Home Blog Page 236

AI Video Production: A Game Changer for Digital Storytelling

Eric Alper
-
0

By Mitch Rice

Dreaming of professional videos with a tiny fraction of the time and budget?

Video production process has had serious issues for a while. Between the actual filming, the editing and numerous revisions… Most businesses spend weeks (and thousands of dollars) creating a single video.

Don’t feel bad. This is the norm. Until now.

AI video production is changing everything. And fast.

In this AI video production guide, you’ll learn:

  • Why AI Video Production Is Taking Over
  • How AI Cuts Time & Costs
  • The Technology Behind AI Video Creation
  • The Differences Between AI Video vs. Traditional Production

Why AI Video Production Is Taking Over

AI video production isn’t just a fad anymore.

In fact, it has become the de-facto standard for businesses that want to scale content creation without burning a hole in their budget. 69% of Fortune 500 companies are already using AI-generated videos for their brand storytelling and marketing campaigns.

In case you’re wondering…

Here’s why:

Companies that used to spend days on a single video, now create multiple videos in a matter of hours. While traditional video production requires a full camera crew, editing team and high-end equipment. AI video production? Just a computer and the right platform.

Look at the Synima AI video agency for example… They’re using advanced AI technology to help businesses create high-quality video content at a tiny fraction of the cost and time of traditional production. This is the type of AI video production agency that is truly making professional video available for everyone.

And the market agrees. The global AI video generator market is expected to skyrocket from $534.4 million in 2024 to over $2.5 billion by 2032.

How AI Cuts Production Time & Costs

Let’s talk about real money and time savings…

AI-powered video tools cut production costs by up to 60% for brands. That’s not a typo. You can actually save more than half your video budget by switching to AI.

And it’s not all about the money.

Time savings are even more staggering. The time it takes to train video production has dropped from an average of 13 days to just 5 days. That’s a 62% decrease in the time it takes to produce a video.

What does this mean for you:

  • No more weeks-long waits for simple videos — Create content as and when you need it. No need to wait for your video production team’s availability.
  • Instant revisions — Change anything in minutes. No need to re-shoot or re-edit. Simply use AI to make your changes instantly.
  • Scale your content production — Produce 10X more videos with no need for additional staff or equipment.

The best part? Quality has not been sacrificed. In fact, AI-generated video quality is now on-par with and in many cases better than, traditional production quality.

The Technology Behind AI Video Creation

Curious how AI video production is actually done?

AI video production uses a variety of advanced technologies to work together. Machine learning algorithms are trained on massive datasets of videos to teach the AI what makes content engaging and relevant. Natural language processing techniques convert your written text into video scripts and voiceovers.

Here are the key technologies at work behind AI video:

  • Text to Video Conversion — Type your message, and AI will produce the entire video.
  • Automated Editing — AI handles all cuts, transitions, and pacing automatically.
  • Voice Synthesis — Generate professional voiceovers in any language.
  • Visual Generation — Create or select visuals that match your content.

The technology has advanced dramatically in the last few years. AI videos in the early days looked robotic and very generic. But modern AI video platforms? They generate content that is indistinguishable to viewers from traditional video.

What Makes AI Video Different From Traditional Methods

Traditional video production has followed a rigid process for many years:

  1. Write script
  2. Create storyboards
  3. Filming
  4. Editing
  5. Revisions
  6. Delivery

Each of these steps takes time and skilled professionals. Miss something in storyboard creation? It’s back to square one in filming. Production schedule is missed and costs go up.

AI video production is a very different process. You can work much more iteratively. Create a first draft video in minutes, review it, make changes right away. No need to coordinate schedules with full camera crews or wait for back and forth editing rounds.

Here are the biggest differences:

  • Speed — AI creates 10X faster than traditional methods.
  • Cost — No need for expensive equipment or large teams.
  • Flexibility — Make changes instantly without needing to reshoot.
  • Scale — Produce 10x as many videos with same effort as producing 1.

But here’s one important thing to note…

AI is not replacing creative professionals here. Instead it is automating the technical grunt work to free creators to focus on strategy and storytelling.

AI Video For Every Business Size

Small businesses have historically steered clear of video marketing due to the costs.

No more. AI video production has leveled the playing field. Now one-man shops can create the same quality videos as a global enterprise.

Mid-sized companies are producing about 3 videos per week now — double the volume from last year. And they’re able to do this with the same sized teams by leveraging AI tools.

Large enterprises? They’re using AI to create ultra-personalized video content at massive scale. Different versions for different audiences, all automatically generated.

AI has been a true democratizer of video production. There is more equal opportunity to create high-quality content now than ever before.

The Future Of AI Video Production

Wondering what the future holds?

The AI video production market is growing at a CAGR of 19.5% yearly. The overall volume of AI-generated video content is expected to grow 5-6X between 2025 and 2030.

Features get added constantly too. Real-time translation, emotion recognition, interactive elements… it keeps getting better.

And more businesses are bringing video production in-house with AI tools. 71% now produce their own videos internally, up from 63% just a year ago. AI tools are making this possible by removing the technical barriers to entry.

Final Thoughts

AI video production has completely disrupted how businesses create content. It’s such a powerful combination of cost savings, time reduction, and scalability that it’s not really possible to ignore it any longer.

If you’re still using traditional video production methods exclusively you’re spending more money and time than is necessary. You are probably also creating less content than your competitors who have embraced AI.

The good news? It’s easier than ever to get started with AI video production. Modern AI video production agencies understand both the technology and storytelling to help businesses create content that actually converts.

Start small. Test out an AI video platform or work with a specialized AI video production agency. Experiment and learn from the results. Then scale up your use of the technology as you get more comfortable.

The future of video content is already here. And it’s powered by AI.

Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment or other purposes.

5 Surprising Facts About John Mellencamp’s ‘Uh-Huh’

Eric Alper
-
0
5 Surprising Facts About John Mellencamp’s ‘Uh-Huh’

In 1983, John Mellencamp dropped Uh-Huh, a record that roared out of small-town Indiana with grit, heart, and a cigarette dangling from its lip. It was the first time the world met him under his real name, no longer hiding behind “Johnny Cougar.” Packed with anthems like “Pink Houses,” “Authority Song,” and “Crumblin’ Down,” it captured the blue-collar pulse of the country and marked a turning point in American rock. Here are five rough-cut facts about the album that defined Mellencamp’s true sound.

1. The Name Change Was a Line in the Dirt
Uh-Huh was the album where John dropped the “Cougar” act and reclaimed his own name. For years, the label had pushed the fake moniker, but with Uh-Huh, he stood his ground. That decision wasn’t branding—it was rebellion, a declaration that the real John Mellencamp had arrived, guitar blazing.

2. “Crumblin’ Down” Was Written Out of Fury and Frustration
The final song added to the album, “Crumblin’ Down,” came from a deep well of anger about Reagan-era deregulation and the collapse hitting working people. Mellencamp and his childhood friend George Green traded verses like jabs in a fight, hammering out one of the sharpest political rock tracks of the decade.

3. “Pink Houses” Started on a Highway in Indiana
Driving from the Indianapolis airport one afternoon, Mellencamp spotted an old man sitting proudly in front of a faded pink house with a cat in his arms. That simple, unshaken image became “Pink Houses,” a portrait of America’s complicated beauty and quiet endurance—small-town realism wrapped in rock and roll melody.

4. “Authority Song” Was a Fighter’s Anthem With Scars
“I fight authority, authority always wins” became more than a lyric—it was Mellencamp’s creed. Behind its rollicking beat and punchy guitar riffs, the song channeled years of struggle against the record industry, social class, and the stubborn hand of fate. It’s rock music with a busted lip and a smirk.

5. The Album Was Recorded Like a Barroom Brawl
The Uh-Huh sessions weren’t polished affairs—they were loud, raw, and full of smoke. The band jammed late into the night, tearing through takes until every chord felt lived-in. The result was an album that sounded exactly like Mellencamp’s America: proud, imperfect, and still standing tall.

5 Surprising Facts About The Smiths’ Debut Album

Eric Alper
-
0
5 Surprising Facts About The Smiths’ Debut Album

When The Smiths arrived in 1984, it changed everything. Johnny Marr’s bright guitar work met Morrissey’s poetic lyrics to create a new kind of British indie rock. Behind the jangle, though, are stories that even the most devoted fans might not know. Here are five little-known facts about The Smiths that shine a fresh light on a landmark debut.

1. The First Version Was Lost to the Heat
Before the world heard The Smiths, there was another version—recorded in a sweltering London basement with producer Troy Tate. A heatwave made it nearly impossible to keep guitars in tune, and the sessions took on an almost dreamlike intensity. Some of those early takes still circulate among collectors, offering a glimpse of what might have been.

2. Johnny Marr’s Guitar Almost Melted
During those first Elephant Studios sessions, Marr’s Rickenbacker reportedly slipped out of tune every few minutes from the heat. He described having to stop mid-take to cool the instrument down, giving every recording moment an unpredictable energy. That raw, urgent sound became part of the band’s DNA.

3. The Album’s Cover Star Was a Warhol Icon
The striking image on the cover isn’t a band photo—it’s American actor Joe Dallesandro, captured in a still from Andy Warhol associate Paul Morrissey’s 1968 film Flesh. Morrissey (the singer, not the director) chose it himself, loving how it captured the beauty of the ordinary and the boldness of the unknown.

4. “Hand in Glove” Was Funded by the Band’s Manager’s Wallet
When no label would back them, The Smiths’ manager Joe Moss personally paid for their first recording session. That gamble produced “Hand in Glove,” the track that convinced Rough Trade to sign them. It wasn’t just a single—it was the spark that ignited a movement.

5. A £6,000 Gamble Made Music History
When The Smiths finally wrapped recording with John Porter, Rough Trade spent £6,000 to finish it—a major risk for an indie label at the time. The investment paid off immediately, sending the album to #2 on the UK Albums Chart and announcing a new era for British guitar music.

Billy Talent Honor Rush With Explosive Cover Of ‘Limelight’ For Prime Monday Night Hockey

Eric Alper
-
0
Billy Talent Honor Rush With Explosive Cover Of ‘Limelight’ For Prime Monday Night Hockey

Multi-platinum Canadian rock powerhouse Billy Talent has officially released their Amazon Music Original cover of the legendary Rush anthem, “Limelight.” Recorded for Prime Monday Night Hockey, which streams all national regular-season Monday night games on Prime Video in Canada, the song fuses Billy Talent’s signature urgent intensity with the progressive rock majesty of the original track, linking two generations of Canadian rock greatness with the country’s national sport.

Available to stream now, the song is available on Amazon Music today and will be featured in the Prime Monday Night Hockey premiere doubleheader broadcast on October 13th, where the Detroit Red Wings meet the Toronto Maple Leafs at 4 pm ET, followed by the St. Louis Blues vs. Vancouver Canucks at 7:30 pm ET. The Amazon Music Original will be featured throughout Prime Monday Night Hockey’s 2025-26 season broadcast, exclusively on Prime Video in Canada.

Twice Add 10 New North American And European Dates To Massive 2026 ‘This Is For’ World Tour

Eric Alper
-
0
Twice Add 10 New North American And European Dates To Massive 2026 ‘This Is For’ World Tour

Due to overwhelming fan demand, K-pop superstars Twice have announced ten additional dates on their This Is For World Tour across North America, Europe, and the UK. Second shows have just been added in Vancouver, Seattle, Dallas, Chicago, Austin, Paris, and Amsterdam, while Belmont Park will now host a third show in response to record demand. A fourth show has been announced at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, and Twice has also added a new date in Turin, Italy, on Wednesday, May 20th, at Inalpi Arena.

This announcement follows last week’s onsale, which saw Twice add second shows in Oakland, Washington, DC, Hamilton, Orlando, Boston, and London, as well as a third show in Los Angeles — bringing the total number of newly added dates to 17 across all markets. The tour will also visit Detroit, St. Paul, Denver, Boston, and Montreal, marking the first-ever K-pop arena shows in each of these cities.

Tickets for the newly announced North American shows start on Thursday, October 16th at 3 pm local time. European dates go on sale on Thursday, October 16th at 10 am local time. Remaining tickets for the previously announced dates are on sale now.

The global run will bring Once closer than ever with an intimate arena run spanning 29 cities next year. For the first time, Twice will perform in-the-round on a 360-degree stage, transforming arenas into immersive spaces where fans can experience the show from every angle.

This new tour follows a series of historic milestones for Twice. In 2024, they became the first female K-pop group to headline MLB and NFL stadiums, selling out Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium and New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. They previously became the first female K-pop group to headline a U.S. stadium with two sold-out nights at LA’s BMO Stadium in 2022 — a record that set the stage for their unprecedented stadium tour. This year, they also became the first female K-pop group to headline Lollapalooza, where they drew one of the festival’s largest crowds. The trek arrives just one year after their record-breaking fifth world tour, Ready To Be, which drew 1.5 million fans across 51 shows in 27 cities worldwide.

Most recently, Twice released their fourth full-length album, This Is For, which debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, marking the group’s seventh consecutive entry on the chart. The girl group also contributed to the official soundtrack for Netflix’s hit film K-Pop Demon Hunters. Members Jeongeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung recorded a special version of the original track “Takedown,” featured during the film’s powerful end sequence and accompanied by exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the recording studio. Their rendition of the song reached No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100, while Twice’s hit single “Strategy,” also included on the film’s soundtrack, achieved notable success on the Hot 100 as well. These accomplishments set the stage for Twice’s highly anticipated tenth anniversary this October – a celebration of a decade of groundbreaking success, artistic evolution, and global impact.

Twice first launched their This Is For World Tour with two sold-out shows in Seoul and are currently touring across Asia. Previously announced dates will bring the tour to Australia, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and more this fall, before heading to the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the UK in 2026. Members Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu will deliver their all-new production and a career-spanning setlist featuring hits like “The Feels,” “More & More,” “Fncy,” and “Strategy” to arenas worldwide.

Twice This Is For 2026 World Tour Dates:

Jan 9 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
Jan 10 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
Jan 13 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
Jan 14 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
Jan 17 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
Jan 18 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
Jan 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
Jan 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
Jan 24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
Jan 25 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
Jan 28 – Phoenix, AZ @ PHX Arena
Jan 31 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
Feb 1 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
Feb 13 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
Feb 14 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
Feb 18 – Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena
Feb 20 – Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena
Feb 21 – Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena
Feb 24 – Philadelphia, PA @ Xfinity Mobile Arena
Feb 27 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
Mar 3 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
Mar 6 – Hamilton, ON @ TD Coliseum
Mar 7 – Hamilton, ON @ TD Coliseum
Mar 21 – Taipei @ Taipei Dome
Mar 27 – Orlando, FL @ Kia Center
Mar 28 – Orlando, FL @ Kia Center
Mar 31 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
Apr 3 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
Apr 4 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
Apr 6 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
Apr 7 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
Apr 10 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
Apr 12 – Saint Paul, MN @ Grand Casino Arena
Apr 14 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
Apr 17 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
Apr 18 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
May 9 – Lisbon, PT @ MEO Arena
May 12 – Barcelona, ES @ Palau Sant Jordi
May 16 – Paris, FR @ Accor Arena
May 17 – Paris, FR @ Accor Arena
May 20 – Turin, IT @ Inalpi Arena
May 23 – Berlin, DE @ Uber Arena
May 26 – Cologne, DE @ LANXESS arena
May 30 – Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome
May 31 – Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome
June 3 – London, UK @ The O2
June 4 – London, UK @ The O2

The Antlers Return With Luminous New Album ‘Blight’ On Transgressive Records

Eric Alper
-
0
The Antlers Return With Luminous New Album ‘Blight’ On Transgressive Records

The Antlers – the beloved band and recording project of singer-songwriter-guitarist-producer Peter Silberman – today release their eagerly awaited and highly acclaimed new album Blight via Transgressive Records. To celebrate the release, and following the singles “Carnage” and “Something In The Air”, The Antlers today share a lyric video for the LP’s beguiling title track.

The follow-up to 2021’s rustic, folk-tinged Green to Gold, Blight asks many questions without offering easy answers. Over the course of nine new songs, the Antlers’ founder and primary songwriter Silberman reckons with our passively destructive tendencies – absentminded pollution, unwitting wastefulness, and the inadvertent devastation of the natural world. But despite its heavy themes, Blight is far from a punishing listen. With its adventurous arrangements and persistent momentum, it plays more like an iridescent odyssey.

The album was recorded over the course of a few years, with the lion’s share tracked and produced in Silberman’s home studio in upstate New York, a compact outbuilding perched at the edge of a neighbor’s sprawling hayfield. “So much of the record was conceived while walking these massive fields,” he says. “I felt like I was wandering around an abandoned planet.”

And in a sense, Blight does feel like science fiction, sounding as if it were delivered from the near future. The album is a work of meticulous world-building, teeming with ear candy and surprising stylistic shifts. While many songs begin with sparse elements— a fingerpicked guitar, hypnotic organ stabs, or a nimble piano melody — they rarely remain tethered to their foundations. They often reimagine themselves partway through, shifting mid-track from gentle ballad to throbbing electronica, only to land somewhere entirely different by the end.

Silberman has been confronting weighty matters ever since The Antlers’ 2009 breakthrough Hospice, an unrelentingly heavy concept album about a child cancer patient and her caregiver that addressed psychological abuse and post-traumatic stress with explicit detail and unflinching vulnerability, resonating equally with those grieving loved ones and rocky relationships. The album’s ambitious sonics— an unlikely amalgam of intimate folk confessionals, haunted soundscapes, and sky-scraping post-rock— belied its modest origins: Hospice was mostly recorded alone in Silberman’s Brooklyn bedroom, with an economy of equipment and hardly any expectant audience. The surprise popularity of Hospice placed the Antlers on a rapid ascent, touring globally, playing major festivals, and supporting such luminaries as The National and Explosions in the Sky.

The music that followed grew The Antlers’ sizable following while resisting the impulse to rehash their initial success. The electronic pop of 2011’s Burst Apart, the aquatic psychedelia of 2012’s Undersea EP, and the brass-laden soul of 2014’s Familiars all embraced the band’s ingenuity while simultaneously subverting expectations, expanding the band’s emotional palette beyond the morose rage and desperation that characterized Hospice to reveal a playful expansiveness. The Antlers further pushed the boundaries as a live entity, trading the lush orchestration of their ambitious recordings for wall-of-sound maximalism and thunderous dynamics.Portable speakers

Sadly, Silberman was forced to scale back after an unexpected hearing incident left him temporarily deaf in one ear and hypersensitive to sound. Putting The Antlers on pause, he made 2017’s Impermanence, a meditative and minimal solo album, pairing his then-fragile voice with gentle guitar and an abundance of silence. After regaining his hearing and recovering from vocal cord surgery, Silberman and longtime drummer Michael Lerner revived The Antlers for 2021’s Green to Gold, a collection of songs notably devoid of the darkness that characterized the band’s previous work.

Whereas Silberman’s past lyrics dealt in extended metaphors, Blight takes a more direct approach. In “Calamity”, for instance, he asks point-blank: “Who will look after what we leave behind?”

“The consequences of accelerating technology and environmental neglect feel imminent; that sense of urgency made me want to speak more candidly,” he explains. “The present-day specifics are so unsettling, and tomorrow’s possibilities are so surreal… there’s no need to mince words.”

The final and perhaps fundamental question posed by Blight appears in the penultimate track, the futuristic hymnal “A Great Flood”, in which Silberman wonders: “Will we be forgiven should there come a great flood to drown out our decisions?” Like those before it, this question hangs in the air unanswered. Blight invites listeners to consider it for themselves, as if the survival of the natural world is in their hands, slowly slipping through their fingertips.

The Antlers UK & EU Tour:

Thursday 5 March – Limerick, IE – Dolan’s
Friday 6 March – Dublin, IE – Whelan’s
Sunday 8 March – Glasgow, UK – King Tut’s
Monday 9 March – Manchester, UK – YES
Tuesday 10 March – Bristol, UK – Strange Brew
Wednesday 11 March – London, UK – EartH Theatre
Friday 13 March – Paris, FR – Petit Bain
Saturday 14 March – Amsterdam, NL – Zonnehuis
Sunday 15 March – Brussels, BE – AB Club

Blight album tracklist:

  1. Consider the Source
  2. Pour
  3. Carnage
  4. Blight
  5. Something in the Air
  6. Deactivate
  7. Calamity
  8. A Great Flood
  9. They Lost All of Us

Alkaline Trio Team With Travis Barker On Fiery New Punk Single ‘Oblivion’

Eric Alper
-
0
Alkaline Trio Team With Travis Barker On Fiery New Punk Single ‘Oblivion’

Alkaline Trio proudly unveils the new single “Oblivion,” the first of three songs recently recorded with producer Travis Barker of Blink-182. The first Alkaline Trio studio recording to feature drummer Atom Willard alongside guitarist/vocalist Matt Skiba and bassist/vocalist Dan Andriano, “Oblivion” is a devilishly hooky new number that continues the relentless creative tear that kicked off with the January 2024 release of the band’s tenth album, Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs via Rise Records.

“Oblivion” will also be released as a limited edition D2C exclusive vinyl seven-inch. The B-side on the vinyl will be the demo version of the song, which will be exclusive to the vinyl and not available digitally. The official video was directed by Mark Eaton.

“Recording with Alkaline Trio was such a treat,” Barker says of the sessions. “Bringing these songs to life from the demos Matt recorded was so exciting. Both Matt and Dan are incredible lyricists, two of my all-time favorites. The studio never feels like work, just a magical place to create. The process was so natural and easy, I could’ve kept going forever. Really proud of these songs me, Matt, Dan, and Atom recorded. Excited for what’s ahead for Alkaline Trio and for fans to hear these special songs we made.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever had such a great time in the studio,” adds Skiba. “We’d wanted to get into the studio with Atom as soon as he’d joined the band and we finally found the time to do it. The idea to work with Travis came to me after guesting on a project he was producing at his studio. I was blown away by how natural and amazing Travis is in the role of a producer and by the beauty and serenity of his studio. We had initially gone in thinking we would do a cover we’d been playing with, to take the pressure off of our first recording with Atom but ended up with three new songs. I already knew how great Travis is in the studio (from my time with Blink), beyond his great drumming and unique and out-of-the-box songwriting abilities. His vision and talent is the perfect fit for us. I am a drummer at heart so having Atom and Travis working in tandem as drummers and songwriters was absolute heaven for me. Working with two of my favorite drummers was surreal and dreamlike, never mind two of my favorite people in the world. I told Travis that it really feels like he is our fourth member on this.”

Chest Fever Bring ‘The Last Waltz’ To Life With North American Tour

Eric Alper
-
0
Chest Fever Bring ‘The Last Waltz’ To Life With North American Tour

Acclaimed revivalists Chest Fever, the official torchbearers of The Band’s legendary legacy, are bringing their celebrated live re-creation of The Last Waltz to audiences across North America this fall – with three very special Canadian shows in Vancouver, Toronto, and St. Catharines.

This marks Chest Fever’s first Last Waltz run since their sold-out 2023 performance at Massey Hall, and their first time bringing the show to Vancouver and St. Catharines. Each concert will feature 10+ special guest performers, with over 60 artists joining the band across six shows in total.

Fans can expect faithful yet electrifying renditions of the songs immortalized by The Band’s 1976 concert, soundtrack, and Martin Scorsese’s legendary film – including new additions to the setlist that Chest Fever have never before performed on tour. As always, surprise guests may join the band on stage, making each night a one-of-a-kind celebration of community and musical heritage.

Tour Dates:

November 15 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
November 18 – San Diego, CA – Belly Up Tavern
December 4 – Toronto, ON – Horseshow Tavern
December 5 – St. Catharines, ON – Warehouse Concert Hall
December 6 – Cleveland, OH – Winchester Music Tavern
December 7 – Cincinnati, OH – The Red Moor

Detroit Jazz Great Dave McMurray Announces Soulful New Album ‘I Love Life Even When I’m Hurting’

Eric Alper
-
0
Detroit Jazz Great Dave McMurray Announces Soulful New Album ‘I Love Life Even When I’m Hurting’

Saxophonist Dave McMurray has announced the Nov. 14 release of his fourth Blue Note album I LOVE LIFE even when I’m hurting, an affirmation of his indomitable spirit and a celebration of the love that he has for his hometown of Detroit, as well as for the many musicians with which he’s collaborated. McMurray has also released the official video for the album’s lead single “We Got By,” a soulful cover of the Al Jarreau classic featuring vocals by Kem.

McMurray says that his rendering of the soul-jazz ballad “We Got By” is 30 years in the making. He and Kem, who’s also spent considerable artistic developmental time in Detroit, have a long history as well as a shared affinity for Jarreau, whose alchemic blend of jazz and R&B is perfectly captured in Kem’s supple vocals.

“I was heavily influenced by Al Jarreau too,” says McMurray. “I listened to his first album [1975’s We Got By] all the time. From watching Kem progress as a singer, I’ve always had him in mind to sing on my version.”

McMurray conceived of the album title after having a deep discussion about the death of a friend who had been worn down by illness, eventually giving up and dying alone. McMurray’s response to that painful revelation was one of resilience: “Man, I love life even when I’m hurting.”

Afterward McMurray wrote down that statement because it meant so much to him. “That ended up being the album title, because I kind of wrote songs around that,” he explained, “songs about positivity.”

McMurray wrote six of the nine compositions, all of which burst with soulful melodicism, emotional immediacy, and irresistible grooves. Co-produced by McMurray and his longtime collaborator Don Was, the album was recorded at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak, Michigan, with a deeply talented cast of Detroit musicians including bassists Was and Ibrahim Jones, keyboardists Luis Resto and Maurice O’Neal, guitarist Wayne Gerard, drummer Jeff Canady, percussionist Mahindi Masai, and vocalist Herschel Boone.

“Making this album was such a cool project,” McMurray concludes, “because everyone on it is somebody that I love.”

Tough Cookie Drop Debut Mixtape ‘The Countryside Is Good For You’ And New Single ‘Disappear’

Eric Alper
-
0
Tough Cookie Drop Debut Mixtape ‘The Countryside Is Good For You’ And New Single ‘Disappear’

Today, Tough Cookie release their debut 8-track mixtape ‘The Countryside Is Good For You’ with the emphatic lead single ‘Disappear’ – listen here. Frontperson August shares, “I wrote Disappear about the gradual distance I put between myself and everyone I care about, and the lingering thought that maybe no one saw it happen.”

Last Thursday saw the band play a blistering set at London’s Omeara for the final night supporting powerhouse punk duo The Pill on their sold-out eight date run. Alongside their previous single, the Britpop-inspired belter ‘Paycheck’, Tough Cookie announced their own UK headline tour; culminating in their biggest headline show to date at Hackney’s OSLO on the 9th December, the 6-date tour takes in Bristol’s iconic Louisiana and Manchester’s YES Basement along the way.  

Out now via Gravity Records [Divorce, Fiona-Lee], the eight songs on The Countryside Is Good For You mixtape were forged in their East London basement, and are the result of years of evolution and change for the band. This mixtape also marks Tough Cookie’s first ever physical release, with the eight tracks available on 12” vinyl which fans can order here. Previous singles ‘Emory’, ‘Happiness’ and ‘Sandcastles 2008’ laid the blueprint for the Tough Cookie sound, where emotional candour meets alt rock grit – delicate and restrained one minute, and intensely heavy and distorted the next. They say, “The Countryside Is Good For You is an honest account of navigating moments of vulnerability, disconnection, and escapism; a journey of self discovery amid chaos, we start as we mean to go on, from a place of sincerity”.

‘The Countryside Is Good For You’ Headline Tour Dates:

28th November – Glasgow, The Garage Attic Bar

30th November – Leeds, Oporto 

2nd December – Manchester, YES Basement 

3rd December – Birmingham, Sunflower Lounge 

4th December – Bristol, Louisiana 

9th December – London, Oslo

‘The Countryside Is Good For You’ Mixtape tracklist:

Happiness

Sandcastles 2008

The Countryside is Good For You

Paycheck

Dick Of The Year

A Fragile Beauty

Emory

Disappear

1...235236237...3,030Page 236 of 3,030

Follow us on Instagram @thatericalper

That Eric Alper

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

Popular posts

Popular category

© Copyright - That Eric Alper