The isolated vocals of Chris Cornell for “Nothing Compares 2 U” stand as a poignant tribute to his remarkable talent and emotional depth. As the lead vocalist of Soundgarden and Audioslave, Cornell’s signature voice resonated with raw power and vulnerability. When stripped down to isolated vocals in his cover of Prince’s timeless classic, his voice takes center stage, baring the soulful intensity that made him an iconic figure in rock music.
My Next Read: “What’s She Like: A Memoir” By Helen O’Hara
Helen O’Hara decided she was going to be a violinist at the age of nine. Her violin was her badge of honour. She was brought up on a mix of classical and pop music, but it was pop that ruled her heart. A prodigious talent, she rose through the ranks in youth orchestras, but at seventeen she rebelled, left school and joined a progressive rock band. At twenty-one, she was back in college studying classical violin, where she was headhunted by Dexys Midnight Runners. Declining an offer from the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, she joined Dexys instead. Weeks later ‘Come On Eileen’ was number one in the UK charts.
What’s She Like provides a vivid account of the euphoric experience of recording and touring the album Too-Rye-Ay, and the tumultuous story of the making of Dexys’ masterpiece album, Don’t Stand Me Down. After Dexys disbanded in 1986, Helen started a long working relationship with Tanita Tikaram and recorded two solo instrumental albums, featuring acclaimed pianist Nicky Hopkins, before taking a break from music to raise her family. The break extended for 23 years. Once her two sons had grown, driven by forces almost beyond her control, she dusted down her violin and began the hard journey to once again make music the centre of her life, honouring the commitment she had made to herself aged nine.
Here, in her own words, she finally answers the question posed in the lead song on Don’t Stand Me Down: this is what she’s like.
Watch Mister Rogers Giving A Brilliant and Wholesome Acceptance Speech At The 1997 Emmys
During the 1997 Emmy Awards, the beloved Fred Rogers, now fondly remembered, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In a truly selfless manner, he delivered a heartfelt speech that emphasized the importance of love for one another and the significance of cherishing the memories of those we have loved and lost.
Madonna Announces Rescheduled Celebration Tour Dates
Excitement has been mounting with Madonna’s post that the North America rescheduled dates would be announced shortly. Today, Live Nation is pleased to confirm that most of the North America dates of Madonna’s Celebration Tour have been rescheduled and will take place immediately following the originally announced UK and Europe dates. Updated itinerary below. Tickets for the previously scheduled shows will be honored on the new dates. This includes all dates except Los Angeles and one date in New York due to a venue change, detailed below. Getting all shows rescheduled was the number one priority. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts a few shows noted below will be canceled. Madonna regrets the inconvenience to fans and hopes to make it up to those markets in the future.
The Celebration Tour will officially kick off with four sold out shows in London this October, followed by shows across Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands throughout the remainder of 2023. The North American leg will begin on December 13th in Brooklyn at Barclays Center.
In New York, fans holding tickets to the previously scheduled Madison Square Garden concert on August 27th, 2023, will have an exclusive opportunity to purchase tickets to the newly added Barclays Center performance on Saturday, December 16th, 2023. Tickets for the original show at MSG will be automatically refunded to the original purchaser by Monday, August 28th. Ticketmaster will then provide all affected fans with a dedicated link and a unique code based on the quality of their previous seat locations to purchase tickets to the new date at Barclays Centre. Advance sales start Tuesday, August 29th and run through Thursday, August 31st. If tickets remain, they will go on sale to the public starting Friday, September 1st at 10am ET.
In Los Angeles, fans holding tickets to the shows previously scheduled at Crypto.com Arena (9/27/23, 9/28/23, 9/30/23 & 10/01/23) and Kia Forum (1/7/24 & 1/8/24) will also have an opportunity to purchase tickets to the new Kia Forum dates prior to the public. Tickets for the original shows in Los Angeles will be automatically refunded to the original purchaser by August 28th. Ticketmaster will provide all affected fans with a dedicated link and a unique code based on the quality of their previous seat locations to purchase tickets for their specific rescheduled event. Advance tickets for all previous Los Angeles ticket holders will begin Tuesday, August 29th and run through Thursday, August 31st. Fans unable to purchase tickets to the corresponding shows will have a second presale opportunity starting Friday, September 1st through Monday, September 4th to purchase tickets to any of the five Kia Forum performances. Remaining tickets will open for public sale Tuesday, September 5th (10am PT) at Ticketmaster.com
As mentioned, due scheduling conflicts, the following shows are unfortunately canceled: July 27 in Tulsa, December 22 in Nashville, January 15 in San Francisco, January 18 in Las Vegas, and January 20 in Phoenix. Refunds for these dates will be issued at the original point of purchase.
Madonna – The Celebration Tour – UK-EUROPE
Show Date: City/Country Venue Name
10/14/2023 London, UK The O2
10/15/2023 London, UK The O2
10/17/2023 London, UK The O2
10/18/2023 London, UK The O2
10/21/2023 Antwerp, BE Sportpaleis
10/22/2023 Antwerp, BE Sportpaleis
10/25/2023 Copenhagen, DK Royal Arena
10/26/2023 Copenhagen, DK Royal Arena
10/28/2023 Stockholm, SE Tele2 Arena
11/1/2023 Barcelona, ES Palau Sant Jordi
11/2/2023 Barcelona, ES Palau Sant Jordi
11/6/2023 Lisbon, PT Altice Arena
11/7/2023 Lisbon, PT Altice Arena
11/12/2023 Paris, FR Accor Arena
11/13/2023 Paris, FR Accor Arena
11/15/2023 Cologne, DE Lanxess Arena
11/16/2023 Cologne, DE Lanxess Arena
11/19/2023 Paris, FR Accor Arena
11/20/2023 Paris, FR Accor Arena
11/23/2023 Milan, IT Mediolanum Forum
11/25/2023 Milan, IT Mediolanum Forum
11/28/2023 Berlin, DE Mercedes-Benz Arena
11/29/2023 Berlin, DE Mercedes-Benz Arena
12/1/2023 Amsterdam, NL Ziggo Dome
12/2/2023 Amsterdam, NL Ziggo Dome
12/5/2023 London, UK The O2
12/6/2023 London, UK The O2
Madonna – The Celebration Tour – 2023/2024
New Date Venue City Venue Name Rescheduled From
12/13/2023 Brooklyn Barclays Center Original Date (no change)
12/14/2023 Brooklyn Barclays Center Original Date (no change)
12/16/2023 Brooklyn Barclays Center MSG – 8/27/2023*
12/18/2023 Washington Capital One Arena Original Date (no change)
12/19/2023 Washington Capital One Arena 9/2/2023
1/8/2024 Boston TD Garden 8/30/2023
1/9/2024 Boston TD Garden 8/31/2023
1/11/2024 Toronto Scotiabank Arena 8/13/2023
1/12/2024 Toronto Scotiabank Arena 8/14/2023
1/15/2024 Detroit Little Caesars Arena 8/5/2023
1/18/2024 Montreal Bell Centre 8/19/2023
1/20/2024 Montreal Bell Centre 8/20/2023
1/22/2024 New York Madison Square Garden Arena 8/23/2023
1/23/2024 New York Madison Square Garden Arena 8/24/2023
1/25/2024 Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center 12/20/2023
1/29/2024 New York Madison Square Garden Arena 8/26/2023
2/1/2024 Chicago United Center 8/9/2023
2/2/2024 Chicago United Center 8/10/2023
2/5/2024 Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena 8/7/2023
2/8/2024 Cleveland Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 8/2/2023
2/13/2024 Saint Paul Xcel Energy Center 7/30/2023
2/17/2024 Seattle Climate Pledge Arena 7/18/2023
2/18/2024 Seattle Climate Pledge Arena 7/19/2023
2/21/2024 Vancouver Rogers Arena 7/15/2023
2/24/2024 Sacramento Golden 1 Center 1/13/2024
2/27/2024 San Francisco Chase Center 10/4/2023
2/28/2024 San Francisco Chase Center 10/5/2023
3/1/2024 Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena 10/7/2023
3/2/2024 Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena 10/8/2024
3/4/2024 Los Angeles Kia Forum Crypto.com – 9/27/23*
3/5/2024 Los Angeles Kia Forum Crypto.com – 9/28/23*
3/7/2024 Los Angeles Kia Forum Crypto.com – 9/30/23*
3/9/2024 Los Angeles Kia Forum Crypto.com – 10/01/23*
3/11/2024 Los Angeles Kia Forum Kia Forum – 1/7/24 & 1/8/24*
3/13/2024 Palm Desert Acrisure Arena 1/11/2024
3/16/2024 Phoenix Footprint Center 7/22/2023
3/19/2024 Denver Ball Arena 7/25/2023
3/24/2024 Dallas American Airlines Center 9/18/2023
3/25/2024 Dallas American Airlines Center 9/19/2023
3/28/2024 Houston Toyota Center 9/13/2023
3/29/2024 Houston Toyota Center 9/14/2023
4/1/2024 Atlanta State Farm Arena 9/5/2023
4/4/2024 Tampa Amalie Arena 9/7/2023
4/6/2024 Miami Kaseya Center 9/9/2023
4/7/2024 Miami Kaseya Center 9/10/2023
4/14/2024 Austin Moody Center 9/21/2023
4/15/2024 Austin Moody Center 9/22/2023
4/20/2024 Mexico City Palacio De Los Deportes 1/25/2024
4/21/2024 Mexico City Palacio De Los Deportes 1/27/2024
4/23/2024 Mexico City Palacio De Los Deportes 1/28/2024
4/24/2024 Mexico City Palacio De Los Deportes 1/30/2024
Cancelled Tulsa BOK Center 7/27/2023
Cancelled Nashville Bridgestone Arena 12/22/2023
Cancelled San Francisco Chase Center 1/15/2024
Cancelled Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena 1/18/2024
Cancelled Phoenix Footprint Center 1/20/2024
*Tickets for the originally scheduled performances honored at the rescheduled events. Refunds if required available at point of purchase.
Joan Osborne Releases Captivating Video For “Great American Cities,” Upcoming Album NOBODY OWNS YOU, Out September 8
Nashville, TN – Celebrated artist Joan Osborne is sharing the video for her compelling song “Great American Cities.” With an appreciation for major metropolitan centers, the video finds Osborne dancing in front of an American flag while highlighting the creativity, connectivity and joy found in our nation’s inspired meccas.
“I keep hearing TV pundits running down America’s cities,” Osborne notes. “I don’t think they spend any time in these places because if they did, they would understand how vibrant, joyful, and full of creativity America’s cities are. I visit them all regularly on tour, and they’re an essential part of what makes America strong and exciting and beautiful.”
“Great American Cities” is featured on Nobody Owns You, Osborne’s upcoming album out September 8th via her imprint Womanly Hips Records. Nobody Owns You is a collection of revealing songs as Osborne muses over the major questions in our lives. The reflective release offers deep insight into the artist’s thoughts and hopes, surrounded by a rootsy and deeply soulful sound. Pre-order Nobody Owns You HERE.
Nobody Owns You is produced by Ben Rice (Valerie June, Norah Jones), who also joins Osborne as co-writer on several tracks as well as adding banjo guitar. Renowned lap steel player Cindy Cashdollar is also featured, along with Dave Sherman on piano and Jack Petruzelli on baritone guitar. Backing vocalists Rachel Yamagata and Catherine Russell add tone and texture as they contribute harmonies throughout much of the album. Jill Sobule adds another layer of sound on the upbeat “Child of God” and the hymnlike “Lifeline.”
Nobody Owns You follows Osborne’s acclaimed Trouble & Strife, which earned raves from NPR, People, Associated Press and more. In 2022, Osborne released Radio Waves, an anthology of select performances broadcast on national airwaves since 1995.
Osborne is currently on a headline tour that will continue through December.
Throughout her 25-year, multi-Grammy nominated career, Joan Osborne has never been an artist confined to one space. She has utilized her incredible voice through her own songs while also becoming one of her generation’s finest interpreters. Osborne has shared the stage with artists ranging from Stevie Wonder and Mavis Staples to Bob Dylan and Lucinda Williams, and she continues to seamlessly blend into any genre. On Nobody Owns You, her eleventh studio album, Osborne shares her deepest thoughts on life as we know it, hoping others may find solace alongside her.
JOAN OSBORNE 2023 TOUR DATES
September 15 – Natick, MA – The Center for Arts
September 20 ¬– Hummelstown, PA – The Englewood
September 22 – Old Saybrook, CT – Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center
September 23 – Bethlehem, NH – The Colonial Theatre
September 24 – Homer, NY – Center for the Arts of Homer
September 26 – North Tonawanda, NY – Riviera Theatre
September 28 – St. Louis, MO – City Winery St. Louis
September 29 – Evanston, IL – SPACE
September 30 – Minneapolis, MN – Dakota
October 6 – Goshen, CT – Blackbear Music Fest
November 8 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
November 10 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
November 12 – Great Falls, MT – The Newberry
November 14 – Berkeley, CA – Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse
November 15 – Grass Valley, CA – Center for the Arts (Grass Valley)
November 16 – Venice, CA – The Venice West
November 18 ¬– Cincinnati, OH – Memorial Hall
November 19 – Bristol, TN – Paramount Center for the Arts
November 21 – Frankfort, KY – Grand Theatre
November 30 – Vienna, VA – The Barns at Wolf Trap
December 1 – Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theater
December 3 – Charleston, WV – Mountain Stage
December 5 – Atlanta, GA – Center Stage
December 7 – Roanoke, VA ¬– Shaftman Performance Hall at Jefferson
December 15 – Stowe, VT – Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center
December 16 – Fairfield, CT – The Warehouse
December 31 – Saratoga Springs, NY – The Saratoga City Center Ballroom
JJ Cale Announces ‘Tulsa Sound’ Limited Edition Nine Colour LP Set With Hardback Book
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of JJ Cale’s career, his first eight, iconic, albums – Naturally, Really, Okie, Troubadour, 5, Shades, Grasshopper and #8 are presented in a limited edition vinyl box set that features some of his best known songs including ‘Cocaine’, ‘Travelin’ Light’, ‘Call Me The Breeze’ and ‘After Midnight’ that will be released on 6 October.
Available to pre-order now, each album is pressed on 180g colour vinyl with the ninth bonus vinyl containing ‘The Early Years’, a collection of his 1960’s singles. All have been remastered at Abbey Road studios.
In addition to the records, this package contains a 40 page hardback book featuring rare and unseen images, essays, memorabilia and a foreword from legendary guitarist Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits.
Cale’s influence is immeasurable. As an artist he was known for being unassuming and one to actively not seek spotlight proclaiming in 2013 “… I knew what fame entailed. I tried to back off from that. I had seen some of the people I was working with forced to be careful because people wouldn’t leave them alone… “. Raised in Tulsa, he was a true innovator who wrote and recorded his own music. His innovative nature saw him use the latest recording technology – an interest that started from his years working as a sound engineer. As a result he became known as the originator of the “Tulsa Sound”, all though, when once asked about the “Tulsa Sound” he reflected… “I guess I had something to do with that, and Leon had something to do with it; Jamie Oldaker, Carl Radle – everybody’s kind of that way. Everybody knows everybody. I’ve played for two generations there. Tulsa was the kind of place you could slide in, and, ‘You want to be the leader? You be the leader tonight, you be the leader tomorrow night.’ That was the Tulsa sound, to me. It was in an attitude more than it was in music.”
He viewed his albums as “demos.” Primitively (or more accurately, eccentrically) recorded, they weren’t likely to generate hit singles; instead, his original songs spawned numerous cover versions by more established artists. Songwriting royalties provided Cale with a good living. ‘Naturally’, his debut album, alone spawned Top 40 hit ‘Crazy Mama’ (covered by The Band, Larry Carlton, Johnny Rivers, and others), ‘Call Me The Breeze’ (a hit for Lynyrd Skynyrd, also recorded by Johnny Cash) and ‘After Midnight,’ which Cale reluctantly recorded for the album after Eric Clapton had already scored a hit with it.
His inspiration is multi-generational and some of those who have covered his music include – Beck with The Flaming Lips (‘Magnolia’), Captain Beefheart (‘I Got The Same Old Blues’), Santana (‘Sensitive Kind’), Jerry Garcia (‘After Midnight’), Band of Horses (‘Thirteen Days’), Waylon Jennings (‘Louisiana Women’), Dan Auerbach (‘Don’t Go To Stranger’) – for a full list see www.jjcale.com/covers.
This collection of albums in ‘Tulsa Sound’ is an extremely influential body of work. Released between 1971 and 1983, he and his work had a profound influence on some of the best known and regarded songwriters of all time…
Speaking of Cale, Eric Clapton said – “One of the most important artists in the history of rock, quietly representing the greatest asset his country has ever had…He has been an incredible inspiration to me. His records are really minimal, light, it’s all about finesse. It’s almost like he’s whispering in your ear but you hear everything single word. I don’t know how he does it. It’s such a cunning technique.”
‘Tulsa Sound’ 9LP Box Set – Tracklist:
Naturally – Side A
Call Me The Breeze
Call The Doctor
Don’t Go To Strangers
Woman I Love
Magnolia
Clyde
Naturally – Side B
Crazy Mama
Nowhere To Run
After Midnight
River Runs Deep
Bringing It Back
Crying Eyes
Really – Side A
Lies
Everything Will Be Alright
I’ll Kiss The World Goodbye
Changes
Right Down Here
If You’re Ever In Oklahoma
Really – Side B
Ridin’ Home
Going Down
Soulin’
Playing In The Street
Mo Jo
Louisiana Women
Okie – Side A
Crying
I’ll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)
Starbound
Rock And Roll Records
The Old Man And Me
Everlovin’ Woman
Okie – Side B
Cajun Moon
I’d Like To Love You Baby
Anyway The Wind Blows
Precious Memories
Okie
I Got The Same Old Blues
Troubadour – Side A
Hey Baby
Travelin’ Light
You Got Something
Ride Me High
Hold On
Cocaine
Troubadour – Side B
I’m A Gypsy Man
The Woman That Got Away
Super Blue
Let Me Do It To You
Cherry
You Got Me On So Bad
5 – Side A
Thirteen Days
Boilin’ Pot
I’ll Make Love To You Anytime
Don’t Cry Sister
Too Much For Me
Sensitive Kind
5 – Side B
Friday
Lou-Easy-Ann
Let’s Go To Tahiti
Katy Kool Lady
Fate Of A Fool
Mona
Shades – Side A
Carry On
Deep Dark Dungeon
Wish I Had Not Said That
Pack My Jack
If You Leave Her
Shades – Side B
Mama Don’t
Runaround
What Do You Expect
Love Has Been Gone
Cloudy Day
Grasshopper – Side A
City Girls
Devil In Disguise
One Step Ahead Of The Blues
You Keep Me Hangin’ On
Downtown L.A.
Can’t Live Here
Grasshopper
Grasshopper – Side B
Drifters Wife
Don’t Wait
A Thing Going On
Nobody But You
Mississippi River
Does Your Mama Like To Reggae
Dr. Jive
#8 – Side A
Money Talks
Losers
Hard Times
Reality
Takin’ Care Of Business
#8 – Side B
People Lie
Unemployment
Trouble In The City
Teardrops In My Tequila
Livin’ Here Too
The Early Years – Side A
Dick Tracy
It’s A Go-Go Place
Outside Looking In
The Early Years – Side B
In Our Time
After Midnight
Slow Motion
My Next Read: “Kick Out the Jams: Jibes, Barbs, Tributes, and Rallying Cries from 35 Years of Music Writing” By Dave Marsh
Spanning three decades worth of astute, acerbic, and overall astounding music writing, Kick Out the Jams is the first large-scale anthology of the work of renowned critic Dave Marsh. Ranging from Elvis Presley to Kurt Cobain, from Nina Simone to Ani DiFranco, from the Beatles to Green Day, the book gives an opinionated, eye-opening overview of 20th century popular music—offering a portrait not just of an era but of a writer wrestling with the American empire.
Every essay bears the distinct Dave Marsh attitude and voice. That passion is evident in a heart-wrenching piece on Cobain’s suicide and legacy; a humorous attack on “Bono’s bullshit;” an indignant look at James Brown and the FBI; deep, revelatory probes into the work of underappreciated artists like Patty Griffin and Alejandro Escovedo; and inspiring insight into what drives Marsh as a writer, namely “a raging passion to explain things in the hope that others would not be trapped and to keep the way clear so that others from the trashy outskirts of barbarous America still had a place to stand—if not in the culture at large, at least in rock and roll.”
If you want to explore the recent history of pop music—its politics as well as its performers—Kick Out the Jams is the perfect guidebook.
Tangerine Dream Head To North America For Full Tour This Fall
Electronic music pioneers Tangerine Dream will head to North America this fall for a full US/Canada tour. The band are well-known for their innovative music, which inspired the hugely popular EDM genre, among others. The band has over 60 film credits, including soundtracks for “Risky Business”, “Firestarter”, “Thief” and “Vision Quest”. The band composed the soundtrack for “Grand Theft Auto V”, the 3rd most successful video game of all time, with 175+ million units sold.
Founded by Edgar Froese in 1967, Tangerine Dream were formative in the genre of electronic music, with long instrumental tracks based on synthesizer and sequencer sounds, later known as “Berlin School” and “Kosmische Musik.”
Their groundbreaking record ‘Phaedra’, released in 1974, reached gold status in the UK, and it was also the band’s first hit album on the Virgin Records label to whom they had recently signed. The recording became a milestone in electronic music. Over the last 50 years, the band has released more than 100 studio albums, created over 60 film scores, and were nominated for a Grammy seven times.
After Edgar Froese’s death in 2015, Tangerine Dream’s line-up now consists of Thorsten Quaeschning, Hoshiko Yamane, and Paul Frick. The subsequent albums ‘Quantum’ Gate and ‘Raum’ are based on Edgar Froese’s musical sketches and ideas.
Tour Dates:
Sep 08, 2023 – Miami (FL), Miami Beach Bandshell
Sep 11, 2023 – Asheville (NC), Orange Peel
Sep 12, 2023 – Atlanta (GA), Centre Stage
Sep 13, 2023 – Dallas (TX), Ferris Wheelers
Sep 14, 2023 – Austin (TX), Empire Garage
Sep 16, 2023 – Albuquerque (NM), El Rey
Sep 17, 2023 – Tucson (AZ), Rialto Theatre
Sep 18, 2023 – San Diego (CA), The Magnolia
Sep 19, 2023 – Los Angeles (CA), The Vermont
Sep 20, 2023 – San Francisco (CA), Regency Ballroom
Sep 22, 2023 – Portland (OR), Revolution Hall
Sep 24, 2023 – Vancouver (BC), rickshaw Theatre
Sep 25, 2023 – Seattle (WA), The Neptune
Sep 27, 2023 – Philadelphia (PA), Keswick Theatre
Sep 29, 2023 – Washington (DC), Lincoln Theatre
Sep 30, 2023 – Queens (NY), Knockdown Centre
Oct 01, 2023 – Montreal (PQ), Olympia – Pop Montreal
Oct 02, 2023 – Toronto (ON), Opera House
Oct 05, 2023 – Chicago (IL), Metro
Kevin Drew Announces New Solo Album, Shares Two New Singles
Broken Social Scene’s co-founder and front man Kevin Drew is thrilled to announce his most vulnerable, minimal solo album to date – Aging – set for release on Arts & Crafts this fall. A physical version of the album will be released on September 22; a full digital version of the album will be released on November 3. Aging’s sonic profile sits in a similar place as beloved Broken Social Scene songs like “Lover’s Spit” and “The Sweetest Kill” – beautifully dark, richly melodic, and tinted with shades of melancholy and longing.
Where other Kevin Drew songs throughout his vast and incredible catalog – both with BSS and as a solo artist – lean into the exuberant fist-pump of being alive, Aging is an album best played at the end of the night; a collection for the stragglers left when the bar is about to close; a serenade for those who are coming down; songs that are quietly sad but ultimately ruminative and comforting.
Influenced by the passing of friends and mentors, as well as the health scares of friends and family, Aging brings together songs written over a decade marked by the signifiers of midlife – love, loss, and illness – all while wrestling with the hard truths of aging: How do you deal with the blunt-force impact of loss? What does it mean to look and feel different than you did before?
Two songs from the album – “Out In The Fields” and “Party Oven” can be heard now.
Aging was the inevitable title of Drew’s meditative new record – because he was living everything that comes with it. Compared to his shambolic solo debut Spirit If (2007), with its 23-piece band and romantic musings, to the black-light synth-pop-tinged Darlings (2014) and its carnal obsessions, Aging’s collection of minimalist piano ballads is more contemplative than anything Drew has released before.
The themes that have preoccupied much of Drew’s two-decades-long career are still present – the power of love, resisting apathy, the pursuit of connection – but the subject matter once exclaimed with the youthful fervor of a wide-eyed idealist now carries the weight of someone trying to make sense of the world in the throes of grief.
In 2021, Drew found himself at The Tragically Hip’s Bathouse studio near Kingston, Ont. where he had been making records for the last decade. The initial goal was to make a children’s album, but as Drew and longtime collaborator Nyles Spencer started recording, they found themselves working towards an album about getting older, pulling from a collection of songs that fit together sonically and thematically. “Pain is a hard thing to let go until you’re ready,” Drew explains. “And that’s kind of where I was at with this record. Music, for me, is a release – it’s a place where I can go and express what it is that I want to say.”
Aging finds the typically declarative Drew asking more questions than ever; late-night ruminations make up the beating heart of Aging. Even the most hopeful songs on the album sound less like a diagnosis of the times than a distressed recognition – the voice of someone who has imparted advice to people for years accepting that they may not have listened. There are times when it’s hard to know whether Drew is singing these songs to someone else or to himself. So much of the record is expressed outwardly to an audience – but given the sadness and loss at the core of the album, it’s possible these songs have become mantras for himself.
When he sings ‘I think you’re gonna get better / I think you’ll be back on your feet soon’ on the closing track, it’s as likely that he’s providing comfort to the listener as much as to himself. Indeed, therein lies the humility and vulnerability of Aging – an artist that has spent 20 years making empowering music and asking audiences to take care of each other is using the very same medium to take care of himself.
In addition to the release of Aging, Drew has compiled a collection of self-portraits and free verse “puke poems” into a 75-page book titled Towards Everything. The book will be available to purchase with pre-orders of the new record. Kevin Drew will be playing parts of Aging throughout this fall’s forthcoming Broken Social Scene tour.
Post Malone’s Tiny Desk Concert Was Astonishing
Post Malone’s unexpected yet enchanting performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert offered a fresh glimpse into the multifaceted artist’s musical universe. Stripped of the grandeur of arenas and elaborate production, Post Malone’s raw talent took center stage in an intimate setting.