Billy Joel's historic tour in Russia in 1987 is getting a deluxe reissue, and CBC Music has the exclusive premiere of a video of the famed Piano Man performing his hit, "You May Be Right."
A Matter of Trust — A Bridge to Russia, which will be available both as a concert DVD/Blu-ray and a double album, drops May 19 and is available here for pre-order.
You can watch the video right here:
Tracklist: A Matter of Trust—The Bridge to Russia: The Music (2CD)
Disc 1:
1. "Odoya"
2. Prelude/"Angry Young Man"
3. "Honesty"
4. "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" (previously unreleased)
5. "She's Always a Woman" (previously unreleased)
6. "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" (previously unreleased)
7. "Goodnight Saigon"
8. "Stiletto"
9. "Big Man on Mulberry Street"
10. "Baby Grand"
11. "What's Your Name" (previously unreleased)
12. "The Longest Time" (previously unreleased)
13. "An Innocent Man"
Disc 2:
1. "Pressure" (previously unreleased)
2. "Allentown"
3. "A Matter of Trust"
4. "Only the Good Die Young"
5. "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me" (previously unreleased)
6. "Sometimes a Fantasy"
7. "You May Be Right" (previously unreleased)
8. "Uptown Girl"
9. "Big Shot"
10. "Back in the U.S.S.R."
11. "The Times They Are a Changin'"
12. "She Loves You" (previously unreleased Russian concerts rehearsal recording)
13. "New York State of Mind" (previously unreleased)
No matter what you're into, or where you are, there are some amazing concerts taking place across the country this week, from Tone of Arc in Vancouver to Charley Pride in Regina. Check out this list and plan your weekend accordingly.
(And as always, if there's a concert coming up in your region that you think we should know about, make sure to let us know in the comments, or via Facebook or Twitter.)
Arguably, Sharon Van Etten has arrived. Are We There, her fourth album, hits major milestones in a musician’s ascension: an anticipated second record on a boutique label (JagJaguwar is also home to Bon Iver and Angel Olsen), a world tour with multiple back-to-back shows and a bigger, bolder sound befitting Van Etten's transition to new queen of the independents.
Despite the success, Are We There confirms that Van Etten isn't the kind of person to take the easy way out. These new songs cement her reputation as that of a confessional songwriter. She’s still in transition, still searching for something, still writing from the heart.
“The overlying theme of this record is trying to balance having a relationship while touring as much as I do,” Van Etten says, over the phone from her Greenwich Village apartment in New York. “I started writing a lot of the songs on the onset of Tramp, in 2012, so all these songs, they’re the most current songs that I’ve had on any record, so I’m still kind of going through all these things, all these issues.”
The cover art for Are We There represents the beginning of that journey. It’s a photo of Van Etten’s best friend, driving a car, hair tossed and wind-blown, during one of the last times the two hung out before they parted ways — Van Etten to New York City to pursue her music career, and her best friend to Idaho to start a family.
“The photograph’s supposed to represent a time of transition and movement and travelling — having a home, having a life, just everything’s in transition,” she says.
Almost 10 years after the photograph was taken, it sounds like Van Etten has at least found that just-right place musically. For the recording of Are We There, everything is amped up, and Van Etten enlisted Stewart Lerman (St. Vincent, Regina Spektor, David Byrne) as a co-producer. There are strings, horns, loops; more instrumentation, and that signature Van Etten vocal emotion.
“[I told Lerman] I want to have a band, I want it to be my band,” says Van Etten, of searching for a studio space before deciding on Lerman’s own studio. “I want to be in a studio that’s not where everybody records, you know? It’s not like this is the Brooklyn sound or this is the indie place or this is where Cat Power recorded. I’m still finding my own sound, I don’t want to work somewhere where my sound is being determined for me, before we even do any tracking.”
About half of the new album’s songs were tracked live with a full band (Doug Keith, Heather Woods Broderick and Zeke Hutchins, plus Dave Hartley from the War on Drugs), and the other half were put together with Van Etten playing multiple parts, including guitar, organ, piano, bass, drums and omnichord. Van Etten says she was listening to a lot of soul and R&B at the time of recording, and she would play the organ and start hearing beats, then kick in on the drums.
“I get a little manic and I just kinda go to town on the instruments when no one’s around,” she says, laughing.
Even with all the layers of sound, Are We There never overshadows the most visceral instrument in Van Etten’s possession: her voice. The push and pull of her desires — relationships with both music and loved ones; a home — is evident through the pleading and vocal lifting throughout. Van Etten is questioning her place in her life, in music, in everything.
Yet Are We There isn’t hesitant. Far from the sparse stylings of her 2009 debut, Because I Was in Love, the new album is confident, considering the album-long question that is its title. The sound is fuller, and Van Etten simply sounds like she’s at home.
“I just feel more confident and more secure in who I am and what I want, you know? I feel more in control of my work and my life, and I’m just older,” she says with a laugh.
Despite all the heartbreakers on the record, the singer is game to discuss her bleeding heart — even if she’s not sure yet what it all means.
“Honestly, I still don’t have enough perspective from these songs to know what they fully mean,” she explains. “I can tell you when I wrote them, why I wrote them, but to say the actual meaning behind them, I think it’s something that’s gonna slowly unfold as I perform these songs live.”
“Afraid of Nothing,” Are We There’s opener, is a double-edged sword. Van Etten says when she wrote the track, she was writing into the future, looking forward.
“I can’t wait ’til we’re afraid of nothing, I can’t wait ’till we can open up to each other and be vulnerable, not be scared about the future, who we are,” she says. “It’s like a plea, in a way. Just let go of yourself and be open, let yourself be vulnerable. It’s OK.”
But when the strings build on the track, and Van Etten pleads, “I need you, to be afraid, of nothing,” you start questioning the rest. Is it “I can’t wait to be afraid of nothing,” looking forward, or no, I can’t wait; I can’t wait for you to be afraid of nothing. Time’s up.
It’s a question that carries you through Are We There: the more you listen, the more you wonder whether Van Etten’s serving up hope or despair.
“That's kind of my struggle,” she laughs.
We’re just grateful Van Etten’s taking us along for the ride.
This long weekend is the unofficial start of camping season, so we thought we'd give you a little lesson on the kinds of instruments you should be playing around the campfire.
For his return visit to Calgary, Kolesnikov played Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3. It was his first ever performance of the demanding concerto.
Kolesnikov told CBC Music that "for every pianist, learning 'Rach 3' is climbing Mount Everest."
He points to three aspects of the concerto that support its description as one of the most difficult in the repertoire:
"First, the density of the writing, which is outstanding even for Rachmaninoff. Because of that, the process of learning the notes becomes very time-consuming. Secondly, despite all the difficulties, the powerful stream of music has to remain unburdened.
"Third, of course, is the fact that it's a huge piece. The soloist should turn into a radiator, he or she should produce and project energy and emotion to the hall, which is an absolute supertask considering the length of the concerto.
"Rachmaninoff's achievement is establishing an emotional connection with the audience on a level unknown before, and this feature is the very thing that makes his music so incredibly demanding."
Now you can listen to this, and more entire performances, on CBC Music's Concerts on Demand. Press play above to hear the performance.
From June 12 to 22, one of the most important festivals in North America featuring and celebrating the francophone song, Les FrancoFolies, will present some of the world’s best singers, songwriters and bands who will perform onstage in Montreal.
This year marks Montreal’s 26th FrancoFolies festival, and this week on A Propos you can hear music from Jim Corcoran’s favourite francophone singers and songwriters who will be featured at the 2014 event. For all the details of this year’s program, visit the FrancoFolies de Montréal’s website.
Some of the artists featured during the FrancoFolies festival are famous, while others are great discoveries. If a new or unknown artist makes a mark at the FrancoFolies fest, it could be a turning point in their career. It is a great opportunity to be in tune with all the creativity of francophone music today.
Among the truly exceptional local artists to watch for during this event, according to Corcoran, are Karim Ouellet, Alexandre Désilets, Radio Radio, Klô Pelgag, Sally Folk, Les Hay Babies and Salomé Leclerc. International artists such as Zaz, Catherine Ringer (from the Rita Mitsouko) and Rachid Taha will also be filling Montreal's finest concert venues.
And this year, one of the world's hottest francophone artists will be taking part in the festivities. Belgium’s Stromae will be at Montreal’s Bell Centre for two concerts. He is a megastar in Europe and also very famous in Quebec. His visit will be a huge event.
His irresistible rhythms, extremely touching lyrics and creativity are contagious.
“Even if you don’t speak a word of French, Stromae’s videos will blow you away,” says Corcoran. “His videos are nothing less than innovative, groundbreaking, inspired fragments of contemporary pop art.”
'Papoutai,' Stromae
'Tous les mêmes,' Stromae
Tune in and find out more about the artists who will be filling concert halls in some of Montreal's most popular venues during this year's FrancoFolies festival.
A Propos airs on Sunday at 4 p.m. (4:30 p.m. NT) on CBC Radio 2 and Saturday at 11 p.m. (6 p.m. AT, 6:30 p.m. NT) on CBC Radio One.
What we did get was a landslide of original Canadian songs entered from every genre imaginable. From that initial list of more than 4,500-plus songs and artists from every Canadian province and territory, you helped us whittle it down to the very best each week, and down to the ultimate winner.
Over the course of those weeks of voting, we discovered many great artists and songs from all over the country. In case you missed them, we have compiled the very best of Searchlight 2014 — including the winner and many more — in this special edition of the CBC Radio 3 Podcast with Grant Lawrence.
Discover some awesome new Canadian music and prove to these artists that just entering Searchlight is winning.
Listen to the best of Searchlight 2014 CBC Radio 3 podcast with Grant Lawrence.
What was your favourite Searchlight discovery? What do you LOVE about Searchlight? What do you think we should do differently next year? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @CBCRadio3.
30. The Yips "Point Dume" 29. Doomsquad "Head Spirit (For Our Mechanical Times)" 28. Human Human "Lips" 27. Hunting "Everything Will Be Okay" 26. Language Arts "Oh Tangible World" 25. Stand Up and Say No "Can You Feel" 24. Born Ruffians "Oh Cecilia" 23. Young Rival "Elevator" 22. Port Juvee "All That's Fine" 21. Sabota "Stumble" 20. Owen Pallett "The Riverbed" 19. Teledrome "Boyfriend" 18. Pink Mountaintops "The Second Summer of Love" 17. James Younger "A Little Bit Right" 16. Timber Timbre "Curtains !?" 15. Fitness Club Fiasco "Goldmine" 14. Weaves "Motorcycle" 13. Sonic Avenues "Waiting for a Change" 12. Tokyo Police Club "Toy Guns" 11. Odonis Odonis "Mr Smith" 10. Chad VanGaalen "Leaning On Bells" 9. Young Liars "Night Windows" 8. Wild Night "Indian Summer" 7. Secret Broadcast "More Than Friends" 6. Bestie "Asleep on the Bus" 5. Reef Shark "Frozen Beaches" 4. Napalmpom "Make Me Cry" 3. JPNSGRLS "Smalls" 2. The Ruffled Feathers "It Doesn't Last" 1. Diamond Bones "Something Like Summer"
Every week we ask you to pick a few tracks to throw into set during the R3-30 broadcast. We take a little detour from the chart to play a few tracks you've chosen based around a theme, we call it the Listener List. This week you'll be hearing set filled with punctuation in band names, songs, you name it/ you chose it!
And now, time for a new theme: royalty! Yes, it’s Victoria Day on Monday, so let’s celebrate with band names and songs are filled with queens, kings, and even crowns. So what tracks should make the list for next week? You'll hear a few of my suggestions on the show.
Post those suggestions on the blog or tweet @CBCRadio3
Each day, Rich Terfry and Radio 2 Drive wraps up your day with music and stories about the interesting things going on in the world.
REAR VIEW MIRROR:
Every week, Rich Terfry looks back in our Rear-view Mirror at a great song from the good ol’ days. This week, the story behind The Beach Boys "Sloop John B"
As musically adventurous as Brian Wilson has been in his career, he was never terribly interested in folk music. So when the Beach Boys covered an old sea shanty from the Bahamas in 1965, Brain Wilson had to be tricked into doing it.
Al Jardine of the Beach Boys loved the song and brought it to Brian Wilson, suggesting the band record a version of their own while they were in the studio recording their now-legendary Pet Sounds album. When Jardine played it, Wilson reacted dismissively saying, "I don't like The Kingston Trio."
Jardine didn't give up on the idea. He figured the tune was too simple for Wilson's tastes, so he played it again, but in a signature Beach Boys style. He made it more complex, modifying the chord changes and adding some musical intrigue. When he finished playing, he got up from the piano and walked away. Not a word was said.
The next morning, Jardine received a phone call and was asked to return to the studio. When he arrived, Wilson played a song for him. It was a finished version of the song we now know as "Sloop John B."
Brian Wilson built the entire track from the ground up, by himself, in less than 24 hours. He made a few changes to the lyrics and incorporated Jardine's chord arrangement and ended up with a masterpiece. The song was released the following spring and was a big hit. It was the Beach Boys' fastest seller to date, moving half a million copies in less than two weeks and reached number two on the charts.
Jardine was never credited for his contribution, but described the experience of bringing this song to the band as "very rewarding" nonetheless.
Listen to the many versions of "Sloop John B" and the entire story behind the song by hitting the play button below.
Here are some other great editions of Rear-view Mirror:
Ireland's Hozier is no stranger to the stage. He spent a whole lot of time in the chorus of the long-running, high-stepping Irish extravaganza, Riverdance. Now the tall lad with the massive voice is bringing his particular brand of blues to the world stage with nary a high kick in sight. He's already done Letterman, so you know his star is on the rise. "Take Me to Church" is the name of the tune that is rocketing up the Radio 2 Top 20 chart.
Here he is getting romantic, the tune is "Eden."
David Gray, this week's hot shooter
Everyone likes the comeback kid, and David Gray is all about triumphant comebacks. The singer-songwriter took a three-year hiatus after almost a decade of musical ups and downs. "Back in the World" jumped eight spots this week and enters the top 10. He dropped into Q last week, and here's a bit of that session.
Searchlight champion
CBC Searchlight winner Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk enter the Radio 2 Top 20 for the first time, with the song "I Lost Myself." Woohoo! Check them out!
The chart:
1. Black Keys, "Fever" (same)
2. Vance Joy, "Riptide" (up two)
3.Passenger, "Scare Away the Dark" (up two + hot shooter)
Spider-Man's Andrew Garfield takes on a decidedly different persona in Arcade Fire's new video for "We Exist," yet another single off their unstoppable Reflektor album.
It's an emotionally charged video that takes on the all-too-real narrative of gay and transgender bashing (Garfield's character is the victim), but largely spares the viewer gratuitous physical violence. Instead, we escape inside a surreal world where the aggressors and the victim dance until Garfield's character is ushered behind the curtain to a bright light where Arcade Fire is playing to a massive crowd. Yes, the one bit of levity in this video is the idea that Arcade Fire is God's house band.
You can watch the video below, but bring some tissues and be prepared to feel outrage that it's 2014 and this kind of violence still happens.
The Calgary-born singer-songwriter has a huge overseas hit on her hands with "Hideaway," an inescapably catchy single that's topping the charts throughout Europe.
But the song's music video has become a viral sensation. It's a feat of choreography and well-orchestrated maneuvering — exactly the kind of ultra-specific creative genius we should expect from someone who was already a sailor and code-breaker for the Royal Canadian Navy by the age of 18.
Consider also that she busted a rib right before filming the video and then watch it all over again because she danced like that with a broken bone.
Grey's Anatomy bid adieu to one of its best characters last night and broke everybody's hearts all over again with a little help from Tegan and Sara.
With Sandra Oh leaving the show after more than a decade of playing the incredibly brilliant Dr. Cristina Yang, Grey's loses its central and most valuable relationship: the best friendship between Dr. Yang and Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). Their platonic love story has, arguably, been the best and most consistent portrayal of friendship between women in television history.
Tegan and Sara's music has been a big part of Grey's most emotionally resonant moments and the 10th season finale was no exception as the pair's "Where Does the Good Go" (Yang and Grey's song dating back to season one) played Dr. Yang out of the hospital one last time.
The 63-year-old soul singer released his first album, Let’s Talk it Over, in 1979, selling it out the back of his car at shows. The album, however, was a few years too late, out of step with the current disco craze. As a result, it failed to make the sort of impact that would propel Fields into the spotlight.
It wasn’t until 30 years later that the powerhouse singer, nicknamed Little JB for his vocal resemblance to James Brown, got his proper due. Brooklyn’s Truth & Soul Records rediscovered Fields and signed him to a deal, releasing the critically acclaimed My World in 2009, coinciding with a surge in popularity for throwback soul music. For fans, Fields was the real deal, a true blue soul man who missed his mark by a few years and was getting a second chance.
Faithful Man followed in 2012, cementing Fields as a figurehead of the soul revival, right alongside 65-year-old Charles Bradley, who didn’t release his first soul album until 2011.
And now we have Emma Jean, out June 3, which sees Fields re-team with his longtime backing band the Expressions to deliver that bleeding heart, raw soul music that only a musician who’s been doing it for this long can.
Listen up, and be sure to check out our interview with Fields, where he talks about the new album, performing in Canada and what it's like to find success later in life.
1 "Just Can't Win" 2 "Magnolia" 3 "Paralyzed" 4 "Standing By Your Side" 5 "Eye to Eye" 6 "In The Woods" 7 "All I Need" 8 "Still Gets Me Down" 9 "Talk To Somebody" 10 "Stone Angel" 11 "Don't Leave Me This Way"
Athletes want to be entertainers; entertainers want to be in bands; band members all dream of solo careers. The lead singer of the Walkmen went out and got himself one.
Black Hours, the debut album from Hamilton Leithauser, will be released next week via Ribbon Music but you can stream it until June 3 by clicking on the player below.
From the opening torch number, "5AM," to the moody, new wave tones of "Self Pity" to the infectious foot-stomping lead single, "Alexandra," Black Hours has Leithauser dipping musical toes in blues, country, piano ballads and more from start to finish, while keeping his heart entrenched in rock. It creates the sense that these tunes have been burbling around for some time, and this one record without the rest of the Walkmen might his only chance to get them out. But as a listener, that sort of variety is never a bad thing.
If you truly love indie rock, you know there's a lot of great stuff about the culture. Like discovering awesome bands (a few seconds) before everyone on the internet, high-level conversations about music reviews and incomprehensible (yet totally profound!) band names.
You could probably discuss the subtle nuances of an album's production value for hours. You gossiped about your favourite band playing at that famous couple's wedding reception in Vermont. And you were pretty much the first person to tweet about a band's song when it appeared on TV (gasp) in a commercial.
But being part of the inner circle has its downsides. Here's a list of the sore spots.
Got another reason why being an indie rock fan is the worst? Let us know in the comments below or tweet @CBCRadio3.
Grey Lands, the name of the solo debut project from Cuff the Duke frontman Wayne Petti, isn't exactly your typical solo debut. His new album, Songs by Other People, consists of eight duets with artists such as Hayden, Greg Keelor, Sarah Harmer, Joel Plaskett and Randy Bachman. It's also, as the title suggests, a covers album.
"I wanted to acknowledge where I had been, musically," says Petti, whose been releasing music with Oshawa, Ontario rockers Cuff the Duke since 2002. Songs by Other People features covers from Bob Dylan, Buffy Ste-Marie, Sloan, M. Ward and Lee Hazlewood, all re-imagined by Petti with a distinct psychedelic folk vibe to it.
The album will be released Aug. 12, but right now you can preview Petti and Hayden singing "Outta My Head," originally released by M. Ward in 2003.
There's nothing quite like the sense of freedom that comes from getting behind the wheel and hitting the road — and it's that undeniable rush that Canadian country stars the Road Hammers have tapped into for their latest album, Wheels.
A high-octane mix of originals about everything from powerful V8 engines to mud-coated dirt bikes, as well as "Hammerized" covers including Steve Earle’s "Hillbilly Highway" and the Geoff Mack classic "I’ve Been Everywhere," the album is for anyone who loves to get the heck out of Dodge.
“I’ve been on the road for most of my life so it’s something I can really relate to,” said bassist Chris Byrne in a press release. “This is how we’ve made a living for years and there’s definitely a certain freedom to it, and Wheels is kind of an extended soundtrack for that.”
One of the highest-selling country bands in Canadian history, the Road Hammers shot to Canadian country fame in 2005 with their self-titled debut, which hit number one on the Canadian Country album chart, and landed a CCMA for group or duo of the year as well as a Juno for country recording of the year. The band was also the subject of a Country Music Television Canada series that followed them for a year as they wrote songs, recorded, pursued a U.S. record deal and hit the road.
The group followed up with 2009's The Road Hammers II, and toured relentlessly both on their own and with music legends Lynyrd Skynyrd and Roy Clark.
The members went their separate ways in 2010, pursuing solo projects and playing with high-profile acts including George Canyon and George Bamford, but got back together to make Wheels.
Says singer and guitarist Clayton Bellamy in the release: “Getting into this project after taking time away was about getting back to the heart of what the Road Hammers were made to do.”
Way back in 2003, Vancouver-born, Montreal-based turntablist Kid Koala released a graphic novel and accompanying soundtrack called Nufonia Must Fall. It was your basic love story between a bored office worker and an approaching-obsolescence robot.
Now, 11 years later, Kid Koala will mount a live production of the book. Nufonia Must Fall LIVE will be directed by Oscar-nominated production designer K.K. Barrett, and will be "equal parts cinema, theatre and musical concert," according to a press release. It will be put together using real-time filming, more than a dozen miniature stages and puppets. Kid Koala will score the production live, along with the Afiara Quartet.
It will debut on May 31 at the Eric Harvie Theatre in Banff, before having a three-day run from June 7-9 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox Theatre in Toronto as part of Luminato Festival.
Nufonia Must Fall LIVE will be shown along with the National Film Board's six-minute 3D short Minotaur, which was animated by Munro Ferguson and scored by Kid Koala.
