In Songbooks, critic and scholar Eric Weisbard offers a critical guide to books on American popular music from William Billings’s 1770 New-England Psalm-Singer to Jay-Z’s 2010 memoir Decoded. Drawing on his background editing the Village Voice music section, coediting the Journal of Popular Music Studies, and organizing the Pop Conference, Weisbard connects American music writing from memoirs, biographies, and song compilations to blues novels, magazine essays, and academic studies. The authors of these works are as diverse as the music itself: women, people of color, queer writers, self-educated scholars, poets, musicians, and elites discarding their social norms. Whether analyzing books on Louis Armstrong, the Beatles, and Madonna; the novels of Theodore Dreiser, Gayl Jones, and Jennifer Egan; or varying takes on blackface minstrelsy, Weisbard charts an alternative history of American music as told through its writing. As Weisbard demonstrates, the most enduring work pursues questions that linger across time period and genre—cultural studies in the form of notes on the fly, on sounds that never cease to change meaning.
Music Publishers Canada Announces Participants of 2021 Women in the Studio National Accelerator Program
Music Publishers Canada is thrilled to unveil the 10 participants of its Women in the Studio National Accelerator 2021, which advances the career development of talented producer-songwriters from across Canada.
First launched regionally in 2019 and expanded nationally in 2020, the Women in the Studio program offers women, gender fluid, non-binary and gender non-conforming participants a series of curated workshops, educational sessions, and networking opportunities with music industry leaders. Music Publishers Canada is committed to helping right the imbalance in the industry that exists for these producers, and supporting a creative community that will keep growing each year.
The Accelerator is designed to provide the cohort with opportunities for skills development and networking that they may otherwise be unable to access. Participants will gain valuable insights from mentors and industry experts for the duration of the program starting with virtual sessions in June through to January 2022. The program will focus on topics including technical skills, financial literacy, music business skills, and branding and will offer opportunities for creative collaborations. Each producer, as a condition of acceptance, has also agreed to explore volunteer opportunities in their own community.
“On behalf of Music Publishers Canada, I am excited to welcome these ten exceptional producers into our 2021 Accelerator. Thanks to our partners, we are able to grow the program to help advance the careers of women, gender fluid, non-binary and gender non-conforming producers in an industry where they often face more barriers than their male colleagues,” says Margaret McGuffin, Music Publishers Canada Chief Executive Officer. “I would also like to thank the many volunteers who contribute their time and energy to make this program a reality.”
The Music Publisher’s Canada 2021 Women in the Studio National Accelerator Participants:
Ava Kay – Toronto, ON
DJ Killa-Jewel (Julie Fainer) – Montreal, QC
Elisa Pangsaeng – Vancouver, BC
Lana Winterhalt – Winnipeg, MB
Mour (Cassandra Zingone) – Toronto, ON
OBUXUM (Muxubo Mohamed) – Toronto, ON
Sadé Awele (Folasade Akinbami) – Vancouver, BC
Sarah MacDougall – London, ON
Sierra Noble – Winnipeg, MB
Steph Copeland – Toronto, ON
The Women in the Studio National Accelerator is presented by Music Publishers Canada, and generously supported by the RBC Emerging Artist Project, FACTOR/Government of Canada, and Ontario Creates. With this incredible support, Music Publishers Canada was excited to expand the program from eight participants in 2020 to 10 participants in 2021.
“During these evolving times, RBC continues to be guided by our purpose of helping our clients thrive and our communities prosper,” said Valerie Chort, Vice-President, Corporate Citizenship & Sustainability, RBC. “Emerging artists across Canada are inspiring us with their creativity, resilience, and commitment to their craft in the face of immense challenges. We are proud to partner with the Music Publishers Canada to advance women in the music industry – and continue providing all artists with the right support, where it’s needed most.”
Past Music Publishers Canada Women in the Studio participants have leveraged their experience in the program to further their careers with publishing deals, co-writing and producing sessions, sync placements, and opportunities to score for film and television.
EDM Rockers ROGUE PROXY Continue to Defy Genre Norms with New Single “Solitary Confinement”
The two Canadian EDM rockers behind Rogue Proxy have let their latest genre-defying, electro-grooving, and high-energy track loose with this, the release of “Solitary Confinement” — available now.
With a sound best described as the illegitimate love child between the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Daft Punk — and an origin story stemming from two childhood friends — Rogue Proxy’s driven guitar tones, phat bass grooves, pumping punchy drums, and creative, multi-styled vocals deliver an inimitable signature sound rife with memorable melodies and head-turning riffs.
Lyrics like ‘I found myself in solitary confinement’ speak to the duo’s exploration of the paradox that is feeling isolated through gradual, unwanted aspects of life — yet, how sometimes being alone is key to truly discover our inner selves.
“Not to mention that it is quite à propos in these times of constant lockdown!” they add.
One listen to the track’s non-standard chords reveals why “Solitary Confinement” once had a working title of “Busy Beat,” the pair share. Their fifth release, the song adds to their 85,000+ streams, and follows previous 2020 breakthrough offerings of “Pump The Hype,” “Old Show,” “To The Nines,” and “Dirty Pool” — the latter of which hit #1 on the Cool Top 20 blog and Spotify chart, and the former being named among the Top 10 Indie Singles of 2020 by Other Side Reviews.
“We reunited in our friendship to produce a new sound that blended vintage tones and styles with modern production techniques,” the co-fronts share. “While working on perfecting it, tube amps were overdriven to their limits, compressors were hit way too hard, and saturation was pushed too high into the red.
“Things got out of control and we say a freak accident occured; something unknown appeared; it hacked itself into the session, and took over all production… We called it Rogue Proxy and, with it, a new flavour of rock was born.
“The Rogue Proxy icon is more than an image,” they continue. “It’s the alter-ego and ‘artificial intelligence’ behind the music and, most importantly, the face of all visual media. Rogue Proxy became our conduit to transmit sound, energy and visual wildness.
“‘Rogue’ doesn’t follow rules or formulas during songwriting or production, but is driven instead by an ever-evolving AI and complex algorithm with one goal: to produce a new, genre-defying, and exciting musical experience.
“Our mantra is: Rogue Proxy lives in your speakers. Rogue Proxy lives in your T.V. Rogue Proxy is anywhere and everywhere it wants to be!”
Even in “Solitary Confinement.”
“Solitary Confinement” is available now.
JUNO Winning Artist CHIN INJETI is “Golden” with New Single Featuring Thieves Like Us
JUNO Award-winning artist Chin Injeti is shining a light on the pure power of music to heal and uplift with his new single “Golden” — available now.
If there ever was a time when we could all use a soothing sonic shot of hope, it’s now during these days of pandemic-shadowed uncertainty. With “Golden,” Injeti and co-writer/producer Brian West are delivering a much needed dose that will certainly travel from the ears directly to the heart with its message of self-forgiveness and redemption.
Maybe there’s a way to fall gracefully
Maybe there’s a place that’s safe for me
“To me, those two lines pretty much sum up what the song is about,” notes the Vancouver-based Injeti. “I’ve come to know so many people that are in deep depression, that have been abused when they were younger, that for some crazy ass reason carry a lot of blame with them.”
More than simply recognizing those who struggle with these heavy burdens, “Golden” is a modern hymn of hopefulness. “This is a message to tell those people that there is a good place, a safe place, a place of peace, a place where they can start over again,” explains Injeti. “There’s no reason to carry this weight because the truth is we never get rid of our demons. We just need to learn to live above them.”
For Injeti, the worrisome weight and upheaval of the past year and a half also inspired a string of songwriting and producing creativity. With the onset of COVID-19, he found himself self-isolating in Toronto with his mother for three months and set up a remote home studio to stay immersed in his musical passions while staying safe.
Additionally, the past year and a half has seen the re-ignition of Injeti’s artist career with the release of six singles, some of which were partially born during his Toronto self-isolation. “On My Own,” “Let Go,” “Serious,” “Falling” featuring Esthero on vocals and Delhi 2 Dublin’s Tarun Nayer on tabla, “For the Love of Life” featuring Teon Gibbs and now, “Golden” featuring Thieves Like Us. These releases have together racked up 280,000+ streams on Spotify alone to date.
Thieves Like Us is an ongoing creative collaboration between Injeti and Grammy winning songwriter and producer Brian West. Injeti and West had their first tastes of international success while both living in Toronto in the ‘90s. Injeti fronted the JUNO and Much Music Video Award-winning band Bass is Base, won SOCAN’s Songwriter of the Year Award, and then enjoyed years of creating, touring and performing with the likes of The Fugees, The Roots, Jamiroquoi, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and more. West was a member of the JUNO winning band The Philosopher Kings and went on to co-write and co-produce several songs with fellow Philosopher King Gerald Eaton/Jarvis Church for Nelly Furtado’s multi-platinum debut album Whoa, Nelly!.
Injeti has also created and taught curriculum for Vancouver’s NIMBUS, been a featured speaker at TEDx discussing the healing properties of music, and long recognized for his life’s work as an inspiration, teacher, mentor, leader, innovator, singer, multi-instrumentalist, writer, collaborator, student, and yes, icon, with a star on Vancouver’s prestigious Walk of Fame.
It’s that drive to inspire and highlight the healing properties of music that is continuously infused in Chin Injeti’s songs including his latest.
“Golden” is available now.
Metallica Scholars Initiative Expands Into Eight New Schools
In a year fraught with uncertainty, the Metallica Scholars Initiative outpaced expectations, prompting a unanimous decision by the Board of Directors to expand the nationwide program from 15 community colleges to 23 in 2021. The Foundation plans to donate $1.6 Million in funding with the goal of reinvesting in communities that have supported the band over the last four decades.
The Metallica Scholars Initiative was created in 2019 through a partnership between the band’s All Within My Hands Foundation (AWMH) and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), a Washington, D.C. based organization representing the country’s nearly 1,200 community colleges. Starting with 10 colleges located in communities that supported Metallica on tour, schools were selected via a competitive application process, each receiving $100,000 toward programs designed to support students training to enter the American workforce.
The Metallica Scholars Initiative has found success by connecting students to skill-building opportunities in their local communities, bridging the talent needs of the American workforce through the community college system. Kicking off the third year of the program, AWMH will be joined once again by Rockford, Michigan-based Wolverine Boots and Apparel, along with other notable partners to be announced, supplementing All Within My Hands’ cumulative $1.6 million contribution. Wolverine VP of Marketing Andrew Shripka commented, “Wolverine is dedicated to supporting the people who have the grit and work ethic it takes to pursue a career in the trades, and we are excited to join forces again with All Within My Hands to support the next class of Metallica Scholars.”
Final reports from all 15 schools in 2020 proved that, even with the obvious complications presented by a pandemic, each school selected for the Metallica Scholars grant successfully modified programming to provide students with industry-relevant applied learning programs based on local demands. Funding served over 1,000 students at community colleges across the US in career and technical training programs last year, and outcomes exceeded expectations.
From Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte: “97.6% of the Metallica Scholars scheduled to graduate in the spring or summer 2020 semesters were successful. Students across ten different academic health programs were supported by Metallica Scholars funds. Certification exam pass rates and employment rates of those who were eligible exceeded 90%.”
While high rates of achievement are certainly proof that the Metallica Scholars Initiative is accomplishing its goals, the Foundation finds inspiration from personal anecdotes shared by the students themselves. Emma-Lynn Ponds, a welding scholar from Valencia College, articulates how her training goes beyond establishing a career path when she says, “The whole reason I’m doing this is because I wanna be the first in my family to break the cycle of poverty.”
Jennifer Worth, Senior Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development at the American Association of Community Colleges, works closely with AWMH to connect students with employment opportunities. She speaks to the relationships between Metallica/AWMH and AACC as well as that between the scholars and the growing workforce in communities across the country saying, “AACC is honored to manage the All Within My Hands’ Metallica Scholars Initiative. As we engage more communities, we have the opportunity to connect with more industry partners, each of which affirms that high-quality, skilled trade jobs are available, and community colleges are the premier places to train and amass talent. We will not stop doing this work until that recognition is as awesomely global as the band’s trust in us, our colleges, and the students with whom we work.”
This announcement comes on the heels of a special Metallica Mondays concert, streamed on YouTube as a part of the Foundation’s Month of Giving supporting Direct Relief and Feeding America. The fundraising efforts throughout May have included specially designed merchandise, a fan fundraising contest, and an autographed guitar auction. Conceived within the restrictions of COVID-19 and designed to adhere to the Foundation’s mission dedicated to creating sustainable communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and critical local services, this was All Within My Hands’ second Month of Giving.
The Linda Lindas are signed to Epitaph Records!
Sonic Reducers: Join Darryl Sterdan of Tinnitist and I as we celebrate the general wonderfulness of newly crowned young phenoms The Linda Lindas, take delight in their warp-speed success, and debate how long it will take them to get huge, break up and reform for a reunion tour.
My Next Read: “Stories to Tell – A Memoir” By Richard Marx
Legendary musician Richard Marx offers an enlightening, entertaining look at his life and career.
Richard Marx is one of the most accomplished singer-songwriters in the history of popular music. His self-titled 1987 album went triple platinum and made him the first male solo artist (and second solo artist overall after Whitney Houston) to have four singles from their debut crack the top three on the Billboard Hot 100. His follow-up, 1989’s Repeat Offender, was an even bigger smash, going quadruple platinum and landing two singles at number one. He has written fourteen number one songs in total, shared a Song of the Year Grammy with Luther Vandross, and collaborated with a variety of artists including NSYNC, Josh Groban, Natalie Cole, and Keith Urban. Lately, he’s also become a Twitter celebrity thanks to his outspokenness on social issues and his ability to out-troll his trolls.
In Stories to Tell, Marx uses this same engaging, straight-talking style to look back on his life and career. He writes of how Kenny Rogers changed a single line of a song he’d written for him then asked for a 50% cut—which inspired Marx to write one of his biggest hits. He tells the uncanny story of how he wound up curled up on the couch of Olivia Newton-John, his childhood crush, watching Xanadu. He shares the tribulations of working with the all-female hair metal band Vixen and appearing in their video. Yet amid these entertaining celebrity encounters, Marx offers a more sobering assessment of the music business as he’s experienced it over four decades—the challenges of navigating greedy executives and grueling tour schedules, and the rewards of connecting with thousands of fans at sold-out shows that make all the drama worthwhile. He also provides an illuminating look at his songwriting process and talks honestly about how his personal life has inspired his work, including finding love with wife Daisy Fuentes and the mystery illness that recently struck him—and that doctors haven’t been able to solve.
Stories to Tell is a remarkably candid, wildly entertaining memoir about the art and business of music.
Gord Bamford To Release New Album ‘Diamonds In A Whiskey Glass’ On June 4
On June 4th, multiple CMA and 26x CCMA Award winner Gord Bamford will release his brand-new album Diamonds In A Whiskey Glass via Anthem Records. As one of the most decorated country music artists in Canada, Bamford firmly remains at the helm of the genre as he releases new music next month. Diamonds In A Whiskey Glass is the chart-topping entertainer’s highly anticipated 10th studio album, featuring 11 songs including the previously released single “Diamonds In A Whiskey Glass” and the current hit single, “Heaven On Dirt” which to date has been streamed nearly 1 million times globally and was the most added song at Canadian country radio upon its release.
“Diamonds In A Whiskey Glass is a collection of songs about heartbreak, life lessons and how they shape you. Personally, this album reminds me of so many memorable moments and lessons learned along the way as I was growing up. I’m really grateful to be where I am today, and I wouldn’t be here without the moments described in many of these songs,” says Gord Bamford.
Uniquely aligned with the release of Bamford’s anticipated new album, Anthem Entertainment today announced the launch of Real Country Livin’ – a first-of-its-kind, audio/visual music-based broadcast and podcast series that will showcase some of the world’s best and brightest country artists and songwriters as they each share their own Real Country Livin’ story and define what Real Country Livin’ means to them. Featuring Gord Bamford as the inaugural host, the innovative series will launch with six themed episodes including Entertainin’, Fishin’, Givin’, Boatin’, and Drinkin’ that help guide the narrative as Bamford introduces audiences to his family and friends and their Real Country Livin’ way of life. Additionally, each episode of Real Country Livin’ with Gord Bamford will feature some of Bamford’s greatest hits along with never-before-seen performances of new original songs from the June 4th release of Diamond’s In A Whiskey Glass.
“Real Country Livin’ is a ground breaking new country music format,” shares Anthem, CEO Helen Murphy. “The innovative and unique broadcast and podcast series showcases our incredible country music songwriters and artists’ and offers fans an intimate behind-the-scenes look into their lives, including the inspiration and stories behind their new songs along with exclusive never-before-seen live performances of new material – it’s a true Real Country Livin’experience from beginning to end.”
Following his own time-tested formula for nearly 20 years while bolstering 75 million streams and 4 billion audience impressions at radio, Bamford continues to make country music that appeals to fans around the world. The Australian-born, Alberta-raised neo-traditional artist delivers an ambitious set of 11 tracks on Diamonds In A Whiskey Glass that blend hard-charging anthems with good-natured drinking songs, salutes to rural living, tender love songs and pensive explorations on life.
Diamonds In A Whiskey Glass Track Listing:
1. Heaven On Dirt
2. Diamonds In A Whiskey Glass
3. Two Strangers In A Bar
4. Hag On The Jukebox
5. Fishin’
6. Float People
7. Marry Me Again
8. Love On Me
9. Tractor Town
10. #REDNEK
11. Beer Cloud
TikTok and SiriusXM Partners to Announce TikTok Radio, Creating Exclusive Audio Experiences
TikTok and SiriusXM today announced they are joining forces on the rollout of new and innovative content across each of their platforms. Creating listener experiences curated specifically for each platform’s loyal fans will allow TikTok and SiriusXM to deliver access to ground-breaking programming, exclusive performances, special events, and some of music’s top and emerging talent.
This summer, SiriusXM will launch TikTok Radio, a full-time music channel featuring the trending sounds that are redefining pop culture from TikTok. Presented by TikTok creators, tastemakers, and DJs, TikTok Radio will be available in vehicles and as a streaming channel on the SiriusXM App, desktop, and all connected devices.
Sonically synced to the TikTok experience, the channel will feel like a radio version of the platform’s “For You” page. The TikTok Radio channel will feature a diverse group of TikTok creators showcasing trending music and stories behind the songs throughout each day, as well as a weekly music countdown dedicated to TikTok’s top trending tracks. Listeners can expect to hear directly from music’s next generation of rising stars and whatever else the TikTok community is vibing to.
“We are excited to collaborate with TikTok to create new content that brings the vibrancy of the leading social networking service to life on live radio and our streaming platforms,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM. “The effect TikTok has on music, and pop culture in general, is undeniable. Our platforms will provide a unique opportunity for TikTok creators to engage with our listeners with content experiences that have never been done before in audio. The exclusive SiriusXM channel will bring a new take on radio by tapping into the latest music trends on TikTok.”
“TikTok is redefining the way that fans discover music and artists, while enabling a new form of musical engagement and creative expression, said Ole Obermann, Global Head of Music, TikTok. “We are excited to work with SiriusXM for TikTok Radio to make the trends, music, and creative influences that are playing such a defining role in modern culture even more accessible. We can’t wait to see this come to life and thank the SiriusXM team for being such an innovative and visionary collaborator.”
1-minute tip for artists stuck on social media ideas: A 10-minute tip to change someone’s life
Can you change someone’s life for the better in just 10 minutes. You bet.