For the first of nine short films for the “Bad” album, Michael Jackson enlists acclaimed filmmaker and director Martin Scorsese and together they create an epic 18-minute tale of urban and racial challenges in the 1980s inspired by the real life story of Edmund Perry. The “Bad” recording is the second of five consecutive No.1 singles from the album making Michael the first artist to achieve this milestone and in 2014 Rolling Stone ranked this short film second on a list of Michael’s 20 greatest short films.
Tame Impala Covers Edwyn Collins’ “A Girl Like You”
Tame Impala cover 90s hit ‘A Girl Like You’ for Triple J’s Like A Version.
Jagjaguwar Celebrates 25th Anniversary with JAG25, Year-Long Campaign of Collaboration & Community
Jagjaguwar officially announces JAG25, a year-long initiative celebrating the label’s 25th Anniversary as home to some of the most mythical artists in music. Centered around a sprawling series called Jag Quarterly, the four-part project will deliver collections of music, creative endeavors and partnerships that span physical mediums, born through brand new collaborations from artists within and outside of the Jagjaguwar family. Arriving with their own actions and energy, each installment of Jag Quarterly will resurrect a different mantra from the label’s past, and imbue it with new meaning: Dilate Your Heart, This is a Mindfulness Drill, Join the Ritual and the original Jagjaguwar mantra, Sentimental Noise.
From 1996 to today, Jagjaguwar has continually championed artists who have reshaped genres, defied canons and bent the tides of popular music. And given that “Jagjaguwar” came from a Dungeons & Dragons character name generator, it is only appropriate that the label is revered for supporting the seemingly superhuman: singers with extraordinary powers, songwriter-conjurers, noise mongers, demon guitar players and hypnotizing poets like Bon Iver, Oneida, Dinosaur Jr., Lonnie Holley, Angel Olsen, Moses Sumney, Jamila Woods, Sharon Van Etten, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Black Mountain, Okkervil River, Richard Youngs and beyond. To mark its 25-year milestone, Jagjaguwar will show how their story is not about individuals or specific releases in its catalog, but rather the ensuing worlds that are built through sharing and collaborating, creating art and community, growing towards the future together.
Out March 26 digitally and April 9 physically, JAG25’s inaugural Jag Quarterly release Dilate Your Heart includes Jagjaguwar’s first spoken-word album since Robert Creeley’s self-titled record 20 years ago. Featuring works written and read by the acclaimed Bloomington, IN-based poet and educator Ross Gay, the collection is complemented by previously unreleased compositions from Bon Iver, Mary Lattimore, Angel Bat Dawid, Gia Margaret and Sam Gendel, and new visuals by Bon Iver art director Eric Timothy Carlson. Just like Jagjaguwar, Ross Gay remains rooted in Bloomington, even as his work – espousing radical empathy, unabated gratitude and themes of connectedness – has created a space that is open to all and teeming with life.
Each track on Dilate Your Heart is a conversation between artists, and today the opening piece – “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude” – launches JAG25 with music from Bon Iver, words from Ross Gay, and a message of thanks from everyone involved.
Dilate Your Heart is available to pre-order here, and new merchandise commemorating JAG25 is available here. More offerings, activations and events for Dilate Your Heartand JAG25 will be announced soon, and additional artists confirmed to participate in the upcoming Jag Quarterly releases include Lonnie Holley, Moses Sumney, Perfume Genius, Sharon Van Etten and The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, among many others.
Dilate Your Heart means to make room, to let more in: new faces, concepts, fears and gratitude. It means welcoming the endless expansion of one’s community, and since Secretly Co-CEO Darius Van Arman founded Jagjaguwar as a sixth-year college senior – using as seed capital his overtime pay from when he was snowed in for consecutive days at the assisted-living home he worked at in Virginia – the ethos of world-building has brought the label to gold and platinum sales, GRAMMY nominations for Album, Song and Record Of The Year, and multiple A2IM Libera Awards for Label Of The Year.
The New York Times: Paredon Celebrates 50 Years of Protest Music
In 1970, protest singer Barbara Dane and her husband, music publisher Irwin Silber, founded Paredon Records. Read all about its beginnings and legacy 50 years later in The New York Times feature by Jenn Pelly, excerpted below:
“Paredon was a people’s label through and through, releasing music produced by liberation movements in Vietnam, Palestine, Angola, Haiti, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Greece, Uruguay, Mexico, the United States and beyond.
Taken together, the 50 albums that Paredon released from 1970 to 1985 form a staggering archive of art and dissent, of resilience and sung histories within histories. The music reflects civil rights, women’s rights and anticolonial movements, and illustrates the interconnectedness of these revolutions. Dane had been a venue owner, concert booker, radio D.J., television host and writer. With Paredon, she became a folklorist of resistance.”
And learn more about Paredon at Smithsonian Folkways’ digital 50th Anniversary Exhibition, honoring Paredon’s impact and historic catalog including a historical overview by Dane, a complete discography and album art, playlists, archived photography, and more HERE.
Barbara Dane was born in Detroit in 1927, and grew up alongside the town’s union leaders as they fought for labor rights. Originally intending to be a jazz singer, she encountered sexism and a hostile environment in the music business. She almost went on a tour with Louis Armstrong to Europe, but the managers and promoters decided she was too vocal and independent.
She became involved in organizing, and in 1967, following an illegal trip to Cuba meant to show that not all Americans were on the side of Lyndon B. Johnson’s anti-communist policies, attended the Canción Protesta Encuentro, a gathering of international musicians who did not know each other but were all involved in political movements.
Barbara saw the need for these global voices of the people to be heard, and in 1970, started Paredon in New York City. Some acquisitions were clandestine: that is, the identity of the writers or artists on the other end was unknown, for their protection, and the material was delivered through an intermediary. Others were spoken word albums of important historical movement figures, such as Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. Titles included recordings from the Vietnam conflict – Barbara acquired a tape of a Ho Chi Minh speech at the U.N., for example, in order to show listeners both sides of the conflict – and feminist, anti-racist works, among many others.
50 albums later, in 1991, Smithsonian Folkways acquired Paredon following years of close work together. Paredon was the third label acquired by the Smithsonian after the original Folkways Records catalog was acquired in 1987, and has maintained an integral role in Smithsonian Folkways’ mission to collect and preserve traditional music from around the world. Paredon is joined by Folk-Legacy Records, featuring a plethora of material from the ʼ60s folk revival, in 2019; the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music, in 2014; and more. The material from Paredon will remain in print in perpetuity, like all music in the Smithsonian Folkways catalog. In 2019 Rolling Stone reported on the label’s efforts to preserve traditional music from around the world, offering a glimpse into the way this music is archived.
Today, Barbara, in her 90s, performs in the Bay Area and is working on her memoirs while continuing to support the causes she believes in.
Merry Clayton Is The Picture Of Resilience on Beautiful Scars, Out April 9 on Motown Gospel
Merry Clayton’s legend is a formidable one: As detailed in the Oscar-and Grammy-winning 2013 documentary 20 Feet From Stardom, Merry has graced recordings and stages with legends such as Ray Charles (she became a Raelette at age 16), The Rolling Stones (“Gimme Shelter”), Carole King (Tapestry), Joe Cocker (“Feelin’ Alright”), Lynyrd Skynyrd (“Sweet Home Alabama”), Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, The Who, Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley and more.
Now, following a tragic accident that severely altered her life but couldn’t dampen her incredible spirit, Merry Clayton — one of the most acclaimed and recognizable voices of all time — finds redemption and strength in the power of gospel music on her new album Beautiful Scars, out April 9th on Motown Gospel/Capitol Records. Pre-orders are available on March 12th.
Co-produced by lifelong friend, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Lou Adler, and legendary Gospel vocalist, instrumentalist and songwriter Terry Young, Beautiful Scars brings Merry back to her roots, growing up singing at New Zion Baptist Church in New Orleans, her father Reverend A.G. Williams Sr. Clayton’s parish. Merry’s early, formative experiences there cultivated her incredible voice, and established her faith – two gifts that have sustained her throughout her life’s journey. Recorded at Henson Studios (formerly the famed A&M Studios where many of Merry’s most historic sessions took place) in Hollywood, Beautiful Scars finds Merry emboldened by His Word, mercy and eternal love — it’s the most heartening and human record she has ever made.
While the inspiring music takes center stage, the story behind Beautiful Scarswas born in tragedy. In 2014, mere months after 20 Feet From Stardom — the phenomenal film in which she stars — won the Oscar for Best Documentary, Merry was involved in a devastating car accident that claimed both of her legs, requiring a five-month hospital stay and four years of diligent rehabilitation.
Merry began discussing the possibility of recording again with Lou Adler while still in the hospital. “I’ve been through the fire and the rain, but I made it through,” she recalls saying. “I want people to know that there is healing and deliverance through anything. But you’ve got to trust God — put yourself in His hands.” To which Adler responded: “That’s all I needed to hear. We’ve got to get you some songs!”
Those songs include new compositions written by Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Terry Young (“Love Is A Mighty River,” the final version of which includes Martin’s original piano and vocal demos) and Diane Warren (the stunning title track “Beautiful Scars”), covers of classic songs by Sam Cooke and Leon Russell, and five original songs from Terry Young, who alongside Adler played an integral role in guiding Merry’s creative vision.
One of the album’s most emotional moments comes in the form of an updated version of the Leon Russell classic “A Song for You.” A reprisal of a song Merry sang on her 1971 album, it incorporates a vintage solo recording by her late husband, legendary saxophonist Curtis Amy, who passed away in 2002. After looking back, Merry concludes the album on a hopeful note with “Ooh Child Medley,” a moving finale featuring vocal accompaniment from her granddaughter Kyliyah.
After overcoming her accident that included a five month hospital stay and four years of diligent hard work in rehabilitation, Merry is ready to grace the world with her talents once again in a project flowing with emotion, triumph and tenacity. A document of resilience, joy, and most importantly faith, Beautiful Scars has Merry back doing what God put her on earth to do: sharing her revelatory voice with the world.
“MTV Unplugged Presents: BTS” Global Music Special
MTV today announced Grammy-nominated group BTS is set to perform a special edition of its trailblazing and award-winning MTV Unplugged franchise, “MTV Unplugged Presents: BTS.” The worldwide music event will build off the iconic series with a fresh new take Tuesday, February 23 at 9PM ET exclusively on MTV in the US, and will air around the world beginning February 23.
BTS will bring its own iteration of the iconic Unplugged format to life straight from Seoul, South Korea – offering their fans a front-row seat to never-before-seen versions of the group’s most career-defining hits and songs from their latest album BE (Essential Edition), in intimate settings. BE, first released as the Deluxe Edition last November, peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album includes the No.1 hit singles “Dynamite” and “Life Goes On”.
Together, MTV and BTS have created some unforgettable moments and performances, including the group’s debut on the VMAs stage in August, where they performed the first broadcast performance of “Dynamite,” before racking up wins for Best Pop, Best Group, Best K-pop and Best Choreography to bring their career total to six VMA wins. The group also celebrated their first-ever live appearance on MTV’s Fresh Out Live in February 2020 for the release of MAP OF THE SOUL: 7.
Last Fall, Miley Cyrus put her own spin on the series’ traditional format with MTV Unplugged Presents “Miley Cyrus Backyard Sessions.” In Spring 2020, MTV launched “MTV Unplugged at Home” to coincide with the launch of #AloneTogether, a global talent and social media-driven campaign to educate young people on the importance of social distancing in order to flatten the curve of the coronavirus.
BTS, an acronym of Bangtan Sonyeondan or “Beyond the Scene,” is a South Korean boyband that has been capturing the hearts of millions of fans globally since their debut in June 2013. The members of BTS are RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook. Gaining recognition for their authentic and self-produced music, top-notch performances, and the way they interact with their fans, the band has established themselves as global superstars breaking countless world records. While imparting a positive influence through activities such as the LOVE MYSELF campaign and the UN ‘Speak Yourself’ speech, BTS has mobilized millions of fans across the world (named ARMY), topped prominent music charts, performed multiple sold-out stadium shows across the world and has been named as one of TIME 100: The Most Influential People of 2019. The act has been nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the 63rd Grammy Awards and recognized with numerous prestigious awards like the Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards and MTV Video Music Awards.
How to Have a Cheap Holiday in Singapore
Singapore caters mainly for tourists who have plenty of money to spend. Backpackers and other travellers on a shoestring budget usually spend only a minimum amount of time in this city on their way to cheaper places in South-East Asia. While Singapore is definitely not a cheap destination, it is still possible to cut costs and visit Singapore on a backpacker budget.
Where to Find Cheap Hostels in Singapore
The area of Little India has several cheap hostels and backpacker guesthouses, although the hostels in Singapore are generally more expensive than in many other South-East Asian cities. Chinatown and Bugis are other areas to find budget hotels and hostels. The Malay Village has a choice of cheap hotels especially along Geylang Road, but many of the cheapest hotels in this area double as brothels.
How to Eat Out Cheaply in Singapore
Singaporeans love to eat and to shop, and everything in this city seems to be designed for these two activities. Shopping in Singapore is cheaper than in the West but more expensive than in many other Asian cities. Fortunately eating out does not cost much, because when it comes to food, Singaporeans like to get value for their money.
The best places for eating cheaply are hawker centres and food courts which can be found everywhere in Singapore. A meal in a hawker centre or a food court costs just a few Singapore dollars, and a coffee at a hawker centre costs 70-90 cents while it can cost S$5 in an international coffee chain’s outlet next door. Food in hawker centres is delicious and affordable and there is no need to worry about hygiene: it is perfectly safe to eat.
Free Things to Do in Singapore
Entrance to Singapore’s Botanic Gardens is free, and it is a nice place to walk around especially in the mornings and evenings when Singapore’s tropical weather cools down a little. Early in the morning local groups practice t’ai chi on the lawn, and there are often free spins at casinos over the weekends.
Chinatown is a great area to wander around and look at some cheap souvenirs and “three t-shirts for ten dollars” deals. Little India is, despite of its name, not that much like real India but it is a good place to sample affordable Indian food.
Many Buddhist temples in Singapore are open to visitors and do not charge for entry. The Lian Shan Shuang Lin temple (nearest MRT Toa Payoh) and the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See, also known as Bright Hill Temple (nearest MRT Bishan) are worth a visit.
Cheap Travel Around Singapore
Singapore’s public transport is efficient, safe and affordable. The best way to get around Singapore is to buy an EZ-link card that can be used in the MRT (Singapore’s metro) as well as buses. Journeys paid with the card are cheaper than buying individual tickets for each journey. MRT trains as well as Singapore’s buses are air-conditioned, and most of the time Singapore is just too hot to walk around.
5 Reasons to Fly Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines is not generally the cheapest airline around but when flying longhaul in economy class, it’s worth the extra couple of hundred dollars to arrive at the other end feeling like a human being as opposed to just a seat number. From something as small as having a cabin crew member turn on the reading light without being asked, to enjoying one of the largest ranges of dutyfree shopping available at its hub at Singapore airport.
Exceptional Service
Mediocre means you pay for a seat which includes the two mandatory requirements for reaching the other end alive. These are toilets and seatbelts. All other services are optional including food and head phones for entertainment. Many people are happy to pay for the cheapest and therefore receive the basics. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Great Food
Singapore airlines is a full service airline but unlike many others, the food doesn’t taste like its been defrosted and reheated from a cube of pre-packaged food. What’s more, they supply a menu so one can decide on the options prior to the meal being served. It almost feels like being in a restaurant.
Water Stations
Singapore airlines have drinking water taps through their aircraft which is brilliant for a few reasons. Most people suffer from dehydration on flights so it’s great to not have to be constantly ringing the call bell for more water. When feeling unwell, water needs to be readily available and if for nothing else, water taps are perfect for filling up water bottles. They are also a good excuse to get up and go for a walk.
Singapore Stopover
Not many countries can boast a city that is the perfect size for perusing by bus in a mere 2.5 hours. Its size makes it the ideal way to kill a seven-hour layover or in fact, a stopover of any number of days. Just show a Singapore Airlines boarding pass in order to get a free ride on the SIA Hop-On-Hop-Off bus.
If there is enough time, stop off at Raffles City Plaza for some speed shopping or at the Singapore Aquarium for a fish pedicure.
Or indulge in some history at the famed Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel, the home of the Singapore Sling. Drinking the cocktail is the easy part. The hard part is shelling the complimentary peanuts and dropping the shells on the floor as per tradition.
Singapore Changi Airport
It’s amazing how an extensive range of shopping opportunities can give one the urge to replace things like perfectly good sunglasses, or add to one’s already extensive range of perfumes. Just like having a small house restricts the amount of things one fills it with, having a huge range of shops at an airport, increases the amount of things one is compelled to buy.
Singapore’s Changi Airport is an airport shopper’s heaven. With three terminals, there are over 140 stores here including plenty of international brands. It’s possible to spend hundreds of dollars on a handbag from Coach or a mere ten dollars on a souvenir pendant from Accessorize.
Playing For Change Releases Remake of Peter Gabriel’s “Biko” in Honor of Black History Month and Gabriel’s Birthday
Playing For Change is proud to announce the release of its latest Song Around The World, “Biko,” a remake of the 1980 classic by English rock and roll hall of fame musician Peter Gabriel. The song and video, produced by Sebastian Robertson and Mark Johnson, features Peter Gabriel joined by Beninese vocalist and activist Angélique Kidjo, , bass legend Meshell Ndegeocello and more than 25 musicians from seven countries including South Africa, India, Spain and the USA.
“Biko” Song Around The World first premiered in December 2020 as part of Peace Through Music: A Global Event for Social Justice, a virtual concert and fundraising event organized by Playing For Change in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund in honor of the United Nations 75th anniversary. The moving performance was introduced by Nkosinathi Biko, son of the deceased anti-apartheid activist and subject of the song Steve Biko. Peace Through Music, produced by Playing For Change, Sebastian Robertson and Blackbird Presents, featured more than 200 musicians including Aloe Blacc, Annie Lennox, Becky G, Brandi Carlile with Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Carlos Santana and Cindy Blackman Santana, Gary Clark Jr., Jack Johnson, Jim James, Keb’ Mo’, Keith Richards, Mavis Staples, Nathaniel Rateliff, Rhiannon Giddens, Ringo Starr, Robbie Robertson, Robert Randolph, Run The Jewels with Josh Homme, Sheila E., Skip Marley and Cedella Marley, and The War and Treaty.
Contributions from partners and all donations from Peace Through Music and “Biko” Song Around The World will support the Playing For Change Foundation, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations and its Remember Slavery Programme, Sankofa, the Bob Marley Foundation, Silkroad, and The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation—organizations and programs that strive to eradicate poverty, inequality, and systemic racial and gender discrimination around the world.
“This song is as relevant today as the day it was written and inspires our need for racial and social justice,” says Mark Johnson, Playing For Change co-founder and producer. “Once we all join together as a planet, there’s nothing we can’t overcome.”
Mini Sneakers: All the rage?
The world is always looking for the newest and best trends. While trends are always changing and adapting, some of the newer changes are those that are so loved everywhere. Mini sneakers are all the hype these days. But what are these mini sneakers? Why have they become so popular?
These mini sneakers are little shoes, usually with both feet depending on the person’s choice. The product also includes its box and it is completely handcrafted. The box itself is the cutest thing anyone can imagine. And who doesn’t love a good box? All of the details on these shoes have been hand-painted by the company themselves. Every shoe is also a replica of the real thing which is why they are wowed all over the world. The effort put on each shoe is till the max. It can help all kinds of people feel as if they own something so valuable. This is what makes them so special. They are made from the company themselves and are an exact scale replica of the real kinds of shoes. They have a scale of around 1/6 scale, made to fit most fingers.
About latest products of Mini sneakers
The mini sneakers are used often for both finger skating and starting a whole new collection. Finger skating has come such a popular trend in the last few years. All over social media, there are videos of people finger skating with the mini sneakers and showing off their cool and unique collections. Some of the most popular finger skating videos that are all over Instagram even feature the mini sneakers from the company. Finger skating has become so popular that in the last few years, many people have chosen to pick it up just to get famous. The mini sneakers are some of the coolest things that have graced the internet and everyone is going crazy over them for the littlest reasons. They can also be used for action figures. These mini sneakers fit perfectly on many action figures and can help many people in making their favorite types of videos and content from the comfort of their own homes.
The most popular mini sneakers are those from the air Jordan collection and the Yeezy collection. These two collections have the biggest fan base throughout the world and their mini sneakers have been the most popular. Since air Jordan’s and Yeezy’s are already so popular in the real world, they are bound to be the same level of popularity in the mini sneaker world. These mini sneakers have a certain level of class in the collection category. They are fairly expensive, being $17.99 for an individual pair or $24.99 for both pairs of shoes.
Conclusion
Conclusively, the mini sneakers have some of the biggest fan bases in the world and are appreciated everywhere around the world. They help the collectors find new things to add to their collections and help them in growing and expanding them. With the passage of time, they will become more popular.
Molly Johnson, Dan Hill, and Jully Black confirmed for Hugh’s Room Black History Month panel
In conjunction with The Empire Club of Canada, Hugh’s Room Live has assembled an exciting panel to honour Black History Month. The event which will be zoomed free thanks to the courtesy of our sponsor Meridian Credit Union, will take place at noon on February 25th.
Moderator Rudy Blair will chair our panel of leading Canadian musicians in a discussion of the history of black music and the way it helped to shape North American music generally and the way it impacted their own work. Rudy will be joined by Ron Westray, Oscar Peterson Chair at York University and renowned trombonist, who will bring his vast knowledge of black music to the discussion. Juno-award winning vocalist Molly Johnson will talk about the way black music traditions inspired her career. Grammy Award winner, Dan Hill brings his deep insights into the roots of black music and will share his perspective on the way it helped to shape his work as a singer/song writer. And Canadian Queen of R&B, Jully Black, will share her experience and the way black music traditions have played a role developing her career as a musician.
To register go to: https://www.empireclubofcanada.com/blackmusic