“I ponder the endlessness of the stars…”
(all photos by Mini’s Memories)
Photo Gallery: The Tragically Hip at Budweiser Gardens April 19, 2015
Music Festival “Kidnaps” A Fan For Special One-On-One Concert With Bon Ivor
Well, here’s an idea. A one-one concert.
It was in October, 2016, in Berlin, during Michelberger Music where between each show of the festival, they ‘kidnapped’ a person in the audience, which we were taking to a secret room where an artist was waiting. The artist was Bon Ivor.
Smithsonian Launches Kickstarter For Massive Hip-Hop Box Set
As a musical, cultural and social force of the last 40 years, hip-hop is taking its place in the Smithsonian — an institution devoted to preserving and documenting our nation’s heritage.
That’s why the National Museum of African American History and Culture is partnering with their GRAMMY Award-winning record label, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, to create the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap — a cultural statement told through music, text and powerful visuals. And they’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign, too.
This will be the third major anthology produced by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings that tells the story of a defining era of music “of, by and for the people,” following the Anthology of American Folk Music and Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology. It will also serve as an extension of the objects and stories of hip-hop already displayed in the galleries of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, offering perspective on the African American experience and its impact on American culture. The Anthology will be a tool for education as it explores hip-hop’s evolution and global influence.
Creating something this ambitious is not easy. The Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap will be the first collection of its kind to include music from all the major labels as well as dozens of independent record labels.
The Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap will illustrate different social and political trends within the genre, such as police brutality, feminism, and Afrocentrism. It will explore these themes through music from old school pioneers like the Sugarhill Gang and Roxanne Shanté to artists of today like Kanye West and Nicki Minaj — and four decades’ worth of essential names in between.
The Anthology was developed by the Smithsonian in collaboration with an advisory board comprised of members of the hip-hop community including artists Chuck D, MC Lyte, Questlove and 9th Wonder; industry veterans Bill Adler and Bill Stephney; author, journalist and music critic Jeff Chang; and university scholars and authors Adam Bradley (University of Colorado, Boulder), Cheryl Keyes (UCLA) and Mark Anthony Neal (Duke).
Jimmy Kimmel’s Interview with David Letterman
David Letterman talks about giving Conan O’Brien a horse, his new Netflix show, being honored for the Mark Twain Prize, reveals what he misses most about late-night and tells stories about life after his show.
Photo Gallery: I Prevail with We Came As Romans, The Word Alive and Escape The Fate at Niagara Falls’ Rapids Theatre
All photos taken by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” Is Covered By Computers
Eurythmics’ 1981 hit Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) as played by old floppy discs and computer parts. To be honest, it sounds like a weedy remix I would have done back on my Casino back in the day, so I’m all for this!
The 13th Annual Andy Kim Christmas Show Is a Go!
The 13th Annual ANDY KIM CHRISTMAS will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on December 6th. Tickets go onsale this Wednesday at Noon.
Going into its 13th year, the Andy Kim Christmas has been gathering friends and fans together to celebrate the spirit and generosity of the musical community in Toronto with all proceeds going to charity. The concert event is the brainchild of music legend, and the evening’s host and performer, Andy Kim.
This year, the event is hosted by Sean Cullen, and features performances from Ron Sexsmith, Hawksley Workman, members of The Strumbells, Platinum Blonde, The Sheepdogs, Kayla Diamond, Michel Pagilaro, Choir! Choir! Choir! with more to be announced.
“Lucky 13. As I look back I’m awed by the magic & spirituality of this one idea,” says Andy Kim. “Ask my fellow Canadian Artists to help me help our community. Giving is always the best part of an artists’ life & knowing that we’ve raised over $700,000 through the years makes it all worthwhile.
My relationship with ‘Gifts of Light’ is a very special one & as I continue to see how this program makes a difference in our community, I am proud to again make this my Charity of choice.”
Ron Sexsmith says, “I look forward to the Andy Kim Christmas Show every year…Even more than Christmas itself.”
During this one-of-a-kind charity event, patrons will be treated to a classic variety entertainment show that includes holiday performances by some of the country’s most sought-after singer/songwriters and performers. Past guests include Nelly Furtado, Sloan, Tom Cochrane, Cowboy Junkies, Barenaked Ladies, The Trews, Feist, Amy Milan, Sam Roberts, Lights, Ron Sexsmith, Alex Lifeson from Rush, Broken Social Scene, James Black & Rick Jackett from Finger Eleven, Serena Ryder, Colin James, Sarah Harmer, Jacksoul, BUCK65, Honeymoon Suite, Arkells, K-os, Tom Wilson, Tomi Swick, Beverley Mahood, Bobby Bazini, and more. Join us for a magical evening jam-packed with Canadian talent and Christmas music.
Born in Montreal, Andy Kim was inspired by the Beatles, Hank Williams, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Buddy Holly, and Bob Dylan. He found fame in New York City at just 16 years old when he wrote How’d We Ever Get This Way?, the first of nine Billboard Top 40 hits, including #1 songs Rock Me Gently and Sugar, Sugar, one of Billboard’s “Greatest Songs of All Time.” A true Canadian son, Andy has been awarded the country’s top industry honor twice, the JUNO Award for outstanding achievements in the record industry, as well as the Indie Award for Favorite Solo Artist in 2005. Andy is a member of Songwriters Hall of Fame and was inducted into Billboard’s Hit Parade Hall of Fame in 2010. Over his epic career, Andy has sold over 30 million records, with songs covered by music history’s greats, including Wilson Pickett, Tom Jones, Ike & Tina Turner, and Bob Marley. His latest album, It’s Decided, was released in April, 2015 on Arts & Crafts to critical acclaim. In May, 2016, Andy was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame. Andy Kim’s music can be heard in hit series such as Showcase’s Ray Donovan and Netflix’s Mindhunters. Pizza Pizza is currently using their own version of Sugar, Sugar in their campaigns to celebrate their 50th Anniversary throughout 2017 and into 2018.
The Sound Of Vinyl Launches Exciting New Way To Discover And Buy Records Through First-Of-Its-Kind Text Message Service
The Sound of Vinyl (http://thesoundofvinyl.us) provides a powerful and convenient solution to help music enthusiasts discover vinyl and build their record collections. The service offers new and classic albums from a vast catalog of over 20,000 titles from all major labels and dozens of indie labels. In addition to being a full-service online store, The Sound of Vinyl provides an innovative recommendation engine that suggests albums based on a user’s personal tastes, and features exclusive content and album suggestions from top music experts.
The Sound of Vinyl’s recommendation service uses cutting-edge technology to send personalized album picks by text message. When a user enters their mobile phone number and creates a taste profile, The Sound of Vinyl begins sending daily texts with album recommendations that feature album artwork, information and price. Users can reply LIKE or DISLIKE to improve future picks, or simply reply YES to instantly buy an album, creating a seamless shopping experience. The service is powered by Seattle-based startup MessageYes.
The Sound of Vinyl will also host exclusive vinyl records from rock, jazz and classical to R&B, rap and hip-hop. Limited edition color variations of albums by Arrested Development, Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis, Iggy Pop, KISS, Grand Funk, and The Go-Gos are slated for release, with more titles launching every month. Quantities are extremely limited; recent exclusives by Interpol and …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead sold out in less than a week.
Additionally, The Sound of Vinyl’s website will host exclusive content from music experts including Henry Rollins, Young Guru, Don Was, Ahmet Zappa, and more, as well as artists, producers, radio DJs, and music journalists. The website will also feature videos, interviews, editorial, and hand-picked album recommendations. More content will be available on The Sound of Vinyl’s blog and social media channels.
Henry Rollins, punk rock icon and accomplished author, and Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton, renowned audio engineer and DJ, are The Sound of Vinyl’s first featured vinyl curators. Rollins will recommend his favorite albums, share stories from his life in punk rock, and interview music veterans like producer Don Was and legendary Capitol Studios vinyl mastering engineer Ron McMaster. Young Guru will tap into his experience engineering music for iconic artists like Jay Z, Beyoncé, and Alicia Keys, as well as his deep history as a DJ and producer, to showcase albums that form the foundation of his work.
Muddy Waters’ Seminal Debut LP “The Best Of Muddy Waters” To Be Reissued On Vinyl For First Time In 30 Years On November 10
Few pieces of art have been as influential as Muddy Waters’ seminal debut album The Best of Muddy Waters, a humble piece of vinyl released by an upstart label in 1958 that served as The Big Bang for rock ‘n’ roll and the ensuing half century of modern popular culture. On November 10, Geffen/UMe will celebrate the forthcoming 60th anniversary of Waters’ first album by reissuing The Best of Muddy Waters on vinyl in original mono for the first time in 30 years while also making it available for download and streaming for the first time ever, giving new and familiar listeners a reminder of the bluesman’s truly incandescent music.
Born McKinley Morganfield in Mississippi in 1915, Waters was initially a sharecropper playing his acoustic guitar for change and tips at rural plantation parties. He migrated to Chicago in 1943 where he brought together a pipeline of the city’s top musicians to create, refine and define the modern blues. While he was undergoing this transformation, millions of rural Southern blacks were making the same journey, and their stories and music were working into the popular consciousness – and capturing the imagination of a restless teenage suburbia increasingly open to new things in the rebellious 1960s.
An assemblage of Waters 78 RPM recording made between 1948 and 1954 for Chess Records, The Best of Muddy Waters captured Waters’ growth from acoustic artist to archetypical electrified band leader and charted the exciting evolution of blues. Rolling Stone awarded the timeless greatest hits collection a rare five-star review, hailing the 12 songs as “one masterpiece after another,” and exclaiming, “Throughout, Waters embodies a persona that simmers with lust, loss and menace. His voice intimates threat, never more so than when he unleashes his gripping repertoire of moans, howls, hollers, hums, groans and growls.” Continuing, “The tension-wire whine of his slide guitar and the hypnotic drone of Little Walter’s harmonica often mimic the cadences of Waters’ voice, creating the claustrophobic impression that the singer’s pain, desperation and explosive urges are the only emotions that exist. Charms, spells and erotic magic suffuse these songs.”
Between the thematically fitting bookends of opener “I Just Want to Make Love to You” and unforgettable closer “I Can’t Be Satisfied” – rock ‘n’ roll’s mission statement if ever there was one, the album laid the blueprint for modern blues, rock and even country music, with monumental recordings like “Rollin’ Stone,” “Honey Bee” and “(I’m Your) Hoochie Coochie Man.”
It was weathered, scratched, well-traveled copies of The Best of Muddy Waters – often passed hand to hand – that launched a revolution due to its influence on future British and American rock ‘n’ roll stars. Waters’ deeply emotional, often foreboding and always mysterious music helped inspire the imagination of acts such as the Rolling Stones – who take their name directly from Waters’ music – Eric Clapton, John Mayall, Led Zeppelin, The Band and so many others. These artists in turn took their love and appreciation of Waters to millions of listeners and aspiring musicians, creating a timeless feedback loop that continues with each generation. Waters’ music arrived at important crossroads moments in both the bluesman’s personal life and that of the nation.
The re-release The Best of Muddy Waters gives fans a chance to examine this masterpiece again, a classic work of art that both inspires creative genius and entertains casual fans in ways that changed popular culture.
The Best of Muddy Waters track listing:
Side A
1. I Just Want To Make Love To You
2. Long Distance Call
3. Louisiana Blues
4. Honey Bee
5. Rollin’ Stone
6. I’m Ready
Side B
1. Hoochie Coochie
2. She Moves Me
3. I Want You To Love Me
4. Standing Around Crying
5. Still A Fool
6. I Can’t Be Satisfied
Elton John Announces Final Shows Of His Critically-Acclaimed Caesars Palace Residency
Elton John has announced the end of “The Million Dollar Piano,” his second critically-acclaimed Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The final 14 shows will occur in the Spring of 2018 with dates scheduled April 28 – May 19, 2018. Tickets go on sale Sunday, Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. PT.
Since February 2004, Elton will have performed 450 shows at The Colosseum to over 1.8 million fans from across the world. His first highly successful five-year Caesars Palace residency “The Red Piano” played 243 shows to approximately one million people through April 2009. Elton and his band made a triumphant return to Caesars Palace on Sept. 28, 2011, with an all new, second residency production, “The Million Dollar Piano” which has received worldwide acclaim by critics and fans alike and will have played 207 shows at residency’s close.
In addition to the final performances going on sale, previously announced dates of “The Million Dollar Piano” through Nov. 4 and Feb. 9 through Mar. 2, 2018 are on sale now.
Tickets may be purchased in person at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace Box Office, by calling 888-4-ELTON J, or online at thecolosseum.com or axs.com. Ticket prices start at $75 (prices include a 9% Live Entertainment Tax). VIP packages are available. Orders are subject to additional service charges and fees. There is an eight (8) ticket limit per guest. For groups of 20 or more, call (702) 731-7208. Shows are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
“The Million Dollar Piano” features iconic hits and classic album tracks from throughout Elton’s incredible five-decade career, all enhanced by the most elaborate stage design Elton has ever used. At the centerpiece of the performance is the show’s namesake piano, an engineering marvel featuring more than 68 LED video screens created by Yamaha.
Elton John’s band features Nigel Olsson (part of Elton’s original three-piece band) on drums, Davey Johnstone (who first recorded with Elton in 1971 and joined the band a year later) on guitar, John Mahon on percussion, Kim Bullard on keyboards, Matt Bissonette on bass, with a special appearance by percussionist Ray Cooper.
Elton is one of the top-selling solo artists of all time, with 38 gold records and 31 platinum albums, 29 consecutive Top 40 hits, and he has sold more than 300 million records worldwide. Elton holds the record for the biggest-selling single of all time, “Candle in the Wind 1997,” which sold over 33 million copies, as well as for most appearances on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart with his most recent single “A Good Heart” (from his latest album “Wonderful Crazy Night”) marking his 72nd entry. He has also written the music for stage and screen successes Billy Elliot: The Musical, Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida, and The Lion King, which was named the highest-grossing stage show or film release in the world. Elton has over 4,000 performances, in more than 80 countries, to his credit since launching his first tour in 1970.
Among the many awards and honors bestowed upon him are five Grammys, a Grammy Legend award, a Tony and an Oscar, a Best British Male Artist BRIT Award, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Kennedy Center Honor, Legend of Live Award, 12 Ivor Novello Awards and a knighthood from HM Queen Elizabeth II for “services to music and charitable services.”