Apparently there’s also a CanJo, an oil can banjo! Check out all the cool stuff on their site at
The Pursuit Of Happiness Brave New Waves Session Coming on CD and Vinyl
On June 2nd Artoffact Records will release THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS Brave New Waves session on CD, Vinyl and Digital. Featuring the classic band line-up of Moe Berg, John Sinclair, Leslie Stanwyck, Kris Abbott, and Dave Gilby.
Fronted by the always-charismatic Moe Berg, The Pursuit Of Happiness delivered a breath-taking Brave New Waves session, complete wild guitar solos and impressive percussion courtesy Dave Gilby, as well as the TPOH-patented backing vocals by Leslie Sinclair (nee Stanwyck). Moe Berg will also be touring this year as a member of the TransCanada Highwaymen, along with former Barenaked Ladies vocalist Steven Page, Odds’ Craig Northey, and Sloan member Chris Murphy.
Recorded in 1990 at CBC Studio 13 in Montreal and taken from the original CBC Archives’ tape. Remastered at Grey Market Mastering in Montreal, by Harris Newman. The exact recording date of the Pursuit of Happiness’ is unknown.
Exploding onto the Canadian rock scene with “I’m An Adult Now,” The Pursuit of Happiness went on to sell over 100,000 copies of their debut album Love Junk and continued to have hits in the early 90s such as “Two Girls in One,” and “Cigarette Dangles.” Both hit songs “I’m An Adult Now” and “Two Girls in One” are on the, never before released, Brave New Waves session.
Track Listing:
1 My Neighbourhood
2 Runs in the Family
3 Something Physical
4 I’m An Adult Now
5 No Safe Place
6 The One Thing
7 Beautiful White
8 Two Girls in One
9 On & On & On
10 Interview with band, conducted by Brent Bambury **
**Only available on CD and Bandcamp
JamStack Wins Canadian Music Week Competition
JamStack, the world’s first attachable guitar amplifier, picked up another great endorsement April 19. Founder, Chris Prendergast, was selected as the winner of the Startup Launchpad pitch competition at Canadian Music Week in Toronto! The honor comes with connections to some of the top investors in music, along with a $10,000 cash prize.
That’s great momentum going into Prendergast’s new Indiegogo campaign where musicians will finally be able to pre-order the Jamstack for just $148 starting May 2nd.
JamStack is a lightweight, portable amplifier that connects seamlessly with a smartphone for incredible effects, shockingly good tone and the ability to share music. It weighs under 2 lbs. (900 grams) and fits on the strap button of an electric guitar or bass – without modification. A spring load system and soft mount protect the guitar, and two short cords give guitarists 10-watts of sound and countless effects.
With JamStack, there is no need for heavy equipment or expensive computers. Pair it with smartphone apps like AmpliTube and AmpKit to add layered effects without wasting time on levels. Back tracks won’t drop out like regular amps. And since the phone is right on the guitar body, guitarists can set up loops on the fly, perform sequined samples, or record and share music effortlessly. JamStack is so small, it fits in a guitar case and runs for 8-hours on a single charge – perfect for road trips, parties and jamming on the porch.
It’s great for new guitar players too! Adjust the phone to hear the lesson and follow along on the screen. Plus, JamStack can be paired with Bluetooth to double as an ultra- premium Bluetooth speaker.
Prendergast will start taking pre-orders on May 2nd when he launches a new Indiegogo campaign, with shipments expected to arrive in August. JamStack has great momentum coming off a wildly successful KickStarter campaign that raised more than 325% of its goal last winter. That was enough to line up a high-end manufacturer for the first run.
Keep an eye on Prendergast, as he has other big events lined up including an appearance on Dragons’ Den in the new fall season. You can read more about Jamstack online at Jamstack.io.
Chris Prendergast founded JamStack out of a desire to add layered effects to his electric guitar sounds without expensive computer equipment. Using his background in electrical engineering, Chris built the ultimate gadget for guitarists. Overwhelming support and an experienced design team will soon bring JamStack to market to let musicians play whenever they get inspired.
The top 10 bestselling albums and singles on Record Store Day 2017
Record Store Day 2017 was a very big success again with music lovers descending upon their favorite record stores to check out the new vinyl releases. P.N.E. Garden Auditorium, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 7/29/66 by Grateful Dead was the top selling album on Record Store Day, while Strawberry Fields Forever by The Beatles was the top selling single.
These were the top 10 bestselling albums in independent record stores on Record Store Day 2017:
1. Grateful Dead – N.E. Garden Auditorium, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 7/29/66
2. David Bowie – Cracked Actor
3. The Doors – Live At The Matrix ’67
4. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Live From Welcome To 1979
5. The Cure – Greatest Hits Acoustic
6. The Cure – Greatest Hits
7. Sublime – Badfish
8. Stevie Nicks – Rarities
9. The Claypool Lennon Delirium – Lime and Limpid
10. The Notorious B.I.G. – Born Again
These were the top 10 bestselling singles in independent record stores on Record Store Day 2017:
1. The Beatles – “Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane”
2. John Williams – “Star Wars: A New Hope”
3. U2 – “Red Hill Mining Town”
4. Pearl Jam – “State of Love and Trust / Breath”
5. Pink Floyd – “Interstellar Overdrive”
6. Prince – “Little Red Corvette / 1999”
7. The Smiths – “Boy With The Thorn In His Side”
8. Alice In Chains – “What The Hell Have I b/w Get Born Again”
9. Rush – “Cygnus X-1”
10. Def Leppard – Def Leppard EP
The year-over-year (single-day RSD 2017 vs single-day RSD 2016) % Change:
Total Album Sales +6%
Vinyl Album Sales +14%
Vinyl Single Sales -3%
* Vinyl Album Sales on Record Store Day (4/22/17) at Independent Music Stores were up 14% compared to Record Store Day 2016 (4/16/16).
* Just more than 3 out of every 4 albums purchased on Record Store Day were vinyl albums; 78% this year, up from 73% in 2016. Total album sales (combining CD & Vinyl) on Record Store Day (4/22/17) at Independent Music Stores were up 6% compared to Record Store Day 2016 (4/16/16).
* Vinyl Single Sales on Record Store Day (4/22/17) at Independent Music Stores were down 3% compared to Record Store Day 2016 (4/16/16).
* Vinyl Album Sales on Record Store Day (4/22/17) at Independent Music Stores were up 2,606% compared to the previous Saturday (4/15/17).
* Overall Album Sales on Record Store Day (4/22/17) at Independent Music Stores were up 1,274% compared to the previous Saturday (4/15/17).
Jeffrey Tambor interviewed by his children in this adorable clip
Hey now! Respected thespian Jeffrey Tambor is interviewed by his children in the first and last episode of The Tambor Family Show.
Guitars Made From Oil Cans Is Your New Rewarding Thing
You know, people don’t recycle oil cans into musical instruments enough, said no one, but Hayburner Guitars, and I’m sure glad they did.
Radiohead Announce OK Computer Reissue Out June 23
Rescued from defunct formats, prised from dark cupboards and brought to light after two decades in cold storage… OKNOTOK will be issued June 23rd on XL Recordings, coinciding (roughly) with the original 1997 release date(s) of Radiohead’s landmark third album OK COMPUTER.
OKNOTOK features the original OK COMPUTER twelve track album, eight B-sides, and the Radiohead completist’s dream: “I Promise,” “Lift,” and “Man Of War.” The original studio recordings of these three previously unreleased and long sought after OK COMPUTER era tracks finally receive their first official issue on OKNOTOK.
All material on OKNOTOK is newly remastered from the original analogue tapes.
The OKNOTOK BOXED EDITION will ship July, featuring a black box emblazoned with a dark image of a burned copy of OK COMPUTER containing three heavyweight 180 gram black 12″ vinyl records and a hardcover book containing more than thirty artworks (many of which have never been seen before) and full lyrics to all the tracks (except the ones that haven’t really got any lyrics). Under this weighty tome are yet more surprises: a notebook containing 104 pages from Thom Yorke’s library of scrawled notes of the time, a sketchbook containing 48 pages of Donwood and Tchock’s ‘preparatory work’ and a C90 cassette mix tape compiled by the band, taken from OK COMPUTER session archives and demo tapes.
Digital formats, double CD, and triple 180g LP versions of the 23 track album will be released widely on June 23rd.
OK COMPUTER was originally released on various dates ranging from May to July 1997. Produced by the band and Nigel Godrich, the album features the singles “Paranoid Android,” “Karma Police,” “Lucky” and “No Surprises,” and is widely cited as one of the greatest works of Radiohead’s–or any artist’s—catalogue. OK COMPUTER was the first Radiohead record to reach #1 in the UK and to be nominated for the Album of the Year GRAMMY. In 2015, The National Recording Registry selected OK COMPUTER to be preserved in the Library of Congress as a recording that has proven “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
John F. Kennedy on The Importance Artists and Poets In Society
President John F. Kennedy’s speech at Amherst College in Massachusetts on October 26, 2963, in honour of the late poet Robert Frost. In this speech, President Kennedy made clear the need for a nation to represent itself not only through its strength but also through its art and as he said, “full recognition of the place of the artist.”
The Smashing Pumpkins Go To Therapy…For A Laugh
In 1994 The Smashing Pumpkins released a videocassette called Vieuphoria combining concert footage and a quite funny skit with each member going to a one-on-one session with a therapist and slamming the other members of the band. The not-so-funny part is that it likely cuts a bit of truth in what they say about their bandmates.
FOMO? Teens Can’t Put Down Their Phones
Teens—a generation that grew up in the era of smartphones—spend a lot of time on them.
During a typical day, teen internet users worldwide spend 3 hours 38 minutes going online via their smartphones—roughly 48 more minutes than the overall average for people ages 16 to 64, according to Q4 2016 data from GlobalWebIndex.
Teens spend more time online via smartphone than other devices—but only by a bit.