I had probably been in the same restaurants and grocery stores at the exact same time as my birth mother, without having any clue whatsoever.

Former President Barack Obama described President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic as "chaotic" in a conference call with former members of his administration, a source said on Saturday.

The music of Little Richard, who died on Saturday at the age of 87, was one of the genuine architects of not only rock and roll but R&B, soul, hip-hop and other genres as well. Few artists can truly be said to have directly inspired the Beatles, James Brown, the Rolling Stones, Prince and countless […]

No one can do a Little Richard composition like Little Richard. In the finest moments from the rock and roll pioneer — who died Saturday at the age of 87 — self-penned songs were as flamboyant as his appearance. Informed by his Georgian roots in the Pentecostal church and the nightlife business (tellingly, his dad […]

The Mayor of Flavortown is giving back to restaurant workers around the country. Guy Fieri has helped raise more than $20 million by partnering with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, he announced in an interview with TMZ. He and the organization have been sending restaurant workers $500 grants through the newly created Restaurant Employee […]

Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Kristen Wiig returned as the surprise host for the “At Home” finale, that also happened to be the late-night sketch comedy’s Mother’s Day episode, on May 9. After dancing around her home and flashing the camera (which was, of course, pixelated per broadcast standards), the actor and comedian slid […]

Nearly two years ago, “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris signed a $100 million overall deal with Netflix, placing him among a rarefied list of creators — which also includes Shonda Rhimes, Ryan Murphy and “Game of Thrones” showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss — able to command a nine-figure production pact with one of the world’s […]

It's not a trick - each of these photos are completely real.

16 life hacks everyone needs to know.

This is the most heartbreaking, important thing I've ever written about.

He's able to hide so many flaws that make his clients self-conscious.

The rights issue opening and closing dates will be informed separately.

Live: Wuhan reports first case since AprilIn a video conference, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal shed light on Delhi's current situation, where he also announced he was arranging for home care of patients with mild symptoms.

For our feature interview, Mike catches up with Ben Rayner (22:40), the long-time music writer and critic at the Toronto Star. He’s easily one of the best music writers in Canada and it’s obvious that his love of music, and writing about it, is as strong as ever. As local newspapers disappear and even the big newspapers like the Globe & Mail and National Post diminish their arts coverage and move music journalists into other beats, Ben is among the last of a dying breed. Mike and Ben chat about changing nature of music journalism in Canada and the decline of music coverage in newspapers and then get into what impact this could have on artists and the country’s music industry.

But before we chat with Ben, we also meet up with Charlie Wall-Andrews (2:48), the executive director of the SOCAN Foundation. Charlie fills us in all the various grants and programs that the SOCAN Foundation has available to artists. Then she and Mike discuss the concept of corporate social responsibility, which is an area of particular expertise for Charlie, and how it applies to the music industry. www.socanfoundation.ca.

On today’s podcast, we have Sandy Graham, the woman who has had maybe the most diverse and interesting career in the Canadian music business. Sandy is currently the owner and editor-in-chief of Cashbox Canada, but over her roughly 40 years in the industry, going back to when she was a teenager, she has been involved in nearly every segment of this industry and has been a true trailblazer. She began in music retail, before being one of the first women to work at a major label in Canada. She’s been a radio music director, a venue owner – including of the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto – a music journalist, and she’s even a choreographer, having choreographed the first ever halftime show at the Sky Dome. Sandy is also an artist manager and festival organizer. Like we said, she’s been involved in everything and we’ve wanted to have her on the podcast for a while to tell her story and share some of the insights she has gained along the way.

Darryl Ballantyne, CEO of Toronto-based lyric licensing company LyricFind, joins us to discuss the quickly-growing business of displaying lyrics, from Google searches to merchandise and a lot more. We get into how the licensing deals for lyrics work and, yes, the legal dispute between Genius Media and Google that had LyricFind caught right in the middle.

We also touch on a number of new initiatives that LyricFind has announced over the past year, including partnerships with fizy in Turkey, MPA/PMLL in the U.K.. and some Canada-specific content, like the funding from the Canadian Government to promote and export Canadian content through lyrics and lyric translations and to bring the stories found in Indigenous songs to all Canadians. That includes some interesting insight into the process of translating various Indigenous languages.

Mike recently spent an afternoon in the workshop of one of Canada’s top luthiers, Linda Manzer, for a fun chat with her and one Canada’s top singer-songwriters, Stephen Fearing (Blackie & The Rodeo Kings). Together, they talk guitars (obviously), the role the instrument plays in their respective careers and personal lives, share some interesting stories, and get into the new custom Cowpoke guitar that Linda had just presented to Stephen. After the interview, Stephen gives the first-ever performance on the custom guitar.

Plus, contributor Hal Rodriguez recently spoke with Wide Mouth Mason's Shaun Verreault on the band's new album,I Wanna Go with You, and the lap steel's central role in its composition. In this brief snippet, Shaun explains how he found and developed a fondness for the instrument. Check out the full Q&A at https://shorttakes.canadianmusician.com/wide-mouth-mason/

http://canadianmusician.com

Fresh from their panel at Indie Week’s Indie101 Music & Tech Conference, Mike sits down with Erin Kinghorn, the co-founder of playlist-pitching company Digital Promotions Group (DPG) Canada and founder of artist development company eEK! Productions.

Together, Mike and Erin chat all about streaming playlists and how songs find success on them. Erin explains how the playlist ecosystems works, the data and analytics that matter, the differences between the various streaming platforms, how a playlist-pitching campaign works, how to measure success in this quickly-evolving sector, and a bunch more.

http://dpgworldwide.com http://canadianmusician.com

We're thrilled to have both The Good Lovelies and Delaney Jane on this week's pod!

Heralded folk/harmony trio The Good Lovelies just dropped their second Christmas collection, Evergreen, and are now set to embark on their annual holiday tour. We catch up with Sue Passmore to talk about the evolution of their acclaimed holiday show, the art of writing a quality contemporary Christmas tune, their Good Lovelies Forest initiative, and more.

Then, the same morning that her debut LP, Dirty Pretty Things, dropped, Mike sat down with platinum-selling alt-pop singer/songwriter Delaney Jane. She discusses her journey from Toronto art school student to in-demand songwriter and rising pop star, recounts a chance meeting with a new neighbour that led to a very fruitful artistic partnership and high-profile writing gigs, and how that launched her career as a fully-independent artist.

http://canadianmusician.com

This week, we welcome Joanne Janzen, an Edmonton-based music life coach who also hosts her own podcast, fittingly titled The Music Life Coach Podcast. In this enlightening conversation with Jo, she teaches us what exactly a music life coach does and how she became one while also navigating her own career as a professional musician. We then get into career development, psychology, mental health, live performance, and how Jo's work differs from and complements that of an artist manager. She also gives us some tips on professional networking and developing a "personal mindset strategy" to propel your career forward.

http://musiclifecoach.joannejanzen.com/ http://canadianmusician.com

Ajungi – pronounced AH-YUNG-EE – is a Nunavut-based music collective made up of up-and-coming artists from across the territory. The concept was created by artist and entrepreneur Thor Simonsen, the creative director of Hitmakerz, an Iqaluit-based record label that delivers music workshops to remote communities across Nunavut and records, produces, and releases music by many Inuit artists.

Simonsen joins us to talk about the project's inception and goals, what the workshops and recording sessions entail, how they benefit the artists' careers and communities, and a lot more.

http://canadianmusician.com http://ajungi.ca

Happy Holidays! We're switching things up for this special episode with an interview that originally aired on The Music Life Coach Podcast, featuring host Jo Janzen interviewing Canadian Musician Editor-in-Chief and podcast host Andrew King about his article "The Era of the Artistpreneur."

Andrew has valuable info for artists about what it means to be an entrepreneur in today's music business, how "do it yourself" doesn't necessarily mean "do it alone," how artists can assess risks and not let fear impede their decision-making, and a whole lot more. Plus, Jo offers some advice of her own, drawn from her experiences as an artist and those of some of her clients.

Check out Andrew's "The Era of the Artistpreneur" feature at: https://indepth.canadianmusician.com/the-era-of-the-artistpreneur/

Learn more about The Music Life Coach Podcast at: https://musiclifecoach.joannejanzen.com/templates/blog/podcast/

Happy New Year and hope everyone has had a great holiday! Like we did last episode, and before we get back to our usual programming next week, we're switching things up for one more special episode with an interview that originally aired on The Music Life Coach Podcast, featuring host Jo Janzen interviewing Canadian Musician Senior Editor and CM Podcast co-host Mike Raine about his article, "Music Is Facing a Mental Health Crisis."

With Jo, Mike discusses his research and reporting for the article, which examines the critical issue of mental health among professional touring musicians. They look at the alarming stats on musicians’ mental health and reasons they suffer from significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts; the insights Mike gleaned from the musicians and experts he spoke with; and what can be done to address the problem at both the industry and personal level. Plus, Jo offers some insights and advice of her own, drawn from her experiences as an artist and those of some of her clients.

Check out Mike's article, "Music Is Facing a Mental Health Crisis”

Learn more about The Music Life Coach Podcast at: https://musiclifecoach.joannejanzen.com/templates/blog/podcast/

When Karen Allen told us about her book for musicians about the live streaming platform Twitch, she said: “I’ve been working in digital music for 20 years and have never seen anything so effective for artists.” That certainly piqued our interest.

Lo and behold, there is a growing and prospering community of musicians on Twitch using the platform to engage new fans, turn casual fans into super fans, and make some good money doing it. Allen, a veteran of the digital music industry and author of Twitch for Musicians, joins us on today's show to explain Twitch’s evolution and how indie musicians can utilize it to great effect.

This episode is sponsored by Bandzoogle. Try it free for 30 days and use the promo code “CMPOD” to get 15% off the first year of any subscription. https://bandzoogle.com/?pc=cmpod

http://canadianmusician.com

Here's hoping everyone is holding up while holed up. On today's show, we bring you a candid conversation with Erin Benjamin, the president and CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association, discussing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the association's members and wider concert industry in Canada.

Let's be clear: the situation is dire, and there's up-to-date data to prove it; however, the CLMA is working hard by advocating the government to recognize and help the industry through these hardships and has been making inroads. We get into these and other efforts the association is spearheading, including collaborations with fellow music industry stakeholders, and share tips on how anyone listening can take action.

http://canadianmusician.com

This episode is sponsored by Bandzoogle. Try it free for 30 days and use the promo code “CMPOD” to get 15% off your first year of any subscription. https://bandzoogle.com/?pc=cmpod

This week, we bring you a special conversation with rap innovators Cadence Weapon, aka Rollie Pemberton, and Hua Li, aka Peggy Hogan, from the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. The two were part of the 20-day Banff International Songwriter Residency as a mentor and participant, respectively, and we dive into their experience, talk about the value of collaboration and idea-sharing, wax on the concept of "Canadian music," and more.

Plus, shortly after Canada started taking COVID-19 seriously in mid-March, a group of Toronto creatives launched a livestreaming initiative called URGNT. The idea was to broadcast sessions with a diverse array of artists from empty Toronto venues, ensuring every stakeholder would receive some compensation for their work at a time they'd really need it. We speak with co-founder Mark Marczyk about how everything came together.

http://canadianmusician.com

This episode is sponsored by Bandzoogle. Try it free for 30 days and use the promo code “CMPOD” to get 15% off your first year of any subscription. https://bandzoogle.com/?pc=cmpod

Darren "Young D" Metz and Quinton "Yung Trybez" Nyce of acclaimed rap duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids join us this week. We chat about how they’re getting through the quarantine and the frustration of a cancelled U.S. tour. Then we get into the making of their new EP, Born Deadly, discussing the influence of Kobe Bryant (whose death inspired the song “Kobe Face”), as well as how they took their anger over the RCMP’s actions against Indigenous protesters in Wet'suwet'en territory, and across Canada, and put it into the raging new track “Cops with Guns Are the Worst!!!”

Plus, influetial and innovative hip-hop producer David Strickland and multi-faceted creator Que Rock talk about their collaborations on Strickland's upcoming collection, Spirit of Hip Hop. Strickland addresses the truly stellar guest list he's assembled for the record - which includes Que - before we touch on some of the themes they cover, how categorization can be counter-productive in hip-hop, and more.

http://canadianmusician.com

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Three Indiana women who moved to the United States as children have created a fund to help immigrant families who don't qualify for government aid and have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.

The women joined other volunteers, many of whom are also recipients under the ...

For the second time, a federal judge has issued a restraining order against Kentucky officials who moved to block church services during the coronavirus shutdown.

U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove ruled Friday night in favor of Tabernacle Baptist Church of Nicholasville and against Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's order ...

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says, in the spirit of "competitive fairness," he believes facilities across the NFL should reopen at the same time.

The man was Tasered four times before officers were able to arrest him, police say.

Saskatchewan announced nine new COVID-19 cases and five more recoveries on Saturday, bringing its total number of cases to 553 as the province enters week two of its plan to gradually reopen.

As the province enters its second week of the first phase of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan, the provincial government has updated guidelines for some of the businesses expected to open soon.

We're led to believe though that, having refused to quarantine the vast majority of passengers arriving in the UK earlier, the government will now move to do so, as lockdown starts to ease.

Tesla Inc sued local authorities in California on Saturday as the electric carmaker pushed to re-open its factory there and Chief Executive Elon Musk threatened to move Tesla's headquarters and future programs from the state to Texas or Nevada.

The report comes as the government announced all states must now meet federal reporting guidelines. The type of information gathered by states up to now has been inconsistent.

Little Richard, the self-proclaimed "architect of rock 'n' roll" who built his ground-breaking sound with a boiling blend of boogie-woogie, rhythm and blues and gospel, died on Saturday at the age of 87.

Kohli admitted it was not easy in the initial days.

Virat and Anushka have been trying to help the needy as much as they can in these troubled times and apart from donating to the PM-CARES Fund.

Virat and Anushka have been trying to help the needy as much as they can in these troubled times and apart from donating to the PM-CARES Fund.

In Shikhar Dhawan's latest antics on Instagram, he can be seen romancing with his wife Ayesha on song 'Main Teri Mohabbat Mein.' Through the video, he showcased the difference between the first week of quarantine which will leave you in splits.

Six-year-old Yunosuke and four-year-old Koujirou can be seen training on the Swedish and Serbian legends in a viral video.

On the occasion of Mother's Day 2020, Indian captain Virat Kohli wished his mom and mother-in-law (Anushka Sharma's mother) by sharing a couple of adorable pictures on Instagram. The batsman and both his mothers were all smiles in the pics and as a result, the comment second of the post was filled with heartfelt messages.

Vincenzo Spadafora discussed the top flight in Italy, which is looking to return as Germany's Bundesliga prepares to resume on May 16

Gautam Gambhir said that players will have to “live with” the coronavirus for the foreseeable future.

As the Bundesliga prepares to restart on May 16, the former Arsenal midfielder believes the league could have waited before ending the French season

Arsenal reportedly must decide on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's future by next month amid Real Madrid links.

London, May 10: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is out of contract in June 2021 and the Gabon international is no closer to signing a new Arsenal deal. The former Borussia Dortmund star is not short of suitors amid uncertainty over his future

The former Bulgaria international recalled a League Cup game against Leeds where he played in defence for Sir Alex Ferguson's team