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David Clayton-Thomas Releases Studio Album ‘Canadiana’ Paying Tribute To Rush, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen

David Clayton-Thomas, the endlessly prolific singer, Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame, and Canada’s Walk Of Fame inductee will release ‘Canadiana’ (ILS Group/Universal) on Friday, October 13th.

In this fresh collection of interpretations, David’s grasp of pop, jazz, and blues is second to none, with sparkling interpretations of songs Rush, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen and more.

Working again with producer George Koller, David sings some of Canada’s best-loved songs, carving out the melodies and the memories of the decades, with his soulful voice at the helm. “George’s musicality and his gentle leadership, his organizational skills and his incredible bass playing were essential to the success of this very complex project,” David says.

“To pay tribute to the songs of Canada’s most well-loved songwriters was a task I did not take lightly. To give each song its own identity while honouring the intent of the writer would be challenging. The contributions of Canadian writers to popular music is enormous. We began with a list of over 100 songs. Our hardest job was determining which of the great songs on this long list NOT to record.”

The star-studded guests on ‘Canadiana’ include Grammy Award winning drummer Larnell Lewis of Snarky Puppy, and includes duets with Laila Biali and Genevieve Marentette, alongside the brilliant jazz playing by Guido Basso and Russ Little. One highlight of many are the cutting edge string arrangements by Aaron Davis framing Shauna Rolston’s moving cello obligato on Sarah McLachlan’s ‘Angel’ and Laila’s pure angelic voice on Joni Mitchell’s ‘Both Sides Now.’

David is perhaps one of the best-suited singers to record “Ophelia” by The Band as he considers the group one of his contemporaries. David states, “I’ve known The Band since we played the same bars when they were The Hawks. I consider them to be the greatest rock and roll band ever. I wanted to pay tribute to my old friend, Levon Helm. I knew him well and he was a helluva nice guy.”

David didn’t want to simply cover these tunes. He took daring and satisfying liberties when it served the song, giving it a fresh new sound, and was thrilled with the in-the-moment contemporary takes in the studio. “Who knew how a Neil Young song would sound as a reggae? A Lightfoot song with a funky Memphis groove or a Rush anthem played Afro-Cuban? We had a ball recording this album and I hope that comes through in the music. I hope it brings a smile to the faces of all the songwriters represented here.”

David continues, “The songwriters are what this album is all about. Canada has produced some of the most prolific and influential songwriters in the world. The true poet laureates of Canadian culture. From the stark imagery of a Leonard Cohen lyric to the simple Newfoundland honesty of a Ron Hynes tune, our songwriters in so many ways define our identity as a nation. As we approach our county’s 150th birthday I hope this album brings a glow of pride to every Canadian. Our country has contributed mightily to the arts and particularly to the art of songwriting.

“It was a joy to pay homage to these gifted songwriters who have given so much to music lovers around the world.”

‘Canadiana’ track list:
1. Ophelia (The Band)
2. Angel (Sarah McLachlan)
3. Sonny’s Dream (Ron Hynes)
4. Early Morning Rain (Gordon Lightfoot)
5. Far Away Places (written by Alex Kramer and Joan Whitney)
6. Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell)
7. Heart Of Gold (Neil Young)
8. Up Where We Belong (written by Buffy Sainte-Marie)
9. Suzanne (Leonard Cohen)
10. I’ll Never Smile Again (written by Ruth Lowe)
11. Spinning Wheel (Blood, Sweat & Tears)
12. Closer To The Heart (Rush)
13. Something To Talk About (written by Shirley Eikhard)

DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS and the making of ‘CANADIANA’ in his own words:

Ophelia (The Band)
I’ve known “The Band” since we played the same bars when they were “The Hawks”. I consider them to be the greatest rock and roll band ever. Although The Band’s version featured a horn section, we wanted to take Ophelia back to the sound of the Hawks as I first heard them at Le Coq D’or on Yonge Street in1964. Piano, organ, guitar, bass and drums. For drums we chose Lowell Whitty, a Levon Helm fan, who plays very much like him. He gave the song that unmistakable Levon groove. Although it’s a Robbie Robertson composition, I always considered this to be Levon’s signature song and I wanted to pay tribute to my old friend. I knew him well and he was a helluva nice guy. This vocal was easy – first take, live in the studio and never changed. I know this song by heart, saw them play it live dozens of times. I sing this song in the shower.

Angel (Sarah McLachlan)
Sarah’s song really moved me having spent many years on the road in “cold dark hotel rooms” myself. We needed a way to build on the song and give it its own sound without losing the naked honesty of Sarah’s original solo piano version. The answer came in the form of a collaboration with two people. My dear friend, Shauna Rolston, Canada’s premier concert cellist. Fiery and inventive with incredible technique Shauna is indeed a national treasure. Aaron Davis, a brilliant, cutting edge string arranger. Shauna’s emotional cello obbligato and Aaron’s avant-garde strings provide the perfect setting for this interpretation of Sarah’s powerful lyric dealing with drug abuse and the lonely isolation of the artist when the show is done.

Sonny’s Dream (Ron Hynes)
I’ve always wanted to record a Ron Hynes song but there were so many to choose from. He was known as “the man of a thousand songs”. But this one had a personal meaning to me. Not only was “Sonny” my nickname as a kid, but I knew all too well the feeling of coming from a small town and dreaming big dreams and being told by everyone that you’d never amount to anything because no-one from Willowdale ever had. Eric St Laurent’s beautiful acoustic guitar work and the soulful harmonica of Roly Platt give this track the down-home Newfoundland feel that was the hallmark of a Ron Hynes song. Add to that the rich vocal harmonies of Omar Lunan and the Levy sisters and the track was complete. Ron Hynes had a knack for crafting the most intimate, deeply personal stories with deceptively simple lyrics that touched the heart of everyone.

Early Morning Rain (Gordon Lightfoot)
No collection of Canadian songs would be complete without Lightfoot. I hope Gord will forgive me for turning his song inside out, changing the order of the verses to give the song a fresh new narrative. The story begins with a man alone at the airport without the price of a ticket and ends with “Hear the mighty engines roar” as the plane takes off without him. We also chose to give to song a funky “Memphis” sound with Lou Pomanti playing Wurlitzer piano and Hammond B3. Quite different from Gord’s folksy acoustic guitar original but played with total respect for this iconic songwriter.

Far Away Places (written by Alex Kramer and Joan Whitney)
We felt it was important to give this album a historic sweep encompassing the long tradition of Canadian songwriters. We researched many different versions of this song from Perry Como to Sam Cooke and they all were done as slow ballads with lush string arrangements. We opted for a hard-swinging jazz waltz, relying on Ted Quinlan’s traditional jazz guitar style and Guido Basso’s elegant flugelhorn to give the song a feel never before heard on previous renditions.

Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell)
Joni Mitchell’s “flow of consciousness” lyrics have always touched me, going back to our days of playing the coffee houses in Toronto’s Yorkville district. I adored Joni from afar. She was this incredibly beautiful, blonde folk princess with her acoustic guitar, delicate lyrics and diaphanous gowns while I was a leather-jacketed punk, who played telecaster in a brutally loud rock & roll band. She totally ignored me, ha! In later years we had both gravitated toward the jazz world and had many mutual friends. Jaco Pastorius and Don Alias played with Blood, Sweat & Tears and later with Joni Mitchell. In 2007 we were both inducted into The Songwriters Hall Of Fame, we hung out backstage and I must confess I still have a crush on Joni Mitchell. When conceptualizing the string arrangement with Aaron Davis, he observed that on the first half of the verses, the lyrics were light and whimsical and very feminine in nature and on the second half the words became more masculine. A perfect setting for a “boy girl” duet. Laila Biali’s angelic voice on the first half of the verses contrasts perfectly with my more cynical, world weary readings on the second half. Then we join forces for a true duet on the choruses and it all comes together. Aaron Davis’ daring string arrangement makes this one of the most ambitious tracks on the album.

Heart Of Gold (Neil Young)
Neil Young is another artist who shared the Yorkville-era with me. We both left Toronto around the same time. Neil for California where he teamed up with Stephen Stills and company to form CSNY and me for New York where I joined Blood, Sweat & Tears. I have loved reggae music for years. In the 70’s I produced a Jamaican band in Toronto called “Ishan People”. When George Koller and I chose this classic Neil Young tune for the album we were looking for a “sound”. Something different from Neil’s original recording.
One day, just jamming on my Martin in my living room with George and Eric, I fell into a reggae groove and it made everyone smile… it just felt right. So that’s the way it went. When we got to the studio we brought in Grammy Award winning drummer Larnell Lewis (Snarky Puppy) and the track came to life. Lou Pomanti’s B3 and Eric St Laurent’s guitar put the final touches on this funky reggae track. My experience with Ishan People had taught me how to speak a little Jamaican patois and you’ll hear a taste of that at the end of the song. A totally fun track.

Up Where We Belong (written by Buffy Sainte-Marie)
Originally recorded by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes for the soundtrack of “An Officer And A Gentlemen” This Buffy Sainte Marie song is one of the great boy girl duets of all time. Genevieve “Gigi” Marentette had already recorded a duet with me on the Combo album, “The Glory Of Love”, and she is a dear friend and I knew we sang well together. Her sexy, soulful, Detroit sound goes well with my R&B influenced vocal style… we share the same roots. We decided to “go big” with this arrangement and I asked Lou Pomanti to write a powerful big band horn chart that would really lift the singers over the top. He did, and “Gigi” and I responded, live in the studio, face to face the way a great duet must be recorded.
It’s a daunting task to follow two of the best singers in the business singing a song that they made internationally famous but Gigi and I felt that if we approached the song with our own voices and gave the track it’s own personality we could pull it off… We did.

Suzanne (Leonard Cohen)
What more can be said about the lyrics of Leonard Cohen? His genius for stark imagery exemplifies what makes the Canadian writer unique. Highly literate and impressionistic, he is indeed the poet laureate of Canadian songwriters. The challenge of interpreting a Leonard Cohen song is one of bringing an understated reading to a deeply emotional lyric. No-one does it better than Cohen with that voice that sounds like it comes from the bottom of a well and lyrics that tug at your heart. Less is more with a Cohen song. A simple acoustic guitar track by Eric St Laurent with a little help from the Levy Sisters on the choruses was all we needed to bring this one home.

I’ll Never Smile Again (written by Ruth Lowe)
This is Frank Sinatra’s favourite song. Written in the 1940’s by Toronto’s Ruth Lowe. Sinatra’s rendition with The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra is a classic. We wanted to evoke the spirit of the 40’s and went very retro with this track. Featuring The Willows, three girls whose specialty is recreating those beautiful Andrew Sisters style vocals. Hall Of Famer, Russ Little’s trombone adds the perfect Dorsey touch and the mood is set.

Spinning Wheel (Blood, Sweat & Tears)
It had been suggested by the record company that I should include one of my own songs in this collection. “Spinning Wheel” was an obvious choice. Inducted into The Canadian Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame in 2007 and recorded by dozens of other artists over the years and earning a Grammy as Song Of the Year in 1970. Co-producer George Koller and I discussed many ways to make this track special, including scaling it down to a bare bones jazz trio. We finally agreed that “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. I had heard many big bands interpret the song – Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, so we beefed up the horn section and expanded Fred Lipsius’s original four horn chart to six horns. His brilliant horn arrangement has become integral to the composition as has Lew Soloff’s fiery trumpet solo. As a tribute to my late friend, I asked Jason Logue to transcribe Lew’s solo note for note. He said “Are you kidding… Transcribe it… I know that solo by heart, it’s one of the first trumpet solos I ever learned”. Add to that Koller’s cheeky bass solo and Lou Pomanti’s Monkish piano voicings and we had a different sounding Spinning Wheel without losing the spirit of the original.

Closer To The Heart (Rush)
I have always been a huge Rush fan. They are completely unique in the history of Rock & Roll. Progressive and creative, always intensely musical. Geddy Lee singing Neal Peart’s lyrics can’t be topped so we had to find a new approach. I noticed that Alex Lifeson’s guitar line with a little rhythmic shift could become a great salsa piano line. So I called on Cuban piano giant Hilario Duran to write a chart and as long as we were going Cuban bring in musicians who were born to this music. The result is a crazy twist on a Rush song. Hilario’s piano and the intricate percussion tracks played as only native Cubans can, along with Elmer Ferrer’s electric guitar make this one of the most exciting tracks on the album. I know Geddy and the boys will love this interpretation.

Something To Talk About (written by Shirley Eikhard)
Bonnie Raitt is one my favourite blues singers. Her “bottleneck” guitar and soulful vocals never fail to impress me. I didn’t know there was Canadian connection until one day in the studio I ran into singer Debbie Fleming and I learned that Bonnie’s biggest hit had been penned by Shirley Eikhard from Sackville New Brunswick. I listened to Shirley’s original recording of the song and it was virtually identical to Bonnie’s Grammy Award winning hit. Bonnie had the good sense NOT to mess with perfection so we followed suit. We stuck pretty close to Shirley’s original but replaced Bonnie’s inimitable slide guitar with blues harp virtuoso Roly Platt. Omar Lunan and the Levy sisters did a great job with the backing vocals and Lou Pomanti’s B3 work is outstanding throughout. A great, fun, funky, R&B romp to close out the album.

Citi, Live Nation, NextVR Are Launching The Virtual Reality Concert Series

Citi, Live Nation and NextVR today announced they are working together to produce a series of up to 10 live virtual reality concerts as a new part of the “Backstage with Citi” initiative. This planned series will transport fans into an immersive VR experience with extraordinary access to some of the world’s biggest artists. In addition to watching select concerts live in VR, the plan is to bring fans “backstage” with the artists as they prepare to take the stage.

The series will build upon the success of the “Backstage with Citi” series that Live Nation and Citi previously collaborated on. The first live concert will launch later this year and be accessible via the Live Nation Channel on the NextVR app. Artists will be announced soon. The app will be available on all major platforms by the end of 2016. Plans call for portions of “Backstage with Citi” to also be made available on other channels.

For over a decade, Citi has offered thousands of events annually to cardmembers through the Citi Private Pass program. They’ve also explored ways to improve fan experience at music festivals through cashless payments and other integrated music activations powered by festivalgoers’ RFID wristbands.

“We want to push the boundaries of the very meaning of access beyond attendance and as technology evolves, it’s allowing us to do so,” says Jennifer Breithaupt, Managing Director, Media, Advertising and Global Entertainment, at Citi. “We are thrilled to be announcing this new initiative with Live Nation and NextVR that will offer “front-row” and behind-the-scenes VR concert experiences for millions of fans.”

The VR market is growing rapidly and leading consumer research firm Forrester predicts demand for VR headsets to reach 52 million units by 2020, this initiative is among the first of its kind in the live concert space. “Virtual reality is starting to take off and the time is right to experiment in the music space,” Darin Wolf, Executive Vice President, Live Nation Media & Sponsorships. “Together with NextVR and Citi we will be able to provide unparalleled access for fans to enjoy live music and see first-hand the emotion and adrenaline rush from artists as they prepare to perform live.”

In May, Live Nation and NextVR announced a five-year partnership to broadcast hundreds of live, cutting-edge performances in virtual reality to music fans worldwide. Now, with Citi, the virtual reality concert experience is poised to change how fans interact with their favorite bands.

Submissions for the 2017 JUNO Awards Open Today

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced today that submissions for the 2017 JUNO Awards will be accepted starting Friday, September 30 until
Friday, November 11 here. JUNO Week 2017 will be hosted in Ottawa from March 27 through April 2, 2017.

Eligibility for the 2017 JUNO Awards applies to music released for national sale between September 1, 2015 and November 11, 2016. For a complete list of JUNO Awards categories, eligibility rules, and voting criteria visit here.

One notable change in this year’s categories – Canadian conductors are now eligible for nomination in Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber, Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble and Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral; as long as they are deemed to be the main focus of the project.

You Can Win A Night At Abbey Road Studios In London

Abbey Road has always been a place where the next great music artist is discovered, where the next recorded track becomes the greatest hit. In October, the accolade can be yours. You can win a free night’s stay at the legendary studio in London.

A few blocks from the St. John’s Wood tube stop, you’ll find a 9-bedroom townhouse – just like any other on a quiet London street. But when you step through the graffitied gates, it’s as if you’ve been there all along. Music history echoes through this old building in the form of skiffle chords and chromatic concertos, soul beats, cry baby distortions, and a touch of Honky-Tonk.

Split-level Studio 3 will be your bedroom, and you’ll be hosted by resident chart-topper and renowned DJ, Mark Ronson, as you make Abbey Road Studios your home for the night. He has plenty of stories to tell–from the recording of 19 to tales of his own “Uptown Funk.”

Walk the hallowed halls and tap your fingers on the keys of John Lennon’s piano, still marked with cigarette burns dating back to the recordings of The White Album. Feel the reverberation of the cymbal shot that set pace for Tony and Amy’s duet. Count “Time” on the Dark Side of the Schiedmayer Celesta, or just get lost in the knobs and buttons of the studio’s famed mixing board.

And if you’re moved, then make your own music history. Harmonize on the fire escape, or jam on the Persian rugs. Grab your instrument of choice, unleash your inner Winehouse, and ask your host – who just so happens to be one of the best producers of our day – for some advice.

With such a rich back catalogue of albums, it’s difficult to choose which song’s recording you most wish you’d witnessed at Abbey Road Studios, but that’s exactly what Air B&B are asking you to do. So tell us by 11:59pm BST on 6th October 2016, comply with the contest rules, and you could be rocking out and crashing out at the home of recorded music.

Submissions should be between 100-500 characters in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian or Portuguese and 100-300 characters in Chinese (Simplified or Traditional), Japanese or Korean.

Not a Londoner? No worries. Winners will be flown in from anywhere in the world. Who knows? Maybe your tale of musical fame will be the next to emerge from this storied old home.

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Music Directory Canada Online Version Released

After 30 successful years and nine print editions, Norris-Whitney Communication Inc. announces the launch of Music Directory Canada Online. Music Directory Canada is the country’s essential guide to all things musical and just like its printed predecessor, this digital version is an easy-to- reference directory and one-of-a-kind resource.

Access to thousands of music industry professionals is instant as Music Directory Canada Online encompasses over 10,000 companies and contacts from all across the country within more than 60 specific categories.

Companies and individual professionals are encouraged to take advantage of one of several premium account options. Premium users can create their own digital space and access a variety of listing features like detailed descriptions, hours of operation, a location map, social media integration, logo placement, photo/video galleries, and personalized event listings. These listings give users access to a targeted market and audience to promote themselves or their company to the entire music industry.

“We are thrilled to offer Music Directory Canada Online as an industry resource and anticipate that it will be the most successful and most accessed edition of MDC to date. It will evolve and expand before our eyes as the music industry in Canada continues to grow with such strength and prosperity,” comments Jim Norris, President, Norris-Whitney Communications Inc.

Justin Bieber’s sister named Ambassador for tech start-up

KidsWifi, an Ontario-based technology start-up company with the goal to make the Internet a safe place for children, has officially launched today, and has chosen the inaugural FUZEnation Tech + Music Summit to help announce the launch of a revolutionary new internet device that helps protect kids while using the internet. KidsWifi’s official spokesperson is ET Canada’s Cheryl Hickey, and Jazmyn Bieber, sister of Justin Bieber, is the innovative tech start-up’s official Kid Ambassador.

KidsWifi is an Internet safety device that is available for purchase today in Canada and the United States, and soon globally. This compact device is redefining Internet safety solutions with simplicity. Plug it into any home electrical outlet, connect to your home WiFi network, and in 2 minutes or less, you can be up and running with safe Internet.

“We are thrilled and honoured to share in the launch of KidsWifi as part of the inaugural FUZEnation Tech + Music Summit,” says Live Nation’s Emmanuel Patterson, Co-executive Producer, FUZEnation. “This opportunity exemplifies the outstanding opportunities and partnerships that exist in the Waterloo Region, and FUZEnation is proud to be part of this.”

Co-Founder of KidsWifi, John Stix, has extensive experience as an Internet executive, being immersed in the tech industry for over a decade.

“The Internet should be a place of safe discovery and learning but not while under constant threat from malicious individuals that want, and hope, to take advantage of our children. As a dad, grandparent, and a 12-year owner of a Canadian Internet company, I unfortunately know all too well the concerns and dangers that exist on the Internet. KidsWifi is a simple product to use that delivers huge comfort once and for all. We couldn’t be happier to find out that our KidsWifi device was selected as product of the event at FUZEnation 2016. It’s truly an honour! I wish to thank everyone that has helped to build Global awareness of KidsWifi including the Bieber family, Hickey family, Achor family and of course FUZEnation.”

Through its ability to block inappropriate materials online, parents will have peace of mind knowing their children are utilizing the Internet safely, without the risk of negative exposure. The device combines convenient and intuitive features to ensure your child’s Internet time is monitored effectively, while still giving them the ability to enjoy their online experience. The KidsWifi device allows parents to adjust settings to fit their individual family needs, which includes every Internet-connected device inside your home, from tablets and laptops, to cellphones and iPods. The parental dashboard includes analytics, so you can easily view blocked sites, blocked ads and websites your children have recently viewed. It also incorporates features such as automatic bedtime shut-off and automatic morning turn-on that can be customized to a child’s schedule. While the KidsWifi device provides parents with endless options for customization, it is already pre-loaded with ready-to-go universal settings.

With the one-time purchase fee of the device, automatic updates and no additional purchases required, the KidsWifi device truly simplifies Internet monitoring, screen-time, and protection in its discreet, compact frame.

Jazmyn Bieber is ecstatic to be a part of her very first partnership, as the Kid Ambassador for KidsWifi. As a lover of technology, Jazmyn believes the Internet is an important part of the lives of kids: “My favourite part of the Internet is learning things I never knew before, playing games and watching cool videos. Without the Internet, I would definitely be sad. I think it’s important for us kids to explore online. The KidsWifi [device] takes the best parts of the Internet and shows them to kids. So we’re safe and we only see what we want to see.”

KidsWifi is thrilled to launch an Internet safety movement with their device, by partnering with ET Canada’s Cheryl Hickey, Jazmyn Bieber, Shawn Achor and welcoming support from leaders across the globe. Made by parents, for parents, with kids in mind, the KidsWifi device strives to become an essential product in the homes of families everywhere.

Rush Singer Geddy Lee on his love of Toronto’s Massey Hall

Released 40 years ago today, All the World’s A Stage was Rush‘s first live album of 11 released over the next four decades. The two-record set was taken from a three-night stand in Rush’s hometown Toronto earlier in the year, when they hit Massey Hall in support of their 2112 album. Singer, bassist and keyboardist Geddy Lee loves Massey Hall:

“The first show I saw here was Cream, I believe — don’t ask me what year it was, but it’s a very clear memory,” he recalled. “I couldn’t get anyone to go with me, so I said, ‘Screw you all, I’m going by myself.’ When you are in front of the stage, the place feels huge, but when you stand on the stage, it just feels so much smaller than you remember it. There’s a shift in perspective that happens, and it becomes a different place. You cannot reconcile it’s the same place you used to sit in the audience and watch bands.”

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Watch Pink Floyd Fan Benedict Cumberbatch Sing “Comfortably Numb” With David Gilmour

On Wednesday, September 28th 2016 David Gilmour performed Comfortably Numb in London’s Royal Albert Hall and Benedict Cumberbatch joined him for the last song of the night. He’s quite a fan of Pink Floyd, as he wears their tour shirts on the movie sets and off-time.

SiriusXM Launches VOLUME: First-Ever 24/7 Music Talk Radio Channel – Where Music Is the Conversation

SiriusXM announced today the launch of VOLUME, the first-ever 24/7 talk radio channel dedicated to music — its latest news, raging controversies, and non-stop debates – as the focus of the conversation.

This new channel will cover all genres of popular music.  VOLUME will deliver a mixture of live daily shows, artist interviews, weekly specials, a music trivia game show, album reviews, and several in-depth docuseries hosted by the most respected, knowledgeable, and passionate people in music today – including artists themselves. VOLUME will debut live October 17 at 7 am.

VOLUME’s live daily programs will include Feedback, a three-hour morning talk-show from 7-10 am ET/PT featuring the latest music news, celebrity guests and scoop on trending topics. Lady Gaga will be a featured guest on Feedback‘s debut program. Legendary DJ Eddie Trunk will host mid-days from 2 pm to 4 pm ET, and Debatable, hosted by MTV VJ Mark Goodman and author Alan Light, will air each weekday from 4 pm to 7 pm ET, and focus on the great debates fans often have about music.

Other featured shows upon launch include Rolling Stone Music Now, the popular weekly podcast from the editors at Rolling Stone that will now also appear on VOLUME.  Author, TV producer and commentator Bill Flanagan will host Written in My Soul, a new series of interviews with legendary musicians including Robert Plant, who will be a guest during the show’s premiere. In addition, Melissa’s Basement  hosted by Melissa Etheridge where she gathers her favorite singer-songwriters to share their stories and get together at her Los Angeles-area home for musical collaborations. David Crosby will appear on Melissa’s debut show on October 18. And journalist and TV producer Elliott Wilson will host Rap Radar Report, bringing some of the biggest names in hip hop together for discussions about the musical genre.

VOLUME will be on SiriusXM channel 106 and available through the SiriusXM app as well as online at siriusxm.com.  Music fans will be able to join the discussion on social media via Twitter @SiriusXMVolume on Facebook at SiriusXM Volume.

VOLUME’s programming line-up will include:

  • Feedback will be a live daily morning talk-show featuring the latest music news, scoop, what’s trending and conversations with guests and audiences. Hosted by nationally syndicated radio personality and former VH1 host Nik Carter, and veteran magazine editor, entertainment journalist and author Lori Majewski, Feedback will air weekdays from 7 am – 10 am ET/PT.
  • Trunk Nation, featuring TV host and legendary DJ Eddie Trunk, will host a daily afternoon talk show, from 2 pm to 4 pm ET, from where he shares his stories from his 35-year-career in music, interviews top artists, and brings listeners in on the action.  Trunk kicks off his first show with an interview with Metallica’s Lars Ulrich.
  • Debatable, a daily afternoon show from 4 to 7 pm ET, hosted by original MTV VJ and radio personality Mark Goodman, and former Spin and Vibe editor and author Alan Light, will be where hot topics, lists, and news of the day are discussed, debated, dissected and sometimes destroyed.
  • Written in My Soul with Bill Flanagan will feature a series of interviews with legendary musicians including Robert Plant and Paul Simon. Flanagan is a TV producer, commentator, and author of the book Written in My Soul, a collection of conversations about songwriting with Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Mick Jagger and others.
  • Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Rolling Stone Executive Editor Nathan Brackett, will bring this podcast to a new level by debuting it live from the SiriusXM studios.  Each week, Nathan and his team discuss and analyze the hottest music news, profile up-and-coming acts, interview top artists and invite the audience to get in on the action to discuss new music.  
  • Rap Radar Report, hosted by journalist and TV producer Elliott Wilson, where he brings together some of the biggest names in hip hop for weekly discussions about the musical genre. T.I. will appear on the premiere episode of Rap Radar Report.
  • Melissa’s Basement features Grammy Award-winning recording artist Melissa Etheridge teaming up with her favorite singer-songwriters as they share stories and get together for musical collaborations. Melissa’s Basement, a one-hour program premiering October 18, will provide listeners a rare and honest view of musicians as they talk about their craft and get together for one-of-a-kind performances of some of their favorite songs.  Upcoming guests appearing on Mellissa’s Basement will include David Crosby, Pat Benatar, Steve Cropper and more.
  • Never Meet Your Heroes with Scott Ian features Anthrax guitarist and heavy metal icon Ian as he chats with his celebrity idols and musical influences about what inspires them. Corey Taylor of Slipknot will be the featured guest on the debut show.
  • True Stories with Kurt Loder will feature incredible stories from some of the most fascinating musicians, filmmakers and writers of our time, as told to author, film critic and former MTV News anchor Kurt Loder.  Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top will be the debut guest on True Stories.
  • The Album Review Show features YouTube star and the internet’s busiest music nerd Anthony Fantano as he provides an in-depth discussion of the latest releases from new artists across all genres.
  • 70’s 80’s 90’s Now is a new music trivia game show hosted by former MTV and VH1 personality Jim Shearer. This lively, fun-filled trivia show will allow listeners to test their musical IQ while learning some obscure facts.
  • The Last of The …is a new series hosted by Ryan Duffy, journalist, producer and entrepreneur, that examines the changing landscape in the world of music and tech.  From producers to video directors, these are the folks behind the scenes who bring the music to the forefront. The Last of The…kicks off with guest, producer Steve Albini.

 

Postmodern Jukebox and Casey Abrams Present An Old Fashioned Cover Of The Family Guy Theme

Postmodern Jukebox are starting their North American tour today in Providence, and Casey Abrams and tap queen Sarah Reich are helping them celebrate with an old fashioned take on a modern classic: the “Family Guy” theme song. Their cover is currently available to purchase on iTunes.

Here is the original theme song for comparison.