Mavis Staples: If All I Was Was Black

The title track from Mavis Staples’ forthcoming album (out 17 November), “If All I Was Was Black” confronts not only racism the singer faced in her eight decades of performing, but also the violence she witnesses today in racial conflict. Written in collaboration with longtime friend and Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, the track (and the album’s other songs) aims to “bring us all together as …

South Africa’s “Boxing Grannies”

Training twice a week with their coach Claude Maphosa, South Africa’s “gogos” are older women who are learning to box for the benefit of their health. Dubbed “Boxing Grannies,” these badass ladies are finding that many of their ailments are disappearing and they’re feeling healthier and stronger than ever. Apparently the classes have been so popular, Maphosa is planning to organize more in other areas. …

Sure Sure: Hands Up Head Down

LA-based band Sure Sure (aka Chris Beachy, Kevin Farzad, Charlie Glick and Michael Coleman) return with a super-catchy tune “Hands Up Head Down.” A falsetto, staccato hook and an undeniable bop unite for electro-pop perfection. The lyrics explain a dance move for the anxious—as the title suggests—and the song will surely have a video to match in time. The band performs at Silverlake’s Satellite this …