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The Big Push Announce North American ‘Lockdown Live’ Virtual Tour
Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton Album of live recordings from 1962 coming May 29, 2020 on Smithsonian Folkways
It’s hard to imagine a time when the brilliant guitar playing and Appalachian roots of Doc Watson weren’t a part of the American musical fabric. A famed artist in his day and a continuing influence on American music, Watson happened into the music industry much by accident, “discovered” by noted folklorist Ralph Rinzler in the early 1960s when he was mainly playing rockabilly tunes on the electric guitar near his home in tiny Deep Gap, North Carolina. Rinzler convinced Watson that audiences around the country were interested in the older music of Appalachia, and the nation soon fell in love with his heartfelt, powerful singing and his inimitable acoustic guitar playing. He inspired countless people to pick up the guitar and learn to flatpick the old melodies, much of this encouragement coming in person after performances. It was at the first of these shows in New York, really Watson’s first time headlining a show in the city (the previous time he’d played there he was one of two guitarists in Clarence Ashley’s band), that we get to hear this old music played by Watson and his fiddling father-in-law, Gaither Carlton. These live recordings from 1962 are to be released May 29, 2020, by Smithsonian Folkways as Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton on CD, digital, and vinyl. Most of these tracks have never been released before, and the recordings capture two masters at the height of their power, reveling in an audience that was there to listen, not just to drink and dance. It’s a moment where the rural Appalachian world of North Carolina came face to face with the urban New York world of young people desperate to learn folk music and to learn more about the Southern traditions they’d been discovering. These recordings show two very different worlds coming together, buoyed by Watson’s charming personality and his willingness to teach all who would learn.
Members of The Last Shadow Puppets, Muse, Jet, and Blur Form New Supergroup
The Jaded Hearts Club shares new track “This Love Starved Heart Of Mine (It’s Killing Me)” featuring Nic Cester on lead vocals. This lost Marvin Gaye song was originally recorded in 1967 a couple of months after “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” (which at the time was making Gaye a global star), but it wasn’t released from the vaults of Motown until 1994 almost 30 years later. Here The Jaded Hearts Club give it some renewed verve in a way only they can. In the bands’ words…
The Jaded Hearts Club are a new band featuring frontmen Miles Kane (The Last Shadow Puppets) and Nic Cester (Jet), guitarists Graham Coxon (Blur) and Jamie Davis, plus Matt Bellamy (Muse) on bass and drummer Sean Payne (The Zutons). “This Love Starved Heart Of Mine (It’s Killing Me)” is the second track the band have released following “Nobody But Me” which had Miles Kane lending his raucous rock ‘n’ roll vocal on The Isley Brothers’ Northern Soul classic.
The band were formed in 2017 when Jamie Davis, a British guitarist living in Los Angeles who previously ran Coxon’s Transcopic Records label in England, wanted to book a Beatles covers band to play at his birthday party. The cost proved to be excessive and the available tribute acts were drab, so Davis had a back-up plan. “I realised I knew a bunch of half decent British musician friends living in L.A. so I thought I’d ask if they’d come together to form an early ’60s Cavern-era Beatles band.”
They kept their plans a secret. So when family and friends turned up at the party, they were shocked to see an all-star band rampaging through a Cavern Club era Beatles set. “The place went nuts,” smiles Davis, “and everyone had such a good time that we decided to do it again.”
If their debut gig was a big surprise, their second raised the bar in dramatic fashion after Stella McCartney asked Bellamy if the band would play her fashion show in Los Angeles in January 2018. They arrived to see an A-list crowd gathered to see them: Quincy Jones, Katy Perry, James Corden and even Ringo Starr were in attendance. And then things took a turn for the unbelievable. Paul McCartney strolled on stage, winked at Davis and led the Hearts through “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Helter Skelter”. In the space of just two gigs, The Beatles covers band had effectively become the surrogate Beatles.
Things progressed in the same way that they had started. They played SXSW; a late night gig in Chicago after Bellamy had completed a stadium show with Muse; supported Roger Daltrey at The Royal Albert Hall in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust; and headlined London’s legendary 100 Club. Expanding their repertoire to cover other classic British rock songs from the Sixties, the 100 Club show was a tribute to Davis’s late father, with all proceeds donated to the Shooting Star Children’s Hospices. The charity further benefited from the limited edition vinyl only album Live At The 100 Club.
Back in Los Angeles, Bellamy and Davis wanted to develop the band further and started working on an album, with Bellamy producing at Red Room Studios in Los Angeles. The band decided to focus primarily on recording lost classics from the world of Northern Soul, supplemented by their raw, soulful takes on some famous standards from the era.
“Living in L.A. it seems like no-one has heard of Northern Soul,” says Davis. “We just love the story of how the north of England fell in love with American soul music even after it stopped having hits, and using that music as the soundtrack to a good night out.”
“I read somewhere recently, which made me laugh, that rock is the new jazz,” adds Bellamy. “It’s becoming an esoteric genre, but still with huge historical and cultural importance. Like jazz, which often reinvents old songs, The Jaded Hearts Club is continuing the tradition of how bands like The Beatles and The Stones started out – finding great soul and blues standards and recording them in a more modern style.”
Bellamy and Davis shifted through hundreds of songs as they researched what material they should record for the album. The first taster of the project (with Miles Kane on lead vocals) was a raucous rock ‘n’ roll take on a Northern Soul classic, The Isley Brothers’ 1962 song “Nobody But Me”, recorded in the spirit of The Human Beinz’s cult version that followed in 1968.
The band’s motivation, states Davis, is simple. “It goes back to the purest point of why people started bands in the first place – a group of great musicians getting together to play for fun with no pressure. We’re doing it because we have a bloody good time.”
ONE WORLD: TOGETHER AT HOME Details Are Here
The international television event ONE WORLD: TOGETHER AT HOME is available on Crave from Sunday, April 19–Tuesday, April 21 at 8 p.m. ET, following its live TV, radio, and digital broadcast. As previously announced, Bell Media is a foundational Canadian partner for the historic broadcast, which is hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Stephen Colbert. The benefit event includes appearances and performances by Canadians Céline Dion, Shawn Mendes, Jessie Reyez, Lilly Singh, Michael Bublé, and P.K. Subban, along with Alanis Morissette, Alicia Keys, Amy Poehler, Andrea Bocelli, Awkwafina, Billie Eilish, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Burna Boy, Camila Cabello, Chris Martin, David Beckham, Eddie Vedder, Ellen DeGeneres, Elton John, FINNEAS, Idris and Sabrina Elba, J Balvin, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Kerry Washington, Lady Gaga, Lang Lang, Lizzo, LL COOL J, Lupita Nyong’o, Maluma, Matthew McConaughey, Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney, Pharrell Williams, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sam Smith, Shah Rukh Khan, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, Usher, and Victoria Beckham.
Shania Twain, Luke Combs, Lady Antebellum, Morgan Wallen and Jordan Davis Present Canada Together: In Concert In Support Of Food Banks Canada And Unison Benevolent Fund
ET Canada in partnership with the Canadian Country Music Association and the CCMA Foundation, present Canada Together: In Concert, an unprecedented five-night broadcast event showcasing 20 of the biggest names in country music coming together in support of Canada’s COVID-19 relief efforts. The week-long concert series premieres Monday, April 20, airing nightly on ET Canada at 7:30 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m PT on Global, and will be broadcasting simultaneously on Corus country radio stations Country 105, CISN Country 103.9 and Country 104.
Featuring intimate performances and exclusive interviews with artists remotely from their homes, Canada Together: In Concert will also be shining a light on a number of the courageous individuals who are making a difference in their communities through these organizations, while checking in with some of the Canadians whose lives have been impacted through their generosity.
Monday April 20
Shania Twain with Dallas Smith, Lindsay Ell, and High Valley
Tuesday April 21
Luke Combs with Brett Kissel, Tenille Townes, and The Washboard Union
Wednesday April 22
Lady Antebellum with Meghan Patrick, The Reklaws, and Dean Brody
Thursday April 23
Morgan Wallen with James Barker Band, MacKenzie Porter and Tim Hicks
Friday April 24
Jordan Davis with Gord Bamford, Jess Moskaluke and Jade Eagleson
With the help of some celebrity friends, including Christopher Plummer, Elisha Cuthbert and William Shatner, viewers will be encouraged to lend their support to the CCMA Foundation, in which all proceeds raised will be donated equally between Food Banks Canada and the Unison Benevolent Fund, as these organizations work to support Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Spotify will help make donations stretch even further by matching every dollar (up to $10M USD globally) provided to the Unison Benevolent Fund through their #SpotifyMusicRelief project. Canadians looking to donate can do so through a one-time or monthly donation option at the CCMA Foundation website, or by texting CCMA to 20222.
Canada Together: In Concert is a multi-platform event for Corus, with Corus Radio’s Country 105, CISN Country 103.9 and Country 104 simultaneously broadcasting the specials each night, and can be streamed live on the Global TV app. Viewers looking for a sneak peek of Canada Together: In Concert can watch Global’s The Morning Show the week of April 20, as Jeff McArthur and Carolyn MacKenzie chat with some special guests ahead of their Canada Together: In Concert performances.
Canada Together: In Concert joins Corus’ national #CanadaTogether initiative, designed to help inspire, educate and engage Canadians as we band together as a nation during this unprecedented time.
ET Canada airs weeknights at 7:30 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT on Global. For up-to-the-moment entertainment news, celebrity interviews and more, visit etcanada.com.
The CCMA Foundation is a charitable organization that aims to support Canadians with the help of the music community, artists and partners. Each initiative taken on by the Foundation falls under three distinct pillars — Music For Healing, Music For Your and Music For Change. You can learn more about The CCMA Foundation online at ccmafoundation.org.
Unison Benevolent Fund is a non-profit, registered charity that provides counselling and emergency relief services to the Canadian music community. We are here to help professional music makers in times of hardship, illness or economic difficulties. Unison Benevolent Fund is an assistance program – created and administered for the music community, by the music community – designed to provide discreet relief to music industry professionals in times of crisis through financial assistance, counselling and health solutions. Visit www.unisonfund.ca to learn more.
Food Banks Canada provides national leadership to relieve hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow in collaboration with the food bank network from coast-to-coast-to-coast. For 40 years, food banks have been dedicated to helping Canadians living with food insecurity. Over 3,000 food banks and community agencies come together to serve our most vulnerable neighbours who – last year – made 1.1 million visits to these organizations in one month alone, according to our HungerCount report. Over the past 10 years, as a system we’ve sourced and shared over 1.4 billion pounds of food and Food Banks Canada shared nearly $70 million in funding to help maximize collective impact and strengthen local capacity – while advocating for reducing the need for food banks. Our vision is clear: create a Canada where no one goes hungry. Visit foodbankscanada.ca to learn more.
Johnny Orlando Releases Timely New Single And Video With “See You”
Singer-songwriter and pop artist unveiled his brand new single “See You” this morning. Co-written by acclaimed songwriters Geoff Warburton (Shawn Mendes, renforshort, Chase Rice), Sam Fischer (Demi Lovato, Keith Urban Jessie J), Derik Baker (Virginia to Vegas) and Mike Wise (Allie X, bülow, Dvbbs), who also produced the track in collaboration with Orlando this past January, the song is about still having feelings for someone after a break-up and wanting to see them. The video, shot entirely in Orlando’s bedroom at his family home in Toronto while physical distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was directed remotely by Alex P Smith (Universal Music Canada) and plays on the song’s theme of wanting to see someone who is special to you and still feel a sense of connection with them in a time when we are asked to be physically apart.
“‘See You’ is about the process of reconnecting with someone that I used to know, and the song is written from the perspective of our direct conversation,” says Orlando. “We didn’t originally plan to release the song during a time where the world is physical distancing, self-isolating or in quarantine, but it has kind of given it an alternate meaning. Throughout this period, I have had to rely on technology to connect with my friends and fans online, which has been a really interesting experience. We decided to pivot the music video concept and shoot a home quarantine-style music video, completely shot in my bedroom. The concept for the video is basically just a reflection of my life right now, trying to communicate with people through social media or FaceTime and doing whatever I can to stay connected in such an uncertain time.”
Orlando teased that the song and accompanying video were coming on his socials this past Saturday, causing a stir among his social media following of over 22 million fans. To-date, over 500 TikTok videos have been created from the Original Sound clip that Orlando posted for the song on Saturday.
The “See You” video features online cameos from Orlando’s friends in the comfort of their own homes including musicians Tate McRae, HRVY and Kenzie, and actor Noah Schnapp (Stranger Things) to name a few.
Since the announcement of the COVID-19 global pandemic, Orlando has started up ‘Alone Together’ The IG Live Series, where every few days he chats with a fellow musician, actor, influencer, etc. on his Instagram. Guests have included: Public, Asher Angel, Noah Schnapp (Stranger Things), HRVY, Cameron Dallas, etc.
Orlando’s most recent single, “Phobias” was released in February 2020 and has already racked up over 7.6 million streams to-date.
Toronto-born singer-songwriter and pop artist Johnny Orlando released his debut EP, Teenage Fever in March 2019. Having just turned 17 years-old, Orlando’s music has already amassed over 355 million streams to-date and has garnered acclaim from the likes of Billboard, Variety, Paper, Teen Vogue, Just Jared Jr., Tiger Beat and more. Orlando quietly made strides towards establishing his identity by way of numerous international hits. 2018’s “What If” (feat. Mackenzie Ziegler) clocked 109 million-plus global streams and over 21 million music video views in under twelve months, captured #1 on the musical.ly Global Song Chart, and landed on the Spotify Viral 50 in 33 countries. In addition to receiving praise from various international media outlets, Orlando has performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and at the 2019 Teen Choice Awards. Most recently, Orlando garnered his first-ever Europe Music Award for Best Canadian Act at the 2019 EMAs in Seville, Spain, and along the way, he garnered a nomination for Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2019 JUNO Awards as well as nods at the Kids’ Choice Awards, iHeart Much Music Video Awards, and Teen Choice Awards. In 2019 Orlando also headlined his first-ever North American and European tour in support of his EP. With a collective social following of over 22 million fans, Orlando is at the forefront of the next generation of Canadian artists impacting a global music stage.
Chloe Moriondo Announces Spirit Orb EP Arriving April 24
Seventeen-year-old Chloe Moriondo has announced new EP Spirit Orb, set for release on April 24th. The four-song collection is available for pre-save now and features previously released tracks “Ghost Adventure Spirt Orb” and “Kindergarten” (full tracklisting below). The artist also shared a live, acoustic version of unreleased EP track “Bugbear,” which is streaming now on Moriondo’s official YouTube channel.
In February, Moriondo shared “Ghost Adventure Spirit Orb,” which found the artist venturing into new territory – adding electric guitar to her signature ukulele sound. The release followed “Kindergarten,” which premiered via FLOOD Magazine, who praised the artist as “a force to be reckoned with.” The track marked the singer-songwriter’s first release via Public Consumption Recording Company, a joint venture with Elektra Music Group. Produced by Cavetown’s Robin Skinner, “Kindergarten” captures the dizzying feeling of a young crush.
Chloe kicked off the year supporting Cavetown along his UK and European tour after spending much of 2019 on the road and playing sold-out headline performances at New York City’s Mercury Lounge and The Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles. In 2018, Chloe Moriondo shared her debut album Rabbit Hearted., which has garnered nearly 30 million streams.
Moriondo began writing songs in her Michigan bedroom at the age of thirteen. Armed with a ukulele and relatable, confessional lyrics, the singer-songwriter has built a devoted fanbase of millions across all social platforms, sharing her authentic self to create a genuine connection with her listeners.
Tracklisting:
- Ghost Adventure Spirit Orb
- Kindergarten
- Bugbear
- Far Away Friend
Lyra Announces North American Virtual Tour
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1-minute tip for artists: Teach how to play your song
Video is an excellent format to use to break things down for your audience. Teach how to play the opening chords of one of your songs, or the chorus for your latest single.
For Jesse Cook, Isolation Brings Father / 12-Year-Old Daughter Collaboration
The more things change for multi-award winning and Internationally acclaimed guitarist, composer and producer Jesse Cook, the more they can feel the same.
At least, that’s the case when it came to recording for his recent video release — a timely revisit to his debut single “Tempest” — available now via his Facebook page.
“25 years ago this June, I released a little song called ‘Tempest’ on a record bearing the same name,” Cook recalls. “Three weeks ago, I was supposed to begin the Tempest 25 Tour, one of the biggest tours of my career, and a celebration of that record and the 25 years of music and touring that followed it.
“But, of course, that was postponed. So I sit here at home, like most people in the world, wondering what to do during a pandemic.”
The video started as a simple idea based on a simple question, Cook offers. “I thought I’d use this time to record a new version of ‘Tempest’ and see if it would sound different all these years later.
“I wanted to see, have I changed as a musician? Or as a producer?”
The verdict? That’s up to the listener to compare.
https://www.facebook.com/42517202282/posts/10157051012392283?vh=e&d=n&sfns=mo
But for Cook, the similarities from his perspective were a welcomed surprise.
“Oddly enough, the process seemed familiar…” he says. “The original was also created with me, alone at my house, playing all the instruments. 25 years ago, I couldn’t afford to hire musicians. This time, I’m alone because of social distancing.”
While the lion’s share of “Tempest” circa-2020 is Cook and Cook alone, he’s quick to give credit to some important helping hands. “Luckily, my friend Marito Marques has a beautiful studio in his home, and so he was able to add some fantastic timbales to the track,” Cook says. “It’s amazing how much life one extra person can add to a song.
“Things you learn during a pandemic…
“For the filming, I had the help of my 12 year-old daughter,” he adds. “She wisely wishes to remain anonymous, so I didn’t include her name in the credits, but I wanted to acknowledge her great camera work. I’m incredibly proud of her!”
As for a message to his fans, many of whom share his disappointment they won’t catch this year’s 25 date cross-country Tempest 25 Tour, Cook sends appreciation and well-wishes to all.
“At the time, I had no idea it would change my life,” Cook says of “Tempest” and its initial release.
(That’s an understatement… Since the 1995 release of Tempest, he’s held ten platinum and gold studio albums with combined sales exceeding two million copies, five concert DVDs and live discs, five PBS specials, a JUNO Award win and 11 nominations, three Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards, a Gemini Award and an Acoustic Guitar Magazine Player’s Choice Silver Award. And that’s not to mention thousands of concerts in dozens of countries, plus millions of views and streams, and countless fans around the world.)
“25 years ago, if you had asked me what I wanted to do with my life, I would have told you I was happy in my solitude,” Cook reflects, a notion especially poignant considering current times. “I didn’t want to be in the public eye, but I was wrong.
“Before Tempest, I’d never seen the rest of Canada,” he continues. “I never dreamed I would one day see Asia, let alone tour it. My fans have lifted me up in so many ways, and have given me the freedom to follow my muse and chase my dreams. THEY opened the world to me.
“Without my fans, none of this would have happened. Words are not enough to thank all the people who have been with me on this crazy, beautiful journey these last 25 years.
“I hope you enjoy this,” says Cook. “It was a lot of fun to make!
“And be well, stay safe! Thank you, all!”