40 years ago, the Prince of Darkness released Blizzard of Ozz, and now you can listen to the new expanded 40th anniversary edition of the album, with 7 bonus live tracks previously unavailable digitally, available now! https://ozzyosbourne.lnk.to/Blizzard40
Video: Beavis and Butt-Head reviewing Radiohead’s “Creep” in 1994
Beavis: What’s going on? How come they just don’t play that cool part through the whole song? Hehe?”
Butt-Head: “Well Beavis, if they didn’t have like a part of the song that sucked, than it’s like, the other part wouldn’t be as cool.”
Beavis: “Really? You’re pretty smart Butt-Head.”
Boris Karloff and Vincent Price singing ‘The Two of Us’ on The Red Skelton Hour in 1968
Scares are everywhere this year, so why not lighten things up with two of the master horror actors singing a happy tune?
The Pas, MB Indigenous Rockers LOW BUDGET ROCK STAR Release Single Named After Themselves (and you bet it’s great!)
When legendary rock n’ rollers release a song named after their own band, you know they mean business; we’re talking The Clash, Bad Company, and now The Pas, MB’s Indigenous rockers Low Budget Rock Star and their eponymous single — available now!
A small but mighty three-member group with a big purpose — to save rock & roll — multi-talented artists Kennie Henderson, Harley Whitehead, and Richie Cudmore’s bold brand of arena rock styles are the result of three music careers destined to land together.
“I’ve done it all,” Henderson shares, adding, “I’ve been playing music since I was young, but I always had something in the way: I worked various 9-5 jobs, I went to school to attain my Bachelor of Arts degree…
“Ultimately, it wasn’t good for me. The spirit of music relentlessly kept me awake at night and created an unhappiness that crept up on me every day.
“It did not let up!
“In the summer of 2017, I was out with some of my old bandmates when I bumped into Richie, who was out with his old bandmates; coincidence? I told him we were heading out on tour in BC and he said, ‘Oh, cool! If you ever need a drummer, let me know!’”
Henderson said he’d hold him to that, and then and there the earliest inklings of Low Budget Rock Star were formed. “Finally, after many heartbreaks, band breakups, addressing of past traumas, plus nurturing relationships with Richie and then Harley, as well as the birth of my child, Mikwan, I quit my job to pursue music full time.”
For his part, Cudmore first took to the world of tunes after discovering his older brother playing the Beatles’ “Let it Be” on a set of blue metallic drums just like Ringo’s; he has since worked with Jim Kale (The Guess Who), Fred Turner (Bachman Turner Overdrive), and Chris Burke-Gaffney (Orphan, The Pumps). “I had the luxury of a father who rented and maintained juke boxes,” Cudmore recalls. “The hits of the day were the soundtrack to my life, and knowing the importance of flow, melody, and a catchy chorus shaped me to be a principal songwriter for bands I was in.”
Whitehead also lends to the songwriting for Low Budget Rock Star, as well as bass, and he considers himself a lifelong student of the music industry and music, in general. “When it comes to the music we write,” he notes, “we bring in personal stories that involve the everyday struggle for survival and overcoming personal demons.”
It’s these bits and pieces of each of The Pas-based bandmate’s lives that have become integral, if not front-and-centre, parts of Low Budget Rock Star’s relatable identity and ultimate rise. “This is a name and project that captures our spirit and heart,” Henderson offers. “It — life… music… — cannot be bypassed and lived with half-fast effort and energy; it’s a project that requires many struggles and hardships.
“With the song ‘Low Budget Rock Star,’ we want to portray our humble — yet cheeky — attitude influenced from years of living and breathing this rock & rock philosophy and life,” he continues. “We’re three guys and the only thing in our pockets is our songs and our stories; true, gritty, silly, intimate, and flavourful with the ability to put you through a lifetime of emotions.”
Critics, peers and fans agree; “Low Budget Rock Star is on a mission to save rock n’ roll in a big way!” multi-award winning fellow artist Crystal Shawanda says. “(They) write songs we can all relate to as we roll through this thing called life,” CJ102.9’s Mark A. Behren adds.
Ottawa’s Folk-Rockers HemlockHotel Offer Insight into the State of “America” with New Single
Ottawa, ON-based folk-rock Americana band HemlockHotel are singing of “America” in this, their new single — available now.
Arriving on the precipice of the trio’s forthcoming self-titled album set for release this October, “America” is about growing up and wondering if you’re bound to repeat the life of your ancestors.
“Some critics wondered why a Canadian band wrote a song that focused on the USA and there are a few reasons,” band member Rod Leggett offers. “Though I was listening to a bunch of protest music, the muse did visit so I listened before she escaped.
“A lot of us want to see political change, but how do you go about that when you no longer have role models? There’s a line in the song about ‘what can be done, of fathers and sons?’; the boy in the song wants a better world, and a country that can stand on its feet, but he’s clearly unsure of himself and what to do.
“There’s no doubt there was a direct focus on the political. I mean, you can’t have it both ways: American art and culture gets exported everywhere and we’re so close to them, so we take a lot in. With adoption comes questions. American politics is in a wild period and it’s sometimes difficult to watch.”
Along with Leggett, band members Dan Leduc and Mark Paré have all been members of respective bands since the 1990s, spanning genres from R&B to jazz to Franco-rock, country rock, and progressive rock in between. In the formation that is HemlockHotel, the three blend their varied and expansive histories to create a new — yet, familiar — sound of which “America” and HemlockHotel serve as a preview to.
“The goal of our first album together was to get comfortable and put together some tunes in the Americana tradition,” Paré says. “I mean, that’s pretty much why we got together; we all like that stuff.”
“We didn’t write a concept album,” Leduc shares of HemlockHotel. “Rather, we wanted to keep the production close enough to what a live performance sounds like; that was our primary goal. Generally, we’re very song-by-song driven,” he continues. “Every song is a microcosm which fits in the given galaxy of the time and place of the recording and the people involved in the production.
“Maybe in a few years we’ll see a more obvious pattern that was at work… Some hidden hand.”
Video: Debbie Harry explains the British punk dance The Pogo in 1978
Sid Vicious allegedly invented the dance as a way of mocking people who came to see Sex Pistols’ performances, but who were not part of the punk movement. With more on this, here’s Debby Harry from Blondie teaches the Americans the style of dance in 1978.
Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray pitch “Ghostbusters” to independent theater owners in 1984
“…If not, we got some Canadian film board stuff you can look at…”
Video: Debbie Harry in a commercial for Sara Lee’s French Bread
“Everybody doesn’t like something, but nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee.”
Listen: Eric Wareheim of Tim & Eric’s old emo-hardcore band
Eric Wareheim, one half of the comedy duo Tim & Eric, alongside Tim Heidecker, played in several Philadelphia area bands, including the new wave punk band Twelve Tone System, of which Tim was also briefly a member. Eric briefly played backup guitar for the duo Adam and Justine in the 1990s. Eric was also the principal songwriter for The Science Of and had been a member of Elements of Need, I Am Heaven, and briefly with the Vampire-themed punk band Ink & Dagger.
Here’s a rarely-heard clip of I Am Heaven’s EP.
Rough Trade’s “High School Confidential” Trailblazes into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) is pleased announce the song induction for the breakthrough hit, High School Confidential, written by Carole Pope and Kevan Staples, founders of the band Rough Trade. Written as an anthem to teenage hormones, it was the song’s openly gay and sexually explicit lyrics, paired with their captivating live shows and a controversial television moment, that propelled Rough Trade from the underground Toronto club scene to the national spotlight. High School Confidential ushered in a new era of sexual openness for LGBT and women artists.
As one of the first openly gay Canadian pop stars, Pope was confident in her sexuality and pushed her provocativeness on stage and off, incorporating bondage and overt sexuality in their performances, and penning lyrics with songwriting partner Kevan Staples that were unapologetically explicit and unabashed. High School Confidential was originally written for a male lead to sing, but Pope decided to take on the song herself, recalling, “I didn’t think it would be a big deal that I would be singing about a woman. But when I sang it, it was full of innuendo — a lesbian love song. Quite frankly, we were surprised at how successful we were.”
“Carole Pope and Kevan Staple’s High School Confidential was ground-breaking in so many ways – empowering a generation to express love and sexual desire, no matter what orientation – and turning the tables for women to sing about sex, in a way that only men were allowed to at the time,” said Vanessa Thomas, CSHF Executive Director. “Our mandate at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame is celebrate the songs and songwriters that have not only contributed to the Canadian musical landscape, but that have also influenced the cultural zeitgeist.”
Pope and Staples first collaborated in the ‘60s, with Carole on vocals and Kevan on guitar (and later keyboards), performing at clubs in Toronto. They quickly gained an underground following of fans who flocked to see their avant-garde performances; and eventually caught the attention of record producer Jack Richardson, and signed with Bernie Finkelstein’s indie label True North Records in 1980 to release the sophomore album “Avoid Freud.” Rough Trade recorded High School Confidential at Toronto’s Manta Sound studio and borrowed its title from the 1958 film; which like the film, is fraught with teenage hormones and jealousies.
True North released the single despite concerns about its very explicit lyrics. CHUM radio’s music director called Finkelstein to ask if the band could record an edited version to remove one particularly over-the-top lyric: “It makes me cream my jeans when she comes my way.”
Finkelstein remembered, “I took the idea to Carole and Kevan and although they were somewhat reluctant, they were willing to give it a shot.” After some experimentation, they simply bleeped out the offending words.
CHUM aired this edited version, and as Finkelstein explained, “The phone lines lit up. For a while, it was the most requested song on the station. The ‘bleep’ was like honey to a bear.” Listeners rushed out in droves to buy the album in order to hear the uncensored version, driving album sales to platinum. Pushed by the controversy, the single rose to Top 10 on radio stations RPM’s Top 100.
Rough Trade infamously performed High School Confidential at the 1980 JUNO Awards, when Pope, on live national television, made a gesture to touch herself that was considered obscene. The impact was felt across the music world. Staples later told the CBC that “The appearance on the JUNOs was a life-changing moment.” Her performance garnered praise from fellow female artists, and trailblazed the path for the likes of Michael Jackson and Madonna to take risks on live mainstream television.
At the 1982 JUNO Awards, Pope and Staples were nominated for Composer of the Year and Single of the Year for High School Confidential; with Pope winning Female Vocalist of the Year in 1983, following up her Most Promising Female Vocalist win in 1981. The song was recognized by the CBC as one of the 1980s’ 50 Best Songs; and was re-recorded for TV’s Queer as Folk. In 2017, High School Confidential was honoured with a SOCAN Classic Award.
After recording six albums together and a farewell tour in 1986, Pope and Staples went on to pursue separate and successful careers. Staples continues to compose music for television and film. Pope released solo albums including “Transcend” (2005) and the critically well-received “Landfall” (2011); and published a bestselling autobiography Anti Diva in 2000. Her latest EP “Music for Lesbians” (2015) culminated with a live performance with Peaches on season two of the television series, Transparent.