Monday, March 18, 2024
Jeff Lynne's ELO Announces 2024 North American Fall Tour
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Pink Floyd's 'Animals' Receives Dolby Atmos Boost
Animals is the tenth studio album by Pink Floyd, originally released in January 1977.. It was recorded at the band's Britannia Row Studios in London throughout 1976 and early 1977, and was produced by the band themselves. The successful album peaked at number 2 in the UK and number 3 in the US and was recorded by band members David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters and Richard Wright.
The Animals 2018 Remix – Dolby Atmos, which was overseen by James Guthrie, will be released on Blu-ray Disc. The high resolution stereo and 5.1 surround mixes will be included alongside the 1977 original stereo mix. The Dolby Atmos mix goes beyond ordinary listening by immersing the listener in the music, revealing details with unparalleled clarity and depth. Listeners will feel like they are inside the song as music moves around and above them.
The album artwork has been reimagined especially for this release and presented in a digipak with a 16-page booklet, a sticker and a postcard. The front cover image still includes the iconic pig floating between two chimneys of the Battersea Power Station, conceived by Roger Waters. However, for this new release, the artwork has been re-created for the modern era by Storm Thorgerson’s Hipgnosis partner Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell and Peter Curzon from StormStudios, and shows the historic building as it looks now, complete with light projections, variations of which feature in the accompanying booklet.
The projections and graphics were mapped and designed by Peter Curzon for the launch of the 2018 Remix and the photography is by Rupert Truman and Benny Trickett with Aubrey Powell. The 2022 projections were executed by Pixel Arts and coordinated by Larmac Live.Projections by Pixel Arts, coordinated by Larmac
Animals is a concept album, focusing on the social-political conditions of mid-1970s Britain, and was a change from the style of the band’s earlier work. The album was developed from a collection of unrelated songs into a concept which describes the apparent social and moral decay of society, likening the human condition to that of animals.
Inspired by George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the album depicts the different classes of people as animals with pigs being at the top of the social chain, dropping down to the sheep as the mindless herd following what they are told, with dogs as the business bosses getting fat on the money and power they hold over the other. Although it’s been a long time since 1977, the narrative of the album still resonates today as our social and economic situation mirrors that of the time.
Animals 2018 Remix is also available on CD, LP (with gatefold artwork), SACD, and Deluxe Gatefold formats. The Deluxe Gatefold version includes LP, CD, audio Blu-ray, audio DVD and a 32-page book.
For more information, visit pinkfloyd.com.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Spotify Testing Full Music Videos To Compete With YouTube, Apple Music
Music videos will be available to premium users in the UK, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Kenya, in beta starting on Wednesday, the company said, as it attempts to grow its user base.
While it aims to reach 1 billion users by 2030, Spotify's new plan faces competition from Apple Music and YouTube, which allows users to watch music videos for free.
Spotify's roll-out will include a "limited catalog of music videos, including hits from global artists like Ed Sheeran or local favorites like Aluna," it said.
In March last year, Spotify had introduced under-30-second vertical videos that are uploaded directly to Spotify for artists.
The company has also expanded its offerings to include podcasts and audiobooks in a bid to attract more users.
In February, it forecast premium subscribers would reach 239 million in the current quarter, above estimates of 238.3 million.
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Slash Announces S.E.R P.E.N.T. Festival With All-Star Blues Lineup Featuring Warren Haynes Band, Keb’ ‘Mo, Robert Randolph, Samantha Fish, & More
Slash formed the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. festival to bring fans together to celebrate the spirit of the Blues, and to perform with other Blues artists he admires who share his love of the genre.
A portion of the proceeds from each VIP package and S.E.R.P.E.N.T. festival ticket sold will directly benefit The Equal Justice Initiative, Know Your Rights Camp, The Greenlining Institute, and War Child. S.E.R.P.E.N.T Festival has partnered with PLUS1.ORG to support these charitable endeavors.
“The S.E.R.P.E.N.T. tour is a celebration of blues and rock ‘n’ roll music, and a celebration of unity and togetherness in these uncertain and divisive times,” says Slash. “S.E.R.P.E.N.T is a vehicle to help support and uplift people and communities suffering from the injustices of racism and equal rights violations, as well as to support children adversely affected by war and poverty across the world. So, we are contributing a portion of every ticket and VIP package sold from the tour to those ends. S.E.R.P.E.N.T. will also provide an environment where folks can get together for a day of great music and hang out and have a good time.”
General on sale for tickets begins this Friday, March 15 at 10:00 AM local time. For pre-sales, visit www.serpentfestival.com. A limited number of S.E.R.P.E.N.T. festival VIP packages are available now which include access to watch SLASH’s soundcheck before the show, hand-signed vinyl of Orgy of the Damned, and more, go to serpentfestival.com.
S.E.R.P.E.N.T Blues Festival 2024 North American Dates:
* Warren Haynes Band, Samantha Fish, and Eric Gales
** Keb’ ‘Mo, Samantha Fish, and Jackie Venson
# Keb’ ‘Mo, ZZ Ward ,and Jackie Venson
$ Keb’ ‘Mo, ZZ Ward, and Robert Randolph
^ZZ Ward and Robert Randolph
+ Larkin Poe, ZZ Ward, and Robert Randolph
^^Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, ZZ Ward, and Robert Randolph
Slash's upcoming blues album, Orgy of the Damned, is a collection of 12 songs that shakes up and revitalizes blues classics with a stripped-down, instinctive approach, creating a singular expression that pays homage to the blues.
Celebrating both well-known and largely undiscovered songs, Slash offers a nostalgic nod to the past while reinvigorating the songs with his inimitable guitar playing and the spirit of collaboration. For Orgy of the Damned, the acclaimed guitarist reteamed with storied producer Mike Clink and enlisted the album’s diverse guest vocalists, which include Gary Clark Jr, Billy F. Gibbons, Chris Stapleton, Dorothy, Iggy Pop, Paul Rodgers, Demi Lovato, Brian Johnson, Tash Neal, Chris Robinson, and Beth Hart, in a similar way to his 2010 self-titled solo LP Slash.
Rounding out his band in the studio and on the road, Slash reunited with two of his bandmates from his Blues Ball outfit in the 90s, bassist Johnny Griparic and keyboardist Teddy ‘ZigZag’ Andreadis, and brought on drummer Michael Jerome and singer/guitarist Tash Neal.
The first single “Killing Floor,” which features Brian Johnson of AC/DC on vocals, and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith on harmonica, is an electrifying, raucous and gleefully unbridled take on Howlin’ Wolf’s 1964 Chicago blues standard. Check it out below.
For more information, go to slashonline.com.
Jack Bruce's 'Smiles And Grins, Broadcast Sessions 1970-2001' Set Coming This Spring
Smiles And Grins, Broadcast Sessions 1970-2001 is newly remastered and restored from the original master tapes. Throw in an illustrated book with liner notes and this may be the most comprehensive collection of Jack Bruce’s broadcast sessions ever released.
To get yours, visit Cherry Red Records.
Monday, March 11, 2024
'Keep The Party Going: A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett' At The Hollywood Bowl Announced
Friday, March 8, 2024
Little Feat Announce 'Sam's Place' — First New Album in 12 Years
The album’s first single and video is “You’ll Be Mine,” a cover of the Willie Dixon-written number popularized by Howlin’ Wolf. Check out the video below.
The current lineup of Little Feat — Bill Payne, keyboards and vocals; Sam Clayton, percussion and vocals; Fred Tackett, guitars and vocals, Kenny Gradney, bass; Scott Sharrard, guitars and vocals; and Tony Leone, drums and vocals — bring their individual musical chops and collective chemistry to the nine-track Sam's Place, which was waxed at Sam Phillips Recording in Memphis, TN in August 2023, except for “Got My Mojo Working (Live),” recorded live at the Boulder Theatre in Boulder, CO on December 17, 2022. This is the first Little Feat album recorded with new members Sharrard and Leone.The band’s longtime friend Bonnie Raitt provides vocals on the Muddy Waters gem “Long Distance Call,” a duet with Sam, and the album’s other special guests are Michael “Bull” LoBue on harmonica, Marc Franklin on trumpet, and Art Edmaiston on saxophone on select songs.
Little Feat emerged from the pandemic with their sense of humor, chops, and collective joy in playing intact—and their creativity has been renewed with Sam's Place. The idea for the album started with Bill, but the whole band jumped in. They started working on songs at sound checks. Sam, Scott and Fred wrote a new song, “Milk Man.” Visiting backstage at a Feat show, Bonnie Raitt suggested the Howlin’ Wolf tune “You Will Be Mine.” Scott suggested “Why People Like That,” a Bobby Charles tune. Sam chose the Willy Dixon-penned “Don’t Go No Further,” a deep Muddy track. And they included a live version of “Got My Mojo Working.”
Scott had recorded in Memphis, and they eventually found their way to the second Phillips (the first was Sun Studios, where Elvis began his career) studio there, complete with Jerry Lee Lewis’s piano, which Bill noted “practically played itself.” Feat’s a rock band, but as Scott observed, at the end “the blues is home,” and they basically recorded it live in the studio, in the tradition. Their playing is at an all-time high, and Bill thought their musical conversation was “flawless.”
Sam was a happy vocalist. His own “Milk Man,” a song about his nephew, has lyrics from his wife, Joni. The duet with Bonnie on “Long Distance Call,” he humbly admitted, was classic. “We go good together, man.” “Last Night” was done in memory of Sam’s very good friend, the late Ed Bradley of Sixty Minutes. And “Why People Like That” was particularly satisfying. “I just like the way the slide sounds and everything. I knew Scott is a great slide player too, plus he is a great lead guitarist. And I know we would put our touch to it, the Little Feat touch. So we just sort of did it. Scott just adds a lot to it and he answers to what I'm singing.”
Sam's Place scratches a deep itch. Sam added, “I'm very happy because I was never expecting anything like that. I mean, I have wanted to, but I just wasn't expecting it to come to fruition. It was a long wait, but it’s satisfying.”
Can’t Be Satisfied Tour 2024 dates below
May 31 > Greek Theatre - Berkeley, CA
June 1 > Greek Theatre - Berkeley, CA
June 4 > Grand Sierra Theatre - Reno, NV
June 5 > Santa Barbara Bowl - Santa Barbara, CA
June 7 > Greek Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
June 8 > Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheater - San Diego, CA
June 9 > Greek Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
June 13 > Koka Booth Amphitheater- Cary, NC
June 14 > Pier Six Pavilion - Baltimore, MD
June 17 > Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland - Pittsburgh, PA
June 18 > PNC Pavilion - Cincinnati, OH
June 20 > Everwise Amphitheater - Indianapolis, IN
June 21 > Meijer Gardens Amphitheater - Grand Rapids, MI
June 22 > Ravinia Festival - Highland Park, IL
June 24 > Victory Theatre - Evansville, IN
June 25 > The Factory - St. Louis, MO
June 26 > Uptown Theater - Kansas City, MO
June 28 > Washington Pavilion - Sioux Falls, SD
June 29 > Fitzgerald Theater - Saint Paul, MN
June 30 > Vetter Stone Amphitheater - Mankato, MN
July 2 > Hoyt Sherman Place - Des Moines, IA
July 3 > The Astro - Omaha, NE
July 5 > Red Rocks - Morrison, CO
August 25 > Bethel Woods Center for the Arts - Bethel Woods, NY
August 28 > The Mann Center - Philadelphia, PA
August 31 > Saratoga Performing Arts Center - Saratoga Springs, NY
For more information and ticket links, visit the Little Feat Tour page.
Jeff Lynne's ELO Announces 2024 North American Fall Tour
Jeff Lynne’s ELO is set to embark on the band’s final tour dubbed “The Over and Out Tour.” The 27-date trek, produced by Live Nation, will...
-
As reported by Variety Melanie, the singer who performed at Woodstock in 1969 and had major pop hits with “Brand New Key” and “Lay Down (Can...
-
After the recent death of original founding member Gary Rossington, the Lynyrd Skynyrd band members and estates have been in discussion on w...
-
Van Halen will release a new box set this fall spotlighting the iconic band's second incarnation, with singer Sammy Hagar, guitarist Edd...