All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
Photo Gallery: Collective Soul at Niagara Falls’ Fallsview Casino
What Goes Into Releasing An Artist’s Music Posthumously
George Michael is one of the latest musicians to have music released posthumously. A lot goes into how that music gets released, who profits and what players make it happen.
Tori Amos Announces New Book “Resistance: A Songwriter’s Story of Hope, Change, and Courage”
Resistance: A Songwriter’s Story of Hope, Change, and Courage, a timely and passionate call to action for engaging with our current political moment from the Grammy-nominated and multiplatinum singer-songwriter and New York Times bestselling author Tori Amos, has been announced for publication on May 5, 2020.
Since the release of her first, career-defining solo album Little Earthquakes, Tori Amos has been one of the music industry’s most enduring and ingenious artists. From her unnerving depiction of sexual assault in “Me and a Gun” to her post-September 11 album, Scarlet’s Walk, to her latest album, Native Invader, her work has never shied away from intermingling the personal with the political.
Amos began playing piano as a teenager for the politically powerful at hotel bars in Washington, DC, during the formative years of the post-Goldwater and then Koch-led Libertarian and Reaganite movements. The story continues to her time as a hungry artist in Los Angeles to the subsequent three decades of her formidable music career. Amos explains how she managed to create meaningful, politically resonant work against patriarchal power structures—and how her proud declarations of feminism and her fight for the marginalized always proved to be her guiding light. She teaches us to engage with intention in this tumultuous global climate and speaks directly to supporters of #MeToo and #TimesUp, as well as young people fighting for their rights and visibility in the world.
Filled with compassionate guidance and actionable advice—and using some of the most powerful, political songs in Amos’s canon—this book is for anyone determined to steer the world back in the right direction. You can pre-order it here.
Canadian Icons Come Together: Canopy Growth And Drake Launch New Cannabis Wellness Company
Canopy Growth Corporation and Drake are pleased to announce that they have entered into agreements to launch the More Life Growth Company, a fully licensed producer of cannabis based in Drake’s hometown of Toronto, Canada.
“When we first began talks with Drake we were extremely inspired by and aligned with his vision to bring best-in-class cannabis products to the world,” said Mark Zekulin, CEO, Canopy Growth Corporation. “Drake’s perspective as a culture leader and entrepreneur combined with Canopy Growth’s breadth of cannabis knowledge will allow our new company to bring an unmatched cannabis experience to global markets.”
Drake’s eclectic career includes experience across a wide variety of industries including music, television, film, fashion, sports, brand development, content curation and social and digital media strategy. Having launched numerous successful brands over the past decade, he is uniquely positioned to bring his innovative eye to the recreational cannabis industry.
“The opportunity to partner with a world-class company like Canopy Growth on a global scale is really exciting,” shared More Life Growth Company founder, Drake. “The idea of being able to build something special in an industry that is ever growing has been inspiring. More Life and More Blessing.”
Proudly based in Drake’s hometown of Toronto, More LifeTM is centred around wellness, discovery and overall personal growth with the hope of facilitating connections and shared experiences across the globe.
“All in all, we couldn’t be more excited to partner with Drake to bring his vision for the More Life Growth Company to global cannabis markets,” concluded Mr. Zekulin. “We anticipate a long, successful, and mutually beneficial working relationship.”
The Company and Drake will share further details on the More LifeTM team and vision in the weeks to come.
In connection with the launch of the More Life brand, a previously wholly-owned subsidiary (the “More Life Growth Company”) of Canopy Growth, has issued shares to certain entities that are controlled by Drake (“Drake”). Following the issuance of the shares, Drake holds a 60% ownership interest in the More Life Growth Company, with Canopy Growth retaining a 40% ownership.
The More Life Growth Company is the beneficial owner of an entity licensed by Health Canada for the cultivation, processing and sale of cannabis at its production facility in Scarborough, Ontario (the “More Life Facility”).
Canopy Growth will continue to provide all of the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the More Life Facility and will retain all of the rights to distribute the product that is cultivated at the More Life Facility.
As consideration for the issuance of the shares of the More Life Growth Company, Drake has granted More Life Growth Company the right to exclusively exploit certain intellectual property and brands in association with the growth, manufacture, production, marketing and sale of cannabis and cannabis-related products, accessories, merchandise and paraphernalia in Canada and internationally. The maintenance of the non-Canada rights after 18 months is contingent upon certain performance criteria of the More Life Growth Company being met. The More Life Growth Company has sublicensed such rights in Canada to Canopy Growth in exchange for payments to be made by the Company on the sale of More LifeTM products, providing Canopy Growth with the exclusive rights to distribute More LifeTM products in Canada. In addition, Canopy Growth has the option to extend the terms and conditions of the sublicense into all international jurisdictions.
Canopy Growth and Drake have entered into a shareholders agreement, investor rights agreements, and various other ancillary agreements to govern the operations of the More Life Growth Company. In connection with these arrangements, Canopy Growth has the right to nominate two directors to the board of the More Life Growth Company as well as a pre-emptive right to maintain its ownership interest in the More Life Growth Company.
Talent stuck in Saudi Arabia led to NXT invasion on Smackdown
On November 1st, we saw several NXT superstars such as Shanaya Baszler, Rhea Ripley, Adam Cole and Tommaso Ciampa invading the WWE SmackDown as several SmackDown superstars missed the episode, being stuck on an aircraft back from Saudi Arabia due to mechanical faults supposedly.
WWE SmackDown was slated to take place from Buffalo, N.Y. as usual. But as we came to learn from WWE News, a large part of the WWE roster was stuck in Saudi Arabia. This was when they were returning following the disappointing Crown Jewel PPV event which was broadcasted on Thursday afternoon.
There were rumors of flights being delayed due to mechanical issues with the plane. But as we learned from other sources, it was not the case. Actually, no one even knows the actual reason for the delay. We don’t know if the official statement released to clear the speculations out was true at all.
More than 175 Superstars, production crew and employees boarded a 747 charter flight back to the United States on Thursday. After the door closed, due to several aircraft problems including mechanical issues, all passengers sat on the tarmac for more than six hours. With SmackDown set to emanate live from Buffalo, N.Y., several Superstars felt so strongly that they arranged for their own separate charter in order to make it back to the U.S. for the show. Due to unforeseen issues, that charter will not land until after the live broadcast on Fox.
The remainder of WWE’s Superstars, staff and crew will depart on a charter set to depart Saudi Arabia later tonight.
As always with WWE, the show must go on. Live at 8/7 CT on FOX, SmackDown will feature Superstars, such as Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Carmella, Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke — plus, additional surprises.
The invasion was nothing but an act setting up the stage for the Survivor Series, where the three primary brands of WWE – RAW, SmackDown and NXT will fight each other for supremacy. However, it served another major purpose, which was to make a show out of whatever SmackDown had left with it.
To save the night, NXT wrestlers were flown to Buffalo from Florida. We saw Tomasso Ciampa beat The Miz, Rhea Ripley and Tegan Nox picking up a win and Adam Cole beating Daniel Bryan to retain the NXT Championship. And all of it was planned and supervised by none other than Triple H.
At the end of the show, we saw NXT wrestlers celebrating. And Triple H took the opportunity to challenge RAW and SmackDown to a fight at Survivor Series.
Being true to the storyline, WWE SmackDown Superstars expressed their anger over this invasion publicly, vowing to avenge it. WWE Superstar Roman Reigns even took to Twitter to warn the wrestlers from the WWE’s Black and Gold development brand. Roman posted-
I respect y’all stepping up…but don’t get too comfortable in my yard. @WWENXT
Introducing Spotify Kids, A New Standalone App for the Next Generation of Listeners
Spotify is committed to bringing audio content such as music and stories to more people in more ways–including the next generation of listeners. That’s why they decided to launch a fun standalone app designed with safety in mind specifically for kids and families.
Spotify Kids is a standalone app available exclusively for Premium Family subscribers and intended for kids ages 3+. The content within Kids is hand-picked by a team of editors, who have nearly 100 years of combined experience curating content for kids. They come from some of the most well-respected brands in this space, including Nickelodeon, Disney, Discovery Kids, and Universal Pictures, as well as Public Service in Sweden and BookBeat, which is a family- and kids-oriented audio streaming service.
Beyond the content, the entire Spotify Kids user experience looks and feels different from the Spotify app. And that’s intentional. It’s built for kids, with their specific cognitive skills in mind, and exudes a fun, familiar, playful, and bright atmosphere. This look and feel also varies by age group—for example, the artwork for younger kids is softer and character-based, while content for older kids is more realistic and detailed.
Having a standalone app specifically for younger kids is a new space for Spotify, and they’ve started with a beta launch in Ireland, knowing that this initial roll-out phase will yield many learnings from parents, caregivers and other experts as they begin to interact with the app.
Camila Cabello, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Lizzo To Perform at the 2019 American Music Awards
that Camila Cabello, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Lizzo will each take the stage to perform at the “2019 American Music Awards.” Multi-platinum singer/songwriter, four-time American Music Award winner and 2019 nominee Camila Cabello will once again grace the stage after giving an unforgettable performance last year, while breakout artist and six-time American Music Award nominee Billie Eilish will take the stage for her very first awards show performance. Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa also returns to the American Music Awards stage after delivering one of the most talked-about performances last year and chart-topping superstar Lizzo, who received three nominations this year, will bring her unstoppable energy to the American Music Awards stage for the very first time.
Cabello, Eilish, Lipa and Lizzo join previously announced performers Selena Gomez, as well as Taylor Swift, the “2019 American Music Awards” Artist of the Decade award recipient. The “2019 American Music Awards” will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 24 at 8:00 p.m. EST on ABC.
Toronto/Montrealer Hip Hop Artist Rawmny Wildcat Lays Foundation for His “Legacy”
Canadian hip hop artist Rawmny Wildcat is laying the groundwork for his “Legacy” — releasing the first single off his forthcoming LP of the same name, available now.
The bright chord riffs on “Legacy” bring the track back to an 80s, near-vintage sound while carrying elements from the current state of trap. Produced alongside Nabil ‘Nabsolut’ Benmiloud, the song started as just an experiment when the two were jamming, and discussing dreams.
Speaking of experimenting, that “Legacy” would start that way mirrors how Rawmny Wildcat — pronounced ‘Raw Money’ and formerly known as Rasselas — first started; the Toronto-based rapper took to playing around with music after his family relocated to Montreal from Ethiopia.
Influenced by soul, Motown, 80s and 90s hip hop and traditional Ethiopian sounds, Wildcat took to the craft during his younger school years in the Canadian metropolis.
From there, Rawmny stayed no stranger to the grind; his love for music had him hitting the road in those early days, visiting local radio stations to meet the DJs. These connections would soon see him calling into K103FM to freestyle over the phone, and have Mike Mission and Ken Dog from CKUT 90.3FM take him under their wing, allowing him to freestyle on their show Masters at Work.
Beyond the station circuit, he headed a local traditional Ethiopian collective, Tis-Abay Band, and took on producing beats for Homegrown Records and its burgeoning roster.
His solo breakout project called Injera Music — named after his own newly-founded label — saw the hit single “Clap Your Hands” land with over 1,000,000 views, and counting.
“I use my music as an outlet to connect to the true emotions that come from the heart,” he says of his lyrics that land reflective of his life experience. “Conversant hip hop allows me to connect with my audience on a personal level.
“It’s all about being true to oneself, staying motivated, questioning the status quo, and living a healthy lifestyle.”
Rawmny Wildcat’s 2018 EP True Colors laid the groundwork for this mantra and then some, a full result audiences will receive in his forthcoming full-length.
“Legacy” is available now. Legacy is available January 2020.
George Michael’s brand new single This Is How (We Want You To Get High), Previously unreleased song is his first music to be shared since 2012
George Michael gave the world some of the greatest ever pop songs, including arguably the greatest ever Christmas record. Now, some 35 years on from the iconic Last Christmas, another festive treat has come for his millions of fans across the world.
This Is How (We Want You to Get High), co-written and co-produced by George Michael and collaborator James Jackman, is to be released by Virgin EMI after its first radio play at 8am on November 6.The previously unreleased track, which was recorded during George’s final studio sessions, is his first original material to be shared for seven years.
A funky, upbeat soon-to-be-classic, This is How (We Want You to Get High) has a seductive George Michael hook and melody that will delight his legion of loyal fans and electrify a whole new audience. The lyrics, written exclusively by George, see the star addressing society’s ills with his trademark blend of self-deprecation and wry humour.
Work on This is How (We Want You to Get High) began in early 2012.The track was subsequently developed and recorded in sessions at Air Studios in London, before the finishing touches were added in late 2015 during George’s final recording sessions.
With its uplifting vibe and socially-conscious message, This is How (We Want You to Get High)is a fitting finale to Last Christmas, Universal Pictures’ new romantic comedy.The film was inspired by the eponymous Wham! hit, and has a soundtrack featuring three Wham!tracks and twelve songs from George Michael’s solo career. Director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Mad Men) describes the movie as ‘a love letter to George’.
The film was co-scripted by Academy Award winner Emma Thompson, who stars alongside Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) and Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians). Thompson visited George at his North London home in the Spring of 2013 to talk through her ideas for the screenplay. George loved what she had to say and gave his blessing. The actress and screenwriter then developed various versions of the script before George’s sudden passing on Christmas Day 2016.
In the Spring of 2018, after discussions over which songs would be in the film, Emma Thompson was given an exclusive preview of four new, finished and unreleased George Michael tracks. She instantly fell in love with This Is How (We Want You To Get High), remarking how the lyrics resonated with the film’s central themes. The film Last Christmas will be released in the United States on 8 November 8, the United Kingdom on November 15 and on assorted dates throughout the rest of the world until 27 December.The Soundtrack will be released on November 8.
Hear George Michael’s classics & more on his limited-run SiriusXM channel
SiriusXM announced the launch of George Michael Radio (Ch. 68), a limited-run channel, which will launch on Friday, November 1. The channel will showcase music from legendary English singer-songwriter George Michael, as well as music from Wham!
George Michael Radio will coincide with the theatrical release of the holiday romance Last Christmas from Universal Pictures, a romantic comedy inspired by a George Michael beat. The channel will feature exclusive insights and stories from the stars of Last Christmas, including Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians), and Oscar winner Emma Thompson, cowriter of the screenplay. Last Christmas was directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor, Bridesmaids).
Last Christmas features the music of George Michael and Wham!, including the bittersweet holiday classic of the film’s title. The film will also premiere brand-new, unreleased material by the legendary Grammy-winning artist, who sold more than 115 million albums and recorded 10 No. 1 singles over the course of his iconic career.
Click below to check out the official trailer for Last Christmas:
Last Christmas is produced by BAFTA winner David Livingstone for Calamity Films, by Emma Thompson, and by Paul Feig and Jessie Henderson for Feigco Entertainment. The film is executive produced by Sarah Bradshaw.
SiriusXM’s George Michael Radio kicks off on Friday, November 1 at 12pm ET and runs through Friday, November 8, on Channel 68 on SiriusXM radios, the SiriusXM app and web player.
SiriusXM subscribers are able to listen to George Michael Radio (Channel 68) on SiriusXM radios, and those with streaming access can listen online, on-the-go with the SiriusXM mobile app and at home on a wide variety of connected devices including smart TVs, Amazon Alexa devices, Apple TV, PlayStation, Roku, Sonos speakers and more. Go to www.SiriusXM.com/streaming to learn more.