Although James Corden, Reggie Watts and The Muppets can’t be together in a studio, the group comes together on video chat to sing The Beatles classic “With a Little Help from My Friends.” Sing along with Kermit, Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Swedish Chef, Animal, Gonzo and so many more.
How the ‘Oh Yeah’ Song in Ferris Bueller Came to Be
“Oh Yeah.” You’ve heard this song—full of oh yeah, bow bow and ch-ch ch-ch ch-ka!—who knows how many times over the years. Recorded by the Swiss synth pop duo known as Yello, “Oh Yeah” became a pop culture phenomenon after being featured in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” In the 1986 movie, the percussive piece is the soundtrack to the scene where Cameron shows off his father’s prized Ferrari to his friend Bueller. And we all know what happened after that. (If you don’t, you must watch this ’80s teen classic.) But what’s the story behind “Oh Yeah?” We meet up with Yello—composer Boris Blank and lyricist/vocalist Dieter Meier—in Zurich to hear it straight from them. They even perform some fresh oh yeahs just for us.
Brian Eno, Starmus and DNEG Create a Cosmic Orchestra With Singing Stars
Advances in science and technology have revealed that the universe is not silent: the stars produce infrasound acoustic waves which can be recorded, though the human ear cannot perceive them.
These infrasounds were computed by astrophysicist Garik Israelian in 2005. This unique acoustic library inspired Israelian and Dr. Brian May, astrophysicist and legendary guitarist of Queen, to create a festival to bring together stars and music, and so Starmus was born.
The first Starmus Festival (2011) featured Apollo astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell, William Anders and Charlie Duke along with Alexei Leonov, the first human to walk in space. Brian May was joined by Tangerine Dream to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s first space flight.
Starmus quickly gained popularity, and more space, science and music stars joined the festival including Professor Stephen Hawking and Peter Gabriel who became members of the Starmus Advisory Board. Starmus has also established a prestigious award for science communication, the Stephen Hawking Medal, awarded to Elon Musk, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Eno, Hans Zimmer, Jean-Michel Jarre and the documentary Apollo 11.
Many art and science projects were inspired by Starmus. Thus, in 2016 Nobel Prize winner Kip Thorne and Oscar winners Hans Zimmer and Paul Franklin created the concert “The Warped Side of the Universe”, reimagined and extended in 2019 under the title “Once Upon a Time on the Moon” with the added participation of Brian May, Rick Wakeman and Steve Vai to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s Moon landing.
Today Starmus announces the result of another art-science project involving Dr Israelian, Brian Eno, Paul Franklin, Oliver James and DNEG, the “Starsounds” project. It is based on Dr. Israelian’s lecture “Our Acoustic Universe” published in the book “50 Years of Man in Space” (lectures of Starmus I, 2014). Brian Eno arranged the acoustic waves from Dr. Israelian’s library into a new composition by speeding them up so that they could be heard. Then Paul Franklin and Oliver James of DNEG, the world-leading Oscar winning visual effects studio, created images based on the star waveforms and images of our Sun. “Starsounds”, a hypnotic piece with complex harmonies and mesmerising visuals, is being made available on the internet for the first time – finally, we can listen to the stars and both see and hear the music that they make!
Brad Paisley To Headline Live Nation’s First Ever ‘Live From The Drive-In’ Concert Series In The U.S. With Darius Rucker, El Monstero, Jon Pardi, Nelly, And Yacht Rock Revue
Today, Live Nation announced their first ever U.S. drive-in concert series — LIVE FROM THE DRIVE-IN — will bring fans a live music tailgating experience unlike any other, kicking off July 10-12 in Indianapolis, IN, Nashville, TN, and St. Louis, MO. Brad Paisley will headline performances in all three cities, marking the start of a much anticipated return to in person live events. Darius Rucker and Jon Pardi will also headline the series in Nashville and Nelly along with hometown legends El Monstero will headline in St. Louis, while Jon Pardi and local favorites Yacht Rock Revue will headline in Indianapolis.
Live Nation is reimagining the live music experience during a time of social distancing by allowing fans to enjoy concerts in a one-of-a-kind drive-in setting from their own private tailgating zones next to their cars. Guests are allowed to bring chairs, food and drinks to party in their zone to personalize their experience. More details including event guidelines can be found at LiveNation.com/DriveIn.
Live From The Drive-In will start off with events at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN and at Live Nation venues Ruoff Music Center in Indianapolis, IN and Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St. Louis, MO. Fans can expect contactless ticket scanning through their window when they pull into the venue and then will be shown to their designated tailgate area where they can park and enjoy the show from their own marked-off space. There will be dedicated buffer space around each vehicle to ensure social distancing measures. All artists will be performing full live sets on stages set up in the parking lots of each of the venues. The events will also feature full LED screens and speakers throughout so fans can enjoy a truly live concert experience.
“Around the world, we’re seeing a real eagerness from our fans and artists to safely get back to the concert experience,” said Tom See, President Live Nation Venues – US Concerts. “We are excited to unveil Live From The Drive-In – a completely unique outdoor concert series that will allow fans to enjoy live shows again, while socially distanced. We have an incredible line-up of artists like Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Nelly, Jon Pardi and more, who all share our vision to continue to create once-in-a-lifetime moments for fans and are excited to get back to live music through this reimagined experience.”
Tickets will be available to purchase per car, with a maximum of four (4) people permitted per car. Please note in order to maintain social distancing, events will be limited capacity. Citi is the official presale credit card of Live From The Drive-In. As such, Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase presale tickets beginning Tuesday, June 23rd at 12pm local time until Thursday, June 25th at 10pm local time through Citi Entertainment®. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com. Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning this Friday, June 26th at 10am local time at LiveNation.com/DriveIn.
Exclusive Live From The Drive-In merch is available for purchase in advance online HERE to commemorate Live Nation’s first ever U.S. drive-in concert series. 100% of net proceeds will be donated to Crew Nation – a global relief fund for live music crews.
Budweiser Zero is an official sponsor of the Nashville and St. Louis Live From The Drive-In concerts. 21+ fans in attendance will have the opportunity to sample the new zero alcohol (0.0% ABV) brew while watching their favorite artist.
Each event will comply with all health and safety standards per local jurisdictions and state regulations in order to protect fans, artists, crews and staff. This includes thorough sanitation throughout the event and hand-sanitizing stations will be available, along with a number of other preventive measures. For more information on the health and safety precautions we are taking, event guidelines and FAQs, please visit LiveNation.com/DriveIn.
LIVE FROM THE DRIVE-IN UPCOMING DATES:
St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Friday, July 10 – Brad Paisley
Saturday, July 11 – El Monstero
Sunday, July 12 – Nelly: 20th Anniversary Celebration of Country Grammar
Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium
Friday, July 10 – Jon Pardi
Saturday, July 11 – Brad Paisley
Sunday, July 12 – Darius Rucker
Indianapolis, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
Friday, July 10 – Yacht Rock Revue
Saturday, July 11 – Jon Pardi
Sunday, July 12 – Brad Paisley
1-minute tip for artists: Your family.
Tell your audience about someone in your family, even if it’s that one person you see once a year.
Canadian Guy at Comedy Show Exudes Himself. Hilarity Ensues.
Some guy went out for a moment at comedian Drew Lynch’s show. That was the moment diverting into a whole new set took place while Drew waits for him to come back.
Changing The Notes In The Beatles’ ‘Eleanor Rigby’ To E And F It Sounds SCARY
The Beatles changing one of their greatest songs slightly gives you scary goosebumps.
Houston, TX’s Classical-Pop Composer Humnos Logos Music Illustrates ‘Instrumental’ Bible Verses Through Song
On the surface, one may think Humnos Logos Music is all about classical, instrumental sounds. One listen of their debut album, Instrumental Verses 1, however, and it’s easy to see they encompass so much more.
Inspired by Scriptures, the Texas-based and decidedly private pop/classical artist has found a new way to deliver Christian music, evoking emotion without the use of lyrical content.
It was inevitable, really: with a grandmother who can play piano by ear, a great grandfather who built his own banjo, and a mother who spent years with a flute in-hand, there’s no denying the mastermind behind Humnos Logos Music has music coursing through them. “That’s just always been my reality,” the composer shares. “Music surrounded me from the start, and today I’ve found a way to marry classical sounds with Christian music.”
The result is a stunning premiere release featuring seven songs total; five classical in nature, and two offering a contemporary pop-rock feel, giving the album a nuanced yet modern edge.
With Humnos meaning song, and Logos meaning “word of God,” Humnos Logos Music has cleverly crafted each song based on a word of God from the Bible throughout. Some songs touch on the famous “Hall of Faith” chapter like “Not Worthy of Them,” as well as one about Philip’s automatic transport called “Arise & Go.”
Humnos Logos Music’s “Last Enemy” was inspired not only by Scripture but also reality; this American Songwriting finalist started to take shape after a beloved minister who had passed and conveys the anger one has towards death as well as the upside that one day the idea of death will perish as well.
“‘A Call to Endure (REV 13:10)’ is about end time tribulation,” the orchestral outfit offers. “The beginning of the song has trumpets, and then, with the sound of the rapture, the rest is about the apocalypse.
“Although there are no lyrics, each song tells a story in sound, and the titles are connected to an important, ‘instrumental’ even, Bible verse. In a world where there is so much conversation, so much noise, it’s nice to be able to digest emotive music that is void of hearsay. The notes, melodies, and arrangements speak volumes and allow listeners to just be in the moment with each song.”
Critics with early listens agree. “Love the composition in this track,” says Independent Music Reviews of “While Still Afar Off (LUK 15:20).” “(The song) is cinematic and brings some house and dance elements into the production. The beat is lively and pushes one’s inner limits. There is a deftness in the production, each phrase is subtly accompanied by another rhythm that defines that latter and builds on the experience for the listener.”
Instrumental Verses 1 is available now.
1-minute tip for artists stuck on social media: Googlewhacks.
“Googlewhacks” are two-word search queries that produce exactly one hit on Google. Try this today!
Kendal Thompson’s “Not UR Girl” Gets Remixed by Live/Electronic Wunder-Producer Pat Makes Music — Available Now!
As if Canadian alt-wave, art pop indie artist Kendal Thompson’s song “Not UR Girl” couldn’t get any better, the stand-out track has been remixed and reimagined by Toronto-based producer Pat Makes Music, and now that ‘song repeat x1’ option feels so limiting.
Known for their penchant to combine live instruments with electronic music, Pat Makes Music — who holds performance credits with Hugsnotdrugs, Poshley Slums, and remix nods for Soha, DJ Shine, Rex Manning, and more — is also working with Thompson to design her live show.
The track in its original form first landed in 2018 as part of her album, Ok Cool. Its recent video release has 27,000+ views and counting, and has Thompson (literally) exercising her acting chops in a vampy, deliciously retro visual treat.
“The song was born from a place of gaining back my power,” she shares. “It helped me understand that my happiness relied on belonging to no one other than myself.”
Ok Cool and its deeply personal collection of songs picks up where previous single, “Human Feel” — and its exploration of universal love and acceptance of both one’s self and others — leaves off, and serves as a welcome follow-up to her take-notice debut EP, One, and feature in John Orpheus’ song, “BUTTAHFLY.”
The tracks stack as spirited sand in the Canadian artist’s creative castle, one that essentially started with a borrowed, near-free guitar. “I began singing and making up songs at the age of three,” she recalls of her earliest toe-dip into the craft. “I started taking vocal lessons at age 12 and, by then, was gathering classmates for rehearsals for a girl-group.
“It never received a name, or made it out of the playground,” she laughs, but reveals it did lay ground for her next set of musical discoveries. “From there, and in my early teens, I was inspired almost solely by Lauryn Hill. Soon after, I adopted a guitar my father had purchased years earlier for $10 at a local auction.”
The added musical outlet and freedom expression took Thompson’s writing to a whole new level, she recognized, and as soon as she could, the Alliston, Ontario-born artist leaped into a new life in Toronto, quickly finding a home in the local folk and indie circuit.
While “Not UR Girl”s vision is Thompson’s — with co-writes and production credits by long-time collaborator, Little Noise Records’ Mike Schlosser — she’s equally quick to plant praise on director Jessamine Fok’s shoulders for bringing an imaginative sense of humour and sense of refreshed creative life to the project.
“Jessamine’s ideas had me really reaching outside of my comfort zone,” Thompson says of the spectacularly retro-esque video’s vibe. “I got to explore and show a side of myself only my friends have seen.
“In terms of not being an actor, and then acting out all of the characters, it helped me rediscover a different side of myself. Dressing and acting as the male character — ‘Mikey Rock’ — was such a liberating experience.”
“Not UR Girl” and “Not UR Girl (Remix)” are available now.