Backstage Pass

When Jay-Z has something to say, he doesn’t call a news conference or tweet about it. He drops a new song. (Hear it on his Life & Times website. BTW, there are expletives in the song. You have been warned.)

On Thursday, Hova unleashed “Open Letter,” a roundup of rhymes about his recent mentions in the news, using “Y’all gon’ learn today.” Here’s what he had to say, um, rap:

ABOUT...

Candice Glover really belonged on a different show last night.

Her jazzy interpretation of The Cure’s “Lovesong” was both emotionally and technically stunning, showing off a connection to the lyrics during “Songs I Wish I Wrote Week” that didn’t just make it seem like she wrote the British new wavers’ hit, it seemed like she lived it. Her risky, well-executed version (man, that controlled...

The Doobie Brothers, Dark Star Orchestra and Electric Hot Tuna are set to headline this year’s Great South Bay Music Festival at Shorefront Park on July 19 through 21.

The Patchogue festival will also feature a rare solo appearance from Billy Squier on July 19 and the great country guitarist Jerry Douglas on July 21.

Ticket pre-sale begins Thursday at 9 a.m. through the festival website...

Great Neck’s Michelle Raitzin is moving to the next round on “The Voice.”

Blake Shelton picked the 21-year-old Berklee College of Music student, who describes herself as a “contemporary pop-soul singer,” for his team, making Raitzin the latest Long Islander to make the knockout rounds segment of the singing competition.

Port Jefferson Station’s Raquel Castro advanced in the first season...

Brad Paisley isn’t doing too well at explaining his new duet with LL Cool J “Accidental Racist.”

The controversial song, from his new album “Wheelhouse” out Tuesday, centers around Paisley wanting to be able to wear his Confederate flag T-shirt and have it represent Lynyrd Skynyrd and not the states that went to war to continue slavery. (I am not making this up.)

“I'm proud of where...

Fleetwood Mac has reinvented itself again.

More than 45 years into a sometimes-tumultuous history marked by personnel changes and intra-band breakups and makeups, Fleetwood Mac has recast itself as more of an alternative band than, well, the album-rock juggernaut that so many bands were rebelling against in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers plan to release...

Will that amphitheater in Wantagh be renamed “Jonas Beach” again?

We shall see on July 20 when the “Jonas Brothers Live Tour” – the bro’s first tour in three years – comes to Nikon at Jones Beach Theater.

“This tour is about re-connecting with our amazing fans, who have waited patiently for three years to hear new music from us,” the Jonas Brothers -- Nick, Joe and Kevin – said collectively...

Hoodie Allen ends his spring tour with a hometown show at Roseland Ballroom on Saturday.

Intro brings you the week’s hottest videos and shows every Monday. To catch up on all the Intros and watch classic Long Island music scene videos, check out Newsday Music’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/newsdaymusic.

THE LIST

HOODIE ALLEN, “No Faith in Brooklyn.” At Roseland...

Watch out, Bruce Springsteen. There’s a stunning new challenger on the marathon rock show circuit: Leonard Cohen.

The 78-year-old singer-songwriter played for three hours last night at Radio City Music Hall, falling to his knees in prayer and bouncing up again as some sort of poet-savior so quickly and so often it was hard to keep count. (Cohen is set to do it all over again tonight at Radio...

Matthew Koma says that when he wrote his new single “One Night,” he knew he had to basically start over on his major-label debut album.

“I rewrote and rerecorded the whole record in four or five weeks,” says the Seaford native. “[‘One Night’ inspired the record . . . It was definitely the firestarter.”

Koma hopes “One Night,” released Tuesday, will also be the firestarter for his career,...