Month: September 2023

When All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster singer Zach Bryan sold tickets to a tour earlier this year, he used the AXS platform to do so. He’s since announced the The Quittin Time Tour for 2024, and he revealed yesterday (September 5) that tickets would be sold through Ticketmaster. He didn’t seem happy about that fact, though, as he wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Everyone complained about AXS last year. Using all ticketing sites this year. All my homies still do hate Ticketmaster but hard to realize one guy can’t change the whole system. It is intentionally broken and I’ll continue to feel absolutely horrible about the cost of tickets in an unfair market.”

Well, tickets went on sale today, and just as Bryan seemingly feared, fans are facing issues with Ticketmaster, so much so that Bryan and Ticketmaster are both trending topics on X.

Naturally, a lot of users shared similar jokes: One person wrote, “i love zach bryan but these ticket prices aren’t very ‘all my homies hate ticketmaster’ of him,” while another said, “Wtf happened to All My Homies Hating Ticketmaster. This Zach Bryan presale is ROUGH.”

As for the specific problems people are encountering, some are complaining about high prices, while others are having trouble with actually securing tickets due to a lot of traffic on the site.

Zach Bryan is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

This year marks a big one for Death Cab For Cutie. In 2003, the band released their fourth studio album, Transatlanticism, which proved to be a breakthrough album for them. Two decades after the fact, Death Cab has embarked on a special tour commemorating this special album.

The tour kicked off last night (September 5) at The Anthem in Washington DC, where Death Cab performed the album in its entirety (per setlist.fm). Later in the night, Death Cab’s lead vocalist Ben Gibbard performed as his side project, The Postal Service, in a special commemorative concert for the Give Up album, which was also released in 2003.

The tour for both albums will continue throughout the United States into October.

You can see the setlist for Death Cab For Cutie’s set, as well as the remaining tour dates below.

1. “The New Year”
2. “Lightness”
3. “Title And Registration”
4. “Expo ’86”
5. “The Sound Of Settling”
6. “Tiny Vessels”
7. “Transatlaticism”
8. “Passenger Seat”
9. “Death Of An Interior Decorator”
10. “We Looked Like Giants”
11. “A Lack Of Color”

09/08/2023 — Portland, ME @ Cross Insurance Arena
09/09/2023 — Kingston, RI @ The Ryan Center
09/10/2023 — New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl
09/12/2023 — Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall At Fenway
09/13/2023 — Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall At Fenway
09/14/2023 — Washington, DC @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
09/17/2023 — Detroit, MI @ Meadow Brook Amphitheater
09/19/2023 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
09/20/2023 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
09/21/2023 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Mann Center
09/24/2023 — Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory
09/26/2023 — Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom
09/27/2023 — Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom
10/03/2023 — Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre
10/04/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater At Virgin Hotels
10/06/2023 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
10/07/2023 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
10/09/2023 — Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
10/10/2023 — Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
10/11/2023 — Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
10/13/2023 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
10/15/2023 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl

Death Cab For Cutie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Back in April, Universal Music Group issued a takedown notice after an AI-generated song imitating Drake and The Weeknd went viral on YouTube, but that somehow isn’t stopping the song from being considered for a Grammy Award. The song’s creator, an anonymous internet denizen going by “Ghostwriter,” has submitted the song to the Recording Academy, and it sounds like it’ll be taken seriously despite its dubious provenance.

The song, “Heart On My Sleeve,” used approximations of the two performers to sing a mopey breakup ballad supposedly about Selena Gomez (who was previously romantically involved with The Weeknd). It also generated plenty of criticism online from detractors who believed that its popularity undermined the creativity and individuality of the artists invoked. As one Twitter user put it, “The first immediate thing that stands out is that so much of this AI music is going after rap/hip hop and that’s how you can tell the people behind it have contempt for it.”

Apparently, that contempt extends to the Recording Academy (because of course it does). The Academy CEO, Harvey Mason, Jr., told The New York Times, “As far as the creative side, it’s absolutely eligible because it was written by a human.” I’m not so sure that’s the case (one generative AI “writes” Drake songs based on prompts provided by users after scraping existing Drake songs for cues), but Drake himself generally seems to frown on the illegal use of his likeness (or, in this case, his voice) for AI-generated songs, so that would be enough for me to disqualify this thing from contention — but I’m not an Academy member (yet) so, what do I know?

The Academy announced that AI-generated songs would be eligible in June, provided the songs were actually written by people, but despite later clarifications, it’s unclear how exactly the Academy intends to verify authorship.

The top of the 2024 NFL Draft is loaded with talent at premium positions. While there are guys at spots like wide receiver (Marvin Harrison Jr.), offensive tackle (Olu Fashanu, Joe Alt), and edge rusher (Jared Verse, Dallas Turner) who NFL teams would covet, everyone is looking for a quarterback, and in 2024, USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye are leading the pack at the position.

Williams, in particular, is viewed as a potentially franchise-changing talent, as the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner has spent his collegiate career coached by Lincoln Riley and has shown he has the arm, the legs, and the playmaking ability that NFL teams want in a quarterback. But in a recent piece by Sam Schube of GQ, Williams’ father, Carl, made clear that there’s no guarantee that he’ll make the jump to the NFL next year, citing the caliber of teams that usually end up picking No. 1 overall.

“The funky thing about the NFL draft process is, he’d almost be better off not being drafted than being drafted first. The system is completely backwards,” he says. “The way the system is constructed, you go to the worst possible situation. The worst possible team, the worst organization in the league—because of their desire for parity—gets the first pick. So it’s the gift and the curse. I mean, I’ve talked to Archie Manning—his career was shot because he went to a horrible organization. I’ve talked to Lincoln [Riley], and Kyler [Murray] struggled because of where he was drafted. Baker [Mayfield] struggled mightily because of where he was drafted. The organizations matter.” And there’s a break-in-case-of-emergency option that Carl is keeping in mind. “He’s got two shots at the apple,” he says. “So if there’s not a good situation, the truth is, he can come back to school.”

It’s a curious quote, in large part because it’s not like the team drafting No. 1 overall in 2025 projects to be a markedly better situation than the team drafting No. 1 overall in 2024. But the most interesting part comes when he brings up Riley’s analysis of why Murray has struggled in Arizona, as the Cardinals could very well be the team drafting first next year, whether that’s via their own pick or the first-round pick they’ll receive from the Houston Texans. (Additionally, recently-fired Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury is a senior offensive analyst for the Trojans.)

While the team would need to figure out what to do with Murray in that situation — he’s going to miss time this season due to his ongoing recovery from a knee injury, and he’s in the early days of a gigantic contract extension he signed last year — if they have the top pick, it stands to reason that Williams will be the overwhelming favorite to get selected. Now, it is worth mentioning that plenty of sports dads have said things that do not come to fruition over the years, and the most likely option in that scenario is that Williams goes No. 1 overall to the Cardinals. But at the very least, it’s interesting that someone in his circle is opening the door for a return to college in 2024 in an effort to avoid a bad situation in the NFL.

Last night at Washington DC’s The Anthem, The Postal Service made their grand return for their first concert performance since 2013. The reunion tour finds the group celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 2003 album, Give Up.

Given that Ben Gibbard is also part of The Postal Service, the tour is also a joint run with Death Cab For Cutie — giving tribute to their other album from that same year, Transatlanticism.

“I know for a fact I will never have a year again like 2003,” Gibbard previously said. “The Postal Service record came out, Transatlanticism came out. These two records will be on my tombstone, and I’m totally fine with that. I’ve never had a more creatively inspired year.”

For fans who are planning to catch the stacked tour at one of the upcoming stops, as the two bands are set to play in Boston, NYC, and other North American cities, you might be wondering what songs The Postal Service will be playing.

Thankfully, we have you covered. Continue scrolling for their opening night setlist, according to setlist.fm.

1. “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight”
2. “Such Great Heights”
3. “Sleeping In”
4. “Nothing Better”
5. “Recycled Air”
6. “Clark Gable”
7. “We Will Become Silhouettes”
8. “This Place Is A Prison”
9. “Brand New Colony”
10. “Natural Anthem”
11. “Such Great Heights” (Ben & Jenny only, Ben on acoustic guitar)
12. “Enjoy the Silence” (Depeche Mode cover) (with Death Cab For Cutie)

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

In a rare move for Brian Kilmeade, the Fox & Friends host actually took aim at a Republican and dragged Congressman Matt Gaetz over his continued attempts to impeach Joe Biden.

Thanks to a lack of compelling evidence to connect the president to his son Hunter Biden‘s business dealings, Republican efforts to bring articles of impeachment have lost steam, but not without lack of trying. The GOP has doggedly tried to find something, anything, to nail Biden, but they keep coming up short despite demands. However, Gaetz has refused to back down and has even gone so far as to threaten replacing Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House to get the impeachment vote moving.

After co-host Ainsley Earhardt brought up Gaetz’s threat, Kilmeade tore into the Florida congressman. Via Raw Story:

“Who would he put there?” he asked. “[House Majority Leader] Steve Scalise, who’s dealing with blood cancer right now? Is there anybody else?”

“Matt Gaetz is just speaking into the wind,” Kilmeade added dismissively. “Have Matt Gaetz pick up the phone and call some moderate Republicans and see if he can switch to his side. McCarthy would be more than happy to let him do that.”

Earhardt backed up Kilmeade’s remark by noting that the GOP would obviously jump at a chance to impeach Biden if there was actually some evidence.

“Don’t you think that Republicans would be for this if there is more information, if they can get to the bottom, if [Rep. James Comer] can get proof and he can get to the bottom of that, then Republicans would be all for it?” Earhardt said. “But they definitely need that proof in order to start an impeachment.”

(Via Raw Story)

Ahead of their upcoming album, Bad Dream Jaguar, Sun June has shared a double-pack of new singles — “Easy Violence” and “John Prine.”

On the first of the two sings, “Easy Violence,” the Austin-based band‘s lead vocalist Laura Colwell delivers soft-tinged vocals, as she intimately sings about putting demons to rest.

In the song’s accompanying video, Colwell is seen getting into an unrecognizable costume, and then heading to a diner.

“‘Easy Violence’ is about the fears you become attached to and the mistakes you try to outrun,” said the band in a statement. “We’re talking peak White Horse 2013. The song started out as a demo we recorded at home. We liked the ‘voice memos’ feel and we ended up keeping the drum machine, guitars, synths, and the first-take vocals. We fleshed out the rest with the band in Dan Duszynski’s studio. For the video we got our friend Lauren Wilde to turn Laura into a jaguar for a staged photo shoot. It was fun to capture Laura begrudgingly surrender to a marketing campaign. The image of her driving through LA traffic alone with her makeup still on made us laugh — a hangover of self-promotion.”

“John Prine” features Colwell singing as she grasps onto a special feeling, holding on for as long as she can. The video features a young woman boarding a ferry, as the camera positions itself over a brisk sea.

“‘John Prine’ is about appreciating something for the first time after it’s already over, and struggling to let it go,” said Colwell in a statement. “It’s also a shout-out to my father who loves to say, ‘I’m not asleep, I’m just resting my eyes.’ The song was recorded in North Carolina by Alli Rogers and features Justin Morris (Sluice, Fust) on pedal steel. When Dan Duszynski mixed it he morphed the pedal steel into something more haunting and more ghostly (and more sleepy). We wanted the video to capture the feeling of coming down after a long night or a short visit with someone you miss, the kind of daze that’s a mix of longing and appreciation. I am not a morning person, but I really wish I were.”

You can see the videos for “Easy Violence” and “John Prine” above.

Bad Dream Jaguar is out 10/20 via Run For Cover. Find more information here.

What if Martin Scorsese directed a Sons Of Anarchy prequel? That’s the first thing that comes to mind when you watch the freshly dropped trailer for The Bikeriders, an “inspired by true events” saga written and directed by Jeff Nichols (Midnight Special, Loving).

Based off photojournalist Danny Lyon’s iconic black-and-white photo book of the same name from the time he embedded with a motorcycle gang in the 1960s, the film is centered around a young biker played by Elvis star (and Golden Globe winner) Austin Butler. He’s broken free of his impression of The King, but the smolder still plays even while he wrestles with what his beloved club is becoming over the span of a decade. Jodie Comer plays his wife with a thick midwestern accent and a strong desire to keep hold of her man. Pulling on the other side is Tom Hardy as what appears to be a mentor of sorts and the head of the club. We also spied Michael Shannon (who worked with Nichols previously in the tremendous Take Shelter) and, is that you Dewey Crowe (Damon Herriman)?! Sticking with the Justified connect, Boyd Holbrook (who co-starred in Justified: City Primeval) is also on the cast list, as is Norman Reedus, who we can assume brought his own bike.

Slated for a December 1 release date, The Bikeriders looks like Oscar bait in the best way with the promise of its visionary creator, stellar cast, high-stakes drama, and the romantic counter-culture aesthetic of rebellious bikers living outside the law while being consumed by in-fighting and ego. You can glimpse some of that aesthetic and an homage to the original Lyon book with the first still from the film, as well.

Four teams are left standing at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. The quarterfinal round is now over, and while the losing teams will continue playing in an effort to determine seeding, four of the top international squads on the planet are moving on, setting up a pair of high-profile showdowns with a spot in the final on the line.

On one side of the bracket, the United States earned a spot in the semis after an emphatic, 100-63 drubbing of Italy. Their opponent didn’t have quite as comfortable of a road to get there, as a Germany squad with plenty of NBA talent barely hung on against an upstart Latvia team, 81-79, as a Davis Bertans three in the game’s waning moments did not go in.

On the other side, the Nikola Jokic-less Serbia squad that has been led by Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nikola Jovic handled business against Lithuania with an 87-68 blowout, while Canada was able to pull away from Serbia in the second half of the highly-anticipated showdown between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic. The Oklahoma City Thunder star went for 31 points in a 100-89 win.

Both of the semifinal contests will take place on Sept. 8. The Serbians and the Canadians will square off first, with their game tipping off at 4:45 a.m. ET. Once one of those teams secures a spot in the final, the United States and Germany will go head to head at 8:40 a.m. ET. As of now, both games are slated to be broadcast on ESPN+, and will take place at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

As for the four teams that lost and are playing for the 5th-8th place spots, Italy will play Latvia and Lithuania will play Slovenia on Sept. 7. The former will tip off at 4:45 a.m. ET, while the latter will begin at 8:30 a.m. ET, and both will air on ESPN+.

The highly-anticipated The Boys spinoff Gen V has unleashed a new redband trailer that offers the bloodiest dive yet into the new college-based series.

Centered around a cast of young Supes who are just getting a grip on their powers, Gen V will explore the inner-workings of Godolkin University. To the public, the school teaches young heroes to become powerful, seemingly righteous heroes like Homelander and The Seven. Behind closed doors, well, the school is just like Homelander and The Seven.

In this latest Gen V trailer, it becomes very clear that this new crop of Supes are loaded with a terrifying combination of gruesome powers and raging hormones that Vought Industries would very much like to keep under wraps. However, that’s easier said than done when some of the students prove difficult to contain.

Also, there are killer puppets? The show is definitely going to be wild, which is par for the course when Derek Wilson hops aboard. The Future Man star has a brief cameo in the new trailer and is rumored to be playing Tek-Knight, a character from The Boys comic who has yet to make his live-action debut.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Set in the diabolical world of The Boys, Gen V expands the universe to Godolkin University, the prestigious superhero-only college where students train to be the next generation of heroes—preferably with lucrative endorsements. You know what happens when supes go bad, but not all superheroes start out corrupt. Beyond the typical college chaos of finding oneself and partying, these kids are facing explosive situations … literally. As the students vie for popularity and good grades, it’s clear that the stakes are much higher when super powers are involved. When the group of young supes discover that something bigger and sinister is going on at school, they’re put to the test: Will they be the heroes or the villains of their stories?

Gen V drops its first three episodes September 29 on Amazon Prime Video.