Image: Eddie Van Halen at the New Haven Coliseum. Image created: May 21, 2012. Photo credit: Geezer B. Source: WikiCommons.
Eddie Van Halen, one of the greatest guitarists of all time has sadly passed on. Cementing his name forever in the pages of music and rock history as the groundbreaking lead guitarist of one of the greatest rock bands of all time-Van Halen; Eddie Van Halen changed the face of rock music with a style and mastery so mind blowingly unique and great that words alone could not begin to convey. He will forever be missed and remembered.
–Hollywood Sentinel
“During his legendary career, GRAMMY® Award winner Eddie Van Halen contributed to some of the world’s most iconic music. His explosive guitar playing and approach to the musical process solidified him as an undeniable force in his field and forever established his place as a true guitar hero. The world is lucky to have witnessed Eddie’s genius as a guitarist, and we know he will influence and shape rock music indefinitely.”
-Harvey Mason jr.: Chair & Interim President/CEO
Recording Academy
Textual content, (c) 2020, Hollywood Sentinel
Panama (2015 Remaster) Artist: Van Halen, Album: Panama, Writers: Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen. Licensed to YouTube by: WMG (on behalf of Warner Rhino Off Roster-Audio); PEDL, AtlasMusicPub, LatinAutorPerf, UMPI, Warner Chappell, UMPG Publishing, ASCAP, CMRRA, LatinAutor – Warner Chappell, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA – UBEM, LatinAutor – ACODEM, Sony ATV Publishing, and 22 Music Rights Societies. Used with kind courtesy.
FKA twigs and WePresent, WeTransfer’s editorial platform, launch their latest collaboration, the short film We Are The Womxn. Directed by Ivar Wigan, the short film documents FKA twigs as she traveled to perform at Afropunk Festival in Atlanta in late 2019. There she joined forces with healer and spiritual leader Queen Afua to host a moon dance in celebration of the sacred womxn. After the moon dance, twigs led the womxn to Blue Flame: Atlanta landmark and the city’s first Black strip club. Summoning the divine feminine, together they created an environment in which womxn danced for each other. Watch We Are The Womxn here, and read the full interview with FKA twigs and Queen Afua here.
The film captures glimpses of FKA twigs’ performance at Afropunk intertwined with scenes from both the sacred moon dance and Blue Flame, celebrating Atlanta’s dance community and rooting the craft of pole dancing in spirituality and matriarchal energy.
Empowering each other through dance and rituals, the short film shows elements of movement used by some of the first known healers. FKA twigs shares her intentions as the film progresses, “I decided to hold the second part of the all-female and femme sacred moon dance at Blue Flame, firstly to honor the heritage of pole dancing, but also to create a matriarchal dominance in a space that’s usually filled with, and run by, male energy.”
We Are The Womxn concludes FKA twigs’ year-long campaign for her album Magdalene and was filmed during her global tour. The campaign kicked off with the last FKA twigs commission from WePresent, Practice, a short film that celebrates the physical training and creative process that culminated in her GRAMMY-nominated music video “Cellophane.” Practice delved deep into the making of FKA twigs’ journey to mastering the craft of pole dancing, triumphantly pushing through physical and mental boundaries.
FKA twigs shares her take on the overall experience of creating We Are The Womxn, “I’m actually pretty shy but I felt so encouraged to dance and enjoy my body by all the amazing womxn who came together. I particularly bonded with one dancer at Blue Flame [named] Kharisma. She had such vibrant energy and at the beginning of the night she called the other girls on to the stage to be admired and supported in their expression. My experience at the Blue Flame solidified that, although historically womxn are often pitched against each other for their looks or their assets by the patriarchy, when left to our own devices we are incredibly nurturing and healing for each other.”
Holly Fraser, Editor in Chief of WePresent, shares, “We are delighted to launch We Are The Womxn, the latest project in the 4 year creative partnership between FKA twigs and WePresent. Traveling to Atlanta the project sees FKA twigs explore her evolving artistry and develop a deeper understanding of herself through learning from local womxn. It is exactly these stories of intimate and candid creativity that the team at WePresent strives to tell, while allowing artists the freedom they need for creative expression. In order to detail FKA twigs’ experience as authentically as possible we also worked with Atlanta-based writer Clarissa Brooks to bring the essence of the local community to life throughout the piece.”
As the COVID-19 pandemic directly impacts the wellbeing of dancers around the world, we encourage you to donate to the Lysistrata or SWARM organizations, who provide mutual care and support for sex workers in the U.S. and U.K.
Film credits
Director: Ivar Wigan
Produced by: EVERYBODYNEEDSUS
Executive Producer: Maria Rubin and Cathleen Cher
Line Producer: Sally Oh
Production Manager: Dannah Gottlieb
Director of photography: Jamie Korn
Gaffer: Hayden Mason
Key Grip: Bryce Milburn
Swing: RJ Cassavitis
Sound: Gabe Valduri
Choreographer: Kelly Yvonne
PAs: Chris Tevebaugh, Ozzie Bunbury, Jeremy Baiden
Hollywood Sentinel brings you an exclusive interview with 5 Time Grammy Award winning Music Producer Devine Evans, here below.
A dominant figure in the music industry for over twenty years, Devine Evans got his start in Atlanta at Left Eye Productions, headed by Lisa Lopes of TLC. Mr. Evans; now a five-time Grammy Award winning Producer, Songwriter / Engineer, and Emmy Nominated Composer for “The New Edition Story,” has worked with many of the world’s biggest recording artists and musicians including; The Chain Smokers, Janet Jackson, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Pharrell Williams, Lady Gaga, Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Hans Zimmer, and Selena Gomez, among more. Devine Evans received his most recent Grammy for his work on Pharrell Williams live version of the Billboard hit song “Happy.”
Over the past ten years, as the powerhouse behind the scenes of some of the biggest tours in music, Devine Evans has worked with stars including; The Chain Smokers, Bebe Rexha, Charlie Puth, The Roots (2017 NBA All-Star Performance), Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s Soul 2 Soul tour, Janet Jackson’s Unbreakable World Tour, Rihanna’s Diamonds World Tour, Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience Tour (now available on Netflix), Pharrell Williams’ Dear Girl Tour, Justin Timberlake’s 2018 Halftime Super Bowl show, and 2018’s Coachella with Eminem, and Beyoncé among more.
Mr. Evans’ work in televised performances includes Creative Programming and Sound Design for Beyoncé’s 2013 Super Bowl Halftime performance, and Creative Programming and Sound Design for the 2018 Super Bowl Halftime show with Justin Timberlake, at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Devine Evans
Devine Evans has further expanded in to the film industry with his work as composer for BET’s Emmy Nominated Mini Series, “The New Edition Story,” as well as “Lycan,” starring Dania Ramirez (Entourage, Devious Maids, X-Men), for which he scored and provided original sound design.
The Diary of a Songwriter
In addition to music, Devine Evans focuses on positively impacting the music industry, as well as his community with other creative projects including his first upcoming book titled “Sheet Music: The Diary of a Songwriter.” With this book, praised by leaders in the music industry including Queen Latifah among others, Devine Evans brings to light the sexual injustices that many female artists have encountered while pursuing their dream of a career in the music industry.
Sheet Music: The Diary of a Songwriter, by Devine Evans, all rights reserved.
In an effort to empower these women, “Sheet Music: The Diary of a Songwriter” shares the stories of a variety of female artists’ personal experiences, as well as general advice on how to cope with and safeguard themselves against such abuse and injustice.
Listen to Part 1 of the Exclusive Interview with Devine Evans, here below:
