Page 1435 – That Eric Alper

Hi Records & Fat Possum Records Celebrate The 50th Anniversary Of Al Green’s R&B Classic ‘Call Me’ With Limited Edition Vinyl Pressings

Music

Eric Alper

-

Apr 13, 2023

Hi Records & Fat Possum Records Celebrate The 50th Anniversary Of Al Green’s R&B Classic ‘Call Me’ With Limited Edition Vinyl Pressings

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Al Green’s Call Me, and to celebrate, Hi Records/Fat Possum will reissue the 1973 R&B classic on vinyl on May 26. With lacquers from the original master tapes by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound, Call Me will be available on standard black vinyl as well as limited edition pressings on both Tigers Eye colored vinyl for independent record stores, and Red and Green colored vinyl via Fat Possum’s website. All versions are available to be pre-ordered, HERE.

Al Green’s Call Me was originally released in 1973 and debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts and remained on the charts for 11 weeks. The album features timeless Gold certified classics such as “Here I Am (Come & Take Me),” which reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts; “Call Me (Come Back Home),” which went to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts; and “You Ought To Be With Me,” which hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.

With a highly successful recording and touring career that spans over five decades, Al Green has made an undeniable and lasting impact on music and musicians around the world from R&B, Soul, and Pop to Blues and Gospel. Considered one of Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, with Pitchfork proclaiming Al Green as “The Greatest Living Soul Singer,” The Reverend Al Green is a national treasure and once again hits the road to spread his message of love.

Side A
Call Me (Come Back Home)
Have You Been Making Out O.K.
Stand Up
I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
Your Love Is Like The Morning Sun

Side B
Here I Am (Come And Take Me)
Funny How Time Slips Away
You Ought To Be With Me
Jesus Is Waiting

‘The Muppets Mayhem’ Trailer Is Here With A Billion Cool Cameos

Music

Eric Alper

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Apr 13, 2023

0

‘The Muppets Mayhem’ Trailer Is Here With A Billion Cool Cameos

Get in the groove with The Muppets Mayhem and the trailer with about a billion cameos, streaming May 10 on Disney Plus.

George Carlin Gets Animated For His “Words That Hide the Truth” Speech

Music

Eric Alper

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Apr 12, 2023

0

George Carlin Gets Animated For His “Words That Hide the Truth” Speech

The first of George Carlin’s 14 stand-up comedy specials for HBO was filmed in 1977, broadcast as George Carlin at USC. From the late 1980s onwards, his routines focused on sociocultural criticism of American society. He often commented on American political issues and satirized American culture. He was a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show during the three-decade Johnny Carson era and hosted the first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. His final comedy special, It’s Bad for Ya, was filmed less than four months before his death from cardiac failure. In 2008, he was posthumously awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Foo Fighters Confirm Six More Headline Shows

Music

Eric Alper

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Apr 12, 2023

2

Foo Fighters Confirm Six More Headline Shows

Hot on the heels of Foo Fighters’ recent announcement of their first three headline shows of 2023, the band has now confirmed six more new dates:

August 4 — Spokane, WA — Spokane Arena
August 8 — Salt Lake City, UT — USANA Amphitheatre
August 10 — Stateline, NV — Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s
September 19 — Virginia Beach, VA — Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
October 3 — Phoenix, AZ — Talking Stick Resort Amphitheater
October 5 — El Paso, TX — Don Haskins Center

Support on the Spokane, Salt Lake City, Stateline and Virginia Beach dates will be The Breeders.

Tickets for all six shows will be on sale to the public beginning Friday, April 14 at 10am local time.

FOO FIGHTERS Tour 2023

May 24 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (SOLD OUT) ***
May 26 — Boston, MA — Boston Calling Music Festival
May 28 — Columbus, OH — Sonic Temple Arts & Music Festival
May 30 — Washington DC — The Atlantis
June 2 — Nürburgring, DE — Rock Am Ring
June 4 — Nürnberg, DE — Rock Im Park
June 14 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP (SOLD OUT)
June 16 – Pelham, AL — Oak Mountain Amphitheatre (SOLD OUT)
June 18 — Manchester, TN — Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
July 8 — Quebec City, QC — Festival D’ete De Quebec
July 12 — Ottawa, ON — Ottawa Bluesfest
July 15 — Milwaukee, WI — Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival
July 29 — Naeba, JP — Fuji Rock
August 4 — Spokane, WA — Spokane Arena **
August 8 — Salt Lake City, UT — USANA Amphitheatre **
August 10 — Stateline, NV — Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s **
August 11-13 — San Francisco, CA — Outside Lands Festival
September 3 — Aspen, CO — Jazz Aspen Snowmass
September 9 — Sao Paulo, BR — The Town
September 17 — Asbury Park, NJ — See.Hear.Now
September 19 — Virginia Beach, CA — Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach **
September 21 — Louisville, KY — Louder Than Life
October 1 – Dana Point, CA – Ohana Festival
October 3 — Phoenix, AZ — Talking Stick Resort Amphitheater
October 5 — El Paso, TX — Don Haskins Center
** The Breeders support
*** Taipei Houston supports

Sza Expands Highly Successful ‘the S.O.S. Tour’ Into Europe And Extends North America Run

Music

Eric Alper

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Apr 12, 2023

0

Sza Expands Highly Successful ‘the S.O.S. Tour’ Into Europe And Extends North America Run

Following her incredibly successful 17-city sold out run, Grammy-award-winning music trendsetter and icon SZA will continue her touring trek with ten new dates in Europe and twenty-one additional dates across North America due to incredible fan demand.

Produced by Live Nation, the European leg of the tour kicks off June 1 in Amsterdam at Ziggo Dome, making stops in Paris, Berlin, London, and more before wrapping up in Dublin at 3Arena on June 21. The S.O.S. Tour will then circle back to North America, kicking off on September 20 in Miami at Kaseya Center, and making stops in Brooklyn, Houston, Los Angeles and more before wrapping up in Phoenix at Footprint Center on October 29. See full routing below.

Tickets will be available starting with Live Nation presale on Thursday, April 13 at 10am local time.

THE S.O.S. EUROPE TOUR DATES:
Thu Jun 1 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome*
Mon Jun 5 – Paris, France – Accor Arena*
Wed Jun 7 – Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion*
Fri Jun 9 – Berlin, Germany – Mercedes-Benz Arena*
Sun Jun 11 – Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena
Tue Jun 13 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena*
Thu Jun 15 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro*
Sat Jun 17 – London, UK – The O2*
Sun Jun 18 – London, UK – The O2*
Wed Jun 21 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena*
*With Support from RAYE

THE S.O.S. NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:
Wed Sep 20 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center
Fri Sep 22 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
Sun Sep 24 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Tue Sep 26 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center^
Thu Sep 28 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
Sat Sep 30 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Sun Oct 01 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Wed Oct 04 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Fri Oct 06 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Sat Oct 07 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Tue Oct 10 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Wed Oct 11 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
Sat Oct 14 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Sun Oct 15 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center
Wed Oct 18 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Thu Oct 19 – Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Arena
Sun Oct 22 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
Mon Oct 23 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
Thu Oct 26 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
Sat Oct 28 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
Sun Oct 29 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
^Rescheduled Date from Leg 1 without Omar Apollo

The 2023 tour follows SZA’s hugely successful sophomore album, SOS, which was released in December and earned the superstar the record for the largest streaming week for an R&B album in the United States. The album also claimed ten non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart – the most among albums by women in seven years.

During the first run of the S.O.S. Tour earlier this year, SZA gave unforgettable performances night after night. The platinum recording artist performed classics like “Love Galore” and “The Weekend” in addition to newer mega-hits such as “Kill Bill,” and “Shirt.” Fans also got to experience special performances from a number of surprise guests including Phoebe Bridgers, Cardi B, Summer Walker, Lizzo and more.

The S.O.S. Tour marked SZA’s first-ever arena tour and earned the superstar endless praise, with Rolling Stone noting that “SZA lives up to all the anticipation” on opening night. The New York Times called her Madison Square Garden headlining debut “vigorous, confident, theatrical and intimate — the sort of show that manages the rare trick of feeling both vibrantly communicative and also protectively insular,” while Billboard proclaimed that the performance “delivered a message that she’s truly made a next-level step in her career.”

Born in St. Louis and raised in Maplewood, NJ, genre-defying, and GRAMMY Award winning recording artist SZA released her major label debut album Ctrl (TDE/RCA) in 2017. Revered for its raw and honest lyrics, it landed at No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart, No. 2 on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart and No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, according to Nielsen Music. The now RIAA-certified 3xPlatinum album received five Grammy nominations in 2018 and more than half the songs on Ctrl are currently certified multi-Platinum and Gold. Ctrl remains on the Billboard 200 chart since its release in 2017 and holds the record for the longest run for any Black female artist’s debut album. In 2022 alone it sold over 600,000 units and is the 10th best-selling female album this year in the country and 50th best-selling album in 2022 overall.

To close out the trying year of 2020, SZA gifted fans on Christmas Day with the hopeful track “Good Days.” Grammy-nominated for Best R&B Song, the single quickly became SZA’s greatest gaining solo single release, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and marking her first time in the chart’s top ten as the main artist. December 2021, SZA scored her second lead artist top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart with the official release of “I Hate U,” which debuted at #7. The song also entered at #1 on both Spotify and Apple Music US charts and broke the record for the most streamed R&B song by a female artist on Apple Music in its first week. Fan favorite “Shirt” has garnered over 60 million streams globally since its release in October.

On December 9, 2022, SZA released her long-awaited sophomore album SOS. Instantly and universally met with acclaim, SOS debuted and claimed ten non-consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200, the longest run for an album by a woman in seven years. Standout track “Kill Bill” is RIAA-certified 3x Platinum and earned the #1 spot on the Billboard Global 200 chart and several Apple Music and Spotify charts globally. Currently RIAA-certified 2x Platinum, SOS includes features by Travis Scott, Don Toliver, Phoebe Bridgers and Ol’ Dirty Bastard; with production by Ctrl hitmaking collaborators ThankGod4Cody and Carter Lang, alongside Jeff Bhasker, Rob Bisel, Benny Blanco, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Emile Haynie, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Jay Versace, and more.

To this day, SZA continues to set the standard on creativity and songwriting, while shattering records with over 10 billion streams worldwide across all platforms. SZA has won various awards since the release of Ctrl including a 2022 GRAMMY Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Kiss Me More” with Doja Cat, Billboard Music Awards’ Top R&B Female Artist, BET Awards’ Best New Artist, BET Soul Train Awards’ Best R&B/Soul Female Artist and Best New Artist, MTV Video Music Awards’ Best Visual Effects for the “All The Stars” with Kendrick Lamar, and NAACP Image Awards’ Outstanding New Artist. In 2019, she won NAACP Image Awards’ Outstanding Duo or Group for “All The Stars” with Kendrick Lamar and Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation for the Black Panther Soundtrack. SZA also received Billboard’s 2019 Women in Music Rule Breaker award. More recently, SZA was crowned the 2023 Woman of the Year at the Billboard’s Women in Music Awards and won iHeart Radio Music Awards for R&B Artist of the Year and R&B Song of the Year for “I Hate U.”

Paul Simon Returns With Highly Anticipated Musical Work, ‘Seven Psalms’

Music

Eric Alper

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Apr 12, 2023

1

Paul Simon Returns With Highly Anticipated Musical Work, ‘Seven Psalms’

Paul Simon, who has consistently crafted some of the most influential and enduring work in the history of music, has announced the release of his highly anticipated musical work, Seven Psalms. Intended to be listened to as one continuous piece, the 33-minute, seven-movement composition transcends the concept of the “album” and will be released in its entirety on vinyl, CD and across digital platforms on May 19.

Recorded entirely on acoustic instruments, and predominantly performed by Paul, Seven Psalms showcases Simon’s craft at its finest and most captivating, simply with his voice and guitar.
A stunning, intricately layered work, it’s a record which establishes an engaging and meditative, almost hymnal soundscape, with Paul’s lyrics providing the gravitational center for constellations of sound woven from guitar strings and other acoustic instrumentation – including choral elements from the highly-regarded British vocal ensemble VOCES8, and a beautiful vocal appearance by Edie Brickell.

Watch below for a glimpse into Paul’s inspiration and process in finding Seven Psalms.

True to the origin of psalms as hymns meant to be sung rather than spoken, Seven Psalms reaches back to the very genesis of folk music: King David’s Psalms. The result is a quietly moving musical experience which uncovers a wealth of subtle details with every repeated listen. A step apart from anything Paul Simon has released before, Seven Psalms defies categorization.
The record’s tone is complemented by its artwork, which features a close-up extract of “Two Owls” by the celebrated landscape artist Thomas Moran.

Produced by Paul Simon and Kyle Crusham, Seven Psalms is a single suite of music comprised of the following seven interlinked movements:

1. The Lord
2. Love Is Like A Braid
3. My Professional Opinion
4. Your Forgiveness
5. Trail of Volcanoes
6. The Sacred Harp
7. Wait

My Next Read: “My Effin’ Life” by Geddy Lee

Music

Eric Alper

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Apr 12, 2023

1

My Next Read: “My Effin’ Life” by Geddy Lee

My Effin’ Life by Geedy Lee is the long-awaited memoir, out November 14, 2023, generously illustrated with never-before-seen photos, from the iconic Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Rush bassist, and bestselling author of Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass.

Geddy Lee is one of rock and roll’s most respected bassists. For nearly five decades, his playing and work as co-writer, vocalist and keyboardist has been an essential part of the success story of Canadian progressive rock trio Rush. Here for the first time is his account of life inside and outside the band.

Long before Rush accumulated more consecutive gold and platinum records than any rock band after the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, before the seven Grammy nominations or the countless electrifying live performances across the globe, Geddy Lee was Gershon Eliezer Weinrib, after his grandfather murdered in the Holocaust.

As he recounts the transformation, Lee looks back on his family, in particular his loving parents and their horrific experiences as teenagers during World War II.

He talks candidly about his childhood and the pursuit of music that led him to drop out of high school.

He tracks the history of Rush which, after early struggles, exploded into one of the most beloved bands of all time.

He shares intimate stories of his lifelong friendships with bandmates Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart—deeply mourning Peart’s recent passing—and reveals his obsessions in music and beyond.

This rich brew of honesty, humor, and loss makes for a uniquely poignant memoir.

Eric Clapton ‘The Definitive 24 Nights’ Gets A Limited-Edition Boxed Set

Music

Eric Alper

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Apr 12, 2023

0

Eric Clapton ‘The Definitive 24 Nights’ Gets A Limited-Edition Boxed Set

The Royal Albert Hall is Eric Clapton’s home away from home in London. Since his debut at the historic venue with the Yardbirds in 1964, Clapton has performed there over 200 times (and counting), more than any other artist.

He also holds the record for the longest run of concerts at the venue. He set it in 1990 with 18 shows, then broke it the following year with 24 concerts. They were some of the most ambitious shows of Clapton’s career. Each night featured him performing a career-spanning set with one of three lineups – a rock band, a blues band, or an orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen. Kamen previously worked with Clapton on the Lethal Weapon soundtracks, plus the TV show Edge of Darkness. Before his untimely passing in 2003, Kamen had become a leading film & TV composer, with X-Men, Die Hard & Band of Brothers among his many credits.

To commemorate that record-setting run, Clapton released 24 Nights in October 1991. The double live album and home video delivered great performances but only covered a fraction of what was filmed and recorded. That’s about to change.

Warner Records is giving the concerts the release they deserve this summer with THE DEFINITIVE 24 NIGHTS. This limited-edition boxed set includes nearly six hours of live music, and 35 unreleased performances. The collection distills Clapton’s 1990-91 Albert Hall residencies using the best performances from the rock, blues, and orchestral nights to create full concerts for each genre.

All the audio and video included in THE DEFINITIVE 24 NIGHTS was painstakingly restored and upgraded by Clapton’s team of Simon Climie (audio production and mixing), producer Peter Worsley (Slowhand at 70 and The Lady In The Balcony), and director David Barnard (The Lady In The Balcony).

THE DEFINITIVE 24 NIGHTS will be available on limited edition boxed sets as either 6-CDs or 8-LPs on June 23. Both versions come with three Blu-ray discs for the video content, a hardbound book, and an individually numbered lithograph featuring a photograph of Clapton by Carl Studna. Each are limited edition versions and available now to pre-order HERE.

Standalone versions of the individual concerts – 24 Nights: Rock, 24 Nights: Blues, and 24 Nights: Orchestral – will be released the same day in 2-CD/DVD and 3-LP (Rock and Orchestral) and 2-LP (Blues) configurations.

Clapton’s previously unreleased 1991 orchestral performance of “Layla” is available today digitally. Click HERE to listen now.

Clapton surrounded himself with superlative musicians for the performances on THE DEFINITIVE 24 NIGHTS. The roster includes greats like Johnnie Johnson, Jimmie Vaughan, Chuck Leavell, Phil Collins, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Nathan East, Greg Phillinganes, Steve Ferrone, Ray Cooper, and Jerry Portnoy.

For the rock concert, Clapton played many of his classic songs including “Sunshine Of Your Love,” “Can’t Find My Way Home,” “Layla,” and “Wonderful Tonight.” Covers of “Crossroads”, and a reggae version of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” with Phil Collins on drums are highlights. Clapton also featured several tracks from his most recent studio album (1989’s Journeyman), including the hits “Pretending,” “Running On Faith,” and “Bad Love.”

With Clapton aided by special guests Buddy Guy, Albert Colins and Robert Cray, the blues concert delivered a master class in the genre with ripping versions of standards like “Key To The Highway,” “Sweet Home Chicago,” “Black Cat Bone,” and “Reconsider Baby.”

The orchestral concert is the most unique of the collection. For those performances, Clapton’s nine-piece band was joined by the National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by legendary composer Michael Kamen. The collaboration resulted in stunning arrangements for “Layla,” “White Room,” “Bell Bottom Blues,” “I Shot The Sheriff,” “Lay Down Sally,” and more.

The biggest highlight from the orchestral concert – and possibly the entire boxed set – is the previously unreleased 30-minute epic, “Concerto For Guitar.” Kamen composed the piece especially for Clapton, which made its livedebut at Albert Hall. In the set’s liner notes, music journalist David Fricke writes about the version included in the collection: “Near the halfway mark in this 1991 reading, [Clapton] taks off on guitar as if he has the rest of Cream at his heels – at once precisely melodic and jubilantly unhinged – as Kamen echoes that ferment in the strings and brass.”

Eric Clapton fans will also now ave the opportunity to experience the excitement of the legendary Royal Albert Hall concerts on the big screen as Unique X and Iconic Events present the Across 24 Nights cinema event globally n May 17th, with encore screenings from May 21st. Edited from the original footage and remastered in Dolby ATMOS and 5.1 Surround Sound, Across 24 Nights will bring fans together to celebrate the ultimate musical event cinema experience.

THE DEFINITIVE 24 NIGHTS
Track Listing

24 Nights: Rock
1. “Pretending”
2. “Running On Faith”
3. “Breaking Point” *
4. “I Shot The Sheriff” *
5. “White Room”
6. “Can’t Find My Way Home” *(Feat. Nathan East on lead vocals)
7. “Bad Love”
8. “Before You Accuse Me” *
9. “Lay Down Sally” *
10. “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” *
11. “Old Love” *
12. “No Alibis” *
13. “Tearing Us Apart” *
14. “Cocaine” *
15. “Wonderful Tonight”
16. “Layla” *
17. “Crossroads” *
18. “Sunshine Of Your Love” *

24 Nights: Blues
1. “Key To The Highway” *
2. “Worried Life Blues”
3. “Watch Yourself”
4. “Have You Ever Loved A Woman”
5. “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” *
6. “Something On Your Mind” *
7. “All Your Love (I Miss Loving)” *
8. “It’s My Life Baby” *
9. “Johnnie’s Boogie” *
10. “Black Cat Bone” *
11. “Reconsider Baby” *
12. “My Time After A While” *
13. “Sweet Home Chicago” *
14. “Watch Yourself” (Reprise) *

24 Nights: Orchestral
1. “Crossroads” *
2. “Bell Bottom Blues”
3. “Lay Down Sally” *
4. “Holy Mother” *
5. “I Shot The Sheriff” *
6. “Hard Times”
7. “Can’t Find My Way Home” * (Feat. Nathan East on lead vocals)
8. “Edge Of Darkness”
9. “Old Love” *
10. “Wonderful Tonight” *
11. “White Room” *
12. “Concerto For Electric Guitar” *(composed by Michael Kamen)
13. “A Remark You Made” *(A tribute to Jaco Pastorius)
14. “Layla” *
15. “Sunshine Of Your Love” *
*Previously Unreleased

Toronto Rock Trio Berner Trail Release “Sleep Till The Afternoon”

Music

Eric Alper

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Apr 10, 2023

0

Toronto Rock Trio Berner Trail Release “Sleep Till The Afternoon”

Life changes without your permission, and the world doesn’t ask for your input when it behaves as it does. Berner Trail’s response? “Sleep Till The Afternoon.”

In the latest single from the Scarborough-born, Toronto-raised rock trio, Berner Trail unleashes about the unending transformations the song, the band, and everything around them are always experiencing.

In 2015, Spencer Desilva and Aaron Lusch launched Berner Trail. The duo eventually grew to three, then expanded to four, was five for a short period, and later retracted back to three in 2020 with a new bass player: Nate Murray. Desilva, Lusch, and Murray have stood together since.

It’s been a chaotic history for the band, and this song’s skeleton was around for most of it.

“‘Sleep Till The Afternoon’ was a song going through constant change, alongside the changes happening in the Berner Trail band,” the band said. “From changing members, to styles, to ideals, ‘Sleep Till The Afternoon’ is Berner Trail and saw most of these changes happen while it remained in writing.”

For Berner Trail, real-life stimuli has always been the impetus for its imagination. The members’ feelings formed from interpersonal relationships and their dissatisfaction with the society that surrounds them often inspire the music they create.

With a yearning voice reaching for something it cannot grab, Desilva serenades over solemn yet punchy instrumentals with a tasty alt-rock sound.

”He said I got some friends at least I think I do
I’d sure like some if you really want to
Alone is all I’ve ever been
I’d lay in bed till 2 or 3
I just don’t feel so satisfied.”

Before settling on its three modern members in 2020, Berner Trail utilized a different style. Originally, most of the group’s sound revolved around an experimental approach to blues-rock, incorporating percussion and stringed acoustic instruments into the fold. But the band has since evolved to make ballads like this that are more akin to Nirvana than The Rolling Stones.

“‘Sleep Till The Afternoon’ went through different variations musically as our sound changed,” the band explained. “We think lyrically it resulted from feelings of isolation and disillusionment as to what was next to come in our lives as individuals.”

We can all relate to the feeling of time passing us by, of life pushing us in certain directions, and to the fear of uncertainty. Berner Trail’s “Sleep Till The Afternoon” taps into these universal feelings and gives us a shoulder to lean on when it all becomes too much.

Rising Folk/Roots Group Aruna & the Sirens Release “Have You Seen My Sister?”

Music

Eric Alper

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Apr 10, 2023

0

Rising Folk/Roots Group Aruna & the Sirens Release “Have You Seen My Sister?”

Responding to what the UN dubbed the “Shadow Pandemic,” Bath, Ontario-based band Aruna & the Sirens have released an anthem calling attention to the global surge in gender-based violence.

“Have You Seen My Sister?” starts strong with powerhouse vocals from songwriter Aruna Antonella Handa with harmonies by band members Alejandra Ballon, Caitlin Holland, and Lindsay McDonald. The song’s first line is a call to action: Won’t you remind me to wonder who’s missing from the corridors of privilege?”

Aruna & The Sirens is an acoustic band with original songs spanning genres including folk, classical and jazz. The band has performed at clubs such as the Monarch and the Burdock in Toronto and has made appearances at festivals including Nuit Blanche, Canadian Music Week and Open Tuning. They plan to release their first LP in the coming months.

Handa’s vocals are reminiscent of Tracy Chapman and Janis Joplin, while the Sirens’ voices lift the sound with soaring harmonies. The band asks the listener to consider the relationship between a lack of power and disproportionate representation in incidents of violence.

The track transitions as the vocals and other instruments drop out, allowing the cello played by Grammy nominated Dave Eggar to take the spotlight, creating a sense of wind and motion. This shift in tone suits the lyrics of the final part of the track, as the song reminds listeners of the various roles women play in our lives and how profound that loss can be.

Accompanying the vocals is the band’s rhythm section with Raphael Roter on drums and Chris Adriaanse on upright bass. In addition to Tennessee based Eggar on cello, among the many guest artists are Ontario-based Doug Tielli on acoustic guitar and Boston-based Antje Duvekot providing further vocals.

The track is a collaborative effort with contributions of artists from the US, Mexico, and Canada. In 2020, when Handa read about the Shadow Pandemic, fueled by increased alcohol consumption and people trapped in lockdown with their aggressors, she reached out to New York-based friend and producer David Seitz, whose credits include work with Moby, Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen.

At that time, Handa and Seitz were working on the band’s debut full length record, and they discussed the possibility of creating a socially distanced, collaborative recording of selections from Handa’s song cycle “Have You Seen My Sister.” The project was partially funded by a grant from FACTOR Canada.