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Friday, May 30, 2014

Music News and New Music For May 30th, 2014

So of course, when running your own blog it can be tough to keep up with the s**tload of stuff that comes across our ears over a weekend!  Some good, some bad, some not even worth mentioning.  I guess that's how I use AFGM in general.  These articles that I go through everyday from various sites (Blabbermouth, CBC, National Post, AV Club, Exclaim, Music News, Rolling Stone, etc.) and sort of "filter" some of the nonsense news such as the latest fashion design, who's got beef with who and who ISN'T doing music...still.

These articles brought forth are for a few different reasons:

1. It is relevant music information that pertains to you as a reader, no matter the level of intent or the genre.

2. They are relevant to the music I would be currently listening to or a genre I have put some attention and focus on.

3. I am rather patriotic about my Canadian music, so that always comes as a first for me.  I enjoy music from all parts of the world respectively, but I still have to promote local if I can.  Canadian music rocks!

4. Because it's humorous and we can always use a good laugh.  Rarely will it be at someone's expense...but then again I am just the guy talking about it.  They're the ones causing the comments.

So in closing, I trust you all will not read EVERY single article posted here.  But I hope you find something of use here and keep the conversation going by forwarding it onto someone else.  Click on each article heading for redirection to the full article.  Cheers!



Therapeutic benefits of music being used to treat Alzheimer’s, addiction, and depression:

"Music therapy became a clinical profession in the 1940s, after doctors and nurses noticed that war veterans suffering emotional and physical trauma responded well to musicians who gave volunteer performances in hospitals. Nevertheless, the profession spent decades on the fringes of medical science, until the early 1990s when advances in neuro-imaging technologies confirmed that musical activities had profound effects on the brain.

Since then, researchers at the frontiers of music therapy have developed strong evidence that musical interventions can reduce chronic pain, help stroke patients regain speech, increase social engagement in children with autism and help patients with acquired brain injury or Parkinson’s disease improve their gait."


Sonic Boom to Merge Stores into New Toronto Location:

"We wanted be an early contributor to all the exciting changes happening on Spadina and jumped at this opportunity when we found the space.  It's as if it was made for a record store. Sonic Boom is going to be better than ever." -Jeffrey Barber


Apple Buys Beats for $3 Billion, Tapping Tastemakers to Regain Music Mojo:

"We think these guys have a very rare talent.  We love the subscription service that they built—we think it's the first subscription service that really got it right." -Tim Cook


Go camping and see great music at the same time:

"Fresh air, clear skies, miles away from the concrete jungle – is there a better way to see a music show?"

Hillside, River And Sky Music Festival, Wolfe Island Music Festival, Ottawa Bluesfest, Mudtown Music & Arts Festival, and more!


Twitter’s Trending 140 and Emerging Artists rate music minute by minute:

“Are record companies going to start handing out plaques based on you spent seven minutes on the chart on May 27?  No, but I don’t think that was our goal. For record companies, we want them to use this as promotion, and for fans we want this to be a game as well as a discovery engine. For artists, we want them to be able to spark real conversations with their fans...

Everybody’s trying to find new music. The Beatles’ Abbey Road might be the greatest album ever made, or Michael Jackson’s Thriller or Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction, but you don’t want to listen to just that for the rest of your life. So we’re all trying to find what our next favourite song is going to be.

We want something people can engage with more frequently." -John Amato


Red Bull Thre3style Opens 2014 Applications for Reformatted DJ Competition:

"The annual DJ contest has been reformatted for a new and exciting 2014 edition. Where the comp once boasted eight qualifying rounds, it has since been compacted to two: one in the east (July 11 in Toronto) and one in the west (July 20 in Calgary). The competition will get fierce as DJs have just 15 minutes to spin an original mix that will be judged on originality, creativity and crowd engagement. 

The eight DJs in each regional qualifier will be shaved down to three for the nationals in Vancouver on July 26, where the winner will be chosen to represent Canada at August's world finals in Baku, Azerbaijan."


SLASH To Release 'World On Fire' Album In September:

"All I can tell you is that it's a really fucking great record. I'm very proud of it, but I don't want to get into, 'Oh, dude, it's epic,' or 'It's the heaviest thing ever.' It's very rock and roll, and, as always, it's very diverse in feel, and I'm just super, super proud of everything that we collectively put into making the thing. It's just going to be a bitchin' record.

The band has become so synergetic. I showed the music to the guys, and what they wrote flowed immediately. I was really amazed at how, from the second we started pre-production up 'till now, the record just flowed. It's rare that it happens like that." -Slash


Wolves At The Gate Release “Awaken” Acoustic Video:



Their new album “VxV” on will be out on June 10th through Solid State Records.


OLE Announces Worldwide Music Publishing Deal For RUSH Catalog:

"With the changing times in the music business, the responsibilities of a publisher have become much more complex. This deal will allow me to devote my time and energy to managing the live touring and recording aspects of RUSH's ongoing career." -Ray Danniels


'Dubstep,' 'Auto-Tune' Added to Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

"You know that word that really should be in the dictionary? Until it actually makes it in, here's where it goes. Welcome to our collection of user-submitted words."


Cairo cafes - A century of music and coffee:

"By the late 19th century and the arrival of lots of immigrants from the Levant to Egypt, and the opening of several cafes and theatres, music and performances slipped into the public area and flourished in numerous cafes, tiatros (theatres) and pubs." -Esmat El-Nemr


GODSMACK's SULLY ERNA Says Forthcoming '1000 Horsepower' Album:

This one just became a little bit more raw, a little bit more open.  The writing was a little freer. The production is really kind of raw and in your face, and the songs, man — I'm really, really excited about these songs. And I have to tell you honestly, I wasn't that excited about writing this record at first." -Erna


R.E.M.'s Mike Mills: Band Has 'Lot of Stuff in the Vaults':

"We have a lot of stuff in the vaults, a fair amount of stuff that's never been released.  We all want to do something with this stuff. We know we've got some really good things hanging around." -Mills


2014 Billboard Music Awards Spur 1.6 Million Song Download Sales:

"The 2014 Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) spark major sales action, as the May 18 ABC broadcast's performances spurred 1.58 million song downloads in the week ending May 25 (according to Nielsen SoundScan).

The 20 songs performed during the show that were also available for purchase combined to sell 1.58 million."


Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' Targeted for Plagiarism:

“The clarity seems to be a present-day clarity, not at the time of infringement. I can’t explain it. It is fairly blatant, and note for note.  It would just be nice if the Led Zeppelin guys gave Randy a little nod. That would be lovely.” -Mark Andes


More Dates Added To Prong’s Fall North American Tour With Overkill:

09/10 West Hollywood, CA – The Viper Room
09/11 Las Vegas, NV – LVCS
09/12 Anaheim, CA – City National Grove Of Anaheim
09/13 Tempe, AZ – Club Red / Red Owl
09/14 Albuquerque, NM – Launch pad
09/15 Oklahoma City, OK – The Chameleon Room (feat. Overkill)
09/16 San Antonio, TX – Backstage Live
09/17 Houston, TX – Scout Bar
09/18 Dallas, TX – Trees (feat. Overkill)
09/19 Merriam, KS – Aftershock
09/20 Milwaukee, WI – Rave (feat. Overkill)
09/21 Joliet, IL – Mojoes (feat. Overkill)
09/22 Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre & Ballroom (feat. Overkill)
09/23 Toronto, ON – The Opera House (feat. Overkill)
09/24 Quebec City, QC – Imperial de Quebec (feat. Overkill)
09/25 Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero Theatre (feat. Overkill)
09/26 Hartford, CT – Webster Theater (feat. Overkill)
09/27 Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom (feat. Overkill)
09/28 Worcester, MA – Palladium
09/29 Albany, NY – Bogies
09/30 New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre
10/01 Springfield, VA – Empire
10/02 Pittsburgh, PA – Smiling Moose
10/03 Westland, MI – The Token Lounge
10/04 Kokomo, IN – Centerstage Bar & Grill
10/05 Louisville, KY – Diamond Pub & Billiards
10/07 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
10/09 Seattle, WA – El Corazon
10/10 Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
10/11 Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
10/12 Boise, ID – The Shredder
10/13 San Francisco, CA – Thee Parkside


Rare Velvet Underground Record Sold for $25k Headed Back to Auction:

"I watched the auction first just because it was so rare, I was curious to see how high the sale would go.  I bought it for $25,200, which, in my mind, was extremely undervalued for what the record was. I’m a big Velvet Underground fan, but to be honest, I’ve never been a big fan of this album. But the significance of the record for music is unmistakable. It’s obviously a piece of musical history, but I wouldn’t have purchased it then if I didn’t see its potential as a financial investment." -Anonymous Seller


How to Turn a Raspberry Pi Into a Private Streaming Music Service:

"If you're sick of dealing with carrying around a massive library of music on your smartphone and you don't want to pay for a service like Google Music, the Raspberry Pi can work as a music server. With a little work, you can make all your MP3s available to you regardless of where you are. Here's how to set it up."


Threat Signal Streaming New Song “Nostalgia”:




Skyharbor Hoping To Crowdfund Their Sophomore Album:

“Five months ago, we posted out here that we had some huge ambitions for our new album, but were hesitant to do something like this to achieve the required goals. However, the response from you guys was such an overwhelmingly positive one to go ahead and do it – so here it is – a Pledge campaign for our second album!

Our plan is to enlist the help of legendary Australian producer Forrester Savell for the mixing of this album, and the brilliant animator Jess Cope of Owl House Studios for a beautiful animated music video for a very special piece off the album. With your help, we will be able to realise these dreams and take this new album to an altogether new level from what we could ever hope to achieve by ourselves.

Beyond just raising funds, if we meet our targets we can show the world at large that we can stand on our own feet with the support of this incredible army of fans that we have on board with us, and that together we can create magic and achieve things that would have been deemed impossible a few years ago.

Every Pledge entitles you to get a download of a brand new song in 3 weeks from now before anyone else, a copy of the album when it’s finished, along with some very special and cool rewards – have a look.

With huge love, respect, and gratitude to each and every one of you that helps us on our journey.

Dan, Keshav, Devesh, Krishna and Anup“


Baroness Release “Sea Lungs” Live Video:



This was filmed by Jimmy Hubbard at the group's August 24th (2013) performance at The Casbah in San Diego, CA.


Metal doesn't soundtrack alienation – it's the music of prosperity:

"What we found is that that the number of heavy metal bands in a given country is associated with its wealth and affluence.  At the country-level, the number of heavy metal bands per capita is positively associated with economic output per capita (.71); level of creativity (.71) and entrepreneurship (.66); share of adults that hold college degrees (.68); as well as overall levels of human development (.79), well-being, and satisfaction with life (.60) …

Strange as it may seem, heavy metal springs not from the poisoned slag of alienation and despair but the loamy soil of post-industrial prosperity." -Richard Florida


QUEEN's BRIAN MAY Reveals Title For New Compilation Featuring Unreleased FREDDIE MERCURY Material:

We found a few more tracks with Freddie singing and all of us playing, and they are quite beautiful. So people will be hearing this work towards the end of the year. We are gonna put out an album which probably is called 'Queen Forever'. And it's a compilation, but it will have this new material which nobody in the world has ever heard. I think people will really enjoy it." -May


Bison (aka Bison BC) Announce ‘Canadian Desolation Tour’:

06/05 Nelson, BC – Kootenay Co-op Radio
06/06 Calgary, AB – Calgary Metal Fest
06/07 Equity, AB – Vantopia II
06/09 Regina, SK – The Exchange
06/10 Winnipeg, MB – The Windsor Hotel
06/12 London, ON – Call The Office
06/14 Toronto, ON – The Bovine
06/14 Hamilton, ON – The Casbah
06/16 Montreal, QC – Cabaret Playhouse
06/17 Ottawa, ON – Cafe Dekcuf
06/18 Kingston, ON – The Mansion
06/19 Halifax, NS – Michael’s Bar & Grill
06/20 Charlottetown, PEI – Fishbones
06/21 Saint Johns, NB – Pub Down Under
06/25 Winnipeg, MB – Frame Gallery
06/26 Saskatoon, SK – Rock Bottom
06/27 Edmonton, AB – Brixx


Amazon Prime Music Streaming Service Pegged For Summer Launch:

"The company will expand its Prime membership offerings by adding a stockpile of old and newish music for subscribers to stream on demand. The Prime music service, which is scheduled to launch this June or July, will not include recent releases but instead restrict its catalog to songs and albums that are 6 months old and older, five music industry sources familiar with the company’s plans confirmed to BuzzFeed."


The Safety Fire Release “Glass Crush” Video:



"Glass Crush" is taken from TSF's latest album "Mouth of Swords", which was released on September 2nd, 2013.


Nick Hipa Condemns Tim Lambesis For His Behavior, Labels Abandonment Claims As “Absolute Slander”:

“Last Friday I sat in a courtroom to support a friend. For the better part of a decade our professional and personal lives were woven in a relationship akin to family. As if family, the intention of my attendance was to publicly acknowledge the deep care and compassion I hold for this individual.

I watched as she searched for the strength to behold her transgressor for the first time in over a year since learning of his plot to have her murdered. I listened to her describe the love she once possessed for this man whom she adored, trusted, and depended on as her husband. I followed along as she detailed his abandonment of her and her children; a betrayal he failed to own but opted to blame on a lost sense of morality. This excuse became further excused by a defense that drug abuse had clouded his judgement.

She attempted to rebuild a life with three young children apart from a man who viewed them as disposable. The strength and resilience of these children—whom she saved from abandonment, poverty, and certain early death—were being further challenged by this domestic unravelling. Her desire was to give them love and stability, his response was to have her executed.

I observed his defense acknowledge the crime but defend it once again with the argument that steroids created mental instability. I followed as the prosecution reminded the court of an intricately calculated series of actions occurring over the course of many weeks. A scheme which involved using her children to secure gate codes for a would be assassin, and his plans for their further exploitation as an alibi; a plot indicative of careful premeditation over momentary mindlessness.

Read the rest here.


Every Time I Die Debut “Thirst” Video, Confirm New Album Details:

“From Parts Unknown” will be released in stores on July 1st through Epitaph Records.

1 – The Great Secret
2 – Pelican Of The Desert
3 – Decayin’ With The Boys
4 – Overstayer
5 – If There Is Room To Move, Things Move
6 – Moor
7 – Exometrium
8 – Thirst
9 – Old Light
10 – All Structures Are Unstable
11 – El Dorado
12 – Idiot




Gwar Hint At Possible Lineup For Future Live Shows:

“From the depths of the GWAR temple, beneath the frozen wasteland of Antarctica, mutant penguins swim towards America with news of GWAR‘s triumphant return to the stage as the headliner at this year’s GWAR B-Q. The 5th annual gathering of meat, metal and mayhem will take place on Saturday, August 16th at Hadad’s Lake (www.hadadslake.com) in Richmond, VA. Scientists work around the clock to translate the high-pitched chatter of the mutant penguin hoard as they approach landfall.

Conflicting reports indicate that GWAR‘s performance will be lead by none other than, original recipe Beefcake the Mighty aka Mike Bishop or quite possibly it was misinterpreted as the Colonel’s original chicken recipe. Who knows? Be there to find out for yourself as this historic metal event unfolds.

Other random Facebook posts and tweets confirm that original Scumdog members will descend on the GWAR B-Q to bear witness to a Viking funeral for Oderus Urungus, whose form will burn upon the SS Boat as he makes his journey back to Valhalla and beyond. This public memorial will be held from 4pm-7pm on Friday, August 15th at Hadad’s Lake (www.hadadslake.com) in Richmond, VA. and is open to even the lowliest of bohabs…”


Born Of Osiris Guitarist Streaming Debut EP From His DIMIR Project:




15 Canadian Music Festivals You Must See Before You Die:

Music induistry expert Eric Alper goes through a long list of festivals that you should make an attempt to see once in your life before it's too late!  Check out some of the shows such as World Pride 2014, Luminato, Hillside Festival, Osheaga, and many more!


Ill Nino Singer: “The New Album Will Absolutely Surprise A Lot Of People”:

“The new album will absolutely surprise a lot of people. I don’t think we’re the kind of band that releases the same album over and over. We always attempt to challenge ourselves musically in order to grow as artists and friends. The new album will have its surprises and all I will say is that it is very catchy and very groove-oriented. The lyrics I feel are by far the best lyrics I’ve ever written, and I really do give the guys in the band so much credit for writing such amazing songs for this new album. I hope that all of our fans will go out and pick up a copy on July 22nd.” -Machado


Sorry, Music Fans: The Aether Cone Speaker Can’t Read Your Mind:

"Then you choose a starter song to match your musical mood. You can do this by searching within Aether’s iOS app, choosing a music streaming service (Rdio and Stitcher were the only compatible ones at publication time), or selecting anything from your iTunes library. You can also tap the center button of the speaker and say the name of the song you want to hear out loud, and the Cone will select the tune from Rdio’s database (available for $10 a month).

This is where the magic allegedly happens. When you press the button, its border illuminates with a glowing LED light. If you say “Play ‘Last Night’ by the Strokes,” the light will start snaking around it in a circle as it retrieves your request. Within a couple of seconds it will play a song — hopefully, the one you asked for. 

And this is where the Cone is not so magical. The speaker’s voice recognition does well with short band names like “The Kinks” or tracks with relatively simple titles like “ ‘Heartbreaker’ by the Walkmen.” But longer, vowel-heavy phrases sometimes mess it up. When I tried to call up Lorde’s “Royals,” the Cone gave me A$AP Ferg’s “Lord” and “Lord Knows” by Drake, among a few others. And if you don’t subscribe to Rdio, you’re out of luck."


Sevendust Perform “Angel’s Son” & “Trust” Acoustically At ‘Guitar Center’:






iOS 8 changes we'd like to see: FaceTime, Maps, Messages, Music:

"Despite myriad third-party alternatives, many of us keep coming back to the built-in Music app for listening to our own tunes. Part of this is because many third-party music apps have problems with iTunes Match—or don’t let us access cloud-hosted music at all. Another is that we like being able to listen to iTunes Radio. Whatever the reason, we use the Music app daily, so we’d really like it to become a bit more polished."


AMON AMARTH And SABATON To Join Forces For North American Tour In The Fall:

Sep. 25 - Riverside, CA @ Riverside Municipal Auditorium
Sep. 26 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
Sep. 27 - Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
Sep. 29 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Sep. 30 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Oct. 01 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
Oct. 03 - Edmonton, AB @ Union Hall
Oct. 04 - Calgary, AB @ Flames Central
Oct. 05 - Saskatoon, SK @ Louis' Pub
Oct. 06 - Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick
Oct. 07 - Thunder Bay, ON @ Crocks
Oct. 10 - Toronto, ON @ The Sound Academy
Oct. 11 - Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
Oct. 12 - Quebec City, QC @ Imperial
Oct. 14 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
Oct. 15 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
Oct. 17 - Albany, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall
Oct. 18 - New York, NY @ Best Buy Theater (no SKELETONWITCH)
Oct. 19 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
Oct. 21 - Chattanooga, TN @ Track 29
Oct. 22 - Knoxville, TN @ Bijou Theater
Oct. 24 - Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
Oct. 25 - Jacksonville, FL @ Freebird
Oct. 26 - Birmingham, AL @ Iron City
Oct. 27 - New Orleans, LA @ The Civic
Oct. 29 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
Oct. 30 - Joliet, IL @ Mojoes
Oct. 31 - Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak
Nov. 01 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
Nov. 02 - Des Moines, IA @ Wooly's
Nov. 04 - Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Street
Nov. 05 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
Nov. 07 - Austin, TX @ Fun Fun Fun Fest
Nov. 08 - El Paso, TX @ Tricky Falls
Nov. 09 - Tucson, AZ @ Club XS


Wearhaus’ Arc headphones aim to bring music back to its social origins:

"Arc headphones use Bluetooth technology to sync multiple users’ listening experiences, meaning one can easily share a song with a nearby friend, or broadcast their playlist to every other Arc user in the area. Wearhaus co-founders (and Berkeley dropouts) Nelson Zhang and Richie Zeng were originally inspired by the so-called “silent disco” fad that’s cropped up at music festivals within the past decade or so. The idea involves a crowd of people all tuned into the same song(s) via headphones and manually synced-up portable music players – everybody’s dancing their asses off in time together, without the shared soundtrack dominating the room."

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