Plugged In: Crossword

This month’s crossword puzzle comes to you from I.M.P., the concert promotion and production company behind some of the most loved music venues in the DMV. As you might expect, this is for all of the music nerds out there. You may think you’re safe if you listen to only niche local bands or original rock ‘n’ roll, but you really need to be a lover of all music to ace this test. See answer key here.

Print the downloadable PDF here.

ACROSS

1. Lil Nas X’s breakthrough (and Billboard’s longest running No. 1 single)

7. TV channel host of the awards mentioned in 17 down

11. First track of Adele’s 25

12. All the kids are on it these days

14. Penman behind “All Along the Watchtower,” by last name

16. Abbreviated smash hit off Outkast’s Stankonia

18. Ms. Fitzgerald, jazz legend

19. First N.W.A member to go solo

21. Robert Smith’s gothic troupe, minus “The”

22. Joe Strummer fought it (and lost)

23. Shorthand for “do it yourself”

25. What you’d call Mr. Redding, if close

28. Surname of Gorillaz/Blur frontman

31. Nine Inch Nails song covered by Johnny Cash

32. Gang that broke rap intoBillboard’s Top 40 for the first time

34. Epithet of Jon, Peep and Uzi Vert among others

35. Beatles drummer

36. N.Y.C. Clan not to be trifled wit(h)

38. Jeff Buckley’s one-time love, Liz ______ (of Cocteau Twins fame)

39. They don’t want “No Scrubs”

41. Ubiquitous drum break most often sampled in hip-hop and D’n’B

42. Successor to Joy Division

44. The first Beastie Boy to rock the sure shot

46. Her 2007 hit “Umbrella” was nigh-unavoidable

49. He’s not a businessman, he’s a business, man

50. 2003 documentary profiling The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols

52. Fast food restaurant O.D.B. got popped at on the run in South Philly

54. Napster’s mortal enemy

55. This boy band is celebrating the 20th anniversary of “No Strings Attached”

57. London songwriter and “Glow” actress Kate, or, the N in CSNY

58. The Fugazi ticket price (in dollars)

62. Lovably zany Icelandic artist who got her start as frontwoman of The Sugarcubes

63. Tragically late Beastie Boy and quaker school attendee

64. Signature song for soul deity Aretha Franklin

65. Infamously disastrous music festival in 2017

66. Slang for live musical performance

67. Folk supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash and _____

DOWN

2. According to DNA tests, she’s 100 percent “that b*tch”

3. Best-selling album of all time (hint: “Werewolf Dance”)

4. Criminally underrated “Walk the Line” parody starring John C. Reilly

5. Fiercely independent hip-hop label based in Minneapolis

6. Dr. Dre’s record label

8. Competitor to 7 across

9. Sophomore Foo effort “The ______ and The Shape”

10. Supergroup created between Nirvana and Sunny Day Real Estate remnants

13. Beyonce’s family surname

15. “I’ve got the records / she’s got ___”

17. Krist Novoselic’s “_________ Bass Toss” during the ‘92 VMAs

20. Missy of hip-hop (and music video) royalty

24. The P.J. in P.J. Harvey

26. Guitarist featured in both Dead & Co. and The Chappelle Show

27. Detroit record label and heart of soul

28. FX TV show starring (and created by) Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino

29. Holiday and Eilish, for example

30. The fabled demand from harvest-era Neil Young atop a rowboat: “____ ____!”

33. “_______ Style,” the smash hit courtesy of Psy

37. Downtempo electronica group once prominently featured in Adult Swim bumpers

38. Bassist for Red Hot Chili Peppers

40. Ms. Stefani of No Doubt and solo fame

43. 924 ______, the all ages D.I.Y. hub of San Francisco

44. What the British tabloids call Morrissey

45. Blades cut by blades

47. Beastie Boy and husband to Kathleen Hanna

48. “Wuthering Heights” Kate, or, ‘90s Sixteen Stone rockers

49. Hitmaker of “All Along the Watchtower,” by first name

51. Bag yourself one of these music awards, and you’ve made it

53. ATL’s most prestigious hip-hop/RnB family and collective

56. Reel Big Fish’s genre

59. O.G. Norwegian black metal musician and fire lover

60. Legendary NYC punk dive and current John Varvatos store

61. British music mag, traditionally

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