A brown thrasher knows a thousand songs. A wood thrush can sing two pitches at once. A mockingbird can match the sounds around it — including car alarms. These are just a few of the 4,000 species of songbirds. How do these birds learn songs? How do they know to mimic the songs of their own species? Are they born knowing how to sing? Partha P. Mitra illuminates the beautiful world of birdsong.
Photo Gallery: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds at Toronto’s Sony Centre
All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
Trent Reznor Created A Spotify Playlist For You, And You Alone
Nine Inch Nails leader Trent Reznor uploaded a Spotify playlist featuring music from across his catalogue, telling fans to listen to it by themselves. Entitled “Better Alone,” the 20-track list can be streamed below.
“Darkness optional but recommended,” he wrote in the playlist’s description, offering tracks from NIN and his movie score collaborations with Atticus Ross.
Radiohead Announce North American Tour 2018
Radiohead has confirmed a summer 2018 North American tour. The newly announced dates begin July 7 in Chicago and conclude August 1 in Philadelphia. The new U.S. and Canada shows extend the world tour in support of the band’s latest album A Moon Shaped Pool (XL Recordings), and are the band’s first North American appearances since spring 2017. Tickets will be on sale beginning Friday, February 23.
RADIOHEAD – North America 2018
Sat-Jul-07 – Chicago – United Center
Tue-Jul-10 – New York – Madison Square Garden
Wed-Jul-11 – New York – Madison Square Garden
Fri-Jul-13 – New York – Madison Square Garden
Mon-Jul-16 – Montreal – Bell Centre
Tue-Jul-17 – Montreal – Bell Centre
Thu-Jul-19 – Toronto – Air Canada Centre
Fri-Jul-20 – Toronto – Air Canada Centre
Sun-Jul-22 – Detroit – Little Caesars Arena
Mon-Jul-23 – Columbus – Schottenstein Center
Wed-Jul-25 – Cincinnati – US Bank Arena
Thu-Jul-26 – Pittsburgh- PPG Paints Arena
Sat-Jul-28 – Boston – TD Garden
Sun-Jul-29 – Boston – TD Garden
Tue-Jul-31 – Philadelphia- Wells Fargo Center
Wed-Aug-01 – Philadelphia – Wells Fargo Center
Ed Sheeran, Motley Crue, Alice Cooper, and “Weird Al” Yankovic Are Getting Their Own Funko! Pop Figures
Ed Sheeran makes his Pop! debut!
Coming in June!
Pop! Rocks: S4 – “Weird Al” Yankovic
The iconic American pop satirist “Weird Al” Yankovic is making his Pop! debut!
Shown with his favored instrument, the accordion.
From the “Weird Al” Yankovic song Fat find this version of “Weird Al” at FYE!
Coming in May!
Pop! Rocks: S4- Alice Cooper
Known for his distinctive voice and stage presence the singer-songwriter Alice Cooper is now in Pop! vinyl form! Wearing a white top hat and matching jacket.
Look for Alice Cooper in strait jacket at Hot Topic!
Coming in May!
The famous rock band Mötley Crüe makes their Pop! debut! Featuring band members Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil, Mick Mars and Tommy Lee.
Marvel’s Jessica Jones Season 2 Trailer Is Now Here
Jessica is back and doing things her way.
In anticipation of the highly-awaited second season, today Netflix released the franchise trailer for Marvel’s Jessica Jones. With flashes back to the first season, the trailer explores Jessica’s path to season two, while she shows everyone how to fight like a woman.
Marvel’s Jessica Jones returns for a second season on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2018 on Netflix.
https://youtu.be/SL4Fo6dJ3o8
Scholar And Drum Legend Bill Bruford Authors New Book, “Uncharted: Creativity And The Expert Drummer”
What do expert drummers do? Why do they do it? Is there anything creative about it? If so, how might that creativity inform their practice and that of others in related artistic spheres? Applying ideas from cultural psychology to findings from research into the creative behaviors of a specific subset of popular music instrumentalists, Scholar and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bill Bruford, best known for his work with Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, has written a new book, Uncharted: Creativity and the Expert Drummer. He demonstrates the ways in which expert drummers experience creativity in performance and offers fresh insights into in-the-moment interactional processes in music. An expert practitioner himself, Dr. Bruford draws on a cohort of internationally renowned, peak-career professionals and his own experience to guide the reader through the many dimensions of creativity in drummer performance.
The book is an exploration of the creativity involved in the way drummers make things work, make things matter, and make sense of both. It draws on interviews with nine top drummers and Bruford’s own experience to improve understanding in collaborative popular music performance.
“If you’re an instrumentalist” recommends Bill, “give it to the nearest drummer, so he or she knows what drummers are for. If you’re a drummer give it to the other people in your band, so they know what drummers are for. And get a copy for yourself, so you know what drummers are for!”
Performers announced for JUNO Songwriters’ Circle
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced the 2018 JUNO Award nominees confirmed to perform and participate in the event, dubbed as the “Jewel of JUNO Week”, JUNO Songwriters’ Circle.
Iskwé (Indigenous Music Album of the Year Sponsored by Aboriginal Peoples Television Network), multiple JUNO Award winner Jim Cuddy (Blue Rodeo), Rose Cousins (Songwriter of the Year Presented by SOCAN), Ruth B. (Album of the Year Sponsored by Music Canada, Artist of the Year Presented with Apple Music, Pop Album of the Year), and Scott Helman (Songwriter of the Year Presented by SOCAN and Pop Album of the Year) will join hosts Jann Arden and Bob Rock in an intimate musical showcase benefitting MusiCounts. Presented by SOCAN (The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) in association with the Canadian Music Publishers Association, JUNO Songwriters’ Circle, will take place at Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre on Sunday, March 25, 2018 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. PT.
JUNO Songwriters’ Circle offers fans the unique opportunity to hear the stories behind the songs and then hear those songs performed in a raw, acoustic format.
Tickets for JUNO Songwriters’ Circle are on sale now through www.ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 1-888-991-2787. Tickets are available starting at $39.50 (plus taxes and service fees).
Moderated by CBC Music’s Raina Douris, JUNO Songwriters’ Circle will broadcast nationwide from the Orpheum Theatre live on-air via CBC Music and CBC Radio One on Sunday, March 25 at 12 p.m. PT (3 p.m. ET).
For more information on the 2017 JUNO Awards, please visit junoawards.ca.
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, broadcast live nationwide 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET on CBC, CBC Radio and globally on cbcmusic.ca/junos.
Todd Rundgren’s Utopia Reunites After 32 Years For North American Tour
No longer able to turn a deaf ear to the unceasing requests from fans and the media alike, Todd Rundgren, Kasim Sulton, Willie Wilcox (“Utopia”) and Ralph Schuckett (“Todd Rundgren’s Utopia”) are reuniting for their first North American tour since the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded. Presented by SiriusXM and produced by Live Nation, TODD RUNDGREN’S UTOPIA will be performing across North America beginning on April 18 — tour itinerary is below. Pre-sales begin February 20 at 10am EST, and tickets go on sale February 23 at 10:00am Local. Tickets and more information are available at Live Nation, Ticketmaster and all Ticketmaster outlets.
In celebration of the upcoming reunion tour, Friday Music is excited to announce the blockbuster 7-disc box extravaganza THE ROAD TO UTOPIA: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS (1974-82). This limited edition collection will bring each of their seven classic albums to life, now in first-time CD digipak gatefold covers featuring the original album artwork elements, rare inner sleeve art, 2018 written commentary from the band and more. The box set has a scheduled street date of April 20. Fans can preorder the box set starting February 20 at Friday Music, Amazon and Record Store Day.
Todd Rundgren’s Utopia formed in 1974 out of Todd’s desire to explore new musical territory after four years of making solo albums (including the seminal “Something/Anything?”, which included radio core evergreens “Hello It’s Me” and “I Saw The Light”, and which prompted the rock press to dub him “Rock’s New Wunderkind”, and “Rock’s Renaissance Man”). Starting as a prog-rock-progenitor septet featuring Moogy Klingman, Ralph Schuckett and “M. Frog Labat” on keyboards, John Siegler on bass, Kevin Ellman on drums, and Rundgren on guitar, the band’s music ranged from extended synth experiments to four-song albums, while their live shows were distinguished by their ahead-of-the-curve video backdrops and computer-generated music.
In 1976, the group evolved into the shiny mainstream power-pop rock quartet, “Utopia,” uniting Rundgren with Willie Wilcox on drums, Roger Powell on keyboards, and Kasim Sulton on bass. The best known and most commercially successful Utopian incarnation was born, and by 1980, Utopia had developed into a hit-making entity in its own right. Standout Utopia albums included Oops! Wrong Planet, Adventures in Utopia, and Oblivion, with spawning hits including “Rock Love,” “Set Me Free,” “Mated,” and “Love Is The Answer.” The band’s tours, the first to aggressively incorporate then-state-of-the-art video technology, produced at Todd’s own Utopia Video Studios, featured some of the most lavish, outrageous, and audacious stage productions in rock history.
In 1986, after ten years of non-stop recording and arena touring cycles, the band declared they were “going on sabbatical”, and Todd returned to his stellar solo recording and producing career. His myriad production projects include albums by Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, Psychedelic Furs, XTC, Grand Funk Railroad, Hall And Oates, and Meat Loaf’s seminal “Bat Out of Hell”, while his solo offerings catapulted Todd further into the superstar limelight with hits like “Can We Still be Friends” and “Bang The Drum”. In April, that thirty-two-year-long sabbatical comes to an end.
TODD RUNDGREN’S UTOPIA 2018 TOUR
APRIL 18 JIM THORPE, PA – PENN’S PEAK
APRIL 20 ENGLEWOOD, NJ – BERGEN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
APRIL 22 HOUSTON, TX – HOUSE OF BLUES
APRIL 23 DALLAS, TX – MAJESTIC THEATER
APRIL 25 BROWARD, FL – BROWARD CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
APRIL 27 ST PETERSBURG, FL – MAHAFFEY THEATER
APRIL 28 ATLANTA, GA – TABERNACLE
APRIL 29 DURHAM, NC – CAROLINA THEATER
MAY 1 HUNTINGTON, NY – PARAMOUNT THEATER
MAY 2 WASHINGTON, DC – WARNER THEATER
MAY 3 NEW YORK, NY – TOWN HALL
MAY 5 PHILADELPHIA, PA – TOWER THEATER
MAY 6 BOSTON, MA – ORPHEUM THEATER
MAY 7 RIDGEFIELD, CT – RIDGEFIELD THEATER
MAY 9 ST LOUIS, MO – PEABODY OPERA HOUSE
MAY 10 CINCINNATI, OH – TAFT THEATER
MAY 12 MILWAUKEE, WI – PABST THEATER
MAY 13 MINNEAPOLIS, MN – STATE THEATER
MAY 15 GRAND RAPIDS, MI – 20 MONROE LIVE
MAY 16 TORONTO, ON – MASSEY HALL
MAY 17 DETROIT, MI – THE FILLMORE
MAY 19 CLEVELAND, OH – HARD ROCK LIVE
MAY 22 CHICAGO, IL – CHICAGO THEATER
MAY 24 DENVER, CO – PARAMOUNT THEATER
MAY 26 LAS VEGAS, NV – THE JOINT AT HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO LAS VEGAS
MAY 27 PHOENIX, AZ – COMERICA THEATER
MAY 29 LOS ANGELES, CA – THE WILTERN
MAY 30 SAN FRANCISCO, CA – THE MASONIC
JUNE 1 SEATTLE, WA – MOORE THEATER
JUNE 2 PORTLAND, OR – REVOLUTION THEATER
JUNE 4 SACRAMENTO, CA – CREST THEATER
JUNE 5 RIVERSIDE, CA – FOX PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Tom Thum shows why he’s still one of the best beatboxers out there
Tom Thum shows why he’s still one of the best beatboxers out there, with him as the turntables, bleeps and bloops, and only with the aid of a looping machine