“I realized I was a trans woman between finishing and releasing this album. That presented me with an issue: I was ready to release this album but didn’t want to go through the release process under that old identity.”
Those inspiring words come from Chicago-based Vanessa Thurlow aka co-founder of Opal Voss along with Kate Nikles, and as you can imagine, it’s as brave and bold as her 11-track pop-synth album that sheds light on her realized identity and viewing life through a lens of loss.
“Only in making these songs to work through the years of loss I’d experienced was I able to get a look at who I am separated from the circumstances of my life: Coming to terms with my identity as a trans woman, losing my father, COVID, difficult breakups, etc. I have always had a fair bit of distance from my identity.”
The opening track, “The City Part 1,” features a synthy trickle dancing through the first few seconds before Voss sings, “A false start, you end up going nowhere.” The glissandos breeze through the meditation. The song concludes with a rippling gong under the lyrics, “I’m gonna step on out and step over the line/And out into the night,” making it a perfect launch into the album.
Throughout the album, Voss implements twangy guitar licks and electronic drum kits to drive her sound. In the bridge of “The Vampire,” Voss perfectly transports listeners to her sonic universe. With several reiterations of “no no no,” Voss starts out singing the lyrics matched with some sounds of a fluty trumpet, soon to launch into heavy vocal distortion and crescendoing synth completed with an abrupt cut-off.
“The years I spent making this record were filled with loss and hardships that took up all the space in my life that I had. When I had time to look at who I was, I would ask, “who am I without the ones I lost?” not, “who am I when I’m alone?”
The project’s denouement circles back to its origin. The City Part 2 opens with light vibraphone notes and a woeful track about finding your place in the world (alone). Even though the lyrics evoke sorrow, the melody suggests a dance tune, a reflective ending to the 11-track LP.
“This album is a meditation on loss. Start 2 is both a second beginning, starting over, but also the start to something. That gained an additional meaning when I came out. The second start to my life,” she said.
Created in 2018, Opal Voss represents the media team, Readymade Utopia, who focuses on using multi-layered media to create an outlet for artists. Like Hatsune Miku and Cashmere Cat’s use of Princess Catgirl, Opal Voss’ character introduces listeners to a different cosmic realm through music. She noted the character parallels her “feeling of distance from my physical form.”
In this inventive new project, Vanessa and Kate are fearlessly heading in an unlikely new direction. And this world – along with the virtual one – are better for it.
Baltimore-based Von Tae’s newest single is a masterclass in velvet delivery and silk sonic music production from start to finish. Reflecting on the trials and tribulations associated with day-to-day life, “On God” is a proficient retelling of mantras and wisdom paired excellently with a side of raw emotion.
Von Tae recounts his darkest days in this heartfelt track, revisiting homelessness in Atlanta, the death of his oldest brother, infidelity, and a global pandemic. The whole production is reminiscent of an intimate confessional – two strangers in a dark room, confessing their hardships and reflecting without judgment.
Von Tae’s commitment to his music career speaks volumes about his character. Facing such hardships would break even the strongest people, yet Von Tae continues to release music consistently and drum up noise surrounding his personal brand. Leaning heavily on his music to pull him out of a dark spot, saying, “I released ‘On God’ during one of the most challenging times of my life. Within the last few years leading up to the album, I dealt with a host of issues. I’ve learned that life is a fight, and the only way you’ll lose is if you stop swinging.”
“On God” teases the release of Von Tae’s newest project, On God: Single & Remixes. The EP is a collection of remixes inspired by Von Tae’s struggles and encounters featuring different musical perspectives from Tae as well as other breakthrough artists, including French artist Nicolas Quédreux.
American singer, songwriter, and rapper Von Tae was born under the name DeVante Eugene Jones in Calvert County, Maryland. Tae is one of six siblings who was rehomed early on in their lives, being placed with three of his siblings. His foster parents introduced the children to Gospel music early on, and from there music became a big part of Von Tae’s life. Finding himself playing multiple instruments early on in his school years, Tae found himself playing along with popular R&B/Soul and Hip Hop songs throughout his childhood.
Eventually, in 2007, Von Tae and his sister April Jones formed a dance group called “K-Crew,” named after the street their family grew up on – Kent Road. The two performed in talent shows and other local events, developing a lot of chatter around themselves. Eventually, Tae joined a nonprofit dance team called Dance Empowerment. Tae’s love for music didn’t stop as his childhood came to an end, though.
His experiences throughout life provided a rock-solid foundation for his aspirations – and he wasn’t going to let that go.
Von Tae first broke out into the global public eye with the release of his controversial single, “Contagious,” sending social media into a frenzy. After J. Cole retweeted the single, Von Tae spiraled into virality, finding himself featured by various media outlets such as Jet Magazine, and was praised directly by industry veterans such as Senior A&R Earl Johnson.
Seeing his opportunity to step into the limelight fully, Von Tae quit his job and auditioned for “American Idol” as well as P. Diddy and MTV’s reboot of “Making The Band.” However, as the nation was reeling from COVID, productions ceased and roles were dropped, leaving Von Tae in the dark.
Needing a stroke of luck, Tae moved to Atlanta to pursue his music career full-time, although he didn’t really find his stride. It wasn’t until he relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina that he started filming more content, releasing new music, and networking.
After releasing a string of covers Von Tae decided it was time to release his long-awaited album Note To Self. Released through his independent label, 6820 Entertainment, the album received an overwhelming response. Praised for its lyrical content, Note To Self found its way through the media cycle as publishers began praising songs such as “Love Games,” “On God,” and “Beauty.”
After the release of Von Tae’s highly anticipated On God: Single & Remixes EP, Tae plans on jumping right back into work with a follow-up album set for release in 2023.
On October 21st, Music Declares Emergency Canada will be co-presenting with the Canadian Live Music Association (with support from Ontario Creates) the first-ever Canadian Music Climate Summit. The one-day conference in Toronto will feature keynote speakers (including David Suzuki), panels, and workshops that will explore what climate change means for the music industry and how record labels, the live music community, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and artists can play a part in greening the music industry and use the power of the sector to encourage action from fans.
Music Declares Emergency (MDE) is a group of artists, music industry professionals, and organizations who are calling on all those within the music industry to join us in declaring a climate emergency and to work towards making the cultural and operational changes necessary to contribute towards a carbon neutral/post carbon future.
One of Music Declares Emergency Canada’s co-founders, 19-year-old Brighid Fry (Housewife, FKA Moscow Apartment) recently penned an open letter to the Canadian Music Industry asking for more action on climate and connecting the issue to the mental health of young people. Open letter here.
Fry will join a number of other Canadian musicians including Tamara Lindeman (The Weather Station), Leah and Peter from July Talk, Donna Grantis, Ruby Singh, Shakura S’Aida, Logan Staats, Veronica Johnny, Tragedy Ann, George Sawa, and an all star house band (led by Tania Gill) as well as industry leaders for the summit and evening concert. The Summit is being sponsored by Live Nation Canada, Music Canada, the Canadian Independent Music Association, MusicOntario, Six Shooter Records, Troubadour Music, Orchestras Canada, Creative Green Tools Canada, the Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts, SCALE and the Climate Emergency Unit.
WHEN: Friday, October 21st, 2022
LOCATION: 918 Bathurst Centre for Culture, Arts, Media and Education
918 Bathurst Street Toronto, ON M5R 3G5
SUMMIT : 9:30am to 5:30pm – TICKETS
PUBLIC PANEL & CONCERT “NO MUSIC ON A DEAD PLANET”: 7:00pm to 10:30pm – TICKETS
Launched in the UK in July 2019, over 6000 bands and musicians have now signed up to Music Declares Emergency’s pledge to revitalize how the music industry tackles climate disaster, from The 1975 and Radiohead to Robyn, Billie Eilish, Tegan and Sara, and more. Music Declares groups have been launched in Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, The Netherlands and Chile, the U.S, and Spain. There will be more chapters launching this coming year.
Tegan & Sara, Bruce Cockburn, Dan Mangan, Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene), Melissa McClelland (Whitehorse), The Weather Station, Amy Millan (Stars), Sarah Harmer, Amy Cole (Rural Alberta Advantage), Good Lovelies, Charles Spearin (Do Make Say Think & Broken Social Scene), Katie Munshaw (Dizzy), Scott Helman, Caribou, Hannah Georgas, Ron Hawkins (Lowest of the Low), Luna Li and Housewife (FKA Moscow Apartment) are some of the more than 300 Canadians who have already signed on.
Twenty-one years on from the invention of iTunes and the debut of the original iPod, we’ve gone from 1,000 songs in your pocket to 100,000x that on Apple Music. It’s phenomenal growth by any metric. The entire history, present, and future of music is at your fingertips or voice command.
But, whats in a number? Apple Music’s own global head of editorial Rachel Newman discusses what 100 million songs actually means in today’s newsroom postHERE
Additionally, each of these 100 million songs has a unique story waiting to be told. Apple Music Today is a new audio series that will spotlight a different song every single day, seven days a week. The daily song selection may be new or old, a well-known essential or a fan-favorite deep cut. What they will all have in common is a compelling story and a particular and meaningful relevance to the day. The series kicks off today with the incredible story behind Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”. Tune in HERE
The 10th Annual Canada’s Walk of Fame RBC Emerging Musician Program today adds five new recipients to its class of 2022. A distinguished program that elevates aspiring Canadian musical artists, this year’s gifted recipients push the boundary of creativity through music with great song structure, emotional lyrics, captivating melody composition and excellent vocals.
The 10th annual Canada’s Walk of Fame RBC Emerging Musician Program winning recipients are:
Grand Prize Winner:Mattmac of Garden Hill First Nation, Manitoba (Currently Winnipeg)
Second Prize Winner: Jordan Hart of Toronto, Ontario
Finalist (Third Prize):Mindflip of Gatineau, Quebec
Finalist (Third Prize):Cassie Dasilva of Orillia, Ontario
This year’s Grand Prize winner is Winnipeg-based Mattmac, originally of Garden Hill First Nation. Blind since birth, Mattmac’s melodic pop-trap beats and inspiring story have established him as one to watch on the national scene. Since launching his musical career in 2016, he’s worked with Grammy and Juno Award-winning artist and Canada’s Walk of Fame Inductee, Nelly Furtado, garnered more than 800,000+ streams across platforms and amassed critical acclaim from CBC, CTV and Virgin Radio to name a few. His debut album, 20/20, blends pop vocals, hard-hitting trap beats, and thoughtfully honest lyrics. Listeners get a glimpse into the mind of a blind creative as he paints vivid sonic pictures of struggle, healing, celebrating love, family and life on the reserve. A self-taught artist, Mattmac grew up surrounded by music on the radio and singing in his community’s gospel choir. He first began making beats and writing songs at 13 and later taught himself how to play the piano and guitar. Click here to learn more about Mattmac.
“Winning this award will open doors in the music industry that will take me to the next level of my career, and I’m so grateful. Coming from a small reserve in northern Manitoba, opportunities like this aren’t readily available, and I hope that this incredible recognition will inspire others to know that they can accomplish anything they set their mind to,” says Mattmac. “Big shout out to Canada’s Walk of Fame, the judges and RBC for providing me this platform to show young people what they can achieve if they work for their dreams.”
As the Grand Prize winner, Mattmac will receive a cash prize of $20,000, performance opportunities at Canada’s Walk of Fame events, and private studio recording time at the renowned Metalworks Studios. A cash prize of $10,000 goes to Toronto-based performer Jordan Hart for Second Prize, and the three Finalists will receive cash prizes of $5,000 each.
All recipients will have opportunities to elevate their careers, including:
Group mentorship sessions with a Canada’s Walk of Fame Inductee or Allan Slaight Music Impact Honouree
Dedicated artist page on the newly launched EmergingMusician.ca, the official website for Canada’s Walk of Fame RBC Emerging Musician Program
Financial support ($2000) for a live-off-the-floor performance video filmed in the winner’s hometown
Career development mentorship sessions with A&R executives, a music lawyer and an experienced music industry agent*
A showcase opportunity at Canadian Music Week 2023 along with a Festival Access Pass*
Participation in a creative workshop at Toronto’s ArtHaus*
A performance at Winnipeg, Manitoba’s Festival du Voyageur in February 2023*
2x GRAMMY-nominated band Rival Sons have announce details of their anxiously awaited new full-length album, DARKFIGHTER, which his set to arrive worldwide March 10, 2023.
Produced by longtime collaborator and multi GRAMMY Award-winner Dave Cobb, DARKFIGHTER is led by the explosive single “Nobody Wants to Die,” which is available today all streaming platforms and accompanied by an Eli Sokhn directed music video streaming now on Rival Sons’ YouTube channel. The track notably marks the first new music from Rival Sons since the release of 2019’s FERAL ROOTS, which earned the band two GRAMMY Award nominations.
Regarding “Nobody Wants to Die,” vocalist Jay Buchanan shares, “You live your life knowing that the sword of Damocles is hanging over your head by a thread. You’re fully aware of the impermanence of your existence, but you can’t think about it all the time—or it’ll fuck your life up. I used to work in a mortuary as a service advisor for a few years, driving and opening the hearses. I’d attend three funerals per day. Sometimes, they would be filled over capacity. Other times, it would just be me, a priest, and a hole in the ground. It doesn’t matter who you are; the great equalizer is coming. I was thinking of this because the music sounded like pursuit.”
Elaborating on the genesis of DARKFIGHTER, Buchanan notes, “DARKFIGHTER represents the cultural mitosis of isolation, the Pandemic, and the national fabric of the US getting looser and looser. When I say ‘Cultural Mitosis’, there are lines being drawn constantly. We’re so divided, and you can’t step over the lines without offending someone. It certainly informed my writing. We recognized a responsibility to put a good word on people’s ears so there’s a good word coming back on their tongues too. We missed the joy of the live show and that magical interaction. When it was taken from us, that made me want to sing about topics that were important. There are strong themes on this record of loss of identity, preservation of joy, and beholding light and shape again.”
Lead guitarist Scott Holiday added, “Records are a healthy form of escapism. I hope this one takes you as far away as possible. Our intent was to create a cinematic body of work. As soon as the doors shut behind you, you’re enveloped on the ride. This is the sound of us really coming into our own. We’ve gotten further from our influences and gotten closer to what we are. DARKFIGHTER sounds like the Rival Sons.”
To celebrate the announcement, Rival Sons are set to perform an intimate one night only show at Los Angeles’ Peppermint Club on October 18th. For tickets and more information on Rival Sons’ upcoming live dates, visit www.rivalsons.com.
In 2021, Rival Sons celebrated the 10th anniversary of their 2011 album, Pressure and Time, by performing the landmark long player live in its entirety on the Pressure and Time Tour for the first time. They also lit up Southern California with a two-night livestream event, Rival Sons – “PAIR OF ACES” – Live from the historic Catalina Casino on Santa Catalina Island. They performed their debut LP, Before the Fire [2009], in its entirety on the first night and their self-titled EP, Rival Sons [2010], on the second.
Rival Sons – Jay Buchanan [vocals, harmonica, rhythm guitar], Scott Holiday [lead guitar], Mike Miley [drums], and Dave Beste [bass] – play rock ‘n’ roll in its purest form without apology or pretense. Instead, they simply plug in, turn up, and rip on a path of their own. Along the way, they’ve architected a critically acclaimed catalog, including Pressure & Time [2011], Head Down [2012], Great Western Valkyrie [2014], Hollow Bones [2016], and FERAL ROOTS [2019]. The latter represented a creative and critical high watermark, scoring a pair of GRAMMY® Award nominations in the categories of “Best Rock Album” and “Best Rock Performance” for the single “Too Bad.” Elevating the band to another level, “Do Your Worst” vaulted to #1 at Rock Radio as their biggest hit to date, tallying north of 60 million streams and counting. Speaking to their impact, Rolling Stone attested, “Rival Sons have done their part to introduce new fans to rock.” Beyond sharing stages with everyone from Black Sabbath, The Rolling Stones, and AC/DC to Guns N’ Roses and Lenny Kravitz, they’ve ignited television shows such as The Late Late Show with James Corden. During 2021, they launched their own label Sacred Tongue Recordings distributed by Thirty Tigers and celebrated the tenth anniversary of Pressure & Time by performing the album in its entirety on tour. Ultimately, Rival Sons aren’t here to tell you exactly what to think or what to feel, but they’ll give you one hell of a ride if you let them. That ride twists and turns like never before on their 2023 full-length LP, DARKFIGHTER [Low Country Sound / Atlantic Records] kickstarted by the single “Nobody Wants to Die.”
Considered one of the best industry conferences for radio and audio broadcasting in the world, Radiodays Europe will be bringing this event to North America in association with the highly popular Canadian Music Week conference held each year in Toronto. RADIODAYS NORTH AMERICAwill take place June 8th and 9th in Toronto at the Harbour Castle Westin Hotel on the shores of Lake Ontario as part of the weeklong Canadian Music Week Festival.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring the Radiodays Europe brand and it’s expert international content to North America,” says Peter Niegel, General Manager for Radiodays Europe. “Toronto is the ideal location to bring everyone together to ensure that we as an industry move forward with strategies for the future.”
Neill Dixon, Founder and President of Canadian Music Week stated: “I’ve long admired the people at Radiodays Europe and the outstanding job they do each year for the radio and audio industry. It’s now time to come together for the betterment of all. This partnership will create a new standard for broadcast conferences around the world.”
Troy Reeb, President of the Canadian Radio Council, speaking on behalf of Canada’s commercial radio industry said: “We are very excited to participate and support Radiodays North America. Now is the time that our industry needs to work together to help evolve our businesses in order to meet the demand of an ever-changing audience environment.” Susan Marjetti, General Manager of CBC News, Current Affairs and Local, said: “Canada’s public broadcaster is so pleased to be part of this incredible world class event which recognizes and celebrates the unique and lasting role of radio and audio in people’s lives. We look forward to getting together next June in Toronto.”
Keynote speakers and expert panelists from North America and around the world will be in Toronto to discuss and strategize all aspects of over the air and digital broadcasting. From broadcast to podcast, everything is on the table: Executive leadership, workplace diversity, innovation, technology, talent, programming, marketing and how to grow your audio revenue will be on the agenda over the two-day event.
Radiodays North America will bring our industries back together to learn and inspire anyone working in the audio industry today and tomorrow. It all happens June 8th and 9th, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario.
Today, A&M/UMe releases a digital-only 35th-Anniversary Expanded Edition of Sting’s stunning second solo album, …Nothing Like the Sun. The album title was lovingly adopted from Shakespeare’s Sonnet No. 130 (“My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun”).
The 26-track Expanded Edition features the original 12 songs on the album plus 14 bonus tracks that consist of B-sides, remixes, alternate versions, and instrumentals – the full track listing included below.
Building on the momentum of his 3x platinum debut solo album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, …Nothing Like the Sun tackled a litany of deeply rooted and profoundly personal subjects. As Sting reflected in the liner notes, “I look back on this album, and I realize that the record is about my mother, although I didn’t see it at the time. It’s about mothers and daughters, mistresses and wives, sisters… Every song has one of these themes. It surprised me.” Sting’s mother sadly passed away in late 1986, not long before four months’ worth of intensive recording sessions for the next album got underway in earnest at AIR Studios in Montserrat in early 1987.
As a result, …Nothing Like the Sun, which was Sting’s first digital recording, is, for the most part, a subdued and reflective album with the exception being the up-tempo lead single, “We’ll Be Together,” an instant chart hit featuring Annie Lennox among its stellar background vocalists. Other key songs on the album showcased Sting’s development as an acclaimed solo artist. The quirky, jazz-inflected “Englishman in New York” tipped its bowler to English ex-pat and expert storyteller Quentin Crisp, while “Fragile” paid homage to an American civil engineer killed in Nicaragua by the Contras. Some of the album’s subject matter was born out of what Sting became aware of while participating in Amnesty International’s Conspiracy of Hope Tour in 1986. Narrated in stirringly vivid detail, “They Dance Alone” recounts the actions Sting observed of wives and daughters of certain men in Chile who were tortured and murdered by the then-military dictatorship. These wives and daughters would dance the country’s traditional dance known as the Cueca by themselves, with only photos of their missing loved ones pinned to their clothing.
Produced by Sting, Hugh Padgham, Bryan Loren, and Neil Dorfsman, …Nothing Like the Sun featured a variety of A-list guitarists, including former Police-mate Andy Summers on the album’s moving opening track “The Lazarus Heart,” Hiram Bullock on the heartfelt cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing,” and the triple threat of Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, and Fareed Haque on “They Dance Alone.” Another notable topline …Nothing Like the Sun collaborators include keyboardists Gil Evans and Kenny Kirkland, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, and drummer Manu Katché. In addition to handling arrangement duties and singing all of the album’s lead vocals, Sting played bass and double bass, as well as Spanish guitar on “History Will Teach Us Nothing” and acoustic guitar on “Fragile.”
…Nothing Like the Sun has been certified 2x platinum by the RIAA, topped the album charts in two countries, the UK and Japan, and also peaked at No. 9 on the US Billboard 200. The album’s aforementioned lead single, “We’ll Be Together,” had a strong chart impact upon its release, ultimately reaching No. 7 on the US Hot 100. The album’s second single, “Be Still My Beating Heart,” was nominated for two Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1989, and climbed to No. 2 on Album Rock Tracks, No. 15 on the Hot 100, and No. 37 on Adult Contemporary. The album’s other three singles were “Englishman in New York,” “Fragile,” and “They Dance Alone.” In the US, …Nothing Like the Sun garnered three Grammy nominations in 1989, including Album of the Year. In the UK, …Nothing Like the Sun received the BPI’s Brit Award for Best British Album of the Year in 1988.
STING: …NOTHING LIKE THE SUN – EXPANDED EDITION [digital only]
The Lazarus Heart
Be Still My Beating Heart
Englishman in New York
History Will Teach Us Nothing
They Dance Alone
Fragile
We’ll Be Together
Straight To My Heart
Rock Steady
Sister Moon
Little Wing
The Secret Marriage
Conversation With A Dog [Bonus Track]
If You There [Bonus Track]
Up From The Skies [Bonus Track]
Someone To Watch Over Me [Bonus Track]
Ghost in The Strand [Bonus Track]
Englishman in New York / Ben Liebrand Mix [Bonus Track]
Englishman in New York / Ben Liebrand Mix (Edit) [Bonus Track]
Fragile / dj MONK’s Extended Vocal Remix Version [Bonus Track]
Fragile / dj MONK’s Radio Edit Version [Bonus Track]
Fragile / dj MONK’s Hard Rain Dub Version [Bonus Track]
Fragile / Bedroom Rockers Remix Version [Bonus Track]
We’ll Be Together / Extended Mix [Bonus Track]
We’ll Be Together / Alternate Version [Bonus Track]
We’ll Be Together / Instrumental [Bonus Track]
Roadrunner United was a project organized by iconic hard rock record label Roadrunner Records to celebrate its 25th anniversary, culminating in the U.S. Billboard Top 200, UK Albums, and Australian ARIA Albums-charting original The All Star Sessions. Four “team captains” (Slipknot’s Joey Jordison, Machine Head’s Robb Flynn, Fear Factory’s Dino Cazares, and Trivium’s Matthew K. Heafy) were chosen to lead 57 artists from 45 past and present Roadrunner bands. It was truly a heavy metal family affair — and then some!
The release was labeled “a testament to Roadrunner’s far-reaching impact on the genre” by MTV. Because that’s exactly what it was.
Additionally, on December 15, 2005, a concert celebrating the project, album, and anniversary took place at the Nokia Theater in New York City.
That star-studded event featured multiple musicians, both past and present, from Roadrunner bands — as well as musicians that did not originally perform on the All-Star Sessions album.
The set list consisted of some of the most popular and famous songs released by Roadrunner Records, as well as some of the original songs from the project’s album. The “core band,” which performed on the majority of the songs, consisted of the aforementioned Cazares (Fear Factory), Adam Duce (Machine Head), the late Paul Gray (Slipknot), the late Joey Jordison (Slipknot, Murderdolls), Andreas Kisser (Sepultura), and Roy Mayorga (Hellyeah, Stone Sour).
Now, both the original All-Star Sessions album and the concert performance itself will be made widely available in multiple configurations on March 10, 2023. Pre-orders for the concert album, which will be available on vinyl, CD, digitally, and presented in HD for the first time, are now live here.
“The Roadrunner United album was something I still have a hard time believing that it happened,” says Heafy, who served as the youngest songwriting captain on the album. “A 19-year-old me being enlisted to be able to write anything I wanted… while picking a dream lineup of my favorite musicians every single every song? I am still honored and grateful to have been allowed this amazing experience. All I can say is… I want to do Part II.”
Flynn reflected on his participation as a captain, saying, “I had a couple of riffs left over from [2004 Machine Head album] Through the Ashes of Empires that I hadn’t ended up using, so brought them into play first-off for Roadrunner United. The song that really kicked it off for me was ‘The Dagger.’ I was like, ‘Man, this is a f–king banger. I don’t know if I even want to give this away!’
‘I actually told the label, ‘If you can lock in Howard [Jones] from Killswitch Engage to do the vocals, you can have it. Otherwise, I’m keeping it for Machine Head!’ We had so much fun when Howard flew in to record that song at my studio. He only had about three sentences of lyrics prepared, so we spent hours talking over what the song could be about, and then he freestyled a bunch. I remember him getting up, walking into the vocal booth, and just belting out this f–king insane scream, this screech! It became the sound that opens the whole record.”
That moment caused a wave of songs to come flooding through for Flynn and further inspired his creativity on songs and the iconic Machine Head album that came after — 2007’s The Blackening. He even stated that working with different artists for Roadrunner United “really opened my mind to all these possibilities.”
All details about each configuration of the live concert album and original CD are below.
ROADRUNNER UNITED: THE CONCERT (LIVE AT THE NOKIA THEATRE, NEW YORK,NY, 12/15/2005) VINYL:
We have opened the vault to bring to you for the first time on vinyl Roadrunner United The Concert (Live at the Nokia Theatre, New York, NY, 12/15/2005), featuring members of Slipknot, Anthrax, Trivium, Machine Head, Fear Factory, Sepultura, and more. Roadrunner United was a project organized by the heavy metal record label Roadrunner Records to celebrate its 25th anniversary. On December 15, 2005, in New York City. Roadrunner Records produced the metal concert to end all Metal Concerts: 39 musicians, representing 25 different Roadrunner bands, performed 25 songs from 19 different bands’ repertoires. This unique and unprecedented aggregation of musicians was no jam session. Each song was studiously rehearsed and arranged, coming together with exuberant perfection, to produce a concert that can only be called legendary and iconic!
Conceived as a follow-up to the Roadrunner United The All-Star Sessions, the label recruited the core team of musicians (Dino Cazares, Adam Duce, Paul Gray, Joey Jordison, Andreas Kisser, and Roy Mayorga) as the backbone of the performance. Sure enough, as they fine-tuned the songs and rehearsed them tirelessly, dozens of other musicians boarded the performance.
This 3-LP set represents the gathering of a community of musicians that spans the heavy metal history of the first 25 years of Roadrunner Records — from King Diamond to Slipknot and beyond. Those who were lucky enough to be there experienced a night they will never forget. For the first time as a live concert album, this 3-LP set on red, white, and black-colored vinyl is a chance to relive that special night again and again.
The concert will also be available digitally.
It is also presented in HD for the first time ever.
SIDE A:
Biohazard’ // “Punishment”
Madball // “Set It Off”
Stormtroopers of Death // “March of The S.O.D.”
Life of Agony // “River Runs Red”
Obituary // “The End Complete”
SIDE B:
Mercyful Fate // “Curse pf The Pharaohs”
King Diamond ”Abigail”
Annihilator // “Alison Hell”
Deicide // “Dead By Dawn”
SIDE C:
Trivium // “Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr”
Killswitch Engage // “My Last Serenade”
Chimaira // Pure Hatred”
Fear Factory // “Replica”
SIDE D:
Type O Negative // “Black No. 1″
Roadrunner United // Tired ‘N Lonely”
Stone Sour // “Brother”
Roadrunner United // “The Rich Man”
SIDE E:
Roadrunner United // “The Dagger”
Roadrunner United // “The End”
Soulfly // “Eye For An Eye”
Sepultura // “Refuse/Resist”
SIDE F:
Slipknot // “Surfacing”
Machine Head // “Davidian”
Slipknot // “(sic)”
Sepultura // “Roots Bloody Roots”
MUSICIANS:
Steve Asheim, Matt Baumbach, Cory Beaulieu, Glen Benton, Rob Caggiano, Keith Caputo, Dino Cazares, Mike D’Antonio, Phil Demmel, Adam Duce, Brian Fair, Robb Flynn, Justin Foley, Paul Gray, Billy Graziadei, Paolo Gregoletto, Matthew K. Heafy, Andols Herrick, Scott Ian, Jamey Jasta, Howard Jones, Joey Jordison, Andreas Kisser, Jesse Leach, Logan Mader, Roy Mayorga, James Murphy, Tim “Ripper” Owens, Nadja Peulen, Evan Seinfeld, Acey Slade, Travis Smith, Joel Stroetzel, Corey Taylor, Ville Valo, Tommy Vext, Jeff Waters, Jordan Whelan, Tim Williams
ROADRUNNER UNITED: THE CONCERT (LIVE AT THE NOKIA THEATRE, NEW YORK, NY, 12/15/2005) CD:
This 2-CD set represents the gathering of a community of musicians that spans the heavy metal history of the first 25 years of Roadrunner Records — from King Diamond to Slipknot and beyond. Those who were lucky enough to be there experienced a night they will never forget. For the first time as a live concert album, this 2-CD set is a chance to relive that special night again and again.
ROADRUNNER UNITED: THE ALL-STAR SESSIONS CD
Roadrunner United was a project organized by the heavy metal record label Roadrunner Records to celebrate its 25th anniversary. It culminated in an album released worldwide on October 11, 2005, entitled The All-Star Sessions. Four “team captains” were chosen to lead 57 artists from 45 past and present Roadrunner bands, and produce and oversee the album’s 18 tracks: Joey Jordison, Dino Cazares, Robb Flynn, and Matt Heafy. The 18 tracks are back in print for a limited time to celebrate four decades of Roadrunner Records’ mark on the metal world.
THE ALL-STAR SESSIONS TRACK LISTING:
“The Dagger”
“The Enemy”
“Annihilation by the Hands of God”
“In the Fire”
“The End”
“Tired ‘n Lonely”
“Independent (Voice of the Voiceless)”
“Dawn of a Golden Age”
“The Rich Man”
“No Way Out”
“Baptized in the Redemption”
“Roads”
“Blood & Flames”
“Constitution Down”
“I Don’t Wanna Be (A Superhero)”
“Army of the Sun”
“No Más Control”
“Enemy of the State”
