 In het licht van de recente ontwikkelingen rond de verspreiding van het coronavirus ziet AB zich genoodzaakt de deuren te sluiten tot eind 2020. Hoewel momenteel 19 november als datum vooropgesteld wordt voor een mogelijke heropening van de culturele sector, schort AB vandaag alle publieke activiteiten tot 31 december op. Ze wil daarmee klare wijn schenken en haar verantwoordelijkheid opnemen bij het indijken van het coronavirus.
“Deze beslissing valt na rijp beraad en in een poging om enige stabiliteit te brengen naar publiek, artiesten en personeel. Uiteraard doen we dit met een stekende pijn in ons muziekhart. Naast ons publiek moeten we ook heel wat muzikanten opnieuw slecht nieuws brengen. Net zij hebben het sinds het uitbreken van de pandemie bijzonder moeilijk om de eindjes aan mekaar te knopen....” zegt Tom Bonte, algemeen directeur AB. AB heeft lang gestreden om haar publiek te blijven ontvangen omdat ze gelooft dat mensen nood hebben aan cultuur en muziek. Ze blijft nog steeds overtuigd dat dit kan in een veilige en warme omgeving maar voelt meer dan ooit de noodzaak om mee te bouwen aan de schutskring rond de (draagkracht van de) ziekenhuizen. “Vandaag voelen we ons nog beter gewapend om op een veilige manier publiek en artiesten te ontvangen. Maar als de cijfers bloedrood kleuren, moeten ook wij onze ambities bijstellen.” AB gelooft dat muziek een prominente rol kan gaan spelen in het herstel van deze crisis en wil dan ook niet bij de pakken blijven zitten. Ze richt de blik vooruit naar 2021. “Naast de lichamelijke gezondheidscrisis waarin we momenteel zitten is er ook een mentale gezondheidscrisis in de maak. Deze is minder zichtbaar en minder tastbaar, maar daarom niet minder disruptief. Precies om die gevoelens van depressie, isolement en gebrek aan betekenisgeving in te dammen, spelen cultuur en muziek een cruciale rol. We bereiden ons dan ook voor om het nieuwe jaar met een fris gemoed en verse concerten aan te kunnen vatten.” Intussen probeert het AB-team de best mogelijke oplossing te vinden voor alle concerten die gepland waren. Ticketkopers zullen persoonlijk op de hoogte gebracht worden van de status van hun concert. Verder communiceert AB alle updates via haar website. AB wenst iedereen goede moed. Het verlangen om ons publiek gezond en wel terug te zien, groeit elke dag.
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 De Brits-Australische zanger en bassist Rockwell T. James (Ronnie Peel) is vannacht overleden. Peel trad in 1971 samen met Jimmy McCulloch (gitaar) toe tot de Britse band Thunderclap Newman, die twee jaar eerder een wereldhit scoorde met de single 'Something In The Air'. McCulloch zou later lid worden van Paul McCartney’s Wings. Ronnie Peel maakte van 1973 tot 1975 deel uit van de band The La De Das en ging daarna solo verder onder de naam Rockwell T James. Zijn enige soloalbum werd geproduceerd door Garth Porter van Sherbet. De single ‘Roxanne’ werd in 1976 een bescheiden hit in de Australische lijsten. Op het album speelden de Sherbet leden Kevin Borich, Ted Mulry en Cheetah mee. Een jaar later speelde Peel/James mee op het album 'Love Is In The Air' van John Paul Young. Van dat album kwamen de hitsingles 'Love Is In The Air' en 'Lost In Your Love'. Ronnie Peel ruste in vrede!
Met dank aan Leo Weijers.  photo by Alex Varsa remix EP by US funk-based act out 30.10.20 [Round Hill Records / Regime Inc] 1 SILENCE IS GOLDEN (Cloudchord Remix) 3:33 2 MOKSHA (Tycoon Remix) 4:22 3 RESONATE (Birocratic Remix) 2:55 4 HOUSE OF LETT (jackLNDN Remix) 3:12 5 REMEMBER THE CHILDREN (Flamingosis Remix) 4:40 original versions of all songs on RESONATE album out now 2xLP / CD / digital Grammy nominated funk-jazz-soul-hiphop-psychedelic-jam-experimental titans Lettuce have been making remixes available every day this week of songs from their current studio album, ‘Resonate’. This culminates today with the release of ‘Remember The Children (Flamingosis Remix)’ and an EP, ‘Resonate Remixed’. The group have also recently issued an eye-catching animated video for the original album version of 'Silence Is Golden’, with guitarist Adam ‘Shmeeans’ Smirnoff explaining: "With this video, we want to take you on a visually stunning, colourful journey into a fantastic storybook-like world that invokes peace and inspires creativity. We want to make the connection resonate between ourselves, nature and the spirit that binds us all together. Lett us present, ‘Silence is Golden’.” "The connection of nature to music is essential to understand," adds drummer Adam Deitch. “The sound of the leaves swaying in the soft breeze along with the crickets and birds singing, can be very inspiring. This song represents a quiet place that resides in all of our minds that can bring peace to our souls. Lettuce meditate to the golden silence.” ‘Resonate’ is the seventh studio album by the acclaimed sextet and sonically is a continuation of 2019’s ‘Elevate’, which earned the group their first collective Grammy nomination in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category. Containing the singles ‘House Of Lett’, ‘Checker Wrecker’ (featuring Washington DC go-go legends Big Tony Fisher of Trouble Funk and Tyrone ‘Jungle Boogie’ Williams of Rare Essence), ‘NDUGU’ and ‘Remember The Children’, it plays like a master class in funk sub-genres and has been championed by UK radio stations such as Jazz FM. Lettuce continue to be boundary-pushing innovators nearly three decades into their career, blurring the lines and smashing it up with jazz chords, psychedelic passages, big horns, strains of soul and go-go, hip-hop elements and a joyful, uplifting improvisational sound of their own. They also took inspiration from some of their idols for their latest music, including James Brown and Earth, Wind & Fire (‘Remember The Children’ is an EWF cover). ‘Resonate’ was helmed by esteemed producer and engineer Russ Elevado (D’Angelo, The Roots, Erykah Badu) and written and recorded during the same Colorado Sound Studio sessions that produced ‘Elevate’. A powerhouse collective made up of world-class musicians, the members of Lettuce are also highly sought-after by other artists and have studio and live resumés that read like a who’s who in hip-hop, pop and beyond, working and performing with Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Questlove, Justin Timberlake, The Fugees, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Britney Spears, Gary Clark Jr., Skrillex, Solange and more. LETTUCE Adam Deitch: drums, percussion Adam ‘Shmeeans’ Smirnoff: guitar Erick ‘Jesus’ Coomes: bass Ryan Zoidis: alto, baritone and tenor sax, Korg X-911 Eric ‘Benny’ Bloom: trumpet, horns Nigel Hall: vocals, Hammond B-3, Rhodes, clavinet, keyboards lettucefunk.com facebook.com/lettucefunk twitter.com/lettucefunk instagram.com/lettucefunk  Bishop Rance Allen, a famous gospel singer and church bishop who hailed from Michigan, has died. Allen died at age 71 while recovering from a medical procedure at Heartland ProMedica in Sylvania, Ohio, according to a joint statement from wife Ellen Allen and manager Toby Jackson. Allen died around 3 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. Allen was born in Monroe in 1948 and moved to Toledo in 1989. Allen was the lead vocalist of his namesake The Rance Allen Group, formed in Monroe in 1969 with brothers Tom Allen and Steve Allen. Rance Allen had been nominated for numerous Grammy Awards and had performed for former President Barack Obama at a White House Celebration of Gospel Music. The group, which intermittently also contained a fourth brother, Esau Allen, was the first group to be signed to Stax Records imprint Gospel Truth. In addition to being known for Allen’s vocal prowess and range, the group was also regarded for its blending of gospel, rock, and soul. Among their best-known songs are “Ain’t No Need of Crying,” “I Belong to You,” “Do Your Will,” and “Miracle Worker.” The group was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2012, the group won two Stellar Awards for Quartet of the Year and Traditional Group/Duo of the Year. Allen was the senior pastor of the New Bethel Church of God in Christ in Toledo since its July 1985 establishment. In November 2011, Allen was elevated to the office of Bishop in the Church of God in Christ for the Michigan Northwestern Harvest Jurisdiction. “Bishop Allen was a world-renowned gospel artist and affectionately known as the ‘Father of Contemporary Gospel Music,’” said Bishop Robert G. Rudolph Jr., adjutant general of the Church of God in Christ, in a press release. “Bishop Allen’s unique vocal ministry was an indispensable sound within the Church of God in Christ and Christendom. His gift transcended boundaries of musical genre as he remained a sought-after personality called to perform on global venues.” Allen’s family is to hold a private memorial service.
 JULIA STONE’S NEW SINGLE ‘DANCE’ IS OUT NOW SIXTY SUMMERS IS OUT 19 FEBRUARY 2021 Julia Stone reveals today that her hugely anticipated third solo album Sixty Summers will be released on February 19 via BMG. Eight years after Stone’s last solo record, Sixty Summers arrives as a powerful rebirth for one of Australia’s most prolific artists. Emerging from the wildernesses of folk and indie-rock, with Sixty Summers Stone dives headfirst into the cosmopolitan, hedonistic world of late-night, moonlit pop. The stunning album brings us the grit and glitter of the city, with all its attendant joys, dangers, romances and risks. It is Stone at her truest, brightest self, a revered icon finally sharing her long, secret love affair with this vibrant and complex genre. In tandem with the news of the album’s release, Stone unveils third single ‘Dance’ with video directed by Jessie Hill and featuring extraordinary performances from multi award-winning actors Susan Sarandon and Danny Glover. Hill, Stone’s long-time visual storytelling collaborator, who also directed the striking visual for first single ‘Break’, has truly raised and cleared the bar for creative direction with the ‘Dance’ visual. Together with Sarandon and Glover, Hill has created a sensual, playful and almost mystical narrative - a fairy-tale moment in time. The actors portray a love, young in its lifetime. They prepare for their first date with giddy excitement, sashaying around their respective homes, dizzy at the prospect of what’s to come. Later, the pair dance and sway together through the streets of New York, lost in each other's arms and presence. Of the video’s conception, Hill explains, "Particularly in this moment, I wanted to make a memorable video with a whimsical message about love... a story reflecting the times, where more than ever we need to come together and connect. I also wanted to explore an oft-neglected demographic and reframe the way we look at age.” Although mature in years, Sarandon and Glover portray in the video all the excitement and anticipation associated with new love, reminding the viewer that magic in connection is something intrinsic in the very nature of being human. Hill continues, “there’s a specific sexiness to maturity, something to revere. We need to see more examples of the wiser generation portrayed in film as exciting, open and highly desirable. Having two icons like Danny and Susan come together to breathe life into this concept was a dream come true." With performances that harness the magic and wonder of new love, and a chemistry between the actors that feels almost visceral, the ‘Dance’ video will stay with the viewer long after the last bars of the song play out. Of the song, Stone shares, “‘Dance’ was written as I thought about those very rare and often very special times when strong messages are sent and received silently between people. I was thinking about the moments we can share, when words are ineffective to communicate to those you love or are just unnecessary in a moment of deep connection…. When there’s nothing else to say or do, ‘Why don’t we dance’… It occurs with love and happiness but also pain and empathy. Heart, in all its appearances.” ‘Dance’ is Stone’s third single release in 2020, after ‘Break’ and ‘Unreal’, all of which will feature on Sixty Summers. Recorded sporadically over five years from 2015 to 2019, Sixty Summers was shaped profoundly by Stone’s key collaborators on the album: Thomas Bartlett, aka Doveman, and Annie Clark, the Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer known as St. Vincent. Bartlett and Clark were the symbiotic pair Stone needed to realise her first pop vision. A wizard of production and songwriting, Bartlett helped coax Sixty Summers’ independent, elemental spirit from Stone, writing and recording over 50 demos with her at his studio in New York. Itself a thoroughfare for indie rock luminaries, some of whom, such as The National’s Matt Berninger and Bryce Dessner, ended up on the album, Bartlett’s studio was perfect fertile ground for Stone’s growth. “Making this record with Thomas, I felt so free. I can hear it in the music,” says Stone. “He brings a sense of confidence to recording sessions.” Clark was the incisive yang to Bartlett’s yin, a sharp musical polymath who, when presented with the work Bartlett and Stone had made together, quickly helped fashion Sixty Summers into the album it was destined to be. Contributing vocals and guitar in addition to production, Clark’s revered acidic touch ignited the sparks of Stone’s creations. Of Stone, Clark comments, “Jules is the best. We were always fond of each other from afar, but after working on this, we became great friends. She's a brilliant girl — tenacious, perfectionistic, so smart. All fire.” The scope of Sixty Summers is dizzyingly vast; miles away from Stone’s past work, it is a world unto itself, a surreal and breathtaking new landscape. Where Stone’s previous solo records, 2010’s The Memory Machine and 2014’s By The Horns, found her grappling with the natural darkness that comes with loving too much, Sixty Summers finds Stone claiming every part of herself: fire, fury, love, lust, longing. Touching on reference points as disparate as the avant-funk of Talking Heads (on ‘Break’) the romantic 2am musings of Serge Gainsbourg (‘Free’, ‘Dance’) and the sleek, ecstatic synth work of Lorde’s Melodrama (‘Substance’), Sixty Summers is an album you can dance to and one you can lose yourself in completely. Sixty Summers is available for pre-order now. |