“Stealing Genius” which contains “30 for 60″ is a great gem for Newfoundlanders and people who wish they were Newfoundlanders – which pretty much takes up most of mankind.
The phrase “30 for 60″ means an all-out-bid in the Irish game of Forty-Five’s (45′s). When your down in the game, it’s a Hail Mary bid to beat your opponent with a 60 point upside or downside.
Slipstream, which ships on April 10, 2012, is Bonnie Raitt’s 16th studio album and the first in 7 years.
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After a 7 year recording drought, Bonnie Raitt returns with her new CD “Slipstream” on April 10, 2012.
“Slipstream” is a soulful and fun romp through the blues and ballads by one of America’s musical treasures.
Slipstream is available for pre-order from Amazon.com. Check out the details at the end of this article. Continue reading
Jim Marshall of Marshall amps - the sound of rock and roll (photo credit Damien Maguire)
James Charles “Jim” Marshall OBE (July 29, 1923 – April 5, 2012) was a man with poor health, a musician and business person.
In the 1960s he created the Marshall guitar amp and changed the volume of rock music forever.
He died on April 5, 2012 at a hospice in London, UK surrounded by his wife and four children. Continue reading
Taylor Swift wins CMA Entertainer of the Year
It certainly seems from Sunday night’s CMA Award extravaganza that the Country Music Association is sick of Taylor Swift. Of the five finalists for Country Music Entertainer of the Year, only Taylor Swift didn’t perform.
Co-host Blake Shelton lobbed one bad joke after another at Swift’s expense until he became a rather large boor. All she could do was smile weakly at Shelton’s oafish behavior. Continue reading
The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, is about to put the Copyright Modernization Act through the Canadian Parliament.
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Mumford and Sons "Sigh No More" video by Calvin Muuse
By Stephen Pate – Songs are the soundtracks of our lives.
We identify songs with love affairs, happiness and the anguish in our lives.
Four videographers created their own videos using Mumford and Sons “Sigh No More” as the soundtrack.
Each one takes a unique approach – personal, documentary, and mini movie. They all show a high degree of creativity and video skills. Continue reading
Earl Scruggs (photo credit - whittlz Flickr)
By Stephen Pate – Earl Scruggs, the man behind bluegrass banjo and The Beverley Hillbillies theme song “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” died in Nashville, TN at 88 on March 28, 2012.
Bill Monroe sang the high lonesome sound of bluegrass but it was the lightning 3-finger picking of Earl Scruggs’ banjo that propelled the music.
Scruggs left the claw hammer style of banjo, which is similar to thumb picking and strumming the guitar, and popularized the clever and fast 3-finger picking style.
Although other banjo players played 3-finger style, it was Earl Scruggs job with Bill Monroe in 1945 that catapulted the style to the forefront. Scruggs-style is the defacto standard for banjo players today. Continue reading
Zoë Keating, Cellist (photo Assaf Vestin)
By Zoë Keating – As a DIY artist it’s up to me to educate myself about the music business.
I do my best, but some elements of it seem exceedingly opaque, in particular, performance royalties as handled by the performing rights societies such as ASCAP and BMI.
The royalty “system” for radio and television is confusing enough, but I didn’t really know anything about live performance royalties.
Here’s what I’ve recently learned.
A little over a year ago I got a booking agent, Mark Lourie of Skyline. He and the entire agency are wonderful and they’ve made a huge difference to my career. Not only does my agent get me great gigs, but he also makes sure I get the best possible deal and have a contract. Continue reading
The lead singer and bass player of Pomplamoose is releasing her solo album June 2012.
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American rock and roll star John (Cougar) Mellencamp has booked the “No Better Than This” across Canada tour this summer, starting in Penticton BC on June 14th.
This tour may be the sleeper concert of the summer. Bigger acts in bigger cities will draw larger audiences but Mellencamp and The Cowboy Junkies will move your soul in a good direction.
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