Music Biz Headlines, Feb. 14, 2018

By Kerry Doole

Robert Plant has a sensational new band, so why would he get Led Zeppelin back together?

At 69, the one-time rock howler has no interest in living in the past: ‘I want to be able to do stuff I won’t tire from’  –  Ben Rayner, Toronto Star

Lady Bird, Dave Matthews Band and the films that give corny songs new life

Greta Gerwig’s penchant for 90s soft rock got OUR writers thinking about other cheesy numbers revived in cinema, from Sweet Caroline to Rhythm of the Night  –  The Guardian

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: Why rock stars are suddenly retiring

From Elton John to Paul Simon and Neil Diamond, a generation of elders searches for a new way to say goodbye –  Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone

Keys N Krates are warmer and more soulful than their contemporaries on Cura

On their debut album, the Toronto trio channel retro influences into a modern and cohesive mix of hip-hop and electronic production  – Max Mertens, NOW

Chevy Chase digs Bill Evans

The comedy legend reminisces about his friendship with the jazz great  –  Jazz Times

The singing professor uses music to educate gold miners about mercury

UBC prof Marcello Veiga heads to Colombia where he will be singing to about 600 miners in 11 states about the dangers of using highly toxic mercury in extracting gold –   Kevin Griffin, Vancouver Sun

Mary Timony had to relearn her Helium songs to play them on tour

As the indie and grunge rockers of the 1980s and ’90s approach late middle age, hatchet-buryings and band reunions are becoming almost an everyday occurrence. But what happens when aging songwriters revisit their younger selves? –  Alex Varty, Georgia Straight

Three women explore riches of the Folkways song archive

Rachel Eddy, Rachel Ries, and Edmontonian Dana Wylie bring folk favourites to life  –  Roger Levesque, Edmonton Journal

Jóhann Jóhannsson: the late Icelandic composer who made loss sublime

Best known for his film scores, Jóhannsson’s earlier electronic and classical work confronted existential horror –  Joe Muggs, The Guardian

Disappearing act: As the vinyl industry resurges, used records are vanishing under the weight of new reprints

Nielsen, or any sales tracker for that matter, has no reports of the secondhand record sales taking place, but anecdotal evidence suggests it is on the decline –  Imad Pasha, dailycal.org