January 10, 2019
by Lauren Zaknoun

Lady Gaga has a Predator Problem

The first time I had to confront Lady Gaga’s fraught history with famous predators was years in the discount aisle of Barnes & Noble. There’s nothing like it—beautiful, glossy coffee table books for $5, high-quality art books cheaper than the coffee over at the attached Starbucks. On this particular trip, I happened to come across a 360-page behemoth of a photo book chronicling Lady Gaga’s Fame Monster and Born This Way eras. As a lifelong Gaga fan, I was enamored. The trouble is this: the photos were shot by Terry Richardson. As it happens, the book was titled Lady Gaga x Terry Richardson. I didn’t notice Richardson’s name tailing Lady Gaga’s on the spine of the book at the time because the cover bares no title, just a shot of Gaga with her blonde hair slicked back, sporting chunky shades and a black leather jacket, her name studded in rhinestones. In case you missed...

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October 3, 2018
by Lauren Zaknoun

REVIEW: Kim Petras gets creepy with Halloween mixtape

Just as Halloween season begins at the stroke of midnight on October 1, Kim Petras switched from pop princess to Halloween queen. After teasing something new on Instagram with a slew of undead-looking portraits by the inimitable Lucas David, Petras released Turn Off the Light, Vo1. 1 on Oct. 1, giving you not one but eight new tracks to freshen up your stale (admit it) Halloween playlists which no doubt kick off with "Thriller," "Monster Mash," and the Ghostbusters theme song. In that order. [caption id="attachment_51310" align="aligncenter" width="457"] kim petras by lucas david[/caption] Citing Britney Speaks and Freddy Mercury as some of her inspirations for this project, the mixtape reveals a new side of Petras who up until now made her  mark with hyper-catchy electropop and neon aesthetics. In Turn Off the Light, Petras sees herself through the lens of an "evil" Kim, the Hyde to her Jekyll, sexier and darker than her past work. "Close...

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pussy riot
October 2, 2018
by Lauren Zaknoun

ICYMI: Avril Lavigne’s comeback, Pussy Riot survives poisoning, & more

There’s a lot of music to keep track of and not enough hours in the day. That’s why every week, BANSHEE will catch you up on the music news you need to know! Pussy Riot member "okay" after being poisoned It's hard not to wonder how Pussy Riot manages to continue it's activism under Russia's politically repressive climate, rife with poisoning, arrests, and murders. But last month, the group cut it close. Russian-Candian Pussy Riot member Pyotr Verzilov was hospitalized for probable poisoning on Sept. 13, citing loss of vision, control of his limbs, and even total loss of his memory. Verzilov has more or less recovered from the ordeal and remains largely unbothered by it. "Obviously when you do things like that in Russian, you have to be prepared for certain things to happen to you," he said to CNN. Pussy Riot members were arrested this summer during the World Cup when they ran...

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September 28, 2018
by Lauren Zaknoun

Frances Bean Cobain shares original music

Frances Bean Cobain delighted her fans with an unexpected clip of herself performing an original song. The daughter of '90s alt rock icons Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, Frances Bean has opted to stay out of the limelight, instead focusing on a career as a visual artist. However, it seems that she may be getting closer to following in the footsteps of her musically-inclined parents. "What she lacks in technical precision, she makes up for with charisma," she cheekily captioned Sept. 24 video post. Earlier in 2018, Cobain shared a snippet of herself performing an original song. When asked about whether she thought her father would like her music, Cobain responded, "I would hope that he would be proud of the human being I am even if he didn’t like the art I am putting out." She also expressed that while she doesn't want to "pigeonhole" herself artistically, she is excited at the prospect...

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September 25, 2018
by Lauren Zaknoun

Halsey teases new song on final night of tour

Halsey closed out the final date of her hopeless fountain kingdom world tour by sharing a snippet of her newest music. In a video captured by a fan, the "Bad At Love" singer teased concert-goers at the Sept. 23 show in London with a new track titled "Without Me." A backing video read, “Said I’d catch you if you fall//Does it ever get lonely?” The song is set to be released on Oct. 4.   GUYS HALSEY IS COMING OUT WITH A NEw SONG SJSJSJS WITHOUT ME pic.twitter.com/ZFRQctUEnG — claire (@clx1re) September 23, 2018 Not one to leave her fans wanting more, Halsey posted the complete promo clip on Sept. 25.             View this post on Instagram                     Without Me October 4th A post shared by halsey (@iamhalsey) on Sep 25, 2018 at 9:23am PDT "And if they laugh then fuck them all//Maybe I'm the one who put you up there//I don't know why" she sings in the clip. The final installment of the hopeless...

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mac miller ariana grande
September 11, 2018
by Lauren Zaknoun

Stop blaming Ariana Grande for Mac Miller’s Death

While most of the world reacted with sadness and disbelief in the wake of rapper Mac Miller's death on Friday, Sept. 7, a loud contingent of people decided instead of lamenting his death or denouncing the tragedy of drug addiction to find a scapegoat: his ex-girlfriend, Ariana Grande. When TMZ broke the story, the outlet was quick to implicate Grande in Miller’s death: “Mac Miller died Friday of an apparent overdose...

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laura jane grace and the devouring mothers
August 29, 2018
by Lauren Zaknoun

Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace shares new album details

Against Me's Laura Jane Grace is back with a new project, an album release date, and a brand new track. Laura Jane Grace and the Devouring Mothers' debut album, Bought to Rot, will be released on Nov. 9 through Bloodshot Records. The 14-track record spans Grace's "fractured relationship with her adopted hometown of Chicago, true friendship, complicated romance, and reconciling everything in the end." The album is both inspired by and an homage to the late Tom Petty's album, Full Moon Fever. Though Bought to Rot has been described as a “solo album,” Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers is made up of lead singer and guitarist Grace, as well as Against Me!'s drummer Atom Willard and sound engineer Marc Jacob Hudson. "Apocalypse Now (& Later)" is the first track off of the album. Listen to it now and scroll down for the full track list: China Beach Born in Black The Airplane Song Apocalypse...

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CHRISSY CHRISS OF KALEIDO
August 24, 2018
by Lauren Zaknoun

Kaleido rocks Providence, drops new single

All in one day: a brand new single and never-before-seen photos of Kaleido. Providence hard rock fans were treated to a hell of a show on Thursday night. Opening for September Mourning, Detroit-native Kaleido packed the Fete Music Hall for an explosive performance. Playing just three songs familiar to fans, much of their set hinged on brand new material they were eager to share. In fact, their brand new track, "My Enemy" dropped today. Vocalist Christina Chriss shared that  this cathartic song was sparked by her absolute rock bottom, a moment in which she thought she was going to die. However, after six years together and with even more new material on the way, Kaleido aren't going anywhere but on the road. Be sure to go listen to "My Enemy" while you check out our gallery from Kaleido's set below! [ngg_images source="galleries" container_ids="3" display_type="photocrati-nextgen_basic_slideshow" gallery_width="1200" gallery_height="1200" cycle_effect="fade" cycle_interval="10" show_thumbnail_link="0" order_by="imagedate" order_direction="ASC" returns="included" maximum_entity_count="500"]   Photos by Lauren...

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Laura Jane Grace and the devouring mothers
August 8, 2018
by Lauren Zaknoun

Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers announce debut album, tour

Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers have announced that their debut album is on the way. The band has partnered with Bloodshot Records to release their debut album this fall though no album details or a release date have been revealed yet. In a statement, Grace said: “I’ve been a longtime fan of Bloodshot and the artists they work with. Having spent the past year working on a record without knowing where its home was going to be, when I discovered that the Bloodshot offices were only a couple of blocks away from my apartment I went in and asked if they’d consider giving the songs a home. They were cool enough to hear me out and oblige. I couldn’t be more happy about the work we’re going to do together and sharing it with the world.” Though described in a tweet as "a solo album," Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers...

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