Everything is Everything: Tom Wilson and Pop Music in 1966Everything is Everything: Tom Wilson and Pop Music in 1966 by Steven E.Jones (Stanford University Press, 240 pages, $20.00, September 29, 2026) sets out to decode a transformative year in popular culture. It’s the year go-go dancing met the electric blues, bubblegum pop met underground rock, free jazz met psychedelia, and they all morphed into one another like fluid blobs in a liquid light show.

Diversifying radio formats, especially the emergence of “underground” FM stations, greeted a unique efflorescence of boundary-breaking artists, records, and songs, at once showcasing and encouraging fervent experimentation. In Everything is Everything, Jones tracks the confluences of that miraculous year by following the profoundly influential record producer, Tom Wilson, and the groundbreaking work he stewarded.

It would be hard to find a figure more solidly at the junction of the currents traversing America in 1966. A Black man working in almost exclusively white studio settings, Wilson played a vital role in an astonishing array of landmark records: in just this one year, Wilson produced albums from Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention, The Velvet Underground, Hugh Masekela, Eric Burdon and the Animals, Sun Ra, and more. Any one of these would be a standout on most producers’ resumes. Taken together, they testify to a unique career, and invite a new appraisal of a pivotal moment in American pop culture.

As Jones reveals in this energetic account, Wilson’s embrace of myriad musical genres was a response to the times, as was his engagement with the music industry as a whole and with the low and high in pop culture. It was all part of making pop music in what he called “an era of complex mixed media” when—in his catchphrase—“everything is everything.”

Dying young in 1978, without leaving behind a significant archive of interviews or writings, Wilson has often been unjustly overlooked. Everything is Everything provides a testimonial that is long overdue, celebrating him as an avatar of the most important trend in pop music in 1966: an exploding eclecticism, accompanied by a sometimes-desperate search for authenticity.

Steven E. Jones was DeBartolo Chair in Liberal Arts and Professor of English and Digital Humanities, University of South Florida, and is the author of many books, including Cell Tower (2020) and Roberto Busa and the Emergence of Humanities Computing (2016).

Advance Praise for Everything is Everything:

“Two books rolled into one: an exploration of Tom Wilson, understudied maverick and industry mainstay, and of 1966 in pop music via the array of groups he produced. This works because of the intricacy, thoughtfulness, intelligence, and prodigious research that animate these pages.”

—Eric Lott, author of Black Mirror: The Cultural Contradictions of American Racism

“A kaleidoscopic portrait of a chaotic and creative year in popular music history organized around one of the most neglected and influential producers of the era, Everything is Everything is everything and more.”

—Loren Glass, author of Carole King’s Tapestry

Record producer Thomas Blanchard Wilson Jr. (March 25, 1931 – September 6, 1978) deserves an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just for his studio excursions with Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra, Eddie Harris, Hugh Masekela, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, the Mothers of Invention, Blues Project, Velvet Underground, along with Eric Burdon and the Animals.

Marshall Crenshaw has been producing a documentary on Wilson.    

In the mid-seventies, I was around Tom Wilson a couple of times when he was scouting talent at Doug Weston’s Troubadour club in West Hollywood and doing work for Motown Records. I think he was living in Pacific Palisades at the time and had a son at Palisades High School.

Wilson was a friend of Robert Marchese, the club’s manager, who met Wilson in 1965. Wilson told Robert a funny story one night about glimpsing Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding walking on 42nd Street in New York in 1968. The loudly dressed Jimi was wearing a feathered hat when Tom hailed him at a crosswalk. Jimi immediately inquired, “How did you know it was me?”

Since 2004, I have thanked Tom Wilson in a couple of dozen of my books. His 1965-1967 studio endeavors made a big impression on me, particularly his production on Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone,” and Mothers of Invention’s Freak Out!  

In 2001, I interviewed songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and record producer Al Kooper and asked him about Tom Wilson. Kooper had penned a couple of tunes that Wilson produced on the Mad Lads and Freda Payne before he played the organ on the Wilson and Dylan “Like A Rolling Stone” collaboration.   

“Tom Wilson. Wonderful guy.  Tom earlier worked for Savoy Records. He was a very bright guy. He was a very high-class guy. Now he was definitely a Black man, and he was a very well-educated Black man. He graduated [cum laude] from Harvard University.  

“He was a soulful and funny guy. And that’s him laughing on Bob Dylan’s ‘115th Dream,’ where it breaks down. That’s his laugh. That fit of laughing. That’s not Dylan. That’s Tom Wilson laughing. He was like, ‘What’s happening, man?’ That kind of guy.

“I used to cop Dylan acetates out of his office at Columbia Records. I was a bad boy. Tom was sort of a spectator sport producer. He didn’t do all that much. He’d put you in the studio and get the job done. He didn’t interfere in anything. At least when I worked with him.

“On that “Like A Rolling Stone” date, my organ follows the Dylan vocal. I did that because I was waiting to see what chord they were going to do. There was no music or lead sheet, or anything. I was just playing by ear, and I didn’t want to be the one making a mistake because I was doin’ like a rebel run there.

“But you knew Tom was bright and he talked about very erudite things, and he really saved my life that day on that Dylan ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ session. Because he could have…I went to him and said, ‘Man, let me play the organ.’ They had just moved Paul Griffin from the organ to the piano.

“And I went over to Tom Wilson, and I was invited just to watch, you know, and I said, ‘Man, why don’t you let me play the organ? I got a great part for this.’ Which was bull shit. I had nothing. And he said, ‘Man…You’re not an organ player…’ And then they came to him and said, ‘Phone call for you, Tom.’ And he just went and got the phone. And I went into the studio and sat down at the organ. He didn’t say no. He just said I wasn’t an organ player. OK.

“On the Highway 61 Revisited interactive CD put out a few years ago, they have the multiple takes of ‘Like A Rolling Stone,’ and on there you can hear Tom Wilson, ‘OK. This is take 7. Hey! What are you doing in there?’

“Then you hear me laughing, and that was the moment he could have just thrown me out and rightfully so. And you know what? He didn’t. And that was it. That was the beginning of my career. Right then and there. That studio dialog is documented.

“Wilson is the guy who invited me to the session first of all, which is really nice. You didn’t get invited to Bob Dylan sessions, you know, especially if you were a nobody like I was. And there it was. There was the chance he had to toss me, and it would have reflected on him because he had invited me to the session.

“Tom brought the musicians into the session, including drummer Bobby Gregg and pianist Paul Griffin, who is also on Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home. Paul was a biginfluence on me as well! Paul came from the Baptist church.

“The best thing I can say about Paul Griffin is take five minutes out of your busy day and get a time where you have nothing to bother you at all. Find a real nice stereo system and sit back and put on ‘One Of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)’ from Blonde on Blonde. And just listen to the piano…And tell me if you can find on a rock ‘n’ roll record anybody playing better than that. And I would really like to hear what your decision is.

“To me it is the greatest piano achievement in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. I don’t hear anything but him playing the piano when I hear that record. But I’m thrilled that I’m playing organ, but I’m embarrassed. And I think that Dylan should be embarrassed too. ‘Cause Paul just steals that fuckin’ record. It’s the most incredible piano playing I’ve heard in my life. If you’re a piano player, try playing that note for note. It’s just incredible. Griffin also played on those Chuck Jackson records like “Any Day Now” and worked with Garnet Mimms.” 

It was Tom Wilson, then a staff producer at Columbia Records, who suggested to label employees in a 1964 product meeting that a newly signed folk rock duo act, Simon & Garfunkel, should remain Simon & Garfunkel, and not be concerned about limited radio airplay owing to their names.

Their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., sold poorly.

In late 1965, partially owing to the commercial success of Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone,” Wilson then overdubbed electric guitars, bass guitar, and drums to the existing acoustic rendition of “The Sound of Silence,” without Simon and Garfunkel’s knowledge, and it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  

In December 1965, Guy Webstar took photos of Bob Dylan at his Hollywood press conference, held in the Columbia Records Press Room and arranged by Billy James from the label.

Webstar was no stranger to the world of music and show business. His father, the lyricist and songwriter Paul Francis Webster, earned three Academy Awards for Best Original Song. “Secret Love,” “Love is a Many-Splendored Thing,” with Sammy Fain, and “The Shadow of Your Smile” with Johnny Mandel. His first hit lyric and music from John Jacob Loeb was in 1932 for “Masquerade,” performed by Paul Whiteman.

“I was doing a lot of photography for Columbia Records and told my father I was going to photograph Simon & Garfunkel for an LP cover, and I wanted him to meet them,” Webster reminisced in a 2014 interview with me.

“I brought Simon & Garfunkel by, and my father and Paul Simon hit it off because he learned Simon was a Dickensian scholar. So was my dad. He had a Dickens collection. Then Paul Simon said, ‘Hey, you want to hear our new song?’ And he pulled out his guitar in the living room, in Beverly Hills, and my dad was sitting there, who is not a rock and roller, and he listened to ‘Sounds of Silence’ for the first time. ‘Oh my God, you guys. What a brilliant song.’

“I took Paul and Art up to a dirt road in Franklin Canyon and shot the cover of Sounds of Silence for Columbia Records. The name Garfunkel got me. I never forgot it. I heard “Sounds of Silence” five or six times before I shot the cover. And I wanted that thing where they’re walking down the road, a little English with the scarves behind them, with Art’s hair.”

In 1959, guitarist Elliot Ingber was in the Gamblers with bassist Larry Taylor, guitarist Derry Weaver, and keyboardist Bruce Johnston. Nik Venet produced the Gamblers’ “Moon Dawg” and “LSD-25” in 1959 for World Pacific Records. Ingber also gigged with drummer Sandy Nelson and guitarist Don Peake.

After his 1966 stint with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention on Freak Out!, Elliot co-founded Fraternity of Man, produced by Tom Wilson. Ingber and Lawrence “Stash” Wagner co-wrote "Don't Bogart Me,” renamed "Don't Bogart That Joint," on the soundtrack to Easy Rider. Elliot later recorded with The Factory, Little Feat, and Shakey Jake Harris. In 1972, he was heard in Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band, employing the stage name Winged Eel Fingerling, for 1972’s The Spotlight Kid. 

"I first met Tom Wilson while being a guest of my brother Elliot Ingber, as he participated in the recording of the first Mothers of Invention album,” guitarist/songwriter and producer Ira Ingber emailed me in August 2026.

Ira is now recording and playing in two Southern California-based bands with guitarist Steve Bartek, BarIng All, and jackiO.

Ingber visited TTG and observed the groundbreaking recording sessions of Freak Out!

“It was early in 1966, and the studio was TTG on the corner of Highland Ave. and Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. Tom Wilson was sitting behind the recording console with the recording engineer, who I believe was Val Valentin. I recall Tom being very welcoming to me. He was impeccably dressed, and equally well-groomed. Urbane, thoroughly professional, and clearly very much in charge was he. I was seeing what a ‘real’ music producer did and how he did it, first hand. He possessed, among other things, the first portable telephone I had ever seen. It was a rotary phone in a briefcase. This guy needed to make important phone calls immediately, I thought.

“I attended several sessions. All the members of the band knew me, and Frank was especially kind to me. He had generously lent me a Fender Twin Reverb amp, as well as a Rickenbacker 12-string guitar for an extended period. Tom also actively engaged in conversation with me, a 16-year-old kid!

“In 1969, also at TTG, I ended up playing bass on several Fraternity of Man songs for their second and final album, Get It On. The Hagstrom 8-string bass I played belonged to Frank Zappa. He had lent/given it to my brother years earlier. 

“Tom was producing this second Fraternity of Man album, just as he had done the first one. He attempted to bring some version of order to what was a very chaotic setting. He was supportive and completely encouraging of my own attempts to bring some musical order to the chaos. He didn't look down at this now 19-year-old kid. He treated me as a serious musician who was earnestly performing his parts. I will never forget his smiling countenance, and his confidence-building demeanor."

The Turtles’ Howard Kaylan was also in attendance at the Freak Out! sessions.

“I went to the Freak Out! recording sessions at T.T.G. studios,” Kaylan recalled in an interview we conducted last decade.

“Back in that era in 1966 and ’67, before ‘Happy Together’ hit, and Mark Volman and I were still street people in L.A., working in the same clubs and stuff, there was enough of a camaraderie there. Knowing him, but also through [manager] Herb Cohen and going to the Zappa log cabin in Laurel Canyon.

“I go to the Freak Out! that night. There are two or three rooms that are being used simultaneously, and Frank had tape recorders going in all of them. There are different tracks being played in all of them, and people are doing different things in every room. Frank would put some guys in one room, and some in another. The environment was more Soupy Sales than, say, Spike Jones. He’s creating his own scenarios. He’s making people go up to the mike and either rant in their own language, or getting them to say things. I think I was doing a little bit of both. Then I went into another room, where it seemed to be like an orgy, and that’s where [Tom] Wilson was.

“I knew who he was. I was aware that he was the guy who produced Dylan and many other gems. They were just recording random couples and noises, and people who had not met each other before. Frank would actually direct them physically, almost like he was directing a movie. It was surreal and great. I really wanted to be a part of it. It was so outside of my normal, structured thing. I had no idea, and still don’t know, how much stuff was ever going to be used. Brilliant editing job. Still a masterpiece, in my mind.”

Earlier this century, songwriter/record producer/music publisher Kim Fowley detailed his own encounters with Frank Zappa.

“My impression of Zappa was ‘John Cage-obsessed doo-wop guy with emotional leanings toward East Los Angeles Latin and Black culture, making fun of White people who were superficial and shallow.’ Which, of course, was cool.

“Zappa was another guy in the mid-sixties standing around in Laurel Canyon clothes. Nothing more, nothing less. Somewhere between a beatnik and a farmer.

“The first gig we did was in a venue, a building on Santa Monica Boulevard near the intersection of Crescent Heights. They used to have music there, where people and independent promoters would rent it and four-wall it. Two hundred, three hundred people. The Mothers of Invention went in. I came on for two or three songs. It was raga music, jazz changes, Roland Kirk, R&B, atonal, mantra, rock.

“I knew guitarist Elliot Ingber who was working with Frank before the Freak Out! LP recording sessions from the late 1950s with Don Peake from an Italian restaurant in Los Angeles on Pico Blvd. It was owned by singer Timi Yuro’s mother.  A lot of the up-and-coming musicians, songwriters, and producers would eat there. Timi’s mother would give us discount spaghetti dinners.

“Later, at Canter’s Delicatessen, Frank then said, ‘We’re going in the studio to do what we did tonight. I have some stuff for the band that I have learned. We’re gonna turn the street loose in there, and you can come down and make noise if you want.’

“I’m on the track ‘Help, I’m a Rock.’ I walked into the studio with Les McCann and Danny Hutton.

“TTG. Studios was a giant cheeseburger box with high ceilings. Owned by a sound engineer, an Israeli named Ami Hadani, who built studios and worked with Tom Wilson and Zappa on Freak Out! and Absolutely Free. Bill Parr built and designed the T.T.G. board in the big film-scoring room upstairs. He was one of the engineers on the Hollywood Argyles’ ‘Alley-Opp’ that we did at American Recorders. Jimi Hendrix later recorded at TTG, and cut one of my songs, ‘Fluffy Turkeys.’ Tom Wilson did some producing on the Soft Machine at TTG. I earlier produced them in England.  

“For Freak Out! we were there all night. We didn’t get paid. We did it because Frank convinced us it was historical and we were on the cusp of something, and we all bought into it. We all wanted to go have breakfast. That was more important. I shared a microphone with Mac Rebennack and Les McCann.

“The Freak Out! album to me was John Cage meets 1920’s France. A Josephine Baker version of art is anything that you can get away with. I thought Frank was gifted. I thought musically he was brilliant.” 

During 1967-’68, Wilson, a former college deejay, hosted a radio series The Music Factory, sponsored by the MGM and Verve record labels.

It debuted in New York on WABC-FM in June 1967. He did 25 hour-long syndicated episodes on vinyl records, featuring interviews with engineers, producers, and musicians, often implementing tracks from the MGM and Verve library.  

In 1969-1970, Wilson was a partner in The Record Plant recording studio, who were involved in the Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsys live dates at the Fillmore East venue. 

(Harvey Kubernik is the author of 21 books, including 2009’s Canyon Of Dreams: The Magic And The Music Of Laurel Canyon, 2014’s Turn Up The Radio! Rock, Pop and Roll In Los Angeles 1956-1972, 2015's Every Body Knows: Leonard Cohen, 2016's Heart of Gold Neil Young and 2017's 1967: A Complete Rock Music History of the Summer of Love.  Sterling/Barnes and Noble in 2018 published Harvey and enneth Kubernik’s The Story Of The Band: From Big Pink To he Last Waltz. In 2021 they collaborated on Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child for Sterling/Barnes and Noble.

Otherworld Cottage Industries in 2020 published Harvey’s Docs That Rock, Music That Matters. His Screen Gems: (Pop Music Documentaries and Rock ‘n’ Roll TV Scenes) was published in February 2026 by BearManor Media. Kubernik is researching a multi-voice narrative study on the Beatles scheduled for a UK publisher with a planned fall 2027 publication date.   

Harvey spoke at the special hearings in 2006 initiated by the Library of Congress held in Hollywood, California, discussing archiving practices and audiotape preservation.

In 2017, he appeared at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, in its Distinguished Speakers Series and as a panelist discussing the forty-fifth anniversary of The Last Waltz at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles in 2023. Kubernik attended the 1976 event. 

Harvey was interviewed with Iggy Pop, the Beach Boys’ Bruce Johnston, Love’s Johnny Echols, the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs, Victoria and Debbi Peterson, and members of the Seeds for director/producer Neil Norman’s documentary The Seeds: Pushin' Too Hard. In winter 2026, GNP Crescendo plans a release on DVD/Blu-ray). Author Miss Pamela Des Barres narrates.)

 The post Everything is Everything: Tom Wilson and Pop Music in 1966 first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Warner Music France boss Alain Veille elected President of SNEP, as Bertrand Burgalat steps down after six yearsThe organization also set out its priorities for the new mandate under Veille
Source

Suno admits it obtained YouTube audio to train its AI – but challenges UMG and Sony’s standing to bring ‘stream ripping’ claimAI music company has filed its answer to the first amended complaint from UMG and Sony Music Entertainment.
Source

Northeastern U.S. Mainstay Mix-O-Lydian Studios Celebrates 50 Years of Continuous Recording and MixingAccording to a company statement, Don Sternecker started Mix-O-Lydian Studios in 1975 in Madison, NJ in a space he rented above his father's Italian hat importing business.

"During a time when there were no dedicated audio technology tracks within U.S. universities, industry magazines from which to learn about industry equipment and trends, Sternecker became passionate about equipment and audio innovation on his own terms, reading manuals and experimenting with gear he was able to purchase or borrow," they said. "Before long, Mix-O-Lydian had a loyal clientele including Leslie West, The Feelies, Luna, The Bongos, and many others — including Railroad Earth, for whom he just finished mixing a new album.

"Mix-O-Lydian is now situated on the third floor of The Castle Inn, the last remaining grand resort hotel in Delaware Water Gap — a Poconos retreat where travellers from big cities like New York City and Philadelphia would retreat to escape the summer heat. The Inn has turned into something of an artist collective, serving as a creative hub not only for Mix-O-Lydian, but other musicians and engineers."

"Tim Carbone from Railroad Earth had been renting a few rooms here and told me to check it out. At the time, I had to move from my previous studio, which was situated on an eight acre farm. When I first came here, I didn’t know if I could make it work - but then within a day or two I secured the rooms," Sternecker says. "I had to wire every room, compromise and improvise to make it all work."

The statement continues: "During his 50-plus years of being a studio owner, Sternecker has witnesses many changes in the industry — including the changing of music industry business models and innovation milestones in recording technology. Despite these changes, Sternecker's approach has never changed.

"Of course you always need a good mic, preamp and compressor. But the most important thing is that you have to use your ears, particularly in this age of AI. It is so important to trust your ears and make your own decisions."

Sternecker's Mix-O-Lydian Studios has bore witness to to an entire evolution of tape machines, they say, "starting in 1975 with a 4-track, 1/4" Tascam machine, then moving to a 1/2” 8 track Otari, then to a 16 track 2” Ampex MM 1000, and then to a Studer A80 24 track. Sternecker still owns an Otari 1/2" 2-track, which he says is very difficult to get serviced properly in this day and age. Currently, he runs Pro Tools along with an Avid S1 control surface."

Sternecker remains busy: "I just mixed the new Railroad Earth record which was just released marking the band's 25th anniversary. "It was recorded pretty much live with a few overdubs, and then they decided to add guest artists to about 5 or 6 songs." He's also recently wrapped up recording several tracks and mixing a new album for longtime Patti Smith collaborator and multiple Grammy Award nominated artist Lenny Kaye. "One of the reasons Lenny loves coming here, besides working with me, is because he says it’s eight minutes from his house - he likes the commute!"

"I've been very fortunate over the past 50 years to work with so many diverse and talented musicians and producers at my studio," he told MC. "While maintaining a thriving studio has not always been easy, the hard work has always paid off and given me incredible satisfaction."

For more information, please visit mix-o-lydian.com

The post Northeastern U.S. Mainstay Mix-O-Lydian Studios Celebrates 50 Years of Continuous Recording and Mixing first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Prince Used a Secret Fake Name to Write This Nearly #1 '80s Billboard HitPrince wrote “Manic Monday” for The Bangles under the mysterious name Christopher. Discover how the song became a defining 1980s pop-rock hit.

Tencent Music prices USD $1B bond offering, with proceeds earmarked for refinancing and buybacksTME is selling $500 million of 5.050% senior unsecured notes due 2031 and $500 million of 5.650% senior unsecured notes due 2036.
Source

Hit the Decks! It's SorayaFilipina-American DJ and producer Soraya grew up in Southern California, and started going to raves and small renegades when she was super young (around 14, 15 years old).

"I asked my parents for decks for my 17th birthday," Soraya says. "When I went to college in Hawai’i, I played house parties and various smaller shows for fun. By the time I moved back to San Diego, the shows exponentially got bigger & I began working in dance music full-time and growing my network in the industry. I met my manager when I was working as an artist liaison at a festival around three years ago, and he asked if I was represented a few months later. In the last year alone, I signed to UTA and am officially touring full-time (on top of running a dance music PR agency on the side!), and played Coachella, EDC, and Lightning in a Bottle – so I guess I’d say it got serious pretty recently. I’m super grateful for the path that I’ve been on, and I look forward to seeing where this journey takes me next."

Soraya says that she's describe her sound primarily as indie dance with rock, '80s disco, and '90s tech house influences.

"However, I like anything darker and funky, so I tend to just play whatever is fun to me and I’d like to hear loud."

She recently dropped her set from Lightning in a Bottle Festival on YouTube.

"It definitely was a career highlight for me," he says. "It was my ninth year going, and I played at The Junkyard stage, which helped shape my sound over the years into what it is today. I’m always so inspired by the artists that play there, and with this year’s stage renovation, the sound & production was insane. It truly was a full circle moment for me, as I’ve been going since I was 17, and it’ll be something I think about for the rest of my career."

As for gear: "I always love mixing on the V10, and have recently been dabbling with the RMX-1000 in my sets. For production gear, I produce in Ableton and love anything Arturia – I use Analog Lab and Acid V the most, and also love the staples such as Serum and Diva. Subtronnic and Weapon Sounds are also great, smaller companies that specialize in Indie Dance packs, and I use their sounds quite often in my productions."

Looking ahead, Soraya has plenty planned for the coming months.

"I have three releases slated for the next three months – the first is a collaboration called ‘Dance W Me’ on one of my favorite labels, Club Sweat, with an artist named POPS, who is on the rise in Chicago. The second is an original called ‘Movement’ on Omakase Records from New York. Following that up with one of my personal favorites, ‘All I Want’, which I’m releasing with Project 91 Recordings. There’s a ton of new music coming in the next year, and I’m so excited to show my fans a new direction of my sound that aligns more with what they hear in my DJ sets. 

On the touring front, I just wrapped my summer tour, which included Coachella, Shabang Festival, EDC Las Vegas, Lightning in a Bottle, Electric Castle in Romania, and more amazing shows across the country," she says. "In the coming months, I have some incredible shows including Experts Only Festival, Echostage DC with Gorgon City & Hayden James, Los Osos Richmond, Breakaway Utah, and Rouge Room Las Vegas – I’m truly excited for all of them, and it’s been such a blessing to play for so many new markets and meet so many new people. It really never gets old."

Photo credit: @christianxblake 

The post Hit the Decks! It's Soraya first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Once More, With Feeling at 3 Clubs, Los Angeles, CAWeb: threeclubs.comContact: info@threeclubs.comPlayers: Loyal Thomas Ruddell (Spike); Lauren Sperling (Anya); Lee Thomen; Mike Bowers (Mustard Solo/Ensemble); Susannah Corrington (Willow); Heidi Kendrick (Tara); Kelly Maryanski (Buffy); Ronnie Tullo (Dawn); Matt Zunich (Xander); Phil D’Amore (Sweet)

Sometimes, you see something advertised on a venue’s calendar, and you must blink to ensure that you read it correctly. Once the details are confirmed, you simply have to attend. There’s no way on God’s green Earth that this writer could see that Hollywood cocktail bar Three Clubs was hosting a live “parody” version of the musical episode of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, and not show up.

The “Once More, With Feeling” episode was the seventh of the sixth season of Buffy, originally airing in November 2001. So this insane hour of television is a quarter of a century old now and it’s developed quite the cult following. There’s a soundtrack album available, and it’s occasionally screened in movie theaters with attendees encouraged to dress as the characters, Rocky Horror style. A live parody was always the logical next step.

“The idea actually came from back in 2014 between me, original Director Jason Fliess, and a few other Buffy lovers in Chicago,” says Kelly Maryanski, who plays the role of Buffy and had a huge hand in the development of the show. “The first version of this parody show was produced as a one-night-only staged concert reading at Hamburger Marys in Chicago in 2015. We kept getting requests to bring it back, so we did pretty much every year after that until the pandemic. The cast and team rotated a bit with every reiteration of the show as gags and other stage directions were changed into what it is today.”

What it is, is a joy. There are clearly super-fans of the show in attendance, people who know every single word. A few did dress up, and they got to strut their stuff on stage at the beginning. Meanwhile, the fact that the show started with a live performance of the “Previously, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer” recap is hilarious, right out of the traps. 

The cast are full of beans; their enthusiastic, joyful, and genuinely heartfelt takes on these beloved characters is to be admired. Josh Whedon has been praised for the music he wrote for this bizarre episode, and they really shine on stage. 

Special mention for Ruddell as anti-hero Spike, and Kendrick for a delicate Tara, as well as Maryanski’s Buffy. But everybody was a ton of fun.

“This show was originally just going to be another one night only fun bar show, but as the fates have it, we are actually doing a residency at Three Clubs in Hollywood for the rest of 2026, performing once a month on Tuesdays (except for October),” Maryanski told MC. Try to get there.The post Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Once More, With Feeling at 3 Clubs, Los Angeles, CA first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

From BMG and Concord’s completed merger to Anthropic’s multi-billion-dollar lawsuit… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe biggest headlines from the past few days...

Source

Lords of Acid at the Echoplex, Los Angeles, CAContact: evanjthomaspr@gmail.comWeb: lordsofacidofficial.comPlayers: Praga Khan, keyboards, programming, backing vocals; Carla Harvey, vocals; Olivier Adams, percussion, keyboards, programming; DieTrich Thrall, bass

Belgian electronic rockers Lords of Acid sure know how to put on a show. The sex-obsessed party animals have been knocking around since 1988, when acid house musician Praga Khan got it into his nut that he wanted a band of his own, and so the Lords of Acid were born, appealing to fans of industrial rock/metal, as well as Khan’s existing house aficionados.

In the years since, the lineup has shifted with members coming in and out. Khan’s the constant—he’s the creative force. And there has always been a female frontperson, a strong woman to keep the crowd in check. Oddly but interestingly, a few of the former Lords of Acid singers and musicians have come together as of late, as the Queens of Acid. 

At the Echoplex, in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles just as summer was kicking into gear, the Lords of Acid rolled into town and hosted the most gloriously hedonistic, debauched, and decadent gig that the region has seen in some time. With genres and genders blurred with equal enthusiasm, it felt very much like a throwback to the sort of Berlin cabaret vibes celebrated in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. 

Each and every opening act brought it, from trans electro-rapper Mz. Neon to theatrical synth-pop stars-in-waiting Tony & the Kiki, from larger-than-life diva Princess Superstar to dark Denver crooners Dead on a Sunday. The whole event was about a celebration of sexual freedom, and freedom of sexuality. And in these dark times, that’s something to take Pride in.

All of that said, nobody was stealing Lords of Acid’s thunder. The most recent addition to the ranks is powerhouse singer Carla Harvey, formerly of the Butcher Babies and also a member of The Violent Hour. While previous LOA singers have had a sultry growl and coo, Harvey is a proper singer and it initially makes for an odd fit. She’s also a tremendous show-woman though, and the pairing works.

There are some new tunes, notably “Karaoke Superstar,” featuring guest vocals from the returning Princess Superstar. The dudes from Tony & the Kiki also pop back up for their recent collab with LOA—"El Mundo Está Loco.”

Meanwhile, Harvey does a great job on tunes from the early albums, including “Drink My Honey,” “Rough Sex/Take Control,” and the closing “I Sit on Acid.” There’s no subtlety here, but we don’t want any. The Echoplex simply embraced the filth and had a blast doing it. The post Lords of Acid at the Echoplex, Los Angeles, CA first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

UMG’s hospitality arm to open its first UK hotel on London’s Denmark StreetIt will be UMHL's first hotel in the UK, and its second in Europe after UMusic Hotel Madrid, with Madrid the only UMusic Hotel currently operating.
Source

The Story Behind The Beatles' 'A Day in the Life' — The Two Songs That Became OneHow did The Beatles create “A Day in the Life”? Discover how John Lennon and Paul McCartney combined two unfinished songs into one iconic masterpiece.

Donald Trump’s administration just sided with OpenAI in a key ‘fair use’ case. Here’s what it means for music’s fight with Anthropic and Suno.It appears to be the first time Washington has intervened in any of the copyright cases now stacked up against AI companies
Source

Release Radar: Post Sex Nachos Go Big (and Bad) on their Latest AlbumLet's get this out of the way: Post Sex Nachos is still one of the best band names in indie rock, and it's still doing a disservice to how much this Midwest outfit can wreck you emotionally in under four minutes. Their new album Big Bad is out in a matter of weeks, and it might be the most vulnerable thing they've put their name on yet—which, for a band that turns anxiety spirals into songs you can dance to, is saying something.

Formed by Sammy Elfanbaum and Chase Mueller, Post Sex Nachos built their reputation the old-fashioned way: relentless touring, sets at Lollapalooza, Summerfest, Mile of Music, and Bonnaroo, and an independently organized, 1,000-plus-attendee Nacho Fest that sounds like it shouldn't work on paper and clearly works great in practice. Their Booster Pack EP gave the world "Supergirl" and "SOS"—the latter currently sitting at No. 1 Spun on SiriusXM Alt Nation. Big Bad is the next chapter, and by the sound of it, a bigger swing.

Ask Elfanbaum what inspired the record and you don't get a vague answer about "growth" or "the journey." You get this:

"The inspiration behind Big Bad was that the boys and I both separately and together were going through some big changes in our lives. I wanted the lyrics to be very personal. Some of the songs are about anxiety, and like, in this world we're living in I feel like every song should be about that. I don't know how you could live in America right now and not be anxious."

That's the emotional spine of the album, but Elfanbaum is quick to clarify this isn't a 40-minute panic attack. "There's uplifting stuff mixed in there too, and some classic PSN love songs about partners and friendship. Not all doom and gloom, but hopefully you cry maybe once while listening to the record?"

A reasonable request from a band that's earned the right to make it.

Big Bad came together over roughly six months in the studio with producer Aaron Wagner (VEAUX), and according to Elfanbaum, he didn't just twist knobs—he pushed the band somewhere new. "There were definitely some surprises in the studio, mostly good ones! I think Aaron really pushed us to be the best we could be and the record would not be the same without him."

It also marks the band's most collaborative process to date. Instead of arriving with finished songs, instrumental ideas came from across the whole lineup before lyrics and top lines got layered in—which tracks with how unified and deliberate the record sounds. It's the difference between a band writing songs and a band building something together.

If you want the emotional thesis statement of Big Bad in one song, it's the BAILEN collaboration. Elfanbaum explains the origin: "I've always wanted to write a song about a ride-or-die kind of friendship. Everybody has that person they can call up at any time and pick up right where they left off, no matter how long it's been."

He brought the concept to BAILEN, and things moved fast from there. "I brought this idea to BAILEN and they absolutely ran with it. We came up with the chorus together over a Zoom call, and came back with our respective verses a couple weeks later." The verdict, unprompted: "BAILEN really elevated this track, making 'A Lot to Lose' my favorite song on the record."

Ask Elfanbaum to pick favorites and he'll actually pick favorites, which we appreciate. "I think my sleeper pick on the album is called 'Insane.' But my favorite is probably 'All For You' or 'Junk.'"

Consider that your starter pack.

If there's one thing Elfanbaum wants clear before you press play, it's that this isn't a band coasting on their old formula. "I want the world to go in with an open mind when listening to Big Bad. We stepped outside of our comfort zone and pushed ourselves, taking a lot of big swings. We have definitely transformed as a band through making this record and I think it paid off."

And despite the confidence, there's real nerve behind the release too—the kind that comes from actually caring. "I hope listeners walk away connecting with at least one song. I hope it makes them think about their lives or the state of the world. I think it's our best album yet and I am equally nervous and excited for it to be out in the universe."

Post Sex Nachos aren't just dropping the album and disappearing—they're bringing it straight to a stage near you. Asked about the rest of 2026, Elfanbaum kept it simple: "Shows, baby! Come see us on tour in the fall!"

The North American Fall Headline Tour kicks off September 25 in Nashville at The Basement East and wraps November 7 in Chicago at Bottom Lounge, with VIP packages available for the fans who want the full experience. Big Bad will also be available on vinyl, along with exclusive merch bundles for anyone who wants to hold this era in their hands.

Between the anxiety anthems, the friendship ballads, and at least one guaranteed cry, Big Bad is Post Sex Nachos at their most honest. Go listen with an open mind—they asked nicely!

Big Bad drops on September 18, keep an eye out.

Photos by Sophia BiancoThe post Release Radar: Post Sex Nachos Go Big (and Bad) on their Latest Album first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Sony Music Needs a VP, D2C Fan EngagementThe VP is accountable for the quality and commercial performance of D2C fan engagement across the roster, and for the relationships that make it work: with label marketing, creative and commerce teams, with the international marketing team, and with partners across The Greenhouse. Much of the work is proposing rather than deciding - the label approves throughout - which makes credibility, judgement and influence without authority central to the role.

The role leads a team of five to six spanning creative direction and design systems, design and production, D2C product management, and CRM and lifecycle marketing. The ideal candidate combines strong D2C product instincts, fan marketing expertise, creative sensibility and operational rigour, with a deep understanding of how fans engage with artists, music, merchandise and culture across global markets.

Apply via ZipRecruiter.The post Sony Music Needs a VP, D2C Fan Engagement first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.