The Black Album won a Grammy, went platinum sixteen times, and is one of the best-selling records of all-time. But it wasn’t a hit with everyone. Here are Kirk Hammett, Robert Trujilla, James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich from Metallica reading real Amazon 1-star reviews of the Black Album.
Elton John Calls This Metallica Track “One of the Best Songs Ever Written”
Elton John called into the Stern Show with words of praise for Metallica’s 30th anniversary of the “Black Album” and explained why he wanted to collaborate on a cover of one of their songs with Miley Cyrus.
Dua Lipa Announces Highly Anticipated North American Future Nostalgia Tour
Today, global pop superstar Dua Lipa announced the North American leg of her highly anticipated Future Nostalgia Tour for 2022, in support of the Grammy-winning album of the same name. The arena tour makes 28 stops across the US, including Dua’s first ever headline show at Madison Square Garden in New York City and the iconic Forum in Los Angeles. The Future Nostalgia Tour will also feature support from Caroline Polachek and Lolo Zouaï, with Megan Thee Stallion joining on select dates, full list of tour stops and lineups below.
“I’m so thrilled to tour again and see my angels in person! How amazing that we all get to dance and celebrate together once again,” says Dua. “When I was writing Future Nostalgia, I imagined the songs being played in clubs on nights out with your mates. I’m so excited that this fantasy is finally coming true. I can’t wait to experience these songs with you together live!”
The long-awaited Future Nostalgia Tour, produced by Ceremony London, promoted by Live Nation and sponsored by Truly Hard Seltzer, will be the first time Dua connects her live vision for this album in-person with fans. Previously, the superstar was able to connect with fans during her record smashing live stream extravaganza Studio 2054, which had over 5 million viewers during its initial airing and featured special guests Angele, Bad Bunny, Elton John, FKA Twigs, J Balvin, Kylie Minogue, Miley Cyrus and Tainy. Dua is already slated to tour the EU in 2022, making this her first world tour run since breaking records during quarantine with her platinum-certified sophomore album Future Nostalgia.
Future Nostalgia is the longest running top 10 album by a female artist on the Billboard 200 this year and was the #1 most streamed album of 2020 on Spotify. It landed on the year-end “Best Of” lists of everyone from Rolling Stone to Billboard and Pitchfork, and spawned multiple worldwide hit singles including the #1 tracks “Break My Heart,” “Levitating,” which is still topping the charts and is the longest running song ever on Spotify’s Today’s Top Hits playlist, and US 4x platinum lead single “Don’t Start Now,” which broke her personal best record of weeks at #1 at US Top 40 radio and is the most streamed track on Spotify’s Today’s Top Hits playlist in history.
In addition to breaking radio records, Dua is also a dominate force on streaming platforms, topping Spotify’s artist chart as the most streamed female artist on the platform and is currently the fourth biggest artist overall with over 65 million monthly listeners. Future Nostalgia now has over 7 billion streams across all platforms worldwide. After receiving 6 nominations at the 2021 Grammys, including Record, Song and Album of the Year. She is now a three-time Grammy winner, having received awards for Best Pop Vocal Album this year and for Best New Artist and Best Dance Recording in 2019. Future Nostalgia was the follow up to her eponymous 2017 debut, which is certified platinum, spawned 6 platinum tracks, and made Dua the first female artist in Brit Awards history to pick up five nominations, with two wins for British Breakthrough Act and British Female Solo Artist.
Future Nostalgia North American Tour
February 9th, 2022 – Miami, FL – FTX Arena # !
February 11th, 2022 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center # !
February 12th, 2022 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena # !
February 14th, 2022 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena # !
February 16th, 2022 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center # !
February 18th, 2022 – Boston, MA – TD Garden # !
February 19th, 2022 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center # !
February 22nd, 2022 – Montreal, QC – Centre Bell # !
February 23rd, 2022 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena # !
February 25th, 2022 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena # !
February 26th, 2022 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center # !
March 1st, 2022 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden # !
March 2nd, 2022 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena # !
March 4th, 2022 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center # !
March 5th, 2022 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center # !
March 8th, 2022 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center # !
March 9th, 2022 – Chicago, IL – United Center # !
March 12th, 2022 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center # !
March 13th, 2022 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center # !
March 15th, 2022 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena * #
March 17th, 2022 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center * #
March 20th, 2022 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center * #
March 22nd, 2022 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum # !
March 25th, 2022 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena # !
March 27th, 2022 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center # !
March 29th, 2022 – Portland, OR – Moda Center # !
March 31st, 2022 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena # !
April 1st, 2022 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena # !
# Dates featuring Caroline Polachek
! Dates featuring Lolo Zouaï
* Dates featuring Megan Thee Stallion
OZZY OSBOURNE and LEMMY KILMISTER Duet On “Hellraiser” From 30TH Anniversary of ‘No More Tears’ Expanded Digital Deluxe Edition
More than 30 years after the release of NO MORE TEARS, music fans will at last hear a new version of the album’s “Hellraiser.” The digital release of the album, due out September 17 (Sony), will include an updated interpretation of the track featuring the first-ever official version of the song with a mash-up of vocals from OZZY and the song’s co-writer, longtime friend and colleague Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead. “Hellraiser” originally appeared on NO MORE TEARS; Motorhead then recorded their own version and released it as a single from their 1992 March ör Die album. “Hellraiser” was one of four songs from NO MORE TEARS co-written by OZZY with Lemmy; the others are “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” “Desire,” and “I Don’t Want to Change the World.”
“I hope everyone enjoys the song,” OZZY says. “This is just a small way to honor my friend Lemmy. Sharon and I talk a lot about how much we miss him.”
Beyond the digital version of NO MORE TEARS–OSBOURNE’s sixth solo album went Top 10 (#7) and certified quadruple platinum–the release will also be highlighted with two special editions: a 2LP black vinyl version and a special yellow and red 2LP vinyl version with a specially created booklet (exclusively at www.towerrecords.com). Both configurations will be released simultaneously with the digital version. Pre-order the album here.
In its release, NO MORE TEARS yielded four top ten singles on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart, “Mama, I’m Coming Home” (#2), “Road To Nowhere” (#3), “Time After Time” (#6) and the title track (#10). In addition, the album’s “I Don’t Want to Change the World” earned OZZY his first Grammy for a live version of the track that was featured on his 1993 LIVE AND LOUD album. The album has remained an OZZY classic, earning a spot (#22) on Loudwire’s “Top 90 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the ’90s” with Ultimate Classic Rock including No More Tears on their list “Top 100 ’90s Rock Albums.”
The Shoe Palace x Bob Marley Collection
Bob Marley is easily one of the biggest musical artists of all time. His art and life have inspired millions of people across the globe. Shoe Palace is excited to present a brand new apparel assortment, available only at Shoe Palace, that honors the legacy of Bob Marley.
The Shoe Palace x Bob Marley collection releases this September exclusively at Shoe Palace retail locations and on shoepalace.com. The line includes tees, hoodies, shirts, and jogger pants. The premium materials, colors, and artwork were meticulously crafted to meet the high standards of Marley’s loyal fans. The collection consists of Marley iconography like tour tees, tie dye patterns and portraits.
Landing as a Striking Statement of Acceptance, Chamber Pop Artist JACK IN WATER Reveals Emotionally Charged LP
Following a string of emotionally charged single releases this year, Mallorca, Spain-based Jack In Water entwines them together in this, his stunning debut full-length, You Don’t Feel Like Home — available now.
The chamber pop nom-de-plume of singer/songwriter William Clapson, the LP highlights newly unveiled single, “Everyone Will Be Lost,” as well as previous offerings “For You,” “Anxious Smothers,” the release’s title track “You Don’t Feel Like Home,” and more.
Produced by Oli Bayston (Loyle Carner, The 2 Bears) at his East London Studio, You Don’t Feel Like Home is not a record to rush. A striking statement of acceptance that’s as much about moving on as it is about looking back, the collection of seven songs delve into Clapson’s childhood, mining immersively introspective, coming-of-age songs that draw on topics of family, friendship, and falling in love, while also addressing darker, deeply personal issues — sexual abuse, alcohol misuse, and the discovery of death.
It’s in that personal sharing that Clapson both found and supported a sense of community; as Jack In Water, he recently released a beautiful acoustic version of his track, “Monster,” which caught the attention of Mankind, a sexual abuse charity for men. In a bid to help others through talking about his own experiences, Clapson has since worked closely with the charity, and survivors of abuse. “One of the first projects we did is called ‘The Way Through It’,” he shares. “It features a series of stories of each survivor, and explains the process they went through to get help and support.”
Brought up in a little village in Essex, a string of DIY EP releases to date — including 2011’s The Meaning of Events — has garnered Clapson an impressive accumulated streaming figure of over 10+ million.
Released August 27th, 2021, early previews of You Don’t Feel Like Home received resounding support from the likes of BBC Introducing, The Independent, 1883 Magazine, Daily Star, Far Out Magazine, and more; Clash praised Clapson’s “incredible grace in his artistry,” and Clout declared You Don’t Feel Like Home as “one of the strongest releases of 2021.”
You Don’t Feel Like Home and “Everyone Will Be Lost” are available now.
Singer/Songwriter Dean Friedman Unpacks Historical Terrors & Hope in New “American Lullaby” Album
Gentle in tone as it braces listeners for what lays in wait, singer/songwriter Dean Friedman delivers tranquil and captivating piano concertos with a serving of history in this, his new single “American Lullaby,” and titular album of the same name — both available now.
Hailed as one of the pre-eminent songwriters of his generation, Friedman’s American Lullaby marks his ninth studio album, released on his Real Life Record Label. “American Lullaby” is a journey through the past, drawing visuals from across four centuries of American history as it delves into the dark corners of a blemished past, all with a sense of optimism intertwined for the future ahead.
The song’s music video showcases a variety of images — from the first European ship to sail up New York’s Hudson River in the 1600’s, to time in the 21st century. The piece, working as a commentary on life in a country entangled in a love affair with guns, shows Friedman refusing to shy away from the tough stuff, embalming his crowd-funded album with working topics like fractured politics, environmental climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, racism, sexism, and what he refers to as “intractable culture wars.”
“The new album, American Lullaby,” Friedman explains, “reflects my personal take on all the crazy stuff that’s been happening — both in America, and around the world — for the last six years.
“Like all lullabies, it’s filled with tales of dark deeds and disaster, but couched in soft, gentle tones meant to soothe and comfort the listener, while gently bracing them for the potential terrors that await.”
While Friedman might put the glaring shot glass of reality whiskey on the bar ahead of us, it doesn’t come without a chaser. While engaging the listener in a near-pleading wake-up call along American Lullaby’s liner notes, he isn’t without a sense of good-naturedness about a future worth saving.
“All these things really happened, and continue to happen,” he continues, adding that these varieties of new age events are “all exacerbated by our inane and disastrous politics.”
That said, he promises the album is “not all gloom and doom. It’s filled with optimism and faith — not in any god, but in our humanity.”
Long-time fans of Friedman can agree it’s his mesmerizing piano ballads that poignantly nest inside the listeners ears; soothing and calming. Friedman’s attention to detail from the quietest intonation to the widest melody, to the striking crescendo, and the drawback of the bridge is what Friedman does best — he’s a conductor inside an orchestra of storytelling.
And he captivates by utilizing the truth, catapulting off real events that are truly happening in the real world around us. It allows the listener to believe what he’s saying, agreeing to root for the answers, and confident that, this too, shall pass — if only we’re willing to accept what’s wrong, and forge a path to change.
The many notables on the album include “Halfway Normal World,” a poignant yearning for release from perpetual lockdown; “The Russians Are Coming!,” a 100% factual narrative based on the “Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Russian Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election.” Other song titles: “Welcome to Stupid Town” and “On a Summer’s Night.” The album also offers up “Just Another Birthday Song,” Friedman’s hilarious contender to replace the ubiquitous “Happy Birthday: song, written 125 years ago by the Hill sisters.
“I’m insistent on hope, laughter and joy,” he says. “Our shared emotional trauma is palpable and requires tending to, so some serious silliness is called for.
“Hopefully, the full-time residents of ‘Stupid Town’ can take a joke. As for ‘Just Another Birthday Song’, you can’t deny that, after 125 years, the Hill sisters have had a good run.”
Friedman has been utilizing the time during the pandemic to get up close and personal with his fans, through live-streaming and “DeanZine ‘Live Stream’” events, and the upcoming Edinburgh Fringe Festival, taking place virtually this month. Next on the docket is a 40 run “live” concert event series kicking off April, 2022.
For Dean Friedman, recognizing the grim reality of today isn’t about lingering in sadness, or finding yourself lost in moroseness. Instead, he says, “For those of us lucky enough to have survived the recent cataclysms, it seems to me it’s incumbent upon us to not just work to heal our wounded world, but to seize every chance we get to celebrate wonder…
“And propagate joy.”
And that really is the definition of a lullaby, isn’t it? One that soothes you to sleep with whispered promises of sweet dreams ahead…
American Lullaby is available now.
Vancouver’s Dance-Pop Musician RYAN SHANE OWEN Evokes Etherialism with New “Summer Night Dream”
Canadian dance-pop producer Ryan Shane Owen invites you “into the big striped tent by the river” to enjoy his new single release, “Summer Night Dream” — available now.
Drawing inspiration from Shakespeare’s heady classic, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the Vancouver, British Columbia-based artist ushers audiences away on an atmospheric journey through the sonic colours, visuals, and sounds of a moonlit forest.
A singer/songwriter with a plethora of talents, Ryan debuted his first full-length solo album, Rhapsody for the Disco, in the beginning of 2020. From there, he developed and released his sophomore 12-track follow-up album, Symphony for the Stereo, or “Rhapsody part two,” before this new single, “Summer Night Dream.”
While Ryan may draw inspiration from genres like classical music, classic rock, pop, and EDM music, his style can be described as a mix of deep house, disco, synth wave, and glam rock — all cleverly fused into a clever, yet classic twist on electronic pop music. He revisits his decision to take the walk down the dance music path, recalling that “I’ve always loved dance music, but was always frustrated by the banality of much of the dance music out there. I wanted to create dance music with good melodies, lyrics, and instrumentation…”
Owen’s passion for dance music stems from a long exposure to not only the genre music-wise, but a tenure in the culture as well. Any EDM fan will have worked up the means to attend at least one music festival, and Ryan was no exception. When it comes to “Summer Night Dream,” Ryan fondly recalls his attendance at outdoor raves. “I also used to attend outdoor raves in Vancouver called ‘full moon parties,’” he shares. “Smaller gatherings in a clearing among the trees and mountains, with people dancing until dawn…”
These warm memories seemed like the perfect setting for this, his new single: “Summer Night Dream.” The inspiration came to him recently enough, he shares, during a heat wave that “dried out the usually lush rainforest,” subduing the familiar chatter of birds and animals to an uncomfortable extent.
As it would turn out, this silence would act as a harbinger of bad news; in fact, wildfires would continue to develop around both Ryan, as well as other residents of British Columbia. While Owen was successfully able to capture all of the sounds and video for “Summer Night Dream” prior to preparing to evacuate his home, he reveals “an additional sense of urgency and melancholy at the thought that this could all be gone if the fire situation worsened.”
The situation that was unfolding around Ryan’s home led to some of his classic tongue-in-cheek commentary of the situation around him. Being no stranger to creating abstract wordplay that represents what is going on both socially and around Owen’s, the opening line of “Summer Night Dream” refers to the haze seen around the forest and area of Owen’s home — “smoky skies saunter through the valley.”
In the end, this high-spirited indie dance-pop artist was able to finish creating something that, at the very least, will serve as a warm and colorful spirit booster and, at worst, may serve as a heartwarming reminder of what was.
In the meantime, take the time to revisit those warm summer moonlit walks in the forest by listening to Ryan Shane Owen’s newest single, “Summer Night Dream.”
“Summer Night Dream” is available now.
TOM JACKSON Implores Us to Find The “Lost Souls” and The Truth in Stirring New Single
We know his name. He’s recognized in Canada as one of our greatest exports in acting. With performing. With philanthropy. And now, Tom Jackson demands we learn the truth on the haunting new track, “Lost Souls” — available now.
“We can’t jump to reconciliation without discussion of truth,” Jackson states of his latest offering — a poignant, deeply resonating message of uncovering the darkest days of Canada’s history. In May, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Chief Rosanne Casimir announced that the remains of 215 children had been found near the city of Kamloops, British Columbia. Some of these children were believed to be as young as three years old.
It was a revelation that brought a resolve to centuries-old accusations against the country’s residential school system; an assimilation program developed in the 1800s by the Canadian government and administered by the Church. Hailed as an educational program for Indigenous children, the system focused primarily on indoctrinating Euro-Canadian and Christian lifestyles. Residential schools in Canada — which would operate until the final institution closed in 1996 — became synonymous with the destruction and devastation of Indigenous heritage, and human spirit. Children were removed from their households by the time they were school-age, and many did not return resulting in generations of Indigenous families demanding the whereabouts of the missing.
“If you want to defeat the Indian,” Jackson muses on the song, “take away their children.”
“In the world of T&R, we will not find reconciliation until we find truth,” Jackson explains. “The truth may be painful, but pain is part of the process of the sacred healing journey. Although the work is difficult, it will directly contribute to the health and well-being of the present and future generations. Sometimes I pray for change, and it helps me get through the darkness. But I’m not sure if just my hope helps others.”
Jackson, a long-standing activist, and humanitarian is utilizing his platform as one of Canada’s most beloved to highlight the fear and hopelessness experienced by the children who were forced into the residential school system.
The damning anthem shuffles between the point of view of the children, to that of the government; quietly speaking the story on the verse, then intimately yearning in melody on the chorus. Jackson’s deeply resonating bass bears no filter on the lyrics: “’We’ll fix the problem,’ said the Church, ‘come with me, little girl, this won’t hurt.’ Someone said, ‘lift her skirt, and lay her in the dirt’. ‘If this stays hidden, there is no villain.’”
“If you say, ‘it matters what happened!’ Now what!? What do you do with what happened?” Jackson questions.
“Today I’m going to church,” he adds. “This is the virus; F** you. I curse you. I spit on your grave. Shame on you. It hurts me to the core!!…………..Whew……………This is the vaccine; Now I can find a semblance and a place for peace, empathy, compassion, faith, and love. I don’t understand and I’m not God. But I would not make a child suffer.”
He refers to “Lost Souls” as the song of “silenced children.” It highlights the grim reality of what is alleged by the survivors of the Residential School system, and the victim families who have been silenced for generations. His somber intone includes a whispered child’s voice that haunts the finality of the song: “they found us.”
“Working with Tom is always an honour for our company,” says Dominique Zgarka, Executive Vice President of The SRG-ILS Group. “This is such a powerful song and video that no words can truly portray our feelings and our nation’s embarrassment.”
“’Lost Souls’ will not determine how bright the light is of your destiny,” Tom Jackson says. “The future is in your hands. 215 lost souls now have a voice. ‘Darkness will not overcome us.’”
“Lost Souls” is available now.
JUNO-Nominated Toronto Tabla Ensemble Lay Their Passion for Percussion All on the ‘Table’ with “Spellcheck”
Tabla master Ritesh Das and his JUNO Award-nominated musical collective, Toronto Tabla Ensemble, have turned the tables on technology with their innovative, colourful new single and video, “Spellcheck” — available now.
The first release from the group’s upcoming eighth album, For the Love of Tabla, “Spellcheck” gets its name and inspiration from everyone’s favourite, frustrating smart phone feature… Autocorrect.
“The title is a joke,“ Das reveals. “If you try to type out tabla on your phone, spellcheck changes it to table. I get messages all the time from people asking: ‘Where can I buy a new table?’ I tell them to go to a furniture store.”
The composer, educator and virtuoso tabla player also shares that when TTE was nominated for a JUNO, the group’s name was announced as the Toronto Table Ensemble. Who knew that snafu would plant a subliminal creative seed for the ensemble’s latest composition?
Autocorrecting aside, “Spellcheck” reveals that ‘table’ and ‘tabla’ are as complimentary in sound as they are in name. The song combines the spontaneity of table top percussion and a modern drum kit groove with the traditional, North Indian classical art of tabla in an exciting rhythmic mixture.
“I wrote a piece that starts with me playing on a table, like I used to do when I was in school,” Das explains. “Then a drum kit comes in to really kick in the groove, and then the tabla adds sophistication based on that groove. So there are really three elements to the piece: The birth of the rhythm, the groove itself and then the expansion of the rhythm to the highest level.”
“Spellcheck” is truly an all in the tabla family affair. Members of the TTE Youth Ensemble play on the track along with accomplished London, Ontario drummer Dale Anne Brendon, who studies tabla with Das.
The FACTOR-supported video for the spellbinding single recently made its debut with a YouTube premiere; produced and directed by Melissa Das-Arp, it adds a visual layer of artistry to the pulsating instrumental. The clip features Ritesh Das immersed in his own world while recording and mixing, creating an alternate reality with the other players on the track. It’s a world that Das-Arp was already quite familiar with as “Spellcheck” and all the songs for TTE’s new album were written and recorded while the couple has been riding out the COVID pandemic at home.
“Throughout last winter I would hear all kinds of music coming from the basement,” recalls Das-Arp. “There was one piece I heard over and over that caught my ear, a catchy drum pattern that sounded very different and one day I came down to see what that was. It was Ritesh playing on the table.” Das explained to her that he might just add tabla and some other percussion and call it “Spellcheck” in reference to how tabla is always autocorrected to table.
Witnessing how the new album was being recorded remotely with collaborators gave Das-Arp the idea for the video. “I wondered what that experience would feel like, to only work with people online for more than a year, some he had never even met. Who are they really?” she asks. “So I thought of him being in front of his computer mixing these sounds and letting his imagination take over.”
Das-Arp took inspiration from the boundary pushing videos of one of her favourite bands, Outkast, to create a feeling of ‘out of this world’ for the video for “Spellcheck”. She also collaborated with Art Director Manantsoa Razafimandimby to put a retro spin on the costumes to create something you probably would not expect from a Tabla Ensemble video. With COVID restrictions in mind, Das and Das-Arp’s home garage was turned into a film studio and cinematographer Jason Providence and his crew shot each artist in the video separately.
“Spellcheck” from Toronto Table Ensemble’s forthcoming album For the Love of Tabla is available now!