Josh Groban won't let virus stop his live music and album
FILE - Josh Groban arrives at the 72nd annual Tony Awards on June 10, 2018, in New York. Groban has a new album "Harmony" due in November and three themed live streaming concerts, starting with a set featuring Broadway tunes in October. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)It's the sound of silence that Josh Groban finds hardest to hear during the pandemic. Quarantine hasn't stilled his voice or songwriting, but the give-and-get Groban usually enjoys from interacting with his audience is gone. Its an album that for me was was very therapeutic to sing.The album will form the backbone for the second of Groban's concerts on Nov. 26.
US new home sales jump 13.8% in June
The Commerce Department reported Thursday, April 23, that sales of new single-family homes dropped to a seasonally ajdjusted annual rate of 627,000 last month after sales had fallen 4.6% in February. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)WASHINGTON Sales of new homes rose a sharp 13,8% in June, the second straight increase after two months when sales plunged as the country went into lockdown because of the coronavirus. The Commerce Department reported Friday that the June gain pushed sales of new homes to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 776,000. A separate report Wednesday showed sales of previously owned homes surged 20.7% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.72 million. Even with the gain, which followed three months of declines, new home sales remain toughly 20% below pre-pandemic levels.