Ghetto Spider found himself in a costume store, and decided, hey, what better way to pass the time than do a little dance to A-ha’s Take On Me?
Short Cuts: The Best Songs Heard On February 19, 2018 From The Indie World
James Blonde
Steady As She Goes (The Raconteurs cover)
This entire band consists of entirely cool dudes, who can pretty much do any song – with more spirit than the original. The first of a nightly batch of covers starting this week.
Sal Dulu
Antasma
A song of emotive hip-hop and a beautiful instrumental from the Irish producer.
Nikö Blank
Do U
Nikö Blank is one of electronic music’s most buzz-worthy and prodigious young talents. He continues to baffle me how he can make music made with computers but would have this much heart.
Julian Roy
Something Real
Recorded in Los Angeles in a house studio near skid row, this song is about finding home away from home. These facts can’t be denied on this potent and subtle track.
UPSAHL
Kiss Me Now
A bad first date becomes an anthem that should give her the breakthrough she deserves. Street smart, jumpy, bouncy and saucy, she, and this track, has it all to get to the top.
Jeff LeBlanc
Way You Are
LeBlanc graduated from college, earned a history degree and imagined his destiny would likely be as a middle-school teacher. However, LeBlanc’s discovery of songwriting led him down a different path. Maybe teaching will remain a fond memory. For now, he’s made the right decision in spades, formulation of soft-rock MOR that fans of Yacht Rock best to dive in.
Yify Zhang
Come Alive
Vagrant Bird is Yify’s debut EP and I reckon she’s right up with the most promising artists in China. Glorious pop hooks with piano, this would make Adele want her next song.
Fly By Midnight
Just Say It
There are two ways to end a relationship if you’re a musician. Walk away and find someone new, or walk away and write a song about it. Good thing these guys choose the latter. As great of a song they’ve ever penned.
Stevie Wolf
Low
He says clinical depression has weighed on him so much, “that’s what this song is about: realizing that I can’t really escape it, so I might as well lean into it and just be inside it.” He puts his own unique perspective into exactly what artists should be doing more of – revealing themselves, peeling away like an onion until everything is laid out bare. If creating music can get anyone out of a rut, I hope it’s him.
Avant Chase
These Hands
Rebuilding on the idea of a letter and vow to the woman that will become his future wife. It’s a stirring hip hop track that promises a lifelong promise of attention. Daw!
Devin Kennedy
Sold Out
Classically trained at Berklee College of Music, Devin made a turn into Shawn Mendes, Niall Horan, and Charlie Puth territory and created an extraordinary tune full of melody and pop structure.
Savv
winter.
The Drake comparisons will be evoked, but this will keep those fans – and his new ones – under his own spell.
Dirt Train
Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)
Five-piece Americana Rock & Roll offers this intimate take on Stevie’s soulful and funkadelic song. Play it before sleeping, and you’ll be deeper than you’ll ever feel.
Randy Bachman’s New Studio Album, ‘By George – By Bachman’
Multiple Hall of Famer, songwriter, singer, and guitarist Randy Bachman announces release plans for his new studio album, By George – By Bachman, a respectful and personal testimonial to George Harrison’s finest work. To be released digitally on March 2 and on CD on March 16 by UMe, the album is heralded by two tracks available immediately with today’s digital album preorder: “Here Comes The Sun” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
Not your typical tribute album, By George – By Bachman is a unique ‘Harrison by Bachman’ concept, with Bachman’s distinctively personal stamp and style placed on songs spanning Harrison’s storied career as a member of The Beatles and as a solo artist. “On Jukebox, the covers album I did with Burton Cummings back in 2007, I took ‘I’m Happy Just To Dance With You,’ which wasn’t written by George but written for him to sing, and put a whole new groove on it,” Bachman explains. “People already knew the lyrics so I put it into a new musical context and it worked. For this album, I figured I would take George’s songs and give them new grooves. I wanted the tempos and arrangements to be different but still recognizable by the lyrics. I took the major keys and turned them into minors. It was a whole new interpretation of a familiar song. I was quite excited about the prospect of re-imagining George Harrison’s songs.”
Bachman will kick off celebrations for By George – By Bachman with a concert at New York’s B.B. King Blues Club & Grill on February 24, one day before what would have been George Harrison’s 75th birthday. The band then turns to Canada for a month of concerts, with more dates to be announced for spring and summer. For the complete list of Bachman’s confirmed 2018 tour dates, visit: RandyBachman.com.
Bachman began work on the By George – By Bachman project in March 2017, enlisting his band of nearly a decade: Marc LaFrance as co-producer/drummer, Mick Dalla-Vee on bass and keys, and Brent Knudsen for additional guitars. Bachman and his band developed a process for creating demos for such time-tested material, reflecting the spirit of the source within their fresh approaches. Over weeks of back-and-forth, the songs took shape and indeed some of the demo recordings made it to the finished record. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” the album’s lead radio single, was one of the tracks that came together very quickly. Bachman and his band took a tougher-flavored edge to the track, adding hard-driving drums, thumping bass, raging guitars, and lots of vocals, and later sent the song to well-known blues guitarist, Walter Trout, who added in some screaming guitar solos.
In May 2017, recording began at Armoury Studios in Vancouver, where artists such as AC/DC, Nickelback, the Cranberries, INXS, Seal, Diana Krall, Drake, and Bruno Mars have all recorded. As LaFrance recalls the experience: “Once we started digging into the recording of the album, it almost became somewhat of a healing and liberating experience. Music can really take you to places you can’t imagine, especially while creating it. Sitting in the control room while Randy is ripping out a guitar solo, grabbing notes out of thin air, is good for the soul.”
The band lived with those first recordings for some months before returning to the studio in September to finish the album, this time at Calgary’s Studio Bell – a facility within Canada’s National Music Centre, where Bachman’s ’59 Les Paul guitar (on which Bachman wrote and recorded “American Woman” with the Guess Who) is on display as part of Canada’s Music Hall of Fame. The studio houses all variety of rare and vintage gear, from the Rolling Stones’ mobile recording studio to a historic Trident (Triad) A Range Console. Using these tools connected Bachman to his previous recording lives, as well, as part of channeling elements of the past to weave through the present.
By George – By Bachman opens and closes with “Between Two Mountains,” a Bachman original written to tie the various elements together which comprise the album’s concept. In this song, Harrison’s position amidst the musical giants of Lennon and McCartney is acknowledged. “George’s light shone through what could have been a shadow between such mountainous forces as John and Paul,” says Bachman. “Love is forever – and George made certain that paramount sentiment endured throughout his work and life. His music and his example mean the world to me, and I hope I have honored that in a way that will resonate with people who, like me, are his fans and admirers.”
There’s also a little something extra for George Harrison aficionados. “Throughout the album, I put in little signature licks that are associated with George’s songs,” reveals Bachman, “Like the slide part from ‘My Sweet Lord’ or the opening chord from ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ for the fans to notice. Kind of like Easter Eggs.”
Bachman stands in rarified air as a member of a very exclusive handful of artists who have topped the charts in two different bands: “American Woman” with The Guess Who and “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” as leader and singer with Bachman-Turner Overdrive. In a global career spanning more than five decades, he has earned 120 platinum, gold and silver records. His distinctive brand of guitar-driven, no-holds-barred hard rock is instantly recognized worldwide. As host of the top-rated CBC and SiriusXM radio series “Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap,” his listeners number in the millions.
As the most celebrated musician in Canadian history, Bachman counts among his many accolades his membership in the Order of Canada and the Order of Manitoba, as well as being twice inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Canada’s Walk of Fame, and his inductions into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame, the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Prairie Music Hall of Fame. He is a recipient of the Manitoba Order of The Buffalo Hunt, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, the ASCAP Global Impact Award, and holder of an honorary Doctorate in Music from Brandon University. Bachman has also earned multiple JUNO Awards as a songwriter, musician, band member and producer. In addition, Bachman can add bestselling author to his numerous list of accomplishments, having penned both Vinyl Tap Stories and Tales From Beyond The Tap.
Randy Bachman: By George – By Bachman [digital; CD]
1. Between Two Mountains
2. If I Needed Someone
3. You Like Me Too Much
4. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
5. Handle With Care
6. Taxman
7. I Need You
8. Something
9. Think For Yourself
10. Here Comes The Sun
11. Don’t Bother Me
12. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)
13. Between Two Mountains Reprise
Steve Miller Band Announces New 180-Gram Vinyl Box Set, ‘Complete Albums Volume 1 (1968-1976)’
It’s been 50 years since Steve Miller Band’s first two Capitol Records albums were released in 1968, and now Miller and Capitol/UMe are incredibly excited to announce the May 18 release of the legendary Steve Miller Band’s first nine studio albums in an unprecedented new 180-gram vinyl box set collection called Complete Albums Volume 1 (1968-1976). Spanning the band’s first studio album, Children of the Future, through 1976’s multiplatinum masterpiece Fly Like an Eagle, the albums have all been remastered and are available now for preorder. Each album is also available for preorder as individual 180-gram black LPs to be released on the same date, as well as limited edition 180-gram color vinyl LPs for sale exclusively via uDiscoverMusic.
The Steve Miller Band’s first nine studio albums have also been newly remastered for HD digital audio (96kHz/24-bit). Starting with today’s global release of Children of the Future, the albums’ HD digital audio debuts will continue weekly in chronological order ahead of the Complete Albums Volume 1 vinyl release.
A much-loved summer tradition, the iconic Steve Miller Band has been performing inspired versions of Miller’s incomparable songbook to legions of fans across the globe for many years. Among the many highlights of the tour, the SMB will be performing at the legendary Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, and will be closing out the final day of New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
In conjunction with the tour announcement and on-sale, the band’s concert video for “Stranger Blues” (featuring Peter Frampton, Live from The Pacific Amphitheater, Costa Mesa) debuts today on Vevo. The concert video for “Take The Money And Run” (Live from The Pacific Amphitheater, Costa Mesa) launched on Vevo on February 9.
Steve Miller Band: Complete Albums Volume 1 (1968-1976) [180-gram vinyl box set]
(All albums also available on individual 180g black vinyl LPs + ltd. edition 180g colored vinyl LPs)
Children of the Future [HD digital audio release: February 16]
Sailor [HD digital audio release: February 23]
Brave New World [HD digital audio release: March 2]
Your Saving Grace [HD digital audio release: March 9]
Number 5 [HD digital audio release: March 16]
Rock Love [HD digital audio release: March 23]
Recall the Beginning… A Journey from Eden [HD digital audio release: March 30]
The Joker [HD digital audio release: April 6]
Fly Like an Eagle [HD digital audio release: April 13]
Steve Miller Band: Limited Edition 180g color vinyl LPs
Children of the Future – Pink
Sailor – Blue
Brave New World – Yellow
Your Saving Grace – White
Number 5 – Orange
Rock Love – Transparent Green
Recall the Beginning… A Journey from Eden – Red
The Joker – Yellow-Green
Fly Like an Eagle – Half Black + Half Bright Yellow
John Entwistle’s Isolated Bass From The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” Live
John “The Ox” Entwistle’s isolated bass track from “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, performed live by The Who at Shepperton Film Studios, May 25 1978.
Discogs Shares 2017 Year-end Report
Today, Discogs reports unparalleled growth within the world’s most extensive physical music Database alongside sales data reflecting 2017 trends from the world’s largest Marketplace. The worldwide upward trend of the buying and selling of Vinyl continues to parallel the unmatched growth of physical music data in The Discogs 2017 Year-End Report.
2017 was a record-breaking year for Discogs, sales in the Discogs Marketplace topped 10,000,000 releases sold highlighted by two Most Expensive Releases Sold in the 7″ single format with The Beatles ‘Love Me Do’ selling for $14,757.00 followed by Sex Pistols’ ‘God Save The Queen’ selling for a whopping $14,690.00.
Additional sales trends include Cassettes showing the most substantial format growth at 29.54% with CDs not far behind at 28.39% despite recent news of Best Buy and Target abandoning the format. Most Collected genre trends include Classical showing the most significant increase at 42.36% followed by the Latin genre at 38.33%. Just a few highlights on format and genre included in The Discogs 2017 Year-End Report.
Discogs is the user-built database of music; with a catalog of more than 9,500,000 recordings and 5,000,000 artists, Discogs is the largest physical music database in the world. Discogs connects buyers and sellers across the globe. With more than 39 million items available, 4.7 million active registered users, and thousands of sellers, this is the premier spot for new releases to hard to find gems.
Lin-Manuel Miranda Launching the Hamilton Creator’s First Toy and Collectibles Line
Entertainment Earth – a popular worldwide toys and collectibles destination – announces the signing of a license with TeeRico by Lin-Manuel Miranda (the Hamilton creator’s merchandise brand) to create a toy and collectible product line. The first product announced is Lin-Manuel Miranda and his beloved dog Tobi adorably designed in the highly popular Pin Mates™ brand of wooden figures.
Set to hit shelves in July 2018, the Lin-Manuel and Tobi Pin Mates recently debuted at the TeeRico by Lin-Manuel Miranda booth at BroadwayCon 2018 and will be introduced to the toy industry at the New York Toy Fair, held at the Jacob. K Javits Convention Center February 17 – 20, 2018.
Pin Mates™ debuted with one wooden character at Toy Fair 2016 and has grown into a line offering almost 200 uniquely numbered characters that range from 1 to 6-inches tall, spanning multiple licenses and delighting fans everywhere.
A renowned composer, lyricist, and actor, Lin-Manuel Miranda first hit the Broadway scene 10 years ago with his musical In the Heights and followed that success with the critically acclaimed and Pulitzer Prize and Tony® Award-winning sensation Hamilton: An American Musical. He continues to inspire across many genres of entertainment, including writing GRAMMY Award-winning music for Disney’s Moana and working on new projects such as Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns – set to hit theaters on December 25, 2018. Lin-Manuel Miranda is also working as the creative producer for the film and television adaptation of The Kingkiller Chronicle fantasy novel series by Patrick Rothfuss, being developed by Lionsgate and Showtime. Since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, Lin-Manuel Miranda has worked tirelessly to raise much needed funds to aid in the island’s relief, recovery and reconstruction efforts by the Hispanic Federation.
A portion of every sale in this collection will be donated to charity.
45th Anniversary Reissues Honoring The Soulful Legacy Of Barry White Are Coming This Year
From his hitmaking ’70s heyday until his untimely passing in 2003, Barry White set an unmatched standard for sexy, seductive, soulful R&B. As a vocalist, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, White created music that was unmatched in its sonic and romantic intensity, highlighted by lush, widescreen arrangements and the artist’s deep, dark baritone voice. Over the course of his remarkable career, two-time Grammy Award–winner Barry White scored 106 gold albums worldwide, with 41 of those attaining platinum status, along with 20 gold and 10 platinum singles, with worldwide record sales of over 100 million records. He remains one of the best-selling recording artists of all time.
On April 13, Mercury Records/UMe will release the first of a series of catalog releases of Barry White’s classic work, in a yearlong celebration of the 45th anniversary of White’s first release on 20th Century Records. New collections feature such White solo hits as “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe” and “You’re The First, The Last, My Everything,” along with hits by female trio Love Unlimited (“Walkin’ In The Rain With The One I Love,” “I Belong To You”) and the 40-piece Love Unlimited Orchestra (“Love’s Theme,” “Satin Soul”), both of which benefited from White’s distinctive songwriting and production skills.
The White reissue series launches with a pair of remastered White hits collections: Love’s Theme: The Best Of The 20th Century Records Singles, a single-CD compilation incorporating 21 classic White hits, which will also be available as a double vinyl LP including the bonus track “Satin Soul” by Love Unlimited Orchestra; and the three-CD, 46-track The Complete 20th Century Records Singles (1973-1979), which will be presented in a specially-designed box with the three discs packaged in individual wallets. Both albums will feature expansive liner notes and track details. Pre-order is available now for both the physical and digital collections with digital downloads receiving the first in a series of instant grat downloads that will be rolled out up to the album’s release. Love’s Theme: The Best Of The 20th Century Records Singles includes the title track “Love’s Theme” and “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby” while The Complete 20th Century Records Singles (1973-1979) is also accompanied by that song as well as “Just A Little More, Baby (Instrumental).”
On April 20, Mercury/UMe will release The 20th Century Records Singles (1973-1975), a box set of 10 seven-inch vinyl singles that replicates White’s original hit single releases. The ten singles will be housed in a two-piece rigid box, with each disc in a 20th Century Records sleeve and 7″ labels that duplicate the originals, along with a four-page illustrated book. The vinyl set features newly remastered audio from the 20th Century Records master tapes, cut at Abbey Road Studios for the highest possible sound quality.
These comprehensive sets kick off UMG’s historic Barry White/20th Century Records remastered reissue program, with future releases to include complete 20th Century Records LP and CD album box sets, and new compilations and album box sets spotlighting Love Unlimited and the Love Unlimited Orchestra.
Marc Cohn To Release Instant Live Recordings On VNUE’s set.fm
VNUE, Inc. is partnering with Grammy-winning soul singer/songwriter Marc Cohn on his upcoming tour, recording each show beginning February 16 and making content available for download within 24 hours via VNUE’s set.fm.
Cohn, who rose to fame with the smash hit “Walking in Memphis,” recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of his platinum-selling self-titled debut with a special tour performing the album in its entirety from start to finish. With his 2018 tour, Cohn continues to dig into the treasure chest of his rich and evocative songs, with a focus on spontaneity and audience connection. No two performances are alike, and requests are always taken, making for an intimate grab bag of a set full of big hits, deep cuts and surprises.
After winning a Grammy for his soulful ballad “Walking in Memphis,” Marc Cohn solidified his place as one of this generation’s most compelling singer/songwriters, combining the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man. Rooted in the rich ground of American rhythm and blues, soul and gospel and possessed of a deft storyteller’s pen, he weaves vivid, detailed, often drawn-from-life tales that evoke some of our most universal human feelings: love, hope, faith, joy, heartbreak.
A portion of each ticket sold for the tour, which begins February 14 at New York City’s City Winery, will benefit God’s Love We Deliver, the New York metropolitan area’s leading provider of life-sustaining meals and nutrition counseling for people living with severe illnesses.
“Marc has long been regarded one of the most soulful and powerful performers in the music business, with a truly unique perspective on roots music – and of course, ‘Walking in Memphis’ has long held a special place in my heart as a resident of that great city,” Zach Bair, CEO of VNUE and “instant music” pioneer DiscLive, said. “The fans who experience this live will surely want to relive this music forever, and with VNUE’s set.fm, they’ll be able to do just that.”
“I’ve had so much fun digging into the vault of my past work throughout recent performances, and this upcoming tour will be no exception,” Cohn said. “I want each show to have its own unique feel and setlist, so it’s a natural fit for VNUE and set.fm to capture each one individually and let the fans live them over and over again.”
SOURCE VNUE, Inc.
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So So Def 25 Coming This Summer
Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, will commemorate the 25th anniversary of Atlanta’s hottest hip-hop label with the release of So So Def 25 as a digital album coming this summer through Certified Classics, home of the undisputed classics of hip-hop and R&B from the 80s, 90s and 00s. A 12″ vinyl collector’s edition of So So Def 25 will also be available.
So So Def 25 includes essential smash hits, iconic remixes, and deep cuts from the label’s quarter-century catalog and more.
So So Def founder Jermaine Dupri says, “I been dreaming of getting to this point since my very first release.”
Dupri (who has co-written No. 1 hits like Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” and “Always Be My Baby,” Usher’s “Burn” and Monica’s “The First Night”) will be the second hip-hop act ever to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the organization announced on February 6. The 2018 Songwriters Hall of Fame will honor this year’s inductees at its Annual Induction & Awards Gala on June 14, 2018, in New York City.
Thus far 2018 also sees Dupri being honored with the 2018 Trumpet Awards Music Innovation Award, the 2018 Global Spin Awards Breaking Barriers Award airing on REVOLT and the 2018 Legendary Awards Trailblazer Award.
The visionary producer/musician/entrepreneur launched So So Def Recordings in 1993, following the success of Kris Kross’s hit song “Jump,” which was written and produced by Dupri and just celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. So So Def brought together strains of Southern hip-hop, R&B, soul, and new club sounds to create an ongoing catalog of music that continues to transform the culture. So So Def’s first act, the female R&B vocal quartet Xscape struck platinum with three albums in a row beginning with their 1993 debut Hummin’ Comin’ at ‘Cha continuing through Off the Hook (1995) and Traces of My Lipstick (1998). A creative wellspring for some of contemporary hip-hop’s most innovative artists, So So Def released Da Brat’s historic 1994 debut Funkdafied, the first album by a female solo rapper to achieve platinum status, and, in 1997, introduced the R&B hitmakers Jagged Edge to the world with the group’s debut album, A Jagged Era.
In 2000, So So Def released Beware of Dog, the debut album from (then) 13-year-old hip-hop prodigy Lil Bow Wow. Supported by four smash singles–“Bounce with Me” featuring Xscape, “Bow Wow (That’s My Name)” featuring Snoop Dogg, “Puppy Love” featuring Jagged Edge, and “Ghetto Girls”–Beware of Dog went triple platinum, propelling Bow Wow into the hip-hop stratosphere.
The celebration of So So Def will continue throughout 2018 with Legacy Recordings set to press 12″ vinyl reissues of select catalog titles and release additional digital content.
Plans for an all-star So So Def Tour are currently in the works.