In 1997, XTC’s Andy Partridge enthused to Joe Silva of Consumable Online about his love of bubblegum pop: Partridge: I think everybody in whatever chosen artform-musician or a writer or a film maker, everyone has at least two faces. Why not get joy out of at least a dozen? So those are all musical styles I feel completely at ease working with. There are a lot that I haven’t got into that I would feel completely at ease working with. Bubblegum music, I think I have a huge debt to bubblegum music.
Silva: Could you name an artist, like just off the top of your head?
Partridge: Oh. just all things like a band named the Equals in England. I don’t know if you ever got to hear them. They were originally two white guys and three black guys and the one black fellow that stood in the middle painted half his body white so there were two and a half of each color in the band. They played these really banal, kind of giddy and exciting youth club kind of things. They had some really huge hits in England but I guess they didn’t come over the Atlantic. They were like bubblegum ska. They were very direct. As soon as you put an Equals record, there was an instant party. People like the Equals.. Oh, who was who did that “Yummy Yummy”? The Ohio Express? Lemon Pipers, although they were sort of at the psychedelic end of bubble gum. “Mellow Yellow” meets a Quick Joey Small or “Mony Mony” meets almost anything by the early Troggs. You know, it transcends or descends below all expectations and thus it comes out in another dimension somewhere. It goes faster than the speed of light ale and bursts through into the banal zone. I have a huge debt to bubblegum music. I love it.
The life of celebrated but reclusive author, J.D. Salinger, who gained worldwide fame with the publication of his novel, The Catcher in the Rye is seen in the new docudrama, Rebel In The Rye. Nicholas Hoult plays the controversial writer, with the film being released on September 15.
The Canadian Wildlife Federation is making available 150 limited edition numbered and autographed prints of wildlife photography taken and donated by Rush bassist Geddy Lee.
CWF’s “RUSH of Nature” initiative gives RUSH fans an opportunity to share in Lee’s love of wildlife photography while helping support CWF’s wildlife conservation programs across the country. The 150 prints will each sell for $150 as part of CWF’s Canada 150 celebration designed to encourage Canadians to #ConserveTheWonder.
“We are extremely thankful that Geddy is as adept with a camera as he is with his bass,” said Shauna Pichosky, CWF Director of Marketing. “A print Geddy offered us in 2016 sold out in three hours. RUSH fans are loyal and when a member of the band aligns with a cause fans know it’s a worthy one. This initiative gives fans an opportunity to get Geddy’s autograph on a unique creation from the artist.”
The new photograph was taken during Lee’s trip to South Africa earlier this year and the stunning numbered prints are expected to sell just as quickly.
“I spent the month of February exploring different parts of the Western Cape,” said Lee. “While waiting under a tree in between rain showers we were able to follow and capture this fantastic Orange Breasted Sunbird who was resting amongst the beautiful and endemic Fynbos growths.”
The prints go on sale July 29th at midnight eastern time through the CWF their online store ShopCWF which is also Geddy’s birthday.
Bruce Dickinson is best known as frontman for the multi-million selling giants of heavy metal, Iron Maiden, with whom he has enjoyed worldwide success for 25 years. However, his story outside of Maiden is equally remarkable. Prior to joining that band Dickinson enjoyed stardom with Samson, while his post-Maiden solo career has brought much critical success. Further away from his day job, Dickinson is a true renaissance man. A member of the British Fencing team, he also hosts his own show on flagship digital radio station, BBC 6Music, is a best-selling fiction author, and TV presenter for the Discovery Channel and Sky One. Dickinson is also employed by the commercial airline Astreus as a first officer, and even participated in a mercy mission to rescue British residents from Beirut during the summer of 2006.
And now, he’s written a long-awaited memoir called “What Does This Button Do?”
Pioneers of Britain’s nascent Rock & Metal scene back in the late 1970s, Iron Maiden smashed its way to the top, thanks in no small part to the high-octane performances, operatic singing style, and stage presence of its second, but twice-longest-serving, lead singer, Bruce Dickinson. As Iron Maiden’s front man—first from 1981 to 1993, and then from 1999 to the present—Dickinson has been, and remains, a man of legend.
But OTT front man is just one of the many hats Bruce wears. In addition to being one of the world’s most storied and well-respected singers and songwriters, he is an airline captain, aviation entrepreneur, motivational speaker, beer brewer, novelist, radio presenter, and film scriptwriter. He has also competed as a world-class level fencer. Often credited as a genuine polymath Bruce, in his own words (and handwritten script in the first instance!), sets forth many personal observations guaranteed to inspire curious souls and hard-core fans alike.
Dickinson turns his unbridled creativity, passion, and anarchic humour to reveal some fascinating stories from his life, including his thirty years with Maiden, his solo career, his childhood within the eccentric British school system, his early bands, fatherhood and family, and his recent battle with cancer.
Bold, honest, intelligent and very funny, his memoir is an up-close look inside the life, heart, and mind of one of the most unique and interesting men in the world; a true icon of rock.
The Hyundai Mercury Prize ‘Albums of the Year’ celebrates and promotes the best of UK music, recognising artistic achievement across a range of contemporary music genres. The Shortlist was chosen by an independent judging panel and revealed at our Launch event, hosted by BBC Music’s Huw Stephens.
The 2017 Awards Show will take place on Thursday 14 September at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith. The event will feature live performances from many of the shortlisted artists and the evening will culminate in the announcement of the overall winner of the 2017 Hyundai Mercury Prize for ‘Album of the Year’.
The Prize’s broadcast partner, BBC Music, will be providing live television and radio coverage of the event on BBC Four and BBC Radio 6 Music. The BBC Four show will feature performances from the artists on the night, building up to moment the winner is announced, live. Ahead of this, BBC Two will broadcast a 30 minute documentary previewing the shortlisted artists for the 2017 Prize, speaking to artists from the vanguard of grime, performance poetry and guitar rock, as well as past Mercury winners who are shortlisted again this year for the prestigious prize. BBC Radio 6 Music will also be broadcasting live on the night and interviewing the 2017 Hyundai Mercury Prize winner.
The Prize’s digital music partner, Apple Music, will be promoting the Mercury Prize from the shortlist announcement through to the Awards Show in September. Apple Music will also help music fans discover new music with dedicated playlists featuring the shortlisted artists, albums and more.
The full Mercury prize 2017 shortlist
Alt-J: Relaxer
The Big Moon: Love in the 4th Dimension
Blossoms: Blossoms
Loyle Carner: Yesterday’s Gone
Dinosaur: Together, As One
Glass Animals: How to Be a Human Being
J Hus: Common Sense
Sampha: Process
Ed Sheeran: ÷
Stormzy: Gang Signs & Prayer
Kate Tempest: Let Them Eat Chaos
The xx: I See You
What’s better than a country music festival on a warm, summer day? After checking out Chicago’s Windy City Smokeout, I’d have to say it’s a country music festival that’s also packed with craft beer and some of America’s best BBQ pitmasters.
Jake Owen, Kip Moore, Lee Brice, LANco, Jana Kramer, and over 25 other bands took to the stages at Windy City Smokeout on the July 14th weekend, and the fans lined up to sample chicken wings, brisket, corn, burgers, and even a crawfish boil while enjoying some of the best craft beer around–from Moody Tongue, 18th Street, Boulevard, Urban Chestnut, and Brooklyn Brewery, to name a few. It was a great trip, and Windy City Smokeout filled the three days of the festival with a great mix of talent, food, and beer that I enjoyed from the first act, to the last.
Plus, the festival hosted some of the nicest people I have had the pleasure of meeting, especially at a big event. From teaching me how to eat crawfish, to offering up space for me in front of the stage to get photos, I was constantly impressed with the fans at Windy City Smokeout.
Levi Hummon
The Music
The lineup was solidly satisfying, and represented a fantastic group of country talent that was clearly having a blast with the fans. From the bigger names, to up-and-comers, Windy City Smokeout had old-school country, alt-country, country folk, Americana, and pop country throughout the weekend.
The main stage drew the biggest crowds, but I have to admit that the Jack Daniel’s Whiskey Jam Stage was my favorite because it really let you get up-close and personal with the acts, and the artists all seem to be on their way to bigger gigs.
On Friday, I was especially a fan of Morgan Evans (his first single “Kiss Somebody” is out now), Clayton Anderson, and The Steel Woods, who took me back to old-school honky-tonk country with a solid rock edge.
Up on the main stage, the crowds gathered for Jake Owen, Jackie Lee, Steve Moakler, and one of my other favorites, LANco, whose song “Trouble Maker” made for one of the better moments of Friday night. LANco’s lead singer Brandon Lancaster just seemed to have a blast with the crowd, and at one point brought a drum down in front of the stage. All the acts brought their best to the stages, making you really feel part of the performances.
Saturday I really enjoyed Midland on the main stage, and Levi Hummon on the Jam Stage, not to mention the effervescent Jana Kramer, but the breakaway acts for the day for me were Michigan Rattlers, and Kip Moore. Michigan Rattlers felt like a duo who could pack a stadium with their talent and energy, but they were down-to-earth and electric.
Meanwhile Kip Moore is the easy-going prince of feel good country music. The crowd adored him, and he just rocked the stage throughout his set. He’s a solid performer that went just right with the amazing beer, and BBQ.
If I had to level one complaint at the festival, it was just that there were not nearly enough women up on stage. In total I don’t think there were more than three women performing all weekend, and out of about thirty acts, that seems lacking, to be honest.
The BBQ
The lineup of BBQ joints and pitmasters was a thing of beauty, and Windy City Smokeout really had a great variety of food and flavours. The highlights were definitely the events, like the Whole Hog Brunch by Whistle Pig Whiskey, and Pearl’s Southern Comfort Crawfish Boil that featured Moët & Chandon champagne. The crawfish boil was a bit spicy, but entirely delicious, and came with sausage, potatoes, and corn mixed in. I didn’t know what to expect from sampling crawfish, or even how to eat them, but I got a few tips and the rest was awesome.
I ended up sampling everything from chicken wings to brisket, corn, and even some Bao at the event, but the highlights were the wings and the pulled pork. Among all the vendors I don’t think I heard or saw a single complaint, and the food was pretty reasonably priced at between $5 and $10 for most items. There were even a few desserts for sale (although I would say there could have been a few more sweet options on the menu), but the focus was all on the BBQ.
The Beer
There was lots and lots of beer, and while that included some mainstream choices up-front-and-centre near the main stage, there was a whole row of craft beer that had something for any kind of beer drinker–from fans to novices. Wheat beers, farmhouse ales, stouts, and pilsners made it hard to pick just one beer to try, and I didn’t sample a single beer that I didn’t love. My absolute favorite beers though were from Chicago’s own Moody Tongue. Their Sliced Nectarine IPA, and Applewood Gold beers are nuanced, complex, satisfying brews that were excellent savoured alone, or with BBQ. If I could have brought some beer home, this was the brand I wanted. Hopefully someday they’ll make it to Canada.
Boulevard Brewing from Kansas City, Brooklyn Brewing, and Wiseacre also had some great offerings, as did Goose Island, naturally.
Considering all the states represented between the food and the beer, it felt a bit like a food festival, as much as a music festival, and offered a fairly rich tour of America if you had the time and the money to try everything.
Cloud Gate in Chicago
Chicago
And then there’s the city itself. Chicago was a lot of fun, and I didn’t realize how much there was to do until I started touring the city. Chicago has a lot of culture, events, and sights to see, and on the weekend of Windy City Smokeout there were no less than three other major events on in the city. Spending a weekend was a good introduction to the city, but a week might have been just enough to really dive in and see more.
Virgin Hotel Chicago was a great place to stay while I was in town, and it made for an excellent starting point each day. Their restaurant, Miss Ricky’s, has a delicious menu, including all-day breakfast, plus there’s a lounge (The Commons Club) in the hotel, a coffee shop (Two Zero Three), and a rooftop bar (Cerise Rooftop). The hotel was comfortable, roomy, and utterly charming, with a fresh approach to the room layout and customer service. The staff went out of their way to take care of guests, and I loved the hotel’s entire atmosphere. Absolutely a hotel I look forward to staying in again.
Among all the boutique hotels I’ve stayed in, the Virgin Hotel in Chicago is so far my favorite to date considering the price and the location, which is just a few blocks away from Millennium Park, and some of the city’s best attractions.
With a CityPASS, I was able to jump the lines and get into the Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, and Art Institute of Chicago without paying for multiple tickets, and it came with VIP extras that normally cost more, like 3D movies and special attractions.
Thanks to Choose Chicago for the experience, the hospitality, and for introducing me to the Windy City.
Get in the spirit of Windy City Smokeout. Listen to tracks by artists featured at the festival:
Stone Temple Pilots are released a limited edition bundle of the CORE: SUPER DELUXE EDITON which includes a bonus replica 7-inch vinyl single of “Plush” that was originally released in the UK in 1993. This bundle also includes the Core 25th Anniversary Super Deluxe box set with the original album on 180-gram vinyl, an exclusive Core 25th Anniversary album t-shirt, and Core 25th Anniversary 16″ x 20″ lithograph. The remastered original album contains over two hours of unreleased demos and live tracks (including their 1993 MTV Unplugged performance) and a DVD containing a 5.1 surround sound mix and videos for singles “Sex Type Thing,” “Plush,” “Wicked Garden” and “Creep.” The package, limited to 15,000 copies worldwide, comes housed in a hardcover book featuring rare and unseen photographs from the era. The Super Deluxe Edition includes nine demos, with four dating between 1987 and 1990 when the band performed under the band name Mighty Joe Young.
A limited-edition bundle of the deluxe edition – with 1,000 copies worldwide – includes a bonus replica seven-inch vinyl single of “Plush” originally released in the U.K. in 1993. This set is available to pre-order via the band’s website.
Stone Temple Pilots – Core (Super Deluxe Edition) Track List
Disc One: Original Album Remastered
1. “Dead & Bloated”
2. “Sex Type Thing”
3. “Wicked Garden”
4. “No Memory”
5. “Sin”
6. “Naked Sunday”
7. “Creep”
8. “Piece Of Pie”
9. “Plush”
10. “Wet My Bed”
11. “Crackerman”
12. “Where The River Goes”
Disc Two: Demos And B-sides
1. “Only Dying” – Demo *
2. “Wicked Garden” – Demo *
3. “Naked Sunday” – Demo *
4. “Where The River Goes” – Demo *
5. “Dead & Bloated” – Demo *
6. “Sex Type Thing” – Demo *
7. “Sin” – Demo *
8. “Creep” – Demo *
9. “Plush” – Demo *
10. “Sex Type Thing” – Swing Type Version
11. “Plush” – Acoustic Type Version
12. “Creep” – New Album Version
13. “Plush” – Acoustic from MTV Headbanger’s Ball (Take 1)
Disc Three: Live 1993
Live At Castaic Lake Natural Amphitheater (July 2nd, 1993)
1. “Crackerman” *
2. “Wicked Garden” *
3. “No Memory” *
4. “Sin” *
5. “Plush” *
6. “Where The River Goes” *
7. “Sex Type Thing” *
8. “Wet My Bed” *
9. “Naked Sunday” *
