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Prince (Photo : Getty/Ethan Miller) 
Interview with
taken the paintings of an Italian artist, whom I've known for a long time. He does beautiful paintings inspired by microbiology, so by cells, neurones and DNA. I've always felt this strong connection between my music and his work because we're both inspired by nature, but in very different ways. So, we have big projections of his work on stage...
record itself is a full-on rock/pop album. So for this tour, we're stripping back songs from all my catalogue into acoustic versions.
because you think beyond your own life. You think more into the future. That's the big shift that happens, yeah. Every decision that we make has a consequence. It continues on for years and years...
Heather: Yeah.
Prince performed a two-and-a-half-hour "Rally 4 Peace" at Baltimore's Royal Farms Arena. 
Along with some special guests, a music legend attempts to heal a wounded city.
Prince Announces 'Pray 4 Peace' Concert in Baltimore This Weekendby Ryan Book May 6, 2015 09:11 AM EDT
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A third encounter with RAYE | |
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Alan Light: Let’s Go Crazy (Prince and the Making of Purple Rain)ByPublished: December 28, 2014 | | |
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Mickey And Willie (2015)
With Alice Cooper
With David and Peter
LOS ANGELES, CA: Actor Micky Dolenz (C) poses with daughters actress Ami Dolenz (L) and Georgia Rose Dolenz at Actors for Autism and Rockwell Table & Stage presents Reach for the Stars at Rockwell Table & Stage on October 2, 2013.
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Premiere: Groove To Mad Satta’s ‘Break Me Free’Music PremieresBy: Adelle Platon / May 6, 2015Follow: @adelleplaton
Mad Satta lets the groove get in on their new single “Break Me Free.” The New York-based ensemble, comprised of seven male instrumentalists (Ben Carr on electric bass; Ted Morcaldi on electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vibraphone and marimba; Kevin Theodore on keyboards, organ, acoustic piano; Zane West on drums, tabla, electronic drums; Jason Fitch on tenor saxophone; Collin Wade on alto saxophone and flute; and Eric Zeiser on trumpet and flugelhorn) and frontwoman, Joanna Teters, wave the flag for future-soul, mixing old-school vibes with jazz and modern-day funk.On their latest track, the funky guitar riffs and crisp horns grab a hold of your ears as Teters’ cozy alto vocals urge your feet to the dancefloor. It’s a more uptempo jam than Mad Satta’s other gem, “Reach Out,” off their 2014 debut Comfort. Here, they take a cue from 1982.
“This song was inspired when Don Blackman’s “Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide” record was on repeat, the heat of summer was starting to creep in and the love in the air was enough to make you want to dance,” Teters tells VIBE.“It started as a bass line, but quickly the whole song began to uncover itself to us— horn lines, drum groove, melody, etc. Playing this song live is insanely fun because the audience loves to sing along with us when we get to the end, and that’s the kind of shit we live for.”Bust a move or three to “Break Me Free” below and catch them perform this month at the Atlanta Jazz Festival.Listen to “Break Me Free”: https://soundcloud.com/ma...-2/s-UFqdL
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The perfect bromance! Hozier and Ed Sheeran visit Elvis's home GracelandThe singing duo came together to remember the King of Rock  By Ali Ryan | EditorMay 5, 2015 | 10:18 | |
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Interview: Heather Nova + NEW CD 2015.
The NEW CD Drops in June 2015. You can Pre-order Here: http://www.pledgemusic.co...jects/3296
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Tidal Announces Live Stream of Prince’s Baltimore Benefit ConcertDays after Prince’s announcement that he would play a Rally 4 Peace benefit concert in Baltimore, Tidal revealed that it would stream audio from the event live and without restricting it behind a paywall. Tidal will play an hourlong audio stream from the Sunday concert at Baltimore’s Royal Farms Arena, which coincides with Mother’s Day and is billed as a “family-friendly Mother’s Day event.” “I am honored to join Prince in his mission to inspire through the uniting power of music and be able to offer a platform where this moment can be shared globally. We invite all to experience the music and contribute in their own way to promote peace, tolerance and understanding,” Jay Z says in a Friday press release. “Our prayers go out to Freddie Gray’s family and every family affected by brutality and senseless violence.” The concert comes after Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man from Baltimore, died from a spinal injury while in police custody, which spurred protests and riots in that city and in others across the country. Prince and his band, 3RDEYEGIRL, said in their announcement that the concert is meant to be a “catalyst for pause and reflection following the outpouring of violence that has gripped Baltimore and areas throughout the U.S.” They invited their audience to wear gray “as a symbolic message of our shared humanity and love for one another.” Just Music-No Categories-Enjoy It! | |
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Lincoln Center/Damrosch Park BandshellW 62nd Street, New York
Full Schedule: http://www.brooklynvegan....er_11.html. . . [Edited 5/10/15 8:22am] Just Music-No Categories-Enjoy It! | |
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Aurora Announces Debut EP Titled Running with the WolvesApril 9, 2015 | 1:20pm
 Aurora has announced her highly anticipated debut EP titled Running with the Wolves, available on May 4 via Glassnote Records.The 18-year old from Bergen, Norway was first introduced to American audiences at last year’s CMJ Music Marathon in New York City, landing her on many publications’ to-watch lists, including here at Paste, with our writer raving that “her so-called ‘dark-pop’ was explosive” and that she “has an x-factor that one can’t quite look away from.”In support of Running with the Wolves, Aurora will be also be touring around North America in May and June with shows in Brooklyn, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. You can see the dates and album tracklisting below, as well as a video of her live performance for us at the Paste Parlour at CMJ last year and the music video for lead track “Runaway” off of the forthcoming EP.Aurora also previously shared the track “Under Stars” and you can hear more of her work at her SoundCloud here.
o  Mélina TobianaSinger-songwriterPromising young talent, Melina Tobiana has just signed on with Outnote label and will launch her first album Melina Tobiana in the spring 2015. This multi-faceted singer who composes, writes and is also an excellent pianist, plays in quintets or trios. Jazzia Prod is happy to represent this beautiful artist.BiographyBorn and raised in a family of artists, Melina Tobiana showed very early a great interest in singing and music, and her parents offered her piano lessons. After 12 years of classical piano studies at the National Conservatory of La Courneuve Aubervilliers (France), she took Vocal Jazz lessons at the Institut for Artistic and Cultural Perception in Paris, where she studied improvisation, scenic expression and where she improved her vocal technique and ear-training.With this experience, she started to sing in several Parisian cabarets: les Trois Maillets, le Chat Noir, le Petit Pont, etc. During this period, she played with Benoît Daniel Emmanuel Sourdeix and Mike Torjman. Meanwhile, she worked in clubs and cafés-concerts, singing jazz standards, soul and bossa nova, thus creating a rich and varied repertoire. She continued to refine her voice and ear with professors Eric Tavelli and Letitzia Morelli.At 27, Melina Tobiana has been noticed by some Jazz greats such as Leon Parker (renowned American drummer with whom she worked for 2 years), Jerome Barde, Laurent Fickelson, etc. 2014 marks the release of Melina Tobiana, a debut album of original compositions, on the record label Outnote.In quintet (modular formation):
Discography Melina Tobiana (2015, Outnote)
Tattooed Elle King loves living the fast lifeBy Tom Lanham
Singer Elle King is admittedly hard and mean.After partying in her native New York, she awakened on a recent morning to two reminders of her exploits: a bleary-eyed hangover and a throbbing pain in one arm.“I got a rad new tattoo on my hand, downtown in the middle of the night, and it really hurts,” says KIng, who couldn’t remember exactly where the needling took place. It might have been at the tattoo parlor where she used to work – “because I always call my friends there when I’m drunk and want to get tattooed,” she says.Looking at the design – a broken heart, and the words “hard” and “mean” – she says, “Yes. I am.”Her debut disc “Love Stuff” on RCA, which she’s promoting The City this week, dives into classic rock, soul and country sounds, set to tough-as-nails autobiographical lyrics snarled in an old-school-R&B rasp: “You try to change me you can go to hell/ ‘Cause I don’t wanna be nobody else/ I like the chip I got in my front teeth/ And I’ve got bad tattoos you won’t believe….I’m not America’s sweetheart,” she sings in the banjo-tinged “America’s Sweetheart.”It epitomizes her credo.“I grew up with rock and roll, and I dress the way I want to dress, act the way I want to act, and sing the way I want to sing,” says King, 25, the daughter of model London King and comedian Rob Schneider, who split when she was young.
“I do have a chipped front tooth – I accidentally hit it with a microphone. I am who I am, and my attitude is, Love me for it or fuck you – I don’t care,” she says.
Rob Schneider and daughter Elle King King’s streetwise identity didn’t happen overnight. She tried acting first, appearing in dad’s “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo.” At 16, she entered a recording studio at the insistence of family friend Adam Sandler, who was wowed by her singing voice. But sessions for Warner Bros. didn’t happen. And she was fired from a short-lived stint in a Randy Jackson-orchestrated girl group.It taught her two lessons, she says: “How to bite my fucking tongue in work situations, and that I never want to be in a band with other singers.”Hard-earned wisdom fuels King’s compositions, as in the bluesy ballad “I Told You I Was Mean,” a kiss-off to a dumbfounded boyfriend from her past.She says, “I’m living a fast life, and a lot of people can’t hang; rock and roll can be lonely. I mean, I would never want to date anybody like me!”IF YOU GOElle Kingopening for James BayWhere: Independent, 628 Divisadero St., S.F.When: 8 p.m. May 12Tickets: $20 (sold out)Contact: (415) 771-1421, www.ticketfly.com | |
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Review: Prince, in Baltimore, Nods to Unrest in Song and Asides BALTIMORE — “You look around, and the system is broken,” Prince said about two hours into his “Rally 4 Peace” concert at the Royal Farms Arena here on Sunday night.
“It’s gonna take the young people to fix it this time,” he continued. “We need new ideas, new life. Most of all, we need new peace. And the kind of peace I’m talking about is spelled p-i-e-c-e. Next time I come to Baltimore, I want to stay in a hotel owned by one of you.”Those comments — during “Purple Rain” — were the most direct sermonizing in a strong two-and-a-half-hour concert, some of whose proceeds, according to information from Live Nation, the concert’s promoter, would be donated to youth charities based in Baltimore.There were special guests, as advertised. One was the rapper Doug E. Fresh, emerging several times to freestyle and beatbox; another was the singer Estelle, sharing the vocals on “Purple Rain”; and another was Miguel, who sang a modified version of the Staple Singers’ “When Will We Be Paid,” a song often interpreted as a call for reparations.
Another guest, briefly, was Marilyn J. Mosby, the state’s attorney for Baltimore. She sat on a leather couch on the left side of the stage, and about 20 minutes into the concert she was led to the center by Prince. She wasn’t introduced by name, and waved before quickly returning to her seat. Prince turned back to the audience. “Those who have lost loved ones,” he said, “we are your servants here tonight. They say there’s no curfew, so I don’t know how long this is gonna go.”For the most part, this was a flow of hits from the early ’80s to early the ’90s, studded with a few songs of protest and resistance, including “Baltimore,” the stolid, upbeat track Prince released online Saturday, which suggests “peace is more than the absence of war,” and “let’s take all the guns away.” The song’s lyrics contained the only mention of Freddie Gray, whose death last month from injuries sustained in police custody provoked protests around the city and the country. Most of the guests, and the commentary, occurred after the first hour, which was free on the music-streaming service Tidal.
The concert was announced only last week as a stand-alone event, but was in keeping with the nature of Prince’s current “Hit ’n’ Run” American tour: performances around the country whose sites are disclosed with little lead time, as he did in Europe last year. (Tickets for the Baltimore concert cost $22 to $497, and the audience looked like a typical Prince crowd, largely middle-aged and of all races. Many wore something gray, as the concert’s flier requested — presumably to honor Mr. Gray.)This is all a way for a perennial performer, at 56, to stay spontaneous and casual, backed by his current band, 3rdeyegirl, and horns and keyboards as needed. There were a few video backdrops, none spectacular. A simple purple scrim hung in front of the stage before the show started.All the rest was what he’s good at: hard funk, falsetto ballads, a few extraordinary guitar solos and exhortations to party. The contentious citywide curfew here ended a week before Sunday’s show, but Prince came back to it repeatedly to rile the crowd. “No curfew,” he said several times, as he returned for multiple encores.The concert began with a slow, stomping, almost proto-metal version of “Let’s Go Crazy.” It established the notion that no matter how the repertory changed and the number of musicians expanded through the night, there was a rock band at the center: the guitarist Donna Grantis, the bassist Ida Nielsen and the drummer Hannah Ford Welton.Ms. Grantis took a few compressed solos, but more often, the band served as the support system for Prince’s much less compressed string of actions. Those included a chaotic, rhythm-propelled synthesizer solo on “Hot Thing” and a couple of guitar solos — in back-to-back versions of his own “The One” and Muddy Waters’s “Electric Man” — that slowly grew from strict, organized blues toward gestural, intensified flashes of sound.. Prince Promotes Peace at Baltimore Show: 'The System Is Broken'Career-spanning concert included a passionate speech and cameos from Miguel, Doug E. Fresh and State's Attorney Marilyn MosbyMay 11, 2015
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Metallica to headline X Games in Austin
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich (from left), guitarist Kirk Hammett, bassist Robert Trujillo and singer/guitarist James Hetfield announced today they are coming to Austin on June 6.
Rolling Stone.com/Metallica.com
The world's biggest heavy metal band revealed today that it's planning a summer weekend in Austin. And fans undoubtedly will be throwing up a few X's to go with their devil horns. Metallica will headline the X Games at the Circuit of the Americas on Tue. June 6. The band, 48 hours removed from headlining the inaugural Rock In Rio U.S. festival in Las Vegas, made the announcement with skateboard legend Tony Hawk (watch here). For tickets and more info, click here. "We're excited to be teaming up with our friends at ESPN again to headline the new Super Stage at X Games in Austin, TX on June 6 at the Circuit of the Americas," Metallica said in a statement. "Being a part of the X Games will be a first for us as the premier action sports event celebrates 20 years of presenting the world leaders in extreme sports including BMX, skateboard, MotoX, RallyCar racing and more, and we can't wait to see what these amazing athletes can do! See you in Austin as we add another show to our summer tour!" Singer/guitarist James Hetfield, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Lars Ulrich haven't played Austin in six years. They performed March 20, 2009, at a South By Southwest launch party for "Guitar Hero: Metallica" at Stubb's. You can purchase a live download of that performance here. Their last show in San Antonio was Sept. 28, 2009, at the AT&T Center with Lamb of God and Gojira (purchase download here). Trujillo, however, was in San Antonio in 2013 to introduce the premiere of the band's movie "Through The Never" at a pair of theaters (see link below). Metallica is sharing headline status at the X Games with pop superstar Nicki Minaj. Tickets for the June 4-7 X Games and the band's performance will be swept up faster than you can play the solo on "Battery" -- even on air guitar. And although it's a tired and overused occurrence to hear musicians, venues and yes, even writers say, "You do not want to miss this," well, that certainly applies to Metallica and X Games in the Live Music Capital. . New Limp Bizkit album could be released this year Play
Limp Bizkit - Endless Slaughter
Limp Bizkit/Cash Money Records
It's been 4 years since rap rock group Limp Bizkit released the 'Golden Cobra' album and not much progress has been made on a new one. While the band has claimed to be working on the expected new release 'Stampede Of The Disco Elephants', we have not gotten much in the way of evidence that there is an album, save for the quirky little track Endless Slaughter and ensuing video. However 2015 could actually be the year of the Bizkit once again. Front man Fred Durst tweeted that he was "recording vocals for the next few weeks" in Germany, giving fans a slight glimmer of hope that we could see new music again one day. Given the time we've already waited, don't get too excited just yet...it could end up being a Christmas gift. . Rolling Stones unveil details for upcoming release 'Live at Leeds' Play
Promo video for The Rolling Stones' remastered and expanded "Sticky Fingers" reissue, set for for release June 9 in North America via Universal
Universal
The Rolling Stones have provided fans with details about their upcoming release Live at Leeds. The 1971 live concert album will be part of the legendary British rockers remastered and expanded Sticky Fingers reissue, which will hit shelves on June 9 in North America via Universal.  Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images
According to a media release posted May 10 at UDiscover, Live at Leeds catches The Stones during a 9-city U.K. farewell tour just prior to leaving their native country to become tax exiles and was recorded a month prior to the release of Sticky Fingers. The album features The Stones at the top of their game performing a number of Sticky Fingers tracks live on March 13, 1971 at the University of Leeds. Originally recorded for BBC broadcast, a truncated version of the album has long been a highly sought after bootleg under the title Get Your Leeds Lungs Out! The new official release, that will be featured as a bonus CD on the Sticky Fingers deluxe version, will feature all 11 songs performed on the original 60 minute BBC special plus two more bonus tracks not aired on the program, including: "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Live with Me" for a total of 13 tracks. See below for the album's full track listing. The Stones line up at the 1971 Leeds show included: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor, who had recently replaced founding member Brian Jones on guitar. Their backing band included the formidable horn section of Bobby Keys and Jim Price, as well as Nicky Hopkins performing on his first full tour with The Stones on piano. Fans can pre-order the Sticky Fingers reissue in a variety of standard, deluxe, and super deluxe editions sets in CD, vinyl, as well as digital formats. For more information, click here. The Stones will launch their AEG Live produced Zip Code Tour of the U.S. and Canada in San Diego on May 24 at Petco Park. Select presales are available now. Tickets for all shows in the U.S. go on sale starting at 10 a.m. local time on Mon., April 13 and can be purchased at AXS.com. Live at Leeds track listing: Rolling Stones 2015 North American tour dates: . Mozart redeemed from Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Originally published on April 19, 2009 and reproduced with minor revisions My concern about having to wait until the end of this month before having a chance to hear Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart get "his proper due" was eased this afternoon at Davies Symphony Hall, thanks to the Chamber Music Series organized by the San Francisco Symphony. The K. 285 flute quartet, composed in 1777, was given a stimulating and coherent reading by Robin McKee (flute), John Chisholm (violin), Wayne Roden (viola) and David Goldblatt (cello) to begin this afternoon's concert. There was no sign of any of last night's problems of strained interactions among unbalanced voices. Instead, one got to enjoy a conversation among four equals, spiced with the reminder that, when it came to playing chamber music, the viola was Mozart's instrument of choice. Equally loving attention was given to the music of Antonín Dvorák and Zoltán Kodály. Following the Mozart, violinist Chen Zhao and cellist Amos Yang offered an energetic reading of Kodály's Opus 7 duo. Even with my modest understanding of Hungarian culture, I could appreciate why Béla Bartók once declared Kodály "the composer whose works are the most perfect embodiment of the Hungarian spirit." There is a soulfulness to his music that goes beyond his ear for melody to the very timbrous qualities he elicits from his instruments, and those qualities are particularly evident when only two instruments are engaged in the performance. Dvorák concluded the program with his Opus 51 string quartet in E-flat major, performed by violinists Melissa Kleinbart and Suzanne Leon, violist Nanci Severance, and cellist Michael Grebanier. This is Dvorák the Bohemian nationalist, rather than Dvorák the observant visitor to America; and this quartet provides one of many opportunities to hear his "bipolar" approach to the dumka form, which sandwiches exuberance between outer sections of soul-searching poignancy. As in the case with Mozart, Dvorák's chamber music always involves a rich interplay of voices, whose details emerged in shining clarity in this particular performance. The Dvorák quartet was preceded by what may best be called a "jazz interlude." Trumpeter Mark Inouye teamed with a rhythm section of Scott Pingel on bass, Jeff Massanari on guitar, and Raymond Froehlich on drums to perform his own composition, "Tribute to Beeky," inspired by a small creature burrowing in the beach sand near Galveston, Texas. This was clearly a lightweight piece of work beside composers like Mozart, Dvorák, and Kodály; and I fear that it did not make for very good company. As I tried to make clear when I chose to write about Ahmad Jamal, I take my jazz very seriously; and I hope the message I conveyed in writing about him was that he took his music (regardless of genre) very seriously. "Tribute to Beeky" did not strike me as jazz to be taken seriously. Even if Inouye played it with a relatively clean and well-articulated sound, there was just too much of what my counterpoint teacher used to call "noodling," wandering around a flurry of notes with little sense of direction. There also seemed to be a need to play something on the same durational scale as the other works on the program, while just about everything that needed to be said had been said in about half as much time. Change can be refreshing, but not when it overstays its welcome! If this is a sign of what one can expect from the new Davies After Hours series, then, where the trumpet is involved, I think I shall stick to my recordings of Clifford Brown! . NBC adds 14 new shows to star-studded 2015-16 lineup Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
NBC is adding a whopping 14 new shows to the network lineup next year – and the star-studded new series will feature some very familiar faces. According to an Associated Press report posted by Yahoo News on Sunday, NBC plans to resurrect the “Heroes” franchise and will bring back Craig. T. Nelson as “Coach” for a revival of the actor’s hit ‘90s sitcom. In another unusual twist, NBC plans to air the sitcom "Undateable,” the network’s only returning comedy, live each week. With 14 new shows (six comedies, seven dramas and one variety show) on the upcoming NBC schedule, six will debut this fall. Famous faces will populate NBC’s 14 new shows. Neil Patrick Harris will star in a variety show that will feature stunts, skits and musical numbers. In addition, big name stars like Jennifer Lopez ("Shades of Blue"), Rob Lowe ("You, Me and the End of the World"), Wesley Snipes ("The Player"), Eva Longoria ("Hot & Bothered") will appear on NBC’s new shows. As for special events, the network has already announced a small screen adaption of the musical “The Wiz.” There will also be a TV movie based on the life of country music legend Dolly Parton, and a war-themed miniseries, "The Reaper.” NBC has really upped the star power with the 14 new shows. According to Variety, the Jennifer Lopez drama will also star Ray Liotta and Drea de Matteo. Lopez will star as Det. Harlee McCord, a single mother recruited to work undercover for the FBI’s anti-corruption task force, while Liotta has been cast as Lt. Bill Wozniak in the buzzy cop drama. . American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson' adds Selma Blair as Kris Jenner Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for H&M
Filming has begun for the upcoming FX series “American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson.” It is a project that has many fans anxious. The event was reported on around the clock as it was going down, especially during the trial. According to a May 11 report from Entertainment Weekly, Selma Blair will be playing the role of Kris Jenner. When the actual crime happened, Kris Jenner was still on good terms with Robert Kardashian even though she was married to Bruce Jenner. The Kardashian family was incredibly close to the Simpson family. Kris Jenner was one of Nicole Brown Simpson's best friends, and obviously Robert Kardashian was good friends with OJ Simpson. While it will be interesting to see how “American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson” plays out, fans are hoping Ryan Murphy does it with respect to the victims. The cast is star-studded, which is exciting. David Schwimmer is set to play Robert Kardashian alongside Selma Blair as Kris Jenner. Other names you may recognize include Cuba Gooding Jr. as OJ Simpson, John Travolta as Robert Shapiro, and Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark. It seems that “American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson” is highly anticipated. Fans of “American Horror Story” are also looking forward to seeing how Ryan Murphy will do with this series. Murphy is particular with his actors, which is why many of them have held roles in several of his productions for FX. The premiere date for “American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson” has yet to be revealed, but it is safe to say it will air in 2016. Fans are hopeful it will run after the next season of "American Horror Story" airs.
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Live From Daryl's House new episodes
http://www.vh1.com/shows/...l-episodes You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton | |
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'Maggie' brings heart and forgets the zombies Play
When a deadly zombie virus sweeps the nation, a father will stop at nothing to save his infected daughter in this post-apocalyptic thriller starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Abigail Breslin.
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Maggie
Rating:
If you've heard of Maggie you probably heard of it as the Arnold Schwarzenegger zombie movie, and that's entirely fair since the film has been pitched that way. The problem is that it really isn't that at all. Maggie may be a movie with zombies in it, but it's actually a family drama about a father and his dying daughter. It's as if the filmmakers knew they weren't going to get their film made so they added a hook: the disease is zombies and then went along with that. Surprisingly, that makes for a better movie. By focusing on the relationships and ditching the zombies for the most part Maggie becomes a refresher for the genre. It's just too bad it can't fully commit.  Maggie
In Maggie we find Wade (Schwarzengger) picking up his daughter, the titular Maggie (Abigail Breslin) from the intensive care unit. A disease is ravaging the world that turns people into zombies, but the US has gotten it under control. Those that are infected are quarantined, though that isn't a very good fate as they're basically shoved in a room to die. Before they fully turn, however, they're allowed to return home and live life with their families as long as they promise to come to quarantine afterward. This is where we find Wade as he brings Maggie home to her step-mother after she ran away and was bitten. The movie revolves around her last days, and the choice of whether Wade will turn her over to the authorities when the time comes or take her out. And that's it. There's a few zombie "attacks," but the film almost seems to hate itself when those happen, quickly turning away in disgust as if they're simply there to fulfill a quota that films with zombies in them need. Instead the movie is mostly dialog and thoughts on the impending death and fear of those infected. The personal touches are what sell it as Wade and Maggie bond in the little time they have. As the day gets closer the movie builds its tension incredibly well despite the complete lack of action. This is drama, not horror, and it's executed well enough to work through to the end. It helps that the filmmakers use the casting of Schwarzenegger so well. For the first time since his return he seems to be playing his age. The lines on his face are deep and stoic, his square jawline set rigidly. It's the kind of father figure that you'd never expect him to be able to pull off, and yet there he is nailing it. The screenplay keeps his dialog smartly to a minimum, and instead uses the myth of the man to build up our expectations. We're so use to him being the action hero that when a single tear rolls down his cheek it catches us off guard and pulls us in even more. Schwarzenegger has learned some things in his years of bad acting, and it's that less is more. Here he is so reserved and so much less than what we normally see that it only helps to strengthen the role, the juxtaposition of the action star and the helpless father watching his daughter die making his performance something more than his acting skills ever could.
It's too bad Maggie can't always hold onto it's drama. It eventually pushes into melodrama, reminding the viewer more of a Hallmark disease-of-the-week film than a competent family drama. The film's lack of desire to be a zombie movie sometimes harms it as the horror steadily seeps away. There's something to be said for a few good attacks to keep the tension going. Maggie seems to dislike its own premise just a bit too much, and this makes for a film that's a little too scared to dive headlong in. Still, when the ending comes around it pulls it off with enough verve to make the film a solid watch. . Beth HartThe Barbicanadded: 9 May 2015 // gig date: 8 May 2015  Walking out alone to her piano, she got a huge reaction from the packed crowd and they didn’t let up with whoops and calls of “We love you Beth” all through an emotional and rocking set lasting nearly 2 and half hours. There was an intimate stage set with candles all around the back of the stage and across her piano in centre stage but Ms Hart is an attention black hole and your eyes don’t leave her for a moment – her charisma and personality make it almost impossible to look away. She opened and closed the show on her own at the piano, opening with ‘Mama, This One’s For You’ and closing with ‘As Long As I Have A Song’, both from the new album 'Better Than Home', both intensely personal and giving an insight to the complexities of being Beth Hart.  In between we were given new material, old favourites and a non-stop tour de force of a performer in her prime; coquettish, powerful, sexy and little-girly but totally in control and stalking the stage like a panther. Her band were excellent, all talented musicians and featuring Jon Nichols (guitar), PJ Barth (guitar), Bob Marinelli (bass) & Julian Rodriguez (drums) but they were always backing musicians and the focus (and attention) was constantly on Hart, even when she had her back to the audience with the band playing like demons. With some artists there is the sense that the set is programmed to death but not so here; when she moved to stage left and the follow spot took 30 seconds to catch her up there was no show of petulance and when she sat back to the piano and someone in the crowd called out for ‘Chocolate Jesus’ she smiled, and started into the song as the roadies frantically swapped guitars for Nichols and Barth as they were lined up for something else. When her husband brought out a drink for her he was sent off with an affectionate pinch to his butt and a cackle from Beth - clearly a star enjoying herself. The new album got a strong look-in with a brilliant version of ‘Mechanical Heart’ and a heartfelt ‘St Theresa’ but her covers were also on show and she stormed the place with her version of ‘Nutbush City Limits’ (I cannot imagine anyone else doing it as well) and Etta James ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ which brought the house down. Beth Hart is a veteran, she has been through good times, bad times and everything in between and it all goes into her music but she comes out an irresistible force of a performer – an absolute must-see. Earlier, we were treated to a lovely set by Irish singer/songwriter Miles Graham, a young man with a lovely lilt to his voice and a gentle style and delivery. Good songs and great melodies, he looks interesting as one for the future. Picture copyright Helen Bradley Owers
The Monkees return to the UKadded: 11 May 2015 // by: Music-News.com Newsdesk  The Monkees featuring Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork, will perform their first concert in the UK since their sold-out concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 2011.
The concert will take place at the London Hammersmith Eventim Apollo on Friday 4th September 2015. When four young men were cast in the television roles of a struggling rock band inspired by The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night, few could have predicted the impact The Monkees would make on music and pop culture at large, an impact that still reverberates 50 years later. The Monkees' cult runs deep in the UK, inspiring boy bands everywhere and racking up two more Top 20 albums in 1989 and 1997. Their last tour of the UK in 2011 climaxed with a sold-out show at London's Royal Albert Hall. The forthcoming London Hammersmith Eventim Apollo concert on September 4th will be their first concert since that time and the untimely passing of Davy Jones in February 2012. Now Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork carry on that tradition with a full evening of magic music and multi-media splendor, including rare films and images from their series. Their new show features all of the Monkees hits, including Last Train To Clarkesville and Daydream Believer, plus an intimate acoustic set and selections from their cult classic, HEAD. This Evening With The Monkees is sure to be one to remember for fans on every level. .
Janet Jackson new album released July 7added: 11 May 2015 // by: VVN Music  There is no official confirmation from a record company or the artist, but many different sources are pointing to a new Janet Jackson album on July 7. Vanessa PetersWith the Sentimentalsadded: 5 May 2015 // release date: 11 May 2015 // label: Self-released  Here Peters is sounding more and more like Suzanne Vega, on a collection of six completely new songs and three reworkings from her back catalogue. There is also a cover of Hem's Pacific Street, which sparkles at the opening of the album and has a more upbeat feel than the original. Of her self-penned songs, the scathing Big Time Underground balances a slightly reggae rhythm alongside a bitter take on a "loveable loser" who is set to remain "only recognisable in his home town". The bluesy shuffling Fickle Friends and the poppy Call You All the Time are other highlights. Another impressive set of songs from one of America's hidden treasures. .
Spandau BelletHouse of Blues: Bostonadded: 9 May 2015 // gig date: 30 Apr 2015  With the success of such nostalgia laced time warps as the 80's Rewind Festival - the emergence of bands from the 80’s pounding the road and pumping out the old tunes is not new in this day and age (and it is hard to admit that a lot of once cutting edge New Wavers and New Romantic song staples are now really golden oldies) as we see many one or two hit wonders dusting off their synthesizers to please those yearning to return their long-over younger days. While it is east to lump a lot of the bands of the “New” movements together, due to the overuse of the synthesizers, Spandau Ballet always stood out. While many have felt that New Wave songs were distant and lacking real feeling, Spandau Ballet’s catalog is anything but that, as they were more in the category of a blue eyed pop-soul than their peers (save for Culture Club) at their peak .  The band, which reunited in 2009 with its classic full-lineup intact, is doing their first American jaunt in eons and are touring under the banner of “Soul Boys of the Western World” – which is also the name of a first rate documentary on the bands career. Sans an opening act, the quintet opened with a well-received trio of “Soul Boy” (a new track),” Highly Strung," and 1984’s “Only When You Leave,” the bands last top 40 American hit singe. For a band of blokes in the AAPR age bracket, the members look fantastic. Singer Tony Hadley (a sinfully underrated vocalist) look as Beau Brummellish as he always did in his well cut, and now doubt wildly expensive, suit, and sounded as smooth as he did back in the day/ He has miraculously not lost a bit of his vocal range. Not willing to ever be considered an oldies act, Hadley and company pulled out all the new cuts the band recorded for the 2014 compilation CD, “The Story - The Very Best Of Spandau Ballet,” which included the show opening song, “Soul Boy,” the ballad filled “This Is the Love,“ and an outstanding soulful tune, “Steal.” If not for the sad state of modern Top 40 radio, “Steal” might have become a huge comeback single for band. While Hadley is the front many, he was surrounded by a myriad of talent with his cohorts in Spandau: Steve Norman (percussion/saxophone), John Keeble (drums) and brothers, and twins, Gary (guitar) and Martin (bass) Kemp. The Kemps are also well known for their acting resumes as they received tons of praise for the roles in the 1990 film The Krays. Gary, who has not made as many films as his twin, had the distinction of a supporting role in the 1992 mega smash “The Bodyguard.” At the Boston show, Gary awed the crowd with his slick guitar stylings and polished leads, while Marin and Keeble kept the sound anchored and were a most impressive rhythm section. Norman, who looks as if he truly found the fountain of youth, was, as Hadley said, “a one man show.” Bouncing all over the stage and changing instruments as a pace that would make most men half his age pant. A brief mid show acoustic semi-solo set from Gary and Hadley focused on 1989’s”Empty Spaces”, giving the song a bare bone treatment, which led to a sing along snippet of “Gold.” The near two hour show ended with the 1982 chestnut “Lifeline” and the bands signature ballad, “True.” Just hearing Norman recreate his iconic sax solo on "True" was, for some, worth the price of admission alone. After a brief break, Spandau returned for an encore of “Through the Barricades” and a proper, and show ending performance of “Gold .” As the band left, the promised they would be doing more US show this summer. Here’s hoping they return soon and not make us wait another three decades!
Melody GardotMelody Gardot Interviewadded: 21 Apr 2015  With its funky bass rhythms, Hammond organ retro-soul brass arrangements, euphoric gospel singers and esoteric orchestrations, the songs on ‘Currency of Man’ are the very antithesis of ‘smooth jazz’. In a departure that is sure to surprise her more conservative fans, they transport us back to the late Sixties and early Seventies. Grooving through the middle of this melange of steamy soul and funk is Melody Gardot, the Grammy-nominated international best-selling singer, songwriter and self-styled “citizen of the world.” Beneath the new-found musical exuberance lie a series of sharp observations of tumultuous times in our troubled world. Snatches of radio static and crackly voices collected from field recordings lend a documentary air that serve to underline the social dimension of songs centred on real-life characters observed on the streets of Los Angeles, where ‘Currency of Man’ was recorded. Food banks and soup kitchens feed the helpless, homeless and hungry; race and religion tear our planet apart as never before; war, famine and poverty are our constant companions. Amid the chaos of a world turned upside down, the universal search for love, truth and peace goes on.  These are the subjects Melody addresses on ‘Currency of Man’: her fourth studio album and a brave new departure for an artiste who has constantly stretched definitions of her music since she burst on to the music scene in 2006 with the spare, smoky piano jazz of ‘Worrisome Heart’. Mainstream success followed with its 1.5 million-selling successor, ‘My One And Only Thrill’, for which she teamed up with legendary Grammy Award-winning producer Larry Klein, introducing tropical elements to her music. That global influence expanded further on 2012’s lavishly orchestrated ‘The Absence’, a critically acclaimed development in which Melody’s travels in Argentina and Africa, Brazil and Portugal, introduced the exotic rhythms of samba, tango, bossa nova and calypso to her sound. ‘Currency of Man’ finds Melody reunited with producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, Madeleine Peyroux). Music-News.com caught up with melody Gardot in London's Soho Hotel to find out more. ‘Currency of Man’ will be released on Decca on June 1st 2015. .
Melissa EtheridgeShepherds Bush Empire - Londonadded: 29 Apr 2015 // gig date: 27 Apr 2015  Thankfully there are no symbols strapped to her arm or a large drum fixed to her back, instead she uses technology; she has a number of percussion instruments to supply the beat, which are looped and layered to allow her to play a mixture of acoustic and electric guitars in both rhythm and lead parts. She likes her guitars too, there are at least eight of them sat ready and waiting at the back of the stage. Etheridge's new found confidence with British audiences is displayed when someone calls out for Bring Me Some Water and she replies that before she plays it, she will need to “get a little crazy” first. The set starts with Chrome Plated Heart and ranges from the rockier, I’m The Only One and Come To My Window to the gentler Who Are You Waiting For (from her new album This is M.E.), a very personal song that she performed at her wedding. There’s also an impromptu Gently We Row, which she says was requested at the previous show in Ghent. She reveals how it was written for her daughter while she was holding in the boundaries in her early teens (and joked that she’d got some of the words wrong). Sat at the piano at the back of the stage, Etheridge performs Joan Armatrading's wonderful Weakness In Me, a song she reveals has featured in her set from her early days performing in bars. Since those days, she has become a global artist and an icon to many. The newer material holds up surprisingly well, with Take My Number and Monster outstanding, as well as the bluesy Aint That Bad. The rousing Bring Me Some Water and Like The Way I Do from her 1988 debut album are saved to last, to the crowd's delight. Etheridge plays with fantastic energy and raw power which helps emphasise her husky style and angsty lyrics. Before the show, Melissa tweeted “London! I am so ready to rock you tonight like I never have”. She certainly did.
Pop's Leading Ladies of 2015: Meg Myers Now is an exciting time to be a female singer in the pop music realm. The charts and the airplay are regularly dominated by Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Meghan Trainor and Lady Gaga, to name a few. But there is a new crop of pop leading ladies who are trailing the aforementioned talents and repping the new breed. From the vocal divas of Fifth Harmony to Meg Mac to Meg Myers—how cute, the “Megs!”—there are plenty of women on the rise in the pop music world. These 15 acts are about to make pop music their bitch. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Proceed to familiarize yourself with them now so you are already a fan and a member of the faithful as these ladies and their stars further ascend.
That former hellion Alanis Morissette has grown up and gotten more zen, and she is also a mom nowadays, so we need someone, anyone to come along and fill that gigantic, female angst rock void that the “You Oughta Know” songstress left when she went away. That person, in 2015, is Meg Myers. She is all heart and emotion and impact, and you can’t really say that about every female singer that comes cruising down the pike to heat your ears. Myers grew up in Tennessee and has admitted that her background is more rock than pop, but she has learned how to craft songs that embed themselves in your brain for long stretches. Her knack for crafting memorable melodies is top notch and on point. You need to get with her song “Desire” sooner than later; you will find yourself “desiring” more tunes from Miss Meg Myers. She’s as edgy as she is sonically eloquent, and she’ll have you asking “Alanis who?” in no time flat.
Meg Myers 2014 Lollapalooza Full Set. . [Edited 5/11/15 17:55pm] Just Music-No Categories-Enjoy It! | |
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Legendary Fiddle Player Johnny Gimble Dead at 88Award-winning instrumentalist played for Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and George Strait May 11, 2015
 Johnny Gimble, pictured here in 1976, was a CMA and ACM award winning fiddle player. Andrew Putler/Redferns
 Fiddle player Johnny Gimble, whose pioneering style encompassed and influenced Western swing, jazz and country, died Saturday, May 9th, in Dripping Springs, Texas, following complications from several strokes he had suffered since 1999. He was 88.
Throughout his career, Gimble played on such classic recordings as George Strait's "What's Going on in Your World," Merle Haggard's "Ramblin' Fever," and Dolly Parton's Jolene LP, earning five CMA honors for Instrumentalist of the Year and nine consecutive ACM Fiddler of the Year awards.
A member of the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, he was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1994.
Born John Paul Gimble in Tyler, Texas, in 1926, Gimble was the second youngest of nine children. He learned fiddle and mandolin and began his professional career while in his teens, playing tenor banjo in the band of Louisiana's then-Governor Jimmie Davis. After serving two years in the Army, Gimble formed a band with his brothers before joining Bob Wills' Texas Playboys in 1949.
One of his first major successes as a session player was "I'll Go on Alone," the Number One debut single from Marty Robbins in early 1953. In 1955, while living with his family in Waco, Gimble hosted his own TV show, Johnny Gimble and the Homefolks, which featured a young Willie Nelson playing bass in the band. He would later tour as a member of Nelson's band.
After leaving Wills' Texas Playboys, Gimble moved to Nashville in 1968, becoming one of the most sought-after session players in town. He was also one of the featured performers on 1973's Superpickers, an LP organized by Chet Atkins featuring many of Music City's most in-demand players. Gimble contributed his own composition, "Fiddlin' Around," to the album. His eclectic fiddle work was reflected in the countless entries in Gimble's personal pocket calendar, as his son, Dick Gimble later discovered. "I pulled one out from 1974, and I was amazed. Tuesday at 10: George Jones. Thursday: Conway Twitty. Saturday: Paul and Linda McCartney," the younger Gimble told Texas Monthly last year.
In 1983, Gimble played his former boss, Bob Wills, in the Clint Eastwood film, Honkytonk Man, releasing a single, "One Fiddle, Two Fiddle," that was featured on the soundtrack. A frequent guest on radio's "A Prairie Home Companion" and the long-running TV series' Hee Haw and Austin City Limits, Gimble released several solo albums. His final LP, Celebrating With Friends, was issued in 2010. Guest collaborators on the project included Nelson, Haggard, Vince Gill, Ray Benson, Dale Watson and Gimble's granddaughter, Emily, who currently plays with Asleep at the Wheel.
Gimble's son tells tells the Waco Tribune-Herald no funeral services are planned, but a celebration of the musician's life and legacy will likely be held for family and friends next month. Just Music-No Categories-Enjoy It! | |
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 Whilst some critics may stubbornly refuse to admit that there is such a thing as intricate pop music, I'd be inclined to disagree. Enter Marian Hill. The concoction of Samantha Gongol's elegant and smooth vocal melodies blended with Jeremy Lloyd's incredibly meticulous production makes for one extremely potent cocktail. Littered with soulful saxophone hooks, fresh percussive pops and chopped vocals that intermittently tweak and warp Samantha's voice out of recognition, the duo's seductive sound will be sure to quench the thirst of music snobs and Taylor Swift fans alike. In the words of Samantha herself: "Boy I'm not the kinda drum you play one time". Shuf checked in with Samantha and Jeremy to discuss the Philly pair's humble beginnings, how their songs evolve and what the future holds. Your roots as a duo go all the way back to middle school. What song was it that Jeremy caught you singing back in the day? It was “Don’t Know Why” by Norah Jones in a 7th grade talent show. For the uninitiated, what's the ideal environment to hear your music in? On great headphones late at night while walking down an empty city street. Or in a small, packed, smokey club. Or while slow dancing with a special someone in a darkened room. What is your modus operandi? Do lyrics come first or does production establish the foundations? There’s always a bit of give and take, back and forth, but we tend to start with the skeleton of a beat. Then we sit and listen to it and ask ourselves, what is this song about, what does this sound like? And melodies and lyrics usually emerge in varying order from that point. Hailing from Philadelphia, what can you say about the influence the city has had over you, if any? Are you based here or have you migrated to New York now? Samantha: I finally made the move to NYC - I went to school in the city but moved back home for a bit after college, so it’s lovely to be back! Philly will always be special to us, and the hometown music scene has been wonderfully supportive. 88.5 WXPN in particular has been one of our biggest champions. I played many an open mic night in Philly, played crowded bars when no one was listening, and met many great musicians. It was actually at one of those open mic nights when a performer told me I needed to start writing my own songs (I was young and doing covers at the time!). I noticed below the YouTube video of 'LIPS' that lots of listeners arrived at the song via teen-celeb Lauren Giraldo's "snapchatgang". 'GOT IT' also recently featured in a Google commercial. Do you thrive off existing in a realm where music can be discovered so easily or do you pine for simpler times? We wouldn’t exist as a band if not for the internet, so we definitely thrive off it haha. We had written one song (Whisky), uploaded it to Soundcloud, and emailed it out to about 60 blogs -- back then we barely even thought of ourselves as a band, and within a week we were charting on Hype Machine, taking meetings, and building Marian Hill into what it is today! The internet is incredible for music exposure, from snapchat to vine to google to puppy videos. You guys are featured on the upcoming Kitsuné New Faces II compilation out on 23rd February. What other work do you have in the pipeline? We’ve got a new music coming very very soon! We’ll be releasing the Sway EP with Photo Finish/Republic on Feb. 17th -- it’s a sequel to our Play EP that includes a few tracks from that first EP remastered plus a bunch of new songs. Remixing Aquilo's track 'Human', are there any other artists you'd love to collaborate with? Drake.
Any plans to tour in UK/Europe? We just got back from a whirlwind trip to Spain for a private gig and it was amaaazing, so we’ve definitely caught the travel bug... Not sure when it will happen, but we would love to get across the pond in the near future. Where can we listen to Marian Hill online? All of the usual haunts apply - Spotify, iTunes, Soundcloud, Youtube... And we’ve heard there’s a Marian Hill Pandora station as well -- our moms got excited about that. Any parting words? Look out 2015 here we come!! Words: George Hemmati . Steven Tyler to Reveal New Country Song on 'American Idol'Aerosmith frontman will release "Love Is Your Name," the debut single from his first-ever solo album, on Wednesday May 12, 2015
 Steven Tyler will release his debut country single "Love Is Your Name" on Wednesday. Rick Kern/WireImage
After weeks of Twitter tease photos at Nashville hot spots and with Music City songwriters, Steven Tyler is ready to share the music he's been recording since relocating to Tennessee earlier this year. On Wednesday, he'll release "Love Is Your Name," the first single from his upcoming country solo album. To promote the song, Tyler will undertake a daylong media blitz, culminating with a live performance of "Love Is Your Name" on the season finale of American Idol. It's a natural fit: Tyler once manned the judges' table of the long-running singing series, which Fox announced yesterday it was canceling after its 15th and final season this January. Last month, the Aerosmith frontman signed to Dot Records, the iconic country and vintage rock & roll label revived by Scott Borchetta's Big Machine Label Group in 2014. Said Tyler then: "I've been working with some fucking epic Nashville songwriters, getting my feet wet with the style and groove." As it turns out, two of those songwriters were Lindsay Lee and Eric Paslay, the pair behind "Love Is Your Name." For the recording, Tyler headed to Nashville's Blackbird Studio with in-demand producer Dann Huff. In a statement, Tyler said his first single was recorded on his first day in the studio. "I guess you could call that beginner's luck," he quipped. Along with Paslay and Lee, Tyler has also been writing with songwriters like Cary Barlowe, Jaren Johnston and Rhett Akins. Barlowe told Rolling Stone Country recently that no matter how country of a song the rock vocalist records, it'll always evoke a little bit of Tyler's famous band. "Everything he sings is going to sound a little like Aerosmith, because he's the voice. But he's been talking about how he wants some of it to be organic," Barlowe said of Tyler's upcoming album. "It's obviously not going to be traditional country or old-school country sounding, but he does want mandolin and a banjo in there, to change it up." Aerosmith, meanwhile, remains a viable touring force. Next month, Tyler and the band will kick off a string of summer dates with a show in Glendale, Arizona. . 'The Kingston Springs Suite' Makes 40-Year Belated DebutVince Matthews and Jim Casey's long-lost project, backed by Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson, finally sees the light of day May 12, 2015
 Vince Matthews and Jim Casey's 'The Kingston Springs Suite' was backed by Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Cowboy Jack Clement. Delmore Recording Society
Nobody around Nashville has talked much about them for 40 years. But in the early Seventies, the songs on Vince Matthews and Jim Casey's long-lost concept album, The Kingston Springs Suite were the talk of the town. SidebarSee the 11 Coolest Items...xhibit »Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Cowboy Jack Clement all put money behind the project. Cash covered one of the tunes, "Melva's Wine," calling it "the greatest contemporary American folk song I ever heard." Waylon Jennings recorded another, "Laid Back Country Picker." Yet despite all the support, the record — and its creator — ultimately went nowhere but down. Until now, that is: Decades after The Kingston Springs Suite was supposed to push the edges of Nashville's creative boundaries, Vince Matthews' nearly-forgotten life's work is making its belated debut on the Nashville-based archival label Delmore Recording Society. Matthews, the bright-burning, speed-gobbling songwriter who conceived the record's impressionistic portrait of a small town about 20 miles outside (and a world apart from) Nashville, burned more than his share of bridges. By the time he nearly caused the destruction of an actual train trestle – when a freight train smashed into a cherry picker he'd rented for an ill-conceived film shoot – it seemed, sensibly enough, like a bad omen to Matthews' songwriting partner. Three years after they'd embarked upon Matthews' quixotic proposition, after the routine disappointments of record label rejections, Matthews and Casey had a falling out. Without Casey, Matthews landed a few hit songs of his own, including Gene Watson's "Love in the Hot Afternoon" (which hit Number Three on the charts in 1975) and Crystal Gayle's "This Is My Year for Mexico." But he soon faded away, frittering whatever money came his way on Budweisers and Cadillacs. When Matthews died at age 63 in 2003, he'd been making phone calls for a mortgage company to make ends meet. With its spoken recitations, songs about small-town eccentrics and Matthews' uncertain command of his own singing voice, The Kingston Springs Suite is not quite what you'd call a masterpiece. But it is a distinctive artifact from a time when the anything-goes attitudes of the psychedelic Sixties were finally leeching into backwaters like Kingston Springs. "Nashville was wild then," says Casey, a Nebraska native who toured with Sammi Smith before buying into Matthews' fevered vision. The two were introduced by Allen Reynolds, who would later become Garth Brooks' producer. "I remember thinking, 'Man, that guy sweats a lot,'" says Casey about that first encounter with Matthews. "I wasn't familiar with speed at the time." But the two would go on to have plenty of adventures together, many of which ended up in song. "It wasn't the kind of thing you sat in an office and did," Casey explains. Matthews, who claimed to be part Cherokee, called it the "hillbilly method": "You had to go out, live the tradition, drive around, drink and visit people, until you were exhausted. It worked if you survived it." They ran around with fellow rough riders like Tompall Glaser and Shel Silverstein, who produced the Suite. A few years later, Silverstein co-wrote a song for Bobby Bare called "Vince." The lyric referred to a "great speckled bird" — not the traditional country classic, but the amphetamines known on the street by that nickname. "Vince and Casey," as they sometimes billed themselves, began thinking of the album as a self-contained show. ("We wanted to take it to Broadway," Casey says.) In all, they would perform the album in its entirety maybe a half-dozen times. Those shows included a couple of prison gigs and one in the Kingston Springs school auditorium, with Johnny and June Carter Cash sitting in the front row. Years later, Casey would hear from people who swore they were in attendance at shows the two had never played. He's also heard a few insist they once owned the album – hardly possible, since Matthews and Casey themselves were the only two who had the mixdown tapes. Once it became apparent that Nashville's "next big thing" would be no such thing, the Matthews legend quickly evaporated. Former friends began distancing themselves. "Everybody loved Vince, they really did," says Casey. "He was a big personality." But that could work against him, too, especially as he slipped deeper into abuse. When Matthews asked Casey to give up his co-credits on the Suite songs — without remuneration — their partnership was over. Matthews was furious. The last time Casey saw his friend, he recalls, "I was walking up Highway 100 with my guitar and my bag. He drove by in his Cadillac and didn't stop. And that was it." (They did reconcile years later, in the late Eighties.) As long as he's waited to see The Kingston Springs Suite come out, Casey thinks the timing is just right. Both Shooter Jennings and Father John Misty have covered "Laid Back Country Picker," and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is currently celebrating the transitional period of the era in the new exhibit called Dylan, Cash and the Nashville Cats. "I fully understand the prophet is never appreciated in his hometown," says Casey, who will take part in a listening party and discussion at the Hall of Fame on June 6th. "Our appetites get us in trouble, but Vince did something that was wonderful. So from the heart." Like the plainspoken record he helped make, Casey is matter-of-fact about the whole thing. "Some people emerge as winners," he says, "and some don't." . Nikki Lane on Killing Outlaws, Truck Songs and New Album"Do we really like outlaws, or do we just like to kill them off?" wonders the outspoken singer-songwriter, who premieres the new "Can't Get Enough" today May 11, 2015
 Nikki Lane is preparing to record the follow-up to her album 'All or Nothin'." Joseph Llanes
"Isn't there a philanthropist motherfucker out there with ten million dollars who wants to kill it as much as I do?" asks Nikki Lane, seated at painfully hip East Nashville coffee shop Barista Parlor with two iced coffees and two biscuits, to go — one for her, one for her "pedal steel boyfriend." It's 10:30 a.m., and she rolled in to town last night from California after driving days through the mountains, all while fighting off a self-diagnosed case of bronchitis. "On the road you become more of a hypochondriac," she says in her raspy South Carolina drawl. "Based on statistics, we're probably going to die in the van."  Lane's been touring nonstop since the release of 2014's Dan Auerbach-produced All or Nothin', hitting events like Willie Nelson's Heartbreaker Banquet and the Blake Shelton-headlined Stagecoach Festival. She's played with Shakey Graves and Spiritualized, and, soon, she'll open for Jenny Lewis and Social Distortion through the fall. But country radio hasn't been so friendly to her outlaw-spirited songs, which extol the benefits of one-night-stands and spill over with slinky, Seventies-era inspirations cased in a streetwise, modern shell that's as unapologetic as Johnny Cash's middle finger. That's where the philanthropist motherfucker comes in. Why can't some rich dude just create a station, she wonders, for her kind of music? "There's alternative, Triple-A and pop," Lane says, waving "hi" with a tattooed arm to the occasional passing friend, while Bob Dylan's "Positively 4th Street" plays in the background and patrons eat breakfast sandwiches on reclaimed wood tables – this is the kind of place, where, if you time it right, Auerbach might pull up on his motorcycle. "So why can't there be pop-country and country-country? We just need two genres." Still, it's been a pretty good run for the outlaw of late — Lane's LP made such an impression that her label, New West, is re-releasing it tomorrow with several bonus tracks, including the naughtily romantic "Can't Get Enough," premiering exclusively today on Rolling Stone Country. Sturgill Simpson's Metamodern Sounds in Country Music scored a Grammy nod (albeit in the Americana category) and Chris Stapleton's debut Traveller is snuggled right under Mumford & Sons on the iTunes chart. But Lane knows it can be a fickle climate for the rebel — she's been listening to Jamey Johnson and Gretchen Wilson, two artists who once held the "Second Coming of Waylon Jennings" title but only came out shredded and shattered by the mainstream machine. "What did country music do to them?" she asks. "They were the best thing in that time period, and where did they go? Jamey Johnson was the Sturgill eight years ago. Did they jump off the ship because the climate was so bad, or did we kill 'em? Do we really like outlaws, or do we just like to kill them off? I don't know, but at least I feel like the doors are opening again." And Lane's doing her damnedest to keep them from slipping shut. She's already planning to record her third LP next month, tentatively titled Highway Queen, with Jonathan Wilson at Electric Lady studios in New York. The Laurel Canyon revivalist who recently produced Conor Oberst's Upside Down Mountain and Father John Misty's I Love You Honeybear might not seem like the most natural choice for a bad gal country queen. Still, Lane insists, "He's from North Carolina! He knows this stuff!" — though she did call him once to chat about the record, which she hopes will be out in February, and he confessed to wearing tie-dye leggings. Wilson and Lane hooked up while he was in town working with Oberst, but it wasn't actually the first time they'd met. "When I was 20 years old, I gave him my phone number on a napkin at a Panera Bread in North Hollywood," she says. She'd just come from her hometown of Greenville, South Carolina, and chain restaurants felt most comfortable. She assumed he'd forgotten over the years, but you don't forget Lane, with her long legs often on display below a short-short Nudie suit romper or underneath a see-through dress, as if she swiped a wardrobe from Loretta Lynn and ripped out the petticoats, then topped it all off with Joey Ramone's leather jacket. "He was like, you know we met before, right? It was fucking embarrassing." The first song she wrote for Highway Queen is "70,000 Rednecks" — it sounds like a Wanda Jackson-fronted Doors —ushered in with a moody, howling "yippie kay-yay." For a minute, she thought it might make a good single, but with a lyric that goes "70,000 rednecks, that's what it takes to get to the top," it's probably safest to start a little less abrasively. Still, it's the truth. "I mean, isn't that what every other [record] label is trying to do, just round up rednecks?" Lane's father, still back in South Carolina, is the "reddest of them all," and when she brought him her record, or Simpson's, he responded in the same way he does to Top 40 country radio, listening on the porch with his buddies and swigging some beers. The trend of truck-touting bro-anthems lies primarily, she thinks, with the suits, not the fans ("They're down," for a sound like hers, she says. "Period.") That's not to say she doesn't like the big-wheelers. "I want to be the highway queen," she says, bumping her fist on the table for emphasis. "I'm obsessed with trucks, just like every other fucking country singer. But I want to make my own truck. Why don't we have a truck that's marketed towards women? I want to put an escalade and a truck together and call it the 'Highway Queen.'" It could happen — Lane's always thinking about branding, from her own line of custom knives, to her side gig as a vintage peddler to her leather iPhone case emblazoned with her logo: a skull inspired by an old patch from an ex-boyfriend that she stuck her initials next to. Being Nikki Lane is more than just the songs, it's selling the whole image, a piece of a lifestyle that she thinks about as much, if not more, than the music. Because perhaps the real way to be — and stay — an outlaw is to have complete control, creatively and financially, over every last thing. It's not so badass when you're too poor to make the music you actually want to make and are cashing in food stamps at the local grocery store between gigs. "No one is running around sweating cocaine out of their system anymore," she says, shaking her head. "It's not the Seventies anymore. When people tell me they can't think about [the business side], it cracks me up. You want to make a living playing music? Well, you're already doing the work, all you have to do is make money. What's the problem with making it a business? Money just means leverage." Leverage enough to back out when things aren't working. Lane has nothing against co-writes, even with mainstream players: She's partnering again with frequent Eric Church collaborator Ryan Tyndell and crafted All or Nothin's "Sleep with a Stranger" with hit-maker Luke Laird. But she faked an illness when one session pissed her off enough to walk away (she won't name names). "I said, 'This is what I want to write about.' And this one guy said, 'Well, what does America want to hear, Nikki?' And I was just like, 'I have a headache. . .'" For the next album, she's looking for Wilson to add a little vibe without a "shtick." "I'm making the same record I've always made, which is the best mix tape I can," she says. "Songs about living long distance, songs about the road." Wilson's bigger plan is to take her over to Europe, where she's yet to tour. "I've enjoyed being neo-rockabilly and outlaw and whatever these other terms are that people call me here. But I bet in Europe, I'm just country." For now, she'll spend the rest of the summer playing festivals like this past weekend's Shaky Knees in Atlanta, where she begrudgingly took the early timeslot as virtually the only purely twangy act on the bill. And she'll make her debut at Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium in late August with Social Distortion after a set of dates with Lewis. She's not against opening for the big women of country, but they haven't called. Either way, she just needs to remember to hydrate. "I passed out at Tortuga," she says of April's spring-breaky Fort Lauderdale festival. "It was 89 degrees, and I hadn't had enough water, and I got up on stage and everything went white. [My band] was like, 'You don't have to play.' And I was thinking about my dad being like, 'You pussy! You don't quit.' They offered to get me a chair and I was like, 'Ahhh! I don't sit!'" She ended up seated for two songs and finished her set, with a wet towel around her neck and a couple girls in fluorescent bikinis clapping along on her request. That was the worst part — no one tells Lane to take anything sitting down. Not on stage, not on a record, not on the radio. Certainly not on Highway Queen. "I'm not trying to make a pop-country hit," she says. "I'm trying to make a pop-country killer." Philanthropist motherfuckers, take note. Hale: Meningitis is seriousadded: 12 May 2015 // by: Music-News.com Newsdesk  Lucy Hale is committed to bringing awareness to meningococcal meningitis. The disease is passed through throat or respiratory secretions and although there are only 1,000 cases of it reported in the US every year, patients can die from the bacterial infection in as little as one day. Young people are particularly susceptible to meningitis and Lucy feels it's important she use her celebrity status to spotlight the ailment. "I'm very aware of who supports me and who my fan base is, and that's teens," she told People magazine. "Teens are the ones that are at risk here. Oftentimes, I don't get to lend my voice to something that can change a life. Although it's a rare disease, it's one too many. It's always one too many." Lucy, 25, has partnered with Voices of Meningitis for their Boost the Volume campaign, which challenges high school a capella groups from Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Oregon to compete for a chance to sing with her. Lucy thinks this competition is an extremely witty and timely concept. "A capella groups are very appropriate right now with Pitch Perfect and Glee. I was never part of an a cappella group, so this is fulfilling something on my bucket list," the Pretty Little Liars actress laughed. "I was like, 'Am I too old to be in a high school a capella group?' "But it's very fun. And the whole foundation of all of this is spreading awareness about meningococcal meningitis, and I think we can really make a difference here. I'm just overjoyed that I get to be the person that gets to talk and sing about it." .
Kiesza Talks 'Finding Neverland' Single 'Stronger'By Andrew Hampp, New York | May 12, 2015 9:00 AM EDT  Kiesza photographed by Joel Barhamand in New York on October 2, 2014. Joel BarhamandSince her single-take, '90s-resplendent video for “Hideaway” became a viral sensation last summer, Kiesza has rapidly become an in-demand singer-songwriter that’s penned hits for herself (“Giant In My Heart,” “No Enemiesz”) and others (Jack Ü’s “Take U There,” Gorgon City’s “Go All Night.”) But her latest single, “Stronger,” represents a different kind of project: the soaring, tribal-beat ballad is the lead single for Finding Neverland: The Album, a companion project to the Broadway musical inspired by the film of the same name. The album is out June 9 via Republic Records and became available for pre-order on Tuesday (May 12). The set also features original recordings featuring Ellie Goulding, Christina Aguilera, Jon Bon Jovi, Jennifer Lopez & Trey Songz and Rita Ora featuring Sage The Gemini, among others, each lending fresh takes on tracks from and written for the musical.
Penned by Gary Barlow (Take That) and Eliot Kennedy (Spice Girls, Bryan Adams), “Stronger” is performed in the musical version by lead actor Matthew Morrison. But after applying it to her own life -- which has seen forays as a ballerina, a code breaker for the Royal Canadian Navy, and, briefly, a lead singer in a death-metal band -- Kiesza found her own connection to the song. “It was really empowering,” Kiesza says. “I related to it myself just because it took a lot of inner strength to make it in this industry, and it continues to be that way. I’ve been in those situations where I felt like maybe I hit a dead end, and it was all up to finding an inner strength within myself to take another step forward.” Nice single reminds me of France Joli a bit France Joli Kiesza discussed the making of the track further in a behind-the-scenes studio clip, which also debuted Tuesday on Republic Records' official YouTube page.
Kiesza was one of more than a dozen artists recruited by Barlow and Finding Neverland producer Harvey Weinstein, who set out to make the most ambitious pop album to accompany a Broadway musical since Elton John and Tim Rice's all-star Aida compilation in 1999. "I love any excuse to make a record, when you add these amazing names to it it's been one of the best things I've ever done," says Barlow, who's best known as the frontman for UK vocal group Take That. "I wouldn't say it's been easy, but its been an incredible experience. When you find an artist who loves the song, and then the song gets delivered it's just the most incredible feeling. We gave artists the creative freedom to make it their own record, no guideposts or stipulations. Everyone's expressed themselves through this music." Up next is a freshly shot, effects-heavy video for “Stronger,” which Kiesza says was an opposite experience from the making of “Hideaway,” which took four days of rehearsals but was essentially wrapped as soon as it was finished. “It’s all on green screen, and I’m definitely doing some abstract movements in it,” she says.
“The whole process is gonna take a month and a half I think, and it’s in the hands now of the people creating it. It’ll be as much of a surprise to me as it is to everyone else.” Just Music-No Categories-Enjoy It! | |
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Julio Iglesias Receives Honorary Degree from BerkleeBy Associated Press | May 09, 2015 6:30 PM EDT  Julio Iglesias performs 'Julio Iglesias In Concert At Gran Teatre del Liceu' In Barcelona on July 4, 2012 in Barcelona, Spain. Miquel Benitez/Getty ImagesJulio Iglesias and three other prominent music industry figures have received honorary degrees from Boston's Berklee College of Music at its commencement. Iglesias, who has recorded more than 80 albums in his career, was awarded an honorary doctorate of music on Saturday. Sony Music Entertainment CEO Doug Morris, drummer Harvey Mason and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and producer Dee Dee Bridgewater also received honorary doctorates. Bridgewater gave the commencement address. Berklee says Iglesias and the others were recognized for their achievements and influences in music and for their enduring contributions to American and international culture. On Friday night, the college held a private concert honoring them with music associated with their careers. Past Berklee honorees include Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, Steven Tyler, Loretta Lynn, David Bowie, Willie Nelson and Placido Domingo. . Listen to Julieta Venegas' New Single 'Ese Camino'By Angie Romero | May 11, 2015 12:02 PM EDT  Julieta Venegas is back! The Latin Grammy winning singer-songwriter has unveiled the lyric video for her new single, “Ese Camino” (That Journey). The uptempo track, which kicks off with a lively accordion and carries that signature Mexican sound present in most of Venegas’ music, is the first taste of her upcoming album, Algo Sucede, due out August 14. “I wrote ‘Ese Camino’ inspired by the concept of childhood,” said Venegas, 44, in a statement. “About how, even though we become separated from it, when we grow up and become adults, there are still remnants there of what we were. Maybe they’re not so much concrete memories as they are fears, desires, aromas, those feelings that have less to do with what’s rational and more to do with emotion and the senses. Our childhood shapes us for life; we all go through that journey. And what lives on forever within us is that innocence, freshness, vulnerability, and the bliss of having been children.” The single's cover art shows Venegas, herself a mom to a 4-year-old named Simona, riding a tricycle as a young girl.
Courtesy Photo
Algo Sucede is Venegas’ seventh studio album, a followup to 2013’s Los Momentos. Venegas is already gearing up for a world tour in support of the album, having just returned from Los 40 Principales music festival in Bogotá, Colombia, where she shared the stage with Jorge Villamizar and Fonseca, among other Latin acts. Listen to “Ese Camino” below: . NY Latinos At Cannes 2015: Monica PalmieriPosted by admin on May 11th, 2015 09:42 PM | Blogs, Events, FILM
The Seven Monica Palmieri MONICA PALMIERI Synopsis: A story about a boisterous hit man who falls for a baby-faced dancer, when a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse leads to a vengeful history of a lesson in love. Written and Directed by: Richard Selvi As a proud feminist, I hate describing a woman first as “beautiful.” First and foremost, Monica is talented and a professional Producer/Director/Actor with a pristine soul – as we say in Spanish, “sana” (a healthy, good soul). She also happens to be beautiful. Born and raised in Guatemala, she came to the U.S. intent on perfecting her acting capabilities. She’s an actor-turned producer and she’s got a (first time) film going to Cannes as a producer. Tio Louie: You’ve now produced over five films, what is different about this one and what did you gain from it? Monica Palmieri: A bigger budget helped tremendously. You can get anything you want. I loved working with my other Producer, Alexia Oldini who is Italian. We had to shoot on a day that was a torrential downpour and we had to roll with the punches. A lot of money had been invested in the set-up and we had to think on our feet, but it worked – we figured it out. TL: How was it for you when the lead protagonist inflicts her vengeance upon the lead male antagonist at the end of the film? MP: Cinema is about telling universal stories that we can relate to. I think it is healthy to address stories, including reconciling with the touchy subject of revenge. As the audience, you are rooting for her. You want her to wield her revenge. But in real life you wouldn’t want a human being to kill another. But I feel that movies are a perfect vehicle for expressing and exploring those feelings. TL: Anything special about the outside scene for the closing of the film? MP: It was our hardest scene to shoot. It was outside and it was raining. We had to postpone our scene for four hours. There was a large crew and equipment for the shoot with a lot of money spent and we could not reshoot. We just had to wing it. We waited the rain out. We had to talk and apologize to everyone, especially the Jimmy Jib operator, which is the crane that we only had for five hours and he had another gig immediately afterwards. It was stressful. We had permits to shoot on the street, but not close it out. We had some police officers that came by to check out the shoot to make sure everything was fine, especially due to the fact that we had a prop gun. They were very cool. They called another police car and they were so supportive, they actually closed the street off for us. Despite the fact that many filmmakers due to budgetary constraints for their film project do it – guerrilla style – without permits, it pays in the end to have them. Because we had such a large crew, equipment and gun it was essential and not an option. TL: What is your 10 cents worth of advice that people should know about production that they rarely ask, but should know? MP: #1: As a Producer you need to ask if you’re really in love with this project before taking it on, because it’s going to be your baby. Especially with a lot of low-budget productions you have to be extra resourceful and unless you’re really vested, you’re not going to execute your work to the nth degree. #2: Take the time to amass an ensemble that is a good team that stands behind you in order to put your trust in them. I learned this twice when we had to do two reshoots with no additional compensation and they all came through. This only happens if you have a really good team who believes in you and you believe in them #3: At the end of the day remember that it’s only a movie. You’re stressing yourself, pulling out your hair and not sleeping. It’s like, ‘It’s not cancer.’ No one is dying. It’s only a movie. Have fun with it!” TL: How does it feel that you have a project going to Cannes? MP: It feels surreal and encouraging. It only reinforces that it’s possible to make something great that is recognized internationally. It also made me realize that I want to focus on Directing. All along I have been helping first or second-time directors with their projects and realized that I am neglecting that calling for myself. . Nancy De Los Santos: Writer Who Pushes The EnvelopePosted by eesparza on April 30th, 2015 10:02 AM | FILM, Spotlight
A Humanitarian, Activist and Writer Who Continues the Good FightBy Elia Esparza Since the day Nancy De Los Santos-Reza began her writer/producer career in Chicago for Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel’s film review program At The Movies, she has never slowed down and continues to dive into her projects with an enthusiasm and determination that is rare in writers. But Nancy De Los Santos-Reza is a force who continues to write, pitch, sell and embrace her victories and learn from the misses– an indefatigable writer who writes as if on a mission, because she does. On May 1st, her new play, Undocumented Alien Children Estimated Time of Arrival To Be Determined aka UTA ETA TBD explores the plight of thousands of Central American refugee children facing the hardship of fleeing the violence of their homelands to come to the U.S—only to be met with new challenges and threats of deportation. As part of Plaza De La Raza’s 45th Anniversary celebrations, UTA ETA TBD opens at its Margo Albert Theater on Friday, May 1st, and May 2nd and on May 8th and 9th. It will also be presented at the RedCAT Theater on May 22nd & 23rd in Los Angeles.
Determined not to be defined by Hollywood’s glass ceiling that makes it harder for women—especially Latinas—she shares her insight on what keeps her going. Elia Esparza: Before diving into your career, I have to ask about the Cristela sitcom—a lot of criticism and most coming from other Latinos. As a writer, what do you think? Why should it be given a second season? Nancy de Los Santos: I love Cristela. Haters will be haters, but that show has a tremendous amount of EE: I totally agree with you, Nancy! And, then there’s Jane The Virgin …. breaking Hollywood barriers by becoming an audience-loving, top-rated dramedy that resonates with mainstream America! How do you relate to this show? NDLS: I am Jane the Virgin, and although I am not a mom, I’m also Jane’s mother “Xo.” As a young girl growing up Catholic, attending parochial elementary and high school, I had that very same goal: To be a virgin on my wedding night. I held out until I was almost 20… but ultimately, it didn’t work out. And I had to come to grips with losing, as the nuns called the, “ultimate gift from God to you and your husband.” So be it. Then, I became “Xo”—details shared only if necessary! LOL. My abuelita lived with our family for many years. There is something special about having generations living and exploring life together. I learned about life from my grandmother, just as Jane is learning from her Abuela Alba, I can still hear her waking up in the middle of the night to go to her job in a bread factory. My work ethic was baked in that factory. I pray to the saints—all the santos! I especially love St. Jude,, the “Saint of the Impossible.” And sometimes, St. Jude smiles and says, “Yes”… or maybe it’s “¡Si!” EE: When did you know you wanted to become a writer? Was there a defining moment? NDLS: When I was in the fourth grade of All Saints School in Chicago, the school held a composition contest. All students were asked to write an essay about their mother. The winning essays would then be read out loud at the pancake breakfast honoring mothers on Mother’s Day. My essay won in my class, and I felt this surge of pride for winning. But more importantly, experienced the effect my words had not only on my mom, but also on others in the auditorium. Call it the pen-being-mightier than anything else I had experienced, and my love for writing was born. EE: Who has been your biggest influence with your work on stage, film and television? NDLS: I have many heroes in my professional life—writers, directors, producers who I’ve been privileged to work with on a number of iconic Latino and non-Latino projects. These include Greg Nava, Anna Thomas, Gale Anne Hurd, James Cameron, Delia Ephron, Roger Ebert, Gene Siskel, and probably every other Latino writer whose path I’ve crossed. Each has offered guidance or advice, set an example, or provided encouragement. And I’m most inspired by the young writers I’m working with now at the Plaza de la Raza Youth Theatre Workshop. To experience the love of writing and creating through the hearts and minds of these young people is a pleasure beyond compare. To see the joy they have in presenting their ideas and words on stage reminds me why I decided to become a writer. EE: Plaza de la Raza is celebrating its 45th year with an original play you wrote, UAC ETA TBD—did you find it hard to transition from writing plays to writing for TV? NDLS: Writing is writing is writing. I know how simple that sounds, but I believe in the truth of that statement. To paraphrase Descartes—with shame—I write therefore I am. I write because I must write, and all writing is, well, writing. Different formats, but the basic intention in everything I write is to join our ancestors around the campfire sharing the day’s events, the tale of hunt, and the stories of families and of friends. 
The Plaza de la Raza Youth Theatre Workshop
EE: How difficult was it to write UAC ETA TBD and what did you learn from this experience? NDLS: This definitely was a challenging subject. All you have to do is read any article or listen to any news story about the plight of these young children and teens, and you’ll be shocked by the horrific situations these youngsters are fleeing. Dark situations. Life and death choices they must make on a daily basis, with few solutions pointing to life. My charge was to tell this story for a youth theater audience. My choice was to create a scenario that would offer the opportunity for the audience to have empathy as fellow human beings for these youngsters, and not see them as political pawns. Thank you, Nancy. You’re an inspiration and set the bar high. When not contributing to changing society as a playwright, Nancy De Los Santos-Reza writes on a number of projects. She just finished working on the writing staff for the HULU hit show, East Los High. She’s currently developing a number of projects, including a romantic comedy, a campus comedy, and a real-life drama.
Her film credits include: Selena and My Family/Mi Familia (Associate Producer); writing credits: One Hot Summer (Lifetime Movie Network), Gotta Kick It Up! (The Disney Channel), Showtime series Resurrection Blvd, and PBS series American Family. She received a 2009 Imagen Award for Best Live Theatrical Production, as one of the writers for Eight Ways to Say I Love My Life and she’s a co-writer and co-producer of the Cinemax/HBO critically acclaimed feature documentary, The Bronze Screen: One Hundred Years of the Latino Image in Hollywood Cinema. She was recently honored with the NCLR ALMA Award for Outstanding Industry and Community Service.
De Los Santos-Reza wrote UAC ETA TBD in alliance with the students in the Plaza de la Raza Youth Theatre Workshop and the Cal Arts Community Arts Partnership (CAP), as part of their 25th anniversary celebration. A prolific writer, this production marks De Los Santos-Reza’s fifth collaboration with the CAP program including Quinceañera Means Forever and Behind The Scenes Drama. UAC ETA TBD is free to the public but it is recommended that tickets be reserved via http://www.brownpapertickets.com. Follow Nancy on Social Media: . Just Music-No Categories-Enjoy It! | |
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If you like Sade or Diane Krall you'll like her tone.Sharon Robinson Discusses Solo Album 'Caffeine,' Leonard Cohen, and Starbucks Coffee [EXCLUSIVE CONTEST]by Ryan Book May 12, 2015 12:00 PM EDT
Sharon Robinson has been in the music industry for a long time, songwriting for and performing with Leonard Cohen primarily, as well as Diana Ross, Patti LaBelle, Don Henley, Michael Bolton and others. It's only in the last decade that she's gotten around to building a solo portfolio, however, which she adds to with Caffeine, her 2015 release. She joined Music Times to discuss the big issues—from unleashing yourself as a solo performer to the positives and negatives of Starbucks coffee.
Music Times: I hate to start here—I'm sure everybody does—but even your press kit for Caffeine first mentions is your time working with Leonard Cohen. I'm wondering if you ever get frustrated, always being lumped in with Leonard? Sharon Robinson: (laughs) No, I mean...he's not a bad person to get lumped in with, right? My association with him has been extremely helpful in terms of bringing attention to my own work. So no, it doesn't bother me. Not at all. I am making good progress in making my own artist image and all that so it's all working out. That said, you didn't put out your first solo album until 2008. What made that a good time to break off on your own with your own record? As you know, a few years earlier I had made that record with Leonard, 10 New Songs, and after that I was doing some other things that I had been doing before in the business, background producing, working with labels in terms of developing new artists and things like that. Nothing was really panning out that well, and I just decided at one point that I just wanted to make my own record. I wanted to have a project in my hands that I owned and that I could get behind myself as an artist. Having made that record with Leonard, because of the way we made that record, there was no reason not to just go ahead and make my own. It wasn't about waiting for a label or a record deal or anything like that. I had my own studio and I just decided to go for it. Obviously there's a bit of a gap between Everybody Knows and Caffeine, nearly seven years later... (laughs) What was the thought process going into the new record? As you know, I was on the road with Leonard for six years. In 2008 we started that mega-tour-we now call it the "Grand Tour." That was very time-consuming work, that tour. I didn't really have an opportunity to make another record until that was winding down, which it did in 2013. It was then that I just had the time to go and put my energy into making the record. I had been working on the songs, gathering ideas in bits and pieces while I was on tour. So you could say that I was working on it, in a way. When I look at Sharon Robinson, she's gotten so much attention for, not only performing onstage with Leonard Cohen, but for songwriting for him along with many other artists. When you go into your own solo project, is there a conscious effort to do something different when you're performing for yourself versus others? Sure. Every artist has to find their own voice. I've always been somewhat of a chameleon...putting myself in the shoes of other artists and figuring out what their voice is and what they might want to say next. Doing it for yourself is a whole different ballgame. So yeah, it is very different. It's a real soul-searching kind of thing (laughs). What did you find in that soul-search? Taking some cures from some of the people that I've worked with, not the least of which is Leonard. Just finding ways to honor your own instincts, I guess you could say. Your impulses. Just being true to that artist inside you that is saying "get out!" It's easy to start thinking about what other people might be expecting of you or something you've done before, or something like that but you really have to get into the zen of it and just find that honest place from which to speak. Could you tell me a bit about the title? Listening to it, I guess the go-to term that music critics would use would be quote-smoldering-end quote. (laughs) That's a good term! It's not something that makes me think of drinking Red Bull per se, so I'm curious about the Caffeine title. It's another word for an intense...intense and romantic, but maybe short-lived, relationship. It's just a metaphor for a lost weekend. It starts with two people having coffee, then one thing leads to another. That person becomes nicknamed "Caffeine," if you will. Got it. So having coffee leads to "having coffee." You could say that, yeah. That's good. Can I quote that? You may. I'll allow it. Going back to the strictly beverage form of caffeine, do you have a source of choice? No...I'm often criticized for this but I definitely like Starbucks coffee. Sorry. Criticized on what grounds? Certain coffee aficionados have really scoffed at that. I'm not sure what their favorite choice is but...I mean, I like intelligentsia coffee, but I don't tend to bother with it. I just go with the easy one more frequently. Ah. I know a lot of people are up in arms about them using GMO's. I think that's Neil Young's big thing right now. Oh, yeah...I'm very sympathetic to all those causes but I haven't had the wherewithal so far to get behind them. That's not an excuse...just my truth right now (laughs). You and me both. Are you looking to take Caffeine on tour in the United States soon? Yeah. As you may know, I just did a run in Europe and that was very successful. I am looking forward to doing some dates in the U.S. and then I'm looking forward to going back to Europe later in the year. All those plans are being worked on as we speak. I'm excited about it...it's a lot of fun. I like being in business for myself and doing my own shows. I've found that I really enjoy it, so I wanna do more. Do you have a particular kind of venue in mind? It's obviously got the atmosphere of a smoky nightclub but... It's interesting you say that because the room that I did in Dublin [The Button Factory], it was kind of a small, smoky nightclub atmosphere, which was the way the promoter referred to it. But he told me 'you should be in much bigger rooms.' So I don't know. Hopefully he's right! It's hard to find those venues legally anymore, what with smoking bans. Right. Maybe in Amsterdam. It might be too soon to think about this, but can we expect chapter three of your solo career sooner than the seven years we waited for this one? Oh, absolutely. I'm really looking forward to doing some more writing. It's definitely not going to be another seven years. I love writing songs more than almost anything and I don't feel right when I'm not doing it, so I'll definitely be doing more of that. Relatively recently you had a book of your photography published of the tour with Leonard. Do you have any other photography projects in mind? I don't, but I've got my eyes and ears open for the next idea because I really would like to do another book. I've got a new iPhone, and I'm looking at new cameras...we'll see. I'm definitely not ruling that out. Set up a selfie-stick on the piano or something? (laughs) I don't know...there's just so much negative energy around selfie-sticks...but I am drawn to them (laughs harder). Fair enough. I don't know if you actively follow concert photography, but ideally, who would you have shooting you on tour? Oh gosh. Are we talking like Annie Leibovitz? Sure. I did say 'ideal.' There are a lot of great photographers, and I wouldn't mind if any of them gave me the chance to be the subject. I'd be thrilled. I recently had a photo session with Timothy White [an acclaimed celebrity photographer]...I haven't seen his photos yet, but he took some terrific pictures. Looking for the right way to publish those. I happen to know a few great photographers so that's always a possibility. Anyone who'd like to burn some film on my behalf would be welcome. Caffeine is due out for physical release May 19 and is currently available for digital purchase on iTunes. In celebration, Sharon Robinson has partnered with Music Times to give away five copies of the album. How to Enter 1. Follow @TheMusicTimes on Twitter (so we can DM you if you win) 2. Tweet us your favorite way to caffeinate . FIfth Harmony Gets Angelic for New PETA 2 Campaign: 'Worth It' Group Encourages Animal Kindnessby Carolyn Menyes May 12, 2015 12:08 PM EDT  Fifth Harmony PETA 2 Ad - Be an Angel for Animals (Photo : Photo Courtesy PETA 2)
Fifth Harmony wants fans to know one thing: animal cruelty is not a cool thing. Joining the likes of P!nk, Cody Simpson, Jhene Aiko and many other musicians, the girl group is reminding people that animals and pets are "Worth It" in a new campaign for PETA 2.
As a part of the charity's "Be an Angel for Animals" campaign, 5H posed for some sassy and sweet shots for the youth-friendly PETA 2 and shot a public service announcement about animal rights, reminding fans that there are many ways to "earn your halo" as a compassionate person for animals.
In the video, each member of Fifth Harmony revealed the pro-animal cause that is closest to her heart. "You don't need wings or a halo to be an 'angel' for animals," said Lauren Jauregui. For Camila Cabello, the message was, "Always adopt-never buy animals from pet stores or breeders. And always spay or neuter." Normani Kordei reminded Harmonizers to "Make your animal companion part of your family. Never leave cats or dogs unattended outside." Ally Brooke Hernandez wants fans to "Say no to circuses that exploit and abuse animals." And for Dinah Jane Hansen, the message was familiar to those who follow animal rights: "Keep cruelty out of your closet. Don't buy clothing with real fur or fur trim."
When they're not on hand for new PETA campaigns, Fifth Harmony is busy promoting the release of its debut album Reflection, which was released earlier this year. Thus far, the album has spawned hit singles "Worth It," "Sledgehammer" and "BO$$." . Caitlin Mahoney Embraces Whirlwind NYC Experience On Title Track For New Album 'Spin' [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE]by Taylor Napoli Apr 30, 2015 11:25 AM EDT  Caitlin Mahoney (Photo : Courtesy of HMG Public Relations, Inc.)
Orlando-based singer-songwriter Caitlin Mahoney is releasing her second album Spin on May 26, but we are premiering the effort's title track early exclusively here on Music Times.
The album, produced by Chris Grainger, is a "tell-all album." The indie-rock artist wanted to focus on life's everyday chaos, along with the challenges and experiences she's faced. Spin comes out two years after Mahoney's debut EP, West for a While, whose success allowed her to tour internationally, both in the United States and Europe over the past year. The music video for the title track "Spin" features New York City dancer Crimson Roe. Roe dances through the cold, rainy streets of New York City, seemingly lost and alone, before finding a little slice of happiness when the sun finally peaks out from the clouds. The song shows us the warm, happy moments that can be found in the coldest days, when you least expect them. "'Spin' is a little piece of my soul. I wrote it shortly after I moved to NYC and felt like I was literally spinning around the city, working a lot of jobs, writing and singing and playing shows. I felt like I never stopped moving," Mahoney said. "The heart of the song is the bridge, where the instrumentation becomes sparse and highlights my refuge from 'the spin' -- music. "Four years later, that sentiment rings just as true, but I have embraced the spin. My hope is that the listener gets lost in the song and reflects on what makes them 'spin' and where they find peace in all the craziness. The video was a labor of love, a collaboration with three incredibly talented ladies, Carolyn Meers, Sydnie Keeter (videographer) and Crimson Roe.
"The people Crimson interacts with are all friends of ours, and these people ran around in freezing NYC with me for three days shooting this thing. I couldn't be more proud of this video. It is a window into my heart, and a celebration of talent that inspires me to continue writing songs like this. Happy spinning!"
Mahoney kicks off her tour with her album release party tomorrow, May 1, at Rockwood Music Hall. Get your tickets here. For more tour dates and information, head to her website and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. . Listen To D’Angelo & The Vanguard’s Live Set From The Spotify Sessions
Way back when the Black Messiah returned to the earth to dwell amongst his d’sciples, the man they call D’Angelo conducted his very first live performance of the record for the good folks at Spotify. And now, some 6 months after first shaking the ground, that Spotify stint is now available for your listening pleasure, featuring live and direct renditions of his BM favorites like “Betray My Heart” (which includes an extended jam with “Spanish Joint”) “Really Love” and “The Door,” not to mention a cover of Prince’s brooding b-side “She’s Always In My Hair.” Imagine, you no longer have to sift through busted Youtube links to catch D & The Vanguard blazing through their meaty soul & funk in the flesh, as it is now here and perfectly mixed for you audiophiles. For those of you looking to bear witness to the greatness of D’s musical sermons, you can catch him on the stateside leg of The Second Coming tour, the dates for which are listed below along with the player. So get to it, fam. Take that funky ride with D’Angelo & The Vanguard’s all-the-way-live Spotify Sessions. Oh, and if you’ve somehow failed to do so, grab a copy of Black Messiah on iTunes today. Listen: https://embed.spotify.com...tream.html Tour Dates: June 7 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
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Sharon Robinson (Photo : Rob Pearson)
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Dane DeHaan And Cara Delevingne To Star In Luc Besson-Directed Sci-Fi 'Valerian'By Kevin Jagernauth | The Playlist May 12, 2015 at 11:54AM  Has Luc Besson got his directorial mojo back? Last year he dropped the unexpected smash hit "Lucy" with Scarlett Johansson, and it got both very good reviews and a thumbs up from audiences. But moreover, it was a big return to form for Besson who spent most of the 2000s directing forgettable family flicks and comedies, or producing and writing a string of trashy action fare like the "Taken" franchise. But now he's gearing up a new movie that he's been developing for a while, and it certainly sounds promising. Besson has announced via Twitter that Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne will star in his adaptation of the celebrated French sci-fi-turned-series "Valerian," which tells the story of a pair of time- and space-traveling special agents. The series has long been a major landmark of the genre, and an unofficial influence on George Lucas' "Star Wars" films. And the comic's co-creator Jean-Claude Mezieres worked as a designer on Besson's peerless "The Fifth Element." Production on "Valerian" will kick off later this year, with a release date slated for 2017. And it's one we're looking forward to. And when was the last time you could honestly say that about a Luc Besson film? .
Review: Amy Berg's Uneven 'Every Secret Thing' Is Melodramatic Mix Between David Fincher And Dennis Lehane
 Pitched somewhere between a David Fincher crime procedural, a Denis Lehane suspense novel and a “Mommie Dearest” melodrama, documentarian Amy Berg’s move into the feature-length world of dramatic narrative is by nature of the material, an uneven one. It’s not for want of trying, however. Making her narrative debut here, Berg directs the hell out of every crime segment in the film, and there’s a strong level of craft in sequences that would make Fincher and “Se7en” DP Darius Khondji proud. And Nicole Holofcener’s adaptation of the book doesn’t have any real egregious material, at least not in its dialogue. But there’s something lost in the translation from psychological suspense novel by author Laura Lippmann: what likely reads as gripping, disturbing and haunting on the page is occasionally engaging, but strains suspension of disbelief and credulity throughout on the screen. It also leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Ostensibly a movie about shame, manipulation and the childhood traumas that can manifest horribly, the damages behind these characters are eventually revealed, but they don’t always add up convincingly. “Every Secret Thing” has an expansive plot (and if it sounds like a dime store crime novel premise, you’re forgiven). After being humiliatingly shunned from a birthday party, two young girls that just want to fit in discover an unattended baby in stroller on a porch and steal it away. The inevitable tragedy occurs and the kids from the wrong side of the tracks are sent to a juvenile detention center until they are eighteen. Fast forward about eight or nine years and Alice (Danielle Macdonald) and Ronnie (Dakota Fanning) are now released, but the community around them hasn’t forgiven or forgotten their heinous crime. Why would children of this age commit such a monstrous act? What’s the psychological underpinnings of such a deed (that feels rather far-fetched from minute one)? The movie gently paints them as outcasts, but then slowly pans back to reveal the truths, but the answers are both unpersuasive and fairly rote. The overweight Alice lives a dual life of lies. She's sheltered by her domineering mother (Diane Lane) and at the same time she vanishes for hours on end to go God knows where. The meek and quiet Ronnie just keeps her head down trying to stay off anyone’s radar. But when the child of a local couple goes missing just days after Alice and Ronnie are released from juvenile detention, a determined, but self-doubting detective (Elizabeth Banks) with a personal stake in the original crime, and her partner (Nate Parker), begin to investigate this mystery and in doing so run up against a clandestine shade of secrets, lies and misdirection.  Told from several character viewpoints, a “Rashomon”-effect begins to accrue, but it never builds into much of a head of steam. Instead, “Every Secret Thing”—which suggests a movie about community, and the rippling impact of a tragedy on one—doesn’t really achieve its mark and tends to suffer from POV issues. Is it the story of a detective with emotional baggage seeking to unravel a mystery surrounding missing children? Is it about the prime suspect? Or is it about the manipulative mother who’s been pulling the strings all along? In truth, it’s all these things, working in tandem and all three of the main characters, Elizabeth Banks, Diane Lane, and Danielle Macdonald own the story. But a lack of central and constantly shifting viewpoint does cloud the narrative and focus. It also precludes the movie from having a taut snap; 90 minutes feels more like a drawn-out two hours. There’s also something deeply troubling about the Alice character, even though this feels as though it’s an unpleasant element the author and filmmaker wanted the reader/viewer to confront. The film wisely toys with the preconceived perceptions of various characters, but often just lands them in the obvious place anyhow. It’s disconcerting to see the fat, ugly, irritating young girl play the overweight, unattractive, irritating rogue of the movie and all that it suggests (and it’s about as contemptible a character as you can get). Given her unfortunate circumstances, the movie never really tries to make us empathize with her. Yes, she’s supposed to be the product of something more insidious, but a bit more sympathy measured her way might have rounded the character out and made her feel less cartoonish. As the dogged detective haunted by this crime, Elizabeth Banks is extremely good and shows her range beyond the broad comedy she’s often been relegated to (and directors should take note). Equally good is Nate Parker, as her no-nonsense detective partner. Dakota Fanning is also compelling as Ronnie, the meeker half of the two girls, but she isn’t given a lot to do. But Diane Lane and Danielle Macdonald are just millimeters away from raising their antagonist eyebrows too archly and while minute, it’s perceptible.  For a crime procedural, “Every Secret Thing” is often incisive and effective—DP Rob Hardy’s atmospheric shroud of shadows and distressed ochres makes for a terrific mood of dread and suggested trauma. But the narrative of the book ultimately gets very familiar: how many times has a mystery whodunit left you in the dark and then slowly unfold to reveal the real killer in the last few moments with a twist that’s supposed to disturb? Known for her insightful documentaries, “West of Memphis,” and “Deliver Us From Evil,” Berg certainly makes some strong cinematic choices throughout evincing both a sharp eye for camera placement that feels initially extremely assured. But too many character behaviors seem rooted in preordained novel-to-script obligations instead of genuine motivation. The inherent cheap antagonist traits—the controlling mom with a secret, the unhinged daughter—just go down a little tastelessly. Co-starring Common and Sarah Sokolovic (a standout in a supporting role) as the bi-racial, low-income parents of the missing child, Berg’s drama plays with a lot of ideas about race, gender, class, body issues, socio-economic circumstance and more, but at the end of the day, it’s all tangential texture for what turns out to be a fairly traditional crime mystery about what it means to be bad. Additionally, "Every Secret Thing" is not built to satisfy, and so its sour ending doesn’t help its uneven experience. "Every Secret Thing" is not unlike last autumn's abduction drama "Prisoners." Both demonstrate an excellent level of craft and are handsomely shot and composed, but both suffer from narrative issues (some of which were and will be deal breakers to various audiences). But for my money, "Prisoners" is the superior film, even as it too strains believability at times. Berg brings a lot of control and precision to her crime tale at the outset, much like Denis Villeneuve’s film, which makes it all the more disappointing when the film wanders and her characters seemingly drift away from her cool control. [B-] .
Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo Set to Appear on CBS This Morning, Fox News Channel’s “Outnumbered” on May 12th to Promote Their 35th Anniversary DVD/CD Release
One of music’s most successful couples Pat Benatar and Neil “Spyder” Giraldo head to New York City to promote a music and personal milestone. The couple will be making live appearances, on Tuesday, May 12th, on “CBS This Morning,” the popular Fox News Channel mid-day show “Outnumbered” and CNBC’s “Closing Bell,” to discuss the recent release of the CD/DVD set, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo: The 35th Anniversary Tour. . Mariah Carey Set To Perform On The 2015 Billboard Music Awards
Billboard Music Awards finalists are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital songs sales, radio airplay, streaming, touring and social interactions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify and other popular online destinations for music. These measurements are tracked year-round by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound. The awards are based on the reporting period of March 10, 2014 through March 8, 2015. Since 1940, the Billboard charts have been the go-to guide for ranking the popularity of songs and albums, and are the ultimate measure of a musician’s success.
Tickets are now on sale at Ticketmaster.com. Fans can also choose from multiple VIP premium ticket packages which include limited edition Billboard Music Awards merchandise, an invitation to the official Billboard Music Awards post-party and so much more! VIP premium ticket packages are available at www.cidentertainment.com/events/billboard-music-awards/. .
Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” to Become a Television Movie (From left) Bob Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment; Dolly Parton; Sam Haskell, president of Magnolia Hill Entertainment through Warner Brothers Television; Danny Nozell, CTK Management photo courtesy Webster PR
With her gift for cinematic, detailed storytelling, it’s a wonder that every Dolly Parton song hasn’t been made into a film by this point. Now one of Dolly’s greatest songwriting accomplishments, the autobiographical 1971 song “Coat of Many Colors,” will get that precise treatment. NBC has given the green light to an original movie called Coat of Many Colors and based on Dolly’s childhood outside Sevierville, Tenn., as part of a development deal with the iconic star. Additionally, Dolly will serve as the project’s executive producer. A timeless song of love and self-worth, “Coat of Many Colors” recounts the story of Dolly’s mother hand-sewing a coat from rags out of necessity to keep her daughter warm. Her mother mentions the biblical tale of Joseph, who was given the honor and burden of wearing his own homemade coat. Dolly’s experience in the song is similar: she feels proud of the handmade garment, but the children with money tease her mercilessly about it. In the end, she decides that she’ll never be truly poor as long as she has love and family in her corner. Currently, Dolly’s namesake Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Keep an eye out for a Country Weekly cover story on Dolly and the park in late May. . The Band Perry Named Ambassadors for Teen Cancer America (From left) Roger Daltry; Jordan Smith, a teen cancer survivor; Reid Perry; Kimberly Perry; Laura Crawford, a young adult currently in treatment; and Neil Perry photo by Benny Krown/BB Gun Press
As we all know, The Band Perry—siblings Kimberly, Neil and Reid Perry—can lift up a crowd with their dynamic shows and electrifying hits. Now, the band is going to help uplift the lives of young adults and teens stricken with cancer as ambassadors for Teen Cancer America. At an announcement made Monday (May 11) at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Roger Daltrey, lead singer for rock titans The Who, welcomed the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt as the latest facility to partner with Teen Cancer America. Roger is the founder of Teen Cancer America, which is dedicated to transforming the lives of teens who suffer from the disease. During the ceremony, Roger announced The Band Perry as the new national ambassadors for Teen Cancer America. In their role as ambassadors, the band is making a long-term commitment to raise awareness of teen cancer issues across the country. Kimberly noted that she and her brothers are sensitive to health issues among young people, as their dad is a pediatrician. . Second Hand Heart by Dwight Yoakam One might expect 58-year-old Dwight Yoakam to be softening his approach with age, but if anything, he’s getting tougher. Aesthetically, Dwight’s new album, Second Hand Heart, is one of his loudest, 10 tracks of blistering honky-tonk, cowpunk and Heartland rock ’n’ roll. Offerings like “In Another World” and the title track boast some hydraulic drumming à la Keith Moon and electric guitars that locate the sweet spot between Keith Richards and Mike Campbell. Lyrically, Dwight seems to be toughening up as well. No longer the forlorn guy drowning his sorrows in some dusty bar, Dwight takes a note of cautious optimism in “Believe” and tempers his heartbreak with resilience in the Bakersfield-styled tune “Off Your Mind.” The album really soars near the end, with Dwight’s full-throttle arrangement of the traditional tune “Man of Constant Sorrow,” the fiery, accusatory “Liar” and freewheeling toe-tapper “The Big Time.” It’s proof that Dwight hasn’t mellowed one bit since his arrival in the ’80s: he’s getting even more potent. .
Jeff Beck, “Tribal” from Jeff Beck Live+ (2015): One Track MindWe’ve been blessed with lots of Jeff Beck music of late, but few studio recordings. In fact, the forthcoming Live+ marks Beck’s fifth concert release since 2008 — a period that only seen a lone original album, 2010’s Emotion and Commotion. As such, the news that this pending project will include new songs, including “Tribal,” came as no small amount of news. Hearing Jeff Beck tear into decades-old favorites like “Going Down,” finding new wrinkles, goosing them to new greatness, has its obvious allures. “Tribal” has the opportunity, however, to tell us something new about one of rock’s true instrumental visionaries, to open new places in our imagination and perhaps new ears from a different generation.
OK, that’s a lot of expectation. But it’s what naturally follows such a lengthy period without something new to chew over. The good news is, “Tribal” — this scroungy, all-edge update of the familiar Jeff Beck blues rocker — delivers in a big way. We find Beck roaming around in the wide-open spaces of a furiously grinding power trio, skittering and then barking as Veronica Bellino and Rhonda Smith create this relentless pulse on drums and bass, respectively. Ruth Lorenzo’s come-hither exclamations only add to the track’s sense of doomed abandon. In keeping with this new music’s extended gestation period, “Tribal” apparently went through more than one iteration — including, strangely enough, a dance version — before Beck stripped it all the way back again to his knife-edge guitar and Bellino’s thunderous cadence. Building outward from there with Smith’s bass and Lorenzo’s vocal, “Tribal” became far more intriguing: Something new which grew out of his old sound. These are the same horizons where Jeff Beck once roamed with the Yardbirds, amped up on Jeff Beck Live+ (due May 19, 2015 via Atco) for a new generation. Jeff Beck Live+ Track Listing Jeff Beck 2015 Tour Read More: Jeff Beck Will Release a ...Tour Dates | http://ultimateclassicroc...ck=tsmclip Just Music-No Categories-Enjoy It! | |
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Wes Montgomery – In the Beginning (2015)
For years, it seemed as if we’d heard all there was to hear from the late Wes Montgomery. Save for a posthumous 1968 collection titled Willow Weep for Me, there had been precious little beyond the canonical favorites to reminds us of Montgomery’s easy-going greatness. That is, until more recently. First came 2012’s Echoes of Indiana Avenue, an incisive early recording that archivists surmised was put together in order to win a young Wes Montgomery his first label deal in 1958. That album reminded us, in fizzy detail, of all of the complexities of his playing, long before Montgomery started became a hitmaking pop star. In the Beginning, due today via Resonance Records, takes us further back still — to 1949, when Montgomery was working as a sideman on a Gene Morris-led date for Spire Records, to recordings with his brothers Buddy and Monk Montgomery at Columbia Studios in 1955, to remarkable live performances at Chicago’s C&C Music Lounge from 1957 and a Indianapolis’ Missile Lounge in 1958. Naturally, some of In the Beginning — largely constructed from unheard tapes provided courtesy of Buddy Montgomery’s widow — is of variable sound quality. That’s the nature of long-lost recordings, after all. The magic, and the mystery, is in hearing Wes Montgomery begin his journey. There’s a sharper edge, a more countrified twang, a frisky looseness that had been bred out of his sound by the time Montgomery rose to fame in the more refined atmosphere of Pacific Jazz. In the Beginning sets the stage beautifully, not just with the hearty 26 musical tracks, but also with a sprawling 55-page booklet with thoughts from journalist Ashley Kahn, producer Quincy Jones and fellow guitarist Pete Townshend, among others. Wait, the Who guitarist, you say? Actually, Townshend — the old rocker who gushes over the sense of “fun and discovery … mischief and experiment” found on In the Beginning — is the perfect person to help frame this early era. We aren’t dealing here with Wes Montgomery, the incurable romantic, the thumb-plucking sophisticate. This is someone still finding the edges of his own considerable frontiers, someone with as much raw talent as vim-filled gumption. He’s going places, but he’s just getting started. . New Music: Melanie Fiona – ‘Bite the Bullet’ Melanie Fiona returns with a Caribbean-flavored ode titled “Bite the Bullet,” the lead single from her upcoming third studio album Awake. On the song, she flaunts her self-esteem, professing that she’d rather walk away than have to fight for a man’s love. Melanie sings, “You think you have the ability to love two women / Well, I don’t have the energy to fight for your exclusivity.” The songbird delivers these stinging lyrics with robust yet smooth vocals and the overall vibe is perfect for summer. Her new single is now available on iTunes while Awake is tentatively expected later this year. Listen to “Bite the Bullet” here:
Kacey Musgraves Announces New Album 'Pageant Material'Follow-up to 'Same Trailer Different Park' will be released June 23rd May 12, 2015
 Kacey Musgraves will release her second album, 'Pageant Material,' on June 23rd. Leon Morris/Redferns
Kacey Musgraves, who wore the crown as the CMA's New Artist of the Year in 2013, thanks to the success of her gold-certified debut album, Same Trailer Different Park, is polishing up her tiara: On June 23rd, she'll release Pageant Material, her highly anticipated second LP.  The two-time 2014 Grammy winner (Best Country Album and Song of the Year for "Merry Go 'Round") co-wrote all 13 tracks on the album, with Same Trailer collaborators Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Brandy Clark and Josh Osborne once again contributing. As she did on her first LP, Musgraves serves as co-producer with McAnally and Laird on Pageant Material, which was recorded at Nashville's historic RCA Studio A. (See the complete track listing and songwriter credits below.) "Going back into the studio this time around was really fun and exciting for me because I knew more about myself and my direction," the Texas native said in a statement. "The majority of Pageant Material was recorded live — which was a bit of a departure from Same Trailer — and gave it more of a concise, classic sound. All of the incredible musicians were in the same room playing on the entire record, and I think that spirit comes across. The last couple of years have done so much for me, and this project was really affected by that in the best way. There are certain moments lyrically that still hit me hard even after listening so many times. It's a great glimpse into where my head is from Same Trailer to now." The first single from Pageant Material, "Biscuits," is currently climbing the charts. "I am really inspired by really fun country songs," Musgraves said prior to a performance of the song in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier this year. "I love John Denver. . . when you hear it, it might remind you of that. But I warn you that it might entice some square dancing, so get ready."  Courtesy Universal Music Group Nashville
Interestingly, longtime fan favorite "The Trailer Song" is not among the cuts on the new LP. As she gears up for the Pageant circuit, Musgraves, who was among last month's Stagecoach Music Festival highlights, is on the festival circuit, with upcoming spots at next month's Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee, and Bumbershoot in Seattle in September. From her Facebook: Here it is! My new record is comin' June 23rd! PRE-ORDER HERE: http://umgn.us/1Jbd I'm so excited for y'all to hear it! The breadth of "Pageant Material" was recorded live in one of the best old studios still standing - historic RCA Studio A. The incredible musicians we had the pleasure of working with set up and tracked everything in the same room all together, and all those same musicians played on the whole record. So it lended itself to having a much more classic, and concise sound. Which was really important to me for this album to have. As this project culminated it was my intention for its songs to air my perspective as I am now: a 26 year old who hasn't lost her small town heart and old soul but who has gotten to see the world. Then to record them in a way that sets an honest, simple, and conclusive tone. (But one that isn't taking itself too seriously.) (photography/design by Kelly Christine Photo)Pageant Material track listing (and songwriters): .
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 In theory, Le Mans had all the ingredients to be a huge hit. McQueen himself starred in a role tailor-made for him as Michael Delaney, the driver in the Porsche in the 24-hour race in Le Mans. However, as a new feature documentary, Steve McQueen: The Man and Le Mans reveals, the project very nearly destroyed him. The film itself wasn't a success. Its original director, John Sturges (who had also worked with McQueen on The Great Escape), abandoned the project. His marriage came under severe strain – and so did the finances of his production company. His paranoia was mounting. The Sharon Tate murders had happened in LA a few months before filming began. During the course of shooting, McQueen, who had discovered he was on Charles Manson's death list, requested that a gun be sent over for his protection. "I've always wanted to shoot a motor-racing picture because it has always been something close to my heart. I sometimes thought maybe I shouldn't do it," McQueen is heard saying in the trailer for the documentary, which receives its world premiere in Cannes this weekend. "When something is close to you, you have a tendency to become too much of a perfectionist with it."
That perfectionism was going to cost McQueen dear. The new documentary is directed by Gabriel Clarke and John McKenna. What has been causing huge excitement among motor racing and film fans alike is the wealth of unseen footage that the film-makers have turned up of McQueen's folie de grandeur. Film-maker and journalist Clarke, well-known to British viewers for his football reporting on ITV, has revealed the extraordinary efforts he and McKenna made to track down the missing footage. It had been claimed that well over a million feet of film were shot by McQueen and his team during the making of Le Mans. There were issues with the storyline and script during production, and as they waited for these to be resolved, the film-makers kept shooting and shooting. They were filming during the actual Le Mans race with multiple cameras – and seemingly with little thought as to how their hours and hours of footage were actually going to be incorporated into the movie. The out-takes had long since gone missing, presumed lost. Some had speculated that the film-makers themselves may have destroyed the material when the project went sour on them. Even McQueen's own son, Chad McQueen, feared that the footage was lost. "Some of our footage came from private family collections," Clarke says, talking about the various sources they drew from for the film. "Other footage had been recorded at the time. There was an on-set 'making of' documentary made by one of our contributors, John Klawitter..." They also unearthed a Swiss documentary, The Song of Le Mans, made during the shooting of Le Mans but never released. (This turned up in a Paris film vault.) They also came across several hours of super 8mm home-movie footage shot by one of the drivers, Paul Blancpain, during the race. Klawitter himself discovered film reels stored away in his own garage. "They had been there for more than 40 years – and thanks to the kindness of California's climate, they had survived the ravages of time." The real "holy grail", though, was the discovery of out-takes footage. "We spoke to family, to people who had worked on this project. As far as they were concerned, this film didn't exist," Clarke recalls. There was "a vague lead" to a disused warehouse in New Jersey. Some contacts suggested that the rushes might be in private collections in South America. (McQueen memorabilia remains highly sought after there.) Clarke and McKenna just happened to make a late night call to an editor in Los Angeles. An email came back saying that "hidden beneath a sound stage and covered in dust, we found between 400 and 600 boxes of film." Miraculously, the rushes had survived intact. The first box the film-makers looked at contained material from the camera car. "It was just inspiring to look at," Clarke says. "McQueen wanted a camera car – a car that was racing in Le Mans and from which they could use the footage to put across the authenticity of the driver during the race." Exhausted: McQueen with his wife, Neile, on the set of 'Le Mans' Le Mans was intended by McQueen to be the ultimate racing movie. He wanted viewers to feel they were behind the wheel, experiencing the event at first hand. "Once we knew the rushes existed, we could really put this across." Some of the Hollywood star's relentless perfectionism was clearly shared by Clarke and McKenna. The rushes came without sound, but the film-makers made sure during post-production that every last growl of an engine was authentic. Whether it was McQueen in a Porsche 917 or another driver in a Ferrari 512, the sound the car makes is exactly as it should be. The motor-racing community appreciated Le Mans, and the film has been called "essential viewing for anyone with gasoline in their veins." However, box-office returns were disappointing and McQueen himself never quite recaptured the lustre he had once held. The metaphor that many use to describe McQueen's involvement in such an epic and ill-fated project is of Icarus flying too close to the sun. "The story itself is so much more than just Steve McQueen, the motor-racing fanatic. The story is this obsession that McQueen had to make the ultimate racing film," says Clarke. "Everyone around him was convinced that he was untouchable and that this was going to be the ultimate film, not just a racing film… with Steve McQueen in a racing car, what could possibly go wrong? Of course, things did go wrong." "Part of the reason we feel that this is an inspirational story is that you do go into dark places with Steve – and you do realise that his was a flawed character. He was a genius of a man. One of the things we hope to put across is that he was a visionary." Now, more than 40 years after the film went so wrong, audiences in Cannes will be given at least a glimpse of the film that might have been. .
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'Bessie': TV Review Frank Masi/HBO
The Bottom LineA restrained but vivid and satisfying portrait AirtimeMay 16 at 8 p.m. (HBO) DirectorDee Rees CastQueen Latifah, Michael Kenneth Williams, Khandi Alexander, Oliver Platt, Bryan Greenberg, Charles S. Dutton, Mo'Nique Queen Latifah stars in this HBO biopic chronicling the career ups and downs, as well as the stormy personal life, of the Empress of the Blues.In her eloquent 2009 debut feature Pariah, director Dee Rees explored the complicated paths of love, identity and personal freedom for a young African-American Brooklyn lesbian. That same intimate focus is beamed onto a much bigger canvas in Bessie, an unvarnished but admiring portrait of influential blues singer Bessie Smith, who overcame discrimination and an abusive childhood to achieve enormous popularity in the 1920s and '30s. Playing “the Empress of the Blues” has been a passion project for Queen Latifah since early in her acting career, and that commitment informs a raw, gutsy performance that embraces the fierce contradictions of this combative, charismatic woman. The project began 22 years ago as a screen treatment by the late playwright Horton Foote, to be produced by Richard and Lili Fini Zanuck; they remain on board as executive producers, along with Latifah and producing partner Shakim Compere. Rees co-wrote the screenplay with McFarland, USA writers Christopher Cleveland and Bettina Gilois. The HBO Films TV movie, unsurprisingly, is rich in entertaining musical interludes, spanning Smith's rise on the black vaudeville circuit, her rousing theater and tent-show performances, and the start of her recording career for Columbia. Latifah's syncopated vocals have burnished power and feeling, and despite song titles such as "Down Hearted Blues," "Young Woman's Blues," "Preachin' the Blues," "Work House Blues" and "Weepin' Woman Blues," the infectious numbers are most notable for capturing the joyous resilience and defiant pride of music born out of difficult lives. In addition to Smith, the film also salutes another salty blues pioneer, Ma Rainey, appealingly played by Mo'Nique with an insouciant swagger and flinty demeanor that softens into warmth when early professional rivalry gives way in later years to friendship and support.
Both performers are depicted as sexually omnivorous hedonists and hard-ass businesswomen, unwilling to be exploited because of their color or gender. In one amusing payment negotiation with a white agent from the Theater Owners Booking Association, Ma scoffs that TOBA stands for "Tough on Black Asses." In another scene, Ma performs "Prove It On Me" in a top hat and tuxedo, illustrating with a wink that conventional sexual boundaries were made to be broken. (Mo'Nique's vocals are dubbed.) Rees and Latifah don't gloss over either Smith's bisexuality or her abrasive, temperamental nature. Throughout the story, flashes of her troubled upbringing following her mother's death are shown, with her older sister Viola (Khandi Alexander) painted as a cruel guardian. But the film leaves much of the transitional detail between scenes, allowing the viewer to connect the dots between that motherless child and the tenacious woman swigging moonshine out of a jar, throwing punches and refusing to be dominated in any way. An early scene in 1913 Atlanta shows her making out in a theater alley with a man who turns hostile, smashing a bottle over her head when Bessie puts on the brakes. She retaliates with a piece of broken glass and then goes right on stage to perform, with blood dripping from beneath her headband. Having learned how to communicate with an audience under Ma's guidance, Bessie breaks out on her own, managed by her brother Clarence (Tory Kittles). In a wry acknowledgment that Smith was a pre-civil rights proponent of black pride, she flips the TOBA circuit's brown-paper-bag test on its head, insisting that anyone performing in her troupe has to be darker, not lighter, than the bag. "No yella bitches," she shouts while auditioning new talent.
In one terrific scene, she scares off the Klan as they attempt to shut down a North Carolina tent performance, sashaying back in carrying a hatchet as she resumes singing. Elsewhere, she rejects the patronizing appreciation of white cultural arbiters eager to embrace black artists, placing her deliberately outside the Harlem Renaissance that opened doors for figures like Langston Hughes and Ethel Waters. One of Bessie's performers, the composite character Lucille (Tika Sumpter), is her longtime lover, a relationship drawn with great tenderness. But that doesn't stop Bessie marrying cocky security guard Jack Gee (Michael Kenneth Williams), who also takes her career in hand, causing friction with Clarence. Her bootlegger Richard (Mike Epps) also becomes a lover, though he's unwilling to join an entourage in which everyone close to her is part of a business relationship. The film observes how these bonds are cemented and then broken as her fame grows and her attempt to create an extended family in a Philadelphia mansion falls apart. Latifah strips naked literally and figuratively as Bessie removes her wig, jewelry and lashes; facing herself in the mirror, she’s a woman hurt and vulnerable but also steadfast in her refusal to be diminished. For such a volatile character, Latifah gives a refreshingly restrained performance, and her commanding stillness imbues gravitas into a number of key scenes. She conveys Smith's toughness and earthy sensuality, keeping the demons that drive her forward or nudge her toward self-destruction largely internalized.
The other characters are less fully rounded, but in addition to Mo'Nique, Sumpter and Epps register as vibrant presences while Williams and Alexander find nuance in figures whose ties to Smith were compromised by self-interest or resentment. Rees makes an interesting choice to end on a note of emotional stability and ongoing professional renewal, rather than concluding with the fatal car crash that cut short Smith's life at 43. This is in keeping with the film's rigorous depiction of her as a strong-willed, difficult individual and not as a victim. The subtext of how the absence of a loving mother in late childhood scarred her life perhaps could have been more robustly drawn. And some of the uplifting moments are handled with pat conventionality, bathed in sun-kissed light and coated in Rachel Portman's sugary score. But for the most part, this is a smartly observed, understated biographical drama that sidesteps hagiography and treats its complex subject with integrity. The film looks sharp, with flavorful period production design and gorgeous costumes by Michael T. Boyd that range from down-home poverty through shimmering 1920s glamour to Depression drab. The end credits save one final treat in a fabulous remastered recording of Smith singing the growly good-time anthem, "Gimme a Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer." . Review: HBO's 'Bessie,' Directed By Dee Rees, Starring Queen Latifah, Mo'Nique, And MoreBy Kevin Jagernauth | The Playlist May 12, 2015 at 4:01PM  HBO Queen Latifah, as Bessie Smith, in HBO's 'Bessie'
The blues is a deceptively complex musical genre. It’s one where heartbreak and sorrow can be uplifting at the same time, and where the artist and audience find familiar ground in everyday struggles. And thus, it’s also the musical genre that’s the hardest to capture with real authenticity. No one understands the blues until they’ve had it themselves. And so, a movie about blues legend Bessie Smith comes loaded with the double task of telling her life story, but also infusing it with that intangible sensation of the blues. And unfortunately, “Bessie” is a mostly one-dimensional look at a complex woman that tends to favor sensation over substance. Hopping from one incident to another, with brief interludes to repetitive childhood flashbacks that ultimately do little to add to the drama, the story kicks off in 1913 as Bessie Smith (Queen Latifah) dreams of singing stardom, but lacks a presence or voice of her own. But one fateful evening she witnesses a performance by Ma Rainey (Mo’Nique) and it’s not long until Bessie barrels onto her train and asks for a shot to learn from her, and earn a spot on her traveling show. Rainey takes a shine to Bessie and the two become fast friends. A montage sequence later, their friendship has eroded as Bessie’s star rises to dazzling heights, and she strikes out on her own solo career.  And what follows is an unfocused picture, one that wants to address the complex racial issues of the day, while also having a rootin’ tootin’ good time indulging in Bessie’s bad behaviour. And this makes for an often jarring viewing experience. Bessie isn’t given enough character background to justify her quick arc from timid newcomer to brassy, confident stage star, which seems to happen almost overnight. Equally, Bessie’s wild ways and swinging emotions — affairs with both men and women, punching people out, breakdowns, boozing — also often arrive unexpectedly, with little in way of buildup or texture to give them dramatic weight. And with the movie racing from one biographical moment to the next, there’s rarely a needed opportunity to allow the story beats to breathe. This is particularly damaging when it comes to the thematic core of “Bessie.” Within the African-American performing community at the time, the lightness or darkness of one’s skin would help or hinder in getting a job on stage, an issue which is glanced upon for far too briefly, before the story moves on. Langston Hughes (Jeremie Davies) pops up in one brief scene to warn Bessie about the expectations of blacks that even “cultured” northern whites have, in another thematic thread that’s left dangling. Meanwhile Oliver Platt’s turn as tastemaker Carl Van Vechten will be lost on anybody who doesn’t know who that is. And that also goes for a third act appearance by John Hammond (Bryan Greenberg). And then there are the aforementioned flashbacks, which seem to be building up toward a grand revelation, only to be mostly forgotten about as the movie winds into the final reels.  One gets the feeling the source of the problems of focus start with the script of "Bessie," a project which has been in the works for decades. Director Dee Rees is co-credited with the late Horton Foote (“To Kill A Mockingbird”) on the story, and credited again on the script along with writing team Christopher Cleveland and Bettina Gilois (“Glory Road,” “McFarland”) — that’s four different scribes and perhaps not surprisingly, the movie runs on a rushed narrative, crammed with characters, that rarely evinces the powerful intimacy that made Rees’ breakout feature “Pariah” so exceptional. The production values also do a disservice to the film. Alternately glossy and cheap, the backlots and soundstages lack a certain grit from the era, with everything gleaming a bit too brightly. And overall, the settings look like the finished product from an antique restorer’s dream. If Bessie’s life was ragged, it would appear her surroundings were always polished, even in the worst conditions. However, it’s the cast that are the highlights, managing to stand out even if the movie rarely pauses to allow them to do so. Indeed, Queen Latifah makes the most of the opportunity of the huge range of emotions and big scenes she gets to play in “Bessie.” She swaggers fearlessly through much of the movie, but it’s the vulnerability she finds at Bessie’s core that really allows the actress to keep the character rooted in reality. One particular, wordless sequence of Latifah sitting nude in front of a mirror staring herself down will deservedly earn plenty of chatter. But it has to be said that the lead of the movie is outshone by Mo’Nique. Her turn as Ma Rainey is warm, engaging, and hugely enjoyable, conveying the singer’s confident elder stateswoman status with ease, but also allowing her fears and flaws to surface when they need to. The scenes with Mo’Nique and Latifah are easily the film’s best and most layered, suggesting the kind of more thoughtful picture “Bessie” could’ve been, and the kinds of quiet moments the film needed more of. And it’s also in these sequences where one really feels the presence of Rees behind the camera, crafting the kind of simple, evocative, character moments that put her on the radar in the first place.  But it’s telling I haven’t yet mentioned the wide array of other players who appear — Michael Kenneth Williams as Bessie’s husband Jack; Khandi Alexander as Bessie’s older sister Viola; Mike Epps as Bessie’s lover Richard; Tory Kittles as Bessie’s older brother Clarence — marking the notches in the singer’s life but without making too deep of an impression. Indeed, “Bessie” knows all the right words, but hasn’t quite learned how to sing them just yet. [C-] . Mad Max: Fury Road review: 'a Krakatoan eruption of craziness' Blazingly good: Tom Hardy takes over from Mel Gibson as the hero of Mad Max: Fury Road Photo: Warner Bros. Entertainment
Mad Max: Fury Road Telegraph Actors Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult Director George Miller Genre Action, Adventure, Thriller Synopsis In a post-apocalyptic world, in which people fight to the death, Max teams up with a mysterious woman, Imperator Furiosa, to try and survive Release Date 14-05-2015 Duration 120 mins Rating 15 Country Australia, USA
Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy command the screen in this nitro-injected juggernaut of a film Mad Max: Fury Road is the first film from George Miller since 2011’s dancing penguins cartoon Happy Feet Two, and his first live-action project since 1998’s Babe: Pig in the City. Two words spring to mind: "pent up". Miller's long-delayed return to the Mad Max series, which has its European premiere at the Cannes Film Festival later this week, is nothing less than a Krakatoan eruption of craziness. The director last visited this world in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome in 1985, but this feels more like a spiritual sequel to The Road Warrior, the far superior 1981 instalment. That film was a western from hell, in which Mel Gibson’s Max Rockatansky, scrabbling for survival in a future world blighted by drought and fuel shortages, helps defend a remote oil refinery from a band of marauders. Its climactic 20-minute chase scene – a still-perfect symphony of fireballs, barrel rolls and severed heads – plays like a gonzo rehash of the Native American pursuit that closes John Ford’s Stagecoach. Fury Road goes even further: the film is almost nothing but chase, with each high-octane action sequence shunting into the next at breakneck speed. The result is less John Ford than Buster Keaton – specifically, the comedian's 1926 masterpiece The General, with its madcap there-and-back-again pursuit up and down 150 miles of railway track. With its spare dialogue and dazzlingly choreographed and edited stunts, Miller’s film often feels like a great silent movie – albeit a very loud one.  The film begins with Max, who’s now played by Tom Hardy, becoming mixed up in a jailbreak from a desert citadel. Its ruler, Immortan Joe (played by Hugh Keays-Byrne, whom Mad Max fans may just about recognise, behind the make-up and skull mask, as the original film’s Toecutter), has five "wives" locked in a tower with whom he hopes to conceive, by force, a healthy son and heir. Understandably, the wives aren’t keen, so they escape in the belly of a petrol tanker on a routine supply run. Enraged, Immortan leads the charge to bring them back. And that’s all there is to it. The first point at which Fury Road draws breath – an eerily beautiful wide shot of a flare spluttering out in the desert darkness – comes after half an hour of virtually continuous chaos. Most films aren’t built this way for all kinds of sensible reasons. But when they are, and it works – what a rush. What compounds the fun is Fury Road’s wholesale rejection of the generally accepted blockbuster code of conduct, which dictates that expensive films have to be marketable to teenagers but still watchable by eight-year-olds in order to maximise box-office returns. Whether or not Miller was aware of these unspoken conventions, he has ploughed a blazing petrol tanker right through the middle of them. Fury Road takes a Rabelaisian delight in grotesque bodies, and the various ways in which they can be made to splatter, burn and pop. Enormous, naked women are milked like cattle, dwarfs are hoisted on palanquins, and men as pale and gaunt as Méliès aliens are knocked out, gnawed on, sawn up and catapulted through explosions. Imagine if Cirque du Soleil reenacted a Hieronymus Bosch painting and someone set the theatre on fire. This is more or less what Miller has come up with.  But the film is transgressive in smarter, subtler ways too. Hardy is totally commanding on screen, and brings a certain camp detachment to the lead role, almost as if he had dragged up as himself to play it. There’s a connection between his work here and his performance as Charles Bronson for Nicolas Winding Refn, but he isn’t really the film’s leading man – and nor is Nicholas Hoult, who’s fabulously unhinged as Nux, a twitchy stowaway on the trip. Fury Road’s alpha male is, in fact, a woman: the rogue soldier Imperator Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron, who masterminds the escape while Max rides shotgun. Furiosa is one of the toughest, most resilient action heroes in years, with a metal prosthetic arm that hints at past trauma and a steely gaze that sees more on the way. Like Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in the Alien films, the character is informed by her sex but not defined by it, and Theron superbly embodies her stoicism, nerve and resolve.  Few people, surely, were expecting robust feminism from the new Mad Max film – yet here we are, and Theron’s character is far from the only instance of it. See also Immortan’s escaping wives, who may be young and sylphlike, but are the opposite of damsels in distress, and play an instrumental part in their own dash for freedom. One of them, called The Splendid Angharad, is played by the model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley – and while the part is of course glamorous, it’s also spiky and odd; long-overdue compensation for her excruciating non-role in Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon. (Other wives include Zoë Kravitz as Toast the Knowing: Miller and his co-writers deserve a special, gurning, bondage-gear-clad Oscar for coming up with these names.) This is unusually progressive stuff, but it all stirs into the cocktail nicely – just as the painterly computer graphics, which provide the film’s backdrop of whirlwinds and dust-storms, marry surprisingly well with the predominantly practical stunt work. The world of Mad Max has always been welded together from bits of whatever was lying around, and the films’ brilliance has always been in their welding – the ingenious ways in which their scrap-metal parts were combined to create something unthinkable, hilarious or obscene, and often all three. . Just Music-No Categories-Enjoy It! | |
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Actor Tom Hardy Is Esquire's May Cover Star14 April 2015Link(Long article, but great read): http://www.esquire.co.uk/...interview/ . Elizabeth Banks: 'They said I wouldn't get the job unless I showed my body'
 'I think I'm enduring': Elizabeth Banks Photo: 2014 Jeff Vespa/Getty Pitch Perfect 2 Actors Anna Kendrick, Elizabeth Banks, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Katey Sagal, Brittany Snow, Alexis Knapp, Anna Camp, Skylar Astin Director Elizabeth Banks Genre Comedy, Musical Synopsis In this comedy sequel, the Bellas compete to take part in the a cappella world championships Release Date 15-05-2015 Duration 114 mins Rating 12A Country USA
Elizabeth Banks has lost jobs for being too old, too female, and too unwilling to take off her clothes. But now she’s having the last laugh as the star and director of summer’s biggest comedy ‘I ’ve always been a little too old,” says Elizabeth Banks. As ridiculous as this statement sounds, she won’t soften it with a self-deprecating smile or a laugh. The actress is talking about Hollywood, after all, and an industry whose absurdity can’t be conveyed by ridiculous statements alone. Banks is talking about fact. “I remember screen testing to play Mary Jane Watson in Spiderman opposite Tobey Maguire, and they didn’t cast me because I was too old,” recalls the actress: a pretty, slight and jet-lagged figure against the grandeur of her Claridge’s suite. “I was literally told, ‘You are too old.’ Now I was 26 at the time – nearly the same age as Tobey, by the way – but they went with someone 10 years younger. Of course I’m over it now,” shrugs Banks when I ask whether, at 41, she still runs up against the same indictment. “I think I’m enduring.” That last statement is served up with a self-deprecating smile. As well it might be. The week we meet, the Pittsfield, Massachusetts-born actress is on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter beneath the headline “The $200 Million Road To Director”.
With the sequel of her surprise 2012 hit Pitch Perfect – a rowdy musical comedy following the lives and ambitions of a group of college a cappella singers, which grossed $113 million worldwide – predicted to earn her a place in history as the most successful female comedy director ever when it premieres later this month, Banks is doing a little more than enduring. The sexism in Hollywood is not particularly overt - the system is good at hiding it Depending on your age and demographic, you’ll recognise her from one or several of the 70 roles she has packed into her 16-year career, whether it’s Steve Carell’s sex-crazed girlfriend in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, George W Bush’s better half, Laura, in W., high-kicking heroine Wyldstyle in The Lego Movie, or The Hunger Games’s inimitable Effie Trinket, elaborately disguised by pastel-coloured wigs and architectural frocks. If, by chance, this bubbly blonde with the Fifties pin-up smile and gift for bright, unabashed comedy has passed you by, you’ll be in no doubt as to who she is by the end of this year.  In 2015 alone, Banks will appear in Pitch Perfect 2 – which she also produced and directed – Magic Mike XXL, the final Hunger Games instalment and a Netflix series based on the 2001 satirical comedy Wet Hot American Summer. As one of Hollywood’s most sought after and versatile actresses and the co-head of Brownstone Productions alongside her husband of 12 years, Max Handelman, she is reaching, if not at, her professional peak. “No matter what,” she says with the smallest nod of acknowledgement, “I’m in a very small club. There are very few women who have directed studio-level commercial films – very few.” Why is that? Do women still see it as a hostile male world? “Well I don’t know if it’s women’s fault,” she flings back archly. “I don’t blame the women. I’ve seen a lot of s--- go down. The sexism in Hollywood is not particularly overt – because the system is good at hiding it. But the numbers don’t lie – and they can obviously be improved.  Making the Pitch Perfect films with my husband and Paul Brooks, who was very supportive, sort of made them an inevitability in my life. But because I made them with people I trust, I was able to have a lot of control. And I think it is scary to walk into a situation where you think you may be undermined or underestimated.” When I ask whether she has ever felt either, Banks gives one of her big, ladette laughs – which ends as abruptly as it started. “I think I’m constantly underestimated,” she says. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to produce and direct, because I knew I had more to offer in this industry and I was being underused.” And now? “Now, although I feel that I have more control over how I spend my time, I still want to act. So I still go around begging for jobs.” Banks’s assertiveness and single-mindedness is well documented. When she heard that Gary Ross – with whom she’d made Seabiscuit – was going to direct The Hunger Games, she sent him an email saying: “I love these books and I’d like to play Effie.”  Still today, Oliver Stone – who cast Banks as Laura Bush in W. – calls her “Laura” in a testament to how fully she played the role. “You don’t get what you don’t ask for,” she explains, pulling a large cashmere scarf around her shoulders. “The problem is that there just aren’t enough jobs to go around. So I found that creating my own opportunities was better than just putting my hand out and waiting.” As a “late bloomer” who got her first screen role at 25, it’s possible that Banks was making up for lost time. What seems more likely is that the Ivy League-educated daughter of a General Electric factory worker and a bank clerk simply decided to put her naturally forthright manner and proactive attitudes to good use. Having graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in communications, she went on to earn a master of fine arts degree at the American Conservatory Theater.
But all the qualifications in thesp-land couldn’t have equipped her for the daily bunfight of the audition circuit in LA, where she and her husband moved in the late Nineties – and even booking a commercial was seen as the holy grail. “I went to a few really bad commercial auditions,” she winces, “because I needed the money and when you booked a commercial your life was made: you could eat. But there was this one where I hadn’t realised that I would need to wear a bikini, and it was basically explained to me that I wouldn’t get the job unless I showed them my body. I allowed a Polaroid to be taken of me in my bra and panties. I remember getting dressed and walking out and seeing it laid out on a table amid a grid of 50 girls “I remember asking one of the other girls if I could borrow a bathing suit,” she cringes, letting out a peal of laughter, “which is disgusting, right? Obviously the girl just said no, and because I was at such a loss for what to do, I allowed a Polaroid to be taken of me in my bra and panties.” Silently, we both digest the foolishness of this. “I remember getting dressed and walking out,” Banks goes on, grim-faced, “and seeing it laid out on a table amid a grid of 50 girls. Still, I learnt my lesson, and that was: my dignity was worth more than that moment. And maybe I had to go through that to know that I was worth more.” Thankfully, Banks’s invigorated sense of self-worth doesn’t seem to have spilt over into the earnestness and extreme caution that characterises most Hollywood actresses these days – or cost her the bawdy and unflinching sense of humour that has delighted journalists over the years.
She has been both honest and witty on issues such as infertility and IVF (both sons, Magnus, two, and Felix, four, were born via surrogate) and still likes to riff on the whole “dumb blonde” perception (which has helped rather than hindered her). “I think it’s good to lower expectations then over-deliver,” she says with a narrowing of the eyes. “I like to surprise people.” She’s also one of the few actresses I know who publicly admit to enjoying love scenes (in private they’ll often enthuse that it’s really “the ultimate hall pass”). “You want to have actual chemistry with the person, obviously,” she says, grinning, “but I typically find them to be pretty fun – much more so now than when I was younger. When you’re young you worry that all the crew are standing around or that the man is going to touch your fat. Now I’ll just go: ‘Everybody want to watch? Here we go!’ ” Knowing how vocal she is on sexism both in Hollywood and in life, I ask Banks how she would counter accusations that the Magic Mike movies – loosely based on Channing Tatum’s experiences as an 18-year-old stripper in Florida – denigrate men. “What could possibly be sexist about it?” shrills Banks, who has joined the cast for the sequel, Magic Mike XXL. The notion of men being objectified by women? “Aw,” she tilts her blonde bob to one side, “poor babies. Welcome to the club, boys!”  I tell Banks about the British girl who made front-page news by reporting a group of local builders to the police for persistently wolf whistling at her. Does she like being wolf whistled at? “Absolutely not,” she counters – and the strength of her reaction surprises me. “I consider unwanted attention in the street harassment, absolutely. Because I’m physically not as big as that man and that’s why I consider it a threat. That’s also why it’s not the same [the other way around] – and don’t let the f------ media tell you it is. Violence against women is real and something I feel passionately about, and the gateway to all that is wolf whistling "Violence against women is real and something I feel passionately about, and the gateway to all that is wolf whistling. It’s allowing a man to impose his will on a woman who is just trying to walk down the street and live her life. It’s all about unwanted versus wanted attention, and, of course, there’s a fine line. Maybe most men don’t know where that line is, so my advice to them is: don’t do it.” LA may be curiously devoid of wolf-whistling men (“Only because we drive everywhere,” quips Banks), but the actress still feels that many a dialogue, in both the professional and the domestic arena, needs changing in America and elsewhere. She rightly corrects me when I ask whether, with her hectic filming schedule, she ever suffers from “mother’s guilt” (“Let’s call it ‘parental guilt’ and bring the men into the conversation, shall we?”) and later declares it mildly irritating that Pitch Perfect was perceived as a “girl power statement”. “Having directed a movie that was written by a woman and directed by a woman, and stars a group of women, is such a rare thing that just by its very existence it becomes a statement. Even though we were not going for girl power,” she shrugs. “We just wanted to make a very funny film.” To that aim, they succeeded. At the screening of Pitch Perfect 2 – in which the Barden Bellas take their chaotic talents to an international level – the girls seated beside me had to cross their legs, I tell her, they were laughing so hard. “That’s what I want!” she giggles into her scarf. “I want everyone who sees this film to wet themselves. But in the second film, what was really important to me was that we expand the girls’ world into adulthood. They were big fish in a small pond in the first movie, and I wanted that pond to get much, much bigger. Because that’s what happens in life: you get to a certain stage and you find that you’ve got to start over again.”
At this point it seems unlikely that Banks will have to. With more directing projects up her sleeve, a determination to keep acting and a website - elizabethbanks.com - she can all too often be found giving advice to her fans at one in the morning. “I do enjoy having a direct line of communication with people about things that matter to me,” she says. “That’s one of the best parts of being famous. Not that I think there is ever any reason to complain about it. It’s not a relatable complaint, is it? I’m not working in the mines or dodging bullets in Afghanistan. So really, I’m doing just fine.” Pitch Perfect 2 is released on May 15 'Jem and the Holograms' Director Teases Modern Movie About "Stay[ing] True to Who You Really Are" Instagram/@heypeeplesitsaubrey
Jem and the Holograms may have been an '80s cartoon and toy line, but the upcoming live-action movie is a modern story with timeless themes about identity, director Jon M. Chu told USA Today, which released a handful of photos on Monday from the Universal film that's slated to hit theaters Oct. 23.
"It's actually about a group of young people who are going to be inundated with this idea of fame and fortune and products and stuff, and within all that, how do you stay true to who you really are?" said Chu. "That's the real soul of the movie." The film follows Jerrica Benton (Nashville's Aubrey Peeples) as she transforms from a shy musician into the pink-haired pop star Jem. Since it was her father who taught her guitar and would call Jerrica the name that would become her onstage alter ego, she's scared to use her voice after he dies. But after she's discovered, she embraces Jem as a way to take care of her family, including her sister, Kimber (Stefanie Scott), and foster siblings Aja (Hayley Kiyoko) and Shana (Aurora Perrineau), who make up the Holograms. "She never wanted to pursue the big costumes, lots of makeup, all that stuff," Peeples said of Jerrica's transformation. "But, in a way, it helps her hide and have the confidence to come out and be this persona." Chu added: "We see the transformation as she gets brought into it, getting seduced by it and, at the same time, trying to find her real self in between those two identities."
Molly Ringwald plays Jerrica's guardian, Mrs. Bailey; The Boy Next Door's Ryan Guzman co-stars as love interest Rio; and Juliette Lewis is Starlight Music record exec Erica Raymond and the film's main antagonist. Jason Blum and Scooter Braun are producing the movie, with Justin Bieber's well-connected manager helping to score original songs for the movie. Chu said he initially was puzzled by how to do a movie about a secret identity in 2015 — before he realized that the '80s cartoon had a modern concept.
Said Chu: "It dawned on us: Wait, everybody has a secret identity. The idea of 'Who are you, really?' is more relevant today than ever. That's what inspired me to say, 'Let's roll the dice and try to make this movie.' " o John Mellencamp Delivers Triumphant, Career-Spanning Show at the Apollo: Concert Review Paul Familetti
The Bottom LineAt 63, Mellencamp's indelible brand of American roots rock has aged well. VenueApollo Theatre John Mellencamp has worn well. At age 63, the veteran rocker still has the energy to deliver rebellious numbers like "Authority Song" with urgent conviction. He has enough of a sense of humor to dutifully trot out a crowd favorite like "Jack and Diane" even while admitting, "I can't figure out why I'm still playing it." And his weathered voice, now nearing a Tom Waits-style rasp, brings a near overwhelming level of poignancy to songs like "Full Catastrophe of Life," the delivery of which could only have been more effective if he had a glass of bourbon in his hand. More importantly, he still displays a tremendous joy in performing, as evidenced by his superb show at New York's Apollo Theatre as part of an 80-date tour promoting his 22nd studio album Plain Spoken, released last fall. Playing with a crack six-piece band, the singer delivered a nearly two-hour set that featured a canny assemblage of new songs, deep album cuts, a pair of numbers from Ghost Brothers of Darkland County (the musical he co-wrote with Stephen King), a Robert Johnson cover and enough hits to satisfy the most casual of fans. At this point in his career, he's more than a little reminiscent of Johnny Cash, wearing a black suit and vest and, after several songs, introducing himself by saying, "Thank you, I'm John Mellencamp." The association was further reinforced by his choice of opening act: Carlene Carter -- June Carter Cash's daughter and Cash's stepdaughter -- who described herself as a "third generation member of the Carter Family."
Beginning with "Lawless Times" and "Troubled Man" from the new album that features socially tinged songs in compelling, stripped-down arrangements, Mellencamp delivered a perfectly paced show that had the audience on its feet with its fourth number, "Small Town." Although his voice seemed a little tentative at first, it fully blossomed by the time he delivered a full-throttle rendition of the Robert Johnson classic "Stones in My Passway" prefaced by some slinky dance moves. An unexpected highlight was "Check It Out" from 1987's The Lonesome Jubilee, featuring the singer belting out the lyrics while prowling the stage like a panther and enlivened by Troye Kinnett's exuberant accordion playing. He delivered the crowd favorite "Jack and Diane" in solo acoustic fashion, humorously chiding the audience when they jumped in too soon on the inevitable sing-along. "There's two verses and a chorus," he admonished with a smile. "You have to wait for the chorus." He brought Carter back to the stage for the numbers from Ghost Brothers, letting her handle the lead vocals on the ballad "Away From This World" and dueting with her on the barn-burning "Tear This Cabin Down." Explaining that he and King worked on the musical for fifteen years, he said that the lesson he came away with is, "Art is never finished, it's just abandoned."
The singer's preoccupation with aging and death was evident not only by his inclusion of songs like "If I Die Sudden," but also the sly way he took a lengthy pause after the lyrics "That's probably where you'll bury me" during his rendition of "Small Town." One of the show's most moving moments came when he paid tribute to his grandmother who lived to be 100 years old, quoting her adage that "life is short even in its longest days" in the bittersweet "Longest Days." After having previously promised the audience the opportunity to dance, he made good with a rollicking "Authority Song" that included an interpolation of Wilson Pickett's classic "Land of 1,000 Dances." It was part of a show-ending barrage of hits including "Crumbling Down" and "Pink Houses." The familiar music, delivered in slightly tweaked arrangements that gave them freshness, was perfectly delivered by the superb band that included the invaluable violinist Miriam Sturm, drummer Dane Clark and guitarist Mike Wanchic, who's been playing with Mellencamp for no fewer than 45 years.
Saying that "I hate to admit it, but I guess I'm as sentimental as the next guy," the singer joked about the meaning of the expression "old times" inevitably changing as one gets older. "On that note, we're gonna end the show tonight with a song about old times," he announced before launching into the joyously nostalgic "Cherry Bomb." It was a perfect capper to the triumphant, career-spanning show. The tour hits Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre on July 28. Set List: Lawless Times
Just Music-No Categories-Enjoy It! | |
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Clint Eastwood
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With Burt Reynolds
With Sandra Locke
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NY Times CreditAssociated Press B. B. King, whose world-weary voice and wailing guitar lifted him from the cotton fields of Mississippi to a global stage and the apex of American blues, died Thursday in Las Vegas. He was 89.It was reported on Mr. King’s Web site that he died in his sleep. | |
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Janet Jackson Announces New Album, Tour Ben Gabbe/Getty Images
Janet Jackson delivered a surprise for fans on her birthday, announcing a new album and world tour. The singer made the big reveal at midnight eastern time on May 16 by tweeting a link to a video in which, in her unmistakable voice, she coos: "I promised you'd hear it from my lips and now you will. This year: new music; new world tour; a new movement. I've been listening. Let's keep the conversation going." Presumably the title to the album, or perhaps a first single, the tweet was accompanied with the message "My Conversation" and the hashtag "Conversations In A Cafe." The 49-year-old Jackson's last studio album -- her tenth, called Discipline -- was released in 2008 by Island. It was followed by the collection Number Ones a year later. News of her return set the Internet abuzz as devotees reacted. At least one longtime collaborator, producer Jimmy Jam, had been dropping mysterious hints in the hours leading up to Jackson's tweet. . Diana Ross Headlines Brooklyn Theater's Grand Reopening: Concert Review Courtesy of The Fame Factory
The Bottom LineIt's no slight to Ross to proclaim that the grandly restored movie palace was the true star of the evening. VenueKings Theatre The veteran star is the first to perform at the historic Kings Theatre in Flatbush following its $95 million restoration.It's not easy to upstage a diva on the order of Diana Ross. But the legendary star's glamor was undeniably overshadowed by the venue in which she performed on Tuesday night. It was Brooklyn's Kings Theatre, now reopened after closing nearly four decades ago and falling into massive disrepair. Having received a restoration to the tune of some $95 million, the theater seating more than 3,000 is now once again the borough's largest.
Opened in Flatbush in 1929 shortly before the Depression hit, it was one of five "Wonder Theaters" built by Loew's in New York and New Jersey. Hosting films and vaudeville, the lavish movie palace featured interiors inspired by the Palace of Versailles and the Paris Opera House. It survived until 1977 — Barbra Streisand regularly attended movies there in her youth — before being allowed to deteriorate. But it now once again looks magnificent, with its gorgeous interiors featuring terrific sightlines and superb acoustics. It marks a major new venue for the area, with such stars as Sarah McLachlan, Gladys Knight, Sufjan Stevens, Frankie Valli and Crosby, Stillsand Nash slated to appear in the coming months. The grand reopening featured Ross, performing the same reliable, hits-laden show that she's delivered for years. It opened, as usual, with the sounds of her singing "I'm Coming Out" from the back of the house, with her proceeding down the aisle towards the stage while being thronged by fans.
Hit after hit followed, beginning with a string of Supremes songs that established the nostalgic mood. She performed a healthy selection of her solo hits, as well as covers by the likes of Dusty Springfield("The Look of Love"), Billie Holiday ("Don't Explain," from Lady Sings the Blues), Marvin Gayeand Tammi Terrell ("Ain't No Mountain High Enough") and Gloria Gaynor ("I Will Survive"). There were, needless to say, numerous costume changes — five in all — with the 70-year-old singer looking resplendent in a series of glittery gowns and frequently cooling herself with a large fan. Sounding in fine voice, she was accompanied by a terrific 12-piece band and three backup singers.
The 80-minute show proceeded at a frenetic pace, with the star barreling from one number to the next. It wasn't until late in the evening that she acknowledged her surroundings, marveling at "this beautiful palace" and commenting, "I feel like a queen!" Giving instructions to turn the house lights up, she instructed the audience, "Take a look around guys … can you see how beautiful this is?" For the reprise of the Gloria Gaynor anthem she brought her daughter Rhonda and son Evanonstage, the latter accompanied by his now pregnant wife Ashlee Simpson and her six-year-old son. It added a nice family element to a celebratory evening that marked a new beginning for the historic venue.
Set List: I'm Coming Out Encore Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand) . Debbie Harry Swaps Punk for Upscale Swank at New York's Cafe Carlyle: Concert Review Michael Wilhoite for Café Carlyle
The Bottom LinePerforming mostly material from her unfairly neglected solo career, the Blondie frontwoman proves she doesn't need to perform her classic hits to be compelling. VenueCafe Carlyle "Why am I doing this?" Debbie Harry rhetorically asked shortly into the opening night of her debut engagement at the Cafe Carlyle. It was a good question, as the swanky, upscale nightspot is not a place you'd imagine the co-founder of the seminal new wave band Blondie to be performing. But, as reflected by the venue's recent booking of Buster Poindexter (aka David Johansen) recently proved, their current clientele is increasingly comprised of the same people who were hanging out in East Village clubs a few decades ago. The 69-year-old singer, whose continuing rock 'n' roll-style coolness was signified by the black leather jacket and sunglasses she wore during the first few numbers, went on to answer her own question. "The whole point of this was the ego boost of doing material I never got to do with Blondie," she explained.
And she lived up to her word, with not a single hit from her hugely successful band in the program. Rather, it consisted mostly of material from her unfairly neglected solo career, as well as several songs she recorded with the avant-garde jazz ensemble The Jazz Messengers, with whom she toured on and off for several years in the '90s. Instead of the usual trios and quartets usually crowded on the tiny stage, her sole accompanist wasMatt Katz-Bohen, providing atmospherically diverse musical textures on guitar, synthesizer and piano. Harry was clearly nervous at first, relievedly exclaiming "That's one down!" after finishing her first number, the lovely ballad "Strike Me Pink." At one point, after a lengthy introduction to one of her songs, she asked, "Am I talking too much?" Her still sweet, ethereal voice showing little signs of wear despite her admission at one point that "I'm a little rough around the edges," she was clearly relishing the opportunity to perform the low-key material in such an intimate setting. It perfectly suited jazzy ballads like "Imitation of a Kiss" and "Wednesday Afternoon," as well as the dreamy pop song "French Kissin' " from her 1986 albumRockbird. The latter, for you trivia buffs, was written by Chuck Lorre, who went on to a rather more successful career creating such television sitcoms as Two and a Half Men.
Although inevitably hampered by the small space, Harry still managed to display rock star insouciance at times, loudly crashing cymbals at the beginning of the Chris Stein-penned "Lovelight" and frequently engaging in sinuous hand and arm movements. Her intense commitment to the material was palpable in her powerfully emotive delivery of songs like "Lucky Jim" and "Love Doesn't Frighten Me At All," the latter written by her accompanist Katz-Bohen. But the undeniable highlight was her passionate rendition of "I Cover the Waterfront" (originally performed by Billie Holiday) that gracefully segued into the Moby song "New York New York." It was hard not to wish that the singer would at least have thrown a bone to her fans by performing a Blondie hit or two in stripped-down arrangements. And there were times when the almost uniformly understated material proved a bit monotonous. But the show reached a charming conclusion with a number that probably no one could have predicted. It was "The Rainbow Connection," which she said she had once sung with Kermit the Frog on The Muppet Show. Delivered with an air of tender wistfulness, it was like she was saying goodnight to the audience with a lullaby.
Set List Strike Me Pink .
David Letterman Doesn't Think He'll Ever Return to the Ed Sullivan Theater After 'Late Show' Finale David Letterman Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
 After David Letterman tapes his final Late Show on Wednesday, he doesn't think he'll return to the show's longtime home, the Ed Sullivan Theater. "I don't think I'll ever be back in this building again. Honestly," Letterman told Jane Pauley in an interview that will air this weekend on CBS Sunday Morning, which was previewed on Friday's CBS This Morning. "I think it would just be too difficult for me…emotionally…because I just don't want to come back and see others living our lives."
Letterman added that he has an idea of what his life will be like after the show airs, but he indicated he doesn't know what his professional life will be like, and hinted he's not done with TV. "I can tell you the kind of feelings and emotions that I hope will come of this. That I'm looking forward to and I think that will be fairly easy to accomplish. Getting back into television will perhaps not be as easy to accomplish," he said. As for Letterman's longtime band leader Paul Shaffer, who appeared in person on CBS This Morning wearing his signature sunglasses, he insisted he won't be sitting around the house. So what will he do next? As many different things as he can.
"I'm just going to keep on playing the piano. I think someone will let me," Shaffer said. "I love to do all different things. I mean, David let me do comedy, improvise, act. I want to do all of those things, continue to do all of those things. Maybe a lovely three-episode arc on CSI: Miami." Shaffer praised Letterman, his colleague of 33 years, for being "the most incredible boss." Letterman gave him permission, Shaffer said, "If you have anything, I don't care if it's in the monologue, I don't care if I'm interviewing Julia Roberts, jump in at any time. Who has an open mic for 33 years? I had that." Approaching the end of his long run with Letterman, Shaffer says he's "gone through kind of the phases that one goes through when one is bereft," but is now in a "very zen and calm place of gratitude." . David Lynch: 'Twin Peaks' Showtime Revival "Happening Again" Courtesy of Everett CollectionUpdated: Showtime says Lynch will direct the whole thing, which will now consist of more than the nine episodes the cabler originally ordered.
How's this for a way to start the weekend: Showtime's Twin Peaks revival is all systems go. Following a squabble with Showtime, David Lynch announced Friday via Twitter that he has resolved his salary and budgetary standoff with the premium cable network. "Dear Twitter Friends, the rumors are not what they seem ..... It is !!! Happening again. #TwinPeaks returns on@SHO_Network," he wrote. Not only is the stalemate over, but Showtime has committed to producing more than the nine episodes originally ordered. "This damn fine cup of coffee from Mark and David tastes more delicious than ever," Showtime presidentDavid Nevins said in a statement Friday confirming the news. "Totally worth the extra brewing time and the cup is even bigger than we expected. David will direct the whole thing which will total more than the originally announced nine hours. Preproduction starts now!!” The news comes a month and a half after Lynch announced that he was exiting Showtime's nine-episode revival over a salary dispute. He originally signed on to direct the project but noted that there was "not enough money offered to do the script the way I felt needed to be done." Showtime already had a deal in place with Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost to bring back the cult hit with star Kyle MacLachlan for a run in 2016, with sources telling THR that the scripts had already been written. For its part, Showtime at the time noted that it "continues to hold out hope" that Twin Peaks can be brought back with both its creators at the helm. Following Lynch's outburst, the cast teamed for a video backin...d director that went viral as part of a #SaveTwinPeaks campaign that said doing the show without Lynch is "like pies without cherries" in a nod to the cult series. . Matt Bomer Joining Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt in 'Magnificent Seven' (Exclusive) Matt Bomer AP Images/InvisionEthan Hawke and Jason Momoa are also in the all-star cast.
Matt Bomer has joined the all-star cast of MGM’s remake of The Magnificent Seven. Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Wagner Moura, Haley Bennett and Jason Momoa are already in the saddle for the Western, which updates the 1960 movie that starred Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson andRobert Vaughn. Antoine Fuqua is directing. With a script written by John Lee Hancock and Nic Pizzolatto, the new version’s story kicks off when a woman (Bennett) hires a disparate group of gunslingers to protect her town from rampaging bandits that are led by a robber baron. Bomer will play the woman’s husband, a man who tries to stand up to the robber baron. Producing are Roger Birnbaum and Todd Black with Walter Mirisch and Fuqua serving as executive producers. Bomer, who received plenty of acclaim, including a Golden Globe win, for his performance in HBO’s The Normal Heart, will be the male lead opposite Lady Gaga in American Horror Story: Hotel, the newest season of the horror anthology. He also has Magic Mike XXL due for a July 1 release and Shane Black’s The Nice Guys in post. The actor, who is repped by CAA, Anonymous Content and Hansen Jacobson, is also set to portray Hollywood icon Montgomery Clift in HBO's biopic Monty, which should shoot next year. . 'Late Shift' Author Bill Carter Pens David Letterman Tribute: Laughs, Legacy and Leno Letterman in 1982, launching 'Late Night With David Letterman' on NBC.
Courtesy of Photofest
This story first appeared in the May 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. If you were to synthesize all that has happened in recent years in the late-night arena into one epic inside-TV version of Game of Thrones — in this case, Game of Desk Chairs — the central figure, the comic hero, would be a man whose reign has stretched over three decades, two networks and countless moments of original, memorable comedy as well as personal, unusually intimate on-air revelations. David Letterman, who will end his 33-year run May 20, has been a compelling, complex presence in American culture since two familiar Jimmys were in braces and another was in the White House. "Letterman is, by any standard, a landmark performer," says Howard Stringer, the executive who brought the comic to CBS in 1993 and put him up in a landmark building on Broadway. In the fashion of landmarks, something truly groundbreaking took place when Letterman got his hands on the traditional talk-show format in 1982. He spun it on its head, removed the sheen of showbiz slickness Johnny Carson had perfected and in its place inserted irony, parody and a touch of anarchy. Interviews could be fractious (Cher called him an asshole); comedy could be based in "found humor" (Dave going through strangers' vacation pictures at a Fotomat); visuals could be deliberately unhinged (the famed Monkey-Cam).
"With Johnny, you watched because you were being allowed into the sophisticated world of show business, which was polished, elegant and cool," says Rob Burnett, Letterman's longtime producer. "With Dave, it was a brilliantly funny clubhouse." Letterman did not deserve all the credit. "Merrill Markoe, Steve O'Donnell and some others had a big hand in it," says Burnett, referencing the two original head writers — and, in the case of Markoe, Letterman's decadelong life partner. But Letterman's sensibility was the dominant force. He pushed writers and producers for new ideas, often to the point of exhaustion and exasperation. Markoe described to me how she would present idea after idea that Dave rejected and then would live in fear of his failing with the one bit he had agreed to try — only to see him slay audiences night after night.
I have seen thousands of David Letterman shows, beginning with his awkward weeks as host of a morning program on NBC. That summer, 1980, a friend was confined to a hospital bed and miserable. I recommended she tune in to this odd new host at 10 a.m. She was instantly enthralled — and feeling better. A year later, when Dave was between NBC shows, I saw him doing stand-up at The Comedy Store in L.A. He electrified the crowd. I interviewed Letterman for the first time when I was reporting my book The Late Shift in 1993. He was then, and has remained, the most reliably great interview subject I can remember. I met him in his office at the Ed Sullivan Theater. We were scheduled to chat for an hour; we went for five. He held nothing back, offering opinions on comedy, on NBC and CBS, on his rival Jay Leno, on himself. Dave spoke about Jay with great respect for his stand-up talent, but he didn't see Jay as a "friend," as was generally assumed at the time. Jay was too wrapped up in his career, and Letterman never accepted him at face value: Jay always seemed to be running some scheme, as Letterman saw it. By then, I had heard from his staff about his bouts of insecurity bordering on self-loathing, the episodes of tearing up his office after disappointing performances. The self-flagellation seemed incomprehensible given his talent, but the inability to achieve satisfaction was as much a part of Letterman's makeup as his quicksilver wit. I sent him and Jay copies of The Late Shift just prior to release. Jay made a gracious and funny phone call after reading the book. I never knew if Dave read it (probably not), but he sent a lovely note wishing me good luck with it.
The uncompromising approach often did damage — mainly to himself. Dave mocked NBC executives and once kicked two of them out of a show anniversary party, a decision that came back to haunt him in negotiations for The Tonight Show. He initially feuded with his CBS boss,Leslie Moonves, often dwelling on how the executive once questioned Letterman: "Do you have a problem with me?" Moonves took pains to repair the relationship and later gained Letterman's trust. But to the end, Dave did his own thing. He resisted Moonves' request to take part in the May 4 primetime retrospective special. CBS did one anyway — the news division produced it. For some, Dave dwelled too long on the might-have-been, never fully getting over not being allowed to succeed his idol, Carson. He told the same joke every spring: Passover is a Jewish feast — but also what happened to him at NBC.
In the aftermath of his only major performance outside of his show, hosting the 1995 Oscars, Dave lashed himself mercilessly for what he saw as bombing. The reviews indeed had been bad (though the ratings were excellent), mainly because Letterman had been Letterman, not doing a show that sucked up to Hollywood. That irascibility, the high expectations, left many guests quivering before they went on the show. The counter was that if Dave told a guest he enjoyed their film/show/album, they knew it was not another meaningless compliment from a host who "liked" everything. Letterman abhorred phoniness. Veterans of his shows come up with the same word to describe what made him stand out: authenticity. That word covered his extraordinary directness when speaking on air about everything from the horrors of the 9/11 attacks to speeding tickets, the woman who stalked him for years, his heart bypass surgery, his joy at having a son late in life — even the sex scandal he owned up to on air, rather than give in to blackmail.
The on-air Letterman had "friendships" with other celebrities; he rarely saw them anywhere else. When Billy Crystal appeared for the last time, during a farewell parade of "friends of the show," he sang a funny, touching song about Dave. But he hit a telling note when he said, "You're my best friend on television." On television. I saw Dave in later years mainly at group events like NBC's farewell party for Tom Brokaw. He was always receptive and amiable, if not exactly friendly. I never heard him offer a single complaint about any story I wrote, though of course he hated the red wig that got stuck on John Michael Higgins' head in the HBO version of my book. I disavow responsibility for that (though I think Higgins' performance far surpassed the wig in terms of accuracy). The bulk of Dave's life was defined by a daily routine of scripted laughs and formalized conversations. That is about to change. Associates wonder what it will mean for someone who, at numerous points in his life, conceded he was happy only during the one hour a day when he was taping his show. The birth of son Harry, now 11, clearly added much joy and seemed to mellow Letterman in ways that surprised people.
Moonves has given him an office inside Black Rock, CBS' New York headquarters, but it is hard to picture Letterman hanging around a towering office building with nothing specific to do. "I hope he finds another outlet," says Burnett. "I believe he still has things to say." Carson, of course, never really performed again. Leno keeps popping up here and there: on CNBC, online, on James Corden's first episode of The Late Late Show on CBS. What's left for Letterman is the legacy. That amounts to influence over an army of comic progeny. His wry, ironic sensibility — and delivery — has been the inspiration for countless comedians, movies and even commercials.
The most literal legacy is a late-night franchise. Before Letterman signed on, no late-night show anywhere but NBC had established a foothold strong enough to continue through successive hosts. CBS will have Late Show With Stephen Colbert in the fall — would that be the case if anyone but Letterman had secured that beachhead? Howard Stringer doesn't think so. He started the succession drama in 1991 when he quietly pursued Leno. Leno famously conquered Letterman in the ratings for most of their mutual run — but he had the Tonight franchise behind him. Could he have done the same at CBS? "I don't think we would have succeeded with Jay at 11:30," says Stringer. "You needed someone of Letterman's individual brilliance." Bill Carter has covered television for more than 40 years, including from 1989 to 2014 for The New York Times.
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Billboard Cover: Florence Welch on Bouncing Back From a Near-Breakdown and the Life-Changing Advice Taylor Swift Gave HerBy Rachel Syme | May 15, 2015 9:00 AM EDT 
Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine photographed on May 6, 2015 at The Jane Hotel Roof Top Bar in New York. Eric Ryan AndersonWhen Florence Welch, the charismatic frontwoman for orchestral rock bandFlorence & The Machine, performs, she takes on a regal, shape-shifting, almost androgynous form, prowling around the stage with Mick Jagger’s louche gait one moment, then twisting her arms into witchy spirals like Stevie Nicks the next. Welch, 28, will use her long, delicate fingers to air-pick a harp, as if she is coaxing the notes out from the instrument with a magic spell. She wears giant capes with wings and jackets dripping with tassels, and covers herself with blooming roses onstage, signature flaming red-dyed hair flying. Her shows -- she’s making the festival rounds this summer, from Bonnaroo to Governors Ball -- can feel almost like tent revivals, as each song builds to a climax and her booming vibrato cuts through all the noise.
Florence Welch: The Billb...over Shoot This is exactly what Welch was doing on April 12, the night she gave yet another part of herself to her live show: her metatarsal bone. She broke her foot opening for Drake on the main stage during day three of Coachella, while the sun was setting. Welch, who lives in London, tells the story a few weeks later, early one Thursday morning in a sunny corner of Balthazar restaurant in Manhattan. (After breakfast, she has to run -- or rather, hobble -- off to rehearse for Saturday Night Live, where her band will be the musical guest that weekend.)
THIS COVER STORY FIRST APPEARED IN BILLBOARD MAGAZINE
 At Coachella, Welch felt too far removed from the crowd, so as the band pounded out “Dog Days Are Over” (an early hit and still its biggest in America, reaching No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100), she yelled at the throng, “Take off your clothes!” She laughs, gesturing wildly with hands covered in turquoise rings. “There were naked girls -- I was like, ‘If they’re doing it, I have to do it too.’ ” She stripped down to a delicate white bra and flared white pants. “I realized no one else in the band has taken their shirts off. It’s just me up here. I needed to get down with the other naked people. So I jumped pretty fast and hard, and as I landed I just went, ‘Ahhhh!’ I just knew -- I heard the crunch. But out of fear and adrenaline, with clothes flying everywhere, I kept running around, and then finally collapsed on the floor. And it looked like a big rock’n’roll fall for dramatic effect, but the truth is I just couldn’t walk anymore. I crawled off the stage the wrong way. And there I was, crumpled behind a speaker, hugging my shirt, needing to be carried away.” Peering up through her shaggy bangs, Welch adds: “And I wasn’t even drunk.” The Coachella performance was only Welch’s third show back after a year off from touring, and in a way, she thinks snapping the bone may be the best thing that could have happened to her. On June 2 the band will release its third album,How Big How Blue How Beautiful, and Welch will be on the road for the summer and likely beyond. The injury reminds her that her last touring excursion -- almost four years of endless, alcohol-fueled gigs -- nearly ended in a breakdown. “I used to drink before every performance,” she says. “I’m quite shy, really -- that’s probably why I used to drink a lot. But I don’t anymore. When I finally took time off to make this new record, I had time to strengthen. And when I was coming back into the fray, I really didn’t want to lose that. I thought I could go dive-bomb back into it, but look what happened. I dived into it and literally broke myself.” Florence + the Machine Sh...um Details It’s partly her live performances that have made Welch a favorite among other artists -- Beyoncé, Usher and Ellie Goulding are all fans. (“There’s no one quite as fearless onstage as Florence,” says English singer Jessie Ware. “She is a dream to watch.”) Her daring, graceful fashion sense hasn’t hurt, either. Taylor Swift, a friend whom Welch says she visits at home whenever she passes through New York, sees Welch as a total package. “What sets Florence apart? Everything,” Swift tells Billboard. “Every time I’ve been around her, she is the most magnetic person in the room -- surrounded by people who are fascinated by the idea of being near her. But when she meets people, she pays them a warm compliment and immediately disarms them. There are very few people I’ve met in my life who are truly electric, and Florence is one of them.”
In the United States, Florence & The Machine’s 2009 debut album, Lungs, reached No. 14 on the Billboard 200, selling 1.3 million copies (according to Nielsen Music); its 2011 follow-up, Ceremonials, went to No. 6 and moved 1 million. But the band has yet to score a top 10 Hot 100 hit. If you hear Welch on American radio, it is likely her singing on the Calvin Harris song “Sweet Nothing,” which peaked at No. 10. Florence + The Machine To...lur Debuts Welch demurs when asked about the commercial pressure surrounding the new album. (Says Jim Roppo, executive vp marketing and commerce for Welch’s label, Republic Records: “We’re aiming for a No. 1 album.”) “I try not to think about it,” she says. “I’m a strange kind of ambitious, because I never cared about having a No. 1 single.” Shows have been the focus. “I remember being 20 at the Glastonbury festival. And I had been invited to come and play the Sunday Tea Tent, and I was in my anorak and I had no Wellies, and it was one of the muddiest Glastonburys of all time. I remember looking at the Pyramid Stage and thinking, ‘I wish I could perform there just one time.’ ” And in fact, Welch will play the Pyramid this June, as one of her first sets after her foot is healed. “It’s hard to imagine that you think about something you’d like to have happen in your life and it happens,” says Welch. “For a pessimistic British person that’s very hard to deal with. Whereas in L.A.,” she continues, referring to the city she retreated to while she was off the road, “they would say, ‘You’re manifesting.’ But I obviously wasn’t there long enough to feel I deserve any of this.” Welch honed her voice singing in her small bedroom in Camberwell, London. Her father, a British advertising executive, and her mother, a Renaissance Studies professor from Boston who moved to England in 1981 and still lives in London, divorced when Welch was 11. When her mother began dating another man, Welch and her two sisters moved in with him and his children down the street. Her maternal grandmother, who suffered from bipolar disorder, committed suicide when Welch was 13. Welch responded to all this upheaval by retreating back into herself, inventing fantasy worlds and warbling in her room. She also suffered from dyslexia and anxiety, and poured her frustrations into songs. Florence and The Machine ...lla Return At 18, Welch began writing music with her younger sister’s babysitter, Isabella Summers, who is six years older and remains Welch’s co-writer, keyboardist and best friend. They called themselves Florence Robot/Isa Machine before settling on Florence & The Machine, and recruiting the current core of the band (guitarist Robert Ackroyd, drummer Chris Hayden, bassist Mark Saunders and harpist Tom Monger). Welch dropped out of college to pursue music full time, playing London’s bars and clubs, and convinced her now-manager, a London DJ named Mairead Nash, to book her for a big industry Christmas party after she tipsily sang Nash a few bars of an Etta James ballad in a nightclub bathroom. After getting signed in 2008, Welch went to South by Southwest to play showcases and met MGMT, who brought Florence & The Machine on tour as an opening act and helped kick off the band’s first major run of shows. In the run-up to releasing its debut, Welch dyed her hair a fiery red (she’s naturally a brunette) and began to experiment with glamorous costumes. The band made its first big splash stateside performing “Dog Days Are Over” at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2010; in 2011, Welch joined such stars as Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Hudson for Aretha Franklin’s Grammy tribute. “She’s one of the few amazing musicians who has a strong eccentric streak,” says producer Markus Dravs, who worked with Welch on How Big How Blue How Beautiful. “I would put her next to Stevie Nicks, Bjork, Kate Bush. What struck me over the years is the commitment and conviction that she has in her art. It goes beyond the songwriting into her visuals.”
Welch admits that a lot of her early costuming and theatrical flair was a sort of defense mechanism. “I did my first press shot when I was 20, and it was the first time I ever saw myself in a newspaper,” she recalls. “I was in shorts, with a goofy grin, and I was terrified. I saw that and was like, ‘No way.’ It was too raw, too exposing to be that real. And so over time, I found ways to protect myself: The hair went bright red, my eyebrows went bleached off, my clothes were completely black and goth. I had a Siouxsie Sioux phase -- I looked like a kind of bat. I was always climbing the rigging, always super drunk, yelling and crowd surfing. It was my way of dealing with all the attention.”
Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at The Empire Polo Club on April 12, 2015 in Indio, California.Chelsea Lauren/WireImage
Welch’s striking image caught the eye of fashion designers. She performed at a Chanel runway show in 2011 and even served as a muse to Mulberry -- models wore red wigs for a Welch-inspired show (also in 2011). She was devastated to miss the Met Gala in May due to her foot -- she had planned to wear a “gorgeous red lace dress from [Alexander] McQueen.” (The heavy boot she has to wear while healing, though, “kind of looks like a Birkenstock. So at least it’s chic.”) But Welch increasingly feels like “there’s something about me that’s more feral and unhinged than a gown. I love gowns, I love dressing up -- but there’s something about a cape or a gown that almost dictates how you will move and stand, and you feel like you have to live up to the dress.” And on How Big How Blue How Beautiful, she wanted to dig deeper. “This new album comes from a quieter place, one that is less grand and more vulnerable, and it wouldn’t feel right to try to put up walls again,” says Welch. “Although I love all that fashion stuff, it is also a way of guarding myself. I decided f--- it, it was time to let it all go.”
For Welch, the break from touring in 2014 was “supposed to be when I rested and had a lovely time” writing the band’s third album. She decamped to Los Angeles with Summers. “We lived in a crazy doll’s house on a mountainside,” she says. “L.A. was all big blue skies, driving and listening to Neil Young. I got fully into L.A., the way I go full throttle with everything.” But the downtime left her at a loss. “I had kind of a breakdown and washed up a bit of a mess to the studio. I had just wore myself out. “Without the structure of touring, you have to face your own chaos,” says Welch. “I was playing gigs nonstop since I was 21. When I was left to my own devices, I realized I was f---ing everything up. I was in and out of a relationship, in and out of drinking too much. It was like constantly picking yourself up and then dropping yourself, picking yourself up and dropping yourself. And that was exhausting.”
Florence & The Machine’s ethereal last album, Ceremonials, referenced mythology and Virginia Woolf. With this record, Welch was finally ready to tackle her personal life. She says Swift made her more comfortable putting her own experiences into song: “Taylor said that you must sing about what’s happening in your life.” (Says Swift: “She’s the most fun person to dance with at a party, but then five minutes later you find yourself sitting on the stairs with her having an in-depth conversation about love and heartbreak.”) “It’s definitely not about trying to be vindictive,” says Welch. “It’s about being honest. This could’ve been a breakup record,” she adds, presumably referring to her longtime off-and-on relationship with well-connected British event producer James Nesbitt, which was closely followed by the U.K. tabloids. “But it was much more about trying to understand myself.” You can hear Welch honing in on this pain in the crackling recent single “What Kind of Man.” Its video shows her naked and dripping on a bathroom floor, crawling out of a crashed car and being tossed around a dingy hotel room by a surly group of men. “For that video, we were thinking about ideas of purgatory and Dante’s Inferno,” she says. “Because I was in this purgatory with this man. That push and pull thing where you are just stuck and you’re like, ‘Why do we keep doing this to each other?’ ” Welch shakes her fists, causing her jewelry to clatter. “It’s an aggressive song, but I can see my own part in the whole process. I was just as crazy as he was. People think the men in the video represent my ex-boyfriends, but they really represent a lot of different forces that weren’t working for me.” As Welch gathers her things up to head to the SNL rehearsal -- she says she really wants to stand for the performance; ultimately she sat on a stool, seemingly fighting the urge to leap up -- she reflects again on her bum appendage as a metaphor: for her new rawness, her need to connect to an even wider audience on a yet more intimate level. “I don’t know why the foot break happened,” she says. “But it forced me in a way to slow down and have the same person who wrote this record to show up and sing those songs.” . 'Straight Outta Compton' Writer to Pen George Jones BiopicBy Tatiana Siegel, The Hollywood Reporter | May 14, 2015 4:00 AM EDT  The film, which will be produced by L.A.-based production and finance company 28 Entertainment, follows the Country Music Hall of Famer's rise in the 1950s through the 1970s, chronicling his struggles with alcohol and substance abuse, his turbulent seven-year marriage to singer Tammy Wynette and his marriage to Nancy Jones, who he credited with saving him from his demons. George Jones Honored by F...fied Soul' Wenkus, who worked closely with the George Jones Estate, is finalizing the script after doing extensive research, conducting dozens of interviews and collaborating with Jones' widow, Nancy Jones, who is executive producing the film. 28 Entertainment’s Brian A. Hoffman along with the original writer, Dennis Baxter, are producing the project alongside Wenkus. The producers -- who spent time with the country star in his later years (he died in 2013 at the age of 81) -- are introducing the project at the Cannes film market and are looking to attach talent shortly. . Wenkus did similarly exhaustive research while writing the long-gestating Straight Outta Compton, which will by released by Universal on Aug. 14. George Jones Biopic on the Horizon Known as "No-Show Jones" and "The Possum," Jones was best-known for sorrowful ballads like "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and "She Thinks I Still Care." But he also spawned such fun hits as "White Lightning” and "The Race Is On.” George Jones Was King of ...try Charts Jones was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992, named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2008 and received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2012. This article originally appeared in THR.com. . Elvis Presley, Tina Tuner & More Southern Legends Take Shape on Americana Music TriangleBy Chuck Dauphin, Nashville | May 12, 2015 6:43 PM EDT  Tony Scarlati
Every afternoon at 12:15 p.m., "Sunshine" Sonny Payne signs onto his legendary radio show, King Biscuit Time, the same way he has since 1951. Listeners around the world tune in to hear the legendary blues sounds that originate from the Delta Cultural Center on KFFA-AM in Helena, Arkansas.
Instead of asking about the artists Rick Hall has worked with in Muscle Shoals, you might be better served to ask him who he hasn't spent time with in a studio. He has helped to steer the sound of artists such as Mac Davis, Aretha Franklinand Clarence Carter. Fans of the legendary Tina Turner might be surprised to know "Nutbush City Limits" is very much a real place -- although the building the future R&B queen went to school in is now located in nearby Brownsville, Tennessee -- as part of a Tina Turner Museum. Those historic places and people -- as well as areas that played pivotal roles in the lives and careers of such artists as Elvis Presley, Robert Johnson, Conway Twitty and Patsy Cline -- are a part of the Americana Music Triangle, a multi-state initiative that is designed to bring people from around the world to discover the history of so many musical genres.
Last week, members of the initiative toured the entire area, going from Franklin, Tennessee, all the way down to Lafayette, Louisiana, and back up through the Delta before wrapping up in Middle Tennessee. According to Aubrey Preston, the founder of the Triangle, the trip has been an educational experience -- especially for him. "The more you learn, the more you realize there is to learn. It's kind of a never ending story. I think that's why it's so exciting. You can take the Triangle the whole 1,500 miles, start over, and you would have a totally different experience. We've been talking in these cities and towns, and everyone has been very enthusiastic. Everywhere we stop, someone will come up and give me another piece of history I didn't know." The Americana Music Triangle is designed to not only tell the stories of artists ranging from Muddy Waters to Tammy Wynette, but also to allow the various cities along the 1,500 miles of the Triangle a chance to work together -- to make it a sought-after tourist destination. After all, Preston told Billboard that nothing unites people of all cultures like music. "We're talking about making an impact on some real issues -- politics, economic development for areas that are out of answers and desperate for them. It's fun to be a part of something that is really a win-win. We're also creating a platform for education. There's no platform that takes American music history and simplifies it like this. We've been having some really good conversations with the Berklee College of Music and their faculty. They come to the Triangle regularly. We hosted them at Studio A this year, and they've been coming to the Delta, and it's becoming more and more a part of music education." Preston -- who was the integral piece of the puzzle in keeping Nashville's Studio A alive -- says it's been rewarding for him to see how each town on the Triangle is eager to do their part. "The areas along the Mississippi have had a tremendous era of boom or bust. There's been a history of high highs or low lows. When people have that many years of bad times, they tend to lose their hope. When you've had that many years of a downturn, I think it's hard on a region. We're seeing music renew the spirit in a lot of these areas where they have lost their factories and so many other things. There's a real glimmer of light with international tourism. It will take a while to build up to be a substantial economic factor, but it is making a big difference," he says. Government leaders were all along the route with Tennessee's chief executive, Bill Haslam, and his Mississippi counterpart, Phil Bryant, attending the stops in their state. Bryant said during a stop in Tupelo that music has long been a source of inspiration in his state. "Back in the 1960s, there wasn't a lot for Mississippi to be proud of. But we had Elvis Presley. He was born here and was one of ours. It's that reflection on what an impact he still has almost 40 years after his death. On and on it goes -- Marty Stuart, Tammy Wynette, Dorothy Moore -- what a great blues singer she is. We look at this as just a beginning. Every home in Mississippi probably has a guitar or a piano in it. Somebody in there is singing -- either at the church on Sunday morning or the honky tonk on Saturday night. It's part of our DNA. It's a part of our way of life." Events throughout the region will be promoted on the Triangle's website,AmericanaMusicTriangle.com, which Preston said is a useful tool to make potential tourists aware of the rich musical legacy. "We believe the market can be so much bigger if we can present the music in a way that is intuitive and makes for easy access to people who just love music. You have to make things accessible at a reasonable level to get people interested, and we're very confident that if we can get people to give this area a chance, they won't stop for the rest of their lives." Jed Hilly, executive director of the Americana Music Association, applauded Preston and the organization for uniting not only so many towns in the Triangle, but also music forms along the way. "I think the thing that has messed up the music business -- especially in the past decade -- is that we have tried to subdivide it into 99 different categories," Hilly said. "The truth is, that's not how people listen to music. They love it -- not because it's country or pop, electronic or rock, they love it because it touches their soul." . NEWS/2015 Billboard Music Awards: 5 Things You Need to Know Before Tonight's Big ShowMusic's biggest party is hitting Vegas tonight! That's right, the 2015 Billboard Music Awards are here and your favorite singers are coming together to rock n' roll at the MGM Grand Arena. Hosted by Ludacris and Chrissy Teigen, the three-hour event will feature a wide variety of performances from artists including Fifth Harmony, Nick Jonas, Mariah Carey and Ed Sheeran. Plus, some stars may just walk away with a few pretty impressive trophies. For the record, Taylor Swift and Sam Smith lead the way with the most nominations. If you need a quick preview of tonight's big telecast, you're in luck! Take a look at five moments sure to get people talking in just a few short hours. CLICK: All the details on E!'s Live From the Red Carpet telecast  Instagram1. T. Swift's Big Reveal: After much anticipation, the most star-studded music video we've ever seen will finally premiere both on TV and online. Titled "Bad Blood," the work of art features familiar faces (and BFFs) including Gigi Hadid,Mariska Hargitay, Ellen Pompeo and many others. Plan accordingly; the video kicks off the show right at 8 p.m.  Getty Images2. One Less Direction: In one of the first appearances since Zayn Malik's departure, One Direction is slated to present a big award at tonight's show. And while some Directioners may be excited to see the group's new red carpet poses with just four people, we're intrigued by the reported seating chart that shows the band sitting right behind the Kardashians.  Twitter3. Moving It Along: Teigen and Ludacris will help spread the pop culture love as the designated hosts of the evening. While John Legend can't wait to see his "beautiful" wife do her thing, the supermodel is a little more nervous. "No joke," she tweeted in between rehearsals. "I am scared shitless for Sunday." Oh this should be good! PHOTOS: 2014 Billboard Music Awards red carpet arrivals  Universal Pictures4. Breakfast of Champions: It's hard to believe that 2015 marks 30 years since The Breakfast Club first hit theatres. But in honor of the milestone, Molly Ringwald will help introduce Simple Minds to perform their iconic song "Don't You (Forget About Me)." The nostalgia is real, friends!  Shazam5. Collaborations: It wouldn't be an awards show without some epic artists coming together to create fresh new sounds and performances. Britney Spears will perform "Pretty Girls" for the first time live with Iggy Azalea. Little Big Town will collaborate with Faith Hill while Legend is set to sing alongside Meghan Trainor. The 2015 Billboard Music Awards air Sunday night at 8 p.m. only on ABC.
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