Kanye West, The National, Mumford & Sons & More for Global Citizen Compilation Album

Mumford & Sons

By James Pleasant

Kanye West, The National, Mumford & Sons and Ellie Goulding are some of the artists who will be featured on Global Citizen’s upcoming compilation album, Metamorphoses.

Mumford & Son’s Ben Lovett teamed up with Global Citizen – a nonprofit dedicated to ending worldwide poverty – and enlisted some his favorite artists to contribute to the 12-track album, set to be released this fall.

As part of the project, Global Citizen is giving fans around the world the opportunity to contribute to the project by allowing them to submit lyrics, poems, stories, reflections and thoughts for the album.

Fans across six continents have already submitted their Metamorphoses contributions, and Global Citizen has extended its original deadline and will be accepting submissions until March 31.

The musicians featured on the album will pick their favorite submissions, and will integrate them into the original songs they write.

“Everyone knows that music is a powerful force that for thousands of years has inspired change, given hope, and provided healing to people,” said Lovett in a statement. “Metamorphoses will transform your thoughts and feelings into music, giving a voice to the words that might well inspire change, give hope or provide healing for other citizens around the world.”

Additional artists will be announced in the coming months leading up to the album’s release.

Global Citizen is well-known for its Global Citizen Festival, which is the organization’s free annual concert. Last year’s event took place in New York City’s Central Park and featured performances from Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Pearl Jam and Coldplay.

Global Citizen is working to end extreme poverty by 2030, and has raised more than $19 billion to date, helping millions of people living in poverty around the world.

If you would like to submit lyrics to Metamorphoses, click here. To learn more about Global Citizen, go here.

Beck, Animal Collective, Kid Cudi and More to Headline Non-Profit McDowell Mountain Music Festival

Beck will perform at 100% non-profit McDowell Mountain Music Festival

By James Pleasant

Beck, The Avett Brothers, Kid Cudi, Animal Collective, Gary Clark Jr, Bloc Party and more are set to headline the McDowell Mountain Music Festival’s (M3F) — a 100% non-profit music festival set to take place March 11-13 at Margaret T. Hance Park in downtown Phoenix, Arizona.

M3F is dedicated to celebrating community, culture and charity, and aims to support, entertain and educate the community throughout Arizona.

Each year, the festival donates all of its profits to a couple of local charities, and has raised more than 1 million dollars for charities since its inception in 2004. M3F raised $120,000 during its 2015 event alone.

One hundred percent of the proceeds for this year’s event will go to Phoenix Children’s Hospital and UMOM New Day Center.

UMOM is the largest homeless shelter in Phoenix, and provides homeless families in Arizona with food, shelter, and emergency assistance. Fifty-nine percent of the residents at UMOM are children, according to the shelter’s website. Just last year, UMOM provided 190,280 meals to homeless individuals in Arizona.

Founded in 1983, Phoenix Children’s Hospital is one of the largest children’s hospitals in the US, providing medical services to children all over Arizona.

In addition to the main performers, M3F will include performances by 16 local artists including Captain Squeegee, Fairy Bones and Huckleberry. The main acts will perform at Hance Park’s two stages, and a third acoustic stage will be set up by the front gate, so anyone who didn’t buy a ticket can still enjoy a taste of the music.

Previous performers include The Roots, Phantogram, Slightly Stood, Widespread Panic, Passion Pit and The Black Crowes.

For more information about M3F, click here. To purchase tickets for the event, click here.

 

Music Freedom Day Honors Victims of Paris Attacks & Celebrates Freedom of Speech Through Music

By James Pleasant

Can you imagine what it would be like if music didn’t exist, or if your government banned any form of musical expression and you could be persecuted or imprisoned for creating – or even for listening to – music?

Music Freedom Day, which takes place on March 3 every year, is dedicated to celebrating freedom of expression, and standing up against oppressive forces that want to silence artists and musicians around the world.

Music Freedom Day also highlights the significance and powerful impact of music in society, and celebrates how music has historically been effectively used as a tool for political protest.

This year, Music Freedom Day is dedicated to the victims of the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, France, where 89 people were killed at an Eagles of Death Metal concert at the Bataclan Club.

Music Freedom Day was established by FreeMuse —an organization dedicated to freedom of expression through music. Since the event’s inception in 2007, more than 30 countries have joined the cause, creating initiatives all over the world.

FreeMuse encourages music fans around the world to create workshops, arrange lectures, or talk to friends about the importance of free speech and the dangers of censorship. FreeMuse stresses that anybody can participate in Music Freedom Day, as long they have a passion for music and freedom of expression.

Events will be held to this year to celebrate the day in countries including the United States, Germany, The Netherlands, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Pakistan, Spain, Sweden and Senegal.

What’s more, BBC World Wide North America will premiere They Will Have to Kill Us First: Malian Music in Exile on March 4, as part of the Music Freedom Day celebration.

The documentary tells of the story of the Malian people’s struggle after Islamic Jihadists – who took control of northern Mali in 2012 – imposed strict Shariah law on the region’s people, banning all forms of music.

The documentary, which features a score composed by Yeah Yeah Yeah’s guitarist Nick Zinner, opens at Village East Cinema in New York City on March 4, and Los Angeles’ Laemmle Santa Monica Theater on April 1.

To find out more about the activities and events taking place for Music Freedom Day, click here.

Join Members of Arcade Fire, State Radio, Ally Coalition, Pandora & Music for Good to Give Back at SXSW

(L-R) Marika Anthony-Shaw, Laura Ferreiro, Jeb Gutelius, Chadwick Stokes, Marta Riggins

It’s easy to get swept up in the insanity of SXSW – checking out countless new bands, hobnobbing with friends and colleagues, and of course indulging in the ubiquitous beer and barbeque. But what if you could do all that and still take time to give back to others in need and be inspired by creative ways to use music and marketing to help out some terrific causes?

On Wednesday, March 16, join Music for Good, Pandora, the Ally Coalition and members of State Radio, Dispatch and Arcade Fire for the panel Music & Activism: Amplifying Your Voice for Social Good. We’ll discuss how musicians and brands can easily bring attention to important causes such as protecting the environment, music and arts education, youth homelessness, LBQT equality, disaster relief, human rights issues and much more, and make a hugely positive impact.

The panel will feature Chad Stokes (frontman for State Radio & Dispatch and Co-Founder of Calling All Crows), Jeb Gutelius (Executive Director, the Ally Coalition), Marika Anthony-Shaw (Arcade Fire violist & Founder and President of Plus 1), Marta Riggins (Director of Employee Experience & Marketing, Pandora), and Laura Ferreiro (Founder of Music for Good & M4G Media) who will also spearhead a service project to assemble care packages for the homeless immediately afterwards.

We’ll look at the benefits of using a public platform to bring attention to good causes that need support, how to empower fans and colleagues to solve these issues together, and how you can get involved and team up with likeminded people and organizations to make a real difference.

What’s more, right after the panel, join us for a service project to give back to the Austin community. We’ll be putting together care packages at the Austin Convention Center for the local homeless shelter Front Steps, which provides shelter and affordable housing for those in need.


WHAT: Music & Activism Panel and Service Project
WHEN: Wednesday, March 16, Panel 3:30-4:30pm; Service Project 5-6pm
WHERE: SXSW, Austin Convention Center, 531 E. 4th St Room 13AB for Panel, Room 8AB for Service Project

We look forward to seeing you in Austin!

Kendrick Lamar’s Label Top Dawg Donates to Homeless on Skid Row

Members of Top Dawg Entertainment donate clothing to the homeless in LA

By James Pleasant

Earlier this month, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, Isaiah Rashad and several Top Dawg Entertainment employees organized a clothing drive for the homeless on Skid Row, a neighborhood in downtown Los Angeles.

In a video posted on the label’s YouTube channel, the artists are seen giving boxes of clothing away to members of the community who were genuinely grateful for the label’s selfless act.

The team also donated electronics and boxes of new clothes to Union Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter located in Skid Row.

“You know, we really need it,” said one of the Skid Row residents in the video. “If it wasn’t for people like you, there’d be no hope for people like us.”

The clothing drive was part of TDE’s “Each One, Teach One” initiative, in which members of the label give back to communities through philanthropic efforts.

TDE recently hosted its second annual holiday toy giveaway in December, treating residents of the Nickerson Garden Projects in Watts, California to gifts, free meals and a free concert with performances by Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Isaiah Rashad, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, SZA and other musicians associated with the record label.

Los Angeles’ Skid Row is notorious for containing one of the largest homeless populations in the United States. This 54-block area is home to at least 2,000 unsheltered men and women, according to a report by CNN.

Top Dawg Entertainment, founded by Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, is a Los Angeles-based independent record label. Grammy-Award winning rapper Kendrick Lamar and the label’s five other artists (Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Isaiah Rashad and SZA) are responsible for some of the most forward-thinking, socially-aware hip-hop/R&B of the 2010s.

Check out the official video for Lamar’s empowering hit single “Alright.”

Weird Al, St Vincent & More Promote Music Education at NAMM 2016

NAMM Foundation's Mary Luehrsen interviews Weird Al Yankovic Photo: Getty/Michael Loftus

By Laura Ferreiro

While most people think of NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) as a musician’s playground where gearheads check out the latest instruments and jam out on the $4,000 guitar they’ve been eyeing, many don’t realize that promoting music education is at the forefront of everything NAMM does.

At this year’s NAMM trade show at the Anaheim Convention Center January 21-24, everyone from Weird Al Yankovic to Dr. John to St. Vincent did their part to celebrate the importance of music education in schools and inspire younger generations of musicians to play and pursue careers in music.

At the inaugural Rally for Music Education, NAMM Foundation Executive Director Mary Luehrsen interviewed Yankovic. The curly-haired comic-singer discussed his creative process and how music lessons shaped his career. He explained that a traveling salesman came to his parents’ front door when he was young selling musical instruments, and they bought him an accordion rather than a guitar.

“It worked out…the accordion made me stand out,” he said. “If I’d learned the guitar I would have been one of 10 million people playing guitar and trying to get noticed.”

During the lighthearted exchange, Yankovic gave students in the audience some serious advice. “If you make a living doing something you’re passionate about, you’re already successful,” he said.

St Vincent at NAMM 2016

Renowned indie artist Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, also spoke to NAMM-goers during an interview with with NAMM President Joe Lamond about the launch of her own signature guitar with Ernie Ball, and her major musical influences including Nirvana and David Bowie.

“I guess I always looked at guitar as a noise-generator,” Clark said. “It could be a monster, it could be a shield, it could be very gentle. So I kind of just tried to explore the full palette of what guitar means and try to reinvent it for the 21st century.”

What’s more, the NAMM community took part in a Day of Service at James Guinn Elementary School in Anaheim on January 19 by coaching 4th, 5th and 6th graders to make music. The kids played guitars, drums and ukuleles with music educators and reps from Kala Brand Music and Remo Inc.

Ukulele class during the NAMM Day of Service. Photo: NAMM Foundation

“The NAMM Foundation works year-long to bring music to children around the world,” said Lamond. “And while our members come from around the globe, making a difference right here in Anaheim has special meaning to us. We’re proud to support the passionate music teachers, parents, students and administrators in the Anaheim City School District who are working so hard to ensure every child has an opportunity for a well-rounded education that includes music!”

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus has become a regular fixture at NAMM and was parked outside the Anaheim Convention Center offering tours to students and NAMM-goers who were treated to a glimpse of its state-of-the art, mobile recording studio. The non-profit offers students the chance to write and record music with high-quality equipment and music professionals completely for free. The Bus celebrated its 19th year at NAMM with a party featuring a Dr. John & The Nite Trippers.

Lastly, renowned rocker Alice Cooper joined Beasto Blanco for the NAMMJAM 2016 at the City National Grove Of Anaheim benefiting the House of Blues Music Forward Foundation on January 22. A live silent auction held during the event featured music memorabilia, autographed guitars, musicians’ original artwork and more to further Music Forward’s mission of providing young people with music-industry mentorships and greater access to music education.

Youth Orchestra Los Angeles to Perform with Coldplay at Super Bowl 50

Coldplay will perform with the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles at Super Bowl 50

By Lauren Shelburne

Imagine receiving an invitation from one of the world’s biggest rock bands to join them on stage at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. This dream-come-true is a reality for the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), which was invited by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin to perform alongside his seven-time Grammy-Award-winning band at the Super Bowl Halftime Show at Levi’s Stadium on February 7 under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel, Conductor, Music & Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Gustavo Dudamel conducts Youth Orchestra Los Angeles. Photo: Mathew Imaging

Since 2007, YOLA has provided more than 700 students ages 6-18 with free instruments, instruction and academic support with the help of the LA Phil and its partners.

The three branches of YOLA in Exposition Park in South LA, the Rampart district, and at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts in East LA all provide different services to students. YOLA at EXPO has three orchestras, mentorships, group lessons, chamber music and parent ensembles that students attend four days a week. YOLA HOLA offers music creativity, singing ensemble rehearsals and academic tutoring daily. YOLA LACHSA pairs elementary school students with high school students from LACHSA to act as mentors.

Dudamel has worked with the LA Phil and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. He was inspired by Venezuela’s El Sistema, which provides free classical music education for impoverished children, and founded YOLA. Dudamel advocates for access to music for all and will be instructing the students at the Super Bowl.

“This is a wonderful honor and an extraordinary showcase for YOLA, as well as a tribute to youth orchestras worldwide,” Dudamel said. “When we play, it will be for the youth of the world so they can be inspired to create both a better life for themselves and a better future.”

The group performs annually at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and has played at the Hollywood Bowl in past years, but this will be its first experience performing at the Super Bowl, which will be seen by more than 100 million television viewers around the country.

Click here for more information about YOLA.

Music Community Rallies to Combat Flint Water Crisis

Cher was one of the first musicians to donate to Flint

By James Pleasant

Musicians across the U.S. are rallying to donate much-needed clean water and funds to help the citizens of Flint, Michigan during the city’s deadly water crisis, which has already contaminated thousands of residents with extremely high levels of lead.

The water crisis finally received national media coverage earlier this month after President Obama declared a federal state of emergency, following a Virginia Tech study of the city’s water quality, and a string of class-action lawsuits.

Pop singer Cher, with the help of the Icelandic Glacial bottled water company, is donating 181,440 bottles of water to the residents of Flint. Cher has been outspoken about the crisis on social media, criticizing Michigan’s elected officials for their negligence in handling the issue.

“This a tragedy of staggering proportion and shocking that it’s happening in the middle of our country…I cannot wait for the water to get there to help these people who have been poisoned because the water they’ve been getting out of their taps has been polluted for so long and remains that way without the state or the federal government stepping in with any substantial plan to resolve this problem,” said Cher in a statement.

Pearl Jam

The water will be distributed by the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan to other foodbanks, community centers and low-income housing areas throughout Flint – a city in which 40 percent of  the population lives below the poverty line.

Jack White’s record label, Third Man Records, is also lending a helping hand. It organized a water drive in Flint, and launched a campaign to raise money for relief efforts. The label is encouraging people to donate to its Crowdrise fundraiser and is offering a grand prize to one lucky donor. The grand prize winner will become a Platinum Vault Subscriber for the next 5 years and receive 20 free packages with all types of merchandise and memorabilia from the label.

All of the donations will go to the United Way of Genesee County Flint Water Fund. The money will be used to purchase water filters, bottled water and emergency services, and the remaining donations will go towards the Flint Child Health and Development Fund—an initiative to help children poisoned by the contaminated drinking water.

Legendary grunge band Pearl Jam donated $125,000 to the United Way of Genesee County, and inspired several of their friends and partners such as Brandi Carlile’s Looking Out Foundation, Glasper Progress Foundation, Live Nation, Republic Records, Ticketmaster and Universal Music Publishing Group to donate an additional $175,000.

Pearl Jam is urging fans to donate to the cause via Crowdrise and have already raised $20,000.

Several artists in the hip-hop community have also stepped up to help Flint survive its deadly water crisis. Big Sean, a rapper from nearby Detroit, donated $10,000 with a fundraiser on Crowdrise called #HealFlintKids through his Sean Anderson Foundation to assist the Flint Child Health & Development Fund.

“I am devastated by the water crisis that has put the entire city of Flint in a state of emergency,” said Sean in a statement to the Detroit Free Press.

Big Sean

Big Sean’s campaign is also packed with incentives, and people who donate $10 or more will get a chance to win two VIP tickets to see the Detroit rapper in concert, complete with a meet-and-greet and photo opportunities.

Compton rapper The Game donated $500,000 to Flint, and promised that water bottle company Avita Water will donate an additional $500,000. The $1 million total donation will be facilitated by The Game’s charity The Robin Hood Project, which assists poverty-stricken families and individuals.

Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill also got in on the action and donated 600,000 bottles of water to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan and to the Flint Child Health & Development Fund.

Flint’s drinking water became contaminated in 2014, after the state switched the city’s water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River, which was already notorious for being dirty, according to a report by CNN. A Virginia Tech study revealed that Flint River is 19 times more corrosive than Lake Huron, which caused old lead pipes to leak into the water supply.

Mark Ronson, Alison Mosshart, Joanna Newsom and More to Headline Fleetwood Mac Fest Benefit Show

Fleetwood Mac

By Lauren Shelburne

The Best Fest will continue its 15-year tradition of bringing rock-and-roll to fans for charity with their latest event, the Fleetwood Mac Fest, on February 9 and 10 at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles.

The event will celebrate 40 years of Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham and John and Christine McVie as Fleetwood Mac with renowned artists performing their hit tunes. The eclectic bill includes Mark Ronson, Alison Mosshart of the Kills and The Dead Weather, Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction, Joanna Newsom, Cold War Kids, KT Tunstall, Dhani Harrison, PHASES, Will Forte, Ruby Amanfu, Sarah Silverman, Karen Elson, Butch Walker and more, as well as the Cabin Down Below house band and a few unannounced special guests.

“We have some major surprises up our sleeves,” said Austin Scaggs, co-founder of Best Fest.

The Best Fest began in New York celebrating the accomplishments of musicians such as Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and the Rolling Stones. In September 2012, ticket sale proceeds began to go to charity and allowed The Best Fest to expand around the country.

This year’s proceeds will be donated to Sweet Relief Musicians Fund and The Sweet Stuff Foundation. Sweet Relief has been serving the musician community since 1994 and provides financial assistance to musicians who have suffered from disabilities, illness and injuries. Musicians of every genre have benefited from the fund. The Sweet Stuff Foundation has worked since 2013 to assist musicians with medical expenses not covered by insurance as well as help finance children’s music lessons and instruments.

“Fleetwood Mac has been such a major part of the soundtracks of our lives that it’s time to honor their living legacy,” Scaggs said. “These shows really represent the next generation of artists giving love to their musical heroes and raising money for two deserving charities.”

The Best Fest has celebrated other artists over the years to benefit notable charities that serve musicians. Previous Best Fests include Neil Fest, Dylan Fest, Stones Fest and Petty Fest.

Tickets to Fleetwood Mac Fest are available here.

Joan Baez Works with Amnesty International to Raise Awareness of Mass Incarcerations

Joan Baez teams up with Amnesty International

By Lauren Shelburne

On January 27, folk artist Joan Baez will celebrate her 75th birthday by launching an 18-city North American tour with Amnesty International with a star-studded performance at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.

The performance will celebrate both Baez’s 50-year career with songs from every decade, and also bring awareness to the issue of mass incarceration of minorities in the United States. Audiences will have the opportunity to support the cause at shows with the help of Amnesty International workers.

Amnesty International works to bring justice and human rights to those all around the world while educating the public about these issues. The organization won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for its contributions to bring peace and justice to the world. Baez began her work with the renowned non-profit in the 1970s after meeting Ginetta Sagan, a torture survivor and Bay Area activist.

Margaret Huang, interim executive director for Amnesty International USA, is excited to continue working with Beaz. “We are excited to continue our longstanding collaboration with Joan and look forward to welcoming her fans to join Amnesty International and take action on human rights issues here in the United States,” Huang said. “The United States is the leading jailer in the world. Together, we can change that.”

Baez took part in the Conspiracy of Hope tour in 1986 as a featured performer and was a special guest in the 1988 Human Rights Now! tour. On May 21, 2015 Baez was honored alongside Ai Weiwei with the “Ambassador of Conscience Award” for their leadership in the human rights field.

“I am pleased once again to be joining forces with Amnesty International, this time on the critical and urgent issue of racial and ethnic disparities of incarceration, right here in the United States,” Baez said.

Baez’s birthday performance will be recorded and produced as part of the Great Performances series on PBS and will feature notable performances from artists including Paul Simon, Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne, Mary Chapin Carpenter and more. Baez will then travel throughout the eastern region of the United States and conclude the tour in Buffalo, NY on March 26.

For tickets for Baez’s birthday show, click here, and to learn more about Amnesty International, click here.