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FYI

Music Biz Headlines, May 10, 2019

US band The Mountain Goats recruit Toronto talent, remembering guitar genius Lenny Breau (pictured), and Pressa profiled. Also in the headlines: Annette Ducharme, Bend It Like Beckham, Jacob Hoggard, metadata, Don McLean, Chance the Rapper, Tinder, holograms, and Mike Garson.

Music Biz Headlines, May 10, 2019

By Kerry Doole

Interview: Why The Mountain Goats' new album is packed with Toronto musicians

The long-running North Carolina band's new 17th studio album In League With Dragons is produced by Owen Pallett and features Thom Gill, Johnny Spence and Bram Gielen. – Jesse Locke, NOW


Why the genius of jazz guitarist Lenny Breau needs to be remembered

If you’re a guitar enthusiast and you don’t know about Canadian Lenny Breau, you should learn about him. Why? Because he’s one of the greats, and his story is one that everyone should know. –  Brad Barker, JAZZFM

The scene vets of the VanRays take a thoroughly original approach to classic unvarnished soul

The first time you check out the VanRays, you might assume you’re hearing a classic Stax or Motown band. With soulful vocals, funky guitars, a swingin’ rhythm section, and jubilant horns, you’d be forgiven for thinking a song like “Take a Dive” (the cookin’ kickoff to the group's eponymous new EP) came out of Detroit in 1965. – Allan MacInnis, Georgia Straight 

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Bend It Like Beckham musical to make North American debut in Toronto

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Two-day sex assault prelim hearing confirmed for Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard

Police say the charges relate to three different incidents involving a girl under the age of 16 and a woman that allegedly took place in the Toronto area in 2016. – CP

Album of the Week: Annette Ducharme's Wreck•Age

As a songwriter in the early ’90s, she penned hits for Cancon heavyweights like Lawrence Gowan and Tom Cochrane. Wreck•Age is an immaculately crafted collection of songs that tend to fall squarely into the adult-contemporary category.  – John Lucas, Georgia Straight

Groundbreaking metadata alliance announced between music, film, TV industries 

A cross-industry metadata alliance could loosen millions in unmatched music royalties from films and TV series. DDEX, a metadata standards-setting consortium for the music industry, has joined forces with EIDR, a similar consortium that focuses on establishing uniform, unique universal identifiers for film and TV assets. –  Paul Resnikoff Digital Music News

Don McLean receives Lifetime Achievement Award, only to have it taken away hours later

The students at UCLA clearly didn't do their homework. The award was rescinded once the association was made aware of McLean’s 2016 charges for domestic violent assault against his then-wife Patrisha McLean. – Michael Roffman, CoS

UK risks losing classic rock archives, warns ex-Oasis photographer

British musical history may be lost unless a dedicated museum is set up, says Jill Furmanovsky. – Lanre Bakare, The Guardian

Spicy Chicken Nuggets will come back to Wendy's because Chance the Rapper made a wish

Wendy’s is conditionally bringing back its Spicy Chicken Nuggets, which almost certainly means they’re en route to your mouth. The move follows a tweet by nugs fan Chance the Rapper.  –Dustin Nelson,Thrillist

David Bowie’s longest serving band member Mike Garson has the Alumni Tour in Australia

"We have four amazing singers Bernard Fowler from the Rolling Stones, Corey Glover from Living Colour, Gaby Moreno and Joe Sumner, who is Sting’s son. It takes a village to sing David’s music”. –  Paul Cashmere, Noise11

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Tinder wants in on your music festival meet-cute

The dating app has a new feature to help you find a mate in a sea of flower crowns. The initiative is a partnership with AEG Worldwide and Live Nation.–  Jonah Engel Bromwich, NY Times

Country singer Jillian Jacqueline’s unpredictable career finds her as a headliner

On Jillian Jacqueline’s debut single, “Reasons,” the country-pop singer describes a relationship that is clearly doomed, even if neither person wants to admit it. – Emily YahrThe Washington Post

How hologram technology is changing the future of the music industry

When late music stars return to the stage in hologram form, what does it mean for the industry, the audience and the future of music? We investigate the world of the hologram–  Jim Ottewill Music Tech

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Kneecap Blasts Norwegian Government at Oslo Festival, Accusing It of Funding ‘Genocide’ Against Palestinians
Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Mo Chara, DJ Provaí and Móglaí Bap of Kneecap performs on the West Holts Stage during during day four of Glastonbury Festival 2025 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 28, 2025 in Glastonbury, England.

Music News

Kneecap Blasts Norwegian Government at Oslo Festival, Accusing It of Funding ‘Genocide’ Against Palestinians

The Irish rap trio went after the Norwegian government over its investments, which are currently under scrutiny, at Øyafestivalen.

Irish rap group Kneecap – which has drawn a storm of criticism, support, attention and legal action over the past half-year – continued to speak out about the war in Gaza during an afternoon set at the Øyafestivalen in Oslo, Norway, on Friday (Aug. 8).

Right before the trio of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí took the stage, an English-language white-text-on-black-background message played on a video screen, accusing the Norwegian government of “enabling” the “genocide” against the Palestinian people via investments held in the county’s sovereign wealth fund (referenced as “oil pension fund” in the message). “Over 80,000 people have been murdered by Israel in 21 months,” the band’s message continued. “Free Palestine.” The message was greeted readily by a cheering audience. Most estimates (including those from health officials in the area) place the Palestinian death toll at more than 60,000. That number does not distinguish between civilians and Hamas militants. An estimated 18,500 of those killed were children.

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