The “Camp Fire Song Song” is a song that SpongeBob sings in The Camping Episode.
Patrick sings a verse in the song as well, but he cannot catch up because SpongeBob is singing too fast, so he instead resorts to playing the drums near the end.
Lana Del Rey’s Isolated Vocals For “Summertime Sadness”
Charting across Europe, Lana Del Rey’s Summertime Sadness reached the top ten in Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. In the spring of 2013, Summertime Sadness reached number one in Poland, Ukraine and Armenia. Trap and house remixes of Summertime Sadness helped Del Rey break into the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart.
The song is also referenced in The Chainsmokers’ hit single “#Selfie”.
Re:Venues: A Case and Path Forward for Toronto’s Live Music Industry
A new study measuring the economic and cultural impact of Toronto’s live music venues was released today at a virtual news conference by the City of Toronto and the Canadian Live Music Association, in partnership with Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area and Ontario Creates.
The long-awaited study entitled Re:Venues: A Case and Path Forward for Toronto’s Live Music Industry, outlines the contributions and status of the industry and includes recommendations for actions needed to support and protect live music venues through this economic uncertainty and beyond.
Conducted by Nordicity, the study finds that live music venues in Toronto generate a total economic impact of $850 million annually, while providing the equivalent of 10,500 full-time jobs. Labour income generated by the operations and tourism impacts of Toronto’s live music venues total $514 million each year. The report emphasizes the importance of live music venues to the city’s economy and calls attention to the key role these establishments play in a thriving music ecosystem.
Each venue that closes costs an average of $575,000 in annual GDP contributions, and $148,000 in provincial and federal taxes. Since March 2020, Nordicity estimates the shutdown of music venues in Toronto cost the city’s economy $99M in GPP, the equivalent of 1,480 jobs.
The critical areas of need vary across immediate, short and long-term recommendations, but given the immense urgency, the Nordicity report concentrates on immediate, short and medium term recommendations via eight categories.
Each of the eight categories quantify actionable items the industry should adopt to survive the current crisis, rebuild the industry’s foundation, and to sustain and grow the sector:
- Reimagine programs to address immediate needs protecting against the loss of cultural infrastructure
Adjust existing emergency programs to make it mandatory for property owners to access the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) to ensure music venues receive rent reduction benefits. - Spearhead a group insurance program tailored to live music venues
Establish a group insurance plan tailored to the unique needs of live music venues to address cost escalations that inhibit the ability of venues to renew liability insurance. - Ensure permanent benefits of tax classification for venues to lessen the burden of escalating property taxes
The study calls on the City of Toronto to maintain a mechanism to protect music venues from increasing property values and property tax assessment. - Identify funds that could be redirected to support cultural infrastructure
Expand or redirect existing funding to include live music venues to provide more long-term support as emergency COVID-19 funding ends. - Streamline permitting and amendment processes
The report recommends that a move to digitization for the applications of business licences would help to alleviate significant delays in securing approvals, which are barriers to entry for new businesses. - Develop a Canadian Live Music Fund to stimulate event activity and ensure the future viability and success of Canada’s live music sector and drive economic impact
Dedicate permanent funding to provide support for live music venues beyond the emergency period and for the foreseeable future. - Develop a Section 37 guide to help councillors prioritize gaps in the city’s music venue ecosystem
Section 37 permits the City of Toronto to authorize increases to permitted height and or/ density of a development. The report calls for a prioritization of provisions to the zoning bylaws to better accommodate venues within this framework. - Establish opportunities for business education among venue owners
Provide ongoing business skill training through permanent programming presented in partnership with the Canadian Live Music Association, The City of Toronto and other partners such as Destination Toronto and Ontario Creates.
The actions identified in the report for Toronto, Canada’s largest city and a world leader in entertainment will have implications for the industry across the country. In 2019, 107,000 individual artists performed at venues in Toronto alone.
The development of a sustainable, healthy music industry is critical to the countless Canadians who benefit both culturally and financially from this sector.
Further information about the study, and images/infographic can be found Here.
Lucinda Williams Announces LU’S JUKEBOX Live Performances To Benefit Struggling Independent Venues
Nashville, TN – Award-winning, revered singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams is working to help independent music venues during this time with the announcement of Lu’s Jukebox. Scheduled as a six-episode series of mostly full-band, HD video performances in-studio, Lu’s Jukebox will feature a themed set of songs by other artists curated by the multi-Grammy award winner. The first episode kicks off on October 22nd with Running Down A Dream: A Tribute To Tom Petty, featuring songs from his celebrated career in advance of his 70th Birthday.
Lu’s Jukebox will be streamed, ticketed performances accessed through Mandolin in order to raise funds to assist them through these trouble times caused by COVID-19. Each venue will receive a percentage of the ticket sales purchased through this Lu’s Jukebox link (see list of venues/promoters below). With the touring industry coming to an abrupt halt, many of the beloved independent music rooms are struggling to get by. Many are legendary music halls with rich histories who may have to choose between closing their doors or being bought out by a conglomerate. Either choice would have an immeasurable negative ripple effect for artists, fans, crew members, booking agents and of course the venues, altering the entire live music industry and experience.
“We’ve actually wanted to do a cover series for a long time now, but never had the time with my touring schedule”, says Williams. “I guess the silver lining in all of this has been to be able to really get inside the songs of some of my favorite artists – see what makes them tick. My hope for this project is that we’ll be able to help as many venues as we can. They’re our homes, as artists. We have to take care of them, for the sake of live music to come.”
Other upcoming episodes of Lu’s Jukebox will feature themes that will include significant eras, specific musical styles, songs of legendary artists and some surprises. Stay tuned to Lucinda William’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) for announcements of upcoming episode themes scheduled for November 5th and 19th, December 3rd, 17th, and 31st.
Like thousands of artists, Williams cut her teeth and developed her craft by playing in small, medium and large clubs throughout the country, and the world. These venues are vital to the development of artists and their music. Williams has never forgotten her roots, and often performs special shows in some of her favorite halls.
Lu’s Jukebox
Participating Venues, Markets & Promoters Thus Far
Planet Bluegrass – Telluride, CO
The Dakota – Minneapolis, MN
Production Simple – Louisville, KY
Cat’s Cradle – Haw River/Carrboro, NC
Capitol Theatre ¬– Clearwater, FL
State Theatre – Portland, OR
AMP Concerts – New Mexico
Freight & Salvage – Berkeley, CA
World Café Live – Philadelphia, PA
The City Winery – NY, Boston and Nashville
Flying Saucer Presents – Ponte Vedra, FL
The Pageant – St. Louis, MO
ACL Live – Austin, TX
Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA
True West – Portland, OR and Seattle, WA
First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
Koncerts – New England
Pabst Theater Group – Milwaukee, WI
SPACE/Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL
Tipitina’s – New Orleans, LA
The Birchmere – Alexandria, VA
European Venues/Promoters
Black Deer Festival – Tunbridge Wells, UK
Sage – Newcastle, England
John Fell – Birmingham, England
Todd Wills – Bristol, England
Regular Music – Scotland
Aiken Promotions – Ireland
Kilkenny Arts Festival – Kilkenny, Ireland
Mercury Wheels – Spain
Paradiso – Amsterdam
‘80s Techno-pop hits “Safety Dance” and “Pop Goes the World” will be added to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the induction of two songs written by nostalgic synth-pop band, Men Without Hats. Their smash hits Safety Dance and Pop Goes the World catapulted the new wave band from Montreal to international fame in the 1980s, garnering commercial success and countless awards.
The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame will add both records to its permanent and interactive exhibition at the National Music Centre in Calgary, that features a celebrated catalogue of inducted songs that fans can listen to, as well as displays, exclusive artifacts, and one-of-a-kind memorabilia celebrating Canada’s greatest songwriters and Inductees. A virtual induction presentation is planned for a later date.
Lead vocalist Ivan Doroschuk who penned both songs still stands by the do-your-own thing principle behind Safety Dance, which was written after he was kicked out of a nightclub for pogo dancing, which as judged as being too unruly and unsafe. The lyrics “we can dance if we want to” is a rebellious anthem for being free spirited, independent, and standing up for your rights – even if it’s to dance.
The track skyrocketed to No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1983, propelling the album “Rhythm of Youth” to sell more than 2 million copies worldwide. Not only was it a commercial success, but industry accolades came rolling in, garnering three Félix Awards for Best-Selling Single, Group of the Year, and Rock Album of the Year; Grammy nomination for Best New Artist; JUNO nominations; and a 2008 SOCAN Award.
This past April, Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon performed Safety Dance with health care workers and The Roots with the added lyric, “Everybody’s washing their hands” as part of the One World: Together At Home benefit concert for COVID-19 relief. The song has also been covered by Weird Al Yankovic, Big Daddy, and others, and has been featured on such TV shows as “Glee,” “The Simpsons,” and “Family Guy.”
Following the success of Safety Dance and brief foray into rock, songwriter Ivan Doroschuk decided to take the band back to its electronic roots. Doroschuk originally wrote Pop Goes the World as an electronic instrumental, aiming for a sound similar to their 1972 hit Popcorn from the album “Hot Butter.” He then added his two-minute riff to the end of a demo recording which he submitted to Polygram’s A&R rep, Derek Shulman, who advised him to build a whole song from the riff. “So that’s what I did,” said Doroschuk. “I went back into the studio and spent quite a while building a song. It was one of the first songs that I actually sat down and worked on.
Doroschuk, brother Stefan and bandmate Lenny Pinkas recorded Pop Goes the World for the Mercury label at England’s Eden Studio, the result being a gold single and a JUNO nomination for Single of the Year. The song reached the No. 2 spot on RPM’s Top 100 singles chart in 1988 and was Billboard’s No. 20. The album went platinum in Canada and won a Félix Award and a PROCAN Award for the most-played English-language Canadian single on Canadian radio in 1988.
The video for Pop Goes the World contributed to the song’s popularity and heavy rotation on radio. Directed by Tim Pope (who also directed the Safety Dance video), the band incorporated comic references to their Quebec roots, such as Big Bonhomme (Quebec City’s winter carnival mascot).
Future Faith No More/Mr. Bungle Mike Patton performing “Detroit Rock City” live at Eureka High Talent Night in 1984
Everybody has to start somewhere.
That Time Fugazi Performed Live In Front of The White House in 1991
The band’s Gulf War protest show that was featured in the Instrument documentary.
Weird Al and Wendy Carlos with their version of ‘Peter and the Wolf’ from 1988
Peter & the Wolf/Carnival of the Animals – Part II by “Weird Al” Yankovic and composer and keyboardist Wendy Carlos, released in October, 1988. It features a comical adaptation of the orchestral works Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev and The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns.
The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Album for Children at the 31st awards.
Eddie Van Halen’s Isolated Guitar For “Eruption,” “Beat It,” “Panama,” “Unchained,” and “Hot For Teacher”
Want to know why Eddie Van Halen was voted number one in a Guitar World magazine reader’s poll for “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”?
These.
It’s not just a trip of his most famous work, but a walk down some of the greatest guitar parts in music history.
…and of course, the big one…
Saskatoon’s velours Cuts The “Summer Haze” With Release of New Single & Album, Identity
At 10,000+ views and rising, alt-pop, electro-synth and velvet-voiced Saskatoon-based artist velours is cutting through the “Summer Haze” with the release of her new single and EP Identity — both available now.
“‘Summer Haze’ was the most intimate song I had written for Identity, and it’s meant to evoke a feeling of renewal… An escape from an internal cage,” she considers. “The afternoon I wrote it, I was inspired by the realization that it’s okay to not know the ending to the story of my life, and that I’m fine to still be messy. And that none of this makes me any less of a complex and strong person.
“I usually begin writing my songs with the first line,” she continues. “This one was ‘still think I’m messy and I’m intimate / with only myself to fit inside my home,’ and (it’s about) how I know who I am more than anyone else does. The term ‘Summer Haze’ sounds sweet and pleasant initially, but it paints a picture of how we sometimes ignore our feelings and get stuck in the haze of everyday life. The storm represents the harsh reality of experiencing hard times to come out the other side stronger.
“I hope this song shows you can overcome the hardest parts of your life, and that it’s better to face the storm than it is to stay in the haze.
“And that it’s okay to be ‘unfinished’ as long as you remember how capable you are.”
The song reflects the larger imprint of Identity, she adds. “The album is about finding yourself and knowing that that’s a constant journey. There’s a narrative that developed in these four songs, even though it wasn’t intentional when I was initially writing each song individually. I could spend literal hours talking about the lyrics…”
With features on CBC, velours has also been selected for a SaskMusic Songwriting Challenge, a semi-finalist for the Unsigned Only Music Competition, and has performed at the TSAR Showcase, in Yorkton as part of the International Women’s Day concert, and the SaskMusic Open House Livestream.
“velours channels a colourful range of textures and emotions to create earworms well beyond her years,” Versa Films’ Dylan Hryciuk says. “The Identity EP speaks to an artist who is unapologetically a work-in-progress, which is powerfully vulnerable and something we can all relate to.”
Produced by multi-Platinum JUNO Award-winning songwriter Ryan Stewart (Carly Rae Jepsen, Bif Naked, CARYS), Identity is available now.