The Irish rocker Bob Geldof used the power of music to combat famine in Africa. Now he recalls the best day of his life.
WayHome Announces Additional Acts Including Cage the Elephant, Porter Robinson, Foster the People, Mutemath
WayHome Music & Arts Festival is thrilled to announce additional performers to the 2017 edition. Grammy award winning Kentucky rockers Cage the Elephant, DJ / Producer/ hit-maker Porter Robinson, melodic dance infused pop-rock duo Foster the People, New Orleans alternative rock act Mutemath and more join previously announced headliners Imagine Dragons, Frank Ocean and Flume. The three-day music and arts festival held at the custom-designed camping festival grounds, Burl’s Creek provides a unique music fan experience with late-night spectacles, international and local cuisine, original art installations and more.
“We’re thrilled to have such an amazing group of artists joining us for WayHome this year,” said Jacob Smid, Founder, Fource Entertainment. “From artists that sell out arenas, to those with deep catalogs as well as some of the year’s hottest discoveries, we have  without a doubt a lineup for this year’s festival that contains the broadest and most exciting music showcased in southern Ontario. We are proud to feature acts that both push the envelope and brings the hits.”
“The new additions to the WayHome 2017 lineup has really completed the multi-genre lineup for live music fans across Canada,” said Ryan Howes, Creative Director, Republic Live. “Only over an hour outside of Toronto, WayHome truly is the one-stop destination for music and art fans alike to enjoy a weekend of music, spectacles, food, libation and camping. The onsite experience this year will be one-of-a-kind and an expansion from WayHome 2016 and we are very excited for fans to see all we have to offer this summer.”
New additions to WayHome Music &Â Arts Festival 2017 line-up:
Cage the Elephant
Porter Robinson
Foster the People
Mutemath
Houndmouth
San Fermin
Haerts
Clairmont the Second
Slaight Family Foundation Donates $5 Million to the Massey Hall Revitalization
| The Corporation of Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall is pleased to announce The Slaight Family Foundation’s generous donation of five million dollars to the Massey Hall Revitalization. In appreciation, Massey Hall’s iconic stage will be named the Allan Slaight Stage, dedicated to Slaight patriarch, founder and broadcast pioneer, Allan Slaight.
“This is a very proud day for the entire Slaight family,” says Gary Slaight, President & CEO, The Slaight Family Foundation. “My father has dedicated his entire life to supporting the arts and music communities through his broadcast legacy and he is extremely honoured by this tribute. Our family believes in the Massey Hall Revitalization and that this gift will help to ensure that musical legends and emerging talents continue to perform on this iconic stage for many years to come.” The Allan Slaight Stage will be adorned with nameplates honouring the broadcast pioneer and philanthropist. In addition, a hand carved plaque has been commissioned to be displayed in the Massey Hall lobby to honour Slaight for his contribution and leadership. This Slaight family donation, in part, ensures that the stage will be restored so that future generations of music fans can continue to witness legendary performances in this national music institution. “We are grateful to Gary Slaight and his family for their lead donation and on-going support of the Massey Hall Revitalization,” says Deane Cameron, President & CEO of Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall. “This donation exemplifies, once again, how they continue to be frontrunners in our nation’s arts and cultural funding initiatives. The stage dedication is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Allan Slaight, who has spent a lifetime in broadcasting, providing a platform for countless artists to be heard.” The Massey Hall Revitalization, a seven-year multi-phased project, will result in both the exterior and interior restoration of the building and a new addition connected to the south of the National Historic Site. The expanded footprint will provide much needed space for enhanced and accessible artist and patron amenities. The Revitalization also marks a commitment by the Corporation to continue to invest in artist development, education, and audiences, while embracing technology as a tool for enriching ways in which Massey Hall is experienced. The Massey Hall Revitalization will ensure that the hall continues to contribute to the lives of Canadians through arts, employment, and cultural celebration for generations to come. Today’s announcement honours the spirit of Hart A. Massey and his dream to build Massey Hall as a memorial to his son Charles Albert Massey as a gift to the citizens of Toronto. The intention of the Hall was to cultivate and showcase and support the arts and music for all walks of life, much like the passion behind The Slaight Family Foundation. Established in 2008, The Slaight Family Foundation is committed to making a difference. The Foundation supports projects related to health care, social service initiatives, arts and culture. |
Warner Music Launches Fan-Driven, Vinyl-Only Label Run Out Groove
Warner Music Group has announced the launch of RUN OUT GROOVE , a new fan-driven, vinyl-only record label. Each month, RUN OUT GROOVE allows fans to vote on the label’s next high-quality vinyl pressing, chosen from three selections of either unreleased material, out-of-print material, or brand new collections compiled from the Warner Music vault. Initial offerings from RUN OUT GROOVE come from an eclectic group of artists including Echo & The Bunnymen, Golden Smog, MC5, Secret Machines, and Solomon Burke.
“Warner Music Group is home to many legendary labels – Atlantic, Warner Bros., Reprise, Elektra, Sire, Rykodisc and more – which have produced a wealth of expertly curated music over the years,” said Billy Fields, Vice President, Sales, Account Management for WEA, the artist & label services arm of Warner Music Group. “What makes Run Out Groove unique is that the crate-digging community is steering the ship. We are crowd-sourcing niche, but in-demand, selections from our vast vault to be pressed on high-quality vinyl, and it’s going to be a lot of fun to see where the community decides to take us.”
“I am chuffed that our fans came out in droves and voted for us and that ‘Run Out Groove’ are releasing our live-in-Sweden recording,” said Will Sergeant of Echo & The Bunnymen. “It’s a historical document of another time, another place, another me and a very interesting stop off traveling the road map of the bands’ life.”
He added: “I love the fact that vinyl is having an amazing resurgence and many young music fans are embracing the medium. I am an avid vinyl enthusiast and my vinyl collection is a route map to my life. Having a pocket full of mp3’s can’t do that when you lay them out on your bedroom floor like tarot cards. The cover art of an LP is almost as important to me as the music. With LPs you feel like you have actually got something worth having, to hold and read while you listen. I love the organic visceral nature of the record, a piece of plastic that can bring forth such wondrous sound when a diamond is driven along the spiral road. It’s all pretty weird when you think about it, some sort of wonderful sonic voodoo.”
Each RUN OUT GROOVE release will be limited edition and individually numbered, often including previously unreleased tracks or material that has never before been available on vinyl. Each title will be available to pre-order for a strict 30-Day window via the RUN OUT GROOVE website. After the pre-order closes, the only way to purchase a copy will be via participating music retailers across the U.S., while supplies last.
The second RUN OUT GROOVE pre-order campaign – and the first to be fan-chosen – is a new live collection from Echo & The Bunnymen, It’s All Live Now. Pre-orders for this album will close on Friday, March 31st.
To get involved and learn more about RUN OUT GROOVE, please visit www.runoutgroovevinyl.com.
Below is a list of past, current and potential upcoming RUN OUT GROOVE releases:
Past
MC5 – The Motor City Five
- ROG’s 1st title, now sold out in pre-orders.
- Check your local retailer for availability, or the store locator at www.runoutgroovevinyl.com
Current
Echo & The Bunnymen – It’s All Live Now
- ROG’s 2nd title, voted on by fans, and now available to pre-order.
- 12-inch 180-gram multi-color vinyl pressed at Record Industry.
- Single pocket UV gloss tip-on sleeve from Stoughton.
- Individually numbered and limited to one pressing.
- Includes the first vinyl release of selected live performances from 1983-85.
- Features classic live covers of “Paint It Black,” “Soul Kitchen,” and “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue,” to name a few.
Titles to be Voted On
Solomon Burke – Best Of Atlantic Soul 1962-1965
- 12-inch 180-gram vinyl pressed at Record Industry.
- Single pocket UV gloss tip-on sleeve from Stoughton.
- Individually numbered and limited to one pressing.
- Brand new collection of the best Solomon Burke Atlantic tracks from the birth of the soul era, 1962-1965.
- Includes such Burke classics as “Down in the Valley,” “Home in Your Heart,” and “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love.”
- Visit the RUN OUT GROOVE website to vote on this selection.
Secret Machines – Now Here Is Nowhere
- 2-LP, 180-gram clear vinyl pressed at Record Industry.
- Tip on gatefold aqueous gloss Stoughton jacket with printed inner lyric sleeves.
- Individually numbered and limited to one pressing.
- First time available on vinyl in the U.S. First re-press since 2004.
- A lost Space-Rock classic from the 90s that was a favorite of David Bowie
- Visit the RUN OUT GROOVE website to vote on this selection.
Golden Smog – Down By The Old Mainstream
- 2-LP, 180-gram, color vinyl pressed at Record Industry.
- Tip on gatefold aqueous gloss jacket with printed inner sleeves.
- Individually numbered and limited to one pressing.
- First re-press since 2010, when it was first issued on vinyl.
- A classic album from the 1990s that includes Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Gary Louris of the Jayhawks and Jody Stephens of Big Star.
- Visit the RUN OUT GROOVE website to vote on this selection.
The Biggest Boy Bands Of All Time…Revealed!
​ Hey, look at me on the fab What She Said program heard on The Jewel FM across Ontario. This week, I take a look at the biggest boy bands of all time!
Ever Wonder Why Cartoon Characters Have Four Fingers? Here You Go.
Cartoon characters have had four fingers for as long as we can remember. Sure, some cartoons have five fingers, but the majority of animation shows characters with only four fingers. How did this become the standard in the animation industry? Will cartoons always only have four fingers? We dig deep into one of the oldest animation questions in cartoon history… Why do cartoons only have four fingers?
It’s On Us Calls on College Students to Re-examine Sexual Assault Talk
A powerful new campaign from It’s On Us—a movement originally launched by the White House under Barack Obama and Joe Biden in September 2014—rolled out today. For those familiar with the campaign’s work, the new spot marks a bold shift from past ads.
“Autocorrect” is told entirely through a texting conversation between two presumably college-age men. It uses the autocorrect feature on smartphones to highlight the difference between what we say and what we mean when we talk about rape. In this case, one is a perpetrator and one is a bystander who fails to intervene, and they talk about the incident later via text.
Don’t ignore the subtext. It’s On Us to intervene. Commit to being part of the solution and take the pledge → itsonus.org/#pledge
Festival d’Ă©tĂ© de QuĂ©bec announces additional programming for 50th anniversary with Who, Gorillaz, Nick Jonas, Death From Above 1979
Festival d’été de Québec is pleased to announce additional artists performing at the 50th anniversary of the festival. Classic rock legends The Who, the hotly anticipated return of Gorillaz, top charting pop sensation Nick Jonas, Canadian heavy hitters Death From Above 1979 and more join the previously announced artists Kendrick Lamar, P!nk, Backstreet Boys and Metallica. New additions to the lineup also include pop songstress Tei Shi, indie-rock mainstays Wolf Parade, folk-rockers The Wooden Sky, and east coast favourite Ria Mae. The full list of new additions to the 50th edition of the Festival can be found below. In celebration of the 50th anniversary, music fans can look forward to a series of free events taking place across the city. For a full list of this year’s new initiatives visit here.
The Festival, known for it’s diverse programming, will once again showcase the world’s top talent across all genres over 11 days. The 2017 edition will take place at the world heritage UNESCO site of Québec City, from July 6 – 16, with tickets starting at the modest price of $95CAD. Tickets are onsale now and can be purchased here.
Spotify and Russell Simmons’ All Def Digital Premieres Traffic Jams Featuring T-Pain, D.R.A.M, Joey Bada$$, E-40
What do you get when you pair a rapper and a producer who’ve never worked together before, throw them in the back seat of an SUV, send them into the middle of LA’s legendary rush hour traffic and tell them that they have to create a brand new song before arriving at their destination, the Spotify-All Def Stage, where hundreds of fans will be waiting to hear them perform that song… live?!
You get… Traffic Jams, the new series from Spotify and Russell Simmons’ All Def Digital.
Starting April 4, and following every Tuesday for eight weeks, Spotify and All Def Digital take hip-hop fans along for the ride as different newly-paired rapper-producer teams work together to create all-new tracks from scratch, giving music lovers an inside look into the creative process of producing a banger.
“Our team at All Def Digital has been doing an incredible job developing and producing a variety of new series and formats across music, comedy and culture.  Traffic Jams is an exciting new premium series that shows off true talent — recording artists and producers — and their ingenuity, creativity and personalities.  It has improvisation, it has performances, and I’m pretty sure it will spawn a few new hits too — it’s amazing and Spotify is the perfect platform for it.” – Russell Simmons, co-founder of All Def Digital
“Our audience loves hip hop and with Traffic Jams we want to give them a deeper understanding of the artists and the creative process behind the music. Working with the All Def Digital team, we were able to produce a best in class hip hop series that tells stories that have never been told before and takes the musical performance format to another level.” – Tom Calderone, Global Head of Spotify Studios
“Hip hop is the most streamed genre of music in the world and, in turn, drives popular culture globally.  Spotify has played a leading role in this by revolutionizing the way we consume and experience music.  We are enormously proud to be among Spotify’s inaugural launch partners as the music service introduces its first slate of original programming to its 100 million users worldwide.  We are so excited about the artists and producers featured, from big acts to breaking talent.  Our collective audience of millions of hip hop fans – who are mobile-first, millennial and multi-racial – will love the show.” – Sanjay Sharma, President and Chief Executive Officer, All Def Digital
Comedian, DoBoy, aka Fat Drake, drives not just the SUV but also the conversation, as the artists, though dutifully working on the new track, also open up about their careers, their inspirations and of course their passion for music.
The first episode jumps-off with the one and only T-Pain, collaborating with Atlanta’s own Southside, on a signature party anthem that’s sure to get engines revving. Tune in each week to see some of the hottest rappers and producers create brand new songs. All episodes can be found on Spotify under Spotify Original Videos.
Here’s the lineup:
April 4 – T-PAIN & SOUTHSIDE
April 11 – DRAM & MELO X
April 18 – JOEY BADA$$ & CARDO
April 25 – PELL & !LLMIND
May 2 – JIDENNA & SONNY DIGITAL
May 9- MADEINTYO & ARAABMUZIK
May 16 – DAE DAE & MARVEL ALEXANDER
May 23 – E-40 & WILLIE B
If you want to come along for the ride, then pull up!
Lana Del Rey Is Back With “Lust For Life” Album
Lana Del Rey has announced a new album with a cool, witchy trailer. Titled Lust for Life, the album will be the follow-up to her 2015 Honeymoon. Watch the black-and-white trailer below.
You know, in this town, an artist really needs a lot of space when they’re trying to create something special. A place to cultivate a world of their own, far away from the real world that’s around them. Luckily for me, I live right inside the middle of the “H” of the Hollywood sign. And this is how I spend most of my nights: perched high above the chaos that swirls within the city of angels below.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love to dip my toe into the muck and the mires of the city every now and then. Especially on Tuesdays. But truthfully, when I’m in the middle of making a record, especially now when the world is in the middle of such a tumultuous period, I find I really need to take the space for myself far away from real life, to consider what my contribution to the world should be in these dark times.
So each morning, I have the luxury of asking myself, “What shall I cook up for the kids today? Something with a little spice? Something with a little bitterness but is ultimately sweet? Or shall I take the day off and turn down the fire, and just take a moment to send my love to them over the ether?” Because sometimes, just being pure of heart and having good intentions and letting them be known is the most worthy contribution an artist can make.
So, even though these times can feel a little bit crazy, they’re not so very different from what other generations have experienced at one time or another before. Amidst all the uncertainty, and as we transition out of one era into another one, there’s no place I’d rather be than smack-dab in the middle of “Holly-weird” making this record for you. Because you, and the music, and this place, are my love, my life, my lust for life.