Emmy Award-winning actor Michael J. Fox reflects on his prolific career, from early television and film roles in “Family Ties,” “Back to the Future” and “Spin City” to later roles in “Scrubs,” “Boston Legal” and “The Good Wife” after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991. Today, his focus is on finding a cure for the disease through his Michael J. Fox Foundation. In this interview, Fox reveals how his intrinsic optimism wavered after he went through a personal crisis in 2018 and what helped him through it. Fox also talks about the value of looking back at past performances — a lesson he learned from friend and boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who died from Parkinson’s.
Felix Klieser is a musician born without arms who plays the French horn with his left foot.
Felix Klieser is a musician born without arms who plays the French horn with his left foot.
He was always told he could never become a professional musician but that made him even more determined.
He’s now Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s artist in residence and will tour with them over the next two years.
Vevo releases highlights of annual year-end recap with top artists, pop culture moments, and key trends of 2021
The world’s leading music video network releases highlights of its annual end-of-year recap
with top artists, pop culture moments, and key trends of 2021
• Globally, Karol G tops Vevo’s most-viewed artist chart, followed closely by The Weeknd
• Olivia Rodrigo is a breakout star in 2021, with more than 8x the music video viewership she saw in 2020
• Boney M. and Earth, Wind & Fire among the bands being rediscovered by new audiences through social media challenges
NEW YORK (December 8, 2021) – Vevo, the world’s leading music video network, today released part one of its annual year-end look back on music video viewership, with more end-of-year insights to come this month.
Globally, Karol G tops the most-viewed artist chart of 2021, with 3.11 billion views, followed closely by The Weeknd, with 3.10 billion views.
In the U.S., Lil Baby is Vevo’s most-viewed artist of this past year (770 million views), followed by The Weeknd (558 million views). Newcomers to this year’s top 10 most-viewed artist list include Doja Cat and Lil Nas X (full U.S. and global charts are below).
Both in the U.S. and worldwide, Lil Nas X secures the top spots in the Vevo Engagement Chart, which ranks videos according to the most likes, shares, and comments across the Vevo network. “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” was #1, with “INDUSTRY BABY” featuring Jack Harlow in the second spot. Lil Nas X’s success can be attributed to his consistently creative releases and imaginative marketing efforts, such as his sneaker launch in partnership with art collective MSCHF ahead of the release of the MONTERO album, which drove the viewership of Lil Nas X music videos six-fold.
Another notable mention is singer/songwriter Olivia Rodrigo has grown her viewership 8x to 357 million views in the U.S. in 2021, after breaking into the mainstream with her debut album, SOUR.
“Vevo is the music video destination for artists of all genres and career stages. Our charts feature both established stars, such as Taylor Swift and Future, and newer names who also made big headlines this year, like Lil Nas X and Olivia Rodrigo.
“In 2021, fan consumption and engagement with music videos continued to yield many insights about the vital nature of the music video in driving, shaping and reacting to cultural moments. And artists such as The Weeknd, Doja Cat, and Ariana Grande collaborated with Vevo to further develop their visual catalog and storytelling through Vevo’s original content series, such as LIFT and Official Live Performances,” said Alan Price, Chief Executive Officer, Vevo.
Music videos served as soundtracks to events throughout the year. Here are some of the top pop culture moments and themes of 2021 through Vevo’s music video viewership:
Cultural Zeitgeist
With this summer marked by celebrity romances, Jennifer Lopez saw U.S. viewership lift following news reports of her rekindling with actor Ben Affleck, who appeared in Lopez’s “Jenny from the Block” music video. In September, viewership of Machine Gun Kelly’s “Bloody Valentine”, starring actress Megan Fox, doubled in the U.S. after he and Fox hit the VMAs red carpet.
Big Artist Returns in the Fall
During the fall, there were several new recordings from beloved artists such as ABBA, Adele, and Taylor Swift. In October, Vevo saw Adele’s catalog trending following the announcement of her new studio album, 30, with a 10-fold lift in views, and “Easy On Me” generated engagement with fans, becoming the #7 most-engaged-with Vevo music video of 2021 in the U.S.
That same month, ABBA announced a reunion and their first new album in 40 years, and their hits, such as “Dancing Queen” and “Take a Chance on Me”, saw a 170% lift in U.S. views. In November, Taylor Swift’s catalog also jumped 5x as she released “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” the first 10-minute song to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Remembering DMX and Young Dolph Through Music Videos
Fans turned to music videos to remember rappers DMX and Young Dolph, who passed suddenly this year. In April, DMX’s music video catalog saw 19x its usual viewership in the U.S., particularly around “I Miss You” (210% lift) and “Slippin’” (200% lift). Young Dolph’s catalog saw a 550% lift in the U.S. following his tragic shooting in November.
Social Media Platforms Foster Music Video Discovery and Rediscovery
The increasing popularity of social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram fostered the discovery of new music in 2021, in turn driving the search and viewership of music videos on Vevo. This was especially evident in reviving music videos from years, and even decades, prior, bringing previously-released music videos to new audiences in 2021. Some of this year’s top rediscovered Vevo music videos in the U.S., fueled by the likes of TikTok, include Mitski’s “Washing Machine Heart” (310% lift); Trinidad Cardona’s “Dinero” (520% lift); and J. Cole’s “She Knows” (710% lift), all of which were first released in the 2010s.
Coupled with this, consumers are increasingly seeking out and enjoying nostalgic content, evident in Vevo’s decades-based linear TV channels, such as Vevo 70s, Vevo 80s, Vevo 90s, and Vevo 2K, which consistently deliver high viewership. Older hits such as Boney M.’s “Rasputin (Sopot Festival 1979)” (270% lift), and Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Let’s Groove Tonight” (580% lift), are also examples of music videos from prior decades that have made a comeback in 2021 in the U.S., particularly via TikTok dance challenges by younger generations.
More data and trends from Vevo’s 2021 review, including the most viewed music videos of the year, are set to be released later this month.
Broken Social Scene Announce Career-Spanning Rarities Compilation “Old Dead Young: B-sides & Rarities”
Toronto indie rock collective Broken Social Scene announced Old Dead Young: B-Sides & Rarities, a career-spanning collection of B-sides, rarities, and outtakes pulled from 20 years of 7-inches, compilations, soundtracks, and hard-to-find releases. Fans can pre-order the album and stream the first single “This House Is On Fire”, a lush and heartbreaking dream pop track taken from the 2009 Forgiveness Rock Record recording sessions.
Once a two-person basement recording project, Broken Social Scene came to life onstage as a shadowy improvisational entity with a revolving-door roster, each concert a wholly unique experience dependent on the room, the weather, what they ate for dinner that night, and who was dropping in to play. Where the band’s 2001 debut album, Feel Good Lost, presented BSS as an anonymous ambient project that reflected its humble, homespun origins, their electrifying live performances from that era rallied an extended family of performers with roots in post-rock (Justin Peroff; Do Make Say Think’s Charles Spearin), Latin jazz (Andrew Whiteman), art-folk (Feist), synth-pop (Amy Millan and Evan Cranley, also of Stars), dance-punk (Metric’s Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw), and country rock (Jason Collett).
But by pursuing improvisational freedom over commercial considerations, Broken Social Scene set a new gold standard for indie rock in the 21st century with 2002’s You Forgot It In People, an album that pushed the genre far beyond its noisy ’90s slacker roots toward a more sonically expansive, emotionally expressive vision. And with follow up releases like the blissfully chaotic Broken Social Scene (2005), the rapturous Forgiveness Rock Record (2010), and the intricate, insidiously melodic Hug of Thunder (2017), Broken Social Scene have amassed a thrillingly amorphous, unpredictable body of work. Old Dead Young: B-Sides & Rarities is everything that happened in between.
OLD DEAD YOUNG: B-SIDES & RARITIES (TRACKLIST)
01 “Far Out” (2009, From the Forgiveness Rock Record pre-order EP Lo-Fi For The Dividing Nights)
02 “Do the 95” (2001, B-Side to “Stars And Sons” 7”)
03 “Curse Your Fail” (2009, From tour 7” split with Sea and Cake)
04 “Not At My Best” (2010, From the end credits for film ‘It’s Kind Of A Funny Story’)
05 “National Anthem Of Nowhere” (2004, Early Broken Social Scene version of an Apostle Of Hustle song)
06 “Golden Facelift” (2009, Forgiveness Rock Record outtake. Released on Globe & Mail’s Broadsheet Music project)
07 “This House Is On Fire” (2009, Forgiveness Rock Record outtake)
08 “Canada vs America” (2004, From the Self-Titled bonus CD EP To Be You And Me)
09 “Day Of The Kid” (2005, Released on Arts & Crafts 20th anniversary comp)
10 “Stars and Spit” (2006, B-Side to “7/4 Shoreline” 7-inch)
11 “Until It’s Dead” (2006, From Lake Ontario Waterkeeper compilation At The Barricades: Vol 1)
12 “All My Friends” (2004, From the Self-Titled bonus CD EP To Be You And Me)
13 “Death Cock” (2001, Very first recording with producer Dave Newfeld. Released on A&C 20th anniversary comp)
14 “Old Dead Young” (2016, Hug Of Thunder vinyl-only track)
MC Hammer’s Original 14-Minute “2 Legit 2 Quit” Video Is A Hip Hop and Sports Time Capsule
The music video was directed by Rupert Wainwright, and at almost 15 minutes in length, was one of the most expensive videos ever produced. The song’s music video features several athletes making cameo appearances including José Canseco, Isiah Thomas, Kirby Puckett, Jerry Rice, Rickey Henderson, Deion Sanders, Andre Rison, Wayne Gretzky, Chris Mullin, Roger Clemens, Roger Craig, Ronnie Lott, Lynette Woodard, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, David Robinson, and former Atlanta Falcons coach Jerry Glanville. It also has appearances by James Brown, Danny Glover, Henry Winkler, Mark Wahlberg, Donnie Wahlberg, Eazy-E, DJ Quik, 2nd II None, Tony Danza, Queen Latifah and Milli Vanilli.
The Jim Henson Company To Offer First-Ever NFT Digital Collectibles Based On “Labyrinth”
The Jim Henson Company is launching its first-ever NFT digital collectibles in partnership with VeVe, the largest mobile-first digital collectibles platform. The new series of exclusive digital collectibles are based on the fantasy classic film Labyrinth, currently celebrating its 35th anniversary, and will be released early 2022.
In the initial drop, fans will be able to purchase 3D digital collectibles inspired by the film exclusively through the VeVe app, available to download on the App Store and Google Play.
“After 35 years, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth is still beloved and respected as one of the unique and groundbreaking films of its era. It’s a perfect tribute to have fans of this innovative production celebrate Labyrinth’s anniversary with this incredible line of must-have NFT collectibles. Partnering with VeVe for The Jim Henson Company’s first-ever NFT release allows our dedicated and ever-growing fanbase to connect with the film’s cast of characters in an entirely new and engaging product landscape,” said Melissa Segal, who oversees consumer products for The Jim Henson Company.
“Labyrinth is one of the most iconic fantasy films of all-time, so we jumped at the opportunity to partner with The Jim Henson Company on a series of digital collectibles from the film,” said Dan Crothers, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of VeVe. “Our community of collectors is going to love displaying these in their virtual showrooms for all to see.”
Through the VeVe platform, fans can showcase their digital collections in the app’s virtual showrooms as epic 3D dioramas, as well as virtually visit, comment on and like showrooms from other collectors. VeVe also offers an augmented reality (AR) photo mode that allows collectors to interact with every digital collectible in 3D, as well as share their collectibles through VeVe’s in-app social feed or on external social platforms. In addition, VeVe uses Ethereum’s layer 2 scaling protocol, Immutable X, providing a 99.9% reduction in environmental footprint.
Tame Impala Announces 2022 North American Tour Dates
Tame Impala (Kevin Parker) has confirmed a 2022 North American tour with dates that kick off February 27 with a headline slot at the Innings Festival at Tempe, AZ’s Tempe Beach Park. On March 7 Tame Impala hit the road for a run of headline arena dates that conclude with another festival appearance at the Buku Music + Art Project in New Orleans, LA on March 25th. The tour also hits the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival, Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on March 9 and Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on March 14th. All dates are listed below and tickets go on-sale on Friday, December 10 at 10am local time. For more information visit www.tameimpala.com.
With today’s announcement Tame Impala also share “No Choice,” a track off the forthcoming The Slow Rush Deluxe Box Set which will be released on February 18, 2022 via Interscope. The box set features B-Sides and remixes of his GRAMMY-nominated 2020 album. The physical version will feature 2 transparent red LP’s and alternate artwork including a 40-page booklet and The Slow Rush 2050 calendar. Both the physical and digital versions released on February 18 will feature another never-before-heard b-side “The Boat I Row,” the pre-album single “Patience” (both original and remix), plus additional extended versions and remixes.
The Slow Rush, released in 2020, has amassed over 1.5 billion streams worldwide. The album landed at #1 album in multiple territories and was his highest charting album to date in both the US and UK with 14 top 10 chart positions around the world. The album serves as a deep reflection on the passage of time. “The Slow Rush is an extraordinarily detailed opus,” said Pitchfork. “I have to marvel that all this sound and history comes from Parker alone, picking every string and twisting every knob.” The Slow Rush has amassed over 1.5 billion streams and counting.
In addition to its chart success, Parker won an ARIA Awards haul, taking home Album of the Year, Best Group, Best Rock Album, Engineer of the Year and Producer of the Year. Parker was nominated for two GRAMMY Awards in 2021 for Best Alternative Album and Best Rock Song for the single Lost In Yesterday. This marked his third nomination in the Alternative category, having previously been nominated for Currents and Lonerism. The Slow Rush was also nominated for two Billboard Music Awards and an American Music Award (AMA).
Parker has emerged as one of the most influential voices of the last decade. Thanks to the ravenous demand of fans for a transcendent live performance, Tame Impala has headlined festivals and theatres around the world and released four full length albums – InnerSpeaker, Lonerism, the RIAA Platinum-Certified Currents and The Slow Rush. As a writer and producer Parker has collaborated with The Weeknd, SZA, Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Kanye West, Kali Uchis, Theophilus London, Miguel, A$AP Rocky and more.
Tame Impala tour dates
2/27/22 – Innings Festival (Tempe Beach Park) – Tempe, AZ
3/3-6/22 – Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival (Sunshine Grove) – Okeechobee, FL
3/7/22 – Petersen Events Center – Pittsburgh, PA
3/9/22 – Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, ON
3/10/22 – Place Bell – Laval, QC
3/12/22 – Mohegan Sun – Uncasville, CT
3/14/22 – Barclays Center – Brooklyn, NY
3/16/22 – TD Garden – Boston, MA
3/18/22 – Hampton Coliseum – Hampton, VA
3/19/22 – Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
3/21/22 – ExploreAsheville.com Arena – Asheville, NC
3/22/22 – ExploreAsheville.com Arena – Asheville, NC
3/23/22 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
3/25/22 – Buku Music + Art Project – New Orleans, LA
5/22/22 – Hangout Music Festival – Gulf Shores, AL
Sonic Reducers: Rolling Stone Magazine Predicts Which Bands Will Reunite
Sonic Reducers. 1 topic. 2 music nerds. 5 minutes.
We talk about some of rock’s most-wanted reunion tours, calculate the odds of them happening, and pick a couple of sure bets among the long list of long shots.
Dan Mangan Announces 2022 Canadian Tour Dates
Today, Dan Mangan is ready to announce that he’s returning to the road for a string of tour dates throughout Canada beginning February 25. Artist presale will begin tomorrow, December 7, followed by general public onsale on Friday, December 10 here. All dates are listed below.
Recently, we marked the 10th anniversary of Dan’s pivotal, JUNO Award winning album, Oh Fortune. The LP has been re-released and arrives complete with a bonus disc of ten ‘mostly’ unheard album outtakes, demos, and live versions of tracks from that era. In an essay reminiscing about the making of Oh Fortune, Mangan says:
“Four years of thought and trial-by-fire manifested in the creation of Nice, Nice, Very Nice. I’d spent that time cutting my teeth in the corners of noisy bars to people who were there for the drinks and, almost specifically, not for the music. My presence was not anticipated, but, more accurately – tolerated. Sometimes I’d had other musicians with me, but most often, I was alone. I felt like a comedian, chiseling my material in the underground. Figuring out what kept people, and what didn’t. I had to earn every perked ear. I played cafes, living rooms, back yards, sports bars – literally anywhere that would have me.”
“Oh Fortune was born of a different kind of storm,” continues Mangan. “Luckily, Nice, Nice, Very Nice had succeeded. Those bars became theatres, and the momentum of a burgeoning career demanded a more consistent cast of faces in the van.
I knew that I had learned how to hold an audience. I knew that I had begun to unfold my mind through lyrics and melody.Oh Fortune is about changing. Shifting. Adjusting to new footholds in new sands. Finding glory in letting go. Surviving another day and being a touch stronger for it. It’s about dangling your legs for the sharks. It’s about stories to tell as we age. It’s about aching for rain. It’s about the taste of something. It’s about the veins of a leaf mirroring the rivers of its forest. It’s about flags burning together. It’s about the daylight forgiving you.”
Read Dan’s full essay here : www.killbeatmusic.com/danmangan
Vinyl LPs of the Oh Fortune 10th Anniversary will be released in 2022.
ALL TOGETHER NOW 2022 CANADIAN TOUR DATES WITH GEORGIA HARMER
Feb 25 – Ottawa, ON – Algonquin Commons Theatre
Feb 28 – Winnipeg, MB – Park Theatre
Mar 01 – Saskatoon, SK – Broadway Theatre
Mar 03 – Red Deer, AB – Bo’s
Mar 04 – Calgary, AB – Bella Concert Hall
Mar 06 – Edmonton, AB – Winspear Centre
Mar 26 – Kelowna, BC – Kelowna Community Theatre
Mar 27 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
Mar 31 – Victoria, BC – Royal Theatre
Apr 01 – Nanaimo, BC – Port Theatre
Apr 02 – Campbell River, BC – Tidemark Theatre
Dan Mangan has partnered with TreeEra to plant one tree for every ticket purchased. For more information about TreeEra, please visit: www.treeera.com
Olivia Rodrigo Announces 2022 World Tour
Grammy-nominated, critically acclaimed singer/songwriter, Olivia Rodrigo, today announced her 2022 SOUR Tour in support of her Grammy-nominated record-breaking, RIAA Double Platinum Certified debut album, SOUR – out now on Geffen Records. Kicking off April 2nd at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, CA, the tour will visit more than 40 major cities across North America and Europe including two-night runs at Radio City Music Hall in New York, and the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, before wrapping with two nights at Eventim Apollo in London, UK on July 6th and 7th. Special guests Gracie Abrams (April 2 – 23), Holly Humberstone (April 26 – May 25) and Baby Queen (June 11 – July 7) will join the Tour.
Fresh off her win as “New Artist of the Year” at the American Music Awards, the tour announcement caps off Rodrigo’s banner year, which, most recently saw her earn her seven nominations for the 2022 Grammy Awards including “Record Of The Year,” “Album Of The Year,” “Song Of The Year,” “Best New Artist,” “Best Pop Solo Performance,” “Best Pop Vocal Album,” and “Best Music Video,” making her the second youngest artist in Grammy history to score nods in each of the Big Four categories in the same year.
Named the #1 Album of 2021 by Rolling Stone and called one of the Best Albums of 2021 by the New York Times, SOUR recently landed at the top of several Billboard year-end lists including the top Global 200 Artist, top Overall New Artist, top Hot 100 Artist, top Hot 100 Female Artist, and top Hot 100 Songwriter, among others. SOUR also landed at the top of Spotify’s recently unveiled annual 2021 “Wrapped” campaign, which highlights the platform’s most streamed artists, songs, albums and podcasts. With over 1.1 billion streams, “driver’s license” was the top streamed song of 2021 on Spotify (both in the U.S. and worldwide), while Rodrigo’s “good 4 u” also landed in the top five most streamed songs list on Spotify, with SOUR earning the number one spot as the most globally streamed album. Rodrigo also was named Variety’s “Songwriter of the Year” and earned Apple Music Awards for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year.
With the release of SOUR, the highly anticipated LP debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 295,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S., quickly achieving RIAA Gold certification in its first week. Upon its release, SOUR scored the most U.S. audio streams from a female debut album ever and broke the record for the most-streamed album in a week by a female artist in Spotify history with over 385M global steams. The stunning album from the 18-year-old multi-platinum artist produced two #1 songs “drivers license” (4x Platinum) and “good 4 u” (3x Platinum), the top 5 song “deja vu” (2x Platinum) and not to mention entered the charts at No. 1 in the U.K., Canada, Ireland, Norway, Holland, Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand. All 11 tracks from the album have landed in the top 30 of Billboard’s Hot 100, making Rodrigo the first female artist, and the fourth act overall, to simultaneously chart 11 or more songs in the top 30.
2022 SOUR TOUR DATES:
Date City Venue
April 2, 2022 San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
April 5, 2022 Portland, OR Theater of the Clouds
April 6, 2022 Seattle, WA WAMU Theater
April 7, 2022 Vancouver, BC Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
April 9, 2022 Salt Lake City, UT UCCU Center
April 11, 2022 Denver, CO Mission Ballroom
April 12, 2022 Denver, CO Mission Ballroom
April 14, 2022 Minneapolis, MN Armory
April 15, 2022 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
April 16, 2022 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
April 19, 2022 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom
April 20, 2022 Chesterfield, MO The Factory
April 22, 2022 Cincinnati, OH The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center
April 23, 2022 Detroit, MI Masonic Temple Theatre
April 26, 2022 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
April 27, 2022 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
April 29, 2022 Toronto, ON Massey Hall
April 30, 2022 Toronto, ON Massey Hall
May 3, 2022 Boston, MA Roadrunner
May 4, 2022 Washington, DC Anthem
May 6, 2022 Philadelphia, PA The Met Philadelphia
May 7, 2022 Philadelphia, PA The Met Philadelphia
May 9, 2022 Atlanta, GA Coca-Cola Roxy
May 10, 2022 Nashville, TN Grand Ole Opry House
May 12, 2022 Houston, TX 713 Music Hall
May 13, 2022 Austin, TX Moody Amphitheater
May 14, 2022 Irving, TX Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
May 17, 2022 Phoenix, AZ Arizona Federal Theatre
May 18, 2022 San Diego, CA The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
May 20, 2022 Las Vegas, NV The Chelsea
May 21, 2022 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl
May 24, 2022 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
May 25, 2022 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
June 11, 2022 Hamburg, Germany Stadtpark
June 13, 2022 Berlin, Germany Verti Music Hall
June 15, 2022 Zurich, Switzerland Halle 622
June 16, 2022 Milan, Italy Fabrique
June 18, 2022 Cologne, Germany Palladium
June 19, 2022 Brussels, Belgium Forest National
June 21, 2022 Paris, France Zénith
June 22, 2022 Amsterdam, Holland AFAS Live
June 29, 2022 Cork, Ireland Live At The Marquee
June 30, 2022 Dublin, Ireland Fairview Park
July 2, 2022 Glasgow, UK O2 Academy Glasgow
July 3, 2022 Manchester, UK O2 Apollo Manchester
July 4, 2022 Birmingham, UK O2 Academy Birmingham
July 6, 2022 London, UK Eventim Apollo
July 7, 2022 London, UK Eventim Apollo