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Harry Styles, Wet Leg lead Brit Awards nominations

The Associated Press 2 minute read Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

LONDON (AP) — Former One Direction star Harry Styles and Wet Leg, an indie rock duo from the Isle of Wight, were the front-runners at this year’s Brit Awards, with each securing four nominations.

Styles earned nods Thursday for album of the year for “Harry’s House,” song of the year for “As It Was,” artist of the year and best pop/R&B act at the U.K.'s leading music prizes.

Wet Leg was nominated for album of the year for their chart-topping self-titled debut, and also received nods for group of the year, best new artist and best alternative rock act.

Others on the nomination list included George Ezra, Stormzy and dance music DJ Fred again, who were shortlisted for artist of the year.

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Review: Whitehorse trades vocals on classic country songs

Steven Wine, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Review: Whitehorse trades vocals on classic country songs

Steven Wine, The Associated Press 2 minute read Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

“I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying,” Whitehorse (Six Shooter Records)

To start the album, she sings a drinking song. For the second tune, he sings a drinking song. On Whitehorse’s “I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying,” the singer-songwriter-husband-wife partnership Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland trade the lead and share their love of classic country music.

Twang has always been part of the Canadian duo’s repertoire, and while writing during the pandemic, they looked to the country sounds of a half century ago for inspiration. The result is a collection of tunes that are by turns weepy, funny, hooky, bouncy and lovely, echoing 1970s Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Austin and Nashville. Along with drinking, the coronavirus lockdown is a recurring topic, and Whitehorse also sings about gambling on love, the tug of home and toilet paper.

The arrangements are spare, wisely leaving the focus on the beautifully complementary vocals. McClelland and Doucet are both fine lead singers, and their harmonies can be savory or sweet. The voices weave around Burke Carroll’s pedal steel and Doucet’s distinctive electric guitar work, which makes his strings sound as thick as cable from one of the many construction cranes that dot today’s Nashville skyline. On “I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying,” retro becomes modern.

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Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023

This cover image released by Six Shooter Records shows “I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying" by Whitehorse. (Six Shooter Records via AP)

This cover image released by Six Shooter Records shows “I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying

Jeff Beck, guitar god who influenced generations, dies at 78

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Jeff Beck, guitar god who influenced generations, dies at 78

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press 5 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeff Beck, a guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll, influencing generations of shredders along the way and becoming known as the guitar player’s guitar player, has died. He was 78.

Beck died Tuesday after “suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis,” his representatives said in a statement released Wednesday. The location was not immediately known.

“Jeff was such a nice person and an outstanding iconic, genius guitar player — there will never be another Jeff Beck,” Tony Iommi, guitarist for Black Sabbath wrote on Twitter among the many tributes.

Beck first came to prominence as a member of the Yardbirds and then went out on his own in a solo career that incorporated hard rock, jazz, funky blues and even opera. He was known for his improvising, love of harmonics and the whammy bar on his preferred guitar, the Fender Stratocaster.

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Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

FILE - Guitarist Jeff Beck performs at the Louisiana Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans on April 29, 2011. Beck, a guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll, influencing generations of shredders along the way and becoming known as the guitar player’s guitar player, died Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, after “suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis,” his representatives said in a statement released Wednesday. He was 78. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

FILE - Guitarist Jeff Beck performs at the Louisiana Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans on April 29, 2011. Beck, a guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll, influencing generations of shredders along the way and becoming known as the guitar player’s guitar player, died Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, after “suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis,” his representatives said in a statement released Wednesday. He was 78. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Dr. Dre, Missy, Lil Wayne to be honored at pre-Grammy event

Jonathan Landrum Jr., The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Dr. Dre, Missy, Lil Wayne to be honored at pre-Grammy event

Jonathan Landrum Jr., The Associated Press 3 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott and Lil Wayne will be honored at the Recording Academy’s second annual Black Music Collective event during Grammy week next month.

The academy announced Wednesday that the three Grammy winners and executive Sylvia Rhone will receive the Global Impact Award for their personal achievements in the music industry. The event will be held at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on Feb. 2, ahead of the Grammy Awards on Feb. 5.

“I am so thrilled to honor and celebrate these four giants in the music industry,” said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. “Last year’s inaugural event was such a highlight during Grammy week and now with Dre, Missy, Wayne and Sylvia there to pay tribute to this year, it’s definitely going to be another night to remember. I continue to be proud of the work of our Black Music Collective as it’s (a) vital part of what we do here at the academy.”

Black Music Collective is a group created in 2020 of prominent music industry leaders — including honorary chairs John Legend, Jimmy Jam and Quincy Jones — who are looking to find ways to drive Black representation and inclusion.

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Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023

This combination of photos show Dr. Dre, from left, Missy Elliott and Lil Wayne who will be honored at the Recording Academy’s second annual Black Music Collective event during Grammy week next month. The academy announced Wednesday that the three Grammy winners along with music executive Sylvia Rhone will receive the Global Impact Award for their personal achievement in the music industry. (AP Photo)

This combination of photos show Dr. Dre, from left, Missy Elliott and Lil Wayne who will be honored at the Recording Academy’s second annual Black Music Collective event during Grammy week next month. The academy announced Wednesday that the three Grammy winners along with music executive Sylvia Rhone will receive the Global Impact Award for their personal achievement in the music industry. (AP Photo)

Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, ODESZA to headline Bonnaroo

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, ODESZA to headline Bonnaroo

The Associated Press 2 minute read Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Kendrick Lamar is returning to Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival this summer along with headliners Foo Fighters and electronic duo ODESZA.

The Foo Fighters were supposed to headline the festival in 2021, but the festival was canceled because of flooding. The rock band returns to touring in 2023 after the sudden death of drummer Taylor Hawkins last March during a South American tour. The band canceled tour dates last year. In a social media message posted Dec. 31, the band said Hawkins would be with them in spirit every night.

Lamar, a Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper last headlined the Tennessee music festival in 2015 and he released his new album “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers" last year.

The Bonnaroo lineup was released Tuesday ahead of ticket sales starting Thursday for the annual music festival that is held in Manchester, about 60 miles southeast of Nashville. The festival runs June 15-18.

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Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023

FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at the Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset, England, on June 26, 2022. Lamar, Foo Fighters and ODESZA will headline the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in June 2023 in Tennessee. The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper last headlined Bonnaroo in 2015 and released his new album “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” last year. (AP Photo/Scott Garfitt, File)

FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at the Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset, England, on June 26, 2022. Lamar, Foo Fighters and ODESZA will headline the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in June 2023 in Tennessee. The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper last headlined Bonnaroo in 2015 and released his new album “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” last year. (AP Photo/Scott Garfitt, File)

Review: Julia Wolf comes out of the shadows to slay

Jim Pollock, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Review: Julia Wolf comes out of the shadows to slay

Jim Pollock, The Associated Press 2 minute read Monday, Jan. 9, 2023

“Good Thing We Stayed” by Julia Wolf (BMG)

Julia Wolf used to write her goals in invisible ink on her bedroom walls. The self-described shy girl wasn’t ready to reveal her ambition, even to her family.

In her debut for BMG “Good Thing We Stayed,” the alt-pop performer is ready to come out of the shadows with a blend of darkness, self-discovery and humor. She displays world-slaying potential on singles such as “Hot Killer” and “Get Off My” but it is in the quieter moments, when her vocals and lyrics take center stage, that she emerges as an artist to watch.

Though Wolf is a major-label newcomer, she boasts a large online audience through YouTube videos that she created and uploaded from home.

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Monday, Jan. 9, 2023

This image released by BMG shows "Good Thing We Stayed” by Julia Wolf. (BMG via AP)

This image released by BMG shows

New this week: Margo Price and ‘Gold, Lies & Videotape’

The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

New this week: Margo Price and ‘Gold, Lies & Videotape’

The Associated Press 5 minute read Monday, Jan. 9, 2023

Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music and video game platforms this week.

MOVIES

— In “I Didn't See You There,” filmmaker Reid Davenport captures his perspective navigating the world in a wheelchair as a disabled man with cerebral palsy. The film, which premieres Monday as part of PBS's “POV,” is a portrait of the challenges many with disabilities face and their often invisible struggle. (In one scene, Davenport is stuck on an airplane after landing.) But it's also the work of a keenly observant filmmaker, with an eye for beauty and a uniquely poetic point of view. Davenport shot this autobiographical film largely with a handheld camera and, sometimes, with one affixed to his wheelchair. Last year, the film won him the documentary directing prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

— The title of Sierra Pettengill's “Riotsville, USA” refers to a fake town the U.S. military created in the 1960s to hold exercises mimicking police and military response to rioting. The drills, staged in front of cardboard storefronts, helped make a violent playbook for controlling the era's social unrest. “A door swung open in the late ’60s,” reads Charlene Modeste in narration penned by essayist Tobi Haslett. “And someone, something, sprang up and slammed it shut.” Using archival footage from those exercises, “Riotsville, U.S.A,” which debuts Thursday on Hulu, wearily surveys the militarization of the police force.

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Monday, Jan. 9, 2023

This combination of images shows “Good Thing We Stayed” by Julia Wolf, left, and Margo Price’s fourth studio full-length album, “Strays." (BMG/Loma Vista Recordings via AP)

This combination of images shows “Good Thing We Stayed” by Julia Wolf, left, and Margo Price’s fourth studio full-length album, “Strays.

Top 20 Global Concert Tours from Pollstar

The Associated Press 1 minute read Friday, Jan. 6, 2023

The Top 20 Global Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows Worldwide. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers. Week of 1/9/2023 :

TOP 20 GLOBAL CONCERT TOURS

1. Bad Bunny

2. Coldplay

‘Heave Away’: Canada’s goal tune at the world juniors is ‘the song that never dies’

David Friend, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

‘Heave Away’: Canada’s goal tune at the world juniors is ‘the song that never dies’

David Friend, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Jan. 6, 2023

TORONTO - "Heave away, me jollies, heave away!"

It's a phrase that Canadian hockey fans couldn't get enough of at the world junior hockey championship — a Celtic melody played each time Team Canada scored a goal.

And for Billy Sutton, one of the members of St. John's band The Fables, it's a reminder of why their 25-year-old recording of the traditional sea shanty "Heave Away" has stood the test of time.

"It's the song that never dies," the 50-year-old multi-instrumentalist said in a phone chat from his home in Newfoundland.

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Friday, Jan. 6, 2023

St. John's Celtic rock group The Fables, as shown in this handout image, have seen their 1998 recording of "Heave Away" find a new life as Canada's goal song at the world junior hockey championship. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-The Fables
**MANDATORY CREDIT**

St. John's Celtic rock group The Fables, as shown in this handout image, have seen their 1998 recording of

Arena acts slowing down slightly after hectic fall of rescheduled tours

Alan Small 5 minute read Preview

Arena acts slowing down slightly after hectic fall of rescheduled tours

Alan Small 5 minute read Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023

The pernicious effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the entertainment sector will also mean a slower entry to 2023 for Winnipeg’s biggest concert venue, the Canada Life Centre.

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Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES

Country star Thomas Rhett will be at Canada Life Centre on Feb. 18.

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES
                                Country star Thomas Rhett will be at Canada Life Centre on Feb. 18.

Celine Dion snub on list of top singers riles fans, sparks debate

Cassandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Celine Dion snub on list of top singers riles fans, sparks debate

Cassandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023

For many Celine Dion fans, it’s inconceivable a list of the world's greatest singers would not mention the powerful Quebec vocalist.

And so for days they've barraged Rolling Stone for failing to include the inimitable chanteuse on its recent list of the 200 greatest singers, topped by Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Sam Cooke.

The clickbait collection has clearly provoked Dion's devotees, and it's hard not to suspect that's exactly what it was designed to do, said journalism assistant professor Angela Misri.

"This is driving new conversation and engagement, which is the ideal for anything you publish online," said Misri, who teaches at Toronto Metropolitan University and has compiled digital end-of-year lists herself during tenures at CBC and The Walrus.

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Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023

Singer Celine Dion performs at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

Singer Celine Dion performs at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

Earth, Wind & Fire drummer Fred White dies at age 67

Kristin M. Hall, The Associated Press 2 minute read Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023

Drummer Fred White, who backed up his brothers Maurice and Verdine White in the Grammy-winning ensemble Earth, Wind & Fire, has died. He was 67.

Verdine White, a vocalist, percussionist and bass player for the band, posted Sunday on his Instagram account that his younger brother Frederick Eugene “Freddie” White had died. He didn't say how or where his brother died.

Earth, Wind & Fire began in 1970 under the leadership of Maurice White, who created a band that could combine elements of jazz, funk, R&B, soul, dance, pop and rock, and celebrated African musicianship and spiritualism. Driven by their horn section the Phenix Horns and a reputation for energetic and bombastic live performances, the group's popularity grew after they moved to Columbia Records, which was then under the leadership of Clive Davis.

Fred White was already an accomplished drummer, playing for Donny Hathaway, before he joined Earth, Wind & Fire in the mid-1970s. Paired alongside drummer and percussionist Ralph Johnson, the band's rhythm section was tight and upbeat and set the stage for songs like “Boogie Wonderland" and “September” to become instant favorites.

Jeremiah Green, Modest Mouse drummer, dead from cancer at 45

The Associated Press 2 minute read Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeremiah Green, the founding drummer for the rock band Modest Mouse, has died just days after the band announced he had been diagnosed with cancer. He was 45.

"Today we lost our dear friend Jeremiah. He laid down to rest and simply faded out," according to a statement posted Saturday on the band's social media accounts. “Please appreciate all the love you give, get, have given, and will get. Above all, Jeremiah was about love.”

Green was barely in his teens when he joined the newly formed Modest Mouse, which featured singer-guitarist Isaac Brock and bassist Eric Judy among others. Modest Mouse was originally based in the Seattle suburb Issaquah and later relocated to Portland. Its name originates from a passage by Virginia Woolf, who once described everyday individuals as “modest mouse-coloured people."

Influenced by Talking Heads and XTC among others, Modest Mouse debuted in 1996 with the album “This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About” and built a substantial critical following before having mainstream success with their fourth release, “Good News for People Who Love Bad News,” and the singles “Float On” and “Ocean Breathes Salty.”

Quebecers are listening to less local music; artists hope Bill C-11 will change that

Jacob Serebrin, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Quebecers are listening to less local music; artists hope Bill C-11 will change that

Jacob Serebrin, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022

MONTREAL - Quebecers are increasingly streaming music online but listening less often to francophone artists, a trend members of the province's music industry hope will be reversed with a new federal bill.

Around 30 per cent of physical albums sold in Quebec in 2022 were by Quebec artists, the province's statistics institute said in mid-December. But on streaming platforms such as Spotify, YouTube and Google Play Music, local artists accounted for less than eight per cent of plays.

Statistics like that worry David Bussières, a musician who sits on the board of Union des artistes, a labour organization that represents musicians and other performers.

A lot of the music people listen to online is recommended to them by algorithms, he said in an interview, adding that the algorithms serve global audiences and tend to recommend popular artists who perform in English rather in French.

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Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022

Nighthawk headphones from Audioquest lie on display, in Decatur, Ga., Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016. Quebecers are increasingly streaming music online but listening less often to francophone artists, a trend members of the province's music industry hope will be reversed with a new federal bill. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Ron Harris

Nighthawk headphones from Audioquest lie on display, in Decatur, Ga., Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016. Quebecers are increasingly streaming music online but listening less often to francophone artists, a trend members of the province's music industry hope will be reversed with a new federal bill. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Ron Harris

‘The Older Brother I Never Had’: Gordon Lightfoot, others remember Ian Tyson

David Friend, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

‘The Older Brother I Never Had’: Gordon Lightfoot, others remember Ian Tyson

David Friend, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Dec. 30, 2022

TORONTO - Gordon Lightfoot says late country-folk singer Ian Tyson was a friend, mentor and one of the reasons he found early success in the music business.

"He was like the older brother I never had," Lightfoot said by phone from his home on Friday.

Tyson, who died Thursday at his ranch near Longview, Alta., leaves a legacy as one of Canada's foremost singer-songwriters. But for Lightfoot, the man contained multitudes that he says not everyone had a chance to recognize.

The two were contemporaries in Toronto's burgeoning 1960s folk scene, and since Lightfoot was five years Tyson's junior, he looked up to him as an artist.

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Friday, Dec. 30, 2022

Ian Tyson in an interview with The Canandian Press in Toronto, Monday, Oct. 18, 2010. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Ian Tyson in an interview with The Canandian Press in Toronto, Monday, Oct. 18, 2010. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Folk legend Ian Tyson, known for ‘Four Strong Winds’ as part of Ian & Sylvia, dies

David Friend, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Preview

Folk legend Ian Tyson, known for ‘Four Strong Winds’ as part of Ian & Sylvia, dies

David Friend, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022

TORONTO - Ian Tyson, the Canadian folk legend turned cowboy storyteller who penned "Four Strong Winds" as one half of Ian & Sylvia, has died at age 89.

The Victoria native died Thursday at his ranch near Longview, Alta., following a series of ongoing health complications, according to his manager Paul Mascioli.

The singer-songwriter was a part of the influential folk movement in Toronto with his first wife, Sylvia Tyson. But he divided much of his life and career between two passions largely unrelated to his folkie past: living on his southern Alberta ranch and pursuing songs about the cowboy life.

Sylvia Tyson remembered her ex-husband as a "versatile" and "very serious songwriter."

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Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022

Ian Tyson is shown during an interview with The Canadian Press in Toronto on Monday, Oct.18, 2010. Canadian folk legend Tyson, best known for the hit single "Four Strong Winds" as one half of Ian & Sylvia, has died at age 89.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Ian Tyson is shown during an interview with The Canadian Press in Toronto on Monday, Oct.18, 2010. Canadian folk legend Tyson, best known for the hit single

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