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Melbourne-based indie rock outfit Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever became disillusioned after returning home from a lengthy global tour that promoted their debut record, Hope Downs. Rather than letting it get them down, the band turned to introspection and morphed the uneasy feeling into music. The result is their upcoming effort Sideways To New Italy. The band announced their sophomore record with the noisy single “She’s There” alongside a driving visual.

Directed by Nick McKinlay in the band’s hometown of Melbourne, the visual shakily follows guitarist Joe White on a run through a town. In a statement, the band described the feeling they were aiming to represent in the visual: “We tried to convey that feeling in a dream where you need to be somewhere, and you don’t really know why, but you are determined to overcome every obstacle to get there,” they said.

Guitarist Fran Keaney added in a statement that they want their new music to sound distinctly hopeful: “I wanted to write songs that I could use as some sort of bedrock of hopefulness to stand on, something to be proud of,” says Keaney. “A lot of the songs on the new record are reaching forward and trying to imagine an idyll of home and love.” Bassist Joe Russo continued, “We tried to make these little nods to our friends and loved ones, to stay loyal to our old selves.”

Listen to “She’s There” above. Below, find Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever’s Sideways To New Italy album art and tracklist.

1. “The Second Of The First”
2. “Falling Thunder”
3. “She’s There”
4. “Beautiful Steven”
5. “The Only One”
6. “Cars In Space”
7. “Cameo”
8. “Not Tonight”
9. “Sunglasses At The Wedding”
10. “The Cool Change”

Sideways To New Italy is out 5/6 via Sub Pop. Pre-order it here.

The poorest, most at-risk communities are always the ones that suffer the most in a crisis like this one. In the United States, that often means Indigenous people. The hundreds of Indian Nations across the U.S. are some of the most resource-deprived, food insecure, and medically isolated communities in the country. With government funding for these communities falling short in the best of times, it’s no shock that people on reservations are in desperate need right now.

Enter chef Brian Yazzie. Chef Yazzie — who’s from Navajo Nation but calls Minneapolis-St. Paul home — decided to spend his time during the lockdown feeding at-risk and quarantined Indigenous elders in his community. He teamed up with the Minneapolis American Indian Center, which is closed due to the virus but offered him a professional kitchen and stocked pantry. As the pandemic has progressed, Yazzie and a team of chefs, cooks, and drivers have been making hundreds of meals for their elders and delivering them, free of charge.

We caught up with Yazzie — one of our favorite chefs and a Travel Hot List contributor — to talk about what motivated him to take up his chef’s knife to feed Indigenous elders and how you can help keep the food flowing.

So I have been following you on Instagram and you’re doing a lot of cooking right now. You’re volunteering and feeding people in need. Can you walk us through how you started cooking at the American Indian Center?

I’ve been in self-isolation or self-quarantine about two weeks, and after two weeks of not having any type of symptoms, the first thing that came to mind as a chef was our elders, especially in the Native communities. I thought about the Twin Cities area, because I’ve seen a lot of well-known chefs here who are helping everyone in general. They’re setting up their restaurants or their food trucks and making meals so their food doesn’t go to waste.

I did notice while looking through all the media and the stuff they’re doing that there were no specific connections to the Native communities. So as being a servant to the community myself, I felt like I should use my platform and do something.

How did you get this ball rolling?

Instead of being home and not being able to do anything, I felt like I should jump into the community and helping where I can. So I made a couple of phone calls the Sunday before last. I connected with a chef friend of mine who’s the executive chef at Gatherings Café, which is inside the Minneapolis American Indian Center. His name is Ben Shendo. He’s Pueblo from New Mexico. I connected with him and I asked if their café was still open and if they’re doing anything to feed the community because I know right now sales are down for restaurants and cafés. Or non-existent. And we both believe that no food should go to waste. From there, he redirected me to Mary Lagarde, who is the Minneapolis American Indian Center’s director.

Lagarde informed me that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota provided her with a grant to help start up a project to start feeding the elderly in South Minneapolis. And she was just looking for someone to lead the Gatherings Café staff to start this project up as soon as possible and start feeding the community.

How long did it take to get your first meals out?

This call was last Sunday, and we had a meeting the following day. We had a meeting in person, so I ran through the logistics with them of what amount of grant they had, the volunteers and the staff we picked. And then the following day, on Tuesday, is when we jumped into action and started cooking. The first thing we did is utilize all the ingredients within the Gatherings Café’s inventory before anything went to waste.

And during that time last week, I started reaching out to people through social media, asking for donations or funds. The response was overwhelming. I have a chef friend named Patrick McDonald. He made a couple of calls and he was able to connect me with Idaho Potato Company and a lot of other companies who have food and are able to provide.

Also, a lot of individuals started donating funds. Today, we just received a delivery from Twin Cities Food Justice, a nonprofit organization that is focusing on not just food justice, but trying to ensure that no food goes to waste. They donated a good amount of produce and bread as well.

So walk me through your day. How are you meal planning? How are you executing? Is it tough keeping people safe?

For sure. The first thing we do when we come in is we make sure the core group of volunteers doesn’t have any symptoms at all. We have a temperature gauge and we check the people coming in and we have face masks and gloves that are being donated daily by local community members. We make sure to check everyone before we start cutting up the food.

The next thing we do is have a small meeting to bring everyone up to date. Then we look at the inventory that we have, because right now we don’t have a set menu. We have different ingredients coming in daily. So we can’t sit down and create a menu. We look at the ingredients that we have and we start creating the menu from there. Then we all spread out in the kitchen with each of us focusing on their station like making bread or making salads or on the flat top cooking up or chopping up meat.

How are you getting these meals to the people who need them?

We have two drop off locations in South Minneapolis. One is at a little apartment complex in South Minneapolis that’s specifically reserved for the Indigenous community. And the second is a public location where elders can go to pick up their food from 11:30 and 12:30. So around 10:30 is when we start packaging the food in to-go containers. We have two volunteer drivers who pull up to the side of the door. They’re not allowed to come into the building for safety reasons. So we walk the boxes in their trucks.

I don’t want to get into politics of why this is even necessary, but how long do you feel like this is going to be necessary and how worried are you that the money or the food might stop coming in?

Yeah, so the grant provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield Minnesota is supposed to cover us for four to five weeks. In reality, I’d say it’s enough to cover us for three to four weeks. But donations are coming in, so that will definitely extend our ability to cook and deliver food.

What is the best way to support you guys right now?

I wouldn’t recommend people sending canned food, frozen, or heavy bulk food, especially if they’re out of state. But if they do have dried ingredients as in corn, beans, squash, or dried spices or salt, that can be mailed in or delivered. Our drop off point right now is at the Minneapolis American Indian Center.

We’re also receiving funds that we can use once or twice a week to go to the local co-op or reach out to the local Native vendors and purchase from those individuals before we go out to chain markets like Target or Walmart. We’re still trying to keep in balance with the community and the Native food vendors.

You want to make sure that people are able to sustain themselves to make the food in the first place and then pass it on to people who need the food.

Definitely.

I kind of feel like, I don’t mean this glibly, but you’re sort of on the front line feeding people who are in need of meals. What are you seeing out there? Do you have a sense of calm that people are getting fed, or is it sort of giving you a sense of worry that things are getting worse?

I have a sense that this is still building up in a negative way. Our Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, in his daily briefing he expressed that — with statistics from the University of Minnesota Health Department — about 80 percent of Minnesotans will be affected by the coronavirus before it flattens the curve unless people self-quarantine and stay home. So I definitely believe this is just the beginning. It’s definitely overwhelming, but I believe it is just the beginning.

It’s tough out there. Do you think this is bringing awareness to the food insecurity in Indian Country? I mean, my rez out in Washington doesn’t even have a grocery store, only a gas station “food mart.” They have to drive 20 minutes on a good day to get to a grocery store.

I feel like there is an awareness that there is a need for what we’re doing. It’s definitely all positive from what I have been seeing up here in Minnesota.

Have you heard from your family back in Navajo? How are they holding up?

It’s something very different on my reservation right now. In the matter of, I believe, a week and a half since the first positive testing, there are 105 cases on my reservation now. And, you know, we’re the largest tribe in the U.S. So they’re doing what they can with the task force. They’re having people stay at home. But you have to realize then that home falls in third world poverty status where the nearest grocery store or gas station is about 45 minutes to an hour away for most folks. A lot of elders are living in the backcountry — where over half of them don’t even have running water or electricity. They need community members to help elders daily. And, you know, they’re putting their lives on the line to do that.

You can donate food by sending or dropping off at Minneapolis American Indian Center at 1530 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404. You can also contact Chef Yazzie directly to donate food or money by emailing him at [email protected] or hitting his PayPal.

Like many artists, Foo Fighters were forced to postpone tour dates recently. They pushed back their 25th anniversary “van tour,” and at the time, not all of the new dates were locked in. Now, though, the tour is once again fully booked, and all eleven dates have been rescheduled. The shows were originally set to take place in April and May, but now they will be happening in October and December.

When initially announcing the postponement, Dave Grohl wrote, “Hi, this is Dave. Remember me? The guy who wouldn’t even postpone a show when my g*ddamn leg was falling off? Well… playing a gig with a sock full of broken bones is one thing, but playing a show when YOUR health and safety is in jeopardy is another… We f*ckin’ love you guys. So let’s do this right and rain check sh*t. The album is done, and it’s f*ckin’ killer. The lights and stage are in the trucks, ready to go. The SECOND we are given the go ahead, we’ll come tear sh*t up like we always do. Promise.”

Check out the rescheduled dates below.

10/01 — Hamilton, ON @ FirstOntario Centre
10/03 — Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
10/05 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
10/09 — Knoxville, TN @ Thompson-Boling Arena
10/07 — Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena
10/13 — Cincinnati, OH @ Heritage Bank Center
10/15 — Green Bay, WI @ Resch Center
10/17 — Wichita, KS @ INTRUST Bank Arena
12/01 — Oklahoma City, OK @ Chesapeake Energy Arena
12/03 — Albuquerque, NM @ Santa Ana Star Center
12/05 — Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Arena

In case you thought the outrageous story behind Netflix’s Tiger King couldn’t get any weirder, a new detail has emerged with a surprising celebrity connection. This time, though, it’s not Britney Spears.

According to Vulture, the seven alligators and one crocodile that died in a suspected arson fire featured in the Netflix series had belonged to Michael Jackson. A manager for Joe’s Oklahoma zoo reportedly acquired the reptiles when Neverland Ranch closed down, and Exotic took dubious care of them. It’s not a good sign when you’re describing an animal “boiling alive in a towering inferno” in a YouTube video.

As for the suspicious circumstances surrounding the fire that burnt down the crocodile enclosure with Jackson’s alligators inside, and more conveniently, the production studio for “Joe Exotic TV,” the docuseries seems to suggest that Exotic (real name: Joseph Maldonado-Passage) could have been behind the arson despite blaming animal activists. Via PopSugar:

Could Joe Exotic have set the fire himself? Or pay someone off to do it? According to his staff, he went to a funeral during the time of the fire. Returning to the wreckage, he offered a $10,000 reward for information about the arsonist. He blamed animal activists (and, of course, [Carole] Baskin). But was this all set up by Maldonado-Passage as a publicity stunt? It’s possible. This could’ve been a ploy to spite [“Joe Exotic TV” producer Rick] Kirkham or destroy incriminating evidence of animal abuse and other illicit activities on tape. Plus, the fire could’ve been a set-up for sympathetic people to give him money — after all, Baskin’s lawsuit drained him.

For the record, the case has yet to be solved by authorities, but you can watch the original The Oklahoman news report below where Joe Exotic is referred to as “Joe Schreibvogel” because, again, this story never stops getting weirder. As for how police knew the fire was an arson, deputies could still smell the gas when they arrived on the scene, so whoever did it was looking for the most bang for their buck.

(Via Vulture)

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the very best of the indie releases from the past seven days. This week we got the beautiful Waxahatchee record, a reliable new effort from Pearl Jam, and a collection of brilliant love songs from Margaret Glaspy.

While we’re at it, if you want more music recommendations curated by Steven Hyden delivered directly to your inbox every week, sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter.

Pearl Jam — Gigaton

The new Pearl Jam album sounds like a Pearl Jam album: Eddie Vedder’s thunderous vocal with soaring guitar solos from Mike McCready and Matt Cameron’s propelling percussion. While this isn’t groundbreaking in any way, it is reassuring in a time when almost nothing else is. As Steven Hyden put it in his review for Uproxx, “I like how normal life feels when this album is on. What more could you want from a Pearl Jam record right now? During a moment when nothing that we rely upon seems to be working properly, a Pearl Jam record that competently delivers abundant Pearl Jam-ness suddenly seems revolutionary.” Throw on Gigaton and sit back to forget about how insane the world around you is, if only for 57 minutes.

Waxahatchee — Saint Cloud

While the last Waxahatchee album, Out In The Storm, sounded a bit like modern alt-rock revivalism, Saint Cloud instead features “sparking acoustic guitars and soulful keyboard tones [that] echo through every track, with Crutchfield’s high, lonesome vocals positioned squarely at the heart of an understated country-rock mix,” writes Steven Hyden for Uproxx. The shift in focus here results in what is without a doubt Waxahatchee’s strongest record to date, a gorgeous and emotional testament to rebirth and loneliness.

Half Waif — The Caretaker

Half Waif’s latest LP comes at a pretty fitting time, when almost everyone across the world is concerned about the world around them. The Caretaker is something of a concept album, centered around “someone who has been entrusted with taking care of this estate, taking care of the land, and she’s not doing a very good job,” according to Nandi Rose. In many ways, the record serves as a reminder to take care of yourself and the place where you live. Sonically, the album is chock full of synth swells and Rose’s pristine vocal delivery, making for a truly captivating listen.

Nap Eyes — Snapshot Of A Beginner

On their latest full-length, Nap Eyes have delivered their most hi-fi project to date. While most Nap Eyes records have been tracked live in a room, they recorded Snapshot Of A Beginner with producers Jonathan Low (Big Red Machine, The National) and James Elkington (Steve Gunn, Joan Shelley) at The National’s Long Pond Studio in upstate New York. With higher-end production, the record showcases vocalist/songwriter Nigel Chapman’s knack for writing deeply personal and direct lyrics, like criticizing the pitfalls of social media on “Mark Zuckerberg” and built-in insecurities on “So Tired.”

Dirty Projectors — Windows Open

For the first Dirty Projectors release with a new lineup, Maia Friedman also takes the role of lead vocalist on the new EP Windows Open. Featuring the lead single “Overlord,” that Carolyn Droke describes for Uproxx as “a tongue-in-cheek critique of surveillance,” the four tracks that make up Windows Open depict a band entering a new chapter, one we’re really excited to follow along.

Margaret Glaspy — Devotion

After gaining fans’ attention almost four years ago with Emotions And Math, Margaret Glaspy is finally back with a new full-length album. However, where Emotions And Math was a big guitar album, Devotion is built around synths and more electronic elements. After taking time off from touring to focus on her education with classes at Harvard, Glaspy’s new effort is true to its name. According to Caitlin White for Uproxx, Devotion “features twelve love songs that unflinchingly delve into the tender heart and dark underbelly of relationships, commitment, and romance.”

Nine Inch Nails — Ghosts V & VI

Trent Reznor surprised us last week with a tweet casually letting us know that there were two new full-length Nine Inch Nails albums available for free on their website, continuing the Ghosts series that the band launched in 2008 and did not speak about again until now. “Hours and hours of music,” Reznor said in his tweet. “Free. Some of it kind of happy, some not so much.” Perfect for quarantine! A fun fact about Ghosts from Derrick Rossignol for Uproxx: “In more recent times, Ghosts I-IV has become best known for “34 Ghosts IV,” which was sampled on Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road.’”

Trace Mountains — “Me & May”

After the dissolution if LVL Up in 2018, Dave Benton didn’t miss a beat before pivoting to his solo project Trace Mountains, releasing an LP before the end of that year. Now, Benton is back with Lost In The Country, the sophomore album from Trace Mountains. “Me & May, the latest sampling from the album, is “a loose story about past-life connections,” Benton said in a statement. The track features reverb-soaked guitars, Benton’s supreme knack for vocal melodies, and a bunch of other goodies.

Moon Taxi — “Hometown Heroes”

Nashville band Moon Taxi recently made a promise to give their fans something to remedy their cabin fever. “Hometown Heroes” is that remedy, an alt-rock track that sounds like it was made for the radio. Much of the instrumental melody is rooted around a ukulele, while digital flourishes give the track a uniquely modern feel. “We’ve been so excited to put this song out since the day we wrote it,” vocalist/guitarist Trevor Terndrup said in a statement. “More than anything, it is inspired by our long-lasting friendships. Putting it out into the world feels like the start of a new chapter for us but also an idealized look back. We hope it brings good memories to mind for you until we can create new ones together in the future.”

Christian Lee Hutson — “Talk”

Christian Lee Hutson’s new album Beginners was produced by Phoebe Bridgers, and promises a barrage of emotional songwriting with precise delivery. “Talk” is the latest offering from Beginners, a track that is lush with texture from string arrangements from Bright Eyes’ Nathaniel Walcott and features a strong narrative through-line. Thematically, according to Hutson, “Talk” tells “the story of a person, on the verge of parenthood, coming to terms with their relationship with their own absent parent.”

Pet Symmetry — “SS Decompressed”

Chicago emo heroes Pet Symmetry have been very quiet since the release of the Reflection EP in 2018. “SS Decompressed” is a welcome return for the trio, a ripper that reminds us why they were so awesome in the first place. The track’s chorus feels especially pertinent in today’s world, detailing a nightmare health care scenario: “An insurance claim! Nah. No way. Get real. No way. What the f*ck? Saving up our good will for a storm and a stroke of luck. Nah. No way. Get real. No way. What the f*ck? A prized possession wrecked, when the marriage of our lightning struck.” While we don’t have any official announcement of a new Pet Symmetry LP, it would seem as if the trio have music ready to roll out once the world calms down a bit.

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

It’s not the same thing as watching Jurassic Park with the man himself, but it’s closest you, not-Jeff Goldblum, will get: director Steven Spielberg has launched a digital “movie club” with the American Film Institute. The daily virtual gathering is designed to “leverage our collective love of film on behalf of optimism,” according to AFI, and “[create] a communal viewing experience during these unprecedented times of social distancing.”

And with the first pick in the AFI Movie Club, Steven Spielberg has selected… The Wizard of Oz. “I know you think you’ve seen it, but please think again, because right now at this moment in our history what better message is there then, there’s no place like home?” he explained. I guess E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial would have been too obvious.

Other special guests will announce select AFI Movies of the Day in short videos posted on AFI.com and social media platforms. To watch the films, audiences can “gather” at AFI.com/MovieClub. While audiences watch, the daily film selections will be supported by fun facts, family discussion points, and exclusive material.

AFI hasn’t announced the next featured guest, but whoever it is, I hope they pick Freddy Got Fingered, a true movie classic (“Daddy, Would You Like Some Sausage?” > “Over the Rainbow”). For more information on the Movie Club, click here.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

Clairo got her start after her demo “Pretty Girl” was posted to YouTube in 2017 and spread by the site’s algorithm. But Clairo has come a long way since making music from her bedroom. Produced by Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij, the singer’s debut album Immunity arrived last year. Clairo has since sold-out tours and graced festival stages, but she’s not done sharing music. The singer recently debuted a washed-out demo in February. Now, Clairo is back with yet another lo-fi track.

Clairo shared the demo “Everything I Wrote” for the internet-based Humble Records’ first volume of SoundCloud compilations. Written by Clairo last year, the demo calls back to her bedroom pop days with toned-down vocals and fuzzy guitars. The production is minimal but purposeful, crafting the distinct feeling of escaping to a nostalgic place. Droning guitars wash out Clairo’s tenor delivery as she sings of becoming distant from everything she knows. “Things I can’t control / Slip away before I know,” she sings on the demo.

Sharing the song to social media, Clairo wrote about the new demo: “‘Everything I Know’ a demo from earlier last year is featured on the Humble compilation vol. I,” she wrote.

Listen to Clairo’s “Everything I Know” above.

Immunity is out now via Fader. Get it here.

Kodak Black has reportedly been sentenced to another 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to the federal weapons charges against him, according to his Florida lawyer, Bradford Cohen. Despite not working the case directly, Cohen shared the outcome of the case on his Instagram, writing that the case had been “resolved,” but shared his dissatisfaction with the handling of the case by the federal prosecutor.

“Some good news and some frustration in regards to Kodak Black,” Cohen wrote. “The case in New York is resolved. I was not his attorney on that case. Although it should have been completely dismissed, as it was for the other 2 individuals in the same car, who testified that Kodak knew nothing about the firearm in the vehicle, and it was registered and legal to one of the other individuals he was with, they agreed to 12 month to run concurrent with his current sentence.”

However, Cohen said, even the judge in the case was confused why charges were still being pursued despite Kodak already being locked up already. “Even the Judge asked the prosecutor why are they not dismissing. Kodak Black just wanted to resolve it so he doesn’t lose any time in federal. You see, when you are out of federal custody you lose that time on your federal case,” Cohen explained, clarifying that the time would actually push back Kodak’s release date after he was transferred to a New York State facility due to the coronavirus epidemic.

“Now with the Coronavirus, its unknown when they will pick him up due to this virus. BUREAU OF PRISONS @bureauofprisons needs to address these issues that federal inmates are credited back time they miss due to this outbreak. More information to follow this, as we really need to delve deep into how Kodak is being treated differently than any other inmate and any other defendant.”

Of course, Kodak seemed content to let the coronavirus last until his release date, so despite his attorney feeling that he’s receiving unfair treatment, it looks like the rapper himself doesn’t mind the extra time.

Kodak Black is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The coronavirus pandemic has made life difficult for people around the world, and therefore, a number of charitable efforts have sprung up to help out. Lizzo decided she would do her part by helping to feed the people putting themselves in danger to keep folks safe: Lizzo has been donating lunches to hospital staffs around the country.

Yesterday, she shared a video highlighting some of the responses she has received from various medical centers — University of Washington Medicine Center Montlake Emergency Department, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and others. Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit shared the video that Lizzo made for them, presumably to play for the staff, in which she says, “I just wanted to say thank you so much for all you’re doing during this pandemic. It’s definitely not easy and you guys are putting yourselves on the front line, so because of that, I wanted to treat y’all to a meal. […] Lunch on me! I love you guys. Thank you so much for being the heroes in this story. We’re staying inside and praying and thinking of you every single day.”

She has helped out multiple hospitals in this way so far, and a rep tells Billboard that more are to come.

Check out posts about Lizzo’s generosity from some of the medical centers below.

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