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The Real Opening Chord to A Hard Days Night, Solved, Thanks To Randy Bachman

You could call it the magical mystery chord. The opening clang of the Beatles’ 1964 hit, “A Hard Day’s Night,” is one of the most famous and distinctive sounds in rock and roll history, and yet for a long time no one could quite figure out what it was.

In this fascinating clip from the CBC radio show, Randy’s Vinyl Tap, the legendary Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive guitarist Randy Bachman unravels the mystery. The segment is from a special live performance, “Guitarology 101,” taped in front of an audience at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto back in January, 2010. As journalist Matthew McAndrew wrote, “the two-and-a-half hour event was as much an educational experience as it was a rock’n’roll concert.”

One highlight of the show was Bachman’s telling of his visit the previous year with Giles Martin, son of Beatles’ producer George Martin, at Abbey Road Studios. The younger Martin, who is now the official custodian of all the Beatles’ recordings, told Bachman he could listen to anything he wanted from the massive archive–anything at all.

Bachman chose to hear each track from the opening of “A Hard Day’s Night.” As it turns out, the sound is actually a combination of chords played simultaneously by George Harrison and John Lennon, along with a bass note by Paul McCartney. Bachman breaks it all down in an entertaining way in the audio clip above.

…and here’s the original. How genius were they?

controller.controller Bassist Ronnie Morris’ Stroke Recovery Fund Is A Go. Let’s Do Our Part

On Friday, April 24, Ronnie Morris, best known in the Canadian music scene as the bass player for controller.controller and Lioness, suffered two massive strokes, in his brain stem and his cerebellum, as well as a double vertebral artery dissection.

Ronnie had actually suffered an initial stroke a week earlier but had not displayed the usual symptoms; he thought he had the flu. After the double dissection and a second stroke, Ronnie collapsed while on the phone with his bandmate. He was transported by ambulance to Brampton Civic Hospital where an emergency CT Scan confirmed that there was a dissection. Ronnie stopped breathing and was put on life support and transported to Trillium Health Centre in Mississauga, where he required immediate emergency neural surgery. Unfortunately, five days later, after making some progress, Ronnie then suffered a further brain stem bleed and needed a second life saving surgery. For three weeks, he fought for his life in the intensive care unit of the hospital.

As of today, Ronnie’s condition is stable and he has been transferred to the acute care unit at the Brampton Civic Hospital. These massive brain injuries caused paralysis on his right side and have affected his ability to speak. The full extent of the damage to other areas of his brain still needs to be examined, but family and friends remain optimistic he can make a full recovery.

Unfortunately, Ontario’s health care system (OHIP) limits post-stroke physiotherapy care for victims between the age of 20-64. At 38 years old, once Ronnie is discharged from the hospital, he will have to find a way to afford months, and potentially, years of rehabilitation equipment, physiotherapy and medication.

Ronnie is a Phd Candidate for History at York University and was set to defend dissertation this term. He was the former Co-President of the Graduate History Department and a popular teaching assistant in British History. He had been on the picket lines earlier this spring with CUPE striking striking against tuition increases for future grad students and current international students.

Ronnie’s friends have launched a funding site, www.ronniemorrisrecovery.com to assist with the post-hospital care he will require. Ronnie’s mother, Rose Mary Morris explains, “people ask why Ronnie’s friends felt it necessary to develop this site to raise funds and awareness about Ronnie’s rehab costs. The most pressing reason is when he gets discharged from hospital; he will receive no further coverage. We are already witnessing first-hand the rush by our Ministry to get Ronnie out of the hospital.”

Lioness and controller.controller manager, Linda Noelle Bush received many requests from people asking how they could help. She explains, “Ronnie is kind, loyal person who has touched so many personally or through his music. We all want money to be the least of his worries. Crowd-funding just seemed like a natural option.” In addition to the funding site, a benefit concert and auction are in the works and are expected to happen later this summer.

For more information on how to donate and for updates on Ronnie’s recovery, go here.

June is Stroke Awareness month, to learn how to recognize the signs of a stroke please visit Heart And Stroke

Converse Rubber Tracks Unlocks The Doors For Indie Bands To Iconic Studios Around The World

Today, Converse Inc. announces the global launch of a monumental new Converse Rubber Tracks program that opens the doors to some of the world’s greatest recording studios in music history. Over a two-week period, Converse Rubber Tracks will activate across eight different countries in four continents, offering aspiring musicians the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to record original music at 12 landmark studios, including the two Converse Rubber Tracks studios, at no cost.

Global registration begins today, Tuesday, May 26 and runs through Wednesday, June 24, featuring an online submission process that requires applicants to rank their top three studio preferences, and encourages all to enter a brief artist biography or description via a video or written application. If selected, chosen artists will be notified in early July. Following a thorough planning session with studio producers, artists chosen will be taken to one of their studios of choice in September this year, with most travel accommodations arranged and select expenses covered by Converse.

Starting today, emerging artists, bands, and musicians ages 18 years and older and of all genres across the globe can register for the rare opportunity to record at the following participating studios: Abbey Road Studios in London, England; Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, California; Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin, Germany; Tuff Gong in Kingston, Jamaica; Greenhouse Studios in Reykjavik, Iceland; The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, Canada; Avast Recording Co. in Seattle, Washington; Stankonia in Atlanta, Georgia; Studios 301 in Sydney, Australia; Toca do Bandido in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; the original brick-and-mortar Converse Rubber Tracks studio in Brooklyn, New York; and the second permanent Converse Rubber Tracks studio in Boston, Massachusetts, slated to open this summer.

“Since we opened our first permanent Converse Rubber Tracks studio in Brooklyn four years ago, we’ve had aspirations to elevate this program even further, hoping to extend this opportunity to artists across the globe,” said Jed Lewis, Converse Global Music Marketing Director. “With this new Converse Rubber Tracks program, we will unlock the doors to some of the greatest recording studios in music history and we’re ecstatic to offer this extraordinary experience to emerging artists worldwide. As a brand so deeply rooted in the next generation of creative spirits, we’re eager to make history while inspiring creativity and self-expression among music communities worldwide.”

This Converse Rubber Track program will serve as the brand’s most innovative music initiatives to date, signifying the exponential growth and global expansion of the Converse Rubber Tracks platform, set to offer a total of 84 recording sessions at 12 different studios within the two-week time frame. Selected artists will have the opportunity to work with world-renowned producers and sound engineers, while being given access to industry-leading technology in studios that have hosted some of the most celebrated acts in music history.

The Converse Rubber Tracks program was born out of the brand’s desire to give back to the music community and provide opportunities for artists who might not be able to afford studio time. Since the flagship studio opened in Brooklyn in July 2011, over 900 emerging artists have had the opportunity to record original music alongside the Converse Rubber Tracks team of experienced engineers at no cost. At the end of their studio time, the artists retain all of the rights to their own music. Over the past three years, the program has expanded beyond the studio in Brooklyn with Converse Rubber Tracks pop-up studios, which has brought the Converse Rubber Tracks experience on the road to vibrant music communities around the globe, including Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Montreal, São Paulo, Beijing, Amsterdam, London, Hamburg, Paris, and Mexico City to name a few.

To find out more about Converse Rubber Tracks, or to learn more about how to register for one of the coveted sessions, go here.

SOCAN Elects New Board Of Directors For 2015-18

SOCAN has announced the results of its 2015 Board of Directors election, based on votes cast by SOCAN members (music creators and publishers) from April 7 to May 15, 2015.

The Board of Directors consists of 18 people – nine writer members and nine publisher members, with regional, cultural and genre specific representation – elected for a three-year term.

The following people were elected and take office when KPMG, the scrutineer, officially presents the results at the SOCAN Annual General Meeting on June 16, 2015, in Toronto:

Representing SOCAN Music Writer Members:

Jean-Robert Bisaillon
Victor Davies
Ed Henderson
Safwan Javed
Stan Meissner
Ben Mink
Glenn Morley
Marc Ouellette
Gilles Valiquette

Representing SOCAN Music Publisher Members:

Rosaire Archambault (Éditorial Avenue)
Vivian Barclay (Warner Chappell Music Canada Ltd.)
Patrick Curley (Third Side Music Inc.)
Gary Furniss (Sony / ATV Music Publishing Canada)
Craig Horton (Nettwerk Music Publishing)
Jennifer Mitchell (Casablanca Media Publishing Inc.)
Robert Ott (Ole)
Earl Rosen (De Sade Songs)
Denis Wolff (Ho Tune Musique)

“Congratulations to each of our newly-elected SOCAN Board of Directors,” said Eric Baptiste, CEO of SOCAN. “The SOCAN management team looks forward to working to advance SOCAN’s core mandate to raise the bar for music rights, to further our business strategies. These outstanding music creators and industry leaders care deeply about performing rights, and they add value and knowledge as SOCAN tackles issues and forges ahead in the rapidly changing ecosystem of our dynamic music industry.

“I would also like to thank the departing board members Jim Vallance and Neville Quinlan for their service and dedication to SOCAN and the Canadian music industry overall.”

Following SOCAN’s annual general meeting, the new board of directors will hold its first meeting, when it will elect the President and other officers who will serve until the next election in 2018.

Cooking Vinyl’s Martin Goldschmidt Calls For Direct Tax Breaks For Music

Speaking at the Vote For Music Keynote session at The Great Escape in Brighton, Martin Goldschmidt, Managing Director of the Cooking Vinyl Group explained: “The tax breaks that currently exist to help the music industry actually give the tax break to private investors. As exists for other creative industries, why not also have a scheme that gives the break directly to music?”

“Support would be best targeted as a tax break for recorded music production. Many of the tax breaks offered to film, video games, theatre and now orchestras were designed in part to mitigate the damage done by piracy and market failure. But what creative industry has been hit harder by online piracy than recorded music? Record companies have been hit hard, but recording studios and their workers have been hit hardest.

“This is about putting value back into the whole recording ecosystem of studios, session players and importantly, self-funding artists. Given music’s leading export value, the move would make clear economic sense. More importantly it makes cultural sense – as an industry, we’ve grown very risk-averse in terms of what gets signed, what gets played on the radio. Let’s get help to fund more of culturally diverse, crazy, exciting stuff that so often gains wild popularity.”

For any change to be made though, Goldschmidt believes it is vital that the music industry delivers a clear message “The reason the tax break currently goes to the financial services industry and not the music industry is that we fight among ourselves and are very bad at talking to government. We have to have the discussions behind closed doors, agree the common ground and send a unified message to government.”

Established in 1986, Cooking Vinyl has developed a reputation as one of Europe’s prime artist-focused independent labels, inspiring an enviable loyalty among its artist roster. It is also in the vanguard of music companies offering innovative services-only deals that claim no stake in artists’ copyrights.

Artists signed to Cooking Vinyl include Embrace, Röyksopp, James, Amanda Palmer, The Prodigy, Marilyn Manson and Billy Bragg. Such is the loyalty and affection among artists for the label that the likes of Frank Black have returned close to 20 times to record fresh collections with them. The Prodigy’s Invaders Must Die was Europe’s biggest selling independent album in 2009.

Pop Evil Debut New Music, Album Art, Track List and more

In what is sure to be the busiest year of their career, POP EVIL have debuted an all new single titled “Footsteps” today exclusively through Billboard.com. “We challenged ourselves creatively to make a different sounding record,” says front-man Leigh Kakaty. “Since ‘Footsteps’ was written we couldn’t wait for this day to get here!”

The new is the first new music we’ve heard from the band off their forthcoming LP called UP due out August 21st via eOne Music. Digital pre-orders are available today and physical pre-orders will be available Friday June 5th via the band’s official website.

Purposefully assembled at Studio Litho, Robert Lang Studios and London Bridge Studios with producer Adam Kasper (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Foo Fighters), UP is the sound of a rock band cementing a powerful identity that’s steadily materialized over the course of three prior full-length slabs. The inspirational soon to be live (June 1st) staple “Footsteps,” – POP EVIL prove their burgeoning success is no accident.

“Now it’s time to step up our game and let people know we can back it all up,” adds Kakaty. “We want to prove we aren’t a one hit wonder. We didn’t just get lucky.”

UP is a bold reintroduction and step forward, with guitarists NICK FUELLING and DAVEY GRAHS, bassist MATT DIRITO, drummer CHACHI RIOT and Kakaty at the top of their game. It’s always a bit cliché, not to mention questionable, when a band says their new album is the best one yet. But in the case of POP EVIL, it’s an absolute fact.

POP EVIL smashes through the odds like a battering ram, weathering the trials and tribulations of paying dues with a steadfast resilience owing much to their blue collar and middle class backgrounds, and building a worldwide audience one fan at a time. As the moniker promises when emblazoned on a CD or radio dial, POP EVIL conjures aggressive riffs and hard charging sing-a-longs with emotional heft and melodic power in equal measure. It’s music by the people, for the people.

The band is gearing up for a truck load of European and Canadian tour dates including illustrious festivals such as DOWNLOAD and GRASPOP. Click here for all tour dates.

1. Footsteps
2. Core
3. In Disarray
4. Take It All
5. Ghost Of Muskegon
6. If Only For Now
7. …
8. Ways to Get High
9. Lux
10. Vendetta
11. Dead In The Water
12. Seattle Rain
13. Til Kingdom Come

Happy Monday! Here Are Baby Goats On A Trampoline

Daren Weatherby caputures Nigerian dwarf doelings enjoying a fun day of sproinging.

Suit Up, A NASA Doc Narrated By Jon Cryer Detailing 50 Years Of Spacewalks

“Suit Up,” is narrated by actor and fan of space exploration Jon Cryer. Cryer recently traveled to Star City, NASA Headquarters and the Johnson Space Center to film an upcoming Travel Channel documentary series. This NASA documentary celebrates 50 years of extravehicular activity (EVA) or spacewalks that began with the first two EVAs conducted by Russian Alexey Leonov in March 1965 and American astronaut Edward White in June 1965.

The documentary features interviews with NASA Administrator and astronaut, Charles Bolden, NASA Deputy Administrator and spacesuit designer, Dava Newman, as well as other astronauts, engineers, technicians, managers and luminaries of spacewalk history. They share their personal stories and thoughts that cover the full EVA experience– from the early spacewalking experiences, to spacesuit manufacturing, to modern day spacewalks aboard the International Space Station as well as what the future holds for humans working on a tether in space.

An Animated History of the Hamburger

Ever wonder how America’s signature dish came to be? Let food historian George Motz and animator Jorge Corona take you on a hand-drawn historical journey, done entirely on burger wrappers.

Dan Talevski Performs “Guilty As Sin” on Breakfast Television, Toronto

Sometimes, things just click. They certainly have for Dan Talevski. At the tender age of 27, he’s already accomplished more than some artists twice his age. Millions of people have seen him sing on YouTube. He’s been signed to a major record label. Groomed for stardom alongside Justin Bieber. Toured with Backstreet Boys. Worked in the studio with will.i.am. Written songs for Shawn Desman, Danny Fernandes, Keshia Chante and others. And now, with Guilty as Sin, he’s poised to take his rightful place as Canada’s next musical sensation.

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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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