It’s with a heavy heart that we said goodbye this week to the King of Blues. The internet abounds today with touching tributes. Here at Soundfly HQ we’ve had “Thrill is Gone,” “Hummingbird,” and “Three O’Clock Blues” playing all day.
But, the show must go on. And as usual, the internet never fails to provide thought-provoking commentary, bizarre videos, and all kinds of delightful distraction for your weekend enjoyment. Read on for the best of the musical internet this week!
Remembering B.B. King
- Rolling Stone put together a touching retrospective, a collection of his best-ever live performances, and a list of 10 legendary performers who owe their sound and success to B.B. paving the way.
- Mashable and Music.Mic both have lists of the legend’s loveliest quotes.
- And we had a few words to say in tribute to King, sharing what artists today can learn from his legacy.
The Edge goes over the edge
Mashable: Speaking of guitar legends, here’s something to put the smile back on your face. Don’t worry, U2 confirmed after the show that the lead guitarist is just fine.
Kids These Days…
In tiny pop-star news:
- Willow Smith has a new song and music video that she wrote and co-produced, and dude. She’s 14. So impressive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcvjHpDMNoI
- The New York Times introduced us to Joey Alexander, an 11-year-old piano prodigy taking the jazz world by storm.
- Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande sang a song on an inflatable couch while wearing animal onesies. That sentence makes me feel old. (And actually, it’s really quite good.)
John Coltrane on Music
PBS’s Blank on Blank animated a rare John Coltrane interview from a year before he passed. You can listen to the full hour-long interview over on Soundcloud.
Weekend Reading List
A few articles sparked our imaginations this week:
- 99u broke down the unique dynamics of music groups to find lessons that can be applied to all kinds of teams.
- IFLScience: A new scientific study shows that music evolves in the same way as living creatures.
- Digital Music News has a recap of Aloe Blacc interviewing Bill Withers, and it is a delight. The headline really says it all: Grammy Winning Songwriter: “You probably fake orgasms!”
Turn Your Words into Funky Beats
Typedrummer takes text and turns it into looped drum beats and samples. The loop is based on the number of letters you type, allowing you to play with some weird time signatures.
“There Are No Two Words in the English Language More Dangerous than Sick Beats”
Youtube: Whiplash for DJs.
Here’s a Thing That Exists:
Youtube: Closing out, here’s a little Beatles to carry you through your weekend. Happy Friday!
