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Friday, July 30, 2021

Robert Levon Been (of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) composes the soundtrack for new film 'The Card Counter'

Composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist and co-founder of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Robert Levon Been, has composed the score and original songs for writer and director Paul Schrader’s new film, The Card Counter, starring Oscar Isaac Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan, Wilem Dafoe and executive produced by Martin Scorsese. Been’s music for the film includes several original songs and is deeply integrated into the picture.

Listen to “Arise Sun” HERE.

Watch The Card Counter film trailer featuring “Arise Sun" HERE.

Schrader reached out to Levon Been last year about writing the end title theme for The Card Counter. What started off as a one-song project evolved into writing multiple songs used in the film as well as contributing much of the instrumental score and sound design.

Robert Levon Been first met the renowned director and award-winning screenwriter (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, American Gigolo) through his late father, Michael Been, co-founder and lead singer of The Call, who was cast in Martin Scorsese’s 1988 film, Last Temptation of Christ, for which Schrader wrote the screenplay. Robert, who was on location in Morocco during filming, was also given a small role in the film. Following shooting, Schrader asked Michael Been to score his 1992 film Light Sleeper in the true indie-DIY ethos with all hands-on deck, including Levon Been at 16 years of age.

“To work with Paul on 'The Card Counter' this many years later is quite surreal," says Been in a statement. "It was a unique challenge to help Paul’s vision of expanding the story through both soundscape and song to underscore the film’s characters and narrative. Once the film wrapped, however, it didn’t feel right to cease writing and exploring the songs. It felt like too much like a cliff hanger in my mind. Creating an album that could include both alternative and fully realized versions of the songs has been a huge undertaking, but what doesn’t kill you makes you Schrader.”

The Card Counter is not entirely Levon Been’s first foray into film scoring. In 2013, BRMC scored Jeff Baena’s dark horror-comedy, Life After Beth. Over the past few years, BRMC has also been thriving in the synch world with high profile placements in television, commercials and video games. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the band’s seminal self-titled release.

Coinciding with the US release of the film, the album The Card Counter: Original Songs from The Motion Picture will be released in September via BMG Records. The film will begin rolling out internationally in October.

The Card Counter is a revenge thriller written and directed by Paul Schrader. The film stars Oscar Isaac, Tye Sheridan, Tiffany Haddish and Willem Dafoe, and will be released September 10 via Focus Features.

The Card Counter, Original Songs by Robert Levon Been track listing:

1. Rapture
2. Murder Hum
3. Mercy Rev
4. Arise Sun
5. S.E.R.E.
6. Adore
7. Casino Floor 1 (Beta Testing)
8. Casino Floor 2 (Stable)
9. Smoke Ring
10. Erutpar
11. Determined Events
12. OPM
13. Mercy Of Man (featuring S.G. Goodman)

Darren Criss news

A few years ago, I interviewed Criss when he was doing some special concerts with his former "Glee" co-star Lea Michele. Read on about his latest single, which is quite catchy. 

Singer/songwriter/actor Darren Criss released his newest single, “For a Night Like This,” via BMG: LISTEN HERE. The release comes from his upcoming EP, Masquerade, out August 20. Pre-save HERE.

The EP follows two previously released singles, “i can't dance” and “f*kn around." Describing this collection of songs as “character-driven singles,” Darren explores even more personas on Masquerade. Darren will perform songs from the EP live for the first time at Elsie Fest on August 29 in NYC as part of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn Festival at the Prospect Park Bandshell. Full track listing of Masquerade can be found below.

About the new single, Darren shares, “What artist doesn't want a song of theirs to end up on the permanent playlist for every wedding, New Year's Eve, reception, afterparty, QuinceaƱera, Bar and Bat Mitzvah? ‘for a night like this’ is me trying my hand at joining the ranks of those go-to celebration songs we all know and love. So, like the best of them, I made a song designed to invite you out of your seat and onto the dance floor, for the nights you get dressed up to get down, for the ones you spend a little on to celebrate a lot for. A song for those special nights you work hard and wait for, so you can go all out sharing something you love with the people you love.”

Darren made his late-night television performance debut with the single on The Late Late Show with James Corden alongside Este Haim of HAIM on bass. 

Music has always played an integral role in Darren’s artistry. As a solo artist, his 2017 EP Homework debuted at #1 on Billboard's Heatseekers Album chart. Criss has toured to sold-out audiences around the world including headlining the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Festival with multi-GRAMMY Award nominee and renowned DJ Steve Aoki. In 2019, he also headlined the Balmain Music Festival for the Balmain men's spring 2020 show. He has been featured on the cover of numerous magazines including such music publications as Billboard and American Songwriter.

As a songwriter, Darren has penned songs for the comedy musical Royalties, for which he was also the creator and executive producer. He received his first Emmy nomination for songwriting in 2015 for Best Original Music and Lyrics for the song “This Time,” which appeared on Glee’s series finale. In addition to collaborations with fellow artists including Rufus Wainwright, Sabrina Carpenter, Bonnie McKee, Jordan Fisher, and many others, he has also written for Apple’s animated series Central Park.

Track listing:

1. f*kn around
2. i can't dance
3. let's
4. walk of shame
5. for a night like this

More about Darren Criss:

Darren Criss is a multi-faceted artist with an illustrious career spanning television, film, music and stage. As an actor, his portrayal of Andrew Cunanan in Ryan Murphy's award-winning series American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace was met with widespread critical acclaim, earning him a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors' Guild Award and Critics' Choice Award.

Having previously portrayed Blaine Anderson on FOX's global phenomenon Glee for five seasons, he received an Emmy Award nomination for songwriting in 2015 for best original music and lyrics for the song "This Time." Criss' songwriting has also seen #1 spots on the cast album charts for music he wrote for YouTube sensation Team Starkid (A Very Starkid Album, Me and My Dick and Starship) which he co-founded in 2009. His 2017 EP entitled "Homework" debuted at #1 on Billboard's Heatseekers Album chart. In the same year, he introduced his indie-pop band Computer Games with his brother Chuck and released their first album "Lost Boys Life EP." Computer Games was nominated as one of Macy's iHeartRadio Rising Stars.

Thursday, July 29, 2021

'Front and Center' returns with a new PBS season in August; first episode features '08 Glen Campbell concert

For the last decade, public television’s critically acclaimed live music series “Front And Center” has showcased an eclectic variety of musicians, from industry veterans to emerging artists, in an intimate setting.

Season 10 premieres nationwide beginning August 1 on public television stations (check local listings) with eight concerts that span genres. In a slight departure from the series’ usual format, Season 10 launches with an archival concert by the late Glen Campbell, recorded in August 2008 at the Troubadour in West Hollywood.

Campbell returned to the iconic club, treating the audience to a mix of Campbell standards like “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston” and “Rhinestone Cowboy” along with instant-classic covers of hits by U2, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Velvet Underground, The Replacements, Green Day, Foo Fighters, John Lennon and Yoko Ono and Scottish band Travis. 

This PBS “Front And Center” special demonstrates why Campbell was a beloved American voice – and still inspires viewers with its exuberant performances. Watching the last live, full-concert performance that Campbell recorded, now four years since he passed in 2017, fans are reminded of the rare talent for exceptional guitar playing, phrasing and vocals this legend brought to whatever song he interpreted. The show is also available as a full-length album on Surfdog Records/Big Machine Records.

Following Campbell, new, exclusive performances this season include several of Nashville’s biggest stars performing from Analog at Hutton Hotel, with episodes filmed both pre-pandemic and under COVID safety protocols: Grand Ole Opry member Dustin Lynch; Country Music Association Triple Play Award winner Brantley Gilbert; ACM and CMA reigning Vocal Group of the Year Old Dominion; five-time GRAMMY® Award winners Lady A; CMA Award-winning Country duo Maddie & Tae; and nine-time GRAMMY nominee John Hiatt with Jerry Douglas and special guest Tommy Emmanuel. Rounding out season 10 is New Age vocalist Sangeeta Kaur in a performance from Los Angeles.

“Front And Center” Season 10:

August 1 – Glen Campbell
August 8 – Dustin Lynch
August 15 – Brantley Gilbert
August 22 – Old Dominion
August 29 – Lady A
September 5 – Maddie & Tae
September 12 – John Hiatt with Jerry Douglas and special guest Tommy Emmanuel
September 19 – Sangeeta Kaur with special guests Jon Anderson and Jake Shimabukuro

Violent Femmes to give 'Why Do Birds Sing?' deluxe reissue treatment

Craft Recordings will mark the 30th anniversary of the Violent Femmes’ Why Do Birds Sing? with a reissue of the bestselling album from the folk-punk pioneers. Due out October 8 and available for pre-order now, the deluxe 2-CD and digital formats will feature newly remastered audio, unreleased material (including alternative takes and outtakes), and a complete concert from 1991 (captured at The Boathouse in Norfolk, VA).

The CD edition also offers new liner notes and band interviews. Fans can visit digital platforms to pre-save the album or stream or download the advance single, “Me and You,” a track recorded during the album’s original recording sessions, but unreleased until now.

Also available is a vinyl reissue of the original 13-track album, featuring freshly remastered favorites like “American Music” and the band’s cover of Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me.” A limited pressing on translucent red vinyl will be available exclusively via the band’s website and CraftRecordings.com, while select indie record stores will offer a smoke-colored edition.

The bonus-filled CD and digital editions offer early versions of songs that wound up on later albums, including a stripped-down version of “Color Me Once,” which was later released on The Crow (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), as well as original takes of “4 Seasons” and “Breaking Up” from the band’s 1994 album, New Times.

Rounding out the unreleased material is an alternate mix of the song “American Music,” which is quite different from the album version. Also included is “Dance M.F. Dance!” which was originally released as a B-side internationally. Meanwhile, the live recording from The Boathouse concert in Norfolk, VA is being released in audio format for the first time (previously available only as part of the band’s 2005 DVD collection, Permanent Record: Live & Otherwise).

Why Do Birds Sing? included one of the group’s most commercially successful singles, “American Music,” which hit No. 2 on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart. Released in the spring of 1991, Why Do Birds Sing? pushed the Violent Femmes into their highest level of mainstream success—nearly a decade into their career.

Over the next few years, the band became a must-see act at festivals like Lollapalooza and Woodstock ’94, while their videos could be seen regularly on MTV. As the group was embraced by a new generation of fans, Violent Femmes entered the Billboard 200 for the first time since its release and was certified platinum by the RIAA.

Why Do Birds Sing? also marks the trio’s final album to feature their original line-up, before drummer Victor DeLorenzo departed the group. Despite the change in personnel, the Violent Femmes continued to record new material throughout the ‘90s, while their earliest songs remained in the zeitgeist, thanks to popular shows and films such as My So-Called Life and Reality Bites.

After taking an extended hiatus in the late aughts, all three original members briefly reunited for a handful of live appearances, including a highly anticipated set at the 2013 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. In 2019, ahead of the band’s 40th anniversary, Gano, Ritchie, and newcomer John Sparrow released Violent Femmes’ tenth studio album, Hotel Last Resort.

In April, Craft Recordings announced their 40th anniversary celebration to honor the Violent Femmes’ catalog, which kicked off with the long out-of-print vinyl reissue of Add It Up (1981–1993), released May 21st as a 2-LP set and digitally.

This fall, the Violent Femmes return to the road with an extensive 30-date U.S. tour, co-headlining with Celtic punk band Flogging Molly, before heading to Australia and New Zealand in early 2022. The tour begins on September 3 at the Saint Louis Music Park in Maryland Heights, MO. Full tour itinerary below and visit ViolentFemmes.com for tickets.

Click here to pre-order Why Do Birds Sing? (Deluxe Edition), or stream/download the advance single and pre-save the album.

Tracklist - Why Do Birds Sing? (Deluxe Edition) (2-CD/digital editions):

Disc 1
1. American Music
2. Out the Window
3. Look Like That
4. Do You Really Want to Hurt Me
5. Hey Nonny Nonny
6. Used to Be
7. Girl Trouble
8. He Likes Me
9. Life is a Scream
10. Flamingo Baby
11. Lack of Knowledge
12. More Money Tonight
13. I'm Free
14. Me and You*
15. Color Me Once (Early Version)*
16. 4 Seasons (Early Version)*
17. Breaking Up (Early Version)*
18. American Music (Alternate Mix)*
19. Dance, M.F., Dance!

Disc 2
1. Look Like That (Live At The Boathouse, Norfolk, VA / 1991)
2. Out The Window (Live At The Boathouse, Norfolk, VA / 1991)
3. Fat (Live At The Boathouse, Norfolk, VA / 1991)
4. Blister in the Sun (Live At The Boathouse, Norfolk, VA / 1991)
5. Prove My Love (Live At The Boathouse, Norfolk, VA / 1991)
6. Country Death Song (Live At The Boathouse, Norfolk, VA / 1991)
7. Old Mother Reagan (Live At The Boathouse, Norfolk, VA / 1991)
8. Confessions (Live At The Boathouse, Norfolk, VA / 1991)
9. Girl Trouble (Live At The Boathouse, Norfolk, VA / 1991)
10. Add It Up (Live At The Boathouse, Norfolk, VA / 1991)
11. Good Feeling (Live At The Boathouse, Norfolk, VA / 1991)
12. More Money Tonight (Live At The Boathouse, Norfolk, VA / 1991)
* Previously-unreleased material

Tour dates:

September 3: Maryland Heights, MO @ Saint Louis Music Park
September 4: Indianapolis, IN @ TCU Amphitheatre at White River State Park
September 8: Columbus, OH @ Express Live!
September 10: Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre
September 11: Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
September 12: Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony Summerstage
September 14: Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
September 15: Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
September 17: Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion
September 18: Rochester, NY @ Rochester Main Street Armory
September 19: Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
September 21: New York, NY @ Pier 17
September 22: New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl
September 24: Philadelphia, PA @ Philadelphia Metropolitan Opera House
September 25: Big Flats, NY @ Tag’s Summer Stage – The Budweiser Summer Stage at Tag’s
September 26: Washington, DC @ The Anthem
October 5: Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
October 6: Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
October 8: Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Amphitheatre
October 9: Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
October 10: Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre
October 12: Sacramento, CA @ Heart Health Park
October 13: Fresno, CA @ Woodward Park Rotary Amphitheater
October 15: Bend, OR @ Les Schwab Amphitheater
October 16: Seattle, WA @ WAMU Theater
October 17: Eugene, OR @ The Cuthbert Amphitheater
October 19: Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
October 20: Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom
October 22: Milwaukee, WI @ Miller High Life Theater
October 23: Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory

Saint Etienne has something its 'Been Trying To Tell You'

Veteran electronic/pop trio Saint Etienne have announced their 10th studio release, I’ve Been Trying To Tell You 
via Heavenly Recordings, with a film by the same name directed by acclaimed photographer Alasdair McLellan. The film premieres September 3 alongside The Films Of Saint Etienne - a special weekend of screenings and Q & As at BFI Southbank in the UK.

The first new track unveiled is "Pond House." The album follows 2017's Home Counties and 
was made largely from samples and sounds drawn from the years 1997-2001. For the first time, Saint Etienne didn't record together in a studio. The album was completed remotely, in Hove (Pete Wiggs), Oxford (Sarah Cracknell) and Bradford (Bob Stanley), in collaboration with film and TV composer Gus Bousfield, who contributed to two songs on the album.

“To me it’s about optimism, and the late nineties” Bob explains, in a prepared statement, “and how memory is an unreliable narrator. Pete and Gus have done a properly amazing production job. I think it sounds gorgeous.”

Sarah: “It's the first sample driven album we’ve made since So Tough and it’s been a really refreshing experience, such fun! It’s both dreamy and atmospheric, late summer sounds.”

Pete: “We've really pulled apart and dived deep into the samples; the concept and each of our interpretations of it have made this a very special sounding album, we hope you think so too."

The album is accompanied by a specially-made film directed by the acclaimed photographer and film-maker Alasdair McLellan who also did all the stills photography for the record. There's a whole lifetime's worth of locations in there - Avebury, Portmeirion, Doncaster, Grangemouth as well as London. Evoking the era through the fog of memory, the resulting film is beautiful, hypnotic and all-enveloping.

Alasdair says “My starting point was an interpretation of my memories from the time I first started to listen to Saint Etienne’s music. Of course, it is an interpretation of what I was doing then while looking back at it now. At that time, I was a bored teenager in a village near Doncaster, South Yorkshire; it was a place where very little happened. I now look back at that time as something quite idyllic – even the boredom seems idyllic – and a big part of its soundtrack was Saint Etienne.”

The film I’ve Been Trying To Tell You will premiere at NFT1 on the Southbank on September 3rd. Tickets go on sale to BFI members on Wednesday August 4th and to the general public on Thursday August 5th. Watch the trailer HERE.

The premiere of I’ve Been Trying To Tell You will be accompanied by a whole weekend of The Films Of Saint Etienne at BFI Southbank between the 3rd and 5th of September; seven films and a selection of shorts with most screenings accompanied by Q&As with Saint Etienne and their collaborators.

The Films Of Saint Etienne
presented by Sonic Cinema at BFI Southbank, England

9/3/2021- I’ve Been Trying to Tell You (Premiere) + Q & A with Alasdair McLellan & Bob Stanley, NFT1
9/3/2021- This Is Tomorrow + intro by Bob Stanley & Paul Kelly, NFT2
9/4/2021- Asunder + intro by Esther Johnson & Bob Stanley, NFT2
9/4/2021- Finisterre + Q & A with Bob Stanley & Pete Wiggs, NFT 1
9/4/2021- How We Used to Live + Q & A with Pete Wiggs & Travis Elborough, NFT1
9/5/2021- Lawrence of Belgravia + Q & a with Paul Kelly & Lawrence, NFT1
9/5/2021 - What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day? + Q & A with Pete Wiggs & Paul Kelly, NFT1
9/5/2021- Saint Etienne: Shorts Programme + intro by Paul Kelly & Pete Wiggs, NFT2
Tickets available at BFI.org.uk

UK Tour Dates:

11/18/2021 - Glasgow, St Lukes
11/19/2021 - Sunderland, to be announced
11/20/2021- London, Alexandra Palace Theatre
11/23/2021 - Bristol, Trinity
11/24/2021 - Birmingham, Institute
11/25/2021 - Saltaire, Victoria Hall
11/26/2021 - Liverpool, Grand Central Hall
11/27/2021- Hove, Old Market Tix

Tickets available at http://gigst.rs/SaintEtiennePre

Track listing:

1.Music Again
2. Pond House
3. Fonteyn
4. Little K
5. Blue Kite
6. I Remember It Well
7. Penlop
8. Broad River

Pre-order I've Been Trying To Tell You HERE.

Ozzy Osbourne news

Here's some interesting news about one of Ozzy's best albums from a press release issued today...

More than 30 years after its release, OZZY OSBOURNE’s sixth solo album–the Top 10 (#7) and quadruple platinum NO MORE TEARS will be celebrated with an expanded digital audio album due out September 17 via Sony. Two special editions–a 2LP black vinyl version and a special yellow and red 2LP vinyl version with a specially created booklet (exclusively at www.towerrecords.com)–will be released simultaneously. Pre-order the album here.

In its release, NO MORE TEARS yielded four top ten singles on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart, “Mama, I’m Coming Home” (#2), “Road To Nowhere” (#3), “Time After Time” (#6) and the title track (#10). In addition, the album’s “I Don’t Want to Change the World” earned OZZY his first Grammy for a live version of the track that was featured on his 1993 LIVE AND LOUD album.

The Grammy-winning track was one of the album’s four songs co-written with OZZY’s longtime friend and colleague Lemmy Kilmister; the others include “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” “Desire,” and “Hellraiser.”

“I have a lot of great memories of making the album,” OZZY says. “We worked hard on the record with John Purdell and Duane Baron, who became extra two members of the band. Before we went into the studio, we discussed what we were going to do–everything was planned. It’s so nice when you get a producer who’s more like a part of the band than them saying, ’nah, you do it this way.’ Because we write them and when you write the songs, you have a mental picture of how you think you want it to sound. Sometimes you’re surprised for the better, but other times you’re disappointed, but John and Duane did an extraordinary job on the album. It was really, really well done. Every song was worked on for a long time and we spent extra time trying to get things right. But there was also lots of goofing around and we had a good time making it. And Zakk’s playing on it is spectacular.”

Zakk Wylde adds, “On the first record, ‘It was like I can’t believe I’m here. I had definitely crawled into the fire and kept thinking. ‘You gotta produce. You got to come up with some cool stuff.’ On NO MORE TEARS, I guess I was more relaxed. With OZZY, whenever we’re playing riffs, he would be like ‘keep playing that riff.’ Pretty much every time he just gets up there and starts singing what comes to him naturally, he knocks it out of the park all the time. I mean, there’s very, very few times where he’s actually said, ‘No, let me come back to that. I don’t like what I’m singing. I’ll come up with something better.’ Whatever you’re hearing on the record is pretty much first thing he started singing that naturally came out of him, that he started hearing in his head. Which is amazing. My love for him and admiration for him has just gotten even stronger and bigger over the years. It’s bigger than the music. It’s always a good time whenever we’re together, it’s always like it’s a laugh fest, and then making the records is beyond hilarious as well.”

“Mama, I’m Coming Home,” the album’s biggest hit which OZZY co-wrote with Kilmister, started with Zakk at a piano, has gone on to become not only a rock anthem, but a classic song among soldiers.

“At that time, a lot of people were going to Iraq war,” OZZY notes. “We heard that the GIs were sending that song to their wives. Soldiers still love that song.”

“I remember when we were working on the album, I originally wrote ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’ on a piano,” Zakk says. “I had the music, and then when we got to the studio, I transposed it to the 12-string guitar. I was like ‘oh let me try it on the 12-string and see what it sounds like.’ That’s how it evolved into the song, originally it was just me and Ozz noodling on the piano.”

Track listing:

Mr. Tinkertrain
I Don’t Want to Change the World
Mama, I’m Coming Home
Desire
No More Tears
Won’t Be Coming Home (S.I.N)
Hellraiser
Time After Time
Zombie Stomp
A.V.H.
Road to Nowhere
Don’t Blame Me*
Party With the Animals*
I Don’t Want To Change The World (demo)**
Mama, I’m Coming Home (demo)**
Desire (demo)**
Time After Time (demo)**
Won’t Be Coming Home (S.I.N) (demo)**
Mrs J. (demo)**
I Don’t Want to Change the World (live)†
Road to Nowhere (live)†
No More Tears (live)†
Desire (live)†
Mama, I’m Coming Home (live)††

* bonus tracks currently on the digital album at DSP’s
** demos from the 1991 promo CD The No More Tears Demo Sessions (also the Prince of Darkness box set), not currently at DSP’s
† live audio from Memoirs of a Madman DVD, San Diego 1992, not currently at DSP’s
†† live audio from Memoirs of a Madman DVD, MTV 1992, not currently at DSP’s

Monday, July 26, 2021

Chuck Berry is the subject of new PBS-TV program 'In Their Own Words'

Rock 'n' roll originator Chuck Berry’s life will be explored in an episode of PBS’s new primetime special, IN THEIR OWN WORDS, premiering tomorrow, Tuesday, July 27.

Combining exclusive interviews with archival footage and each subject’s own words to help tell the story, IN THEIR OWN WORDS sheds light on various personalities and examines their continuing influence.

The series will conclude on Sunday, August 8 with “Diana, Princess of Wales,” which tells the story of the beloved woman who defied expectations and used the power of her celebrity to change lives.

All episodes are scheduled from 8-9 pm EDT (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS Video app.

Three additional specials will premiere in the fall, profiling Jimmy Carter and others. Below is more information on the summer specials.

“Chuck Berry” – Tuesday, July 27

Chuck’s Berry’s incredible life story spans more than seven decades, beginning in the clubs and bars of a deeply segregated St. Louis. In 1955, his “Maybellene” rose to #1 on the R&B chart. It then miraculously crossed over, reaching #5 on the top 100 Pop chart, ultimately birthing a renaissance in popular music we now call rock and roll. To his family, Berry was a sensitive poet and devoted family man. To others, he was a demanding and difficult artist, a “diabolical genius” driven by a voracious appetite for money and a deep desire for respect and control. This episode takes a riveting ride on the Chuck Berry train, exploring the life, the legend, the music and the man. Featured are interviews with his widow, son and grandson, along with colleagues and musicians who idolize him, including Keith Richards, Robert Cray, Slash, Darius Rucker and more.

“Diana, Princess of Wales” – Sunday, August 8

This unique exploration of Diana’s life looks back through a contemporary lens that credits her choices, her suffering and her triumphs as the ultimate disrupter for a generation of women across the globe. Through interviews with many who knew her personally, a picture of Diana emerges that reveals what drove her to challenge the restrictions of her personal life—marriage to a man who loved another woman and a royal family that attempted to mold her in its image. When her marriage dissolved, Diana could have stepped off the world stage and created a quiet, private life. Instead, driven by a need to help others, she chose to use her celebrity to change lives. The story of a woman who defied expectations and evolved into one of the most impactful icons of our time, the program features interviews with John Travolta, biographer Andrew Morton, several close friends and more.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video app, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV and Chromecast.

Steely Dan and Donald Fagen live albums due in September

Steely Dan's Northeast Corridor: Steely Dan Live! and a live version of the acclaimed solo album by Donald Fagen – THE NIGHTFLY LIVE – will both be released through UMe on CD and Digital on September 24 (v
inyl on October 1).

Both albums will be available on 180g-vinyl on October 1, 2021. The first live Steely Dan album in more than 25 years, Northeast Corridor: Steely Dan Live!, was recorded across tour dates at New York City's Beacon Theatre, The Met Philadelphia and more. Donald Fagen's The Nightfly Live was performed live by The Steely Dan Band. See full track listing below.

Both albums are available for pre-order today. Fans who pre-order Northeast Corridor: Steely Dan Live! will instantly receive a digital download of "Reeling In The Years" and those who pre-order The Nightfly Live will instantly receive a digital download of "I.G.Y."

Pre-order Northeast Corridor: Steely Dan Live!, HERE.
Pre-order The Nightfly Live, HERE


CD/Digital:
Black Cow
Kid Charlemagne
Rikki Don't Lose That Number
Hey Nineteen
Any Major Dude Will Tell You
Glamour Profession
Things I Miss the Most
Aja
Peg
Bodhisattva
Reelin' in the Years
A Man Ain't Supposed to Cry

Donald Fagen – The Nightfly Live

CD/Digital:
I.G.Y
Green Flower Street
Ruby Baby
Maxine
New Frontier
The Nightfly
The Goodbye Look
Walk Between the Raindrops

STEELY DAN is best known for such 1970s hits as "Reeling in the Years," "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," "Peg," "Deacon Blues," "Babylon Sisters," and "Hey Nineteen," culled from their seven platinum albums issued between 1972 and 1980.

Their sound and their notoriety survived the '80s despite Becker and Fagen's only occasional surfacing for a solo project. They reunited as Steely Dan in the early '90s, touring successfully throughout the decade and releasing a live album in 1995 (Alive In America). In 2000, they released their multi-Grammy winner, Two Against Nature, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Co-founder Walter Becker died in 2017.

For more information, visit www.steelydan.com and www.donaldfagen.com.

Music apparel news: LA Pop Art's Rock Legends Collection presents David Bowie

LA Pop Art has entered into a partnership with The David Bowie Estate to celebrate his legacy with an all-new collection of “word art” apparel.

Bowies’ passion for visual imagery was the inspiration for this collection of unique LA Pop Art hand drawn word art designs. The distinctive apparel collection is launched with several of the most iconic images in David Bowies catalog. The first design of the collection reimagines the Classic Bowie logo using some of his most popular song titles. In addition to the Logo, LA Pop Art has also recreated the iconic Aladdin Sane album cover simply out of the word Bowie over and over resulting in a breathtaking artistic masterpiece.

“There are Rock Stars, and there are Rock Gods – David Bowie is one of the few artists in history that’s both”, said LA Pop Art company founder Joseph Leibovic “We are so honored to put this collection out for his ever-growing fan base. The words that create our designs are used to add another layer of an emotional connection for the fans.”

The deal was facilitated by Perryscope Productions, in collaboration with Epic Rights.

David Bowie is the latest addition to LA Pop Art’s Rock Legends Collection, which also spotlights such mega band partners as AC/DC and KISS.

LA Pop Art merchandise is available in Men’s, Women’s and Kids’ sizes at Lapopart.com, Macys.com, Amazon.com and other selected quality retailers.

About LA Pop Art:

LA Pop Art is the exclusive home to unique “Word Art” apparel that combines the visual images of pop culture’s most celebrated icons with the language that made them famous, creating unique works of art.

The company creates text-based artwork, entirely drawn by hand, using the ancient technique of micrography, an art form of writing text in very small letters to form the illusion of an image.

LA Pop Art is the premier Pop Art micrographic imaging firm with a portfolio of film, music, and pop-culture artwork from the biggest names in the business, and has been featured in top magazines, movies, TV shows and in major art collections and exhibits. To learn more visit lapopart.com.

Prince live concert from 2011 to be broadcast on KCRW in Los Angeles this Thursday

Get a preview of the new archival box set...


KCRW FM/Los Angeles is set to air a never-before-broadcast, 60-minute live audio recording from Prince’s “21 Nite Stand” at The Forum (recorded on April 28, 2011).

The special radio cut can only be experienced live on-air, online and via the KCRW app during DJ Aaron Byrd’s show on Thursday, July 29, at 8:00 p.m. PDT.

This one-time-only broadcast is in celebration of, and anticipation for, the July 30 release of the 2010 Prince album Welcome 2 America. It will be available for the first time by The Prince Estate and Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.

Shortly after completing the Welcome 2 America album, Prince embarked on a unique tour of the same name that included multiple performances in several U.S. cities, capped off by the historic “21 Nite Stand” at The Forum.

The Deluxe Edition of Welcome 2 America includes the complete studio vault album on both CD and black vinyl (accompanied with a hi-res digital download) plus a never-before-released full concert video of Prince’s April 28, 2011 show at The Forum, presented in 1080p HD with stereo, 5.1 surround and Dolby Atmos audio. For more information about Welcome 2 America, please click here.

About KCRW:

KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs. We are driven by the spirit of LA and deliver in innovative ways -- on the radio, digitally and in person -- to diverse, curious communities around the corner and around the world. A community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW can be found on the air in LA, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, San Luis Obispo, and worldwide via the KCRW-developed smart phone app, or online at kcrw.com.

Photo by Kevin Mazur/courtesy LC Media Public Relations

Merchant collaborates with Duran Duran's John Taylor on new single 'Dead Days & Gatorade'

When I first heard this track last week, I was immediately enthralled by it. Then I saw who was involved and I was very impressed. Get the lowdown below...

"Dead Days & Gatorade," the debut single for Merchant (Nate Merchant), is out now.

The first of a collection of songs crafted with legendary Duran Duran bassist John Taylor, who plays on and serves as coproducer for Merchant’s upcoming EP, the tune also features a sax solo by two-time Grammy nominee Mindi Abair.

“I had written the chorus [to Dead Days] about two years ago and I put it to the side because I thought it was too personal. Fast forward to working with John and he was really pushing me toward lyrics that were more honest and open. Right then, I knew I had to go back to 'Dead Days' and finish telling that story,” recalls Merchant, in a prepared statement.

For the music video, Merchant recruited legendary director Nick Egan, known for Oasis’ “Live Forever,” Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know” and Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World,” among others.

The video immerses Merchant and Taylor in the illusory allure of LA after dark even as the song uncovers the false promises the City of Angels is famous for whispering to young talent yearning for stardom. But as the song progresses, the listener senses a new, more grounded, reality has arrived even while the singer holds fast to the hope that, just maybe, there are diamonds amongst those hypnotic lights shimmering in the dark valley below Mulholland Drive.

Watch the music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8njzD49XckU

In the Fall of 2020, as COVID-19’s second wave loomed, the collaboration between Merchant and Taylor began. Sifting through an array of self-penned musical ideas presented by Merchant, the pair embarked on weekly sessions in a Westwood studio, arranging, recording and polishing the tracks.

With Taylor’s guiding hand and bass playing, Merchant’s vision was fully realized in a collection of six synth-pop songs. Taylor remarked, “From the moment I heard the music, I felt that it deserved a big audience. Nate is an extremely talented young artist — a great storyteller, and a very accomplished musician. We’ve had a fantastic time working on this together.”

The resulting EP, will be released in the Fall of 2021.

About Merchant:

After music school, Nate moved from the Pacific Northwest to Los Angeles where he honed his songwriting and production skills working with Grammy award-winning songwriter Sam Martin (Maroon 5, Jason Derulo, One Direction), ultimately co-producing Martin’s debut album for Atlantic Records.

Nate’s first band Papa Ya made the Top 10 on the Spotify Viral Charts with their debut single “Sunny.” Papa Ya’s songs garnered over 40 million plays across all platforms, leading to two national club tours opening for chart-topping pop acts like Max and Rozes. You’ve likely heard Nate’s music on television shows like NFL on Fox, Bravo’s Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce and Showtime’s Shameless as well as in commercials for GNC, GoGoSqueeze and Yellowtail Wine’s Super Bowl 51 commercial - yes, that one with the Kangaroo DJ that did so well they ran it again for Super Bowl 52.

Wesley Stace takes a jazzier turn on upcoming release 'Late Style'

Wesley Stace returns with a new album, 
Late Style, in September. This one is a departure of sorts. I'm always interested in what Wes does, having previously interviewed him (under the name John Wesley Harding) a few times in the 1990s. Get all the details from Conqueroo PR below...

“Talk lower, move slower,
Your options have changed.”
—Wesley Stace, “Do Nothing If You Can”

Late style: You can only get there if you’ve been around long enough to have had an early and a middle one. Maturity, wisdom, refinement are its hallmarks. And having done things a certain way for a time, you might want to do them differently in order to arrive someplace new, someplace surprising.

With Late Style, Stace has done things differently. Having begun to put some new lyrics to music, in his usual way, singing to an acoustic guitar, he realized he was coming up with old solutions, reinventing a wheel he had already made, with chord progressions and melodies that worked as folk and pop songs but were not satisfying his desire for something fresh, something he’d be excited to listen to in 2021.

The album is due out via Omnivore Recordings on September 17, 2021.

“The idea was the same as always: to find a new way to crack the egg of ‘gentleman-songwriter with lots of lyrics’,” says Stace, “most particularly in a way that suited my voice (which has never quite provided the cut glass that rock requires) but that more accurately reflected what I actually listen to for pleasure on the kitchen stereo when I’m cooking, where you’re very unlikely (with no offense to those great songwriters) to hear Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, etc.”

And so he turned to David Nagler, the musical director of his portable variety show, the Cabinet of Wonders, to be the Rodgers to his Hart, the Elton to his Bernie, the Bacharach to his David. “I changed tack from trying to write it all myself, to collaborating with David, knowing that he could get me what I want, rather than what I was musically fumbling for. After 15 years of Cabinets and English UK shows, he knows what my voice can do. And I was very confident in this set of lyrics, so I felt good sending them off to him. He’s incredibly versatile. And though it might seem left field for me to want to make a record like, say, “Like a Lover” by Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66, it really isn’t, since that’s immortal music, and … here it is!”

On Late Style, Wes is wearing a closetful of new clothes, gathered from the place where jazz and pop and soul and country blend into something colorful, seductive and smooth — a little Gary McFarland (no stranger to flavoring his arrangements with social commentary), Mose Allison, Carla Bley, Nina Simone’s beautiful interpretations of great protest songs, the romantic wit of Bob Dorough, Dorothy Ashby, the arrangements of Jean-Claude Vannier and the beautiful Cadet productions of Richard Evans, Steely Dan, some Gabor Szabo, Harry Nilsson, the soulful protest of Gil Scott-Heron, the Bee Gees, Tom Lehrer, the Carpenters, whose “Close to You” has been in his set list for years, and even the Partridge Family (“Come Back Yesterday”).

Late Style is influenced by these artists without imitating them, so the songs feel modern and “modern” all at once, with Latin and jazz touches, and keyboards rather than guitar central to the sounds. And, for all the polish and lightness of touch, there is something vaguely unsettling about some of these tunes: the lockdown jam “Do Nothing If You Can,” the older-and-wiser-but-still-cocky vibe of “Where the Bands Are,” or the cinematic and apocalyptic “Your Bright Future.” You can call them uneasy easy listening — smooth, but oddly shaped, with surprising harmonic changes and rhythmic angles. They have the paradoxical flavor of having been written to be hits without any thought of having hits at all.

Unexpectedly, says Wes, it was the experience of writing the libretto for Errollyn Wallen’s opera Dido's Ghost, which had its world premiere at London’s Barbican in July, that “taught me how liberating, and therefore amazing, it is to hand your own words over to a composer. And that got me enthused to do it with my actual lyrics for the first time.”

“When we first discussed writing songs together,” says David Nagler, “Wes sent over some musical touchstones, but since the two of us are constantly playing music for each other, after a show or when we’re on the road, I knew what additional styles and sounds I wanted to incorporate that he would also like.”

Wes began emailing David lyrics, accompanied by audio recitations to note phrasing, emphasis, and pronunciation. “The subject matter and tone of each lyric determined the musical feel and style for me,” says David, whose 2016 album Carl Sandburg’s Chicago Poems set Sandburg’s words to music. “I recorded demos at my apartment in Brooklyn, sent MP3s to Wes, who recorded his lead vocals over the demos and we had a new record written by the summer. We had a celebratory lunch that August in Italy, where we both happened to be vacationing with our families!”

Though Stace had originally imagined a record that “a phenomenally well-rehearsed combo might record in a club, perhaps even in front of an audience,” COVID had other plans. But through the mysterious magic of modern technology, the recording came together out of Philadelphia, where Wes lives; New York, where David built tracks from keyboards, acoustic guitars and virtual instruments; San Francisco, where Wes’s longtime friend and collaborator Chris von Sneidern (producer of John Wesley Harding’s New Deal and Awake, not to mention a solo artist in his own right and sometime member of the Flamin’ Groovies) added electric guitar, vocals, horns and the drums of Prairie Prince (The Tubes, Todd Rundgren, Jefferson Starship); Chicago, where Kelly Hogan and Nora O’Connor of the Flat Five — and half of Stace’s acapella quartet Love Hall Tryst — added harmonies; and … wherever Mauro Refosco contributed his evocative percussion.

As to the title, Late Style, Wes says, “It’s true of course that I’m older, and that I have more behind me than in front of me, and that in these lyrics I am considering the world during the rather bleak time we’ve all shared, and thinking of ways to brighten it up, but it also just seemed the perfect mood for a jazzier album. And I do fully feel that the world requires a little beauty and finesse from artists at this moment, particularly as we emerge from a time of scruffy zoom concerts. We all need a little elegance.”

As Barry Gifford says in his liner notes: perfect for listening to on late night radio.

“It’s late, but we’ll get it done
Well done, everyone!”
Wesley Stace, “Well Done Everyone”

About Wesley Stace:

Wesley Stace was born in Hastings in 1965. Since 1988, he has released many albums under the name John Wesley Harding and recorded duets with, among others, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed and Rosanne Cash. Stace has published four novels, including the international bestseller Misfortune, and recently co-wrote Mark Morris’ memoir Out Loud. He also created Cabinet of Wonders, a monthly show that plays at New York City’s City Winery, and which The New Yorker called “one of the finest nights of entertainment this city has to offer.” His opera Dido’s Ghost, composed by Errollyn Wallen, premiered at the Barbican Theatre in London in June ’21. Stace has taught at Princeton, Swarthmore and Fairleigh-Dickinson, and writes regularly for the Times Literary Supplement and the Wall Street Journal. He lives in Philadelphia.

Track Listing:

1. Where The Bands Are
2. Everthing All The Time
3. Your Bright Future
4. Hey! Director
5. Come Back Yesterday
6. All The Yous
7. The California Fix
8. Well Done Everyone
9. The Impossible She
10. Do Nothing If You Can
11. Just Sayin’
12. How You All Work Me

Thursday, July 22, 2021

Coldplay gets otherworldly on next studio effort 'Music Of The Spheres'

Coldplay have today confirmed the release of their new album, Music Of The Spheres. The band's ninth studio effort will hit stores and streaming services on October 15.

The band announced the Max Martin-produced album on Instagram via a handwritten note alongside an album trailer (available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/lQenG42hyE8) which combines an animated cosmic journey through the album’s planetary artwork with short clips of the album’s 12 tracks.

In May, the band released Higher Power - the first single from Music Of The Spheres - which has been streamed more than 160 million times. The band’s note also revealed the imminent release of an album track called Coloratura on Friday, to be followed by a new single in September.

The band have also revealed the full album tracklisting - with five of the twelve tracks represented by emojis.

Music Of The Spheres

šŸŖ

Higher Power

Humankind

Let Somebody Go

❤️

People Of The Pride

Biutyful

šŸŒŽ

My Universe

♾️

Coloratura

Music Of The Spheres is available to pre-order now at store.coldplay.com

Coloratura, the 10 1/2-minute closing track, namechecks for Galileo, Oumuamua and Betelgeuse. A lyric video for Coloratura is available on YouTube HEREThe song can be streamed / downloaded HERE.

Rolling Stones hit the road again

According to the Rolling Stones' official website, the band has rescheduled dates from its 2020 US tour.

Previously purchased tickets will be honored at the rescheduled dates. A few dates were unable to be rescheduled. Ticketmaster will communicate directly with all purchasers of these tickets with more information. Where feasible, a priority offer for ticketholders will be available for nearby shows.

New dates have been added. The pre-sale for the Stones mailing list for New Orleans, Los Angeles and Las Vegas shows will commence on Wednesday 28 July at 12pm (local) to Thursday 29 July at 10pm (local). General sale commences Friday 30th July 10am(local).


UPCOMING DATES

SEPTEMBER '21
26th The Dome at America’s Center ST. LOUIS, MO
TICKETS

30th Bank of America Stadium CHARLOTTE, NC
TICKETS

OCTOBER '21
4th Heinz Field PITTSBURGH, PA
TICKETS

9th Nissan Stadium NASHVILLE, TN
TICKETS

13th New Orleans Jazz Fest NEW ORLEANS, LA
TICKETS

17th SoFi Stadium LOS ANGELES, CA
TICKETS

24th U.S. Bank Stadium MINNEAPOLIS, MN
TICKETS

29th Raymond James Stadium TAMPA, FL
TICKETS

NOVEMBER '21
2nd Cotton Bowl Stadium DALLAS, TX
TICKETS

6th Allegiant Stadium LAS VEGAS, NV
TICKETS

11th Mercedes-Benz Stadium ATLANTA, GA
TICKETS

15th Ford Field DETROIT, MI
TICKETS

20th Circuit of The Americas AUSTIN, TX
TICKETS

Josh Ritter pens another novel, embarks on solo tour

Acclaimed writer and Americana musician Josh Ritter confirms a select run of fall tour dates to celebrate the release of his forthcoming novel, The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All, set for release on September 7 via HarperCollins.

Tickets for the intimate solo performances begin Friday, July 23 at 10AM local time at joshritter.com/#tourdates. Full routing can be found below, which also includes details on Ritter’s book tour dates.

“Now I get the chance to perform again. I’m so excited I almost can’t contain it,” says Ritter. “I want my first set of shows in a year and a half to be in places that will allow me to sing some of the stranger, quieter, more narrative songs that I may not always get to at a rock show. I want the venues to be special and beautiful, I want laughter and music and stories that are true even if they’re unreal. Finally, I want to perform again, stomp the dust off, see what new appendages and teeth and claws have grown from this time in the wilderness, see what joy can come from sorrow and what tears can come from joy.”

The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All is a novel about a young boy’s coming-of-age during the last days of the lumberjacks. The national bestselling author calls it “the kind of tender-hearted, rowdy adventure story that I’ve wanted to write since I grew up on the side of a mountain in Idaho.” Fans can pre-order The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All HERE.

Tour dates: 

September 11—Park City, UT—Song Summit
September 21—Los Angeles, CA—Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever
September 22—San Francisco, CA—The Independent
September 24—Portland, OR—the Old Church
September 25—Portland, OR—the Old Church
September 27—Seattle, WA—St. Mark’s Cathedral
September 30—Minneapolis, MN—Parkway Theatre
October 2—Chicago, IL—Old Town School of Folk
October 7—Boston, MA—Somerville Theatre
October 8—Brooklyn, NY—St. Anne’s Church
October 9—Washington, DC—Sixth & I
October 11—Philadelphia, PA—City Winery

Book Tour: 

September 7—Brooklyn, NY—Word Bookstore
September 8—Moscow, ID—BookPeople of Moscow (Virtual)
September 13—St. Louis, MO—The Novel Neighbor (Virtual)
September 14—Cuyahoga, OH—Cuyahoga Public Library (Virtual)
September 15—Denver, CO—Tattered Cover (Virtual)

Elvis Costello update

Elvis Costello and longtime collaborator, multi-Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning producer, Sebastian Krys, have brought together an international cast of some of the biggest Latin rock and pop artists to interpret Elvis Costello and The Attractions’ album, This Year’s Model, entirely in Spanish.

The Spanish-language adaptations are set to the band’s classic studio performances, culled from the original master recordings, which have been newly mixed by Krys, revealing a new power and intensity to The Attractions’ 1978 instrumental performances. There is an occasional vocal cameo appearance by the bandleader, but the album can now be enjoyed in an entirely new way. Spanish Model is set for release September 10 via UMe.


As Costello and Krys began to think of artists that would be a good fit, they discovered that This Year’s Model was an important record to many artists in the pan-Latin world, but its true nature had never been fully appreciated because of the language barrier.

They enlisted many Costello fans, a few who Krys and Costello felt would be a great fit for the song, and all of whom have stellar careers and were excited to participate and bring their own styles to the immediacy and poignancy of the original songs, helping to create an entirely new listening experience.

The artists sing these songs, which have been translated and adapted into Spanish to retain their meaning, energy, attitude, and wit. The concept represents what may be a first: an artist replacing their vocals with newly recorded performances by other artists singing in another language, backed by the original music.

The album includes 16 tracks drawing from the original U.S. version of This Year’s Model (“Pump It Up,” “Radio Radio,” “This Year’s Girl,” “The Beat”) plus several other songs from those sessions. The album will be available on CD, digital and 180-gram vinyl.

This Year’s Model, which has been newly remastered, will also be released concurrently on CD and 180-gram black vinyl with the addition of “Big Tears” and “Radio Radio.” A limited edition version, that pairs both Spanish Model and the new pressing of This Year’s Model together as a 180-gram double LP, will be released exclusively via ElvisCostello.com, uDiscover and Sound Of Vinyl webstores.

There is a new video from Colombian superstar Juanes, whose own recently released Origen album was also produced by Sebastian Krys and featured the Attractions/Imposters' Pete Thomas on drums.

The video transforms Costello’s signature video by rotoscoping the original and inserting Juanes’ head in place of Costello’s to create a playfully updated version.

“'Pump It Up' is such an iconic and signature song from Elvis' amazing repertoire, that it was a real honor to have the chance to sing with the original 1978 recording and be a part of that propulsive energy," Juanes said.

The 19 featured artists representing 10 countries and territories across the Spanish-speaking world including: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, plus several from the United States.

The idea for Spanish Model dates back to 2018 when it was sparked by a request by show runner, David Simon (“The Wire,” “Treme”), to turn “This Year’s Girl” into a duet with a singer, Natalie Bergman for the opening credits of the second season of his show, “The Deuce.” Shortly after that came to fruition, allowing Costello to hear his song in a new way, he had a dream where he heard This Year's Model, but in Spanish. With his curiosity and interest piqued he called his frequent collaborator, Argentinian-born, Sebastian Krys, about the idea of having artists sing the entire album over the original backing tracks. It wasn’t long before the two were figuring out how to make the dream a reality.

After winning a Grammy for Look Now, his 2018 album with The Imposters, Costello recently released a French language EP, featuring French adaptations by Iggy Pop, Isabelle Adjani, Tshegue, Etta Somatis & AJUQ of songs from his acclaimed 2020 album, Hey Clockface.

“Part of the fun of this project is its unexpected nature,” Costello said. “Although, I think people in my audience that have been paying attention are pretty much used to surprises by now.”

“When Elvis told me the idea,” Krys said, “it took me about 15 seconds to answer. I have been in so many situations where I was trying to turn Latin artists onto Elvis Costello's music. The feedback I heard most often was ‘I love it. I wish I knew what he was saying.’ Spanish Model is an opportunity to turn an entire side of the world onto this great record and through these voices, get these ideas out. Lyrically, This Year's Model is still relevant today, what the songs have to say and how they say it.”

Costello and Krys worked closely with all the artists and in some cases with several songwriters, including Elsten Torres, Ximena MuƱoz, Luis Mitre, Andie Sandoval, and Vega, to adapt the lyrics. With the lyrics in place, each artist set out to record.

The translation was key as Luis Fonsi explained: “The lyrics felt really natural. Nothing stuck out, and you can’t just read it. You must sing the lyrics to really know if the song will work or not. From the first time I started singing ‘You Belong To Me,’ it just felt natural. It's true to the original lyric. It has that same energy.”

“It’s tricky,” Fonsi said, “because you want to respect the original version. I tip-toed my way around it. Do you veer off a little bit? What’s the perfect combination?”

“I had a blast singing ‘Triggers,’” La Marisoul said. “The translation was beautiful. I just love ballads where I can get down and sing.”

Costello first hinted about the release last year when he created an “October surprise” playlist, 50 Songs for 50 Days, which included a, briefly available, preview of Spanish Model with Gian Marco and Nicole Zignago’s politically charged version of “Crawling To The U.S.A.” Costello and Krys recently discussed the origins of Spanish Model at the 2021 Latin Alternative Music Conference last month.

“This Year’s Model is about desire and how that relates to love, fashion and to the male gaze towards women and control, especially in political control over us all,” Costello said. “I don't think there's anything that somebody in another language would not have encountered. Some of the lyrics might be a little obscure because I use peculiar English idioms, but I constantly fall in love with records in other languages in which I don't even know one or two courtesy words. What you respond to is the humanity, the pride, the sorrow, the celebration.”

Track listing:

CD/DIGITAL
All Songs With Elvis Costello & The Attractions

1. No Action – Nina Diaz
2. (Yo No Quiero Ir A) Chelsea ((I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea) - Raquel SofĆ­a y Fuego
3. Yo Te Vi (The Beat) – Draco Rosa
4. Pump It Up – Juanes
5. Detonantes (Little Triggers) – La Marisoul
6. Tu Eres Para Mi (You Belong To Me) – Luis Fonsi
7. Hand In Hand – Francisca Valenzuela y Luis Humberto Navejas
8. La Chica de Hoy (This Year's Girl) – Cami
9. Mentira (Lip Service) – Pablo LĆ³pez
10. Viviendo en el Paraiso (Living In Paradise) – Jesse & Joy
11. Lipstick Vogue – Morat
12. La Turba (Night Rally) – Jorge Drexler
13. Llorar (Big Tears) – SebastiĆ”n Yatra
14. Radio Radio – Fito PĆ”ez
15. Crawling To The U.S.A. - Gian Marco y Nicole Zignago
16. Se Esta Perdiendo La Inocencia (Running Out Of Angels) - Vega

In related news, Elvis Costello & The Imposters - Steve Nieve (piano and organ), Pete Thomas (drums), Davey Faragher (bassist and backing vocals) - will hit the road once more this October, after more than a year without concerts, in a show entitled "Hello Again."

The tour commences in Memphis, Tennessee this October and concludes in November in Oakland, California. 
Tickets will be on sale on July 23rd at 10am local time, at elviscostello.com.

Tour dates: 

10/13 – Memphis, TN @ The Soundstage at Graceland
10/16 - New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
10/19 - Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
10/20 - Charlotte, NC @ Belk Theater
10/22 - Red Bank, NJ @ Count Basie Center for the Arts
10/24 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Met
10/25 - Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre
10/26 - Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre
10/28 - Providence, RI @ Providence Performing Arts Center
10/29 - Portsmouth, NH @ The Music Hall
10/30 - Brookville, NY @ Tilles Center
11/2 - Ann Arbor, MI @ Michigan Theater
11/3 - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
11/4 - Prior Lake, MN @ Mystic Lake Casino
11/6 - Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
11/7 - Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
11/10 - Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Federal Theatre
11/11 - San Diego, CA @ The Magnolia
11/13 - Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater
11/14 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater