Posted by admin on 22 Feb 2010 | Tagged as: awards, events, protest
VALERIO SCANU Per tutte le volte che SANREMO 2010by Roma-eterna
I’ve seen audiences get riled up about song contests, but rarely seen an orchestra almost run riot. Italy’s San Remo song contest is a prestigious event that celebrates the classic tradition of Italian canzone. What is surprising is that contestants have to face two juries: the [...]
Posted by admin on 02 Feb 2010 | Tagged as: events, gadgets
On 25th February Cancer Research UK’s Sound & Vision event will take place at the iconic Abbey Road Studios, celebrating rock, pop, the people who make it and the images it inspires. A range of memorabilia is up for grabs, including lyrics by Biffy Clyro, Tori Amos and a neat drum skin from Kaiser Chiefs [...]
Posted by admin on 28 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: events, protest
Image via Wikipedia
Eminem will be back in the UK for a show in 2010, the first in over 5 years. However, organisers were worried that the shows would be boycotted by the powerful Outrage gay rights group, who protested at previous shows and have been very effective in obstructing shows by Jamaican artists with overtly [...]
Posted by admin on 01 Oct 2009 | Tagged as: events, tip
One of my writing partners, Steve Willaert (known for his soundtracks for movies such as “Hell in Tangier”, “Stille Water” and “Vermist”, has just announced concert dates for an ambitious project he put together with a bunch of multinational musicians.
ChiBeJa features Chinese flautist (and Real World artist) Guo Yue, Japanese drum master Ryutaro Kaneko, [...]
Posted by admin on 18 Sep 2009 | Tagged as: RIP, awards, events, meanings, news, politics, tip
The infobahn is alive with Susan Boyle’s rendition (nice word, eh?) of the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses”. There is an overwhelming opinion that Boyle has now recorded one of the definitive versions of the song. This, however, is seen as sacrilege by others, who cling to memories of the Stones and Gram Parsons. This sort [...]
Posted by admin on 04 Aug 2009 | Tagged as: events, tip
I met Jack Stafford once (so in showbiz terms he’s “a dear friend”, when he sells a few more records I’ll bill him a “very dear friend”). He’s a Brit currently living in Amsterdam and playing about 200 shows a year. Two things strike me about this vid of “Cedar Room” from the album “Long [...]
Posted by admin on 20 Jul 2009 | Tagged as: awards, events, news
Dana Winner via last.fm
I just finished working on a track for the Belgian singer Dana Winner, who has released a string of albums in the Benelux and South Africa. She is also near the end of a major tour. This morning’s e-mail included news that she has been nominated in two sections of the “Zomerhit” [...]
Posted by admin on 10 Jun 2009 | Tagged as: events, gadgets, news
OK, it’s a bit gimmicky but it could be interesting. US band Of a Revolution has launched a call to co-write a song on Twitter. They are asking people to submit lines that they will choose and collate and chop up into verses and choruses. Said frontman Marc Robege in Billboard magazine: “I do a [...]
Posted by admin on 27 May 2009 | Tagged as: events, news
June 1 is the deadline to apply for what looks like a great workshop. The Kinks frontman and songwriter is tutoring a week-long, residential songwriting course at Arvon Lumb Bank, UK, November 23-28th. This is a practical course for songwriters committed to producing “quality popular music” (it says here). You will write at least one [...]
Posted by admin on 03 May 2009 | Tagged as: events
London will host a songwriting week May 18-22 with a wide range of events, mixing the creative with career help. Speakers and performers include Tom Robinson, Sir Tim Rice and Mike Read, with presentations from associations such as the Musicians’ Union, Basca, the Music Publisher’s Association and others. The events look promising, with subjects such [...]