GEICO really has done the unthinkable – getting people to watch, and enjoy, ads about insurance. They have hit another home run with this latest online ad. Many ads on YouTube and other video services give you the chance to skip it after five seconds. But this commercial is so short, it’s over before you have the chance to even skip it.
Here’s the extended cut of the ad, showing what happens next.
http://youtu.be/pvcj9xptNOQ
In the 2015/16 season, David Mirvish will present 14 shows in Toronto, consisting of seven shows in the Mainstage Subscription Series, three in the Off-Mirvish Subscription Series and four shows off-subscription. One of the big shows will be the Broadway smash hit MOTOWN THE MUSICAL.
It began as one man’s story… became everyone’s music… and is now Broadway’s musical. MOTOWN THE MUSICAL is the true American dream story of Motown founder Berry Gordy’s journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and many more.
MOTOWN THE MUSICAL is Broadway’s record-breaking smash hit that tells the true story behind the beat that changed minds, touched lives and took the world by storm. MOTOWN THE MUSICAL shows how these legendary artists and so many more created the soundtrack that transformed America. With over 40 classic songs such as “My Girl,” “What’s Going On,” “Dancing in the Street,” “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” this explosive Broadway event is the next chapter of Motown’s incredible history – and an experience you’ll never forget.
You can get tickets here.
Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Kenny Lattimore announces the release of his new album, Anatomy of a Love Song, on April 14, 2015 on Sincere Soul Records/eOne Music.
Lattimore’s first single, “Love Me Back” impacted at Urban AC radio last week and was the most added song at that format. The song is available on iTunes beginning today. Listen to the track here.
Lattimore’s music reflects the best of all worlds as it combines the timeless sounds of traditional R&B with a unique contemporary flair to create a universal sound that transcends boundaries and appeals to audiences of all ages, races and genres. His body of work, which includes hits such as “Never Too Busy” and the Grammy nominated “For You,” has garnered two Gold-selling albums, the NAACP Image Award for Best New Artist, and nominations for Soul Train Awards and Stellar Awards.
In addition to Kanye West sampling Lattimore’s “Lately” in his song “I’m In It,” from his #1 album Yeezus, a diverse array of artists including Musiq Soulchild, Rachelle Ferrell, Ray J, Nancy Wilson, Heather B, Michael Lington and Brian Culbertson, have sought out his talents for their own projects. He performed the duet “Love Will Find A Way” with Heather Headley for Disney’s The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride. He and singer Chante Moore recorded the Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell duet “You’re All I Need To Get By,” which was selected as the theme song for the BET show The Family Crews.
“Love Me Back” can be purchased here.
Current tour dates:
March 6 – Jakarta, Indonesia – Java Jazz Festival 2015
March 7 – Jakarta, Indonesia – Java Jazz Festival 2015
March 8 – Jakarta, Indonesia – Java Jazz Festival 2015
March 28 – Washington, D.C. – The Howard Theater
April 19 – Las Vegas, NV – City of Lights Jazz and R&B Fest
May 9 – Elkhart Lake, WI – Jazz on the Vine
June 12 – Napa, CA – Brian Culbertson’s Napa Valley Jazz Getaway
June 13 – Napa, CA – Brian Culbertson’s Napa Valley Jazz Getaway
Oct. 24 – San Juan, PR – 9th Annual Capital Jazz SuperCruise
MusiCounts is thrilled to announce that Steve Sainas of Terry Fox Secondary School in Port Coquitlam, BC has been named the 2015 MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award recipient. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the award, which recognizes the dedication of music teachers in Canada who help keep music education alive. Sainas will receive $10,000 plus a $10,000 contribution to his school’s music program. In addition, he will experience VIP treatment throughout JUNO Week, attending the Chairman’s Reception and the JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards, and will walk on the red carpet at The JUNO Awards Broadcast.
MusiCounts, Canada’s music education charity associated with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) and the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) is helping to keep music alive across Canada. MusiCounts’ mission is to ensure that children in Canada, regardless of socio-economic circumstances or cultural background, have access to music programs through their schools and communities. This is achieved through the Band Aid Program, the TD Community Music Program, the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award, Scholarships and other music education initiatives. Since MusiCounts’ establishment in 1997, nearly $8,000,000 will have been awarded to help support music education in Canada. These funds have benefitted over 700 schools and communities from coast to coast, supported over 330 post-secondary music program graduates and honoured 10 extraordinary music teachers through the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award.
Multi-Platinum selling group MAGIC! has shown their support by contributing $100,000 towards MusiCounts programs, which includes the sponsorship of the 2015 MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award. The team at MusiCounts is truly grateful for the group’s generosity.
“With 2015 marking the 10th anniversary of this award, Steve Sainas represents all of the qualities of a music teacher that led to its creation a decade ago,” said Allan Reid, President & CEO, CARAS/The JUNO Awards & MusiCounts. “He has created a program that uses a forward-thinking approach to music education that engages students on a very deep level. Bestowing this honour to Steve would not be possible if it wasn’t for MAGIC!’s generosity. If it wasn’t for the music teachers in their own lives who provided them with formative experiences in music, they may not have followed the path that has led them to choose music as their career.”
“We were quite impressed to learn about the incredible program Mr. Sainas created for his students,” said Nasri, lead singer of MAGIC! “My older brother is a school teacher and we often talk about the benefit of music on young minds. It’s an educational experience that no child should miss out on. Teachers like Mr. Sainas help to ensure that thousands of children will get to reap the benefits of that experience.”
A Port Coquitlam legend, Sainas has been a music teacher for 28 years, both in the community and working with young people in the English and Music classrooms, as well as with special needs students in Terry Fox Secondary School’s Learning Centre. In 2000, he developed a largely self-funded project, the Rock School and Recording Arts Program, which encourages participation at all levels, including career path preparation. The classes welcome at-risk youth, the severely learning disabled, the physically disabled and the gifted. Every student in the program is provided with professional musical instruments and recording equipment. Outside of the classroom, Sainas is an accomplished musician, having performed and recorded in a wide variety of genres, and for the past fifteen years he has led an award-winning blues act, Mud Dog.
“I am deeply honoured to be receiving this prestigious award and feel privileged to be able to pay forward to my students the gift of music that I received all those years ago in Mr. Charles Russ’s grade 8 guitar class… a gift that introduced me to my passion for music, inspired me to teach, and gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams and aspirations,” said Sainas. “I wish to express my most heartfelt gratitude to MusiCounts, MAGIC! and everyone who actively supports music education.”
One of my all-time fave bands – The Charlatans UK – Tim Burgess, Mark Collins, Martin Blunt and Tony Rogers – release their twelfth album, Modern Nature on BMG Chrysalis on April 21st in North America.
MODERN NATURE features eleven new tracks, including the limited edition 7” singles and 6 Music A List records “Talking In Tones” and “So Oh”, as well as the single “Come Home Baby”. The album was produced by The Charlatans and Jim Spencer and mixed by Craig Silvey (Arcade Fire, Portishead). The album features a cacophony of contributors from their three temporary drummers – Pete Salisbury of The Verve, Stephen Morris of New Order and Gabriel Gurnsey of DFA’s avant-disco group Factory Floor, to Kate Bush’s backing singers Melanie Marshall and Sandra Marvin, strings by Sean O’ Hagan and brass courtesy of Dexys’ Big Jim Paterson.
Q have already described the album as “ one the finest of their career”, while the Guardian have called it “a triumph”.
The album comes after a difficult year for the band following the death from brain cancer of their old friend and drummer Jon Brookes last year. The band were determined to carry on with the making of the album to honor Brookes’ memory.
Modern Nature will be available on cd, vinyl, deluxe cd and download. The tracklisting for the album is as follows; Talking In Tones/So Oh/Come Home Baby/Keep Enough/Tall Grass/Emilie/Let The Good Times Be Never Ending/Need You To Know/Lean In/Trouble Understanding/Lot To Say
The live shows in March will be The Charlatans’ first full UK tour since 2010. Pete Salisbury (The Verve) who plays on much of the album will be drumming on the dates.
Let’s leave the last word with The Quietus……
“In Modern Nature, The Charlatans have achieved that rare feat of making a gigantic step forward without losing what made them so special in the first place.”
Tour Dates:
Mar 03 Bristol, UK @ Academy Bristol
Mar 05 Manchester, UK @ The Albert Hall SOLD OUT
Mar 06 Manchester, UK @ The Albert Hall SOLD OUT
Mar 07 Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy Leeds SOLD OUT
Mar 09 Hull, UK @ Hull University
Mar 10 Glasgow, UK @ Glasgow Barrowlands SOLD OUT
Mar 11 Glasgow, UK @ Glasgow Barrowlands
Mar 13 Wolverhampton, UK @ Woverhampton Civic Hall
Mar 14 Leicester, UK @ O2 Academy Leicester SOLD OUT
Mar 15 Worthing, UK @ Worthing Pavilion Theatre
Mar 16 London, UK @ London Roundhouse SOLD OUT
Mar 19 Tokyo, Japan @ O-East Tokyo
Mar 22 Taipei, Taiwan @ Neo Studio
Mar 25 Osaka, Japan @ Club Quattro
Jul 24 Sheffield, UK @ Tramlines Festival
Digital Assets:
“Talking In Tones” Video:
“So Oh” Video:
“Come Home Baby” Video:
Who are the original music samplers? Sit back and let CBC Radio 2’s Tom Allen spin a yarn that explores one piece of music that was copied over and over again through classical history right up into the future.
http://youtu.be/aTaSjS1pwhQ
Following a performance on the tour at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. on February 2, 1959, Buddy Holly chartered a small airplane to take him and Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper – J. P. Richardson from nearby Mason City to Moorhead, Minnesota, the next stop on the tour. The charter’s pilot, Roger Peterson, took off in inclement weather, even though he was not certified to fly by instruments-only. Following takeoff in the early morning hours of February 3, Holly, along with Ritchie Valens, J. P. Richardson, and the pilot, were all killed when the plane crashed shortly after takeoff.
Now, the National Transportation Safety Board may re-examine the accident, previously thought to be pilot error in the face of bad weather. From CNN:
The NTSB received a letter from aviation enthusiast L.J. Coon, a self-described retired pilot and aircraft dispatcher, asking it to look at other possible contributing factors to the crash. They include the aircraft’s weight and balance calculations (for passengers, baggage and fuel), possible issues with rudder panels and possible carburetor Induction icing, Coon told CNN in an email.
“You have gotten our attention,” the NTSB wrote in February, saying it would examine the information he provided, Coon’s email said.
“Buddy Holly plane crash may be re-examined” (CNN)
I took typing in school but never thought to type to music.
Zac Brown Band’s forthcoming album ‘JEKYLL + HYDE’ will be out April 28, 2015, on Southern Ground/John Varvatos Records/Big Machine Label Group/Republic Records. The band will premiere new music from the album this weekend during their first performance on Saturday Night Live.
Describing the album’s direction, Zac told Rolling Stone earlier this year that it will have “things that people will expect and things that they won’t.” Digital pre-orders will include immediate downloads of “Homegrown”, “Dress Blues” and “Heavy Is the Head (feat. Chris Cornell)” at select partners. “Homegrown” — the band’s highest chart debut, which is bulleted at #10 on country radio this week — has earned massive fan support and early praise for its “rock feel” (Country Weekly) and “intricately arranged vocal harmonies” (Billboard); “Dress Blues”, written by Jason Isbell, is a somber and stirring tribute to members of the military who have been killed in service; and “Heavy Is the Head”, which features Chris Cornell, the multi GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter and legendary frontman for pioneering rock bands Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog, makes its world premiere this Friday, March 6th, on iHeartRadio’s Mainstream and Active Rock station. The album also features a collaboration with Sara Bareilles.
‘JEKYLL + HYDE’ physical copies are available for pre-order now at: www.ZacBrownBand.com
‘JEKYLL + HYDE’ follows Zac Brown Band’s three platinum-selling albums, ‘Uncaged’, ‘You Get What You Give’, and ‘The Foundation’, and their 2013 project ‘The Grohl Sessions Vol. 1’, which have together sold over seven million copies, produced a historic series of eleven #1 hit singles and earned three GRAMMYs.
During release week, the band kicks off their North American stadium tour in Nashville, and throughout the summer returns for headlining shows at Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and Citi Field, in addition to several new baseball stadiums, and festivals including Hangout Music Festival and Summerfest.
Ticket pre-sale for Zac Brown Band fan-club members is available for select dates starting March 10th; for all fan club information visit www.ZacBrownBand.com. Tickets for the general public go on sale starting March 13th; for ticket information visit www.ticketmaster.com. Additional travel packages will also be available for the MLB Stadium shows via CID Entertainment
Zac Brown Band is: singer/guitarist Zac Brown, violinist/singer Jimmy De Martini, multi-instrumentalist/singer John Driskell Hopkins, guitarist/organist Coy Bowles, multi-instrumentalist/singer Clay Cook, drummer Chris Fryar, percussionist Daniel de los Reyes and bassist Matt Mangano.
‘JEKYLL + HYDE’ TRACKLIST:
1. Beautiful Drug
2. Loving You Easy
3. Remedy
4. Homegrown
5. Mango Tree (feat. Sara Bareilles)
6. Heavy Is the Head (feat. Chris Cornell)
7. Bittersweet
8. Castaway
9. Tomorrow Never Comes
10. One Day
11. Dress Blues
12. Young and Wild
13. Junkyard
14. I’ll Be Your Man (Song for a Daughter)
15. Wildfire
16. Tomorrow Never Comes (Acoustic Version)
ZAC BROWN BAND 2015 TOUR DATES:
• May 1 / Nashville, TN / Bridgestone Arena
• May 7 / Raleigh, NC / Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
• May 8 / Alpharetta, GA / Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park
• May 9 / Alpharetta, GA / Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park
• May 16 / Gulf Shores, AL / Hangout Music Festival
• May 21 / Maryland Heights, MO / Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
• May 22 / Cincinnati, OH / PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
• May 23 / Cuyahoga Falls, OH / Blossom Music Center
• May 24 / Burgettstown, PA / First Niagara Pavilion
• June 4 / Charlotte, NC / PNC Music Pavilion
• June 5 / Virginia Beach, VA / Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
• June 6 / Hartford, CT / XFINITY Theatre
• June 7 / Bangor, ME / Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
• June 13 / Jacksonville, FL / Florida County Superfest
• June 27 / Ozark, AR / Thunder on the Mountain Festival
• June 28 / Milwaukee, WI / Summerfest
• July 3 / Denver, CO / Coors Field
• July 9 / Salt Lake City, UT / USANA Amphitheatre
• July 10 / Boise, ID / Taco Bell Arena
• July 11 / George, WA / Gorge Amphitheatre
• July 12 / Ridgefield, WA / Amphitheater Northwest
• August 6 / Darien Center, NY / Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
• August 7 / Boston, MA / Fenway Park
• August 8 / Boston, MA / Fenway Park
• August 14 / Washington, DC / Nationals Park
• August 15 / Philadelphia, PA / Citizens Bank Park
• August 21 / Flushing, NY / Citi Field
• August 23 / Bethel, NY / Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
• September 3 / Toronto, ON / Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
• September 6 / Saratoga Springs, NY / Saratoga Performing Arts Center
• September 11 / Chicago, IL / Wrigley Field
• September 12 / Detroit, MI / Comerica Park
• September 19 / Del Mar, CA / Kaaboo Music & Arts Festival
http:///
http://shorefire.com/clients/zacbrownband/
Barnes And Noble Review: In 1990, Sonic Youth decided to sign to a major label. You received a lot of criticism for it — people said you’d “sold out,” a term that seems dated now. How did you feel about it at the time?
Kim Gordon: Well, we may have gone to a major label, but when we went on tour with Neil Young, we learned pretty quickly that we weren’t part of the mainstream – his audiences hated us! And being on a major label didn’t change us. We pretty much continued to do what we wanted to, including a lot of experimental stuff. Geffen never really promoted us, but in return they never pressured us either, or told us we had to go back and edit a song to turn it into something commercial. It was only when we signed with Matador that I realized in some ways that “These are our people,” and not the other guys.
BNR: The term “sellout” seems very ’90s — today, as you write of New York, “creative ideas and personal ambition are no longer mutually exclusive.” That punk-rock puritanism has sort of gone out of style, but have we moved too far in the opposite direction?
KG: I’m of the opinion that individuals need to look into their own souls and figure that out for themselves.
