Bill Rieflin, a Seattle-based drummer with an impressive list of associations, has died of cancer aged 59, Ultimate Classic Rock reports. His first big gig was with the industrial band Ministry, without ever becoming an official member of the group. After playing with the Revolting Cocks, an industrial project involving Ministry founder Al Jourgensen, he worked also with Swans (he’s listed as an “honorary Swan”), KMFDM, Pigface, Chris Connelly, Lard, and he also played on one song on Nine Inch Nails’ 'The Fragile'. Via his gig drumming for the Minus 5, Rieflin met R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, who invited him to join R.E.M. as a touring member and studio contributor from 2003 until the band’s breakup in 2011. Rieflin also spent many years performing with the legendary prog band King Crimson, doing stints as both a drummer and a keyboardist for the group. It seems he liked super-groups as well - he drummed for Filthy Friends, band led by Peter Buck and Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker, for Krist Novoselic’s post-Nirvana band Sweet 75 and even drummed on a Robbie Williams album.

The National have announced a merch-sale campaign to help out their road crew while everyone’s grounded due to coronavirus. "We will direct all profits from merch sales through our webstore, new Cherry Tree fan club enrollments, and sales from the Cherry Tree members-only store to support our crew members throughout this crisis to the best of our ability" - the National announced. Soccer Mommy did a similarly generous thing - Sophie Allison took to Twitter to announce that she would be selling T-shirts and posters and giving all the proceeds to her band and crew while they aren’t able to work.

"Once it's established that a patio big enough to hold a laptop podium is all that most modern acts need to deliver their unexpurgated festival set to iPhone, a livestreamed Glastonbury is entirely possible" - Mark, My Words predicts the future of online concerts. It looks bright, at least to the NME columnist, who wants major acts to "blow their cancelled tour budget on 360-degree cameras and stage virtual gigs that’ll be almost impossible to distinguish from the real thing – only with much, much better wine".

ISOLATE/CREATE is “a free resource that provides creatives (and fans in general) with access to digital assets to spark creativity and inspire digital collaboration, all while still practicing responsible social distancing and helping to flatten the curve”. The Armed, Converge, Chelsea Wolfe, La Dispute, Pelican, Slow Mass, Dead Cross, Wear Your Wounds, Planet B, and Deaf Club have provided “stems, full multitrack sessions and artwork files”. More is still to come.

Gibson Guitars announced they’ll be paying hourly factory workers $1,000 each to help get them through the time on uncertainty caused by coronavirus pandemic. As of March 22, the iconic guitar manufacturer has been forced to halt production at its Nashville factory, Loudwire reports. Despite no government request, Gibson have also closed their factory in Bozeman, Montana.

Last Friday (March 20), Bandcamp waived its revenue share on music sales for a 24-hour period to help artists impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and music fans reacted generously to generosity. On a typical Friday, as Bandcamp explained, fans buy about 47,000 items, but this past Friday fans bought nearly 800,000, or $4.3 million worth of music and merch, more than 15 times Bandcamp's normal Friday. In the last 30 days, fans have paid $15.3 million to artists via Bandcamp.

Manu Dibango, popular and influential Cameroonian musician celebrated for his blend of jazz, funk and traditional west African styles, has died aged 86 in a Paris hospital after contracting Covid-19, according to BBC. Born in Cameroon, he moved to Paris, then to Brussels, Dibango blended the cosmopolitan styles from Africa and Europe into his own fusion.

Members of classic Britpop, shoegaze and alter-rock bands are hosting interactive online listening parties at 10 p.m. UK time on Twitter, each hosted by a member of the respective bands. It kicked off yesterday (March 23) with The Charlatans’ debut album and Tim Burgess, tonight’s is with Alex Kapranos, discussing Franz Ferdinand‘s self-titled album.

Schedule for the following days:

• Wednesday (3/25): Blur – 'Parklife' w/ David Rowntree
• Thursday (3/26): Ride – 'Going Blank Again' w/ Andy Bell and Loz Colbert
• Friday (3/27): Oasis – 'Definitely Maybe' w/ Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs and Liam
• Monday (3/30): Sleaford Mods – 'Key Markets' with the band
• Tuesday (4/1): The Lightning Seeds – 'Jollification' w/ Ian Broudie
• Wednesday (4/2): Prefab Sprout – 'Steve McQueen' with Wendy Smith
• Thursday (4/3): The Fall – 'The Wonderful & Frightening World of The Fall' with Brix Smith Start

Last week, all 18 songs from Lil Uzi Vert's 'Eternal Atake' broke onto the Hot 100 chart. This week, all 14 songs from 'Eternal Atake (Deluxe) - LUV Vs. The World 2' (new songs, outtakes from 'Eternal Atake') made it onto the Hot 100 too, making Lil Uzi Vert the first act to have every song from two full projects chart on the Hot 100 in consecutive weeks, All Hip Hop reports.

A clever and optimistic thought in the Guardian, about humans in the time of stress: "Faced with the stresses and difficulties of the coronavirus outbreak, it should come as no surprise that so many people have found a response to the pandemic in music. Our bodies may be doing the right and responsible thing by remaining at home, but our minds are not so easily locked down. Things eternal still need to burst forth somehow, and in the face of the Covid-19 virus, music has become one of humankind’s most defiant public assertions that life must continue in harmony".

"The lines that we draw on maps are not like a big hole and then there's something completely new after that. It's all one thing and it's difficult for me to understand music divided. I can't divide music" - flamenco innovator Raül Refree told the Quietus about 'Names of North End Women', his collaborative album with Sonic Youth's guitarist Lee Ranaldo. Both are fantastic guitarists, yet their first co-release displays almost zero guitars. Ranaldo explains - "I don't think we even thought about it much or realised it, until we had the group of songs going well, that this was not a rock record. It was something different. It dealt with landscape". Although it may seem so, it's not a minimalist or ambient music, it's just special and easy to listen to.

With tour and festival cancellation all over the world, at least five months’ worth of job prospects have dried up, virtually overnight. Streaming technology could bring a bit of money back to musicians and performers, but it won’t help the backbone of their industry: the roadies, tech teams, tour managers and riggers who set up the shows that sustain their careers. “It’s the first industry to stop dead” - CrewCare director Tony Moran told the Guardian.

Danish pop star Jada released a new song 'Nudes' accompanied by a video in which she recruited dozens of people - women and men - to share intimate and revealing videos of themselves. So, a lot of nudes, but all of them subtle, nothing over the top. Jada told Fader it's "about that strength and liberation that comes with expressing your most shameful feelings".

Spin turned back to 30 years of Pearl Jam, trying to explain the how:

The ability to say "No" to anything that didn’t feel right

Getting Jack Irons to play with them - he was the grounding force that allowed the band to concentrate on music

Having Neil Young as a friend - he helped them keep their heads on straight through all manner of turmoil and triumph

Getting a perspective - Eddie Vedder got into a crappy van in 1995 to play sideman on Minuteman bassist Mike Watt’s solo club tour

Having Pete Townshend as a friend - after the 2000 Roskilde Festival tragedy The Who’s Pete Townshend helped the band survive with advice and consolation

Getting Matt Cameron into the band - the former Soundgarden drummer was just the friendly quick study who could learn the band’s catalog in three weeks, saving the summer tour right then and there and in fact turning it into a particular powerhouse

Actress and musician Rita Wilson is self-quarantined in Australia with her husband Tom Hanks, which is, of course, a great opportunity to read 'Ender’s Game', and - learn all the words to hip-hop classics. The 63-year-old captioned a clip where she flawlessly raps the entire song 'Hip Hop Hooray' by Naughty by Nature.

UK musicians being affected by the closure of live venues and schools, and a stop to music teaching, have already lost an estimated £13.9m in earnings because of coronavirus, according to a Musicians’ Union survey. According to the Guardian, ninety per cent of respondents in the survey said their income had already been affected. I Lost My Gig Australia estimates total lost income from cancelled events in Australia at $300M. Number of people impacted by event cancellations came to 599.000. Australian are performing, online - last weekend saw online festival Isol-Aid featuring 74 acts playing 20-minute sets, live streaming from their bedrooms. Guardian says it "felt like the first laugh after a big cry. The energy was fun, hilarious and occasionally chaotic". Watch a part of it below.

International music festival Pop Montreal set up its own balcony singing session in hopes of bringing some hope to residents holed up in their homes amid the coronavirus pandemic social distancing measures. Montrealers headed out onto their balconies, porches and rooftops, and belt out the words to Leonard Cohen's 'So Long, Marianne', a song that has the opening lyrics "Come over to the window, my little darling". Montreal folk musician Martha Wainwright lead the singalong through a live stream on social media.

Lil Uzi Vert had an exceptionally good second week his album 'Eternal Atake' - it earned 247,000 equivalent album, down just 14% compared to its debut atop the list a week ago with 288,000 units, Billboard reports. The small second-week decline is owed to the album’s surprise reissue on March 13, when a new deluxe edition arrived with 14 additional songs, expanding upon the original 18-song set. Also, 'Eternal Atake' is the first album to spend its first two weeks at No. 1 since Harry Styles’ 'Fine Line' held at No. 1 for two weeks at the turn of the year.

Rihanna has donated $5 million through her organization, the Clara Lionel Foundation, to help aid countries affected by COVID-19, CNN reports. The donation by the singer, businesswoman, and philanthropist will support local food banks serving at-risk communities in the United States, the acceleration of testing and care in nations such as Haiti and Malawi, and essential equipment for healthcare workers and facilities. It will also assist with healthcare training including virus prevention and containment. Barbados will also be receiving $700,000 worth of ventilators.

Danny Ray Thompson, longtime baritone saxophone player and flutist of space jazz collective Sun Ra Arkestra, died aged 72, according to The New York Times. “Danny Ray Thompson is now traveling the spaceways, joining the many beloved Arkestra members who have previously left the planet and who now soar with the spirit of Sun Ra” the band wrote in their post. Thompson joined Sun Ra Arkestra in 1967. and went on to play on dozens of the group’s recordings throughout the decades.

"Drymala's cello and DiPietro's guitar and hammered lap steel borrow elements of instrumental folk with a slight classical influence. But they never seem to tip their hand. The music is warm and inviting" - PopMatters writes about the new album by the Brooklyn duo. With 18 minutes in total, this is the shortest record recommended here, and one coming in at just the right moment - "social distancing is on everyone's mind as people all over the world are looking for ways to find peace and hope. This gorgeous new album may be able to offer some of the calm many of us are seeking".

Norah Jones said she had heard Guns N' Roses' 'Patience', it made her feel good, so she covered it; John Legend in his new song 'Actions' says, more or less, he should practice what he preaches, on a trivia note, it samples 'The Edge' by David McCallum, which is the same track Dr. Dre sampled on his 2000 hit 'The Next Episode'; Eyes Without A Face is made of musicians that used to play metal and pop, together they make - goth synth, check them out on 'Cold Moon'; M.I.A. has released ‘OHMNI 202091’, her first new song in three years, on the 15th anniversary of her debut album ‘Arular’; 'Resiliencia' by El Búho and DJ Raff is South American traditional music plus electronica, a hommage to Chilean activism; 'March 13' by Ellis is a big and gentle piano song; soul band Black Pumas have turned Detroit proto-punk legends Death’s 'Politicians In My Eyes' into a smooth soul song; Danish singer-songwriter Oh Land sings about how she misses normal on her new song 'I Miss One Week Ago', Run The Jewels have released new track ‘The Yankee and The Brave’, an ear-attack.

There is no cure for coronavirus, but there's help, LA Times suggests: "I have no interest in knitting. Same with sewing, embroidery, crocheting. I’m beyond bad at anything involving illustrations. What I really need right now is to belt out the comfort food music of my youth... One reason singing feels so good is that it releases endorphins, neurochemicals similar to morphine that bring about feelings of euphoria and general well-being... Singing also releases oxytocin, a hormone that can alleviate anxiety, stress and depression, the unholy trinity presiding over these uncertain times... And make sure the window’s open. The neighbors will be happy to know you’re OK".

Good stream day today (March 22): Julia Jacklin at 6:40 a.m. ET, part of the ISOL-AID! Instagram Live Music Festival.

Charli XCX and Clairo are hosting a “quarantine art class” on Instagram at 3 p.m. ET.

Patti Smith, Jesse Smith, and Rebecca Foon at 4 p.m. ET on Instagram.

Courtney Barnett, Lucius, Sharon Van Etten, Fred Armisen, Sheryl Crow, Bedouine, Nathaniel Rateliff, Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, Jonathan Wilson, Emily King starting at 7 p.m. ET on Instagram.

Jason Anderson is livestreaming performances every night at 8 p.m. ET on his Instagram.

Erykah Badu is streaming “Apocalypse One : live interactive experiment from badubotron” this weekend on Instagram.

Singer and actress Kate Nash has shared a video of herself covering the Metallica classic 'Enter Sandman' on Twitter, while she self-isolates due to the coronavirus pandemic. She didn't play the whole song, but the minute-and-something that she did is just really funny and cool at the same time.

American country music star Kenny Rogers, known for his classics like 'The Gambler', 'Lucille' and 'Islands in the Stream', died Friday night aged 81, CNN reports. During his six-decade career, the charismatic, husky-voiced singer sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, won three Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Vox says.

Despite its dark mood, explicit sexual themes, and tense mood, 'Less is Moor' by Zebra Katz is still pop music, well, at least how great pop music in 2020 should sound like. It's the debut album by Jamaican-American artist and producer, spanning territories from smooth r'n'b do drum'n'bass, with a tendency towards clubs (small, dark, in basements, sexually fluid) and dancing. So, at the edges od pop music, then.

der made a selection of best music documentaries to stream while stuck at home (or staying at home at your own will, right!?!). There's the Rolling Stones classic 'Gimme Shelter'; 'A Life in Waves' about Suzanne Ciani - one of the single most influential cultural figures to emerge in the past century; 'Baltimore, Where You At?' about the city's club scene; 'What Happened, Miss Simone?' about Nina Simone as an artist and an activist; 'Everybody in the Place' about UK rave culture; a purely biographical 'Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.'; 'A Band Called Death' about three Afro-American brothers from Detroit playing punk way sooner than Bad Brains, but who never saw much success because of their name; 'Bad Rap' about representation in hip-hop.

Adult Swim has made every episode of 'Metalocalypse', animated series about a fictional death metal band Dethklok, available to stream for free. All four seasons, plus the 'Klok Opera' movie, can now be viewed ad nauseam on the official Adult Swim website. Creator Brendon Small achieved gigantic success with Dethklok, with all three Dethalbum records outselling the last.

Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy is playing covers and requests at 3 p.mp ET on Instagram. Year of the Knife will livestream a performance at 6 p.m. ET. Ultra Virtual Music Festival is at 5 p.m. ET through Monday 3/23 on Sirius XM channel 52 here. Christine and the Queens is streaming every day at 6 p.m. ET on Instagram. Ben Gibbard is livestreaming solo performances from his home studio every day at 7 p.m. ET. Jason Anderson is livestreaming performances every night at 8 p.m. ET on his Instagram, and tonight’s stream will be a full performance of Jason’s album 'Restless'. 74 Australian artists, including Angie McMahon, Julia Jacklin, Stella Donnelly, Alice Skye, Didirri have created Isol-Aid, a “socially (media) distanced music festival” - the two-day festival will run from midday to midnight on Saturday and Sunday, with artists streaming 20-minute sets from self-isolation live on their Instagram accounts. Erykah Badu will be performing a bedroom concert on Saturday and Sunday on her Instagram. Toronto is getting a livestream concert series at URGNT.ca.