Leslie Feist is back with her fourth studio album. You can sign up to listen to Metals below, courtesy of listentofeist.com. Entering your email is required.
Hailing from Amherst, Nova Scotia, Feist began her career as a member of Canadian super groupBroken Social Scene. Her breakthrough as a solo artist came in the form of 2004's Let It Die. Then in 2007 Feist released The Reminder which netted the songstress several Juno Awards and four Grammy nominations. After The Reminder's massive success Feist admitted in an interview with Pitchfork that it was difficult to get back into the creative mindset.
"I said I'd stop for a year, which was inconceivable to me and everyone around me. It seemed like so long. But then, after that year, I looked up and I still hadn't gotten my land legs back at all. I needed another year. By then, everyone had calmed and receded back into the wallpaper. I was in a crazy, private, awesome bubble again, and that's when I started to write."
Feist fans will be delighted she broke through those creative roadblocks. Metals is jazzier than its predecessor yet retains Feist's signature silky pop sounds. The first single How Come You Never Go There (below)may not catch on like1234 but the track is infectious and leaves the listener willing to go anywhere with Metals.
Warning! This post and the video below contain Weeds season 7 spoilers.
The blogosphere is buzzing. Not because of product supplied by the Botwin family- but because it may be the end of cable TVs favourite bud bartering bunch.
The final shot of Weeds' seventh season showed Nancy Botwin caught in the cross hairs of a rifle wielded by an unknown assailant. There are many theories floating around about who the mystery gunman is. Most fans are saying it's Peter Scottson's son out for revenge after Nancy indirectly caused his father's death all the way back in season 2.
Showtime hasn't picked up Weeds for an eighth season yet, so season 7's shot heard 'round the tube' may be a pitch perfect series finale. Series creator Jenji Kohan has always said Weeds would probably end with Nancy's death but if there is an eighth season, there are many avenues to explore. Most notably the newly blended family relationship and seeing how sisters Nancy (Mary Louise Parker) and Jill (Jennifer Jason Leigh) adjust to the unconventional arrangement. Parker and Leigh's interactions were the brightest bits from Monday's episode and I'd relish Leigh being added as a main cast member.
If this is the end, Kohan's conclusion was apt. Nancy screwed countless cunning characters over the years and arguably got what was coming to her. Personally I'm hoping this weed is a perennial and will sprout anew next year.
UPDATE: Weeds has been renewed for an eighth season.
Jenji Kohan discusses the season 7 finale and the future of Weeds
When Jane Lynch hosts the Emmy Awards tonight, most critics are betting she will walk away with another golden statuette for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. But will there be any surprises?
There were a few at the Creative Arts ceremony last week. The newly reborn Futurama beat out The Simpsons, South Park and Sponge Bob in the Animated Series category. The episode Futurama won for, where Fry and Co. build a time machine that can only go forward, didn't really warp my speed. There were more deserving Planet Express adventures to choose from this season.
In addition, first time nominee The Deadliest Catch triumphed over the expected winner, Kathy Griffin's D-List diary, in the Outstanding Reality Program category. My Life on the D-List had won twice before and many critics thought Griffin would be awarded a third golden girl, to join "Emily" and "Emmy" as she calls them, as her show was in its final season. Yet dark horse Catch won over D-List and other strong contenders like Hoarders and Mythbusters.
In the Guest Actress in a Comedy category, I was pulling for crazy Cloris Leachman to take home some gold for Raising Hope, although Leachman's Maw Maw seems more like a supporting role. Leachman holds the record for most Emmys won by a female performer with 8, but apparently Emmy voters are gleeks. The Emmy went to Gweneth Paltrow who guested on Glee as Holly Holiday.
Getting back to tonight's festivities, here's the rundown of who the "experts" are predicting will win and who I believe should win.
Stay tuned.
Comedy Series
Will win: Modern Family Should win: Big Bang Theory
Winner: Modern Family
Odds: Modern Family 1/10, Parks & Recreation 16/1, Big Bang Theory 50/1, Glee 50/1, The Office 100/1, 30 Rock 100/1
Big Bang Theory bloopers
Drama Series
Will win: Mad Men Should win: Dexter
Winner: Mad Men
Odds: Mad Men 2/5, Boardwalk Empire 4/1, The Good Wife 33/1, Game of Thrones 50/1, Friday Night Lights 50/1, Dexter 100/1
Dexter season 6 trailer
Comedy Actor
Will win: Steve Carell, The Office Should win: Jim Parsons, Big Bang Theory
Winner: Jim Parsons
Odds: Steve Carell1/10, Jim Parsons 25/1, Louis C.K., Louie 100/1, Matt LeBlanc, Episodes 100/1, Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock 100/1, Johnny Galecki, Big Bang Theory 100/1
Drama Actor
Will win: Jon Hamm, Mad Men Should win: Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Winner: Kyle Chandler
Odds: Jon Hamm 3/10, Steve Buscemi 11/2, Hugh Laurie, House 33/1, Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights 50/1, Timothy Olyphant, Justified 100/1, Michael C. Hall, Dexter 100/1
Comedy Actress
Will win: Laura Linney, The Big C Should win: Laura Linney
Winner: Melissa McCarth, Mike & Molly
Odds: Laura Linney 8/11, Amy Poehler, Parks & Rec 12/5, Melissa McCarthy 20/1, Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope 20/1, Tina Fey, 30 Rock 50/1, Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie 100/1
Drama Actress
Will win: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife Should win: Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
Winner: Julianna Margulies
Odds: Julianna Margulies 2/5, Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men 5/1, Kathy Bates, Harry's Law 20/1, Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights 50/1, Mariska Hargitay 100/1
Comedy Supporting Actor
Will win: Ty Burell, Modern Family Should win: Ty Burell
Winner: Ty Burell
Odds: Ty Burell 2/3, Chris Colfer, Glee 11/2, Ed O'Neil, Modern Family 11/2, Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family 20/1, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family 25/1, Jon Cryer Two & 1/2 Men 50/1
Drama Supp. Actor
Will win: John Slattery, Mad Men Should win: Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Winner: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Odds: Jon Slattery 9/5, Alan Cumming 10/3, Walton Goggins, Justified 11/2, Peter Dinklage 11/2, Josh Charles, The Good Wife 8/1, Andre Braugher, Men of a Certain Age 50/1
Odds: Jane Lynch 6/5, Betty White, Hot in Cleveland 7/2, Julie Bowen, Modern Family 6/1, Sofia Vegara, Modern Family 15/2, Kristen Wiig 20/1, Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock 100/1
Drama Supp. Actress
Will win: Margo Martindale, Justified Should win: Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Winner: Margo Martindale
Odds: MargoMartindale 4/7, Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife 8/1, Kelly MacDonald, Boardwalk Empire 9/1, Christine Baranski 16/1, Christina Hendricks, Mad Men 20/1, Michelle Forbes, The Killing 20/1
Reality Competition Series
Will win: Amazing Race Should win: Top Chef
Winner: Amazing Race
Odds: Amazing Race 8/5, Top Chef 12/5, Project Runway 13/2, American Idol 8/1, Dancing with the Stars 14/1, So You Think You Can Dance 50/1
Variety Series
Will win: The Daily Show Should win: SNL or Real Time with Bill Maher
Winner: The Daily Show
Odds: The Daily Show 2/11, SNL 20/1, Conan 25/1, Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon 33/1, Real Time 100/1
As summer winds down and the last long weekend speeds by, many will embark on road trips to chase down the fleeting sunshine. Here are fifteen of my favourite road trip/car songs; a soundtrack that is sure to get your pistons firing. I could have included Mercedes Benzby Janis Joplin, Truckin' by Grateful Dead or War's Low Rider but since I included other songs by these oldies-but-goodies in my last couple of posts, I'll omit them.
Happy trails.
Her 2006 album Back to Black netted five Grammy Awards including Best Pop Vocal Album. The tragically named track Rehab won Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. In addition Winehouse picked up the award for Best New Artist and Back to Black's producer Mark Ronson received the Producer of the Year honor. Reports say Winehouse was working on a follow up album, which will no doubt become a chart topper upon release.
The singer's father claims his daughter was the happiest she had been in years in the weeks leading up to her death. Some experts say happiness before a planned suicide is common.
Toxicology reports indicate there were no illegal drugs in Winehouse's system at the time of her death, but alcohol was present. It is unknown if alcohol played a factor in her death.
“I think Amy Winehouse may have secretly wanted to be part of the 27 Club,” Pax Prentiss, co-founder of the Malibu rehabilitation center Passages, said in an interview with The Wrap. “Amy was on a dark path and she may have glamorized the idea of being part of that group.”
All but three of the artists I have chosen for this list (there are many more 27 club members) died from circumstances relating to drugs and alcohol.
“I do know from experience that artists have a tendency to be sensitive,” Prentiss said. “they’re talented yes, but the outside world effects them differently and they’re prone to turn to drugs in order to cope with the pressures put upon them."
Rehab
Amy Winehouse
Kurt Cobain
After many years of drug abuse, illness and depression Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain took his own life in April 1994. It was reported Cobain had high levels of heroin in his system, as well as traces of Valium. His long, poorly punctuated suicide note was addressed to his imaginary boyhood friend "Boddah" and revealed Cobain had lost his passion for making music.
"...when we're back stage and the lights go out and the manic roar of the crowds begins, it doesn't affect me the way in which it did for Freddie Mercury, who seemed to love, relish in the the love and adoration from the crowd which is something I totally admire and envy. The fact is, I can't fool you, any one of you. It simply isn't fair to you or me," Cobain wrote.
Breed
Nirvana
Jimi Hendrix
Hendrix was easily one of the most talented guitar players to ever grasp a pick. His death in 1970 from asphyxiation after ingesting sleeping pills and wine has been labeled a conspiracy by some. Animals roadie James White published a book in 2009 claiming Hendrix's manager Mike Jeffery admitted to murdering the musician because the performer wanted to change management. There were also conflicting reports by Hendrix's girlfriend, Monika Dannemann, as to what actually occurred on the night of September 18 1970. Dannemann committed suicide in 1996 after being found guilty of contempt of court for repeating libel against another of Hendrix's girlfriends.
Crosstown Traffic
Jimi Hendrix
Jim Morrison
As lead singer of the Doors, Morrison was known for improvising potent prose and his biting personality. After years of success with the Doors, Morrison moved to Paris in 1971 and spent his last days wandering the city's impressive streets. His body was found in the bathtub of his Paris apartment on July 3 1971. Morrison had snorted his girlfriend Pamela Courson's heroin, thinking it was cocaine. Courson would overdose on heroin three years later. She was also 27 at the time of her death.
Morrison's grave sitein Paris' Père Lachaise Cemetery is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.
Touch Me
The Doors
Janis Joplin
Joplin's powerful, divisive voice hid the pain of a woman who always felt like an outcast. Her childhood in the christian conformist town of Port Arthur, Texas was rough. Joplin didn't act as most thought a lady of that time should. Burdened with an on again, off again relationship with heroin, Joplin would eventually find success with Big Brother and the Holding Company. On the night of October 3 1970, feeling rejected by friends who had stood her up the previous night, Joplin overdosed on heroin at Los Angeles' Landmark Motor Hotel.
Piece of My Heart
Big Brother and the Holding Company
Kristen Pfaff
Pfaff is best known for her work as Hole's bassist on Live Through This. Born in Buffalo New York, she studied piano and cello before teaching herself how to play bass. After graduating from high school, Pfaff moved to Minneapolis and was a founding member of Janitor Joe. While on tour with Janitor Joe, Pfaff was scouted by Courtney Love and Eric Erlandson for Hole as a replacement for Jill Emery. Pfaff was reluctant to join Love's band and returned to Minneapolis. It was her father who convinced her to join, citing that Hole was already signed to a major label and had a rabid British following.
"That's when we took off," her former boyfriend Erlandson said of Pfaff joining Hole. "That's when we became a real band."
While recording Live Through This in Seattle in 1993, Pfaff began dabbling in heroin. Something Erlandson had warned her about.
"She moved to Seattle and felt disconnected from everything, and she made friends, drug connections, which I told her not to do," Erlandson told Spin. "The only way you can survive in this town is if you don't make those connections." After a stint in rehab, she decided to leave Hole and rejoin Janitor Joe permanently.
The day Pfaff was scheduled to return to Minneapolis a friend, some sources say it was Erlandson himself, found her lifeless body. Next to Pfaff was a bag containing syringes and heroin-related paraphernalia.
The bassist has since been inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame and the University of Minnesota's KUOM awards a $1000 memorial scholarship in her honour.
Boys in Blue
Janitor Joe
Boyfriend
Janitor Joe
Richey Edwards
Although he began as a Manic Street Preachers roadie, Edwards soon moved up the ranks to become the band's rhythm guitarist and main spokesperson. What he lacked in musical ability he made up for with his brilliant lyrics. By the band's third album, the Holy Bible, Edwards' struggles with drugs and alcohol had become well known, which only added to the band's counterculture notoriety. Shortly after that album's release, Edwards checked himself into a psychiatric hospital. On February 1 1995, Edwards and James Dean Bradfield were due in the US for a promotional tour; however Edwards had disappeared. He was officially presumed dead in 2008. Edwards was 27 at the time of his disappearance. Many claim to have spotted Edwards over the years and point to a quote directly from Richey.
"In terms of the 'S' word, that does not enter my mind and it never has, in terms of an attempt. Because I am stronger than that. I might be a weak person, but I can take pain," Edwards said in 1994.
Yes
Manic Street Preachers
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan
A founding member of the Grateful Dead, McKernan was the typical rebellious teenager. Named after the similarly dirty Peanuts character, this biker boy from California would grow up to play various instruments for the Dead, including harmonica and the organ. McKernan would have a romantic relationship with another 27 Club member, Janis Joplin. While those around him did hard drugs, McKernan stuck to Thunderbird Wine and Southern Comfort, which was also Joplin's favourite beverage. His love of alcohol would eventually do him in as he began showing signs of cirrhosis in 1970. Then on March 8 1973, he was found dead of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage. His grave marker reads that he is now and forever will be one of the grateful dead.
Box of Rain
Grateful Dead
Leslie Harvey
While perhaps one of the least known musicians on this list, Les Harvey was no stranger to big time tragedy. Hailing form Scotland, Harvey was asked to join the Animals in the 1960s but chose to stay with his brother Alex Harvey's Soul Band. In 1965, while a member of the Blues Council, Harvey would be involved in a fatal tour bus crash which killed two Blues Council members.
Harvey rebounded from the misfortune and founded Stone the Crows with his brother and Maggie Bell in 1969. At a 1972 performance with Stone the Crows, Harvey was electrocuted by a microphone that wasn't grounded correctly.
Good Time Girl
Stone the Crows
Jeremy Michael Ward
In addition to being Mars Volta's sound technician and vocal operator, Ward also worked with dub outfit De Facto. As a behind the scenes genius, he was critically lauded for creating the unique soundscapes heard on Mars Volta's debut De-Loused in the Crematorium. He was also an accomplished guitarist and artist and his work influenced many of Mars Volta's later albums.
Ward was found dead of a heroin overdose in 2003 and his death inspired the remaining members of Mars Volta to quit using opiates.
Eriatarka
Mars Volta
Mia Zapata
While all of the deaths included on this list are tragic, Zapata stands out as the only entry who was murdered.
Born in Kentucky, Zapata picked up guitar and piano at an early age and was heavily influenced by blues and jazz. In the mid '80s, Zapata moved to Ohio to attend college and it was there that she formed the Gits. The band moved to Seattle just as the '90s broke and released the well received Frenching the Bully in 1992. The band's stage presence, specifically Zapata's off-the-wall antics, led to the Gits becoming one of the hottest grunge acts in town. Just before their second album, Enter the Conquering Chicken, dropped, Zapata was raped and murdered while walking home through the Capitol Hill area of Seattle. Her body was discovered in the early morning hours of July 7 1993. Sources say Zapata was last seen listening to her walkman and perhaps didn't hear her attacker approaching. Zapata's murder inspired the founding of Home Alive, a group that, in addition to organizing concerts, taught women self defense. Joan Jett and Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hannah would co-write the song Go Home in response to the crime committed against their punk compatriot. The video (below) features Jett as a woman triumphing over her would-be attacker. DNA evidence would eventually link Florida fisherman Jesus Mezquia to Zapata's murder. After his first conviction was overturned, Mezquia was sentenced to 36 years in prison in 2009.
It's been close to a month since I've posted. What was the reason for my break from blogging? Well, since there are a multitude of factors, I'll just say it was summer. There are thousands of songs about the sweetest season. Here are fifteen of my favourites.
Face to Face have reunited following their 2004 break up to the delight of rock fans everywhere.
Their latest album Laugh Now, Laugh Later was released in May and finds Face to Face pumping out pop-punk riffs as if they never split up. Formed twenty years ago in Victorville, California, Face to Face has undergone many line up changes through out the band's history. Laugh Now, Laugh Later reunites Terver Keith with Chad Yaro, who parted with the band before 2002's How to Ruin Everything. Keith and Yaro are joined by Scott Shiflett on bass and percussionist Danny Thompson. Download the track It's Not All About You today (June 22-23 only) free from Amazon.com.
