Home Blog Page 1569

“Prince and The Revolution: Live” Is Being Remastered and Digitally Enhanced

Eric Alper
-
0
“Prince and The Revolution: Live” Is Being Remastered and Digitally Enhanced

James Brown had the Apollo. Jimi Hendrix had Monterey Pop. And Prince had Syracuse, New York’s Carrier Dome—the March 30, 1985 Purple Rain Tour stop that was beamed to millions live via satellite and captured for posterity in the Grammy Award-nominated concert film Prince and The Revolution: Live, and which has since gone down in history as one of the most iconic live recordings in pop and rock history.

For the first time, this powerful performance by Prince and The Revolution has been remixed from the original 2” multitrack master reels and the film has been digitally enhanced onto Blu-ray video with selectable stereo, 5.1 surround and Dolby Atmos sound. Prince’s late-career and Grammy-nominated recording engineer, Chris James, remixed the recently discovered source audio, which had remained archived in Prince’s legendary Paisley Park vault for over three decades. The new release of Prince and The Revolution: Live will be available June 3, 2022, and marks the first time that the concert will be available on vinyl (as a 3-LP set) and on CD (as a 2-CD/Blu-ray set).

In conjunction with the physical formats, Prince and The Revolution: Live is also the first Prince release to be made available to supporting digital streaming platforms in spatial audio, as it will be delivered in Dolby Atmos. The first preview track, the jaw-dropping show opener “Let’s Go Crazy,” was made available today.

Additionally, a limited run Collector’s Edition of the iconic performance will be available exclusively from the official Prince Store. Housed in a luxe foil box, the set includes the remixed and remastered audio pressed onto 3 colored LPs (purple, red and gold vinyl), 2 CDs, the Blu-ray video, an expansive 44-page book complete with never-before-seen photos of the Purple Rain Tour, new liner notes highlighting stories and memories from all five members of The Revolution, and a limited run 24 x 36 poster. The Collector’s Edition was designed by Grammy-nominated artist Mathieu Bitton and Grammy-nominated creative director and Prince associate Trevor Guy.

With this new audio-visually enhanced release of Prince and The Revolution: Live, both longtime Prince fans and new generations of music lovers are invited to experience the groundbreaking, mesmerizing, creative tour-de-force that Prince brought to the stage with The Revolution during the Purple Rain Tour in an entirely new and immersive way.

“Listening back to that Syracuse show, I’m like, wow, we sound like a freight train just coming out of nowhere,” says The Revolution’s BrownMark. “That was powerful. I’ve been to a lot of concerts, and I’ve never seen anything like that.”

In other Prince news, Chicago will glow purple this summer when Prince: The Immersive Experience makes its worldwide debut on June 9. Presented by Superfly in partnership with The Prince Estate, attendees will be invited to immerse themselves fully in the music and life of Prince.

Preston Pablo Releases Major Label Debut Single “Flowers Need Rain” Featuring Banx & Ranx Today

Eric Alper
-
0
Preston Pablo Releases Major Label Debut Single “Flowers Need Rain” Featuring Banx & Ranx Today

Canadian singer/songwriter, producer, Preston Pablo, releases his major label debut single “Flowers Need Rain” featuring Banx & Ranx today.

“This song represents something extremely special to me, my love for music,” says Preston about the new track. “Last year, when my focus shifted towards making music my career, I found myself struggling creatively and mentally. A lot of things in my life changed. The volume at which I was creating was intense and rapid. Everything felt like a new experience to me, and I was just trying to put the puzzle pieces together in my mind. I was immersed into a different world of music and I was learning everything on the fly. I felt extremely overwhelmed and confused because I was living a life that I had always dreamt of, but a big part of me felt lost. There were so many emotions and unanswered questions in my head during this process, and this song was my way of expressing them.”

Preston continues; “I had taken a break from writing music because I was creatively drained after multiple writing trips. When I decided that I was ready to get back to it, this was the first song that I wrote. I played the chords on guitar and then the chorus melody followed. I was so moved by the chorus that I didn’t even finish writing the whole record. I decided to record a demo of just the hook and chords alone. Later that day I got together with some friends and we filmed a visual piece to go with it. A few days later I released it onto my social media channels and people really connected with it. Soon after that, with the help of Banx & Ranx and Sara Diamond we decided to finish writing and fully produce the record. For me, this song was and always will be the answer to all of my uncertainties. It’s simple, I need music in my life to live and grow the same way flowers need the rain.”

Preston’s evolution comes through loud and clear on the new track. Featuring the Multi-Platinum duo, Banx & Ranx [Dua Lipa, Sia, J Balvin] – guitar riffs underscore vulnerable verses throughout the track. It gives way to a swooning refrain over an upbeat melody. “We are so proud and grateful to develop an artist like Preston,” say Banx & Ranx. “The work we do with him challenges us to go outside of our comfort zone while pushing him to do the same. The fact that he’s Canadian makes it even better since we are striving to help create more Canadian superstars!”

Preston Pablo channels a fresh perspective on R&B and pop through live instrumentation and eloquent songwriting. The singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer made his solo debut in high school with the single “OMO.” Right out of the gate, it eclipsed 648K Spotify streams. He continued to gain traction with a series of releases. Tapped for the compilation Bangers Only, Vol. 1, he linked up with fawlin and Chill Only for “Circles” [3.3 million Spotify streams] and SauceOnly and Zeegs for “When We Were Kids,” which racked up over 6 million Spotify streams. His single “One Sided” amassed 1.4 million Spotify streams as he joined forces with pablø for “She Tried It,” “Control,” and “Ideas.” On the heels of “Chargie,” Banger of the Day predicted, “we are expecting Preston to have another big year.” Along the way, Preston signed to Universal Music Canada as he honed what he describes as a “modern vintage” style. After racking up nearly 20 million streams independently, he draws a big sound out of small town roots on singles such as “Don’t Break (My Soul)”, “Flowers Need Rain” and more to come.

“Flowers Need Rain” is just a snapshot of what’s to come from the emerging artist this year. Stay tuned for much more.

ABBA To Release Brand New Career-Encompassing LP & CD Box Sets On June 10, 2022

Eric Alper
-
0
ABBA To Release Brand New Career-Encompassing LP & CD Box Sets On June 10, 2022

When Voyage, the first new ABBA album in 40 years, and the accompanying shows in London were announced in September 2021, the global headlines it garnered underlined the phenomenal popularity of ABBA, four decades after they pressed the pause button on their career.

Fans all thought that the perfect arc of eight album releases from the sunshine of 1973’s Ring Ring to the chill of 1981’s The Visitors represented the complete ABBA story. However, one of pop’s most electrifying groups still had surprises in store and their brand new album, Voyage, showed all the ABBA hallmarks were still very much intact. Voyage topped the charts in 18 countries world-wide and became the group’s highest ever placing in the US at No 2.

This brand-new 10-LP Box Set, pressed on 180g heavyweight vinyl, and 10-CD Box Set, offers the opportunity to enjoy Voyage alongside the ‘golden eight’ (Ring Ring, Waterloo, ABBA, Arrival, The Album, Voulez-Vous, Super Trouper and The Visitors), as well as ABBA Tracks, which features non-album singles such as Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight), Fernando and other cherished b-sides. With the addition of a 40-page booklet in the 10-CD Box Set featuring album information and classic ABBA photographs from throughout their career, The ABBA Album Box Set is the ultimate collection for an ABBA fan, and an incredible souvenir of the group’s astonishing return.

If that wasn’t enough, the group will release ABBA’s Studio Album Picture Discs, which reunites all of ABBA’s prized studio albums on a special format (Ring Ring, Waterloo, ABBA, Arrival, The Album, Voulez-Vous, Super Trouper and The Visitors). Strictly limited edition, the collection is available as a discounted 8LP bundle, and 9LP bundle (inc. Voyage) for a limited time only. The albums are all released on 10th June.

The countdown is well underway. The concerts begin at ABBA Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London opening on 27th May 2022.

U2 Releases “A Celebration” 40th Anniversary Vinyl Edition EP Exclusively For Record Store Day 2022

Eric Alper
-
0
U2 Releases “A Celebration” 40th Anniversary Vinyl Edition EP Exclusively For Record Store Day 2022

U2 have announce the 40th-anniversary vinyl release of “A Celebration,” a limited edition 12” vinyl EP to celebrate Record Store Day on Saturday, April 23, 2022.

“A Celebration” is U2’s seventh single and was originally released in March 1982, between the albums October (1981) and War (1983).

This 40th-anniversary limited-edition reissue is a 4-track EP containing two previously unreleased recordings. The first is a studio out-take of the title track. The second is a performance of b-side and live favorite “Trash, Trampoline And The Party Girl,” recorded live in October 2015 in Köln, Germany during the iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour.

TRACKLIST:
SIDE A
A Celebration – 02:55
A Celebration (Studio Out-take) – 02:52
SIDE B
Trash, Trampoline and The Party Girl – 02:34
Trash, Trampoline and The Party Girl (Live from iNNOCENCE +eXPERIENCE Tour, Köln 2015) – 03:16

The Prince Estate Announces Record Store Day Release of ‘The Gold Experience’

Eric Alper
-
0
The Prince Estate Announces Record Store Day Release of ‘The Gold Experience’

The Prince Estate announces a special Record Store Day re-release of Prince’s 1995 album The Gold Experience on June 18, 2022. The Record Store Day re-release of The Gold Experience is an homage to the rare US-only promo version of the album that was released in 1995. The two-LP set is pressed onto translucent gold vinyl with a bonus suite of “Eye Hate U” remixes on Side D.

The RSD Drop of The Gold Experience will be available at independent record stores on June 18 as part of their June Record Store Day Drop. Additionally, The Gold Experience will be made available on CD for the first time in decades on June 17, while the hit single “The Most Beautiful Girl In The World,” long absent from digital platforms, was made available today, making the complete album available from download partners for the first time.

To further celebrate the announcement of this important re-release, the music video for “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” has been newly-enhanced to High Definition and added to Prince’s official YouTube channel for the very first time.

“The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” was initially released in February 1994 in a groundbreaking move by Prince, who wanted to show his longtime label, Warner Bros. Records, that he should be able to release new songs as soon as they were recorded. Released in a unique partnership between Prince’s own NPG Records, Edel Music, and Bellmark Records, “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” skyrocketed into the Top 10 around the world, hitting Number 1 in Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the U.K., and reaching Number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Gold Experience was the first full-length Prince album to be credited to his unpronounceable symbol, and was released at the most public, heated stage of his battle with the major label industrial complex. With the word “SLAVE” written on one cheek, Prince shined on the opulent ballads “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” and “Gold” and the defiant single “Eye Hate U,” and the album earned widespread critical acclaim.

Machine Gun Kelly Announces Massive Global ‘Mainstream Sellout’ Tour

Eric Alper
-
0
Machine Gun Kelly Announces Massive Global ‘Mainstream Sellout’ Tour

Machine Gun Kelly has announced his international Mainstream Sellout Tour — a colossal 52 arena run across North America and Europe featuring an incredible roster of special guests including Avril Lavigne, Travis Barker, blackbear, Trippie Redd, WILLOW, iann dior, PVRIS and 44phantom on select dates. The multi-platinum selling artist’s first ever arena tour will also feature a special hometown stadium performance in Cleveland, OH at FirstEnergy Stadium, the largest venue in the city. The genre-bending performer has amassed over 15.5 billion streams online and sold over 10 million album units. Full routing and details on special guests by city below.

Produced by Live Nation, the North American leg of the tour kicks off this June at Moody Center in Austin, making stops in Miami, Boston, Phoenix, Los Angeles and more before wrapping up in Cleveland at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 13th. The 15-stop European leg kicks off on September 17th at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, making stops in Prague, Paris, London and more before wrapping up in Amsterdam at AFAS Live on October 12th.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:
Wed Jun 8 – Austin, TX – Moody Center***^
Fri Jun 10 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center***^
Sat Jun 11 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center***^
Tue Jun 14 – Jacksonville, FL – VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena***^
Wed Jun 15 – Miami, FL – FTX Arena***^
Fri Jun 17 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena*^
Sat Jun 18 – Birmingham, AL – The Legacy Arena At BJCC*^
Sun Jun 19 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
Tue Jun 21 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center*^
Wed Jun 22 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena*^
Fri Jun 24 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena*^
Sat Jun 25 – Boston, MA – TD Garden+$
Sun Jun 26 – Philadelphia, PA – Waterfront Music Pavilion+$
Tue Jun 28 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden*^ – (on sale starting 12pm local time)
Fri Jul 1 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest*
Sat Jul 2 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center*^
Sun Jul 3 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena*^
Tue Jul 5 – Syracuse, NY – St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater*^
Wed Jul 6 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena*^
Fri Jul 8 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center*^
Sat Jul 9 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center*#
Mon Jul 11 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center*#
Wed Jul 13 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum*#
Fri Jul 15 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena*#
Sat Jul 16 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center*#
Tue Jul 19 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena*#
Thu Jul 21 – Portland, OR – Moda Center*#
Fri Jul 22 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena*#
Sat Jul 23 – Vancouver, BC – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena*#
Mon Jul 25 – Spokane, WA – Spokane Arena*#
Wed Jul 27 – Fargo, ND – FargoDome*#
Thu Jul 28 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center*#
Sun Jul 31 – Montreal, QC – Osheaga
Tue Aug 2 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena”#
Thu Aug 4 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center”#
Sat Aug 6 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre”#
Sun Aug 7 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena”#
Tue Aug 9 – Des Moines, IA – Wells Fargo Arena”#
Wed Aug 10 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center”#
Thu Aug 11 – Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Music Center”#
Sat Aug 13 – Cleveland, OH – FirstEnergy Stadium*”$#’
*With support from Avril Lavigne
***With support from Blackbear
^With support from iann dior
+With support from PVRIS
”With support from Travis Barker
$With support from Trippie Redd
#With support from WILLOW
’With support from 44phantom

EUROPEAN TOUR DATES:
Sat Sep 17 – Cologne, DE – Lanxess Arena’^
Mon Sep 19 – Prague, CZ – Sportovní Hala V Holešovicích’^
Wed Sep 21 – Brussels, BE – Palais 12’^
Fri Sep 23 – Frankfurt, DE – Festhalle’^
Sun Sep 25 – Munich, DE – Olympiahalle’^
Tue Sep 27 – Milan, IT – Mediolanum Forum’^
Wed Sep 28 – Zurich, CH –Hallenstadion’^
Thu Sep 29 – Paris, FR – Zenith’^
Sat Oct 1 – London, UK – OVO Arena Wembley’^
Tue Oct 4 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena’^
Thu Oct 6 – Leeds, UK – First Direct Arena’^
Fri Oct 7 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro’^
Sun Oct 9 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena’^
Wed Oct 12 – Amsterdam, NL – AFAS Live’^
^With support from iann dior
‘With support from 44phantom

Russell Peters Announces Canadian Dates For The Next Leg Of His ‘Act Your Age’ World Tour

Eric Alper
-
0
Russell Peters Announces Canadian Dates For The Next Leg Of His ‘Act Your Age’ World Tour

After four years away, Russell Peters returns to his home and native land with his Act Your Age World Tour.

After sold-out shows in Chicago, New York, DC, Cairo, Amman, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Russell is bringing his new act back to Canada with shows from Victoria to St. John’s, ending at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on July 28th.

Russell Peters has been awarded a Gemini, Peabody, Emmy and Canadian Screen Award. He was also the first comedian to have a comedy special on Netflix.

Russell Peters was recently named as one of Rolling Stone’s 50 Best Comics of All Time. He started doing stand-up at the age of nineteen at open mics in his native Toronto, and spent the next fifteen years honing his craft at clubs across Canada and the UK. In 2004, Peters gained critical and global recognition for his CTV “Comedy Now!” special and soon became the first comedian to sell-out Toronto’s Air Canada Centre in 2007.

Peters went on to set attendance records at venues from Madison Square Garden to The Sydney Opera House to London’s O2 Arena – where he broke the UK attendance record for highest number of tickets sold for an individual comedy show.

Peters resides in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. When not on tour he spends every day with his nine-year-old daughter, Crystianna and newborn son, Russell Santiago. He has a blue belt with three stripes in Jiu Jitsu and is an ardent DJ and hip-hop junkie who tries to get on the turntables for at least a few minutes every day.

Russell Peters: Act Your Age Tour
June 22, 2022 Victoria, BC Save On Foods Memorial Centre
June 23, 2022 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
June 24, 2022 Prince George, BC CN Centre
June 25, 2022 Kelowna, BC Prospera Place
June 27, 2022 Edmonton, AB Rogers Place
June 28, 2022 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome
June 29, 2022 Lethbridge, AB ENMAX Centre
June 30, 2022 Regina, SK Brandt Centre
July 4, 2022 Winnipeg, MB Canada Life Centre
July 5, 2022 Thunder Bay, ON Fort William Gardens
July 6, 2022 Sault Ste. Marie, ON GFL Memorial Gardens
July 8, 2022 Sudbury, ON Sudbury Community Arena
July 9, 2022 London, ON Budweiser Gardens
July 13, 2022 Moncton, NB Avenir Centre
July 14, 2022 Halifax, NS Scotiabank Centre
July 15, 2022 St. John’s, NL Mary Brown’s Centre
July 26, 2022 Ottawa, ON Canadian Tire Centre
July 27, 2022 Kingston, ON Leon’s Centre
July 28, 2022 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena

About Russell Peters

Grammy Award Winner Leon Bridges Announces ‘The Boundless Tour’ With Special Guest Little Dragon

Eric Alper
-
0
Grammy Award Winner Leon Bridges Announces ‘The Boundless Tour’ With Special Guest Little Dragon

Grammy Award-winning R&B recording artist and songwriter Leon Bridges will embark on The Boundless Tour, his first-ever headlining amphitheater and arena tour, in Summer 2022. Today he announces that he will make stops in over twenty cities across North America including Los Angeles’s The Forum on July 30th and New York’s Forest Hills Stadium on August 18th. The Boundless Tour features all new dates, in addition to Leon’s previously announced Spring US and UK/EU dates.

Little Dragon will join as a special guest. Little Dragon returns to North America, following the release of their March 2020 full length album New Me, Same Us. Their previous tours in the US saw them headlining venues such as the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, performing their big tunes “Ritual Union”, “Feather”, and “Twice”.

The Boundless Tour will feature something for everyone, with Leon performing tracks from his Grammy Award nominated debut album Coming Home, his Grammy Award winning album Good Thing and his Grammy Award nominated third album Gold Diggers Sound as well as Texas Sun, his collaborative EP with Khruangbin. Gold-Diggers Sound, which is his most confident, intimate and sensual album to date, was named a Critics Pick by The New York Times and features breakout tracks including the Grammy Award nominated “Born Again” featuring Robert Glasper, “Motorbike,” “Why Don’t You Touch Me” and “Sweeter,” which he performed at the Democratic National Convention.

“Says Leon, “Live performance has always been a constant in my life, from the early days of my debut album Coming Home to all of the global festivals and the more recent Gold-Diggers Sound album where I returned to the very same clubs where I started my career. I feel the most alive on stage and cannot wait to bring all of my music into these bigger venues and celebrate with my fans. We are going to put on a truly unforgettable live show.”

LEON BRIDGES THE BOUNDLESS TOUR DATES
3/5/22 M3F Festival Phoenix, AZ
4/29/22 Tulsa Theater Tulsa, OK +
4/30/22 Uptown Theater Kansas City, MO +
5/2/22 The Sylvee Madison, WI +
5/3/22 Saint Louis Music Park St. Louis, MO +
5/4/22 Murat Theatre Indianapolis, IN +
5/6/22 ICON Cincinnati, OH +
5/7/22 Michigan Theater Ann Arbor, MI +
5/8/22 Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica Cleveland, OH +
5/10/22 Altria Theater Richmond, VA +
5/11/22 Ting Pavilion Charlottesville, VA +
5/13/22 Ascend Amphitheater Nashville, TN +
5/14/22 The Louisville Palace Theater Louisville, KY +
5/16/22 Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre Charlotte, NC +
5/17/22 Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park Wilmington, NC +
5/18/22 Rabbit Rabbit Asheville, NC +
5/19/22 St. Augustine Amphitheatre St Augustine, FL +
5/21/22 Hangout Music Festival Gulf Shores, AL
6/10/22 Best Kept Secret Hilvarenbeek, NL
6/12/22 Syd For Solen Copenhagen, DK
6/13/22 Annexet Stockholm, SE #
6/14/22 Sentrum Scene Oslo, NO #
6/17/22 O2 Apollo Manchester, UK #
6/18/22 O2 Academy Birmingham, UK #
6/19/22 O2 Academy Bristol, UK #
6/21/22 Eventim Apollo London, UK #
6/22/22 Eventim Apollo London, UK #
6/23/22 Brighton Dome Brighton, UK #
6/26/22 The Helix Dublin, IE #
6/27/22 Usher Hall Edinburgh, UK #
6/30/22 Olympia Paris, FR #
7/2/22 Rock Werchter Werchter, BE #
7/4/22 Carlswerk Victoria Cologne, DE #
7/5/22 Tempodrom Berlin, DE #
7/6/22 Tonhalle Munich, DE #
7/8/22 Espai Port – Porta Ferrada Season Festival Cataluna, ES
7/9/22 Mad Cool Festival Madrid, ES
7/10/22 Auditorio Mar De Vigo Vigo, Pontevedra, ES #
7/12/22 Coliseu do Porto Porto, PT #
7/14/22 Super Bock Super Rock Lisbon, PT

7/29/22 The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV *
7/30/22 The Forum Los Angeles, CA *
7/31/22 The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park San Diego, CA *
8/3/22 White Oak Music Hall Houston, TX *
8/4/22 The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory Dallas, TX *
8/6/22 Moody Center Austin, TX *
8/8/22 Fox Theatre Atlanta, GA *
8/10/22 The Anthem Washington, DC *
8/13/22 Skyline Stage at The Mann Philadelphia, PA *
8/14/22 Thompson’s Point Portland, ME *
8/16/22 Roadrunner Boston, MA *
8/18/22 Forest Hills Stadium New York, NY *
8/20/22 Scotiabank Arena Toronto, ON *
8/21/22 KEMBA LIVE! – Outdoor Amphitheater Columbus, OH
8/22/22 Masonic Temple Theatre Detroit, MI *
8/24/22 Credit Union 1 Arena Chicago, IL *
8/25/22 The Armory Minneapolis, MN *
8/29/22 Theater of the Clouds at Moda Center Portland, OR *
8/30/22 Marymoor Park Seattle, WA *
9/2/22 Jazz Aspen Snowmass Aspen, CO
9/4/22 Oxbow RiverStage Napa, CA *
9/7/22 The Greek Theatre Berkeley, CA *
9/8/22 Santa Barbara Bowl Santa Barbara, CA *
*with Little Dragon
+ with Chiiild (previously announced)
# with Kirby (previously announced)

The White House Recording Library: The Forgotten Collection

Eric Alper
-
0
The White House Recording Library: The Forgotten Collection

— The White House Historical Association released a new episode of the 1600 Sessions podcast today, “ Presidential Vinyl: The White House Record Library,” which details the fascinating story of the little-known White House record collection built during the administrations of Presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter.

In this episode, Association President Stewart McLaurin speaks with writer/filmmaker John Chuldenko, the grandson of President Jimmy Carter, about his discovery of the forgotten collection of more than 2,000 vinyl records donated by the Recording Industry Association of America.

The Library, begun by First Lady Pat Nixon, was curated by a volunteer commission of noted music journalists, scholars, and other experts on a variety of different genres that included classical, jazz, country, folk, gospel and spoken-word recordings.  As a time capsule of 1970s musical tastes and trends, it ranges from Pat Boone, Barry Manilow and John Denver to the Beatles, Isaac Hayes, The Clash and Elvis Costello.

“It was always intended as a communication device,” said Chuldenko.  “It reflects the American people, what’s going on outside on Pennsylvania Avenue, what’s going on outside in the country.”

“My grandparents have always had a very special connection to music,” he added.  “You can see it when they dance at weddings, you can see it at home.  So it’s no wonder that they would take that love for music into the White House with them.”

The 1600 Sessions is available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To hear the full episode, visit The1600sessions.org.

Canadian Folk Rocker Taze Kozak Creates a Compelling Collage of Past & Present in “Painted Pistols (Acoustic Version)”

Eric Alper
-
0
Canadian Folk Rocker Taze Kozak Creates a Compelling Collage of Past & Present in “Painted Pistols (Acoustic Version)”

There are times in life when the past and present collide in such a way as to be surreal, and that’s what Canadian folk-rocker Taze Kozak captures in his new single, “Painted Pistols,” from his new album Paper Airplanes — both available now.

“Painted Pistols” evokes a lonely highway long after midnight, the center lines lulling you into near-hypnosis, and the dead of the night taking on its own shape and character. The Comox Valley, BC-based artist sings with the plain-voiced candor of Johnny Cash over acoustic guitar that alternates between dark and plucky, and the lyrics take us on a journey from gangs fighting in the streets of Los Angeles, to the narrator soaking in a bathtub and drinking whiskey at noon, to a country boy jealous of other men flirting with his wife.

There’s the sense that none of it, and all of it, matters; Kozak describes his state of mind when writing it as: “Feeling strong, weak, helpless, a helper, a father, a loser, a winner, warmth, cold, insight, and outsight.”

When he first wrote the song, Kozak was facing his mother’s addiction, depression, and multiple attempts on her life before dying by suicide; he was also looking back at growing up with a father who had been paralyzed from a motorcycle accident — all while experiencing his own back problems from years of working in forestry and taking painkillers with booze to ease the pain, feeling a sense of connection between himself and upbringing, and worrying about possibly leaving his own young children to care for him.

my heads spinnin’ like a hurricane
for I’ve been drinkin’ pinot noir and poppin’ the codeine
and yes you know that it’s taking me down so slowly

“It was a beautiful and hard time in my life, a reoccurring theme which spirals in and out,” he reveals. “Things have been lost, things have been gained, things continue to move and color themselves as they please.”

Kozak went out every day to the motorhome parked in his backyard — his makeshift recording studio — to record songs off-the-cuff, without even writing most of them down, as a sort of therapy.

For a decade, self-taught singer-songwriter, and guitarist Taze Kozak has performed soulful melodies laced with his subtle wit and seamless poetics. Released in 2022, his six-song sophomore album Paper Airplanes follows 2021’s LP, Painted Pistols & Lo-Fi Poetry.

The new release brushes shadowy scenes, yet lets the heart dance, intertwining both sides of his songs’ lunar dualities influenced by outlaw country, gritty blues, and jazz.

It’s an album that’s grittily real, and authentically atmospheric; you can hear the pattering of rain against the motorhome in “Kettle of Fish,” a narrative about Kozak’s grandfather’s old moonshine still; at times, you can hear a helicopter overhead, squeaks from the old chair Kozak was sitting on, and the melodic chirping of birds. Song “Orange Honey” is about spring and digging in the garden –- a hope for new beginnings.

1...1,5681,5691,570...3,054Page 1,569 of 3,054

Follow us on Instagram @thatericalper

That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

Popular posts

Popular category

© Copyright - That Eric Alper