Wednesday 31 August 2011, 11:10 | By CMU Editorial

Q&A: The Silver Seas

Artist Interviews

At the heart of Nashville-based indie outfit The Silver Seas’ winsome folk appeal is singer-songwriter Daniel Tashian (son of Barry Tashian, one-time frontman of 1960s cult-rockers The Remains) who, along with producer Jason Lehning, co-founded the band in 2002.

Having released their debut album, 2004’s ‘Starry Gazey Pie’, under their original name The Bees, the band followed up with second a LP titled ‘High Society’ in 2006.

As The Silver Seas prepare to self-release their latest album ‘Château Revenge’ on 19 Sep, they are also booked to play at Camden’s Proud Gallery as part of Music Week’s Breakout showcase on 14 Sep, with another show the following night at London’s Islington Academy. But before any of that happens, official band spokesperson Daniel pondered our Same Six Questions.

Q1 How did you start out making music?
On a piano at my grandparents house, where I learned to play ‘The Pink Panther Theme’. I used to hold down the sustain pedal and play with endless sustain, until my grandpa would yell across the house “let the damn pedal up!” But it was a musical family, everyone played or sang. And something captivated me as a child about both Peter Sellers and Henry Mancini.

Q2 What inspired your latest album?
Pot, coffee, arrowroot cookies, Belmont Blvd in Nashville, an Epiphone EF-500 guitar, all the relationships I’ve ever had, Peter Sellers and Henry Mancini.

Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
We start playing the song in a club, like Grimey’s basement, then if it goes over well, we record the basic rhythm guitars, drums, keys and bass at the Toybox studio, then I take the tracks to my garage and add some layers of guitars and vocals, then the band comes and adds background vocals, then Jason mixes it at his studio. Then we take it to Jim Demain and he masters it.

Q4 Which artists influence your work?
Probably the most constant, long held inspirations I have are Burt Bacharach, The Beatles and, of course, Henry Mancini.

Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Would you like anything to drink?

Q6 What are you ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
Our ambitions are, of course, to top what we’ve done and show everyone on our fourth record that we aren’t going away. Also, to evolve the sound slightly, but sill stick to our main sound, which is classic Tin Pan Alley stuff, mixed with some plastic soul.

MORE>> www.thesilverseas.net

Approved: Listener

CMU Approved

Listener are so hard to describe. “Post-rock bluegrass” is probably the closest I’ve heard anyone get. Although “like a tramp ranting” isn’t that far off either.

What they call “talk music” is one man shouting poetry over a variety of sounds, all of which connect and make sense somehow. It’s a man delivering his lines so forcefully that half the time his mouth is nowhere near the microphone; lines that, like that delivery, are so honest, and sincere, and full of genuine emotion it’s impossible not to be moved.

Yesterday at The Star Of Kings in Kings Cross, Listener were late. So late that when the support band, Grass House, went on, no one at the venue had seen them yet. But when they arrived 25 minutes before stage time, they unloaded, set up and were ready to go almost before anyone had noticed. Partly because they’d distracted the audience with entertaining conversation as they went. With equipment set up and the duo’s dinner balanced on a flight case at the side of the stage, guitarist Chris Nelson engaged everyone with a lengthy joke while vocalist Dan Smith went to the (ladies) toilet and returned to announce that everyone needed to sit down so that people at the back could see. Everyone sat down.

Then the two men played one of the most honest, sincere, passionate and genuinely brilliant shows I’ve seen this year. If not any year. They played for over an hour and I would have happily watched for longer. It was the kind of gig you rarely see but always want, where you really feel like the musicians are performing for now, and not for their future. They just wanted it to be good now, and if it is then that’s good enough.

Listener’s latest album, ‘Wooden Heart’, was released through Tangled Talk in July. You can hear that, along with numerous other releases, on Bandcamp, and check out the video for ‘Falling In Love With Glaciers’ here:

Sony DADC could have been victim of well-planned attack

Business News Labels & Publishers Legal Top Stories

According to the Telegraph, the fire at the Sony DADC distribution centre in north London earlier this month, that destroyed an estimated three million CDs and tens of thousands of DVDs, may have been the result of a carefully planned raid that took advantage of the chaos caused by riots in that part of the capital that day.

As previously reported, the Sony Corp-owned distribution centre was burned to the ground during riots in the Enfield part of London, taking it with it huge amounts of stock belonging to hundreds of entertainment companies, and not just the Sony business.

In particular, 150 independent record companies lost their physical stocks because the facility was the main UK hub of indie distributors [PIAS], and while most of those labels will be insured, the cash flow issues such a loss of stock will cause could be enough to take some smaller record companies out of business. Though, as also previously reported, it is hoped funds set up by the BPI and the Association Of Independent Music, both offering free loans to affected labels, might prevent that from happening.

With chaos occurring in various corners of London 8 Aug, it wasn’t immediately clear what had happened at the Sony DADC centre, though some wondered how the rioters had got past the considerable security operation that surrounded the distribution facility. Even though the riots were organised, to an extent, via social media networks, breaking into a site surrounded by a large security fence, and protected by its own team of security guards, is quite a step up from smashing a window at JJB Sports and grabbing stock from the shop floor.

The Telegraph alleges that Sony DADC was actually the target of a deliberate and well planned attack by a “professional criminal gang”, who utilised the fact others were rioting in the area at the time to their advantage.

The broadsheet says the gang spent two hours using specialist cutting equipment to dismantle a portion of the centre’s fencing. They then encouraged other rioters to flood the site, distracting and overwhelming security guards who in turn couldn’t rely on support from an overstretched police force, while the original gang members stole the more valuable electrical goods stored at the centre, having driven a number of vans onto the site. It’s not clear who set the facility on fire, the original gang or other rioters, though gutting the facility was a useful way for the original thieves to cover their tracks.

The newspaper says that five men have been arrested in connection to looting and arson at the centre, though it’s not clear if they are part of the gang the broadsheet alleges orchestrated this attack. Neither the Metropolitan Police nor Sony have commented on the reports.

As also previously reported, Sony has already set up an alternative distribution centre in Hertfordshire which is being used by [PIAS]. The independent distributor has also recruited the services of Proper Music to help get its distribution network back up and running.

Bruno Mars files legal papers over Bug relationship

Legal

Bruno Mars could be heading to court in a dispute with his publisher Bug Music, according to TMZ. Mars, it seems, believes that he has fulfilled his commitments under his previous contract with the up-for-sale independent publisher, and that it failed to take up an option to renew that contact in the renewal period previously agreed. Therefore, he says, he is currently without any commitments to any music publisher.

However, it seems Bug does not agree with the R&B pop boy, and claims that he is still under contact to the company, giving it a cut of any royalties generated by any new songs Mars writes. TMZ reports that Mars has now filed papers with the LA County Superior Court requesting a judge rule on the status of his relationship with the music publishing firm.

Bug is yet to comment.

Liam v Noel not settled yet

Legal

Liam Gallagher’s latest dispute with brother Noel is not over, OK? As previously reported, Liam began legal proceedings against his brother over remarks made by Noel at a press conference last month with regards the reasons Oasis split up, and why the band couldn’t play one half of the V Festival in 2009. But late last week a source told The Sun that Liam had withdrawn the lawsuit because the two brothers’ latest squabble was causing distress for their mother.

But speaking to Radio 1 at the Reading Festival last weekend, Liam indicated that the legal squabble is still ongoing. He said: “It’s not over yet. There are a few things which need to be sorted out. I didn’t want this to happen. It’s not nice suing your family but like I said, he was telling porkies for the sake of his mates and journalists to get a wise crack on me”.

He added: “I ain’t having that. I ain’t a fraud and my band ain’t a fraud. If he listens to his lawyers and does the right thing then it’ll be well and truly over. I never wanted it to happen but it has to happen”.

As also previously reported, Noel initially responded to Liam’s lawsuit by clarifying a few of his past comments, while also added: “It’s all getting very silly and a bit out of hand and it’s not very cool”.

Dehydration caused Tom Jones concert cancellation

Artist News Gigs & Festivals

A spokesman for Tom Jones has issued a statement after the singer was forced to cancel a gig in Monte Carlo at the weekend. There was media speculation that the cancellation occurred because Jones was experiencing heart problems, but the official statement says the issue was simply dehydration.

The spokesman said on Sunday: “Tom was ordered by doctors not to perform in Monte Carlo yesterday evening, due to severe dehydration. This was extremely disappointing for Tom, the band and all connected with the tour. This was the last date of a very successful three month tour, where many of the shows were in locations that were in the throes of high summer heat. There are no heart problems, as has been reported in the press”.

The statement concluded: “Tom wants to relay his deep regrets for causing disappointment and inconvenience to all who would have come to enjoy his show last night. He thanks everyone for their understanding and support and hopes to see the fans in Monte Carlo again soon”.

VMAs awarded as Beyonce reveals pregnancy

Awards

It was MTV’s annual celebration of music videos on Sunday, the VMAs, ironically one of the few times you’ll actually see a music video on MTV these days. Awards were handed out. For music videos. Have I said enough about the ceremony yet? Can we talk about Beyonce now? OK good.

Beyonce is pregnant. With a baby. Jay-Z’s baby, no less. Imagine! She revealed the news on the red carpet on the way into the ceremony, and then again to everyone who didn’t already know when she performed her song, ‘Love On Top’. Mrs Z waving her bump around in front of a worldwide TV audience of millions then set Twitter on fire. Possibly nearly literally, as the social network’s servers struggled to cope with the number of people informing each other of the news they’d all just seen on screen already.

Twitter’s comms department later announced that this had resulted in record breaking site traffic, saying on Monday: “Last night at 10:35pm ET, Beyonce’s big MTV VMA moment gave Twitter a record bump: 8,868 Tweets per second”.

Sadly Taylor Swift didn’t announce that she was pregnant, too. But I’m sure Kanye West would still attest that Beyonce is having the best baby of all time.

Anyway, awards. Here are the winners:

Video Of The Year: Katy Perry – Firework
Best Female Video: Lady Gaga – Born This Way
Best Male Video: Justin Bieber – U Smile
Best New Artist: Tyler, The Creator – Yonkers
Best Collaboration: Katy Perry feat Kanye West – ET
Best Hip Hop Video: Nicki Minaj – Super Bass
Best Rock Video: Foo Fighters – Walk
Best Pop Video: Britney Spears – Till The World Ends
Best Video With A Message: Lady Gaga – Born This Way
Best Director: Sam Brown for Adele – Rolling In The Deep
Best Choreography: Beyonce – Run The World (Girls)
Best Visual Effects: Katy Perry feat Kanye West – ET
Best Art Direction: Adele – Rolling In The Deep
Best Editing: Adele – Rolling In The Deep
Best Cinematography: Adele – Rolling In The Deep

Liz Green announces debut album, drunk tour

Releases

Alternative pop sort Liz Green has announced that she will release her long-awaited debut LP ‘O, Devotion!’ via [PIAS] on 14 Nov.

Caught up in touring (and self-professed dithering) following the release of her acclaimed first single ‘Bad Medicine’ in 2007, it took the guiding hand of producer Liam Watson (The White Stripes, The Stranglers’ Hugh Cornwell) to bring Liz out of her post-tour reverie.

She recalls: “I didn’t really get on with recording. I used to dread recording days. I even tried drawing faces on the studio wall – to give the impression of an audience – or getting horrendously drunk so as to emulate my live behaviour. I needed someone to say: ‘Stop! That’s the one’. Which is what Liam did”.

Since she’s on tour again in support of the album, you can catch Liz’s “horrendously drunk” live act on the following occasions:

16 Oct: Manchester, Portico Library
13 Nov: London, Rough Trade West
25 Nov: London, King’s Place

Janet Jackson declines set at late brother’s tribute show

Gigs & Festivals

Janet Jackson has turned down the headline slot at the previously reported Michael Jackson tribute concert being held in Cardiff on 8 Oct.

It seems Janet is in the half of the Jackson clan which thinks holding the tribute concert while Dr Conrad Murray is being tried for causing their late sibling’s death is a bad idea. The other half, of course, have officially endorsed the tribute show.

Some expected Janet to head the bill at the tribute concert, but she issued a statement this weekend saying: “Because of the trial, the timing of this tribute to our brother would be too difficult for me”.

Album Review: Ladytron – Gravity The Seducer (Nettwerk)

Album Reviews

Ladytron were at the forefront of the noughties electronic pop renaissance, but sadly for them, despite a decade of critical acclaim for their four fine albums, they haven’t impacted on the public consciousness in the way they deserve.

There’s no sign of fatigue or ennui here though, with the new album wrapped in a baroque, beautiful sheen that adds splashes of colour to the group’s strategically monochrome sound.

Opener ‘White Elephant’ glistens and shimmers, setting the scene for the verdant pastures ahead and whilst the icy guitars and stadium drums of ‘Mirage’ hark back to the rockier sound of 2008’s ‘Velocifero’, it still maintains a sense of lushness and grandiosity, whilst the group’s decidedly European aesthetic is never compromised. Elsewhere, ‘White Gold’ and ‘Melting Ice’ reveal themselves as epic anthems, the latter coming on like Stereolab on MDMA.

Whilst there are occasional touches of retro-futurism, this is an album that has no interest in recreating any particular era of music, electronic or otherwise, and its DNA reveals elements from the last four decades amid its impeccably maintained glamour and svelte pop nous.

An irresistibly strong collection of songs, this is both Ladytron’s best album and a highlight in a fairly fallow musical year. MS

Copyright industries need to win public as well as political debate

Business News Legal

While most of the copyright proposals in the Digital Economy Act are reasonable, neither the government nor the entertainment industry has successfully persuaded the public of that fact, or so says Scottish lawyer Paul Carlyle, a member of the Law Society Of Scotland’s Intellectual Property Law Committee.

Speaking at the Festival Of Politics in Edinburgh last week Carlyle noted: “It’s interesting, is it not, that an industry that can sell us Cheryl Cole, Jedward and all the other ‘X-Factor’ creations, and which can persuade us to part with good money for all sorts of products linked to these celebrities, has somehow failed to persuade much of the public that they should pay for digital content”.

Carlyle said he agreed with much of what his fellow panellist, Pete Wishart MP, a former member of Scottish band Runrig and now vocal supporter of copyright in the Westminster parliament, had said about the importance of intellectual property rights for the UK and Scottish economies, and of the need for new laws – including the punitive measures in the DEA against online infringers – to secure those rights.

However, he feared that while the political community and entertainment industry were invariably of one mind on the economic importance of protecting IP rights online, they had not taken public opinion with them on this one, and that would make enforcing the new laws tricky. “Copyright was in the news last year more than any other I can remember, with the DEA and the Pirate Bay case among others getting much coverage”, he continued. “And yet a lot of people still haven’t been convinced about why they should have to pay for digital content”.

Education and communication, therefore, should be at the top of the agenda of rights owners and their political supporters, though Carlyle conceded that talking the public round, and especially those in the generation that have grown up with free access to all sorts of content online, was no easy task.

Given the location of this particular IP debate, in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh’s Holyrood, it was no surprise really that the issue of Scotland’s intellectual property laws, and who should control them, was raised. Although there are some slight differences in the copyright system under Scottish law, Carlyle informed the audience, in the main IP in Scotland is the same as in England, with the whole area controlled by Westminster not Holyrood.

As a Scottish National Party MP, what did Wishart make of this? “Actually, and this might surprise you, I am very relaxed about that fact”, the musical MP revealed. “So much of copyright is now governed by the European Union anyway, and the bodies that represent rights owners and creators – so in the music space the BPI, PRS and so on – are all UK-wide bodies based in London. So it makes sense, and it is, I believe, in the interests of Scottish creators, for these matters to be driven by Westminster”.

Though, of course, as an SNP MP, for Wishart, officially at least, Scottish independence is inevitable. As such he added: “After independence, of course, things will change, though I do believe there will still be benefits to our creative industries to have harmony on IP issues across the British Isles”.

Eventim favourite to buy See Tickets

Business News Live Business

CTS Eventim is favourite to buy the UK See Tickets business, according to Music Week. A number of live entertainment companies are known to have expressed an interest in buying the UK’s second biggest primary ticket seller since current owners, Dutch investment firm Parcom Capital, recently let it be known it was interested in offloading the business.

See Tickets originally span out of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful company, and still sells tickets to West End shows as well as a plethora of music and sporting events, including the Glastonbury Festival.

With that in mind it’s possibly no surprise that the ticketing division of the Ambassador Theatre Group is also known to be interested in buying up See Tickets, as is AEG Live, which, of course, is keen to make its own mark in the ticketing domain since market leader Ticketmaster, whose services AEG have traditionally used, merged with its main competitor Live Nation.

CTS Eventim also had issues with the Ticketmaster/Live Nation deal, and indeed it was its objections that almost caused the merger to be blocked in the UK. The company had a partnership in place with Live Nation, which was launching its own ticketing business prior to the Ticketmaster merger, which would have seen Eventim basically operate Live Nation Tickets over here.

Eventim, which has much bigger operations elsewhere in Europe, saw its Live Nation partnership as a route into the UK market. Although the Live Master deal didn’t and couldn’t, in theory, prevent that partnership from going ahead, Eventim argued it clearly stopped its alliance with Live Nation from having any longevity, which made making an big investment into the UK market unviable.

Presumably acquiring See Tickets, which is likely to cost in excess of £100 million, would give Eventim the in over here that its Live Nation deal, in the end, failed to deliver. Eventim is possibly seen as favourite in the race to buy See because it bought the German division of the same company, and because it recently appointed a former See Tickets CEO, Nick Blackburn, as Chairman of its new UK operations.

Warp appoints new PR chief

Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers Marketing & PR

London-based indie Warp Records has appointed a new PR chief. Leah Ellis joins the label from PR agency Sainted, where she was most recently a director. In her new role she will oversee press and broadcast campaigns for Warp in the UK. Confirming the appointment, Warp’s Head Of Marketing Steven Hill told CMU: “We are delighted to welcome Leah to the label and excited about the artists and projects we will be working on this year and into 2012”.

Universal appoints global marketing chief

Business News Industry People Marketing & PR

Universal Music has announced the appointment of Andrew Kronfeld to the new role of President, Global Marketing. Having previously been an Exec VP of Marketing for Universal’s International division, in his new role Kronfeld will be responsible for “developing and driving unified, global marketing strategies”, which sounds like fun. He’ll also oversee the Cooperative Music indie label licensing operation and rock imprint Spinefarm. Well, why not?

Confirming the appointment, Universal top man Lucian Grainge told CMU: “Today’s music and entertainment business is simply a worldwide environment. Talent and technology crosses borders with greater reach and speed than ever. Andrew’s appointment is another important step in the alignment of our operations into global responsibilities, and there is no one better to lead this evolution in our marketing firepower”.

Meanwhile Max Hole, COO of Universal Music International, to whom Kronfeld will report, added: “With 20 years’ experience at Universal Music, Andrew is clearly one of our most accomplished, far-sighted music executives. I have worked with him for much of that time, as he has played a key role in the international careers of many of our top artists. Andrew knows better than anyone the results to be achieved by thinking and acting globally”.

Ministry Of Sound promotes petition in developer battle

Business News Live Business

Ministry Of Sound is having a last rallying call for friends and fans to sign a petition against plans to build a residential complex next to the superclub’s South London HQ. The firm fears that if an apartment block goes up next to the club it could result in licensing complications for the venue.

As previously reported, when MoS execs first raised concerns with the development company which is planning the residential development, Oakmayne, its boss Christopher Allen allegedly remarked “nightclubs come and go”.

Responding, MoS chief Lohan Presencer said: “Ministry of Sound is not just any nightclub; it’s the most famous nightclub in the world and the heart of a global entertainment business. These developers have cut corners at every stage and counter to their claims, they do not have the best interests of the local community at heart. We must do everything in our power to save our club and our business”.

Oakmayne says that it has offered to sound-proof the venue so it and the residential block could co-exist, but Presencer says that the developer’s proposals would result in the club being closed for a long period, which just isn’t feasible.

Although this dispute first erupted early last year, it is timely again because the local council will consider Oakmayne’s proposals at a meeting on 13 Sep. MoS fans are urged to sign the club’s petition before then, here.

Guardian reckons Spotify could go into profit

Digital

Spotify could show a small profit when it publishes its next financial results, according to a report in The Guardian. The newspaper cites an expert from Analysys Mason who says he reckons the streaming music service’s revenues increased more than fourfold during the last financial year, and that that could be enough to take the company into profit for the first time. Which would be quite an achievement, given I think we all assumed the digital firm was haemorrhaging cash in a bid to win market share.

The figures quoted by The Guardian and Analysys Mason are that Spotify made in the region of 59 million euros in the last financial year, while it paid 45 million euros to record companies and spent ten million euros on operating costs. Which would, of course, result in a profit. Assuming the money said to have been paid to “record companies” actually includes royalties paid to music publishers, and “operating costs” includes things like bandwidth.

Spotify hasn’t commented on the speculation. If it is already profitable – and that does still seem like a big “if” despite this report – that would presumably allay fears in the music industry that Spotify’s seeming success in terms of signing up users, including paying subscribers, could come to nothing if it turns out the firm’s financials don’t add up when the venture capital runs out.

Though, of course, even if Spotify is already profitable, or looks likely to go into profit in the near future, pessimists might point out that the royalties the service pays into the music industry, while substantial industry-wide, are not enough to sustain individual labels. Also, with the freemium option basically being phased out, the whole thing is arguably becoming a niche product anyway.

None of which would mean Spotify wouldn’t have a long term role to play in the music industry – if profitable, it would remain an important revenue stream – but perhaps it’s not the panacea or iTunes killer that some journalists have in the past suggested.

iCloud will allow streaming

Digital

Apple has released a beta version of their iTunes Match feature to developers, which is interesting more because of what it tells us about the wider iCloud service.

iTunes Match is the bit of Apple’s new licensed digital locker service which scans your digital music collection, and gives you access to any tracks already stored in the Apple catalogue without you having to upload them. But we sort of knew how that would work already.

The interesting bit of news is that developers checking out the Match bit have confirmed that iCloud will let users stream music stored in their iTunes digital locker to any net-connected Apple device. Previously it wasn’t clear if streaming would be an option, or whether users would have to download music to each gadget they accessed their iCloud account from.

iCloud with Match will launch in the US this autumn, and over here next year.

Tupac posse confirm they smoked his ashes

And Finally

Members of the Tupac Shakur founded hip hop collective, The Outlawz, have confirmed a long standing legend within the hip hop world that they smoked their late collaborator’s ashes after his untimely death in 1996.

Speaking to Vlad TV, the group’s EDI Mean says that they were following wishes expressed by Tupac in his track ‘Black Jesus’, in which he rapped: “Last wishes, nigga smoke my ashes”.

“We took that shit serious”, he added, saying that the rapper’s ashes were smoked with marijuana at a memorial party on the beach that also involved other “shit he liked” including “some weed, some chicken wings and orange soda”.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, ED Mean’s other memories of that day are a bit hazy. That’ll be the chicken wings.

CMU Weekly – Friday 26 Aug 2011

CMU Weekly Editor's Letter

I wrote four obituaries this week. That’s quite a lot by normal standards. And what struck me as each one of these deaths was announced was how much each person had done for music and the music industry. In the space of three days four pretty amazing people died. Among them two iconic songwriters, Jerry Leiber and Nick Ashford, and artist manager Frank DiLeo, who saw Michael Jackson through arguably his most successful period.

However, it was former Motown executive Esther Gordy Edwards who particularly caught my attention. As I read about everything she’d achieved in her life, it quickly became apparent that I would only be able to fit a fraction of it all into her obituary. She’d set up a number of businesses and worked with various charities. She’d even set up a charitable foundation in her late sister Loucye’s name in the 1960s which continues to provide scholarships for underprivileged inner city students to this day.

But on top of that, she’d been instrumental in making Motown Records the globally recognised business it became and remains, whilst also acting as a mentor to many of the company’s artists, including a young Stevie Wonder, in its early days.

This seems to have happened almost by accident. She was running a family bank in the late 50s. Each member of the large Gordy family paid in $10 a month to the bank, and the money was used to provide loans back to family members when they were needed. That’s quite an amazing thing in itself, and in 1959 one of the Gordys who came forward asking for financial help was her younger brother, Berry Gordy Jr. He wanted $800 to set up a record label.

As well as lending him the money, she came on board and eventually became the company’s CEO. She only resigned the position in 1972 when the company moved to LA and she decided to stay back in Detroit, where she had grown up.

In 1985, she set up a Motown Historical Museum, preserving the company’s original HQ, along with the studio where many of Motown’s early hits were recorded, and the huge amount of memorabilia she had collected over the years.

But still, Motown is only part of her life. A big part, but not the only significant thing she ever did. Not by a long way. Looking through her 91 year life, you wonder when she ever got time to sit down and take stock of it all. It’s inspiring and slightly scary. Though the one overriding theme seems to be that everything she ever did benefitted Detroit in some way, a city she lived in for nearly 90 years. And a city she must have seen visibly fall apart in that time, but it was a city she stuck by nonetheless until the end.

Andy Malt
Editor, CMU

THE BULLETIN: Click here to read this week’s CMU Weekly bulletin

Playlist: Kid Koala

CMU Playlists

Canadian turntalbist Eric San has achieved a lot in his Kid Koala guise since the turn of the century. His two albums, ‘Carpal Tunnel Syndrome’ and ‘Some Of My Best Friends Are DJs’, gained fast critical acclaim for his unique style, far removed from most other turntablists. He uses samples ranging from old jazz records to sneezing, blended with comedy sketches and new melodies created by speeding up and slowing down a single sound, or quickly moving the needle between different points on a record. His live shows, as you might imagine, are pretty special, too.

As well as his solo work, he’s also collaborated with the likes of Gorillaz, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Mike Patton’s Peeping Tom, and he formed turntable ‘rock band’ The Slew with fellow scratcher Dynomite D, a set up later joined by former Wolfmother rhythm section Chris Ross and Myles Heskett for live shows.

Also a talented illustrator, next month he publishes his second graphic novel through Ninja Tune, ‘Space Cadet’. Like his first, ‘Nufonia Must Fall’, the book comes with a soundtrack album (or “still picture score”, as it’s being called), in this case a full album of gentle piano-based music.

Summarising the book’s story, Kid Koala said: “He’s the guardian robot programmed to protect the sweetest astronaut on this (or any) planet. But when she blasts off on a solo mission of outer-space adventure, he is left to wonder… What now? A tomorrow-days lullaby about finding your place in the universe”.

The book and album are due for release on 19 Sep, and on 13 Sep he will host a special event dubbed ‘Music To Draw To’. Comprising a story-related Q&A, character introductions, and a live performance, the one-off event will take place at the Material/Red Gallery on London’s Rivington Street from 7pm. The only rule, according to the man himself, is “no dancing”.

Ahead of that, we asked Kid Koala to put together a Powers Of Ten playlist for us. Not only did he do it, but he put a new twist on it, too. We’ll let him explain: “I’ve done so many of these lists over the years but none with a theme… so here we go. These are some of my favourite songs. They also all happen to have the word ‘cry’ in their titles”.

KID KOALA’S TEN
Click here to listen to Kid Koala’s playlist in Spotify, and then read on to find out more about his selections.

01 Money Mark – Cry
When I toured with Mark for his ‘Push The Button’ tour, this was by far my favourite part of the set. I’ve seen entire audiences reduced to tears because of this tune. Just one man and his Hammond keyboard. He also told me he recorded this on an eight-track cassette multi-track recorder in his basement.

02 Percy Sledge – First You Cry
This song will literally make you cry. Make sure you’re not driving when you play this. Just pull over to the side of the road and wait it out.

03 Platinum Blonde – Cryin Over You
From a Canadian band in the 80s. This was a big hit for them! I remember it playing on the radio here all the time. In the bridge he sings “Cry-aiy-aiy-aiy-aiy-aiy-aiy-aiy”. That’s like seven aiys! Really, what more can you ask for? Any more than that would be just plain greedy.

04 Aerosmith – Cryin
The video sold me on this one. I’m not sure what it’s about but someone steals Alicia Silverstone’s backpack and takes off out of a diner. She proceeds to chase him down the street and roundhouse kicks him to the curb. All this just during the harmonica solo. No one makes songs or videos like this any more. Amazing.

05 Prince – When Doves Cry
Prince just played in Montreal and did a four hour set followed by six encores. All hits! Enough said. He also had the mighty Maceo Parker on sax. Because of these things, he will now make every music list anyone ever asks me to do.

06 Jay-Z – Song Cry
I don’t throw the term ‘dope’ around lightly. But this track is dope.

07 The Cure – Boys Don’t Cry
My older sister listened to tons of Cure records when I was growing up. I inherited all of these records when I started DJing. Some of my early battle routines used breaks from The Cure! Not this song though. The reason it’s on the list is because it has “cry” in the title. There was a film made several years later with the same title.

08 Al Green – Keep Me Crying
This is one of the few songs about crying that you can REALLY dance to.

09 Neil Young – Cry, Cry, Cry
This is one of those warm fuzzy feeling songs with “cry” in the lyrics. This song has the most counts of the word “cry” of any song on this whole list. Neil Young rules. And he’s Canadian, too!

10 Franki Valli And The Four Seasons – Big Girls Don’t Cry
This song contains the best falsetto “Cry-aiy-aiy” ever recorded. Someone should do a ska version of this doo wop classic. My mom listened to a lot of these vocal bands as a teen. She always made us listen to stuff like this on road trips.

CMU Beef Of The Week #77: A Sugababe v some Sugababes

And Finally Beef Of The Week

It’s a warm welcome back to this beef, which was number nineteen in our series way back in May last year. It’s nice to see things through to their resolution, isn’t it? And this does, though it’s probably not exactly the resolution anyone was hoping for.

It was way back in November 2009 that former Sugababes member Mutya Buena quietly applied to own the European trademark in the group’s name. So quietly that no one noticed until March the next year, when the application was marked pending by the trademark authority. That no one at the group’s label, Universal Music, or their management company had thought to register the name before was surprising, but the name was indeed up for grabs, and Buena felt, as a founder if not current member of the girl group, she was well within her rights to take it.

Buena was seemingly annoyed that the group, by then featuring none of its original members, was forging on in a new direction. One that was deemed less credible than earlier incarnations by many people, if not everyone.

The current Sugababes disputed that Buena had any reasonable claim to the name, and argued that Universal already technically owned it anyway, even though they hadn’t formerly registered it with the trademark authorities. Expanding on that claim, Universal released a statement saying that the group’s record contract – which bound current and past members – granted the company rights to use the name in connection to audio and video recordings. With all that in mind, the band and Universal both separately submitted objections to Buena’s application.

In the meantime, Buena hinted that she was planning to retire from music to become a child psychologist, and the Sugababes were dropped by Universal/Island and signed a new deal with Sony/RCA. Buena also hinted that she might abandon her trademark application and all went quiet.

But then this week Buena posted to her Facebook page: “I won the official name of the Sugababes now! I deserve this! I’m over the moon!”

Big news. If what she said was true, it would potentially mean that the current group would no longer be able to use their own name, not without paying Buena a royalty, at least. And that’s how many publications reported it, taking Buena’s status update at face value without checking the publicly accessible European trademark authority database. Doing that, however, showed it wasn’t quite as simple as the former Babe made it sound.

True, she had indeed been granted the right to use the name, but not in all instances, as she had originally applied for. In fact, those objections raised by the group and their label had been successful, and in April (while they were still signed to Universal/Island), the current line-up had been granted the trademark in almost all occurrences. Then earlier this month, Buena was granted what was left: stationery and giftwrap.

Writing sets and wrapping paper are not, as you may have already noticed, core to any pop group’s operations. And on Thursday the band’s management issued a statement to clarify the situation, in which they explained: “Over four months ago (21 Apr 2011) it was officially confirmed by the European Trade Marks Department that Sugababes were successful in claiming their ongoing right to use the name ‘Sugababes’ for all areas of commercial activity that the band requires, namely within the music, sound recording and entertainment industry, as well as being granted extensive rights to produce a wide range of merchandise”.

They added: “The trademark rights for Class 16 (excluding those items which are already covered by Sugababes merchandise, eg posters, stickers, etc.) include certain paper and cardboard goods, such as stationery, paper gift wrap and paper gift wrapping ribbons. This is a category that currently holds no commercial interest for the band and, accordingly, the band has no immediate plans to challenge Ms Buena for these rights”.

When I was young, I always got a writing set of some sort for Christmas, and all my presents were disguised with wrapping paper. Boy, the Babes and their people are going to kick themselves when December comes and Mutya cleans up. Kids still write on paper, right?

Q&A: Quantic

Artist Interviews

The stage moniker of DJ and multi-instrumentalist Will Holland, Quantic released his debut album ‘The Fifth Exotic’ in 2001, having hand-delivered a demo version to the bosses at Tru Thoughts.

Now based in Colombia, he has since released eleven further albums under various guises, not least acclaimed soul-funk ensemble The Quantic Soul Orchestra, dub-reggae fusionists Flowering Inferno, leftfield indie-beat duo The Limp Twins, and Glastonbury favourites, Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro.

With the cream of his decade-long oeuvre collated on new double-album ‘The Best Of Quantic’, due out via Tru Thoughts on 5 Sep, Will found a spare moment to address our Same Six Questions.

Q1 How did you start out making music?
I learnt guitar from my father who was an avid guitar and banjo player. My parents had an interest in all things folk, so there were autoharps, pianos, ukuleles etc round the house. My father worked at a technical college and he used to borrow synthesizers from the music department in the summer holidays and bring them home. I then got into sampling, my mother bought me a little sampler when I was sixteen, and it went from there.

Q2 What inspired your latest album?
‘The Best Of Quantic’ is a retrospective of music recorded over the last ten years, since my first album with Tru Thoughts. It’s inspired by all that time in the studio, the hundreds of shows we’ve played, and travelling the four corners of the earth for that little something different.

Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
For the last four albums I’ve been working in Colombia, Panama, Brazil and the Caribbean with live musicians. I have come from a sampling and hip hop background, but I’m finding it increasingly more interesting to record live. The process normally starts with a sketch on guitar and then I arrange for a recording session with hand-picked musicians. Once you have a good rhythm laid down, you can really add anything on top you like, as long as the rhythm is heavy. I’m working more and more with Cali-based singer Nidia Gongora, she is just great.

Q4 Which artists influence your work?
Colombian musicians Fruko and Andres Landero; from Panama Papi Brandao and Manito Johnson; King Tubby and Joe Gibbs from Jamaica; Los Destellos and Coco Lagas from Peru; Rail Band of Mali; The Meters and Charles Wright from the USA; and The Peddlers and Pentangle from the UK.

Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Thanks for listening and check my website for more info. I try to make music in a caring and very particular way, like a good home cooked meal.

Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
I hope it will both celebrate and draw a line under the last ten years, as there is much more music to make! I’m excited about my forthcoming collaborations with singer Alice Russell and recording more projects in Colombia, where I am based.

MORE>> www.quantic.org

Approved: Notting Hill Carnival 2011

Club Tip CMU Approved

It’s one of the biggest street festivals in Europe, and this is the 47th year since its inception. I hope that the sun shines on west London this bank holiday weekend, so a trouble free and great time can be had by all the revellers this year.

Carnival’s music policy encompasses many genres. From the Caribbean we have the traditional calypso, soca and reggae – and the steel bands are amazing, along with the costumery. But the melting pot of Carnival ventures further than that – into jungle, ragga, hip hop, house and broken beat, and all of these can be found at the numerous soundsystems dotted around Notting Hill over the weekend day.

The soundsystems particularly worth checking out will be: CMC/Matrix playing drum n bass, Aba Shanti-I on a reggae tip, Latin Rave Street Jam System, RapAttack and Rampage, plus Sancho Panza will be in full effect. And you’ll have to try a bit of curried goat or saltfish with ackee to soak up the Guinness punch, too.

Taking place all around Notting Hill, it all starts this Sunday – which is traditionally kids’ day – and gets a bit more lively on the Monday. Get a map and plan where you’ll be heading, Time Out does a little pull out guide, which sadly seems to have shrunk over the years.

Don’t forget, there are some top notch after parties and events too. Carnival Jam takes over Cherry Jam, the Sancho Panza lads head down to The Regent, Deadly Bass features David Rodigam and Dillinja and Trojan Sound system on the same bill at Plan B, and Benji B heads up something at The Camp and also at The Paradise, with DJ Zinc.

Sunday 28 Aug and Monday 29 Aug, Notting Hill, 9am – late, free, more info here.

Esther Gordy Edwards dies

Business News Obituaries Top Stories

Esther Gordy Edwards, a former executive of her younger brother Berry Gordy Jr’s Motown Records, died on Wednesday, aged 91.

The second oldest of eight children, Gordy Edwards was born in Georgia in 1920 to Berry Gordy Sr and Bertha Fuller Gordy. While she was a toddler, the family moved to Detroit, where she lived for the rest of her life. She married Detroit policeman George Edwards in 1951, and had one son, Robert Bullock, from a previous relationship. She formed the Gordy Printing Company with two of her brothers in the mid-40s, and in the 50s founded the Ber-Berry Co-Op with her husband, a family bank into with each member of the Gordy clan paid $10 a month in order to provide loans to their fellow family members.

In 1959, the company provided an $800 loan to Berry Gordy Jr to help him set up Motown. Esther also joined the company, managing artists in its early days. Later she became Director Of International Operations and was instrumental in taking Motown out of the US and making it the globally recognised brand it became.

Later she served as Senior Vice President and CEO, though stepped down when the company moved to LA in 1972, and was succeeded by then Vice President Smokey Robinson. Staying in Detroit, she served on the board for Detroit Bank Of Commonwealth and the Greater Detroit Chamber Of Commerce, as well as working with various other groups and charities, including the Gordy Foundation, which she set up in 1965 following her sister Loucye’s death. The charity, which was launched to help students from poor urban backgrounds, still funds scholarships to this day.

In 1985, she became involved with Motown again when she turned the company’s original headquarters into the Motown Historical Museum. As well as preserving the studio where many of the label’s hits were recorded, the museum is filled with numerous photos and memorabilia that she herself had collected throughout the company’s history. Berry Gordy Jr said in a statement following her death: “She preserved Motown memorabilia before it was memorabilia, collecting our history long before we knew we were making it. She nurtured and held it together through the years, protecting the Motown legacy for generations to come – which is only one of the reasons people all over the world will remember and celebrate Esther Gordy Edwards”.

He added: “Whatever she did, it was with the highest standards, professionalism and an attention to detail that was legendary. She always came out a hero. Esther wasn’t concerned with being popular. She was dedicated to making us all better – the Gordy family and the Motown family”.

One of the numerous artists she worked with through the label’s history, Stevie Wonder, said in his own statement: “She believed in me. When I was fourteen years old and many other people didn’t or could only see what they could at the time, she championed me being in Motown. I shared with her many of my songs first before anyone else. She was like another mother to me; she was an extension of that same kind of motherly love”.

She is survived by her son, stepson, a sister and two brothers, three granddaughters and six great grandchildren.

Bobby G wins Bucks Fizz name squabble

Legal

Three of the original members of Bucks Fizz have failed to take ownership of their band’s name from the fourth member, Bobby G.

As previously reported, there are currently two outfits using variations of the Bucks Fizz name, a group led by Bobby G, and another involving the other members of the original line up, most notably Mike Nolan and Cheryl Baker. It’s G who owns the Bucks Fizz trademark, meaning the other former members of the group tour as the Original Bucks Fizz.

The latest legal squabble over the name – this isn’t the first – began when Nolan and Baker tried to trademark ‘Original Bucks Fizz’. G objected to that application, and in return Nolan and Baker objected to G’s continued use of the Bucks Fizz name, arguing that as their group had more original members they should have the rights to it.

But an Intellectual Property Office official has sided with G. He ruled that given Buck Fizz has existed in all sorts of incarnations over the years, how many original members any one outfit involves is not relevant. And as G was the original trademark registrant, he has the right to use the name.

The IPO man said: “The public would have no reason to expect the group performing as Bucks Fizz to consist of the original line-up [that] had not performed together for 24 years”.

Nolan, Baker et al told reporters they were “bitterly disappointed” with the ruling, and planned to appeal. Good times.

Sugababes comment on Buena’s trademark application

Legal

A spokesman for the Sugababes has issued a statement relating to one of the group’s former members, Mutya Buena, announcing earlier this week that she had secured ownership of the Sugababes trademark.

As previously reported, having announced her intent to register the Sugababes trademark in 2009, four years after leaving the group, Buena this week said on Facebook that her application had been successful. This despite representatives of the current incarnation of the girl group – who had previously failed to register the name themselves – filing an objection.

But, as previously noted, when you register a trademark you have to state the areas in which you want to own the mark, and Buena’s successful application related only to paper products, which, I think it’s fair to say, aren’t that central to a pop band’s operations. And as such the widely reported claim that Buena’s successful trademark application would require the current Babes to change their name isn’t true.

The group’s statement reads: “Further to ongoing media speculation and mis-reporting of the facts by various sources, we would like to clarify the following. Over four months ago (21 Apr 2011) it was officially confirmed by the European Trade Marks Department that Sugababes were successful in claiming their ongoing right to use the name ‘Sugababes’ for all areas of commercial activity that the band requires, namely within the music, sound recording and entertainment industry, as well as being granted extensive rights to produce a wide range of merchandise”.

“The trade mark rights for Class 16 (excluding those items which are already covered by Sugababes merchandise, eg posters, stickers, etc.) include certain paper and cardboard goods, such as stationery, paper gift wrap and paper gift wrapping ribbons. This is a category that currently holds no commercial interest for the band and, accordingly, the band has no immediate plans to challenge Ms Buena for these rights”.

So there you go. Still looking forward to Mutya’s Sugababes wrapping paper line.

Stephen Malkmus announces blowjob winner

Awards

Stephen Malkmus

Stephen Malkmus has announced the winner of a competition to replace the word “blowjob” in the radio edit of his forthcoming new single, ‘Senator’.

As previously reported, the line in which the word features is “I know what the senator wants – what the senator wants is a blowjob”. But for the purposes of radio, the senator will now require a corndog, instead.

According to Pitchfork, Malkmus announced the winning word at a performance at Amoeba Records in LA on Tuesday. He explained that corndog had been chosen as the winning word in tribute to 80s hardcore band Minutemen, who sometimes referred to themselves as corndogs.

The winner will receive a one-off seven-inch pressing of their version of the song once it has been edited. But we can all hear the original version in all its fellatial glory right now on the new Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks album, ‘Mirror Traffic’, which is out this week.

Lady Gaga named entertainment’s most influential woman

Artist News

Lady Gaga is the most influential woman in the entertainment industry, and the eleventh most influential woman in the world today. So says Forbes, anyway. She’s also the youngest woman to make the magazine’s list of the top 100 most influential females in the world. Gaga has previously topped both Forbes and Time Magazine’s lists of the most influential celebs.

Also from the music world and on the powerful women list is Beyonce, who comes in at eighteen. The rankings were decided based on how much money each person has in their bank account, their media presence (both traditional and online), and how widely their influence is felt worldwide.

See the full list here.

Amy Winehouse becomes 21st Century’s best seller

Artist News

Amy Winehouse’s second album, ‘Back To Black’, has become the biggest seller of the 21st century in the UK so far. Already popular, the album received a sales boost when the singer died last month. Now, according to the Official Charts Company, it has racked up 3.26 million sales in the UK since its original release in 2006, putting it just ahead of the previous record holder, James Blunt’s ‘Back To Bedlam’, which has so far shifted 3.25 million.

Biohazard to hold open auditions for new singer

Artist News

Biohazard are to hold open auditions to find a new vocalist to replace Evan Seinfeld.

As previously reported, bassist and founder member Seinfeld quit the band just days before their performance at this year’s Download Festival. Scott Roberts, who played on the band’s last album, 2005’s ‘Means To An End’, stood in as a temporary replacement.

In a statement published this week, the band said: “Experience is a must, as is the ability to commit 100% to the life of a full-time touring musician, as the band is booked solid for 2012 and 2013”.

Interested parties should email auditions@biohazard.com with evidence of their skills.

Prior to Seinfeld’s departure, the band completed their latest album, the first to feature the original line-up since 1994’s ‘State Of The World Address’. Entitled ‘Reborn In Defiance’, the record is due for release on 26 Sep.

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 11:10 | By CMU Editorial

At the heart of Nashville-based indie outfit The Silver Seas’ winsome folk appeal is singer-songwriter Daniel Tashian (son of Barry Tashian, one-time frontman of 1960s cult-rockers The Remains) who, along with producer Jason Lehning, co-founded the band in 2002.

READ MORE ABOUT: The Silver Seas

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 11:05 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Listener

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 11:02 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Sony DADC | [PIAS]

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 11:00 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Bruno Mars | Bug Music

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 10:59 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Liam Gallagher | Noel Gallagher

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 10:58 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Tom Jones

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 10:56 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Beyonce | MTV | VMAs

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 10:55 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Liz Green

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 10:52 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Conrad Murray | Janet Jackson | Michael Jackson

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 10:50 | By Marc Samuels

READ MORE ABOUT: Ladytron | MS

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 10:48 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Copyright | Digital Economy Act 2010 | Intellectual Property Rights | Paul Carlyle

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 10:47 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: AEG | Eventim | Live Nation | See Tickets

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 10:45 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Leah Ellis | Warp

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 10:43 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Andrew Kronfeld | Max Hole | Universal Music

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 10:42 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Lohan Presencer | Ministry Of Sound | Oakmayne

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 10:40 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Analysys Mason | Spotify | The Guardian

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 10:39 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Apple | iCloud | iTunes Match

Wednesday 31 August 2011, 10:35 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: The Outlawz | Tupac Shakur

Friday 26 August 2011, 19:23 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Esther Gordy Edwards

Friday 26 August 2011, 19:20 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Kid Koala

Friday 26 August 2011, 19:17 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Mutya Buena | Sugababes

Friday 26 August 2011, 13:17 | By CMU Editorial

The stage moniker of DJ and multi-instrumentalist Will Holland, Quantic released his debut album ‘The Fifth Exotic’ in 2001, having hand-delivered a demo version to the bosses at Tru Thoughts.

READ MORE ABOUT: Quantic

Friday 26 August 2011, 13:14 | By Paul Vig

READ MORE ABOUT: Notting Hill Carnival

Friday 26 August 2011, 13:08 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Esther Gordy Edwards

Friday 26 August 2011, 13:05 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Bobby G | Bucks Fizz | Intellectual Property Office (IPO)

Friday 26 August 2011, 13:00 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Mutya Buena | Sugababes

Friday 26 August 2011, 12:59 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Stephen Malkmus

Friday 26 August 2011, 12:58 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Forbes | Lady Gaga

Friday 26 August 2011, 12:57 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Amy Winehouse

Friday 26 August 2011, 12:56 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Biohazard | Evan Seinfeld