Music Biz Headlines, Nov. 19, 2018
Gordon Lightfoot turns 80, a look inside CBC's music vault, and candid confessions from Shania (pictured). Also in the headlines are the Sask Music Awards, an Ottawa tornado benefit, Rick Worrall, Echlo, David Jay, Arkells, YouTube, T-series, meta-trends, Elton John, The Kinks. Mighty Sparrow, Elvis Costello, Mumford and Sons, and Paul Kelly.
By Kerry Doole
Inside CBC's legendary music vault
We got a tour of the archives ahead of the debut of From The Vaults, the new show that dusts off rare and historic musical performances. – Richard Trapunski, NOW
Tornado relief benefit concert in Ottawa raises $55,000
A cheque for $55,678 was handed over to the United Way on Thursday following a benefit concert for tornado victims at TD Place. Michael Allen, the President of the United Way, says the money is already being distributed to those affected. – CTV News
'I peed myself': Shania Twain once accidentally urinated during performance
The star's TV confessions also include being locked out in a Rome hotel corridor while naked. – Toronto Sun
10 things you need to know about Gordon Lightfoot on his 80th birthday
He’s one of Canada’s greatest songwriters, a legendary storyteller whose taken inspiration from some of the unlikeliest places, and whose iconic tracks are considered foundational to the country’s musical canon. Lightfoot turned 80 on Nov. 17. – Andrea Warner, CBC Music
First-ever Sask. Music Awards are a chance to celebrate a thriving music community
“I don’t know why it hasn’t happened before, but I think it’s a really wonderful time to jump headlong into it.” – Ashley Martin, Regina Leader-Post
Former Calgarian pays tribute to John Denver with symphony show
Rick Worrall was still a teenager when he saw John Denver perform his melodic, soft-folk tunes backed by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. – Eric Volmers, Calgary Herald
How a research lab is taking lessons from music
What lessons does a string quartet hold for a mother who is suffering from postpartum depression? How could the movements of a dancer help improve those of a Parkinson’s patient? The LIVELab at McMaster University has been researching questions such as these and coming up with some intriguing answers. -– Kate Taylor, Globe and Mail
Toronto singer Chloe Charles boldly reinvents herself as ECHLO
Echolocation, the R&B/soul artist's first album under her new name, unleashes the full range of her voice and style. – Chaka Grier, NOW
A Toronto jury didn’t see this gang leader rap his ‘goons shoot when I say so.’
Now they’ll decide whether Jermaine Dunkley ordered the murder of Neeko Mitchell in Rexdale. – Betsy Powell, Toronto Star
Meet the final 10 Future 40 winners of 2018
CBC is celebrating 40 people under age 40 who are making Saskatchewan's future brighter. – CBC
Friends and fans of Powerclown's Dan Scumm urged to write to him in Japanese prison where he's down in the dumps
Jailed for drug smuggling, the punk rock veteran is allowed to receive letters at the Yokohama jail. – Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight
David Jay loops his way to classical sounds with a metal attitude
“People are always asking me if I use presets but when I play live everything starts at zero, and I build it all up from zero, live, so there's nothing pre-recorded or preset or anything." – David Jay. Roger Levesque, Edmonton Journal
Arkells channel righteous punk on 'Hand Me Downs
Returning to Europe this month, Arkells will hit the UK for a series of blistering live shows, and in a way it returns them to their spiritual home. New track 'Hand Me Downs' owes a debt to this country's lineage of righteous, politically motivated punk artists. – Robin Murray, Clash
International
Who’s telling the truth?: YouTube or the music industry? We’re about to find out
YouTube says that Article 13, a controversial clause in a new European law, will destroy its platform. The music industry says this is a smokescreen. Who’s right? – Tim Ingham, Rolling Stone
How a Bollywood music label conquered YouTube
Although not widely known in the United States, T-Series, an Indian music label and film production company, has the most-watched YouTube channel in the world. Its videos have been seen 53 billion times. – Andrew R. Chow, NY Times
The meta-trends that will shape 2019
MIDiA has just published its annual predictions report. Here are a few highlights, including the politicisation of brands. – Mark Mulligan, musicindustryblog
Iconic guitar builder loses his home and workshop to flames in Paradise
Among the homes lost to the still raging Camp Fire was that of legendary guitar builder Wayne Charvel who produced guitars for Van Halen, ZZ Top, and Deep Purple. – Henry Robertson, Popular Mechanics
Talent and touring
John Lewis’ Christmas ad is a lovely ode to Elton John’s career, and how it all began
The holiday angle isn't obvious at first, but it's worth the wait. – David Griner, Ad Week
The Kinks discuss their masterpiece about societal decline
In 1968 the band released “The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society,” a record that wasn’t well received at the time but has come to be regarded as a masterpiece. – Andrew Dansby, Houston Chronicle
Calypso king Mighty Sparrow on freedom, Windrush, and oral sex
He inspired Bob Marley’s political awakening, survived a coma, and has sung about everything from sex workers to Khrushchev. And at 83, the calypso great still wants to turn the news into song. – Vivien Goldman, The Guardian
Elvis Costello makes a worthy return to Chicago in fast-paced Vic show
After a recent health scare, he is back on the road and pleasing fans. – Jeff Elbel, Chicago Sun-Times
Mumford and Sons on Jordan Peterson, the Grenfell tragedy and being hated
They’re a band that the British public love to sneer at, but they say it has long stopped bothering them. And, anyway, they have bigger fish to fry. – Rachel Aroesti, The Guardian
