Florida dairy farmer Ed Henderson has been playing the trombone since elementary school. And these days his audience, well, fits the scenery. Turns out, cows love jazz music! What began as a one-off backyard practice session, has turned into a regular gig that Henderson says entertains and pleases his audience of 6,800 or so cows. Hey, whatever works!
Canadians Celebrate Music Monday With A Cross-Country Sing-Along
On Monday, May 1, the Coalition for Music Education will celebrate Music Monday with a cross-country sing-along to raise awareness for music education. 2017’s anthem, titled “Sing It Together,” was co-written by JUNO Award winners Marc Jordan and Ian Thomas, and focuses on the power of voices, asking us to “sing for joy, for truth, for healing, and for freedom.” Inspired by Canada 150, the Music Monday sing-along will be led by a live-streamed showcase from Ottawa’s National Music Centre, beginning at noon.
https://youtu.be/G-pX6r7pnKQ
A New Windsor-Essex Music Advisory Council Has Been Formed
Music is an economic driver. In 2015, live music companies in Ontario generated a total of 10,500 full-time equivalent jobs (FTE) as a result of their direct activity, the activity of their suppliers and re-spending of labour income in the wider economy. The tourism activity generated by music festivals created over 9,500 additional FTEs. Statistics Canada shows that there are over 2,000 occupational musicians currently at work in WindsorEssex and this number becomes multiplied when we factor in spin-off jobs in technology, media, event management and much more.
The Windsor-Essex region has a vibrant and storied music ecosystem. The WindsorEssex Music Strategy report aims to provide insight into the local music industry, overview of economic initiatives in other Ontario municipalities that benefit the music sector and strategic recommendations for regionwide collaboration for the promotion and growth of the music ecosystem.
A regional music strategy allows for the opportunity to work towards the achievement of the following long-term goals:
1. Increase opportunities for local music artists to develop and succeed.
2. Provide artist-entrepreneurs with development tools necessary to create a sustainable music business that is commercially viable and export-ready. This will create long-term economic growth within the local music ecosystem in both jobs and investment.
3. Support the development of the larger regional music ecosystem through the creation of a music advisory council that will advocate for music-friendly municipal policy, and act as a planning body for local music initiatives.
4. Work with local partners and organizations to collaborate and promote available resources.
5. Strengthen our local music industry’s relationship with funding providers at provincial and federal levels.
6. Attract and retain a young and dynamic workforce whose quality of life will be enhanced through living, working and playing in a community with a strong arts culture.
7. Leverage partnerships nationally and internationally that will connect WindsorEssex artists to broader markets.
8. Embrace and showcase the Windsor-Essex Region’s diversity and multicultural talent. Through the realization of these long-term goals, it is expected that the region will see increased success by local artists in obtaining provincial and federal funding; increased investment in music venues; a growth in regional music tourism, especially from the nearby U.S. market; growth in music-related jobs; and the expansion of existing music businesses.
The Windsor-Essex region has a history synonymous with music starting with the people of the Caldwell First Nation and other indigenous people who developed music
as an integral part of their cultural identity. Settled by Europeans in 1834, it didn’t take long for the first choral music program to launch in the region, and in 1875 the 100-150 voices that made up the All Saints church choir brought the first Mozart and Handel to the British settlement that would one day be the southernmost point in Canada.
As the demand for music education and cultural independence grew in WindsorEssex, the University of Windsor began teaching music courses in 1959 and introduced its Bachelor of Music program in 1967. Classical and choral music may have given the region its musical start, but it was Top 40 music that truly put it on the map. Starting in the early 1960s and continuing into the 1970s, CKLW in Windsor became one of the most influential Top 40 stations in the world through the implementation of the time-efficient radio format known as “Boss Radio” developed by Bill Drake. The Countdown was one of North America’s highest rated shows, and CKLW’s 50,000-watt power broadcasting reached up to 28 states and four provinces, making Windsor the trend-setting epicenter for North American music.
Read the rest of the report here.
The City of Ottawa Is Developing A Music Strategy
The City of Ottawa, together with the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition (OMIC), will spearhead a task force of music and film industry leaders to develop a Music Strategy for Ottawa. Mayor Jim Watson and Councillor Jeff Leiper made the announcement during the “Ottawa as a Music City” panel discussion at the Innovation Centre.
The City of Ottawa and OMIC will work with a task force of music and film industry partners, as well as other business leaders, to develop a strategy that will strengthen and grow our music industry, as well as other cultural sectors in Ottawa.
In order for OMIC to conduct the research and consultation work required to develop this Music Strategy, the City is investing $30,000.
George Stroumboulopoulos Is Now An Apple Music Curator And Launches House Of Strombo Series
Internationally acclaimed interviewer and host George Stroumboulopoulos, Anonymous Content and Son House Productions are proud to announce a partnership with Apple Music to present “House of Strombo,” a new 10 episode concert series launching today, that will feature a combination of international legends with young and upcoming artists across a variety of music genres, all playing live shows in George’s downtown Toronto home. The series is the first of its kind in Canada presented by Apple Music on YouTube, with each episode accompanied by exclusive video features, band interviews and behind-the-scenes access only on Apple Music.
“We’re thrilled to announce that we have partnered with Apple Music to share and promote incredible music from around the world with our new series “House of Strombo,” said George Stroumboulopoulos. “The bands set-up right in my living room, with a live audience packing the place. Lights, smoke machines and amplifiers stacked high — it’s every gig in a small space that you’ve ever loved, with the best bands in the world.”
We’re really excited to make this all official as fas as the Beats 1 audience is concerned: House of Strombo,” said Zane Lowe, Creative Director and L.A Anchor, Beats 1 to George on his radio show. “This remarkable and very personal experience that you’ve been building over time with artists bringing them into your world, getting performance, getting conversation, doing what you do best, coming to Apple Music.”
Stroumboulopoulos has also joined Apple Music as an exclusive curator, with weekly custom playlists that help fans discover and enjoy music. He joins a variety of high-profile curators including Rolling Stone, Vice and MUCH, to share his favourite music across all genres. To check out House of Strombo exclusive behind the scenes content and interviews, as well as George’s playlists available only on Apple Music, head to applemusic.com/strombo.
Royal Blood’s Second Album “How Did We Get So Dark?” To Be Released June 16
After becoming the biggest breaking British rock band with their self-titled 2014 debut album, Royal Blood’s eagerly anticipated second album ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’ will be released on June 16th on Warner Bros. Records. The album’s lead single and video ‘Lights Out’ is now available.
Royal Blood’s breakthrough was huge. Their debut album was the fastest-selling British rock debut in three years, hitting #1 in the UK, debuting in the Top 5 on the Billboard 200 Chart in the U.S. and going Top 20 in 12 countries. Before they knew it, they were performing for Howard Stern, touring with Foo Fighters, holding dressing room audiences with Jimmy Page in New York, and being presented with a BRIT for Best British Band in 2015 by the very same guitar god. Their ascendency was further underlined with major awards courtesy of Kerrang!, NME and Q.
The ten tracks that are featured on ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’ were written in instrumental form during sessions in Brighton, Los Angeles and Nashville. Always trying to explore ways of stripping their enormous sound back to give it more space and impact, inspiration for the lyrics came from events in vocalist/bassist Mike Kerr’s life since the band first found huge success.
In November 2016, Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher, along with producer Jolyon Thomas, spent six weeks in a studio in Brussels that was decked out like a New York diner and featured a warehouse of antique gear. ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’ was subsequently completed after a final session in London with their debut album’s co-producer Tom Dalgety.
The album’s first single ‘Lights Out’ ups the ante from their debut with a wrecking ball of a groove cemented by Thatcher’s thunderous rhythms, while Kerr wrangles the twisted invention of his bass riffs to a whole new level. Their patented two-man artillery of carefully constructed melodic aggression is prevalent throughout, especially in ‘I Only Lie When I Love You,’ which is a compelling cowbell-assisted reminder of the power of a stop-start riff and a strident chorus. There are times when Royal Blood are more visceral than ever – notably the gargantuan introduction to ‘Hook, Line and Sinker’ and also the intense denouement that brings ‘Look Like You Know’ to a close.
While the album finds Royal Blood refining their melodic might, there are other moments that fulfil their aim to create songs that will add new dimensions to their live sets. Adorned with Kerr’s falsetto, ‘Don’t Tell’ drops the intensity to mesmerising effect, while ‘Where Are You Now?’ pulsates with a bounding energy that’s quite a step apart from anything else in their catalogue. The Royal Blood palette is also expanded with the inclusion of harmony vocals – something that they didn’t use on their debut.
Royal Blood’s summer festival touring commences at The Governors Ball in New York City in June and concludes with both legs of Japan’s Summer Sonic Festival in August. In the UK, they’re confirmed to play Glastonbury and will headline the Eden Sessions on June 22nd.
The tracklisting for ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’ is:
1. How Did We Get So Dark?
2. Lights Out
3. I Only Lie When I Love You
4. She’s Creeping
5. Look Like You Know
6. Where Are You Now?
7. Don’t Tell
8. Hook, Line and Sinker
9. Hole In Your Heart
10. Sleep
Bob Dylan Just Got His 70th (!!!) Billboard Album Charted Album With Triplicate
Bob Dylan nabs his 70th Billboard 200 chart entry, as his new triple album, aptly titled Triplicate, debuts at No. 37. The effort – which features covers of classic tunes like “As Time Goes By,” “Stormy Weather” and “Sentimental Journey” – starts with 13,000 units (nearly all from traditional album sales).
Drake Just Passed A Billion Streams For One Of His Albums – AGAIN
Drake’s More Life, which was released on March 18, continues to rack up staggering streaming numbers. The set’s 22 tracks have now generated more than 1 billion on-demand audio streams in the U.S.: 1.07 billion through the week ending April 6, according to Nielsen Music. The latest tracking week pushed it past the billion threshold, as it collected another 167 million streams in the frame.
To put More Life’s sizzling streaming total in perspective: Ed Sheeran’s former No. 1 ÷ (Divide), which was been out for five weeks and is also big on streaming services, has collected 599 million streams for its tracks. Or, take a look at the streaming total for Bruno Mars’ No. 2-peaking album 24K Magic: it has collected 470 million streams for its tracks since the set bowed 20 weeks ago. (Keep in mind, Sheeran and Mars’ streaming totals are still impressive – just not on the level of More Life.)
Huge streaming numbers are a familiar sight to Drake: his previous release, 2016’s Views, holds the record as the album with the highest number of on-demand audio streams for its tracks: 3.48 billion to-date.
The Trailer for “Detroit” Is Here
From the Academy Award winning director of THE HURT LOCKER and ZERO DARK THIRTY, Kathryn Bigelow’s DETROIT tells the gripping story of one of the darkest moments during the civil unrest that rocked Detroit in the summer of ‘67.
