Name	PopMatters
Logo
Url	www.popmatters.com
Type	Zine
Language	English
Owner	Sarah Zupko
Author	Sarah Zupko
Launch date	Autumn, 1999
Current status	Active

PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater, visual arts, travel, and the Internet.

History

PopMatters was founded by Sarah Zupko, who had previously established the cultural studies academic resource site PopCultures. PopMatters launched in the fall of 1999 as a sister site providing original essays, reviews and criticism of various media products. Over time, the site went from a weekly publication schedule to a five-day-a-week magazine format, expanding into regular reviews, features, and columns. In the fall of 2005, monthly readership exceeded one million.

From 2006 onward, PopMatters produced several syndicated newspaper columns for McClatchy-Tribune. As of 2009, there are four different pop culture related columns each week.

PopMatters published four books in a series with Counterpoint/Soft Skull in 2008-2009 including "China Underground" by Zachary Mexico, "Apocalypse Jukebox: The End of the World in American Popular Music" by Edward Whitelock and David Janssen, "Rebels Wit Attitude: Subversive Rock Humorists" by Iain Ellis, and "The Solitary Vice: Against Reading" by Mikita Brottman.

Staff

While PopMatters doesn't actually employ writers, it does publish content from contributors located around the globe, based in six continents and numerous countries. Its staff includes writers from various backgrounds, ranging from academics and professional journalists to career professionals and first time writers. Many of its writers are published authorities in various fields of study.

PopMatters also currently hosts an ever-growing number of blogs, including:

"Moving Pixels," a look at video game arts by G. Christopher Williams;

"Sound Affects," a music criticism blog edited by Sarah Zupko;

"Marginal Utility," essays on consumer culture by Rob Horning;

"Short Ends and Leader," a multi-faceted film blog by Bill Gibron;

"Channel Surfing," a television blog edited by Sarah Zupko;

"Graphic Novelties," all things involving comics and graphic fiction, edited by shathley Q;

"Notes from the Road," live event coverage, edited by Thomas Hauner;

"Re:Print," discussion of everything books, edited by Rodger Jacobs and Michael Buening.

References

External links

PopCultures.com

Category:Online magazines Category:Entertainment websites Category:Music websites

Name	Meat Beat Manifesto
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Swindon, UK
Genre	Techno Industrial Industrial dance Trip-Hop Industrial hip-hop
Years active	1987–present
Label	Mute Records Nothing Records Brainwashed
Url	Official website
Current members	Jack Dangers Lynn Farmer Mark Pistel Benjamin Stokes
Past members	Marcus Adams Colin James Craig Morrison Mike Powell Jonny Stephens Jon Wilson

Meat Beat Manifesto, often shortened to Meat Beat or MBM, is an electronic music group originally consisting of Jack Dangers and Jonny Stephens formed in 1987 in Swindon, UK. The band, fronted by Dangers (the only permanent member), has proven versatile over the years, experimenting with techno, jungle (drum'n'bass), IDM, industrial, dub, and jazz fusion while touring the world and influencing major acts such as Nine Inch Nails and The Prodigy.

History

Early years

Dangers and Stephens had formed UK pop band Perennial Divide in 1986 with Paul Freeguard and released the first couple of Meat Beat Manifesto singles as a side project. However, they left Perennial Divide altogether in 1988 to record a full Meat Beat album. The tapes of what would have been the debut MBM album were claimed to have been destroyed in a studio fire before it could be released (detailed in a publicity statement). However, the former founder of Sweat Box Records (Rob Deacon) had admitted that the fire never happened. Jack Dangers confirmed the story of the fire in a 2010 interview. The pair then recorded the LP Storm The Studio, which got them pigeonholed as an industrial act because Sweat Box Records sold the rights to the LP to Wax Trax Records for release in the United States. and video clips accompanying live instruments, sequenced electronic instruments, and live DJing. In the United States, they opened for Nine Inch Nails on their debut national tour in 1990. Despite his contributions being nonmusical in nature, Adams was credited as a full band member and appeared in many of the band's record sleeves and promo photos until the release of Satyricon in 1992. Adams also appeared in several of MBM's early videos, such as "Strapdown" and "Psyche-Out".

1992's Satyricon continued to show Meat Beat adopting a more mainstream electronic sound, crediting influences of such newly popular dance bands as Orbital, The Shamen, and The Orb, all of whom had either remixed or been remixed by MBM. The album produced the hits "Mindstream" and "Circles". However, "Original Control (Version 2)", renamed "I Am Electro" in later compilations, remains the best-known track from the album, featuring samples of recordings from the 1939 World's Fair exhibit Elektro The Robot, and was the opening song in MBM's 2005–2006 tour.

Nothing Records Years, 1994–1998

In 1993 Dangers relocated from England to San Francisco, resulting in Stephens' departure from the band. At this time, Nothing Records was founded as an imprint of Interscope with the purpose of signing industrial and electronic bands to capitalize on the recent success of Nine Inch Nails. Nothing, helmed by Trent Reznor, signed Meat Beat Manifesto and in 1996 the double album Subliminal Sandwich was released. While this album represented MBM's major-label debut, it failed to achieve the critical and commercial successes of previous releases. After Subliminal Sandwich, Dangers put together an album called Original Fire that collected various studio rarities, B-sides, and fan favorites from the early years of MBM, in addition to some new remixes of the material. Also in 1996, the group contributed to the AIDS benefit album produced by the Red Hot Organization.

In 1997 Dangers recruited drummer Lynn Farmer and multi-instrumentalist John Wilson (MBM member 1995-1998 former Supreme Love Gods) to record and release Actual Sounds + Voices in 1998, which found the group's earlier flirtations with jazz fusion featured more prominently; the record included appearances by saxophonist Bennie Maupin. The album yielded the single "Prime Audio Soup" which was featured in the film The Matrix. While Jon Wilson left the band prior to the 1998–1999 tour, Farmer remains with the band as of Spring 2007. Wilson was replaced by former Consolidated programmer Mark Pistel, who also remains a contributing member.

During these years, Dangers contributed a pair of remixes to high profile Nine Inch Nails releases Closer to God and The Perfect Drug. After the release of Actual Sounds + Voices, Meat Beat Manifesto was let go by Nothing Records and once more appeared on independent labels.

RUOK?, 2000–2004

In 2000, Dangers released a 12" MBM EP of four new songs called Eccentric Objects which demonstrated a shift in Dangers' output towards simpler song structure and less sonically-dense layering. This evolution in form was full realized two years later, in 2002, with the release of Meat Beat Manifesto's seventh full-length album, RUOK?. This album prominently featured Dangers' newly acquired EMS Synthi 100, as well as guest contributions from turntablist Z-Trip and The Orb's Alex Paterson. In 2003 MBM released a remix album for Storm The Studio, followed by ...In Dub, a remix album of RUOK?.

At the Center, 2005–2007

At the Center was released on May 29, 2005. A part of independent label Thirsty Ear's Blue Series, the album is a collaboration between Jack Dangers and jazz musicians Peter Gordon (flute), Dave King (drums), and Craig Taborn (keyboards). While Dangers had, in the past, flirted with jazz instrumentation and sampling on a handful of Meat Beat Manifesto tracks, At the Center was a marked variation of the expected MBM sound and was more of a one-off experiment than a whole new direction for the band. The album has been well-received by many critics, with one reviewer calling it "one of the best albums of the year in any genre." An EP of outtakes, live tracks and a remix titled Off-Centre was released shortly after.

From 2005 through 2006, MBM launched a worldwide tour, their first since 1999, making use of video sampling technology that allowed the band to trigger video clips in real-time, on two large screens positioned stage front, while the band performed either side-stage or behind the screens, out of the audience's view; instead, live video footage of the band performing was displayed onscreen alongside the pre-assembled clips. Many of the video clips used were the sources of samples previously used in various MBM tracks, such as footage of Elektro the Robot and clips from films such as Head and Dark Star. Dangers and crew performed a wide variety of hits and fan favorites from the entire back catalog, though relatively little of the new jazz fusion material from At the Center was played.

In 2006, Meat Beat Manifesto's "Suicide" was released on the and is the only MBM track to date to prominently feature a guitar.

In May, 2007 Dangers released a double CD titled Archive Things 1982-88 / Purged. The first disc contained many early Meat Beat Manifesto experimentations, including demos of what would later become seminal MBM tracks such as "I Got the Fear". The second disc was an instrumental version of the Perennial Divide album, Purge.

Autoimmune, 2008–present

MBM's ninth studio album, Autoimmune, was released on April 7, 2008 in Europe via Planet Mu Records and on April 8, 2008 in the US and Canada via Metropolis Records. The album featured the first vocals by Dangers himself since 1998's Actual Sounds + Voices, as well as collaborations with DJ Z-Trip and MC Azeem. The album has been described as a return to an older, harder MBM sound and as a dubstep album, though Dangers has stated that he prefers not to fall into any specific genre or category with his work. The lead single, "Guns And Lovers" was released as a digital single via iTunes on March 18, 2008, while the track "Lonely Soldier" was released as a single via bleep.com. Meat Beat Manifesto once more toured to support the new album with the same stage setup as the 2005–2006 tour. Meat Beat Manifesto most recently released the album Answers Come in Dreams in late 2010.

Discography

Meat Beat Manifesto have put out albums and singles, and participated in remixes and compilation albums.

Primary releases:

1989 Storm The Studio

1990 Armed Audio Warfare

1990 99%

1992 Satyricon

1996 Subliminal Sandwich

1998 Actual Sounds + Voices

2002 RUOK?

2003 Storm The Studio RMXS

2004 ...In Dub

2005 At The Center

2007 Archive Things 1982-88

2008 Autoimmune

2010 Answers Come in Dreams

Selected remixes

Atomic Babies "Cetch Da' Monkey"

Boom Boom Satellites "4 a Moment of Silence"

Banco De Gaia "How Much Reality Can You Take"

Bush "Insect Kin"

Coil "The Snow (Answers Come In Dreams II)"

Consolidated "Butyric Acid"

Deepsky "Stargazer"

Depeche Mode "Rush"

D.H.S. "House of God"

Empirion "Narcotic Influence"

Nine Inch Nails "Closer (Deviation)"

Nine Inch Nails "The Perfect Drug"

Scorn "Silver Rain Fell"

The Shamen "Hyperreal"

Tower of Power "What Is Hip"

References

External links

Official website

Tapelab - more MBM/Jack Dangers material incl. unreleased and demo downloads

Vintage Synth Explorer Analog Artist Feature - MBM kit list and further info, incl. streaming clips

Brainwashed.com page

Interview with Jack Dangers and a live performance by Meat Beat Manifesto

Category:English electronic music groups Category:British techno music groups Category:British industrial music groups Category:Intelligent dance music musicians Category:1980s music groups Category:1990s music groups Category:Ableton Live users Category:Musical groups established in 1987 Category:British alternative rock groups

Name	Lucie Silvas
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Lucie Joanne Silverman
Born	September 04, 1977 Kingston-Upon-Thames, England
Instrument	Vocals, piano
Genre	Pop, adult contemporary, R&B;
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1996–present
Label	Chrysalis, Mercury
Associated acts	Mia Silvas Judie Tzuke Mike Peden Grégory Lemarchal Antonio Orozco Marco Borsato
Url	luciesilvas.com

Lucie Silvas (born Lucie Joanne Silverman on 4 September 1977 in Kingston-Upon-Thames, UK) is an English singer-songwriter, who has been vocally compared to that of Delta Goodrem, Alicia Keys and Mariah Carey.

Early life

Lucie was born to a Liberal Jewish family in Kingston upon Thames. Her father is of New Zealand descent and her mother, Isobel, is Scottish. Lucie also has two sisters, Mia, who has done backing vocals for Lucie, and Nikki. Her parents were also big music lovers and Lucie has stated this inspired her career, besides the fact that her mother was an opera singer and wanted to pursue a career in music herself.

Silvas learned the piano at the age of 5, and had written her first song by age 10. She relocated many times between her parents' native countries as well as England. She relocated to Thames Ditton, Kingston-Upon-Thames, England, when she was 13. She entered a Jewish Care Young Performer competition and came third when she was 14. She attended Surbiton High School for Girls and left at 16 before going to college.

After leaving college at the age of 18, Silvas became a backing singer for Judie Tzuke, who helped her write much of her first album, entitled Breathe In.

Record deal

In 2000, Silvas was recognised by EMI Records and was offered a record deal. In May of that same year she released her debut single, "It's Too Late", though it only peaked in the charts at #62. She had also planned to release an album, titled Forget Me Not. However before she had the chance, EMI terminated her contract.

In 2001 Chrysalis Records contacted her again, this time for songwriting. She signed a publishing contract and despite being without a record label to release her music, she continued writing, and had songs recorded and released by British artists including Sarah Whatmore, Gareth Gates, Rachel Stevens and Liberty X (who scored a top 10 hit single with the track, "Jumpin"). Another of Silvas' most successful songs, written for someone else, was 'Who am I' sung by Will Young which was released in 2006 and charted at number 11 in the UK. Whilst 'Jumpin' by Liberty X charted at number 6 further showing her songwriting success. In addition to writing music for British singers, Silvas penned "Sombras", the first single off Natalia Rodriguez's 3rd album, Natalia in 2004. Another song Silvas wrote that year was 'I'm Not Your Girlfriend' for Spanish singer Cristie.

Breathe In

In 2003, Lucie was signed to Mercury Records, and recorded her second album, Breathe In, which was to become her official debut produced by Mike Peden. Much of Breathe In was co-written with Judie Tzuke, for whom Silvas sang backing vocals for many years. BBC Radio 2 commissioned a radio show to track Silvas' development in the music industry, supporting her career, and adding her tracks to their playlist. The first single from the album, What You're Made of, entered the official UK charts at number 7, and a few weeks later the album debuted and peaked at number 11 (although it has returned to this position on multiple occasions). Following TV appearances on the Ivor Novello Elton John tribute show, and "All Time Greatest Love Songs" with Ronan Keating, Lucie released her second single from the album, "Breathe In", which debuted at number 6. Silvas then released further singles; "The Game Is Won", "Don't Look Back" and re-released "Forget Me Not," which entered the charts at numbers 38, 34 and 76, respectively.

Following the release of the "Breathe In" single in Britain, Silvas took her music to Europe, including Germany and the Netherlands, where she achieved critical acclaim and released a special Europe-only single, "Nothing Else Matters," her cover of the Metallica song. Breathe In was also re-released in the Netherlands as a special 2-disc edition, featuring a full live concert recorded there. She also re-recorded "What You're Made Of" for the Spanish and French markets, working with Antonio Orozco and Grégory Lemarchal respectively. A special re-recorded version of the song, featuring the Metropole Orchestra was released as the fourth and final single from the album in the Netherlands. In 2003, she did a duet with Natalia called 'This Time', and in 2004 also wrote the first single off Natalia's third album, called Sombras (Shadows).

Lucie embarked on her second sell-out UK tour, The Don't Look Back UK tour, starting in Brighton on 2 November 2005, having seen Breathe In be certified platinum in the UK.

The Same Side

Lucie's second album The Same Side was recorded in late 2006. It was released in October 2006 in the Netherlands and in March 2007 in the UK and the rest of Europe. The first UK single, "Last Year" was premiered on BBC Radio 2 in late August 2006, and a duet with Marco Borsato, "Everytime I Think of You," in the Netherlands. The Same Side was produced by Danton Supple, who produced Coldplay's X&Y;. In the Netherlands, "Everytime I Think of You" charted on #35 on downloads only, topping the Dutch Top 40 in the next 3 weeks. It became her first Number 1 single in the Netherlands.

"Last Year" was the first single in the UK and peaked at #79, and #114 in Republic of Ireland. Following this setback, Mercury Records decided to postpone the UK release of her new album, which had been scheduled for October 2006; it was re-scheduled for 12 March 2007.

The second single chosen was "Sinking In", a Pop/Rock song released on 5 March 2007 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The single was released as a download only and did not create much interest and did not enter the charts at all.

The album charted at #62 on the UK Albums Chart in its first week, selling 8,000 copies in its first week. At the second week, the album charted outside the Top 100, selling only 2,000 more copies. A DVD of The Same Side has been released in the Netherlands.

Future plans

After "The Same Side" failed to impact on the charts Lucie was subsequently dropped by her label.

Lucie has spent the last few months working on new music in Nashville, Tennessee and NYC, as well as in studios in the UK. Several demos have been recorded and posted to various sites on the internet such as Lucie's official Myspace page. In August 2009, Lucie revealed that she was writing with Australian singer Delta Goodrem. In September 2009 Silvas also told fans on Twitter she was working on getting new material out in 2010 and was also planning a European tour. In February 2010, Silvas spent some time in the studio with Nadine Coyle of Girls Aloud.

Discography

* Breathe In (2004)

The Same Side (2006)

References

External links

Category:1977 births Category:English female singers Category:New Zealand people of Scottish descent Category:English Jews Category:English pianists Category:English songwriters Category:English-language singers Category:Living people Category:People from Kingston upon Thames

Name	Kevin Drew
Background	solo_singer
Born	September 09, 1976
Origin	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Associated acts	Broken Social Scene, KC Accidental

Kevin Drew (born September 9, 1976) is a Canadian musician and songwriter who, together with Brendan Canning, founded the expansive Toronto baroque-pop collective Broken Social Scene. He was also part of the lesser-known KC Accidental, which consisted of Drew and Charles Spearin, another current member of Broken Social Scene.

Drew has shared in the direction of Broken Social Scene videos under the name Experimental Parachute Movement. In 2008 he wrote and directed a short film called "The Water," inspired by and starring his bandmate and former girlfriend Feist. In 2009, Drew contributed to the AIDS benefit album Dark Was the Night produced by the Red Hot Organization.

Drew grew up in west Toronto and attended the Etobicoke School of the Arts, along with Metric's Emily Haines (whom he briefly dated), Stars' Amy Millan and novelist Ibi Kaslik, where he, Amy and Emily studied drama. He was married to Jo-ann Goldsmith, a social worker five years his senior and an occasional trumpet player in BSS.

Discography

Solo

Spirit If... (2007)

"Love Vs. Porn" from Dark Was the Night (2009)

Broken Social Scene

Feel Good Lost (2001)

You Forgot It in People (2002)

Bee Hives (2004)

Broken Social Scene (2005)

Forgiveness Rock Record (2010)

KC Accidental

Captured Anthems for an Empty Bathtub - (1998)

Anthems for the Could've Bin Pills - (2000)

Videography

Experimental Parachute Movement

Apostle of Hustle

*Cheap Like Sebastian

Broken Social Scene

*Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)

*Almost Crimes (with Chris Mills)

*Cause=Time

*Fire Eye'd Boy

''Constantines

*Our Age'' 2009

Stars

*Your Ex-Lover is Dead

*Bitches in Tokyo

Still Life Still

*Pastel

The Most Serene Republic

*Content Was Always My Favourite Colour

The Water (2009) Starring Cillian Murphy, David Fox & Feist

References

External links

Interview with Kevin Drew on kevchino.com

with Kevin Drew at Prefix

Interview with Kevin Drew on AOL Music Canada

Category:Canadian songwriters Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Toronto Category:Canadian indie rock musicians Category:1976 births

Name	Kelli Scarr
Img alt	Kelli Scarr playing at Melkweg, 14 July 2009
Background	solo_singer
Born
Died
Instrument	Guitar, vocals
Genre	Alternative rock, independent
Years active
Label	Silence Breaks
Associated acts	Moby
Url

Kelli Scarr is a singer and songwriter. She sang vocals on Moby's album Wait for Me, as well as collaborating with him on National Public Radio's "Project Song", resulting in the track "Gone to Sleep".

Scarr also toured with Moby for 15 months in 2009 and 2010.

Scarr was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work on the HBO documentary In a Dream.

Musical career

Following high school, Scarr was a member of the band Moonraker, first in Boston, then in Brooklyn. After the band's breakup in 2005, she was involved in writing the soundtrack for the HBO documentary In a Dream. Scarr was subsequently nominated for an Emmy Award for the In a Dream score.

In 2009, Scarr met Moby, who asked her to sing vocals for his album Wait for Me. Scarr subsequently toured with Moby for 15 months, both singing with him and opening shows with her own material. Scarr also collaborated with Moby on his appearance on National Public Radio's "Project Song" on 4 May 2010, a challenge for musicians to write a song in no more than 48 hours. Moby and Scarr were able to write the song "Gone to Sleep" in little more than a day, a feat not accomplished by any previous musicians in this challenge. Moby and Scarr had enough time left to record three versions of the song and to perform a short concert for NPR staff.

Scarr's first album, entitled Piece, was released on 21 August 2010. NPR reviewed the album favorably, calling it "enchanting" and noting that the tone of voice created the illusion of the singer being in the room.

References

Category:Living people Category:American alternative rock musicians Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Female musicians

Jason Simon (born March 21, 1969 in Sarnia, Ontario) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played five games in the National Hockey League for the Phoenix Coyotes and New York Islanders.

External links

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:Anchorage Aces players Category:Canadian ice hockey forwards Category:Colorado Gold Kings players Category:Denver Grizzlies players Category:Detroit Falcons (CoHL) players Category:Flint Bulldogs players Category:Hamilton Steelhawks alumni Category:Hershey Bears players Category:Huntsville Havoc players Category:Ice hockey personnel from Ontario Category:Jacksonville Barracudas players Category:Johnstown Chiefs players Category:Kingston Raiders alumni Category:Las Vegas Thunder players Category:London Knights alumni Category:Louisville Panthers players Category:Memphis RiverKings players Category:Nashville Knights players Category:New York Islanders players Category:People from Sarnia, Ontario Category:Port Huron Beacons players Category:Port Huron Border Cats players Category:Phoenix Coyotes players Category:Quebec Rafales players Category:Salt Lake Golden Eagles players Category:San Diego Gulls (1990–1995) players Category:Springfield Falcons players Category:Sudbury Wolves alumni Category:Utica Devils players Category:Windsor Spitfires alumni