SAN DIEGO — SAN DIEGO (AP) — Comic-Con International, the comic book and pop culture extravaganza, is kicking off in San Diego. The convention, which draws over 130,000 fans annually, opens for a preview night Wednesday and runs through Sunday. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the Hollywood strikes disrupting past years of the convention either … Read more
Ten years ago, “Weird Al” Yankovic made history, as he is wont to do. “Mandatory Fun,” his 14th and final studio album, hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It was not only unprecedented for Yankovic, but unprecedented for his genre as a whole: Never before had a comedy album reached the top spot. And … Read more
Flying solo from the nest of a mega successful band is difficult, but BTS member Jimin did it with last year’s “FACE,” his first studio album under his own name. Finding that magic with a sophomore outing is always a much harder proposition. And doing so while serving South Korea’s mandatory military service for men … Read more
Love songs have existed for millennia but leave it to Glass Animals to give them a refreshing spin, where love isn’t always a honeymoon phase or heartbreak — it’s much, much more. The British indie-pop band, known for hits like 2014’s “Gooey” or 2020’s viral “Heat Waves,” has won listeners over with its unique, often … Read more
NEW YORK — Gary Ginstling surprisingly resigned as chief executive officer of the New York Philharmonic on Thursday after one year on the job. No reason was given for his departure, announced days ahead of Jaap van Zweden’s final performances as music director, at Vail, Colorado, from July 17-20. Ginstling had been with the orchestra … Read more
LOS ANGELES — It’s been 30 years since Beck released his breakout lo-fi anthem “Loser.” In the time since the song and its hit album “Mellow Gold,” Beck has sought to shed the slacker image inadvertently linked with him. The versatile, genre-bending musician will perhaps complete that pendulum shift this summer as he celebrates his … Read more
Tarmo Peltokoski was hired Thursday to succeed Jaap van Zweden as music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Peltokoski, at 24 far younger than most music directors, will start a five-year term in the 2026-27 season after serving as music director designate in 2025-26, the philharmonic said. “I was just extremely impressed by the orchestra … Read more
FRANKTOWN, Va. — Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup helped invent rock ‘n’ roll. His 1946 song “That’s All Right,” an easygoing shrug to a lover, would become the first single Elvis Presley ever released. Rod Stewart would sing it on a chart-topping album. Led Zeppelin would play it live. But you wouldn’t have known it if … Read more
NEW YORK — Marsha Ambrosius was done with the demands required of a successful R&B star, including the wear-and-tear of touring and fickle music industry politics. She was at peace working behind the scenes and writing for other artists. But Dr. Dre had a prescription to rejuvenate her on-stage desire. “I didn’t want to do … Read more
LONDON — Taylor Swift fans enjoy parsing the singer-songwriter’s lyrics for references to her romantic life and insights into her state of her mind. But the pop superstar’s fans in the U.K. didn’t have to listen closely to her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” to get the sense that Swift had soured on the … Read more
