Music Biz Headlines, June 4, 2018

By Kerry Doole

How did she get here? The oral history of Deborah Cox's 'Nobody's Supposed to Be Here'

The song by the Canadian singer overcame a difficult development period to become one of the biggest hits of the late '90s and, eventually, a gay anthem – Nolan Feeney, Billboard

 Man swims to Budweiser Stage after getting kicked out of Slayer concert

He wore an Anthrax T-shirt, and that band's guitarist, Scott Ian, was impressed by the fan's dedication –Blog TO

Ed the Sock, the cigar-chomping hand puppet, is making a comeback

The irascible cigar-chomping hand puppet who gruffly graced MuchMusic and Toronto’s CITY-TV in the 1990s and 2000s is making a comeback, with furrowed brow, gravelly voice and permanent scowl intact – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail

The best concerts and music festivals in Toronto this summer

Your guide to summer 2018 music includes NXNE, Lauryn Hill, Radiohead and the final Warped Tour –  Staff, NOW

SZA, Brockhampton, Shawn Mendes and Sigrid: 2018’s festival anthems

What makes a banging festival anthem, besides a simple chorus that vast crowds can belt out in unison? Here are the tracks you can expect to hear all summer  – Alex Petridis & MichaelCragg, The Guardian

RIP World Music?

The music is more influential and borderless than ever, but the term is outdated. So what do we call it? Global beats? The new Canadian Sound? –  Chaka V. Grier, NOW

What's In Your Fridge: Joshua Wells and Amber Webber of Lightning Dust

The Vancouver rock duo discusses first concerts, fave albums and an addiction to hot sauces  – Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight

How a Pentagon contract became an identity crisis for Google

It has fractured Google’s workforce, fueled heated staff meetings and internal exchanges, and prompted some employees to resign –  Scott Shane, New York Times

We asked musicians to share their favourite Toronto ‘field trips’

In the spirit of the festival held on the weekend, we asked a few of the performers what their ideal Toronto “field trip” would be  – Ben Rayner, Toronto Star

Kanye West dives into drama surrounding him on new album, Ye

The period between albums has been quite a roller coaster for the rapper, who cancelled his 2016 Saint Pablo tour following hospitalization and a mental breakdown – Elahe Izadi, The Washington Post 

Reeny Smith: Pop and power

With her debut full-length WWII: Strength. Courage. Love. finally on the horizon, the North Preston R&B artist talks family, heart and empowerment –  Brandon Young, The Coast

Lykke Li on Rihanna, hypnotism and being a ‘difficult’ woman in pop

Releasing her first album since 2014, the songwriter returns with So Sad So Sexy, made after a period of ‘baby momma’ meltdowns and creative burnouts – Michael Cragg, The Guardian

Saskatoon band Aces Wyld serious about having a good time

A new album has just come out and it sounds like "something between Blake Shelton and Florida Georgia Line" –  Cam Fuller, StarPhoenix

Eclectic groove band puts the fun in funk and more

“We can't be anything other than what we are, but I'm not sure that message has gotten across yet” - Mercy Funk bassist Angela Proulx  – Roger Levesque, Edmonton Journal

Alberta Crude: Four hard-working local musicians reflect on their 40-year-old hit 'The Rodeo Song'

Don’t pretend you have never heard it. At some point—a birthday party or bush party, camping or fishing, a rodeo or a rave, in a bar or a back seat—the catchy country tune, with the unforgettably raunchy lyrics, grabbed your attention –  Scott Cruickshank, Swerve