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Applications for the Prix MNB Awards and MNB Festival showcase opportunities are now open

It’s that time of year! The sun is shining, the birds are singing and applications for the Prix MNB Awards and MNB Festival showcase opportunities are now open!

MNB Festival 2015 will take place from October 15-18 2015 and we’re pleased to announce that we’ll be returning to Moncton for the event!
We’re accepting applications from today, Thursday May 14th 2015 until Monday June 8th at 11:59 PM (Atlantic). Take advantage of early bird pricing for both showcase and award applications – they’re only $15 from today until May 21st, after that they’ll be $20.
We’ve shifted our focus to be more inclusive of all types of artists, no matter where they are in their career. That means that our awards criteria have changed this year – please make sure you read it through before starting your application.
Stay tuned to musicnb.org for updates and details on the event.

Ready to apply? Click on any of the following links to be taken to the application.

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Showcase during MNB Festival 2015

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** First things first – click here to read the awards criteria **

Apply for General Category and Genre Specific Awards

Apply for Industry and Special Awards

Apply for Expat Artist of the Year

 

LED ZEPPELIN Reissue Program Concludes With Deluxe Editions Of Presence, In Through The Out Door, And Coda

Deluxe editions of Led Zeppelin’s final three studio albums: Presence, In Through The Out Door, and Coda will be released on July 31. As with the previous deluxe editions, all three have been newly remastered by guitarist and producer Jimmy Page and are accompanied by companion audio comprised of previously unreleased music related to the original release selected and compiled by Page. You can pre-order each release here.

Originally released in 1976, Presence was recorded during a whirlwind 18-day session at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany. The album—which peaked at #1 in both the U.S. and UK and was certified triple platinum—crackles with energy on Zeppelin classics like “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” and “Achilles Last Stand” and delivers powerful jolts of the group at its visceral best.

The companion audio disc that accompanies Presence has five unreleased reference mixes from the sessions, which reveal works in progress. Along with alternate incarnations of “For Your Life,” “Achilles Last Stand,” and “Royal Orleans,” there is also the previously unheard instrumental curiously titled “10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod).”

On its release in the summer of 1979, In Through The Out Door topped the U.S. and UK album charts and has since been certified six-times platinum. Sadly, it would be the last album that Led Zeppelin recorded prior to drummer John Bonham’s passing the following year. Among the seven album tracks are “Fool In The Rain,” and “All My Love,” two songs that remain rock radio staples to this day.

The album’s companion audio disc features an unreleased rough mix of every track from the original album, including early versions with working titles such as “The Hook” (“All My Love”), “The Epic” (“Carouselambra”), and “Blot” (“I’m Gonna Crawl”).

The appropriately titled Coda was Led Zeppelin’s final album of studio recordings. Released in 1982, it was comprised of eight unreleased tracks recorded between 1970 and 1978. It peaked at #6 on the album charts and has been certified platinum in the U.S.

The reissue campaign ends with a double-barrel blast of Led. Coda will be the only Led Zeppelin deluxe edition to include two companion discs, featuring 15 tracks recorded between 1968 and 1974. The oldest song in the collection is also perhaps the most interesting. The frenetic blues jam “Sugar Mama” was recorded in 1968 at Olympic Studios during sessions for the band’s eponymous debut. The song was completed but never officially released until now. “Baby Come On Home” from the same session is also included in the set. Also included is the previously unreleased “St. Tristan’s Sword,” a rollicking instrumental recorded during the Led Zeppelin III sessions in 1970.

In 1972, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page took a fabled trip to India to perform with the Bombay Orchestra and now, for the first time, recordings from these sessions will be officially released with dynamic takes on “Friends” and “Four Hands” (“Four Sticks” from Led Zeppelin IV). Among the many other highlights featured here is an early version of “When The Levee Breaks” from 1970 titled “If It Keeps On Raining”; rough mixes of “The Wanton Song” and “In The Light,” from the Physical Graffiti sessions at Headley Grange, the latter a different alternate version than the one included in the Physical Graffiti deluxe edition; and an instrumental mix of “Poor Tom” from 1970.

• Single CD – Remastered original album. Presence and Coda will be packaged in a gatefold card wallet. All CD and LP versions of In Through The Out Door will be wrapped in a brown paper page replicating its initial release.
• Deluxe Edition (2CD and 3CD) – Remastered album, plus a second disc of unreleased companion audio. Coda will feature two companion audio discs.
• Single LP – Remastered album on 180-gram vinyl, packaged in a sleeve that replicates the LP’s first pressing in exacting detail. All vinyl versions of In Through The Out Door will also include the water-sensitive insert that replicates the inner sleeve from the album’s initial release.
• Deluxe Edition Vinyl – Remastered album and unreleased companion audio on 180-gram vinyl. Coda will feature two companion LPs.
• Digital Download – Remastered album and companion audio will both be available.
• Super Deluxe Boxed Set – This collection includes:
o Remastered album on CD in vinyl replica sleeve.
o Companion audio on CD in card wallet.
o Remastered album on 180-gram vinyl in a sleeve replicating first pressing.
o Companion audio on 180-gram vinyl.
o High-def audio download card of all content at 96kHz/24 bit.
o Hard bound, 72+ page book filled with rare and previously unseen photos and memorabilia.
o High quality print of the original album cover, the first 30,000 of which will be individually numbered.

Presence
Track Listing
1. “Achilles Last Stand”
2. “For Your Life”
3. “Royal Orleans”
4. “Nobody’s Fault But Mine”
5. “Candy Store Rock”
6. “Hots On For Nowhere”
7. “Tea For One”

Companion Audio
1. “Two Ones Are Won” (Achilles Last Stand – Reference Mix)
2. “For Your Life” (Reference Mix)
3. “10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod)” (Reference Mix)
4. “Royal Orleans” (Reference Mix)
5. “Hots On For Nowhere” (Reference Mix)

In Through The Out Door
Track Listing
1. “In The Evening”
2. “South Bound Saurez”
3. “Fool In The Rain”
4. “Hot Dog”
5. “Carouselambra”
6. “All My Love”
7. “I’m Gonna Crawl”

Companion Audio
1. “In The Evening” (Rough Mix)
2. “Southbound Piano” (South Bound Saurez – Rough Mix)
3. “Fool In The Rain” (Rough Mix)
4. “Hot Dog” (Rough Mix)
5. “The Epic” (Carouselambra – Rough Mix)
6. “The Hook” (All My Love – Rough Mix)
7. “Blot” (I’m Gonna Crawl – Rough Mix)

Coda
Track Listing
1. “We’re Gonna Groove”
2. “Poor Tom”
3. “I Can’t Quit You Baby”
4. “Walter’s Walk”
5. “Ozone Baby”
6. “Darlene”
7. “Bonzo’s Montreux”
8. “Wearing And Tearing”

Companion Audio
Disc One
1. “We’re Gonna Groove” (Alternate Mix)
2. “If It Keeps On Raining” (When The Levee Breaks – Rough Mix)
3. “Bonzo’s Montreux” (Mix Construction In Progress)
4. “Baby Come On Home”
5. “Sugar Mama” ( Mix)
6. “Poor Tom” (Instrumental Mix)
7. “Travelling Riverside Blues” (BBC Session)
8. “Hey, Hey, What Can I Do”

Disc Two
1. “Four Hands“ (Four Sticks – Bombay Orchestra)
2. “Friends” (Bombay Orchestra)
3. “St. Tristan’s Sword” (Rough Mix)
4. “Desire” (The Wanton Song – Rough Mix)
5. “Bring It On Home” (Rough Mix)
6. “Walter’s Walk” (Rough Mix)
7. “Everybody Makes It Through” (In The Light – Rough Mix)

Family Channel Sets Dates for Big Ticket Summer Concert Series August 15-25

With summer, the most exciting time of year for kids, just around the corner Family Channel is readying its plans to make this the best summer ever! Family’s annual Big Ticket Summer Concert, presented by LEGO Friends, will be touching down in SEVEN locations across Canada this August. The highly-awaited concert tour will visit more than double the number of cities of last year’s show, traveling coast-to-coast from August 15-25 making stops in Abbotsford, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto and St. John’s. Showcasing the biggest and brightest young talent from across the globe, Brit pop-rock band The Vamps and rising superstar Becky G are among the performers taking the stage this year. For a complete list of tour dates, venues and ticketing information, please visit Big Ticket Summer Concert’s online destination, Family.ca

“‘More’ might as well be the theme for this year’s Big Ticket Summer Concert tour – we’ve got more artists from more countries, for more shows in more cities, bringing the concert experience to more fans and families in Canada than ever before,” said Paul Cormack, Vice President, Marketing, DHX Television. “The formula for the Big Ticket Summer Concert has always been to bring stars from the network right to the fans together with incredible musical talent who can use the extra push from Family to break into the bigtime. We’re very excited to be able to announce the same line up for every city in which the tour stops and we can’t wait for our audience to connect with the stars we have performing this year in a very “Family” setting that fans can’t get anywhere else.”

Hailing from the UK, pop-rockers The Vamps are ready to bring down the house at this year’s Big Ticket Summer Concert. Most recently, the multi-talented group collaborated with Canadian breakout artist Shawn Mendes on a revival of “Oh Cecilia” and their high-energy performance will electrify the stage. This year’s concert also marks the Canadian debut for singer/songwriter Becky G, whose hit single “Shower” became her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #16. With multiple hits burning up Top 40 charts worldwide, her Latin pop flare will ensure the crowd “Can’t Stop Dancin’.”

This year’s Big Ticket Summer Concert bill will also showcase the talent of Canadian alternative-pop artist Shane Harte whose debut single “Let You Know” is racking up views and streams from around the world.  And from California, The Tide will open the shows. Of course, the event wouldn’t be complete without appearances by some of Family’s biggest stars and, after performing across the country on a sold-out national tour, cast members of the wildly popular tween drama The Next Step will bring their high-energy dance routines back to the live stage for what will be their fourth Big Ticket Summer appearance. Series stars Jordan Clark (Giselle) and Lamar Johnson (West) show off a few of their other talents, bringing an added dose of charisma and charm as this year’s concert hosts.      

Advance tickets will be available for all seven shows beginning tonight, through Thursday, June 4 at 10 p.m. (local time). The pre-sale code will expire when the limited quantity is sold out, or on Thursday, June 4 at 10 p.m. (local time), whichever comes first. Ticket sales open to the general public on Friday, June 5 at 10 a.m. (local time). For additional event information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.family.ca or www.ticketmaster.ca.

A one-stop online shop for everything Big Ticket Summer Concert-related, Family.ca answers all the questions fans have about the show. The dedicated website features details about the hosts and artists, offers music videos from the concert’s performers and allows fans to pre-order concert t-shirts at the online merchandise store. Plus, later this month, fans can enter the “LEGO Friends VIP Experience Contest,” for the chance to win an once-in-a-lifetime trip for four to the Toronto show.

Geddy Lee Can’t Live Without His Binoculars And 9 Other Things You’d Never Guess

Geddy Lee and I have one thing in common – we both got our granny glasses from Josephson Opticians in Toronto. Well, two, if you count me playing bass in a band that has also sold 40 million records.

Geddy-Lee-10-things-copy

Via A Journal Of Musical Things

Joni Mitchell Gets Animated In Previously Unheard Interview: “I Never Really Wanted To Be A Star”

“I didn’t like the sound of people gasping at the mere mention of my name. It horrified me.”
– Joni Mitchell in 1986, as told to Joe Smith

This interview is from the Joe Smith Collection at the Library of Congress and has never been heard before. Roberta Joan Anderson sat down for a personal, reflective interview in November 1986. The interviewer, Joe Smith, was a longtime record executive who interviewed hundreds of music legends as part of his book, Off The Record. In this extended conversation with Joni we hear an artist come to grips with both her rise to fame and the price that she felt she paid for experimenting in her career and not seeking hits and fame alone.

The Grateful Dead Set To Release An 80-CD Box Set

“When we began discussing audio projects to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead back in 2012, we knew we wanted to do something completely unprecedented. We could think of nothing more exciting or ambitious than a career-spanning overview of the band’s live legacy focused on what best tells the story: complete concerts. Our first criterion was the very best live music to represent any given year in the band’s history. We wanted to make sure that there were not only the tent-pole shows that fans have been demanding for decades but also ones that are slightly more under the radar, but equally excellent. For those who listen to the entire box straight through, chronologically, the narrative of the Grateful Dead’s live legacy will be seen as second to none in the pantheon of music history.”

David Lemieux

Are you ready for The Grateful Dead’s most ambitious release ever? 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN will be available as both an 80-disc boxed set and a custom lightning-bolt USB drive, the collection includes 30 unreleased live shows, one for each year the band was together from 1966 to 1995, along with one track from their earliest recording sessions in 1965. Packed with over 73 hours of music, both the boxed set and the USB drive will be individually numbered limited editions. The price? $699.98 (Under $700.00!)

The 80-disc boxed set is individually numbered and limited to 6,500 copies, a nod to the band’s formation in 1965. Thats $4.5 million made once it sells out – look, NOBODY makes that kind of money from their albums anymore, THAT’S the power of The Dead. Along with the CDs, it also includes a gold-colored 7-inch vinyl single which bookends the band’s career. The A-side is “Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)” from the band’s earliest recording session in 1965 with the B-side of the last song the band ever performed together live, “Box Of Rain” recorded during their final encore at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 9, 1995.

The box also comes with a 288-page book that features an extensive, career-spanning essay written by Nick Meriwether, who oversees the Dead archives at the University of California, Santa Cruz, along with special remembrances of the band submitted by fans. Also included is a scroll that offers a visual representation of how the band’s live repertoire has evolved through the years.

The USB drive version will be shaped like a gold lightning bolt with the Grateful Dead 50th anniversary logo engraved on the side. The drive includes all of the music from the collection in both FLAC (96/24) and MP3 formats and is an individually numbered limited edition of 1,000 copies.

GRATEFUL DEAD: 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN will not available in stores or from any other online retailer – only at Dead.net. A smaller 50th Anniversary commemorative keepsake will be released on September 18th as a four-CD version of the collection titled 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN: THE DEFINITIVE LIVE STORY 1965-1995. More on that here.

Head on over to Rollingstone.com for the very first listen of “Morning Dew” 9/18/87 Madison Square Garden, David Fricke’s exclusive interview with archivist David Lemieux, and the reveal of THIRTY TRIPS AROUND THE SUN’s ’69 and ’84 shows.

It Looks Like Devin Townsend Might Take Taking A Break…Of A Few Days

Devin Townsend Project’s Z² is out now worldwide and the band are currently on tour in the US with Animals As Leaders and Monuments. Now Devin is pleased to reveal a brand new lyric video for the track ‘ March Of The Poozers’ taken from the Dark Matters side of the album, and you can view that here.

Devin checks in with this note, and it looks like he’s taking a bit of a break. That is, before his European Tour, and the man is a machine, seriously.

‘Hey all, Dev here…closing out the North American tour and a heck of a year.
I released 4 albums this year, if you count the bonus disc of Casualties, went through the crazy Pledge process (still going through it) and it was generally a hectic time.
I feel like I’m at the end of a creative cycle… The Z2 project beat me up in a way I wasn’t expecting, but when all was said and done, I’m very proud of it. It’s an accurate description of a really stressful period, but I didn’t sell out, and I saw it through. Thanks to all of you who continue to support.
My mind is full of music again, as it always is, but I’m trying to absorb some of the lessons that came with the over scheduling and chaos of this last period, and I look forward to getting my process back on track. Again, I’m constantly shocked by the fact I get to do this for a living. Thank you.
Here’s another track from Z2, called ‘March of the Poozers’. To be honest, my main motivation to make this album was so I could make those crazy puppet shows that are now online, but musically, it’s kind of typical random music that I’ve been interested in for the past few years. This song was directly influenced by the band ‘Samael’ whom I have great affection for as people, and I’m happy to present it with a lyric video that Stefan at Media Logistics went above and beyond for.
What’s next for me I think will be a short break before the European tour and the Royal Albert Hall show, but then, I have ideas for a destructive bass driven apocalypse record, a meditative record, a symphony, more Casualties, more DTP and a kind of big band thing, none of these ideas are confirmed, but I’m finding myself getting fired up to create in ways I haven’t been able to for a few years because of my schedule. I need to regroup and then I’ll see you soon.
I love music. Thank you for the inspiration, lessons and support.
Devin’

Third Man Records To Open New Detroit Branch

On June 1st, Shinola founder Tom Kartsotis partnered with Detroit-native Jack White to purchase the building that currently houses the Shinola Flagship store at 441 W. Canfield in Detroit’s Cass Corridor. The deal marks new expansion for both Shinola as well as Jack White’s record label Third Man Records. For Third Man, this is a homecoming of sorts, since the label was originally founded in Detroit in 2001. This expansion signals the opening of their first retail store and offices outside of Nashville, TN. The new retail space is set to be in operation by Black Friday (November 27th, 2015), with many special surprises in store.

For Shinola, the deal comes on the heels of the brand’s investment into yet another category, rapidly honing in on the ability to manufacture speakers, turntables and headphones of audiophile quality, while creating more manufacturing jobs in the US — a top priority for the innovative and quality-focused company.

Third Man Records has long aspired to have a presence in Detroit and the constantly evolving Cass Corridor in particular, given White’s history in the neighborhood. It is the location of the first-ever White Stripes show, the home of White’s high school, and an area of the city that White says, “has always been the most inspiring area of Detroit for me as an artist and as a Detroiter. From the great visual artists like Gordon Newton to the music of the Gories, and the birth of the Detroit garage rock scene, the Corridor has nurtured Detroit’s soul and inventiveness for decades. That spirit pushes forward with Shinola’s passion and will come full circle for the artists of the Corridor that work with Third Man Records to plant a new foundation there to help keep that creative spirit alive for decades to come.”

The expansion for Third Man Records is both a return-to-its-roots as well as a reach forward into the future, and the possibilities with the additional space and the Shinola partnership are endless and exciting.

About the plans, Tom Kartsotis said, “Everyone at Shinola is so excited about Third Man Records moving into the Cass Corridor. Unbelievable… There goes the neighborhood!”

Amy Schumer Plays a Stripper for a Dog’s Bachelor Party

Things take a racy turn when Amy Schumer lands a gig stripping for an unconventional bachelor party.

Epic Blooper Reel From CNN For Their 35th Anniversary

It’s CNN’s 35th anniversary, and they’re celebrating with an epic blooper video from their CNN video archives.