The mark of a great guitarist, says Keith Richards, is how well they can handle an acoustic guitar. The mark of a great song, I say, is how well it can be played on a toy instrument. Watch how Clay Shelburn and Zac Stokes play Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Pride and Joy on a $25 kids’ guitar at their local WalMart.
The New Trailer For HBO’s David Bowie Doc Is Out
Focusing on the artist’s final years, David Bowie: The Last Five Years presents a nuanced look at the evolution of Bowie’s music as told through archival footage and interviews with the musical legend’s bandmates. Largely focused on Bowie’s final two albums, The Next Day and Blackstar, the film also explores his musical, Lazarus, which he began developing in the midst of his illness. In this clip, Bowie lays out his artistic philosophy: ‘Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about at the right place to do something exciting.'” The film premieres Jan. 8 on HBO.
https://youtu.be/OwuuDpwPYxo
Toronto bids a festive farewell to Skittles Holiday Pawn Shop
fter two insanely successful years, Toronto’s iconic and favourite holiday pawn shop is closing its doors – for good. To end on a high note and go out with a bang, Canadians have one last chance to pawn their unwanted holiday gifts for something way sweeter – Skittles candy!
Like any other store closure, everything must go. The beloved Dale the Dealmaker and store pawnbrokers are ready to give out double, triple, quadruple the Skittles in exchange for holiday gifts you don’t want. The Skittles Holiday Pawn Shop will be open for business from December 26 through December 29 at 277 Queen Street West (just east of John Street) in Toronto, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Unwanted gifts in good condition that have been pawned for Skittles will be donated to United Way Toronto and York Region.
“It’s bittersweet news to deliver before the holidays, but fear not, Canadians will have one last chance to trade all those unwanted holiday gifts for something they really want – Skittles candy!”, says Laura Amantea, Wrigley marketing director and lifelong Skittles fan. “We are going out with a bang because we know this store is held close to the hearts of Torontonians. The Skittles Holiday Pawn Shop will be doling out the best Skittles deals our fans have ever seen, and will never see again.”
Starting December 13, upload a photo of your unwanted holiday gift to www.SkittlesPawn.ca for appraisal and receive a certificate with a photo of the item, its estimated Skittles value, along with a coupon for $2 off select (151g, 191g and 320g) packs of Skittles.
For those planning on stopping by, other iconic Skittles fans will be making in-store appearances to bid their final farewell to the shop, including:
Justin Broadbent, visual artist (December 27, 12 p.m. – 2 p.m.)
Hollerado, Canadian indie rock band (December 28, 12 p.m. – 2 p.m.)
Norm Kelly, the 6 Dad (December 29, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.)
Pawned items in good condition will be donated to United Way Toronto and York Region to help spread the holiday cheer. Hot items for the season such as new socks, PJs, gloves and personal care products will get pawners extra Skittles candy.
Toronto – this is your last chance to put those haggling skills to the test! Visit the Skittles Holiday Pawn Shop between December 26-29, where Dale the Dealmaker and Skittles pawnbrokers are ready to make some sweet deals. Join the conversation on social using #SkittlesPawn.
Steve Miller Announces 2018 Canadian Tour With Peter Frampton
Coming off an extraordinary 2017, Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famer Steve Miller is excited to announce his Spring 2018 tour of Canada. He will also be playing an additional two dates in the upper American Midwest. The full itinerary is below with more dates to be added soon.
Joining Miller and his band on this tour will be special guest Peter Frampton.
“2017 was an amazingly beautiful, creative and rewarding music experience for our band and our audience,” says Miller. “The band and production crew are working on creating an even better concert experience for 2018 and plan on wading even deeper into the musical waters. Peter Frampton and I enjoyed last summer. There is so much to explore and we are looking forward to seeing our friends in Canada and the States soon.”
Frampton adds, “Having had such a fantastic tour together last summer, Steve and I decided to keep going this year! Jamming together each night during Steve’s set is one of my favorite moments of the evening. Can’t wait to get back out there.”
In September, Miller produced and personally directed the curation and creative process for two new, career-spanning Steve Miller Band Ultimate Hits collections (Capitol/Ume). Ultimate Hits is available in a 1CD and digital edition featuring 22 essential Steve Miller Band tracks, including three previously unreleased rarities, and in an expanded 2CD and digital deluxe edition with 40 tracks, including the acclaimed band’s top hits, live tracks, and eight previously unreleased recordings from the studio and the stage. Both editions are also available on 180-gram vinyl in 2LP and 4LP deluxe packages.
Steve Miller was a mainstay of the San Francisco music scene that upended American culture in the late ’60s. With albums like Children of the Future, Sailor and Brave New World, Miller perfected a psychedelic blues sound that drew on the deepest sources of American roots music and simultaneously articulated a compelling vision of what music-and society-could be in the years to come.
Then, in the ’70s, Miller crafted a brand of rock ‘n’ roll music that was polished, exciting and irresistible, and that has dominated radio through today. Hit followed hit in an endless flow: “The Joker,” “Livin’ in the USA,” “Take the Money and Run,” “Rock’n Me,” “Fly Like an Eagle,” “Jet Airliner,” “Jungle Love,” and “Abracadabra” among them. To this day, these songs are instantly recognizable when they come on the radio-and impossible not to sing along with.
Running through Miller’s catalogue is a combination of virtuosity and song craft along with melodic vocals and signature guitar riffs. His parents were jazz aficionados — Les Paul was his godfather — so as a budding guitarist and singer, Miller absorbed valuable lessons from their musical tradition. When the family moved to Texas, Miller deepened his education in the blues, meeting T-Bone Walker and learning to sing and play listening to him and Jimmy Reed. Miller then moved to Chicago where he played with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Buddy Guy and Paul Butterfield.
The Steve Miller Band has played to more than 20 million people in the last 20 years. In addition to touring with his band, Miller is also contributing his time to serving on the welcoming committee of the Department of Musical Instruments of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and as a board member of Jazz at Lincoln Center, where he curates and hosts shows at both institutions celebrating blues, jazz and early American music. From 2015 – 2017, Miller and guitar legend Jimmie Vaughan presented seven sold out shows at JALC: “Ma Rainey Meets Miles Davis,” “T Bone Walker – A Bridge From Blues to Jazz,” and, with along with harmonica virtuoso Charlie Musselwhite, “The Blues Triangle: Memphis, Texas and Chicago.”
The Steve Miller Band 2018 USA tour dates and further album release and compilation information will be announced early next year.
STEVE MILLER BAND 2018 SPRING TOUR DATES:
APRIL
14 – Victoria, BC – Save on Foods Centre
16 – Abbotsford, BC – Abbotsford Centre
18 – Kelowna, BC – Prospera Place
20 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
21 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
23 – Saskatoon, SK – SaskTel Centre
24 – Winnipeg, MB – Bell MTS Place
Steve Miller Announces 2018 Canadian Tour With Peter Frampton
Coming off an extraordinary 2017, Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famer Steve Miller is excited to announce his Spring 2018 tour of Canada. He will also be playing an additional two dates in the upper American Midwest. The full itinerary is below with more dates to be added soon.
Joining Miller and his band on this tour will be special guest Peter Frampton.
“2017 was an amazingly beautiful, creative and rewarding music experience for our band and our audience,” says Miller. “The band and production crew are working on creating an even better concert experience for 2018 and plan on wading even deeper into the musical waters. Peter Frampton and I enjoyed last summer. There is so much to explore and we are looking forward to seeing our friends in Canada and the States soon.”
Frampton adds, “Having had such a fantastic tour together last summer, Steve and I decided to keep going this year! Jamming together each night during Steve’s set is one of my favorite moments of the evening. Can’t wait to get back out there.”
In September, Miller produced and personally directed the curation and creative process for two new, career-spanning Steve Miller Band Ultimate Hits collections (Capitol/Ume). Ultimate Hits is available in a 1CD and digital edition featuring 22 essential Steve Miller Band tracks, including three previously unreleased rarities, and in an expanded 2CD and digital deluxe edition with 40 tracks, including the acclaimed band’s top hits, live tracks, and eight previously unreleased recordings from the studio and the stage. Both editions are also available on 180-gram vinyl in 2LP and 4LP deluxe packages.
Steve Miller was a mainstay of the San Francisco music scene that upended American culture in the late ’60s. With albums like Children of the Future, Sailor and Brave New World, Miller perfected a psychedelic blues sound that drew on the deepest sources of American roots music and simultaneously articulated a compelling vision of what music-and society-could be in the years to come.
Then, in the ’70s, Miller crafted a brand of rock ‘n’ roll music that was polished, exciting and irresistible, and that has dominated radio through today. Hit followed hit in an endless flow: “The Joker,” “Livin’ in the USA,” “Take the Money and Run,” “Rock’n Me,” “Fly Like an Eagle,” “Jet Airliner,” “Jungle Love,” and “Abracadabra” among them. To this day, these songs are instantly recognizable when they come on the radio-and impossible not to sing along with.
Running through Miller’s catalogue is a combination of virtuosity and song craft along with melodic vocals and signature guitar riffs. His parents were jazz aficionados — Les Paul was his godfather — so as a budding guitarist and singer, Miller absorbed valuable lessons from their musical tradition. When the family moved to Texas, Miller deepened his education in the blues, meeting T-Bone Walker and learning to sing and play listening to him and Jimmy Reed. Miller then moved to Chicago where he played with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Buddy Guy and Paul Butterfield.
The Steve Miller Band has played to more than 20 million people in the last 20 years. In addition to touring with his band, Miller is also contributing his time to serving on the welcoming committee of the Department of Musical Instruments of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and as a board member of Jazz at Lincoln Center, where he curates and hosts shows at both institutions celebrating blues, jazz and early American music. From 2015 – 2017, Miller and guitar legend Jimmie Vaughan presented seven sold out shows at JALC: “Ma Rainey Meets Miles Davis,” “T Bone Walker – A Bridge From Blues to Jazz,” and, with along with harmonica virtuoso Charlie Musselwhite, “The Blues Triangle: Memphis, Texas and Chicago.”
The Steve Miller Band 2018 USA tour dates and further album release and compilation information will be announced early next year.
STEVE MILLER BAND 2018 SPRING TOUR DATES:
APRIL
14 – Victoria, BC – Save on Foods Centre
16 – Abbotsford, BC – Abbotsford Centre
18 – Kelowna, BC – Prospera Place
20 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
21 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
23 – Saskatoon, SK – SaskTel Centre
24 – Winnipeg, MB – Bell MTS Place
Kesha and Macklemore Announce Tour For 2018
Kesha and Macklemore, who teamed up for “Good Old Days” on Macklemore’s Gemini album earlier this year, have announced a North American tour in 2018.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday (Dec. 15) at noon local time with presale opportunities beginning Wednesday (Dec. 13). Presale will be available to Citi card members from noon local time on Wednesday through 10 p.m. local time Thursday (Dec. 14), through Citi’s Private Pass program. For more details, click here.
June 6 — Phoenix @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
June 8 — Inglewood, Calif. @ The Forum
June 9 — Las Vegas @ Mandalay Bay Events Center
June 12 — Chula Vista, Calif. @ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
June 14 — Mountain View, Calif. @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
June 16 — Salt Lake City @ USANA Amphitheatre
June 17 — Denver @ Pepsi Center
June 20 — Dallas @ Starplex Pavilion
June 22 — Austin, Texas @ Austin360 Amphitheater
June 23 — The Woodlands, Texas @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
June 25 — Rogers, Ark. @ Arkansas Music Pavilion
June 26 — Kansas City, Mo. @ Sprint Center
July 10 — Maryland Heights, Mo. @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
July 11 — Cincinnati @ Riverbend Music Center
July 13 — Nashville, Tenn. @ Bridgestone Arena
July 14 — Tinley Park, Ill. @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
July 16 — Toronto @ Budweiser Stage
July 18 — Clarkston, Mich. @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
July 19 — Noblesville, Ind. @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
July 21 — Hershey, Penn. @ Hersheypark Stadium
July 22 — Darien Center, N.Y. @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
July 24 — Mansfield, Mass. @ Xfinity Center
July 25 — Camden, N.J. @ BB&T Pavilion
July 27 — Holmdel, N.J. @ PNC Bank Arts Center
July 28 — Bristow, Va. @ Jiffy Lube Live
July 30 — Wantagh, N.Y. @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Aug. 1 — Charlotte, N.C. @ PNC Music Pavilion Charlotte
Aug. 2 — Atlanta @ Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
Aug. 4 — Miami @ AmericanAirlines Arena
Aug. 5 — Tampa, Fla. @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
The Howard Stern Show: Kendrick Lamar — December 12, 2017
Kendrick Lamar talks about how Prince was almost on one of his albums, working With Taylor Swift, the first phone call he got from Dr. Dre, and how fast food may have saved his life.
Brian Eno Lectures In 1979 On The Recording Studio As A Compositional Tool
Brian Eno delivered the following lecture during New Music New York, the first New Music America Festival sponsored in 1979 by the Kitchen.
National Music Centre Launches New Exhibition In Partnership With Two Canadian Music Halls Of Fame
The National Music Centre (NMC) is pleased to launch a new temporary exhibition at Studio Bell, honouring the two 2017 Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees—Paul Brandt and Harvey Gold—and four 2017 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees—Bruce Cockburn, Beau Dommage, Stéphane Venne and Neil Young.
The exhibition, called Showcase: 2017 Inductees, displays personal items and instruments from this year’s members, including one of Young’s practice guitars—a vintage 1970s Epiphone acoustic—on which Young wrote the song “Natural Beauty” from his 1992 album, Harvest Moon. Other treasures include song books of lyrics for Cockburn’s 1984 political anthem “If I Had a Rocket Launcher” and 1988’s “If A Tree Falls,” along with a 6-string Manzer acoustic guitar owned and played by Cockburn.
Visitors will also see conga drums owned and played by drummer Réal Desrosiers from French-Canadian rock band Beau Dommage and a handwritten note from Quebec songwriter and composer Stéphane Venne, describing his writing process for the song “Un Jour, Un Jour,” which was chosen as the official theme song for Expo ’67 in Montréal.
“Many of popular music’s most iconic songs have been written by Canadian artists, forever etched in the hearts and minds of music lovers everywhere,” said Andrew Mosker, President and CEO, NMC. “Thanks to our national halls of fame partnerships, we’ve been able to help celebrate and share the stories of some of Canada’s most beloved music creators.”
Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, is the physical home of three Canadian music halls of fame—the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame Collection, and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame—all of which are located on level five of Studio Bell, a floor entirely dedicated to celebrating and recognizing Canadian artists that have made a significant contribution to music nationally and internationally.
“As the 2017 inductees into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, Paul Brandt and Harvey Gold have each made a lasting impact on country music in Canada and are excellent examples of the calibre of talent that exists in this country,” said Tracy Martin, Interim President of the Canadian Country Music Association.
“After an extraordinary tribute to our 2017 inductees—Bruce Cockburn, Beau Dommage, Stéphane Venne and Neil Young—at Massey Hall last fall, we are thrilled to see the celebrations continue with the launch of this exhibition,” said Vanessa Thomas, Executive Director of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Showcase: 2017 Inductees is accessible with paid admission to Studio Bell, and will run from December 13, 2017 until the fall of 2018.
Regular admission to Studio Bell is $18 for adults, $14 for students/seniors, $11 for children (3-12 years of age), and free for children under 3 years of age.
Music Canada Live responds to passing of Ontario’s Ticket Sales Act
Scalper bots are now banned in Ontario, as a bill to enact various measures to protect ticket buyers passed today. The legislation also bans tickets from being resold at more than 50 per cent of the face value and makes it illegal to knowingly resell tickets that were purchased by bots.
Music Canada Live is the voice of Canada’s vibrant live music industry, working to advance and promote its many economic, social and cultural benefits. And while they applaud some of the new changes, they see a bit of caution: Erin Benjamin, Executive Director wrote today:
Music Canada Live congratulates the Ontario Government on the passing of the Ticket Sales Act. Banning harmful BOT technology and empowering ticketing companies and live events through civil litigation are steps in the right direction.
However, we remain concerned that the reintroduction of legislated price caps will not serve the best interests of Ontario consumers. Several years ago, the (formerly known as) Ticket Legislation Act was revised to remove caps because they failed to prevent tickets being sold above face value.
Ontario has been here before – regulating the price of tickets will once again drive illegal and fraudulent activity deeper into the dark corners of the internet – and will not protect fans. Concert goers will pay more for tickets and have less certainty that those tickets will be real. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to enforce and will encourage more out-of-jurisdiction, and increased illegal, resale activity. It is unclear how this time will be different. Emphasis should instead be placed on raising awareness and the education of fans as to ‘how to buy tickets safely’. Additionally, investing in Ontario’s technology sector to develop solutions will both stimulate business and help to solve problems at the same time.
The music industry in Ontario generates $1.2-billion in economic impact and creates more than 20,000 jobs. Price caps will negatively influence the growth and potential of one of Ontario’s most important industries. Ontario will be the only province in Canada to implement price caps.
Music Canada Live will support and advise government as it attempts to build enforcement frameworks within the legislation, and in doing so continue to urge political leadership to champion the live music industry as a key contributor to GDP, quality of life and the cultural vibrancy of the province. Music Canada Live members share the government’s goal of getting tickets, safely and at a fair market price, into the hands of fans.