Penning some of the most recognizable, influential, and enduring anthems in the American Songbook, John Mellencamp has just received a 2018 nomination for the Songwriters Hall of Fame® in the “performing songwriters” category.

Eligible members may vote for three “non-performing songwriters” and three “performing songwriters” from now through December 17, 2017. Upon tally of the votes, six songwriters will be inducted during the New York City Gala on June 18, 2018. 
 
This adds to an impressive history of accolades and honors for Mellencamp. His signature plain spoken writing style and unmistakable delivery launched countless classics singles into the Top 10 such as Pink Houses, Jack and Diane, and Small Town.

To date, he has landed a total of 22 Top 40 hits in addition to earning the record for the “most #1 tracks by a solo artist on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks” chart. Among 13 GRAMMY® nominations, he garnered the award for “Best Male Rock Vocal Performance” in 1982. He would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame® during 2008. Notably, he co-founded Farm Aid in 1985, and it went on to raise over $50 million to support family farms nationwide by 2017. One of the most successful live concert performers in the world, John is also a recipient of the John Steinbeck Award, ASCAP Foundation’s Champion Award, The Woody Guthrie Award and Americana Music Association's Lifetime Achievement Award and more recently, the Founders Award, the top honor assigned by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.  

Earlier this year, his critically acclaimed 23rd full-length album Sad Clowns & Hillbillies featuring Carlene Carter—the daughter of June Carter Cash and stepdaughter of Johnny Cash—bowed at #1 on the Billboard Top American Albums Chart, #3 on the Top Rock Albums Chart (his best entry in a decade), and #5 on the Top Albums Chart. In addition, it became his fifth consecutive Top 20 album. 
 
Get Sad Clowns & Hillbillies HERE.

TRACK LISTING:

1. MOBILE BLUE

2. BATTLE OF ANGELS

3. GRANDVIEW
 Featuring Martina McBride
4. INDIGO SUNSET

5. WHAT KIND OF MAN AM I

6. ALL NIGHT TALK RADIO 
7. SUGAR HILL MOUNTAIN

8. YOU ARE BLIND

9. DAMASCUS ROAD

10. EARLY BIRD CAFÉ

11. SAD CLOWNS

12. MY SOUL’S GOT WINGS

13. EASY TARGET

Today, platinum-certified critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist G. Love uncovers his first-ever holiday album, Coming Home For Christmas—available now via Brushfire/Republic Records. Check out the full tracklisting below.  Get it HERE.

The record boasts ten original Christmas anthems penned by G. Love earlier this year. Forever inspired by everlasting and eternal holiday memories from his childhood, he holed up in Orleans, Massachusetts for six days in November and wrote one song per day. Within two days, he tracked the entire album alongside producer Jon Evans at Brickhill Studios with Jon handling upright bass and Mathias Bossi on drums. The resulting body of work captures the season’s spirit with a twist of the artist’s classic bounce, rustic harmonica, vivid lyrics, and lithe, lively acoustic guitars.

About the album, he says, “We’ve always had a strong tradition of caroling and sharing songs on Christmas. My Uncle Bob and I used to lead the family through all of the traditional carols as well as rock ‘n’ roll hits like ‘Summertime Blues’ and ‘Steamroller Blues’. After Uncle Bob passed, my brother-in-law Juan and I have continued the tradition. There was one of those Christmases back in the day when I got the flu or something and missed the family gathering, so I was home alone and wrote a couple of Christmas carols. ‘Christmas Blues’ and ‘Christmas Cookies’. It was then that I decided I would like to complete a full album of homegrown Christmas carols.”

The first single “Christmas Change” paints a different picture of the Christmas spirit in action! G. Love comments, “Much of the holidays are about giving and coming together. ‘Christmas Change’ is about what I feel should be the true essence of Christmas—sharing, giving, and coming together in peace and love.”

Coming Home For Christmas TRACKLISTING:
1.   “Christmas Morning”
2.   “Christmas Change”
3.   “Cape Cod Winter Blues”
4.   “Merry Christmas”
5.   “So Blessed”
6.   “Christmas Baby”
7.   “Christmas Rock”
8.   “Christmas Blues”
9.   “Christmas Cookies”

In advance of their HBO Debut Judd Apatow introduced The Avett Brothers on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfilio co-directed May It Last: A Portrait of The Avett Brothers which MAY IT LAST debuts MONDAY, JAN. 29 (8:00-9:45 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO. The film will also be available on HBO On Demand, HBO NOW, HBO GO and affiliate portals.

Lord Huron invites you to stare into the abyss this spring with the release of their third full-length album, Vide Noir, out April 20. The first work for their new partnership with Whispering Pines / Republic Records, Vide Noir follows 2015’s critically lauded Strange Trails.

In a preview of the new album, the songs “Ancient Names (Part I)” & “Ancient Names (Part II)” are available now. Listen to the tracks HERE and HERE. Watch the trailer for Vide Noir at lordhuron.com.  

In order to bring Vide Noir to life, Lord Huron will embark on a headline tour of the U.S. beginning April 20 in Grand Rapids, MI. The tour will take the band to some of the largest venues they’ve ever played (including Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre and New York City’s Beacon Theatre) before wrapping up in Seattle, WA on June 7. Fan presale begins this Tuesday, January 30, with the public on-sale taking place on Friday, February 2. Fans can gain first access to presale tickets by visiting www.lordhuron.com. Every pair of tickets ordered for the headline tour will include a copy of Vide Noir.

Vide Noir was written and recorded over the past two years at Lord Huron’s Los Angeles studio and informal clubhouse, Whispering Pines. The album was mixed by Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips/MGMT) and engineered by Sonny DiPerri (Portugal. The Man, Animal Collective).

Singer, songwriter and producer Ben Schneider found inspiration wandering restlessly through his adopted home of LA at night: “My nighttime drives ranged all over the city—across the twinkling grid of the valley, into the creeping shadows of the foothills, through downtown’s neon canyons and way out to the darksome ocean. I started imagining Vide Noir as an epic odyssey through the city, across dimensions, and out into the cosmos. A journey along the spectrum of human experience. A search for meaning amidst the cold indifference of The Universe,” he says.

As a true multi-media artist, Schneider has once again created an adorned world to inhabit within Vide Noir: the album will be accompanied by a wealth of imagery, videos and immersive experiences crafted to expand upon its narratives and themes. This builds on Schneider’s past work, which used videos, a comic book, a choose-your-own-adventure hotline and assorted Easter eggs as means of deepening the listener experience.

Originally a musical and visual solo project by Michigan-native-turned-Angeleno Schneider, Lord Huron now includes members Mark Barry (percussion), Miguel Briseño (bass) and Tom Renaud (guitar). After a pair of independent EPs, Lord Huron released two full-length albums Lonesome Dreams (2012) and Strange Trails (2015) on IAMSOUND Records, followed by extensive touring and prestigious festival appearances both stateside and abroad. After appearing in the hit Netflix show “13 Reasons Why” the band’s song “The Night We Met” (from Strange Trails) was officially certified Platinum in January 2018.

LORD HURON TOUR DATES
March 24—Tempe, AZ—Innings Festival
April 20— Grand Rapids, MI—20 Monroe Live
April 21—Chicago, IL— Riviera Theatre
April 22—St. Paul, MN—The Palace Theatre
April 23— Milwaukee, WI—Riverside Theatre
April 25—Kansas City, MO—The Truman
April 26—Indianapolis, IN—The Vogue
April 27— Royal Oak, MI—Royal Oak Music Theater
April 28-29—Cincinnati, OH—Homecoming Festival
April 30—Boston, MA— House of Blues
May 1—Philadelphia, PA—Electric Factory
May 3—New York, NY—Beacon Theatre
May 4—Washington, DC—The Anthem
May 4-6—Atlanta, GA—Shaky Knees Festival
June 1—San Diego, CA—House of Blues
June 2—Los Angeles, CA—Greek Theatre
June 3—Oakland, CA—Fox Theater
June 5—Portland, OR—Crystal Ballroom
June 7—Seattle, WA—Moore Theatre
June 15-June 17—Dover, DE—Firefly Festival

Days after the HBO debut of the critically acclaimed documentary May It Last: A Portrait of The Avett Brothers, the Grammy nominated album True Sadness [American Recordings/Republic Records] - has launched to #3 on the iTunes Album Chart and #1 on the Rock Albums chart. Check out True Sadness here and May It Last documentary trailer here. 

The album sits ahead of some of the Grammy’s recent performers and nominees from this past Sunday’s awards. Since Monday five of The Avett Brothers albums have jumped back onto the iTunes Overall Top 200 Albums Chart including I And Love And You, The Carpenter, Magpie and the Dandelion, Live, Volume 3, and True Sadness.

Co-directed by Judd Apatow [Doc & Darryl, Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin] and Michael Bonfiglio [My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, Jerry Before Seinfeld], May It Last: A Portrait of The Avett Brothers made its debut to widespread tastemaker applause. USA Today called it, “A lasting portrait,” while NPR wrote, “It’s a fine film, both as a music documentary and as a family story.” The film debuted on Monday, January 29th on HBO and is available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals.

Last week, the band and co-director Apatow could be seen everywhere together. Apatow introduced the group on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as they took the stage for “No Hard Feelings” -watch the performance here. They hit NBC’s Megyn Kelly Today for a joint interview before the band delivered a powerful performance of “I Wish I Was”- watch the performance here and the interview here. In addition, the band, Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio appeared on SiriusXM’s Town Hall Studio and were interviewed by Kurt Loder for an inside look at the film – watch the interview here.

MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS is an Apatow Production in association with RadicalMedia; produced and directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio; executive producers, Jon Kamen, Dave O’Connor, Justin Wilkes; cinematographer, Jonathan Furmanski; additional photography, Michael Richard Martin; sound, Brad Bergbom; editor, Paul Little.

Be on the lookout for more news on The Avett Brothers.

Out now, Plain Spoken: From The Chicago Theatre – a narrative film experience by John Mellencamp –is available on DVD+CD, Blu-ray+CD, and Digital Formats.

A unique voyage into the mind and music of John Mellencamp, Plain Spoken is a live concert filmed at the historic Chicago Theatre, overlaid with personal commentary from the man himself reflecting on his career and life. This DVD set not only includes the original version of the film that debuted on Netflix, but a “non-commentary” version of the concert, as well as a live CD. The set list traverses material from across John Mellencamp’s career, from classics like “Small Town” and “Pop Singer” to songs from his most recent releaseSad Clowns and Hillbillies.

My Soul's Got Wings (Plain Spoken) by John Mellencamp & Carlene Carter on VEVO.

This week Grammy Award®-nominated collective THE AVETT BROTHERS have reached the top Americana Radio Airplay Chart with “High Steppin’” coming in at #1. “High Steppin’” is the first single from The Avett Brothers’ anticipated album Closer Than Together [American/Republic Records], out Friday, October 4, 2019.
 
In addition, the band recently release a behind-the-scenes video of “High Steppin’”. Premiering on The Boot yesterday,  the video goes behind-the-scenes of the choreography created by the Purple Charlotte Steppers Club and talks about how The Avett Brothers asked the group to join them for their video.
 
Watch the behind the scenes video for “High Steppin’” here and the official video here!
 
Don’t miss The Avett Brothers on tour throughout the rest of 2019 making stops at New York’s Barclays Center on October 5th and LA’s The Greek on August 22nd. Check out the full tour dates here: www.theavettbrothers.com/tour
 
The Avett Brothers made mainstream waves with their 2009 major label debut, I and Love and You, landing at No. 16 on the Billboard Top 200 and garnering critical acclaim. 2012 saw The Carpenter hit No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200 and was followed by Magpie and the Dandelion (2013) which debuted at No. 5 on Billboard’s Top 200 and saw the band appear twice on Jimmy Kimmel Live! True Sadness (2016) achieved The Avett Brothers’ highest career debut to date hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Albums Chart, No. 1 Top Rock Albums Chart, No. 1 Digital Albums Chart, No. 3 on Billboard Top 200, and scoring two GRAMMY® nominations. In the same year, the band was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. In 2017, the band released their critically acclaimed documentary May It Last: A Portrait of The Avett Brothers, which was co-directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio. The film followed the band as they wrote their GRAMMY® nominated album True Sadness. The film was released theatrically and on HBO to rave reviews and critical acclaim and is now available on DVD/Blu-Ray/VOD. In November 2018, the band headlined the concert for Hurricane Florence Relief in Greenville, North Carolina, raising $325,000 to help those affected by Hurricane Florence.

Four new songs have recently been released (“Roses and Sacrifice,” “Trouble Letting Go,” “Neapolitan Sky,” “High Steppin’”) in anticipation of new album Closer Than Together to be released on October 4, 2019.

Coming soon: Swept Away - a new musical inspired by and featuring the music of The Avett Brothers - will have its world premiere at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in June 2020. 

Today, Lord Huron have revealed a new single and official music video for “Not Dead Yet.”

The video finds the band performing in the Whispering Pines studio, where time seems to blur and the long-lost musicians who previously occupied the studio merge with present day.

A mysterious figure WBUB host Mr. Tubbs Tarbell commented on the video and new track with excitement: "On "Not Dead Yet", the boys channel the spirits of Whispering Pines for 3 minutes of rip roarin' euphony. Dang!" - Tubbs Tarbell

The song and music video arrived in tandem with the second installment of their four-part series—Alive From Whispering Pines—which aired yesterday. During its first episode, viewers were introduced to Mr. Tubbs Tarbell, fell under the spell of commercials that may very well be lost tapes from the past, and were treated to some incredible performances by Lord Huron. The band played some old songs including “Meet Me In The Woods” (view video here) and provided a sneak peak at some new songs. The episode also featured a hotline where fans could call in and ask Mr. Tarbell questions and request songs from the band for Episode 2. Last night’s performance included some fan favorites and even an unreleased song called “Mine Forever.”

Next up, Lord Huron are confirmed to perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on February 23rd. Be sure to tune in.

The next Alive From Whispering Pines will take place on March 18th. Fans can purchase tickets to each livestream, a season pass to all four shows, and exclusive merch at http://www.lordhuron.com. Two more installments will premiere monthly, with the last episode airing on April 15th.

“Not Dead Yet” marks the band’s first new music since their 2018 album Vide Noir. What could be in store for the band next? Only time will tell…

Today, Eddie Vedder releases a brand-new solo single entitled “Long Way” via Seattle Surf/Republic Records. The song is the first song off Vedder’s forthcoming solo album Earthling.

Listen to “Long Way” HERE and watch the official lyric video HERE.

In creating the song, Vedder worked with producer Andrew Watt in their first collaboration together. Vedder’s iconic vocals shine through as Watt’s production drives home the emotions of the track.

Today Vedder also announces the pre-order of a special limited-edition 7-inch vinyl featuring “Long Way” and soon to be released song “The Haves.” Pre-Order the special 7-inch vinyl version of “Long Way & “The Haves” HERE and HERE via Pearl Jam’s Ten Club.

Vedder has been busy - recently collaborating with Glen Hansard on eight new compositions for the Flag Day Original Motion Picture Soundtrack—available HERE via Seattle Surf & Republic Records. The Soundtrack features noted singer-songwriter Cat Power who contributes three new original songs, along with one cove, and the debut of Olivia Vedder on two tracks. The thirteen-track soundtrack serves as the musical companion to the Cannes Film Festival selected film Flag Day starring and directed by Academy® Award winner Sean Penn and starring his daughter Dylan Penn.

Up next Vedder will be performing a string of festival dates with Pearl Jam including Sea.Hear.Now. Festival on September 18th, Ohana Festival on September 26th and again during Ohana Festival’s Encore Weekend on October 1st and 2nd. In addition, Vedder will also be performing a special solo set at Ohana Festival on September 25th. Full tour dates can be found here at www.pearljam.com/tour.

Be on the lookout for more Eddie Vedder news soon…