Jem Aswad-Senior: Last News

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Scott Schinder, Veteran Music Writer, Dies at 61

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Veteran music writer Scott Schinder, who wrote for virtually every major music publication over the course of a three-decade-plus-long career, has died after a long illness, his friend Randy Haecker confirms to Variety. Schinder’s work can be read in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Billboard, Time Out New York, the Austin Chronicle, Please Kill Me, Creem, Musician, Newsday, Stereophile, Musician, Tower Pulse, New Musical Express, Melody Maker, Texas Music, SXSWorld and probably many others. No cause of death has been announced; he was 61. A native of Long Island and a longtime New York resident, Schinder was a ubiquitous presence on the city’s music scene, where, beginning in the 1980s, he could be found most nights of the week at CBGB, Irving Plaza, Maxwells, Under Acme, Brownies and multiple other venues of the era. Indeed, the photo on his author page at Please Kill Me could have been taken at one of dozens of different venues in the city on any of a couple thousand evenings (it was actually taken at CBGB circa early 1990s).
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Daft Punk’s ‘Random Access Memories’ Anniversary Edition Is a Reappraisal and Reaffirmation of Its Genius: Album Review
Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor When Daft Punk launched its fourth and presumably final mission statement, “Random Access Memories,” into the atmosphere 10 long years ago, it was greeted with the kind of genre- and generation-spanning adulation that’s rare in any genre. At the time of its release, the supernova of cool around Daft Punk was so pervasive — and the hits from the album, particularly “Get Lucky,” were so ubiquitous — that it topped album charts all over the world, won four Grammys (including album of the year and best-engineered album) and got a whopping 8.8 score from Pitchfork, a publication that played no small role in the duo’s rise. Yet it was a drastic about-face for the pioneering duo, whose electronic and dance music of the previous 15-odd years had spawned countless influences and whose world-shaking 2006-7 tour basically spawned EDM. Fans expecting another electronic masterpiece instead they got a deliberately retro album that intentionally used the technology and recording techniques of the ‘70s and ‘80s to evoke the pristine, perfectionist grooves of Michael Jackson, Chic, Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac and others — and even unfurled a yacht-rock flag on “Fragments of Time.” It has orchestras, choirs and a battery of top-notch musicians including pioneering funk guitarist Nile Rodgers, virtuoso bassist Nathan East, pedal steel guitarist Greg Leisz and powerhouse drummer Omar Hakim. There are guitar solos, tinkling electric pianos, ‘70s funk bass, piledriving drums and even acoustic guitars. Bored with electronics, the duo “wanted to do what we used to do with machines and samplers, but with people,” said the duo’s Thomas Bangalter.
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Will Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’ Win Stop Other Copyright-Infringment Lawsuits? Attorneys Weigh in
Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Much of the music industry heaved a collective sigh of relief when the news broke Thursday that Ed Sheeran was found not liable on a copyright claim alleging that he copied key elements from the Marvin Gaye ‘70s hit “Let’s Get It On” for his own song “Thinking Out Loud.” The case is one of countless similar infringement cases that have been brought before courts, settled, or continue in seemingly endless loops of appeals. But there’s little question that recent ones — at least the ones that followed the 2015 “Blurred Lines” decision that shook the industry — have sided with creators. The lawsuit around Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” went on for five years before being decided initially in favor of Christian rapper Marcus Gray — who claimed her song was substantially similar to his earlier track “Joyful Noise” — but was overturned in 2020 when a judge ruled that the eight-note “ostinato” Perry allegedly copied lacked the “quantum of originality” to warrant copyright protection (Gray’s appeal was unsuccessful). Later in 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up the long-running copyright battle over Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” leaving in place a ruling that rejected infringement allegations over the 1971 song. The justices denied a petition aimed at reviving the case, ending six years of litigation over claims that the song’s writers, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, plagiarized the song’s iconic intro from the 1968 song “Taurus” by the group Spirit.
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Sara Bareilles Launches New ‘Brave Gowns’ Collection for Children’s Hospitals
Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Celebrating the 10 th anniversary of her hit “Brave,” Sara Bareilles has announced the “Brave Gowns Collection,” a series of garments for children’s hospitals in partnership with the California-based company of the same name, started by Summer Germann, who lost her own younger brother to cancer.  The collection includes a line of colorful hospital gowns for children intended to provide an alternative to traditional patient wardrobe. Dupporters can gift these gowns to children in hospitals across the United States or contribute a donation of any amount. Head here for more information. Bareilles said, “Over the years, I have seen healthcare communities adopt ‘Brave’ as an anthem — weaving my song into all kinds of stories of patients and their families as they face different challenges and continue to meet each moment with resilience and grace. I am so inspired by the very difficult work being done on the front lines by our health care facilitators and hospital staff and especially by the young patients in hospitals all over the country showing up every single day, even when it’s hard, with bravery and strength. This collection is meant to remind them all HOW BIG THEIR BRAVE IS and how much we love them!”
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