As he reminds us album after album, decade after decade, few songwriters have laid out their lives in song as graphically as Loudon Wainwright III. By chronicling his years from post-adolescence to senior citizenry in real time, he’s not only pushed the boundaries of confessional songwriting but allowed those with somewhat more stable lives to live vicariously through his trysts, marriages, divorces, inebriated episodes, quest for success, and bad-dad issues. Pick any point in your life—the arrival of a child, the loss of a parent or two, the...
- 9/17/2018
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
At this weekend's inaugural Vulture Festival, we shared a lovely Mother's Day brunch with Rufus Wainwright and Julie Klausner, who chatted about musicals, Mark Ronson (Rufus: "I'd like to see him naked just to see what his pubic hair looks like. Is it perfect?") and, naturally, moms. Wainwright's late mother, musician Kate McGarrigle, died a few years ago and he paid a lovely tribute to her — performing a song she wrote about his father, Loudon Wainwright III, "The Walking Song." (Wainwright and his sister, Martha have started a foundation in her memory.) Maternal inspiration quickly flowed into talk about other influential artists and Wainwright brought up his new adoration of Lana Del Rey. Let's just say that he wasn't a big fan ... at first. Watch the clip below and stay tuned for more video from Wainwright's Vulture brunch.
- 5/11/2014
- by Lindsey Weber
- Vulture
The Sundance Institute today announced the fifteen independent films that will make their digital debut this fall via the Institute's Artist Services program, which provides access to self-distribution for artists supported by the Institute. Titles will come out between August 13 and September 17. There is a very diverse range of films, but perhaps the most exciting is "Sing Me The Song That Says I Love You: A Concert For Kate McGarrigle," the recorded tribute concert for renowned Canadian singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle featuring her well known musical family – children Rufus and Martha Wainwright, older sisters Anna and Jane – and musical friends including Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, and Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons). Directed by Lian Lunson, the film made its world premiere at Sundance London in 2012 and had a theatrical run earlier this summer. See below for the full list of releases. For details visit sundance.org/nowplaying. Titles Available August 13 "An.
- 7/30/2013
- by Madeline Raynor
- Indiewire
The miracle of Rufus Wainwright's voice—that it can be at once so strong and so tender—is also the miracle of Wainwright's family, both in temperament and talent, right back to the singing and songwriting of Rufus and Martha Wainwright's mother, Kate McGarrigle, and her sister Anna. A song like Kate's "Talk to Me of Mendocino" unfolds like a map of plaintive, universal feeling, even as the exact destinations it charts it are wholly specific to her. That song and a host of other sun-touched folk numbers from the late Canadian singer receive stirring treatment in Lian Lunson's Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You, a stirring performance film documenting a Town Hall tribute concert organized by the Wainwrights and Anna McGarrigle in 2011, a year after Kate's death. Tho...
- 6/26/2013
- Village Voice
The concert doc Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You, Rufus and Martha Wainwright’s moving tribute to their recently deceased mom, Canadian folk singer Kate McGarrigle, screened to a packed theater at the Berlinale last week. (Participants in the film, directed by Lian Lunson, include Anna McGarrigle, Kate’s sister and writing partner; Norah Jones; and Jimmy Fallon, who tap-dances and does a song using a washboard and spoons.) Though Rufus was a bit jet-lagged and partied-out after a long night at the Paris Bar — “a fantastic institution of classic Berlinism,” as he put it — he was happy to be back in the city where he first got together with his husband, Jörn, and recorded his 2007 album Release the Stars. We spoke to him and Martha about the film, their competitive streak, and fame.Sing Me the Songs doesn’t have a lot of talking heads — most...
- 2/19/2013
- by Miranda Siegel
- Vulture
This weekend, New York magazine and Vulture hosted a screening of Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You, Rufus and Martha Wainwright's concert documentary honoring the work of their late mother, Kate McGarrigle. "This film is really about losing your mother," Rufus told us at the after-party at the Tribeca Grand Hotel. "Although it’s sad and very painful, it’s something that we all relate to. And luckily for us, our mother left a tremendous legacy in song ... we really feel it’s important to share that." Our talk with the siblings wasn't all sad, though: When asked if they agreed with Jimmy Fallon, who makes an appearance in the doc and compares their family to the von Trapps, Rufus said, "Well, we’re certainly all very good-looking. I think we were a little less square. A little more Irish von Trapp — there was no Von,...
- 11/12/2012
- by Jamie Miles
- Vulture
by Steve Dollar
Now in its third year, Doc NYC is an omnibus fest: Its 115 shorts and features mark an effort to create a populist documentary summit that plays strongly to specific constituencies within the ever-expanding culture that non-fiction filmmaking has become. As such, there is a distinct focus on beloved musical acts (Big Star, Kate McGarrigle) and profiles of pop culture phenomena (George Plimpton, Bettie Page), as well as the usual documentary forte: social issues. Those are most powerfully represented by The Central Park Five, in which Ken Burns (in league with daughter Sarah and David McMahon, her husband and longtime Burns associate) prowls Errol Morris/Werner Herzog turf to explore how five teenaged black and Hispanic boys spent a collective 33 ½ years in jail, falsely convicted in the infamous 1989 Central Park Jogger case.
Anyone curious what a Ken Burns movie would be like without Keith David's baritone or...
Now in its third year, Doc NYC is an omnibus fest: Its 115 shorts and features mark an effort to create a populist documentary summit that plays strongly to specific constituencies within the ever-expanding culture that non-fiction filmmaking has become. As such, there is a distinct focus on beloved musical acts (Big Star, Kate McGarrigle) and profiles of pop culture phenomena (George Plimpton, Bettie Page), as well as the usual documentary forte: social issues. Those are most powerfully represented by The Central Park Five, in which Ken Burns (in league with daughter Sarah and David McMahon, her husband and longtime Burns associate) prowls Errol Morris/Werner Herzog turf to explore how five teenaged black and Hispanic boys spent a collective 33 ½ years in jail, falsely convicted in the infamous 1989 Central Park Jogger case.
Anyone curious what a Ken Burns movie would be like without Keith David's baritone or...
- 11/12/2012
- GreenCine Daily
It's wedding week for Rufus Wainwright and longtime boyfriend Jorn Weisbrodt. The New York Post reports that the singer-songwriter will be saying "I do" to his German arts-administrator fiancé on Thursday at Wainwright's home in Montauk, New York. Among the some 250 wedding guests expected at the splashy wedding are Yoko Ono and Carrie Fisher. Wainwright, 39, is also expected to perform at the wedding.
Wainwright and Weisbrodt have been dating since 2007; the couple became engaged in late 2010. In February 2011, Wainwright announced that he and Lorca Cohen (daughter of famed musician Leonard Cohen) had welcomed a baby girl, Viva Katherine Wainwright Cohen; Wainwright, Weisbrodt and Cohen share custody over the baby girl.
Wainwright hails from a legendary family of musicians that includes sister Martha Wainwright, mother Kate McGarrigle and father Loudon Wainwright III.
Wainwright and Weisbrodt have been dating since 2007; the couple became engaged in late 2010. In February 2011, Wainwright announced that he and Lorca Cohen (daughter of famed musician Leonard Cohen) had welcomed a baby girl, Viva Katherine Wainwright Cohen; Wainwright, Weisbrodt and Cohen share custody over the baby girl.
Wainwright hails from a legendary family of musicians that includes sister Martha Wainwright, mother Kate McGarrigle and father Loudon Wainwright III.
- 8/20/2012
- by Youyoung Lee
- Huffington Post
Rufus Wainwright is to wed his long-term partner Jorn Weisbrodt on Thursday (23.08.12). The 39-year-old singer and the German-born theatre producer - who got engaged in November 2010 - are to tie the knot at the home of his singer/songwriter father Loudon Wainwright III and late mother Kate McGarrigle in Montauk, New York, after same-sex marriage was made legal in the state in July 2011. Sources told the New York Post newspaper that Yoko Ono and Carrie Fisher - who is best known for playing Princess Leia in the original 'Star Wars' trilogy in the late 70s and early 80s - are both due to attend the 'Hallelujah' hitmaker's nuptials, along with around 250 guests. Attendees will...
- 8/20/2012
- Monsters and Critics
In a way, it has always seemed like the life of Rufus Wainwright was headed for the big screen. The son of famed Canadian folk music legends Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III, he was born into something close to music royalty. But he forged his own musical path, performing weekly shows in his hometown of Montreal before cutting early demos (listen to one of the songs below) that found their way into the hands of famed producer/arranger Van Dyke Parks who passed it onto DreamWorks head Lenny Waronker, and the next thing you know, he had a record deal (Jon Brion produced his first album). And over the course of six albums, and a couple more live albums, Wainwright showcased himself to be a premiere pop songwriter, with influences as wide-ranging as Tin Pan Alley and high opera, all while putting his own baroque spin on things; Elton John...
- 6/22/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
London - a multi-generational dynasty of folk-rock royalty gather onstage to celebrate the late Quebecois singer Kate McGarrigle in this poignant music documentary, which received its world premiere at the inaugural Sundance London festival last week. Shot at New York’s Town Hall theatre in May 2011, this all-star concert is hosted by McGarrigle’s famous musical offspring, Rufus and Martha Wainwright. Their involvement should ensure the film has an appeal beyond specialist music-fan circles. An immersive experience shot in both lush colour and crisp monochrome, it plays well on the big screen, where it deserves to be seen
read more...
read more...
- 5/7/2012
- by Stephen Dalton
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rufus Wainwright's Out of the Game was released on May 1, but the single of the same-titled album is already getting radio play, delighting fans of the dandyesque singer/songwriter in its pop-crossover possibilities. Wainwright, the son of the late Kate McGarrigle of the McGarrigle sisters and Loudon Wainwright III, has a lot of sophisticated urban fans - but mainstream success eludes him, maybe because he simply hasn't wanted to compromise his romantic style and edgy urbane lyrics. But Out of the Game could change all that. That's because Amy Winehouse producer Mark Ronson is at the helm. "I knew
read more...
read more...
- 5/4/2012
- by Merle Ginsberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
-- Loudon Wainwright III, "Older Than My Old Man Now" (2nd Story Sound)
This marvelous album will resonate with sons, daughters, parents, spouses or those mindful of their mortality.
In other words: everyone.
Few make the personal universal better than Loudon Wainwright III, and on "Older Than My Old Man Now," he sings for us all on the topics of decline, death and family dysfunction.
These have been recurring subjects in the Wainwright oeuvre, but now that he's 65 – and well aware his dad passed away at 63 – nearly every song touches on death. Even the novelty tunes fit with the album's theme – "Date Line" looks at the passage of time from the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and the hilarious "My Meds" is a druggy tune for the Medicare crowd.
Inventive musical arrangements keep things from becoming too grim, and a large supporting cast helps, too. Among those contributing are all...
This marvelous album will resonate with sons, daughters, parents, spouses or those mindful of their mortality.
In other words: everyone.
Few make the personal universal better than Loudon Wainwright III, and on "Older Than My Old Man Now," he sings for us all on the topics of decline, death and family dysfunction.
These have been recurring subjects in the Wainwright oeuvre, but now that he's 65 – and well aware his dad passed away at 63 – nearly every song touches on death. Even the novelty tunes fit with the album's theme – "Date Line" looks at the passage of time from the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and the hilarious "My Meds" is a druggy tune for the Medicare crowd.
Inventive musical arrangements keep things from becoming too grim, and a large supporting cast helps, too. Among those contributing are all...
- 4/16/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Our critics' picks of this week's openings, plus your last chance to see and what to book now
• Which cultural events are in your diary this week? Tell us in the comments below
Opening this weekTheatre
Enquirer
The Guardian's Deborah Orr is one of a team conducting the interviews with journalists for this timely site-specific verbatim piece about the media. Andrew O'Hagan co-edits a project directed and edited by Vicky Featherstone and John Tiffany. The Hub, Glasgow (0141-429 0022), 19 April to 13 May.
A History of Everything
The controversial Ghent-based company Ontroerend Goed returns to the UK with a show that offers a history of everything, from now back to the Big Bang. No small undertaking from a company that has delighted and challenged spectators with previous shows including the outrageous Audience. Drum, Plymouth (01752 267222), until 28 April.
Film
The Cabin in the Woods (dir. Drew Goddard)
A bunch of great-looking teens take a...
• Which cultural events are in your diary this week? Tell us in the comments below
Opening this weekTheatre
Enquirer
The Guardian's Deborah Orr is one of a team conducting the interviews with journalists for this timely site-specific verbatim piece about the media. Andrew O'Hagan co-edits a project directed and edited by Vicky Featherstone and John Tiffany. The Hub, Glasgow (0141-429 0022), 19 April to 13 May.
A History of Everything
The controversial Ghent-based company Ontroerend Goed returns to the UK with a show that offers a history of everything, from now back to the Big Bang. No small undertaking from a company that has delighted and challenged spectators with previous shows including the outrageous Audience. Drum, Plymouth (01752 267222), until 28 April.
Film
The Cabin in the Woods (dir. Drew Goddard)
A bunch of great-looking teens take a...
- 4/15/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
London -- Rufus and Martha Wainwright are to unite on stage to perform and host a Q&A following the world premiere of Sing Me The Songs That Say I Love You ~ A Concert for Kate McGarrigle, as part of the inaugural Sundance London festival. Organizers said the Lian Lunson-directed movie about the music of the mother of the brother and sister will precede the event with the Wainwrigtht singer-songer writing dynasty as part of several special events for the movie and music festival. There will also be a worldwide theatrical premiere screening of documentary Coming Up For Air about rock act Placebo,
read more...
read more...
- 3/20/2012
- by Stuart Kemp
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rufus Wainwright paid tribute to Amy Winehouse during the final night of his Royal Opera House residency yesterday. Dedicating the last song of the evening to Winehouse, he performed a new track which he originally wrote for his late mother Kate McGarrigle. Wainwright said: "Amy, this is for you," as he introduced the track, before singing a capella. He also described Winehouse as "fantastic and marvellous". The singer died in London yesterday aged 27. > Amy Winehouse (more)...
- 7/24/2011
- by By Colin Daniels
- Digital Spy
Rufus Wainwright has said that his mother Kate McGarrigle's battle with cancer inspired him to raise money for sufferers of the disease. In January 2010, McGarrigle succumbed to cancer after battling the illness for more than three and half years. Before her death, Rufus began headlining a series of benefit concerts, partly because they helped him to come to terms with McGarrigle's failing health. "[My advocacy] coincided with the greatest tragedy of my life so far, which was my mother dying of cancer," Now magazine quotes the singer as saying. "When I started doing charity shows [before she passed away], there was a side of me that believed it would save her (more)...
- 5/10/2011
- by By Justin Harp
- Digital Spy
Country music icon Emmylou Harris. .Hard Bargin. has arrived on Nonesuch Records and M&C.s giving away five copies! The album is the follow-up to Harris. 2008 release .All I Intended to Be. and features 11 new songs by Harris as well as two covers. It was produced by Jay Joyce (Cage the Elephant, Patty Griffin), and also released in a deluxe edition . which also includes a DVD featuring six performances interspersed with interviews. Two of the album.s songs look back at relationships that were central to Harris. creative life. She wrote .Darlin. Kate. for her close friend and collaborator Kate McGarrigle, who died last year of a rare form of cancer, while .The Road. casts its eye...
- 4/26/2011
- by Patrick Luce
- Monsters and Critics
Loudon Wainwright III has suggested that he's immensely proud that his children Rufus, Martha and Lucy have become successful musicians. Last year, Rufus revealed that he and his father repaired their long-strained relationship after the death of his mother and Loudon's ex-wife Kate McGarrigle. Loudon has now told The National Post that it speaks of his kids' respective talents that they've managed to thrive in today's competitive music business. "It's a tough line of work and I love listening to all of my children, and I truly feel like they all play really well," the singer-songwriter remarked. While Lucy has only recently begun pursuing music in the last few years, both Rufus and Martha have been singing professionally since the 1990s. Besides (more)...
- 4/20/2011
- by By Justin Harp
- Digital Spy
New York photographer Tim Hailand published his first One Day in the Life of ... book back in 2008 when he documented 24 hours with Daniel Radcliffe. Hailand is back with two new books, this time taking a look at two very different gay musicians — Jake Shears and Rufus Wainwright.
Part of the proceeds from each book go to charity with Wainwright picking the Kate McGarrigle Fund and Shears donating his proceeds to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
We've got some of the pics here for you to check out, but you can buy any of the books over at OneDayintheLife.org. While most of the pics are safe for work, there is one of Shears on page three that isn't so proceed with caution! And for a bonus, we threw in some from the first book with Radcliffe.
...
Part of the proceeds from each book go to charity with Wainwright picking the Kate McGarrigle Fund and Shears donating his proceeds to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
We've got some of the pics here for you to check out, but you can buy any of the books over at OneDayintheLife.org. While most of the pics are safe for work, there is one of Shears on page three that isn't so proceed with caution! And for a bonus, we threw in some from the first book with Radcliffe.
...
- 3/24/2011
- by Michael Jensen
- The Backlot
"Do you know why you're here?" asked Emmylou Harris after strumming out the first song from her hour-long set at the IFC Crossroads House yesterday afternoon. "We're playing pretty much all of the new record before it comes out."
How lucky can you get? Harris - songwriter, coveted vocalist, legend - took the stage with producer and guitarist Jay Joyce, and multi-instrumentalist Giles Reeves, her collaborators on a soon-to-be-released album of warm, spacious, country-tinged songs. Her first solo studio release since 2008, the album is called "Hard Bargain" after a Ron Sexsmith song and the record's title track. The show marked Harris and crew's second time attempting to recreate the album in a live setting (the first was in a showcase at Antone's the evening before), and Harris embraced the inevitable hiccups and false starts with humor and good spirit. "This is our spring training," she said.
The intimate event took...
How lucky can you get? Harris - songwriter, coveted vocalist, legend - took the stage with producer and guitarist Jay Joyce, and multi-instrumentalist Giles Reeves, her collaborators on a soon-to-be-released album of warm, spacious, country-tinged songs. Her first solo studio release since 2008, the album is called "Hard Bargain" after a Ron Sexsmith song and the record's title track. The show marked Harris and crew's second time attempting to recreate the album in a live setting (the first was in a showcase at Antone's the evening before), and Harris embraced the inevitable hiccups and false starts with humor and good spirit. "This is our spring training," she said.
The intimate event took...
- 3/20/2011
- by Stacey Brook
- ifc.com
One of our favorite mantras around the AfterElton offices is “because visibility matters.” Indeed, the idea that gay and bisexual men need to be visible, both to ourselves and to the wider culture, is one of the principle reasons AfterElton.com even exists. After all, it is only by being visible to family, friends and the world that we’ve been able to overcome the stereotypes and bigotry used to justify discrimination against the Glbt community.
That quest for visibility explains why we have done so many polls including the AfterElton Hot 100, the Fifty Greatest Gay Movies, the Top 50 Gay TV Characters, and the 50 Best Gay Books. After all, it’s not as if Entertainment Weekly is going to ask gay and bisexual men which guys we think are the hottest, which movies mean the most to us or, in the case of our latest poll, which celebrities we most admire.
That quest for visibility explains why we have done so many polls including the AfterElton Hot 100, the Fifty Greatest Gay Movies, the Top 50 Gay TV Characters, and the 50 Best Gay Books. After all, it’s not as if Entertainment Weekly is going to ask gay and bisexual men which guys we think are the hottest, which movies mean the most to us or, in the case of our latest poll, which celebrities we most admire.
- 3/14/2011
- by AfterElton.com Staff
- The Backlot
Nashville, Tenn. (AP) — Country Music Hall of Fame member Emmylou Harris is ready to release a new album. "Hard Bargain" will be released April 26 and Harris is celebrating with shows in Austin, Texas, at South by Southwest and in New York and Los Angeles. The new album includes 11 originals by the 12-time Grammy winner with two covers of songs by Ron Sexsmith and album producer Jay Joyce. Two of the songs look back at her time with friends Kate McGarrigle ("Darlin' Kate) and Gram Parsons ("The Road"). A deluxe version will include a DVD with six performances plus...
- 3/8/2011
- by AP Staff
- Hitfix
The world may have its first member of Canadian singer-songwriter royalty. Rufus Wainwright is now the proud father of a baby girl -- and on her mother's side, she boasts Leonard Cohen as a grandfather.
Wainwright announced the news, and unconventional parenting arrangement, on his website on Feb. 21: "Darling daughter Viva Katherine Wainwright Cohen was born on February 2, 2011 in Los Angeles, California to proud parents Lorca Cohen, Rufus Wainwright and Deputy Dad Jorn Weisbrodt. The little angel is evidently healthy, presumably happy and certainly very very beautiful."
Weisbrodt being Wainwright's fiance, many initial reports had the baby as their own and Lorca Cohen (Leonard's daughter) as a surrogate. Not so. Wainwright issued a follow-up statement to clarify everyone's parental status.
"She did not carry the child for someone else," writes camp Wainwright. "Lorca Cohen is the mother of the baby and Rufus Wainwright is the father."
What this means...
Wainwright announced the news, and unconventional parenting arrangement, on his website on Feb. 21: "Darling daughter Viva Katherine Wainwright Cohen was born on February 2, 2011 in Los Angeles, California to proud parents Lorca Cohen, Rufus Wainwright and Deputy Dad Jorn Weisbrodt. The little angel is evidently healthy, presumably happy and certainly very very beautiful."
Weisbrodt being Wainwright's fiance, many initial reports had the baby as their own and Lorca Cohen (Leonard's daughter) as a surrogate. Not so. Wainwright issued a follow-up statement to clarify everyone's parental status.
"She did not carry the child for someone else," writes camp Wainwright. "Lorca Cohen is the mother of the baby and Rufus Wainwright is the father."
What this means...
- 2/21/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Singer confirmed the American debut of his first opera, 'Prima Donna.'
By Nicole Sia
Rufus Wainwright and Jörn Weisbrodt
Photo: Ferdaus Shamim/WireImage
New York — Rufus Wainwright was in a celebratory mood at Carnegie Hall on Monday night. Just hours after the New York City Opera said it would host the first American production of Wainwright's debut opera, "Prima Donna," sometime in 2012, the singer/songwriter also told the audience about his engagement to partner of five years Jörn Weisbrodt.
"I proposed over an Indian meal," Wainwright told VanityFair.com earlier. "I was very nonchalant, like, 'Maybe we should get married. Will you marry me?' "
Wainwright, who was later joined onstage by sister Martha Wainwright and her year-old son, Arcangelo, gave an intimate performance of his sixth studio album, All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu, which was inspired in part by his mother, the late Kate McGarrigle.
By Nicole Sia
Rufus Wainwright and Jörn Weisbrodt
Photo: Ferdaus Shamim/WireImage
New York — Rufus Wainwright was in a celebratory mood at Carnegie Hall on Monday night. Just hours after the New York City Opera said it would host the first American production of Wainwright's debut opera, "Prima Donna," sometime in 2012, the singer/songwriter also told the audience about his engagement to partner of five years Jörn Weisbrodt.
"I proposed over an Indian meal," Wainwright told VanityFair.com earlier. "I was very nonchalant, like, 'Maybe we should get married. Will you marry me?' "
Wainwright, who was later joined onstage by sister Martha Wainwright and her year-old son, Arcangelo, gave an intimate performance of his sixth studio album, All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu, which was inspired in part by his mother, the late Kate McGarrigle.
- 12/7/2010
- MTV Music News
momlogic's Vivian:
Josh Groban is no slacker. Having sold more than 25 million albums worldwide since his debut in 2001, the 29-year-old multi-platinum recording artist and L.A. native has been nominated for numerous awards, including an American Music Award, a World Music Award, a Juno Award, two Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for "Believe" from the 2005 film "Polar Express." His long-awaited fifth studio album, "Illuminations," is the fruit of a collaboration with friend and famed rock producer Rick Rubin, and it's due out November 15th on Reprise Records. Josh took a few minutes out to chat with momlogic about the making of his new release, and why his mom totally rocks.
momlogic: You worked with Rick Rubin on this record -- a guy who has produced heavy bands like Metallica and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. How did you join forces?
Josh Groban: I was having lunch with our mutual friend,...
Josh Groban is no slacker. Having sold more than 25 million albums worldwide since his debut in 2001, the 29-year-old multi-platinum recording artist and L.A. native has been nominated for numerous awards, including an American Music Award, a World Music Award, a Juno Award, two Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for "Believe" from the 2005 film "Polar Express." His long-awaited fifth studio album, "Illuminations," is the fruit of a collaboration with friend and famed rock producer Rick Rubin, and it's due out November 15th on Reprise Records. Josh took a few minutes out to chat with momlogic about the making of his new release, and why his mom totally rocks.
momlogic: You worked with Rick Rubin on this record -- a guy who has produced heavy bands like Metallica and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. How did you join forces?
Josh Groban: I was having lunch with our mutual friend,...
- 10/19/2010
- Momlogic
Last night, folk singer Loudon Wainwright III opened for his son, Rufus Wainwright, at the Prospect Park Bandshell. The awkwardness of this did not go unremarked upon. "I feel like he is my son," said Rufus at one point, gesturing to his father's outfit, which included cargo shorts. Loudon in his turn, reminded Rufus of the time when Rufus opened for him. Rufus rolled his eyes. The Wainwright family is a rare one in American cultural life, a musical dynasty that has crossed genre and generation to give us, through art, a fractured portrait of their emotional inner-workings. The clan includes parents, folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, as well as children, pop musicians Rufus and Martha Wainwright. The family has often performed together and written songs about each other. ...
- 7/22/2010
- by Rebecca Harrington
- Huffington Post
In the three years since the release of his lavish 2007 studio album, Release The Stars, Rufus Wainwright has put out two live records—including a recording of his elaborate tribute to Judy Garland’s famous Carnegie Hall concert—written a poorly received opera, and lost his mother, Kate McGarrigle, to cancer. Wainwright’s new LP All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu was recorded shortly before McGarrigle died, and it’s an understandably somber affair, performed by Wainwright alone with his piano and his thoughts. On some songs—like “Martha,” a direct address to his sister—Wainwright sings about ...
- 4/20/2010
- avclub.com
Rufus Wainwright rushed work on his opera debut to make sure his late mother Kate McGarrigle saw the show before she died. The musician composed "Prima Donna" himself and the stage production opened in Manchester, England in 2009.
Wainwright admits he worked extra hard to complete the show, as he feared his beloved mum would lose her cancer battle before opening night. The curtain went up in July 2009 and the singer was proud to have his mother in the audience and he is grateful she was able to see his opera ahead of her death in January.
He says, "I had to get my opera finished quickly as I wanted my mother to see it. She had a really up-and-down story with the illness, but she was able to fly from Montreal to Manchester for the premiere. That was the biggest event of my life. We went to four or five performances together.
Wainwright admits he worked extra hard to complete the show, as he feared his beloved mum would lose her cancer battle before opening night. The curtain went up in July 2009 and the singer was proud to have his mother in the audience and he is grateful she was able to see his opera ahead of her death in January.
He says, "I had to get my opera finished quickly as I wanted my mother to see it. She had a really up-and-down story with the illness, but she was able to fly from Montreal to Manchester for the premiere. That was the biggest event of my life. We went to four or five performances together.
- 4/10/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Rufus Wainwright has revealed that his mother's death in January has finally brought to an end his long-seated rivalry with his father. Loudon Wainwright left singer Kate McGarrigle when Rufus was young, which was a source of anxiety for the young musician who was passionately close to his mother. Rufus, 36, who has an opera opening at Sadler's Wells next month and an upcoming UK tour, told The Times that the pair finally made amends while he was nursing his mother through her final months. He and Loudon were on a journey through the Rocky Mountains when they were "honest" for the first time. "It was an incredible, idyllic, snowy day," Ruffus recalled. "Right at the start there was about 30 seconds of awkwardness and fidgeting and (more)...
- 3/27/2010
- by By Sarah Rollo
- Digital Spy
Good evening everybody, and welcome to the live blog for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, which are beaming live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Though a handful of awards have already been handed out, the big contests tonight will include only the biggest superstars in music, including Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Jay-z, Eminem and countless others.
(Click here for all the hottest photos from the Grammy Awards red carpet!)
Tonight will also be about the live performances, including an all-star tribute to the late Michael Jackson in addition to a surprise duet partner for Lady Gaga and a hip-hop tag-team with Lil Wayne, Drake, Travis Barker and Eminem. So stay right here for the blow-by-blow of music's biggest night, and be sure to stay tuned to MTV News for the rest of the big stories coming out of tonight. And as always, make your voice heard in the comments below!
(Click here for all the hottest photos from the Grammy Awards red carpet!)
Tonight will also be about the live performances, including an all-star tribute to the late Michael Jackson in addition to a surprise duet partner for Lady Gaga and a hip-hop tag-team with Lil Wayne, Drake, Travis Barker and Eminem. So stay right here for the blow-by-blow of music's biggest night, and be sure to stay tuned to MTV News for the rest of the big stories coming out of tonight. And as always, make your voice heard in the comments below!
- 2/1/2010
- by Kyle Anderson
- MTV Newsroom
Album and video of performances are available for pre-order now.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with Jem Aswad, Hillary Crosley, Maura Johnston, Gil Kaufman and Amy Wilkinson
<i>Hope For Haiti Now</i> album
Photo: Hope For Haiti Now
While earthquake relief in Haiti was the reason for and inspiration behind "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief," there's no question that it featured some amazing, one-of-a-kind musical performances.
The songs chosen by most of the artists had a thematic connection to the occasion, and the soaring lyrics delivered by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige and Justin Timberlake underlined the hope for the country that's coming from around the world. The songs' unplugged, often gentle renditions underscored the seriousness of the situation.
George Clooney helped organize the event, and his hope is that the songs carry the event beyond the evening and into the following weeks, months and years.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with Jem Aswad, Hillary Crosley, Maura Johnston, Gil Kaufman and Amy Wilkinson
<i>Hope For Haiti Now</i> album
Photo: Hope For Haiti Now
While earthquake relief in Haiti was the reason for and inspiration behind "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief," there's no question that it featured some amazing, one-of-a-kind musical performances.
The songs chosen by most of the artists had a thematic connection to the occasion, and the soaring lyrics delivered by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige and Justin Timberlake underlined the hope for the country that's coming from around the world. The songs' unplugged, often gentle renditions underscored the seriousness of the situation.
George Clooney helped organize the event, and his hope is that the songs carry the event beyond the evening and into the following weeks, months and years.
- 1/22/2010
- MTV Music News
DVD Beaver Bright Star is on its way to you... and just as beautiful as ever
Neil Gaiman's Journal at the Golden Globes with Amanda Palmer ... I love them both but it's so funny to me how people as famous as Neil Gaiman -- who's written how many bestsellers now? -- get labelled "and guest" when the paparazzi snap away
ChexyDemical James Cameron... and Susan B Anthony?
Towleroad Rip Kate McGarrigle, wonderful musician and mom to the brilliant Rufus Wainwright. So sad
NY Times Avatar as rorschach test for what people happen to be thinking about these days
Stale Popcorn I absolutely love this ode to Mo'Nique in Precious. She really is an awesome terminator.
Guardian a funny bit on Mariah Carey's post-drunken awards season business venture
Against the Hype tweet-length reviews, a bunch of perceptive ones
Justin Bond to host a rare screening of Ken Russell's...
Neil Gaiman's Journal at the Golden Globes with Amanda Palmer ... I love them both but it's so funny to me how people as famous as Neil Gaiman -- who's written how many bestsellers now? -- get labelled "and guest" when the paparazzi snap away
ChexyDemical James Cameron... and Susan B Anthony?
Towleroad Rip Kate McGarrigle, wonderful musician and mom to the brilliant Rufus Wainwright. So sad
NY Times Avatar as rorschach test for what people happen to be thinking about these days
Stale Popcorn I absolutely love this ode to Mo'Nique in Precious. She really is an awesome terminator.
Guardian a funny bit on Mariah Carey's post-drunken awards season business venture
Against the Hype tweet-length reviews, a bunch of perceptive ones
Justin Bond to host a rare screening of Ken Russell's...
- 1/20/2010
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Monday night was a sad night for the music world, as it brought the death of 63-year-old Canadian folk singer Kate McGarrigle. Kate and her sister Anna were a longtime performing duo. She was also the mother of famed musicians Rufus and Martha Wainwright. Kate's death came after a three-year fight against a rare kind of cancer known as clear cell sarcoma. Anna McGarrigle took to her and Kate's website to confirm Kate's death. Anna wrote, "Sadly our sweet Kate had to leave us last night. She departed in a haze of song and love surrounded by family and good friends. She is irreplaceable and we are broken-hearted. Til we meet again dear sister ...
- 1/20/2010
- by By Actress Archives
Rufus Wainwright has paid tribute to his "amazing" mother Kate McGarrigle, who passed away on Monday. McGarrigle died at her Montreal home from sarcoma, a cancer of the connective tissue. Wainwright wrote on his official website: "When inevitably I read today in the papers that my mother lost her battle with cancer last night, I am filled with an immense desire to add that this battle, though lost, was tremendously fruitful during these last three-and-a-half years of her life. "She witnessed her daughter's marriage, the creation of my first opera, the birth of her first grandchild Arcangelo, and gave the greatest (more)...
- 1/20/2010
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
Martha Wainwright, Kate McGarrigle, and Rufus Wainwright, photographed at the Paul Morissey estate in Montauk, New York, September 2006. Photograph by Mark Seliger.Kate McGarrigle, a charming and distinctive singer-songwriter, died too young on Monday at the age of 63. She was suffering from a rare cancer that struck her in 2006. She was a lovely person, as I learned during the brief time I spent with her, with a slight streak of madness that enlivened conversations and entertained anyone who met her. She may have saved one of her very best songs for last. It’s called “Proserpina,” after the Roman goddess of the underworld (known in Greek mythology as Persephone). Seated at the piano, Kate debuted it during a Christmas concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 9. On stage with her, forming a ragtag chorus, were her son and daughter, the talented singer-songwriters Rufus and Martha Wainwright, her sister and longtime collaborator,...
- 1/20/2010
- Vanity Fair
Kate McGarrigle performing.
The CBC News is reporting that Kate McGarrigle has passd away at 63. She was a folk singer best known for her work with her sister, and mother of out singer Rufus Wainwright.
Rumors that she was ill first surfaced when Rufus canceled his tour in Australia and New Zealand, scheduled to begin next month.
From the CBC:
Kate and Anna McGarrigle, known for the originality of their music and their vocal harmonies, performed together for three decades.
The McGarrigle sisters recorded 10 albums in French and English, and their songs have been covered by artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Billy Bragg and Emmylou Harris.
Our thoughts and condolences are with Rufus and his family at this time.
...
The CBC News is reporting that Kate McGarrigle has passd away at 63. She was a folk singer best known for her work with her sister, and mother of out singer Rufus Wainwright.
Rumors that she was ill first surfaced when Rufus canceled his tour in Australia and New Zealand, scheduled to begin next month.
From the CBC:
Kate and Anna McGarrigle, known for the originality of their music and their vocal harmonies, performed together for three decades.
The McGarrigle sisters recorded 10 albums in French and English, and their songs have been covered by artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Billy Bragg and Emmylou Harris.
Our thoughts and condolences are with Rufus and his family at this time.
...
- 1/19/2010
- by lostinmiami
- The Backlot
Canadian folk singer and songwriter Kate McGarrigle, best known for performing with her sister Anna, has died of cancer. She was 63. McGarrigle's brother-in-law, Dane Lanken, said the singer died at her Montreal home Monday night surrounded by her sisters, Jane and Anna, and her children, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, also singers. He said McGarrigle had been battling cancer since the summer of 2006. He said the cancer started in her small intestine and spread to her liver. Kate and Anna, known as the McGarrigle Sisters, began their careers performing at Montreal coffeehouses in the 1960s with a...
- 1/19/2010
- by Associated Press
- Hitfix
Kate McGarrigle, Canadian folk singer and Rufus and Martha Wainwright's mother, has passed away at the age of 63. Doctor Robert Tabah confirmed that McGarrigle died at her Montreal home on Monday after losing her battle with cancer. Tabah told The Guardian: "Kate McGariggle passed away yesterday as a result of sarcoma, a form of cancer that she was first diagnosed with three and a half years ago. "Kate was a remarkable and warm woman, who pursued everything in life with (more)...
- 1/19/2010
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
Celebrating the September 22 release of Rufus Wainwright's latest studio album, titled "Milwaukee At Last!!!", AceShowbiz provides fans with the chance to stream the entire set. Serving as a follow up to Rufus' previous album "Release the Stars", "Milwaukee At Last!!!" contains a 10-track CD and DVD boasting 23 songs performed by the pop singer.
Some of the numerous singles featured in the set include "Going to a Town", "Sanssouci", "Rules & Regulations", "Leaving for Paris", and "If Love Were All". The live effort was filmed by the legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles at the Pabst Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 27, 2007.
Rufus Wainwright is the son of folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, and brother of Canadian singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright. Coming from musical background, he establishes his own fame though with his debut album "Rufus Wainwright" which was released in 1998.
From that point on he has outed several other albums.
Some of the numerous singles featured in the set include "Going to a Town", "Sanssouci", "Rules & Regulations", "Leaving for Paris", and "If Love Were All". The live effort was filmed by the legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles at the Pabst Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 27, 2007.
Rufus Wainwright is the son of folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, and brother of Canadian singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright. Coming from musical background, he establishes his own fame though with his debut album "Rufus Wainwright" which was released in 1998.
From that point on he has outed several other albums.
- 9/24/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
One event lures even people who loathe the Hamptons out to Long Island's East End on the last weekend in August -- The Last Song of Summer, a benefit for the Watermill Center. Last summer's concert was a sell-out: Rufus Wainwright and Jessye Norman. This Saturday (August 29), Wainwright will appear with Norah Jones and his sister Martha. Beyond the Rufus-Norah duets, I have another reason to mark the date. The Wainwrights are the offspring of Kate McGarrigle (of the famed duo, the McGarrigle Sisters) and singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III. Last December, I attended the McGarrigles' annual Carnegie Hall holiday concert, a delightfully informal affair that had Kate, Anna and their kids harmonizing with friends like Emmylou Harris, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson and Jimmy Fallon as if they were caroling at your front door. That is, until Rufus sang...
- 8/25/2009
- by Jesse Kornbluth
- Huffington Post
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