Friday, February 27, 2015

Sights and Sounds: George Ezra & The Decemberists; 'Route 91 Harvest Festival; JODECI

How about one last roundup for the week? 

On the most recent episode of MUSIC WORTH BUYING we review George Ezra's Wanted on Voyage and The Decemberists' What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World:






Route 91 Harvest Races towards second year with Florida Georgia Line, Tim McGraw and Keith Urban setting the pace

"Country's Arrival in Vegas" returns Oct. 2, 3, 4 - Tickets on sale March 13, 2015


Live Nation, in collaboration with MGM Resorts International, has announced that Route 91 Harvest Festival will return to Las Vegas for a second consecutive year October 2 – 4.  The three-day, two-stage festival, held at the MGM Resorts Village, will be headlined by country music superstars Florida Georgia Line, Tim McGraw and Keith Urban as well as Lady Antebellum, Jake Owen and more.  Passes go on sale Friday, March 13 at 10 a.m. PST at rt91harvest.com
A Thousand Horses, Frankie Ballard, Mark Chesnutt, Easton Corbin, Clare Dunn, Brett Eldredge, GlorianaJoe Nichols, Jon Pardi, Chase Rice, The Cadillac Three, Thomas Rhett, Austin Webb and Drake White will also join the all-star lineup with more artists to be announced in the coming weeks. The festival’s second stage, “Next From Nashville,” will return continuing to showcase emerging country artists.
More than 20,000 fans attended Route 91 Harvest’s inaugural year. The festival received huge critical praise with the Las Vegas Review-Journal heralding the festival as “country’s arrival in Vegas.” Additionally, Rolling Stone Country commented on the festival’s unrivaled setting, as “there were some of Nashville’s finest, belting out their hits with the backdrop of the Luxor pyramid and glimmering Mandalay Bay.”  
This year there will be new VIP options available including Neon Lounge VIP passes which will allow festival-goers to enjoy a shaded side stage lounge, upgraded restroom facilities and special access to a cash bar and food concessions.  
For more information on Route 91 Harvest follow updates on Facebook: facebook.com/Route91Harvest, Twitter: twitter.com/Route91Harvest, Instagram: instagram.com/route91harvest and join the conversation on Twitter, using #Rt91Harvest. 
About Live Nation Entertainment:
Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world's leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation & House of Blues Concerts, LN Media and Artist Nation Management. For additional information, visit: www.livenationentertainment.com. Live Nation's premier country music festival family includes Delaware Junction - Harrington, DE (8/14-8/16), FarmBorough - New York, NY (6/26- 6/28), Faster Horses - Brooklyn, MI (7/17-19), Route 91 Harvest (10/2-10/4) and Watershed - The Gorge, WA (7/31-8/2), for more information and to apply for media credentials for these festivals please visit: thegreenroompr.com/festivals
About MGM Resorts International:
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is one of the world's leading global hospitality companies, operating a portfolio of destination resort brands including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage. The Company is in the process of developing MGM National Harbor in Maryland and MGM Springfield in Massachusetts.  The Company also owns 51 percent of MGM China Holdings Limited, which owns the MGM Macau resort and casino and is developing a gaming resort in Cotai, and 50 percent of CityCenter in Las Vegas, which features ARIA Resort & Casino. For more information about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company's website at www.mgmresorts.com.


JODECI have set March 31, 2015 as the release date of their next album. The Past, The Present, The Future will be available via Epic RecordsThe digital pre-order for the group's fourth full-length LP and first for Epic Records, is now live on iTunes, and it engages an instant download of the lead single "Every Moment." You can pre-order the album on iTunes,Amazon, and Google Play. When you pre-order the album you receive "Every Moment" instantly along with an instant grat track "Checkin For You."



Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Pete Townshend Solo Catalog Reissued Digitally

Today marks the release of singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Townshend's solo catalog digitally. Here is the media release that just landed in my inbox...

PETE TOWNSHEND SOLO CATALOG REISSUED
11 ALBUMS RELEASED ACROSS DIGITAL FORMATS
FEBRUARY 25, 2015

Who Came FirstRough MixEmpty GlassAll The Best Cowboys Have Chinese EyesWhite CityIron Man: The MusicalPsychoderelictScoopAnother ScoopScoop 3 and Deep End Live


LOS ANGELES, CA – February 25, 2015 - Today (Feb. 25, 2015) sees the digital release of 11 of Pete Townshend’s solo albums digitally as part of a new deal with UMC / Universal Music.

An extensive reissue program for Townshend’s solo material that will see the catalog remastered and reworked is planned to start later this year and will run into 2016.

The 11 digital album releases cover Who Came First, his collaboration with The Faces’ Ronnie Lane Rough Mix, his musical version of Ted Hughes’s The Iron Man, his collections of demos Scoop,Another Scoop and Scoop 3, as well as the albums Empty GlassAll The Best Cowboys Have Chinese EyesWhite CityPsychoderelict and the live album Deep End Live! featuring David Gilmour.


This 1972 release was the first release by Pete Townshend outside of The Who. The album is a collection of music dedicated to Meher Baba, Townshend’s spiritual master. The resultant album exposes Townshend’s spiritual enlightenment and sees him perform with fellow Baba followers, including Ronnie Lane and Billy Nicholls.

The album includes Townshend’s versions of Who Classics “Let’s See Action” and the sublime opener “Pure and Easy,” as well as cover versions of songs which were Baba favorites.


For Pete Townshend’s second album away from The Who he teamed up with ex Small Faces / Faces bassist Ronnie Lane for Rough Mix. A veritable A-list of musician friends, including Eric Clapton, John Entwistle and Charlie Watts, were drafted in to provide backup. The album featured new material written by Townshend and Lane.

The album features the sublime “Heart To Hang Onto” which Townshend performed at the Ronnie Lane Tribute Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 2004.


Considered by Pete Townshend to be his first ‘real’ solo album Empty Glass was also to become his most commercially successful. Coming after Keith Moon’s death the album sees Townshend at his most emotional and rawest as he publicly acknowledges his own addictions and exorcises his demons.

The album spawned three singles including the Top 10 U.S. smash “Let My Love Open The Door,” as well as “Rough Boys” and “A Little Is Enough.”


Released in 1982, the album contains the singles “Face Dances pt 2” and “Uniforms (Corp D’Espirit)” and a companion promotional video featuring seven of the tracks was made for the fledgling MTV Network.

Describing the unusual title Townshend said ‘it’s about the fact that you can't hide what you're really like. I just had this image of the average American hero – somebody like a Clint Eastwood or a John Wayne who was basically capable of anything – you know, any kind of murderous act or whatever to get what was required – to get, let's say, his people to safety. And yet, to those people he's saving, he's a great hero, a knight in shining armor – forget the fact that he cut off fifty people's heads to get them home safely. If you're really a good person, you can't hide it by acting bad; and if you're a bad person, you can't hide it by acting good.


For White City Pete Townshend returned to the concept based song cycle that he had utilized in The Who. The album, and accompanying long form video, told the story of life on a working class council estate in Townshend’s old West London stomping ground. The songs deal with lost love, racial tension and broken dreams.

The album, released in 1985, peaked at No. 26 in The Billboard 200 chart and saw similar success for the singles “Give Blood” and “Face The Face.” The album also saw contributions from Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, who also performed with ‘Deep End,’ the band formed by Townshend early in 1985.


This 1989 album was based on the story The Iron Man by Ted Hughes, who Pete Townshend met while working at the publishing house Faber and Faber. The album features contributions from music luminaries Nina Simone and John Lee Hooker (who performs as the eponymous “Iron Man”) and formed the basis of a theatre production which would be staged at the Young Vic Theatre in London.

The album also saw The Who reunited on record for the first time in seven years on the tracks “Dig” and “Fire,” a reworking of the Arthur Brown 60s classic.


Probably the most complex of the Townshend solo albums, 1993’s Psychoderelict is a multi-layered concept album featuring dialogue harking back to his ‘Lifehouse’ project. The resulting tour featured actors performing alongside the live band.


The critically acclaimed Scoop series of albums gives the listener a privileged peek behind the scenes of one of popular music’s greatest songwriters. The albums showcase Pete Townshend’s career spanning demos from both The Who and his solo recordings.

The first release, Scoop, was released in 1983 and includes Townshend’s versions of Who classics such as “So Sad About Us,” “Squeeze Box,” “Circles,” “Behind Blue Eyes and “Love Reign O’er Me.”

Another Scoop followed four years later and continued to provide valued access to the Pete Townshend’s vaults. Among the tracks included on this volume are “Pinball Wizard,” Substitute,” “You Better You Bet and Pictures of Lily.”

Scoop 3 surfaced in 2001 and included Townshend’s initial versions of the classics “The Real Me,” “Sea and Sand and Eminence Front.”


In February 1985 Pete Townshend performed two charity shows at London’s Brixton Academy. The sold out shows benefitted the ‘Double O’ charity, which was formed by The Who in the 1970s. The band, performing under the banner ‘Deep End,’ featured Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and saw the band performing an eclectic range of songs, encapsulating not only Townshend’s compositions but classics such as “I Put A Spell On You” and “Barefootin’,” as well as more contemporary songs like The Beat’s “Save It For Later.” Townshend classics such as “Pinball Wizard” and “Behind Blue Eyes” also make an appearance.

Bryan Adams sets U.S. tour dates for 'Reckless' 30th anniversary

BRYAN ADAMS ANNOUNCES U.S. DATES FOR RECKLESS 30TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR

– Tour to Hit Cities across the Country Starting on April 11 in Houston, Texas –

– Tickets On Sale Starting Feb. 28 at LiveNation.com –

"This was the concert everybody wanted, this was the concert everybody got."  Vancouver Province

"Bryan Adams is back with a masterclass in anthemic rock 'n' roll."  Express, UK

"It's not hard to see why Bryan Adams album Reckless has stood the test of time. Thousands of fans piled into the Scotiabank Centre to celebrate the album's 30th anniversary and what they got was a roaring performance that felt impossibly personal in the 11,000 seat arena."   Halifax Metro


Multi-platinum selling recording artist Bryan Adams will be plugging in once again and hitting the road with his full band in April to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his iconic rock album, Reckless. Promoted by Live Nation, the RECKLESS 30TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR will kick off on April 11 in Houston, Texas at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, before hitting cities throughout the U.S., including New York City, Las Vegas, Chicago, Dallas and more. Tickets go on sale starting Feb. 28 at www.livenation.com. A complete list of tour dates is below.

Adams will be performing a set that will honor not only the 30th anniversary of Reckless — a deluxe version of which was released in November 2014 featuring exclusive expanded bonus material — but also his endless catalogue of rock classics. Originally released in 1984, Reckless produced a record six huge hits: "Run to You," "Kids Wanna Rock," "Somebody," "Summer of '69," "One Night Love Affair" and "It's Only Love," a duet with the incomparable Tina Turner. Reckless also gave Adams his first U.S. #1 on Billboard with "Heaven," as well as a Diamond Award for over a million copies sold in Canada. The album was the turning point in Adams' career, resulting in his hugely successful World Wide in '85 Tour.

As Canada's best-known ambassador, Adams has spent the last three decades making music history. He has sold upward of 65 million records, toured six continents and achieved #1 status in over 40 countries around the world. He has been awarded the Order of Canada, has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and has a Star on Canada's Walk of Fame. Adams has also been nominated for — and won —several Academy Awards, Golden Globes and Grammy Awards. He has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has been inducted into Wembley's Square of Fame.

BRYAN ADAMS RECKLESS 30TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR – U.S. DATES
All dates, cities and venues below subject to change.

Sat Apr 11
Houston, TX
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (on sale Feb. 28)
Sun Apr 12
Dallas, TX
Allen Event Center (on sale Feb. 28)
Tue Apr 14
Tulsa, OK
Hard Rock
Wed Apr 15
St. Louis, MO
Fox Theatre
Fri Apr 17
Atlanta, GA
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park
Sat Apr 18
Raleigh, NC
Red Hat Amphitheater (on sale Feb. 28)
Sat May 16
Las Vegas, NV
Mandalay Bay Arena (on sale TBA)
Mon May 18
Albuquerque, NM
Sandia Resort & Casino Amphitheater (on sale TBA)
Tue May 19
Phoenix, AZ
Comerica Theatre (on sale TBA)
Wed May 20
San Diego, CA
Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre (on sale TBA)
Fri May 22
Irvine, CA
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (on sale TBA)
Sat May 23
San Francisco, CA
Shoreline Amphitheatre (on sale TBA)
Fri Jun 19
Bethel, NY
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (on sale TBA)
Sat Jun 20
Gilford, NH
Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion at Meadowbrook
Mon Jun 22
New York, NY
Beacon Theatre (on sale TBA)
Thu Jun 25
Nashville, TN
The Woods Amphitheater At Fontanel
Fri Jun 26
Greenville, SC
Charter Spectrum Amphitheatre
Sat Jun 27
Charleston, SC
Family Circle Tennis Center
Thu Jul 23
Detroit, MI
DTE Energy Music Theatre (on sale TBA)
Fri Jul 24
Cleveland, OH
Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park (on sale TBA)
Sat Jul 25
Chicago, IL
FirstMerit Bank Pavilion (on sale TBA)
Tue Jul 28
Harrington, DE
Delaware State Fair
Wed Jul 29
Boston, MA
Blue Hills Bank Pavilion (on sale TBA)
Thu Jul 30
Holmdel, NJ
PNC Bank Arts Center (on sale TBA)
Sat Aug 1
Uncasville, CT
Mohegan Sun Arena (on sale TBA)

PBS is currently airing a concert featuring Adams on its acclaimed program, Great Performances (check local listings). Adams’ current album, Tracks of My Years, is his first studio release in six years, and features a wide range of musical styles reflective of a time when rock was played alongside pop, country and R&B. Great Performances captures Adams in peak performance during his current world tour, performing favorites from the new album as well as his own chart-topping hits. The performance  including "Here I Am," "Summer of '69," "Heaven" and "Straight from the Heart"  was filmed at Toronto's Elgin Theatre in July 2014 and marks the singer's PBS debut. "Bryan Adams in Concert" will air on Great Performances on PBS. Check local listings for air times.

About Live Nation Entertainment
Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, Live Nation Media & Sponsorship and Artist Nation Management. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Coachella tops Consequence Of Sound's 2015 Festival Power Rankings; Doppler Labs & Goldenvoice launch Dubs Earplugs

No surprise for anybody who is fortunate enough to have been enveloped by the magic of the annual Coachellafest! Here are two timely releases that just landed in my inbox...


Consequence Of Sound announce 2015 Festival Power Rankings; Coachella lands on top
Poetic Kinetics' "Escape Velocity" at the 2015 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Photo: Robert Kinsler

Winter hasn't quite relinquished its icy grip yet, but the Consequence of Sound staff is already dreaming of what the warmer months will bring: music festival season. In anticipation, our team of writers at Festival Outlook have ranked the top 10 festivals that have already announced their lineups.


With the additional developments of Drake's surprise album If You're Reading This, It's Too Late and AC/DC's summer stadium tour, Coachella's lineup takes the top spot as the number-one festival. Shaky Knees Music Festival, Austin Psych Fest Presents Levitation, Sasquatch! Music Festival and Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival round out the top five. The contributors also discuss whether the complaint that lineups are too similar is valid, which headliners are most intriguing and the lack of female artists on many bills.

Follow Consequence of Sound on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.


Also, follow Festival Outlook on Twitter and our new Facebook to keep up with all the news and analysis as more festivals reveal their lineups.



Safe in Sound: Doppler Labs and Goldenvoice partner
to launch Dubs Earplugs at Coachella 2015 

DUBS Earplugs to Be Included in Every Coachella Welcome Box,
Coachella 2015 Attendees Will Get Exclusive First Use of Doppler Labs’ New Product;
Sleek, Soft Molded Earplugs Offer 17 NRR Rating to Protect Hearing

New York, NY, February 24, 2015 – Following the overwhelming success of the launch of DUBS Acoustic Filters™, Doppler Labs, the New York City-based technology company, and Goldenvoice have partnered to make advanced hearing protection available to all attendees of the 2015 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Together, they will launch DUBS™ Earplugs, the second hearing protection product from Doppler Labs. DUBS Earplugs are stylish concert earplugs created specifically for music listening.

A pair of DUBS Earplugs will be distributed in all Coachella welcome boxes giving Coachella attendees the first opportunity to experience the newest DUBS product. The DUBS Earplugs are optimized for music and use a simplified version of the advanced acoustical physics found in DUBS Acoustic Filters. DUBS Earplugs are soft molded for ultimate comfort and designed for a fashionable aesthetic. They offer a 17 NRR rating to reduce volume to comfortable levels.

“We simply could not ask for a better platform than Coachella to launch DUBS Earplugs,” said Noah Kraft, CEO and Co-Founder, Doppler Labs. “Coachella has set the standard for live music and curation. We are proud to be a partner and provide hearing protection that allows all attendees to be immersed in the festival and optimize their music listening experience.”

In addition to launching DUBS Earplugs, DUBS Acoustic Filters - Doppler Labs’ inaugural product released in September 2014 - will be available for sale on site at Coachella.  These highly acclaimed, advanced tech earplugs use a proprietary mechanical process to optimize the listening experience, lowering sound by an average of 12 dB while preserving audio clarity.

Doppler Labs is driven by the understanding that aesthetics and technological innovation are both critical to creating great products. As such, The DUBS products are tuned, sleek and stylish unlike most earplugs that are straightforward foam inserts, available at drug stores and in airports.
Both DUBS Earplugs and DUBS Acoustic Filters were designed for discerning, style-conscious consumers. Musicians and concertgoers in particular have embraced DUBS Acoustic Filters leading to rave reviews and several design awards.

DUBS Acoustic Filters are currently available at Best Buy, Guitar Center, Amazon, select boutique retailers nationwide and at www.getdubs.com. DUBS Earplugs launch exclusively at Coachella and will be available for sale later this year.

About Doppler Labs
Doppler Labs is a technology company with a primary focus on "hearables": wearable technology for the ears. Founded in 2013 by industry leaders in the creative, tech and business worlds, Doppler Labs' mission is to optimize the way you hear the world.