Funko’s creative director Sean Wilkinson discusses the process behind bringing their popular Pop! figures to life.
U2: Tour Dates Announced For New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Singapore And South Korea
that U2 will bring their acclaimed Joshua Tree Tour to New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea later this year.
Following the highly successful 2017 tour in celebration of the band’s classic album, The Joshua Tree Tour 2019 will see the band make a much anticipated return to New Zealand and Australia for the first time since the record-shattering U2 360° Tour in 2010, as well as the first Tokyo shows since the Vertigo Tour in 2006. The Joshua Tree Tour 2019 will also bring U2 to Singapore and Seoul – for the first time ever – with what promises to be very special concerts from the biggest band in the world.
Bono said “It’s only taken me 30 years to learn how to sing these songs and it’s great to be able to say that I’ve finally caught up with the band. Our audience has given the Joshua Tree a whole new life on this tour. Doing these shows has been very special for us, a lot of emotion… From the despair of how relevant some of the dark songs still are, to the joy, pure fun of the staging… it’s quite a ride. And now we get to do it all over again. Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore, Seoul… We’re coming for you”.
“We really, REALLY wanted to bring The Joshua Tree to New Zealand, Australia and Asia” added The Edge. “We promised we would and finally, now we can say that we will see you in November… It’s going to feel like a homecoming and we are very excited”.
In a first for any artist performing in New Zealand and Australia, and to ensure fans have the best access, stadium floor tickets for all the band’s NZ/AU shows will be paperless with delivery via mobile devices 72 hours prior to the applicable show.
NEW ZEALAND / AUSTRALIA / JAPAN / SOUTH KOREA 2019 TOUR DATES:
8 November Auckland, NZ Mt. Smart Stadium
12 November Brisbane, AU SunCorp Stadium
15 November Melbourne, AU Marvel Stadium
19 November Adelaide, AU Adelaide Oval
22 November Sydney, AU Sydney Cricket Ground
27 November Perth, AU Optus Stadium
04 December Tokyo, JP Saitama Super Arena
05 December Tokyo, JP Saitama Super Arena
08 December Seoul, KR Gocheok Sky Dome
The Rooms Of ‘Friends’, ‘The Simpsons’ and ‘Stranger Things’ Were Recreated By IKEA With Their Own Furniture
IKEA brought to life the iconic living rooms of the most beloved families of all times, through tons of furniture combinations in lots of different styles and sizes – and at affordable prices. They’ve grouped all the products for each room for you, so it’s easy to recreate what you see here in your own home.
The Cure Performs Their Entire ‘Disintegration’ Album On 30th Anniversary Of Release
Welcome to your weekend with this complete performance of The Cure’s brilliant concert, where they performed the classic Disintegration album from start to finish.
How to Keep Your Digital Music Collection Safe
There was a time when protecting your music collection meant safeguarding your home against a robbery or avoiding the occasional scratched CD, tangled cassette tape, or warped record. Nowadays, most people store their music in the form of digital files that are kept on computers, tablets, smartphones, media players and other devices. Of course, the fact that the songs are being held in an intangible form doesn’t make it any easier to lose some or all of your precious music collection, which has probably taken you many hours of downloading and an untold number of online purchases to amass. With that said, here are several steps you can take to keep your digital music collection safe:
1. Use Data Recovery Services to Recover Lost Media Files
If you’ve already experienced some form of data loss due to hardware failure or damage to your operating system caused by malware, you should contact a data recovery firm like Secure Data Recovery Services before you chalk it up as a permanent loss. In many cases, they’ll be able to help you recover seemingly lost music files with remarkably high efficiency. Plus, many of these services will only charge you if they’re able to recover your data, so it’s a relatively risk-free way to try and recover lost music files before you discard an old computer or hard drive.
2. Backup Your Collection in the Cloud
If you haven’t yet suffered the loss of any music files, you can keep yourself from having to deal with such hassle in the future by backing up all of your files in the cloud. Any of the most popular cloud-based file storage services should work fine and most of them have integrated apps that you can use to sync files between your devices and your cloud storage account. Considering the peace of mind that you’ll have by knowing that your music is always backed up; it’s definitely worthwhile to pay a nominal fee for a comprehensive cloud storage plan.
3. Backup to a Physical Hard Drive
In addition to backing up your files to the cloud, you may want run scheduled backups to a physical hard drive as well. If you don’t already have an external hard drive, you can usually find one that will give you plenty of space to back up a typical music collection for about $20-$100. You could also use a hard drive enclosure to connect internal hard drives to your PC via USB, which would allow for faster file transfer speeds.
4. Use Antivirus Software to Protect Against Malware
If your computer is infected by certain forms of malware such as ransomware, you could experience widespread data loss or file concealment within your operating system. To minimize the chances of malware affecting your music collection, be sure to install and utilize a reputable antivirus software suite with real-time scanning capabilities.
True Redundancy is Worth the Time and Effort
If you combine all of the preventative measures mentioned above, you’re looking at a low one-time cost for an external hard drive, a nominal ongoing expense for cloud storage, and the time that it takes to install a free antivirus software. When you compare these efforts to the sadness and anger of losing your music files, it becomes obvious that every serious music collector should take such simple and affordable steps to protect their digital music collection.
Photo Gallery: Greta Van Fleet with Ida Mae at Toronto’s RBC Echo Beach
All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
This Fender Pinball Telecaster & Wizard Amp Is Just $80,000 And Only One Has Been Made
Priced at $80,000, Yuriy Shishkov’s Pinball Telecaster guitar and matching “Wizard” amplifier built by Fender’s custom amp expert Jim Dolmage are true pop culture memorabilia–using parts and materials from a vintage pinball machine. A showpiece that will appeal to guitar, pinball machine, movie memorabilia and Americana collectors alike–the guitar features the game’s original colored plastic playfield inserts that actually light up in a random pattern with battery-powered LEDs. Movable flippers and a spring-loaded ball shooter add a fun factor to this otherwise operational instrument, and plastic painted game trim pieces on the body and headstock complete the instrument’s pinball theme. Rounding off the guitar is a vintage-style maple neck; a Fender Custom Shop Nocaster neck pickup; a chromed pinball volume knob; chrome wraparound bridge/tailpiece; as well as plywood from the 40-year old Bally pinball machine, which was used to hand-build the body–a challenge in itself.
The matching Wizard amplifier’s enclosure is constructed entirely from wood and metal recycled from the pinball machine’s cabinetry. The original vintage stenciled paintwork gives off an almost “carnival” atmosphere with a rattlesnake motif inside and out. The heavy plywood and metal trim lend a significant “attack” to the expressive sound of the ’57 Custom Pro-Amp circuitry, which is warmed up by the stout 15-inch Eminence speaker.
Canadian Federation of Musicians Announce Major Breakthrough Affecting Travelling Musicians
Air Passenger Protection Regulations Amendments Include Mandatory Acceptance Of Musical Instruments
The Canadian Federation of Musicians announce a successful outcome in its efforts to affect much needed changes to Canada’s Air Policy with regard to the transportation of musical instruments on Canadian air carriers. Effective July 15, 2019, Air Passenger Protection Regulations within the Canadian Transportation Act will include language that ensures that all air carriers must accept musical instruments unless security or safety is an issue. These amendments will include clear and predictable terms and conditions with regard to musical instruments as well as the obligation to carry and accept an instrument. Airlines will also be required to offer an alternative to musicians travelling with instruments should a change in aircraft cause an instrument not to fit.
“Over the years, we’ve seen far too many professional musicians have very expensive and often irreplaceable tools of their trade broken or destroyed during air travel,” explains Alan Willaert, Vice-President from Canada, American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada. “We have worked closely with the Government of Canada and all Canadian air carriers on this issue since 2014 and are delighted to see these demands become regulation. We are grateful to The Honourable Minister Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport who has been supportive from the very beginning; the officials at Transport Canada, who have worked tirelessly with us; and the Canadian Transportation Agency”.
CFM will issue a Canadian Flying Guide over the coming weeks to further assist musicians flying with instruments. Each airline will also have clear guidelines published as part of their Tariff. Under the Obligation to Carry amendments, all commercial airline carriers must accept musical instruments as checked or carry-on baggage, unless it is contrary to general terms and conditions in the carrier’s tariff with respect to the weight or dimension of baggage or because of safety or security. The Canadian Federation of Musicians looks forward to working with Transport Canada and air carriers to help make these positive changes as seamless as possible.
The Canadian Federation of Musicians (CFM) is the Canadian National Office of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM). We are made up of 200 local offices across North America, collectively representing 80,000 professional musicians, 17,000 of whom live and work in Canada. Proudly celebrating 40 remarkable years of service, CFM is uniquely positioned to address Canadian issues and provides vital resources for Canadian musicians, at any stage in their careers.
This Bucket Drummer Is The Best I’ve Ever Seen
A young guy by the name of Matthew “Bucket Boy” Pretty can hold an audience’s attention with a couple buckets and works the crowd like nobody else I’ve seen.
Inside the OG Brady Bunch House Renovations
ET takes viewers on a before and after tour of the OG ‘Brady Bunch’ home that was purchased by HGTV last July for $3.5 million, and was renovated for ‘A Very Brady Renovation,’ premiering in September.