Great New for Peter Katz who is on tour right now across Canada was added to Magic 104 in Moncton.  His new single “I DO” has also been added to CKDM in Dauphin, MB and CJCS is Stratford, ONT.

Cheers,

JT

After two years of hard work and dedication the first installment of my debut solo album “Blank Tape Levy” has been completed.

Last night my ex-band mate Dan Black and I sat in my living room and listened to it.  Dan helped co-write a few of the songs on the album.

For those of you that know the story behind this album you already know that Blank Tape Levy had to be completely re-recorded.

In December 2007 the original recordings were stolen from the studio that it was being recorded at.  Eight months of work just vanished into thin air.

It was pretty devastating but thankfully there was a support system around me and with their help the album was re-recorded over 2008.  A lot went into this album and it was a struggle to make but it’s finally here and I am very proud of it

I will not be posting any of the tracks up online unti the artwork is complete and I will be announcing a record release party for the album soon, so stay tuned.  Thank you to all who were involved and who made this possible.

In other news I will be playing with The Flunkadelic Allstars tomorrow night at Prohibition at Queen and Broadview if anyone is interested in stopping by.  The band is comprised of myself, Tim White, Dale Harrison and Fraser MacDougall

All the best,

JT

-Julian Taylor

Hi All,
During Movember (the month formerly known as November) I’m growing a Moustache. That’s right I’m bringing the Mo back because I’m passionate about tackling men’s health issues and being proactive in the fight against prostate cancer.
To donate to my Mo you can either:
Click this link https://www.movember.com/ca/donate/donate-details.php?action=sponsorlink&rego=1893486&country=ca and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account, or
Write a cheque payable to the ‘Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada’, referencing my Registration Number 1893486 and mailing it to:
Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada
Attn: Movember
145 Front Street East
Suite 306
Toronto Ontario M5A 1E3
Donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
The money raised by Movember is donated directly to the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada who will use the funds to create awareness and fund research across the country into prevention, detection and treatment, with a goal to ending the threat of prostate cancer.
Did you know:
Every year around 24,700 Canadian men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and about 4,300 die of the disease, making it the number one cancer threat to Canadian men.
1 in 7 men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime.
All men over the age of 40 are potentially at risk and should talk to their doctor about the disease and early detection. Prostate cancer is 95% curable if detected and treated early.
For those that have supported Movember in previous years you can be very proud of the impact it has had and can check out the details at:
[ Fundraising Outcomes ].
Movember culminates at the end of month Gala Partés. If you would like to be part of this great night you’ll need to purchase a [ Gala Parté Ticket ].
Thanks for your support,
Julian.

More information is available at http://www.movember.com/.
Movember is proudly grown by Canadian Club, Mercedes-Benz and Philips.
Movember is a proud partner of the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation

Is  there  a  special  song  that  when  you  hear  it  brings  back  a  timeless  memory;  or  maybe  you  know  someone  with  a  passion  for  rock  that  deserves  a  unique  musical  gift.
If  you  have  ever  dreamed  about  recording  your  favourite  songs  in  a  state-of-the-art  recording  studio  with  professional  musicians  then:
A  DAY  IN  THE  LIFE….  Can  make  that  dream  come  true
You  get  to  supply  the  vocal  or  instrumental  track  for  any  two  songs.  The  balance  will  be  recorded  by  professional  musicians.  You  and  a  friend  get  to  spend  the  whole  day  in  the  recording  studio  and  hang  out  with  professional  rock  musicians  with  a  cool  rock  pedigree.  At  the  end  of  the  process  you  get  a  CD  of  the  tracks  complete  with  liner  notes.
This  unique  opportunity  is  open  anyone,  from  people  with  no  musical  experience  to  accomplished  musicians.  We  will  make  sure  that  at  the  end  of  the  day,  irrespective  of  your  talent  level,  you  will  have  a  professionally  recorded  CD.
Julian  Taylor  (ex  lead  singer  of  Staggered  Crossing)  will  be  your  host  for  the  day  and  will  ensure  you  experience  the  full  studio  treatment.
If  you  would  like  to  learn  more,  or  for  a  free  consultation  contact  Julian  at  jt@bentpennyrecords.com

FOR  THOSE  ABOUT  TO  ROCK
A  DAY  IN  THE  LIFE….   base  package  includes:
•    A  full  day  in  a  professional  recording  studio  watching  and  experiencing  the  recording  process
•    Hanging  with  professional  musicians  with  a  strong  Canadian  pedigree  who  will  amaze  you  with  their  stories  and  history
•    All  equipment  required
•    A  professionally  produced  and  packaged  CD  with  liner  notes  detailing  the  musicians  who  participated  in  the  experience
•    Food  and  beverage
•    An  advance  consultation  with  Julian  Taylor
Extras:
•    Additional  tracks
•    Participation  by  specific  Toronto  based  musicians  (if  possible)
•    Professional  photography  of  the  day’s  events
•    Video  highlights  of  the recording  session

Last week “Saint Andrews Bridge” was serviced to MUCHMUSIC and added to medium rotation.  The band is also on tour this fall across Canada.  For more information please visit: www.myspace.com/hellobeautifulspace

To view the new video please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOm6Uz30Vxs

Thanks for your continued support.

JT

News Release
For Immediate Release… Dec, 29 2007
For more information please email: jt@bentpennyrecords.com
————-
Of Interest to: Music Lovers

For those of you who do not know me, I am the former lead singer of the band Staggered Crossing and the owner of Bent Penny Records. I have been an active member of the Canadian Music Community for over a decade now.

Over the past six months I had been working on my very first solo album. I was recording with my producer friend Ed Zych from Massive Chang Studio’s.

On December 20th in the wee hours of the morning two punks broke into Ed’s studio and stole a bunch of gear, including the masters for my upcoming solo record. It is hard to believe that some people have such little regard for others.

Needless to say, It’s has been a very personal and painful experience for everyone involved. I do not expect to get the album back and will most likely have to start from scratch come the New Year. However, I felt that it was worth a try to spread the word about it in case something turns up.

Some of the equipment is pretty distinctive, so if anyone happens to be passing by a pawn shop or music store and sees any of it, please let us know… here are some of the more distinctive items that were stolen from Massive Chang Studio’s:

An External Hard Drive: My album title is “Blank Tape Levy”
Cherry red Gibson Les Paul Studio light Mark 2
Fender P bass “sting” signature model
Groove Tubes GT67 tube mic
Radial JDI di box
Hard-drive

Perhaps it may generate some awarness about the stole tapes and equipment. You never know where and when they could turn up. Pictures of the guitars have been attached to this email and rough demos from my forth coming album can be found at www.myspace.com/juliandeantaylor

If anyone does come across the gear and wishes to remain anonymous they may drop it off at Hudson Taylor Studio located at 12 Birch Ave in Toronto.

Please forward this email along to anyone that you know that may be of any help.

I hope that this finds you well. Happy New Year!

Thanks for your time,

Kind Regards,

Julian

p.s. On a side note, I will be performing my new material at Dora Keogh’s at 141 Danforth on January 9th

From Rolling Stone…

Last week, we asked you, Rock Daily readers, to tell us your picks for the Best Albums of 2007, and you spoke: Radiohead’s pay-what-you-want In Rainbows is the top album of 2007, edging out strong campaigns from Arcade Fire and Wilco for the top spot. So how does the readers’ picks compare to Rolling Stone’s own list? Find out next Monday, when we reveal the magazine’s Top 50 Albums of 2007. Until then, here’s your Top 25:

1. Radiohead – In Rainbows
2. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
3. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
4. White Stripes – Icky Thump
5. Bruce Springsteen – Magic
6. Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero
7. The Shins – Wincing The Night Away
8. Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
9. Kings of Leon – Because of the Times
10. Kanye West – Graduation
11. Queens of the Stone Age – Era Vulgaris
12. Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
13. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
14. Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger
15. Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare
16. The National – Boxer
17. M.I.A. - Kala
18. Amy Winehouse – Back To Black
19. Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist
20. Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
21. Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild Soundtrack
22. Rilo Kiley – Under the Blacklight
23. Bright Eyes – Cassadaga
24. Robert Plant/Alison Krauss – Raising Sand
25. Paul McCartney – Memory Almost Full

MORE BIG STADIUM REUNIONS:

What I can’t seem to understand is the influx of old bands like Led Zepplin, The Police and Stevie Wonder hitting the road again and charging their fans hundreds of dollars for tickets.  It would seem to me like they see the industry falling to pieces and this as a time to cash in on the success they had back in the day.  Now don’t get me wrong I love all these acts a lot I just don’t see the point in them charging so much for tickets.  I also don’t feel like watching them in a stadium.  I would rather watch them in a theatre.  Sure, there’s great big screens to watch them close up from far away but it just doesn’t feel organic to me.  I did see Stevie Wonder a few weeks ago and he was amazing. He played all the hits and he even covered “Give  Up the Funk” and “Take the A Train” which was pretty sweet.  But the tickets were too much and I had to watch most of the show on the big screen.  I would have loved it if Stevie did what Neil Young just did and played three nights in a row at Massey Hall.  I don’t want to see stadium shows anymore.  I think that kind of show is really boring now that U2 and The Stones have taken it to the max.  That being said a festival show is cool because you get to walk around and there’s not seating.  If you can make it to the front row then it’s all up too you. Plus there’s a ton of bands on the bill that cater to every kind of music fan.

WHAT’S WITH CANADA BASHING THERE OWN ACTS?

It’s is unfortunate that I have not come across very many bands that I want to go see live these days and it makes me wonder what in the world are music fans gonna do. Labels are all out trying to create some kind of hype and no one is listening.  After being in a band for years I understand that sometimes hype works against you.  They say all press is good press but is that true? I suppose if people are talking about you then that’s a good thing.  To be honest I just want to go to a show to have a good time and dance or be moved. I don’t want to be there with all the other skeptical music lovers there sizing up the band.  Everyone is so keen on tearing people up and Toronto is one of the worst cities for it.  If you don’t have a core fan base that doesn’t comprise of the industry then you’re pretty much screwed because no one is going to come see you play and if you
have any bit of success you’re screwed too, because industry people turn on you.  My band just played our last show and played to a sold out show at The Horseshoe Tavern.  To my knowledge there wasn’t one industry person at the show which made me feel comforted.  I don’t know why the Canadian Industry people don’t want to support homegrown talent with vigor?  They do to some degree but as soon as the act gets any bit of success they turn on them.  Look at the way Nickleback is treated.  Everyone jumps on their back.  No pun intended, but it’s true.  Nickleback gets bashed all the time. I’m sure that they don’t care one bit.  They really are too successful too.  But what about the little bands that have tried to make it? We were constantly being bashed in our hometown.  So were our friends in Wide Mouth Mason and our buddy Jay Englishman.  All that we were trying to do was make music and do it because we love too. I heard that Celine Dion was going to perform in Halifax recently and got a ton of horrible reviews so shedecided not too.  I’m not a fan of hers but do think that she’s very talented.  I think she made the right choice not to show. If they don’t want her then why go?  I guess the job of the press is
to filter out the bad stuff but it’s really all just subjective.  All in all you can’t let what people say about you get in your way.  The way to have a successful career in music is to fill rooms period!

Anyone who’s interested in music should definitely check out Bob Lefsetz. His newsletter is highly informative and cuts through the bullshit which currently fills up this music industry.

He posted this cool link last week. The title says it all:

Universal Music CEO Doug Morris Speaks, Recording Industry in Even Deeper Shit Than We Thought

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/11/universal_music_ceo_doug_morris.html

Also… JT wrote this to Bob. Thought we’d post it.

From: Julian Taylor
Date: November 22, 2007 9:24:16 PM PST
To: Bob Lefsetz
Subject: Re: The Kindle

I feel no sympathy for the major labels. After being signed to one it was more like slavery. I can’t wait till they are on the very brink of surviving and have to finally change they’re game plan.  Napster kicked things in to high gear. I’ve sold a ton of records and have never seen a cent! The band is still recouping to Warner. When Napster was around odly enough more people came to our live shows. Anyway… Thanks for the rants.

You rule!

J

Julian Dean Taylor
Bent Penny Records

Rolling Stone recently published a list of its 25 Best Live Albums. Not sure why the Last Waltz was ranked so low in the list, but it’s all good. Just click on the link to see how RS ranked their favorites.

http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/17411224/rock_list_live_albums/1