Funko’s newest line was launched at New York Toy Fair with DC heroines and villains features 5-inch vinyl figures!
Demi Lovato’s Christina Aguilera Impression Is Absolutely Dead-On
Jimmy Fallon challenges Demi Lovato to a game of random musical impressions, such as Fetty Wap singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and absolutely nails Christina Aguilera’s voice.
Infographic: The Essential Guide To Social Media Trends
Through social media, music and fans continue to rely on each other like the industry have never seen before. This infographic from Fanbridge shows where we are now, and what the road to success might look like in the future.
A Dive Into Jazz Slang (You Dig?), Man?
“Shedding.” “Chops.” “Rataricious.” Sometimes it seems like jazz cats have their own language. Of course, many times those words also end up in other people’s mouths: Terms like “hipster,” “crib” and “the man” all came from the jazz world more than 70 years ago. You dig? Here, Jazz Night In America takes a brief look at where jazz slang came from, with lots of colorful language along the way.
110th Birthday Video Of Flossie Dickey Will Teach You About Life
“I don’t fight it. I live it.” Fox 28’s Good Day Spokane dropped by to celebrate the 110th birthday of Mrs. Flossie Dickey, a woman who likes to nap.
How Music Elevates The Lord Of The Rings
A cool conceptual video breaking down the influential Howard Shore’s The Fellowship theme from the first The Lord of the Rings movie, showing how Shore elevates the movie itself, bringing feelings into the forefront for the viewer.
The Story Of The Russian Vinyl Black Market In The 1940s
In the late ’40s, the USSR’s citizens were forbidden from listening to foreign-made music. This gave birth to a black market of “bones records” or “ribs” – bootlegs copied on used X-ray film. The iconic images of gramophone grooves cut onto x-rays of skulls, ribcages and bones have captured the collective imagination way beyond the music scene. Now for the first time, the complete story of the Soviet x-ray record has emerged, as told by the people who made it happen.
Molly Ringwald: ‘These Films No Longer Belong to Me’
For movie fans who came of age in the 1980s, Molly Ringwald is the definitive “it” girl. As the creative inspiration for director John Hughes, Ringwald was the de facto center of generationally-significant films like ‘The Breakfast Club,’ ‘Sixteen Candles,’ and ‘Pretty in Pink’ (written by Hughes and directed by Howard Deutch). Her red hair and sardonic wit became cultural icons all their own, and made Ringwald one of the greatest teen stars in film history. But she tells host Alec Baldwin that these films, as important as they are to a whole generation of movie fans, are passing moments in her growth as an artist and an actor: she’s written two books, acted in numerous films and television shows, and released a jazz record, ‘Except Sometimes,’ in 2013.
Seymour Stein on CBGBs and New York Punk
The scene many will associate with Sire is CBGBs and New York punk. How did you get there first?
Seymour Stein: Richard and I were two of the very few people who noticed what was going on downtown in New York at CBGBs and Max’s [Kansas City] to a lesser extent. I signed The Ramones, Talking Heads, The Dead Boys, Richard Hell & The Voidoids. Richard signed and produced Blondie. That is when all hell started to break loose.
The Bowery was not a bad area or a dangerous area. Yes, you had to step over bodies at times but they weren’t dead bodies – they were drunks. I never had the slightest fear when I was going down to the Bowery and there was no reason to.
But the Bowery had a very bad reputation and that reputation far exceeded any dangers there might be there. It smelled. I don’t want to go into detail but you can imagine. What happens when people get too drunk? They vomit or they shit in their pants.
The toilet in GBGBs was not a very clean toilet. I felt bad for the women. The men could have a slash – fine. Hilly [Kristal] was a great master of ceremonies. I loved him. He could be cantankerous but the great thing about him was he didn’t like, as a label, any of the music that people played there.
CBGBs stood for country, bluegrass and blues. That’s was he liked. I can’t remember country, bluegrass or blues artists ever appearing there. He didn’t care if it was The Ramones or Talking Heads or Blondie – he was just giving people a shot and an opportunity.
I saw Television at CBGBs. I think Richard Hell had just left the band. I got on with the band but not with the leader of the band. I got in very well with Richard Lloyd, but Tom Verlaine I found very difficult. He kept putting me off.
Eventually they were signed by Karin Berg who worked for Warner Music. But I signed most of the other good bands. Richard signed Blondie. Richard also signed Ricard Hell to produce and I signed him for the records, so Richard and I worked together on that. The Ramones and The Dead Boys, they were all on Sire.
In those days, I was flying back and forth to England. It took me a while to see The Ramones and to see Talking Heads. I flew back from England and was supposed to see The Ramones the next night but I had the ‘flu and I couldn’t go. I sent my wife [Linda] and Danny Fields [writer] went with her.
She was so blown away that I said I didn’t care how sick I was, I wanted them in the studio the next day. They were so great. I booked it for an hour. They played for about 15 or 20 minutes and they must have done about 18 songs in that time. The rest of the time was spent discussing the contract.
I told them they had to go to a lawyer. We had agreed to the deal – a certain amount as an advance to buy instruments and a certain amount to record the record. They came back to me later that day and I had the contract drawn up very hastily. They signed it and within a matter of days the album was finished. That’s how fast they worked and how well they worked.
On the other hand, Talking Heads – I saw them later that year. The Ramones’ first record had come out and was critically acclaimed. It was the middle of November that year [1976] and I was down there waiting to see The Ramones play me some new material for their second album.
I had asked Hilly earlier who the opening act was. It was one of his bands that I didn’t want to sign. He managed them. I had seen them before. I am waiting outside with Lenny Kaye from Patti Smith’s band and all of a sudden I heard “When my love stands next to your love” [from ‘(Love Goes To) Building On Fire’] and I was mesmerised by the music.
I started moving without realising. It was like a snake charmer. I was sucked into the room. Lenny followed me. I asked him who it was and he told me it was Talking Heads. I ran up to them after the show – they were only a three-piece then – and said, “My God, I just love your band so much.” And Tina [Weymouth, bassist] was very friendly and started talking to me.
Via MusicAlly
Think you’re a big loser? Sub Pop wants to send you to college
Sub Pop, the label that fomented the grunge revolution and launched Nirvan aupon the world, is also a caring, sharing company, dedicated to ensuring that even those who have bypassed the traditional measures of success get a chance. In fact, it’s not willing to support winners in any way; instead it is offering college funding to those who have suffered failures.
The label has been offering “loser scholarships” each year since 2007, and now this year’s loser scholarships have been unveiled. The good news: those eligible can secure thousands of dollars of financial help. The bad news: only high school seniors resident in the states of Washington and Oregon are eligible.
Sub Pop Records in Seattle, WA is offering a grand total of $15,000 worth of college scholarship money to three eligible high school seniors. There are three scholarships—one for $7,000, one for $5,000 and one for $3,000. As longtime and proud losers ourselves, we’re exceedingly happy to be able, in some small way, to help further the education of art-enthused misfits from the NW.
Applicants must be a resident of Washington or Oregon, and a graduating senior on your way to full-time enrollment at an accredited university or college. We are looking for applicants who are involved and/or interested in music and/or the creative arts in some way. However, you do not need to be pursuing an education in the arts.
To apply you must submit an essay, one page or less, using any combination of the following questions as a guide (or write something completely your own, be inspired and creative!). Please list the school you are graduating from and the school you plan to attend in the fall at the top of your essay along with your contact information.
– What are you doing in the arts/music field in your community?
– What does being a Sub Pop ‘Loser’ mean to you?
– What are your influences and/or who inspired you to become involved in the arts?
– Describe your biggest failure and explain how it has brought you closer to your goal(s).
– Discuss a special attribute or accomplishment that sets you apart.
– How has your family or community background affected the way you see the world?
Applicants are strongly encouraged to send digital links and/or provide hard copies of their artwork along with their essay (they have never had a winner who submitted only an essay). However, please be aware that Sub Pop will not return any of this material, so please don’t send originals. Sub Pop will give equal opportunity to all applicants who fit the criteria outlined above. The deadline for applications is Sunday, March 20th.
All submissions and attachments to scholarship@subpop.com by March 20th, 2016. They will announce the scholarship winners on April 12th.
Via The Guardian