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Today’s Music News: Sex Pistols credit cards ‘shake up U.K. banking’

by Staff

June 09, 2015

In 1977, the Sex Pistols signed with Virgin Records. The long evolution of the Virgin brand now includes a bank called Virgin Money, which has announced that it will offer a pair of Sex Pistols credit cards. "The Sex Pistols challenged convention and the established ways of thinking," Virgin Money's card director told The Guardian, "just as we are doing today in our quest to shake up U.K. banking."

Pumpkinhead, a rapper famed on the underground circuit, has died of undisclosed causes at age 39. He collaborated with rap legends including Talib Kweli and Del the Funky Homosapien. (Billboard)

My Morning Jacket threw out the first pitch at Monday night's White Sox game. The whole team suited up and took the mound, but it was keyboardist/percussionist Bo Koster who capably handled the actual pitch-throwing duty. Watch the pitch at (where else?) Pitchfork.

Iggy Azalea has canceled a planned appearance at Pittsburgh Pride, after members the city's LGBT community criticized tweets, posted by Azalea years ago, that they identified as racist and homophobic. Azalea apologized, writing, "I am a firm believer in equality. Unfortunately in the past as a young person, I used words I should not have." (Billboard)

A house formerly owned by Steve Miller has been added to the National Register of Historic Places—but not because the "Abracadabra" man formerly called it home. The Oregon house, which Miller owned from 1976 to 1986, is notable for its design by architect Winifred Scott Wellington. (Billboard)

Dan Auerbach has announced that his new band the Arcs—a side project from his work with the Black Keys—will release their debut album Yours, Dreamily on Sept. 4. The band have released a first song from the album, "Stay In My Corner." (Rolling Stone)

M.I.A. announced that she's releasing on a three-song mixtape that will be accompanied by a short film. (Pitchfork)

Björk has released her ten-minute "Black Lake" video, which first appeared in her retrospective at New York's Museum of Modern Art. It's a trip. (Rolling Stone)

Converse Rubber Tracks is a program that will host 84 recording sessions for young and emerging artists at legendary studios including Abbey Road and Tuff Gong Studios. In new promo videos for the program, Big Boi talks about the Stankonia studio in Atlanta—the studio for which OutKast named their 2000 album—and Iggy Pop discusses Berlin's Hansa Tonstudio, where he collaborated with David Bowie. (Rolling Stone)

Daft Punk Unchained, a new documentary about the pop/dance duo, will air on French TV on June 24. No U.S. release has yet been announced for the film, which features appearances by Kanye WestPharrell WilliamsNile Rodgers, and Giorgio Moroder. (Pitchfork)

You know that unexpected Snoop Dogg cardboard figure in the beer cooler at Zipp's? Well, he's ticked off. The rapper has sued Pabst, claiming that as Colt 45 Blast "brand ambassador," he's entitled to 10% of the juice-flavored malt beverage's sales due to a clause in his contract that takes effect if Pabst is sold—which the company has been, last year for a reported $700 million. A Pabst representative said in response, "We are investigating the matter and would be happy to talk to Snoop or his representatives to try to get to the bottom of this." (Gawker)

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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.