All photos taken by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her through Instagram or Twitter
Photo Gallery: City and Colour with Katie Tupper at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage
Frank Zappa’s Legendary 1973 Album ‘Over-Nite Sensation’ Fully Gets 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition
In 1973, Frank Zappa and The Mothers were once again on the move. Coming off a year laden with a pair of well-lauded high watermarks — July 1972’s jazz-fusiony solo masterstroke Waka/Jawaka and November 1972’s big-band Mothers progression The Grand Wazoo — Zappa wanted to next convene another revised Mothers collective, rethink some long-throw compositional tracts, and begin exploring the differences inherent in the form and function of his songwriting. In turn, Zappa also decided to bring his own singing voice more to the lead vocal fore than ever before, as well as refine the scope of his guitar playing.
And thus, September 1973’s Over-Nite Sensation was born. A stone cold classic, Over-Nite Sensation has long been viewed by both the cognoscenti and layman as being a gateway album entry into the Zappaverse at large, serving as a mighty grand place to enter into the breach along with his follow-up March 1974 solo release, Apostrophe(‘). It was also the first album by Zappa to be released in Quadraphonic surround sound, an ever-evolving sonic medium Zappa would continue to explore throughout his career on the cutting edge.
Not only did Over-Nite Sensation signal a change in musical direction for The Mothers at large, but Zappa handled the bulk of the lead vocal duties and staked his claim as the album’s only guitarist. It was a new band with a new sound that resonated widely, eventually going gold in 1976. Over the ensuing years, almost every song on Over-Nite Sensation became indelible live staples and longstanding fan favorites, with “I’m The Slime,” “Fifty-Fifty,” “Zomby Woof,” and “Camarillo Brillo” immediately making their respective presences known in the setlist. In the here and now, 50 years on, Over-Nite Sensation remains both one of the top-tier highlights of the vast Zappa catalog as well as one of his most consistent bestsellers.
In celebration of 50 years of Over-Nite Sensation, a newly expanded 50th anniversary edition will be released on November 3 via Zappa Records/UMe/Universal Music Canada in a variety of formats, including a five-disc (4CD/1Blu-ray Audio) Super Deluxe Edition that showcases 88 tracks in total, featuring 57 previously unreleased tracks and mixes. Produced and compiled by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, this new, expanded collection titled Over-Nite Sensation: 50th Anniversary Edition, boasts the 2012 remaster of the original album by Bob Ludwig, along with additional unreleased masters, highlights, and mix outtakes from the original 1973 sessions mastered by John Polito. Also included are two completely unreleased live concert recordings from 1973 showcasing the same band that recorded the classic album — one show captured at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, and the other recorded at Cobo Hall in Detroit. The Blu-ray contains the core album newly remixed in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround sound by Karma Auger and Erich Gobel at Studio1LA, the same team behind the acclaimed Dolby Atmos and surround mixes of 2022’s Waka/Wazoo release, plus it offers Zappa’s original 4-channel Quadraphonic mix (available again for the first time since 1973) as well as the hi-res stereo 2012 remaster at both 24-bit/192kHz and 24-bit/96kHz. The lavish, Super Deluxe Edition box is rounding out with a 48-page booklet and unseen photos from the album cover shoot by Sam Emerson, along with liner notes and new essays by noted audiophile journalist Mark Smotroff and Travers.
Beginning today, fans can hear a previously unreleased take of “Fifty-Fifty” (Basic Tracks, Take 7),” recorded in April/May 1973 at Whitney Studios. The decidedly funky rendition, presented without vocals, allows the high caliber musicianship to be heard in all its glory.
In addition to the Super Deluxe Edition box set, there will be two separate vinyl releases: a 2LP 180-gram black audiophile vinyl reissue with the album cut at 45 rpm for the first time ever from the original analog tape by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering in 2023 and a bonus 24” x 12” poster of the complete cover art and a limited edition 3LP deluxe color vinyl version pressed on clear vinyl with 4-color splatter with the album cut at 45 rpm on LPs 1 & 2 and a third LP with 35 minutes of bonus tracks culled from the box set, cut at 33 1/3 rpm by Bellman. The limited edition color pressing, which will also include the bonus 24” x 12” poster of the cover art, is available to pre-order now exclusively at Zappa.com, uDiscover Music and Sound of Vinyl.
Additionally, the Super Deluxe Edition will be available digitally, with all 88 tracks available in both hi-res 24-bit/96kHz and standard-res 16-bit/44.1kHz options. A standalone Dolby Atmos mix of the core album’s seven tracks will also be available on all major hi-res streaming services.
The new group of Mothers heard on Over-Nite Sensation was comprised of virtuoso musicians rooted in jazz (keyboardist George Duke, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, drummer Ralph Humphrey, and trumpeter Sal Marquez) and serious music (wind instrumentalist Ian Underwood and percussionist Ruth Underwood) alike, all polished off with the Fowler brothers duly in tow (with Bruce Fowler on trombone, and Tom Fowler on bass). As a result, the instrumentation of this aurally palpable Mothers lineup was akin to having a mini orchestra in a rock format — and Zappa utilized them brilliantly, crafting arrangements for existing material like “Cosmik Debris” and “Montana” in addition to writing a large number of new compositions to maximize their strengths.
The recording sessions at Bolic Sound and Whitney Studios were sweetened by the addition of some now-iconic guest vocalists. The truly crazy, over-the-top vocal stylings of Ricky Lancelotti catapulted songs like “Fifty-Fifty” and “Zomby Woof” into the stratosphere. For his part, Kin Vassy (of Kenny Rogers and The First Edition) added numerous, tasty tidbits all throughout. But perhaps the most legendary guest turns of them all would be those by Tina Turner and The Ikettes. With Zappa tracking at Ike Turner’s Bolic Sound studio in Inglewood, Calif., it only seemed logical that Tina and Frank’s paths would eventually cross. Although famously uncredited, Tina and The Ikettes’ background vocals were draped all throughout the record and are undeniably unique —and spot-on perfect. If you dropped the needle on Over-Nite Sensation for the first time in 1973, it was immediately apparent something new, different, and exciting was happening in Zappa’s ever-expanding musical universe. The material was funky, funny, challenging, and mighty — and, yes, even more accessible than his output of the prior few years.
Over-Nite Sensation went through several sequencing options over the course of early June, at one point incorporating instrumental songs like “Inca Roads” (which ultimately soared in revised and vocalized form on June 1975’s One Size Fits All) and “RDNZL” (a version of which eventually surfaced on September 1978’s Studio Tan). “Wonderful Wino,” finally released 23 years later on The Lost Episodes CD in 1996, was also a contender. Over-Nite Sensation was completed at Paramount Studios in Hollywood with engineer Kerry McNabb before the band departed for Hawaii and Australia, and the album masters were turned in to the label in July. Disc 1 of the set includes these three compositions as “Bonus Session Masters,” with “Wonderful Wino” presented as a “Complete Edit” in its 1973 vintage mix mixed by Zappa and McNabb, an unreleased 1973 vintage mix of “RDNZL” that contains Zappa’s guitar solo which was missing from the version released on The Lost Episodes, and a newly mixed “Inca Roads” which was mixed in 2023 from the 16-track master after Sal Marquez’s vocals and trumpet tracks were rediscovered warranting the new mix.
Zappa and The Mothers hit the road in full force in 1973 by touring auditoriums, theaters, and college venues, looking to tap into a new audience as well as cater to the hardcores. These concerts would primarily consist of new compositions blended with some rearranged older tunes — an approach that was very typical for Zappa, who always prioritized the new. You can hear some of those immediate results via the 27 previously unreleased live tracks included from the above-noted Hollywood and Detroit shows. On March 23 at the Hollywood Palladium, fans got early tastes of the “sort-of” guru blues of “Cosmik Debris” and the sleazy, slow-rolling funky grease of “Curse Of The Zomboids (I’m The Slime).” Nary a few months later on May 12 at Cobo Hall in Detroit, the odds-busting, horn-driven instrumental sneer of “Fifty-Fifty” and the “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow,” “Nanook Rubs It,” and “St. Alphonzo’s Pancake Breakfast” troika medley were all served up with patented Zappa narrative aplomb.
Over-Nite Sensation indeed opened new commercial doors for Frank Zappa, but the maestro himself would not be sucked down into the corporate conformity ooze as he continued following his own muse all throughout the 1970s, and beyond. This 50th anniversary Super Deluxe Edition of Over-Nite Sensation puts an expanded stamp on all the visceral, tall-in-the-saddle tales recounting the finer points of dental floss farming, mindless video drones, and poncho-wearing lotharios — all of it acting as a pretext for what was to come, not to mention cementing the odds that Zappa still had lots more to say.
FRANK ZAPPA: OVER-NITE SENSATION 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS
Tracklists
4CD + 1BLU-RAY AUDIO SUPER DELUXE EDITION
CD 1
Over-Nite Sensation – The Album
Camarillo Brillo
I’m The Slime
Dirty Love
Fifty-Fifty
Zomby Woof
Dinah-Moe Humm
Montana
Bonus Session Masters
Wonderful Wino (Complete Edit)*
Inca Roads (1973 Version, 2023 Mix)*
RDNZL (1973 Mix)*
For The Young Sophisticate (Dolby EQ Copy)
I’m The Slime (Single Version)
Montana (Single Edit With Intro)
Bonus Vault Sensations
Inca Roads (Bolic Take-Home Mix)*
RDNZL (Take 2)*
X-Forts (Echidna’s Arf (Of You))*
CD 2
Bonus Vault Sensations
Continued
Camarillo Brillo (Alternate Mix)*
Face Down (I’m The Slime – Demo)*
I’m The Slime (Basic Track Outtake)*
Dirty Love (Session Rehearsal)*
Dirty Love (With Quad Guitar)*
Fifty-Fifty – Pipe Organ Intro Improvisations*
Fifty-Fifty (Basic Tracks, Take 7)*
Dinah-Moe Humm (Session Rehearsal)*
Dinah-Moe Humm (Bolic Take-Home Mix)*
Montana (Bolic Take-Home Mix)*
Live In Hollywood, California, Hollywood Palladium – March 23, 1973
Montana*
Dupree’s Paradise (Intro)*
Dupree’s Paradise*
CD 3
Live In Hollywood, California, Hollywood Palladium – March 23, 1973
Continued
Cosmik Debris*
“The Dynamic Sal Marquez!”*
Big Swifty*
“…The Successor To Willie The Pimp”*
The Curse Of The Zomboids (I’m The Slime)*
Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing?*
FZ & The Percussion Section*
Palladium Jam – Part 1*
Palladium Jam – Part 2*
CD 4
Live In Detroit, Michigan, Cobo Hall – May 12, 1973
Cobo Hall ’73 Band Intros And Sound Check*
Exercise #4*
Dog Breath*
The Dog Breath Variations*
Uncle Meat*
Fifty-Fifty*
Inca Roads*
FZ Introduces the Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow Medley*
Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow*
Nanook Rubs It*
St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast*
Father O’Blivion*
St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast (Reprise)*
Join The March*
Cosmik Debris*
Medley: King Kong/Chunga’s Revenge/Son Of Mr. Green Genes*
BLU-RAY AUDIO
Over-Nite Sensation – The Album
Dolby Atmos* / Dolby TrueHD 5.1* / Dolby TrueHD 1973 Quadraphonic / 24-bit/192kHz Stereo / 24-bit/96kHz Stereo
Camarillo Brillo
I’m The Slime
Dirty Love
Fifty-Fifty
Zomby Woof
Dinah-Moe Humm
Montana
* Previously unreleased
2LP – 45 RPM VINYL EDITION
LP One – Side 1
Camarillo Brillo
I’m The Slime
LP One – Side 2
Dirty Love
Fifty-Fifty
LP Two – Side 3
Zomby Woof
Dinah-Moe Humm
LP Two – Side 4
Montana
3LP DELUXE EDITION
Over-Nite Sensation – The Album
LP One – Side 1 (45 rpm)
Camarillo Brillo
I’m The Slime
LP One – Side 2 (45 rpm)
Dirty Love
Fifty-Fifty
LP Two – Side 3 (45 rpm)
Zomby Woof
Dinah-Moe Humm
LP Two – Side 4 (45 rpm)
Montana
Vault Sensations
LP Three – Side 5 (33-1/3 rpm)
Wonderful Wino (Complete Edit)*
Inca Roads (1973 Version, 2023 Mix)*
RDNZL (1973 Mix)*
For The Young Sophisticate (Dolby EQ Copy)
I’m The Slime (Single Version)
LP Three – Side 6 (33-1/3 rpm)
Montana (Live in Hollywood, California – March 23, 1973)*
Face Down (I’m The Slime Demo)*
Camarillo Brillo (Alternate Mix)*
Dirty Love (With Quad Guitar)*
* Previously unreleased
DOLBY ATMOS – DIGITAL
Over-Nite Sensation – The Album
Camarillo Brillo
I’m The Slime
Dirty Love
Fifty-Fifty
Zomby Woof
Dinah-Moe Humm
Montana
Rising Nunavut-Based Rapper Ehski Releases Debut Album “Final Legacy”
Nunavut rapper, Ehski, is bursting onto the hip hop scene with his debut album, Final Legacy. The 11-track album was released across streaming platforms on August 25, 2023.
The creation of Final Legacy was inspired during Ehski’s time in the 2021-2022 Ajungi Mentorship Program, created by Iqaluit-based record label, Hitmakerz, and sponsored by FACTOR. Going into the mentorship, Ehski had songs ready to record, but the program gave him the tools to make the album a reality. He received one-on-one mentoring sessions about performance skills, production, music business, entertainment law, and marketing before recording his album in October 2022.
Ehski mixes gritty hip hop beats with honest lyrics about resilience, his community, and his own life story. His lyrics are written in both English and Inuktitut. The album aims to remind people that everyone faces challenges – and everyone can overcome them.
“I want people to know they’re not alone. I am also here fighting against my problems,” said Ehski. “I want them to know that they’re not alone: they can speak with their friends, trusted family, or even a stranger that is willing to listen such as a therapist, counselor, psychologist, or a doctor.”
Final Legacy was produced by Tev Bourque of Tev Sound (Brenda Montana, Birdie Whyte, John Carroll) and was recorded at Bourque’s studio in Ottawa. It includes features from Thor Simonsen and Shauna Seeteenak. The album was released through Hitmakerz and distributed by CD Baby. Financial support was provided by the Government of Nunavut.
While Final Legacy is Ehski’s first album, his original song “Inuurama (I Am a Person)” was previously featured on the 2019 Ajungi compilation album. In 2018, he opened for his late cousin and JUNO-nominated artist, Kelly Fraser, at a performance.
Originally from Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, Ehski started making music at 13 years old. He comes from a Christian family, where many of his relatives sing gospel, but he’s the first of his family to rap. When Ehski was 16 years old, he went to Young Offenders in Iqaluit. There, he began writing poems and lyrics as a way to stay busy and support his emotional wellbeing. It was also through writing lyrics that Ehski improved his English.
“[Music] helps me mentally, spiritually, emotionally, where it can lead me somewhere physically that is destined for me,” said Ehski.
Final Legacy is available to stream now across platforms. To keep up with Ehski, check out his Facebook page or visit his website.
Selena Gomez Returns With A New Pop Anthem “Single Soon”
– Today, GRAMMY®-nominated, multi-Platinum recording artist Selena Gomez released her highly anticipated new song “Single Soon” via Interscope Records/Universal Music Canada. As Gomez continues to work on the follow up to her critically praised album “Rare,” she wanted to give her fans a fun end of the summer song to enjoy as they’ve been patiently waiting for new music from the multi-hyphenate Gomez. Produced by benny blanco and Cashmere Cat, “Single Soon” is available to listen to HERE.
Directed by Philip Andelman, the video for “Single Soon” made its global broadcast premiere on MTV Live, MTVU, and across MTV’s global network of channels, as well as on the Paramount Times Square billboards.
“Single Soon” comes on the heels of Gomez’s No. 1 smash hit “Calm Down” with Rema which reached the No.1 position on Billboard’s Global chart as well as No.1 at Top 40, Rhythm, Urban and Hot AC. “Calm Down” was recently certified triple-platinum by RIAA.
Skylark’s Classic ‘Wildflower’ Celebrates 50th Anniversary; Canadian Music Pioneer BJ COOK Still Rockin At 81
2023 marks the 50th anniversary of Skylark’s Wildflower, the classic Canadian love ballad that endures genres and generations like sidewalk chamomile with over 100 covers and sample versions to become one of the most beloved and performed songs in the history of Canadian pop music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MJ8flVWL1I
“Let her cry for she’s a lady, let her dream for she’s a child…” This tender refrain is recognized around the world, and though written and most often sung by men, the song owes its enduring success in large part to three women: BJ Cook was the force that envisioned and formed the band Skylark and midwifed its record deal; CKLW Program Director Rosalie Tremblay picked Wildflower as a hit and ensured its release as a single; and music publisher Valley Hennell has protected the copyright for half a century.
BJ Cook and David Foster are two surviving members of the original Skylark band: guitarist/composer Doug Edwards, vocalist Donny Gerrard, bassist Steve Pugsley, drummer Duris Maxwell, B3 player Robbie King, bg vocalist Bobby Taylor and lyricist Dave Richardson have all passed. While Foster went on the worldwide acclaim, it was BJ who assembled the Skylark players and secured the Capitol Records deal that launched both the song and Foster’s career. To this day Foster includes Wildflower in his Hitman concerts and tips his hat to BJ as the root of his success. (Musicians Brian Hilton, Norm McPherson, John Verner and Allan Mix later toured with Skylark during its brief performing sojourn.)
When she met David, BJ Cook was already a pioneer in the nascent BC music scene. In the ‘60s she honed her craft as a showgirl and singer in clubs and bars in Vancouver, opening for stars like Johnny Cash, Della Reese, Marty Robbins and Nancy Wilson, touring with Spanky and Our Gang and The Delights, and fronting her own band Sweet Beaver before joining Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks in Toronto. There she joined forces with a much younger David Foster, and in 1971 when Ronnie fired Foster for “looking like a cadaver on stage”, they moved back to Vancouver and founded Skylark. It was BJ’s connections that led to the recording deal with Capitol Records and a move to LA. When after two albums, the birth of daughter Amy Skylark Foster and a divorce, they went their separate ways, BJ stayed in the biz, working as a PA for Jaye P Morgan and co-writing with Michael McDonald, Brenda Russell, and Bill Champlin. With her longtime collaborator Domenic Troiano she wrote the theme for Night Heat, Air Waves and Hot Shots. At age 81 she is still rockin’ in Victoria, BC.
So how did a poem written by a young policeman (Dave Richardson) for his nurse girlfriend in Victoria Canada, set to music by a musician he had never met (guitarist Doug Edwards) and recorded in a classic first take by an unknown Canadian band (Skylark) launch the career of one of the world’s best-known producers (David Foster) and become beloved around the globe? Wildflower is a one hit wonder whose success is an unlikely tale of luck, pluck, timing and tenacity. The song almost didn’t get written, recorded or released. The title does not appear in the song’s lyric. It defied all odds and broke every rule to become a pop and soul standard.
After the first two singles fizzled, Capitol Records released Wildflower in February 1973 as the third Skylark single at the insistence of hit maker Rosalie Trombley at CKLW Windsor. it went to #1 on the Canadian adult contemporary charts and in May 1973 peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on RPM singles chart.
That same year 1973 saxophonist Hank Crawford (Ray Charles’ musical director) released an instrumental version (on an album entitled Wildflower) which decades later was sampled by 2pac Shakur (Shorty Wanna Be A Thug), Kanye West (Drive Slow), Drake (Miss Me) and recently by young UK rapper Central Cee (Retail Therapy). In 2005 Jamie Foxx sampled the New Birth version in his mega hit Unpredictable.
By the time Skylark released its second album in 1974 (which also included Wildflower) the song had been covered by Johnny Mathis, the New Birth, Jimmy Smith and the O’Jays. It went on to be covered by countless artists including Colour Me Badd, The Neville Brothers, Lisa Fischer, Gary Morris and Blake Sheldon to become one of the most performed songs in Canadian pop music, with over one hundred covers and compilations and dozens of sample versions. It was the only English song on Canto-pop superstar Sandy Lam’s 1991 classic Cantonese album entitled Wildflower.
Wildflower continues to be sung at weddings, graduations and funerals and at the Olympics, and was featured in Gangstresses, a film about prostitution, as the soundtrack for a video counselling US veterans with PTSD; and on New York Undercover (now rebooted) whose writers didn’t know it was written by a cop. Sung in English by Journey lead singer Arnel Pineda, it’s the theme song for a 200 episode Tagalog Filipino revenge drama entitled Wildflower now on Netflix. This year it was sampled by Muslim hip hop artist Siya in her song Together.
Wildflower has been honoured with SOCAN Classic and Crystal Awards and a BMI Millionaire’s Award. In 2011 it was inducted into Canadian Song Writers Hall of Fame.
David Foster in LA and BJ Cook in Victoria are the sole remaining surviving original members of Skylark—Doug Edwards, Steve Pugsley, Duris Maxwell, Robbie King, lyricist Dave Richardson and vocalist Donny Gerrard have all passed on but the music will live on forever.
Unmissable Indie Gem: Vicky von Vicky’s Latest Release ‘Not The Man’ Elevates Toronto’s Music Scene
When you need a song you’re not going to skip, and when you’re seeking a band you’re not going to want to simply pass over – then you’re looking for Vicky von Vicky and their latest drop, “Not The Man.”
The Toronto-based four piece, featuring Michael Wynn on guitar and vocals, Paul Pasanen on drums, Rolston Miller on bass, and Tom Nesbitt on guitar, are officially back. And they’re on the indie circuit with new music and a renewed focus on songwriting and collaboration.
Vicky von Vicky formed in the late ’90s featuring former members of Kingston’s Trains of Winter. The group recorded and released two albums – their eponymous debut in 1998, followed by Farmers & Artists in 2001. After a lengthy hiatus, the band decided to reunite in 2019 and are eager to unveil fresh music and forge new connections with people who like listening to something just a little different. And they’re leading that charge with their release “Not The Man”.
“The song itself is about a relationship, which may or may not be one-sided in the narrator’s mind,” explains Wynn, going on to add: “It touches on the roller coaster ride of not knowing how another person feels, etc. especially at the beginning of some sort of connection. And not being able to think about anything else but that person.”
A fan of lyrical quirkiness from that of the Pixies and Velvet Underground, Wynn says he’s “always been attracted to the Springsteen-style of songwriting, where you develop characters and a story, largely fictional, that is drawn from personal experiences. I usually like to put some sort of twist on it, too, like the Pixies would. And for myself, somewhat ironically, when it comes to writing ‘happy-pop’ songs I tend to go the ‘breakup song’ route.”
The result is “Not The Man”, an up-beat, indie rock anthem Wynn had tinkered out by September of 2022. “I knew the chorus would be hard to forget once you had heard it a few times, as I myself was not able to get it out of my head,” Wynn recalls, adding: “I immediately knew this was something I wanted to put out and record.”
Produced by Nixon Boyd of Hollerado, Wynn recorded his newly minted tracks between Boyd’s Orillia-based studio, Simcoe Mechanical, and Banquet Sound in Toronto. After completion earlier this year, Vicky von Vicky collectively decided to release the music as a reunited group.
“Being someone who has played in various bands for the last few decades, I was asking myself, ‘why am I still creating music?’” reflects Wynn. “However, I soon realized it’s something I need to do, it’s in my DNA, the process is just something that is therapeutic and that satisfies my soul and makes me happy.”
And the band is prepared to leave both their legacy fans and new listeners happy. Vicky von Vicky are “Not The Man”, but absolutely the band you’ll fall in love with all over again.
Whitney Lyman’s Latest Single ‘There Is No Rule’ Inspires Unapologetic Pursuit of Happiness
Some people say that life is a party and part of the reason for that is a desire to live life to the fullest. In her newest single, “There Is No Rule”, Seattle, WA-born, Los Angeles, CA-based pop singer Whitney Lyman encourages listeners to have fun while doing whatever makes them happy.
“There is No Rule” is the first single off Lyman’s upcoming album Love Spell, slated for an early 2024 release.
Production wise and lyrically, the song has influences that are reminiscent of Pink’s “God Is A DJ”. The song opens with a funky bass groove as Lyman sings and urges the listener to stoke their inner fire and do whatever they want.
By the time the chorus comes in, the bass groove takes on a slight pop-rock vibe that makes the listener want to dance. Lyman’s lyrics do the same as she sings and tells the listener to let loose and enjoy themselves.
“Don’t ever fit inside the lines that somebody drew
There is no single road to find
There is no rule
(There is no rule)
If it makes you feel good
(There is no rule)
Even better than it should
Where the vibes are high as Snoop
Like dinner on the roof”
Lyman states that the song is partly inspired by her own desire to make something more lighthearted after moving to Los Angeles, California just before 2020 and then Palm Springs. “Earlier this year I had a chance to do a songwriting session with Jan Vávra from Czech Republic. He came out to my studio in Palm Springs, after hours of LA traffic. After a dip in the pool and some sparkling Rosé to refresh, together we decided to write a song that captured the vibe.”
Whitney Lyman, a multi-instrumentalist, has performed with standout Emerald City projects Pollens, the Seattle Rock Orchestra and Theoretics, and on Jimmy Kimmel Live! as a featured vocalist with Grammy-nominated act Odesza. She released her debut solo record, Pleasure/Pain, in May 2018.
Equal parts spiritual and forlorn introspection, the album was recorded at the famed London Bridge Studios and features myriad instrumentalists including the Grammy-winning violinist, Andrew Joslyn. It received acclaim from outlets like King5 News and Artist Home.
Whitney Lyman will be performing as a featured showcase artist at Mastering the Music Business in Bucharest, Romania September 5-7, 2023. MMB, founded in 2016, is the first and biggest international music business conference and showcase festival in Romania. Dedicated to all music enthusiasts, MMB is the place where both independent artists and key music business professionals are offered the opportunity to meet with leading experts in the local and international industry.
Bob Dylan Center Songwriter Fellowship Applications Are Now Open
The Bob Dylan Center and Universal Music Publishing Group, the world’s leading music publishing company, have joined forces to launch the Bob Dylan Center Songwriter Fellowship. To be awarded to two recipients annually, the Fellowship was created to mentor and develop aspiring songwriters in association with the tremendous educational resources of the Bob Dylan Center.
Each Fellowship encompasses a $40,000 project stipend, public engagement and presentation opportunities, dedicated time in BDC’s Bob Dylan Archive® to study Dylan’s creative process, roundtrip airfare to Tulsa and accommodations in the city, mentorship from UMPG songwriters and executives, and recording time in Tulsa’s historic The Church Studio, the famous studio of Leon Russell.
In addition to being reviewed by BDC and UMPG executives, annual Fellowship recipients will be selected by a global panel of renowned and esteemed artists, including: French singer and songwriter Juliette Armanet; American singer and songwriter Patty Griffin; American singer and songwriter John Mellencamp; Mexican singer and songwriter Carla Morrison; and American rapper and songwriter Nas.
Applications are now open for the 2024 Fellowship and due Oct. 18, 2023. The Fellowship will run from May 2024 through April 2025.
In order to complete the application, click the Apply Now button and create a SlideRoom account.
For more about the Bob Dylan Center, click here. Apply here.
National Music Centre Names Participants of 2023 OHSOTO’KINO Music Incubator for Indigenous Artists
The National Music Centre (NMC) is pleased to announce Dani Lion, Fawn and Dallas, Frannie Klein, J. Otis, and LJ Tyson as the Indigenous musicians selected to participate in the OHSOTO’KINO Music Incubator program, which will run next month at Studio Bell, and culminate in a live showcase on September 14 at the King Eddy.
Hailing from the Saik’uz First Nation in B.C., Dani Lion (a.k.a. Danielle Mueller) is a Dakelh Dene and Secwepemc performing artist, audio engineer, and music producer based out of Vancouver.
Fawn Wood and Dallas Waskahat who perform together as Fawn and Dallas are a powwow and round dance duo hailing from the Frog Lake First Nation in Treaty 6. Wood’s singing reflects her Cree and Salish tribal lineage, and she has won many accolades for her traditional music including a spot in NMC’s Speak Up! exhibition in 2023. Dallas Waskahat is a singer, drummer and educator who works to empower, strengthen, and maintain Indigenous culture through the power of his voice, music, and leadership.
Anishinaabe prairie singer-songwriter Frannie Klein grew up along the shores of Lake Manitoba. Self-described as “Manitoba’s honky tonk queen,” she has a classic-country sound, and a sassy lyrical dynamic.
Otis is a hip-hop/R&B producer and audio engineer from Fort Albany Cree First Nation in Ontario. He is also the founder of independent label, 67 Records.
A singer-songwriter from Big River First Nation in Saskatchewan, LJ Tyson blends a folk-pop sound with themes that reflect the artist’s two-spirit identity.
“We’re excited to offer these selected artists incredible mentorship and access to world-class facilities at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre,” said David McLeod (member of the Pine Creek First Nation in Treaty 1), NMC Board Member and Chair of NMC’s National Indigenous Programming Advisory Committee. “They will certainly flourish and grow from the experience which ultimately strengthens the position of Indigenous voices within the music industry.”
The five selected artists will converge at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre in Mohkinstsis (Calgary), for five days to learn new skills, connect with music industry experts from across the country, and hone their craft and professional chops. Artists for the music incubator were selected by NMC’s National Indigenous Programming Advisory Committee, which includes First Nation, Métis and Inuit representation, and acts as a guiding voice for NMC Indigenous programs and content.
Launched in early 2022, OHSOTO’KINO is an Indigenous programming initiative supported by TD that focuses on three elements: creation of new music in NMC’s recording studios, artist development through a music incubator program, and storytelling through NMC exhibitions via the annually updated Speak Up! gallery and through content on NMC’s Amplify platform. OHSOTO’KINO is a Blackfoot phrase, which means ‘to recognize a voice of.’ This title acknowledges both the Blackfoot people and the territory on which National Music Centre resides.
As previously announced in the spring, Inuit-style throat singing duo PIQSIQ, and acclaimed nehiyaw (Plains Cree) powwow and round dance group Blackstone Singers were each awarded an OHSOTO’KINO Recording Bursary to record a commercial album at Studio Bell. The Speak Up! exhibition was also updated in June with a new roster of Indigenous trailblazers, including Tom Jackson, Elisapie, Ferron, Fawn Wood, and Drezus. The current version of the exhibition can be visited until June of 2024.
The OHSOTO’KINO Music Incubator Showcase takes place at the King Eddy on September 14 at 7:00 pm and admission will be free to the public. Visit studiobell.ca/whats-on for more information.
The National Music Centre (NMC) has a mission to amplify the love, sharing, and understanding of music. It is preserving and celebrating Canada’s music story inside its home at Studio Bell in the heart of the East Village in Mohkinstsis (Calgary) on Treaty 7 territory. NMC is the home to four Canadian music halls of fame, including the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Quebec’s ADISQ Hall of Fame. Featuring musical instruments, artifacts, recording equipment, and memorabilia, the NMC Collection spans over 450 years of music history and innovation. A registered charity with programs that include exhibitions, artist development, performance, and education, NMC is inspiring a new generation of music lovers. For more information about NMC’s onsite activities, please visit studiobell.ca. To check out the NMC experience online, including video-on-demand performances, made-in-Canada stories, and highly entertaining educational content, visit amplify.nmc.ca.
My Next Read: “In the Groove: The Vinyl Record and Turntable Revolution
Celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first commercial LP with this authoritative, highly illustrated, and multi-faceted look at the history and culture of vinyl record collecting and turntables.
Vinyl records continue to be hot commodities among everyone from obsessive audiophiles to newbie collectors getting their toes wet. In the Groove: The Vinyl Record and Turntable Revolution is the book for both—and everyone in between. Published to mark the 75th year since the introduction of the commercial LP, In the Groove is written by a roster of well-known music journalists, vinyl junkies, and stereophiles teaming up to present a gorgeous tribute to the vinyl LP and the culture it has spawned:
- Richie Unterberger explores the history of the 33 1/3 LP, including its predecessor, the 78rpm record, the first commercial LPs, the pressing process, stereo vs. mono, and formats like the 7-inch/45rpm record.
- Gillian Gaar tackles those temples to the turntable: record stores. Inside, she examines the history of LP merchandising everywhere from department stores to headshops, Record Store Day, the artist in-store appearance, and swap meets and record shows.
- Martin Popoff pens a paean to the physical object itself, discussing the advent of the sleeve, the great LP covers, famous sleeve designers, liner notes and packaging, colored vinyl, and more.
- Matt Anniss looks at the collecting hobby and topics like obsessive collectors, what makes a great listening space, playing and caring for vinyl, collecting and vinyl in DJ and hip-hop cultures, and the mixtape phenomenon.
- Ken Micallef, a top hifi journalist, has the gearheads covered with explanations of turntables from portables to audiophile-quality units, the workings and parts of a turntable from motors and tonearms to plinths and cartridges, and the components of a system.
In the Groove is illustrated throughout with images of gear, listening spaces, record stores, sleeve art, and celebrities and musicians enjoying the vinyl hobby through the decades. Brief, entertaining sidebars cover topics like famous labels from Stax to Sub Pop, famous EPs, well-known record stores, milestone LP covers, a beginner’s guide to grading, and formats that have challenged the supremacy of the LP, including 8-track, reel-to-reel, and cassette.
Feel the groove with this effervescent ode to vinyl.