On April 13, 2021, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) announced the winners of the 2021 ASCAP Pop Music Awards, celebrating well-known stars of the genre.
Some familiar faces who received awards are The Weeknd, celebrated as 2021 songwriter of the year with “Heartless,” and Post Malone , celebrating “Circles” as the song of the year.
For the complete list of winners, visit the ASCAP website. The American Society of Songwriters, Composers, and music Publishers is an official organization dedicated to license and promote their affiliates, ranging across every genre.
"Sisters with Transistors" Highlights History of Women in Electronic Music
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"Sisters with Transistors" conjures nostalgia for a past most of us never knew existed. At this point, most pop music is recorded to computer and made largely, if not entirely, with electronic instruments. Mac laptops come bundled with the digital audio workshop Garage Band. The Fairlight, which was the first sampler to hit the market in 1980, was so expensive that wealthy rock musicians like Yes and Peter Gabriel were its earliest users. (William Gibson's quote "the street finds its own uses for things" applies to hip-hop DJs using turntables to get similar effects around the same time.) Now, free applications offer a level of ability to make music on your phone that makes the synthesizers and samplers available in the '80s look puny.
"Sisters with Transistors" profiles 11 female electronic composers and musicians. They worked in different fields and styles. Éliane Radigue makes austere, abrasive drones whose slow shifting resembles layers of feedback. By contrast, Clara Rockmore relied on the theremin to generate eerie, futuristic sounds, Daphne Oram composed the original theme to "Dr. Who," and Laurie Spiegel's computer-generated music from the '70s follows similar paths to the avant-garde edge of Krautrock. (In some alternate universe, her songs "Drums" and "Appalachian Grove" received an Italo-disco remix and became leftfield dance club hits.)
By the time electronic music became standard pop music, women were shut out, except as singers. (The robotic electronic loops of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" set the stage for synth-pop and techno, and Cher's "Believe" was the first hit song to use Autotune as a distortion pedal for the voice, but the credit for these songs' innovations has mostly gone to their male producers.) While Oliveros criticizes the racism and sexism of the classical music academy hand in hand, all 11 of the musicians in "Sisters with Transistors" are white and either American or European. The film's time frame ends in the mid '80s, with Laurie Spiegel's creation of a program to make music on the Macintosh.
At only 84 minutes, "Sisters with Transistors" is a brief introduction to a subject that deserves a much longer treatment. (The tendency to blow up documentaries into docu-series for streaming services has rarely served them, but this might have been better as a more comprehensive TV series spanning three hour-long parts.) As such, it occasionally feels contradictory and hesitant at times. Laurie Anderson narrates the film, and contemporary women making electronic music are heard, but they don't get to talk about their own music. Considering that Anderson's "O Superman" samples, pitch-shifts, and loops her own voice to use it as a substitute for percussion in ways that were almost unprecedented in pop/rock music in 1981, one would like to hear her own opinion about her music's place in this history.
The relationship between classical and pop music is never explored, although the film does show the surprising openness TV, movies, and even advertising have often shown towards adventurous music. But it tells an essential story that's been buried: women, including queer and trans women, shaped and even created the technology which is ubiquitous now while rarely reaping the benefits.
“SISTERS WITH TRANSISTORS” | Directed by Lisa Rovner | Metrograph Pictures | Starts streaming April 23 rd
Luke Bryan wins top ACM Award, but female acts own the night | National News | newspressnow.com
Matthew Ramsey, second from right, and members of Old Dominion, accept the award for group of the year at the 56th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, April 18, 2021, at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn.
Martina McBride, from left, presents Lee Brice and Carly Pearce with the award for single of the year for "I Hope You're Happy Now"at the 56th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, April 18, 2021, at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn.
Luke Bryan appears on screen accepting the award for entertainer of the year at the 56th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, April 18, 2021, at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn.
John Osborne, left, and T.J. Osborne, of Brothers Osborne, perform at the 56th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, April 18, 2021, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.
In this video grab provided by CBS, Chris Stapleton accepts the award for album of the year for "Starting Over" during the 56th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, April 18, 2021, at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tenn.
Ingrid Andress, left, presents the award for male artist of the year to Thomas Rhett at the 56th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, April 18, 2021, at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Te nn.
Jazz Aspen to host full JAS Café season, in-person June Experience | AspenTimes.com
Jazz Aspen Snowmass is planning to host in-person concerts at its annual JAS June Experience (June 24 to 27) and throughout the season at its JAS Café series from June 18 through Aug. 15.
The June event would be the first major in-person festival in Aspen since the novel coronavirus pandemic hit Colorado. Jazz Aspen did host a truncated JAS Café series last summer but with severely limited capacity in keeping with public health restrictions.
Capacity is still expected to be limited at the June Experience, which is spread across eight small venues in downtown Aspen — a format that debuted in 2019. Crowds are expected to be limited to 50 to 100 people depending on the venue.
The organization also is still planning to host its Labor Day Experience, the largest pop music festival with crowds in recent years of about 10,000 daily. The canceled 2020 lineup, led by Stevie Nicks and Kings of Leon, had been expected to move to 2021.
"JAS is optimistic its annual season closing festival over Labor Day weekend will take place based on Pitkin County Health guidelines at the time," the announcement reads. "JAS plans to announce its final lineup of Artists for the event in June. "
In addition to its two annual festivals and the Café series, the annual JAS Academy will expand from two to four weeks, adding small combo sessions for its students from July 11 to 25 to complement its big band sessions July 26 to Aug. 7, led by Grammy-winning bassist Christian McBride.
The concert venues for the June Experience will include The Little Nell, Here House at Local Coffee, Belly Up Aspen, the Wheeler Opera House, the Velvet Buck at the St. Regis, the rooftop at the Aspen Art Museum and at the Durant Avenue Patron Tent located at the Silver Circle Ice Rink. And, for the first time since its inaugural festival in 1991, the festival will host an event at the Hotel Jerome.
The single-ticket performance, not included with festival passes, at the Jerome Ballroom on June 25 and June 26, will be a New Orleans Revue featuring Dumpstaphunk with bassist George Porter Jr. and the pianist/vocalist Jon Cleary (not included in the Experience passes). Ticket options include an early dinner show and a late show music-only option.
The rest of the June Experience lineup includes artists who were originally scheduled to perform in June 2020.
Paris Jackson opens up about dad Michael in new interview
Speaking to The Evening Standard , Paris discussed her new indie-folk album which has been influenced, as noted in the article, by artists including Radiohead ‘s Thom Yorke and Grandaddy .
Whilst not leaning towards the pop music of her father, Paris said her father’s work will “always” influence her in some way.
Paris said: “I think he'll always influence everything I do in some way, whether it's subconscious or intentional.
“I was around that creativity all the time, so I'm sure I learnt a lot of what I have from that.”
“We listened to Kanye West around the house as well,” Paris explained. “I was always singing growing up. It was cool seeing the look on my dad's face when he realised I could match pitch and harmonise.”
Paris also revealed that her godfather, Home Alone’s Macauley Culkin, is encouraging her music career. “His music taste is really cool,” she said of Culkin.
“He listens to stuff like Devendra Banhart and The Orwells, so when I do stuff closer to that kind of stuff I send it to him. He's been really, really supportive.”
"'Low Key In Love' was written after a date in Los Angeles at 70's retro bar, Good Times at Davey Wayne's," the band’s frontman Luke Spiller said of the track (via Classic Rock ). "I walked into the studio explaining that we needed the song to have the essence you feel when entering the bar and absorb the vibe."
Review: Asolo Rep reunites 'Evita' stars in thrilling outdoor concert
It is a show full of bombast – sometimes too much so – heard in what Lopez calls the "mother of all Broadway medleys" and a rousing tribute to Latina superstars including Selena, Gloria Estefan, Shakira and Celia Cruz, that makes you want to join in. And of course, there's a sequence recalling moments from "Evita" itself.
If possible, the Latina medley is even more energizing, from the infectious beat of Estefan's "Rhythm is Gonna Get You" through "Guantanamera" and the hits of Selena, including "Como La Flor" and "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom." The two singers shimmy and salsa as Cervila and Garcia weave around them. Isabelle also sings two songs from the Latin pop music phase of her career, the ballad "Yo Te Recuerdo" and "La Vida es Bella," which is something of a dance party.
The fresh arrangements are by musical supervisor Sinai Tabak (a veteran of several past Asolo Rep shows) and performed by a four-person band led by keyboard player James Rushin.
As exciting as the songs are, the production could use another moment or two when the tempo slows or the voices soften to give the audience a chance to calm down and breathe, even if the singers never need to.
The couple also evokes a super-heated South American dance hall in a sequence that reognizes the origins of Milonga music and dance.
Like all of the outdoor productions this season, designers light up the building to match the mood on stage. Projection designs by Paul Tate DePoo III, which include images from "Evita" firework-like images of flashing lights and falling petals, and lighting by Ethan Vail become another character in setting the mood for each song, as do the costumes by David M. Covach and April Andrew Carswell.
As he has shown us in numerous past productions as a director and choreographer, Rhodes has a great vision, and he turns what could have been a simple concert, into something more musically thrilling and memorable.
JFLA Presents Music Mondays - Rafu Shimpo
North Callaway board eases COVID-19 restrictions at events
KINGDOM CITY — The North Callaway R-1 School District is loosening up COVID-19 seating guidelines at its activities.
The board reserved the other 20 percent of seating for those spectators who preferred social-distancing protocols.
"We're doing well with our (district) COVID numbers because we're doing certain things (as far as precautions)," board member Ann Schmidt said. "It's a tough decision knowing what happened at Wellsville and Montgomery County when they lifted restrictions."
Athletic Director Kevin O'Neal pointed to the large turnout at recent North Callaway High School baseball games in Auxvasse, where there are no restrictions because the sport is an outside activity.
"We've had bigger crowds than we've ever had — people want to have that interaction with people that they haven't had," O'Neal said. "They're craving that interaction right now, but we need to stay safe as well."
In new business, the board gave Superintendent Nicky Kemp the OK to set the district's tuition rate for the 2021-22 school year at $15,500. Board members also approved requiring all district students to present proof of residency for the upcoming school year.
The board authorized the use of Vanco Education for online payments for the district in the upcoming school year after a proposal by Business Manager Kellie Chapin.
Chapin explained that Vanco would waive all of its fees for the 2021-22 school year and she added that cash and check would still be payment options.
The board scheduled a work session for 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 28, in the high school media center to discuss teacher surveys.
25 pop hitmakers who should be your spring cleaning soundtrack | Yardbarker
Pop music is difficult to define and vast in nature, but at the most basic level: pop music is simply what music lovers dictate to be the most popular. Countless artists whose primary lanes are hip-hop, R&B, punk, or rock have inevitably merged into pop. More and more, as music's genre-bending landscape is perhaps as diverse as ever, there are new voices emerging seemingly every day and dominating the airwaves as if they've been here for decades. (See: Billie Eilish, for example.)
But there are iconic artists and songs that have stood the test of time, and they are who we will be leaning on for the sake of this list. Below are 25 proven pop hitmakers whose evergreen catalogs make for the perfect spring cleaning soundtrack.
(If you don't agree with our selections, that's fine. You can make your own playlist, but you're supposed to be cleaning anyway.)
Adele cleaned up at the 59th Grammy Awards with 25 , her third studio album, and its lead single "Hello"—collecting both album and record of the year—but the 32-year-old had said hello long before then and never looked back. Adele is a 15-time Grammy winner with anthems that inevitably ring around the world as soon as she releases them. It's also worth noting that the London native has worked extensively with pop songwriter extraordinaire Ryan Tedder, who earned his first of three Grammys when 21 was named album of the year in 2011.
The great debate of 1997: Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC? You can stan one or the other, but absolutely not both. For those who were (or are still) firmly on Team Backstreet Boy, the memory lane to stroll down while dusting is lined with bangers: "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," "As Long As You Love Me," "I Want It That Way," "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)," and so on. The best news is that AJ, Brian, Howie, Kevin, and Nick have way more recent material after dropping DNA in January 2019. That album landed the Backstreet Boys atop the Billboard 200 for the first time since 2000's Black & Blue .
Queen Bey needs no introduction. In fact, even writing a caption as short as this one is an insult because everybody everywhere should instinctually know Beyoncé Knowles-Carter's biography and discography from front to back. Alas, the most recent accomplishment that cemented the 39-year-old's place in music history came at March's 63rd Grammy Awards, becoming the winningest solo woman in the award show's history with 28. Beyoncé is a hip-hop/R&B goddess through and through—dating back to Destiny's Child, which should also definitely be in your rotation—but she is on this pop-centric list because you can't have a conversation about music without at least mentioning her.
Any time vintage Britney Spears comes on shuffle, it's impossible not to stop what you're doing and start dancing or (probably poorly) singing along. Wait, maybe including Brit isn't conducive to productively cleaning the house—whatever. Take your pick: "...Baby One More Time," "(You Drive Me) Crazy," "Oops!... I Did It Again," "Toxic," or "Womanizer."
Bruno Mars is gearing up to give us even more material with new funk/R&B duo Silk Sonic. which he formed with Anderson .Paak. Their debut single, "Leave The Door Open." has already made a chart-topping mark. But as a solo artist, Bruno has consistently been the standard since 2010. The 11-time Grammy winner has produced three stand-out studio albums: Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010), Unorthodox Jukebox (2012) and 24K Magic (2016). Bruno has twice claimed record of the year, first in 2015 with "Uptown Funk" and again in 2017 with "24K Magic." The 60th Grammy Awards were monumental for him as 24K Magic won album of the year and "That's What I Like" racked up three Grammys, including song of the year.
There is one person who for sure won't agree with Cher's place on this list, and her name is Cher. "I'm not a Cher fan," the 74-year-old said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in September 2018. "I'm really not." Cher then doubled down: "I don't want to listen to (my music). I don't wanna see it." Luckily for her, a significant swath of people have disagreed for decades. "Believe" (1999), "I Got You Babe" (1965), "Dark Lady" (1974), "Half Breed" (1973), and "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" (1971) all topped the Billboard Hot 100—and that's before mentioning "If I Could Turn Back Time."
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