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Photo Gallery: Pentatonix with Lauren Alaina at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage
Long-Running Canadian Jazz, Blues & Gospel Label Justin Time Records Celebrates 40th Anniversary
Today, the long-running Canadian jazz, blues and gospel label Justin Time Records celebrates its 40th Anniversary and releases 40 Years of Justin Time Records, a compilation of 40-songs from quintessential releases past and present.
Founded in Montreal in 1983 by Jim West, Justin Time began its renowned history by releasing the first recording from jazz pianist and 2023 Canadian Music Hall of Fame Inductee Oliver Jones. Now 40 years later with over 600 recordings released by some of the finest musicians in the world, Canada’s premiere jazz, blues and gospel label celebrates this milestone as an homage to the passion and diversity that are the cornerstones of the label. The Anniversary Collection features selections from the label’s roster past and present, including Oliver Jones, Ranee Lee, the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir, Diana Krall, David Murray, Oscar Peterson, Susie Arioli, Frank Marino, Christine Jensen, David Clayton-Thomas, Hank Jones, Halie Loren, Paul Bley and many more.
Listen to 40 Years of Justin Time Records on all digital retailers here.
Label founder Jim West reflects, “It’s hard to believe over 40 years have passed since the birth of Justin Time Records and the launch of its first recording, the Oliver Jones Trio ‘Live at Biddles Jazz & Ribs.’ Over the label’s history we are looking at more than 600 album releases with some of the best musicians in the business. It is so important for me to note, and very proudly so, that our first three signings, Oliver Jones, Ranee Lee and Trevor W. Payne and the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir are still with us today and great friends with whom we talk daily. Other musical talents such as the late great Oscar Peterson, Kenny Wheeler, Paul Bley, Kenny Werner, Diana Krall, World Saxophone Quartet, Fontella Bass, David Murray, Billy Bang, Susie Arioli, Bryan Lee, Matt Herskowitz, Carol Welsman, Dave Van Ronk, Rob McConnell, David Clayton-Thomas, Frank Marino and Hank Jones amongst many others have blessed the label with their talents. Added to this list are a new generation of artists such Emma Frank, Katherine Penfold, Halie Loren and Laura Anglade to name a few. How lucky we have been.”
In 2016, the Montreal International Jazz Festival presented Jim West with the Bruce Lundvall Award, named after the late American Blue Note executive and presented to a person from the media or music industry who has made a significant contribution to the development of jazz. In 2018, he received the Builder Award from the Canadian Independent Music Association’s CIMA Award, and in 2022 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for his contributions to the Canadian recording industry, and for supporting and championing our country’s talent.
Justin Time Records 40th Anniversary Collection Track List:
- Oliver Jones – Blues For Helene
- Ranee Lee – I’ve Got The World On A String
- Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir – Goin’ Up Yonder
- Diana Krall – Straighten Up and Fly Right
- Billy Bang – Reflections
- Quartango – Androgyne
- Brian Hughes – Promise You
- Carol Welsman – What A Fool Believes
- Lorraine Klaasen – Pata Pata
- Halie Loren – Waiting In Vain
- Laura Anglade & Sam Kirmayer – J’aime Paris au mois de mai
- Jean-Michel Pilc – Your Lullaby
- Paul Bley – Lucky
- Susie Arioli – Pennies from Heaven
- Hank Jones – Pauletta
- David Murray – Giant Steps
- World Saxophone Quartet – Hey Joe
- Brandi Disterheft – Blues For Nelson Mandela
- Taurey Butler – Swappin’ Lies
- Denny Christianson – Looking for the Back Door
- Bryan Lee – Louisiana Woman
- Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush – Red House
- Emma Frank – Steady
- Kitt – (I Would Be) Grateful
- Jeri Brown – The Twelfth of Never
- David Clayton-Thomas – (You’ve Made Me So) Very Happy
- D.D. Jackson – Peace Song
- Dave Young – OP&D
- Little Animal! – Twindle
- Coral Egan – State of Grace
- Hugh Ragin – An Afternoon in Harlem
- Hilario Durán – Autumn Nocturne
- Oscar Peterson – Surrey With the Fringe on Top
- John Stetch – Autumn In New York
- Christine Jensen – Day Moon
- Michael Marcus – The Legend of Hale-Bopp
- Sonny Greenwich – Bird of Paradise
- Nelson Symonds – Getting Personal
- Alex Pangman – When I Get Low I Get High
- Matt Herskowitz – Tribute to John Coates
YouTube Announces AI Music Principles And Launches YouTube Music AI Incubator
Today YouTube published a first ever set of AI music principles and launched the YouTube Music AI Incubator, kicking off with artists, songwriters and producers from Universal Music Group. YouTube’s three fundamental AI music principles are rooted in its commitment to collaborate with the music industry alongside bold and responsible innovation in the space.
YouTube CEO, Neal Mohan, shared the platform’s AI music principles and his vision for how the framework will enhance creative expression while also protecting artists on the platform. The principles include:
- Principle #1: AI is here, and we will embrace it responsibly together with our music partners. As generative AI unlocks ambitious new forms of creativity, YouTube and our partners across the music industry agree to build on our long collaborative history and responsibly embrace this rapidly advancing field. Our goal is to partner with the music industry to empower creativity in a way that enhances our joint pursuit of responsible innovation.
- Principle #2: AI is ushering in a new age of creative expression, but it must include appropriate protections and unlock opportunities for music partners who decide to participate. We’re continuing our strong track record of protecting the creative work of artists on YouTube. We’ve made massive investments over the years in the systems that help balance the interests of copyright holders with those of the creative community on YouTube.
- Principle #3: We’ve built an industry-leading trust and safety organization and content policies. We will scale those to meet the challenges of AI. We spent years investing in the policies and trust and safety teams that help protect the YouTube community, and we’re also applying these safeguards to AI-generated content. Generative AI systems may amplify current challenges like trademark and copyright abuse, misinformation, spam, and more. But AI can also be used to identify this sort of content, and we’ll continue to invest in the AI-powered technology that helps us protect our community of viewers, creators, artists and songwriters–from Content ID to policies and detection and enforcement systems that keep our platform safe behind the scenes. And we commit to scaling this work even further.
In a rare guest YouTube blog Universal Music Group Chairman and CEO, Sir Lucian Grainge – who helped shape the principles – shared his vision for an artist centric approach to generative AI and how partnering with YouTube would best position the music industry for success as this technology continues to develop. Excerpts from the blog post include:
- “Our challenge and opportunity as an industry is to establish effective tools, incentives and rewards – as well as rules of the road – that enable us to limit AI’s potential downside while promoting its promising upside. If we strike the right balance, I believe AI will amplify human imagination and enrich musical creativity in extraordinary new ways.”
- “Our enduring faith in human creativity is the bedrock of Universal Music Group’s collaboration with YouTube on the future of AI. Central to our collective vision is taking steps to build a safe, responsible and profitable ecosystem of music and video—one where artists and songwriters have the ability to maintain their creative integrity, their power to choose, and to be compensated fairly.”
- “Today, our partnership is building on that foundation with a shared commitment to lead responsibly, as outlined in YouTube’s AI principles, where Artificial Intelligence is built to empower human creativity, and not the other way around. AI will never replace human creativity because it will always lack the essential spark that drives the most talented artists to do their best work, which is intention. From Mozart to The Beatles to Taylor Swift, genius is never random.”
Today’s announcement also introduced YouTube’s AI Music Incubator, a program that will bring together some of today’s most innovative artists, songwriters, and producers to help inform YouTube’s approach to generative AI in music. The incubator will kick off with a genre-spanning cohort of creatives from Universal Music Group, that includes Anitta, Björn Ulvaeus, d4vd, Don Was, Juanes, Louis Bell, Max Richter, Rodney Jerkins, Rosanne Cash, Ryan Tedder, Yo Gotti, and the Estate of Frank Sinatra, amongst others.
Icons, Idols And Idiots Of Hollywood: Memoir Of Four Preps’ Bruce Belland To Be Published September 8
he son of fundamentalist preacher sings his first solo in front of an audience at age four. The congregation’s enthusiastic response inspires his dream of becoming a singer. That dream comes true as front man of America’s first “Boy Band”, Capitol Records vocal group The Four Preps, whose classic hit “26 Miles (Santa Catalina)” lands them in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. One bandmate will later create TV’s Knight Rider and another the rock classic “Tainted Love.” This is their story too.
Set against the backdrop of vintage Hollywood in the Fab 50’s, “ICONS, IDOLS and IDIOTS of Hollywood” recounts adventures with greats from Ozzie and Harriet to Elvis, Sinatra to the Beatles, Bob Hope to the Beach Boys, as four pals from Hollywood High get dropped into the fast lane of Pop music stardom while still in their teens. Riveting tales one reviewer called “. . .wild, ribald, at times poignant and always hugely entertaining.”
Heart Sets the Stage Ablaze with Epic 1977 Live Performance of ‘Magic Man’ and ‘Crazy on You’ on ‘Midnight Special’
Heart delivers electrifying renditions of both “Magic Man” and “Crazy on You” during their live performance on the iconic show ‘Midnight Special’ in the year 1977. The band’s dynamic performance captivates the audience as they flawlessly execute the two hit songs. The stage comes alive with the energy of their music, making it a truly memorable and unforgettable experience for everyone present, and now you at home.
Round Hill Music adds iconic Canadian masters catalogs to its repertoire with acquisition of Linus Entertainment
Round Hill Music LP (“Round Hill” or the “Company”), the integrated music company founded in 2010 that manages songs with a value of circa $1.2 billion, announces that it has acquired Linus Entertainment, the Canadian independent music company whose repertoire includes the music recording and publishing catalogs of Borealis Records, Mummy Dust Music Ltd, Solid Gold Records, Stony Plain Records, The Children’s Group and True North Records, as well as the distribution company Independent Digital Licensing Agency Inc (IDLA). The investment includes a catalogue of over 3,000 songs and 20,000 master recordings.
Linus Entertainment was established in 2000 by former Virgin Records A&R director and Warner Chappell Publishing Creative Director, Geoff Kulawick, and includes the exclusive rights to numerous popular rock, blues, folk, jazz and global artists’ recordings.
These include recordings from Big Wreck, the Canadian-American Rock band whose 1997 debut album reached double platinum certification; Canadian singer songwriter and Canadian Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Cockburn; Buffy Sainte-Marie, the BAFTA, Golden Globe and Academy Award winner whose songs have been recorded by Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin and Joe Cocker; Blues Rock singer songwriter Colin James, who has had several international hit singles and whose 2016 album Blue Highways spent 10 weeks at number one on the Roots Music Report’s Blues Chart; Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Gordon Lightfoot; Natalie MacMaster, the multi-time winner of Artist of the Year at the Canadian Music Awards who has had three albums reach gold certification in Canada and who has toured with Carlos Santana, the Chieftains and Faith Hill; American Blues guitarist, Ronnie Earl whose band, Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters, has released 26 albums over 40 years; folk musician and singer songwriter, Stan Rogers, who was a pioneer of Canada’s independent music scene; and triple Grammy award winning Blues musician Taj Mahal.
The acquisition, undertaken on behalf of Round Hill Music Royalty Fund III LP, continues the Company’s focus on recorded music investments. Earlier this year, Round Hill made several frontline investments in new recordings by artists such as The Record Company, Neon Trees, Candlebox, and Better Than Ezra which are due for release this year on Round Hill Records and Black Hill Records.
Josh Gruss, CEO at Round Hill Music LP said: “This investment includes some of the most celebrated music and performers to come out of Canada and supports our strategy of investing in and supporting the growth of iconic music. The opportunity Linus Entertainment presented to us was truly a one off and we are very excited to have these incredible Canadian artists included in the Round Hill stable.”
Geoff Kulawick, Founder of Linus Entertainment said: “Having built Linus Entertainment up over the past two decades, now is the right time for us to hand the reins over to a partner that we know will oversee it with passion and care. Round Hill has a strong reputation with an excellent team and we are confident that the business and, importantly, the music, is in good hands from here.”
Linus Entertainment was advised by Birchmount Capital Partners Inc, Sheppard Brown and Stikeman Elliott while Selverne Bradford PLLC acted on behalf of Round Hill Music.
CBC Music Announces Mattmac As Searchlight 2023 Winner
CBC today announced Winnipeg-based hip-hop recording artist and producer Mattmac as the Grand Prize winner of CBC MUSIC’S SEARCHLIGHT 2023 contest. Artists in every province and territory submitted an application including an original song for consideration and the panel of judges awarded the top spot to Mattmac. Mattmac entered his song “Rez (Remix)” featuring Okema & Dakota Bear, which is a re-imagining of Akon’s track “Ghetto” and will appear on his upcoming full-length album.
In addition, four acts in categories newly created for SEARCHLIGHT 2023 will receive prizes courtesy of Long & McQuade, Yangaroo music and more. The secondary prize winners include: winner of the Outstanding Country Artist category, husband and wife country duo Rosewood Ave from Matheson, ON; winner of the Outstanding Indigenous Artist category, classic garage rockers Miesha and The Spanks from Calgary; winner of the Songwriting Prize category pop-rockers Encore from Winnipeg; and 18-year-old singer-songwriter Luna Elle from Mississauga, ON takes the Top Teen category.
“Winning this means a lot to me,” said Mattmac. “From making beats in my bedroom in my mom’s house on the rez to playing shows on stages across Canada to winning CBC Music’s Searchlight. From everyone who has been supportive, to those who have been along for the journey, and to everyone who made this possible – thank you so much.”
Mattmac has captivated large audiences with his music, having garnered more than 10 million combined listens across music streaming platforms and half a million “likes” on TikTok, with one of his TikTok videos garnering 2.7 million views. At Indigenous Day Live, We Day Ottawa on Canada Day in 2017 and We Day Manitoba in 2019, Mattmac performed alongside Canadian singer and international superstar Nelly Furtado. Mattmac is the winner of Canada’s Walk of Fame RBC Emerging Musician Award for 2022, Hip-Hop Album Of the Year at the International Indigenous Hip-Hop Awards 2023, the Rap/Electronica Album Of The Year at the Summer of Solstice Indigenous Music Awards in 2021, and the winner of the Emerging Artist Award at the Canadian Radio Awards.
As part of the Grand Prize, Mattmac will take part in the Allan Slaight JUNO Master Class talent development program, receive a residency at the National Music Centre in Calgary, a Yangaroo Music DMDS music and video promotion package and $1,000 from Long & McQuade towards the purchase of music equipment. Full prizing details can be found at CBCMusic.ca/searchlight.
Westlife Announces Historic Spring 2024 North American Tour Westlife: The Hits Tour
Global pop superstars – and the UK & Ireland’s top-selling album group of the 21st century – Westlife today announce Westlife: The Hits Tour – A St Patrick’s Day Special, their first-ever North American tour dates in their incredible 20+ year career.
In a nod to their Irish roots, Westlife will perform their colossal catalog of hits-to-date – including “Swear It Again,” “Flying Without Wings,” “World Of Our Own,” “My Love,” “If I Let You Go,” and “Hello My Love” among countless others – with tour dates surrounding St. Patrick’s Day 2024.
In celebration of the news, Westlife – formed in 1998 and consisting of Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Shane Filan and Mark Feehily – will make their debut U.S. television performance on the No. 1 morning show Good Morning America on August 21. During the 8AM hour, they will perform their iconic 1999 debut single “Flying Without Wings,” which entered the UK charts at No. 1. They will also appear on GMA3: What You Need to Know with a performance of “Hello My Love,” the title track and lead single from their 11th studio album Hello My Love. “Hello My Love” was written specifically for Westlife by Ed Sheeran and Steve Mac.
Having heard their fans loud and clear over the years, Westlife: The Hits Tour – A St Patrick’s Day Special offers longtime North American fans the unforgettable first chance to see the band perform live closer to home. Additionally,Westlife: The Hits Tour – A St Patrick’s Day Special delivers fans of pop music an extraordinary opportunity to experience one of the world’s most successful and influential pop bands of all time.
Westlife has sold 55+ million records, earned 36 No. 1 albums, amassed 3+ billion global streams, surpassed 1 billion YouTube views and sold 5.5+ million concert tickets worldwide. The group rose to fame with their debut international self-titled studio album Westlife in 1999. They have achieved an incredible 14 UK No. 1 singles, behind only Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Westlife has received numerous accolades including one World Music Award, two Brit Awards, four MTV Awards, four Record of the Year Awards.
The global pop kings most recently launched their Wild Dreams Tour in summer 2022 performing across the UK, including a sold-out headline show at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium which was shown live in cinemas across the UK and Europe. Their most recent record, Wild Dreams, was released in November 2021 and marks the band’s 12th studio album.
Westlife: The Hits Tour – A St Patrick’s Day Special
Date City Venue
March 13, 2024 Toronto, ON Meridian Hall
March 14, 2024 Boston, MA MGM Music Hall At Fenway
March 16, 2024 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
March 18, 2024 Chicago, IL The Chicago Theatre
Exploring Love’s Dichotomy: L.A./Montreal’s Noelle Hannibal’s ‘Ain’t A Tourist’ Chronicles The Struggle Between Romance And Casualty
When searching for true love, sometimes you will come across people who just aren’t interested in it. Instead of giving you the romantic relationship you crave, they’ll try to get you to have a casual fling. The frustration of that can cause you to feel like a tourist to romantic love. Los Angeles-born, Montreal, QC-based based indie pop singer Noelle Hannibal captures this feeling well in her new single, “Ain’t A Tourist”.
The song opens with a steady drum beat that accompanies Hannibal as she firmly states that she doesn’t want a showy lover who tries to wow her. The snarl of an electric guitar kicks in as she further states her case by saying she doesn’t want to be given the same old flirty lines. By the time the chorus comes in, Hannibal is passionately singing about her desires as the electric guitar accompanies her.
“I’d rather see your side streets
Don’t wanna climb your mountains
I wanna know your secrets
Don’t need to see no fountains
I wanna hear the verses
Before I hear the chorus
If all you are is a tour guide
I ain’t a tourist”
In fact, the song was partly inspired by personal experience and a deluge of inspiration generated during the pandemic. Hannibal states, “When the pandemic hit in 2020 and we were all trapped at home, I started writing again. I realized how much I missed it. The music started to flow out of me. All my anxieties and angst, my love, my disgust…I have at least 3 albums worth of songs in my scribbly handwriting, in various notebooks, throughout my house and in my car.”
Noelle Hannibal is an award-winning actress/singer/songwriter who appeared in the film Star Trek: First Contact, she has a unique distinction of portraying the first female Vulcan on Earth. Originally from Los Angeles, Noelle made her professional theatre debut playing Crissy in Hair, then moved to Ireland to tour the country performing in both theatrical productions and concerts.
While in Dublin, she made her living as a busker which connected her with several inspirational songwriting colleagues. It was then that she began to write her own music. Noelle has recorded and performed extensively throughout both North America and Europe. She released her debut album, Somewhere in Between in 2011.
Her new EP and single, Ain’t a Tourist, produced and co-written by her dear friend Grammy Award winner, Scot Sax (Wanderlust, Bachelor Number One) and recorded in Nashville, will be released on July 28, 2023. The first single, “Changing” was released in November 2022.
From Pain to Power: Econoline Crush Makes Miraculous Comeback with Empowering Single ‘Invincible’
When you’ve been through tough times, the act of surviving and reaching a better place can feel miraculous. To experience a major hurt or loss and still find a way to move forward is a powerful feat. No one knows this more than Vancouver-based rock band Econoline Crush, who have made a triumphant return with their new single “Invincible.”
The song opens with bombastic vocals from frontman Trevor Hurst, as he sings and dares pain to come at him with everything it’s got. His vocals explode especially well in the song’s chorus, which is enhanced by the band’s bassist Troy Zak, drummer Dayvid Swart, and the late guitarist David “Ziggy” Garrison.
In fact, Ziggy was a key inspiration for this song. Hurst states, “Ziggy and I were working on songs in Los Ageles with Stephan “Flash” Sigerson almost ten years ago. Flash recorded Ziggy jamming some riffs over a rock beat one afternoon and finding some gold in the madness. Flash looped one particular riff for me to check out and see if I could vibe with it.”
Originally based in Vancouver, Econoline Crush formed in 1992 and signed with EMI Music Canada in ‘94, debuting that year with the EP, Purge. The groundbreaking band, which fused industrial music with rock at a time when “keyboards” were typically used in pop music, followed it up with the full-length Affliction in 1996, and their ultimate breakthrough, the platinum-selling The Devil You Know. 2001’s Brand New History was their final studio album for EMI.
After Trevor Hurst did a one-off EP in 2005 EP called Wanderlust, Econoline Crush returned with the new album Ignite in 2008, followed by the EP, The People Have Spoken, Vol. 1, in 2011. Both were produced independently.
When The Devil Drives is the latest album from the rock veterans, formed over 30 years ago by frontman Trevor Hurst, now the sole original member. The band’s first full-length album in over a decade, and documentary film, Flatlander, about a rocker from Brandon, Manitoba’s second career as a psychiatric nurse, will be out later this year.
Produced by one-time Miniatures frontman Ian Alexander Smith (SATE, Cassie DaSilva) and mixed by the legendary Jack Joseph Puig, two of the nine songs feature David “Ziggy” Sigmund, who played guitar in Econoline Crush from 1997-2002 and rejoined in 2010. He passed away suddenly in March 2022, just as the album was getting mixed, nothing short of “a huge personal blow” for Trevor and the music world.
The two songs they wrote together, the empowering industrial-strength rocker “Invincible” and soaring 90s Brit-pop style “Smashing Optimistic,” are the first two singles on the album. He also played bass and guitar on the tracks.
In May 2023, the band released their first single, “No Quitter”, a fiery, pulsing single that served as an ode and tribute to Garrison. It serves as the perfect lead in to “Invincible,” their follow-up single.