Well, almost.
Listen to One Of John Coltrane’s Final Interviews In 1966
The Jazz musician, John Coltrane, discusses his art, the meaning of music in human experience, and his particular spiritual approach. This rare interview was done in November, 1966, less than a year before his death.
Steve Martin performs stand-up comedy for dogs on the Tonight Show in 1973
Rare early Steve Martin stand-up routine from February 15, 1973. He performs for an audience of dogs and later does some card tricks for Johnny Carson.
Pink Floyd Performs “Astronomy Domine” To An Empty Fillmore Auditorium in 1970
On April 30 1970, Pink Floyd played an hour-long set in an empty Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, filmed for broadcast by small local television station called KQED. “At that point, they were really anxious to have whatever publicity they could,” remembers the program’s co-producer at KQED, Jim Farber. “We did not have much of a budget. Pink Floyd did the performance and offered the rights for a certain number of airings for practically nothing. My memory is we paid them $200.”
Gil Grand Launches Country Music Sight-Seeing, Sing-A-Long Tour Company
Canadian Country Music Association multi-award winner Gil Grand has launched the Gil Grand Country Music Tours – Canada’s only sight-seeing and sing-a-long tour company. Country music lovers will have the chance to ride in a luxury coach to the biggest and greatest country music events and destinations throughout the U.S. and Canada. The entertainment begins from the moment you step onto the bus and continues in transit all the way to your final destination making it the ultimate country music experience.
Grand shares, “I can remember in my early 20s there was a gentleman by the name of Bill Rivers who was a true champion of country music in the Sudbury region. He owned and operated a company called Rivers Tours and the Country Music Travellers where he took bus loads of enthusiastic local country fans to Nashville, Branson and Memphis. I got to become friends with Bill and performed at several of his Sunday afternoon dances early on in my career. I never forgot his bus tours and I’d like to think that in a small way I can continue this tradition.”
Join Gil Grand on the first trip March 5 – 10 to Nashville, Tennessee and stay at the world famous Opryland Hotel. Trip and package will include backstage with Grand for a VIP tour of the Grand Ole Opry, with the option to watch the curtain rise from the stage. Take a walk down honky-tonk highway on lower Broadway, visit the Country Music Hall of Fame, see the homes of your favorite country stars, and learn to line dance while you enjoy some of the finest southern cooking, plus a One Night of Country Legends concert featuring Grand, with special guests, at the legendary Nashville Palace. MUST SIGN UP BY JANUARY 31, 2020! First 10 people will have the option to upgrade to VIP. Bus will depart from Casinorama in Orillia, shuttle service will be available to and from Casinorama from Sudbury and there will be a pickup in Mississauga also. This trip is in partnership with Little Rock Tours, along with Pure Country 91.7 Sudbury and Pure Country 106 Orillia. Tickets and more information can be found HERE.
Grand explains, “This has been a dream of mine for many years now. Living in Nashville for the past 15 years I’ve witnessed the rise in popularity and love affair that the world has with Nashville. And, a big number of the tourists here are Canadian. I can’t wait to ride the bus and sing with everyone!”
The Gil Grand Country Music Tours bus ride will feature live entertainment, country music karaoke and country music trivia games for fun prizes.
Canadian Hip Hop Artist Toronto Poor Boy Releases Inspiring New Single “Big Dreams”
Canadian hip hop artist Toronto Poor Boy is set to inspire with the release of his fired up new track, “Big Dreams” — available now.
With 300,000 views across YouTube and radio airplay throughout Toronto, Australia and the UK, Toronto Poor Boy has released the track ahead of his forthcoming debut studio album, available this spring.
Hot on the heels of late 2019’s single release, “Karma,” “Big Dreams” amplifies the Jamaican-born entertainer’s dynamic blend of hip hop, rock and reggae, while drawing audiences to his magnetic online presence full of original comedy skits.
But even further, the track mirrors Poor Boy’s own story and path; born in Jamaica into poverty, he was raised in group and foster homes throughout Toronto from the time he immigrated to Canada as a young teen, to the point of legal age and when he was released on his own.
It’s this come up — from straits to the stage — that magnify Toronto Poor Boy’s achievements in working hard to pursue his dream of writing and performing. It’s his personal struggle — the loneliness of not having a family, the experience of navigating life far back from the ‘starting line,’ and the quest to stay out of trouble— that create such a rich and dynamic storytelling within the rapper’s music.
Poor Boy’s music is very much a reflection of his complex identity; “I’m very much two people,” he says. “Not innocent or bad, but both parts exist simultaneously.”
“Ultimately, it’s my goal to inspire those in my community. My message to everyone is to never give up, and keep working on those ‘Big Dreams.’”
“Big Dreams” is available now.
Jennifer Hudson is Aretha Franklin in the new biopic “Respect”
Following the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom, RESPECT is the remarkable true story of the music icon’s journey to find her voice. Starring Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Skye Dakota Turner, Tate Donovan, and Mary J. Blige.
Matt Berninger of The National sings “The Long Words Song” on Kids’ TV show Helpsters
The Helpsters and Matt Berninger sing a short ditty about long words on the new Apple TV+ show Helpsters.
Smash Mouth Song ‘All Star’ Played on Ocarinas Made Out of Melons
Hey now, Finnish musician and ocarina maker Toni Patanen, aka Pupsi is an All-Star, as he performs Smash Mouth’s hit song “All Star” using melons to make music.
Canadian Music Week 2020 will ‘Focus on The Netherlands’
Canadian Music Week is highlighting the Netherlands at CMW in Toronto from May 20-22, 2020. The CMW ‘Focus on the Netherlands’ supports the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands by Canada. The activity is designed to build new bridges for bilateral music trade relations between Canada and the Netherlands.
Neill Dixon, president of Canadian Music Week states, “We are proud to welcome the first official music mission to Canada from the Netherlands and look forward to opening new trade routes for both Dutch and Canadians to do business together.”
“We are excited about the extensive program we have prepared together with the Canadian Music Week team for Dutch artists and music professionals. Thorough preparations of this mission fit perfectly with the current professionalization of Dutch Music Export. Giving more attention to the Canadian music industry has been on the wish list of many Dutch artists for years and we are proud of this collaboration,” says Marcel Albers, ‘Chef de Mission’ Dutch Music Export.
Canadian Music Week is working with Global Affairs Canada, Ontario Creates, the Embassy of Canada to the Netherlands in The Hague, along with Dutch Music Export (DME) who have been instrumental in adding to the magnitude of the mission. DME is promoting the event to the Dutch music industry and will showcase the best in emerging Dutch talent to Canadian audiences and industry professionals during CMW.
To advance this initiative, the European Music Exporters Exchange (EMEE) has, for the first time, allowed a Canadian panel at ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag), which takes place in Groningen, the Netherlands from January 15 to 18, 2020.
Nuno Saraiva, the Portuguese-Canadian Executive Director of WHY Portugal who leads the panel, notes: “The session will explore the peculiarities of the Canadian music market. On one hand, Canada is a multi-cultural land of music lovers, open to European music, while on the other hand, its strong national support systems for music seems like it is a difficult country to export to. Or is it?” Panelists will include Neill Dixon (CMW), Brian Hetherman (Cerberus Management) and Marcel Louwman (Embassy of Canada in the Netherlands).
The Focus on the Netherlands is a joint effort between Canadian Music Week (CMW) and The Canadian Association for the Advancement of Music and the Arts (CAAMA.)
Now in its 38th year, Canadian Music Week is Canada’s leading annual entertainment event dedicated to the expression and growth of the country’s music, media and entertainment industries. Combining multifaceted information-intensive conferences; a trade exposition; awards shows and the nation’s largest new music festival which spans five nights of performances (May 19 – 23, 2020) by hundreds of bands at more than 40 live music venues in downtown Toronto. All CMW conference functions take place at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, 123 Queen Street W. Toronto from May 20 – 22.