MUSIC NEWS: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2015
CELEBRATED BLUEGRASS MUSICIAN CLAIRE LYNCH KICKED OFF HER CANADIAN TOUR IN DAUPHIN
Two time Grammy nominee and 3 time International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year, Claire Lynch kicked off her Canadian tour in Dauphin at the acoustically captivating Watson Art Centre. Lynch treated music fans to songs from her "Dear Sister" disc, older releases and even a track from her brand new Holiday recording.
The engaging Lynch was backed up by a stellar band featuring newcomers Bryan McDowell (fiddle-mandolin), twenty-something virtuoso Jarrod Walker (mandolin-guitar) and A-Lister Mark Schatz (bass-banjo).
Tonight the band plays The Bassment in Saskatoon before heading further west.
The next show at the Watson Art Centre will feature Pacific Coast based Celtic trio Tiller's Folly Friday, November 6th at 8pm.
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WILLIE NELSON - RESCHEDULES SHOWS
Willie Nelson isn't saying what is ailing him. But whatever it is, it will keep the 82-year-old country legend off the stage for a bit. He was to perform with Merle Haggard last night and tonight. But both of those shows were cancelled because of an unspecified health issue. Those shows will be rescheduled _ but one set for tomorrow night in Reading, Pennsylvania won't be. All Nelson's Facebook page will say about Nelson is that he's feeling under the weather. He is scheduled to return to the stage on Sunday.
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SOUL TRAIN AWARDS - NOMINATIONS
Canadian R-n-B superstar The Weeknd and the duo behind ``Uptown Funk'' are among the top nominees for the Soul Train Awards next month. The Weeknd is tied with the pairing of Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars with five nods each. Beyonce, Chris Brown, Jidenna and Tyrese have four nominations each heading into the awards show, which is set for Nov. 6th in Las Vegas. The ceremony will be taped and air on Centric and BET on Nov. 29th.
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ESSENCE FESTIVAL - GOES GLOBAL
After more than 20 years in New Orleans, the Essence Music Festival is going global. It has set up a three-year partnership to hold the festival in Durban, South Africa, in 2016 and 2017. The exact dates of the festival will be announced in a few weeks. But the head of Essence Communications says it will likely be held around this time next year. The Essence Festival Durban will follow the multi-day format of the New Orleans event, which draws more than 450-thousand people each year over the July 4th holiday weekend.
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TREY SONGZ - VIDEO
The assistant principal of a school on New York's Long Island is in trouble at work because of a music video. Newsday reports that the Southampton High School's Esther Adler-O'Keefe has been reassigned to a new position. The move comes after Adler-O'Keefe appeared in the video for ``Best Friend'' by rapper J-R and R&B star Trey Songz. In the video the assistant principal plays a woman who goes on vacation with her husband _ and J-R throws a party at her place, featuring drugs, booze and scantily-clad women.
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RIHANNA - MICK JAGGER - CUBA
Here, they are considered among the top musicians.
But in Cuba, they are considered party people. The big-name acts are among those who are helping Cuba put itself on the map as a destination for fun, now that the U-S embargo is easing. The influx of stars making the Cuban scene has included visits by Jagger, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Usher, Ludacris and Jimmy Buffet.
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(The Associated Press)