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The Indigo Girls Release First Studio Album in 4 Years – ‘One Lost Day’ out on June 2nd

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It has been four years since the Indigo Girls released a new studio album. On June 2nd, their much-anticipated release ONE LOST DAY, will be available on IG Recordings/Vanguard Records. With the help of visionary new producer Jordan Brooke Hamlin (Lucy Wainwright Roche) and mixer Brian Joseph (Bon Iver, PHOX, Kathleen Edwards), Amy Ray and Emily Sailers have created a landscape of truly original sounds and stories ranging from stark intimacy to bombastic pop and grind.

On ONE LOST DAY, musicality, whimsy, rawness, sadness and joy move through each of the 13 tracks. This theme is especially evident on the first single, “Happy in the Sorrow Key,” written by Amy Ray. “I drew from lyrics I wrote during some of my travels with the IG’s,” Amy said. “I was thinking about the things that keep us weighed down with non-acceptance and a refusal to embrace impermanence and suffering. I don’t think you can make change for the good until you do, so it’s an activist part of me searching for a way to face reality and still have the energy and passion to work for good.”

ONE LOST DAY was recorded in studios in Nashville, TN and mixed at Justin Vernon’s April Base Studios in Fall Creek, WI and at the Parhelion Recording Studios in Atlanta, GA. Musicians Brady Blade and Carol Isaacs from the Indigo Girls’ Beauty Queen Sister returned, along with the Indigo Girls’ touring band. Additionally, Amy and Emily brought in Lex Price (k.d. lang, Mindy Smith), Butterfly Boucher (Ingrid Michaelson, Katie Herzig, Mat Kearney), Fred Eltringham (Sheryl Crow, The Wallflowers, Gigolo Aunts) and Chris Donohue (Dave Matthews, Patty Griffin, Lucinda Williams, Robert Plant) to bring a good dose of infectious energy and creativity to the scene.

“We took some chances on the making of ONE LOST DAY, with a new producer, engineer, and various musicians,” Emily said. “Stretching like that felt liberating to me. Each song tells a story of where we’ve been and what we’ve thought about, whom we’ve met, and the travels we’ve had. It is a travelogue on lessons learned and love lived. I’m so glad we brought Jordan Hamlin on board to take us to new musical landscapes for this group of songs. And my relationship with Amy feels further strengthened by the collection of these songs and the diligent effort to make them the best they could be.”

Amy mirrors Emily’s sentiments. “The title sums it up for me,” she said. “This is about the one lost day that rekindled and infused with our spirit to find that making music is just as vibrant and full of passion as it’s even been for us!”

The Indigo Girls will be hitting the road this summer following the release of ONE LOST DAY. Initial dates are listed below with more dates to be announced soon. Visit www.indigogirls.com for updates.

2015 Spring/Summer Tour Dates
4-12         Philadelphia, PA            Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts w/Philadelphia Youth Orchestra
4-15         Durham, NC                   North Carolina Symphony
4-17         Newport News, VA        Ferguson Center Concert Hall
4-19         Cincinnati, OH               Music Hall w/Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
4-25         Huntsville, AL                Panoply Festival of the Arts @ Big Spring Park
4-30         Pittsburgh, PA               Heinz Hall w/Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
5-23         Lenox, MA                      SummerSound Live at Tanglewood Music Center
6-17         Grand Rapids, MI           Meijer Gardens
6-19         Ann Arbor, MI                Power Center for the Performing Arts (Ann Arbor Summer Festival)
6-20         Dayton, OH                    Schuster Center w/Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra
6-21         Charlottesville, VA         nTelos Wireless Pavilion w/Mary Chapin Carpenter
6-26         Atlanta, GA                    Chastain Park Amphitheater
7-05         San Diego, CA                Humphrey’s
7-07         Los Angeles, CA             El Rey Theatre
7-08-9     Saratoga, CA                  Montalvo Arts Center
7-11         Portland, OR                  Oregon Zoo Amphitheatre
7-12         Seattle, WA                    Woodland Park Zoo
7-14         Layton, UT                     Edward A. Kenley Centennial Amphitheater
7-15         Boulder, CO                   Chautauqua Auditorium
7-18         Eau Claire, WI                Eaux Claires Music Festival
7-26         Camden, NJ                   XPoNential Music Festival @ River Stage in Wiggins Park
7-28         Vienna, VA                     The Filene Center @ Wolf Trap
7-29         Selbyville, DE                 Freeman Stage
8-07         Indianapolis, IN             Indiana State Fair

Kerry Washington’s Vanguard Award at the #glaadawards is amazing

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The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBT community and the issues that affect their lives. “Scandal” actress Kerry Washington took the stage to accept GLAAD’s Vanguard Award, given to someone in the entertainment industry who has helped push LGBT rights forward. It’s been awarded to people like Drew Barrymore, Josh Hutcherson, Jennifer Lopez, and Jennifer Aniston.

She gets it right.

“Now you would think that those of us who are kept from our full rights of citizenship would band together and fight the good fight. But history tells us that no, often we don’t. Women, poor people, people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants, gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, trans people, intersex people — we have been pitted against each other and made to feel like there are limited seats at the table for those of us who fall into the category of ‘other.’

There is so much power in storytelling, and there is enormous power in inclusive storytelling, in inclusive representation. … We must be allies, and we must be allied in this business because to be represented is to be humanized. And as long as anyone anywhere is being made to feel less human, our very definition of humanity is at stake, and we are all vulnerable.

We must see each other, all of us; and we must see ourselves, all of us. We must continue to break new ground until that is just how it is. Until we are no longer firsts and exceptions and rare and unique. In the real world, being an ‘other’ is the norm. In the real world, the only norm is uniqueness, and our media must reflect that.”

24 pieces of advice for filmmaking and life from Werner Herzog

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herzogFound in the book Werner Herzog – A Guide for the Perplexed.

1. Always take the initiative.
2. There is nothing wrong with spending a night in jail if it means getting the shot you need.
3. Send out all your dogs and one might return with prey.
4. Never wallow in your troubles; despair must be kept private and brief.
5. Learn to live with your mistakes.
6. Expand your knowledge and understanding of music and literature, old and modern.
7. That roll of unexposed celluloid you have in your hand might be the last in existence, so do something impressive with it.
8. There is never an excuse not to finish a film.
9. Carry bolt cutters everywhere.
10. Thwart institutional cowardice.
11. Ask for forgiveness, not permission.
12. Take your fate into your own hands.
13. Learn to read the inner essence of a landscape.
14. Ignite the fire within and explore unknown territory.
15. Walk straight ahead, never detour.
16. Manoeuvre and mislead, but always deliver.
17. Don’t be fearful of rejection.
18. Develop your own voice.
19. Day one is the point of no return.
20. A badge of honor is to fail a film theory class.
21. Chance is the lifeblood of cinema.
22. Guerrilla tactics are best.
23. Take revenge if need be.
24. Get used to the bear behind you.

[via] and Boing Boing

The Most Annoying People on the Plane starring Sir Patrick Stewart

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The travel company Expedia conducted a poll asking fliers to name the most annoying types of airplane passengers. Jimmy Kimmel was going to just read the list, but he thought it would be more interesting if the great Sir Patrick Stewart acted it out.

John Fogerty Announces “Fortunate Son” Autobiography Coming October 6th

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Coming October 6, 2015, from Little, Brown and Company, is the long-anticipated memoir by JOHN FOGERTY, titled FORTUNATE SON: My Life, My Music. With JOHN FOGERTY writing hit after hit, Creedence Clearwater Revival burst on the music scene with an energy so bright, his songs outsold The Beatles in 1969. Then, just as quickly, that CCR fire burned out in a series of internal band struggles that left the music world without the influence of one of its brightest stars for over two decades.

“I’m excited to share my story and my life with you,” said Fogerty. “You’re going to hear where it all started, my passion to become the best musician I could be. You’ll travel down some rough roads, but that road leads to something beautiful. My book won’t be sugar coated! It’s all in there.”

Creedence Clearwater Revival is one of the most important and beloved bands in the history of Rock ‘n Roll, and the story that JOHN FOGERTY’s memoir tells will keep music lovers and avid readers captivated. FOGERTY wrote, sang, and produced the iconic classics “Born on the Bayou,” “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” and so many more. Now he reveals how he brought CCR to the top of the charts and how, one year later, CCR was falling apart. Their amazing talents and culturally-prophetic songs, however, have endured for decades despite the series of personal and legal issues. FORTUNATE SON takes readers from FOGERTY’s Northern California roots, through Creedence’s success, his retreat from music and public life, to FOGERTY’s hard-won revival as a solo artist who finally, through it all, found love.

JOHN FOGERTY was songwriter, lead singer, and lead guitarist for Creedence Clearwater Revival and is one of rock’s most influential musicians and writers. FOGERTY has been named one of the 100 Greatest Singers and one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists by Rolling Stone and his most recent album was named one of RS’s 10 Best Albums of 2013.

That Time Freddie Mercury Performed With The Royal Ballet in 1979

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On October 7th, 1979 Freddie Mercury performed with the Royal Ballet. He had never done any ballet before, but it was something he had always wanted to try. The songs he had chosen to perform to were Bohemian Rhapsody and Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Songs were played by the orchestra with Freddie doing live vocals. Freddie’s first dance was Bohemian Rhapsody, and he performed with skill in front of a packed house of enthusiastic balletomanes, who loved him, and he received a standing ovation for both his cameo performances.

Video from that night is below.

Freddie Mercury rehearsing with the Royal Ballet in 1979 (1)

Freddie Mercury rehearsing with the Royal Ballet in 1979 (2)

Freddie Mercury rehearsing with the Royal Ballet in 1979 (3)

Freddie Mercury rehearsing with the Royal Ballet in 1979 (5)

Freddie Mercury rehearsing with the Royal Ballet in 1979 (6)

Freddie Mercury rehearsing with the Royal Ballet in 1979 (7)

Freddie Mercury rehearsing with the Royal Ballet in 1979 (8)

SXSW offers 1,291 free songs from artists performing this year

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These torrents include tracks that can be previewed on the SXSW website for SXSW 2015. This year’s includes 1,291 files totaling 8.42GB, making it the largest to date. Note that the filenames and ID3 tags were updated to properly reflect the artist names and song titles.

The first torrent was seeded February 18, 2015 and the second on March 12, 2015.

Note that 64 tracks that were included in the first torrent were no longer available on the SXSW website as of the release date of the second torrent. That list is here for reference.

SoundExchange, NPR And The Corporation For Public Broadcasting Ink Long-Term Agreement For Webcasting Royalty Rates

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SoundExchange announced it has reached a settlement agreement with NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) on royalty rates for the next five years for webcasting by public radio stations.

“We always prefer negotiated solutions with digital services, provided that they ensure appropriate payment to artists and rights holders. We are pleased that we have again reached an agreement with NPR and CPB. This agreement recognizes the unique circumstances and missions of these organizations, and compensates the creators of the music used in their programing,” said Michael Huppe, president and chief executive officer, SoundExchange.

“The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is pleased that we, together with NPR and SoundExchange have reached an agreement on Internet streaming of sound recordings by public radio stations funded by CPB that recognizes the unique nature of public radio and the vital service it provides to the American people,” said Pat Harrison, president and CEO, CPB.

“We are pleased to again collaborate with SoundExchange to come up with a framework for royalties that provides artists and rights holders with fair compensation while recognizing public radio’s distinctive public service and nonprofit operating model,” said NPR CEO Jarl Mohn. “The agreement is a testament to public radio’s significant contributions to musicians, artists, audiences and cultural programming in today’s dynamic music environment.”

This is SoundExchange’s second settlement agreement in five months with noncommercial webcasters. In October 2014, SoundExchange reached an agreement with College Broadcasters Inc., which represents college media outlets. The agreement ensures that noncommercial webcasters at colleges and other educational institutions will continue to have a consistent royalty framework and that the artists and rights holders who recorded the music that educational webcasters play are compensated.

The settlements, if adopted by the Copyright Royalty Board, will be in effect for the years 2016-2020.

Sony Music To Purchase Remaining Interest In The Orchard, The World’s Leading Independent Digital Distributor

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Sony Music Entertainment announced that it has entered into an agreement with Dimensional Associates, LLC to acquire the remaining interest in The Orchard, the global independent music, video and film distribution company. The Orchard will continue to operate separately from Sony Music and will be led by its existing executive team.

The deal is aligned with Sony Corp.’s recently announced strategy identifying Sony Music as one of its growth businesses. Sony plans to proactively invest in and implement a variety of measures to promote growth across its entertainment businesses, including music.

The Orchard is focused on providing world-class digital distribution services for content creators including independent labels and filmmakers. It offers clients an end-to-end solution for music and video delivery to hundreds of services and digital storefronts worldwide, as well as efficient and transparent reporting of sales and revenue. The sales, digital marketing and business development offerings also included in The Orchard’s suite of services have helped it outpace the industry in growing revenue for its clients.

Sony Music became the majority investor in The Orchard in March 2012 following the merger of The Orchard with IODA, a Sony Music-owned digital distribution company. At that time, The Orchard became the digital distributor for RED and select catalogues from Sony Music affiliates outside of the U.S.

This investment in The Orchard will allow Sony Music to further enhance its relationships with distribution clients all over the world. It also will allow the companies to work more closely together to drive improvements throughout the digital supply chain and quality of revenue reporting. Sony Music remains committed to operating The Orchard independently with the goal of improving the revenue and profitability of its distribution clients.

Neil Young built “a barn roof” out of 200,000 copies of Comes A Time

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From Uncut:

Neil Young has admitted he once bought thousands of copies of his own album and used them as shingles on the roof of his house.

Young, who recently launched his high quality digital Pono music player and service at South By South West in Austin, Texas revealed that a “mastering error” on the 1978 album Comes A Time left him dissatisfied with the release and forced him to take the existing copies off the market.

Asked if the story was true by Rolling Stone, Young replied: “The tape got damaged when it went through the airport or something. I had to go back and use a copy of the master — it was a copy, but it had better-sounding playback than the other one. No, no, I made a barn roof out of them. I used them as shingles.”