Among the musicians of the Downtown 13: members of Drive-By Truckers and Widespread Panic, plus REM's Mike Mills

By Blurt Staff

 "After it's Gone", a new single just released by Patterson Hood and the Downtown 13, was inspired by the threat of a Walmart in the heart of the downtown Athens, GA, that nurtured the musicians. Hood, singer, writer and guitarist for the band Drive-By Truckers assembled The Downtown 13, a musical collective made up of some of Athens' finest musicians to celebrate Athens, GA's beauty and vibrant musical heritage and to protest a developer's proposed building of a massive mixed use development in downtown Athens, anchored by a 94,000 sq. foot Walmart.

The small and eclectic university town of Athens is a hotbed for national musical acts and many of these local luminaries, including R.E.M.'s Mike Mills and Widespread Panic's John Bell and Todd Nance came together on the new track to express their opposition to a proposed development by Atlanta-based Selig Enterprises. The back wall of the anchor tenant, Walmart, would be within stone's throw of Hood's home and it would tower over the greenway trail along the Oconee River-- it is the very embodiment of inappropriate development.

 "This Atlanta developer wants to clog our cultural heart and build a bunker the size of three city blocks next to the vibrant downtown scene," says Hood. "They hit The Easy Button:  a big box store in our downtown district is clearly misguided and a somewhat ridiculous notion. Downtown Athens is a dynamic network of local businesses--Athens already has a meaningful brand and we are extremely protective of it."

Taking a very vocal turn away from the proposed lifestyle-shopping center currently under contract, Hood is the most recent performer to take the role of front man as an Athens community that has long spoken to national and international audiences.

"We have a vibrant downtown with plans for the future that involve planned development along the river and hopefully a high speed rail to Atlanta," says Hood. "We don't need a big box retailer, the very definition of the past, to once again bring us back through that dark episode of closed down storefronts and empty parking lots. Protect Downtown Athens-- that's what this is all about."

You can download the song, view the video and read more about Protect Downtown Athens at the website: www.protectdowntownathens.com

"After It's Gone", performed by Patterson Hood and the Downtown 13, features members of Drive-By Truckers, Widespread Panic, R.E.M., Futurebirds, Hope For Agoldensummer, Lera Lynn, Justified True Belief and The Quick Hooks:

Patterson Hood - Lead Vocals, Guitar

Mike Mills - Harmonies and Piano

John Bell - Lead Vocals

John Neff - Pedal Steel

David Barbe - Bass

Jay Gonzalez - Wurlitzer Electric Piano

Brad Morgan - Drums

Todd Nance - Percussion

Claire Campbell - Banjo and Harmonies

Lera Lynn - Harmonies

Brannen Miles, Carter King and Payton Bradford - Backing Vocals

Henry Barbe - Electric Guitar

Basic track recorded live on stage at Fabulous 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA. The video was produced and directed by Jason Thrasher. Edited by Eddie Whalen.

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull decides to take a look at th 50-year old Gerald Bostock's life to date...

By Blurt Staff

It's Groundhog Day today, and - no, that's not Bill Murray you see popping his head out of the ground, it's Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull! Following the recent announcement of a 19-date tour to commemorate the 40th anniversary of 1972's Thick As A Brick, on April 2nd Anderson will release a sequel to the original album, Thick As A Brick 2. It'll be available as a regular CD and a 2-disc package with DVD featuring 5.1 stereo mixes, 24-bit stereo mix, video of the making of the album, interviews with the musicians and Ian Anderson reading the lyrics in various locations.

There's already a digital "newspaper" with sundry details about the project...

This is news that we suspect will not be picked up by hipster blogs. But far be it from us, dear BLURT readers, to deprive you of your occasional Prog and blues-rock fix. Read on...

From the Anderson camp:

In 1972, Ian Anderson wrote and recorded Tull's album 'Thick As A Brick.' The lyrics were credited at the time to the fictitious child character, Gerald Bostock, whose parents supposedly lied about his age.  The record instantly became a number one Billboard Chart album and enjoyed considerable success in many countries of the world.

So, forty years on, what would Gerald Bostock - aged fifty in 2012 - be doing today? What might have befallen him? The anniversary "part two" album will examine the possible different paths that the precocious young schoolboy, Gerald Bostock, might have taken later in life through alter-ego characters with song-section identities illustrating the hugely varied potential twists and turns of fate and opportunity. Not just for Gerald but to echo how our own lives develop, change direction and ultimately conclude through chance encounters and interventions, however tiny and insignificant they might seem at the time.

Ian Anderson says of the album, "As we baby-boomers look back on our own lives, we must often feel an occasional 'what-if' moment. Might we, like Gerald, have become instead preacher, soldier, down-and-out, shopkeeper or finance tycoon?"  Adding, "And those of more tender years - the social media and internet generation - may choose to ponder well the myriad of chance possibilities ahead of them at every turn....."

This spring Anderson and band - John O'Hara (keyboards), David Goodier (bass), Florian Opahle (guitar) and Scott Hammond (drums) - will take to the road to perform the original album in its entirety. There will be a second part to the show where Anderson and the band will also perform the sequel.

Thick As A Brick 2 tracklisting:

1. From A Pebble Thrown
2. Pebbles Instrumental
3. Might-have-beens
4. Upper Sixth Loan Shark
5. Banker Bets, Banker Wins
6. Swing It Far
7. Adrift And Dumfounded
8. Old School Song
9. Wootton Bassett Town
10. Power And Spirit
11. Give Till It Hurts
12. Cosy Corner
13. Shunt And Shuffle
14. A Change Of Horses
15. Confessional
16. Kismet In Suburbia
17. What-ifs, Maybes And Might-have-beens

Man with the plan, and no shortage of bright lights...

By Blurt Staff

Hi-nrg Austin bluesman Gary Clark Jr. unveiled a brand new video clip this for the song, "Don't Owe You A Thang," from his acclaimed The Bright Lights EP to coincide with the previously announced tour dates beginning this month. The clip was directed by Keith Megna (Beck, Jamie Lidell, Feist).

Clark's working on his Warner Bros. debut album to be recorded immediately following a string of spring tour dates (including a stop at SXSW), with a view to release the record later in the year

            Feb 13              Crocodile                                  Seattle, WA 

            Feb 14              Doug Fir Lounge                     Portland, OR

            Feb 15              Great American Music Hall       San Francisco, CA

            Mar 9                Warehouse Live                        Houston, TX

            Mar 10              Sam's Burger Joint                   San Antonio, TX

            Mar 11              Lola's                                        Ft. Worth, TX

            Mar 14              La Zona Rosa                             Austin, TX

Marking upcoming classic reissue.

By Blurt Staff

To celebrate the deluxe re-release of Vee Vee on February 21 as well as the reissue of All the Nation's Airports and White Trash Heroes which will follow later this year, Archers of Loaf have added new tour dates and will perform songs from all four albums.

Listen to "Harnessed in Slums" from Vee Vee, or watch Eric Bachmann's "One Track Mind" episode on The AV Club to hear the story behind "Web in Front."

Vee Vee will be released on dbl-CD or limited-edition mossy green LP we are even "reissuing" a limited number of "Team Loaf" pennants re-created from the original design!

Archers of Loaf on tour:

Feb 25 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall - Noise Pop w/ Hospitality
Feb 26 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour w/ Hospitality
Apr 26 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
Apr 27 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Apr 28 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Apr 29 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 10 Asheville, NC Grey Eagle
May 11 Saxapahaw, NC Haw River Ballroom
May 12 Raleigh, NC King's Royal Barcade
May 30-June 3 Barcelona, Spain Primavera Sound

Feisty frontman announces his retirement from performing. Band has been a key influence on everyone from Jimi Hendrix to the MC5 to Spiritualized.

By Fred Mills

Sad news arrived today for fans of seminal Brit Invasion (and proto-punk) combo The Troggs: longtime singer Reg Presley announced on the band's official site that was retiring in the wake of a lung cancer diagnosis he received in December after becoming ill at a concernt.

Wrote Presley, "I am receiving chemotherapy treatment and at the moment not feeling too bad. However I've had to call time on The Troggs and retire. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the cards and calls and for your love, loyalty and support over the years."

It's been quite a run for the band, which formed in 1964, starting with a string of mid ‘60s hits including classic thug-rocker "Wild Thing" as well as "With A Girl Like You" and "I Can't Control Myself," all million sellers. Over the years the group broke up and reunited several times, with Presley remaining a constant presence at the helm, touring steadily, primarily in Europe. Among the bands that have covered The Troggs: Jimi Hendrix Experience, Buzzcocks, MC5, Wet Wet Wet and Spiritualized.

Was a member of Destroy All Monsters as well as the visual force behind Sonic Youth's Dirty album sleeve.

By Fred Mills

Mike Kelley, artist, musician and provocateur, passed away yesterday in Los Angeles, ArtInfo.com news reports have indicated. It was an apparent suicide. Kelley was 57.

Early on the Michigan native found himself caught up in the early ‘70s art-rock/proto-punk scene and was a founding member of the legendary Destroy All Monsters. He later became active on the L.A. art scene where he attended the California Institute of the Arts. He also became friends with Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, collaborating with the band and eventually creating the iconic sleeve for their Dirty album.

At Kelley's official website you can view his full discography and a list of exhibitions, writings, and other projects.

Photo credit: Cameron Wittig/Walker Art Center (via Wikipedia)

"Sex and the City" star provides fuel for the anti-gay marriage forces with her ill-timed and ill-advised comments about choice; our blogger responds.

By Blurt Staff

Otep band frontwoman and BLURT's resident "Cultural Arsonist" Otep Shamaya, recently spotted in our latest issue with her pro-99% "Happiness as Defiance" essay, has just posted a new entry at her "Battle Ready" blog. In it, she take on actress Cynthia Nixon, whose recent comments about sexuality and choice caused a firestorm in both the gay and straight media.

There's a lot more to the discussion than a simple pro-/anti-choice debate, however. In the essay, Shamaya brings up related issues about religion and race, along with the basic proposition regarding "equal rights under the law" for every American. As she argues, "If we use racial heritage as an example, during the deplorable systematic scourge of Apartheid in South Africa, it was easier if a black African looked like a white African and could blend in with the reigning minority, but it did not stop them from being who they were. It was the result of existing in and being confined to an abominable social construct and social engineering of extreme discrimination. For a large portion of the gay and bisexual population, this is exactly how they survive. They pretend to be something they are not until, hopefully, they can find the courage to come out. Some never do. Some will remain pretending for the rest of their lives."

Ultimately, Shamaya's call for compassion and equality are what come through the loudest. "Let love permeate your soul and toughen your resolve," she writes, addressing her readership at large, gay or straight. "It gets better and better. I promise."

Read the entire essay at Otep's "Battle Ready" blog.

UPDATE Feb. 3: Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler are telling Ward to stuff it. "We were saddened to hear yesterday via Facebook that Bill declined publicly to participate in our current Black Sabbath plans," they wrote. "We have no choice but to continue recording without him although our door is always open...We are still in the UK with Tony. Writing and recording the new album and on a roll...See you at Download!!!"

Drummer Ward unable to continue unless he gets "signable" contract.


By Blurt Staff / Photo by Marcus Blake


Things are not rosy in the Black Sabbath camp - and no, we're not talking about the genuinely distressing news of guitarist Tony Iommi's recent diagnosis of lymphoma. Today drummer Bill Ward issued a statement indicating that, due to business and managerial issues, he may be pulling out of the proposed reunion.

Read our coverage of the November press conference and reunion announcement, then have a look at what Ward has to say, below.

Dear Sabbath Fans, Fellow Musicians and Interested Parties,

At this time, I would love nothing more than to be able to proceed with the Black Sabbath album and tour. However, I am unable to continue unless a "signable" contract is drawn up; a contract that reflects some dignity and respect toward me as an original member of the band. Last year, I worked diligently in good faith with Tony, Ozzy and Geezer. And on 11/11/11, again in good faith, I participated in the L.A. press conference. Several days ago, after nearly a year of trying to negotiate, another "unsignable" contract was handed to me. 

Let me say that although this has put me in some kind of holding pattern, I am packed and ready to leave the U.S. for England.  More importantly, I definitely want to play on the album, and I definitely want to tour with Black Sabbath.

Since the news of Tony's illness, and the understanding that the band would move production to the U.K., I've spent every day getting to or living in a place of readiness to leave. That involves something of a task, and as I've tried to find out what's going on with the U.K. sessions, I've realized that I've been getting "the cold shoulder" (and, I might add, not for the first time). Feeling somewhat ostracized, my guess is as of today, I will know nothing of what's happening unless I sign "the unsignable contract."

The place I'm in feels lousy and lonely because as much as I want to play and participate, I also have to stand for something and not sign on. If I sign as-is, I stand to lose my rights, dignity and respectability as a rock musician. I believe in freedom and freedom of speech. I grew up in a hard rock/metal band. We stood for something then, and we played from the heart with honesty and sincerity. I am in the spirit of integrity, far from the corporate malady, I am real and honest, fair and compassionate.

If I'm replaced, I have to face you, the beloved Sabbath fans. I hope you will not hold me responsible for the failure of an original Black Sabbath lineup as promoted.  Without fault finding, I want to assure everyone that my loyalty to Sabbath is intact.

So here I am. I lay my truth down before you. I'm good to go IF I get a "signable" contract. I don't want to let anyone down, especially Black Sabbath and all the Sabbath fans. You know I love you. It would be a sad day in Rock if this current situation fell to the desires of a few.

My position is not greed-driven.  I'm not holding out for a "big piece" of the action (money) like some kind of blackmail deal. I'd like something that recognizes and is reflective of my contributions to the band, including the reunions that started fourteen years ago. After the last tour I vowed to never again sign on to an unreasonable contract.  I want a contract that shows some respect to me and my family, a contract that will honor all that I've brought to Black Sabbath since its beginning.

That's the story so far.

Stay safe and stay strong.

I love every single one of you.

- Bill Ward

Complaint stems from cancer organization's tussle with Planned Parenthood.


By Blurt Staff


On their website today the Decemberists issued a statement indicating they would no longer donate to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. Previously the band had been selling teeshirts labeled "Team Jenny" after member Jenny Conlee received a diagnosis of breast cancer and the proceeds had been going to the Komen group. However, Komen subsequently announced that it would be withholding its financial support of Planned Parenthood, a decision that rankled the Decemberists camp.


The band has issued a statement:

The Decemberists are deeply troubled by Komen for the Cure's recent decision to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood, a vital resource in the battle against breast cancer. Providing cancer screenings to low income women is integral to the prevention and defeat of breast cancer and it is unconscionable that Komen should politicize this very important issue by bowing to the fear campaign being waged against PP by the right. We've decided to redirect the proceeds of the Team Jenny t-shirts and buttons away from Komen for the Cure. 100% of the net profits of these items will be instead donated to Planned Parenthood's Breast Health Emergency Fund.

Please help to support this essential institution. And, if you've supported the Team Jenny effort in the past, please write to Komen for the Cure via their site or via twitter (@komenforthecure) and let them know that undermining women's health for political reasons is unacceptable.

Photo Credit: Autumn DeDwilde

First studio album since 2007. With Chris Goss in the mix, our 8-ball says "prognosis is good."

By Blurt Staff

Groundhog Day looms, and look who just popped their heads up to see their collective shadow: The Cult, with Choice of Weapon, the group's first studio album in five years. It was produced by Bob Rock and Chris Goss. It's the followup to 2007's Born Into This. The album is set for a May 22 release on the band's new label Cooking Vinyl, At the band's website - www.thecult.us  - the track "Lucifer" is now available as a free download teaser.

The album was written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy, recorded in New York City, Los Angeles, the California high desert, and the band's Witch Mountain studio between July and December 2011. The new release features founding members Astbury on vocals and Duffy on guitars, with drummer John Tempesta and bassist Chris Wyse. "We have had the opportunity to work with two of the most influential and talented producers in the world today," said Astbury, in a statement. "They pushed us beyond our comfort zone."