The Low Anthem, Avi Buffalo and Mountain Man

Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, 30 August 2010 [Martin Donnelly of The Savings And Loan reviews one of the flagship events from this year's Edge Festival] “Listen,” she says, “have you gone to any concerts lately?” “No,” I say, wishing she hadn’t brought this, of all topics, up. “I don’t like live music.” “Live music?” she asks, [...]

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Biggest Threat to Mayor’s Plan for Longer Bar Hours: Increased Drunk Driving

Christopher Frizzelle L to R: Deputy SPD Chief Clark Kimerer, Seattle Nightlife and Music Association President Pete Hanning, capt. nightlife David Meinert, and Mayor Mike McGinn No topic was discussed more at the forum on Mayor Mike McGinn’s nightlife initiative, held last night in front of a packed house at the Hunter Gatherer Lodge, than the proposal to extend bar hours past 2:00 a.m. One part of the mayor’s eight-point plan, the proposal would stagger closing times or, perhaps, allow 24-hour alcohol service. On board—at least tentatively—are the city attorney’s office, the Seattle Police Department, and several Seattle bar owners. But the decision to change bar hours won't be made by City Hall. Alan Rathbun, licensing and policy director for the Washington State Liquor Control Board, identified the arguments that may compel the state to reject longer bar hours. “Does that [plan] actually encourage transportation by automobile when you don’t want it?” he asked. “What you don’t want to see is people who have drank too much get in their cars and drive to Seattle” because bars are still open. (He says it is possible to change service rules statewide or only in Seattle, but, he said, “the board would also have to answer the question, if it’s safe enough for Seattle, is it safe enough for Kirkland?”) Ultimately, law enforcement agencies will have the liquor board’s ear, Rathburn continued. “We have asked the city to have conversations with King County Sheriff’s office, with the state patrol, and with law enforcement outside city.” How are those conversations going? McGinn said they haven’t happened yet. “We will follow up and have those conversations,” he said after stepping off the stage. He met with the liquor board only a week ago, when they gave him the directive to collaborate with the sheriff and state patrol. However, it bears mentioning that this is obvious outreach—to address an obvious source of contention—that McGinn hasn’t undertaken since launching the initiative in July. But support inside the city is strong. “I want to congratulate mayor for being the first politician in the city to bring together the City Attorney, the Seattle Police department, and the city council to agree on nightlife regulations,” said David Meinert, owner of the 5-Point and a nightlife advocate. Meanwhile, SPD Dep. Chief Clark Kimerer said, "Our most difficult time is Friday and Saturday night bar closing… Fundamentally the benefit of having strategic closing times is to avoid that.” However, Kimerer added, “Any initiative that increases potential to use alcohol behind the wheel we will oppose.” Can the DUI concerns be addressed? “That is what we have to explore,” McGinn said. “We may find out at the end that there are problems we can’t address.” The event was hosted by Washington Bus’s Toby Crittenden and our own Cienna Madrid, who were both lovely. [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

View original story : music+hall Feed : The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper

Royal Shakespeare Company prepares to open theatre after £112.8m revamp

Royal Shakespeare Theatre will open after three and a half years with major facelift, better seating and more ladies' loos The Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, whose doors have been closed for three and a half years for a £112.8m refurbishment, will reopen this November. When it does, according to the Royal Shakespeare Company's artistic director, Michael Boyd, the revamped theatre will provide "the best auditorium for performing Shakespeare anywhere". For Shakespeare fans, the facelift is long overdue. The old theatre was locally nicknamed "the jam factory" for its industrial appearance, while an unsightly car park ruined its handsome 1930s frontage by architect Elisabeth Scott. "It was," said Rab Bennetts of Bennetts Associates, the architectural practice that has overseen the redevelopment, "a hostile building that turned its back on the town". And that was before you got inside: some seats were as far as 37 metres away from the stage – a distance that has now halved. The "furthest seat" will remain in situ, in a spot now part of the restaurant, as a reminder of the bad old days. Female members of the audience, in particular, will have cause to rejoice come November: the number of ladies' lavatories has increased from 19 to 47. Best of all, the redevelopment will come in on time and on budget, according to Boyd. There is £5m yet to raise, but Vikki Heywood, the RSC's executive director, said she was confident it would come in the next five months from "individuals and charitable trusts to whom we have been talking for a while". The new theatre, with its high running costs, will open at a time of cuts to public funding of the arts which could be as deep as 25%. Though it is recruiting for jobs with the new theatre, the RSC has frozen pay for existing staff. Boyd said he was hoping the new shop, restaurant, cafe and bar would all provide revenue. The main theatre and the smaller stage, the Swan, will open to the public from 24 November for visits and one-off events including a version of Shakespeare's sonnets by the director Peter Brook, who created some of his most celebrated productions for the RSC between 1950 and 1970. In February, full-scale performances will start, with revivals of Rupert Goold's production of Romeo and Juliet, and David Farr's King Lear, with Greg Hicks in the title role. At the Swan, the Irish cabaret singer Camille O'Sullivan will perform a new version of Shakespeare's poem, The Rape of Lucrece. Meanwhile, the temporary auditorium, the Courtyard Theatre, will still be up and running. Opening there in November will be a new musical, Matilda, an adaptation of the Roald Dahl story. Its book is by playwright Dennis Kelly, with lyrics and music by the comic and musician Tim Minchin. The first large-scale new work to appear on the 1,000-seat main stage from the spring will be announced in November, when the company finalises plans for its 50th anniversary from April 2011 onwards. Aside from (of course) Shakespeare, Boyd said the company would restage some of the plays the company has commissioned over its half-century, mentioning in particular founding director Peter Hall's affinity with the late Harold Pinter. Boyd said he thought Matilda, A Musical "might have legs, and we hope it will". A show in the West End and even on Broadway would significantly help the RSC through a period of austerity. In addition, said Boyd, the theatre would "celebrate things that screen art cannot: the desire to witness and share a gathering of a community in real space and real time. And it achieves three dimensions in a way that Hollywood is desperately trying to achieve. We have 3D in our bones." Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre Architecture Arts funding Charlotte Higgins guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

View original story : music+hall Feed : Global: Charlotte Higgins | guardian.co.uk

Tito Burns obituary

Jazz bandleader turned pop manager and booking agent Tito Burns, who has died of prostate cancer aged 89, was one of the last of a generation of British jazz musicians, including Pete King of Ronnie Scott's club and the northern swing trumpeter Ernie Garside, who successfully made the switch from performance to management and promotional roles. Burns made a particularly high-profile job of it. He initially represented his former colleagues in jazz after 1955, but then managed several British rock acts, including the young Cliff Richard. Nathan "Tito" Bernstein was born in north London and began performing as a semi-pro accordionist during the 1930s. He combined a sharp ear for the phrasing of many popular idioms with a relaxed swing and a natural leader's drive. His first gig was with Felix Mendelssohn's Hawaiian-influenced group, followed by work with the Cuban bandleader Don Marino Barreto, the tango pianist Lou Preager and the Trinidadian clarinetist Carl Barriteau. By 1941 Burns was leading his own band at the Panama club. Though his musical career was diverted by service with the RAF in the far east, he continued to play as part of the RAF regiment sextet. After being wounded, he became a radio broadcaster for the Allied forces' Radio SEAC in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He joined the West Indian "rumba king" Clarrie Wears after demobilisation in 1946. It was from 1947 that Burns's career as a leader took off. The new generation of British jazz players was fascinated by the commercial and artistic balance struck by the American "bop for the people" band of saxophonist Charlie Ventura, which combined the songlike lyricism of the swing players with some of the new intricacies of bebop. Burns took to this formula at once, and developed his own bop technique for the accordion. In January 1947 he formed the Tito Burns Sextet and recruited several of London's leading young modernists, including the guitarist Pete Chilver, the vibraphonist Tommy Pollard, the drummers Tony Crombie and Ray Ellington, and later the saxophonists Scott and John Dankworth. The repertoire included such contemporary jazz classics as Dizzy Gillespie's A Night in Tunisia, and while Burns kept the jazz content on a tight leash, the group's unusual yet highly accessible sound quickly caught the ear of the public. The BBC producer Charles Chilton invited Burns to host its Accordion Club radio show, and the band developed a wide following. Scott was later to observe that "British bebop" did not begin in 1948 at the co-operatively-run Club Eleven as widely believed, but a year earlier with the formation of the Tito Burns Sextet. The group is generally credited with performing the first bebop tunes to be heard on BBC radio. Burns married his longtime girlfriend, the jazz and session singer Terry Devon, whose elegant harmonising blended successfully into the group in the early 50s. Burns found it impossible to keep the band on the road with a jazz repertoire alone and was forced to introduce more pop material. His star soloists left to plough jazzier furrows, and though in May 1955 the leader attempted a last throw with an expanded group he named his New Big Orchestra, he called it a day the same year and moved into management. Burns worked with jazz musicians at first, but in 1959 he became Cliff Richard's manager, and later acquired the Springfields (who included Dusty Springfield), the Zombies and Cat Stevens. He had learned to drive a hard bargain, and not all of his charges (notably the Searchers) came to view their professional relationship with him favourably, but Burns's time as a musician gave him a better understanding of his artists than most of his colleagues. Burns also served as a booking agent for the Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison and the Moody Blues. In the late 1960s Burns became head of variety programming at London Weekend Television. He continued to give opportunities to promising jazz artists, such as the trumpet virtuoso Maynard Ferguson, whose band he signed to play on LWT's Simon Dee chatshow. An emerging American standup, Woody Allen, was also a Burns booking. He handled Simon and Garfunkel's 1970 shows at the Royal Albert Hall, as well as Bob Dylan's first European tour (Burns's hard bargaining was captured in DA Pennebaker's 1967 Dylan documentary Don't Look Back). In October 1971, though he remained an LWT shareholder, Burns went into partnership with the Scotia leisure group to form Scotia-Tito Burns, an organisation dealing in music publishing, talent-spotting, recording, TV production, movie scores and concert and record promotion. He observed to Billboard at the time that launching a new performer in an increasingly eclectic showbiz environment "has got to give you sleepless nights, and probably ulcers as well. You've got to build your own stars." In 1977 Burns was involved in the founding of what became the Brit awards, which were presented at the Wembley Conference Centre to artists who had made outstanding contributions to recorded music since 1952. He kept active in the business throughout the 1980s, primarily managing Victor Borge in his stage shows and voiceovers for Heineken lager TV advertisements. He is survived by Terry, his daughters Linda and Sharon, and his grandchildren Josh and Ethan. • Tito Burns (Nathan Bernstein), musician and promoter, born 7 February 1921; died 23 August 2010 Jazz Cliff Richard Simon and Garfunkel Dusty Springfield The Rolling Stones Bob Dylan John Fordham guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

View original story : music+hall Feed : Music: Bob Dylan | guardian.co.uk

Legacy Award And NZ Music Hall Of Fame Induction For Shihad

Long renowned as one of the country’s greatest rock bands, Shihad’s 22-year career is being recognised with induction into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame and the New Zealand Herald Legacy Award at the 2010 Vodafone NZ Music Awards.

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Chrissie Hynde's tell-all album

Chrissie Hynde is an intimidating presence. Maybe it's her unflinching gaze and unapologetic swagger. Maybe it's the fact that she's the iconic lead singer of the Pretenders and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

View original story : music+hall Feed : Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: News & Videos about Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum - CNN.com

Goshen College offers 'sabbatical' programming for adults

... "100 Most Influential People in the World" for 2010 and explain his breakthrough study on a vaccine to treat skin cancer. * Nov. 9, Sauder Concert Hall -- Matthew Hill, professor of music; Dr. Solomia Soroka, assistant professor of music; and ...

View original story : music+hall Feed : Skin Cancer Newswire

Mexican restaurant coming downtown

Jacksonville’s downtown will soon be getting a taste of Mexico when a new eatery opens this month.Hector Lopez, who once co-managed Los Rancheros in Jacksonville, is opening Para Diso, a restaurant, music hall and sports bar in the old City’s...

View original story : music+hall Feed : Jacksonville Illinois News and Information Jacksonville Journal Courier : News

PLAYING FOR LIFE; How to keep your child engaged in music, from early childhood through the teens

By Susan Pascale: How many parents have given their children years of music lessons, only to have the child one day announce: "I quit!" It can be heartbreaking for the parent, not least because of the thousands of dollars they may have invested in lessons and instruments. But inevitably, years later, the former teen will say, “I never should have quit the violin (or cello or viola)! I wish my parents had forced me to stick with it!” Being a music school director for the past ten years, and the parent of three youngsters (an 8-year-old, a teenager, and a former teen), I have seen this sort of thing happen again and again. So I have made it one of my primary missions to create an environment that keeps kids in music, from tot through teen years. Here are some of my most powerful techniques for keeping children involved in, and passionate about, their music. 1. Start them young - on piano. I have found that children who begin with piano, and then come into my violin or other stringed instrument class, ALWAYS do better than children who have not had early piano training. Violin and other stringed instruments are difficult, due to the many aspects one must focus on at once. They are also physically challenging. Piano is a lot easier for pre-K kids to grasp. Once the student has a basic understanding of music, including note-reading, rhythm, and practice, they are freer to focus on the technical challenges of the stringed instrument. I now require tots to take my KinderPiano® class, and I encourage parents to keep those lessons going until they enter my violin class 2. Don't go it alone! How many parents enroll their children in private music lessons, only to have them refuse to go because don't know anyone? Yet the same child will participate in almost any activity if at least one friend is present! Group beginning music classes can be a lot of fun for the younger set, and particularly ideal for children age 3½ years through 5 ½, depending on their maturity. (For help in deciding whether your youngster is old enough to start lessons, see ‘Is Your Child Ready for Music Lessons’, at http://www.stringsprogram.com/documents/howyoungistooyoung.pdf.) 3. Kids who play together like to PLAY together! The more opportunities the children have to play the more they will improve. In addition to private lessons, as soon as the child is eligible, we place him or her in a performing group. At our school, graduates of our beginning KinderViolin® class will enroll in private lessons and in our training orchestra. More advanced players go into our children’s orchestra, for ages 4 to 11. Older students are encouraged to join regional youth orchestras. Ninety-nine percent of the time, once the initial excitement of playing an instrument has passed, it is the group playing that the kids will remain excited about. Children love to be with other children! Participation leads to more practicing, especially if the conductor or musical director connects well with children. In addition to private lessons and orchestra, many participate in our chamber music program. I started the chamber music program with four kindergarten girls who knew each other from orchestra. After a few months together they named themselves the BFF (‘Best Friends Forever’) They have been playing together for 3 years by now. They’ve performed for our US congressman, senior centers, local schools, and even at our local farmer’s market. What I’ve discovered is that the kids in the quartet were developing faster and playing better, so I set out to form more groups and a chamber music program within the Strings Program. 4.Keep em' in the spotlight! It is rare that a kid doesn't thrive from the envelopment of warm feelings, positive attention, and sense of accomplishment that they feel after a performance, (not to mention camaraderie with their fellow performers). Whether it's performing in a studio recital, a solo competition; or with their youth orchestra at Carnegie Hall, performances are key to keeping up a child's interest, and improving their playing. The vast majority of children who only do private lessons, and don’t have any performance opportunities, will eventually lose interest and drop out. 5. Stay positive! When in doubt, do not shout, berate, belittle, or threaten to drop the lessons. None of the negative stuff works, and it will just lead to more frustration for you, and your child. Even when it feels like your child is not meeting your or the teacher's expectations, remain positive. Your child may just be going through a rough patch. To get through it, with the little ones, offer small rewards for practicing daily or weekly. It could be a sticker or a trip to the toy store. In their teens, you can relax their practice schedule if it feels like too much of a burden. When my teen son decided that he wanted to quit saxophone, his teacher suggested that he just practice five minutes a day. He did this for over a year, continuing to participate in various orchestras and jazz groups. It worked! He continued playing saxophone through high school, and received a huge music scholarship to college. Although he has decided not to make music his career, he continues to make money with his instrument through teaching and gigging. 6. Summer and school breaks are a great time to move ahead! Rather than taking a break from music lessons, vacation is actually a great time to make headway. It's an opportunity for life-changing musical adventures or just plain getting lots accomplished. Enroll your child in a summer music program that offers something different in the way of lessons and orchestra or chamber music. For teens, there are many programs away from home, in beautiful settings in the mountains or countryside. The more your child improves the more they will like playing, and the more they will feel good about themselves. It's the child who lags behind who will want to stop practicing or worse, quit. 7. Don't overschedule. Although we want our children to be well-rounded, it's better for their psyche for them to excel in one thing. And if that one thing is playing a musical instrument, it will have tremendous benefits. Skill on a musical instrument sets them apart from their peers. They will begin to identify themselves as a musician, which is great for their self-esteem. Excelling at a musical instrument - especially strings - will help in applications for arts schools and programs, and eventually, colleges! Most colleges have orchestras with many chairs to fill. There is usually a need for many more violin, viola, cello and bass players! 8. Stay committed. Staying committed to your child's music education may be the hardest part of raising your child, but I can say from first-hand experience, it's worth it! The experiences your child will have being a musician will shape their lives (not to mention their brains) in a way that cannot be duplicated. Music promotes self-esteem, teamwork, and good study habits, and it has shaped the lives of many youngsters in a most profound way. Taking all these steps will make it far more likely that your child will have lifelong appreciation for their instrument and for music. Susan Pascale has been director of the South Pasadena Strings Program for 10 years. She has won numerous awards for her work with children and her innovative teaching style, ‘The Pascale Method.’ Her unique class offerings include KinderPiano®, for children age 3 ½ and up, and KinderViolin® , for ages 4 1/2and up. Her award-winning South Pasadena Children’s Orchestra recently set a record for being the youngest orchestra ever to perform at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. Pascale attributes the success of that orchestra to the fact that the children started so young. She oversees each student and their progress under high-level private teachers. For more information, go to www.stringsprogram.com, or call 626/403-4611.

View original story : music+hall Feed : Violinist.com

DallasTickets com is your online source for Tickets to all Concerts, Sports, Theater and Events

DallasTickets.com is your online source for Tickets to all Concerts, Sports, Theater and Events for the Dallas Fort Worth Texas area! We offer a wide selection of ticket prices from cheap to premium VIP seating. We have Concert Tickets for all of the major venues like American Airlines Center, Superpages.com Center, ATT Performing Arts Center, the Music Hall at Fair Park and lots more.

View original story : music+hall Feed : backpage.com | tickets for sale | dallas, tx