Music News

Music & Culture

Skateboarding Celebrated At Kennedy Center Festival

7:59am September 07, 2015

by Andrew Limbong

The Kennedy Center is famous for its opera, ballet and symphony. Last week, officials opened a temporary skateboarding park for amateur and professionals to do their thing to improvised live music.

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A glimpse of the Hill sisters' work. The handwritten notes to "Good Morning to All" offer singers a guide to the simpler tune.

An Unnoticed 'Happy Birthday' Draft Gives Singers A Simpler Tune

2:57pm September 06, 2015

by Tara Anderson

We all know the words to "Happy Birthday to You" — yet the song's still tough for kids to sing. Now, tucked in the notes of the sisters who wrote it, an easier draft of the song has finally surfaced.

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'Wingin' It' Takes Funky On The Road With 'Boz Scaggs

10:12am September 06, 2015

On this week's "Wingin' It," music historian Ashley Kahn shares his favorite road trip song, "Loan Me a Dime," by Boz Scaggs, featuring Duane Allman.

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John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. The band's "Stairway to Heaven" is the subject of a current copyright-infringement lawsuit.

Music & Culture

Inspiration Or Appropriation? Behind Music Copyright Lawsuits

11:38am September 05, 2015

by Allyson McCabe

Rock superstars Led Zeppelin face a claim that "Stairway to Heaven" was lifted from an earlier instrumental by the band Spirit. But what does it take to prove a song's ownership?

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Singer Aretha Franklin has won a temporary injunction to stop a documentary about her live album Amazing Grace from being released. The film was to premiere Friday.

Aretha Franklin Blocks Premiere Of Concert Film 'Amazing Grace'

8:33pm September 04, 2015

by Bill Chappell

A documentary about Franklin's famous 1972 live album Amazing Grace has suffered years of delays due to technical and legal challenges. It was to premiere Friday.

Revelers take in the Robot Heart art-car sound system at the 2014 Burning Man festival.

Music & Culture

Desert Music: Burning Man Confronts The Rising Beat

1:23pm September 02, 2015

by Andy Gensler

As Electronic Dance Music becomes more and more popular at the world's most extreme outsider arts festival, the playa's vibes are a-changing.

Music & Culture

Lil Wayne In New Orleans: Hot Boys, History And Homecoming

10:46am September 02, 2015

by Elena Bergeron

The show was improbable and internal — a roster of cameos reflecting the city's tradition of bounce music and Cash Money Records — and its ringleader was a local superstar happy to share the stage.

Music & Culture

Music Release: Gin Wigmore's 'Blood To Bone'

8:44am September 01, 2015

by Lauren Migaki

Singer-songwriter Gin Wigmore's soul-infused rock songs are deeply personal. The New Zealand-born musician has been baring her emotions and personal life in her songs since she was a teenager.

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Music & Culture

Kanye Is Running For President And One Other Must-Watch VMA Moment

9:20am August 31, 2015

by Eyder Peralta

Perhaps the most controversial moment came when Nicki Minaj took on Miley Cyrus. It'll be the talk of the water cooler today, so you might as well take a look.

Cellists with the Playa Pops Symphony warm up before performing at Burning Man in 2014.

Music & Culture

Beethoven, Flaming Tubas And 5,000 Kazoos: Classical Music At Burning Man

10:37am August 29, 2015

by April Dembosky

More than 60,000 people will gather in the Nevada desert next week for the annual festival — and the Playa Pops Symphony, which made its debut last year, will be ready for them.

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