The lady sings …As with most things, I’m always in the dark. So I wasn’t aware (and if I was, I already forgot) that there was a documentary being made about the late, great Nina Simone. The film (What Happened, Miss Simone?) features rare archival footage, interviews with her ex-husband, Andrew Stroud, and her daughter, Lisa Simone Kelly, and previously unreleased recordings. Not to mention, it’s also directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus (Girlhood; Love, Marilyn). That hits Netflix on June 26, but you can view the trailer below.Music is no-holds-barred stuff, man.If you’re a guy (and maybe a girl, I don’t know your life), then you probably were on the professional wrestling bandwagon as a kid. Personally, it was Stone Cold Steve Austin or bust. Regardless, it’s something most people grow out of when they become a teen and realize the pageantry and falseness of the entire charade. Still, some people get serious about it. Just ask Billy Corgan (most noted for his work in Smashing Pumpkins). Corgan has taken a job with TNA Wrestling as their Senior Producer, Creative and Talent Development, during which he’ll be “writing characters and storylines for ‘Impact Wrestling.’” It’s good work if you can get it. Congrats, Bill.Franz & SparksDid you know that rock group Sparks is collaborating with Franz Ferdinand for a joint LP? I didn’t. But now that I do, I may as well share a little info about it. They’re releasing it under the moniker FFS, and the self-titled release hits stores and online markets on June 8. And though they’ve steadily been releasing tunes to give fans a taste of the festivities, a recent ditty (titled “Collaborations Don’t Work”) is available for aural consumption now. Have a listen below.Nelly’s gone countryTalk about a random crossover. Apparently, rapper Nelly is gearing up to release a country EP. You read that right. To folks who are knowledgeable about the man’s oeuvre, they may recall his single with Tim McGraw in 2004 and his collaboration with Florida Georgia Line in 2013. So this may not seem that out of place. Regardless, it was confirmed by J. Erving, Nelly’s manager. Not sure when that’ll come out, but I bet folks’ll be scratching their heads while others head to the store to be first in line for purchase.No new music, please.The folks over at AV Club found a recent study indicating that people stop seeking out new music around the age of 33. Using a graph to further demonstrate this hypothesis, it comes up with a reasoning that during teenage years, music listeners mainly focus on Billboard‘s Hot 100 and radio hits as “new music,” before coming into their own in their 20s and seeking out independent music through other venues. However, on the graph it shows that after 33, it sort of stays at the same percentage, indicating that in our mid-to-late 30s, we start to recycle the same music or go back to “gems” from our early years of music listening. Wow, so I guess when we get old, we get lazy. And when we get lazy, we stop hitting the search button on our laptops. It’s just as well. I think I’m getting there earlier than most. And just for fun, have a listen to the Heartless Bastards’ rendition of Junior Kimbrough’s “Done Got Old.”
Rooster Roundabout: This Week’s Music Highlights
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