After learning Kat Dennings’ voicemail has been the famous George Costanza answering machine song, Jason Alexander records a custom version for the 2 Broke Girls star.
Short Cuts: The Best Songs Heard On January 15, 2018 From The Indie World
Dayna Shereck
Two Feet On The Ground
Toronto country singer-songwriter Dayna Shereck has released her sophomore EP, Chasing The Moon — a four-track collection of newly handcrafted and heart-spun material. It’s a much more personal release for Dayna this time around; written and recorded in just under a year, she continues to use her critically acclaimed songwriting to express perspective in areas of family, life, and growth.
Emmanuel Patterson
Silver Eyes
Written in the middle of a sleepless night many years ago, this is a song about the feeling of becoming lost in life and how social interaction can help remedy that feeling. This is his first song, and it’s likely deeper than most artists are creating with a few years under their belt. Nice one, and keep going.
Faux Canada
Projector
If you loved the Secretly Canadian record label of the early 2000s, you’re going to dig this. I wonder if that’s where the name comes from? In any case, the San Francisco indie-pop-rock foursome sounds as fresh and new with fine knowledge of where they came from. It’s whimsical, and a serious signpost to where the next generation of guitar bands will sound like.
Pat DiMeo
Tiny Dancer (Live in Studio)
I can’t be the only one that will forever picture the scene in Almost Famous whenever I hear this song, right? Pat explores the fears and concerns much deeper than Elton John did on the original, and he’s got a world-weary voice that bring yearning and searching to a while new process. I just might be thinking of his version when I watch the movie now.
The Curls
Prickly Feelings
The new single from Chicago-based art rockers’ debut record SUPER UNIT, they’ve already got fans like Adrian Belew, and add me to the list, too. It’s instantly accessible and radio friendly on an FM station willing to take the shot as it’s still slightly weird, but cool enough for repeat listens. It’s mysterious, and I’m still not sure the mechanics of how a song like this is even put together from someone’s mind, but I’m thrilled these artists exist in our world.
Matt Shill
Spain (Live)
I love it when artists cram their band in the small space and film it like this. Matt didn’t get to where he is today by fooling the listener into anything other than a great song and players surrounding him. There’s going to be plenty more where this came from, I am sure of this.
Martian Subculture
Lonely And Free
The opening track to Martian Subculture’s 5th EP, Sleeping, hauls the real Evan O’Malley into the quiet, introspective moments in John Lennon’s catalogue without any giant-rockstar baggage. A wizard of hearing the difficult and making it sound simple, there’s a lot going on here, and he’s probably amazing just on the acoustic guitar. The whooshes and space sounds give a wonderful energy that makes you want to listen again and again.
Daniel Elia
I Know It Very Well
Really cool simple arrangement of firm complexity that hits right to the heart, the mind, and the feet, the way Marvin Gaye and Kendrick Lamar does so well.
Chamber Band
The Chain (Fleetwood Mac cover)
It’s really hard to perform a Fleetwood Mac cover without thinking of the tremendous back stories of the members involved. The Chamber Band use this knowledge and get into the joy and pain of the song wth affection and enduring respect. Equally comfortable to listen to this song, or the original, that’s how strong their version is.
Tom Forest
Monster
The latest track from forthcoming debut album Hope, was, says Tom and Isabel Gracefield, “from the perspective of a girl with anorexia, then it became about anxiety and vanity. It’s also about being the victim in any toxic relationship, and the abuse of power.” Heavy topics, indeed. I’ve got mixed feeling about the song – not because it’s not brilliant, because it is – but they carry it off so well, and as it’s a real topic, I’m waiting to keep the faith that things are going to work out for the better. In this case, I’m not sure it does, but at least it makes you feel something, dammit, and isn’t that what the greatest artists try to do every single time? Tom Forest gets it right.
Rasmus Gozzi
My Money
Rasmus Gozzi has been one of the fastest growing producers within the Swedish music scene. He’s got over 30 million streams and having over 320,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, but don’t look for his fellow Abba or Max Martin in here. This is Rasmus’ move outside the nation with even greater commercial success. This is easy a high-water mark for him, and look for him to crack it in 2018.
Terry Gilliam in The Do-It-Yourself Animation Show
Terry Gilliam began his career as an animator and strip cartoonist. One of his early photographic strips for Help! magazine featured future Python cast member John Cleese. When Help! folded, Gilliam went to Europe, jokingly announcing in the very last issue that he was “being transferred to the European branch” of the magazine, which, of course, did not exist. Moving to England, he animated sequences for the children’s series Do Not Adjust Your Set, which also featured Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin.
Gilliam was a part of Monty Python’s Flying Circus from its outset, credited at first as an animator (his name was listed separately after the other five in the closing credits) and later as a full member. His cartoons linked the show’s sketches together and defined the group’s visual language in other media (such as LP and book covers and the title sequences of their films). His animations mix his own art, characterised by soft gradients and odd, bulbous shapes, with backgrounds and moving cutouts from antique photographs, mostly from the Victorian era.
In the videos below, he teaches YOU how YOU can use animations just like him.
https://youtu.be/AZDXAmuLMl4
Canadian Music Week Announces Jessi Cruickshank as Host of the 2018 Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards
| Canadian Music Week (CMW) is pleased to announce the 2018 Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards will be hosted by Jessi Cruickshank, “One of the funniest women on TV today, period”. The annual gala and award show is to take place on Thursday, May 10th at Rebel Nightclub in Toronto, ON. Tickets are on sale now here.
The Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards will celebrate the best and brightest in all fields of the Canadian music and broadcast industries. Previously announced honourees to be inducted into the Hall of Fame include: The Legendary TooTall (CHOM FM), Patti-Anne Tarlton (Ticketmaster), Jeff Craib (The Feldman Agency), and David Farrell (FYI Music). Jessi Cruickshank is the Canadian Screen Award-nominated host of Canada’s Smartest Person, and The Goods on CBC. Hailed as “one of the funniest women on TV today, period” by The Province, Cruickshank grew up in Vancouver, where she broke into comedy as the only girl in an all-male improv troupe alongside Seth Rogen. She soon became a household name as the face of MTV, hosting the daily show MTV LIVE and smash hit The Hills After Show; which became the first series in Canadian television history to be live-simulcast to the US. Soon after she re-located to Los Angeles to host Live from E!, Oh Sit! Fashion Fail, Jerseylicious, and recently wrapped 6 seasons as the L.A. host of Canada’s #1 entertainment show, eTalk. Jessi earned rave reviews as the host of the 2015 & 2016 CCMA Awards and can currently be seen as a guest-anchor on E!’s Daily Pop. She splits her time between Toronto and Los Angeles. |
Compton Music Students Release Cover of “Stand Up For Something”
Music students from the Compton Kidz Club today unveiled a new music video—funded by Need to Impeach founder Tom Steyer and directed by arts education advocate Fred Martin—covering Andra Day and Common’s Stand Up For Something to empower and help youth across the country rise up against political oppression and social pressures.
The video features young Black and Latina women who attend the Urban Entertainment Institute, an after-school program in the Compton Unified School District, which is one of the many school districts across the country that would be impacted by the current administration’s agenda against public funding for arts education and after school programs. Filmed throughout Compton, CA, the video includes scenes inspired by real political issues, including Trump’s recent “shithole” remark and its impact on youth, as well as social issues such as drug use, domestic violence, and sexual abuse.
“These young people are a beacon of hope for our future,” said Steyer, who makes a cameo in the video and whose involvement with the Urban Entertainment Institute, a group started by Martin, has helped keep the arts alive for youth in the Compton community. “Despite attacks on funding that further hurt our youth, young people continue to rise up—becoming role models not only for their peers, but for everyone else, including myself. As a country, we must prioritize and invest in our youth by giving them opportunities to maximize their futures.”
Said Martin: “Tom is a prime example of why you should never judge a book by its cover. He is as authentic as anyone can be, and as we say in Compton: ‘he keeps it real!’ It takes a unique person to relate to today’s youth and Tom does it effortlessly. Why? Because he genuinely loves this country and all people in it and truly believes we are all created equal and have certain unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
The song, written by Grammy-award winning songwriter Diane Warren, was featured in the 2017 movie “Marshall” and has been nominated for several awards, including a Grammy Award. Steyer and Martin collaborated on the idea for the video to empower young people, while highlighting social issues and giving them a platform to speak their truth on the attacks on communities across the country.
In October 2017, Steyer launched the Need to Impeach campaign through television and social networking ads calling on supporters to sign a petition and demand that Congress remove Trump from power. More than 4.2 million people have since signed the petition, creating a digital army of supporters that many political strategists call one of the most formidable and powerful political tools in the Democratic party. Learn more about Need to Impeach at www.NeedtoImpeach.com.
Oprah Winfrey’s Acceptance Speech At Golden Globes Awards Is Now On Spotify
Oprah Winfrey’s amazing – and possibly pre-presidential – acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille award at Sunday’s Golden Globes Awards is available for streaming on Spotify.
“I want all the girls watching to know a new day is on the horizon,” Winfrey said. “And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure they are the leaders to take us to the time where nobody has to say ‘me too’ again.”
Bob Ross Pop! Vinyl Figure
Funko’s officially-licensed Bob Ross figure is ready to paint happy little trees and keep you calm and centered.
Robin Williams, Gene Wilder and Bill Murray Gets Animated For PBS Short Film
Comedians are masters at making people laugh. But there’s often more that lurks beneath the jokes. Legends like Robin Williams, Gene Wilder, and Bill Murray can not only bring humor to the stage, they can tap a depth of emotions and inward thought that can make an audience stop and think.
These lost tapes from the Blank on Blank were recorded between 1988 and 2007 thanks to Lawrence Grobel, the 92Y, and T.J. English.
I Wish I Played Bass So I Can Own The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine Guitar
Truly amazing in every way, this original concept from The Painted Player puts the legendary ‘Yellow Submarine’ quite literally in your hands! Beautifully hand crafted, this stunning bass guitar utilises a combination of a fully hand-crafted Alder body with Precision Bass influences while featuring hand-painted artwork that brings the whole piece to life. A musical icon as well as an animated legend, the ‘Yellow Submarine’ Bass is a must for the dedicated Beatles fan and the avid bass player alike, those who dare to stand out on stage. This enigmatic guitar is also accompanied by its own custom made, artworked and fitted “Lord Admiral” Hardcase!
The BBC News Report In 1981 On The New Romantic Scene Follows Spandau Ballet and Nightclubbers
Spandau Ballet’s first single had been in the UK chart for 11 weeks and their second was launching January, 1981. They were the house band for a London clubland cult variously called the Blitz Kids and the New Romantics. Few journalists had paid much attention to this massive underground following, but Robin Denselow, a savvy music writer for The Guardian, had also been recruited by the BBC’s new nightly current affairs strand, Newsnight. He recognised a Pop Moment if ever there was one and took his camera crew to Le Kilt, the coolest club-night of the month. We see him given the full New Romantic manifesto by half a dozen of its 21-year-old exponents who were all on the brink of showbiz and media careers. This package triggered the tabloids to flock into clubland and make stars of the most stylish kids – the story of the 80s Pose Age was in lift-off.