Here’s an MTV news clip featuring The B-52s giving a hometown tour of Athens, GA in 1989.
Dan Harmon, Rick And Morty’s Co-Creator on How To Cope With Depression
A fan on Twitter recently asked Dan Harmon, creator and producer of the comedy television series Community, and co-creator of the Adult Swim animated series Rick and Morty, and co-founder of the alternative television network/website Channel 101, a personal, but potentially devastating question if ignored or not handled properly. Harmon published You’ll Be Perfect When You’re Dead in 2013, an apt title for this Twitter thread.
And he came back with the best possible response
Perfect. Just beautiful. If you need help with depression, talk to someone and get help.
A soon-to-be famous Keanu Reeves in this most awesome MTV promo from 1987
A soon-to-be famous Keanu Reeves in this most awesome MTV promo from 1987, channeling a bit of Bill and Ted two years before his Excellent Adventure film.
Mickey Mouse in ‘The Perfect Dream’
In Disney’s latest animated Mickey Mouse short, the world’s most popular mouse struggles to get back to sleep so he can finish his perfect dream.
Short Cuts: The Best Songs Heard On December 24, 2017 From The Indie World
Steven Blane
Crying
One of the greatest heartbreaking songs ever written, Steven does it fine justice and Roy Orbison and kd lang would be proud.
Coral Bells
War on Peace
2017 will go down in history as the year music artists found their voice again against injustice. Standing Rock and Indigenous rights are at the top of mind on this track, and although it doesn’t get as angry as the protesters would be, it gets the message across ruefully.
Lauren Reiner
We Can’t Be Lovers
The 21-year-old singer/songwriter/pianist/guitarist from New York immediately makes you think of Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Melody Gardot, and Jane Monheit while simultaneously creating a unique sound of her own. Her EP What I’ve Been Dreaming Of is out now, and I’ve been listening to it for the better part of the day now…
Bedstudy
ø (Arms Away)
Bedstudy, a rising Brooklyn indie band led by Peter Baldwin and David Plakon, releases their gorgeously heady track with a video detailing the wrenching violence that many transgender individuals continue to face. A dreamy mix of blues, art rock, R&B and gospel well worth seeking out.
Earth To Spaceman
StarRunner
Earth To Spaceman is fronted by musician Jack Matranga (ex-Self Against City, Brooke White) based out of California. After spending all of 2016 writing/producing with production duo ESCQ (Imagem Music), Earth To Spaceman released a debut album entitled ‘Cause Célèbre’ earlier this year.
Bre Michael
Unsaved Soul
His influences reach far and wide – from Mac Miller, Ariana Grande, to J Cole, and incorporating them into what 2018 is going to sound like on pop radio. Expect to hear more from him.
Just Koz
All For You (Lover of Mine)
A pretty straightforward banger of a track that you’ll lose your mind if they DJ played it at Midnight. Just brilliant.
Mr. Kelly
Irie (feat. Relic & Joao)
This song will pour out of your car with the windows rolled down – doesn’t matter if it’s spring or winter.
The Jacks
Wings
The British Invasion of the 1960s and 70s are touchtones for the new gritty rock n’ roll single from the southern California four-piece band. Dubbed Ones to Watch by Live Nation. A hit on both sides of the Atlantic if there’s any justice.
Leisure Fund
The Upsetter
Cover song originally done by Metromony, their Shared Sorrow cover EP also features tracks by Joy Division, Angel Olsen, and The Kooks, just a few of my personal faves, so they’re in.
Trigram
Assimilate
Following a distressed marriage, Assimilate takes a metaphoric look at conformity in social media through the lens of a dystopian world, and where a political leader enslaves the population through electronic devices. Brilliant, dark, deep, mysterious. If you’re a fan of Nine Inch Nails, Tool or Alice In Chains, this is for you.
An Old Friend
Lady
Move away from the crappy speakers from the computer and go put the headphones on for this one. This bursts out, erupts and infects your heart and mind like few other modern-day recordings. The arrangements and bittersweet melody demands more attention.
Here’s One Of Only Two Surviving Films Of Lead Belly Performing
During the first half of the 1940s, blues great Lead Belly recorded for RCA, the Library of Congress, and Moe Asch (future founder of Folkways Records) and went to California, where he recorded strong sessions for Capitol Records. Around this time, he filmed three songs, one of two known surviving films he’s in, and just four years before his passing.
A ‘Wheels, Flutes and Crowns’ Test Commercial In 1966 From Jim Henson, Featuring An Early Version Of Cookie Monster
Jim Henson’s 1966 test commercial for General Foods Canada snack products Wheels, Flutes and Crowns.
Simple Minds Announce UK Tour Dates And Brand New Album ‘Walk Between Worlds’ For 2018
Simple Minds are proud to announce the release of their brand new album ‘Walk Between Worlds’ on Feb 2, 2018. The album is available to pre-order in various formats right now including some special Exclusive Colour and Picture Disc Vinyl albums featured within several Deluxe Bundles containing Exclusive signed album artwork prints and a Limited Edition 7″ single.
Simple Minds will take to the road in February 2018 to premiere WALK BETWEEN WORLDS in a selection of special live shows, which will be in three parts: a performance of the album, a live on-stage interview and a classic Simple Minds’ set with hits and a few surprises! For fans it will be a very special, one-of-a-kind experience:
Date: Country: City: Venue:
13th Feb – Tickets UK Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom
14th Feb – Tickets UK Manchester Albert Hall
15th Feb – Tickets UK London Roundhouse
17th Feb – Tickets France Paris Salle Pleyel
18th Feb – Tickets Belgium Brussels Ancienne Belgique
19th Feb – Tickets Netherlands Amsterdam Paradiso
20th Feb – Tickets Denmark Copenhagen Vega
No North American dates, but don’t hold your breath – the band has only toured over here twice since 2002.
WALK BETWEEN WORLDS was produced by Simple Minds with Andy Wright and Gavin Goldberg, both of whom worked on Big Music. With its eight tracks rocketing past in 42 minutes, it is a relatively concise affair. It is also an album of two distinct sides, very much the old-school album format that singer Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill grew up with as music fans. Side one tracks such as Summer and The Signal And The Noise revisit the glassy guitars and new wave dance grooves of the post-punk era and the second half explores more cinematic sounds, with the title track and Barrowland Star both featuring dramatic orchestrations recorded at Abbey Road.
The album is bookended by two songs about faith, Magic and Sense Of Discovery. The first is a reflection on the desire and hunger of youth – the faith in their own abilities that Simple Minds possessed during their formative years. Sense Of Discovery, which features a melodic refrain that alludes to 1985’s Alive And Kicking, is centred on the voice of an older narrator passing on wisdom and advice to a younger individual.
One of the album’s key tracks is Barrowland Star, named after the iconic ballroom in the East End of Glasgow that has hosted many memorable Simple Minds shows. It’s a song that takes the band away from their traditional comfort zone, layering strings and a spellbinding Charlie guitar solo (one that reminds Jim of Mick Ronson) over some poignant words. For Jim and Charlie playing the Barrowland was always a big deal, a mixture of excitement – and fear – it felt as if they were about to engage in a prize-fight rather than simply play a rock concert.
The album artwork is by Brazilian visual artist Heitor Magno, whose work is often a surreal montage of vivid coloured imagery and black and white photography. The image he has created for WALK BETWEEN WORLDS is emblematic of Simple Minds metamorphosis. The central character on the front cover bearing an uncanny resemblance to a young Jim Kerr – the sleeve could also be viewed as a telling throwback to the Sons And Fascination era.
Simple Minds were the standard bearers for a new kind of rock in the Eighties, when they took the art-rock invention of post-punk and constructed a musical Colossus by adding rousing choruses and a touch of Celtic soul. As they contemplate turning 40, their legacy is something to be proud of and with WALK BETWEEN WORLDS their story continues to evolve.
With Jim and Charlie now part of a theatrical gang of musicians that are, in Jim’s words, ‘more inspired by the likes Sly & The Family Stone than a traditional male rock band’, the tour will feature the Acoustic tour line up of: Jim and Charlie, percussionist Cherisse Osei and backing vocalist Catherine AD alongside band mainstays Ged Grimes on bass, multi-instrumentalist Gordy Goudie, and regular backing singer (and sometimes lead vocalist) Sarah Brown. ‘The whole stage set-up is now more fluid,’ says Charlie. ‘We’re working on fresh arrangements of some old songs, and there is going to be more movement between the musicians onstage. There will be time for people to digest the songs and more space for Jim to talk to the audience.’
FORMATS: WALK BETWEEN WORLDS will be available on standard and deluxe CD, standard, deluxe and picture disc vinyl, digital download and stream.
STANDARD TRACKLIST
1. Magic
2. Summer
3. Utopia
4. The Signal and The Noise
5. In Dreams
6. Barrowland Star
7. Walk Between Worlds
8. Sense Of Discovery
DELUXE EDITIONS INCLUDE THE BONUS TRACKS:
1. Silent Kiss
2. Angel Underneath My Skin
3. Dirty Old Town (live)
Gordon Lightfoot Will Be The Last Artist To Play Massey Hall Before It Reopens Again In 3 Years
Canadian music icon and Massey Hall legend, Gordon Lightfoot will be the final artist to perform before the Massey Hall Revitalization Project closes its iconic red doors until Fall 2020.
Widely regarded as the dean of Canadian singer-songwriters, Gordon Lightfoot will close this chapter of the Grand Ol’ Lady of Shuter Street’s remarkable 123-year history with back-to-back performances on Friday, June 29 and Saturday, June 30. Tickets go on sale to the General Public on December 8, 2017.
Multiple JUNO winner, Grammy nominee, Canadian legend and the first-ever Massey Hall Honours Award recipient Gordon Lightfoot began his series of annual concerts at Massey Hall in March 1967 with two sold-out concerts. His unofficial Massey Hall debut occurred in his youth when, at age 10, he entered the Kiwanis Music Festival held at Massey Hall and won first place in his category. With over 166 performances logged to date, Lightfoot has performed at Massey Hall more than any other individual artist.
Lightfoot, who celebrates his 80th birthday in November 2018, refers to Massey Hall as “these hallowed grounds” and went on to say, “Massey Hall is home. These shows are a constant fixture for me. They anchor me, and we are glad to have been invited to be a part of its history”. He returns to Massey Hall backed by longtime bass player Rick Haynes, drummer Barry Keane, keyboardist Mike Heffernan and newest recruit Carter Lancaster on lead guitar.
Beloved by music fans around the world, Gordon Lightfoot holds international recognition as a singer and songwriter. Cover versions of his songs have been recorded by artists including Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Barbara Streisand and Johnny Cash. In 1971 he earned his first Top Ten hit when If You Could Read My Mind became an international sensation and in 1974, his single Sundown went to number one on the American charts, followed two years later by The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which reached number two on the U.S. Billboard charts.
He continues to perform extensively throughout the United States, Canada and in 2016 he toured the UK for 11 concerts which included the illustrious Royal Albert Hall.
Gordon Lightfoot has won 15 JUNO Awards and has been nominated for five Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. In May 2003, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada and is also a member of the Order of Ontario. In 2004 he was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2012 into the U.S. Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The Massey Hall Revitalization: a seven-year multi-phase project, will result in the full restoration of both the exterior and interior of the building, and a new addition connected to the south of the National Historic Site. The expanded footprint will provide much-needed space to enhance artist and patron amenities, and render the building fully accessible. The Revitalization also marks a commitment by the Corporation to continue to invest in artist development, education, and audiences, and embrace technology as a tool to enrich the ways Massey Hall is experienced. The Massey Hall Revitalization will ensure the hall’s continued contribution to the lives of Canadians through arts, employment, and cultural celebration, for generations to come.