This drummer didn’t actually ruin the Easter concert. But watch his hand, and the mallet goes whoops.
This is what keeps Bill Gates up at night
What’s likeliest to kill more than 10 million human beings in the next 20 years? It’s probably not what you’d think. And it keeps Bill Gates up at night. For much more, read Ezra Klein’s feature story at Vox here or watch the video below. Or both.
River Timber Featuring Pusha T’s “Illusions” Debuts On Pitchfork
Rising Toronto producer, River Tiber (born Tommy Paxton-Beesley) is a vocalist, multi-intrumentalist and thriving live-performer whose music combines R&B, rock and electronic tones.
Today, Pitchfork has the official stream of “Illusions” and Zane Lowe premiered the track as a “World Record” on his Beats 1 show. “Illusions” is River Tiber’s new collaboration with Pusha T, which was co-produced by KAYTRANADA & Doc McKinney. The track will be released as a two-song digital single on April 8th via Red Bull Sound Select, which will feature a second track, “Gravity,” also coproduced by KAYTRANADA.
River Tiber has also announced a string of west coast tour dates with Kaytranada. All dates below.
“Illusions” is the first Red Bull Sound Select track release by a Canadian artist. KAYTRANADA and Paxton-Beesley are friends and frequent collaborators, so the integration came together naturally. Paxton-Beesley shaped his parts of the project during his travels from LA to Paris, back to LA and home to Toronto over several weeks in late 2015 and early this year.
“I had played at 30 Days in LA the night before heading to Paris for Red Bull Music Academy. When I was flying, the attacks happened at Bataclan and the Academy had to be cut short. After a couple days, I went back to LA. That experience was the most surreal…a bizarre juxtaposition of moods,” said River Tiber.
River Tiber recalls, “the night before the session with Push and Kay in LA, I had food poisoning… and hadn’t slept or eaten. Me and Kay had made this beat a couple days before, Push came through and killed his verse in one take. He’s a master…that session was amazing and inspiring.”
The song was completed back in Toronto during a marathon stretch at the studio of legendary producer Doc McKinney. “I did a few sessions with Doc and we rearranged the structure, writing and production – he really challenged me to find the song. We would start in the afternoon and go overnight, I barely saw the sun for a few days. I wrote the chorus in the last session – it felt right. The song isn’t really about this story, but that’s where it comes from. I tried to take a piece of what I observed in LA and turn it into something universal.”
River Tiber has been a Red Bull Sound Select artist since 2014. His first showcase in Toronto was supporting BADBADNOTGOOD. He then headlined October 2015’s showcase, at Toronto’s Adelaide Hall with fellow Red Bull Sound Select artists Charlotte Day Wilson and Tennyson. In November 2015, River Tiber opened for Flume, alongside Taskforce, at Red Bull Sound Select Presents: 30 Days in LA, and was one of three Canadians selected to attend Red Bull Music Academy Paris in 2015.
Tour Dates:
5/24 San Diego, CA – Observatory North ^
5/25 Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre ^
5/26 Orange County, CA – The Observatory ^
5/27 San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine ^
^ w/ Kaytranada
8-Year Old Transgender Activist Avery Jackson Joins Campaign to Purchase “Transgender House” Across From the Westboro Baptist Church
Avery Jackson, an 8 year old transgender child made famous for her incredible advocacy for transgender rights, has joined forces with Planting Peace in hopes of helping the nonprofit purchase a house across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church headquarters in Topeka. If purchased, the house will be painted blue, pink, and white – the colors of the transgender flag. Funds to buy the house will be collected via crowdfunding platform CrowdRise with a goal of $70,000. The house will be next to Planting Peace’s rainbow Equality House.
Avery first visited the Equality House when it was painted as the transgender flag – an annual tradition. She said when she saw it she “felt so happy and proud to be transgender.” Planting Peace President, coincidentally named Aaron Jackson, heard this and realized that a house with the transgender flag needed a permanent location. Which happened to be made available next door…also across the street from the WBC.
“The purpose of Planting Peace’s Equality House is to counter the actions of hate groups like the Westboro Baptist Church with love and compassion, and serve as a symbol to the LGBT community that they are not alone, that they have support from so many people,” says Aaron Jackson, President of Planting Peace. “We’ve painted the house the colors of the transgender flag each year to honor the transgender community, and specifically, those who have taken their lives because of violence and bullying. I was deeply touched when Avery visited us and said it brought her joy and gave her confidence. She inspired us to partner with her to create a symbol of support for the transgender community by expanding the Equality House and permanently painting our neighboring house the colors of the transgender flag.”
Light Organ and 604 Sign with Sony
604 Records Inc. and Light Organ Records, two independent Canadian labels, have signed with Sony Music Entertainment for exclusive Canadian distribution. Light Organ Records is a division of 604 Records, headquartered in Vancouver, BC.
604 Records was founded by Chad Kroeger in 2001. Its roster presently includes: Carly Rae Jepsen, Coleman Hell, Dallas Smith, Marianas Trench, Aaron Pritchett, Thornley, My Darkest Days, Daniel Wesley and Theory of a Deadman.
Light Organ Records was co-founded by Jonathan Simkin in 2010. Intended to specialize in west coast music, it is home to artists such as The Zolas, The Shilohs, Fine Times, Mounties, JPNSGRLS and The Matinée.
“Under Jonathan’s leadership and vision, 604 Records has become one of the most respected names in the industry. We are honoured that Jonathan has decided to call Sony Music his new home and look forward to working with the whole 604/Light Organ team,” says Sony Music Entertainment Canada President, Shane Carter.
Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc. is a division of Sony Music Entertainment with a focus on local and international talent. 604 Records was previously distributed by Universal Music Canada.
Animated interview with Carl Sagan about extraterrestrial life and Hollywood’s star system
“A literal reading of the Bible simply is a mistake; I mean it’s just wrong” – Carl Sagan on October 4, 1985, as told to Studs Terkel.
The incomprehensible vastness of the universe, the wonder of our own place in it all… Carl Sagan was able to explain the science of space in a way everyone could understand.
Among his long list of roles and accomplishments, the Cornell professor and NASA advisor is possibly best known for the 13-part television series, Cosmos, which reached millions of people worldwide and sealed his place as celebrity scientist. Maybe he was teased a bit for his tendency to say “billions”, a lot.
But Carl Sagan had this amazing talent for explaining the scientific wonders of the universe without losing the wonder. When he spoke about the science of space, he captured imaginations and held people in thrall.
As part of our special series, The Experimenters — PBS’ Blank On Blank uncovered interviews with the icons of science, technology, and innovation — they found this conversation between Studs Terkel and Carl Sagan in the WFMT Studs Terkel Radio Archive. Following “Contact,” the book he wrote with wife Ann Druyan – and the major motion picture that followed it — Carl Sagan spoke with Studs all about our continuing search for intelligent life out there, including how, for a long time, Hollywood just got it wrong. Here’s the tape.
Irish pub singer belts out “Mr. Brightside,” gets response from The Killers
A recent viral video shows an Irish pub in County Kerry, Ireland, full of mourners there to remember their recently deceased friend, Ger “Farmer” Foley. An enthusiastic guy named Brian O’Sullivan climbs on top of the bar to address the congregation. “I’ve been doing this song for a few years, but I haven’t done it for a couple of years up on this counter. It’s the most appropriate song that you could ever get for this man,” O’Sullivan declares, before leading an impassioned sing-along of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” We should all have friends like this, and want a party to be had when we’re gone. The band took notice, and responded via Twitter.
Ger Farmer Foley from Tim Clifford on Vimeo.
Brian O'Sullivan, if Brandon ever needs a fill-in, we're calling you! May we all have friends like this #farmersrule https://t.co/mENU0pGfHr
— The Killers (@thekillers) March 27, 2016
Watch David Gilmour’s first U.S. TV appearance in 10 years
On Monday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, David Gilmour performed “Rattle That Lock” and Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here,” marking his first television appearance in the U.S. in 10 years.
https://youtu.be/LTGwB6CBuX0
https://youtu.be/DcGju-xvcZM
Bruce Springsteen Dances With His 90-Year-Old Mom At Madison Square Gardens
On Monday night at Madison Square Garden, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band made a stop on their tour commemorating the 1980 album, The River. In the audience was Springsteen’s 90-year-old mother, Adele. As he performed “Ramrod,” The Boss paid her a visit and the two shared a dance, and a sweet hug and kiss.
Soundcloud is entering paid music streaming with a staggering 125 million songs
Soundcloud is entering paid music streaming, hoping to turn its huge community of cover singers, dubstep remixers and wannabe stars into a bigger source of revenue.
Since its launch in 2007, the Berlin-based online music service has allowed pretty much any audio to be uploaded to its cloud — from Kanye West outtakes to teenagers singing over canned music. It has slowly introduced tools to earn revenue, introducing paid services for artists in 2008 and ad revenue sharing for invited musicians in 2014.
But after signing deals with major labels, including holdout Sony Music this month, Soundcloud is adding a subscription plan for consumers, giving them ad-free listening and a whole range of music from mainstream artists that had shunned the service because it only gave tracks away for free, including top acts like Taylor Swift.
Soundcloud, privately held and with tech investors like Union Square Ventures and Kleiner Perkins, will have a staggering 125 million tracks available when the paid tier, Soundcloud Go, launches Tuesday. That’s about four times other paid services.
Soundcloud Go will cost $10 a month and offer ad-free offline playback on mobile devices. It’ll also allow artists to choose whether to give away tracks for free or reserve them for paying customers — an option not allowed by Spotify, which depends on having quality free music to draw in prospective paying customers.