Tegan & Sara have been bandmates for over 20 years. They’re also identical twin sisters. Having a twin is already a special kind of relationship—how does it work when your twin is also your creative collaborator and business partner? For their entire lives, Tegan and Sara have been learning how to co-exist in a way that’s inextricably linked but still allows them to define themselves as individuals.
‘The Pedal Movie’ Shows How This Guitar Innovation Changed Music Forever
For the first time ever, the story of guitar pedals and effects will be told by the people who make them and the artists that use them. Coming this summer, The Pedal Movie —Reverb’s first-ever feature-length film —will dive into the culture of pedals and tell the story of how a small industry grew from a handful of companies into the galaxy of different makers building pedals today.
Today’s 1-minute tip for artists: Your mental health.
Slow down, take a deep breath, and let’s share something real on social media.
Kenny Rogers and his “The Gambler” – the story of the great song
Kenny Rogers is a beloved performer that dabbled in many arts and paved the highway into the hearts of many. One of his biggest hits is The Gambler, depicting a story of a late-night meeting on a train between the narrator and a gambler, the protagonist. The Gambler exchanges some of the most iconic lyrics with the narrator, advising the narrator to apply the rules of poker to life, specifically to know when to hold ‘em, and when to fold ‘em, when to walk away and when to run. The song goes on to say “You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table, There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done”.
The song became an instant hit and was one of the five consecutive songs by Rogers that would stay on top of the Billboard chart for a while. Nowadays people look at this song as one of the most timeless easy to listen to tunes and it brings them back the memories of the 70s when Kenny Rogers was one of the most popular performers out there and his legacy persists even today. We still come across different versions of this song across all media and channels. The Gambler was released as a part of one of the playback tracks for Rock Band Country Track Pack compilation discs, featured on the Rock Band music online game. The very popular game uses an algorithm of a real money online casino where you can play and earn real money for playing online.
The story behind this song is actually quite interesting. The song’s lyrics don’t belong to Kenny Rogers but Don Schlitz, who wrote the song when he was only 23 years old. It took two years for Don to find the perfect match to perform his song. There was the first attempt by Bobby Bare to record this song but his vision never really got any recognition or approval from the original author. Then Schlitz tried to record the song himself, thinking he would be the best fit to perform his own song and get it the recognition it deserved but that plan failed as well. It was Kenny Rogers who finally breathed in a new life into the song and made it possible for The Gambler to become the hit it was always supposed to be, and that happened in 1978. He even won the Grammy for it as the best male country vocal performance in 1980.
There is a consensus in the music community that whether the original author is still Schiltz. Kenny Rogers added a lot of intricate details to the song and made The Gambler what it was really destined to be. Many say that Kenny Rogers did have this very specific talent of bringing songs, movies, anything related to showmanship, and performance to life. Everyone featured in the retrospective documentary about Kenny Rogers’ life says so. He was definitely an outstanding member of the US country music scene and set the timeline of this genre into parts before and after him.
Kenny Rogers Gambler is actually a quite profound song when you really take your time to look at the lyrics. There is a complicated blend of wisdom, tongue-in-cheek, and fun parallels that make the song stand out in the listener’s memory. Kenny Rogers has fascinated the American public and the music lovers all around the world because there was something very enigmatic and comforting about his performances and the song The Gamblers is just another testimony to that since not even the author of the song himself managed to convey the emotion with the same precision as
Francesco Yates, The Reklaws, Courage My Love, Allan Rayman Star in 6-Day Online Concert for Jack org, Unison Benevolent Fund & Meals to Heal
Stir crazy music fans craving a festival experience for the ages are set to find one in the upcoming Homebody Music Festival — available online for six dates this May via YouTube Live.
Hosted and with a performance by Canadian R&B alt-pop artist, CTV’s The Launch finalist and 2019 JUNO Awards Green Room performer Ezra Jordan, headliners and features for Homebody include Francesco Yates, The Reklaws, Allan Rayman, Courage My Love, Sam DeRosa, Zero 9:36, Ashley Hess, and more. In all, the festival will feature more than 50+ artists and cover a sonic cross-section of pop, alternative, R&B/soul, country, hip hop, and everything in between.
Each artist will take centre-cam for a 15 minute set, complete with an interview and two songs. With an inspired nod to Coachella’s plural programming pivot, the Homebody Music Festival is scheduled to stream over the course of two weekends — both May 22nd, 23rd and 24th and May 29th, 30th and 31st.
Corralled into creation as a decidedly organic effort supported by a select group of small businesses and content creators, Homebody Music Festival has been steered into this relatively new, uncharted territory by a handful of dynamic, likeminded Canadian music industry professionals; in addition to Jordan as host, the team includes Nick Chiasson, Nick Navarro, Pearce Knight, Daniel Goodman, and festival founder Lukas Lennon of Lukas Lennon Management.
“We decided to put together the Homebody Music Festival as a celebration of music, and to have conversations around health and creativity with musicians,” Jordan says. “We wanted to focus on how they are dealing with the challenges of social isolation over a live stream.
“Ultimately, our intent is to spread positivity, happiness, and unity during such a stressful time,” Lennon adds. “We recognize the difficulty of the situation right now, especially for independent creatives.
“We also understand music’s immense potential to heal during this moment of collective grief, and we want to contribute to that mission.”
Beyond that effort, the Homebody Music Festival is set to raise funds and awareness for three charitable organizations — two that serve on the national level, and one in Toronto.
40% of funds raised will go to Jack(dot)org, a Canadian charity that trains and empowers young leaders to revolutionize mental health; another 40% of funds raised are slated for the Unison Benevolent Fund, which provides counselling and emergency relief services to the Canadian music community in times of hardship, illness or economic difficulties.
Lastly, 20% will go to Meals to Heal, a Toronto-based foundation utilizing donations from the community to buy and fast track meals from local restaurants and coffee shops for healthcare workers on the frontline.
“With 100% of the profit divided between the three charities,” Jordan and Lennon offer, “we hope to contribute meaningfully to their respective causes and the national efforts shaping the Canadian healthcare response to COVID-19.”
The Homebody Music Festival is scheduled for May 22nd, 23rd, and 24th and May 29th, 30th and 31st. Audiences can stream via YouTube Live and fans can donate here.
Fatboy Slim’s 10-Year-Old Daughter Just Did Her First DJ Set and Rocked It
Ten-year-old Nelly Cook is the daughter of Fatboy Slim, and has streamed her first DJ set at Camp Bestival’s Stay at Home Easter Sleepover from her actual house, and she did it under the name of Fat Girl Slim and she is awesome.
1-minute tip for artists: Being green.
Are you an artist who uses eco-friendly products? Awesome. Share that.
The Beatles’ Isolated Vocals For “Helter Skelter”
The Beatles’ Helter Skelter was Paul McCartney’s attempt to create a sound as loud and dirty as possible, and now regarded as a key influence in the early development of heavy metal.
Childish Gambino’s Isolated Vocals For “Fire Fly”
Childish Gambino’s Fire Fly is taken from his debut album, and was co-produced in its entirety by Gambino’s longtime collaborator Ludwig Göransson.
Toronto Pop Artist Ashley Lyn Gets Candid and Direct About Love & Career in Newest Track “I Want It 2”
Canadian artist Ashley Lyn gets direct — in more ways than one — for her newest single and video, “I Want It 2” — available now!
The Toronto-based Jamaican-Chinese pop powerhouse is all-business, remiss to hold back in song (this one lands as a sultry, attitude-packed track and visual about curving dudes on her quest for true love), and her career (the track’s backstory serves as a manifesto of sorts — read on).
“I wrote ‘I Want It 2’ in a Starbucks with an old classmate of mine from back in University who is now a producer,” she starts. “The lyrical concept was to make a modern-day version of Cassie’s ‘Long Way 2 Go’ mixed with a few of my other influences like Fifth Harmony, Jasmine Villegas, Pia Mia, Tinashe, and Mabel.
“It reflects a lot of my own real life experiences in the way that being picky with dating or ‘hard to get’ often makes guys try even harder in their pursuits,” she shares. “Often, in the most entertaining, or dramatic, or comically off-putting ways.
“I think a lot of people will be able to vibe with the female empowerment aspect and confidence in the track.”
“I Want It 2” may have been Ashley Lyn’s first time recording in a studio, but make no mistake: She was no rookie struggling to keep up. “When it came to the video, I had started talks with the production company and they said I was the only artist they’ve known to come in fully prepared with slides and a full presentation for all the elements I wanted,” she laughs. “I knew the vision, from the location, to wardrobe, to casting, colour scheme, camera angles, and even other music videos as aesthetic references.
“That gave them enough faith in me to hand over the reigns, allowing me to co-direct and produce the project, as well as be involved in every aspect of the decision-making process leading up and during post-production.”
The result is exactly — EXACTLY — what the pop dynamo had in mind. “It’s a visual thirst trap,” she nods. “It’s all eye candy with the fashion, the location, the sea of sexy male models, the luxury car…
“It perfectly encompasses all the elements of a marketable pop video.”
And here, Ashley Lyn pulls back the curtain a bit, revealing she comes by the ‘pop’ formula most often saved for the boardroom table honestly, earnestly, and authentically.
“I’ve had a lifelong passion for music and performing, but I always took the ‘tried and true’ path,” she says candidly. “I was a straight-A student in high school, I graduated Ryerson University with a Bachelor of Arts studying the business side of the music and film industries, and then I landed a full-time job in my sector. These are all accomplishments in their own right, but it felt like something was missing with me putting my own music on the back burner and not even ‘trying’ or giving it a real shot.
“Then, reality set in; I saw most of my peers giving up on their youthful aspirations on this wild journey of adulting. At the same time, I went through a stage for a few years where I was barely singing or putting out any music at all because I was struggling with the inner critic of being a perfectionist, as well as new responsibilities.
“For a while there, I’d declare ‘new music was coming soon’ but then would play it safe with cover songs,” she admits. “I decided I had to put something out by the time I turn 25, or not at all.
“So, I did.
“It was definitely a huge risk backing a project of this scale without a real backup plan, but I was determined and it ended up being extremely rewarding. I wanted to make my mark and challenge the limitations of perceived barriers of what it looks like to be an independent artist in today’s ever-changing musical landscape.
“That, and make art that I love.”
“I Want It 2” is available now.