The Flaming Lips have released the final of their (almost) monthly 2011 releases at the New Year Freakout, a collaborative EP with Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band. Each of the Limited Edition (2000 only) psychedelic, multi-color, glow-in-the-dark 12″ vinyl records is a one-of-kind piece of art. Let’s sing, dance and hug each other to bring [...]
On June 19 Bang on a Can returns with its incomparable 13-hour FREE super-mix of ear-bending music featuring over 150 astounding musicians and composers from throughout the world, co-presented by the River to River Festival® and arts>World Financial Center! Be at World Financial Center’s Winter Garden at 11AM (sharp!) for the outdoor kick-off on the plaza featuring the [...]
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Sunday 10 June 2007 Listen now on BBC iPlayer (45 minutes) Download to keep Kirsty Young’s castaway this week is Yoko Ono. She was already an avant-garde artist in her own right when, in 1968, she started dating one of the most famous men in the world, John Lennon. [...]
La Carotte Bleue The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger (Sean Lennon & Charlotte Kemp Muhl) Previously only available on tour, this new EP* features 8 electric tracks by The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger. With special guests Mark Ronson and Matthieu -M- Chedid. 1. Jardin Du Luxembourg 2. Rainbows In Gasoline 3. Robot [...]
Various Artists: Songs for Japan As Japan recovers from the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck on March 11th, the world’s top recording artists respond to the tragedy with this benefit album. The 38 tracks include some of their biggest hits, featuring “Imagine” by John Lennon, an exclusive remix of Lady GaGa’s “Born This Way” [...]
GRAMMY: Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals Herbie Hancock’s The Imagine Project. Song: Imagine, featuring Pink, Seal, India Arie. Congratulations to Herbie Hancock – awarded a GRAMMY for ’Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals’ for his version of the John Lennon song “Imagine”, featuring vocals from India Arie, Pink, Seal and guitar work from Jeff Beck. He collected [...]
Yoko Ono loves the Beatles, but in choosing her late husband’s best songs, she focused on the records Lennon made after the band’s breakup. “He felt more free,” says Ono. “He was getting down to what he was feeling. He was really speaking the truth.” “Oh My Love” 1971 In most love songs, you’re making [...]
The debut acoustic album by Sean Lennon & Charlotte Kemp Muhl. The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger weaves narratives around a metaphysical geography of their own devising, finding a surrealist beauty in the mundane. Their songs are like Dali’s imaginary landscapes: lavender roads, oil slicks radiating rainbows, ballerinas tipping off tightropes, sweating snowmen, black [...]
Dear Friends
In this very special year, which would have seen my husband and lifetime partner John Lennon reach the age of 70, I was surprised that so many musicians from all over the world sent me their ideas of how they were making a tribute to John this year. But I was surprised the most by a call from EMI presenting me with a very ambitious project to get John Lennon’s voice – his singing, his music and his lyrics – out to the world this year…
iTunes are offering a free download of the newly ‘stripped down’ version of ‘(Just Like) Starting Over’ (available for purchase with the newly released Double Fantasy Stripped Down). Available on iTunes in the following stores: Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States. Visit your local iTunes store for the free download or click here.
A Message from Yoko Ono Lennon:
“In this very special year, which would have seen my husband and life partner John reach the age of 70, I hope that this remastering / reissue programme will help bring his incredible music to a whole new audience. By remastering 121 tracks spanning his solo career, I hope also that those who are already familiar with John’s work will find renewed inspiration from his incredible gifts as a songwriter, musician and vocalist and from his power as a commentator on the human condition. His lyrics are as relevant today as they were when they were first written and I can think of no more apposite title for this campaign than those simple yet direct words ‘Gimme Some Truth’.” – Yoko Ono Lennon
The first podcast for American Masters: LENNONYC features Jack Douglas talking about his long relationship with John Lennon including his time producing Double Fantasy. Slated to appear on later podcasts are Bob Gruen, personal friend and Lennon photographer, Jim Keltner, drums on various Lennon/Ono albums, Elton John, musician, and Yoko Ono, multi-media artist and peace activist. Each podcast will consist of slightly edited interviews conducted for the film American Masters LENNONYC introduced by Susan Lacy, series creator and executive producer of American Masters and a producer of LENNONYC and Michael Epstein, director/writer of LENNONYC. New “episodes” will post weekly every Thursday until the Thursday after broadcast on November 22. The final episode will be a Q&A session using the best questions submitted by users via email.
by Brandon, Stereogum A few years ago I wrote a positive review of CocoRosie’s The Adventures of Ghosthorse And Stillborn. Too positive, it turns out: The publication that assigned it killed the piece at the 11th hour and instead ran a snarky takedown. I’d never had that happen before and I’ve been championing challenging music for [...]
Michael Leonhart & The Avramina 7 – Seahorse and the Storyteller After 40 plus recordings as the house trumpet player for Truth and Soul records, the Brooklyn based funk and soul label released the highly sought after trumpet player, producer, composer, songwriter, and arranger Michael Leonhart’s psychedelic Afro/bhangra funk concept album Seahorse and the Storyteller on April 20, [...]
Tracklisting 01 – Mrs. Lennon – Cida Moreira 02 – Who Has Seen The Wind? – Hevelyn Costa 03 – Listen, The Snow Is Falling – Ampslina 04 – Death of Samantha – Digitaria** 05 – Why – Tetine** 06 – Midsummer New York – Fuzzcas 07 – Sisters O Sisters – Doidivinas 08 – [...]
I recently came across this quote of mine from 22 years ago:
”What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us to understand one another better, or will they deceive us and keep us apart?”
I believe this is still a supremely relevant question and the jury is out.
There is a lot of commercial clutter on the net, and a lot of propaganda, but I have a sense that just beneath the surface understanding is gaining ground. We just have to keep blogging, keep twittering, keep communicating, keep sharing ideas.
BAM! Suddenly the audience started to sing Happy Birthday to me right in the middle of the sing along GIVE PEACE A CHANCE! That was such a nice surprise. I was so unprepared for it, I don’t even remember if I had thanked the audience or not. Did I? There was so much love circulating, it didn’t seem necessary to say anything… We were family. The curtain went down after GIVE PEACE A CHANCE. Sean and I looked at each other. Sean’s eyes were twinkling. “You were great.” said Sean. “So were you.” It was a grand moment. We knew we had been witnesses to something that was bigger than both of us.
For her third solo album for Tzadik Records’ Oracles series, releases that “celebrate the diversity and creativity of women in experimental music making”, Yuka Honda delivers another fascinating, mostly instrumental set, this time using her programming and production skills to create what the label describes as “a hypnotic groove for young moderns”.
Featuring two co-writes with Sean Lennon, with whom she currently performs in Yoko Ono’s regenerated Plastic Ono Band, and three with horns arranger Michael Leonhart (who also guests on percussion, keyboards and vibraphone), Heart Chamber Phantoms looks sets to be her most ambitious solo outing to date. Regular collaborators Dougie Brown (drums) and Courtney Kaiser (vocals) are among the other guests.
Dear Friends A BIG THANKYOU to over 200 remixers who took part in the THE SUN IS DOWN! remix competition. The 20 prizewinning remixers are: Bill Kates, Billy Martin, Damien Price, DJ Chernobyl, Jorge Artajo, King Louis & Mighty Jay, Konrad Behr, Mabarak, Madeon, Nick Vernier Band, Pedro Vainer, Posterboys, Rondo Brothers, Rumours of Whores, [...]
Dear Friends Thankyou all so much for the overwhelming response to the THE SUN IS DOWN! remix competition! We were surprised that they were all of a very high standard, which we have not counted on. We’ve now realized that we need more time in order to give a good listening to all of your [...]
Sean Lennon recently released a new CD, a soundtrack for a low-budget vampire flick, entitled Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Undead. He composed the moody, instrumental score on his home computer. Lennon runs Chimera Records out of his kitchen. Lennon is the only child of John Lennon and Yoko Ono and he talks with Bob about [...]
