Category: Alt-rock

Throwback: Happy 64th Birthday, Flea!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea’s 64th birthday.

New Audio: Rhythm Scholar Remixes Gorillaz’s “Clint Eastwood”

Over the course of this site’s 16+ year history, I’ve managed to spill a lot of virtual ink covering the ridiculously prolific New York-based producer, DJ, remixer and JOVM mainstay Rhythm Scholar. During that period, the long-time JOVM mainstay has carefully built a nationally and internationally recognized profile for slickly produced, crowd-pleasing mashups and remixes of some of the most beloved songs ever written and recorded.

So do y’all want to feel extremely old? Gorillaz’s landmark self-titled album was released 25 years ago. And to celebrate the occasion, the JOVM mainstay has given the Damon Albarn-led project’s breakthrough single “Clint Eastwood,” his unique remix treatment. The Rhythm Scholar Beatslinger remix places Albarn and Del The Funky Homosapien‘s vocals within a dizzying and mind-bending array of samples including Ice Cube and Da Lench Mob.

Visually, the accompanying video features footage from Clint Eastwood-era Spaghetti Westerns, Yo Gabba Gabba, The Kinks, footage of a young Jane Goodall in the field, Donkey Kong, the original video for “Clint Eastwood,” Dirty Harry, old-timey cartoons and a lot more.

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay Elisapie’s Ethereal Take on The Cranberries’ “Dreams”

Acclaimed Salluit, QC-born, Montréal-based singer/songwriter, musician, actor, activist and JOVM mainstays Elisapie‘s fourth album, 2023’s Inuktitut features inventive re-imaginings of songs by Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Blondie, Fleetwood Mac, Metallica and more, with the album being an act of cultural re-appropriation that reinvigorates the poetry of these beloved songs by placing them within Inuit traditions.

Through the album’s 10 songs, the acclaimed Montréal-based artist tells her story, while offering its songs as a loving gift to her close knit community. But the album is also a testament to the power and remarkably universality of pop music and an ode to the experiences, memories, places and people, who have shaped us.

Recorded for the CBC, APTN and Netflix original series North of North, “Sinnatuumakka (Dreams)” marks the first bit of new material since 2023’s Inuktitut and sees the acclaimed Inuk artist translating and adapting The Cranberries‘ beloved smash-hit 1992 song “Dreams” into her mother tongue. While retaining the familiar and beloved melody of the original, Elisapie’s rendition of the song is a slightly slowed down, more ethereal take that pulls a yearning, escapist thread out to the forefront.

“It’s a song that really resonates with the Inuit world,” says Elisapie. “In the North, it’s cold, and life isn’t always easy. That’s why dreams take on a special place. They’re a way to escape and imagine something else.“

North of North‘s second season, which includes episodes featuring the acclaimed Iunk artist and her new song will launch globally on Netflix later this fall. Set in the Canadian Arctic, the show’s second season sees Siaja (Anna Lambe) still making bold decisions and even bolder mistakes in her effort to level up her life and prove she’s ready to take charge as winter closes in on the Ice Cove community. “It was very moving to see Siaja’s character open up and dream throughout the episodes,” Elisapie says. “This series allows us to dream, and I think the Inuit need that.”

Elisapie was invited by Red Marrow Media and Northwood Entertainment, North of North‘s production team to take part in the show’s second season, which was filmed earlier this year in Iqaluit, NU and Toronto. In addition to making a cameo, she can be seen performing “Sinnatuumakka (Dreams)” and “Arnaq.”

“During the shoot, there were times when I wasn’t sure if it was reality or fiction,” says Elisapie. “And I was lucky enough to share this experience with my band!”
 
“When we wrapped, Elisapie played a couple more songs just for the crowd so they could enjoy a performance without having to hold back their reactions,” say Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, North of North’s co-creators and executive producers, and founders of Red Marrow Media. “She dedicated a song to any residential school survivors in the room, and there wasn’t a dry eye. There are a few hundred Inuit who will carry that experience with them for the rest of their lives, us included.”

New Audio: My Morning Jacket and Preservation Hall Jazz Band Team Up to Tackle Neil Young’s “Like A Hurricane”

Cinema Music Group and Killphonic Records recently announced that they’ll be releasing Heart of Gold: The Songs of Neil Young, Vol. 2 — Out of the Blue and Vol. 3 — Into the Black on November 6, 2026. Featuring contributions from King Princess, Draco Rosa, Lucinda Williams. Ann Wilson, Peter Frampton, LP, MJ Lendermann, Ben Gibbard, Cold War Kids, Kurt Vile and The Violators, Los Lobos and a lengthy and impressive list of others. these new volumes beautifully blend cherished classics with innovative interpretations that honor Neil Young‘s enduring and towering musical legacy.

Proceeds from the albums will benefit The Bridge School. Founded in 1986 by Neil and Pegi Young, The Bridge School to serve individuals with severe speech and physical impairments, much like their son Ben. The organization was built on a simple but powerful belief” every individual deserves the opportunity to communicate. Over the past 40 years, The Bridge School has helped transform the lives of thousands of individuals with complex communication and physical disabilities while helping shape the fields of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and assistive technology (AT) through innovative education, research and professional development.

The Bridge School’s impact extends far beyond its campus. Its education model, professional training. and outreach and research programs have reached professionals, families and individuals around the globe. Through their Bridge to Life program, the organization now provides direct services, consultation, and training for individuals with communication and/or physical disabilities from infancy through adulthood. ensuring that people of all ages have access to th tools and support they need — and deserve — to communicate, participate, and thrive.

As the organization celebrates its 40th anniversary, it continues to advance the belief that communication is a fundaamental human right — and that every voice deserves to be heard.

And to support the international release of the complications. Cinema Music Group and Killiphonic Records partnered with City Slang, who will oversee physical distortion and marketing across the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, expanding the reach of the Heart of Gold project while brining all three volumes to fans through its established retail and distribution networks.

Vol 2. — Out of The Blue’s latest single features My Morning Jacket teaming up with the iconic Preservation Hall Jazz Band to tackle “Like A Hurricane.” The My Morning Jacket and Preservation Hall Jazz Band cover, lovingly retains the drunken, wistful sway and aching longing of the original while adding some subtle NOLA soulfulness to the proceedings, before building up to a passionate frenzy for the song’s coda.

“We were so honored to get to be at several of the Bridge School Benefit concerts in the past, and are so honored to once again be a part of raising funds for this amazing school, with these amazing songs of Neil Young,” My Morning Jacket’s Jim James says. “We felt like teaming up with Preservation Hall Jazz Band would add some magic to this track, so we all got together with producer Ross Hogarth down in New Orleans and recorded it live at Marigny Studios. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed playing it!”