McCARTNEY PHOTO BLOG: May 2013

31/05/2013

With Michel Drucker (french readers will understand)

27/05/2013

26/05/2013

25/05/2013

Stella McCartney Makes Her Mark in Asia

An English pub isn’t the first thing one might expect to see in the middle of a luxury mall in Beijing. But leave it to Stella McCartney to bring a taste of the UK to the Chinese megalopolis. Tuesday night, the designer opened her first Beijing store and invited guests to toast the milestone with pints of Guinness and Pimm’s Cups. Partygoers noshed on chips and tapped their toes to nineties Brit pop while perusing the airy two-story boutique. Fittingly, the eco-conscious McCartney chose a green location for the new space. Replete with sustainable oak parquet floors and recyclable aluminum tiles, the shop is set inside the recently opened Parkview Green mall—the first LEED-certified commercial development in China.

McCartney wasn’t long for Beijing, though, as the opening was just one leg of a whirlwind Asian tour. Earlier in the week, McCartney traveled to Tokyo to open her second store in the city, and Wednesday night she hosted a black-tie dinner at the Astor House Hotel in Shanghai. In true McCartney style, the event, which drew local celebrities, as well as catwalkers such as Du Juan and Emma Pei, boasted everything from contortionist acts to live jazz to a presentation of evening looks from the designer’s Fall ’13 collection.

—Jeffrey Ying

style.com

22/05/2013

With George's Mom And Sister Louise

Going to the beach

21/05/2013

"Me" By James Mccartney

Today may 21st marks the release of James Mccartney's fisrt full lenghth album entiteld "Me".All I can say after listening to it a couple of times today,is that it's a really beautiful melodic collection of songs,and it shows what a great Musician and songwriter James is.
I absolutely recommand it .
You can purchase it here:
itunes.apple.com
amazon.com

20/05/2013

Beatlemania returns to Tokyo

Stella McCartney mobbed by Japanese fan as she visits her Tokyo boutique.

BY BELINDA WHITE | 20 MAY 2013

When British fashion designer Stella McCartney stopped by her Tokyo boutique during her Asian tour this morning, her thrilled customers couldn't resist whipping out their cameras to capture the moment they met a legend.

While not quite as excitable (or numerous) as the thousands who greeted her father, Sir Paul McCartney, and his band The Beatles in Tokyo in 1966 (The Fab Four were so besieged by hysterical fans they barely left their hotel rooms for the duration of their stay and never saw any of the sights of Japan), the presence of not just a leading British fashion designer, but also the daughter of an actual Beatle was enough for shoppers to completely lose their cool.

McCartney was soon mobbed by a crowd of excited fans of her own crowding round her to get the perfect photo and asking her to sign mementos - one, a leopard print canvas Falabella handbag.

Later on, McCartney recreated her autumn/winter 2013 catwalk show in the decadent setting of the British embassy in Tokyo, where models dressed in sumptuous cashmere coats and elegant eveningwear posed beneath a portait of Queen Elizabeth II.

fashion.telegraph.co.uk

19/05/2013

Concert review: Paul McCartney at Amway Center

As the world’s go-to Beatles ambassador (sorry, Ringo), Paul McCartney has been busy lately.

In 2012, the still-cute ex-Beatle was a reliable fixture at Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond JubileeConcert, the Summer Olympics in London and the “12-12-12” concert for Hurricane Sandyrelief. There was a Saturday Night Live appearance and a cameo in Dave Grohl’s music documentary, “Sound City.”

That’s a lot of McCartney. So, at some point, it’s reasonable to think the appeal might fade, right?

Not a chance, judging from a generous and stylishly presented 2 hours and 45 minutes on Saturday at Amway Center, the first of two Orlando concerts that launch the U.S. leg of the 2013 “Out There” tour.

At its heart, every McCartney performance is a reminder of the unmatched inspiration and influence of timeless Beatles music, the soundtrack of a band that legitimately changed the world.

On Saturday, McCartney again framed the songs in arrangements faithful to the originals.

In an opening salvo of “Eight Days a Week,” “Junior’s Farm,” “All My Loving,” “Listen to What the Man Said” and “Let Me Roll It,” McCartney nicely reproduced familiar studio versions, his voice situated clearly atop a pleasing sound mix.

The band closed “Let Me Roll It” with a whiff of Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady,” which McCartney followed with an endearing tale that tied Hendrix to the Beatles.

Behind the band, songs were embellished by a sea of spotlights, swirling geometric designs and video clips of long-ago McCartney scenes. Not that you need special effects when the material includes “The Long and Winding Road,” “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Hey Jude,” “Let It Be” and “Yesterday.”

Along with the obvious favorites, McCartney also showcased a few lesser known gems, such as an exuberant take on Wings’ “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five,” a lilting “Hope of Deliverance” (off 1993’s “Off the Ground” album) and “Here Today,” a moving acoustic tribute to John Lennon. He strummed ukulele as a tribute to George Harrison in “Something.”

Amid the nostalgia, the show was a testament to McCartney’s own longevity. At age 70, he has lost surprisingly little of the charm, energy, instrumental skills and vocal flexibility that make him a legend, one of the rare pop musicians to really deserve that over-used title.

McCartney’s stature has remained consistent from the Cold War to Sept. 11, from Elvis Presley to his recent collaboration with the guys in Nirvana. “Back in the U.S.S.R.” was a reminder that he outlasted the Soviet Union, too.

That one was a showcase for drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr. , guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, and multi-instrumentalist Paul “Wix” Wickens, who shifted effortlessly from the raucous “Lady Madonna” to a stately “Eleanor Rigby” and a psychedelic surprise, “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite.”

“It’s been a long time since that one came out of the box,” McCartney said.

It might be accurate to call these songs oldies, but it’s hard to imagine them ever getting old.

orlandosentinel.com

18/05/2013

Five Questions with James McCartney

By Alli Marshall on 05/18/2013 09:20 AM

Singer-songwriter James McCartney is currently in the midst of a 47-date U.S. tour in support of his new album, Me. The record is McCartney's first full-length, though he has previously release of two digital-only EPs,Available Light and Close At Hand. But he's not exactly new to music: he played guitar and drums, and cowrote some songs on his father's solo albums, including Flaming Pie in '97 and Driving Rain in '01. And yes, his father is that McCartney (James' mother is Linda).

James McCartney's tour brings him to The Altamont Theatre on Tuesday, May 28. Risa Binder also performs. 8 p.m., $15. In advance of that show, James talked to Xpress about playing Coachella, his favorite U.S. tour stops, and the connection between music and visual art.

Mountain Xpress: You started your current tour off at Coachella, and then move on to smaller venues — which seems sort of like jumping into the deep end and then swimming to the shallow end. Is that daunting? And how did you get warmed up and in the groove for the tour?
James McCartney: Not daunting at all. I love playing small venues, because it gives me a chance to connect with the audience, and also have them connect with me, and the music. It’s actually lovely.

Where in the U.S. are you most excited to tour? Any side trips that you hope to make as you cross the country — perhaps to visit the oldest drive-in theatre or the giant robot playground?
Everywhere really. I love America. But especially the Southwest… my mom loved it there.

Does coming from a famous (and famously talented) family put a lot of pressure on you? Do you feel like audiences have certain expectations and, if so, how do you handle that? Coming from the kind of family that I've come from and I am a part of, it's kind of public, so there's a fair amount of attention towards me. I have to be careful. But, privacy is a good thing if you want it.

Besides being a singer/songwriter, you're also a visual artist. Do you work on both simultaneously, or do you take time off from one to pursue the other? And do you feel that music and visual art somehow inspire each other, or play off of each other? Or are they completely different creative outlets for you?
I feel that they are deeply related, but are also different. In fact all the artwork for Me and for my the first single, “Strong As You” are made up of paintings that I have done. And I feel that art and expression are always related like that.

You're touring in support of your full-length, Me. How have the songs been received, and have they evolved for you as you've been playing them in front of audiences? (e.g.: Have you been rearranging them for the live show, or have the meanings of the songs changed as your play them?)
The reception has been great. The record is intimate and personal and that’s why tour is solo to keep intimate and personal and also to say, “This is Me.”

http://www.mountainx.com/article/49741/Five-Questions-with-James-McCartney