Sharon Van Etten is in the midst of a new venture, as she and her band, Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory, are gearing up to release their self-titled debut album. They’ve offered a few tastes of it so far, and now they’ve dropped the final pre-album single, “Trouble.”
Van Etten says of the song:
“’Trouble’ is about the idea of having to coexist with people you love who have opposing views, and not being able to share deep parts of yourself and your narrative based on someone else’s beliefs. It’s about when there’s that big part of you that someone who loves you can’t know because it’s not something they want to hear or are willing to learn about or understand, and those painful realizations when you choose to love and respect someone else’s needs over your own to salvage a relationship.”
The group has also shared a video for the song, which was filmed and directed by Susu Laroche and shot during the album recording sessions at The Church, Eurythmics’s former London studio.
This follow’s the band’s recent announcement of their first tour.
Watch the “Trouble” video above.
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory is out 2/7 via Jagjaguwar. Find more information here.
One of the many young rap artists to have a stellar 2024 was Bossman Dlow, who broke out big early in the year with his runaway viral hit, “Get In With Me.” Its success led to his inclusion in the 2024 <em>XXL Freshman Class, and the momentum that he carried into his second album of the year, Dlow Curry.
Now, he’s announced his first headlining 15-city tour to promote the new project, hitting stops like Atlanta, Boston Las Vegas, Sacramento, and Toronto along the way. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 17 at 10am local time, while artist presales begin Thursday, January 16. You can get tickets and find more info on the tour at LiveNation.com. You can see the tour dates below.
Bossman Dlow Dlow Curry Tour Dates
03/06 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
03/07 — Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
03/08 — Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
03/11 — San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park
03/13 — Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
03/22 — Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin
03/25 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
04/05 — Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
04/07 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia
04/09 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre
04/13 — Boston, MA @ Big Night Live
04/15 — Toronto, ON @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre
04/17 — Minneapolis, MN @ Uptown Theater
04/19 — Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
04/22 — Omaha, NE @ Steelhouse Omaha
Belladonna is something of an avatar for Zora Grey. As the name of Zora’s second album, the titular character embarks on a heroine’s journey in which she processes sexual assault at the hands of her father, the intersections of violence that exist for her as a Black trans woman, and the reclamation of sex as a means of empowerment rather than humiliation. Belladonna is Zora’s alter ego, yet she’s a character as real as the experiences Zora herself has gone through.
Atop squelchy, trunk-rattling Miami bass and glitched-out, heavily processed production, Zora documents a harrowing story rife with autobiographical detail. By the album’s conclusion, though, she comes out stronger. From her fortified raps to her boisterous beats, she emerges from a dark tunnel, radiantly aglow.
Ahead of the album’s release this Friday, Zora sat down with Uproxx to talk about Doechii, Palestinian liberation, seeing a Rico Nasty pop-up show, and more in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Unapologetic, Raw, GirlyPop, and C*nt. (Fabulous, if c*nt isn’t allowed)
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?
Hah! I would like to be remembered as an important historical figure in trans/queer history. I want to be one of the women that broke down doors that we have previously not been able to open, and I want to be remembered for the music I made, and how what I talk about on my songs are things that I’m currently experiencing.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
I would say my mom, first and foremost. She really helped me find that fire inside of me that made me realize that I was a songwriter and singer. I’d be nowhere if it wasn’t for her. My grandma and my mother inspire me to keep going every day.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life and what was it?
Oohhhhhhh it was definitely at home with my wonderful beautiful perfect fiance, Charlie. He makes the most delicious meals; I’ve been trying to get him to open a restaurant lol. I would say my most recent favorite was when he made “Raising Canes” from scratch, sauce, fries, everything. It was magical.
Tell us about the best concert you’ve ever attended.
OOFFFF you know what’s crazy? I’ve only been to like five concerts in my entire life LOL. If I had to pick one that was truly show-stopping, never-seen-before, instant classic… I would have to say this one ice cream pop-up show that Rico Nasty did back in like 2018. She literally just pulled up to DTLA standing on top of the sickest ice cream truck, and just did her big one. It was iconic. I can only hope to be that cool lol.
What song never fails to make you emotional?
OOF! There are a few that fall into this category. First one is for sure “Godspeed” by Frank Ocean. That little guitar starts playing and it’s just instant tears. “The Dumbing Down of Love” by Frou Frou will also always get me badddd. Imogen WRITES! “A New Kind of Love” by her also has that same effect on me. Oof.
What’s the last thing you Googled?
Why are my hands so itchy at night and in the morning?
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
Omg so it’s actually a dream of mine to stay in a weird place during a tour. I hope to tour someday. I bet it’s fun. The weirdest place I played out of state though was at this run-down bar in D.C. The booker was terrible, and the stage was a carved-out, elevated plank. She also marketed it as a business party, so no one came. It was horrible, but character-building!
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform and what’s the city you hope to perform in for the first time?
Minneapolis takes it by far! I have had my most exciting and fun gigs here, specifically at places like The Fillmore and The Varsity Theater. I think what makes it so fun is that everyone here is so nice, so even if I go a little flat, the girls will still give me constructive criticism. Not to say I’m bad live or anything, but everyone here is so nice!! Also, working with other musicians in MN is such a dream; the community here rocks. Los Angeles is a close second, though! That’s my hometown.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Drop out!!!!!!!
Seriously. If I had known that a few months out of college I’d create such a stir in the music world, I would’ve dropped out before I even turned 18. But I wasn’t aware of my sauce yet.
What’s one of your hidden talents?
I can design you a realistic model of your dream rollercoaster in less than a week. I’m also super killer at select video games. (Rocket League, Zelda, Kingdom Hearts are all my favs). I’ve recently been getting really into the Miles Morales game from a few years ago!
If you had a million dollars to donate to charity, what cause would you support and why?
I would immediately donate it to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, as well as a global warming organization. Those are two causes that I am very passionate about. We are seeing the effects of Israel’s bombing of Gaza in real time. And the fires that have been taking over Los Angeles are devastating to me. Why won’t the billionaires care about the world literally burning? Anyways, yeah, that’s what I would donate to, if I ever touched a million.
What are your thoughts about AI and the future of music?
AI SUX! Literally the worst invention ever LOL! We should be creating our own art!! AI to me is such a lifeless invention. It paints the most extravagant and vivid things, only to express entirely nothing through its actual messaging. Like at all. I hate AI.
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location it would be held.
Oh my goodness I’ve thought about this extensively.
First of all the venue would be a home garage. I would call it Tax Day (in honor of my birthday, April 15), and it would consist of the most legendary artists performing in a tiny garage. We’ve all been there. The artists I’d have in order would be:
Me (opens the show, 15 minutes, everyone is like WHERE ARE THE OTHER ACTS?).
Solange comes out. Everyone gasps. They listen intently. She sings for the heavens, twirls, and it’s perfect. Then, Tyler The Creator comes out. He plays “New Magic Wand.” The crowd loses it. He performs his set and it’s awesome. Then, Megan Thee Stallion comes out and it’s lit. Everybody knows the lyrics, too. She brings out some heavy hitters (GloRilla, Flo Milli, Cardi) for their songs.
Then, the craziest thing happens – GENRE SWITCH.
Charli XCX’s “360” starts playing. We hear “Bumpin that!” The crowd literally starts shaking. Charli gives us the brattiest performance of the year and it’s perfect.
And for our closer… who else other than Doechii? Doechii starts us off with “CRAZY.” The crowd moshes. She eats the set UP. She wraps it up with “Persuasive.” SZA comes out. By this point the crowd is just crying in tears.
They do the remix together, and Doechii gives SZA a hug. They exit stage left.
Who’s your favorite person to follow on social media?
I think my best friend Peytie. She’s so funny and cool and I wanna be like her when I grow up. Soooo funny.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
My first tattoo (and currently only, though I’m in talks with the owner of Tattoos to get more) is a beautiful floral piece that was designed by Rabbit, a queer tattooer in Northeast. I got this tattoo actually to cover my battle scars on my arms, which to me, signifies giving up a very dangerous mechanism that I used to partake in to cope with how I was feeling emotionally. To me, my tattoo means that era of my life is gone for good.
What is your pre-show ritual?
If I’m being honest, I’m in the bathroom for a good hour before my show. I have anxious tummy. If I’m not there, I’m probably sitting down somewhere isolated, having a mini panic attack. I don’t know why I still get so nervous. I’ve literally performed in some major places. I think I get nervous about wanting to be perfect all the time. Like what if I mess up?
Who was your first celebrity crush?
Emma Watson. I was 7. I have historically always had crushes on smart people. Nerds are my type. This was my gay awakening, I fear.
You have a month off and the resources to take a dream vacation. Where are you going and who is coming with you?
Ooh fun! Well, I would definitely take my best friend, Peytie, my baby angel, Charlie, and my mom/my fiance’s mom; that way they could have a cute lil vacay, as well. I’m thinking we do a little vacay to Europe, and then maybe stop through the Philippines and Brazil? I wanna go somewhere far away where no one knows me, but also somewhere where the culture is super sickening and pretty. I’m unfortunately the kind of vacationer that is napping in the hotel room for most of it (I’m very sleepy all the time), but I think everyone else would have an amazing time!
What is your biggest fear?
Not being perfect! That applies to many different areas of my life. How I talk to people, thinking people are mad at me, people leaving, etc. All of it ties to me being imperfect in some way, and reaping the consequences of my own actions. But truth be told, no one is perfect, but I guess I got it working?
BELLAdonna is out 1/17 via Get Better Records. Find more information here.
The NBA trade deadline is less than a month away, as teams cannot make trades after 3:00 p.m. ET on Feb. 6. It’s unclear exactly how busy things are going to get this year, in large part thanks to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that teams are still in the early stages of trying to navigate.
Still, the race for a championship is pretty open at this point, as there isn’t one clear-cut team that is head and shoulders above the rest. Some, like the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, look to be in tremendous shape, but there are still plenty of teams that could stand to make changes to maximize their chances of winning a ring in the next year or two. Others just need to throw a hail mary and hope that a trade can get them to a spot where they can compete once the postseason rolls around.
Today, we looked at six trades that we think make sense, and would like to see between now and the deadline — there is no reporting happening here, this is a purely vibes-based endeavor (albeit one that is built around some reporting from other folks). The only rule is that they have to work, and fortunately, Fanspo’s spectacular trade machine lets us know what can and cannot work within the rules of the CBA. Let’s dive in.
New York gets a center
KNICKS GET: Jakob Poeltl RAPTORS GET: Mitchell Robinson, Precious Achiuwa, Washington’s top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick, one of their 2026 second-round picks
The Knicks are a juggernaut on offense and are nowhere near good enough on defense, which is a pretty strange thing to say about a team coached by Tom Thibodeau. The thing that hurts the most: The team’s center depth chart is currently comprised of Karl-Anthony Towns, Jericho Sims, Precious Achiuwa, and Ariel Hukporti. They need someone who can actually defend the rim and let their arsenal of wing defenders fly around with the knowledge that, if they get beat, it’s not an automatic layup. Poeltl can help fix that, as he’s one of the best defensive big men in the league and would give the team the flexibility to play Towns as a four.
Toronto can be a very tricky team to deal with, since it can be really hard to get them to move guys they value, and they clearly love and value Poeltl. But an old friend in Achiuwa, a talented (albeit injury-prone) big man in Robinson, and some draft capital makes sense, as the Raptors aren’t going anywhere any time soon, plus Poeltl is already 29 and can potentially become a free agent after next season. As long as there are no hard feelings from their recent off-court foray into the legal system, this could be a beneficial deal for both teams.
A big part of this is the injuries to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, but once again, Orlando’s offense stinks. Now, they have the second-best defense in the NBA by defensive rating, so they are elite on one side of the floor, but offensive ineptitude has come to define the Magic since essentially the day after they traded Dwight Howard. And yet, Orlando navigated life without their two stars and are holding onto a top-4 seed in the Eastern Conference. They’re really good, and McCollum would give them some much-needed backcourt scoring chops. The best part about this for Orlando is that McCollum’s longstanding issue of never really being a point guard isn’t as big of a problem, because the team runs things through its two stars and Jalen Suggs, while Suggs (and the rest of the team, for that matter) can pick up some of the slack defensively.
New Orleans, meanwhile, would get off of McCollum’s deal and receive a first-round pick this year to add talent to a roster that needs it. Plus maybe changes in scenery would help Caldwell-Pope and Anthony, who have both struggled with their shots this season.
Memphis gets the big wing they’ve needed
GRIZZLIES GET: Cam Johnson NETS GET: Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, a 2026 unprotected first-round pick
Memphis has seemingly been in the market for a big wing forever, but has never quite been able to find one. But with the team sitting in a top-3 seed in the Western Conference and looking like a potential nightmare to deal with come playoff time, what better time than right now to try and load up for a potential run at a title? Johnson would give them size, shooting, and toughness that should all fit right into what the Grizzlies are building — plus he’s in the second year of a four-year deal that is going to age quite well as the salary cap goes up. While it remains to be seen if one first-round pick is enough for him, they can make the salaries work via two guys in Smart and Kennard who have seen their roles decrease this season. Plus, if Smart and Kennard can rehab their trade value a bit in Brooklyn, they could very easily be guys the Nets flip for stuff this offseason or next season.
San Antonio swings for the fences
SPURS GET: De’Aaron Fox KINGS GET: Keldon Johnson, Chris Paul, Atlanta’s 2025 and 2027 first-round picks, San Antonio’s 2026 first-round pick
Sacramento getting scorching hot in the aftermath of firing Mike Brown mucks this up a bit, but if Fox still has long-term questions about being a King, the Spurs are probably the team best positioned to bring him in. San Antonio is better than almost anyone could have expected, and while it might be too lofty of a goal, Victor Wembanyama can absolutely be a first-team All-NBA selection this year. Fox would give him an All-Star running mate, both now and for the future, and is theoretically the kind of ultra dynamic guard who would be a perfect fit alongside him — plus Fox teaming up with Stephon Castle would surely annoy opposing backcourts with their speed and athleticism. Of course, a big part of this would be that the Spurs turn around and give Fox a lucrative contract extension in the not too distant future, which they can do pretty easily.
San Antonio could pull this off without doing too much to their stash of future draft capital, while Johnson gets a fresh start after getting relegated to a bench role and Paul could go help a playoff team, either in Sacramento or as a buyout guy. Ultimately, wanting this at the trade deadline might be a bit too ambitious, so maybe dog ear this one and come back once the offseason rolls around.
Golden State goes for broke
WARRIORS GET: Zach LaVine BULLS GET: Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, Jonathan Kuminga
The Warriors stink, and at some point, the signs that Steph Curry can’t carry them on a night-to-night basis are going to be impossible to ignore — he’s still Steph, so he can still reach some incredible highs, it’s more that asking a soon-to-be 37-year-old to bring his A-game every single night is untenable. A thing that would help push back against that? Get him a running mate who can take some of the scoring load off of his shoulders, and if there’s one thing LaVine is very good at, it’s that. Long derided for his contract and injury history, LaVine is quietly putting together an outstanding season for the Bulls, as he’s averaging 24 points per game on 51.7 percent shooting from the field and 45 percent shooting from three. If anything, he’s gotten to be a bit underrated for how good he can be at his best. Chicago, meanwhile, would get a guy going through a nice bounce back year (and someone who could potentially be traded again this summer if he plays well) in Wiggins, a good veteran in Payton, and a young guy in Kuminga who has his flaws, but is talented and is up for a contract extension.
We’d also be remiss not to mention the Nuggets here, as they were linked to LaVine recently, but things have been going well for them, so we assume they wouldn’t want to rock the boat too much.
There is no universe where this happens but hey, it’d be funny
SIXERS GET: Jimmy Butler LAKERS GET: Paul George, Pelle Larson HEAT GET: Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Max Christie, Jalen Hood-Schifino, a future second-round pick from the Sixers
I’ll be honest: This is only on here because I wanted to see if I could pull off a ridiculous Jimmy Butler trade that is not dependent on Bradley Beal waiving his no-trade clause. I do think this is a funny deal because it simultaneously lets the Sixers move off of the deal they just gave Paul George, which, they would immediately turn around and give Butler a lot of money, so who knows if that’d even be a good idea. George isn’t a terrible fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis — he is certainly a better fit than anyone the Lakers would be giving up here, while they’d get to keep Austin Reaves and Dalton Knecht in this hypothetical deal. As for Miami, they’d get quite the grab bag of players back for Butler, and you can make the case that unless a team like Houston swings in and offers a player like Jabari Smith Jr., getting a bunch of guys back (including two in Christie and Hood-Schifino who they could try to develop) isn’t the worst approach.
Lucy Dacus’ focus the past couple years has been on Boygenius, but now she’s back solo: Today (January 15), she announced a new album, Forever Is A Feeling. She also shared two new songs: “Limerence” and “Ankles,” the latter of which has a new video out now.
Dacus’ Boygenius bandmates Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker contribute to the album, as do Hozier, Blake Mills, Bartees Strange, Madison Cunningham, Collin Pastore, Jake Finch, and Melina Duterte.
Dacus says in a press release of the period during which the album was written, “I got kicked in the head with emotions. Falling in love, falling out of love. […] You have to destroy things in order to create things. And I did destroy a really beautiful life.”
She also notes, “You can’t actually capture forever, but I think we feel forever in moments. I don’t know how much time I’ve spent in forever, but I know I’ve visited.”
Listen to the new songs above and find Dacus’ tour dates below.
Lucy Dacus’ Forever Is A Feeling Album Cover Artwork
Geffen Records
Lucy Dacus’ 2025 Tour Dates: An Evening With Lucy Dacus and Forever Is A Feeling Tour
02/18 — Brooklyn, NY @ St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church
02/20 — Chicago, IL @ The Murphy Auditorium at the Driehaus Museum
02/22 — San Francisco, CA @ Legion of Honor
02/24 — Los Angeles, CA @ Secret Location GBD
04/16 — Philadelphia, PA # @ The Met
04/18 — Washington, DC # @ The Anthem
04/21 — Boston, MA # @ MGM Music Hall
04/23 — New York, NY # @ Radio City Music Hall
04/25 — Toronto, ON # @ Massey Hall
04/29 — Nashville, TN # @ Ryman Auditorium
05/01 — Chicago, IL # @ Chicago Theatre
05/05 — St. Paul, MN # @ Palace Theatre
05/07 — Kansas City, MI # @ Midland
05/09 — Dallas, TX # @ Winspear Opera House
05/10 — Austin, TX # @ Moody Amphitheatre
05/12 — Denver, CO # @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
05/14 — Los Angeles, CA # @ The Greek Theatre
# with Katie Gavin and jasmine.4.t
Forever Is A Feeling is out 3/28 via Geffen Records. Find more information here.
Earlier this week, social media lit up with buzz about the leak of a 20-year-old Eminem diss track against Ja Rule and Suge Knight, “Smack You,” along with a handful of other demos. However, in a response from Eminem’s longtime spokesperson, Interscope Publicity Chief Dennis Dennehy, it sounds like Em is more frustrated by the leaks than enthused by their reception.
In a statement to XXL, Dennehy wrote, “These leaked songs were studio efforts never meant for public consumption… demos, experiments and ideas that are dated and not relevant so many years later. The latest in a line of unfinished material released against artists’ will and without their permission.”
Fans were excited at the prospect of “new” music from the rap veteran, and especially by the prospect of more examples of his battle prowess, since it’s such a big part of his musical legacy. The “Smack You” demo appears to be from around 2003, when Eminem had inherited his protégé 50 Cent’s ongoing feud with fellow Queens native Ja Rule. The track also makes repeated mentions of Death Row founder Suge Knight and his alleged shady dealings (no pun intended) with his former artist Dr. Dre — who was Em’s mentor and primary producer at the time of the feud.
Eminem even goes so far as insinuating that Suge had Tupac killed — a longstanding theory in the hip-hop community — to increase the value of his catalog. “Knowing who did it, but still nobody admits it / But if I get killed for this shit, I know who did it,” he raps.
Dexter Morgan’s homicidal backstory and the crafting of his Code are currently rolling out on the small screen in Showtime’s Dexter: Original Sin. The TV announcement gods also recently announced another prequel spin off (which will revisit John Lithgow’s Trinity Killer), but our subject today is sequel series Dexter: Resurrection, which will maybe (?) give Michael C. Hall’s devoted fans a better ending after two finale clunkers. Those, of course, include Dex’s notorious hurricane survival as well as New Blood‘s “death” scene of him being shot by Harrison in a supposedly fatal manner.
And surprise motherf*cker, Dexter lives. Again. So, let’s talk about what plot shenanigans we might forgive next in Dexter: Resurrection.
Cast
Starting here feels right. Michael C. Hall will return, not simply in voice form as with Original Sin, but in the flesh because, as Hall previously suggested, Iron Lake, NY is awfully cold, which slowed down the bleeding out and kept Dexter alive for a trip to the hospital. There, he flashed back into where his taste for death began (hence the beginning of Original Sin‘s literal origin story), and maybe that prequel will end with him waking up and escaping, paving the way for further vigilantism. So yes, Michael C. Hall, baby.
– Angel Batista (David Zayas) from Dexter (although he is also portrayed in Original Sin by James Martinez);
– Dexter’s son, Harrison ^^^ (Jack Alcott), whose own Dark Passenger has already been established in Dexter: New Blood (maybe Harrison will go on to design safer treadmill models someday?);
– James Remar will be back as Dexter’s (very dead) adoptive father, Harry Morgan. Not that being dead is a barrier to reappearing in this franchise. Remar could appear in flashback form or as a ghost, like Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) did in New Blood.
And as Comic Book recently relayed via Jeff Sneider, rumored new faces for the franchise include Peter Dinklage and Gillian Anderson. How excellent would both of them be as serial killers in need of plucking off by Dexter? Still, I could see Gillian stepping into investigative mode, which would call back to Agent Scully, hopefully with some Easter-egg jokes about Fox Mulder. Neither of those actors have been confirmed by Showtime.
Additionally, we don’t know where Dexter will set up shop in this spin off (surely, it will not be Miami), but no location could prevent him from being haunted by Debra’s ghost. More Jennifer Carpenter, please. Is she confirmed? Not yet.
Plot
Showtime
So we can erase this hot-cold mess ^^^ but will also need to hang tight for firm plot details and hold onto hope that this series could end its tradition of gut-punch finales. Additionally, Showtime revealed that filming began in January with a snowy set photo, meaning that the series might not launch too far away from Iron Lake, NY. Dexter also won’t be able to align himself with law enforcement for this spin off, which will still feel like a sharp contrast to his other incarnations.
Will any of this be believable? Probably not, but that doesn’t matter. The original show’s finale already asked for hefty suspension of disbelief, and the franchise has only leaned into that feeling as new series continue. Hall did previously admit that he actually found the franchise’s new life to be “unbelievable,” but that didn’t stop him from agreeing to keep on killing as Dexter. Also, this has clearly happened due to ongoing streaming popularity, and Netflix has increased Dexter devotees to the point where it’s impossible to ignore the appetite for more:
“I think there’s many different ways this show appeals to people as there are people who watch it. But I think maybe a biding thing is, in a world in which we feel a sense of being out of control people like spending time with a character who’s taking his own, unique control of his little corner of the world. I think we all have our shadow side that we contend with and Dexter’s is obviously a little weightier than most. People enjoy spending time with someone who is doing his best to take responsibility for that side in his sort of outside-the-box way and morally grey way … maybe contending with it in a way that is arguably admirable — even though he’s doing what he’s doing.”
This shouldn’t be too surprising. Look at how ridiculously prosperous Ryan Murphy has been with his Monster series on Netflix.
Release Date
Dexter: Resurrection‘s Summer-ish 2025 arrival will follow Original Sin, hopefully redeem the franchise from New Blood‘s ending, and prepare everybody for the Trinity Killer spin off.
Trailer
We won’t get to see Doakes come back from the grave, but while waiting for a trailer, it’s worth reliving “surprise motherf*cker” and more. What a dynamic.
Travis, in particular, has been trying to get LeBron on the show for some time and they finally found some time to make it work as the trio got together and had some fun on an hour-long pod. During the show, Jason had to get LeBron’s thoughts on a legendary tweet about James from 2015, when someone posted about LeBron turning 30 and how “this f**kery won’t go on much longer.” James, who just turned 40 and is still playing at an extremely high level, and the Kelces laughed a lot about that tweet, with LeBron saying he saw it constantly throughout his 30s and found it hilarious that same guy re-did it on his 40th birthday.
It really is one of the all-time posts and has become, at least for the online NBA fan community, part of LeBron’s legacy as he played for an entire decade after that at an All-NBA level. James jokes at the end that “he’s gonna be really upset when I turn 50”, and it’d be very funny if LeBron just kept playing to spite this one guy — which would be the most Michael Jordan thing he’s ever done.
Connecticut punks Anxious made an instant impression with their debut album, Little Green Houses, one of 2022’s best. Much of the pre-release material for their sophomore effort, Bambi, has been out how they were influenced by the likes of Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Death Cab For Cutie. You can really hear those ambitious reference points in new single “Some Girls.” It’s a thrilling evolution from one of the best punk bands out there today.
Watch the “Some Girls” video above, and check out Anxious’ upcoming tour dates below.
Anxious’ 2025 Tour Dates
02/01 — Boston, MA @ Something in the Way Fest
03/11 — Philadelphia, PA @ Ukie Club *
03/12 — Washington, DC @ Songbyrd *
03/13 — Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall *
03/14 — Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle *
03/15 — Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5 *
03/16 — Nashville, TN @ Drkmttr *
03/18 — Dallas, TX @ Club Dada *
03/19 — Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room *
03/21 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge *
03/22 — San Diego, CA @ Voodoo Room *
03/23 — Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex *
03/25 — San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar
03/28 — Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall *
03/29 — Seattle, WA @ Madam Lou’s *
03/31 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court *
04/02 — Denver, CO @ Globe Hall *
04/05 — Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry *
04/06 — Chicago, IL @ Cobra Lounge *
04/07 — Hamtramck, MI @ Sanctuary Detroit *
04/08 — Lakewood, OH @ Mahall’s *
04/10 — New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *
04/11 — Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair *
* w/ Ultra Q, Stateside
Bambi is out 02/21 via Run For Cover Records. You can find more information here.
I have been in this business for a long time. And in that time I have realized many of my professional dreams. But one dream persists. It’s a modest dream, but it is mine: I want to write the liner notes for the Criterion Collection edition of Ondi Timoner’s 2004 rock documentary Dig!
Alas, it looks like it won’t happen. (I’ll explain why in a moment.) But I love this film. I believe it belongs in the canon — not just rock movies, but cinema in general.
I have thought about this a lot in the past 21 years. Actually, “thought” might be the wrong word. What’s a word for “staring at a TV screen many, many times while under the influence of various chemicals late at night”? Because that sums up my relationship with Dig! It is on my shortlist of stoner/drunken comfort movies, the sort of flick you put on when you should just go to bed already and need a good televisual hang to guide you to slumber.
For those who are unfamiliar: Dig! is a documentary about two bands from the West Coast who peaked — creatively and (sort of) commercially — in the late nineties and early aughts. Both groups work in a retro milieu heavily indebted to psych-tinged sixties rock. The director followed these bands over the course of eight years, documenting their minor triumphs and far more frequent failures. They start out as friends and mutual admirers, but over time a rivalry develops. This is mostly due to one band becoming marginally successful and the other band being fronted by a megalomaniacal lunatic who, among other outrages, believes he can write songs telepathically with the imprisoned Charles Manson.
The first band is The Dandy Warhols, a decent quartet led by a preening diva with excellent cheekbones improbably named Courtney Taylor-Taylor. The other band is The Brian Jonestown Massacre, a combustible unit whose constantly shifting lineup is steered by Anton Newcombe, a natural and absurdly prolific songwriter described by one fan as “the best sixties revivalist since the sixties.” (Was there such a thing as a “sixties revivalist” in the actual 1960s? Please, we have no time for such questions!) Much of the movie is narrated by Taylor and (somewhat) assumes his point of view as a self-described member of “the world’s most well-adjusted band” observing their chaotic and star-crossed contemporaries.
And yet each time I watch Dig! — I think this is true of anyone who watches this movie — I quickly forget about The Dandy Warhols and focus solely on The Brian Jonestown Massacre. The Dandy Warhols seemed to realize in real time that this would happen. (In one of the more infamous scenes, they stage a magazine photo shoot at the epically disheveled BJM band house to make themselves look crazier than they are. It doesn’t work.) This movie ultimately makes Taylor’s band look “better” in the sense of presenting a relatively polished front, and “worse” as far as being cool, entertaining, and/or unintentionally hilarious.
I know this is a cliché but in this case it’s apt: They don’t make bands like The Brian Jonestown Massacre anymore. This is the kind of band that will erupt into an on-stage brawl because one of the three guitar players on stage played a bum note. This is the kind of band where the second most prominent guy is the tambourine player. This is the kind of band that will play for 10 hours in front of 10 people at the Communist Party headquarters in Cleveland. This is the kind of band that will go to L.A. to audition for record labels and blow all their travel money on sitars. This is the kind of band that will proudly snort cocaine in front of a documentary camera. This is the kind of band that parties so hard that Harry Dean Stanton just magically materializes amid the maelstrom.
You get the picture. Dig! checks a lot of boxes for things that I love: rock ‘n’ roll, musical rivalries, comically large sideburns, performative decadence, delusional dreamers, tragicomic buffoonery. But above all Dig! is the most quotable rock doc you will ever see. And almost all those quotes come from Newcombe, who might be a genius and definitely is an asshole. This gives him the unique ability to claim that he is “kicking off a musical revolution” with a straight face. (What Jack Black does ironically Anton Newcombe declares with Klaus Kinski-level maniacal seriousness.)
(A quick digression: Here are the top five best Anton Newcombe quotes from Dig!:
5. “No one’s gonna say ‘fuck you’ to me on MY stage with MY band!”
4. “This song is about love and it’s called, well, ‘Love.’”
3. “The Beatles were for sale, I give it away.”
2. “I never do anything wrong. That’s why I never say I’m sorry.”
1. “You fucking broke my sitar, motherfucker!”)
That last one makes more sense if you have seen the movie.
Anyway, Dig! made me a lifelong fan of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. And I do mean lifelong — I thought their most recent record, 2023’s The Future Is Your Past, was pretty good. And by “pretty good” I mean “it sounds exactly like all of their other albums.” Newcombe is like a chef who can make countless dishes out of the same three ingredients: The Rolling Stones circa 1966, The Velvet Underground circa 1967, and The Cure circa 1982. Though all you really need from this band is Tepid Peppermint Wonderland, a 2004 compilation that coincided with Dig! Given the perpetual spottiness of their studio work, Tepid Peppermint Wonderland must be counted as one of the best “greatest hits” albums of the modern era. With its murderer’s row of endlessly re-playable rock songs, the record improbably (but credibly!) presents Newcombe as the dirtbag Tom Petty of America’s underbelly.
For a while in the aughts, I played drums in a two-piece band that was vaguely inspired by The Brian Jonestown Massacre. We would jam, drink whiskey, smoke weed and watch Dig! I’m sure we were awful. (I was unquestionably a terrible drummer.) But this did not matter. Among the many lessons of Dig! is that dicking around in an incompetent band can be a lot more fun than toiling away in a professional one.
Back to the liner notes: Dig! was recently remastered and refurbished with about 40 minutes of extra footage ahead of a run in select theaters that begins Friday January 17. (Presumably, a Blu-ray release will follow at some point.) So, there will be no Criterion Collection for your boy this time around. (Perhaps I can interest someone at Criterion HQ in a new edition of The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years?)
This new Dig! is called Dig! XX and it runs nearly two and a half hours. What do you get in that additional time? Well, you see more scenes where Anton loses his damn mind (including the Manson bit I mentioned earlier). And you get narration from Joel Gion (a.k.a. “the tambourine player”) who offers retrospective commentary on the events. Interestingly, the point of view of The Dandy Warhols is marginalized and, at times, not-so-gently mocked. For instance, after the scene where Taylor talks about their drummer leaving the band over a money dispute, the drummer is now brought back to fact-check Taylor’s claims and eye roll over his self-obsessed behavior.
How essential is this stuff? Not very. Watching Dig! XX made me appreciate how well-paced the original is. It gives you just the right amount of Anton Newcombe, whereas the “more is more” approach of Dig! XX can makes for a tedious and sluggish watch. Unlike the people in his life, the audience can walk away from Anton after 90 or so minutes. Tacking another hour to the encounter isn’t exactly a positive. (Hopefully the original version is included on the Blu-ray. My DVD copy looks lousy on a flat-screen TV.)
One of the odder revisions is an introduction from none other than Dave Grohl, who calls Dig! the greatest rock documentary ever made. But all his presence does is revive old complaints about how Dave Grohl (and/or Henry Rollins) show up in every rock doc. The audience for Dig! XX presumably already has a high opinion of the film. No offense to Dave but Dig! doesn’t need his validation.
Revisiting this Dig! did, inevitably, make me nostalgic — for my own dirtbag past, of course, but also for the pre-internet era when indie rockers (and everybody else) were less self-conscious and more open about their larger-than-life dreams and ambitions. Anton Newcombe is diluted, and he is silly, and he is a jerk, and he might even be a poseur. But that’s only because he had the space to create his own world, and the freedom from the outside noise that would have cruelly dunked on his grandiose proclamations. He was allowed to be a legend in his own mind, which eventually made him a legend in his time (at least to those of us who love Dig!).
I have interviewed a lot of indie rock musicians over the years, and the vast majority of them (respectfully) are boring. They just have nothing to say. Zero! And that is not their fault. It’s our fault. The online hoards have effectively litigated legitimately colorful cultural characters out of existence. Because we can’t take it when someone says something funny or subversive or controversial or just plain ridiculous. We take their funny quotes and crush their spirits with a million haughty tsk-tsks. And in the end, we suffer the consequences because we resign ourselves to living in a bland, PR-vetted world where nobody talks anymore about kicking off a musical revolution.
Toward the end of Dig! Newcombe takes credit for a revolution he was not directly involved in. “Do you hear the White Stripes on the fucking radio?” he says. “When I started it was Pearl Jam. Obviously the revolution happened. How many people are imitating Pearl Jam right now? Not that many. How many imitators do I have? I played a part in opening that up.” A different kind of film might have disputed that claim. Or offered up some important context, i.e. the much more significant influence of Elephant Six and Sympathy For The Record Industry, the rise of The Strokes, the existence of radio-dominant post-grunge, etc. But Dig! understands that Anton Newcombe exists only in his own context, and therefore this film must as well. In Anton Newcombe’s world, nobody has to apologize, because nobody is ever wrong.
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