Music Biz Headlines, June 1, 2018
TPOH celebrates a milestone, Greg Keelor muses on a possible end of touring for Blue Rodeo, and Joan Baez and Slayer are on swansong treks. Others in the headlines include Hall & Oates, Drake, Coleman Hell, Venues, UK drill. NXNE, Postdata, Live Nation, Linda Ronstadt, and Lief Hall.
By Kerry Doole
30 Years of Love Junk with The Pursuit of Happiness
Some things in life you just don’t forget. For me, one is some guy screaming, screaming, screaming in a leather jacket! – Andre Gagne, Ottawa Life
Blue Rodeo’s Greg Keelor explains why the band is winding down tours
Last year’s cross-country tour wasn’t Greg Keelor’s first rodeo, but it may be his last. He says that Blue Rodeo, the beloved country-rock band he co-fronts with Jim Cuddy, will never tour extensively again – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail
How Hall & Oates keep the all-time favourites fresh
Daryl Hall and John Oates can still pack arenas with fans who can sing along to the entire set list. They play Toronto's ACC on June 5 – Dan Gelston, AP
Drake vs. Pusha T makes me wonder if I've aged out of rap beefs
As addictive as a good roast can be, this time it's left me feeling very, very tired – Nick Flanagan, NOW
Slayer says farewell to Toronto in blazing concert at Budweiser Stage
No one wants to say goodbye to Slayer forever, of course, but if this is indeed it for the living metal legends they’re going out in spectacular form – Ben Rayner, Toronto Star
Coleman Hell calls from the canyon
A change of scenery helped him get through some dark times and chart new musical directions – Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight
Joan Baez review – queen of folk bids a poignant farewell
Royal Albert Hall, London: Eco-protests met lover’s laments as the 77-year-old marked her final tour with a stirring reminder of her fighting spirit – Stephen Moss, The Guardian
With Venues, Oculus and FB push social VR into new territory
Oculus Venues is bringing VR users concerts, sporting events, and movie nights—all live, in three dimensions, and surrounded by hundreds of strangers. What could go wrong? – Wired
Inside UK drill, the demonised rap genre representing a marginalised generation
Until recently, mainstream media have actively ignored drill, but are now jumping on a bandwagon of blame - not hesitating to pinpoint blame on the music and its disciples for perpetuating a recent spike of violence in London – Yemi Abiade, The Independent
6 reasons why we have high hopes for NXNE this year
Among several things, we're looking forward to the return of free shows at Yonge and Dundas, Tinashe and Game Land – Staff, ontheaside
Postdata’s wild heart
On Let’s Be Wilderness, Wintersleep's Paul Murphy expands the intimacy of his debut without sacrificing an ounce of feeling – Tara Thorne, The Coast
Live Nation buys Texas indie promoter ScoreMore Shows
The live concert giant has announced it has acquired a majority stake in ScoreMore Shows, one of the largest indie concert promoters and festival producers in the country, and the largest in Texas – Joe Reinartz, celebrityaccess
Sonia Reid Noble doubles up after smash Bassment debut
"The amount of support that I felt from the community here was tremendous. I’ll never forget that moment," says the gospel/soul singer – Cam Fuller, Star-Phoenix
Local artist Lief Hall experiments with pop
For left-field Vancouver musician Lief Hall, Berlin proved the perfect place to explore her solo project – Kate Wilson, Georgia Straight
Linda Ronstadt back in public eye, and it’s not so easy
Afflicted by Parkinson's Linda Ronstadt doesn’t feel like company much these days. At least, not too much company. And on a recent visit, she is definitely not going to put on clothes and makeup – Joel Selvin, SF Chronicle
YouTube deletes 30 music videos after Met link with gang violence
Content removed as police chief associates drill lyrics with surge in stabbings and murders – Jim Waterson, The Guardian
