debut single “Attention” and supporting track “Hype Boy” from their first self-titled EP.)
NewJeans is a group under ADOR (a subsidiary label of HYBE Labels) that debuted last July 2022. The group consists of five members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein.
Keeping track of all the new albums coming out in a given month is a big job, but we’re up for it: Below is a comprehensive list of the major releases you can look forward to in January. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.
Friday, January 6
Anti-Flag — Lies They Tell Out Children (Spinefarm Records)
Iggy Pop — Every Loser (Gold Tooth Records)
Kathleen — Live From Highland Park EP (Warner Records)
Friday, January 13
Banners — I Wish I Was Flawless, I’m Not EP (Nettwerk)
Billy Nomates — CACTI (Invada Records)
Circa Waves — Never Going Under (Lower Third/[PIAS])
Crooks & Nannies — No Fun EP (Grand Jury Music)
feeble little horse — Hayday (Julia’s War Recordings)
James Yorkston, Nina Persson, And The Second Hand Orchestra – The Great White Sea Eagle (Domino)
Joesef — Permanent Damage (AWAL)
Joshua Radin — though the world will tell me so, volume one EP (Nettwerk)
Juni Habel — Carvings (Ba Da Bing)
Leila Moss — Internal Working Model (Bella Union)
Margo Price — Strays (Loma Vista Recordings)
MOLLY — Picturesque (Sonic Cathedral)
Rozi Plain — PRIZE (Memphis Industries)
The Subways — Uncertain Joys (Alcopop! Records)
Velvet Negroni — Bulli (4AD)
Ville Vale — Neon Noir (MG/Spinefarm)
Friday, January 20
abracadabra — shapes & colors (Melodic)
The Bad Ends — The Power And The Glory (New West Records)
Beauty Pill — Blue Period (Ernest Jenning Record Co)
Brainiac — Predator Nominate EP (Touch & Go Records)
The C.I.A.– Surgery Channel (In The Red)
Celestial Wizard — Winds Of The Cosmos (Scarlet Records)
Dave Rowntree — Radio Songs (Cooking Vinyl)
Fran — Leaving (Fire Talk Records)
Glyders — Maria’s Hunt (Redeye)
Guided By Voices — La La Land (GBV Inc Records)
Half Life — Like A Jungle (Club Inferno)
J.T. IV — The Future (Drag City)
Jadu Heart — Derealised (VLF Records)
John Cale — Mercy (Double Six Records)
Kali Malone — Does Spring Hide Its Joy (Ideologic Organ)
Ladytron — City Of Angels (Cooking Vinyl)
Lukas Graham — 4 (The Pink Album) (Warner Records)
Måneskin — Rush! (Epic Records)
The MOSS — Insomnia EP (S-Curve/Hollywood Records)
The Murder Capital — Gigi’s Recovery (Human Season Records)
New Found Glory — Make The Most Of It (Revelation Records)
Oddisee — To What End (Outer Note Label)
Siv Jakobsen — Gardening (The Nordic Mellow)
Spice World — There’s No I In Spice World (Virgin)
We Are Scientists — Lobes (Masterswan Recordings)
Friday, January 27
The Arcs — Electrophonic Chronic (Easy Eye Sound)
Ava Max — Diamonds & Dancefloors (Atlantic Records)
Dhafer Youssef — Streets Of Minarets (Back Beat Edition)
Electric Mob — 2 Make U Cry & Dance (Frontiers Music S.r.l)
Elle King — Come Get Your Wife (Sony Music Nashville)
Fucked Up — One Day (Merge)
H.C. McEntire — Every Acre (Merge)
Half Gringa — Ancestral Home EP (self-released)
Heavy Blanket — Moon Is (Redeye)
Joe Henry — All The Eye Can See (Earmusic)
Jonah Yano — Portrait Of A Dog (Innovative Leisure)
For those people who didn’t get to kickoff 2023 on a “bien cabrón” note, as Bad Bunny sings, he is extending the time window. On New Year’s Day, the Puerto Rican superstar posted on TikTok that he is giving his fans three more years to celebrate the right way.
Bad Bunny predicted good times ahead in his 2021 hit “Yonaguni.” In the moody reggaeton track, he sings, “Pa’ que ante’ que se acabe el año tú me de’ un beso y empezar el 2023 bien cabrón contigo y un blunt.” The lyrics in English translate to: “So that before the year ends you give me a kiss and to start 2023 f*cking good with you and a blunt.” The lyric about starting off 2023 “bien cabrón” went viral on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. It’s a pretty popular caption in people’s posts across social media about ringing in the New Year.
In his first post on TikTok of 2023, Bad Bunny posted a video altering the “Yonaguni” lyric. As he wakes up, he says, “What was it?” Bad Bunny then sings, “And to start 2026 f**king good with you and a blunt.” In the caption of the post, he added, “And there you have it, I give you three more years. Happy 2023.”
This might be only form of new music we get from Bad Bunny this year as he said that he will be taking a break following the blockbuster success of his Un Verano Sin Ti album.
For the first couple years of its existence, HBO Max was arguably the best streamer. They had DC stuff, yes, but that was just the start. They had a deep archive of movies, stretching to the infancy of cinema. They had Studio Ghibli. They had selections from TCM and the Criterion Collection. And they had possibly the most famous Warner Bros. product of them all: Looney Tunes. They still have most of this, but as 2022 came to a close, suddenly half of the latter went AWOL.
As per /Film, HBO Max quietly removed 256 of the 511 “classic” Looney Tunes shorts that had been part of their coffers. The service organized the shorts as “seasons,” with “Season 1” comprised of the earliest shorts, from 1930 to 1936, and everything else sectioned by year. Mere days after Christmas, though, anything after “Season 15” — from 1951 on — was no longer present.
That means some of the most famous Looney Tunes cartoons — Duck Amuck, For Scent-imental Reasons, What’s Opera, Doc?, etc. — were suddenly no longer online. (Many of them still live on the cartoon streamer Boomerang.) There are still plenty of all-timers, including Rabbit of Seville, Long-Haired Hare, and the first Wile E. Coyote-Roadrunner entry, The Fast and the Furry-ous. But those who paid money to have easy access to over three decades of some of the greatest comedic cartoons no longer have that luxury.
The move is another reason to worry about HBO Max, as well as Warner Bros. Discovery in general. Since the company was taken over by David Zaslav, it’s been thrown into turmoil, with shows abruptly cancelled and nearly completed movies sadistically shelved. What is Zaslav’s game plan? That’s unclear, but if it was to make customers unhappy, he seems to be succeeding beyond his wildest imagination.
Who’s at fault for the Midterms’ failed “red wave”? There’s a lot of blame to go around, but many have pointed a finger in the direction of Donald J. Trump. The former president, who has never gotten over losing his re-election, threw his weight behind many candidates, almost all of whom either underperformed or flamed out. Did that cause Trump to do what he’s never done before, namely take a cold, hard look at himself? Of course not. Indeed, some two months later he’s blaming someone else: the people that helped get him elected in the first place.
On New Year’s Day, rather than engage in self-reflection, as many do, Trump took to his rinky-dink Twitter clone to come after the hardcore anti-abortion sect.
I was curious to watch the reaction of hardcore pro-lifers to this. They aren’t happy. He has always been for exceptions, which never thrilled them. But blaming them for the midterms is something else entirely. Desantis quietly sits & lets him continue to make unforced errors. pic.twitter.com/sC8o5nBjR4
“It wasn’t my fault that the Republicans didn’t live up to expectations in the MidTerms. I was 233-20! It was the ‘abortion issue,’ poorly handled by many Republicans, especially those that firmly insisted on No Exceptions, even in the case of Rape, Incest, or Life of the Mother, that lost large numbers of Voters,” Trump wrote. “Also, the people that pushed so hard, for decades, against abortion, got their wish from the U.S. Supreme Court, & just plain disappeared, not to be seen again.”
Trump and the anti-abortion crowd have always had an awkward relationship. Fully aware of the big guy’s checkered personal life, they supported him anyway, knowing he’d help end safe and legal abortions. Trump gladly took their help. But as 2023 began, the détente is clearly over.
Later this month, Mexican pop group RBD will be reuniting minus one member: Alfonso “Poncho” Herrera. In an interview on Friday (December 30), the Ozark star shared his reaction to the RBD’s reunion and why he won’t be joining his five ex-bandmates.
Last month, RBD broke the Latinx internet with the band’s announcement of its 2023 reunion. Anahí, Dulce María, Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann, and Maite Perroni will reunite in the group that blew up from the Mexican telenovela Rebelde. Herrera is the only member who opted not to return for the reunion.
Herrera also skipped out on RBD’s brief 2020 reunion that included Anahí, Chávez, von Uckermann, and Perroni. Since leaving RBD in 2009, he has focused full-time on his acting career in the Mexico and the US. Herrera has starred in shows like Netflix’s Sense8, Fox’s short-lived The Exorcist, Queen Of The South, and most recently Ozark. While walking through an airport, Herrera was asked about why he decided not to return to RBD.
“Because I’m going to be working, friends,” Herrera said in Spanish. “The only thing I can say is that it’s going to be a very successful project and I wish them all the success in the world.”
Herrera also mentioned that he hasn’t forgotten the kickstart that RBD gave his career. “I am happy to have been part of such a successful project,” he added. “I am grateful and I will continue to be grateful. I am simply happy for the projects I have right now and I believe that one thing does not conflict with the other, because in the end my past made me who I am right now, at this moment.”
Though RBD hasn’t said if a reunion tour will happen yet, Herrera seemingly confirmed the news during the interview. “The fans are going to be enjoy this concert that I suppose will be visiting all of Latin America,” he said. RBD’s reunion without Herrera will be taking place on January 19. Fans can sign up at soyrebelde.world for more information.
Logic’s Instagram account has been very active over the last few days, including an announcement that he’s expecting his second child and giving $100 to winners of impromptu rock, paper, scissors games he hosted on the street. Sandwiched between that is a video of Wilson producing beats in Logic’s home studio.
“Look who stopped by to cook some beets,” Logic captioned the video. In the video, Logic says, “My man is making beats, and he’s really snappin’.” The Office fans will immediately understand the play on words.
Also over the weekend, Wilson shared on his own Instagram that he finished editing his book, Soul Boom: Why We Need A Spiritual Revolution, which is due on April 25, 2023 via Hachette Go.
“I hit quite a milestone. I have finished going through my galley proofs and correcting them. It’s an exacting process. With a fine-tooth comb. Pouring through the old PDF, looking for any tweaks and last-minute changes you want to make. There’s the book,” Wilson said in the Instagram video. “I’ve been working on this thing for about three and a half years. Kind of my big COVID project. Comes out in April and sparks what I hope will be a much-needed conversation about reinventing — reimagining — spirituality in our personal lives and in our society itself.”
At the launch of a new year so much is made about getting back into the gym. But truly getting a truly fresh start begins in the bedroom — where we recover from the stresses of the day, both physical and mental. If you have issues falling asleep you are not alone. Studies show that nearly 30 percent of the population struggles with some sort of insomnia.
For those just starting the process of creating a better resting environment, much can be achieved with a few slight adjustments — all you need is a couple of new practices and some dedication. Luckily there are a lot of companies doing solid work in the world of sleep health, and where most modern technology seems designed to steal our focus or energy, there are innovations that can help reclaim it.
Below, we have a list of great gear for anyone looking to level up their sleep fitness. As always, everything you see featured has been road-tested by the crew here at Uproxx and given our stamp of approval. Enjoy!
PRIVE REVAUX BLUE LIGHT BLOCKING GLASSES
Courtesy
Price: $30
The Company Line:
Our blue-light-blocking lenses protect your eyes from harmful blue light and UV rays emitted from screens, digital devices, artificial lights, and the sun. Unlike many blue-light lenses that look yellow, ours are virtually transparent, giving you all the protection you need with a crystal-clear view. These squared lens eyeglasses have an extra-lightweight construction for comfortable all-day use. A must-have for every screen lover.
How It Helps:
These days, it’s rare to go an hour without staring at some sort of screen for work or for fun, and often our tech dependency runs late into the night. Staying fully off of the tech — even before bad — is rarely an option, but what we can do is protect our eyes from blue light in the evening hours, when it can disrupt our natural circadian rhythm.
The inventory from Prive Revaux is also pretty stylish, so you can look good on your late-night Zooms while saving your sleep.
No more blanket hogging or thermostat squabbles within the household. Each side of the Eight Sleep pods and covers can cool or heat between 55 degrees and 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The pads detect when each person falls asleep, automatically adjusts temperature through the night, and turns on and off based on your individual schedules. The functions of the item are built to support the flow of each sleep cycle and maximize your recovery.
How It Helps:
For everyone who has struggled with finding a comfortable temperature in bed, and has had their seen sleep affected, this is the answer. The price tag is significant, but when you factor in how significantly your life could be positively affected, the number makes sense. The first product Eight Sleep released was a mattress, but this new cover is a way to upgrade your current setup with their breakthrough cooling and warming technology. Everything is controlled with an app on your phone, making it easy to better control your sleeping environment and collect sleep data without a wearable.
Enhance your mood and enjoy invigorating natural fragrances with the AmazonBasics Ultrasonic Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser. This easy-to-operate device is perfect for placing in a bedroom or common space to gently distribute diffused scent throughout the day or night. Featuring a rounded, modern design, the oil diffuser fits in beautifully with existing decor. To use, simply fill the water tray and add a few drops of essential oil to relax, energize, or uplift your senses.
How It Helps
Studies have shown scientific proof that scent can promote a better sleep and create a more relaxing environment, especially scents like lavender and chamomile. The molecules from the liquid placed into the diffuser are pumped into the air, inhaled, and then enter the bloodstream naturally. The subjects in those studies saw activation in the alpha brain waves that improve relaxation and found sleep more suddenly.
Know your indoor air quality in real-time, and always make it sure it’s easy to breathe fresh air. The Welov purifiers for home track indoor air quality and automatically adjust fan speed to consistently maintain clean air. Brightly-colored LED and the data display let you know how clean or dirty your indoor air is every minute of the day. The purifiers your bedroom operate as low as 23 dB in sleep mode, so you will never be bothered by annoying noises.
How It Helps:
There is no way to create a truly healthy sleeping environment without addressing the air that surrounds us during those resting hours. Knowledge is power when it comes to wellness, and the display on the unit showcases the numbers you need to know about the room you lay your head down in. The purifier uses medical-grade HEPA filters which help eliminate any harmful particles like pollen, dust, smoke, and pet dander. They took the light sleeper into consideration, with machine noise kept to a minimum, allowing for a peaceful and purified sleep. Great for nurseries too.
Sleepbuds, not headphones: Designed for sleep. Sleepbuds may look like tiny headphones, but they don’t stream music or podcasts, instead they deliver relaxing and noise-masking sounds to help you fall asleep and stay asleep all night. Bose sleep technology is clinically proven to help you fall asleep faster. They use innovative noise-masking technology – not noise-canceling. Bose-engineered masking sounds combine with the noise-blocking design of the buds to cover unwanted nighttime disturbances
Why It Works:
How many times have you jostled out of sleep because of noise from outside of your home or apartment? Or perhaps you share the bed with a partner who snores a little bit. Instead of moving to a different room, or having to play some sort of audio to drown out the sound, these Sleepbuds come in clutch to protect your quiet. Their proprietary ear tips are made of soft silicone for a snug fit. The fact that they don’t stream music or entertainment prevents the temptation to distract rather than rest. They can play stream content from the Bose Sleep app, which can access a library of 50 curated sounds to calm your racing mind.
Our proprietary moldable silicone material is gentle on your ears and conforms to any ear shape, perfect for swimming, working, and sleeping in. Fantastic noise cancelling and noise reduction capabilities. The moldable silicone earplugs are 50 percent larger than many competing brands to provide more material per earplug to get the best fit. Have smaller ear canals? No worries! Eargasm Squishies can easily be broken apart into small pieces to find the best fit possible.
How It Helps:
Creating a quiet space for sleep is absolutely critical to a worthwhile recovery from the day. For those who might not want to spend the money on big-name brands and more advantaged technology, this low-tech solution is a great option. Their noise reduction rating comes in at 22 dB, which makes them fantastic for reducing any unwanted noise. They also make for great travel companions, so you can create a quiet environment whether you are on a plane or in a noisy hotel.
Whoop tracks all 4 sleep stages with precise accuracy: slow wave sleep (SWS), REM, light, and awake. Each stage serves a different function of your recovery. Sleep is one of the most important things you can do to improve recovery, boost the immune system, and make fitness gains. WHOOP recommends hours of sleep needed for optimal recovery and tracks sleep stages, disturbances, respiratory rate, and more.
How It Helps:
There are a lot of great fitness trackers on the market, but for those looking for something less imposing, this is a great option. Just a few wears of the Whoop at night will provide you with a great number of insights, helping you to better shape your routines and schedule. The piece doesn’t just tell you how much sleep you got, but it details your respiratory rate, efficiency, and any undisturbed rest. Being a fitness tracker, it also will help you take that data to best strategize your workouts.
This is the newly upgrade model of the JALL sunrise simulation wake up light. This sleep aid digital alarm clock is designed for everyone, especially for heavy sleepers and kids. Sunrise simulation light will first start gradually from ten percent brightness to one hundred percent brightness before the alarm goes off. The engineers utilized the latest digital control technology to achieve precise control of each RGB pixel level luminous point, with the light being bright and soft.
How It Helps:
The end of our sleeping period and the very beginning of our waking hours is a profoundly important part of our day. For those looking for a better way to start their morning than a jarring alarm, this sunrise clock is specially designed to create a calming and gradual waking period. This begins with recreating the natural world outside, mimicking the rising sun in the sky by slowly brightening up your room when it is time to get up.
At the end of 2022, Foo Fighters shared a message that appears to indicate they plan to continue as a band after the death of Taylor Hawkins, writing, “Without Taylor, we never would have become the band that we were — and without Taylor, we know that we’re going to be a very different band going forward.”
Naturally, this has led fans to wonder: Who is going to be the next Foo Fighters drummer?
After the band’s message, some fans discussed this in a thread on Reddit’s r/foofighters subreddit. The drummer who seems was mentioned most in the responses was Josh Freese, who one commenter called “the ultimate rock session drummer.” Indeed, he has a ton of experience: Freese is currently a member of Devo and The Vandals, and he previously had stints performing with Guns N’ Roses, A Perfect Circle, Puddle Of Mudd, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, Sublime With Rome, Paramore, and Sting, among many others. He also played with Foo Fighters for both of the Hawkins tribute concerts.
Some others suggested Rufus Taylor, who also performed at the tribute shows. He’s the son of Queen’s Roger Taylor who is currently a member of The Darkness and also plays drums at Queen + Adam Lambert concerts. One commenter wrote, “There were lots of great drummers at both tribute gigs but Rufus stood out as a natural successor even with those other great drummers there. Omar [Hakim] and Josh Freese were great too but Rufus is so closely connected to the band and Taylor already, he’s like part of the Foos family.”
Another user wrote, “I don’t really believe this will happen, but just for the sake of throwing it out there. Dave goes Phil Collins style and sings while drumming on tour, leaving Chris and Pat to handle all guitars.” Others thought a rotating cast of drummers could work. Whether or not those ideas come to be, others theorized that Grohl could record drums on Foo Fighters albums himself while the band gets another drummer to perform on tour with them.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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(@RonFilipkowski) 
