The Monkey’s Uncle is a 1965 Walt Disney production starring Tommy Kirk as genius college student Merlin Jones and Annette Funicello, a former Mouseketeer from The Mickey Mouse Club, as his girlfriend, Jennifer. The title song, written by the Sherman Brothers, is performed by Funicello, with The Beach Boys doing backup.
Friends of Wonder: Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile’s 35-Minute Doc Is Here
Got about a half hour to spare today? Then check out this documentary film by Kurt Vincent & Irene Chin about Courtney Barnett, Kurt Vile, and the community of the Loew’s Jersey Theater.
Robert Plant Unveils More North American Tour Dates With Sensational Space Shifters
Robert Plant has announced a new series of North American headline dates celebrating his acclaimed new album, Carry Fire. The dates, for which Plant is once again accompanied by The Sensational Space Shifters, begin June 8 in Atlanta, GA, and then continue through the month. Special guests on the tour will include Sheryl Crow, Jim James solo acoustic, Elle King, Seth Lakeman, Jon Langford, Los Lobos, and Lucinda Williams. The complete itinerary is below.
Spotify will offer special presale access to Plant’s biggest fans. A presale code will be sent out via email on March 7 at 10am ET/7am PT. Pre-sales begin Wednesday, March 7 from 10 am – 10 pm (local); local pre-sales follow on Thursday, March 8 from 10 am – 10 pm (local). Remaining tickets to most announced dates will be released to the general public on Friday, March 9 at 10 am (local). Every ticket purchased online for Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters’ headline shows includes a CD or digital copy of Carry Fire (festival dates not included). Instructions on how to redeem the album will be emailed after ticket purchase.
Rolling Stone recently named the album among the “50 Best Albums of 2017,” writing, “With a title that evokes primal discovery and heroic burden, Carry Fire finds Plant nuancing the mystic stomp of yore for darkening times… It proves that Plant’s athletic power, like his musical idealism, burns undiminished.”
ROBERT PLANT AND THE SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS
CARRY FIRE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2018
JUNE
8 – Atlanta, GA – Venue TBD w/special guest Elle King
10 – Richmond, VA – Virginia Credit Union LIVE! At Richmond Raceway
w/special guest Elle King
12 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion w/special guest Sheryl Crow
13 – Forest Hills, NY – Forest Hills Stadium w/special guest Sheryl Crow #
15 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage w/special guest Sheryl Crow
17 – Chicago, IL – Millennium Park Pritzker Pavilion w/special guest Jon Langford
19 – Vail, CO – Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater w/special guest Seth Lakeman ###
21 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre w/special guest Jim James Solo Acoustic
23 – Stateline, NV – Harveys Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena w/special guest Los Lobos
24 – Pasadena, CA – Arroyo Seco Music and Arts Festival
26 – Troutdale, OR – Edgefield w/special guest Lucinda Williams
27 – Redmond, WA – Marymoor Park Amphitheatre w/special guest Lucinda Williams
29 – Vancouver, BC – Vancouver International Jazz Festival
w/special guest Seth Lakeman ##
Avenged Sevenfold Announce North American “End Of The World Tour” With Prophets Of Rage Plus Three Days Grace
Grammy nominees AVENGED SEVENFOLD have announced the “End of the World Tour,” a North American headlining run produced by Live Nation that kicks off July 22 at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA, and features Prophets of Rage plus Three Days Grace.
This leg of the tour sees Avenged Sevenfold once again partnering with CID Entertainment to offer concertgoers a unique VIP experience. Those special packages, “Hail To The King,” “A7X Experiences” and “’Higher’ Seamless Experiences,” were a huge hit with fans, selling out in practically every city on the tour. This run takes the packages to another level with backstage tours, photos on the stage, exciting new interactive experiences and added memorabilia to The Paradigm Lounge.
This tour will be the band’s first with Prophets of Rage, who are touring in support of their internationally acclaimed, self-titled debut LP. Prophets of Rage features Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk of Rage Against The Machine, Chuck D and DJ Lord of Public Enemy and B-Real of Cypress Hill.
“We’re proud to tour with Prophets of Rage and Three Days Grace this summer across America,” says Avenged Sevenfold vocalist M. Shadows. “We see this tour as an opportunity to create an event with special bands and different generations of rock fans. From the moment you arrive at the venue until the last note is played, we’re hoping to give you the time of your life.”
“Awful pop dominating the airwaves? Political chaos across the land? Wanna fight back? Well The End Of The World Tour is here,” says Prophets of Rage’s Tom Morello. “Prophets of Rage & Avenged Sevenfold have always played absolutely uncompromising music. If you want your summer loud, raw and fearless we’ll see you in the pit.”
After a stadium tour with Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold recently wrapped the first leg of their own sold-out North American headlining run in support of critically acclaimed album, THE STAGE (Capitol). Now available as a deluxe edition, the album features 22 tracks, 7 of which are additional studio songs + 4 are live tracks recorded during the band’s recent shows at The O2 Arena in London. The CD and vinyl versions feature a special lenticular cover.
The quintet (vocalist M. Shadows, guitarists Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ and drummer Brooks Wackerman) kicked off 2018 with their first-ever Grammy nomination, as the title track for ‘The Stage’ earned the nod for “Best Rock Song.”
Dates are as follows:
DATE CITY VENUE
22-Jul Mansfield, MA Xfinity Center
25-Jul Wantagh, NY Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
26-Jul Hartford, CT The XFINITY Theatre
31-Jul Holmdel, NJ P.N.C. Bank Arts Center
1-Aug Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
3-Aug Pittsburgh, PA KeyBank Pavilion
4-Aug Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
6-Aug Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
7-Aug Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
9-Aug Toronto, ON Budweiser Stage
11-Aug Chicago, IL Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
12-Aug Noblesville, IN Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
16-Aug Phoenix, AZ Ak-Chin Pavilion
17-Aug Las Vegas, NV T-Mobile Arena
19-Aug Albuquerque, NM Isleta Amphitheater
21-Aug San Diego, CA Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
22-Aug Los Angeles, CA The Forum
24-Aug Concord, CA Concord Pavilion
28-Aug Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
30-Aug Denver, CO Pepsi Center
1-Sep Dallas, TX Starplex Pavilion
2-Sep Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
The Beaches Announce National Headline Tour for Spring 2018
JUNO-nominated rock band, The Beaches, today announce their first-ever national headline tour in support of their debut album Late Show, released last fall via Universal Music Canada. Kicking off in Vancouver on April 21, “The Late Show Tour” will make 16 stops across the country before culminating in the band’s home city of Toronto on May 11 at the Opera House – a celebratory finish during Canadian Music Week. Toronto songwriter and indie music artist Taylor Knox will provide direct support for the duration of the tour. Tickets to “The Late Show Tour” are available for purchase from March 8 here.
Following the success of “Money,” the band’s captivating first single that reached No.2 at Alternative radio and was the Most Added two weeks in a row, The Beaches have also announced “T-Shirt” as their next official single. To celebrate its release, the band released a special “T-Shirt” bundle, which includes the original album version, plus a new acoustic recording of the track. “T-Shirt” is at Canadian radio now.
Also announced this week, The Beaches will perform at The Great Escape music festival in Brighton, UK this May after they wrap their Canadian tour. Late Show will be officially released on Virgin Records in the UK on May 18.
Comprised of sisters Jordan and Kylie Miller (on lead vocals/bass and guitar/backing vocals, respectively), Eliza Enman-McDaniel on drums, and Leandra Earl on keyboards, guitarand backing vocals, The Beaches have a natural chemistry that shines through in their music and live performance. Playing as a band since before their teens, The Beaches have had time to fine-tune their craft, a reason why their live shows have not gone unnoticed.
The band’s debut album, Late Show was produced by Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw of five-time Juno Award-winners Metric, and was mixed by multi-Grammy Award-winner Tchad Blake (Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, U2). The Beaches’ influences are wide-spanning, including David Bowie, The Strokes, The Rolling Stones, St. Vincent and The Pretenders, which all in one way or another shaped this record.
With two self-released EPs under their belt and Late Show out now, The Beaches have already toured North America and the UK, and performed at Canadian festivals including Festival d’été de Québec, Osheaga and WayHome. Most recently, the band provided direct support for Death From Above on their North American tour, and they have also opened for such acts as Eagles of Death Metal, Alvvays, July Talk and several other acclaimed artists. This winter, The Beaches were nominated for their first-ever JUNO Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year (2018), and they were also nominated for a 2017 CASBY Award for Favourite New Artist.
“The Late Show Tour” Dates:
April 21, 2018 – Vancouver, BC – Venue
April 22, 2018 – Victoria, BC – Capital Ballroom
April 23, 2018 – Kamloops, BC – The Blue Grotto
April 25, 2018 – Edmonton, AB – The Starlite Room
April 26, 2018 – Red Deer, AB – Bo’s Bar & Grill
April 27, 2018 – Calgary, AB – Commonwealth Bar
April 28, 2018 – Saskatoon, SK – Capitol Music Club
April 30, 2018 – Winnipeg, MB – West End Cultural Centre
May 1, 2018 – Thunder Bay, ON – Crocks
May 3, 2018 – St. Catharines, ON – Warehouse
May 4, 2018 – Ottawa, ON – The 27 Club
May 6, 2018 – Quebec City, QC – L’Anti
May 7, 2018 – Fredericton, NB – Capital Bar
May 8, 2018 – Halifax, NS – Seahorse Tavern
May 10, 2018 – Kingston, ON – The Mansion
May 11, 2018 – Toronto, ON – The Opera House
Slayer Announces A Second North American Leg For Its Final World Tour
Literally by popular demand – with more than half the tour’s Leg One dates already either completely sold out or a sell-out imminent – today Slayer announces Leg Two, North America, of its final world tour, set to kick off on Thursday, July 26 at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford, NH. The tour will travel to 20 cities over about five weeks, culminating at San Jose’s SAP Center on August 26. Lamb of God, Anthrax, Testament and Napalm Death will accompany the band on all dates. The general ticket on sale for most dates begins this Friday, March 9 at 10AM (local). Very limited Slayer onstage + Meet & Greet + exclusive merchandise packages will be available.
A second North American leg for this tour had been considered to take place at some point down the line, but within 48-hours of the initial January 26 ticket on sale date, that all changed.
“We were blown away by the speed of sales for the final run,” said Rick Franks, President of Touring for Live Nation, one of the tour’s promoters. “Thirty-six years later and Slayer is bigger than ever before.”
On January 22, 2018, Slayer announced that it would do one last concert tour around the globe to thank their fans for all of their support over the years, for making the last three-and-a-half decades so packed with good times and unforgettable experiences, and then move on.
New and previously announced dates for Slayer’s final world tour, North America Legs One and Two, are as follows:
LEG ONE
MAY
10 Valley View Casino Center, San Diego, CA
11 FivePoint Amphitheatre, Irvine, CA SOLD OUT
13 Papa Murphy’s Park at Cal Expo, Sacramento, CA
16 Pacific Coliseum Vancouver, BC
17 South Okanagan Events Centre, Penticton, BC
19 Big Four, Calgary, AL SOLD OUT
20 Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton, AB SOLD OUT
22 Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, MB
24 The Armory, Minneapolis, MN SOLD OUT
25 Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL
27 Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, Detroit, MI SOLD OUT
29 Budweiser Stage, Toronto, ON SOLD OUT
30 Place Bell, Montreal, PQ SOLD OUT
JUNE
1 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT SOLD OUT
2 PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ
4 Santander Arena, Reading, PA SOLD OUT
6 Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
7 Blossom Music Center, Cleveland, OH
9 KeyBank Pavilion, Pittsburgh, PA
10 Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow, VA
12 Veteran’s United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA
14 PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte, NC
15 Orlando Amphitheater, Orlando, FL
17 Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land, Houston, TX SOLD OUT
19 The Bomb Factory, Dallas, TX SOLD OUT
20 Austin360 Amphitheater, Austin, TX SOLD OUT
LEG TWO
JULY
26 Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, Gilford, NH
27 Impact Festival, Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion, Bangor, ME
29 Northwell Health at Jones Beach, Wantagh, NY
31 The Pavilion at Montage Mountain, Scranton, PA
AUGUST
1 Times Union Center, Albany, NY
3 Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien Lake, NY
4 Lakeview Amphitheater, Syracuse, NY
6 Budweiser Gardens, London, ON
7 Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI
9 Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, St. Louis, MO
10 Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood, Atlanta, GA
12 Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN
13 Walmart AMP, Rogers, AR
15 Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, TX
16 The Zoo Amphitheatre, Oklahoma City, OK
18 Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, Denver, CO
19 USANA Amphitheatre, Salt Lake City, UT
21 Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater, Boise, ID
23 Sunlight Supply Amphitheater, Portland, OR
26 SAP Center, San Jose, CA
Childish Gambino Announces North America Tour With Rae Sremmurd
Today, GRAMMY, Golden Globe and Emmy-Award winning and multi-talented recording artist, actor, and producer Donald Glover a.k.a. Childish Gambino announced dates for his upcoming North American tour with special guest Rae Sremmurd. Produced by Live Nation in partnership with Wolf + Rothstein, the month-long outing will visit 13 cities across North America, kicking off in Atlanta on September 6 and wrapping in Vancouver on September 30.
Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, March 9 at12pm local time at Ticketmaster.com. American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Tuesday, March 6 at 12pm local time through Thursday, March 8 at 10pm local time.
Childish Gambino’s last live music production, “PHAROS,” was a runaway success in 2016. The highly-acclaimed performances took place in Joshua Tree, California, where Gambino debuted songs from his third studio album “Awaken, My Love!” The performances were recorded and later accompanied the vinyl release of the album, along with a VR headset and an app that allowed owners to access the “PHAROS” performances. The critically-acclaimed, certified gold album was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2018 GRAMMY Awards, while “Redbone” won for Best Traditional R&B Performance and received nominations for Record of the Year and Best R&B Song.
“PHAROS” returns this year to New Zealand on November 23, 24 and 25. More information and tickets are available now through the Pharos Earth mobile app here.
CHILDISH GAMBINO WITH SPECIAL GUEST RAE SREMMURD TOUR DATES:
Thu Sep 06 Atlanta, GA Infinite Energy Arena
Sat Sep 08 Chicago, IL United Center
Mon Sep 10 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Wed Sep 12 Boston, MA TD Garden
Fri Sep 14 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Tue Sep 18 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
Wed Sep 19 Washington DC Capital One Arena
Sat Sep 22 Houston, TX Toyota Center
Sun Sep 23 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
Wed Sept 26 Los Angeles, CA The Forum
Thu Sept 27 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena
Sat Sept 29 Seattle, WA KeyArena
Sun Sep 30 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
Setting Up a Home Recording Studio: Is It Worth Doing?
For many aspiring musicians, the music industry is tough and often unforgiving. You won’t be a successful musician if you can’t land a contract with one of the big labels in the industry. In reality, however, there are more ways you can succeed as a musician than ever before, especially with the internet on your side.
We now have more recording tools, affordable instruments, and free software that you can use to produce high-quality tracks. There are channels like YouTube and the iTunes, through which you can distribute your music and garner avid fans. All you need to get started is a way to record your music properly. So, is it time to consider setting up a home recording studio?
Accessible Recording for Everyone
One of the main reasons why more musicians now record their tracks from home is the affordability of even the best home recording kits and other supporting gear. You can start recording with a $50 USB microphone or audio interface and a laptop; that’s all you need!
With home recording gadgets becoming more affordable, getting started is no longer difficult. You can freely set a budget for your home recording studio and work your way towards constructing a kit that suits you perfectly.
It doesn’t stop there either. There are DIY tutorials and other great resources that will help you get professional-grade sound from the average home recording kits. Even choosing the right gadgets to buy is very easy now that you have sites like buzzharmony.com offering gear reviews and more.
A Wealth of Opportunities
If the fact that you can now set up a home recording studio for less than $100 – and easily too – doesn’t excite you just yet, then the wealth of opportunities that come with being able to record audio from home will. Producing your own tracks and releasing them to the world is really just the beginning.
We’re seeing the return of podcasts. You too can start your own podcast and talk about music, movies, and other topics you love with the same recording gadgets you already have. You can invite guests and further strengthen your online presence by releasing a new podcast every week.
It’s Very Scalable
The best thing about jumping in and setting up your own home recording studio today is how scalable the studio will be. Sure, you can start with a $100 kit so you can start recording instruments and vocals. As you gain more followers and start making money from your music, you can upgrade individual parts of the kit to boost your production quality.
You only need to look at successful YouTube musicians to see how scalable the idea of owning a home recording studio is. Most of the artists you know today started with a simple kit a few years ago; check their old YouTube covers if you don’t believe us.
They’ve made it with a home recording studio. Now it’s your turn; all you need to do is take the first step towards making your dreams a reality.
That Time Kate Bush Created The Music For Fruitopia’s TV Ads
Fruitopia was a pet project of Coke’s former marketing chief, Sergio Zyman. It was a fruit-flavoured drink introduced by the Coca-Cola Company in 1994 and targeted at teens and young adults, and was invented as part of a push by Coca-Cola to capitalize on the success of Snapple and other flavored tea drinks.
Today I found out Fruitopia had rather unusual commercials despite the simplicity of the product behind them. Along with being inspired by the 1960s feel of hippydom and free spirituality, the background music on several of the ads was provided by Kate Bush.
When Kate Bush took the assignment to do the music for Coca-Cola’s Fruitopia ads, it was indeed free rein for her. Chiat/Day, New York, creative director Marty Cooke and executive producer Andrew Chinich were overjoyed when Bush agreed to do not only one, but all nine of the spots in the Fruitopia campaign. Perhaps the fact that they told her she could do anything she wanted with the scores had something to do with it. In any case, Cooke and Chinich were just glad to get Bush on the job, which she did from London with a bunch of hand-picked musicians. “She said she was interested in providing a lot of variety, from Japanese drummers to Moroccan music… and she came through in spades,” Cooke says.
https://youtu.be/OVRcTfUWa7k
https://youtu.be/LqwdO5KaiQ4
https://youtu.be/FaJRG3pH41U
https://youtu.be/0-qu2X_VuQA
https://youtu.be/LJpJvHOOGR0
https://youtu.be/Gkf-32OcKd0
https://youtu.be/Nq9xjsW_nco
https://youtu.be/HZDnDtg9UoI
https://youtu.be/EcwQTmGALow
