Graduate thanks Nicki Minaj for tuition, med school next
LAFAYETTE, La. — A University of Louisiana at Lafayette student who just graduated is thanking rap artist Nicki Minaj for paying his tuition. Three years ago, someone on Twitter reached out to Minaj with a request for the musician to help pay for college. Minaj agreed — on the condition...
Taylor Swift surprises fans with ‘Evermore,’ a new album due tonight
Taylor Swift fans are getting a double reason to celebrate this year — the singer-songwriter is about to release her second album in 2020. “To put it plainly, we just couldn’t stop writing songs,” Swift wrote in social media posts Thursday morning. “I’ve never done this before. In the past...
Saint Vincent concert series streams special sacred music performanceVideo
Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica is the setting for a special virtual installment of the Saint Vincent College Concert Series, with a quartet of musicians performing sacred classics. “An Intimate Evening in the Sacred Space of the Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica” is available for viewing on the college’s YouTube channel. The...
Little Lake Theatre patrons star in company’s holiday video
Because a live holiday show wasn’t feasible this year, Little Lake Theatre Company invited patrons to share the season in another very personal way. Organizers of the Canonsburg theater solicited holiday stories and photos that became part of “A Very Little Lake Holiday,” a video that will be available for...
The Dylan catalog, a 60-year rock ‘n’ roll odyssey, is soldVideo
NEW YORK — Bob Dylan has sold publishing rights to his catalog of more than 600 songs, one of the greatest treasures in popular music, to the Universal Music Publishing Group for an undisclosed sum. The catalog includes such modern standards as “Blowin’ In The Wind,” “Tangled Up in Blue,”...
The best streaming holiday music stations this season
You can’t have the holidays without the music. And these days, streaming seems to be the way to get in the festive spirit. But with so many services out there, how’s an eager ear to choose? And which one has the best holiday channels and playlists? Let’s take a look....
Just released 1970 Bob Dylan album features his sessions with George HarrisonVideo
It was supposed to be the start of the recording sessions for Bob Dylan’s “New Morning” album featuring George Harrison, fresh from the Beatles breakup. On May 1, 1970, Dylan was joined by drummer Russ Kunkel, bassist Charlie Daniels (yes, the later-famous Southern rock fiddler) and guitarist Harrison. The session...
City Theatre’s ‘Claws Out’ is bawdy, campy, shameless holiday fun
The holidays aren’t always merry and bright — sometimes the claws come out, as they will in City Theatre Company’s “Claws Out: A Holiday Drag Musical,” set to hit the digital stage on Friday. The action is described thus: “After attempting to give the north a new look, Mrs. Rachel...
‘Christmas Brasstacular’ opens River City Brass online concert seasonVideo
The emotional impact of not being able to play together during the pandemic didn’t hit members of River City Brass until they finally gathered to rehearse and record their upcoming online concert season. “We hadn’t played since March. For us to come together was very overwhelming,” said artistic director and...
Jim Brickman’s virtual holiday concert tour has Pittsburgh dateVideo
Musician-songwriter Jim Brickman will connect with Pittsburgh audiences via an online concert planned for 8 p.m. Dec. 16. The performance is part of Brickman’s “Comfort & Joy at Home” interactive virtual holiday tour and will feature music from his new album, “Soothe Christmas.” While dates focus on individual cities and...
Pittsburgh Opera’s free ‘Soldier Songs’ livestream examines reality of war
In response to Allegheny County Health Department’s Nov. 18 stay-at-home advisory, Pittsburgh Opera will not have in-person audiences for its upcoming production of “Soldier Songs.” The opera will be presented as a free livestream at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11 on YouTube and Facebook, thanks to sponsorship from UPMC. Patrons may...
Bad Bunny is Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2020
The year’s most played artist on Spotify? Globally speaking: Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican superstar is the music platform’s most-streamed artist of the year with 8.3 billion streams globally. The Latin Grammy winner and hitmaker , who released a new album last week, leads a top five list that also...
Westmoreland Ballet films ‘Nutcracker’ at iconic area locations
The Westmoreland Ballet Company takes “The Nutcracker” off the stage and into the community with a new video production of the beloved holiday classic. Filmed at indoor and outdoor locations around the county, the video will debut online at 7 p.m. Friday. It also will stream at 7 p.m. Saturday...
Cher in Pakistan to help ‘world’s loneliest elephant’
ISLAMABAD — Iconic singer and actress Cher is in Pakistan to celebrate the departure of Kaavan, dubbed the “world’s loneliest elephant,” who will soon leave a Pakistani zoo for better conditions after years of lobbying by animal rights groups and activists. Because of security concerns, Cher’s schedule was not made...
The Weeknd criticizes Grammys over nominations snub
LOS ANGELES — The Weeknd angrily slammed the Grammy Awards, calling them “corrupt” after the pop star walked away with zero nominations despite having multiple hits this year. The three-time Grammy winner criticized the Recording Academy on Tuesday after he was severely snubbed despite having one of the year’s biggest...
Beyoncé leads Grammy Award nominations with 9
NEW YORK — Beyoncé is bringing her black parade to the Grammys: The pop star’s anthem about Black pride scored multiple nominations Tuesday, making her the leading contender with nine. Beyoncé picked up song and record of the year bids with “Black Parade,” which she released on Juneteenth, the holiday...
Trevor Noah to host 2021 Grammy Awards
“The Daily Show” host and comedian Trevor Noah has been tapped to host the 2021 Grammy Awards. The Recording Academy made the announcement hours before the nominees for the upcoming show are revealed. It would mark Noah’s first time hosting the Grammys, which will be held Jan. 31. Earlier this...
Pittsburgh Symphony cancels Heinz Hall dates amid covid concern
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has canceled all concerts that were scheduled for January through March at Heinz Hall in downtown Pittsburgh. PSO said cancellations are because of ongoing restrictions from public health and government entities related to the coronavirus pandemic, and for its concerns for the health and safety of...
Bad Bunny tests positive for covid-19 after no-show at AMA
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny has tested positive for covid-19, his representative said Monday. The announcement came a day after the musician won favorite male Latin artist and favorite Latin album for “YHLQMDLG” at the American Music Awards. Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Martínez...
Dylan papers, including unpublished lyrics, sell for $495K
BOSTON — A long-lost trove of Bob Dylan documents including the singer-songwriter’s musings about anti-Semitism and unpublished song lyrics has sold at auction for a total of $495,000. Boston-based R.R. Auction said Friday the collection privately held by the late American blues artist Tony Glover, a longtime Dylan friend and...
Westmoreland Cultural Trust launches ‘Keep the Arts Alive’ campaign, projects $500K in pandemic-related losses
Between The Palace Theatre and the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center, more than 350 concerts and events have been canceled since March, lending much more weight to the name of the Westmoreland Cultural Trust’s “Keep the Arts Alive” fundraising campaign. “As an organization whose mission is to bring people together...
Bob Dylan papers, including unpublished lyrics, sell for $495K
BOSTON — A long-lost trove of Bob Dylan documents including the singer-songwriter’s musings about anti-Semitism and unpublished song lyrics has sold at auction for $495,000. Boston-based R.R. Auction said Friday the collection privately held by the late American blues artist Tony Glover, a longtime Dylan friend and confidante, was sold...
James Taylor on how he takes a song and makes it his ownVideo
Something happens when James Taylor covers a song. It gets all James Taylor-y. “People often tell me, ‘It sounds like you wrote that song’ or ‘That sounds like a James Taylor song.’ And that’s because basically it’s been translated into my language,” the singer-songwriter told The Associated Press in an...
Mississippi road signs mark Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash site
GILLSBURG, Miss. — Lynyrd Skynyrd, the rock band famous for “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird,” now has highway signs pointing to the site of the Mississippi plane crash that claimed the lives of some of its members. Fans gathered Sunday as the Mississippi Department of Transportation unveiled exit signs...
‘Jazz Road Tours’ grants support artists hoping to launch short 2021 tours
New York City jazz musician Jon Irabagon was in the process of stringing together dates for an April 2021 tour with a brand-new ensemble when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Luckily for him, as he was setting up potential touring dates, he also heard about the Jazz Road Tours grant program...
