In September, 1972, the couple appeared on Jerry Lewis’ annual Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, broadcast from the Americana Hotel on 7th Avenue in New York City. Lewis introduced John and Yoko as, “…two of the most unusual people in all the world, and I don’t mean just in the world of entertainment. They fit no patterns, meet no standards except the standard of excellence. Ladies and Gentlemen, John Lennon and Yoko.”
https://youtu.be/kEGTV8usZsI
…and now, from MTV, news about Eddie Van Halen jamming with Michael Winslow at the 1987 NAMM show.
“Nothing fancy, just the good old blues,” GRAMMY winning guitar master Duke Robillard says of his new album, Blues Bash — available November 20th, 2020 via Stony Plain Records.
To know Duke is to know he would say that, but there’s no downplaying this instant career highlight from one of the world’s best bluesmen.
As always with a Robillard release, the music is impeccable, classy, and powerful. The five-time Blues Award winner is in his element displaying a 50-year career authority, versatility, passion, and virtuosity with the inimitable ease that comes from being both a world class artist and a true historian, scholar, and curator of the craft.
“My concept was to make a straight vintage-style blues album with no frills or attempt at having catchy hook-laden songs,” Robillard says. “Just danceable blues with plenty of bright-sounding Fender guitar a la Ike Turner, Lefty Bates, etc. It was pretty much a reunion of sorts; I wanted the material to be simple, straight-ahead 50s-style blues and R&B, and a good listening or dancing record like the blues records I bought when I was a kid.
“Basically, a party album — that feeling is what I want to convey,” he continues. “Nothing fancy, just the good old blues.”
One listen confirms Blues Bash checks every box.
A celebration of timeless virtues and verities — and a celebration of celebrations itself — Blues Bash comes in at 10 tracks featuring two stellar horn sections, searing guitar and organ solos, and boogie boogie piano. Front and centre always, Duke plays gracious host to guests aplenty, and the collective roster spans the full chronicle of Duke’s recording career, including his earliest days at Roomful of Blues.
Blues Bash Track Listing
Do You Mean It (feat. Chris Cote)
No Time
What Can I Do (feat. Chris Cote)
Everybody Ain’t Your Friend
Rock Alley
You Played On My Piano (feat. Michelle ‘Evil Gal’ Willson)
I Ain’t Gonna Do It
You Don’t Know What You’re Doin’ (feat. Chris Cote)
Give Me All The Love You Got
Just Chillin
GRAMMY Award-nominated vocalist, songwriter and producer Malika Tirolien delivers calls to “RISE” in this, her inspiring new genre-minting single — available now.
“This song is the celebration of change through unity and revolution,” Tirolien says. “It is the realization that we are living a historical moment: the rise of humanity’s consciousness and power.”
At first play, Tirolien’s soaring voice and conscious lyrics immediately set the stage for the Montreal-based artist’s forthcoming sophomore release — the second in her tetralogy marking the elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water — HIGHER.
Born in Guadeloupe and now based in Montreal, Tirolien has garnered International attention throughout the last decade, including for her electrifying performance on Snarky Puppy’s GRAMMY Award-winning album Family Dinner for the track “I’m Not The One.”
She’s also the lead singer and co-leader of GRAMMY Award-nominated nine-piece supergroup BOKANTÉ alongside producer and musician Michael League — who is also co-producing HIGHER alongside Tirolien.
“RISE” is available now.
HIGHER is available Winter 2021.
Edmonton’s alt-pop singer/songwriter Wallish weaves her incredible artistry around raw-truth, emotionally biting lyrics to make her new single, “The Last Time” — available now.
“This song started with Troy Marshall coming to me with a new track he had composed,” the mind behind the music, Amy Wallish, recalls. “It was originally called ‘Abyss’ and it was pop-forward and trendy — everything I’m not, but I loved the edgy sound so I began writing.
“Listening to it brought up feelings of being lost in space and disappearing into nothingness,” she continues. “The truth is, this feeling was something I was used to. I have never been a very stable person and, since late junior high, I was always very transient in my relationships. Then, I proceeded to go to five different high schools and move six different times between the ages of 18 and 21.”
While she doesn’t aim to push boundaries for the sake of it, Wallish prides her craft on not backing away from the uncomfortable and controversial in order to say what needs to be said.
“I’ve always been a bit of a loner, and that is where I feel most myself,” she says. “When I’m in relationships, I feel myself start to change which causes me to break and leave without feeling remorse because the person they knew was never actually me.
“I have a hard time acknowledging this about myself, but Wallish is stronger than I am; she’s able to say the things I would never be able to say to someone, and she’s able to admit the hard truths about myself I’d rather not face.
“Because of this, ‘The Last Time’ reflects on my personal history of being transient or flaky — all those times I moved to a new place, had the best time with strangers, made superficial friendships, and then left without a word.
“It’s my history and I want to believe it will change. I want to believe there’s always hope this time will be ‘The Last Time.’”
This October, Polar Music/UMe celebrates Super Trouper, the album that soundtracked the Christmas season and far beyond 40 years ago. The first of only two albums that ABBA made in the 80s, Super Trouper was their sixth consecutive No.1 in Sweden, a chart-topper around Europe and a US Top 20 album. Powered by classic singles, including the title track, “The Winner Takes It All” and “Lay All Your Love On Me,” Super Trouper became the best-selling album in the UK in 1980.
Taking its name from a large follow spotlight used on stage, the Super Trouper album seems a bright, shining statement, but in 2020, we now realize on how many levels ABBA worked. Of course, there is the beautiful shining pop, forever remembered in the smash-hit musical and film Mamma Mia! and the full dancefloors that ABBA constantly inspires. But there is also the masked sadness – virtually every fan old and new is aware that the story of ABBA is entwined with two star-crossed unions and breakups, those of Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog, and Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad and Benny Andersson. Finally, the musicianship, production and arrangement, which makes Super Trouper sound as fresh and sparkling four decades later as when it was first heard in 1980.
Super Trouper is well-known, too, for its cover, of Agnetha, Frida, Benny and Björn surrounded by carnival performers: the original idea was to shoot it in London’s Piccadilly Circus. Unsurprisingly, that idea was rejected, and the cover was photographed in Stockholm. The circus has always been a powerful metaphor in art – throughout history, the joy of performance conceals an inner sadness. ABBA’s global No. 1, “The Winner Takes It All,” could not make this plainer. The first single from the album, it was released in August 1980, with lyrics written by Björn for his recently divorced wife Agnetha to sing: “There is so much in that song,” Agnetha was to say. “It was a mixture of what I felt and what Björn felt, but also what Benny and Frida went through.” It shot to No. 1 in the UK, becoming their first chart topper in over two years – and was followed in November by the joyous title track. Coming in July the following year, the thumping 12 inch of “Lay All Your Love On Me” helped keep Super Trouper on the UK charts for a staggering 43 weeks.
Being an ABBA record, Super Trouper’s album tracks are almost as well-known as its singles. Among them, the stomping “On And On And On,” the classic “Andante Andante,” and the super-poignant “Happy New Year,” with its lines “the dreams we had before are all dead, nothing more than confetti on the floor.” Super Trouper closes with “The Way Old Friends Do,” recorded live at their record-breaking Wembley concerts the year before, which underlines that no matter what, the bond between ABBA would remain forever strong.
Super Trouper is presented in an expansive half-speed master, carried out at Abbey Road by Miles Showell, and in keeping with recent releases there is a 7″ collector’s box, and ultra-collectible picture disc set. Its beam still blinds us, all these years later.
SUPER TROUPER – 2LP HALF SPEED MASTER
Strictly Limited Edition 2 x 12″ on black 180g heavyweight 45rpm vinyl / Gatefold sleeve / Half-speed mastered Abbey Road certificate of authenticity and download card
LP 1
SIDE ONE: Super Trouper / The Winner Takes It All / On and On And On
SIDE TWO: Andante, Andante / Me and I
LP 2
SIDE ONE: Happy New Year / Our Last Summer
SIDE TWO: The Piper / Lay All Your Love On Me / The Way Old Friends Do
***
SUPER TROUPER – SINGLE BOX
Numbered, limited edition – three colored vinyl 7″ singles in one boxset with download card
SINGLE ONE: The Winner Takes It All / Elaine
SINGLE TWO: Super Trouper / The Piper
SINGLE THREE: Lay All Your Love On Me / On And On And On
***
THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL / ELAINE – PICTURE DISC
SUPER TROUPER / THE PIPER – PICTURE DISC
LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME / ON AND ON AND ON – PICTURE DISC
Highly collectible, strictly limited-edition picture disc 7-inch singles will be available to purchase separately via the ABBA Store, Sound of Vinyl and uDiscover. Preorder here.
Global megastar and eight-time GRAMMY Award-winner Usher will headline a Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, opening Friday, July 16, 2021.
The multi-talented showman will give his fans an extraordinary immersive experience that only Usher can deliver. The exclusive, only-in-Vegas spectacular will be performed in The Colosseum, an intimate 4,300-seat world-class performance venue, allowing Usher’s fans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see him up close and personal. Promoted by Live Nation and Caesars Entertainment, the show will be packed with an impressive repertoire of smash hits spanning Usher’s 20-year career, including his early records and more recent songs, as well as new music.
General ticket prices begin at $59, plus applicable tax and fees, and a limited number of VIP meet & greet packages are also available for each show. All tickets and packages can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com/ushervegas or in-person at The Colosseum box office. All shows begin at 9 p.m.
The 12 performances going on sale are:
July 2021: 16, 17, 21, 23, 24, 28, 30, 31
Dec 2021: 28, 29, 31
Jan 2022: 1
Additionally, Usher, Live Nation Las Vegas and Caesars Entertainment are donating $1 of every ticket purchased to Usher’s Las Vegas residency to Usher’s New Look, Inc. (UNL). Founded in 1999 by Usher as a young man barely out of his teens, UNL is on a mission to transform the lives of underserved youth through a comprehensive program that develops passion-driven, global leaders. UNL’s peer-to-peer program model and curriculum provides Access, Awareness and Empowerment to youth in underserved communities, in order to guide them on a pathway to leadership and help them make educational and career choices that match their passions. Over the course of 21 years, the organization has reached more than 50,000 young people.
Challenging himself creatively and testing musical boundaries are characteristics that have defined Usher’s career since he was first discovered 20 years ago on “Star Search.” Usher has been ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America as one of the best-selling artists in American music history, having sold over 65 million albums worldwide. He has won numerous awards, including eight GRAMMY® Awards, and was named the #1 Hot 100 artist of the 2000s decade. Billboard named him the second most successful artist of the 2000s decade, with his career-propelling 2004 album “Confessions” being ranked as the top solo album of the 2000s decade. Usher has attained nine Hot 100 #1 hits (all as a lead artist) and 18 Hot 100 top 10 singles.
2020 continues to be a busy year for Usher. Musically, he recently released the single “Don’t Waste My Time,” which hit #1 on Billboard’s R&B chart, as well as “I Cry,” a powerful and emotional song about the social and racial injustices of our time. Usher is currently in the studio recording his ninth studio album which will be released in late 2020.
Realizing that with success comes responsibility, Usher has also proven to be a major philanthropic force. Founded in 1999, Usher’s New Look, Inc. empowers youth from impoverished communities to become leaders. In recognition of his accomplishments, Usher has been honored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Trumpet Foundation, Do Something, the NAACP, and as the 2010 Ford Freedom Award Scholar. Usher’s business ventures include a best-selling line of fragrances, and a business venture with RBMG (Raymond Braun Media Group).
For more information on Usher’s New look Foundation, please visit http://ushersnewlook.org. Follow Usher on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Oasis were crowned the Kings of Britpop on Bank Holiday Monday on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds as Britpop Top 50 with Jo Whiley counted down the UK’s 50 best-selling Britpop songs of the 90s.
Using exclusive data from Official Charts Company, Wonderwall by Oasis topped the chart at number one with sales of 1.4 million, followed by Don’t Look Back In Anger by Oasis in second place, with The Verve’s Bitter Sweet Symphony taking the bronze medal.
The top ten are:
Wonderwall – Oasis (1995)
Don’t Look Back In Anger – Oasis (1996)
Bitter Sweet Symphony – The Verve (1997)
D’You know What I Mean? – Oasis (1997)
Brimful Of Asha– Cornershop (1998)
The Drugs Don’t Work – The Verve (1997)
Whatever – Oasis (1994)
Country House – Blur (1995)
Roll with It – Oasis (1995)
Some Might Say – Oasis (1995)
The chart, compiled by UK chart guardians and data licensing organisation the Official Charts Company, features some of music’s biggest stars including Pulp, Catatonia and Manic Street Preachers.
The chart is compiled from lifetime UK physical and digital sales of Britpop tracks released in the 1990s. The songs in the Top 50 between them account for 17 million sales to date.
Universal Music Canada’s (“UMC”) B.L.A.C.K. (Businesses Levelling Access to Change and Knowledge) Label Coalition and the Pinball Clemons Foundation (“Foundation”) are announcing a new, multi-year scholarship program for Black high school student leaders who have demonstrated volunteerism and involvement in their communities. The B.L.A.C.K. Label Scholarship is the result of a proposal put forward by the B.L.A.C.K. Label Coalition, an internal committee of Black employees with a mission to increase racial diversity, equity and representation within UMC. Through this scholarship, UMC will provide five students with up to $10,000 each to put towards their first year of post-secondary education of their choice. Effective immediately for the upcoming 2020/2021 school year, this $50,000 annual grant will be renewed for at least the next four years totalling a $250,000 commitment.
“On behalf of all Universal Music Canada employees and specifically those on our B.L.A.C.K. Label Coalition, we are honoured to be partnering on a new scholarship program with the Pinball Clemons Foundation,” said Jeffrey Remedios, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Canada. “While the B.L.A.C.K. Label Scholarship is not specifically tied to the music industry, this announcement today further reflects our company’s commitment to bring about impactful, meaningful change. I hope that some of these recipients may choose to pursue a career in the music industry, resulting in empowered Black voices and leaders of the future.”
“The quest for equality is universal but today Universal Music Canada has made it more local. Everyone no matter their present condition, has needed help at some point. Racism has accentuated this reality for Black youth making it infinitely more difficult for them to experience success,” stated Michael “Pinball” Clemons, Co-Founder of the Pinball Clemons Foundation. “A humble thank you to UMC for providing hope and vision of a new day, a bigger, better and a brighter one͟. This contribution will empower Black youth to be self- sustaining… not just survive, but thrive, elevating them from the margins to the mainstream.”
“Each of us are born with the innate ability to see beyond our current reality,” continued Clemons. “We possess the inherent gift to envision change, create progress and positive development. However, none of us can do it alone. It has been aptly noted that it takes a village to raise a child. Universal Music Canada, thank you again and welcome to the village.”
“In the midst of a social uprising and the complexities of a global pandemic, the Black employees at UMC rallied together to form a coalition of people who desperately saw the need to act immediately,” said Kardinal Offishall, Founder and Co-Chair of the B.L.A.C.K. Label Coalition. “We found it imperative to combat the systemic inequalities that existed around us, in all parts of our lives – professional, social and personal. We are extremely happy to have worked swiftly and strategically with the Pinball Clemons Foundation, to create a scholarship supporting underserved youth in our communities.”
The B.L.A.C.K. Label Scholarship is awarded to five, first-year post-secondary Black students each academic calendar year from present until 2024 (with the first five students having already been selected for the upcoming 2020 academic year). Qualifying students must be enrolled in the Pinball Clemons Foundation Margins to Mainstream Bursary Program, reside in Canada, identify as Black, achieved a minimum GPA of 2.5 in high school, and have demonstrated community involvement through various means such as volunteer experience. The purpose of this bursary is to reward young Black leaders and assist in the academic costs for the first year by covering the costs of tuition, books and mentorship up to $10,000 each. The Foundation will cover the cost for the balance of their academic journey of tuition, books and mentorship.
Following the industry pause of Black Out Tuesday that took place on June 2, 2020 in response to the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, the B.L.A.C.K. Label Coalition (BLC) was formed by a group of UMC employees and interns who put forward a detailed proposal highlighting education, mentorship and developing a progressive equitable infrastructure to increase Black representation within the company. More information about BLC can be found BELOW.
With hundreds of unique artefacts and memorabilia forming a multimedia exhibition, including some on loan from the Stones’ private collection, UNZIPPED offers a comprehensive and engaging multimedia experience that gives fans an immersive look behind the curtain at the world’s greatest rock band.
UNZIPPED, delivered by DHL, is the first international exhibition devoted to the world-famous rock band, The Rolling Stones.
Following stints in Europe, the United States, and Asia, the show makes its debut in Canada, premiering in Kitchener, Ontario. UNZIPPED will open at THEMUSEUM for a limited run in November 2021.
Celebrating The Stones’ artistic collaborations in music, art and design, fashion and film, UNZIPPED features original works on display from an array of artists as diverse as Andy Warhol, Alexander McQueen, Prada, Dior, and Martin Scorsese, to name a few.
In the world’s biggest exhibition on The Rolling Stones, highlights include a replica of their recording studio, an immersive realistic reconstruction of their Chelsea flat ‘Edith Grove’, and culminates in a mind-blowing three-dimensional experience of a Stones concert delivered in multi-dimensional Dolby Atmos Sound and facilitated by PMC (the Professional Monitor Company).
The show boasts more than 300 original objects from the Stones’ personal collection. Along with instruments and stage designs, this exhibition includes rare audio fragments, video footage, personal diaries, iconic costumes, posters, and album covers.
Tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime experience go on sale November 4, 2020, at 9am.
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Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.
Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com
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