Virgin

Here to bring you another CD giveaway contest. This giveaway involves the looooooong awaited Guns N’ Roses album Chinese Democracy, which was officially released Sunday, November 23rd.

Virgin Unite Ambassador, Jewel has recruited celebrity friends to provide hand-written lyrics of their hits for an auction to benefit Project Clean Water. In addition to Jewel’s personal contributions, Katy Perry, Pussycat Dolls, Randy Travis, Carrie Underwood, Brooks & Dunn, John Mellencamp, Josh Groban and Jason Mraz are just a few of the artists who’ll be auctioning lyrics written in their very own hand.

From Australia to Canada to the US to the UK - our league of aspiring music journalists have been treated to free tickets to Virgin Festivals in their part of the world in return for sharing their festival adventures with us on music.virgin.com. So a massive big huge thank you to all of our fantastic contributors who have been blogging like… bloggers for the better part of this year in the hope that they will win the awesome grand prize of trips to a Virgin Festival in every participating country throughout 2009, starting with Australia in March. It’s been a close and hard fought contest and even though it feels a shame that there can only be one winner (you’re all winners in our eyes - ahhhh) we’re delighted to announce the ulimate winner of the Global VPass…

We live in troubled times. Turn on the news, and all you seem to hear is how the world economic system is plunging further and further into recession. The news is bleak, but many independent musicians can at least take some solace in the fact that they have day jobs to subsidise their musical endeavors. Not so Sydney based artist Sui Zhen.

What happens on tour, stays on tour - until now. I’ve got 3 signed copies of Justice’s Across The Universe (Live CD + Tour footage) to giveaway…

On the same night that arguably the current biggest brand in Canadian indie rock – that’s Broken Social Scene if you were wondering – were putting on the first of two sold-out hometown shows at the cavernous and generally awful Sound Academy, a lineup that could well represent the next wave of great Canadian artists were putting on a night to remember at the much cozier quarters of Lee’s Palace. And while The Acorn, Ohbijou and The Rural Alberta Advantage have thus far achieved different levels of fame, they all share the talent and potential to be this country’s next great musical ambassadors.

This is for all the music heads out in Toronto: on December 5th Keys N Krates have a huge show in their hometown of Toronto at Wrong Bar. Be sure to catch this live remix show because if you haven’t yet, then you are seriously behind. Nick Catchdubs from Brooklyn, New York will also be in the house mixing it up on the 1’s and 2’s as well.

The first act, School of Seven Bells, came on the stage at roughly 9:30pm and WOW! The group, from Williamsburg Brooklyn played a seriously solid set. Shortly after M83 came out to a host of screams and cheers. The crowd went crazy when “Kim & Jessie” came and M83 could feel the love as they played with a loving smile on their faces.

Yes you heard right, prolific songwriter Ryan Adams is bringing his Cardinals back to Australian shores in January. Last here in 2007, their live show was certainly a talking point, and with their new critically acclaimed album Cardinology in the bag, this trip is sure to get tongues wagging all over again…

Prodigy fans might have to wait until until March 2nd next year for their new album Invaders Must Die, but the generous V Festival ‘08 headliners are giving away a free download of the title track from their official website for one week only from Weds 26 Nov…

For M83, it would mark the electro-pop outfit’s second return to the city in just over six months and for School Of Seven Bells, their first. The trio, made up of Benjamin Curtis formerly of Secret Machines and Claudia and Alley Deheza, formerly of On!Air!Library, was touring in support of their just-released Alpinisms, a wonderfully woozy blend of shoegaze textures, folk harmonies and electronic precision.

Earlier this summer I had an opportunity to catch Thunderheist at the Virgin Music Festival out in Toronto, except for one thing, I was busy reviewing and taking photos of another act, a small group by the name of MGMT. So when I heard they were finally hitting the West Coast I was giddy like a 12-year-old schoolgirl. The evening started off with the ½ Alive DJ crew which consists of: Tyler Fedchuk, My! Gay! Husband! and Tony X. These guys held it down and warmed the crowd up nicely as everyone was shaking it to their sets.