Music Biz Headlines, April 28, 2022

By Kerry Doole

Michael Barclay’s new book shines a light on six seminal years in Canadian music

“Hearts on Fire” is a love letter to a time when acts like Arcade Fire, Joel Plaskett, Caribou, Metric, Kardinal Offishall and more were gaining the world’s attention. – David McPherson, Toronto Star

Arcade Fire’s comeback album WE is the group’s best yet

Effort has never been a problem with Win Butler, the American-made mastermind of the Montreal rock giants. He’s a toiler, a galvanizer, an all-giver, a tryer, a rock-opera maker. Arcade Fire albums are forged by deep passions and steeped in compelling messages and dire societal concerns. Butler doesn’t know ditties – he writes sermons and calls to arms. With his band, he’s on the comeback trail. On May 6, Arcade Fire releases WE, their first album in five years. – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail

Juno-nominated Allison Russell on learning to love Montreal again through memoir

Allison Russell says she hopes the process of writing a memoir about her abusive upbringing in Montreal will help reclaim a piece of herself she lost along the way. The Nashville-based folk singer-songwriter is in the midst of scouring old journals and photographs to jog her memory of a time she’d rather forget. – David Friend, CP

The Weeknd’s HBO drama series ‘The Idol’ to undergo significant reshoots

“The Idol” is being reworked with changes to its cast and crew, Variety has learned. According to sources, production was already completed on multiple episodes of the six-episode series, which will now be redone due to a change in creative direction. – Selome Hailu Variety

Sunday with Michael Bublé: ‘I have a disgusting kale and spinach smoothie’

The singer describes his Sunday spent going to church, munching dim sum and screaming at the NFL on TV. – Rachel Corcoran, The Observer

Hamilton electronic duo Allegories releases new album April 29

Followup album ‘Endless’ was 14 years in the making. – Graham Rockingham, Hamilton Spectator

Data shows Mississauga is Canada’s new hotspot for music creators

Musicians in certain Mississauga neighbourhoods are the most active in all of Canada when it comes to creating new songs. – Steve Pecar, InSauga

History of ‘La Traviata’ tells us audiences care as much about how operas look as how they sound

The Verdi opera, which the Canadian Opera Company opened on April 23, had a disastrous 1853 premiere in Venice. – William Littler, Toronto Star

Megan Thee Stallion talks about alleged shooting incident involving Canadian rapper Tory Lanez

Megan Thee Stallion talked about the 2020 incident in which Tory Lanez allegedly shot her on “CBS Mornings” Monday. The incident, in which Megan has claimed publicly that Lanez shot her in the feet after an argument following a party in July of 2020, has never been fully explained; the court case is ongoing. Megan has slowly revealed details on social media and in interviews; Lanez has vaguely denied it in statements and in several songs. – Jem Aswad, Variety

Hamilton-native rock band Dirty Nil nails it on way to Junos

It looks like a promising 2022 for The Dirty Nil. The Hamilton rock band performed at the sold out Bridgeworks over the Easter weekend and shook the building. On May 15, they will be hitting the Juno Awards red carpet in Toronto, with a promise to make a splash there, too. – Beatriz Baleeiro, The Hamilton Spectator

10 Vancouver concerts to keep you rockin' in 2022

One of the most anticipated Vancouver rock concerts of 2022--the Foo Fighters show set for October 6 at Rogers Arena--was canceled in the wake of drummer Taylor Hawkins's tragic death last month. But there are still a whole lot of other primo gigs coming up this year to keep live-music fans happy. – Steve Newton Georgia Straight

SAULT returns with an astounding new sound, plus 8 more songs you need to hear

Plus, Toronto’s Daniel Caesar teams up with jazz group BADBADNOTGOOD and Kurt Vile covers Bruce Springsteen. –Toronto Star

Depending on one's view, Victoria Anthony is either a saint or she ruins everything in "Kinda Into You"

Depending on where you stand—eight wheels optional—Victoria Anthony has just done Vancouver a huge favour, or she’s ruined things for everyone who loves Roller Boogie starring Linda Blair, and owns not just one but two pairs of Moxi Lolly Roller Skates (one clementine orange, and one pineapple yellow) The West Coast teenager’s new video for “Kinda Into You” is set in a roller rink. – Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight

To commemorate Toronto’s rich music history, Andrew Smith builds miniature versions of the city’s late, great venues

“I like celebrating the small venues. They are the bottom rung on the entertainment ladder.” – Briony Smith, Toronto Star

N.B. Youth Orchestra posts masterful clapback to car ad that rubbed them the wrong way

Infiniti commercial depicts parent drowning out sound of daughter's youth orchestra from inside SUV. – Aidan Cox, CBC News

International

Roblox Global Head of Music to step down

Jonathan Vlassopulos, the Global Head of Music at gaming platform Roblox is leaving his role at the company at the end of April. Vlassopulos says that he will stay on as an advisor at the platform after he leaves however, in order “to help Roblox continue to execute on their music strategy”. The exec posted that his current role at the gaming and metaverse platform his “dream job”, adding, however, that “the time has come to embark on my next adventure”.  – Murray Stassen, MBW

AI music-creation platform Soundful raises $3.8M from Universal Music Group, Beatport, Disney, and others

The music cassette tape revival is in full rewind mode

Though the overall numbers are quite low compared with their 1989 peak, sales of music cassettes in the United States have seen double-digit increases in recent years. In 1983, cassettes overtook vinyl as the most popular music format, according to the RIAA. Handier and more portable than vinyl, tapes could be played while driving or, with a Sony Walkman, walking, and people could record music on them too. By the end of the decade, global annual sales hit 83M. – Brad Wheeler, The Globe and Mail

'It's vital music is at the heart of education': Campaigners' warning on recording industry

A devastating report has found the number of A-level students has halved in the past decade and some schools have less than £1 a year per pupil to spend on music provision. UK Music chief executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin said. – Daily Express

Bob Dylan has re-recorded classic tracks with T Bone Burnett to introduce new analog disc technology

Producer T Bone Burnett has long promised the development of a new analog format that he promised would improve on both vinyl and CDs, as well as digital streaming and any other existing recorded music medium. Now comes news that he has been in the studio with Bob Dylan, re-recording some of the legendary singer-songwriter’s classic songs with the purpose of introducing the new ultra-high-fidelity medium.– Chris Willman, Variety

Cynthia Plaster Caster, artist famed for plaster casting musicians’ phalluses, dies at 74

Cynthia Albritton cast the erect penises of rockers like Jimi Hendrix, the Buzzcocks’ Pete Shelley, and Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra. – Madison Bloom, Pitchfork

Bonnie Raitt still giving them something to talk about: ‘I will speak my mind’

Last month, at the Billboard Women In Music gala in Inglewood, Calif., Bonnie Raitt dedicated a quiet, dignified performance of John Prine’s Angel From Montgomery to the women of Ukraine. Speaking truth to power is nothing new for the 72-year-old Raitt, who just released a new album, Just Like That …, her first since 2016′s Dig in Deep. – Brad Wheeler, The Globe and Mail

Logic calls out Def Jam for 'fucking up' his releases.

Logic is putting Def Jam Recordings on blast for the way they’re handling his music releases. The Maryland rapper took to social media on April 20 to call out the label, but made sure to point out his comments weren’t aimed at the company’s CEO.  – HipHopDX News

The Who launched their The Who Hits Back! North American tour in Hollywood, Florida

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend were once again joined by a full-scale orchestra for two of the 24-song set's three distinct sections. See the full set list here. – Ultimate Classic Rock

Video undercuts DaBaby's self-defense claim in 2018 killing

The controversial rapper shot and killed Jaylin Craig in a Walmart. DaBaby swears he acted in self-defense, but never-before-seen footage raises doubts about his story. – Rolling Stone

The B-52’s announce farewell tour

The beloved Georgia band has a run of U.S. dates between August and November. – Allison Hussey, Pitchfork

Former Tubes singer Re Styles died at the age of 72 on Apr. 17

Born Shirley Macleod in the Netherlands in 1950, she was a model who’d appeared in Playboy and Penthouse by the time she met Tubes drummer Prairie Prince in the mid ‘70s. The pair developed a relationship and Styles became the band’s costume designer before becoming part of the stage act then taking on vocal duties. She’s best known for performing the female lead in the hit Prime Time from 1979 album Remote Control. – Ultimate Classic Rock