Blurt goes to the circus... or something like that! Pt. 3 of our multi-day coverage...

By Scott Dudelson

Much like Day 1 of the festival, Day 3's appeal (and draw) relied heavily on the reputation and legacy of its headlining artists, which included The Cure, Public Enemy, My Bloody Valentine, Perry Farrell, and Paul Weller.   Whether it was due to burnout from the first two days events, a lack of interest in these acts, or the sweltering 100+ temperatures, the crowd was noticeably thinner during much of the day, and the festival as a whole seemed to be moving much slower.   Multiple stages were running behind schedule, and this caused many concert-goers (including myself), to miss significant portions of key sets because there was never any certainty when one act would begin, and another would end.   Not cool.

But with the bad, comes a lot of good, and the sets that I did manage to catch were great.   One of the most interesting acts to perform was the hard-core punk band Fucked Up from Toronto, Canada.  Just as the name implies, the band's set was totally fucked up.  In fact, it was so fucked up, it was awe-inspiring.  The five piece is led by Damian Abraham, a big, hairy beast of a man, with blood painted over his face, and a wicked intention to remain perpetually topless.   Much like the singer of Valiant Thorr (another totally fucked up, crazy front-man), Abraham plays hard and invites audience participation.  During the band's first song, Abraham jumped over the photo pit, and somehow managed to get his 250+ pound frame over the barricade and into the crowd.  Luckily nobody was crushed, but Abraham's presence ignited frenzy in the most pit, and for the next few songs this crazy beast tossed fans left and right while his band thrashed on their instruments behind him.

Shortly after Fucked Up blazed their trail of destruction, the Brian Jonestown Massacre took the stage and performed a surprisingly tame set.  Singer Anton Newcombe's reputation as an eccentric live performer is well documented, but for this performance Newcombe instead sang dispassionately, facing his band instead of the crowd.  In fact, it wasn't until the fifth song that Newcombe even looked at the audience. Not even a few f-bombs hurled toward the stage could get a rise out of Newcombe. It's unclear whether Newcombe was channeling the sprit of Jim Morrison, zonked on Prozac, or just simply bored.

As the day turned into night, one of the festival's brightest younger acts, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, took the stage and nearly the entire festival the crowd with it (Paul Weller's set, which was taking place at the same time, only had thousand or so people watching).  The band, led by the theatrical Karen O, kicked out an hour long set with tunes from their new album It's Blitz and favorites from past albums including a stunning version of their hit "Maps."  Following Yeah Yeah Yeahs was the one-two-three punch of Public Enemy, iconic English noise-rock band My Bloody Valentine, and The Cure.

While the members of My Bloody Valentine, stood stoically on stage, the sound they produced was akin to an explosion, and lifted and lulled as the melodies demanded. The band performed much of their classic 1991 album Loveless, while Public Enemy performed It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back in its entirety on a nearby stage. The Cure closed out the night with a two-hour plus greatest hits set (and Robert Smith would have played more if they hadn't gone 30 minutes over curfew).

After the show I spoke with a few fans and each had a wildly different take on the festival and what day was best.  To me, it underscored the fact that Coachella - and any festival with numerous stages and a large variety of acts - is not unlike a ‘choose your own adventure' story, and luckily no matter what adventure you choose, its bound to be a pretty darn good one.

[Photos credit: Scott Dudelson]

(Go HERE to read Scott's account of the first day, April 17, and HERE for April 18.)

They might be Brits, they might be Yanks, but they note "I'll Be With You"

By Nancy Dunham

You've gotta love the Black Lips. Not only do they mix up punk, rock, blues, and who knows what other genres but now they're mixing up British and American accents. Of course, who isn't?

Don't believe us? Check out the band's latest MTV2 performance and its new video for "I'll Be With You" from the album 200 Million Thousand. There's also plenty of other video goodies on here - not to mention various accents.

MTV

Bandstand Buckskin Performance

Tentatively rescheduled for fall after the World Series.

By Blurt Staff

BLURT has just gotten word that what was to be one of THE major hip-hop tours of the summer has been cancelled due to - we're not making this up - baseball.

That's right: superstar rappers Yung Löc and Lil' Wang (real names: Carl Pitts and Oliver Weinstein), from Shreveport and Hamlet, NC, respectively) announced today, April 1,  at a press conference in Harlem (just around the corner from former President Bill Clinton's office, in fact) that they'd decided to "sit around and smoke weed and watch baseball the whole goddam season" instead of perform. This comes on the heels of their just-issued Bitch Got All My MO-Nay (Bust-A-Nut) album, available exclusively at Taco Bell - the shrewd marketing move was initially dismissed as a "gimmick" by industry watchdogs such as Bob Lefsetz, but after the airing of news clips of thousands of YL&LW fans crowding the parking lots of Taco Bells nationwide the night before the album's March 24 release, those so-called pundits beat a hasty retreat to eat their words (and no doubt chow down on a Burrito Supreme).

To date, Bitch Got All My MO-Nay has SoundScanned in the neighborhood of 800,000 copies.

Mr. Löc and Mr. Wang (or is it Mr. Yung and Mr. Lil'? we forget what New York Times style calls for here...) indicated that their tour, which was set to kick off in Fort Lauderdale on May 3 and wrap in late September, will be rescheduled for sometime after this year's World Series.

And yes, they are both hardcore Red Sox fans...

By Blurt Staff

Wow. Normally we wouldn't feel like we need to 'splain nothin' to the readers, but after receiving numerous emails  regarding the dubious nature of some of our news items that were posted... Well, some of them were "dubious" while others were pretty upfront. You'll have to figure out which ones, though; we can't do ALL the heavy lifting for ya.

Yesterday's date was April 1, you ninnies.

Brit apes' Apollo Performance to be Released on DVD/CD

The first live DVD/CD of one of the best Brit imports of recent years  -- Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders and Nick O'Malley collectively known as the Arctic Monkeys -- will be released on May 5.

The 76-minute film documents the last performance of the band's 2007 world tour, at the Manchester Apollo Theatre. Should be pretty gritty and fun to watch since it was shot on 16mm film.

Check out the track listing:

1. "Brianstorm"

2. "This House is a Circus"

3. "Teddy Picker"

4. "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor"

5. "Dancing Shoes"

6. "From the Ritz to the Rubble"

7. "Fake Tales of San Francisco"

8. "When the Sun Goes Down"

9. "Nettles"

10. "D is for Dangerous"

11. "Leave Before the Light Come On"

12. "Fluorescent Adolescent"

13. "Still Take You Home"

14. "Da Frame 2R"

15. "Plastic Tramp"

16. "505"

17. "Do Me a Favour"

18. "A Certain Romance"

19. "The View From The Afternoon"

20. "If You Were There, Beware"

And, you stateside boys and girls get a special U.S.-only bonus CD recorded live in Austin, Texas, which has the following tracks:

1. "Riot Van"

2. "The View From the Afternoon"

3. "Still Take You Home"

4. "You Probably Couldn't See For The Lights But You Were Staring Straight at Me"

5. "Cigarette Smoker Fiona"

6. "Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But..."

7. "Dancing Shoes"

8. "I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor"

9. "When The Sun Goes Down"

10. "A Certain Romance"

Dodgy D.C. rumors set in motion an end run down to Philadelphia.

By Blurt Staff

Not long ago we brought you news about a U2 surprise gig in Cambridge that turned out to be just a rumor, although a week or so later the Irish legends actually wound up doing a brief small venue show in Boston - proof that in real life, everything is always a little bit of truth and a little bit of lies, but never less than interesting. (You can have that little tidbit of BLURT-ian philosophy for free. Please, no tipping the guru.)

So this morning, April 1, scores of U2 fans began lining up outside the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., in hopes of securing entry to what was rumored to be a free, surprise concert at the long-running rock club, tentatively slated for tonight at 8pm. A rumor about the U2 gig began circulating in D.C. late last night when a person posted the following message at the BLURT forums:

"Hey Blurt-ers, just heard that tomorrow at the 9:30 Club, U2 will be doing a free show. Tickets being distributed first come first served in the morning. See you there!"

The news quickly drew heated debate on the message boards but no substantiation, so we subsequently made a lightning round of phone calls to determine if this was a hoax or the real deal. Initially, neither the club nor U2's p.r. agents would return our calls, and sure enough, by early this morning a line of hopeful fans was already stretching completely around the 9:30 Club (see photo, below) and down the street for a full two blocks. Crowd size estimates were in the 5,000 range, prompting D.C. horseback police to get involved, pacing up and down the line in a fairly good display of keeping order.

Meanwhile, however, something seemed fishy about the whole matter. Things didn't add up. And sure enough, after enough prodding, prompting, probing and pressing, we finally received a callback from Principle Management, which handles U2: the location was wrong, but the date is right, and the show is definitely not in D.C., but instead, it's down in Philadelphia tonight at the Trocadero (see photo, below). We've been pledged not to publish this info until now, but as our Philly bureau (hi, Zach!) is reporting that the line around the Troc is about 10 times longer than it was at the 9:30 (sorry to make you go out there, Rocky!), it looks like the cat is out of the ol' Irish kitbag, so to speak.

Marisa Nadler takes her new sound on the road. How about that Radiohead cover, too!

by Blurt Staff

It's time for some California - and points beyond - dreamin' as folk/dream/pop artist Marisa Nadler tours behind her new album Little Hells. She's one of our cover artists on the debut print issue of BLURT, incidentally, so check her out under our covers, on newsstands now.

You can also check out her new sound at these dates (expanded considerably from her previously announced itinerary). She promises more tour news to come.

Apr   7 - 8:00p - Hotel Cafe - Los Angeles

Apr   8 - 9:00p - Cafe du Nord - San Francisco

Apr 10 - 8:00p - Tractor Tavern - Seattle

Apr 11- 8:00p -The Media Club _Vancouver, BC

Apr 12 - 9:00p - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, Ore.

Apr 16 - 9:00p - 400 Bar - Minneapolis, Minn.

Apr 17 - 8:00p - High Noon Saloon - Madison, Wisc.

Apr 18 - 8:00p - Shubas Tavern - Chicago

Apr 19 - 8:00p - Shubas Tavern - Chicago

Apr 21 - 8:00p - El Mocambo - Toronto, Ontario

Apr 22 - 8:00p - Black Sheep Inn - Wakefield, Quebec

Apr 24 - 9:00p - Lizard Lounge - Cambridge, Mass.

Apr 25 - 8:00p - Highline Ballroom - New York

Apr 26 - 8:00p - IOTA - Arlington, Va.

May 1 - Vooruit - Gent, Belgium -   w/ the Great Lake Swimmers

May 2 - The Chapel Arts Center - Bath, UK

May 3 - Halifax Parish Church - Halifax, UK

May 5 - Arts Center - Norwich, UK

May 4 - Captain's Rest. - Glasgow, Scotland

May 6 - The Luminaire - London, UK

May 7 - The Glee Club - Birmingham, UK

May 9 - Chapelle St. Jacques - Vendome, France

May 10 - Parlement de Bretagne - Rennes, France

May 14 - Init - Rome, Italy w/ Josephine Foster

May 15 -  Casa 139 - Milano, Italy

May 16 -  Spazio 211 - Torino, Italy

May 20 -  Le Romandie - Lausanne, CH

May 22 - Admiralspalast 101 - Berlin, Germany

May 23 -  Studio 672 - Koln, Germany

May 24 -  Brotfabrik - Frankfurt, Germany

May 25 -  KAMPNAGEL - Hamburg, Germany

May 27 - Club Woody - Gothenburg, Sweden

May 28 - Revolver - Oslo, Norway  w/ Jamie Stewart

May 30 - Orange Blossom Festival - Beverungen, Germany

May 31 - De Buze - Steenwijk, Netherlands

June 1 - Paradiso - Amsterdam, Netherlands

One of our favorite websites on the planet: MarissaNadler.com

Nadler does Radiohead:

No, it's not that gal from Hole. Or Zak Starkey, either.

By Fred Mills

Seems like it was just yesterday we brought you word about Smashing Pumpkins' drummer Jimmy Chamberlin quitting the band in a barely-concealed huff. And it literally WAS yesterday that we brought you word of Billy Corgan deciding to hold an open cattle call (via the internet) for prospective new drummers: send in your stats, and you might land an audition in L.A. on April 10.

But today, April 1, news leaked from the Pumpkins camp that a drummer has already been found, and internet message boards across the cyberverse have been abuzz all morning: the dude's an old man, er, a senior citizen, one whose previous musical experience was exclusively with big band and swing outfits back in the 40s.

That's right: 95-year old Chad "Chadmo" Moore has landed the kit job for the Pumpkins. In a brief but telling statement, Corgan praised the skinsman's "dexterity," adding, "And the fact that he plays with his oxygen tank already hooked up means he doesn't have to take a bunch of breaks like most of the losers I've worked with in the past."

Corgan indicated that he's come across Moore's credit on some old jazz albums he found at a Chicago thrift store last week, and upon Googling the drummer located a phone and address. A subsequent conversation between the two apparently went well, and after Corgan flew Moore in to jam on a few songs, the pair hit it off like gangbusters.

Watch for Moore to debut on the forthcoming Smashing Pumpkins digital EP Machina III/Frammin' On the Jim-Jam, due in August.

Hot clip from forthcoming EP...

By Blurt Staff

With that new Breeders EP, Fate to Fatal, incoming circa April 21 (it'll also be available April 18 as part of Record Store Day), the band will be unveiling a new video for the title track, along with a "making of" clip called "Skate to Fatal."

Yes, it's a rollergirls-themed video. And you have to go to RollingStone.com to view it, but hey, it's a small price to pay for some hi-octane, hi-nrg, softcore cheap thrills, eh?

"I've been called a malicious worm many, many times in the past, so it seems a natural fit." - David Lee Roth

By Fred Mills

4-1-09

There's been a lot of talk about how Conficker is going to create havoc today, April 1. Conficker, formally named W32/Conficker.worm, began infecting systems at the end of 2008 by exploiting a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. Since then internet security firms have seen two more variants of this worm and many binaries - files ready to load into memory and execute - that carry the worm's malicious payload. Conficker.C is the latest variant. Its "call-home protocol" will change today, Wednesday, April 1, and may entail an update with some as-yet unknown functionality.

Conficker.C is the most recent variant of the Conficker worm. Exposure to Conficker.C is limited to systems that are still infected with the earlier variants, Conficker.A and Conficker.B, which operate by exploiting the MS08-067 vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server Service. If the vulnerability is successfully exploited, it could allow remote code execution when file sharing is enabled. Conficker combats efforts at eradication by creating scheduled tasks and/or using autorun.inf files to reactivate itself.

However, BLURT has learned that Conficker is actually the latest "career move" (read: p.r. stunt) mounted by Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth! "The paramedic thing was a dead end, and frankly it got a little gross having to administer mouth-to-mouth to old people who'd collapsed," said Roth, in a statement, adding, "and doing a radio show is boring unless you're Howard Stern and have all the strippers, big tits, etc. happening. So I have decided to be an internet virus instead. I don't know much about computers, but I've been called a malicious worm many, many times in the past, so it seems a natural fit."

Roth of course is being slightly disingenuous; in recent months he's already tried his hand at being a random shout-out generator as well as a Sammy Hagar-blasting asteroids game. So he's not exactly new to the digital milieu. However, this will mark the first time he's tried his hand at being a malevolent, havoc-wreaking piece of software.

"With his troublemaking background and reputation as a major tool, Roth stands a good chance at becoming a huge headache to millions of computer users," said a security expert at McAfee, one of the leading virus/firewall firms, speaking on the condition of anonymity ("I'm trying to get my son backstage passes for the D.C. stop of the summer Van Halen tour"). The expert added, "And with Roth's cultural ubiquity - hell, everyone's got a damn Van Halen record somewhere in their collection - he can easily infect computer users across all platforms."

As the Roth news broke this morning, McAfee quickly issued a security alert to its customers and strongly advised them to download the "Tool Remover Tool," which can be found HERE.

No, actually, it's not David Lee Roth who's Conficker - it's Trent Reznor.

By Fred Mills

All those dope beats and fly soundz? Why, it's the new Nine Inch Nails album Strobe Light,  produced by none other than Timbaland, and available today only, April 1, for download at the official NIN.com site.

Admittedly, with all the April Fools day merriment going on all over the internet and, uh, at various music websites, it's hard to tell the real deal from the bullshit. But has Trent Reznor ever been a joking man? Does he look like he's laughing in the sleeve photo, above? (Well, maybe just a tiny smirk, but...) And dig the collaborations on the record too - only someone like Trent would have the juice to call up a roster of homies like this; "Pussygrinder" with Sheryl Crow, yow.

1. intro skit
2. everybody's doing it (featuring chris martin, jay-z AND bono)
3. black t-shirt
4. pussygrinder (featuring sheryl crow)
5. coffin on the dancefloor
6. this rhythm is infected
7. slide to the dark side
8. even closer (featuring justin timberlake and maynard james keenan)
9. on the list (she's not)
10. clap trap crack slap
11. laid, paid and played (featuring fergie of the black eyed peas and al jourgensen)
12. feel like being dead again
13. still hurts (featuring alicia keys)
14. outro skit

According to the NIN site, "To download NIN's new full-length album Strobe Light, PRODUCED BY TIMBALAND, enter a valid email address in the fields below. A download link will be sent to you immediately. Your credit card will be charged $18.98 plus a $10 digital delivery convenience fee. Your files will arrive as windows media files playable on quite a few players with your name embedded all over them just in case you lose them. You will also receive an exclusive photo and a free email account with our partner Google's Gmail service. Your email will be kept confidential and will not be used for spam, unless we can make some money selling it."

So - go ahead folks. Enter your email. Then confirm that email. Then click "submit." If you dare. (Hint: better have your virus protection up to date. Today, after all, is the day the Conficker Worm is supposed to get all up your azz ‘n' stuff. And - Trent - Reznor - IS - the - Conficker!) Go ahead - we did.

He's no record biz puppet, but rumors of contractual issues and internet fraud still swirl around beloved musician.

By Fred Mills

Back in February we had in in-depth interview with singer/songwriter/author/prankster/raconteur John Wesley Harding about his new album Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead and about the ups and downs of establishing his own label, Popover Corps, to release the album as well as records by such cult artists as songwriter Tucker Crowe, avant-skronk legends The Suave Loins of Darkness and first-generation punks Zeroville. At the time, Harding explained his rationale in going the grassroots route thusly:

"My own case is like everyone else's: I might have meant that "being on major labels was impossible" because none of them would sign me. As for indies, you ended up wondering just why you were giving them ownership of your music when you could do it all yourself - but I was too lazy to do it myself and was, in fact, the perfect artist for the old school paradigm. And that was the spark for Popover: I was going to release Who was Changed and Who was Dead on Popover and I thought it would be lonely without some label mates, plus people like labels to have an identity. And it all rolled from there."

More recently, at SXSW in Austin last month, Harding participated in a well-attended panel titled "Make a 360 Deal With Yourself" in which he and several others, including BLURT fave Amanda Palmer, discussed the ramifications of artists taking greater control of their careers in the current music industry climate; in his case, not only working for himself but operating as a label boss as well. Indeed, since rolling out his label, Harding's received a substantial amount of interest in his operations - possibly too much, in fact.

Sources informed BLURT today, April 1, that Harding (real name: Wesley Stace) is currently under scrutiny by both the U.S. Postal Service and the FBI for possible fraud related to his Popover Corps. Details are sketchy, but apparently there have been allegations from both visitors to his website (regarding as yet unfilled mail orders for Popover Corps product being advertised at the site) and some of the artists on his roster (for unauthorized sales of their albums stemming from contractual disputes).

Harding, currently on the road with his funnyman pal Eugene Mirman with their critically acclaimed "Wes and Eugene's Cabinet of Wonders" (tour dates HERE), could not be reached for comment, and repeated emails to the Popover Corps site were not answered. More details as they emerge, but suffice to say we're big JWH fans here at BLURT and we hope that none of these allegations turn out to be true, or that at least the matters are resolved to everyone's satisfaction without having to involve the authorities.

Well, it's a first step at least.

By Blurt Staff

It was announced today, April 1, that Kid Rock has purchased the naming rights to the home of the Detroit Tigers for an undisclosed sum.   Kid Rock and The Michigan Brewing Company, in a separate negotiation, have also announced that Kid Rock's forthcoming new line of beer will become the official beer of the Detroit Tigers.  

Formerly Comerica Park, the green will now be called Kid Rock Field.

Says Kid Rock, in a statement, "This has been a dream of mine for a long time, and with the banks in trouble it seemed like the right time for me to reach out to the fine people at Comerica Bank.  Since they relocated to Dallas after opening the stadium here, they were very open to the idea of making this deal.  I've never been more excited for opening day, and I'm proud to be able to add my name to the legacy of my favorite baseball team."

Uncomfirmed rumors have already begun swirling that the musician ultimately intends to purchase the baseball team, which has been financially embattled for some time now.

For more information on Kid Rock, please visit www.kidrock.com

Ladies and gentlemen.... Don Van Vliet has re-entered the building, with P.J. Harvey on his arm and Tom Waits as his guest. New album due in July, to be followed by a full US tour in August.

By Fred Mills

MOJAVE, CALIF., APRIL 1, 2009: It's like déjà vu all over again! The legendary Captain Beefheart, whose last foray into the music industry was in 1982, has recorded a new album and will be reconvening his Magic Band to tour behind it.

The tour will have its official unveiling at All Tomorrow's Parties in England in May, followed by a high-profile appearance at Bonnaroo in June, and then get in full gear starting early August and running into mid September. The opening act is to be P.J. Harvey & John Parish - currently enjoying the media spotlight following a well-received appearance at SXSW and via the release this week of A Man A Woman Walked By - and Parish will also be pulling double-duty on guitar in the Magic Band due to Gary Lucas' prior commitments with his own Gods And Monsters. The other players include John "Drumbo" French and Michael Traylor on drums, Rockette Morton on bass, and Denny Waller on guitar, plus an as-yet-unnamed keyboard player.

One very special guest: Tom Waits, who contributes "backing vocals" (term used loosely) on the tunes "Taiwan in Tupperware" and "Ming the Merciless' Chimpanzee."

The eponymous album is described as "a mixture of folk, rock and extemporaneous da-da boogie, along with at least one avant-garde Tex-Mex medley, and a freewheeling cover of Robert Johnson's country-blues classic "Me and the Devil Blues." Sessions were produced by Ry Cooder and featured the Magic Band augmented by some of the same players who appear on Cooder's acclaimed 2007 album My Name is Buddy (e.g. Jim Keltner, Mike Elizondo, Cooder's son Joachim and, on the aforementioned Tex-Mex number, accordionist Flaco Jimenez). Captain Beefheart will be released by Nonesuch (also Cooder's current label) on July 6 in the UK and July 7 in the US.

Beefheart (a/k/a Don Van Vliet), in typically left-field manner, didn't make the announcement via the usual channels (his official MySpace page, Pitchfork.com, etc.) but at a news conference held at the Annual Van Vliet Family picnic, located at a state park near his home in Mojave, Calif. A small handful of reporters had been tipped off in advance by Beefheart's manager, Herb Cohen, who in an official statement noted, "With my longtime friend Don's re-emergence, the musical world will finally get a firsthand taste of the quality rock ‘n' roll that it has been sorely missing for the past quarter-century."

Beefheart read Cohen's statement aloud at the press conference and, according to journalist Byron Coley who was on hand and filled BLURT in on the event, the notoriously curmudgeonly performer snorted, ripped the document in half, and said, "'The higher you go, the rarer the vegetation.' Salvador Dali said that, although I don't know where he got it. I think I've read it in a classic of one sort or another. Or older classic. What do you think about that? Am I right or wrong? Although there really is no right or wrong. The truth has no patterns."

Beefheart subsequently filmed a video in which he discussed the record, the tour and his artistry in general. It was posted in low-key fashion to YouTube - you can view it below - although in typical Beefheart fashion, his comments are maddeningly elliptical. He's still got a bit of the prankster to him too: the interview is interspersed with random archival clips and earlier news reports, so you have to pay very careful attention to the entire video.

For those not in the know of truth and its patterns, Beefheart, born in 1941 in Glendale, Calif., emerged in the early ‘60s as a protégé of Frank Zappa. His 1969 album Trout Mask Replica regularly figures on Top 100 Albums of All Time lists, and he also exerted a huge influence among the punk and new wave bands of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, who embraced his final trifecta of albums-1978's Shiny Beast, 1980's Doc at the Radar Station and 1982's Ice Cream for Crow as benchmarks of DIY bloody-minded artistic inventiveness.

 According to the Wikipedia Beefheart entry, "Since the end of his musical career around 1982, Van Vliet has made few public appearances, preferring a quiet life in his California home where he has concentrated on a career in painting. His interest in art dates back to a childhood talent for sculpting and his work-employing what has been surmised as a ‘neo-primitive abstract-expressionist aesthetic,' has received international recognition. Several of Van Vliet's former band members recently reformed as a group, and toured as The Magic Band from 2003 to 2006."

Fun fact: in recent years, P.J. Harvey and Beefheart somehow struck up a correspondence and established a kind of confidante-mentor relationship. There's no official word from either artist's camp whether or not this had anything to do with the good Captain's re-emergence, but certainly Harvey's encouragement and support didn't hurt. Having her and Parish on the tour, then, is a logical and laudable strategy. Kindred spirits, all.

Meanwhile, Precision Made, a newly-formed imprint of Handmade, which itself is an imprint of Rhino Records, will be issuing a limited-to-5000-copies Beefheart box set, provisionally titled Flight of the Blimp. The five-disc collection will contain rarities, outtakes, and live material culled from the artist's Straight/Reprise/Warner Brothers years and reportedly does not overlap with the Revenant label's 1999 Grow Fins rarities box. It's set for a late July or early August release, full details tba.

Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band 2009 Tour Dates:

05-16 Somerset, UK - All Tomorrow's Parties (curated by Breeders)

06-13 Manchester TN - Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival,
08-06 George, WA - The Gorge (Sasquatch! Festival)
08-07 Vancouver, British Columbia - Orpheum
08-08 Vancouver, British Columbia - Orpheum
08-10 Portland, OR - Keller Auditorium
08-12 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre
08-15 Los Angeles, CA - The Greek Theatre
08-16 Los Angeles, CA - The Greek Theatre
08-17 Los Angeles, CA - The Greek Theatre
08-18 Los Angeles, CA - The Greek Theatre
08-19 Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theatre
08-22 Denver, CO - Red Rocks
08-23 Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theater
08-24 St. Louis, MO - Fabulous Fox Theater
08-26 Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theater
08-27 Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theater
08-29 Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theater
08-30 Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theater
08-31 Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theater
09-08 Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
09-09 Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre
09-10 Columbus, OH - Ohio Theatre
09-12 Cincinnati, OH - Music Hall
09-13 Louisville, KY - Palace Theatre
09-14 Cleveland, OH - Playhouse Square Center State Theatre
09-16 Toronto, Ontario - Molson Amphitheatre
09-19 Providence, RI - Performing Arts Center
09-20 Boston, MA - Opera House
09-21 Boston, MA - Opera House
09-24 New York, NY - Keyspan Park
09-27 Columbia, MO - Merriweather Post Pavilion
09-28 Atlantic City, NJ - House of Blue

[Photo Credit: A.P. Rilfool/RETNA Images]

Sheryl Crow, Modest Mouse, Katy Perry, Michael Franti & Spearhead, De La Soul, Raphael Saadiq, Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, The Long Winters, Sly & Robbie & The Taxi Gang, World Party, Mstrkrft, Roy Ayers, Common Market, Uh Huh Her... a strangely unexciting roster thus far. Keeping our fingers crossed....

By Blurt Staff

The 39th annual Bumbershoot: Seattle's Music & Arts Festival, Presented by Samsung Mobile announces a small portion of the 2009 lineup. The 3-day urban event takes place Labor Day Weekend (September 5 - 7). The Festival stretches across the 74-acre Seattle Center, located beneath the city's iconic Space Needle, and programs 20 indoor and unique outdoor venues. This progressive Festival features a diverse array of arts including live music, comedy, theatre, dance, film, urban crafts, and literary and visual arts. Up-to-date Festival details are located at www.bumbershoot.org .

MUSIC 

Sheryl Crow / Modest Mouse / Katy Perry / Michael Franti & Spearhead / De La Soul / Raphael Saadiq / Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan / The Long Winters / Sly & Robbie & the Taxi Gang / World Party / MSTRKRFT / Roy Ayers / Common Market / UH HUH HER / Dave Alvin and The Guilty Women / Eric Hutchinson /  No Age / Matt & Kim / Dead Confederate / The Cave Singers / Swollen Members / Vieux Farka Touré / Lenka / Gang Gang Dance / Todd Snider / Holy F**k / DJ Spooky / Iglu & Hartly / Low vs Diamond / Sera Cahoone / Eleni Mandell / Carrie Rodriguez / The Honey Brothers / Natalie Portman's Shaved Head / Extra Golden / Cordero / Forgive Durden / Hey Marseilles / Adrian Xavier, and many more to be announced.

ARTS

Bumbershoot is proud to be a destination for diverse, top international talent, while being part of a community that offers high-caliber arts offerings year-round. The 2009 Festival will continue its legacy of attracting such talent to Seattle Center, as the event will brim with a bounty of arts from near and far in the worlds of comedy, dance, performance, theatre, film, spectacle, literary and visual arts, and surprises around every corner. This impressive gathering of arts genres sets Bumbershoot apart, while bringing fans together for three days of entertainment, imagination and creative expression.

A small sampling of what's to come at Bumbershoot's 2009 Arts Program includes a host of visual arts exhibits including an exploration of waste, regrowth and sustainability featuring work from Paul Miller (a/k/a DJ Spooky), among others; "Dada Economics" from Vital 5 Productions; The Seattle-Moscow Poster Show; and an expanded Gage Drawing Jam. In addition to visual arts, the Festival will include a performance by the celebrated Pacific Northwest Ballet; the merge of high-energy tap dance and Japanese Taiko drumming from NYC's COBU; "like a magician, but cooler," the magic stylings of Justin Kredible; a rare appearance by renowned Young Adult author S.E. Hinton; a poetry reading curated by Spencer Moody of the Murder City Devils; a theatrical extravaganza by Jason Webley; a literary food program hosted by acclaimed Seattle chef and restaurateur, Tom Douglas and much more. The Festival's complete arts lineup and much anticipated comedy program will be announced in the coming months.

YOUNGERSHOOT

Calling all kids (and their parents)! Bumbershoot provides the perfect place for family fun! The 2009 lineup will include special programs specifically for the Festival's younger fans, including hands-on activities, arts offerings, and music that's friendly for the whole family. From activities at the Kids Pavilion (located inside the Center House), to performance and art attractions, there will be sights and sounds to excite Festival fans of all ages. A separate Youngershoot program will be available for download this summer, allowing parents the opportunity to plan their days in advance. For child entry information visit: bumbershoot.org/info/children.htm

TICKETS

In its 39th year, Bumbershoot continues to offer a massive weekend roster of world-class entertainment, arts and culture for an exceptionally low ticket price (with advance ticket prices remaining fixed for the third year running!) The value-packed Festival's $60 3-day passes (made available only to BumberFan Club members as an Insider Deal during the holiday season*) are SOLD OUT. Three-day passes are available NOW at bumbershoot.org for $80 through Friday, August 21 and $120 thereafter. Buy early for the biggest savings!

Single day-specific tickets will be available Tuesday, July 21 at bumbershoot.org, Ticketmaster outlets, or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. Single day-specific tickets are $35 through August 21, and $50 thereafter. For more ticket information visit bumbershoot.org/tickets.htm. 

*Expect another Insider Deal - a discount on single day-specific tickets for BumberFans only - in the months to come. Anyone can become a BumberFan online at bumbershoot.org. BumberFan Club membership is FREE and provides subscribers with Insider Deals, breaking Festival news and other exclusive opportunities. 

A Special Entry (discounted) ticket for seniors 65 and over, patrons with permanent disabilities and kids aged 6-10 (accompanied by a paying adult) will be available for $15 / day at two gates during the Festival, and ONLY the day of the event (no advance sales of any kind). Children aged 5 and under are admitted for free.

Venture with us, won't you, into the land of the freak....

By Fred Mills

By now, King Khan probably thinks I'm stalking him. Not only did I attend (and review) the King Khan & the Shrines show when they came to Asheville last month, I kept running into Khan all over Austin at SXSW - not only at a couple of his own showcases (the Shrines' show, plus King Khan & BBQ) but at other artists', including his buddy Mark Sultan as well as the mighty Sonics. Don't worry Khan, it's just puppy love.

I'm definitely smitten by the upcoming release of What Is?!, due April 21 from Vice, which not only has all the material from the original vinyl release but, if you're iTunes-centric, includes a 20-minute video exclusive. (What Is?! Comes on the heels of last year's release of The Supreme Genius Of, reviewed HERE.) And you can bet I'll catch the band at one of their spring shows too, full tour itinerary below.

Meanwhile, the band wants to share with you a free MP3 of "Land Of The Freak," which is nothing short of a kickass tune. You know you want it.

Land Of The Freak

Tour Dates:

04-29 9:30 Club - Washington, DC
04-30 First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA
05-01 Music Hall of Willamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
05-02 Maxwell's - Hoboken, NJ
05-03 Santos Partyhouse - NYC
05-07 Paradise - Boston, Mass
05-08 Babylon - Ottawa, ON
05-09 La Sasa Rossa - Montreal, PQ
05-12 Phoenix Theatre - Toronto, ON
05-13 Magic Stick - Detroit, MI
05-14 Wexner Center - Columbus, OH
05-15 Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
05-16 Triple Rock - Minneapolis, MN
05-19 The Warehouse - Calgary, AB
05-20 The Starlite Room - Edmonton, AB
05-22 Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC
05-23 Sasquatch Festival - Quincy, WA
05-25 Dante's - Portland, OR
05-28 Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA
05-29 Echo - Los Angeles, CA
05-30 Echo - Los Angeles, CA

Fork In The Road said to have "special focus paid to the global economic crisis and climate change" but you know Neil just wanna rock...

By Blurt Staff

Starting today, Neil Young fans can stream the entirety of his forthcoming album Fork In The Road, due April 7 from Reprise. BLURT has heard it and we officially give it our thumbs-up.

Go to Young's MySpace Music page to listen to the tunes....

Six-song EP gets previewed by MP3 action right here.

By Blurt Staff

Bridgeport, Connecticut's Saint Bernadette are set to release 'Word To The Lourdes' (Exotic Recordings) a six-song EP due April 14, and the first of three EPs they plan to release in 2009.

According to the record label, the EP's title "alludes to the shrine in France where the band's namesake first saw the Virgin Mary, as well as to the present-day Madonna's actual daughter and her metaphorical daughters, who, like lead singer Meredith DiMenna, grew up with the one-time Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone as a role model."

Said DiMenna, "In the 80s, Madonna kicked the door down. She was powerful and positive and singing that women should express themselves." But DiMenna also considers the cost of that power: "Madonna fell into her own trap. She believed the hype, and now she has to run around in thongs and thigh-highs to prove it."

"Already Gone" is the first single from 'Word To The Lourdes ("wailing guitars and propelling drums make for a fierce and catchy new-wave anthem anchored by the seductively commanding female vocals"), and you can check it out on MP3:

"Already Gone"

 
 'Word To The Lourdes' track list:

1). Nobody Wants My Kind Words
2). Already Gone
3). He's A Collector
4). Wrap It Up
5). I Can Add You To My List
6). Don't Take This Away  

Saint Bernadette Live:

Mar 25 - Hamden, CT - The Space
 Apr 18 - New York, NY - Parkside Lounge
 Apr 22 - New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge (CD release event)
 Apr 24 - Danbury, CT - Cousin Larry's
 Apr 25 - Hamden, CT - The Space (Semi Finals)
 Apr 26 - Meriden, CT - Hubbard Park
 Apr 30 - Brooklyn, NY - Southpaw
 

[Photo Credit: Sean Toussaint]

14 post-1971 albums set for remastering and reissuing.

By Fred Mills

When it comes to parting their fans from their wallets, the Rolling Stones are right up there with KISS, pantheon speaking. The latest move from the Glimmer Twins & Co. is no exception, as it's one guaranteed to drag greying Stones fans out of the woodwork and down to, uh, Best Buy.

According to a report today at Billboard.com, Universal Music Group (UMG) is launching a Stones reissue campaign starting May 4 and continuing in June and July to offer so-called remastered editions of the group's post-1971 output, commencing with Sticky Fingers and Goats Head Soup and running up through A Bigger Bang. The reissues will arrive in three installments:

May 5:

'Sticky Fingers'
'Goats Head Soup'
'It's Only Rock 'N' Roll'
'Black And Blue'

June 8:

'Some Girls'
'Emotional Rescue'
'Tattoo You'
'Undercover'

July 14:

'Dirty Work'
'Steel Wheels'
'Voodoo Lounge'
'Bridges To Babylon'
'A Bigger Bang'

In a statement, Max Hole of UMG International commented, "The Rolling Stones redefined music. By making these iconic albums available again - and retaining the essence of the original track listings and sleeve design - we believe that music fans will rediscover just why they are the world's greatest rock & roll band." (Last year the Stones struck a worldwide deal with UMG, which will also be issuing the material digitally.)

There will also be a collector's box made available for fans who want to put all 14 records under one cover, and a deluxe version of Exile On Main Street is in the pipeline as well (this despite the fact that there's already been a "deluxe" CD reissue of Exile). The question that's probably on some people's minds is, in regards to at least half of those albums, "Why bother?" But when you're talking Rolling Stones, all bets tend to be off no matter how crummy the music under consideration may be.

In 2002 the ABKCO label reissued all of the group's 1963-70 albums, each sporting superb remastered sound on hybrid CDs and sporting deluxe fold-out digipak designs, so here's hoping this new installment in the group's back catalog can hit that high water mark. Here's also hoping that once this round of reissue activity is done, it's done for good. We don't need another Elvis Costello or David Bowie scenario whereby the artist jumps labels every few years and takes the catalog with him in order to put it out there one more time.

Back to the Stones, though, really, how many of you honestly think you need any Stones album after, say, Goats Head Soup (which itself marked the beginning of the decline)?

Rumored to have loaded it with 80's & Heartbreak....

By Fred Mills

Okay, so we at BLURT drank the Obama Kool-ade. We admit it. But it doesn't mean we're blinded by the light (check our Obama-is-not-the-liberal-messiah op-ed piece in the new print edition of BLURT for proof), and it definitely doesn't mean that we get up each morning and scour the media for news about our betrothed, er, our beloved, er, the President.

Just the same, this kinda caught our eye when we were scrolling through news feeds late last night: during his trip to the G20 summit in London, Mr. Obama gave the Queen of England an iPod. Hardly earth-shattering news of course; visiting dignitaries have been gifting each other since the dawn of time. But since this is the modern era, the days of one head of state giving another head of state a gift of, say, a large saber, or a portrait of himself astride a noble steed are long gone. (Hold that thought: the Queen's gift to Mr. Obama was apparently an autographed photo of herself and the Duke of Edinburgh. The gal is old-skool.)

The Obama-pod (which it will henceforth forever be known as) is said to have been loaded with videos of the Queen during her American sojourn in 2007. No word on whether or not they'd been able to digitally edit out images of George Bush from the vids.) But the mind just boggles as to what else he might have uploaded to the music player section of the gadget - some Kanye? Outkast? Lil' Wayne? Al Green for those moments when she's had a few nips and feelin' smooooov? How about a Motown medley, or a palace-party-startin' roundup of classic Stax? Maybe even some Dre and Eminem joints to blast out the windows when the protesters outside are just a little too damn loud?

Mr. Obama was quoted as saying this about the Queen at a press conference: "There's one last that I should mention that I love about Great Britain, and that is the Queen. And so I'm very much looking forward to meeting her for the first time later this evening. And as you might imagine, Michell as been really thinking that through - because I think in the imagination of people throughout America, I think what the Queen stands for and her decency and her civility, what she represents, that's very important."

Well, all right then!

As you get into A Positive Rage, remember these dates

by Nancy Dunham

We music fans are really sick of winter as evidenced by yet another sold out show, this time for tonight's Hold Steady tour in Albany (we lived in Albany for a while and, well, - let's say you need diversions from the weather). Did you see us down front, moshing at the band's SXSW showcase? Sure you did!

The band, which is set to release its new CD/DVD A Positive Rage on April 7 - see the full-page review of the set in the debut print issue of BLURT - has just added more U.S. dates to its spring tour. Check them out:

June 7 - Washington DC - 9:30 Club

June 8 - New York - The Bowery Ballroom

June 10 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg

June 14 - Ithaca, NY - Castaways

June 15 - Cleveland, Ohio - Beachland Ballroom

Missed those other dates? Get them here: Blurt

Want tickets and more info: Go here: Hold Steady

XX Merge fest in July features Superchunk, Spoon, M. Ward, Conor Oberst and tons more....

By Blurt Staff

It's that time of year again - no, no, not spring cleaning, and not the annual syphilis exam. We're talkin' summer festival announcements, and leading the pack is Merge Records. Read on....

***

In celebration of our 20th anniversary, Merge bands of the past and present will converge for 5 days of live music, July 22-26th in the heat of the sunny North Carolina summer. We are calling these 5 days of live music and mayhem, XX Merge.

XX Merge

Wednesday, July 22nd - Sunday, July 26^th

4 nights at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC

1 night at Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill, NC on UNC Campus

Details of additional music & bedlam yet to come!

Featuring over 25 of your favorite Merge artists including... Superchunk, Spoon, Conor Oberst, Spent, M. Ward, The Rosebuds, Destroyer, Guv'ner, Polvo, Pipe & The Broken West. Many more bands both expected and unexpected still to-be-announced!

5-Day Passes are $150 and will get you in to all XX Merge festivities. Passes will go on sale on Wednesday, April 8th at 10 AM EST via catscradle.com and mergerecords.com. 5-day passes are nontransferable. A limited number of tickets for individual Cradle shows and the Memorial Hall show will be made available at a later date.

Why is this man smiling? Outspoken musician incurs the wrath of the Mexican government.

By Fred Mills

Meanwhile, as Hilary Clinton has been getting all the U.S.-and-Mexico headlines lately, let's take a look at some under-the-radar news. Never forget that just because America is purportedly working together with our neighbors to the south on this drug cartel thing (hint to all you NRA supporters: the gun sales thing is going to have to be addressed on this side of the border or nothing will change, so maybe you need to have an attitude adjustment), the country retains many trappings of a police state (and remains awash in corruption, too).

Musician-activist Manu Chao hasn't been feeling much love from Mexican authorities. Seems that last week, on Tuesday, at the  Guadalajara International Film Festival Chao, referring to a 2006 incident in which a Mexican police and federales intervention (following a citizen protest that led to several officers being taken hostage) resulted in injuries, a number of rapes and two deaths, observed that, "What happened in Atenco was, in some way, State terrorism. [The authorities] are saying ‘don't say a word when we seize your land, because you better watch out, the same thing will happen to you as happened in Atenco'".

Subsequently on Thursday Mexican Interior Ministry launched an investigation into Chao, citing an article in the Mexican Constitution that prohibits foreigners from "interfering" with internal political matters and allows immediate deportation when an incident does occur. That night Chao did not appear at a scheduled concert. Then on Friday both Peter Gabriel and Mexican film actor Diego Luna spoke out in Chao's defense, and apparently the whole matter has generated much commentary in the Mexican media, some coming down on the side of Chao and other suggesting that since he is in fact a foreigner he should keep his mouth shut.

Meanwhile, the Mexican government denied in a statement that it had been planning to expel Chao from the country - this despite the Interior Dept. investigation.

Go HERE to read a full account of the situation.

On March 28 Chao issued the following statement in a posting to his website (via translation engine, glitches left intact) in order to clarify his position and apologize to fans who'd wanted to see him perform:

COMUNICADO Manu Chao - GUADALAJARA 27 DE MARZO


Guadalajara March 27, Comunicado Manu Chao

Yesterday I was told to wake up to the Mexican government to investigate my statements in this press conference at the International Film Festival in the city of Guadalajara.

Statements referring to the police operation carried out in May 2006 in San Salvador Atenco. This operation left two dead, over 200 detainees and several allegations of sexual abuse of women by police. Are still in prison 12 people with absurd sentences of 31 to 112 years. Undoubtedly I revindico as one of all those people who is campaigning for his release and trying to break any part of this blatant injustice.

Gradually in the day, we heard about the possibility of an immigration check on me, and that could result at any time in my immediate expulsion from the country without trial.

Yesterday at night on the Rambla de Catalunya Guadalajara projected outdoors and free admission to the film LT22 Radio La Colifata Carlos Larrondo in the context of section Cinelandia that the film festival invited me to lead. As usual there was a chance to sing about issues after the screening as happened during the festival at the Instituto Cabañas along Cinelandia cycle. I think it is important to note that these informal palomazos were never part of the official program of the event and are offered at no profit to the film lovers who came to enjoy the films selected.

The decision not to sing in the Rambla Catalunya last Thursday was expressly mine. I took it to avoid any possibility of violent overflow if the authorities had intended to come to me during the event. What could have triggered a confrontation between police and public. Mindful that children could attend this evening and thousands of people, I did not want to take the risk of transforming the cultural festival into something uncontrollable and distressing for those present.

The primary reason for my decision was that one. And no other.

Here I apologize to everyone who attended the ceremony and stayed with these temitas rumberos after the movie. I hope they understand my decision and appreciate the context.

Always attentive

Manu Chao

BLURT-approved band from Austin is the bees knees, Steve.

By Fred Mills

Let's be blunt about this: Austin's Strange Boys fucking rock. They will knock your dick in the dirt (ladies, insert appropriate gender change) with their crazy-ass blend of ‘60s drone-twang, art-rock choogle and old weird Americana - think Hank Williams fronting the 13^th Floor Elevators, or maybe Lou Reed doing country covers with Television as his backing band. Or don't think at all.

We saw the band at SXSW last month and they were seriously frammin' on the jim-jam, and we are STILL diggin' their recent album The Strange Boys... and Girls Club, a review of which you can read HERE.

Check out an MP3: "Heard You Wanna Beat Me Up"

Now comes word of a pretty big tour the band has just embarked upon, with a number of shows featuring Atlanta's Coathangers (who also made a big SXSW splash), Mika Miko and the Death Set.  They're in Memphis tonight and then will be zig-zagging all over the place in one of the more strangely plotted tour itineraries we've seen listed since that upcoming Captain Beefheart tour was announced. Don't miss ‘em. You have been informed.

Tour Dates:

04.03.09 Fri Memphis, TN Murphy's
04.04.09 Sat Oxford, MS The Blind Pig
04.05.09 Sun Athens, GA Farm 255
04.06.09 Mon Atlanta, GA The Earl
04.08.09 Wed Asheville, NC The New French Bar
04.09.09 Thu Tuscaloosa, AL Little Willie's
04.10.09 Fri Baton Rouge, LA The Spanish Moon
04.11.09 Sat Houston, TX House Show
06.05.09 Fri Denton, TX Rubbergloves *
06.06.09 Sat Austin, TX Red 7 *
06.07.09 Sun Houston, TX Mangos *
06.08.09 Mon New Orleans, LA Saturn Bar *
06.09.09 Tue Atlanta, GA Drunken Unicorn *#
06.10.09 Wed Greensboro, NC UNCG / Square One *
06.11.09 Thu Washington, DC Comet Pizza and Ping Pong *
06.12.09 Fri Baltimore, MD Sonar *#$
06.13.09 Sat Brooklyn, NY Market Hotel *#
06.14.09 Sun New York, NY Cake Shop *
06.15.09 Mon Philadelphia, PA Danger Danger Gallery *
06.16.09 Tue Worcester, MA Ralph's Diner *
06.18.09 Thu Cleveland, OH Now That's Class
06.20.09 Sat Columbus, Ohio Bourbon St *
06.22.09 Mon Chicago, IL Beat Kitchen *
06.23.09 Tue Minneapolis, MN First-Avenue *
06.24.09 Wed Iowa City, IA Public Space 1 *
06.25.09 Thu Lawrence, KS Jackpot Music Hall *
06.26.09 Fri Denver, CO Hi-Dive *
06.27.09 Sat Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court *
06.29.09 Mon Los Angeles, CA The Smell *
07.02.09 Thu San Francisco, CA Hemlock #
07.03.09 Fri San Jose, CA Nickel City #
07.06.09 Mon San Diego, CA Casbah #
07.07.09 Tue Tucson, AZ Plush #
07.09.09 Thu Lubbock, TX Ash Riprock's #
07.10.09 Fri Dallas, TX TBA #
07.11.09 Sat Austin, TX Mohawk #

* = w/ Mika Miko
# = w/ The Coathangers
$ = w/ The Death Set

Hey, how about a video:

"I've got a bad feeling about this." - Han Solo

By Blurt Staff

On May 5, Koch Records will release The Smithereens Play Tommy, which in case you haven't been paying attention means that after doing a couple of albums' worth of Beatles recreations, the Smithereens have finally found their inner freak flags and moved on a few years, to '69.

 We'll give the band the benefit of the doubt, but color us "mildly dubious," of course, as the thought of covers albums, tribute bands, and the like makes us squint, while the thought of someone covering A CLASSIC RECORD THAT WAS PERFECT FIRST TIME AROUND makes us feel deaf, dumb and blind.

Here's the scoop from the record label:

When asked about this album, The Smithereens frontman Pat DiNizio stated, "This is punk rock opera meets the godfathers of pop. Plain and simple."

The Smithereens decided to make a proper, all-out studio version of one of the albums that inspired their rock dreams of becoming a band in the first place for this 40^th anniversary tribute. The Who's unique sound will never be duplicated, but then again neither will the Smithereens sound that has made them enduring rock icons over the past 25 plus years.  The result is part Who, part Smithereens.  Part totally familiar, and part unexpectedly unique...and 100% tour de force.  The Smithereens' "musical dreams ain't quite what they seem"-the result is more than a loving tribute and much more like an inspired re-imagining.   After listening to this album a few times, you may never hear any of the Who's versions of Tommy the same way again.

The Dirty Projectors doing Black Flag, this ain't. And as it turns out, the Smithereens say they're doing it more Live at Leeds style, and since a Who song is still a Who song - let's rock. And hey, did you hear about that expanded two-CD version of Who Sell Out that's just out in the UK?

Have some baked beans, kids:

Ladies, get ready to dip your boobs...

By Blurt Staff

Helmet-clad Bob Log III, late of Doo Rag, is prepping to head out on the road in a joint tour with Willem Maker - the former's My Shit Is Perfect and the latter's New Moon Hand will be out this summer on Birdman and Big Legal Mess/Fat Possum, respectively.

Log of course is the lean, mean, slide guitar wielding rock machine whose Robert Johnson and Howlin' Wolf deconstructions are typically aided and abetted by comely young females who display an affinity for dipping their breasts into alcoholic drinks and/or slapping them percussively via electric amplification. Maker's no stranger to the blues either, with a tangled backstory that involves toxic poisoning, mental institutions, and Joe South. His hepped-up boogie, part Stones, part delta twang, will cure what ails ya.

US SPRING TOUR

Tue 4/28 - Spaceland - Los Angeles, CA
Wed 4/29 - Bar Pink - San Diego, CA
Thu 4/30 - Juke Joint - Anaheim, CA
Fri 5/1 - Crepe Place - Santa Cruz, CA
Sat 5/2 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA
Sun 5/3 - Sam Bonds - Eugene, OR
Mon 5/4 - Crocodile Cafe - Seattle, WA
Tue 5/5 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR
Wed 5/6 - Neurolux - Boise, ID
Thu 5/7 - Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT
Fri 5/8 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
Sat 5/9 - Waiting Room - Omaha, NE
Sun 5/10 - 7th Street Entry - Minneapolis, MN
Mon 5/11 - Crunchy Frog - Green Bay, WI
Tue 5/12 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL
Wed 5/13 - The Brass Rail - Fort Wayne, IN
Thu 5/14 - Summit Club - Columbus - OH
Fri 5/15 - Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, OH
Fri 5/15 - Fernwood Resort - Big Sur, CA
Sat 5/16 - 31st Street Pub - Pittsburgh, PA
Sun 5/17 - Mercury Lounge - New York, NY
Mon 5/18 - Union Hall - Brooklyn, NY
Tue 5/19 - Talking Head Club - Baltimore, MD
Wed 5/20 - Soapbox - Wilmington, NC
Thu 5/21 - Snug Harbor - Charlotte, NC
Fri 5/22 - E.A.R.L - Atlanta, GA
Sat 5/23 - Will's Pub - Orlando, FL
Sun 5/24 - Pastimes Pub - Sarasota, FL
Mon 5/25 - Engine Room - Tallahassee, FL
Tue 5/26 - Dragon's Den - New Orleans, LA
Wed 5/27 - Meridian Red Room - Houston, TX
Thu 5/28 - Red  7 - Austin, TX
Fri 5/29 - Club Dada - Dallas, TX
Sat 5/30 - 66 Bowl - Oklahoma City, OK
Sun 5/31 - Launch Pad - Albuquerque, NM (Bob Log III ONLY)

Spinal Tap for World Tour!

4-6-09

Nah. You can NEVER have too much Spinal Tap.

By Fred Mills

Okay, you knew this was coming: semi-hot on the heels of the news that Spinal Tap had gotten back together to record a new album to commemorate the 25^th anniversary of This Is Spinal Tap, the band has just announced it is planning to do a one-off concert in London to further mark the film's anniversary.

June 30 is the date - the cavernous Wembley Arena is the place, no less. The show's being billed as "One Night Only World Tour," and The Folksmen (who at times have been said to bear more than a passing resemblance to the members of Spinal Tap) will be the opening act.

According to NME.com, guitarist Nigel Tufnel commented on the upcoming gig, saying, "If we're going to do a world tour on only one night, at least it's this world," while bassist Derek Smalls added, "One night is not enough, and it's way too much!"

Meanwhile, there's also that business about a proposed 30-city "Unwigged Tour" Spinal Tap recently announced. It will reportedly kick off April 17 in Vancouver and feature the musicians performing sans costuming and wigs in more or less unplugged fashion. The fact that it was announced on March 31 (one day before April 1, duh) raised a few eyebrows, but indeed, tour dates are currently listed at Ticketbastard, with prices topping out at $55 in most cities. The band will be playing theaters, not arenas, which is a good thing. A bargain, we say!

Something about that newfangled gadget called Twitter...

By Blurt Staff

BLURT fave Amanda Palmer outspokenness remains one of her most endearing traits, and married to enormous musical talent, she's practically a force of nature. Anyone who caught the panel she took part in at SXSW in Austin last month got a real treat, as she held forth on the state of the music industry while providing insights into some of her own recent record label travails.

(Just as cool: prior to the panel, which was delayed due to Quincy Jones' keynote address running overtime, Palmer and John Wesley Harding came out to entertain the long line of people who were waiting to get into the conference room. When Harding, wielding a ukulele, and Palmer launched into an impromptu version of The Who's "Pinball Wizard" it brought the house down.)

Amanda Palmer video interview for BLURT is HERE. Feature story on Palmer is HERE.

Anyhow, Palmer's been talking again about some of the cluelessness that seems endemic in the music biz - this time, in a letter to industry observer Bob Lefsetz. The topic: Twitter, or more accurately, record label execs who don't grasp its enormous marketing potential. Read on....

***

From: Amanda Palmer
Subject: re-Please Drop Me

my label-dropping game has become very fun. please pray for me.

it's a lesson in how the future of music is working -
fans are literally (and i mean that....literally) lining up at the signing table after shows and HANDING me cash, saying "thank you".

i had to EXPLAIN to the so-called "head of digital media" of roadrunner australia WHAT TWITTER WAS. and his brush-off that "it hasn't caught on here yet" was ABSURD because the next day i twittered that i was doing an impromptu gathering in a public park and 12 hours later, 150 underage fans - who couldn't attend the show - showed up to get their records signed.

no manager knew! i didn't even warn or tell her! no agents! no security! no venue! we were in a fucking public park!
life is becoming awesome.

also interesting: i brought a troupe of back-up actors/dancers on the tour (we were only playing 300-1000 seaters) and had no money to pay them, so we passed the hat into the crowd every night. each performer walked from each show with about $200 in cash. the fans TOOK CARE OF THEM. they brought us dinner every night, gave us places to sleep. (i couldn't afford to put up that many people in hotels). all sans label, all using email and twitter. the fans followed the adventure. they LOVED HELPING.

so?
the times they are a-changing fucking dramatically, when pong-twittering with trent reznor means way more to your fan-base/business than whether or not the record is in fucking stores (and in my case, it ain't in fucking stores).

twitter is EVERYTHING that you explain in your rants: it is a MAINLINE insta-connection with the fans. there is ZERO middleman.
my fans hung out with me all day on twitter today while i unpacked weird tour shit, fan art, gifts and paraphernalia that usually just ends up in my closet or in the trash and took pictures of it for them.

Xa

Amanda Palmer Blog

In particular the first official live Tom Waits recordings in two decades...

By Blurt Staff

With Record Store Day just around the corner (that's April 18, if you're keeping track), and a massive swag list of exclusive releases slated for the event, we'd be remiss if we didn't remind you about three limited edition 7-inchers that will be part of the deal. (Okay, so Epitaph and Anti- just reminded us. We're cool. Plus, these kinda stand out - the Waits thing in particular.

Tom Waits will release a three song vinyl 7" with live tracks from his overwhelmingly acclaimed 2007 Glitter and Doom Tour.  "Lucinda" and "Ain't Going Down to the Well" were recorded in Atlanta GA, while "Bottom of the World" comes from Waits' performance in Edinburgh, Scotland.  Together, these three songs are the first live recordings released since Waits' Big Time came out in 1988.

Booker T. Jones is releasing a two song 7" with studio tracks - "Warped Sister" and "Reunion Time" -- from his upcoming ANTI- debut Potato Hole, his first solo album in over 20 years which features backing from the Drive-By Truckers, guitar tracks by Neil Young and Booker T's unmistakable Hammond B3 organ stylings.

Bad Religion will celebrate Record Store Day with the first-ever re-release of the record that started it all:  1981's 6-song 7" EP.  In a tribute to RSD 2009, Bad Religion founder/Epitaph owner Brett Gurewitz wrote "I got my start by going around to record stores like Moby Disc and Middle Earth and giving them The Bad Religion 7" to sell on consignment.  I'd go back every couple of weeks to see if they needed any more and while I was at it I'd always check out the zines, flyers and new punk releases. These places were more than stores, they were gathering places and hubs of information.  They were the heart of the LA Hardcore scene and it would never have existed without them." 

Doing Rod Stewart, Carly Simon, Yes, Fleetwood Mac, Big Star, Mott the Hoople, Tom Petty....

By Blurt Staff

Matthew Sweet and Bangles vocalist Susanna Hoffs, otherwise known as "Sid & Susie," will unveil their newest project July 21 on Shout! Factory, titled Under The Covers Vol. 2. This collection features 16 of the duo's favorite tunes from the 1970's, and is the follow up to the highly-praised 60's compilation Under The Covers Vol. 1, released in 2006.

Produced and recorded by Sweet and Hoffs in Sweet's Lolina Green Studios in Los Angeles, Under The Covers Vol. 2 features the pair'sharmonized voices on favorites from power-pop, glam, classic rock and even prog-rock. The pair get a little help from Lindsey Buckingham on their cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Second Hand News," Dhani Harrison plays on George Harrison's "Beware of Darkness," and Steve Howe guests on their version of the Yes song "I've Seen All Good People: Your Move/All Good People."

The tracks on Under The Covers Vol. 2 include huge hits such as Carly Simon's "You're So Vain," Rod Stewart's "Maggie May," and Mott The Hoople's "All The Young Dudes," as well as lesser known cult favorites, including Big Star's "Back Of A Car" and Todd Rundgren's "Couldn't I Just Tell You" (one of two Todd Rundgren songs included on the disc). Other songs given the Sid & Susie treatment include John Lennon's "Gimme Some Truth," Derek & The Dominoes' "Bell Bottom Blues," The Grateful Dead's "Sugar Magnolia," The Raspberries "Go All The Way," Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers' "Here Comes My Girl," Little Feat's "Willin'," Todd Rundgren's "Hello It's Me," and Bread's "Everything I Own."

The two have long performed at each other's shows, and collaborated with comedian Mike Myers as members of Austin Powers' on-screen band Ming Tea in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and Austin Powers in Goldmember before collaborating on Under The Covers Vol. 1.  Matthew and Susanna will have a number of tour dates to support the release in addition to separate shows by both Matthew Sweet and the Bangles.

Said to be a return to Farrar's rootsier side...

By Blurt Staff

Son Volt returns with 'American Central Dust,' out July 7 on Rounder Records, a plaintive 12-song collection that the label describes as recalling "the melodic succinctness of the band's debut album 'Trace.'" It's the followup to 2007's The Search and the band's first album for Rounder, whicd further advises that "fiddle, pedal steel, lap steel and sparkling piano add an atmospheric nuance to Son Volt's Americana inspired rock, surrounding band leader Jay Farrar's stream of consciousness lyrical imagery."

Album highlights include: the rootsy shuffle of album opener "Dynamite," on which Farrar declares "this love is like celebrating the 4th of July with dynamite," the tremolo soaked rocker "Down To The Wire," the gorgeous, piano led "Cocaine And Ashes," an empathetic tribute to Keith Richards, references a man who's "the same as everyone, just kind of lucky," and 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo'-esque rocker "No Turning Back."

When asked about signing to the new label, Farrar said in a statement, "Rounder has shown a long term commitment to music forms, like folk and blues, that I have a lot of respect for. Going with Rounder has been a kind of a full circle continuum -- the first Rounder person I met with was instrumental in booking Uncle Tupelo gigs years ago."

The band: Jay Farrar (guitar, harmonica, vocals), Dave Bryson (drums), Andrew Duplantis (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chris Masterson (lead guitar), Mark Spencer (keyboards, steel guitar). Son Volt's national tour begins in July.

'American Central Dust' tracklist:

1. Dynamite
2. Down To The Wire
3. Roll On
4. Cocaine And Ashes
5. Dust Of Daylight
6. When The Wheels Don't Move
7. No Turning Back
8. Pushed Too Far
9. Exiles
10. Sultana

Show is next week in NYC; tickets on sale tomorrow.

By Blurt Staff

Jack White's new side project the Dead Weather will make their public debut next week in NYC at a show at the Bowery Ballroom. The date: April 14, with tickets going onsale tomorrow (April 10) at 10am EST.

The quartet - White, the Kills' vocalist Alison Mossheart, Raconteurs/Greenhornes/Blanche utility man Jack Lawrence and Waxwings/Queens of the Stone Age multiinstrumentalist Dean Fertita - has a new album titled Horehound due in June (a single, "Hang You From the Heavens" b/w a cover of Gary Numan's "Are Friends Electric?" is already out at iTunes). The Dead Weather made their initial appearance in March at White's Third Man Records office in Nashville, performing for about 150 specially invited people, but the Bowery show will mark the group's official coming out party.

The band recorded the record at Third Man Studios earlier this year. The album will be the first full-length release on Third Man Records, which is now fully operational and has its own building/live space/photographer's studio and dark room in downtown Nashville.

A full tour for the Dead Weather will be announced shortly.

"Hang You From the Heavens" video:

"Moogseum" will honor the legacy of the electronics pioneer while showcasing his works and archives for the public.

By Fred Mills

When BLURT launched nearly a year ago, one of our first-published articles was about the work of the recently established Bob Moog Foundation, based in Asheville (where the Moog plant is located). Titled "Moog In Vogue," it outlined the legacy of the late synthesizer inventor and electronic music pioneer Dr. Robert "Bob" Moog, and the efforts of his daughter, Michelle Moog-Koussa, to restore and preserve his archives, which included a vast collection of writings, irreplaceable memorabilia, and prototypes of many of Moog's vintage instruments.

Even more significant: reel-to-reel tapes, which upon their discovery after Moog's death in 2005 were found to be covered in mold and in varying states of deterioration. The Foundation got a pair of grants from the Grammy Foundation to work on the restoration and preservation of those tapes.

The Foundation has also become active in setting up scholarships for musicians and designing outreach programs to get kids in schools interested in "science, music and creativity," as Moog-Koussa put it. No less a Moog fan than the Smashing Pumpkins also got involved, speaking out on behalf of the Foundation and its principles.

"I strongly believe many people all over the world would benefit from being able to interact with the thoughts, ideas, inventions, and life of Dr. Moog," said Corgan, in a message on the Moog Foundation website, www.moogfoundation.org.

Now those thoughts, ideas and inventions will gain further preservation and exposure with the establishment of a Moog Museum. According to a report in today's Asheville Citizen-Times, the so-called "Moogseum" is being planned thanks to a $600,000 grant from the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority. A total of $3 million is needed to bring the project to full fruition, Moog-Koussa told the newspaper, who added that it may take three to five years for everything to be completed. Plans are for a 6000-square-foot facility, presumably to be located in the French Broad River Arts District not far from the downtown area of Asheville.

Meanwhile, plans are to establish a smaller, 1500-square foot "beta" museum this summer along with a companion installation at local rock venue the Orange Peel in order to help keep interest high in the project, which is expected to become a major attraction not only for tourists to the area but for musical scholars worldwide.

And that's the important part of course. Imagine a world without, say, Radiohead. Or MGMT. Or Aphex Twin. Or Nine Inch Nails. Or Suicide. Or Silver Apples. Or even Abbey Road. (Or hell, even without Emerson Lake & Palmer.) The musical landscape circa 2009 would be a vastly different place - and a far less interesting one, at that - had it not been for Dr. Moog.

[Photo courtesy the Bob Moog Foundation]

Seems Smashing Pumpkins chief has more than "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila"

By Blurt Staff

Apparently the on-again, off-again relationship between Smashing Pumpkins' maestro Billy Corgan and the widow Cobaine, otherwise known as Courtney Love, is really off.

As part of our mission to bring you the most compelling music news, we at Blurt couldn't help but report that celeb gossip sites were afire with photos of Corgan and Tila Tequila acting all Brad and Angie on the Red Carpet at the recent Bravo A-List Awards.

Between Billy's recent auditions of wanna-be drummers for the new-and-improved Pumpkins (check out our story here Blurt) and his recent dalliance with Tequila - perhaps best known for her Playboy photos and her controversial bisexual-themed reality dating show on MTV - Corgan's decided to further show his affinity for smashing - ahem - things.

Hey, we're just sayin'....

Rabbit Habits keep horror treats hopping

You know the black-and-white films that show cute yet wholesome teenage couples on dates at classic Route 66 diners? This new Man Man video isn't it.

Sorry - we couldn't resist setting you up for the opening scene of the six-minute video that quickly becomes something akin to Michael Jackson's Thriller (work with us, people) if the gloved one had a real sense of humor and an ego slightly smaller than Mount Rushmore. (Vegans need not apply.)

Rabbit Habits was just released to coincide with the band's single and album of the same name is just - well - hilarious.  But don't get so caught up in it you miss all the cool stars in it including Saturday Night Live's Fred Armisen and Martin Starr from the movie Superbad.

Check out the video here - Rabbit Habits

After that, check out some, er, alternate Rabbit Habits, below....

Man Man at BLURT: Like Butta

Man Man Tour Dates:

April 22 -The Square Room - Knoxville, Tenn.

April 23 - The Rev Room - Little Rock, Ark.

April 24 - Lounge on Elm St. - Dallas, Texas

April 25 -Norman Music Festival - Norman, Okla.

April 26 - Mercy Lounge - Nashville, Tenn.

April 27- Bottletree - Birmingham, Ala.

April 28 - Sluggo's - Pensacola, Fla.

April 29 & April 30 - Social - Orlando, Fla.

May 1 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, Ga.

May 2 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, N.C.

May 3 - Black Cat - Washington D.C.

May 4 - State Theater - State College, Pa.

May 5 - Diesel - Pittsburgh, Pa.

May 6  - Magic Stick - Detroit, Mich.

May 29 - Beaumont Club - Kansas City, Mo.

May 30 - Cabooze - Minneapolis, Minn.

May 31 - Congress Theatre - Chicago, Ill.

June 4 - Ram's Head Live - Baltimore, Md.

June 5 - House Of Blues - Boston, Mass.

July - Rothbury Festival - Rothbury, Michigan (details TBA)

Stand and Deliver shows why Adam Ant crawled away

By Nancy Dunham

Ok, we like musicians with great voices and killer bods that make us feel like they're "one of us." But even though Gwen Stefani has the BFF persona down cold, we can't help but wonder if all her high-glam photo shoots have affected her musical judgment.

What has give us pause is Perez Hilton - yes, he of the "today I'm a mean-spirited gossip but if you let me backstage I'll help promo your album while I rake in some record company cash."  A link on his site to the new No Doubt cover of Adam Ant's (hey - stay with us here!) song "Stand and Deliver" has made us rethink what the newly reformed No Doubt featuring the always great Stefani vocals will deliver.

It's perky and peppy (which is obviously what you want when you're choosing a song to perform on a Gossip Girl spinoff) and really better than Ant's ultra cheesy version but alas - really not much more than sugar with the medicine, lipstick on a pig, and...well you get it.

Perez's take: "Oh well. It's still a nice preview of more to come!"

That, of course, is what we fear. Check out the tune here: Stand And Deliver

Okay, so this news item is just an excuse to run a photo of the smokin' album sleeve...

By Fred Mills

Tito Puente's the name, dance mania's the game: on May 26 the legendary Latin music bandleader's 1958 album of the same name hits stores as an expanded/remastered Legacy Edition, courtesy, you guessed it, RCA/Legacy. 2005 saw a supersized greatest hits collection for Puente, The Essential Tito Puente, but this marks the first time the seminal Dance Mania has been given the full-blown reissue treatment.

Whattya get from the King of Mambo, a/k/a the King of Latin Music, a/k/a El Rey? More bounce per ounce than a barrelful of low-riders - mambos, cha-chas, boleros and rumbas, and possibly the most sure-fire party-starter you'll hear all year. BLURT's gotten a sneak peek and all we can say is, let's rumba baby! As the liners advise, "Invite a few friends over, mix up a pitcher of Pina Coladas, Cuba Libres or Mojitos. Clear the living room floor, and put this CD on the stereo."

In addition to the original 12-song album, the new improved Dance Mania features 10 bonus cuts hailing from '56 and '57 on Disc 1, while Disc 2 has the 1961 followup, Dance Mania Vol. 2, plus another 11 bonus tracks cut between 1959 and 1960. Copious liner notes from music historian Charles L. Granata and Latin music archivist (and Puente friend) Joe Conzo. Be there or be square on May 26...

Shhhh.... the pre-sale for that opp takes place tomorrow and ONLY tomorrow.

By Fred Mills

Just announced: a solo tour from Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. While there are no real details yet about what form the tour will take (what musicians will be with him, what songs he might play, etc.), it will be primarily multiple-night stands on the East Coast and in the South, followed by a swing out to Hawaii. Opening act will be Liam Finn, who has previously toured with Vedder.

The tour kicks off June 8 in Albany and a presale for members of the Pearl Jam fanclub (the Ten Club) will commence tomorrow, April 10. Members will be eligible to buy one pair of tickets to just one show. And make sure you read the fine print at the announcement on the site - something about when you do the presale, you're not actually guaranteed tickets, only an "opportunity" to buy tickets.

Ironically enough, this news item is only an opportunity to find out details on the tour. It's not an actual news item about the tour...

Memo to fans: some of the venues listed below are relatively small, compared to the expected demand for tickets, so you might want to consider signing up with the Ten Club right now, and... oops, too late! Deadline for that was April 7. You blew it.

Meanwhile, go HERE to read our recent review of the deluxe reissue of Pearl Jam's Ten.

Tour Dates:

June 8: Albany, N.Y. (Palace Theatre)
June 9: Albany, N.Y. (Palace Theatre)*
June 11: Philadelphia (Tower Theatre)
June 12: Philadelphia (Tower Theatre)
June 14: Baltimore (Lyric Opera House)
June 15: Baltimore (Lyric Opera House)
June 18: Nashville, Tenn. (Ryman Auditorium)
June 20: Memphis, Tenn. (Orpheum)
June 21: Memphis, Tenn. (Orpheum)*
June 23: Atlanta (Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center)
June 24: Atlanta (Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center)*
June 29: Maui, HI (Arts & Cultural Center, Castle Theatre)
July 1: Honolulu (Hawaii Theatre)
July 2: Honolulu (Hawaii Theatre)

Incredibly popular music portal discloses it spent the entire downtime partying in the Bahamas.

By Fred Mills

Here at BLURT, we value transparency. That, and the occasional hallucinogen. This is why, gentle readers, we wanted to let you know that your thousands of emails, letters and phone calls have not gone ignored or unheeded.

To wit: during a server changeover, we've encountered a raft of unforeseen gremlins (read: technical shit I don't understand) that persisted over the course of the week, and as a result we had intermittent back end blackouts during which were unable to upload the kind of dynamic, fresh, and dare we say it deeply sensual content you've come to expect from BLURT. But as the saying goes - we're back. (Hold your breath; site reconstruction persists.)

If this had been a real emergency, incidentally, you would have been instructed to crawl under your desk and hug your knees, head down, until the emergency passed and a BLURT staffer was able to come lead you out of the building.

That's BLURT for you: building a better future for all of us.

By Blurt Staff

One Foot In The Grave Deluxe Reissue due next week.

By Blurt Staff

If you're like us, you just can't stop listening to Beck's last release Modern Guilt, a banquet of cool alt sound as we told you when it was released Blurt

Next week, there will be more Beck to enjoy, this time a reissue of One Foot In The Grave, which his publicists call a "minimalist mutant folk collection" that was originally released four months after Beck's 1994 debut Mellow Gold.

The April 14 reissue (released by Beck's own label ILIAD and is being distributed nationally by Universal) will include 13 previously unreleased tracks from the original sessions and three more from an out of print 7" only release, including an early version of "It's All In Your Mind" from 2002's Sea Change.

The complete track listing is as follows:

ORIGINAL ALBUM:

1. "He's A Mighty Good Leader"

2. "Sleeping Bag"

3. "I Get Lonesome"

4. "Burnt Orange Peel"

5. "Cyanide Breath Mint"

6. "See Water"

7. "Ziplock Bag"

8. "Hollow Log"

9. "Forcefield"

10. "Fourteen Rivers Fourteen Floods"

11. "Asshole"

12. "I've Seen The Land Beyond"

13. "Outcome"

14. "Girl Dreams"

By Blurt Staff

Solo recording deepens gospel, blues and soul sounds

We are sensing a theme here. Levon Helm, who netted a Grammy Award for "Best Traditional Folk Album" for his 2007 release Dirt Farmer, is back with a second solo recording Electric Dirt, which will be released June 30.

As you recall, Dirt Farmer was Helm's first solo recording in 25 years. The new CD follows the same basic artistry while mixing even more gospel, blues and soul sounds that draw connections between the land and those who live by it.

Although there are many original songs, publicists note "eclectic cover songs" which include The Grateful Dead's Tennessee Jed and Happy Traum's "Golden Bird."

Track Listing:

1) Tennessee Jed

2) Move Along Train

3) Growing Trade

4) Golden Bird

5) Stuff You Gotta Watch

6) White Dove

7) Kingfish

8) You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had

9) When I Go Away

10) Heaven's Pearls

11) I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel To Be Free

Tour to support new record

By Blurt Staff

She's back and we're glad. After making a Gold-certified splash with her 2006 album Begin To Hope, Regina Spektor's next album is set to launch June 23.

Press reps tell us Far has 13 "impressive and accessible tracks" and is collaboration between Specktor and four producers: Jeff Lynne (ELO, The Traveling Wilburys), Mike Elizondo (Dr. Dre, Eminem), David Kahne (Paul McCartney, The Strokes) and Garret "Jacknife" Lee (Weezer, REM).

Spektor's site (Regina) doesn't reflect the news but we expect soon they'll post some new tunes and dates of her upcoming world tour that is scheduled to start in June.

An octahedron (plural: octahedra) is a polyhedron with eight faces. A regular octahedron is a Platonic solid composed of eight equilateral triangles, four of which meet at each vertex. - Wikipedia

By Blurt Staff

The Mars Volta's fifth studio album, Octahedron, will be released June 23 by Warner Bros. Records. The record will be preceded by its first single, "Since We've Been Wrong."

Octahedron follows up last year's The Bedlam In Goliath, which featured "Wax Simulacra," the track that took "Best Hard Rock Performance" honors at the recent 51st Annual Grammy Awards. (You can read our past coverage of the band and the ordeal it went through in creating Bedlam HERE.)

Octahedron was written by The Mars Volta--Omar Rodriguez Lopez (music, arrangements, direction) and Cedric Bixler Zavala (vocals, lyrics)--and performed by The Mars Volta group: Marcel Rodriguez Lopez, Thomas Pridgen, John Frusciante, Isaiah Ikey Owens, Juan Alderete de la Pena, Cedric Bixler Zavala and Omar Rodriguez Lopez.

The Mars Volta is confirmed to appear at this year's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester TN and the second annual Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival in San Francisco. Further U.S. dates will be announced as they are confirmed.

Vesuvius' loss is Weezer's gain.

By Nancy Dunham

Just when you think Rainn Wilson (aka Dwight Shrout of Dunder Mifflin Paper Co., aka Robert "Fish" Fishman founding drummer of [The Mighty] Vesuvius) can't be any cooler, you get an email out of the blue that proves you wrong.

Now Wilson is a founder/collaborator in www.soulpancake.com that tackles everything from members' questions about spirituality to discussions about creativity to interviews with rock ‘n rollers.

One of the first major/most recent posts is Wilson arriving at a recording studio to interview Weezer's Rivers Cuomo (about all the aforementioned topics) and sitting in on a session covering "One of Us" made famous by Joan Osborne. Despite his protests of nerves, Wilson's contribution is amazingly good - where has this guy been hiding all these years?

Check it all out yourself here: Rainn On Bongos

Killer tour en route from the multi-tasking guitar maestro.

By Blurt Staff

For the first time ever, guitarist Jimmy Herring will tour with his own band - a hand-picked ensemble of all-star musicians. The Jimmy Herring Band features Herring on guitar, drummer extraordinaire Jeff Sipe (Aquarium Rescue Unit, Jazz is Dead, Shawn Lane), prolific jazz maverick Greg Osby on saxophone, multifaceted keyboardist Scott Kinsey (Tribal Tech), and musical chameleon Oteil Burbridge (spring tour only) on bass (Allman Brothers, Aquarium Rescue Unit).

He's set to mount a tour in two legs, the spring portion kicking off April 24 in Greenville, SC.

Herring's guitar work has been a key component of such groups as the Aquarium Rescue Unit, Jazz is Dead, Project Z, and, most recently, Widespread Panic - with whom Herring plays lead guitar to this day. Much esteemed by his fellow musicians, Herring has also performed with Phil Lesh and Friends, the Allman Brothers, and the Dead.

The Jimmy Herring Band will perform a wide range of material, including compositions from Herring's 2008 solo debut "Lifeboat" (Abstract Logix Music). The band will also cover influential tracks from the 60's and 70's and select favorites from the catalogues of the individual band members.

As Herring put it in a statement, "It's a shot of adrenaline to get to play with musicians who are pushing the envelope and breaking down the walls that exist between genres of music. Each of these musicians inspires with every note they play."

First Leg:

4/24/09   Handlebar   Greenville, SC

4/25/09  Melting Point  Athens, GA

4/26/09  Trustees Theatre  Savannah, GA

4/28/09  Cox Capital Theatre  Macon, GA

4/29/09  Pourhouse  Charleston, SC

4/30/09  Pourhouse  Charleston, SC

5/1/2009  Visulite  Charlotte, NC

5/2/2009  Visulite  Charlotte, NC

5/3/2009  Lincoln Theatre  Raleigh, NC

5/5/2009  Rhythm and Brews, Chattanooga, TN

5/6/2009  Mercy Lounge, Nashville, TN

5/7/2009  Variety Playhouse  Atlanta, GA

5/8/2009  Soul Kitchen  Mobile, AL

5/9/2009  Crossroads  Huntsville, AL

5/10/2009  Workplay  Birmingham, AL

Second Leg:

6/4/09 Wakarusa Music Ozark, AK

6/5/09 Flytrap Music Hall Tulsa, OK

6/7/09 Telluride Jazz Fest Telluride, CO

6/9/09 Belly Up Aspen, CO

6/10/09 Fox Theatre Boulder, CO

6/11/09 Aggies Theatre Ft Collins, CO

6/12/09 Cervantes Ballroom Denver, CO

6/13/09 Cervantes Ballroon Denver, CO

6/16/09 Crystal Bay Club Casino Reno, NV

6/19/09 House of Blues West Hollywood, CA

6/21/09 Belly Up Tavern Solano Beach (San Diego), CA

Palmer stages high school musical - sort of

By Blurt Staff

You know you're feelin' good about yourself when you voluntarily return to your old high school to stage an original play.

Bravo to our favorite female Dresden Doll - Amanda Palmer - who isn't content to rest on her musical laurels which include critical kudos for her latest solo album Who Killed Amanda Palmer. She's heading back to her alma mater -- Lexington High School just outside Boston - to create an original play with her former drama teacher Steven Board and 20 beyond-lucky students. The play's content is inspired by the music and lyrics of In the Aeroplane Over The Sea by indie rockers Neutral Milk Hotel.

Palmer's publicist reports the play - with the working title of The Needle That Sings In Her Heart --  centers on Jewish diarist and Holocaust casualty Anne Frank and the idea that imagination and the creative process are essential tools for human survival and redemption.  

Although Palmer plays a variety of instruments while various cast members share the vocal duties, she insists the play isn't a musical.

A seat at one of the shows - on May 7, 8, and 9 with doors opening at 7 p.m. -- is yours for $10. Smart money says you'd better pre-order as soon as tickets go on sale today. Here's how:  Palmer tickets

Want more info? There's plenty at Amanda Palmer.

Amanda Palmer at Blurt:

 FEATURE ACTION

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW

Feel like getting shot in the back of the head, punk?

By Blurt Staff

June 30 brings the new Moby album, Wait For Me (Mute). Already available is a video for the instrumental "Shot in the Back of the Head" - directed by David Lynch, no less. You can view it, below.

It's fitting that Lynch directs this debut video, as it was a 2008 speech by Lynch that informed Moby's inspiration for the album and Little Idiot Records. Moby has issued the following  statement:

"david was talking about creativity, and to paraphrase, about how creativity in and of itself, and without market pressures, is fine. it seems that too often creative output is judged by how well it accommodates the marketplace, how much market share it commands and how much money it generates.
"In making this record i wanted to focus on making something that i loved, without really being concerned about how it might be received by the marketplace. as a result it's a quieter, more melodic, more mournful and more personal record than some of the records i've made in the past" 

A resolutely DIY effort, Moby recorded the album in his home studio ("although 'studio' always seems like an overly grand word for a bunch of equipment set up in a bedroom."), drew the album artwork with a black sharpie on copy paper, asked his friends to record the vocals ("working with friends is almost always nicer than working with rock stars") and asked another friend, photographer Jessica Dimmock, to take the press photos.

In addition, friend Ken Thomas (Sigur Ros, Throbbing Gristle) came on board to help mix the record: "Mixing the record with him was really nice, as he's creatively open to trying anything - like recording an old broken bakelite radio and running it through some broken old effects pedals to see what it would sound like.  it's on the record as a :45 second long track called 'stock radio'".

Moby and Thomas mixed the record using purely analog equipment in true stereo, akin to how records were mixed in the late 60's. The songs are described by Mute as "a cohesive body of work. While each track stands on its own merit, ‘Wait For Me' was recorded and arranged to be listened to from start to finish. In today's single-driven music industry an album that holds together as a collective entity is a rarity."

Former Spacemen 3 mainman & band releases a new EP and gets set to invade our shores once again....

By Blurt Staff

It wasn't all that long ago when we interviewed Pete "Sonic Boom" Kember about his then-current project with Jim Dickinson, Spectrum Meets Captain Memphis, and during the conversation he also outlined some of his other recent activities, including opening shows for My Bloody Valentine and plans for new recorded material from his band Spectrum. Now comes word of exactly that, a new 4-song Spectrum EP titled War Sucks. A tour to promote the EP will also take place; full North American itinerary is below.

The EP is due for release on Mind Expansion records on April 23^rd in both 12inch colored vinyl & C.D. formats with free download . The EP features two covers - Sonic's re-worked version of the Red Crayola's "War Sucks" and Laurie Anderson's overlooked gem "Walking and Falling " ,plus two originals, "Over & Over" and "Razzle Dazzle Mind."

 Between the four tracks it covers the whole gamut of Spectrum's unique approach to pop, punk and psych, from droning sound sculptures to brick-in-face hard skronk. According to the label the EP hints "at the variety of songs that will feature on a new album due for release at the later in the year."

The tracks were described for us by the good folks at Mind Expansion (watch for a full review of the EP at BLURT soon):

 WAR SUCKS sees the band psychedelically stormtroop through the Red Crayola classic accompanied by nebelwerfer strains - a kind of ‘Stalin organ' used in WW2 by the Germans to invoke as much chaos , noise  and fear as possible blended with the overhead scream of  a Stuka dive-bomber. The combination of the over-driven guitar sound, crashing cymbals and apocalyptic vocal with these screaming sound effects makes for a unique & compelling sound experience.

RAZZLE DAZZLE MIND finds the band on instrumental form , with this classic Stooges meets Stereolab track - a vocal version is expected for the new l.p.

WALKING & FALLING is an inspired cover of Laurie Anderson's spoken word piece from 1980 , taking the track to a stunning conclusion only hinted at in the original .  Intense delay feedback melding with Sonic's trademark Vox repeater tone creates atmosphere in this sensitive and pulsing track.

 It seamlessly segues into the final track , a Spectrum original OVER & OVER -highly reminiscent of Playing With Fire era SPACEMEN 3 & at least the equal to songs such as ‘Let me down gently' & ‘How does it feel'.

Per Spectrum tradition, the sleeve are will be a head-fucker. It was assembled in collaboration with Swiss artist Ivan Liechti from the design studio DIY (www.diy.li) and features psychedelic , candy-coloured artwork based on the unusual zig-zag ‘Razzle-Dazzle' deception camouflage used in WW1 and WW2 . The vinyl comes in custom pressed blended colors with matching sleeve artwork.

The Spectrum tour will kick off next week, April 23, in Philly. It'll run through mid-May when it wraps in San Diego. Don't be surprised if you spot the occasional surprise celebrity guest pop out onstage during the tour, either: on the recent European and UK tours,  the members of MGMT -avowed S3 and Spectrum acolytes - did exactly that.

The full band will be performing a mixture of new Spectrum material from the last LP and the new EP, classic Spectrum songs as well as the cream of Spacemen 3's sprawling back catalogue.

Tour Dates:

Thurs 23 April - Kung fu Neck Tie - PHILADELPHIA

Fri 24th - Sonar - BALTIMORE

Sun 26 - Mercury Lounge - NYC

Tue 28 - Middle East Upstairs - BOSTON

Wed 29 - Death By Audio - BROOKLYN

Thurs 30 -Andy Warhol Museum -  PITTSBURGH

Fri 1st May - The Dark Room - CHICAGO

Sat 2nd - Neumos - SEATTLE

Mon 4th - Doug Fir Lounge - PORTLAND

Wed 6th - Coopers - NEVADA CITY

Thurs 7th - Great American Music Hall - SAN FRANCISCO

Fri 8th - The Echo - LOS ANGELES

Mon 11th The Casbah - SAN DIEGO

For more information go to :

www.myspace.com/spectrumofficialpage

www.myspace.com/sonicboom

www.sonic-boom.info

Spectrum "How You Satisfy Me":

Tour supports new single release, latest album

By Blurt Staff

Spring is here at last and The Toadies are getting a jump on the season.

The reformed band's just announced it's ready to tour through June in support of its latest release No Deliverance. So jump on Twitter (sorry - we'll stop now) because the band's giving away tickets to every show - Toadies Twitter

You can also download the band's new single "Song I Hate" here: Song I Hate.

Tour Dates:

April 15 - San Francisco - Bottom Of The Hill

April 17 - Portland, Oregon - Hawthorne Theatre

April 18 - Seattle- El Corazon

April 21 - Salt Lake City, Utah - The Depot

April 22 - Englewood, Colo. - Gothic Theatre

April 23 - Kansas City, Mo. - Beaumont

April 24 - Tulsa, Okla. - Cain's Ballroom

April 25 -  St Louis, Mo. - The Pageant

April 26 - Fayetteville, Ark. - George's Majestic Lounge

May 8 - Austin, Texas - Stubb's

May 9 - Corpus Christi, Texas - Concrete Street Pavilion

May 10 - Houston, Texas - BUZZfest @ Woodlands Pavilion

May 13 - Ruston, La. - Raab's Steak House

May 14 - Shreveport, La. - The Warehouse

May 15 - Tyler, Texas - Click's

May 16 - Dallas, Texas - WildflowerFest

May 18 -  Des Moines, Iowa- People's Court

May 19 - St. Paul, Minn. - Station 4

May 20 - Chicago - The Metro

May 21 -  Detroit, Mich. - Magic Stick

May 22 - Cincinnati, Ohio - Bogarts

May 24 - Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony

May 27 -New York - Irving Plaza

May 29 - Washington, D.C. - Black Cat

May 30 - Boston, Mass. - The Roxy

June 1 - New Haven, Conn. - Toad's

June 2 - Allentown, Pa. - Crocodile Rock

June 4 - Nashville, Tenn. -- Exit In

Band takes A New Tide out.

By Blurt Staff

Gomez's latest release A New Tide debuted on Billboard's Top Album chart at #60 this week, just in time for the band to announce it's upcoming tour.

Confirmed dates are below; publicists expect more to follow:

May 22 -- St. Andrews Hall -- Detroit, Mich.

May 23 -- Summer Camp -- Chillicothe, Ill.

May 24 -- Pabst Theatre -- Milwaukee, Wisc

May 26 -- House of Blues -- Cleveland, Ohio

May 27 -- Headliners Music Hall -- Louisville, Ky.

May 29 -- Phoenix Concert Theatre -- Toronto, Ontario

May 30 -- Mountain Jam Festival -- Hunter, Ny.

June 1  -- Terminal 5 -- New York, Ny.

June 2  -- House of Blues, Boston, Mass.

June 3  -- Mr. Smalls Theatre -- Pittsburgh, Pa.

June 4  -- Madison Theatre -- Covington, Ky.

June 7  -- Wakarusa Music Camping Festival -- Ozark, Ark.

June 8 -- Stubb's -- Austin, Texas

June 9 -- Warehouse Live -- Houston, Texas

June 10 -- House of Blues, Dallas -- Texas

June 12 -- Bonnaroo Music  Arts Festival -- Manchester, Tenn.

July 18 -- Mile High  Festival -- Denver, Colo.

July 22 --10,000 Lakes Festival -- Detroit Lakes, Minn.

Find pre-sale tickets here: Gomez tickets

Follow this link for more information: Gomez

A few tears, a few smiles give St. Vincent's new album several teary faces.

By Blurt Staff

Take a little bit A Chorus Line, add a touch of Christopher Guest's surreal comedy and you have something akin to the new video "Actor Out of Work" from St. Vincent's album Actor, out May 5.

In the video, Annie Clark oversees a casting call making actors cry on cue - a "darkly comic and eerily unnerving" sight, she said. Very Jerry Stiller, we say.

NPR- and BLURT-approved band preps new album for Nonesuch.

By Blurt Staff

Providence, RI, combo the Low Anthem will have their latest album re-released by Nonesuch on June 9. Cheekily titled Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, it was originally self-released last September by the band, but now Nonesuch has arranged for a spankingly fine remaster by the remastering maestro Bob Ludwig.

In addition, initial copies of the record will come in hand-silkscreened sleeves courtesy Devil's Rainbow.

The band hits the road this week for a short eastern tour, then in May will head over to Europe, and return to the States in time to play Bonnaroo. Meanwhile, fans will recall that the Low Anthem performed on "Mountain Stage" last December, doing several songs from Charlie Darwin, including the title cut. You can hear the performance streamed HERE.

Still need convincing? Check out an MP3 of the aforementioned title cut:

"Charlie Darwin"

TOUR DATES:


04.18.09 - Boston, MA (Record Store Day)
04.24.09 - Providence, RI (Lupos)&
04.25.09 - Burlingston, VT (Higher Ground)#
04.27.09 - Montreal, QC (II Motore)#
04.29.09 - Toronto, ON (Horseshoe Tavern)#
06.15.09 - New York, NY (Bowery Ballroom)

• w/Ray Lamontagne
  # w/Elvis Perkins in Dearland
  & w/Elvis Perkins in Dearland & Deer Tick

[Photo Credit: Dan Miller]

BLURT will be hosting a sneak preview of the DVD trailer next week.

By Fred Mills

Sia Furler - known to music fans as simply "Sia" - is no longer just a sensual, jazzy voice for Britain's Zero 7, and she's definitely no longer just another YouTube upstart. Since the release in January 2008 of her third album some people have REAL problems the Australian-born singer-songwriter has been a consistent concert draw on both sides of the Atlantic, selling out shows and amassing a near-rabid fanbase drawn to her sleek sounds. She also went down a storm at last year's Coachella.

Arriving May 19 from Monkey Puzzle/Concord will be further proof of the young lady's staying power: Sia's first concert video, titled smartly enough TV Is My Parent. It was recorded September 12, 2007 in NYC at the Hiro Ballroom (raise your hands if you were there), showcasing material from some people... as well as older favorites culled from her back catalog as well as Zero 7's. Rounding out the DVD is behind the scenes footage from her 2008 tour plus the four official videos shot for some people....

Next week, on Wednesday, April 22, BLURT will be proud to host the world premiere of Sia's DVD trailer, so keep your eyes peeled. The images accompanying this news piece are screenshots taken from the video.

Sia On Tour in April:

Apr 26 2009    10:00P

            Melkweg Max             Amsterdam

Apr 28 2009    8:00P

            Luxor Cologne

Apr 29 2009    7:00P

            Postbahnhof    Berlin, Berlin

Apr 30 2009    8:30P

            59:1     Munich

May 2 2009     8:00P

            Uebel & Gefaehrlich   Hamburg

May 3 2009     8:00P

            Vega    Copenhagen

May 4 2009     8:00P

            Le Bataclan     Paris

[Photo Credit, top: RJ Shaughnessy]

Latest pick of cool artist in our ongoing collaboration with Sonicbids. MP3 sample on the music player.

By Fred Mills

The BLURT staff put our heads (and ears) together and we have the March pick for our Blurt/Sonicbids "Best Kept Secret": it's Polly Mackey & the Pleasure Principle, based in Wrexham, England, and fresh from a marathon 9-gigs-in-5-days romp through SXSW.

Drawing upon an impressive lineage of empowered female frontpersons - from such classic rockers as Maggie Bell and Ann Wilson to the punk and new wave era's Patti Smith and Chrissie Hynde, and onward to the contemporary milieu's Alison Mosshart and Sharin Foo - Mackey and her band deliver the hi-nrg powerpop goods with an impossible-to-ignore panache and vivacity. Not for nothing are they our "Best Kept Secret." But they won't be a secret much longer. (Oh, and did we mention that Mackey is only 17 years old?)

"We got quite a bit of label interest at SXSW and even more since we got back," says Mackey, confirming that there's definitely a buzz on for the group. "And we can't wait to get back in the studio to record more material. Basically, we're keeping the rest of the year open - hopefully ready to fill with festivals and a UK tour."

We'll have more of our interview with Mackey on Friday. Meanwhile, you can check our BLURT radio if you want to hear an MP3 ("Seriously") by the band - just click on the music player image on the right hand side of our homepage and scroll down for the song. Also check out the band's MySpace page for more song samples - as Mackey hints, they're in the process of sketching out their first album - as well at tour dates and more. And congratulations to the Pleasure Principle. They're one of the good ‘uns, trust us.

***

Bands, go to www.sonicbids.com/blurtonline to submit and have us review your materials for feature consideration.

>Our November Best Kept Secret: The Handcuffs, from Chicago.

>Our December Best Kept Secret: Black Swan Green, from Brooklyn

>Our January Best Kept Secret: stephaniesĭd, from Asheville

Jenny Owen Youngs takes her Transmitter Failure songs on tour

By Blurt Staff

You already know that Jenny Owen Youngs is back with her second album, Transmitter Failure, due May 26.  Well now she's taking her show on the road, with a 23-city tour with Jukebox The Ghost.

Yes, the two cover each other's songs and will be teaming up on stage.

Check ‘em out at one of these shows:

April 30 - Subterranean - Chicago, Ill. -  Subterranean

May 1 - Slowdown - Omaha, Neb.

May 2 - Denver, Co. - Hi Dive

May 3 - Salt Lake City, Utah - Kilby Court

May 5 - Seattle, Wash. - Tractor Tavern

May 6 - Portland, Ore. - Doug Fir Lounge

May 8 - San Francisco, Calif. - Bottom of the Hill

May 9 - Los Angeles, Calif. - The Hotel Café

May 10 - San Diego, Calif. - The Loft- UCSD

May 12 - Tucson, Ariz. - Club Congress

May 14 Austin, Texas - Stubb's BBQ Indoors

May 15 - Dallas, Texas - The Prophet Bar

May 16 - Little Rock, Ark. - Juanita's Cantina Ballroom

May 17 - Memphis, Tenn. - Hi-Tone Café

May 19 - Nashville, Tenn. - 3rd and Lindsley

May 20 - Charlotte, N.C. - The Casbah@Tremont Music Hall

May 21 - Carrboro, N.C. - Cat's Cradle

May 22 - Richmond, Va. - Canal Club Downstairs Lounge

May 23 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel

May 26 - Philadelphia, Pa. - Johnny and Brenda's

May 27 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom

May 28 - Boston, Mass. - Café 939

May 29 - Portland, Maine - Empire Dine and Dance

May 30 - Westport, Conn. - Toquet Hall

Watch for more dates!

So you think you can grow a killer ‘stache, eh, punk?

By Fred Mills

It really don't get much better than this: the World Beard and Moustache Championships, held every two years. Considering the beard-o movement in indie rock these days, it's a no-brainer for all you BLURT-ers, so get your ass in gear (and start waxing those follicles) and head up to Anchorage, Alaska, on May 23.

BLURT will be there. How about YOU?

Details available and tickets currently on sale at the official website.

As the organizers advise us, "The championships feature competition in a variety of categories that include everything from the delicate Dali moustache to the outrageous full beard freestyle. The competitors appear before a panel of distinguished judges charged with the responsibility of awarding the coveted world titles to the best of the best."

Coyne & Co., and maybe Santa Claus too, conquer Mars and institute "Mars Day"...

By Fred Mills

Unless you've been under a rock you've probably heard that the Flaming Lips will headline the official U.S. Earth Day celebration on Sunday, April 19, at the mall in Washington DC. The theme? It's to be - hold on, you know it's coming - "The Green Generation." Which we suspect suits Wayne just fine.

Ten other cities will be holding their own bashes (over 200k turned out last year, which actually is not that much if you think about - c'mon people, get off your collective duff).

Also on the bill: Los Lobos, moe., DJ Spooky, plus the Howard University Drummers (maybe we'll have a Lips-Drummers mashup like that cool Radiohead deal with the USC Trojan Marching Band awhile back...) and the Joy  Of Motion Dance Center teen hip-hop corps, Urban Impact. No less than Chevy Chase will be the MC for the event.

Massively entertaining film set to premiere in the U.S. next month.

By Blurt Staff

Whattaya get when you compile a soundtrack album for a big-grossing Mexican film and you want to capitalize on its momentum? Why, call in leading man Gael Garcia Bernal, hip nu-Latin artists such as Mexican Institute of Sound and Quiero Club and avowed Latin music fans Devendra Banhart and the Black Lips, of course!

In the process, make sure that Bernal, in character, covers a classic Cheap Trick song - in this case, a Mexican language version of "I Want You To Want Me," which you can view below just so you'll know we're not pulling your leg. Seriously, this has to be seen to believe, right down to the cuchi dancers, the "Macarena"-style dance steps and the soccer ball.

The film Rudo Y Cursi itself is already a hit in Mexico ans will make its U.S. premiere in L.A. and NYC on May 8, followed by a full national rollout.

Here's the scoop, courtesy Nacional Records, who will be releasing the album on June 9:

‘Rudo y Cursi' is the first film to reunite superstars Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna since their break-out performances in the Oscar-nominated "Y Tu Mamá También." García Bernal and Luna play two brothers scraping by as laborers in rural Mexico, until one day a scout spies their friendly game of soccer and sign them on as star athletes for rival teams. They quickly learn that the high life of top players-fame, money, and beautiful women-has a dark side. And when their professional rivalry turns bitter and personal, the brothers see that they must reunite before they lose everything they once dreamed of.

In addition to the Garcia Bernal song, the soundtrack also features indie rock favorites like Juana Molina, The Black Lips, and Devendra Banhart performing their own versions of Regional Mexican classics. Nortec Collective Presents Bostich + Fussible and Mexican Institute of Sound feat. Saul Hernandez (Jaguares) round out the soundtrack's highlights with their own takes on some of their homeland's most recognizable songs.

The ‘Rudo y Cursi' soundtrack is co-produced by Camilo Lara (Mexican Institute of Sound) and the film's director Carlos Cuaron.

"The idea to record Latin alternative versions of Regional Mexican classics actually came to me after I saw the movie for the first time," Lara explains. "There wasn't much room for new music and even less room for ‘modern' music. So while talking with Carlos we decided it was a really great idea to approach artists to record new versions."

Track Listing:

1. Tato "El Cursi" Verduzco (Gael Garcia Bernal) - Quiero Que Me Quieras
   2. Los Odio feat. Juan Son - I Want You To Want Me
   3. Juana Molina - Rudo Y Cursi
   4. Devendra Banhart - Lindo Cihuatlán
   5. Mexican Institute of Sound feat. Saúl Hernández - Árboles De La Barranca
   6. Niña Dioz - Prefiero El Asfalto (Por Puro Gusto)
   7. Jóvenes y Sexys - Amor Platónico
   8. Los Látigos - Besos Y Caricias
   9. Adanowsky - Historia Sin Fin
   10. Dios Malos - Sueño De Amor
   11. Quiero Club - Quiero Que Me Quieras
   12. Kumbia Queers - El Dolor De Micaela
   13. No Somos Machos Pero Somos Muchos - Amor del Cielo
   14. Black Lips - Árboles De La Barranca
   15. Quiero Club feat. HC - Pegadito
   16. Disco Ruido! - Mi Amor Contiki (Guaca Tiki Mix)
   17. Nortec Collective Presents Bostich + Fussible - Árboles De La Barranca

Indie rockers gear up for tour behind soon-to-be-released album

By Nancy Dunham

Girl in a Coma, who number Morrissey, Joan Jett, Dave Navarro and of course Blurt among its fans are gearing up for the road. If the shows by sisters Nina and Phanie Diaz and bandmate Jenn Alva are anything like the ones at SXSW, fasten your seatbelts Girl in a Coma at SXSW

You know, faithful readers, that the band also has some releases you should check out -- two-songs via digital and vinyl on April 21 plus the band's sophomore album on June 2 Trio B.C.

Something tells us we'll be hearing a lot from these Girls this summer.

Tour Dates:

May 29 - Jack's Patio - San Antonio, Texas

June 3 - Smoking Aces - Mission, Texas

June 4 - House of Rock - Corpus Christi, Texas

June 5 - Triple Crown - San Marcos, Texas

June 6 - Emo's - Austin, Texas

June 7 - Pontiac Garage at House of Blues - Dallas, Texas

June 9 - Fitzgerald's - Houston, Texas

June 11 - The Nick - Birmingham, Ala.

June 12 - Masquerade - Atlanta, Ga.

June 13 - Ground Zero - Spartanburg, S.C.

June 14 - The Milestone - Charlotte, N.C.

June 16 -The Red and Black - Washington, D.C.

June 17 - Khyber - Philadelphia, Pa.

June 18 - Brighton Bar - Long Branch, N.J.

June 19 - Highline Ballroom - New York

June 23 - Bernie's Distillery - Columbus, Ohio

June 24 - The Pike Room - Pontiac, Mich.

June 25 - Radio Radio - Indianapolis, Ind.

June 26 - National Museum of Mexican Art - Chicago, Ill.

June 29 -Milwaukee Summerfest - Milwaukee, Wisc.

July 1 -7^th Street Entry - Minneapolis, Minn.

July 2 - The Waiting Room - Omaha, Neb.

July 3 - The Riot Room - Kansas City, Mo.

July 4 - 80/35 Music Festival - Des Moines, Iowa

July 6 - 3 Kings Tavern - Denver, Colo.

July 8 - Burt's Tiki Lounge - Salt Lake City, Utah

July 9 - Neuroloux - Boise, Idaho

July 10 - El Corazon - Seattle, Wash.

July 11 -Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, Ore.

July 13 - Lost on Main - Chico, Calif.

July 14 - The Fire Escape Bar - Citrus Heights, Calif.

July 15 - The Blank Club - San Jose, Calif.

July 16 - Bottom Of The Hill - San Francisco, Calif.

July 18 - The Knitting Factory - Hollywood, Calif.

July 22 - Beauty Bar - Las Vegas, Nev.

July 23 - Hollywood Alley - Mesa, Ariz.

July 24 - Plush - Tucson, Ariz.

July 25 - Zeppelins Underground - El Paso, Texas

August 6 - Michigan Womyn's Fest - Oceana County, Mich.

Something about John and Yoko too...

By Blurt Staff

Ryan Adams, recently of those "I'm considering giving up music" rumors, may be planning yet another one of his patented, er, "career moves." News reports say the newly betrothed Mr. Mandy Moore is reportedly releasing three new death metal tracks under the recently resurrected moniker Werewolph.

Check out the songs here - Werewolph

Hey, we read it online, so it must be true!

Speaking of which, what about those rumors that Adams and Moore are planning on doing a recreation of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's infamous in-the-buff Two Virgins LP sleeve? At least 4 BLURT readers feel it's gonna happen....

30-city blowout featuring two of the all-time greats.

By Blurt Staff

This summer, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal-two leading lights of modern blues-are joining forces for their first-ever tour together. The "BonTaj Roulet" tour will be a coast-to-coast, 30-date outing in August and September, including appearances at such celebrated venues as Wolf Trap, Ravinia, Red Rocks, and the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. These shows will feature Bonnie and Taj on stage alone and together. Bonnie, backed by group, and Taj, with his Phantom Blues Band, will play full sets separately, before closing each night with a collaborative, blow-out performance.

"This tour is just what the doctor ordered," says Bonnie. "Taj and I have so much in common, but there's so much unexplored territory between us. It's been a long time coming, and now is the right time."

"We've been like ships passing in the night," adds Taj. "Some of my musicians used to play with Bonnie, we have so many of the same friends-this is really an opportunity to combine some forces and play some great music."

These two socially conscious artists will also be using the tour to make a difference. The BonTaj Collective Action Fund will utilize several initiatives to raise money for a variety of causes. In conjunction with ticketing agencies like Ticketmaster, Live Nation Ticketing and Musictoday, and some venues and promoters, the concertgoers and artists will all come together with the goal of raising $1 for charity per ticket sold on The BonTaj Roulet Tour.

Additionally, at every concert, Bonnie and Taj are making available ACTION FUND VIP PACKAGES offering premium seats and an opportunity for a limited number of concertgoers to come backstage for an artist meet-and-greet after the show. All funds raised will go into the BonTaj Collective Action Fund.

Concertgoers are encouraged to vote on which causes to support at the BonTaj.com website. Proceeds will be distributed in proportion to overall votes tallied, to benefit organizations that work on the following issues: Safe and Sustainable Energy; Environmental Protection; Social Justice and Human Rights; and Blues/Music Education. For more information, to vote on causes for the Action Fund to support and to buy special premium seating, visit www.bontaj.com/thecollective.

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Raitt is an institution in American music-a best-selling artist, respected guitarist, expressive singer, and accomplished songwriter. And in May, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist Taj Mahal will be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. The pair first met in the early 1970s, when she opened for him at a concert at Skidmore College. In 1973, Taj co-produced Bonnie's third album, Takin' My Time. "I watched her develop under the tutelage of people like Fred MacDowell and Sippie Wallace," says Taj. "She got right in there and stomped it down. She wasn't afraid to play for real."

"It's like we're cousins," says Bonnie. "We're both blessed that we knew those old blues guys, we love the same kinds of music-we have a common language."

As for their nightly jam sessions on the "BonTaj Roulet" tour, both artists sound like they're raring to go. "There's gonna be a lot of fireworks, because it's so fresh," says Bonnie. "I think about it before I go to sleep, toying with the possibilities, and it feels like having an extra slice of pie, getting both of these bands to play together like this. There's so much potential to what we can do."

"At these times," says Taj, "peoples' money is short, there's lots of pressure and distractions, and this is when our job comes deep into focus and we really need to get on the stick. So I don't know about anybody else, but I know I'm gonna have some fun."

BonTaj Roulet Tour Dates

Thu, Aug 6, 2009 Williamsport, PA Community Arts Center
Sat, Aug 8, 2009 Philadelphia, PA Mann Center
Sun, Aug 9, 2009 Wallingford, CT Chevrolet Theatre
Tue, Aug 11, 2009 Newark, NJ NJPAC
Wed, Aug 12, 2009 Brooklyn, NY Prospect Park Bandshell
Wed, Aug 14, 2009 Hyannis, MA Cape Cod Melody Tent
Sat, Aug 15, 2009 Boston, MA Bank of America Pavilion
Sun, Aug 16, 2009 Vienna, VA Filene Center at Wolf Trap
Tue, Aug 18, 2009 Atlanta, GA Chastain Park Amphitheatre
Wed, Aug 19, 2009 Louisville, KY The Louisville Palace
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 Highland Park, IL Ravinia Festival
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 Highland Park, IL Ravinia Festival
Sun, Aug 23, 2009 Grand Rapids, MI Meijer Gardens
Tue, Aug 25, 2009 Indianapolis, IN The Lawn at White River State Park
Thu, Aug 27, 2009 St. Paul, MN Minnesota State Fair
Fri, Aug 28, 2009 Council Bluffs, IA Stir Cove at Harrah's Casino
Sun, Aug 30, 2009 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Tue, Sept 1, 2009 Salt Lake City, UT Red Butte Amphitheatre
Wed, Sept 2, 2009 Boise, ID Boise Botanical Gardens
Thu, Sept 3, 2009   Portland, OR    Edgefield Winery
Sat, Sept 5, 2009 Bend, OR   Les Schwab Amphitheatre
Sun, Sept 6, 2009 Seattle, WA    Chateau Ste Michelle
Mon, Sept 7, 2009 Eugene, OR Cuthbert Amphitheatre
Wed, Sept 9, 2009 Friant, CA Table  Mountain Casino
Fri, Sept 11, 2009 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
Sat, Sept 12, 2009 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl
Sun, Sept 13, 2009 Saratoga, CA The Mountain WInery
Wed, Sept 16, 2009 Oakland, CA TBD
Thu, Sept 17, 2009 San Diego, CA Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay
Fri, Sept 18, 2009 House of Blues, Las Vegas
Sun, Sept 20, 2009 TBA
Wed, Sept 23, 2009 Albuquerque, NM Sandia Casino
Thu, Sept 24, 2009 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre
Fri, Sept, 25, 2009 Rancho MIrage, CA Agua Caliente Casino

Official site and ticket info: http://bontajroulet.com/

Mega-nine-minute track from Beam's rarities collection.

By Fred Mills

We previously brought you word on the upcoming Iron and Wine rarities collection, Around the Well (due May 19 from Sub Pop), stuffed to the gills with choice Sam Beam-age as well as some very intriguing covers.

Just to tweak all you I&W fans out there, Sub Pop is serving up a free MP3 from the album, the nine-minute "The Trapeze Swinger".

Check it out:

"The Trapeze Swinger"

Yeah, but exactly who is this Oscar dude anyway?

By Blurt Staff

Drive-By Truckers mainman Patterson Hood will release Murdering Oscar (and other love songs) on June 23 (Ruth St. Records). It's his second outing away from the mothership's diesel fumes, although unlike 2004's stripped-to-the-bone Killers and Stars it will bear a DBT fingerprint or two, as it  was co-produced by long-time DBT producer David Barbe and most of his bandmates appear on it, along with Don Chambers, Will Johnson and Scott Danbom from Centro-matic/South San Gabriel. This is also the first time Hood's Muscle Shoals bass legend dad, David Hood, joins him on a record.

The album was recorded at Chase Park Transduction Studios in Athens, GA and will also be released on 180 gram vinyl. The vinyl release will include three exclusive bonus tracks. An a cappella version of "Range War" will also be available exclusively with iTunes. "Pollyanna" and "Pride of the Yankees" are available to preview on his Myspace page: www.myspace.com/pattersonhood.

Hood kicks off the first leg of his solo tour in Nashville and ends with a headlining slot at AthFest in Hood's hometown of Athens, GA. Joining Hood on tour as the Screwtopians will be Brad Morgan (drums), John Neff (guitar/steel), Scott Danbom (keys/fiddle), Will Johnson (guitar) and David Barbe (bass), who has not toured since his days with Sugar. Will Johnson will open the shows.

Tour dates:

June 18 Nashville, TN Grimey's in-store
June 18 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
June 19 Louisville, KY Headliner's
June 20 Chicago, IL The Metro
June 22 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live
June 23 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
June 24 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
June 25 Washington, DC The Black Cat
June 27 Athens, GA AthFest

Advance tickets go on sale Tuesday, 4/21 http://pattersonhood.baselineticketing.com

Track listing:

1. Murdering Oscar
2. Pollyanna
3. Pride of the Yankees
4. I Understand Now
5. Screwtopia
6. Granddaddy
7. Belvedere
8. The Range War
9. She's A Little Randy
10. Foolish Young Bastard
11. Heavy and Hanging
12. Walking Around Sense
13. Back of a Bible

 
BONUS TRACKS (on vinyl only):

Uncle Phil and Aunt Phyllis in the Month After the Election
Playboy Mansion
Sam's in the Ground

Doc Watson, Linda Ronstadt, the Belleville Outfit, Emmylou Harris, David Bromberg,  the Duhks, Tift Merritt, Travis Tritt, the Del McCoury Band.... It just gets better and better.

By Fred Mills

While hipsters across the globe are descending upon sunny southern Cali for Coachella, across the country, at humble little Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, NC, one of the longest-running PURE MUSIC festivals is gearing up for its 22^nd annual bash, which will feature the talents of everyone from Linda Ronstadt, the Belleville Outfit, Emmylou Harris and David Bromberg to the Duhks, Tift Merritt, Trafis Tritt and the Del McCoury Band.

That's right punters: if you ain't been to MerleFest yet, you ain't been livin'. From Thursday, April 23, through Sunday the 26^th, legendary country/folk/bluegrass picker Doc Watson will be hosting his equally legendary event. There will be no shortage of artists (100 of ‘em) and no shortage of stages (15 - can Coachella beat THAT?) either. It all kicks off Thursday at 2:30 pm.

So, to get started, first go to the official website: www.merlefest.org for all the details, including merch and vendor info, stuff about on-site activities for kids (this is a family-friendly event after all), and of course icketing info (there's also a toll free number you can call: 800-343-7857). You'll have a range of ticketing options, including the ultra-reasonable $35-$50 per day price for general admission, as well as a reserved seating option at the massive Watson Stage ($250 for all four days).

But what about those acts? According to the organizers, "As in previous years, the list of performers fits the ‘traditional plus' definition offered by Doc Watson when describing the rich musical diversity that is a hallmark of the event.  Sounds of bluegrass, Americana, gospel, blues, folk, Celtic, Cajun and mariachi music will fill the air. The artist lineup and stage schedules are posted at www.merlefest.org."

Well, all right, then. See below for more....

***

Thursday, April 23, will feature performances by the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band with special guest George Shuffler, Dailey & Vincent, Scythian, Bearfoot, The Lovell Sisters, Tift Merritt, and Travis Tritt with Jerry Douglas, among others.  The MerleFest Mandolin contest will take place in Alumni Hall. 

The schedule on Friday, April 24, includes the Welcome Home Super Jam hosted by The Duhks with Jim Lauderdale and Peter Rowan; The Dixie Bee-Liners, Ollabelle, The Grascals, The SteelDrivers, The Kruger Brothers, Mountain Heart with Tony Rice, John Cowan, Sierra Hull and Highway 111, The Del McCoury Band, and The Waybacks with special guests.  The Merle Watson Bluegrass Banjo Championship and the Doc Watson Guitar Championship will also take place on Friday in Alumni Hall. 

The lineup for Saturday, April 25, includes the New Generation Super Jam hosted by The SteelDrivers and The Belleville Outfit, with The Dixie Bee-Liners, The Farewell Drifters and Cadillac Sky; The Greencards, Blue Highway, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, Missy Raines and The New Hip, Sam Bush, and Emmylou Harris.  The ever-popular Hillside Album Hour hosted by The Waybacks will take place at 5:00 p.m., and a special performance by Doc Watson and Friends, beginning at 6:15 p.m., will culminate in a tribute to Merle Watson.  The Midnight Jam will take place in the Walker Center (separate ticket required, available only to advance 4-day ticket buyers).  Hosted by David Bromberg, with opening act The Farewell Drifters (11:30 p.m.), the jam will also feature Angel Band, Bearfoot, Cadillac Sky, The Dixie Bee-Liners, Missy Raines and The New Hip, Spring Creek Bluegrass Band, The SteelDrivers, The Belleville Outfit, and Ollabelle.

Sunday, April 26, will begin with gospel music on the Creekside Stage with Doc Watson and the Nashville Bluegrass Band, and blues on the Americana stage with Roy Book Binder and Patrick Sweany.  Featured performers throughout the day include the Carolina Chocolate Drops, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, The Gibson Brothers, Happy Traum, Pete and Joan Wernick, Bearfoot, and George Hamilton IV, among others.  The festival will close with Linda Ronstadt featuring Los Camperos De Nati Cano, performing an afternoon of Canciones de Mi Padre, "Songs of my Father." 

Hoping for the profane side of the new album to be aired...

By Fred Mills

Sure, "A Prairie Home Companion" is for NPR nerds. But it's got its moments. This weekend the might Elvis Costello will be appearing to plug songs from his forthcoming country album Secret, Profane & Sugarcane (due June 2 from Hear Music, it was produced by T Bone Burnett).

It's his first stop in Garrison Keillor land, and he'll be backed up by the in-house group The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band. Local listings HERE.

We missed you, Tesco...

By Blurt Staff

From humble punk rock beginnings in East Lansing, MI circa ‘79, The Meatmen rose to heavy-duty heights in the 80s and 90s before putting the brakes on in ‘96. Their legacy is rich in punk history and they've played shows with many of punk's essential bands, including Misfits, Minor Threat, Fear, Dead Kennedys, The Fix, Necros, Negative Approach, and more.

Now, after a 12 year lapse, The Meatmen bounce back big with a 24 track ode to the tuneage of yore with Cover The Earth which features all of Tesco's favorite musical blasts of the last 40 years. Some are obvious (Fear, GG Allin, Johnny Thunders) and others are real head scratchers (Jimmy Dean, 10CC, The Temptations). All delivered in reverential but irreverent form by the latest and greatest men of Meat! It features a full-color 12-page booklet and all the between song schtick one comes to expect from a new Meat platter. Also features a return of the legendary Hebrew pitchman Shecky Schpilkis in "Sex Mart 2010." It's due June 2 from Meat King Records.

The band will be touring to support the new release. Itinerary is below.

Meanwhile, Tesco Vee is finally a toy! No one in punk rock more deserves to be so offensively animated, than Tesco Vee of the Meatmen. The people of Aggronautix have created a limited-edition figure (1000 numbered units) standing 7 inches tall, and made of a lightweight polyresin. Displayed in a tri-windowed box, Tesco is accurately sculpted right down to the ABBA pants and clogs. Go HERE for details.

Tour Dates:

4/16/2009 31st St Pub in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

4/17/2009 STERLING HOTEL in Allentown, Pennsylvania

4/18/2009 VALENTINE'S in Albany, New York

4/19/2009 CLUB EUROPA in Brooklyn, New York

4/20/2009 THE BRIGHTON BAR, Long Branch NJ *

4/21/2009 THE RECORD COLLECTOR, Bordentown NJ

4/22/2009 DC9 in THE DISTRICT!, Washington DC *

4/23/2009 GREEN EGGS & HAM in Boone, North Carolina *

4/24/2009 MILESTONE'S in Charlotte, North Carolina *

4/25/2009 BERNIE'S in Columbus, Ohio *

5/14/2009 BURT'S TIKI LOUNGE, SALT LAKE CITY, Utah

5/16/2009 FUN HOUSE, SEATTLE, Washington

5/17/2009 PLAN B, PORTLAND, Oregon

5/19/2009 THEE PARKSIDE, SAN FRANSISCO, California

5/20/2009 VELVET JONES, SANTA BARBARA, California

5/21/2009 ANGELO'S, POMONA, California

5/22/2009 THE RELAX BAR, HOLLYWOOD, California

5/23/2009 DOUBLE DOWN, LAS VEGAS, Nevada

5/25/2009 LAUNCH PAD, ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico

5/27/2009 EMOS, AUSTIN, Texas

• w/ American Speedway

New book examines the seamy underbelly of the alt-rock explosion, and some of its decline, too. To my eternal fortune (or misfortune...), I was there, too.

By Fred Mills

A Personal Testimonial: They say if you can remember the ‘60s you weren't actually there, but by my way of thinking, if someone says they remember the ‘80s and on into the early part of the ‘90s, they weren't there - or at least they weren't having any fun!

Now, I'm not going to get into matters of rampant chemical indulgence, excessive alcohol intake or ridiculously over-the-top sessions of unprotected sex (I date myself...). This is, after all, a fucking family-oriented website. But when I have the opportunity to relive some of my censored past vicariously, I jump, and nothing is making me jump more right now than the imminent publication of Kill the Music.

It's a book by an old friend and co-conspirator of mine, Michael G. Plumides, Jr. - and before you ask, hell yeah, I can plug projects of friends in this space if I wanna. The gentleman WAS there during the ‘80s/'90s, and he apparently DOES remember, thereby being the exception that proves my rule as outlined above, and for the rest of you out there, that means that you're in for a fun ride.

Published next week by Booksurge.com, Kill the Music is described by the publisher as "the true story of a girl crazy college radio idealist and his relationships between family, friends, enemies, and the politics of the music scene. Set in the ‘Bible Belt' during the late 1980's and early 1990's, this poignant account explores his experiences as a college radio deejay at WUSC-FM, and the owner of the ill-fated and controversial 4808 Club in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina. Through entertaining conversations with legendary rock stars, tales of sexual liaisons, and the ins and outs of concert promotion, Kill the Music is a no-holds-barred comedic, skewed, enlightening, and sometimes sad look into a past not so long ago, and how oddly our society is connected."

Connected, indeed - boy howdy to that. As one of the recurring characters in this true-life book, I can personally testify to those connections and how "odd" - maybe more like "bizarre" or "twisted" or "debauched" - they were. Ask me sometime about the G.G. Allin babysitting scene in Mike's book. Or perhaps the legendary GWAR obscenity bust at the 4808 Club, which I reported on for the Charlotte alternative newsweekly and for Billboard magazine, and which set in motion the demise of the venue and, in a larger sense, the decline of the local music scene in the Charlotte area. It was an interesting, and very strange, and at times disturbing-exhilarating time.

Well, you may agree with that or not. It depends on how punk you are, or how much you value the DIY ideals of punk, and the notion that rock ‘n' roll should always carry with it the whiff of danger and the stench of controversy - otherwise, it ain't rock, just some limp-wristed approximation thereof.

As I used to put it when covering the music scene in Charlotte back in the day: Whattaya want, a bunch of whitebread dipshits up on stage doing polite Police and Bob Marley covers, or a band that's loud enough and obnoxious enough to not only draw the ire of residents several blocks away but piss off the club owner who booked ‘em in the first place! What would YOU pay for, hmmm?

Anyway, consider this an unsolicited plug for Mike's book. I suggest you get your credit card handy, starting next week, when it becomes available at booksellers everywhere. Well, maybe not all those nice little mom ‘n' pops book shops, but at least it'll be available online at Amazon, Waldenbooks, B&N and Target if you can't spot it locally. It will be available for Kindle, too.

Meanwhile, if you happen to be in the Charlotte area next week, on April 25 there will be a book release party and signing at the local Alley Cat venue. Full details HERE - and below are some highlights:

From 8 P.M. to 9 P.M. there will a book signing, and afterwards there will be live performances by: Leisure McCorkle (Alt. Pop), Something about Vampires and Sluts (Alt. Dance), and The Independents (Punk/Ska), and Pattrick McKenna will perform acoustic on the deck. The featured bands are celebrated North and South Carolina performers in their particular genres.

Performance Artists, Dancers, Fire Breathers, and Deejay provided by Single Cell Productions.

Some proceeds will go to Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With more than 45 years of service, they are dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts.

Copies of Kill the Music will be available in paperback at the book release party for purchase.

Incidentally, if any of this piques your interest, Mike will be on the radio Sunday night from 10 pm to midnight EST on 106.5 FM in Charlotte, talking about the book. You can stream the broadcast HERE.

This has been a public service announcement - with guitars.

Get off your ass and support your local independent retailer, punk.

By Fred Mills

The 2^nd Annual Record Store Day is finally here at scores of participating indies and mom ‘n' pops. Yay! As pointed out previously, we're dead chuffed to see how many bands and labels lined up with goodies that will be available exclusively at indie stores. From Akron/Family, Cold War Kids, Grizzly Bear, Sonic Youth (twice!) and My Morning Jacket to Dylan, Springsteen, Tom Waits, the Stooges and the MC5, the swag is in the bag for this year's event, and it'll be hard to top it in 2010.

See the full list, below.

Meanwhile, go HERE to see the Record Store Day website and check out the list of stores as well as sundry musical events taking place all over. Viva la vinyl!

Blurt goes to the circus... or something like that! Pt. 1 of our multi-day coverage....

By Scott Dudelson

If somebody tries to tell you that Coachella is the hottest music festival in the United States, believe them - daytime temperatures generally average 105 degrees Celsius. The festival itself takes place on a nicely manicured Polo field in the vast Mojave Desert; about 20 min from Frank Sinatra's old hang in Palm Springs, and 2 hours east of Los Angeles. And while Day 1 of the three-day event, brought the requisite desert heat, it lacked the edgy headliners that have made Coachella one of the most respected festivals on the planet.

The first half of the day was dominated by younger, up and coming indie-rock acts, and in turn, was the most interesting part of the festival. Early highlights included Cage the Elephant, a five-piece, balls to the wall rock outfit from Bowling Green KY, and the always-excellent Hold Steady.   M. Ward and The Black Keys also took to the daytime Coachella stages, and in the case of M. Ward, less than 1000 people stopped over to watch his beautiful set and hear tunes from his latest album "For Beginners."  Not even the Black Keys, with their crunchy blues-rock sound, and mainstream music buzz could pull in a major crowd.  The bands set included raw and heavy versions 10 A.M. Automatic, Strange Times, and Stack Shot Billy and to those who watched the performance, it was widely regarded as the days best.

The lack of enthusiasm for some of these great daytime acts likely had something to do with the presence of Paul McCartney, Leonard Cohen and Morrissey as night one headliners.  While all three are iconic legends, none of these artists fit the traditional profile of a Coachella headliner, and it in turn attracted an older crowd that didn't fit the traditional profile of a Coachella concertgoer.  A vast majority of the crowd that attended were only interested in watching McCartney, Cohen, and Morrissey, and didn't bother to show up early and catch some of the great indie(ish) acts.

The most interesting of the three headliners was Leonard Cohen who performed with a large band, and gave the crowd a set chalk full of classics including Dance Me To The End Of Love, Everybody Knows, Bird on a Wire, and Hallelujah.  The rumor was that Cohen accepted the Coachella gig because he needed the dough (apparently he lost his $10 million fortune recently), so it was a great relief, that Cohen showed up in fine voice, spirits and interest in giving the crowd the performance they wanted.

The final two acts - McCartney and Morrissey, performed the sets you'd expect from Moz and Macca.  Moz's set featured an abundance of Smiths tunes (Bicycle, Girlfriend in a Coma, Ask, How Soon is Now), and solo hits (Irish Blood, English Heart), coupled with the occasional commentary about how ‘Meat is Murder.' On stage Moz did his best Moz impression, and for 50 minutes simply stalked the stage apathetically and flailed his mic chord around like he was bored.

Macca's appearance was notable for being preceded by a DJ set that remixed the very tunes that Macca was to soon after perform.  A strange opening, but the baby boomer heavy crowd didn't mind, and the sing-a-long atmosphere was fitting for what was to come.   McCartney kicked off his set with a handful of Beatles / Wings tunes - Jet, Drive My Car, and Got to Get You Into My Life - before he went into an extended run of songs from his last few albums that nobody really seemed to know, nor really care about. The second half of the set was Beatles intensive, and exactly what you want to hear when you see an ex-Beatle (that's not Ringo) perform.  Songs included Paperback Writer, Something, Yesterday, Helter Skelter, Can't Buy Me Love, Long & Winding Road, Let it Be, Day in the Life, Get Back, Sgt Pepper and the final festival sing-along Hey Jude

After all was said and done, the promoters of the festival had claimed a sell-out, but even a quick walk through the crowd during McCartney's performance indicated otherwise.

Lets see how Day 2 turns out...

[Photos credit: Scott Dudelson]

Blurt goes to the circus... or something like that! Pt. 2 of our multi-day coverage...

By Scott Dudelson

Whatever bite that was lacking during Friday's show, was available in abundance yesterday. The event was pretty well packed the entire day and night, and in true Coachella fashion, the field was dotted with dudes passed out from the combination of beer and heat, the occasional topless chick was spotted dousing herself with water to keep cool, and interesting acts were stacked up, one after another.

The festival kicked off early with a furious (and surprisingly engaging) set from Ontario based punk-rock outfit Billy Talent, and was immediately followed by a performance from the beautiful English blue-eyed soul singer, Joss Stone.   With a ten-piece band in tow, Stone performed a forty-minute set in which she mixed a couple old tunes, with a few freshly written tracks (which apparently have "only been heard by a few people in English pubs"), that stylistically could have been pulled from a early-mid 70's Stevie Wonder record.   At only 22 years old, Stone has both the talent and time, to recapture the early success she achieved with her debut album Mind, Body and Soul, and it was surprising that such an amazing talent was relegated to playing such an early day-time set.

Impish Scottish singer Paolo Nutini followed Stone on the main-stage, but his set was often punctured by the sound of some ass-kicking guitar work from a nearby stage that featured Drive-By Truckers (including, of course, frontman Patterson Hood). For DBT, though, their day-time performance was simply a warm-up for their funky instrumental set later in the evening with legendary Stax soul-man Booker T (performing under the moniker Booker T & the DBT's).  

Following DBT's and Nutini were a quick succession of politically charged sets from both Michael Franti and Spearhead, and ex-Black Flag singer, Henry Rollins.   With Franti and Spearhead, you get what you expect to get - a laid back, no frills good-time, blanketed with some left-leaning commentary; Rollins on the other-hands, is one crazy, unpredictable, and brilliant mother-fucker.   Rollins' 40 minute spoken word set was a mix of political commentary and stand up comedy, and although he no longer has George W. Bush to focus his anger on, there was no shortage of topics for him to wax poetic, be it airline security, our relations with Iran, and even Cat Steven's detention at a US airport.

As dusk began to settle, one of the festivals most interesting acts Tinariwen, laid down their authentic Western Saharan desert blues, while Calexico, on a nearby stage, treated fans to their authentic vision of dusty, desert Americana.

Although the Killers were the night's stated headliners, much of the advance buzz was focused on sets by TRV$DJ-AM and M.I.A.   Coachella marked only the second appearance by Travis Barker and DJ AM since they survived a plane crash late last year, and when the duo hit the stage, it was hard spot an audience member without a smile on their face. The duo kicked off their set with a wicked re-mix of ‘Welcome to the Jungle' and for fifty minutes the jam-packed crowd roared with excitement as the duo remixed everything from MGMT to Bloc Party, and introduced special guest Warren G to the stage.  By virtue of circumstance, TRV$DJ-AM's set was truly a celebration of life.

The advance buzz for M.I.A's appearance was helped by an unexpected ‘Tweet' that the Sri Lankan singer sent out to her fans early Saturday morning, suggesting that crunk master Lil Wayne will be joining her for a couple songs.  Although Young Weezy didn't turn up for the performance, at least 35,000 fans did, and M.I.A in turn delivered an exciting set that took the party over the top. Although there were moments when she was clearly uncomfortable performing on such a massive stage (toward the end of the set she noted "next time, I'm back in the tent. I prefer people to sweat."), and had to make clear that "just because [she] played the Grammy's, doesn't mean [she's] sold-out," her fuck-all attitude and natural charisma was enough to keep even the most demanding critic satisfied.  Lets just hope that she will be able to keep it together.

Day 3 here we come!

[Photos credit: Scott Dudelson]

(Go HERE to read Scott's account of the first day, April 17.)

First tour in three years announced.

By Blurt Staff

April showers bring Green Day power tour plans.

In support of its eight studio album 21^st Century Breakdown, which is slated for May 15, release, the band announced it'll hit the road for the first time in three years. No clubs listed but check out the dates below:

July 3 - Seattle, Wash.

July 4 - Vancouver, B.C.              

July 6 - Edmonton, AB

July 7 - Saskatoon, SAS

July 9 - Winnipeg, MAN

July 10 - Fargo, ND

July 11 - Minneapolis, Minn.

July 13 - Chicago, Ill.

July 14 - Detroit, Mich.

July 16 - Hamilton, Ont.

July 17 - Ottawa, Ont.

July 18 - Montreal, Que.

July 20 - Boston, Mass.

July 21 - Philadelphia, Pa.

July 22 - Pittsburgh, Pa.

July 24 - Hartford, Conn.

July 25 - Albany, N.Y.

July 27 - New York, N.Y.

July 29 - Washington, D.C.

July 31 - Nashville, Tenn.

Aug. 1 - Atlanta, Ga.

Aug. 3 - Tampa, Fla.

Aug. 4 - Miami, Fla.

Aug. 5 - Orlando, Fla.

Aug. 7 - New Orleans, La.

Aug. 8 - Houston, Texas

Aug. 9 - San Antonio, Texas

Aug. 11 - St. Louis, Mo.

Aug. 12 - Kansas City, Mo.

Aug. 13 - Omaha, Ne.

Aug. 15 - Denver, Co.

Aug. 16 - Salt Lake City, Utah

Aug. 18 - San Jose, Ca.

Aug. 20 - San Diego, Ca.

Aug. 21 - Las Vegas, Nev.

Aug. 22 - Phoenix, Az.

Aug. 24 - Sacramento, Ca.

Aug. 25 - Los Angeles, Ca.

Find out more at www.greenday.com

And don't forget the stage show of American Idiot we told you about that also features music from the new album American Idiot

Played a middlin' 200 shows in 2008, apparently trying to up their stats...

By Blurt Staff

Avett Brothers gear up to begin their cross country tour starting April 16^th in Indianapolis and wrapping on July 25^th in Myrtle Beach.  This 48 show schedule includes 8 supporting dates with The Dave Matthews Band and one with Widespread Panic.  The Brothers will also be stopping at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Sasquatch! Music Festival, and the Forecastle Festival. 

We don't need to sell you on the Brothers, who are a force of nature in concert. Currently prepping their upcoming American Recordings debut (and 10^th studio album) I and Love and You, they'll bring that gale force to YOU one way or another. Is there ANY town they don't hit during the course of a year?

The new album is slated for an August 11^th release and is produced by Grammy award winning Rick Rubin.

Tour Dates:

[Photo Credit: Crackerfarm]

Avetts Mania on Record Store Day at Grimey's in Nashville:

Part of NPR's "First Listen" series.

By Blurt Staff

From the news about her forthcoming album Actor, to details about her next tour that kicks off next month, to a stream of her quirky new video for "Actor Out of Work," St. Vincent has been using up a lot of BLURT bandwidth lately. So why should we do anything differently?

Tonight at 11:59 pm EST, April 20, NPR.org will stream Actor for 2 full weeks as part of their exclusive "First Listen" series. Hear the entire album starting tonight at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103138882

'Actor' joins an exclusive group of recent releases that have been featured in the "First Listen" series. Other artists include Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Leonard Cohen, Animal Collective, M Ward, Andrew Bird and Neko Case.

Big 10^th anniversary gigs outlined for this summer.

By Blurt Staff

To celebrate their 10-year anniversary this summer, Explosions In The Sky will be playing four shows with dates in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago as well as a rare hometown performance in Austin. Speical guests scheduled to play the anniversary shows are: No Age (Los Angeles), Jason Lytle of Grandaddy (New York), The Octopus Project (Austin), Eluvium (Los Angeles), Constantines (New York), and The Wooden Birds (Austin). Following these dates, EITS will be occupy the special guest slot themselves, playing Broken Social Scene annual Toronto Island festival on 7/11, before heading to Europe in September.

In February 1999, three longtime friends from West Texas went to a pizza place in Austin, Texas, for a prearranged meeting with a young man from Illinois. The Illinoisan had just moved to Austin, and he had put up a flyer that caught the interest of the others. They ate pizza and discussed movies and arcana. They also decided to meet the next day with their various instruments (two guitars, bass, and drums). This happened, and over the coming months they picked a band name, then picked a better band name, then wrote and recorded an album. That album, called How Strange, Innocence, was largely out of tune, but the band members didn't really notice at the time. They optimistically printed 300 copies, and gave most of them away.  It turned out they really liked playing together, so they kept doing so.

EITS drummer Chris Hrasky says of one of their first live performances: "In the summer of 1999, Michael (James, bass player) and I were working for the Gallup poll, manning the phones.  They announced an employee talent show. We signed up.  We shared the stage with a Michael Jackson impersonator, an interpretive dancer and, I think, a magician.  I remember that my drumset sort of fell apart about halfway through our show.  After it was over, someone came up to us and said ‘that was the best heavy metal I've ever heard.'"

A friend of theirs (in the American Analog Set) sent a recording of one of their live shows to a record label in Baltimore (Temporary Residence, Ltd.), and that label offered to put out albums for the band. The band agreed. A year later they put out a second album (2001's Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever). They began to tour often, all over the world. In 2003 another album came (The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place), and in 2007 they put out their most recent, All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone. They are shocked to see their 10-year anniversary on the horizon.

TOUR DATES AND SPECIAL GUESTS:

6/27 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium with No Age and Eluvium

6/30 New York, NY @ Central Park Summer Stage with Constantine

7/2 Chicago, IL @ Congress Theatre with Jason Lytle (of Grandaddy)

7/4 Austin, TX @ Stubb's Waller Creek with The Octopus Project and The Wooden Birds

7/11 Toronto, ON @ Toronto Olympic Island with Broken Social Scene, Apostle of Hustle and Beach House, and more

9/9 Antwerp, Belgium @ Ampitheatre Riviernhof

9/11 Dorset, UK @ End of the Road Festival

For ticket information, visit these EITS links:

Official site: http://www.explosionsinthesky.com 

MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/explosionsinthesky

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

By Blurt Staff

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

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

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

Full Lineup, w/links of official Lollapalooza page:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Short but vital run of dates coming in June.

By Fred Mills

One of the absolute highlights of BLURT's trip to Austin for SXSW last month was seeing PJ Harvey and John Parish stalk the stage of Stubb's as they showcased material from the new A Man A Woman Walked By. Harvey is pictured above at the gig, and we're not sure if she was laughing or crying, but she sure was emoting the entire evening. Maybe that had something to do with all those Captain Beefheart tour/album rumors that had started swirling; we just don't know!

Just announced: a brace of Harvey-Parish tour dates for June. They'll kick off June 2 in Atlanta and make a run up the east coast then across to the west coast. The duo, along with their band, are currently in the middle of a UK tour that will be followed by a May trek across Europe.

Tour Dates:

4-21 London, England - Shepherds Bush Empire
4-22 Birmingham, England - Town Hall
4-24 Manchester, England - Ritz
4-26 Edinburgh, Scotland - Queens Hall
5-01 Murcia, Spain - Festival Estrella Levante SOS
5-02 Porto, Portugal - Casa Da Musica
5-04 Milan, Italy - Auditorium
5-06 Stuttgart, Germany - Theaterhaus
5-07 Berlin, Germany - Passionskirche
5-09 Stockholm, Sweden - Nalen
5-10 Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
5-11 Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
5-13 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
5-14 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
5-17 Paris, France - Bataclan
5-18 Paris, France - Bataclan
6-02 Atlanta, GA - Centre Stage
6-03 Covington, KY - Madison Theatre
6-05 Washington, DC - Warner Theatre
6-06 Boston, MA - House of Blues
6-07 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
6-09 New York, NY - The Beacon Theatre
6-12 Chicago, IL - The Riviera Theatre
6-13 Apple Valley, MN - Weesner Amphitheatre
6-19 San Francisco, CA - The Warfield Theatre
6-20 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern

[Photo Credit: Randy Harward]

Hot on the heels of her critically-saluted new album.

By Fred Mills

One of the most delightful discoveries for us lately has been Okie singer-songwriter Samantha Crain, whose new Songs in Night (Ramseur) album is on heavy rotation ‘round the BLURT penthouse.

Here's what we had to say about the album and about Crain and her band the Midnight Shivers in the current print edition of our mag:

At the tender age of 22, Oklahoma singer/songwriter Samantha Crain has already carved out an impressive reputation, one sparked by critical kudos and two sensual sets of songs - an EP called Confiscation and this beguiling followup. It's not that Crain goes out of way to draw attention; while others her age sometimes lean towards a more insurgent stance, Crain keeps a lowered gaze.  Fortunately, the unembellished arrangements don't mute her enthusiasm; the ebullient surge of songs like "Rising Sun," "Long Division," "Songs in the Night" and "Bullfight (Change your Mind)" makes her back-country balladry all the more endearing.  Still, anyone inclined to think of Crain as some freewheeling folkie would clearly be mistaken. The sense of urgency infused in "Devils in Boston," the forlorn sprawl of "The Dam Song" and the skewered theatrics that drive "Bananafish Revolution" each attest to Crain's savvy and spunk.

Okay, so the mere printed word does not shift units in this biz. How about a mini-documentary on the lithesome Crain and her talented cohorts? It was directed by one of Crain's fellow Oklahomans, Sterlin Harjo, a Sundance Institute-selected Annenberg Fellowship recipient and director of 2007's acclaimed Four Sheets to the Wind. His new film Barking Water premiered at this year's Sundance Festival.

Go here to view the Crain documentary: http://vimeo.com/4198776

Or view it below:

Taking preorders on June 15... operators standing by.... All major credit cards accepted...

By Blurt Staff

Bono may call them "one of America's greatest bands ever" but don't hold that against ‘em: most of you love the Pixies just the way they are. Or were. Sometimes both at one time.

At the moment, though, operative term is "were," and there's a special collector's box set showcasing the Boston band's first five studio albums en route to address just that. Titled Minotaur, it will be aimed squarely at the fan market, specifically those who will be able to cough up $175 (for the "Deluxe Edition") or $450 (for the "Limited Edition

You'll be able to start preordering the box at www.ainr.com as of June 15.

Full details below, but since if you're reading this you're a Pixies fan, we'd be remiss if we didn't also tip you to the band's official "digital press release" announcing the box set. See the video for Minotaur below. In the future, all marketing will be done via YouTube, it seems....

***

Minotaur details:

Minotaur was spearheaded by Jeff Anderson, founder of A+R (Artist in Residence), who has put together expansive and eye-catching versions of releases by Nine Inch Nails, Beck, and Sigur Ros. The Deluxe Edition will include all five Pixies studio albums - Come On Pilgrim (1987), Surfer Rosa (1988), Doolittle (1989), Bossanova (1990), and Trompe le Monde (1991) - on 24k layered CD and Blu-ray (five discs total), with reinterpreted artwork by Vaughan Oliver, the graphic designer who created all of the artwork that accompanied the Pixies' studio albums.  Also included in the Deluxe Edition will be a DVD of a Pixies 1991 performance at the Brixton Academy in London, the group's videos, possible live tracks, and a 54-page book, all housed in a custom slipcase.  The Minotaur Limited Edition version will include everything in the Deluxe Edition, as well as all five albums on 180 gram vinyl, a Giclee print of Oliver's artwork, and a 72-page hardcover book, all housed in an oversized custom clamshell cover.

Anderson explained the idea behind the set.  "As a Pixies fan, I asked myself, 'How can we re-release this without making this just another box set?'  I think we've all been down that road where you've purchased a box set and have been disappointed by only getting a few bonus tracks and a few extra photos.  With the Pixies, because they remain such a contemporary band and their sound is still so relevant today, we wanted to re-introduce them to their fans, giving them something that they would truly appreciate and cherish.  And also, how can we introduce the band to new fans?  What soon followed was the idea of Vaughan Oliver."

Oliver - who was the resident album designer for the Pixies' British label 4AD - explains how he assembled the now instantly-recognizable album covers for the band.  "My starting point would always be the music, reading the lyrics, talking with the band - what their preferences were, in film and painting.  With the Pixies, it was work that was always close to my heart and my own personal aesthetic - the images that Charles [aka Black Francis] painted with his lyrics really struck a chord.  His work is full of fantastic imagery that always appealed to me, and those were ideas I was trying to reflect with the packaging."

After discussing the project with Anderson, Oliver came up with an intriguing idea.  "I said, 'That was then, this is now.  Why don't we do a whole new body of work?  It's all born of the same lyrics and albums - it would be evolving the ideas we had in the original packages.'  I worked with the same photographer who I worked with back then, Simon Larbalestier.  If there were a 'fifth Pixie,' it would have been Simon - his work so suited what they were doing.  Simon's gone out and shot a whole new body of work.  He was a bit panicked at first, he said, 'The old sleeves - with the topless Spanish dancer, the red planet - have become iconic.'  I said to Simon, 'Don't be scared.  You're 20 years on, you're a better photographer.  Let's take all those same things and do a new body of work.'  He shot some amazing images that I think surpass what we did first time around."

Now an art teacher at the University of the Creative Arts in Epsom [in Surrey, U.K.], Oliver called upon his students for some input for the Pixies set.  "I selected a team of students under my direction to work with the titles in the track listing, in a three dimensional way.  Cutting the track listing out of cards, shining light through it, making the track titles from nails - all very organic.  We're using the type as 'image.'  There's a link when you look at them visually with the images that I'm putting next to them in the book."

Upon seeing the gorgeous packaging and effort that has gone into both the Deluxe and Limited Editions of Minotaur, Pixies fans worldwide will get a chance to experience the Pixies in a whole new manner, thanks to Anderson, Oliver, and Larbalestier.  "We design some interesting and innovative packages," adds Anderson.  "We're not inexpensive, but I think there are still people out there who don't mind paying for great quality."

Aimed at raising funds to help out with the songwriting legend's medical bills.

By Blurt Staff

Okay, listen up Blurt-ers. This one's important. If you're in the L.A. area the first weekend in May, you'll want to know it. But even if you won't be, consider pitching in for a good cause one way or another. Read on....

***

Loudon Wainwright III, Dave Alvin, T-Bone Burnett, Bill Morrissey, Stan Ridgway and other surprise guests are gathering for three nights--May 1,2, & 3--at McCabe's Guitar Shop to assist fellow musician Peter Case, a friend in need. The weekend of music is to benefit the costs of Case's unexpected double bypass surgery, performed in Santa Monica in January. See details, below.

Emergency open-heart surgery was not on Case's itinerary this winter: he had just begun a session of his popular songwriting class at McCabe's and was preparing to celebrate his 25th Anniversary of solo performing there before setting off for a UK tour and parts of Europe. Instead, Case found himself hospitalized and successfully recovering at home, however his incoming massive hospital bills and aftercare costs remain unresolved. Case, one of 1976's musical groundbreakers with the Nerves, the leader of the Plimsouls and a three-time Grammy-nominated solo artist and producer, is also among the nearly 47 million Americans who are uninsured.

"I'm glad to be alive and lucky to have such great friends," says Case.

All proceeds from the concert will go toward covering Case's expenses during hospitalization and his recovery from surgery. In addition to the concert, Peter's friends, fans and fellow artists established the Hidden Love Fund to help further alleviate the burden of his medical bills. For more information or to make a donation to the fund please visit http://www.hiddenlovemedicalrelief.com/ Further information on Case's return to McCabe's for his 25th Anniversary Show will be announced soon.

Show details:

MAY 1: Loudon Wainwright III

MAY 2: Dave Alvin, Bill Morrissey, Stan Ridgway & special guests

MAY3: T Bone Burnett with surprise special guests

Tickets are $50 each night

Friday May 1 and Saturday May 2 shows start at 8 p.m.

Sunday May 3 show starts at 7 p.m.

For more information contact:

McCabe's 310-828-4497

Mccabesconcerts@gmail.com

For more information on Hidden Love Medical Relief contact:

Arthur Shingler

619-878-2820

ashiinger@hiddenlovemedicalrelief.com

Shoegaze legends have their debut reissued.

By Blurt Staff

Raise your hands, all you lapsed shoegazers: on April 27 Whirlpool: The Original Recordings by Chapterhouse, one of the original leading lights of the shoegaze movement, arrives via Britain's Space Age Recordings label. As any fan will tell you, Chapterhouse records have either been shoddily packaged as reissues without the involvement of the band or simply gone out of print for ages and in some instances change hands for big bucks on eBay nowadays.

This reissue of the original Whirlpool recordings (from VHF Studios Rugby, Sawmills Cornwall, Stoneroom Studios London and Refuge in Reading) will feature three extra tracks, including the never before released 'Thrasher' and longer/alternate mixes of 'Something More', 'Rain' and 'Guilt'. It'll be in both physical and digital formats.

Peers of Loop and Spacemen 3 and hailing from Reading in the late ‘80s, Chapterhouse, as the legend goes, was in no hurry to become rock stars: they rehearsed for well over a year before committing anything to demo for record companies. Eventually signing with BMG imprint Dedicated, they released Whirlpool in 1991 and uickly reached the top of their game with their peak arguably being a performance following Nirvana at the ‘91 Reading Festival.

True to form, they took their time recording a followup, 1993's Blood Music, which was followed by a slew of DJ remixes from the album, but by then much of their momentum had been squandered and, unable to break through in the States either, they eventually disbanded. Members moved on to Slowdive, Air Cuba, Inner Sleeve and Bio.com.

In 1996 a comprehensive Chapterhouse overview was released, the 2-CD Rownderbout.

Here then, the Scene That Celebrates Itself revisits one of its acknowledged classics. With My Bloody Valentine treading the boards anew in 2009 would it be too much to ask for a Chapterhouse reunion? We think not! Watch for a review of the reissue very soon....

Track Listing:

1. Breather
2. Pearl
3. Autosleeper
4. Treasure
5. Falling Down
6. April
7. Guilt
8. If You Want Me
9. Something More (ambient version)
10. Rain (alternative version)
11. Thrasher
12. Guilt (long version)

BLURT hosts a sneak preview of the concert DVD trailer.

By Fred Mills

As mentioned last week, we have an exclusive look at Sia's forthcoming concert DVD. Simply scroll down to our video kiosk, or go straight in HERE.

Sia Furler - known to music fans as simply "Sia" - is no longer just a sensual, jazzy voice for Britain's Zero 7, and she's definitely no longer just another YouTube upstart. Since the release in January 2008 of her third album some people have REAL problems the Australian-born singer-songwriter has been a consistent concert draw on both sides of the Atlantic, selling out shows and amassing a near-rabid fanbase drawn to her sleek sounds. She also went down a storm at last year's Coachella.

Arriving May 19 from Monkey Puzzle/Concord will be further proof of the young lady's staying power: Sia's first concert video, titled smartly enough TV Is My Parent. It was recorded September 12, 2007 in NYC at the Hiro Ballroom (raise your hands if you were there), showcasing material from some people... as well as older favorites culled from her back catalog as well as Zero 7's. Rounding out the DVD is behind the scenes footage from her 2008 tour plus the four official videos shot for some people....

Sia On Tour in April:

Apr 26 2009    10:00P

            Melkweg Max             Amsterdam

Apr 28 2009    8:00P

            Luxor Cologne

Apr 29 2009    7:00P

            Postbahnhof    Berlin, Berlin

Apr 30 2009    8:30P

            59:1     Munich

May 2 2009     8:00P

            Uebel & Gefaehrlich   Hamburg

May 3 2009     8:00P

            Vega    Copenhagen

May 4 2009     8:00P

            Le Bataclan     Paris

A suitcase of synths and a megaphone - what's not to like?

By Blurt Staff

With their new album Super Animal Brothers III (Carpark) about to drop on May 19, Baltimore-by-way-of-North-Carolina gonzos Ear Pwr will be hitting the road in mid May for their most extensive North American tour yet. It'll take ‘em all over the continent and run through the end of June. See full itinerary below.

The duo - Devin and Sarah (get a gander at the photo above, as that's worth more than just a mere thousand words) - been operative in one form or another since about 2005 and they describe the genesis of their unusual name and their trajectory of the band thusly:

One evening, while admiring their ancient tape player and wondering just how old it was, they noticed the word "EAR" above the headphone jack and "PWR" above the power input.  They decided that they were EAR PWR, even though they weren't quite sure what that meant.  At the close of the summer, Sarah departed Winston-Salem for a one-year stay in Italy and Devin began college in Asheville, NC, but their commitment to the idea of "EAR PWR" never wavered.

In Sarah's absence, Devin (also a concert tubaist and drummer) wrote a multitude of danceable electronic jams using analog devices. When Sarah returned, she wrote the lyrics. Their immediate goals were simple: Make people dance. Make people happy. Soon after, they took their project live, playing shows all over North Carolina and steadily brought the dance party to the entire east coast. During this time, they also recorded a full-length album and an EP. In the summer of 2008, the pair kicked off their first U.S. tour with good friends, Future Islands, at Whartscape and were introduced to the wonderful world of Baltimore where they will soon reside full time.

The suitcase-of-synths-and-a-megaphone Ear Pwr's new album is described as a blend of "Italo Disco, Baltimore Club, and twee indie pop... a nuclear party grenade."

Let it blow, then!

In the meantime, check out the MP3 for "Future Eyes"

Tour Dates:

May 2nd - Brooklyn, NY @ Union Docs
May 13th - Chapel Hill, NC @ The Nightlight
May 17th - Baltimore, MD @ The Zodiac*
May 19th - Brooklyn, NY @ Death By Audio*
May 22nd - Washington, D.C. @ Comet Ping Pong*
May 23rd - Philadelphia, PA @ Pilam*
May 24th - New York, NY @ Cake Shop*
May 25th - Providence, RI @ Min Pin 4 Ever
May 26th - Boston, MA @ Church of Boston
May 27th - Kittery, ME @ Buoy Gallery
May 28th - Montreal, QC @ Zoo Bizarre
May 29th - Toronto, ONT @ Primary Color Presents
May 30th - Detroit, MI @ Division Street Boutique
May 31st - Chicago, IL @ Ronny's
June 1st - Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
June 3rd - Kansas City, MO @ The Pistol Social Club
June 4th - Denver, CO @ Rhinoceropolis
June 6th - Seattle, WA @ Healthy Times Fun Club
June 7th - Olympia, WA @ Northern
June 10th - Portland, OR @ Holocene*
June 12th - San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern*
June 13th - San Jose, CA @ Nickel City Arcade*
June 14th - Los Angeles, CA @ Space 15 Twenty (Daytime show 1pm)*
June 14th - Los Angeles, CA @ BBQ at Art and Mayhem (Afternoon show 4 - 10 p.m.)*
June 15th - Los Angeles, CA @ Pehrspace*
June 16th - Irvine, CA @ Acrobatics Every Day*
June 19th - Austin, TX @ Beauty Bar*
June 20th - Dallas, TX @ The Handsome Kitten*
June 21st - Houston, TX @ Mango's Cafe*
June 22nd - New Orleans, LA @ Saturn Bar*
June 23rd - Little Rock, AK @ Rad Hizzy*
June 24th - Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light*
June 25th - Asheville, NC @ Mo Daddy's*
June 26th - Atlanta, GA @ 529*
June 27th - Durham, NC @ The Pin Hook*
June 28th - Greenville, NC @ Spazz Haus*
June 29th - Charlottesville, VA @ Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar*
June 30th - Baltimore, MD @ The Zodiac*

* with Adventure

Knuckle-dragging music portal finally gets around to bum-rushing the social networking scene.

By Blurt Staff

You ever have one of those dreams where someone asks you a question and everybody in the entire room goes silent and turns to see what you'll say? (Some of you probably still have those dreams where you appear in public wearing no pants, but that is sooooo, like, last millennium...)

What are you doing?

That's not just a rhetorical query; it's what you see at the top of the Twitter page every time you log on, and as we all know, half the civilized universe has apparently decided to answer the question - in some cases (mainly shut-ins and raving egomaniacs), hundreds of times a day. So who are we to stop the march of social networking as we boldly transition to an increasingly connected world.

As of today, you can find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BlurtMagazine , so sign up as official BLURT followers, won't you? It comes with a certificate of authenticity, a secret decoder ring, and two free passes to the annual "Antlers Of Rock" festival we've been hosting for the past decade.

We can't guarantee we WON'T waste your time with our Twitter tweets, but at least you can follow us and decide for yourself if we're hip or drip. Along the way, you'll be able to keep track of fresh content at the main BLURT site (gee, you could also just, uh, log on to the very page you're reading, but that wouldn't be as fun....), upcoming happenings we're planning, and random ephemera as it occurs to us.

Freakish variation on album released earlier this year.

By Blurt Staff

On June 1 Franz Ferdinnd will release Blood, a dub version of their third album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand on Domino. It is to be mixed by producer Dan Carey, who produced Tonight.

Blood is certainly enjoying a protracted lifeline: 500 vinyl copies were available for Record Store Day, and it was also originally featured as part of the box set & double disc versions of Tonight. (Aren't you glad you already forked over for the box, fans?) The new version will include the additional song, "Be Afraid", a version of "Dream Again".

FF on Tour:

4/22/09  Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
4/24/09  Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
4/25/09  Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa
4/27/09  Kansas City, MO @ The Beaumont Club
4/28/09  Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
4/29/09  Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
4/30/09  Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
5/02/09  Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
5/03/09  Pontiac, MI @ Clutch Cargo's
5/04/09  Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
5/06/09  Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
5/07/09  New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom
5/08/09  Providence, RI @ Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel

Contest will go to saving rain forest land.

By Blurt Staff

Mimoco, the company known for their character-based MIMOBOT® designer USB flash drives, have announced a three week long video contest kicking off today to celebrate Earth Day. The GURP for Mother Earth (GURP4ME) contest, ending on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 10^th, promotes recycling via Mimoco's MIMOBOT GreenBot USB flash drive Recycling Program, or GURP for short.

GURP encourages earthlings to recycle old, worn out, or otherwise unwanted USB flash drives that can be traded in for gift certificates good towards MIMOBOT designer USB flash drives. The GURP4ME contest challenges participants to submit a short, less than one minute, video entry that answers a simple question: Show Mimoco how GURP recycles your flash drives.

"Ever since launching GURP last year we've received hundreds of unwanted flash drives," says Evan Blaustein, Mimoco's CEO. "This Earth Day, we wanted to play off the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle' theme by giving our community creative freedom to riff on the concept of what "recycling" flash drives means to them. In the process we get to have a little fun, spread news of GURP that much farther, and pitch in to help save the planet."

For every video entry received, Mimoco will contribute to save 1,000 square feet of rain forest through the Arbor Day Foundation's Rain Forest Rescue program.

Mimoco, and their media partner judges at Cool Hunting, NOTCOT, and Inhabitat, will choose up to 100 entrants to receive limited edition, organic cotton MIMOBOT GURP t-shirts. The grand prize winner will receive two 8GB MIMOBOT flash drives of their choice. An Audience Choice winner, chosen by the Mimoco community, will win an 8GB drive of their choice, and four runner ups will each receive 4GB MIMOBOT drives.

Visit http://mimoco.com/gurp to learn more about GURP and the GURP for Mother Earth contest.

Rage Against the Coup! "Revolutionary party jams", even!

By Blurt Staff

Tom Morello and Boots Riley of the Coup have joined forces to form Street Sweeper Social Club.  The group's self-titled debut album will be released June 16^th through Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group.  The 11-song set was produced by Morello and features Riley on vocals, Morello on guitar and bass, and Stanton Moore (Galactic) on drums. 

"It's revolutionary party jams," said Morello of Street Sweeper Social Club.  "It's got huge steamroller riffs combined with depth, charge, funk, while Boots unloads clip after clip of incendiary rhymes rich with satire and venom."  Riley added, "This is a time when the working class is being fleeced left and right.  More families will be homeless and more people will be jobless.  They'll need something to listen to on their ipods while storming Wall Street." 

Street Sweeper Social Club's debut tour will be opening all dates in North America on the Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction May-June Tour (confirmed dates below). 

The songs "Fight! Smash! Win!," "Clap For The Killers," and "The Oath" by Street Sweeper Social Club can be heard now at at the group's MySpace page.

Track Listing:

1. Fight! Smash! Win!
2. 100 Little Curses
3. The Oath
4. The Squeeze
5. Clap For The Killers
6. Somewhere In the World It's Midnight
7. Shock You Again
8. Good Morning, Mrs. Smith
9. Megablast
10. Promenade
11. Nobody Moves (Til We Say Go)

Tour Dates w/Nine Inch Nails & Jane's Addiction:

May 8 - West Palm Beach, FL  Cruzan Amphitheatre  
May 9 - Tampa, FL   Ford Amphitheatre  
May 10 - Atlanta, GA  Lakewood Amphitheatre 
May 14 - Albuquerque, NM  Journal Pavilion  
May 15 - Phoenix, AZ  Cricket Wireless Pavilion  
May 16 - Chula Vista, CA  Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre   
May 18 - Las Vegas, NV  The Pearl  
May 20 - Irvine, CA  Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
May 22 -Mountain View, CA  Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View  

May 26 - Englewood, CO  Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre  
May 27 - Kansas City, MO  Starlight Theatre  
May 29 - Chicago, IL  Charter One Pavilion at Northern Island (NIN/SSSC ONLY)
May 30 - Noblesville, IN  Verizon Wireless Music Center  Indianapolis
May 31 - Clarkston, MI  DTE Energy Music Theatre  
June 02 - Toronto, ON  Molson Amphitheatre  
June 03 - Darien Lake, NY  Darien Lake Performing Arts Center  
June 05 - Camden, NJ  Susquehanna Bank Center  
June 06 - Holmdel, NJ   PNC Bank Arts Center  
June 07 - Wantagh, NY  Nikon at Jones Beach Theater  
June 09 - Columbia, MD  Merriweather Post Pavilion 
June 10 - Burgettstown, PA  Post-Gazette Pavilion  
June 12 - Charlotte, NC  Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte  

All star mix tape featuring Girl Talk, Lee Scratch Perry, Tony Yayo, the Knocks and Rumspringa, among others.

By Blurt Staff

Andrew W.K. has teamed up with DJ B-Roc to collaborate on a special hip-hop mixtape of original songs from a diverse group of artists - among them, Girl Talk, Lee Scratch Perry, Tony Yayo, the Knocks and Rumspringa. It's titled DAMN! The Mixtape Vol. 1 and will be available in Britain on May 25, as well as via digital retailers.

The Limited Edition CD - "highly limited," says the record label - features more than fifteen original songs, remixes, skits, and drops in one seamless mix. In this modern age, the sound of music is not confined to one genre - the artists on this mixtape make music that represents their different spirits and unique styles. Andrew W.K. and DJ B-Roc split up production duties on the disc, in order to showcase the most diverse range tracks from their respective music collectives, all with the hopes of reaching an audience who intend to party hard! The DAMN! mixtape release will culminate with a live performance from the featured artists at Andrew W.K.'s very own nightclub and music venue, Santos Party House, in Manhattan, New York City. The mixtape will be distributed as physical copies by a dedicated street team, and virally on the Internet. One of the musical artists, Bad Brilliance, is also contributing his artistic talents to the mixtape cover, posters, and stickers to help promote the release. 

Ther will be a releae party May 28 in NYC at Santos Party House featuring performances from some of the artists. Meanwhile, you can check out some teaser stuff and listen to snippets HERE. Ya gotta love any record that includes a song titled "Tom Tit"....

Track Listing

1. "T.J.'s First Smoke" - Andrew W.K.
2. "Opening Credits" - Andrew W.K.
3. "Quack Head" - Bad Brilliance
4. "The DAMN! Press Conference" - Tony Yayo for The DAMN! Mixtape
5. "Cocaine (The Knocks Remix)" - Julia
6. "Tom Tit" - Aleister X
7. "War Dance (The Knocks Remix)" - Lee 'Scratch' Perry
8. "Can't Shake Your Love" - The Knocks
9. "T.J.'s Wild Ride" - Andrew W.K.
10. "Say Goodbye (Andrew W.K. Remix)" - Samuel
11. "Bare Nang Poppers" - Aleister X
12. "The Git" - Aleister X
13. "Double Centered Subtle City Cherry City Center Florida" - Andrew W.K.
14. "1, 2, 3 Stop (The Knocks Remix)" - The Postelles
15. "Talking To Kathy" - Andrew W.K.
16. "Ball Head (Girl Talk Remix)" - Bad Brilliance
17. "It's So Fun (Andrew W.K. Remix)" - Bad Brilliance
18. "Girlz" - The Knocks
19. "Goldmine (The Knocks Remix)" - Rumspringa
20. "Pum Pum (Super Remix)" - Lee "Scratch" Perry feat. Cherie Lily & Sasha Grey
21. "T.J.'s Accident" - Andrew W.K.
22. "Breaking News On T.J." - Andrew W.K.
23. "The Clapping Song (Andrew W.K. Remix)" - Santos Party House
24. "The Ending" - Andrew W.K.

A photo like this is worth a thousand words of press hype... well, 548 to be exact.

By Blurt Staff

Seattle-based Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground is the lovechild of Kirk Huffman and Kyle O'Quin, and there's plenty of love to be had. Begun shortly after the announcement of Gatsby's American Dream's hiatus, Kay Kay was putting out good vibrations before the year was up, releasing a handful of tracks on cassette, and an intermediate live show compiled onto a two-disc, live DVD (shot in a fashion boutique) with accompanying CD, and they hadn't even made it out of Washington yet. Still, a copy of the DVD landed in the hands of Carson Daly, and after only few shows outside their home state, Kay Kay performed an abbreviated version of their song, "Hey Momma," on national television. Not bad for a band without a full-length.

If a cassette release is too retro for you, the band's eponymous debut was released strictly on vinyl, and in true Kay Kay fashion, 1,000 copies of the double LP, and the release party in Seattle, sold out before doors ever opened. It isn't just their production method that evokes the 1960s, though: Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground shimmers and soars like the greatest pop of that decade, with enough melody to lull songbirds into silence, and reverb to make your teeth chatter. Phil Peterson (cello, backing vocals), the third of the consistent members, lends his skills on strings to weave depth and darkness through the sunshine, and a revolving set of studio and live musicians (15 or so when all is said and done) round out the whole experience into an enormous orchestral affair.

The band is currently in the process of recording their second LP, and preparing the re-release of their debut, self-titled album to be released on CD for the first time ever on May 26th courtesy of Suburban Home. Look forward to new packaging for the vinyl, complete with new collages and a tri-fold design. At the end of 2008, Kay Kay hit the road with Rx Bandits and Portugal the Man for a jaunt down the West Coast, and this June they'll be out again for a handful of weeks, touring the U.S. with MeWithout You and The Dear Hunter.

Tracklisting:

1. Into The Realm Of The Unknown    
2. Hey Momma'    
3. Birds (On A Day Like Today)    
4. Simon Courage Flees The Coop    
5. Ol' Rum Davies
6. Bowie The Desert Pea
7. Santa Cruz Lined Pockets    
8. Bloodstone Goddess    
9. Cloud Country    
10. Swan Ink    
11. Night Of The Star Child's Funk    
12. One Ought To See    
13. All Alone    

!

Tour dates w/ MeWithoutYou and The Dear Hunter!

Jun 25 2009 The Hawthorne Theatre Portland, Oregon
Jun 26 2009 Neumo's Seattle, Washington
Jun 27 2009 The Venue Boise, Idaho
Jun 28 2009 The Avalon Theatre Salt Lake City, Utah
Jun 29 2009 The Marquis Theatre Denver, Colorado
Jul 1 2009 The Granada Theatre Lawrence, Kansas
Jul 2 2009 Station 4 St. Paul, Minnesota
Jul 4 2009 The Magic Stick Detroit, Michigan
Jul 5 2009 The Metro Chicago, Illinois
Jul 6 2009 The Grog Shop Cleveland, Ohio
Jul 7 2009 Mr. Smalls Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jul 9 2009 The Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, New York
Jul 10 2009 The Bowery Ballroom New York City, New York
Jul 11 2009 The Middle East Downstairs Boston, Massachusetts

Scum-rock legends play first shows in 12 years; CD retrospective due too.

By Burt Staff

After more than a decade, New York City's infamous garage/punk-blues/noise kings the Chrome Cranks are back. Vocalist/guitarist Peter Aaron, guitarist William Weber, drummer Bob Bert, and bassist Jerry Teel have reunited for a limited series of shows to take place in May 2009; see itinerary below.

Also this spring, Spanish label Bang! Records will release The Murder of Time: 1993-1996, a career overview on CD and double vinyl LP featuring remastered tracks from the band's first three studio albums (1994's The Chrome Cranks, 1995's Dead Cool, and 1996's Love in Exile; all now out of print) and 1997's in-concert Live in Exile, plus several rare cuts.

The backstory:

Formed by Aaron and Weber (a sometime G.G. Allin side man) during the late 1980s in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Chrome Cranks became a true force to be feared when the band moved to New York in 1992 and acquired ex-Honeymoon Killers leader Teel and, eventually, ex-Sonic Youth/Pussy Galore member Bert. Dark, explosive, and overwhelmingly raw, the Cranks' corrosive sound proudly references masters like the Stooges, the Scientists, Suicide, the Gun Club, the Doors, the Cramps, the Birthday Party, the Rolling Stones, and the Jesus Lizard, interweaving these feral scraps with the band members' singular Midwest garage-meets-Lower East Side-alley breeding to create a jagged, black pastiche unrivaled since the quartet's 1998 breakup.

Known equally for their unhinged, decibel-destroying live performances and their volatile studio recordings, the Chrome Cranks have been cited as an influence by the White Stripes, the Mooney Suzuki, and other leading neo-garage acts. Additionally, the group's songs have been covered on stage and on record by many younger bands.

Check out the way-sexy video of the band and, uh, a buncha chicks, below. It'll make you reach for your Cranks recs (and maybe the stray Scientists platter, too...).

Tour Dates:

May 2 Backstage Studio Productions, Kingston, NY.
(w/ Frankie & His Fingers, Venture Lift)

May 8 Santo's Party House, New York, NY (w/ The Friggs)

May 15 Glasslands Gallery. Brooklyn, NY.

(w/ Woman, Headless Hookers, Brownbird Rudy Relic + special guest DJ)

May 22 Nuits Sonores Festival in Lyon, France

(w/ Boss Hogg, the Drones, Holly Golightly)

"Hot Blonde Coctail":

Volune two in highly-acclaimed Darfur charity series.

By Blurt Staff

On May 5th Waxploitation Artists will release Causes 2, the second album in the label's ongoing benefit series for Darfur. 100% of the profits from the release go to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Human Rights Watch and Oxfam America.

The video for Causes 2 can be seen below or at http://www.youtube.com/waxploitation and a Causes MySpace page has been created at http://www.myspace.com/causes. 

The album includes rare and exclusive songs from some of the most compelling artists in the indie and alternative worlds: Black Moth Super Rainbow, The Decemberists, Devendra Banhart, Diplo, Federico Aubele, Gnarls Barkley, LCD Soundsystem, My Morning Jacket, Matthew Dear, Mum, Neon Neon, Richard Swift, RJD2, and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, as well as a contribution from Adult Swim's Tim & Eric.

"It's easy for fatigue to set in when a crisis goes on for a number of years,  but no one has given up hope that things can change for the better in Darfur" says Waxploitation founder Jeff Antebi, who executive produced the album. "There are untold numbers of people committed to changing the outcome.  It takes humanitarian assistance, tenacity and political will."

Causes 1 was released in 2007 to great acclaim. The album, which hit #35 on the iTunes Album Chart and reached #46 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart, includes contributions from Animal Collective, The Black Keys, Bright Eyes, Death Cab for Cutie, The Cure, The Shins, Spoon and Teargas & Plateglass to name a few.

Tracklisting:

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Happy Melted City
The Decemberists - After The Bombs (Live Version)
Devendra Banhart - White Reggae Troll
Diplo - Wassup Wassup (Exclusive Samim Remix)
Federico Aubele - Luna Y Sol
Gnarls Barkley - Mystery Man
Lcd Soundsystem - Starry Eyes Original (Causes Exclusive)
Matthew Dear - When She Don't Need Me (Causes Exclusive)
Mum - Asleep In A Hiding Place
My Morning Jacket - Highly Suspicious (Exclusive Vhs Or Beta Dee Jays Remix)
Neon Neon - I Lust U Feat. Cate Le Bon (Dj Eli Escobar Remix)
Richard Swift - Wastin' M'time
Rjd2 - Wherever
Sharon Jones & Dap-Kings - It Hurts To Be Alone
Tim & Eric - Petite Feet (Exclusive Devlin & Ghostdad Remix Feat. Sylvia Gordon)

Gillis looking to change his direction, somewhat.

By Fred Mills

Rather than be pigeonholed by hoodie-rocking hipsters, Greg Gillis of Girl Talk is apparently aiming for some stylistic shifts on his next album. Although nothing is firm yet regarding the followup to last year's Feed the Animals, in an interview with Gillis published this morning at Billboard.com, the mix-n-mashup-meister is aiming for something a big more structured and song-like.

Commented Gillis, "I'm interested in working on individual songs -- kind of in the style I've been doing, but with actual repetition as opposed to linear structure and stuff like that, some elements with a verse-and-chorus sort of structure as opposed to going through 50 minutes of change-ups the entire time. I want to evolve and keep refining.

"I'm constantly working on material. Every day I cut up music. I try not to be concerned with what will be on an album. I just try to come up with small ideas I introduce into the (live) set, and I'll eventually get to the point where I say, 'OK, here's this slightly new sound. I feel like there's some evolution.' I'm interested in putting out music, and it's always nice to give people music."

Striking a blow for DIYers everywhere, Gillis added he's happy with his current home, Illegal Art, despite being courted heavily by various labels.

Hell, who needs labels anymore anyhow?

Girl Talk Tour Dates:

Apr 24 2009    8:00P

            Ohio Wesleyan            Delaware, Ohio

Apr 29 2009    8:00P

            Lafayette College www.LafayetteTicketsOnline.com           Easton, Pennsylvania

May 22 2009   8:00P

            Summer Camp            Chillicothe, Illinois

May 29 2009   8:00P

            Mountain Jam Festival            Hunter, New York

Jun 12 2009     8:00P

            Bonnaroo Music Festival        Manchester, Tennessee

[photo credit: Christos Schizas/DetroitArtist.org]

For those that couldn't get enough of SXSW, here's another mini festival

By Blurt Staff

Word's out that Austin Texas founded Spoon is heading back to Austin, site of the annual SXSW Festival, where they killed just several weeks ago.

PR reps note the band is taking "a respite from their worldly travel and in-studio toiling to present SPOONX3."

Bottom line - Spoon's gonna road test some new tunes and have invited various guests (more about that below) to perform at the "Inaugural Three-Night Festival" on July 9, 10, and 11 at Stubb's Amphitheatre.

The smart money says if you want to go, snap up tickets now at Early Spoon Tickets.

General on-sale tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday via Front Gate tickets Front Gate

Here's the line up:

July 9 - SPOON, ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears

July 10 - SPOON, Low, Dale Watson

July 11 - SPOON, Atlas Sound, the Strange Boys

Sophomore album Scramble might result in mixed message.

By Nancy Dunham

In critics' school they teach us music journalist types that we understand tunes better than anyone else, even the artists that create them. But what to do when critics offer contrasting views? That's a quandary even the critic school overlords often can't reconcile.

Consider The Coathangers, who played nine shows at SXSW and have just released their second album Scramble. We posted the "Stop Stomp Stompin'" video and told you about the album and why we liked it a lot (but maybe didn't love it unconditionally...): Blurt.

Fader also posted the "Stop Stomp Stompin'" video debut Video with a short, yet positive, description and links to download the tune.

Yet Paste reports the sophomore disc isn't quite the caliber they expected from these grunge angels: Paste .

The solution? You! Put on your critic's hat, play the video or tune, and let us know what you think. If you wanna graduate, you gotta tell it like you hear it.

To borrow a quote from Juan Thompson -- the son of Gonzo Journalist/ultimate critic Hunter Thompson -- in response to reviews of his father's work:

"You will have to make up your own mind. He certainly did."

By Blurt Staff

Five-day event links wanna-be musicians with veteran rockers...by the way, what the hell does a photo of Hendrix have to do with all this?

Here's your chance to bond with members of the MC5, The Sex Pistols, The Beach Boys, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Devo, David Bowie's band, and Blondie. All you need is (maybe lots of) dollars and a dream - plus some musical chops would come in handy.

The Rock & Roll Experience will team participants with the road-tested musicians. You get to write, produce and perform your own songs with guidance - and we bet plenty of war stories - from the musicians.

The five-day event is in Honolulu (here's where the cash comes in) Oct. 7 to 11. And what do you get if you sign up for one of the many packages available?

"All of the celebrity artists are on site for the duration, eating, drinking, and jamming with our guests. People will get to live their rock and roll dreams, play music with rock legends, and be treated like celebrities themselves," say the promoters.

Maybe those Rock & Roll Fantasies can come true....at least for a while.

Check out details at www.rockandrollexperience.com

Wait - did they say MC5, Beach Boys and Devo? Oh, the mind just boggles... Are we not men? Kick out the surf city jams, motherfuckers!

... Matisyahu, who is featured in new video.

By Nancy Dunham

You have to love a band that puts a countdown clock on its Web site to track when its album will be released.

That's just what the electronic duo The Crystal Method has done to countdown to the May 12 launch of its fourth studio album Divided By Night.

Can't wait to hear it? The band - who as you know is Ken Jordan and Scott Kirland - just released a video featuring Matisyahu, who the duo met and performed with last year.

For more information and to check out the video for the single "Drown In The Now" click on this link: Drown In The Now

Respected decade-old veteran intends to come back in digital format.

By Fred Mills

With issue #30 recently arriving at newsstands, Skyscraper magazine announced this morning it was ceasing operations as a print publication and would be moving to an online-only format. This come after 11 years of diligently covering the DIY and indie communities for Skyscraper, thus marking yet another blow to both the music magazine print milieu and the independent music scene.

In a press release circulated to the media, co-publishers Andrew and Peter Bottomley indicated they intended to "continue publishing online in an enhanced and expanded format," adding that "a complete relaunch of skyscrapermagazine.com is tentatively scheduled to appear this summer."

The pair cited several reasons for the decision to fold their magazine, calling the convergence of those reasons a "perfect storm of events." Among them: increased printing and distribution costs, a decline in advertising, and the loss of a number of distributors and independent retailers who carried Skyscraper.

Wrote the Bottomleys, "As much as we are lovers of the printed word and a computer screen will never replace the sensation of holding a magazine in our hands, we are realists and can't help but acknowledge that the future of journalism is online (especially music and arts journalism, which is inherently multimedia). There is no point in continuing to swim against the tides of culture. Moreover, the Internet offers many unique benefits that we are eager to tap into."

Certainly we at BLURT understand all this and more; it was just over a year ago that our immediate predecessor Harp had its financial plug pulled, for several of the same reasons (among many) that conspired to deep-six Skyscraper. Those lessons were not lost upon us even as we relaunched as BLURT in digital form (both website and digi-mag) and, more recently, decided to bring a print version of BLURT to market. (We're currently working on our second issue.)

All we can say is that it's a loss for everyone when a magazine goes missing from the newsstands and mailboxes - the idea is to have MORE voices, not fewer. We extend our most sincere wishes to the Skyscraper crew that they'll be able to move forward and thrive in their new online incarnation.

And of course those ballparks have the BEST acoustics on the planet!

By Blurt Staff

Bob Dylan has just announced an ambitious line-up for this year's summer concert tour.  Along with fellow troubadour Willie Nelson, this summer The Bob Dylan Show will also feature John Mellencamp, marking just the second time in the past 24 years that these three performers have shared the concert stage.

Since first embarking on a tour of minor league baseball parks in 2004, over a half-million fans have come together to spend a night under the stars with the Bard, whose new studio album arrives next week, April 28 through Columbia Records.  Watch BLURT next week for a review of Together Through Life.

All concert tickets are priced at $67.50 and most shows are general admission (kids get in free). Showtime is 5:30pm and gates open at 5:00.  There is no baseball game on the day of the show.  For more information about the tour and presale opportunities, visit www.bobdylan.com .

      Date             Market                                                                    On-Sale

7/2                Sauget, IL at GCS Ballpark                                       5/2

7/4                South Bend, IN at Coveleski Stadium                        5/2

7/8                Louisville, KY at Louisville Slugger Field                    5/9

7/10              Dayton, OH at Fifth Third Field                                 5/2

7/11              Eastlake, OH at Classic Park                                     5/2

7/13              Washington, PA at Consol Energy Park                     5/2

7/14              Allentown, PA at Coca-Cola Park                             5/2

7/15              New Britain, CT at New Britain Stadium                    5/9

7/19              Syracuse, NY at Alliance Bank Stadium                     5/9

7/21              Pawtucket, RI at McCoy Stadium                              5/9

7/23              Lakewood, NJ at FirstEnergy Park                            5/2

7/24              Aberdeen, MD at Ripken Stadium                             5/9

7/25              Norfolk, VA at Harbor Park                                      5/9

7/28              Durham, NC at Durham Bulls Athletic Park                5/9

7/29              Sevierville, TN at Smokies Park                                 5/16

8/4                Round Rock, TX at The Dell Diamond                       5/16

8/5                Corpus Christi, TX at Whataburger Field                   5/16

8/7                Grand Prairie, TX at QuikTrip Park                           5/30

8/11              Glendale, AZ at Camelback Ranch                            5/16

8/12              Las Vegas, NV at Cashman Field                              5/30

8/14              Fresno, CA at Chukchansi Park                                 5/30

8/15              Stockton, CA at Banner Island Ballpark                     5/30

Tour dates include a performance on KCRW-FM

By Blurt Staff

Attention, western Blurt readers: one of our favorite artists is headed your way. Fresh off her successful residencies at LA's Hotel Cafe and SF's Hotel Utah in January,  Theresa Andersson will be doing a short run of dates that will take in the coast as well as Tucson and Dallas. The Los Angeles Times heralded her as an "Artist to Watch in 2009" , while Blurt named her album Hummingbird, Go! one of 2008's best.

Theresa has been garnering quite an audience thanks to her jaw-dropping live performance - check it out  here on Shockhound.

Theresa Andersson Tour Dates:

May 11- Live on KCRW
May 12 - Los Angeles, CA @ Largo at the Coronet, 9:30 PM
May 14 - San Francisco, CA @ Swedish American Hall, TBA
May 16 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios, 7:45 PM
May 18 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern, 10 PM
May 24 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress, 8:40 PM
May 27 - Dallas, TX @ AllGood Cafe, 8 PM

Please don't sue us for posting this video, Prince - after all, YOU posted it to YouTube in the first place...

By Fred Mills

We're not sure what we like best about the Prince video: the decidedly retro visuals that'll make you think you've stumbled into a VH1 Classic block of ‘60s clips, the fact that somewhere in the middle of the song His Purpleness goes all Hendrix-at-Monterey on your ass, or simply that he's covering one of our all-time favorite tunes, Tommy James' eternal "Crimson & Clover."

Hey, it's not as freaked out as the version our friend Peter Holsapple (of the dB's, also of Stamey & Holsapple, who have a new album coming out in June - gratuitous plug) did back in '78, but it's pretty fucking good just the same.

If an album drops in a forest and nobody listens, does it actually make a sound?

By Fred Mills

The weekend will be here in 18 minutes EST, so what better way to kick things off than with a news item on Vampire Weekend?

Hyperventilating, hairy-palmed blogospherians went into overdrive earlier today as word got out that the NYC band has been working on their next album in a Brooklyn studio for a proposed September release. Keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij is producing, according to a report filed by Entertainment Weekly in which singer Ezra Koenig commented on how things were progressing, saying, "It's definitely going to be a recognizably Vampire Weekend sound, but there are going to be new sounds. We're trying to challenge ourselves not to use the same bag of tricks that we used on the first album."

We can only hope that's true of the m.o. for the most overrated indie band of the past couple of years.

On a more promising note, the band is in Spartanburg, S.C., tonight (hey! just down the street from BLURT's southern bureau!) doing a free concert at Wofford College. It's hosted by the ONE campaign's poverty-battling "Campus Challenge," details HERE, with the band rewarding the small college for taking top honors in a related project.

Incidentally, you realize that when news about a hipster buzz band starts getting broken by a publication like Entertainment Weekly, you know it's definitely jumped the shark....

My Aim is True turns out, indeed, to have been lightning caught in a bottle.

By Fred Mills

(The other day, in a letter to the popular blog "The Lefsetz Letter," John Ciambotti provided the following commentary on something Lefsetz had written about Elvis Costello. His words provide a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse at what went into the making of Costello's 1977 debut LP My Aim Is True. Ciambotti was the bassist for California band Clover at the time; Clover, of course, was the backing band on the album for Costello, who at the time had not yet formed The Attractions. - FM)

***

bob

as the bass player for clover, elvis costello, john prine, lucinda williams, carlene carter, butch hancock, norton buffalo, to name a few, i can assure you that playing with elvis costello was an unbelievable eye-opener.  doing that first album with nick lowe, elvis, mcfee, hopper, and mickey shine changed, not only our musical lives, but pretty much changed the face of music in the late 70's.  the reason you like that album is that it was done in 16 hours---start to finish---four 4 hour sessions.  pretty much all first takes and nick wouldn't let us repair any clams because the feel was so amazing (also, we had to make it to the pub berfore closing time). 

it blew everybody's mind (especially the limey press, which jake riviera refused to give any information to) that this sort-of-country blues rock band from marin county laid the foundation for the new wave movement.  elvis was the epitome of youthful enthusiasm and completely non-compromising with his songs.  nick was the perfect compliment with his no-bullshit approach to production---scully 8 track with a tiny board at islingdon studio in the east end.  the studio was about as big as your bathroom and there was no booth---strictly seat-of-the-pants. 

elvis has kept in touch with us all through the years, and we did some shows in november 2007 at the great american music hall in s.f. with the original band (with the exception of shine---pete thomas played drums).  it sounded better than the record and elvis was as gracious as ever (notwithstanding his rep---all press bullshit) and we raised  alot of money for audie delone's charity.  these are the kind of things that elvis does that don't get the press coverage. clover considered themselves the best band in the world---we grew up playing all the clubs in nocal practically every day for years. 

you're right when you say that young bands need to play out constantly---the reason we could do those elvis tracks on first take is that our chops were fine-tuned on the road.  anyway, if you were to meet e.c. in a non-press context, you would find him to be funny, charming, a great listener, and a general overall bon vivant.  i can't wait to play with him again.  bob, come visit me at my great new office in glendale---i specialize in musicians injuries---it is truly a musicians hangout.

dr john p ciambotti

Possibly leading up to a new album?

By Fred Mills

Erstwhile La's frontman and professional recluse Lee Mavers took another step in returning to the public eye last night in London when he turned up at a "secret" gig featuring Libertines/Dirty Pretty Things mainman Carl Barat and members of Babyshambles.

Billed as Mongrel Soundclash, a revolving cast of musicians performed at Dingwall's Camden Crawl, with Mavers eventually joining them onstage. Among the tunes covered were the La's "Feelin'". (Earlier in the day at the Hawley Arms he'd also done "There She Goes" and "Son Of A Gun" for a small crowd.)

Read the entire account at NME.com.

Recent reports also have Mavers and Babyshambles in talks about recording an album; Mavers popped up onstage with Babyshambles leader Pete Doherty not long ago on Doherty's solo tour.

It's ladies' night for Tila Tequila

By Nancy Dunham

We're heartbroken.

We told you Smashing Pumpkins' guru Billy Corgan and reality star Tila Tequila

were together but, alas, we hear that's over now. Who saw that coming?

Not since Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson, or I mean Lisa Marie Presley and Nicholas Cage, I mean Lisa Marie Presley and - sorry, the editors say our Web site doesn't have enough space to cite more LMP true-love-gone-bad scenarios - have we been this disappointed.

A report on The Superficial (To crib a line from The Washington Post-- "We look so you don't have to") -seems to imply Tila has kicked Billy to the curb (no report on if he liked it) and now has eyes only for the ladies.

Ah, rock & roll love is so fleeting.

Myles Kennedy reportedly not amused one damn bit.

By Fred Mills

Insurance company secretaries and waitresses for the Outback chain of steak houses took to the streets this morning in celebration of the news that multiplatinum-selling band Creed was reuniting for an album and summer tour. We are not making this up: yes, the mook-rock legends are back together, with the original lineup of Scott Stapp, Mark Tremonti, Scott Phillips and Brian Marshall. See the full tour itinerary, below.

Rumors have been circulating on this for half a year, However, rather than indulge our verbiage-reflex, in a rare departure from BLURT's usual coverage of such news, we will turn the mic over to the bandmembers and allow them to hang themselves.

Guitarist Mark Tremonti: "We're all very excited to reconnect with our fans and each other after six long years." 

Drummer Scott Phillips: "Our career as Creed came to a very abrupt and unforeseen ending. After reflecting on some of the greatest personal and professional moments of our lives, we've come to realize that we are still very capable of continuing that career and our friendship on a grander scale than ever before." 

Bassist Brian Marshall: "This is a development we are all happy about.  It has been a long time since the four of us have taken the stage together, and without hesitation or reservation this is something all of us are in to.  The anticipation to get back out there is electrifying."

Singer Scott Stapp: "Its amazing how life can change and bring you full circle. Time gave us all a chance to reflect, grow and gain a deeper appreciation of our friendships, artistic chemistry, passion for music, and sincere love for our fans!  It's rare in life to get a second chance to make a first impression and we embrace the opportunity. We all believe the BEST IS YET TO COME!"

(Ed note: Myles Kennedy, who formed Alter Bridge with all the Creed dudes not named Scott Stapp after Creed split up, was not available for comment, as unconfirmed reports have him in London, stalking John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page.)

DATE                         CITY                                       On-SALE                   

Thu/Aug-06                 Pittsburgh PA                         9-May

Sat/Aug-08                  Darien Lakes NY                   9-May

Sun/Aug-09                 Hershey PA                            9-May

Tue/Aug-11                 Saratoga Springs NY              9-May

Thu/Aug-13                 Philadelphia PA                     9-May

Sat/Aug-15                  Wantagh NY                          9-May

Sun/Aug-16                 Holmdel NJ                            9-May

Tue/Aug-18                 Boston MA                            9-May

Thu/Aug-20                 Hartford, CT                          9-May

Fri/Aug-21                  Washington DC                      8-May

Sat/Aug-22                  Virginia Beach VA                9-May

Tue/Aug-25                 Detroit MI                              30-May

Wed/Aug-26               Cleveland OH                        9-May

Fri/Aug-28                  Cincinnati OH                        9-May

Sat/Aug-29                  Indianapolis IN                      9-May

Sun/Aug-30                 Chicago IL                             9-May

Tue/Sept-1                   Milwaukee                             9-May

Wed /Sept-2                Columbus OH                        30-May

Fri/Sept-4                    Raleigh NC                            TBD

Sat/Sept-5                   Charlotte NC                         TBD

Fri/Sept-11                  Atlanta GA                            30-May

Sat/Sept-12                 Birmingham AL                     30-May

Tue/Sept-15                 Orlando FL                            9-May

Wed/Sept-16               West Palm Beach FL             9-May

Fri/Sept-18                  Lafayette LA                         16-May

Sat/Sept-19                 New Orleans LA                    16-May

Sun /Sept-20               Bossier City LA                     16-May

Tue/Sept-22                 Dallas TX                               9-May

Thu/Sept-24                San Antonio TX                     9-May

Fri/Sept-25                  Houston TX                           9-May

Sun/Sept-27                Las Vegas NV                        9-May

Tue/Sept-29                 Glendale AZ                          16-May

Wed/Sept-30               Irvine CA                               30-May

Fri/Oct-2                     Salt Lake City UT                  30-May

Sat/Oct-3                     Denver CO                             30-May

Tue/Oct-6                    Minneapolis MN                    30-May

Wed/Oct-7                  Omaha NE                             30-May

Fri/Oct-9                     Tulsa OK                                30-May

Sat/Oct-10                   Kansas City MO                    30-May

Tue/Oct-13                  St Louis MO                          16-May

Wed/Oct-14                Nashville TN                          30-May

Wayne Coyne: "Our governor's got balls THIS big..."

By Nancy Dunham

As Yogi Berra used to famously say, "It's Ain't Over ‘Til It's Over."

Keep that in mind tomorrow when you may well see hundreds of The Flaming Lips' fans clad in sickle-and-hammer decorated t-shirts. The garb - which Lips' front man Wayne Coyne has hinted he might provide - may be the attire du jour when Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry is slated to sign an Executive order designating Lips' song "Do You Realize?" as the state's official tune, Billboard reports.

As you know, almost as soon as the Lips' song was selected as the state tune in a contest, controversy reared its ugly head. The band's always-affable front man Wayne Coyne has given a host of interviews this week to journos covering the confab. He blames "religious wackos" in the state house of representatives for blocking the order because Michael Ivins wore a sickle and hammer t-shirt.

Coyne told Billboard a highlight of the past month was the Gov's rejection of the contest results.

 "It's really just a few religious wackos that think they can tell everybody what to do," Wayne told Billboard. "It's not even to me Democrats versus Republicans."

Coyne proved his love for national policymaking land when the band headlined an Earth Day concert in D.C. last week and he joyfully rolled out to the crowd in his trademark balloon. Check out those antics in The Washington Post.

Event slated for May 12 will feature a slew of free performances.

By Blurt Staff

Sónar is heading to the United States for the first time with a debut event in New York on May 12th, thanks to its collaboration with the Institut Ramon Llull.  Featuring a day of special concerts and performances at the Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC),  SonarSound NY will showcase the best of Catalan and American artists, combining multimedia art ideas with experimental electronica and the latest generation of pop culture.

Sónar is the premiere electronic music and multimedia art festival held in the heart of Barcelona for three days every June.  Last year, more than 80 thousand people enjoyed a musical line-up that combined major names in today's electronic music scene with a strong focus on experimental programming.  Sónar is a meeting point for fans from all over the world eager for new ideas and for professionals, who find that the festival atmosphere is the ideal place to display their products and make contacts.

The SonarSound NY bill includes installations by Marcel·lí Antúnez and ReacTable, featuring Ikue Mori; the mysterious ambient of Balago; the soundtrack, performed live, by Árbol and Fibla for a film by Taiwan's Tsai Ming-Liang; the extravagant pop of Hidrogenesse; hip-hop in a trio format with the Del Palo Soundsystem; two sets by the Barcelona dj d.a.r.y.l.; the highly unconventional rhythm of the Americans (both ex-residents of Barcelona) DJ/Rupture and Prefuse 73; and visuals by No-Domain.

For more details: www.sonar.es

SONARSOUND NY - all performance free to the public.

8pm - 1am
Baryshnikov Arts Center NYC
450 West 37th Street, Suite 501
New York, NY 10018

Marcel·lí Antúnez - "Metamembrana"
ReacTable featuring Ikue Mori
Fibla + Árbol
Del Palo Soundsystem: Griffi + DJ2D2 feat. Aqeel
Balago
DJ/Rupture
Prefuse 73
d.a.r.y.l.
Hidrogenesse
No-Domain

Kinda like that April 1 YouTube thing... hey, it's easy to just flip your laptop over if you can't figure this one out!

By Blurt Staff

Deerhoof has a new video for "Numina," from last year's acclaimed Offend Maggie. It's by Kate Hall, formerly of Mika Miko, who's a well-known fillmmaker, printer, photographer and painter (she painted a mural at the all ages venue The Smell in LA and has made videos for bands like Erase Errata and Abe Vigoda in the past).

Needless to say, there's a lot one can do, video-wise, simply by turning your camera over! Go HERE to see the video.

Deerhoof on Tour:

may 03 - Beijing, China - Strawberry Festival
may 05 - Oberlin, OH - Dionysus Club
may 07 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
may 12 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore (w/ Cornelius)
may 13 - Santa Cruz, CA - Rio Theater (w/ Cornelius)
may 14 - Los Angeles, CA - Mayan Theater (w/ Cornelius)
may 16 - Pomona, CA - The Glasshouse (w/ Cornelius)
may 17 - Santa Barbara, CA - Soho
may 29 - Duedingen, Switzerland - Kilbi Festival
may 30 - Nancy, France - L'Autre Canal
may 31 - Paris, France - Villette Sonique
jun 01 - Bordeaux, France - BT59
jun 02 - Montpellier, France - Rockstore
jun 04 - St. Nazaire, France - Le VIP
jun 05 - Orleans, France - L'Astrolabe
jun 06 - Cherbourg, France - Terra Trema Festival
jun 26 - Evreux, France - Le Rock Dans Tous Ses Etats Festival
jul 03 - London, UK - Hyde Park (w/ Blur)
jul 05 - Cergy, France - Furia Festival
jul 17 - Dour, Belgium - Dour Festival
jul 18 - Nijmegen, Netherlands - Valkhofaffaire
jul 19 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli/Helling

In which we celebrate Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, Poco, James Burton, Jim Lauderdale and, uh, Charlie Daniels!

By Scott Dudelson

Although Stagecoach and Coachella are held at the same venue, and produced by the same promoters, the similarities between the two events more or less end there.

While Coachella is all about showcasing the biggest and brightest in the alternative / indie world, and draws a young hipster crowd, Stagecoach is largely about mainstream country and brings in diverse crowd of all ages.  This third annual event featured headliners Brad Paisley, Reba, Kenny Chesney, Kid Rock, Charlie Daniels Band, Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum and former Hootie and the Blowfish singer, turned pop-cowboy singer, Darius Rucker, and these are the acts that nearly 40,000 fans trekked out to the desert to see.  But the promoters are no dummies, and understand that while Chesney and Paisley will bring in the crowds, its the traditional country acts on the bill that make Stagecoach one of the most interesting and well rounded country music festivals in the country.

This year the promoters brought in two titans of country music to headline small side stages - Earl Scruggs & Ralph Stanley.   Scruggs closed out the Mustang stage on Saturday night, and a couple hundred fans turned out to watch Scruggs and his family band (led by sons Gregg and Randy), churn out some of the meanest bluegrass this side of Appalachian Mountains.  Although Scruggs looked a healthy 85 years old, his role was that of a figure-head rather than a bandleader, and he allowed his band to lead the charge through standards "In the Pines" "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," and a cover of Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere."  However, the scant few times Scruggs did pick the banjo, the small crowd would erupt, causing Scruggs to flash a devilish smile (which, coincidentally, was the only time Scruggs showed any emotion on stage).

The 82 year-old Ralph Stanley, on the other hand, looked frail and weak (and sported a bandage over his left eye), but sang in a powerful voice during his entire 50 minute set.   Stanley wasn't just a figurehead on stage -he was the man.  Like Scruggs, Stanley surrounded himself with family and friends, and half way through the set invited Jim Lauderdale up on stage to run through a couple songs from their Grammy winning collaboration, Lost in Lonesome Pines.

Other highlights included Lauderdale's own set, which featured support from an amazing band that included rock and roll hall of fame guitarist James Burton, and Doug Pettibone, Dusty Wakeman & Dave Roe from Lucinda Williams band. Lauderdale, dressed in his trademark Nudie suit, invoked the spirit of Gram Parsons (who died in Joshua Tree, only 20 minutes up the road from the festival grounds) during his hour-long set, while James Burton filled in some of the tastiest country licks of the festival.

Although more in line with the mainstream vibe of the festival, one of the most interesting performances was that of early 70's Southern California country band Poco. Although Poco has been touring non-stop for the last 40 years in various combinations, this show was the first in nearly the same amount of time that featured original members Richie Furay, Jim Messina, Timothy B. Schmidt, George Grantham, and Rusty Young.  The band played all their hits, including "Crazy Love,"  "Rose of Cimarron" and  "Heart of the Night," in addition to classics from Furay and Messina's Buffalo Springfield days (Childs Claim to Fame, On the Way Home, Kind Women).

Although these traditional / alternative acts were merely an aside to the contemporary country that dominated the festival, there is no doubt that the promoters have succeeded massively in creating an event that will not only endure, but will also be recognized as the premier country music event in the Southwestern United States.

 [Photos by Scott Dudelson]

Fiery Furnaces set to burn up the airwaves with new CD.

By Nancy Dunham

Time to think about going away.

The Fiery Furnaces' eighth album - titled I'm Going Away - is set for July 21 release.

The band's handlers call the album "70's sunshine-glazed piano pop, filled with cascading note slides, head-nodding grooves and some of the sweetest melodies in their seemingly endless arsenal of musical ideas."

Retro hasn't been working out so well for many bands (hello, Panic at the Disco) but the siblings Friedberger have this to say about that!

"All rock music is a sort of dramatic music. And since the times are tough, it makes sense to have that 'drama' be something more like a version of Taxi than something like a version of Titanic. We like Taxi better than Titanic anyway.  So we hope that some of the songs on this record can be used as theme songs to folks' own personal versions of Taxi. Because--ideally--the dramatic setting of the music isn't provided by the story or image of the given act or band. It's provided by the lives of the people who use--listen to--the music. That's all kinds of pop music's promise and problem, or danger. So be careful and don't get cancelled."

Let's hope the CD works out for them and they break the anti-retro mode. good people.

Tracklisting:

                                "I'm Going Away"

                                "Drive to Dallas"

                                "The End is Near"

                                "Charmaine Champagne"

                                "Cut the Cake"

                                "Even in the Rain"

                                "Staring at the Steeple"

                                "Ray Bouvier"

                                "Keep Me in the Dark"

                                "Lost At Sea"

                                "Cups and Punches"

                                "Take Me Round Again"

Indie electro pop group headlines tour, plans releases

By Blurt Staff

It's concert season so everyone's trying to catch your attention - think of it like walking through a musical Kasbah.

Indie electro popster Owl City - a/k/a Adam Young - is making bid for your music dollars by releasing a series of monthly single releases on the first Tuesday of each month starting with "Hot Air Balloon" next week, on May 5, and leading up to the release of the Minnesota musician's new full-length album Ocean Eyes - due out September 1. 

Details, go to the MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/owlcity

Tour Dates:

May 3 - Meadowlands Sports Complex/Bamboozle -East Rutherford, NJ

May 5 - Café 939 - Boston, Mass.                                 

May 6 - North Star Bar - Philadelphia, Pa.

May 7 - Bowery Ballroom - New York

May 9 - Jammin' Java  - Vienna, Va.

May 11 - Grog Shop - Cleveland Heights, Ohio

May 12 - The Pike Room at Crofoot - Pontiac, Mich.

May 14 - Subterranean - Chicago, Ill.

May 15 - Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, Minn.

May 23 - Gorge Amphitheatre/Sasquatch Festival - George, Wash.

May 26 - Glass House, Pomona, Calif.

May 27 - The Dome - Bakersfield, Calif.

May 28 -The Boardwalk - Orangevale, Calif.

 May 29 - Indigo District - Eugene, Ore.

May 30 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, Oreg.

May 31 -Neumo's - Seattle, Wash.

June 2 - Knitting Factory -Spokane, Wash.

June 3 - Knitting Factory - Boise, Idaho

June 4 - Murray Theatre - Salt Lake City, Utah

June 19 - Rocketown - Nashville, Tenn.

June 20 - Vinyl - Atlanta, Ga.

June 22 - The Orange Peel - Asheville, N.C.

June 23 - Lincoln Theatre - Raleigh, N.C.

June 25 - Sonar - Baltimore, Md.

June 26 - Water Street Music Hall - Rochester, NY

June 27 - The Basement - Columbus, Ohio

June 29 - Riverside Ballroom - Green Bay, Wisc.

June 30 - Grandma's Sports Garden Bar & Grill - Duluth, Minn.

July 1 - Cornerstone Farm - Marietta, Ill.

July 2 - Granada Theatre, Lawrence, Kan.

July 3 - Slowdown - Omaha, Neb.

July 5 - Summerfest - Milwaukee, Wisc.

The red headed stranger offers his personal seal of approval. Watch out for the giant bong, Matthew.

By Blurt Staff

Earlier this year Phosphorescent released his new album To Willie (Dead Oceans), a tribute to the music of Willie Nelson. Styled after Willie's own tribute to Lefty Frizzell, the 1975 album, To Lefty, From Willie, has received glowing praise from the media - including BLURT, and you can read what we had to say about it and Matthew Houck (a/k/a Phosphorescent) in our debut print issue, on newsstands now.

Houck offered the following explanation in a recent statement: "I can remember being in the back seat of my parents' car in Alabama and hearing "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" sung by Willie Nelson. I must have been three or four years old. That huge-sounding, sad, sad song did something to me. It took something out of me. Or put something into me I don't know which. There was a gravel driveway and a gate. My father was out of the car, opening the gate and then we were driving over the gravel. Every song I've ever sung has something to do with this moment."

And now a new voice has joined in the choir of high praise for the album - the voice belonging to Willie Nelson himself! Last week Dead Oceans received an invite from Willie Nelson's Sirius XM Radio Channel, Willie's Place (located on the dial on Sirius 64, and XM 13,) for Phosphorescent to perform as part of the channel's festivities celebrating the 76th birthday of the Red Headed Stranger.

Also last week, Phosphorescent's Matthew Houck and his entire band of merry musicians were personally invited by Willie to come to New Brunswick, NJ to attend a Nelson performance.  Upon arrival, they were invited onto his tour bus where Mr. Nelson was extremely generous and sweet, and shared some very kind words about To Willie.  You can read Matthew's own telling of the encounter on his myspace page linked Here.

The meeting was also blogged about on Willie's site Here.

You can hear Phosphorescent pay an hour long birthday tribute to Willie Nelson on Willie's Place (Sirius Radio channel 64, XM 13) on Thursday April 30 at 9pm EST. Nelson himself recorded a radio promo for Phosphorescent's appearance. You can hear it right Here.

Annual music bash takes place July 24 and 25 in Seattle - and it's cheap, too!

By Blurt Staff

The 2009 Capitol Hill Block Party takes over Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood July 24-25. The Block Party is an annual music festival that draws upon and showcases the best indie and underground rock in the US, with a special focus on its Northwest artists. Launched 12 years ago, the Block Party has evolved into Seattle's most anticipated outdoor party. Over 40 bands will play on 3 stages.

Among those slated to play: Sonic Youth, The Jesus Lizard, The Gossip, Deerhunter, Black Lips, Earth, The Thermals, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Moondoggies, Spinnerette, The Dutchess And The Duke, Mika Miko, The Blakes, Sleepy Eyes Of Death, Girls, Hey Marseilles, The Maldives, Truckasauras, Akimbo, Past Lives, Future Of The Left, Micachu & The Shapes, Starfucker, Faux Punk, New Faces, D. Black, Hotels, Pica Beats, Fatal Lucciano, Flexions, They Live!, Audicity, Spaceman, Bow+Arrow, Sol, Japandroids

John Richards -KEXP Morning Show Host exclaims, "There is no other local event that truly brings the Seattle music community together (and not just because of the free booze in the VIP area...well not all because of that), the people behind the music, the artists, local media and most importantly the fans."

Partial proceeds from The Block Party benefit two excellent non-profits: Home Alive, which encourages violence prevention, and The Vera Project, a youth run all ages venue and recording studio in Seattle.  

The Block Party continues to be one of the least expensive festivals in the country. "EARLY BIRD" tickets - May 1 - May 15:     2 day passes - $40 / single day tickets - $22

 
Tickets Available starting this Friday, May 1, at www.ticketswest.com

Go to www.capitolhillblockparty.com for daily updates, videos, special promotions and more.

Prog kingpins issue double concert CD and announce string of U.S. dates.

By Blurt Staff

A new live double CD by prog-rock legends Nektar called Fortyfied is en route. Celebrating their 40th Anniversary, Nektar's contribution over the past 40 years has quite rightly earned them their place in any Progressive Rock Hall of Fame. But the band is much more than a Prog Legend, the Nektar brand of innovative composition, performance and visuals is simply unique. Recorded on their 2008 tour of Europe, Fortyfied is released on the bands own label Treaclemusic and features many beloved Nektar classics such as "Tab In The Ocean", "Recycled pt.1", "Man In The Moon" and part two of the group's classic "Remember The Future".

The Nektar story thus far:

The British rock band that found stardom and major success in Germany and the USA, yet failed to make the significant breakthrough in their own country. With three gold albums under their belt ("Remember The Future", "Down To Earth" and "Recycled"), Nektar produced some of the most original work of the seventies and eighties. In virtuoso guitarist Roye Albrighton Nektar had a charismatic front man who had shared a stage with Jimi Hendrix, in Allan "Taff" Freeman a unique keyboard player, in Derek "Mo" Moore a bass playing powerhouse and in Ron Howden a fluidity rarely found in a drummer. Fifth member Mick Brockett was not a musician, but was responsible for one of the most stunning light and visual shows ever to grace the rock stage. Nektar's history appeared to have been written when they finally split in the eighties. Then in 2000 came  reunion tour of the classic line-up, to rave reviews and fantastic receptions.

"Its pretty timeless music," says Roye Albrighton, "and what I'm hearing from most of the new, younger fans that are now coming to our shows, is that its like going back in time. They are starting to really discover music again, which, of course, is a great relief to us and some of the older bands from our time."

An American tour in September 2004 saw Taff Freeman depart the band for personal reasons and his successor, Hammond virtuoso Tom Hughes, instantly earning a place in the hearts of the Nektar faithful. With continued concert dates, along with the remastering of the remainder of the Nektar back catalogue on CD, this legendary band has become once more a force to be reckoned with in the world of progressive music. In 2007 Nektar truly took over their own management, procured their official website as their own, entirely under their control and went on a 22-date tour of Germany. Joining Roye and Ron was Peter Pichl on 5-string bass and Klaus Henatsch on keyboards, these two new members from Hanover, Germany, seemed to gel from the outset and now, along with the release of the critically acclaimed CD Book of Days in 2008 and the new live DBL CD Fortyfied, Nektar looks set to make its mark once again.

As far as future plans for Nektar: "To make more music, and to experiment more in different ways...an orchestrated version of Journey is not unlikely, but well see," says Roye. "I am also working on a new solo album, but this will take some time to finish, Nektar is taking up a lot of my time at the moment." An acoustic Nektar tour is also in the works.

The band is scheduled to play four special U.S. shows:

May 1, 2009 (Friday) - Philadelphia, PA - Keswick Theater

May 2, 2009 (Saturday) - Springfield, VA - Jaxx

May 3, 2009 (Sunday) - Rosfest (end of Rosfest special acoustic/electric show)

May 4, 2009 (Monday) - New York, NY - Concert Hall NYC

Nektar's official website: www.nektarsmusic.com

Free compilation in honor of murdered woman also includes Bigelf, Rocco DeLuca, Webb Sisters and more.

By Blurt Statt

Blurt's most recent "Best Kept Secret" Polly Mackey and the Pleasure Principle has donated a track to the Music For Katherine album, a free album for download compiled by LP33.tv as a tribute to the late Katherine Ann Olson. Also appearing on the album: Bigelf, Rocco DeLuca, The Webb Sisters, Black Cherry, Breathe Carolina, Bear Hands, Schiller and Madi Diaz.

On October 25, 2007, Olson (age 24) was murdered in a Minneapolis suburb after answering a babysitting ad online. Katherine was energetic, exuberant, and intensely passionate about life -- especially music.As a tribute to Katherine, LP33.tv and Craigslist will sponsor a concert in Minneapolis this Sunday, May 3rd to raise funds for a memorial scholarship in Katherine's name.

Advises LP33.tv, "Help us share this free album, and help support the Internet safety campaign."

Works for us. Go to: http://www.lp33.tv/musicforkatherine

Tracklisting:

'Nothing At All'  Madi Diaz

'You'll Never Know'  Sarah Solovay

'Diamonds'  Breathe Carolina

'Valmont'  Empires

'The Way It Works'  Polly Mackey

 'Golden'  Bear Hands

'Calling This A Life'  The Webb Sisters

 'You Go To My Head'  Rachael Price

'I Feel You'  Schiller

 'Control'  Black Cherry

'Electric City Of The Future'  Urbanites

'Money, It's Pure Evil'  Bigelf

'Tangled Woods'  Dignan

 'Bus Ride'  Rocco DeLuca

Scottish songwriter  launches U.S. Tour after Coachella success.

By Blurt Staff

In the mass of musical maestros that played Coachella, it seems Paolo Nutini's shows - especially a pretty cool rendition of Sly & The Family Stone's classic hit "I Wanna Take You Higher" killed.

Perfect timing, as they say, since the Scottish troubadour and his band The Vipers are releasing sophomore album Sunny Side Up on June 2 and then headlining a U.S. tour. Pre-order tickets at http://www.frontgatetickets.com

Tour Dates:

July 20 - Amagansett, NY - The Stephen Talkhouse

July 21 - New York - Webster Hall

July 23 - Washington DC - 9:30 Club

July 24 - Boston, Mass. - House of Blues

July 25 - Philadelphia, Pa. - Theatre of Living Arts

July 27 - Indianapolis, Ind. - The Vogue Theatre

July 28 - Atlanta, Ga. - Variety Playhouse

July 29 - Nashville, Tenn. - Cannery Ballroom

July 31 - Toronto, Ont. - Opera House

Aug. 1 - Detroit, Mich. - St. Andrews Hall

Aug. 2 - Chicago, Ill. - Vic Theatre

Aug. 3 - Apple Valley, Minn. - Weesner Amphitheatre