Friday, July 11, 2014

Music News and New Music For July 11th, 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, Google, Wired, 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!



Lollapalooza May Expand to Toronto in 2015:

“Lollapoloza is surely coming to Toronto next August 2015, and it’ll be very interesting to see how that changes the summer landscape in our great city.  Honestly, we’ve never played by the industry sets of rules with regard to how things work in our venues, etc … being able to book a festival and at the same time also book some into our clubs is just an organic progression. But yes, we are absolutely self-sufficient in terms of how we do business and fiercely independent of the big players like C3, AEG, and Live Nation.” -Jeff Cohen


MuchMusic's 'The Wedge' Gets Cancelled Yet Again:

"Goodbye @MUCHthewedge. Three years of fun and battles! Sleep well sweet indie video show." -Damian Abraham (host of The Wedge)


Spotify music streaming service coming to Canada:

"Other online services like Songza, which Google purchased earlier this month, allow the streaming of curated playlists of music for free, but users can't play albums of their choice.

No launch date for Spotify in Canada has been released but the company says users will start getting access to the service in the 'coming months.' Canadians can register for early access at Spotify.ca."


Did Canada just set the worst artist royalty rate for music streaming in the world?:

"Canadian commercial broadcasters are now subject to a rate of 10.2 cents per 1,000 plays (that’s $0.0001 per play), while the CBC (on its CBC Music platform, for example) is subject to a rate of 13.1 cents per 1,000 plays ($0.00013 per play).

This effectively means that the CBC, in total, will be paying out a paltry estimated total of $36,000 in streaming royalties to all of the Canadian artists it plays on the web yearly. Imagine that."


Beau's Oktoberfest Brings Out Joel Plaskett Emergency, Tokyo Police Club, Rural Alberta Advantage:

"Canadian music is, as always, a big part of VKH Oktoberfest. National indie rock icon and Juno award winner Joel Plaskett with The Emergency headline Friday’s performers, which also include The Rural Alberta Advantage and Groenland. Saturday’s show is headed up by Newmarket, Ontario’s indie rockers Tokyo Police Club, and also features electro hip-hop performers Radio Radio. Canada’s polka king Walter Ostanek is back again this year for daytime entertainment, as are traditional German dance group The Schuhplatters. A bigger, better stage for this year’s Oktoberfest promises better sightlines and more room up front for fans."


For Those About to Rock, Headbang with Care, Scientists Say:

"We are not smartasses who advise against headbanging.  Our purpose was not only to entertain the readership with a quite comical case report on complications of headbanging that confirms the reputation of Motörhead as undoubtedly one of the hardest rock 'n' roll bands on Earth, but to sensitize the medical world for a certain subgroup of fans that may be endangered when indulging  themselves in excessive headbanging." -Dr. Ariyan Pirayesh Islamian of the Hannover Medical School in Germany


Garth Brooks Confirms New Album, World Tour:

"Garth Brooks confirmed his expected comeback, announcing a new album and world tour. While the bulk of the information shared was kept intentionally vague, Brooks said he has partnered with Sony Music's RCA Records to distribute the new material and help with radio promotion. The album — as yet untitled, as confirmed by a Sony representative — will be released "around Black Friday," the retail-centered Friday after Thanksgiving."


YES - Audio Snippet Of New Song 'The Game':



YES will release their 21st studio album, "Heaven & Earth", on July 22 via Frontiers Records.


Beck Teams Up with Jack White, Jack Black, Jeff Tweedy for 'Song Reader' Album:

"It amazes me to hear how these musicians have made the songs their own and in the process revealed that the interpretation is the living breathing soul of the piece.  These interpretations have made the book something new — something better." -Beck

1. Moses Sumney "Title of this Song"
2. Fun. "Please Leave A Light On When You Go"
3. Tweedy "The Wolf is on the Hill"
4. Norah Jones "Just Noise"
5. Lord Huron "Last Night You Were A Dream"
6. Bob Forrest "Saint Dude"
7. Jack White "I'm Down"
8. Beck "Heaven's Ladder"
9. Juanes "Don't Act Like Your Heart Isn't Hard"
10. Laura Marling "Sorry"
11. Jarvis Cocker "Eyes That Say 'I Love You'"
12. David Johansen "Rough On Rats"
13. Jason Isbell "Now That Your Dollar Bills Have Sprouted Wings"
14. The Last Polka "Marc Ribot"
15. Eleanor Friedberger "Old Shanghai"
16. Sparks "Why Did You Make Me Care?"
17. Swamp Dogg "America, Here's My Boy"
18. Jack Black "We All Wear Cloaks"
19. Loudon Wainwright III "Do We? We Do"
20. Gabriel Kahane with Ymusic "Mutilation Rag"

'Song Reader' will be available on July 29th, 2014 via Capitol Records.


STONE TEMPLE PILOTS And CHESTER BENNINGTON Working On New Music:

"His main concern definitely is LINKIN PARK and, you know, when he's busy with them, it offers Dean [DeLeo, guitar] and Eric [Kretz, drums] and myself some time to really get some new music together. And when he's available, that's when we work, man, and we make the best of that time." -Robert DeLeo


Kinks Refute BBC Doc Saying Jimmy Page Played on 'You Really Got Me':

"BBC tells lies about Dave Davies and the Kinks in their new documentary.  I, Dave Davies, invented the distorted guitar sound and played the solo on 'You Really Got Me' and Ray Davies played rhythm guitar. We never used ANY other guitarists on any Kinks hits." -The Kinks (via Facebook)


Pink Floyd Prepping 'The Endless River' LP:

"The recording did start during The Division Bell sessions (and yes, it was the side project originally titled 'The Big Spliff' that [Pink Floyd drummer] Nick Mason spoke about). Which is why there are Richard Wright tracks on it. But David and Nick have gone in and done a lot more since then. It was originally to be a completely instrumental recording, but I came in last December and sang on a few tracks. David then expanded on my backing vocals and has done a lead on at least one of them." -Durga McBroom-Hudson (vocalist)


Pink Floyd's New LP to Reportedly Feature Graham Nash and David Crosby:

“We went down to sing on this particular song that he wrote about friends that had died.  It’s a beautiful song, too — beautiful.” -David Gilmour


How Music Affects Your Productivity:

- MUSIC MAY HELP MAKE REPETITIVE TASKS EASIER
- IN A NOISY WORKPLACE, MUSIC MAY BE AN ESCAPE
- MUSIC SEEMS TO INTERFERE WITH LEARNING
- AMBIENT NOISE MAY BE THE CREATIVE SWEET SPOT
- LYRICS CAN BE VERY DISTRACTING
- FAMILIARITY IS BEST FOR FOCUS
- MUSIC FOR IMMERSIVE TASKS: WHAT WORKS?


Can This “Neuroscience Based” Music App Really Boost Your Brain Power By 400%?:

"Today, the brain sells. Take an old idea, put 'neuro' in front of it and you have an apparently exciting new product. In a world that already offers a Neurobliss drink , No-Lie-MRI brain scanning, and Neuroleadership courses, it’s not really surprising that the Focus@will app has appeared, claiming it can boost your attention span by up to 400% using 'neuroscience based music'."


Nothing Feels Good - Best of Nineties Emo:

"Though everyone's nostalgic for the Nineties nowadays, it was actually one of rock's glummest decades, as full of hooky tales of hopelessness. This collection brings together some of emo's must-hear pain-relievers."


Weezer Announce Release Date for New Album:


The new album "Everything Will be Alright In The End" will hit stores on September 30th, 2014 via Republic Records.


Competition For Pandora Increases As Google Buys Music Streaming App Songza:

"Songza is also likely to help Google in its quest for providing targeted ads and recommendations. Google has been looking to improve its ads in the Google Play store to ensure that the most relevant recommendations reach its users, and Songza technology can help it do so. While claiming that Songza is a good bet for providing targeted ads and relevant recommendations, chief executive Eric Davich pointed a Procter & Gamble sleeping product ad that features in Songza’s nighttime playlists. By providing appropriate and fitting ads to its users, Google’s music app can draw both users and advertisers’ attention."


Music Vault unleashes 13,000+ concert videos on Internet:

"...probably a couple that will fall out because we still need to go through and scrub for quality. We do the best we can with the masters we’re given, but for something 50 years old that’s been sitting in a 90-degree garage — which we occasionally get — the quality is not good enough to put up." -Bill Sagan (Wolfgang’s Vault CEO)


New Order and Joy Division Guitarist Bernard Sumner Penning Memoir:

"Founding member and guitarist of Joy Division and the lead singer of New Order, Bernard Sumner has been famous over the years for his reticence. Until now. An integral part of the Manchester music scene since the late 1970s, his is the definitive version of the events that created two of the most influential bands of all time.

Chapter and Verse includes a vivid and illuminating account of Bernard's Salford childhood, the early days of Joy Division, the band's enormous critical and popular success, and the subsequent tragic death of Ian Curtis. Bernard describes the formation of New Order, takes us behind the scenes at the birth of classics such as 'Blue Monday' and gives his first-hand account of the ecstasy and the agony of the Haçienda days.

Sometimes moving, often hilarious and occasionally completely out of control, this is a tale populated by some of the most colourful and creative characters in music history, such as Ian Curtis, Tony Wilson, Rob Gretton and Martin Hannett. Others have told parts of the story, in film and book form. Now, for the first time, Bernard Sumner gives you chapter and verse." -Amazon


How to Transfer Music From an iPhone to a Computer:

"If you're a Windows PC user, we suggest Sharepod or CopyTrans. Sharepod requires you to have iTunes for Windows installed. Once you have it up and running, you can preview the music, podcasts, and voice memos you have on your phone before you import them.

Sharepod also lets you transfer over your iTunes playlists so you don't lose your key mixes. And there's a one-click option for recovering all of the music from your device."


Dr. Dre Tweets Out Cast Pic and Release Date for 'Straight Outta Compton' Biopic:



Top Punk Bands That Will Never Reunite:

"A long-awaited reunion happened with Pixies, it happened with Misfits (although with Glenn Danzig's name firmly attached), it even kind of happened with Nirvana (minus Kurt, of course). But there are some bands that, for a variety of hair-pulling reasons, will probably never reunite, despite having the benefit of members who are A) breathing and B) physically able to make it happen. Egos, lawsuits, decades-old hurt feelings and flame wars will always get in the way of music, so here are some punk bands who we won't see back onstage anytime in the foreseeable future."


Moog’s New Theremini Looks Like a Spaceship, and Sounds Like One Too:

"The Theremini ($319) is the latest instrument from Moog Music. The new design is not only retro-beautiful, but it injects some welcome playability into the almost-100-year-old concept. The classic theremin sound is still there, but you can now dial in pitch control. On a standard theremin, moving your right hand towards the antenna would result in a clean glissando sweep, and ever-moving-upwards note. With the Theremini’s pitch control turned on, you get a nice stair-step, so the sound advances up the scale one note at a time without all those messy notes-between-notes. Which particular scale it snaps to—major, minor, dorian, mixolydian, pentatonic, “Gypsy,” “Ryukyu”—and which root note is used gets dialed in by the performer and displayed on the LCD on the front. The level of pitch control is up to you. Same with the oscillator filter control and the built-in echo effect."


Rob Halford Talks Judas Priest's Return with 'Redeemer of Souls':

"If you're lucky enough in life to find something that you genuinely do enjoy, then surely that's got to be a blessing.  I think there's a very genuine spirit that you can feel in our work, and especially in this new record. I can feel the energy — the genuine emotions pouring out of the speakers — because those components were in the studio. There's some metal magic in this record." -Halford


Ted Nugent's New Song 'Never Stop Believing' Available For Streaming:



"Shutup&Jam!" was released on July 8th, 2014 via Frontier Records.


Atreyu Members on Their Reunion:

Loudwire: Take us inside the bubble and let us know how the reunion came together.

Brandon: Discussions probably began about eight months ago. We all had dinner one night in Huntington Beach and figured out that we had an urge to make more music. It was that simple. We talked about some options and things grew really fast.

Dan: I think it’s clear that we have some unfinished business. When we went on hiatus four years ago, we didn’t know if we would be back.

Brandon: Back then, we all decided it was kind of pointless to be in a band if we weren’t all going to be 110 percent. When you’re in a band, that’s just how it has to be. I hate to see a band up there that is starting to phone it in. I feel ripped off. We didn’t want to get to that point but we knew that possibly we were heading down that road.

Dan: When you’re in a band as long as we had been, it’s interesting because we started his teenagers. You go through those years together living in Never Never Land and you never really grow up. We just got to a point where we wanted to see what we are made of outside of being in a band. We wanted to establish ourselves be individuals and now we can go back a little bit older and wiser and get back to business.


Morgan Lander Sheds Light on Kittie's Uncertain Future:

"I don't want to say we're on hiatus, because we technically are still talking about things, working on things, thinking about potential shows, ideas for the future.  I guess, to put it plainly, it came to a point where doing the band full time became too much financially, especially touring in the States. There just isn't enough demand or money for us to support ourselves fully with the band. We haven't broken up or anything like that. It's just we decided that focusing on other career choices were equally as important at this time." -Lander


Celebrate the 4th With These Truly Revolutionary Gadgets:

"Here’s the thing: While the word has been abused by marketing departments for more than a decade now, there is such as thing as a revolutionary product. From the first QWERTY typewriter to the iPhone, there’s a trail of gadgets that have left an indelible mark on American culture and the rest of the world. So lets celebrate this year’s Independence Day by remembering some of these truly iconic gadgets."


Third Man Records Unveils White Stripes Live Album, New Dead Weather Single:

The White Stripes' "Live Under the Lights of the Rising Sun" was recorded during the first overseas trip in October, 2000, when opening for 5.6.7.8's in Tokyo, Japan.  The deadline to sign up for this package is July 31. It's available here.


Mastodon Announce North American Tour with Gojira:

07/18 Nordfjordeid, Norway - Malakoff Rock Festival
07/19 Tromso, Norway - Bukta Open Air Festival
09/06 Raleigh, NC - Hopscotch Festival
09/12 Chicago, IL - Riot Fest
09/14 Sacramento, CA - Discovery Park
10/04 Louisville, KY - Louder Than Life Festival
10/15 Boise, ID - Revolution *
10/16 Reno, NV - Grand Sierra Casino *
10/17 Pomona, CA - Fox Theater *
10/18 Phoenix, AZ - Marquee Theater *
10/20 Austin, TX - Stubb's *
10/21 Dallas, TX - South Side Ballroom *
10/22 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater *
10/24 Detroit, MI - Fillmore *
10/28 Portland, ME - State Theater *
10/29 Montreal, QC - Metropolis *
10/30 Providence, RI - Lupo's *
10/31 Huntington, NY - Paramount Theater *
11/1 Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom *
11/2 Stroudsburg, PA - Sherman Theater *
11/4 Baltimore, MD - Ram's Head Live *
11/5 Knoxville, TN - International *
11/6 Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works *
11/7 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle *

* with Gojira


Between the Buried and Me Frontman Prepping New Solo Album:

"Thomas Giles will release a new album this fall, which will be the follow up to 2011's 'Pulse.' The new album, 'Modern Noise,' is being tracked with Jamie King at The Basement Studios, with former Between the Buried and Me drummer Will Goodyear handling drum tracking. The new album will expand upon what Alternative Press called 'post-rock mastery' in their review for "'ulse.' This will be an essential album for those who enjoy what Revolver Magazine called 'melodic complexity and lyrical depth…perfect headphone fare'."


What’s Up With That: Your Earphone Cords Are Determined to Be a Tangled Mess:

"They found that about 50 percent of the time, a string would emerge from its quick spin with a knot in it. Here, there was a big dependence on the string’s length. Short strings—those less than about a foot in a half in length—tended to stay knot-free. And the longer a string got, the greater the odds of knot formation became. Yet the probability only increased up to a certain size. Strings longer than five feet became too cramped in the boxes, and wouldn’t form knots more than roughly 50 percent of the time."


BORN OF THE STORM Featuring LAMB OF GOD, DEVIDRIVER Members:

"It started about three years ago with Mark and it was more inspired by bands that aren't metal; we have 12 completed tracks now, but it's taken so long because we were just so busy with everything else.  I think my favourite part about BORN OF THE STORM is the fact that the music is so different from anything else we've made. We didn't think we were going to release it; but now look at it.

With DEVILDRIVER, we can't call it an influenced genre, because we don't really sound like other bands, especially after five records, because our sound is different every time and BORN OF THE STORM is so unique is style as well; because of the different musical genres we've incorporated into the music. It definitely gives it a unique feel, and I'd say that it feels like that because we're not just pulling influence from one genre, we're utilizing a spectrum of genres as musical inspirations.

I like it all. The clean style is something I like to get out more; people need to know I can do both… It's hard to sing your lungs out into a microphone, and it's also hard to scream your lungs out into a mic; I really just wanted to show off my vocal capability and kind of prove to myself and everyone else that it's possible to do both." -Dez


Al Jourgensen Launches New Dubweiser Project?:

"hey kiddies...beautiful day in SoCal...yup...that's right. Living back in Cali, divorced and happy. All interested ladies should get in touch "sorry guys" I only swing your way if I'm shitfaced and you look and dress like a girl... shit happens. Anyways, starting new project named "DUBWEISER" in a couple of weeks...the CD will be called "KING OF BUDS"... also, should know some tour dates by then...so I'll keep in touch... peace." -Al Jourgensen


Every Time I Die Take 'From Parts Unknown' on Canadian Tour w/ Counterparts and Exile:

09/12 Halifax, NS – Seahorse
09/13 Moncton, NB – McSweeny's
09/14 Charlottetown, PEI - Fishbones
09/15 Rimouski, QC – Coop Paradis
09/16 Trois Rivieres, QC – Rock Café Le Stage
09/17 Quebec, QC – Le Dagobert
09/18 Montreal, QC – Club Soda
09/19 Cornwall, ON – Vu Nightspot
09/20 Kitchener, ON – KOI Music Fest
09/22 Thunder Bay, ON – Crocks
09/23 Winnipeg, MB – The Garrick
09/24 Saskatoon, SK – Louis' Pub
09/26 Kelowna, BC – Level Upstairs
09/27 Calgary, AB – MacEwan Ballroom
09/28 Edmonton, AB – Starlite Room
09/29 Regina, SK – The Exchange
10/02 Sudbury, ON - Townehouse

"The fact that there are still places in North America that we haven't played shows is one of the things that keeps us on the road.  We aim to get into the deepest, darkest corners of the world and this fall we're starting with Canada. Grab your toques and join the party!" -Keith Buckley


Geoff Rickly Speaks On Teaming With Ex-Lostprophets Members In No Devotion:



AP: Your dealings with the other guys in Lostprophets came from wanting to do a documentary on the horrible situation their former lead singer thrust them into. But you ended up being in a band with them.

GR: Yes, that was my first interest in them. I was talking to Karen [Ruttner], their manager and I kept saying, “No. I’m not listening to their demo. I’m not interested in that line of fire.” And after a while, I did end up listening to their demo. I thought, “Holy shit, this is really good,” and I asked Karen who else they were thinking [about for a singer]. She said, “Nobody. You’re the guy.” I said, “I don’t know about that, but it is really good. Maybe I’ll fly out for a day,” and she’s like, “Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, that is how it’ll start. This is going to work.” February 2013 was when we made the first recordings.

What I really loved about it was that I’ve always loved British music; gloomy, morose Britpop has always been my thing. Getting to do that kind of music with Brits was like [imitates excited kid], “This is awe-suuuummm!” The early demos sounded a lot like the Stone Roses and then became more refined as we went on. Half of the stuff we worked on was electronic and the other half was rock ’n’ roll: The more we refined it, it came off sounding a little more New Order, a little bit Jesus And Mary Chain. People in the U.K. know Lostprophets are really sewn into the fabric of that county’s rock scene—which I didn’t understand fully. I always thought of them like a radio-rock band here; I didn’t think they had any songwriting chops. When I flew out there and they started changing the tuning of their songs to accommodate my range, I was like, “Oh, really?” And they were like, “Yeah, like you did with Thursday.” And I said, “Nah, I never did that with Thursday,” and they were like, “Oh?” We looked for my true range, writing around my voice. They wrote 30, 40 songs and let me weed out what I liked and what I didn’t. We could’ve been a grunge band, from the stuff that they were writing, but that’s an American thing, and there are plenty of bands doing that right now. I just steered them into a direction that’s really fun for me.

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