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‘Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA – Family, Faith & Fables’ Set For Release November 15

Dolly Parton, in collaboration with Owepar Entertainment, is thrilled to announce an unprecedented exploration of her rich family heritage with the upcoming release of Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA – Family, Faith & Fables. A companion four-part docuseries is also in production.

Set for release on November 15, 2024, a pre-order will launch June 21 in tandem with the set’s first two instant grat tracks and the reveal of the full track list. The project will be available on vinyl and CD and via digital download and streaming.

“I cannot believe that it has been 60 years this month since I graduated from Sevier County High School and moved to Nashville to pursue my dreams,” recalls Dolly. “My Uncle Bill Owens was by my side for many years helping me develop my music. I owe so much to him and all the family members past and present who have inspired me along this journey. I am honored to spotlight our families’ musical legacy that is my Smoky Mountain DNA.”

Smoky Mountain DNA will shine a spotlight on the enduring legacy of two families – Dolly’s paternal Parton family and her mother’s family, the Owens. The project traces their origins from the United Kingdom in the 1600s to their home today in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Through this release, audiences will discover the treasured heritage that has been preserved and echoed in the music and vibrant culture of Appalachia.

Produced by Richie Owens, Dolly’s cousin, the album features songs performed by various members of Dolly’s immediate & extended family, spanning generations. Some tracks include the voices of beloved family members who have passed, alongside contemporary contributions from today’s generation. These recordings not only celebrate the musical legacy but also the deep familial bonds and cultural traditions that have shaped their lives.

The accompanying docuseries will offer an intimate look at the family’s historical journey from the UK to present-day East Tennessee, enriched by interviews with numerous family members. A particular focus is given to the Reverend Jake Owens, Dolly’s grandfather, who instilled in her and her relatives a profound respect for faith, a deep love of music and storytelling, and strong enduring family values.

Central to the docuseries are concert performances filmed at Knoxville’s historic Bijou Theater, featuring Dolly and family from the record. These songs interweave with poignant narratives about these two families and their individual members, offering viewers a unique and personal glimpse into the roots of the Parton and Owens families.

Smoky Mountain DNA is not just a musical and visual experience but a passage through the lineage and ethos of a family that has deeply influenced one of the world’s most beloved artists.

Photo Gallery: 21 Savage with J.I.D, Nardo Wick and 21 Lil Harold at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage

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All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her through Instagram or X.

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Michelle Obama’s ‘When We All Vote’ Will Bring Voting to the Culture and Engage Voters Across the Country This Summer

Today, When We All Vote launched the Culture of Democracy Tour, a summer of action to register, educate and engage thousands of voters and volunteers. The Culture of Democracy Tour brings voting to popular culture through events, sweepstakes, campaigns, voter registration drives and more in partnership with the organization’s thousands of volunteers and partners.

More than 200 partners have joined When We All Vote’s Culture of Democracy Collective — a network of leading national and community organizations, including sports, corporate and entertainment partners, committed to registering, educating and mobilizing voters. Members include Essence, BET, Lyft, Girls Inc., NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Global Black Economic Forum, Lime, the Divine Nine National Pan-Hellenic Organizations, VoteRiders and the Executive Leadership Council, as well as major sport teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings, Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Mystics, New England Revolution, Houston Dynamo and more.

“At a time when fewer young people are identifying with political parties, the work of nonpartisan organizations like When We All Vote has never been more critical,” said Beth Lynk, Executive Director of When We All Vote. “Through the Culture of Democracy Tour this summer, we will bring voting to the culture and meet voters where they are — transforming how they view and participate in democracy and taking this momentum to the biggest stop of all: the ballot box.”

When We All Vote’s Founder and Co-Chair, Michelle Obama, continues to be a trusted voice in the political space. She will use her voice throughout the tour to engage eligible voters.

More than 40 million Gen Z’ers will be eligible to vote in November, and almost half are people of color,  including 8.8 million Latinos and 5.7 million Black youth. 71 percent of the people who registered with When We All Vote in 2020 were young people and people of color, with a turnout rate of 83 percent — surpassing the national average by nearly 20 percentage points. With reports of lower voter enthusiasm dominating the narrative, the Culture of Democracy Tour is critical to remind voters of their power and encourage voter participation. Highlights include:

  • Events: When We All Vote will join some of the summer’s biggest events and celebrations to register voters, including:
    • The Roots Picnic in Philadelphia, PA, on June 1 and 2
    • Blavity House Party Music Festival in Nashville, TN, on June 14 and 15
    • Essence Festival of Culture and the Global Black Economic Forum’s Summit and Conference in New Orleans, LA, between July 4 and July 7
  • National Days of Action and Volunteer Mobilization: Hundreds of volunteers will host voter registration drives and get their communities registered and ready to vote:
    • Pride Month voter registration drives throughout June
    • Juneteenth Weekend of Action June 19-23
    • The Voting Rights Act Anniversary on August 6
  • Digital Campaigns: When We All Vote will engage voters around the issues motivating them most through campaigns with partners, such as:
    • Digital and in-person activations with sports leagues and athletes
    • Digital campaigns around key issues for voters, including reproductive rights, climate change and the state of the economy
    • A back-to-school campaign as a part of the My School Votes program for high school students throughout August
    • New partnerships with celebrity talent and brands

Culture of Democracy Collective
The more than 200 members of the Culture of Democracy Collective will register voters through their platforms. For example:

  • Lyft will offer discounted rides to the polls during primaries, early voting and on Election Day across the country, as well as help riders, drivers and team members register, prepare to vote and understand voting ID requirements
  • Lime will share voter registration deadlines and offer free e-bike and e-scooter rides to polling locations on Election Day
  • Amalgamated Bank will promote voter registration in branches to help inform their customers and employees about the elections and encourage them to vote
  • Essence and the Global Black Economic Forum will register and mobilize voters and protect democracy
  • The Executive Leadership Council will convene Black business leaders to mobilize around voter education and registration in both the workplace and in their local communities
  • Clare V. will release a VOTE t-shirt in support of When We All Vote
  • Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and other organizations in the Divine Nine will mobilize their membership around Juneteenth to register people to vote
  • Drag Out the Vote will encourage the community to register voters for Pride Month
  • State Voices will help galvanize their large network to host Parties at the Polls
  • Southern Poverty Law Center will register voters through statewide campaigns in Alabama and Mississippi

Earlier this year, When We All Vote laid out its three-pronged strategy for 2024: 1) register at least 500,000 Americans to vote; 2) reach and mobilize 5 million voters to cast their ballots; 3) change the culture around voting with partners and celebrity co-chairs and ambassadors.

Unreleased Tracks by Celia Cruz Featured in New Album “Celia Cruz En Vivo: 100 Años de Azúcar”

Loud And Live Studios and Celia Cruz Entertainment announced today the release of a new Commemorative LP in celebration of the centennial of Celia Cruz’s birth. It is a compilation of nine songs recorded at a concert in Miami, FL, by the Queen of Salsa during the years of 1986 and 1987 titled En Vivo: 100 Años de Azúcar (100 Years of Azúcar). These recordings have remained unreleased for almost four decades.

“Looking for material in our archives, we found these recordings that we didn’t even know existed, made by radio personality Albertico Rodríguez in a nightclub in Miami in the mid-eighties. Celia only released one live album during her entire career, which makes these recordings even more valuable,” says Omer Pardillo-Cid, Celia Cruz’s last manager and universal executor of her legacy, in addition to being one of the album producers. “One of the great treasures of my life was accompanying Celia for so many years. After her death, I made it my mission to safeguard the work that she left us so that it would not be forgotten over time. This project is one more example that Celia is immortal. Now she is the one who accompanies me and will do so for eternity.”

The power of the music of the so-called La Guarachera de Cuba is inestimable. More than twenty years after her death, the iconic Cuban artist seems to be more alive than ever. In the two decades that have passed, the fame and affection for the artist continues to grow daily. Celia Cruz has become the most idolized Hispanic singer in history. This cultural icon, who received countless honors and awards during her lifetime, including three GRAMMY Awards and four Latin GRAMMY Awards, was commemorated by the United States Postal Service with a postage stamp featuring her image as part of the Latin Music Legends Forever series. Recently, her image was immortalized by the toy company Mattel as a Barbie doll in their Inspiring Women series, and in August 2024, the United States Mint, a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, will honor the artist as one of four women selected to have their faces depicted on a United States 25-cent coin, as part of the American Women Quarters program.

This album, which features some of her most iconic songs such as Quimbara, Bemba Colorá, La Dicha Mía and Tu Voz, in completely unreleased versions, is produced by Loud And Live Studios and curated by multi-GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY award-winning producers Nelson Albareda and Omer Pardillo-Cid, and radio personality Albertico Rodríguez. The recordings were restored and remastered by engineer Pedro “Waldy D” Domínguez, also a GRAMMY award winner.

This album will be available in several configurations, including a Limited-Edition Collector’s box set. The Limited-Edition set will feature unique packaging, one of its main attractions, adorned with authentic vintage sequined fabric from one of the textiles used in Cruz’s famous costumes. The Limited-Edition Collector’s set and the Deluxe box set edition will also include a hardcover book containing one hundred photographs celebrating each year of the legendary artist’s life, along with exclusive printed photos that are sure to become collector’s items. Additionally, the album will be released as standard vinyl and made available on all digital platforms.

“This album is very special to me for several reasons. First and foremost, Celia Cruz, Cuba’s most iconic artist was one of the first artists I worked with. Second, these are recordings of live concerts in the city I cherish, Miami. Third, I have always liked design, whether graphic or advertising, and I think the packaging of this album is unique and a true representation of Celia’s style,” says Nelson Albareda, CEO of Loud And Live and executive producer of the album. “And finally, the music itself, my great passion. As a Cuban-American, this music celebrates my roots, my heritage, and my essence as a human being. An artist like Celia comes along every hundred years, and that is precisely what we are celebrating, 100 Años de Azucar.”

“En Vivo: 100 Años de Azúcar,” distributed by InnerCat, had its exclusive premiere on SiriusXM Caliente channel 158 and is now available on all digital platforms and in physical formats at www.celiacruz.com. The launch of this album marks the beginning of a series of celebrations organized by the Celia Cruz Foundation to honor the centennial of the iconic artist. These festivities will commence in October 2024 and continue through the end of 2025.

Watch 40 Fingers Cover Dire Straits’ ‘Sultans of Swing’ on Four Guitars

Feel the infectious energy as the four exceptionally skilled musicians of 40 Fingers light up the stage with their vibrant acoustic rendition of the timeless Dire Straits classic, “Sultans of Swing,” in the heart of Ljubljana, Slovenia! Their dynamic performance not only pays homage to the iconic original but also injects it with their own unique style and charisma, captivating the audience with every strum and riff.

1,000 Musicians Play Queen, David Bowie, And The Who

Get ready to groove with The Rockin’1000, a powerhouse ensemble of 1,000 exceptionally gifted musicians, as they ignite the stage with three timeless rock anthems from the 1970s! From The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” to David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel,” and culminating in Queen’s iconic “We Will Rock You,” these electrifying performances took place across three unforgettable shows, two in 2019 and one in 2016. It’s a celebration of rock ‘n’ roll spirit and sheer musical prowess that will have you on your feet, singing along, and feeling the pulse of each unforgettable moment.

My Next Read: “The Half of It: A Memoir” By Madison Beer

Discovered at twelve years old, Madison Beer was one of the first artists to have her entire life documented online. Over the past decade, she has navigated the spotlight as a child, through her teenage years, and now as a young woman in her twenties.

In The Half of It, Madison pulls back the curtain to show the behind-the-scenes of her journey, from reckoning with mass hate online and the time her private pictures were leaked, to battling suicidal thoughts while making her highly acclaimed debut album, Life Support, and her recovery since then. This memoir is an honest and unflinching account of self-love, mental health, and advocacy from one of the fastest-rising musical voices and most influential social media presences of her generation. It hammers home the point, more striking and urgent than ever, that no matter how close the internet may make us feel to people, we truly don’t know the half of it.

Vancouver Hard Rockers THE MIGHTY ONE Reimagines The Power Ballad For The Age Of Social Awareness With “Kickin’ Stones”

In their third album, “The Torch of Rock and Roll”, The Mighty One has chosen to go full tilt at the fragility and vulnerabilities we try to hide from all but a select few. The 5th single from this album “Kickin’ Stones,” out now, is a haunting tribute to Jeff Worobec, a dear friend of songwriter, guitarist and lead singer Tim Steinruck who harkened back to the bygone days of youth and boundless promise when writing this song. The Mighty One, rounded out with talented musicians Bob Wagner (drums), Chris Campbell (bass), Randy Robertson (lead guitar) and James Meyer (keyboards) tackle the often difficult to discuss parts of what it is that makes us human, by exploring themes of hopelessness, loneliness, isolation and suicide in this song that also manages to remind us of the days when epic power ballads produced by hard rock and metal bands ruled the airwaves.

In what feels like a trip back in time to the days before the rock and metal stranglehold on popular music was upended, “Kickin’ Stones” takes you on a journey from the soft key intro to the outro that soars to instrumental heights with lyrical imagery spread evenly between. The song continues the tradition of a strong message with tact and dignity while not being afraid to say words out loud that others might bury in poetry that could obscure the fundamental message of suicide prevention and awareness.

Steinruck explains, “Jeff was a real good-looking man but was famous for sabotaging his relationships. One day he came into the studio with that look on his face. ‘What happened?’ I asked. ‘She’s gone’ he said. ‘I sent her down the road kickin’ stones.’ In that moment something just clicked, and the story of his life became a song.”

The Mighty One was formed in 2007 and had chart success with their self-titled album, and its single “Reprieved” with both reaching the Top 10 and the 2009 video for “Reprieved” still enjoying regular rotation on Canada’s music channel Much Loud. Their sophomore album, SHiFT, with two singles “Waiting For You” and “Countdown to Ascension” had radio success and prompted invitations to SXSW in Austin, Texas and Canadian Music Week in Toronto, Ontario. Further success was found when “Waiting For You” was licensed to the NHL and Sirius XM to celebrate Sydney Crosby’s return after leave due to a concussion. Their most recent album, “The Torch of Rock and Roll” continues to spawn singles; garner nominations and awards including “International Songwriter, Album, and Band Of The Year” at the 2023 International Singer Songwriter Awards in Atlanta, Georgia; and exponentially grow their Canadian and international fan base. They have received attention through coverage in Rock Hard, Power Play, and Fireworks magazines and you can hear their music on A+E, MTV, NASCAR, and Discovery Channels.

Sarantos Drops Thought-Provoking Single ‘Never Trust a Happy Song’

Chicago-based independent artist Sarantos presents a new single, “Never Trust a Happy Song.” The anthemic, catchy song’s joyful tone belies its weighty message, with lyrics describing personal missteps, mistakes, and moments of isolation and abandonment. Sarantos ultimately prompts listeners to ask what lies beneath the smooth veneer—of a song, or of any other attractive thing that may not be what it seems.

The multifaceted and hyper productive Sarantos is dedicated to bringing his art to life, literally, by releasing new music and writing weekly, keeping his fans tuned in for constant surprises. In Sarantos’s path, no stone is left unturned, no genre unexplored, no feeling unexamined. And he’s been doing this for almost a decade, releasing 18 albums containing more than 200 original songs, building a catalog of 4,000 songs in total—alongside nine fiction/fantasy books—and garnering a social media following of over one million. His efforts have paid off, landing several top 10 independent chart placements, two Grammy considerations, and multiple TV and media placements.

With his latest pop tune, “Never Trust a Happy Song,” Sarantos asks us to probe deeper, and presents the challenge of doing so when surrounded by a rallying pop song and imagery showing off other people’s happiness. The music video accompanying the song is a supercut of beautiful young people grooving with their headphones on, playing guitar, and taking in the scenery of a beach at sunset or a city in winter. Taken together, the footage recalls ads for antidepressants, meant to show the ordinary contentment one may finally feel with the right dosage.

But life and its inherent struggles will still challenge us, as Sarantos reminds us with the lyrics: “I’ve lived so many lives / Lost track of countless nights / Died so many times / But I’ve yet to do one right.” The lyrics continue through to a cathartic, humbling acceptance: “The world cares nothing about me / It’ll lie to you / Maybe it’s right to doubt me / It won’t cry for you.” Maybe we’re on our own, he suggests, but what does that matter? We pick up the pieces and push through.

“Never Trust a Happy Song” is decidedly poppy and extremely catchy. Yet Sarantos gravitates away from the saccharine, steering instead toward an uncompromising sincerity. The lyrics are raw and introspective, but Sarantos reminds listeners that they don’t have to sulk through the tune by weaving in and out of an almost playful chorus. His stellar vocal delivery carries listeners through relatable emotionality while working in tandem with an innate musicality. The guitar solo drifts through the song’s upbeat verses like a bittersweet memory, reminding us that although the song is catchy, we still shouldn’t trust a happy song.

Indie Rockers The Petras Announce New Single ‘Sapphire’

The Petras’ “Sapphire,” set the stage for what’s to come from this fresh all-women band out of Kingston, Ontario. “Sapphire” is a rousing indie rock banger that invites listeners to embrace their unique and wonderful selves that invokes the band’s inspirations: The Runaways and The Beaches.

Says The Petras vocalist Brielle LeBlanc, “We all have something that’s special about us, something that makes us shine. And we’ve all had the feeling of being misunderstood, judged, or envied for it. This song is about not being afraid to shine… to celebrate the “Sapphire’ in all of us!”

Sapphire walks in the room and the whole table turns
Out of pocket but she’ll never learn
On fire like a rocket in the night
Always gets anything she likes

Written by LeBlanc (also of rock band Luscious) and guitarist Rowan “Rogue” Picard and featuring Zoe Evans on bass and Madisen “Maddy” Benoit on drums, “Sapphire” was produced by Juno award winner and founding member of Glass Tiger, Michael Hanson at Altravox Studios. Ryan Lewis of Elevation Music Studio recorded and edited the track.

The Petras and Hanson are currently working on material for an EP.

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That Eric Alper
6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week, a 16-time JUNO Award winner overseeing PR campaigns, and have also been truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

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