Welcome back to The Weekly Rewind, our regular rundown of the biggest music news stories out there. Here’s what caught our ear this week.
Garth Hudson, organist of The Band, passes away at 87
The last surviving member of revered roots rock trailblazers The Band passed away this week. A multi-instrumentalist typically scene behind a wall of keyboards and organs, Garth Hudson was the only non-singing member of The Band but was a defining force in terms of its tone and texture. He was 87 years old, and remained active into the 21st century, releasing music in 2001 in memory of the September 11th attacks, collaborating with Neil Young and Bruce Cockburn to pay tribute to The Band’s music in 2010; he even appeared at the all-local 2013 performance of The Last Waltz at The Trocadero in Philly. Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy reflected on Hudon’s passing, saying it’s “the kind of thing that makes you really want to believe in a heaven. I don‘t know if I do. But it‘s a sweet thought, to think of all animosity set aside and a reuniting moment in some idyllic place.” (Read more via AP and Rolling Stone)
Entering award show season
The 2025 Academy Award nominees were announced this week, and music plays a big role in them. The Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown received five nominations, including best picture, best director for James Mangold, and best actor for Timothée Chalamet’s work in the lead role. Wicked received 12 nominations, including best picture, best score for John Powell and Stephen Schwartz, best actress for Cynthia Erivo’s portrayal of Elphaba and best supporting actress for pop star Ariana Grande’s portrayal of Glinda. For Best Original Song, XPN faves Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada of The Black Pumas got a nod for “Like a Bird” from Sing Sing and Elton John and Brandi Carlile were nominated for “Never Too Late” from his biopic of the same name. The Oscars take place on March 2nd. Over in the Grammy universe, the performers for Music’s Biggest Night were announced today; the February 2nd ceremony will feature Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, Doechii, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Shakira, Benson Boone, and Teddy Swims. (Read more via NPR and Pitchfork.)
The Super Bowl halftime show just got more super
With his killer album GNX in heavy rotation in fans’ headphones around the world and a stadium tour poised to be an event of the summer, Kendrick Lamar’s planned performance at the Super Bowl halftime show was already cause for excitement. This week, he made it even more exciting by announcing that SZA — his co-star on the Grand National tour and collaborator on tracks like “Luther,” “All The Stars,” and “Doves In The Wind” — will be joining him at the halftime show. (Read more via NFL)
The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn teams up with The War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel
For his sixth solo studio album, Craig Finn — the booming voice at the front of rock faves The Hold Steady — has teamed up with spacey Philadelphia native Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs, who will produce the project. Always Been comes out April 4th through Thirty Tigers and the single “People Of Substance” is out now. (Read more via Spin.)
Oreos and Vinyl: This week in Post Malone
Singer-songwriter, rapper, and generally jovial musical force Post Malone will be this year’s Record Store Day Ambassador. “We love hitting local shops when we’re on the road, seeing all the crazy artwork, the whole energy in a record store is just super inspiring,” he says of taking on the role. “I feel at home. It’s really an unexplainable feeling to hit up a shop and dig through crates, just see what grabs your eye. You can be looking for something super specific and end up finding something totally different. It’s the best. Keep supporting y’all and let’s keep records and these local shops going strong!” Record Store Day 2025 takes place on Saturday, August 12th. In related news, Posty has teamed up with Oreo for a limited edition cookie collab, reportedly their first with a twisted center. He called it “a fun day of work.” The Post Malone Oreo will be available on Monday, February 3rd. (Rea more via NME and Billboard)
Mitski guests on a new Tamino song
Last week’s Free At Noon performer has a big star guesting on his next album: Tamino’s Every Dawn’s A Mountain comes out March 21st, and the new single “Sanctuary” features none other than Mitski. The two are far from strangers; they toured together in 2024 to support Mitski’s most recent album, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We. (Read more via NME.)
A John Lennon / Yoko Ono doc is on the way via IMAX
A documentary looking at an 18-month period in the lives of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, the Kevin MacDonald film One to One will be streaming on Max (the HBO service) later on this year, but it gets a theatrical release exclusively in IMAX on April 11th. Set largely in 1972, the film centers on the couple’s two-night charity concert run at Madison Square Garden that August and more broadly looks at their early days living in New York after The Beatles split. (Read more via Billboard.)
