Zappagram #96: Hey! Ho! Let's go! 50 years of the Ramones
Hey! Ho! and Day-o! all in one newsletter?! Say it ain't so!
Hey Zappagrammers!
It may still be winter, but musically speaking, things are heating up already this year. We’re starting to see announcements for many exciting upcoming 2024 releases. Kings of Leon are back. Richard Hawley, too. Khruangbin has a new album coming soon. New Black Keys, Taylor Swift, Andrew Belle, Sierra Ferrell…and that’s just over the next couple of months. Lots to look forward to!
2024 marks 50 years since the Ramones burst onto the scene kicking ass and taking names, and my friend S.W. Lauden wrote a great piece titled “Ramones: Read To Ruin,” which includes some great videos and features five must-read books about the band. If you’re a Ramones fan (and who the hell isn’t) you’ve got to check it out. And if you’re a music fan who likes to read (and if you aren’t, what are you doing here) check out his entire blog filled with great music-related book recommendations.
Also, if you’re fortunate enough to live in New York, Los Angeles, London, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Berlin, Mexico City, or Tokyo, you can catch the Ramones 50th Anniversary Multimedia Touring Exhibition this year, which looks like an absolute must-see, though I’m having trouble locating exact dates for this, so if anybody knows something, please share with the class. Why this isn’t readily available on their website is beyond me.
As you know, one of my 2024 goals is to include a piece of original artwork in every week’s newsletter. This week, the artwork and quote of the week are both the late, great Harry Belafonte, whose birthday we celebrate this coming week.
Ground control to reader: Take your protein pills. Put your helmet on.
This newsletter ain’t gonna read itself.
“You can cage the singer but not the song.”
—Harry Belafonte
ROCK THE VOTE
:: MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
Last week’s poll: 41% of you guessed correctly that Jimmy Page played guitar on “It’s Not Unusual” by Tom Jones. 41% of you guessed incorrectly that it was Jeff Beck. It was a good guess. It was just wrong. ;)
WEEKLY PLAYLIST
:: NEW MUSIC EVERY WEEK
Featuring: Khruangbin, Morning Bear, SZA, The London Suede, Safari Room, Kings of Leon, Prinze George
ZAPPAGRAM #96
ZAPPAGRAM PLAYLIST (ALL WEEKS)
MUSIC NEWS
:: WHAT’S GOING ON
Eagles ‘Hotel California’ Trial: Lyric Pads, Taped Phone Call, and ‘God Henley’
The lawsuit over allegedly stolen Eagles lyrics featured a surprise tape and unseen emails during the trial's first week [RollingStone]
Four Beatles Biopics in the Works From Sam Mendes
ohn, Paul, George, and Ringo will be the subject of individual feature films, set for 2027 [Pitchfork]
AC/DC Reissuing Classic Albums on Gold Vinyl for 50th Anniversary
The gold wax variants are available exclusively from Walmart in the US and arrive March 15th [Consequence]
Maggie Rogers Hitting the Road in Support of New Album ‘Don’t Forget Me’
The Japanese House to serve as opening act on first leg of trek [RollingStone]
Ex-DMB Member Boyd Tinsley Sued for Breaching Sexual Misconduct Lawsuit Settlement
Violinist accused of defamation and breach of contract following 2022 social media comments aimed at accuser James Frost-Winn [RollingStone]
Statue of Motörhead Frontman Lemmy to Be Erected in His Staffordshire Hometown
The statue will be built in the market square of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent [NME]
Kings of Leon Announce New Album Can We Please Have Fun, 2024 Tour Dates
The band has also revealed the album's first single, "Mustang" [Consequence]
Billie Eilish New Music Could Arrive Sooner Than You Think: ‘My Album Is Mastered’
Singer's much-anticipated follow-up to 2019's Happier Than Ever completes final stage of recording process [RollingStone]
The Flaming Lips to Perform Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots on 2024 Tour
Another run featuring the band performing their 2002 magnum opus in full [Consequence]
Primus and Coheed and Cambria Announce Summer 2024 US Tour
The 25-date trek kicks off in July and features rotating support from Guerilla Toss, Too Many Zooz, and Fishbone [Consequence]
Daft Punk Stream Interstella 5555, Their Discovery Companion Movie
The intergalactic anime, originally released in 2003, streamed on Twitch to mark the third anniversary of the duo’s breakup [Pitchfork]
Slayer to Play First Shows in 5 Years at Riot Fest and Louder Than Life
The thrash metal band returns after bidding farewell in 2019 [Pitchfork]
Lizzy McAlpine Announces 2024 Tour in Support of New Album
Her third full-length is due out in April [Consequence]
Z-REX
:: ZAPPA’S RECOMMENDATIONS
You won’t find a more dynamic duo than my friends Jeff and Jake, known to most as Illiterate Light. They recently played an Audiotree session that kicked ass, like everything else they do.
NEW RELEASES
:: RECENTLY DROPPED MUSIC
Bombay Bicycle Club – Fantasies EP
Can: Can Live in Paris 1973
Laetitia Sadier: Rooting for Love
MGMT: Loss of Life
Modern English: 1 2 3 4
Motörhead: The Löst Tapes
The Cult: Dreamtime (Vinyl Reissue)
The Waterboys: 1985 (Deluxe Edition)
RELEASE RADAR
:: UPCOMING RELEASES
- MAR 1 -
AC/DC: Vinyl reissue of all albums!
Andrew Belle: The Nightshade (Hushed) EP
Faye Webster: Underdressed at the Symphony
Kaiser Chiefs: Kaiser Chiefs’ Easy Eighth Album
Liam Gallagher & John Squire: Liam Gallagher & John Squire
Mannequin Pussy: I Got Heaven
Mini Trees: Burn Out EP
Ministry: HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES
Nils Frahm: Day
Pissed Jeans: Half Divorced
Thundercat: Apocalypse (10th Anniversary Edition)
The Who: Live At Shea Stadium 1982
- MAR 8 -
Air: Moon Safari (25th Anniversary Edition)
Alice Cooper: Billion Dollar Babies (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
Bleachers: Bleachers
The Cars: Candy-O (Vinyl Reissue)
Grateful Dead: American Beauty (Vinyl Reissue)
The Jesus and Mary Chain: Glasgow Eyes
Kim Gordon: The Collective
The Libertines: All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade
Norah Jones: Visions
The Rolling Stones: Live At The Wiltern
- MAR 15 -
The Black Crowes: Happiness Bastards
Dan Boeckner (of Wolf Parade): Boeckner!
The Dandy Warhols: Rockmaker
Kacey Musgraves: Deeper Well
Lenny Kravitz: Blue Electric Light
Miles Davis: Volume 2 (Vinyl Reissue)
Nina Simone: Nina’s Back (Reissue)
- MAR 22 -
A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, and Failure: Cinquanta
Adrianne Lenker: Bright Future
Alice in Chains: Jar of Flies EP (30th Anniversary Reissue)
The Cure: Paris (30th Anniversary Edition)
Elbow: Audio Vertigo
Illiterate Light: Slow Down Time EP
The Jesus and Mary Chain: Glasgow Eyes
Julia Holter: Something in the Room She Moves
Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol: Big Dumb Riffs
Waxahatchee: Tigers Blood
Wye Oak: Shriek: Variations
ON THIS DATE
:: MUSICAL HAPPENINGS OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
- FEB 26 -
Birthdays: Fats Domino (1928) • Johnny Cash (1932) • Jonathan Cain of Journey (1950) • Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke (1960) • Tim Commerford of Rage Against The Machine (1968) • Erykah Badu (1971) • Corinne Bailey Rae (1979) • Nancy Sinatra went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’.” (1966)
- FEB 27 -
Birthdays: Neal Schon of Journey (1954) • Paul Humphreys of OMD (1960) • Josh Groban (1981) • James Brown was paroled after spending two years of a six-year prison sentence imposed for resisting arrest after a car chase across two states. (1991)
- FEB 28 -
Birthdays: Brian Jones (1942) • Cindy Wilson of The B-52s (1957) • U2 released their third studio album, War. (1983)
- FEB 29 -
Birthdays: Ja Rule (1976) • Mark Foster of Foster The People (1984) • The glasses that Buddy Holly had been wearing when he died were discovered in a police filing cabinet in Mason, Iowa after being there for over 21 years. (1980)
- MAR 1 -
Birthdays: Glenn Miller (1904) • Harry Belafonte (1927) • Jerry Fisher of Blood Sweat & Tears (1942) • Roger Daltrey (1944) • Nik Kershaw (1958) • Pink Floyd released their eighth studio album, The Dark Side Of The Moon. (1973)
- MAR 2 -
Birthdays: Lou Reed (1942) • Rory Gallagher and Larry Carlton (1948) • Karen Carpenter (1950) • Jon Bon Jovi (1962) • Chris Martin (1977) • Dusty Springfield died after a long battle against cancer, aged 59. (1999) • Canadian guitarist/singer Jeff Healey died of cancer. (2008) • American jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter died in Los Angeles, California, aged 89. (2023) • Stephen Mackey, bassist for Pulp, died at the age of 56. (2023)
- MAR 3 -
Birthdays: Doc Watson (1923) • Robyn Hitchcock (1953) • Camila Cabello (1997) • Metallica released their third studio album, the highly influential, Master of Puppets. (1986)
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Peace and love to all,
🤘🏻🖤
