Music Biz Headlines, Nov. 18, 2019
Hawksley Workman (pictured) gets heavy, Michael Buble to get waxed, and the cautionary tale of Lil Peep. Others in the headlines include Daniel Caesar, Chris Frolic, Drake, Avril Lavigne, Alex Cuba, Music Canada, payola, Miss Pat, vinyl, Taylor Swift, Harry Nilsson, and Katy Perry.
By Kerry Doole
Happy to get heavy for his great Median Age Wasteland, Hawksley Workman plays by no one's rules but his own
At the end of an interview that’s touched on everything from self-acceptance and substance abuse to childhood poverty and the horrors of the music business, Hawksley Workman admits he’s been surprised at the amount of ground that’s been covered. – Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight
Six degrees of Daniel Caesar
On the eve of his Scotiabank Centre show, we explore how a kid from Oshawa raised on gospel music became the centre of modern R&B. – Morgan Mullin, The Coast
Michael Buble becomes latest Canadian star to get waxed at Madame Tussauds
Michael Buble’s suave likeness is headed for the halls of wax infamy alongside British royalty. The Canadian pop crooner took to social media to announce he’s being replicated at Madame Tussauds wax museum in London. – David Friend, CP
Death, disorder and a DJ: memoir chronicles the rise and fall of raves in Toronto
You never know which of your quiet suburban neighbours might once have been a globetrotting “superstar” DJ. Chris Frolic, né Samojlenko, has been leading a spy-like double life for nearly 15 years since retiring both his giddy Anabolic Frolic alias and the beloved Hullabaloo! rave brand in July of 2005, guarding his secret past so closely that until recently he almost didn’t admit it to himself. – Ben Rayner, Toronto Star
Drake showed up to a small concert in Toronto
It comes as no surprise when Drake makes appearances at major Toronto events such as Lebron James' Lavelle parties or important Raptors games, but it's all the more exciting when he shows up to a much more low-key event in the 6ix. On Friday night, for example, he attended a 400-person Baby Keem concert at Adelaide Hall. – BlogTO
Avril Lavigne's rise to fame was all thanks to Shania Twain
Avril Lavigne's comeback earlier this year was all thanks to persistence, strength, and belief in herself, but her first ride into the music industry had a lot to do with another famous celeb. Lavigne's discovery was basically the Canadian music gods at work. – Narcity
Dundas's Records On Wheels marks 40 years in business
Mike Clasen carves out niche in tough music retail business. –
Alex Cuba sharpens his award-winning songwriting even more on Sublime
Seven albums in, Alex Cuba has upped his game again with new album Sublime. He's back in Regina on Nov. 23 at The Artesian. – Star-Phoenix
Tafelmusik unearths obscure composer and scores
It’s not often that neglected pieces of music make a fresh argument for themselves. But Tafelmusik provides an eloquent case for the works of Venetian Baroque composer Antonio Lotti (1667-1740) in a program that had its first performance on Thursday night at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre. – John Terauds, The Star
Music Canada announces new Strategic Initiatives portfolio
This new division includes a portfolio of initiatives that are designed to better support the music ecosystem. The move follows a strategic restructuring of the organization designed to increase the positive and measurable impact that Music Canada can have on the entire Canadian music industry. – Music Canada press release
Coach StrobCam: Of harmony, inspiration, and staying out of your own way
The Vancouver Island music scene was always a bit different from Vancouver’s. While Vancouver, after 1981, tended to embrace a politicized variant of hardcore, there remained a vibrantly poppy and varied scene on the island, which seemed to spawn a lot of bands that were more about fun than they were about smashing the state. – Allan MacInnis, Georgia Straight
International
Mechanical Licensing Collective reaches funding deal; will receive $33.5m for start-up costs
The Mechanical Licensing Collective and Digital Licensee Coordinator have reached a deal on funding levels for the organization, which will see the MLC receive $33.5M for start-up costs and an initial annual assessment for 2021 of $28.5M. All costs will be divided up among licensees, with the largest services paying a greater share. – Murray Stassen, MBW
Don’t blame DJs, radio owners are the reason for Payola in the system – GhCALI
– Adu Sarpeah, GH Base
The Lil Peep documentary Everybody’s Everything is a cautionary tale of modern music stardom
At a critical turning point in the new Lil Peep documentary, Everybody’s Everything, the rapper falls into a wall of digital flames. The grainy footage is taken from a LA show on May 10, 2017, when Peep was emerging as emo-rap’s answer to Kurt Cobain. But that night he had taken too much of something, and the line between his depressive, drug-obsessed music and his own reality felt dangerously blurred. – Quinn Moreland, Pitchfork
‘The music business was my husband’: Miss Pat, the 82-year-old queen of dancehall
There can’t be that many 82-year-old dancehall and reggae svengalis. But Patricia “Miss Pat” Chin, who founded the VP Records shop, distributor and label in New York 40 years ago with her late husband, Vincent “Randy” Chin, (VP stands for Vincent and Pat) is still going strong, 60 years into a remarkable career. – Joe Muggs, The Guardian
London Calling! Here’s a look inside The Clash’s brilliant new exhibition
A new exhibition celebrating The Clash has arrived in London, and it’s a near-essential pilgrimage for fans of the punk icons across the globe. Marking the fortieth anniversary of the band’s seminal third album, ‘London Calling’, the exhibition is on at the Museum of London and it’s full of items that played a huge role in writing the band’s name into the annals of music history. –NME
This vinyl record is made from recycled ocean plastic
Nick Mulvaney, a Mercury Prize-nominated artist from Cornwall, teamed up with a brewery and a record label to create this: a 10-inch released entitled “In the Anthropocene.” It is made from plastic garbage found along the coastline. Sales of the record proceeds from digital streams will benefit Surfers Against Sewage, a UK-based anti-pollution organization. – Alan Cross, A Journal of Musical Things
Why Taylor Swift is to blame for latest twist in music rights drama
Taylor Swift has set her fans loose on one of the biggest talent managers in the music industry. Here's why she's actually in the wrong. Swift's petty move - calling on her fans to bombard Braun and Borchetta - will only make matters worse. – Nathan Jolly, NZ Herald
How Ludwig Goransson became directors’ secret musical weapon
The 35-year-old Swede has worked closely with Ryan Coogler and Donald Glover. Up next: the score for the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian.” – Tim Greiving, NYT
Rediscovering Harry Nilsson, an artist who defies all category
If there is anyone whose career has benefited more from Netflix’s Russian Doll series than co-creator and star Natasha Lyonne, it has to be Harry Nilsson. – David Berry, Globe and Mail
Katy Perry at OnePlus Music Festival
Before Katy Perry hit the stage, Dua Lipa, Amit Trivedi, Ritviz, The Local Train and Aswekeepsearching entertained the audience at OnePlus Music Festival. Katy performed in India after seven years. – Indian Express
Placido Domingo to sing at 100th anniversary Salzburg Festival
Placido Domingo is scheduled to sing two concert performances in Verdi’s “I Vespri Siciliani (The Sicilian Vespers)” next summer as part of the 100th anniversary Salzburg Festival Domingo, who turns 79 in January, has withdrawn from all his U.S. performances since reports detailed accusations against him of sexual harassment or other inappropriate, sexually charged conduct. –Ronald Blum, AP
Minneapolis couple Sally and Chris Mars turn their talents toward rescuing dogs
The photographer/producer and the ex-Replacement drummer up support for strays from the streets. – Kevyn Burger, Star Tribune
