Introducing Fab Four Master Class 2.0!

 

Introducing…

Fab Four Master Class 2.0

curated content • conversation • community

CultureSonar and Wonderwall are pleased to announce Fab Four Master Class 2.0, a refreshed and revamped return of the popular online experience for music fans who crave an in-depth look at legendary recordings, coming in October 2024.

World-renowned Beatles historian and author Kenneth Womack and producer, composer and Deconstructing the Music series creator Scott Freiman are again teaming up to deliver this unique series of classes, which in this incarnation will encompass a projected five-year, detailed study of the Beatles. Says Freiman, “This will truly be the most comprehensive Beatles history course around.”

The original FFMC series, which ran from 2020-2023, took participants from “Love Me Do” through the mid-1970s Beatles solo albums – all the while building a strong and vibrant community of classmates who became friends and even traveled together on a “class trip” to London and Liverpool. “The conversations that take place during our sessions are some of the most interesting portions of the evening,” says Womack.

FFMC 2.0 will begin Year One (“The Birth of the Beatles”) this fall with “Rock & Roll Before the Beatles” (view trailer). Each class installment will include curated content related not only to the band but also to the participants, such as:

• Musical history and early influences
• Rare outtakes from albums
• Deep dives into composition and production techniques
• Stories behind songs and the people involved
• Exclusive musical breakdowns and audio clips
• A community portion of each class for conversation, questions and more

Don’t miss the inaugural session of Year One, Rock & Roll Before the Beatles, taking place Wednesday, October 23^rd at 8 pm ET via Zoom. Individual class tickets ($10 each) and year-long subscription tickets ($75 for 10 sessions) are ready for purchase here. A discounted price for high school and college students is also available. Upon registration, participants will receive a syllabus and link to join the upcoming class. Each presentation will last approximately 90 minutes, including Q&A time.

For more information, visit: fabfourmasterclass.com or email: nicole@910pr.com. A splendid time is guaranteed for all!

ABOUT:

Kenneth Womack, Professor of English and Popular Music at Monmouth University, is a world-renowned authority on the Beatles and their enduring cultural influence. He is the author or editor of more than 45 books, including Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans, the authorized biography of the band’s famed road manager. Womack is the Music Culture columnist for Salon and the host of their “Everything Fab Four” podcast, in addition to being an invited speaker at such venues as Harvard, the Smithsonian Institution, the Grammy Museum and the 92^nd Street Y.

Scott Freiman is a composer, a musician, and a software entrepreneur. He is the creator of Deconstructing The Music, a series of multimedia presentations about the composition and production techniques of the Beatles and other musicians. Freiman has presented his lectures to sold out audiences throughout North America at theaters, museums, corporations, and universities and has taught a 13-part course at Yale University entitled, “The Beatles in The Studio.” Freiman is featured in eleven Deconstructing the Beatles films, and his six-part Deconstructing the Beatles series will be airing on public television stations nationwide in early 2025. 

CultureSonar is a community for grown-up music lovers. Its daily blog and socials attract a loyal, engaged audience, with millions of cumulative annual impressions. Additionally, it co-produces film, TV, and digital programming including the 11-film Deconstructing the Beatles series and the Fab Four Master Class webinar series. It also co-hosted a sold-out tour, for Beatle fans, of Liverpool and London in Summer 2023. 

Wonderwall is a multimedia partnership between Kenneth Womack and longtime publicist Nicole Michael. The company offers dynamic popular music presentations and lectures, writing and production services for film and stage, collaborations with artists and bands, and marketing and public relations for all related ventures. Wonderwall is currently producing the “Everything Fab Four” podcast for Salon and co-producing the Fab Four Master Class, in addition to several other projects.

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Author Kit O'Toole to Speak at 2024 FabFest in Charlotte

 

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Kenneth Womack's Mal Evans Bio Wins MiCannes Book Award

 

US author Kenneth Womack was presented with the MiCannes Award for his recent biography of the Beatles' road manager Mal Evans, "Living The Beatles Legend." The award was presented to him during Beatleweek 2024 in Liverpool over the August bank holiday weekend by MiCannes committee member David Stark, Editor/Publisher of SongLink International and author of "It's All Too Much", his own book about the Beatles. Also in attendance at the presentation, which took place directly after Womack's talk at the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool, was Mal Evans' daughter Julie Rossow who is featured in the book along with her brother Gary.  

David Stark commented, "I am delighted that Ken Womack's superb book has been honored by my fellow MiCannes committee members, who voted for it among their choices for best artist, songwriter, music icon and various other categories. Mal Evans is a legendary figure in the Beatles' story who tragically died far too young in 1976 aged just 40. He had already put in a lot of work on his memoirs before he died, but all this was lost for years until it suddenly resurfaced a few years ago thanks to a sequence of events that is just as fascinating as the biography itself and explained within it. As a big Beatles fan myself I'm indebted to Ken for finally putting the record straight about it all."

In response, Kenneth Womack commented: "I am truly humbled by the team at MiCannes’ selection of "Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans" as Music Book of the Year. Sharing this story would simply not have been possible without the warmth, goodwill, and support of Gary Evans and Julie Rossow, Mal’s children. Their courage and insistence on telling Mal’s story “warts and all” demonstrates their unfailing approach to getting their father’s life and times right. Thank you again for this important recognition. Following in the footsteps of Tony King (who won the award in 2023 for his book "The Tastemaker") is an honor in and of itself. I know that Mal, who was keen on telling his story nearly 50 years ago before tragedy intervened, would be genuinely chuffed by this award."

MiCannes, now in its third year, is a three-day music industry networking event held at the beginning of June in Cannes, France, featuring conference panels, artist showcases, music documentary screenings and other events. Following the success of its third edition in June this year plans are now in hand for further expansion at its next event from June 3rd - 6th 2025. For more information please visit www.MiCannes.com

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New "Beatles’ Recording Techniques" Book from Author Jerry Hammack

 

Musician, producer and recording engineer Jerry Hammack, author of The Beatles Recording Reference Manuals series, has released The Beatles’ Recording Techniques – a new book that explains how to create and mix music in the spirit of the Fab Four’s legendary sound – on April 23, 2024.

“Studio professionals, home studio-based artists and engineers have long sought to get that ‘Abbey Road’ sound in their recordings, and now they can learn how,” says Hammack. “But this is not a ‘recipe’ book, so to speak. It details how to make music with modern tools in the way the Beatles did – and to take those tools and techniques and apply them to your own creative output.”

The Beatles Recording Techniques includes information on:

• The equipment that gave birth to the iconic EMI (later renamed Abbey Road) Studios sound and their contemporary emulations: including consoles, outboard processing, effects, microphones and more.
• The fundamental signal routing for sessions at EMI using both the REDD and TG consoles and how to recreate them in your DAW with both stock and third-party plugins.
• The recording principles and practices of George Martin, Norman Smith, Geoff Emerick, Ken Scott and Glyn Johns that defined The Beatles' sound, whether working in mono, twin-track, four-track or eight-track.
• Insights into how the team at EMI approached the recording of every type of instrument and amplifier, including the use of effects, tape loops, and pioneering recording methods.
• The fundamentals of creating authentic sonic landscapes that capture the spirit of EMI Recording Studios.

Hammack’s exhaustive research includes countless book, audio, video, photographic, and other sources. "The Beatles' Recording Techniques is more than a history lesson,” he says. “It's a practical guide for the modern musician and audio professional. The knowledge contained within these pages will empower people to replicate the distinctive EMI sound while encouraging innovation in their own music.”

Hammack’s previous books, The Beatles Recording Reference Manuals, have all been Amazon #1 bestsellers in both the US and UK, and volumes 1 and 3 were nominated for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound by The Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC). He has dedicated over 35 years to the musical arts and is uniquely qualified to sort out the story of The Beatles’ recordings. From his home in Toronto, Canada, he explains, “Understanding the nuts and bolts of how these songs were produced and recorded can open up a whole new world of creativity for the home studio community.”

Producer and engineer John Leckie, an Abbey Road Studios alumnus who has worked with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison among others, calls Hammack’s new book “a total immersion in recreating The Beatles' sound in your digital workstation in a way that is not only instantly recognisable, authentic and professional, but also serves as an ideal starting point for your personal creativity. If you love The Beatles' sound and want to achieve it both sonically and in terms of production techniques, this book is a must-have. It fully explains how to use your DAW in emulating correct Abbey Road practices, with great suggestions for everything from microphones, instrumentation and amplification to effects that will inspire you to paint your own pictures in sound!”

An essential companion for any music professional – as well as for Beatles fans, scholars and students – the new book can be purchased at beatlesrecordingtechniques.com or on Amazon.

Jerry Hammack is represented by 910 Public Relations, and is available for interviews, book signings, and speaking engagements. Copies of his book are available for review upon request. For more information, please contact: nicole@910pr.com

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New Praise for "In Your Mind" Yoko Ono Bio

In Your Mind: The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono is the first extensive exploration of the artist's amazing life, struggles, art, activism, films and music in astounding detail. No other book tells Yoko’s entire story, which goes way beyond what most people know.

This is not only a biography - it is the ultimate reference guide to Ono’s work. It is an exploration of Yoko's lonely childhood in Japan during wartime, her art, films, music and work for peace and women's rights. 

The misunderstanding and undeserved negativity that Ono has received as an Asian woman and as the wife of one of the Beatles is explored. We can all learn from her positivity and effective healing methods. 

Yoko’s life spans thirty-three years before meeting John Lennon, twelve years with him, and over forty years of creativity since his death.

The author has followed Ono's career since the mid-1960s, has spent personal time with the artist and assembled a vast media archive on her work. Yoko's own voice, along with Lennon's and others (in cited, published interviews) tells her undeniably true story, unravelling many longstanding myths.

Yoko's incredible body of work expresses all the joys and suffering of an extraordinary lifetime. It is all examined in this complete biography. The insightful, highly acclaimed book illuminates Ono's spiritual nature and her wisdom.

Includes the love story of John and Yoko, and her relationship to the Beatles. It's the true story of the woman John Lennon loved.

Website:
inyourmindbook.com 

Signed Hard Cover Books only available at:
conceptualbooks.com

Social Media:
https://linktr.ee/conceptualbooks  
 

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John Lennon Series Author Jude Southerland Kessler Releases Dynamic New Audiobook

 

World-renowned Lennon historian Jude Southerland Kessler, author of The John Lennon Series historical narrative, has just released her first ever audiobook – or rather, audiodrama – version of “She Loves You,” Volume 3 in her acclaimed book series. It is available for purchase through Audible here and all major platforms.

The audiobook took months to prepare. In addition to the source material written by Kessler, it is narrated by professional voice actor Scott R. McKinley and features original music by British Invasion-inspired band The Black Ties as well as background music and cover art by Rande Kessler. “She Loves You” takes the listener "into the eye of the hurricane" that was Beatlemania – from John Lennon's trip to the Spanish Rivera with Brian Epstein in the spring of 1963 to taking America by storm on three Ed Sullivan shows and the first concerts in America. Readers get to join the band as their fame not only explodes, but begins to take its toll.

Annotated with authoritative sources and heavily documented with end notes, the audiobook edition also boasts two new chapters (chronicling the events of The John Lennon Series Volume 1, Shoulda Been There, and Volume 2, Shivering Inside), a chapter featuring the author telling intimate stories of her interviews with Allan Williams, Bob Wooler, Charlie Lennon, Louise Harrison and more, plus personalized notes read by the author herself.

"This a time machine,” says Kessler. “Nothing less. The audiobook of She Loves You will transport you back to 1963...and for 33 fab hours, you will be living with John and Cynthia Lennon, The Beatles, the powers-that-be at NEMS, and the crazed fans experiencing the outbreak of Beatlemania. For Beatles fans, this is a chance to relive it all. For those who missed The Beatles, hang on! This is one wild ride!"

Voice actor Scott McKinley studied and captured the voices of 183 people for the book, including all four Beatles, Brian Epstein, Neil Aspinall, Tony Barrow, Ed Sullivan, Murray the K, Cynthia Lennon, George Martin, Bobby Goldsboro, Trini Lopez and many more.

“For this book in particular I listened to every interview that every participant gave as close to 1963 as I could find, on YouTube or from my own collections of recordings,” says McKinley. “I got to not only narrate a book about John Lennon and The Beatles during their breakthrough year of 1963-4, but I had a chance to voice-act all of the participants. Jude's style includes enough authentic dialogue to really breathe life into the narrative.”

As for ‘60s authenticity in the music, Kessler selected songs by New York metro-based band The Black Ties after hearing them perform at the Fest for Beatles Fans in Jersey City. “They have the perfect ‘Beatles’ sound for the project!” she says. And the background music was supplied by Rande Kessler, Jude’s husband and an accomplished musician and artist.

 

Jude Southerland Kessler is the leading expert on the life of John Lennon and her expanded biographies on Lennon take readers chronologically through his life. With a personal library of over 500 Beatles-related books and multi-media resources, Kessler undertook seven trips to Liverpool, England to interview Lennon’s childhood friends, early band members, art college mates, and business associates before embarking on writing her book series. To learn more, visit www.johnlennonseries.com.

 
To learn more about Scott McKinley, visit www.mckinleyco.com and listen to an exclusive excerpt from the “She Loves You” audiobook here.

To learn more about The Black Ties, visit www.blacktiesband.com and listen to two of their original songs here.

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New "For No One" Cover by Duo Lindsay & Isaac

 

South American duo Lindsay & Isaac release a reimagining of "For No One" on streaming platforms + new video

PRESS RELEASE - In 2020, at the invitation of the Cavern Club, Brazilian musical duo Lindsay & Isaac recorded two video performances for the virtual edition of International Beatleweek, Liverpool: "Waterfalls" (McCartney) with Laurence Juber (Wings), and "For No One " (The Beatles). The material, initially available on the Cavern Club Facebook page and on Lindsay & Isaac's YouTube channel, was acclaimed by the festival and fans. As the recording of "Waterfalls" with Laurence Juber attracted the spotlight at the time, "For No One" ended up taking a bit of a backseat. However, the latter gained popularity on social media over time, which was the impetus for distributing the audio version on streaming services.

The minimalist arrangement of "For No One" was inspired by the version they performed at UK shows in 2017, and which became one of the audience's favorite songs at that time. Watch the video here: 

"Possibly some of the most beautiful arrangements you will hear of Paul McCartney's music." - Cavern Club, International Beatleweek 2020

About Lindsay & Isaac:

Throughout their over 20-year history, Lindsay & Isaac has developed a solid reputation in the international music scene. Besides songwriting and producing, the duo has an extensive curriculum of projects related to the work of the Fab Four. Among the most acclaimed is a tribute to the album Revolver with the collaboration of Klaus Voormann in 2016, which yielded a tour in the United Kingdom the following year. On this tour, as a trio lineup, Lindsay & Isaac were able to perform on stages such as the Cavern Club / Live Lounge and as the headliner at the launch of Pretty Green x The Beatles: SGT Peppers State of Mind Collection, in London.

Follow them at:

@lindsayandisaac - Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

www.lindsayandisaac.com - Official Website

Release, video and info shared with permission.

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