Music Biz Headlines, Nov. 30, 2020
The humble origins of The Reklaws (pictured), advice on the Grammys for The Weeknd, and a rave review for TV Freaks. Also in the headlines are Jann Arden, The Clash, Keithmas, David Bowie, Sam Wilson, Drake, Eric Clapton, Frank Zappa, Lorde, Toots Hibbert, Alice in Chains, Dizzy Gillespie, and Liam Gallagher.
By Kerry Doole
Here’s why The Weeknd should shake off his snub: the Grammys don’t matter
Come on. He should know demanding transparency from the Grammys is like asking Oscar Mayer for step-by-step instructions on how to manufacture jumbo franks in your garage. I bet even Grammy voters are mystified by how their trophy sausages are made. – Vinay Menon, Toronto Star
Pitchfork review: TV Freaks - People
On their fourth LP, the Hamilton, Ontario garage punks step up with a more ambitious and accessible sound without sanding down their raw edges. – Stuart Berman, Pitchfork
Phil Nimmons celebrated with tribute album led by grandson
Nimmons was awarded the very first Juno Award for best jazz album in 1977, and he’s been inducted into the International Association of Jazz Educators’ Hall of Fame. His most recent honour is The Nimmons Tribute, a recording of his music performed by friends and former students and produced and arranged by none other than his grandson Sean Nimmons-Patterson, a fantastic musician in his own right. – Heather Bambrick, JazzFM
The Reklaws have come a long way since playing in between the pig races on their family’s Ontario farm
If you assume the Reklaws are living high on the hog, you don’t know the half of it. Before becoming Canada’s top country sibling duo, Jenna and Stuart Walker performed in between pig races at the family farm in North Dumfries, Ont., near Waterloo. They are now concluding a seven-city national “virtual tour.” – Nick Krewen, Toronto Star
Excerpt from Jann Arden’s new book If I Knew Then
‘I kept telling myself that the best was yet to come.' – Jann Arden, Globe and Mail
Wylin' in a winter wonderland
The Coast helps you feel holly jolly with a playlist of holiday tunes heavy on local favourites. – Morgan Mullin, The Coast
How "luck" was a factor in k.d. lang's early career
k.d. lang is one of the most distinguished, unique artists of our time. Here are some stories — including a couple that even she may not know about — to illustrate how unexpected, unplanned factors helped build her early career. – Richard Flohil, The Sound Cafe
Quebec cartoonist traces the life of Leonard Cohen in black and white
The graphic novel, Leonard Cohen: On A Wire, is set to be released in French and English in 2021. – Marilla Steuter-Martin, CBC News ·
Vancouver singer Mary Garnett Edwards releases debut album at age 63
After a life spent around music and musicians, singer Mary Garnett Edwards has released her debut album, White Lightning at age 63 The voice is world weary in a haunting way. Part high lonesome twang, part folk blues croon with a fair bit of cosmic country thrown in. – Stuart Derdeyn, Postmedia
Stardust: Imagined David Bowie adventure lacks imagination and adventure
Stardust is a movie ostensibly about David Bowie that contains no music by David Bowie. It also begins with the disclaimer “What follows is mostly fiction” which, at least, is a promise fulfilled. That admission should be followed by this one: “In 20 minutes time, you will want to tear your hair out.” – Kim Hughes, Original-Cin
13-year-old B.C. blues musician nominated for Maple Blues Award
Liam Docherty has been nominated for New Artist of the Year in the national awards. – CBC News
It's back again in 2020—this time, Keithmas will be broadcast live from the Rickshaw.
One of Vancouver’s most anticipated Christmas concerts is Keithmas, held every year to celebrate Keith Richards’s birthday and raise much-needed funds for the Vancouver Food Bank. The gig always features the cream of the city’s rock ’n’ roots talent, with local legend Rich Hope leading the way, but this year’s lineup is still under wraps. Keithmas 2020 will be live-streamed from the Rickshaw Theatre on December 18. – Georgia Straight
Arts organizations deserve better when it comes to the B.C. government’s confusing pandemic rules
Arts organizations – that operate on often shoestring budgets because they believe in what they’re doing and want to make the world a more beautiful and more interesting place – deserve explanations and some understanding from government. – Marsha Lederman, The Globe and Mail
Covid-19: Struggling arts industry hit hard by two-week ban on live performances
The not-for-profit arts industry has been dealt a particularly cruel blow by this pandemic. – Stuart Derdeyn, Vancouver Sun
Edmonton music community mourns Covid-19 death of guitarist and educator Bobby Cairns
He was the very definition of a consummate professional over his storied career, but even Bobby Cairns had his trial by fire.– Edmonton Journal
Sam Wilson draws from pioneer blues guitarists on Southern Limbo
Southern Limbo is the latest single from Nova Scotian jazz guitarist Sam Wilson, and the first look into her upcoming release Into a Heart – Part II. It is a solo instrumental piece that expands on a pioneer blues guitar sound and offers some immediate contrast to the ensemble post-bop prevalent in her previous work, Groundless Apprehensions. – Camilo Villamizar, The East
International
Drake calls for Grammys to be replaced after snubbing Black artists
Singer’s demand follows absence of The Weeknd in all categories of the 2021 awards despite huge success this year and dismay at exclusion of Lil Uzi Vert. – Laura Snapes, The Guardian
No encore for Music Publishers who say Covid-19 wrecked copyright trial
Music publishers were expecting to win huge damages in a five-year copyright battle over concert recordings. Did a health pandemic ruin these plans? The publishers alleged that the streaming of rock concerts was a copyright violation, and in April 2018, the judge agreed that the defendant lacked requisite license. – Eriq Gardner, Hollywood Reporter
The culture of The Clash and the band's closeness to fans
Patrick Sawer on a new book which underlines the extraordinary closeness that The Clash used to enjoy with their fans. Frontman Joe Strummer regularly invited them to crash on his hotel room floor. – The New European
Eric Clapton joins Van Morrison in ridiculous anti-lockdown song because 260K Tears in Heaven aren’t enough
Eric Clapton? Great blues guitarist? Not too bright otherwise. Clapton has joined Van Morrison, another Mensa member, in his protest of the British lockdown to stop Covid from rising. Apparently 260,000K victims in the US and 57,000K in the UK are not enough tears in heaven for Clapton. So on December 4th he and Morrison will release a single called “Stand and Deliver.” – Roger Friedman, Showbiz411
'Frank didn't adhere to any movements': Behind the Zappa documentary
A new film aims to reflect the unusual life and career of Frank Zappa with help from his family and those who knew him best. – Jim Farber, The Guardian
Lorde urges climate action ahead of new book on Antarctica trip
New Zealand singer says Donald Trump, Great Thunberg and California wildfires spurred her to visit before it turns ‘to slush.’ – Eleanor Roy, The Guardian
Grammy nomination ‘Got to Be Tough’ - The Maytals, supporting musicians still mourning loss of Toots
Earl ‘Paul’ Douglas, one of the first instrumentalists added to The Maytals, describe the Grammy nomination or best reggae album as “surreal”, even as he still grapples with the loss of a colleague and friend, Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert. – The Gleaner
Alice in Chains tribute on December 1 boasts a stellar lineup
Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture has announced the lineup for its annual Founder Awards show for Dec. 1, and it's pretty friggin' impressive. Those taking turns paying online tribute to grunge masters Alice in Chains include Metallica, Korn, Mastodon, Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins, Kim Thayil from Soundgarden, Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart, Dave Navarro from Jane's Addiction, Corey Taylor, Dallas Green, Duff McKagan from Guns N' Roses, Krist Novoselic from Nirvana, and Taylor Hawkins from Foo Fighters. – Steve Newton, Georgia Straight
Dinner with Dizzy: For years, jazz great Gillespie celebrated Thanksgiving here
The best jazz requires improvisation. So do the best lives. You can’t buy sheet music that tells you how to live. Improvise, man. Improvise. So when Dizzy Gillespie says he wants to come to your house for Thanksgiving dinner, you peel a few more potatoes and put out another plate. – John Kelly, Washington Post
The 11 best vinyl & record player accessories for every turntable setup
From sound tweaks to a record club, gift ideas for every record nerd. – Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork
Mississippi road signs for Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash site
Lynyrd Skynyrd, the rock band famous for “Sweet Home Alabama“ and “Free Bird,” now has highway signs pointing to the site of the Mississippi plane crash that claimed the lives of some of its members. Fans gathered Sunday as the Mississippi Department of Transportation unveiled exit signs from Interstate 55 near McComb and state Highway 568 near Gillsburg, the Enterprise-Journal reported. – AP
Liam Gallagher wants to end feud with brother Noel on ‘The Great British Bake Off’
"Maybe we’ll just bake some bread and that, or a cake, or throw strawberries at each other. Have a cream fight. That kind of stuff.’ – WENN
Covid-19 hits hard for South Louisiana's Cajun musicians
Musicians — who depend on live audiences as much as they do — have been especially hard hit by the pandemic. Perhaps nowhere has this been felt more acutely than in South Louisiana, where music lies at the heart of Cajun culture. – NPR
