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John Oates’ “Change of Seasons: A Memoir” Is Not Your Typical Rock And Roll Story

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John Oates was born at the perfect time, paralleling the birth of rock ‘n roll. Raised in a small Pennsylvania town, he was exposed to folk, blues, soul, and R&B. Meeting and teaming up with Daryl Hall in the late 1960s, they developed a style of music that was uniquely their own but never abandoned their roots. John uncovers the grit and struggle it took to secure a recording contract with the legendary Atlantic Records and chronicles the artistic twists and turns that resulted in a DJ discovering an obscure album track that would become their first hit record. This is not your typical rock and roll story. John was focused creating great music. Along the way he achieved incredible success, battling the ever-changing pop music landscape and coming to terms with complex managerial, business, and personal challenges.

Daryl Hall and John Oates have over 20 albums together, more than 60 million records sold, and 29 Top 40 hits. They are the most successful pop duo in the world and members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And yet John’s story has never been told. Relying on his many hand-written journals, he brings to light many fascinating stories spanning his entire life with a journalist’s eye and a poet’s heart.

In Change of Seasons, John shares his highs, lows, triumphs, and failures. He takes the reader on a wild ride through all the eras, personalities and music that has shaped him into what he is.

Canada’s Walk of Fame Emerging Artist Music Mentorship Program Returns For Fifth Year With $100,000 Prize

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Canada’s Walk of Fame announces the return of its Emerging Artist Music Mentorship Program, supported by RBC, one of Canada’s most successful programs supporting aspiring Canadian musical artists. Valued at more than $100,000, this program provides musicians the tools needed to take their careers to the next level including private studio time at the prestigious Metalworks Studios; introductions to renowned artists; access to music industry influencers; exposure to audiences and media; as well as artist development and funding. Submissions will be accepted today through to Sunday, April 30, 2017 at 11:59 pm ET.

Since its inception in 2013, the Emerging Artist Music Mentorship Program, supported by RBC, has ignited the careers of its Grand Prize Winners including last year’s recipient, Ayaz V. who has credited his win as a “game-changer”. For the first time in the program’s history, the Grand Prize Winner appeared on the 2016 Canada’s Walk of Fame national broadcast on Global. He later opened for Canadian singer-songwriter Jonathan Roy in Toronto, and will be releasing his EP and performing at Jamie Oliver’s renowned “The Big Feastival” this summer.

2015 Grand Prize Winners, Ivory Hours, have embarked on two national tours since being awarded the grand prize and are gearing up for a third tour this spring to promote their forthcoming self-released album. NEFE, the 2014 Grand Prize Winner, opened for Canadian icon Burton Cummings during his Canada’s Walk of Fame Festival performance at Massey Hall and went on to sign a recording contract with Universal Music Canada; and the inaugural Grand Prize Winner, Taylor Kurta, performed for Canadian musical heavyweights such as Bob Ezrin, David Foster, Carly Rae Jepsen and Hedley, as part of her prizing.

“We are extremely proud of this program, which is five years strong and has made a profound impact on aspiring Canadian musicians by providing them with opportunities for mentorship, exposure and funding that allows them to flourish,” says Melanie Hurley, CEO, Canada’s Walk of Fame. “We’ve seen a steady increase in submissions year-over-year — 600 per cent since its inception. This program has quickly established a reputation among emerging artists as a catalyst to take their career to the next level. We are proud of the accomplishments that all of our Winners have had as a result, and we look forward to providing the next generation of Canadian stars with an opportunity to shine.”

The Grand Prize Winner will receive a cash prize of $25,000, private studio recording time, an introduction to at least one established music artist, introductions to music industry executives, a public performance opportunity at a Canada’s Walk of Fame event, album cover artwork design and an invitation to attend the 2017 Private Inductee Dinner and the 2017 Celebration Event with a guest.

Six additional Winners will also be chosen. Their prizes will include a cash prize of $7,000 for a Second Prize Winner, a cash prize of $1,200 each for five additional Winners and a public performance opportunity at a Canada’s Walk of Fame event.

All Winners will also be invited to participate in private music industry career development mentorship sessions with A&R professionals, a recording artist and a music agent. The approximate value of the prizing in total is over $100,000 CDN.

Visit www.canadaswalkoffame.com for details on eligibility and submission requirements.

The Winners will be chosen by a selection committee comprised of music and industry experts, and will be announced this summer.

– See more at: http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/media-galleries/press-releases/canadas-walk-of-fame-announces-the-2017-emerging-artist-music-mentorship-program-supported-by-rbc?p=1#sthash.b463rwgy.dpuf

Terry Jones Discusses Playing Mr. Creosote In Monty Python’s The Meaning Of Life

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Terry Jones talks about make-up artist Chris Tucker and the creation of Mr. Creote for Monty Python’s ‘The Meaning of Life’

\m/ \m/ The Most and Least Metal Words Of All Time \m/ \m/

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Here’s a handy list of the most and least metal words according to ex-physicist and current data scientist Iain of Degenerate State.

Honey Nut Cheerios Hopes to Plant Another 100 Million Wildflowers in the Second Year of its “Bring Back The Bees” Campaign

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Building on the tremendous success of the inaugural Bring Back The Bees campaign, Honey Nut Cheerios is calling on Canadians to help plant another 100 million wildflowers across the country this year to help restore natural habitat for bees.

“Last year we gave away more than three times our original target, putting more than 100 million wildflower seeds into the hands of Canadians of all ages. This year, we’re hoping Canadians will help us plant another 100 million new wildflowers across Canada to help bring back the bees,” said Emma Eriksson, Vice President, Marketing for General Mills Canada, makers of Honey Nut Cheerios.

Even with the success of last year’s wildflower planting efforts, bee populations across North America remain unstable and there’s more to be done. And without healthy, vibrant bee colonies, one out of every three bites of food is in danger of disappearing. Food crops from fruits to nuts to coffee rely on the pollinating assistance bees provide as they go about their work.

“The fruits and vegetables we all depend upon for good nutrition are in jeopardy if we don’t maintain healthy, stable bee populations,” said renowned bee expert Marla Spivak, professor of Entomology at the University of Minnesota. “Planting wildflowers is a simple but tremendously important way in which Canadians can help preserve and grow the natural habitat bees need for survival.”

The Ontario government has expressed its support of bringbackthebees.ca, acknowledging the beneficial effects of the wildflower planting initiative in Ontario’s Pollinator Health Action Plan.

Ontario is committed to protecting pollinators. We have made strides in protecting these vital species, including honey bees, but we all have more to do. General Mills is bringing awareness to this issue and encouraging simple actions such as planting pollinator-friendly habitats, which can do a lot to help support pollinator populations,” said Glen Murray, Ontario Minister of the Environment and Climate Change.

Once again, Canadians can get their wildflower seeds free of charge through www.bringbackthebees.ca. To help promote the call to action, Honey Nut Cheerios has once again removed its beloved mascot, Buzz the Bee, from its cereal packages for a limited time.

A special focus is also being placed on kids in this year’s Bring Back The Bees campaign. “Last year, kids wanted to help so much that they wrote letters, made videos, and some even sent in their piggy bank savings hoping it would help the bees,” said 14-year-old eco-activist and Bring Back The Bees Youth Ambassador, Hannah Alper. “I’m excited to lend my voice to this year’s campaign and help tell kids how easy it is to make a big difference by planting wildflowers outside their homes. We’re really hoping that if the next generation of Canadians grow up caring about and helping the bees, it will make all the difference.”

To amplify the call for Canadians to plant wildflowers and help Bring Back The Bees, General Mills and Honey Nut Cheerios will be opening an experiential pop-up activation in downtown Toronto. It will offer consumers a glimpse at the grocery store of the future in a world where we fail to act – where we fail to support the robust return of our bee population, and the irreplaceable role they play in providing our farmers and our families with the food upon which we all rely.

Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino on Women Making Music

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STEREOGUM: For some reason, people are still in awe of the fact that women shred and make great music.

BETH COSENTINO: It is crazy, and it’s a frustrating fight. But I’ve tried to make my M.O. within the last couple of years very much speaking up and out about it. Because it’s pretty ridiculous.

Here we are in 2016, and young female artists are still trying to be like, “Yo what the fuck!” And hope that at some point it stops being, “Whoa you’re a girl and you play guitar? That’s insane, how is that a thing?” It would be weirder if my dog played guitar. I’m a living, breathing human. But, you know.

I meet young girls who come to our shows and say, “I look up to you because you’re just a real woman and you preach be whoever you want to be, wear whatever you want to wear, do whatever you want to do.” But do it for yourself, don’t do it for anybody else. They tell me, “I’m trying to get this guy to like me, should I do this thing?” No! Just be yourself. And if that guy doesn’t like you, fuck that guy! You’re going to find a guy who likes you for yourself.

And now, with the internet … every idiot ever has an opinion about everything. You get attacked for everything. My outspokenness has been really beneficial but it’s also gotten me backed into a corner. What the fuck are you attacking me for? I’m just standing up for what I believe in.

My best friend is getting her PhD in feminist studies at the University of Santa Cruz and she’s like, the most brilliant woman I’ve ever known. We basically have this conversation every single day, and the resolution we come to is: There’s a lot of crazy shit happening in the world, and you just have to look at how much good there is still and how many people are fighting and supporting these issues. If you just let the Internet peanut gallery get you down, it’s easy to feel bad. But to remember that there are women like the three of us having this conversation, who really get it … it’s a battle because the proof isn’t always there. But there are women and men that are out there fighting the good fight too.

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Klaus Voormann Got Paid HOW MUCH For Creating The Beatles’ Revolver?

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Klaus Voormann’s work on The Beatles’ Revolver earned him a Grammy for Best Album Cover, but it hardly made him rich. Voormann said the Beatles’ record company paid him only about 50 pounds, roughly $140 U.S., in 1966. “I would have done it for nothing – and I didn’t feel I was in a position to make it hard for them, by saying, ‘You have to pay me this or that much,’” he said. “They said 50 pounds is the absolute limit for a record sleeve. That’s what I got.”

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Rick Astley on the ‘Weird’ Phenomenon of Rickrolling

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Rick Astley is acutely aware of the Rickrolling Internet phenomenon that kept him and “Never Gonna Give You Up,” rolling along in the forefront of the web and music for over a decade.

“It was weird because I didn’t really understand it,” Astley says. “A friend — an English friend who’s a producer and lives in L.A. — Rickrolled me a few times. I said, ‘What the hell are you doing, man?’ and he said, ‘Do you not know what this is?’ So he took me through it, and I thought, ‘OK, that just seems a bit nuts,’ y’know? It’s been a bit weird, but my daughter said to me, ‘Look, just remember it’s got nothing to do with you,’ and she’s right. It’s a totally different work and it’s just doing its own thing. What I’ve always tried to take from it is it just happened and it could’ve been anybody’s song; They just needed a cheesy video from the ’80s, where some guy’s wearing a raincoat. That’s how I looked at it. And it’s been good to me, so…” – Rick Astley

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But…

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David Bowi