OK Go

OK Go

Photo: Michael Kovac/WireImage

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OK Go And Blue Origin Launch Art In Space Contest For Creative Experiments

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Two teams of students ages 11 to 18 will have their art projects selected for a microgravity ride on Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital spacecraft next year
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Mar 6, 2019 - 5:32 pm

Having playfully conquered gravity themselves in their video "Upside Down & Inside Out," OK Go is now challenging student teams to devise microgravity art projects that fit in a small box — on a rocket. "Get your friends together, get your teachers together, come up with your best ideas," said the band, "because we want to send your art project to space."

The exact specs for the two payloads that will be launched on Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital spacecraft next year define maximum weight at 1.1 pounds and maximum size at 8 inches by 4 inches by 4 inches. Ingenuity will be required to propose how to make best use of those limited allowances. Students between the ages of 11 and 18 are asked to form groups of three or more with an over-21 adult for supervision and to submit an essay describing their proposals by May 6.

Winners of this "Art in Space" competition will be announced in June and receive support realizing their plans from OK Go Sandbox team members at the University of St. Thomas' Playful Learning Lab. The Lab's engineering students and faculty work with classrooms around the country to guide ingenuity based on OK Go videos as starting points.

OK Go won Best Short Form Music Video for "Here It Goes Again" at the 49th GRAMMY Awards, using treadmills to boldly go where no band had stepped before, at least not on camera. "Upside Down & Inside Out" was nominated for Best Music Video at the 59th GRAMMY Awards. OK Go's "Art in Space" competition is sponsored by Cognizant.

See OK Go Dance With A Wall Of Printers In New 'Obsession' Video

Cher

Cher

Photo: Jenny Anderson/Getty Images

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Cher Adds More 2019 Performance Dates In North America

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The diva adds to her demanding 2019 tour schedule while her recent albums chart at career highs
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Mar 29, 2019 - 2:53 pm

Cher's Here We Go Again Tour has added 14 new North American stops in November and December of 2019. This year is keeping the GRAMMY-winning diva busy as she finishes one of her residency series at MGM Resorts' Park Theater in Las Vegas tonight and tomorrow night.

Touring with special guests Nile Rodgers and Chic, Cher's first of the new dates is Nov. 19 in Portland, Ore. with performances in Chicago, Denver, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Toronto through the end of the month. Next stop is Madison Square Garden in New York on Dec. 3, then heading south through Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., and New Orleans. The beat goes on in mid-December at Houston and San Antonio, followed by the last of the new dates in Dallas, Texas on Dec. 19 at the American Airlines Center.

If that sounds like a busy itinerary, glance at what Cher has going on before then. Beginning Apr. 18 in Pittsburgh, Penn., she'll be completing previously announced dates in North America and Canada through the end of May. In August, Cher returns to Park Theater in Las Vegas for another round of performances. Then from late September through early November she'll be visiting European capitals including multiple concerts in Germany and the UK including at London's O2 arena on Oct. 20 and 21.

After three Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles in the early 70's, as a solo artist, in 1999 Cher's "Believe" went to No. 1 again and won Best Dance Recording at the 42nd GRAMMY Awards. Both 2013's Closer To The Truth and 2018's Dancing Queen reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 album charts, Cher's career high to date.

Tickets for Cher's Nov. and Dec. performances go on sale on April 5 to the general public at Live Nation's website, with pre-sales opening on April 2.

Cher, Reba McEntire, "Hamilton" Receive Kennedy Center Honors

Jerry Garcia and Mickey Hart

Jerry Garcia and Mickey Hart

Photo: Peter Simon/Getty Images

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Grateful Dead's 'Aoxomoxoa' Reissue Has Remixes Plus 1969 Live Recordings

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50th anniversary reissue of the breakthrough third album shows their signature psychedelic style's beginnings
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Mar 29, 2019 - 12:21 pm

Aoxomoxoa is the title of the Grateful Dead's 1969 album — a palindrome, it is pronounced the same way backwards as reading the usual way, left to right. That was "far-out" 50 years ago, and on the album's 50th anniversary the Grateful Dead and Rhino Records will reissue Aoxomoxoa including remastered versions of both the album's 1969 mix and 1971 remix by Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh, as well as 1969 live performances of the songs at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco.

The album was a creative breakthrough, as the band broke from label guidance, explored acoustic-only arrangements and self-production, and also welcomed lyricist Robert Hunter. Hunter and Garcia composed all the songs on the album and were joined by Phil Lesh in creating Aoxomoxoa's first track "St. Stephen." 

A limited edition of 10,000 vinyl 12" picture discs will be released in addition to the 2-CD set. Both versions are now available for pre-order online.

Dead & Company continue to tour with Grateful Dead members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann and Bob Weir as well as GRAMMY winner John Mayer. Their latest run of dates begins May 31.

Bob Weir Holds Court At GRAMMY U SoundChecks: "The Passion Is Up To You"

Cardi B

Cardi B

Photo: Randall Michelson/Getty Images

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Transformed Las Vegas Palms Counts Down To "Unstatus Quo" Relaunch

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Guests get their first look at the $690 million renovation's results next week
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Mar 28, 2019 - 2:21 pm

Las Vegas, get ready to "Get On The Good Foot," as per the James Brown song providing both the promotional video soundtrack and the core philosophy behind the Palms Casino Resort's "Unstatus Quo" mega renovation. Set to open next week, the new Palms thinks of itself as "different by design" and seeks to share how they have "completely reimagined" the Las Vegas excursion experience, including the debut of their Kaos nightclub and dayclub venues.

The video, directed by GRAMMY winner Sam Brown, is a vision-statement featuring celebrities from sports and the fine arts as well as musical talents including GRAMMY winner Cardi B, Marshmello, Ezra Miller, Rita Ora, and Latin GRAMMY nominee Ozuna.

Anticipation during this lead-up is intense. The Palms invested $690 million to embody its bid for restored relevance as a cultural destination. Restaurants, gaming, luxury suites, multiple music venues and residencies, surrounded by museum-caliber fine art are about to be put to their first real-world test — combining graciously together into an unforgettable get-away.

A signed Cardi B microphone and one of Marshmello's signature helmets are among the giveaways in the "Unstatus Quo" video, which can be unlocked in daily YouTube Card promotions from Mar. 29 to Apr. 5. The Palms website has also been redesigned so that visitors' digitally interactive experience blends seamlessly with the Palms' on-site hospitality.

The attitude, vision and commitment are reassuring. The new Palms' first guests will judge their success in just a few days.

KAOS Las Vegas To Feature Sets From J Balvin, Bad Bunny, Ozuna, Deadmau5, Eric Prydz & More In April

Sigur Ros

Sigur Ros

Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

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Sigur Ros Tip Summer's 20th Anniversary Reissue Of 'A Good Beginning'

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The album 'Ágætis Byrjun,' meaning "a good beginning," elevated the Icelandic rockers to international attention
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Mar 28, 2019 - 11:48 am

On June 12, 1999, experimental rockers from Iceland Sigur Ros released their critically acclaimed second album Ágætis Byrjun, meaning "a good beginning." On March 28, 2019 the band announced the album's massive 7-LP 20th anniversary reissue, due on June 21, including demos, rarities, a 1999 live concert recording from Reykjavik's opera house Islenska Operan, and an 84-page hardbound book accompanying the collection.

Sigur Ros' follow-up third album, Untitled, was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 46th GRAMMY Awards. Their most recent release is 2013's Kveikur. Since then Sigur Ros attended King Joffrey's wedding in season 4 of "Game Of Thrones," providing their own cover of "The Rains Of Castamere," and they have been breaking into augmented reality in their Magic Leap collaboration "Tonandi." On April 13–28 in Taiwan, the band's music will be featured in choreographer Cheng Tsung-lung's world premier dance piece "22° Lunar Halo."

In addition to the 7-LP box set of Ágætis Byrjun — A Good Beginning — 20th Anniversary Edition, the collection will also be available on four compact discs or as a double-LP with the additional material available for download. Pre-orders are now on sale at Sigur Ros' website.

Thom Yorke Takes His Artistic Solo Catalog On Tour