Last night marked the conclusion of Conan O’Brien’s week-long tribute to George Harrison and his pivotal album All Things Must Pass. Musical guests including Paul Simon, Beck, Dhani Harrison (George’s son), and Norah Jones honored the late Beatles guitar player by performing some of his beloved songs. The week’s tribute followed up Capitol Records’ recent release of the George Harrison: The Apple Years (1968 – 1975) box set, which compiles his first six solo albums, previously unreleased live and demo tracks, and includes a bonus DVD of some rare live footage.

This Sunday, LA’s Fonda Theater will host George Fest, an all-star tribute concert featuring artists ranging from The Flaming Lips’s Wayne Coyne to “Weird” Al Yankovic.

You can see all of the George Harrison tribute performances that aired this week on Conan O’Brien here:

Paul Simon (friend of Harrison):”Here Comes the Sun”

Beck (fan of Harrison) : “Wah Wah”

Dhani Harrison and Friends (son of Harrison): “Let it Down”

Norah Jones (daughter of Ravi Shankar, Harrison’s spiritual guide): “Behind that Locked Door”

Virtual education is nothing new, but the idea of a free on-line high school designed to inspire the creative thinking of girls through lessons taught by the likes of Kim Gordon, bassist and vocalist for Sonic Youth; Leslie Arfin, staff writer for HBO’s Girls and MTV’s Awkward; and Alice Waters, farm-to-table pioneer chef, is pretty revolutionary. That’s just what School of Doodle is trying to accomplish, some constructive rebellion in the minds of young women. In fact, in outlining their vision and defining what they call a “Doodle girl,” School of Doodle creators quote the zine of 90’s punk/grrl rock band Bikini Kill when saying that such a person would “share a belief that girls constitute a revolutionary soul force that can, and will change the world for real.”  Creating world-shaking girls via virtual lessons from a variety of talented, cool, inspiring artists might just be the  next big thing in education.

What School of Doodle founders are calling a “peer-to-peer, self-directed learning lab dedicated to activating girls’ imagination through entertainment, education, and community” will get its start through crowd-sourced funding. Supporters who want to help School of Doodle reach their goal of $75,000 can do so by pledging to their Kickstarter campaign, which launched three days ago. With incentives like receiving doodles from Courtney Love, Yoko Ono, or Pussy Riot, the project is already almost half-way to that goal. A mere $1.00 donation turns contributors into Be Loud Club members, which helps reinforce the school’s ideology. A driving piece of School of Doodle’s mission is to teach girls to be loud; by “demanding to be seen and heard”; by “embracing every part of [the self] – the messy and the neat”; by “being colorful, curious, compassionate, creative, courageous and confident.” As long as you are a girl born after 1996, that $1.00 gets you access to the school’s test phase. The school’s creators hope that this type of incentive will help create a Doodle community, which is a necessity in keeping the project centered on those who will be using it. 

According to Molly Logan, the school’s co-founder who was inspired by her work on Station to Station to launch this project, School of Doodle’s curriculum will be varied and imaginative, covering a wide range of topics. Although arts-focused, those topics are by no means limited to art. The development of their curriculum will be “driven by the Doodle community and a teen board of directors” (MTV.com). Yes, the school was designed with teen girls in mind and the “participatory component of girls teaching lessons will be for teens only,” but everyone will be able to access the lessons, and to be inspired – for free. Men will teach and mentor, share and learn, and be part of the Doodle community. Teens and adults alike will find imaginative motivation in the lessons. This variety and equality is one of the forces that makes the project, and its curriculum such an innovative digital learning experience.

School of Doodle strives to teach girls to “value themselves” and to help create a world “where girls don’t ask for permission.” The collaboration of visual artists, musicians, designers, imaginative business professionals, writers, chefs, etc., – ranging from Salman Rushdie to Cat power – is evidence of the energy and excitement surrounding the project and the investment in the school’s mission. Encouraging girls to dare to believe in themselves is a timely idea. The sample lesson included on the School of Doodle campaign page opens with lines from Bikini Kill’s song “Double Dare Ya” – lines that serve as a call to action to the girls School of Doodle is trying to reach. “Dare you to do what you want. Dare you to be who you will. Dare you to cry, cry out loud….Double dare ya!”

For more information, or to contribute to School of Doodle, visit their campaign page here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/schoolofdoodle/school-of-doodle

There is no shortage of musical talent here at Burlington High School. Thanks to a local independent radio station, you have  a chance to showcase some of that talent. The River, 92.5, recently announced their 2014 Music Matters High School Spotlight competition. Thanks to Salem Five, they are offering $500.00 to the winning student’s/students’ high school music department. If you have recorded an original music composition, you can submit your work to the station for the 92.5 DJs to review. You could win an opportunity to record live in the River Music Hall, and hear your song on the radio.

Listen to the contest promo here:

Visit the Music Matters page on 92.5’s website for information on how to submit your work.

GOOD LUCK DEVILS!!

For fans of rock band Sum 41, many are familiar with frontman Deryck Whibley’s sometimes rampant drinking habits as seen through the band’s innumerable tour videos, studio updates, and live performances in which he is often shown drinking. And after years on the sauce, Whibley explains in a recent post on his website that it “finally caught up to him.” In the post, Whibley discloses that he has been in the hospital for over a month after a liver and kidney failure following a night of heavy drinking. After weeks of recuperation, the frontman expresses that he is going to use this experience to re-focus his life on writing songs with Sum 41 explaining that “[he has his] passion and inspiration back for writing music.” Check out the full post below:

hey everyone, it’s deryck here. sorry i’ve been so m.i.a. lately, but i’ve been very sick in the hospital for a month and was pretty sick for a few weeks leading up to my trip to the hospital. the reason i got so sick is from all the hard boozing i’ve been doing over the years. it finally caught up to me. i was drinking hard every day. until one night. i was sitting at home, poured myself another drink around mid night and was about to watch a movie when all of a sudden i didn’t feel so good. i then collapsed to the ground unconscious. my fiancé got me rushed to the hospital where they put me into the intensive care unit. i was stuck with needles and i.v.’s all over. i was completely sedated the FIRST WEEK. when i finally woke up the next day i had no idea where i was. my mum and step dad were standing over me. i was so freaked out. my liver and kidney’s collapsed on me. needless to say it scared me straight. i finally realized i can’t drink anymore. if i have one drink the doc’s say i will die. i’m not preaching or anything but just always drink responsibly. i didn’t, and look where that got me. (i never thought i would ever say that! haha) anyway i have my passion and inspiration back for writing music. i already have a few song ideas for new songs. soon it will be time to start making an album and getting back to touring again. see you all sometime! there will be more posts again so say up to date friends.

DERYCK WHIBLEY

As an avid listener of all things rock, I was pleasantly surprised by the Philadelphia-based band Modern Baseball. Part pop-punk, part indie rock, part emo, Modern Baseball is one of those bands that you fall in love with but you’re not quite sure why – in the best way possible.  Their music seems to grab you and never let you go. The vocals and instrumental work are not groundbreaking, yet their music is catchy as all get out, and that is what makes it stand out. Best described as ‘raw’ with in-your-face lyrics, Modern Baseball’s work is sure to bring out the full range of  teenage emotions. With variations from acoustic jams to indie-punk ballads, Modern Baseball have an undoubted talent.

On their sophomore LP, You’re Gonna Miss It All, which was released this past October by Run for Cover Records, the band delivers. While leaning toward a more emo-influenced sound, the band expresses their folk influences with ample acoustic work on the record, highlighting their musical diversity. In addition to the impressively diverse nature of the album, Modern Baseball have managed to make this effort undeniably relatable with with their lyrical content. The songs express an ‘angsty teen’ vibe, focusing on emotional topics like reminiscence, coping with changes, and relationship struggles. Through use of charged and sometimes profane language, the band’s lyrics authentically express the raw emotions of many young Americans – ranging from passive sadness to aggressive frustration.

The album kicks off with the track, “Fine, Great” – a song that opens with the tone-setting lyrics “I hate worrying about the future… ‘Cause all my. . .problems are based around the past.” The song’s initial melancholy acoustic style, which itself is nostalgic, reflects its lyrical focus on the past . As the mix progresses, the bass pops in, and the layering sounds rise. “Fine, Great”  ends with the expression of a realization that everything is transient – even friendships and other budding relationships. The lyrics capture the anxiety of changing times, abandonment from friends, and the general lousiness that comes with embarking on a journey into the ‘real-world,’ an undeniably relatable topic for high school students.

Perhaps the strongest track on the album is “Your Graduation,”  a song that is up to par with some of the best pop-punk anthems out there. Primarily dominated by lead singer Brendan Lukens, who sings about a life-long crush, “Your Graduation” is another emotional take on relationships. The immediately dynamic track takes an energetic turn for the better as drummer Sean Huber cuts in with his vocals about thirty seconds into the song. With a vocal deliverance that is worthy of an entire separate musical endeavor, Huber’s gritty and powerful barking melodies provide a satisfying sound that parallels the frustration described in the lyrics. During this section led by Huber, one cannot help but to jam out to his drum beats and grooving rhythms with some headbanging or tapping along to the jarring feel of the banging drums. The frenetic pacing and energetic nature of this song alone makes it the gem of this album.

From their nod to hard rock with “Charlie Black,” to their sentimental song “Pothole,” Modern Baseball have created a diverse record that proves to be their best work. The track “Pothole” serves as a great conclusion to the album. I am not an extreme fan of acoustic music, but this track is the strongest in terms of lyrics. “Whether you like that or not”, is what ends this track, and expresses acceptance of oneself. This song shows a sense of maturity which contrasts their other tracks, and ultimately allows for a sense of closure. While the album acts as a reflection on something lost, the song “Pothole” is the first impression of moving on.

With an album as catchy, emotionally relatable, and just plain fun as You’re Gonna Miss It All, they have proven themselves to be valued contributors to the contemporary music scene. Modern Baseball could very well be the best band you’ve never heard of.

Modern Baseball performing an acoustic version of “Pothole”(not indicative of their other tracks):

Credit: Property of Zack