Jason Isbell asks Dr. Fauci questions about COVID-19 and safety protocols at live events.
A Letter From ABBA
It’s been a while since we made music together. Almost 40 years, actually. We took a break in the spring of 1982 and now we’ve decided it’s time to end it. They say it’s foolhardy to wait more than 40 years between albums, so we’ve recorded a follow-up to “The Visitors”. To tell the truth, the main inspiration to record again comes from our involvement in creating the strangest and most spectacular concert you could ever dream of. We’re going to be able to sit back in an audience and watch our digital selves perform our songs on a stage in a custom-built arena in London next spring. Weird and wonderful!
To all of you who patiently have followed us in some way or another these past decades:
Thank you for waiting – it’s time for a new journey to begin.
“We simply call it “Voyage” and we’re truly sailing in uncharted waters. With the help of our younger selves, we travel into the future. It’s not easy to explain but then it hasn’t been done before.”
“It’s hard to say what’s been the most joyful thing for me (Benny) with this project. If it’s the involvement in creating the concert together with everyone or being back in the studio together again after 40 years. I think hearing Frida and Agnetha singing again is hard to beat. When you come to the arena you will have the four of us together with an absolutely glorious 10-piece band. And even if not in the flesh, we will be right there, thanks to the work of the creative team and ILM.”
“Those first sessions back in 2018 were such fun and when Benny called and asked if I’d (Anni-Frid) consider singing some more I jumped at it! And what songs!! My respect and love go out to these exceptionally talented, truly genius songwriters! Such joy it was to work with the group again. I am so happy with what we have made, and I dearly hope our fans feel the same.”
“When we got back together in the studio I (Agnetha) had no idea what to expect…But Benny’s recording studio is such a friendly and safe environment, and before I knew it I was really enjoying myself! I can hardly believe that finally, the moment has come to share this with the world!”
“They’re such amazing singers those two, I (Björn) was completely floored by the way they delivered those songs. They’re true musicians; totally unimpressed by pop star glamour but still having a great time being creative in a recording studio. The “Voyage” project has injected new life into us in more ways than one.”
“So, again, thanks for waiting! We hope to see you in the “ABBA Arena” and yes – see – because we have infused a good deal of our souls into those avatars. It’s not an exaggeration to say that we’re back.”
Agnetha, Björn, Benny, Anni-Frid
Stockholm, Sweden, 2nd September 2021
Maiden Goes To Hollywood (Iron Maiden + Frankie Goes To Hollywood Mashup) by Wax Audio
Wax Audio mashed up Iron Maiden and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, who are as far apart musicialy at first listen, but both created songs on the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poems Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan.
September Rocks On Hollywood Suite With Broadcast Premiere Of Metric: Dreams So Real
Hollywood Suite is proud to present the broadcast premiere of Metric: Dreams So Real (2017) at 9 p.m. ET on September 2. The feature length concert documentary, which captures a live performance during the Canadian rock band’s 2016 year-long sold-out world tour, will kick off a month-long showcase of musical programming of all varieties from live concerts, artist biopics and musically-driven narratives with the best soundtracks around.
Live music fans can immerse themselves in the premieres of Coldplay Live in São Paulo (2017) which captures the climax of the band’s record-breaking A Head Full of Dreams Tour in São Paulo, Brazil, along with Paul Simon: Concert in the Park (1991) and The Who: Live at the Kilburn 1977 (1977). Music rockumentary premieres added to the lineup include Jimi Hendrix (1973), Festival Express (2003) and The Wrecking Crew (2008).
Musically driven narratives abound this September with the premieres of Hollywood Suite exclusive Bandar Band (2020); Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (1982); Little Voice (1998); The Sapphires (2012); and returning favourites Almost Famous (2000); Detroit Rock City (1999); and The Blues Brothers (1980).
The month’s music programming will also see musicals that are sure to inspire at-home sing-alongs including the premieres of Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984) and The Night They Raided Minsky’s (1968) joining classics Mamma Mia! (2008), Sing Street (2016), Purple Rain (1984), The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), Kinky Boots (2005) and more!
The full lineup of September music programming includes:
- September 1: Bandar Band, Dirty Dancing, La Bamba, Singles
- September 2: Metric: Dreams So Real, The Wrecking Crew!
- September 4: Don’t Look Back, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
- September 6: The Last Days Of Disco, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Xanadu, Fame, Divine Madness, Muriel’s Wedding, Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Pitch Perfect, 20 Feet From Stardom
- September 7: Control
- September 8: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Buddy Holly Story
- September 9: Elvis on Tour, King Creole, Blue Hawaii
- September 10: Jailhouse Rock, Viva Las Vegas, Love Me Tender
- September 13: Jimi Hendrix, Carmen Jones, The Girl Can’t Help It, Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo, Purple Rain, Sign O’The Times, Prince: Rave UN2 The Year 2000, The Five Heartbeats, Selena, Gerry, Sing Street, Kinky Boots, Soul Power
- September 17: Little Voice, The Blues Brothers
- September 20: Cover Girl, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Ladies and Gentlemen: The Fabulous Stains, Urgh! A Music War, The Decline of Western Civilization, Paul Simon: Concert in the Park, Backbeat, Swingers, Almost Famous, 20th Century Woman, Creem: America’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Magazine
- September 22: The Sapphires
- September 23: The Night They Raided Minsky’s
- September 25: Top Gun, So I Married An Axe Murderer
- September 27: Coldplay: Live In São Paulo, The Who: at Kilburn 1977, Lisztomania, The Kids Are Alright, Beat Street, Labyrinth, Detroit Rock City, Can’t Hardly Wait, She’s All That
- September 28: Performance
John Lennon And Yoko Ono’s Imagine Celebrates Its Golden Anniversary With Global Events
Since it was released on September 9, 1971, on the iconic eponymous album, “Imagine,” John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s paean for peace has become one of the most famous and beloved songs in the history of music – an indelible melody known the world over, a sentiment shared no matter the language spoken.
Yoko Ono Lennon says: “John and I were both artists and we were living together, so we inspired each other. The song ‘Imagine’ embodied what we believed together at the time. John and I met – he comes from the West and I come from the East – and still we are together. We have this oneness and ‘the whole world would eventually become one’ is the sense that we will all be very happy together. All these instructions are for people for how to spend eternity, because we have lots of time.”
Over the last five decades “Imagine” has endured as a timeless global anthem, a collective prayer uniting the world through song and imagination; providing comfort in troubling times and unity, hope and happiness in others. This was especially evident in the dazzling opening ceremony of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics where the song was re-imagined by renowned orchestral composer Hans Zimmer for a global audience in the hundreds of millions, initiating the celebrations for both the Olympics and Imagine’s 2021 Golden Anniversary.
On September 9, 2021, Yoko & Sean Ono Lennon, The Estate of John Lennon and Universal Music Group invite you to “join us” with a Global Party to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Imagine” – the song, the album and the film.
“IMAGINE” FILM – WATCH PARTY
One of the first full-length conceptual music films, John & Yoko’s “Imagine” (1971) contains all the songs from John’s Imagine album, four songs from Yoko’s FLY album plus a few additional pieces. In 2018, under the supervision of Yoko Ono Lennon, the film was completely reassembled in HD from the original 16mm negative reels and cleaned and digitally restored frame-by-frame with the audio completely remixed in 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Atmos by triple GRAMMY®-award winning engineer and mixer, Paul Hicks.
At 11:30 am PDT/2:30 pm EDT/7:30 pm BST, fans around the world are invited to watch the “Imagine” film together, either online or in person at participating venues as Yoko Ono Lennon, Mercury Studios and partners including The Coda Collection, Hard Rock and Music Venue Trust make the film available to view for free.
Meanwhile Tim Burgess’ wildly popular Tim’s Twitter Listening Party will be hosting a simultaneous online Listening Party event, where the experience of watching and listening to the music of the “Imagine” film will be enhanced by a second-screen Twitter experience – with quotes, photos and multimedia, led by Yoko Ono Lennon, the John Lennon Estate and many of the musicians, filmmakers and friends involved in the making of the album and film, as well as fans joining in using the hashtags #timstwitterlisteningparty and #IMAGINE50.
Confirmed participants for the Event are: Yoko Ono Lennon, The Estates of John Lennon, guitarist George Harrison and keyboard player Nicky Hopkins, plus Sean Ono Lennon, bassist Klaus Voormann, drummer Alan White, cameraman Nic Knowland, factotum Dan Richter and MC Tim Burgess, with more to be announced soon.
For more info, visit Tim’s Twitter Listening Party and look out for updates on the @johnlennon and @yokoono Twitter feeds.
The event is a fitting sequel to the Listening Party held for the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band – The Ultimate Collection box set launch earlier this year. Check out the replay here.
HOW TO WATCH THE FILM ONLINE
The Coda Collection, a unique streaming platform that delivers the most iconic music documentaries, concert films, and more, is proud to stream the “Imagine” film in the U.S. and the U.K. to empower even broader audiences to take part in this global special event. The Coda Collection is available exclusively via Amazon Prime Video Channels.
Audiences in the U.S. will be able to stream the “Imagine” film on The Coda Collection channel during and after the event with a free 7-day trial.
Audiences in the U.K. can stream the film on Amazon Prime at no additional charge during the event. Tweets from the Twitter Listening Party will also be available for anyone to follow live on a bespoke page at the Coda Collection website. To explore The Coda Collection, including other John Lennon & Yoko Ono films, visit codacollection.co
The film will also be available to view online in the USA for AXS subscribers (see below) and in the UK for Sky subscribers on NOWTV and the SkyGo App, and to rent or purchase globally from Apple TV, iTunes or Amazon Prime; or on Blu-Ray or DVD. To discover the best way to watch the film in your country, click here.
HOW TO WATCH THE FILM IN PERSON
In the UK, Sage Gateshead is excited to welcome people back to its phenomenal Sage One venue with a free Surround Sound screening of the film, timed to sync with the interactive Listening Party.
Additionally, Grassroots Music Venues all over the UK will be screening the film for free, in collaboration with Music Venue Trust. Check your local music venue for details and look for the hashtag #IMAGINE50 on Twitter.
Hard Rock is also getting in on the celebration and will show the “Imagine” film throughout the day in select Hard Rock Cafés in North America and Europe. Many of the Hard Rock Hotels in the U.S. and Mexico will be offering the film for guests to watch for free in their rooms. Check with your local Hard Rock Café or Hotel for participation and viewing times.
You can also host a screening at home and invite your friends and neighbors round.
REPLAYS
For those who want to join in with the Party, but need to watch the film later in the day, all the tweets from the Listening Party will be collated and made available to replay at this link on the Tim’s Twitter Listening Party website soon after the event finish time, so you can watch the film and enjoy the party replay at your leisure.
AFTERSHOW ON TWITTER SPACES
Immediately following the Tim’s Twitter Listening Party watch party, Sean Ono Lennon and BBC6 Music’s Chris Hawkins will host a special #IMAGINE50 Listening Party Aftershow with discussion and Q&A via Twitter Spaces at 1:40 pm LA/3:40 pm NYC/8:40 pm UK /4:40 am Tokyo. The audio-only event will include many of the contributors that made the album and film. The lineup will be announced soon.
AXS TV SPECIAL
A few days prior on September 6th at 5 pm PDT/8 pm EDT, AXS TV will honor the 50th anniversary of Imagine with a showing of the “Imagine” film as well as the 1988 documentary “Imagine: John Lennon.” Hosted by Ahmet Zappa, co-host of AXS TV’s “Rock My Collection, and Katie Daryl, executive producer and host of “The Top Ten Revealed,” the duo will be joined by an impressive roster of notable musicians who reflect on how John & Yoko have impacted their lives, and how the Imagine album and song have influenced their careers. The special will re-air September 8 at 5 pm PDT/8 pm EDT and the “Imagine” film will also be available to stream via the AXS TV NOW app. Visit AXS.com for more information.
IMAGINE – THE ULTIMATE MIXES & OUT-TAKES
DOUBLE WHITE VINYL
TRACK LISTING
LP1
Side A
- Imagine
- Crippled Inside
- Jealous Guy
- It’s So Hard
- I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die
Side B
- Gimme Some Truth
- Oh My Love
- How Do You Sleep?
- How?
- Oh Yoko!
LP 2
Side C
- Imagine (Original demo recorded at Ascot)
- Imagine (Take 1)
- Crippled Inside (Take 3)
- Crippled Inside (Take 6 alternate guitar solo)
- Jealous Guy (Take 9)
- It’s So Hard (Take 6)
Side D
- I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (Take 25)
- Gimme Some Truth (Take 4)
- Oh My Love (Take 6)
- How Do You Sleep? (Takes 1 & 2)
- Oh Yoko! (From Bed Peace footage – Sheraton Hotel, Bahamas 1969)
LIMITED EDITION DOUBLE WHITE VINYL RELEASE
On September 10th, Capitol/UMe will release a limited collector’s edition pressing of Imagine as a double LP on white vinyl, featuring the acclaimed 2018 Ultimate Mix mixed by engineer Paul Hicks and overseen by Yoko Ono Lennon on LP1 and a host of outtakes on LP2. The unique, expanded edition, Imagine – The Ultimate Mixes & Out-takes, includes the original demo for “Imagine” alongside a host of outtakes that demonstrate the writing and recording process and showcase the evolution of the songs. Included are outtakes for nearly every song on the record including “Jealous Guy” (Take 9), “It’s So Hard” (Take 6), “Crippled Inside” (Take 3, Take 6), “Gimme Some Truth” (Take 4), “I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die” (Take 25), “Oh My Love” (Take 6), “How Do You Sleep?” (Takes 1 & 2), and an early version of “Oh Yoko” taken from the Bed Peace rehearsal filmed in the Bahamas. The limited edition release is available to pre-order now here: https://johnlennon.lnk.to/Imagine-White-2LP
IMAGINE – THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION
The stunning Ultimate Mixes and Out-takes included on the vinyl were originally released in 2018 on the six-disc box set, Imagine – The Ultimate Collection. The historical, remixed and remastered 140-track collection, which was fully authorized by Yoko Ono Lennon (who oversaw the production and creative direction) offers a variety of listening experiences that are at once immersive and intimate, ranging from the Ultimate Mixes of the original album, which reveal whole new levels of sonic depth, definition and clarity to these timeless songs, to the Raw Studio Mixes that allow listeners to hear Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band’s original, unadorned performances, to enveloping 5.1 surround sound mixes, and a Quadrasonic Album Mix, presenting the original four speaker mix remastered in Quadrasonic sound for the first time in nearly fifty years. This ultimate deep listening experience, which features scores of previously unheard demos, rare outtakes and isolated track elements, also includes The Evolution Documentary, a unique track-by-track audio montage that details the journey of each song from demo to master recording via instructions, rehearsals, recordings, multitrack exploration and studio chatter. The comprehensive nature of the full Imagine – The Ultimate Collection is the absolute best representation of a career artist working at the top of his creative game.
DOLBY ATMOS MIXES – COMING SOON
The much-requested three-dimensional Dolby Atmos mixes and full-length Stereo versions from the Blu-ray content in the Box Set Edition of Imagine – The Ultimate Collection will be made available on streaming services to celebrate John Lennon’s birthday this year, on October 9th.
NEW MERCHANDISE
As part of the celebration, a new collection of merchandise has been released in the official store. To see the full collection, visit: store.johnlennon.com
The Doors Expands “L.A. Woman” With 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
The Doors found their mojo (and Mr. Mojo Risin’) in November 1970 as they recorded L.A. Woman over six days at the Workshop, the band’s rehearsal space on Santa Monica Boulevard. A success both critically and commercially, the album was certified double-platinum and contains some of the band’s most enduring music, including the Top 20 hit “Love Her Madly,” “Riders On The Storm,” and the title track.
To commemorate the album’s 50-year anniversary, Rhino keeps on risin’ with a 3-CD/1-LP set that will be available on December 3. L.A. WOMAN: 50TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION includes the original album newly remastered by The Doors’ longtime engineer and mixer Bruce Botnick, two bonus discs of unreleased studio outtakes, and the stereo mix of the original album on 180-gram virgin vinyl. The music will also be available from digital and streaming services the same day, as will a new Dolby Atmos mix of the original album by Botnick.
The previously unheard original demo of “Riders On The Storm” from the early recording sessions for the album at Sunset Sound studios is available today digitally. The demo was recently discovered on an unmarked tape reel in the band’s vault after being assumed lost for decades. The recording was done with producer Paul A. Rothchild, who famously referred to the demo as “cocktail music.” This led to Rothchild departing the project, with the band opting to co-produce the album with Botnick.
For this new collection, the original album has been expanded with more than two hours of unreleased recordings taken from the sessions for L.A. Woman, allowing the listener to experience the progression of each song as it developed in the studio. An early demo for “Hyacinth House” recorded at Robby Krieger’s home studio in 1969 is also included.
The outtakes feature Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, and Ray Manzarek working in the studio with two additional musicians. The first was rhythm guitarist Marc Benno, who worked with Leon Russell in The Asylum Choir. The other was bassist Jerry Scheff, who was a member of Elvis Presley’s TCB band.
In the studio, Botnick says the band took a more organic approach to recording instead of starting and stopping repeatedly to achieve technical perfection. “The previously unreleased reels here – serial takes of ‘The Changeling,’ ‘Love Her Madly,’ ‘Riders On The Storm,’ and ‘L.A. Woman’ – depict a band obsessed with groove while executing turns and flourishes with the precision of a well-drilled soul combo…The idea was to go from song to song, to let it flow.”
Among the outtakes of album tracks, you can also hear the band joyously ripping through the kinds of classic blues songs that Morrison once described as “original blues.” There are great takes of Junior Parker’s “Mystery Train,” John Lee Hooker’s “Crawling King Snake,” Big Joe Williams’ “Baby Please Don’t Go,” and “Get Out Of My Life Woman,” Lee Dorsey’s funky 1966 classic, written by his producer Allen Toussaint.
In the collection’s extensive liner notes, veteran rock journalist David Fricke explores the whirlwind making of the album, which would be the last with Morrison, who died in Paris a few months after its release. “Morrison may never have come back to The Doors,” he writes. “But with his death, L.A. Woman became rebirth, achievement, and finale, all at once. It’s the blues too – original blues, as Morrison promised. Fifty years later, there is still nothing like it.”
L.A. WOMAN: 50TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION
CD Track Listing
Disc One: Original Stereo Mix Remastered
“The Changeling”
“Love Her Madly”
“Been Down So Long”
“Cars Hiss By My Window”
“L.A. Woman”
“L’America”
“Hyacinth House”
“Crawling King Snake”
“The WASP (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)”
“Riders On The Storm”
Bonus Tracks
“Hyacinth House” – Demo
“Riders On The Storm” – Sunset Sound Version – Original Demo*
Disc Two: L.A. Woman Sessions, Part 1
“The Changeling” *
“Love Her Madly” *
“Riders On The Storm” *
“L.A. Woman” (Part 1) *
Disc Three: L.A. Woman Sessions, Part 2
“L.A. Woman” (Part 2) *
“She Smells So Nice” *
“Rock Me Baby” *
“Mr. Mojo Risin’” *
“Baby Please Don’t Go” *
“L.A. Woman” (Part 3) *
“Been Down So Long” *
“Get Out Of My Life Woman” *
“Crawling King Snake” *
“The Bastard Son Of Jimmy & Mama Reed (Cars Hiss By My Window)” *
“Been Down So Long” *
“Mystery Train” *
“The WASP (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)” *
L.A. WOMAN (ORIGINAL STEREO MIX REMASTERED)
LP Track Listing
Side One
“The Changeling”
“Love Her Madly”
“Been Down So Long”
“Cars Hiss By My Window”
“L.A. Woman”
Side Two
“L’America”
“Hyacinth House”
“Crawling King Snake”
“The WASP (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)”
“Riders On The Storm”
SiriusXM launches a new SoundCloud Radio channel
Celebrate SoundCloud’s lasting impact on the hip-hop landscape and the new tracks driving culture today with the launch of SoundCloud Radio today, September 1, on the SXM App.
SoundCloud Radio’s exclusive window captures the biggest names in hip-hop to tomorrow’s breakout stars. SoundCloud Radio is specially curated to highlight both the biggest names and new releases from the artists who came up on SoundCloud, such as Megan Thee Stallion, Trippie Redd, Doja Cat, Lil Tecca, NLE Choppa, CJ, and introduce the most exciting emerging talent in hip-hop today before they reach mainstream stardom, like Rico Nasty, Roddy Ricch, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Don Toliver, Lil Tjay, Rod Wave, Denzel Curry, Fase Yoda, and more.
SoundCloud Radio follows the crossover success of SoundCloud’s trendsetting hip-hop music show on Hip Hop Nation, The Lookout by SoundCloud. Listeners, artists, and fans are eager to hear, share, and engage even more with what’s happening today in hip-hop, plus experience a first listen into what’s next.
“Being an artist that grew up listening to SoundCloud and uploading my first songs on the platform that are some of my biggest to this day, it’s crazy and exciting to be one of the first artists on the SoundCloud channel on SiriusXM. Thank you, SC,” Star rapper Lil Tecca, who just dropped his sophomore album, We Love You Tecca 2, said about the launch of SoundCloud Radio.
“I’ve been working so hard for the last few years and to hear the first song I ever drop on the radio [on The Lookout by SoundCloud] was mind blowing! SoundCloud is always looking out for us new artists and I can’t wait to watch other fire and deserving artists get the same opportunity for radio exposure. It inspires me to go harder and make better music for more people to hear!” Louisiana rapper Fase Yoda, who is already garnering millions of views and streams with his newly released first single “Butterflies,” said.
“With The Lookout by SoundCloud driving new music discovery for artists, we are hyped to be partnering once again with SiriusXM on the launch of SoundCloud Radio,” Caiaffa, SoundCloud’s Interim Head of Music, said. “The influence of SoundCloud’s young, diverse community of artists and fans in breaking music is unmatched and SoundCloud Radio is one more way to share their influence and incredible talent with even more fans.”
The channel airs through September 30 and will also be available on satellite and in vehicles on Channel 105 from September 8 through 17.
The Lookout by SoundCloud, hosted by SoundCloud curator Sowmya K., airs weekly at 9pm ET on Hip Hop Nation, (Ch. 44), with encores on Saturdays at 2pm ET and Sundays at 11pm ET.
Take Oath & Bear Witness: “Jury” is in Session for Canadian Artist ASTRID TANTON’S New Single
It’s a witchy world of rumours, stories, gossip, and telephone games. And for Toronto-based indie sensation Astrid Tanton, it’s about clearing everything at once on this, her new single and video, “Jury” — available now.
Fresh from her breakthrough debut EP, From My Eyes, “Jury” comes from a place of learning and hurt, the Toronto-based artist explains. Her message is ageless — there is their version, your version, and… Somewhere in the middle is the truth.
And Tanton isn’t afraid to expose it.
“There’s a reason people always say there’s two sides to a story,” she says. “People will twist and tell a story to benefit themselves.
“‘Jury’ explores that relationship of being placed as the ‘villain’ or the ‘bad guy’ in a story.
“The concept behind the ‘Jury’ video follows myself and ‘the jury,’” Tanton continues, offering a behind-the-scenes take of her visual counterpart of the track. “The jury represents not only people who are being told a one-sided story, but the intrusive thoughts that can follow you when you are constantly being painted as the bad guy.
“We all have a story to tell, and have been in the situation of being painted as something we are not — especially when we know the truth.
“That is the story ‘Jury’ is telling.”
Indeed, Tanton’s exploration into self-worth and reclaiming her agency has become the yarn she’s spun on From My Eyes; her authentic storytelling and dynamic vox seamlessly weaves together the tracks of the five-song-strong album.
A pop anthem complete with rushing percussion, chasing handclaps, and low-fi vox, Tanton isn’t afraid to take chances on “Jury” — interchanging pace, vox enhancers, near-spoken languid, beautiful crescendos and pleading. Tanton goes full throttle on the track, refusing to take prisoners. She incorporates electric horns, resonating bass; coming up for air, and descending into haunting melancholic tones.
Going ‘full throttle’ could be seen as an overarching theme; the teenager is as fearless as they come, having moved out of the village of Verona (South Frontenac) for a venture in the big city at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts in Toronto, and eventually, Ryerson University. Her tenacity to see through difficulties, and put a spin of optimism in a world of chaos, concretes Tanton’s contribution to the music community around her; she’s not afraid to be honest.
As was the case for musicians around the globe, the 2020 pandemic caused a standstill to live gigging, concerts and shows. And caught in the mix of the mayhem was Tanton, who’d planned to drop From My Eyes in the fall of last year — complete with a touring schedule to promote the release.
Now forced to move into an all-virtual world of virtual meetings and encounters, Tanton utilized the newfound space in her time to work mercilessly on songwriting. She’s catching her niche and going for it, no holds barred.
Allowing herself to escape into her rawest emotions and bleeding out the truth through the melodies, Tanton has found her voice on each cut; exposing herself as someone with something to say, to relate to, to understand.
“The more than 18 months during the COVID pandemic made life so difficult for so many, and now it’s time for us all to get back on track, roll up our sleeves and share what we love,” Tanton says. “The coming months are a time for us all to come together again, one step at a time.”
And she’s seeing the mantra through. Over the course of the summer 2021, Tanton will release the final three songs off her debut album, and move towards touring Canada in 2022.
With From My Eyes set to deliver on its promise to provide listeners a collection of tracks that would turn them into fans, Astrid Tanton is now focusing her attention to taking life on the road now that life has been capable of resuming.
From My Eyes, to the open road — Astrid Tanton is just getting started. And we’re all here to take oath and witness her foray into greatness.
From My Eyes and “Jury” are available now.
Toronto Alt-Psych Rocker RISE CARMINE Wants to “Be The Only One” in New Single
Heavy percussion and a groove-saturated bass line set psych-rocker Rise Carmine’s latest single up as the sexy, 70s-esque low-fi electric gem it’s destined to be; “Be The Only One” is available now.
The latest to land ahead of the Toronto-based artist’s forthcoming debut, No Coup For Anyone, the release’s GRAMMY-winning powerhouse producer Dave Schiffman’s (Weezer, PUP, Vampire Weekend) craftsmanship is on full display: a tightly woven intro, a crushing hook, and a sizzling fade, magnificently mingled with frontman Liam Colbert’s smart lyrics, and incendiary vox.
“Be The Only One” is a staring competition; look away and you might miss what’s to come next from the full EP.
While this Fall 2021’s six-track album may be a debut under this moniker, Rise Carmine is not Liam Colbert’s first foray onto the scene. Initially assuming the stage name “Patiohawk”, he has been an exceptional member of the independent music community of Canada for a decade.
A multi-instrumentalist with a wide variety of musical influence and a creative energy that refuses to slow down, Colbert released a self-produced album in 2017. Each track mixed and mastered in his parents’ basement, Colbert would confidently branch out into live shows, recruiting a crew of musicians to bring his music to life on the stage.
For the next three years, Colbert would win audiences with his “dazzling brand of showmanship, between a chorus that you can sing along to and dual-guitar-harmony heroics that harken back to a time of tighter pants and longer hair.” That unseizable energy oozing off his initial record would follow Colbert from stage to stage, and his knack for understanding the visual for an audio experience would set him apart from his musician colleagues and counterparts.
And, as the world moved into a standstill in 2020, he allowed that electric flow of pulsating ideas and musical prowess to form a new project, under a new name — Rise Carmine.
For Colbert, Rise Carmine is a rise to the top in a new direction for his music, his career, and a musical journey into a new stratosphere of sounds and risk taking. Harnessing his desire to concoct a love letter to the 70s rockers and 90s influences that dominated his affair with music, No Coup for Anyone is just the homage you’ve been waiting for.
And it’s for everyone.
“Be The Only One” is available now.
Sonic Reducers: Johnny Ramone’s Mosrite Guitar And Amp Are Up For Auction
Sonic Reducers: 1 topic. 2 music nerds. 5 minutes.
We discuss the auction of Johnny Ramone’s iconic Mosrite guitar, debate whether rock memorabilia belongs in a museum or people’s houses, and learn that Eric could fit into Joan Jett’s old leather jacket.