LIAM GALLAGHER: AS IT WAS tells the honest and emotional story of how one of the most electrifying rock’n’roll frontmen went from the dizzying heights of his champagne supernova years in Oasis to living on the edge, ostracised and lost in the musical wilderness of booze, notoriety and bitter legal battles.
Starting again alone, stripped bare and with nowhere to hide, Liam risks everything to make the greatest comeback of all time. The doc hit theaters in the UK and Ireland on June 7.
OZZY OSBOURNE will postpone all his 2019 tour dates, inclusive of shows in North America and Europe, as he recovers from an injury sustained while dealing with his recent bout of pneumonia. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy-winning singer and songwriter and 2019 Grammy® Special Merit Award recipient fell at his Los Angeles home aggravating years-old injuries from his 2003 ATV accident that required surgery last month. OSBOURNE will remain under doctor’s care in Los Angeles as he recovers.
Says OZZY: “I can’t believe I have to reschedule more tour dates. Words cannot express how frustrated, angry and depressed I am not to be able to tour right now. I’m grateful for the love and support I’m getting from my family, my band, friends and fans, it’s really what’s keeping me going. Just know that I am getting better every day…I will fully recover…I will finish my tour…I will be back!”
The shows will be rescheduled beginning in February 2020 and concert-goers are being asked to hold onto their original tickets, as they will be honored for the rescheduled dates. Because some of the 2019 dates were festival appearances, not all will be rescheduled. Below are the new North American dates; the Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl show will be rescheduled in July 2020, exact date TBA. The 2020 UK and European dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
OZZY’s 2020 dates are below:
DATE CITY VENUE
Wed 5/27 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
Fri 5/29 Sunrise, FL BB&T Center
Sun 5/31 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union
Tue 6/2 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
Thu 6/4 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
Sat 6/6 Hershey, PA Hershey Park Stadium
Thu 6/11 Pittsburgh, PA KeyBank Pavilion
Sat 6/13 Bangor, ME Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
Tue 6/16 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
Thu 6/18 Hamilton, ON First Ontario Centre
Sat 6/20 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
Mon 6/22 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena
Wed 6/24 St Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
Fri 6/26 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
Sun 6/28 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
Wed 7/1 Milwaukee, WI Amer. Family Ins. Amp–Summerfest
Fri 7/3 St Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
Tue 7/7 Edmonton, AB Rogers Place
Thu 7/9 Vancouver, BC Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
Sat 7/11 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
Wed 7/15 Portland, OR Moda Center
Fri 7/17 Sacramento, CA Golden 1 Center
Thu 7/23 Phoenix, AZ Ak-Chin Pavilion
Sat 7/25 San Francisco, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
Wed 7/29 San Diego, CA North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Fri 7/31 Las Vegas, CA MGM Grand Garden Arena
TBA July Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
Taking place in a new 2019 location on a new date – June 21, 22 & 23, ArtsFest 2019 is expected attract 40,000 + people to the vibrant streets of Westdale Village, just west of downtown Hamilton. Musical performers announced this year present a diverse program of popular Canadian artists. Closing Saturday’s program is the David Clayton Thomas Band playing the biggest hits of Blood Sweat & Tears, and closing Sunday evening is The Last Waltz – Lance Andersen led band of notable musicians connected to and re-interpreting the music performed by The Band in the famous movie directed by Martin Scorsese.
Other musical highlights are acclaimed tenor John McDermott with folk duo Dala, and a program that features some of the best Blues musicians in North America: Steve Marriner’s All Star Blues Band, Sue Foley, Sass Jordan, Crystal Shawanda & Roxanne Potvin. Spouses, JazzFM91 hosts and songwriters to the stars Marc Jordan & Amy Sky make a rare appearance on stage together with a top jazz band led by Lou Pomanti, R&B powerhouse Dionne Taylor brings her hot band The Backsliderz, and Tri-Continental explores world music from three continents. The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra’s Brass Ensemble, Metis songwriter Amanda Rheaume, children’s entertainer Andy G and Bumbling Bert in the Family Zone, Big Rude Jake and many other local musicians on multiple stages establishes there is indeed something for everyone at ArtsFest.
Going into its 4th year, the festival is unique in Ontario. ArtsFest – The Festival…refined! has become a popular destination event for those whose preference for entertainment inclines towards the theatre, fine wines, original art, folk jazz blues and classical music. This year ArtsFest will feature four outdoor stages, over 50 artisan vendors, a makers zone where visual artists create new works on site, a family zone with children’s music entertainers, busker zone, and culinary arts, while the newly renovated Westdale Theatre will be presenting film screenings, the history of Chocolate, comedy acts, storytelling with the six minute memoir, live music of Sina Bathaie, and a TED Talks style ballroom dance workshop.
Produced by the not-for-profit organization Greater Hamilton Arts & Events as it’s signature event, ArtsFest is an arts & cultural festival designed to celebrate the arts in all its forms in multiple communities across greater Hamilton. The event embodies creating a social atmosphere with curated artisans and presentations of culturally diverse visual, dance and musical artists, appealing to wide audiences from young families to those 50 plus years of age.
Artisan vendors interested in participating in the festival, or businesses wishing to explore sponsorship and branding opportunities should visit www.ArtsFest.ca for more information on how to get involved.
Just over 2 years ago, Drake hit the billion stream mark on Spotify with One Dance, and since then, the floodgates have opened with artists joining him at that milestone. As of today, here are those songs that have over 1 billion streams on the streaming platform.
Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
Drake – “One Dance (ft. Wizkid and Kyla)”
The Chainsmokers – “Closer (ft. Halsey)”
Post Malone – “Rockstar (ft. 21 Savage)”
Ed Sheeran – “Thinking Out Loud”
Drake – “God’s Plan”
Major Lazer – “Lean On (ft. DJ Snake & MØ)”
Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee – “Despacito (ft. Justin Bieber)”
Justin Bieber – “Love Yourself”
Camila Cabello – “Havana (ft. Young Thug)”
Justin Bieber – “Sorry”
The Chainsmokers – “Don’t Let Me Down (ft. Daya)”
The Weeknd – “Starboy (ft. Daft Punk)”
Mike Posner – “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” (Seeb Remix)
Dua Lipa – “New Rules”
Ed Sheeran – “Photograph”
James Arthur – “Say You Won’t Let Go”
DJ Snake – “Let Me Love You (ft. Justin Bieber)”
Ed Sheeran – “Perfect”
Kendrick Lamar – “Humble”
The Chainsmokers – “Something Just Like This (ft. Coldplay)”
Lil Uzi Vert – “XO TOUR Llif3”
Sia – “Cheap Thrills”
Major Lazer – “Cold Water (ft. Justin Bieber & MØ)”
Twenty One Pilots – “Stressed Out”
All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
Dreadlocks, weed, and an honest, unabashed voice that not only sang to recording microphones, but to hearts as well. Bob Marley is easily one of the most recognizable figures in music history. We know most of his songs, he was instrumental in putting Jamaica and its culture on the map, and there are few figures that are as iconic as his.
But, like most pop culture icons, Bob Marley’s legacy can easily be overlooked and euphemized as nothing more than the man who brought reggae to the West. Not many people from this age know how Bob Marley fought hard to open the eyes of the world to the plight of third world countries. He also tried to show not just to Jamaica, but the world, that peace was achievable, even in Kingston where the hatred between political factions was so deep-rooted.
Many people nowadays believe that Bob Marley fans are just stoners who get bud delivery Oakland, CA, but there’s so much more to his music than that. So, how exactly did the man try to heal a nation with his music? Read on, friend.
The Setting – A Nation At War
Since Michael Manley was elected as Prime Minister in 1972, the streets of Kingston (Jamaica’s capital city) have been a venue for unprecedented violence. The cause of the violence? The civil war between the Jamaica Labour Party and the People’s National Party.
While many articles will say that it was under Michael Manley’s rule when the violence erupted to alarming levels, this does not paint him in an accurate manner as this gives readers the impression that he was a bad leader. When delving into politics, there is no bad or good, but rather an emphasis on the differences in ideologies. Prime Minister Manley, in fact, had many achievements.
Smile Jamaica Concert
The Smile Jamaica Concert of December 5, 1976 was the famous (or rather, infamous) concert that was organized by then-Prime Minister Manley in an attempt to ease tensions between the warring political factions.
Bob Marley and the Wailers (his band) were set to perform one song for the 80,000 people in attendance. The group ended up playing a whole 90 minutes for the enthusiastic crowd. What made this concert so important was the fact that Bob Marley still performed at the concert despite the injuries he sustained two days prior when he was almost killed by unidentified gunmen. And thus, came about the timeless quote:
“The people who are trying to make this world worse aren’t taking a day off. How can I?”
This is what forever cemented into the hearts of people that Bob Marley was truly, doggedly dedicated to the cause. And that cause? Unity in Jamaica, peace in the world.
But that’s not the end of the tale. It’s one thing to refuse to be brought down by the people who are trying to get in the way of peace, it’s another to be able to influence two opposing leaders to share a moment of peace, amidst the many years of civil war. And that, my dear readers, is just a snippet of the whole story. Bob Marley’s music was so powerful it brought real change to Jamaica at a time when it was truly needed.
All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
The second episode of SPACES follows FINNEAS through the humble family abode where he and his sister Billie Eilish have written and produced all of their music so far.
In collaboration with YouTube Music as part of the Artist on the Rise program, this video tells the story of Maggie Rogers’s journey from an NYU classroom where she wowed Pharrell with “Alaska” to where she is today inspiring fans around the world with her new fab album, Heard It in A Past Life. Maggie discusses her influences and reacts to fan covers, remixes, and performances uploaded to YouTube.
More than 700 of the who’s who of Canada’s songwriters, composers, music publishers and industry leaders gathered tonight for the 30th anniversary of the SOCAN Awards, the annual celebration of achievement in music creation, publishing and licensing.
Hosted by CBC’s Amanda Parris, the gala at the Sheraton Centre Toronto opened with an unforgettable performance by songwriters Carly Rae Jepsen, Josh Ramsay and Tavish Crowe of the global smash “Call Me Maybe.” The trio were then honoured with the Most-Performed Song in the organization’s 30-year history as SOCAN.
Chad Kroeger of Nickelback and Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies were honoured for their historic achievements. As the Most-Performed Songwriter in SOCAN history, Kroeger was celebrated for his remarkable accomplishments in music creation with an inspired performance by Dallas Smith of his hit song “How You Remind Me.”
Robertson was presented with the SOCAN Cultural Impact Award for the influence that “The Big Bang Theory” theme has had on pop culture worldwide. The audience was treated to a show-stopping rendition of the song, followed by fan favourite “One Week” by Barenaked Ladies.
Jack Lenz was honoured as the Most-Performed Screen Composer in SOCAN history. Over his career, Lenz’s music has been featured in Due South, Designer Guys, The Passion of the Christ and Goosebumps, to name only a few.
At the show, the incomparable Buffy Sainte-Marie was inducted into SOCAN’s Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame for her life’s work in creation that now spans almost 60 years. Melissa McClelland, Fred Penner and Josh Q delivered unforgettable performances of Sainte-Marie’s “Universal Soldier,” “Up Where We Belong” and “Til It’s Time For You To Go,” and Canadian media personality George Stroumboulopoulos made the presentation.
The SOCANs featured additional memorable performances, including Elijah Wood X Jamie Fine (SOCAN Pop Award winners), Meghan Patrick (SOCAN Country Award winner) and 2019 JUNO nominee, anders.
The SOCAN Songwriter of the Year – Producer was awarded to Frank Dukes, his second consecutive win in the category for his work on hits like “Havana,” “Better Now” and “Pray For Me.” Dukes also took home three SOCAN Awards in the Pop Music category and one in Rap Music.
Grammy-nominated producer Murda Beatz accepted the SOCAN International Achievement Award and a SOCAN Award in the Rap category for “Nice For What,” co-written and performed by Drake. Though unable to attend due to touring in Europe, Drake received the award for SOCAN Songwriter of the Year – Performer.
For her recent meteoric global triumphs, Jessie Reyez was presented with the SOCAN Breakout Songwriter Award, and received two SOCAN Dance Music Awards for her work with Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa and Sam Smith.
Ralph Murphy was honoured with the SOCAN Special Achievement Award for his prodigious achievements in songwriting and his lifetime commitment to passing along his great wisdom to aspiring music creators.
For the third consecutive year, Keith Power earned the SOCAN Composer of the Year Award for his work in television and feature films, such as Hawaii Five-0; Heartland; MacGyver; and Magnum, P.I.
The SOCAN Publisher of the Year Award was presented to Red Brick Publishing for their tireless efforts to ensure bright futures for music creators.
Bell Media took home the prestigious SOCAN Licensed To Play Award, in recognition of the company’s exemplary dedication to Canadian music programming and unwavering commitment to fair music licensing.
Representing the collective appreciation and thanks of nearly 160,000 members of SOCAN who depend on Canada’s music-using organizations and businesses of every size to stay current with their music licenses, the Licensed To Play Award was presented by acclaimed screen composer Janal Bechtold.
“Music creators and publishers are the heartbeat of the Canadian music industry, not only are they achieving personal success, but they are an important source of international culture and pride for all of us,” said SOCAN CEO Eric Baptiste. “We are once again thrilled to celebrate the incredible accomplishments and contributions of Canadian songwriters, composers, music publishers and music users, and extend our heartfelt congratulations to all of tonight’s SOCAN Award recipients.”
The annual Gala de la SOCAN in Montréal, which celebrates and honours the work of SOCAN’s Francophone members, will be held in September.
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Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.
Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com
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