Posts made in August 2021

Common × Seun Kuti × Black Thought – When We Move

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Seun Kuti, son of Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti and an Afrobeat legend in his own right, accompanied superstar American rappers Common and Black Thought on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on August 19th.

The trio debuted “When We Move,” the first single from Common’s upcoming album A Beautiful Revolution (Pt. 2), available September 10th. The track features Seun as a vocalist and saxophonist alongside Black Thought, cofounder and MC of The Tonight Show house band The Roots. A sequel to the 2020 release of A Beautiful Revolution (Pt. 1), Pt. 2 highlights talents such as multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Brittany Howard, singer PJ, guitarist and singer Marcus King, guitarist Isaiah Sharkey, and poet Morgan Parker.

Seun joined the studio performance at Rockefeller Plaza virtually from the New Afrika Shrine in Lagos, Nigeria, where he played live. Founded by Fela, the original Afrika Shrine was a club that served as a cultural gathering spot from its 1972 opening until his death in 1997. The Kuti family built the New Afrika Shrine in 2000, creating a newer and larger community hub in the same ethos as the Shrine.

Led by Fela’s daughter Yeni, The New Shrine features weekly performances from his son Femi and monthly performances from Seun alongside Egypt 80, his father’s former band that he now leads. It is also the host of Felabration, a weeklong music festival created in memory of Fela and held during his birthday annually. The 24/7 venue is a massive draw for visiting musicians, including Bootsy Collins, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Skepta, and Bono.

Merging the history of African jazz, soul, and funk music with the contemporary hip hop and rap scene, Seun and Common celebrate the longstanding influence of Black culture. While Pt. 1 was intended to “channel all of our pain and outrage into something productive, inspirational, and good,” said Common to Rolling Stone. “Pt. 2 was created with hope and inspiration in mind,” said his recent statement. “The spirit of the album was meant to emulate what a greater day would sound and feel like.”

Check out the full performance on YouTube.
Clips on The Tonight Show Instagram & Twitter and Common’s Instagram Story.

Listen to the studio version of “When We Move,” available for streaming now. A Beautiful Revolution (Pt. 2) available for preorder and save.

Rich Gang – Blue Emerald

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Rich Gang is back! Cash Money Records co-founder and GRAMMY® Award-nominated rap icon Bryan “Baby” Williams a.k.a. Birdman has joined forces with GRAMMY® Award-winning multi-platinum superstar Young Thug on a new single entitled “Blue Emerald.” Get it HERE.

The track fuses otherworldly production with a UFO-style buzz as Young Thug slithers through the beat with eerie melodies. It all builds toward a massive and magnetic chant meant to blast off into the fall.

“This is what y’all have been waiting for,” Birdman says. “Me and Thugger are back together, and ‘Blue Emerald’ is just the beginning. This is the next era of Rich Gang. It starts now.”

This notably marks the return of Rich Gang—the ever-evolving hip-hop brand and collective founded by Birdman. 2013’s compilation album, Rich Gang, crashed the Top 10 of the Billboard Top 200 and yielded the gold-selling Hot 100 hit “Tap Out,” featuring Lil Wayne, Birdman, Mack Maine, Nicki Minaj, and Future. Riding this momentum, Rich Gang delivered the multi-platinum smash “Lifestyle” [feat. Young Thug, Rich Homie Quan, & Birdman] and the historic mixtape, Rich Gang: Tha Tour Part 1. The latter project claimed spots on numerous best of the decade lists, including ones by Noisey, Stereogum, and Rolling Stone. Stereogum hailed it as “a classic of 2010s rap music.”

The music video premiered on BET Jams, BET Hip Hop, Vevo and YouTube with Music Choice and Revolt on August 27th at Midnight (12:00 am ET / 9:00 pm PT). Watch it HERE.

About Cash Money Records

Since 1991, Brothers Bryan “Birdman” Williams aka “Baby” and Ronald “Slim” Williams have built Cash Money Records into a legendary force in the music industry. Through tireless devotion and an unparalleled work ethic, the duo founded the legendary label in the New Orleans housing projects and elevated it into a multi-million-dollar empire and cultural tastemaker. Not only is the company revered as an iconic and enduring global street brand, it’s become the most successful independent record label in America boasting a bevy of chart-dominating, multi-platinum artists and Grammy Award winners and cumulative sales over 100 million albums worldwide, the roster includes Jacquees, Blueface, Deemic, Juvenile and more. The label also houses Lil Wayne’s imprint Young Money Entertainment (Drake and Nicki Minaj) as well as a publishing arm Cash Money Content. Cash Money Records is distributed by Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group, the world’s leading music company.

Becky Hill – Only Honest on the Weekend Review

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By: Skyler Johnson

Reality TV in America has provided us with many of the musicians, performers, and influencers flooding our Twitter feeds, from Jennifer Hudson to Trixie Mattel. The UK has its own reality TV shows, hence celebrities that have taken their television fame and become successful. A great example is Becky Hill, who was a semi-finalist on The Voice UK and became one of its most successful alumni, being the first and only artist to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart for a song she was featured in by Oliver Heldens, “Gecko”. She just released her debut album, Only Honest on the Weekend, which I had the privilege of listening to.

This record is dance pop, utilizing the retro ‘80s sound that has become popular within the past few years. This is music to hear at the club, at least for the most part, though there are a few exceptions, including “Perfect People” and “Distance,” which both offer refreshing, emotional ballads. The album has fifteen tracks, four of which have been already released: “Better off Without You,” “Heaven on My Mind,” “Last Time” and “Remember.” The latter two were collaborations with DJ David Guetta. She enlisted the help of producers such as Lostboy, Billen Ted and 220 Kid. Lostboy has worked with artists such as Anne-Marie, Dua Lipa, Bebe Rexha and Zedd while Billen Ted and 220 Kid are most known for their remix of a sea shanty turned viral TikTok song, “Wellerman.” It’s clear Hill shares production teams with Dua Lipa and Anne-Marie, and at times it’s hard to tell Hill apart from Dua Lipa as they have similar vocal ranges, though Hill’s range is arguably better.

The album starts off with five average tracks: “I Got You,” “Last Time,” “Make it Hard to Love,” “Better to Love” and “Remember.” They aren’t necessarily boring or skippable, but they aren’t the catchiest. “Perfect People” shows off Hill’s decent vocal range pretty well.

The next tracks, “My Heart Goes (LaDiDa),” “Could Be My Somebody” and “Business” are the best of the record. They’re the first to instantly catch the listener’s attention from the opening verse. “My Heart Goes (LaDiDa)” is particularly excellent because it’s able to utilize gibberish (LaDiDa) in a way that works perfectly with the song, in a way that very few other artists can.

The last six tracks aren’t able to live up to the high standards of 7-9 but are still solid headbangers nonetheless. “Heaven on My Mind” stands above the rest for it’s chorus and “Through the Night” provides a great end to the album.

Overall, Only Honest on the Weekend is very tight with no song being unlistenable. While some may not be satisfactory, none are inadequate for the dance pop music listener. And if nothing else, check out tracks 7-9. A-.

HALL,WALT & BACA

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HALL, WALT & BACA WINES LAUNCH SEASON TWO OF ITS CELEBRITY HAPPY HOUR SERIES

HALL, WALT and BACA Wines, a set of three, family-owned wineries located in Napa and Sonoma Counties, have announced the launch of season two of their celebrity Happy Hour series returning in August, 2021. The weekly series rotates airing on three different social media platforms including Instagram and Facebook Live weekly on one of the respective brand channels. The Happy Hour series premiered on April 2, 2020, with 150 shows produced through the July 2021.

“During the start of the pandemic in the Spring of 2020, we looked at different creative ways to keep our audiences engaged and keep wine conversations top of mind,” says Vintner Jennifer Brown. “Launching Season one of the series and really honing in on the lifestyle of wine with each of our guests allowed us to connect in new and compelling ways –our Club Members and fans sipped along with our show hosts and the guest, and it truly felt like we are all enjoying a casual Happy Hour experience together. Season two will continue to focus on producing dynamic and engaging shows that let our audience into our guest’s lives, ask questions in real time, and hear about new projects that each is working on.”

Created by Vintner Kathryn Walt Hall and produced in-house, Happy Hour gives viewers an unscripted, behind the scenes peek into the lives of celebrities, artists, athletes, comedians, Broadway stars, authors, magicians, and more. Each episode aims to inspire creative conversations while sipping on a newly released HALL, WALT, or BACA wine.

Season one of the Happy Hour series welcomed high profile guests such as Tina Fey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Martin Short, Ed O’Neill, Catherine O’Hara, John Leguizamo, Eric McCormack, Busy Phillips, Monique Lhuillier, Paul Reiser, Cole Hauser, Cheryl Hines, Natalie Morales, Steve Wozniak, The Brothers Osborne, Sara Evans, CAM, Scotty McCreery, Matt Bomer, J.B. Smoove, Bruce Bochy, Cecily Strong, Chris Redd, Howard Gordon, Alfonso Ribiero, Giacomo Gianiotti, Dan Abrams, Kate Flannery, Sherri Saum, Terrell Davis, Jeannie Mai, Gizelle Bryant, Shep Rose, Austen Kroll, Craig Conover, Runaway June, Charissa Thomson, Carly Pearce, Chris Harrison, Josh Flagg and over 100 more.

To view an archive of HALL Family Wines Happy Hour series, please visit Here

The Happy Hour series is hosted by three hosts, one for each wine brand including HALL, WALT and BACA Wines. A snapshot of each host can be found below:

MEET THE HOST: Kathryn Walt Hall

Kathryn Walt Hall is the owner of HALL Family Wines and has been involved in the California wine industry since her family first purchased vineyards in the 1970’s. She has had a distinguished career as a successful businesswoman, attorney, community activist, and as the United States Ambassador to Austria, appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1997. A mother of two, Kathryn is fluent in French and German, earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, a joint MBA from UC California, Berkeley & Columbia University and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law.

MEET THE HOST: Jeff Zappelli

After eight years managing restaurants including three years at San Francisco-based Morton’s Steakhouse, Jeff joined HALL Wines in 2006 to establish its Club Membership program which has become one of the most successful Direct to Consumer efforts in the Napa Valley. In 2016, Zappelli was appointed General Manager of WALT Wines, making him responsible for the day-to-day operations and strategic planning for the Sonoma-based brand. Zappelli is an active speaker throughout the Bay Area, participating in conversations and panels related to direct-to-consumer trends, wine industry technology, sales as a science, CRM and direct marketing. An avid sports fan and father of three, Jeff was born in Seattle, WA and attended the University of California at Santa Barbara earning a Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology.

MEET THE HOST: Jennifer Brown

The daughter of Vintner Kathryn Hall, Jennifer Brown spearheads HALL Family Wines newest brand, BACA, meaning “berry” in Latin, a modern Zinfandel wine brand. Jennifer spearheads brand development, marketing strategies, and operational plans, as well as wholesale channels. Prior to working at HALL Family Wines, Jennifer was the founder of Omghow / Girl Karma Inc., a social platform and positive destination for teen girls. Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Northwestern University and both a Masters’ Degree in Business Administration and a Law Degree from Stanford University. Fluent in German and a mother of two, Jennifer is an avid hiking and yoga enthusiast and incorporates wellness and clean living as a core part of her daily routine.

Bspoke Lists Best Foodie Destinations

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Best destinations for food lovers

Bspoke features the best destinations for foodies. These are hotels with very special food concepts that traveling gourmets will surely fall in love with!

Borgo Santo Pietro, Tuscany, Italy

At Borgo Santo Pietro a team of farmers, culinary gardeners, and talented chefs work together to create an ultimate Michelin-starred dining experience. Meo Modo offers a well-balanced gourmet tasting menu with the right proportion of vegetables, protein, and carbons. Borgo estate’s productions include over 300 types of vegetables, fruits, herbs, cheese, and meat. If you are fancy for more traditional Italian food Trattoria sull’Albero offers a menu with a wide selection of pasta dishes, main courses, and antipasti made only from the fresh estate’s products or bought from local producers.

Nordelaia, Piedmont, Italy

This new boutique hotel situated in the UNESCO world heritage site of Montferrat, deep in Italy’s Piedmont wine country, has two restaurants curated by a head chef and mentor Andrea Ribaldone and a resident chef Charles Pearce. Two restaurants L’Orto and The Bistrot combine the authenticity of Piedmontese cuisine with the experimental ambition of modern fine dining. L’Orto Restaurant is a relaxed fine-dining concept. The menu is based solely on freshly caught seafood from the Ligurian coast and locally grown vegetables. The Bistrot offers a more informal experience, focusing on Piedmontese ingredients, culture, and stories of the region. The main approach chosen by the chefs is respect for the traditions of the region while experimenting and pushing boundaries.

Ciasa Salares, Dolomites, Italy

Run by the Wieser Family ever since its establishment in 1964, the hotel is well known for its outstanding wine cellar and food experience. Cocun is a wine-cellar restaurant with over 1900 labels, 24,000 bottles from every corner of the world, and a voyage over 1,000 culinary latitudes by the cold cuts, the cheeses, and the 15 dishes prepared with carefully selected ingredients. Nida is the cheese room and boasts a selection of 65 raw-milk cheeses, jams, chutneys, and jellies. Nodla is the chocolate room, where you can dive into a world of no less than 120 different kinds of chocolate. Other dining options include a new Sori Restaurant with the sun-kissed Infiní Eat on Beat Terrace and Bona Lüna Dine Bar – perfect for early-evening aperitifs or after-dinner drinks.

Capri Tiberio Palace, Capri, Italy

Capri Tiberio Palace, the iconic property located just a few steps from Piazzetta, is known also for its fizzy splendid style inspired by La Dolce Vita. At Terrazza Tiberio the Executive Chef Nello Siano offers a new menu inspired by the Mediterranean diet but with an unexpected international flavours.

Fairmont Taghazout Bay, Agadir, Morocco

Nestled in the heart of Taghazout Bay, the resort sprawls on 18 hectares of olive groves and argan gardens with the Atlantic Ocean as its backdrop, Fairmont Taghazout Bay features a wide variety of culinary experiences through different themed restaurants and bars:

Morimoto restaurant – modern Japanese cuisine with fresh ingredients in an elegant and sophisticated atmosphere
Beef & Reef – Mediterranean cuisine where seafood and meat dishes are presented with unexpected pairing suggestions
NOLA bar – a wide selection of original and creative cocktails and a list of premium spirits to be paired with chocolate and cigars.

Vilon, Rome, Italy

Vilòn Roma, located steps away from Palazzo Borghese and Via Dei Condotti, is now known for the restaurant Adelaide that just won the prize as one of the best places for all’amatriciana – a famous traditional Roman dish.

The menu changes according to the seasons and includes Roman classics with modern twists. Sunday’s lunches are dedicated to Il Pranzo della Domenica when, according to the local market’s offer, Executive Chef Gabriele Muro expresses his creativity at the best.

Maalot, Rome, Italy

Located in the original residence of Gaetano Donizetti, Maalot Roma is primarily a restaurant, and then a hotel. Designed to celebrate life and social gathering, Don Pasquale is set to be an all-day dining experience for locals and hotels guests. Named after one of the most renowned works of Gaetano Donizetti, the restaurant menu pays homage to the tradition and attention to what the new modern food lovers are looking for. Expect Maritozzo con la Panna, Pizza with Mortadella, and a vast choice of cooked eggs reinvented with roman traditional ingredients. Lunch and dinner options include a wide range of vegetables from local producers to meet the needs of modern trends. And do stay for an aperitif – Maritozzo Salato is a must-try!

Blackstarkids – Fight Club

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**BLACKSTARKIDS FIGHT CLUB Single & Video**

PRESS HERE to Listen/Watch

Debut Album Puppies Forever Arriving October 15 via Dirty Hit PRESS HERE to Pre-Save

Joining beabadoobee’s U.S. Headline Tour this November – PRESS HERE for Tickets

BLACKSTARKIDS are at the height of their powers – Billboard

Taking the media they loved growing up in the 2000s and combining it with their formidable songwriting and producing talent, [BLACKSTARKIDS] are creating captivating, timeless sounds at an incredible pace. – MTV

BLACKSTARKIDS have already caused a stir with their recent singles. Although they are fresh out of high school, [Whatever, Man] is impressive in its scope and executed with the grace of a veteran group – UPROXX

BLACKSTARKIDS have released their brand new single FIGHT CLUB, the second track from their upcoming debut album Puppies Forever out October 15 via Dirty Hit. PRESS HERE to listen to FIGHT CLUB, a cheeky anthem that showcases the unapologetic, confident sound of the forthcoming album. FIGHT CLUB sees BLACKSTARKIDS launch out of the gate and directly into your faces, oozing with swagger as Ty, Deoindre, and The Babe Gabe trade off verses with ease.

PRESS HERE to watch BLACKSTARKIDS as they take over a convenience store in the energetic, self-directed music video for FIGHT CLUB. PRESS HERE to pre-save Puppies Forever.

‘FIGHT CLUB’ really captures the way we feel when we’re all together and everything is going smoothly for us, says BLACKSTARKIDS on the single.

FIGHT CLUB follows the recent release of BLACKSTARKIDS’ serotonin-laced lead single JUNO, an indie-pop bop described by Ones To Watch as the sort of rare track that combines all your teenage phases into one intoxicating amalgamation. PRESS HERE to listen.

Hitting the road for a string of dates with GroupLove in September and Glass Animals soon after, BLACKSTARKIDS will embark on a nationwide, 26-date tour alongside Christian Leave in support of beabadoobee on November 1 that will include a hometown show in Kansas City and stop in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Dallas, Austin, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Seattle, and more. PRESS HERE to purchase tickets. Full routing below.

Receiving critical acclaim and praise from MTV, UPROXX, Billboard, Alternative Press, Ones To Watch, Rolling Stone France, The Line Of Best Fit, DIY, Coup De Main, and more for their shimmering Gen-Z anthems, BLACKSTARKIDS are well on their way to indie stardom. Last year, BLACKSTARKIDS released their full-length project Whatever, Man, the final piece to their black coming of age trilogy following projects Surf in 2020 and Let’s Play Sports in 2019. Whatever, Man incorporates each member’s wide-ranging influences into one body of work and is fueled by the sounds of artists from Toro Y Moi, N*E*R*D, Smashing Pumpkins, and Weezer, to Outkast, Odd Future, and A Tribe Called Quest. A winding maze of surprise and discovery, Whatever, Man’s string of critically acclaimed singles, including BRITNEY BITCH, FRANKIE MUNIZ, ACTING NORMAL, and TANGERINE LOVE – grasp their blissful DIY sound which blends garage rock with synth-punk and hip-hop to usher in a new surge of indie. The body of work also features the track FRIENDSHIP, which contains personal messages from fellow Dirty Hit signees Matt Healy of The 1975, beabadoobee, and more.

Dubbed a 90’s baby literacy test by Earmilk, BLACKSTARKIDS – Ty, Deiondre, and The Babe Gabe – showcase their witty personalities and depth as musicians by seamlessly blending nostalgic pop culture references with their effortlessly cool, genre-blending sound. Now, gearing up for the release of their debut album Puppies Forever, BLACKSTARKIDS are ready to share how their experiences have made them who they are and how they fit into society today.

Follow BLACKSTARKIDS via Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Lanea Celebrates Labor Day Weekend

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Praised for being “the best Mexican food on the Westside” and “Best Bar in LA”, Santa Monica’s premiere cocktail bar and Mexican Taqueria, Lanea, will be celebrating Labor Day Weekend with a variety of Picnic Packs complete with tacos, canned cocktails, pico de gallo, serape blanket and piñata to take to the beach, and All-You-Can-Eat Brunch Tacos and cocktail of choice for only $25. Guests can also sip cocktails curbside with their expanded outdoor dining area, following County of Los Angeles health guidelines.

For Labor Day Weekend, patrons can grab one of Lanea’s popular Picnic Packs perfect for a day at the beach including: Mini Fiesta Pack with four street tacos, two JAJA cocktails, chips & pico de gallo and a mini piñata for $29, The Picnic Pack that includes six street tacos, two cocktails, chips & pico de gallo and a Mexican serape blanket for $49, or the Grande Fiesta Pack which contains eight street tacos of your choice, chips and pico de gallo, four JAJA cocktails, Mexican serape blanket, and a piñata for $69.

Guests can also enjoy Lanea’s All-You-Can-Eat Brunch Street Tacos and Cocktail for $25 all weekend long. Additional breakfast items include Huevos Con Chorizo (scrambled eggs, queso, spicy pork sausage), Huevos Con Bacon (scrambled eggs, queso, bacon bits), Huevos Con Sausage (scrambled eggs, queso, sausage link bits), Huevos Con Veggie (scrambled eggs, queso, sauteed spinach and mushrooms), Huevos Con Queso (scrambled eggs, queso), and Huevos Con Beyond Meat (scrambled eggs, queso, beyond meat with Petra’s seasonings). All of Lanea’s Brunch Street Tacos are handmade to order on 100% gluten-free corn tortillas.

Located two blocks from the beach, Lanea offers an extensive variety of over 400 hand-selected Mezcals and tequilas. Their authentic Mexican cuisine is prepared by Petra Zavaleta, who hails from Tepeaca, Puebla, and rose to foodie fame with her underground barbacoa pop-ups, and later opened their eatery Barbakush in East L.A. Praised as one of the best Mexican eateries on the Westside, Petra and her family source their lamb locally from Chino Hills and prepare their barbacoa in an earthen pit, cooking it slowly over an open fire. Offering five different styles of classic tacos on their handmade-to-order corn tortillas, as well as chips and guacamole, they are the perfect complement to Lanea’s unique cocktail menu.

“It’s been a difficult time for Santa Monica’s small businesses to overcome the hurdles the pandemic has brought us. Petra and I, who are both immigrants, alongside our other partners, are really thankful and humbled by the local support as we continue to offer a safe, affordable outlet for the local community,” says owner Peter Trinh. “Come by and check out our new to-go small batched cocktails, canned in-house or our handmade gluten-free tacos.”

Lanea has revamped their landscape and dining experience to safely accommodate customers, implementing the necessary protocols, to enhance the safety of patrons with regards to COVID-19. Lanea has added outdoor dining and UV-light sanitizing, and hand sanitizer is readily available with contactless ordering and payment to further project from the spread of COVID-19.

Patrons can enjoy a variety of taco offerings including Barbacoa Tacos, wrapped in agave leaves and pit-roasted underground for 36 hours; Asada Tacos, grilled steak seasoned with Petra’s seasoning; Pollo Tacos grilled chicken seasoned with Petra’s seasonings; Vegetarian Tacos, with mushrooms and spinach; Pescado con Mango Taco, tilapia served with mango, green & red pepper, avocado and Mexican cream. All tacos are handmade-to-order on 100% gluten-free corn tortillas, with the option to make any of the tacos into quesadillas.

About Lanea

Lanea is a spirit-driven cocktail bar located one block from the beach, that focuses on an extensive selection of over 400 hand-selected mezcals and tequilas. Lanea brings the spirit of Mexico to Santa Monica with authentic Mexican cuisine from Petra Zavaleta’s East L.A., family-run restaurant Barbakush. Their cocktail program incorporates wellness-driven ingredients as well as the food and beverage programs utilize a no-waste philosophy using the stems from herbs to develop syrups for cocktails and bones from the barbacoa to make a consome that is served with chipotle chickpeas. Lanea is located at 217 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA, and is open for indoor and outdoor dining, takeout, and delivery.

Dear Evan Hansen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

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On September 24, Interscope Records will release Dear Evan Hansen: (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). The 16-track album features new recordings by the film cast of beloved songs from the Tony®-winning Broadway phenomenon with music and lyrics by the Oscar®, Grammy®, and Tony® winning songwriting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman). Universal Pictures’ Dear Evan Hansen opens in theaters nationwide on September 24.

Fans can pre-order Dear Evan Hansen: (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)—HERE. Watch the “You Will Be Found” featurette-–HERE.

To herald the album’s arrival, Universal Pictures and Interscope Records today released new renditions of the film’s iconic anthems “Waving Through A Window” and “You Will Be Found” performed by Tony®, Grammy® and Emmy® winner Ben Platt, who originated the role of Evan Hansen on Broadway and reprises the role for the film. Listen to “Waving Through A Window” and “You Will Be Found”—HERE.

The soundtrack also features two new songs written for the film by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul: “A Little Closer” performed by Colton Ryan and “The Anonymous Ones” performed by Amandla Stenberg, who co-wrote the lyrics and music with Pasek and Paul.

About the album, Ben Platt commented, “It was so special to revisit these meaningful songs that have been such a big part of my life over the past several years, and I’m beyond excited for everyone to hear this amazing cast’s take on the material, especially the two new fantastic additions! Fans of the beautiful Original Broadway Cast Album are going to love listening to all the favorites on this soundtrack.”

Dear Evan Hansen opened on Broadway in December 2016 and became a generation-defining phenomenon, winning six Tony Awards, including for Best Musical and for Ben Platt as Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. The show’s cast album would go on to earn a Grammy®.

Now, in the film, Ben Platt returns as Evan Hansen, an anxious, isolated high schooler aching for understanding and belonging amid the chaos and cruelty of the social-media age.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being A Wallflower, Wonder), the film is written for the screen by the show’s Tony® winner Steven Levenson with music and lyrics by Pasek & Paul. Dear Evan Hansen stars six-time Oscar® nominee Amy Adams, Oscar® winner Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart), Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give), Colton Ryan (Little Voice), Nik Dodani (Atypical) and Danny Pino (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit).

The film is produced by Marc Platt (La La Land, Into the Woods, Mary Poppins Returns) and Adam Siegel (2 Guns, Drive), and is executive produced by Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Michael Bederman and Stacey Mindich.

Tracklisting

Waving Through A Window – Ben Platt & Dear Evan Hansen Choir
For Forever – Ben Platt
Sincerely Me – Colton Ryan, Ben Platt & Nik Dodani
Requiem – Kaitlyn Dever, Danny Pino & Amy Adams
If I Could Tell Her – Ben Platt & Kaitlyn Dever
The Anonymous Ones – Amandla Stenberg
You Will Be Found – Ben Platt, Amandla Stenberg, Liz Kate, DeMarius Copes, Isaac Powell, Hadiya Eshe, Kaitlyn Dever & Dear Evan Hansen Choir
Only Us – Kaitlyn Dever & Ben Platt
Words Fail – Ben Platt
So Big/So Small – Julianne Moore
A Little Closer – Colton Ryan
You Will Be Found
The Anonymous Ones
Only Us
A Little Closer
Waving Through A Window

Astro Hippie

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Electro-funk star, multi-instrumentalist, producer and life-long stoner GRiZ, today announced the launch of two premium cannabis lines – the THC focused, Astro Hippie, debuting in Michigan, and the nationally available CBD brand, Telescope.

Astro Hippie is a window into the stoner culture of yesteryear, a top-shelf, tantalizingly potent series of flower strains geared towards experimenters and tokers who want to explore life in maximum color; who want to listen to music that tickles their ears and blows their minds; who want to road trip in a beat up van and crank mixtapes. It’s a love letter to the weed culture GRiZ grew up in, and a deliberate rebuttal to the pristine, faceless, private equity brands that are sprouting up post-legalization.

Growing up in Southfield, Michigan, Grant Kwiecinski aka GRiZ, has been getting blazed long before his music career took off, and he remains an outspoken advocate for cannabis, even as he’s risen from playing small clubs to selling out amphitheaters. Growing up selling pot while waiting tables, he’s known the cannabis industry for decades, and previously dropped a bud collab, GRiZ Kush, back in 2017. That experience taught him a lot, and since then he’s been working to create his own lines that pair his values with exceptional products and an embrace of the DIY stoner culture he has been immersed in for years.

Stalking growers, cultivators and fellow lifers, GRiZ developed Astro Hippie with Pure Options, a long-time cultivator in Michigan. With funky out of this world flavor profiles in mind, Astro-Hippie will be available in three different strains G Funk, Mr. B OG, and Tie Dye Medusa, all tested to guarantee maximum THC levels for lift-off. Inclusivity and energy are key to GRiZ’s mission, and he focused on solely working with partners who have decades’ long roots in cannabis culture like himself.

Astro Hippie will debut in Michigan, where it all started for GRiZ, an homage to his home state, where every year he produces the annual 12 Days of GRiZMAS series, which has raised over $200k for charity in the last two years alone.

As his knowledge of the marijuana plant has grown, so has GRiZ’s understanding and appreciation of its medicinal benefits, which led to the CBD line, Telescope, a range of products which aims to bring wellness into focus. GRiZ is a huge proponent of using cannabis for pain relief, and with Telescope he’s created an exceptionally high quality CBD range that allows users of all types to smoke and benefit from the plant without having to blast off.

Telescope’s CBD hemp flower is offered in three delectable flavors, the sativa dominant hybrid Astronaut Ice Cream, that features complex sweet cherries notes with a strong essence of lime and skunky pine; and the indica dominant hybrid Milky Way, a potent mixture of lavender, cinnamon and orange. Cosmic Candy, the pre-rolled pack offerings, blends flavorsome notes of black pepper and perfectly ripened fruits.

The gourmet gummies are offered in a 10:1 CBD:THC recipe with hemp-derived Delta 9 THC, giving users a euphoric experience delivered with precision. The gummies will initially launch in two bright flavors of Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Sunset Sorbet, with additional flavors added seasonally.

The 1000mg Vibe Check tincture is on the leading edge of CBD tinctures in the marketplace in that it features cannabis derived terpenes. These terpenes not only give it a unique and incredible flavor profile but also help bring out the positive effects of the cannabinoids in a process known as the entourage effect. It is a defined spectrum tincture that includes CBD, CBG, CBC, and THC.

MAALOT Roma

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Shedir Hospitality Holding have announced the opening date of their first MAALOT hotel: MAALOT Roma. The opening period will start on October 1, 2021.

General Manager Edoardo Officioso comments; “My team and I are thrilled about this new opening and we can’t wait to open the doors to the first hotel of the MAALOT brand. This first property, located just a few steps from [the Trevi Fountain], aims to become the new ‘lounge’ in Rome where… [we can] share a drink or taste the gourmet experience we are finalising. After these last months we hope to offer locals and travellers a special place to gather and find the pleasure to socialise again” Located in what was the residence of Gaetano Donizetti (1797 – 1848) famous Italian opera composer of Don Pasquale, Lucia di Lammermoor and Maria Stuarda, MAALOT Roma aims to attract a young and more seasoned clientele looking for a vibrant and cosy place for gathering and being in the know in the most central part of Rome.

A restaurant and bar are set in a glass roof veranda. Signature element of the 30 distinctive rooms is paintings of hats that symbolise “setting your hat down and feeling at home.”

Property Features

MAALOT Roma is a boutique hotel developed around the concept of a lounge with private bespoke rooms. Set in an historical building, the property surprises the guests at arrival. On the ground floor, a central court with a glass ceiling welcomes guests in a winter garden where the Don Pasquale restaurant is located. Centre stage is the elegant chandelier which features light red fabric lamp shades. The court is a celebration of the colonial-British style where pastel colours, art pieces, customised furniture and a rich variety of textures make the lounge cosy and vibrant at the same time. The tables are made of handmade tiles. For each sitting place is an old fashion lace set in the tile. Sofas and chairs made in silky fabric and vibrant colourful details complete the look and feel to make the bistro an all-day lounge.

Still on the ground floor there is a bar area: a cosy spot in darker hues of browns and greens. Elegant use of dark wood elements and rich fabrics such as ruby-red shiny silk with sophisticated textures make the bar an exclusive and intimate area. Right at the end of the space is the reception area: a studio with an old fashion British-style library boasting a selection of books about Rome, luxury and fashion. Bespoke furniture made of Ebano wood makes the ambience welcoming and reassuring, away from the chaotic life of the city centre. The 30 rooms and suites are located across 4 floors. Each and every room is developed around a specific selection of vibrant colour schemes: dark blue, ochre, dark red. An Italian limestone fireplace completes the look and feel of the rooms. Guests will also have access to a fitness room–a 100 square meters area with the latest state-of-the-art machines.

Don Pasquale Restaurant Cucina & Bar

Designed to celebrate life and social gathering, Don Pasquale is set to be an all-day dining experience for locals and hotel guests. Named after one the of the most renowned work of Gaetano Donizetti, the restaurant is a place to relax, enjoy a cocktail or a glass of wine alone or in good company.

The Executive Chef Domenico Boschi, born and bred in Rome, celebrates the modern roman gastronomy. The menu pays homage to the tradition and attention to what the new modern food lovers are looking for. It offers a contemporary take on the roman recipes all in full respect of the local producers that enhance the local territory. The cocktail bar is an intimate setting dedicated to a selection of rum, premium spirits and traditional cocktails.