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Ariana Grande Announces The Sweetener World Tour

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This week multiplatinum, record-breaking superstar Ariana Grande announced the first leg of The Sweetener World Tour. American Express Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Thursday, November 1 at 10am local time through Saturday, November 3 at 10pm local time. Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Monday, November 5th at Ticketmaster.com.

Produced by Live Nation, the first leg of The Sweetener World Tour will kick off in North America on March 18 in Albany, NY and continue through June 18 in New York, NY at Madison Square Garden.

Full tour routing below. Additional international tour dates to be announced.

THE SWEETENER WORLD TOUR
March 18 – Albany, NY – Times Union Center
March 20 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
March 22 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
March 25 – Washington, DC – Capitol One Arena
March 26 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
March 28 – Cleveland, OH – Quicken Loans Arena
March 30 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
April 1 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
April 3 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
April 5 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
April 7 – Chicago, IL – United Center
April 10 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
April 12 – Indianapolis, IN – Bankers Life Fieldhouse
April 13 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
April 15 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
April 17 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
April 18 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center
April 20 – Denver, CO – Pepsi Center
April 22 – Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Smart Home Arena
April 25 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
April 27 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
April 30 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
May 2 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
May 3 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
May 6 – Los Angeles, CA – Staples Center
May 10 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
May 14 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Arena
May 17 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center
May 19 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
May 21 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
May 23 – Oklahoma City, OK – Chesapeake Energy Arena
May 25 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
May 28 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
May 29 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center
May 31 – Miami, FL – American Airlines Arena
June 4 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena
June 7 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
June 8 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
June 10 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
June 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
June 14 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
June 18 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

Women Dominate the 22nd Annual Maple Blues Award Nominees

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2017/2018 has proven to be a banner year for female Canadian blues artists from coast-to-coast, as the nominees for the 22nd annual Maple Blues Awards have been announced.

Leading the pack of hard-working blues women is Sue Foley with nominations in six categories including Entertainer of the Year, Electric Act of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Recording/Producer of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Guitarist of the Year.

Toronto’s Samantha Martin Delta Sugar are close behind with nominations in four categories including Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Recording/Producer of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year. Other notable female nominees are Dawn Tyler Watson for Entertainer of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year, Angel Forrest and Crystal Shawanda for Female Vocalist of the Year, Deb Rhymer and Emily Burgess for New Artist of the Year, Jenie Thai for Piano/Keyboard Player of the Year, Shirley Jackson for Horn Player of the Year, Lindsay Beaver for Drummer of the Year and Laura Greenberg and Leigh-Anne Stanton for Bassist of the Year.

Last year’s big winner was Vancouver’s Colin James, who has nominations in six categories including Entertainer of the Year, Electric Act of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Recording/Producer of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Guitarist of the Year. Ottawa’s 2018 JUNO Award winners MonkeyJunk received four nods for Entertainer of the Year, Electric Act of the Year, Harmonica Player of the Year for Steve Marriner and Drummer of the Year for Matt Sobb.

The Maple Blues Award going to the Blues Booster of the Year will be selected by the Toronto Blues Society Board of Directors and announced in advance of the Koerner Hall gala.


The 22nd Annual Maple Blues Award Nominees

Entertainer of the Year
Colin James
Dawn Tyler Watson
MonkeyJunk
Samantha Martin Delta Sugar
Sue Foley

Electric Act of the Year
Colin James
JW-Jones
MonkeyJunk
Paul DesLauriers Band
Sue Foley

Acoustic Act of the Year
Big Dave McLean
Earle Coffin
Michael Jerome Browne
Rob Lutes
Tim Williams

Male Vocalist of the Year
Colin James
Harrison Kennedy
Jon Knight (Soulstack)
Matt Andersen
Rob Lutes

Female Vocalist of the Year
Angel Forrest
Crystal Shawanda
Dawn Tyler Watson
Samantha Martin
Sue Foley

New Artist of the Year
Cootes Paradise
Dan Doiron
Deb Rhymer
Elliott The Audio Kings
Emily Burgess

Recording/Producer of the Year
Colin James – Miles to Go / True North (Colin James Dave Meszaros)
Jack de Keyzer – Checkmate / Blue Star (Jack de Keyzer)
Samantha Martin Delta Sugar – Run to Me / Gypsy Soul (Darcy Yates)
Sue Foley – The Ice Queen / Stony Plain (Mike Flanigan)
Sugar Brown – It’s A Blues World / Self (Sugar Brown)

B.B. King International Artist of the Year
Buddy Guy
Ghost Town Blues Band
Mavis Staples
Rick Estrin The Nightcats
Shemekia Copeland

Songwriter of the Year
Colin James
David Vest
Ken Kawashima (Sugar Brown)
Samantha Martin / Curtis Chaffey
Sue Foley

Blues with a Feeling Award (Lifetime Achievement Award)
Alec Fraser
Brent Parkin
Danny Brooks
Ellen McIlwaine
Joe Murphy
Ken Whiteley
Michael Fonfara
Michael Jerome Browne
Tom Lavin

Guitarist of the Year
Colin James
Jack de Keyzer
Jack Semple
Steve Hill
Sue Foley

Harmonica Player of the Year
Carlos del Junco
Guy Bélanger
Harpdog Brown
Roly Platt (Matt Minglewood)
Steve Marriner (MonkeyJunk)

Piano/Keyboard Player of the Year
David Vest
Jenie Thai
Jesse O’Brien
Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne
Michael Kaeshammer

Horn Player of the Year
Chris Whiteley
Jon Wong
Mat “Moose” Mousseau (Ben Racine Band)
Richard Thornton (Jack de Keyzer)
Shirley Jackson

Drummer of the Year
Gary Craig (Colin Linden, Steve Dawson)
Lindsay Beaver
Matt Sobb (MonkeyJunk)
Sam Harrisson (Paul DesLauriers Band)
Tom Bona

Bassist of the Year
Gary Kendall (Downchild Mighty Duck Blues Band)
Keith Picot (Brandon Isaak)
Laura Greenberg (JW-Jones)
Leigh-Anne Stanton (Wicked Grin)
Russell Jackson (Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne)

Online voting is open from November 1st, 2018 at 12:01 am Newfoundland Daylight Time. Canadian blues fans can vote online in the eligible categories until December 1st, at 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time. Register here.

The 22nd annual Maple Blues Awards will be hosted by Raoul Bhaneja, an actor and 20-year veteran of the Canadian blues scene. The Maple Blues Awards will be held on February 4, 2019. The gala event is considered to be the premier blues event of the year. Tickets for the Maple Blues Awards are available online at rcmusic.com or at the Koerner Hall box office (The Weston Family Box Office, located in The Royal Conservatory building at 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto) or by phone at (416) 408-0208. TBS Charter Members can benefit from the ongoing exclusive pre-sale and purchase best available seats for a discounted price, $35.

Martin Atkins: “The Myth of Efficiency in Creative Media”

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Entrepreneur, educator, and musician Martin Atkins is the definition of entrepreneurial activity in cultural arts endeavors. His 35+ years in the music business spans across genres, borders, and industries.

Martin has all kinds of tried, tested, and remixed ideas that all add up to make a difference in an artistic career. In this talk, he shares his thoughts around longevity, efficiency, and having a mindset to plant the seeds of your own future.

Martin is the Music Business Dept Chair at SAE Institute Chicago, was a member of Public Image Ltd, founded industrial supergroup Pigface, and has contributed to Nine Inch Nails (for which he has a Grammy). He’s the owner of Invisible Records and Mattress Factory Recording Studios. He’s also the author of Tour:Smart and Band:Smart. Martin is a producer, drummer, documentary filmmaker, DJ, and father of four.

Whatever the future of music is, you can pretty much bet that he’ll be in the middle of it.

Check Out Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter’s Alternate”Bangalter” Track. All 15 Minutes Of It.

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A new solo track by Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter is streaming on YouTube.

The 15-minute analog techno jam – which was teased earlier this month by French label Ed Banger Records and uploaded by Daft Punk fan account Crydajam – is an alternate version of a song Bangalter contributed to the soundtrack of 2017 Latvian drama Riga (Take 1).

https://youtu.be/xsP86M-wq_Q

Via

Tom Morello Joins MasterClass to Teach Guitar

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MasterClass, the online education company that enables anyone to learn from the best in the world, announced today that Grammy Award-winning musician and Rage Against the Machine cofounder Tom Morello will offer his first online class on electric guitar exclusively through its platform. In his MasterClass, Morello will teach students a wide range of guitar techniques including how to build a guitar riff, how to create a multi-layered song from scratch, and how to uncover and unleash one’s creative voice. Morello’s class is now available here. Enrollment for the class is $90 for lifetime access, or $180 per year for the All-Access Pass, which grants unlimited access to all new and existing classes.

Morello, a two-time Grammy winner and one of Rolling Stone’s “Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” is best known for his career as the lead guitarist of Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave, and Prophets of Rage. He has also performed with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on several tours and albums. Morello’s distinctive unorthodox sound shatters traditional conceptions of the instrument’s capabilities as it blends heavy aggressive riffs with hip-hop sensibilities, while incorporating feedback noise, unconventional picking and tapping, and heavy use of guitar effects. Morello recently released his debut solo album The Atlas Underground which features collaborations with Marcus Mumford, Big Boi, Portugal. The Man, Gary Clark Jr., the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA and GZA, Steve Aoki, Vic Mensa, and Bassnectar, among others.

“With guitar playing, there is a combination of rhythm, feedback, melody, ferocity, improvisation, otherworldly sounds and rock POWER that when done right, you feel in it the reptilian DNA of humanity,” said Tom Morello. “I wanted to teach a guitar class that will make your playing meaningful to you. In my MasterClass, I will provide the building blocks for every student to create an authentic, artistic self on the electric guitar.”

In his MasterClass, Morello will share his approach to making music that challenges the status quo, and teach students to create their own musical style. Catering to guitar players with a range of proficiencies — from self taught students who play guitar as a hobby to aspiring professionals who are fans of Morello’s electric guitar sound — Morello will demonstrate his signature techniques and discuss musical philosophy as he guides students through the process of writing, recording, and performing songs. Students will learn how to write a song with just two notes and how to advance their playing to a level of conceptual and technical thinking. Morello’s class will inspire students to find their own voices, develop the technical skill required to express those voices, speak fervently through their art, and challenge themselves to be better than they ever imagined.

Universal Music And Marvel Comics Collaborate For New Album Series Of Hip-Hop Variant Covers For Vinyl Reissues

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Urban Legends, the urban catalog platform of Universal Music Enterprises (UMe), and Marvel Comics are collaborating to bring together the mighty, epic worlds of comics and hip-hop with an ongoing exclusive album series that will feature variant covers for select collector’s editions of some of the record label’s most legendary hip-hop releases. The first releases in this joint series, out December 7, are Iron Man standing behind cracked glass for 50 Cent’s incendiary 2003 debut, Get Rich Or Die Tryin’; the Punisher replicating LL Cool J’s famous stance on the cover of his 1990 album Mama Said Knock You Out; and Iron Man dueling Maestro, mirroring the cover of GZA’s second studio album, Liquid Swords.

Marvel Comics originally debuted these album art-inspired images as comic book variants for many of their top comic titles in 2015, reinterpreted by a number of fan-favorite comic book artists. Now Marvel’s highly successful variant comic book cover series will be combined with UMe’s vast catalog that includes the most revered and influential albums in hip-hop history.

Each album release will boast a pair of collectible options, the first one being a double color vinyl Variant Cover Collector’s Edition that replaces the album’s original image with Marvel’s variant hip-hop cover art.

Second, a Deluxe Variant Cover Collector’s Edition will sport the featured album itself housed in a gatefold LP with the variant cover printed directly on the front. The deluxe collector’s edition will include double color vinyl, along with a copy of the limited-edition corresponding Marvel comic book that ties in with the artwork. The deluxe version will also include a 3D lenticular print of Marvel’s variant cover artwork. Each initial Collector’s Edition will be capped at 3,000 units.

UMe plans to release hip-hop variant albums each quarter, distributing them to traditional record stores and retail channels, as well as directly to consumers. The initial limited-edition runs will be capped at 5,000 units each.

Released in 2003 by Shady/Aftermath/Interscope, 50 Cent’s debut, Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, was the year’s bestselling album worldwide. It stormed to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with more than 872,000 copies sold during its first week of release. Featuring the acclaimed No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 singles “In da Club” and “21 Questions,” and the Top 5 “P.I.M.P.,” the album is six-times platinum-certified by the RIAA. The exclusive hip-hop variant cover inspired by this album was originally drawn and colored by Brian Stelfreeze for Invincible Iron Man #1 in 2015.

LL Cool J’s fourth studio album, Mama Said Knock You Out, drew praise from critics worldwide, lauding the album’s hard-hitting, soulful jams. Released in 1990 by Def Jam, the multi-platinum album’s chart-topping and GRAMMY®-winning title track is an iconic hip-hop staple. The exclusive hip-hop variant cover inspired by this album was originally drawn and colored by Tim Bradstreet for Punisher #1 in 2016.

Released in 1995 by Geffen, GZA’s second solo studio album, Liquid Swords, peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The platinum-certified album is critically acclaimed, recognized as one of the best hip-hop albums of all time and as a particularly strong solo release by a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. The exclusive hip-hop variant cover inspired by this album was originally drawn by Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz and colored by Chris Sotomayor for Contest of Champions #1 in 2015.

Carole Pope And Kevin Hearn Release Politically Charged Single “Resist It”

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“Could the world be more twisted? Could the world be more ballistic?” So, kicks off the opening lyrics of “Resist It”, a new politically-charged track from award-winning multi-instrumentalist, Kevin Hearn and Canadian music icon, Carole Pope out now and available worldwide now. The track includes appearances by Broken Social Scene’s Justin Peroff (drums) and beloved, veteran Toronto musicians Hugh Marsh (violin), Tim Welch (guitar), and Sahara MacDonald (background vocals).

Says Hearn of the collaboration, “Carole and I set out to write a song that pushes back against the daily onslaught of bad news and scandal. We came up with this deadly musical cocktail laced with sarcasm that echoes our anger and frustration. We’re fired up. We hope it can serve as a rousing, uplifting anthem for anybody who is ready to speak up, show up, and stand up for a better, more compassionate world.”

Hearn may be best known as the multi-instrumentalist from Barenaked Ladies, whom he has played with since 1995. In April of 2018, the group was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Hearn has been a regular songwriting contributor to the band over the years. He has also contributed his artwork, most notably on their Juno award winning Children’s record Snacktime!. Along with his longtime band Thinbuckle, Kevin has released seven solo records, most recently the critically acclaimed Days in Frames. One of Hearn’s closest musical relationships was with the late, great Lou Reed, for whom Hearn acted as keyboardist and touring musical director from 2007 up until his passing in 2013.

Carole Pope is an agent provocateur pushing the boundaries of sexuality, sexual politics, and the status quo. Short listed for a 2016 Polaris prize, her work has been recognized with three JUNO Awards, multiple independent music awards, a Genie Award, 4 Gold, 1 Platinum and 1 Double Platinum album.

Music Legend Nile Rodgers and Chart-Topper Bebe Rexha Join Celebrity Mentors and Producers for Season 2 of THE LAUNCH

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With production underway on the second season of CTV’s hit original music series THE LAUNCH, the network announced today the final celebrity mentors confirmed to join the series this season. Musical legend and multiple Grammy Award-winning composer, producer, arranger, guitarist, and co-founder of CHIC, Nile Rodgers (Madonna, David Bowie, Diana Ross) joins as celebrity producer, along with chart-topping singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha in a celebrity mentor role.

The pair round out the this season’s previously announced celebrity mentors including Grammy award-winning music legend Bryan Adams – in the dual role as celebrity mentor and producer; celebrated multi-platinum award-winning singer-songwriter Jann Arden; Grammy award-winner Sarah McLachlan, Arkells’ Max Kerman, and recording superstar Ryan Tedder, the creative force behind Season 1 certified platinum hit single “Ain’t Easy” by Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine, who will also produce a new song in Season 2. Also confirmed to work with emerging artists aspiring for an opportunity to create a new hit single this season are some of the music industry’s most successful producers including Jon Levine (Avril Lavigne, Drake, Bebe Rexha); Alex Hope (Carly Rae Jepsen, Troye Sivan, Tove Lo); and Shaun Frank (The Chainsmokers, Steve Aoki, Dragonette).

Adam Sandler Raps About His ‘Phone Wallet Keys’ In His Netflix Comedy Special ‘100% Fresh’

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In his new Netflix comedy special, 100% Fresh, Adam Sandler performed a very funny rap about always remembering his “Phone Wallet Keys” whenever he goes out, getting straight his – and everybody’s – priorities.

This Three-Year-Old Girl Belts Out the Lyrics to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Better Than You

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Sassy Holly Lee, three, shows she’s got a kind of magic as she’s filmed singing the Queen hit and headbanging when the guitar kicks in. Her mom, Charlene McMahon, says the young star sings it numerous times a day and is desperate to see the new Bohemian Rhapsody film which hit cinemas this week.