Lenny Kaye on How the Original ‘Nuggets’ Compilation Changed Rock — and Reviving That ’60s Garage Spirit With an L.A. Tribute Concert

The end of the road. Jensen Ackles confirmed that The Winchesters is officially over despite efforts to bring the Supernatural spinoff back for season 2.

Back in April, Latto dropped her latest solo single "Put It on da Floor." On the original version Latto namechecks the late Shawty Lo and calls for an end to internet beefs, urging anyone who has a problem with her (and the internet has ideas as to who that might be) to bring it in real life. The brash and addictive track is perfect fodder for Cardi B, who appears on a new remix that landed on Thursday night.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Tina Turner, who died Wednesday at 83, rarely failed to electrify, not just in person but with cameras as her conduit to the audience, too. Longtime Grammys executive producer Ken Ehrlich worked with Turner on programs from the late ’70s through the late ’90s, and he shared his memories with Variety of three particularly memorable TV performances. The first of these was in 1985, when she sang “What’s Love Got to Do With It” on the Grammys, the same year she won record of the year for that song — arguably the peak of her career, though she’d been revered for a quarter-century before that and would become a bigger superstar still in the next 25 years to follow. The second appearance he singles out is a duet between Turner and Elton John for a 1999 “VH1 Divas” special that got more fiery behind the scenes than necessary, albeit possibly to its benefit. Finally, he was an integral part of one of Turner’s last great TV spots, a highly copacetic duet with Beyoncé on the 2008 Grammys telecast.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Taylor Swift announced a new deluxe edition of her “Midnights” album, titled “Midnights: Til Dawn,” that will feature Ice Spice as her guest on a fresh version of “Karma” and additional, newly recorded lead vocals from Lana Del Rey on their “Snow on the Beach” collaboration. Digital and physical editions will each have a format-exclusive track. For the digital release, it will be “Hits Different,” a song that was previously only available on the Target version of “Midnights.” More interestingly for fans, the physical edition will have a “Vault” track never before heard from the “Midnights” writing sessions. The all-new song is titled “You’re Losing Me,” the title of which will obviously set fans’ minds aflutter even before they hear it, given recent revelations about Swift’s personal life.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Global Citizen has announced another all-star concert aiming to help force a real effect on world poverty and climate change, this one set to stream live from Paris’ Champ de Mars on June 22 and featuring Billie Eilish, Jon Batiste, Lenny Kravitz and H.E.R., with additional special appearances by Ben Harper, Finneas and Mosimann. The Live Nation-produced event, “Power Our Planet: Live in Paris,” will be held before a ticketed audience and streamed from in front of the Eiffel Tower on the Global Citizen channel on Amazon’s Twitch, with further broadcast or streaming partners to be announced in the coming weeks. The location wasn’t chosen just for its scenic value. The Summit for a New Financial Pact is being held in Paris on June 22-23, and Global Citizen’s stated hopes are that the concert will help compel World Bank President Ajay Banga, the U.S. government’s Janet Yellen and all the G20 Nations to take action on loosening up funds for less developed nations to deal with climate change.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic In response to public and political pressure, the Ford Motor Company has announced that it will keep installing AM radio in new vehicles after all. Previously, the manufacturer had been on record as saying there was no compelling need to maintain the AM band in any of its forthcoming models — a stance that other carmakers had taken with electric cars but not extended as a policy to all vehicles. That had made Ford particularly a target amid growing controversy over the increasing move to eliminate AM and new congressional legislation designed to make it mandatory in all new models. Jim Farley, Ford’s CEO, announced the reversal in a social media statement.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Imagine Adele happy, and you’re at least part of the way toward understanding the appeal of Lauren Daigle, the powerhouse singer whose self-titled third album — and first with Atlantic Records — came out May 12. Of course, making a joyful noise has been something of a mandate for Daigle, who became arguably the biggest star to arise out of the Christian music scene in the last 10-15 years before entering pop crossover territory. But even if peacefulness and positivity weren’t part of the job description up to this point, Daigle is someone who naturally exudes good vibes, in and out of song. As she puts it, quoting her friend Natalie Hemby, Daigle has a “little hippie thing” going on, which she attributes in part to her Louisiana upbringing, that has erupting in perpetual grins to go with her inner groove.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days” is a hot property in Cannes, and it’s yet to even premiere. Several buyers are currently circling the Japan-set, music-infused title from master filmmaker Wenders, which bows in competition on Thursday. Sources tell Variety that interested parties so far include Utopia, MUBI, Magnolia, Sideshow and Janus Films and Sony Pictures Classics. Wenders’ “Perfect Days” follows Tokyo toilet cleaner Hirayama, who seems content with his simple life. Outside of his everyday routine, he enjoys his passion for books and, in particular, for music. Over the course of the film, a series of unexpected encounters gradually reveal more of his past.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The good news for Niall Horan fans in the U.S. is that he’ll be doing a summer tour of the States in support of his imminent album release. The slightly not-so-good news, for fans who might’ve hoped for more immediate gratification, is that this arena/amphitheater tour will be in summer 2024, kicking off almost a year after the new record comes out. European fans will get a slight head start on the tour, but those dates are waiting until next year, too, with the first night of the international jaunt set for Feb. 21, 2024 in Belfast, UK at the SSE Arena. The North American leg of the worldwide outing will begin May 29, 2024 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. Stops along the way include shows at Madison Square Garden next June 15, the Kia Forum in L.A. on July 27 and Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on June 3. The tour is scheduled to conclude July 231, 2024 at the Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic “More stars than there are in heaven!” crowed Peter Zaremba, lead singer of the Fleshtones, taking a cue from MGM’s famous slogan of the 1930s and ’40s as he boisterously extolled the cast of performers taking part in Friday night’s tribute to the garage-rock of the middle and 1960s. The salute took the form of a semi-reconstruction of the 1972 compilation album “Nuggets,” put together by the Wild Honey Foundation as one of its annual autism benefits at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, with the original compiler of “Nuggets,” Lenny Kaye, on board as emcee, resident historian, cheerleader and intermittent singer-guitarist.

On a spring afternoon in 1982, a young musician named Johnny Marr turned up unannounced outside a council house in Kings Road, Stretford.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic All these decades on, Paul Simon is still looking for angels in the architecture. Maybe especially now; he’s 81 and, like many of his contemporaries, thinking about end-of-life issues both spiritual and corporeal. The observations in his quietly stunning new album, ”Seven Psalms,” reflect a sort of consummate maturity: There aren’t many more stages of ripeness you can move on to, in this life, beyond the one where a hard out looms. “Psalms” is a collection of songs with concerns in the past, present and (maybe) future, with Simon briefly looking back at some bridges burned; looking presently at how little the topical concerns that divide us seem to matter in the face of mortality; and looking ahead to see… well, to see if there is an ahead, as afterlife concerns remain as murky in old age as they did in youth.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The ASCAP Pop Music Awards honored “Stay,” by the Kid Laroi featuring Justin Bieber, as the org’s pop music song of the year Thursday night. That number came out on top as the performing rights organization calculated the most-played affiliated songs of the past 12 months, with results for the 40th annual awards revealed at a private party held for members at Yamashiro in Hollywood. The org’s interest in “Stay” is via ASCAP member Bieber, one of the co-writers on the smash. The song spent seven weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in mid-2022. Dr. Luke was named the songwriter of the year, largely for his participation in hits that have continued to do well off Doja Cat’s 2021 album “Planet Her,” primarily “Need to Know,” “Woman” and “You Right.” The success of Latto’s “High Energy” and Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” also contributed to the producer-writer achieving the highest number of plays for the year.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Rhino Records is launching a quarterly series of limited-edition vinyl releases intended to appeal to LP-loving audiophiles, with records that are cut directly from analog sources by one of the most revered names in the mastering business, Kevin Gray. The first two releases in the Rhino High Fidelity series, both out today, are the Cars’ self-titled debut album from 1978 and John Coltrane’s 1964 album “Coltrane’s Sound.” It won’t be a high-volume series: The releases will be limited to 5,000 numbered copies, with only two new titles issued per quarter. Each catalog album will have lacquers cut by Gray from the original analog tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl, with glossy, fold-out, “tip-on” jackets in the old-school style and supplemental printed inserts with modern essays or interviews.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Jimmie Allen addressed his wife, who is divorcing him, in an Instagram post Thursday afternoon, publicly apologizing to her for what he continues to characterize as a consensual “affair,” and what a woman who used to be one of his managers claims in a lawsuit was sexual assault and rape. “I want to publicly apologize to my wife, Alexis, for humiliating her with my affair,” Allen writes in the post. “I’m embarrassed that my choices have brought shame on her. That’s something she did not deserve at all. I also want to apologize to my children for being a poor example of a man and a father.” Allen’s wife is pregnant with their third child.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic With a new exhibit celebrating the Songwriters Hall of Fame that has opened at the Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles, the facility finally has a space in which the pen is definitively mightier than the sword. Although there are some axes on view, too — but this is an exhibit where attendees are at least as likely to ooh and aah over Sammy Cahn’s typewriter or Burt Bacharach’s hand-written scores as they are Tom Petty’s guitar or Jimmy Jam’s keytar. The range of artifacts on display in “The Power of Song: A Songwriters Hall of Fame Exhibit” runs a gamut from from Irving Berlin’s piano and Cole Porter’s walking stick to material contributions from contemporary writers like Benny Blanco and Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds. In-between those poles, you can find handwritten lyrics and sheet music, telegrams, production notes, cassette demo tapes, Oscars, and — lest a writers’ exhibit seem like too much of a paper chase — even some jackets worn by more sartorially flashy writer-performers like John Legend and Annie Lennox.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic A new documentary about Avicii, the late Swedish DJ who became an international phenomenon in the 2010s, is underway, with Lawrence Bender, known for his many projects with Quentin Tarantino, and longtime talent manager Orlando John as producing partners. John will co-direct the film with Jonas Trukanas. “Avicii changed the music industry,” said John, a Dutch talent manager who works with musician Wyclef Jean, actor Joel Kinnaman and others. “People think they know the story, but they have really no clue as to what actually happened. I feel a profound responsibility to ensure that it’s told accurately and objectively. This documentary will give the audiences a deeper understanding of the brand that left an indelible mark on music and culture.”

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic With the media sounding the alarm bell that AM radio is increasingly being dropped by auto manufacturers, a bipartisan group of members of Congress has introduced legislation that would mandate auto manufacturers keep the traditional radio band intact in new vehicles. The AM for Every Vehicle Act was introduced in both the House and Senate Wednesday. If successful, it would reverse a tide that has seen several manufacturers of electric cars, including Tesla, drop it from those vehicles — citing interference between the AM band and electric operating systems — and, more alarmingly for AM radio listeners, has found Ford planning to drop AM from all new cars.

The National in their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, has announced the line-up for its 2023 edition.The two-day event returns to Smale Park on September 15 and 16 and will, as ever, be headlined by the band themselves, who will play two unique headline sets. It will also play host to the likes of Patti Smith, Pavement and The Walkmen.Weyes Blood, Snail Mail, Bartees Strange, Arooj Aftab, Julia Jacklin, The Drin, Leo Pastel, Carriers, and Ballard all complete the line-up.“When we launched Homecoming in 2018, we were overwhelmed by the response from the community and by our renewed sense of connection to our hometown,” The National said in a statement [via Consequence of Sound].

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic A film rendering of the two-night 90th birthday tribute to Willie Nelson at the Hollywood Bowl in April will be coming to movie theaters sooner rather than later. “Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90” will appear on the big screen across the U.S. for three nights, with an initial showing on June 11 followed by repeat screenings on June 13-14. The running time is being described as “two hours plus,” which means editors have a big job on their hands cutting down the more than six hours of music that transpired April 29-30 at the Bowl, with very little overlap of material between the two nights. A lot of artists who appeared at one or both shows will necessarily not make the cut.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic A Taylor Swift fan whose front-row zealotry caught the constant attention of a security guard — whose response then caught the attention of Swift herself — has spoken out on what happened during and after the confrontation during “Bad Blood” at a Philadelphia show. Kelly Kelly, a third-grade teacher from Baltimore, was attending the show with sister Kirstin Birmingham and two friends, all with first-row seats in front of the ramp that extended out into the Lincoln Financial Field audience. Kelly told ABC’s “Good Morning, America” and the Daily Mail about what transpired with security, and Swift’s reaction, on Saturday night — leading to their getting free tickets to come back for the third and final Philly concert Sunday night.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic There was almost some bad blood between Taylor Swift and stadium security at the singer’s show in Philadelphia on Saturday, as she took a pause in singing “Bad Blood” to repeatedly ask a guard or guards to lay off a fan as a confrontation developed. As usual with anything at a Swift show, there were tens of thousands of cameras trained on her, and one 25-second clip of the singer’s interjections on Twitter had amassed more than 3 million views by Sunday morning. Video of what happened between the fan and security guard was harder to come by; attendees at the Lincoln Financial Field show offered reports saying alternately that the fan was being confronted for being too close to a barricade or was being pulled away for taking photos (which are not disallowed on the tour).

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Perhaps you saw the gossip-site reports coming out of the Lovers & Friends Festival in Las Vegas last weekend: Allegedly, Chris Brown and Usher had gotten into some kind of tiff backstage during Missy Elliott’s set. The two singers went on to… Wait a minute. There was a Missy Elliott show? Stop the presses … this seemed like a case of burying the lead, as they say in news circles. Hip-hop fans knew what the real headlines should have been on that story: A unicorn had been sighted during a full solar eclipse, as Halley’s comet made a rare pass over Brigadoon — or other metaphors to that effect — if Elliott was being sighted back on a stage. Something slightly rarer still occurred Tuesday night in southern California’s Inland Empire: a stand-alone headlining show by Elliott. As one tweeter put it: “Why Yaamava’ Theatre?” — wondering, reasonably, why Elliott was following her festival appearance not with a full tour or, say, a night or two at the Hollywood Bowl, but a one-off gig at a 2,500-seat theater at a casino-resort at least an hour outside of L.A. in off-the-beaten-track Highland? The Vegas festival and subsequent casino concert are it, as far as what’s on Elliott’s public itinerary following the news of her impending Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. The last time she did anything like a standard tour was 13 years ago, and since then, Elliott might not have done much more than a dozen full sets, almost all of them at festivals, none in theaters. So no wonder the cheapest tickets on the day of the show for her SoCal appearance were going for $500-plus.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic At his Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony Friday, Blake Shelton was both celebrated and shamed by three guest speakers that have loomed large in his life over the last dozen years, as “The Voice” host Carson Daly thoroughly roasted him, wife Gwen Stefani waxed lovestruck (still), and former fellow judge Adam Levine split the difference. Shelton did not refrain from comic comments of his own. He mentioned that, as an aspiring singer from Oklahoma, getting a star on the Walk of Fame had not been primary among his career goals. “It was just never on my radar,” he told the assembled crowd on Hollywood Blvd. “I had a dream of being a country singer and hearing myself on the radio one day, and I never, ever thought that that path would lead me here. … So, like, this is shocking to me that this even happened. … I’ve been telling people for the last few weeks that I’m getting a Hollywood Square. ”

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic At the 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, the top prize, entertainer of the year, was handed out to Chris Stapleton, even as Lainey Wilson and Hardy won in the the greatest number of categories, with four each — two of which they shared for the duet “Wait in the Truck.” Technically, Hardy walked away with six trophies, since the ACMs offer double awards for artists who co-write their nominated songs. Accepting for album of the year, Wilson said, “I wrote 300 songs during the pandemic.” Noting that some fans have said listening to her “Bell Bottom Country” album helped save their lives, Wilson said, “Writing these songs saved mine.” She quoted one of her own lines: “Be who you are, ’cause everybody else is taken.”

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Country star Jimmie Allen’s label, BBR Music Group, has suspended him, following a lawsuit from an ex-manager alleging that he sexually assaulted her over a period of a year and a half working with him, and an investigative story in Variety expanding on the woman’s allegations. “In light of today’s allegations against Jimmie Allen, BBR Music Group has decided to suspend all activity with him, effective immediately,” said a statement from the label. Other action has been swift. Allen has been dropped as the commencement speaker for tomorrow’s Delaware State University’s 2023 graduation. A press release from the university said that Allen, a Delaware native, had been replaced as commencement speaker by congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The FOMO of having missed Joni Mitchell’s appearance at the Newport Folk Festival last summer no longer needs to be so strong. Most of that comeback set, which as augmented by an all-star cast, is being released as a live album in July, “At Newport,” produced by Mitchell and Brandi Carlile. The album will be released by Rhino on July 28, four days after the one-year anniversary of the surprise show at the Rhode Island Festival. The guest stars who shared lead vocals and instrumentals with Carlile during the “Joni Jam” will all be represented — including Carlile, Marcus Mumford, Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith, Lucius, Celisse and Wynonna Judd. Other players included Phil and Tim Hanseroth, Allison Russell and Blake Mills.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton have friends in host places: each other, as they prepare to co-helm the 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards show Thursday night. Parton has done the hosting thing for the ACM Awards or CMAs a bare handful of times over the years (including taking on the role for last year’s ACMs); it’s Brooks’ first time, meanwhile, emceeing a kudocast. Regardless of their awards-show resumes, this pairing is not your average “get,” as landing hosts goes. There’s a good argument to be made that Parton is the biggest female star in the history of their genre, and just as good a case for thinking Brooks is the all-time biggest male star in the format, as they step down from country’s Mount Olympus to chaperone the prom.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Margo Price and Charley Crockett emerged as leading nominees when the contenders for the 2023 Americana Honors & Awards were announced Tuesday in Nashville, with three nominations each. Allison Russell was close behind with two nods from the Americana Music Association voters. Picking up a single nomination each — tough enough, when there are only a scant six categories— were such highly regarded names of the genre as Billy Strings, Zach Bryan, Brandi Carlile, Tyler Childers, Angel Olsen, Sierra Ferrell, Nickel Creek, the War and Treaty, and Bonnie Raitt. Some of the more prominent names in Americana who have dominated the nominations in years past, like Jason Isbell, were between projects during the voting period. But the association is also known for wanting to promote fresh blood, which has resulted in artists who don’t necessarily have high mainstream media profiles, like Hermanos Gutiérrez, 49 Winchester, Caamp and Plains, landing slots in competitive categories.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Morgan Wallen took to his Instagram account Tuesday to release a video statement saying that he is having to put off his next six weeks of tour dates — plus a scheduled appearance in just two days on the Academy of Country Music Awards telecast — after doctors ordered him to go on vocal rest. Wallen had already recently canceled some dates, but returned to the road for three shows this past weekend, which he said felt ruinous and precipitated a return to the doctor. The dates will be postponed and rescheduled, the country star told fans in the glum video. “I got some bad news from my doctors at the Vanderbilt Voice Center yesterday, after taking 10 days of vocal rest,” Wallen said. “I performed three shows last weekend in Florida, and by the third one, I felt terrible. So I went in and got scoped yesterday and they told me that I re-injured my vocal chords and that I have vocal fold trauma. Their advice is that I go on vocal rest for six weeks. So that’s what I’m going to do.”

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Dolly Parton has revealed all the pertinent details about her long-promised “rock album,” titled “Rockstar,” including a 30-song track list, Nov. 17 release date and literally dozens of celebrity guests — including Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr joining her for a cover of the Beatles’ “Let It Be.” The vast majority of the 30 tracks on the fall release will include at least one feature from a big-name artist, and in some cases two. Brandi Carlile and Pink will be joining Parton on the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” while Emmylou Harris and Sheryl Crow will be her guests on a song most popularized by Linda Ronstadt, “You’re No Good.” The force of metal will be strong on the song “Bygones,” where Judas Priest’s Rob Halford and Motley Crue members Nikki Sixx and John 5 will join her crew. Lizzo and Sasha Flute will put some wind into her sails on Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” even as Steven Tyler and Warren Haynes put their heads together with the Jackson 5 cover “I Want You Back.” And the aforementioned “Let It Be” won’t just include the two surviving Beatles; it’ll also feature turns from Peter Frampton and Mick Fleetwood.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The desert will again be a hotbed of deceit and larceny in luxurious black-and-white as the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival returns to Palm Springs this Thursday through Sunday, with the quintessential noir classics “The Killing” and “Double Indemnity” bookending a marathon weekend that otherwise tends toward more rarely screened ‘40s and ‘50s titles. Several sons or daughters of the original actors or directors will be on hand, but of special interest to festival attendees will be the presence of one of the actual filmmakers: James B. Harris, 94, Stanley Kubrick’s producing partner for several of his best early films, who’ll be able to speak first-hand about the making of 1955’s “The Killing,” the crime drama that turned out to be Kubrick’s first real masterpiece.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Taylor Swift’s recent song “Midnight Rain” lived up to its name when it was performed Sunday night at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, except that it was actually after 1 a.m. local time when it finally came up in the set list. The finale of her hometown three-night stand was pushed back hours from its scheduled start time due to lightning strikes near the downtown area; once it did finally get underway after 10 p.m., the second half of the three-and-a-half-hour set was marked by a steady downpour, hitting Swift as hard as it did the audience in the roofless venue, before the show finally wrapped up just after 1:35 a.m. The general crowd mood, at that drenched wee hour: delirious. (Except for the small minority of fans who gave up and went home before the show got started.)

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic This past awards season, Joy Oladokun was nominated for the Grammys’ first Song for Social Change award, for a song off her previous album called “I See America.” If all you ever heard — or heard about — was that tune (opening lines: “I saw God out on the block today / He was darker than the preachers say”), or know that Oladokun once called herself “the trap Tracy Chapman” (half-jokingly), you could easily leap to the assumption that she’s more of a protest singer than a pop artist. But can she be at least a little bit of both? She takes it as a compliment that anyone would use that second P-term in describing her third album, “Proof of Life.” Oladokun has been out on the road opening for John Mayer, and the new record is so radio-friendly — and just so friendly, generally — that it wouldn’t feel like a stretch to see her doing tour dates with someone like a Taylor Swift.

Michael J. Fox may be the only man on earth who doesn’t remember Susanna Hoffs.

told The Sunday Times. “Look at all the girls I dated. Some of them I can’t even remember.”“I mean, I dated Susanna Hoffs from the Bangles, and I can’t even remember it,” continued the “Back to the Future” star.