Introducing Transmission Galactic And The Adventures Of...

As announced on ToriAmos.com earlier today, Tori has a new project — and it’s not an album! Rather, it is Transmission Galactic, a new record label aimed at supporting musicians and their work outside of the traditional major label industry.

Putting their money where their mouth is, Transmission Galactic simultaneously announced their first signing, the UK-based band The Adventures Of… and the release of their debut record, Top Hats and Scary Tales.

Produced by Mark Hawley, the album is already available digitally in the States and will be released elsewhere in the wide world soon. However, everyone, no matter where they are, can check them out via two free downloads in exchange for liking them on Facebook or viewing the video for the single “Complication” below.

If you like what you hear, keep an eye on their website for summer tour date in the United States.

Collectors and completists take note! Tori sits in on keys on one song from the new record, “Tears of a Paranoid Clown,” so if you gotta have everything, you might want to pick this up too.

Read on for the press release from Transmission Galactic announcing the label and album.

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Chatter, Chatter, Chatter, Chatter, Chatter

Some of y’all have been Tweeting/asking us today about rumors that the name and tracklist for Tori’s 20th-anniversary album have been released. At this point, that’s all they are — rumors. We haven’t heard anything from official channels so far. When we do, of course, you’ll be the first to know!

Watch Tori on Q

The episode of Q broadcast last weekend on CBC TV that included Jian Ghomeshi’s interview with Tori is now available for viewing on cbc.ca. There’s no new material — it’s just video of their discussion that took place last December during the Night of Hunters tour — but it’s interesting to watch their chat instead of just hearing it.

Tori’s the third segment, starting at the second white dot on the slider.

Q Interview To Be Televised; World Cafe Rebroadcast

As you may remember, Tori appeared on the CBC radio program Q last December while she was in and around Toronto on the Night of Hunters tour. Well, there is also an edition of Q for telelvision and that interview — or parts of it — will be broadcast on the program this coming Sunday, March 25th.

Catch the program at 1:00 PM local time (1:30 PM in Newfoundland) on CBC Television. Episodes are also archived for streaming so if you’re not in Canada or CBC TV is not carried by your television service, you should be able to check this out next week.

Also, while we have your attention, ToriAmos.com reported earlier this week that Tori’s appearance on The World Cafe will be rebroadcast on Wednesday, March 28th. The World Cafe is carried by a multitude of public radio stations across the United States — check here for stations and airtimes in your area.

However, there’s no reason to wait until then to give this interview a whirl if you haven’t heard it already — just stream it on npr.org or download a mp3 via the World Cafe Words and Music podcast.

Through The Flint Glass: The Apollon Musagete Quartett, post-tour

Tori Amos surprised everyone by announced that she would record and tour Night of Hunters with the Apollon Musagète Quartett, a foursome of young Polish musicians who have iconoclastic reputations within the classical-music scene. But hearing Tori perform live with the quartet, whom she came to call the “Fab Four,” it suddenly made complete sense, from the more obvious string-backed pieces from Tori’s ouvre, such as “Girl Disappearing” or “Cloud on My Tongue” to the thrilling re-framing of songs such as “Suede” and “Precious Things.”

We know many of you are going through severe Night of Hunters tour withdrawals (and may be thumbing through the yellow pages for treatment as we speak!). Apollon Musagète Quartett’s first violinist, Pawel Zalejski, generously agreed to talk with us again at the end of the tour to share his thoughts on traveling the world with everyone’s favorite red-haired pianist — and meeting her notorious fans. (For our pre-tour interview, go here.) Here’s what he had to say.

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100 Greatest Women In Music Recapped

Now that the five episodes of VH1’s 100 Greatest Women In Music have concluded, here’s a quick rundown of Tori’s involvement in the program.

First, she placed #54 on the list. Each woman who did was given a short spot where various musicians, critics and celebrities talked about the woman in question, alternating between the blurbs and videos or live footage. Tori’s spot was included during the third hour of the five-hour series and as clips from the “Crucify.” “Silent All These Years,” and “A Sorta Fairytale” videos and a couple quick shots from live performances were shown, included the following quips

• Regina Spektor: “Tori Amos is great.”
• Amy Lee: “Tori Amos is one of my all-time favorite artists. One of the things I love about her is her raw emotion.”
• Jewel: “She’s very courageous. I love girls that have balls.”
• Rebecca Corry: “You shouldn’t listen to Tori Amos if you’re PMS because you will immediately bawl.”
• Tori: “I think music is a great healer for so many people. Well, I know it has been in my life.”
• Steve Huey: “Tori always had this way of playing the piano that it seemed like her whole body was going into it. It was this really intense experience just watching her do it.”
• Amy Lee: “I could listen to Tori Amos for the rest of my life and, honestly, with all the music she’s made, it would be enough music.”
• Tori: “Being acknowledged as a woman in music that has made some kind of impact, there’s really nothing better that you could say to me.”

Second, Tori weighed in on several fellow women on the list. Her comments on the following women included:

• On Courtney Love (#69): “She’s influence d alo otf the young ones that are coming up. You can see her influence in their presentation: how they dress, their attitude.”
• On Fiona Apple (#55): “Fiona Apple is one of the great singer/songwriters of our time and the world needs her music.”
• On Sarah McLachlan (#53): “Her music takes to another place, another dimension. She creates some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard. When I hear her music, I’m always inspired.”
• On Melissa Etheridge (#42): “What a force she’s been in music and the fact that she’s still out there and still vital is very unique to Melissa Etheridge.”
• On Jewel (#41): “You have to think about the kind of composer that can do that. And that is quite a unique ability.”
• On Cher (#31): “Cher has been able to show people that as she ages, she’s still sexy and sensual.”

Third, VH1 has posted some bonus clips from their interview with Tori that was used to source her comments during the show. Two clips have been posted so far, one about Y Kant Tori Read and another about playing the piano. Check them out below:

The complete list is posted on VH1’s music blog Tuner and keep an eye on The Greatest’s web page for other highlights and bonus clips from the show. You can also catch rebroadcasts of all episodes on VH1 — check their program guide for air times.

Update Thanks to drownedparadise for posting a lo-tech, but effective, video of Tori’s spot on this show on the Youtube:

This Is Not My Shirt In The Tori Store

Based on the questions we’ve been getting over the past several weeks, we’re sure more than a few people will be pleased to hear that merchandise from the Night of Hunters tour has been added to the Tori Store. If you missed out on the tour or just didn’t want to take the time to wait and pick up a t-shirt or tour program at the concerts, you can now take care of those needs via the web — though we only recommend naked shopping in privacy of your own home.

In addition to the tour t-shirts and tour program, there are also a few other items of note including the tour poster, a tote bag bearing the same logo as the Beth Luis print shirt, and a scarf.

One note though: in the announcement on ToriAmos.com, they state, “merchandise includes VERY limited edition items from the European leg of the tour that never made it to the US and vice versa!” So, if you have your heart set on any of these items, sooner than later may be the better time to snap them up.

Thanks to JoeyLove for letting us know!

Tori Moves Up On VH1's 100 Greatest Women In Music List

VH1’s 100 Greatest Women In Music is being aired this week and, rather than let people wait, they spilled the beans by posting the complete list on their Tuner music blog. As we hoped, Tori does make an appearance on the list, in the 54th spot. Not a bad showing at all and, as she showed up in the 71st spot the last time VH1 produced a series on this subject in 1999, it’s a move upwards.

That position means Tori will be included in tonight’s (Wednesday’s) airing of the show when they cover places #60 through #41. The episode premieres at 10:00 PM Eastern and Pacific with multiple rebroadcasts and, eventually, clips and full episodes on vh1.com. So, if you’re only interested in what they have to say about Ms. Amos, tonight’s is the one to watch.

Needless to say, in a list of 100 greatest anythings, there is bound to be some contention and this one is no exception. There are some surprising omissions and unexpected inclusions, not to mention interesting ordering. In VH1’s defense, they were primarily focused on popular music from the past twenty or so years so some older groundbreakers (Joni Mitchell, Carole King, etc.) were left off while some recent powerhouses (Adele, Nicki Minaj, etc.) slipped on. Personally, we’re not too worked up about it given the nature of these things and are just pleased to see that Tori, despite her dimiinished popularity, remains well-ensconced in the echelons of female performers.

thanks to Jeff for the tip!

VH1's 100 Greatest Women In Music Starts Tonight

As we reported earlier, VH1’s 100 Greatest Women In Music premieres this week on VH1.

Based on the press release about the show, we know Tori is one of several industry experts, pop culture commentators and music artists interviewed about who made the list and how the artists ranked and, one hopes, that she placed in the list as well.

The first of the five episode series airs tonight on VH1 at 10:00 PM Eastern and Pacific and the rest will be shown at the same time over the rest of the week. Clips, highlights and eventually full episodes from the series should be available on VH1.com before too long.

Additionally, VH1 is running a poll to crown the greatest female artist as well. Tori’s listed in three of the six categories — All Time, 90s and Pop. If you’re so-inclined (and don’t mind authorizing VH1 to link to a Twitter or Facebook account), cast your vote for Tori there. You can vote as much as you want so go stuff that ballot box.

CNN Newsroom #musicmonday Features Tori

Tori was Brooke Baldwin’s guest for the #musicmonday feature of today’s CNN Newsroom. Taken from an interview done last December during the Night of Hunters tour, the spot features Tori discussing the energy she derives from performing live and accepting her age, characterizing herself as a “classic car” — presumably with restrung wires and polished rims, no doubt!

If, like us, you missed it when it was on, check out the clip on the CNN Newsroom blog — or just watch it below:

Thanks to @adora_boy, @hereinmyhead124 and mkgtweety for the tip!