Maxar Technologies and SiriusXM today announced a new agreement commissioning Maxar to build and deliver two new geostationary communications satellites for SiriusXM.
The SXM-11 and -12 satellite orders increase the total number of spacecraft in development for SiriusXM by Maxar to four, following the 2021 agreement for the construction of SXM-9 and -10.
“This investment reaffirms our commitment to satellite content delivery systems and cutting-edge technology,” said Bridget Neville, SiriusXM’s Senior Vice President of Satellite and Terrestrial Engineering and Operations. “SXM-11 and -12, along with SXM-9 and -10, will allow us to innovate and improve our service offerings for subscribers and will extend the continuous and reliable delivery of our audio entertainment content.”
“This agreement, in combination with SXM-9 and -10 ordered last year, shows one of Maxar’s greatest strengths—the advantage of performance at scale,” said Chris Johnson, Maxar’s Senior Vice President of Space. “These satellites will provide more capability to SiriusXM’s fleet, including an expanded service area and higher service quality. We continue to push for new ways to expand capability for commercial geostationary customers, keeping our leadership in this market secure and growing.”
There are more than 150 million SiriusXM-equipped vehicles on the road today that rely on SiriusXM’s proprietary satellite network, which is also a key delivery mechanism for the company’s 360L platform. SiriusXM with 360L combines satellite and streaming to ensure the best possible coverage across the US and Canada and the best customer experience. SiriusXM also offers a suite of satellite-delivered Marine and Aviation services that provide pilots and boaters important weather data and information directly to their cockpits.
SXM-11 and -12 will be twin high-powered digital audio radio satellites, built on Maxar’s proven 1300-class platform at the company’s manufacturing facilities in Palo Alto and San Jose, California. Maxar has been building satellites for SiriusXM for more than two decades, including the first-generation Sirius satellites launched in 2000, the second-generation Sirius satellites launched in 2009 and 2013, and the company’s current third-generation satellites, the first one of which started service in 2021. The delivery of SXM-11 and -12 will bring the number of Maxar-built spacecraft for SiriusXM to 13.
The Country Music Association of Ontario have announce that the CMAOntario Awards will be returning to Hamilton in June 2023. The Awards, presented by Slaight Music, will cap off a weekend of live events scheduled throughout the city from June 2-4, with a rousing celebration on Sunday, June 4th, 7pm, at Theatre Aquarius.
“The CMAOntario is thrilled to be returning to Hamilton! Fans here know and support country music and we can’t wait to bring the fun of music and activity to Hamilton once again for our biggest annual event!” said CMAOntario President Steve Kassay.
Tickets for the CMAOntario Awards will be available for purchase to the public as of 11:00am, Friday, December 2 online at https://theatreaquarius.org or by phone at 1.800.465.7529. Early bird pricing will be in effect with prices ranging from $69.00 (plus taxes and service fees) for regular reserved seating to $225.00 (plus taxes and service fees) for fan VIP packages. Full ticket pricing goes into effect as of January 1, 2023.
CMAOntario Members can access an advance pre-sale window starting today at 11:00am and take advantage of special members-only pricing on regular tickets and combo packages. Promo codes to access the pre-sale window and members’ discount will be sent to CMAOntario members via email through the Association.
Nominations for the 2023 CMAOntario Awards will open for submissions in February at cmaontario.ca. Additional details, including performers, will be announced in the new year.
The first solo album Indigo by RM of BTS is officially here for pre-sale, and comes out om December 2. Indigo includes different tracks in collaboration with various artists that portray RM’s prevailing thoughts. Contents of the album include a CD, CD Envelope, Outbox, Booklet, Postcard, Photocard (random 1 of 3), Fabric Card, Instant Photo and Poster.
All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her through Instagram or Twitter
Three Days GraceThree Days GraceThree Days GraceThree Days GraceThree Days GraceThree Days GraceThree Days GraceThree Days GraceThe WarningThe WarningThe WarningThe WarningThe WarningThe WarningThe StandstillsThe StandstillsThe StandstillsThree Days Grace
Pet Shop Boys have today announced new 2023 UK and European dates for their critically acclaimed tour, ‘Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live’, with tickets available from this Wednesday, November 30.
Bringing their incredible show to more countries across Europe, the new 2023 tour dates kick off with a show in Rome on June 13, 2023, before taking in cities across the continent including Dublin, Paris, Helsinki and Copenhagen, closing in Gothenburg on July 9, 2023. The dates also include a new UK show in Brighton on June 26.
‘Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live’ tour is Pet Shop Boys’ first ever greatest hits tour and has seen them receive ecstatic reviews for the shows in the UK and across Europe.
As well as the success of the tour, Pet Shop Boys performed a rapturously received headline set this summer on The Other Stage at the Glastonbury Festival, closing this year’s 50th Anniversary of the event, co-headlined the Unity Tour of North America with New Order, and will headline Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations with a special Dreamworld show on New Year’s Eve 2022.
The 2023 European and UK dates in full are:
13 June – Auditorium Parco della Musica Cavea, Rome, Italy
15 June – L’Olympia, Paris, France
17 June – OVO Arena Wembley, London, UK
19 June – 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland
21 June – P&J Live, Aberdeen, UK
23 June – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, UK
24 June – First Direct Arena, Leeds, UK
26 June – Brighton Centre, UK
1 July – Lanxess Arena, Cologne, Germany
4 July – Helsinki Ice Hall, Finland
7 July – Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
9 July – Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden
Tickets for the new European tour dates are available from 9am CET this
Wednesday, November 30, via a pre-sale on the Pet Shop Boys website. General sale tickets are available from 9am CET Thursday 1 December via the same store. UK tickets are already on sale.
Two of the UK’s most enduring and best-loved bands, The Charlatans UK and Ride have announced plans for a North American co-headline tour, set to begin January 30, 2023 at New York City’s Webster Hall and then continue through a February 18 finale at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, CA.
In 1993, The Charlatans UK and Ride co-headlined Daytripper – two now-legendary concert events held in the British seaside towns of Brighton and Blackpool. The upcoming North American tour will once again see the two bands trading off the headline slot each night, with both performing classic albums in full – The Charlatans UK performing 1992’s landmark sophomore LP, Between 10th and 11th, Ride performing 1990’s debut masterpiece, Nowhere – along with a selection of greatest hits, fan favorites, and more.
THE CHARLATANS & RIDE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2023
JANUARY
30 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
31 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel
FEBRUARY
2 – Boston, MA – BIG Night Live
3 – Montreal, QC – Corona Theatre
4 – Toronto, ON – History
5 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
7 – Chicago, IL – The Vic Theatre
8 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
9 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
11 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
13 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
14 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
15 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
17 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
18 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
Metallica has confirmed the title and release date of its forthcoming 12th studio album: 72 Seasons will be available April 14, 2023 via the band’s own Blackened Recordings. Produced by Greg Fidelman with Hetfield & Ulrich, and clocking in at over 77 minutes, the 12-track 72 Seasons is Metallica’s first full length collection of new material since 2016’s Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.
72 Seasons is heralded by first single “Lux Æterna,” a short, sharp blast that distills 40 years of Metallica into three and a half minutes. “Lux Æterna” is available now to stream and download, and as an instant grat track with all pre-orders of 72 Seasons.
Speaking on the concept of the album title, James Hetfield said: “72 seasons. The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves. The concept that we were told ‘who we are’ by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are. I think the most interesting part of this is the continued study of those core beliefs and how it affects our perception of the world today. Much of our adult experience is reenactment or reaction to these childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of those bondages we carry.”
The complete track listing for 72 Seasons is:
72 Seasons
Shadows Follow
Screaming Suicide
Sleepwalk My Life Away
You Must Burn!
Lux Æterna
Crown of Barbed Wire
Chasing Light
If Darkness Had a Son
Too Far Gone?
Room of Mirrors
Inamorata
Today also marks the announcement of every Metallica show booked through 2023 and 2024: Presented worldwide by Liquid Death and Blackened American Whiskey (in North America only) and promoted by Live Nation, Metallica’s M72 world tour will see the band playing two nights in every city it visits—with each No Repeat Weekend featuring two completely different setlists and support lineups. The M72 tour will feature a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed Metallica Snake Pit to center stage, as well as the I Disappear full-tour pass and the debut of discounted tickets for fans under 16 years of age. Two-day tickets will be on sale Friday, December 2nd at ticketmaster.com and will include the option of pre-ordering 72 Seasons vinyl and/or CD. Single day tickets will be available beginning January 20th. For further information including fan club presales, enhanced experiences and more, go to metallica.com/m72-info.
A portion of proceeds from every ticket sold will go to the band’s Al Within My Hands foundation. Founded in 2017, AWMH’s efforts to assist and enrich the lives of members of the communities who have suported the band have raised nearly $13 million – providing $5.9 million in grants to career and technical education programs in the U, over $2.5 million to combat food insecurity, and more than $3.2 million to disaster relief efforts worldwide.
METALLICA – M72 WORLD TOUR 2023-2024
Thursday, April 27 2023 – Amsterdam NL – Johan Cruijff Arena
Saturday, April 29 2023 – Amsterdam NL – Johan Cruijff Arena
Wednesday, May 17 2023 – Paris FR – Stade de France*
Friday, May 19 2023 – Paris FR – Stade de France
Friday, May 26 2023 – Hamburg DE – Volksparkstadion
Sunday, May 28 2023 – Hamburg DE – Volksparkstadion
Friday, June 16 2023 – Gothenburg SE – Ullevi Stadium**
Sunday, June 18 2023 – Gothenburg SE – Ullevi Stadium
Friday, August 4 2023 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
Sunday, August 6 2023 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
Friday, August 11 2023 – Montreal, QC – Stade Olympique
Sunday, August 13 2023 – Montreal, QC – Stade Olympique
Friday, August 18 2023 – Arlington, TX – AT&T Stadium
Sunday, August 20 2023 – Arlington, TX – AT&T Stadium
Friday, August 25 2023 – Inglewood, CA – SoFi Stadium
Sunday, August 27 2023 – Inglewood, CA – SoFi Stadium
Friday, September 1 2023 – Glendale, AZ – State Farm Stadium
Sunday, September 3, 2023 – Glendale, AZ – State Farm Stadium
Friday, November 3, 2023 – St. Louis, MO – The Dome at America’s Center
Sunday, November 5, 2023 – St. Louis, MO – The Dome at America’s Center
Friday, November 10, 2023 – Detroit, MI – Ford Field
Sunday, November 12, 2023 – Detroit, MI – Ford Field
Friday, May 24 2024 – Munich DE – Olympiastadion
Sunday, May 26 2024 – Munich DE – Olympiastadion
Friday, June 7 2024 – Helsinki FI – Olympic Stadium
Sunday, June 9 2024 – Helsinki FI – Olympic Stadium
Friday, June 14 2024 – Copenhagen DK – Parken Stadium
Sunday, June 16 2024 – Copenhagen DK – Parken Stadium
Friday, July 5 2024 – Warsaw PL – PGE Narodowy
Sunday, July 7 2024 – Warsaw PL – PGE Narodowy
Friday, July 12 2024 – Madrid ES – Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano
Sunday, July 14 2024 – Madrid ES – Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano
Friday, August 2 2024 – Foxborough, MA – Gillette Stadium
Sunday, August 4 2024 – Foxborough, MA – Gillette Stadium
Friday, August 9 2024 – Chicago, IL – Soldier Field
Sunday, August 11 2024 – Chicago, IL – Soldier Field
Friday, August 16 2024 – Minneapolis, MN – US Bank Stadium
Sunday, August 18 2024 – Minneapolis, MN – US Bank Stadium
Friday, August 23 2024 – Edmonton, AB – Commonwealth Stadium
Sunday, August 25 2024 – Edmonton, AB – Commonwealth Stadium
Friday, August 30 2024 – Seattle, WA – Lumen Field
Sunday, September 1 2024 – Seattle, WA – Lumen Field
Friday, September 20 2024 – Mexico City MX – Foro Sol***
Sunday, September 22 2024 – Mexico City MX – Foro Sol
Friday, September 27 2024 – Mexico City MX – Foro Sol***
Sunday, September 29 2024 – Mexico City MX – Foro Sol
Show 1 Support Europe: Architects & Mammoth WVH**
Show 2 Support Europe: Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills
*Five Finger Death Punch/Ice Nine Kills play show 1 in Paris, Architects & Mammoth WVH play show 2 in Paris
**Volbeat replaces Architects on show 1 in Gothenburg
Show 1 Support North America: Pantera & Mammoth WVH***
Show 2 Support North America: Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills
***Greta Van Fleet replaces Pantera on show 1 both weekends in Mexico City
Autumn is often symbolic of deep transition, of parts of nature – and our natures – dying to make way for the new. Toronto-based rockers A Short Walk To Pluto, endorsed earlier this year by Howard Stern on his top-rated SiriusXM show, illustrate that poetically in their folksier but no less tight new single “Give Me Grace.”
A soaring, jangly, acoustic ballad about the transformational power of love perfectly captured in a song, “Give Me Grace” tells the story of two separate people eventually destined for one another. The first narrator, the woman, feels trapped in an internal, everlasting winter, where the sun can’t break through a sky seemingly made of ice. The second verse tells the story of the male protagonist’s isolation and longing for companionship throughout a beautiful and fiery, yet lonely and daunting, autumn.
Give me grace
Or love at least
Just this once
My autumn dream
Soon, the two lovers collide, and they discover that the emotional strength that got them through their difficulties is a commonality – a saving grace. The song is based on the real experience of bassist Danny Moriana, who first met his partner in December 2019. “The pair seemed to lead such similar lives up until that point that it was almost destined for them to meet,” the band said. “The grace and love she offers daily is remarkable, bring him an overwhelming sense of happiness.”
Formed in 2018, A Short Walk To Pluto consists of members Emma Armstrong (vocals), Danny Moriana (bass/vocals), Max Kaiser (guitar), and Jake Biggs (percussion/vocals). They began as university students, who had known one another from high school, and they would perform regularly as a three-piece for school-related events. After various lineups featuring other vocalists, the boys met Emma Armstrong through a mutual friend in 2020. Since then, the band has made major strides in their musical ambitions with their numerous live performances, original music releases, and active social-media engagements resulted in a loyal and consistent following.
Catchy choruses and funky guitar walks are all too familiar to Waterloo, ON DJ/Producer Christopher Mihas, better known as Moves After Midnight, and his tenacity for electro-funk is captured in his newest single, “I See Right Through You.”
Synth-pop is a form of artistic expression that seems to impact each new generation of music appreciators while leaving a groovy stain on producers who grew up with and work within the genre. Inspired heavily by the music of his youth, Christopher pays homage to 80’s pop-funk music with this electro-funk dance track.
“I See Right Through You” is Christopher’s most recent release under the moniker Moves After Midnight following a string of releases, including October 2021 debut EP Fluorescent Memoirs, and more recently a smash single “Vanity Prayers” in September 2022.
Straying from the norm for the group, Christopher looked to revisit the glory days of 1980’s electronic funk bangers. “I See Right Through You” features sultry vocals accompanied by bone-chilling harmonies tell the tale of supporting and guiding self-destructive loved ones. Funky guitar riffs paired with walking bass lines usher in an infectious chorus that is sure to live in your head rent free for the next six months.
The overall product comes out to be an absolutely smashing electro-funk single.
Moves After Midnight has seen a string of features from a plethora of talented musicians. Despite this, Christopher has found himself drawn to a select few features.
Bartek Milczarczyk holds the title of Moves After Midnights “secret weapon.” A talented guitarist in his own right, Bartek provides instrumentation for “I See Right Through You” while co-writing alongside Christopher. Using Bartek’s solo as the foundation to build from, Christopher recruited Emmellienne to provide the charmingly mystic vocalizations that tie the track together.
Award-winning London based sound engineer Sefi Carmel was brought on board to add the finishing touches to Moves After Midnight’s newest brainchild, providing a master class in mixing and mastering.
The final product is an 80’s synth dreamscape that captures the essence of electro-funk in a charming and infectious manner. In addition, there is plenty of cowbell to go around – so get grooving like it’s 1985.
The Canadian metal-rockers of Edmonton, Alberta are in a “State of Mind” – streaming now.
The collective made up of Michelle Johnson (vocals), Steven Johnson (guitar), Corey Johnson (guitarist, bassist, keys, producer), and Keith Runco (drums) have created a new, gothic style of metal – surging electric riffs and laden with the vocal prowess of Johnson. Infusing orchestral and piano-based melodies with wavetable synthesis, Circle of Wolves are re-inventing metal into an entirely different and exciting sonic experience. By combining harmonies, with complicated chord progressions, and an exhilarating stage show, Circle The Wolves are intent on tearing up the rule book, forging a path of songwriting, and performing uniquely their own.
Of “State of Mind” the band says, “It’s about being in a relationship with someone that is narcissistic or controlling in some form or another. The singer is screaming that she needs to stay in that state of mind so that the relationship never ends.”
“Every Wednesday Steven, Michelle and Corey get together and write a new song,” Circle The Wolves says of their songwriting process, explaining that: “Michelle does the lyrics all by herself.” The band will create the skeleton of the new track, with Johnson giving them time to flesh out their ideas. “They then say, ‘it’s ready for you’ and Michelle heads into the vocal booth having no idea what the idea sounds like yet. All lyrics are written on the fly. Michelle likes to work alone when creating the lyric and melody for the Circle The Wolves songs. She feels she can better connect when there isn’t anyone else in the room!”
The result of “State of Mind” is a resounding and powerful attack on the nature of broken and toxic relationships and seeking refuge to find your way out of the dark. Johnson’s sheer emotional toll on the vocals mingled with the heavy interpolation of the instrumentation brings the fear of self-loathing to new heights. The listener is enveloped in the extreme of Johnson’s pleading, seeking, and desperation while also throwing horns with the thrash of the music behind the melody. Together, the song is an anthem for each of us who have found ourselves on the bottom rung of life’s unrelenting punishment on our hearts. The listener is dared to examine their own likeness to Johnson’s story – a raw, unadulterated prose on hurt, pain and sorrow.
“State of Mind” also comes packaged with a visual component – the music video is streaming now on YouTube. “We had a low budget and Michelle wanted to do a cool selfie-like video for this single. Something that showed her personality,” Circle The Wolves says, adding: “She thought she’d wear a mask to be mysterious but be able to show her face. There are clips of live performances on this video mixed with unique videos she found on stock video photography. Combined with some overlays and a video of her singing all dressed up showing her emotion. It really came together in the end to show a very tortured Michelle.” Viewers have found themselves connecting to the video through Johnson’s lyrics, and performance.
As the “endemic” looms, Circle The Wolves are back on the road, touring and taking stages at a variety of shows throughout 2022.
And when you take a spin through the Circle The Wolves discography, prepare yourself for your newly minted “State of Mind”.
