All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
Photo Gallery: Big Wreck with Texas King at Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall
Strangest Tributes to the Great Musical Artists
Meta: People always find strange ways to celebrate their favourite musical artists. Here are some of the best but weirdest tributes to some of the greatest legends of the stage.
We all show our devotion to our musical idols in weird and wonderful ways. No matter who they are or what music they have introduced to the world, there are always going to be some strange ways to celebrate them. Here are some of the strangest tributes to the greatest musical artists out there.
Games
There are so many games online which are tributes to some of the greatest legends in the music industry. They allow us the chance to explore some of the best music these idols have produced in the guide of bright symbols and fun bonuses.
Some of the biggest stars have been immortalised in this way. Big names include Guns ‘N Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, and Jimi Hendrix. If you are a fan of any of their music, you should play their games at a fantastic online casino which offers them.
Streets
Wandering the streets of some of the hometowns of your favourite musical artists could result in you discovering a tribute to them. One of the most amusing can be found in Melbourne, Australia, hometown of the rock legends AC/DC.
ACDC Lane was named in 2004. Unfortunately, the local government would not allow the backslash which usually separates the band’s name in the street plaque. To compensate for this, an artist added a lightning bolt to the sign to make it look more like the band’s logo. While this did give the right effect, the local government had it removed and the sign restored.
Shrines
Head to Memphis, Tennessee, and you are not going to be able to move for Elvis memorabilia. He was one of America’s first and biggest music stars so it is unsurprising that the town he loved is full of things to visit. From his iconic mansion Graceland to a real Heartbreak Hotel, there is no shortage of stops on an Elvis tour.
The strangest one by far can be found in Goner Records. There is a shrine here filled with pictures of the King of Rock and Roll and a doll which moves and sings and moves when you pay a coin to it. While it is a nice tribute to Elvis, the whole shrine is a little bit odd.
Manhole Covers
It is not uncommon to see murals and statues to musical artists. However, you might also see some stranger tributes to musical artists. Head to Duluth in Minnesota to fid the Bob Dylan Way. This is a stretch of Highway 61 which now celebrates the musical career of Bob Dylan.
Most amusingly, the manhole covers were removed and replaced with specialised ones which celebrate his music. Made from recycled radiators, they are a cool way to track this route through the hometown of this famous artist.
No matter what genre of music the star makes, there is always going to be a fan who is ready to celebrate their work in weird and wonderful ways. Seeing how fans celebrate their idols is always going to be one of the best parts of the music industry.
Tory Lanez Announces Chixtape 5 Shows In Los Angeles, New York & Toronto
Coming off the high of his recently released album, Tory Lanez announces three live shows in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto. The shows will feature performances from his hit album Chixtape 5 plus other fan favorites from his catalog of chart topping hit music. Tickets go on sale Friday, December 20.
Show Dates: Tory Lanez & Friends Chixtape Live
February 20- Los Angeles: The Palladium
February 22- New York: Hammerstein Ballroom
February 23- Toronto: Coca Cola Coliseum
Chixtape 5 peaked at #1 on the Apple Music charts while the lead single “Jerry Sprunger” amassed over 40 million streams globally across all platforms. The project as a whole has over 195 million streams to date. Chixtape 5 is the fifth installment in the series by the Grammy Award-nominated and multi-platinum recording artist, and is the first to be available on all streaming platforms. It features hits from the early 2000’s era including samples and features from Jagged Edge, Jermain Dupri, T-Pain, Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown, Ludacris, The Dream, Mya, Mario, Trey Songz, Ashanti, Lloyd, Lil Wayne, Fabolous and Slim of 112 all of which Lanez will be performing at each show.
Tory Lanez is the definition of a triple threat. A rapper, singer and producer, Lanez originally stepped onto the music scene with the release of fan favorite mixtapes such as Sincerely Tory, Lost Cause and Cruel Intentions. After signing to Interscope Records in 2015, his debut album, I Told You peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 Chart and featured the certified double platinum single “Luv” and 3x platinum “Say It.” With a slew of additional mixtape projects including Chixtape and The New Toronto series as well as his sophomore album Memories Don’t Die (which peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 chart), Lanez continued to create hit after hit. His third album LoVE mE NOw, released in October 2018, took over the Billboard Rap Chart to become the #1 album in the country. 2019 brought even more success as Lanez toured the UK with Drake for the Assassination Vacation Tour and joined forces with Chris Brown for the IndiGOAT Tour to wrap up the summer. Never one to be labeled or confined to a box, Lanez will be showcasing his versatility with a Latin project titled El Agua. To close out 2019, Lanez also released his highly anticipated album Chixtape 5, which put his artistic twist on some of the biggest hits of the 00’s and featured a few of the most iconic artists of that time period including “Jerry Sprunger,” a sample of T-Pain’s (who is also featured on Lanez’ version) hit record “I’m Sprung” . With countless platinum singles on his resume, Tory Lanez continues to be an artist that breaks the mold and leaves fans wanting more.
Wham’s “Last Christmas” Mashup with Slayer’s “Angel Of Death” Is Your New Holiday Classic
Andy Rehfeldt jells the angry vocals from their track Angel of Death with the upbeat 80s synth-pop of Wham!’s holiday staple Last Christmas for a new killer holiday classic.
Bill Murray is asked what he wants that he doesn’t yet have. He gives a surprising and meaningful answer you might not expect.
Bill Murray is asked what he wants that he doesn’t yet have. His answer is honest, candid, and resonates with many of us.
My Next Read: Switched on Pop: How Popular Music Works, and Why it Matter
With today’s publication of Switched on Pop: How Popular Music Works, and Why it Matters, Oxford University Press releases a 224-page recipe for the “Secret Sauce Behind Pop-Music Hits” (The Wall Street Journal). Authored by Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding – creators and hosts of the eponymous podcast – the new book is an ear-opening exploration of the stars and singles defining our collective, 21st Century soundtrack.
Structured as a series of 16 deep-dive case studies, each chapter uses a specially-chosen chart-topper as the entrypoint into understanding the concepts, techniques, themes, and trends that help make certain songs so ubiquitous. By illuminating the inner-workings of building blocks like meter and melody, to the techniques of syncopation and modulation, even ideas around genre and identity, poptimists, snobs, and passive listeners alike will all be able to hear hits by Outkast, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, and more in ways they never have before – find the full track list below.
Since personal revelations on the ingenuity of Carly Rae Jepsen sparked the idea to launch the Switched on Pop podcast five years ago – now part of the Vox Media Podcast Network – Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding have produced hundreds of episodes, welcomed guests like Lizzo, and become trusted authorities on Top 40 analysis. Sloan is also the Assistant Professor of Musicology at the University of Southern California, and Harding is the podcast’s Executive Producer, a multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter.
Complete with illustrations by Iris Gottlieb, Switched on Pop: How Popular Music Works, and Why it Matters packs the same “addictive” (Rolling Stone), “insanely fascinating” (BuzzFeed) mix of “rigor and charm” (Vulture) as the show into a timely new text.
Based on the critically acclaimed podcast that has broken down hundreds of Top 40 songs since 2014, showing that pop music really does matter.
With engaging discussions and eye-catching illustrations by Iris Gottlieb, every music lover—from fanatics to skeptics, teenagers to octogenarians, non-musicians to professional composers—will discover something ear-opening.
Explains the musical techniques behind 20 years of pop hits and why they’re loved, revealing the surprising connections between contemporary pop music and musical styles from around the world and across history
The One Song Angel Olsen Wishes She Wrote
Angel Olsen talks about the one song she wishes she wrote, “Half Baked” by Jimmy Campbell.
Nevin Grant to be Inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame
Canadian Music Week is pleased to announce that Nevin Grant of CKOC is to be inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame, and will be the recipient of the Allan Waters Lifetime Achievement Award.
Music director of CKOC from 1968 until his retirement in 2003, Nevin is recognized as one of the top music programmers in Canada. He is an avid record collector, with his massive collection containing over 15,000 45 RPM singles alone. “I became a serious collector of 45 rpm recordings in the mid-Fifties. I tried to collect every hit single… I’d also buy any recording I really liked, whether a hit or not.”
His reputation as “The Hitmaker” was solidified over his 37-year career at CKOC. He was known for breaking new hits, and his knack for finding the latest and greatest in pop music was a huge part of CKOC’s success. After graduating in Radio and Television Arts from Toronto’s Ryerson University, Nevin started at CKOC in 1966 as a copywriter and became Creative Director, Music Director, Assistant Program Director then Program Director.
Following his retirement from CKOC in 2003, Nevin also became an author, offering his insightful recollections on the music, times, books, movies, fads, fashions and pop culture icons of 1955-1989 in his book Growing up with the Hits!: Reliving The Best Time of Your Life – 1955-1989.
Grant helped launch many broadcasters’ careers over the years, great DJs like Roger Ashby, Ronald J. Morey, Gord James, Dave Charles, Brent Sleightholm, Bob Steele, Mike Jaycock, Peter Jaycock, Franklyn Cooper, “Rock ‘N'” Ray Michaels and Bob Bratina, who would eventually become mayor of Hamilton.
Neill Dixon, president of Canadian Music Week and producer of the awards, says: ”We are very pleased to announce the induction for Nevin Grant. There’s a personal connection here, He always had time for the “record guys” dropping off vinyl 45’s to the station including myself as newbie RCA rep. back in the day.”
Jim Waters adds “I can’t think of a more deserving recipient of this prestigious award, which is presented in recognition of Nevin’s extraordinary contribution to the broadcast industry.”
Grant joins the ranks of previous recipients including Marilyn Denis, Roger Ashby, Chuck McCoy, John Donabie, Bill Evanov, David Marsden, John Derringer, Paul Ski, Don Shafer, Bob Laine, and J. Robert Wood. The Waters Family, specifically Allan Waters, founded the CHUM broadcasting empire in 1954 and built it into one of Canada’s most respected and successful broadcast companies.
Nevin Grant will be honoured at the 2020 Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards on May 21st, 2020 at the Bluma Appel Theatre (St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts.)
The Breakdown: Billie Eilish and Finneas on ‘Bad Guy’
It took Billie Eilish 34 “Duh”s to craft her hit song, “Bad Guy” — or at least that many takes of the word. And all that repetition paid off: Eilish recently garnered six Grammy nominations, including “Bad Guy” for Record and Song of the Year and When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? for Album of the Year.
The siblings discuss how they wrote their Grammy-nominated hit song in our video series