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 NICK: Yo Gabba Gabba!: The Shins

12:00 PM VH1C: Genesis - Come Rain or Shine

12:15 PM IFC: Tom Dowd and the Language of Music

2:00 PM CMT: Elvis: Viva Las Vegas

3:00 PM Showtime 2: Beastie Boys Awesome; I F**kin' Shot That!

4:00 PM VH1C: The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978)

4:00 PM VH1C: The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978)

6:00 PM Sundance: Live from Abbey Road: The Kills, Sara Bareilles, The Fratellis

7:00 PM MOJO: London Live!: Kate Nash , View , Newton Faulkner , Calvin Harris

7:30 PM MOJO: London Live!: a-ha , Duels , Belle & Sebastian

8:00 PM RAVE HD: Beautiful Noise: Feist

11:35 PM CBS: The Late Show With David Letterman: N.E.R.D.

12:00 AM Comedy Central: The Colbert Report: The Apples in Stereo

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Huey Lewis

12:37 AM CBS: The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: The Hold Steady

Wilco, Everest and Death Cab For Cutie also on selected dates.

By Fred Mills

Yet another musical superstar has hitched his wagon, and perhaps his fortunes too, to Live Nation. The entertainment conglomerate announced last night that Neil Young will embark on a North American tour commencing October 14^th in St Paul, Minnesota continuing for eight weeks, culminating at New York's Madison Square Garden on December 15^th. 

The new tour comes on the heels of Young European Tour that brought him before audiences in 14 countries over the course of three months. This fall's tour includes concert performances in such U.S. markets as Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago, Detroit, and Philadelphia. Additionally there will be multiple stops in Young's native Canada including Vancouver, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.

The concerts will feature Neil Young with the same band that so ably backed him in Europe - Ben Keith, Rick Rosas, Chad Cromwell, Anthony Crawford and Pegi Young.  Song sets are expected to be eclectic, featuring both newer material and classic Neil Young hits.  Death Cab For Cutie and Everest will support dates from October 14 through November 5; Wilco and Everest are on the bill for dates starting November 29 through the tour's conclusion with the exception of the December 9 Chicago date which will feature (TBD) and Everest in support.

Although Live Nation Global Touring is handling the Young tour, there's no word regarding whether Neil has inked one of those megabuck, longterm 360 deals (or related deals) that superstars such as Madonna and U2 have found so attractive of late. Admittedly it's unlikely with Young, who's known for keeping his career cards close to his chest. But fans are expressing guarded concern just the same when word got out about Live Nation's involvement.

All shows this tour will be GA floor with reserved seating in the stands. GA Tickets will be prices at $75.00 with reserved stand tickets ranging in price from $45.00 to $250.00 (plus all applicable service charges).

For complete tour and ticket information:

www.livenation.com  

www.neilyoung.com

Neil Young Tour Dates:

October   14 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center / on sale August 22

              16 - Winnipeg, MN - MTS Centre / on sale August 22

              18 - Regina, SK - Brandt Centre / on sale August 22

              19 - Calgary, AB - Pengrowth Saddledome / on sale August 22

              21 - Everett, WA - Comcast Arena at Everett / on sale September 12

              22 - Vancouver, BC - GM Place / on sale August 22

              29 - San Diego, CA - Cox Arena / on sale August 25

              30 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum / on sale August 25

November   1 - Reno, NV - Events Center / on sale August 23

                 4 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center / on sale September 12

                 5 - Omaha, NE - Qwest Center / on sale September 12

                29 - Halifax, NS - Metro Centre / on sale August 23

December    1 - Montreal, PQ - Bell Centre / on sale September 13

                  2 - Ottawa, ON - Scotia Bank Place / on sale August 22

                  4 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre / on sale August 22

                  7 - Detroit, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills / on sale September 12

                  9 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena / on sale September 12

                 12 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Spectrum / on sale September 19

                 15 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden / on sale September 15

[Photo Credit: Pegi Young]

Searching for that elusive "state of grace" in all the right places...

By Blurt Staff

Street Dogs have announced the first leg of their cross-country, headlining tour that will kick off on September 11^th in Houston, TX.    Unleashed and on the road, the Street Dogs are touring in support of their new Hellcat Records album State of Grace, of which BLURT recently reviewed thusly:

Most bands mellow a bit with age, even Irish punk bands. Not so with Street Dogs, the outfit led by original Dropkick Murphys singer Michael McColgan. State of Grace is the toughest, edgiest record the band's made, even if it's their most personal, with tributes to McColgan's uncle ("Kevin J. O'Toole") and grandmother (the singalong "Elizabeth") among more typically topical material.

"Rebel Song" sounds like Thin Lizzy gone punk, while "General's Boombox" is a high-powered tribute to Joe Strummer. But it's on the raging "Mean Fist," "State of Grace," and "San Patricios"-a song about a battalion of Irish-America soldiers who fought on the side of the Mexicans against the U.S. and were later hanged-that the band rocks most furiously. The album closes with its sole ballad, "Free," a solidarity song that updates the Clash's "Stay Free" with a soaring chorus that does its inspiration proud.

The Boston raised band have made a name for themselves over the years with rowdy and participatory live shows that are packed with enough fist pumping and frenzied pit action to leave fans coming back for more. They're currently performing on the main stage at this summer's Van's Warped Tour.

Street Dogs (w/Time Again & Flatfoot 56) Tour Dates:

9/11 - Warehouse Live - Houston, TX

9/12 - Pontiac Garage at House of Blues - Dallas, TX

9/13 - Red 7 - Austin, TX

9/14 - The Parish at House of Blues - New Orleans, LA

9/16 - Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville, FL

9/17 - Culture Room - Fort Lauderdale, FL

9/18 - The Social - Orlando, FL

9/19 - Masquerade - Atlanta, GA

9/20 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC

9/21 - Jewish Mother - Virginia Beach, VA

9/23 - Ottobar - Baltimore, MD

9/24-Blender Theatre at Gramercy - New York, NY

9/25-The Fillmore - Philadelphia, PA

9/26-Mohawk Place - Buffalo, NY

9/27-The Middle East - Cambridge, MA

9/28-Harpers Ferry - Allston. MA

9/30- Diesel - Pittsburgh, PA

10/1 - Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH

10/2 - Magic Stick - Detroit, MI

10/3- Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI

10/4- Reggies Rock Club - Chicago, IL

10/5- Triple Rock - Minneapolis, MN

10/7 - The Bluebird - St. Louis, MO

10/8 - Sokol Underground - Omaha, NE

10/10 - Club Sound - Salt Lake City, UT

10/11- The Boardwalk - Orangevale, CA

10/13- El Corazon - Seattle, WA

10/14- Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR

10/16- Slim's - San Francisco, CA

10/17- House of Blues - Anaheim, CA

10/18-House of Blues - Los Angeles, CA

10/19 - The Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ

Band reportedly "gees up" crowds... what the fuck is "gee up"?!?

By Fred Mills

Ah, sometimes we write the news, and sometimes the news writes itself... whew. Britain's NME is reporting today that professional crackhead/tabloid fixture/songwriter Pete Doherty and his band Babyshambles had been scheduled to appear at the Moonfest Festival in Wiltshire, England, on August 29. Then the bobbies got into the act and reportedly put forth an "investigation into Babyshambles' stage manner."

The conclusion, according to Chief Superintendent Julian Kirby, quoted in the article, was that what Doherty toes "as part of his routine is to gee up the crowd. They speed up and then slow down the music and create a whirlpool effect in the crowd. They [the crowd] all get geed up and then they start fighting."

Well, yeah; that should be obvious. Why, just last night, I was drunk, sitting in front of my washing machine, and after all the spinning and whirlpool effects I found myself totally geed up and soon I was fighting. Everybody knows this.

A statement made by Babyshambles drummer Adam Ficek indicated that the band viewed "the whole thing [as] a farce, it's almost comical. The organiser of the festival is now on the verge of bankruptcy. Why? Because we intentionally speed up and slow down the tempo of our songs. We're now in the process of trying to make it happen in a different venue. Watch this space."

Moonfest has reportedly only sold 150 tickets for the 5,000 capacity festival. Yes, you read that figure corretly, 5,000, according to the NME, will constitute a "festival."

Okay, everyone return to their speeding up and slowing down. Watch those gees.

Not just any dog and pony show - literally, the First Annual Dog & Pony Show

By Fred Mills

On Labor Day Weekend (Aug. 30 - Sept. 1), Safari Sam's in Hollywood, CA will host three days of music, art and festivities to benefit four members from the musical community who have been struck with cancer - Chris Gaffney (who passed away recently), Duane Jarvis, Candye Kane and Drac Conley.  Billed as Music Menagerie Presents the First Annual Dog & Pony Show - In memory of Chris Gaffney, the event should ring true in the minds of anyone who is a musician or knows someone who plays music: the cost of personal health insurance in America is through the roof, and as you probably know, being a working and touring musician isn't exactly like being part of a union and enjoying some of the financial safety nets such an organization provides.

The mighty Dave Alvin, a close friend of all four musicians, will be spearheading the Dog & Pony Show's performance schedule, appearing with the Blasters, the Knitters and his own Dave Alvin & the Guilty Men. A full itinerary and additional details are listed below, or you can go to one of these websites for more info:

www.Myspace.com/musicmenageriedogandponyshow

www.musicmenagerie.net/dogandponyshow

***

A letter from Dave Alvin:

Dear friends & fans:

I'd like to let you know about a 3 day benefit called the Dog & Pony Show that some close friends and I have put together for this coming Labor Day weekend, Aug 30, 31 and Sept 1.

The past year has been very hard health wise for many members of the California music scene. Four friends/musicians of ours (western soul singer Chris Gaffney, superb guitarist Duane Jarvis, blues diva Candye Kane, psycho-billy hot-rodder Drac Conley) were all diagnosed with different forms of cancer and need our help to deal with the expense of their various treatments. Instead of putting on four different benefits, I thought it might make more sense to do one BIG one featuring many of the bands and musicians that have played with Chris, Duane, Candye and Drac through the years. Thus, the Dog And Pony Show was born.

Seeing how my late friend (and spiritual advisor), Chris Gaffney, always referred our gigs together as "dog and pony shows," I thought that his descriptive phrase would be a perfect name for the benefit (though he never did tell me which one of us was the dog and which one was the pony). Sadly, as many of you may know, Chris passed away recently but the good news is that Duane, Candye and Drac are doing fine and hanging tough through this rough time. Without going into a long dissertation on the state of health care in our country, I would like to point out that they still need financial help with their treatments and recoveries. All the money we raise at the Dog And Pony Show will be going directly to them (or in Chris's case, to his survivors) to cover their medical expenses.

If you are in California this Labor Day weekend, or even remotely nearby, I'd like to personally invite you to come to the shows. There will be great music, art, drinks, dancing, barbeque, some memories, some laughs, a couple of tears and a roomful of love. I'll see you there.  - Dave Alvin 

***


August 30 - 6pm doors-2am

The Knitters
Tex & The Horseheads
Joe Wood Sings TSOL w/ special guests
Ruby Friedman Orchestra
Paging Beto 

Aug 31 - 5pm doors-2am

Dave Alvin & The Guilty Men
Peter Case
Hacienda Brothers
The Cold Hard Facts
Slim Cessna's Auto Club
BBQ at 5pm

Sept 1 - 3pm doors-9:30pm

The Blasters
Big Sandy & the fly-rite boys
Mike Stinson
Eddie Baytos & The Nervis Bros
Levi Dexter
Red Meat
BBQ at 5pm - Last chance to bid

Art Auction includes works donated from:

Bad Otis   http://www.myspace.com/badotislink
La Luz de Jesus Gallery  http://www.laluzdejesus.com/
CoproNason Gallery  http://copronason.com/
Vintage Punk Rock Photos by Theresa K.  http://www.punkturns30.com/
Edward Colver  http://www.edwardcolver.com/
Beat Eye Media  http://www.beateyemedia.com/
Travis Somerville
Chris Rohloff/Grant Rohloff http://www.grantrohloff.com/
Scott Angle  http://www.scottangle.com/
Brad Benedict
Beth Herzhaft Photography  http://www.herzco.com/home-nosub.php
Steve Olson
Joe Wood  http://www.joewoodmusicandart.com
Hudson Marquez
Lou Beach  http://www.loubeach.com/
BKHEEL  http://bkheel.com/index.htm
Liz Orozco Photography  http://www.hotdamnphotography.com/
John Cormack
Trisha Portella-Wright  http://www.suspendedimages.net/
Skellramics  http://www.skellramics.com/
Lisa Moneypenny http://lisamoneypennymurray.artspan.com/

Also auctioning privately donated limited edition prints:

*Jim Marshall print of Buddy Guy & Jr. Wells
*Lynn Goldsmith print of Bob Dylan
*Gibson Guitars (donated a guitar that will be autographed by bands at the
event)
*Shamrock Tattoo gift certificates


Sponsors & other Donors include:

Indie 103
Indie Printing! 
Hurley
Zhost Internet Solutions
Safari Sams
BRAT
Soap Plant/WACKO
Hellkats L.A.
Babygirl, Inc.
SIR
LucyB
Skellramics
Something Weird Video
Paniolo Productions

As promised, an exclusive full-song clip from the Toadies on this, the day of No Deliverance.

By Randy Harward

Here you have it, folks: an exclusive music video for the title track of the Toadies' kickass third album, No Deliverance (which comes out today)! And boy, what a taste: the clip is composed of studio and live performance footage, backstage frolicking and shots of two sexy Toadies groupies all gussied up in nurse outfits. Enjoy!

Nobody reads newspapers anymore anyway, so what’s the damn point, Bri?

By Fred Mills

In a stunning affirmation of media mediocrity, today it was announced that Brian Wilson and Capitol Records / EMI are partnering with Gannett for an exclusive premiere of Wilson’s new album, That Lucky Old Sun, due Sept. 2  Gannett, of course, has as its flagship publication USA Today, which thanks to its “McNugget” style of CD reviewing and dumbed-down music reporting is largely responsible for leading other music media down an equally, er, dumb path.

Ever wonder why magazines publish those pointless 50-word reviews of records and try to pass ‘em off as rock criticism? You’ve got USA Today and its clueless cadre of “critics” to thank for pioneering that particular low art form.

On to the inevitable press release, copied below. While we have heard the Wilson album and think that it truly is the shit, the fact that Wilson, who doesn’t need the patronage of a newspaper chain to get the word out in any context of his activities, is a sad statement indeed upon the future of pop marketing. They’re calling it “innovative promotion”; we call it, “selling out.”

“This music is really special to me and I hope that everyone will enjoy it!,” says Brian Wilson. We hope so too, Brian. Especially all those grandmaws and grandpaws who read USA Today.

***

From August 22 to September 1, more than 50 Gannett newspaper and TV station websites, including USATODAY.com, will exclusively offer full streaming audio of Wilson’s new album before its September 2 release. The innovative promotion is the first of its kind for Gannett, which has never before partnered with an artist to offer an album premiere across its media Websites.

Visitors to select Gannett sites, including USATODAY.com, 32 local Gannett newspaper websites and 19 local Gannett TV websites, will be able to listen to the full 38-minute album in sequence or skip ahead or back to individual tracks. The album will not be available for download from Gannett’s sites, but the streaming audio player will link directly to Amazon.com to pre-order the CD, limited edition CD/DVD and digital album.

While it is fairly common practice for artists to offer promotional pre-release web streaming of new music, it is a unique arrangement to stream an album on newspaper and TV websites. For Gannett, this is an opportunity to deliver new music from a respected artist familiar to its core news audience. Top Gannett markets were chosen for the web streams, some because of the size of the market, others because of a large Brian Wilson fan base.

“Streaming a full album is a first for Gannett, so we are thrilled to be working with Capitol Records and a musician of Brian Wilson’s stature to deliver music in a new way to our online audiences. This positions us well to expand our digital platforms while demonstrating the power of Gannett to deliver quality content across a network of websites,” said Jim Lenahan, strategic development manager for Gannett’s U.S. Community Publishing division.

Brian Wilson is one of popular music’s most deeply revered figures, a legendary writer, producer, arranger and performer of some of the most cherished music in rock history. For the release of his new studio album, That Lucky Old Sun, Wilson has returned to Capitol Records / EMI, his original label home. The new album will be released on CD, limited edition CD/DVD, and digitally on September 2 (September 1 internationally).  On August 19, the album is released as a limited edition 180-gram vinyl LP.

New album Forth touches all the right bases.

By Fred Mills

The Verve have the right idea: unlike Brian Wilson, who just announced a shameless marketing ploy in conjunction with Gannett and USA Today to stream his new album, the acclaimed UK band is simply streaming their new album, Forth (On Your Own Records/Megaforce Records/MRI Label Group) via their MySpace page, no middlemen or media shills necessary.

Go to www.myspace.com/theverve and follow the links. You can listen to it now, in fact.

The album drops August 26, and dare we say it, it kicks ass.

Track Listing:

1. Sit & Wonder

2. Love Is Noise

3. Rather Be

4. Judas

5. Numbness

6. I See Houses

7. Noise Epic

8. Valium Skies

9. Columbo

10. Appalachian Springs

Pop country superstar thinks he knows how Johnny Cash would vote; Roseanne Cash sets him straight.

By Randy Harward

Perez Hilton reports that John Rich (of pop--make that pap--country duo Big & Rich)  publicly declared that Johnny Cash would vote for John McCain--and the Man In Black's daughter (you know, Roseanne) is pissed.

Here's what Rich had to say:

"Somebody’s got to walk the line in the country. They’ve got to walk it unapologetically. And I’m sure Johnny Cash would have been a John McCain supporter if he was still around."

Hee-haw! The jackass even used Cash's words. Roseanne's rebuttal:

"It is appalling to me that people still want to invoke my father's name, five years after his death, to ascribe beliefs, ideals, values and loyalties to him that cannot possibly be determined, and to try to further their own agendas by doing so. ... This is especially dangerous in the case of political affiliation."

Way to go, Roseanne. Who Johnny Cash would support isn't worth discussion, because it would all be conjecture. You might say his Jesussy side would tip him toward McCain, but there's also a strong case to be made, based on the man's songs, character and actions, for an Obama vote. Or at least Ron Paul. There's just no way to know how Cash would vote, and pretending you do know is stupid and self-serving. Even Cash's own daughter--one more qualified to speak for him, if it mattered-- knows that.

We don't know how Rich took that measured, intelligent response, but it's fun to imagine what that mouthbreathin' a-hole will say.

 - Aw, look at the little liberal, with her big idears and rich vocab-... Vocab... Shit, she should just shut the hell up buh-fore I dig up her daddy's boot and send it up her butt.

 - If she finds what I said so appealing, why don't she gimme a call? I'm just outta the shower, all ascribed up and smellin' good. (Hell, I prolly taste awright, too!)

 - I'll show her a furry agenda.

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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 RAVE HD: Ray Charles: Live at Montreux 1997

8:00 AM TVONE: Tom Joyner Sky Show: Cameo

9:00 AM Syndicated: Live with Regis and Kelly: Avril Lavigne

9:00 AM Syndicated: The Tyra Banks Show: Carnie Wilson

10:00 AM A&E:  American Justice: The John Lennon Assassination

10:00 AM MHD: NME Awards 2007: Primal Scream , Kasabian , The Killers , View , Kaiser Chiefs , Jarvis Cocker

2:30 PM Sundance: We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen

4:00 PM Comedy Central: Blondie , Debbie Harry

4:00 PM MHD: MTV Live: R.E.M.

5:30 PM Noggin: Yo Gabba Gabba!: Cornelius , Biz Markie

6:00 PM RAVE HD: Other Voices: Ryan Adams , Cathy Davey , The Crimea , Foy Vance

8:00 PM VH1C: Hard Rock Calling Concert

9:00 PM FUSE: Empire Records (1995)

11:00 PM FUSE: Green Day: Making of American Idiot Video

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

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Tyga

12:37 AM CBS: The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Phantom Planet

1:30 AM VH1C: Janis (1974)

3:00 AM BBCA: The Graham Norton Show: Stereophonics