Adele’s “Skyfall” received various accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Original Song, Brit Award for British Single of the Year, Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Song, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media, thus making it the first Bond theme to win all the aforementioned awards. During the 85th Academy Awards, Adele performed the song live for the first time.
Isolated Vocals Of Travis Scott “Highest In The Room”
I got room in my fumes (Yeah)
She fill my mind up with ideas
I’m the highest in the room (It’s lit)
Hope I make it outta here (Let’s go)
Photo Gallery: The Black Keys with Modest Mouse at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena
All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
Harry Potter: Fan theories that seem like entirely true
The Harry Potter novels and films that followed them have become global treasures, staples of pop culture that rival Star Wars, The Simpsons, and others that have lasted over time because of their depth of story and the way they resonated with their audience.
The thing about iconic pop culture stories is that they often spawn fan theories about the stories themselves. Some of them are absolutely insane and hold no water, but there is definitely a fair share that sound not only intriguing but entirely possible.
With Harry Potter, these are just a few of the fan theories that have stood out from the rest and, like the Harry Potter font itself, made for interesting talking points among those fans of the wizarding world.
The size of Harry’s class
The author of the stories, JK Rowling, has talked about how there are thousands of students at Hogwarts. Since then, fans of the stories have tried to do the math: if there are 1000 students at the great and historical school, then there should be around 35 students in each house during each yet. Yet there are only 10 Gryffindors during Harry’s year.
There have been discussions about whether this is simply an oversight by Rowling or if there is perhaps more to it. One fan seems to think that this is because the Class of 1998 would have been conceived during Voldemort’s peak reign of power.
Essentially, this means that there was something of a baby wizard drought for a few years that would have led to smaller class sizes. It’s certainly intriguing and definitely possible, but it is not probable and likely an oversight by Rowling in her stories.
The one about Ron Weasley
The one that really seems a bit far-fetched is that Harry’s freckled friend is the one and only Albus Dumbledore, who has gone back in time. The idea stems from the chess scene in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. In that scene, Ron plays both a knight and a king — these are the symbolic roles that Dumbledore and Ron play in the war that is to come.
The initial theory is somewhat plausible, but there is circumstantial and superficial “evidence” — like the long nose, fondness for sweets, etc. — that the author tries to piece together to make the comparison. This is one of those theories that certainly sounds interesting but is a bit too far-fetched to hold water.
Neville wasn’t actually bad at magic.
Neville Longbottom, the bumbling, hapless youth that spent his time at Hogwarts screwing up spells at every opportunity, has been the subject of much debate. Because of his ineptitude with spells, it seemed that he was a bit of a clod, but he managed to hold his own by mastering the Shield Charm behind only Hermione and even held up during several duels with Death Eaters.
Because of one constant tenet between the books and the movie — the wizard chooses the wand — many believe that Neville wasn’t so bad at magic, he simply chose the wrong wand. Neville inherited his father’s wand as his father had no use for it any longer.
There are many that believe that the Death Eater who broke Neville’s wand actually did him huge favour as that wand was holding him back. It is supported by the fact that Neville began to increase his magical prowess over the years and even to lead Dumbledore’s Army when Harry was absent.
This is one of those theories that certainly has all of the supporting arguments but ultimately falls into the “we will never know” category.
Dumbledore is Death
This one gets a little complicated, so strap in. There are the three objects that represent the Deathly Hallows: these are real magical objects that were held in possession of the Peverell brothers and were sought after in the centuries that followed their deaths.
Since Dumbledore is the only wizard to have possessed all three of the objects: he gives Harry the cloak, then the stone, and is then stripped of the Elder Wand. He is directly or indirectly responsible in the deaths of Snape and Voldemort and even meets Harry when he “dies”.
There are a lot of backstories worth looking into for this one, and it certainly is interesting, but there are a lot of conclusions that need to be jumped to and a lot of assumptions that need to be made. Still, it’s an interesting one.
Vince Gill’s Classic Breakthrough Album ‘When I Call Your Name’ Celebrated With Two New 30th Anniversary Vinyl Editions
Vince Gill’s 1989 release When I Call Your Name rocketed his career to a new level and introduced him to many new fans who found his easygoing charisma was just as appealing as his prodigious vocal and instrumental skills. His third full-length solo album, and first for MCA Records, established the Oklahoma-bred singer-songwriter-guitarist as one of country’s most beloved and respected performers, garnering him his first Gold record on the strength of four hit singles: the album’s title track, which reached Number 2 on Billboard‘s country singles chart, the Number 3 country hit “Never Knew Lonely,” “Never Alone” (which Gill co-wrote with Rosanne Cash) and “Oklahoma Swing” (a duet with Reba McEntire). The album, which has since been certified double platinum, earned Gill two Country Music Association Awards, including Single Of The Year, and won him his first GRAMMY Award for “Best Country Vocal Performance, Male.”
On November 15, MCA Nashville/UMe will commemorate the 30th anniversary of When I Call Your Name, just one day after its original release thirty years ago, with a sparkling new vinyl edition of this influential collection. In addition to a standard black vinyl version, the album will also be available in a distinctive limited-edition pressing on metallic gold vinyl, which will be available exclusively online from uDiscover and the UMGN Store. These vinyl editions mark the first time the album has been back on vinyl since its initial release.
Produced by noted veteran Tony Brown, When I Call Your Name features guest appearances by Emmylou Harris and Patty Loveless, with whom Gill had worked with in his career, and instrumental support from such notable players as keyboardist Barry Beckett, bassist Willie Weeks, and guitarists Randy Scruggs and Fred Tackett.
When I Call Your Name ignited a stellar career that continues to this day, with Gill remaining one of country’s most celebrated artists. He’s won 21 GRAMMY® awards, has a wall of Country Music Association trophies, placed ten albums on the Billboard charts and scored a dozen hit singles. When I Call Your Name took Vince Gill’s career to the next level and made him a household name, and his legions of fans can now reexperience this classic collection on vinyl.
WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME TRACK LISTING
SIDE A
1. Never Alone
2. Sight For Sore Eyes
3. Oh Girl (You Know Where To Find Me)
4. Oklahoma Swing
5. When I Call Your Name
SIDE B
1. Ridin’ The Rodeo
2. Never Knew Lonely
3. We Don’t Dance
4. We Could Have Been
5. Rita Ballou
Essential Late-Era Nina Simone Album, ‘Fodder On My Wings,’ To Make Long Overdue Reappearance On LP And CD Plus Wide Digital Release For The First Time In Standard And Hi-Res Audio
Recorded in 1982, not long after she moved to Paris, Fodder On My Wings was one of Nina Simone’s favorite albums yet has remained one of her most obscure. Originally recorded for a small French label and only sporadically available since its initial release, Fodder On My Wings will be reissued in a variety of formats including CD and LP, as well as widely available digitally for the first time, in both standard and hi-res audio, on November 22 via Verve/UMe. The original album will be expanded with three bonus tracks from the recording sessions from a rare French reissue released in 1988. The effervescent opening track “I Sing Just To Know That I’m Alive,” a song that Simone often performed live in her later years, is available now to stream and as an instant grat download with digital preorder.
A lesser-known but important part of Simone’s musical history, Fodder On My Wings contains deeply personal songs, including the aforementioned, “I Sing Just To Know That I’m Alive” and “I Was Just A Stupid Dog To Them,” as well a searing lyrical improvisation about the death of her father on “Alone Again (Naturally).” At the time she recorded the album, Simone was living in France and extremely lonely; her mental illness was worsening and her family life was fractured. It’s out of this despair that one of the many album standouts, the near title track “Fodder In Her Wings,” was birthed. As Pitchfork wrote in their list of 33 of Simone’s most iconic songs, the composition “captured with startling intimacy the pain of this period, and she returned to it frequently through the next decade, cutting another studio version three years later (the synth-heavy take on Nina’s Back!) and including it on several live albums, including an awe-inspiring performance on 1987’s Let It Be Me,” continuing, “Simone’s vocal makes a song of weariness and defeat carry an air of defiance, a wise word from someone who survived to tell the tale.”
Over the years, the album has been reevaluated and has received its due as a significant work in Simone’s prolific catalog. In a 2005 review of the album, Jazz Times hailed the record and especially her emotional performance on “Alone Again (Naturally),” writing: “At the core of the album is a rare, powerful example of Simone with all masks stripped away: Her personal pain explodes to the surface as she reworks Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Alone Again (Naturally)” into a diatribe about her dying father that bravely progresses from venomously embittered to cautiously conciliatory.”
Recorded at a time when Simone was feeling rejuvenated by her surroundings and by the African musicians she met in her newly adopted France, Fodder On My Wings is an essential Simone album that is making a long-overdue reappearance and can now be heard however you prefer to listen to music.
FODDER ON MY WINGS TRACK LISTINGS
VINYL
SIDE A
1. I Sing Just To Know That I’m Alive
2. Fodder In Her Wings
3. Vous êtes seuls, mais je désire être avec vous
4. Il y a un baume à Gilhead
5. Liberian Calypso
6. Alone Again (Naturally)
SIDE B
1. I Was Just A Stupid Dog To Them
2. Color Is A Beautiful Thing
3. Le peuple en Suisse
4. Heaven Belongs To You
5. Thandewye
6. Stop
7. They Took My Hand
CD/DIGITAL
1. I Sing Just To Know That I’m Alive
2. Fodder In Her Wings
3. Vous êtes seuls, mais je désire être avec vous
4 Il y a un baume à Gilhead
5. Liberian Calypso
6. Alone Again (Naturally)
7. I Was Just A Stupid Dog To Them
8. Color Is A Beautiful Thing
9. Le Peuple en Suisse
10. Heaven Belongs To You
11. Thandewye
12. Stop
13. They Took My Hand
SiriusXM and Pandora to Launch Inaugural ‘Sway Fest 2019’ on October 18
Oakland, CA native Sway Calloway returns to his roots on October 18 for the first ever ‘Sway Fest 2019,’ which will bring together celebrities, local leaders and special guests in a celebration of hip-hop, community and culture, to be broadcast on SiriusXM. The four-hour special will air live from the streets of Oakland, outside Pandora headquarters, beginning at 9am PT on SiriusXM’s Sway in the Morning on Eminem’s Shade 45 (ch. 45).
Calloway’s celebrity friends, performers, local activists and community leaders will gather on Franklin Street between 21st and 22nd streets from 9am PT to 1pm PT in Oakland for performances and conversations on music, arts and the Oakland community. This Sway-hosted block party is also a way for our Oakland-based SiriusXM and Pandora employees to celebrate the combining of SiriusXM and Pandora.
In advance of ‘Sway Fest 2019,’ Sway will unveil his own Pandora Story, offering his commentary to a playlist of tracks that shaped him while growing up in Oakland and beyond. While SiriusXM subscribers can tune in live the day of the event, local residents are encouraged to attend this free event to hear live music, meet community and business leaders as they weigh in on important community issues, and celebrate music and culture.
“Sway Fest 2019′ is a celebration of an amazing community of people that make up the Bay Area,” said Calloway. “I’m looking forward to returning to my hometown and shedding a light on the diversity, culture, uniqueness and magic that makes Oakland an amazing place.”
Calloway has been a part of the SiriusXM family since 2011 as the host of Eminem’s Shade 45 channel’s daily morning show, Sway in the Morning from 8am to 12pm ET and has recently added additional duties with Pandora as the voice on selected channels and podcasts.
Calloway also hand-picked local organizations to shine a spotlight on during Sway Fest 2019: Kongo SQ West Kinship Society and the Choose College Educational Foundation. Each organization will be represented on-site to spread awareness and educate attendees on their cause.
Kongo SQ West Kinship Society provides distinct services of impact in campaign relief advancement and social entrepreneurship. Serving primarily the Bay Area, California with extensions to New Orleans, the Caribbean, and the Congo, the organization harvests the natural resources of its communities through strategic partnerships. As a respected cultural arts leader, Kongo SQ West remains dedicated to establishing a legacy of well-being and nourishment of communal artists of shared kinship works.
The Choose College Educational Foundation works to foster a vibrant, college-going culture among underserved communities with youth programming, grassroots outreach efforts and a robust commitment to connecting families with college resources and information. Learn more about these organizations below.
SiriusXM and Pandora listeners will have the opportunity to enter for the chance to win a trip for two to Oakland, CA, including airfare, hotel stay, and a pair of tickets to SiriusXM and Pandora Present Sway Fest.
‘Sway Fest 2019’ marks a meaningful homecoming for Calloway as it serves as an opportunity for him to give back to his beloved community by bringing awareness to causes, culture and music that have helped to shape him personally and professionally. Calloway began to hone his craft as an emcee and radio personality with his partner, King Tech, at KMEL-FM with their show, The World Famous Wake Up, that provided a platform for a host of hip-hop artists from all over the country, including, Tupac, the Hieroglyphics, Biggie Smalls, E40 and Eminem to name a few. The duo continued to make history by producing albums distributed through Interscope Records entitled This or That, which featured artists such as Eminem, KRS-One, TecN9NE and RZA from Wu-Tang Clan. Calloway also gained global fame as an integral member of MTV News, covering politics and music. He remains a key correspondent and has been a part of initiatives, interviewing various political leaders that include President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Senator John McCain and Mitt Romney. His music endeavors at MTV included TRL’s All Eyes series, which featured top artists like Kanye West and 50 Cent, MTV News Now’s Jay-Z vs. Nas: Beats, Battles & Beef, MTV News Presents: After the Storm, RapFix Live, and The Hottest MC’s List. He is also a part of the network’s annual live events: MTV Video Music Awards, MTV European Awards and their Grammy pre-show. He currently serves as an Executive Producer and Host of TRL-AM. Calloway continues to participate in various panels and discussions, hosting and moderating on important issues like hate crimes, racism and education, and plays a major role with Viacom’s Get Schooled program, which reaches students across the country to encourage them to graduate. He is also the Chief Navigator for his site, SwaysUniverse.com which features celebrity interviews, music, entertainment and health news.
Paul McCartney To Release “Home Tonight” / “In A Hurry” On November 22
Paul McCartney has an announcement sure to top fans’ Black Friday shopping lists: On November 22nd Paul will digitally release two never-before-heard tracks—”Home Tonight” and “In A Hurry”—followed by a very limited Record Store Day exclusive double A-side 7-inch picture disc single on November 29th.
Both “Home Tonight” and “In A Hurry” were recorded during the Greg Kurstin sessions for Paul’s #1 charting album Egypt Station.
The limited edition vinyl picture disc will feature new and exclusively created artwork based upon the parlour game exquisite corpse along with a lyric insert.
Canadian Jazz Artist Blaine Sharp Takes New Release “Wanderlust” to Heart
The dictionary defines ‘wanderlust’ as the ‘strong desire to travel,’ and nothing could be truer — both figuratively and literally — for Canadian jazz artist Blaine Sharp and his debut album and single of the same name.
“I’ve always loved the word,” the Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter and actor says. “There’s something about it that appeals to the romantic in me. That the concept of ‘aching to get away so badly’ has its own word… and, not just any word, but a portmanteau that attaches the passion of ‘lust’ to it all.
“I’m not a linguist, but as a musician… this strikes me as pretty fertile ground to explore.”
And explore is what Sharp is doing; this is a man who, if life was a checklist, seemingly had “it all” — an established career, his “dream home” and a teeming stable of family and friends close by. An avid traveller and musician at heart, however, his bucket just never felt full. “At this point in my life, taking a chance on my life’s dream required a leap of faith,” he says. “For me, it meant walking away from pretty much everything.”
In 2017 — with the encouragement of his husband, and an opportunity to move to LA — the time had come. “Moving to LA was a gamble…” he nods from his light-filled apartment in the creative heartbeat of the ‘Sunshine State.’ “So many people come here hoping to make their dreams come true against enormous odds, and I’m just another one.
“At my stage of life, though, the stakes are just about as high as they can be. People start to wonder if you’re crazy. I wondered if I was too.
“Truth is, however, I never felt saner and things never felt more ‘right,’” he continues. “There is something insidiously corrosive in becoming settled and secure in life. It is an alluringly comfortable place to be, and one that most struggle to even achieve. But… It’s also a trap that can leave you wondering what’s next.”
For Sharp, that’s Wanderlust — a project he had in him, but never set out to create.
“I’m not really sure what my objectives were,” he says of the album’s earliest days. “Living in LA but waiting on a Green Card, my options were pretty limited. I booked some ‘for credit and copy’ acting gigs here and there, and I was taking some classes, but I became impatient. It felt like time was passing me by, like my wheels were spinning in place.
“I arrived on Peter Smith’s doorstep with a stack of music and an utter lack of direction,” he laughs, in hindsight, of connecting with his producer and co-writer. “I just wanted to sing.”
And sing, he does. Available October 18th, the freshman release deftly showcases his expansive range of artistic and creative influences and instincts. With inflections of traditional jazz instantly identifiable throughout, the album as a body of work lives up to its name, playfully traversing a wide variety of musical terrain.
More than a random collection of songs, the album — which includes two original tracks — builds on a connective theme. “There’s a lot of restlessness and yearning.”
That the title of the single matched the album was meant to be for Sharp. “The thing I realized I was missing was a title song that would tie it all together. So I wrote one that afternoon. No fuss, no muss, start to finish in about an hour.
“As a writer, it just doesn’t get any better than that!
“Wanderlust is the first milestone on this path,” he says, connecting his storied past and present with an excitingly uncharted future. “It’s the first thing that truly represents me and came naturally to me.
“When I sit back and listen to the album now, it strikes me how optimistic and uplifting it is. It wears its heart on its sleeve, a clear affirmation of love, hope and romance…
“Timing is everything, and it often feels like we’re living in dark times these days. Or, disappointing times, at the very least. Maybe Wanderlust harkens back to rosier feelings. Or it’s the ‘permission’ to go out and chase your dreams.
“Maybe it’s a tonic for me. I hope that listeners will find something in it that’s a little tonic for them too.”
“Wanderlust” is available now. Wanderlust, the album, is available October 18, 2019.
Two FRANK ZAPPA BOOKS Set For Release This Fall
The Zappa Trust has announced the release of two books honoring legendary musician and composer Frank Zappa’s legacy: ZAPPA GEAR: THE UNIQUE GUITARS, AMPLIFIERS, EFFECTS UNITS, KEYBOARDS AND STUDIO EQUIPMENT by Mick Ekers with foreword by Dweezil Zappa and THE HOT RATS BOOK, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Frank Zappa’s HOT RATS album by Bill Gubbins and Ahmet Zappa.
“These books provide another way for fans to connect with Frank Zappa,” Ahmet Zappa says. “They give a fascinating window into Frank’s mind and the ideas he came up with throughout his career.”
First up, the November 29 release of Zappa Gear: The Unique Guitars, Amplifiers, Effects Units, Keyboards and Studio Equipment by Mick Ekers with the foreword by Dweezil Zappa. Zappa Gear offers an unprecedented inside look at the machinery behind the legendary music. In addition to a detailed presentation of the equipment, Zappa Gear also introduces some of the pioneering inventors, engineers, and entrepreneurs without whom the instruments would not exist. Frank Zappa was an unremitting musical innovator and experimenter, always looking for ways to exploit the latest advances in technology. His working life coincided with the explosive development of music technology that ran from the 1960s through the following three decades. Without such inventions as the Marshall amplifier, the Gibson SG, the wah-wah pedal, and the Synclavier–much of it modified to Zappa’s requirements and used in ways for which they had never been designed–Zappa’s “air sculptures,” as his music has been described, would have had a significantly different shape and texture. Lavishly illustrated, the book includes over 180 unique photographs of Frank Zappa’s guitars and equipment taken by the author at Zappa’s UMRK studio in Los Angeles. Zappa Gear is an official Frank Zappa book produced and written with the full cooperation and endorsement of Gail Zappa and the Zappa Family Trust.
The following month will see the release of The Hot Rats Book by Bill Gubbins and Ahmet Zappa, out December 15. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the much-loved Hot Rats LP, Ahmet Zappa and the Zappa Trust have teamed with Backbeat Books and Bill Gubbins, the only photographer to document the Hot Rats sessions, to create The Hot Rats Book, a deluxe, commemorative book packed with never before-seen photos and an interview between Ahmet and Gubbins documenting the Hot Rats sessions and last U.S. show of the original Mothers of Invention on August 10, 1969 at Cleveland’s Musicarnival in Warrensville Heights, Ohio. “A movie for your ears” is how rock icon Frank Zappa first described his album Hot Rats, which remains, 50 years after its release, not only one of Zappa’s most critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums, but a stunning tour-de-force of the totality of his musical genius and legendary skills as a composer, lyricist, producer, arranger, studio innovator and virtuoso guitar player. The Hot Rats Book is an official Frank Zappa book produced and written with the full cooperation and endorsement of the Zappa Trust.
\