Dolly Parton, Sugarhill Gang, Grateful Dead, Donna Summer, Parliament, Prince, Bo Diddley, Love, Booker T & the M.G's and Vince Guaraldi among the latterday inductees. Meanwhile, popular music website BLURT issues plea to Prince: "Please don't sue us for using your photo in our news clip!"

By Blurt Staff

"America's sound heritage is an important part of the nation's history and culture and this year's selections reflect the diversity and creativity of the American experience," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington this week, announcing the 25 sound recordings selected this year that will be permanently archived at the Library of Congress as part of the National Recording Registry. "These songs, words and natural sounds must be preserved for future generations."

Each year the Library's National Recording Preservation Board picks 25 recordings to be archived. This is the 10^th year; 350 recordings to date have been added to the Registry.

 This year's inductees:

1. Edison Talking Doll cylinder (1888)
2. "Come Down Ma Evenin' Star," Lillian Russell (1912)
3. "Ten Cents a Dance," Ruth Etting (1930)
4. "Voices from the Days of Slavery," Various speakers (1932-1941 interviews; 2002 compilation)

5. "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," Patsy Montana (1935)
6. "Fascinating Rhythm," Sol Hoopii and his Novelty Five (1938)
7. "Artistry in Rhythm," Stan Kenton & and his Orchestra (1943)
8. Debut performance with the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein (November 14, 1943)
9. International Sweethearts of Rhythm: Hottest Women's Band of the 1940s (1944-1946)
10. "The Indians for Indians Hour" (March 25, 1947)
11. "Hula Medley," Gabby Pahinui (1947)
12. "I Can Hear It Now," Fred W. Friendly and Edward R. Murrow (1948)
13. "Let's Go Out to the Programs," The Dixie Hummingbirds (1953)
14. "Also Sprach Zarathustra," Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1954, 1958)
15. "Bo Diddley" and "I'm a Man," Bo Diddley (1955)
16. "Green Onions," Booker T. & the M.G.'s (1962)
17. "Forever Changes," Love (1967)
18. "The Continental Harmony: Music of William Billings," Gregg Smith Singers (1969)
19. "A Charlie Brown Christmas," Vince Guaraldi Trio (1970)
20. "Coat of Many Colors," Dolly Parton (1971)
21. "Mothership Connection," Parliament (1975)
22. Barton Hall concert by the Grateful Dead (May 8, 1977)
23. "I Feel Love," Donna Summer (1977)
24. "Rapper's Delight," Sugarhill Gang (1979)
25. "Purple Rain," Prince and the Revolution (1984)

The Avengers light a powerful string of firecrackers and do not place them on the ground and back away on May 18 at San Francisco's Cafe du Nord. (Go here to read our recent interview with frontwoman Penelope Houston.)

By Jud Cost

Listening to the Handsome Dick Manitoba Show on Little Steven's Underground Garage on SiriusXM, while driving up to San Francisco to see the Avengers play, brings back a flood of memories of the city's thriving punk scene in the late '70s. At first, there were the Nuns and Crime (the latter combo dolled up in SFPD uniforms), playing regularly at the Mabuhay Gardens, a former Filipino restaurant turned into a pocket-sized, punk version of the Fillmore Auditorium. If you kept your eyes open you could see amazing early shows by "new thing" messiahs the Damned, Blondie, Devo and the Dictators, with local outfits warming up the house.

I didn't see the Avengers play until January of 1978 when they (and the Nuns) opened the last-ever performance by London's Sex Pistols at the cavernous Winterland, onetime home of pro wrestling and roller-derby at the corner of Post & Steiner Streets. Penelope Houston's boys shredded the place that night, playing all three sides from their 1977 Dangerhouse EP ("We Are The One," "Car Crash" and "I Believe In Me"), as well as a volcanic cover of the Stones' best song, "Paint It Black." 

The last time I saw the Avengers was in 1979 at the Old Waldorf, a sit-down club close to North Beach whose calendar featured acts that ran the gamut from U2, the Only Ones and Bauhaus to the Sir Douglas Quintet, Ricky Nelson and Paul Revere & the Raiders. With her hair longer, Houston looked several years older than she had at the Fab Mab in '78 with the Dils opening. 

And now, here we are, almost 35 years later. It was always something of a running joke: How would the punk generation grow old? The Sex Pistols drove the car off the cliff; the Clash tried to adapt to different musical styles; and the Ramones just kept doing what they did best, until the core threesome all died at about the same time.

The Avengers, with Houston and guitarist Greg Ingraham still in the saddle, accompanied by Joel Reader on bass and drummer Luis Illades (both of local queercore heroes, Pansy Division), are playing the same drywall-rattling repertoire tonight that they always have. They open with an electrifying version of "We Are The One" ("We are not Jesus (Christ!), We are not Fascists (Pigs!), We are not Capitalists (Industrialists!), We are not Communists! We are the One"). "Teenage Rebel," "Fuck You" and "Uh-Oh" sound fine, even if Houston's 19-year-old snarl has mellowed somewhat over the years. 

"We're here tonight to celebrate, at last, the release of what we call 'the pink album,'" she says (Avengers, recently expanded and reissued on the Water label). "When it originally came out in 1983, we'd already been broken up for four years. So we'll have the party and then the after-party, right here."

One thing has changed from the old days. Houston now occasionally shares the mic with Reader, much like Paul McCartney and George Harrison doubled-up in the blush of Beatlemania, at a distance of about one-half inch. Reader asks if anyone who went to high school with him is present tonight. "Joel's happy when somebody he knows comes to the show. He doesn't have too many friends," quips Houston.

The set wraps up with perhaps the Avengers' best tune, "The American In Me." The song originally appeared on a 12-inch EP produced by former Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones. Houston blasts out their most enduring couplet with as much venom as she can muster: "It's the American in me that makes me watch the blood run out of the bullet hole in his head/It's the American in me that never wonders why Kennedy was murdered by the FBI!"

It was good to see the cozy Cafe du Nord packed for a San Francisco legend. Many of these kids weren't even born during the Avengers' heyday. But if you squinted just so you could almost see the shadows of Mabuhay punks pogoing and "gobbing" in devotion in the direction of the best young bands in the land, some of whom, against all odds, survived for the long haul. 

"Meant" taken from the album Beatrix Runs.

By Blurt Staff

Elizaveta has just unveiled the music video for "Meant". The song is the second single from her full-length debut Beatrix Runs (Universal Republic) and arrives on the heels of a sold-out east coast tour and shows with James. You can view the clip here:

According to the label: "Emblematic of her patented alchemy of pop and classical music, ‘Meant' showcases the singer's impressive vocal prowess and inimitable style. The video itself is an engaging narrative starring the artist. It leaves off with some unforgettable tension and a lot of questions to be answered by an upcoming clip. It's powerful, potent, and poetic, just like her music."



Following up the album, the chanteuse will release an exclusive iTunes Sessions later this summer, recorded at Capitol Records in Los Angeles.

Watch Craig Brewer-directed video below as well.

By Blurt Staff 

Memphis' River City Tanlines have a new album called Coast to  Coast coming July 31st  on Big Legal Mess/Fat Possum, which advises us "rifftastic guitar-driven rock songs that incorporate ‘70s punk, proto garage rock and a big dose of southern boogie... ten tracks of hook-ridden rock n' roll from Memphis, giving new meaning to the term Dirty South."

Yeah, baby. It was cut with Bruce Watson (Hasil Adkins, T-Model Ford, John Paul Keith) at his Dial Back Sound Studio.

This is singer Alicja Trout's (Contaminated Records, her recording studio, plus bands Alicja-pop, MouseRocket and Black Sunday; she's also a veteran of Lost Sounds with the lae Jay Reatard) first Tanlines record since 2006. Her bandmates Terrrence Bishop and John Bonds have performed with the likes of Jack Oblivian, R.L. Burnside, Jim Dandy & Black Oak Arkansas, and Monsieur Jeffrey Evans. The Tanlines have toured extensively in North American and Europe, and in 2009 they appeared in Craig Brewer's (Hustle and Flow, Black Snake Moan) Five Dollar Cover web-series (and soundtrack) for MTV.

Brewer also directed their roller derby-themed video for "I'm Your Negative". Check it out:

River City Tanlines Shows:

7/27/2012      Oxford,           MS      Ajax Diner

7/28/2012      Memphis        TN       Hi Tone

8/2/2012         St. Louis        MO,     El Lenador

8/3/2012         Milwaukee     WI,      Linnerman's Riverwest Inn

8/4/2012         Chicago         IL         Crown Tap Room

New album just out on Daptone.

By Blurt Staff

Daptone Records dropped some crucial contemporary funk, What The World Needs Now by the Sugarman 3, a couple of weeks ago, and we've got a special video for you to check out on the band and the album:

The group, of course, features Daptone's co-founder and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings' member, Neal Sugarman, who also arranged for 15% of all the CD and LP preorders to be donated to Dr. Eric Wong's Brain Tumor Research Fund at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. (For more info on the charity, please visit:  www.gratefulnation.org/drwong.)

Check the latest print issue of BLURT (Spiritualized cover) for our review of the S3 album. As our writer puts it, "Once again breathing new life into an old form, The Sugarman Three are back to show us all How It’s Supposed To Be Done."

[Photo Credit: Nick Gordon]

Title track of new album, the band's first in 15 years, to be released Aug. 7 on Merge.

By Blurt Staff

"Researching The Blues" is, we are advised, "dedicated to sad sacks and lottery winners."

Redd Kross - Researching the Blues by MergeRecords

Below is the album lineup. Go here to read the previously announced details.

Track List:

1. Researching the Blues

2. Stay Away From Downtown

3. Uglier

4. Dracula's Daughters

5. Meet Frankenstein

6. One of the Good Ones

7. The Nu Temptations

8. Choose to Play

9. Winter Blues

10. Hazel Eyes

1st show in well over a decade!


By Blurt Staf


Last night on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" the Afghan Whigs performed, doing "See and Don't See" and "I'm Her Slave" - the latter with The Roots' ?uestlove sitting in. The band now launches into its reunion tour. Watch "I'm Her Slave," below.

Coming to your town to help you party it down this summer!

By Blurt Staff

Indie art-rockers Rubblebucket are about to dive headlong into the festival season, with appearances locked in at this years' Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, and Summer Camp, among many others. See below for a full itinerary. The Brooklyn octet is now offering up a preview of their recently released live CD/DVD Live in Chicago, filmed last autumn at Chicago's Double Door. Check it out:

The DVD contains favorites from the band's critically acclaimed sophomore album, Omega La La, such as "Silly Fathers", "Breatherz (Young as Clouds)", and "Came out of a Lady", which can be seen above. We also just got an insider tip that the band will be hitting the studio this summer to record an EP of new material. (More info on Rubblebucket can be found at www.rubblebucket.com.)

Tour Dates:

5.25.12          BEACHLAND BALLROOM   Cleveland, OH    

5.26.12            FOUNDERS BREWING COMPANY   Grand Rapids, MI              

5.27.12              SUMMER CAMP    Chillicothe, IL    

5.31.12 / 6.1    WAKARUSA            Ozark , AR

6.2.12              BEAUTY BAR          Austin, TX       

6.5.12              TIPITINAS                 New Orleans, LA

6.8.12              BONNAROO                         Manchester, TN             

6.10.12            MARQUETTE WATERFRONT FESTIVAL           Madison, WI  

6.21.12            THE HAMILTON      Washington, DC           

6.22.12            THEATRE OF LIVING ARTS         Philadelphia, PA

6.23.12            CAMP COLDBROOK                      Barre, MA      

7.7.12              HIGH SIERRA MUSIC FESTIVAL                        Quincy, CA    

7.8.12              HIGH SIERRA MUSIC FESTIVAL                        Quincy, CA    

7.12.12            CAMP BISCO                                               Mariaville, NY           

7.14.12            OLD SOUTH PEARL JAM                          Denver, CO    

7.15.12            GREEN RIVER FESTIVAL                         Greenfield, MA         

7.19.12            THUNDERBIRD CAFÉ                               Pittsburgh, PA           

7.20.12            ALL GOOD MUSIC FESTIVAL                 Thornville, OH           

8.24.12            CAMP BAREFOOT                                      Bartow, WV

Listen to first single streaming online now.

By Blurt Staff

Yeasayer is set to release Fragrant World on August 21, on Secretly Canadian, the follow up to 2010's Odd Blood; the band describes it as "something much weirder and darker" than the previous release. In an intriguing marketing move, ;ast week, the band sent 200 random fans physical CDs of the first single "Henrietta" and encouraged them to share it. Yeasayer wanted the fans to experience the music first and told them so in an accompanying letter.

The track went up a few days later and was picked up across the world via an organic viral method: direct to fans. Listen to it Here.

Track Listing

1. Fingers Never Bleed

2. Longevity

3. Blue Paper

4. Henrietta

5. Devil and the Deed

6. No Bones

7. Reagan's Skeleton

8. Demon Road

9. Damaged Goods

10. Folk Hero Shtick

11. Glass of the Microscope

Tour Dates

6/19: Richmond, VA @ National
6/20: Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
6/21: Knoxville, TN @ Bijou Theater
6/22: Nashville, TN @ Cannery
6/23: Louisville, KY @ Headliners
6/24: Cincinnati, OH @ 20th Century Theater

7/02: Vienna, Austria @ Szene

7/04: Gdynia, Poland @ Heineken Open'er Festival

7/07: Bruges, Belgium @ Cactus Festival

7/08: Lieges, Belgium @ Les Ardentes

7/09: Utrecht, Holland @ Tivoli De Heling

7/13: Norfolk, England @ Latitude

7/15: Grafenhainichen, Germany @ Melt Festival

Bassist Randy Bradbury spills the beans and more.

By Blurt Staff

Jumpin' John B. Moore has filed the latest installment in his "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" BLURT blog in which all things punk come under his purview. This time out: an in-depth interview with Pennywise bassist Randy Bradbury, who talks about the turmoil the group experienced in the wake of vocalist Jim Lindberg's contentious decision to quit, and how they quickly recovered, bringing in Ignite front man Zoli Teglas and got to work on All or Nothing, their 10^th record.

"We were not ok with Jim leaving," explained Bradbury. "Jim was awesome when he had enthusiasm for the band. We tried very hard to make things comfortable for him. Jim was a great singer and songwriter, the last thing we wanted was for him to leave the band. But once he decided to go, I think I got a little bitter that he didn't put the same value on being in Pennywise that I did, so now there is this trail of shit left in the wake.... So we took our time with this album, and we are really happy with the results. Zoli is such a great singer and he has adapted his style to fit our music so well, all the hard work and trials that we've gone through all seem worth it now."

Go here to read Moore's entire interview with Bradbury.