For the first time ever, five of the original Muppet performers/innovators come together to discuss the creation of their iconic characters under the visionary leadership of Jim Henson. Four of them – Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Fran Brill and Bill Baretta – share stories and insights during a far-reaching discussion about their craft, their characters and working with Jim … and YOU are invited to be in the room. Go to their website to sign up to watch the film, not shown on any other streaming service.
Led Zeppelin Are Releasing Previously Unheard Music On Record Store Day
Led Zeppelin will release a limited edition 7” single featuring 2 previously unheard mixes produced by Jimmy Page: the “Sunset Sound Mix” of “Rock And Roll” and the “Olympic Studios Mix” of “Friends.”
The single will be available as part of Record Store Day, exclusively from independent music retailers, on April 21, 2018.
Courtney Barnett Covers INXS’ “Never Tear Us Apart” For iPhone X Ad
Capture the moment, in the moment, on iPhone X, with Courtney Barnett covering fellow Aussie artists INXS. And yes, it’ll make you cry.
https://youtu.be/VjlNKiH1iBk
Big Daddy Kane: Tiny Desk Concert
“So just swing or fling a gathering, try to cling, ’cause It’s a Big Daddy thing.”
One of the greatest to ever bless the mic, Big Daddy Kane treated Tiny Desk to an office block party in the true essence of hip-hop. He performed a short set of classics, including “Smooth Operator,” “Ain’t No Half Steppin’,” “Raw” and a bonus freestyle. Through his warm, engaging and devilishly self-effacing style, the pioneer used an interlude between songs to address the intergenerational divisiveness defining rap today and the importance of fans of all ages supporting whatever they like, while “focusing on what’s positive and keeping that in the spotlight.”
Short Cuts: The Best Songs Heard On February 26, 2018 From The Indie World
Jutes
Everything
Sophisticated pop with EDM with enough space to breathe deeply and dive in.
Freedom Fry
Classic
The French & American duo have racked up over 50 appearances on the music blog aggregator The Hype Machine, and save another spot for them with this song. Takes the listener on a fab journey from the pop sounds of 70s radio so well, you’ll check and make sure you’re not wearing bell-bottoms.
Malik Elarbi
It’s Always Sunny in Seattle
A huge step forward for him, mixing pop, rap and sleepy dope-smoking vibes. It’s the nearest thing you can get to stoned without inhaling.
DJ Yessai feat LA Rose & Rheon Elbourne
Lock It Down
Finding enlightenment in reggae and island music, you’ll quickly realize just how close they are to matching Rhianna in terms of quality.
Devin Santi
Temporary Solutions to Permanent Problems
Influenced by the gut-wrenching honesty of Linkin Park, you won’t find a rap-rock fusion here that strongly, but you will find just as much honesty and laid-back melody as the gang from Agoura Hills, California ever put on record.
Ryan Nealon
Magic (Coldplay cover)
Graduating from UCLA with Jazz Studies, they taught him well. But then again, I think artists like Ryan are born with a voice better than most of us could ever hope for. His cover here just shows you how far everyone else has to go to catch up.
Ethel & The Chordtones
Let It Out (feat. Ryan Levine)
Big-time rocker complete with hand claps and a killer chorus. This is the song you can blame when you get pulled over for a speeding ticket. And then you’ll play the song all over again because you were so rudely interrupted by the police.
Slayer Are Releasing A Series Of Interviews About Their Career On YouTube
On January 23, 2018, Slayer announced that it would wrap up its 37 years together with one last tour around the globe. Before the band begins that final sojourn on May 10, Tom Araya, Kerry King, Paul Bostaph and Gary Holt sat down and talked about all things Slayer. Here is Episode 1.
Toto Announce “40 Trips Around The Sun” Tour
TOTO is pleased to announce the first set of North American shows in support of the band’s 40th Anniversary beginning in 2018. The 40 Trips Around The Sun Tour will begin on July 30th in Vancouver at The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts.
TOTO’s brand new Greatest Hits package titled 40 Trips Around The Sun was released just this month and is impacting charts all over the world. The band is currently in the middle of an extensive European tour with multiple dates already sold out across Europe. The 40 Trips Around The Sun Tour will be the band’s most extensive run in years.
“Myself, David, Steveand Joseph are humbled and thrilled at the long lasting success of the band,” Steve Lukather remarked. “This 40th Anniversary tour is going to be a special one for us and all of the fans that come out. On top of all that, it’s really exciting to be working with SONY again. We’ve spent a lot of time last year working on new music and re-mastering the older tracks.”
Few ensembles in the history of recorded music have individually or collectively had a larger imprint on pop culture than the members of TOTO. As individuals, the band members can be heard on an astonishing 5000 albums that together amass a sales history of a half a billion albums. Amongst these recordings, NARAS applauded the performances with more than 200 Grammy nominations. Toto has over 400 million streams on Spotify alone along while views on YouTube far exceed over a half billion.
With close to 40 years together and literally thousands of credits, including the biggest selling album of all time: Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and accolades to their names, TOTO remains one of the top selling touring and recording acts in the world. They are the benchmark by which many artists base their sound and production, and they continue to transcend the standards set by the entire music community, being simply synonymous with musical credibility. Their repertoire continues to be current via high profile usage on broadcast television. They are pop culture, and are one of the few 70’s bands that have endured the changing trends and styles to a career enjoy a multi-generational worldwide fan base.
TOTO – 40 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
7/30/18 Vancouver, BC – The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
7/31/18 Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre
8/1/18 Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
8/3/18 Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
8/4/18 Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Resort & Casino – Grand Theatre
8/7/18 San Diego, CA – Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay
8/10/18 Henderson, NV – Sunset Station Hotel & Casino – Sunset Amphitheater
8/11/18 Grand Junction,CO – Las Colonias Amphitheater
8/14/18 Grand Prairie, TX – Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
8/15/18 Austin, TX – Stubbs
8/17/18 Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
8/18/18 Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Symphony Hall
8/21/18 Kansas City, MO – Crossroads KC
…And The World’s Best-Selling Artist In The World Is…
Global recorded music industry trade group IFPI proclaims Ed Sheeran as the world’s best-selling recording artist of 2017. Sheeran gets the title on the basis it reflects an artist’s worldwide success across digital and physical music formats, from streams to vinyl. The independently verified IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year chart includes sales of albums – across digital, CD and vinyl formats; singles, both downloaded and physical; and on-demand audio streams across the calendar year. The chart includes all the music of each artist featured, not just one track or album. It uses album equivalent units to combine measurements of downloads, physical sales and streams.
Top 10 Global Recording Artists of 2017
1 Ed Sheeran
2 Drake
3 Taylor Swift
4 Kendrick Lamar
5 Eminem
6 Bruno Mars
7 The Weeknd
8 Imagine Dragons
9 Linkin Park
10 The Chainsmokers
Previous winners
2016 Drake
2015 Adele
2014 Taylor Swift
Glen Campbell’s Daughter, Ashley, Has Just Launched Her Solo Career
Ashley Campbell is the daughter of Glen Campbell and his fourth wife Kimberly Woollen, and although she’s been around for a few years – She played banjo for her father during his farewell tour in 2011 and 2012, and also appeared in the video for Rascal Flatts’ 2012 single “Banjo” – she has just officially launched her solo career. Watch her perform below at the Paste Studios.
The Rolling Stones Announce 2018 European Tour
When the nascent The Rolling Stones began playing gigs around London in 1962, the notion that a rock & roll band would last five years, let alone fifty, was an absurdity. After all, what could possibly be more ephemeral than rock & roll, the latest teenage fad? Besides, other factors made it unlikely that such a momentous occasion would ever come to pass. “I didn’t expect to last until fifty myself, let alone with the Stones,” Keith Richards says with a laugh. “It’s incredible, really. In that sense we’re still living on borrowed time.”
In their 56th year of existing, The Rolling Stones have announced dates for the No Filter tour that will bring them to the U.K. and Europe from May to July. And there’s no sign of stopping. Guitarist Keith Richards wrote on the band’s Twitter account that they “haven’t finished yet. It’s still too early to talk about the Stones’ legacy. There’s one thing that we haven’t yet achieved and that’s to really find out how long you can do this. It’s still such a joy to play with this band that you can’t really let go of it.”
Rolling Stones ‘No Filter’ U.K. and Europe Tour
May 17 – Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland
May 22 – London Stadium, U.K.
Jun 05 – Old Trafford, Manchester, U.K.
Jun 09 – Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, U.K.
Jun 15 – Principality Stadium, Cardiff, U.K.
Jun 19 – Twickenham Stadium, U.K.
Jun 22 – Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany
Jun 26 – Orange Velodrome, Marseille, France
Jun 30 – Mercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart, Germany
Jul 04 – Letnany Airport, Prague, Czech Republic
Jul 08 – PGE Narodowy Stadium, Warsaw, Poland