Say the term "Transverse Temporal Gyrus" ten times real fast and it'll be yours!

In March 2010, Animal Collective and visual artist Danny Perez (director of Oddsac, and the videos: "Summertime Clothes", "Who Could Win A Rabbit" & "You Can Count On Me") put on a multimedia installation called "Transverse Temporal Gyrus" at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. To expand the reach of the installation Animal Collective released an exclusive 12inch (Domino) over the weekend for Record Store Day 2012 featuring audio from the installation and this week launched an interactive website (ttg.myanimalhome.net) to bring the unique and immersive "Transverse Temporal Gyrus" experience to anyone with an internet connection.  

Danny Perez explains, "The website allows people an opportunity to experience "Transverse Temporal Gyrus" in a unique way. Just as the installation refashioned what a traditional performance and environment would be, the website reformats these materials again into something new. Video, audio, and images from that one evening provide a unique perspective to both people who were there and those that weren't." 

The audio for the installation was made of individual sounds and songs created by each member Animal Collective.  Over the course of two, three-hour performances, the basic tracks were fed into a computer program designed by Stephan Moore that randomized the track order, and sometimes randomly combined stems from one track with stems from another.  The program panned the music in various directions around a 36 channel surround sound system that ran through 36 speakers set up from the top of the Guggenheim's ramp to the bottom. The '"Transverse Temporal Gyrus" website features a free downloadable  audio player (for both Mac and PC) that recreates the computer program designed for the Guggenheim installation over 2 stereo channels.  This will give listeners a new and unique collage each time the program is run. 

Stephan Moore describes the sound design and programming:

"The sound score and installation for "Transverse Temporal Gyrus" was spontaneously re-created at each performance by rearranging dozens of recorded sounds and flying them around the Guggenheim Museum space according to a set of complex rules.  A graphical representation of the entire automated decision-making process (the actual computer code written in MaxMSP) makes up the poster image that accompanies the 12inch release, and the complete software itself is now available to download as share-alike open-source.  I wanted to share the software as much for its visual interest as for the procedural information in the code - I love the way MaxMSP looks. The TTG code was written very quickly over a three-day period, and much of the haste and fever of my marathon coding sessions has been preserved in the tangle of patch cords, idiosyncratic syntax, and quasi-organic piles of code objects.  Hopefully, the opportunity to explore the underlying software through these various media, and the ability to reproduce a version of the original installation at home using the stereo player application, provides some perspective and insight into the full potential of the overall work."

Both the 12inch record and corresponding website aim to bring the "Transverse Temporal Gyrus" experience to a wider audience, both in their own totally unique ways. Noted the band's Geologist, "One of the best things about doing "Transverse Temporal Gyrus" with Danny was the opportunity to give the audience at the Guggenheim a unique experience that could never be recreated.  The only disappointment was the inability to share it with more people, and this website finally allows us do that in some way, while ensuring that every individual experience will still remain just as singular and unique."

At the Fox Theatre on November 15, he proved he was still crazy after all these years.

By Steve Pick

So Beautiful or So What, Paul Simon's release earlier this year, is a front-runner for best album of 2011. Filled with songs of insight, beauty, humor, and vivacity, So Beautiful or So What is on the short list of records that stand with the best of an artists career nearly 50 years after they first recorded. On tour to ostensibly promote this achievement, Paul Simon somewhat perversely chose to play only four of his new songs in concert. However, there can be no complaints about a single one of the other 22 selections pulled from his extensive catalogue.

Simon stands with Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan as 60s icons who still work hard at creating new music. But unlike McCartney, who in concert delivers the old hits with passion yet textbook adherence to the original recording, or Dylan, who seemingly randomly rearranges favorite songs to sometimes brilliant effect but without always being recognizable, Simon remains engaged with his material. The most familiar songs, such as "The Sound of Silence" or "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover," were given thoughtful and tasteful new renditions without losing any of the luster they had displayed for decades.

Simon is not one to take chances unprepared; each night of this latest tour, he has played pretty much the exact same songs in the exact same order. Having given careful consideration to the ways he wanted to play off his hits with his new songs, and connect themes and images across the years, Simon sticks to the game plan night after night. The result was an evening of music which marvelously flowed together. Slow songs alternated with fast ones, leading to an explosive dance party at precisely the proper moment.

The band Simon has assembled for this tour is astonishing. Given the variety of rhythmic styles Simon has incorporated into his music over the years - reggae, zydeco, South African dance pop, Brazilian drum patterns, 70s jazzy studio sophistication - there can be few musicians capable of so perfectly capturing the spirit of each. Simon gave each of his players a chance to shine, but none hogged the spotlight. This band is as aware as their leader that the presentation of the songs is the most important  part of this show. Props must be given to Vincent Nguini on guitar, Jim Oblon on drums, Mick Rossi on piano and keyboards, Andrew Snitzer on saxophone and keyboards, Bakithi Kumalo (who has played with Simon since Graceland in 1986) on bass , Mark Stewart on guitar and baritone sax, Jamey Haddad on percussion, and Tony Cedras on several instruments, including trumpet to form a powerful horn section with Stewart and Snitzer.

While most songs were given shiny new treatments, material from Graceland, which will be celebrated next year with a tour in honor of its 25^th anniversary (which was really this year) was played as close to the fashion of the recorded versions as possible. "The Boy in the Bubble" opened the show, and "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes," "Gumboots," and "Graceland" itself proved this band could be as supple and sinuous as the South African musicians who played on the original album. Surprisingly, however, the song which received the biggest response was "That Was Your Mother," the zydeco number which was revved up to a fever pitch. As this was a rare song on which Simon played no instruments, he was even inspired to do a little jig onstage, which possibly helped encourage the crowd to jump to its feet for the first of several times during the show.

The new material was received well. "Dazzling Blue" was as sweet and limber as the recorded version, and benefited from guest fiddler Gabe Witcher of opening act Punch Brothers, who played on the album. "The Afterlife," built on an irresistible African groove, is one of the funniest songs Simon has ever written, imagining a bureaucratic Heaven and a God which boils down to either "Be Bop a Lula" or "Ooh Poppa Do."  "Rewrite" is another funny one, albeit with a more serious subtext about repairing the mistakes of a lifetime, and the live version was given a sparser treatment, with some lovely guitar playing from all three ax-wielders. "Love is Eternal Sacred Light," your typical pop song about the Big Bang, God, and suicide bombing, is one of the finest things Simon has ever written, and its inclusion in the set was a terrific way of proving he hasn't stopped asking the big questions after all these years.

Even with a show lasting just around two hours, there was no way Simon could play everybody's favorite songs, so it was perhaps curious that he did a few cover versions. Each was so delightful, however, that nobody could complain. A medley of "Mystery Train" (with homage being paid more to Junior Parker's original than to Elvis Presley's more familiar version) and "Wheels," a classic instrumental by Chet Atkins, was a wonderful breath-taking after one of Simon's most serious and lovely originals, "Hearts and Bones." As part of the encore, Simon did an exquisite take on "Here Comes the Sun," at the end of which he said, "Thanks, George, for writing such a great song." And for the second-to-last song of the night, the band went wild on a version of Bo Diddley's "Pretty Thing," sung by Oblon and featuring an ebullient Kumalo on kettle drum and a verse of African vocals.

The rest of the show was all hits, all the time. "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" was slowed down and funked up, making the song slightly more sinister than it originally seemed. "Mother and Child Reunion" (aka the first reggae song many Americans ever heard) was heavenly, especially with Cedras playing a sweet trumpet, but it did miss the female backing vocals from the original. "Slip Slidin' Away" was an interesting merger of the original arrangement with the African-inspired bass drum throb. "The Obvious Child," from Rhythm of the Saints, took the original Olodum drum beat from Brazil and amped it up into the most exhilarating song of the night. "The Only Living Boy in New York" was the only Simon and Garfunkel song played, and it was lovely enough that his partner's voice wasn't even missed. "Kodachrome" was marred by the audience clapping along much more stiffly than the band was playing, and "Still Crazy After All These Years" ended the entire show with a beautiful version of one of Simon's most perfectly crafted songs.

For his first encore, however, Simon stood on the stage completely alone to perform "The Sound of Silence." At one time, Simon was almost as brilliant a finger-picking guitarist as he is a songwriter, and this rendition reminded us of his skills. He started by playing the exquisite melody with perfect grace, then began to sing the familiar words welcoming his old pal darkness and describing his dream of desolation and isolation. At first, Simon sang this at a slight remove, seeming to recall his youthful worries as something no longer a concern. But, as he moved into the description of walking alone in his dream, you could feel the song filling him up and filling the room until it exploded in a flash of neon light which, in this case, connected him to his audience, to the people who have loved this song for more than 45 years. It was the sound of history, of understanding, of love and beauty and anything but silence.

To premiere them live in September.

By Blurt Staff

Mac McCaughan (Superchunk, Portastatic) has composed original scores for four films by noted experimental filmmaker Maya Deren, and he will perform them live on Thursday, September 29, at the world premiere of Transfigured Time: Music for the Films of Maya Deren, which opens the Westobou Festival in Augusta, Georgia. The premiere will begin at sunset at the Sacred Heart Cultural Center with McCaughan leading a small ensemble.

McCaughan, of course, has worked on film scores in the past, including for for Who Loves the Sun and Looking for Leonard. His live scores for silent films include the Seattle International Film Festival's presentation of Tod Browning's The Unknown and Teinosuke Kinugasa's A Page of Madness with Superchunk at the San Francisco Film Festival.

Maya Deren (1917-1961) is often referred to as "the mother of the American underground cinema." Her films are known for their startling and surrealistic imagery in which time and space are altered to create a world somewhere between dreams and reality. In 1946, Ms. Deren became the first filmmaker to receive a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, and later that year she was the recipient of the Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix Internationale. From photographer Cindy Sherman to artist Matthew Barney to filmmaker David Lynch, Maya Deren's profound influence as a filmmaker and theorist resonates to this very day.

"Big Black Maria" voted least likely choice for Annie!


By Blurt Staff


Wednesday night at London venue the Barbican an all-star bash was held in which Tom Waits' album Rain Dogs was covered in its entirety by a series of performers. As Cover Me and Pitchfork report, a video of St. Vincent performing "Big Black Mariah" has already surfaced. You can check it out below - she's backed up by a band that featured erstwhile Elvis Costello collaborator Steve Nieve on keyboards.

Along with openers Cerebral Ballzy, the Lips brought a much-needed dose of rock ‘n' roll chaos to the staid confines of Portland, Ore., venue the Wonder Ballroom on June 14.

By Tim Hinely

Even these days it's still unusual to see a racially mixed hardcore band, but that's what you had with Cerebral Ballzy. OK, so the band name is one of the worst in history but these youngsters from Brooklyn, NY brought the noise.  And quickly. It was straight up hardcore and while their sound wasn't the most unique thing I've ever heard they did it with fury and a sense of humor too. It made me think of the years I spent in the ‘80s seeing pretty much nothing but hardcore bands. Cerebral Ballsy was at least better than half of those 500 or so bands that I saw in that decade (many of which were awful, but I digress).

Atlanta's Black Lips hit the stage at 10:15 PM and ripped right into it. They have, or had, a reputation for insanely wild live shows that included nudity, pissing on stage and the like but I think those days are long behind them. Still, the band displayed an electric energy made even more apparent when guitarist Ian encouraged the crowd to rip down the barrier (a metal pole with a curtain attached to it) that separated the over and under 21's which sent a few of the bouncers into a rage (one bouncer in particular was relentlessly trying to restore order, but to no avail).  What a hilarious scene.

The bouncers also trying to stop the bevy of stage divers was pretty great too, and all the while the Black Lips played through it , not even noticing the young men (and women) onstage and inches from them, many of them making the inane "Look at me!" gestures before diving off (ah, youth). 

Aside from all of the hoopla surrounding their "wildness," the most important thing to remember about this band is its unique talent for songwriting. Taking cues from ‘50s rock and doo wop, ‘60s garage rock and surf music, ‘70s/'80s punk and the like, they are able whip it up into a unique stew that they truly can call their own, They played a fair amount of material from their latest, Arabia Mountain, as well as some charmers from Good Bad Not Evil (I definitely remember a rousing version of "O Katrina!").  Regardless of who was in the producer's chair for their latest record - in this case, hitmaker Mark Ronson - these guys still deliver a knockout punch on stage, and on record too, don't let the Ronson thing scare you off.

First single from acclaimed songbird's new album.


By Blurt Staff


Not long ago we featured Daisy McCrackin in our series Songwriter We'd Like To Get To Know Better. Here's her single "I Think I'm A Ghost" from the Los Angeles actress/singer-songwriter off her new album titled God Willing.


It's now available digitally on iTunes and will see a physical summer release on Aeronaut Records.



MP3: "I Think I'm A Ghost"

Photo Credit: Stephanie Schneider

Passed away following concert in Russia.

By Blurt Staff

The BBC is reporting that Roberto "Bobby" Alfonso Farrell, frontman for ‘70s/'80s disco/pop hitmakers Boney M, has passed away at the age of 61 from as-yet-undisclosed causes. Farrell's body was found today, Dec. 30, in his St. Petersburg, Russia, hotel room; he had apparently "complained of breathing problems" both prior to and after a show on Wednesday night.

While Boney M ("Daddy Cool," "Rivers of Babylon" and perennial holiday favorite "Mary's Boy Child") broke up in the mid ‘80s, in recent years Farrell revived the group as Bobby Farrell's Boney M and toured regularly. The past decade saw a slew of best-selling Boney M compilation CDs, and the group frequently cropped up on disco "hits" collections as well.

[Photo Credit: Erwin Winkelman/ via Wikimedia Commons]

Dynamic blues singer had recently released an acclaimed new album.

By Blurt Staff

Singer Robin Rogers passed away December 17 at the age of 55 following a battle with liver cancer.  She died at her home in Gastonia, North Carolina, where she was being cared for by her husband and musical partner, Tony. 

In August the talented singer and harmonica player was diagnosed with terminal cancer.  Like most musicians Robin and Tony were without health insurance and depended on touring for their income. For years Robin was always ready to donate her time and performances to a good cause. So it was not surprising that there was an immediate outpouring of love and support from the blues community and her many fans.  Benefits and fundraisers were held around the country to raise money for medical bills and living expenses. 

Rogers was deeply moved by the support, and was also buoyed by the success and critical acclaim for her new Blind Pig Records CD, Back In The Fire, which debuted at #3 on the Billboard Blues sales chart, where it remains in the top ten.

Blind Pig owner Jerry Del Giudice said, in a statement,  "Robin always struck me as someone who felt she didn't have a moment to spare. She was constantly in motion.  I became aware that her artistry and her integrity were two things she would not compromise and how genuinely she cared about others in need.  She was diagnosed with terminal cancer shortly before the release of Back In The Fire.  She told me that although she didn't want to carry this burden, it was hers to carry and she would do the very best she could with every moment she had left. I read a Russian proverb sometime ago that goes something like this: When you are born you cry while everyone around you laughs.  If you lead a good life, when you die you laugh while everyone around you cries.  I'm sure she's having a well deserved laugh. As we cry we have to remember what a wonderful laugh that was and how sorely it will be missed."

Rogers, winner of the 2009 "Best Female Artist" Blues Blast Award, was announced just this week as a nominee for a Blues Music Award for "Contemporary Blues Female Artist"  by the Blues Foundation.  And just last weekend Robin was featured on National Public Radio's "Weekend Edition Saturday," where she told host Scott Simon that despite battling cancer and the effects of chemotherapy, she felt "blessed."  To listen to the full interview, click HERE.

Film reaches its Kickstarter goal and is now tentatively slated for a 2011 release.

By Blurt Staff

With a Kickstarter campaign having wrapped for the forthcoming documentary film "Revenge of the Mekons" filmmaker Joe Angio (More Than a Game, How to Eat Your Watermelon In White Company [And Enjoy It]) can now buckle down and complete his buzzworthy project. According to Angio's description of the film:

 "Revenge of the Mekons" is a documentary about the legendary, rabble-rousing punk band that, four decades into an unlikely career, continue to make unpredictable, critically acclaimed music. The film charts the band's mid-'80s reincarnation as the unlikely progeny of Hank Williams (a development that inspired journalists to coin the term "alt country") and captures the restless imagination that has led the Mekons to create - collectively, individually and in collaboration with others - paintings, sculptures, theater pieces, even a group novel. The film also reveals its subjects as passionate advocates for social justice, whose work, as journalist Greg Kot tells us, "functions almost without exception as a critique of power and the abuse of power." A rich and illuminating account of a fascinating, criminally under-recognized band, Revenge of the Mekons will be a lively, inspiring, and entertaining film - with killer music, to boot!

Not only did the project meet its initial goal of $20,000, but exceeded it by an extra $15k, amassing 301 backers, including SNL's Fred Armison, Hugo Burnham of Gang of Four, former REM manager Jefferson Holt and author /comedian John Hodgman.

According to Angio, the successful campaign would not have been possible without the great support from the Mekons themselves. Jon Langford said that the Kickstarter campaign "really energized" the band and reaffirmed why the Mekons should keep doing what they do so well.

Why not just start up a pay-subscription site and let people judge the stroke material on its own merits, Courtney?

By Perez Mills

Internet bloggers with nothing productive to do (like, uh, us) are rapidly circulating photos and news about Hole frontwoman and Nirvana widow Courtney Love bailing from Twitter yet again. This time it's because she is regretting a photo of her sitting in a chair, mostly naked save for the underwear, got out. Here is a partial shot of the photo:

"I'm off twitter, that photo was meant for a boy friend," she tweeted on Tuesday, not specifying who the intended recipient of the free porn was.

She had a number of other semi-steamy images, like the one at the top of the page. However, apparently her resolve to remove herself from Twitter didn't last very long however: if you go to her @CourtneyLoveUK Twitter page, she has been busy for the last 16 hours tweeting about "Karl Lagerfeld, Riccardo Tisci, Liv Tyler, and More Celebrate NYC in Paris"...

Of course, the crazy thing is, who cares? If you put in the search term "courtney love nude" in Google images, you'll get all sorts of hits, ranging from arty shoots she did several years ago to images from the Larry Flynt biopic...

Due out September 14 on Sub Pop, it's like they never left...

By Tim Hinely

Funny how divine intervention can alter the course of history. In the case of this obscure, late ‘80s Scottish band who released one full-length and two singles in their short lifetime, it was the fact that Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was a fan and covered three of their songs. Not that the Vaselines couldn't have gotten by on their own talent, they certainly could have (they had it in spades) but this type of fuzzed-out, sexed-up pop has never been in style (until now, of course, so their timing is impeccable).  

The core of the band, Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee are still here for Sex With an X, joined by some pals from Belle & Sebastian, and in the ensuing two decades it doesn't seem like much has changed. Songs like gleefully bouncy title track, the soaring "Such a Fool" or the (possible) Lee and Nancy  tribute "Turning It On" are all pure Vaselines gold. Nice to see talented young upstarts like The Vivian Girls and Best Coast taking notes, but I prefer the real thing. Welcome back!  

Features the final recordings of late drummer Jerry Fuchs.

By Blurt Staff

The new Maserati record, Pyramid of the Sun, is due November 9 on Temporary Residence. It's the first release from the band since the tragic death of drummer Jerry Fuchs last year - the band temporarily ceased operations in the wake of Fuchs' passing but eventually got back to work on the album, which features Fuchs' presense on several tracks.

Mixed with Justin Van Der Volgen (!!!, Out Hud) and Temporary Residence founder Jeremy deVine (Sonna), Pyramid includes two collaborations with friend and tourmate Steve Moore (Zombi) in the form of the Cluster-meets-Jan Hammer scorcher "They'll No More Suffer From Thirst" and the synth-heavy dance epic "Oaxaca." Closing the album is the bittersweet "Bye M'Friend, Goodbye," a motorik summer punk jam that splits the difference between Wipers and Neu! and carries the bittersweet distinction of being one of the band's finest songs, and the final track written and recorded with Fuchs.

The label says it best: "Formed at the edge of the new millennium, Maserati is as sleek, sexy and sophisticated as the legendary Italian sports car it takes its name from. It is fitting, then, that the band has dragged the glory years of psychedelic arena rock kicking and screaming into the 21st Century, with the pomposity (and vocals) carefully removed. In its place are white hot flashes of light pulsing to an unstoppable rhythm that makes us want to punch air and drive really fast in a car with wings instead of doors."

Well, all right then!

One of a kind, super limited edition will also have the obligatory download code for all you digital headz. Check the free digital sampler, below.

By Blurt Staff

It was just a few weeks ago when ye olde editor issued a directive to his hive of staffers: "Go out and get me a story on this newfangled audio format called cassette that bands are starting to release their music on." He subsequently cited a slew of artists - among them, The Pack A.D. and Marah - who'd just dropped new records via cassette. We didn't bother to tell him that it was a decidedly old school format (editors don't like it when lowly contributors correct them...) and got to work on the research.

Now word arrives that yet another group is retrospectively diving headlong into the world of cassettes, Chicago's Joan of Arc, who during their 14 year existence jumpbed between mathy ballads, acoustic meanderings, minimalist experimentation, and post-rock-indie-epics.

Joyful Noise Recordings will be releasing a limited-edition Cassette Box Set - with digital downloads- of the entire JOA catalog. The collection is housed in a custom-built wooden box, elaborately screen-printed, hand-numbered and limited to 100 copies. Each cassette, individually wrapped and featuring the original album art, will also be available for individual purchase and includes high-quality MP3s and lossless audio. This is the first time any JOA albums have been available on cassette.

According to the label, "In 2010 it seems that any vehicle which can transport a digital download code is suddenly a candidate for an album format - be it a piece of art, a prophylactic, or our personal favorite, a home-crafted beer with a download code on the back of the label. The point is: anything can do the job of transporting a digital download code. Even a Cassette Tape. For us, digital music offers practicality and physical releases offer something for the committed. But in order for physical media to continue warranting an existence it must be ever more unique, noteworthy, and just plain badass. Hopefully we have accomplished such a balance with this release."

It will include these albums:

Portable Model Of (1997, Jade Tree)

How Memory Works (1998, Jade Tree)

Live in Chicago, 1999 (1999, Jade Tree)

The Gap (2000, Jade Tree)

So Much Staying Alive and Lovelessness (2003, Jade Tree)

In Rape Fantasy and Terror Sex We Trust  (2003, Perishable Records)

Joan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark Twain (2004, Polyvinyl)

Eventually, All at Once (2006, Record Label)

Boo! Human (2008, Polyvinyl)

Flowers (2009, Polyvinyl)

Official release date for this behemoth is September 14. You'll be able to get it on iTunes, but it makes more sense to spring for the cassette box as that also gets you lossless audio files, 320kbps mp3s, and by the way, an amazing one of a kind, hand-numbered box set.

The release will also be marked by the label with a pair of shows:

*August 20th in Indianapolis at the Melody Inn (w/ Marmoset, Jookabox, Abner Trio)

*August 21st in Chicago at Ronny's (w/ Abner Trio, Maximum Wage)

Meanwhile, the label is offering a free digital sampler which you can download in a zip file right here. The tracks on it are:

01. Questioning Benjamin Franklin's Ghost (from Joan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark Twain)

02. The Hands (from A Portable Model Of)

03. A Tell-Tale Penis (from Boo! Human)

04. The Infinite Blessed Yes (from So Much Staying Alive And Lovelessness)

05. Me And America (or) The United Colors Of The Gap (from The Gap)

06. Explain Yourselves #2 (from Flowers)

07. Eventually, All At Once (from uh, Eventually, All At Once)

08. White Out (from How Memory Works)

09. (I'm 5 Senses) None of Them Common (from Live In Chicago, 1999)

10. Happy 1984 and 2001 (from In Rape Fantasy and Terror Sex We Trust)

Today the always classy, stunning and sophisticated Courtney Love turns 46. When converted into Rock Star Years, she's actually 104. And she's never looked better. Birthday kisses Courtney!

Courtney Love just loves to shock us! She just posted some new (well, old pics since she appears sans her recent goofy flower tattoos) where she appears nude or semi-nude in most them. One shot features everyone's favorite transexual Amanda Lepore (who bears a striking resemblance to Love). The Daily Mail has them all here. 

Upon viewing, have a plastic bag handy. You're going to need it.

Among the artists agreeing to participate: Rage Against The Machine, Street Sweeper Social Club, Café Tacvba, Kanye West, Conor Oberst, Ozomatli, Massive Attack, Sonic Youth, Rise Against, Tenacious D.

By Fred Mills

To some of us, we've seen it happen before: back in the late ‘80s, the state of Arizona canceled a paid Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday for state employees, and in the ensuing uproar, many boycotts of Arizona kicked in, with artists ranging from U2 to Steve Wonder criticizing the situation and pledging not to perform in the state. Point of fact, it was a boneheaded decision on the part of then-governor (and soon to be impeached governor) Evan Mecham, a Republican, to cancel the holiday, and not necessarily a sentiment shared by the majority of AZ residents; but the result was the same as if it had been a statewide referendum approved by voters, with protests, cancelled conventions, a drop in tourism, and the aforementioned boycotts. (Yours truly moved to AZ not long after the flap, and I can say in all truthfulness that the state was NOT populated by hordes of unreconstructed racists and wannabe Klansment. Well, there were quite a few of militia types, but that's another story. At any rate, the MLK affair was embarrassing to most folks who lived there as they didn't like being portrayed by the rest of the country as being racist.)

So here we are in 2010, and another Republican governor, Jan Brewer, has stirred up some serious shit by signing into law the now-notorious immigration bill, AZ SB1070. You don't need me to brief you on the law and the still-unfolding fallout as it's already made more headlines than the MLK flap. The music community has gradually been coming together in voicing its opinion - negative, as you might imagine - about the matter; just a couple of days ago we brought you word (and an MP3) of Tom Morello and Outernational's collaboration on a protest cover of Woody Guthrie's "Deportees".

Morello's bandmate in  Rage Against The Machine, Zack De La Rocha, is going even further, organizing what he calls Sound Strike, which is calling for a boycott of Arizona by both bands and music fans as well as organizing a online petition (in both English and Spanish) asking President Obama to take action (unspecified) to protect the civil rights of Arizona citizens.

You can view and sign the petition here at the Sound Strike site, while elsewhere on the site you can read De La Rocha's press release about the boycott. It reads, in part:

When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, they arrested her. As a result, people got together and said we are not going to ride the bus until they change the law. It was this courageous action that sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. What if we got together, signed a collective letter saying, "we're not going to ride the bus", saying we are not going to comply. We are not going to play in Arizona. We are going to boycott Arizona?!

We are asking artists the world over to stand with us, and not allow our collective economic power to be used to aid and abet civil and human rights violations that will be caused by Arizona's odious law.

Listed thus far as having agreed to participate in the boycott:

Cypress Hill
Juanes
Conor Oberst
Los Tigres del Norte
Rage Against the Machine
Cafe Tacvba
Michael Moore
Kanye West
Calle 13
Joe Satriani
Serj Tankian
Rise Against
Ozomatli
Sabertooth Tiger
Massive Attack
One Day as a Lion
Street Sweeper Social Club
Spank Rock
Sonic Youth
Tenacious D

You can readily imagine what clubland in Arizona would look like this summer if the boycott effort snowballs...

As an aside, syndicated columnist Gustavo Arellano, who authors the popular "Ask A Mexican" column that runs in Village Voice and other alternative newsweeklies, recently expressed his sympathy with folks who would call for a boycott, but he suggested an alternate strategy too: a boycott, in which you additionally support (with time, manpower, money, etc.) organizations who actually get threatened by policies and actions prompted by the Arizona law. You can read his column about this and about "some of the good people of Arizona" here - and indeed, just like I discovered when I moved to the state years ago, many, if not a majority, citizens living there don't necessarily support the law, or at least they don't support the way it's likely to be implemented.

Would you want this gal looking after your rights to free speech? Actually - yeah, we would.

By Fred Mills

Rock ‘n' roll and lawyers don't necessarily mix unless you're a Warren Zevon songtitle, but hey, life's full of strange bedfellows. Such is the case of current Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, who we now learn was involved in the legendary 2 Live Crew obscenity case in 1989.

The "Law & Disorder" column for the Ars Technica website is reporting that according to a questionnaire filled out for the Senate Judicial Committee, Kagan outlined how she helped defend the RIAA against crusading Florida lawyer Jack Thompson - Thompson, recall, pushed trumped-up obscenity charges against 2 Live Crew's As Nasty As They Wanna Be which led to a Florida record store being busted for obscenity after selling the album to an undercover cop. Kagan's involvement subsequently came during the appeals process: a federal judge had declared the album obscene, and "the RIAA wanted to make sure its products weren't in the habit of being censored. The recording industry won the appeal, and the Supreme Court refused to hear it further."

According to Kagan, "Between 1991 and 1995, I wrote primarily about issues of free expression. My major work at this time proposed a theory of the First Amendment focused on the nature of governmental motives underlying speech restrictions.

"We filed an amicus brief in the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on behalf of the Recording Industry Association of America and numerous record companies, challenging the decision of the district court that a musical recording was obscene under the standard set forth by the Supreme Court in Miller v. California. I drafted the brief in the case, which stressed the difficulty of holding music obscene under prevailing constitutional law."

Read the full story, which includes details of some of Kagan's other forays into the free speech milieu, here.

It's a good thing Kagan wasn't forced to defend 2 Live Crew or Luke Campbell on their musical merits, of course...

This documentary is about singer-songwriter-rocker Jamie McLean, no stranger to those who have their ears to the ground and their eyes on the skies of American music.

As a songwriter, singer, and guitarist, McLean has a diverse set of talents that frame his music, which combine rock, blues, R&B and soul. The New York-based musician has been called to play sessions for artists as diverse as Norah Jones and Chuck D, shared the stage with Elvis Costello, The Black Crowes and Dave Matthews, toured the world as a member of the celebrated Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and rocked the worlds of fans in small clubs, in Madison Square Garden, and before crowds that sprawled toward the horizons of Bonnaroo and Japan's Fuji Rock.

His latest album Completely was released on April 13 and you can download the album at www.jamiemcleanband.com and "pay what you want" for the digital version.

With the recent passing of Malcolm McClaren and the Runaways biopic now part of the zeitgeist, it got me wondering: who are the rock'n'roll rebels this generation will be making Hollywood biopics about 30 years from now?

Every revolution (sonic or otherwise) has its group of defacto leaders, outcasts, and radicals-and punk rock was no exception. "The Runaways" documents many of then burgeoning 70s West Coast punk scene larger-than-life personalities like manager/full time scumbag Kim Fowley,  influential DJ Rodney Bingenheimer and of course, the teenage members of the all-girl Runaways. As the film illustrates, like any good revolution, its leaders too often become complacent or lured by fame and fortune; in the case of punk rock, the "movement" eventually became hugely profitable and as dangerous as the sneer on Avril Lavigne's lips. So where do some of the movie's cast of characters fit into the current rock'n'roll pantheon of heroes, freaks and yes, rebels?

As the biopic chronicles, the Runaways' members splintered after their implosion in 1979, with Joan Jett having the most chart success. Vocalist Cherie Currie starred in a few movies, penned a book and took up (chainsaw!) woodcarving  while guitarist Lita Ford released a number of solo albums and scored minor radio hits with Ozzy Osbourne ("Close My Eyes Forever") and the ultimate dumb party anthem "Kiss Me Deadly" at the end of the 80s. If you've seen the movie, you might've laughed out loud at the irony of Ford being shocked and offended at the sight of Currie's scantily clad magazine layout, when her entire subsequent solo career was spent in low-cut leather one piece pantsuits (much to the pleasure of horny 15 year old mulletheads). After a long absence spent raising her 2 sons, Ford recently reemerged as a tattooed jingoist in heels, pandering to her wannabe-biker fanbase with "Wicked Wonderland."

After floundering artistically in the late 80s with guitar based AOR, the 90s found Joan Jett rediscovering her punk roots, producing Bikini Kill's "New Radio" Ep in 1994 and serving as a Riot Grrl icon ever since. Clearly its Jett who has emerged as a punk rock matriarch in black eyeliner--continuing to release her own albums--and others, including Cherie Currie-- on her own label Blackheart Records.

The Runaways biopic reminds us all how much things have changed since those halcyon days. The spirit of these icons still inhabits a select few of the artists making music today. Which begs the question, when the smoke clears decades from now, which of our current "rebels" will still be standing? If you're gut is as big as mine, it's probably telling you that not many of the post-Nirvana celebrities still bilking their careers today to the Hot Topic masses (that means you Billy Corgan) will be still be upright.

I have my list, how about you?

Scott Crawford is BLURT's Founder and Editorial Director and was the founder, Editor in Chief and Art Director of Harp. He likes drooling dogs and gummy bears. Email him at scrawford@blurt-online.com

The always quotable Johnny Rotten just issued a statement on the death of his former manager Malcolm McLaren...

"For me Malc was always entertaining, and I hope you remember that. Above all else he was an entertainer and I will miss him, and so should you.”

--Johnny Rotten (4/8/2010)

Allison Moorer and Steve Earle welcome into the world their first child, John Henry Earle.  John Henry was born on April 5th at 10:07am, weighing eight pounds, two ounces and measuring 21 inches long. The Greenwich Vilage-based Moorer and Earle were married in 2005. This marks Moorer's first baby.

The below correspondence was forwarded to us via an "unnamed source" so we can't vouch 100% for its accuracy, but in light of the recent - and verified - news of Corgan and Simpson recording together with longtime Corgan associate Kerry Brown producing, it certainly has the ring of authenticity.

Hey Jess-

Taking a break from the tracks we've been working to just drop you a quick note. This is seriously some of the best material I've written since my solo album The Future Embrace. And our version of "These Boots Are Made for Walking" is going to make you a huge favorite among the Pitchfork crowd (that's a popular website all about "hip" music). I think even Nancy Sinatra would approve.

Honestly, I haven't had this kind of chemistry with somebody in the studio since Courtney Love and I first did crystal meth for 2 weeks straight and I wrote most of Live Through This  for her. 

I remember the first time I saw you perform I KNEW that I'd someday sleep, er, work with you. I'll never forget-it was when you played the state fair to a special invite-only crowd made up of students from the Chicago School for the Hearing Impaired. As they stood in a muddy cow field, they hung on every overly-enunciated word you sang. It was magical. You were wearing those denim jeans that some in the press dubbed "mom jeans." If that's the case baby, you're one HOT MILF. Even when I saw you perform on the "Nick and Jessica Family Christmas Special" I started thinking of ways we could collaborate. (COLLABORATE col·lab·o·rate: kÉ�-la-bÉ�-rÄ�t) - to work, one with another; cooperate, as on a literary work: They collaborated on a novel.) I'm already thinking that we can turn it into a longform conceptual video too, like Thriller - hell, a feature film, let's think big!

Oh, by the way, Romo called me last week and offered his congratulations on us getting together. He told me to just ignore those bullshit superstitious rumors about you being bad luck. He said that was just Cowboys team jealousy and that his fans were clueless anyway. I told him that I agreed and that honestly, how could my career get any worse?

And let's just decide right here and now-FUCK THE PRESS. They'll say all kinds of things about us and we have to learn to ignore it. Most of these critics are just frustrated musicians who are obviously jealous of the kind of talent we possess. They've called me everything from an "indie-rock megalomaniac" to a "stoop-shouldered Uncle Fester." Hell, they even panned my book of poetry. It's something that superstars like us have to learn to accept about our lives-plain and simple.

Honestly, together we could become the next Buckingham/Nicks (I'll explain who that is later-take my word for it, it's a good thing).  So far I think the autotune is working out great-believe me, the indie rock kids (my adoring fans) have NEVER heard anything like this before. Ok, gotta back to the studio-can't wait to see you when you get back in town from your "Large & Lovely" promo tour!

xoxoxoxoxoxo

your Billy

Sad news today from These Arms Are Snakes, who announced via Facebook (see their statement below) that they're calling it quits.

From The Band:
"It's with a heavy heart we tell you that These Arms Are Snakes is no more. It's been a great run and we'd like to send out a very hearty "Thank You" to everyone that we've worked with or anyone that we've toured with; anyone that lent us a floor, towed our van and/or trailer, lent a van, given us a listen, downloaded our records prior to their coming out, bought our shit, or asked us where our band name came from; everyone who cooked us food, made habanero-infused tequila, had a safety meeting with us, let Steve gyrate all over you, had to live with any of us, made us pay shitloads of money to get off your punk label, got us into LOST, found Steve drunkenly wandering the streets of Tokyo alone, played Madlibs in the van (plural nouns), lost money promoting one of our shows, took Chris to the hospital, put up with our drunken sorry asses, got into a fight with us, etc. etc."

This band could not have been possible without all of you. We sincerely thank you.

Much love,

TAAS

While it was widely reported that the DC punk rock legends Scream recently reunited for a benefit show at DC's The Black Cat just a few short weeks ago, frontman Pete Stahl also confirmed to BLURT that the band is not only back together (with new rhythm guitarist Clint Walsh joining the all original lineup of vocalist Pete Stahl, guitarist Franz Stahl, bassist Skeeter Thompson and drummer Kent Stax) but plan on remixing their long out of print swansong "No More Censorship" at Dave Grohl's Studio 606. It will be a longtime coming treat for Scream fans (it's the band's only full release on reggae label RAS and has never been reissued) and for Nirvana/Foo Fighters completists who never got a chance to hear Grohl's contribution to the group before moving to Seattle in the early 90s and well, the rest is history.

No word yet on what label will release "No More Censorship".

Carrie Prejean is just what the Republican party needs and I love her for it. Mind you, this isn't puppy love. This is an unabashed, honest-to-God, slap-me-I'm-seeing-fireworks-kind of love. Where do I begin? That flowing mane, those vixenish blue eyes, fluid hips (more on those in a second) and that fearless intellect of hers. After all, it's about time we had somebody speak their mind under the Miss America stagelights--no more of the usual "I-just-want-world-peace-and-to-teach-the-illiterate children-of-the-world-how-to-read-the-bible" pap from Prejean. She spoke from her heart (or at least something resembling a heart--at press time, we're not able to confirm its existence). And although she's now a disgraced former beauty queen, her popularity (and my love of all things Prejean) continue to grow exponentially. 

The news last week of the leaking of several sex tapes have led to further controversy. Said tapes reportedly have Prejean in sizzling solo bedroom performances--with Lee Greenwood's searing "Proud to Be An American" as musical accompaniment--each of which end in crescendos that would move any real American who chooses to watch. These private recorded moments portray a woman's love for her man (whom they were clearly intended) and the freedom she has to record them in The Only Country That Matters. Unlike those Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian sex tapes, where the sex is hedonistic, dispassionate and clearly immoral, Prejean's celluloid debut should reaffirm her allegiance to God, Country, and No Gay Marriage. 

Clearly, the Republican Party needs their own Paris Hilton (who, when contacted for this story, wasn't familiar with the term "Republican", but did perk up at hearing the word "Party"). Having their own sex tape celebrity could potentially elevate their image with the college-age fence-sitters afraid of the parties extreme right wing. Look, if the Elephants in the room were to ask me, I'd say allow heavyweight porn distributor Vivid to release the tapes and let the world see what a red-blooded American girl is capable of when she puts her, um, mind to it. Why not drape Carrie in an American flag on the DVD cover, and pass them out free at every Tea Party event from Bakersfield to Birmingham? 

With each passing day, my hope for Prejean's popularity and further ascent into the ranks of fellow A-list conservative celebrities like Spencer Pratt, Heidi Montag, Meghan McCain, Jessica Simpson and Wilford Brimley stays strong. After all, a woman is only as good as the company she keeps, right? Carrie, I love you--and all of the embarrassment you bring to the party that wanted nothing more than to make you one of their own. And I love you most of all for offering them more of what they know best--shame.

I have a pretty firm band reunion policy. In a nutshell: "Leave the lengend alone." Yes, the fanboy in me would give a non-essential organ to see The Smiths or The Replacements go at it one more time, but my kneejerk reaction to bands reforming after long (and sometimes nasty) breakups is: No, thanks. While I've been tempted to see many of the high-profile reunions of the last 20 years, I've passed on most. Sex Pistols? I'd rather not watch a bloated Johnny Lydon pretend to care (or not care). The Pixies? Eh. More on them later. Guns N' Roses? Oh, please.

There have only been a few exceptions to my rule (Naked Raygun's recent reunion the latest example): I remember seeing the Buzzcocks on their first U.S. tour in the late '80s and leaving completely sated and sweaty. My girlfriend at the time opined, "They looked like a bunch of pasty old men up there." Them were fighting words at the time--and we broke up the next day.... I'm still kicking myself for not seeing My Bloody Valentine on their All Tomorrow's Party-inspired batch of shows.... And I almost went to see the Avengers a couple of years back but just couldn't do it: Penelope Houston was my first punk rock crush, and I wanted to keep it that way.

So you can imagine that I was torn when I heard the news of Pavement's decision to tour again. Like so many other artists, they've put aside whatever personal or creative differences they may have had in the past to recapture those indie rock bygone days. Twenty years ago, economics—and not necessarily creative urges--played a part in the Buzzcocks' decision to get back together, but there weren't the kinds of opportunities that exist today.

Pavement will surely make the rounds on the festival circuit and get handsomely rewarded for it (as they should). But it will be interesting to see if, like fellow college rock pioneers Dinosaur Jr., they'll play with renewed vigor, or, like the Pixies (another of their luminaries), you'll swear you can see the dollar signs in their pupils. I make the distinction because the latter toured relentlessly (for sizable guarantees) and released NO NEW MUSIC. Dinosaur Jr., meanwhile, apparently worked through the very public baggage that existed among them and re-emerged with all new material that rivals the best in their already memorable canon.

Will I go see Pavement on this tour? Most likely. And will they be writing new material? With a back catalog as strong as there's, it's hard to fathom that they wouldn't someday record another album. I'll even bet my autographed copy of Another Music in a Different Kitchen on it.

Current BLURT fave Jemina Pearl just released her first video from her "Break it Up" solo debut. Entitled "I Hate People" it features an Iggy Pop duet and an appearance by Thurston Moore. Brilliant. Check it out HERE!

v

Where have all of the heroes gone?

News broke yesterday that the GOP had launched a new site that lists (among other things) 16 Heroes  who represented the currently de-fanged Republican party through history. Among them: Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, and... Jackie Robinson? The former Dodger who, in the 1960s, along with Jim Brown and Muhammad Ali (née Cassius Clay) single-handedly brought the issue of race to the forefront of the intersection of sports and culture? Oh, please.
 
Talk about revisionism. This smacks of a party so completely lacking in power, substance, and direction that it's hoping to tap into America's love of all things baseball and apple pie, and that maybe, just maybe, it can swing a few more minority votes by claiming a revered African-American as one of its own. As if the GOP's cynical appointment of Maryland Republican Michael Steele-the current GOP mouthpiece- wasn't bad enough...
 
Not that the GOP didn't do its homework. Sort of. Robinson definitely had a one-time fondness for conservative and then-future Vice President Nelson Rockefeller when he ran for the New York governor's office-Robinson even helped him on the campaign trail. But whether he agreed with the man ideologically is a matter of debate, especially after seeing Robinson's autobiography I Never Had It Made, where the Hall of Famer states:
 
"Every chance I got while I was campaigning, I said plainly what I thought of the right-wing Republicans and the harm they were doing. I felt the GOP was a minority party in term of numbers of registered voters and could not win unless they updated their social philosophy and sponsored candidates and principles to attract the young, the black, and the independent voter. By and large, Republicans had ignored blacks and sometimes handpicked a few servile leaders in the black community to be their token ‘niggers.' How would I sound trying to go all out to sell Republicans to black people? They're not buying. They know better."
 
They do know better. And this not-so-thinly-veiled attempt at winning over a few more minority votes come next election cycle shouldn't go unnoticed. It exposes the Republican Party for what it's become (and NOT what it's always been): extremist, fear-mongering, powerless, and woefully out of touch.
 
Now, if only one of today's sports figures--whether conservative or liberal--would go out on a limb like Robinson and his '60s brethren to put their career on the line for their own ideological outlook. In the last decade, a few have, mostly after announcing their retirement like (ahem) Charles Barkley. But in general, today's athletes seem to lack the interest-and the inclination-to want to press the status quo. Is it apathy? Greed? Perhaps. But in many ways, even under a liberal Obama administration, there's just as much at stake today as there was in 1964 when Robinson was so outspoken in his opposition of Republican shit-stirrer Barry Goldwater.
 
While yesterday's GOP announcement is painfully transparent, I'd give anything to hear a notable athlete's stance on something political or social. Humor me for a second and just imagine what it'd do for America's undecided if ESPN gave airtime to Tom Brady to ruminate on the current state of U.S. corporate imperialism. Or Venus Williams debate the merits of school vouchers. What about Floyd Mayweather weighing in on the current health care crisis? Or Kobe Bryant waxing philosophical on our role in Afghanistan, Iraq and the rest of the Middle East? Hell, at this point, I'd welcome it if they just debated something other than how they "put points on the board." Let's not let the GOP-or any party-co-op history's, um, game-changing personalities for their own political agenda. Unless, of course, it's the truth.

You can see The Rosebuds play an acoustic version of "Leaves do Fall" from their 2007 album, Night of the Furies during XX Merge.

The Rosebuds performance wraps up the six week series at Converse.com showcasing Merge bands performing stripped-down sets in numerous locations during the festival. The Converse series includes videos from Superchunk, The Clientele, Telekinesis, Lou Barlow, Wye Oak, and The Rosebuds.

Additional Merge footage can be seen at the Merge channel at Babelgum for live footage from the <XX Merge 20th anniversary shows held July 22-26th at the Cat's Cradle and Memorial Hall.

Scott Biram "Still Drunk, Still Crazy, Still Blue" (Bloodshot)

Directed by Blake Judd. Edited by Todd Tue (Milk Products Media). Produced by Neltner Creative/JuddFilms

James McMurtry "You'd a Thought (Leonard Cohen Must Die)" Lightning Rod Records

Lucero's video for "Goodbye Again" from their latest album 1372 Overton Park.

The band commissioned a music video for each song on the record — 12 videos total. While these videographers’ levels of experience varied, some holding only handy-cams, others with years of training under their belt, the band sought out videographers with one thing in common: that they’re all huge Lucero fans and wanted to make a video.

"In Summer In The Heat" from the Breadwinner (Asthmatic Kitty)

Singer/songwriter Seth Glier goes all sustainable and shit on his latest tour.

Exclusive World Premiere!

"Hunters" is taken from Sonya Cotton's new self-released album Red River, out now at an artist-friendly record store year YOU. Check out Cotton at www.sonyacotton.com or at her MySpace page, www.myspace.com/sonyacotton.

For fans of Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show, String Cheese Incident, Del McCoury Band and more.

By Blurt Staff

Hard-twanging, string-bending Minnesota roots band Trampled by Turtles, are headed out on a 40+ date fall tour. The coast to coast run will have them on the road literally up to Christmas so you have no excuse not to catch ‘em along the way. They'll be supporting their recently-released Duluth album.

If you need convincing, check out some songs at their sites:

www.trampledbyturtles.com

www.myspace.com/trampledbyturtles

Separating the band from the pack is the contrast of their lightening fast punk-influenced barn-burners and their lonesome Townes Van Zandt-inspired ballads. As Artvoice Buffalo put it, ""Their most recent release, Duluth, mirrors the raw intensity of their live performances, which are sure to leave audiences simultaneously raising hell and crying in their beers."

They'll buy you a beer, too.

Tour Dates:

August 30 | River City Roots Festival | Missoula, MT
August 31 | Urban Lounge | Salt Lake City, UT
September 2 |Alive After Five | Boise, ID
September 4 | Pig Out in the Park | Spokane, WA
September 5 & 6 | Chilliwack Bluegrass Festival | Chilliwack, BC
September 9 | Oak Park Theater | Minot, ND
September 10 | West End Cultural Centre | Winnipeg, MB
September 12 | Harvest Festival | Clarks Grove, MN
September 19 | Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion | Bristol, TN
October 11 | Middle East | Cambridge, MA
October 12 | Monkey House | Winooski, VT
October 14 | 92 Y Tribeca | New York, NY
October 15 | Iron Horse | Northampton, MA
October 16 | Narrows Center | Fall River, MA
October 17 | The Ale House | Troy, NY
October 18 | A.B.C. | Harrisburg, PA
October 20 | IOTA Club | Arlington, VA
October 21 | Pour House | Raleigh, NC
October 22 | Whitehorse Black Mountain | Black Mountain, NC
October 23 | Smith's | Atlanta, GA
October 24 | Deep Roots Festival | Milledgeville, GA
November 6 | First Avenue | Minneapolis, MN
November 10 | Shank Hall | Milwaukee, WI
November 11 | High Noon | Madison, WI
November 12 | Radio Radio | Indianapolis, IN
November 13 | TBA | Kentucky
November 14 | Blueberry Hill | St. Louis, MO
November 19 | Red Carpet | St. Cloud, MN
November 20 | The Aquarium | Fargo, ND
November 21 | Ramkota Hall | Sioux Falls, SD
November 28 | TBA | Chicago, IL
December 4 | Doug Fir | Portland, OR
December 5 | Tractor Tavern | Seattle, WA
December 6 | Sam Bond's Garage | Eugene, OR
December 7 | TBA | Ashland, OR
December 9 | TBA | Arcata, CA
December 11 | TBA | Santa Cruz, CA
December 12 | TBA | San Francisco, CA
December 14 | Urban Lounge | Salt Lake City, UT
December 16 | Belly Up | Aspen, CO
December 17 | Hodi's Half Note | Fort Collins, CO
December 18 | Bluebird Theater | Denver, CO
December 19 | Bluebird Theater | Denver, CO

Perhaps released to combat an already-issued bootleg DVD, hmm?

By Blurt Staff

According to the press release, "Nirvana's August 30, 1992 headlining appearance at the UK's Reading Festival is one of the most bootlegged concerts in the annals of rock'n'roll."  If that's the case, bootleggers be damned, because a licensed copy of that entire performance -- color-corrected video from the original film and improved audio matering--will soon be available. Nirvana Live At Reading will be issued in a limited edition CD+DVD Deluxe Edition as well as DVD-only, CD-only configurations on November 3, 2009, followed by a 2 LP version on November 17, 2009.

                            

While much of the show was a performance of the Nevermind tracklist, also noteworthy were early performances of "All Apologies," "Dumb," and in its first ever public performance, "tourette's." You'll also note on the track listin gbelow covers by the Wipers and Fang(!) as well as older numbers from Bleach.

 

Only 2 of the 25 performances on the DVD have ever been released before.

 

Nirvana Live At Reading DVD:

1.     Breed

2.     Drain You

3.     Aneurysm

4.     School

5.     Sliver

6.     In Bloom

7.     Come As You Are

8.     Lithium

9.     About A Girl

10.   tourette's

11.   Polly

12.   Lounge Act

13.   Smells Like Teen Spirit

14.   On A Plain

15.   Negative Creep

16.   Been A Son

17.   All Apologies

18.   Blew

19. Dumb

20. Stay Away

21. Spank Thru

22. Love Buzz*

23. The Money Will Roll Right In

24. D-7

25. Territorial Pissings


 

*not included on CD

Incidentally, earlier this year a bootleg DVD of the same show was released titled Life Take No Prisoners. You can compare the tracklisting, below, to the official release:

01. The Rose/Intro
02. Breed
03. Drain You
04. Aneurysm
05. School
06. Sliver
07. In Bloom
08. Come As You Are
09. Lithium
10. About A Girl
11. Tourette's
12. Polly
13. Lounge Act
14. More Than A Feeling/Smells Like Teen Spirit
15. On A Plain
16. Negative Creep
17. Been A Son
18. All Apologies
19. Blew
20. Dumb
21. Stay Away
22. Spank Thru
23. Love Buzz
24. The Money Will Roll Right In
25. D-7
26. Territorial Pissings
27. The Star Spangled Banner

R.E.M. will release a brand-new double live album, entitled R.E.M. Live At The Olympia on October 27th, 2009 on Warner Bros. Records. The two-CD set, produced by Jacknife Lee, features 39 songs that capture the best moments from the band's "working rehearsals" at Dublin's Olympia club during which the band tried out new songs for their 2008 studio album Accelerate.
 
The double live album will also include a number of catalog hits from Life's Rich Pageant and others. 

Live At The Olympia will be released in several configurations including a standard double CD, featuring 39 tracks and liner notes by author and music critic Andy Gill, as well as a CD + DVD, which includes concert and backstage footage shot by noted French filmmakers Vincent Moon and Jeremiah.

Fans will be able to purchase Live At The Olympia digitally from all online service providers beginning October 27th.
 
The track-listing for R.E.M. Live At The Olympia is as follows:
 
Disc 1:
Living Well Is The Best Revenge / Second Guessing / Letter Never Sent / Staring Down The Barrel of the Middle Distance / Disturbance At The Heron House / Mr. Richards / New Test Leper / Cuyahoga / Electrolite / Man-Sized Wreath /  So. Central Rain / On The Fly / Maps And Legends / Sitting Still / Driver 8 / Horse To Water / I'm Gonna DJ / Circus Envy / These Days
 
Disc 2:
Drive / Feeling Gravity's Pull / Until The Day Is Done / Accelerate / Auctioneer / Little America / 1,000 / Disguised / Worst Joke Ever / Welcome To the Occupation / Carnival of Sorts / Harbor Coat / Wolves Lower / I've Been High / Kohoutek / West of the Fields / Pretty Persuasion / Romance / Gardening At Night

Apparently Johnston's latest opus Is And Always Was is a departure from the lo-fi homemade recordings for which he's most notorious for.  According  to Daniel, "Everyone needs to take their demos and go back to the studio."

And with the pairing of producer Jason Falkner, it appears that this album will be as far from lo-fi as you can get, considering Faulkner's production credits include Beck, Air, and Paul McCartney. Falkner says of Daniel Johnston. "It was challenging to make our minds work together but I really found myself immersed in his musical world. It's a unique place to live, that's for sure!"

Johnston's unique guitar/piano and vocal melodies are backed by Falkner on guitar, bass, and keyboards with help from studio veteran Joey Waronker (REM, Beck, Smashing Pumpkins) on drums. 

And now for this latest bit of Johnston news: you can now buy an iPhone game that features his art characters and music. Yip-eee!

Daniel Johnston is currently on a North American and European tour that will go through the end of the year.

Is And Always Was is scheduled for an October 6, 2009 release on Daniel's own Eternal Yip Eye Music imprint.


DANIEL JOHNSTON ON TOUR:

09/03/09 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
09/04/09 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
09/05/09 - Vancouver, BC @ The Venue
09/07/09 - Calgary, AB @ Knox United Church
09/08/09 - Edmonton, AB @ Meyer Horowitz Theatre
10/02/09 - Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
10/13/09 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
10/14/09 - New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom
10/15/09 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
10/16/09 - Montreal, PQ @ UK Fed
10/17/09 - Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
10/22/09 - San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
10/23/09 - San Diego, CA @ Caines
10/24/09 - Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theatre

Is And Always Was Track Listing:

Mind Movies
Fake Records Of Rock And Roll
Queenie The Doggie
High Horse
Without You
I Had Lost My Mind
Freedom
Tears
Is And Always Was
Lost In My Infinite Memory
Light Of Day

Bon Iver announced today will perform live on Sunday, September 27th, 2009 among the dozens of graves (including screen legends like Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolph Valentino, Jayne Mansfield) at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
 
The gates will open at midnight on Saturday night with the performance to begin at the ungodly hour of 6am on Sunday (is that too early for a mojito?). Tickets are $25 and include a coffee and pastry breakfast.
 
Limited tickets are available starting Thursday Aug 20th at noon here.
 
There will be limited parking on site with additional parking at Paramount Studios (801 N. Gower Street -north of Melrose).
 

For the upcoming version of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are director Spike Jonze tapped the Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O to act as composer-a first as far we know. Going under the moniker Karen O and the Kids, it's a soundtrack we're looking forward to as much as Jonze much-talked about screen adaption.

According to the virgin composer, "I didn't want to make music that was hammering you over the head or go for some kind of pushbutton emotion....[what] I wanted to do was close to Cat Stevens in Harold & Maude, really simple, but memorably and seamlessly woven into the movie.

Joining O in the studio were Tristan Bechet (Services), Bradford Cox (Deerhunter), Brian Chase (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age, The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs), Aaron Hemphill (Liars), Greg Kurstin (The Bird and the Bee), Jack Lawrence (The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs, The Greenhornes), Oscar Michel (Gris Gris), Imaad Wasif (New Folk Implosion, Alaska), Nick Zinner, (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and an untrained children's choir.
 
Look for the movie in theatres October 16, while the soundtrack will be released on September 29.

With her first full-length album in over eight years, Through the Devil Softly (to be released September 29), frotnwoman Hope Sandoval is about to hit the road in as many years. It's her second album with Warm Inventions partner (and My Bloody Valentine member) Colm O'Ciosoig. From what we've heard of the album so far, it's shouldn't disappoint any longtime fans, with plenty of gauzy, slow psych-bruising numbers. Though not known for her um, stage presence (Mazzy Star were a painful live experience), Sandoval is worth seeing in an intimate club setting where her hypnotic vocals are best appreciated.

Have you heard the first single off of Through the Devil Softly?

Check out Hope on tour:

Mon, Sept 21            Portland, OR @ The Doug Fir
Tue, Sept 22            Vancouver, BC @ The Red Room
Wed, Sept 23            Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
Fri, Sept 25            Arcata, CA @ The Arcata Theatre Lounge
Sat, Sept 26            San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Tue, Sept 29            Hollywood, CA @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Thur, Oct 1            Denver, CO @ The Bluebird Theatre
Sun, Oct 4            Milwaukee, WI @ The Pabst Theatre
Mon, Oct 5            Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Wed, Oct 7            Toronto, ON @ The Mod
Sat, Oct 10            Williamsburg, NY @ The Music Hall Of Williamsburg
Mon, Oct 12            New York, NY @ The Bowery
Wed, Oct 14            Washington, DC @ The Sixth and I
Fri, Oct 16            Atlanta, GA @ The Loft

Blitzen Trapper is streaming their forthcoming EP entitled Black River Killer a week before it's due out. It's streaming now at
http://www.lala.com/#album/360569445171208206

"Alabama High-Test is from the Tennessee Pusher album and was directed by Lee Tucker.

Nettwerk is releasing the first live DVD from Nashville's Old Crow Medicine Show: titled Live At The Orange Peel and Tennessee Theatre, it was recorded in Asheville, NC, and Knoxville, Tenn., last December. The DVD arrives in stores on August 18.

We at BLURT are pleased to have a sneak preview for you right here! It's the track "Alabama High-Test" and hails from last year's acclaimed Tennessee Pusher.

The DVD, directed by Lee Tucker, includes 20 OCMS fan favorites, including the aforementioned track, radio (and World Café) mainstay "Wagon Wheel," "Tell It to me" and "Down Home Girl."

The roots/twang-grass band is currently on tour with The Felice Brothers, Dave Rawlings and Justin Townes Earle for the Big Surprise Tour, which has been hailed by sources as divers as the New York Times, the New Yorker and The Wall Street Journal. The tour wraps tomorrow night in Tennessee but OCMS will continue to tour throughout the rest of the summer and well into the fall - tour dates at their MySpace page.

(New York, NY) Yeah Yeah Yeahs will be performing at the Radio City Music Hall Wednesday, September 23. Rockettes everywhere roll their eyes.

This on the heels of the bands' Lollapalooza performance this past weekend for 80,000 people at Chicago's Grant Park. 

The Yeah Yeahs Yeahs were also just nominated by MT  for their "Breakthrough Video Award" for "Heads Will Roll." The awards are to be held September 13 also at Radio City Music Hall. If you can't bring yourself to watch the broadcast, you can check the video out on The Tonight Show w/ Conan O'Brien September 16^th prior to their September 17 sold out concert  at the Greek Theatre stage in Los Angeles.

The Awkward Hour with Built to Spill/Pitchfork Festival 2009

Interview by Brian Staker

The Awkward Hour with The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne/Pitchfork Festival 2009

Part 2

Interview by Brian Staker

The Awkward Hour with The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne/Pitchfork Festival 2009

Part 1

Interview by Brian Staker

Webb Wilder  “Pretty Is As Pretty Does” (Blind Pig)

Crooked Fingers "Let's Not Pretend" at BLURT Online!

Jane's to headline for the first time since Perry Farrell founded the event in 1991.

By Blurt Staff

More than 100 acts - among them, high profilers Jane's Addiction, Depeche Mode, Tool, the Killers, Beastie Boys, Kings of Leon, Lou Reed, Ben Harper and Relentless7, Thievery Corporation, Snoop Dogg, Rise Against, Andrew Bird, TV on the Radio, Vampire Weekend, the Decemberists, Neko Case, STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector Nine), Animal Collective, Band of Horses, Of Montreal, Arctic Monkeys, Coheed and Cambria, Ben Folds, Fleet Foxes, Silversun Pickups, Kaiser Chiefs, Bon Iver, Crystal Castles, and Santigold - have been announced for this year's Lollapalooza. The event takes place August 7, 8 and 9 in Chicago at Grant Park.

There will also be a new stage called "Perry's" (a/k/a founder Perry Farrell's) set up nightclub style with DJs spinning. Among them: Bassnectar, MSTRKRFT, Simian Mobile Disco, KiD CuDi and A-Trak, and of course Farrell himself.

Tickets are already on sale at the official website; there are still some early bird discount tickets available for $195, and regular priced tickets will be $205. (Now THAT is some discount!)

Full Lineup, w/links of official Lollapalooza page:

• Depeche Mode
• Tool
• The Killers
• Jane's Addiction
• Beastie Boys
• Kings of Leon
• Lou Reed

• Ben Harper and Relentless7
• Thievery Corporation
• Snoop Dogg
• Rise Against
• Andrew Bird
• TV on the Radio

• Vampire Weekend
• The Decemberists
• Neko Case
• STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)
• Animal Collective
• Band of Horses
• Of Montreal

• Arctic Monkeys
• Coheed and Cambria
• Ben Folds
• Fleet Foxes
• Silversun Pickups
• Kaiser Chiefs
• Crystal Castles
• Bon Iver
• Santigold
• Atmosphere
• Dan Auerbach
• Cold War Kids
• Deerhunter
• Lykke Li
• Robert Earl Keen
• Peter Bjorn and John
• Heartless Bastards
• Gomez
• Glasvegas
• Federico Aubele
• Dan Deacon
• Passion Pit
• Zap Mama
• The Raveonettes
• The Gaslight Anthem

• The Airborne Toxic Event
• White Lies
• Ra Ra Riot
• No Age
• Asher Roth
• Los Campesinos!
• Bat For Lashes
• Chairlift
• Gang Gang Dance
• The Virgins
• Amazing Baby
• Portugal. The Man
• The Knux
• Ida Maria
• Delta Spirit
• Friendly Fires
• Manchester Orchestra
• Constantines
• Ezra Furman & The Harpoons
• Hockey
• Miike Snow
• Alberta Cross
• Hey Champ
• Sam Roberts Band
• The Henry Clay People
• Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam
• Cage the Elephant
• Living Things
• The Low Anthem
• Blind Pilot
• Langhorne Slim
• Other Lives
• The Builders and The Butchers
• Eric Church
• Joe Pug
• Kevin Devine
• The Greencards
• Carney
• Thenewno2

• Bassnectar
• MSTRKRFT
• Simian Mobile Disco
• Deadmau5
• Boys Noize
• KiD CuDi
• Crookers
• A-Trak
• Hercules and Love Affair (DJ Set)
• The Bloody Beetroots (DJ Set)
• LA Riots
• Kaskade
• The Glitch Mob
• Hollywood Holt
• Rye Rye
• He Say, She Say
• Car Stereo (Wars)
• Dark Wave Disco
• Moneypenny
• Yello Fever
• Animal Collective (DJ Set)

The Coathangers "Stop Stomp Stompin'"
Album: Scramble
Director: David Y. Hahn
© Suicide Squeeze Records, 2009

We want them...we need them - Pansy Division Returns

By Nancy Dunham

Have you seen the Public Service Announcement on television that reprimands people who use the term "gay" as a substitute for the word "stupid" in every day conversation?

I guess the members of Pansy Division were at the fridge during that commercial and missed the upbraiding - or saw it and just want folks to lighten up, already. Either way, that's why we love and -- dare I say -- need them.

That's So Gay, the band's eighth studio album, continues 60's pop meets 70s punk with up-close-and-personal lyrics from the pioneers of "queencore" that launched the genre that brought up Tribe 8, Team Dresch, and others.

The band that released six albums in six years in the 1990s and toured with the likes of Green Day has been off the radar screen much too long. Now they're back with their first album in six years (described as raucous and raunchy but also serious - gotta love that) and a DVD Documentary "Pansy Division: Life in a Gay Rock Band."

Check out the album March 31 and watch for tour dates this summer.

Summer is just around the corner and it's time to get your alt rock/gospel/reggae/post-grunge fired up.

By Nancy Dunham

Ben Harper and Relentless7 gave the folks at SXSW a taste of the band's debut album White Lies For Dark Times, and those that heard it say they're chomping for more of the hard hitting sound with the hot beats - consider the sound something akin to rock with an ample dose of Delta Blues mixed in.
As a "new band with new opportunities and new energy" drummer Jordan Richardson says the band will build its base the old-fashioned way - from club dates.


The 11-song album is out May 5 but check out the new music live at the following gigs:


BEN HARPER AND RELENTLESS7 TOUR DATES:

US TOUR DATES:

April 30 New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
May 1   Memphis, TN - Beale Street Music Festival
May 2 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
May 4  Washington, DC -9:30 Club
May 5 New York, NY - Webster Hall
May 8 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 9 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
May 10 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
May 12 Montreal, CANADA -  Metropolis
May 13 Toronto, CANADA - Phoenix Concert
Theatre
May 15 Detroit, MI -St. Andrews
Hall
May 16 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
May 25  George, WA - The Gorge Amp. / Sasquatch Festival
May 27  San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
May 28 Los Angeles, CA -The Wiltern
June 13 Manchester, TN -Bonnaroo Music Festival

INTERNATIONAL TOUR DATES:
April 9 Sydney - Australia Metro Theatre
April 11 Byron Bay - Australia Byron Bay Bluesfest
April 13 Byron Bay - Australia Byron Bay Bluesfest
April 19  London, England - The Forum
April 20 Paris, France - La Cigale
April 21Bourges, France - Le Printemps du
Bourges
April 22 Rome, Italy - Piazzadel Popolo
June 19 Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany - Southside Festival
June 20 Scheessel, Germany - Hurricane Festival
June 22 Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
June 23 Munich, Germany - TonHalle
June 25 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
June 27 London, England - Hard Rock Calling
Festival

By Nancy Dunham

 If this continues, we may have to crown Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis the new Kevin Bacon (as in "six degrees of separation from...")

Morgan Nagler, lead vocalist/guitarist/co-founder of The Whispertown 2000 is another in a series of musicians that consider Lewis and her Rilo band mate Blake Sennett musical muses. The duo not only provided long-term encouragement, but performed on Whispertown's 2006 debut "Livin' in a Dream," which Sennett co-produced. Plus, Whispertown was given opening slots when the artists toured.

But don't think the folk-tinged hypnotic music of Whispertown 2000 is a musical stepchild. The four-piece band has rightly won critical kudos and a devoted fan base that includes Lewis who has publicly said, "Morgan Nagler is my favorite songwriter. Period."

Supporting its sophomore release "Swim," The Whispertown 2000 will jump right from the Austin stages of SXSW to a headlining tour and then supporting gigs for singer/songwriter Maria Taylor.

SXSW appearances:

3.18      Little Radio SXSW Party  @ Red Eyed Fly     1:20 pm

3.18     Cannibal Cheerleader SXSW Party @ Peacock Lounge   4:45 pm

3.19     End of the Road Festival SXSW Party   @  Lambert's       2:30 pm

3.21    SXSW Hotel Café Showcase @ Ale House  11:00 pm

Headline tour dates:

3.22        Ft. Worth, TX            Lola's

3.26         St. Louis, MO                 The Firebird

3.27         Nashville, TN                 The Basement

3.28         Louisville, KY                 Nachbar

3.29         Charlotte, NC       Snug Harbor

Dates in support of Maria Taylor:

4.04        Gainesville, FL                  Common Grounds

4.05        Orlando, FL                        The Social

4.06        Jacksonville, FL                Jack Rabbits

4.07        Birmingham, AL                Bottle Tree

4.08        Atlanta, GA                        The Earl

4.09        Carrboro, NC                      Local 506

4.10        Washington, DC                 Rock N Roll Hotel

4.11        Philadelphia, PA                 Barbary

4.12        Brooklyn, NY                     Bell House

4.13        Hoboken, NJ                       Maxwell's

4.14        Boston, MA                        Great Scott

4.16        Buffalo, NY                        Mohawk Place

4.17        Toronto, ON                       El Mocambo

4.18        Cleveland, OH                    Grog Shop

4.19        Ann Arbor, MI                    Blind Pig

4.20        Chicago, IL                         Schuba's

4.21        Madison, WI                       High Noon

4.22        Minneapolis, MN                400 Bar

4.24        Omaha, NE                         Waiting Room

4.25        Denver, CO                         Hi Dive

4.26        Salt Lake City, UT              Kilby Court

4.28        Seattle, WA                         Vera Project

4.29        Portland, OR                        Doug Fir

5.01        San Francisco, CA               Café Du Nord

5.02        Visalia, CA                          Cellar Door

5.03        Los Angeles, CA                 Troubadour

The Scissormen's Ted Drozdowski lets Blurt tell him how to play guitar--using various exotic items. You can read our exclusive interview with Droz in which he explains the rationale behind... you know.... HERE.

Wilco has just posted a trailer to their latest live DVD entitled Ashes of American Flags. The DVD was filmed by our pals over at Trixie (the folks responsible  for much of our exclusive video content including Tom Morello, Jolie Holland, Deerhoof, and the Black Keys). If the trailer is any indication, Flags looks like a seriously good way to spend an afternoon. 

Hailing from songbird Mandell's brand new album (due Feb. 17) of the same name, "Artificial Fire" is a black-and-white gem set up like an old-school performance clip.

All the songs on Artificial Fire were written by Mandell, and arranged, recorded and produced with her longtime band (Drake on guitar, Ryan Feves on bass and Kevin Fitzgerald on drums.), allowing the group's cohesiveness and musical acumen to shape the tracks while Mandell's articulate lyrics hold centerstage. Guests include DJ Bonebrake (X, The Knitters), fellow Living Sister Inara George, and Silver Lake music scene regulars Jason Borger, Danny T. Levin and Charlie Wadhams.  The album was produced by Mandell, Drake, Feves, Fitzgerald and Dave Trumfio.

Taylor Swift and Myley Cyrus together for the first time! Wait, where are those guitar fills coming from? Oh wait, now I see the band behind them.  Myley needs to dial down the dramatic gestures. Swift is playing it perfectly. Great poise.

Best Pop Collaboration: Plant and Krauss win it--no surprise here.  Krauss looks smashing. Plant looks like Plant-meaning he wins hands down for rock's Dick Clark Award for still looking amazing even in his sixties (80s perm and all). Krauss remains silent while Plant accept the award.

Jennifer Hudson performs. What a voice. What a choir.

"English Medicine" was directed by Scott Conn, who also directed the documentary Dirt Road To Psychedelia (http://www.dirtroadtopsych.com/).    

Check out the exclusive BLURT premiere of Deerhoof's latest video for "Buck and Judy." Directed by C. Spencer Yeh.

Afterwards, lay your eyes on our live footage of the same song at: http://blurt-online.com/video/view/166/  

C. Spencer Yeh was born in Taipei, Taiwan, studied Radio/Television/Film at Northwestern University in Chicago IL, and is now based out of Cincinnati OH.  He is active in music with his primary project, Burning Star Core, and in his own name as a composer, improviser, and collaborator.  In the video medium he has worked with artists such as G.X. Jupitter-Larsen, Hair Police, Wolf Eyes, and Lo-Vid, in creating videos and interactive DVDs, with some of these works presented internationally.  Being a fan and friend of Deerhoof, Yeh was not only excited to be able to work with the group, but to also exercise his video capabilities.  "Buck and Judy" addresses and explores music video and animation conventions, as well as stream-of-consciousness and narrative, in a hermetic and intimate "desktop/bedroom video" environment, being wholly scripted, storyboarded, illustrated, animated, and edited by Yeh.

We just added the latest MP3s by Neko Case, Vetiver, and Heartless Bastards to our BLURT Radio player. Check 'em out!

Decemberists set to release new album The Hazards of Love March 24

On March 24th, Capitol Records will release The DecemberistsÂ� fifth album—entitled The Hazards Of Love, the follow-up to the groupÂ�s 2006 breakthrough,The Crane Wife. No Decemberists long player would be complete without some kind of theme or concept running throughout and it sounds like this won't be any different. According to the press release, "the 17-song suite, recorded with the bandÂ�s longtime producer, Tucker Martine, is rooted in ancient language and imagery, yet entirely modern and accessible." Wow.

The Decemberists are making Â�"The RakeÂ�s Song"Â� from The Hazards available as a free download starting today at www.decemberists.com.

For more on that concept, here's mainman Colin Meloy has to say: "There'�s an odd bond between the music of the British folk revival and classic metal. �A natural connection between, like, Fairport Convention and Black Sabbath � of course, Sandy Denny from Fairport even sang with Led Zeppelin on �The Battle of Evermore.� I think there�s a shared sense of narrative and ambience, of moving beyond the first person in your writing. And I thought it would be interesting to mess around with that.�"

Apparently The Hazards Of Love tells the story of a woman named Margaret who is ravaged by a shape-shifting beast; her lover, William; a forest queen; and a cold-blooded, lascivious rake.Â� Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark and My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden deliver the lead vocals for the female characters, while My Morning Jacket's Jim James, Robyn Hitchcock and the Spinanes' Rebecca Gates appear in supporting roles. 

The track listing for The Hazards Of Love is as follows:

1. Prelude

2. The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles WonÂ�t Wrestle the Thistles Undone)

3. A Bower Scene

4. WonÂ�t Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)

5. The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All)

6. The QueenÂ�s Approach

7. IsnÂ�t it a Lovely Night?

8. The Wanting Comes in Waves / Repaid

9. An Interlude        

10. The RakeÂ�s Song

11. The Abduction of Margaret

12. The QueenÂ�s Rebuke / The Crossing

13. Annan Water

14. Margaret in Captivity

15. The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)

16. The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise)

17. The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)

By Blurt Staff

From the Hall of Fame comes this announcement today:

"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation today announced its inductees for 2009. In addition, for the first time in its 24- year history, tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be accessible to the public."

Wait, you mean they're going to let civilians in? In previous years, each $1500 ticket has only been available to a select group of managers, artists, friends, etc.

"This year's class of inductees truly represents what the Hall of Fame is all about. From classic artists that began their careers in the 50's and 60's to those that have defined the modern sound of rock and roll," said Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation President & CEO Joel Peresman.

The performer inductees are:  
Jeff Beck
Little Anthony & the Imperials
Metallica
Run-D.M.C.
Bobby Womack

Early Influence Category Inductee:
Wanda Jackson

Sidemen Category:
Bill Black
DJ Fontana
Spooner Oldham

Wow. Um, what's it going to take to get the Stooges in here? We'll concede that this year's lineup is one of the least offensive in years (Jeff Beck excluded), but seriously. The FUCKING STOOGES!

A limited number of pre-sale tickets to the Induction Ceremony at Cleveland's historic Public Hall will be available to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum members on Thursday, January 22 and Friday, January 23.

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.

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

Tuesday, January 6:

6:00 & 10:30 Rave HD: Beautiful Noise: Sloan

10:00 HBO Comedy: David Cross - The Pride Is Back

11:30 CBS David Letterman: Erin McCarley

11:35  NBC Jay Leno: Pussycat Dolls

12:05 ABC Jimmy Kimmel: Kathy Griffin, Mike Birbiglia

12:35 NBC Conan O'Brien: Bang Camaro

1:30 VH1: Rock Docs: NWA The World's Most Dangerous Group

1:35 NBC: Carson Daly: Quincy Jones, Little Joy

Wednesday, January 7:

11:00 Rave HD: Beautiful Noise: Black Angels

7:00 Rave HD: Elvis Costello Live in Montreal

9:00 Sundance: Spectacle: Elvis Costello w/The Police

11:30 CBS David Letterman: Okkervil River

12:05 ABC Jimmy Kimmel: Gabe Dixon Band

12:35 Craig Ferguson: William Shatner

1:45 Sundance: Rolling Stones/Brian Jones -  Stoned

Coming soon: BLURT poll on holiday songs you never want to hear again...

By Fred Mills

See that subhead above? Keep your eyes peeled, kiddos. Meanwhile, before la deluge, this Christmas song from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, currently streaming at their MySpace page: "All I Want For Christmas" finds Karen O & Co. in strikingly subdued form, poppy and with a hint of Spector (pre-murder trial, natch) for good measure.

This all while we wait for the previously-announced new album from the NYC band, to be titled Show Your Bones and due sometime next year.

Jolie Holland, live in the BLURT TV studios. Nov, 2008

"Palmyra," from her latest album The Living and the Dead (Anti)

Directed and photographed by Brendan Canty and Christoph Green, Trixie DVD (trixiedvd.com)

We just added our latest exclusive performance video to the BLURT TV section. Checkout Jolie Holland—live in the BLURT TV studios—performing "(The End of) Traveling," from her latest album The Living and the Dead (Anti).

  http://blurt-online.com/video/view/167

Directed and photographed by Brendan Canty and Christoph Green, Trixie DVD (trixiedvd.com)

Jolie Holland, live in the BLURT TV studios. Nov, 2008

"The End of Traveling," from her latest album The Living and the Dead (Anti)

Directed and photographed by Brendan Canty and Christoph Green, Trixie DVD (trixiedvd.com)

Bettie Page, the striking, raven-haired 1950s pinup was hospitalized in intensive care after suffering a heart attack, her agent told the Associated Press on Friday.

The 85-year-old had been hospitalized for the last three weeks with pneumonia and was about to be released when she had the heart attack Tuesday. Page remained in intensive care Friday, apparently in a coma.

Page was immortalized in the 2006 film The Notorious Bettie Page (starring Gretchen Mol as Page) which chronicled her sexually provocative and playful 50s modeling career and subsequent decision to live a quiet, "Christian" life (leading many to believe she had died) until resurfacing in the 1990s where her autographs often went for hundreds of dollars.

Posing for Hugh Hefner's fledging new magazine Playboy in 1955, one could argue that Page inadvertently helped spark the sexual revolution. 

Backstage at the 9:30 Club, Washington, DC

Live at the 9:30 Club, October 27, 2008, Washington DC. Directed by Brendan Canty and Christoph Green/Trixie DVD (trixiedvd.com) for BLURT TV.

Backstage at the 9:30 Club, Washington, DC

Live at the 9:30 Club, Washington DC. Directed by Brendan Canty and Christoph Green/Trixie DVD (trixiedvd.com) for BLURT TV.

Live at the 9:30 Club, October 27, 2008, Washington DC. Directed by Brendan Canty and Christoph Green/Trixie DVD (trixiedvd.com) for BLURT TV.

The Smashing Pumpkins' latest music video for their newest single "G.L.O.W." (Jackie Stallone take note) will be shown exclusively on Myspace at http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=46404025. The single marks the first (and hopefully the last) time a band has recorded a new song for the wildy popular Guitar Hero® franchise which was released afterwards.
 
The Pumpkins are in the midst of a widely criticized North American tour  celebrating their 20th anniversary. During their hometown Chicago tour stop, it was reported that frontman Billy Corgan simultaneously confounded and pissed off large segments of the paying audience by inviting a heckler up on stage and berating him. Our unsolicited advice to Corgan: the only artist we've seen pull that off successfully is Fugazi's Ian Mackaye (and Tony Clifton, but we're sounding off in strictly musical terms here) and it was a thing of beauty. Don't attempt such things if you're only retort resembles a drunken jarhead.

Viva la Runt!

By Fred Mills

Where were you in '73? If you answer, "Out purchasing that spankingly fine debut album from the New York Dolls" you're lying through your teeth just as sure as if you said you bought the first Velvet Underground album when it came out. Oh yeah, yeah -  maybe your big brother told you about the band, or maybe you heard about this cool magazine called Rock Scene that extolled the virtues of the NYC scene, or maybe you even knew a slutty little gal friend with jones for hitting the Lower East Side in search of Quaaludes and rooster-haired rock dudes to hang out with.

 We understand.

Actually, maybe you likely you didn't even pay attention until the reunited Dolls played the Spin mag day party a couple of years ago at SXSW and all of a sudden you were scrambling to claim some belated hipster cool. Yes, we understand.

So punk, now here's your chance to get in on the ground floor (slight return): in January, Todd Rundgren is going into the studio with the Dolls - essentially founding members David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain, plus pals Sam Yaffa, Steve Conte and Brian Delaney - to record the band's next album. Rundgren of course produced the '73 debut. Atco/Warners will release the record and the band will hit the road for a lengthy tour, so your 2 imperatives are clear.

Johansen enthused in a statement, "We're really excited to be working with Todd gain. We're hoping to recapture the same magic on the forthcoming album [that was on the debut]."

Here's hoping that "magic" doesn't include the indifference of the buying public and the outright hostility from the record company - because that is what was going on in 1973, revisionist historians aside. You, gentle citizens, can make a difference this time around.

Photographed by Brad DeCecco. 

Photographed by Brad DeCecco.

Photographed by Brad DeCecco. Edited by Christoph Green/TRIXIE DVD.

By Blurt Staff

With Election Day closing in and a special political issue recent of BLURT magazine going live last week (click on the magazine image on the right side of the homepage) we thought we'd bring you a series of BLURT-produced exclusive set of interviews and performances with Tom Morello to pass the time. In our video section right now!

Or go to these direct links:

8 People and a Latte Machine

Guitar Hero

Bad Presidents

Produced and Directed by Brendan Canty and Christoph Green/Trixie for BLURT

Produced and Directed by Brendan Canty and Christoph Green/Trixie for BLURT

Produced and Directed by Brendan Canty and Christoph Green/Trixie for BLURT

Hi Blurt Fans!

Welcome to the first official Blurt Out Loud podcast, where we'll bring you interviews with artists, tracks and live performances every week. 

On this week's episode, writer Brian Creech caught up with the Old 97s at the Georgia Theater in Athens, GA. The band talks to Blurt and then plays us an acoustic version of "My Two Feet."

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for podcasts from the Austin City Limits Music Festival including Sharon Jones, Mason Jennings, Langhorne Slim, Back Door Slam and kids rocker Uncle Rock!

We'll also soon be available for download on iTunes, and we'll post an audio version of the podcast on our new mp3 player so you can listen while you work...

-Ben Westhoff

It turns out Joe the Plumber -- the star of last night's debate, and supposedly thinking of buying his own plumbing business -- isn't a plumber. He isn't even named Joe! According to The New York Times Political Blog this Toledo, Ohio resident's name is Samuel J. Wurzelbacher and he does not own a plumbing license. As Sarah Palin might say -- "Say it ain't so, Joe!"

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/16/joe-in-the-spotlight/?hp

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)

7:00 AM ABC: Good Morning America: Sara Evans

7:00 AM CBS: The Early Show: John Rich

7:00 AM NBC: Today: The Pretenders

9:00 AM SYN: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Kanye West , Paris Hilton

9:00 AM SYN: Live with Regis and Kelly: Sarah McLachlan

9:00 AM SYN: Rachael Ray: New Kids On The Block

 10:00 AM Biography: Traci Lords

10:00 AM MTV2: Storytellers: Snoop Dogg

12:00 PM Ovation: Sult - Spirit of the Music Special w/Emmylou Harris , Elvis Costello , Van Morrison , Mark Knopfler , Sinéad O'Connor , Dónal Lunny

2:00 PM FUSE: Steven's Untitled Rock Show: Black Kids

4:00 PM RAVE HD: From The Basement: The White Stripes , The Shins , The Divine Comedy

5:00 PM Ovation: Nine Hundred Nights - Big Brother and the Holding Company

6:00 PM Ovation: Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser

8:00 PM Ovation: Johnny Cash: Half Mile A Day

8:00 PM VH1C: Unplugged: Bob Dylan

9:00 PM VH1: 2008 Hip Hop Honors

9:15 PM IFC: The Henry Rollins Show: Queens of the Stone Age , Gene Simmons , Henry Rollins

11:35 PM CBS: The Late Show With David Letterman: Tegan & Sara

11:35 PM NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: James Taylor

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Black Kids

12:35 AM NBC: Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Death Cab For Cutie , Alicia Keys

12:37 AM CBS: The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Jim Bianco

1:35 AM NBC: Last Call with Carson Daly: Panic at the Disco

3:00 AM BBCA: The Graham Norton Show: Backstreet Boys

Please welcome to the BLURT stable of bloggers Ben Taylor, and yes, it is indeed that Ben Taylor - son of James Taylor and Carly Simon. Don't let the rock royalty lineage fool ya, however; for some time now Benjamin's been busy carving out a unique niche for himself in the music world, most notably on his just-released album The Legend of Kung Folk Part 1 (The Killing Bite) (Iris Reccords), which as Taylor himself says, puts the "kick" back into folk music.

You can also get your kicks with Taylor via his new video blog wherein he holds forth on everything from the curious title he gave his album to John McCain's daughter Meghan McCain to whether or not he ever stared longingly at his mom's album covers. (The answer to the latter comes pretty quickly and succinctly, by the way. Just in case you're wondering.)

You can buy Ben Taylor's new album The Legends of Kung Folk at www.DocuTunes.TV

Please welcome to the BLURT stable of bloggers Ben Taylor, and yes, it is indeed that Ben Taylor - son of James Taylor and Carly Simon. Don't let the rock royalty lineage fool ya, however; for some time now Benjamin's been busy carving out a unique niche for himself in the music world, most notably on his just-released album The Legend of Kung Folk Part 1 (The Killing Bite) (Iris Reccords), which as Taylor himself says, puts the "kick" back into folk music.

You can also get your kicks with Taylor via his new video blog wherein he holds forth on everything from the curious title he gave his album to John McCain's daughter Meghan McCain to whether or not he ever stared longingly at his mom's album covers. (The answer to the latter comes pretty quickly and succinctly, by the way. Just in case you're wondering.)

You can buy Ben Taylor's new album The Legends of Kung Folk at www.DocuTunes.TV

Please welcome to the BLURT stable of bloggers Benjamin Taylor, and yes, it is indeed that Benjamin Taylor - son of James Taylor and Carly Simon. Don't let the rock royalty lineage fool ya, however; for some time now Benjamin's been busy carving out a unique niche for himself in the music world, most notably on his just-released album The Legend of Kung Folk Part 1 (The Killing Bite) (Iris Reccords), which as Taylor himself says, puts the "kick" back into folk music.

You can also get your kicks with Taylor via his new video blog wherein he holds forth on everything from the curious title he gave his album to John McCain's daughter Meghan McCain to whether or not he ever stared longingly at his mom's album covers. (The answer to the latter comes pretty quickly and succinctly, by the way. Just in case you're wondering.)

You can buy Ben Taylor's new album The Legends of Kung Folk at www.DocuTunes.TV

L.A.-based  maverick also to tour w/Fleet Foxes.

By Blurt Staff

Neotraditionalist Frank Fairfield, a virtuoso on banjo, fiddle and guitar, has just signed with NYC's roots-powered Tompkins Square label. He will be main support for Fleet Foxes on their US tour this fall.

The label has released a 3-song digital single, and a 7" single featuring Fairfield's take on traditional tunes "I've Always Been A Rambler" b/w "Darling Corey," samples of which can be heard at Fairfield's MySpace page (www.myspace.com/frankfairfield).

According to a spokesperson at the label, an album will follow in early 2009.

By Ben Westhoff

Let's get one thing straight: I did not get Sarah Palin's daughter pregnant. Although I have been to Alaska and enjoy the occasional Mooseburger, I did not have sex with that woman. Girl.

I will admit, however, to being wild and on the prowl on the first day of the Republican National Convention, held in downtown St. Paul. The atmosphere was almost exactly like that of a post-apocalyptic movie, with giant fences separating the privileged controlling elite from the screaming masses, some so poor they apparently can't afford deodorant and even rummage through dumpsters for bits of tofu burgers. (Red eyed folks in tattered clothes stumbled around as well, although they were less "infected" than "sprayed with tear gas.")  

‘Twas a different scene entirely inside the Xcel Energy Center, where the Minnesota Wild normally play hockey, and which adjoins the hall where my high school graduation ceremony was held. The convention floor was as quiet as a mouse, or perhaps a rat, as President Bush and VP Cheney had opted out of their speeches to go battle Hurricane Gustav. (To quote The Church Lady: "How conveeeenient.").This left us only with Cindy McCain, who spoke about the relief effort, and Laura Bush, who spoke about her battle fighting an addiction to Capri Menthol Lights cigarettes (just kidding).

The, um, elephant in the room that the 17-year-old unmarried daughter of McCain's unvetted VP pick, Alaska governor babe Sarah Palin, was preggo. This was the third game-changer of the week, following the hurricane and the initial announcement that the VP slot was going to a creationist nut job who until recently was the mayor of Cicely, Alaska or some such. (Speaking of which, somebody really needs to get John Corbett off of those Applebee's commercials and back in the DJ booth where he belongs.) Word from nearby adjoining red states was that the baby bump could spark a poll numbers bounce, leaving the mainstream media liberal elite scratching their bald spots.

Outside, anarchists busted a few windows and declined my interview requests. (They think they're so cool.) The rest of the 10,000 protesters marched in well-behaved and confusing fashion. I for one never did understand what running your car on vegetable oil, universal health care and medical marijuana have to do with "Israel out of Palestine" and the war in Iraq, but whatever. Riot-geared up police lined the streets; most of them were apparently from out of town because no one could tell me how to get to Harriet Island, where the Service Employees International Union protest concert was being held across the Mississippi river.

I eventually made it over there, though, only to find that the performer I was most looking forward to seeing had canceled. (Someone speculated that Lupe Fiasco is a disenchanted Hillary supporter won over to McCain by the Palin pick, but that's probably not accurate). Though fairly subdued, the crowd seemed to enjoy political ramblings and occasional guitar strumming of folks like Tom "The Nightwatchman" Morello, Billy "why couldn't I have been born 80 years ago goddammit" Bragg, the delicate, beautiful Allison Moorer and her hideous beast of a husband, Steve Earle. (Apparently Mos Def and The Pharcyde came on later, but I was too busy leaving comments on the Stuff White People Like blog to pay attention.)  

Morello tells me beforehand that he's not there to support Barack so much as to support the union and fuck with Republicans. "I feel much more comfortable on the other side of the barbed wire fence lobbing musical Molotov cocktails in," he says. "The only candidate that I've publicly endorsed in my life is Cindy Sheehan when she was running against Nancy Pelosi."

He and Earle became buddies about five years ago on the "Tell Us the Truth Tour" (something about media consolidation, abolishing the death penalty and organic arugula, probably). They bonded over their mutual love of Lord Of The Rings, annoying Billy Bragg by watching the six hour extended version of The Two Towers over and over on the tour bus. Since then the pair have continued their activist ways, although their actions have not always been appreciated.

"I witnessed Al and Tipper Gore practically levitate to avoid having their picture taken with me," remembers Earle. "[Al] was speaking at a place called The Belcourt Theatre in Nashville, and a couple friends of mine tried to drag me into this photo op. You should have seen the look of terror on their faces. They were horrified. I'm sure the camera was tracked down immediately after I left."

Recalls Morello: "At the SEIU mayday rally in Chicago, Mayor Daley was on stage waiting to speak after I finished a rousing version of Woody Guthrie's ‘This Land Is Your Land,' complete with all the censored verses. It turns into a real class-war anthem, and at the end of it I asked everybody up on stage to jump up in down in solidarity with workers' rights. I think the mayor was kind of caught of guard, but he did jump up and down, to his credit."

The pair certainly seemed a bit more committed than, say, Atmosphere emcee Slug, who like the protesters downtown has a tendency to stray a bit off message. "I don't rock their name in interviews or anything like that," he says of the union, "but I'm not necessarily against what they stand for." That's quite an endorsement. He goes on: "Quite honestly, it didn't have to be this cause, it could have been fucking Haagen Dazs. If they were out there throwing a festival across the river from the RNC, and they had Tom Morello, I still would have done it."

After the show, I ghostwalked a bit more around the perimeter of the convention center, 28 Weeks Later-style, and then went back inside. Bill O'Reilly announced on one of the overhead screens that Obama's convention bounce had all but evaporated, and the race was now neck and neck. I think it's fair to say Sarah Palin's grandfetus is holding all the cards right now.   

From Timmy Curran's debut album, Word of Mouth (Adeline Records). www.myspace.com/timmycurran

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

On July 23, Jason Isbell appeared as Asheville's storied Grey Eagle venue and the BLURT editorial 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!

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

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.

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:

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  

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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.

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

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?

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!

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)

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]

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

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

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”

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.

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:

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

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]

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

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

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.

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]

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

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 Festival 

August 18    Manchester, Trinity Chapel  7.30pm

August 19    London, Bush Hall w/Bowerbirds  7.30pm

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.

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]

Just in time for the Beijing Olympics, eh?

By Fred Mills

The hills are alive with the sound of…. Gun N’ Roses chatter. Billboard.com is reporting word of nine so-called finished/mastered tracks from GNR’s long-in-the-making/awaiting  Chinese Democracy; apparently yesterday the website Antiquiet.com uploaded the material, which of course triggered an immediate takedown order from Axl Rose’s lawyers.

According to Billboard, “Six of the songs have already leaked in one unfinished form or another: ‘Better,’ ‘The Blues,’ the title track, ‘Madagascar,’ ‘IRS’ and ‘There Was a Time.’ But these versions appear to be much further along on the path toward completion, and feature new touches like organ and tambourine on ‘IRS’ and a beefed-up chorus with multi-tracked vocals on ‘Madagascar.’ The three previously unheard songs are ‘Rhiad and the Bedouins,’ ‘If the World’ and a track whose title is unknown.”

Well, gentlemen, start your search engines. Gunners MP3 booty awaits, for as we all know, once a file is released, the genie’s been uncorked. Meanwhile, here’s the text original posting at Antiquiet.com, plus subsequent updates. Viva la revolucion. See below....

***

We’ve Got Chinese Democracy, And It’s Worth The Wait

June 18th, 2008 by Skwerl in Features

Well, to say that I’m living up to my reputation today is an understatement. I’d like to share with you 9 tracks from the new Guns N’ Roses album, Chinese Democracy. These are mastered, finished versions that you probably haven’t heard. I always said that the more that Axl and Geffen jerked around trying to figure out how to release this finally finished album that we’ve all been waiting over 13 years for, the greater the chances would be that it would slip out of a pressing plant or office somewhere and wind up in the hands of some asshole with a blog. So… Hey, I told you so. I’m probably asking for a lot of trouble. But I’m fighting the good fight. It’s not against the label, or the artist- it’s against the old business model. The obsolete marketing paradigm. Release your music. Give it away, let everyone hear it. If it’s good, you’ll be OK.

THE PLAYER HAS BEEN AT LEAST TEMPORARILY REMOVED, BECAUSE IT BASICALLY BROKE THE ENTIRE INTERNET. ALSO, WE GOT A CALL FROM GUNS N’ ROSES. STAY TUNED.

I’ll let you all decide for yourselves, but if you ask me, Guns N’ Roses are fucking back, and they’ll be just fine.

Still twangin’, still dreamin’….

By Blurt Staff

Midnight in Mississippi marks the full-blown return of the late, great, and now no longer late Blue Mountain. It’s the first album of new material since the group disbanded in 2002 (with the exception of the songs “Butterfly” and “By You Side,” which appeared on the first solo release by B.M. frontman Cary Hudson, but have been re-recorded by Hudson, Laurie Stiratt and Frank Couch). They got back together last year and you can read all about the band in the current (June) issue of BLURT – just click on the cover of the digital magazine on our home page.  

Midnight in Mississippi was recorded in Elmwood Recording in Dallas , TX , with Grammy-winning producer/engineer Stuart Sikes (Cat Power, White Stripes, Loretta Lynn). Meanwhile, the band also has Omnibus, a collection of new recordings of 14 classic Blue Mountain songs, including “Blue Canoe,” “Soul Sister,” “Poppa, “Mountain Girl” and a rousing rendition of “Generic America,” that were re-recorded by Andrew Ratcliff at Tweed Recording in Oxford, MS.  Both CDs will be released by Broadmoor Records, a label owned by Stiratt and her twin brother John, bass player for Wilco.

Their recent shows have found them in front of ecstatic crowds, receiving rave reviews, including a performance to a packed house at the Americana Music Convention in October of 2007 and several shows at this year’s South-By-Southwest, proving that not only is the band tighter than ever, but they are still a vital force in a world of music they helped create.  

Blue Mountain Tour Dates:

 

Jun 27 2008      10:00P
    State Theater     Starkville, Mississippi
Jun 28 2008     8:00P
    Standard Delux     Waverly, Alabama
Jul 5 2008     8:00P
    Hill Country Picnic     Potts Camp, Mississippi
Aug 1 2008     10:00P
    CD RELEASE PARTY at the Continental Club     Houston, Texas
Aug 2 2008     10:00P
    CD RELEASE PARTY at Continental Club     Austin, Texas
Aug 3 2008     8:00P
    Blue Door     Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Aug 8 2008     10:00P
    CD RELEASE PARTY at the Hi-Tone!     Memphis, Tennessee
Aug 15 2008     10:00P
    CD RELEASE PARTY at Hal & Mal’s     Jackson, Mississippi
Aug 16 2008     10:00P
    CD RELEASE PARTY at Government Street Grocery     Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Aug 22 2008     10:00P
    CD RELEASE PARTY at Proud Larry’s     Oxford, Mississippi
Aug 23 2008     10:00P
    CD RELEASE PARTY at Lucas School House     St. Louis, Missouri
Sep 4 2008     10:00P
    CD RELEASE PARTY at The Basement     Nashville, Tennessee
Sep 5 2008     8:00P
    Nightfall Concert Series     Chattanooga, Tennessee
Sep 12 2008     10:00P
    CD RELEASE PARTY at Chelsea’s     Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Sep 13 2008     10:00P
    CD RELEASE PARTY at the Thirsty Hippo     Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Sep 18 2008     10:00P
    The Pour House Music Hall     Raliegh, North Carolina
Sep 19 2008     8:00P
    Downtown After 5     Asheville, North Carolina
Sep 19 2008     10:00P
    Grey Eagle     Asheville, North Carolina
Sep 27 2008     7:00P
    Otherfest     Rosedale, Mississippi
Oct 11 2008     10:00P
    CD RELEASE PARTY at the 400 Bar     Minneapolis, Minnesota
Oct 18 2008     6:00P
    Great Mississippi River Balloon Race     Natchez, Mississippi
Oct 31 2008     10:00P
    Halloween Party at Proud Larry’s     Oxford, Mississippi

[Photo Credit: Bill Ellison]

In which our heroes smack one out of the ballpark…

By Fred Mills

Here’s a treat you don’t wanna miss: The Baseball Project, live tomorrow night (June 20) on the Late Night With David Letterman show. Who is The Baseball Project, you ask? That would be the mighty Steve Wynn (Miracle 3, Danny & Dusty, Dream Syndicate) and Scott McCaughey (Minus 5, REM, Young Fresh Fellows) along with Wynn’s M3 drummer Linda Pitmon and a chap who goes by the name of Buck — Peter Buck, to be precise. You may have heard of him…

In a nutshell, Steve and Scott decided to team up and pen an album’s worth of material about baseball, hence the ad hoc combo’s name. They had talked in the past about collaboration, and apparently they decided to move forward with the project after they ran into each other last year.

"It finally took flight at the R.E.M. pre-Hall of Fame induction party in New York," Wynn remembers. "Everyone was happy. The wine was flowing, the food was incredible and spring training had just started. Scott and I talked baseball until most of the party guests had cleared out. And we actually remembered it the next day."

You can read more about, and hear tracks by, The Baseball Project at selected web portals:

Official Steve Wynn website

The Baseball Project MySpace page

Yep Roc’s Baseball Project page

[Photo Credit: Vivian Johnson]

Tour leaks be damned – here’s that massive itinerary unveiled.

By Blurt Staff

Mere hours after we gave you a sneak preview of the handful of tour dates that had leaked from the Conor Oberst camp, the Bright Eyes frontman officially announced a world tour that will take him from South America to an extensive trek across the States, then to Europe, back to the U.S. and finally to Australia.

The itinerary appears below. It’s to promote the upcoming Conor Oberst, due Aug. 5 from Merge, which Oberst cut last winter in Tepoztlan, Mexico, with the Mystic Valley Band: Bright Eyes’ Nate Walcott, Rilo Kiley’s Jason Boesel, Nik Freitas, Macey Taylor and Taylor Hollingsworth. Support acts for the tour will include Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis, the Evangelicals and Dri (ex-Anniversary).

Meanwhile, you can stream two songs appearing on the album at Oberst’s official website.

Track Listing:

1. Cape Cañaveral
2. Sausalito
3. Get-Well-Cards
4. Lenders In The Temple
5. Danny Callahan
6. I Don’t Want To Die (In The Hospital)
7. Eagle On A Pole
8. Moab
9. NYC – Gone, Gone
10. Valle Místico (Ruben's Song)
11. Souled Out!!!
12. Milk Thistle

Conor Oberst Tour Dates:

7/16 - Studio SP, Sao Paulo, Brazil
7/17 - Studo SP, Sao Paulo, Brazil
7/18 - Cine Arte Normandie, Santiago, Chile
7/19 - La Trastienda, Buenos Aires, Argentina

7-25 Billings, MT - Bones Brewing
7-27 Calgary, Alberta - Prince's Island Park (Calgary Jazz Festival)
7-29 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
7-30 Seattle, WA - Neumos
7-31 Bend, OR - Midtown Ballroom
8-01 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
8-02 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
8-03 Santa Cruz, CA - Rio Theatre
8-05 West Hollywood, CA - Troubadour
8-08 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
8-09 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
8-10 Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
8-11 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
8-12 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
8-17 Saratoga, NY - Saratoga Music Festival
8-22 Leeds, England - Leeds Festival
8-23 Birmingham, England - Academy 2
8-24 Reading, England - Reading Festival
8-26 Portsmouth, England - Wedgewood Rooms
8-27 London, England - Electric Ballroom
8-28 Manchester, England -Academy 2
8-29 Argyll, Scotland - Hydro Connect Music Festival
8-30 Belfast, Northern Ireland - Spring and Airbrake
8-31 Stradbally, Ireland - Electric Picnic Festival
9-02 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg
9-03 Brussels, Belgium - Botanique
9-04 Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Den Atelier
9-05 Zurich, Switzerland - Rote Fabrik
9-07 Munich, Germany - Backstage Werk
9-08 Zagreb, Croatia - Studenski
9-09 Vienna, Austria - Arena
9-10 Prague, Czech Republic - TBA
9-11 Berlin, Germany - Columbia Club
9-12 Cologne, Germany - Gloria
9-13 Paris, France - Nouveau Casino
9-14 Salisbury, England - End of the Road Festival
9-20 Omaha, NE - Anchor Inn
9-21 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
9-23 Fayetteville, AR - George's Majestic Lounge 
9-24 Oxford, MS - The Lyric 
9-25 Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom 
9-27 Austin, TX - Zilker Park (Austin City Limits Festival)
10-02 Melbourne, Australia - The Palace
10-03 Brisbane, Australia - Tivoli
10-04 Sydney, Australia - Enmore
10-05 Sydney, Australia - Great Escape

We know “you’ll find a way” to see this tour, right?

By A.D. Amorosi

Santogold will support Coldplay on part of their North American arena tour. No really. NO. REALLY. The snaky ska-rocking sweetheart and answer to the question “who is this summer’s M.I.A.?” will appear with the sweet and stiffly anthem Coldplay during their recently reconfigured tour for that Vida Death CD I gave six stars to yesterday.

“L.E.S. Artistes” indeed.
 

July
23        Chicago, IL                 United Center
25        Philadelphia, PA         Wachovia Center
29        Montreal,                     Bell Center
30        Toronto                       Air Canada Center

August
2          Hartford, CT               XL Center
3          Washington DC          Verizon Center
4          Boston, MA                TB Banknorth Garden
 

Mad about the girl: Swedish pop sensation as featured in the June BLURT.

By Fred Mills

Swedish non-diva Lykke Li has announced a pair of August shows for NYC and L.A. in August to be followed by a full US tour this October/November.  The acclaimed songbird’s debut album, Youth Novels arrives August 19 on LL Recordings (yes, the LL stands for Lykke Li). Meanwhile, she toured the U.S. earlier this year with El Perro Del Mar and “captivated” audiences, employing drums, acoustic guitar and bass, a sole keyboard and a necklace full of percussion — fans were reportedly dancing in the aisles.

Here’s the scoop on Li and the album from her handlers:

“Joining a few of the dots between Feist, Peter, Bjorn and John, and Robyn, 22 year-old Lykke Li has been winning over audiences across the globe with her very own strain of otherworldly minimalist pop music.  A master of subtle delivery, leftfield arrangements, lovelorn beauty and undeniable brilliance, Lykke Li's songs transcend genre, anchored by her diverse influences which range from everything from Dr. John to A Tribe Called Quest to Madonna.  Youth Novels, produced by Peter, Bjorn and John's Bjorn Yttling, casts a spell immediately upon first listen, resulting in wildfire acclaim in Lykke Li's native Sweden and the UK (where the record was just released), with America quickly following suit.”

Meanwhile, cast your eyes to page 26 of the June issue of our digital magazine where we sing the praises of Likke Li. “Just when we’d gotten Peter Björn and John’s “Young Folks” out of your head,” writes Erich Schumacher-Rasmussen, “along comes Lykke Li’s “Little Bit,” another insidiously catchy, deceptively simple Swedish earworm to drive us mad.”

Lykke Li Tour Dates:

8/25/08           Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Café
8/28/08           New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
10/19/08         Washington, DC @ Black Cat
10/23/08         Boston, MA @ Paradise
10/24/08         Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
10/25/08         Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
10/28/08         Vancouver, BC @ Richards on Richards
10/29/08         Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
10/30/08         Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
11/1/08           San Francisco, CA @ Independent

Hey, we’re on top of this stuff, how about you?

By A.D. Amorosi

We don’t have every date yet. Heck. All we really have is one Philadelphia show (Aug 11) and a few Auuuustin Texas dates around KLRU Studios and Zilker Park (Sept 27) for Austin City Limits related stuff, plus some previously announced UK festival dates.

But to go with his upcoming solo Conor Oberst CD handily titled Conor Oberst (due August 5, on Merge) the Bright Eyes one and his pals in the Mystic Valley Band (Nik Freitas and Jason Boesel) will hit the road in August. You can definitely watch this space for further details.

Conor Oberst Tour Dates:

8/11 Philadelphia (venue tba)

8/22 Leeds Festival - England
8/24 Reading Festival - England
8/31 Electric Picnic - County Laois, Ireland
9/27 ACL Music Festival - Austin, TX

So doesn’t this make them the Gutter trio?

By Fred Mills

Britain’s Ed Harcourt will be appearing tomorrow, June 17, on a previously taped segment ManiaTV.com’s “All Access” program as part of his promotional campaign for Beautiful Lie, finally available on these shores (after a nearly two-year delay) via Dovecote. This comes on the heels of a June 6 appearance on Jay Leno’s “The Tonight Show” — Harcourt’s pictured above, with his band and the silver haired man himself.

Then in July he’ll be doing a full U.S. tour, additionally doing selected dates with the Gutter Twins. According to the Harcourt camp, things will be “starting at the Roxy in Los Angeles on July 10. Harcourt’s band will then veer off on their own before rejoining G. Twins Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan on the East Coast, where Harcourt will appear sans band. As he did in the UK, Harcourt will open the night as well as play guitar for the dark duo, including at Lollapalooza.”

Ed Harcourt Tour Dates:

Jun 17 2008              8:00P

            "All Access" on ManiaTV.com       Los Angeles

Jul 10 2008   8:00P

            Roxy w/Gutter Twins           Los Angeles

Jul 11 2008   8:00P

            Beauty Bar    Las Vegas

Jul 14 2008   8:00P

            Doug Fir        Portland

Jul 15 2008   8:00P

            Chop Suey    Seattle

Jul 17 2008   7:00P

            3rd and Lindsley      Nashville

Jul 18 2008   8:00P

            Schubas        Chicago

Jul 21 2008   8:00P

            Maxwells       Hoboken

Jul 23 2008   8:00P

            TT The Bears            Cambridge

Jul 24 2008   8:00P

            Ottobar w/Gutter Twins       Baltimore

Jul 25 2008   8:00P

            The Stone Pony w/Gutter Twins   Asbury Park

Jul 26 2008   8:00P

            The Fillmore @ TLA w/Gutter Twins        Philadelphia

Jul 29 2008   8:00P

            Warsaw w/Gutter Twins      Brooklyn

Jul 30 2008   8:00P

            Mr. Smalls Theatre w/Gutter Twins           Pittsburgh

Jul 31 2008   8:00P

            Newport Music Hall w/Gutter Twins         Columbus

Aug 1 2008   8:00P

            St. Andrews Hall w/Gutter Twins Detroit

Aug 2 2008   8:00P

            Lollapalooza @ Grant Park **note playing Gutter Twins set only**    Chicago

Vaunted psych-out fest boils up its seventh incarnation of beauty and mind-blowingness.

6-15-08

By Fred Mills

Okay kids, all wound up and no place to go after Bonnaroo this weekend? Point that GPS at Kentucky and head to Louisville next weekend. That’s when the latest, greatest installment of the mighty Terrastock Festival — that live action outgrowth of the equally formidable Ptolemaic Terrascope magazine championing all things underground, experimental psychedelic, freak-folky and more — takes place. Previously held in such far-flung locations as Seattle, Providence, San Francisco and London, Terrastock’s seventh installment descends on Louisville on June 19 – 22.

Among the featured performers: Makoto Kawabata (of Acid Mothers Temple), Kinski, Antietam,  Windy & Carl, Wooden Shjips, Damon & Naomi, Bardo Pond, Sharon Krauss, Linus Pauling Quartet, Oneida, MV + EE with the Golden Road, Simply Saucer,  Go to the Terrastock 7 website for a full listing of artists.

This year’s event will be held in Lousville at the Mellwood Arts and Entertainment Center (1860 Mellwood Avenue). The building is  a refurbished industrial plant turned creative environment,  housing over 180 artist studios, retail shops and more. There are three stages (2 indoors, 1 outdoors), and over 40 booths featuring record shops, visual artists and unique retail vendors. More details, including a map of the grounds, travel and hotel info, etc.,  can also be found at the above website.

Full festival passes for T7 are available as an incredible bargain for only $85, while one-day passes are $15 (for Thursday, which won’t be a complete day) and $25 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). For all ticket questions and queries contact:

Thefuzzboutique@yahoo.com

The Fuzz Boutique, LLC
attn: Erica Rucker
Box 354
2337 Frankfort Avenue.
Louisville, Kentucky 4020 USA

Trawling for sights ‘n’ sounds with WNCW-FM and BLURT.

By Fred Mills

BLURT’s buddy Joe Kendrick is the morning drive deejay for WNCW-FM (www.wncw.org). He’s at Bonnaroo snapping pics and conducting interviews for the station and offered to share some of his photos with us — you can view his pics from yesterday HERE . And starting Monday you’ll be able to hear some of the interview material on his morning music talk segment, “What It Is,” so tune in around 8:15 each morning all next week.

Three shots of BLURT/WNCW heroes the Drive-By Truckers. Note Patterson Hood’s vintage Stiff tee!

Jose Gonzales does the sit-down thing, while Les Claypool gets, uh, kinda nosey.

If you spot your friends in the photos, contact BLURT for a free subscription to our digital magazine… Why is that guy sleeping?!?

Two pics of State Radio….

And two of the Fiery Furnaces…

Sights from the site… Bonnaroo never seems to lack for structural oddities.

Stephen Marley on the big stage, on the jumbotron, and up close and personal. (“I shook Stephen’s hand right before this shot,” sez Joe.)

Joe and the Bonnaroo broadcast/media tent, a/k/a “Radio Bonnaroo.” Kids, leave this work to the professionals.

My Morning Jacket onstage. “My Morning Jacket KILLED,” says Joe. “They wasted no time in ripping through some standards like ‘Wordless Chorus’ before getting into some cover territory like ‘Hot Fun In The Summertime’ as a gentle rain slowly built into a steady rain at the Which stage. ‘Highly Suspicious’ converted anyone and everyone who had any smidge of a doubt as to why this band is so loved. Funk and rock in a midperiod Peter Gabriel kind of way with that track.”

Fade to black with MMJ…

[All photos: Joe Kendrick]

Future Onion headline: Rock critics trampled during mad rush to used CD retailer's trade/sell counter.

By Fred Mills

Journalists, start your engines and start boxing up those CDs: On Tuesday a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by Universal Music Group (UMG) against CD vendor Troy Augusto for reselling promotional discs. UMG had maintained — somewhat hilariously — that when it handed out promo freebies to magazines, critics, radio stations, record stores, etc. it actually retained ownership through some mysterious force only known to and understood by UMG, and that by simply stamping on the discs that resale was illegal made it so.

US District Judge James Otero, however, felt otherwise, wisely determining that only official lawmakers, and not entertainment corporations, can pass actual laws governing private individuals’ behavior. Pertinent to the case: the First Sale Doctrine, which has traditionally protected video rental stores, used bookstores and newsstands and libraries. Otero noted that Augusto’s actions (e.g., selling promos online as part of his business, Roast Beast Music Collectibles) were similarly protected by the right of first sale.

Weighing in on the matter was the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who had naturally sided with Augusto, which in a comment stated, “This ruling affirms and protects the traditional balance between the rights of copyright owners and the rights of the public.”

As major record labels are not generally known for their ability to adapt quickly to forces beyond their control (see: Napster, iTunes, etc.), however, UMG indicated Thursday that the decision doesn’t sit all that well with the label’s suits. According to Digital Music News a UMG rep informed them, "We intend to file an appeal and we are confident that we will prevail.”

Observed Digital Music News, “Universal is aiming to prevent the dilution of its physical product pool, though digital distribution offers the ultimate dilution of scarcity. Still, like most manufacturers, major labels would prefer a world without physical resale.  In a decidedly non-digital 1993, cowboy superstar Garth Brooks withheld shipments to retailers that were offering his albums used, though antitrust concerns and negative press eventually forced Capitol Records to supply the targeted outlets.”

Yeah, no shit. Yours truly was working at a new/used CD store when the Brooks flap hit. Upon being informed by EMI that we wouldn’t be able to order any Brooks product unless we yanked the used crap, my boss did just the opposite: he yanked all the NEW Brooks crap, shipped it back to the label, trashed all Brooks promotional posters, flats, etc., and then stuck a sign n the "B" section of the CD bins that read, “Ask us why we don’t sell Garth Brooks CDs."

For good measure, we also removed all promotional displays by artists on EMI-affiliated labels, and did likewise with other distributors' product when they threatened to cancel co-op advertising programs with our store because we were in the business of selling used CDs. It wasn't too long before the labels blinked, however, and they decided not to follow through with their sanctions. As my boss quipped at the time, "Fuck 'em. We make a higher margin on the used stuff anyway. We don't need their new product."

[Pictured: Watermarked/numbered Universal promo CD… someone, somewhere, is making an offer on this right now!]

Gabe Roth feels the spirit move.

By Andy Tennille

From the Daptone desk:

Deep in the heart of Panola County, Mississippi lies Como, a small rural town where children and grown folks alike have been living and breathing gospel for as long as they can remember. In the summer of 2006, Daptone Records placed a small ad in local papers and on the radio inviting singers to come down to Mt. Mariah Church to record their songs. The result is COMO NOW, a stirring, 16-track collection of traditional and original a cappella gospel from the voices of Panola County’s own families.

“When Michael Reilly came to me with his first recordings of the Como Mamas, I remember hearing it and being blown away,” said Gabriel Roth, head honcho at Daptone. “Though I’ve been into soul music for a very long time, it has only been in the past few years that I really got deeper into gospel music. I owe this in no small part to Cliff Driver, who invited me to play bass behind Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens. Through Naomi, Sharon Jones, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Wilson Picket, Aretha Franklin, and several other heroes of mine, the line distinguishing soul music from gospel became much less significant. For me, it was less of an academic lineage than a visceral feeling that I started to get from listening to old records by the Soul Stirrers, The Highway QC’s, Dorothy Love Coates, The Mighty Pilgrim Travelers, The Blind Boys, and The Violinaires. They were the same sounds, the same feeling, as listening to James Brown, Tina Turner and Lee Fields when they were really wailing, Otis Redding when he was really pleading and Al Green when he was really moaning. Sounds that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The recordings Michael played me gave me the same feeling.”

COMO NOW is slated for release on August 19, 2008. To learn more about the music recorded in Como and to watch exclusive videos on the recording of the album, go here.

Track List

1.      When The Gates Swing Open – Mary Moore

2.      It’s Alright – The John Edwards Singers

3.      Can See So Much – Brother and Sister Walker

4.      Jesus Builds A Fence Around Me – Della Daniels and Ester Mae Smith

5.      Trouble In My Way – Como Mamas featuring Mary Moore

6.      If It Had Not Been For Jesus – Irene Stevenson

7.      What Would I Do – Brother and Sister Walker

8.      New Burying Ground - The John Edwards Singers

9.      God’s Unchanging Hand - Como Mamas featuring Mary Moore

10.   I Can’t Afford To Let My Savior Down – Rev. Robert Walker

11.   Talk With Jesus – The Jones Sisters

12.  Lil’ Old Church House – Irene Stevenson

13.  Send Me I’ll Go - Como Mamas featuring Mary Moore

14.  Help Me To Carry On – Brother and Sister Walker

15.  Move Upstairs - Della Daniels and Ester Mae Smith

16.  Somebody Here Needs You Lord – Mary Moore

“… beautiful, tempered melancholy and delicate irony…”

By Blurt Staff

Tindersticks’ first album in five years, The Hungry Saw, drops September 16 courtesy Canadian tastemaker label Constellation. (Import-bin trawlers may have already spotted it earlier this year; it came out in April in Europe on Beggars Banquet.)

We are advised that the album  finds original members Stuart Staples, David Boulter and Neil Fraser augmented by the rhythm section of Thomas Belhom (drums) and Dan McKinna (bass). A long list of guest players was also included in the sessions, including Terry Edwards on horns and brass arrangements, and Lucy Wilkins on lead violin and string arrangements. Recorded at Le Chien Chanceux studio, The Hungry Saw sessions were unlike any the band had previously known. The bulk of the recording came in a breakneck blast of just eight inspired days, with the quality and quantity of songs making for some hard choices when it came to whittle things down to a cohesive album.

“While cloaked in the inimitably beautiful, tempered melancholy and delicate irony that has marked Tindersticks' past oeuvre, The Hungry Saw bristles with renewed energy, focus, experimentation and, yes, even playfulness. It is a welcome return by one of the most interesting and literate English bands of the last two decades. Constellation's North American edition of The Hungry Saw features revised artwork printed on a cardstock CD gatefold jacket, accompanied by a lyric booklet printed on fine artstock recycled paper. The LP release is on 180 gram virgin vinyl with multiple inserts. The album will also be available as a digital download this summer.”

Interestingly, the band’s been on hiatus since 2003’s Waiting for the Moon. During that time Staples released two solo platters and did a film soundtrack. Then in 2006 the band came back together to perform their eponymous 1995 album in its entirety as part of ATP’s acclaimed “Don’t Look Back” series. The ad hoc reunion clicked, and the Tindersticks were back on track, ultimately leading to this new record.

Tracklisting:

 1.  Introduction

 2.  Yesterdays Tomorrows

 3.  The Flicker Of A Little Girl

 4.  Come Feel The Sun

 5.  E-Type

 6.  The Other Side Of The World

 7.  The Organist Entertains

 8.  The Hungry Saw

 9.  Mother Dear

10. Boobar Come Back To Me

11. All The Love

12. The Turns We Took

Tindersticks Tour Dates:

Jul 20 2008      9:45P

            Latitude Festival         Southwold, Suffolk

Aug 8 2008     9:30P

            Sudoeste Festival        Zambujeira do Mar

Aug 14 2008   8:00P

            Route Du Rock Festival         St Malo

Aug 15 2008   8:00P

            Pukkelpop Festival      Hasselt-Kiewit

Aug 16 2008   8:00P

            Down On The Farm    Gribsrod Gard, 1796 Kornsjo

Aug 29 2008   8:00P

            Electric Picnic Festival (29/30/31 August) - tindersticks day tbc       Stradbally, Laois

Sep 11 2008    9:00P

            Nasa    Reykjavik

Sep 14 2008    8:00P

            End Of The Road Festival      Dorset

In another exclusive interview clip for BLURT we learn the how and why of the Black Keys’ decision to mix in a studio most often frequented by smooth jazz artists… “music to buy shit to… dressing room music.” Oof. Take that, R. Kelly!

Do video games make you nauseous? (Do people who play video games make you nauseous? We digress....) The Black Keys ponder this existential question in another part of our exclusive BLURT interview. Let it Pong!

So we decide to send ace shutterbug Dennis Kleiman out to shoot Joan Wasser for the cover of our debut issue. (You can download the entire digital magazine for free elsewhere on this site.) Putting our heads together with Kleiman, we also decide to have the session filmed by Brad DeCecco (and subsequently edited by Trixie Video) and Voila! We have an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at, er, shooting Joan Wasser for the cover of our debut issue! Not to mention some candid, revealing commentary from the frontwoman of Joan As Police Woman, about her music, her muse, and her life.