David Byrne

David Byrne

Photo: Randy Holmes/ABC/Getty Images

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David Byrne To Launch Trippy, Immersive "Theater Of The Mind" In 2020

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"It's about perception and sensory stuff, there's gonna be a lot of gummy bears and other stuff in there," the former Talking Heads frontman explained
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Nov 7, 2019 - 5:14 pm

Today, the music and theater world got some exciting news: GRAMMY-winning multi-hyphenate and Talking Heads co-founder David Byrne is bringing his latest avant-garde art experience, "Theater of the Mind," to Denver in summer 2020. This trippy, interactive performance piece is centered on human perception and reality.

Byrne first tested out an initial version of the "Theater of the Mind" back in fall 2017 on Governors Island in New York City as "workshop performances" in partnership with 600 HIGHWAYMEN. According to his conversation with Rolling Stone, he decided to take the new run to Denver, specifically to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, because "the Denver Center for the Performing Arts have done immersive things like this before," he told the outlet.

"Not quite like this," he continued, "but they've cultivated an audience in Denver. I am so convinced that because it's about perception and sensory stuff, there's gonna be a lot of gummy bears and other stuff in there."

The "Once in a Lifetime" singer also explained a bit about the layout and interactivity of the experience, although exact run dates have yet to be revealed.

"It will be in a warehouse, where it's divided into a bunch of different rooms. A group of 16 audience members will go from room to room and experience these perceptual things. When they leave one room, another group goes in there. That way, you can get 400 people in from 6 p.m. to 10. You get the same number as if it were a theater show, but you get more in small groups," Byrne said.

"When people come out of this thing, my hope is that they will have had a really good time," he told the Denver Center.

The new Theater of the Mind Denver website, where you can sign up to be notified when tickets go on sale, reveals more details about the experience. The site says performances will begin in August 2020 and go "for several weeks." Tickets will be available in the spring

The immersive experience is co-created by Byrne and researcher/technologist Mala Gaonkar. The pair has worked together before; in 2016 they brought a theatric version of scientific research studies—which they named "The Institute Presents: Neurosociety"—to the forward-thinking Pace Gallery in Menlo Park, Calif.

"Inspired by both historical and current lab research, 'Theater of the Mind' takes you on an immersive journey inside how we see and create our worlds," its website states. "The show uses stories from their own lives to shape the narrative you'll see, feel, taste and hear.

Witness the wonders of your mind for yourself as you follow The Guide through a spectacular 15,000-square-foot installation with 16 fellow audience members. As you explore intriguing environments, participate in a narrative and try a series of sensory experiments, your Guide will question how beliefs, memories and even our identities are less fixed than we think."

Currently, Byrne is busy showcasing his critically acclaimed "American Utopia" show on Broadway, in which he and other musicians dressed in coordinating gray suits perform favorites from the Talking Heads and his solo albums, including 2018's American Utopia. As RS notes, the Broadway run was recently extended until Feb. 16, 2020.

On 'Blanket The Homeless,' Bay Area Artists Join Together To Raise Money For Those In Need

Behind the Record

Photo: Recording Academy

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Artists: Find Out How To #GiveCredit & Celebrate Your Collaborators Today!

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As Behind the Record launches today, find out how you can join the movement and create a Credit Cover showing gratitude to everyone you worked with on your album or single
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Oct 25, 2019 - 12:24 pm

Today, the Recording Academy officially launched Behind the Record, a new social media campaign aimed at showcasing everyone who worked together to make an album or record possible. If you're an artist and haven't yet shared your Credit Cover—a reimagined album cover with all the contributors' names on the front—today's the day to give credit where credit is due by sharing one and thanking your collaborators.

Using the Credit Cover generator is simple and only takes a few minutes. And once you've created one, you have a lovely visual to help you not only #GiveCredit and celebrate all the people who helped behind-the-scenes of your musical project, it also helps your fans discover them as well. Read on for a step-by-step guide on how to create and share your new Credit Cover(s).

"The importance of credits, particularly in art, cannot even be measured. It's such a collaborative effort to make art—even from a singular place. Even for the artist who draws onto the page there is still often a team of people who makes the sharing of it possible. To acknowledge my team and my crew is really important because they help me LIVE! They help me to focus and they offer me time which is perhaps an even more important commodity because that time allows me to create." - Lalah Hathaway

STEP 1: Create & Download Credit Cover

GRAMMYs

If you are a Recording Academy member, you should have already received an email from us with information on how to create your Credit Cover; you can use that login code to access the generator here. If you didn't receive the email, please reach out to givecredit@recordingacademy.com for assistance.

Once you have accessed the Credit Cover generator, submit the info for the LP, EP or single you want to create the new cover for. Our Behind the Record partner Jaxsta has kindly provided credits for Merlin, Warner Music, Sony Music and Universal Music Group releases, so if your project was released under one of these labels, credits should auto-populate.

Double-check the names and spelling, and then download the three images (your Credit Cover, the original cover art and the Behind the Record logo). If you opt into sharing your cover in the gallery (a.k.a. do not check the "hide credit cover" box), it will be showcased in our growing collection on behindtherecord.grammy.com.

STEP 2: Upload To Social & Tag Collaborators

GRAMMYs

Now that you have your images ready for sharing, upload to your social platform of choice and tag your fellow creators. For Instagram, we suggest using the image carousel feature with the Credit Cover first.

"Creating timeless music is a team sport. My intent with Diaspora was to be a bridge between the west and other black cultures around the world, and assembling a grand cast of collaborators was essential to that goal. Highlighting all the producers, writers, vocalists, session musicians, engineers, studios, and more that were a part of the record isn't just important to me as an artist, but it's important for the fans too.

 

Understanding the different cultural figures behind the record—from P2J, a Nigerian-English composer based in London, to Blinky Bill, a producer/musician based in Kenya—is key to understanding why and how the music came together, and will enhance the listening experience. I'm beyond excited about the Recording Academy taking the time to put a spotlight on the members of our music community that don't always get the attention they deserve." - Goldlink

STEP 3: Share Your Message Of Gratitude!

GRAMMYs

The final step is to share your message of gratitude for the amazing contributors to your project, and to encourage other artists to do the same! We've included a suggested caption below, but feel free to speak straight from your heart.

"I'm joining the movement to bring the names of people from Behind the Record to the front. These are all the amazing professionals behind [Album Title]. Thank you all! Artists, it's time to give credit where credit is due. Go to RecordingAcademy.com/CreditCover to create the Credit Cover for your latest album. #GiveCredit @RecordingAcademy [use @RecordingAcad on Twitter]"

Don't forget to use the hashtags #GiveCredit, #BehindTheRecord and #WeAreMusic to join in on the global conversation!

Pandora Supports Behind The Record, Launches Full Song Credits

Behind the Record
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Behind The Record Celebrates Behind-The-Scenes Creators Of Your Favorite Albums

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The brand-new Recording Academy initiative encourages artists to thank the fellow creators who helped their music come together, thus, helping fans dive deeper Behind the Record
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Oct 24, 2019 - 7:00 am

This Friday, Oct. 25, the Recording Academy will launch Behind the Record, a new social media initiative to highlight all of the creators that made your favorite albums and records possible. The goal is to ignite a cultural conversation by inviting artists across genres to recognize all of their collaborators' tireless behind-the-scenes work, for the music their fans adore.

The conversation kicks off on Friday, when the first group of artists will share their reimagined album covers—Credit Covers that highlight the songwriters, producers, engineers and other collaborators—on social media.

Credits have been a casualty of the digital age, for all that we gained with streaming we lost in the opportunity for recognition and even discovery. Behind the Record champions all professional music creators and aims to connect with artist fan bases in order to give recognition to those who work tirelessly on these recordings."

If you are artist, you can participate in Behind the Record by creating and sharing a Credit Cover for a single or album using the online generator. Once you create your Credit Cover, you can join the conversation by sharing it across your social media platforms and tagging the amazing collaborators now featured on the cover.

Please use the hashtags #GiveCredit, #WeAreMusic and #BehindTheRecord when posting, so everyone can find and discover it.

Behind the Record is supported by the Recording Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing. Additionally, Jaxsta, a database of official (non-crowd-sourced) music credit information for members of the music community, offered support by providing credits for Merlin, Warner Music, Sony Music and Universal Music Group releases. Pandora, TIDAL and Genius also partnered with the Academy to help make this project possible.

For more information, or if you're interested in creating a physical limited-edition sleeve, please contact givecredit@recordingacademy.com or visit www.grammy.com/behindtherecord.

For music fans, artists and behind-the-scenes magic-makers alike, don't forget to explore and join the conversation on social media, starting Friday, with #GiveCredit, #WeAreMusic and #BehindTheRecord.

GRAMMY Museum To Celebrate 20 Years Of Latin GRAMMY Excellence With New Exhibit

Fiona Apple

Fiona Apple

Photo: Gary Miller/Getty Images

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Fiona Apple Pledges Two Years Of "Criminal" Royalties To Immigrant Resource Fund

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"After months and months of reading the news about how my country is treating refugees, I've become gutted with frustration trying to figure out the best way to help…These people are being prosecuted as criminals just for asking for asylum," she wrote
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jul 2, 2019 - 5:19 pm

This past Sunday, Fiona Apple shared her commitment to donate the next two years of TV and film placement earnings from "Criminal" to the While They Wait fund, a new immigrant rights initiative.

In a letter shared via her Tumblr fan page, the activist/singer-songwriter explained that the GRAMMY-winning 1996 hit song is her "most requested" for TV/film, and she generally shares its earnings with friends and family. After witnessing the continued news of the inhumane treatment of migrants at U.S. borders, she wanted this income to support refugees.

"After months and months of reading the news about how my country is treating refugees, I've become gutted with frustration trying to figure out the best way to help," Apple wrote.

She continued: "[While They Wait] seems to me that the best way I can help detainees is to contribute to payment of their legal fees. What they need is representation and guidance because these people are being prosecuted as criminals just for asking for asylum."

In the post, she encouraged other songwriters to also donate earnings from a song to the org, and for everyone interested to check out their work:

"I want to ask other songwriters to donate just ONE TIME, the money they get for the usage of one of their songs to this organization or one of their choosing. I could write a song about this and maybe I will but for now, I will use "CRIMINAL" to help the WRONGLY criminalized get justice. I encourage anyone who wants to join with me to get involved—watch the short film on their site."

While They Wait was launched in January in response by three social justice non-profits; ACLU SoCal, RAICES Texas and Brooklyn Defender Services. According to their website, with data from USCIS, there are currently 311,000 immigrants living seeking asylum. The video Apple references, shared above, tells the heartbreaking story of Honduran asylum-seeker Nilda, one of BDS's clients, and features a song by benny blanco, Calvin Harris and Miguel.

For more information on how to get involved, visit the fund's website.

Elton John Is Celebrated With France's Highest Civilian Honor

 

Thom Yorke

Thom Yorke

Photo: Alex Lake

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Thom Yorke Announces New Album, 'ANIMA'

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The Radiohead frontman's third solo album will feature several songs he debuted during his Tomorrow's Modern Boxes tour
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jun 20, 2019 - 12:56 pm

Thom Yorke fans can rejoice, the suspense is finally over. The elusive experimental artist has confirmed details for his follow-up to 2014's Tomorrow's Modern Boxes. ANIMA, the GRAMMY-winning Radiohead frontman's third solo studio album, will be released digitally by XL Records on June 27, followed by a physical release on July 19.

A press release states that the album's nine tracks include "several songs that were debuted live over the course of Thom Yorke, [producer] Nigel Godrich and [audiovisual artist] Tarik Barri's Tomorrow's Modern Boxes performances." As Pitchfork points out, the tracklist contains a song called "Dawn Chorus," which diehard fans may recognize as one of Radiohead's mystery songs they have used but never released.

The trio will be bringing the trippy, immersive Tomorrow's Modern Boxes experience on tour again soon, with new fall North American dates recently announced, to follow the July shows in Europe and Asia. All new shows go on sale to the general public tomorrow, June 21, with venue pre-sales currently open. You can find complete tour info here, and pre-sale info from the specific venues and ticketing platforms.

The new album is currently available for pre-order, which includes several vinyl options, all of which come with a bonus track, "Ladies & Gentlemen, Thank You for Coming." The limited-edition orange deluxe double vinyl comes with a hardcover lyric and art book.

The new album will be accompanied by a visual short of the same name, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, with music by Yorke, featuring three tracks from the LP. The mysterious trailer, which you can watch below, was released today by Netflix, who will host the "one-reeler" video on June 27.

Earlier this year, Yorke released two new instrumental songs, which he was commissioned to write by the Philarmonie de Paris for French pianists Katia and Marielle Labeque, as part of the "Minimalist Dream House." His most recent full-length release was 2018's Suspiria, an instrumental score he recorded for Luca Guadagnino's film of the same name. Radiohead's most recent album is 2016's A Moon Shaped Pool.

Spoon Find A Spooky Groove On New Song, Announce Greatest Hits Album