Music Fans Mourn Loss of Chris Cornell

Modern Rock

By Kristi Kates | May 27, 2017

The music scene was shocked last week at the loss of one of Seattle’s best-known and most accomplished musical exports, Soundgarden/Audioslave singer and solo artist, Chris Cornell, who died in his hotel room at Detroit’s MGM Grand after performing a concert with Soundgarden at the Fox Theater, also in Detroit. Cornell, who struggled with depression and substance abuse throughout his life, was a mainstay of the ’90s grunge scene and a powerful performer throughout his extensive career, with a nearly four-octave vocal range and a commanding presence on stage. His last solo release before his death was the charity single “The Promise,” written for the ending credits for the movie of the same name …

’90s alt-rockers Third Eye Blind are celebrating the 20-year anniversary of their self-titled debut album with their Summer Gods Tour, which will keep the band crisscrossing North America all summer, including a stop at the DTE Energy Music Theater in Detroit on July 7. TEB will bring along Silversun Pickups and newbie band Ocean Park Standoff as opening acts, and also will release an expanded version of the aforementioned album that will include several unreleased tracks and will be available as a two-CD set, a three-LP vinyl edition, and a digital edition …

One Direction singer-turned-solo artist Harry Styles just spent a week on James Corden’s late night show in a musical residency to promote his debut solo album, Harry Styles, and now he’s hitting the road on an extensive tour that will include stops in Los Angeles (Sept. 20), Boston (Sept. 30), Toronto, Ontario (Oct. 4), and Austin, Texas (Oct. 11). Styles already has booked additional concert dates in the UK, Europe, Australia, and Asia, which will keep him on the road most of this fall and winter …

Beyoncé is launching a scholarship program in honor of the one-year anniversary of her album extravaganza Lemonade; Bey’s scholarship is aimed at women studying creative arts, music, literature, or African-American studies. Four Formation Scholar awards will be passed to young women who are “unafraid to think outside the box and who are bold, creative, conscious, and confident.” The colleges where the scholarships will be applicable are Parsons School of Design, the Berklee College of Music, Howard University, and Spelman College … 

MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK
Speaking of Beyonce, she’s topping the list of nominees for the upcoming 2017 BET Awards, along with fellow nominees Bruno Mars, Migos, Chance the Rapper, and Solange. The 17th annual BET Awards will air live from L.A. on June 25, and you can get a sneak preview of all the nominees at www.bet.com …

THE BUZZ
Detroit native Madonna is set to be the subject of a film biopic about her life and career in the early ’80s in New York City. Blond Ambition has been picked up by Universal …

Grand Rapids’ Garage Bar is kicking off its summer series of Wednesday block parties on June 21 with a show from In the Red. The concerts continue through Aug. 30 ...

Rapper Kendrick Lamar has updated his schedule of tour dates, which will include a stop at the Palace of Auburn Hills on July 26, on July 27 at Chicago’s United Center …

Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys bandmate Mark Lavengood just released his new solo album, We’ve Come Along, following a successful $15,000 Kickstarter campaign in Grand Rapids …

And Detroit blues legend Thornetta Davis is touring this summer to promote her own new album, Honest Woman … and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.

Comments, questions, rants, raves, suggestions on this column? Send ’em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com.