Legendary bluesman Taj Mahal is every bit as iconic as the landmark palace of the same name – and at 82, he shows no sign of slowing down.
The Harlem-born, Berkeley-based singer-songwriter-guitarist received a Best Traditional Blues Album Grammy nod this year for his Lightning Rod release Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa, which was recorded before an appreciative audience at The Church Studio, the longtime base of the late Leon Russell.
Taj has a second nomination at the Grammys, a Best American Roots Performance nod for “Nothing In Rambling” by The Fabulous Thunderbirds, on which he appears alongside Bonnie Raitt, Keb’ Mo’, and Mick Fleetwood.
He’ll kick off his 2025 touring schedule on 1/26, when he departs Fort Lauderdale on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. Taj is also booked for Knoxville’s Big Ears Festival, which runs from 3/27-30 and Durham, N.C.’s Biscuits and Banjos, slated for 4/25-27.
Mötley Crüe fans have an upcoming appointment with the Doctor—Dr. Feelgood, that is.
The Angeleno rock icons have raided their archives to create a 35th anniversary boxed set version of that classic album, which arrives 11/22 via BMG. The collection utilizes the 6x-platinum original as the foundation for a veritable shopping mall of metal mania, including EPs of demos and live tracks, a poster, a photo book, a guitar pick, a patch, a replica handbill, a replica tour itinerary and, of course, a "medical envelope"… to remind fans to take their vitamins.
Crüe’s members may need to double up on those supplements ahead of a series of underplays on the Sunset Strip on 10/7 at the Troubadour, 10/9 at the Roxy and 10/11 at the Whiskey a Go Go. The band—Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx and newest member John 5—will also host a charity dinner at the Rainbow Bar and Grill on 10/8, with proceeds benefiting Covenant House.
The Feelgood box will also be available in a deluxe streaming version and six different vinyl configurations (one unique color each for independent retailers, Walmart, Target, Amazon and Urban Outfitters, as well as standard black vinyl). Walmart also has an exclusive CD with 3D lenticular art. All variants feature reimagined cover art showing 35 years of decay.
And if there’s one thing HITS knows about, it’s years of decay.
Marisa Jefffries has come aboard Nick Stern’s Stern Management as General Manager, where she will work across a roster featuring Djo, Metric, The Black Angels, Ben Abraham, Phosphorescent, Karina Rykman, Finn Wolfhard, Durry and Ill Peach.
Jeffries most recent worked at TikTok, where she was a lead on its Music Partnerships and Operations team. She's also served at Sony Music and SoundCloud in roles involving direct-to-fan engagement, non-traditional retail venues and digital marketplaces.
Jeffries said she and Stern "share a love of artistry—not necessarily what’s popular at the moment, but really believing in artists who are making incredible music and bring nothing but authenticity to their craft.”
Added Stern, "I have been constantly inspired by Marisa and her community of colleagues and friends who break artists in new and inventive ways. Her superpower has always been drawing out the best in people and building long-lasting partnerships founded on trust, excitement and a love for doing cool things."
Stern Management expects to release new music next year from Wolfhard, Metric, Durry and Djo, the music project of Stranger Things star Joe Keery that exploded earlier this year with the viral hit "End of Beginning."
