Mariah Carey has made a career out of hitting those impressive high notes. But how does she do it? That remains a mystery, but research suggests there might be another mammal in the animal kingdom who holds the key to teaching humans how to hit the high notes like Mariah.
Ani DiFranco reads from her “No Walls and the Recurring Dream” memoir
In her new memoir, No Walls and the Recurring Dream, Ani DiFranco recounts her early life from a place of hard-won wisdom, combining personal expression, the power of music, feminism, political activism, storytelling, philanthropy, entrepreneurship, and much more into an inspiring whole. In these frank, honest, passionate, and often funny pages is the tale of one woman’s eventful and radical journey to the age of thirty. Ani’s coming of age story is defined by her ethos of fierce independence–from being an emancipated minor sleeping in a Buffalo bus station, to unwaveringly building a career through appearances at small clubs and festivals, to releasing her first album at the age of 18, to consciously rejecting the mainstream recording industry and creating her own label, Righteous Babe Records. In these pages, as in life, she never hesitates to question established rules and expectations, maintaining a level of artistic integrity that has inspired and challenged more than a few. Ani continues to be a major touring and recording artist as well as a celebrated activist and feminist, standing as living proof that you can overcome all personal and societal obstacles to be who you are and to follow your dreams.
Video: How To Be A DJ In Switzerland In 1973
Here we have a short video clip that shows a report from Switzerland’s first DJ training course in 1973. Not only did you have to do an exam in front of a panel of audio technicians and discotheque owners, you didn’t have Soundcloud to put your mixed tape on afterwards.
Video: “Lone Ranger” Student Art Film Featuring A Young Pete Townshend
Check out a really young Pete Townshend in Lone Ranger, a Royal College of Art Student film scripted and directed by Richard Stanley back in 1968. If you want to hear the music Townshend created for the movie, skip it to about 11 minutes in.
The board of the Film School tried to ban ‘Lone Ranger’ from a show at the British Film Institute. Thanks to the protests of Richar’s fellow students, it was reinstated. The film went on to win a Golden Hugo at the Chicago film festival, and a script prize at the Nyons Film Festival.
And Now, A 5-Year-Old Girl Doing A Drum Cover Of System Of A Down’s “Chop Suey”
Here’s your new super heroine, 5-year-old Eduarda Henklein.
Linda Perry: Making Hits Her Way. In Conversation with Rick Rubin and Malcolm Gladwell
Linda Perry is one of the only women considered a go-to producer in the music industry.
After finding success with her band 4 Non Blondes and their ubiquitous single, “What’s Up?” (1992) Perry went on to write and produce for other artists.
She’s worked with Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion, Adele, James Blunt, Britney Spears. And reinvented the careers of Pink and Christina Aguilera.
Most recently she wrote with and produced a Dolly Parton record for the Netflix movie Dumplin’ — which earned her a nomination for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at this year’s Grammys (she was the first woman nominated in 15 years).
There’s A New Led Zeppelin Offical Documentary Coming Out
Bring the Led Out. Now in post-production, the as yet untitled Led Zeppelin documentary, directed by Bernard MacMahon, celebrates the world’s best-selling rock band on their fiftieth anniversary. The documentary traces the journeys of the four members through the music scene of the 1960s, their meeting in the summer of 1968 for a rehearsal that will change the future of rock, and culminates in 1970 when their second album knocks The Beatles off the top of the charts and they become the number one band in the world.
With brand new interviews of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones, as well as rare archival interviews with the late John Bonham, this documentary will be the first of its kind; the Led Zeppelin story told through the words of the men that lived it, with no outside voices or conjecture. Featuring never before seen archive film and photographs, state of the art audio transfers of the band’s music, as well as the music that shaped their sound, this documentary will be the definitive telling of the birth of the world’s biggest selling rock band. It is the first and only time the band have participated in a documentary in fifty years.
Jimmy Page: “When I saw everything Bernard had done both visually and sonically on the remarkable achievement that is American Epic, I knew he would be qualified to tell our story.”
Robert Plant: “Seeing Will Shade, and so many other important early American musicians, brought to life on the big screen in American Epic inspired me to contribute to a very interesting and exciting story.”
John Paul Jones: “The time was right for us to tell our own story for the first time in our own words, and I think that this film will really bring that story to life.”
CATHERINE MACLELLAN announces new album COYOTE set for release October 11
JUNO award winner, Catherine MacLellan, returns after a four-year break from her own work with her most anticipated sixth album, COYOTE. This self-produced record is a travelogue through heartbreak, loss and the joy of life. The first two singles Out Of Time and Waiting On My Love are available now, with the full album set to be released October 11, 2019.
The past four years have been a busy and important time for Catherine, she set aside her own songwriting to celebrate the life and legacy of her late legendary father, Gene MacLellan. During this time, she recorded and released the album If It’s Alright With You: The Songs of Gene MacLellan, produced a stage show and an award winning documentary, The Song and the Sorrow – all in tribute to him. Gene MacLellan is recognized as one of Canada’s most celebrated songwriters with worldwide hits including, Snowbird made famous by Anne Murray, and Put Your Hand in the Hand by Ocean.
“It’s been an important time for me,” says Catherine, “bringing my father’s life story and music back into the world. I’ve learned a lot about myself and who he was. I’m ready, though, to get back to my own path and to bring these songs into the world. They’ve been waiting for me.”
COYOTE contains 14 songs that are reflective, heartbreaking and hopeful. They were all recorded and produced at Catherine’s home studio in PEI.
“We can all find ourselves stuck in a relationship, a career or something that no longer serves us and holds us back instead. It can be very difficult to make a break, but the older I get the more I feel the urgency that there is no time to waste. Out of Time is very much about pulling up stakes and starting over on my own terms.”
“Waiting On My Love is about being in the moment and recognizing what you have in front of you. Love is never certain and is constantly evolving, but you can be aware of where you are right now and feel grateful for things as they are.”
Her last album of original material, The Raven’s Sun, won a JUNO for Roots Recording of the Year in 2015. Since then she’s been building a catalogue of songs just waiting to come to light. The songs are a result of big changes in her life and perspective. And while The Raven’s Sun was an intimate look into her musical work with long-time collaborator Chris Gauthier, COYOTE builds on that and adds the sounds of a fuller band. As well, it adds some more traditional East Coast instrumentation of accordions, fiddles and bouzouki.
As with many songwriters, Catherine feels most at home on the stage. So far this year, she has performed at Folk Alliance International, completed a successful spring tour of the Netherlands and graced the stage of the East Coast Music Awards Gala. This summer, the third in a row, Catherine is partnering with Charlottetown’s PEI Brewing Company for a summer series of concerts. This year songwriting friends Gordie MacKeeman and Meaghan Blanchard are joining her for the show Heaven To Me – Songs & Stories of Prince Edward Island. Fans will also find Catherine playing select dates and festivals in Canada and the US this summer and fall, with Australia rumoured for later this year.
Catherine MacLellan – Upcoming Shows:
2019-05-10 Mount Stewart, PE- Trailside Music Cafe and Inn
2019-05-13 Jasper, AB – Jasper Cultural Centre
2019-06-12 Miscouche, PE – Festival Of Small Halls
2019-06-29 Charlottetown, PE – PEI Jazz and Blues Festival
2019-07-09 Charlottetown, PE – PEI Brewing Co. – Opening Night
2019-07-12 Courtenay, BC – Vancouver Island MusicFest
2019-07-19 Newport, NS – Acoustic Maritime Music Festival
2019-08-09 Lunenburg, NS – Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival
2019-08-16 Indian River, PE – Indian River Music Festival
2019-09-01 Cape Breton, NS – Acoustic Roots Festival
2019-09-12 Middlesbury, VT – Town Hall Theater
2019-09-13 Greensboro, VT – Highland Center for the Arts
2019-09-14 Peterborough, NH – Bass Hall
2019-09-15 Richmond VT – Richmond Congregational Church
2019 July 9 – September 10 – Heaven To Me @ The PEI Brewing Co, Charlottetown, PE, CA
Bad Religion Announce World Tour For New “Age Of Reason” Album
Acclaimed Los Angeles punk rock band Bad Religion have released a new album entitled Age of Unreason. Since the group’s formative years innovating their iconic fast and melodic sound, the band has steadfastly advocated for humanism, reason, and individualism. Today, as these values are in decline, and nationalism and bigotry are on the rise, Bad Religion’s message has never been more essential. Age of Unreason delivers a powerful and inspired rejoinder – a political and deeply personal treatise on all they believe in.
Bad Religion first came together in the sprawling suburbs of Los Angeles. As intellectually minded young punks, they injected their primal sound with melodic hooks and soaring multi-part choruses as well as a philosophically critical world view. Instead of addressing customary topics of teen alienation and a generalized oppression – they wrote about evolution, religion, the natural world, science, world history and the enlightenment. Founding members Greg Graffin, Brett Gurewitz and Jay Bentley were eventually joined by guitarist Brian Baker of hardcore pioneers Minor Threat, and most recently by guitarist Mike Dimkich and drummer Jamie Miller.
Age of Unreason is Bad Religion’s 17th studio album and was co-produced by Carlos de la Garza. Since the band’s formative days in the burgeoning punk underground, they have amassed a worldwide following and penned numerous hit singles including “21st Century (Digital Boy.)” But now, at a point when many artists might be content to release something merely serviceable, Bad Religion has delivered a timely work of immense power. Age of Unreason is one of their very best. Society’s step backwards has propelled the legendary band decidedly forward.
Age of Unreason is an album that reveals as much about the band as their targets. Amidst the justifiable outrage, there is underlying introspection and a reaffirming of beliefs. For Gurewitz. “Lose Your Head” is an intensely personal song about surviving volatile times by focusing attention inward. It marries his passion for science with a lifetime of contemplative practice. “I ain’t superstitious but hey, do you know a good exorcist? / despite darker tendencies I’ve always had a strong bias to exist / and while recent developments seem like bad news for humanity / self-pity is always a case of mistaken identity / don’t lose your head before you lose your head” According to Gurewitz the song “grapples with today’s deeply troubling political events” in the context of two of his main interests: cognitive science and Buddhist philosophy. “Particularly the Buddhist concepts of “no self” and “mindfulness of death” which in practice can heighten one’s compassion for others and an appreciation of life.”
Age of Unreason is both a dire warning and testament to resilience. The overall message being – seek truth about the world and oneself. As Graffin, who holds a PhD in the history of science, says, “When I saw all these headlines about how terrible our world had become, I started doing a lot of reading. I read about the French revolution, the American Revolution, the Civil War, and I started to recognize that this is a pattern of history and something we should never venture into, there are ample warnings against it. Every school child should know this but it’s hard to get people to read about these things. Maybe this album can help. Because right now, with social media, we are just playing a version of kill the guy with the ball.”
Bad Religion — 2019 Tour Dates
EU/UK DATES
MAY 8 WED La Nef Open Air Angouleme, France
MAY 10 FRI Saarlandhalle Saarbrücken, Germany
MAY 11 SAT s’Oliver Arena Würzburg, Germany
MAY 12 SUN Messequartier Dornbirn, Austria
MAY 14 TUE Wizink Madrid, Spain
MAY 15 WED Altice Arena – Sala Tejo Lisbon, Portugal
MAY 17 FRI Poble Español Barcelona, Spain
MAY 18 SAT Iradier Arena Vitoria-gasteiz, Spain
MAY 21 TUE Arena Vienna, Austria
MAY 22 WED Effenaar Eindhoven, Netherlands
MAY 23 THU Lokschuppen Bielefeld, Germany
MAY 25 SAT Slamdunk Festival Leeds, United Kingdom
MAY 26 SUN Slamdunk Festival Hatfield, United Kingdom
NORTH AMERICAN DATES
6.2 Camp Anarchy / Thornville, OH
6.29 Atlantic City, NJ / Warped Festival
7.1 Madison, WI / The Sylvee
7.2 Minneapolis, MN / First Avenue
7.4 Winnipeg, MB / Burton Cummings Theatre
7.5 Saskatoon, SK / O’Brians Event Center
7.6 Edmonton, AB / Punk In Drublic
7.9 Denver, CO / Ogden Theatre
7.10 Salt Lake City, UT / The Union
7.13 Vancouver, BC / Punk In Drublic
7.14 Seattle, WA / Showbox SoDo
7.16 Spokane, WA / Knitting Factory
7.17 Boise, ID / Knitting Factory
7.19 Ventura, CA / Majestic Ventura Theatre
7.20 Mountain View, CA / Warped Festival
7.25 Toronto, ON / Phoenix Concert Hall
7.26 Montreal, QC / Montreal ’77
7.27 East Providence, RI / Bold Point Park
7.30 Portland, ME / Aura
7.31 Boston, MA / House of Blues
8.2 New York, NY / Webster Hall
8.3 New York, NY / Brooklyn Steel
8.4 Pittsburgh, PA / Roxian
8.6 Rochester, NY / Anthology
8.7 Royal Oak, MI / Royal Oak Music Hall
8.9 Chicago, IL / Riviera Theatre
8.10 Cleveland, OH / Agora Ballroom
8.11 Silver Spring, MD / Fillmore Silver Spring
8.13 Aug Raleigh, NC / The Ritz
8.14 Atlanta, GA / The Masquerade
8.16 Las Vegas, NV / Mandalay Bay Psycho Festival
9.21-22 Asbury Park, NJ / Sea.Hear.Now
10.12 Sacramento, CA / Aftershock
Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber Set To Release “I Don’t Care” On May 10
Ed Sheeran announced on his Instagram today that his new single with Justin Bieber – titled “I Don’t Care” – is set for release this Friday, May 10 (via Atlantic Records).
Ed and Justin have both been posting cryptic messages on their socials. The pair previously collaborated on the chart-topping hit “Love Yourself.”
Ed is currently in the midst of his sold-out worldwide stadium tour.