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Forget Ghosting… Toronto Sad Girl R&B Pop Artist ANLIL Haunts with “Phantom”

At her most vulnerable and raw, Toronto-based self-described ‘sad-girl’ pop artist ANLIL is here to haunt with the release of her slick, R&B-infused banger, “Phantom” — available now.

The track is Sade-smooth with JoJo-dreamy vocals that curl inside your earbuds and nest. Charming harmonies add velvety layers to this already evocative ballad about loving and losing.

Chased with soothing synth, “Phantom” is a bop that exposes ANLIL in her rawest, most vulnerable self. Prepared to leave it all on the lyrics, she delivers on relating and resonating with the pieces each of us are desperate to put back together.

“The intention behind writing ‘Phantom’ was being as vulnerable as possible,” ANLIL explains. “I had just closed a chapter of hardships in my life, and struggling to keep steady; to see eye-to-eye and tolerate those closest to me. I didn’t have any intent for what I was about to create.”

The Toronto/Vaughan-area artist is making her mark with her newly minted trademark dark, romantic pop infused storytelling. Finding herself deep in the roots of songwriting and creative processing, ANLIL has nabbed working with producer Sunny Diamonds (Toronto), the mastermind behind mixing and cutting her records.

Mentored by Che Pope, ANLIL has also enjoyed streaming success with her “Disaster” drop earlier this year, released through Wrkshp Media. Constantly pushing her genre-bending sound, she also produced “Villain”; an edgy-grunge and gritty record she had mixed by GRAMMY Award-winning mixing engineer, Dacota G.

“Phantom” marks ANLIL’s highest streaming single to date. A track that was birthed of the ability to overcome struggle and what it feels like to pursue the world through the lens of sorrow was a track that essentially built itself. “It started with synth chords, a bass line, and I then slowly began to sculpt the skeleton of ‘Phantom’ in the basement of my parent’s home,” she says. “I wanted to write about how I felt, the built-up tension from my pain.

“‘Phantom’ tells a story of a lonesome soul roaming from city to city, desperately trying to grasp onto a feeling of “home.” The feeling of being alone, like a ghost and the struggle of abandonment was what influenced the words and held the structure of the story for ‘Phantom’.”

ANLIL once again teamed with Sunny Diamonds to mix and record the track, and enlisted Mike Bozzi for mastering. Unabashedly laying it all on the line, ANLIL has also released “Phantom’s” subsequent follow-up, “Scars”; another near-diary entry that draws the listener even further into her alluring story of life and living through the ebbs and flows of it.

With “Phantom” delivering on the hauntings of loneliness, and the pursuit of finding calm after pain, ANLIL has become synonymous with being a tell-all troubadour who ain’t afraid of no truth.

“Phantom” is available now.

Primal Scream Set To Release Classic ‘Screamadelica’ With 3 Special Editions

Originally released in 1991, Primal Scream’s ‘Screamadelica’ is one of those rare records that’s indisputably an era-defining, all-time classic. Its hedonistic collision course of club culture and rock roots made Primal Scream one of the most critically adored bands of recent decades, and took them into the Top 10 for the first time, later becoming the first ever album to win the Mercury Prize. Its singles, including ‘Movin’ On Up’, ‘Loaded’ and ‘Come Together’ remain dancefloor and radio favourites to this day.

Now Primal Scream commemorate the album’s 30th anniversary with three special releases:

– The ‘Screamadelica’ 12” Singles Box (out September 17th) features nine replicas of the singles from the original campaign, all pressed on 180-gram heavyweight vinyl. It’s completed by a tenth disc, which consists of a previously unheard remix (and accompanying instrumental) of ‘Shine Like Stars’ by the album’s late and beloved producer Andrew Weatherall. The box also features three art prints by the album’s cover artist Paul Cannell and a download code.

– The ‘Screamadelica’ double-vinyl picture disc (out 17th September) features the album’s iconic artwork pressed onto vinyl. This represents the first ever official ‘Screamadelica’ picture disc.

– The previously unreleased ‘Demodelica’ collection (out 15th October) provides a new insight into the album’s creation, with a variety of early demos and work-in-progress mixes. It will be released on digital, double-vinyl, CD and C90 cassette formats. The package will be completed with new liner notes by Jon Savage. The author and journalist is renowned for documenting British music culture with books such as ‘England’s Dreaming: Sex Pistols and Punk Rock’ and ‘The Hacienda Must Be Built’.

Bobby Gillespie reflected on ‘Screamadelica’ during an interview with VICE. He commented:

“It feels amazing to have made an album that when you walk into a record store then you see it up on the wall along with albums like Ziggy Stardust, Transformer, and Never Mind the Bollocks. As well as seeing Astral Weeks by Van Morrison, you see the first Velvets album and you see Screamadelica. And you’d probably see Led Zeppelin IV. You know what? That’s beyond my wildest dreams when we started as a band.

It’s a pure record. It’s very from the heart and sincere and we are very proud we made it. It is also a great document of the times—that is exactly what it was like. We were out there in the clubs, taking ecstasy, and living the rock and roll life.”

Primal Scream will return to the festival circuit this summer. They’re set to headline Standon Calling (July 25th) before playing TRNSMT (September 11th) and headlining the Big Top stage at the Isle of Wight Festival (September 16th – 19th). Plans are also taking shape for 2022, with the Bingley Weekender, the Low Festival, and two nights at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Bandstand and Amphitheatre already confirmed.

Bobby Gillespie recently teamed up with Jehnny Beth of Savages to release the critically acclaimed duets album ‘Utopian Ashes’. He will also release his memoir ‘Tenement Kid’ in October. A book filled with the joy and wonder of a rock ‘n’ roll apostle who would radically reshape the future sounds of fin de siècle British pop, Bobby Gillespie’s memoir cuts a righteous path through a decade lost to Thatcherism and saved by acid house.

‘SCREAMADELICA’ 2LP PICTURE DISC TRACKLIST:

LP1
Side A
1. ‘Movin’ on Up’
2. ‘Slip Inside This House’
3. ‘Don’t Fight It, Feel It’

Side B
1. ‘Higher Than the Sun’
2. ‘Inner Flight’
3. ‘Come Together’

LP 2
Side A
1. ‘Loaded’
2. ‘Damaged’
3. ‘I’m Comin’ Down’

Side B
1. ‘Higher Than the Sun (A Dub Symphony in Two Parts)’
2. ‘Shine Like Stars’

‘SCREAMADELICA’ 12” VINYL BOX SET TRACKLIST

Disc 1: ‘Loaded’ EP
1. ‘Loaded’
2. ‘I’m Losing More Than I’ll Ever Have’ / ‘Ramblin’ Rose’ (Live In NYC)

Disc 2: ‘Loaded’ EP
1. ‘Loaded’ (Terry Farley Remix)
2. ‘I’m Losing More Than I’ll Ever Have’ / ‘Ramblin’ Rose’ (Live In NYC)

Disc 3: ‘Come Together’
1. ‘Come Together’ (Terry Farley Extended Mix)
2. ‘Come Together’ (Andy Weatherall Extended Mix)

Disc 4: ‘Come Together’
1. ‘Come Together’ (The Hypno Tone Brain Machine Mix)
2. ‘Come Together’ (BBG Mix)

Disc 5: ‘Higher Than The Sun’
1. ‘Higher Than The Sun’ (12” Mix)
2. ‘Higher Than The Sun’ (American Spring Mix)

Disc 6: ‘Higher Than The Sun’
1. ‘Higher Than The Sun (A Dub Symphony In Two Parts)’
2. ‘Higher Than The Orb’

Disc 7: ‘Don’t Fight It, Feel It’
1. ‘Don’t Fight It, Feel It’ (12” Version)
2. ‘Don’t Fight It, Feel It’ (Scat Mix)

Disc 8: ‘Don’t Fight It, Feel It’
1. ‘Don’t Fight It, Feel It’ (Graham Massey Mix)
2. ‘Don’t Fight It, Feel It’ (Instrumental)

Disc 9: ‘Dixie Narco’ EP
1. ‘Movin’ On Up’ / ‘Stone My Soul’
2. ‘Carry Me Home’ / ‘Screamadelica’

Disc 10: ‘Shine Like Stars’
1. ‘Shine Like Stars’ (Andrew Weatherall Remix)
2. ‘Shine Like Stars’ (Instrumental)

‘DEMODELICA’ VINYL TRACKLIST

LP1
Side A
1. ‘Come Together’ (Jam Studio Monitor Mix)
2. ‘Damaged’ (Hackney Studio Demo)
3. ‘Movin’ On Up’ (Hackney Studio Demo)

Side B
1. ‘Higher Than The Sun’ (Isle Of Dogs Home Studio)
2. ‘Higher Than The Sun’ (Jam Studio Monitor Mix)
3. ‘I’m Comin’ Down’ (Isle Of Dogs Home Studio)
4. ‘I’m Comin’ Down’ (Jam Studio Monitor Mix)

LP2
Side C
1. ‘Don’t Fight It, Feel It’ (Isle Of Dogs Home Studio)
2. ‘Don’t Fight It, Feel It’ (Isle Of Dogs Hypnotone Mix)
3. ‘Don’t Fight It, Feel It’ (EMI Publishing Studio Mix)
4. ‘Inner Flight’ (Hackney Studio Vocal Melody)
5. ‘Inner Flight’ (Henry A Cappella Jam Studio)
6. ‘Inner Flight’ (Jam Studio Monitor Mix)

Side D
1. ‘Shine Like Stars’ (Jam Studio Monitor Mix)
2. ‘Shine Like Stars’ (Eden Studio Demo)
3. ‘Screamadelica’ (Eden Studio Demo)

Light in the Attic announce reissue for Nancy Sinatra’s landmark album, ‘Boots’

Celebrated archival label Light in the Attic (LITA) is proud to announce the second release from their Nancy Sinatra Archival Series, the definitive version of her inimitable debut LP, Boots. Originally released in 1966, the enduringly iconic, million-selling album not only catapulted the career of singer, actress, activist, and cultural icon, Nancy Sinatra, it contained within its grooves an enduring anthem of empowerment that continues to resonate with new audiences today with no signs of slowing down.

Available to pre-order now and due out September 17th on vinyl, CD, 8-track, and across digital platforms, Boots marks Sinatra’s transformation from “Nancy nice lady,” as she says, to a fully-formed and self-assured figure of empowerment both in appearance and in performance, making her forever synonymous with the album’s titular subject in the process. A Top 5 album at the time of its release, Sinatra scored a No. 1 hit on both sides of the Atlantic with “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’,” which earned three GRAMMY nominations and sold over a million copies. The album marked her first full-length release with writer, producer, and collaborator, Lee Hazlewood, which features a mixture of Hazlewood-penned tunes and selections from heavyweights, such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and more. The successful collage of 60s material hangs beautifully together with support from the famed Los Angeles session musicians, The Wrecking Crew, who set the stage for Nancy’s vocals with their raw, jangly, exuberance and cohesion. Tying it all together is arranger and longtime collaborator Billy Strange, whose innovative arrangements provided the perfect sound to help Nancy capture the attention of the world. In addition to the original 13 recordings, the forthcoming reissue includes two rare bonus tracks, including “The City Never Sleeps At Night” and the previously unreleased “For Some,” the latter of which is available now across all digital platforms as the first single being offered. All tracks have been newly remastered from the original analog tapes by GRAMMY®-nominated engineer, John Baldwin.

The vinyl configurations boast records pressed at Record Technology, Inc (RTI) and come housed in an expanded gatefold package featuring cover artwork completely restored from the original, iconic album photograph taken by Ed Thrasher. The accompanying 20-page booklet features a new Q&A with Nancy by GRAMMY-nominated co-producer Hunter Lea, and a treasure trove of never-before-seen photos from Sinatra’s personal archive. The CD edition comes housed in a digipak with 28-page booklet.

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the world-wide smash hit “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” and to coincide with the reissue announcement is the debut of an updated version for the track’s original 1966 music video featuring restored video and the newly remastered audio by Baldwin. In addition, new autographed items and limited-edition merchandise collaborations with Midnight Rider, Oxford Pennant, and Windmill City premiered this week at Nancy’s official online BOOTIQUE.

Equal parts strong, sultry, and savvy, Sinatra has long been ahead of her time – both in her choices as an artist and as a businesswoman. Unapologetically, the singer established her own path early-on and paved the way for decades of female artists to come – all while firmly maintaining control over her career, her image, and her music.

As the eldest daughter of Frank Sinatra, Nancy was born into the spotlight. At 19 she made her professional debut in front of millions of Americans, appearing alongside her father and Elvis Presley on the television special Welcome Home Elvis. Not long after, she released a series of singles. But those demure recordings didn’t reflect the real Nancy Sinatra – that Nancy would be re-introduced to the world just a few years later, thanks to an unlikely musical partnership with songwriter and producer Lee Hazlewood.

When the two artists had their initial meeting in 1965, Sinatra was newly-divorced and struggling to score a hit record amid the changing musical landscape. At the urging of her label, she met with Hazlewood – a 36-year-old songsmith from Oklahoma who had found success writing for guitarist Duane Eddy. Hazlewood auditioned material for Sinatra, including a song called “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” which he originally intended to record himself.

Sinatra, however, saw the song in a different light. In her liner notes for LITA’s compilation, Nancy Sinatra: Start Walkin’ 1965-1976 (released digitally on February 5th, as well as in 2-LP/CD formats on March12th in North America and March 26th everywhere else), Amanda Petrusich (author and music critic at The New Yorker) explains that the singer “understood that a man brazenly chastising his partner for her misbehavior and threatening retribution…was too ugly and portentous for pop radio. When a woman performed the track – and Sinatra sang it with a kind of playful, admonishing growl – it became an empowerment anthem, promising dignity and control in the face of betrayal. There’s something nearly flirtatious in her delivery: you’re trouble, but I’m trouble, too. Somehow, she made ‘Boots’ radical.”

With Hazlewood as producer, Sinatra went into the studio with Billy Strange and other members of the legendary Wrecking Crew to record the song – along with a handful of pop covers and originals – for her debut album, Boots. Gone was the prim brunette singer and in her place was a confident, fashion-forward new star, with a commanding contralto voice and eye-catching platinum hair.

Released in 1966, Boots was a Top 5 album, thanks to its brazen title track. Sinatra scored a No.1 hit on both sides of the Atlantic with “Boots,” which earned three GRAMMY® nominations and sold over a million copies. As a testament to its enduring, multi-generational appeal, “Boots” has inspired countless covers throughout the decades, including those by Loretta Lynn, Kacey Musgraves, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Jessica Simpson.

While “Boots” became Sinatra’s signature song, she and Hazlewood were just at the beginning of their creative journey. Soon, they returned to the studio, notching two more Top Ten hits with “Sugar Town” and “How Does That Grab You, Darlin?,” and recorded their first of many duets, titled “Sand,” for Sinatra’s sophomore effort How Does That Grab You? (1966), which also featured a cover of the Sonny Bono-penned tune “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” ─ a breakthrough hit for Cher earlier that year. Accompanied only by Billy Strange on guitar, Sinatra’s sparse rendition stood in stark contrast to Cher’s orchestrated arrangement. Decades later, the haunting recording gained a new legion of fans when it appeared in the opening credits of Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 film, Kill Bill Volume 1.

As Sinatra’s star continued to rise, she was tapped to perform the theme song to the 1967 James Bond film, You Only Live Twice. A rare honor, Sinatra traveled to London for the session, where she worked with film composer John Barry. Not long after, she recorded a stripped-down, single version of the song with Hazlewood.

Each time Sinatra recorded a new album, the tracklist inevitably contained a duet or two with Hazlewood, including “Summer Wine” (Nancy in London), as well as “Jackson” and “Oh Lonesome Me” (Country, My Way). It was a natural evolution then for Sinatra and Hazlewood to release entire albums together. The first was 1968’s Nancy & Lee, which blended country, rock, psychedelia, and pop on tracks like “Some Velvet Morning” and “Lady Bird.” They followed with 1972’s Nancy & Lee Again, which boasted such highlights as “Paris Summer” and “Arkansas Coal.”

Over the years, these offbeat duet albums have become lauded cult classics. Pitchfork included Nancy & Lee on their “Best Albums of the 1960s” roundup, while NPR proclaimed that “[Sinatra’s] work on Nancy & Lee not only is some of the best that she’s ever recorded, but it proved that she would hardly allow herself to be pigeonholed…. She made it clear that she was capable of so much more.” Though Hazlewood’s relocation to Sweden at the turn of the ‘70s would halt the progress of further collaborations, the duo reunited sporadically over the years, including in 1976 for a dreamy cover of “(L’été Indien) Indian Summer,” which was also the first single offered (10/21/20) off LITA’s Start Walkin’ comp.

In the mid-70s, Sinatra made the conscious decision to step back from the industry and focus on her family. Although she would return to the studio in the ‘90s, the artist had already amassed an impressive catalog in less than a decade – including seven solo albums and her two collaborations with Hazlewood. Sinatra’s legacy, however, continued to grow, as new generations discovered her music. Over the years, she has been cited as an influence by countless artists, including Sonic Youth, Morrissey, Calexico, U2, and Lana Del Rey. Most recently, Sinatra’s contributions to the industry were further recognized by her peers, when “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” was inducted into the GRAMMY® Hall of Fame. The honor, bestowed in January of 2020, recognizes “musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance.”

Today, Sinatra continues to be a passionate voice for a variety of progressive causes – most notably her support of veterans. A self-proclaimed feminist, Sinatra’s advocacy also extends to her fellow female artists. Petrusich writes that Sinatra “has always insisted on owning all of her masters, a maneuver she learned from her father; she has since passed his counsel onto younger artists struggling to regain control of their work under unfair contracts.” In the liner notes, Sinatra recalls, “I gave that advice to Taylor Swift a couple of years ago. She was fighting for her masters and I said, ‘Keep fighting. You’ve got to. You have to have control of that product.’ I was proactive early on, and I still am.”

Tracklist – Boots:

Side A
1. As Tears Go By
2. Day Tripper
3. I Move Around
4. It Ain’t Me Babe
5. These Boots Are Made For Walkin’
6. In My Room
7. Lies

Side B
1. So Long, Babe
2. Flowers On The Wall
3. If He’d Love Me
4. Run For Your Life
5. The City Never Sleeps At Night*
6. For Some*
* Bonus tracks

TOMMY EMMANUEL Announces New EP ‘Accomplice Series Vol. 2’ With Richard Smith Out September 10

Acclaimed and Grammy-nominated acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter TOMMY EMMANUEL — one of five people ever named a CPG (Certified Guitar Player) by his idol, music icon Chet Atkins — has announced he will release his new EP, ACCOMPLICE SERIES VOL. 2 with Richard Smith, on September 10. Smith is the revered British fingerpicking acoustic guitarist who has performed or recorded along the way with Chet Atkins, Les Paul and Tommy Emmanuel among others. The four-song EP, a tribute to their heroes Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins, also contains “Twitchy,” “Nashtownville” and “Baby’s Coming Home.”

Today, Emmanuel shares the EP’s first track and video, ““Serenade to Summertime.”

The arrangement for “Serenade to Summertime” that Emmanuel and Smith play comes from the Jerry Reed & Chet Atkins album, Me & Chet. This song was recorded at TuneSmith Studio outside of Nashville, TN in the spring of 2021 and features both Tommy and Richard on guitar. The video was directed by Joshua Britt and Neilson Hubbard for Neighborhoods Apart. It was filmed in Lebanon, TN at an antique car collectors shop in the spring of 2021.

Q&A WITH TOMMY EMMANUEL AND RICHARD SMITH ABOUT THE NEW EP ‘TOMMY EMMANUEL ACCOMPLICE SERIES VOL. 2’ WITH RICHARD SMITH

TOMMY EMMANUEL:

—There’s so much joyous guitar work on the EP. How did this collaboration with Richard come about and how did you guys first meet?

TOMMY: I heard about Richard through other players at the Chet Atkins events in Nashville, and when we first met up, we played until we were exhausted! I had found someone I could have the best time playing all the music I loved from my childhood and who had a similar attitude and energy!

—What are your thoughts about Richard’s playing and what do you feel you both artistically have achieved with this recording?

TOMMY: Richard and I both approached these recordings with a deep respect for our heroes. We added our own ideas but kept the authenticity of the original recordings present. We played these songs with much love and joy! Richard’s knowledge and abilities to channel Jerry Reed’s parts is what is most important to me, as I trusted him completely. When you stay close to Chet and Jerry’s parts, you can’t help but make great music, well written!

—The arrangement here for “Serenade to Summertime” comes from the Jerry Reed & Chet Atkins album, ‘Me & Chet.’ Perfect, because you both have a strong connection to Chet. Can you talk about why this song resonates with you?

TOMMY: “Serenade” is a typical melodic piece that Chet would have chosen to showcase his tenderness in a musical setting. Richard really stayed close to Jerry’s perfectly honed part as the accompanist and I tried to perform the song without too many frills or embellishments, just heart and feeling…

—“Twitchy” was written by Jerry Reed and performed by Chet Atkins and Reed. Why do you find this song inspirational?

TOMMY: “Twitchy” is such a great composition–you get the feeling it’s been around forever. It’s also one of the great duets that only Jerry could write to have Chet play the melody and he works all the harmony around it and plays a solo as well. We’ve played it for audiences a thousand times and hope we can play it another thousand times!

—”Nashtownville” was written by Chet Atkins and appears on the Jerry Reed & Chet Atkins album, ‘Me & Chet.’ What drew you to take this song on?

TOMMY: “Nashtownville” is a Chet composition and we both love its simplicity, yet, how strong it is, musically. Chet was a wonderful writer, and this song proves that. It’s two and a half minutes of pure MOJO!

—“Baby’s Coming Home” was written by Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins recorded it for his ‘Chet Atkins Picks on Jerry Reed’ album. What quality does this song have that attracted you to record it?

TOMMY: “Baby’s Coming Home” is a wonderful song that is perfect for harmonies and solo sections that give the player and the listener everything they’re looking for!

—It’s exciting news that the two of you will tour together this November in America (having done shows in the past). What are you most looking forward to about this tour?

TOMMY: Playing this music to new audiences everywhere is such a joy, as most people haven’t seen players recreate these songs in front of them. It’s entertaining, surprising, and uplifting! When you are in the entertainment business, like us, you have a big desire to take people out of their normal existence and surprise them into another realm–music like this is your magic wand!

RICHARD SMITH

—There’s so much joyous guitar work on the EP. How did this collaboration with Tommy come about and how did you guys first meet?

RICHARD: Tommy asked me a while ago if I would like to do this tribute to Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed as part of his “Accomplice” series. Of course, I had to do it! Like Tommy, I’ve been playing their music all my life. We both grew up on it. I first met Tommy back in 1996. He had played at a festival in France with the great Bay Area guitarist, Jim Nichols, who told him about me. I was living in England, where he had recently moved to, and he called up and came out to my family home. We jammed for hours that night.

—What are your thoughts about Tommy’s playing and what do you feel you both artistically have achieved with this recording?

RICHARD: Tommy has such an impeccable groove and such a personal touch and feel to his playing that has come about from listening to so many different musicians over the years. Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed were two very earliest influences for him. To pay tribute to these guys and play the tunes we grew up listening to, and put our own little stamp on them, felt like going full circle. This music is like mashed potatoes to both of us. It’s just so ingrained that playing it is like falling off a log. You bring yourself and other influences into it, which just kind of happens naturally.

—The arrangement here for “Serenade to Summertime” comes from the Jerry Reed & Chet Atkins album, ‘Me & Chet.’ Perfect, because you both have a strong connection to Chet. Can you talk about why this song resonates with you?

RICHARD: On the original recording, Chet used a Del Vecchio resonator guitar. That instrument has a particularly beautiful tone and sustain. Tommy captures that beautifully with his Maton acoustic. That recording was probably the first time I’d ever heard that guitar sound. Jerry Reed’s back-up part is a huge part of the sound of that song. The kind of rolling chords he used and the inversions he used were so beautifully constructed. Listening to it just takes me back to my childhood and when I first heard it.

—“Twitchy” was written by Jerry Reed and performed by Chet Atkins and Reed. Why do you find this song inspirational?

RICHARD: I think that tune is probably my favorite thumb-picking tune. It has such a great groove and such a simple melody. To me, it’s one of those tunes that just sounds like it grew there, like no one wrote it, and like it has just always existed. Those are the great songs to me. Songs and tunes that have melodies and chord structures that sound so obvious that you think “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?” Another tune we both grew up on. It is also a pure duet. No band.

—”Nashtownville” was written by Chet Atkins and appears on the Jerry Reed & Chet Atkins album, ‘Me & Chet.’ What drew you to take this song on?

RICHARD: It was just another great song from that album that was addictive listening. As a student of the guitar and the music, you want to learn everything. It’s another one of those songs that any guitar player who had that album would have had a go at.

—“Baby’s Coming Home” was written by Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins recorded it for his ‘Chet Atkins Picks on Jerry Reed’ album. What quality does this song have that attracted you to record it?

RICHARD: This is one of those tunes that every thumb-picker knows. A real standard among that crowd. Another simple melody with a great groove. These tunes are not known to the mainstream crowds, but there are guitar pickers dotted around all over the world that will come out of the woodwork to meet like-minded folks at concerts or festivals and get together and play these kinds of tunes from records they all had. When I was at school, there wasn’t another kid in my school or any other local school that was listening to this stuff that I knew of. I’m sure it was the same for Tommy. But!! There were players out there. These records weren’t getting airplay like pop records, but there were a select few pickers out there buying these records. There must have been, or RCA would never have invested in putting more and more out there. You wonder who those people are, and they are out there. When you meet them, it’s always great because you realize you were not alone in your pursuits and thirst for learning this music that was so obscure that it seemed like you were the only one listening to it. At least, as a kid, that’s how it felt. Playing these tunes with Tommy is always special. We’d played all of them together over the years many times either jamming or on shows or festivals. I never get tired of playing them and I can feel that with Tommy, too.

—It’s exciting news that the two of you will tour together this November in America (having done shows in the past). What are you most looking forward to about this tour?

RICHARD: Oh yeah! Always a blast playing shows with Tommy. Playing the music, of course, is what I look forward to most, but being out west, too. AZ and TX. I love the desert, you know. In certain places, I feel like I’m on Mars, or in a scene from the original “Planet of the Apes” movie. Meeting new people, going to different places, or back to some of your favorite places. So many folks I’ve met think being on the road is such a tough life. To me, it’s like being on vacation and instead of living in one place, you kind of get to live everywhere. It’s a beautiful thing. Living everywhere, seeing so many places, doing what you love, and playing your favorite music with one of your all-time favorite musicians and people? It makes me giddy. I can’t wait.

Tommy Emmanuel on tour with Richard Smith:

11/5 – Mesa, AZ (Phoenix) @ Mesa Arts Center, Ikeda Theatre
11/7 – Albuquerque, NM @ National Hispanic Cultural Center – Albuquerque Journal Theatre
11/8 – Lubbock, TX @ Cactus Theater
11/9 – Tulsa, OK @ Legacy Hall
11/10 – Dallas, TX @ Majestic Theatre
11/11 – Stafford, TX (Houston) @ Stafford Centre
11/13. -San Antonio, TX @ Majestic Theatre
11/14 – Austin, TX @ Paramount Theatre

Full Track Listing for Accomplice EP #2:
1. Baby’s Coming Home
2. Nashtownville
3. Serenade to Summertime
4. Twitchy

CMW Offers Free Viewing Of In-Depth Conversation With Timbaland and Nile Rodgers

If ever someone deserved to have his name permanently engraved, it’s the man who inspired CMW’s annual Nile Rodgers Creators Award. Rodgers is both a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, a producer, songwriter, musician, composer, arranger, and guitarist who has worked with Jagger, Bowie, Madonna and Daft Punk, on records with more than a half-billion sales.

Award honouree, superstar producer Timbaland, is a connector of great artists. From JAY-Z to Justin Timberlake to Sam Smith to Missy Elliott to Beyoncé, the man with the unique beats has influenced music like few others. Imagine a world without JAY-Z’s Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life or Justin Timberlake’s newly notorious “Britney break-up” song Cry Me A River. He even connects corporately, creating Mosley Music Group with L.A. Reid and teaming that up with Def Jam. His latest entrepreneurial enterprise is the sponsor of this Exclusive event, BEATCLUB.

Hipgnosis Fund founder & legendary Music Industry Game Changer, Merck Mercuriadis hosts this exclusive in-depth interview with the two superstar hit-maker producers. At the end of this amazing experience, Nile presents Timbaland his namesake CMW 7th annual Nile Rodgers Global Creators Award.

You can watch it free on August 4 here.

SiriusXM Unveils New Platinum VIP Subscription

 SiriusXM announced today its newest and most comprehensive subscription tier – the Platinum VIP package.  Platinum VIP provides subscribers with the full spectrum of SiriusXM content in up to two cars, with a SXM App login for each, as well as special perks, including opportunities to experience SiriusXM events with artists, athletes and stars, including VIP-only exclusives, and VIP Customer Service with priority call handling.

The Platinum VIP package also includes access to an extensive library of live concert video and audio recordings through nugs.net, the leading music platform for live concert streams, offering music fans VIP access to their favorite concerts anytime, anywhere.  SiriusXM Platinum VIP subscribers will be able to log in to nugs.net using their SXM App credentials to instantly access more than 5,000 official, soundboard-quality live concert recordings and 250 full video-on-demand concerts handpicked from nugs.net’s extensive streaming catalog, with new shows added every few months.  Listeners can discover exclusive recordings and create custom playlists featuring artists with 24/7 SiriusXM channels including Bruce Springsteen, Phish, Pearl Jam and Dave Matthews, as well as hundreds of other fan favorites like Metallica, Wilco and many, many more – available via the nugs.net mobile app on iOS or Android devices or on a Mac or PC using a browser at nugs.net here.

Platinum VIP subscribers get all of the content SiriusXM offers in both vehicles and on the SXM App – more than 300 channels.  These include Howard Stern’s two exclusive channels, live games and events from every major professional sport as well as hundreds of college games, an unparalleled selection of ad-free music channels covering every genre, plus entertainment, news, comedy and more.  Platinum VIP is priced at $34.99/month.  For more info on all that it offers, go to siriusxm.com/platinumvip.

“Platinum VIP is a terrific addition to our subscription choices and provides real value for those subscribers who love SiriusXM, want it in multiple vehicles, and want all of the premium programming that we offer,” said Richard Beatty, SiriusXM’s Chief Subscription Revenue Officer.  “Not only are they getting the value of two subscriptions, they get added perks like special access to great SiriusXM events, concerts, in-studio shows and more.  With the bundled-in access to thousands of great live performances via nugs.net, music lovers are getting a premium experience, and Platinum VIP will continue to evolve as SiriusXM’s premium offering with more perks and content being added in the coming months.”

Coinciding with the launch of Platinum VIP, several other SiriusXM subscription plans have been recently renamed, making it easier for subscribers to understand their choices.

The renamed SiriusXM in-vehicle satellite radio subscriptions, which all include access to the SXM App, are:

  • Platinum (formerly “All Access”)
  • Music & Entertainment (formerly “Select”)
  • Music Showcase (formerly “Mostly Music”)
  • Choose & Save (formerly “Choice”)

The renamed SiriusXM digital (no car required) subscriptions are:

  • Streaming Platinum (formerly “Premier Streaming”)
  • Streaming Music & Entertainment (formerly “Essential Streaming”)

The programming lineups in these subscription tiers remain unchanged.  More info on what they offer can be found at SiriusXM.com/Subscriptions.

With the rebrand of its subscription plans, SiriusXM is also improving the SXM App experience for potential new subscribers with new preview and in-app purchasing functionality, which is rolling out this month.  A new user can open up the SXM App and “Try It Out” with a three-hour preview that will enable them to experience the spectrum of SiriusXM content.  This includes one-of-a-kind programming like Howard Stern’s channels, Drake’s Sound 42, Dave Matthews’ Friday Night Concert Series, the popular Highway Music Row Happy Hour with Buzz Brainard, Kevin Hart’s comedy channel, a favorite team’s hometown play-by-play broadcast and much more.  Listeners get access to this preview instantly, with no credit card required.

New subscribers will then be able to choose to sign up for SiriusXM’s Streaming Platinum or Streaming Music & Entertainment packages, and get their first month free, without leaving the App experience.

Richard Corben’s ‘Neverwhere’ From 1969

A short film by Richard Corben of the late 1960s, which eventually became one of the highlights in the animated movie Heavy Metal.

The Wilderness Of Manitoba Release New Single And Video ‘The Alchemist’

Today, Toronto band, The Wilderness of Manitoba, release their first single, The Alchemist. The song marks the end of the group’s three-year hiatus and the lead single from their forthcoming new album, Farewell To Cathedral, out October 29 (Popguru Sound & Vision).

Singer/multi-instrumentalist and founder, Will Whitwham, says on the group characterizing themselves as an evolving entity: “I’ve always been a believer in fresh collaborations because everyone you meet influences your creative process in some way. It’s up to you to decide whether they fuel it or stagnate it. In this particular case, the four of us together was the best fit for the current batch of songs.”

For the band, recording the whole album over a mere two days at Revolution Recording in Toronto was completely unprecedented. In the past, Whitwham felt he laboured over a lot of the sonic details, adding overdub after overdub. But for this album, the songs were captured at their most live and purest stage. The results show that, at the end of the day, the quality of the songs is not necessarily contingent on the recording process. See the full track list below.

The lead single, The Alchemist, was produced by Graham Stairs and written about the turn of seasons and the elusiveness of time as it passes. Whitwham says on the track, “It is a song about reflecting upon what one had. The alchemist himself (as the character suggests) is uncertain of whether he can even make silver, let alone gold. There is worry even in hopefulness. He is still drawn to his muse even though she appears to have left as he tries to find her or pieces of her in the sacredness of nature because that’s the closest he feels he can get to her. Lost in dreams and buried in his own sea of thoughts, he seeks to immortalize her memory and spirit.”

On the accompanying seasonally and resonate visuals, also conceived, filmed and edited by Whitwham, he adds, “The Alchemist was filmed in an attempt to depict all four seasons. The video is a snapshot of how I was dealing with and living throughout isolation. Capturing and spending time in nature can be healing in both the best and worst of times. It is also the visual vehicle for illustrating the song’s journey in its ‘passing of time’ over a year.”

In its twelve-year existence, the Wilderness of Manitoba’s strengths come as a direct result of the wealth of traveling and playing the group has done. They have played the End of the Road Festival and Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD Festival in the UK and toured the UK, US, Netherlands, Canada and Germany with such artists as Aimee Mann, Lord Huron and Other Lives among others. “The live show,” says Whitwham, “is an in-the-moment portrait of the band and its efforts.” Those efforts were recognized when the Wilderness of Manitoba was nominated for a JUNO and two Canadian Folk Music Awards. Summing things up, Whitwham says, “My eventual hope is that we are able to embark on a proper live tour of the Farewell To Cathedral album in 2021 or 2022 after the much more serious matter of taking care of each other and ourselves as we move out of the pandemic.”

Stay tuned for more from The Wilderness of Manitoba as the story of Farewell To Cathedral unfolds this fall.

Farewell To Cathedral Track List:
1. Oblivion
2. The Well Has Run Dry
3. Sometimes
4. The Alchemist
5. Send Me To The Fire
6. The Ghost Of Abilene
7. Always (Violet Hour)
8. In An Honest Way
9. Lost In Her Ocean
10. Furious Seasons

Bachman Cummings’ ‘The Collection’ Available on October 29

Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings are getting ready to launch The Collection, a special edition box set from Guess Who bandmates. The illustrious box set from two of Canada’s most celebrated musicians and songwriters includes five albums from The Guess Who from their 1969 – 1971 period alongside material from both Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Burton Cummings. This 7CD or 7LP set will include and expanded booklet of rare and unpublished publicity, studio and master tape photography and detailed liner notes. Both LP and CD boxes are available for pre-order now.

Bachman and Cummings rose to international fame as members of supergroup The Guess Who. Bachman broke with the band in 1970, forming Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Cummings departed in 1975 for a solo career. The Guess Who laid the groundwork for Canada’s breakthrough songwriting partnership in Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings, as the first three albums of the Bachman Cummings Collection – Wheatfield Soul and Canned Wheat, both released in 1969 – and 1970’s American Woman – attest. The Guess Who’s trailblazing run of U.S. chart and sales successes continued with the albums Share The Land and So Long, Bannatyne. With Toronto-born Jack Richardson working his magic in producing Bachman-Cummings’ hook-filled gems for instant radio appeal, The Guess Who became Canada’s first rock star collective.

As songwriters, there was chemistry: from the moment Burton Cummings sat down at the piano with Randy Bachman “Burton and I would get together every Saturday morning at 10 or 11 a.m. and I would play him ideas I had for songs,” Bachman recalls. “We wrote very quickly. No song was a labour. If it didn’t work, we threw it away.”

Often using Beatles or Chuck Berry songs as starting points, the duo employed a healthy rivalry. “The competition between us made us a pretty good songwriting team. We were force-fed many musical styles and that crept into our work,” adds Cummings.

Whether collaborating or through the individual endeavours Randy Bachman like Bachman-Turner Overdrive or Burton Cummings’ collected work, the body of songwriting is arguably among the best of rock n’ roll history.

Of the legacy, Cummings says, “I’ve lived a pretty full life. I’ve been all over the world. And I’ve realized, better than ever, every year that I go out and sing those songs again, it’s more special to the audience, besides being more special to me”.
Bachman adds, “These songs are bigger than us or any differences that we might have had in the past. Getting together to celebrate the songs is a real triumph for us”.

Bachman Cummings The Collection will be released internationally on October 29, 2021.

TRACKLISTING

The Guess Who – Wheatfield Soul

These Eyes
Pink Wine Sparkles In The Glass
I Found Her In A Star
Friends Of Mine

When You Touch Me
A Wednesday In Your Garden
Lightfoot
Love And A Yellow Rose
Maple Fudge
We’re Coming To Dinner

The Guess Who – American Woman

Side A
American Woman
No Time
Talisman
No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature

Side B
969 (The Oldest Man)
When Friends Fall Out
8:15
Proper Stranger
Humpty’s Blues / American Woman (Epilogue)

The Guess Who – So Long, Bannatyne

Side A
Rain Dance
She Might Have Been a Nice Girl
Goin’ a Little Crazy
Fiddlin’
Pain Train
One Divided

Side B
Grey Day
Life In the Bloodstream
One Man Army
Sour Suite
So Long, Bannatyne

Bachman-Turner Overdrive – Collected

Side A
Hold Back The Water
Stayed Awake All Night
Let It Ride
Takin’ Care Of Business
Rock Is My Life, And This Is My Song

Side B
You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
Four Wheel Drive
Hey You
Lookin’ Out For #1
Down, Down
The Guess Who – Canned Wheat

No Time
Minstrel Boy
Laughing
Undun
6 A.M. or Nearer

Old Joe
Of a Dropping Pin
Key
Fairing Warning

The Guess Who – Share The Land

Side A
Bus Rider
Do You Miss Me Darlin’
Hand Me Down World
Moan for You Joe
Share The Land

Side B
Hang On to Your Life
Coming Down Off the Money Bag
Three More Days

Burton Cummings – Collected

Side A
I’m Scared
Your Back Yard
Is It Really Right
Stand Tall
My Own Way To Rock

Side B
Timeless Love
Break It To Them Gently
I Will Play A Rhapsody
Dream Of A Child
Heavenly Blue
Fine State Of Affairs

Toronto’s Budweiser Stage Will Turn Into A Year-round Music Venue With Indoor And Outdoor Shows

Live Nation Canada today officially announced plans to redevelop Budweiser Stage at Ontario Place in Toronto, Ontario into a modern, year-round live music and performance venue with 20,000 outdoor capacity and 9,000 indoor.

The new state-of-the-art amphitheatre will continue to attract world-class artists and provide premiere live entertainment, hosting live music and other events. This demonstrates Live Nation’s support of the Provincial government’s vision to revitalize and redevelop Ontario Place as a premium destination that will attract global visitors through remarkable new attractions.

With sustainability at the heart of the design, the redesigned amphitheatre at Ontario Place will be designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. Completed by 2030, the new facility is expected to receive up to 1 million visitors and support more than 900 jobs during events.

“The redevelopment of the amphitheater into a year-round venue will offer fans more opportunities to celebrate the live music experience with their favorite artists,” said Riley O’Connor, Chairman, Live Nation Canada. “We’ve been making memories on Toronto’s waterfront at Budweiser Stage for more than 25 years and we look forward to the next 25 years of music history.”

“Live Nation has made the Ontario Place amphitheatre a landmark entertainment destination for more than 25 years,” said Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. “Their plan to redevelop the amphitheatre into a modern, sustainable, year-round indoor-outdoor live music and performance venue will attract more high-profile musical acts and incredible, world-class events than ever before. It will be a great addition to the redeveloped Ontario Place, and its role in supporting Ontario’s social and economic recovery.”

Since opening the doors more than 25 years ago, Live Nation has seen more than 8 million music fans attend a concert at this celebrated venue and make memories that last a lifetime. From the inaugural performance by Canada’s own Bryan Adams on May 18th, 1995, to The Tragically Hip, Billie Eilish, Foo Fighters, Blue Rodeo, Lizzo, Daniel Caesar, Whitney Houston, Arkells, David Bowie, Rihanna, Luke Bryan, Spice Girls, Mumford & Sons, City & Colour and Drake and his OVO Festival, Budweiser Stage has become the definitive summertime destination in Toronto and Canada’s premier outdoor concert venue.

Live Nation Canada, Inc. is the country’s leading live entertainment producer and promoter, offering the best of Canadian and international talent at stadiums, arenas, theatres and club venues across the country.  Live Nation continues to be a true leader in the live industry in Canada to help elevate homegrown artists to the world stage.

Live Nation Canada’s growing venue portfolio includes Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, Midway in Edmonton, along with Toronto’s Budweiser Stage, Danforth Music Hall, Velvet Underground and History, the newly announced 2,500 capacity venue in Toronto.

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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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