Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas traces the history of classical music, revealing its power to present a variety of complex human emotions.
Michael is a conductor, pianist, and composer. He is currently the music director of the San Francisco Symphony, artistic director of the New World Symphony, and principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. In 2010, President Obama awarded him the National Medal of Arts. Tilson Thomas has won ten Grammy Awards for his recordings.
Mensch started his career in music management at the age of 26, managing AC/DC. In 1982, he formed the management company Q Prime with Cliff Burnstein. Their first client was Def Leppard. Q Prime has managed the careers of a large number of multiplatinum acts; including Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers, Muse, Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, Veruca Salt, Snow Patrol and many others, including Jimmy Page, who he managed twice. The Financial Times has called Q Prime “One of the most admired artist management companies”.
You don’t have to be a total shit to be a manager, but it helps sometimes. You manage from the highest moral ground. If you’ve got all the answers, then you have the high moral ground in your comments to promoters or record company people. Then you become a pain in the arse because they disagree with you. But we’re right. Cliff and I are always right. Never wrong. If you manage bands, at all levels, you’re kind of the mommy bird and they’re baby birds and you have to feed them. So anybody that doesn’t want to help you feed them, you get angry at. If you get in my way, I’m going to roll over you. Because my job is to feed the baby birds.
I’m fueled by hate. I’ve had a chip [on my shoulder] since I was 10. It doesn’t go away. We want to shove down everybody’s throats [that] we’re the best management company on the planet. Other people’s clients don’t understand that, but they will eventually. I’m joking. The fact is, we do things ourselves. We have 40 employees. We’re basically a record company now in North America. We have a digital department. We have a marketing department. We have our own vinyl pressing plant in Germany. And if the record companies get out of the physical business, we’ll buy a CD pressing plant…. When we shuffle off this mortal coil, we want people to go, ‘They were fucking legends.’ I’m a better manager than Peter Grant ever was. I know that because I know the deals that Led Zep did. I want to prove myself every fucking day.
– Q Prime’s Peter Mensch Via
All photos taken by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
1969 was a pretty busy year for Andy Kaufman while he was in college. His daughter, Maria Bellu-Colonna was born, and was the child of an out-of-wedlock relationship with a high-school girlfriend and was placed for adoption. In December 1969, Kaufman learned Transcendental Meditation at college. According to a BBC article, he used the technique “to build confidence and take his act to comedy clubs”. For the rest of his life, Kaufman meditated and performed yoga three hours a day. He also began performing at coffee houses and developing his act, as well as writing a one-man play, Gosh. Here’s video from that exciting year of a genius, who is still alive, right?
https://youtu.be/qWf4i8gu6gI
Multi-Platinum, Grammy Nominated artist Logic – among the top streaming artists in the world with billions of streams to date – today announces his new summer amphitheater and arena “The Bobby Tarantino vs. Everybody Tour” with support from rising hip hop artists NF and KYLE.
The 33-date tour produced by Live Nation, which kicks off June 8th in Boston, will make stops across North America including iconic venues such as New York’s Madison Square Garden and Los Angeles’ The Forum. Tickets for the tour will go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, March 16th at 12:00pm local time at LiveNation.com.
This past Friday, Logic released his new mixtape Bobby Tarantino II via Def Jam Recordings/Visionary Music Group. The surprise release features hip hop heavy hitters, 2 Chainz, Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa as well as Logic’s soon to be smash hit “Everyday” with Marshmello.
With the mainstream worldwide success of 4x-platinum “1-800-273-8255” (National Suicide Preven¬tion Lifeline) featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid, Logic was catapulted into the spotlight for bringing mental health and suicide prevention awareness to the national conver¬sa¬tion. The song led to a powerful Grammy Awards® performance and two nominations, including “Song Of The Year”. The stunning VIDEO, featuring Don Cheadle, Matthew Modine, Nathan Gould and others, has amassed over 326 million combined YouTube views to date. Logic’s triumphant performance of the song at the MTV VMAs in August has been viewed over 20 million times, and led to a Top 3 Billboard Hot 100 hit, Top 10 at Pop Radio, #1 on Spotify, and #5 on Spotify Global.
LOGIC PRESENTS THE BOBBY TARANTINO VS. EVERYBODY TOUR WITH NF & KYLE DATES:
DATE CITY VENUE
6/8 Boston, MA Xfinity Center
6/9 Bangor, ME Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
6/10 Hartford, CT XFINITY Theatre
6/13 Philadelphia, PA BB&T Pavilion
6/16 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
6/17 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
6/19 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
6/20 Atlanta, GA Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
6/22 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
6/23 Jacksonville, FL Daily’s Place
6/26 Nashville, TN Ascend Amphitheater
6/28 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
6/30 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
7/1 Indianapolis, IN Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
7/3 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Amphitheater
7/5 Toronto, ON Budweiser Stage
7/6 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center
7/11 Boise, ID Ford Idaho Center
7/13 Seattle, WA White River Amphitheatre
7/14 Portland, OR Moda Center
7/15 Vancouver, BC PNE Amphitheatre
7/17 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
7/19 San Francisco, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
7/20 Los Angeles, CA The Forum
7/21 Las Vegas, CA Park Theater at Park MGM
7/22 Irvine, CA FivePoint Amphitheatre
7/24 San Diego, CA Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
7/25 Phoenix, AZ Ak-Chin Pavilion
7/27 Austin, TX Austin360 Amphitheater
7/28 Houston, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
7/29 Dallas, TX Starplex Pavilion
8/1 Oklahoma City, OK Zoo Amphitheatre
8/3 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Today, multi-platinum hard rock band, Five Finger Death Punch, have announced that they will be releasing their highly anticipated seventh full-length studio album, And Justice For None, on May 18. The long-awaited collection is available for physical pre-order today in the following formats: Standard physical CD (13 tracks), Deluxe physical CD (13 tracks + 3 bonus tracks + Deluxe artwork), Vinyl (13 tracks + 3 bonus tracks + Deluxe gatefold artwork). The band is also offering fans a variety of new CD/merchandise bundles. Fans who pre-order the new album will also receive an exclusive ticket pre-sale code for Five Finger Death Punch’s just announced 32-date North American summer co-headlining amphitheater tour with Breaking Benjamin.
Five Finger Death Punch are thrilled to be hitting the road for a massive series of co-headlining North American dates with Breaking Benjamin this summer. As special guests, they will bring along two of the most exciting new rock acts in the world: 3X GRAMMY Award-nominees Nothing More and Bad Wolves who are currently dominating the #1 spots on the mainstream, Rock and Metal charts in multiple countries around the world with their cover version of The Cranberries’ “Zombie”. The video for “Zombie” has garnered more than 15 million views in 2 weeks. The track has reached 3.2m streams and hit #3 on Spotify’s Viral Global Top 50, as well as #4 on Spotify’s Viral US Top 50. “Zombie” will appear on the band’s debut album Disobey, due out May 18. Rolling Stone described the song, “Bad Wolves’ interpretation of “Zombie” is moody like the Cranberries’, though the instrumentation sounds clearer and more cutting.”
The summer amphitheater tour, co-produced by Live Nation and Frank Productions, kicks off on July 16, 2018 in Seattle, WA and will make stops in 32 North American cities. Last week, select dates were announced via Live Nation’s Ticket To Rock program. Today, all dates are now available and VIP presale begins today at 12:00 PM EST. Fan Club members have access to the presale tomorrow, March 14 at 10:00 AM EST. Tickets will go on-sale to the general public beginning Friday, March 16 at 10:00 AM at LiveNation.com.
”When I’m asked for a tour quote I’m always scratching my head… Is there anything to add?” says Five Finger Death Punch guitarist, Zoltan Bathory. “We are putting together 2018’s biggest Hard Rock tour of the Summer; where even the first band on the bill has a massive hit single around the world. There will be fire, there will be lights and it’s going to be loud. An experience you can’t just download, you have to be there. We all get about 80 summers in our lifetimes, so make them count.”
“This is the type of tour package that is all too rare nowadays,” adds Larry Frank, Owner Frank Productions/Live Nation. “Five Finger Death Punch, Breaking Benjamin, Nothing More, and Bad Wolves is the kind of tour that keeps music alive and exciting and at the same time introduces the audience to newer bands that will become the next generation of arena rock acts.”
Fans purchasing a ticket to the tour will also support a good cause. The co-headliners will donate $0.50 from each ticket sold to two charity organizations close to their hearts. Five Finger Death Punch has chosen C.O.P.S – Concerns Of Police Survivors, an organization whose mission is rebuilding shattered lives of survivors and co-workers affected by line of duty deaths, through partnerships with law enforcement and the community. Breaking Benjamin has chosen Prevent Child Abuse America to help counteract the abuse and neglect of our nation’s children by promoting services that improve child well-being and developing programs that help to prevent all types of abuse and neglect.
The current singles of Five Finger Death Punch (“Gone Away”, #6), Breaking Benjamin (“Red Cold River”, #4) and Nothing More (“Do You Really Want it?”, #7) have all entered the U.S. Top Ten Rock Chart with Bad Wolves closely following on their heels with “Zombie” at #14.
Five Finger Death Punch’s current single, “Gone Away” (their own rendition of The Offspring’s 1997 hit single) has received over 7 million streams since its debut, over 15 million video views on YouTube and topped the iTunes rock and metal charts globally. The song continues to climb up the rock charts and is already at #6 this week. Check out the official video for “Gone Away” and the lyric video.
Five Finger Death Punch + Breaking Benjamin Summer Tour Dates
* – 5fdp & Bad Wolves only/ ** – 5fdp, Breaking Benjamin & Bad Wolves only
7/16/18 – White River Amphitheatre – Seattle, WA **
7/18/18 – Spokane Arena – Spokane, WA **
7/20/18 – Taco Bell Arena – Boise, ID
7/21/18 – USANA Amphitheatre – Salt Lake City, UT
7/24/18 – Shoreline Amphitheatre – San Francisco, CA
7/25/18 – Mattress Firm Amphitheatre – San Diego, CA
7/27/18 – FivePoint Amphitheater – Irvine, CA
7/29/18 – Isleta Amphitheater – Albuquerque, NM **
8/1/18 – Austin360 Amphitheater – Austin, TX
8/3/18 – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – Houston, TX **
8/4/18 – Starplex Pavilion – Dallas, TX
8/6/18 – BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove – Southaven, MS
8/7/18 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis, MO
8/9/18 – Heritage Park Amphitheatre – Simpsonville, SC
8/11/18 – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre – Tampa, FL
8/12/18 – Verizon Amphitheatre – Atlanta, GA
8/14/18 – KeyBank Pavilion – Pittsburgh, PA
8/15/18 – BB&T Pavilion – Camden, NJ
8/17/18 – The Pavilion at Montage Mountain – Scranton, PA
8/18/18 – Xfinity Center – Boston, MA
8/20/18 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON
8/22/18 – Lakeview Amphitheater – Syracuse, NY **
8/24/18 – Jiffy Lube Live – Bristow, VA
8/25/18 – PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ **
8/28/18 – Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH
8/29/18 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago, IL
8/31/18 – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center – Indianapolis, IN **
9/1/18 – DTE Energy Music Theatre – Detroit, MI
9/3/18 – Darien Lake Amphitheater – Darien Center, NY
9/6/18 – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY **
9/7/18 – XFINITY Theatre – Hartford, CT
9/9/18 – Blossom Music Center – Cleveland, OH **
Previously Announced 5FDP Spring Festival Dates
4/20/18 – KUPD’s UFEST – Tempe, AZ
4/21/18 – Las Rageous – Las Vegas, NV
4/27/18 – Welcome To Rockville – Jacksonville, FL
4/28/18 – Fort Rock Fest – Sunrise, FL
5/5/18 – Carolina Rebellion – Concord, NC
Previously Announced 5FDP / Shinedown Spring US Tour Dates
5/6/18 – Bridgestone Arena – Nashville, TN
5/8/18 – Rupp Arena – Lexington, KY
5/10/18 – BOK Center – Tulsa, OK
5/11/18 – Westfair Amphitheatre – Council Bluffs, IA
5/12/18 – Eagles Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI *
5/14/18 – Salem Civic Center – Salem, VA
5/16/18 – Legacy Arena – Birmingham, AL
5/17/18 – Ford Center– Evansville, IN
5/18/18 – Mark of the Quad – Moline, IL
5/20/18 – Alerus Center – Grand Forks, ND
5/30/18 – Casper Events Center – Casper, WY
The next group of artists set to perform at The 2018 JUNO Awards were announced today by the Canadian Academy of Arts and Sciences (CARAS). World-renowned jazz singer, Diana Krall, singer-songwriter and Vancouver local Shawn Hook, and Nunavut indie roots band The Jerry Cans, will take the Rogers Arena stage on March 25, 2018. The JUNO Awards will be broadcast live nationwide 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET on CBC, CBC Radio and globally on cbcmusic.ca/junos.
Eight-time JUNO Award winner Diana Krall will perform at the 2018 JUNOS after recently announcing the fourth North American leg of her International “Turn Up the Quiet” tour. Multi platinum pop artist and JUNO Fan Choice Award (Presented by TD) nominee Shawn Hook will grace the stage in his hometown with a special performance honouring MusiCounts. Vancouver DJ Felix Cartal will take the helm as the house DJ during the event. Cartal earned two JUNO nominations this year including Dance Recording of the Year and Jack Richardson Producer of the Year.
Eight-time JUNO Award winners, Barenaked Ladies – Ed Robertson, Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn and Tyler Stewart – will come together for a one-time special performance alongside former member and co-founder Steven Page as they celebrate their induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. First-time nominees The Jerry Cans will take the stage to perform their hit song Ukiuq (Northern Lights). The band is nominated for two JUNO Awards this year including Breakthrough Group of the Year (Sponsored by FACTOR, the Government of Canada, and Canada’s Private Radio Broadcasters) and Contemporary Roots Album of the Year.
Taking the stage alongside Sarah Harmer and Dallas Green (City and Colour) in this year’s tribute to Gord Downie is Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee keyboardist Kevin Hearn (Barenaked Ladies). Hearn worked with Downie on his critically acclaimed album Secret Path.
The artists announced today will join performers Arcade Fire, Arkells, Daniel Caesar, Jessie Reyez and Lights as well as the host of the 47th annual JUNO Awards, Michael Buble.
Tickets for The 2018 JUNO Awards are on sale now. Tickets are available starting at $59 (plus fees) through the Rogers Arena Box Office, by phone at 1-855-985-5000 and online at ticketmaster.ca. The JUNO Awards has once again partnered with Plus 1 so that $1 from every ticket is donated to MusiCounts, helping to ensure that children and youth across Canada have access to musical instruments. Plus 1 is a non-profit that partners with touring artists to facilitate a $1 add-on from every concert ticket to go to a cause the artist partner believes in.
The 47th annual JUNO Awards and JUNO Week 2018 will be hosted in Vancouver from March 19 through March 25, 2018, culminating in The JUNO Awards, on Sunday, March 25, at Rogers Arena.
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Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.
Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com
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