Category: NEWS

Music and entertainment news

SKOPE NEWS FOR DECEMBER 18, 2014

by Skope • December 18, 2014

2015 UNSIGNED ONLY MUSIC COMPETITION JUDGING PANEL ANNOUNCED Unsigned Only Music Competition revealed today its high-profile judging panel for the 2015 competition, which is now accepting entries. The renowned panel consists of iconic recording artists and journalists and will determine the winners in eleven categories representing a wide variety of commercial genres of music. Designed…

by Skope • December 17, 2014

J. COLE ALBUM DEBUTS AT #1 ON BILLBOARD TOP 200 CHART J. Cole has debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Charts for the third time taking the place of Taylor Swifts 1989. ‘Forest Hills Drive’ sold 371,000 copies in its first week; the highest selling first week sales of any hip-hop album…

by Skope • December 16, 2014

SEPTEMBER GIRLS VIDEO “BLACK OIL” Written by bassist Paula Cullen, “Black Oil” emerged from a jam session with drummer Sarah Grimes. Paula explains; “The imagery in the lyrics came from a couple of places, the first being a dream I had, the second being some crazy stuff I had written down on Christmas night last…

by Skope • December 15, 2014

J. COLE ON LETTERMAN “BE FREE” J. Cole performed “Be Free” on Letterman last night, a track he wrote in response to Ferguson back in August. Though he dropped 2014 Forest Hills Drive on Tuesday “Be Free” was not on it; a bold statement. The performance is emotional with a new verse and is just…

by Skope • December 11, 2014

STU COOK AND DOUG CLIFFORD COMMENT ON CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL LITIGATION “Because of recent inaccurate statements in the media regarding pending litigation, we want to set the record straight. We have never objected to John Fogerty performing any song he ever wrote, or performing any song recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival. That idea is ridiculous.…

by Skope • December 10, 2014

THE HUNTS RELEASE THEIR VERSION OF “O HOLY NIGHT” Recently signed to Cherrytree Records/Interscope, seven-piece sibling band The Hunts, have been playing music together almost their entire lives. Ranging from ages 16 to 24, twin sisters Jenni and Jessi and their five brothers Josh, Jonathan, Jordan, Justin, and Jamison all learned to sing and play…

by Skope • December 9, 2014

‘CHRISTMAS POETRY FOR EVERYONE’ BY STEVE RYAN FREE Want to get Steve Ryan’s holiday audiobook for Free? Just go to Audible and sign up for their free 30 day membership trial and they will let you pick any audiobook for free. Not interested in their trial? No worries, the Audiobook is only $3.95, that’s less…

by Skope • December 8, 2014

SNOCORE TOUR ANNOUNCES COAST-TO-COAST ITINERARY Wind-up Records and TKO have announced the 2015 SNOCORE Tour itinerary featuring headliner Flyleaf, with Adelitas Way confirmed as direct support. Framing Hanley and Fit For Rivals will open the show. The tour begins on February 3 at Amos South End in Charlotte, NC, and will wrap on the West…

by Skope • December 5, 2014

NEW ALBUM BY BIG PETE PEARSON Blues giant Big Pete Pearson showcases his immense vocal prowess on his first Fervor Records release, Steppin’ Out. The seasoned 81 year old delivers solid, heartfelt performances further elevating his stature as a legendary Bluesman. Throughout his illustrious career, Big Pete has worked with icons including Ray Charles, B.B.…

by Skope • December 4, 2014

WHAT MODEL CITIZENS “TOO LATE” What Model Citizens are a synth-rock punk outfit who hail from Brooklyn. The creation of songwriter and frontman Alex Musto, the group is closing out 2014 with the highly anticipated video for “Too Late.” The track is taken from What Model Citizens’ newest release, Ohn E Amas, which is out…

by Skope • December 3, 2014

MARY J. BLIGE’S NEW ALBUM IS OUT NOW The London Sessions, Mary J. Blige’s 13th studio album, was released today by Capitol Records. Blige’s series of national television appearances continues with a visit to “The Wendy Williams Show” today. She will also appear on “A Very GRAMMY Christmas,” a one-hour entertainment special airing on CBS…

by Skope • December 2, 2014

LOS CAMPESINOS! NEW FESTIVE EP Los Campesinos! debuted their upcoming festive new EP A Los Campesinos! Christmas as their very own Black Friday special via Pitchfork Advance, where it can be streamed in full all week leading up to a December 8th, 2014 release via Turnstile/Heart Swells. The EP and limited edition 12-inch feature five…

by Skope • December 1, 2014

ED HARCOURT NEW SINGLE GOES VIRAL Following 10 million streams of the song and due to extraordinary demand for the track, the worldwide release of acclaimed British songwriter Ed Harcourt’s new single ‘The Way That I Live’ has been brought forward to Dec 1st (“impact date” remains Dec 15th). Recorded at the legendary Abbey Road…

by Skope • November 26, 2014

FRANK PALANGI FREE DOWNLOAD “FALLING TOO” Rock recording artist Frank Palangi from Upstate, New York releases his end of the year rock single for 2014 titled “Falling Too”. Originally written in 2006 on his first demo album, Frank has brought back this single to give it a rock edge and hopes to win over fans…

by Skope • November 25, 2014

FRANK VIELE RELEASES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO “EASY MONEY” Acoustic soul/blues singer/songwriter Frank Viele releases his new single “Easy Money” off of his first full-length album, Fall Your Way, set to release in Spring 2015. With the help of saxophonist Bill Holloman (Chic, Paul Simon, Steve Winwood) and Adrian Tramontano (drums), Tim Palmieri (electric guitar)…

by Skope • November 24, 2014

BEYONCE “7/11” VIDEO HERE Today, Beyoncé releases BEYONCÉ Platinum Edition Box SET worldwide. The 2 CD/2 DVD limited edition package includes two brand new songs, “7/11” and “Ring Off” plus four new remixes with some superstar collaborators. The original, critically acclaimed self-titled visual album, featuring 14 songs and 17 videos, is also included. The special…

by Skope • November 20, 2014

JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE’S “CALL YA MOMMA” Fresh off the success of his recently released album, Single Mothers, Justin Townes Earle announced the companion album Absent Fathers to be released January 13, 2015. Also comprised of 10 tracks, Absent Fathers was recorded alongside Single Mothers as a double album, but as Justin began to sequence it,…

by Skope • November 19, 2014

EPIC RECORDS PARTNERS WITH HP FOR BREAKOUT POP STAR MEGHAN TRAINOR’S NEW “LIPS ARE MOVIN” VIDEO Epic Records breakout pop star Meghan Trainor has partnered up with global technology company HP for its #BendTheRules campaign, which includes the creation of a music video for Trainor’s brand-new single “Lips Are Movin’” that premieres today on HP’s…

by Skope • November 18, 2014

PHILIP SELWAY PREMIERES NEW VIDEO FOR “AROUND AGAIN” Philip Selway is excited to premiere the new video for the track “Around Again” off his stellar second album, Weatherhouse (Bella Union). The “Around Again” visuals retain the dreamy, mystical nature of Philip’s previous videos for “Coming Up For Air” and “It Will End In Tears”. The…

by Skope • November 17, 2014

CELESTIAL SHORE CREATE INTERACTIVE MUSIC VIDEO FOR “ANIMAL RATIO” SINGLE After months of anticipation, Celestial Shore’s second album Enter Ghost has hit shelves across the nation. You can purchase it directly from Hometapes here and at all finer retail outlets. Noisey described the band as “honeyed clusters of knotty notes and jazzy intricacies” and “sun-splashed,…

by Skope • November 14, 2014

NYC SOUL-POP ARTIST SHILPA RELEASES “BABY GO HOME” Check out NYC-based soul-pop artist Shilpa Narayan and her newest video “Baby Go Home,” off her upcoming EP, set to release early 2015. After Shilpa released her first album, Stand Alone, in 2012; she immediately caught the attention of several high profile music outlets such as AOL…

by Skope • November 13, 2014

CULTURE CLUB CANCEL NORTH AMERICAN AND U.K TOUR DATES It is with great regret that the members of Culture Club have announced the cancellation of their tours in North America and the UK scheduled for November and December 2014. It became necessary to do so this week when a polyp was discovered in George’s throat.…

by Skope • November 12, 2014

FUTURE PUNX “FORGIVE THE DOUBT” STREAMING NOW AT NOISEY Future Punx are Brooklyn’s preeminent Post-Wave ensemble; five humanoids that come together to create energetic, catchy, danceable and thought provoking music. “Post-Wave” is their personalized genre/state-of-being, which indicates a wide ranging pallet of sonic possibility, combining elements of punk, post-punk, new wave, disco, funk, and pop…

by Skope • November 11, 2014

IKES VIDEO “NO COMMERCIAL” Hackney, London rapper IKES has been entertaining hip hop fans on both sides of the Atlantic for a while now with his distinguished mix of raw realism, cheeky lyricism and clever wordplay. Following a five date college tour in the US, IKES recently returned to the UK but shot the new…

by Skope • November 10, 2014

JOHN BUTLER TRIO PRESENT “SPRING TO COME” VIDEO John Butler Trio proudly present their latest video for ‘Spring To Come’ the opening track from their acclaimed Flesh & Blood album released earlier this year. It was created by Jonathan Chong from Dropbear Digital, an amazing director and animator who has worked on a number of…

by Skope • November 6, 2014

THE HORNS DEBUT SINGLE ‘PLAY WITH FIRE’ Melbourne duo The Horns are excited to announce that their debut single ‘Play With Fire’ will be released on Friday 7 November through iTunes. To celebrate, the two-piece will play a headline show in their hometown of Melbourne at the Railway Hotel, Brunswick, on Friday 5 December. ‘Play…

by Skope • November 5, 2014

MAYA ANGELOU TALKS ON HER ALBUM The late iconic American writer, poet, actor, dancer, director, composer, and lecturer Dr. Maya Angelou’s long-awaited album Caged Bird Songs is officially available today via Smooch Music. The album blends Maya’s poetic spoken words with modern hip-hop production, and was produced by RoccStarr (Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Hudson, CeeLo Green)…

by Skope • November 4, 2014

READABLE GRAFFITI NEW SINGLE The friendly peeps at Readable Graffiti are back with an exciting new EP, “Out to the Races”, the follow up to the critically acclaimed “Male Mood Swings” EP. “Out to the Races” is a typically eclectic and bold release from the lads, combining their love of electronica’s unconventional sounds and…

by Skope • November 3, 2014

MUSIC DOCU ON FELA KUTI FINDING FELA, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney’s latest documentary on Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, comes to iTunes and Multiple Digital Platforms TODAY and Cable Movies On-demand on November 1st. Released theatrically by Kino Lorber this past August, it has played in over 60 North American markets so far including New…

by Skope • October 31, 2014

MARYANN “SLOW RIDIN’” NEW SINGLE “Slow Ridin’” is a track from Future R&B artist Maryann’s freshly released Ep “This Is What The Moon Sounds Like”. The song is quite the contrast from her soothing track “Landing”, and the Reggae influenced “The Long Way”. This song shows a playful and more open side of Maryann’s music.…

by Skope • October 30, 2014

ELIZABETH & THE CATAPULT “HAPPY POP” VIDEO PREMIERES AT WALL STREET JOURNAL Elizabeth & The Catapult is proud to release the animated video for “Happy Pop”, the lead track from the Brooklyn band’s recent album, Like It Never Happened (Scratchback Records/Thirty Tigers). The Wall Street Journal’s Speakeasy Blog debuted the clip from artist Michael Arthur…

by Skope • October 29, 2014

AARYN ROSE TO RELEASE HER DEBUT SINGLE, “EVERYWHERE I GO” Ten year-old singer/songwriter AARYN ROSE is excited to announce the release of her debut single, “Everywhere I Go,” today! “Be yourself,” Aaryn states. “Don’t let other people take away your personal power away, and always try to be the bigger person” “Everywhere I Go” was…

by Skope • October 28, 2014

MISSY ELLIOTT, LIL’ KIM AND DA BRAT REUNITE TO REVIVE “LADIES NIGHT” AT SOUL TRAIN AWARDS 2014 It’s ladies night at SOUL TRAIN AWARDS 2014! Today, CENTRIC announced that the Grammy Award-winning Queen Bee herself, Lil’ Kim; Grammy Award-winning double platinum artist, Missy Elliott; and the first female solo rapper to ever go platinum, Da…

by Skope • October 27, 2014

MUSIC VIDEO FOR NOEL GALLAGHER’S “IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT” Britpop tour de force Noel Gallagher (formerly of Oasis) is back with another solo album as High Flying Birds, and Noisey is proud to present the music video for its first single “In The Heat Of The Moment.” http://noisey.vice.com/music-video-premieres/noel-gallaghers-high-flying-birds-in-the-heat-of-the-moment-official-video TASHAKI MIYAKI SHARE COVER OF…

by Skope • October 23, 2014

CHECK OUT T.I.’S NEW VIDEO FOR “KING” Watch T.I.’s new video for “King” from his newly released Paperwork album HERE! Considered one of the most eagerly awaited releases of 2014, T.I. has described his first Columbia release as ‘of a stellar nature,’ and a golden opportunity to apply all of his diverse strengths to his…

by Skope • October 22, 2014

WIZ KHALIFA UNVEILS HIS FIRST-EVER INTERACTIVE VIDEO Rostrum/Atlantic recording artist Wiz Khalifa has released the world premiere of his groundbreaking new video, “Stayin Out All Night.” The clip – which marks the latest single/video from Wiz’ chart-topping new album, “BLACC HOLLYWOOD” – debuted this morning exclusively via: http://www.stayinoutallnight.com STEVE RYAN ‘LIFE DESTINY’ AUDIO BOOK VIDEO…

by Skope • October 21, 2014

ETNIK “UNCLASSIFIED” VIDEO Etnik’s latest EP, Unclassified, is out today via OWSLA / Bitclap. This EP dives into the unexplored side of techno, including a collaboration with rapper Mykki Blanco on the title track. Watch the official video for “Unclassified” below. KHARY DURGAN NEW VIDEO “THE GIVING TREE” Khary Durgans returns today with his new…

by Skope • October 20, 2014

KRISTOFFER RAGNSTAM AND THE HARBOUR HEADS NEW ALBUM OCTOBER 21 Acclaimed producer and artist Kristoffer Ragnstam has reunited with band, The Harbour Heads, for the release of their highly anticipated American debut album Skyscrapers with Seagulls set to release via INgrooves on October 21st. After rave reviews from the likes of Rolling Stone (Europe), and…

by Skope • October 17, 2014

TINASHE MAKES OFFICIAL DEBUT ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS With three impressive self-released mixtapes under her creative belt, Tinashe’s major label album debut, Aquarius, makes its official entry onto the Billboard charts. Released on October 7 via RCA Records, the critically adored Aquarius enters at #3 on this week’s Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, according to…

by Skope • October 16, 2014

NEW ALBUM & SINGLE BY RHYTON Rhyton (Dave Shuford, Jimy SeiTang, and Rob Smith) is a group of experienced sonic voyagers, well versed in music both ancient and futuristic and wise enough to know that the distinction between the two is more subjective than one might initially be taught. They take ancestral forms, instrumentation and…