Music Biz Headlines, April 30, 2018
Abba readies new songs, art orgs urged to be harassment-free, and Donovan Woods dazzles. Also in the headlines today are Sc Mira, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Continental Baths, Rich Aucoin, Derek Smalls Niia, politically incorrect classics, Fools Tongue, SJO, and Linton Kwesi Johnson.
By Kerry Doole
Canadian officials say arts orgs must be harassment-free to get funding
The Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts have requested that arts organizations that apply for funding have a no tolerance policy on harassment in place – Karen Bliss, Billboard
Abba announce first new songs for 35 years
The Swedish four-piece takes to Instagram to chat-up two new tracks that will form part of an ‘avatar tour project’ – Alex Needham, The Guardian
Donovan Woods's Danforth show was like a heartfelt hug
The Sarnia-born folk musician's stellar set provided some comfort to Torontonians reeling from the van attack – Rachna Kaur, NOW
Deadly pop from Sc Mira
The Winnipeg indie rock band releases the Drug Warm Coma album. – Erin Lebar, Winnipeg Free Press
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever making a big long name for themselves Down Under
Melbourne serves up another winner with this guitar-driven quintet playing the Garrison on May 8 – Ben Rayner, Toronto Star
Sex, disco and fish on acid: how Continental Baths became the world's most influential gay club
Mick Jagger, Andy Warhol and Alfred Hitchcock all frequented the decadent New York bathhouse – as did the police who constantly raided it – Sam Davies, The Guardian
Rich Aucoin bike blog #3: Gallup to Tucumcari, NM
"We no longer have a monoculture. The viral videos of late-aughts were the last vestiges of ubiquitous shared experience" – Rich Aucoin, The Coast
The Last Word: Spinal Tap's Derek Smalls on avoiding impotence and what Napoleon taught him
With his first solo album, 'Smalls Change,' out now, the fictional bassist reflects on his life journey so far – Kory Grow, Rolling Stone
Niia took her time to find her own voice
It took the celebrated singer several years to get used to the idea that music could be a way of connecting with other people – Kate Wilson, Georgia Straight
Politically incorrect songs that'd be wildly controversial today
Unsurprisingly, the list of 20 includes Stones classic "Brown Sugar" – USA Today
Linton Kwesi Johnson: ‘It was a myth that immigrants didn’t want to fit into British society. We weren’t allowed’
As the Jamaican-born dub poet reflects on decades of race relations in the UK, from the Brixton riots to Windrush, he says young black men carry knives out of fear, and questions how much progress we have made since his time as a teenage Black Panther – Decca Aitkenhead, The Guardian
Thinking person's rock band Fool's Tongue continues to evolve
If Sky is Fools Tongue's more concerted effort at a contemporary spin on rock trends, it's still a thinking person's rock unit – Roger Levesque, Edmonton Journal
The Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra Getz its man
Stanley Gayetski, as he was known to his parents, was born in 1927 in Philadelphia. He was a straight-A student but took an instant liking to the sax at 13 and dropped out of school at one point. The SJO pays tribute to the jazz great – Cam Fuller, Saskatoon Star-Phoenix
