Music Biz Headlines, Jan. 19, 2018
Alex Lifeson is enjoying life after Rush, and Drake's Raptor ties are boosting basketball in Toronto. Others in the headlines include Dolores O'Riordan, Cadence Weapon, Spice World, Prince, Richard Lloyd, Dolly Parton, K.Flay, and teen social media stars.
By Kerry Doole
How the end of Rush let Alex Lifeson be 'as creative as I want to be'
The guitarist and charter member of the legendary Canadian prog-rock trio says he's been 'busier lately than I have been in a while' since the band stopped touring and recording – Brad Wheeler, The Globe and Mail
Drake, Raptors to debut new court, help fund local basketball with ‘Welcome Toronto’ program
Six Welcome Toronto-themed home games this season will see a new black and gold court and the Raptors wearing their OVO uniforms– Doug Smith, Toronto Star
Dolores O'Riordan: anguished star whose voice lingers on
The Cranberries’ singer faced down tremendous darkness, but her vocal lines could still have the lightest of touches – Alexis Petridis, The Guardian
Too much music: A failed experiment in dedicated listening
"I've begun to feel that my rabid consumption of music, when coupled with the unprecedented access encouraged by new technology, has endangered my ability to process it critically" – James Toth, npr.org
How moving to Toronto helped Cadence Weapon level up
About to release his most accessible album yet, the Edmonton-born rapper feels like he's finally getting where he's needed to go – Jordan Sowunmi, NOW
Spice Girls: 20 years later, many things have changed — except the need for girl power
This month marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the movie Spice World. On Jan. 22, Cineplex is reprising it in theatres across Canada – Dana Gee, Vancouver Sun
Positive ideas about migration take flight in Tafelmusik’s Safe Haven
The latest multimedia presentation by Alison Mackay is about the benefits of mixing cultures. It has just opened in Toronto – John Terauds, Toronto Star
Prince estate reveals big-screen concert with unreleased material
The Minneapolis show on April 21 will contain video of Prince along with a live band of former collaborators, and special guests – Elias Leight, Rolling Stone
Television guitarist Richard Lloyd talks his new rock & roll memoir
Punk-rock god and Television founding band-member Richard Lloyd discusses Everything is Combustible and '70s life in NYC – Brad Cohan, timeout.com
Raising a Social-Media Star
The parents of teen internet celebrities get a crash course in a new kind of fame while trying to maintain boundaries for their newly rich and powerful children – Taylor Lorenz, The Atlantic
Dolly Parton drops the 'Dixie' from her dinner show due to 'changing attitudes'
The noun 'dixie' has carried negative connotations for years, alluding to the blackface minstrel song of the same name – Sadaf Ahsan, National Post
Suspenseful Django imagines the King of Gypsy Jazz at war
In this new fictionalized film, our hero is given a chance to triumph over fascism using his art – Alan Scherstuhl, LA Weekly
A hoodie put K.Flay’s politics front and centre
The records released over her 13-year career have focused more on the struggles of negotiating relationships and the aftermath of partying than interrogating the U.S. Bill of Rights. That all changed last year – Kate Wilson, Georgia Straight
