My iPod just died.
I revived it soon after using the techniques outlined on the Apple support page. My non-color, 40 GB, beast of a machine lives to fight another day. Get some.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
My iPod just died.
D12 Rapper Proof Shot Dead
Dungen
Perusing upcoming shows at Black Cat, I noticed a familiar name: Dungen. These guys have already done Conan O'Brien, landed a slot at Coachella 2006 on Day II, and taught me a little Svedish: TA DET LUGNT, the title of their 2004 release on (none other than) Kemado Records (also on Subliminal Sounds), means (roughly) "grab the calm."
Further investigation uncovered a 9.3 rating from Pitchfork on the aforementioned album, and a couple of monster songs on their MySpace page ("Panda" and "Sluta Foljer Efter").
Official Site
Tickets: Black Cat, June 14th
Learn Swedish
Video link: Dungen - "Panda"
East Coast dates:
Jun 8 2006 8:00P Middle East Boston, MA
Jun 9 2006 8:00P Iron Horse Northampton, MA
Jun 10 2006 8:00P Irving Plaza New York, NY
Jun 11 2006 8:00P Nightclub New Haven, CT
Jun 12 2006 8:00P First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, PA
Jun 14 2006 8:00P Black Cat Washington, DC
Invaders V/A Compilation
Kemado Records, an indie-label based in NYC, is releasing a compilation of 18 tracks of previously unreleased and rare material from some of the heaviest hitters in rock/metal. Invaders features tracks from, among others, The Sword, Dungen, Big Business, and my personal favorites, Black Mountain and Wolfmother. The release date is set for April 25. Learn more on the Kemado Web site or visit their MySpace page.
MP3: Saviors - Circle of Servant's Bodies
The Crimea
These guys were the lone bright spot in the worst show I attended last year. That's right Billy Corgan, it was you, and you were horrendous. Well, they are doing in-stores and acoustic sets in the UK and have released a single off of the next album, TRAGEDY ROCKS, that is actually a song off of their last EP, LOTTERY WINNERS ON ACID, called "White Russian Galaxy." Read some more details on Filter Mag or check out the goodie bag below:
Official Site
MySpace (four songs, including "WRG")
MP3: The Crimea - "Everywhere" (Fleetwood Mac cover)
MPEG: The Crimea - "Baby Boom"
More treats from The Crimea at Inaudible including SXSW performances, interviews, and more.
PF: Turn The Camera On, Coachella DVD
Spoon is pretty busy. They should be finished recording at the end of the summer, with the album ready in early 2007. Tight.
More Spoon on CNN
Official Site
MySpace
MP3: Spoon - "I Turn My Camera On"
More news from Pitchfork in regards to my Coachella DVD, which should be arriving shortly. De-lish.
The Zutons
Preview the new album TIRED OF HANGIN' AROUND on NME before it hits stores.
MySpace
Official Site
MPEG: The Zutons "Why Won't You Give Me Your Love?"
White Rose Movement
Preview their new album, KICK, here before it hits stores.
Unofficial MySpace (I don't know what that means.)
Official Site
MPEG: White Rose Movement - "Girls In The Back"
MPEG: White Rose Movement - "Alsatian"
MPEG: White Rose Movement - "Love Is A Number"
Monday, April 10, 2006
Arctic Monkeys, W.A.S. to start new tour
Just picked up 2 for Baltimore...thank you SONAR mailing list. I have a feeling these will sell out a little bit quicker than the 9:30 Club Show...Tix here. East Coast Shows:
06/11/06 / Sun / Norfolk VA / Norva
06/12/06 / Mon / Baltimore MD / Sonar
06/14/06 / Wed / New York NY / Roseland Ballroom
06/15/06 / Thu / Boston MA / Avalon
Vacation shoot first video, to tour with The Sun
Our friends of The Vacation report that they are back in LA and have just finished shooting their first video for White Noise, which will soon be released as their first single. The Vacation is about to hit up another tour in a couple weeks (unfortunately not to the lands of Metro Distortion) with a band called The Sun...
I just checked out The Sun for the first time, and I like their stuff. Also signed by major label Warner, and hailing from Columbus, OH, they played at SXSW a couple weeks back. Currently trying to find some info on their performances but so far have only come across some pics. Oddly enough, yet seemingly becoming more of a trend lately, the band's official homepage appears to be made by a 3rd grader, and they are relying completely on their myspace page to promote their media, news, and other info. Check 'em out.
Stadium Arcadium Pre-Sale Now Available
Mentioned earlier, but not available until now - RHCP.com members can pre-order the Stadium Arcadium Limited edition box set here. Fan club members save 6 bucks, and on top of all the goodies already mentioned previously, 10 lucky members will receive the Willy Wonka golden ticket (band-autographed boxed set).
Two If By Sea
My luck has improved as the day has gone by. I was checking out the bands that are playing DC9 in the coming months and I stumbled upon Two If By Sea. These guys are definitely worth a look. They have paid their dues and logged some miles touring with the likes of Secret Machines, Q and Not U, We Are Scientists and OK Go. They are currently doing a residency at DC9, playing every Thursday (13th, 20th, 27th remain).
They are heading back into the studio in May, following the DC9 residency. Their first full length album, TRANSLATIONS met some high praise in indie circles. You can scroll down The Pill's 2004 recap and read what editor Michael Marotta had to say about their debut or read a full write-up.
"Million To One" and "This Will Hurt Someone" are great new-wave songs with a heavy rock influence. Comparable to The Bravery in terms of the synth laden riffs, but for some reason I catch a little Nine Inch Nails as well (pay no mind to this, I have Reznor on the mind lately). Top and I are definitely going to check these guys out. You can hear the Bunnymen and Cure influence everywhere.
Buy TRANSLATIONS at Insound
MySpace (3 downloads available)
Official Site
MPEG: Two If By Sea - This Will Hurt Someone
Ben Harper on Letterman Wed, April 12th
I will be in the bag, or well on my way, at Fletcher's Bar catching Wolfmother, but I am setting the DVR for Ben's scheduled appearance on LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN this Wednesday on CBS with Mandy Moore. Check ya local listings. If you want to throw up, Johnny Damon is on tonight. Speaking of Letterman, we can expect a PJ performance/appearance here soon; the band and Dave have a little history.
RHCP do club gig across the pond, die hards with no money weep...
This event sounds stupid fun. If I had $2,000 lying around, more of an "I don't give a fuck" attitude, and, well, $2,000 lying around I would do my best to make this happen for myself. I would love to hear how this thing goes. I have been listening to Frusciante's INSIDE OF EMPTINESS a lot lately and dreaming of seeing him play this summer.
Art Brut @ The Ottobar TONIGHT
Cloud Cult in 6 days...
Official Site
MySpace
MP3: Cloud Cult - "Living On The Outside Of Your Skin"
MP3: Cloud Cult - "Car Crash"
Sneak Peak of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" Video
Gnarls Barkley recently released 31 seconds of their new video for their hit song "Crazy," that is making history overseas. Very trippy, very artsy, very cool. Plus the the ink blots remind me of all those years with the school psychologist in grade school. Good times...Gnarls will, of course, be performing at Coachella. 3...weeks...remaining...
Frozen Simians; Black Keys
Arctic Monkeys have unleashed a new set of dates to get the rest of America swinging on their vine. Local highlights follow:
06-11 Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
06-12 Baltimore, MD - Sonar
06-14 New York, NY - Roseland
06-15 Boston, MA - Avalon
Tour dates and info are on Pitchfork.
Scroll down for the details of the Black Keys' split with Fat Possum records and their upcoming album release.
The Sword
A day late. A fucking dollar short. Story. Of. My. Life. Anyway, traveling through space I found this article on Filter-Mag and got pretty pissed, because we seemed to have missed The Sword here in DC last week. But, I remain positive, I learn of a new place to catch bands: Warehouse Next Door.
According to the band's official site, The Sword of Doom, they actually played Black Cat. I am so out of the loop it kills me. Come back soon, masters of The Sword. Come back soon. I want to be slain. And more informed.
Even More From Cee-Lo Green
I think it's quite possible that I may be the next to team up with Cee-Lo Green. Cee-Lo is at it again, this time working with some dude named Jack Splash and calling themselves Lovestink. This tune is strong.
MP3: Lovestink - Gangsta Boogie (GvB)
Pre-order Gnarls Barkley's St. Elswhere here
Early Pearl Jam album review
"One Lucky Fan" has been listening to the new PJ album over the last few weeks and offers a track by track review of the album. I haven't heard any other tracks outside of World Wide Suicide and I'm refusing all leaks on this one. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited for the release. Pre-order the album here. Don't forget to catch them on SNL this weekend.
Wolfmother, Jose Gonzalez @ Black Cat, DC
Wolfmother, Tuesday June 6 @ Black Cat, DC
Buy Tickets
Jose Gonzalez, Friday June 30 @ Black Cat, DC
Buy Tickets
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Pitchfork Music Festival
Additions (including Diplo and Bonde Do Role) and other info was posted yesterday at Pitchfork.
Murder By Death
One of my all-time favorite band names: Murder By Death. I have been looking for a way to throw them out there, and here it is. Filter-Mag announced some details behind the music as well as some tour dates. Nothing in DC yet, but I remember them playing Black Cat sometime in the spring/summer of last year. Hopefully something will open up for us. The cello is so delicious everytime it slides in.
Dates:
May 22 Cambridge, MA Middle East downstairs
May 23 New York, NY The Knitting Factory
May 24 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church
M3U: Murder By Death - "Brother"
Official Site
MySpace
Insound
Radiohead rumor mill: US Tour
The rumor is multiple nights in several cities, with Montreal, Toronto, Philadelphia and Chicago being thrown out there.
Jack White's favorite new band is...
The Arctic Monkeys, of course. But, he hasn't gotten around to seeing them yet.
Friday, April 07, 2006
FreeIndie.com
Caught wind of this goodness from Brooklyn Vegan. "Free Albums - Guiltless." All six bands (Us Against Them, Man In Gray, Turn 21, Spicy Rizzaks, Like Yesterday, White Rabbit) are in it to win it, no legal issues, just free music. Go get it. Now.
The Boss
You can stream a video of Bruce singing "John Henry" right now at Amazon. On the same page you can order the album WE SHALL OVERCOME: THE SEEGER SESSIONS, an album featuring "Bruce's personal interpretations of thirteen traditional songs, all of them associated with the legendary guiding light of American folk music, Pete Seeger, for whom the album is named."
RS: SXSW Big Guns
I'm going to give you a rundown of the five bands that made the biggest splash at SXSW according to Rolling Stone. They are, in order of how excited I am about them:
Riverboat Gamblers
The sound: Very accessible punk. 4 good songs streaming on the MySpace page. The frontman gets pretty hot at the show: in the crowd, hanging from rafters, all in all getting after it. RS calls them "the best band without a major label deal at SXSW '06." I would laugh this off and investigate further, but David Fricke is writing it. And I tend to agree with him. I like the fact that they have the best line from JAWS in one of their songs: "I think we're gonna need a bigger boat."
Official Site
MySpace
Band blog
Insound
Upcoming East Coast shows:
April 29th @ Masquerade Downstairs - Atlanta, GA
April 30th @ Casbah - Charlottle, NC
May 3rd @ Northstar Bar - Philadelphia, PA
May 5th @ Ottobar - Baltimore, MD
May 7th @ Bamboozle - East Rutherford, NJ
May 28th @ HFStival - Columbia, MD
The Sword
The sound: Metal at its best. You can't help but feel and hear Iommi's influence. SPIN noted: "the best band I saw [at SXSW 2005] was called THE SWORD, this metal band from Austin. They're sort of like BLACK SABBATH Vol. 4, sort of like early PRONG, sort of like IRON MAIDEN...like a bunch of bison being pushed over a cliff." Hmmm. I am definitely checking these guys out. They are signed to the same record label as Elefant and Danava (don't even get me started on the band that is Danava), Kemado records, and have opened for pipe-hitting acts like ...TRAIL OF DEAD and MASTODON.
Kemado Records site
Official Site
Press links
MySpace
Insound
Upcoming East Coast shows:
Apr 7 2006 8:00P @ Maxwell's Hoboken, NJ
Apr 8 2006 8:00P @ The Living Room Providence, RI
Apr 9 2006 8:00P @ CBGB New York, NY
Apr 11 2006 8:00P @ Icon Buffalo, NY
Len Price 3
The sound: Garage rock. A self-proclaimed "mix of Stooges' rawness and Ramones-y pop suss." Fricke throws The Kinks and Dr. Feelgood into that pot and I have to admit there is a lot to like on the MySpace sampler and the tracks on the Rolling Stone article. I will definitely keep an ear out.
Official Site
MySpace
Insound
No upcoming shows.
The Octopus Project
The sound: Fricke calls it "instrumental space-dance" and I will have to agree. While I am not going to run out and listen to a CD full of this stuff, I am going to give a college effort to bump into their set at Coachella. The sound is catchy and while there are no words, it rocks a little bit. Actually, as each song progresses, they rock a lot. Interesting.
Official Site
MySpace
Insound
April 30th 12:00PM @ Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival Indio, CA
Jakobinarina
The sound: I'm sorry. The intro to every song sounds like a loop behind a 1980s videogame. I'm not buying it. Maybe these teeny-boppers from Iceland bring the pain in a live setting, I don't know. I just don't have the patience for it right now. But, I will give them another chance,...later. No album to date, but Ken Thomas of Sigur Ros is producing the debut single. Check it out for yourself.
MySpace (Official site)
No upcoming shows.
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Documentary in the works, new album entitled HIGHWAY COMPANION due out on American Recordings, and a few dates with Pearl Jam. Hopefully its not the last dance for these guys. Its worth every penny to see these guys live, as we did last summer. Even Merriweather Post Pavilion couldn't ruin it. I was almost in tears watching him accept his Billboard Century Award in December. What a speech.
Ice Cube @ 9:30 Club
...for some reason grabs my attention. Tickets here, but beware, they are $35...
Wolfmother live download
"Dimensions" at the Big Day Out Festival is available here for download before it is released in stores.
Axis of Justice: Tom Morello in VA
You can see my favorite Commie, Tom Morello, perform at Jammin' Java in Vienna, VA on Saturday night, as his alter ego, The Nightwatchman. Tickets seem to still be available. This is important, of course, if you aren't going to see Voxtrot and Irving at the Riverside Lounge or getting shellshocked in Baltimore catching the BoSox-Orioles series. Naturally, this show is a benefit for Axis Of Justice, the non profit organization started by Tom Morello and Serj Tankian of System Of A Down. Yesterday in DC, Tom was awarded the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award for his efforts in workers' and human rights.
Cokemachineglow is Back
I can't hype this band enough....
Wolfmother is bringing the heat back east come tomorrow night in Philadelphia. Here are the East Coast dates:
8 April Philadelphia, PA - North Star
9 April Boston, MA - Great Scott
11 April New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
12 April Baltimore, MD - Fletchers
14 April Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
29 April Indio, CA - Coachella Music & Arts Festival
JK and I caught them at Northsix in Brooklyn a couple of weeks back. Months back? Anyway, they blew the roof of that place. Great, great show that was paralleled only by The National and stellastar*/Editors this year. You have to see these guys. I don't think they will be playing small venues for much longer. Top and I will be at Fletcher's next Wednesday rocking out. And at Coachella (with home-from-Iraq Frat) swilling Bud Heavies (Top has been having an allergic reaction to liquor lately) in the 106* heat.
Official site
MySpace
Cloud Cult
I'm puttering around, reading stuff, not doing much work per se and I am currently lost inside Cloud Cult's ADVICE FOR THE HAPPY HIPPOPOTAMUS, particulary tracks 15 into 16 ("Can't Stop the Journey Now" into "Clip-Clop"). I kind of feel this could have been one, epic song. Kind of. I have to do some research and see if they are in a different key, different tunings or something. Fuck, just get out there with the double neck Guild and Slash through it. Talking Slash and Cloud Cult in the same post is a little weird. But I'll manage.
Buy Cloud Cult albums at Insound.
Art Brut
Tickets to their show at Black Cat this Sunday, April 9th, are still available. Same with their show at The Ottobar on Monday, April 10th.
Stream "Formed A Band" and "Emily Kane" on their MySpace page.
Eagles of Death Metal DEATH BY SEXY
Positive review for the April 11th release here.
MP3: Eagles of Death Metal "I Want You So Hard".
Video: Eagles of Death Metal "I Want You So Hard".
Tickets: Eagles of Death Metal @ Black Cat April 22
Dusted Magazine
These guys review a seemingly all-indie catalog and have a cool Top 40 chart from a bunch of indie radio stations. Tight. I got the word from Ghost Media. Nice web design. Made me feel like I was at the MOMA in November.
Ghost Media (Chicago Innerview Magazine)
This is a Chicago music blog that is powered by Chicago Innerview Magazine. Sometimes they catch the bands before we do, sometimes we catch them before they do. At any rate they review shows, check out albums, and post news. Some people might prefer the blog format as opposed to their regular site, whatever blows your hair back.
More tour dates from The Vacation
All of this is West Coast, but I am going to be optimistic and think that there is someone out there that finds this info worthwhile. For the rest of us...I am just hoping things come back east later in the summer.
Dates:
Apr-26 Las Vegas, NV - Art Bar
Apr-27 Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory
Apr-29 San Diego, CA - Beauty Bar (Vacation/Sun ONLY)
Apr-30 Tempe, AZ - Real Bar
May-02 San Francisco, CA - Café Du Nord
May-04 Portland, OR - Roseland Grill
May-07 Seattle, WA - El Corazon
May-09 Denver, CO - Hi Dive
May-10 Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck
May-11 Minneapolis/St Paul, MN - 7th St Entry/400 Bar
May-12 Milwaukee, WI - Onopa Brewery
May-13 Cleveland, OH - HOB Cambridge Room
May-14 Cincinnati/Minneapolis - Viper Room/7th St
May-15 Chicago, IL - Smart Bar/Gunther Murphys/Schuba's
May-16 Detroit, MI - Lager House
May-17 Columbus, OH - Basement/Skully's/Little Brothers
May-18 Nashville, TN - The Basement
May-19 Little Rock - (Vacation Only) Cornerstone
May-20 Dallas - (Vacation only) Double Wide
May-23 Los Angeles, CA - Viper Room
Latest Filter-Mag update on The Vacation with links to download the album off iTunes and some info on supporting acts.
MP3: The Vacation - White Noise
MP3: The Vacation - Destitute Prostitutes
Sonic Youth joins PJ (on the West Coast)
Doh! It's all good, you can catch them with Tom Petty, Radiohead, and more at Bonnarroo if you need to get your boots dirty. Pitchfork talks shit about PJ (again) for having bands "much cooler than they are" open for them and then calls GILMORE GIRLS the coolest show on TV because Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon and their daughter are going to be on it. Thanks for your input, Pitchfork.
More info on the GILMORE GIRLS episode here.
Anthrax
It will be the first time since 1991 that Anthrax's original lineup plays together when they rock England for five shows starting tonight.
System of a Down will be in DC
...rallying in front of the Turkish Embassy later this month in an effort to get our government to officially recognize The Armenian Genocide. More info at RS.
RS In Brief
Info on Velvet Revolver's latest, Futureheads, and how to get "Dani California" from iTunes right now (pre-order STADIUM ARCADIUM).
More RHCP: Making the Video on MTV
MTV will air the Red Hot Chili Peppers Making The Video on MTV on Tuesday, 4/11 @ 10am. Set the DVR/TiVO, there is bound to be some madness going on there.
Watch the "Dani California" video here.
Creepy Keane
Keane got it on underground on Wednesday, giving select fans a peak at the new album and a live performance. Check it out.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Test Icicles to Release New Material
Exhausted from the constant pressures of touring, the Test Icicles called it quits. Personally, I won't miss them. Yesterday, the band offered a glimmer of hope for fans by announcing the release of their remaining material. The Dig Your Grave EP will be released on May 9. One ex-Icicle has teamed up with Tom Vek to form a group called, what else, Naked Babes (?!?!).
MP3: Test Icicles - Circle, Square, Triangle
New Futureheads Album Due Out in June
The Futureheads will release their second album, News and Tributes, on June 13. Click here to see the track list. The first pressing of the North American version of the set will feature three tracks previously released on the "Area" EP. See below for two tracks from the new album.
MP3: The Futureheads - Area
MP3: The Futureheads - Skip to the End (Thanks YANP)
More from Billboard, this is a good article on the Editors' recent succes in the US.
Arctic Monkeys On Sale At Ticketmaster?
This band just keeps getting bigger and they're taking on bigger venues in the process. Latest news is a show at Roseland with We Are Scientists and get this, the tickets are available through Ticketmaster ($25 + $1000 in fees). The two bands have obviously formed a tight bond, WAS accepted the Arctic Monkeys NME award in February. Tickets go on sale on 4/14. At this rate, they should be playing at MSG by fall.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
The Vacation, Hard-Fi Reach New Markets
Sony's "MLB '06: The Show" for PS2 and PSP is in stores now and features: THE VACATION, HARD-FI, CITY SLEEP, O.A.R., STORY OF THE YEAR, AND MORE...game site is here. Let it also be known that a Mr. Ortiz graces the cover of the video game.
Not extremely new news, but The Vacation's complete album is now available for download from itunes; 11 songs at $.99 a pop.
I'll take 2 Gino's Heart-Attack's, Wit (for me)
Now you got me all fired up. Chili Peppers Live. Philly. So many memories. So much... debauchery. Just scored a gold membership to the fan club. Just dug deep into my digital photo albums and pulled some pics from the last (and only) Chili Peppers show I saw. It was late 2003, and the last concert I saw before taking a year long break from this great country to a place void of rock n' roll, live shows, baseball, apple pie, and good ol' American porn. Ok, maybe not the last one. But the show was amazing, one of my all-time favorites, despite being in an arena, despite the worst opening act in the history of opening acts (The Flaming Lips?!?), despite hundreds of teeny-boppers pushing and shoving to get closer to the stage. Everything from the outfits to the set list was nearly identical to their Live From Slane Castle DVD which later came out. They of course covered something from every one of their albums, while breaking out some new goodies to see how the crowd reacted (straight bonkers). Just being that close to Frusciante was an unbelievable experience in itself. We can expect nothing less this summer...Hello Philly, Hello Chi-Town.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
May 6: Saturday Night Live
May 7: North American tour tickets on sale to fan club
May 13: North American tour tickets on sale to general public
Jun 4-6: Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Chicago
Confirmed stops on North American tour:
US Cities:
Portland, OR
Boise, ID
Salt Lake City, UT
Denver, CO
Phoenix, AZ
San Diego, CA
Oakland, CA
Sacramento, CA
San Jose, CA
Fresno, CA
New York/New Jersey
Boston, MA
Philadelphia, PA
Albany, NY
Buffalo, NY
Columbus, OH
Cleveland, OH
Grand Rapids, MI
Detroit, MI
Minneapolis, MN
Canadian Cities:
Vancouver, BC
Calgary, AB
Edmonton, AB
Saskatoon, SK
Winnipeg, MB
Toronto, ON
Montreal, QU
Ottawa, ON
Quebec City, QU
Fan club can also pre-order a limited edition STADIUM ARCADIUM for $45.99 at RedHotChiliPeppers.com. The package looks pretty beast. If a DC date doesn't come down, Top and I will rock the Philly show. Even if it is a weekday, we will swing that piece. I recall a 3 hour blaze back to work after The Mars Volta at Electric Factory. Sucking.
Going to head home from work and try and track down the "Dani California" video that aired on MTV2 last night. Sorry about not posting much today, work has been pretty heavy lately.
CONGRATS TO EASYRIDER FOR GETTING INTO USC, BU AND FSU FILM SCHOOLS. THEY WON'T BE SORRY.
Coldplay on Steroids: Snow Patrol Tour Dates
Snow Patrol has just announced their return to the US in support of their May 9 release, Eyes Open. Presale is available for some shows now (password: EYESOPEN). As much as I hate Roseland, I picked up my tickets today, the new album is that good.
5/29/06 Atlanta, GA Roxy Theatre
5/31/06 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
6/2/06 Boston, MA Avalon
6/3/06 New York, NY Roseland Ballroom
6/5/06 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
6/6/06 Montreal, Quebec Metropolis
6/7/06 Toronto, Ontario Kool Haus
Additional Pearl Jam Tour Dates, SNL
Pearl Jam has added dates for the second leg of their tour. Included are several shows with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and "An Evening with Pearl Jam" at the Gorge Amphitheatre (George, Washington) that will not include any opening acts. Presale will be available from their Web site. PJ fans can also tune in on April 15th for a performance on Saturday Night Live with host, Lindsay Lohan. Pearljam.com failed to mention that small point.
Uh Oh - The Raconteurs Album Leak
Ok, so I listened to the new Raconteurs album, Broken Boy Soldiers, on my way into work today. It's short - 10 songs - and probably no more than 35-40 minutes. The vocals alternate somewhat consistently with Jack White and Brendan Benson a la Wolf Parade. At some points, I felt like the album was a throw-back to the 60s and at others, a garage rock revival. The album as a whole is a lot more buttoned up than any White Stripes release and has a much greater rock influence than any previous Brendan Benson release. While I'm still a little annoyed at missing out on tickets to their NYC show, overall, the album is very solid and I have a feeling it will be great after a few more listens. Don't forget to buy the album when it's released on May 16. It's on my Amazon list...Here's a look at a track with Benson on lead vocals.
MP3: The Raconteurs - Hands
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Yeah Yeah Yeahs @9:30 Club
If you couldn't make it to the sold-out show, click here to view the webcast. You can also listen to the audio of the Import bonus track, Deja Vu here.
Set List:
Turn Into
Way Out
Honey Bear
Black Tongue
Mysteries
Art Star
Down Boy
Phenomena
Cheated Hearts
Maps
Gold Lion
Warrior
Bang
Date With the Night
Porcelain
Reading/Leeds Festivals
Pearl Jam (first festival appearance in close to 6 years), Franz Ferdinand, and Muse are headlining the Reading and Leeds festivals on August 25-27. This is widely regarding as one of the best festivals and this is strengthened by the growing list of supporting acts: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Audioslave, the Raconteurs, Arctic Monkeys, Maximo Park, Futureheads, Wolfmother, My Chemical Romance, Kaiser Chiefs and more. Should be a serious rager. Tickets are on sale now; weekend packages may already be gone.
Hmmm....
I couldn't stop thinking during last night's Yeah Yeah Yeah's show about the uncanny resemblance between guitarist Nick Zinner and actor Noah Taylor (Vanilla Sky, Life Aquatic, Almost Famous, etc)...see for yourself. Also, if you've seen YYY's in concert and wondered why Zinner was taking pics of the crowd, check this out for 'a never before seen look at rock n' roll.'
Ben Harper tour dates
Notably:
9/5: New York, Central Park's Rumsey Playfield
9/6: New York, Central Park's Rumsey Playfield
9/8: Boston, Bank of America Pavilion
9/10: Columbia, MD, Merriweather Post Pavilion
9/11: Philadelphia, Festival Pier at Penn's Landing
The full scoop is here.
Monday, April 03, 2006
New Album Release - The Vines: Vision Valley
More of the same from The Vines, after their new release again fails to live up to their debut. This album is certainly more polished than previous releases which may or may not fly with their fan base but the growth just isn't there. I got my hands on this album a couple weeks ago and despite a couple listens, really can't get into this record at all. Maybe you all will feel differently. I think it's safe to say that the Austrialian rock torch has been passed to our friends, Wolfmother. Anyone remember Jet?
MP3: The Vines - Don't Listen to the Radio
Mp3: Wolfmother - Pyramid
SPIN Band of the Day: White Rose Movement
White Rose Movement's debut, Kick, arrives on US shores on April 17. Their first single, Love is a Number, is a very worthy track and earned #40 on Pitchfork's Top 50 singles of 2005. SPIN finally took notice and named them their band of the day.
MP3: White Rose Movement - Love is a Number
MP3: White Rose Movement - Cruella
Razorlight
New Razorlight track info here. Against all odds, I am on the way to the 9:30 Club as soon as Top gets here with the McDonald's. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah Yeah Yeah's Tonight @ 9:30 Club
Tickets are nearly impossible to get if you don't already have them...a buddy rocked craigslist all weekend and got nothing. If you miss the show, visit NPR.org for a live webcast of tonight's show around 10:00 pm EST. Inmytree and I will be there, hopefully in our little niche front row, right side, for solid pics and licks.
Doors open 7:30pm
Blood on the Wall 8:45pm
Yeah Yeah Yeahs 10pm
"Dani California" acoustic
This comes courtesy of a post on Addie's blog. She is also our first comment poster. Thanks for the love, Addie.
MP3: Red Hot Chili Peppers "Dani California"
First runs of the year...
...driven in by 'Tek with a 2-out double driving in Papi (single) and Trot (walk).
Voxtrot
Voxtrot is another reason to head to Riverside Lounge this Saturday, April 8th (Irving being the first). They played a tight show at SXSW and have a good group of songs that you can sample on their website or on their MySpace page.
MP3: Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, & Wives
MP3: Voxtrot - The Start of Something
Buy RAISED BY WOLVES @ Insound
Buy MOTHERS, SISTERS, DAUGHTERS, AND WIVES EP @ Insound
More (or less) Zombie
You heard this here first.
Don't pay for this garbage. There are better bands worth the time and money.
The Rapture and Danger Mouse
The Rapture isn't what intrigues me here. It's Danger Mouse and/or the combination of the two. Anyway, Rolling Stone covers it, as does NME.
Band of Horses: no DC, Maxwell's & Bowery in NYC/NJ
Band of Horses have announced their summer tour. They are leaving DC out of the mix, but we can keep our hopes up. Outside chance I will saddle up and catch them at Pitchfork Festival (7-29). Anything is possible with my crazy ass. Anything.
By the way, JK is at the Mets-Nationals game, like a good soldier. I will be streaming BoSox - Rangers on the office computer (interrupted, of course, by a meeting at 2:30 and another at 4:30). FYI, you can no longer buy single games on MLB.tv...you have to go $14.95 a month (watch out, it is recurring). Cost-benefit analysis for me was quicker than you can say Wily Mo Pena.
Upcoming releases
Here is a good look at what we can expect in the months to come in terms of record releases. Notable omissions from the mainstream music front are Tool's 10,000 DAYS (May 2 with PJ) and Red Hot Chili Peppers' STADIUM ARCADIUM (May 9). I was lucky to hear "Dani California" on the ride into work today, and I must say, I am pretty excited for the album and the tour. John's solo at the end is delicious.
"Fake Plastic Trees"
Frat emailed me from Iraq and related parts of this story. I wanted to share it with you because I found it pretty powerful. The vocal on that track blows me away and I would be lying if I told you that I wasn't affected by it on each and every listen. Beautiful. We are lucky to have Thom. Lucky to have Radiohead.
You can check out the band's blogging/random thoughts on Radiohead.com/deadairspace. Here is my favorite treasure from Thom so far:
today, myself, i was struggling, feels like we been trapped for a long time.
in la la land. very frustrating. and under pressure now
its so slow.
enough to drive anyone loopy. im supposed to be positive>>
smiling faces for the outside. well im fucking tearing my hair out.
too much at once.
furiously writing, working out parts. cracking up.
not much time left. unshure about everything.
im not supposed to put any of this here. so thats why i am.
Thom
Radiohead
Bring the noise, Thom! We can't wait! "[I]t's much more terrifying [than OK Computer]" This begs my favorite three words: "Oh, fuck yeah."
stellastar*/Editors, small Hard-Fi review
...are the longest lasting memory from the four shows I caught last week. They have prompted a purchase of HARMONIES FOR THE HAUNTED and further investigation of BACK ROOM. at any rate, that show beat Arctic Monkeys, Rob Zombie, and Hard-Fi in terms of permanence. I was pretty mesmerized by what was going on at the 9:30 Club last Wednesday.
I might have more to report in terms of Hard-Fi if I wasn't off my neck at that show banging on the speaker and pumping PBR's like it was going out of style. 5 Boddingtons before we got to Black Cat and the jaegerbombs (and 40 0z. of St. Ide's) before the opening act finished didn't help the cause. I would try and formulate a review but I just remember those guys being hyped up, not sounding as polished as the album, doing "Seven Nation Army" and keeping the crowd pretty into it throughout the short set. Top might have more to add, he drove.
The night ended with Taco Bell + DVRed season finale of THE SHIELD = goodbye Lem, I am crying in my quesadilla.
HFStival '06
The lineup has been announced for both days. Again, this is at Merriweather Post Pavilion on May 27th and 28th. You can find info here and buy tickets here.
May 27th
Kanye West
Cypress Hill
Matisyahu
Rise Against
Panic! @ the Disco
Matchbook Romance
Atmosphere
Jimmy's Chicken Shack
The Misfits
Rock Kills Kid
2Cents
OK Go
Cute Is What We Aim For
May 28th
Counting Crows
Dashboard Confessional
Coheed and Cambria
The Strokes
Yellowcard
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
AFI
H.I.M.
Boy Sets Fire
Blue October
Flyleaf
Augustana
People In Planes
The Fixx
Forty Acres
Love Arcade
Damone
Riverboat Gamblers
Kill Hannah
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Editors live acoustic
Check out Editors doing some songs for Rolling Stone here. I fast forwarded through and caught "All Sparks," "Someone Says," "Munich," and "Bullets." Real format.
Sir Gnarls, The Round Mound of Sound
This is pretty crazy. You can check out four different Gnarls Barkley songs on the MySpace page below. You can pre-order ST. ELSEWHERE here, or pick it up at your local record store on May 9th.
The Independent
Official website
MySpace
MP3: Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
Chicago's The Timeout Drawer to hit DC, Philly, NYC
Thanks to Chicago Innerview's April PODCAST for a tip on this band...think a heavier version of The Cloud Cult, mixed in with a little Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I know, I know...just check it out. Also an opportunity to pop a new cherry in DC concert venues (The Velvet Lounge). The Timeout Drawer will hit the Northeast at the following dates/locations:
Apr 27: Velvet Lounge, DC
Apr 28: The Five Spot, Philly
Apr 29: The Knitting Factory, NYC
Check out the band's offical webpage here.
Also check out the band's myspace page; 4 songs are currently available for listen. The Exorcist kind of makes me want to break something.
Downloads, file-sharing, ripping off "the man"
I realize that this post is over four years old. Got it. But, the stuff this guy has to say is still very timely and appropriate. It cracks me up to think that a record label thinks that by throwing a single .mp3 on a website (while you encourage people to buy the album, if they like it) is doing harm to the artist. I buy more music than anyone I know. I pour over websites, blogs, iTunes, music racks, etc. because I want to listen to great music. When I find something great I feel compelled to tell someone about it. I send mix CDs, suggestions, heads-ups to friends all over the place from Iraq to Seattle. I would like to think I am doing a service to those artists and record companies as opposed to a disservice. This is worth the read. Sorry if you have already read it within the last 4 years. If you like the stuff we post on here...investigate it...then buy it. It's like a taste-testing Consumer Reports for the music lover.
Citizen Cope @ DC, Towson, NYC...Tix going fast
Citizen Cope's latest solo tour of the Northeast has been catching some buzz...and selling plenty of tickets - and fast. Couple notes on the upcoming shows; tickets can be purchased here from the band's official webpage.
1) Cope's newly added solo show at The Recher in Towson, MD is now on presale through Cope's ticketing site. On Tuesday, the show will go onsale to the general public. This show will sell out.
2) The solo NYC & DC shows are close to sold out so if you were waiting to get tickets don't.
3) The Philadelphia show has already sold out; Cope's schedule does not permit a second show.
Citizen Cope Myspace Homepage
2006 HFStival
HFStival will be at Merriweather Post Pavilion this year on May 27th and May 28th. The lineup will be annonced Monday, April 3rd. Check into the WHFS website for details.
Intonation Music Festival
Intonation Music Festival is June 24th and 25th in Union Park in Chicago, IL. The festival is featuring some pipe-hitting acts like Jose Gonzalez, The Stills, The Streets, Bloc Party, Jon Brion (producer of Kanye West, Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann), Lady Sovereign, and more. Check out the details.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
The Walkmen @ 9:30 Club
The gig hasn't posted on the 9:30 Club website yet, but The Walkmen will be playing there on May 25th. The night before they are doing Webster Hall in NYC and the night after they are doing Theatre of Living Arts in Philadelphia.
You can pre-order their latest release, A HUNDRED MILES OFF at Insound. It is dropping on May 23rd.
Their MySpace page lets you listen to "Lousiana," the lead track on A HUNDRED MILES OFF. I first got a listen to The Walkmen because they were on the same record label as John Frusciante. "The Rat" gets me fired up every time.
MP3: The Walkmen: The Rat
The Vacation, Kasabian on NYC TV
Speaking of Kasabian, and our friends The Vacation, tonight (Saturday April 1st) is the premiere of Fearless Music on FOX 5 in NYC at 1:00 AM, right after SNL. Fearless Music is a show which features live sets from new bands. The bands featured tonight are:
Kasabian
The Raveonettes
Juliette and the Licks
Aqualung
Shiny Toy Guns
The Vacation
So if you live in the NYC area, tune in to FOX channel 5 at 1:00 AM and you will see these bands playing on tv...
Also check out www.fearlessmusic.com
Irving
If I wasn't getting completely shamboozled in Baltimore this coming weekend, I would be checking Irving out at Riverside Lounge, New South Hall, Georgetown University on April 8th. If its like most shows at Riverside, tickets are only available at the door. It's hard not to hear the Beatles in their melodies and their pop sensibility cannot be denied.
MySpace
Official website
Filter-Mag rundown
Ahhh, royalties
Watching the NCAA tournament right now and they just played Kasabian's "Club Foot" before a commercial break. Tight. Seems like just yesterday my jaw was on the floor for a whole set at the 9:30 Club. "Thank you, DC!"
Elefant
If you didn't catch Elefant open up for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on February 20th at the 9:30 Club, you can catch them on their own at the Black Cat on May 19th. Tickets are on sale here.
You can also check out the video to their single "Lolita." Black and white is the new HDTV. The single is available for download on the same page.
Their second album THE BLACK MAGIC SHOW drops April 18th and you can pre-order it here. Here are the stops on the East Coast from their upcoming tour:
5/3 The Social Orlando, FL
5/4 Studio A Miami, FL
5/5 Common Grounds Gainesville, FL
5/6 Coca Cola Roxy Theatre Atlanta, GA
5/15 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
5/15 Baltimore, MD Ottobar
5/17 New York, NY Webster Hall
5/18 Boston, MA Landsdowne Street
5/19 Washington, DC Black Cat
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
