Lead singer for influential Canadian punk outfit.

By Fred Mills

Sad news for punk fans: Frank Kerr, a/k/a Frankie Venom of legendary Canadian punk band Teenage Head, passed away yesterday. The Scotland-born Kerr was 51. He'd recently battled throat cancer.

His bandmate Gord Lewis indicated it was from natural causes.

Kerr, the band's lead singer, co-founded Teenage Head at Westdale High School in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1975 - the band was, quite literally, at Punk's Ground Zero while - and released their first single in 1978, issuing their influential self-titled debut LP the following year. For years they remained at the forefront of the Canadian punk scene. (The photo above is from '76.)

Over the years Teenage Head went through numerous lineup changes, including the departure of Kerr himself, who subsequently fronted the groups Frankie Venom and the Blue Angels as well as Frankie Venom and the Vipers. Then in 1996 he rejoined Teenage Head. Earlier this year the band issued Teenage Head With Marky Ramone (reviewed HERE) on the venerable Sonic Unyon label; teaming with the erstwhile Ramones drummer to serve up reworkings of some of their most beloved tracks was a natural fit, as the band was frequently referred to as "The Canadian Ramones."

Teenage Head will receive a special lifetime achievement award at the 2008 Hamilton Music Awards in November.

Read the official press release from guitarist Lewis at www.teenagehead.ca .

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: Robin Thicke

9:00 AM Syndicated: Live with Regis and Kelly: Kellie Pickler

9:00 AM Syndicated: The Bonnie Hunt Show: Gavin Rossdale

10:00 AM Sundance: Gimme Shelter

11:30 AM NICK: Yo Gabba Gabba!: Sugarland , Biz Markie

2:30 PM Comedy Central: The Colbert Report: James Taylor

5:00 PM VH1C: Duran Duran Live

6:00 PM RAVE HD: George Jones, 50 Years of Hits

7:00 PM Great American Country: Opry Live: Keith Urban , Marty Stuart , Carolina Chocolate Drops

7:00 PM PLD HD: AC/DC - No Bull

8:00 PM RAVE HD: Later With Jools Holland: Beck , Doves , Kubb , David Sanborn , M. Ward , Jools Holland

10:00 PM VH1C: Beat Street (1984)

11:30 PM PBS: Tavis Smiley: Tom Morello/The Nightwatchman

11:35 PM CBS: The Late Show With David Letterman: Darius Rucker

11:35 PM NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Nikka Costa

12:00 AM FUEL: The Daily Habit: Aesop Rock

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Gavin Rossdale

12:35 AM NBC: Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Department Of Eagles

Does this bus stop between 20^th and 22^nd Streets?

By Fred Mills

With yesterday's entertainment news about Bruce Springsteen's slated half-time show for the 2009 Super Bowl still fresh in fans' minds, now comes word from the political realm that the Boss is gearing up for some major Obama-rama.

On October 16, the day after the final Obama-McCain debate, Springsteen and Billy Joel will put on a joint benefit concert dubbed "Change Rocks" at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. Ticket cost? A mere $500 for nosebleed seats, but if you have $10,000 laying around you might be able to do a little better.

The Obama camp has indicated the candidate will attend the show. Here's hoping nobody suggests that dumbass Brooks & Dunn song for Bruce and Billy to duet on.

Prior to that, however, Springsteen will appear this Saturday, Oct. 4, in Philadelphia, at an Obama rally and combined voter registration drive. It's to be located at the Ben Franklin Parkway between 20^th Street and 22^nd Street - perhaps the Boss can do a lyrically modified version of his song "Does This Bus Stop At 82^nd Street?" for the occasion - and since it's a rally and not a fundraiser, it's free. But organizers are suggesting that you sign up in advance either as a volunteer or obtain general admission ticket.

Go HERE for details, reportedly to be posted "soon."

Hype the hope and fight the fear, yo.

By Blurt Staff

Andrew Bird, Les Savy Fav, Eugene Mirman, Guster, the Fiery Furnaces, Heather Lawless, Alina Simone, BLURT blogger Martin Bisi, John Roberts, Adira Amran, Kumail Nanjiani, Lizz Winstead and unspecified "Special Secret Musical Guests" (rumored to be Franz Ferdinand) will all converge on Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg next week, on Oct. 7, to play a special Obama fundraiser. One additional special guest of note: Josh Hamilton, billed as "reading George Saunders on Palin." (That should be fun!)

Tickets to "Barack Rock" will be $40, and the show will also have television screens set up so attendees can watch that night's debate between Obama and McCain in Nashville.

For details go to the Barack Rock MySpace page, which proudly posts the below blurb:

An Obama benefit! Music, Comedy, Action! At The Music Hall of Williamsburg! Tuesday, Oct 7th! Help us Hype the Hope! With ALINA SIMONE, LIZZ WINSTEAD, GUSTER, EUGENE MIRMAN, LES SAVY FAV (Acoustic Spectacular!), MARTIN BISI, JOHN ROBERTS, THE FIERY FURNACES, ADIRA AMRAM, KUMAIL NANJIANI, HEATHER LAWLESS, ANDREW BIRD, AND SECRET MUSICAL GUESTS! Also featuring the fabulous Obama Room, your full-service debate-watching, voter-registering, sign-up-for-volunteering lounge! Hype the hope and fight the fear. Contribute to the campaign! And vigorously volunteer!

This Land Is Your Land concert draws a huge, diverse crowd.

By Blurt Staff

On Saturday, September 20 Sheryl Crow, Cat Power, The Black Keys, Henry Rollins, Mike Ness, Son Volt, and Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion celebrated the iconic legacies of John Steinbeck and Woody Guthrie at the tribute concert dubbed  "This Land Is Your Land" at the Concord Pavilion in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Representing their respective families, Sarah Lee Guthrie (granddaughter of Woody Guthrie, natch) and her husband Johnny Irion (grandnephew of John Steinbeck, in case you hadn't heard that tidbit before) performed a featured set and mc'ed the event, which concluded with a jam session including Sheryl Crow and members of each of the bands singing Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land."

Pictured: Sarah Lee Guthrie, Sheryl Crow and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys performing "This Land Is Your Land"; photo by Edward R. Ruiz/Live Nation.

That's right: signs, not songs.

By Brian Creech

There was a time in American history when all you needed was a white sign, black paint and some incendiary words to get people into the streets to tell their leaders "We're Not Gonna Take It!" Or as Wayne Coyne would say, "Just be a Nice Person." Or as Chuck D. would say, "Fight the Power."

Embracing what is feeling like a ground swell of change as Election Day approaches, Under the Radar magazine got together some of the more political and photogenic faces of rock and roll to make their own protest signs and bring some attitude back to music. Sons and Daughters capture the ethos of the project with their sign "Stop Neuterin' Rock N' Roll."

Michael Stipe, Chris Walla, Colin Meloy, Isaac Brock, Stars, Jarvis Cocker, Akron/Family, Peter Moren, Supergrass, Sharon Jones, Spoon, the Fleet Foxes, My Morning Jacket, Stars, Noah and the Whale,  Michael Franti, Neon Neon, Les Savy Fav,  Okkervil River, Metric, British Sea Power, Shout Out Louds, Built to Spill and St. Vincent and join Coyne and Chuck D in taking black paint to white posterboard.

The slogans range from the political to the personal, from Fleet Foxes' direct "Capitalism is Unethical (And We're Hypocrites)" to My Morning Jacket's non sequitur "Puppiez y Kittens."

Mostly though, you can tell where each artist stands, as the sign generally eschew raucous platitudes to reflect messages we're pretty sure each band would be sure to endorse. (Michael Stipe's "Gutless Puff Adder Journalists" with "things I hate" written on the back seems particularly characteristic.) 

Turning other people's words into action, Under The Radar is taking all the signs from their "Protest Issue" and here and putting them up for auction on eBay. Proceeds from the sale will support War Child, a humanitarian organization that helps children affected by war throughout the world. The auctions started on September 30th, with most bids starting at $25 or $50, but as of this writing, several signs had already exceeded $100. So if you want to have a memento of a time when speech was free to show your grandchildren in the future neo-fascist technocratic state, act fast.

Esteemed jam band no longer sitting on pantry shelf.

By Matt Recchia

It’s been four long, painfully anticipated years in the making. Phinally, the wait is over: Phish announced Tuesday that they will return to play three dates at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA March 6-8.

The announcement comes a month after the group played at a friend’s wedding, the first time the quartet had performed together since their final show at Coventry. The likelihood of a reunion was always in doubt, but became a serious possibility after keyboard player Page McConnell released a letter on Phish.com about a possible 2009 recommencement.

A limited number of tickets can be requested now through Phish Tickets, Phish’s online ticketing system. (This will end on Wednesday, October 8 at midnight.) Tickets will later be released online through TicketBastard, or by phone on October 18 at 10:00 a.m. No tickets will be sold through the venue, and there is a two-ticket limit per show to deter scalpers.

The band will announce tour dates early next year.

On tour this fall.

By Blurt Staff

Minus The Bear will release Acoustics, an exclusive seven-track EP, this Fall via Tigre Blanco Records. It will be available in two formats and feature newly recorded live acoustic versions of fan favorites and one new track titled "Guns & Ammo." Beginning October 7, Acoustics will be sold digitally via iTunes, Amazon and Emusic. Physical copies of the EP will be sold exclusively at shows MTB's headlining tour, starting in Spokane, WA on October 8.

Track listing:

1. Guns & Ammo (new track)

2. We Are Not a Football Team (from Highly Refined Pirates)

3. Burying Luck (from Planet of Ice)

4. Knights (from Planet of Ice)

5. Pachuca Sunrise (from Menos El Oso)

6. Throwin' Shapes (from Planet of Ice)

7. Ice Monster (from Planet of Ice)

Tour dates:

October 8th             Service Station                       Spokane, WA

October 9th             The Other Side                       Missoula, MT

October 10th           American Legion Hall             Casper, WY

October 11th           Gothic Theatre                        Englewood, CO

October 12th           Slowdown                               Omaha, NE

October 13th           The Picador                            Iowa City, IA

October 15th           Varsity Theatre                       Minneapolis, MN

October 16th           Turner Hall Ballroom              Milwaukee, WI

October 17th           Vic Theatre                             Chicago, IL

October 18th           Newport Music Hall                Columbus, OH

October 19th           The Majestic                           Detroit, MI

October 20th           Grog Shop                              Cleveland, OH

October 21st           Wilbur Theatre                        Boston, MA

October 22nd          9:30 Club                                Washington, DC

October 23rd           TLA                                         Philadelphia, PA

October 24th           Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel         Providence, RI

October 25th           Webster Hall                           New York, NY

October 26th           Starland Ballroom                   Sayreville, NJ

October 28th           The National                           Richmond, VA

October 29th           Lincoln Theatre                       Raleigh, NC

October 30th           Orange Peel                            Asheville, NC

October 31st           Bijou Theatre                           Knoxville, TN

November 1st         Variety Playhouse                    Atlanta, GA

November 2nd        Rion Ballroom                          Gainesville, FL

November 3rd         Revolution                               Fort Lauderdale, FL

November 4th         House of Blues                        Lake Buena Vista, FL

November 5th         Freebird Live                           Jacksonville, FL

November 7th         House of Blues                        New Orleans, LA

November 8th         House of Blues                        Houston, TX

November 9th         Waterloo Park                          Austin, TX **

November 10th       House of Blues                        Dallas, TX

November 12th       Warehouse 21                         Santa Fe, NM

November 13th       The Marquee                           Tempe, AZ

November 14th       SOMA San Diego                    San Diego, CA

November 15th       Glass House                            Pomona, CA

November 16th       Music Box @ Fonda                Los Angeles, CA

November 18th       Empire Events Center             Sacramento, CA

November 19th       Bimbo's 365 Club                    San Francisco, CA

November 20th       Standford University                Palo Alto, CA

November 21st       Lewis & Clark College             Portland, OR

November 22nd      Showbox at the Market           Seattle, WA

Plus Joe Henry chats a bit about Jim.

By Blurt Staff

Luaka Bop's neo-southern and country-gothic Jim White will release a live EP titled A Funny Little Cross to Bear.

Called a "six-song gem" of "roadside rarities," the disc was recorded by Jim at indie record stores, radio programs and concert halls across the world. Among the songs are "Jim 3:16," where he postulates that "a bar is just a church where they serve beer" and a live unreleased version of  "Stranger Candy," a beautiful song left off last year's Transnormal Skiperoo (Luaka Bop).

Elsewhere, Joe Henry has been thinking and talking about Jim White. Henry produced White's Drill a Hole in That Substrate and Tell Me What You See. Here's what he had to say:

"I wanted nothing to do with Jim White when, years ago, I first had his demo pressed upon me. I mean, another singer/songwriter-a poet of a particular dark and Southern sensibility (and one that my own wife alleged to be "brilliant and strange" even as she held the aforementioned cassette at arm's length, as if a bit afraid of residue)...

"I sat quiet and I listened. And then I rewound the tape and played it again... And thus began my association and working relationship with Jim White: singer, songwriter, author, actor; Florida native; Georgia taxpayer; former New York City cabdriver and runway fashion model; would-be seminarian; the father of two and, generally speaking, a holistic artist intent on moving forward while seeming to walk backward...a veritable disco moonwalker dressed like Tom Joad. With sideburns."

And here is Joe Henry on the new EP:

"And now here he is, offering a new "live mini album," as if he thinks he'll trick us all into thinking the small gesture doesn't itself draw a plenty-wide arc, doesn't have grand ambitions of its own....

"He must think we're crazy. Or stupid. In any case, I for one refuse to be fooled. I hear within this 7-song collection much ghostly conjuring and revisionist theorizing upon life, liberty and the pursuit of truckstop angels with crooked teeth, checkered pasts, and Jesus programmed on the speed-dial of their cell phones."

A Funny Little Cross to Bear will hit stores on October 14th.

Band will hit the road with Dead Confederate to support Devastator.

By Blurt Staff

Catfish Haven today announced—and began—a U.S. tour supporting their second LP, Devastator (Secretly Canadian). On the first leg, which runs through Oct. 11, the trio will join Athens-based Dead Confederate for six shows, including a My Morning Jacket after-party at Mo’s Pub in Milwaukee, WI. On the 11^th, Catfish Haven will headline a hometown CD release show at the Metro sponsored by WXRT. More dates will be announced shortly.

Devastator will be released Oct. 7.

Tour Dates:

10/01/08 Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room   w/ Dead Confederate
10/02/08 Madison, WI - Annex   w/ Dead Confederate
10/03/08 Milwaukee, WI - Mo's Pub - My Morning Jacket After Party
w/ Dead Confederate
10/05/08 Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall
10/06/08 Cambridge, MA - T. T. Bears   w/ Dead Confederate
10/08/08 Philadelphia, PA - The Khyber   w/ Dead Confederate
10/09/08 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge   w/ Dead Confederate
10/10/08 Columbus, OH - Carabar
10/11/08 Chicago, IL - Metro- CD Release Show

MP3: "Devastator"


MP3: "Set In Stone"

Goldrush, Miranda Lee Richards, Hopewell and others on bill to support and protect Joshua Tree National Park.

By Blurt Staff

The Black Angels and Dead Meadow will headline the second annual Clean Air, Clear Stars Music Festival in Pioneertown, CA Oct. 10-12. The festival benefits Global Inheritance, a 501 (c)3 organization that “creates inspirational and educational programs to further environmental awareness with the goal of reversing the effects of global warming and encouraging positive action for a sustainable future.” The fest will feature two dozen other bands including Goldrush, Hopewell and Miranda Lee Richards, as well as the cryptic, tantalizing “special guests.”

Clean Air, Clear Stars was founded as a reaction to the July 2006 Sawtooth wildfire that burned over 61,000 acres and destroyed over 200 homes and businesses in Joshua Tree National Park and Pioneertown. Presale tickets (www.ticketweb.com) for the event are $40 for the weekend, and $15 for a day pass. Camping accommodations will also be available, please check the website for details.

“Last year was an inspiring and monumental experience,” says key organizer and Sky Parade vocalist Tommy Dietrick. “People's attitudes toward the challenges we face today are resonating throughout our music community. It's this kind of unity that proves we can make a difference when we continue on a path of personal responsibility, determination and hope. What makes this festival so unique is its' grass roots nature and the willingness for change that it represents. The modern revolution of our generation is to take us off this path over-consumption, greed and waste. Our goal is to shift individual habits as well as raise a unified voice to those in industry and the government who continue to choose to pollute our Earth with insufficient standards and legislation that panders to the conglomerate elite.”

CACS will also host a kick off party on Thurs Oct 9th at Spaceland with performances from Sky Parade, Hopewell and Swoon 23. Admission will be free for all artists whom are donating their time to perform at the festival. Full lineup:

Friday Oct 10th

Mere Mortals

LSD and the Search for God

Lower Heaven

Dead Meadow

Acoustic after-hours stage: CB Brand, and He’s My Brother She’s My Sister.

Saturday Oct 11th

The Black Pine

Fauna Valetta

Federale

Cuchillo

War Paint

Restaurant

Eskimo Hunter

Swoon 23

The Black Angels

Acoustic stage: Miranda Lee Richards, Cat Martino, Wayne Everett, and Highway.

Sunday Oct 12^th

Chief Nowhere

Golden Animals

Sundown Machine

Goldrush

Silver Rockets

Mezzanine Owls

Hopewell

“Special Guests”

About Global Inheritance:

Global Inheritance is an organization working to recreate activism for today’s young generation. Their initiatives focus on the power of creativity to communicate and pus for progressive social change while rejecting conflict. For further information please visit www.globalinheritance.org

About the Endangerment of Joshua Tree National Park:

Joshua Tree National Park ranks as one of the most endangered national parks in the U.S. according to environmental groups. Relying on a particular set of weather conditions and well-timed rains, Joshua trees have managed to survive for centuries in the Mohave desert, the only place on the planet that the large yucca species can be found. The slightest disruption in the fragile eco-system would devastate the delicate desert habitat and destroy  all of the native inhabitants and plants, including the trees which are necessary to the survival of a variety of wildlife.

With the acceleration of global warming, climate change directly impacts the dry areas of the American Southwest and the desert ecosystems will be the first to experience the impact of water shortages which will reduce plant and insect populations and in turn accelerate the fire cycle. The increase in greenhouse gases and elevated air pollution have also contributed to the proliferation of an invasive weed known as Red Brome which is new to the area, and in part suspected to be a contributing factor to the expanding fires within the region.

For further information, please visit:

www.cleanairclearstars.com

www.myspace.com/cleanairclearstars

www.pappyandharriets.com

Austin-based band raising money for Texas Democrats, including Dem. candidate for Railroad Commissioner.

By Blurt Staff

On October 13, Spoon, with special guest Gary Clark Jr., will perform a “rare intimate one-off date” at Austin’s The Parish to benefit Texas Democrats and the campaign of Mark Thompson, Democratic candidate for the office of Railroad Commissioner. Tickets for the show will go on sale 10 a.m. Central time Thursday, October 2.

No word as to why the office of Railroad Commissioner is so important to the band, but if we had to speculate, it’s ‘cause everybody loves a train.

For more information on tickets, go to Spoontheband.com.

“Conspiracy to Riot” tells the story of Francis’ friend Jared Paul, arrested at RNC.

By Blurt Staff

Like many other Americans, Sage Francis was outraged by the arrest of journalists and protestors at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN earlier this month. He’s dealing with it by releasing the track “Conspiracy to Riot,” available free at www.conspiracytoriot.com.

The song tells the story of Francis’s friend Jared Paul, one of the journalists--including Democracy Now's Amy Goodman--who were arrested during the convention for no clear (read: real) reason except that they voiced dissent. The press release from Francis’s label, Anti-:

Many Americans watched as scores of those who were providing coverage of the RNC were arrested and jailed, notably the arrest of “Democracy Now!” host Amy Goodman and two of her colleagues, which was captured on video and became the YouTube sound byte of the convention for people who weren’t just watching the network’s coverage.  The aggression of the police became personal for Francis when they arrested his friend, journalist Jared Paul.

Francis writes “out of the thousand unjust arrests that will happen this year, why am I focusing on this one in particular? Jared Paul is a fellow Providence poet and musician. We've lived together, toured together, protested together, argued with one another from time to time, and shared many incredible moments over the past 15 years. He is a social worker, a community organizer, a selfless human being and a champion of justice. He'd do the same for me in return. He'd probably do the same for you.”

The song is intended to raise awareness of the fascism that informed these arrests, as well as cash to cover Jared Paul’s legal defense expenses. Visitors to the website can read Paul’s complete story, and make donations. One reason donations are necessary is that the sheer volume of RNC arrests is too much even for the American Civil Liberties Union to cover. Support from friends—including Slug from Atmosphere, who posted Paul’s bail—has been steady, but not quite enough.

But it’s not all about one man. “This has less to do with a friend of mine possibly looking at jail time, and more to do with citizen's rights continually being trampled on,” says Francis. “There are thousands of innocent people in jail right now because of their lack of finances. This is a principle thing as much as it is personal.”

Preach it, brutha Sage.

Check out videos of Jared Paul performing "Get Dead" and the arrest of Amy Goodman:

JARED PAUL PERFORMING "GET DEAD": AMY GOODMAN'S ARREST VIDEO:

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)

7:30 AM Showtime: Liza with a 'Z'

8:35 AM Starz Cinema: Metric: Live at Metropolis

10:00 AM TVONE: TV One on One: Robin Thicke

11:00 AM Rave HD Concerts: Oasis Live at Manchester City Stadium

11:30 AM NICK: Yo Gabba Gabba!: The Shins , Mark Mothersbaugh

1:30 PM VH1C: Rock Fest:  Heart

2:00 & 5:00  PM Ovation: Definitely Dusty w/Dusty Springfield , Elton John , Burt Bacharach , Lulu , Martha Reeves , Madeline Bell

2:30 PM FUEL: The Daily Habit:  Aesop Rock

4:00 PM Ovation: Bonefish Grill's Notes From The Road: Matisyahu

5:30 PM PLD HD: Isle of Wight Festival 2008

6:00 PM Ovation: Stand By Your Dream - Tammy Wynette

8:00 PM Ovation: Bonefish Grill's Notes From The Road: 3 Doors Down

9:00 PM FUEL: The Daily Habit: Man Man

9:00 PM PLD HD: Tupac: Resurrection

10:00 PM Sundance: Live from Abbey Road: Stereophonics, Colbie Caillat & Joan Armatrading

11:00 PM Sundance: Iconoclasts: Quentin Tarantino and Fiona Apple

11:35 PM CBS: The Late Show With David Letterman: Lucinda Williams

12:35 AM NBC: Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Ben Folds

12:37 AM CBS: The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Michael Franti , Spearhead

1:00 AM MTV2: Subterranean:  The Jesus and Mary Chain

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

3:00 AM BBCA: The Graham Norton Show: Joss Stone

"Light of X" hits stores Feb. 10, 2009

by Blurt Staff

MIranda Lee Richards latest album, "Light of X" will be her Nettwerk debut and is set to be released on February 10, 2009.  "Courtney Taylor from the Dandy Warhols calls my genre 'Pixie Fairy Dust Chick Music,'" says singer/songwriter Miranda Lee Richards. "But I think another fitting description for Light of X might be 'Psychedelic Chamber Folk Rock'."

Prior to that Richards will be releasing her appropriately titled Early November EP digitally onto iTunes November 4, also through Nettwerk.

 For her new album, Richards composed all the material, string arrangements, acoustic guitar, piano and Hammond B3 on the disc. A label press release said, "LIGHT OF X is an album full of love and loss, desolation and salvation, both moody and comforting."

Richards teamed with producer/engineer/mixer Rick Parker (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Von Bondies) who also contributed the electric and twelve-string guitar arrangements.  Eva Gardner (Mars Volta, Tim Burgess) plays bass, the main drummer is Keith Mitchell (Mazzy Star), Ben Peeler (Wallflowers, Shelby Lynne) is on pedal steel; and Josh Schwartz (Beachwood Sparks) plays guitar.

Richards grew up in San Francisco, the daughter of Ted and Teresa Richards, stars of the underground comics scene. Her bohemian background led her to play in school bands, but she never considered music as a profession until her senior year of high school when an older best friend of Richards started dating Kirk Hammett of Metallica. Hammett soon taught Richards her first few guitar chords and Richards recorded her first demo in the basement of Hammett's studio.  She soon landed a spot in the Brian Jonestown Massacre, a record deal of her own, and a spot singing "Just Like Honey" next to the Jesus and Mary Chain on their 2007 reunion tour.

"Light of X" track listing:

1)      Breathless

2)      Life Boat

3)      Savorin' Your Smile

4)      Hideaway

5)      Early November

6)      Mirror At The End

7)      Hidden Treasure

8)      Pictures Of You

9)      Here By The Window

10)  Olive Tree

11)  That Baby

12)  Last Days Of Summer

13)  Oddity

All greased up and nowhere to go.... foreign policy expert Sarah Palin reportedly negotiating with Glitter's handlers for a relocation procedure.

By Fred Mills

Now THAT's rock ‘n' roll: the UK press is reporting that erstwhile glam rocker Gary Glitter, 64, a convicted pedophile who returned to Britain last month following his release from prison in Vietnam, has been evicted from his house in London. He'd been renting a flat at the Mayfair (weekly ticket: £2,000 - wish WE could afford that next time we get out of jail) but apparently his neighbors took offense at his presence.

London's The Sun quoted one of its ever-reliable "sources" about the matter: "It turned out certain neighbours objected to him being there. I mean, would you pay over a million quid for a flat to find out Gary Glitter has moved in next door? Talk about driving down your property price. Paul [Gadd, his real name] has run out of friends to turn to. The only places left are Scottish islands miles from anywhere. Nobody wants him as a neighbour.

"Paul really reveled in his new address. He said he had always wanted to live in Mayfair and deserved to finally get back to the high life. He even joked about living near ‘Queenie'. He was pretty stunned to find he wasn't welcome. He said, ‘Why me? Not this again'."

Yeah, duh.

Glitter had spent nearly three years in a Vietnamese prison for having sex with 10- and 11-year old girls. Released in August, he initially went to Thailand where he sought to obtain residency in Hong Kong, not wanting to return to England where he'd also spent time in jail for downloading child porn and would have his activities closely monitored by authorities.

A drama unfolded on August 20 at the Bangkok airport when he apparently "feigned ear and heart problems" (according to an earlier report by The Sun) and "twice refused to take planes to London" and eventually took off for Hong Kong. (A British official sent to persuade Glitter to return to England was quoted at the time as saying, "Glitter knows he has snookered us. All the way through he was a belligerent bastard. We reached a stalemate where the Thai authorities eventually said he had to leave. As we couldn't legally force him to return to Britain he finally agreed to Hong Kong. As he left us he grinned and sang the old Rolling Stones line ‘I'm free to do what I want, any old time'.") But upon arriving in Hong Kong he was refused entry and turned back.

At any rate, The Sun's report today, titled "Where Will the Rat Run?", indicated that Glitter is "still wealthy thanks to overseas royalties" and the "part sale of his back catalogue" so can pretty much afford to go wherever he wants - if the neighborhood will take him. He moved out of his flat with the help of what's described as "a team of Russian ex-military minders" he employed.

The newspaper has helpfully provided a world map highlighting possible spots on the globe Glitter could move to next. Among them: Siberia ("with any luck his bollocks would freeze off"), Chernobyl ("nobody can live there for fear of illness. Glitter could give it a go, though"), the Aussie outback ("it's very popular with reptiles") and our own Alaska ("hunters like wannabe Vice-President Sarah Palin are keen to take potshots at all kinds of beasts here").

We vote for Alaska.

Performing classic album in its entirety - completely sober.

By Fred Mills

Billboard.com is reporting that on Nov. 7 and 8 Van Morrison intends to perform his classic '68 album Astral Weeks in its entirety. The legendary musician is apparently taking his cue from the commercial and critical success other artists' similar endeavors (not the least of which would be Brian Wilson, who revived both Pet Sounds and SMILE for the stage, as have numerous alternative acts ranging from Sonic Youth to Mogwai to Public Enemy).

The shows "will feature some of the original musicians" who appeared on Astral Weeks, says Billboard.com. Tickets will be a whopping $75 to $255.50 via Ticketbastard starting Oct. 5.

However, after you get your tix it might be a good idea to stock up on airplane bottles of booze or invest in a pair of those cool sandals that double as flasks; earlier this year Morrison, a recovering alcoholic, imposed a ban on alcohol sales at his concerts both in the U.S. and the U.K. Not to worry, though, if you choose to simply bend the ol' elbow in the parking lot prior to the gig: Astral Weeks only runs about 45 minutes!

On Oct. 21 Rhino will be reissuing the album on 180-gram vinyl

Mike Skinner don't get no respect. With good reason.

By Fred Mills

Damn. It's hard out here in the streets for a pimp. Or, more accurately, it's hard for The Streets - a/k/a/ Birmingham, England, beatmaster/rapper Mike Skinner - to get pimped. His new album Everything Is Borrowed is due out next week, Oct. 7, on Vice (conflicting reports at Amazon.com say Oct. 14), and already the critics are sharpening their knives.

To wit, your friendly neighborhood BLURT, in a scathing 5-out-of-10-stars review published online today, claims that the album "toes the line between clever and cheesy, mediocre and superb, but comes out boring more often than not [and] sinks under its own weight... With hip-hop, it's quite simple: You either got it or you don't. In the case of The Streets' latest album, Everything is Borrowed, it's a lot of the latter."

Yow. Harsh.

Meanwhile, over at the Streets MySpace page, Skinner's blogging has been taking on Courtney-Love-drunk-and-agitated overtones of late. Reads one choice entry:

I had a dream that my friend invented a new, much more efficient method of lift, enabling helicopters to elevate in altitude. I know good invention is supposed to be simple but this involved 200 Scalextric motors, a circular PCB and many, many right-angled gearbox-style cogs. It was a very small device but we needed to make a prototype ourselves in order that we could patent it. I told my friend that it was important that we didn't use expensive components as the bog standard Maplin ones are good enough. It was quite fiddly work but the feeling it gave us when the thing switched on and sucked more air in the top than it did the bottom was euphoria. I have been watching too much Dragons' Den.

Fans, of course, love to read about their heroes' dreams, natch. Also about their random thoughts transcribed while out jogging:

I was running through the park this morning and I swallowed a fly. A pretty big fly. My first thought was that it could have been a wasp actually, as it wriggled down my neck. It seemed to quickly die or play dead though. I wanted to put my fingers down my throat to bring it back up but why should I be so fussy about what I eat? It is a creature of this earth and whatever taboos or disgustion I felt about its breed, I shouldn't make decisions about whether it's right or wrank to eat based on subjective thought

Hey, we've all felt disgustion at one point or another, Mike, don't feel bad.... His confessional mode befits him, as evidenced in this one in which he admits to shoplifting:

I'm lying by a canal in a massive haze. I got into bed last night and as I nodded I started thinking about all the hard work I put into this album and how meaningful the day of its release should be. I called up my people and fought for my right to paartay. Got them up from deep slumbers. We fought till the sherry end. 6am pizza express sloppy guiseppe and some fucked up jokes. Today we are shooting a video for 'never give in'. Not really sure what the video is about to be honest but Mayhem is well focused and his video idea for 'love you more' was hench. We are way more hungover than when we did that video though. I got really thirsty all of a sudden and all Mayhem had was these fucked up sour sweets. Made me slightly gag. Especially combined with the sound of the new Usher CD I stole yesterday.

‘Nuf said. Don't you love it when celebrities do all the legwork for us?

Fight for your right to paartay with Skinner on his tour, which kicks off this week in England:

Oct 5 2008      8:00P

            Academy (www.gigsandtours.com)   Manchester

Oct 6 2008      8:00P

            Plug (www.artistticket.com)   Sheffield

Oct 9 2008      8:00P

            Academy (www.gigsandtours.com)   Birmingham

Oct 10 2008    8:00P

            Academy (www.gigsandtours.com)   Newcastle

Oct 11 2008    8:00P

            Academy (www.gigsandtours.com)   Oxford

Oct 13 2008    8:00P

            Guildhall (www.gigsandtours.com)   Southampton

Oct 14 2008    8:00P

            53 Degrees (www.gigsandtours.com)            Preston

Oct 16 2008    8:00P

            UEA (www.gigsandtours.com)          Norwich

Oct 17 2008    8:00P

            Academy (www.gigsandtours.com)   Bristol

Oct 18 2008    8:00P

            Rock City (www.gigsandtours.com) Nottingham

Oct 19 2008    8:00P

            Academy (www.gigsandtours.com)   Leeds

Oct 23 2008    8:00P

            BBC Electric Proms (on sale Sept 17th)         London

Oct 25 2008    8:00P

            Rockefeller      Oslo

Oct 27 2008    8:00P

            KB Hall           Copenhagen

Oct 28 2008    8:00P

            Gross Freiheit Hamburg

Oct 29 2008    8:00P

            Ringlokschuppen        Bielfeld

Oct 30 2008    8:00P

            Strasse E         Dresden

Nov 1 2008     8:00P

            Kraftzentrale, Ruhrnacht radio show             Duisburg

Nov 2 2008     8:00P

            Hugenottenhalle          Frankfurt

Nov 3 2008     8:00P

            Huxleys           Berlin

Nov 4 2008     8:00P

            Stodola            Warsaw

Nov 6 2008     8:00P

            Paradiso          Amsterdam

Nov 7 2008     8:00P

            Den Atler        Luxembourg

Nov 9 2008     8:00P

            Muffthalle       Munich

Nov 10 2008   8:00P

            Longhorn        Stuttgart

Nov 11 2008   8:00P

            Live Music Hall          Cologne

Nov 12 2008   8:00P

            Rota Fabric     Zurich

Nov 13 2008   8:00P

            Fri-son             Fribourg

Nov 15 2008   8:00P

            Joy Eslava       Madrid

Nov 16 2008   8:00P

            Razzmataz 2    Barcelona

Nov 18 2008   8:00P

            Laiterie            Strasbourg

Jan 29 2009     8:00P

            Brixton Academy       London

Knocking the critics dead with the Carried To Dust album.

By Fred Mills

BLURT's cover stars of our July digital magazine Calexico head off to Europe next week for a three week tour, then they'll be back in the States for a three-week American trek that starts Nov. 7 in Austin. Their new album Carried To Dust has been making some strong showings, chart-wise, debuting at #98 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart as well as nothing #12 on Amazong digital and #29 at iTunes.

In our September digital magazine, we reviewed the album thusly:

On 2006's Garden Ruin, Calexico shifted gears: they downplayed their widescreen Southwestern sound in favor of more traditional alt-country arrangements and song structures. Carried To Dust suggests that that move was a diversion rather than a development, and that's just fine. Over the course of their career Joey Burns and John Convertino have created a readily identifiable blend of mariachi, spaghetti western, ambling country and desert blues, and Dust is another version of its perfection. And because the songwriting is so tight and focused, it may even be its apotheosis. Dust doesn't play as a concept record, but hints of a narrative about a writer on a journey link the songs. Burns and Convertino relish collaboration, and in addition to their regular bandmates, they bring in friends to supplement and enlarge the songs, among them Iron & Wine's Sam Beam and Spanish singer Amparo Sanchez. Dust is a return but it's no regression.

Start marking your calendars now....

Calexico Tour Dates:

October 9 - Columbiahalle - Berlin, Germany (w/ Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar)
October 10 - E-Werk - Koln, Germany
October 11 - Forum - London, UK
October 13 - AB - Brussels, Belgium
October 14 - La Cigale - Paris, France
October 15 - Paradiso - Amsterdam, Netherlands
October 16 - Muffathalle - Munich, Germany
October 17 - Volkshaus - Zurich, Switzerland
October 18 - Rolling Stone - Milan, Italy
October 19 - Mousonturm - Frankfurt, Germany
October 21 - Gasometer - Vienna, Ausria (w/ Lambchop)
October 22 - Alter Schlachthof - Dresden, Germany
October 24 - Vega - Copenhagen, Denmark
October 25 - Nalen - Stockholm, Sweden
October 26 - Rockefeller - Oslo, Norway

Friday, November 7 - Antone's - Austin, TX
Saturday November 8 - Granada Theater - Dallas, TX
Sunday November 9 - Duck Room - St. Louis, MO
Monday, November 10 - Mercy Lounge - Nashville, TN
Wednesday November 12 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC
Thursday November 13 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC
Friday November 14 - Theatre of Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
Saturday November 15 - The Tarrytown Music Hall - Tarrytown, NY
Sunday November 16 - Somerville Theater - Somerville, MA
Monday, November 17 - Le National - Montreal, QC
Tuesday, November 18 - Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, ON
Thursday, November 20 - The Crofoot Ballroom - Pontiac, MI
Friday, November 21 - Metro - Chicago, IL
Saturday, November 22 - Fine Line Music Cafe - Minneapolis, MN
Sunday, November 23 - Slowdown - Omaha, NE
Monday, November 24 - Gothic Theatre - Denver, CO
Tuesday, November 25 - Sunshine Theater - Albuquerque, NM

Miss Pussycat is in tow, natch...

By Blurt Staff

Mad organist Quintron, along with his partner-in-crime/puppeteer Miss Pussycat, is hitting the road today on the Too Thirsty 4 Love tour, to promote the album of the same name, due Oct. 14 from Memphis label Goner, his 10^th album to date. They'll be out for well over a month, bringing their "barely controlled electronic chaos, Swamp-Tech beats, small explosions, incredible clothes, and entertaining puppet stories" to their adoring public.

Here's the scoop on the record, direct from the label:

Too Thirsty 4 Love finds New Orleans' favorite son and finest organist all over the map in the best possible sense of the word- from the sultry bedroom funk of "The Boss Wants to Party with You" to the boozy skiffle of "Sunday Night" to the experimental minimalism of "Reborn." Whether he's reimagining The Police's "Roxanne" on the title track or inspiring the crowd with the catchy party anthem "Model Ex Citizen," the mood is raucous fun, the place is Cajun Atlantis and the sound is undeniably pure Quintron.

This album was recorded entirely live in a bizarre 2-track studio set deep in the heart of New Orleans' now famous 9th Ward. The live tracks were then played back and sung over. Let's call this the "6th grade bedroom style" of multi-tracking. For any interested equipment nerds, the Spellcaster Lodge studio consists of 4 microphones, one custom Neotek Series 1 board, and a 2 track tape deck. And a corkscrew.

Quintron's musical partner Miss Pussycat plays maracas and sings backup as well as entertaining all age groups with her highly amusing technicolor puppet shows. She has just recently finished filming a 10 episode puppet drama called TRIXIE AND THE TREE TRUNKS for VBS (Vice) TV.

Tour dates:

10/2 - - Lafayette, LA - - Blue Moon Saloon

10/3 - - Houston, TX - - Walter's on Washington

10/4 - - Austin, TX - - Emo's

10/7 - - Phoenix, AZ - - Modified

10/8 - - Tucson, AZ - - Club Congress

10/9 - - San Diego, CA - - The Casbah

10/10 - - Los Angeles, CA - - The Echoplex

10/11 - - San Francisco, CA - - The Independent

10/14 - - Arcata, CA - -

10/16 - - Portland, OR - - Berbati's Pan

10/17 - - Seattle, WA - - Chop Suey

10/18 - - Vancouver, BC - - The Biltmore 10/20 - - Boise, ID - - Neurolux

10/21 - - Salt Lake City, UT - - Urban Lounge

10/22 - - Denver, CO - - Larimer Lounge

10/24 - - Oklahoma City, OK - - The Conservatory

10/26 - - New Orleans, LA - - Bingo! Parlour @ Voodoo Festival

10/28 - - Nashville, TN - - The End

10/29 - - Memphis, TN - - Hi-Tone

10/30 - - Hot Springs, TX - - Low Key Arts Building 11/10 - - New York, NY - - Santo's Party House

10/31 - - New Orleans, LA - - One Eyed Jacks

11/21 - - Birmingham, AL - - Bottle Tree

11/22 - - Atlanta, GA - - Eyedrum

11/24 - - Athens, GA - - 40 Watt

11/25 - - Jacksonville, FL - - Jack Rabbits

11/29 - - Miami, FL - - Churchhill's Pub

Yeah, you know... that little thing called the Presidential election...

By Blurt Staff

Here's some hype, but it's damn important, so listen up, and spread the word.

***

After a successful stint in Ohio last week, Rock the Vote The Road Trip 2008 is extending its stay through October 6th in order to participate in Ohios early voting period.  Rock the Vote vehicles are shuttling voters to and from early vote locations, allowing new registrants the opportunity to cast their ballot on the same day they register.  In the first day of operation, the service allowed over 10% of the student body at Wilberforce University to cast their vote early. So far in 2008, more than 1.8 million new voters have registered to vote through Rock the Vote - 30,000 of whom were tallied on September 29th alone.

"In both the 2004 and 2006 elections, long lines at the polls stifled Ohioans and made it difficult to vote.  Rock the Vote is providing the information and transportation necessary to allow young Ohioan voters to cast their ballots this week." said Heather Smith, executive director, Rock the Vote. 

Over the last two weeks, The Road Trip 2008 has registered new voters at 25 Road Trip events by reaching out to students at over 20 high schools and colleges throughout Tennessee, Washington D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio.  Those already registered can sign a pledge to vote in the upcoming election.  By signing the pledge, Rock the Vote promises to keep voters up-to-date on the latest poll numbers, polling locations and candidate platforms and other election information via phone, email and text message.

The Road Trip 2008 is a state-of-the-art mobile road show designed to fit into Rock the Vote's mission to maximize voter registration, education, and engagement efforts in key youth-dense markets.  The Road Trip 2008 has already mounted concerts with popular acts such as Hawthorne Heights, Santogold, Solange, Melinda Doolittle, Talib Kweli, Bang Camaro, Low vs. Diamond, Ben Taylor and Rhymefest.  The Road Trip 2008 tour bus has been outfitted with computer kiosks that will assist in voter registration and educate users about the election process.  The artistic design of the bus itself was conceived by Shepard Fairey, the celebrated contemporary artist/graphic designer who emerged from the skateboard scene with his famous "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" campaign.

The Road Trip 2008:

Wednesday, October 1 Dayton, Middleton and Lebanon, OH

Thursday, October 2 Columbus, OH

Friday, October 3 Cleveland, OH

Saturday, October 4 Toledo, OH

Sunday, October 5 Youngstown, OH

Monday, October 6 Columbus, OH

The road trip will continue after early voting in Ohio to states including Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

For more information on The Road Trip 2008 and Rock the Vote go to www.Rockthevote.com/roadtrip .

For more information about voter registration in Ohio visit: http://www.rockthevote.com/electioncenter/voter-information/ohio/

ABOUT ROCK THE VOTE
Rock the Vote's mission is to engage and build the political power of young people in order to achieve progressive change in our country. Rock the Vote uses music, popular culture and new technologies to engage and incite young people to register and vote in every election; giving young people the tools to identify, learn about, and take action on the issues that affect their lives, and leverage their power in the political process. Rock the Vote is creative, effective, and controlled by nobody's agenda but their own - they tell it like it is and pride themselves on being a trusted source for information on politics. www.RockTheVote.com

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 CBS: The Early Show: Melissa Etheridge

9:00 AM Syndicated: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Amy Macdonald ,

9:00 AM Syndicated: Live with Regis and Kelly: Robin Thicke

12:00 PM Rave HD Concerts: Glastonbury Festival 2004 w/Paul McCartney , Oasis , Morrissey , Scissor Sisters

1:00 PM VH1C: Rock Fest: Guns 'n Roses

2:30 PM FUEL: The Daily Habit:  Man Man

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

5:00 PM Great American Country: Edge of Country: Billy Bob Thornton , The Boxmasters

5:00 PM VH1 Classic in Concert: Rush in Rio

7:30 PM Ovation: Jazz Heroes: Ella Fitzgerald: The Singer Not The Song

8:00 PM VH1C: BBC Electric Proms: Paul McCartney

9:00 PM FUEL: The Daily Habit: Foals

10:00 PM Sundance: Wetlands Preserved: The Story of an Activist Rock Club

11:35 PM NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: T.I.

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Nelly

12:30 AM VH1C: Heavy Metal (1981)

12:35 AM NBC: Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Nick Cave

12:37 AM CBS: The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Randy Newman

1:30 AM ETV: Saturday Night Live (E!): Snoop Dogg / Avril Lavigne

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

Lydon does a butter commercial and he means it, maaan...

By Fred Mills

The British media are reporting - aren't you glad that we check the British media each morning to see what they are reporting? it's all for YOU, dear readers - that John Lydon is shilling for a butter company called Country Life.

That's right, Johnny Rotten mean's it, maaan: he's apparently filmed TV ads for Country Life, which will begin broadcasting them soon. The company issued a press release about their choice of the "icon," stating, "We don't think enough people know Country Life is the only major British butter brand and John gets the message through loud and clear.He is seen as a great British icon. His independent views are part of his consumer appeal and his tongue-in-cheek sense of humour shines through in our TV advertising."

Added Lydon, noting that he'd never done a TV ad before, "People know I only do things that I want to or that I believe in and I have to do it my way. I've never done anything like this before and never thought I would, but this Country Life ad was made for me and I couldn't resist the opportunity."

Er, it might have something to do with the paycheck, too, right, John?

Lydon, dressed in traditional tweed, is seen in a British men's club then roams around in the country and proposes reasons why he prefers Country Life. The raucous rock music playing in the background is decidedly, er, Sex Pistols-esque.

The company's slogan: "It's not about Great Britain, it's about Great Butter."

Legendary musician testifies to the candidate's character and abilities.

By Fred Mills

Bluegrass legend Dr. Ralph Stanley and his band the Clinch Mountain Boys may be men of constant sorrow most of the time, but starting yesterday the good Doctor had a different persona: a man for Barack Obama.

A radio ad that has started airing in the southern section of the election battleground state Virginia has Stanley giving props to Obama's bonafides as a tasty little bit of banjo twang is heard in the background.

Says Stanley, in part, "Howdy, friends. This is Ralph Stanley, and I think I know a little something about the families around here. Barack'll cut taxes for everyday folks -- not big business -- so you'll have a little more money in your pocket at the end of the year. I also know Barack is a good man. A father and devoted husband, he values personal responsibility and family first."

Boy howdy to that. Thank you, Dr. Stanley. You're a good man yourself.

Take a listen to the entire ad HERE.

Dandys and friends band together to fight Portland, OR urbanization

By Blurt Staff

The Dandy Warhols sure do have a lot of friends in bands.  Good things these friends all decided to get together and do some good.  They got their friends to gether to help record an album over time in the band's studio, "The Odditorium," which is described thusly:

"The Odditorium...is more than simply one band's space. It's also home to their friends, the touring and local bands looking for a place to play, to record. The Dandys began inviting other bands to participate in a collective project, the artists coming in on their own time to record new ideas over tracks others had already laid down, together creating what becomes a nearly living musical entity."

And that "nearly living musical entity is "Breath Easy."  Finally, fans who have wondered what J. Mascis guitar drenched squall would sound like next to Saul WIlliams industrial tinged political rap have to wait no longer.  "Breathe Easy" also features Britt Daniel from Spoon, the Black Angels, Midnight Angels, and the Raveonettes.  100 % of the album profits will go to support the Three Rivers Land Conservancy.

The Three Rivers Land Conservancy is a non-profit organization that works to conserve and preserve land by the Clackamas, Tualatin, and lower Willamette Rivers against urbanization.  Through consumer purchases, and corporate contributions, their initial goal is to save 10,000 acres of Oregon's natural habitat.

That's not the brown acid that's causing your flashback....

By Blurt Staff

 Due Oct. 28 from Eagle Vision DVD is the two-hour feature film documentary A Technicolor Dream.

More than just the story of the British 1960s underground movement that culminates at "The 14-Hour Technicolor Dream" (an all-night happening at Alexandra Palace on April 29, 1967), it also offers a crucial look at a young Pink Floyd (with the mythic Syd Barrett). This DVD comes complete with three full bonus Pink Floyd performances - "Astronomy Domine," "Scarecrow" and "Arnold Layne" - with Barrett on guitar and vocals from 1967, as well as additional interviews with Roger Waters, Nick Mason and others not seen in the original BBC broadcast version. The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and the Pretty Things are in the film as well performing and being interviewed.

According to Eagle Vision, "From the London Free School and UFO Club to the Notting Hill Carnival, this is the story of an activist generation and how that generation-like their stateside counterparts-protested inequality and injustice. The sense of community that bonded such a generation to see wrongs and try to right them hasn't been seen since. The marches, the mania, the fact that back then, activism was part of the daily fabric of youth culture, seems almost impossible in this day and age. Those who lived it, though, on either side of the Atlantic, know what it felt like. Those who didn't, can only watch a film like this and imagine."

Nothing more irresistible than a limited edition if yer collector scum!

By Fred Mills

Mexican Summer is the name of a new vinyl and digital label  that quietly launched last month. The concept? Revive the notion of the "record club" - think the great Sub Pop Singles Club, but not limited to just 7" releases, and include links to DRM-free downloads of the material with each platter for consumers who like their music on the go, too. Thus far the label has made available sharp records from Dungen, Nachtmystium and Headdress, with releases en route from Marisa Nadler, Black Moth Super Rainbow and others.

According to the label, the records will all be "pressed in very limited quantities and will also be available for download, bringing a musical and visual experience to music lovers and collectors that want more than just a tune to consume."

The vinyl will be available on a subscription basis and at a select group of exclusive indie retailers across the country.  Two or three records will be released every other month in various formats - 12", 7", Picture Disc, etc., and all will be "beautifully packaged, hand numbered, pressed on high quality virgin vinyl and include a download card." There will also be bonus gifts available only to members, such as slip mats and tote bags.

Subscriptions are available via the website: www.mexicansummer.com

Mexican Summer Release Schedule:

9.2: Dungen - "Sat Att Se" 12" (1,000 PRESSED, 300 Orange/Gold Haze, 700 Gold)

9.2: Nachtmystium - "Worldfall" (500 Red w/ black splatter, 500 gray w/ red splatter)

9.2: Headdress - "Turquoise" (LP - 500 press)

11.1: Marissa Nadler - "Ballads Of Living and Dying" (reissue w/ bonus unreleased 7") (1,000 press)

11.1: The Tallest Man On Earth - "Shallow Grave" (LP w/ bonus 7" EP) (1,000 press)

TBD: Bobby BeauSoleil & The Orkustra (2XLP - w/ unreleased material) (1,000 press)

TBD: Black Moth Super Rainbow - (picture disc) (1,000 press)

TBD: Valet

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)

SATURDAY OCTOBER 4:

10:00 AM PLD HD: SoulStage: The Roots

1:00 PM VH1C: Seven Ages of Rock

4:00 PM FUSE: Welcome to Timbaland

5:30 PM Noggin: Yo Gabba Gabba!: Aggrolites

6:00 PM Sundance: Live from Abbey Road: Stereophonics, Colbie Caillat & Joan Armatrading

8:00 PM PLD HD: SoulStage: Erykah Badu

8:00 PM VH1C: This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

9:00 PM PBS: Austin City Limits:  R.E.M.

10:00 PM VH1C: Heavy Metal (1981)

11:30 PM NBC: Saturday Night Live:  Anne Hathaway / The Killers

12:30 AM VH1: NWA: The World's Most Dangerous Group

2:00 AM FUSE: Loaded: Motley Crue

SUNDAY OCTOBER 5:

6:00 AM History: History's Lost & Found: Sun Studio Sound Board w/Sam Phillips

9:00 AM CBS News Sunday Morning: David Byrne

10:30 AM VH1C: This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

12:00 PM HDNet Concert Series: Keane - Live at the Aragon Ballroom Chicago

12:00 PM Sundance: Gimme Shelter

1:15 PM Encore Western: The Cowboy and the Senorita (1944) w/Roy Rogers, Dale Evans , The Sons of the Pioneers

3:00 PM RAVE HD: Later With Jools Holland: Roni Size , The Zutons , Razorlight , Mory Kanté , Robin Gibb , Jocelyn Brown

3:00 PM VH1C: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band

4:40 PM HDNet Concert Series: Robert Randolph and the Family Band

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

6:00 PM TVONE: James Brown: The Man, The Music & The Message

8:00 PM HDNet: CSNY / Deja Vu

9:00 PM RAVE HD: Beautiful Noise: Grace Potter

9:40 PM HDNet Concert Series: John Mellencamp Live at Walter Reed

11:00 PM PLD HD: Dave Chappelle's Block Party w/Mos Def , Erykah Badu , Jill Scott , Kanye West , The Fugees , Talib Kweli

12:00 AM VH1C: Krush Groove (1985)

Tosses his porkpie hat into the ring in a late bid for the highest office in the land.

By Blurt Staff

Silver Spring, MD: It's already being called this election's October Surprise, according to a slew of media outlets, including Fox News and The Village Voice: this week BLURT Managing Editor Fred Mills formally announced a run for the President Of The United States. He's running, naturally, as the BLURT Party candidate, whose official motto is "40 Acres and A Mule in Every Garage, Plus Some Pot For the Chickens."

Citing an "overwhelming disgust" in the political system following Joe Biden's "craven failure to ritually disembowel Sarah Palin and dress her like a moose" in front of the cameras during prime time during Thursday night's Vice Presidential debates as his chief motivating factor, Mills has already built up an impressive grassroots movement, as evidenced by this news clip.

"There's an old saying about politics and the American people: ‘We're all bozos on this bus',' Mills noted at a brief press conference held at the BLURT grand ballroom yesterday morning. Pulling his hair back into a ponytail and stroking his peach fuzz, Mills continued, "'Well, not any more - I'm hijacking the bus and kicking all the bozos off."

Mills hasn't picked a running mate yet, but his short list reportedly includes Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, funkmaster George Clinton and hockey mom Patti Smith.

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 NBC: Today: Alicia Keys

9:00 AM SYN: Live with Regis and Kelly: Alicia Keys

11:00 AM ETV: Saturday Night Live (E!): Lindsay Lohan / Coldplay

2:00 PM Biography: Brigitte Bardot

2:30 PM FUEL: The Daily Habit: Foals

3:00 PM Ovation: Elvis Costello & the Imposters: Club Date

4:00 PM Ovation: Peter Gabriel Live: Growing Up

8:00 PM RAVE HD: Soundstage: John Mayer

9:00 PM Gospel Music Channel: Bill Gaither: He Touched Me: The Gospel Music of Elvis Presley

9:00 PM MTV2: Sucker Free Presents: Honoring VH1's Hip-Hop Honors

10:00 PM VH1: 2008 Hip Hop Honors

11:35 PM CBS: The Late Show With David Letterman: The Pretenders

11:35 PM NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Katy Perry

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Solange

12:35 AM NBC: Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Jenny Lewis

12:37 AM CBS: The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: The Smothers Brothers

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

2:00 AM Palladia: Donavon Frankenreiter - The Abbey Road Sessions

Jamming for the Lord....

By Fred Mills

Word got out over the weekend that Carlos Santana is looking to quit music when he turns 67 and become a church minister. The legendary guitarist, currently 61, set the six-year plan into motion via an interview with Rolling Stone in which he likened his career arc to that of Little Richard's (although, it should be noted, the latter leads a dual career as both a minister and a rocker - the two disciplines aren't mutually exclusive).

Said Santana, "I'm going to stop playing when I'm 67 and work on what I really want to do, which is to be a minister, like Little Richard. I'm not sick of what I do, but I find that God gave me the gift of communication even without my guitar and with the ability to get people unstuck with certain sections of the Bible having to do with guilt, shame, judgment and fear."

"The thing I learned is, you have to go through the darkest night of the soul to get to the brightest light of the day, and that's what I did last year," added Santana, referring to how his Faith got him through tough times. He indicated that he'd like to start his church in Maui, Hawaii.

Santana's current Live Your Light tour wraps Oct. 12 in Concord, Calif.

Perhaps the first thing Santana could do once he gets off the road is to pray that Rob Thomas and Chad Kroeger both get hit by a bus so he won't be tempted to collaborate with those doofuses again and decimate whatever remaining credibility he has with his longtime fanbase.

Or maybe he could simply join the Church of John Coltrane and take things from there.

By Blurt Staff

This morning it was announced that the 2009 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival will take place Friday, April 17, Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19. That's to be followed a weekend later by Stagecoach: California's Country Music Festival, set for Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26. 

Both events will again take place at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, CA

Additional details about both shows' line-ups and ticket sales will be available in the coming months. For more information, visit www.coachella.com and www.Stagecoachfestival.com. 

No, that's not a picture of Slipnot, punk....

By Blurt Staff

Mushroomhead announces the DVD release of Volume 2, on October 28, 2008 on Filthy Hands/Megaforce Records. It's the follow-up to their 2005 DVD release Volume 1.  The new DVD features what's described as "2 ½ hours of pure mayhem" featuring exclusive never before seen content, live footage from the past three years on their "Savior Sorrow" tour, music videos including Headbanger's Ball 2007 Video Of The Year "1200," "Simple Survival," and the band's brand new video "Save Us."  Other extras include video commentary, behind the scenes footage and band antics. 

According to the band, "Volume 2 contains all the content that fans are hungry for, all the 'behind the scenes antics and drama' that shows the human side of Mushroomhead and what goes on when we are not on stage.  Everything about this home video is personal, we filmed and edited all of the content in it as well, over 2 1/2 hours of mayhem and comedy. If you own Volume 1 then Volume 2 will blow your fucking mind."

The band hits the road this week with The Autumn Offering, XFactor1 and Human Factors Lab and December dates with Brujeria.  Mushroomhead will also enter the studio this winter to record the follow-up album to their 2006 release Savior Sorrow.  The new CD is slated for release spring 2009!

 The background:

In the spring of 1993 seven musicians from Cleveland, OH came together to form a side project called Mushroomhead.  The intentions of this project were to create an eclectic blend of music, forceful yet melodic alterna-metal incorporating elements of heavy rock, punk,  goth, and industrial, yet combined with a vaudevillian stage show.  From the band's first concert it was obvious that this was far more than a side project, but would soon become a pioneering band.  Known for its theatrical live show and the black masks that most of its members wear on-stage, Mushroomhead is one of the more unique and adventurous alternative metal outfits to ever emerged on the scene.

The tour dates: 

w/ The Autumn Offering, XFactor1 and Human Factors Lab:

10/07 - Allentown, PA - Crocodile Rock Cafe
10/08 - Williamsville, NY - Club Infinity
10/09 - Hartford, CT - Webster
10/10 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
10/11 - Worcester, MA - Palladium Rock'n'Shock
10/12 - Orono, ME - Ultra Lounge
10/14 - Huntington, WV - Monkey Bar

10/15 - Springfield, VA - Jaxx

10/16 - Raleigh, NC - Volume 11 Tavern
10/17 - Jacksonville, NC - Hooligans
10/18 - Fayetteville, NC - Jester's Pub
10/19 - Charlotte, NC - Tremont Music Hall
10/23 - Palatine, IL - Durty Nellies
10/24 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave
10/25 - Maplewood, MN - The Rock
10/26 - Madison, WI - The Annex
10/29 - Traverse City, MI - Streeters

10/30 - Grand Rapids, MI - Intersection
10/31 - Cleveland, OH. - The Agora {famous Halloween show!!!}
11/01 - Flint, MI - The Machine Shop

11/2 - Pittsburgh, PA  - The Saddle Ridge

w/ Brujeria:

Saturday Nov.29 Los Angeles CA  - House Of Blues

Monday Dec 1 Tucson Arizona  - The Rock

Tuesday Dec 2 Sunshine Theater  - Alburquerque, NM

Wednesday Dec 3 El Paso T.X - Club 101

Thursday Dec 4 Mcallen TX   - Cene El Rey

Friday Dec 5 Victoria T.X  -  Riverside Multiplex

Saturday Dec 6  Austin T.X   - Red 7

Sunday Dec 7 Fort Worth T.X  - Ridglea Theater

Fresh off the political trail and onto the concert trail.

By Blurt Staff

Hip-hop upstarts Flobots have announced a fall tour that comes on the heels of their high-profile performances at the 2008 DNC (w/Rage Against the Machine, no less). Here's the scoop in case you're not in the loop.

***

A roaring 6 piece collective from Denver, CO, the effusive group blends searing songs of social justice with a playful disdain for anything status quo, flipping symphonic bursts over bass-rattled cadences one minute, and layering Seuss-like verses across a crackling rhythm section the next.  And they're packing a viola.

 
Righteous rhymes seem to magically ignite from the tongues of hyperkinetic Emcees Brer Rabbit and Jonny 5, reminding one of both an unclenched Eminem and reborn Red Hot Chili Peppers, among other breakthrough artists who came correct by laying down their own trailblazing iconography.  A 360 model (before the term was ever hatched) of self-sustaining, mind bending autonomy, the group rallies their audience by practicing the progressive value system they flaunt in song and story, mining a catch-all website (‘Denver: where the water boils faster' -crows one alert) that even plugs fans into the Flobots own nonprofit destination, flobots.org.  
 

Formed as a cohesive alternative organism in 2005, the Flobots ‘good-fight' mythology can be traced via  Denver's underground vines and creative community of the late ‘90s when various members enlivened each others' gigs and creative events, setting the charge that would eventually power up the band's contagious and rollicking rock/rap pedigree.

 Their rousing live show, seasoned by classically trained viola player Mackenzie Robert's innovative playing, sparked an impressive undertow of across-the-board support (including both coasts and off-the-grid territories such as Nebraska and Utah) as the group honed its glowing activist edge with a refreshingly positive message and bristling musicianship.  

 
FLOBOTS FALL 2008 TOUR - (All Dates with Matisyahu unless otherwise noted)

10/18/08    Milwaukee WI The Eagles Club    
10/19/08    Chicago IL Riviera Theatre  
10/21/08    Covington KY Madison Theatre   
10/22/08    Indianapolis IN Egyptian Room     
10/23/08    Detroit MI The Fillmore Detroit  
10/26/08    Johnson City NY Magic City Music Hall  
10/28/08    Providence RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel    
10/29/08    Boston MA Orpheum Theatre  
10/30/08    Philadelphia PA Electric Factory Ballroom  
11/01/08    Baltimore MD Ram's Head Live  
11/02/08    Montclair NJ Wellmont Theatre  
11/03/08    New York NY Webster Hall *w/ Blue Scholars*  
11/04/08    Washington DC 9:30 Club *w/ Blue Scholars*
11/06/08    New Haven CT Toad's Palace *w/ Blue Scholars*    
11/12/08    Nashville TN Rocketown *w/ Blue Scholars*     
11/17/08    San Diego CA House of Blues     
11/18/08    Los Angeles CA Club Nokia LA  
11/20/08    Anaheim CA The Grove of Anaheim
11/22/08    Las Vegas NV House of Blues  
11/23/08    San Francisco CA The Warfield

Carving out a pretty solid career as a stylist this year...

By Fred Mills

Matador has announced that Cat Power follows up her Jukebox collection of cover versions with... a collection of cover versions! Dark End of the Street EP collects tracks cut during the album sessions and includes choice tunes associated with Sandy Denny, Creedence Clearwater, Otis and Aretha. Six songs in all, four of them unreleased.

It arrives Dec. 9 both in digital format and as a 2 x 10" vinyl EP.

1 Auld Triangle (The Pogues) *
2 Dark End of the Street (James Carr) *
3 Who Knows Where the Time Goes (Sandy Denny/Fairport Convention) *
4 Fortune Son (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
5 I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now) (Otis Redding)
6 It Ain't Fair (Aretha Franklin) *

* previously unreleased

Serving up a hot platter courtesy Fat Possum.

By Blurt Staff

A year ago this month, Heartless Bastards front-chick Erica Wennerstrom left the creature comforts of her hometown of Cincinnati, OH behind and moved to Austin, TX to work with producer Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Trail of Dead, Patty Griffin, Dead Confederate) on The Mountain, the Cincy power-rock trio's third studio release and first since the departure of bassist Mike Lamping and drummer Kevin Vaughn. The Mountain drops on January 29, 2009 on Fat Possum Records.

The 11 tracks on The Mountain mark the return of Jesse Ebaugh on bass, who played on the original Heartless Bastards demo that Wennerstrom sent to Fat Possum to secure her record deal. Joining Ebaugh in the new rhythm section is fellow Ohio brethren Dave Colvin on drums. The lineup this fall will also include Bill Elm on lap steel, and occasionally Zy O.Lyn on violin.

Upcoming October tour dates pair the Bastards with Langhorne Slim and Dead Confederate. In November, they hit the road with The Broken West.

10/7/08 -  Iron Horse Music Hall - Northampton, Massachusetts

10/8/08 -  T.T. the Bear's - Cambridge, Massachusetts

10/9/08 -  Capitol Theater - York, Pennsylvania

10/10/08 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, New York

10/11/08 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, New York

10/13/08 - Black Cat - Washington, Washington DC

10/14/08 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, North Carolina

10/15/08 - The 5 Spot - Atlanta, Georgia

10/16/08 - Exit / In - Nashville, Tennessee

10/17/08 - Proud Larry's - Oxford, Mississippi

10/18/08 - D.B.A. New Orleans - New Orleans, Louisiana

11/3/08 -   Santa Fe Brewing Co - Santa Fe, New Mexico

11/4/08 -   Rhythm Room - Phoenix, Arizona

11/5/08 -   Beauty Bar - San Diego, California

11/7/08 -   Spaceland - Los Angeles, California

11/8/08 -   The Independent - San Francisco, California

11/10/08 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, Oregon

11/11/08 - The Tractor - Seattle, Washington

11/14/08 - 400 Bar - Minneapolis, Minnesota

11/15/08 - High Noon Saloon - Madison, Wisconsin

11/16/08 - The Picador - Iowa City, Iowa

11/18/08 - Waiting Room - Omaha, Nebraska

11/19/08 - The Bottleneck - Lawrence, Kansas

11/21/08 - Venue TBD, Dallas, Texas

11/22/08 -  Stubb's, Austin, Texas

[Photo Credit (taken at ACL last month): Andy Tennille]

Punk legends to whip up sentiment in hometown fundraiser.

By David Downs

Master art punk provocateurs Devo announced this week that they will hold a fundraiser for Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama October 17, at 8 p.m. at the Akron Civic Theater with tickets for a lucky 3,000 people starting at $25 and going up to $125.

Founding member and bassist Gerald "Jerry" Casale, vocalist Mark Mothersbaugh and guitarist Bob Casale join current line-up Bob Mothersbaugh ("Bob 1") and Neil Taylor on percussion next Friday. The usual high-energy Devo show features little crowd interaction, but Mark says this show is more about the the voters than the band. It's also the first show they've played in their hometown Civic Theater in anyone's memory.

"We always knew Ohio was a special place. We refer to our hometown as the house of pain because people seem so unbelievably conflicted in Ohio," says Mark, speaking to BLURT. "It's not farmland, it's not hick, but it's not the big city. People kind of know just enough about everything to get all anxiety ridden and conflicted."

The 35-year-old band dedicated to the notion that humans were devolving not evolving has always been political, says Mothersbaugh. It was founded during the aftermath of the 1970 Kent State shootings. National Guardsmen shot and killed four students, wounding nine. Casale -- a member of the Students for Democratic Society, (later The Weathermen of Bill Ayers fame) -- said he was friends with two of those shot dead. His pacifism and illusions died that day and with Kent State closed, he and fellow art buddy Mark Mothersbaugh spent the summer forming Devo in response.

Furthermore, Mark states their 1980 hit "Whip Hit" was directed at President Jimmy Carter; a candidate Devo endorsed but who proved embattled by an international oil crisis and seething hostage situation in Iran. Needless to say, Carter did not whip it into shape, and eights years of Reagan soon followed.

The 2008 Obama fundraiser grew from the need to do something during yet another pivotal period in American history, says Jerry Casale. Fresh off touring and working on new material-- Devo is firing again on several, if not all cylinders. Jerry says the incumbents have "systematically undermined the very tenants of democracy, and it's almost eroded to the point where it looks like it'll be difficult to restore it. If anyone can do that, it's Barack Obama, not John McCain and Sarah Palin."

Ohio has emerged as THE biblical battleground state, Devo says, noted for its role in unleashing a torrential rain of blood and terror across the globe -- an eight-year plague of idealogical locusts that may finally lift from this poor, weakened land. Mark admits that Devo's gig might be some penance for moving away from the their hometown, taking yet another sane vote in races tight enough for it to matter.

"Ohio is the key and Ohio keeps voting wrong," says Jerry.

"Being out there in California, we didn't realize the Republicans had done such a successful job of bamboozling our country and our home state," says Mothersbaugh, who resides in L.A. where he runs Mutato Productions. "Maybe it is a minor form of atonement."

Mothersbaugh's die-hard Republican father is an exemplary member of that Akron community, and the family hopes to sway him and others Friday. He is aging, event organizers say, and susceptible to being bribed with a long-sought opportunity to introduce his son's historic, singular band.

Tickets are on sale at the box office and at Ticketmaster.

[Photo Credit: Andrew Boyle]

Net worthless heiress somehow fit to sing alongside Joan Jett, Daniel Ash, David J.

By Randy Harward

Repo! The Genetic Opera looks like a cool film. Watch the trailer closely, however, and you’ll see someone who looks familiar despite her—and the makeup department’s—best efforts to act and conceal, respectively. Among shots of substantially more talented artists like Joan Jett, Bauhaus and Love and Rockets principals David J and Daniel Ash, Skinny Puppy’s Nivek Ogre, Rasputina’s Melora Creager, Sarah Brightman, Jane’s Addiction’s Stephen Perkins and Filter’s Richard Patrick is famous-for-nothing, hot-as-herpes Paris Hilton. And get this: she’s one of the vocal leads.

According to the film’s Wikipedia entry, filmmaker Darren Bousman was initially cool to the idea of auditioning what David Cross so accurately called a “rich, giggling cunt,” he gave in and upon seeing her do her thing—oh, here it comes—said she “rocked” the soundbooth audition. Really? Or did she just pull a Sharon Stone with a nitrous oxide/pepper spray surprise to cloud his judgment? KOFF! CHOKE!

More likely is the filmmakers decided their film—which also stars Paul Sorvino, Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Alexa Vega (Spy Kids), and B-horror luminary Bill Moseley (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Pt. 2, every Rob Zombie movie)—needed a little more star power, even if it was of the cheap and easy variety. And that’s a shame, because it really does look like a good movie.

The film--from the producers of the Saw franchise--is set in the future, where organ failure is now an epidemic and replacement parts are sold like new automobiles. Also just like with car loans, when you default on the payments, the repo man comes knockin’. And guess how he reclaims the property? Yup—he comes like a thief in the night, and… you know.

The music, which you can sample here, is also pretty good. The songs are darkly funny in a Spring Awakening kinda way and the film’s Sin City-in-color graphic novel look is slick. So it could be fucking cool. Except for She Who’d Pollute the Film With Her Venereal Presence.

Oh, well. We can always hope that the Saw people are just planning a particularly nasty end for her.

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

WWJD?

By Blurt Staff

The five-week, cross-country Experience Hendrix tour of music greats paying homage to the music and legacy of Jimi Hendrix  kicks off in New Hampshire on October 14. Just announced as being added to the tour at selected shows: Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Aerosmith's Brad Whitford, Robby Krieger of the Doors, Cesar Rosas and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, blues scion Bernard Allison, Texas blues rocker and Eric Clapton sidekick Doyle Bramhall II and Kid Rock guitarist  Kenny Olson.  

 
Previously announced were Buddy Guy, Eric Johnson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Hubert Sumlin, Jonny Lang, Mato Nanji of Indigenous, Double Trouble's Chris Layton, along with Billy Cox (Jimi Hendrix Experience/Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsys) and Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix Experience). Cox recently commented to Rolling Stone, "Nothing can compare to playing with the original master. But this tour is helping to validate the musical genius that I knew, by bringing Jimi Hendrix into the new millennium."

Presented by Experience Hendrix, LLC, the Hendrix family-owned company founded by James A. "Al" Hendrix, Jimi's father, entrusted with preserving and protecting the legacy of Jimi Hendrix together with musical instrument giant Gibson Guitar, this year's Experience Hendrix Tour represents a dramatic expansion beyond last year's seven sold out performances.

Various combinations of these music greats will be performing music associated with Jimi Hendrix on level or another including Hendrix's own compositions including "Purple Haze," "The Wind Cries Mary," "Little Wing," "Red House") as well as other songs that Hendrix performed or recorded as well as roots material that had a demonstrative influence on Hendrix's own musical development. Notes Experience Hendrix Tour producer John McDermott, "The line-up for this tour reflects the breadth of Jimi's ongoing influence that reaches down through the generations. The guests that have been attracted to participate are, to a man, enthusiastic about the proposition of performing with their counterparts. That mindset underscores the fact that the Experience Hendrix tour is all about musical camaraderie and the recognition that Jimi Hendrix, undeniably, casts the longest shadow in the realm of great music and great musicians."

Experience Hendrix Tour dates:

Oct. 14 - Hampton Beach, NH - Hampton Beach Casino
        16 - Albany, NY - Palace Theater
        17 - Providence, RI - PPAC
        18 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theater
        19 - Waterbury, CT - Palace Theater
         21 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
         22 - New York, NY - United Palace Theatre
         23 - Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theater
         24 - Detroit, MI - Fox Theater
         26 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theater
         27 - Louisville, KY - Whitney Hall KY PAC
         29 - Omaha, NE - Orpheum Theatre
         30 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theater
Nov.     1 - Las Vegas, NV - The Pearl
            2 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theater
            3 - San Francisco, CA - Nob Hill Masonic
            5 - Spokane, WA - INB Performing Arts Center
            6 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theater
            7 - Portland, OR - Schnitzer Hall

 
For more information, visit www.experiencehendrixtour.com

Rock the goddam vote, folks.

By Blurt Staff

It's one of the best political videos of the year - nonpartisan, at that. Check it out, and if you know anyone who hasn't registered to vote, send ‘em the link and tell ‘em to get off their ass, pronto.

Leonardo DiCaprio, will i. am, Tobey Maguire, and Forest Whitaker have created public service announcements to encourage American youth to register to vote. The non-partisan PSAs, produced by DiCaprio's Appian Way, were created to engage and inspire young people to register and vote and participate in the upcoming election. Celebrities appearing in the PSAs include: Amy Adams, will.i.am, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Bacon, Halle Berry, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Connolly, Courteney Cox, Ellen DeGeneres, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Jonah Hill, Dustin Hoffman, Anthony Kiedis, Ashton Kutcher, Adam Levine, Laura Linney, Eva Longoria, Tobey Maguire, Demi Moore, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi, Ethan Suplee, Kyra Sedgwick, Michelle Trachtenberg, Usher, and Forest Whitaker.

Will it be insane or just inane?

By Brian Creech

There's been a bit of internet buzz in recent days about a possible collaboration between Mike Patton, TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe, and Subtle's Adam "Doseone" Drucker.  When they come together, these masters of the human voice box (and to some the universe) form what Pitchfork has called "one of those Yngwie Malmsteen/Steve Vai/Joe Satriani[esque] superjams, minus the old man smell." 

No willing to speculate on Mike Patton's smell, Adebimpe mentioned the collaboration in an interview with The Onion's AV club.  Details are still fuzzy, but Adebimpe has said the three are "working on a project that I'm thinking will congeal toward the end of the year. It came from an idea that Adam had, to have the three of us just, basically, mess around vocally and see what comes of it."

This could be a scary and destructive prospect, given the range each man is capable of and their overwhelming, ear-shattering tendencies.  Have you heard Mike Patton's scream from "I am Legend"?  He alone is capable of making sounds that cross into the realms of inhumanity.  The expectations are high, and we'll be sure to report any mind-blowing that may occur. 

While we all sit around and fantasize about the limitless possibilities of this project, TVOTR have an album out, Dear Science, and kick off their tour October 10th.  Mike Patton is getting bands together for the Nightmare before Christmas ATP, which he will co-curate with the Melvins, and Subtle go on tour in November.   

TVOTR Tour Dates

10-10 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory

10-11 Providence, RI - Lupo's

10-13 Boston, MA - Wilbur Theatre

10-14 Brooklyn, NY - Masonic Temple

10-15 Brooklyn, NY - Masonic Temple

10-16 Brooklyn, NY - Masonic Temple

10-18 Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's

10-19 Indianapolis, IN - Vogue Theater

10-20 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave.

10-21 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave.

10-22 Chicago, IL - Riviera

10-24 New Orleans, LA - Voodoo Festival

10-25 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle

10-26 Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre

10-28 Dallas, TX - Lakewood Theatre

10-29 Beaumont, TX - House of Blues

10-30 Austin, TX - Stubb's

10-31 Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom

11-02 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre

11-06 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern

11-08 San Diego, CA - 4th and B (KBZT birthday show)

11-09 San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre

11-15 Dublin, Ireland - Tripod (Heineken Green Synergy Festival)

11-16 Glasgow, Scotland - ABC 1

11-17 Manchester, England - Academy 2

11-18 Birmingham, England - Academy 2

11-19 London, England - Shepherds Bush Empire

11-21 Cologne, Germany - Kulturkirche

11-22 Leuven, Belgium - Depot

11-24 Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle

11-23 Berlin, Germany - SO36

11-26 Vienna, Austra - Arena

11-28 Milan, Italy - Magazzini Generale

11-29 Munich, Germany - OP3 Radio

11-30 Zurich, Switzerland - Aktionshalle

12-01 Paris, France - Balaclan

12-03 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg

12-05 Tourcoing, France - Le Grand Mix

12-06 Rotterdam, Netherlands - Bazar Curieux

01-16 Auckland, New Zealand - Big Day Out

01-18 Gold Coast, Australia - Big Day Out

01-23 Sydney, Australia - Big Day Out

01-26 Melbourne, Australia - Big Day Out

01-30 Adelaide, Australia - Big Day Out

02-02 Perth, Australia - Big Day Out

Subtle Tour Dates:

11-07 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge

11-08 Seattle, WA - Nectar

11-10 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge

11-11 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge

11-13 Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon

11-14 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle

11-15 Toronto, Ontario - The Kathedral

11-16 Montreal, Quebec - Le Divan Orange

11-17 Boston, MA - The Middle East (Upstairs)

11-18 New York, NY - Knitting Factory

The Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band in the World celebrates two decades of status and volume Nov. 29 in Seattle.

By Randy Harward

There’s just a teensy bit of irony in the Supersuckers’ claim that they’re the “Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band in the World.” That’s ‘cause, they kinda are that good. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of being in the crowd when they throw down, you know they do their damnedest to back up their bravado, treating even a little tiki dive into an arena with a larger than life presence and sound. That they’ve weathered two decades of music business bullshit and still put out consistently good albums—like the new joint, Get It Together (Mid-Fi)—and shows just deserves a party. Hence, on November 29, the band will celebrate themselves at Seattle’s famed Showbox.

Fellow Seattle rockers Mudhoney were initially scheduled to open, but have pulled out, with seminal grunge titans Green River—who recently reunited to celebrate Sub Pop’s anniversary—stepping into the slot.

“Is it a good thing that Mudhoney bailed out of our anniversary party?” asks ‘Suckers frontguy Eddie Spaghetti in a press release. “Some, myself included, say no… We were really looking forward to rocking with our old friends once again and it was a real disappointment to have them cancel. While others, myself included, think yeah, it worked out kind of for the better, especially for Supersuckers fans who now will get to see a bigger, longer set by the Supersuckers and the special treat of seeing a rare performance by local Seattle legends, Green River which features members of Mudhoney and Pearl Jam! …I'm just glad we got someone so special to fill in for the cancelled Mudhoney. And we hope that you will be too.”

Spaghetti promises “a few more surprises,” which—since this is, after all, the Supersuckers, could be something special. One thing that’s not so surprising, however, is that the band will auction “special items from the archives”—including some “one-of-a-kind” items. That’s something those eBay whores do all the time. Proceeds from this sale will benefit the Free the West Memphis Three Defense Fund.

The band also reports that pre-orders for Get It Together are “rapidly approaching the 1,000 mark.” Naturally, the Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band in the World is aiming higher. “That's great and all,” says Spaghetti in full sales mode, “[but] our goal is 5,000 and it couldn't be any easier to help us make this dream a reality. All you have to do is click here… and—wham!—you're instantly entered to win a signed Supersuckers Gibson Les Paul Gold Top. This isn't one of those cheapo Epiphone knock-offs, this is the real-deal-Holyfield and is just another thing that makes us the Greatest.

“So really people, get to pre-ordering this bad boy of ours—it won't disappoint. And just think of how awesome it would be to see the Supersuckers in the Billboard charts, even if it's only for a moment. Ah... I can see it now. The looks on our parents faces when we show them we did it. The congratulatory bottle of champagne... The rented limo... The red carpet going to...? Ah, who am I kidding. We don't really care about all those things. We just wanna make a small dent in the charts, that's all. It would be a nice little feather in our Mid-Fi caps. So why not help a brother out?”

“Hittin' The Gravel” Tour Dates”

10/06 Detroit, MI  Corktown Tavern* Info - 313-964-5103

10/07 Detroit, MI Corktown Tavern* Info - 313-964-5103

10/08 Detroit, MI Corktown Tavern* Info - 313-964-5103

10/10 St. Louis, MO Deluxe ALL AGES SHOW!

10/11 Kansas City, MO Record Bar 

10/12 Russell, KS Waudbys Bar 7pm Showtime

10/13 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater Ages: 16 & Over

10/15 San Diego, CA Casbah (619) 232-4355

10/16 Anaheim, CA House of Blues Anaheim "The Head Cat" - Buy Tickets

10/17 West Hollywood, CA  Roxy 

10/18 Pioneertown, CA Way Out West Festival at Pappy & Harriet’s

10/19 Las Vegas, NV Beauty Bar 

20th Anniversary Show w/ Zeke 

11/29 Seattle, WA Showbox Theater* Buy Tickets

* - Only 100 tix available at the bar and Rocket Printing in Royal Oak.

By Blurt Staff

We can't help ourselves; we just love Austin, Texas. That's why we go to SXSW each year, and that's why we chose to hold our official launch party - featuring Band of Horses and James McMurtry - there to coincide with the annual Austin City Limits festival last month.

If you didn't read our wrapup last week about the party and ACL, go HERE ("Blurt Blitzes Austin") and see what Andy Tennille and Allie Goolrick had to say about it. Meanwhile, below is a selection of ace shutterbug Tennille's photos that he snapped at the concerts.

To see his entire gallery, go HERE.

James McMurtry

Band Of Horses

Fleet Foxes

Alejandro Escovedo

David Rawlings and Gillian Welch

Gnarls Barkley

Jenny Lewis

Sharong Jones

Back Door Slam

David Byrne

Plexifilm and Warhol Museum releasing 13 Most Beautiful… Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests w/ Dean & Britta soundtrack.

By Blurt Staff

Plexifilm and The Andy Warhol Museum will release 13 Most Beautiful... Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests, a collection of featuring 13 of Warhol's “classic silent film portraits” of pop culture figures shot between 1964 and 1966 at Warhol’s Factory in NYC. Among the subjects including Nico, Lou Reed, Edie Sedgwick, Mary Woronov, Billy Name, Dennis Hopper and more. Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips have created new soundtracks for the films, comprised of original music and cover songs. (The trailer is embedded at the end of this post.)

The studio will release two versions of 13 Most Beautiful: a limited-edition of 1,300 in a deluxe gatefold LP-style package with an exclusive poster and booklet. In addition, one frame from each of the 13 Screen Tests will be hand-printed as an archival gelatin-silver photograph in an edition of 100, with one print in each limited-edition package. Plexifilm is taking pre-orders for the limited edition ($250 a pop) at www.plexifilm.com in advance of the January 17 street date. The retail edition ($34.99) is due February 17 and is presented in a hardcover book with slipcover.

Bonus features on both editions include a behind-the-scenes documentary and a video interview with Dean & Britta about Warhol, the music, and the project. The booklet features brief biographies of each Screen Test subject as well as liner notes from the Warhol Museum's Thomas Sokolowski, Geralyn Huxley, and Ben Harrison. Wareham supplies notes on the music.

More details from the press release:

Between 1964 and 1966, Andy Warhol shot nearly 500 Screen Tests, beautiful and revealing portraits of hundreds of different individuals, from the famous to the anonymous, all visitors to his studio, the Factory. Subjects were captured in stark relief by a strong keylight, and filmed by Warhol with his stationary 16mm Bolex camera on silent, black and white, 100-foot rolls of film. The resulting two-and-a-half-minute film reels were then screened in slow motion, resulting in a fascinating collection of four-minute masterpieces that startle and entrance, mesmerizing in the purest sense of the word.

The 13 Screen Tests included are Paul America, Susan Bottomly, Ann Buchanan, Freddy Herko, Jane Holzer (Toothbrush), Dennis Hopper, Billy Name, Nico, Richard Rheem, Lou Reed (Coke), Edie Sedgwick, Ingrid Superstar and Mary Woronov.

Songwriters Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, formerly of the band Luna and currently recording as Dean & Britta, created new soundtracks for the 13 films, incorporating original compositions as well as cover songs. The musical sensibilities of Dean & Britta, as well as their keen interest in cinema and their experience with scoring films, including Noah Baumbach's acclaimed feature The Squid & the Whale, make them a perfect match for this project.

13 Most Beautiful…Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests with Dean & Britta is also being presented by The Andy Warhol Museum as a series of live multi-media performances. The original project was jointly commissioned by The Andy Warhol Museum and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust for the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts 2008 and will have its world premiere at The Byham Theater in Pittsburgh on Friday, October 24th. It will travel to contemporary arts centers, museums and festivals throughout the U.S. including the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio on November 20, 2008; Lincoln Center (American Song Book Series), New York, NY on January 17, 2009; Vancouver, PuSH Festival, January 30, 2009; Seattle Art Museum on February 6, 2009; Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN on February 28, 2009; MCA Chicago on March 7, 2009; and Mass MoCA, North Adams, MA on March 28, 2009. Additional US dates and European performances will be announced soon.

DVD COVER:

13 MOST BEAUTIFUL… TRAILER:

Boston band’s first two LPs for Homestead—never before on CD—due in January.

By Randy Harward

Merge Records has announced they’ll reissue the first two albums by Boston’s Volcano Suns—the first time either will be available on CD. Each will feature “loads of bonus tracks including radio sessions and other rarities.”

Volcano Suns was founded by Mission of Burma drummer Peter Prescott in 1983. Their first platter, The Bright Orange Years, was released two years later, with All Night Lotus Party coming in 1986. Both were issued on Homestead Records. From the press release:

“The Bright Orange Years is so chockful of catchy songs that it could be any other band's greatest hits album. The opening track, “Jak,” is an addictive head-nodder from its opening bass line to its chiming chords and lyrics. By contrast, All Night Lotus Party is a heavier and darker record, with more distorted guitars and bass-heavy production.”

Look for them on January 27, 2009.

New Albini-produced album due in mid-2009.

By Randy Harward

Since moving to the UK, Jason Molina has toured solo, and written like crazy for the next Magnolia Electric Co. record. Great news for fans, eh? Even better: he’s trotting out the band for a 13-date U.S. tour starting October 21. They’re hitting Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois through November 3, all in preparation for the new platter. They’ll be working out the kinks on new stuff and of course playing the classics—including, it’s rumored, some old Songs: Ohia material. After the Nov. 3 date, they’ll hole up with Steve Albini and start laying tracks for the new records, which should be out by mid-’09.

In the meantime, here’s a taste of MEC’s delicious Sojourner box set: “Texas 71”

TOUR DATES:

10/21/08 Bloomington, IN - Buskirk Chumley

10/22/08 Louisville, KY - Headliners

10/23/08 Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle

10/24/08 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club

10/25/08 Birmingham, AL - The Bottle Tree

10/26/08 Memphis, TN - Hi Tone

10/27/08 Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves

10/28/08 Houston, TX - Walter's on Washington

10/30/08 Austin, TX - Mohawk

10/31/08 Norman, OK - The Opolis

11/01/08 Lawrence, KS - Jackpot

11/02/08 St. Louis, MO - The Bluebird

11/03/08 Chicago, IL - Abbey Pub

(Photo: Dan Peterson)

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 CBS: The Early Show: Sarah McLachlan

8:00 AM RAVE HD: Soundstage: Steve Winwood

9:00 AM SYN: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Kanye West

10:00 AM RAVE HD: Other Voices: Ryan Adams , Cathy Davey , The Crimea , Foy Vance

1:30 PM FUSE: Loaded: Paramore

3:00 PM RAVE HD: The Dave Fanning Interview: KT Tunstall

7:00 PM RAVE HD: Oasis Live at Manchester City Stadium

7:00 PM ET: VH1C: BBC Electric Proms: Paul McCartney

9:00 PM Palladia HD: Palladia Concerts: Amy Winehouse: Live from London

9:00 PM Showtime: Prey for Rock & Roll (2003)

10:00 PM VH1 Classic in Concert: Rush - R30 Anniversary

11:30 PM PBS: Tavis Smiley: James Taylor

11:35 PM CBS: The Late Show With David Letterman: Buddy Guy

11:35 PM NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Marc Broussard

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Good Charlotte

12:30 AM VH1C: True Stories (1986) w/David Byrne ,

12:37 AM CBS: The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Natasha Bedingfield

1:35 AM NBC: Last Call with Carson Daly: Cloud Cult

3:00 AM BCA: The Graham Norton Show: Rufus Wainwright , Melanie C

Serving up some cold sweat with Jim Diamond, Matthew Smith and more.

By Fred Mills

2008 is shaping up to be the Year Of Rodriguez - the psychedelic soul maestro's 1970 cult classic album Cold Fact was reissued recently by Light In The Attic, prompting an avalanche of critical kudos (including an unprecedented 10-minute profile on NPR) and setting the stage for the Detroit musician's eventual return, with luck, to full-time performing and recording.

Now comes word that Rodriguez will be appearing on Detroit radio station WDET this Friday, Oct. 10, during the "Detroit Today" show. He'll be backed by a band of Motor City garage heavyweights including Jim Diamond (The Dirtbombs, The White Stripes), Matthew Smith (The Go), Bobby Emmett (The Sights) and Dave Shettler (The Sights).

You can tune in online around 11:25 a.m. EST at www.wdetfm.org .

Trust us, you don't want to miss this special event. And that's a stone cold fact. In addition to the above links, you can read an interesting story about Rodriguez HERE.

McCain-Palin campaign using “My Hero” without permission.

By Randy Harward

In an ever-desperate attempt to be hip, the McCain-Palin campaign has stopped ripping off classic rock artists like Van Halen and Heart—they’ve moved on to alternative rock, namely the Foo Fighters. In a press release today, the band blasted the McPalin campaign for using “My Hero” at campaign rallies—again without seeking permission.

Said the Foos: “It's frustrating and infuriating that someone who claims to speak for the American people would repeatedly show such little respect for creativity and intellectual property. The saddest thing about this is that ‘My Hero’ was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential. To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song. We hope that the McCain campaign will do the right thing and stop using our song—and start asking artists' permission in general!”

Fat chance. Once their clean-cut, doughy handlers realize there was music made after the 1990s, they’re gonna start perverting other songs. In fact, here are some BLURT predictions:

Death Cab for Cutie - “I Will Follow You Into the Dark”

The sweet song from DCFC will be twisted to show McPalin supporters’ devotion.

Andre Williams – “Can You Deal With It?”

The new soundtrack for the Straight Talk Express!

Jenny Lewis – “Acid Tongue”

A little ditty from Palin to her Officer/Gentleman. “I can fix that hole in you.”

Juan Maclean – “Find A Way”

Anything to be president! “I can see the light/I can feel the love!” How does a 52% to 41% Obama-over-McCain edge feel, Juanny McCain?

White Denim – “Paint Silver Gold”

Well, maybe if it was “Paint Turds Gold”...

The Spinto Band – “They All Laughed”

…when I said I was gonna run again.

Concrete Blonde singer plays shows, shows art, covers Midnight Oil, protests Joshua Tree dump and prepares second solo joint.

By Randy Harward

Usually artists give us one little tidbit to talk about: Concrete Blonde singer Johnette Napolitano has released a laundry list of new projects including shows (concerts and galleries), a new single, a political protest and new album news.

First, she’ll play three one-night only” shows this month in Hollywood (Oct. 14, Hotel Café), Tucson, AZ (Oct. 16, Hotel Congress) and San Francisco (Oct. 17, Café du Nord). Simultaneously, she’ll show her wood and tin sculptures in “Saints and Crosses” at the Art Queen gallery in her hometown of Joshua Tree. The show “explores the art and symbolism of the cross while also acknowledging the contributions of a few of the lesser-known Saints.” The gallery is at 61855 Highway 62 in Joshua Tree and will be open from 1-6 pm on weekends.

Speakin’ of Joshua Tree—she and her neighbor Dave Catching from Eagles of Death Metal have created a PSA regarding a proposed Joshua Tree garbage dump site. Check out the avant-Public Service Announcement here. Also, visit http:www.ccaej.org

Napolitano—along with UK artist Will Crewdson—has also recorded a cover of Midnight Oil’s “Beds are Burning,” which you can hear here (or purchase on CDBaby.com). The two have been collaborating online (Crewdson sent Napolitano material that wound up on her debut solo LP Scarred) and both shared an affinity for the Oils politically charged song. Crewsdon will appear with Napolitano at the one-off shows.

“I always thought that Oils song was genius: a great dance track, great bass line, and a political message [about] Native Rights, something I believe in strongly,” says Napolitano. “I'd been inspired from recording John Trudell out at my cabin, and am always trying to fuse the right balance of thought, subject, emotion and badass groove into whatever I put out... Will and I talked about it, and he sent me this track and I flipped, it was so great. I love what he did to the choruses, they're very female; sad and pleading where the Oils' is more demanding and macho... Will's sounds are more industrial, more Modern War.”

Finally, Napolitano is hard at working crafting a follow-up to Scarred, to be released next year, along with a lyric and art book based on the albums. She’s also creating the third disc in her Sketchbook series—Sketchbook III will be available on CDBaby.com in December.

(Photo: Crewdson by Michael Gamon, Napolitano by Doc @ Barfly)

Jim James fell offstage last night in Iowa City.

By Randy Harward

My Morning Jacket has issued a statement saying they’ll postpone some shows due to an injury singer-guitarist Jim James sustained when he fell from the stage during a show in Iowa City. Here’s a statement from the band:

As some of you may have heard we had to cancel our show last evening in Iowa City. We were finishing up the last few bars of  “Off The Record,” and just like any other night we were all having a great time. Jim went to get closer to the audience on his side of the stage, and as he moved forward to step onto the sub-woofer the lights darkened, and he inadvertently stepped off the stage. Upon falling, he suffered traumatic injuries to his torso, and was immediately taken to the hospital. Per the doctor's orders, Jim will be off the road and recovering from his injuries for the next two to three weeks. Sadly, we must postpone the two shows in Chicago on Thursday and Friday until further notice.

For those who attended the Iowa City show, we would like to extend our gratitude for your understanding and cooperation. We take our fans and performances very seriously, and would never cancel a show unless it was absolutely necessary. Please know that we will be making every effort to return to your fine city.

Thank you so much to our fans for the kind sentiments and well-wishes on Jim's behalf. We hope for Jim's quick recovery and to be back out on the road soon.

With Love,

My Morning Jacket

Clip from band’s latest album De Donde Eres talks about the “Russian Roulette” of corporate greed.

By Blurt Staff

The alienation—if not the rage—we ordinary folks feel when told how corporations and government are working to destroy, not bolster, the country, sounds the same in any language. Cordero’s latest single “Ruleta Rusa” (“Russian Roulette”) leans more toward the disaffection than rage as singer and songwriter Ani Cordero sings in Spanish about the damage this avarice does to “nuestro mundo.” This performance clip was shot in the woods, perhaps to illustrate how lost and helpless we feel as the Red Riding Hoods caught in the crossfire of Ruleta Rusa.

These and “many more” appear on duo’s debut.

By Blurt Staff

The debut release from N.A.S.A. (North America/South America)—Squeak E. Clean (producer/DJ Sam Spiegel, who has worked with Ben Lee and Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and DJ Zegon—will come out on Anti- on February 17, 2009. No ordinary debut, it’ll feature a gaggle of guest appearances from N.A.S.A.’s “”friends, friends of friends and musical heroes,” both living and dead.

From the press release: “While N.A.S.A. stands for North America/South America and contains a number of superstar artists from both coasts of the US, it is about as far from a tension-building geographical showdown as a record can get. Rather, The Spirit of Apollo was born with the righteous goal of bringing people together through music and art, and that is exactly what masterminds Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon have done.”

Among the artists contributing to the 18-track release will be Tom Waits, Kool Keith, Karen O and Nick Zinner, M.I.A., Ol’ Dirty Bastard, David Byrne, George Clinton, Santogold, Kanye West, Chali 2na, Method Man, and Chuck D. “In spite of the range of performers, the pairings seem organic, inspired and make perfect sense on the first listen, never coming off as ironic or impulsive.

“That passion and appreciation for music is the driving force behind The Spirit of Apollo.  Conceived in a crowded party in Sao Paulo and nurtured by a shared love of vintage Brazilian soul and funk records, N.A.S.A. was born when Spiegel and Gonzales got together in a studio and hit record. Five years later, after thousands of miles traveled, many favors called in, countless hours spent in recording studios, bartered, traded and out of pocket, N.A.S.A. landed at Anti- Records…”

N.A.S.A. will play live to support the release, and the show will include dancers, visual effects, art installations and special guests. More announcements are promised “as this album turns into a multi-media extravaganza with the help of more friends, this time from the art world.”

N.A.S.A. The Spirit of Apollo track list:

1. "Intro"

2. “The People Tree” (feat. David Byrne, Chali 2na, Gift of Gab, & Z-Trip)

3. “Money” (feat. David Byrne, Chuck D, Ras Congo, Seu Jorge, & Z-Trip)

4. “NASA Music” (feat. Method Man, E-40, & DJ Swamp)

5. “Way Down” (feat. RZA, Barbie Hatch, & John Frusciante)

6. “Hip Hop” (feat. KRS-One, Fatlip, & Slim Kid Tre)

7. "Four Rooms, Earth View"

8. “Strange Enough” (feat. Karen O, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, & Fatlip)

9. “Spacious Thoughts” (feat. Tom Waits & Kool Keith)

10.  “Gifted” (feat. Kanye West and others TBD)

11. “A Volta” (feat. Sizzla, Amanda Blank, & Lovefoxxx)

12. “There’s a Party” (feat. George Clinton & Chali 2na)

13. “Whachadoin?” (feat. Spank Rock, M.I.A., Santogold & Nick Zinner)

14. “O Pato” (feat. Kool Kojak & DJ Bãboa)

15. “Samba Soul” (feat. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien & DJ Qbert)

16. “The Mayor” (feat. The Cool Kids, Ghostface Killah, DJ AM & Scarface)

17. “N.A.S.A. Anthem”

ABOUT SQUEAK E. CLEAN:  Sam Spiegel is a composer, producer, DJ and remixer.   Sam has spun all over the World – from award shows and clubs to premieres and parties and fashion shows in Japan, Brazil, Morocco, Canada, Australia, England and all over the US. Spiegel frequently collaborates with his brother, filmmaker Spike Jonze.  Notably, he scored and compiled the soundtrack for the Jonze-directed cult classic “Yeah Right!” (the top-selling skateboard movie of all time), and the two worked together with Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on an Adidas commercial that won the Gold Lion for Best Music at the 2005 Cannes International Advertising Festival and Silver for Original Music at the 2006 Clio Awards. While Spiegel has produced and remixed tracks for Maroon 5, Iggy Pop, Kylie Minogue, the Eels, Ben Lee, the Cardigans and many more, 2006 marked the first Squeak E. Clean fully-produced album.  Show Your Bones, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs sophomore record, was named "Album of the Year" by the likes of Rolling Stone, NME, and Spin, and was nominated for a Grammy for best alternative album.

ABOUT DJ ZEGON: A professional skateboarder who has evolved into one of the most sought after, cutting-edge DJs in Latin America, Ze Gonzales has carved out his own musical niche that marries traditional Brazilian beats with underground hip hop, creating a sound and vibe that places Zegon in a class all his own. Recently, Ze spent two years in Los Angeles working with longtime friend - and fellow Brazilian -- Mario C, the producer and engineer behind such artists as Beastie Boys, Tone Loc, Young MC and Bjork.

Magazine due Nov. 25, Joke comes out Oct. 14

By Blurt Staff

Magazine, the late-1970s post-punk band led by Buzzcocks vocalist Howard Devoto, will get the Complete Peel Sessions treatment Nov. 25 via Virgin/Caroline. This will be the first time the band’s performances on the late John Peel’s venerated BBC Radio 1 show. The tracks were recorded during Magazine’s four “Peel Sessions” appearances between 1978 and 1980.

From the press release:  

While many of their British contemporaries forged ahead in punk and pop as the ‘70s waned, Magazine created a new hybrid sound that has distinguished the band from its peers. “I wasn’t that wild on punk rock,” commented Devoto. “There was a lot of negative energy, perhaps to its credit. I was uncomfortable, even disturbed, and somewhat scared by some of it.” At a time when many others in the UK’s music scene seemed to be trying to recreate The Clash or rewrite The Ramones songbook, Magazine covered songs by artists as diverse as John Barry, Sly Stone, and Captain Beefheart.  “I’m not stupid and I refuse to pretend to be,” declared Devoto to the NME.

Magazine’s Complete John Peel Sessions collection presents fascinating, live-in-the-studio versions of the band’s standout hits, as well as many tracks that were only released as singles. Peppered among the Magazine originals are highly individual covers, including Sly & The Family Stone’s “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” and Captain Beefheart’s “I Love You, You Big Dummy.”  Also of particular interest is Magazine’s version of “Boredom,” which Howard Devoto originally sang on the Buzzcocks’ debut, Spiral Scratch EP, when he was that group’s lead vocalist.

Magazine will reunite for three performances in February 2009 (two in London and one in the band’s hometown of Manchester). The lineup will include Howard Devoto, Dave Formula, Barry Adamson and drummer John Doyle. Magazine’s original guitarist John McGeoch passed away in 2004.

On October 14, Virgin/Caroline World Service will release Killing Joke: The Peel Sessions 1979-1981. The CD and digital collection includes 17 in-studio performances Killing Joke recorded for the BBC Radio program.

Magazine: The Complete John Peel Sessions (CD, digital album)

1. Touch and Go (2/14/78)

2. The Lights Pour Out Of Me (2/14/78)

3. Real Life (‘Definitive Gave’) (2/14/78)

4. My Mind Ain’t So Open (2/14/78)

5. Give Me Everything (7/24/78)

6. Burst (7/24/78)

7. I Love You, You Big Dummy (7/24/78)

8. Boredom (7/24/78)

9. TV Baby (5/8/79)

10. Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (5/8/79)

11. Permafrost (5/8/79)

12. A Song From Under The Floorboards (1/7/80)

13. Twenty Years Ago (1/7/80)

14. Look What Fear’s Done To My Body (AKA I Love You Because You’re Frightened) (1/7/80)

15. Model Worker (1/7/80)

Three Deerhoof clips added to the Blurt player.

By Blurt Staff

We know you Blurt readers loves you some Deerhoof, so check out the three new videos we’ve added to the player. We’ve programmed the new clip “Chandelier Searchlight,” plus “Fresh Born” and “The Tears and Music of Love” just for youse guys. (Okay--kinda for us, too.) Enjoy!

Singer-songwriter and Blurt blogger Todd Snider offers free EP download

By Randy Harward

Giving music away before the release date: That’s balls, folks. Todd Snider’s got some AC/DC-style big’uns, ‘cause he’s putting his new EP Peace Queer up for download on Oct. 11—three days before the CDs hit shelves—and keeping it up until Oct. 31. What’s even cooler is Snider doesn’t explain himself. The press release went out today with just the who-what-when-where-how, select quotes from rave reviews (Blender, The New Yorker), the release date and a line about how the EP is Top 5 at Americana radio. It’s just, ‘Here ya go.’ Since Peace Queer’s the undiluted good stuff, we’re extra grateful. Thanks, buddy.

Download Peace Queer 10/11-10/31: http://www.toddsnider.net

Peace Queer promo video:

“Mission Accomplished” lyrics: http://www.eighteenminutes.com/lyrics/mission_accomplished.html

Corny-ass teen drama on CW seeks hot-as-fire singer-songwriter to spice shit up.

By Randy Harward

Well, if you have a lame, two-dimensional teen drama on a second-rate TV network, you need some spice—maybe a little sugar. Grace Potter is both.

Unlike the plastic actresses on One Tree Hill, the saucy singer-songwriter—shown here in a fashion-backward evening gown by Betsy Ross—is known for her salty language and no-bullshit demeanor. That is, she has a personality that extends beyond, even eclipses, her pinup hotness. Ah, the elusive ((((third dimension))))!

Then there’s her music—call that the fourth dimension, which is her personality, brains and soul all wrapped up in one little bundle. Much better than the mainstreamy dreck OTH’s music supervisor usually licenses for the show. But no matter how cool Grace is, and how good the music she and the Nocturnals crank out, it’s not gonna change the fact that after she appears on the show—and even writes the score, it’s still gonna suck.

But we may tune in anyway, just to see Gracie work her magic. She’s playing two songs—an acoustic version of “Ah Mary” and the brand-new “I Want Something That I Want” with Bethany Joy Gaelotti, who plays Haley. Special, huh!

If you can’t bring yourself to watch the show, catch her live at one of those tour stops:

*** festival date

More dates to be announced.

Band makes election season song available free at EverclearOnline.com

By Blurt Staff

Republicans like to claim Jesus is their homeboy, but he and his teachings are true blue. Art Alexakis addresses the misconception and resultant hypocrisy with the free track “Jesus Was a Democrat,” available at www.everclearonline.com. Or listen below.

From the press release: “Everclear debuted the song at the 2008 GRAMMY®s Rock The Conventions show in Denver this August and it left the audience stunned, particularly with an opening salvo like ‘Jesus Christ didn’t have blue eyes or blond hair/He looked just like all those people that you want to kill’ About dropping this charge at the Democratic National Convention, singer, guitarist and songwriter Art Alexakis exclaims, ‘People looked shocked and excited at the lyrics in a good way.’ A little sonic ‘shock and awe’ never hurt anyone, especially before an election.”

“I've wanted to write this song for a long time,” says Alexakis.” “During the 1988 presidential campaign, the right wing made people believe that 'liberals' were anti-American, anti-God and anti-family values. However, if you read Jesus' words, he sounded like a liberal.

“I hope the song can start a dialogue in places where there wasn't one before. I--like a lot of people who consider themselves Christians--get angry and bewildered at the intolerance of so many people who call themselves ‘Christians.' They act and talk in ways that have nothing to do with the lessons of Christ. Look, sexism, racism, bigotry, and hate don't have any place in a Christian's life.

“I think it's imperative that we elect Barack Obama. His election will be a message to the whole world that in today's America anyone can achieve their dreams, regardless of race, gender or economic strata.”

Everclear - "Jesus Was a Democrat"

Full lyrics:

Jesus Christ didn’t have blue eyes or blond hair

He looked just like all those people that you want to kill

Spin your hell into a heaven you can sell

Make it look like California with a bible belt

Jesus didn’t look like the boy next door

Unless you live in Palestine

I wonder what you mean by the golden rule

I think it is a scary play on words

I wonder what they taught you back in Sunday school

I bet you think of him

As a nice clean long haired republican, nah

He would be all locked up in Guantanamo Bay

If he were alive today

He would have been a revolutionary wanted by the CIA

I picture him in all the wrong places finding diamonds in the dirt

A Star of David tattoo and a Che T-shirt

Jesus was a left wing radical Jew

Murdered by people like you

If Jesus was a democrat like the bible says he was

I don't think he's going to want to take the blame

For all the awful things you say and do in his name

If Jesus was alive today he would be sad to see

That it is no different than it used to be

He's going to call you out

I am pretty god damned sure

He is going to be angry

He is going to be angry

You want to know what I think?

I think Jesus would have been a card carrying liberal

If he was a young man born in the USA

He would not be "fiscally conservative"

And he wouldn't vote for John McCain

All those so called Christians that you see on TV

Maybe they scare Jesus like they scare me

Kick you the hell out of my temple too

Too many elephants in the room

If Jesus was a democrat like the bible says he was

I don't think he's going to want to take the blame

For all the awful things you people do and say in his name

If Jesus was alive today he would be sad to see

That it is no different than it used to be

Someday he's going to call you out

I am pretty god damned sure

He is going to be mad

He is going to be angry

He is going to be mad

He is going to be mad

You say Jesus loves the little children

And I say I know that's true

I say he loves all the Muslims and the Jews

All the addicts and the porn stars too

You say Jesus died to save us all from a fiery hell

I say Jesus died to save us

Save us from ourselves

Will you save me from myself?

If Jesus was a liberal

Like the red letters say he was

I know he would have big love

For all the killers and the racists

And the bullies in this world

If Jesus was alive today

And you had a chance to meet him face to face

I'm pretty god damn sure that you and your friends

Would find some way to kill him all over again

You would kill him all over again

Again and again and again

Just like you always do

You do just what you always do

Romweber acts in Lake City, Duo Plays CMJ, Tours. New album in February.

By Blurt Staff

Flat Duo Jets founder Dexter Romweber is acting in Lake City alongside Sissy Spacek, Keith Carradine, Rebecca Romjin, Troy Garity and Drea de Matteo. Romweber plays Frank, the guitarist in Keith Carradine’s band, which also includes Dave Matthews. We smell a supergroup!

From the press release: “In the film, Rebecca Romijn plays a small-town cop romantically involved with Troy Garity's character, who reunites with his estranged mother (Sissy Spacek) when deadly circumstances threaten their home. Directed by Perry Moore, known for his work on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the With and the Wardrobe, the film debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, 2008.”

“It was very different being in a movie, then playing music, but the waiting around to perform was the same,” says Romweber. “All the cast and crew were very helpful to me. Keith Carradine was a true gentleman and Sissy Spacek and Troy Garity (Jane Fonda's son) were very nice. As I've never acted before, Perry Moore the director was ever encouraging. Would I do it again? Yes, of course!” 

Romweber also gets props from Jack White in a new documentary called It Might Get Loud, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September. It “chronicles the artistic process and influences of guitar superstars Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White,” with the latter calling Romweber a “huge influence.” The soundtrack, released earlier this year, includes live and recorded tracks from Flat Duo Jets.

Romweber’s other celluloid credits are the 1987 cult classic Athens, GA-Inside/Out and Two-Headed Cow, a documentary about his career.

After wrapping Lake City, the Dex Romweber Duo signed with Bloodshot Records. The just-completed new album is produced by producer John Plymale (Meat Puppets, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Corrosion Of Conformity) and features Cat Power, Neko Case, Exene Cervenka and Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids. Look for it in February. The DRD will also play two shows at CMJ in NYC on Oct. 25: a Bloodshot Records Party (with Justin Townes Earle, Ben Weaver, Cordero and more) and an evening show with Los Straitjackets. The band will tour the East Coast through Nov. 22.

For more information, visit http://www.myspace.com/dexterromweberduo

Dexter Romweber Duo EPK:

TOUR DATES:

Thu       October 23        Washington, DC            The Red and the Black                          

Fri        October 24        Linfield, PA                    Railroad Street                          

Sat       October 25        Brooklyn, NY                 Union Pool - Bloodshot CMJ Showcase (day show)                                  

Sat       October 25        Brooklyn, NY                 Southpaw          (night show)                  

Sun      October 26        Boston, MA                   Abbey Lounge                           

Wed     October 29        Hoboken, NJ                  Maxwell's                                 

Thu       October 30        Richmond, VA               The Triple                                 

Fri        October 31        Winston-Salem, NC       The Garage                              

Thu       November 6       Athens, OH                  Casa Nueva                              

Fri        November 7       Baltimore, MD               Dangerously Delicious Pies                                

Sat       November 8       Milton, DE                     Dogfish Head                            

Sat       November 22     Norfolk, VA                    Tap House

Rage Against the Machine guitarist—a.k.a. The Nightwatchman—to play acoustic and electric sets on tour for The Fabled City. Appears on

By Randy Harward

Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello will be on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson tonight, performing "Whatever It Takes" with Flea on bass. He's also hittin' the road to support his solo album The Fabled City, which came out Sept. 30. The tour starts Nov. 1 in at The Fillmore in San Francisco through Dec. 12 at the Anaheim House of Blues. More dates will be announced.

The Fabled City is the first album to bear Morello’s birth name as opposed to his alias The Nightwatchman. It’s also the first to feature both the protest-folkie acoustic material he recorded as The Nightwatchman and the manic, bounding electric rock material for which he’s best known. System of a Down’s Serj Tankian and outlaw country scion Shooter Jennings make appearances on the record. On tour, Morello will play an acoustic set and full-band electric show. Boots Riley (The Coup) will open all the shows. Michael Franti will appear on the Philly date.

“I want to start off with the darker acoustic songs and then build to some of the wildest electric guitar playing I have ever unleashed on stage in my career,” says Morello. “The idea is half Dylan/half Hendrix. I have been practicing my ass off and can’t wait to rock.”

The Nov. 3 show in Seattle will be with Pearl Jam's Mike McCready's band Shadow '86 and Stone Gossard with the Hank Khoir to promote voter participation. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, Oct. 11.  

THE FABLED CITY TOUR * More dates to be announced:

11/1 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore

11/2 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom

11/3 Seattle, WA Showbox Theatre ** Get Out The Vote Show w/ Members of Pearl Jam

11/5 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom

11/7 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot

11/8 Aspen, CO Belly Up Aspen

11/9 Boulder, CO Fox Theater

11/11 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Caf�

11/12 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom

11/13 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue

11/15 Detroit, MI Majestic Theater

11/16 Toronto, ONT Opera House

11/17 Boston, MA Middle East

11/19 Baltimore, MD Sonar

11/20 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory

11/21 New York, NY The Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza

12/9 Los Angeles, CA El Rey

12/11 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up

12/12 Anaheim, CA House of Blues

http://www.Nightwatchmanmusic.com or http://myspace.com/thenightwatchman

Three-day tour to feature Tenacious D, Ben Harper, Santogold, Jack Johnson, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Sheryl Crow.

By Matthew Recchia

The Beastie Boys have announced a three-day US tour to help encourage people to vote in the upcoming election.

Although the band has supported Barack Obama throughout his campaign, they say this string of show's purpose is to make everyone aware of how important the upcoming election is and encourage everyone in the music community to show up and vote on November 4th. 

The Beastie Boys tour kicks off in Richmond, VA on October 28, where they will be joined by Sheryl Crow, Jack Johnson, and Santogold.

Tour Dates:

October 28 - Richmond VA - Joined by Sheryl Crow, Jack Johnson, and Santogold

November 1 - St. Paul, MN - Joined by Ben Harper and Tenacious D

November 2 - Milwaukee, WI - Joined by Ben Harper, Tenacious D, and David Crosby with Graham Nash.

With the clip for “Another World,” Antony relies on interpretive dance.

By Blurt Staff

Antony and the Johnsons first teased fans with an abstract 1:22 clip of “Another World,” the title track of their forthcoming EP, released October 7 on Secretly Canadian. That Colin Whitaker-lensed video was simply flowers in and out of focus—an appropriately spare visual to accompany Antony's longing, plaintive song. The actual video is all about interpretive dance around a painting. In a way, just as bare bones, only longer... and nonetheless apropos of something. That is, it's artsy-fartsy, makes you sleepy, but still communicates the hypnotic sadness Antony conveys with his song and his Leonard Cohen-Boy George warble.

Here's the official word on the song: On "Another World", Antony lists things he treasures about the natural world, and expresses that he will miss them; the result is hypnotic and affecting, with the accompanying video reflecting the song’s theme.

The five-song Another World is a stopgap between Antony’s Mercury Prize-winning 2005 album I Am A Bird Now and the follow-up, The Crying Light, due in January. Among the EP tracks are “Shake That Devil,” called “part exorcism and part Shangri-La [in which] Antony calls out perpetrators and banishes them one-by-one.” Two more songs, “Crackagen” and “Sing For Me” are described as “pastoral and surreal,” while “Hope Mountain” closes the EP in epic fashion as “an episodic narrative set after a flood; people gather on a mountainside to witness a girl walking on the water.”

Another World tracklist:

1. Another World

2. Crackagen

3. Shake That Devil

4. Sing For Me

5. Hope Mountain

Antony and the Johnsons on Tour:

10/14   Walt Disney Concert Hall        Los Angeles, CA

10/16   Apollo Theatre                         New York, NY

10/30   The Barbican                            London, ENG

10/31   The Barbican                            London, ENG

Plexifilm will release documentary theatrically this Fall, on DVD Nov. 18

By Blurt Staff

Plexifilm has announced Fall theatrical release and a Nov. 18 DVD date for Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell, Matt Wolf’s documentary about the prolific late singer-songwriter-composer-cellist-producer. The film will be bolstered by commentary from Allen Ginsberg, Philip Glass, and “other Russell collaborators and loved ones, as well as 65 minutes of rare bonus material including 25 minutes of archival performance footage, footage of Ginsberg chanting a mantra at Russell’s funeral, an audio letter from Russell to his parents, and covers of Russell songs by Jens Lekman, Verity of Electrelane, Joel Gibb of Hidden Cameras, and Arthur’s Landing.

From the press release:

Before his untimely death from AIDS in 1992, Arthur Russell prolifically created music that spanned an extraordinary diversity of styles and won the love of artistic communities that would seem utterly disparate. His collaborators and most ardent supporters ranged from Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg to rock bands like The Talking Heads and The Modern Lovers; the pre-Studio 54 disco-party scene of Nicky Siano’s Gallery and David Mancuso’s Loft; and DJ-producers like Francois Kevorkian and Larry Levan, among others.

Just as Russell’s music had a relevance much broader than the avant-garde, Matt Wolf’s film about him, Wild Combination, appeals much more universally than just to fans of Russell’s music. It is a universally resonant love story, a film about the experience of being gay and confronting AIDS, a document of the compelling cultural history of New York in the 1970s and ‘80s, and a testament to the cathartic process of making art and pursuing popular success at a time when those goals were mutually attainable.

Since its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival—in festivals including the Edinburgh Film Festival, among many others around the world—Wild Combination has garnered considerable critical praise. Filmmaker just named Wolf one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film. Amy Taubin of Film Comment called Wild Combination a “finely tuned, remarkably affecting and informative portrait.” The Los Angeles Times called it "resourceful and refreshingly open-minded... a rich, complicated picture."

65 MINUTES OF DVD EXTRAS:

• Rare archival footage of two full-length live performances, “Soon To Be Innocent Fun/ Let’s See” (1985) and “Calling All Kids” (1989)

• Allen Ginsberg: A Memorial for Arthur Russell (1992)

• 1970 recording of an audiocassette letter sent from Arthur in San Francisco to his parents

• Tribute performances of Arthur Russell songs by Jens Lekman, Verity Susman (Electrelane), Joel Gibb (Hidden Cameras), and Arthur’s Landing (Ernie Brooks of Modern Lovers, Joyce Bowden, and Steven Hall)

TECHNICAL SPECS:

USA, 2008, 71 minutes (+65 minutes of extras), English, Color, HD, Super8, VHS, 1.78:1 (original ratio), Widescreen, 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital, NR, NTSC

Catalog # PLX-033 UPC: 82354004620 Price: $24.99

For more information, see www.arthurrussellmovie.com

Williams pays homage to Todd on "Rarity" from Little Honey.

By Matthew Recchia

On Gea, Mia Doi Todd's newest album, the singer-songwriter taps into her expressionist and idealistic side to bring the audience her most sensitive and passionate album yet. She probably didn't anticipate the affect it would have on Lucinda Williams.

In an interview with Newsday, Williams said that "Rarity" from her new album Little Honey (Lost Highway) was written for Todd, her fellow L.A. based singer-songwriter. "I was just really impressed with her-how poetic her songs were, how sophisticated her writing was, the beauty of her voice."

Dealing with the destructive forces that surround a "lover of life," Todd's lyrics show hints of the desperation and hopelessness that follow a vulnerable, helpless romantic. From the opening strums of Todd's guitar, the album flows beautifully, accompanied by the beats of Andres Renteria's hand drums and thumping bass lines from Joshua Abrams. Instrumentalist/composer Miguel Atwood-Ferguson also helps out by contributing the sounds of woodwinds, brass, and string arrangements to add a mystical and organic element to the album

The future looks bright for this relentless romantic, who is off the road after an exhausting US tour that saw her perform twenty-seven times in a span of thirty three days.

To listen to Mia or find information on upcoming performances, check out her Myspace page or website.

Mysterious Wilson will sign copies of That Lucky Old Sun in Nashville, Ann Arbor, Boston and NYC.  

By Blurt Staff

To promote his new album That Lucky Old Sun, erstwhile Beach Boy and mysterious musical figure Brian Wilson will do in-store signings in four U.S. cities in November while on tour. Wilson will autograph copies of the album as well as “one additional flat item” at each event.

The first will be at Grimey’s in Nashville on Nov. 9, followed by sessions in Ann Arbor, MI (Borders, Nov. 12), Boston, MA (Newbury Comics, Nov. 19) and finally New York City (J&R Music, Nov. 21). The press release notes these are the confirmed dates, which may or may not mean there will be others.

For more information about Brian Wilson and his upcoming tour, please visit www.brianwilson.com.

CONFIRMED AUTOGRAPH SESSIONS:

Nov. 9   (1pm)                Nashville, TN                 Grimey’s (1604 8th Avenue South)

Nov. 12 (12:30pm)          Ann Arbor, MI                Borders (612 East Liberty)

Nov. 19 (12pm)              Boston, MA                   Newbury Comics (Faneuil Hall Marketplace)

Nov. 21 (12pm)              New York, NY                J&R Music (23 Park Row)

TOUR DATES:  

Nov 10    Nashville, TN            Ryman Auditorium

Nov 12    Ann Arbor, MI           Michigan Theater

Nov 13    South Bend, IN         Morris Performing Arts Center

Nov 15    Minneapolis, MN       State Theater

Nov 16    Chicago, IL               Chicago Theatre

Nov 18    Washington, DC      Warner Theater

Nov 19    Boston, MA              Orpheum Theatre

Nov 21    New York, NY           Hammerstein Ballroom

Nov 22    Glenside, PA            Keswick Theater

Nov 23    Montclair, NJ            Wellmont Theatre

Nov 25    Westbury, NY          Westbury Theater

Fellow bandmate generously offers to fall on his sword, too....

By Fred Mills

Good morning. Don't you relish those over-coffee-and-bagels moments, hopefully with the soft light of the a.m. sun peeking gently through the curtains, when you can ponder the random dirt ‘n' sleaze that populates this fine institution we call the music industry?

Today's scumline in the music biz bathtub is, surprise, Britain's Pete Doherty, the erstwhile Libertines/sometime Babyshambles gent who's made it his personal mission to see that his surname and the word "drugs" align as often as possible in news headlines. According to reports in the U.K. media, Doherty appears in a video posted to YouTube and is preparing to "smoke something from a small glass container" only to have a bucket of water dumped on his head by a female friend (i.d.'d as "Mary the cleaning lady") who comments, "I thought you'd given up that shit!"

Astonishingly, Doherty - who is, what, on ten different probations at this point? - has claimed that he has not been up to his old tricks.

In other Doherty-related reports, fellow Babyshambles member Mick Whitnall was arrested last weekend in London "for suspected drug offenses." Police arrested Whitnall at a club for possession of crack and later found more drugs at his home. Speculation is running high that Whitnall was directed by his band's frontman to get busted and direct the media glare away from Doherty, and while there's absolutely no evidence to support that theory, it's exactly the kind of harebrained scheme someone like ol' Pete would come up with, dontcha think?

Bush administration's "lies" gets his motor running...

By Fred Mills

This year's election ain't no easy ride, and legendary actor Dennis Hopper apparently realizes just that. Long admired for his screen work - by most estimations, one of the original mavericks, too, the kind that makes John McSame look like Howdy Doody  - but long reviled for his Republican politics and unwavering (until now) support for George Bush, Hopper is in the news today for coming out in favor of Obama, citing the Bush administration's "lies" as his reason for switching from red to blue.

Speaking to journalists in France at a career overview Hopper said, "I voted for Bush, father and son, but this time I'll vote for Obama. I was the first person in my family to have been Republican. For most of my life I wasn't on the left.

"I pray God, Barack Obama is elected."

We do too, Billy. Captain America loves ya.

Three songs from Modern Silence coming via music blogs. First one’s up.

By Matthew Recchia

Although Casper & the Cookies third album, Modern Silence, is due to hit shelves anytime between now and the end of the year, the band has decided to release three exclusive tracks online to the public early. Each week in October, the band will release a new track on different sites to promote their new album.

Modern Silence has been nine months in the making, and comes almost two years after the band’s previous album, The Optimist’s Club. As for the origin of the name of the album, Jason NeSmith explains it as “a phrase that evokes a number of themes. We used most of them: awkward long distance phone calls, language barriers, social anxiety, absence (or a general lack of presence), a sudden numbing realization that one can no longer think of oneself as a good person, extraterrestrial friendship, and of course jazz-mime.”

Relaxing after a tour of Japan, the band plans to hit the road again in 2009 to support Modern Silence.

The exclusive tracks and release dates are listed below, along with where you can find them.

10/10: Three Imaginary Girls (www.threeimaginarygirls.com)

10/17: Optical Atlas (www.opticalatlas.com)

10/24: You Ain't No Picasso (www.youaintnopicasso.com)

Two acts will play together in more ways than one.

By Blurt Staff

Brooklyn-based folkies Ollabelle and ex-pat singer-songwriter Richard Shindell will unite for an East Coast tour in November. They’re not just touring together: On the six-date tour, which his New York, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, they’ll play together onstage, on one another’s songs as well as surprise covers. Dates:

November 12 Le Poisson Rouge (New York City, NY)

November 13 The Barns at Wolftrap (Vienna, VA)

November 14 Tarrytown Music Hall (Tarrytown, NY)

November 19 The Ram’s Head (Annapolis, MD)

November 20 World Café Live (Philadelphia, PA)

November 22 IMAC Theater(Huntington, NY)

ABOUT RICHARD SHINDELL:

An expatriate New Yorker now living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Richard Shindell is a meticulous craftsman of song whose six studio albums and one live recording have been revered by critics and fans alike. Innovative, original and occasionally spiritual, Shindell’s songs weave tales that interchangeably champion the downtrodden, exalt the disaffected or wax empathetic to those lost to society’s fringes. He is also recognized for his astonishing collection of cover songs, South of Delia, and his participation in the multi-artist project Cry Cry Cry.

ABOUT OLLABELLE:

Ollabelle was formed in the East Village as a weekly gospel jam session. Since recording their debut album in 2004, the band has toured the world with their incredible blend of roots music and gospel, sharing stages with everyone from Diana Krall to Alison Krauss to Donald Fagen and Levon Helm. Their latest release, Before This Time (Yep Roc), is a live recording that showcases the bands interpretive skills at their most powerful.

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)

9:00 AM SYN: Live with Regis and Kelly: Queen Latifah

11:30 AM NICK: Yo Gabba Gabba!: Mya

2:30 & 5:30 PM FUEL: The Daily Habit: Kool Keith

3:00 PM VH1C: Tommy (1975)

5:00 PM RAVE HD: Kaiser Chiefs: Live at the Trabendo

8:00 PM TCM: Movie: High School Confidential! (1958) w/Jerry Lee Lewis , Mamie Van Doren

9:00 & 12:00 PM FUEL: The Daily Habit: CSS

9:15 PM IFC: The Henry Rollins Show:  Mars Volta , Henry Rollins , Toby Keith

9:30 PM TCM: The Gene Krupa Story (1959)

11:35 PM CBS: The Late Show With David Letterman: Blues Traveler

11:35 PM NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Kings Of Leon

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Kanye West

12:35 AM NBC: Late Night with Conan O'Brien: O.A.R. , Harry Connick Jr.

1:35 AM NBC: Last Call with Carson Daly: Serj Tankian

Pictured above: John McSame and Sarah Van Palen, ready for some ultraviolence...

By Fred Mills

It's true: we can see into the future. We're even reading newspapers from the future - specifically, the Asia Times, which posted a story online tomorrow (Oct. 15) declaring (kinda) that John McCain has lost his marbles. Or, might be on the verge of losing ‘em. And, if he does, he just might stand a chance of winning the election.

Confused? We are too! But in a good way. In a story titled "McCain's next trick can win," news analyst Muhammad Cohen speculates that despite the candidate's steadily dropping in the polls, "there's still time for McCain to turn things around, and at least some reasons to think he can."

Among the proposed strategies:

• Fire campaign manager Rick Davis, Steve Schmidt, his Karl Rove protege campaign strategist, and the rest of the George W. Bush hit squad piloting his train wreck.
• Bring in someone who suggests adult supervision and is loyal only to McCain.
• Extend the purge to vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin... she's clearly part of the wrong direction McCain's campaign has taken.
• Instead of name calling and phony charges that lead everyone off-track, McCain should say he'll talk about the real issues and his real solutions.
• Find a big platform to admit he's been untrue to himself by playing the Rove card, and that he regrets it.

Hey! Almost like a 12-step program!

"The political pros advise it is crazy to make change at this late stage of the campaign," concludes Cohen, of what McCain should say, "but it's even crazier to fail without being to true to lifelong principles."

Come to think of it, we'd prefer McCain to keep pursuing the same scorched-earth policy of the past couple of weeks. That proved he was not only crazy but unprincipled as well - and we kinda like it that way.

We think we have a new theme song for the McCain campaign....

All-star cast to appear at Oct. 26 concert in NYC.

By Fred Mills

Laura Kennedy, original bassist and founding member of legendary No Wave/punk-funk combo Bush Tetras, needs an immediate liver transplant due to Hepatitis C. To that end, a benefit concert for Kennedy is slated to take place at the Cake Shop in New York on October 26^th. Among those acts performing will be the Bush Tetras, Certain General, Band of Outsiders and, at the closing jam, Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group), Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & The Voidoids), Rob Norris (Bongos) and Deborah Frost (Brain Surgeons). Full details appear below.

You know about the Tetras, right? An influence in their own right, they remain "a major force" in today's ‘80s post-punk/new wave revival which includes The Slits, Sonic Youth, Pere Ubu, Mekons, Gang Of Four and James Chance. All proceeds on Bush Tetras CDs, LPs and shirts purchased through the ROIR website go directly to the Laura Kennedy Liver Fund. And for more information on Laura Kennedy and how to make a donation, go to the Laura Kennedy Liver Fund blog.

A second benefit is to take place Nov. 8 in Minneapolis, details tba. Kennedy has been unable to work since June 2008, and is now living on disability in Minneapolis. Without the needed transplant, she may live only another 8 to 12 months.

***

Laura Kennedy Benefit Show

October 26, 2008
8pm at Cake Shop
52 Ludlow Street
LES NYC

In order of appearance:

Bell Hollow
Sediment Club
Mikey IQ
Band of Outsiders
Certain General
Command V feat: PAT IRWIN (RAYBEATS, 8-EYED SPY, B-52'S)
Radio i-ching
Julian Stockdale
Bush Tetras w/special guests James Chance & Nona Hendryx
All star jam feat. Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group), Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & The Voidoids), Rob Norris (Bongos), Deborah Frost (Brain Surgeons) & more...
DJ dirtytrickpony

Admission $15 minimum donation

The Bush Tetras on Myspace: www.myspace.com/bushtetras

Americana retailer "calls a time-out"and "considers the future."

By Fred Mills

A collective gasp went up this morning when venerable Americana/alt-country retail specialist Miles Of Music posted to its website news that it was shutting down. According to MoM head Jeff Weiss factors involved in the decision - characterized as "a time-out" - included the current state of the economy and changes in how consumers get their music. The business, which started in 2001, was located in North Hollywood and employed a staff of 8, serving customers in 26 countries.

Unfulfilled orders have been cancelled and refunds are being issued. See the full post below.

For those not in the know, Miles Of Music was one of the most enduring music portals for lovers o' twang and it rode the alt-country zeitgeist ushered in by No Depression, connecting music fans with bands and artists while demonstrating a true connoisseur's appreciation of rock, folk, country, bluegrass and all things rootsy. Whether you wanted a record by Steve Earle or some obscure artist from the Netherlands, chances are you could find it at MoM. Under the diligent watch of co-founders Weiss and Corrie Gregory, MoM flourished even as it enriched a lot of lives.

Yours truly still remembers the cool little publication they dubbed the "MoMzine" which they'd mail out every month or so. It was far more than just a catalog - crammed with record reviews, artist profiles, cool trivia and the like, it literally was a ‘zine, one that you'd hang on to and file away for reference after you'd made your selections and mailed in your dough. Later, Miles Of Music made a fairly seamless transition to the Internet and became a leading purveyor of Americana music long before anyone ever even heard of iTunes or MySpace music.

Musicians themselves consistently touted MoM as a retailer to whom they could sell their wares and receive fair treatment and an honest accounting. The company also went above and beyond in order to help the artists, often providing them with a list of likely journalists and media outlets that might be inclined to cover them. I'll never forget the first time I got a CD in the mail addressed to "Fred Mills - music writer and cool papa": The "cool papa" bit derived from a casual conversation I'd had in 2001 with one of the MoM staffers about the then-recent birth of my son, and as a nice salute that's how they entered my name onto their media list that they circulated.

Well, from this so-called cool papa, on the behalf of BLURT I extend my condolences to Miles Of Music and my sincere wishes that they are able to return from their time-out bigger and stronger. Man cannot and should not exist on a diet of iTunes alone.

***

From MoM's Jeff Weiss:

We aren't throwing in the towel so much as calling a time-out. For now, though, we are closed for business.

We've come to a pause in an era. The economy, the credit crunch, the changing way people consume music have all lead us to today.

All existing orders have been cancelled. Orders paid by Paypal are being refunded.

Now is it time to clean up, clean out, and consider the future.

There are many terrific places to purchase music on-line. Please continue supporting independent artists.

That creaking, groaning sound? It's the Man In Black rolling in his grave.

By Fred Mills

Hey kids! Remember a decade or so ago when every creep with a sampler and a laptop fancied himself to be the next Arthur Baker? Wasn't it cool how every week some new remix effort hit the record bins and sheeplike consumers lapped ‘em up regardless of quality - or, for that matter, whether or not there was any logical rationale behind the project? And how a bunch of Einsteins at record labels figured they could get some extra mileage out of their heritage artists' back catalogs by bringing in some hotshit techno deejays to recast the music for a younger generation?

You KNOW you wanna hear some Fleetwood Mac, Heart, Led Zep and Pat Benatar remixes, right? (If the answer is yes, we have a stack of those Pink Floyd remix discs that were purportedly created by The Orb we'll sell ya... but we digress.)

Sob! Where's Bill Laswell - the only cat to credibly pull these sorts of things off, with his Miles Davis and Santana sets - when we need him? Hint: there's a REASON we call these people "heritage artists" and their music "timeless." And that translates into "please don't fuck with the tunes."

Undeterred, however, is Compadre Records/Music World Music, which just announced "bold new interpretations" of Johnny Cash.

Johnny Cash Remixed, due Jan. 27, is billed as "a tribute to the legacy of an American music icon whose work has touched every contemporary genre," and to that end  "top music remixers and producers who were recruited to take the original master recordings and infuse them with the sounds and technology of modern music styles such as hip hop and dance music." Among the guilt parties: Snoop Dogg.

The project has the "blessing and support of the custodians of Johnny Cash's legacy," including Johnny's son John Carter Cash, who said in a statement, "My father made his stead by defying the expected and accepted way of things. He set the standard at the same time.  He would have loved this remix record.  While it stays true to the original recordings, this CD touches on undiscovered ground.  This is what my father was about: staying true to tradition while creating groundbreaking new music."

Wow. This is just wrong in so many ways we don't know where to begin. The photo above will suffice.

Anyhow, for those of you who lap this kinda stuff up, read on to get the scoop from the label. But don't say you weren't warned by BLURT first.

***

 
Johnny Cash classics were licensed from Cash's first record label, the legendary Sun Records, also the first record label home of luminaries such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison. The original tracks, recorded with Cash's first band the Tennessee Two from 1956-1959, were pure and stark, with only the essentials; guitar, light percussion and Johnny Cash's unmistakable voice and presence. The new mixes maintain this fantastic charm and personality while filing out the sound and creating daring re-interpretations.  

 
The remixed tracks (and remixers) include "I Walkte The Line" featuring Snoop Dogg (QDT, the new production team led by Snoop Dogg - featuring Snoop, Teddy Riley and DJ Quik), "Country Boy" (Sonny J, whose album was released in August on Astralwerks US), "Get Rhythm" (Philip Steir, the only remixer allowed to work with the Reprise Records Frank Sinatra collection), "Leave that Junk Alone" (Alabama 3, creators of The Sopranos theme song), "Folsom Prison Blues" (the legendary Pete Rock), "Hey Porter" (Mocean Worker, whose remix of Elvis Presley's "Burnin' Love" was used as a soundtrack to Honda's Superbowl TV commercial), "Sugartime" (Kennedy, cornerstone of the new UK Dirty Pop movement), "Trail To Mexico" (indie favorite Mexican Institute of Sound/MIS), "Doin' My Time" (The Heavy, critically-acclaimed UK-based band) and "Wide Open Road" (Count de Money) among others.

 
A documentary following the making will be included with the album, and was produced by Phear Creative in NYC.  This short film features interviews from select remixers, filmed in their home studios, including Snoop Dogg captured at the Cash Recording Cabin in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
 

Tear the roof off the... aw, you know...

By Fred Mills

Halloween night, 1976, Houston: George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic were in the house at the Summit venue, just about to tear the roof off the sucka. We're talking prime Mothership Connection/Clones of Dr. Funkenstein-era P-Funk w/GC, Bootsy, Bernie and the crew giving up the funk.

Now comes a 1 ½ hour DVD documenting the show, courtesy Shout Factory, which advises us thusly: "The P-Funk collective were riding the success of their first Top 5 R&B hit, "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)," a  track that had earned them the kind of radio play that would bring the masses out to see them  live in a stadium-sized arena. The group was  only five dates into the tour when they arrived in Houston, but they were definitely ready to take it to the stage for an out-of-this-world show like no other."

You betcha.

It's set to hit stores Nov. 18. Happy thanksgiving, y'all.

Track Listing:

Cosmic Slop

Do That Stuff

Gamin' On Ya!

Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On

Undisco Kidd

Children Of Productions

Mothership Connection (Star Child)

Swing Down Sweet Chariot

Dr. Funkenstein

Comin' Round The Mountain

P-Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)

Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)

Night Of The Thumpasorus Peoples

Funkin' For Fun

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)

6:45 AM Starz Cinema: Paul Weller: As Is Now

11:00 AM BET Jazz: Documentary: Nanu Dibango: King Makossa

2:00 PM FUSE: Steven's Untitled Rock Show: The Clash

2:30 PM FUEL: The Daily Habit: CSS

4:00 PM RAVE HD: Soundstage: Farm Aid 2003 w/Emmylou Harris , Sheryl Crow , Neil Young , Hootie & the Blowfish , John Mellencamp , Willie Nelson

8:00 PM RAVE HD: Later With Jools Holland: Supergrass , Vampire Weekend , The Kills , Dianne Reeves , Chris Barber

11:35 PM NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Kenny Chesney , Queen Latifah

12:00 AM VH1C: The Last Waltz (1978)

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Jessie Baylin

12:35 AM NBC: Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Ray LaMontagne

1:00 AM TV Land: TV Land Myths & Legends:  Manson, Monkees and Mister Ed: Jennifer Lopez , Charles Manson , The Monkees , The Beach Boys , Ritchie Valens

Three million copies (digital + physical) and counting.

By Fred Mills

Just over a year ago, on Oct. 10, everyone's fave musical mavericks Radiohead - who make that other maverick, John McSame, look like Howdy Doody by comparison [Er, wot's that got to do with anything? And you used the Howdy Doody schtick yesterday. - Ed.] - made their album In Rainbows available for download on a pay-what-you-like basis. Since then the band has declined to reveal exactly how many downloads took place or what the average price people forked over was; it's been assumed that most fans entered "zero" as their download price.

Now it turns out that assumption was erroneous. The UK media is reporting today that while exact statistics haven't yet been revealed - it's expected that later today Warner Chappell, which administers the publishing for In Rainbows, will go into detail at the "You Are In Control" media conference in Iceland - the download made more money before [the album] was physically released" on December 31 than the total that In Rainbows' predecessor, 2003's Hail to the Thief, had taken in to date.

Read an in-depth report on this and related matters HERE.

Writes MusicAlly.com, "According to [Warner Chappell] there were a total of three million album purchases including the box sets, CDs and all downloads including iTunes and pay-what-you-like downloads via their official site.... Their previous three albums sold in the low hundreds of thousands."

One fascinating behind-the-scenes tidbit: "The band and their management never announced a timeline for the pay-what-you-like experiment and were watching the average price daily with a view to potentially withdrawing it any moment should it drop too low. The average price went down after the download moved from uberfans to less committed fans."

A FEW STATISTICS:

• Three million albums sold in digital and physical form.
• During the period it was theoretically available for free it went to #1 in the UK and in the US.
• As the first Radiohead album to be offered for sale digitally at iTunes it became the #1 album there, selling 30,000 units in the US in the first week.
• The physical CD has sold 1.75 million to date.
• 100,000 copies of the limited edition box set were sold.

Sounds like a successful experiment by musical mavericks to us!

Also on the bill: Santogold, Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Norah Jones, Crosby & Nash, Tenacious D.

By Fred Mills

The mighty Beastie Boys have confirmed the latest dates on their "Get Out and Vote 08 Tour" which is designed to hit crucial swing states prior to the election: North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Wisconsin and Minnesota will be included in the stops.

 As previously announced, joining the band in various markets will be Sheryl Crow, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Norah Jones, Crosby & Nash, Santogold, Tenacious D, as well as representatives from Rock The Vote, who will be on hand to distribute information on local polling sites, including early voting locations where available.

 
The newly announced dates and lineups are:

 
Oct 27 Charlotte, NC Amos Southend
Beastie Boys / Sheryl Crow / Santogold

 
Oct 29 Youngstown, OH Chevrolet Center
Beastie Boys / Sheryl Crow / Ben Harper / Norah Jones

 
Oct 30 Dayton, OH Hara Arena
Beastie Boys / Sheryl Crow / Ben Harper
 

 
Full Get Out and Vote 08 itinerary:

 
Oct 27 Charlotte, NC Amos Southend
Beastie Boys / Sheryl Crow / Santogold
ON SALE THURSDAY VIA ETIX.COM

 
Oct 28 Richmond, VA - Richmond Coliseum
Beastie Boys/Jack Johnson/Norah Jones/Santogold
ON SALE NOW VIA VENUE BOX OFFICE AND TICKETMASTER

 
Oct 29 Youngstown, OH Chevrolet Center
Beastie Boys / Sheryl Crow / Ben Harper / Norah Jones
ON SALE FRIDAY VIA VENUE BOX OFFICE AND TICKETMASTER

 

Oct 30 Dayton, OH Hara Arena
Beastie Boys / Sheryl Crow / Ben Harper
ON SALE FRIDAY VIA VENUE BOX OFFICE AND TICKETMASTER

 

Nov 1 St. Paul, MN - Roy Wilkins Auditorium
Beastie Boys/Ben Harper/Tenacious D
ON SALE FRIDAY VIA VENUE BOX OFFICE AND TICKETMASTER

 
Nov 2 Milwaukee, WI - U.S. Cellular Arena
Beastie Boys/Ben Harper/Crosby & Nash/Tenacious D
ON SALE NOW VIA VENUE BOX OFFICE AND TICKETMASTER

 

For further information: www.beastieboys.com  or www.getoutandvote08.org

Blurt-approved outfit just tears the roof off the sucker...

By Blurt Staff

Back in August, Syracuse's Ra Ra Riot issued The Rhumb Line (Barsuk) and sold nearly 6000 units in its first week of release - not bad for a debut full length. The record and the band's live performances have racked up critical kudos, too, including at BLURT:

Album: www.blurt-online.com/reviews/view/310/

Sept. 6 concert: www.blurt-online.com/concert_reviews/view/64/

March 3 concert: www.blurt-online.com/concert_reviews/view/5/

So you could kinda say that BLURT loves ‘em. Catch ‘em on tour as they wrap up their current US trek this week, head over to England, and then swing back to the States for a final leg leading up to Christmas.

NPR LIVE CONCERT SERIES PERFORMANCE STREAMING AT:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95519776

 Ra Ra Riot Tour Dates:

10.15.08: Philadelphia, PA // Johnny Brenda's
10.16.08: New York, NY // Bowery Ballroom // SOLD OUT
10.17.08: Brooklyn, NY // Music Hall of Williamsburg // SOLD OUT
10.18.08: Cambridge, MA // The Middle East Downstairs
10.25.08: London // Push @ Astoria 2
10.26.08: London // London Forum // SOLD OUT
10.28.08: Newcastle  // Newcastle Academy // SOLD OUT
10.29.08: Glasgow// Glasgow Barrowlands // SOLD OUT
10.30.08: Liverpool // Liverpool Academy // SOLD OUT
10.31.08: Bristol // Bristol Academy // SOLD OUT
11.01.08: Leeds//Cockpit
11.03.08: London // Hoxton Bar
12.03.08: Burlington, VT // Higher Ground
12.04.08: Albany, NY // Valentines
12.06.08: Swarthmore, PA // Swarthmore College
12.05.08: Northampton, MA // Iron Horse Music Hall
12.09.08: Newport, KY // Southgate House
12.11.08: Louisville, KY // 930 Listening Room
12.12.08: Nashville, TN // Exit/In
12.13.08: Athens, GA // 40 Watt Club
12.14.08: Asheville, NC // Grey Eagle
12.16.08: Baltimore, MD // Ottobar

Doing Little Honey in its entirety in Minneapolis.

By Fred Mills

Mark your calendars and prime your web browsers for next week, Oct. 23: that's when Lucinda Williams will be playing at First Avenue in Minneapolis and streaming it as a free audio webcast. She'll do the just-released Little Honey album (Lost Highway) all the way through followed by a second set of old faves and prime nuggets.

Fans can chat live while listening to the show by going  to www.lucindawilliams.com and at the website, listeners can download the Microsoft Silverlight Player that will allow them to hear the music.

Want an advance peek at what the current Luce show might be like? Check out our review of the tour's opening night concert HERE.

[Photo Credit: Derrick Santini]

Likens recent events to shouting "fire" in a crowded theater.

By Fred Mills

MSNBC's "Countdown" commentator Keith Olbermann has called for John McCain to suspend his campaign because it represents "a clear and present danger" to America.

Referring to recent incidents at McCain and Palin rallies during which audience members have hurled epithets at Obama and, at a Palin appearance in Pennsylvania, when someone shouted out "Kill him!" when Obama's name was mentioned, Olbermann accused the candidate of doing nothing about the pinheads - and thereby tacitly endorsing and encouraging them.

Says Olbermann, "Sen. McCain, your supporters, at your events, are calling Obama a terrorist and traitor and are calling for him to be killed. And yet you keep bringing back these same rabid Right Wing nuts to deliberately stir these crowds into frenzies. And then you take offense when somebody who remembers the violence in our political past, calls you on it. You, sir, are responsible for a phalanx of individuals who are shouting fire in a crowded theatre. There are some things to respect and honor about you, Sen. McCain.

"But on this, you're not only a fraud, Senator but you are tacitly inciting lunatics to violence. If you want to again grand-stand and suspend your campaign here's your big chance. Suspend your campaign now, until you, or somebody else, gets some control over it and it ceases to be a clear and present danger to the peace of this nation."

You got that right. Read the entire article and view the video HERE.

Smoke cigarettes, vote for John McCain, and don't wear a seatbelt - what's not to like?

By Fred Mills

"You'll get fucked, and he'll get fucked. Everybody wins!"

‘Nuf said. You're our hero, Hayden. (You are too, FunnyOrDie.com!)

There's a fine line between a smear campaign and an incitement to violence.

By Fred Mills

Filmmaker Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films has put together a compilation video that presents in pretty stark terms the racist, violence-tinged nastiness that's been going on at McCain and Palin events. Concurrently, ColorOfChange.org has published an open letter to the campaign demanding that they do something about it.

The letter reads, in part:

In the last few weeks, Senator McCain and Governor Palin, rhetoric at your campaign events has taken an increasingly dangerous tone that seems to ignore the precarious state of our progress when it comes to race and ethnicity.

Supporters at your rallies and other events have used hateful language and called for violence against Sen. Obama yelling "kill him!" "off with his head!" and "bomb Obama."

For the most part, you have stood by in silence. In addition, you have also repeatedly made statements that somehow connect Senator Obama with terrorism. Your surrogates have emphasized his middle name. This is problematic and dangerous, and we believe helps create the conditions that have given rise to these incidents of violent rhetoric from some of your supporters.

Today, we're standing together as Americans of all political persuasions to express our deep concern that the decisions of your campaign are contributing to a dangerous atmosphere of paranoia, division, and hate that, as we have already seen, has the potential to seriously harm our country and its progress.

View the Greenwald video below.

December 21-28 at Maxwells in Hoboken.

By Fred Mills

It's as much a grand American tradition as filling a jack-o-lantern with dogshit, placing it on your neighbor's front stoop and setting it on fire: Yo La Tengo's annual string of Hanukkah concerts at Maxwell's in Hoboken.

In a post to their MySpace page blog today, YLT indicated that this year's events will take place Dec. 21-28 and tickets - which went on sale today at noon at www.ticketweb.com - will be $30. "Inflation may be rampant," writes YLT, "but not here."

Boy howdy to that. As usual there will be special guests rotating as the shows' opening acts, details tba. There will also be a special New Year's Eve concert at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, New Jersey ("home of Stephen Colbert and Don Fleming," we are advised) featuring the Feelies and the Vivian Girls also on the bill.

The band is additionally taking suggestions on what charitable organizations might be suitable candidates for them to donate proceeds too, per YLT's generous tradition. Here's the complete text of the blog post:

***

Holiday News Flash

Hey everybody,

Got a lot on my mind, so pull up a chair.

First off, let's make it official. We're going to play another series of Hanukkah shows this year at Maxwell's, The dates are December 21 - December 28. Inflation may be rampant, but not here: tickets will be $30, just like last year. Shows will begin at 9:00 on Friday and Saturday, and 8:30 every other night. There'll be a musical act in addition to Yo La Tengo, some comedy, and maybe something else. We'll see. But just like last year, we will be enforcing a strict "don't ask, don't tell" policy about the lineups. Mostly because we won't know until the last minute, but--we cannot tell a lie--also because we're ornery that way. Tickets will go on sale October 15 at 12 noon eastern time.

There is one thing we can tell you. The Feelies will not be playing with us during Hanukkah, scout's honor. But we will be doing a gala New Year's Eve show with the Feelies, merely New Jersey's greatest rock band ever, and Vivian Girls at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair NJ, home of Stephen Colbert and Don Fleming.

Tickets will be $35, or a mere $115 less than it costs to see Steely Dan. (To be fair, if you're paying per chord, Steely Dan is priced competitively.)

As Joan Rivers asked so poignantly: can we talk? With all the economic turmoil turmoiling about us these days, it's not that easy to suggest that you spend what's left of your money with us. But if you've ever attended these Hanukkah shows before, we hope you'll agree that they are unique evenings of entertainment (and if you haven't, there are lengthy descriptions of the 2005 and 2007 editions archived in the News section at yolatengo.com). We don't take a penny from these shows, and no performer receives anything beyond their expenses. The word benefit is an often abused one, but we promise you, the money you pay is being passed along to charity.

Which brings me to the next point. Over the years, from time to time people have offered unsolicited suggestions about where we could donate the proceeds from individual shows, suggestions we have frequently taken. So let's solicit them this year: If you work for a non-profit organization, don't hesitate to tell us about it. We can't guarantee that we'll select you as one of our recipients, but we will absolutely consider it.

Ira, Georgia and James

Performing the entire album start to finish as "director's cut" version...

By Blurt Staff

Robyn Hitchcock has announced U.S. dates for his ‘I Often Dream of Trains' Tour! It runs Nov. 12 - 22 and is set to be one of the most anticipated indie tours of the winter. The New York show is also to be filmed for a subsequent broadcast via the Sundance Channel.

Here are the details, direct from Robyn's camp:

***

Legendary songwriter Robyn Hitchcock announces much anticipated U.S. dates for his ‘I Often Dream of Trains' Tour in support of his recent boxed set reissues I Wanna Go Backwards (containing the Trains album) and Luminous Groove.

Following the rousing response of Londoners following the first ‘I Often Dream of Trains' gig there earlier this year, eight American cities have been tapped for this unique, once-in-a-lifetime concert experience. Robyn along with band mates Terry Edwards (keyboards, horns, vocals) and Tim ‘Captain' Keegan (guitar, vocals) will perform a ‘director's cut' of his classic 1983 album I Often Dream of Trains.

11/12 San Francisco, CA, The Fillmore

11/13 West Hollywood, CA, Coronet Theater

11/15 Chicago, IL, Old Town School of Music

11/17 Pittsburgh, PA, Hazlet Theater

11/18 Alexandria, VA, The Birchmere

11/19 Philadelphia, PA, World Café Live

11/21 Somerville, MA, Somerville Theater

11/22 New York City, NY, Symphony Space

Robyn says of Trains, "For 1983 I wanted to see what happened if I stopped playing gigs, making records, or having any attempt at a career whatsoever. Whatever music I made was purely for myself, without trying to speak the language of the day. The result was I Often Dream of Trains."

John Edgington (director of the recent Hitchcock documentary film Sex, Food, Death... and Insects) will be filming the NYC Symphony Space show for the Sundance Channel for the later release of a concert film document of this special evening.

The Trains Tour isn't the only thing keeping Mr. Hitchcock busy in late ‘O8. He also appears in the Jonathan Demme film Rachel Getting Married starring Anne Hathaway and Tunde Adebimpe (of TV on the Radio). The film recently competed at the Venice and Toronto film festivals and premiered earlier this month in New York. In the film, which debuted earlier this month, Robyn performs ‘America' and ‘Up to Our Nex,' which was written by Robyn especially for the project.

If that wasn't enough, Robyn has just returned from a trip to the Arctic with the Cape Farewell expedition, a sea voyage meant to expose artists, musicians, writers and scientists to the perils of climate change first hand in the hopes that they might help draw attention to one of the most significant environmental issues of the millennia. Other passengers on the voyage included KT Tunstall, Jarvis Cocker, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Martha Wainwright, Vanessa Carlton and Feist.

Five free concerts in three days.

By Fred Mills

It probably won't even register a blip on the radar of all you Obamarama-rocking, Pitchfork-centric hipsters out there, but you can bet it stands a better chance than any indie rock band of serving up some food for thought among the undecided voters of the electoral battleground of North Carolina. (Seriously - how many indie types do YOU know that are for McCain?)

Next week, former NC resident James Taylor is planning on playing five free concerts in the Tarheel State with the intention of helping to get the word out about Obama's message and to encourage citizens to vote ahead of time (early voting starts this Thursday in NC).

According to a report filed today by Raleigh News & Observer pop critic (and BLURT contributor) David Menconi, the five-show swing will take the soft-rock icon literally from mountains to coast, with shows in Asheville, Charlotte, Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Wilmington. And it won't be done at a leisurely clip - check the rough itinerary, below. Exact venues and times are still tba, but expectations are that the events will be held at outdoor locations.

Sunday, Oct. 19 -- Charlotte, Asheville
Monday, Oct. 20 -- Chapel Hill
Tuesday, Oct. 21 -- Raleigh, Wilmington

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)

6:50 AM Starz Cinema: Paul Weller: As Is Now

9:00 AM SYN: The Bonnie Hunt Show: War

11:00 AM FUSE: Fuse Rocks the Garden: The Cure

11:30 AM NICK: Yo Gabba Gabba!: Sean Kingston , Mark Mothersbaugh

1:00 PM PLD HD: CMT Crossroads: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

2:00 PM FUSE: Steven's Untitled Rock Show: Coheed and Cambria

2:00 PM Ovation: Elvis '56

4:00 PM Ovation: Live from the Artists Den: Ben Harper

6:30 PM PLD HD: Listening To You: The Who at The Isle of Wight

6:30 PM VH1C: Live Aid: The Day the Music Changed the World

8:00 PM Ovation: Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey (Parts 1 and 2)

8:20 PM Sundance: Iconoclasts: Wynton Marsalis and John Besh

11:00 PM Biography:: Sonny Bono

11:00 PM Sundance: Live from Abbey Road: The Hoosiers, The Black Keys & Manu Chao

11:35 PM CBS: The Late Show With David Letterman: Ne-Yo

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

12:00 AM Oxygen: The Tyra Banks Show: Janet Jackson

12:35 AM NBC: Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Nikka Costa

1:00 AM MTV2: Subterranean:  Cool Kids

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

Proceeds go to nonpartisan group HeadCount.

By Fred Mills

Gov't Mule has a monster version of Dylan's classic political screed "Masters of War" now available as a digital download via their MuleTracks.com site - and it's for a good cause, too. Procceds from sale of the download will go to HeadCount, a nonpartisan, non-profit organization dedicated to voter registration and inspiring participation in democracy through the power of music.

Appropriately enough, the track was recorded in September 2004 during the Presidential election as part of benefit show for HeadCount. It took place at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado and featured Warren Haynes, Ray LaMontagne, Ben Ottewell and Jerry Joseph.

Click here to download the track.

For more info on HeadCount and to register to vote (which it is not too late to do in some states), head to www.headcount.org.

Finally getting a long overdue dose of his own medicine.

By Fred Mills

Apparently what's good for the goose is not good for the gander when it comes to the McCain campaign. While McSame and Van Palen apparently have no problem with appropriating popular songs from the likes of Heart, Orleans, Jackson Browne, etc. and continuing to use them at rallies and in ads despite the cease-and-desist pleas and protests of the songwriters who originally penned the tunes, when someone actually steps in and does something not to their liking, they start squawking.

YouTube has been removing numerous McCain campaign videos from its site due to copyright violations - to wit, for using songs and television footage in their clips without obtaining the necessary clearances or, in some instances, paying the blanket licensing fees. If a copyright holder spots unauthorized content on YouTube, under the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act they can submit a DMCA takedown notice with YouTube, which will then in most instances remove the offending material.

 As a result, the campaign has complained about YouTube having too-stringent enforcement policies and, in effect, stifling free speech.

Wow. Stifling free speech. Those are some seriously weighty huevos (not to mention hubris) that McCain is swinging between his saggy thighs. You know, Johnny boy, there's a name you guys in Washington have for what you've been doing: it's called piracy, at least according to the standards you've consistently set in legislation and in speeches.

According to reports filed by Wired News ("Stifled by Copyright, McCain Asks YouTube to Consider Fair Use") and PC Magazine ("YouTube Denies McCain DMCA Request") YouTube considered McCain's protestations but dismissed them.

McCain campaign general council Trevor Potter had written a letter to YouTube and its owner Google that said, in part, "We fully understand that YouTube may receive too many videos, and too many take-down notices, to be able to conduct full fair-use review of all such notices. But we believe it would consume few resources - and provide enormous benefit - for YouTube to commit a full legal review of all take-down notices on videos posted from accounts controlled by (at least) political candidates and campaigns."

YouTube's response? According to YouTube chief counsel Zahavah Levine, "A detailed, substantive review of every DMCA notice is simply not possible due to the scale of YouTube's operations... The claimant and the uploader, not YouTube, hold all the relevant information in this regard. YouTube is merely an intermediary in this exchange.

"[Political content] is invaluable and worthy of the highest level of protection, [but] there is a lot of other content on our global site that our users around the world find to be equally important."

McCain, of course, like most of his peers in Congress, doesn't have a history of defending the concept of "fair use" and has consistently sided with the major labels and big corporations whenever the matter has come up. As Wired News pointed out, the McCain letter "is notable both because YouTube and online video generally have become prime platforms for communicating political messages during the 2008 presidential campaign, and because this is one of the rare instances when a member of Congress is speaking out in favor of fair-use rights, after experiencing for themselves the onerous burden put on citizens using media to express ideas... The doctrine says that four factors should be used to determine whether the unauthorized use of copyrighted material infringes: Whether the use is non-commercial and transformative; whether it's factual; the extent of the use of the material and the impact of the use on the market for the work."

According to the McCain campaign, the video and audio clips the campaign tapped for the ads run only briefly and therefore are allowable according to the fair use doctrine. "The uses at issue," wrote Potter, "have been the inclusion of fewer than ten seconds of footage from news broadcasts in campaign ads or videos, as a basis for commentary on the issues presented in news reports, or on the reports themselves. These are paradigmatic examples of fair use, in which all four of the statutory factors are strongly in our favor."

YouTube was not swayed by Potter's argument.

McCain isn't exactly running through an uncharted legal jungle here, by the way: in July his "Obama Love" video, which used part of Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You," was taken down after the Warner Music Group notified YouTube of its copyright claim. And last year Fox News, of all people, sent the McCain campaign a cease-and-desist letter for its unauthorized use of Fox TV footage.

Limited edition mini-album w/rare and unreleased material.

By Blurt Staff

Great news for Spacemen 3 fans. The defunct-but-beloved British outfit has a limited edition (2000 copies) 5 track mini-album titled DJ Tones  released by Space Age Recordings this week.

The CD comes in a cardboard sleeve wallet and features 2 previously unreleased Spacemen 3 tracks, a radically different mix of the their cover of the Red Krayola's "Transparent Radiation" - and appearing for the first time on CD, the ultra rare remix of "I Love You" (originally only 50 promo white label vinyl copies were ever pressed). Rounding off this mini-album is a studio version of "Ecstasy Symphony."

Track listing:

These Blues
Transparent Radiation (violin mix)
Modulated Tones
I Love You (remix)
Ecstasy Symphony

For those not in the know (we can hear you breathing out there), Spacemen 3 consisted of the core duo of Jason Pierce (Spiritualized) and Sonic Boom a.k.a Peter Kember (Spectrum & E.A.R.) who formed the group in Rugby , Warwickshire, having met at art college. Other members of what would become a fluid lineup over the years included Pete Bain (Bassman, also of The Darkside), Natty Brooker, Sterling Roswell (Rosco), Will Carruthers, Jonny Mattock (Slipstream), and for the final few shows, Mark Refoy (also of Slipstream).

Get cracking, S3 fans - the record won't be available for long.

To read our recent interview with Sonic Boom (who recently opened shows for My Bloody Valentine and is prepping a new Spectrum album), go HERE.

Performing free concert in Reno, Nevada.

By Fred Mills

It's not a fundraiser, but a get-out-and-vote-early awareness-raising concert: everyone's favorite harpist Joanna Newsom will be doing a free show next Monday, Oct.20, in Nevada. See full details below, courtesy Newsom's label, Drag City.

Students for Barack Obama Present: JOANNA NEWSOM

Get Out The Vote For CHANGE

Monday, October 20
Reno, Nevada
Nightingale Concert Hall
University of Nevada Reno campus
doors 7pm, show 8pm

Free and open to Nevada voters with NV school ID or NV state driver's licenses. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

VIP tickets are available 10am-6pm October 18 and 20 in front of the JCSU on UNR campus.

Vote Early Oct 18-31!

Visit www.voteforchange.com  or call 1-877-OBAMA-NV for a list of polling locations nearest you.

WE ARE THE CHANGE WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.

Also doing dates with Shaky Hands and Ohbijou.

By Blurt Staff

Ottawa five-piece, The Acorn is preparing to make its way across the US for a tour with Calexico, kicking things off with long-time friends and collaborators, Toronto's Ohbijou, and Portland, Oregon's The Shaky Hands. The band has come off a successful summer festival season and fall UK tour with Akron/Family.

The Acorn were nominated for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize this year, the Canadian equivalent of the Mercury Prize. Now, after the recent release of the Tin Fist EP in the US, The Acorn also have a brand new video in the works for their song "Crooked Legs," off their critically-acclaimed album Glory Hope Mountain, available now on Paper Bag Records. The "Crooked Legs" video will once again be envisioned by Christopher Mills (Interpol, Modest Mouse, BSS). Mills is the same director who brought their beautiful lo-fi animation video for single "The Flood Pt.1" to life, which premiered on Pitchfork TV and aired on MTV2 Subterranean. The Acorn also plan to release Heron Act, a collection of hard-to-find live recordings, blog/radio session recordings and demos, in the US in the new year.

Here's what your friendly neighborhood BLURT had to say about the album:

In Ottawa, Rolf Klausener's achieved mythic status for merging tender merciful folkie prose with alterna-rocking anthems that usually find themselves tinged with ragga-Brazi rhythm. Think Arcade Vampire Furnace only chillier. For this rousing record, Klausener's forged a way to wrangle more indie-points than if Santi White slept with SpankRock: he wrote a record pretty much about his mom without sounding too sappy. From the second he sets foot on the "the sanctity of soil" his trembling tenor voice embraces you, and during the incrementally theatrical "Hold Your Breath" you sense his import. But as each progressive step follows mom's life-journey literally, figuratively, firmly and fascinatingly with Honduran music and percussion as its root, he finds a playfulness that a dozen sad cellos and lapsteels can't hinder. Though "Flood Pt.1" is too melodramatic for my taste, the supple subtle "Crooked Legs" has just the perfect mix of mirth and mom-ness. I'm calling home now. - A.D. Amorosi

The Acorn Tour Dates:

Thu. Oct 16 2008 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge++
Fri. Oct 17 2008 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern++
Sat. Oct 18 2008 - Portland, OR - Rock Creek Tavern++
Sun. Oct 19 2008 - Bend, OR - Old Saint Francis++
Tue. Oct 21 2008 - San Francisco, CA - Hemlock++
Wed. Oct 22 2008 - Santa Cruz, CA - Crepe Place++
Fri. Oct 24 2008 - Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland++
Sat. Oct 25 2008 - Phoenix, AZ - Modified++
Tue. Oct 28 2008 - Denver, CO - Hi-Dive++
Wed. Oct 29 2008 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown++
Thu. Oct 30 2008 - Minneapolis, MN - The 7th Street Entry++
Fri. Oct 31 2008 - Madison, WI - Cafe Montmartre++
Sat. Nov 1 2008 - Chicago, IL - Schuba's++
Fri. Nov 7 2008 - Austin, TX - Antone's*
Sat. Nov 8 2008 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theatre*
Sun. Nov 9 2008 - St. Louis, MO - Duck Room*
Mon. Nov 10 2008 - Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge*
Wed. Nov 12 2008 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle*
Thu. Nov 13 2008 - Washington DC - 9:30 Club*
Fri. Nov 14 2008 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of the Living Arts*
Sat. Nov 15 2008 - Tarrytown, NY - Tarrytown Theatre*
Sun. Nov 16 2008 - Somerville, MA - Somerville Theatre*
Thu. Nov 20 2008 - Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom*
Sun. Nov 23 2008 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown*
Mon. Nov 24 2008 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre*
Tue. Nov 25 2008 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater*
Thu. Nov 27 2008 - Toronto, ONT - Lee's Palace#
Fri .Nov 28 2008 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rosa#
Sat. Nov 29 2008 - Ottawa, ONT - Barrymore's Music Hall#

# w/Ohbijou
++ w/Ohbijou, Shaky Hands
* w/Calexico

New album due Oct.28.

By Blurt Staff

With October 28 creeping up as the release date for Cardinology, Ryan Adam's new album with his band The Cardinals (see details HERE), Adams' label, Lost Highway, has supplied some audio clips from the record. See the links, below.

Additionally, fans who preorder the record via iTunes will get immediate full-song downloadsfor first single, "Fix It"  and bonus track "The Color Of Pain."

Don't forget that upcoming December tour with Oasis, either:

3 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena

4 - LA, CA - Staples Center

6 - Las Vegas, NV - The Pearl

8 - Denver, CO - Broomfield Events Center

10 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center

12 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena

13 - Detroit, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills

17 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden

19 - Camden, NJ - Susquenhanna

20 - Washington, DC - GMU Patriot Center

Cardinology Audio Clips

Born Into A Light:

http://losthighway.edgeboss.net/wmedia/losthighway/ryanadams/cardinology/90secclips/born_into_a_light_clip.wax

Fix It:

http://losthighway.edgeboss.net/wmedia/losthighway/ryanadams/cardinology/90secclips/01_fix_it.wax 

Magick:

http://losthighway.edgeboss.net/wmedia/losthighway/ryanadams/cardinology/90secclips/magick_clip.wax 

Cobwebs:

http://losthighway.edgeboss.net/wmedia/losthighway/ryanadams/cardinology/90secclips/cobwebs_clip.wax

Evergreen:

http://losthighway.edgeboss.net/wmedia/losthighway/ryanadams/cardinology/90secclips/evergreen_clip.wax 

-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)

9:00 AM SYN: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Kenny Chesney

9:00 AM SYN: Live with Regis and Kelly: Billy Bob Thornton , The Boxmasters

10:00 AM RAVE HD: Soundstage: Lyle Lovett , Randy Newman , Mark Isham

1:00 PM ETV: Saturday Night Live (E!): Steve Carell / Kanye West

2:00 PM Sundance: Help! (1965)

6:00 PM Ovation: Deep Blues (1991) w/R.L. Burnside , Roosevelt "Booba" Barnes , Jessie Mae Hemphill , Big Jack Johnson , Junior Kimbrough , Jack Owens

8:00 PM VH1C: David Gilmour - Live in Gdansk

9:00 PM Comedy Central: Chappelle's Show: Talib Kweli

9:00 PM FUEL: The Daily Habit: Aesop Rock

11:35 PM NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Black Kids

12:00 AM MOJO: London Live!: Morrissey , Mohair , Wolfmother , Goldfrapp

12:00 AM TV Land: TV Land Myths & Legends: Manson, Monkees and Mister Ed

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: The Knux

12:35 AM NBC: Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Ludacris

1:00 AM ETV: Saturday Night Live (E!): Will Ferrell / Queens of the Stone Age

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

2:00 AM Ovation: Deep Blues (1991)

2:00 AM Sundance: Live from Abbey Road: The Hoosiers, The Black Keys & Manu Chao

Also doing Get Out The Vote Rally in Seattle Nov.3 w/Pearl Jammers

By Blurt Staff

After marching together at the Democratic National Convention and playing together at both the DNC and the RNC, Boots Riley (the Coup) and Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, the Nightwatchman - also due as the BLURT Nov. digital magazine cover star) are going on tour together.  The famed guitarist and activist has tapped the incendiary political MC to be main support on his North American tour, beginning on November 1^st in San Francisco.

On November 3^rd, Riley and Morello will play a Get Out the Vote rally and concert in Seattle WA, alongside Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard and Mike McCready and other special guests.  The show is part of a larger effort by all the artists involved to energize young voters in this historic election. Following the three week tour with Morello, Riley will then play two shows with Meshell Ndegeocello in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

A lifelong activist, raised, residing and educating in Oakland CA, Riley will be the keynote speaker at the 2008 Practical Activism Conference at the University of California, Santa Cruz on October 25^th.  Riley's work, which ranges from local issues in the Bay Area - such as his efforts alongside other human rights organizations to block California's Proposition 21 -- to international concerns - such as his participation the World Conference Against Racism - has set "an unprecedented standard of political organizing among hip hop artists" (College Nine and College Ten).

Boots Riley on tour with Tom Morello:

11.01.08 - San Francisco, CA (The Fillmore)
11.02.08 - Portland, OR (Wonder Ballroom)
11.03.08 - Seattle, WA (Showbox Theatre)*
11.05.08 - Vancouver, BC (Commodore Ballroom)
11.07.08 - Salt Lake City, UT (The Depot)
11.08.08 - Aspen, CO (Belly Up Aspen)
11.08.08 - Boulder, CO (Fox Theater)
11.11.08 - Minneapolis, MN (Fine Line Music Café)
11.12.08 - Milwaukee, WI (Turner Hall Ballroom)
11.13.08 - Indianapolis, IN (The Vogue)
11.15.08 - Detroit, MI (Majestic Theater)
11.16.08 - Toronto, ONT (Opera House)
11.17.08 - Boston, MA (Middle East)
11.19.08 - Baltimore, MD (Sonar)

11.20.08 - Philadelphia, PA (Electric Factory)
11.21.08 - New York, NY (The Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza)

12.07.08 - San Francisco, CA (The Fillmore)**

12.08.08 - Los Angeles, CA (House of Blues)**

* Get Out The Vote Show w/ Tom Morello & members of Pearl Jam

** with Meshell Ndegeocello

That sound? A brace of Axl Rose's lawyers banging on CWL's door...

By Fred Mills

Ludacris Democracy is the name, and giving it away for free is the game, according to the ever-zany Cassettes Won't Listen.

The band has created a mashup of Ludacris with Guns N. Roses - "one of the most highly anticipated albums of all time," they describe it, and we think they mean Chinese Democracy and not the mashup, but either works for us.

 According to the band, "In celebration of new albums from both Guns n' Roses and Ludacris next month, Cassettes Won't Listen offers up this 9 song free (for experimental purposes only) album featuring classic tracks from the Atlanta MC set to 9 previously leaked Chinese Democracy tracks.

Er, we smell a lawsuit from the Gunners' camp very soon.... So better hit this link fast:

Download the full release for FREE at www.ludacrisdemocracy.com 

Whoops - you were too slow. Sorry pal. The page you're viewing now hosts a cease-and-desist letter from the RIAA that reads, in part, "Dear Sir or Madam. I am contacting you on behalf of the RIAA... We believe your server is hosting... a sound recording for download by the artists known as Guns N' Roses and Ludacris... We have good faith belief that the above-referenced activity is not authorized by the copyright owner.... We request that you remove the infringing file from the system [or] you may be liable for... damages."

As CWL says on the second page of the site, "Sorry. It's out there somewhere."

And that's why God created bit torrents. Let the file sharing begin! Nice publicity stunt for CWL, however....

Back to the drawing board, perhaps lads, hmmm?

By Fred Mills

This morning word arrived via Pitchfork that R.E.M.'s classic, influential '83 screed Murmur will get the expanded/remaster treatment on Nov. 25: that's when the two-CD Murmur: Deluxe Edition arrives in stores via Ume. It will include essays from Mitch Easter and Don Dixon (who produced the original sessions) plus, on the second disc, a portion of the oft-bootlegged July 9, 1983 R.E.M. concert at Larry's Hideaway in Toronto.

The full tracklisting appears below.

In fact, let's take a closer look at exactly what's being served up here. While it's very nice to get a contemporary-era remaster of a classic album, in the case of Murmur, it was a nigh-on perfect release anyway; even the CD editions out there have sported superb sound. But we won't dwell on this, and anyway, the whole package, including the new liner notes, should be very nice indeed.

In other areas, however, this reissue seems deeply flawed. Disc 1, which contains the original album, contains no bonus tracks whatsoever. In 1992 a brace of European I.R.S. reissues of R.E.M. albums came out, each boasting a handful of intriguing bonus tracks - Murmur included a cover of the Velvets' "There She Goes Again" (originally the B-side of the re-recorded "Radio Free Europe") and live versions of "Catapult" (Seattle, 6-27-84), "9-9" (France, 4-20-84) and "Gardening At Night" (France, 4-20-84). It's not as if Disc 1 is exactly crammed with content; there's plenty of room, time-wise, to add these four songs.

Disc 2 is also problematic. Yes, it's very cool to have the live show, but you're only getting 16 songs of what was actually a 20-song set (see full tracklist below) The gig's length exceeded the 80 minute limit of a standard CD, but those additional four tracks could have been tacked on the end of Disc 1 in lieu of the aforementioned bonus cuts. So while this may indeed go into what comprises a "Deluxe Edition," UMe isn't exactly doing any real fans and collectors any favors here.

Incidentally, the Larry's Hideaway show has had an interesting trajectory over the years. About 45 minutes of it was originally broadcast over the radio, subsequently generating an oft-traded tape among collectors. Later, an actual soundboard recording of the entire show surfaced, and that became an even more-coveted trade artifact, eventually making its way to bootleg CD (one, among several, titles was R.E.M. Rising, issued by the Red Robin label) and, later, to the file-sharing communities. Google it and you'll immediately turn up plenty of hits if you're interested in nabbing a torrent.

Anyway, most of this will be irrelevant to the general public. But when a band or a label is going to get involved in the process of putting together a so-called Deluxe Edition, sometimes a bit more thought should go into it.

Track List:

Disc 1:

01 Radio Free Europe
02 Pilgrimage
03 Laughing
04 Talk About the Passion
05 Moral Kiosk
06 Perfect Circle
07 Catapult
08 Sitting Still
09 9-9
10 Shaking Through
11 We Walk
12 West of the Fields

Disc 2 (Live at Larry's Hideaway):

01 Laughing
02 Pilgrimage
03 There She Goes Again
04 7 Chinese Brothers
05 Talk About the Passion
06 Sitting Still
07 Harborcoat
08 Catapult
09 Gardening at Night
10 9-9
11 Just a Touch
12 West of the Fields
13 Radio Free Europe
14 We Walk
15 1,000,000
16 Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)

***

Larry's Hideaway complete setlist:

01. Wolves, Lower
02. Moral Kiosk
03. Laughing
04. Pilgrimage
05. Moon River
06. There She Goes Again
07. 7 Chinese Brothers
08. Talk About the Passion
09. Sitting Still
10. Harborcoat
11. Catapult
12. Pretty Persuasion
13. Gardening at Night
14. 9-9
15. Just a Touch
16. West of the Fields
17. Radio Free Europe
18. We Walk
19. 1,000,000
20. Carnival of Sorts

If you want other artists' blood, this one's for you.

By Blurt Staff

Mark Kozelek (Sun Kil Moon, Red House) puts his unique interpretative stamp on record once again with the release of The Finally LP, a collection of tracks originally recorded for tribute albums that are now unavailable. The 10-song LP is issued on his own Caldo Verde Records on Dec. 9.

 
Highlights include a country tinged version of ‘Lazy' by Low, ‘Bedtime Lullaby' from the children's show Yo Gabba Gabba!, and an intimate, acoustic version Stephen Sondhiem's ‘Send In The Clowns' recorded for the Minneapolis Bridge Disaster Benefit CD. The album also includes radio show rarities, a previously unreleased version of Husker Dü's ‘Celebrated Summer' and two previously unreleased original instrumentals

Tour Dates:

Nov 7th Norfolk, VA Attucks Theater

Nov 8th Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle

Nov 10th Washington, DC Rock n' Roll Hotel

Nov 12th Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Neil Halstead

Nov 15th Orlando, FL Gibson Showroom

Track listing for ‘The Finally LP'

1. Piano Song  2. Finally 3. New Partner 4. Send In The Clowns 5. Lazy 6. Bedtime Lullaby 7. Celebrated Summer 8. My Friend Bob  9. If You Want Blood 10. Gaping Mouth

Produced by Mark Kozelek

Track 1 by Mark Kozelek (God Forbid Publishing, BMI). Previously unreleased
(2006).

Track 2 by Kath Bloom (BMI). Previously released on Loving Takes This
Course - A Tribute To The Songs Of Kath Bloom (2008).

Track 3 by Will Oldham (Royal Stable Music, ASCAP). Previously released on I
am a Cold Rock, I am Dull Grass - A Tribute To Will Oldham (2006).

Track 4 by Stephen Sondheim (ASCAP).Previously released on Musician For
Minneapolis: 57 Songs For The I-35 Bridge Disaster Relief Effort (2008)

Track 5 by Low (Chairkickers Music, BMI). Previously released on We Could
Live In Hope - A Tribute To Low (2006).

Track 6 by Jarond Gibbs (Yo Gabba Gabba! Cast, ASCAP), originally heard on
the Nickelodeon television show Yo Gabba Gabba! (Nickelodeon Music 2008).

Track 7 by Bob Mould (Husker Songs, BMI). Previously unreleased (2003).

Track 8 by Dom Leone (Ed's Quality Music, BMI). Previously released on Guess
Who This Is: A Tribute to Dom Leone (2001).

Track 9 by Young, Young, and Scott (J. Albert & Son Pty ltd, ASCAP). Previously unreleased. Recorded at Antena 3 Radio, Lisbon, Potugal, 2002.

Track 10 by Mark Kozelek (God Forbid Publishing, BMI). Originally released
as the soundtrack to the short film Gaping Mouth (2007).

Features some intriguing guest appearances, too.

By Fred Mills

On the heels of his acclaimed 2007 solo album Post-War, Portland guitar auteur teamed up for this year's collaboration with Zoey Deschanel (as She & Him) for Volume One. That critical success notwithstanding, Ward now turns his attentions back to his solo career: next Feb. 17 he'll release Hold Time (Merge).

The record, which the label sensibly describes as "eloquent and startlingly beautiful", will feature guest spots from Deschanel, Grandaddy's Jason Lytle, Lucinda Williams and DeVotchKa's Tom Hagerman. Advises Merge, "Ward, with his brilliant guitar playing and innate sense of melody, is one of those rare and special talents who defy comparisons and compartmentalization. Like a true American treasure, M. Ward cuts his own groove while music fans continue to fall under his whispered spell."

Hey, we are all about falling under artists' whispered spells!

Meanwhile, Ward and Deschanel are reportedly working on a Volume 2, so keep your eyes peeled for details as they emerge.

Music Hall of Famer Bob Rock produces Northern Avenger

By Mandy Rodgers

Set to drop Nov. 18 on Sudden Death Records, Northern Avenger teams Vancouver band D.O.A. and Vancouver producer Bob Rock to make music. The record celebrates the band's 30^th anniversary of hardcore punk music after many changes and evolutions with the group and music industry.

Founding members, frontman Joey Shithead Keithley (Canada's Godfather of Punk) and bassist Randy Rampage, are featured on Northern Avenger alongside drummer Floor Tom Jones, who fills in for Chuck Biscuits after his retirement in 1999. Keithley owns Sudden Death Records and is the only member of D.O.A. to stay through the entire history of the group and authored the book, I Shithead...A Life in Punk.

According to the band's label, Keithley "formed D.O.A at the beginning of the punk movement, and the band quickly earned a reputation as troublemaking road warriors, and in 1981 made the term hardcore their own, pushing it into the common vernacular."

Northern Avenger will travel back to D.O.A.'s beginnings, before the band influenced the future of music like Green Day, Nirvana and Offspring.

The album is available for streaming at http://pscomputing.ca/streaming.

Let Sleeping Corpses Lie compiles studio and live recordings, video and “hidden gems” spanning 1985-1996.

By Blurt Staff

On Nov. 25, Geffen/UME will exhume White Zombie for the box set Let Sleeping Corpses Lie. The four-CD, one-DVD set will feature all 64 original studio recordings released by the band during its 1985-1996 career. The DVD will include nine music videos, 10 live performances, and some “hidden gems.” Among these latter items will be tracks from rare early EPs Gods on Voodoo Moon (only 300 of those were pressed), Pig Heaven (ltd. edition of 1,000), and Psycho-Head Blowout.

Main man Rob Zombie writes of the set on MySpace blog: “All I can say is boy the early shit is wacked. I haven't heard some of these songs in over twenty years. I don't know what the hell we were thinking.

“Everything is including on this set. Over 4 and 1/2 hours of music plus tons of never before seen videos. 5 discs in all.”

Meatier details:

Disc One… includes all of the tracks released on the New York City band’s own Silent Explosion label--the four songs on the 1985 Gods On Voodoo Moon EP, of which only 300 copies were pressed; the two songs on the 1986 Pig Heaven EP, which had only 1,000 made; and the seven on 1987’s Psycho-Head Blowout EP, which Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain called one of his favorite albums.

Disc Two encompasses White Zombie’s first two full-length albums, 1987’s Soul-Crusher, which began on Silent Explosion but was re-released by Caroline Records the following year, and 1989’s Make Them Die Slowly.

Disc Three offers the three-selection God Of Thunder EP and the band’s 1992 major label debut, La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1, which broke the band into the Top 40, earned double platinum and spawned the Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy-nominated “Thunder Kiss ‘65” and “Black Sunshine” (with Iggy Pop). Also heard is “I Am Hell” from the soundtrack to the 1993 animated flick The Beavis & Butt-head Experience.

Disc Four opens with “Children Of The Grave” from a 1994 Black Sabbath tribute album and “Feed The Gods” from that year’s Airheads soundtrack album. The centerpiece, however, is 1995’s Astro-Creep: 2000, Songs Of Love, Destruction And Other Synthetic Delusions Of The Electric Head, which ranked in the Top 10 for two months, was certified triple platinum and spun off the Modern Rock Top 10, Grammy nominated “More Human Than Human.” The 64 Let Sleeping Corpses Lie recordings conclude with 1996 soundtrack contributions to Escape From L.A., Beavis And Butt-head Do America and The Crow: City Of Angels, with its Grammy nominated cover of the disco hit “I’m Your Boogieman.”

Among the DVD’s videos are those for “More Human Than Human,” winner of the MTV Video Music Award for Best Hard Rock Video, as well as “Thunder Kiss ’65,” “Black Sunshine,” “Super-Charger Heaven,” “I’m Your Boogieman” and “The One.” Live performances include “Soul-Crusher,” “Spiderbaby (Yeah Yeah Yeah),” “I Am Hell” and “Creature Of The Wheel.”

Motown legend was one of the great voices of his time.

By Fred Mills

It was that voice - heard in such hits as "Reach Out (I'll Be There)", "I Can't Help Myself" and, most profoundly and achingly, "Standing In the Shadows of Love - that you think of when you think of the Four Tops and the soul legends' Motown heyday. That voice belonged to Levi Stubbs, and he died today in his longtime home of Detroit following  a protracted illness. He was 72.

"He had one of the most prolific and identifiably voices in American history," the Motown Alumni Association's Billy J. Wilson told Billboard.com. "It's a deep loss, to the entire Motown family and to the world." Stubbs, added Motown founder Berry Gordy, Jr., "was the greatest interpreter of songs I've ever heard."

Read the Billboard article for more tributes.

I recall as a child laying in my bed at night, my tiny A.M. transistor radio radio under my pillow so my parents wouldn't realize I was still awake and listening to the radio. When a Motown song came on, and in particular a Four Tops or Temptations number, it was like getting a jolt of electricity, and in the many years since I've never lost that feeling. To this day I go numb when "Standing In The Shadows Of Love" comes over the oldies airwaves, or cues up on one of my mixtapes.

Stubbs and his voice, then, played a huge role in shaping my musical tastes, and will always owe him a great debt. R.I.P., sir.

[Top: Levi Stubbs pictured, left, along with Renaldo Benson and Abdul Fakir of the Four Tops]

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 NBC: Elton John , Liza Minnelli

9:00 AM SYN: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Toni Braxton

11:00 AM FUSE: Loaded: Voodoo 2008 w/Panic at the Disco , N.E.R.D. , Lil Wayne , Nine Inch Nails , R.E.M. ,

Lupe Fiasco

2:00 PM FUSE: Steven's Untitled Rock Show: Plain White T's

4:00 PM Rave HD Concerts: Corinne Bailey Rae - Live from London

7:00 PM Ovation: Eric Clapton: Standing at the Crossroads

8:00 PM Great American Country: Master Series: Patty Loveless

8:00 PM RAVE HD: Beautiful Noise: Feist

9:00 PM VH1C: The U.S. vs. John Lennon

11:30 PM Comedy Central: The Colbert Report: Winton Marsalis

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Rick Springfield

12:35 AM NBC: Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Mates Of State

1:35 AM NBC: Last Call with Carson Daly: Hot Chip

1:50 AM Starz: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

2:00 AM FUSE: No. 1 Countdown: Rise Against

Much loved UK band also has new album out today.

By Fred Mills

"We have decided to call it a day."

That's the sad news posted this morning to the Long Blondes' MySpace blog by guitarist Dorian Cox. The Sheffield, England, combo cited his having a stroke back in June as the reason behind the decision, saying that he isn't sure when or if he'll be able to play guitar again. See below for the full test of the blog posting.

On June 18 Cox fell ill and was taken to a hospital where it was determined he'd suffered a stroke. He remained in critical condition for a couple of days.

This year the band issued the well-received album Couples, which was preceded by 2006's Someone to Drive You Home. A compilation of the group's first four 7"ers titled, appropriately enough, Singles, is out today in England as well.

******

From the Long Blondes:

We have decided to call it a day.

The main reason for this is that I suffered from a stroke in June and unfortunately I do not know when / if I will be well enough to play guitar again.

On behalf of the band I'd like to say a big thank you to anyone who ever came to one of our shows, bought one of our records or danced to one of our songs in a club. Thank you, if it wasn't for you the whole thing would have been pointless.

Finally on a personal note, thanks for all your well wishing messages.

Dorian xxx

Moby's record label Mute is releasing "Last Night Remix" on Nov. 25

By Mandy Rodgers

Over his career, Moby's remixed countless artists including Michael Jackson, The B52s, Beastie Boys, Aerosmith, Metallica - and even himself. Now, he has hand-picked various electronic artists to re-record his own music as well.

The original "Last Night" was released in April of this year, and according to his label is, "the most dance oriented and electronic Moby album this decade." Some of the most well-known techno musicians around today contribute to the new work, like Holy Ghost!, Freemason's and Spencer & Hill. Moby's song "I Love to Move in Here" is re-worked three times on the album by Holy Ghost!, Seamus Haji and Style of Eye.

Last Night Remixed Track Listing

I Love To Move In Here (Holy Ghost! Remix)
Ooh Yeah (Kris Menace Remix)
Live For Tomorrow (Tocadisco Remix)
I'm In Love (The Shapeshifters Maximal Remix)
Disco Lies (Freemasons Club Mix)
I Love To Move In Here (Seamus Haji Club Mix)
Alice (General Midi Remix)
The Stars (AC Slater Remix)
Disco Lies (Spencer & Hill Remix)
Alice (Drop The Lime-Heavy Bass Remix)
Ooh Yeah (D.Ramirez Haunted Playground Remix)
I'm In Love (Mason Remix)
I Love To Move In Here (Style Of Eye Piano Remix)
Last Night (Album Version)

Let us all salute the mighty "Hanging on the Telephone"...

By Blurt Staff

Mark your calendars for Nov.11: That's when Alive Records drops One Way Ticket by garage/pop legends THE NERVES.

Formed in 1975 by guitarist JACK LEE, bassist PETER CASE, and drummer PAUL COLLINS, the Nerves are one of the most influential garage/punk pop outfits to come out of the mid-70's LA scene, and certainly one of the least documented... until now.

Mostly remembered for their classic "Hanging On The Telephone," a Jack Lee composition which has been covered over the years by a myriad of artists from BLONDIE to L7 to CAT POWER, the Nerves were above all a high energy rock'n'roll band with all three members composing and singing. Playing fast, ear-catching garage pop songs, sometimes wearing matching suits, the trio had more than a bit of the stripped down street energy of the Los Angeles's early punk movement. They shared the stage with the Ramones and Mink Deville during their infamous US "Magical Blistering Tour," played the Punk Palace and the legendary Masque in Hollywood, and headlined shows with the Avengers, the Zeros, The Dils, The Screamers and Shock, to name just a few.

After the band's break-up in 1978, Peter Case and Paul Collins formed The BREAKAWAYS, and later went on to front the legendary PLIMSOULS and The BEAT, respectively. Following the success of "Hanging On the Telephone," JACK LEE has mostly focused on his songwriting career, releasing an album in 1981. Both Peter and Paul are still recording and touring. PETER CASE's latest album "Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John" (Yeproc 2007) was nominated for a Grammy.

This collection, authorized for the first time ever by the three band members, features their 1976 EP (now regarded as a power pop classic), as well as demos and previously unreleased live recordings, remastered and complete with notes penned by Case and rare photos. The LP edition comes in yellow vinyl.

Track listing :

1. One Way Ticket

2. Paper Dolls

3. Hanging On The Telephone

4. When You Find Out

5. Working Too Hard

6. Give Me Some Time

7. Walking Out On Love

8. Thing Of The Past

9. It's Hot Outside

10. Many Roads To Follow (demo)

11. Are You Famous? (live)

12. Why Am I Lonely? (live)

13. You Won't Be Happy (live)

14. Any Day Now (live)

15. Letter To G. (live)

16. Come Back And Stay (live)

17. I Need Your Love (live)

18. Stand Back and Take a Good Look (demo)

19. Are You Famous (demo - CD only)

20. Letter To G. (demo - CD only).

Mixing Metallica, Motorhead, QOTSA and The Who.

By Blurt Staff

That thundering, crunching sound? It's Brooklyn's Giraffes, delivering fourth full-length Prime Motivator. The punk-metal outfit previously delivered the twisted riff rock of both Helping You Help Yourself (2002) and The Giraffes (2005), alongside the more theatrical and evocative strains of A Gentleman Never Tells (2003). Now the band unites the two styles on Prime Motivator.

Aggressive but exuberant, abandoned but precise, it's the Giraffes arguably at a new peak.Lyrically, Prime Motivator - particularly the title track - was inspired by lead singer Aaron Lazar's multiple brushes with death in 2005 and 2008 (Lazar has a mysterious heart condition that causes him to literally drop dead without warning and has been outfitted with an implanted defibrillator as a precaution). The resulting record is at turns urgent, belligerent, harrowing, oversexed, sardonic and sly, with the band's characteristic swagger - and arsenal of memorable riffs - always in full effect.

The album was recorded at Rancho De La Luna studios in Joshua Tree, CA (Desert Sessions) by Dave Catching. It features guest vocals from Jessie "The Devil" Hughes and Melissa Auf Der Mar (Hole / Smashing Pumpkins).

About The Giraffes:

The Giraffes were formed in 1998 in Brooklyn, New York by founding and present band members Damien Paris (guitar) and Andrew Totolos (drums). The current line-up was completed by vocalist and ringmaster Aaron Lazar who joined the band in 2000 and bassist Jens Carstensen who was conscripted in 2007. Throughout the ten year history of The Giraffes, they have remained a genre defying mix of punk, heavy metal, classic rock and roll, surf guitar rock with echoes of Eastern European and Middle Eastern traditional music surfacing in their riffs. Prolific as they are destructive, these boys from Brooklyn have already released three full-length albums and two EPs as well as having toured with the likes of Eagles of Death Metal, Local H, The Means, The Vacation, Skeleton Key and others.

Giraffes Tour Dates:

Oct 24 2008    10:00P

            CMJ Show @ Le Poisson Rouge       New York, New York

Oct 25 2008    6:00P

            CMJ EARLY Show @ Club Europa, 16+ !! G'Point, B'lyn, New York

Nov 5 2008     8:00P

            Now That's Class        Cleveland, Ohio

Nov 6 2008     10:00P

            Liar's Club      Chicago, Illinois

Nov 7 2008     10:00P

            Vaudeville Mews        Des Moines, Iowa

Nov 8 2008     10:00P

            Larimer Lounge          Denver, Colorado

Nov 9 2008     8:00P

            The Parlor Bar             Laramie, Wyoming

Nov 10 2008   9:00P

            Czar Bar          Kansas City, Missouri

Nov 11 2008   8:00P

            Big V's            St. Paul, Minnesota

Nov 12 2008   9:00P

            The Frequency            Madison, Wisconsin

Nov 13 2008   10:00P

            The Summit     Columbus, Ohio
 

The Chicago trio tours across America

By Mandy Rodgers

Pit Er Pat is busy performing and promoting High Time through the month of November. The group has already visited Chicago and Columbus and still has plans to hit Baltimore, New York, Montreal, Philadelphia and Los Angeles to name a few of the cities on the schedule.

High Time features a different sound for the trio with drums, sequencers and other percussion instruments. Members Fay Davis-Jeffers, Rob Duran and Butchy Fuego recorded the album at their own studio, "Top Cat."

According to Thrill Jockey Records, "If you're familiar with the off-kilter post-rock stylings of their previous efforts, you'll find those sounds are still here but now awash with dub and tribal influences as Rob and Butchy tighten their rhythms and bring layers upon layers of beats into focus."

Listen to "Evacuation Days" from High Time at:

http://www.thrilljockey.com/drop/freebies/PitErPat_EvacuationDays.mp3

Oct 17  Chicago, IL     Abbey Pub w/DMBQ

Oct 18  Ann Arbor, MI   East Quad Music Co-Op

Oct 19  Columbus, OH    Cafe Bourbon Street w/DMBQ

Oct 20  Meadville, PA   Grounds For Change

Oct 21  Washington, DC  Velvet Lounge w/DMBQ

Oct 22  Baltimore, MD   Floristree Space w/Future Islands

Oct 23  New York, NY    Barnard College w/DMBQ

Oct 25  New York, NY    The Annex (TJ CMJ Showcase)

Oct 27  Allston, MA     Great Scott

Oct 28  Montreal, QC    ZooBizarre

Oct 29  Rochester, NY   Bug Jar w/Science Vs. Witchcraft

Oct 30  Hudson, NY      Smog (Bard College) w/DMBQ

Oct 31  Philadelphia, PA        Danger Danger Gallery w/Chinese Stars

Oct 31  Philadelphia, PA        Starlight Ballroom w/Man Man

Nov 1   Buffalo, NY     Kitchen Distribution

Nov 5   Columbia, MO    Ragtag Cinema w/Heater

Nov 6   Memphis, TN     Odessa

Nov 7   Austin, TX      Emo's Inside

Nov 8   Lubbock, TX     The Foundation

Nov 9   Marfa, TX       Building 98

Nov 11  Los Angeles, CA The Smell w/Hecuba, Lucky Dragons

Nov 12  Isla Vista, CA  Biko Co-Op Garage w/Hecuba, Lucky Dragons

Nov 13  Claremont, CA   Shakedown Cafe w/Hecuba, Lucky Dragons

Nov 14  San Luis Obispo, CA     SLO Art Center w/Hecuba, Lucky Dragons

Nov 15  Santa Cruz, CA  The Crepe Place w/Hecuba

Nov 16  San Francisco, CA       Hemlock Tavern  w/Hecuba, Lucky Dragons

Nov 17  Oakland, CA     Lobot Gallery  w/Hecuba, Lucky Dragons

Nov 19  Portland, OR    Backspace  w/Hecuba, Lucky Dragons

Nov 20  Anacortes, WA   Department of Safety w/Hecuba, Lucky Dragons

Nov 21  Seattle, WA     The Vera Project  w/Hecuba, Lucky Dragons

Cub shot in the head found in N.C. with Obama posters wrapped around it.

By Fred Mills

With memories of cries of "Terrorist!" and "Kill him!" at McCain-Palin rallies in recent weeks still lingering, the election trail took an ominous turn yesterday morning (Oct. 20) when the body of a dead bear covered with Obama signs was found at the entrance of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC.

According to a report filed by the Asheville Citizen-Times daily newspaper, maintenance workers found a 75-pound bear cub on the campus that had apparently been shot in the head - a pair of Obama campaign posters had been stapled together and draped over the dead animal's head.

Chief of university police Tom Johnson told reporters, "Someone evidently was wanting to draw attention to the election. If we find out who they are, we'll make sure they'll get some attention themselves."

Added WCU associate vice chancellor, "We cannot speculate on the motives of the people involved nor who those people might be. Campus police are cooperating with authorities to investigate this matter."

Local TV station WLOS broadcast a report on the incident, displaying a picture of the campaign signs that additionally had some unspecified words written on duct tape attached to the sign. The content of those words was not released but speculation has already arisen that they were either of a political or racial component, or both.

"A sick individual who thinks extremely badly about Obama," freshman Daniel Ford told WLOS, with political science professor Chris Cooper observing, "I think it sends a pretty disturbing message, obviously it sounds like it may have some racial implications and at the very least its somebody sending the wrong message and taking this hot political season the wrong way."

At the Citizen-Times website, readers' comments regarding the report were posted, including one that read, in part, "In a perverse way, this is extremely logical. Animal haters tend to be more conservative and, thus, more likely to hate Obama and even use violence. This is all embodied in Ms. Palin." Predictably, a rebuttal was posted shortly thereafter that read, "Your comment makes no sense. You are making huge assumptions with no basis. You also take everything you don't like and arbitrarily assign them all to a person about whom you have no knowledge. You have no evidence that any candidate advocates violence toward anouther candidate."

Regardless, whether or not the bear killing was the product of some drunk hunters making a very, very bad joke, or someone intending specifically to send a none-too-veiled message to the Obama campaign, the end result is the same. People that do things like this, or people who laugh and look on approvingly, are the same people who barely a generation earlier would have thought nothing about hanging a noose or placing a burning cross in someone's front yard.

Come to think of it, some of them still do.

As a friend of mine put it succinctly when we were discussing the incident, "If you had begun to forget who we're fighting [in this election], this should remind us."

R.I.P. Rudy Ray Moore

All sound and fury, signifying monkey.

By Randy Harward

Today the world is down one bad motherfucker. Actor, comedian, and singer Rudy Ray Moore—more popularly known as the swashbuckling blaxploitation hero Dolemite—passed away yesterday after “a long bout with diabetes and obscurity,” according to his MySpace page.

Moore was a pioneer in the field of raunchy comedy, releasing outrageous party records in the 1960s-70s that pushed the boundaries of good taste and paved the way for countless pottymouthed comics and rappers to come. His onscreen persona, the fuckin’, fightin’ Dolemite, is an icon of American popular culture, especially the blaxploitation film genre along with Shaft, Super Fly, Blacula, Coffy, and Welcome Home Brother Charles. Stereotypical, and deliberately pandering to black audiences, these films portrayed black men as ass-kickin’ lovermen—usually with a grudge against Whitey. Moore’s films were the genre’s B- and even C-level, with Dolemite’s trademark bad acting and fighting, but regarded as classics nonetheless because few blaxploitation stars—Pam Grier, Richard Roundtree, Jim Brown, Fred Williamson—could match the verve and humor Moore displayed in Dolemite, its sequel The Human Tornado, and Petey Wheatstraw, The Devil’s Son-in-Law.

Rest in peace, Dole.

Full announcement, from the Rudy Ray Moore MySpace page:

Legendary actor, filmmaker, comedian, singer, Godfather of Rap and King of the Party Records, Rudolph Frank Moore better known as Rudy Ray Moore or Dolemite has left this earthly plane.

A 60 + year veteran of the stage, the first x rated comedian, one of the first African American filmmakers and the third most sampled man in the world, his self made comedy records and films have inspired and influenced generations from a thousand walks of life and a hundred nations.

He had recently finished work on "The Dolemite Explosion" with longtime friend and costar Jimmy Lynch (his first self-made film in 30 years), an album of soul ballads called "Let Me Sing To You Before I Drift Away" with his daughter Rusty, and had been Highlighted by Hadjii in an episode of "Somebodies" and was looking forward to a resurgence and a country album.

After a long battle with diabetes and obscurity, he passed peacefully on Sunday at the age of 81.

He was a good God fearing man who loved his friends and family.

Chile-based German DJ/producer’s new album features Latin electronic and cha cha cha tributes to Daft Punk, Prince, the Eurythmics.

By Blurt Staff

On Nov. 18, Nacional Records will release Around the World, the new album by Chile-based German producer Señor Coconut (Uwe Schmidt), and reissue Coconut’s debut album, El Baile Alemán.

Around the World will apply a Latin touch to “classic club hits by… Daft Punk ("Around the World"), Prince ("Kiss"), Laid Back ("White Horse"), and the Eurythmics ("Sweet Dreams).” Track-by-track notes from Señor Coconut follow this post.

El Baile Alemán, Coconut’s Latin tribute to Kraftwerk, will be reissued on CD (with bonus tracks)—and for the first time, via download.

Track list:

1. Around the World (Intro)

2. Sweet Dreams

3. Da Da Da Ich Leib Dich Nicht du Liebst Mich

4. Kiss

5. Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)           

6. Around the World (Interlude)           

7. Que Rico El Mambo                       

8. Pinball Chacha                       

9. White Horse                       

10. La Vida Es Llena de Cables           

11. Moscow Discow

12. Around the World (Outro)

13. Dreams Are My

14. Voodoo Dreams [Atom Remix]

Track-by-track:

AROUND THE WORLD - "With my Señor Coconut project, I receive a whole lot of ideas from friends, fans, and other musicians. My friend and valued colleague, Original Hamster, once mentioned 'Around the World' by the French group Daft Punk and since then this track had been stuck in my head. But in parallel with this, Thomas Baxter, son of the legendary exotica musician and composer Les Baxter, asked me whether I would be interested in remixing one of his father's tracks ('Voodoo Dreams' is included on this album as a bonus track). While I was getting absorbed in Les Baxter and listening to him closely, I discovered an album of his entitled 'Round the World with Les Baxter'.

The theme of 'Around the World' began to take hold of me. It can certainly be said that 'Around the World' - whether interpreted by Les Baxter, Señor Coconut, or anyone else - always reflects only a subjective view of the world. The world of Les Baxter is just as incomplete as that of Señor Coconut, defined by the time and place of our respective existences. After the title of the Señor Coconut album had been decided on, it was of course clear that Daft Punk's 'Around the World' would have to be the leitmotif. The track therefore appears three times on the album: as introduction, interlude and finale."

SWEET DREAMS - "Once 'Around the World' had been established as theme and motto of the album, the first prerequisite was that every track had to come from a different country. One track that had been in my thoughts for years for a Señor Coconut production was 'Sweet Dreams' by the British band Eurythmics. It is simply rhythmically and melodically a perfect cha-cha-cha. The ultimate criterion with Señor Coconut is always purely musical: 'Does that give me any interesting ideas?' Suddenly I heard very clearly its lyrics which provide a curious cross-reference to 'Around the World': 'I travelled the world and the seven seas... Everybody's looking for something.'"

DA DA DA - "A few years ago I had the pleasure of doing a remix for Stephan Remmler, so we were already in contact. Stephan likes Señor Coconut and my work on the remix reminded me of 'Da Da Da'. I realized that 'Da Da Da' was virtually crying out to be done as a cha-cha-cha. Rhythmically and melodically, it was clear where the musical journey should go. I asked Stephan if he would be interested in singing and he agreed immediately. I think that hardly any other German track from the 80s was as emblematic or as German as 'Da Da Da.' In my opinion, the brilliant simplicity of the song makes it THE German representative on 'Around the World.""

KISS - "Again, it was Original Hamster who brought 'Kiss' to my attention. Together with Argenis Brito, I translated the lyrics into Spanish and the decision was made to include this song on the album. The real fascination of this song is that the original has no bass line and that its charm lies in its simplicity (and that was the connection to 'Da Da Da'). At the musical level, the challenge was to convey these two aspects in Señor Coconut style."

QUE RICO EL MAMBO - "The original by Perez Prado is quite simply THE Mambo track par excellence. It was also high time to have Perez Prado appear on a Señor Coconut album, not just as a guiding spirit but directly. There are Prado references on all the Señor Coconut albums and he is probably my most important source of inspiration. It is interesting that Perez Prado is in no way a representative of Latin American "standards" but is characterized much more by having continually rejected these standards (apart from those which he himself created). Perez Prado compositions are remarkable not only for their unconventional arrangements and playing styles but also for their wit and simplicity."

PINBALL CHACHA - "Just as on 'El Baile Alemán' and 'Yellow Fever!', an originally electronic track is re-interpreted acoustically. This song is by the Swiss band Yello and was always a cha-cha-cha. This is already enough to explain why it ended up on the album. Produced by Yello at the beginning of the 80s using one of the first samplers, the original version plays with elements which are typical of "exotica" such as sampled bird calls and forest sounds."

WHITE HORSE - "Argenis Brito turned me on to the track. When I found myself short of up-tempo tracks, and it occurred to me that the original 'White Horse' track by the Danish combo Laid Back would be perfect as a merengue song, I knew that I simply HAD to cover it. 'White Horse' is in fact a reference to cocaine ('If you wanna ride, don't ride the white horse...'), a substance which is very popular in the merengue scene and is without doubt responsible for the nervousness of this rhythm."

Human Giant and Flight of the Conchords star embarks on stand-up tour.

By Blurt Staff

While we await the third season of Human Giant and more news about his The Office spinoff, Aziz Ansari is taking his sweet act to us. The 16-date (so far) “Glow in the Dark” tour starts Saturday, Oct. 25 in Saratoga Springs, NY and will hit NYC, Seattle, San Francisco, Austin and other U.S. cities through Jan. 24. More dates to be announced.

Check out Aziz's interview with M.I.A. as well as Jeff Miller's Aziz profile and A.D. Amorosi's Human Giant feature--all done pre-Blurt for the dearly deparated Harp magazine.

Aziz Ansari ComedyCentral.com "Clip Joint":

Aziz Ansari's “Glow in the Dark” tour dates:

10.25.08 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Skidmore College - More Info
10.26.08 - Ithaca, NY - Ithaca College - Buy Tickets
11.08.08 - Notre Dame, ID - Notre Dame (Legends) - More Info
11.13.08 - Seattle, WA - Triple Door - Buy Tickets
11.20.08 - Chicago, IL - Lakeshore Theatre - Buy Tickets
12.10.08 - Atlanta, GA - Punchline - Buy Tickets
12.11.08 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt - Buy Tickets
12.12.08 - Charleston, SC - 99 Theatre - Buy Tickets
12.13.08 - Charleston, SC - 99 Theatre - Buy Tickets
12.19.08 - Austin, TX - Emo's - Buy Tickets
01.09.09 - New York, NY - Comix - On Sale 10/28/08
01.10.09 - New York, NY - Comix - On Sale 10/28/08
01.17.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Largo at the Coronet - On Sale 10/28/08
01.22.09 - San Francisco, CA - The Punchline - On Sale 10/28/08
01.23.09 - San Francisco, CA - The Punchline - On Sale 10/28/08
01.24.09 - San Francisco, CA - The Punchline - On Sale 10/28/08

(Photo: Randy Harward)

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)

10:30 AM & 8:30 PM: Comedy Central: The Colbert Report: Wynton Marsalis

11:00 AM MTV2: MTV Essential: Metallica

11:30 AM NICK: Yo Gabba Gabba!: I'm from Barcelona , Mark Mothersbaugh

1:30 PM FUSE: Loaded: Voodoo 2008 w/Panic at the Disco , N.E.R.D. , Lil Wayne , Nine Inch Nails , R.E.M. , Lupe Fiasco

2:00 PM FUSE: Steven's Untitled Rock Show: Rise Against

5:30 PM FUEL: The Daily Habit: Civet

7:00 PM MTV2: Celebrity Deathmatch: Paris Hilton , Bam Margera , Bono, Coldplay, Bruce Willis

8:00 PM Great American Country: Opry Live: Tift Merritt , Josh Turner , Steve Wariner , Mel Tillis

9:00 PM & 12:00 AM: Ovation: Definitely Dusty (Dusty Springfield)

11:35 PM NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Marc Broussard

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Jesse McCartney

12:35 AM NBC: Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Atmosphere

12:37 AM CBS: The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Laura Marling

1:00 AM VH1C: David Gilmour - Live in Gdansk