Superorganism Plays NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert
The multinational band of theatrically fun and talented musicians in Superorganism mix melody and mischievous with almost Seussian folly. In addition to the 20-plus inflatable whales they provided, the band requested via email that NPR provides “7 x Crunchy apples, 7 x cans of Coca Cola (or similar, as long as they are 330mls/12oz cans it doesn’t matter).” They added, “PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT A RIDER BUT PART OF THE PERFORMANCE.”
Kenny Chesney Announces “Songs For The Saints” Album Out July 27
In every artist’s career, certain albums stand out as a significant piece of their soul. For Kenny Chesney, Songs for the Saints is that album. Co-produced with Buddy Cannon, the 12 tracks mark a deep dive into “the places that save you.”
“So much has happened since I went off the road in 2016,” Chesney explains. “And all of it, in one way or another, has ended up on this record. It’s special to me because of what it says – to me, and for me – about life, the world around us, how fragile it all can be and about somehow still finding the best parts of you, and moving towards them.”
Due July 27, Songs for the Saints marks the 8-time Entertainer of the Year’s first album on Blue Chair/Warner Bros. Nashville. In many ways, this new home for his work mirrors the things that inspired this album.
“Leaving a place where I’d spent my whole career was both scary and exciting,” Chesney concedes. “There’s that rush of not knowing anything about how this company works, and digging in. But there’s also a special thrill of being around people who truly understand what you’re doing and who are excited to be part of this music. It’s inspiring in all new ways when you have people match your own passion for the music.”
Recorded over the last several months, Chesney had a notion about what his record was going to be long before it galvanized into Songs for the Saints. “I was at a turning point in my life on so many levels, and then Hurricane Irma hit the Virgin Islands.”
“But this album isn’t about St. John, so much as it’s about what happened to St. John and all those islands you didn’t see on the news,” continues the man called “The People’s Superstar” by The Los Angeles Times. “To just see the devastation and what that does to people is one thing, but then there’s this courage and resilience people find…”
“This is not a literal record,” he cautions, “but it is an album about the refuges we all have, how temporary life is and the way we navigate to better places, dig in and face the destruction. And sometimes, we learn to own our wild hearts in the process.”
Beyond the euphoric “Get Along,” the banjo and people-positive message tempo track hovering outside the Top 10, Chesney wrote or co-write five tracks. As with any release from the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar, there are songwriters getting their first cuts, surprise collaborations, an obscure jewel and the emotional fabric that makes the No Shoes Nation a place rich with heart, tenacity and the will to embrace life on its terms.
“I feel like I know what this album’s supposed to be, and I know how much it means to me,” he says. “I wanted to get it just right, before we set a release date… and I think we’ve got it. I’m just glad we’ll have it out in time for me to play some of these songs this summer before the Trip Around the Sun Tour is over.
Little Boy Hams It Up, Does A Slow Motion Run Towards Home Base
This kid is just like the Six Million Dollar Man, but cooler.
Silly Blown Instruments Creates The Queen Version Of “Bohemian Rhapsody” You Never Knew You Needed
Tristan Clarke and Joe Buono aka The Melodica Men present a full-length cover of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, on their silly mouth-blown instruments.
2019 JUNO Host Committee Presents #OurSound Showcase at Canadian Music Week
The 2019 JUNO Host Committee, in collaboration with Tourism London and the London Music Office, is proud to present the #OurSound showcase at Canadian Music Week (CMW), featuring Legal Kill, Never Betters, Wolf Saga, Texas King, Cat Clyde and Whoop-Szo.
These six emerging London acts will take the stage at the Hideout in Toronto on Friday, May 11. Doors open at 8 p.m.
The #OurSound showcase kicks off a big year for London’s music scene, as the city prepares to host the Country Music Association of Ontario Awards and Festival, June 1-3 2018, followed by JUNO Week and The 2019 JUNO Awards, March 11-17, 2019.
“As Host City of the 2019 JUNOS, London has fully embraced the mandate of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), to educate, develop, celebrate and honour Canadian artists and their music. Showcasing some of our best emerging artists at Canadian Music Week helps develop our local talent and profile our sound,” said Chris Campbell, Chair of the 2019 JUNO Host Committee.
“Industry showcases connect our artists and help emerging talent gain national recognition. Showcasing as the Host City of the 2019 JUNOS elevates our already incredible music scene,” said Cory Crossman, London’s Music Industry Development Officer.
Tickets for the #OurSound showcase can be purchased online here or at the door.
Now in its 37th year, Canadian Music Week is recognized as one of the premier entertainment events in North America focusing on the business of music.
Almost 600 Border Collies Gather in Attempt to Break World Record
576 border collies with smiling faces gathered together, breaking the unofficial record for the most border collies in one place at one time .The event, which was put on by the Border Collie Owners of South Australia, was held in Willaston Oval, and everything went fine…until they started to herd each other into a pen.
Brass Instruments Cover Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android”
Radiohead’s 1997 classic Paranoid Android gets an updated cover version by UK band Old Dirty Brasstards. You might be thinking, Ha! How will they do Thom Yorke’s voice, then, eh? Enter the trumpet.
Lee Aaron Releases Diamond Baby Blues On April 27, 2018
Singer, songwriter, producer, performer, mother, teacher, rock ‘n’ roll legend… Lee Aaron is wearing a lot of hats these days. With a career spanning over 35 years and still going strong, Aaron is one of Canada’s most diverse artists and, as Billboard once described her; “an invincible voice.”
She proves it yet again on Diamond Baby Blues, out April 27, 2018. Aaron delivers a world-class vocal performance that may very well be the finest in her career.
She was one of the first women in Canada to navigate the male-dominated waters of rock’ n’ roll, pioneering the way for a significant number of artists. Her 1989 album BodyRock was proclaimed by Chart Magazine as “one of the 20 most influential Canadian albums of the 80’s, with artists like Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morissette and Shania Twain under Aaron’s influence.”
Born in Belleville Ontario, Lee’s family relocated to Winnipeg when she was two. Living two doors down from the MacLean family (MacLean & MacLean), Burton Cummings was a frequent visitor and Aaron’s earliest musical memories were of the rehearsals and parties that occurred in that Dowling Avenue home throughout much of her early childhood.
Smitten by the music bug, after moving back to Ontario she studied voice and piano as a teenager as well as appearing in numerous musical theatre productions. At 15 she was invited to join a band in the Toronto suburbs. Initially playing saxophone and keys, by 17 she had evolved into the band’s lead singer and was discovered by local talent agent the summer she graduated school. Working with Canadian greats from Moxy, Santers and Rick Emmett, by 19 she had written and recorded her debut album, 1982’s The Lee Aaron Project.
Between 19 and 21 Aaron weathered a period that she today describes as “painful and embarrassing” in which she was subjected to overtly sexist marketing, exploitive photographs, emotionally uncomfortable stage wear and “being thrown into situations I had neither the self confidence, maturity or life experience to navigate.” As a result of this, the song “Metal Queen” was born. A response – not just to her own experience but the entire sexist culture of 80’s rock – the song was intended as a feminist statement of power and strength. Women were much more than the ornamental, eye candy depictions of the era, but strong and intelligent, in control and a force to be reckoned with. The song and subsequent video catapulted Aaron to iconic status with legions of fans around the globe and over the years has become an enduring anthem of empowerment for men and women alike.
The late 80’s and early 90’s brought radio hits, gold and multi-platinum sales with Body Rock and Some Girls Do (1991), multiple Juno nominations and song writing awards. She appeared on the cover of dozens of magazines – even TV Guide! – and for several years seemed to be everywhere, her videos in near constant rotation on MuchMusic. Aaron turned the tables on the sexist status quo in her video for Whatcha Do To My Body, which featured a group of rugged, attractive men objectified in a tongue and cheek, yet respectful manner. This resonated deeply with the public and became a smash hit.
Recurrent themes in her writing – from teenager to maturity – have always been female empowerment and individualism, challenging the feminine stereotype and of course, love, in all its beauty and iniquity.
She re-emerged in 1998 performing blues and jazz in intimate venues around Vancouver, surprising fans and industry insiders alike with a musical left turn and released Slick Chick (2000) a spirited and soulful nod to her early influences. Despite initial skepticism, her authenticity and solid live performances from coast to coast led to credibility as one of the country’s most respected and versatile female vocalists and songwriters.
She followed up with the jazz infused, Beautiful Things (2004) but perhaps her most challenging career move to date was to become a wife and mother. Less than a month after completing the Beautiful Things tour, Lee and her husband welcomed a daughter in 2004 and a son in 2006. She took a recording hiatus to focus on her young family, but continued to perform selected live dates. She also released Museum, a collection of jazz performances on DVD in 2006, Rarities, Studio & Live a 3-DVD career anthology in 2008, Live in Sweden a DVD of her 2011 concert at Sweden Rock Fest, and a 30 year commemorative CD, Radio Hitz and More in 2012.
During this time Aaron returned college to expand on her post secondary education, acquiring a certification in Specialized Education. Working with exceptional youth in her community, she soon found herself helping design and implement programs for gifted children. “I’ve worked with differently-abled thinkers all my life…they’re called musicians! Working with kids who learn in unconventional ways is intuitive work; just like music. When you find a teaching strategy that works – just like a song idea – the light bulb goes on and it’s magical.”
In 2016 Aaron catapulted back onto the scene with Fire and Gasoline, a stellar collection of rock originals. Canadian and European and UK dates followed and video singles, “Tom Boy”, “Fire and Gasoline”, and “Bad Boyfriend” have well over 100K views on YouTube and continue to grow in popularity.
Last year brought multiple honors, with a permanent star on the Arts Walk of Fame in her former hometown of Brampton, Ontario, her iconic Metal Queen and BodyRock outfits on display at The National Music Centre in Calgary and the “Back In The Spotlight” Fan’s Choice award from Music Express.
April 27, 2018 marks the release of Diamond Baby Blues, a fiery collection of blues-based rockers, rock ‘n’ roll and hard-rock that pays homage to the giants of the late ’60s and ’70s music scene. Set to perform at Wacken, Germany’s biggest open air festival this summer, Sweden’s, Skogsrojet Fest and a string of Canadian shows, this multi-talented songstress shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. A Canadian original and a national treasure – Lee Aaron.
The Greatest Debut Metal Albums of All Time
Heavy metal music was known to have developed in the late 1960’s and in the early 1970s especially in the UK. Today there are numerous bands belonging to this music genre. Because of the popularity of metal bands universally, several subgenres of heavy metal music developed such as the Thrash Metal (Metallica, Anthrax were some of the popular bands in this category), Death Metal (Morbid Angel, Napalm Death), Black Metal (Mayhem, Burzum), Power Metal (Hammerfall, DragonForce) etc. in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. The 1990s witnessed the rise of several currently famous bands such as Linkin Park, Nirvana, etc.
So, Monster Casino which is one of the leading pay by mobile casinos brings to you a compiled list of the all-time greatest debut metal albums.
Best Debut Metal Albums of all time
Every decade would have witnessed the best and the worst metal bands making their way up and down the ladder of fame and success. Taking that into consideration, here’s the list of a few best debut metal albums of all time:
‘Welcome to Hell’ by Venom
The legendary debut album of the famous English heavy metal band ‘Venom’, it was released in December 1981. At the time of its release, it re-defined the meaning of the word ‘cataclysmic’ and had greatly influenced the then-emerging thrash metal style. It, in fact, created a whole new world pain for ‘metaldom’ and so was almost like a threat to the Death and Black Metal styles.
‘De Mysteriis Dom Sanathas’ by Mayhem
Another stunning debut by a metal band was the ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sanathas’ by the Norwegian Black Metal Band Mayhem. This deadly debut album is still considered to be influential in the black metal scene. Also, it remains to be the only album of this band to feature Aarseth and Varg Vikernes.
‘Bonded by Blood’ by Exodus
An iconic debut album of the famous Bay Area Thrash Metal Band Exodus that largely revolutionised the Thrash Metal segment of Metal music. It also holds the record of being the only full-length studio album of Exodus to feature the Late Paul Baloff on vocals. In 2008, it was re-recorded by the band and re-released as ‘Let There Be Blood’ featuring mostly new band members.
‘Sorrow and Extinction’ by Pallbearer
This album is yet another extraordinary debut made by a Doom Metal Band. In the final acknowledgement list, you would notice that they have expressed their gratitude finally not to their family or close ones or anyone whom we would thank in a normal case, but to the legendary Black Sabbath band which has greatly influenced Pallbearer. The main asset of the band in this album is their sharp and a steely sense of a dynamic intuition which makes this album worth listening to.
‘Blasphemy’ by Fallen Angel Of Doom
This 1990 debut album of Fallen Angel Of Doom became quite legendary for the ‘death grunting’ in a more animal-like manner which only blurred the ability to comprehend the songs, which in fact, became a trendsetter. This album was one of the major influencers for the War Metal segment of Metal Music.