Today, multi-platinum, four-time GRAMMY-nominated rock band Goo Goo Dolls have released the deluxe edition of their acclaimed 12th studio record Miracle Pill via Warner Records. The special release features three never-before-heard tracks including “Just A Man”, “The Right Track” and “Tonight, Together”, as well as the smash title song “Miracle Pill” and the band’s newest single “Fearless”, an empowering anthem that’s quickly rising at Hot AC radio.
Goo Goo Dolls are also set to embark on a 2021 North American summer tour to perform songs from Miracle Pill, as well as other hits from across their iconic catalogue. Kicking off on July 22, 2021 in Boise, ID at Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater, the nation-wide tour will visit notable amphitheaters throughout the summer such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado and The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. A complete list of dates can be found below:
2021 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
6/19/21 – Del Mar, CA – San Diego County Fair Summer Concert Series
7/22/21 – Boise, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
7/25/21 – Portland, OR – Edgefield
7/27/21 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
7/28/21 – Denver, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater
7/30/21 – St. Louis, MO – St. Louis Music Park
7/31/21 – Lincoln, NE – Pinewood Bowl Amphitheatre
8/2/21 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
8/4/21 – Huber Heights, OH – Rose Music Center At The Heights
8/5/21 – Indianapolis, IN – Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn At White River
8/6/21 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion At Northerly Island
8/8/21 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre At Freedom Hill
8/9/21 – Toronto, OH – Budweiser Stage
8/11/21 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
8/12/21 – Syracuse, NY – St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheatre at Lakeview
8/14/21 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Pavilion
8/15/21 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
8/17/21 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap – Filene Center
8/18/21 – Boston, MA – Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
8/20/21 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheatre
8/21/21 – Philadelphia, PA – MANN Center For The Performing Arts
8/22/21 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
8/24/21 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater
8/25/21 – Jacksonville, FL – Daily’s Place
8/27/21 – Charlotte, NC – Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
8/28/21 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater
8/29/21 – Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
8/31/21 – Houston, TX – Smart Financial Centre
9/1/21 – Dallas, TX – The Pavilion At Toyota Music Factory
9/5/21 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
Initially released in September 2019, Miracle Pill remains as engaging and timely as ever. The album was described as “potentially the biggest Dolls album released to date [Planet Rock]”, as well as one that “easily stands alongside the best of their career [PopMatters].” In addition to “Fearless” and “Miracle Pill,” the record features numerous other instant-classics such as the stirring slow-burn “Autumn Leaves”. With over 30 years together as a group, over 12 million albums sold, and 14 number one and Top 10 hits at Hot AC, Miracle Pill finds Goo Goo Dolls at the top of their game and in a league of their own among rock bands.
Last month, Goo Goo Dolls debuted their own “Live From Home” series on Youtube, a collection of six intimate live performance videos recorded and filmed remotely. Featuring stripped down renditions of hits spanning the band’s storied career such as “So Alive,” “Miracle Pill,” “Slide,” “Life’s a Message,” “Indestructible,” and “Name.”
Formed in Buffalo, NY during 1986 by John Rzeznik and Robby Takac, Goo Goo Dolls quietly broke records, contributed a string of staples to the American songbook, connected to millions of fans, and indelibly impacted popular music for three-plus decades. Beyond selling 12 million records worldwide, the group garnered four GRAMMY® Award nominations and seized a page in the history books by achieving 14 number one and Top 10 hits at Hot AC-“the most of any artist.”
As a result, they hold the all-time radio record for “Most Top 10 Singles.” Among a string of hits, “Iris” clutched #1 on the Hot 100 for 18 straight weeks and would be named “#1 Top 40 Song of the Last 20 Years.” Thus far, A Boy Named Goo [1995] went double-platinum, Dizzy Up The Girl went quadruple-platinum, and Gutterflower [2002] and Let Love In [2006] both went gold as Something for the Rest of Us [2010] and Magnetic [2013] bowed in the Top 10 of the Billboard Top 200. 2016’s Boxes attracted the praise of People and Huffington Post as Noisey, Consequence of Sound, and more featured them. Their music has been covered by everyone from Taylor Swift to Leona Lewis. Among many accolades, John received the prestigious “Hal David Starlight Award” in 2008 as well.
Following a sold-out 2018 twentieth anniversary tour in celebration of Dizzy Up The Girl, Goo Goo Dolls wrote and recorded their twelfth full-length album, Miracle Pill [Warner Records]-igniting a bold and bright new era in the process. Miracle Pill arrived on September 13th, 2019 via Warner Records and the deluxe edition is set for release on July 10th, 2020.
GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer Meghan Trainor unveils Treat Myself Deluxe to be released on July 17, 2020. She expands her acclaimed third full-length offering, Treat Myself, with three brand new songs and unreleased alternate recordings of two fan favorites, presenting the definitive edition of the record. More information coming next week with the release.
Among the new tunes, she shares the new track “Make You Dance” today. The track begins with a sparse harmony before strutting along on a funk-y, disco-fied bass line. As the bass thumps, she assures, “I dropped this shit to make you, make you…dance.” That’s the immediate outcome too. Ultimately, she serves up another sassy, spirited, and soaring anthem.
Following its arrival in January, Treat Myself surpassed half-a-billion plays so far, generating nearly 450 million cumulative streams and counting to date. Moreover, video views exceeded 170 million-plus. Upon release, Forbes dubbed it, “a spectacular showcase of Trainor’s talent, lyricism and overall range,” and Idolator just named Treat Myself one of the best pop albums of 2020 so far, declaring that “this is one of those projects that is destined to attain cult status in years to come.”
Meghan Trainor first made history in 2014 with her diamond-certified smash single “All About That Bass.” The GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist thus far has garnered a GRAMMY Award and achieved eight multi-platinum singles and two platinum albums, sold out three world tours, penned multi-platinum hits for peers across pop and country, and received countless industry awards and nominations.
Expanding her influence on pop culture, she starred on FOX’s hit series THE FOUR: Battle for Stardom for two seasons and is currently on the superstar coaching panel of ITV’s The Voice UK alongside Sir Tom Jones, will.i.am, and Olly Murs. She kicked off 2020 with the release of her third full-length album, Treat Myself. It includes the platinum smash “No Excuses” as well as blockbuster anthems and collaborations such as “Nice To Meet Ya” [Nicki Minaj], “Genetics” [feat. Pussycat Dolls], “After You” [feat. AJ Mitchell], and “Wave” [feat. Mike Sabath].
Singer, songwriter, and pianist Norah Jones has released the official video for “Flame Twin,” a captivating song from her widely acclaimed new album Pick Me Up Off The Floor, which is out now on Blue Note Records. The track features Jones’ vocals and piano with John Patitucci on bass, Brian Blade on drums, and Pete Remm on guitar, synthesizer, and organ. The video brings the song’s mysterious lyrics to life.
Jones didn’t mean to make another album. After she finished touring 2016’s Day Breaks — her beloved return to piano-based jazz — she walked away from the well-worn album cycle grind and into an unfamiliar territory without boundaries: a series of short sessions with an ever-changing array of collaborators resulting in a diverse stream of singles (with Mavis Staples, Rodrigo Amarante, Thomas Bartlett, Tarriona Tank Ball, and more). But then slowly but surely, the session songs Jones hadn’t released congealed into that very thing she’d meant to avoid — an album. But Pick Me Up Off The Floor is not some disjointed collage. It holds together beautifully, connected by the sly groove of her piano trios, lyrics that confront loss and portend hope, and a heavy mood that leans into darkness before ultimately finding the light.”Living in this country — this world — the last few years, I think there’s an underlying sense of, ‘Lift me up. Let’s get up out of this mess and try to figure some things out,'” says Jones.
“If there’s a darkness to this album, it’s not meant to be an impending sense of doom, if feels more like a human longing for connection. Some of the songs that are personal also apply to the larger issues we’re all facing. And some of the songs that are about very specific larger things also feel quite personal.”
Norah Jones first emerged on the world stage with the February 2002 release of Come Away With Me, her self-described “moody little record” that introduced a singular new voice and grew into a global phenomenon, sweeping the 2003 GRAMMY Awards. Since then, Norah has become a nine-time GRAMMY-winner and sold 50 million albums. Her songs have been streamed five billion times worldwide. She has released a series of critically acclaimed and commercially successful solo albums—Feels Like Home (2004), Not Too Late (2007), The Fall (2009), Little Broken Hearts (2012), and Day Breaks (2016)—as well as albums with her collective bands The Little Willies, El Madmo, and Puss N Boots featuring Sasha Dobson and Catherine Popper who released their second LP Sister in 2020.
The 2010 compilation… featuring Norah Jones showcased her incredible versatility by collecting her collaborations with artists as diverse as Willie Nelson, Outkast, Herbie Hancock, and Foo Fighters. Since 2018 Jones has been releasing a series of singles including collaborations with artists and friends such as Mavis Staples, Jeff Tweedy, Thomas Bartlett, Tarriona Tank Ball, Rodrigo Amarante, and Brian Blade. The 2019 singles collection Begin Again gathered seven snapshots of creativity from one of the music world’s most consistently intriguing artists.
Another prized jewel in the Rolling Stones’ unmatched catalogue is to be restored to its full glory and more, with the September 4 multi-format release of their 1973 classic Goats Head Soup. The album will be available in multiple configurations, including four-disc CD and vinyl box set editions, with a treasure trove of unreleased studio and live material.
The reissue follows the huge success and acclaim for the Stones’ “Living In A Ghost Town” single and their universally-admired lockdown performance of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” in Global Citizen’s April special One World: Together at Home.
The box set and deluxe CD and vinyl editions of Goats Head Soup will all feature ten bonus tracks, which include alternate versions, outtakes and no fewer than three previously unheard tracks. The first of these to be unveiled, “Criss Cross”, is available as an instant grat track today with pre-orders of the album, and on all streaming and download services.
Stones devotees worldwide will be thrilled by the inclusion, on the box set and deluxe editions, of the previously unheard “Scarlet”, featuring guitar by Jimmy Page, and a third newly unveiled song, “All The Rage”.
The layered guitar textures of “Scarlet” make for a track that’s as infectious and raunchy as anything the band cut in this hallowed era. As well as Jimmy Page guesting alongside Mick & Keith on the track it also features on bass Rick Grech of Blind Faith fame.
“All The Rage” has a wild, post – “Brown Sugar” strut and the percussive “Criss Cross” rocks and swaggers as only the Stones can. The bonus disc of unreleased material also sheds new light on tracks such as “100 Years Ago” and “Hide Your Love”, with further unissued mixes by Stones insider and acclaimed producer Glyn Johns.
The box set editions of Goats Head Soup will also include Brussels Affair, the 15-track live album recorded in a memorable show in Belgium, on the autumn 1973 tour that followed the album’s late August release. This much-sought-after disc, mixed by Bob Clearmountain, was previously available only in the Rolling Stones’ “official bootleg” series of live recordings in 2012.
The Brussels show features the already-classic “Tumbling Dice”, “Midnight Rambler”, “Jumping Jack Flash” and many others, and includes a sequence of tracks from the then-new album. “Star Star” is followed by “Dancing With Mr. D”, “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)” and “Angie”.
Additionally, the CD and vinyl box sets offer the original ten-track album in 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res mixes, along with the videos for “Dancing With Mr. D”, “Silver Train” and “Angie”. An exclusive 100-page book will feature a remarkable array of photographs, essays by writers Ian McCann, Nick Kent and Daryl Easlea and faithful reproductions of three tour posters from 1973.
As McCann writes: “Goats Head Soup was released with plenty of fanfare. Despite what you may read today, the kids weren’t entirely absorbed by glam rock, metal, prog and Philly soul back in 1973, and they bought the album in their thousands, sending it to No. 1 in the USA and in the UK, their fifth consecutive British chart-topper.”
Their 11th UK studio album, recorded in Jamaica, Los Angeles and London as their last collaboration with producer Jimmy Miller, Goats Head Soup came in the wake of the Stones’ landmark 1972 double album Exile On Main St. The new set was introduced by the single that became one of their most exalted ballads, the endlessly elegant “Angie”, completed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards during a songwriting sojourn in Switzerland.
The timeless love song, showcasing Jagger’s yearning lead vocal and Nicky Hopkins’ beautiful piano motif, topped the charts in the US, where it was certified platinum, and went to No. 1 across Europe, Australia and beyond. “We decided to do something different, and it worked,” Richards told Rolling Stone of “Angie”. “Maybe a lot of people bought it that would never buy a Stones LP.” Interestingly in a recent interview with The New York Times, Bob Dylan chose “Angie” as one of three Rolling Stones songs he wished he had written.
Goats Head Soup, with its famous David Bailey sleeve, featured the Stones’ vintage 1969-1974 line-up of Jagger, Richards, Mick Taylor, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts, with the addition of some essential collaborators. On an album on which their trademark rocking sound was often augmented by more low-key, reflective material, there were no fewer than four featured piano players: Hopkins, Billy Preston, Ian ‘Stu’ Stewart and Jagger himself.
“Angie” was the only single to be released from the LP in the UK, where it spent two weeks at No. 5 in September. In the US, the exhilaratingly funky, horn-filled “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)”, featuring Mick Taylor’s wah-wah lead guitar, followed it into the top 20 in February 1974.
The many other highlights of the album included the majestically brooding opener “Dancing With Mr. D”, the lithely strutting “100 Years Ago” and “Star Star” and the graceful “Winter”. Richards’ rueful lead vocal on “Coming Down Again” featured another Stones stalwart, saxophonist Bobby Keys. “Silver Train”, the b-side of “Angie”, would be revived after a gap of some 40 years, during the Stones’ 14 On Fire tour of 2014, when Mick Taylor reprised his original guitar part in shows in Tokyo and Brisbane.
When the album was first released, reviewers lined up to sing its praises. “This is music which could only come from good musicians who know each other really well,” ruled the late and esteemed writer-broadcaster Charlie Gillett in Let It Rock. “The Stones succeed because they rarely forget their purpose — the creation of rock & roll drama,” said Bud Scoppa in Rolling Stone. “It’s deepening and unfolding over the coming months will no doubt rate as one of the year’s richest musical experiences.”
Stephen Demorest in Circus said that the album “rushes and rambles with all the power and finesse that have become the signature of the hardworking band in performance.” Forty-seven years on, the expanded reissues of Goats Head Soup prove that’s still true, and then some.
THE ROLLING STONES’ GOATS HEAD SOUP WILL BE RELEASED AS MULTI-FORMAT AND DELUXE EDITIONS BY UNIVERSAL MUSIC ON 4 SEPTEMBER 2020.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Goats Head Soup will be available in the below formats:
1CD STANDARD CD TRACKLIST
2020 Stereo Mix
Dancing With Mr D
100 Years Ago
Coming Down Again
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Angie
Silver Train
Hide Your Love
Winter
Can You Hear The Music
Star Star
2CD DELUXE CD TRACKLIST
2020 Stereo Mix
Dancing With Mr D
100 Years Ago
Coming Down Again
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Angie
Silver Train
Hide Your Love
Winter
Can You Hear The Music
Star Star
Rarities & Alternative Mixes
Scarlet
All The Rage
Criss Cross
100 Years Ago (Piano Demo)
Dancing With Mr D (Instrumental)
Heartbreaker (Instrumental)
Hide Your Love (Alternative Mix)
Dancing With Mr D (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) – (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
Silver Train (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
1LP STANDARD VINYL
Mastered at half speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios, London. TRACKLIST
2020 Stereo Mix
SIDE A
Dancing With Mr D
100 Years Ago
Coming Down Again
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Angie
SIDE B
Silver Train
Hide Your Love
Winter
Can You Hear The Music
Star Star
2LP DELUXE VINYL
Mastered at half speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios, London. TRACKLIST
2020 Stereo Mix
SIDE A
Dancing With Mr D
100 Years Ago
Coming Down Again
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Angie
SIDE B
Silver Train
Hide Your Love
Winter
Can You Hear The Music
Star Star
SIDE C
Scarlet
All The Rage
Criss Cross
100 Years Ago (Piano Demo)
Dancing With Mr D (Instrumental)
SIDE D
Heartbreaker (Instrumental)
Hide Your Love (Alternative Mix)
Dancing With Mr D (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) – (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
Silver Train (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
2LP DELUXE TRANSPARENT VINYL W/ ALTERNATIVE SLEEVE (ONLY AVAILABLE ON THE STONES STORE)
Mastered at half speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios, London.
Store Exclusive Format pressed on crystal clear vinyl with alternative cover. TRACKLIST
2020 Stereo Mix
SIDE A
Dancing With Mr D
100 Years Ago
Coming Down Again
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Angie
SIDE B
Silver Train
Hide Your Love
Winter
Can You Hear The Music
Star Star
SIDE C
Scarlet
All The Rage
Criss Cross
100 Years Ago (Piano Demo)
Dancing With Mr D (Instrumental)
SIDE D
Heartbreaker (Instrumental)
Hide Your Love (Alternative Mix)
Dancing With Mr D (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) – (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
Silver Train (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
4CD BOXSET
Goats Head Soup Super Deluxe box sets features 35 tracks on three CDs & one Blu-ray disc (Dolby Atmos, 96kHz/24 bit high resolution stereo, and 96 kHz/24 bit DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1). Included are the new stereo album mix, sourced from the original session files, Rarities & Alternative mixes featuring three previously unreleased tracks, Scarlet, All The Rage & Criss Cross.
Also included is The Brussels Affair, recorded live at the Forest National Arena in October 1973. The 4 discs are housed in the boxset alongside a 120 page book with an incredible array of photos and 3 essays. 50 Years On – An Appreciation of Goats Head Soup by Ian McCann, Brussels Affair Live 1973 Tour by Nick Kent & The Story Of The Cover Art by Darryl Easlea. The set is completed with 4 x 1973 reproduction tour posters, rolled up within the packaging to avoid creases.
TRACKLIST
CD1 – 2020 Stereo Mix
Dancing With Mr D
100 Years Ago
Coming Down Again
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Angie
Silver Train
Hide Your Love
Winter
Can You Hear The Music
Star Star
CD2 – Rarities & Alternative Mixes
Scarlet
All The Rage
Criss Cross
100 Years Ago (Piano Demo)
Dancing With Mr D (Instrumental)
Heartbreaker (Instrumental)
Hide Your Love (Alternative Mix)
Dancing With Mr D (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) – (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
Silver Train (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
CD3 – ‘Brussels Affair – Live 1973’
Brown Sugar
Gimme Shelter
Happy
Tumbling Dice
Star Star
Dancing With Mr D
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Angie
You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Midnight Rambler
Honky Tonk Women
All Down The Line
Rip This Joint
Jumpin’ Jack Flash
Street Fighting Man
CD4 (BLU-RAY)
Dolby Atmos, 96kHz/24 bit high resolution stereo, and 96 kHz/24 bit DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Dancing With Mr D
100 Years Ago
Coming Down Again
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Angie
Silver Train
Hide Your Love
Winter
Can You Hear The Music
Star Star
+ Original Videos: Dancing With Mr D, Silver Train & Angie
4LP VINYL BOX
This deluxe vinyl box set features the new stereo album mix + Rarities & Alternative mixes including three previously unreleased tracks, Scarlet, All The Rage & Criss Cross. Mastered at half speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios, London.
Also included is The Brussels Affair, recorded live at the Forest National Arena in October 1973 and pressed on 180g vinyl.
TRACKLIST
2020 Stereo Mix
SIDE A
Dancing With Mr D
100 Years Ago
Coming Down Again
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Angie
SIDE B
Silver Train
Hide Your Love
Winter
Can You Hear The Music
Star Star
Rarities & Alternative Mixes
SIDE C
Scarlet
All The Rage
Criss Cross
100 Years Ago (Piano Demo)
Dancing With Mr D (Instrumental)
SIDE D
Heartbreaker (Instrumental)
Hide Your Love (Alternative Mix)
Dancing With Mr D (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) – (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
Silver Train (Glyn Johns 1973 Mix)
SIDE E – ‘Brussels Affair – Live 1973’
Brown Sugar
Gimme Shelter
Happy
Tumbling Dice
SIDE F – ‘Brussels Affair – Live 1973’
Star Star
Dancing With Mr D
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Angie
SIDE G – ‘Brussels Affair – Live 1973’
You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Midnight Rambler
SIDE H – ‘Brussels Affair – Live 1973’
Honky Tonk Women
All Down The Line
Rip This Joint
Jumpin’ Jack Flash
Street Fighting Man
CASSETTE (ONLY AVAILABLE ON THE STONES STORE) TRACKLIST
2020 Stereo Mix
SIDE A
Dancing With Mr D
100 Years Ago
Coming Down Again
Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Angie
SIDE B
Silver Train
Hide Your Love
Winter
Can You Hear The Music
Star Star
Multi-award winning and 2 x JUNO Award nominee Toronto-based reggae master Jay Douglas says things “Muschange” in this, his new double-single — available now from Slammin Media and distributed worldwide by Believe Distribution.
“‘Muschange’ means that nothing stays the same forever,” Douglas muses on the song’s meaning. “There must be a change, and it is happening right in front of our eyes. The greatest teacher of all is Mother Nature and the teacher will be there when the students show up for the lesson.
“We must not be afraid of changes, we must embrace it,” he adds. “As a collective, we have been forced to slow down the pace of which we live and it has given many a chance to reflect on the good in their lives and focus on what really matters.”
This is a man who is long known for sharing his perspective through art and sound. Having first appeared on stage in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in his over 45 years of entertaining since, Jay Douglas has developed into an Internationally idolized musical renaissance man thanks to his wide-ranging repertoire of reggae, American blues, West Indian rhythms, and jazz standards. He has performed around the world — including but nowhere limited to the Beaches Jazz Festival, Jerk Fest, Canadian National Exhibition, Roy Thomson Hall, the Light in the Attic’s ‘From Jamaica to Toronto’ concert series, and fronting The Cougars, a circa-1960s/1970s R&B act whose skill and verve lit the stage wherever they performed, including the first ever Caribana Festival.
The recipient of two JUNO Award nominations — including last year’s “Jah Children” featuring General Trees — Douglas has also won NOW Magazine’s ‘Best R&B Act,’ the Annual Toronto Reggae Awards’ ‘Male Reggae Vocalist of the Year,’ and the BBPA Harry Jerome Awards’ ‘G98.7 Entertainment Award.’
Co-produced by Sly & Robbie’s Sly Dunbar, “Muschange”’s two tracks feature Carl Harvey (Toots & the Maytals) on guitar and 40-year veteran dancehall DJ, reggae artist and rapper Lord Sassafrass (Black Scorpio Sound System) on one of the freshly pressed versions.
“I called up Lord Sassafrass, who I’ve known on and off as he travels back and forth between Jamaica and Canada,” Douglas shares. “I’ve always wanted to collaborate with him, and this is the first time we’ve gotten to do so.
“We’re in the middle of some troubling times,” Douglas continues, considering the track’s timing. “But we have to remember there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Over the years, simple devices with analogue circuits have been used to alter the tone and character of a guitar. These are called pedals or stompboxes. Every guitar player has come across guitar effects pedals at one point in their career. Pedals can be stacked with each other to produce unique and exciting sounds to truly emphasize a riff or solo and capture the attention of the audience.
There are some pedals that many consider as top-tier – these are referred to as “boutique” pedals. Because of their fantastic sound quality, high-quality electronics, and excellent build quality, boutique guitar effects pedals may be more expensive than your average stompbox but will elevate your guitar’s tone. Here are the top 7 manufacturers of boutique guitar pedals:
1. Keeley Electronics
Many guitar players may have heard of the name “Keeley” because of the renowned Keeley Katana boost pedal – which is, in my opinion, the greatest clean boost pedal you can get today. However, Keeley Electronics has even more great pedals to choose from that offer great sounds to take to your next gig. Keeley Electronics was founded by Robert Keeley. Keeley has done a lot of pedal modifications throughout the years and is known to provide artists and customers with high-quality modded pedals as well as his original ones. Some of the most excellent pedals from the Keeley lineup include the wet-dry Compressor Plus, D&M drive, Keeley Katana, and the Caverns delay. When it comes to modified or original stompboxes, Keeley Electronics has done a great job of satisfying even the strictest tastes in guitar tone.
2. Strymon
This Southern California-based pedal manufacturer has made its name in the production of great-sounding digital pedals. Many professional artists can be seen with Strymon pedals in their rigs, and for a good reason. Strymon has a wide range of high-performance pedals including their Big Sky pedal and the Flint tremolo and reverb pedal. Their circuits are one of the best in the industry, and the tones you’ll be getting from their pedals are well worth the price.
3. Walrus Audio
Since being founded in 2011, Walrus Audio has gotten a steady growth in the boutique pedal industry. With their reputation getting built by their Warhorn overdrive pedal, Fathom reverb pedal, and the ARP-87 delay, Walrus Audio has made their way into the boutique pedal brand status and secured the spot as one of the trusted brands among guitar players looking for high-quality stompboxes. Their pedals are known to have great artwork done by commissioned artists and will surely be enjoyed by those who love building pedalboards that not only sound great but look impressive.
4. Wampler
Wampler has built its reputation with a reliable connection to many guitar players online. While engaging with guitar players to find what want or look for in a pedal, Brian Wampler has come up with some of the best original pedals and clones that you can find when it comes to “grail” tones. The brand is known for its amazing Tumnus overdrive, which is a clone of the much-coveted Klon Centaur transparent overdrive. With other stompboxes such as the Ego compressor and the Ethereal delay, Wampler has provided guitar players with great-sounding pedals that have top-tier electronics and build quality. Plus, owner Brian Wampler is an absolute monster at playing the guitar and is an expert when it comes to tones. When it comes to pedals that are tastefully designed for versatility and excellent tone, Wampler is one of your best bets.
5. Fulltone Musical Products
Michael Fuller of Fulltone is one of the most recognizable people in the boutique pedal market. Based in Southern California, Fulltone pedals can be seen on rigs of professional musicians and touring artists because of intuitive layouts, great controls, innovative implementations, and excellent sound quality. Fulltone has some of the most iconic boutique pedals ever made, such as the OCD pedal, which is sought after by many guitar players. The Full-Drive is also one of the greatest overdrives, featuring two footswitches for the main overdrive and a boost. Their pedals are also known to have high-quality electronics that offer great versatility when adjusting effect parameters.
6. Morgan Amplification
One of the more underrated boutique guitar pedal brands is Morgan Amplification. Founded by Joe Morgan, Morgan pedals are known for their innovative and interesting pedals. Morgan pedals have very intuitive and minimalist layouts, but pack a huge punch when it comes to tone. Some of the best include the NK275 fuzz pedal and the OD drive. Using discrete circuits and great electronic components, Morgan pedals deliver some modern and experimental effects that lean more towards “futuristic” rather than classic and vintage. Because of this, Morgan pedals are popular among artists trying to experiment with various music genres and elevate their tone with truly unique pieces of art from this Californian manufacturer.
7. JHS Pedals
Founded by Josh Scott, JHS pedals are well-known and well-loved by guitar players and tone hunters around the globe – including myself. With a team of 25, the Missouri based manufacturer is known for being very active on the JHS YouTube Channel providing pedal reviews, tone tips, and general guitar-related talk. With amazing pedals in their lineup, JHS has made a solid reputation in the industry.The JHS Bonsai, is a very good clone of every Ibanez Tubescreamer you could ever want to use such as the TS808, TS9, and TS10 – all in one stompbox. The brand also has a Klon Centaur clone called the Morning Glory, which is an excellent transparent overdrive. When it comes to top-tier sound quality, build quality, electronics, and features, JHS is one of the greatest brands out there.
https://www.youtube.com/user/jhspedals
Conclusion
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– Unison Benevolent Fund – an assistance program that provides discreet relief to music industry professionals in times of crisis – is pleased to announce the launch of #WithoutMusic, a new collaborative social media campaign designed with both the music industry and fans in mind. As part of Unison’s ongoing efforts to combat the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Canadian music industry, #WithoutMusic encourages participants to detail the positive and lasting impact of music on both their own lives and the world, and why supporting organizations like Unison is vital to the continuation of that. Participants can voice their thoughts and experiences and empower others to do so by sharing the graphic, photos, videos and stories on social media using the #WithoutMusic hashtag and tagging @UnisonFund.
As venues, tours and festivals have shut down in response to public health measures to flatten the curve and limit the spread of COVID-19, those in the music industry who rely on the live business for revenue have been severely impacted, leaving numerous entertainment professionals out of work and requiring the emergency relief assistance that Unison provides. Since the beginning of the outbreak, Unison has received an overwhelming number of requests for assistance from the music community, seeing an increase of 3500% per week.
#WithoutMusic strives to engage both industry professionals and fans in their shared loved of music, broadening the overall awareness of Unison Benevolent Fund and encouraging both those that are in need to apply and those that can to donate, all while highlighting the everlasting positive impact of music in daily life.
“I know my own story would be completely rewritten #WithoutMusic, and I’m sure many feel the same,” says Unison Executive Director Amanda Power. “It is times like these where we need to come together to support those who are struggling, and we are proud to launch the #WithoutMusic campaign to raise awareness of Unison’s mission in the Canadian Music Industry, so that we can continue to provide critical assistance for as many people as possible during this difficult time.”
Donations collected from the #WithoutMusic campaign will be included as part of the Spotify COVID-19 Music Relief project, which was created to amplify the efforts of organizations that focus on helping those most in need, like the Unison Benevolent Fund. Spotify will match donations made to Unison dollar for dollar up to a collective total of $10 million USD.
With more than 41+ million streams across platforms — including her chart-rising breakthrough hit “A Million on My Soul” — Canadian alt-pop singer/songwriter and producer Alexiane has ushered a new six-track EP to the table; Bad Sounds is available now.
“We all have different demons to face,” Alexiane says of her music and the new release. “Music is the best way I know to look those demons in the eye.
“For me, advancing is writing, and fighting is creating.”
Born in Montmagny, Quebec to a Senegalese father and Canadian mother, Alexiane is no stranger to shuttling between Montreal and Senegal, in West Africa, soaking up the Afro-Latin, French, and North American soundscape along the way. With her style self-described as “dark, cinematic pop with African undertones” and her alumni stacking as UCLA’s Music Business & Music Production, Bad Sounds serves as a good showcase for the multi-faceted, emotively astute artist’s breadth of talent.
“Although I have always had a shy and reserved temperament, all the challenges of life pushed me at a very early age to sing and write lyrics and melodies from a personal perspective. It helped me overcome life’s challenges.”
Packed with unflinching honesty and a knack for finding hope in the darkest of places, Bad Sounds serves as an aperitif of sorts, set to both tease and ease earnest ears as an introduction ahead of her 2021 album, Into the Sun; the forthcoming full-length — slated for co-production by Carla Bruni alongside Alexiane under the Montreal-based artist’s label Gion Records — will feature all six songs from Bad Sounds.
There’s an ode to courage and confidence in “Soldier” — complete with a self-produced video made solely on her phone. There’s a stunning duet with Malian singer Salif Keita to be found in “Gold.”
And also not to be missed: a stripped, laid-bare revisit of “A Million on My Soul” — her 2017 single featured in Luc Besson’s blockbuster film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets that holds 24+ million streams on YouTube plus 8.5+ million more on Spotify, and growing.
Stacked at 10 tracks teeming with unbridled jubilance and heart-bursting bliss, Canadian alt-folk and dance-pop artist Jont says Thank You For The Medicine with his new album release — available now!
Electronic beats — plus a choir, string quartet, sitar and harmonium for good measure — all hold and share space on the Halifax, Nova Scotia-based singer/songwriter’s 11th and most recent sonic offering. “There is so much joy in these tunes…” Jont muses about the release as a whole. “They are the antidote to the tough side of what we’re going through right now.”
One such song is “Surrounded By Love,” complete with a newly released video reminding audiences about the most important things in life while encouraging them to “sing along,” Jont says, and “have a dance, wherever you are.
“This song is about friendship,” he says. “It’s about remembering to live, every day, and remembering that every day is a bonus and we get to jump around, and dance for joy, and sing, and be human!
“The beauty doesn’t go away or stop, we just stop seeing it.”
The video for “Surrounded By Love” has been in the can for a long time; Summer 2019, to be exact. “It was filmed in Halifax before we offered the first live show with the new sound,” Jont recalls. “And speaking of the song being about friendship, my friends Matthew Ingraham and Lee Lester shot and edited the video, and did some really fun animation work on it, respectively, and now it really pops!
“In the video, you can see some of the brilliant people who have made Thank You For The Medicine the album that it is,” he continues. “It really demonstrates the feel-good anthem of oneness and joy that we know as ‘Surrounded By Love.’”
While he has more than two handfuls on the shelf, as far as album releases go, Jont’s Thank You For The Medicine penning and completion was a journey all its own. Written following Jont’s own time of turmoil and triumph — from pausing his globetrotting life after connecting with his young daughter, to his father’s passing, to a series of transformative meditation/Vipassana retreats — that the record has been released during a time of shared societal difficulty is not lost on the mindful musician.
“I know there’s a huge variety of situations being experienced right now, with some feeling trapped or lonely, some working in very stressful environments, and others feeling they’re having an enlightening break from the norm,” he considers. “It’s obviously not easy for any of us as time drags us out of our peaceful place, even when that’s where we most need to be.
“But we are in charge of how we react to any given situation and right now, to be happy, the same timeless rules exist that have been taught by all the great masters for thousands of years.
“And most especially, music helps! It’s a tool that allows us to drop into the moment of ‘now’ very easily.
“Perhaps this is the sort of record the world needs right now,” he adds, which is a sentiment he’d considered even before now. “Never before has the world’s conversation been as aware and tuned into issues of healing, trauma, and the power of the human heart as it is now.”
The LP features contributions from a bevy of Jont’s talented and musically inclined friends from around the world, including GRAMMY Award-winning mix engineer Mark Lawson. “If I count it up, I think there were 28 people involved in making this recording,” he marvels. “So much love and good energy has gone into this, and it’s literally bursting at the seams with the capacity to really help shift one’s energy.”
“Surrounded By Love” and Thank You For The Medicine are available now.
Lana Del Rey, Grammy nominated, Brit Award Winner and international multi-platinum selling singer and songwriter is set to release her debut book of Poetry – Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass.
The collection features more than thirty poems, including Never to Heaven, The Land of 1,000 Fires, Past the Bushes Cypress Thriving, LA Who Am I to Love You?, Tessa DiPietro, Happy, Paradise is Very Fragile, Bare Feet on Linoleum, and many more. The beautiful hardcover edition showcases Lana’s typewritten manuscript pages alongside her original photography. The hardcover edition will be available on 29th September 2020.
In addition to the print book, Lana Del Rey brings her poetry to life in an unprecedented audiobook. In this spoken word performance, Lana Del Rey reads fourteen select poems from Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass accompanied by music from her frequent collaborator, Grammy Award-winning musician Jack Antonoff. The spoken word album will be available on 28th July 2020 for electronic download from all major audiobook retailers. A vinyl pressing and CD of the spoken word performance will be available on October 2nd 2020 on Interscope / Polydor Records.
Lana Del Rey comments – “Violet bent backwards over the grass is the title poem of the book and the first poem I wrote of many. Some of which came to me in their entirety, which I dictated and then typed out, and some that I worked laboriously picking apart each word to make the perfect poem. They are eclectic and honest and not trying to be anything other than what they are and for that reason I’m proud of them, especially because the spirit in which they were written was very authentic. I’m happy to donate a substantial portion of the proceeds to go to some Native American organisations I have always wanted to donate to, because of the experiences that I’ve had which have greatly shaped my own life course.”
Del Rey’s sixth and most recent studio album Norman Fucking Rockwell was released last August to high praise, with Pitchfork calling her ‘one of America’s greatest living songwriters’ and it reached number one in the UK. The highly anticipated album was mainly produced and co-written with Jack Antonoff and includes previously released songs ‘Venice Bitch’, ‘Mariners Apartment Complex’, ‘Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but I have it’ and her hit cover of Sublime’s ‘Doin’ Time’. The album was nominated for ‘Album of The Year’ at the 2019 Grammys along with Song of The Year.
Her debut album, Born To Die, was released in January 2012 and charted at number one on the Official UK Album Chart and went on to win two Brit Awards, peaked number two on the US charts, and was the fifth best-selling album of 2012. Her extended play ‘Paradise’ followed that November, garnering her first Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album. Ultraviolence (2014), her third studio album, became her first album to reach number one in the US as well as in the UK. In 2015, she released her fourth studio album, Honeymoon. Both albums received positive critical response. Lana’s fifth studio album, Lust For Life, was released in 2017. The album received critical acclaim, and became her second album to reach No. 1 in the United States, and topped the charts in the UK while also reaching the top ten in almost every other country it charted in. The album was also nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2018 Grammys.
