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The Go-Go’s, Cherie Currie, Cindy Blackman Santana, Amy Lee, & More Will Be Honored at the 2021 SHE ROCKS AWARDS

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The Go-Go’s, Cherie Currie, Cindy Blackman Santana, Amy Lee, & More Will Be Honored at the 2021 SHE ROCKS AWARDS

The Women’s International Music Network (the WiMN) proudly announces a stellar array of honorees for the 2021 She Rocks Awards, sponsored by Positive Grid. This year’s ceremony will be very different, as it will be done virtually. With the current pandemic situation, and NAMM moving to a virtual convention, the She Rocks Awards are reimagining the ceremony to fit the current times. The ceremony itself will continue to pay tribute to women in the music industry with the ninth annual She Rocks Awards taking place at 6:30 pm PT on Friday, January 22, 2021. This high-energy evening will include live virtual music performances, awards and speeches, celebrity appearances, a fabulous silent auction, and much more, all available online. A VIP gift box and afterparty are available for the ultimate She Rocks experience.

This year’s virtual event is open to the public, and VIP tickets can be purchased at sherocksawards.com.

The 2021 She Rocks Awards recipients include:

The Go-Go’s – the first all-female band to top the Billboard charts that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments
Cherie Currie – founding member of the pioneering all-female rock band The Runaways
Cindy Blackman Santana – respected jazz and rock drummer with Santana and Lenny Kravitz among many others
Amy Lee – co-founder and lead vocalist for the rock band Evanescence
Margaret Cho – Emmy and Grammy-nominated stand-up comedian, actress, fashion designer, author, and singer-songwriter
Starr Parodi – composer, pianist, conductor, arranger, music director and president of The Alliance For Women Film Composers
Ann Mincieli – GRAMMY-winning recording engineer, studio coordinator for Alicia Keys and co-founder of NYC-destination studio Jungle City
Sharon Hennessey – co-president and co-owner of The Music People
Gwen Riley – Senior VP of Music for Peloton Interactive

Additional honorees and featured guests will be announced soon. This year’s event will be hosted by previous award recipient, LZZY HALE frontwoman for the rock band, Halestorm, with Yahoo Entertainment’s Lyndsey Parker hosting the pre-show countdown.

This year’s opening performers will be Lexington, Kentucky, rock and soul band Magnolia Boulevard, sponsored by PRS Guitars, and featuring lead vocalist Maggie Noelle, guitarist Gregg Erwin, drummer Todd Copeland, keyboardist Ryan Allen, and bassist John Roberts.

She Rocks Awards founder Laura B. Whitmore comments, “The She Rocks Awards was created to bring us together and lift us all up with an evening of positive community and shared experience. This year is no different! I am so thrilled to honor these amazing role models and share their inspiring stories.”

She Rocks Awards pays tribute to women who display leadership and stand out within the music industry, and has become a standard at the NAMM Show. Previous award recipients include Melissa Etheridge, Pat Benatar, Gloria Gaynor, The B-52s, Suzi Quatro, Colbie Caillat, Sheila E, Chaka Khan, Ronnie Spector, Orianthi, Lisa Loeb, The Bangles, and many more, plus a collection of role models from all walks of the music and audio industries.

The 2021 She Rocks Awards is sponsored by Positive Grid, Sweetwater, Roland, PRS Guitars, PreSonus, NAMM, Fishman, Marshall, D’Addario, Reverb, The Music People, Cuccio, MAC Cosmetics, Clif, WRiiG, Berklee School of Music, Parade, Future Publishing, Guitar World, Musicradar and Guitar Girl Magazine.

Morgan Freeman Plays a Smooth Talking Disc Jockey on ‘The Electric Company’ In 1971

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Morgan Freeman Plays a Smooth Talking Disc Jockey on ‘The Electric Company’ In 1971

Morgan Freeman as you may have never seen him before.

“Okay brothers and sisters, misses and misters. Here’s your daddy-o with the sounds to go. No shucking, no jiving, I’m telling you your music’s arriving. It’s Mel Mounds here with your special request game called ‘Same As Your Name’. That’s right one of you lucky listeners out there will get the chance to pick the next song and that song will have a sound that sounds the same as your own name. …And the name is Brenda Bradley.”

Simon Collins Conjures Up Prog Rock Masterpiece, “Becoming Human”

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Simon Collins Conjures Up Prog Rock Masterpiece, “Becoming Human”

Having spent his entire life in and around music, Simon Collins may well have released the most stunning album of his career. Becoming Human has already drawn rave reviews and coverage from the likes of Prog Magazine as an intelligent, expansive combination of prog rock and futuristic electronic pop, exploring lyrical themes such as personal loss; addiction and the nature of our place in the universe. Led by the title track which describes a journey of personal transformation and discovering what it truly means to be human, Simon Collins’ Becoming Human reasserts the songwriter and multi-instrumentalist as one of the major forces in progressive rock.

As the son of musical legend, Phil Collins, Simon has song-writing in his DNA, learning to drum from the age of five and composing from the age of 14. Having been a rave DJ in Vancouver, he quickly moved to recording his own compositions, bringing his skills as a singer, drummer and producer to three previous solo projects; All of Who You Are; Time for Truth and U-Catastrophe, as well as one album with his band, Sound of Contact, Dimensionaut. Becoming Human was produced by keyboardist and sound designer Robbie Bronnimann and features one of the key players from Sound of Contact, acoustic and electric guitarist Kelly Avril Nordstrom. Released on Frontiers Records, Becoming Human, transposes the classic prog era of Genesis and brings it firmly into the 21st Century, with atmospheric swathes of electronica mixing with rock, pop and even heavier industrial textures to form a sound entirely of his own. Led by the hugely successful singles, Becoming Human and The Universe Inside of Me, the album continues to deliver after repeated listen, a journey through almost Vangelis-esque keyboards and profound lyrics commenting both on Simon’s personal journey through life and Mankind’s through the cosmos.

Track List
1. Into The Fray
2. Becoming Human
3. The Universe Inside Of Me
4. Man Made Man
5. This Is The Time
6. Thoughts Become Matter
7. I Will Be Waiting
8. No Love
9. Living In Silence
10. 40 Years
11. So Real
12. Dead End

Record Store Day 2021 to take place on June 12

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Record Store Day 2021 to take place on June 12

Record Store Day can today announce that the 2021 edition of the event will take place on Saturday 12 June.

The annual event traditionally takes place on the third Saturday in April, however 2021 will see the celebration taking on a later spot in the music calendar.

Record Store Day, supported by BBC Sounds, is the one day of the year when hundreds of record shops in the UK (and thousands more around the globe!) come together to celebrate their unique and independent culture and the art of vinyl. Special vinyl releases are made exclusively for the day with parties and live performances taking place in record shops all over the world.

Look Good. Do Good. Music Matters Launches Line of Designer T-Shirts to Support MusiCares

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Look Good. Do Good. Music Matters Launches Line of Designer T-Shirts to Support MusiCares

COVID-19 has devastated all facets of the live music industry leaving thousands of creators and workers in crisis. In an effort to assist members of the music community in need, Impact Entertainment has launched a line of designer t-shirts.

The Music Matters Now initiative features a selection of limited edition, collector’s item t-shirts. Shirts are available online for $24.99, plus shipping and handling. For every shirt sold, Music Matters Now is donating $10 to MusiCares.

In response to the pandemic’s overwhelming effect on the music industry, MusiCares, in partnership with the Recording Academy, established the COVID-19 Relief.

“COVID-19 has rocked the music industry. Through the work of our esteemed partners, like Music Matters Now, we keep the music playing by providing critical assistance to music people impacted,” says MusiCares Executive Director Laura Segura.

“Since the establishment of our COVID-19 Relief, we’ve supported over 20,000 music professionals. However, the urgency remains high and the need for support continues.”

Music Matters Now is the brainchild of Alan Jacoby, founder and executive producer of Impact Entertainment, a live entertainment and sports event production company. “While the pandemic has destroyed the live event business since March of this year, we are optimistic about the future.

“To help us get to the other side, we must support the people in our music community who are suffering the most. Music fans of every genre are craving live music events. Music Matters Now provides them with an opportunity to express their anticipation and positivity while making a financial contribution to the industry.”

Designed by Dustin Gilleland, t-shirts in the collection make a bold, bright statement, are Made in the USA and printed by X-Treme Apparel, a national merchandise manufacturer. For additional information and to purchase shirts, go to www.MusicMattersNow.org.

Smooth Jazz Vocalist CAT BERNARDI Releases Her First Holiday Single, “Let’s Get Cozy”

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Smooth Jazz Vocalist CAT BERNARDI Releases Her First Holiday Single, “Let’s Get Cozy”

From smooth jazz vocalist Cat Bernardi, comes her very first holiday single, “Let’s Get Cozy”, with music video to come on December 21st. This single is the title track of a holiday season EP of the same name and was generously supported by the Mississauga Arts Council’s MicroGrant award.

“Lots of people are unable to connect with those outside of their households and unable to partake in the typical activities they would at this time of year,” says Bernardi of her new holiday single, “It celebrates the simple beauty of being at home and making a special event out of spending time with people in your household and taking a break in the solace of the home.”

Bernardi studied Jazz Vocal Music at both York University and Humber College, where she had the opportunity to train under accomplished musicians such as Jane Fair, Maria Farinha, Sacha Williamson and Michael Donovan. Through Toronto Jazz Workshops, she has also had the opportunity to train with jazz legend, Barry Harris. It was not long before she began composing her own music, arranging her favourite standards and playing with several ensembles around the city including the Toronto Jazz Chorus, York University Jazz Choir, and her own group, the Cat Bernardi Quartet.

Harmonium Goes GOLD In Canada in Less Than 3 Weeks For New Album

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Harmonium Goes GOLD In Canada in Less Than 3 Weeks For New Album

Released on December 3, the instrumental album Harmonium symphonique – Histoires sans paroles has just been certified gold record by Music Canada, a recognition that underscores the 40,000 copies sold. This result is all the more remarkable since the album is offered on a single platform, the Oziko store.

Histoires sans paroles, the first symphonic project from the world of Harmonium, brings together the complete works of the group adapted by Simon Leclerc and performed by the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) under his direction. Totaling more than 140 minutes of music, Histoires sans paroles is a co-direction by Serge Fiori and Simon Leclerc, under the artistic direction of Nicolas Lemieux, president of GSI Musique. 

The double album is available exclusively at www.harmoniumsymphonique.com, in digital version or in two-CD or four-vinyl boxes (available as of February 2021), accompanied by a booklet illustrated with photos taken during the recording at the Maison symphonique.
 
The first project from the fabled Harmonium since the release of L’Heptade 44 years ago, the symphonic performance of Histoires sans paroles, totaling more than 140 minutes, is more than simple orchestral interpretations. It’s a reworking of the songs revealing the compositions in a whole new light. The exquisite flavor, the subtlety and the multiple layers offered by this instrumental work, invite each listener to imagine their own new stories of what for many had become part of the soundtrack of their life.
 
Harmonium is one of the most influential bands in Quebec music history and their success reached across North America as the sound of progressive rock came to characterize the 1970’s music scene. The success of their three albums Harmonium, Si on avait besoin d’une cinquième saison and L’Heptade and the single Pour un instant resulted in an invitation to Los Angeles, where the National Film Board of Canada filmed Harmonium en Californie. In 2015, Rolling Stone magazine listed Si on avait besoin d’une cinquième saison at number 36 of the Best 50 Progressive Rock Albums and declared it the Best Progressive Folk Album. In 2007, all three of Harmonium’s studio albums were named among the 100 greatest Canadian albums of all time in Bob Mersereau’s book The Top 100 Canadian Albums. The influence they had on the sound of Quebec music was immense and still resonates.

Eddie Kramer calls him a ‘songwriting genius!” Toronto’s TAYLOR ABRAHAMSE’s “I Won’t Put Up With It” Single Available Now

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Eddie Kramer calls him a ‘songwriting genius!” Toronto’s TAYLOR ABRAHAMSE’s “I Won’t Put Up With It” Single Available Now

“I Won’t Put Up With It” is the newest single from folk pop singer-songwriter, Taylor Abrahamse. This infectious single is widely available on streaming services, with a dance-in-your-seat music video now on YouTube.

“I’m fascinated with pushing the boundaries for what’s possible in a catchy pop song” says Abrahamse. “‘I Won’t Put Up With It’ was bedtracked in Nashville with top session musicians… A Michael Jackson-inspired slice of 80s funk with a modern protest message, it twists and turns through key changes and a complex arrangement.”

“I Won’t Put Up With It” was mixed and produced by Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin), with additional production by Taylor Abrahamse and Fred Mollin. Kramer discovered Abrahamse playing an impromptu song at the Canadian Music Week conference, and insisted on working with him on a full album.

“Taylor Abrahamse is truly one of Canada’s most original and outstanding artists I have worked with in some time,” Kramer shares. “His sense of melody, lyrics, and song structure — along with amazing skill as a performer — will soon be revealed to the general public.”

Now available now on major streaming services, Abrahamse’s self-titled debut is a blissfully infectious collection of carefully crafted originals.

Santa Cruz, CA’s Father/Daughter Alt-Country Duo WILD & BLUE String Up Some “Holiday Lights” in New Single — Available Now!

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Santa Cruz, CA’s Father/Daughter Alt-Country Duo WILD & BLUE String Up Some “Holiday Lights” in New Single — Available Now!

Father/Daughter duo that is Steve and April Bennett string up some “Holiday Lights” this season with their newly released Christmas song.

As Wild & Blue, the Bennett’s take the time-honoured tradition of family harmony into inspirational and new territory; theirs is a musical partnership deeply rooted in country music’s tradition, yet firmly contemporary in its emotionally charged lyrical offerings and genre-blending approach.

There’s a debut full-length on the horizon; Restless is set for release in early 2021. In the meantime, “Holiday Lights” radiates with exuberant joy thanks to April’s timeless take-notice vox and the song’s decidedly uplifting vibe.

“The song and arrangement were inspired by the great Sam Cooke, who is one of our heroes, and also the spirit of the many vintage holiday classics,” the pair share. “It’s also inspired by the years that Wild & Blue have played 42 one-hour shows a season on a vintage and actually-moving train — the Santa Cruz Holiday Lights Train for Roaring Camp Railroads and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.”

“I wrote this song while stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic,” Steve recalls, who also arranged and produced the single. “And we recorded the song in the Fall of 2019 while we were tracking our album.”

“My dad originally sang the lead on it but caught a bad cold, so I took over,” April recalls.

“And I was happy to pass the baton,” Steve shares of April’s take on the track. “We recorded the piano part on location with Max Bennett-Parker, and used a $100,000 Steinway Concert Grand in the music department of the Monterey Peninsula Community College where one of our engineers, Richard Bryant, is a Recording Arts Professor.”

With Steve known for penning insightful, personal lyrics and April singing them with an arresting urgency that signals “classic-in-the-making,” the California-based father and daughter duo dubbed themselves Wild & Blue in honour of John Scott Sherrill’s long-lauded song of the same name.

They’ve been singing together for live audiences since April was a toddler, and their collaborative efforts prove well-pursued on the forthcoming release.

“I think we’re rooted in vintage soul and R&B as much as we’re rooted in country,” Steve offers. “That feeling, like the vibe of Elvis’ 60s Memphis recordings, or Dobie Gray’s country records, is something we really love and work really hard to convey.”

“We’re both musical history buffs,” April adds. “I’ve always been in love with music that was created before I was born; the music I listened to as a kid were artists like Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, and Roger Miller… It spoke to me.

“We’re both very emotional people, and I personally can’t sing anything I don’t feel.”

Ready for the sentiment to be shared, audiences can now feel it too with “Holiday Lights.”

Winnipeg’s Folk-Pop Jazzers THE KEEN & THE KIND Unveil Sonic Portrait in “Joseph”

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Winnipeg’s Folk-Pop Jazzers THE KEEN & THE KIND Unveil Sonic Portrait in “Joseph”

Canadian folk-pop jazz artists The Keen & The Kind have mindfully mined family archives, unearthing the makings of a compelling new single, “Joseph” — available now.

The Winnipeg-based five-piece that is Violet Vopni, Clinton Giesbrecht, Kevin Cote, Alana Giesbrecht, and Stephen Chubaty released their critically acclaimed debut album, Unacknowledged, earlier this year under their former moniker, Nineteen, and were featured on CBC’s Up to Speed, the Indigenous Music Countdown, and Manitoba Music’s Song of the Week.

Now, the band increasingly known for their expansive range in easy-going upbeat pop to groovy smooth jazz to thought-provoking emotive folk is putting the finishing touches on a forthcoming deluxe LP, The Things We Don’t Know, set for release this June 2021.

This sophomore offering’s first preview, “Joseph,” attentively ushers audiences into the fractured legacy and aftermath of Vopni’s lineage, and the story of the song’s namesake, her great grandfather Joseph Huppe.

“Joseph was born in 1900, fought in WWI in 1916, and married my great grandmother, Jenny, in 1923,” Vopni says, setting the scene. “They had four children, Harold, Allan, Doris, and my grandmother Beatrice.

“Joseph was Métis but, being born 15 years after the Northwest Rebellion, he was forced to keep his identity a secret,” she explains. “I think he kept his secret to avoid being sent to a residential school; Métis people were known in those days as being in between because of their combined French and Indigenous lineage so Joseph’s story is one that’s common to Métis people born in the last 135 years.”

Vopni, who serves as The Keen & The Kind’s lead vocalist and songwriter, penned the sonic portrait to shed light on how moments in history can ultimately affect us as people hundreds of years later. “Joseph struggled through alcoholism, he struggled to find where he belonged and, ultimately, he left the family; we do not know what happened to him,” Vopni shares. “What we do know is that he left a woman to raise four children on her own in the 1920s and 30s, and those children subsequently went through traumas of their own — Allan died in WWII, Doris was murdered, and Beatrice became an alcoholic and was married to an abusive man.

“Beatrice passed that trauma to her only child, my mother Kim, who in turn passed that trauma down to me,” she reflects. “So we know a lot about the people Joseph left behind in the world — his wife, his children, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren — but we don’t know a lot about him. This song is about how his life affected the lives of so many others; it’s about who he left behind, and the wounds that cut so deep.”

“Joseph” is available now. The Things We Don’t Know is available June 2021.

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That Eric Alper

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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