Morning Music Notes – Ripoffs

PHM last heard from UK folk singer Will Varley back when he released When You’re Gone. Varley has returned with not only a new song, but a 8-bit-tastic new video for the Nintendo lover in you.

The track is called Weddings & Wars, which is the same thing in the Game of Thrones world. The track features Varley and his guitar, with some strings creeping in to provide some variety. If you don’t like the song, you’ll at least like the video. I think you’ll like both.

Remember yesterday, when I noted that Franz Ferdinand singer Alex Kapranos jokingly said that Pharrell Williams ripped off the band’s riff from Take Me Out? Apparently, the media ran with this story and Kapranos has backtracked and apologized. Whatever, I still think there are similarities – check out yesterday’s post and judge for yourself.

Do you know how much Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers were paid on Sunday for their halftime performance? As much as I’m getting for this blog post – $0. (via Digital Music News)

Eagle eyed viewers (as well as Bruno Mars’ bassist) have claimed that the bands (including RHCP) were not plugged in on Sunday’s show. Due to lack of time to soundcheck and the high likelihood of something going wrong, stuff is pre-recorded. LAME! (via Stereogum)

By now, you’ve heard that Philip Seymour Hoffman passed away on the weekend. If you haven’t – we have an exclusive for you – Philip Seymour Hoffman has passed away! Many tributes have been making the rounds. The latest is by Almost Famous director Cameron Crowe, discussing Hoffman and his epic scene as Lester Bangs.

In music one-off news, Arcade Fire will be playing Carnival in Haiti on February 21. Arctic Monkeys have been named the headliners of the Reading and Leeds 2014 festivals in those English cities on August 22-24.