Here is a roundup of music news for your Wednesday...
World’s First Live Rock Concert Broadcast to Hearing Aid Wearers Showcases Advanced Hearing Aid Capabilities of Oticon Opn
Can STYX make hearings aids cool? Aug. 22 concert aims to find out
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| Styx photo credit: Jason Powell |
SOMERSET, N.J.—AUGUST 16, 2017—Hundreds of thousands of hearing aid wearers soon will be able to participate in rock-and-roll history when legendary rock band Styx broadcasts the final show of its U.S. summer tour directly to their hearing aids.
This world’s first live broadcast will take place at approximately 9:38 p.m. EDT on Aug. 22, 2017, when audio engineers will capture the live concert feed directly from Styx’s soundboard and deliver it via a dedicated website to wearers of Oticon Opn™ hearing aids. Listeners wearing this device will receive in real time the exact same audio feed the live audience will hear at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, N.J.
The live audio broadcast is designed to illustrate the high-tech capabilities of a new generation of Internet-connected hearing aids that are transforming from sound amplification tools into wearable personal productivity and entertainment devices.
More than 48 million Americans report some degree of hearing loss. Ironically, some of that damage could have been sustained by listening to loud rock and roll during their lifetimes. As more rock fans age, hearing aids—and especially Internet-connected ones—will become ubiquitous and an obvious way for consumers to connect and engage with just about any Internet-enabled device. In that respect, they might ultimately become the wearable technology of choice, providing a convenient way to enhance and engage with both physical and virtual worlds.
“It’s estimated that only 20 percent of people who could benefit from hearing aids seek help, with many waiting up to 10 years before they purchase a hearing aid,” said Sheena Oliver, an audiologist and Vice President for Oticon. “By partnering with Styx and their millions of loyal fans, we’re helping to take the stigma out of hearing aids and allowing people with hearing loss to enjoy a quality of sound they may not have experienced since their youth.”
Oticon’s family of Internet-connected hearing aids can communicate directly with a full range of connected devices. Wearers can listen to TV; connect with doorbells, smoke detectors, and other smart devices; and even get the weather—all through their hearing aids. At the same time, these small, discreet hearing aids deliver a more natural, clear, and open sound, enabling wearers to more easily listen and participate in conversations in crowded, noisy environments such as restaurants, public venues, or even live rock concerts. In fact, Opn hearing aids have been shown to boost speech understanding by 30 percent*, while reducing listening effort by 20 percent* and remembering more of conversations by 20%.*
Oticon Opn hearing aid wearers interested in experiencing this event should contact their local hearing care professional to receive instructions and login credentials for the password-protected audio feed. Opn wearers must have an iPhone® to connect.
* Le Goff et al. 2016, Opn Clinical Evidence White Paper, Oticon, Inc.
About Oticon
Oticon is one of the most innovative hearing device manufacturers with more than 110 years of experience putting the needs of people with hearing loss first. Oticon has spearheaded a number of technological breakthroughs which have made a significant difference for people with hearing loss. Oticon’s “brain first” audiological focus recognizes that speech understanding and comprehension are cognitive processes that happen in the brain. Oticon’s innovative BrainHearing™ technology is helping to provide better hearing with less effort by giving the brain the clearest, purest sound signals to decode. Oticon designs and manufactures hearing solutions for adults and specialized pediatric instruments. “People First” is Oticon’s strongest and most valued commitment to empower people to communicate freely, interact naturally and participate actively. For more information visit www.oticon.com.
Oticon Opn and Oticon ON App are compatible with iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone SE, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, 12.9-inch iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad (4th generation), iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2, iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th and 6th generation). Devices must be running iOS 9.3 or later. The app also supports Apple Watch. When downloading the Oticon ON App on iPad, search for iPhone apps on the App Store.
About Styx
The six men comprising Styx have committed to rocking together with audiences far and wide by entering their fifth decade of touring. Averaging over 100 shows a year, each member of Styx is committed to making the next show better than the last. Styx draws from over four decades of chart-topping hits. Like a symphony that builds to a satisfying crescendo, a Styx set covers a wide range of stylistic cornerstones. From the progressively sweeping splendor that is “The Grand Illusion” to the hunker-down fortitude of all that is the “Blue Collar Man,” from the regal reach-for-the-stars bravado of “Come Sail Away” to the grainy all-in gallop of that rugged “Renegade” who had it made, the band draws on an unlimited cache of ways to immerse one’s mind and body in their signature sound.
Dolly Reveals Cover and Track Listing at Press Conference, Special Guests Include Children of Media Rep
At a press conference on Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2017 before media reps and their children as special guests, world renowned entertainer Dolly Parton announced the release of I Believe In You, her first album written and recorded for kids and those young at heart. A digital release of the new album on Dolly Records/RCA Nashville will be available September 29, whereas the physical album will street worldwide on October 13. All 14 tracks on I Believe In You were written and performed by Dolly Parton.
“My first album was released 50 years ago and it's been an amazing 50 years since then. I am very excited that now I'm coming out with my first children's album in all of those 50 years. I'm proudest of all that all of the proceeds from this CD will go to the Imagination Library,” Dolly said. “It's been 20 years since the Imagination Library was launched. We've seen 100million books get into the hands of children and hopefully there will be many more.”
Since its beginning in 1996 in Dolly’s hometown of Sevierville, Tennessee, the Imagination Library has expanded into four countries serving more than one-million children by providing a brand new, age-appropriate book each month. In North America, every child’s first book is the classic Little Engine that Could.
With children seated around her in front of the fireside living room set that was built for the Smoky Mountains Rise Telethon last December, Dolly Parton revealed her I Believe In You album cover (above) and track listing (below).
I Believe In You Track Listing
- I Believe in You
- Coat of Many Colors (new recording)
- Together Forever
- I Am a Rainbow
- I’m Here
- A Friend Like You
- Imagination
- You Can Do It
- Responsibility
- You Gotta Be
- Makin’ Fun Ain’t Funny
- Chemo Hero
- Brave Little Soldier
- Bonus track spoken audio: Coat of Many Colors (book read by Dolly Parton)
Tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 were produced by Tom McBryde and executive produced by Paul T. Couch. Tracks 2, 11, 12, and 13 were produced by Tom Rutledge and Richard Dennison and executive produced by Dolly Parton.
Before and after reading her “Coat Of Many Colors” book, she treated the kids and media to a performance of three songs featured on the new album, “I Believe in You,” “Makin’ Fun Ain’t Funny” and “Brave Little Soldier.” The press conference ended with Dolly answering questions and taking family photos with all the guests.
ABOUT DOLLY PARTON
Dolly Parton is the most honored female country performer of all time. Achieving 25 RIAA certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards, she has had 25 songs reach #1 on the Billboard Country charts, a record for a female artist. She has 41 career top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and she has 110 career-charted singles over the past 40 years. All-inclusive sales of singles, albums, hits collections, paid digital downloads and compilation usage during her Hall of Fame career have reportedly topped a staggering 100 million records – which includes sales of her 2016 chart-topping disc Pure & Simple, her first number one album on the Billboard Country Album charts in twenty-five years. She has garnered eight Grammy Awards – including a 2017 win with Pentatonix in the Country Duo/Group Performance category for their collaboration on her iconic 1973 hit “Jolene” - 10 Country Music Association Awards, five Academy of Country Music Awards, three American Music Awards and is one of only five female artists to win the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year Award. In 1999 Parton was inducted as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. She has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and became a member of the National Academy of Popular Music Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001. Broadcast Music Inc. honored Parton with their Icon Award in 2003, and in 2004 the U.S. Library of Congress presented her with their Living Legend Award for her contribution to the cultural heritage of the United States. This was followed in 2005 with the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor given by the U.S. government for excellence in the arts. The honors keep coming. The 2016 made for television movie, Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love is nominated in the “Television Movie” category for the 69th Annual Emmy Awards. The film also won in the TV and Cable category at the 68th Annual Christopher Awards, which also includes the Movieguide Epiphany Prize for Television. The film served as the follow-up to her highly rated 2015 film Coat Of Many Colors, also broadcast on NBC, which won the Academy of Country Music's Tex Ritter Award. In 2017, Dolly will release "I Believe In You," a collection of children's songs on Dolly Records through her partnership with Sony Music Nashville.
ABOUT DOLLY PARTON’S IMAGINATION LIBRARY:
Founded in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting organization that has, to date, mailed more than 100 million books to children in Australia, Belize, Canada, United Kingdom and the United States. Each month, the program currently mails more than one million specially selected, high-quality, age-appropriate books to registered children from birth until they start Kindergarten in participating communities. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading in children, preparing them for school and inspiring them to dream. Recent studies suggest participation in the Imagination Library is positively and significantly associated with higher measures of early language and math development. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
L7: Pretend We're Dead Documentary
on VOD and Blu-ray / DVD
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| L7: Pretend We're Dead: Pre-Order | Official Trailer |
Multi-Date Theatrical Film Screening Tour Starts September 1
Coming To Additional Select Markets This Fall
West Coast Live Tour Dates set
The L7: Pretend We're Dead documentary, produced by Blue Hats Creative will be released worldwide October 13 on VOD and Blu-ray / DVD. A multi-city theatrical screening tour of the film will kick off on September 1, with over a dozen dates and more to be announced in select markets this Fall. Excitement around L7: Pretend We're Dead has catalyzed a widely anticipated reunion which unleashed their high-octane energy and anthemic chops upon stages worldwide. The band will play a stint of West Coast dates next month with more chances to experience the electrifying onslaught coming soon.
L7: Pretend We're Dead assembles a powerful combination of never-before-seen home video footage, raucous performances,and relevant interviews. It's a real time journey witnessing the rise, fall, and ultimate redemption of the fierce feminist pioneers of American grunge punk, L7. The film offers engrossing insight into the band's 20 year plus her-story and features exclusive interviews with Exene Cervenka (X), Shirley Manson (Garbage), Joan Jett, Brody Dalle (The Distillers), Lydia Lunch, Allison Robertson (The Donnas), Louise Post (Veruca Salt), CSS and more.
"Despite the very long hiatus ... L7 still pack major muscle on stage"
"I like their rebelliousness ...it's about being liberated and calling the shots... I definitely see a lot of us in them... and we're proud of that."
- Joey Ramone
"Songs like Wargasm, Diet Pill and Shitlist fulfill the ancient prophecy of a time when gurls would reinvent punk out of sheer delight in their own power"
- Robert Christgau
"No one rocked harder than feminist grunge punk quartet L7"
"L7 don't defy expectations -- they detonate them."
- Billboard
Film Screening Dates:
9/1: Portland, OR @ Hollywood Theater
9/8: Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA
9/8: Chicago, IL @ The Vic/Brew & View
9/8: Santa Ana, CA @ Frida Cinema
9/9: Santa Ana, CA @ Frida Cinema
9/10: Santa Ana, CA @ Frida Cinema
9/12: Long Beach, CA @ Art Theatre
9/14: Boston, MA @ Regent Theater
9/15: Boston, MA @ Regent Theater
9/17: Austin, TX @ Alamo Drafthouse
9/19: Washington DC @ The Black Cat
9/16: Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent
9/27: San Francisco, CA @ The Roxie
10/5: Brooklyn, NY @ Nitehawk Cinema
Live Tour Dates:
9/27: San Francisco, CA @ Slim's
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