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Una publicación compartida por Ed Sheeran HQ (@edhq)

Singer Ed Sheeran has had quite a week. On May 4, the British musician won his years-long copyright case after being accused of copying Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” Just a day later, he released his sixth-studio album titled – (aka Subtract). Since he had even stated he would quit music altogether should he lose the trial, the latest developments surely have him celebrating, and reinforcing his bond with his creative practice. That's why it's almost fitting that he chose to revel with his fans in a unique setting.

As part of his album release campaign, Sheeran's team set up a pop-up shop in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City. While fans could take in the visuals from the record, enjoy photo-ops, and acquire merchandise, getting an acoustic performance from the singer wasn't on the cards.

On the Saturday after his album release, Sheeran showed up to the site, where fans had lined up for the shopping experience. With guitar in hand, he climbed atop a parked car, and turned it into an impromptu stage for a surprise show. Not only did his fans marvel at the chance to see him perform in such a unique setting, but passersby also got to enjoy a tiny show from one of the most popular singers in the world. Sheeran performed half a dozen songs, including his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud” and his latest single, “Boat.” He then posted a video of the surprise show, which has earned over a million likes on Instagram.

Happy for the opportunity to sing stripped down versions of his songs to his fans, Sheeran repeated the impromptu performance in two other cities that also hosted a pop-up experience for his album release—Dallas and Los Angeles. As if taking into account the tongue-in-cheek comments about the now-likely dented roof of the Volvo he used as a stage in New York, he switched vehicles for following performances. “The Volvo took too much weight yesterday, so I got an ice cream truck for the Dallas pop up,” he wrote on Instagram. For his LA showcase, he went even bigger, booking a sightseeing bus for the occasion.

While his fans surely appreciated this chance to see him up close, his actual tour promises something much more ambitious than him and his acoustic guitar. Sheeran is currently on tour, playing both stadiums and medium-sized venues that could pass for intimate settings given the size of his fanbase. If you want to know if he’ll be stopping at a city near you, you can visit his website. You can also check out his latest album on Spotify and stay up date with Sheeran by following him on Instagram.

To celebrate the release of his latest album, Ed Sheeran climbed on a parked car to give a surprise acoustic performance in New York.

 

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Una publicación compartida por Ed Sheeran (@teddysphotos)

Happy for the opportunity to sing stripped down versions of his songs to his fans, Sheeran repeated the impromptu performance in Dallas…

 

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Una publicación compartida por Ed Sheeran (@teddysphotos)

…and in Los Angeles, where he booked a sightseeing bus for the occasion.

 

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Una publicación compartida por Ed Sheeran (@teddysphotos)

Ed Sheeran: Website | Instagram | Spotify
h/t: [People]

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READ: Ed Sheeran Surprises Fans With Impromptu NYC Performance Atop a Car

Left: Missy Elliott (Photo: Atlantic Records via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0) | Right: Willie Nelson (Photo: Bmwmunk/Depositphotos)

The results are in. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced its class of 2023, honoring the legacy of trailblazing musicians across genres and generations. From hip hop artists to country music performers, this year's inductees reflect the Hall's updated mission to depict rock and roll as “a spirit that is inclusive and ever-changing” that “celebrates the sound of youth culture.”

The 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees are Willie Nelson (who just celebrated his 90th birthday), Kate Bush, Rage Against the Machine, Missy Elliott, Sheryl Crow, George Michael, and The Spinners. Previously, 14 acts were nominated, meaning that half of the list didn't make the cut. However, those left out—A Tribe Called Quest, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Cyndi Lauper, Soundgarden, The White Stripes, and Warren Zevon—can try once again as early as next year.

Missy Elliott made history as the first female hip hop artist to be ever be nominated. Now, she is the only one among the seven inductees to have been voted in during her first year of eligibility, now that her genre is being acknowledged. “I want to say this is HUGE not for just me but all my Sisters in HIPHOP this door is now OPEN to showcase the hard work that many of us WOMEN contribute to MUSIC,” she wrote on Instagram.

The accomplished rapper is join by Crow and Michael as the only musicians this year to land their spots with their first appearance on the ballot. This is Rage Against the Machine’s fifth time as a nominee, and it’s the fourth time for Bush and The Spinners.

In addition to the seven acts in the Performer Category, there are six more names in the Class of 2023. Three figures are being honored as part of the Musical Excellence category: singer Chaka Khan, instrumentalist-producer Al Kooper, and lyricist Bernie Taupin; while guitarist Link Wray and hip-hop trailblazer DJ Kool Herc have earned the Musical Influence Award. Don Cornelius, host of Soul Train, is the recipient of the annual Ahmet Ertegun Award.

“When you can go from Link Wray, who was one of the early influencers, to Missy Elliott and Kate Bush and The Spinners and Rage Against the Machine and Willie Nelson, you have a very diverse body of work. What we are always trying to show is that rock ‘n’ roll is a big tent and a lot of people belong,” declared Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, before unveiling the list of inductees. The nominees were voted on by a pool of 1,200 artists, historians, and music industry professionals.

The induction ceremony, featuring performances and appearances by the inductees, will take place on November 3 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. To stay up to date with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and how to watch the event, you can follow the institution on Instagram.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced its class of 2023. The Performer Category features Willie Nelson, Kate Bush, Rage Against the Machine, Missy Elliott, Sheryl Crow, George Michael and The Spinners.

 

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Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Website | Instagram
h/t: [Variety]

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READ: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Unveils Class of 2023, Featuring Willie Nelson and Missy Elliott

 

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Una publicación compartida por Santiago Moreno (@san_tiagorquesta)

While a soulful music performance can be achieved with just a single instrument, it's hard to beat having several instruments play in harmony. But that doesn't always mean having an individual player for each of them. Argentinian artist Santiago Moreno is the perfect example of this. He performs as a one-man band as part of a France-based theater company called La Mue/tte. During this 30-minute stint, he plays the guitar and relies on a series of strings and pulleys to play the percussion on his back. The result evokes the charm and complexity of Latin American rhythms like bolero and tango. It's hard to believe Moreno does it all on his own.

To make everything work, Moreno relies on the principles of puppetry as he carefully coordinates his movements to get the desired sequence of sounds from his many instruments. His act is a full-body performance that requires a lot of planning and concentration, yet he seems to be having the time of his life; he draws crowds with his charisma wherever he plays, whether it is the street or a proscenium.

Moreno started performing as a one-man band in 2014, and the act has sprouted variations that include even more puppetry, such as Les intimites de l'homme orchestre (“The intimacy of the one-man orchestra”). It features a table puppet and other small inventions.  There's also The False Orchestra, in which Moreno attaches a puppet to the rear of his body as if were performing back-to-back with another musician.

If you want to stay up with Moreno and his music and puppetry performances, you can follow him on Instagram.

Argentinian artist Santiago Moreno performs as a one-man band, relying on the principles of puppetry to play music that evokes complex Latin American rhythms.

 

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Una publicación compartida por Santiago Moreno (@san_tiagorquesta)

A video of him performing as a one-man band made waves on Reddit, where it earned over 15,000 upvotes.

Santiago Moreno: Instagram
La Mue/tte: Website|Instagram

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When you think of the most famous cellists of our time, cello masters like Yo-Yo Ma come to mind. But back in late January, an unexpected clip from a 2018 performance skyrocketed on Reddit’s r/toptalent that shared the prowess of Brannon Cho.

The post was titled “Brannon Cho playing Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante, arguably the hardest cello piece ever.” Cho, who was only 24 years old at the time, is seen fervently playing the string instrument with incredible speed. The entire piece is about 40 minutes long, and as James M. Keller for the San Francisco Symphony describes, “the [cello] is active nearly throughout, with strikingly little time off.” It’s divided into three long movements. Each movement has a variety of tempos and showcases the wide range of capabilities the cello has.

The part of the clip that has surged in popularity is at the very end of the piece, which is also the most replayed portion of the performance on YouTube. Keller describes this portion: “The solo cello eventually intones a motif consisting of arpeggios. That marks the final sprint towards the finish line, by which point the cellist’s arpeggios have led to the stratosphere of the instrument’s range.”

As Cho alludes in his Instagram post, the cello-orchestra piece has a deep meaning that is rooted in Soviet Russia. “The oppressive Soviet regime inspired Soviet composers at the time to compose some of the most devilish, brutal writing for cello,” he says.

Scroll below to watch the clip of Cho finishing the incredible cello piece, as well as the full performance.

Back in late January, an unexpected clip from a 2018 performance skyrocketed on Reddit’s r/toptalent, sharing the prowess of Brannon Cho.

The Reddit post has garnered over 13,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments discussing his impeccable playing.

The entire piece is about 40 minutes long, and as James M. Keller for the San Francisco Symphony describes, “the [cello] is active nearly throughout, with strikingly little time off.”

Brannon Cho: Website | Instagram | YouTube
h/t: [Reddit]

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READ: Watch a Young Cellist Successfully Complete One of the Hardest Cello Pieces Ever

Photo: Screenshot from Twitter

UK's Channel 4 recently launched a reality show titled The Piano. It features amateur pianists who are invited to perform on instruments located at major train stations—but there's a catch. They perform without knowing they are being observed by top pianist Lang Lang and pop singer Mika, or that they've entered a contest to perform at the prestigious Royal Festival Hall. One of the show's most powerful performances was by a blind and neurodivergent 13-year-old girl named Lucy. It left both musicians in awe.

In a video shared on Twitter, the girl sits down at the piano with the help of her teacher Daniel Bath. He later assists her in placing her hands on the keys. He then announces that Lucy will be playing “Chopin's Nocturne 1 in B-flat minor (Op. 9, No. 1).” This surprises Lang Lang, as he knows this is a technically complex melody. Once in place, Lucy starts performing the song effortlessly and precisely, as she bobbles her head from side to side, truly feeling and enjoying the music she is performing. As bewilder grows across Lang Lang's face, a crowd of commuters gathers around the piano.

“It's unbelievable that she can play this piece. How did she study? It's incredible,” the famous pianist says. By then, some of the commuters have taken out their phones to record her, with one even wiping away a tear. When she finishes the piece, her hands draw from the piano. As the woman who accompanied Lucy (presumably her mom) informed the reality show host, Lucy likes the applause, but she doesn't like the sounds of people, so she covers her ears for sensory reasons.

As the cheering fades, the show host greets Lucy, who claps once and goes back to covering her ears. In the meantime, Mika gazes at the screen showing the performance with his mouth open, while the famous pianist exclaims “Oh my God! This is impossible!” Not knowing what to say, Mika points out that the two “opinionated” musicians are “flummoxed and speechless,” finishing his sentence with a smile to mark how moved they were by the young piano player.

Lucy, who has severe autism, has been playing the piano for some years. She was the subject of a short documentary produced by the Amber Trust, a non-profit that provides musical opportunities for blind children. In it, her teacher and the founder of the organization, Adam Ockelford, explains Lucy's relationship to music and how she has learned to play.

It is revealed that Lucy picks up from every song she hears, and tries to play what she remembers, from classical works to blues and jazz, which she loves. With the help of Bath, she perfects each melody. After working it out separately, he presses her fingers down as they perform the melody until they let go.

Recalling the day he met her, Ockelford remembers putting a little keyboard under her hand, which she played “rather mutinously” “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” “I thought, ‘Here's a girl for whom music really is important, and it could be a way of unlocking her language, her social skills, and above all, her enjoyment of life.”

Watch the performance below.

A blind and neurodivergent 13-year-old girl named Lucy impressed two world-class musicians with her piano performance.

This is the incredible moment Lucy, a 13-year-old who is blind and neurodiverse, played a highly-complex Chopin piece, leaving @MikaSounds and @Lang_Lang speechless.

The Piano, presented by @ClaudiaWinkle, starts tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.

Stream Free on All 4. #ThePiano pic.twitter.com/09YFNM2tOh

— Channel 4 (@Channel4) February 15, 2023

Lucy, who has severe autism, has been playing the piano for some years. To learn more about her story, watch the short documentary below.

h/t: [Reddit]

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READ: Blind and Neurodivergent Teen Leaves Renowned Pianist Speechless With Her Amazing Performance

Photo: Screenshot from YouTube

The Star Wars score is one of the most epic soundtracks of all time. Throughout the years, orchestras around the world have given fans the chance to listen to it live, building on the thrill of an already powerful work. However, one musician has added an extra layer by incorporating an instrument that wasn't part of the original recordings. Organist Anna Lapwood joined the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO), under the baton of Ukrainian conductor Kirill Karabits, to perform “The Throne Room” and “End Title” at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The result is marvelous.

Composer John Williams, who wrote the scores for most of the Star Wars franchise, didn't create an organ part for the original score, which was first recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra in 1977. That's why Lapwood had to write her own to join the 100 players needed to bring to life these iconic melodies. The sounds of this massive instrument enhanced the performance of the BSO's brass section. The concert was hosted by Classic FM, who described Lapwood's presentation as an “extra jolt of jubilation to this starry-eyed performance.”

Lapwood was able to enjoy the firework show at the end of the concert as well as the ovation she got through a mirror located atop the keyboard. The musician is a Royal Albert Hall Associate Artist and has gained traction on TikTok for sharing her early morning rehearsals and compelling organ insight. According to Classic FM, she even taught the Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi to play the organ and was also invited by actor Benedict Cumberbatch to play after a “Letters Live” performance.

The organist's work proves that even though the original Star Wars score was written over 45 years ago, there is plenty of room for refreshing and electric renditions of it. You can watch Lapwood's performance with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra below, and follow the musician on TikTok to stay up to date with her work.

Organist Anna Lapwood joined the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) to perform “The Throne Room” and “End Title” at the Royal Albert Hall.

Photo: Screenshot from YouTube

Composer John Williams, who wrote the scores for most of the Star Wars franchise, didn't create an organ part. This inspired Lapwood to write her own. Watch her performance below:

Anna Lapwood: Website | Instagram | Spotify | TikTok
Classic FM: Website | Instagram | Facebook
h/t: [Classic FM]

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Photo: CLAUDIODIVIZIA/Depositphotos

One way to understand the past is to listen to the music of the time. The Internet Archive is making that easier than ever with over 395,000 digitized records in the 78 RPM style, which dominated from 1900 to about 1950. The files are free to access, stream, and download. The collection is more than just entertaining, it is an important effort to digitize the sounds of history which have been preserved on brittle disks for almost a century.

The 78 RPM disc format became available in 1898. Made of shellac resin, they came in several sizes but were known for their 78 rotations per minute. They were recorded through a horn (later a microphone), with sound causing vibrations that engraved a pattern in the disc. The shellac material has not aged well, and some records can break from even being picked up. As such, digitizing these recordings is crucial.

The Great 78 Project, through the Internet Archive, is working towards this goal. George Blood, head of the audio-visual digitization company George Blood Audio, is a major contributor. “We’re currently delivering 5-6,000 sides per month,” said Blood to The Vinyl Factory, “and we’ll be working to get to 20,000.” The archive will be a “reference collection of sound recordings from the period of approximately 1880 to 1960.” This process is not easy; a record must be cleaned, conserved, and digitized. Files digitized by others can also be added.

“If we didn’t do this, 48,000 78s in a little library in Batavia III, Illinois, may have been lost. Same for a trove of more than 78,000 discs from a distributor that were packed up and abandoned in Rhode Island around 1947,” Bob George, curator for sound collections at the Internet Archive, explained. “If we didn’t do this, a family would never have discovered a self-recorded disc made by their late father when he was a child, 80 years ago–a record they never knew existed.” From sound effects to dance tracks to famous ballads to home recordings, the variety is endless.

Take a peek around the archive for yourself. You might just find an obscure gem or a favorite tune from Billie Holiday. If you or your family have 78 RPMs, you can donate them to be digitized and preserved. Help preserve musical and sound history for the whole world by supporting this excellent project.

Relive eras past with the sounds of digitized 78 RPM records from Billie Holiday's hits to those of young Frank Sinatra.

The Internet Archive’s George Blood collection offers over 385,000 records free to listen to and download.

Photo: BOSMAN.ERWIN@GMAI/Depositphotos

h/t: [Open Culture]

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READ: Listen to 385,000 Vintage 78 RPM Records for Free on ‘The Internet Archive’

Kelly Clarkson and Pink are not only incredibly talented pop singers, they are good friends, too. That's why it's always a marvel to see them perform together, as their chemistry enhances their harmonies every time they take the stage side by side. The latest, and one of the most powerful of these occasions, took place at the iHeartRadio Awards on Sunday, March 27, as Clarkson performed a haunting rendition of one of Pink's songs before being joined by the singer in a duet.

As a tribute to Pink, who was bound to receive the Icon award,  Clarkson sang the first verses of Pink's “Just Give Me a Reason.” Instead of following the dance pop sounds of the hit song, Clarkson's version was slower and evocative, as she was accompanied by a dozen violinists. Pink, who had been watching from her seat, rose with her own microphone in hand and walked to the stage to join Clarkson, making the crowd cheer in excitement.

Clarkson eventually walked off, leaving Pink to sing a medley of her songs “What About Us” and “Who Knew.” As she was joined by back up dancers, Pink turned the ceremony into a party, true to the nature of her cheerful and inspiring music.

Moments before Clarkson took the stage, Pink was honored by yet another music legend—Pat Benatar. The “Love Is a Battlefield” singer was joined by her husband and guitarist Neil Giraldo in a rendition of “Just Like a Pill,” which matched the rock energy of the 2002 single.

Touched by the tributes she got from two fabulous singers, Pink used her acceptance speech to give them a shout out. “It has been said that miracles are often associated with icons and Kelly Clarkson singing with me and Pat Benatar singing one of my songs, two of the greatest voices alive, being onstage doing what I love with people that I love, with all my heart … this feels like a Christmas miracle,” said Pink, who also performed her new single “Trustfall” that evening.

Pink is currently promoting Trustfall, her ninth studio album, and will go on tour later this year. As for Clarkson, she has just announced her new album and a Las Vegas residency, giving fans of both plenty of chances to catch them live.

At the iHeartRadio Awards on Sunday, March 27, as Kelly Clarkson performed a haunting rendition of “Just Give Me a Reason,” one of Pink's biggest songs, before being joined by the singer in a duet.

 

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Una publicación compartida por iHeartRadio (@iheartradio)

“Being onstage doing what I love with people that I love, with all my heart … this feels like a Christmas miracle,” said Pink.

 

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Una publicación compartida por iHeartRadio (@iheartradio)

Pink: Website | Instagram | Spotify
Kelly Clarkson: Website | Instagram | Spotify
h/t: [Today]

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Photo: RAWPIXEL/Depositphotos

Media changes fast. From wax cylinders to disc records to cassette tapes and CDs to MP3 files and streaming—the ways we enjoy music have changed a lot since the late 19th century. Since the 1950s, record discs made of polyvinyl chloride have preserved the melodies of everyone from Elvis and Little Richard to The Beatles and Donna Summer. However, in the late 1980s, cassette tapes and CDs chipped away at the record’s primacy as the most sold musical format. While streaming is the music format of choice of today, vinyl has had a sort of resurgence. In fact, sales of vinyl records have surpassed that of CDs for the first time since 1987. This rise in vinyl’s popularity is due in part to young consumers’ embrace of the nostalgic medium.

According to the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) annual revenue report, vinyl records sold 41 million units last year compared to 33 million CDs. Vinyl has been on the rebound for about 15 years; but in the last few, sales have skyrocketed. Vinyl sales increased by 17% since 2021, whereas CD sales dropped 18%. Similar trends have been recorded in recent years in the UK, Germany, Japan, and other countries. While Dad's old vinyl is still just as cool, modern albums are selling vinyl as well. Taylor Swift's records sold 1.7 million copies last year, while Harry Styles reached 719,000.

The RIAA found that streaming totaled 84% of total music revenue in 2022—a shocking high of $13.3 billion. Download sales, however, are falling out of popularity, dropping to only $495 million in sales. Vinyl's resurgence in popularity cannot be attributed to convenience like the rise of streaming. Instead, it speaks to a preference among many music lovers for the unique sound captured by records. Gen Z especially seems to be enjoying the vintage nostalgia, treating albums as art and experience.

Feel like experiencing the medium for yourself? You can find lots of vintage records at music shops, bookstores, and even thrift stores. But don't throw out those CDs just yet, you never know when another vintage medium may come back in style.

Vinyl records have been having a resurgence in popularity, thanks in part to Gen Z’s interest in vintage media.

Photo: KORNIENKOALEX/Depositphotos

The recent boom in vintage-style vinyl record sales has coincided with the increasing obsoleteness of the CD.

Photo: Recording Industry Association of America

Streaming, however, still predominates as the medium of most music listening.

Photo: Recording Industry Association of America

h/t: [The Verge]

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READ: Vinyl Surpasses CD Sales for the First Time Since 1987

 

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Una publicación compartida por Brian Harold May (@brianmayforreal)

On top of being a founding member of Queen, one of the biggest rock bands in history, Brian May is a respected astrophysicist and a renowned animal rights activist. Now, he has added another honor to his list of accolades. The British guitarist has been knighted by King Charles III in recognition of his contributions to “music and charity.” Going forward, May will be known as Sir Brian—a title that definitely goes along with the lasting impact he has had in science and pop culture.

The knighting ceremony took place at Buckingham Palace on March 14, 2023. He attended the ceremony alongside his wife, Anita Dobson, an actress known for her work in the long-running show EastEnders. May was seen chatting with the king afterwards, and he also posed for pictures with fellow musician YolanDa Brown, who was awarded an OBE.

His full citation reads: “Dr. Brian Harold MAY, CBE: Brian May is an acclaimed musician and songwriter, founding member of the rock group Queen. In 2020 he was named Greatest Guitarist of All Time by Total Guitar Magazine. Queen’s performance at Live Aid in 1985 is acknowledged as the greatest live set in history. Brian famously opened the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002 performing live on Buckingham Palace roof—and 20 years later returned to open the Platinum Jubilee concert atop the Victoria Monument.

“He is also an accomplished astrophysicist, now attached as stereoscopist to many NASA Space exploration teams. He re-established the London Stereoscopic Company in 2008, was co-founder of Asteroid Day in 2015, for the protection of Earth from Asteroid strikes, and was Chancellor of Liverpool John Moore’s University from 2008–2013. His work defending Britain’s wild animals led him to found the Save-Me Trust in 2009, which is his continuing passion, campaigning for the rights of foxes and badgers, and hosting an active wild-life rescue operation.”

May had previously received the title of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2005 as an acknowledgement for his multidisciplinary career. After rising to fame with Queen in the 1970s, he put aside his astrophysics studies for decades. He then received his PhD from Imperial College London in 2007.

With Queen, he wrote one of the most famous rock songs of all time, “We Will Rock You.” He was also key in the development and recording of the band's other hits, such as “We Are the Champions,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The latter has become the most streamed song from the 20th century and was certified Diamond in the United States.

The guitarist was announced as one of the 1,000 people featured in King Charles III’s first New Year’s honors list, which was unveiled back in December 2022. May responded to the honor with the message: “I’m happy and grateful to receive this honor. I will regard the knighthood not so much as a reward, but more as a charge—a commission—for me to continue to fight for justice—to be a voice for those who have no voice. I will endeavor to be worthy—to be that Knight in Shining Armour.”

Guitarist Brian May, a founding member of the rock band Queen, was knighted by King Charles III.

 

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Una publicación compartida por Brian Harold May (@brianmayforreal)

His new title comes in recognition of his contributions to “music and charity.”

Arise Sir Brian May ⚔️🎸
Brian's investiture as a Knight of The Realm took place today at Buckingham Palace. The knighthood was presented to Brian by His Royal Highness, King Charles.

Many congratulations, Sir Brian!

📸©️ Alamy pic.twitter.com/nE3ZmfvPSZ

— Queen (@QueenWillRock) March 14, 2023

Brian May: Website | Instagram
h/t: [BBC]

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READ: ‘Queen’ Guitarist Brian May Is Knighted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace