The Nixa Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors has accepted the resignation of the chamber’s president.
Chris Russell is resigning due to personal reasons.
The current vice president of membership, Ashely Johnson, has been named interim Chamber President.
The Buffalo chief of police has resigned.
City leaders accepted Chris Twitchel’s resignation last Thursday.
Twitchel had served in that position since April 2021.
The city’s board of aldermen place Twitchel on paid administrative leave in January for an internal investigation.
The city’s mayor said an interim chief will be named soon.
LØREN finally brought his alternative rock energy to the United States this month, when he took the stage at SXSW. To celebrate, he joined Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly to chat about his music, production and more.
“It was wild,” he said of his first U.S. performances. “If I’m being honest, I haven’t done that many shows in Korea. I honestly didn’t know what to expect from the crowd, if they were going to like it, so it was kind of nerve-racking at first. It was great to get this reassurance that whatever I’m trying to do, does move people to a certain point.”
He also shared the inspiration behind his intense “Folks” music video, in which the singer is shot in the chest. “It comes down to how people are so quick to judge you based on things that are just out there,” he explained. “I wanted the video to portray that even if you’re just trying to be yourself, you’re still going to get attacked and there are all these things that are going to get in your way.”
While LØREN is an incredible solo artist, he’s an equally talented producer and songwriter who has worked with other popular Korean acts like BLACKPINK. “When I was a producer, I didn’t know what to expect. You just write beats or tracks hoping that they’re going to go somewhere,” he shared of the experience working with the girl group. “With BLACKPINK, they needed a certain set of lyrics that are both in tune with how the song was written originally and how it’s going to sound in Korean. I don’t want to flatter myself, but I think what I did fit that role.”
He added, “I’ve been a fan even pre-debut, so it’s been a dream to work with them and interact with them musically, whether it be the Instagram Live with Rosie or being in the studio with them, hearing their stories and whatnot.”
Watch Billboard‘s full interview with LØREN above.
Boygenius are hitting the road. On Tuesday (March 28), the supergroup made up of Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers announced their upcoming headlining tour of North America.
The nationwide trek will start with a show on April 12 at the Pomona Theatre in Los Angeles. The concert serves as a precursor to the band’s stop at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which they’re slated to play Saturday (April 15 and April 22) before headliners BLACKPINK turn the Indio, Calif.-based fest into BLINKCHELLA for the night.
Following Weekend 2 at the Empire Polo Club, the threesome’s tour will pick back up in the month of June, with intermittent stops in Phoenix, Pittsburgh and Toronto through the summer. Eventually, the 14-date journey will conclude with a show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado on Aug. 5.
Carly Rae Jepsen, Broken Social Scene, Bartees Strange, Claud and Illuminati Hotties are all confirmed as opening acts on select dates of the tour. Meanwhile, Boygenius will also be touring in tandem as headliners for the inaugural traveling Re:Set Concert Series during the month of June along with LCD Soundsystem and Steve Lacy.
Each of the shows throughout the summer will be in support of the band’s long-awaited debut album The Record, which is set to be released Friday via Interscope Records — the same day tickets for the tour go on sale to the public. Leading up to the full-length’s drop, the indie rockers have already unveiled the tracks “$20,” “Emily I’m Sorry,” “True Blue” and, most recently, “Not Strong Enough.”
Check out the full list of Boygenius tour dates below
The CMT Music Awards have added a solid shot of female star power.
Gwen Stefani, Alanis Morissette and Shania Twain have been added to the performers lineup for the fan-voted awards show, which airs Sunday on CBS, live from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The show will also be available to stream live and on-demand via Paramount+. This marks the first time that the CMT Music Awards have been held in Austin, after being held in Nashville for decades.
Stefani will make her CMT Music Awards debut via a collaboration with Carly Pearce. Morissette will make her CMT Music Awards debut by helping to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the CMT Next Women of Country franchise, by performing her 1995 hit “You Oughta Know” alongside former CMT Next Women of Country honorees Morgan Wade (Class of 2022), Ingrid Andress (2019), Madeline Edwards (2022) and Lainey Wilson (2019).
Twain will perform and will also be honored with the third CMT Equal Play Award, which recognizes an artist’s work as an advocate for diversity and a champion for underrepresented voices within country music. Previous recipients of the award are Jennifer Nettles and Linda Martell.
Twain, Stefani and Morissette join previously announced performers Darius Rucker with The Black Crowes, as well as Wynonna Judd with Ashley McBryde. Other previously announced performers include Carrie Underwood, Cody Johnson, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and show co-hosts Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown.
Leading this year’s CMT Music Awards nominees is Wilson with four nominations, including video of the year (for “Wait in the Truck” with HARDY), female video of the year (“Heart Like a Truck”), collaborative video of the year (“Wait in the Truck” with HARDY) and CMT performance of the year (for “Never Say Never” with Cole Swindell, from the 2022 CMT Music Awards). Johnson, Brown and first-time nominee Jelly Roll follow with three nominations each.
The Neighbourhood‘s Jesse Rutherford — who now goes by Jesse — has formally announced his plans to embark on solo endeavors, and he released two new tracks, “Rainbow” and “Joker,” on Tuesday (March 28) to kick off the new era.
Rutherford spoke with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 to share what inspired him to start creating music on his own, through his new solo deal with Atlantic Records.
“It’s a true solo journey, and the music is just kind of soundtracking what I’m going through in my life. And I thought it was kind of time to grow as an individual, because I’ve put a lot of my time and energy into growing within relationships, which is a great thing,” said Rutherford, who is currently in a relationship with Billie Eilish. “I mean, I love and I hold dear all my relationships, and I feel like I have a lot of strong ones. And even the ones that didn’t last, I feel like we’re lovely, and nobody’s on any sort of bad terms or anything.”
He continued, “I just needed a moment for myself. It was just kind of like it had to happen sooner or later. So this felt like the best time to do it. Honestly, taking some time away from touring and music in general was probably a really good thing for me. And even now, jumping back in, I’m kind of like, ‘OK, here we go.’ I wish I could sit here and be like, ‘Man, I’m so excited. Everybody’s got to go hear it.’ But I’m kind of like, ‘I mean, I’m being honest. I think it’s good, if you get around to listening to it.’”
As for the new songs, Rutherford noted that while new track “Rainbow” details his personal relationships, “Joker” serves as a “note to self.” Reflecting on the latter track, the 31-year-old added, “Identity’s a tricky thing, and I feel like when you’re in front of people and you’re lucky enough to have an audience like I do, people could kind of tell you who you are. Even if you’ve already told them, ‘This is who I am,’ but then you’re like, ‘Wait, but I want to grow.’”
Rutherford’s new tracks mark his first releases since The Neighbourhood’s 2021 single “Fallen Star” and the group’s 2020 album Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones. Listen to “Rainbow” and “Joker” below.
Everything you need to know about Poison was summed up in the title of their 1988 hit “Nothin’ But a Good Time.”
Since forming in 1983 in Mechanicsburg, Pa., the stalwart glam-metal quartet has made music for literally nothing but a good time. Sure, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” may have dampened a hanky or two, but Poison’s raison d’rock has been to get the party started and keep it going until dawn and beyond. And the good times rolled to the tune of four multi-platinum albums and eight top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
Poison laid any doubts about its staying power to rest with its performances during 2022’s The Stadium Tour, warming up for Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe with an ebullient greatest set that had thousands of fans rocking each night like it was 1988.
“I never knew what would happen, but I never thought it couldn’t happen,” frontman Bret Michaels tells Billboard. “We just found a way to get it done and enjoyed it. My pot of gold is the journey. I’ve met incredible people, I got to play incredible places and travel the world and play music and have a great time doing it. I think that’s something everybody who comes to see us relates to.”
During its tenure, Poison released seven studio albums, from the triple-platinum blockbuster Look What the Cat Dragged In in 1986 up to the 2007 covers set Poison’d! The classic lineup of Michaels, guitarist C.C. DeVille, bassist Bobby Dall and drummer Rikki Rockett has remained intact since 1996, and the frontman says the group is looking at 2025 for another tour and possibly some new music.
From Billboard chart hits to deep cuts, here are our picks for the group’s 10 best songs.
Demi Lovato’s singer-songwriter boyfriend Jutes turned 31 years old on Tuesday (March 28) and the “29” star took to Instagram to celebrate their sweetheart.
“My sweet angel – it’s officially your birthday!!!” Lovato captioned a series of romantic, cuddly photos of the adorable duo. “I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate you because I couldn’t be more in love with your gorgeous, funny, sexy, talented self. I’ve waited my whole life to find you and I can’t wait to celebrate so many more birthdays together.. you’re a literal dream come true and I’m so grateful to call you mine. Have the best birthday my love.. you deserve it, the world, and more!!!! Here’s to many more.”
Lovato’s relationship with Jutes marks their first public romance since breaking off their engagement to actor Max Ehrich in September 2020. For his part, tattooed indie artist Jutes helped write multiple songs on Lovato’s most recent album Holy Fvck, including second single “Substance” as well as “Happy Ending” and “City of Angels.”
The couple made their relationship Instagram official in August 2022, just days after Lovato coyly gushed about Jutes in an interview with Extra. “This person inspired so much of the album because … well, it’s just, like, the way that it makes you feel,” she shared. “And also that connection with someone that you have that you know is going to last forever is so special and so important. But most importantly, you have to find someone that’s your best friend, that makes you laugh. Laughing is so important to me. And I’m just, like, constantly laughing.”
Award-winning gospel artist Kirk Franklin and Live Nation Urban have announced the return of the Exodus Music & Arts Festival. Launched in 2018, the festival will mark its third year at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Dallas by expanding from one to two days (May 20-21) for the first time. Performers who will be joining host/headliner Franklin onstage include Yolanda Adams, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Tamela Mann and Natalie Grant.
“I am absolutely thrilled that our music festival is back and bigger than ever, now extending to two full days of unique voices and talented artists that will inspire and uplift all those in attendance,” Franklin said in a statement. “Exodus has always been about bringing together fans and artists in celebration of the power of gospel music, and it’s a true honor to be a part of this incredible event once again. I’m also incredibly thankful for our partnership with Live Nation Urban, which has allowed us to create an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.”
Added Live Nation Urban president Shawn Gee, “Kirk Franklin and his team have been amazing partners for Live Nation Urban. This was the first festival partnership we entered into when the company was formed a few years back. It’s great to see the event grow and scale, and we will continue to invest in the gospel music community as it’s an area of priority for LNU.”
The Exodus Music & Arts Festival welcomed such gospel stars as Mann, Marvin Sapp and Tye Tribbett during its aforementioned inaugural year. For its second year in 2019, the festival boasted a lineup that featured Cobbs Leonard, Fred Hammond, The Clark Sisters and Travis Greene, among other acts.
Additional information about the 2023 Exodus Music & Arts Festival will be announced in the coming weeks. Ticket information is available here.
Springfield Police say one woman is dead following a four car crash in Springfield.
The crash occurred on March 6th in the area of Mt. Vernon and West Bypass.
Investigators say 78-year-old Beverly Delcour ran a red light and collided with another car at the intersection before hitting two other cars during the crash.
Delcour was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. She died of her injuries on Monday, March 27.
No one else was injured during the crash.