CAVE IN: Cvlt Nation Premieres “The Hole” Video; Songs Of Townes Van Zandt Vol. III With AMENRA, CAVE IN, And MARISSA NADLER Available On Digital Services Today Through Neurot Recordings

Watch CAVE IN’s “The Hole” HERE.

photo by Teddie Taylor

As AMENRA, CAVE IN, and MARISSA NADLER continue to promote their work on the Songs Of Townes Van Zandt Vol. III LP, Cvlt Nation is hosting a premiere and feature on CAVE IN with a new video for their cover of “The Hole.”

Beloved American singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt passed away at the age of 52 on January 1st, 1997, in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. His music touches people. Many believe he was a genius, and sing his sad, brilliant songs. Imagine if he was still creating music, in a time when artists themselves decide what to release and when to do it – something that songwriters of his era often were unable to do.

In 2012, the label My Proud Mountain was established specifically for the purpose or releasing the first Songs Of Townes Van Zandt LP, to which the singers and guitarists of the band Neurosis – Scott Kelly and Steve Von Till – and Saint Vitus/The Obsessed’s Scott “Wino” Weinrich contributed nine Van Zandt songs. The goal was to introduce these brilliant works to fans who may have never heard the originals, but through the interpretation of the songs through the mentioned musicians, would lead them to do so.

In 2014, Songs Of Townes Van Zandt Vol. II carried on the tradition, this time featuring songs from John Baizley of Baroness, Nate Hall of US Christmas, and Mike Scheidt of Yob.

And now, 2022 sees Songs Of Townes Van Zandt Vol. III seeing release, featuring new renditions of nine classic tracks as interpreted by AMENRA, CAVE IN, and MARISSA NADLER.

CAVE IN’s cover of “The Hole” is delivered through a gloomy video created by Chariot Of Black Moth, premiered through Cvlt Nation alongside an interview with Stephen Brodsky, the feature stating in part, “CAVE IN has me reminiscing about all of the moments in my life where I found myself at the edge of a dark pit, and walking away—and how many times I jumped in, finding myself desperately clawing my way out of my circumstances. Their cover of Townes Van Zandt’s ‘The Hole’ is chilling, harrowing, and ominous, just as Townes intended it.”

Watch CAVE IN’s video for their cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “The Hole” and check out the Cvlt Nation feature at THIS LOCATION.

Following its recent physical release, Songs Of Townes Van Zandt Vol. III is now available on all streaming and digital services. Find the LP on multiple variants and on CD in North America through Neurot Recordings at THIS LOCATION, and digitally through Bandcamp HERE and all other DSPs HERE. The record is handled outside of North America by My Proud Mountain.

Songs Of Townes Van Zandt Vol. III Track Listing:
1. Marissa Nadler – Quicksilver Daydreams Of Maria
2. Amenra – Black Crow Blues
3. Cave In – Nothin’
4. Amenra – Kathleen
5. Cave In – The Hole
6. Amenra – Flyin’ Shoes
7. Marissa Nadler – Sad Cinderella
8. Cave In – At My Window
9. Marissa Nadler – None But The Rain

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Filed Under: Music, Music Headlines Tagged With: amenra, cave, cvlt, digital, hole, iii, ...

Comparing the Top Streaming Services on the Market Today

The top streaming service is more than a matter of who has the best shows. It’s about the app experience, value for money, and how quickly they release new information. The best streaming service should make it easier for the subscriber to find something new to watch. 

The TV landscape has tremendously changed, thanks to the streaming services. That means every major studio is trying to figure out how to play catch-up even with huge competition leading streaming services listed on Streamingwars.com like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.

Viewers have subscribed to streaming services in droves, and for a good reason. There’s not much choice when it comes to selecting the best streaming services for your needs, which is suitable for viewers in some respects. However, it can be overwhelming and expensive to make the right decision. 

The best streaming service overall is Netflix, which has grown to be the standard streaming service for many. First of all, Netflix offers an outstanding selection of TV shows, movies, comedy specials, original programming (including Glow, Love Is Blind and Black Mirror).  Netflix practically controls the talk around streaming, with most the great shows and routine success making new series such as “Dead to Me” and “ Tiger.”

What’s more interesting is that you can create up to five different profiles on the same account to make sure your favorite content doesn’t mess up. As you probably know, Netflix is continually removing and adding movies, so you’ll want to check it out to see what’s coming soon. 

The recently-released HBO Max boosts the HBO catalog for shows such as Westworld or Game of Thrones and a ton more movies and some new original shows. Some will turn to the service for the DCEU films – the Justice League Snyder Cut is coming – while others will treasure the family-friendly trove of content, including the Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo and the new Looney Tunes cartoons. However, HBO Max is still not on Fire or Roku TV.

Lately, Disney joined the fray with Disney Plus, which hosts movies and shows from Marvel, Star Wars, and more. Before its release, Disney Plus was among the most awaited streaming services on the market. Disney controls a frightening number of properties, from Star Wars, to Marvels, to Disney’s own animated canon, to The Simpsons (all 30 seasons and counting). 

There’s also the Amazon Prime Video service that is a part of Amazon Prime subscription. For those who do their shopping online, Amazon is a no-brainer. Like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video is a veritable buffet of original programming, television, and movies. Some of the best Amazon shows range from the Man in the High Castle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Jack Ryan, and Bosch. 

A deal with Viacom – which controls Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and MTV – made Amazon Prime arguably the best streaming service when it comes to children programming and comedy. The streaming service also provides unlimited access to an extensive collection from HBO’s catalog of classics like “The Wire” and “The Sopranos”.

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Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: comparing, market, services, streaming, today, top, ...

A Small Trick That Would Help You Unblock Music Videos On YouTube And Subscribe To Music Services From Abroad


Any avid music player has been faced at times with the problem of not being able to access a music video on YouTube due to country bans. This can be very frustrating but surprisingly, a fast and permanent solution to this problem is free and just a few clicks away. This solution is represented by the multitude of VPNs providers (both paid and free).

The Functionality Of VPNs

VPNs are a fairly new cybersecurity technology on the market that comes with important side benefits. People normally use VPNs for staying safe or anonymous online. A good example would be those who visit OCG for NZ players and plan to stay anonymous throughout their online casino experience – starting with the registration process and payments to fill the balance and ending with retrieving the money from wins.

            However, there is an important side benefit offered by VPNs, namely, the ability to bypass region or country-specific bans. The explanation behind this is the following: given that all the Internet traffic of the user passes through a dedicated VPN server and that this server can be located anywhere in the world (the user can normally select manually the country of interest), it results that the user can appear online as a resident of any country where the given provider has servers.

            Of course, most of the users are interested primarily in the US or European servers, but only a combination of servers from different countries would enable a truly broad access (for instance, the user might be willing to watch certain Netflix shows available only in the US and certain anime series available only in Japan). VPNs can ensure access to:

  • TV streaming services (Netflix, Sling TV);
  • general video streaming platforms (YouTube, Vimeo);
  • music streaming services (Pandora, Spotify, online radios);
  • virtually any other website which does not explicitly ban VPNs.

Considerations For Registering For A Blocked Music Streaming Service

            As stated, one area in which VPNs would work flawlessly would be unblocking YouTube videos. This is however valid for many other streaming services with some considerations. Thus, many services nowadays involve a registration step in which a code containing message is sent to the mobile phone number of the user. In case this phone number has to be country-specific, there is little one can do to solve the problem. Nevertheless, such activation mechanisms are usually used for more “serious” platforms, like social networks (which might have policies of confirming user identity in order to ensure greater safety for other users on the network).

Most of the times, registering for a music streaming service with a VPN is very straightforward and takes just a few minutes. From here on, users can start listening to music and building their playlists, waiting for the day when these streaming services would officially expand their coverage to include their home countries.

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Steel Panther New Album “All You Can Eat” Slated for Release April 1st on Open E Records via Kobalt Label Services


Band Celebrating New Release By Sending the Famous Grill ‘Em All Truck Around Los Angeles Today Giving Out Free Burgers: “The Fat Girl” and “Eatin’ Ain’t Cheatin’ Cheeseburger”

Pre-order All You Can Eat online January 14th

(January 13th, 2014 – New York, NY) The Sunset Strip’s hottest export, Steel Panther, is back and ready to unleash their third full-length album, All You Can Eat, on the world. The 12-track masterpiece is slated to hit stands April 1st in the United States on Open E Records via Kobalt Label Services (KLS). The album will be available for pre-order on January 14th at http://www.steelpantherrocks.com. From the opening acoustic riff of album opener “Pussywhipped” to final chord hit in the album closer “She’s On The Rag,” it is clear Steel Panther is back and better than ever. Songs like “Gloryhole,” “Gangbang At The Old Folks Home” and “BVS” all showcase Steel Panther’s incredible musicianship and ability to write memorable and sometimes educational songs. The band, comprised of Michael Starr on vocals, Satchel on guitar, Lexxi Foxx on bass and Stix Zadinia on drums, have made a name for themselves as one of the most entertaining acts out today. The debut single “Party Like Tomorrow Is The End Of The World,” was released in November with a star-studded video directed by Rob Riggle that has been viewed over 660,000 times. The explicit video for the song can be seen at http://smarturl.it/sppartyvd. Longtime Steel Panther producer Jay Ruston produced All You Can Eat.

The track listing for All You Can Eat is:

1. Pussywhipped
2. Party Like Tomorrow Is The End Of The World
3. Gloryhole
4. Bukkake Tears
5. Gangbang At The Old Folks Home
6. Ten Strikes You’re Out
7. The Burden Of Being Wonderful
8. F@#king My Heart In The Ass
9. BVS
10. You’re Beautiful When You Don’t Talk
11. If I Was The King
12. She’s On The Rag

Steel Panther has also partnered up with acclaimed LA food truck Grill ‘Em All for a promotion to coincide with the announcement of the release date of All You Can Eat. Grill ‘Em All was the winner of the first season of the Great American Food Truck on the Food Network and is known for their heavy metal themed burgers. The band unveiled the album cover of All You Can Eat on the Grill ‘Em All truck and the truck will roam around Los Angeles giving away “The Fat Girl” and the “Eatin’ Ain’t Cheatin’ Cheeseburger” for free to all Steel Panther fans in Los Angeles. Here is the schedule for the locations of Grill ‘Em All today:

11:00AM – 12:00PM – Origami (1816 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026)
1:00PM – 2:00PM – High Fidelity (1956 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027)
3:00PM – 4:00PM – The Record Parlour (6408 Selma Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028)
5:30PM – 7:00PM – The Rainbow (9015 Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069)

Steel Panther was, for a long time, rock’s best-kept secret: a cult legend on the LA scene. But in recent years due to the success of their albums (both debuted at #1 on the Billboard Comedy Album Charts), and live shows, the band has enjoyed huge acclaim from fans and peers alike. Steel Panther has been joined on stage by rock and roll icons such as Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Paul Stanley of KISS, Corey Taylor of Slipknot, Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine/Audioslave, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park and Green Day to name a few. Steel Panther has also been seen on Dancing With The Stars, Bad Girl’s Club and most recently in a national web campaign for Warner Brothers Pictures hit film, Rock Of Ages.

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Universal’s Peter Schade talks about restoring “JAWS” for Blu-ray

“Jaws” fans can now breathe a sigh of relief because after years of begging and pleading Universal Studios is about to release Steven Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster in an all new Blu-ray DVD package. But how do you take a film almost four decades old and make it look like better then brand new? That job fell to Peter Schade, Vice President of Content Management and Technical Services for Universal.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunication and Film from California State University, Schade began his career as a scheduler for Turner Entertainment in 1989. He later worked in the technical services departments of both Turner and Worldvision. In 1999 he joined Universal as Director of Worldwide Home Video and Television Servicing, playing a key role in the relocation of International Home Video Servicing. He was promoted to his current position in August 2002. While finalizing his work on “Jaws” Mr. Schade found the time to sit down with Media Mikes.

Mike Smith: You have a Bachelor’s Degree in Telecommunication and Film. What were your goals when you left college? Did you intend on working in the technical side as you are now or were you looking to be more hands on as a filmmaker?
Peter Schade: When I was in school I always gravitated more towards being an editor. On student projects I was always the guy putting them together. But when I got my first “real” job after school I did intend to grativate more towards the technical side but circumstances pulled me more towards a management role. But I am managing a technical department so I’m very happy where I am.

MS: Can you describe a normal work day?
PS: Wow. My job has many facets so there are really no two days that are alike. My department sits right between production and distribution, so upstream of me you’ve got production both in the feature and television side creating content and delivering it to the studio. Then my team creates all of the archived assets that are made in support of distribution and then downstream of me are divisions like Home Video and Television…International…Domestic…Non-theatrical. So we’re delivering content every day to any number of those groups. The rest of the library has us dealing with contents that are decades old to contents that are brand new so there are lots of challenges. There’s never a dull moment!

MS: Were there any special processes that you needed to employ to transfer “Jaws?”
PS: The special processes begin in the way we care for the elements, from the original negative on down through any of the distribution masters that we make. We have our own vaults – buildings that are specifically designed to store material – that are kept at the proper temperature and humidity. In terms of taking the original negative and transferring it…digitizing it…we specifically used a film scanner that employed wet gate technology. This means the film is passed through a chamber before the gate which is filled with a liquid that is the same as the film base. Therefore any surface damage on the film is filled in and we don’t see the things that have gotten on the film as a result of its age. It’s scanned at 6K resolution, which is probably eight to ten times more then you’d see on High Def. Once that image information is digitized off the filmwe use any number of tools to work on color correction and dirt fixes and stabilization. There are manyparallel processes that go on at the same time that take weeks and sometimes months until we have a product that we think is of the quality needed to put out on Blu-ray.

MS: In the featurette describing the processes currently on line, it looks like you’re actually inspecting , cleaning and digitalizing the film frame by frame. Is that correct?
PS: There is an inspection that goes on. Before you put the film on a mechanical device you want to make sure there’s no broken sprocket holes or loose splices. You have to make sure the film is in good shape before you even begin to scan it. That is what they are referring to in the documentary as far as studying the film frame by frame. It’s literally a negative expert who is used to handling film. They go through every reel and hand inspect every foot…every frame…of that film.

MS: Do you also spend any extra time working on the supplemental aspects of the disc? I know the fan documentary “The Shark is Still Working” is included. Did your team work on that film as well?
PS: My team only focuses on the actual feature itself. There are other groups that focus on the supplemental material.

MS: I think I can speak, not only for “Jaws” fans, but for film fans when I say that the release of “Jaws” on Blu-ray is probably one of the most anticipated releases in the history of the format.
PS: It’s a great film. It’s one of my favorites as well. It stands the test of time. And coming out on Blu-ray, we’re very proud and honored to get it out there and have fans see it better than it’s ever been

 

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: content, management, peter, president, schade, services, ...
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