“If I did a story or a musical about Cinderella, they would be waiting for the body to turn up.” – Alfred Hitchcock in 1957
The master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, sat down for a short interview on the set of a film tentatively titled, From Amongst The Dead. The film would be released in early 1958 as Vertigo, the classic starring jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak. In this interview, we go inside the mind of a master storyteller with a penchant for fear.
It’s been 50 years since the Cry Baby Wah hit the market and inspired a new legion of guitar players to push the envelope of conventional guitar sounds. Watch Reverb.com’s Joe pay homage to those who helped cement the effect in rock music history by performing 50 of the most classic Wah-Wah riffs in a single take.
Mac Lethal continues to prove that nothing can stand in the way of him rapping. Here he rattles off his latest song while he gets a serious workout jumping rope, two things I can’t do well, way to go, Mac.
At the Roland R&D Center in Hamamatsu, Japan, the instrument company maintain a private museum that exhibits Roland and BOSS musical instruments that date all the way back to our foundation in 1972 and span the genre-defining musical eras of the ’80s and ’90s. The instruments on display are still used as references for current product development.
While the museum is not open to the public, they’ve released exclusive online access through a 360-degree VR experience. You can view the museum in a guided 360-degree video tour, or explore the displays at your own pace with a virtual walk-through in Google Street View.
“The History of Roland Innovation” exhibit presents many vintage musical instruments, from synthesizers, pianos, and organs to electronic drums, guitar products, recorders, sequencers, and more.
The video below allows you to experience the museum in a 360-degree tour. It also includes aerial views of Roland Headquarters, the Miyakoda Factory, and the R&D Center. On a smartphone, you can change your view by turning your phone in different directions. On a computer, simply drag the screen with your mouse.
Jimmy Kimmel reveals an embarrassing habit that Emma Watson had as a kid when he shows an old outtake of her shooting a scene for Harry Potter.
Canadian Blues icon, Colin James, joins us for another episode of Stingray PausePlay to chat about picking up his first guitar, performing with his music heroes and of course his new album, Blue Highways, an incredible tribute to some of Blues’ greatest players.
On June 16, Fleet Foxes will release Crack-Up (Nonesuch Records), its long awaited and highly anticipated third album. Crack-Up comes six years after the 2011 release of Helplessness Blues and nearly a decade since the band’s 2008 self-titled debut. Fleet Foxes has released the album track “Third of May / Ōdaigahara,” a nearly nine-minute epic powered by piano and electric twelve-string guitar, string quartet, and the group’s trademark sparkling harmonies. In addition, the band has announced new tour dates, including their first North American shows since October 2011.
All eleven of the songs on Crack-Up were written by Robin Pecknold. The album was co-produced by Pecknold and Skyler Skjelset, his longtime bandmate, collaborator, and childhood friend. Crack-Up was recorded at various locations across the United States between July 2016 and January 2017: at Electric Lady Studios, Sear Sound, The Void, Rare Book Room, Avast, and The Unknown. Phil Ek mixed the album, at Sear Sound, and it was mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound. Fleet Foxes is Robin Pecknold (vocals, multi-instrumentalist), Skyler Skjelset (multi-instrumentalist, vocals), Casey Wescott (multi-instrumentalist, vocals), Christian Wargo (multi-instrumentalist, vocals), and Morgan Henderson (multi-instrumentalist).
Fleet Foxes’ self-titled debut made a profound impact on the international musical landscape, earning them Uncut’s first ever Music Award Prize, and topping numerous “Best of ” lists, including Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Albums of the 2000’s and Pitchfork’s 50 Best Albums of 2008. Fleet Foxes is certified Gold in North America and Platinum in both the UK and Australia. The follow-up album Helplessness Blues was met with the same critical praise as its predecessor (MOJO five stars, Rolling Stone four stars, Pitchfork Best New Music); that album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200, went Gold in the UK, and earned the band a GRAMMY nomination.
Fleet Foxes 2017 International Tour Dates
* Most North American venues will offer ticket buyers the ability to add the new album to their purchase as an LP, CD, or digital pre-order.
May 26 | Sydney, Australia at Sydney Opera House
May 27 | Sydney, Australia at Sydney Opera House
May 28 | Sydney, Australia at Sydney Opera House
May 29 | Sydney, Australia at Sydney Opera House
July 1 | Spain, Vilanova i la Geltrú at Vida Festival
July 3 | Italy, Ferrara at Bands Apart
July 7 | Spain, Bilbao at Bilbao BBK Live
July 13 | Ireland, Dublin at The Iveagh Gardens
July 14 | Ireland, Dublin at The Iveagh Gardens (SOLD OUT)
July 16 | United Kingdom, Southwold at Latitude Festival
July 27 | Portland ME at Thompson’s Point
July 28 | Newport RI at Newport Folk Festival (SOLD OUT)
July 29 | Columbia MD at Merriweather Post Pavilion w/ Animal Collective
July 31 | Philadelphia PA at Mann Center for the Performing Arts w/ Animal Collective
August 1 | Brooklyn NY at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival at the Prospect Park Bandshell
August 4 | Toronto ON at Massey Hall
August 6 | Detroit MI at The Masonic
September 23 | Los Angeles CA at Hollywood Bowl w/ Beach House
September 27 | Morrison CO at Red Rocks Amphitheatre w/ Beach House
Canada’s award-winning a capella group COUNTERMEASURE have premiered their powerful music video for ‘Life Is Fine’. This is the 2nd video clip from their second studio album entitled Made To Measure. ‘Life Is Fine’ was written about depression and isolation, and transcends anything the genre has ever seen – or heard – before.
The video can be seen below with interview and the making-of footage.
With text by Harlem Renaissance poet, Langston Hughes, and music by Countermeasure’s Artistic Director, Aaron Jensen, ‘Life is Fine’ was premiered at Koerner Hall in Spring 2015. It is one of the most powerful tracks on Made to Measure, showcasing soloist Jeremy Voltz. In tracking the song, COUNTERMEASURE experimented liberally – pushing the boundaries of traditional a cappella to create life-like organs, synths, and percussion to support the low-key R&B vibe. COUNTERMEASURE just released the music video, directed by Mike Cameron, who makes use of the revolutionary Technodolly to tell the story of loneliness, isolation, and reclamation.
The Contemporary A Cappella Society of America – the art form’s largest organization – recently recognized COUNTERMEASURE with 4 nominations at their annual award show, including Best Jazz Album and Best Original Song.
COUNTERMEASURE has won worldwide acclaim and sold-out houses in the UK, Canada and US with their sophisticated arrangements, seamless harmonies, lively performances and infectious energy. Their dramatically choreographed show, where every song tells a story, has received standing ovations worldwide. Featuring 14 of Canada’s top harmony singers, their genre-defying contemporary sound takes a cappella to the next level. Formed in 2010, COUNTERMEASURE is led by award-winning composer/arranger Aaron Jensen, the group performs original compositions and reimagined standards by the likes of Cole Porter to the Beatles, with a strong accent on pop and jazz arrangements, incorporating innovative live looping, vocal percussion, and instrument sounds made by the voice.
Made To Measure is available for order via iTunes and streaming on Spotify.
Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood have crafted a new 16-minute mix featuring “heavily manipulated” versions of Radiohead songs. The project was debuted at Paris Fashion Week during the unveiling of the new collection from Undercover designer Jun Takahashi. Take a listen for “Bloom”, “Spectre”, “Glass Eyes”, “Everything In Its Right Place” and “Motion Picture Soundtrack”.
Google Play is celebrating its 5th birthday this week! On March 6, 2012, they opened their digital doors to offer millions a one stop shop to find and enjoy your favorite apps, games, movies, TV shows, music, and books—and access them at anytime on your laptop, at home, on your TV or on the go, whether you are on or offline.
In five years, they’ve grown to more than 1 billion active users in 190 countries. And with millions of apps, 40 million songs, 5 million books, and more movies than ever, there’s so much to explore. Google Play has also become an important distribution platform for developers to build their global audience.
Here’s a look at their top 5 most popular books, games, apps, songs, albums and films in the U.S. since they launched Google Play. From Candy Crush to The Interview, check out the most popular content from the last five years.
TOP INSTALLED GAMES
Candy Crush Saga
Subway Surfers
Temple Run 2
Despicable Me
Clash of Clans
TOP INSTALLED APPS*
Facebook
Facebook Messenger
Pandora Radio
Instagram
Snapchat
*Download only. Does not include pre-installed apps on Android devices.
TOP SELLING SONGS
Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud
Lorde – Royals
Taylor Swift – Blank Space
Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk
Pharrell Williams – Happy
TOP SELLING ALBUMS
Adele – 25
Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP2 (Deluxe)
Taylor Swift – 1989
Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp A Butterfly
TOP SELLING MOVIES
The Interview
Frozen
Deadpool
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Guardians of the Galaxy
TOP SELLING BOOKS
Fifty Shades of Grey, by E L James
The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins
A Game of Thrones, by George RR Martin
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn
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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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