Year: 2024

Early next year, Michigander, the alt-rock project of songwriter Jason Singer, will release his official debut album. It has been a while in the making, given the fact that Singer started this endeavor roughly a decade ago at this point. But Michigander’s full-length debut is nearly here, and early singles like “Emotional” and “Giving Up” indicate something promising.

Throughout 12 tracks, Singer evokes everyone from Manchester Orchestra to Bruce Springsteen, which is shorthand for sweeping choruses, sticky hooks, and reflective lyricism. After spending years cranking out singles and EPs, it’s fulfilling to hear the Kalamazoo native posit his most fully realized vision yet.

Ahead of the album’s release this February, Singer sat down with Uproxx to talk about Foals, Stranger Things, The National, and more in our latest Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Very hard soft rock.

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

Well, if the world is still around, I’d like to maybe have one of my songs in a Stranger Things remake, then I can be like Kate Bush.

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

I think if there was one artist or “band” that inspires me the most and has for so long, it would be The National. I’ve loved that band so much for so long and really admire how they operate and the music and risks they take.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life and what was it?

OK, so this is pretty recent but someone just took me to Uchiko in Austin and I seriously can’t stop thinking about it. I love sushi and that place has ruined all other sushi for me.

Tell us about the best concert you’ve ever attended.

I got to see Jack White a few months ago in Detroit at St Andrew’s Hall. He’s one of my first heroes and that was the first time I got to see him live. It was very special.

What song never fails to make you emotional?

“Heavenly Father” by Bon Iver.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

Quincy Jones quotes

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

I’ve slept in the van at a truck stop in the middle of winter before. It was not fun.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform and what’s the city you hope to perform in for the first time?

I love playing in Chicago. I feel like every time we play there it’s just really great. Sort of feels like a hometown for some reason. But, I’d really love to play somewhere in Japan someday.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Don’t take yourself so seriously and vote for Obama.

What’s one of your hidden talents?

I’m pretty good at Call of Duty and I am not proud of it.

If you had a million dollars to donate to charity, what cause would you support and why?

Great question, I would try to find something that could impact the neighborhoods of Detroit and I’m not talking about downtown or midtown. I’m talking about the places where people actually live, places where people are neglected. I think those neighborhoods need some love.

What are your thoughts about AI and the future of music?

It’s interesting. I’m curious to see how it gets used. If it’s a tool, that’s cool. If it replaces real human artists, then that would suck. But I think there will always be a need and desire for authentic and organic music. People always crave that shit.

You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location where it would be held.

Woof. Alright. We got Oasis, mostly because I wasn’t able to get tickets to their tour. Honestly add Taylor Swift to that list too because I missed the Eras Tour. The White Stripes, Fontaines D.C., and The Fray. Let’s do this festival anywhere within 45 minutes of my house so I can sleep in my own bed.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on social media?

Aldo (@swa9in) on TikTok.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

I have the word “showbiz” on my right arm. I always say “that’s showbiz” when something bad happens.

What is your pre-show ritual?

I do a vocal warm-up and listen to Foals.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

That girl from Spy Kids.

You have a month off and the resources to take a dream vacation. Where are you going and who is coming with you?

Honestly, my dream would be to just stay home for a month and order food and play video games.

What is your biggest fear?

Trump is smart enough to fulfill his campaign promises.

Michigander is out Feb. 7 via Totally Normal Records. Find more information here.

Nonprofit music festival M3F is getting ready to enter its 22nd year in 2025, and now we know more what that’s going to look like: Today (November 13), organizers unveiled details about next year’s event.

Heading to Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix, Arizona on March 7 and 8 are headliners LCD Soundsystem and Justice. Beyond them, the lineup also includes Sylvan Esso, Alvvays, BadBadNotGood, BAYNK, Beach Weather, Braxe + Falcon, Confidence Man, Dev Lemons, Hippie Sabotage, Luna Luna, Mindchatter, Ricky Montgomery, Slow Pulp, Summer Salt, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (DJ Set), and UPSAHL.

As for tickets, those are available now via the festival website. As usual, 100 percent of proceeds from the festival will be donated to charity, and since 2004, they’ve donated a total of $6 million.

A press release notes, “M3F’s mission to drive meaningful change is powered by its fans, who not only attend for a great time with friends but to also contribute to the local community. By combining live music, art, and active community engagement with a strong focus on social impact, M3F stands out as an innovative cause-driven festival with a unique purpose.”

This year, the M3F Fund raised $750,000 in support of a variety of charities, including “contributions of $140,000 to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for music therapy programs and $100,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona for a new 40-home development.”

Mark Zuckerberg had himself a viral moment recently, when he shared a photo of himself in a recording studio with T-Pain, posting it on his Instagram Story with the caption, “It’s happening guys” (as Billboard notes). Jack Harlow has since weighed in with the perfect joke: On his Instagram Story, Harlow shared a photo of Zuckerberg and wrote, “New sh*t otw.”

Some context: While Zuckerberg has previously been described with words like “robotic,” in recent times, he has switched up his personal style, growing his curly hair out and wearing more casual outfits. (Slate went as far as to ask in October, “Is Mark Zuckerberg … Hot?“) Some have pointed out that with his new look, Zuckerberg looks like Harlow, especially after a faked image of Zuckerberg with facial hair went viral in April.

All that is to say that once Zuck crossed over into the music world, Harlow saw his opportunity and pounced.

In other Harlow news, last month, he announced a pair of performances in his home state of Kentucky, alongside the Louisville Orchestra, set for the end of November. Harlow also recently celebrated the release of his first-ever sneaker, the New Balance 1906R “Rose Runner,” which is out now.

The wait for more of Apple TV+’s Silo is almost over, so that viewers can find out what the heck happened to Rebecca Ferguson‘s character after she disappeared over the hilltop.

Nothing like this had ever happened before in Hugh Howey’s book series, so there will be chaos at Juliette’s home base, and the first season finale did not hold back from revealing that many other silos existed. This will lead the show into dueling stories while Tim Robbins freaks out as he struggles to maintain order. As for what Common’s Inexplicable Leather Jacket will be doing? It’s only there to look cool, but of course, the more important question is when the action returns to living rooms and streaming devices.

When Does Silo Season 2 Stream On Apple TV+?

The upcoming ten-episode season debuts on Friday, November 15 (with a typical 12:00am EST release time) with weekly drops through January 17.

Showrunner Graham Yost (Justified, Slow Horses) had his work cut out for him in adapting the second part of Howey’s Silo saga of books, and there’s currently a four-season plan to bring the story to a proper close.

This season will present more mechanical challenges for Juliette as she takes refuge and begins to focus on whether she’ll ever go home. In the process, she will meet Steve Zahn as the Solo character beloved to readers. Back home, Harriet Walter’s Martha Walker will receive so much air time this season, and the supporting cast includes Billy Postlethwaite, Alexandria Riley, Chinaza Uche, Avi Nash, Caitlin Zoz, Remmie Milner, and Clare Perkins.

Get ready for this story to simultaneously level up and level down in a way that only Silo can do.

The San Antonio Spurs have been without the services of legendary head coach Gregg Popovich since the start of November. While the team previously said that Popovich’s absence was due to an illness, on Wednesday afternoon, the Spurs revealed that Popovich suffered what was described as a “mild stroke” ahead of their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 2, 2024.

“The San Antonio Spurs today announced that Head Coach Gregg Popovich has suffered a mild stroke,” the team said in a statement. “The episode occurred on Nov. 2 at the Frost Bank Center. Popovich, who has already started a rehabilitation program, is expected to make a full recovery. At this point, a timeline for his return to the sidelines has not been determined. During this time, the organization is grateful to the extended community for providing privacy and space to the Popovich family.”

Assistant coach Mitch Johnson, who has been part of the Spurs’ famed coaching system since 2016, has filled in for Popovich as he’s been away from the team for the last six games. When asked last week for an update on Popovich, Johnson said that the Hall of Fame coach was “in good spirits,” even though there was no word on when fans could expect to see Popovich back on the sideline.

One of the greatest basketball coaches of all time, the 75-year-old Popovich has been at the helm of the Spurs since 1996. He is a 5-time NBA champion, a 3-time Coach of the Year, and is the NBA’s all-time wins leader among coaches.

Back in 2002, you couldn’t escape Clipse’s breakout hit, “Grindin’.” Its thunderous, unconventional beat blasted out of car stereos and rattled lunch tables at high schools across America. It was, in the truest sense, a phenomenon.

Since then, Pusha T has moved closer to the center of mainstream pop culture, going from slanging street pharmaceuticals to pitching fast food jingles. So, of course, his endeavors have expanded to consumer goods — and his latest brings him full circle. It’s a coffee company, and it’s called, fittingly, Grindin. It’s hitting shelves next year, and is described in its press release as “a strong black coffee reflecting the artist’s taste.”

If you happen to be in LA for Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival this weekend, you can visit Café Tropical from 7 AM to 11:30 AM or find the coffee at the festival. If you hit the actual Café, you can also get your hands on some Grindin apparel, made in collaboration with Carhartt WIP (naturally). According to the press release, Café Tropical’s former owners apparently ran a cocaine smuggling operation through its back rooms, so there’s a clear connection (heh) here with Pusha and his craft.

Pusha isn’t currently billed to perform on the Camp Flog Gnaw stage — but I wouldn’t be shocked if he made a surprise appearance. You can check out the set times here. You can check out the Carhartt/Grindin apparel below.

So much has been said about the upcoming Wicked movie starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Now, finally, we have a couple new looks at their singing in the film: Today (November 13), the movie’s official accounts shared two videos, one of Grande singing “Popular” and one of Erivo taking on “The Wizard And I.”

Grande recently spoke about how she sees acting working into her creative future, saying:

“I am gonna say something so scary. It’s going to scare the absolute sh*t out of my fans and everyone, but I love them and they’ll deal and we’ll be here forever. I’m always going to make music, I’m always going to go on stage, I’m always going to do pop stuff, I pinky-promise. But, I don’t think doing it at the rate I’ve been doing it for the past ten years is where I see the next ten years.

I love acting, I love musical theater. I think reconnecting with this part of myself, who started in musical theater and who loves comedy […] it really does [feed me], in a different way than songwriting and writing about my own pain, because it’s just kind of like constantly re-living that one thing that you wrote the song about.”

The movie is set for release on November 22.

Check out the clips above.

It’s been a rough start to the year for the Toronto Raptors. While they were never expected to compete for a championship this year, injuries to a number of key contributors like Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickly have played a big role in the team going 2-10, which is the worst record in the league at this early juncture.

A bright spot has been the play of Gradey Dick, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft who is shooting 37.3 percent from three and his upped his scoring to 20.1 points per game. He’s a good player whose last name has led to stuff like this happening, and shockingly, it was not until Tuesday night that the Inside the NBA guys had their inevitable meltdown over him.

“This boy’s ballin right here, y’all,” Charles Barkley told the crew.

“I think you pointed that out, Gradey Dick,” Ernie Johnson responded.

“I can’t say his name,” Barkley shot back. “I just can’t say his name. I’m not gonna say his name, I don’t give a damn what y’all say around here.”

It was right around this point that we got one of the consistently funniest things on Inside: Shaq laughing so hard at something insane that Chuck said that he sounds like he’s furiously trying to clear his throat. Anyway, the fellas kept going down this road for a bit longer, because there was never going to be any stopping this riff once it finally happened.

As for how the rest of Dick’s night went, he scored a career-best 32 points with five rebounds and three assists in a 99-85 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

What is Selena Gomez listening to when she’s not palling around with the Martins?

The Emilia Pérez actress told NME that two of her favorite albums of all time are 19 by Adele (“It’s so addicting”) and Channel Orange by Frank Ocean, who, like Gomez, is part of the A24 family. You can watch the video above.

Gomez is also a huge Nirvana fan, as she previously discussed on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “I should have said one of theirs. I was, and still am, obsessed,” she said. “I dyed my hair to be the exact color of Kurt Cobain’s.” Gomez also gave a shout-out to Brett Morgen’s 2015 documentary Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck, which she called one of her “favorite music documentaries,” adding, “I’ve watched it maybe 10 times. It’s very emotional but really impactful. I felt so many things watching it.”

Earlier this year, Gomez told Vanity Fair that she’s not planning on releasing any new music (her most recent album was 2020’s Rare). “I don’t know if I’m ready, you know? It’s a vulnerable space,” she said. “Acting has always been my first love. Music is just a hobby that went out of control. Now it is a part of who I am, so I don’t think I’m going anywhere. I’m just not ready yet.”

Emilia Pérez is streaming now on Netflix.

It’s no secret that Cardi B has… shall we say… taken her time on recording a follow-up to her Grammy-winning, platinum-selling, chart-topping debut album. And no wonder; Invasion Of Privacy has set the bar so high that it’s looking impossible to top, and knowing how vicious Ms. Ma’am’s stans are, anything less would be perceived — at least online — as abject failure.

Still, Cardi’s reticence to take the leap and risk falling off has prompted some creative responses from her own fans, including one that amused her so much, she couldn’t help but share. “POV: it’s 2054 and Cardi B has finally released her sophomore album…” wrote the fan on Twitter, along with a jokey cover for the prospective album. Titled Defamation Of Character, the cover art features a closeup of an aged Cardi, complete with silver hair and a face full of wrinkles, looking like she just lost at Bingo at the retirement home.

Cardi was cool with the post, retweeting it to her fans with her reaction: “Lmaaaooooooooooooooo.” That’s a lot of “o”s.

https://twitter.com/iamcardib/status/1856495887909896383

Cardi’s been promising the album would be coming soon for most of the year, but has yet to share anything resembling her own album cover or a fixed release date as yet (although, Defamation Of Character would be an awesome title in keeping with both the theme of her debut and the last five years of her career online). Her last update was October 18, when she promised that it’s coming “really, really soon” now that she’s no longer pregnant after having her third child.