Harvesting Guitars from the Bones of New York City
Fancy playing a guitar that was literally once part of a New York City landmark? How about owning a guitar designed by a man who has sold guitars to Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and Steely Dan? At Carmine Street Guitars in New York City, every guitar has a story. Owner Rick Kelly creates each custom instrument from reclaimed lumber that once belonged to buildings around the city. These are more than simple guitars, they’re history in your arms.
Napster, rebranded from Rhapsody, is back
Remember when Napster said it was coming back? No, you didn’t dream that – it’s very real and it’s available today for a 30-day trial. Napster, rebranded from Rhapsody which acquired the former company in 2011,finally has more details about what’s in store: there’s an updated app with a new homescreen, a global network for you to check out other users’ playlists, and a dashboard for your most played tracks, artists, and playlists.
VEVO, with another revamp, wants to be the Vice of music videos
Vevo in Thursday launched a sleeker app — its second revamp in less than a year — that adds firepower for personalized recommendations, puts artists on greater display and aims to hone the edge to its original content.”This a big bet,” Erik Huggers, the CEO of Vevo, said in an interview Thursday. “There is a real opportunity beyond…just dropping a song or video in a playlist.”
Vevo’s new app introduces a video player that favors “vertical” viewing, the way most people naturally hold their phones.
The revamp is the latest attempt by Vevo to establish its own identity apart from the little logo in the corner of YouTube’s most popular videos. Vevo is a bedrock for music videos on the internet. It offers 200,000 official music videos that draw 18 billion views a month globally on its popular YouTube channel and its own site and app.
David Bowie’s Personal Art Collection to Feature in Three Sales From Sotheby’s
This November, Sotheby’s will stage Bowie/Collector, a three-part sale encompassing some 400 items from the private collection of legendary musician David Bowie. At the heart of which is a remarkable group of more than 200 works by many of the most important British artists of the 20th Century, including Frank Auerbach, Damien Hirst, Henry Moore and Graham Sutherland.
Bowie’s famously inquisitive mind also led him to collect Outsider Art, Surrealism and Contemporary African art, as well as pieces by eccentric Italian designer Ettore Sottsass and the Memphis group. Bowie’s diverse tastes nurtured his extensive archive of important works from celebrated, and less widely-known, artists in a collection of uparalleled eclecticism.
From 1–10 November, the collection will be exhibited at Sotheby’s New Bond Street galleries in London, giving fans, collectors, art lovers and experts a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to immerse themselves in the extraordinary range of objects that informed Bowie’s private world. Ahead of the landmark ten-day event in London, preview exhibitions will be held in New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong. Full details are listed below.
2016 Polaris Music Short List Is Here: Grimes, Carly Rae Jepsen, PUP and more!
The Polaris Music Prize, presented by CBC Music and produced by Blue Ant Media, announced its 2016 Short List of Canadian albums today.
Here’s the Short List:
Black Mountain – IV
Basia Bulat – Good Advice
Grimes – Art Angels
Carly Rae Jepsen – E•MO•TION
Kaytranada – 99.9%
Jessy Lanza – Oh No
PUP – The Dream Is Over
Andy Shauf – The Party
U.S. Girls – Half Free
White Lung – Paradise
Bulat (2008, 2014, 2016) now joins Caribou, Drake, Metric, Shad and Owen Pallett as the only acts to be nominated for the Short List on three separate occasions. This is second time Black Mountain, Grimes and Jesse Lanza have made the Short List. Carly Rae Jepsen, Kaytranada, PUP Andy Shauf, U.S. Girls and White Lung are all first-time Short List nominees.
Announcing the 2016 Short List were this year’s Polaris Gala hosts: Tom Power, CBC Radio 2 Morning host and Polaris jurist, and Amanda Parris, host of CBC Radio 2’s Marvin’s Room and CBC’s Exhibitionists. The Polaris Music Prize Gala will be held at The Carlu in Toronto on Monday, September 19 at 8 p.m. ET and streamed live on CBC Music’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
At 6 p.m. (6:30 p.m. NT) this evening, CBC Radio 2 will feature a special hour-long broadcast celebrating the Polaris Music Prize Short List on Drive with Rich Terfry. Local CBC Radio 2 frequencies can be found at cbc.ca/frequency or the broadcast can be streamed online at cbcmusic.ca.
The Polaris Music Prize will award $50,000 to the artist who creates the Canadian Album of the Year. Each of the nine other Short List artists will receive $3,000 courtesy of Slaight Music. Judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration of genre or record sales, the prize’s past winners are Buffy Sainte-Marie (2015), Tanya Tagaq (2014), Godspeed You! Black Emperor (2013), Feist (2012), Arcade Fire (2011), Karkwa (2010), Fucked Up (2009), Caribou (2008), Patrick Watson (2007), and Final Fantasy / Owen Pallett (2006).
The eligibility period for the 2016 Polaris Music Prize runs from June 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016. An independent jury of music journalists, broadcasters and music bloggers from across Canada determines the Long List and Short List. Eleven people are selected from the larger jury pool to serve on the Grand Jury and they will convene the night of the Polaris Gala to select the Polaris Music Prize winner.
Chance The Rapper, Bono, Beyoncé, Janelle Monaé Talk About 23 Ways You Could Be Killed If You Are Black in America
Chance The Rapper, Bono, Beyoncé, Janelle Monaé, and many other musicians appear in a somber video raising awareness about the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of police.
Jack White stands up for gender equity
Jack White has joined Nashville’s newly-formed Council on Gender Equity. Speaking alongside the city’s mayor on Wednesday, White said, “government, business, and the arts should all work toward the same goal of discouraging sexism, mistreatment, and unfair wages of people who do not wish to label their own personal gender or sexual preference.”
This morning we are coming together to discuss an important challenge we face as a diverse city pic.twitter.com/9PMC1dYSFP
— Megan Barry (@MayorMeganBarry) July 13, 2016
Dean Brody and Brett Kissel Lead 2016 CCMA Awards Nominations
The Canadian Country Music Association is pleased to announce the final nominees in thirty-four (34) CCMA Award categories today, eight of which will be presented during the 2016 CCMA Awards Show on Sunday, September 11; which will once again be hosted by the talented Canadian television personality Jessi Cruickshank, and broadcast on CBC at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT) with an encore airing on CMT (Canada) at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
On the heels of a successful year, Dean Brody heads into the 2016 CCMA Awards season with five nominations: Fans’ Choice, Male Artist of the Year, Single of the Year, Video of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. Brett Kissel also boasts five nominations; four in the artist award category: Fans’ Choice, Male Artist of the Year, Single of the Year and Interactive Artist of the Year, and one industry nomination for Record Producer of the Year.
With an impressive four nominations each are Gord Bamford (Album of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Single of the Year and Songwriter of the Year); Johnny Reid (Fans’ Choice, Male Artist of the Year, Video of the Year and Producer of the Year); Dallas Smith (Fans’ Choice, Male Artist of the Year, Single of the Year and Interactive Artist of the Year) and The Washboard Union (Group or Duo of the Year, Rising Star, Video of the Year and Roots Artist of the Year).
And with three nominees each are Cold Creek County (Group or Duo of the Year, Rising Star and Video of the Year); Jess Moskaluke (Female Artist of the Year, Video of the Year and Interactive Artist of the Year) and Bobby Wills (Album of the Year, Single of the Year and Songwriter of the Year).
The 2016 CCMA Fans’ Choice Award nominees were revealed last night on Entertainment Tonight Canada. This prestigious award, voted on by Canadian country music fans, is once again stacked with powerhouse male artists: Dean Brody, Brett Kissel, Johnny Reid, Dallas Smith and Yoan. Voting for the CCMA Fans’ Choice Award is open today, as of 12:00 p.m. ET. Those who vote have the opportunity to enter the CCMA Ultimate Fan Contest, which will see one lucky winner flown to London to attend Country Music Week 2016 and present the CCMA Fans’ Choice Award live on the 2016 CCMA Awards Show. CLICK HERE to cast your vote and enter the contest.
Returning to host the CCMA Awards Show for a second year is Jessi Cruickshank. Cruickshank is the CSA (Canadian Screen Awards) nominated host of Canada’s Smartest Person, returning for Season 3 on CBC this fall, the L.A. correspondent for etalk, and one of the co-hosts of CBC’s highly anticipated new daytime show, premiering October 3. Hailed as “one of the funniest women on TV today, period” by The Province, Cruickshank grew up in Vancouver, where she broke into comedy as the only girl in an all-male improv troupe alongside Seth Rogen. She soon became a household name as the face of MTV Canada, hosting the daily comedy show MTV Live and smash hit The Hills After Show, which was syndicated in 10 countries and generated record-breaking ratings in Canada and the U.S. Cruickshank went on to host Live from E!, Jerseylicious, Oh Sit!, Jessi Cruickshank’s Real Hollywood Survival Guide and Olympic Morning. She has also travelled the world as a keynote speaker and the Canadian ambassador for Free the Children.
“I am thrilled to be back as your CCMA Awards Show host!” said Cruickshank. “This time around, I guarantee the show will be bigger, the stars will be brighter and the jeans will be tighter. Giddy Up.”
“Congratulations to the 155 CCMA Members from the Canadian country music community that are receiving nominations today, 40 of whom are receiving a CCMA nomination for the first time,” shared Don Green, President of the Canadian Country Music Association. “Let this be an acknowledgement and accolade of the hard work they’ve put into their craft over the last year. We are so proud of the accomplishments of our CCMA family, and look forward to celebrating with everyone this September in London.”
ARTIST AWARDS
FANS’ CHOICE
Dean Brody
Brett Kissel
Johnny Reid
Dallas Smith
Yoan
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Edge Of The Storm – Wes Mack
Hearts On Fire – Chad Brownlee
I Got This – George Canyon
Tin Roof – Gord Bamford
Tougher Than Love – Bobby Wills
FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Lindsay Ell
Kira Isabella
Madeline Merlo
Jess Moskaluke
MacKenzie Porter
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Gord Bamford
Dean Brody
Brett Kissel
Johnny Reid
Dallas Smith
GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR
Autumn Hill
Cold Creek County
High Valley
The Road Hammers
The Washboard Union
ROOTS ARTIST OF THE YEAR
The Lovelocks
Jessica Mitchell
Lindi Ortega
The Washboard Union
The Western Swing Authority
RISING STAR
Alee
Cold Creek County
David James
River Town Saints
The Washboard Union
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Airwaves – Brett Kissel
Bring Down The House – Dean Brody
Cheap Seats – Dallas Smith
Don’t Let Her Be Gone – Gord Bamford
Won’t You Be Mine – Bobby Wills
VIDEO OF THE YEAR – Presented by Coors Banquet
Bring Down The House – Dean Brody
Hearts On Fire – Chad Brownlee
Kiss Me Quiet – Jess Moskaluke
Maybe It’s The Moonshine – The Washboard Union
Our Town – Cold Creek County
What Love Is All About – Johnny Reid
SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR – Presented by olé
Chad Kroeger, Meghan Patrick
Song: Bow Chicka Wow Wow (Performed By: Meghan Patrick)
Dean Brody
Song: Bring Down The House (Performed By: Dean Brody)
Deric Ruttan, Craig Wiseman
Song: Came Here To Forget (Performed By: Blake Shelton)
Gord Bamford, Wade Kirby, Phil O’Donnell
Song: Heard You In A Song (Performed By: Gord Bamford)
Matt Johnson, Michael Pyle, Bobby Wills
Song: Won’t You Be Mine (Performed By: Bobby Wills)
INTERACTIVE ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Leah Daniels
Tim Hicks
Brett Kissel
Wes Mack
Jess Moskaluke
Dallas Smith
MUSICIAN AWARDS
BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Luanne Carl
Lisa Dodd
Doug Elash
Justin Kudding
Travis Switzer
DRUMMER OF THE YEAR
Jimmy Boudreau
Ben Bradley
Rich DaSilva
Chad Melchert
Rob Wells
FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Denis Dufresne
Shane Guse
Julie Kennedy
Ali Raney
Tyler Vollrath
GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jason Barry
Ryan Davidson
Matt McKay
Darren Savard
Brennan Wall
KEYBOARD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Scott Galloway
Darryl Havers
Mike Little
Bart McKay
Carly McKillip
SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Dave Barber – Banjo
Denis Dufresne – Mandolin
Shane Guse – Mandolin
Robin Pelletier – Mandolin
Tyler Vollrath – Mandolin
STEEL GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
John Ellis
Smokey Fennell
Mitch Jay
Doug Johnson
Ed “Pee Wee Charles” Ringwald
RADIO AWARDS
MUSIC DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR – LARGE MARKET
Docc Andrews – CJJR FM – Vancouver, BC
Dayna Bourgoin – CKKL FM – Ottawa, ON
Larry Donohue – CFCW – Edmonton, AB
Amanda Kingsland – CKBY FM – Ottawa, ON
Scott Phillips – CKRY FM/CISN FM – Calgary, AB/Edmonton, AB
MUSIC DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR – MEDIUM OR SMALL MARKET
Shilo Bellis – CJXL FM – Moncton, NB
Paul Ferguson – CHCQ FM – Belleville, ON
Roo Phelps – CIGV FM – Kelowna, BC
Brendan Seeley – CKGY FM – Red Deer, AB
Jody Seeley – CFXO FM – High River, AB
INDUSTRY AWARDS
BOOKING AGENCY OF THE YEAR
The Feldman Agency
Invictus Entertainment Group
Paquin Artists Agency
Sakamoto Agency
United Talent Agency
COUNTRY CLUB OF THE YEAR
Boots & Bourbon Saloon – Toronto, ON
Cook County Saloon – Edmonton, AB
Cowboys Dance Hall – Calgary, AB
The Crazy Horse Stonegrill Steakhouse & Saloon – Ottawa, ON
Ranchman’s Cookhouse and Dancehall – Calgary, AB
COUNTRY FESTIVAL, FAIR OR EXHIBITION OF THE YEAR
Big Valley Jamboree – Camrose, AB
Boots and Hearts Music Festival – Oro-Medonte, ON
Calgary Stampede – Calgary, AB
Cavendish Beach Music Festival – Cavendish, PE
Dauphin’s Countryfest – Dauphin, MB
COUNTRY MUSIC PROGRAM OR SPECIAL OF THE YEAR
Canadian Coast to Coast – CJVR FM
Canadian Country Spotlight – Media BemBem Inc.
Chevy Top 20 Countdown – CMT
Coors Banquet One Horse Town – CMT
The Drop: Gord Bamford – CMT
MANAGEMENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Cache Entertainment Inc.
Chief Music Management
Invictus Entertainment Group
MDM Recordings Inc.
RGK Entertainment Group Inc.
MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY OF THE YEAR
CCS Rights Management/Little Red Bungalow
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Royalty Music Publishing Inc.
Sony/ATV Music Publishing Canada
Universal Music Publishing Canada
Warner/Chappell Music Canada
RECORD COMPANY OF THE YEAR
MDM Recordings Inc.
Open Road Recordings Inc.
Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) Inc.
Universal Music Canada
Warner Music Canada
RECORD COMPANY PERSON OF THE YEAR
Steve Coady – Warner Music Canada
Warren Copnick – Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) Inc.
Jim Cressman – Big Star Recordings Inc.
Mike Denney – MDM Recordings Inc.
Brianne Deslippe – Universal Music Canada
Ron Kitchener – Open Road Recordings Inc.
RECORDING PACKAGE OF THE YEAR
Edge Of The Storm
Design Team: Kyle Bottoms [Four-Age Productions], Simon Paul; Photography: Phil Crozier, Andy Hines [Tray Photo] (Artist: Wes Mack)
Hearts On Fire
Design Team: Antoine Moonen; Photography: Carmen Choney (Artist: Chad Brownlee)
Pick Me Up
Design Team: Patrick Duffy [Attention]; Photography: Juan Pont Lezica (Artist: Brett Kissel)
Songs About A Girl
Design Team: Sheila Hash, Brandon Heard; Photography: MacKenzie Jean (Artist: David James)
Turnin’ Up A Sundown
Design Team: Bronwin Parks [Feisty Creative]; Photography: Mark Maryanovich (Artist: Tristan Horncastle)
RECORDING STUDIO OF THE YEAR – Presented by Fanshawe College
Barrytone Studios – St. Clements, ON
Bart McKay Productions – Saskatoon, SK
MCC Recording Studio – Calgary, AB
OCL Studios – Chestermere, AB
Revolution Recordings – Toronto, ON
RECORD PRODUCER(S) OF THE YEAR
Chris Baseford, Vince Gill, Jeff Johnson, Chad Kroeger, Carly McKillip, Justin Niebank
Album: Grace & Grit (Artist: Meghan Patrick)
Jason Blaine, Phil O’Donnell, Deric Ruttan
Album: Country Side (Artist: Jason Blaine)
George Canyon, Jeff Johnson, Johnny Reid
Album: I Got This (Artist: George Canyon)
Mickey Jack Cones, Brett Kissel, Bart McKay
Album: Pick Me Up (Artist: Brett Kissel)
Bob Ezrin
Album: What Love Is All About (Artist: Johnny Reid)
RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Google Play
HMV Canada Inc.
iTunes Canada
Lammle’s Western Wear & Tack
Walmart Canada
RON SAKAMOTO TALENT BUYER OR PROMOTER OF THE YEAR
Paul Biro – Sakamoto Agency
Jim Cressman – Invictus Entertainment Group
Alex Vyskocil – Live Nation Entertainment
Rob Waloschuk – Performance Promotions Ltd.
Lindsay Weryshko – Calgary Stampede
VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Stephano Barberis
Video: Cheap Seats (Artist: Dallas Smith), Video: Don’t Let Her Be Gone (Artist: Gord Bamford), Video: Hearts On Fire (Artist: Chad Brownlee), Video: So Much For Taking It Slow (Artist: Bobby Wills)
Andy Hines
Video: The Way You Let Me Down (Artist: Wes Mack)
Ben Knechtel
Video: Airwaves (Artist: Brett Kissel)
Colin Minihan
Video: Bring Down The House (Artist: Dean Brody)
David Tenniswood
Video: Kiss Me Quiet (Artist: Jess Moskaluke)
Video: Lester Bangs talks about The Beatles, Nostalgia and John Lennon
Music critic Lester Bangs, who wrote for Creem and Rolling Stone magazines, was never short of opinions, or finding ways to populate the conversation surrounding arts. On one occasion, typewriter in hand, he climbed onto the stage while the J. Geils Band were playing in concert, and typed a supposed review of the event, in full view of the audience. So, there’s that.
Here is a clip from a 1982 mini documentary on The Beatles, where he shared his thoughts on the huge nostalgia over Beatlemania, as well as the way people perceived John Lennon in a God-like stature.
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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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