The news is breaking. Josh Begley has combined every New York Times front page since 1852 into a single minute-long video. You’ll cheer when the paper finally goes color.
Jacques Cousteau Talks About Protecting The Environment And…Cognac In 1978 Interview
“We’re going to investigate every single one of these hypotheses, and we’ll tell you what we think is the truth about it.” – Jacques Cousteau in 1978
Jacques Cousteau, the world famous oceanographer and undersea explorer who invented the Aqua-Lung, dared to go where no one had gone before. He followed his passion to both protect and better understand our world’s oceans and the creatures that inhabited them. Cousteau was 65 at the time of this recording but he was still diving and hungry for more exploration and adventure. Here’s his story.
Buffy Sainte-Marie and Tanya Tagaq Team Up For Polaris Collaboration Session
The Polaris Music Prize, presented by CBC Music and produced by Blue Ant Media, released its second collaboration session today. The session features historic pairing of 2015 Polaris winner Buffy Sainte-Marie and 2014 winner Tanya Tagaq working together for the first time. Their recording of Buffy’s song “You Got To Run (Spirit Of The Wind)” is now available via Stingray Music and YouTube.
Presented by Stingray Music and generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the purpose of the Polaris Collaboration Session is to get two Polaris nominees together to create a whole new piece of music. “You Got To Run (Spirit Of The Wind)” can be heard across the following Stingray Music and Vibe channels on TV, web and mobile: Canadian Indie, Adult Alt, Canadian Voices, Canadian Adult Alternative, All Aboot Indie, Canadian Indie Chart and Stingray’s Hall of Fame Picks.
The song was recorded in fall 2016 at Orange Lounge in Toronto with producer Jon Levine (Nelly Furtado, K’naan, Drake). It was mixed by Howie Beck (Feist, Hannah Georgas, Jason Collett).
Written by Sainte-Marie, the song was inspired by champion dogsled racer George Attla, who competed in the first-ever Iditarod dog sled race in 1973 and was the subject of the 1979 film, Spirit Of The Wind.
Tagaq and Sainte-Marie hope the message of “You Got To Run (Spirit Of The Wind)” can affect listeners in a number of inspiring ways. “It reminded me of growing up in Nunavut,” explains Tagaq. “Sometimes when things get difficult you have to pick yourself up, you can’t let things bring you down. You could take it to be an anti-suicide message. I really appreciate its powerful lyrics.”
Sainte-Marie wouldn’t be opposed to political candidates using it as a theme song. “There are very important things going on in Indian country right now. This is a song I’d like to hand to any of our Aboriginal candidates who really are in a position, finally, to make a big difference,” said Sainte-Marie.
An in-the-studio performance video of “You Got To Run (Spirit Of The Wind)” is available at the Polaris Music Prize YouTube channel. Episode five of the Polaris Podcast features an in-depth interview with Sainte-Marie and Tagaq where they discussed making the song. A free digital download and a separate vinyl release of the song will be coming at a later date.
After Half A Century, Vans Finally Explains What “Off The Wall” Means
Tony Alva is the original. Elijah Berle is the modern heir of the Z-Boys legacy, moving skateboarding into the future while honoring its past. Skating an empty backyard pool they connect on a level which transcends the 30-year gap in their ages, reminding us that skateboarding, at its core, is a way to express yourself.
Read Tom Petty’s MusiCares Speech: “I joined the conspiracy to put black music on the popular white radio”
On February 10, Tom Petty was honored as the 2017 MusiCares Person of the Year, in recognition of his significant creative accomplishments, his career-long interest in defending artists’ rights, and the charitable work he has undertaken throughout his career. Speaking at the 27th annual MusiCares gala during GRAMMY Week, Petty reflected on his life of Rock and Roll.
Wow. Thank you, thank you so much. Thank you, thank you.
Twenty years ago I’d have been way too cynical to do this, but I’m 66 now and I feel ya. I thank you for this and it’s a great honor. I’ve watched the whole show backstage. I’ve never — I’m really at a loss for words. The music has been wonderful, and I thank all these artists for coming.
I’d also like, right off the bat, to thank my band the Heartbreakers. They’re such an important part of all of this — I didn’t want to forget them. I know it’s been a long night, I won’t talk too long. I want to play you a bit more music. We have some friends we brought with us and we’re gonna get to that in just a second.
I’m just so beyond honored to be here for MusiCares. For something that does something for musicians. I know people that this has directly affected. And they know how to do it. They don’t ask for a lot of paperwork and the money shows up. And they’ve helped so many people.
And I thank all my friends and the artists that have come. To be here in the presence of so many great American songwriters is amazing. You know, Jackson Browne, Don Henley, Lucinda Williams, Randy Newman. We’re truly honored.
It’s been about two years since I played with the Heartbreakers. Honestly, I’ve been producing records the last couple of years. We got together last week and rehearsed for this thing, and I realized I may actually be in one of the best two or three Rock and Roll bands there is. I’m so proud of them.
I got into Rock and Roll at age ten. I was collecting records — Rock and Roll records. Not rock; this was Rock and Roll. The roll designates a swing — there’s a swing in the roll. It’s a music that was created by black people, given its name by a white DJ named Alan Freed who, along with Sam Phillips — in music they saw it as a conspiracy to get black music on white popular radio. And when Sam found Elvis he called Alan and said “We’re ready to roll.”
The music became popular and it empowered the youth of America. The government got very nervous — especially the Republicans. They put Elvis in the Army and they put Chuck Berry in jail. Things calmed down for a couple of years. But it was too late; the music had reached England. And they remembered it.
“I joined the conspiracy to put black music on the popular white radio.”
In 1964, The Beatles came. I had my eyes opened like so many others and I joined the conspiracy to put black music on the popular white radio. And Rock and Roll goes on, you know. More like the blues or jazz now. But I’m heartened to see these young bands — The Head and the Heart, Cage the Elephant, The Shelters. They’re gonna carry this forward. And we have to be there to support them through it. Because there ain’t nothing like a good Rock and Roll band, people — here to tell you.
Let me kind of fast forward here — you know my story. This is kind of a surreal moment in a surreal life. For some cosmic reason, so many of the artists that I adored came into my world without me calling – they just showed up and we played together and we became friends. And there were so many people. The first one was Roger McGuinn of The Byrds who was there right away with my first record.
And so much has happened to me that you wouldn’t believe. I’m not gonna try to tell it all to you, but I’m thinking right now about one particular thing. I was looking out there — I know so many people here. Mo, Mo and Olivia are out there. I love Mo and I love Liv. Me and George Harrison and Jeff Lynne one night were at Mo Ostin’s house — this was before, we were just working on the idea of the Traveling Wilburys — and I had written this song Free Fallin’ and done the record and taken it to my label, MCA. And they rejected the record. And that had never happened to me before. I was like, wow, what do I do?
So, we forgot about it. And we were at Mo’s house and dinner ended and George said, “Let’s get the guitars out and sing a little bit.” And we sang and George said, “Let’s do that ‘Free Fallin’’ Tom. Play that.”
So we had a kind of Wilbury arrangement of it with harmony. And we did it. And Lenny Waronker is sitting there, he said, “That’s a hit.” With two acoustic guitars, you know? I said, “Well, my record company won’t put it out.” And Mo says, “I’ll fuckin’ put it out.”
But anyway — not supposed to do that. Ok. I was going to tell you, sorry. I’m trying so hard to be good. I got my wife is here. And my daughter Adria. I’m really on my best behavior tonight. But I did — I wanted to tell you one little thing. I got into town in 1974 and I was signed by Denny Cordell to Leon Russell’s Shelter Records. And Leon brought me over to his house and he said, “I want you to just hang around.” He like the songs that I’d done. “If it comes to a thing where we need some words, I need you to be here and I’ll pay you for it.” And he was gonna pay me, I was gonna be there, right?
So, the first session, in comes George Harrison and Ringo and Jim Keltner and they didn’t need any words. But those cats were so cool, you know? And I found myself — after the session when we were hanging out — I found myself slipping my sunglasses on. Leon said, “What the hell are you doing with the dark glasses, man?” I said, “I don’t know? It feels cool, you know, like Jimmy Keltner.” He goes, “Wearing a sunglasses at night is an honor you earn. Lou Adler had Johnny Rivers and the Mamas and Papas before he put them glasses on. Jack Nicholson mad really shitty Boris Carloff movies before he put them glasses on.”
Well, I’m putting my glasses on. But, I thank Leon for that advice.
I was going to tell you, I was fortunate enough to know the great Johnny Cash. I loved him since I saw him on the Hootenanny television show in 1962. They filmed in Gainesville, Florida.
Well, I actually didn’t see him that week. The paper said he was a little loopy and punched a policeman and did not appear that night. And I loved him. I loved all his songs. You know, “Hey Porter,” “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town,” “Big River” — you young songwriters, you wanna be a songwriter, just listen to “Big River” about sixty times and you’ll write something.
But we made an album together, Johnny and the Heartbreakers. And it won the GRAMMY for Best Country Record of the Year — without ever being played once on a country record station. But that’s alright, because it was actually a Rock and Roll record — Johnny was pretty Rock and Roll.
This morning, I was looking through a box and a card fell out — and it was from John on my 50th birthday. And it said, “Happy birthday. You’re a good man to ride the river with.” And that’s all I wanna be — good man to ride the river with. And I’m gonna keep riding the river. Thank you.
Legacy Recordings to Release Cover Stories: Brandi Carlile Celebrates 10 Years of The Story – An Album to Benefit War Child on May 5
On May 5, Legacy Recordings (a division of Sony Music Entertainment) will release Cover Stories: Brandi Carlile Celebrates 10 Years of The Story – An Album to Benefit War Child. This historic collection features newly recorded versions of all fourteen songs from Carlile’s breakthrough T Bone Burnett-produced 2007 album The Story, which just last month was certified Gold by the RIAA. Adele, The Avett Brothers, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Pearl Jam, and Margo Price are among the artists and activists lending their voices to celebrate the album’s 10th anniversary, and Barack Obama will provide a foreword. All proceeds from the album will benefit War Child UK, an organization dedicated to supporting children affected by conflict. Carlile’s nonprofit, the Looking Out Foundation, launched the Story Campaign last year to raise awareness and funds for War Child UK.
“This is a David and Goliath story,” says Carlile. “Since becoming a mother, the reality of a child’s beautiful life being torn apart by war felt like too big of a problem for me. So I asked my heroes and friends to help me launch a rock at the giant that is our refugee crisis and help in the only way we know how, through the power of music.” She adds, “It’s not how hard you can throw, it’s how high you’re willing to aim.”
Cover Stories was recorded mostly over a series of sessions in 2016 (with the exception of Adele’s take on “Hiding My Heart” which was originally released as a bonus track to her 2011 album 21, and Ruby Amanfu’s “Shadow on the Wall,” originally released in 2015), with many special guests contributing to the already star-studded lineup. Chris Stapleton adds guitar to Kris Kristofferson’s take on “Turpentine,” and Miranda Lambert lends backing vocals to Anderson East’s “Josephine.” Dave Cobb produced tracks by Kristofferson, Parton, and Price; Patrick Carney of the Black Keys produced Ruby Amanfu; Carlile and longtime bandmates The Twins (Tim and Phil Hanseroth) produced the Secret Sisters and TORRES.
Carlile and The Twins have confirmed a run of special tour dates to celebrate the release of Cover Stories called An Acoustic Evening with Brandi Carlile Performing The Story in Its Entirety and More. The nine-date run kicks off April 21 and shows in Birmingham, Athens, Austin + Los Angeles are already sold out. See below for a full list of dates.
Reflecting on The Story’s 10th anniversary Carlile says, “This album defined our band and welded The Twins and me to one another forever. It’s been a transformative experience to revisit it 10 years later and watch it become something bigger than me. To hear the songs through the voices of my heroes is both surreal and humbling.”
Catherine Carlile, Executive Director of the Looking Out Foundation, emphasizes the importance of artists using their platform to amplify the voices of children in war. “When powerful artists come together and lend their voices to a cause, they deliver an indelible message. Today’s headlines will soon be yesterday’s news, but music endures and transcends and the story lives on.”
Rob Williams, CEO of War Child UK says, “War Child has a strong and enduring story of harnessing the power of music to support children forced to live with the brutality of war. This fantastic album will help fund our vital work – from supporting Syrian children to access education, to reintegrating child soldiers in the Central African Republic and working in juvenile justice in Afghanistan.”
Cover Stories: Brandi Carlile Celebrates Ten Years of The Story – An Album to Benefit War Child tracklisting:
Late Morning Lullaby – Shovels & Rope
The Story – Dolly Parton
Turpentine – Kris Kristofferson
My Song – Old Crow Medicine Show
Wasted – Jim James
Have You Ever – The Avett Brothers
Josephine – Anderson East
Losing Heart – Secret Sisters
Cannonball – Indigo Girls
Until I Die – TORRES
Downpour – Margo Price
Shadow On The Wall – Ruby Amanfu
Again Today – Pearl Jam
Hiding My Heart – Adele
An Acoustic Evening with Brandi Carlile Performing The Story in Its Entirety and More
April 21 – Birmingham, AL – Lyric Theatre – SOLD OUT
April 22 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre – SOLD OUT
April 24 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
April 25 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
April 28 – Houston, TX – Cullen Performance Hall
April 29 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at Moody Theatre – SOLD OUT
April 30 – Dallas, TX – The Majestic Theater
May 5 – Los Angeles, CA – John Anson Ford Amphitheatre – SOLD OUT
May 6 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
Joan Baez, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray and Emily Saliers Are Going On Tour Together
Legendary artists and long-time friends Joan Baez, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Indigo Girls Amy Ray and Emily Saliers announced that they will share the stage in a special group performance as Four Voices in June. These exclusive summer tour dates will include stops at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, Chicago’s Chicago Theatre and Toronto’s Massey Hall. For ticket details, go here.
The friendship between these four acclaimed artists began over twenty-five years ago when Baez invited Ray and Saliers to perform at a 1991 benefit at the Berkeley Community Theater for her human rights organization, Humanitas. Upon accepting the invitation, Ray and Saliers suggested enlisting Carpenter as well. After a successful performance, the four of them reconnected a year later at an Earth Day Celebration in Boston and at the Newport Folk Festival. Most recently, while together at Baez’s 75th birthday concert at the Beacon Theatre, they discussed the possibility of going on tour together and—one year later—the Four Voices Tour was confirmed.
Baez’s career has spanned over 50 years during which she unselfconsciously introduced Bob Dylan to the world in 1963, marched on the front lines of the Civil Rights movement with Martin Luther King, inspired Vaclav Havel to fight for a Czech Republic and continues to this day to stand passionately on behalf of causes she embraces. She is the recipient of many honors including the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award as well as Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience award and, in April, will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Her early albums introduced songs that found their way into the rock vernacular including “House Of the Rising Sun” (The Animals), “John Riley” (The Byrds) and “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” (Led Zeppelin).
Over the course of her acclaimed career, Carpenter has recorded 14 albums and sold over 14 million records. Beloved by fans and critics alike, she has won five Grammy Awards (with 15 nominations) and is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Her most recent album, The Things That We Are Made Of, was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb and was released last year to widespread acclaim. The Associated Press calls it, “…an evocative collection of songs,” while The Huffington Post declares, “…Carpenter is now at the height of her musical career, painting a compelling, relevant piece of art tinged with mixed feelings of grief and joy, all without preaching or darkening our minds with sadness.” Previously, in 2014, Carpenter released her debut orchestral album, Songs From The Movie, which was arranged and co-produced by six-time Grammy winner Vince Mendoza. Since it’s release, Carpenter has performed alongside the New York Philharmonic, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the London Concert Orchestra, the L.A. Philharmonic and the National Symphony Orchestra among many others.
Twenty years after they began releasing records as the Indigo Girls, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have politely declined the opportunity to slow down. With a legacy of releases and countless U.S. and international tours behind them, the Indigo Girls have forged their own way in the music business. Selling over 14 million records, they are still going strong. Amy & Emily are the only duo with top 40 titles on the Billboard 200 in the ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘00s and ‘10. The duo has balanced their long, successful musical career by supporting numerous social causes – the Indigo Girls don’t just talk the talk; they walk the walk. Having established an intensely dedicated fan base, the duo continues to remain relevant and attract new fans. In 2015 Indigo Girls released their 16th studio album, One Lost Day, produced by Jordan Brooke Hamlin and mixed by Brian Joseph.
FOUR VOICES SUMMER TOUR:
June 3—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium
June 5—Raleigh, NC—North Carolina Museum of Art
June 6—Charlottesville, VA—Sprint Pavilion
June 8—Kettering, OH—Fraze Pavilion
June 9—Rochester Hills, MI—Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
June 11—Chicago, IL—Chicago Theatre
June 12—Grand Rapids, MI—Meijer Gardens
June 14—Toronto, ON—Massey Hall
June 16—Gilford, NH—Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
June 17—Lenox, MA—Tanglewood
Ride Unveil First New Song In 20 Years ‘Charm Assault’
Ride today unveil ‘Charm Assault’, their first new music in twenty years. Produced by legendary DJ, producer and remixer Erol Alkan, ‘Charm Assault’ sees Ride on classic form as driving drums, and chiming guitar lines underpin Andy Bell’s unmistakable vocals on this urgent and vital opening salvo from their eagerly anticipated forthcoming album. The album, scheduled for release this summer, will be released through Wichita Recordings and sees the band reunited with label co-founders Mark Bowen and Dick Green, who they worked with during the band’s early years on Creation Records. It also brings the band back together with mixer Alan Moulder (Arctic Monkeys, Smashing Pumpkins, The Killers) who mixed their seminal 1990 album Nowhere and produced it’s follow up Going Blank Again.
Andy Bell says “Charm Assault is a pretty straightforward expression of frustration and disgust at the people who currently run our country. The tour in 2015 was a good way of reminding us what we were good at in the first place and Charm Assault feels like a natural continuation from our peak. When we started writing together again we tried to imagine we’d kept on making music all this time, and this was just the latest one.”
Erol Alkan says: “’Nowhere’ and ‘Going Blank Again’ were big records for me and my friends when we were growing up. I’ve vaguely known Andy for a few years through his brother-in-law but we didn’t actually meet until a couple of years back. I had an email from them asking if I’d like to collaborate with the band, and once I’d heard the demos, I was 100% in. Andy’s very well versed in electronic music, so we had a common bond in that as well as alternative music. The new music contains all the great elements you want from Ride – Great songs, loud guitars, beautiful harmonies, powerful rhythms.”
The revitalised four piece – comprising of Andy Bell, Mark Gardener, Laurence Colbert, and Steve Queralt – reformed and returned to the live scene in 2014, selling out headline tours around the world to a plethora of critical acclaim, as well as show stopping turns at festivals including Coachella, Primavera and Field Day.
Metal On A Sitar? It Can Be Done…
Musician Rob Scallon proves that with the right technique, you can play any genre of music on any instrument, even if it’s a sitar and metal.
Pixies announce second leg to 2017 North American Tour
With more than half of Leg One already sold out, Pixies announce the addition of Leg Two to its 2017 North American touring schedule. The band will kick off the second leg September 19 in New Haven, CT, and will perform in major and secondary markets over a five-week period. Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 24; log onto www.pixiesmusic.com for pre-sales details and complete purchasing info.
Pixies, a long time leader in helping to break the ticket scalper stranglehold, will be working to get their face-value tickets to their fans, and not to touts for inflated resale, something they did very successfully during last Fall’s UK tour. Said Pixies manager Richard Jones, “On this tour, we are asking the promoters and the venues to make avaialble as many tickets as possible for pre-sales. That way, we can help insure that tickets get into the hands of the fans and not the scalpers. We’ve also asked the promoters to remove any secondary site links and to use their anti-tout teams and technology to help combat the scalper market.”
Leg Two will also include additional New York shows as well as this cycle’s first Canadian shows, scheduled in Toronto and Montreal. Sunflower Bean, who Rolling Stone called “NYC’s coolest young band,” will provide support on the first half of the tour with Brooklyn’s Mitski (“one of the most compelling voices in the sphere of indie rock” – Pitchfork) opening the shows on the second half. The confirmed itinerary is below and includes the band’s upcoming international dates.
On the 2017 dates, Pixies – Joey Santiago/guitar, Black Francis/guitar & vocals, David Lovering/drums, and bassist Paz Lenchantin – are introducing to its global audiences a brand new stage set designed by their longtime production manager Simon Foster and lighting designer Myles Mangino. The design is simple and sleek and fashioned around special pods that are positioned behind the band, housing all of the lighting. Fans can expect a set list comprised of the classics and catalogue rarities as well as newer songs from Indie Cindy and the band’s latest release, Head Carrier. As is the norm, there will be no firm setlist for Pixies’ shows; their sets, while pulled from nearly 90 songs that the band has rehearsed and is prepared to play, will change somewhat from night to night with every number determined just before it’s performed.
Pixies launched the European leg of this 2016-17 global run last November, playing sold-out shows throughout the UK and wrapping up in Birmingham on December 8. The band is back on the road as of February 25, playing a series of dates in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and, for the first time, South Africa. Following the April/May North American leg, Pixies will head to Europe to play a series of major summer festivals.
Confirmed dates are below:
February 25 – March 18, 2017
Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa
North American Tour, Leg One
APRIL
21 Fox Theatre, Pomona, CA*
22 Cal Coast Open Air, San Diego, CA*
23 House of Blues, Anaheim, CA*
25 Ace Theatre, Los Angeles, CA*
29 Bomb Factory, Dallas, TX*
30 White Oak Music Hall, Houston, TX*
MAY
1 Stubbs, Austin, TX*
3 Saenger Theatre, New Orleans, LA*
5 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN*
6 Madison Theatre, Covington, KY*
7 Express Live Amphitheatre, Columbus, OH*
9 The National, Richmond, VA**
11 Durham PAC, Durham, NC**
12 Shaky Knees Music Festival, Atlanta, GA**
14 Rams Head Live, Baltimore, MD**
16 Lincoln Theatre, Washington, DC**
17 Lincoln Theatre, Washington, DC**
19 House of Blues, Boston, MA**
20 House of Blues, Boston, MA**
21 Paradise Ballroom, Boston, MA**
23 Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA**
24 Webster Hall, New York, NY**
25 Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn, NY**
26 Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn, NY**
* Public Access TV will support
** Cymbals Eat Guitars will support
July 6 – August 11, 2017
UK/Europe
North American Tour, Leg Two
SEPTEMBER
19 College Street Music Hall, New Haven, CT*
22 The Westbury Theatre, Westbury, NY*
23 Stone Pony Summerstage, Asbury Park, NJ*
24 The Capitol Theatre, Portchester, NY*
26 State Theatre, Portland, ME*
27 Metropolis, Montreal QC*
29 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON*
30 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON*
OCTOBER
1 UB Centre for the Arts, Buffalo, NY (support TBA)
3 The Agora Theatre, Cleveland, OH*
4 Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA*
6 The Fillmore Detroit, Detroit, MI*
7 20 Monroe Live, Grand Rapids, MI**
8 The Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL**
11 Palace Theatre, St. Paul, MN**
14 Peabody Opera House, St. Louis, MO**
15 Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland, Kansas City, MO**
18 Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO**
21 The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, NV**
* Sunflower Bean will support
** Mitski will support