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Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Technology helps resurrect late bandmate's vocals for debut LP
The Beatles were back in the news in November 2023 when a raw demo recorded by John Lennon in the late 1970s finally saw the light of day, thanks to artificial intelligence and a little help from his friends. Using audio technology director Peter Jackson pioneered during production of the acclaimed 2021 Beatles documentary Get Back, surviving members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were able to isolate Lennon's vocals for the song Now and Then by eliminating all background noise, including a spotty piano accompaniment. The pair next headed into the studio to add newly recorded instrumentation to their late mate's singing voice, the culmination of which was a fresh-sounding track that turned out to be the first Beatles composition in 53 years to top the Billboard charts. Lloyd Peterson is the owner of Paintbox Recording, a full-service studio at 600 Shaftesbury Blvd. that has hosted the likes of Fred Penner, Begonia and the Dirty Catfish Brass Band. In addition to being intrigued with the Now and Then project from a professional standpoint, Peterson also began to wonder whether he and his longtime collaborator Chris Maxfield could utilize the same creative high jinks, to assist them with a set of amateur recordings they'd been holding onto for 40-plus years. Daniel Crump / Free Press Maxfield (left) and Peterson spool up Go Jetter's original 1979 reel-to-reel recordings. On May 13, following months of trial and error, Peterson and Maxfield unveiled From the Word Go, the debut album from Go Jetter, the band they formed in 1979 in London, Ont., with their pal Rob 'Iggy' Morningstar, who died by suicide in 1983. 'It's really hard to describe how fulfilling it was to bring this record back to life,' Maxfield says, seated next to Peterson in Paintbox Recording's reception area, where the digital release's lead single, the uptempo rocker Tuesday Night in the Morning, is playing in the background. Peterson chimes in, saying there were definitely moments during the last year that were 'just magical,' as they played along — Peterson on guitar, Maxfield on drums — to Iggy's vocals and keyboard/bass lines, which they'd successfully wrested from a grainy reel-to-reel tape, using essentially the same AI app as the ex-Beatles. 'There Chris and I would be, counting a song in, and then Iggy would start singing through our headphones. We'd look at each other and be like wow, this is exactly how it was, 46 years ago.' Peterson and Maxfield became friends while attending Westlane Secondary School in Chippawa, a community in Niagara Falls, Ont. They met Morningstar during their second year of high school, after he moved to Chippawa from Prescott, Ont. 'He could play guitar, he looked like David Bowie… right away we were asking ourselves, 'who the heck is this guy?'' Maxfield says, crediting a Sam the Record Man employee for granting Morningstar the nickname Iggy, for a coif resembling that of Stooges lead singer Iggy Pop. Supplied Rob 'Iggy' Morningstar died by suicide in 1983. Peterson and Maxfield had already belonged to their share of upstart bands when they approached Morningstar to see if he'd be interested in jamming with the two of them. Sure, came his response, and in Grade 12, the trio entered a talent contest at their school, billing themselves as Dallas Cooper, a colourful unit that covered the catalogue of — you guessed it — Alice Cooper. After graduating in 1977, Peterson briefly attended the University of Guelph, before moving to Winnipeg, where his parents had relocated. In early 1979 he received a call from Maxfield, who let him know that he and Morningstar intended to form a new group, with the goal of writing and recording original material. Peterson announced he was in. They settled into a rented house in London, having chosen that burg simply because none of them had ever set foot there before, and they were seeking an entirely new adventure — one fuelled largely by popcorn and roll-your-own cigarettes. 'We had this 'cutting edge' two-track technology, so what we did was record guitar, drums and vocals on one track, then play that back and add flute, bass and synthesizer,' Peterson says, mentioning they adopted the moniker Go Jetter after a dog, Jetter, Morningstar brought home one afternoon as a surprise. 'We were just kind of making it up as we went along; it was basically us putting down ideas — beginnings, middle eights, endings — that would evolve into full-fledged songs,' adds Maxfield, noting because their musical influences were all over the map, from the Clash to Steely Dan to Gordon Lightfoot, the outcome was everything from 'punk blasts' to more folk-tinged arrangements. Daniel Crump / Free Press Lloyd Peterson jams with fellow Go Jetter bandmate Chris Maxfield, in Peterson's Winnipeg Studio, Paintbox Recording. When they weren't writing and recording, Go Jetter performed live here and there around the southern Ontario city. But after neglecting to pay the rent for a prolonged period, they received what Maxfield calls an official-looking letter from their landlord, instructing them to pack their belongings and vamoose — a set of circumstances that sealed the fate of Go Jetter. 'It's really hard to describe how fulfilling it was to bring this record back to life'– Chris Maxfield In the wake of the band's demise, Peterson and Maxfield moved first to Toronto, then later to Winnipeg where they helped form the Cheer, an upbeat foursome that enjoyed a modicum of success during the 1980s. Meanwhile, Morningstar headed to Ohio, where he joined the post-punk outfit the F Models. Peterson remembers getting set to board a van in December 1983 to leave for a Cheer show in Thompson when he received a call from Morningstar's brother Randy, to let him and Maxfield know their chum had been found dead, two days before his 25th birthday. 'If somebody gets taken from you at such a young age, they're always going to be the person you knew when you were 20; you're never going to see them grow old,' Peterson states, running a hand through his hair. 'Like lots of people, Iggy was complicated and had a lot of stuff to overcome in his life, but in his heart he was an entertainer, and he was very talented when it came to music.' Daniel Crump / Free Press Recording pro Lloyd Peterson was inspired to revisit Go Jetter's '70s recordings after AI tech helped resurrect John Lennon's vocals from a rough demo. Peterson and Maxfield remained in touch after the end of the Cheer in 1989. Peterson eventually moved over to the production side of things — he established Paintbox Recording in the mid-2000s — while Maxfield forged a successful career as a travel executive and currently, as the owner of his own communications firm. In January 2024, Peterson and Maxfield were out for breakfast when the topic of the aforementioned Beatles documentary came up. Specifically, they discussed back and forth how the producers had been able to clean up the Fab Four's old recordings by extracting individual vocal, guitar and drum tracks from existing tapes — an action Peterson equated with removing the flour or baking powder from an already-prepared biscuit. 'There Chris and I would be, counting a song in, and then Iggy would start singing through our headphones. We'd look at each other and be like wow, this is exactly how it was, 46 years ago'– Lloyd Peterson 'I did a bit of homework and found the applicable AI app,' Maxfield says. 'I happened to have a Go Jetter song on my phone and after running it through the app, I had this eureka moment… I couldn't believe we'd be able to pull Iggy's vocals out and rebuild the song, if that's what we chose to do.' One song turned into two, two became four, until the pair had successfully recreated 11 Go Jetter tunes from a quarter-inch tape marked 'Go Jetter, Summer of '79.' (Thinking ahead, Peterson also commissioned a local production crew to film the goings-on for what turned out to be a nearly nine-minute-long documentary augmented with grainy snapshots of the three of them, taken with a 'crappy, $15' Instamatic camera.) Prior to the album being released on streaming services, Peterson and Maxfield were in touch with Morningstar's siblings, who joyfully gave the undertaking their blessing. They also heard from Morningstar's adult nephew, who contacted them from his home in Alberta. Supplied The band in 1977, before they were Go Jetter 'He was too young to have known his uncle — he'd only heard stories about him through his mom — and he was really excited to learn more about Iggy, from Lloyd's and my perspective,' Maxfield says. Every Second Friday The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. For obvious reasons, Peterson and Maxfield don't have any plans to play live shows as Go Jetter, though attendees at a June 14 show at Blue Note Park, featuring a resurrected Cheer alongside Monuments Galore and Chocolate Bunnies From Hell, may be fortunate enough to hear one song off the LP From the Word Go. 'There were so many times we wished Iggy could have been a part of this and we're thinking of playing Minor Sins from the new album, a fresh one written years after he died, all about him and our time together,' Peterson says. 'It will be our tribute to him from the surviving Go Jetter members, carried on by the Cheer,' Maxfield adds. Supplied From left, Chris Maxfield, Lloyd Peterson and Rob 'Iggy' Morningstar perform together 40-plus years ago. For more information, go to David Sanderson Dave Sanderson was born in Regina but please, don't hold that against him. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
South Wales Argus
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Mersey Beatles set for Newport Riverfront Theatre gig
On Thursday, June 5, the band will perform at the Riverfront Theatre, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the iconic Shea Stadium concert. With a history spanning 25 years, The Mersey Beatles have delighted audiences worldwide, and this show promises to be their biggest UK tour yet. The performance will feature an array of classic hits from 1965, including beloved tracks from the albums Help! and Rubber Soul. Fans can also expect a journey through the psychedelic sounds of Sgt Pepper, a stroll down Abbey Road, and an homage to later masterpieces like Revolution, Get Back, and Hey Jude. Hailing from Liverpool, The Mersey Beatles were the resident tribute band at the famous Cavern Club for a decade, performing over 600 times at the venue where The Beatles first made their mark. (Image: DAVE NELSON) The current lineup includes Mark Bloor as John, Steven Howard as Paul, Craig McGown as George, and Brian Ambrose as Ringo. Looking ahead to the Newport show, Mr Howard said, "We cannot wait to take to the stage at the Riverfront Theatre. "We always have an amazing night in South Wales – the audiences are always up for a good night – so this will be an amazing night." Tickets for The Mersey Beatles at Riverfront Theatre are on sale now, available from the Newport Live website.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Giles Martin on AI plans: 'It's like saying you can burgle my house unless I ask you not to'
Giles Martin on AI plans: 'It's like saying you can burgle my house unless I ask you not to' Producer Giles Martin has said plans to allow AI firms to use artists' work without permission, unless creators opt out, is like criminals being given free rein to burgle houses unless they are specifically told not to. Martin, who is the son of Beatles producer George Martin and worked with Sir Paul McCartney on the Get Back documentary series and the 2023 Beatles track Now And Then, spoke to Sky News at a UK Music protest at Westminster coinciding with a parliamentary debate on the issue. Under the plans, an exemption to copyright would be created for training artificial intelligence (AI), so tech firms would not need a licence to use copyrighted material - rather, creators would need to opt out to prevent their work from being used. Creatives say if anything it should be opt-in rather than out, and are calling on the government to scrap the proposals and stop AI developers "stealing" their work "without payment or permission". ADVERTISEMENT "If you create something unique it should be unique to you," says Martin. "It shouldn't be able to be harvested and then used by other people. Or if it is, it should be with your permission... it shouldn't be up to governments or big tech." Sir Elton John and Simon Cowell are among the celebrities who have backed a campaign opposing the proposals, and Sir Paul has also spoken out against them. "This is about young artists," says Martin. "If a young Paul McCartney at the age of 20 or 22 wrote Yesterday, now... big tech would almost be able to harvest that song and use it for their own means. It doesn't make any sense, this ruling of opting out - where essentially it's like saying, 'you can burgle my house unless I ask you not to'." 'I'm not anti-AI - it's a question of permission' The Beatles' track Now And Then was written and recorded by John Lennon in New York in the late 1970s, and AI was used to extract his vocals for the 2023 release. The Get Back documentary also used audio restoration technology, allowing music and vocals to be isolated. ADVERTISEMENT "I'm not anti [AI], I'm not saying we should go back to writing on scribes," Martin said. "But I do think that it's a question of artist's permission." Using AI to "excavate" Lennon's voice was with the permission of the late singer's estate, he said, and is "different from me getting a 3D printer to make a John Lennon". He added: "The idea of, for example, whoever your favourite artist is - the future is, you get home from work and they'll sing you a song, especially designed for you, by that artist, by that voice. And it'll make you feel better because AI will know how you're feeling at that time. That's maybe a reality. Whoever that artist is, they should probably have a say in that voice." Read more: Authors 'absolutely sick' to discover books in 'shadow library' AI tool could be game-changer in battle against Alzheimer's Crispin Hunt, of 1990s band The Longpigs, who also attended the protest, said "all technology needs some kind of oversight". ADVERTISEMENT "If you remove the ability for the world to make a living out of creativity, or if you devalue creativity to such an extent that that it becomes a hobby and worthless to do, then humanity in life will be far less rich because it's art and culture that makes life richer," he said. "And that's why the companies want it for free." The Data (Use and Access) Bill primarily covers data-sharing agreements, but transparency safeguards were removed at committee stage. Critics say changes need to be made to ensure that companies training generative AI models disclose whether work by a human creator has been used and protect creatives under existing copyright rules. In February, more than 1,000 artists and musicians including Kate Bush, Damon Albarn, Sam Fender and Annie Lennox released a silent album in protest at the proposed changes. At that time, a government spokesperson said the UK's current rules were "holding back the creative industries, media and AI sector from realising their full potential - and that cannot continue". The spokesperson said they were consulting on proposals that better protect the "interests of both AI developers and right holders" and to deliver a solution "which allows both to thrive".
Metro
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Inside 'feud' between John Lennon's sons as Sean Ono speaks out
Sean Ono Lennon has spoken out about his 'feud' with his half-brother Julian Lennon, following years of reported bad blood. John Lennon and his second wife Yoko Ono are the subject of a new film titled One to One: John and Yoko, that focuses on the couple's controversial relationship in a brief moment in the 1970s. The couple's son Sean was involved in the project and oversaw audio mastering for the concert footage. The film has reignited interest in the couple and their family, and has led to speculation about a feud between Lennon's two children. Sean, 49, has now shared a post to encourage fans to respect the fact that there is no feud and that they have a good relationship. 'Here, we do not accept comparisons and erroneous creations of fights about two people that John Lennon loved the most: his children,' read a post from a Lennon fan account, which Sean reposted to his Instagram Stories. He also added: 'Peace and much love.' The text was written on top of an image of Sean and Julian, 62, Lennon's son with his first wife Cynthia Powell, at the 1986 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, when they inducted Elvis Presley. In the image, Sean would have been around 11, while his half-brother would have been around 23. The relationship between the brothers has been a point of speculation from Beatles fans online for several months. Some have highlighted Julian's comments about his step-mother Ono, as evidence of tensions, with claims he had to buy back letters he had written to his father because she refused to give them to him. In 1996, he sued his father's estate and revealed in 1999 on The Dini Petty Show that he used some of that money to buy some of the other items that once belonged to his father. However, in the same interview, any negative feelings towards his stepmother were separate from his half-brother. Julian explained he only had warm feelings towards his little brother, who was caught in the middle of a difficult situation. Other TikTok sleuths speculated that Julian had been abandoned by his father after Lennon wrote the song Beautiful Boy about his younger son Sean and not his elder son. In December 2024, Julian shared images of him spending one one-on-one time where they sat down for dinner together. The black and white images showed the pair at The Dakota, a building where his father lived with Yoko and Sean, and was eventually shot in front of. 'A Goodnight kiss for my brother, after spending the evening with him, having a lil dinner & chatting the night away, at The Dakota. Something we rarely get to do… Thankful.' In 2022, Julian told People that Sean was his 'best mate'. 'We're brothers and we love each other deeply on that level,' he added. 'We just talk daily, same as anybody would.' In the same interview he revealed that he and his brother bonded over music, food, exercise, and photography, and have supported each other in recent years. He revealed that he was wary about attending a screening of the Beatles movie, Get Back, but was encouraged to go by his brother. More Trending 'But [brother] Sean was adamant and felt committed, and we were both in L.A.… so I said, 'Listen, I'll go with you. Let's go together, let's go as a team.' And it was great to do that.' Julian has previously had cancer, and in December 2024 he told fans he underwent surgery after finding two moles, on his shoulder and his forearm, one of which was Melanoma. He encouraged fans to get themselves checked: 'It only takes a short while to do so, and you may just be saving your own life, at the end of the day… so please, for the sake of yourself, your family and friends just go to your Dr and do what must be done… 'I love life and I want to live for a very long time and this is one way, and a choice, that could determine your future… I wish you all happy holidaze and a healthy long life…' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Horror fans get 'chills' from brutal I Know What You Did Last Summer trailer MORE: George Clooney baffles fans over shock confession about marriage to wife Amal MORE: Former child star Sophie Nyweide dies aged 24
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
He Said He Wanted a Revolution. He Tried to Find It in New York
A presidential candidate who plays to white grievance is almost assassinated. A Black woman runs for president. A major deportation threat hangs in the air. People take to the streets to protest bombings and genocide. Sounds very much like modern times. Instead, it's the post-Woodstock world of the early Seventies seen in Kevin Macdonald's One to One: John & Yoko, a documentary that dares to take you into one of the most polarizing periods of one of pop culture's most controversial couples. It's the movie you didn't think you'd want that turns out to be one of the few recent Beatles products you'll need. In the last few years, we've been awash in such Beatles content, some of it momentous, some marginal. One to One isn't as revelatory as Get Back, Peter Jackson's opus about the making of the Let It Be album, but it serves as something of a sequel. Taking in the years 1971 to 1973, it's a whooshing subway ride of a movie about the period when Lennon and Ono left England for downtown New York, leaving behind a lush estate for an apartment in the West Village. The legal dissolution of the Beatles had just begun, and Lennon is heard saying in one of many phone recordings in the film, 'I want to be me now.' And the New York of the dawn of the Seventies was where he wanted to blossom. More from Rolling Stone 'It's Funny How People Are Intimidated by Him': Daryl Hannah on Her New Neil Young Doc and More Yoko Ono Art Exhibit Heads to Chicago for Exclusive U.S. Run New Billy Joel Doc on HBO Will Dive Into Subjects Not 'Explored Before' Starting with a recreation of Lennon and Ono's cozy, somewhat messy apartment, which feels more like a home to sloppy college roommates than one of the most famous musicians in the world, One to One is a window into the chaotic intersection of rock stardom, radical-chic politics, and counterculture art. The couple had dabbled in that confluence while they were still in England, shaving off their hair in 1970 and donating the locks to an auction to benefit a house for disabled kids. But they plunged headfirst into it during their time in Greenwich Village. The artistic fruits of that period — the spotty and proudly abrasive Sometime in New York City album — were not very tasty, to extend the metaphor. But the circus that unfolded around them is more entertaining than some of the music they made during that era. By way of interview recordings and taped phone calls (made by Lennon out of concern that he was being hassled by FBI, the immigration department, or both), One to One gives us a unique look into Lennon and Ono's post-Beatles world. They may now be living in a workaday apartment with a TV set placed just beyond the foot of their bed so they don't have to get up to watch it, but they're still celebrity rock stars with whims and grievances all their own and more than a sense of entitlement. In one call, Ono complains to a friend that Paul, George, and Ringo continue to avoid giving her any props whatsoever ('That's male chauvinism!'). Other calls are hilarious, like when pugnacious manager Allen Klein tries to talk Lennon out of singing a new song, 'Attica' (about the famous prison riot) at a benefit for activist John Sinclair, instead of one of his hits. In what amounts to a recurring gag, Ono is heard calling associates and demanding they round up thousands of live flies for a gallery exhibit. Those workers, including Lennon's future girlfriend May Pang, are heard scrambling to find the insects in time for the opening. (Spoiler alert: They do, and we see the results.) An entire film of those taped conversations would be an amazing performance art exhibit on its own. Yes, there's also music. One to One gets its title from a rare concert that Lennon, Ono, and their backup band Elephant's Memory played in New York in 1972. The show was a benefit for Willowbrook, a home for disabled children and adults that allowed its patients to wallow in filth and degradation. (That disgrace was exposed by a young Geraldo Rivera, then a swaggering TV news crusader before he went all Fox News on us; the transformation is still startling to absorb.) Most of the live footage has appeared before, on the posthumous Live in New York City album and home video in the Eighties. But rewatching Lennon's last full concert, and on a big screen, is another experience altogether. Backing Lennon, Elephant's Memory sound tougher and more cohesive than their legend has it. In close-ups of Lennon at the piano, singing 'Mother,' each line of the song about his deceased parent seems to hit him harder than the last. That song, and a snarling version of 'Come Together,' make you realize what a tragedy it was that Lennon, unlike his fellow Fabs, never did a full-on solo tour in his lifetime. But One to One is as much about its moment in history as it is about John and Yoko. Imitating the barrage of TV news that Lennon and Ono would watch incessantly, Macdonald alternates the timeline of the couple's life with news footage (the shooting of Alabama governor and segregationist George Wallace during a presidential campaign stop, Democratic congresswoman Shirley Chisholm making history as the first Black woman to seek her party's presidential nomination) and frothy, often sexist commercials for cleaning products and cars. The dream of Sixties idealism is over: As Ono tells a friend in a call, 'Flower power didn't work, but so what — we're starting again.' But it's a flawed reboot, for sure. We listen as Lennon is asked to participate in all manner of benefit concerts, and he and Ono start cavorting with a rebel-yell crowd that includes coarse troubadour David Peel and Yippie co-founder Jerry Rubin, whose love of the spotlight rivals that of any arena rocker. In 1972, Lennon and Rubin hatch an idea for a tour in which ticket sales would go toward bail for wrongly imprisoned political prisoners in this country. The idea is both charitable and a little harebrained, and we listen as they almost get Bob Dylan on board (by way of intermediaries, not Dylan himself). Ono calls notorious Dylanologist A.J. Weberman — seen digging through garbage cans in front of Dylan's Village apartment and finding a very uncool empty container of Clorox — to tell him to back off and stop freaking Dylan out. He agrees, but ultimately Dylan bails and the whole tour falls apart. Not too long after that fiasco, Lennon and Ono head uptown to the Dakota building on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The move from sooty downtown to more stylishly sooty uptown now feels doubly symbolic. Even they, it seems, had had enough of playing revolutionary with diminishing returns. And given Richard Nixon's 1972 landslide, who can blame them? The movie has a happy ending of sorts: Lennon overcomes an attempt by the Nixon team to deport him, and baby Sean soon comes into the couple's life. But a chilling hint of the future arrives when Lennon is talking with drummer Jim Keltner about safety concerns connected to that aborted bail-money tour: 'You mean people trying to kill us or something like that?' Lennon says. 'I'm not about to get myself shot.' We all know what came not long after, first for Lennon and now the country. But even in his wildest or most paranoid moments, Lennon probably never fully imagined that the America of 1972 would foreshadow the country more than 50 years later. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century
