Taylor Swift's Adorkable 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together'

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Taylor Swift stands firm in the new video for her instant-smash, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," flinging strong-willed sass in the single-take clip. Sporting cozy pajamas and bright red lips (a la Zooey Deschanel in her iPhone/Siri ad) Swift gets bold with her Adam Levine doppelgänger of a boyfriend, tossing him from her Etsied-out crib and jamming out with her animal band (well, people dressed as animals). Swift dumps her boyfriend in various other locales, from a bar to a snowy forest, before fending him off one last time back home. Few things say "over it" like denying your ex admission into your house party. 

"We Are Never Getting Back Together" is on Swift's upcoming album, Red, out October 22nd.

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Taylor Swift's Adorkable 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together'

Taylor Swift's Adorkable 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together'Singer jams with animal band, does quick changes in one-shot clip $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); }); By

Taylor Swift stands firm in the new video for her instant-smash, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," flinging strong-willed sass in the single-take clip. Sporting cozy pajamas and bright red lips (a la Zooey Deschanel in her iPhone/Siri ad) Swift gets bold with her Adam Levine doppelgänger of a boyfriend, tossing him from her Etsied-out crib and jamming out with her animal band (well, people dressed as animals). Swift dumps her boyfriend in various other locales, from a bar to a snowy forest, before fending him off one last time back home. Few things say "over it" like denying your ex admission into your house party. 

"We Are Never Getting Back Together" is on Swift's upcoming album, Red, out October 22nd.

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Members Of Grateful Dead, National, Walkmen Come Together For 'Bridge Session' Webcast

Sam Cohen, Thomas Bartlett, Aaron Dessner, Conrad Doucette, Bob Weir, Bryan Devendorf, Scott Devendorf, Walter Martin and Josh Kaufman perform during the Yahoo! Music Presents 'The Bridge Session.'

An assemblage of East Coast indie rockers flew to the Bay Area to collaborate with the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir for a one-time-only performance on Saturday night. Called the Bridge Session, the nine-person collective included three members of the National – Aaron Dessner, Bryan and Scott Devendorf – along with Walt Martin from the Walkmen, Sam Cohen and Josh Kaufman from the Yellowbirds, Conrad Doucette of Takka Takka, and National contributors Thomas "Doveman" Bartlett and Kyle Resnick. The performance took place in front of a live studio audience of just over 100 at Weir's TRI Studios in San Rafael, California, and was webcast live on Yahoo! Music.

"For us, the night definitely exceeded expectations," Scott Devendorf told Rolling Stone immediately following the show. "We were surprised that it was even going to happen in the first place, and then as we were rehearsing it became more and more real."

Devendorf says that he and his National bandmates were "big fans of the Grateful Dead for a long time" and recently got back into them. Working with Weir – and seeing his dedication to the music during several 10-hour rehearsal sessions – "kinda blew our minds ... It was definitely inspirational for us."
Saturday's two-set performance drew mostly from the Grateful Dead's vast catalog. Weir led the pack through what was no doubt familiar territory to him but strange waters to his sudden bandmates, as they ripped through jams such as "The Other One," "Brown Eyed Woman" and "Friend of the Devil."

But given the nine-person ensemble – and the musicians' somewhat disparate musical backgrounds – Weir was forced to rethink some of his approaches and, in some cases, alter the arrangements on tunes he's been performing for decades. Instead of morphing into "Slipknot," as was the Grateful Dead's custom, "Help on the Way" segued into a cover of Cass McCombs' "Love Thine Enemy." And in "Standing on the Moon," Weir even experimented with the melody, deviating from the way Jerry Garcia used to approach it when he sang it with the Dead.

"This next one, I had to park for 20 years," Weir told the audience while introducing the buried rarity, "My Brother Esau," explaining that it was a song the other guys specifically asked him to dust off for the show. "And I'm kinda glad they did," he said, "because it forced me to rework the bridge." No pun intended, of course.

The Bridge Session included two National tunes – "Daughters of the Soho Riots" and "Fake Empire." Weir handled vocals for the former, which he tinkered with in a way that referenced the original but which met him halfway towards his more characteristic vocal delivery. It proved a great match. The group also covered Bob Dylan's "Most of the Time."

For their encore, the entire ensemble ventured into the middle of the audience and huddled around a microphone, holding all acoustic instruments, for a singalong to "Ripple," "Uncle John's Band," and "Brokedown Palace" – all of which appear on the Dead's stripped-down 1970 albums, Workingman's Dead and Reckoning.

The Disco Biscuits' Marc Brownstein served as the night's emcee. As he told the audience at the start of the show, the idea behind the Bridge Session was to literally bridge the gap between genres, geographies and ideologies. Images of both the Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge – which reflected the musicians' two distinct home bases – served as a backdrop.

Between sets, Weir joined a roundtable political discussion moderated by Andy Bernstein of the voter registration group, HeadCount, which produced the event as a benefit for their organization. The discussion also featured independent presidential candidate Buddy Roemer, climate change activist Jessy Tolkan, No Labels cofounder Mark McKinnon and Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow. They debated topics such as money in politics, personal freedom and the upcoming presidential election. But, as Weir told Rolling Stone a few days before the show, his main goal for the night was to just "have fun." Mission accomplished.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Members Of Grateful Dead, National, Walkmen Come Together For 'Bridge Session' Webcast

Sam Cohen, Thomas Bartlett, Aaron Dessner, Conrad Doucette, Bob Weir, Bryan Devendorf, Scott Devendorf, Walter Martin and Josh Kaufman perform during the Yahoo! Music Presents 'The Bridge Session.'

An assemblage of East Coast indie rockers flew to the Bay Area to collaborate with the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir for a one-time-only performance on Saturday night. Called the Bridge Session, the nine-person collective included three members of the National – Aaron Dessner, Bryan and Scott Devendorf – along with Walt Martin from the Walkmen, Sam Cohen and Josh Kaufman from the Yellowbirds, Conrad Doucette of Takka Takka, and National contributors Thomas "Doveman" Bartlett and Kyle Resnick. The performance took place in front of a live studio audience of just over 100 at Weir's TRI Studios in San Rafael, California, and was webcast live on Yahoo! Music.

"For us, the night definitely exceeded expectations," Scott Devendorf told Rolling Stone immediately following the show. "We were surprised that it was even going to happen in the first place, and then as we were rehearsing it became more and more real."

Devendorf says that he and his National bandmates were "big fans of the Grateful Dead for a long time" and recently got back into them. Working with Weir – and seeing his dedication to the music during several 10-hour rehearsal sessions – "kinda blew our minds ... It was definitely inspirational for us."
Saturday's two-set performance drew mostly from the Grateful Dead's vast catalog. Weir led the pack through what was no doubt familiar territory to him but strange waters to his sudden bandmates, as they ripped through jams such as "The Other One," "Brown Eyed Woman" and "Friend of the Devil."

But given the nine-person ensemble – and the musicians' somewhat disparate musical backgrounds – Weir was forced to rethink some of his approaches and, in some cases, alter the arrangements on tunes he's been performing for decades. Instead of morphing into "Slipknot," as was the Grateful Dead's custom, "Help on the Way" segued into a cover of Cass McCombs' "Love Thine Enemy." And in "Standing on the Moon," Weir even experimented with the melody, deviating from the way Jerry Garcia used to approach it when he sang it with the Dead.

"This next one, I had to park for 20 years," Weir told the audience while introducing the buried rarity, "My Brother Esau," explaining that it was a song the other guys specifically asked him to dust off for the show. "And I'm kinda glad they did," he said, "because it forced me to rework the bridge." No pun intended, of course.

The Bridge Session included two National tunes – "Daughters of the Soho Riots" and "Fake Empire." Weir handled vocals for the former, which he tinkered with in a way that referenced the original but which met him halfway towards his more characteristic vocal delivery. It proved a great match. The group also covered Bob Dylan's "Most of the Time."

For their encore, the entire ensemble ventured into the middle of the audience and huddled around a microphone, holding all acoustic instruments, for a singalong to "Ripple," "Uncle John's Band," and "Brokedown Palace" – all of which appear on the Dead's stripped-down 1970 albums, Workingman's Dead and Reckoning.

The Disco Biscuits' Marc Brownstein served as the night's emcee. As he told the audience at the start of the show, the idea behind the Bridge Session was to literally bridge the gap between genres, geographies and ideologies. Images of both the Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge – which reflected the musicians' two distinct home bases – served as a backdrop.

Between sets, Weir joined a roundtable political discussion moderated by Andy Bernstein of the voter registration group, HeadCount, which produced the event as a benefit for their organization. The discussion also featured independent presidential candidate Buddy Roemer, climate change activist Jessy Tolkan, No Labels cofounder Mark McKinnon and Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow. They debated topics such as money in politics, personal freedom and the upcoming presidential election. But, as Weir told Rolling Stone a few days before the show, his main goal for the night was to just "have fun." Mission accomplished.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Cypress Hill, Rusko May Make an Album Together

Sitting in Cypress Hill's trailer backstage at the group's SmokeOut festival, Cypress' B-Real (real name Louis Freese) and Sen Dog (Senen Reyes) and dubstep producer Rusko (Chris Mercer) recalled when they first met.

"I think just when we were hanging out, before we actually did any music, before he even brought us music to listen to," said B-Real. "We just were hanging out, smoking out, and it just clicked."

"He's a pothead, too," added Sen Dog.

So Rusko feels right at home at SmokeOut? "Of course. I never, ever pass up on a joint. I don't think I ever have," he said, laughing.

That night they would make their official live debut as a unit, following Cypress' guest appearance with Rusko at his Wiltern show in L.A. last July. Backstage, all three were all smiles. Clearly, the unlikely collaboration between the 27-year-old U.K. native and the L.A. hip-hop act of more than 20 years has infused the group with a new vitality.

"When you do work with new cats like Rusko, it gives everybody that inspiration," said B-Real. "It inspires us to keep up with them and to work to that level."

Rusko is still an unmistakable fan of the band – maybe even more so after working with them. "I was so shocked by the tightness and the way these guys flowed on the beats," he said. "The flows were so totally tight on a different tempo – such a faster tempo – but it sounded exactly the same as regular Cypress flow. But even at that tempo it maintains the same integrity."

Though a fan, as producer Rusko found himself having to tell the band to redo things or make changes. Was that difficult at first? "Of course," he said.

"We were the consummate professionals," said Sen Dog. "We made it easy on him. But 15 years ago I probably would've kicked his ass."

In all seriousness, Sen Dog was very impressed with the way the young producer communicated with the band. "Rusko has a way of explaining his process to you in the beginning," he said. "And I wasn't sure where his aim was at, so I called him up one day. He really quickly calmed me and said, 'No, that's just a scratch track. When you get the song I'm gonna send you back, it's gonna freak you out.' Every time we sent him the song and got it back I was freaked out."

B-Real was equally blown away by Rusko's skills. "We got to watch some of the building process. When he came to the studio he would show us where he was chopping it and then showing us the effect. That was kind of tight, because it's way different than hip-hop," he says. "I've produced some hip-hop myself, and the way we chop it, although some of the techniques are along the same lines, just the style of how you're doing it is totally different. It would take me forever to figure out how to do any of that kind of shit, but it was really cool to watch."

Based on such mutual respect, their plans to collaborate now go far behind the single "Roll It, Light It." "It's only the first bunch of tracks," Rusko pointed out.

"When I heard the finished product it inspired me to say, 'I want to do more of this shit. I think we should work together more and do a full-blown album like that,'" B-Real added.

The first collborative work is an upcoming EP. Will there be more live shows like the Wiltern and SmokeOut? "I think we all would love to perform together aside from this. This will be fun tonight and I think it will go from here," Sen Dog said. "We're building, yo."

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Cypress Hill, Rusko May Make an Album Together

Sitting in Cypress Hill's trailer backstage at the group's SmokeOut festival, Cypress' B-Real (real name Louis Freese) and Sen Dog (Senen Reyes) and dubstep producer Rusko (Chris Mercer) recalled when they first met.

"I think just when we were hanging out, before we actually did any music, before he even brought us music to listen to," said B-Real. "We just were hanging out, smoking out, and it just clicked."

"He's a pothead, too," added Sen Dog.

So Rusko feels right at home at SmokeOut? "Of course. I never, ever pass up on a joint. I don't think I ever have," he said, laughing.

That night they would make their official live debut as a unit, following Cypress' guest appearance with Rusko at his Wiltern show in L.A. last July. Backstage, all three were all smiles. Clearly, the unlikely collaboration between the 27-year-old U.K. native and the L.A. hip-hop act of more than 20 years has infused the group with a new vitality.

"When you do work with new cats like Rusko, it gives everybody that inspiration," said B-Real. "It inspires us to keep up with them and to work to that level."

Rusko is still an unmistakable fan of the band – maybe even more so after working with them. "I was so shocked by the tightness and the way these guys flowed on the beats," he said. "The flows were so totally tight on a different tempo – such a faster tempo – but it sounded exactly the same as regular Cypress flow. But even at that tempo it maintains the same integrity."

Though a fan, as producer Rusko found himself having to tell the band to redo things or make changes. Was that difficult at first? "Of course," he said.

"We were the consummate professionals," said Sen Dog. "We made it easy on him. But 15 years ago I probably would've kicked his ass."

In all seriousness, Sen Dog was very impressed with the way the young producer communicated with the band. "Rusko has a way of explaining his process to you in the beginning," he said. "And I wasn't sure where his aim was at, so I called him up one day. He really quickly calmed me and said, 'No, that's just a scratch track. When you get the song I'm gonna send you back, it's gonna freak you out.' Every time we sent him the song and got it back I was freaked out."

B-Real was equally blown away by Rusko's skills. "We got to watch some of the building process. When he came to the studio he would show us where he was chopping it and then showing us the effect. That was kind of tight, because it's way different than hip-hop," he says. "I've produced some hip-hop myself, and the way we chop it, although some of the techniques are along the same lines, just the style of how you're doing it is totally different. It would take me forever to figure out how to do any of that kind of shit, but it was really cool to watch."

Based on such mutual respect, their plans to collaborate now go far behind the single "Roll It, Light It." "It's only the first bunch of tracks," Rusko pointed out.

"When I heard the finished product it inspired me to say, 'I want to do more of this shit. I think we should work together more and do a full-blown album like that,'" B-Real added.

The first collborative work is an upcoming EP. Will there be more live shows like the Wiltern and SmokeOut? "I think we all would love to perform together aside from this. This will be fun tonight and I think it will go from here," Sen Dog said. "We're building, yo."

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Cypress Hill SmokeOut Brings Together Korn, Wiz Khalifa, MSTRKRFT For Marijuana Rights

DJ Wolfgang Gartner has played festivals around the world, but Cypress Hill's SmokeOut, held yesterday in San Bernardino, California, brought some unique experiences. "I’ve never seen anything like that before at a festival – the pot tent, show your license, come in, smoke," he told Rolling Stone. 

Yes, at the hip-hop group's annual pro-pot event, those with a medical marijuana license can get a bracelet that gives them access to a tent where they can legally consume. It's just part of what makes the day-long event unusual.

Part political rally, part concert, SmokeOut is whatever fans choose to make it. Featuring a big-name mix of acts, from mainstage closers Korn to Wiz Khalifa, MSTRKRFT, Gartner, Sublime with Rome, and many more, SmokeOut offered more than enough musical highlights to satisfy the thousands in attendance just to see a concert. The event also marked the official live debut of Cypress Hill’s collaboration with Rusko, though the two did join forces on stage in L.A. last year for one track.

Gartner was impressed by the eclecticism of both the lineup and the fans. "I think it’s more to the benefit of the people at the festival that all these different styles of music are brought together," he said. "I generally think the type of people who would come to something like this are open minded enough to where they would wander between the airplane hangars and get tastes of all different kinds of stuff. This has the ability to turn people on to new sounds."

But there's also the political component. Just two days before the festival, Cypress Hill’s B-Real joined about 150 people on a march to L.A.'s City Hall to protest recent crackdowns on medical marijuana and pot dispensaries by both the city and the Department of Justice, who recently declared the dispensaries illegal on a federal level.

Even those on hand who no longer partake of weed were upset with the laws. "I haven’t smoked in almost nine years. [But] I’m a strong believer it should be legalized and taxed and it would have a seriously positive effect on the economy," Gartner said. "Just legalize it, tax it, it’s safer than alcohol."

Korn's Jonathan Davis came out largely in support of longtime friends Cypress. "If there was no Cypress Hill there’d be no Korn. They were a huge influence on the first Korn record," he told Rolling Stone. Davis estimates that he hasn't smoked in14 years – even longer than Gartner. But he is a fierce defender of the idea of legalizing weed.

"I think it’s everyone’s right to smoke, it should be legalized," he said. "[Pot] lets people get high and laugh, that’s about the extent of it. There are no fucking hangovers, no crazy fistfights, no drama like alcohol causes, so I’ve always been a firm believer in marijuana rights and the medicinal rights. Let motherfuckers get high if they want to, it’s not hurting nobody."

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Cypress Hill SmokeOut Brings Together Korn, Wiz Khalifa, MSTRKRFT For Marijuana Rights

DJ Wolfgang Gartner has played festivals around the world, but Cypress Hill's SmokeOut, held yesterday in San Bernardino, California, brought some unique experiences. "I’ve never seen anything like that before at a festival – the pot tent, show your license, come in, smoke," he told Rolling Stone. 

Yes, at the hip-hop group's annual pro-pot event, those with a medical marijuana license can get a bracelet that gives them access to a tent where they can legally consume. It's just part of what makes the day-long event unusual.

Part political rally, part concert, SmokeOut is whatever fans choose to make it. Featuring a big-name mix of acts, from mainstage closers Korn to Wiz Khalifa, MSTRKRFT, Gartner, Sublime with Rome, and many more, SmokeOut offered more than enough musical highlights to satisfy the thousands in attendance just to see a concert. The event also marked the official live debut of Cypress Hill’s collaboration with Rusko, though the two did join forces on stage in L.A. last year for one track.

Gartner was impressed by the eclecticism of both the lineup and the fans. "I think it’s more to the benefit of the people at the festival that all these different styles of music are brought together," he said. "I generally think the type of people who would come to something like this are open minded enough to where they would wander between the airplane hangars and get tastes of all different kinds of stuff. This has the ability to turn people on to new sounds."

But there's also the political component. Just two days before the festival, Cypress Hill’s B-Real joined about 150 people on a march to L.A.'s City Hall to protest recent crackdowns on medical marijuana and pot dispensaries by both the city and the Department of Justice, who recently declared the dispensaries illegal on a federal level.

Even those on hand who no longer partake of weed were upset with the laws. "I haven’t smoked in almost nine years. [But] I’m a strong believer it should be legalized and taxed and it would have a seriously positive effect on the economy," Gartner said. "Just legalize it, tax it, it’s safer than alcohol."

Korn's Jonathan Davis came out largely in support of longtime friends Cypress. "If there was no Cypress Hill there’d be no Korn. They were a huge influence on the first Korn record," he told Rolling Stone. Davis estimates that he hasn't smoked in14 years – even longer than Gartner. But he is a fierce defender of the idea of legalizing weed.

"I think it’s everyone’s right to smoke, it should be legalized," he said. "[Pot] lets people get high and laugh, that’s about the extent of it. There are no fucking hangovers, no crazy fistfights, no drama like alcohol causes, so I’ve always been a firm believer in marijuana rights and the medicinal rights. Let motherfuckers get high if they want to, it’s not hurting nobody."

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