Abby Jones

If you regularly attend shows in Brooklyn, you probably know that Avant Gardner — the large venue which houses a popular club, the Brooklyn Mirage — doesn't have the best safety reputation. The East Williamsburg spot became infamous in summer 2023 after two men left separate shows there and were later found dead in the nearby creek. Both deaths were ruled drownings, but the Mirage is not the type of place you want to be when you're alone and intoxicated; it's in an industrial, poorly lit area where cell service is spotty and flagging down a car home can be tricky. The Avant Gardner team also puts on the Electric Zoo festival on Randall's Island, which was nothing short of a total shitshow last year. Time for a new CEO!

Last night the surviving members of Soundgarden reunited in their Seattle hometown to play the annual SMooCH benefit concert at the Showbox, raising money for Seattle Children's Hospital. It's rare that Kim Thayil, Ben Shepherd, and Matt Cameron play live together since the 2017 death of Chris Cornell; the last time was backing Brandi Carlile at the Gorge in 2021. They were billed as Nudedragons, the first time they've performed under that Soundgarden anagram since the band's surprise reunion, with Cornell, at the same venue in 2010. With Shaina Shepherd on vocals, Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd played six songs — “Hunted Down,” “Outshined,” “Flower,” “Beyond The Wheel,” “Kickstand,” and the MC5 cover “Kick Out The Jams” — and were joined by Guns N' Roses' Duff McKagan on the last two.

SNL took our advice and booked Gracie Abrams as the musical guest for Saturday’s Chris Rock-hosted episode. Surrounded by lots of Christmasy garland and fake snow, the pop-folk singer performed “I Love You, I’m Sorry” and her first Top 10 hit “That’s So True.”

One day back in 1992, Kylie Minogue received a cassette from one of her musical heroes and newfound acquaintance, Prince. On the tape was his recording of “Baby Doll,” a song she'd written and recently shown to him. That song never wound up getting an official release back then, but it's finally made its way to the internet over the weekend. Apparently , this recording of “Baby Doll” was supposed to be included on a 2022 archival compilation that the Prince Estate axed for some reason. It has that bit of disco flair that Minogue was cranking out on her own records around the same time. Listen to it below.

Every December since 2020, Bone Sound Inc. ‘s Ben Hosley has helmed Slow Xmas , a compilation series featuring indie artists doing Christmas songs. Slow Xmas 4 has arrived today, featuring Wolf Parade's Dan Boeckner, Real Esate's Julian Lynch, experimental producer Fire-Toolz, and some of the cutest album artwork I've seen in a minute. You can buy the album on Bandcamp and stream it below.

Tonight, LCD Soundsystem will wrap up their fourth annual New York City residency . For the past three weekends, James Murphy and company have been at Knockdown Center in Queens, playing songs from all across their discography. It looks like they've been tweaking the setlist ever-so-slightly each night, and at the last three shows, they played “North American Scum” for the first time in 13 years. The last time they played the Sound Of Silver highlight was back at their “ farewell show ” at Madison Square Garden in 2011. Knockdown Center seems to suit the vibe of the song much better. Check out an audience clip of it below.

The annual SMooCH benefit concert went down Saturday night at the Showbox in Seattle, raising money for Seattle Children's Hospital. The night featured a rare performance from the surviving members of Soundgarden — billed as the Nudedragons — as well as Sebadoh's first show in five years. That's not the only reason it was a big night for Sebadoh/Dinosaur Jr./Folk Implosion founding member Lou Barlow: He met Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, and Bubba Dupree from DC hardcore pioneers Void. Looks like he was really excited about it. See some audience clips and the setlist of Sebadoh's performance below.

Hozier was the musical guest for the second time on Saturday Night Live this weekend, 10 years after he first took Studio 8H to church . He performed

Alfa Anderson, lead singer of the legendary disco band Chic, died Dec. 17. She was 78. Her bandmate Nile Rodgers confirmed the news on Instagram, writing in a tribute post: “Thank you for everything.” A cause of death has not been disclosed.

In case you missed our 2024 in memoriam video, REO Speedwagon — the band behind hits like hits “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and “Keep On Loving You” — broke up this year over “irreconcilable differences” between bandmates Bruce Hall and Kevin Cronin. But before they said goodbye for good, they played three farewell shows at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas last Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. A grieving Cronin gave a speech about the band’s history and his gratitude towards his bandmates, crew members, and fans. “The REO Speedwagon name is being retired tonight,” he said. “But the music, the spirit, the songs of REO Speedwagon will live on with this band and with me under the name Kevin Cronin. We hope you join us on that adventure.” Watch some fan-captured clips below.