20
Carlton Street, Suite 1032, Toronto, ON
M5B 2H5
(416)
677-5883
langfieldent@rogers.com
www.langfieldentertainment.com
July 31, 2008
Another
month away - but it's a long weekend and it's Caribana
in Toronto! Speaking of which, please have a look below at a fun boat
cruise happening on Sunday - get your tickets NOW before they're sold
out!!
CALLING SEASONED MUSICIANS: below is a
great opportunity for veteran and talented musicians who might be interested in
working for Cirque du Soleil.
Please have a look at the credentials to see if you qualify.
Scroll down and find out what interests you - take your time and take a walk into
your weekly entertainment news!
::HOT EVENTS::
Farley Flex Calvin & Richie
Boat Cruise – August 3, 2008
On Sunday,
August 3rd what is affectionately known as Caribana Sunday will remain
indelible in the minds of the 300 plus that attend Farley Flex, Calvin and
Richie's "White Linen Affair". As patrons enter the parking lot they
will encounter a pre-boarding party hosted by title sponsor Supreme Auto Group.
Luxury vehicles on display will set the stage with an aura of prestige that
will sustain itself straight through to the boarding of Toronto's most
luxurious commercial vessel the Yankee Lady IV.
The duo of DJ Channel Nine and Soca Sweetness along with MC Toney Williams will
rock the boat with classic after classic, R&B, SOCA and SLOW JAMS.
This event is rated "M" for Mature - Need we say more?
SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2008
FARLEY FLEX CALVIN &
RICHIE PRESENT
SUPREME AUTO GROUP'S
RATED "M" FOR MATURE
"A WHITE LINEN AFFAIR"
ABOARD THE YANKEE LADY IV "T.O'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS YACHT"
261 Queens Quay E
Between Sherbourne and Parliament Streets on the east side of the Waterside
Tennis Club
6:00pm
The Supreme Auto Group Pre-boarding Car Show
Embark 8:00pm – 1:00am Disembark
ADVANCE TICKETS: $60.00 Cash ONLY!
For Tickets Call):
Farley: 416-599-3539
Calvin: 416-615-9497
or 905-404-3928
Richie: 905-922-2663
~
FEATURING:
DJ CHANNEL NINE & SOCA SWEETNESS
Also Featuring:
- Epiphany's Authentic Caribbean Buffet
- Steel Pan Performance
- Canadian Idol Top Ten Ticket Giveaway
- Pre-boarding Photos - On the Spot
SPONSORS: Supreme Auto Group
& Get Rite Urban Outlet
PARTIAL PROCEEDS DONATED TO: F3 - Farley Flex Foundation For
International Youth Development
A
Shephard Occasion Event (www.shephardoccasion.com)
::OPPORTUNITY::
Musicians: Talents Needed For A New Show About Elvis In Las
Vegas In 2009
Source: Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil is looking
for nine musicians to perform in our new show about Elvis and his musical
heritage. It will be presented at the theatre of the City Center in Las Vegas
in 2009. The show will be directed by Vincent Paterson .
Musicians who play one of the following instruments must showcase at least
three different types of music (i.e. rockabilly, rock & roll, Latin, pop,
blues, gospel, jazz).
1.
Keyboardist (possible
bandleader)*
The following instruments are considered an asset:
Vocal beat box
Programming/sequencing**
Slide guitar
Drum line
Banjo
Harmonica
DJ/scratch
Singing
Others (hidden talents)
For the bandleader position: Experience in musical direction in a theatrical
environment; strong leadership; interest in internal band management; ability
to operate audio sequencing software during the show.
** One of the nine selected artists must have an excellent knowledge of
computers and audio sequencing software and an interest in managing audio
sequencing software and show sampling bank.
You must also possess:
Ability to work within a team in a constantly evolving context and
environment;
Working knowledge of English or French;
Strong stage presence and charisma;
Experience with in-ear amplification an asset;
Good physical condition.
Cirque is very particular about fulfilling
ALL of the above qualifications and if you do not fill all of them,
please do not apply. However, if you think that you would like to
apply for one of these positions, please write to me at langfieldent@rogers.com for further details on how to submit your
demo online.
::TOP STORIES::
Rookie Reavie Wins Canadian Open
Source: www.thestar.com - Jim Byers,
Sports Reporter
(July 27, 2008) A 5-9, 150 pound guy with dark hair
and a sweet short game won the
RBC Canadian Open.
Unfortunately for Canadian fans, this guy hits the ball from the right side.
On a day when Canada's favourite lefty, Mike Weir, couldn't quite close the
deal, little-known Arizona product Chez Reavie
brought home his first ever PGA Tour win with a three-shot victory at Glen
Abbey Golf Course in Oakville.
Reavie, a 26-year-old Tour rookie, was shaky early on but recovered nicely and
played terrific golf down the stretch to post a 17-under 267 for the
tournament.
Billy Mayfair shot a final round 68 to come second at 270, while O'Hair and
Steve Marino tied for third at 271.
Weir had a pretty good day at the office, shooting a final round score of
two-under 69 for a total of 12-under 272 for the tournament. That put him in a
tie for fifth with Nicholas Thompson and Scott McCarron.
Anthony Kim had his chances but sprayed the ball all over the course and missed
some key putts to finish at 273 and a tie for eighth.
Reavie didn't exactly come in with a lot of momentum. His only top-ten finish
came back in February when he tied for fifth at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
In the five tournaments he played immediately before coming to Glen Abbey, his
best finish was a tie for 41st. His finish at the Hope was his only top-30
finish this year. But he certainly tamed the Abbey during a tournament that
featured numerous rain delays that led to ideal scoring conditions.
Reavie wears an Arizona Diamondbacks logo on his shirt and has been dubbed by
some as "The Little Unit," a comparison with towering Arizona pitcher
Randy Johnson, long known as "The Big Unit."
Weir had his chances and played well. Just not quite well enough.
"I enjoyed it and I played well this week," he said.
Weir was serenaded with a version of "Oh, Canada" by a huge throng of
fans on the 18th green and he broke out in a huge smile.
"It's special," he said. "Sean (O'Hair, his playing partner) and
I were commenting on how cool it is and how special it is."
Weir said he's learned to embrace the pressure of representing his country at
the Canadian Open.
"It's taken a long time, but I do enjoy it. I've learned to use it as an
advantage."
The last Canadian to win the Canadian Open was Pat Fletcher in 1954.
Weir bogeyed the first hole on Sunday and played pretty much an up-and-down
round of golf the rest of the way; teasing fans with the odd birdie but then giving
back a shot soon after. Still, a tie for fifth is nothing to sneeze at,
particularly in a tournament where most of the players from the true north went
decidedly south.
Weir, who played in last week’s British Open at Royal Birkdale, withdrew from
next week’s Bridgestone Invitational before the Canadian Open.
He was even more thrilled with his decision after enduring four days of rainy,
windy weather at Glen Abbey.
“I’m sure glad I withdrew from next week,” said Weir, who will be vacationing
in Mexico with his wife. “I’m glad I’m not playing golf. I’m gonna be sitting
on a beach.
“It has been an exhausting two weeks. I can’t believe it’s only been two weeks,
I seems like I’ve been on the road for a month. The last two weeks have been
pretty tough all the way around.”
Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., had the second-lowest score among Canadians,
closing with an even-par 70 to finish his tournament at 1 under.
“I hit it well here, and I putted pretty well,” said Taylor, whose tie for 53rd
is the best result by a Canadian amateur since 1972. “I think everything (went)
pretty well.”
Despite the strong showing, The University of Washington junior doesn’t intend
to give up his amateur status any time soon.
“I’ve always planned to do four years of school and get a degree,” said Taylor,
who would have earned $11,520 as a pro for his weekend performance. “College
life, college golf, it’s pretty awesome. I really don’t want to miss two years
of it.
“I haven’t really thought about turning pro and I probably won’t until I’m done
school.”
Weir praised Taylor as one of the country’s top up-and-coming golf talents.
“He seems like a solid young kid,” said Weir, who only met Taylor over the
weekend. “It seems like he has a steady game. He isn’t a long bomber or anything,
but maybe he can learn that consistent game.”
David Hearn of Brantford shot 74 today for an even-par 284 for the tourney,
while Bryan DeCorso of Guelph also shot 74 today for a plus-one 285.
Aside from Kim and O'Hair, few of the better-known players did a whole lot to
brag about this week on a mostly defenceless Glen Abbey layout. Defending
champion Jim Furyk shot a one-under 70 on his final day and finished at
nine-under 275 for the tournament. Furyk almost certainly won't be back next
year, as the Canadian Open remains saddled with a tough date right after the
British Open.
Fred Couples, who was making his first appearance at the Canadian Open in some
time, shot 67 on Sunday to finish at eight-under 276.
Retief Goosen, who's been struggling of late, shot a final-day 73 for 279,
while Camilo Villegas finished way back at one-under 283.
Although a Canadian didn't win the tournament, a Toronto area company did just
fine. Reavie sports clothing made by up-and-coming Canadian apparel company
Quagmire, and you can bet they'll use that to good advantage in the coming
days.
With files from Canadian Press
Tap vs. Bottled
Source: www.thestar.com - D. Grant Black
Bottlemania: How Water
Went on Sale and Why We Bought It
by Elizabeth Royte
Bloomsbury,
248 pages, $27.95
(July 27, 2008) Ever wondered what's in that glass of water, or
more likely these days, what's in that bottle of water?
Brooklyn-based journalist Elizabeth Royte not only wanted to find out what's in
our drinking water, but where it comes from, its history, politics and,
increasingly, who controls our shrinking fresh water resource.
In Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It, Royte's
reporting uncovers some disturbing water industry facts around the United
States. Bottlemania is a watery Fast Food Nation, a treatise on H2O that
PR flacks would rather keep underground.
Bottlemania is thoroughly researched, fluid storytelling by a veteran
investigative journalist who explains why water has made the leap from the tap
in the last 20 years to a global industry worth $60 billion annually.
Royte, who also penned an exhaustive exposé on American trash, Garbage Land:
On the Secret Trail of Trash, profoundly points out that the
"outrageous success of bottled water, in a country where more than 89 per
cent of tap water meets or exceeds federal health and safety regulations,
regularly wins in blind taste tests against name-brand waters, and costs 240 to
10,000 times less than bottled water, is an unparalleled social phenomenon, one
of the greatest marketing coups of the twentieth and twenty-first
centuries."
She says the marketing of bottled water has been a huge success because it
"plays into our ever-growing laziness and impatience." She says
environmentalists decry the environmental impact of bottled spring water
(draining aquifers, trucking and shipping, non-refundable plastic waste) given
that we have a perfectly good source of drinking water right under our noses.
Nestlé, a Swiss-owned conglomerate and the largest food-processing company in
the world, which controls 32 per cent of the U.S. bottled-water market and
offers several brands around the U.S., brought in estimated 2006 profits of
$7.46 billion. The other two biggest players are those old whores of a trendy
drink, Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
Royte points out that sales of bottled water in the U.S.– more than 700
domestic and 75 imported brands – have already surpassed sales of beer and milk
and by 2011 are expected to surpass soft drinks.
"They are ubiquitous where I live. You can't walk a block in New York City
without seeing a bottle in someone's hand, their baby stroller, or bike cage,
spilling from the corner litter baskets or crushed flat and gray, ratlike, in
the gutters. Nationwide, we discard thirty to forty billion of these containers
a year."
Those containers are manufactured from polyethylene terephthlate (PET), a
polymer derived from oil with other ingredients for colour, strength and
flexibility. Antimony, a catalyst in the manufacture of PET, leaches into
bottled water.
"Ingested in small doses antimony can cause dizziness and depression; in
large does, nausea and vomiting, and death" explains Royte. Antimony
levels rise the longer water stays in PET containers. Apparently, those hard
polycarbonate bottles aren't any better.
Royte says polycarbonate can leach small amounts of bisphenol A (BPA), a
chemical that mimics estrogen.
So what's the solution for safe, portable drinking water? And what about tap
water's chlorine taste? Royte, who takes tours of municipal water treatment
plants in New York City and Kansas City, Missouri (with jaw-dropping content on
what has and hasn't been removed from river water), is keen on her Ultramax
Brita system set on top of her fridge.
Owned by Clorox, Brita is the leader in the "pour-through" market.
She pairs the Brita with the Swiss-made Sigg, those hi-tech re-useable water
containers that claim not to leach harmful plastic chemicals into your
hydration moments.
Although Bottlemania is written from a U.S. perspective, the content is still
relevant to the Canadian reader. (Walkerton, Maude Barlow and the United
Church's war on bottled water are detailed.) The
bottled-water-as-preferred-delivery-system is pretty much the same here.
Read Bottlemania. Like me, you may find that you were sucked into buying
expensive bottled water for years that was as close as your kitchen taps all
along – paired with a pour-through filter system, of course.
D. Grant Black is a Saskatchewan freelance journalist.
Michael Posner Catches Up With
Jimmy Fallon As He Prepares For His Latest Gig
Source: www.globeandmail.com
- Michael Posner
(July 24, 2008) When Jimmy Fallon auditioned for a coveted spot on Saturday
Night Live a decade ago, he was warned repeatedly not to expect executive
producer Lorne Michaels to laugh.
Fallon, who is in Toronto this weekend hosting the final two Just for
Laughs galas at Massey Hall, remembers that an SNL stagehand,
then a makeup person and finally the talent co-ordinator all told him the same
thing: “Don't take it personally, but Lorne doesn't laugh. He hates comedy.
He's seen it all, heard it all.”
So Fallon steeled himself for a cold response. He launched into a series of
celebrity impersonations, thinking that “this was the best way onto the show,
to do what Dana Carvey had done,” Fallon said in an interview. “He was my
all-time favourite, and I wanted to be like him.”
Michaels sat predictably stone-faced through several “voices,” but when Fallon
did his impression of Adam Sandler, who had only recently left the long-running
show, Michaels put his head in his hands and collapsed with laughter.
Still, the young man who actually made Michaels laugh had to wait several
months before hearing whether he'd been selected to join SNL. “I was on
cloud nine after the audition,” Fallon said, “but you don't really know. And
then you wait. It's brutal. Like, six months or something of waiting. It's
insane.”
Then Fallon was summoned to another meeting with Michaels, the Toronto boy who
has become one of American television's most powerful executives.
“It was in Los Angeles at Paramount Studios,” recalled Fallon. “The entire room
was white. It was surreal. And Lorne asked me, ‘Do you wear wigs?' I'm
thinking, ‘Huh?' So he says again, ‘Do you wear wigs? Because we want you for
sure.” Well, that was it. Wow. It seemed to happen in slow motion.”
Impersonations, of course, became Fallon's bread and butter during eight
seasons on the show. He now has an inventory of about 50 (mainly male) voices –
many are uncanny likenesses – accompanied by body language. Among those he can
be expected to perform Saturday night are Sandler, Robin Williams, John
Travolta, Gilbert Gottfried and quite possibly Sarah Silverman.
Brooklyn-born Fallon, 33, will be heading a strong gala bill that includes the
likes of Sugar Sammy, Craig Robinson, Patrice Oneal, Larry Miller and John
Oliver. The hosts for the other galas are Martin Short (tonight) and Jason
Alexander (Friday).
Fallon is back on the comedy stand-up circuit honing his chops in preparation
for his new network TV gig – in 2009 he's taking over Conan O'Brien's
late-night talk show on NBC. It was announced Tuesday that he would warm-up for
the main event – expected to begin next spring – by hosting several months of
nightly talk-show webcasts, each no more than 10 minutes long.
Michaels's strategy – he's also executive producer of the O'Brien show – is to
give Fallon, otherwise untried as a host, plenty of time to find his groove
and, hopefully, to build a younger Web audience that will later move with him
to television. O'Brien, of course, is slated to take over The Tonight Show
from the departing Jay Leno on June 1.
Fallon said he has complete trust in Michaels's judgment: “He's so smart with
that stuff. He's a less-is-more guy. I ask him advice about anything, even
dating.”
But you're married, I reminded him – Fallon married film producer Nancy Juvonen
last December at Richard Branson's exclusive British Virgin Islands retreat.
“Oh yeah,” he said. “I guess I don't need to ask him about that any more.”
Fallon said that at his parents' urgings, he did his first impressions at age
two, of James Cagney and Don Ho. “I opened with Cagney [‘You dirty rat'] and I
closed with Ho [‘Aloha'].”
His method, one he recommends to any aspiring mimic, is to tape a favourite
episode of a show featuring the character he wants to impersonate and then
watch it over and over again. For Fallon, nailing the voice gives him the same
euphoric feeling he had after watching Rocky – “that I could work out,
fight, run.”
He finds women more difficult than men, mainly because of the higher pitch. But
on his third episode on SNL, he dared to do an impression of Canadian
pop singer Alanis Morissette, who was the show's musical guest. “I was so
nervous, just shaking … so I did it in rehearsal and then asked her if it was
okay, should I do it for the show. And she loved it. ‘Awesome,' she said. ‘Do
it again.'”
Fallon says he's thrilled to be back in Canada. He did the closing gala last
Saturday night for JFL in Montreal. It was there, 12 years ago, that he
appeared in the annual new-faces-of-comedy night. As a result, JFL executive
Bruce Hills picked him to open for Penn & Teller, which led to Fallon
securing his first agent.
Toronto, he says, seems no less special because it was here, four years ago on
the set of the film Fever Pitch (with Drew Barrymore), that he met
Juvonen. “I was at the Windsor Arms and she was at the Minto and we just went
back and forth and started hanging out, at places like the Bovine Sex Club …
Then, when we promoted the film in London, we started dating for real.”
Fallon says the new TV gig is a “dream come true. When I was a kid, all I
wanted was to be on Saturday Night Live and it was great, and then I
wanted to do movies and that was a blast. But the opportunity to do a show
where you write jokes and other writers write jokes and you make people laugh
every night? What could be better than that?”
The Toronto edition of Just for Laughs continues through Sunday. For
information www.hahaha.com or 416-872-1111.
A WEEKEND WHEN TORONTO IS ACTUALLY FUNNY
Self-billing itself as “bigger, bolder and braver,” the second annual Just for
Laughs Toronto festival offers a wider gamut of gags, guffaws and venues this
year. Here's the breakdown:
Ethnic Series: A trio of race-based programs began with last night's
Ethnic All-Stars Show, and continues with The Asian Invasion (featuring Sugar
Sammy, tonight at 7 and 9:30) and the Italian laugh-stallions of Wiseguys
(featuring Dom Irrera, tomorrow and Saturday nights, 7 and 9:30). $45.50.
Winter Garden Theatre, 416-872-1111.
Galas: Nightly programs hosted by inimitable celebrity-comics including
Martin Short (tonight), Jason Alexander (tomorrow) and Jimmy Fallon (Saturday).
7 and 9:30 p.m. $55.50 to $120. Massey Hall, 416-872-1111.
The Headliners: Nightly twin-bills at Mark Breslin's Yuk Yuk's serve up
festival favourites (2007's Last Comic Standing contestant Gerry Dee,
among others) in the downtown entertainment district. $22 to $29. 224 Richmond
St. W., 416-967-6425.
The Sketch Show: Top local ensembles (the Sketchersons, the
Imponderables and the Williamson Playboys) share a night of skits. Today and
tomorrow, 10:30 p.m. $22. Second City, 51 Mercer St., 416-343-0011.
Toronto Street Theatre: A free, two-night extravaganza of comics and
colourful performance troupes breaks out of the halls and clubs and onto the
streets. The outstanding Shaun Majumder headlines Friday's party (7:30 p.m.).
Street events run on Friday (7-11 p.m.) and Saturday (5-11 p.m.) in Yonge-Dundas
Square.
For complete information: www.hahaha.com
Brad Wheeler
Coldplay Was Worth The Wait
Source: www.globeandmail.com
- Marsha Lederman
(July 28, 2008) The
highly-anticipated performance by Coldplay at the inaugural Pemberton
Festival north of Whistler, B.C., had to be anticipated for just a little
longer on Sunday, as extreme traffic delays on the highway finally had an
impact on the performances. American funk/hip hop/alt-rock band N.E.R.D. arrived late for their show – minus three of their five musicians
– and took the stage 35 minutes late, putting the rest of the mainstage
schedule off-balance for the remainder of the day.
Coldplay, it must be said,
was worth the wait. The headliners – and the driving force behind the festival
– put on a powerful show. Frontman Chris Martin exhibited more than his typical
enthusiasm and what seemed like genuine appreciation that people came to the
remote festival and stuck around long enough to hear his band, which took to
the stage at 10:20 pm on Sunday night.
“You braved hours of traffic and rain – all to take a chance on a new
festival,” he said, adding that the consensus was that the event has been “a
great success.”
Too bad for distractions during Coldplay's set: people departing in an attempt
to avoid another long journey home, the slow-moving traffic visible behind the
stage, the ever-present bass coming out of the B-Live tent across the field
(particularly annoying during what should have been a Coldplay highlight: a
short set on a tiny stage that included an acoustic version of The Scientist).
But overall, it was a strong show, with highlights that included Clocks, In
My Place, and everybody singing along to Yellow.
Coldplay was preceded by an extraordinary performance by Jay-Z. For just over an hour, the New York hip hop star had the place in
a tizzy – fans waving their arms in tribute and bouncing like crazy (the
temporary wooden floor I was standing on felt positively trampolinesque). Some
female fans showed their appreciation by flashing the crowd on the giant video
screens – to great approval.
Jay-Z's urban lyrics set against the silhouette of the darkening mountains as
he sampled everyone from Amy Winehouse to the cast of the musical Annie, was
something to experience. Even he seemed impressed.
As the show wrapped up, like a teacher handing out gold stars at the end of
class, Jay-Z sent some shout-outs to audience members whose enthusiasm he had
noticed. “You in the yellow t-shirt,” he pointed to a fan. “And you, baby
girl.”
An unlikely highlight from earlier in the day was a stunning two-song
collaboration between Dj Dopey and 16 members of the Vancouver Symphony
Orchestra. As the VSO played The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony, Dj Dopey
ruled the turntable, and scenes from The Shining flashed on the screens
behind the stage. The crowd in the B-Live tent ate it up. Future VSO
subscription holders? Perhaps.
On unlikely combinations, the American Hasidic reggae almost-star Matisyahu
closed out the smaller Lillooet stage with a spiritually-inspired performance
that went with the gorgeous setting (at least the part of the show I managed to
catch; there were scheduling conflicts with Dj Dopey and Death Cab for Cutie).
In beard, yarmulke and side-curls, Matisyahu didn't exactly look the Pemberton
Festival part, but with musical talent like his, he fit right in.
N.E.R.D. – late though they were – got the crowd going with a high-energy,
infectious performance. Okay, so they thought they were in Vancouver at first,
and Pharrell Williams uttered the f-word more times than one could count, but
their energy was almost unparalleled on Sunday (and then Jay-Z came along).
Wish I could say the same for Seattle's Death Cab for Cutie. Perhaps it was
festival fatigue setting in, but they just didn't do it for me – or the crowd.
After N.E.R.D. – and Dj Dopey – the performance simply felt lacklustre. Too
bad, because they've got a lot to offer.
Highlight of the final day: a crowd crazy in love with Jay-Z.
Low point: the backlog caused by earlier traffic delays meant Coldplay
didn't wrap up their set until 11:40. And then, festival fans set out for what
would no doubt be another long journey home.
::MUSIC NEWS::
Personal Touch Gets Layah Jane Noticed
Source: www.thestar.com
- Ashante Infantry, Pop & Jazz Critic
(July 29, 2008) Toronto singer/songwriter Layah Jane often springboards off real experiences for the fusion of
personal and political messages that comprise her songs. Take how a
confrontation at a rally against the Iraq war resulted in "Put Your Foot
Down," which appears on her current album Brightness & Bravery.
"We were walking by the American embassy and people in the crowd started
yelling `Shame' and I had this really intense reaction against it," the
Toronto native explained.
"It felt like perpetuating that same cycle of hate and lashing out; but if
we're calling for peace, we've got to practise it. That was a really striking
experience for me and that song came out of it.
"I'm definitely inspired by things that I feel strongly about, whether
it's the state of our current world affairs, a relationship or my family.
Anything that comes from a deep place in my heart tends to want an outlet
through music."
Good thing Jane has an understanding boyfriend who no doubt sees glimpses of
himself on her engaging sophomore disc.
"I don't know if I'd want to be connected with a songwriter," she
acknowledges with a laugh, "because you see yourself reflected; hopefully
not in a way that makes you feel exposed in a bad way, but it is fuel for my
creative process."
Nominated for a 2008 Toronto Independent Music Award for Best Folk Artist (the
awards will be handed out Thursday), Jane performs at Not My Dog today with
guitarist/co-writer/producer Oliver Johnson.
Their previous effort, Grievance and Gratitude, took the TIMA for Best
Jazz in 2006. "It felt a little bit out of left field, but I think our
music stretches into a few different genres, so the judges must've been hearing
the jazzy inflections," says Jane, who cites inspirations as varied as
Joni Mitchell and Sade.
She adds that she's purposeful about genre-straddling: "I think the
average listener is a little more sophisticated than we actually expect them to
be. I know I love all kinds of music, and I love albums that are diverse ...
We're going for that crowd that really appreciates music with something to say
and music that can also make your feet move a little bit."
Jane and her actor sister were raised by a psychotherapist father who wrote
songs as a hobby and a poet mother who teaches writing.
"There was always music on in our house, often it would come from (dad),
but my mom always sang to us, too. I can't remember a time when we weren't
singing."
Though she took piano lessons as a child and attended an arts high school,
Jane, who plays acoustic guitar, vibraphone and keyboards, resisted further
formal training.
"I was very clear that I wanted to pursue music, but I guess my
relationship to music theory has been a little bit more distant. I always felt
it got in the way of my creative flow. I felt called to continue playing and
writing and listening to music, going to school in that way: studying musicians
that inspire me.
"I had moments of wanting to go into medicine and I studied homeopathic
medicine a couple years ago. It's definitely a part of my life. I feel a great
balance between music and alternative medicine; it helps me stay grounded.
"Right now most of my energy is going into music. Who knows what will
happen later in life."
Percussionist Learns To Make Street Noise Part Of The Show
Source: www.thestar.com - John Terauds, Classical Music
Critic
(July 24, 2008) You can shake your fist at the sky, the water, the
street and its streetcars, the fire trucks and planes. Or you can make peace
with them.
When percussionist Aiyun Huang was invited to
perform at the Toronto Music Garden four summers ago, she found herself
fighting the outdoor urban racket.
She recalls how Music Garden artistic director Tamara Bernstein came up to her
afterward and noted that "I was the only performer she had who could be
louder than a helicopter."
Huang returns this evening with a very different mindset.
"The program this year is not about fighting against the surrounding
noise," she explains over coffee. "I wanted to embody and embrace all
these things and make them part of the music."
This mirrors the positive reception Huang enjoyed during her 2004 outdoor show.
This summer, Huang is not only including the environment in her music-making,
but also transforming herself from percussion virtuoso into simply another
component of that environment.
"I want to get away from the situation where it's, `Look at me, I'm the
performer,'" she explains.
For an hour, Huang will perform on instruments she could pack into a suitcase.
One piece is a 20-year-old creation by Alvin Lucier called Silver Streetcar
for Orchestra. It features a suspended triangle, which the performer
strikes in a number of different ways to showcase rhythm as well as the way
sound changes depending on where and how the metal is struck.
Another piece – a movement from Mathematics of Resonant Bodies by
Alaskan composer John Luther Adams – is for a hand-cranked siren, with a
laptop-generated accompaniment.
Huang's laptop will be a part of the opening piece as well. That Which is
Bodiless is Reflected in Bodies, by American composer Matthew Burtner,
starts off with the sound of a Tibetan singing bowl, subtly leading into
computer-processed sounds. "The electronics pick up the harmonics of the
temple bowl," Huang explains.
This may sound a bit esoteric to a mainstream classical-music audience. Unlike
most classical music, repertoire for solo percussion is not old – "It's
only been around for the last 55 years," says Huang.
Late tomorrow night, she switches from solo percussion to ensemble work as she
reunites with old friends Toca Loca, led by the energetic and ever-inventive
Gregory Oh. This show will be indoors, in the Brigantine Room at York Quay.
The Taiwan native moved to Toronto with her family at age 18, and went to
University of Toronto. Huang's graduate degrees are from the University of
California, San Diego. Currently, home is with her Sicilian husband and
3 1/2-year-old daughter in San Diego.
She has been teaching percussion at McGill University in Montreal since 2006.
And she does a lot of travelling as a performer.
Huang says she is at peace with her pan-global existence. She equates her
ability to multi-task with the demands of her craft.
"Percussionists tend to be able to manage many instruments and many
sticks," she explains.
"It's embedded in our training, like playing with 11 pairs of mallets. So
playing a didgeridoo in one piece and a gong in another doesn't seem so
weird."
The 30-something performer admits to the difficulty in explaining all this to
airport security people, who routinely pull her aside once x-ray machines pick
up the strange objects in her luggage. Her Toronto visit warranted two searches
on Monday.
"I guess plane travel is hard for everybody these days," she says,
shrugging it off.
Just the facts
WHO: Aiyun Huang
WHERE/WHEN: Solo at Toronto Music Garden, Queens Quay, just west of
Spadina Ave. Tonight, 7 p.m.
With Toca Loca at Harbourfront's Brigantine Room, 235 Queens Quay W. Tomorrow,
11 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free
Al Green
& Quincy Jones Honoured By BET
Source: www.eurweb.com -
(July 24, 2008) *The recent star-studded BET Awards gave
entertainment fans quite a show. Hosted by comedian D.L. Hughley, this year’s
show opened with a hot performance by Usher. Additional performances included
multi-nominee T-Pain, Nelly, Chris Brown, Ciara, and Lil’ Wayne.
With stellar performances and awarded guests, top music legends were honoured
at this year’s show. The incomparable soul star Rev. Al Green and the legendary
music maestro Quincy Jones were given the BET lifetime achievement award and
the humanitarian award, respectively.
After stirring performances from Jill Scott, Anthony Hamilton, and Maxwell, the
2008 BET lifetime achievement award was bestowed on the good Reverend Green,
who even did a performance of his own, sounding just as great as ever on his
hits “Let’s Stay together” and “Love and Happiness,” though he apologized for
the performance backstage.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t sing as well as I should,” the veteran crooner modestly
told reporters. “I was scared. I got nervous.”
The R&B star also had just a few words in regard to the numerous years and
creative impressions he’s made on music that brought him to be given the award.
“It took 25 years,” he said.
And of his music’s longevity, he simply explained that the work he’s done has
been about love – in more ways than one – and that has made it all the more
treasured.
“It’s longevity. It’s a lot of making babies,” he said. “The music is what it
is. It’s about love and compassion. It’s about affections; it’s about family.”
Green’s new CD, “Lay It Down,” was released earlier this summer. The disc
offers up 11 more tracks abounding with love of music. The disc was produced by
?uestlove, but also features a bevy of young soul talent.
“Lay it down, let it go, fall in love. That’s what our new CD is. That’s what I
want to do,” he said. “We wanted to cut an R&B secular record. I contacted
Corinne Bailey Rae and John Legend and Anthony Hamilton. We got in the studio
and got the work done.”
The humanitarian award presentation to
Quincy Jones rounded out the award night. Queen Latifah introduced Jones,
calling him "an international artist, an innovator, and a leader."
Jones told reporters that receiving the honour from an assembly of young-bucks
was important.
“All of the dudes in hip-hop are my little brothers,” he said. “I go all the
way back to the Sugar Hill Gang and people like Reggie Hudlin. He just said he
had no idea that we’d see him direct ‘Boomerang’ in New York and he’d be an
executive one day. That’s the way God does it. Those are the paths you go
through. It’s an honour to be the recipient of a tribute of all the young dogs.
All this tied together would be BET.”
In referencing his humanitarian award, Jones said that it’s for the whole world
to share.
“Every child in this world deserves a chance, an education, and food,” he said.
“There are organizations training 18 years olds, mentored by their mayors to
run their own cities in 2020. That’s the kind of out-of-the-box stuff I’m
addicted to.”
Ever the activist, Jones is on a mission
of making music an important issue in the States.
“One of the first things, after we get Obama [elected], is to get a Secretary
of the Arts,” he charged. “This country's music is replicated by every country
in the world. We’re the only major country in the world that doesn’t have a
Minister of Culture. We’ve got to get it into our school systems. I’ve talked
to a couple of the young kids who don’t know who Duke Ellington or Charlie
Parker were.”
Well, until the country steps up to
create such a post as a cultural attaché, Jones as our honoured music
ambassador will have to suffice.
For more on the legends Al Green and
Quincy Jones, visit their websites at www.algreenmusic.com and www.quincyjones.com.
Festival De Lanaudière's Success: Divine Inspiration And
Well-Timed Government Funding
Source: www.thestar.com - William Littler
(July 26, 2008) JOLIETTE, Que. When you want to start a music
festival, you could do worse than consult a priest, especially if that priest
happens to be Fernand Lindsay.
But don't wait too long. Father Lindsay is 80 years old and his time is pretty
well occupied these days as founder and artistic director of what is generally
recognized as Canada's leading music festival, the Festival de Lanaudière (www.lanaudiere.org).
The Lanaudière region of Quebec, stretching from the St. Lawrence River to the
Laurentian Massif, may not occupy a prominent place on the world map of high
culture but it happens to be where Father Lindsay has lived and taught for
decades as a member of the Clercs de Saint-Viateur, centred in the riverside
town of Joliette.
Travelling in Europe taught this enterprising priest that successful festivals
sometimes take place in towns scarcely larger than his own. He decided to send
aloft a trial balloon in the shape of three concerts by the Montreal Symphony
Orchestra, presented in Joliette's impressive stone cathedral.
That was in 1977. A year later, the festival was officially launched and with
it a 30-year tradition of summer music-making embracing such names as Cecilia
Bartoli, Itzhak Perlman, Mstislav Rostropovich and Maxim Vengerov and
continuing this year, on a $2.5 million production budget, through Aug. 3.
End of story? By no means.
As the festival's ambitions grew, so did its need for expanded facilities.
Father Lindsay's ecclesiastical connections opened the doors of several
picturesque churches in neighbouring villages that still serve as venues for
chamber music and solo recitals, including, the other day, a beguiling vocal
recital by Quebec mezzo-soprano Michèle Losier in the Eglise de Saint-Zénon.
But it was Father Lindsay's political connections that secured the greatest
coup, the construction in 1989 of a handsome amphitheatre facility with
roofed-over seating for 2,000 and lawn seating for thousands more, nestled in a
hemlock grove on 17 hectares of parkland neighbouring the site of the archery
trials of the 1976 Olympics.
At the very time Father Lindsay was lobbying for an amphitheatre for Joliette,
Charles Dutoit, the seemingly all-powerful music director of the Montreal
Symphony Orchestra, was lobbying for a similar summer home for his orchestra on
the banks of the St. Lawrence.
To the surprise of more than a few, the government funding wound up going to
Joliette. The maestro was reportedly not amused.
The Montreal Symphony Orchestra nevertheless continues to be an annual visitor
to the town founded by Barthélemy Joliette in 1823, this year bringing the
festival's final weekend to a climax with a performance of the Verdi Requiem
under Kent Nagano's direction.
The festival's larger events focus on weekends, with bus shuttles from downtown
Montreal, less than an hour's drive away. Picnicking on the lawns, à la
Tanglewood and Ravinia, is also popular.
Ontario offers nothing to compare with the Lanaudière experience, although the
Toronto Symphony Orchestra is reportedly investigating yet again the
development of a Tanglewood or Ravinia-style summer home in the Niagara region.
If such a home materializes, Toronto's orchestra could look eastward for an
example of innovative programming such as last weekend's day-long celebration
of the piano, presided over by the charismatic Alain Lefèvre, involving a
morning master class, an afternoon recital with eight pianists playing piano
four- and eight-hand music and an evening orchestral concert of Bach and Mozart
concertos for two, three and four keyboards.
Add to such ingredients the prayers of a charismatic priest and how can you
fail?
William Littler writes about classical music around the world for the Star's
entertainment section.
Rolling Stones Sign With Universal
Source: www.thestar.com - Jane Wardell, AP Business Writer
(July 25, 2008) LONDON–The Rolling Stones, the world's
top-earning music act last year, have signed a long-term, exclusive worldwide
contract with Vivendi SA's Universal Music, dealing a major blow to the group's
former recording company, EMI Group PLC.
Universal said on Friday that the new deal covered both future albums by the
Stones and their back catalogue including such albums as "Sticky
Fingers" and "Black and Blue" and songs "Brown Sugar"
and "Start Me Up.''
Universal, the world's biggest recording company, did not disclose terms of the
deal.
The Stones' departure from EMI, where they'd been for more than 20 years, is a
low point in a bumpy ride for Terra Firma Capital Partners Ltd., the private
equity firm that bought the London-based recording company last year.
New EMI boss Guy Hands failed to re-sign British band Radiohead. Other major
artists, including Coldplay and Robbie Williams, have expressed unhappiness
with some changes at the company since the buyout.
"Universal are forward-thinking, creative and hands-on music people,"
the Stones said in a statement. "We really look forward to working with
them.''
The British group has already had some experience of working with Universal
after the company, a subsidiary of French media and telecommunication giant
Vivendi SA, in March released the soundtrack album from "Shine A
Light," director Martin Scorsese's film of the Stones' 2006 performance at
the Beacon Theater in New York.
Universal will now release all new recordings by the group through its Polydor
label and take over full digital and physical rights. It added that it will
"begin planning an unprecedented, long-term campaign to reposition the
Rolling Stones' entire catalogue for the digital age.''
The Stones topped Forbes magazine's list of wealthy music acts last year,
reportedly earning some $88 million between June 2006 and June 2007, mostly
from their "Bigger Bang Tour.''
EMI, whose artists also include the Beastie Boys, Norah Jones and Kylie Minogue,
announced plans this year to cut more than one-third of its work force to
offset a drop in CD sales revenue and the departure of several major artists,
including Paul McCartney.
EMI has struggled more than the other major labels – Universal, Sony BMG and
Warner Music Group – as digital music downloading has gained in popularity.
The company blamed disappointing North American results for a series of
damaging profit warnings, but industry experts also pointed to internal control
problems and the company's lack of new music.
Grammy Winner Tony Rich Signs With
Hidden Beach Recordings
Source: Joe Wiggins, Play Fair Media, playfairmedia@yahoo.com
(July 28, 2008) *Santa Monica, CA - Hidden Beach
Recordings announces the signing of eclectic and electric singer &
songwriter, Tony Rich.
"Tony Rich fits the Hidden Beach Family's quest to partner with the best
of the best artists, whom are able to condense their emotions into the recorded
form. Tony is also a talented photographer, fine painter and poet. He has
developed his artistic expression through several mediums and we intend to
utilize all of these talents to tell his story which will resonate with both
his loyal fans and many new ones alike," says Hidden Beach Recordings
President, Steve McKeever. "This project should certainly answer the
question: 'Where is Tony Rich?'"
The Detroit-born crooner made his debut in early 1996 with his album, WORDS.
The hit single spawned from that album, "Nobody Knows" peaked at
number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and climbed to number one in the UK.
This propelled the single and album to go platinum and in 1997, Rich won a
Grammy Award for the Best R&B Album.
He is also an accomplished songwriter who's penned hits for Boys II Men, Johnny
Gill, Elton John, CeCe Winans, TLC and Toni Braxton.
Tony has been a longstanding resident of Atlanta and has released two
independent albums that spawned critically praise but failed to match the
commercial success of his debut. He has experienced the trials and tribulations
of an artist wanting to get his music out to the world.
"There first must be a test before you can have a testimony," affirms
Rich. "I've had some ups and downs but my desire and ability to create art
has always been my gift. It feels good to finally find a home at Hidden Beach.
They have really supported my vision and will allow me to continue to share the
unique sound of my musical contributions."
Tony Rich's fifth album, EXIST is due out on September 16th. The first single
"Part the Waves" is a rhythmic soliloquy reflecting the before and
after of first meeting then being with that special someone. In support of the
forthcoming album, he will be doing a 12-city promotional tour from Monday,
July 21st to Friday, August 1st; dates and cities are below:
Fans Buying More Merch, Fewer CDs
Source: www.thestar.com
- Michael Oliveira, The Canadian Press
(July 28, 2008) TORONTO – Just how much are music fans willing to
pay to publicly proclaim their love for their favourite artist?
Some Bon Jovi fans haven't flinched at dropping US$750 for a tour jacket, and a
few White Stripes diehards have parted with hundreds of dollars so they could
look a little bit like singer Jack White.
With record sales down and music companies looking for ways to create new
revenue streams, there are some novel – and increasingly expensive – items
being sold alongside the traditional T-shirts and posters at concerts.
And some fans seem more than willing to buy almost anything that's put in front
of them.
The White Stripes have had a variety of kilts for sale – in their official
tartans registered with the International Tartan Index – the most expensive
selling for US$280. It's made of 100 per cent wool and only 10 were made,
making it an exclusive collector's item for the serious fan.
The band also sells two custom-made cameras – the Jack Holga and Meg Diana,
named for band mates Jack and Meg White – for US$180 each. Only 3,000 of each
camera were made.
For women who want to throw their underwear on stage, a growing number of rock
bands are thoughtfully incorporating thongs into their selection of merchandise
available at shows, including Canadian group Three Days Grace, which sells
panties for $20 each.
Prince sold pillowcases for around US$30 during his tour last year.
But perhaps the most expensive merch currently on sale is Bon Jovi's
"Grade A distressed cow hide leather" tour jacket, selling for the
jaw-dropping price of US$750 – and fans are buying.
One Norwegian fan commented on the band's official website that she just had to
have one – even though her size was no longer available – and was thrilled with
her purchase, despite the fact that it didn't really fit properly.
"It's a little big for me, being a female, but I still love it. It will be
fine in the winter, nice to have some place for a sweater," she wrote.
"This is the most amazing (piece) of clothing I have ever owned!"
Others have opted for a bottle of wine from the Bon Jovi signature collection,
ranging between US$21.95 for a Chardonnay to US$145 for a 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon.
And for parents who want to pass on their love of Bon Jovi to their kids, the
band has its own baby merchandise line, including onesies for US$20 and
blankets for US$30.
It all seems a little ridiculous to Toronto concert buff Mark Churaman,
although he admits to having dropped $120 on a Bon Jovi hooded sweatshirt that
he only somewhat regrets buying.
The 23-year-old – who goes to as many as three or four shows a month – is the
music industry's dream consumer, willing to pay whatever it costs to get the
latest, coolest piece of merch sold by their favourite artists.
"If it's someone in the top five artists that I love and I go to their
shows, obviously I want to buy a T-shirt or something," said Churaman, who
works as an administrative assistant for a major financial company.
"If I'm spending $100 for a concert ticket and it's someone I really like
and I want a souvenir, then price really isn't an issue."
With the slowdown in album sales and a new reliance on concerts and merchandise
to bring in revenue, giving fans what they want has become increasingly
important to the music industry, said Gary Bongiovanni, editor of music
industry magazine Pollstar.
"It used to be 20 years ago that artists toured to help sell records, but
today they tour to make money and hopefully, maybe, they'll sell a few more
records along the way," Bongiovanni said.
"Merchandise sales are now a very significant part of their revenue
streams, to the point it wouldn't surprise me if most (popular) recording
artists make more money off their merchandise than they do off of their
recording."
For fans that can't buy a concert ticket – or can't afford one – the same
merchandise is often available on artists' websites, which can resemble
full-blown retail outlets.
Avril Lavigne's online store features 78 items, ranging from a .99 cent
glowstick to a hooded sweatshirt selling for $69.99. She also sells underwear,
comic books, belt buckles, toques, change purses, hand bags – and, of course,
T-shirts.
Marty Peters, the merchandising manager for Nettwerk Management, which
represents Lavigne, said merchandise revenue is definitely growing and T-shirt
sales can sometimes account for as much as 30 to 70 per cent of a concert's
gross profits.
He said merchandise companies are thinking of gimmicky new products to sell
simply because they know fans will buy them.
"The companies that are savvy are seeing where the niches are in the merch
business and are always chomping at the bit to give you the next best item to
offer your artist, to get their name out there and increase their exposure and
their sales," Peters said.
There's a willingness to take risks to come up with the next new hot piece of
merch, and the industry is closely monitoring trends in what sells and what
doesn't, Peters said.
"When one or two T-shirt designs are making 40 to 60 per cent of a gross
on a show, that's a trend we pay attention to, naturally," Peters said.
Artists are being allowed to come up with their own products, but the more
out-there ideas can backfire – like the super-limited edition White Stripes
kilts that are still available for sale.
"Sometimes the artists think there's certain items the fans may like and
then it ends up they don't," he said.
"Things will get tried, and if they don't work then we just drop it."
Overall, the best business is coming from younger fans whose parents are often
accompanying them to concerts and picking up the tab for whatever their kids
insist they "must" have.
"The per head is how we gauge concert tours, and there's a significant
difference between sales at a Barenaked Ladies concert and an Avril Lavigne
concert," Peters said.
"Parents are more likely to drop a credit card than people at a Barenaked
Ladies concert, where you have older fans that are still going to buy something
but they're going to be a little more sophisticated in their decisions."
For Churaman, he's willing to spend but draws the line at band-branded candles,
wine and $750 jackets.
"I could go see like seven Bon Jovi shows for that money," he said.
Smooth
Jazz Virtuoso Andre Delano Releases Second Album
