Music Biz Headlines, Nov. 7, 2018

By Kerry Doole

The Dirty Nil is committed to going over the top

As a dedicated student of rock ’n’ roll, frontman Luke Bentham knows there are two basic kinds of performer—the ones in danger of taking root on-stage, and the ones that show up ready to sweat. It’s not by accident that he and his bandmates have planted their flag in the latter camp. –  Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight

Roy Orbison hologram concert is an impressive, yet ultimately boring, feat

It’s the concert experience of the future! Today! And it’s boring. Forget the ethical considerations involved in raising a performer from the dead against his or her will for a moment, or the simple, gnawing feeling that the act of clinging to the past through technology could be viewed as kind of sad and not a little ghoulish.  – Ben Rayner, Toronto Star

Focus on show, not screens at Jack White shows

The American rocker has been vocal about his dislike of fans watching concerts through their screens and has now actively taken measures to prevent that from happening, locking the devices of concertgoers. – Erin Lebar, Winnipeg Free Press

Concert Review: Fleetwood Mac goes its own way

I guess Lindsey Buckingham should feel flattered when he’s not suing his former bandmates? Fleetwood Mac came to Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on Monday night and it took two stellar musicians to replace the singer-guitarist who was fired from the veteran British-American rock band earlier this year, leading to his lawsuit.  – Jane Stevenson, Toronto Sun

What if a song could last forever? Sandro Perri wants to find out

With his new album In Another Life, the Toronto musician rethinks what a song is and what it can be. –  Michael Rancic, NOW

How Christine and the Queens became Chris

Héloïse Letissier, the “Christine” behind the multi-faceted French synth-pop project known as Christine and the Queens, went with her id after scoring success. –  Ben Rayner, Toronto Star

Drake fans slam Parq Vancouver after rapper claims he wasn't allowed to gamble at casino

In the text-based post, the rapper, called the establishment "the worst run business I have ever witnessed." He went on to say that the casino's staff was "profiling me and not allowing me to gamble when I had everything they originally asked me for." –  Lucy Lau, Georgia Straight

International

The New Punks of Los Angeles

In the city’s outlying areas, Latino teenagers are shaping a new music scene. Though many aspects resonate in the punk scene today, the demographic has shifted considerably since the time of the last “The Decline of Western Civilization" film. These days, at many punk shows in Los Angeles, much of the crowd is Latino. – Cenan Pirani,  NY Times

Former UTA agents Dave Shapiro, Tim Borror and Matt Andersen launch Sound Talent Group: Exclusive

Just weeks after news of their exit from UTA went public, the three agents announce the formation of their new agency Sound Talent Group, a 10-person startup with offices in Philadelphia and San Diego. Their roster includes Corrosion Of Conformity, Danzig, GWAR, Hanson,  Sum 41 and Zakk Wylde. – Dave Brooks, Billboard

Profits, payments and podcasts: 5 takeaways from Spotify's Q3 earnings call

Spotify might have posted its first-ever net profit in Q3 – but its co-founder, Daniel Ek, faced a barrage of tough questions from analysts in the earnings call which followed. –  Tim Ingham, MBW

Bohemian Rhapsody biopic sounds like Freddie but it is Marc Martel

With the film topping box office charts all around the world this week people are asking is that really Rami Malek singing, is it really Freddie Mercury.  In fact, Malek is singing over Freddie’s vocals but to make it sound authentic Marc Martel was recruited to even out the soundtrack. – Paul Cashmere, Noise11 

Digging into the Beatles' 50th anniversary 'White Album' box set where it all began: Abbey Road

Giles Martin has a septuplet delivery he’s shepherding into the world: a seven-disc 50^th-anniversary box set revisiting the Beatles’ 1968 double album “The Beatles,” colloquially known as the White Album. – Randy Lewis, LA Times

Aretha Franklin documentary ‘Amazing Grace’ finally getting released after 46 years

The Franklin estate and producer Alan Elliott have reached an agreement to release the perpetually delayed project, Variety can exclusively reveal. Although no distribution deal is yet in place for a planned general release in 2019, the film will premiere next Monday at the DOC NYC festival,  followed by week-long Oscar-qualifying runs this month in Los Angeles and in December in New York. – Chris Willman, Variety

Talent and touring

Damon Albarn reactivates The Good, The Bad & The Queen

The Blur and Gorillaz mainman reunites with Paul Simonon of The Clash on the project after an 11-year gap. –  Noise11.com

Axl Rose is the latest star to tell Donald Trump to stop playing his songs

Rose took to Twitter  after Trump had played the band’s 1987 classic “Sweet Child O’ Mine” to a crowd whose median age is twice as old as the song itself. Rose was not happy about the commander in chief — whose latest pre-midterm ad has been widely criticized as straight-up racist — in any way associating himself with a song about consensual love. – Uproxx

The Spice Girls announce six-date summer U.K. stadium tour

The English pop girl group broke the news this week. Although Victoria Beckham will not be joining them, the other four spice girls (Mel B, Emma Bunton, Melanie C and Geri Halliwell) are set to perform shows next summer.  – Brooke Bajgrowicz, Billboard

Mac Miller cause of death released by coroner

On Monday officials from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office confirmed the rapper died from “mixed drug toxicity” with cocaine, ethanol and fentanyl found in his system. – Music-News

Sam Smith records theme song for new Watership Down

Netflix has announced it has commissioned a remake of the classic Watership Down. The English pop star has written ‘Fire on Fire’ with Steve Mac as the new theme song. The track was recorded at Abbey Road Studios with the BBC Concert Orchestra. – Noise11.com

Marianne Faithfull rises from the ashes — yet again — on heart-rending new album

Released by BMG on Friday, “Negative Capability” is not exactly easy listening. It’s a poignant snapshot of a lioness in winter that’s already inviting comparisons to Johnny Cash’s final recordings with Rick Rubin. – James Reed, LA Times

Rihanna doesn't want Trump playing her music at his 'tragic rallies.' She may not have a choice

When the pop star learned that her 2007 hit song Don't Stop the Music reverberated had been featured at a Trump rally, her response was unambiguous: She did, in fact, want the music to stop. "Neither me nor my people would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies," she said. –  Antonia Farzan, Washington Post

Shallow: How Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper made the defining song of 2018

The hit from the soundtrack to A Star Is Born has captured the zeitgeist – because it speaks to those to whom life has not always been fair.  –  Jenny Stevens, The Guardian

Rock & Roll’s anxiety of influence

Greta Van Fleet are the latest in a long line of bands slagged for obvious musical borrowing. But is sounding like an earlier act really such a bad thing? Experts weigh in. – Matt Wake, Rolling Stone