Spinner http://www.spinner.com Spinner http://www.spinner.com/media/feedlogo.gif Spinner http://www.spinner.com en-us Copyright 2013 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this headlines and excerpts feed are available for limited commercial distribution. You may repost this feed to your site provided you link back to the original story, do not edit the material, and do not remove this copyright notice. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ Creed Bratton: 'The Office' Star Talks Space Chickens, Ed Helms' Banjo and the <i>Other</i> Creed http://www.spinner.com/2013/04/19/creed-bratton-the-office-tell-me-about-it/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/04/19/creed-bratton-the-office-tell-me-about-it/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/04/19/creed-bratton-the-office-tell-me-about-it/#comments Filed under: , , ,


Creed Bratton The OfficeFrazer Harrison, Getty

Creed Bratton has some interesting theories.

"I've always thought, if aliens came to Earth, I wouldn't want to ask them anything. I'd want to know what their chicken tastes like," the actor and musician tells Spinner when asked about the inspiration behind the cover for his new "audiobiography," Tell Me About It. "Because people always say that everything tastes like chicken."

This doesn't really explain why the man who found musical success as a member of Nuggets-era band The Grass Roots ("Let's Live For Today," "Midnight Confessions") and found acting fame as a fictionalized version of himself on The Office decided to represent this musical take on his life story with a trippy portrait of himself being interviewed by a terrifying space chicken. ]]> CreedCreed Brattoncreed bratton grass rootscreed bratton musicCreed Bratton the officeCreedBrattonCreedBrattonGrassRootsCreedBrattonMusicCreedBrattonTheOfficeEd HelmsEdHelmsgrass rootsGrassRootsrainn wilsonRainnWilsonRubber MenRubberMenthe grass rootsthe officeTheGrassRootsTheOfficeWilliam Charles SchneiderWilliamCharlesSchneider Sarah Kurchak 2013-04-19T16:00:00 00:00 Stevie Nicks 'In Your Dreams': Fleetwood Mac Singer's Doc Almost Foiled Due to Vanity http://www.spinner.com/2013/04/16/stevie-nicks-in-your-dreams-fleetwood-mac-doc/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/04/16/stevie-nicks-in-your-dreams-fleetwood-mac-doc/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/04/16/stevie-nicks-in-your-dreams-fleetwood-mac-doc/#comments Filed under: , , , ,


Stevie Nicks Fleetwood Mac

Toward the end of "In Your Dreams," Stevie Nicks and Dave Stewart's documentary about the making of their album of the same name which opened at Toronto's TIFF Bell Lightbox last night, Stewart muses about the magic that he experienced in that year of writing and recording with the rock 'n' roll legend and his hopes that a piece of that comes across in the film.

"I hope it brought you a little closer to Stevie's heart," he says in his closing narration.

The film certainly lives up to Stewart's expectations. The result of the producer and former Eurythmics member's almost obsessive need to film and document everything in his life, "In Your Dreams" takes viewers deep into the year-long creative process behind Nicks's 2011 album -- her first solo release in over a decade -- and just as deep into the heart of its co-writer and co-director. ]]> Dave StewartDaveStewartFleetwood MacFleetwoodMacStevie NicksStevie Nicks docStevie Nicks documentaryStevie Nicks Fleetwood MacStevie Nicks in your dreamsStevie Nicks TIFFStevieNicksStevieNicksDocStevieNicksDocumentaryStevieNicksFleetwoodMacStevieNicksInYourDreamsStevieNicksTiffTwilight Sarah Kurchak 2013-04-16T16:40:00 00:00 Titantic Anniversary: 11 Songs Commemorating the Ship Going Down & Other Nautical Disasters http://www.spinner.com/2013/04/12/titantic-nautical-disaster-songs/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/04/12/titantic-nautical-disaster-songs/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/04/12/titantic-nautical-disaster-songs/#comments Filed under: , , ,


TitanicPA

The sea has long been a source of inspiration for poets and musicians. From Samuel Taylor Coleridge's lyrical ballad, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" to Iron Maiden's metal ballad "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," every musical genre and permutation of the art form has been entranced by the romance, the adventures and the misadventures that can happen when a person and a vessel take to the open waters.

And there's something especially appealing about those misadventures, it seems.

Few musicians can resist the allure of a good shipwreck and all of the helplessness and hopelessness that comes with being stranded in the middle of nowhere while you're left to thrash, fade and die in the water. Whether they're the basis for an epic ballad, a metaphor for a broken relationship, or the inspiration for a nightmare, sinking ships have have been memorialized in folk songs, toasted by rap's predecessors, explored in rock songs and occasionally gloated about in blues classics. ]]> andrew birdAndrewBirdbob dylanBobDylangeorge clintonGeorgeClintongordon lightfootGordonLightfoothalf japaneseHalfJapaneseleadbellynautica disaster songsNauticaDisasterSongsnautical songsNauticalSongsshipping disastersShippingDisastersstan rogersStanRogersthe beegeesthe carter familythe titanicthe tragically hipTheBeegeesTheCarterFamilyTheTitanicTheTragicallyHipTitanicwoody guthrieWoodyGuthrie Sarah Kurchak 2013-04-12T14:00:00 00:00 One Direction FanFic: Wildest, Weirdest and Most Disturbing Stories About Brit Boy Band http://www.spinner.com/2013/03/27/one-direction-fanfic/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/03/27/one-direction-fanfic/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/03/27/one-direction-fanfic/#comments Filed under: , , , ,


One Direction kissingYouTube

For as long as freshly-scrubbed boys have been assembled into crack singing units designed to conquer the hearts and wallets of hot-blooded girls with their harmonies, synchronized dance moves and floppy hair, those same girls have been crafting all sorts of fantastical stories about the objects of their desires and disposable incomes.

But they used to keep these stories in their mattress-hidden diaries. Not no more.

One very lucky One Direction fan, 16-year-old Emily Baker, brought this time-honored tradition to the mainstream when her fan-fiction about a teen trapped in a love triangle with two members of the British boy band was picked up by Penguin last fall. While Baker's tale sounds like a lovely little exploration of wish fulfillment, not everyone who writes fanfic is quite so sweet and publishable, and the One Direction nation are certainly no exception.

Scrape the surface of 1D's fandom and you'll find a seedy underbelly of sex slaves, bed wetting, humans with dog genitalia and rapes committed by beloved talk show hosts. ]]> alex ovechkinAlexOvechkindr. whoDr.Whoerotic One DirectionEroticOneDirectionFifty Shades of GreyFiftyShadesOfGreyHarry StylesHarryStylesJustin BieberJustinBieberLiam PayneLiamPayneLouis TomlinsonLouisTomlinsonNiall HoranNiallHoranOne DirectionOne Direction fan fictionOneDirectionOneDirectionFanFictionOprahOprah WinfreyOprahWinfreySawtoilet trainingToiletTrainingTwilightZayn MalikZaynMalik Sarah Kurchak 2013-03-27T14:00:00 00:00 Tom Odell Talks Taylor Swift Tabloid Gossip: 'That's Odd, Isn't It? That's Crazy, That's Mad' http://www.spinner.com/2013/02/21/tom-odell-taylor-swift/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/02/21/tom-odell-taylor-swift/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/02/21/tom-odell-taylor-swift/#comments Filed under: , , ,


Tom Odell Taylor SwiftGetty | Getty

If modern fame can be measured in gossip and Twitter scandals, then the U.K.'s next big thing, Tom Odell, who just won the Critic's Choice award at last night's Brit Awards, seems primed to break stateside.

Mere days after the piano pounding singer/songwriter covered Taylor Swift's dubstep-tinged "Trouble" as part of his appearance on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, gossip site Hollywood Life had him embroiled in a rather melodramatic affair.

First Swift tweeted a link to a video of the "Another Love" singer's performance of her tune, saying "So I was already a @tompeterodell superfan... Now I'm just floored. This is so good." ]]> Taylor SwiftTaylorSwiftTom OdellTom Odell coversTom Odell musicTom Odell Taylor SwiftTomOdellTomOdellCoversTomOdellMusicTomOdellTaylorSwift Sarah Kurchak 2013-02-21T09:30:00 00:00 Hayden 'Us Alone': Singer Joins Broken Social Scene's Label, Gets Twitter Account http://www.spinner.com/2013/02/05/hayden-desser-us-alone/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/02/05/hayden-desser-us-alone/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/02/05/hayden-desser-us-alone/#comments Filed under: , , ,


Hayden DesserVanessa Heins

It's been four years since the semi-reclusive and occasionally elusive singer songwriter Hayden last released an album, and even longer since he's done much in the way of publicizing one (he quietly released his last album, The Place Where We Lived, without doing much in the way of live shows or press), but don't call his brand new album, Us Alone, a comeback. Unless you want to. Even though the folk musician has been working fairly steadily on his end of things, he understands how it must look to the outside world.

"There's a couple of elements that make it seem more like a comeback for me," Hayden tells Spinner. "They're a bit loose because, generally, it takes me two to three years between albums every time. This one was four years which, I guess, in the entertainment business, that's a lifetime. And also because I just decided to try some new things. Some of my business relationships have changed for this record. So it is a bit of a new chapter for me." ]]> Arts and CraftsArtsAndCraftsHaydenHayden arts and craftsHayden DesserHayden musicHayden Us AloneHaydenArtsAndCraftsHaydenDesserHaydenMusicHaydenUsAlone Sarah Kurchak 2013-02-05T15:00:00 00:00 11 Great Models Turned Musicians -- Karen Elson, Kate Moss & More http://www.spinner.com/2013/01/21/11-great-models-turned-musicians/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/01/21/11-great-models-turned-musicians/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/01/21/11-great-models-turned-musicians/#comments Filed under: , , ,


Karen Elson Kate MossGetty | Getty

Last week, Great Lake Swimmers' Tony Dekker had us all abuzz with his blazer-wearing prowess in the virtual pages of Mr. Porter, which got us thinking about other musicians who've tried their hands at striking a pose.

But the path between music and modeling is not a one-way street. It's just as common for a model to pick up a guitar as it is for a rock star to trade the stage for a catwalk.

Plenty of professionally pretty young things have been inspired to sing their lives -- or, at the very least, contribute a little tambourine to a Brit-pop song -- for all sorts of reasons over the years.

Here are 11 of our favorites (click to launch the gallery below): ]]> Agyness DeynAgynessDeynBabyshamblesCarla BruniCarlaBruniCharlotte Kemp-MuhlCharlotteKemp-muhlCoeur de PirateCoeurDePirateFive OClock HeroesFiveOclockHeroesGrace JonesGraceJonesIrina LazareanuIrinaLazareanuKaren ElsonKarenElsonKemp and EdenKempAndEdenLissy TrullieLissyTrullieLucky KnitwearLuckyKnitwearmodel musicmodel musiciansModelMusicModelMusiciansmodelsmodels turned musiciansModelsTurnedMusiciansNervoPete DohertyPeteDohertySean LennonSeanLennonThe Ghost of a Saber Tooth TigerTheGhostOfASaberToothTigerTwiggy Sarah Kurchak 2013-01-21T16:00:00 00:00 10 Great Musicians Turned Models http://www.spinner.com/2013/01/14/10-great-musicians-turned-models/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/01/14/10-great-musicians-turned-models/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/01/14/10-great-musicians-turned-models/#comments Filed under: , ,


Great Lake Swimmers Tony Dekker Christopher OwensMr. Porter | Saint Laurent

Given how pretty, stylish and charismatic the average indie rock or underground music star is, it's really no surprise that so many modeling agencies, designers and fashion photographers want to work with them.

The latest rocker to be lured in front of the camera and onto the runway is Great Lake Swimmers frontman Tony Dekker, who donned a series of designer blazers that made him look like the most dapper man in Deadwood to play a song for high-end fashion retailer Mr. Porter.

Evening the score a bit, ex-Girls singer Christopher Owens has returned from his own dalliances with fashion as a model for a Saint Laurent Paris campaign to release his debut solo album, Lyssandre.

With this cosmic exchange fresh in our minds, we've been spending a fair amount of time thinking about our favorite indie musicians turned models. Here are 10 of them. ]]> Alexander WangAlexanderWangAlexis KraussAlexisKraussAzealia BanksAzealiaBanksbabyshamblesburberryChristopher OwensChristopherOwensCourtney LoveCourtneyLovecover girlCoverGirlGirlsgivenchyGreat Lake SwimmersGreatLakeSwimmersHMIggy AzaleaIggyAzaleaJ. CrewJ.CrewJaguarjanelle monaeJanelleMonaeLana Del ReyLanaDelReyLevislibertinesLykke LiLykkeLiMr. PorterMr.Portermusician modelsMusicianModelsmusicians turned modelsMusiciansTurnedModelsObesity SpeedObesitySpeedPatrick WolfPatrickWolfPete DohertyPeteDohertyRoberto CavalliRobertoCavallisaint laurentSaintLaurentSephoraSolangeSolange KnowlesSolangeKnowlesTony DekkerTonyDekkerversace Sarah Kurchak 2013-01-14T17:00:00 00:00 Sarah McLachlan & Bill Clinton: How She Stole Him Away from the Election http://www.spinner.com/2013/01/09/sarah-mclachlan-bill-clinton/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/01/09/sarah-mclachlan-bill-clinton/ http://www.spinner.com/2013/01/09/sarah-mclachlan-bill-clinton/#comments Filed under: ,


Sarah McLachlanFrederick M. Brown, Getty

Animal lovers and anyone with half a heart aren't the only people who have been traumatized by Sarah McLachlan's devastating ads for the SPCA. Despite the singer's desire to help the organization and its fight against animal cruelty, she found the ads themselves quite hard to do.

"Honestly, those SPCA ads? Brutal for me, because it was so far out of my comfort zone, asking for money like that. It made me so uncomfortable," McLachlan tells Spinner. "Even though, boy, those ads worked like a hot damn!"

Although she's happy with the success of those ads, her current efforts with the new charity single "Find Your Voice" in support of The Sarah McLachlan School Of Music are far more her style. ]]> Bill ClintonBillClintonsarah mclachlanSarah McLachlan charitySarah McLachlan schoolSarah McLachlan School of MusicSarahMclachlanSarahMclachlanCharitySarahMclachlanSchoolSarahMclachlanSchoolOfMusic Sarah Kurchak 2013-01-09T15:15:00 00:00 The Dears Done Looking Back: After a Doc Film & Book it's Forward in 2013 http://www.spinner.com/2012/12/27/the-dears-2013/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/12/27/the-dears-2013/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/12/27/the-dears-2013/#comments Filed under: ,


The DearsThe Dears Facebook

As 2012 draws to a close and a brand new year looms, many people are making resolutions and thinking about fresh starts. But few people are likely to be quite as excited about 2013's new possibilities as Murray Lightburn, singer and figurehead for Montreal band The Dears.

After a couple of years filled with introspection and retrospection, Lightburn and the band are glad to be moving on.

"Really," Lightburn tells Spinner. "If I have to look back one more time I might have to permanently place my head that way." ]]> Murray LightburnMurrayLightburnMurrayLightburnthedearsThe DearsTheDears Sarah Kurchak 2012-12-27T15:30:00 00:00 Brains, Walking Dead and Rock & Roll: 11 Disturbing Songs About Zombies http://www.spinner.com/2012/11/30/walking-dead-songs-zombies/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/11/30/walking-dead-songs-zombies/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/11/30/walking-dead-songs-zombies/#comments Filed under: , , ,


Zombies Sean Gallup, Getty

Zombie-mania is running as fast and wild as the super-charged version that ate (almost) everyone in 28 Days Later. Between the imminent mid-season finale of The Walking Dead, the new trailer for World War Z starring Brad Pitt, and general Mayan End of Days zombie apocalypse paranoia, excitement about the bloody brain-eaters is about as unavoidable as the creatures themselves. Hell, zombies are even invading video games, from ZombiU for Nintendo's new Wii U console to en entire zombie mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.

You'd basically have to hide out having pointless arguments at a farm in the middle of nowhere for an entire infuriating television season to avoid the pop-cultural undead these days. Amd that includes not listening to music because zombies have somehow lurched their way in there, too.

So in honor of all of this horrific hoopla, we've compiled a list of the best -- or, at the very least, most disturbing -- songs about zombies. Read on...we dare you! ]]> Boris KarloffBuck 65CranberriesDead Mans BonesFela KutiHarry BelafonteInsane Clown PosseJonathan CoultonMichael JacksonRob ZombieRyan GoslingSilverlake Conservatory Childrens ChoirSufjan StevensThe CranberriesThe Walking DeadThe Walking Dead musicTom PettyWalking DeadWorld War zzombiezombie musiczombie songszombie tuneszombies Sarah Kurchak 2012-11-30T12:00:00 00:00 Carmen Electra Talks Prince, Wants to Work With Skrillex in Musical Return http://www.spinner.com/2012/11/27/carmen-electra-prince-skrillex/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/11/27/carmen-electra-prince-skrillex/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/11/27/carmen-electra-prince-skrillex/#comments Filed under: , , , ,


Carmen ElectraScott Barbour, Getty

It's been almost 20 years since Prince first discovered Carmen Electra, but the actress, dancer and TV personality still thinks of her time as the Purple One's protege fondly.

"It was the most unreal, amazing experience of my life," Electra tells Spinner about being in the studio and on the road with him. "Just to be around someone that's so brilliant. I mean, obviously he's a genius, and just seeing his work ethic and what he does and how creative he is. It's so inspiring."

It's even become something of a personal self-affirmation for her. ]]> Azealia BanksBill HammelCarmen ElectraCarmen Electra musicCarmenElectraIggy AzaleaPrincePrince Carmen Electravasi Sarah Kurchak 2012-11-27T15:30:00 00:00 Diamond Rings Wants to 'Smash' Modesty, Is Having a Hard Time With It http://www.spinner.com/2012/11/22/diamond-rings-modesty/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/11/22/diamond-rings-modesty/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/11/22/diamond-rings-modesty/#comments Filed under: ,


Diamond Rings John O'ReganJag Gundu, Getty

There appears to be a trend forming in the early press surrounding the release of electro pop artist Diamond Rings' sophomore album, Free Dimensional: any time a story touches on the self-confident lyrics that make up the bulk of the bold and brilliant record, the statement is almost immediately followed by a quote in which the burgeoning pop star hopes that he's not coming across as cocky or arrogant.

Is the genre and gender-bending singer/songwriter experiencing a bit of latent Canadian modesty now that Free Dimensional has been released?

"Maybe," John O'Regan, the man behind the music, the Letterman and Leno appearances -- and the Max Headroom costume -- admits to Spinner. "And it probably shouldn't be, 'cause it's sort of why Diamond Rings exists, is to sort of smash that kind of tendency that I think we all have to sort of hide behind ourselves. And I think this record's probably, or definitely, my strongest statement that I've made to date." ]]> Diamond RingsDiamond Rings bandDiamond Rings egoDiamond Rings John ODiamond Rings John OReganDiamond Rings modestDiamond Rings musicDiamondRings Sarah Kurchak 2012-11-22T12:00:00 00:00 Car Crashes and Music: 11 Songs About Vehicular Tragedy by Kanye, Pearl Jam, Springsteen & More http://www.spinner.com/2012/11/21/car-crash-songs/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/11/21/car-crash-songs/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/11/21/car-crash-songs/#comments Filed under: , , , ,


Car Crash Accident SongsMartin Bureau, AFP

For songwriters there's something especially enticing and gruesome about a vehicular crash. From the sweet-sounding teen tragedy hits that ruled the '60s to the real-life account of Kanye West's near life-threatening accident in 2002 pop music is filled with cautionary tales about how not to behave on bikes, in cars, and around railway tracks.

For an alarming number of people, though, those catchy tragedies are a gruesome reality. Six people die on Canadian roads every single day, according to the Canadian Council of Motor Transportation Administrators. Many more face life-threatening and life-changing injuries.

In an effort to memorialize those people, and to bring greater attention to road safety in general, the CCMTA has declared November 21 National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims. And, in honor of that day, we've assembled 11 of pop music's most heartbreaking and harrowing songs about crashes. ]]> Barenaked LadiesBat out of hellBruce Springsteencar accident songscar accidentscar crashcar crash songscar crashesJan and DeanKanye WestKISSLast KissMark DinningMeat LoafMeatloafmotorcycle accidentsPearl JamRadioheadshangri-lasSimple Plan Sarah Kurchak 2012-11-21T12:00:00 00:00 The Killers and Mitt Romney: Drummer Suggests Mormon Republican's Interest is an Attempt to Be 'Hip' http://www.spinner.com/2012/11/01/the-killers-mitt-romney/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/11/01/the-killers-mitt-romney/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/11/01/the-killers-mitt-romney/#comments Filed under: , ,


The Killers and Mitt RomneyThe Killers | AFP

When presidential candidate Mitt Romney told Parade magazine that he was a fan of The Killers this past summer, after earlier including two Killers tunes in his press released Spotify playlist, the largely apolitical (and partly Mormon) band took it in stride.

Neither outwardly criticizing or endorsing Romney, the four members of the working class rock 'n' roll outfit have instead supported the politician's musical freedom of choice.

Bassist Mark Stoermer told Rolling Stone that "anyone's allowed to like us. If it's just about music, I guess it's not a negative thing."

Singer Brandon Flowers adopted a similar line when talking to Reuters about his feelings on fellow Mormon Romney, saying, "It doesn't bother us that one particular candidate likes us or if another doesn't. For the most part, from [UK prime minister] David Cameron to Obama to Romney, everybody likes us." ]]> 2012 U.S. ElectionBrandon FlowersMitt RomneyMormon musiciansMormonsRonnie VannucciRonnie Vannucci Jr.The KillersThe Killers political viewsU.S. presidential election Sarah Kurchak 2012-11-01T13:00:00 00:00 Esthero Wants Your Name Tattooed on Her Ass -- For $150,000 http://www.spinner.com/2012/10/26/esthero-everything-is-expensive-ass-tattoo/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/10/26/esthero-everything-is-expensive-ass-tattoo/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/10/26/esthero-everything-is-expensive-ass-tattoo/#comments Filed under: , , , ,


EstheroEsthero

When electro/jazz singer/songwriter Esthero first started to consider funding options for the release of her forthcoming album, Everything is Expensive, she was leery of turning to crowd-sourcing sites like Kickstarter.

"I've always been weird about that stuff," the Toronto expat tells Spinner in a phone call from Los Angeles. "Even though I know the state of the music business, I think it's the state of music in general, of everyone. It's a fucking recession and it's horrible and I feel really awkward... I didn't want to raise money to make a record -- and I'm not dissing anyone who does this -- I just felt, personally, very uncomfortable with the idea of 'Hey! Give me money so that I can make something to sell you!' I feel really weird about that."

Despite these uncomfortable feelings, Esthero eventually gave in and signed on to music-only funding website Pledge Music to create a fundraising option that she felt comfortable with. ]]> ass tattoocrowd fundingcrowd sourcingEstheroEsthero assEsthero Everything is expensiveEsthero tattooKickstarter Sarah Kurchak 2012-10-26T17:00:00 00:00 The Killers Talk Battle Born: Staying Working Class, Pondering Springsteen, Playing With Daniel Lanois http://www.spinner.com/2012/10/19/the-killers-battle-born/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/10/19/the-killers-battle-born/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/10/19/the-killers-battle-born/#comments Filed under: , , , ,


Williams + Hirakawa

When Las Vegas, Nevada's The Killers decided to name their new album -- and the home studio where they recorded most of it -- Battle Born, it was more than just a superficial nod to the phrase that adorns their home state's flag. To the rockers, those two words are an ethos and a rallying cry. They represented where the musicians have come from mentally as well as physically.

"It means a lot," drummer Ronnie Vannucci, Jr. tells Spinner of the slogan. "It has a great dynamic meaning. You could wrap it up into where we're from or maybe having been a band for 10 years and having been though the whirlwind, the tornado, the ringer. I think that, in a lot of ways, it's a fitting title. For anybody who's working, it doesn't matter if you're a car mechanic or just living and going through those experiences and having that time. I think if you're awake enough, words like that stand out to you and we feel like we have some ownership of that title."

In Toronto to promote the album, Vannucci Jr. talked about the band's writing process this time around, what it was like to work with Canada's musical wunderkind Daniel Lanois as both a producer and a co-writer, and how The Killers stay in touch with their Battle Born roots. ]]> Battle BornKillersRonnie Vannucci JrRonnie Vannucci the killersThe KillersThe Killers Battle BornTheKillers Sarah Kurchak 2012-10-19T15:00:00 00:00 The Tragically Hip, 'Now For Plan A': A Big, Weird Interview With Canada's Biggest, Weirdest Band http://www.spinner.com/2012/10/05/tragically-hip-kensington-market/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/10/05/tragically-hip-kensington-market/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/10/05/tragically-hip-kensington-market/#comments Filed under: , , , , ,


Universal Music Canada

There's something surreal about seeing one of the country's biggest and most iconic bands play in a small club in Toronto's perennially underground Kensington Market.

The crowd packed into the back room of Supermarket -- renamed "Now For Plan A" Headquarters for the duration of The Tragically Hip's three day residency in celebration of the release of their brand new album of the same name -- can barely believe what's about to happen as they wait for the band to take the stage for their first in a series of free mini-sets they're playing throughout the day.

Despite the fact that The Hip stopped foot traffic with a number of surprise performances the day before during one of the artisan market neighbourhood's beloved Pedestrian Sundays, despite the widely publicized promise of more shows on Monday and Tuesday, and despite the fact that the wristbands we were given at the door prominently display the band's name in bold black letters, the fans around me nervously joke that the whole thing might be a ruse, that some no-name band who didn't write Canadian classics like "Courage," and "Ahead By a Century" will promptly take the stage at 3 p.m. on a Monday afternoon and dash all of their dreams. ]]> CommunityGord DownieGordDownieKensington MarketPierce HawthorneStreets AheadThe Hipthe tragically hipTragically HipTragicallyHip Sarah Kurchak 2012-10-05T14:30:00 00:00 Ben Howard Goes Electric: Mercury Prize-Nominated Singer Plans Different Path for Next Album http://www.spinner.com/2012/09/24/ben-howard-goes-electric-mercury-prize-nominated-singer-plans-d/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/09/24/ben-howard-goes-electric-mercury-prize-nominated-singer-plans-d/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/09/24/ben-howard-goes-electric-mercury-prize-nominated-singer-plans-d/#comments Filed under: , , ,


Island

When British singer/songwriter and recreational surfer Ben Howard first started making waves, for lack of a better term, on this side of the pond earlier this year, he received almost as much attention for his hobby as he did for his music. Critics were quick to latch onto his surfing in an effort to paint him as England's answer to ten-hanging troubadours like Jack Johnson, but Howard thinks that the extent of his pursuits and their influence on his art have been overblown.

"The whole surfing image is... it's been frustrating, to be honest, because people start saying that I play surf music and no one even knows what surf music is," Howard tells Spinner as he prepares for his triumphant return to North America for a slew of sold out dates in increasingly bigger venues. "I probably talk about surfing more than actually going in the sea nowadays."

He does admit that the water has had a certain influence on his lyrics, but so has the rest of the outside world. ]]> Ben HowardBen Howard Mercury PrizeBenHowardMercury Prize Sarah Kurchak 2012-09-24T16:00:00 00:00 The Sadies' Neil Young Fantasy: Want to Talk San Jose Sharks With Him http://www.spinner.com/2012/09/21/the-sadies-neil-young-the-band-tribute/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/09/21/the-sadies-neil-young-the-band-tribute/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/09/21/the-sadies-neil-young-the-band-tribute/#comments Filed under: , , ,


Starfish Entertainment

When Toronto's beloved underground country rockers The Sadies first met and collaborated with Canadian folk icon Neil Young, drummer Mike Belitsky could barely believe it was happening.

After a lengthy and fruitless struggle to find enough free time in both of their schedules to actually meet in a studio and play "This Wheel's on Fire" together for The Band tribute album Garth Hudson Presents: A Canadian Celebration of The Band, Belitsky had pretty much given up all hope.

"It just seemed like one of those things that would always be a rumor," the drummer tells Spinner. "Like a carrot on the end of a stick. We were on a treadmill and someone kept moving the carrot further."

When the day and the studio time were finally booked, the reality of the situation started to dawn on the band ever so slowly. ]]> Garth HudsonNeil YoungNeil Young and The SadiesNeil Young Garth HudsonNeil Young This wheels on fireNeilYoungSadiesSan Jose SharksThe BandThe Band this wheels on fireThe SadiesThe Sadies Garth HudsonTheBandthis wheels on fire Sarah Kurchak 2012-09-21T13:00:00 00:00