book review: Popartery by Andy Patridge

Illustrated by Andy Partridge (Published by Ape House)

review by Allan Tong

ChinoKino score: A

Simply put, this large hardcover collects the 56 individual covers of a previous (but extremely limited) tome by author Andy Partridge. Each image illustrates a song from his days singing and composing for the British band, XTC. If you recognize these names, then this book is for you. 

To his credit, Partridge didn't choose only his hit songs for this collection. Sure, there's the popular Dear God (above), 25 O'Clock and This Is Pop (the cover), but there are also obscure numbers like Tin Toy Clockwork Train and Red. 

Popartery has been assembled with loving care: super-thick, glossy paper, a sturdy hardcover (no dust jacket, though), and arranged alphabetically with the author explaining his thoughts behind each painting, opposite each image. This is a book you leaf through while blasting Drums and Wires or Nonsuch on your sound system. 

It is an art book. It is a music book. It is special.

film review: Studio 17: The Lost Reggae Tapes

Directed by Mark James

Review by Allan Tong

ChinoKino score: A-

Peter Tosh, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Dennis Brown, Alton Ellis, Lord Creator and Bob Marley are some of the reggae greats who graced Studio 17 in downtown Kingston in the 1960s and 1970s. This fine British documentary spotlights this crucial chapter of reggae and Jamaican history. At its unlikely centre is a Chinese-Jamaican family, headed by matriarch "Miss Pat" Chin, her late husband Vincent, and his son, Clive. Vincent was nicknamed Randy which was also the name of the record store attached to the studio, just like legendary Stax Records in Memphis.

The Chins' story teems with charming anecdotes, near-fatal twists and tragedy. The Chins were one of many Chinese families who comprised the merchant class of Jamaica. The Chins started reselling ska 45s in the early 1960s, and soon expanded into recording musicians themselves. Legendary engineer Clive Thompson helped shape the clean, balanced sound of Studio 17 which attracted Jamaica's reggae artists. Business was good at Randy's and Studio 17, and their early success mirrored the optimism of newly independent Jamaica of the 1960s. Clive established a reputation as a top producer of danceable ska which morphed into harder-edged reggae to reflect the growing cynicism of Jamaicans by the late-1960s.

In Studio 17, Miss Pat and especially Clive guide the viewer through Studio 17's rise. They're augmented by reflections from reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, UB40's Ali Campbell and Dave Stewart formerly of the Eurythmics. They recall Peter Tosh as a spiritual man who smoked the sacrament of ganja everywhere, including a Pan Am flight to New York; and of Bob Marley covering the bubblegum anthem, Sugar Sugar (quite well, actually). Clive recalls narrowly missing the assassination attempt on Marley during a violent national election. That political unrest and the threat of Communism forced the Chins and other Chinese-Jamaican merchants to flee the island in 1978. Clive and Miss Pat literally left everything behind, including the library of tapes recorded at Studio 17.

Though Clive later moved the tapes to his new home and record store in Queens, New York, it took a murder in the Chin family years later to convince Clive to digitize the aging reel-to-reels and release select collections to the public. Miraculously, the tapes survived. This includes an unfinished demo by Dennis Brown. A few years ago, Clive enlisted teen British singer, Hollie Stephenson, to add a new vocal which turned that demo into a sparkling duet that Dave Stewart co-produced. That is a wonderful sequence in the film. Another great story is of UB40 rescuing Lord Creator from poverty by covering his ballad, Kingston Town, in 1989.

The story of the Chins and Studio 17 is so entertaining that it compensates for the film's only flaw. Reshma B is a London journalist who interviews the subjects and sometimes pops up on camera. This is distracting and unnecessary. Making things more confusing is that someone else is narrating the film. Just who is telling this story? Luckily, the film keeps circling back to the Chins to restore its focus.

Studio 17 fills a hole in the history of reggae. It offers captivating viewing for lovers of reggae, Jamaica and cinematic storytelling.

Studio 17 will screen on August 10 in Montreal, August 14 in Ottawa and August 15 in Toronto. Check local listings for details.

112 Original Scores in 2015 Oscar Race

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 112 scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2015 are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the 88th Academy Awards®.

A Reminder List of works submitted in the Original Score category will be made available with a nominations ballot to all members of the Music Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award.

74 Original Songs vie for 2015 Oscar

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 74 songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2015 are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 88th Academy Awards.

During the nominations process, all voting members of the Music Branch will receive a Reminder List of works submitted in the category and a DVD copy of the song clips. Members will be asked to watch the clips and then vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements in the category. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award. A maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film.

To be eligible, a song must consist of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film. A clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody must be used in the body of the film or as the first music cue in the end credits.

2015 American Music Awards

The 43rd Annual American Music Awards took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles last night. It was hosted by Jennifer Lopez, who led off the evening by dancing to a medley of more than a dozen of this year's hits.

Taylor Swift was the big winner of the night with three awards. She won Song of the Year for “Blank Space,” Favorite Album (Pop/Rock) for “1989” and Favorite Artist (Adult Contemporary). One Direction claimed the Artist of the Year prize for the second year in a row. They also took Favorite Duo or Group (Pop/Rock).

Other double prizewinners were Florida Georgia Line for Favorite Duo or Group (Country) and Favorite Album (Country) with “Anything Goes”; Nicki Minaj for Favorite Artist (Rap/Hip-Hop) and Favorite Album (Rap/Hip-Hop) with “The Pinkprint”; and The Weeknd for Favorite Male Artist (Soul/R&B) and Favorite Album (Soul/R&B) with “Beauty Behind The Madness.”

Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Power In The Blood Wins 2015 Polaris Music Prize

Buffy Sainte-Marie has won the 2015 Polaris Music Prize for the album Power In The Blood, besting the nine other albums on the Polaris Short List.

Sainte-Marie performed the songs “Power In The Blood” and “Carry It On” during her Polaris Gala set.

The Prize, which goes to the best Canadian album of the year based on “artistic merit without regard to genre, sales history or label affiliation,” was determined by a Grand Jury of 11 music media professionals drawn from the greater Polaris jury pool of roughly 200 writers, editors, broadcasters, DJs and personalities from across the country.

TIFF 2015 reviews – Keith Richards: Under the Influence / Janis: Little Girl Blue

Keith Richards: Under The Influence
Directed by Morgan Neville

Janis: Little Girl Blue
Directed by Amy Berg

Reviews by Allan Tong

Documentaries of two sixties rock icons screened at TIFF last week. Of the two, Morgan Neville's Keith Richards: Under the Influence attracted more attention because its subject flew into Toronto and personally presented this film the night before its worldwide release on Netflix.

Neville, who directed the Oscar-winning 20 Feet From Stardom (good, but overrated), described Under the Influence at a press conference as a “scrapbook” that he never intended to be an adaptation of Ricahrds' superb memoir, Life. On those terms, Neville succeeeds and it explains the holes in the documentary. Notably, the film completely ignores the influences of early Stones' guitarist Brian Jones and first wife Anita Pallenberg in Richards' early life and career. Also, while it's true it's been done to death, there's no mention of Richards' drug addictions and drug bust.

2015 MTV Video Music Awards – nominations

The 2015 MTV Video Music Awards nominations are here — so get voting!

The list for the show, airing Sunday, August 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT — and hosted by Miley Cyrus — is led by Taylor Swift, who is up for nine Moonmen. Following Taylor, pal Ed Sheeran has six noms and is competing against her for the coveted Video of the Year category. We doubt there will be any bad blood, though.

The nominations were announced on Apple’s Beats 1 radio show today. Check out the full list below and start voting now.

The 2015 MTV Video Music Awards will air live from L.A.’s Microsoft Theater at 9 p.m. ET, on Sunday, August 30.

Polaris Music Prize announces 2015 short list

The 2015 Polaris Music Prize Short List was revealed this morning at The Carlu in Toronto.

Caribou (2008, 2010, 2015) and Drake (2012, 2014, 2015) now join Metric (2006, 2009, 2013), Shad (2008, 2010, 2014) and Owen Pallett (2006, 2010, 2014) as the only acts to be nominated for the Short List on three separate occasions. This is second time Braids (2011, 2015) and The New Pornographers (2006, 2015) have made the Short List. Alvvays, BADBADNOTGOOD, Jennifer Castle, Tobias Jesso Jr., Buffy Sainte-Marie and Viet Cong are all first-time nominees.

TIFF Celebrates its 40th Anniversary with Slate of Free Programming

TIFF thanks audiences for 40 years of support with 40 free films including a screening of Vertigo with a live score co-presented with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, crowd-sourced screenings and a free exhibition celebrating film fans

Piers Handling, Director & CEO of TIFF, tonight announced special programming taking place during the 2015 summer and fall seasons in celebration of the organization’s 40th anniversary. The announcements were made at a free community party held in David Pecaut Square in downtown Toronto, prior to this season’s first TIFF in the Park event, a screening of the 1992 Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award–winner Strictly Ballroom.

“The free programming we’re offering will revisit and commemorate TIFF’s history, and allow us to thank our audiences for their dedication and support over the last four decades,” said Handling. “This is a milestone year for the organization. Not only are we looking back and celebrating 40 years of bringing the world to Toronto, but we’re looking ahead to the next 40 years, with a focus on taking our programming to cultural centres around the world.”

26th Anniversary SOCAN Awards – winners

A who's who of the Canadian music industry gathered last night in Toronto to honour Canada's most talented "Born to Be" songwriters, composers, lyricists and music publishers at the 26th SOCAN Awards.

Sponsored by Gowlings, KPMG, RBC and HMV, and hosted by CMT Canada's Paul McGuire, the SOCAN Awards recognize the lifetime and more recent achievements of Canada's music creators, honoured in a host of categories, including Pop/Rock, Dance, Urban, Country, Jazz, Folk/Roots, Classical, and Film & Television.

Recipients of SOCAN's major achievement awards this year were the legendary Randy Bachman (Lifetime Achievement), Dallas Green (National Achievement), MAGIC! (International Achievement), music industry pioneer Bernie Finkelstein (Special Achievement), and "Born to be Wild" songwriter Mars Bonfire, who accepted SOCAN's first-ever Cultural Impact Award. All accepted their honours in person, as did R&B chart-toppers The Weeknd and Belly, rising country stars Brett Kissel and Tim Hicks, and film and TV composers Keith Power and Andrew Lockington, among many others.

36th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards – winners

Canadian Opera Company Leads the Field with 8 Wins: 5 for Falstaff including Outstanding Production and 3 for Die Walküre including Outstanding Direction to Atom Egoyan

The 36th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards for the 2014/2015 season were handed out in a star-studded ceremony in Toronto on the evening of Monday, June 22 at Harbourfront Centre’s WestJet Stage, hosted by the hilarious Gavin Crawford, whose eight seasons on CBC-TV's This Hour Has 22 Minutes earned him numerous accolades and who recently won an ACTRA Award for his leading role in the film Two 4 One.

The Dora Mavor Moore Awards are produced and presented by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) and celebrate excellence in Toronto theatre, dance and opera. For the 2014-2015 season, 117 producing companies registered 212 eligible productions. A total of 48 Dora Awards plus the Silver Ticket Award and the Audience Choice Award were given out.

2015 Much Music Video Awards – winners

The 2015 Much Music Video Awards were handed out tonight in Toronto at the Much headquarters on Queen Street West. The host of the event was nominee and winner Ed Sheeran in his fourth appearance at the show. On receiving the prize foe Best International Artist, his first of two awards, he said "This is my fourth year and I've never won one — I feel like it's just because I'm presenting. So thank you very much for this."

The biggest winner of the night, however, was the hometown boy The Weeknd (a.k.a. Abel Tesfaye) who picked up four awards on the night, including video of the year. He tied the record for most MMVA wins in one night set by Swollen Members, k-os, and Hedley. He had led all nominees with six mentions. His acceptances were pithy, "I want to thank the fans of course — XO, wouldn't be here without you guys." His performance was medley of "Mood Music" and "Earned It"

Montreal's P Reign picked up the award for Best Hip Hop Video and he received a surprise visit from an unannounced guest. Toronto rapper and co-director of the winning video "DnF," Drake (a.k.a. Aubrey Graham) joined him onstage and received a roaring welcome from the audience. "My brother Drizzy Drake is in the building. That's my brother for life," said P Reign.

Polaris Music Prize announces 2015 long list

The 2015 Polaris Music Prize Long List has been announced.

The 40 Long List albums were unveiled earlier today at The Carleton in Halifax, NS in association with Halifax Pop Explosion, with the assistance of the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, the City of Halifax, and the Downtown Halifax Business Commission.

In total 197 titles made the first ballots of the 196 member jury.

This year’s Long List features 18 returning and 22 new nominees, although four of those new Polaris people have been nominated for previous projects: Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld for his solo albums and her work with Arcade Fire respectively, Young Guv’s Ben Cook was previously nominated with Fucked Up, members of Viet Cong were previously nominated as Women, and Siskiyou used to play with Great Lake Swimmers.

2015 Billboard Music Awards – winners

The Billboard Music Awards held their ceremony Sunday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

25 year old singer-songwriter Taylor Alison Swift was the evening's biggest winner, taking a total of eight awards. After premiering her “Bad Blood” music video at the top of the show, she went on to win for Top Artist, Top Female artist, Billboard Chart Achievement Award, Top Billboard 200 Album, Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top 100 Hot Artist, Top Digital Songs Artist and Top Streaming Song (Video). Going into the night, she had been nominated for a total of 14 awards.

In accepting her award for Top Female Artist, she thanked “all the girls I talk to on the Internet and we talk about your feelings and you teach me your teen slang.” When she later received the Top Streaming Song (Video) Award, she added, “Honestly, the fans -- I’m obsessed with you. You guys are the reason this year has happened the way that it's happened.”

Sam Smith, Iggy Azalea and Pharrell trailed well behind with three awards. One Direction, Hozier, Jason Aldean, Enrique Iglesias and John Legend each picked up a pair of prizes.

Festival Accès Asie, May 1 – 24

20 
years 
of 
Asia 
in 
Montréal!

Festival Accès Asie, running from May 1st to 24th, is proud to announce its 20th Anniversary edition! Khosro Berahmandi, General Manager and Artistic Director of the Festival, has prepared an incredible program featuring a wide range of artistic disciplines that will definitely please Asian culture lovers. Festival Accès Asie welcomes actress, Alice Tran (Lance et compte, 30 vies), as its spokesperson for our 20th anniversary celebration.

Included in this edition are 16 artistic events, many of which have been exclusively created for the Festival. To show its appreciation to Accès Asie artist members for their ongoing commitment to the development of the Festival over the years, five artists from the Festival’s Board were invited to create works for this year’s edition. We are very pleased to include these works in our 20th Anniversary program.

The Festival kicks off with our famous Opening Cocktail at which we will reveal the 20th Anniversary Edition program. The first week will feature Kaleidoscope, an exhibition by Kiran Ambwani and Florence So, presenting 20 artists who have appeared in the Festival over the past 20 years. The Festival also invites the public to take part in an open forum Discussion on Asian Heritage in Quebec featuring an exciting panel of Festival artists.

2015 SiriusXM Indie Awards – nominees announced

AWARDS TO BE HANDED OUT MAY 9TH AT THE GRAND BALLROOM, SHERATON CENTRE IN TORONTO

Canadian Music Week is proud to announce the nominees for the 2015 SiriusXM Indies - 15th Annual Independent Music Awards. ALVVAYS, Caribou, Mac DeMarco and Death From Above 1979 are among the nominated artists being honoured across 26 categories on Saturday May 9th, 2015 at the Grand Ballroom in the Sheraton Centre (123 Queen St. West, Toronto). Full list of nominees is below.

Celebrating another year of top independent talent - both Canadian and International - the award show will feature special performances from nominated artists, including The Glorious Sons, Alvvays, Broncho, and Miracles. Multi-platinum selling rock act Billy Talent will be headlining the SiriusXM Indies with an exclusive concert performance.

18th annual Canadian Radio Music Awards – nominees announced

Canadian Music Week is pleased to announce nominations for the 18th annual Canadian Radio Music Awards! Kiesza, MAGIC! and Hedley, are among those honoured. This year’s award show will take place on Friday, May 8th at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel. Sponsored by Bell Media, the Canadian Radio Music Awards celebrate first-time charted artists and honour individuals or groups with some of the most played songs on Canadian radio.

This year’s show will feature performances by MAGIC!, Kiesza, Dear Rouge, Andee, Virginia to Vegas and Jess Moskaluke. Full list of nominees below.

The Canadian Radio Music Awards offer an opportunity to honour national and international artists who have gained significant traction on the radio over the past year. Radio has long served as a significant platform for artists to break through and gain mass appeal. This year’s nominees fittingly reflect the power of a songs ability to connect with the public and push artists to the next level.

2015 Prism Prize goes to director Chad VanGaalen

On Sunday, March 29, director Chad VanGaalen was announced as the winner of the 2015 Prism Prize for Timber Timbre's Beat The Drum Slowly music video at the Prism Prize Top Ten Screening and Awards Presentation at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto, Ontario. Chad VanGaalen, who was also nominated for his own song Monster, was on hand to accept the Prism Prize trophy and $5,000 award.

The Prism Prize Audience Award was presented to director Natalie Rae Robison for Kandle's Not Up To Me, based on thousands of online votes collected in collaboration with Noisey Canada.

Also honoured during the event was director Jared Raab, who was in attendance to accept the Arthur Lipsett Award, established to recognize an innovative and unique approach to music video art. The Prism Prize Special Achievement Award, honouring a Canadian music video artist for their artistic achievements and exceptional contribution to music video art on a world stage, was presented to animator and cinematographer Christopher Mills.

Full lineup announced for 2015 Osheaga Music and Arts Festival

This year, the Osheaga Music and Arts Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary at Parc Jean-Drapeau. This morning, they announced their full lineup for this year's festival which will be taking place on the weekend of July 31, August 1 and August 2.

Previously, they had announced headliners including Florence + The Machine, Kendrick Lamar, The Black Keys, The Avett Brothers, St. Vincent, Alt-J, The Decemberists, Hot Chip, Weezer and Nas. Today, they completed their announcement of over 100 bands that will play on six stages during the three-day festival.