How wonderful is it to be living at the same time as Pussy Riot, the Russian feminist protest punk rock group based in Moscow, who continuously put their safety and lives on the line every single time they take a stand for what’s right. Founded in August 2011, their provocative guerrilla performances in public places, performances that were filmed as music videos and posted on the Internet, performances that mean something, is almost eclipsed by the fact these are real human beings behind their message. Instead of grumbling when we see something we don’t like, or agree with, we should just be happy that the brave and powerful Pussy Riot exist, that they changed music and politics, that they’re working towards a better world. I know many musicians inspired by Pussy Riot taking up causes like feminism, LGBT rights, and opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin (or, in these artists’ cases, whoever is in power in their own country), to use music as a weapon, their lyrics as actions, and their voice to be heard.
This is why, right now, you need to support them. The group has a few weeks left of their Kickstarter campaign, and once I finish writing this line, I’m going over to the site to donate. I urge you to do the same. Below is a personal note from Nadya of the group, and below are photos of some of the photos and prints they’ll send you as a way to say thanks.
Hi, it’s me, Nadya from Pussy Riot.
’m asking for your support in an exciting new project. Pussy Riot, together with the award-winning, London-based theatre company Les Enfants Terribles, is working on a breakthrough immersive theatre project that will open in London this November.
This wild theatrical experience will allow the audience to become a participant, experiencing exactly what Pussy Riot went through during our imprisonment – from the original Church performance, to the court trial and prison cells. We’re going to recreate Russian courtrooms, a real Russian labour colony, solitary confinement cells, priests who shout about banning abortions and many more absurd, but real-life things that exist in Russia today.
The audience will actually get the chance to re-live each one of these experiences themselves, learning what it means to be a political opponent in Russia today. We’ll take you on a journey from the cathedral altar deep into the vaults of the Kremlin itself. Hopefully, this is a journey that you’ll only have to make once in your life.
We’re hoping that this production will be funded by regular people from around the world who are excited about the idea of political immersive theatre, and we need your help! In order to ensure its launch we need to pre-fund this high-tech production – and fast. All the money raised will be spent on renting the space, the set design, employing actors and staff for the show’s 6-week run and making those rooms in London look exactly like solitary confinement cells in the Russian prison I did my time in.
This is an important project that has immense educational value, especially given the trying times in which we are living and an increasingly scary political world order. If we do it right, the production is set to be mind-blowing.
The new kid on the block on Toronto’s jazz festival circuit, Kensington Market Jazz Festival debuted in style in 2016 when over 200 musicians performed over 3 days to packed houses, enthusiastic crowds and a buzzing neighbourhood. The second annual KMJF is looking to build on that joy and those numbers, with the addition of a big band stage and a new series of curated busking within popular Kensington Market businesses.
The Kensington Market Jazz Festival is a not for profit organization lead by Molly Johnson, committed to presenting live music in the heart of Toronto’s heritage market neighbourhoood throughout the year and with a 3-day festival September 15, 16 and 17th, 2017.
Returning to Handlebar (159 Augusta Avenue) this year is the “Boys and Girls” fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, this year featuring cream of the crop Canadian vocalists from all musical backgrounds, from Canadian R&B veterans Sharon Lee and Shawne Jackson to Soulpepper Theatre artists Neema Bickersteth and Daniel Williston fresh from the company’s Canada 150 celebrations in New York City. Also joining from Soulpepper’s theatre troupe are powerhouses Jackie Richardson and Alana Bridgewater.
Neighbourhood live music staple Supermarket will host 9 shows including JUNO winning artists Robi Botos and Mike Downes while the little gem of a year-round jazz club Poetry will feature 15 performances including Canadian acclaimed triple threat singers, songwriters, pianists Laila Biali and Elizabeth Shepherd. Popular craft beer hall Trinity Common (303 Augusta Avenue) will host a dozen shows including “Canada’s Sweetheart of Swing” Alex Pangman and multi-talented vocalist, voice artist and broadcaster Heather Bambrick.
“Canada has world class talent and the spirit of this festival is artist-driven,” says KMJF creator, artist, philanthropist and officer of the Order of Canada, Molly Johnson. “The festival is fueled by volunteers and support from Yamaha Canada. There are no advance tickets. Shows are Cash only with money going directly to the artists. This makes Kensington Market Jazz Festival unique around the world.”
I LOVE Minnesota’s The Current radio station. They’ve really been my go-to online music since WOXY went down, and today, they posted this fact: Before the 1984 blockbuster Purple Rain catapulted Prince on to the national stage, there was a benefit concert for the Minnesota Dance Theatre at the recently re-branded First Avenue. It was there that the budding pop star debuted much of the Purple Rain album tracks, and recorded the versions of “Purple Rain,” “I Would Die 4 U” and “Baby I’m A Star” heard in the film and soundtrack. Read more of the story here.
An ad in City Pages following the August 3, 1983 concert at First Avenue (from First Avenue’s files at MNHS)Paperwork from the August 3, 1983 concert (from First Avenue’s files at MNHS)Paperwork from the August 3, 1983 concert (from First Avenue’s files at MNHS)
The always excellent 33 1/3 book series just announced the next two editions that are due to be added to the series: David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs and D’Angelo’s Voodoo. Though you’ll have to wait until circa Spring 2020 to snag these, they’ve got cover mock-ups and some words from the editors on why these will definitely be worth the wait.
David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs
Series Editor Kevin Dettmar says: We’re very excited to add a second David Bowie title to the 33⅓ series—Glenn Hendler’s book on Diamond Dogs. Hendler will look at Bowie’s almost-rock opera in the context of its time, and ours. Interest in Bowie has of course exploded in the wake of his untimely death last January; Diamond Dogs is eerily timely once again, as the George Orwell novel from which it takes its name shot up the bestseller charts following the election of our new president, and the album has new things to say as we examine the post-human and trans- identities that are now coming to the fore. Hendler promises to show us just how untimely and prescient this weird and gorgeous album always was.
D’Angelo’s Voodoo
Series Editor Gayl Wald says: In 2014, the multi-talented musician D’Angelo came roaring back into the public spotlight with Black Messiah, an album positioned both politically and aesthetically as a “soundtrack” to the burgeoning #BlackLivesMatter movement. For this 33 1/3 volume, filmmaker and writer Faith Pennick turns the clock back to Voodoo, the 2000 album that earned D’Angelo a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. Pennick explores Voodoo’s themes and sounds in the context of D’Angelo’s career and the history of millennial rhythm-and-blues. A sharp observer of black sexual politics, she pays special attention to the video for “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” which became a sensation for its hyper-eroticized representation of the artist’s naked torso, establishing D’Angelo’s permanent place in the pantheon of (black American) male musical sex symbols.
Dawes have added four additional shows to the An Evening With Dawes tour. The newly-added dates are bolded below. The general on-sale begins Friday, August 4 at 10am CT HERE, except for the Rock Mount, VA show, which begins at 10 a.m. ET HERE. Tickets for all other shows are available now HERE.
July 31 – The Castle Theatre – Bloomington, IL * August 1 – Pabst Theater – Milwaukee, WI *
August 2 – Codfish Hollow Barnstormers – Maquoketa, IA * [SOLD OUT]
August 4 – The Majestic – Detroit, MI *
August 5 – Osheaga Festival – Montreal, QC ^
August 6 – Lowell Summer Music Series – Lowell, MA *
August 12 – Outside Land Music & Arts Fesival – San Francisco, CA ^
August 18 – BB&T Pavilion – Camden, NJ %
August 19 – PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ %
August 20 – XFINITY Theatre – Hartford, CT %
August 22 – Lakeview Amphitheater – Syracuse, NY %
August 23 – Northwell Health – Jones Beach Theater %
August 25 – Jiffy Lube Live – Bristow, VA %
August 26 – Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH %
August 27 – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center – Darien Center, NY %
August 29 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON %
August 30 – Blossom Music Center – Cuyahoga Falls, OH %
September 2 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Tinley Park, IL %
September 3 – Klipsch Music Center – Noblesville, IN #%
September 15 – Academy of Music Theater – Northampton, MA *
September 16 – Grand Point North – Burlington, VT *
September 19 – State Theater – Ithaca, NY *
September 27 – PNC Music Pavilion – Charlotte, NC #
September 28 – Harvester Performance Center – Rocky Mount, VA *
September 29 – First Tennessee Park – Nashville, TN #
October 2 – Red Rocks Amphitheater – Morrison, CO #
October 3 – Madrid Theatre – Kansas City, MO * October 4 – Chesapeake Energy Arena – Oklahoma City, OK #
October 6 – The Joint – Las Vegas, NV #
October 7 – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA #
October 11 – Rogers Arena – Vancouver, BC #
October 13 – Rogers Place – Edmonton, AB #
October 14 – Scotiabank Saddledome – Calgary, AB #
October 16 – MTS Centre – Winnipeg, MB #
October 17 – Cavalier Theater – La Crosse, WI *
October 18 – Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, MN #
October 20 – Schottenstein Center – Columbus, OH #
October 21 – KFC Yum! Center – Louisville, KY #
October 23 – Tuscaloosa Amphitheater – Tuscaloosa, AL #
October 24 – Duling Hall – Jackson, MS * October 25 – Daily’s Place – Jacksonville, FL #
October 27 – Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre – West Palm Beach, FL #
October 28 – MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre – Tampa, FL #
November 3 – Sports Palace – Mexico City, Mexico #
November 4 – Sports Palace – Mexico City, Mexico #
November 10 – Highlands Food & Wine Festival – Highlands, NC ^
November 11 – Cox Capitol Theatre – Macon, GA *
November 12 – Charleston Music Hall – Charleston, SC *
* An Evening With Dawes
^ Music festival % With John Mayer # With Kings Of Leon
Former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher tells Howard Stern he’d be down to reunite with his brother Noel Gallagher and get the band back together some day.
Join The Orchard this August as they tour British Columbia with songs from their latest album – The Great Unknown!
The Orchard’s new album The Great Unknown is a cosmic blend of rock, country and pop. It’s a vision the pair had from the beginning of completely ignoring genre definitions and just doing what came naturally.
“Rolling out of the Canadian Rockies and across the prairie Province of Alberta, The Orchard finds its sound in Canadiana. Great tunes, great guitars and great Vocals. This is a real deal, no B.S. band playing real music.”- Jim Scott (multi grammy award winning producer/mixer)
August 16th – Record City – Vernon, BC
August 17th – The Habitat – Kelowna, BC
August 18th – Frequency Wine & Sound – Kelowna, BC
August 19th – Trees Organic Coffee House – Vancouver, BC
August 20th – Cafe Deux Soliels – Vancouver, BC
August 24th – The Roxy – Vancouver, BC
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones album Their Satanic Majesties Request, ABKCO Music is releasing a limited edition deluxe double vinyl/double hybrid Super Audio CD (compatible with all CD players) package on September 22. The set contains both the stereo and mono versions of every song, all newly remastered by Bob Ludwig. Their Satanic Majesties Request 50th Anniversary will include Michael Cooper’s original 3-D lenticular cover photograph, featuring the band in peak psychedelic regalia.
Originally released in December of 1967, Their Satanic Majesties Request is the first self-produced album in the Stones’ vast catalogue. Experimental in nature, it was such a departure from the band’s rhythm & blues roots that it threw critics for a loop. Initially derided by Rolling Stone magazine for being “too infused with the pretentions of their musical inferiors” (namely the Beatles), the record was simultaneously lauded by DownBeat with a five star review declaring the album “a revolutionary event in modern pop music.”* Over the ensuing decades, it has proven to be a highly influential body of work; generations of bands have covered Satanic songs, from punk legends The Damned, Bad Brains, and Redd Kross, to hard rockers KISS and Monster Magnet, as well as indie taste makers Cibo Matto and Arcade Fire. Music from the album can be heard in Wes Anderson’s directorial debut Bottle Rocket.
The title was derived from a pun based on the inside of British passports at the time which read, “Her Britannic Majesties Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Requests and Requires . . .” Their Satanic Majesties Request was recorded in pieces between February and October of 1967. It was a tumultuous period for the Rolling Stones – Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Brian Jones were arrested for drug possession, with Jones spending three weeks in a nursing home. Stones’ original manager/producer Andrew Loog Oldham quit halfway through recording sessions, leaving the band to finish the album on their own. A chaotic spring European tour that involved a riot in Poland also interrupted work flow. Very rarely were all five members in the studio at the same time but despite these impediments, Charlie Watts recalled, “The sessions were a lot of fun because you could do anything. It was so druggy—acid and all that.”
Grammy award winning music historian Rob Bowman writes in the liner notes for the new set, “Their Satanic Majesties Request should be recognized as an important stepping stone in the Rolling Stones’ development from an r&b-inspired band to the inventors of modern rock for the 1970s.” Falling between Between the Buttons and Beggars Banquet, it was the first of their albums to have identical tracklists in the U.S. and UK. Satanic Majesties’ ten tunes are saturated with studio effects, non-traditional instruments such as mellotron and theremin, ambient sounds created using oscillators, string arrangements by John Paul Jones (who went on to help establish Led Zeppelin the following year) and more percussive devices than can be named. Citadel foreshadowed the direction towards straight-forward rock the Stones would take, while 2000 Light Years From Home and She’s a Rainbow (a minor hit in the U.S.) capture the band in all its psychedelic glory at that moment in time. They remain the only two songs from the album the band has ever played live. Sing This All Together, its looser reprise Sing This All Together (See What Happens), Gomper and On With the Show transition from traditional song structure to free form freakout – a trademark of that era, also heard on records by the Mothers of Invention and Pink Floyd.
Offered as a single just before the album’s release, In Another Land is the only song in the Rolling Stones canon both written and sung by Bill Wyman, who took advantage of the fact that he was the lone member who showed up to the studio one day. The Small Faces happened to be recording next door, so Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane were invited to contribute backing vocals, with Marriott also providing 12-string acoustic guitar. With Brian Jones on mellotron, Stones cohort Nicky Hopkins on harpsichord and Charlie Watts on drums, Mick and Keith laid down backing vocals, making it a complete Stones affair.
Michael Cooper, who had created the immaculate art for the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band earlier in 1967, was hired by the Stones to make something equally striking for the cover of Their Satanic Majesties Request. All four Beatles’ likenesses can be seen popping out of flowers, surrounding a photograph of Charlie, Keith, Mick, Brian and Bill in technicolor garb. Cooper used a rare 3-D camera, employing lenticular technology – when the cover is tilted, the image changes, and every member except for wizard-hatted Mick appear to be moving their heads. Reproduction of the lenticular cover proved costly, and it was eliminated from many subsequent pressings of the album, being replaced by a still image. Their Satanic Majesties Request 50th Anniversary restores the original lenticular art, and the discs are housed in a bespoke fold out album limited edition numbered package with a 20 page book including more of Michael Cooper’s photos from the original session, expanding on what the record-buying public saw in 1967.
Their Satanic Majesties Request was originally mixed in both stereo and mono, as was standard practice in 1967. The limited edition 50th anniversary edition will include the entire album on 180 gram vinyl in stereo, another 180 gram vinyl record in mono, and two hybrid Super Audio CDs (one in stereo and one in mono). Each of these discs includes the entire musical content in both Super Audio CD (SACD) as well as standard CD, providing for complete backward and forward hardware compatibility. The discs will play flawlessly on any SACD compatible or standard CD player. In an SACD player, the laser pick-up automatically reads the SACD layer in Direct Stream Digital (DSD) format, while a standard CD player’s laser pick-up will automatically read through the SACD layer to the CD layer in Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) format. Recently remastered by eleven time Grammy winner Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios, the SACD audio is the exact product of his work.
Their Satanic Majesties Request 50th Anniversary track list:
Vinyl
Side A (stereo)
Sing This All Together
Citadel
In Another Land
2000 Man
Sing This All Together (See What Happens)
Side B (stereo)
She’s a Rainbow
The Lantern
Gomper
2000 Light Years from Home
On with the Show
Side C (mono)
Sing This All Together
Citadel
In Another Land
2000 Man
Sing This All Together (See What Happens)
Side D (mono)
She’s a Rainbow
The Lantern
Gomper
2000 Light Years from Home
On with the Show
Hybrid SACD
Disc 1 (stereo)
Sing This All Together
Citadel
In Another Land
2000 Man
Sing This All Together (See What Happens)
She’s a Rainbow
The Lantern
Gomper
2000 Light Years from Home
On with the Show
Disc 2 (mono)
Sing This All Together
Citadel
In Another Land
2000 Man
Sing This All Together (See What Happens)
She’s a Rainbow
The Lantern
Gomper
2000 Light Years from Home
On with the Show
