Your Good News host John Krasinski returns to highlight some good news from around the world… and unveil the perfect Zoom surprise for his new friend Aubrey – the cast of Hamilton!
Curt Smith of Tears For Fears and His Daughter Perform ‘Mad World’
Musician Curt Smith and his talented daughter Diva performed a brilliant duet of the Tears for Fears song “Mad World” at home together.
…and here’s the original, found on The Hurting.
VIDEO: Children of the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Choir Perform David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”
Over 50 kids in the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Choir virtually came together to sing David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”
Over 50 kids in the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Choir virtually came together to sing Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and it is SO GOOD! https://t.co/uQga7Q7BT2 pic.twitter.com/VVz77RBL3S
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 25, 2020
Silverlake Conservatory of Music was founded in 2001 by longtime friends and musicians Michael “Flea” Balzary and Keith “Tree” Barry. Cutbacks in arts education programming throughout Los Angeles public schools prompted the two to found SCM in an effort to fill the void and bring music to the community.
Silverlake Conservatory of Music opened in 2001 in its original location at Sunset Junction. Offering reasonably priced lessons for all and scholarships to students whose families could not otherwise afford lessons, the conservatory expanded its programs to include ensemble classes, summer camps and workshops. With the support of its family of donors, teachers, students, artists and musicians, the conservatory moved into its forever home at 4652 Hollywood Blvd. in October 2016.
Pandora founder launches Sessions: The dedicated music platform enabling artists to play more and earn more through live streaming
Sessions, a live streaming platform for music, today announced the beta launch of its web and mobile app in 200+ countries and 15 languages. With just a laptop and a microphone, musicians can perform live, cultivate a global fanbase, and make a sustainable income from home.
By combining live interactive streaming with the best engagement and monetization features of advanced game design, Sessions is ushering in a new form of musical performance.
“Let’s face it, digital music has failed the working musician,” said Tim Westergren, the co-Founder of Sessions and former founder of Pandora. “Recorded music has been devalued, and digital retail is driving artists further from their audience. They need an alternative. Sessions puts control back in the hands of the artist. We generate the audience and enable artists to turn that fan base into a dependable foundation of support and direct patronage. A financial reward system driven by fandom.”
Sessions is the first live streaming platform custom built to solve the most pressing issues for musicians – building a true fanbase and generating significant and sustained income.
- Building Global Fandom for Free: Most platforms provide little or no marketing support. Worse, they charge to artists to attract listeners or reach their own fans. Sessions does all of this work at no cost to the artist by using its own marketing growth engine to bring the audience.
- Making Real Money: While most live streaming platforms rely on one-off tips to compensate artists, Sessions provides the enduring value of virtual goods and services engineered to help Artists earn sustainable, compounding income.
“Games have blossomed in the digital era, transforming from simple, single player arcade experiences into rich massively multiplayer worlds that are changing culture,” said Co-founder and Game designer Gordon Su. “At the same time, music has stagnated, fragmenting into an isolated playlist experience. We used our best learnings from over 20 years of building virtual worlds to design an immersive virtual space for Artists and Fans to thrive. We know how to do this and we can’t wait to put these powers in the hands of artists and fans.”
Already, a growing number of artists in the beta program are building large audiences and earning steady incomes from the platform. These are artists with no prior commercial presence or success now in a position to make a living doing what they love.
Jackson-Triggs Celebrates 20 years of Supporting Canadian Music with iHeartRadio Living Room Sessions
Jackson-Triggs is well-known for supporting Canadian music through an annual signature summer concert series at its Niagara estate amphitheatre. This month, Canada’s most-awarded winery will bring the beats home with the Living Room Sessions, a series of live-streamed, intimate concerts in partnership with iHeartRadio that Canadians can watch and engage in from home. Jackson-Triggs has also lent support for front-line workers with a $10,000 donation to the Canadian Red Cross.
Jackson-Triggs wines are available at all provincial and private liquor stores across Canada and are available to purchase online through the estate winery website and select local delivery services.
The May Living Room Session line-up includes:
- May 1st – Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine at 4pm ET
- May 4th – Wintersleep at 4pm ET
- May 5th – Karl Wolf at 4pm ET
- May 6th – Jeremy Fisher at 4pm ET
- May 7th – Neon Dreams at 4pm ET
- May 11th – Charlotte Cardin at 4pm ET
- May 12th – Classified at 4pm ET
- May 18th – Mt. Joy at 4pm ET
Wine and music lovers can donate to the Canadian Red Cross by visiting: redcross.ca/concert
For more information on the Living Room Sessions and latest schedule, please visit: iheartradio.ca/exclusives/iheart-living-room-sessions
1-minute tip for artists: Things to avoid.
Too much, too little, not enough or waaaay too much. These are the things to avoid when you’re in a band.
4 Reasons Why You Need a DUI Lawyer on Your Side
The last thing you expected today was an arrest for driving under the influence or impaired driving. Since this is the first (and hopefully last) time you’ve ever faced this sort of thing, it makes sense to seek the services of a Toronto impaired driving lawyer who can help you deal with the upcoming hearing. Why do you need a lawyer? Here are four good reasons.
Determining If There are Grounds for Fighting the Charges
The lawyer will want to know all there is to know about the circumstances surrounding the arrest. That includes what you were doing, who you were with, and how the law enforcement officers first approached you. The goal is to ensure that your rights were not violated at any time during the events leading up to the arrest.
Law enforcement do have specific rules and guidelines that they follow. If some essential protocol was not followed, that could serve as grounds to ask for a dismissal of the charges. If there are any grounds at all, your legal counsel will know what to do.
Understanding the Laws and Precedents That Apply in Your Case
Laws related to driving under the influence and impaired driving are more complex than many people realize. It takes someone who knows them well to figure out how those laws apply in your case. Along with the laws, there’s also the matter of apply legal precedents to the charges you’re facing.
While you would find it difficult to properly prepare for your hearing, a lawyer who practices in this area of the law will know how to identify laws and precedents that have some bearing on the case. That makes it all the easier to protect your rights while in the courtroom.
Experience in the Courtroom Matters
Outside of seeing trials on television or in movies, how much experience do you have with courtrooms? It may surprise you to learn that most of what you think you know is more fiction than fact. What you need right now is someone who can help you understand court procedure and proper decorum.
Along with defending you, the lawyer will explain what to do while the court is in session. You’ll understand how choosing to conduct yourself in a certain matter will make things easier and maybe even help your situation a little.
Preparing Yourself for Potential Outcomes
Based on the particulars of your case, the outcome could go more than one way. Your lawyer won’t pull any punches when it comes to helping you be aware of all the different decisions that the court could make. Some of them will be based on your past record, assuming there is one.
The goal is to ensure that you have reasonable expectations when you enter the courtroom. While your legal counsel will work for the best possible decision, be aware that the court may or may not agree with your lawyer. By being aware of what could happen, you can prepare for most scenarios.
The bottom line is that you don’t want to enter the court without a lawyer by your side. As soon as possible, secure legal services and begin preparing the defense. In the long run, you’ll be glad that you did.
Why Should I Turn My Spare Room into a Home Gym?
You have a room that’s not used for much of anything. In fact, it’s become a place where things go that have no other place to go. Instead of continuing to let junk that you will never use again accumulate, clean out the space and convert it into something useful. A home gym would be a great choice. Here are some reasons to clear the space, buy a set of dumbbells online and create your own home gym.
You Get Rid of the Commute
One of the issues that prevents you from going to the gym is the commute. It’s not really convenient to go before or after work since it’s out of the way. The result is that you end up going on weekends and that’s about it.
If you invest is some basic equipment and set up a home gym, commuting back and forth is no longer a problem. It will be a lot easier to set up a schedule so that you work out at least three times a week. Plan those workouts for any time of day you like. If it’s easier to work out before you get ready for work, so be it. Should you find it easier to work out after you get home, that’s fine too.
You Can Work Out Any Time
Most of the gyms and fitness centers in your area have set hours of operation. If your work schedule makes it difficult to get there during those hours, it’s often easier to just not exercise at all. Over time, the lack of physical activity will have a detrimental effect on you in more ways than one.
With your own home gym, you’re not limited by those hours. Even if you do establish your own routine for working out, it’s easy to be flexible. Perhaps you’re involved with a special project at work that means spending a lot more time at the office. Even if the only time you have to work out is close to midnight, your home gym will be there waiting for you.
No Need to Feel Self-Conscious
One of the things that keeps people from working out at fitness centers and gyms is the fact that they’re not in top shape. Perhaps that applies to you as well. You’re not comfortable being around people who are more toned and muscular, so you tend to find excuses to not go at all.
With your own gym at home, there’s no one there who makes you feel self-conscious. It’s easy enough to go about your routines and slowly begin to get in better shape. The day may come when you feel more at home in a spa or fitness center, owing to the workouts that you’ve done at home.
Pursue Fitness at Your Own Pace
While a little competitive spirit can be helpful, too much of a good thing can leave you discouraged. Even if you’re not self-conscious about your looks, you may be intimidated by the amount of weight that others are lifting.
Remember that you’re not in a race with anyone else. If the home gym helps you pursue your goals at your own pace, that’s a good thing. Go ahead and get kettlebells along with other basics and start working out for a half-hour or so several times a week. As you see the changes in how you look and feel, that will be all the motivation needed to keep at it.
There are other benefits to home gyms that you will discover along the way. Have a yard sale or let friends come over and go through the contents of that spare room. Once it’s emptied, buy enough equipment to get started with those home workouts. As your fitness level increases, you can always add more.
Ranking the Best Rock-Themed Casino Games
There have been many changes to the online casino experience over the last few years. For instance, we saw the launch of live casino games in the mid-2010s, which added a whole new dimension to casino sites. But the evolution of specific game genres has also been dramatic; the video slots you can find today, for example, are a lot different than those you’d find at the start of 2010.
One area where this shift is apparent is with branded games, i.e. those based on some element of pop culture. These games often require licencing deals, such as the one Playtech struck with Warner Bros. to create a range of DC Superheroes games. The result is a polished product, with the best games effortlessly weaving that branded content into the gameplay.
Rock bands and artists seem to be natural bedfellows for this gaming concept, especially given that stellar audio forms part of the modern casino experience. So, developers have struck licencing agreements with some of the biggest names in rock to create officially-branded games. But which are the best? Here’s our top five:
- Guns N’ Roses Slot
Arguably the most popular rock casino games, you can play Guns N’ Roses slot at casino.com, which is probably the best ecoPayz casino for Canadians. The game does two things very well: First, it gets the GNR iconography spot on, using the album artwork from Appetite for Destruction and both Use Your Illusion records, as well as plenty of live concert footage; secondly, it has plenty of audio delights, with songs like Paradise City and Sweet Child O’ Mine featured on the soundtrack. Of course, it’s not enough for a casino game to look and sound great – it needs big win potential. Thankfully, Guns N’ Roses has that in potential.
- Ozzy Osbourne Video Slots
This game is the most recent release on this list, with developers NetEnt launching the Ozzy Osbourne slot in late 2019. However, it’s also the most retro in style, with the graphics and gameplay feeling more akin to a 1980s arcade game. And yet, that should not dissuade you from checking out a really fun game that delivers just what you’d expect from The Prince of Darkness. A simple slot, making it perhaps a good option for beginners.
- Spinal Tap
One of Blueprint Gaming’s finest creations, the Spinal Tap slot is one of the most ambitious games ever released. Featuring tons of bonus games and special features, there always seems to be something new to discover. The best part of the game is the Band Odyssey Bonus, where you will strive to take the band all the way to the World Tour. Spinal Tap is a fantastic casino game, but you be aware that it is volatile, i.e. it can pay big but infrequently. So, only play this one with disposable funds.
- Motorhead Slot
Like the Guns N’ Roses slot, this one is a visual accomplishment with some great footage of Motorhead sliced through the slot. Indeed, the game comes with a disclaimer that it features flashing lights and, therefore, might not be suitable for those with photosensitive epilepsy. Anyway, as to the slot and the gameplay, Motorhead has a unique reel set-up and plenty of ways to win huge amounts. Iconic frontman, Lemmy, takes centre stage calling the action throughout the session.
- Jimi Hendrix Slot
Another cracking release from NetEnt, a developer that has gone for rock slots in a big way. The game really aims to look at the psychedelic side of Hendrix, and the visuals are – for want of a better phrase – a bit trippy. You’ll hear plenty of Hendrix’ major hits, including Voodoo Child and Foxy Lady, and there is a funky free spins bonus that offers plenty of big prize potential.