Category: News

This past August, indie folk singer-songwriter Cass McCombs released his wonderful tenth album, Heartmind. The melancholy and witty album features appearances from Danielle Haim, Wynonna Judd, and Charlie Burnham, with production from Ariel Rechtshaid, Buddy Ross, and Shahzad Ismaily. Songs like “Unproud Warrior” and “We Belong To Heaven,” quickly slot among McCombs’ best and highlight an understated, but nonetheless excellent 2022 indie release.

Now McCombs is taking the album on tour in 2023 and announced extended tour dates that will take him to both sides of the U.S. Along with already announced East Coast dates that begin in January, a full West Coast swing will now begin in February and extends McCombs’ tour into March.

Check out Cass McCombs’ complete 2023 tour dates below and get tickets here.

01/13/2023 — Amherst, MA @ The Drake
01/14/2023 — Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre
01/15/2023 — Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
01/17/2023 — Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi
01/18/2023 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
01/20/2023 — Toronto, ON @ Great Hall
01/21/2023 — Pittsburgh, PA @ The Andy Warhol Museum
01/22/2023 — Charleston, WV @ Mountain Stage
01/24/2023 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
01/25/2023 — Ardmore, PA @ Ardmore Music Hall
01/26/2023 — New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
02/18/2023 — San Luis Obispo, CA @ SLO Brew
02/19/2023 — Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s
02/21/2023 — Felton, CA @ Felton Music Hall
02/23/2023 — San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
02/25/2023 — Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
02/26/2023 — Seattle, WA @ Neumos
02/28/2023 — Sonoma, CA @ Sebastiani Theatre
03/01/2023 — Ojai, CA @ Deer Lodge
03/02/2023 — Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s
03/03/2023 — Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
03/04/2023 — San Diego, CA @ TBA

Henry Cavill is done with portraying Geralt of Rivia after The Witcher Season 3 rolls out. That should happen in mid-2023, and in the meantime, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich is promoting The Witcher: Blood Origin prequel series, which she is executive producing. And naturally, Lauren is fielding questions on exactly why Henry Cavill left. Speculation abounds, considering that he seemingly departed (and he’ll be replaced by Liam Hemsworth) for more Superman adventures, but that won’t happen now, given that James Gunn decided to run with a younger Clark Kent story.

Cavill did make it clear that “[m]y turn to wear the cape has passed,” meaning that his DCU/DCEU door has been shut, and The Witcher fans instantly lit up with fleeting hope, but Cavill is moving onto other geeky pastures. He will appear in and help craft Amazon’s adaptation of the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop RPG universe. So he’ll still be able to nerd out in the way that he loves most, but there’s the lingering mystery of why Cavill was done with The Witcher in the first place. Did he feel that all of the grunts and f*cks weren’t true to the spirit of the source material?

We may never know the answer to that question, but Lauren Schmidt Hissrich is now (somewhat surprisingly) suggesting that there’s more to the departure story. She won’t reveal everything, but here’s what happened when NME let a question fly:

“We’re going to try and talk about that next year,” comes the firm reply, not from Hissrich, but a strategically placed publicist sitting in on the call. They seem to have expected the question.

“That’s exactly what I was going to say!” chips in Hissrich. “I do have a lot to say and I think that there’s a lot of, you know… we’ll obviously never get into exactly why Henry left, all of the reasons, but I can say it’s been a mutually respectful relationship… So please, please, please come back in six months when we can talk.”

Cue the intrigue. This tidbit should only spark more speculation, and hopefully, we will hear more details. In the meantime, we can still look forward to Cavill’s Geralt in Season 3, and while he’s not in Blood Origin, the franchise found a way to include Joey Batey’s Jaskier as a link to the present. Hopefully, he’ll have another banger for us, too.

(Via NME)

Sometimes, you think you’re having a bad day and then something happens and it turns out, your bad luck was just getting started. That’s what apparently happened to Babyface Ray, according to TMZ. The Michigan rapper’s brand-new BMW reportedly broke down, blocking the road and prompting police to investigate. After they ran the rapper’s license, however, instead of providing assistance, they arrested him. Apparently, he had several outstanding warrants for various misdemeanors, including missing a child custody court appearance, improper possession of a weapon, and ironically, driving with a suspended license. He was booked into Oakland County Jail.

As for the busted Beemer, Ray gave his girlfriend permission to have it towed. Fortunately, it’s still under warranty; apparently, he’d just driven it off the lot.

It’s not all bad news, though. Ray is fresh off the release of his new album Mob — his second release of the year — and his debut television performance on The Tonight Show. The album contained the single “Spend It” and capitalized on a year in which Ray was selected as one of XXL magazine’s Freshman Class of 2022. He opened the year with the release of his album Face, and racked up an impressive collection of featured credits on projects from Future, Maxo Kream, and Nav. By this time next year, it’s possible he’ll be looking back on this arrest as just another bump in the road to superstardom.

Ogi is the newcomer you must keep your eyes peeled for. The Nigerian R&B singer from Madison, Wisconsin made a name for herself posting covers of songs on Instagram while a senior at Northwestern University. In 2021, one particular cover, PJ Morton’s “Alright,” caught the attention of Morton who reposted the song and consequently, legendary producer No. I.D. signed Ogi to his label ARTium.

But Ogi is more than covers — her sound is unique, featuring neo-soul stylings and Naija-influenced wordplay. Today, after relocating to Los Angeles she graces the bathroom set to perform her breakout single “I Got It” from her debut EP, Monologues. The jazzy record with choir-infused vocals is vulnerable yet filled with conviction. The singer confidently reminds her listeners not to let anyone “swallow [her] shine,” or more importantly “cross the line.”

Watch Ogi perform “I Got It” for UPROXX Sessions above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

Argentina’s players and coaches returned home after winning the World Cup and got an unsurprisingly overwhelming reception from their fans. The squad made their way onto a bus and went through the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires, which led to fans packing into the streets to see the first group of players to bring the World Cup to their country since 1986.

At a certain point, things got so chaotic that the plug had to be pulled on the bus tour altogether, with the players moving from a bus to a helicopter.

Here’s a glimpse into just how nuts things got on their tour. At one point, the players tried to go underneath an overpass that was packed with people. A few supporters thought it’d be a good idea to try and jump on the bus, only for one person to miss completely and hit the deck.

As for Argentina’s players, they were pretty fired up about the whole thing, too. Here’s a glimpse of the scene on the bus, which included Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez holding a doll that had France star Kylian Mbappe’s face on it.

Between all of this and Lionel Messi having the most popular post in the history of Instagram, it’s been a pretty big couple of days in the world of Argentinian football.

As the music industry starts to wind down for the year every December, there’s nothing to keep a shred of momentum going like making sense of the best music we heard this year. But artists tend to be far more diplomatic with sharing their faves than say… a media outlet. While Uproxx’s Best Songs of 2022 list gives you a comprehensive snapshot of the year’s best cuts, when someone like Jay-Z or Tyler The Creator lays out what songs really resonated with them over the course of the year, it gives you an opportunity to gauge what the people you’re listening to are listening to. And that’s cool. But while Jay-Z’s selections of best songs of the year were a pretty safe choice of hip-hop #hits, Tyler The Creator digs a little bit deeper with his faves and ventures outside of hip-hop for many of them.

For starters, the first song on Tyler’s list (which he tweeted out) came out in 2020: “In Mind” by the Sweet Enoughs, a chilled-out side project from members of Hiatus Kaiyote. But Tyler’s list definitely leads into well-known hits from the 2022 hip=hop spectrum too, like Pusha T’s “Neck & Wrist” featuring Jay-Z and Pharrell Williams, Steve Lacy’s “Buttons,” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Worldwide Steppers” and “Savior.” And he also keeps digging into deeper releases, like “Around The House,” from the new posthumous album by ’70s multi-instrumentalist Charles Stepney and “Pour Le Moment” by tropically-minded Detroit producer Sol Set.

But shortly after Tyler blasted out his picks, a user asked him if he was forgetting about Omar Apollo’s “Tamagotchi.” Tyler emphatically corrected himself and included Apollo’s sexy cut. “DAWG I KNEW IT WAS A SONG I FORGOT WHEN I MADE THIS MENTAL LIST. THE BRIDGE ON THAT IS 10,” he tweeted.

Have you been thinking about reducing your alcohol consumption? If so, you’re not alone. These days more and more people are trying to reevaluate why they drink, and the myriad ways alcohol affects their lives. And, not surprisingly, more and more people are deciding to cut back on booze all over the world.

Of course, not that long ago, anybody who wanted to cut back on alcohol basically had to give up on beer, wine, and cocktails altogether because there weren’t a lot of non-alcoholic options worth drinking. But that is not the case anymore. Today there are a ton of outstanding alcohol-free wines, beers, and spirits that make it easy to cut back on alcohol without cutting back on life’s simple pleasures. There are entire stores dedicated to the art of dry mixology.

One such store is Boisson. And if you’re looking for the perfect gift for a “sober curious” cocktail lover—whether it’s a friend or just yourself—then you need to check out Boisson’s New Homeowner Non-Alcoholic “Stock The Bar” Bundle.

Boisson was founded in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic when many people started reevaluating their relationship with alcohol. A couple of Brooklyn-based cocktail lovers started experimenting with non-alcoholic spirits and mixers. And after discovering all sorts of unique products, they decided to open their own brick-and-mortar retail location to make these non-alcoholic spirits and mixers more widely successful.

Say Hello To BoissonGiven the popularity of the so-called “sober curious movement” over the last few years, Boisson took off almost immediately. There are now nine retail locations in major cities like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. More importantly, there’s also an online store that offers nationwide shipping.

If you love crafting your own cocktails but want to cut back on the buzz for whatever reason, Boisson has everything you need. And there’s probably no better way to get started on your dry mixology journey than with the New Homeowner Non-Alcoholic “Stock The Bar” Bundle.

All The Cocktails, None Of The Headaches

As the name suggests, the New Homeowner Non-Alcoholic “Stock The Bar” Bundle is the perfect starter pack for amateur (or professional) mixologists looking to reduce their consumption of alcohol. With just one click, you get a curated assortment of award-winning alcohol-free spirits delivered right to your door.

The New Homeowner Non-Alcoholic “Stock The Bar” Bundle from Boisson comes with:

• GinISH, an award-winning non-alcoholic gin made from natural botanicals, coriander seeds, and a special distillate from chili seed shells, for a classic gin taste bursting with notes of juniper berries and citrus
• Ritual Tequila Alternative, a grassy and smokey non-alcoholic tequila specifically designed for margaritas, with notes of blue agave, lime, sea salt, and tropical guava, with a smoky mesquite finish.
• Spirit of Bourbon, an alcohol-free bourbon designed explicitly for classic bourbon cocktails, with a smooth oaky taste and even some of the bite you expect from a traditional Kentucky bourbon
• Monday Mezcal, a complex non-alcoholic reposado designed for classic cocktails, with a nose that opens with florals, fruit, and agave nectar before giving way to campfire smoke and pepper, and eventually finishing with citrus, apple, and a little heat
• RumISH, a premium non-alcoholic rum with notes of rich caramel, vanilla, and nutmeg, made from natural botanicals like Madagascar vanilla, nutmeg, and baked apple
• All the Bitter, an earthy and aromatic alcohol-free bitter with layers warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove on top of a sharp base of gentian root and ginger, perfect for balancing classic cocktails like Old Fashioned and Manhattans

Alcohol can be enjoyable. But it is also the source of a lot of problems. And we now know that consuming more than one alcoholic beverage per day can lead to various health and wellness problems, including difficulty sleeping, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, depression, and an increased risk of cancer, liver disease, and alcoholism.

If you or someone you love is trying to be more mindful about the role booze plays in your life, the New Homeowner Non-Alcoholic “Stock The Bar” Bundle from Boisson is the perfect way to explore new possibilities without sacrificing fun. Click here to order yours today

Mess with the “Rap Devil,” be prepared to feel its horns. Indie rocker Machine Gun Kelly is attempting to stick it to Fox Media in a new trademark lawsuit filed by his attorney. The “Emo Girl” musician has seen his fair share of musical beef, including a brief online spat with iconic metal band Slipknot, but his latest squabble is quietly being fought in the courtroom.

In documents obtained by Billboard, attorneys representing Machine Gun Kelly have attempted to block the television network’s trademark application for the term “diablo.” Although the term is considered extremely common, Kelly’s representative claim the network’s planned use of the term was “confusingly similar in overall commercial impression” to the musician’s album title.

The album in question, Hotel Diablo, was released in July 2019. The musician seemingly retaliated after the network squashed Kelly’s application seeking to register the album’s title late in 2020. In June 2020, the network filed its initial application for the trademark.

While Fox Media wishes to use its trademark to protect the name of a character in its series, HouseBroken, Kelly desires to release merchandise with the term.

HouseBroken, now in its second season, is slowly beginning to catch steam which Fox Media wants to capitalize on by selling a wide range of goods “in connection with an animated, dog-like character,” voiced by actor Tony Hale.

Beginning on Tuesday, December 13, the federal trademark office began hearing agreements on the matter. Kelly’s lawyers are claiming “priority of use,” as their application was filed six months before Fox News. Kelly’s defense for the case states, “Because of the similarity between the ‘DIABLO’ Mark and the ‘HOTEL DIABLO’ Mark, and because the goods covered under the ‘DIABLO’ Application are related to the goods sold under the ‘HOTEL DIABLO’ Mark, consumers are likely to be confused, mistaken, or deceived into believing that Kelly’s goods originate with Fox Media or are in some way associated with or connected, sponsored, or authorized by Fox Media.”

The case is currently being reviewed by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, where a final decision will be made.

View the full legal motion below.

Lace Up v. Fox Media by Billboard

If you haven’t been paying attention to what happened in the gubernatorial race in Arizona this year, it’s pretty simple: a crazy-eyed, MAGA-fied local TV personality named Kari Lake ran against Democratic secretary of state Katie Hobbs and lost. If you asked Lake to recount the events of the 2022 midterms, however, you’d likely get a very different story — one that includes her essentially claiming that the election was rigged from the get-go (but only if she lost), Donald Trump demanding that she be “installed” as governor, Lake threatening that we’ll all become “slaves” if she isn’t just given the job she didn’t get, using “clowns” as scapegoats, and Lake vowing revenge on the “evil bastards” who haven’t supported her or her wild claims. You got that?

As part of Lake’s extended campaign to win an election she very clearly lost, she did that Republican thing where she actually filed a lawsuit in an attempt to be declared victorious. So far, as the Arizona Republic reports, it’s not going so well.

While the judge did refuse to just outright dismiss Lake’s suit, in which she claims that there was misconduct on the part of election officials, he’s now telling her it’s time to pony up the evidence she claims to have. Which is where things might get tricky for the former news anchor. According to the Arizona Republic:

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson tossed eight of the claims in Lake’s lawsuit, but allowed two to remain that alleged an intentional plot by officials to manipulate the election in favor of Lake’s Democratic opponent, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. In two separate orders, he ruled that a two-day trial will take place before Jan. 2, and that Hobbs and County Recorder Stephen Richer would be required to testify as Lake wished.

Lake has “alleged intentional misconduct sufficient to affect the outcome of the election and thus has stated an issue of fact that requires going beyond the pleadings,” the ruling stated. It continued that Lake must show at trial that the county’s printer malfunctions were intentionally rigged to affect the election results, and that the actions “did actually affect the outcome.”

When it came time for Abha Khanna, Hobbs’ lawyer, to speak to Lake’s claims of election fraud, she did NOT hold back:

According to Ms. Lake, there was a concerted, coordinated effort among signature reviewers … and Maricopa voting machine technicians to rig the election against her. This master plot was deployed on election day precisely because more Republicans tend to vote on election day. And this intentional conduct against Republican voters was driven by the Maricopa County recorder, who is a Republican, and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, four out of five of whom are also Republican.

And remarkably, this scheme took place among some scores of election officials and non-government actors without a single trace. No documents, no emails, no leaks.

No more!?!

(Via Arizona Republic)

If you’ve watched live television recently, you’ve probably seen those ads for Creed III that, instead of showing a trailer, tell you to watch the trailer online. Why not just …. show the trailer for Creed III? This is a question for another day and another blog. Creed III, the third (that’s what III means) film in the Creed franchise that started with Ryan Coogler’s 2015 film Creed and the ninth film in the Rocky Cinematic Universe is looming, with a release expected early next year.

If you’re one of those people who want to be entirely up to date on everything Creed III so you have something to talk about in moments of awkward silence, or in the high chance that someone questions your knowledge on Creed III, you’ve come to the right place. From its release date to the director to the cast to the plot, here is everything you should know about Creed III before it hits theaters in 2023.

Release Date

The film’s scheduled release date as of right now is March 3, 2023. The film was originally scheduled to come out Thanksgiving weekend 2022, but the date was pushed back by Warner Brothers in July. Things get moved around a lot these days for various reasons, so it could change again, but for now, expect to see it in theaters exclusively in March 2023.

Cast

Michael B. Jordan is reprising his role as Adonis “Donnie” Creed. Tessa Thompson returns as his girlfriend, Bianca. Jonathan Majors of Loki, Lovecraft Country, and being absolutely shredded will appear in the film Donnie’s nemesis in the ring. Unfortunately, Sylvester Stallone is not returning as Rock Balboa. Stallone’s performance in the original film earned him an Oscar nomination for best-supporting actor.

“I think, first of all, Jonathan Majors is incredible,” Jordan said at an October 17 press conference, via Vulture. “Very, very blessed and lucky to have him be a part of this story … The world is finding out daily how incredible this man is in the work that he does, [and he] is finally getting the props that’s due.”

Director

Creed III will mark actor Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut. Ryan Coogler, who directed 2015’s Creed, got a little busy with directing Black Panther and its sequel Wakanda Forever to continue with the franchise, and Creed II director Steven Caple, Jr. is a little busy directing Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, expected in 2023. The news that Jordan would direct himself in Creed III was announced in 2021. The film was shot earlier this year.

“Directing has always been an aspiration, but the timing had to be right,” Jordan said in a 2021 statement, per Variety. “Creed III is that moment — a time in my life where I’ve grown more sure of who I am, holding agency in my own story, maturing personally, growing professionally, and learning from the Greats like Ryan Coogler, most recently Denzel Washington, and other top tier directors I respect. All of which sets the table for this moment,” he continued.

Plot

Here’s the film’s official synopsis:

Five years after Creed II, after dominating the boxing world, Adonis “Donnie” Creed has been thriving in both his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian “Dame” Anderson, resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Donnie must put his future on the line to battle Dame – a fighter who has nothing to lose.

So, basically, the plot is Michael B. Jordan fighting Jonathan Majors. No disrespect to Jordan, but it looks like Majors is going to win this one.

Trailer

Yes, the trailer dropped in mid-October, and you can watch it below.

You can also check out an exclusive look at the making of Creed III, courtesy of Michael B. Jordan himself. Creed III is also the first sports movie to be filmed on IMAX cameras.

‘Creed III’ premieres in theaters on March 3, 2023.