Hat’s off to (Roy) Harper (slight return)…

By Blurt Staff

Way back in early July we brought you word of the first round of much-anticipated Roy Harper reissues. Since then there’s been a slight delay, but we’re delighted to receive this morning confirmation that those reissues are now available. Rather than belabor the point, we’ll give you the official word, below. Enjoy!

***

Influential, eccentric British singer/songwriter Roy Harper is releasing a series of his seminal albums in the United States for the first time through KOCH Entertainment Distribution, via its distribution deal with London-based Cadiz Music. The initial batch of releases will include Stormcock, Jugula and Flat Baroque and Berserk as well as a 2CD best of Counter Culture. Harper has been revered for decades by visionary musicians from Led Zeppelin (they wrote "Hats Off to Roy Harper" in 1970) to and Pink Floyd (he sang lead on "Have a Cigar" from Wish You Were Here) to Joanna Newsome most recently.

This deal marks the first official US release of these recordings which were previously only available as imports in this country.  These newly restored and repackaged albums are released on Harper's own Science Friction record label in exclusive distribution partnerships with Cadiz Music in the U.K. and KOCH in the U.S. Additional Harper titles to be released later in 2008 include: The Green Man, The Dream Society, The Unknown Soldier, andDeath or Glory. 

     Harper was born in the Manchester suburb of Rusholme, England. After the death of his mother a few weeks after his birth, he was raised near Blackpool by his father and step-mothe. At the age of 10, he began playing skiffle music with his younger brother,  as well as being influenced by blues music, jazz and classical. Leaving school when he was 15, he joined the Royal Air Force only to reject its rigid discipline. He managed to feign madness in order to get a discharge. Harper then busked around Europe until 1964 when he returned to England and gained a residency at London's famous Les Cousins folk club in Soho.

     His first album, The Sophisticated Beggar, was recorded in 1966 after Harper was spotted at the Les Cousins club and signed to Peter Richard's Strike Records. Producer Shel Talmy helmed the follow up, Come out Fighting Genghis Smith, which featured the 11 minute track "Circle", marking Roy moving away from more traditional folk stylings. 1968's Folkjokeopus virtually mirrored the previous album, with a 15 minute version of "McGooghan's Blues".

     Harper's first tour of the United States followed the release of the album Flat Baroque and Berserk in 1969 which featured The Nice on one track called "Hell's Angels". Its ethereal sound was achieved by a wah-wah pedal attached to an acoustic guitar. Roy's 1970 critically acclaimed album was the four-song epic, Stormcock, featuring Jimmy Page on guitar (credited as "S. Flavius Mercurius") and David Bedford's orchestral arrangements.

     For much of the seventies, Harper was managed and produced by Peter Jenner, Pink Floyd's original manager and producer.  In 1972, Roy made his acting debut playing Mike Preston alongside Carol White in the John Mackenzie film Made and Harper's soundtrack for the film appeared under the title Lifemask. His next album Valentine, was released on Valentine's Day, 14 February 1974 and once again featured contributions from Page. A concert to mark its release was held at London's Rainbow Theatre with Page, Bedford, Ronnie Lane on bass and Keith Moon on drums. The live album Flashes from the Archives of Oblivion soon followed.

     Having sung lead on Pink Floyd's "Have A Cigar," Roy saw David Gilmour return the favour by appearing on his next album, HQ, along with his occasional backing band: Chris Spedding, Dave Cochran and Bill Bruford along with Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones. Harper then co-wrote the song, "Short and Sweet" with David for Gilmour's first solo record and performed the song live with him. Bullinamingvase featured "One of Those Days in England", with backing vocals by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney, which became a U.K. hit. Gilmour returned to contribute to 1980's, The Unknown Soldier, and Kate Bush sings a duet with Roy on "You."  In turn he sang backing vocals on "Breathing", Kate's Never For Ever album. Harper's 1982 album, Work of Heart, marked the formation of Harper's own Public Records label.

     Throughout 1984, Harper toured the United Kingdom with Jimmy Page, performing a predominantly acoustic set at folk festivals under various guises such as "The MacGregors," and "Themselves." They released the album Whatever Happened to Jugula? under Harper's name and co-credited to Jimmy Page. In 1987 he briefly rejoined EMI for the release of the Descendants Of Smith. After he and EMI went their separate ways again, Harper inherited the record and changed the title to The Garden Of Uranium.

     Since 1987, Harper has had a relatively low public profile, though still releasing powerful materials periodically. He's dedicated much of his time and energy to collecting, compiling and releasing his life's work in various formats: books, CDs and DVDs.

     Koch's first releases from Roy's extensive archives present a crucial snapshot of Roy's progression from the late 60s to the present. Check out the man himself at the links below:

www.royharper.com

www.myspace.com/harperroy

Filmed and edited by Asher Sandberg-Lewis and Robin Margolis, this smart live clip is of Portland's Dykeritz doing "George Washington" at the this year's PDX Pop Now festival. It comes from their recent Rearrangerologyistics album (Lucky Madison).

On July 23, Jason Isbell appeared as Asheville's storied Grey Eagle venue and the BLURT editiorial staff, along with local production company Bclip, was on hand for a special pre-show taping session. Here's Isbell (accompanied by his 400 Unit guitarist Browan Lollar) doing "In A Razor Town" from his 2007 album Sirens of the Ditch. 

Video produced by Allie Goolrick; cameras/editing by Bclip Productions.

Special thanks to the Isbell crew, New West Records and the good folks at the Grey Eagle. See elsewhere on the site for Isbell's version of "The Magician" as well as some very nice interview clips.

Compiled by Blurt Staff

206 digital, satellite and hi-def channels and nothin’ on? Not likely. Here are BLURT’s top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/cable/satellite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST. For a comprehensive hour-by-hour listing, go to the VH1 Rock On TV site. Note that for certain channels, shows frequently repeat during the day on or subsequent days.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

8:00 AM & 2:00 PM Biography: Brian Wilson

12:00 PM MHD: CMT Summerfest: Lynyrd Skynyrd

2:00 PM MOJO: London Live!: Primal Scream , Ray LaMontagne , Matt Willis , Basement Jaxx

2:30 PM FUEL: The Daily Habit: Tilly and the Wall

2:30 & 7:30 PM MOJO: London Live!: Scouting For Girls , Lightspeed Champion , Roisin Murphy , Justice

4:00 PM VH1C: BBC Crown Jewels: Sight & Sound in Concert: AC/DC

8:30 PM Comedy Central: The Colbert Report: Nas

9:00 PM Biography: Abba

9:00 PM FUEL: The Daily Habit: King Khan & His Shrines

10:00 PM RAVE HD: From The Basement: PJ Harvey , Super Furry Animals , Free Blood , Operator Please

10:00 PM Sundance: Live from Abbey Road: The Hoosiers, The Black Keys & Manu Chao

11:00 PM Biography: Being: Mick Jagger

11:00 PM Comedy Central: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: George Michael

11:00 PM Sundance: Iconoclasts: Eddie Vedder and Laird Hamilton

11:35 PM CBS: The Late Show With David Letterman: Black Kids

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Does It Offend You, Yeah? , Melanie B.

1:30 AM ETV: Saturday Night Live (E!): Gwen Stefani , Eve

Quite possibly the best band currently operating in North Carolina. Quite.

By Fred Mills

Whattaya get when you combine such dubiously-phrased monikers as Frank Backgammon, Donnie Yale, Conrad Vacation and Bobby Freedom? Why, Charlotte’s Sammies, of course! Sandwich, their sophomore effort, will drop Sept. 23 on MoRisen, the same label that issued their well-received 2006 self-titled debut.

Recorded in Kernersville, NC at Mitch Easter’s Fidelitorium, it was produced by Ben Holst (Drive-By Truckers), Billy Bennett (Drive-By Truckers, The Whigs) and The Sammies. The label describes it as a “fusion of classic rock, early punk and indie rock” featuring 13 new songs including “Golden Sun,” “In the Basement,” “Treat Her Like a Queen,” and “Old Grey.” The band has already lined up some pre-album release gigs in and around the South (dates listed below) — their live shows are pure firestorms — and you can expect the full-court push when the album hits stores.

Meanwhile, over at the band’s MySpace site you can check out some samples of the new material, notably the Who-meets-Plimsouls anthemism of “Sleep In My Clothes” and the glam-slam sonic KISS that is “Treat Her Like A Queen.” Goddam, this is a good band. Way back when BLURT was still known as Harp, we advised you thusly:

“North Carolina’s the Sammies are a quartet of self-proclaimed country boys whose idea of roots music is more Echo and Iggy than Johnny and Willie. The music is supercharged beer-and-babes rock, but the Sammies draw inspiration from so much of the rock ’n’ roll canon they’re impossible to pin down. Their party-perfect debut romps through double-time Ramones tempos, spiky post-punk, Stooges ’tude, AC/DC power riffs, DEVO robot rock, Byrds jangle and early Roxy Music textures.”

We still stand behind that description. Sam on!

Sammies Tour Dates:

Jul 25 2008      9:00P

            Barley’s Taproom        Knoxville, Tennessee

Aug 1 2008     9:00P

            Grey Eagle      Asheville, North Carolina

Aug 9 2008     9:00P

            Visulite Theater           Charlotte, North Carolina

Aug 23 2008   9:00P

            Raleigh Downtown Live | The Pour House    Raleigh, North Carolina

Sep 6 2008      9:00P

            The Hummingbird       Macon, Georgia

Sep 9 2008      9:00P

            The Pour House Music Hall    Raleigh, North Carolina

Sep 13 2008    9:00P

            The Soapbox Lounge Wilmington, North Carolina

Sep 19 2008    9:00P

            Tasty World!   Athens, Georgia

Sep 20 2008    9:00P

            The Nick         Birmingham, Alabama

Oct 17 2008    8:00P

            Duke - Campus Concert Series           Durham, North Carolina

American kids stoked on volume, velocity and punk-fueled vigor.

By Fred Mills

Radio Silence A Selected Visual History of American Hardcore Music is a forthcoming book from MTV Press documenting, via striking visuals, the rise of hardcore. Remember that? No, this ain’t some quaint nostalgia trip as most so-called revivals tend to pan out.

Rather, the 224-page book, according to the publisher, “documents an era when musicians and fans booked shows, photographed bands, started record labels, designed album covers and published zines themselves… Over 500 images of rare records, t-shirts, fanzines, illustrations and photographs of Black Flag, Big Boys, Rites of Spring, Agnostic Front, the groundbreaking fanzine Ulysses Speaks and much more.”

Authors Nathan Nedorostek and Anthony Pappalardo get assists from Dave Smalley, Jeff Nelson of Minor Threat and photographer Mark Owens, and the whole deal carries a distinctive whiff of you-are-there. Maybe some of you actually WERE there. (Remember when Rollins came out with his long hair just to piss everybody off?) Revisit it on Oct. 7. And you can check out the official website too.

"I mean.. we get shit from the local idiots just because we're putting out a record, can you believe that?" letter from Kevin Seconds to Ian Mackaye



"Hardcore was a reaction to punk...we made it faster, tougher, harder and better and changed it, morphed it made it unique and American..."  Dave Smalley, DYS, Dag Nasty

[Bad Brains at Viceroy Park, Charlotte 1-16-82 photo credit: Rusty Moore, Loud Fast Photo — check his website at www.loudfastphoto.com]

Meanwhile, let’s take a look at a Minor Threat live video of “In My Eyes,” shall we?

Also, if you hang out at YouTube searching for MT videos you can come across some pretty funny debates and flamewars between a bunch of dumbasses debating punk, hardcore, and whether Minor Threat was better than Rage Against the Machine!

Have a cigar, boy, Roy Harper’s back catalog going back into print!

By Fred Mills

Just issued by Koch is a collection of early titles from legendary UK folk-rock singer/songwriter Roy Harper — who, if you’ve been paying attention over the years, has had his praises sung by everyone from Led Zeppelin to Pink Floyd to Joanna Newsom. This marks the first official US release of albums previously only available as imports. Freshly restored and repackaged, they are released on Harper’s own Science Friction record label in exclusive distribution partnerships with Cadiz Music in UK and KOCH Entertainment in US.

Last week Cadiz issued four albums from Harper’s catalog via KOCH:

• Stormcock: from 1971, it’s re-released in a case-bound book and has been cited as a major influence by Johnny Marr and Joanna Newsom.
• Counter Culture: A double CD best-of compilation.
• Jugula: collaboration with Jimmy Page from Led Zep.
• Flat Baroque and Berserk:  featuring such songs as “Don’t You Grieve,” “I Hate the White Man,” and “Another Day.”

Additional forthcoming Harper titles to be released later in 2008 include: The Green Man, The Dream Society, The Unknown Soldier, and Death or Glory.  

In a statement, Harper noted, “I am delighted that Koch is releasing my albums in the USA. I was particularly impressed that Michael Rosenberg is a fan of my music. I am looking to come over to tour in 2009 with my new album.” Added Michael Rosenberg of KOCH, “Roy Harper is one of the most important songwriters of the rock era, period.   I’ve been a fan of his for decades, since discovering his music as a teenager.  Needless to say, we are thrilled to be working with him.”

About time old cricketer Harper returned to the American crease, eh?

Incidentally, if you go to Harper’s MySpace page, check out his blogs — he’s got two lengthy entries where he writes about the Stormcock album. Fascinating stuff.

Compiled by Blurt Staff

57 channels and nothin’ on? Not likely. Here’s BLURT’s top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/cable/satellite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST. For a comprehensive hour-by-hour listing, go to the VH1 Rock On TV site. Note that for certain channels, shows frequently repeat during the day on or subsequent days.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

9:00 AM Syndicated: Rachael Ray: KT Tunstall

11:00 AM Bravo: GLAAD Media Awards: Janet Jackson , Rufus Wainwright , Joss Stone

2:00 PM MOJO: London Live!: Morrissey , Mohair , Wolfmother , Goldfrapp

2:30 PM VH1C: 46664 - A Concert for Nelson Mandela

5:00 PM VH1C: The U.S. vs. John Lennon

6:00 PM RAVE HD: Later With Jools Holland: Paul Weller , Carlos Santana , Anthony Hamilton , Bettye Lavette , John Cale , Sheryl Crow More

8:00 PM VH1C: VH1 Goes Inside Yo! MTV Raps

9:00 PM VH1C: Beat Street (1984)

10:10 PM Sundance: Wetlands Preserved: The Story of an Activist Rock Club

11:35 PM CBS: The Late Show With David Letterman: Esperanza Spalding , Jack Black

11:35 PM NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Ed Harcourt

12:00 AM BET Jazz: Club J Concerts: George Clinton: Live at Montreaux - 2004

12:00 AM RAVE HD: The Dave Fanning Interview: R.E.M.

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Secondhand Serenade

12:35 AM NBC: Late Night with Conan O'Brien: They Might Be Giants

12:37 AM CBS: The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Duffy [SEE OUR CD REVIEW OF DUFFY’S RECENT ALBUM Rockferry BELOW IN OUR REVIEWS SECTION]

1:35 AM NBC: Last Call with Carson Daly: Moby

Not scheduled to pull a KISS, unfortunately.

By Fred Mills

Tomorrow, July 1, everyone’s favorite evil clowns Slipknot will dump their played-out costumes and don new ones. The Iowa mook merchants plan to unveil their new imagery in an exclusive partnership with AOL MusicThe event is being billed somewhat dubiously as a “highly anticipated debut” but hey, it’s just promotion for Slipknot’s new album, All Hope Is Gone, due from Roadrunner on August 26, so we’re  not frettin’ the hype. Hey, we were really thinking they’d pull a KISS and ditch the masks altogether for a much-needed cred grab, but no such luck.

“Masks,” writes the band’s handlers, “are an integral part of the band’s identity and to reflect this point, AOL Music’s Spinner.com will host a retrospective photo gallery of Slipknot masks throughout their career, spanning all three previous albums and including the most recent controversial ‘Purgatory Masks.’ The Slipknot mask unveiling will be featured on the main page of Spinner.com worldwide for 24 hours.”

You might have thought (hoped? prayed?) Slipknot had gone away; after all, it’s been four years since their last studio album, 2004’s Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), although in that interim they also released a live album and documentary CD. Never fear: it’s clown time again. Literally.

This is not Slipknot, but if they took off their masks it might as well be:

This is actually Slipknot:

Hey, if you weren't in L.A. Thursday night -- or this weekend, for that matter -- you missed it. Scroll down to our Concert reviews section for a wrap-up of that evening's Sunset Strip Music Festival happenings and the Air Guitar Championships that were going on simultaneously.

Our man on the prowl, Jose Martinez, definitely knows his shit. Of those aspiring air shredders, he muses,"But honestly, does anybody really care? No, this was just a good time laughing at a bunch of people braver than us who don’t mind making a spectacle of themselves. Although to tell the truth, the good air guitarists are really good, while the mediocre one simply get booed and laughed at."

Boy howdy to that.

Respected underground magazine in debt and asking readers to help out.

By Fred Mills

With issue #29 of West Coast magazine Arthur en route to the printer — the mighty underground music, arts, politics and culture mag will feature Sparks on the cover — the publication has officially run of of money and has accumulated significant debt. So in an ingenious stroke, owner Jay Babcock (who, as you may remember, acquired Arthur about a year ago in the aftermath of a falling out with his original business partner that had left the mag up on blocks for an extended spell) is soliciting donations to keep it afloat.

He’s also got a deadline: July 1. Read on, and get those PayPal accounts fired up.

From Jay Babcock: 

One year ago I ran up my credit cards and borrowed money from friends  

and family in order to buy out my ex-partner in Arthur. Since then I  

have maxed out my personal and business credit cards to service that  

debt and to start up publication of Arthur again. We have worked very  

hard with very little resources: some of us could afford to work pro  

bono, others could afford to work at well below market, still others  

couldn�t afford to work for Arthur but did it anyway.

 

Still, we have bills to pay, and debt to service. Starting up again  

costs money. And my credit cards are now maxed out.

 

On the heels of lower than expected ad sales (although they are  

trending up), increased production and distribution costs (higher  

quality printing and paper, higher fuel costs, increased printrun),  

and an �under-performing non-magazine product� (the Living Theatre  

dvd, for which we�ve sold less than 25% of the printrun since launch,  

received zero reviews or notices, etc), spiraling debt service  

payments (now $2k a month) on startup costs, and most importantly ZERO  

NEW BACKERS� we�ve finally reached the point where

 

WE HAVE NO MORE MONEY.

 

If we don�t obtain at least $20k in the next six days, ARTHUR is done.  

Our long-term prospects are good, if we are fortunate enough to make  

it through this rough patch.

 

Please help. No donation is too small.

 

Our preferred method of payment is Paypal. It is a free service to  

buyers, and enables you to pay directly By VISA, MASTERCARD, AMEX,  

DISCOVER or from your checking account or debit card. You can also  

convert foreign currency to U.S. dollars. Signing up only takes a few  

minutes.
 

Please use PayPal to make a donation to editor at Arthurmag.com

 

Thank you.

 

Jay Babcock

Arthur Magazine

Compiled by Blurt Staff

57 channels and nothin’ on? Not likely. Here’s BLURT’s top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/cable/satellite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST. For a comprehensive hour-by-hour listing, go to the VH1 Rock On TV site. Note that for certain channels, shows frequently repeat during the day on or subsequent days.

PRESS RELEASE FROM NBC:

NBC'S "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" REMEMBERS GEORGE CARLIN THIS WEEKEND

"SNL" Honors Legendary Comedian George Carlin, Re-Airing Its 1975 Premiere Episode with Carlin as Host.

As hilarious and heartfelt tributes pour in marking the passing of groundbreaking comedian George Carlin, "Saturday Night Live" pays tribute on Saturday, June 28 (11:30 p.m.-1:00 a.m. ET), re-airing its premiere episode that featured Carlin as host.

Remembering Carlin, "Saturday Night Live" creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels noted: "You never forget the people who were there at the beginning. George Carlin helped give 'Saturday Night Live' its start as our first host. He was gracious, fearless, and most important of all, funny."

Typifying the show's "of-the-moment" sensibility that would continue throughout its over thirty-year history, Carlin was brought in as the first host of the groundbreaking comedy show. Carlin performed three individual monologues on the program that also introduced audiences to the now legendary "Not Ready For Prime-Time Players" Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Larraine Newman and Gilda Radner.

The 1975 episode also features musical guests Janis Ian and Billy Preston as well as a landmark performance from comedian Andy Kaufman.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

SATURDAY 6-28-08

9:00 AM Biography: Dean Martin

12:00 PM MHD: This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

1:00 PM VH1C: Heavy: The Story of Metal

3:30 PM RAVE HD: Beautiful Noise: Neko Case

6:00 PM VH1 Classic in Concert: Poison - Live, Raw & Uncut

8:00 PM Great American Country: Opry Live: Dwight Yoakam , Joe Nichols , Charley Pride , Jennifer Hanson

9:00 PM MHD: Pet Shop Boys: A Life in Pop

9:00 PM PBS: Austin City Limits: Blues Traveler / Café Tacuba

9:30 PM VH1C: Tommy (1975)

11:00 PM MTV2: Headbangers Ball: Lamb of God

11:30 PM NBC: Saturday Night Live - October 11, 1975: George Carlin / Billy Preston / Janis Ian

***

SUNDAY 6-29-08

11:00 AM Great American Country: Master Series: John Hiatt

11:00 AM MHD: Radiohead: From The Basement

12:00 PM HDNet Concert Series: Hootie and the Blowfish Live in Charleston

12:00 PM RAVE HD: Montreux Jazz Festival 1991: Ray Charles , Robert Cray , The Moody Blues

2:00 - 12:00 PM VH1C: The History of Rock 'N' Roll:

3:00 PM HDNet Concert Series: Gorillaz - Demon Days Live

4:00 PM RAVE HD: From The Basement: Beck , Jamie Lidell , Jarvis Cocker

7:00 PM MHD: O.A.R. - Live From Madison Square Garden

7:00 PM Sundance: Forty Shades of Blue (2005) w/J. Blackfoot , Jim Dickinson , Sid Selvidge , Tommy Burroughs

8:00 PM ET HDNet Concert Series: John Mellencamp Live at Walter Reed

10:30 PM MOJO: London Live!: Newton Faulkner , Alphabeat , David Jordan , The Futureheads

11:15 PM HDNet Concert Series: Willie Nelson Live at Billy Bob's

12:00 AM VH1C: Storytellers:  Billy Idol

1:00 AM VH1C: Unplugged: Nirvana

BLURT submits, for your approval, this sneak preview trailer of the upcoming Patti Smith documentary, Dream Of Life, written and directed by Steven Sebring. It was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance this year, and Sebring and Phillip won the Sundance Cinematography Award.

Poet. Artist. Singer. Friend. Mother. Activist. Performer. Legend.

Exactly.

Coming soon to a theater near you. What, you'd rather see that Hulk flick? Shame on you....

Filmed in April at Asheville’s Orange Peel club.

By Fred Mills

On April 16, 2008, Anti- recording artist DeVotchKa descended upon the Orange Peel — recently named by Rolling Stone as one of the top five clubs in America — in Asheville, NC, and BLURT was on hand. We filmed a portion of the show and did an interview with frontman Nick Urata and you can view this exclusive BLURT video in our video section.

BLURT Multi-Media Director Allie Goolrick produced, and cub reporter/Shuffle mag editor John Schacht handled the interview chores. The video footage was shot by Lindsey Liden, Manny Sadek and Kelly Doty. Big thanks to our friends at the Orange Peel!

Much ado about nuthin’ actually… why would you want to listen to 5 CDs’ worth of crappy Prince covers anyway?

By Fred Mills

Oh, snap. What do you get when you get 50 Norwegian artists to record covers of Prince tunes and them issue the results as a 5-CD box set? Why, a buncha lawyers descending upon the record label waving lawsuits!

That’s right. In a music news gossip item posted at The Daily Swarm, his Purpleness received word from C + C Records about the project and his response was to have his legal team sue C+C and demand that all extant copies of the box be destroyed.

Sounds like overkill to us.

Of course, there are some ironic elements here, aside from the obvious fact that TRIBUTE ALBUMS SUCK.

One is that the box set is being billed as “a limited edition” of 5000 copies; funny, but last time we looked, a 5000 print run for an indie label is hardly “limited.” And who can even NAME a single Norwegian artist, much less 50?

Really, who gives a shit about a box set of Prince covers by obscure bands on an obscure label?

Dennis Wilson lives!

By A.D. Amorosi

While we’re not one to celebrate sales charts, I have to admit these marks are impressive. According to Sony/BMG Legacy:

# 4 ROCK RELEASE ON AMAZON.COM DAY OF RELEASE!

# 2 BEST SELLER AT AMEOBA RECORDS IN LOS ANGELES!

# 16 DEBUT ON THE UK ALBUM CHART!

We’re no talking about a Beck or a Coldplay. This is the Epic/Legacy release of Pacific Ocean Blue: Legacy Edition – troubled Beach Boy drummer Dennis Wilson’s solo album from 1978 and its accompanying tracks from his unfinished Bambu sessions. To say that the moody record was a lost emotive masterpiece might be a bit much. But it was a gruff blue-eyed soul/folk/rock effort that showed off skills only hinted at within latter-day B-Boys hits such as “Sail On Sailor” and other Brother label releases.

Wilson died in 1983, at age 39.

You can read BLURT’s review of the album HERE or in our June digital magazine.

[Photo Credit: Dean O. Torrence]

Liz Phair in San Francisco 6/23, Modest Mouse in Rochester 6/18

By Blurt Staff

Scroll down the BLURT homepage and cast your peepers on our exclusive Liz Phair concert review — if you can tear your eyes away from the pic of Liz, above, that is. And check out our ever-growing trove of live reviews too: we also added a Modest Mouse show yesterday, with other recent entries including Plant & Krauss, Grand Archives, Bruce Springsteen and Death Cab for Cutie.

You can just click on in if you wish…

Liz Phair (by Evan Chase)

Modest Mouse (by April S. Engram)

Not a reinvention, but a “reboot”…

By Fred Mills

It’s been a good while since we had a new Mercury Rev album, but come Sept. 30 we’ll not only have one — titled Snowflake Midnight (Yep Roc) — but two Rev platters: a free download of an all-instrumental bonus album, Strange Attractor, which fans will be able to snag that same day either at the official M.R. site (www.mercuryrev.com) or at the Yep Roc page (www.yeproc.com). The records have been in the works since late last year and are produced, as usual, by the band (Jonathan Donahue, Grasshopper, and Jeff Mercel) with Dave Fridmann.

Yep Roc is referring to this as “a significant conceptual shift for the band… In a sense, ercury Rev had to "unlearn" twenty years of experience to make 'Snowflake.' ‘We wanted to let go of familiar and comfortable ideas of sound and ways of working,’ says Mercel. Traditional instruments gave way to vintage and cutting edge electronics. Songs weren't written so much as they evolved. Order was abandoned, and happenstance was embraced, resulting in one of the most fertile creative outpourings in the band's history. Every song included on 'Snowflake' was edited, manipulated and distilled from hours of recorded material.”

Tour dates for the fall are t.b.a.; Mercury Rev plays the All Tomorrow’s Parties fest Sept. 21 in Catskills, NY.

Hey, here’s a cool early Rev video. It’s “Chasing A Bee,” from Yerself Is Steam:

Cory McAbee pulls the plug on The Billy Nayer Show.

By A.D. Amorosi

Director, singer guitarist and composer Cory McAbee – the main man behind the crustily theatrical T Rex-meets-Kurt Weill The Billy Nayer Show – wrote a note today; a sad one.

“The Billy Nayer Show is dead.”

Weirdly romantic. Silly. Glam-ish. With each album, the San Franciscan born ensemble unearthed new ground - the skronk of The Villain That Love Built, psychedelic Goodbye Straplight Sarentino, I Will Miss You; the stark Rabbit. But now, he ended Nayer and named his new band after his Eraserhead-esque feature film, American Astronaut. And they/it have/has a new EP to prove as much – Goodbye California.

Go to the American Astronaut site and purchase the new EP. It’s also on iTunes.

By Fred Mills

We can't help ourselves... we just like watching BLURT contributor Mike Edison jammin' on the six string while huffin' a lungful of skunk weed. Best bit of product placement (for his I Have Fun Everywhere I Go book, currently excerpted in the June digital mag of BLURT) we've seen all year.

And we're also digging a vintage MP3 of his band the Edison Rocket Train, featuring special guest Jon Spencer. Enjoy!

Check out “Freezerburn”

Not just your mama’s block rockin’ beats…

By Blurt Staff

The Chemical Brothers decide to take a break, rest on their laurels, and follow up their Grammy-winning We Are The Night with Brotherhood a 2-CD greatest hits set, due Sept. 2 on Astralwerks. Disc One compiles key singles and adds new track "Keep My Composure" featuring Spank Rock.

Disc Two will be Electronic Battle Weapons 1-10. We are advised that since 1996 Electronic Battle Weapons “have acted as the laboratories for The Chems devious musical experiments and laid the rhythmic and melodic foundations for numerous tracks as well as providing some of the duos most formidable mixes. Until now Electronic Battle Weapons 1-9 have only been available on various limited formats and this is the first time they have been widely available.” Digital single "Midnight Madness" (also on Disc Two) will be part of the project as well:derived and developed from Electronic Battle Weapon 10 , "Midnight Madness" is “infectious, euphoric, report to the dancefloor.”

Track Listing:

DISC 1
01. Galvanize
02. Hey Boy Hey Girl
03.  Block Rockin' Beats
04.  Do It Again
05. Believe
06. Star Guitar
07. Let Forever Be (Featuring Noel Gallagher)
08. Leave Home
09. Keep My Composure (Featuring Spank Rock)
10. Saturate
11. Out Of Control
12. The Golden Path � (Featuring The Flaming Lips)��
13. Setting Sun � (Featuring Noel Gallagher)
14. Chemical Beats

DISC 2
1-10 Electronic Battle Weapons

Headliners include Radiohead, Beck Tom Petty, Ben Harper, Wilco & Jack Johnson

By Blurt Staff

Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival has announced new additions to the line-up for the first inaugural event. Howlin' Rain, The Dynamites and Carney are rounding out Friday August 22nd.  The Walkmen, Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet featuring Bela Fleck and Everest have been added to Saturday August 23rd. Toots & the Maytals, Rogue Wave, Mike Gordon and Vienna Teng have been added to Sunday, August 24th.

The multi-faceted, three-day festival will take place in San Francisco's historic Golden Gate Park on August 22 - 24, 2008. Radiohead,Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Jack Johnson will headline the event.  Tickets for the Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival are available for purchase at www.SFOutsidelands.com. A portion of every ticket sold will directly benefit Golden Gate Park.

The updated schedule for each day is as follows:

FRIDAY AUGUST 22ND (FIRST BAND IS ON AT 5PM)

Radiohead
Beck
Manu Chao
The Black Keys
Cold War Kids
Steel Pulse
Black Mountain
The Felice Brothers
Howlin Rain
The Dynamites
Carney

SATURDAY AUGUST 23RD (FIRST BAND IS ON AT 1PM)

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
Primus
Steve Winwood
Lupe Fiasco
Café Tacvba
Regina Spektor
Galactic's Crescent City Soul Krewe feat. Dirty Dozen Horns
M. Ward
Devendra Banhart
Matt Nathanson
Two Gallants
Dredg
Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet feat. Bela Fleck
The Walkmen
Sidestepper
Kaki King
The Coup
Donavon Frankenreiter
Nellie McKay
Goapele
Sean Hayes
Rupa & The April Fishes
Everest

SUNDAY AUGUST 24TH (FIRST BAND IS ON AT 1PM)

Jack Johnson
Wilco
Widespread Panic
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
Broken Social Scene
Andrew Bird
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Drive-By Truckers
Toots & the Maytals
Stars
Rogue Wave
ALO
Jackie Greene
Mike Gordan
The Cool Kids
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Little Brother
Bon Iver
The Mother Hips
Nicole Atkins & The Sea
K'naan
Back Door Slam

Alan Vega: the man who put the “thug” in the term “thug-punk”…

By Fred Mills

Whattaya get when you line up Bruce Springsteen, Primal Scream, Peaches, Nick Cave’s Grinderman, Spiritualized, the Horrors, Sunn 0))+Pansonic, Julian Cope, Lydia Lunch, Vincent Gallo, Klaxons and the Liars? Why, a year-long, monthly series of limited edition 10-inch EPs all paying tribute to legendary electro-punk godfathers Suicide and helping mark vocalist Alan Vega’s upcoming birthday. The first EP will be released on July 28 (track listing below).

UK label Blast First (Petite) is behind the series and will additionally be releasing this month Suicide 1977-1978 a 6-CD box (limited to 300 copies) that features thirteen complete live Suicide sets from the early New York performances and their legendary first European tour supporting both The Clash & Elvis Costello. Some of the shows have been bootlegged in the past but have never before seen official release with top-notch sound quality. They are culled from the archives of Howard Thompson, the man who originally signed Suicide to Bronze/EMI outside of the USA.

Meanwhile, each EP will feature an established recording artist paying tribute to Alan by covering one of his songs, plus a previously unreleased Suicide/Vega rarity from the archives and a cover version by a young and upcoming band. Those whippersnappers include Beat The Devil/Shilpa Ray, No Bra, HTRK, X-Vectors, Nik Void (ex Kaito) , Effi Briest, S.C.U.M, Stephen Burroughs (ex Head Of David).

First Three EPs’ Track Listings:

July28:
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - DREAM BABY DREAM 6:55
SUICIDE - MIDNIGHT SPECIAL LIVE 3:51
BEAT THE DEVIL / SHILPA RAY - MR RAY 5:30

COVER IMAGE : EDWARD MAPPLETHORPE
TWO EDITIONS OF 4000 EACH BLACK & CLEAR VINYL

August 25:
THE HORRORS - SHADAZZ 4:18
SUICIDE - RADIATION 5:06
NIK VOID - ROCKET USA 3:58

COVER IMAGE : ALEX ROSE
EDITION OF 3000

Sept. 29:
PEACHES -JONNY 2:01
SUICIDE - JONNY LIVE 1978 3:07
S.C.U.M. - WILD IN BLUE 5:23

COVER IMAGE : CARY KWOK
EDITION OF 2000

***

Suicide 1977-1978 Track Listing:

DISC 1 1977 NYC  [46:52]
1 SUICIDE CBGB Sept 29 1977               24:43   
2 SUICIDE CBGB Dec 3 1977 set2           22:09    

DISC 2 1978 NYC  [71:21]
1 SUICIDE The Palladium NYC Jan 7 1978      21:45  
2 SUICIDE Maxs Jan 13 1978                     22:55  
3 SUICIDE CBGB Feb 3 1978                     26:41  

DISC 3 1978 BELGIUM/FRANCE  [70:42]
1 SUICIDE Brussels June 16 1978                               23:44  
2 SUICIDE Paris Olympia+Backstage June 18 1978            46:58  

DISC 4 1978 GERMANY  [68:29]
1 SUICIDE Hamburg Audiomax June 28 1978                   21:26 
2 SUICIDE Berlin Kant Kino/Neue Welt June 30 1978           22:42 
3 SUICIDE Berlin Kant Kino/Neue Welt June 30 1978 set2 24:21 

DISC 5 1978 UK  [64:17]
1 SUICIDE London MusicMachine July 24 1978           25:37 
2 SUICIDE Our Price Radio Ad                                 1:09 
3 SUICIDE Erics Liverpool July 29 1978                     31:12 
4 SUICIDE Erics pt 2 Frankie Teardrop July 29 1978      6:19 

DISC 6 1978 NYC [AFTER EUROPE]  [43:35]
1 SUICIDE Maxs August 25 1978 recorded by Eric Mache 43:35

Boy George will not be the opening act on the tour, however….

By Fred Mills

Kings of Leon drop their fourth album, Only By The Night, on September 23, 2008. Only By The Night was recorded at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, TN, and was produced by Angelo Petraglia, Jacquire King and Kings of Leon.

According to the band’s handlers Only By The Night is a “bold and expansive sonic statement that looks set to solidify Kings of Leon's position as one of the most important international acts of 2008 and beyond. It follows rapidly in the footsteps of the band's previous albums, Youth And Young Manhood, Aha Shake Heartbreak and Because Of The Times, all of which have quickly established them as one of the most prolific and acclaimed acts around.”

Well, ya got that right. Full details on the album t.b.a. The band has also lined up some pretty big-ass shows this summer, most of them high profile Euro festival dates. The tour begins on 27 June at the world famous Glastonbury festival, where they headline the main Pyramid stage, before continuing with further headline appearances at Oxegen, T In The Park and V Festival and throughout Europe. On August 9, the band will play the All Points West Festival in Liberty State Park, in Jersey City, NJ.

Kings Of Leon Tour Dates:

27 June: Glastonbury Festival, Somerset UK
29 June: Open Air St Gallen Festival, Switzerland
4 July: Roskilde Festival, Denmark
5 July: Werchter Festival, Belgium
8 July: Le Zenith, Paris France
11 July: Oxegen Festival, Ireland
13 July: T In The Park Festival, Scotland
18 July: Summercase Festival, Madrid Spain
19 July: Summercase Festival, Barcelona Spain
9 August: All Points West Festival, Liberty State Park, Jersey City
16 August: V Festival, Weston Park, Staffordshire UK
17 August: V Festival, Hylands Park, Chelmsford UK

Carlin’s Corner: Man who gave us 7 words you can’t say on TV goes to the great stand-up improv in the sky.

By Fred Mills

George Carlin is dead at 71, from heart failure. He passed away yesterday in Los Angeles after being admitted to St. John’s Health Center complaining of chest pains; the comedian had a history of heart trouble.

What can we say? He was a legend and a pioneer. In 1972 he was arrested for “disturbing the peace” following a comedy sketch in Milwaukee in which he uttered his famous list of “seven words you can never say on television,” and after a radio station aired the routine it triggered an obscenity case that went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled that the sketch was “indecent but not obscene,” thereby making Carlin part of legal history.

 More recently, Carlin contributed to BLURT predecessor Harp magazine’s comedy issue. In our September 2007 issue, in a Carlin-penned article titled “How Radio Changed My Life” he reminisced about growing up in the ‘50s and creating mock-radio programs with a tape recorder, later graduating to being a Top 40 deejay himself. Wrote Carlin:

“Top 40 was only a couple of years old; not many markets had Top 40 stations. We’re talking about stations that just played a single playlist, over and over. This was proving to be a big thing in the ’50s, and we were in on the ground floor. Rock ’n’ roll was just getting started. The year that I went there, Elvis Presley’s ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ was the hit. It was just the beginning of the white people taking over the black people’s music.

“See, I grew up in Harlem. I grew up with real rhythm-and-blues, not that stuff by the McGuire Sisters and the Crew-Cuts and all of these fake, white groups that covered the black hits. I hated when the whites took over the music. I didn’t really enjoy this rock ’n’ roll as much as some of the kids I was playing it for. I just had that little cultural divide, where I was more of a black-music person and I was playing this hybrid of black music and country that came to be called rock ’n’ roll.

“Now, again, not passing judgment on rock ’n’ roll, ‘cause [it] came to be a philosophy beyond just a certain way of having the beats in a measure of music arranged. So I am definitely a rock ’n’ roll person when it comes to that. I understood why the kids liked it, I loved playing it ’cause it was energetic and exciting, but I wasn’t a fan. I would go back and pick out other things.

“We had a playlist, but it was not rigid. You didn’t get punished if you played something you liked; you could do what you wanted. We were allowed to develop a little bit of patter and an on-the-air personality. I called it ‘Carlin’s Corner’ for a while.”

Thank ya, sir. Your contribution to Harp was greatly appreciated.

And all you parents out there: like it or not, Carlin wielded an influence of sorts upon your little carpet sharks circa 1991-97: that's when he served as the voice of the narrator on the Thomas The Tank Engine kid's show Thomas & Friends. Bet ya didn't hear any of those seven words then!

Okay, in tribute to GC, let’s revisit those words. (The usage examples that follow each word come from Wikipedia.) You might not be able to say ‘em on TV, but we can sure as fuck post ‘em to this website.

1. Shit - The bird shit on the statue.
2. Piss - I have to piss like a race horse.
3. Fuck - Fuck you.
4. Cunt - She has a gorgeous cunt.
5. Cocksucker - Go to hell, you cocksucker.
6. Motherfucker - You are a motherfucker.
7. Tits - Hey, nice tits.

Later, Carlin referred to three additional "auxiliary" words:

1. Fart - I farted.
2. Turd - Who dropped a turd in the urinal?
3. Twat - Shave that hairy twat.

And we’re hoping to read about smoking all that dope with Evan Dando!

By Blurt Staff     

Juliana Hatfield has unveiled details of her upcoming memoir, entitled When I Grow Up, slated to be published by John Wiley & Sons on September 29th.  The book follows the renowned singer/songwriter's much-anticipated new album, How to Walk Away, due from Hatfield's own Ye Olde Records on August 19th.

At turns wryly funny and heartbreakingly sincere, When I Grow Up offers Hatfield's inimitable perspective on her remarkable 20-year career.  Penned during her recent year-long sabbatical from music, the book chronicles her extraordinary journey, from her teenage beginnings in the pioneering indie-rock combo, Blake Babies, and iconic rise to alternative solo stardom, to the past decade's stunning streak of increasingly mature, critically acclaimed albums.

When I Grow Up takes readers backstage and behind the scenes of a life lived in rock 'n' roll, detailing the origin of her songs, her battles with clinical depression, and her quest to find purpose after all of her dreams had seemingly come true. Throughout the book, Hatfield recounts her skyscraping highs and deep, dark lows in the same engaging voice her fans have loved for years - spirited, witty, and always candid.

Penning When I Grow Up led to a burst of creative energy that also spawned Hatfield's 10th solo album, How To Walk Away.  Produced by Andy Chase (of revered alt-rock/pop band Ivy), the album is among her best to date, featuring songs that are both layered and unhurried, bittersweet yet life-affirming.  Hatfield is joined on the album by a number of friends made along the way, including Richard Butler (Psychedelic Furs), Matthew Caws (Nada Surf), Jody Porter (Fountains of Wayne), and Tracy Bonham.

"Shining On," a key track on How To Walk Away, is currently streaming at Hatfield's MySpace page, located at www.myspace.com/julianahatfield.   In addition, her blog sees her writing about songs selected by fans from her sizable repertoire.  "Read it at your own risk," Hatfield warns.  "Illusions may be shattered.”

Hatfield recently contributed "Back To Freedom," an exclusive track recorded during the How To Walk Away sessions, to the Green Owl Compilation: A Benefit For the Energy Action Coalition. You can read about that CD on the BLURT site HERE.

And check out our exclusive Hatfield interview in the current June digital magazine issue of BLURT!

[Photo Credit: Jonathan Stark]

Compiled by Blurt Staff

57 channels and nothin’ on? Not likely. Here’s BLURT’s top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/cable/satellite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST.

For a comprehensive hour-by-hour listing, go to the VH1 Rock On TV site. Note that for certain channels, shows frequently repeat during the day or on subsequent days. 

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM/ ARTIST(S)

10:05 AM FLIX: Village People - Can't Stop the Music (1980)

12:00 PM MHD: O.A.R. - Live From Madison Square Garden

12:00 PM MTV2: FNMTV Premieres: Lil Wayne , Duffy , Vampire Weekend , Boys Like Girls , Lil Mama , Shawty Lo

2:40 PM Encore Westerns: Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973)

6:55 PM IFC: A Hard Day's Night (1964)

7:00 PM RAVE HD: From The Basement: The White Stripes , The Shins , The Divine Comedy

7:00 PM VH1C: Genesis - When in Rome

9:00 PM FUEL: The Daily Habit: Dylan Graves, The Black Angels

9:00 PM RAVE HD: Montreux Jazz Festival 2003: Radiohead , The Pretenders , Bonnie Raitt , Van Morrison

11:00 PM VH1C: Janis (1974) w/Janis Joplin , Big Brother & the Holding Company

11:35 PM NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Sleepercar

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: N.E.R.D.

12:35 AM NBC: Late Night with Conan O'Brien:Drive-By Truckers

12:37 AM CBS: The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Amos Lee

1:35 AM NBC: Last Call with Carson Daly: Grizzly Bear

2:30 AM Comedy Central: Chappelle's Show: Cee-Lo

12 artists contribute tracks to benefit financial/medical needs of fellow musicians.

By BLURT Staff

The Washington, DC-based intellectual property law firm Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP has announced the release of Interlude, a charity compilation benefiting MusiCares® (www.musicares.org), an organization that provides financial, medical and personal needs of musicians. The CD will feature songs by 12 different artists, including Eleni Mandell (“My Twin”), Kelly Willis (“You and Your Sister”), Chuck Prophet (the heretofore unreleased “Bring On The Love”) and Ana Egge (“Apple Tree”). From the press release:

For the last 10 years Finnegan has hosted an impressive selection of critically acclaimed musical artists to perform at its annual International Trademark Association (INTA) reception. This year, Finnegan chose to celebrate ten years of amazing performances with a commemorative CD that would help support musicians in need through a donation to the MusiCares Foundation. All of the musicians on the CD have donated their music.

Through a donation to MusiCares, Finnegan and its artist “alumni” are supporting musicians and helping to ensure that those in the music industry have access to a support system. MusiCares is a charitable foundation of The Recording Academy®, which supports the music community and honors artists' achievements through the annual GRAMMY Awards.

Downloads will be available on June 23rd at www.Finnegan.com.

Track Listing:

1. Catie Curtis – “Find You Now”

2. Chuck Prophet – “Bring On The Love”

3. Eleni Mandell – “My Twin”

4. Ana Egge – “Apple Tree”

5. Utah Carol – “Come Back Baby”

6. Last Train Home – “Quarter to 3”

7. Michelle Malone – “Beyond the Mountain”

8. Amy Farris – “Anyway”

9. Jonatha Brooke – “Walking”

10. Sara Hickman – “A Song of You”

11. Kelly Willis – “You and Your Sister”

12. Terri Hendrix – “Soul of My Soul”

[Chuck Prophet photo by Jeremy Harris]

Willie Nelson distributes initial relief funds Saturday to Iowa grassroots coalition.

By Blurt Staff

While George Bush uttered yet more Katrina-like rhetoric and hollow promises, flooding continued to ravage agricultural and rural towns on the banks of the Mississippi River and other rivers. As a result, Farm Aid activated its Family Farm Disaster Fund to get immediate relief to family farmers in Iowa, Wisconsin and across the Midwest. Farm Aid President and Founder Willie Nelson distributed the first grant from the Family Farm Disaster Fund on Saturday, June 21, to the Iowa Grassroots Coalition, a group of farm and faith-based organizations in Iowa working on the recovery effort.

"Our hearts go out to the folks all along the Mississippi who are being affected by the severe floods that have taken out towns and farms in Iowa and Wisconsin," said Farm Aid President Willie Nelson. "At Farm Aid, we have had friends in these communities for 23 years who can deliver immediate support to family farmers, getting them back on the land, growing good food for all of us."

Reports indicate that at least four million acres of farmland are underwater and that a high percentage will not be replanted this growing season. Many family farms in the region growing specialty crops and produce are not adequately covered by federal crop insurance and may not have the financial support necessary to rebuild.

Farm Aid emergency assistance is supporting local recovery efforts in Iowa and Wisconsin, delivering an initial $10,000 in disaster-relief funds to grassroots organizations. Since the Family Farm Disaster Fund was activated on Wednesday of this week, more than $40,000 has already been donated by individuals and organizations, including Best Buy and WhiteWave, makers of Horizon Organic and Silk Soymilk. As money is raised, Farm Aid’s focus is to quickly distribute money to affected areas, where it can best benefit farm families.

"In the face of the devastation caused by the flooding across the Midwest, Farm Aid is proud to work with the individuals and organizations that have already stepped up and shown their support for family farmers. Together, we will help these farmers rebuild and protect our source of good food," said Farm Aid Executive Director Carolyn Mugar.

Farm Aid is supporting the disaster-relief efforts of the Iowa Grassroots Coalition, which includes Buy Fresh Buy Local Iowa, Center for Rural Affairs, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, Iowa Farmers Union, Iowa Network for Community Agriculture, Iowa Organic Association, National Catholic Rural Life Conference, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Women Food and Agriculture Network, farmer and advocate Denise O¹Brien, and Wendy Wasserman, editor of Edible Iowa River Valley. As more information is available about the impact of the flooding in states across the Midwest, Farm Aid will work with additional organizations to quickly get resources to family farmers in those states.

"Family farmers across Iowa have been sharing their personal stories about the impact this monumental flooding has had on their farm operations," said Coalition spokesperson Denise O'Brien, an Atlantic, IA farmer. "We want to get assistance to these farmers as quickly as possible, and we thank our long-time friends at Farm Aid for giving us their support."

Contributions can be made to Farm Aid¹s Family Farm Disaster Fund online at www.farmaid.org.

Compiled by Blurt Staff

57 channels and nothin’ on? Not likely. Here’s BLURT’s top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/cable/satellite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST.

For a comprehensive hour-by-hour listing, go to the VH1 Rock On TV site. Note that for certain channels, shows frequently repeat during the day or on subsequent days.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM/ ARTIST(S)

SATURDAY, JUNE 21

10:00 AM RAVE HD: Beautiful Noise: Ron Sexsmith

1:30 PM FUSE: Fuse Live from Bonnaroo: Raconteurs , Metallica, My Morning Jacket, Jack Johnson, Mastodon, Against Me,

2:00 PM RAVE HD: Later With Jools Holland: Paul Weller ,

Carlos Santana , Anthony Hamilton , Bettye Lavette , John Cale, Sheryl Crow

3:00 PM RAVE HD: From The Basement: The White Stripes , The Shins , The Divine Comedy

6:00 PM MHD: Unplugged (VH1): Black Crowes

6:30 PM FUSE: Live Through This: Amy Winehouse

9:00 PM PBS: Austin City Limits: Gretchen Wilson / Miranda Lambert

10:00 PM ETV: Saturday Night Live (E!): Steve Carell / Kanye West

10:00 PM MTV2: Saturday Rock The Deuce: Coldplay

12:00 AM MHD: SoulStage: The Roots

3:05 AM Showtime Next: End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones

***

SUNDAY, JUNE 22

10:00 AM RAVE HD: Montreux Jazz Festival 2005: Garbage , Kasabian , The Bravery , Jon Spencer Blues Explosion , Big Pants

11:30 AM BET: Alicia Keys: Requested

1:30 PM HDNet: LIVE! from Central Park SummerStage: Yeah Yeah Yeahs

4:30 PM HDNet: Son Volt Live - Okemah & the Melody of Riot

6:00 PM Showtime Next: End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones

7:00 PM TVONE: Little Richard (2000)

8:00 PM MHD: Isle of Wight '07: The Rolling Stones , Amy Winehouse , Keane , Snow Patrol , Muse , Wolfmother

9:00 PM TVONE: Prince - Purple Rain (1984)

11:00 PM HDNet: Coldplay: How We Saw The World (Part 1)

11:00 PM TVONE: James Brown: The Man, The Music & The Message

11:00 PM VH1C: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony:

Class of 2008

Mind those sensationalist headlines, kids, you just might get duped!

By Blurt Staff

Amanda Palmer, vocalist, keyboardist and songwriter for her band The Dresden Dolls is set to drop her first solo album on Sept. 16 via Roadrunner. Here’s the scoop from the label. Hey, they write this stuff better than we do, so why rewrite perfectly good promotional hype!

***

Whether participating in theater projects both in America and abroad, or simply helping to run the fan-generated merch company the Dolls started called Post-War Trade, Amanda Palmer is a woman whose artistic endeavors have no boundaries.  This September, these undertakings come together with the release of Amanda's incredible solo debut, entitled Who Killed Amanda Palmer, on Roadrunner Records.

Who Killed Amanda Palmer began as a minimal affair:  with songs amassing that did not seem to require drums, Amanda decided to record a solo album for piano and voice, made in her bedroom, finished in a week.   And then, as if the universe turned to her and said, "not so fast…," Amanda happened to meet Ben Folds in Australia, bonded over mutual loves and suddenly, the record was moved out of the bedroom and into Folds' Nashville-based, piano-filled recording studio.  With Ben Folds acting as producer, the songs on Who Killed Amanda Palmer (a name initially meant as a Twin Peaks reference that has since come to take on new meanings for Amanda), began to come alive, resulting in what is some of the best recorded work of her multi-faceted career.

Mixing the magical and the macabre, the mundane and the sentimental, Who Killed Amanda Palmer is a musical tour de force, the culmination of nearly ten years' worth of songwriting.  Some songs on the album pop and twist with the intensity of their own subject matter – Amanda has never been one to shy away from the taboo – while others are soft and intimate, revealing sides of Amanda not usually seen within her work in The Dresden Dolls.  Featuring guest turns from the likes of The Dead Kennedys' East Bay Ray (on "Guitar Hero"), St. Vincent's Annie Clark (on a warped take on Carousel's "What's the Use of Wondrin"), cellist Zoe Keating, and string arrangements by master composer Paul Buckmaster, Who Killed Amanda Palmer gives Amanda's incredible compositions new color via expansive instrumentation and glorious arrangements. 

Opener "Astronaut" starts the album with a divine blast of driving strings, cymbal crashes and the piano pounding for which Amanda is known, while "Runs in the Family," one of the oldest of the songs on the album, runs wild out of the speakers, Amanda's vocals so passionate she seems barely unable to catch her breath.  First single "Leeds United," recorded in Scotland on a whim, is a pop masterpiece, Amanda's voice raspy and raw against the marching band horn stabs of the chorus.  "Strength Through Music," written in response to the Columbine shootings and recorded around the time of the Virginia Tech shootings, is anchored by two moving piano chords and a palpable sense of loneliness, while the sinister organ of "Guitar Hero" takes on video game fanaticism, machismo and alienation with a sarcastic  sneer.  Closing track "Another Year" finishes the album with a string-filled melody and Amanda's voice sounding more worn and lost than ever before as she details the passing of time and her own place in the world.

Who Killed Amanda Palmer features liner notes written by celebrated graphic novelist Neil Gaiman, with whom Amanda will be collaborating on a photography book in tandem with the album's release.    Amanda will be embarking on a tour in support of the album this fall; in the meantime, she is playing a once-in-a-lifetime show with The Boston Pops Orchestra in her hometown of Boston tonight, June 20^th, at Symphony Hall.

Track Listing:

1.       Astronaut

2.      Runs in the Family

3.      Ampersand

4.      Leeds United

5.      Blake Says

6.      Strength Through Music

7.      Guitar Hero

8.      Have to Drive

9.      What's the Use of Wondrin

10.  Melissa Mahoney

11.   The Point of It All

12.   Another Year

[Photo Credit: Chris Crisman]

Budos Band and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings for your viewing pleasure.

By Fred Mills

A whole lotta fonkin’ goin’ on in the BLURT video library today. We’ve just added a pair of soul-struttin’ clips from Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and a pair of steamy tracks by their Daptone Recs labelmates The Budos Band. Scroll down to our video kiosk or click HERE for a scroll-free entry…

Here’s the deal:

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings – “Tell Me”

WDAP-TV Saturday afternoon dance party time! Filmed in Bushwick, Brooklyn, this was directed by Adam Elias Buncher. From the Daptone album 100 Days, 100 Nights.

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings – “100 Days, 100 Nights”

Also from the Daptone album 100 Days, 100 Nights (duh), and directed by Adam Elias Buncher. The band advises us he was “using two vintage TV cameras bought on E-Bay for $50 dollars each. Shows how much you can do with just a little soul!”

The Budos Band – “The Volcano Song”

Afrobeat and red hot lava -- what more do ya want? Originally appearing on The Budos Band (2005, Daptone). The video was edited by Steve Pitalo, Packrat NYC.

The Budos Band – “Origin Of Man”

From the second Budos album, Budos II (Daptone Records), directed by Luke Stiles and Matt Rogers and edited by Matt Rogers. Watch out for that scorpion while you’re rockin’ the Casbah, folks.

Check out MP3 of song “Gillian Was A Horse.”

By Blurt Staff

Damien Jurado’s next album, Caught In the Trees, is due September 9^th from Secretly Canadian. It marks the dawn of a new era for Jurado — not be a huge departure from some of his past albums musically, but lyrically Jurado has taken a giant leap forward and there is no turning back. Best known for his dark yet fragile first person fictional tales, Jurado now unlocks the door and invites us into his own enigmatic world.

Jurado took a full year to make this record, longer than ever before, as he ran away from and eventually found himself in his own songs. He subsequently found refuge in sharing the songs with his closest friends and bandmates, Eric Fisher and Jenna Conrad. Having walked alongside him through this most challenging journey, the songs that came out of it are as much theirs as his. Jurado, Fisher, and Conrad collaborated on the compositions - some much more rocking than Jurado fans are used to, but ever as intense - and pulled in producers Kory Kruckenberg and Casey Foubert to contribute their own unique stylings.

Recording started in the summer months and the sweltering heat, and wrapped in the freezing temps of winter. (It is clear on first listen that two distinct seasons are represented through Caught In the Trees - an accidental metaphor perhaps?) There was laughter and there was introspection, and the result is a record that Jurado loyalists will find was worth the wait. And perhaps a reason to listen for those who have yet to give this bedraggled storyteller a chance.

You can snag a preview of the album by checking out an MP3 of the leadoff track “Gillian Was A Horse.”

Jurado will be previewing two other songs, "Sheets" and "Everything Trying,” in an intimate solo performance on The Daily Habit this Monday, June 23rd at 9:00pm EST and again at 12:00am EST.  For more program times, visit the Fuel TV site.

He'll then return to the UK in August for two headline dates and a set at the Green Man festival. He will be accompanied by Eric Fisher and Jenna Conrad. A U.S. tour will be announced shortly.

August 17    Crickhowell, Green Man Festiva