Legendary folk singer Joan Baez joins Amnesty tour

26 September 2008

Joan Baez, legendary folk musician and lifelong human rights activist, has joined Amnesty International's Small Places Tour - the human rights organisation's latest international music project

Baez, whose 27-city European and US tour starts in Dublin tonight (and also includes forthcoming dates in Glasgow, Manchester and London), has joined a project that sees music as a means of engaging thousands of new human rights activists worldwide.

The American performer has a history of human rights activism that spans four decades and Joan Baez herself helped establish Amnesty International in San Francisco more than 35 years ago.

Amnesty International UK's Creative Relationship Manager Chloe Baird-Murray said: 'Amnesty is fortunate enough to be working with some of the world's most talented musicians and Joan's support is incredibly important to us. Joan Baez's music continues to be an inspiration to millions and it's absolutely fantastic that she's joined our 'Small Places Tour'. "This year sees the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and we're taking its message of human rights for all out to music audiences around the world.'

Baez joins the likes of U2, R.E.M., Peter Gabriel, Alanis Morissette, Gilberto Gil, Tracy Chapman, Sigur Ros and hundreds of other artists on Amnesty's tour.

The Small Places Tour takes its inspiration from a speech made by Eleanor Roosevelt - a key player in the creation of the UDHR in 1948 - where she called for 'concerted citizen action' in 'small places'. The tour launched in London on 10 September at an event with U2's The Edge and Peter Gabriel. It is set to culminate on 10 December (international human rights day and 60th anniversary of the UDHR) with dozens of concerts worldwide.

PETER GABRIEL - GABRIEL TO WORK WITH HOT CHIP?

26/09/2008

HOT CHIP have revealed they have asked PETER GABRIEL to collaborate with them on their next album.

The London band and former GENESIS singer recently recorded a cover of VAMPIRE WEEKEND'S Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.

Speaking to Billboard, the band's Joey Goddard said: "We said we'd love to do more stuff with him in the future and asked him to contribute to the next record. So, we'll see."

The band are currently working on material for the follow-up to 2008's MADE IN THE DARK, which they plan to release next year.

However, Goddard also revealed that singer Alexis Taylor has recorded a solo album, to be released on London independent label Treader.

"They're sketches of new songs, short improvised pieces. A scrapbook, in a way," Goddard said.

The band recently played the San Diego Street Scene festival alongside the likes of MGMT.

@EconMusic: Billy Bragg on social media: "Everyone's making a shitload of money each except us"

Photograph: RobertAndrews

By Robert Andrews

Billy Bragg used our EconMusic conference in London to urge the emerging wave of web services to pay artists fairly for using their songs. "Everyone's making a shitload of money, it seems, except the content providers," said the singer-songwriter, who has previously criticised MySpace and MTV on artists' rights and Bebo on payments.

"How much do you think MySpace makes from advertising?," Bragg asked rhetorically. "$800 million? And how much do they pay for content?" The crowd's titters belied the answer 'not a lot'. "We need to establish the principle of paying content providers, not just musicians but for everybody. In order for us to to make a living, the industry has to recognise that the old model doesn't work anymore and has to be restructured."

Sitting alongside our moderator Angel Gambino - notably, both an MTV alum and recently-departed Bebo music VP - Bragg urged musicians to mobilise together to demand better rates and an industry-wide body to simplify online royalty collections.

• Give it away now?:

VC Danny Rimer - whose Index Ventures has invested in Last.fm, Loudeye and Rhapsody amongst others - foretold "artists are going to have to think of themselves as brands and give their music away for free", making money instead from endorsements, as 50 Cent has done. Clearly riled at the prospect of following the rapper in to energy drink sponsorships, Bragg quipped: "It's hard enough trying to write songs, without having to design Chinos as well. People already get my music for nothing from the BBC and commercial radio"; he demanded websites pay royalties like the broadcasters already do: "Any music service should be paying, it's as simple as that"...

• So how will sites pay?:

Last.fm COO Spencer Hyman: "We're very happy to share all the advertising revenue that we get, but what we can't do is to give more than we're getting in." Then how exactly will such sites put a penny in artists' pocket? Hyman spoke plenty of Last.fm's own Artist Royalty Program, which this week won The Dandy Warhols' business, but raising the money to pay artists seems to be proving problematic… Last.fm's promised premium subscription service hasn't yet surfaced and "internet advertising is really, really hard", he said, suggesting the paradigm is less effective than TV advertising.

Last.fm debutante Warner Music recently yanked its tunes from the site during a license dispute in which it is supposedly seeking bigger payouts, while indies' body Merlin threatened to sue it over "illegal" music use. Hyman said negotiations are continual, and turned to Marla Shapiro of royalty collector MCPS-PRS to arbitrate: "There are some very reasonable discussions about what we can be expected to pay. We have faith that you will bear with us on that one..."

• Hard to pay?:

But most agree that current licensing frameworks are too cumbersome even to allow artists and sites to profit fairly. Steve Purdham, CEO of ad-supported We7: "Paying people is actually one of the hardest things to do. Peter Gabriel is one of our investors and it's taken us 18 months to get his music on our site." Bragg: "There are people running platforms who want to pay artists but there are so many technical hurdles in the way - we need root-and-branch reform of the way we move money around the industry; there does need to be an industry-wide collection agency that deals with this kind of stuff."

Gambino said Bebo even got cease-and-desist orders over its use of tracks uploaded by the very same labels. Hyman: "The music industry is definitely different - I've never come across so many lawyers in my life." Bragg said labels needed to open up: "That's my income stream they're pissing in. I want to be able to exploit my music, as a small producer no longer signed up to the major labels."

Commercial Music Giant Goes "Global"

JSM Music Creates Soundtrack for Fourth Annual Clinton Global Initiative

AUSTIN, Texas, Sep 25, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- JSM Music, the commercial music production giant responsible for thousands of commercials for some of the world's biggest brands, is going "Global." JSM Austin has created and donated 23 pieces of custom-scored music which will essentially comprise the soundtrack to the fourth annual Clinton Global Initiative conference in New York, September 21-25.

The music scores a series of films produced by Austin-based non-profit and CGI partner Students of the World. Under the leadership of founder Courtney Spence, Students Of the World has for the third consecutive year sent university students to developing nations to document the social, economic, and medical work of CGI-partnered non-profits. The resulting short films (viewable at seechangenow.org) will serve as progress reports shown at the annual CGI meeting this week in New York, with each film opening a different plenary session. An exciting and music-driven three-minute piece will open the entire conference and will introduce Bill Clinton to the stage.

Joel Simon, CEO of JSM Music, says, "All of us at JSM are very proud to be involved in this endeavor. It is a very important grand mission and a supremely worthy cause. Regardless of ones partisan political affiliation, CGI stands on higher ground supporting a non-partisan unified world affiliation. Given the world climate we all currently live in, I felt lending our talent and resources was the least we could do to help."

Austin-based Executive Producer/Composer David Rice scored the film series from JSM's Austin studios. The soundtracks feature both traditional western instruments and those native to the nations they represent, with African Kalimba, Mexican Vihuela (a small 5-string guitar), and Indian tabla alongside acoustic and baritone guitars. He again worked closely with Peter Gabriel's Real World Records, who graciously donated a piece for use in the Paraguay short.
Says SOW's Spence, "Music is such an integral part of telling these stories, and David again hit it out of he park with his sensitivity, dedication, and huge musical talent. We are very grateful to Joel Simon and all at JSM Music for sharing him with us this summer."

The films are produced with cooperation from GSD&M's Idea City and 501 Post, whose Matt Naylor handled all editorial duties. Naylor and Rice last worked together as editor/composer on "Crawford" -- the internationally acclaimed look at President Bush's adopted hometown. The feature documentary won the audience award at the Brooklyn Film Festival and will be released in October.

The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) is a non-partisan catalyst for action that brings together a community of global leaders to devise and implement solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI members have made nearly 1,000 commitments valued at upwards of $30 billion to impact more than 200 million lives in over 150 countries.

JSM Music is the world's largest producer of original music for commercials. With recording facilities encompassing 20,000 square foot and 15 state of the art studios, JSM is the largest recording facility in Manhattan. JSM has accumulated over 1000 gold and platinum records, Grammys, Emmys, and advertising awards including the Clio (23), AICP (8), Addy, One Show, Hispanic Advertising Award, and others.

Festival Fargo All Stars, le 10 octobre à l'Antipode

alter1fo.com, 26 09 2008

R1R2 présente la première édition du Festival Fargo All Stars en Bretagne, un festival itinérant qui regroupe des artistes du label Fargo Records. Une soirée évènement pour laquelle Alter1fo vous fait gagner vos places !

Fargo est un label indépendant qui assure la promotion de nombreux artistes comme Andrew Bird ou Great Lake Swimmers. A ce titre le label organise des soirées spéciales avec plusieurs de ses vedettes, notamment à la Cigale à Paris, baptisée Festival Fargo All Stars. Cet évènement itinérant posera pour la première fois ses valises à Rennes le 10 octobre prochain avec la complicité de R1R2.

Comme à son habitude 3 artistes du label seront au programme. D'abord Joseph Arthur, un auteur-compositeur américain découvert en 1996 par Peter Gabriel. Il en est désormais à son septième album avec Temporary People, qui doit sortir prochainement. Un artiste qui se promène entre folk et rock au milieu de ses ballades moelleuses et chansons enlevées. Viendra ensuite Jesse Sykes et ses Sweet Hereafter. Une artiste élevée à l'école de la country américaine, mais qui cherche à s'en émanciper avec des accents plus pop et soul. Enfin la soirée prendra aussi une couleur beaucoup plus rock avec les excellents Redwalls. En attendant leur prochain album, attendu pour novembre, ils viennent de ressortir leur album Universal Blues qui date de 2003.

Fresh Hot Chip: Covers, EPs, Shows, New Songs

September 24, 2008 , Katie Hasty, N.Y.

With a live EP, covers of Joy Division and Vampire Weekend, a slew of tour dates, a remix EP and a new record on the way, the members of Hot Chip have certainly kept themselves busy lately.

The group just released an iTunes exclusive live EP of six tracks recorded May 8 in Berlin. "I'm gonna be honest," Hot Chip founding member and multi-instrumentalist Joe Goddard tells Billboard.com, "I don't think I even knew we had a live EP coming out. All the better, though, it's nice for things to be documented, to have a piece of how things evolve."

One recent evolution was the addition of live drummer Leo Taylor; Hot Chip sparingly used a live drummer (LCD Soundsystem's Pat Mahoney) in the past. The London-based group has tour dates slated in North America through Oct. 9, then return to the U.K. for performances through November.

A one-off show last night (Sept. 23) with Vampire Weekend was a happy pairing, considering Hot Chip has recently finished a cover of Vampire Weekend's "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa," for a single due this fall. But the group didn't do it alone: the very man the song namechecks, Peter Gabriel, contributed vocals.

"We got to spend two days with Peter Gabriel, which was a massive, massive deal, as he's a massive influence on us. His use of rhythms and synths and world instruments, his songwriting structures ... made for a big hero to [singer] Alexis [Taylor] growing up," Goddard says. "When we were producing [the track] and [Gabriel] stepped up to the microphone, [group member] Owen [Clarke] said it was like watching someone turn on the Peter Gabriel Machine. We said we'd love to do more stuff with him in the future and asked him to contribute to the next record. So, we'll see."

Hot Chip also covered Joy Division's "Transmission" for War Child Music's benefit covers album "Heroes," at the request of Joy Division/New Order drummer Stephen Morris himself. According to Goddard, the group focused in on the rhythm, and ended up recording the sounds of clanging steel pans and live drums. The album is due Nov. 24 via Parlophone/EMI in the U.K.; Hot Chip says they plan to release the song in the States as a vinyl single sometime this fall.

In a month, the group will also be releasing a collection of remixes of songs from its 2008 album "Made in the Dark," dubbed "Remade in the Dark." Featured are a new mixes of "We're Looking for a Lot of Love," "Whistle for Will" and the title track by veteran producer Robert Wyatt. The band, in turn, produced a track on Wyatt's forthcoming Domino effort.

Then there's Hot Chip's work on new originals. Goddard says the group has already finished writing half-a-dozen songs for the follow-up to "Made in the Dark," due for release early next year. "'Made in the Dark' felt bold, but for me it was all over the place. This next one... won't have an A-side and a b-Side. It will be much more mid-paced, like a Fleetwood Mac album," he says. The band has already begun playing one new track, "Alley Cats," at its shows.

Taylor has already finished a solo record, "Rubbed Out," which will be a limited-released effort on London micro-indie label Treader this fall. ("They're sketches of new songs, short improvised pieces... a scrapbook in a way," says Goddard.) And Goddard himself is producing other artists, including a "pure pop" set for new artist Little Boots and rapper Dels.

Gabriel gets in the Olympic spirit

Peter Gabriel, the pop guru-turned humanitarian, has joined the lengthy queue of people clamouring for a cut in the budget for London's 2012 Olympics.

"Instead of spending a fortune on the opening ceremony, we should begin with a simple ceremony," he says.

"Perhaps if the Queen walked in to the main arena and declared the Games open with a short speech along the lines of, 'You will all be delighted to learn that the cost of a lavish opening ceremony has been saved this year and all of the money that would have been spent has instead been sent to Africa to be used for much more worthwhile causes'."

Gabriel, who has just received an award from Amnesty International for his human rights work, also suggests the Olympics should be split in two, with a category for clean athletes and another for those who take performance enhancing drugs. "Now that would be interesting," he adds.

Peter Gabriel sang an intensely personal ballad his 96-year-old father has asked him to play at his funeral

By David Smyth, Evening Standard 22.09.08

"Again solo, Peter Gabriel sang an intensely personal ballad his 96-year-old father has asked him to play at his funeral"

Annie, Jude and friends give peace a chance

Following the massive suicide bomb in Islamabad on Saturday came a bold attempt to make peace break out around the world yesterday , if only for 24 hours.

The Peace One Day campaign for an annual day of global ceasefire started with one man - Jeremy Gilley, a minor actor and filmmaker from Southampton who left school with nothing but a D in pottery - who has been making slow but increasingly impressive progress over the past 10 years.

The 2008 focal point was this awareness concert, featuring Annie Lennox, Peter Gabriel, Lenny Kravitz and John Legend. But far more importantly, all conflicting sides in Afghanistan made a written commitment to stay quiet yesterday, which allowed Unicef access to normally dangerous areas and vaccinate 1.8 million children against polio.

Other world troublespots have been slower to respond in such significant fashion, although symbolic gestures have been made. The Albert Hall audience also saw a screening of Gilley's film about his tireless endeavours, The Day After Peace, which he said will be shown in every school in America next year.

An uplifting story which was much more essential viewing than the rather subdued musical line-up, it revealed him to be a charismatic speaker who kept a cool head in the presence of both the League of Arab States and Angelina Jolie, and refused to give up on his idea despite overwhelming scepticism from media and politicians. If he was any more dogged he would have a collar and a tail. With the essential campaigner's knack of befriending celebrities, Gilley and Jude Law are virtually inseparable in the film, and Law also turned up to introduce the concert in the flesh. Bryan Adams was first up with an acoustic guitar and a violinist, setting a trend for low-key performances.

The charity gig always walks a fine line between being entertaining and trying not to have too much fun, and this struggled to hit the right tone. Annie Lennox was alone at the piano singing Pete Seeger's Where Have All The Flowers Gone? and Neil Young's Don't Let It Bring You Down, in front of statistics of war and photos of ravaged buildings. Again solo, Peter Gabriel sang an intensely personal ballad his 96-year-old father has asked him to play at his funeral. Even Lenny Kravitz's raucous Are You Gonna Go My Way was transformed into a brooding blues slowie.

John Legend was the only one to bring a band along, adding much needed pizzazz but also committing the cardinal charity show sin of plugging his new album's release date. However, his new song If You're Out There was an altruistic anthem in the classic mode, and he sent many home inspired to work towards Peace Two Days.

Youssou N’Dour

Laurence Durieu,VSD 23/09/2008

La super-star sénégalaise, qui conquiert le monde depuis Dakar, était fascinée, enfant, par le ndeup, un genre d’exorcisme public qui utilise les fétiches, la danse et les transes pour guérir les malade.

Avec le Super étoile de Dakar, son orchestre depuis vingt ans, Youssou N’Dour va donner un concert parisien, intitulé la Ronde des continents pour soutenir quatre associations en Colombie, à Madagascar, au Vietnam et au Togo. L’apôtre de la world music, sans cesse sollicité par une multitude de bonnes causes, les a choisies pour leurs actions concrètes en matière d’élevage, de culture, de déforestation et de sida chez les plus jeunes. « Cette démarche par-dessus les continents » a fini de convaincre le chanteur planétaire, ambassadeur pour les Nations unies et l’Unicef.

NAISSANCE. Le 1er octobre 1959, à Dakar. Il est l’aîné de dix-sept enfants. Son père, Elimane N’Dour, choisit ce prénom pour marquer son amitié à un de ses meilleurs amis, Youssou, un grand commerçant. Sa mère, Sokhna, est la première des quatre épouses de son père.

PREMIER SOUVENIR. Des parties interminables de foot, dans la rue, « en attaquant ». En 1998, il composera l’hymne pour la Coupe du monde de football. « En 2002, au lendemain du France Sénégal, match d’ouverture du mondial, j’étais à Madrid pour un concert. Toute la presse espagnole titrait sur mon pays. Il n’y a que le foot, avec onze joueurs, qui provoque une telle vivacité, un tel rayonnement. »

RITE. Il grandit dans le quartier de la médina de Dakar, au chant du muezzin. Il est fasciné par le ndeup, une manifestation de rue organisée en public par des personnes proches des pêcheurs, pour guérir et exorciser les malades. Invocation des fétiches, les danses, les transes l’impressionnent.

VOITURES. Son père, forgeron, fabrique des meubles en métal. Il récupère d’anciennes pièces de mécanique dans un garage dont il conduit souvent les voitures. Le petit pense que son père est propriétaire de nombreuses automobiles, toutes différentes. Il adore partir avec lui se balader vers l’océan.

INSPIRATION. Sa mère est griotte, comme sa grand-mère. Pour les baptêmes, elles chantent souvent en wolof, Daby, qui souhaite la bienvenue au bébé et en appelle les esprits protecteurs.

ÉCOLE. « Je l’ai quittée à 13 ans. Ce n’est pas que je ne l’aimais pas, disons qu’il fallait en passer par là, mais vite, j’ai préféré l’école de la route. Je me souviens d’un maître, Palla Fene qui apportait son ghetto blaster en classe et qui écoutait de la musique cubaine et noire américaine, James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder… »

PREMIER CONCERT. Au stade Joseph-Gaye, un hommage populaire est donné à la mémoire de M’Bâ, un grand saxophoniste de Saint-Louis. À 13 ans, Youssou écrit une petite chanson relatant les belles choses de la vie de cet homme qu’il chante lors du concert. Emmené sur scène par un des musiciens, il est tranporté par la joie de capter l’attention du public. Depuis ce jour, nombreux sont les Sénégalais qui pensent que Youssou n’Dour est natif de Saint-Louis, l’ancienne capitale. La même année, en traversant une rue de Dakar, il entend la radio diffuser à tue-tête M’Ba, sa première chanson. Deuxième choc. Mais quand il annonce à son père qu’il sera chanteur, celui-ci lui répond qu’ils sont tous alcooliques ou drogués !

ÉTRANGES ÉTRANGERS. En 1988, il organise avec Peter Gabriel et Sting une tournée au profit de l’organisation humanitaire Amnesty International. De nombreux artistes et organisateurs américains sont angoissés par l’étape à New Delhi et deux avions de matériel mais aussi de médecins, d’eau et de nourriture se posent en Inde. Des membres de la tournée recommandent de ne pas se baigner dans la piscine de l’hôtel. « Dès notre arrivée, nous, les Africains, avons mangé – super bien – au restaurant de l’hôtel, puis nous nous sommes baignés. Le lendemain, tous les autres nous suivaient ! » Peter Gabriel est le parrain de son fils, saint Louis, Youssou est le parrain du fils de Peter Gabriel, Edward.

ISLAM. Mouride pratiquant, il observe le carême, prie cinq fois par jour et pratique l’aumône quotidiennement. « Un jour, je ferai le pèlerinage à La Mecque. Le marabout m’apprend le livre sacré, le Coran, me guide vers Dieu. »
PUB. Il a composé une petite mélodie et joué pour un spot diffusé à la télé sénégalaise en faveur des préservatifs. Ce mot est remplacé par « protect », moins choquant.

PRÉSIDENT. « Sous Abdou Diouf, Jacques Chirac, en visite officielle, était venu encourager une association qui luttait contre la drogue. Il s’était rendu en bus dans la banlieue de Dakar, à la sortie de la ville. Le soir, nous avons dîné ensemble. Nous sommes devenus potes. C’est un homme très lié à l’Afrique. » Aujourd’hui, Youssou est membre du comité d’honneur de la Fondation Jacques-Chirac.

(*) Le 27 sept. à 20 h 30, au Grand Rex, à Paris, www.youssou.com

Mini-Concert Lévon Minassian, le 18 octobre à Mouans-Sartoux

Publié le : 22-09-2008

Rencontre musicale exceptionnelle avec Lévon Minassian, maître du doudouk

Le samedi 18 octobre à 19H à la médiathèque de Mouans-Sartoux
Aquarium de la médiathèque
201 avenue de Cannes
06370 Mouans-Sartoux

04 92 92 43 75
culture@muans-sartoux.net
Lévon Minassian, maître du doudouk, donnera un mini-concert exceptionnel, samedi 18 octobre, à 19 heures, à la médiathèque de Mouans-Sartoux, suivi d’une rencontre où le musicien évoquera son parcours artistique, entre autres aux côtés de Peter Gabriel et des musiciens du label Real World.

Derrière l’homme, peu connu du grand public, apparaît un musicien hors-pair, que d’aucuns qualifient de génie, dont les mélodies mélancoliques sont omniprésentes tant sur le petit écran qu’au cinéma. Lévon Minassian a signé les bandes originales des films La Passion du Christ de Mel Gibson, d’Amen de Costa-Gavras, de Va, vis et deviens du réalisateur Radu Mihaileanu mais encore les documentaires du La terre vue du ciel de Renaud Delourme d’après une idée originale de Yann Arthus-Bertrand ou encore l’Odyssée de l’Espèce de Jacques Malaterre. Levon Minassian a aussi joué et composé aux côtés de Sting, Charles Aznavour, I Muvrini, Manu Katché mais aussi Patrick Fiori. Sa carrière prend une envergure internationale en 1992 lorsque que Peter Gabriel (fondateur du groupe Genesis) le sollicite en personne lors des albums Us et Secret World.

Le doudouk est un instrument de 25 à 40 centimètres, de la famille des hautbois, que l’on tient horizontalement. Réalisé en bois d’abricotier, il est percé de neuf trous. Une anche double exceptionnellement longue et large, en roseau, s’emboîte dans une de ses extrémités. « Le doudouk, c’est l’âme du peuple arménien » aime à rappeler Lévon Minassian. Très répandu en Arménie, le doudouk est devenu, pour la diaspora, le symbole du pays des origines..

Entrée libre

Renseignements à la médiathèque de Mouans-Sartoux au 04.92.92.43.75.

Levon Minassian a accompagné Peter Gabriel lors de sa tournée mondiale Secret World en 1993-94 où il a ouvert, en soliste, des concerts où se sont pressées parfois 80 000 personnes.