Latest news with #GoodTogether
Winnipeg Free Press
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Dive in
Lake Street Dive continues conjuring new spells. For its latest release, Good Together, the veteran soul-jazz-pop quintet used the positive sorcery of fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons to kick-start the writing process. With a 20-sided die used in the role-playing game, band members took turns rolling to determine how a song would be constructed. SHERVIN LAINEZ PHOTO Lake Street Dive (from left): Bridget Kearney, Rachael Price, Akie Bermiss (seated), Mike Calabrese and James Cornelison. Roll 1 was the tempo of the song. Roll 2 determined what four chords would be used. The third roll set the meter. Band members were then each given an hour to go off and write a melody and lyrics, says bassist-songwriter Bridget Kearney over the phone from Sacramento, Calif. 'It got us out of some of our habits,' Kearney says. 'The tempo and meter things were really random and we found some new places to go by leaving that element to chance. With the meter we still had some flexibility — like, I know I have to write in 3/4, but will it be a waltzy 3/4 or have more of a driving backbeat?' Sometimes, the most difficult things to shoehorn in a song were the chords where rolls would mix major and minor chords that weren't on the same scale, leading to plenty of interesting compositions. But for Kearney, it was like being back in school and completing assignments at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where the band formed 21 years ago. 'Coming up and going to music school together, we like doing assignments. It's like getting a homework assignment: come back with a song in 7/4 meter at 90 beats per minute,' Kearney says. The D&D die idea gestated during the pandemic, when some members of the group got into the game, playing with other musicians over Zoom. Three of the songs from that exercise — Good Together, Far Gone and Walking Uphill — made it onto the group's eighth album, which was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal category, ultimately won by Norah Jones. It was the band's first Grammy nomination and first without founding guitarist/trumpet player Mike (McDuck) Olson, who left amicably in 2021. It was Olson who named the group after the sketchy bars his saxophonist uncle would play on Lake Street in Minneapolis back in the day. Olson also had a hand in coming up with the original concept of Lake Street Dive as a 'free country' band, performing avant-garde country music with elements of skronky jazz thrown in, such as out-of-time chromatic trumpet solos between the verses and other out-of-place musical ideas incorporated into a traditional country sound. It didn't work, Kearney says. 'We did that with some trial and error and it was not great — at least, our version was not sounding good to us or our audience,' she says with a laugh. The group kept honing its material, eventually morphing over the years into a tight, genre-spanning band based in soul and pop with touches of funk, R&B and jazz. Its first album was recorded and released thanks to the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, which Kearney won in the jazz category in 2005 for her song Sometimes When I'm Drunk and You're Wearing My Favorite Shirt, performed by the band. The contest prize delivered US$1,000 in cash and provided for the recording of 1,000 CDs, so Lake Street Dive released its debut album In This Episode… in 2006 and hit the road, first playing all those dive bars it was named after before working up to festivals and theatres. The group went viral in 2012 when, while promoting a covers EP, it performed the Jackson 5's I Want You Back on a Boston sidewalk. A video of that performance was posted online and tweeted about by actor-musician Kevin Bacon, earning the band an expanded fanbase and almost eight million YouTube views. Their increasing popularity didn't mean the band — Kearney, vocalist Rachael Price, drummer Mike Calabrese, keyboardist Akie Bermiss and guitarist James Cornelison — stopped pulling any lyrical punches, with social and feminist issues sharing space with feel-good party anthems and romantic ballads. 'I think music is a way we speak to one another. It's a conversation between us and the listener and songs have spoken to me on that level. It's a powerful way to speak, so it's just become something that is in the conversation for me,' says the 40-year-old songwriter. When Kearney was younger, she wrote more about her personal and romantic life because that's what occupied her thoughts and emotions at the time, she says. As her life evolved, so too has her songwriting. 'Now when I'm having a cup of coffee with my best friend, we talk about what's going on in the news, so that's what's important to me, and the passions and things in my life that I care about that I didn't care that much about before have changed,' she says. Currently on hiatus A review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe. In addition to her duties in Lake Street Dive, the Iowa City-raised, Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Kearney has a solo career, with three full-length albums to her name. She has taught music and songwriting classes and performs with a host of other musicians; the groups Bella White and Joy Kills Sorrow brought her to the Winnipeg Folk Festival, while Lake Street Dive last performed at Birds Hill Park in 2013. This weekend, the band is the final musical act Sunday on the mainstage before the finale. 'I love the Winnipeg Folk Festival,' Kearney says. 'I had the best time. The setup of the festival is perfect, the collaborations between artists are fun to watch and be a part of and the lineup is always so great.'
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Publix Recognized on Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies List for the 30th Year in a Row
LAKELAND, Fla., January 30, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Publix has been named on Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies list for 2025, ranking No. 39. The company has been named on the list annually since it began in 1996, marking the 30th consecutive year of earning this honor. "When our founder, George Jenkins, opened the first store in 1930, he was driven by a commitment to doing the right thing, from creating a culture of care and respect for all associates to ensuring that shopping is a pleasure for our customers," said Publix Director of Communications Maria Brous. "These guiding principles continue to inspire us today." Associates Publix is committed to its associates' well-being and continues to invest in their financial, physical, mental and emotional health, as well as their social connectedness and career engagement. From company ownership to a promote-from-within culture, the company believes in investing in its associates to attract and retain top talent. Innovation Innovation is at the forefront of Publix's thinking. The company values the input of its associates. All associates are encouraged to submit improvement ideas on an idea-sharing platform, where associates can vote and comment on ideas presented by their co-workers. Associates who participate are also recognized for their efforts to help improve Publix's processes to reduce costs, improve efficiency or enhance service. Quality products and services The company prides itself on providing customers with premier products and services. Publix has become known for various quality products, from its bakery cakes to famous Pub subs. To help provide a pleasurable shopping experience, the company has a free loyalty program, called Club Publix*, that offers savings, convenience and personalization for customers. It provides access to tools that make the shopping experience better like digital coupons, shopping lists and purchase history. Communities Helping to end hunger is at the heart of the company's charitable efforts. Twice a year during its Good Together hunger register campaigns, Publix invites its customers and associates to raise money that provides fresh produce and nonperishable food items to Feeding America partner food banks and other nonprofit organizations. Additionally, the company purchased and donated $10 million in fresh produce in 2024 to Feeding America partner food banks. Publix donates food from its stores that is no longer salable but still safe for consumption. In 2024, Publix added over 4,000 products to this program to get more food into the hands of people who need it most. Associates also have the opportunity to serve their local communities during two Publix Serves Weeks each year — one focused on hunger and the other on sustainability. Sustainability Publix is committed to sustainability and being responsible citizens in the communities it serves. The company has an extensive recycling program throughout its operations to help reduce the amount of materials being sent to landfills. Publix also supports conservation efforts by funding initiatives like land and water restoration in the Florida Everglades, coral reef restoration, marine debris removal, and tree plantings in degraded watersheds and forests of greatest need. In 2024, Publix also launched its inaugural Good Together environmental register campaign, giving customers and associates the opportunity to donate to efforts that protect, conserve and restore natural resources within their communities. Methodology Placement on the list is earned based on responses from thousands of professionals within each industry. Companies are rated on nine different criteria, including quality of products and services, innovation, social responsibility, and the ability to attract and retain talented people. To read more about the company's ranking and see the full list, visit Publix, the largest employee-owned company in the U.S. with more than 255,000 associates, currently operates 1,389 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky. For 27 consecutive years, the company has been recognized by Fortune as a great place to work. In addition, Publix's dedication to superior quality and customer service is recognized among the top in the grocery business. For more information, visit the company's newsroom at * Terms and conditions apply. View source version on Contacts Maria Brous(863) 680-5339 Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lake Street Dive heading to Duluth's Bayfront Festival Park
The summer concert series at Duluth's Bayfront Festival Park is taking shape. First Avenue has announced that Lake Street Dive — a band that will always sound like it should be from Minnesota — will headline a night of the outdoor series on July 15. The Boston-originated group has been touring almost constantly since releasing its latest album, Good Together, last year. Other concerts announced for Bayfront Festival Park include the return of Alison Krauss and Union Station on June 11 and hometown bluegrass group Trampled by Turtles on July 5. Additionally, the 36th Annual Bayfront Blues Festival will return to the park from Aug. 8–10. Tickets for Lake Street Dive go on sale on Jan. 31, with an artist presale taking place on Jan. 29 at 10 a.m. That'll be followed by Spotify and First Avenue presales on Jan. 30 at 10 a.m.
