Back in 2006, P.O.D. brought their hit “Goodbye For Now” to The Tonight Show, delivering an electrifying performance that fans remember to this day. But the real surprise? A young Katy Perry joined the band onstage, lending her vocals to the powerful track. Just two years before her breakout hit “I Kissed a Girl,” Perry’s appearance added a unique twist, showcasing her raw talent before she became a pop sensation. It’s a fascinating early moment in her career, adding an unexpected layer to P.O.D.’s already impactful performance.
Cardiacs’ 1984 Seaside Treats Video Blends Absurdist Comedy With Avant-Pop Music in a Cult Classic
In 1984, English avant-pop band Cardiacs took an unconventional approach with Seaside Treats, a 22-minute video tape sold exclusively at their concerts. Part absurdist comedy sketches, part bizarre music videos, Seaside Treats captured the band’s distinct, offbeat style and became a cult favorite. The video melds surreal humor with Cardiacs’ unique sound, embodying the quirky, unfiltered creativity that made them a fixture in underground music. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the kind of daring artistic vision that set the band apart in the ’80s.
Vice President Kamala Harris to Appear on SiriusXM’s Progress Channel Tonight
SiriusXM today announced that Vice President Kamala Harris will appear on SiriusXM’s Progress channel 127 this evening for an interview with host Zerlina Maxwell.
With only hours to go before the polls close on Election Day, Maxwell will talk to the vice president about her message to voters and how she feels her campaign is faring so far. Their conversation will be recorded shortly before it premieres on Progress at approximately 6:30pm ET.
Today’s interview with Harris is the second time in recent days that Maxwell has spoken with a member of the Harris-Walz ticket. Her interview with Governor Tim Walz aired this past Friday on Progress.
SiriusXM has live coverage of news and politics seven days a week featuring a wide spectrum of political viewpoints, making it the go-to audio destination for Americans throughout this election season. Original programming airs on the Patriot (conservative), Progress (progressive), and P.O.T.U.S. (bipartisan) channels, and live streams of cable news outlets, including FOX News, MSNBC, and CNN are also available.
Subscribers can listen to these channels and more in their car or on their phone and connected devices at home with the SiriusXM app. Streaming access is included for most subscribers. Go to https://www.siriusxm.com/ways-to-listen for more.
How Do Online Games Use Music to Create an Atmosphere?
By Mitch Rice
The significance of music in online games cannot be ruled out, as it mightily contributes to transforming virtual environments and enriching people’s gaming experience. Just like movie soundtracks create suspense or add feeling to the scenes, game music creates a tone, making the gameplay more exciting and realistic.
Below, we look at how online games use music to create an atmosphere, how it engages players, how it influences their emotions, and more.
The Relation between Music and Atmosphere.
As already mentioned above, game developers typically add music tracks to games to make the environment more immersive and fun. The concept is similar to horror games wherein eerie sounds are commonly used to produce spooky emotions in the audience’s minds; a fantasy game might use classical music to create feelings of awe and adventure.
The background music can create the perception of players towards games, making them more attached to characters, challenges, or even storylines. This is why people play the game more than once: the game’s atmosphere prompts players to focus on it thoroughly.
Engaging Players Through Different Game Modes.
People also need to realize that not all games would need a certain kind of music. Considering action games, for instance, there is the use of fast music and loud beats to create the intensity of fighting. Meanwhile, in puzzle games, slow and soft music is used, which plays a stellar role in enabling players to focus dedicatedly.
Websites and applications like Basant Club provide gaming enthusiasts with over a thousand possibilities in every category. Also, as you explore Basant Club games, you will find that each gaming track is attached to its style. Whether a player is interested in adventures, solving puzzles, or playing an action game, the right music makes all the difference and makes every game outstanding.
Key Practices That Music Affects Gameplay.
• Enhances Real-like Environments: Music interacts with players in the games that they are in and makes them feel like they are real.
• Lets Players be on tenterhooks: Intense or otherwise shifty scenes have background music to pump up expectation.
• Intensifies Focus: Mood-enhancing music can also be helpful when completing strategy or puzzle-type games because it can assist a player in focusing on the task at hand.
• Creates Unforgettable Moments: Some sequences within the game are easily remembered for good when music and sounds are used.
How Soundtracks Influence Emotions?
Emotions can be manipulated directly by music, and for this reason, developers consider using such a tool to steer players’ moods. Most players tend to listen to soft music, which will give them peace of mind and a sense of safety, while fast-paced music can put much strain on gamers during challenging stages.
The features reinforce feelings, linking players to the game and engaging them in the storyline offered to them by the game to enrich their gaming experience.
The Future of Music in Online Gaming
Like any other aspect of computer games, it is anticipated that the sophistication of game music will be furthered with innovation in gaming technologies. One more aspect that has become more popular is dynamic music, where the soundtrack varies depending on the player’s choices. That is why, as the gaming industry advances, music will have an increasingly important role in creating the illusion of a real-life environment.
To conclude, it cannot go unnoticed how music plays a role within the ambit of online gaming, including controlling the atmosphere with the feelings of the gamers. From tense melodies to mood-enhancing tracks, music makes games quite enjoyable and immersive to play. It is for this reason that music technology will play a stellar role in creating more advanced virtual reality environments.
Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment or other purposes.
Rainn Wilson and Bryan Cranston Face Off in an Acting Showdown on the Soul Boom Podcast
On the Soul Boom podcast, Rainn Wilson and Bryan Cranston engage in a playful “act-off” to determine who’s the superior actor. Known for their iconic roles as Dwight Schrute in The Office and Walter White in Breaking Bad, the two stars bring their best game to this fun, theatrical challenge. Fans of both shows won’t want to miss this epic clash of talent and charisma.
My Next Read: “Never Understood: The Jesus and Mary Chain” by William Reid and Jim Reid
For 5 years after they’d swapped sought-after apprenticeships for life on the dole, brothers William and Jim Reid sat up till the early hours in the front room of their parents’ East Kilbride council house, plotting their path to world domination over endless cups of tea, with the music turned down low so as not to wake their sleeping sister. They knew they couldn’t play in the same band because they’d argue too much, so they’d describe their dream ensembles to each other until finally they realised that these two perfect bands were actually the same band, and the name of that band was The Jesus and Mary Chain.
The rest was not silence, and picking up those conversations again more than 40 years later, William and Jim tell the full story of one of Britain’s greatest guitar bands for the very first time – a wildly funny and improbably moving chronicle of brotherly strife, feedback, riots, drug and alcohol addiction, eternal outsiders and extreme shyness, that also somehow manages to be a love letter to the Scottish working-class family.
Troy Hawke Announces 2025 ‘The Greeters Guild’ Tour Across North America
Today, acclaimed comedian Troy Hawke announces a 2025 North American run of live shows — “The Greeters Guild” – after an incredibly successful European leg. Produced by Live Nation, the 10-city tour kicks off on March 30 at Thalia Hall in Chicago making stops across North America in New York, Washington, Toronto and more before wrapping up in Houston at Punch Line Comedy Club on April 17. Full routing is available below.
Tickets will be available starting with the Artist presale beginning on Wednesday, September 4. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning on Friday, September 6 at 10AM local time at LiveNation.com.
Troy Hawke is an erudite home-schooled 1930s throwback… the Errol Flynn of the high street. Educated, sophisticated, but utterly clueless. He tackles modern issues head on in his uniquely untimely manner. The latest show from Troy, Troy Hawke: Sigmund Troy’d, won Best Show at the Leicester Comedy Festival Awards 2022 and was one of the winners of Soho Playhouse International Fringe Encore Series in 2022. He has twice been nominated for the Amused Moose Best Edinburgh Show award and was listed as GQ’s Top Ten Comedy Shows at the festival.
‘The Greeters Guild’ 2025 TOUR DATES
Sun Mar 30 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
Wed Apr 2 – Philadelphia, PA – Punch Line Comedy Club
Fri Apr 04 – Boston, MA – Arts at the Armory
Sat Apr 05 – New York, NY – The Gramercy Theatre
Tue Apr 08 – Washington, DC – Howard Theatre
Wed Apr 09 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
Fri Apr 11 – Toronto, ON – The Royal
Fri Apr 12 – Montreal, QC – Beanfield Theatre
Wed Apr 16 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
Thu Apr 17 – Houston, TX – Punch Line Comedy Club
Inventive and Empowered, The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century Opens at the AGO December 4
Endlessly inventive, hip hop culture was birthed in the Bronx, New York City among working class Black and Latinx youth and went on to dominate radio, dance floors, the runway and the artist studio. Making it’s only Canadian stop at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century tells the story of this multi-disciplinary and expressly creative culture, its philosophies and global impact. Opening December 4, 2024, The Culture features contemporary art by more than 65 artists among them, Stan Douglas, John Edmonds, Deana Lawson and Hank Willis Thomas.
The title of the exhibition stems from a long-standing hip hop phrase “(do it) for the culture” which implies a commitment and service to hip hop’s roots, practices, ethics, viewpoints and values to ensure the culture’s communal achievement and advancement even if that act entails sacrificing personal gain.
Since its inception in 1973, hip hop has given rise to and been adopted by numerous, overlapping creative fields, all the while traversing many locales, institutions, and landscapes. Celebrating Toronto’s unique contributions to contemporary art and hip-hop culture, the exhibition features artists Caitlin Cronenberg’s iconic photograph of the CN Tower for Drake’s Views album cover; Craig Boyko’s portrait of a young Snoop Dogg; and some of Toronto’s hip hop pioneers immortalized through the lens of Patrick Nichols. The exhibition also highlights apparel from legendary Toronto Streetwear brand Too Black Guys.
The Culture was curated by Asma Naeem, the Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director of the Baltimore Museum of Art; Gamynne Guillotte, former Chief Education Officer at the Baltimore Museum of Art; Andréa Purnell, Audience Development Manager at the Saint Louis Art Museum; and Hannah Klemm, former Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Saint Louis Art Museum. The presentation of the exhibition at the AGO is organized by Julie Crooks, Curator, Arts of Global Africa & the Diaspora, AGO.
“No conversation about hip hop would be complete without recognizing the many contributions made by Canadian artists. In bringing this exhibition to Toronto, we have an exciting opportunity to affirm our place in the global conversation about it,” said Julie Crooks, Curator, Arts of Global Africa & the Diaspora, AGO. “The artworks on view here are as multifaceted as hip hop itself and in their conceptual and material innovations, reveal hip hop as a wellspring that has and continues to challenge Eurocentric ideals of beauty and power.”
“RBC is pleased to partner with the AGO to bring this dynamic exhibition on hip hop culture to Toronto – a city with a rich history and influence in the genre itself,” says Shannon Cole, Chief Brand Officer, RBC. “We deeply believe in the importance of amplifying diverse perspectives and thank the AGO for helping to bring people together through the power of art and creative storytelling.”
Emerging 51 years ago, hip hop was both a response to deindustrialization and social dislocation, as well as a desire to use the expressive arts (through hip hop’s elements of emceeing/rapping, deejaying, graffiti-writing, and breaking) to document urban realities and speak truth to power.
On view on Level 5 of the AGO, this expansive exhibition of more than 100 artworks and objects, is set to an original ambient soundscape by producer and scholar Wendel Patrick, and is organized around six chapters: Language, Brand, Adornment, Tribute, Pose, and Ascension. Language, whether in words, music, or graffiti, explores hip hop’s strategies of subversion. Brand highlights the iconic streetwear brands born from hip hop and the seduction of success. Adornment exuberantly challenges white ideals of taste with alternate notions of beauty, while Tribute testifies to hip hop’s development of a visual canon. Pose celebrates how hip hop speaks through the body and its gestures. Ascension explores mortality, spirituality, and the transcendent.
Featured artworks include:
- Stan Douglas, ISDN (2022) a two-channel video installation, initially conceived for the 59th Venice Biennale
- Aaron Fowler’s, Live Culture Force 1’s, (2022) a large-scale sculpture of oversized Nike Air sneakers, made of car parts
- Julie Mehretu’s, Six Bardos: Transmigration (2018) a riotous, graffiti like work on paper
- Alvaro Barrington’s, They have They Can’t (2021) a tribute to Tupac Shakur, featuring lyrics sewn in yarn on burlap
- Robert Pruitt’s, For Whom the Bell Curves (2004) a map of trans-Atlantic slave routes traced in gold chains
The Culture is accompanied by a 308-page catalogue, published by Gregory R. Miller & Co, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and Saint Louis Art Museum. Featuring artworks from the exhibition and contributions from more than 50 scholars, artists, curators, and arts leaders, the publication will be available at shopAGO this fall for $79 CAD.
The Culture is free for Ontarians under 25, AGO Members, Annual Passholders, and Indigenous Peoples and is included in General Admission. AGO Members see it first, beginning December 4, 2024. Annual Passholders see it beginning December 7, 2025, and single ticket buyers see it beginning Jan. 7, 2025. The exhibition is on view until April 6, 2025. For more details on how to become a Member or Annual Passholder, visit ago.ca.
Programming highlights:
- On Friday, December 6 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. the AGO celebrates the opening of The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century with a night of music and art. Tickets for this event are free but must be booked in advance. Tickets include admission to the exhibition and to the opening party, including a performance by Canadian music legend, the godmother of Canadian hip hop, Michie Mee at 8 p.m. This event is open to all ages. Free tickets will be available in November. For more details, visit ca/events/culture-public-opening.
R.E.M. Continue to Be Hopeful Despite the Times With All-New Lyric Video for “I Believe”
On the heels of the recent digital compilation We Are Hope Despite the Times, R.E.M. has today released a timely lyric video for “I Believe.” The track captures the band’s optimistic and introspective spirit, with lyrics that explore themes of personal conviction, resilience and the search for truth.
The video, created by longtime famed R.E.M. art director and fellow Athens native Chris Billheimer, draws inspiration from the handmade designs Michael Stipe used to create for himself during the Fables of the Reconstruction tour, as well as the politically themed T-shirts he wore during 1991 MTV VMAs, where the band used their acceptance speech for Best Video (“Losing My Religion”) to draw attention to causes like gun control, reproductive rights, voting rights and alternative energy sources—issues that remain relevant today.
Emphasizes R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, “I believe the choices in this election could not be more stark or more important. Please vote and encourage everyone you know to do the same—that is how we win in 2024 and I believe we can do it!!!”
On September 17, R.E.M. released We Are Hope Despite the Times, a digital compilation of songs aimed at encouraging their listeners to stay informed and engaged and to vote during this critical election season. The collection features 18 politically provoking songs, including “Welcome to the Occupation,” “Swan Swan H,” “Fall on Me,” “World Leader Pretend” and “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine).”
Throughout their career, R.E.M. has been a vocal advocate for civic engagement, using their platform to promote voter participation and social responsibility. In the early 1990s, they were one of the first bands to partner with Rock the Vote, playing a significant role in increasing youth voter turnout for the 1992 presidential election. Beyond Rock the Vote, R.E.M. has supported voter rights and democracy globally, performing at benefit concerts like the Vote for Change Tour and addressing political causes, from war and environmental justice to human rights, through their music.
With We Are Hope Despite the Times, the band continues to encourage participation in the democratic process, urging fans to register to vote, make their voices heard and play an active role in shaping the future.
Click here to watch “I Believe” and stream/download We Are Hope Despite the Times.
Tracklist:
Turn You Inside-Out
Pop Song ’89
These Days
I Believe
Fall On Me
Welcome To The Occupation
World Leader Pretend
Drive
Begin The Begin
Finest Worksong
Exhuming McCarthy
Just A Touch
Cuyahoga
Disturbance At The Heron House
Swan Swan H
Ignoreland
Stand
It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
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Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.
Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com
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