Commander Chris Hadfield shares what it’s like to see the Earth from orbit, and gives some extraordinary stories from his life as an astronaut, and how to make the impossible a reality.
The Jack Daniel’s Supporting Act Contest Is Closing Soon
Music fans have always been Jack Daniel’s greatest supporters and now it’s time for Jack to give back. Jack Daniel’s Supporting Act fuels music fans’ passions by making musical dreams a reality. Whether you’re music fan looking to see your favourite Live Nation concert, a musician with lots of talent and in need of help, or an industry professional looking for your big break. No matter what your need, Jack Daniel’s Supporting Act could help you realize your musical dream.
What do you need to do?
Tell Jack Daniel’s who you are, where you’re from, what you need to keep music in your life, and why you need Jack’s help to make it happen.
Upload your video to www.JDSupportingAct.com ENSURE YOUR VIDEO MEETS THE CRITERIA:
1. An original 60 second video – make sure it’s your own, and that you are of legal drinking age in your province of residence (VERY important)
2. Clearly state what you are applying for
3. Make sure the value of your request has a maximum possible value of $7,000, In the spirit of Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7!
What kinds of things can I ask for?
Whatever you need to keep music in your life – replacement equipment for the stuff that got stolen at your last gig, some studio time to record, even if you aren’t a musician, tuition towards your education in the music industry!
What will my video be judged on?
STORY (40%)
Priority will be given to videos that tell compelling, personal stories. They’re looking for stories that thrill, entertain or pull at the heart strings For example, If you need concert tickets, tell us about the time you missed seeing your favourite Live Nation concert. Try creating videos that resonate with music lovers anywhere.
CREATIVITY (30%)
Videos that get their message across in creative ways will also be given priority. Don’t be satisfied by taking a video in your living room. Get out into the world and show us how creative you can be. You could write a song with your request, perform a dance or express your love of music in a hundred different ways.
PRESENTATION (30%)
In the world of videos, looks matter! Use the tricks and tools of directors to make your video look like a winner. Play around with sound, editing, titles and lighting to give your video a professional presentation. They want to see that love and care has gone into the making of your video.
When can I apply?
The contest is open now! Every two weeks we’ll be selecting four finalist videos to be up for public voting. The votes, in combination with the judges score will determine the winner. We’re giving away 8 prizes from December to March – winners every two weeks!
Go to www.JDSupportingAct.com now and submit your entry!
Trey Parker’s Cannibal The Musical is coming to Toronto
Before South Park and The Book of Mormon, there was Trey Parker’s fan-favourite film, Cannibal! The Musical. This winter Trey Parker’s Cannibal the Musical makes its world premiere as a re-vamped stage show with new jokes and new songs, bearing all the hallmarks of a Parker-Stone collaboration – it’s the Canadian theatre event of the season, and runs from February 10 until March 8 at the Panasonic Theatre.
The musical follows five miners from Utah who embark on a treacherous journey to stake their claim on land in the Colorado Territory. Led by their reluctant guide, Alferd Packer, the group encounters trappers, natives and a whole lot of tom-foolery before losing their way in the Rocky Mountains. When they’re found days later Alferd is the only one left standing, and the Sheriff arrests him for cannibalism – but what really happened out on them there mountains? Intrepid reporter Polly Pry is determined to tell the REAL story… that is, if she doesn’t fall in love with the unsuspecting Packer first.
Starring Elicia MacKenzie (from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Sound of Music”) and Triple Sensation’s Liam Tobin, and Second City stars Mike “Nug” Nahrgang, Marc Andrada, Marty Adams and Trevor Martin, “Cannibal The Musical!” promises to be a hilarious evening of Trey Parker zaniness. Additional book, lyrics and music were created by Christopher Bond, Aaron Eyre and Trevor Martin.
Toronto run:
February 10 – March 8, 2015
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Tue Feb 10 at 7pm
Wed Feb 11 at 7pm
Thu Feb 12 at 7pm
Fri Feb 13 at 7pm
Saturday Feb 14 at 2pm, 7pm and 10:30pm
Sunday Feb 15 at 2:30pm and 7pm
Tue Feb 17 at 7pm
Wed Feb 18 at 7pm
Thu Feb 19 at 7pm
Fri Feb 20 at 7pm
Sat Feb 21 at 2pm and 7pm
Sun Feb 22 at 2:30pm and 7pm
Tue Feb 24 at 7pm
Wed Feb 25 at 7pm
Thu Feb 26 at 7pm
Fri Feb 27 at 7pm
Sat Feb 28 at 2pm and 7pm
Sun Mar 1 at 2:30pm and 7pm
Fri Mar 6 at 7pm
Sat Mar 7 at 2pm and 7pm
Sun Mar 8 at 2:30pm and 7pm
The Prism Prize Top Ten: Short-List For Best Canadian Music Video of 2014
The Prism Prize is thrilled to announce the Top Ten Best Canadian Music Videos of 2014, as voted by a jury of more than 120 industry professionals from the worlds of music, film, broadcast and web media. After viewing hundreds of music videos released in 2014, jurors selected the Prism Prize Top Ten based on originality, creativity, style, innovation and effective execution. The jury will vote once more to determine the Prism Prize winner, who will receive a $5,000 Grand Prize at the Awards Presentation on March 29, 2015 at TIFF Bell Lightbox. For the first time ever the Prism Prize Awards Presentation will be open to the public. Tickets are available at www.prismprize.com/tickets
In addition to the Grand Prize announcement, the Prism Prize Awards Presentation will include a screening of the Top Ten videos, sponsored by MuchFACT; and presentation of the Audience Choice Award, Presented by Noisey Canada; the Prism Prize Special Achievement Award for artistic achievements and exceptional contribution to music video art on a world stage; and the Arthur Lipsett Award, Presented by Art Works Art School, for innovative and unique approaches to music video art.
THE 2015 PRISM PRIZE TOP TEN (in alphabetical order, by director name):
The New Pornographers – Dancehall Domine (Directors: Scott Cudmore and Michael LeBlanc)
PUP – Guilt Trip (Directors: Chandler Levack and Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux)
Fur Trade – Same Temptation (Director: Kheaven Lewandowski)
Rich Aucoin – Yelling in Sleep (Director: Joel Mackenzie)
Ryan Hemsworth – Snow in Newark (Director: Martin C. Pariseau)
Kandle – Not Up to Me (Director: Natalie Rae Robison)
Kevin Drew – You in Your Were (Director: Samir Rehem)
Odonis Odonis – Order in the Court (Director: Lee Stringle)
Chad VanGaalen – Monster (Director: Chad VanGaalen)
Timber Timbre – Beat the Drum Slowly (Director: Chad VanGaalen)
The Prism Prize Top Ten videos are live at www.prismprize.com, where fans can watch and vote on who will take home this year’s Audience Award.
Past Prism Prize winners for Best Canadian Music Video of the Year include Noah Pink for Rich Aucoin’s Brian Wilson is A.L.i.V.E (2012) and Emily Kai Bock for Arcade Fire’s Afterlife (2013).
Prism Prize is proud to host a comprehensive resource for music fans to watch the best Canadian music videos all in one place. Videos and news from Canada’s music video community are available throughout the year at www.prismprize.com.
Barenaked Ladies Last Summer on Earth Tour Launches June 5th
BARENAKED LADIES will be heading back out on the road this summer for their 2015 Last Summer on Earth Tour. Joined by special guests Violent Femmes and Colin Hay of Men At Work, the Ladies are once again recreating their winning formula with performances in 30+ amphitheaters across the country. Tour kicks off on June 5th in Columbus, OH and wraps on July 26th in Seattle, WA. Tickets go on sale as early as Friday, February 13th at 10am local time in select markets and every tour date will have VIP upgrade packages available. See full list of tour dates below. For updates and more information visit www.barenakedladies.com.
Ed Robertson states, “It’s the Last Summer On Earth… Again! It’s not a doomsday prediction; it’s a call to action. We sincerely hope this won’t be the Last Summer on Earth, but just in case, we’re going to ROCK like it is!!”
The 2015 Last Summer on Earth Tour coincides with the release of the band’s, as yet untitled, new album due out on Vanguard Records later this summer. Fans that purchase tickets to the 2015 Last Summer on Earth Tour will instantly receive one track from the new album and a digital download of the full album upon release.
BARENAKED LADIES featuring (guitarist/vocalist Ed Robertson, bassist/vocalist Jim Creeggan, keyboardist/vocalist Kevin Hearn and drummer/vocalist Tyler Stewart) have sold over 14 million albums worldwide and have won eight Juno awards and earned multiple Grammy nominations. Known for such hits as “One Week,” “Pinch Me, “Brian Wilson,” “If I Had $1,000,000” and many more, the band also penned the theme song for the hit CBS series, “The Big Bang Theory.” Their latest album, Grinning Streak, debuted at #10 on the Billboard Top 200. The album’s breakout success showcased the single “Odds Are,” which shot to No. 2 on the iTunes Rock Songs Chart. The Barenaked Ladies live shows have become legendary with their hilarious on-stage banter and impromptu raps.
THE BARENAKED LADIES – 2015 LAST SUMMER ON EARTH TOUR
5-Jun-15 – Columbus, OH @ The LC Pavilion
6-Jun-15 – Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
7-Jun-15 – Toledo, OH @ Toledo Zoo Amphitheatre
8-Jun-15 – Cedar Rapids, IA @ McGrath Amphitheatre
10-Jun-15 – Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
12-Jun-15 – Red Wing, MN @ Treasure Island Resort & Casino Island Events Center
13-Jun-15 – Milwaukee, WI @ BMO Harris Pavilion
14-Jun-15 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Stir Cove at Harrah’s Council Bluffs
16-Jun-15 – Chicago, IL @ FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
17-Jun-15 – Indianapolis, IN @ Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park
19-Jun-15 – Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion
20-Jun-15 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
21-Jun-15 – Salamanca, NY @ Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino
23-Jun-15 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
26-Jun-15 – Portland, ME @ Maine State Pier
27-Jun-15 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
28-Jun-15 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Mann Center for the Performing Arts
29-Jun-15 – Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
1-Jul-15 – New York, NY @ JBL Live at Pier 97
2-Jul-15 – West Windsor, NJ @ Mercer County Park Festival Grounds
3-Jul-15 – Solomons, MD @ PNC Waterside Pavilion
4-Jul-15 – Raleigh, NC @ The Red Hat Amphitheatre
8-Jul-15 – Charlotte, NC @ Uptown Amphitheatre at the Music Factory
10-Jul-15 – Boca Raton, FL @ Sunset Cove Amphitheatre
11-Jul-15 – St. Augustine, FL @ St Augustine Amphitheatre
12-Jul-15 – Atlanta, GA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park
13-Jul-15 – Nashville, TN @ Woods at Fontanel
15-Jul-15 – Dallas, TX @ Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
17-Jul-15 – Albuquerque, NM @ Venue TBD
18-Jul-15 – Las Vegas, NV @ Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
19-Jul-15 – San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union OAT
21-Jul-15 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
22-Jul-15 – Saratoga, CA @ Mountain Winery
24-Jul-15 – Boise, ID @ Idaho Botanical Garden
25-Jul-15 – Portland, OR @ Edgefield
26-Jul-15 – Seattle, WA @ Marymoor Amphitheatre
Alanis Morissette to be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) is pleased to announce Alanis Morissette as the 2015 inductee into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Spanning nearly three decades, Morissette’s extraordinary career has produced a string of chart-topping albums and garnered her numerous awards and accolades, including 13 JUNO Awards, seven Grammy Awards and two Golden Globe Award nominations. The singer-songwriter will add yet another achievement when she is honoured during the 44th annual JUNO Awards Broadcast live on CTV and CTV Go, Sunday, March 15 at 7 p.m. ET/8 p.m. AT and at 7 p.m. in all other markets, from the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario.
“It is an honour to be honoured by my home country that I adore so much,” says Alanis Morissette.
“Alanis forged a new path for women in music when she released Jagged Little Pill in 1995 and became one of the most influential singer-songwriter-musicians in contemporary music,” said Allan Reid, President & CEO, CARAS/The JUNO Awards. “Her induction to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame is more than deserving. We are incredibly proud to be honouring her long history of accomplishments and celebrating her one of a kind voice at the 2015 JUNO Awards.”
Having recorded her first song at the age of 10 and winning her first JUNO Award at 17, Alanis Morissette has already accomplished more than many musicians do in a lifetime. Her first studio album self-titled Alanis was released in Canada in 1991, and the dance-pop album went to platinum with its first single, “Too Hot” reaching the top twenty on the singles chart. Morissette went on to release Now Is The Time in 1992 – a ballad-driven record which produced three top 40 singles: “An Emotion Away,” the minor contemporary hit “No Apologies,” and “(Change Is) Never a Waste of Time.”
After moving to Los Angeles in 1995, Morissette took the music scene by storm with the release of Jagged Little Pill – a mature, compellingly personal collection of original modern-rock compositions that sold an astonishing 30 million copies worldwide. Morissette’s popularity grew significantly in Canada, where the album was certified twelve-times platinum and produced four chart-toppers: “Hand in My Pocket”, “Ironic”, “You Learn”, and “Head Over Feet.” Morissette and the album won five JUNO Awards in 1996 in Hamilton: Album of the Year, Single of the Year (“You Oughta Know”), Female Vocalist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Best Rock Album. At the 1996 Grammy Awards, she won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, Best Rock Song (both for “You Oughta Know”), Best Rock Album and Album of the Year.
With a steadily growing fan base and rising success, Morissette quickly became renowned for her skillful songwriting, mesmerizing vocals and undeniable talent. Her passion for music remained unwavering over the years and produced a streak of critically acclaimed albums, including Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998), Under Rug Swept (2002), So-Called Chaos (2004), Flavors of Entanglement (2008) and Havoc and Bright Lights (2012).
To date, Morissette’s albums have sold 60 million copies worldwide and won her over 25 awards, including 13 JUNO Awards, seven Grammy Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, two American Music Awards and the UN Global Tolerance Award.
Outside of entertainment, Morissette is an avid supporter of female empowerment, as well as spiritual, psychological and physical wellness. She has contributed her writing and music to a variety of outlets, forums and causes, including movie soundtrack contributions, running a marathon for NEDA and working with Equality Now. Morissette also leads workshops, special speaking/music engagements and keynote speaking worldwide.
How Formats Shaped, Splintered And Remade Pop Music
From NPR:
Music critics these days love to argue about “rockism,” the unexamined prejudices we bring to our musical judgements, and “poptimism,” an effort to celebrate commercial stuff that some think goes way too far. My book, Top 40 Democracy: The Rival Mainstreams of American Music, aims to get us out of that endless back and forth by focusing on the key place songs become pop: radio, which, beginning on AM with Top 40 in the 1950s and then moving to FM in the 1970s, gave music its deepest connection to Americans. Radio made new tunes and styles familiar, perennial, memories. And unlike movies or TV, radio was structurally segmented: Different formats like country, R&B, rock, Top 40 and Adult Contemporary targeted different audiences.
That’s formats, not genres: Radio sold listeners to advertisers, not music to fans, and that meant being pragmatic about the tastes of groups highly defined by age, gender, race and class, not vaunting musical standards. True believers could fume all they wanted, and they have, from Elvis Costello attacking “Radio, Radio” in his punk days to Public Enemy‘s Chuck D questioning black radio’s blackness. But the cynicism of lowest common denominator formats was good, I argue in my book, because even idealistic gatekeepers like music snobs are inherently narrow minded. In catering to chunks of everybody, not everybody all at once, what I call Top 40 democracy produced a pop scene of striking diversity, armored by commercialism. Think of the Grammy Awards, which routinely dwarf the Oscars in the number of categories represented and in demographic range. Normal, in music, became a bunch of different, simultaneous, normals: parallel and jostling mainstreams, rather than everybody forced to fit into the same blockbuster formula or accept marginal status.
OMG! The Rise & Fall of Paramount Records, Volume Two
The first volume in The Rise & Fall of Paramount Records collection was called “spectacular” (New York Times), “unprecedented” (Rolling Stone), “breathtaking” (Boing Boing), and “a cabinet of wonder, indeed” (Pitchfork).
On November 18, Third Man and Revenant proudly released you The Rise & Fall of Paramount, Volume Two – already being hailed by Wired as “the ultimate box set of iconic American music.”
Volume One (1917-27) chronicled Paramount’s improbable rise from also-ran to jazz-blues juggernaut, launching the recording careers of giants like King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Alberta Hunter, Blind Blake, Ethel Waters, Ma Rainey, Papa Charlie Jackson, Big Bill Broonzy, and Fats Waller. Order Volume One here.
But just as it seemed Paramount might be losing steam, it began a second act that threatened to dwarf its first. This astonishing second act is the subject of The Rise & Fall of Paramount, Volume Two (1928-32), the final chapter in our commemoration of America’s greatest record label.
In its final 5 year push from 1928-32, Paramount embarked on a furious run for the ages, birthing the entire genre of Mississippi Delta blues recordings and issuing some of the most coveted records in the history of wax – a staggering playlist including Skip James, Charley Patton, Son House, Tommy Johnson, Willie Brown, King Solomon Hill, Tampa Red, Lottie Kimbrough, Rube Lacy, Meade Lux Lewis, Buddy Boy Hawkins, Jaydee Short, George “Bullet” Williams, Cow Cow Davenport, Clifford Gibson, Ishman Bracey, Louise Johnson, Geeshie Wiley & Elvie Thomas, The Mississippi Sheiks. and hundreds of other artists.
Paramount simply killed. But more than that, it changed how this country thought of itself. It was the first enterprise of any kind to capture what America really sounded like in the 1920s and ’30s – on its street corners, at its fish fries and country suppers, in its nightclubs and dance halls and showtents. In the process, it was profit-minded Paramount – not a preservationist body like the Library of Congress – that inadvertently created the most significant repository of this young nation’s greatest art form.
Six LPs, 800 digital tracks, two definitive large-format books. All housed in a polished aluminum case evoking the era’s high art deco stylings and America’s own Machine Age take on modernist design.
A joint release by Third Man and Revenant, co-produced by leading Paramount scholar Alex van der Tuuk, with all Paramount masters issued under license agreement with GHB Jazz Foundation.
Contents:
* 800 newly-remastered digital tracks, representing 175 artists. View digital track list.
* 90+ fully-restored original 1920s-30s Paramount ads from The Chicago Defender
* 6 x 180g LPs pressed on label-less alabaster-white vinyl, each side with its own hand-etched numeral and holographic image. View complete LP track list.
* 250 pg. large-format clothbound hardcover book featuring original Paramount art and the label’s curious tale
* 400 pg. encyclopedia-style softcover field guide containing artist bios & portraits and full Paramount discography
* First-of-its-kind music and image player app containing all tracks and ads, housed on custom metal USB drive
* Polished aluminum and stainless steel “Machine Age” cabinet, upholstered in sapphire blue velvet
9 minutes of Rosie Perez shakin’ on Soul Train
No wonder she was discovered. When Perez was 19 years old, she was noticed at dance club Funky Reggae by Spike Lee in 1988, who hired her for her first major acting role in Do the Right Thing. Perez started her career in the late 1980s as a dancer on Soul Train. As a college student in Los Angeles, majoring in bio-chemistry, to relieve stress she said she would go to these nightclubs for ladies night — a talent scout from Soul Train asked her to be on the show. She was not a professional dancer but loved it so much she dropped out of school.
Perez later choreographed music videos by Janet Jackson, Bobby Brown, Diana Ross, LL Cool J and The Boys. She was the choreographer for the dancing group the Fly Girls who were featured on the Fox television comedy program In Living Color and also worked as a segment producer.
The Biggest Danger Of Being A Ball Boy
Yup. You got it.
