Music Biz Headlines, April 15, 2019

By Kerry Doole

Teenage Head re-release makes Stephen Mahon reflective, as the band keeps rocking

"I was celebrating minor hero status as I had convinced the student council and successfully closed the deal to acquire the in-demand act. But there was one big problem: The band wouldn’t play until they got their beer." – Peter Freer, Toronto Star

Carly Rae Jepsen destroys her kitchen in homage to famed anti-drug PSA: ‘Any Questions?’

On Friday the B.C.-born singer shared a video on Twitter in which she delivers a shot-for-shot remake of the PSA to promote her recently released song “No Drug Like Me.” – Brent Furdyk, ET Canada

Concert review: Michael Bublé moons and croons for hometown crowd in Vancouver

He returned to Rogers Arena for the first tour stop in years and loved every minute of it. He prowled and preened all around the runways and stairs of the catwalk extending from the glittering four-tiered bandstand, smiling wide. – Stuart Derdeyn, Vancouver Sun

Back with a new album and on stage, Gino Vannelli doesn't wanna stop

The Montreal icon, set for two performances at Place des Arts, discusses his roots and lifelong musical and spiritual journey. – Ian McGillis, Montreal Gazette

Let’s take a close look at the Ontario Government’s new plans for regulating the sales of event tickets.

Governments all over the world have it out for bots, scalpers, and ticket resellers. In the last week, two provinces, BC and Ontario, have just come out with proposed legislation they claim will protect consumers. Let’s check what Ontario is thinking. Allan Cross, Journal Of Musical Things

Unknown Vlogs: Drake breaks down his outfit worth close to $1 million

While on tour in London, UK, Drake and the OVO team caught up with YouTuber The Unknown Vlogs backstage at the O2. The clip features various members of the OVO team-even Drake-showing off their gear and accessories. Here’s the breakdown of Drake’s super-expensive outfit. – HipHop Canada

Canadian record labels on the art of the reissue

From Italo disco to spiritual jazz to meditative soundscapes, hidden gem artists are finding new audiences – and sometimes returning to the stage. – Max Mertens, NOW 

It took a special school and a special family to make Angel Blue an opera star

Angel Blue, the young American soprano making her Toronto debut as Mimi in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of La Bohème on April 17, fits right in with the artsy-bohemian opera set in a Parisian garret. – John Terauds Toronto Star

Broken Social Scenester picks out some Canadian classics

Here's Brendan Canning with his list of Canadian faves- the real underground sound, the lineage that leads directly for those first Broken Social Scene records. – Clash

Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason delighted by his ‘sort of throwback’ band bound for Toronto

Waiting for that Pink Floyd 55th anniversary reunion? Don’t hold your breath — founding drummer and percussionist Nick Mason isn’t. “Part of that is the reason for putting together the Saucerful of Secrets project. I eventually got tired waiting for the phone to ring.”  – Nick Krewen, Toronto Star

International

Drake review: a nice guy with a lot of stamina

Dazzling visuals have no story to tell in a disjointed set at the O2 in London with killer hits – and money – to burn. – Dorian Lynskey, The Observer

An iHeartMedia IPO could show the future of music radio

iHeart has been in bankruptcy for the last year and has managed to cut its massive debt of $21 billion down by about a third. The proceeds from an IPO would go a long way to trimming that down even further and allow the company to exit bankruptcy later in the year. – Bobby Owsinski,  Forbes

Robin Thicke on his next chapter and why 'regret is boring' after 'Blurred Lines' 

Six years after “Blurred Lines,” it’s unclear what damage, if any, his personal tribulations have done to Thicke’s career.  – Rob Tannenbaum, Billboard

John Fogerty is working again with former Creedence members

One of the longest fights in rock history may have come to an end. After almost 50 years since John Fogerty left Creedence Clearwater Revival, the musician apparently returned to talk to his former bandmates. – Rafael Polcaro, RocknRoll Garage

Rock is getting old and no one ever, ever retires. And it's our fault

If there's anything that sums of the perilous state of affairs on the nostalgia circuit, it's the Rolling Stones pulling out of the New Orleans Jazz Festival due to illness, and their replacements Fleetwood Mac pulling out for the same reason.   It's our fault. Every time a band tours, we get a diminished version of the previous experience, and we still pay up. – James Cleveland, Louder Sound

Here's a tax loophole just for songwriters

Most of us songwriters have no idea that there’s a special tax loophole created just for us. For some artists, this change cuts our taxes right in half. In 2006, Congress lowered the tax rate for songwriters who sell a part of their catalogs. It did this by reclassifying income from the sale of a catalog as “capital gains” instead of “ordinary income.” – Music Think Tank

The Weirdo’s Guide to Bruce Hornsby, reigning king of soft rock strangeness

If you think of Bruce Hornsby only as a mulleted late-‘80s smooth-rock lifer, making music somewhere off the coast of Sting’s solo career, then you haven’t been paying enough attention. – Spin

The history of neo-soul told through eight iconic artists

A journey through a genre that changed the world forever. Artists include D'Angelo and Erykah Badu. – Tarnay Sass, The Beat

Mac DeMarco and the artistic slouch: has slack rock come to an end?

When women have to put in twice the work to get half the recognition, the alt-rock archetype loses its appeal. – Leonie Cooper, The Guardian

Five things to know about BTS as K-pop sensation makes ‘Saturday Night Live’ debut

BTS — the wildly popular, recording-setting Korean-pop group ― made its “SNL” debut as the musical guest on Saturday’s show, causing mass excitement for fans all over. Here are some key things to know about the international superstars. – Peter Sblendorio, NY Daily News

40 years ago, Milton Berle was banned from Saturday Night Live 

A  reference to many jokes for Friars Club roasts about Berle's famously large penis was all the comic needed to stand up and open up his robe. UCR