Thin Lizzy's prolific front man Phil Lynott

Hundreds of “Lost” Thin Lizzy Recordings Uncovered

Written by Agathe Panaretos- An unnamed third party has come forward with 150 tapes of unreleased recordings given to him by Thin Lizzy front man Phil Lynott.

The mystery source, known only as a “Thin Lizzy fan,” received the recordings shortly before Lynott’s death in 1986 at age 36.

The tracks have been released free of charge to Universal Music; the label plans to issue select tracks later this year in a box set.

“This is an absolutely stunning find,” Steve Hammonds, project manager for the box-set, told an Irish paper. With almost 700 songs, Hammonds described the tapes as “out-takes, unheard versions of Thin Lizzy hits and, most exciting of all, material that was recorded but never released at the time.”

Universal is collaborating with former members of the band, including Brian Downey and Scott Gorham, who continues to travel and perform under the band’s name. The former members will have final say in which tracks will be released and what other material will be issued.

It has been nearly 30 years since Thin Lizzy’s original lineup split. The band formed in 1969 in Dublin and released 13 albums together. These albums spawned a plethora of number one hits, including “Whiskey in a Jar,” and “The Boys Are Back in Town.”

The band broke up following the release of “Renegade” in 1981. The band’s history had been plagued with tension between various members and Lynott over creative control. Some, including member Snowy White, felt they should have been paid as a session musician for Lynott’s solo endeavors rather than as an equal member of the band. Lynott’s creative output and control over Thin Lizzy’s interests was overwhelming, causing trouble for the band while also being the source of their success.

“Phil Lynott was such a prolific songwriter,” said Hammonds, “He recorded 12 Thin Lizzy albums, two solo albums, along with his Grand Slam post-Lizzy project, and now we find he had even more songs in his drawer.”

The anonymous owner of the tapes was hesitant to come forward with the material, unsure of how they would be received and treated. The fan’s fears were relieved, however, when Universal Music released a seven-disc box set for the band last year. The set was comprised of material taken directly from the BBC archives.

The fan approached Universal following the release of the set and offered the recordings free of charge. The tracks range from sessions the band held with Decca Records in 1971 up until “Renegade.” Universal hopes to have the set prepared and ready for distribution by June of this year.

Technorati Tags: Irish Bands, Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzy, Universal Music

Brother Ali performs for a sold-out crowd at last year's Bash

Happy Birthday!

89.3 The Current Celebrates Seven Years on the Air at First Avenue

Tickets for the radio station’s two-day birthday bash at First Avenue go on sale this week.

Written by Agathe Panaretos. In celebration of its seven years on the air, 89.3 The Current announced its plans to host a two-day birthday party at the iconic First Avenue in Minneapolis. Tickets go on sale this week.

The shows are slated for January 27 and 28, 2012. The two night lineup includes a number of Minnesota favorites and music spun by The Current DJs.

The Friday night show will feature a headlining set from Tapes ‘N Tapes and critics’ darling Low, as well as local favorites Dead Man Winter and Night Moves. The lineup for Saturday night includes Polica, Suicide Commandos, MC Sims from Doomtree, and the angelic Haley Bonar.

Jim McGuinn, program director for The Current, made the announcement on December 19. “We’re really excited to showcase some of the best up and coming and legendary bands from our music scene,” he said. “Over the past few years The Current’s Birthday Party show has really become a chance to meet up and share in the great music produced in the Twin Cities all year long. We’re really looking forward to it.”

Tickets will be first made available to members of Minnesota Public Radio, the member supported organization that broadcasts The Current. Members will be able to purchase up to two tickets per night online at thecurrent.org starting January 5. A small number of tickets will also be available to purchase at First Avenue’s Depot. All members must provide their membership card valid before December 31, 2011. Remaining tickets will go on sale for the public the following day on January 6. All tickets are $15.

The Current first went on the air in Minneapolis and St. Paul in 2005. The non-commercial, member supported station became an immediate hit and later spread outside Minnesota’s borders through its online stream.  Broadcasting some of the best new music not often played on commercial stations, The Current fuses some of the latest hits with the classic and legendary sounds that inspired them. In 2010, the FMQB Triple A Conference named The Current Station of the Year and director Jim McGuinn Program Director of the Year.

The station has utilized the birthday celebration to showcase some of the best local acts of the preceding year. The show has increased the lineup each year and has completely sold out every event. Tickets are expected to be gone by Monday.

Technorati Tags: 89.3 The Current, First Avenue, Haley Bonar, Hip Hop, Indie, Low, Minneapolis, Minnesota Public Radio, Night Moves, Radio, Sims, Suicide Commandos, Tapes 'N Tapes

Written by: Jacob Kleinman

Although Dubstep music could be heard in the darkest clubs of south London as early as the late 1990s, the first musicians to cross over into the mainstream didn’t make it onto the scene for another ten years. Their music is often referred to as post-Dubstep, but really it’s just Dubstep re-imagined for the masses.

The mad thumping beats of Skrillex may be ruling this genre for the moment but across from his insane spectacle of a stage stands a young British songwriter focusing quietly behind his laptop. James Blake released his eponymous debut album in February 2011, containing 11 songs mixing the tools of Dubstep with the sensibility of gospel and soul.

“If Blake really does cross over and become the pretty white male who introduces a broader audience to dubstep, with its foundations in Jamaican music and black musicians in South East London, he’ll receive the tired, requisite backlash,” wrote Grayson Curry in a review of the album for Pitchfork.  “But these 11 songs– gorgeous, indelible tunes that are as generous in content as they are restrained in delivery– will last a lot longer.”

Although Blake is still mostly known in European clubs and American hipster enclaves, his album’s first single, a cover of Feist’s “Limit to Your Love” has exploded onto mainstream radio. The song cuts down Feist’s lyrics to just a few depressing phrases which are first sung normally and then chopped up, slowed down, electrified and repeated for almost four minutes.

James Blake manages to walk the line between completely out there and extremely approachable. His music is disjointed and dark, but also melodic and emotional. He presents himself as a humble DJ with a unique sound to offer to whoever will listen.

“Blake is, by some considerable distance, the most experimental artist in recent memory to make the annual hotly tipped lists,” writes Alexis Petridis for The Guardian, and later adds that, “Blake is exceptionally good at what he does, and what he does is hugely original.”

Blake may be at the tipping point of winning over the mainstream audience (he came in second in BBC’s Sound of 2011 poll), but for the time being he’s content to continue to toil away at his laptop.

“I was never thinking; ‘This is going to sound really good on the radio,’” Blake told the Guardian in an interview.

If he take his brand of Dubstep into the mainstream it won’t be because he tailors his own sound for the masses—James Blake refused to work with a studio producer on his debut album—but because the people give him the chance he so truly deserves.

Technorati Tags: Dubstep, James Blake, Skrillex

Written by: Jacob Kleinman

Skrillex performing at the 2011 Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest

You’re living in the Dubstep decade and you may not even realize it yet. This rising music genre can be traced back to the dank underground clubs of south London at the end of the 20^th century, but has only taken root in American youth culture in the last few years. Leading the charge is Sonny John Moore, better known by his stage name Skrillex, a California-born music producer who is as well known for his bizarre haircut and stage spectacle as he is for his music.

Dubstep has no instruments in the classic sense. Instead the studio itself becomes an instrument. Allmusic.com defines the genre as “tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals.” On urbandictionary.com you can find more creative definitions that give a better sense of the aural experience; Dubstep is “the music that is created from Transformers having sex,” according to one Urban Dictionary user.

The earliest versions of Dubstep were dark and experimental, but what has translated across the Atlantic Ocean is a futuristic take on electronic dance music that’s heavy on the bass, distortion and occasional high pitched robotic vocals.

Skrillex’s music doesn’t ask you to think or analyze, it just demands that you dance, and his concerts are jam-packed, sweaty dance marathons, which the artist oversees from behind his computer with the occasional fist bump or rapid drag from a cigarette.

On December 17, Skrillex tweeted, “I love miami crowds….super dancey n groovy. I like groovy fings tingz things.” And on the last day of 2011 he wrote, ““Flex your bums it’s your last chance…of 2011 GO!”

Skrillex and his legions seemed poised to consume all in 2012. Each concert is bigger than the last. Each album sells better than the one that preceded it. And each music video gets more hits on YouTube. This is great news for his fans, but if Skrillex’s music gives you a headache the future may be beginning to look bleak.

There is, however, a ray of hope in the overcast sky that is Dubstep, and his name is James Blake, a young British musician who is returning Dubstep to its experimental roots by mixing gospel elements with his own melodic voice and Dubstep studio techniques. In the part two of this article I will go into further detail on Blake, and why he may be the perfect counterbalance to Skrillex.

Technorati Tags: Dubstep, Music, Skrillex

Written By: Anatole Ashraf

New York—New York City enjoys a widely-held reputation as a melting pot for a variety of cultures, food, and art. The city’s music scene, in particular, is about to receive one more reason to cement its reputation in 2012 as artists from around the world gather here for GlobalFest 2012.

On Jan. 8 2012, 12 musical artists from at least 12 different countries will gather in New York City for GlobalFest 2012 at Webster Hall. The concert will take place over five hours from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. with artists playing between 30 and 60 minutes on each of the venue’s three stages. It will mark the ninth year that the concert has been featured at the historic downtown Manhattan venue.

GlobalFest 2012 continues in the tradition of featuring musicians from around the world. The list of artists this year includes musicians from Southern Italy, northeastern China, Yemen, France, Brazil, and Haiti. The concert will also feature the American debuts of The Gloaming—a collective of American and Celtic musicians—and the Chinese jazz artist Wang Li, who notably features the jaw harp, an instrument native to Asia and all tribes of Turkic people.

In addition to artists from other countries, GlobalFest 2012 will feature international artists from American cities such as Boston and, of course, New York. The Debo Band, based in Boston, delivers an eclectic mix of Ethiopian music and funk influences, while M.A.K.U. Soundsystem celebrates the Afro-Colombian musical traditions that are found in the New York City borough of Queens.

GlobalFest 2012 also acts as a platform for discussing social and political issues. The Haitian artist, BélO, for example, says he was chosen to be an “activist artist.”

“It would be easier to earn more money or be more popular doing love songs,” says BélO. “But I was born an activist musician. I live it, I feel it, and I have a vision.”

One group of artists attracting attention from news outlets such as National Public Radio is the Silk Road Ensemble, a collective of fourteen artists from countries that include India, Iran, Azerbaijan, China, Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. The group is especially notable for being personally chosen by founder, world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma. GlobalFest 2012 will mark the collective’s tenth active year.

In addition to curating a showcase of international artists in New York, the organizers of GlobalFest 2012 time the concert to coincide with annual Association for Performing Arts Presenters conference, when thousands of concert promoters will seek new talent for upcoming programming seasons. The organizers call the conference “the most important booking even in North America.”

With such an eclectic but energetic collection of artists that spans a multitude of countries and cultures, GlobalFest 2012 promises to brighten up an otherwise quiet winter month in New York City.

New York’s Musical Melting Pot Gets Richer While International Artists Gather for GlobalFest 2012

Technorati Tags: BelO, Debo Band, GlobalFest 2012, international artists, jaw harp, M.A.K.U. Soundsystem, Manhattan, New York City, The Gloaming, Wang Li, Webster Hall, world music, Yo-Yo Ma

Some people love him. Other people hate him—or, at very least, view him with disdain or suspicion. They think he is an egotistical rock star with a messianic complex, while his fans find him to be a confident, vocal activist and charismatic entertainer. It doesn’t really matter, because Bono celebrated his 50^th birthday yesterday with plenty of accomplishments to be proud of, despite what the Bono-hating naysayers might say.

Since U2 formed in working-class, war-torn Ireland in 1976, they have sold over 150 million records, been awarded 22 Grammy Awards, inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and performed for countless special events, including President Obama’s Inauguration and the Rose Bowl—to name just a couple. Rolling Stone magazine has named Bono one of the greatest singers of all time and Spin magazine recently called U2’s seventh album, Achtung Baby, the #1 best album of the past 25 years. U2 has also toured internationally since 1979, each year offering a bigger, bolder theatrical stage production. On their Zoo TV tour during the early nineties, they had two cars suspended, crashing together above their elaborate, somewhat garish, stage. The following Pop tour featured a giant lemon that all four members of U2 could fit inside. The stage for their current 360° tour is a remarkable sight to be seen. It even set a world record for the largest concert stage structure ever created. U2 never does anything small and that is largely due to the unwavering passion of their now 50-year-old front man. Most rock stars at his age are checking out, losing relevance and living in obscurity. Not Bono; he may be 50, but he’s not going to slow down any time soon. There are presidents and government officials to meet, powerful political groups to rally and poor people in other countries to help. As long as Bono has something to be passion about, he’s not going anywhere. He may even stick around for another 50 years.

The best living rapper still has a pocket-full of street credibility...somehow.

In 2008, Jay-Z arrived at the British rock’n'roll-centric Glastonbury Festival as the first ever rapper to ever headline the notoriously raucous event. Critics called the decision ” a disaster,” “tragic,” and even went as far as to deem Glastonbury forever “contaminated.” And to make matters worse, Noel Gallagher, the lead-singer in the British pop-rock quintet Oasis, established himself as the antagonistic voice of dissenters as he referred to the festival’s guitar-rich history, and said in a BBC interview, “Jay-Z? No Chance.” But, if it was such a bad idea to have a rapper at a rock show, why is that Jay-Z is scheduled to headline Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival this friday?

To say the least, Jay-Z managed to pull out of the Glastonbury show as hip-hop’s most internationally popular live performer. Maybe it was his cover of Oasis’ “Wonderwall” that led to his momentous success; but, whatever the case, he now intends to bring hip hop into every venue imaginable. This summer he plans to show up at Tennessee’s Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan, and even Germany’s Rock Am Ring, which all seem like the logical next step for the first hip-hopper to top the performance list at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Southern California.

Notice the Hip-Hop Name at the Top of the Ticket

Paul Tollett, Coachella’s founder and operational mastermind cited Jay-Z’s long list of hits, street credibility, and Twitter-worthy showmanship as the reasons for choosing the famed hip-hop star. However, he did also mention that it isn’t just that Jay-Z is capable of headlining such an immense venue, but that there aren’t that many hip-hop performers who could handle the job. So, fortunately for hip hop as an entire genre, there is at least one performer worth seeing live: Jay-Z.

Technorati Tags: coachella, glastonbury, Jay-Z

Is it Usher? Kanye West? or T-Pain? Nope, just ATG

As he introduced himself to the world, it wasn’t difficult to pinpoint ATG as just another run-of-the-mill rapper. Though he himself claims to be the newest breed of rapper/singer to enter the game, his aviator-sporting- polo-wearing-self looks just like Kanye West, and sounds exactly like T-Pain (thanks to his heavy use of an auto tuner). Nevertheless, his single “Drunk Sex,” which was inspired by Jeremih’s “Birthday Sex,” has been popular enough for him to make a part 2 with C-Ride, and a part 3 with Kirby Maurier, which will have a music video that he plans to turn into a movie.

ATG demonstrates how to save yourself from his albums

Alongside “Drunk Sex,” ATG dropped another single called “Light It Up,” produced by T-Nyce from Toronto, and a mixtape titled, “Mr. Do It All.” He has also been busy producing a track called “Freak,” by an up-and-coming R&B diva named LauldeJ. But, as he shamelessly advertises his twitter, myspace, and youtube accounts, it is difficult to call this man a hip-hop artist, and easier to label him a bubble-gum rapper. Since flash and reputation are all that really sell on mainstream airwaves, it isn’t a surprise to find another fresh-to-death narcissistic rapper. But, the unique thing about this ATG he consider’s himself brand-name, and not just somebody out to make music; in other words, he’s not an artist, just a rhyming billboard.

Technorati Tags: ATG, birthday sex, c-ride, drunk sex, jeremih, kanye west, kirby Maurier, rapper, t-pain

Rob Troy with The Ant Farm ad agency in L.A.

Rob Troy, the executive creative director at The Ant Farm – a high-profile ad agency in Los Angeles – managed to reach new heights of advertisement efficiency as he succeeded in using a commercial to inspire an emotional connection between the gamer and the game. In this case, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, a game that would sweep up the competition in its modern combat genre, had the passionate lyrics of marshall mathers (aka Eminem), to help it make a lasting impression; after all, just the breath-taking visual effects, or the wicked arsenal of weapons couldn’t move 15 million units all alone. Without Mr. Troy‘s commercial vision, Activision Blizzard probably wouldn’t have gotten near their current reported earnings: $1 billion.

The goal was a hard sell: draw in a larger audience than the original by guaranteeing a bigger and more bad-ass experience. At the M16 game marketing conference, Troy and his team revealed their reasoning behind their brilliant publicity generator. They explained how they began collecting artwork, animated scenes and portions of the script several months before the game’s November release, which they then strung  together into a series depicting furious combat. They speculated that many American gamers would feel like they were defending the Land of the Free, since much of the action is set on U.S. soil.

Some of the footage used in the ad depicted a massacre

Considering the record-sales of the game, it’s plain to see that this somewhat stereotypical assumption was indeed, 100 percent correct.

Technorati Tags: activision, ant farm, blizzard, call of duty, eminem, modern warfare 2, rob troy

Makin' noise in Illinois

The swell of tween-age girls that flocked to see Justin Bieber live on Wednesday night made some think it was 1964, and that the Beatles were actually playing the Rosemont Theatre; unfortunately – however disappointing it may be – the famed Illinois venue wasn’t actually hosting the premiere pop act of all time, but merely just presenting the newest Plastecine pre-pubescent to ever whine through an auto-tuner. His name is Justin Bieber, and with the help of Usher and milions of impressionable fifteen-year-old girls, this Canadian sensation has managed to take present-day Justin Timberlake, and cram him into the body of a mop-headed fifteen year old.

In interviews, Justin has listed a couple of his most memorable moments from the past two years, which included performing for President Obama, and his encounter with Beyonce Knowles as a presenter at the Grammy Awards. He mentioned a recent Range Rover that he’d received from Usher – wrapped with a bow and pre-loaded with Usher’s newest album Raymond vs. Raymond – and how his mother is too afraid to drive with him, but that his manager lets the young pop-hopper flex his driver’s- permit skills.

Hip Hop's finest, stayin' cool at radio Disney

As cob-web-covered acts like the Jonas Brothers age beyond the tween-pop spotlight, a new billboard-boy is strung up to the puppet strings. Prepare to see a lot of this little fella in the future; ask anyone younger than 25 – he’s the coolest thing since frozen yogurt.

Technorati Tags: beatles, justin timerlake, justine bieber, rosemont theatre, usher