• Travel Troubles: 5 Seconds of Summer Isn't The Only Act with Passport Problems—Amy Winehouse, Yusuf Islam and Boy George Also Struggled

    Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer appeared to have lost its guitar player when it swing by the Jingle Ball in London over the weekend. The good news: The band didn't lose Michael Clifford. The bad news: He lost his passport and was unable to enter the country for the event. He's not the first musician who has had problems traveling abroad. In fact, the United States has caused many a headache for traveling performers.

  • John Lennon: Remembering the 'Imagine' Singer with 10 Inspiring Quotes [PHOTOS]

    John Lennon had established himself as a superb solo artist by the time 1980 rolled around. The Beatles disbanded a full decade earlier, and Lennon had found a way to captivate listeners without his writing partner Paul McCartney. He released five LPs in the '70s, including his debut, "John Lennon/The Plastic Ono Band" and his masterpiece "Imagine." There was a five-year hole in his recording career from 1975-80, but in November 1980 Lennon came back with "Double Fantasy."It was the former Beatle's final album. Lennon was shot by Mark David Chapman 34 years ago today, Dec. 8. It is a loss that still perplexes fans and admirers to this day. Even the singer's killer has awakened from his delusional haze, telling the parole board in July, "I am sorry for being such an idiot and choosing the wrong way for glory."This year's anniversary is not a milestone. It is not a nice, rounded-off number like 30 or 35, both of which are far less important than 25 and 50. But while Lennon's death left a void in popular music, it also robbed the world of a truly beautiful mind that never hesitated to comment on the state of the world. He did not just say, "War is bad," he opted for the positive and tried to spark a movement from that: "Give peace a chance."So, yes, 34 means little. But it is difficult to look at 2014 and not think about what kind of wisdom Lennon could offer if he were still with us. What would he tell us about unrest stemming from the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases that we are missing? What insights could he offer on gay marriage rights? And do not forget the NFL. There is no shortage of moral problems and quandaries in today's social media society. Would Lennon even bother with Twitter?We will never know the specific answers to those questions. Thankfully, Lennon spoke his mind often during his 40-year stay on Earth, and those snippets of wisdom remain a guiding light for fans of peace, creativity and love.

  • The NCAA Playoffs, As Decided by Every School's Music Alumni: Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State Face Off

    We at Music Times have, at best, a tenuous connection with college athletics. We write about music. At the same time, nothing is trending like the first ever NCAA College Football Playoff. The University of Alabama and University of Oregon held tight to their top spots in the bracket of four, Florida State slid up one spot after a close game with Georgia Tech and Ohio State jumped into the last available spot with a crushing victory over Wisconsin. The best thing we can do, lacking the athletic know-how, is check out how this would turn out based on famous musical alumni from each school. Check it out.

  • 8 Great Albums From 2014 You Probably Haven't Heard of: Tacocat, Frankie Cosmos, And More

    It's that time of year again when every music magazine and website publishes their list of the year's best albums (stayed tuned for the Music Times list in a few weeks), and for the most part, each list tends to shuffle around the same 50–100 albums in different orders. However, there are a ton of great albums released every year that unfortunately fly under the radar and don't get as much attention. Here are eight great albums from 2014 that you probably haven't heard (not to be presumptuous or anything).

  • MAKJ Interview: 'Generic' DJ Talks Rock-Inspired Debut Album, Ghost Producing & Why You Should Sign With Multiple Labels

    We had the chance to chat with MAKJ about the decision to release projects with a label or independently, details on his upcoming album, which is going to have a mix of rock and hip hop and is "not going down the realm of electronic, big heavy bangers," and why ghost-producing really sucks. He also reveals what he has in the works, in addition to the album, and what happened to that Nicky Romero collab (the answer might really surprise you). See what he had to say below, and grab his new song "Generic" on Beatport.
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