Mark Ronson Has An Incredible New Show Coming Out On Apple+ Called "Watch The Sound" Featuring Beastie Boys, Paul McCartney, Questlove, Dave Grohl, And More Legends

Rolling Stone - Mark Ronson digs into the process and evolution of sound creation in the new trailer for his upcoming docuseries, Watch the Sound, premiering July 30th on Apple TV+.

Ronson sets the stage for the show in the opening moments of the clip, saying, “I’ve always been obsessed with how things sound. It’s the great song and an iconic recording… Whenever someone sits down to play me a song, I’m already thinking about the sound.”

The trailer goes on to show Ronson chatting with an array of artists and audio pioneers as they discuss some of their own sonic achievements (like Paul McCartney noting he made the seagull-style sounds on the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows”) and how technological advances have altered the course of what’s possible in music.

Watch the Sound will feature conversations with Questlove, Dave Grohl, the Beastie Boys’ AdRock and Mike D, Charli XCX, King Princess, Jónsi, Denzel Curry, T-Pain, Too $hort, Santigold, and more. And, as a release notes, each episode of Watch the Sound will end with Ronson creating an original piece of music.

Robbie sent me this last week and asked my thoughts. I'll write what I told him: Mark Ronson is one of those guys that you don't want to like or give credit to, (he was born on third base, had all the connections in the world, crazy budgets to work with, etc.) but his work speaks for itself and his talent is undeniable. He will wear down even the biggest hater. And this show is going to go a long way in doing that even more so. 

I am pumped for this. Nothing gets my plums tingling like well-done peeks behind the curtain of musical creation and production.

And speaking of Mark Ronson, The Foo Fighters have released a brand new version of their latest single “Making A Fire”, reimagined by Mark Ronson.

On the remix, the super-producer enlists members of numerous bands - including Antibalas, the Budos Band, the Dap-Kings, El Michels Affair, La Buya, Menahan Street Band,  the Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Tuatara - to provide instrumentation for frontman Dave Grohl’s wailing vocal performance.

POP

- Big Big News! Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are taking a pause from film scoring in order to produce Halsey’s new album.

The Nine Inch Nails members are at the helm of Halsey’s upcoming fourth album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, due for release later this year. The pop singer revealed the news in a Tweet on Monday that also included a brief snippet of music.

This is going to be incredible.

- Lady Gaga has released Born This Way: The Tenth Anniversary.

Available via Interscope Records, the special edition of the landmark 2011 LP includes all 14 tracks from the original version. The second disc, subtitled Born This Way Reimagined, contains reworked renditions of the album’s most popular songs by queer artists whom, as Gaga shared on Instagram, “both represent and advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community.”

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- Ed Sheeran has the scoop on Taylor Swift's re-recorded Red album.

In an interview on Sunday (June 27), Sheeran was asked when he plans to re-record "Everything Has Changed," his duet with Swift that was released on the original Red. Swift has announced a Nov. 19 release date for Red (Taylor's Version), the next studio album from her catalog that she's re-recording.

Sheeran didn't shy away from the question. In fact, he gave a straight answer and offered some inside information about what Swift has in the works for fans this fall.

"I've already recorded it," Sheeran revealed on the U.K. radio chart show The Official Big Top 40, in reply to the inquiry about "Everything Has Changed."

And then Sheeran added, "Taylor's got a few surprises in store for you, I'll say that."

ROCK 

- To coincide with 30th anniversary of “The Black Album”, Metallica recently announced plans for The Metallica Blacklist, a 53-song collection of covers featuring contributions from some of the biggest names in music. Our first preview of the release came last week with Miley Cyrus’ all-star rendition of “Nothing Else Matters” featuring Sir Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, and Metallica’s own Robert Trujillo. Now, St. Vincent has shared her take on “Sad But True”. 

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- A biopic on Scott Weiland, based on the late Stone Temple Pilots singer’s own memoir, is in the works at Dark Pictures.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is titled "Paper Hearts" and intends to tell Weiland’s turbulent life story through the singer’s own words. Relying on Weiland’s 2012 autobiography, Not Dead & Not for Sale, Dark Pictures co-founder and self-professed STP super fan Jennifer Erwin is writing the film’s script with Anne Beagan.

- Wolfgang Van Halen released Mammoth WVH’s Self-Titled Debut. The son of the late Eddie Van Halen offers up a deeply personal and musically rewarding debut effort

For years, Wolfgang Van Halen, the son of the late Eddie Van Halen, wrote and recorded songs in his father’s 5150 Studios. Wolfgang played every instrument and handled all the vocals, gradually amassing a catalog of melodic songs that incorporated elements of pop, hard rock, and heavy metal. Few heard the material, but Eddie always took the songs with him on his phone, telling Wolfgang it was his favorite album of all-time. “Proud dad talk,” Wolfgang told People.

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- Weezer’s Van Weezer was finally released. No real thoughts on it yet. It's not bad but it doesn't seem that amazing either.

- CHVRCHES dropped a Robert Smith Remix of “How Not to Drown”

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- The White Stripes’ White Blood Cells received a Deluxe Edition for 20th Anniversary-

- Modest Mouse dropped their new album The Golden Casket

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- Paramore’s songs from the Twilight Soundtrack are finally available on Spotify in the US

- A previously-unreleased live album from Johnny Cash is rollin’ round the bend. Bear’s Sonic Journals: Johnny Cash, At The Carousel Ballroom April 24, 1968 will be dropping on September 24th, and as a preview, you can check out the 1968 live performance of “I’m Going to Memphis” now.

- Journey have returned with “The Way We Used To Be”, their first new music since 2011. The song marks the band’s first release with its revamped lineup, including returning bassist Randy Jackson of American Idol fame.

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- In just a few weeks, The Wallflowers will release their first album in nine years, the Butch Walker-produced Exit Wounds. They released the first single “I’ll Let You Down (But Will Not Give You Up)”

- beabadoobee released Our Extended Play. The British artist aka Beatrice Laus co-wrote the Our Extended Play EP with her Dirty Hit labelmates Matty Healy and George Daniel of The 1975.

- Metallica unveiled a 1990 demo of “Enter Sandman” featuring James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich only

- Joni Mitchell’s most iconic album of all time, Blue, turned 50 years old this week. It’s getting a big retrospective rollout later this year to celebrate that anniversary, but Mitchell is honoring it a little early by sharing a new digital EP today. It’s called Blue 50 (Demos & Outtakes) and it includes a bunch of previously unreleased material.

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HIP HOP

- DMX was honored at Sunday’s BET Awards with a star-studded performance curated by his close friend Swizz Beatz and featuring Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Jadakiss, The Lox, the rap collective Griselda, and actor Michael K. Williams.

The performance kicked off with Method Man performing “Get At Me Dog” a cappella before giving way to Griselda to spit their posthumous collaboration “Hood Blues”. Williams, channeling DMX to a T, then took the stage and recited the lyrics to “Slippin'”. To close the set, Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss, The Lox, and Ruff Ryders performed a medley of “The Hood At?”, “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem”, and “Party Up”. Watch the replay below.

- RZA announced a new album RZA vs. Bobby Digital, and shared “Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater”

- Tyler, the Creator released his new album CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST featuring Lil Wayne, Lil Uzi Vert, and Pharrell

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- Chicago rapper Mick Jenkins has unveiled his new single “Truffles”, produced by Monte Booker

- The Verzuz battle that nobody thought was for real until Swizz Beatz and Timbaland confirmed the 2000s teenage star entertainers Soulja Boy and Bow Wow on the schedule for Saturday (June 26).

The playful trolling and social media jabs were done as Big Draco and Bow Wow finally took the stage at an undisclosed Los Angeles location for the latest installment of Verzuz Live, with Soulja Boy's red Lamborghini on the line.

Over 600,000 fans came through to check out the show on the VerzuzTV Instagram, many draped in their vintage Soulja Boy sunglasses and Calvin Cambridge Knights jerseys. The Verzuz matchup caps off a major weekend for Bow Wow, who also reprised his role in Fast 9 as Twinkie, with the blockbuster hitting theaters on Friday (June 25).

- After dropping her Planet Her album last week, Doja Cat issued a deluxe edition that features a slinky duet with Eve called "Tonight."

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COUNTRY

- Jason Isbell takes on Johnny Cash's "All I Do Is Drive." Windows down, volume up as you blaze down the road to this jam.

- Riley Green is throwing a little release party at Joe's Bar on Weed St. in Chicago on July 1st. The next day, he's releasing a 7 song project, Behind The Bar. Don't mind if we do.

- Want some raw acoustic? Can't get more raw than whipping out the six string in the middle of the forest amongst rivers, rain and a campfire. That's what Zach Bryan did covering Trampled By Turtles' "Wait So Long"

- Parker McCollum sat on the song "Dallas" for over a year b/c he only had a verse and a chorus. A couple of red dirt legends, Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen, were in town and Parker asked them for help finishing the song, and they obliged. So damn cool.

- Miranda Lambert refreshes Hank Snow's 1950 #1 hit "I'm Movin' On"

- What a collab with Trace Adkins, Luke Bryan and Pitbull. Song of the summer?

- You can file this under alt/indie - regardless, there are only two real genres of music, good and bad. This is good by The Lone Bellow b/c The Lone Bellow fucks, especially live.

- It's part of a compilation album Amerikinda: 20 Years of Dualtone due out Aug 6. It's a collection of tunes that have been cut at Dualtone, the East Nashville independent record label responsible for the Lumineers' first two albums, and June Carter Cash's 2x grammy winning Wildwood Flower.

LINE DANCING

(don't knock it til you try it)

Thanks Augie-

Here's a new "NEW NEW" Playlist, fresh and updated

And here is my Yach Rock Mix Part 1… Part 2 is coming later this week…