Arts-info.co.uk – The Performing Arts Guide

Grammy performing rising rap royalty Drake explodes into action for his latest video. Having come up under the tutelage of Lil Wayne and the Cash Money Crew, Drake is now trading verses with superstars such as Jay –Z , Kanye West and Mary J Blige.

With a major label deal under his belt, a classic debut mixtape album not to mention two hit singles ‘Forever’ and ‘Best I Ever Had’, Drake is set to be one of the rising stars of 2010.

Drake’s debut studio album ‘Thank Me Later’ will be released early 2010 through Island Records

The first ever global commercial from Sprite entitled ‘Spark’ features Hip Hop star Drake struggling to find inspiration in the studio while recording.

Due to be launched in the US in March, Sprite Spark Music is an online iphone app mixing tool that enables teenagers to make their own tunes using samples from Drake’s music and remixing them with music from talented artists from around the globe.

Skinny Water, have partnered with Music Crowns to offer the winners of each crown the chance to participate in one of their forthcoming Television adverts.

Music Crowns have developed the concept to offer an alternative to ‘X Factor’ style TV shows following recent backlash.
Each winner will also secure a 1 year management contract, a website worth £1,000 and will be presented with the Music Crowns trophy for each category.  Music Crowns are currently taking applications for Rock Music Crown & Urban Music Crown with the Pop variant coming shortly.

Budding artists can apply via www.musiccrowns.co.uk in the UK until June when it will go to public vote for each category. Winners will be announced in September.

Confirmed judges for the Urban Music Crown include UB40 Legend Ali Campbell, 2009 Mercury prize winner Speech Debelle and US Star Montell Jordan.

A very rare leather jacket worn by the legendary Bob Dylan in the 1978 film directed by Martin Scorsese celebrating The Bands’ last ever live performance, and in which Dylan, along with other rock greats such as Van Morrision and Eric Clapton performed has come up for auction at Cameo.

Lot 401 in the upcoming music sale, a leather jacket, labelled ‘Jackson the Tailor’ was donated by Bob Dylan to the Bloodstock Cooperative and comes with a signed letter of authenticity dated July 1994 by the late Rick Dando, vocalist in ‘The Band’. Estimates on this lot range from £5-6000

More information at www.cameo-auctioneers.co.uk.

Also in this exciting sale of over 600 lots is lot 470, a pre-release sleeve for the acclaimed ‘Double Fantasy’ album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. There is a handwritten dedication on the rear sleeve to New York’s WNEW Radio Station which reads, ‘love John Lennon & Yoko Ono’. The signing took place at Studio One on the 21st November 1980. The sleeve is missing its disc as it was part of the stations collections, the sleeve was retained by Ken Dashow a DJ who later sold it via a New York Dealer. Estimates are £600-800.

Set to be headlined by Basement Jaxx and Kanye West, the two-day event will be held in Hyde Park, which is within easy reach of the wide array of London Hotels.

Due to take place on Saturday July 4th and Sunday July 5th, the festival will also see performances by the Streets, Dizzee Rascal and Sneaky Sound System on the first day of the festival.

Meanwhile, Sunday’s line-up will feature the Noisettes, Lady Sovereign, Q-Tip, Tinchy Stryder and N-Dubz.

Commenting on the show, Basement Jaxx said: “It’s going to be a mad summer for us, playing in all four corners of the world, but we are really looking forward to coming back to the very heart of London and playing at Wireless.”

Meanwhile, the organisers suggest that Kanye’s performance is likely to be one of the best that Hyde Park has ever seen – and, with hits including Through The Wire, Stronger, Diamonds From Sierra Leone and Gold Digger, they might be right.

Tickets for the event cost 45GBP for a day ticket and 80GBP for a weekend pass. A range of VIP packages are also available.

Coming off an incredible showing at this year’s SXSW including a headlining performance at Stubb’s, an over-capacity crowd at DirecTV’s “SXSW Live,” and a legendary taping of Austin City Limits, BEN HARPER AND RELENTLESS7 proudly announce the release of their debut record, White Lies For Dark Times on 27th April on Virgin Records. The album will be available as CD, deluxe CD with bonus DVD, digital download and 180-gram 2xLP. Rolling Stone calls the new album “an 11-song set soaked with hard rock and Delta Blues.”

Ben Harper and Relentless7

Ben Harper and Relentless7’s energetic live performance is the heart of the band. In December 2008, the band embarked on a highly successful short club tour with a handful of dates in California and New York. “The band’s combined force was almost too big for the room,” RollingStone.com said of the band’s intimate performance at Spaceland in Los Angeles.

The sweaty, gritty and energetic vibe of the clubs proved to be an incredible match for the band’s new hard-hitting sound, and they are pleased to announce their return to the road on a larger club tour which includes UK dates. “We thought, this is a new band, a new opportunity, a new energy. Let’s earn it the way that new bands do…let’s play clubs, let’s play small places,” said drummer Jordan Richardson.

Ben Harper & Relentless7 are part of the Hard Rock Calling line up on Saturday 27th June, performing alongside Neil Young, Fleet Foxes and The Pretenders.

Current confirmed tour dates are listed below.

BEN HARPER AND RELENTLESS7 TOUR DATES:

INTERNATIONAL TOUR DATES:

April 19 London, England The Forum
April 20 Paris, France La Cigale
April 21 Bourges, France Le Printemps du Bourges
April 22 Rome, Italy Piazza del Popolo
June 19 Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany Southside Festival
June 20 Scheessel, Germany Hurricane Festival
June 22 Berlin, Germany Columbiahalle
June 23 Munich, Germany TonHalle
June 25 Amsterdam, Netherlands Paradiso
June 27 London, England Hard Rock Calling Festival

US TOUR DATES:
April 30 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
May 1 Memphis, TN Beale Street Music Festival
May 2 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
May 4 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
May 5 New York, NY Webster Hall
May 8 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 9 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
May 10 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
May 12 Montreal, CANADA Metropolis
May 13 Toronto, CANADA Phoenix Concert Theatre
May 15 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
May 16 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
May 25 George, WA The Gorge Amp. / Sasquatch Festival
May 27 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
May 28 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
June 13 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music Festival

BHR7 History:
Harper met guitarist Jason Mozersky in the late nineties, when the lead singer of
Mozersky’s then band, WAN SANTO CONDO was working as a van driver shuttling bands back and forth to the venue for a Texas promoter. He asked the then captive Ben Harper, “Can I play you my demo?” Harper obliged, and in his own words “was blown away,” and helped the band secure a record deal and release an album on Everloving Records. The band broke up after one record, but what survived was a lasting friendship between Harper and Mozersky. In 2005, Harper invited now long time friend Mozersky to lay down guitar work on a track during the recording sessions that would become a double record entitled Both Sides of the Gun. Mozersky brought along bass player Jesse Ingalls and drummer Jordan Richardson and the session would spawn not only the song
“Serve Your Soul” but the framework for Relentless7.

To reignite the chemistry discovered during the Both Sides of the Gun session, they reunited in the summer of 2008 just to jam and write songs together, and emerged with a new sound and enough tracks for an album. White Lies For Dark Times is a timeless rock record, with a cohesive collection of music that is as raw, unrelenting and thunderous, as it is arrestingly haunting and emotional.

WEBSITE: www.relentless7.com

For two days (14 and 15 August) Gothenburg’s beautiful central park, Slottsskogen, hosts the cream of national and international music during Way Out West. This year’s line-up includes the UK’s Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen and Basement Jaxx, acts from around the world including Band of Horses, Wilco, and the acclaimed Antony and The Johnsons, on stage with the renowned Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

Way Out West’s unique city-based format taps into Gothenburg’s thriving music scenes, with performances at the city’s clubs and cultural centres before and during the festival. The environmentally-certified festival offers organic food and is within walking distance of hotels and restaurants. Two-day festival passes including club performances cost 1,345 SEK (£110): call +46 77 165 1000. Arriving 14 August, two nights at the Scandic Europa hotel cost 900 SEK (£75) pp. This is based on two sharing a double room including breakfast and Gothenburg Passes – giving access to the city’s top attractions. To book visit www.goteborg.com. For festival information visit www.wayoutwest.se

Bestival, the Isle of Wight’s award-winning boutique music festival, has just announced that Massive Attack will be headlining this year’s Friday night followed by Kraftwerk who take the headline spot on Saturday night. Winners of NME’s “Best Album 2008″ MGMT, and Mercury prize winners, the Klaxons will be joined by exciting up and coming acts including Fleet Foxes, Florence and the Machine, VV Brown and many more!

Bestival 2009 will be taking place from 11 until 13 September at Robin Hill Country Park in Newport, Isle of Wight. Tickets through Red Funnel cost £149 per adult and £75.75 for 13-15 year olds, and include weekend admission, camping, postage and booking fees. What’s more those aged 12 and under get in for Free! To book tickets visit www.redfunnel.co.uk/bestival

The music is only part of what makes Bestival so magical. The family friendly atmosphere and weird and wonderful events and attractions, such as the famous fancy dress carnival, the inflatable church and, new for this year, “Blastival” a spectacular pyrotechnic experience, combine to create an unparalleled out of this world experience!

Bandbacker  is a new website for unsigned bands which gives music fans the chance to vote for their favourite act and share in the winning band’s success.

Bandbacker.com

It’s a competition with the winning artist being decided on by the people that count – the fans. It’s doesn’t cost anything to become a ‘Fan’ and by doing so members of the public will be able to vote for their favourite act from the initial 100 who start out in the competition. It’s also free for artists to enter and the winner will walk away with a record deal, a UK tour and a cash prize.

The initial public vote will whittle the competition down to the top 10 acts. Then, everything is in the hands of the ‘Backers’ who will cast the final votes. There is a small one off membership fee to become a Backer and as well as exclusive voting rights they’ll also get a range of special privileges and benefits.

All of the money raised from Backer memberships will be used to support and promote the winning band to ensure their success. As Gary Dalton, Managing Director, says part of the inspiration behind Bandbacker was to give bands a fair deal; “The artists taking part in the competitions will have already been touring and recording and would have had some success. We want to help them take their success to the next level but also ensure they’ll be rewarded as they should be.”

Dalton also sees Bandbacker as an opportunity for music fans to get involved in the industry and have their say, “Bandbacker isn’t just another competition where the public can vote and job done. We want the Fans and the Backers to be there from the beginning being actively involved in supporting and promoting the winning bands, helping to shape their careers, and benefitting themselves from their involvement”.

More at www.bandbacker.com.